worthy pieces as a Monument of their graces and zeal for the publick welfare whether it be out of a modest sense of their own endeavours as being loath upon choice or of their own accord to venture abroad into the world or whether it be that being occupied and taken up with other labours or whether it be in a conformity to Christ who would not leave his Spirit till his Departure or whether it be out of an hope that their Works would find a more kindly reception after their death the living being more liable to envy and reproach but when the Authour is in heaven the work is more esteemed upon earth whether for this or that cause usually it is that not only the life but the death of Gods servants hath been profitable to his Church by that means many useful Treatises being freed from that privacy and obscurenesse to which by the modesty of the Authour they were formerly confined Which as it hath commonly falne out so especially in the Works of this Reverend Authour all which some few onely excepted saw the light after the Authours death which also hath been the lot of this usefull Comment onely it hath this advantage above the rest that it was perused by the Authour during life and corrected by his own hand and hath the plain signature and marks of his own spirit which will easily appear to those that have been any way conversant with his former Works this being signified for further commendation it needeth none I commend thee to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build thee up and to give thee an inheritance among the sanctified remaining Thy servant in the Lords work THOMAS MANTON A COMMENTARY upon the first CHAPTER of the second Epistle of S. PAUL to the CORINTHIANS 2 Cor. 1. 1. Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the Will of God and Timothy our Brother unto the Church of God which is at Corinth with all the Saints which are in all Achaia Grace be to you and Peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. THe Preface to this Epistle is the same with other Prefaces Our blessed Apostle had written a sharp Epistle to the Corinthians especially reproving their tolerating of the incestuous person that his first Epistle took effect though not so much as he desired yet it prevailed so far with them that they excommunicated the incestuous person and likewise reformed divers abuses Yet notwithstanding it being a proud factious rich City where there was confluence of many Nations being an excellent Port and Mart-Town there were many proud insolent teachers which thought basely of St. Paul and thereupon he writes this second Epistle the scope whereof is partly Apologetical Exhortatorie Apologetical to defend himself Exhortatorie to instruct them in several duties as we shall see in the passages of it The general scope of it is this to shew That the Ministerial labour is not in vain in the Lord. The fruit of the first Epistle to the Corinthians is seen in this second the first Epistle took effect Therefore we should not be discouraged neither we that are Ministers of the Church or those that are Ministers in their own families as every man should be be not discouraged at unlikelihood there is alway some successe to encourage us though not so much as we look for in this world because there is a reprobate Generation that are alway set upon Cavilling and opposing yet some successe there will be as there was here A second thing in general out of the whole scope is this to teach us to vindicate our credit when the truth may be wounded through us as the Apostle stands here upon his reputation and labours to free and to clear himself from all imputations but especially he doth this by his life for that is the best Apology But because that would not serve it would not speak loud enough therefore he makes an excellent apology in this Epistle But to come to the particulars Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and Timothy our Brother THis Chapter is Apologetical especially after the Preface He stands in defence of himself against the imputations First that he was a man neglected of God he was so persecuted and oppressed with so many afflictions And the second is the imputation of inconstancie that he came not to them when he had made a promise to come This Chapter is especially in defence of these two In an excellent heavenly wisdome he turnes off the imputation of afflictions and inverts the imputation the clean contrary way and he begins with thanksgiving Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies the God of all comfort who hath comforted us in all our tribulations As if God had done him a great favour in them as we shall see when we come to those words For the Preface it is common with all his Epistles therefore we make it not a principal part of the Chapter yet because these Prefaces have the seeds of the Gospel in them the seeds of heavenly comfort and doctrine I will speak something of it Here is An Inscription and A Salutation In the Inscription there are the parties from whom this Epistle was written Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and Timothy our Brother And the persons to whom To the Church of God at Corinth and all the Saints in Achaia The Salutation Grace and Peace in the form of a blessing Grace and Peace From whom From God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul an Apostle c. In this inscription he sets down his office an Apostle and an Apostle of Jesus Christ. How Apostles differ from other Ministers it is an ordinary point St. Paul was called to be an Apostle by Christ himself in 1 Cor. 9. 1. Am I not an Apostle have I not seen Christ It was the priviledge of the Apostles to see Christ they were taught immediately by Christ and they had a general commission to teach all and they had extraordinary gifts All these were in St. Paul eminently And this was his prerogative that he was chosen by Christ in heaven in glory the other were chosen by Christ when he was in abasement in a state of humiliation Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ. By the will of God By the appointment of God by the designment of Christ For every man in his particular calling is placed in it by the will of God St. Paul saith he was an Apostle by the will of God not by the will of man This is the same word as is in the beginning of the Epistle to the Philippians In a word it teacheth us this first Observation That we should think our selves in our standings and callings to be there by the will of God And therefore should serve him by whose will we are placed in that standing Let every man consider who placed me here God if
Christ the Father of mercies c. That which to the flesh is matter of scandall and offence that to the spirit and to a spirituall man is matter of glory so contrary is the flesh and the Spirit and so opposite is the disposition and the current of the fleshly man to the spirituall man Job was so farre from cursing God for taking away that he saith Blessed be the name of God not onely for giving but for taking away too What ground there is in troubles and persecutions to blesse God we shall see in the current and passages of the Chapter To come then to the very verse it selfe where there is a blessing and praysing of God first And in this praysing consider The Act Object Reasons The Act Blessed be God which is a praysing The Object is God the Father The Reasons are inwrapped in the Object Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because he is the God and Father of Iesus Christ therefore blessed be he Secondly another reason is because he is the Father of mercies Another reason is from the Act of this disposition of mercie in God he is the God of all comfort and as he is comfortable so he doth comfort Thou art good and doest good saith the Psalmist thou art a God of comfort and thou doest comfort For as he is so he doth he shews his Nature in his working Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and God of comfort of which I shall speake when I come to them Blessed be God the Father c. We see here the heart of the blessed Apostle being warmed with the sense and taste of the sweet mercy of God stirrs up his tongue to bless God a full heart and a full tongue We have here the exuberancie the abundance of his thankfulness breaking forth in his speech his heart had first tasted of the sweet mercies and comforts of God before he prayseth God The first thing that we will observe hence is that It is the disposition of Gods Children after they have tasted the sweet mercy and comfort and love of God to break forth into the praysing of God and to thanksgiving It is as naturall for the new creature to doe so as for the birds to sing in the Spring when the Sun hath warmed the poore creature it shews its thankfulnesse in singing and that little blood and spirits that it hath being warmed after winter it is natural for those creatures so to do and we delight in them It is as natural for the new creature when it feels the Sun of righteousness warming the soul when it tastes of the mercy of God in Christ to shew forth it self in thankfulnesse and praise and it can no more be kept from it then fire can keep from burning or water from cooling it is the nature of the new creature so to do The reason is every creature must do the the work for which God hath enabled it to the which God hath framed it the happinesse of the creature is in well doing in working according to its nature the heathen could see that Now all the creatures the new creature especially is for the glory of God in Christ Jesus All the new creature and what priviledges it hath and what graces it hath all is that God may have the glory of grace why then it must needs work answerable to that which God hath created it for therefore it must shew forth the praise and glorie of God Blessed be God saith the Apostle Ephes. 1. And the blessed Apostle St. Peter begins his Epistle Blessed be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath begotten us to an Inheritance Immortal and undefiled which fadeth not away reserved for us in Heaven I shall not need to set down with the exposition of the word Blessed How God blesseth us and how we blesse God His blessing is a conferring of blessing our blessing is a declaring of his goodnesse it is a thing well enough known Our blessing of God is a praising of God a setting out what is in him Onely one thing is to be cleared What good can we do to God in blessing of him he is blessed though we blesse him not and he is praised whether we praise him or no he had Glorie enough before he made the world he contented himself in the Trinity the blessed Trinity in it self before there were either Angels or men or other creatures to blesse him and now he can be blessed enough though we do not blesse him It is true he can be so and he can have heaven though thou hast it not but be a damned creature and he will be blessed whether thou blesse him or no. Our blessing of him is required as a dutie to make us more capable of his graces to him that hath shall be given To him that hath and useth that he hath to the Glorie of God shall be given more we give nothing The stream gives nothing to the fountain the beam gives nothing to the Sun for it issues from the Sun our very blessing of God is a blessing of his It is from his Grace that we can praise his Grace and we run still into a new debt when we have hearts enlarged to blesse him We ought to have our hearts more enlarged that we can be enlarged to prayse God And to others it is good for others are stirred up by it Gods goodnesse and mercy is enlarged in regard of the manifestation of it to others by our blessing of God Yea this good comes to our souls besides the increase of Grace we shall find an increase of joy and comfort that is one end why God requires it of us though he himself in his essence be alway alike blessed yet he requires that we should be thankful to him alway that we should blesse and praise him even in misery and affliction why then because if we can work upon our hearts a disposition to see Gods love and to praise and blesse him we can never be uncomfortable we have some comfort against all estates and conditions by studying to praise God by working of our hearts to a disposition to praise and bless God for then crosses are light crosses are no crosses then That is the reason that the Apostles and Holy men so stirred up their hearts to praise and thansgiving that they might feele their crosses the less that they might be lesse sensible of their discomforts for undoubtedly when we search for matter of praysing God in any afliction and when we see there is some mercy yet reserved that we are not consumed the consideration that there is alway some mercy that we are yet unthankfull for will inlarge our hearts and God when he hath thanks and praise from us he gives us still more matter of thankfulnesse and the more we thank him and praise him the more we have matter of praise
he might grow humble and be abased more and more a man could give no one direction better then this to consider how God hath been good continually how he hath been patient and good and upon what ground we hope that he will be so and to consider the disposition of our own drooping drousie souls if this will not abase a soul that hath tasted the love and mercie of God nothing in the world will do it There never was a Child of God of a dull temper and disposition but he was ashamed that being under such a covenant of favour that he should yet not have a heart more enlarged to blesse God To stir us up to this duty for arguments to perswade us what need we use many It should be our duty in this world to be as much in heaven and heavenly imployment Our conversation is in heaven saith the Apostle How can we be in heaven more then by practising of that which the Saints and Angels and the Cherubins and Seraphins spend all their strength in there How do they spend all that blessed strength with chearfulnesse and joy that are in that place of joy How do they spend it but in setting forth the praise of God the wonderful goodnesse of God that hath brought them to that happinesse Certainly that which we shall do for ever in heaven we ought to do as much as we may do on earth And it is as I said before in all aflictions and troubles the only special way to mitigate them to work our hearts to thankfulnesse for mercies and favours that we enjoy We have cause indeed at the first to be abased and humbled but we have more cause to rejoyce in working our hearts to comfort in blessing of God it will ease the crosse any crosse whatsoever I will not dwell further upon the point I shall have occasion oft to digresse upon this duty The Object of prayse here is God cloathed with a comfortable description not God simply for alas we have no hearts to praise God take God onely armed with justice cloathed with Majesty Consider God thus indeed he deserves glory and praise but the guilty soule will not praise him thus considered and abstracted from mercie and goodness and love therefore saith he Blessed be God God how considered Blessed be God The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. First he is father of Christ and then Father of mercies and God of comfort God so considered be blessed God as he is to be prayed unto so he is to be praised And only God this sacrifice this perfume this incense it must not be mispent upon any creature we have all of his grace and we should returne all to his glory that is a duty But consider him as he is described here first the father of Christ and then the father of mercies and God of all comfort And it is not to be omitted thar first he begins with this Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ only as he is God but the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as he is man for God being the Father of whole Christ being father of the person he is father of the manhood taken into unitie with that person so he is Father both of God and Man they cannot be dividedin Christ he being the Father of whol Christ he is the Father God and Man And he is first the Father of Christ and then the Father of us and the Father of mercies for alas unlesse he had been the Father of Christ God and Man Mediatour he could never have been the Father of such cursed creatures as we are but because he is the Father of Christ of that blessed manhood which Christ hath taken into Unitie of person with the God-head therefore he is the Father of us who by Union are one with Christ. The point then is that God thus considered as the Father of Jesus Christ is to be praysed Here is the reason of blessing and praysing him in this that he is the Father of Jesus Christ for thence he comes to be our Father it is a point that we think not oft enough on but it is the ground of all comfort for we have all at the second hand Christ hath all first and we have all from him He is the first Son and we are sons he is the first beloved of God and we are beloved in him he is filled first with all grace and we are filled from him of his fulnesse we receive Grace for Grace he was first acquitted of our sinnes as our surety and then we are justified because he was iustified from our sins being our surety he is ascended into Heaven we shall ascend he sits at the right hand of God and we sit with him in heavenly places he judgeth we shall iudge him whatsoever we doe Christ doth it first we have it in Christ and through Christ and from Christ he is the Father of Christ and our Father Therefore we ought to blesse God for Christ that he would predestinate Christ to be our head to be our Saviour that he would take the humane nature of Christ and make it one person with his Divine nature and so predestinate us and elect and chuse us to salvation in him blessed be God that he would be the Father of Jesus Christ. And as this should stirre us up to bless God for Jesus Christ so likewise it should direct us to comfortable meditations to see our Nature in Christ first and then in our selves See thy Nature abased in Christ see thy Nature glorified in Christ see thy Nature filled with all grace in Christ and see this that thou art knit to that Nature thou art flesh of Christs flesh and bone of his bone and thou shalt be so as he is In that Christs nature was first abased and then glorified this nature shall first be abased to death and dust and then be glorified Christ died and rose again thou art predestinated to be conformable to Christ for as his flesh was first humbled and then glorious so thine must be first humble and then glorious His flesh was holy humble and glorious and so must ours be whatsoever we look for in our selves that is good we must see it in Christ first Aud when we heare in the Gospel in the Articles of the Creed of Christ crucified of Christ dying of Christ rising ascending and sitting at the right hand of God let us see our selves in him see our selves dying in him and rising in him and sitting at the right hand of God For the same God that raised Christ natural will raise Christ mystical he will raise whole Christ for he is not glorified by pieces as whole Christ natural in his body and members was raised so shall whole Christ mystical be Therefore in every Article of the Creed blesse God blesse God forabasing of Christ blesse God for raising
he is a God of power the Father of Power the guilty conscience then would reason he is the more able to crush me and to send me to hell Indeed there is no attribute of God but it is matter of terrour being secluded from mercy but considering God the Father of mercies then we may consider sweetly and comfortably of all other attributes He is mercifull and good to me therefore his wisdom that shall serve to do me good to devise good things for me his power shall serve to free me from mine enemies his Justice to revenge my quarrell and so all other attributes shall be serviceable to my comfort they may be thought upon sweetly where mercy is laid claime unto before Therefore here he is called the Father of mercie and not the Father of other attributes Of Mercies To unfold the word a little mercie is here the same with grace to a person in miserie Mercie is but free favour shewed to a miserable person Grace shews the freenesse of it and mercie shews the state of the person to whom it is shown alway where mercy is either there is present or else possible miserie There was mercie shewed to Angels that stood to free them to give them grace to stand they might have fallen as the Devils did when they were Angels none are the Subjects of mercie but such as either are in misery or are possible to fall into miserie now when God keeps and upholds the creature from falling into that which he is subject to fall into he being a creature taken out of nothing and therefore subject to fall to nothing without assistance to hold him from that whereto he would fall without being upheld this makes him the Object of mercy whatsoever the misery be spirituall or outward Thus God is the Father of mercie he upholds his Children from that which else they would fall into continually He is the Father of mercie before conversion offering and injoyning mercie to them that as they will be good to their soules they would receive mercie He joyns his glory and his mercy together that he will be glorified in shewing mercie and he presseth it upon us What a mercie is this that he should press mercie upon us for our own good Why will ye dye O House of Israel And Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden there is mercie before conversion and there is mercie in prolonging his wrath in not punishing and there is mercie in pardoning sinne freely in pardoning all sinne the punishment and the guilt and all and when we are in the state of Grace and have our sins pardoned still it is his mercy to forbeare the punishments due to us in mitigating his corrections and in seasonable corrections for it is a mercy for God to correct his Children seasonably Therefore we are corrected of God that we should not be damned with the world It is a mercy to have seasonable correction it is a mercy to have correction mitigated and sweetned with some comforts It is a mercy after we are in the state of Grace besides this to have the continuance of outword blessings God renews his mercies every day His mercies faile not Lament 3. 22. his mercies are renewed continually upon us So he is father of all kind of mercies privative mercies in freeing us from ill and positive mercies in bestowing good pardoning mercies healing mercies preserving mercies all mercies come from this Father of mercie I will not stand to unfold them in particular for indeed every thing that comes from God to his children it is a mercy it is as it were dipt in mercy before it comes to us it is a mercy that is there is a freedome in it and a pity to his creature For the creature is alway in some necessity and in some dependance we are in a state of necessities in this life in some misery or other and that as I said is the object of mercy Besides we are dependant for the good we have it is at Gods mercy to continue or to take away any comfort that he gives us every thing is a mercie And in every thing we take from God we ought to conceive a mercy in it and to think this is a mercy from God if we have health it is a mercy if we have strength it is a mercy if we have deliverance it is a mercy it comes in the respect and relation of a mercie all that comes from God He is not said to be the father of the thing but the Father of mercies there is a mercy contained in the thing they come from the pity and love of God and that is the sweetest therefore he is said to be the Father of mercies What use may we make of this that God is the Father of Mercies It is a point full of sweet and comfortable uses to those that are not in the state of grace and to those that are in the state of grace To those that are not in the state of grace they should see here a haven to flie to a City of refuge to flie unto do but consider thou wretched soul how God is stiled a Father of mercies to thee a God of bounty all is to allure thee to repentance to allure thee to come in He is not mercifull by accident but he is naturally merciful in himself he hath bowels of mercie in himself Mercy pleaseth him Micah 7. Therefore despair not thou drooping soul whosoever thou art that art under the guilt of sin come to the Father of mercies cast thy self into this Sea of his mercie hide thy self in these bowels be not an enemy to thine own mercie as Jonah saith refufe not thy own mercie that is offered There is mercie pressed upon thee mercie with threatning if thou believe not mercy now thou art called to receive it The wrath of God hangs over thee as a weight or as a sword ready to fall upon thee As Christ sath Joh. 3. The wrath of God hangs over us if we do not receive mercie offered us Alledge not thy sins against mercie thy sins are the sins of a creature God is the Father of mercies he is infinite Christ thy Saviour hath made an infinite satisfaction and thy sins are finite and in that respect there is mercie for thee if thou wilt come in if thou apprehend and receive mercie One deep calls upon another deep the depth of thy sins and misery drawes unto it and calls upon the depth of mercy The mercy of God is above all his works Psal. 147. It is not only above all his works to cover them all and under them to uphold them but it is beyond them all his mercy exceeds all other attributes to the creature It is above his works and upon his works and under his works and it is above thy works too He is more glorious in his mercy then in any other attribute he doth all for the glory of his mercy both
subjects of mercy that are the nearest to mercy when their conscience is awakned they think themselves furthest off and we have need to presse abundance of mercy and all little enough to set the soul in frame There is none of us all but we shall see a necessity of pressing this one time or other before we die David when he had sinned he knew well enough that God was merciful oh but it was not a slight mercy that would satisfie him as we see Psal. 51. how he presseth upon God for mercy and will a little serve him No according to thy abundant mercy he presseth mercy and abundance of mercy a multitude of mercies and unlesse he had seen infinite mercy abundant mercy in God when his conscience was awaked with the foulness of his sin there being such a crie for vengeance his sinne called and cried if the blood of Christ had not cried above it mercie mercie and abundance of mercy multitudes of compassion the soule of David would not have been stilled So other Saints of God when they have considered the foulnesse of sin how odious it is to God they could not be quieted and comforted but that they saw mercie and abundance of mercie As the Apostle St. Peter saith 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who of his abundant mercie hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ to an inheritance immortall c. God is the Father of mercies For faith will not have sufficient footing but in infinite mercy in the time of despaire in the time of torment of conscience in the time of desertion it must be mercie and the Father of mercies and multitudes of compassions and bowels of love and all little enough for faith to fix on the faith of a conscience on the rack but when faith considers of God set out not as Satan sets him forth a God of vengeance a consuming fire when faith considers God pictured out in the Gospel it sees him the Father of Christ and our Father and the Father of mercies and God of comfort faith seeing infinite mercy in an infinite God and seeing mercy triumph against Justice and all other attributes here faith hath some footing and staies it selfe or else the converted sanctified soul seeing the odiousnesse of sinne and the clamorousness of sinne such that it will not be satisfied but with abundant mercy and God must be presented to it as a father of mercie and compassion before it can have peace Therefore if so be at any time our conscience be awakened and the Devill layes hard to us let us think of God as he hath made himself knowne in his Word as a Father of mercies and God of comfort represent him to our soules as he represents himself in his Word Times of desertion when we seeme to be forsaken of God will enforce this times of desertion will come when the soul will think God hath forgotten to be merciful and hath shut up his love in displeasure oh no he is the Father of mercie he never shuts up his bowels altogether he never stops the spring of his mercie He doth to our feeling but it is his mercie that he doth that it is his mercie that he hinders the sence of mercy he doth that in mercy it is to make us more capable of mercie afterward Therefore saith the Father when he comes to us in his love and the sence of it it is for our good and when he takes the sence of his love from us it is for our good for when he takes away the sence of his love from us it is to enlarge our soules to be more capable of mercie after to prize it more to walk warily and jealously to look to our corruptions better Therefore in the time of desertion think of this when God seemes to forget us Can a Mother forget her Child Isa. 49. 15. Suppose she should be so unnatural as to do it which can hardly be believed that a Mother should forget her child Yet notwithstanding I will not forget you you are written upon the palmes of my hands that is I have you alway in my eye So that if there were no mercies to be found in nature no bowels to be found in a Mother where usually they are most abundant yet notwithstanding there is mercie to be found in the Father of Mercies still Therefore in such times let us make use of this And another thing that we ought to learne hence is this if God be so in Christ Jesus for we must alway put that in for he is mercifull with satisfaction and yet it is his mercie that he would admit of satisfaction his mercy devised a way to content justice his mercy set all on work mercy is above justice in the work of Salvation justice hath received contentment from mercy but that by the way to make us have higher thoughts of mercy then any other attribute of God in the Doctrine of the Gospel in that Kingdom of Christ it is a Kingdom of Grace and mercy if we have hearts to imbrace it Let this incourage us to come to God and to cast our selves into the arms of this merciful Father If we have lived in other courses before let the mercy of God work upon our souls In Rom. 2. it is pressed there excellently This mercy of God should lead us to repentance it should encourage us What makes a Thief or a Traitor come in when there is proclamation out against him If there be a pardon sent after him it makes him come in or else he runs out still further and further while the hue and cry pursues him but hope of mercy and pardon will bring him in again So it is that that brings us in again to God the very hope of mercy and pardon if we be never so ill or have been never so ill do not put off but take this day now Now is the time now while it is called to day take the present time Here is our error if God be the Father of mercy I will cry him mercy at the hour of death I thou maiest go to hell with mercy in thy mouth he is merciful to those that truly repent but how dost thou know that thy repentance on thy death-bed will be true It is not sorrow for sicknesse and grief for death and fear of that but there must be a hatred of sin and how shall conscience tell thee now thou hast repented that it is a hating of thy sinful courses rather then the fear of damnation that is rather from the sence of grief Conscience will hardly be comforted in this for it will upbraid I now now you would have mercy We see by many that have recovered again that have promised great matters in their sicknesse that it is hypocritical Repentance for they have been worse after then they were before It is not a sufficient matter to yeeld
shut but he keepes Court every day therefore Christ in the Gospel enjoynes us to go to God every day every day we say the Lords prayer forgive us our trespasses insinuating that the Court of mercy is kept every day to take out our pardon every day there is a pardon of course taken out At what time soever a sinner repents c. How shall we improve this mercy every day Do this when thou hast made a breach in thy conscience every day believe this that God is the Father of mercies and he may well be merciful now because he hath been sufficiently satisfied by the death of Christ He is the Father of Christ and the Father of mercies This do every day And withall consider our condition and estate is a state of dependance In him we live and move and have our being this will force us to mercie that he would hold us in the same estate we are in and go on with the work of grace that he would uphold us in health for that depends upon him that he would uphold us in peace for that depends upon him he is the God of peace that he would uphold us in comfort and strength to do good and resist evil we are in a dependant state and condition in all good of body and soul. He upholds the whole world and every particular let him take away his hand of merciful protection and susteining from us and we sink presently And every day consider how we are invironed with any danger remember we have compassing mercies as we have compassing dangers as it is Psal. 32. Mercy compasseth us round about Every day indeed we have need of mercie that is the way to have mercy here is a fountain of mercie the Father of mercy bowels opened the onely way to use it is to see what need we have of mercie and to flie to God to see what need we have in our souls and in regard of outward estate and to see that our condition is a dependant condition And lastly to make a use of thanfulnesse Blessed be God the Father of mercy we have the mercie of publick continued peace when others have war and their estates are consumed blessed be God the Father of mercie we sit under our own Vines and under our own figtrees If we have any personal mercies blessed be God the Father of mercies this way if he shew mercie to our souls and pardon our sins blessed be God the Father of mercies in this kind that he hath taken us and redeemed us out of that cursed estate that others walk in that are yet in their sins Oh it is a mercie and for this we should have inlarged hearts And withal consider the fearful estate of others that God doth not shew mercie to and this will make us thankfull As for instance if a man would be thankfull that hath a pardon let him see another executed that is broken upon the Wheele or the Rack or cut in pieces and tortured and then he will think I was in the same estate as this man is and I am pardoned Oh what a gratious Soveraign have I The consideration of the fearefull estate out of mercie what a fearefull estate those are in that live in sins against conscience that they are ready to drop into Hell when God strikes them with death if they dye so what a fearefull estate they are in and that God should give me pardon and grace to enter into another course of life that though I have not much grace yet I know it is true I am the child of God the consideration of the miserie of others in part in this world without repentance and especially what they shall suffer in Hell to consider the torment of the souls that are not in the state of Grace this will make us thankfull for mercies for pardoning and forgiving mercies for protecting mercies that God hath left thousands in the course of nature going on in a wilfull course of sinne This is that that the Apostle here practiseth Blessed be God the Father of mercies The other stile here is The God of all comfort The life of a Christian is a mysterie as in many respects so in this that whereas the flesh in him though he be not altogether flesh thinks him to be a man disconsolate the spirit finds matter of comfort and glory From whence the world begins discouragement and the flesh upbraiding from thence the spirit of God in holy Saint Paul begins matter of glory they thought him a man neglected of God because he was afflicted no saith he Blessed be the God of all comfort our comforts are above our discomforts As the wisdom of the flesh is enmitie to God and his spirit in all things so in this in the judgment of the cross for that which is bitterest to the flesh is sweetest to the spirit Saint Paul therefore opposeth his comforts spirituall to his disgraces outward and because it is unfit to mention any comfort any good from God without blessing of him that is the spring and fountain from whence we have all he takes occasion together with the mention of comfort to blesse God The God of all comfort The verse contains a wise prevention of scandall at the cross Saint Paul was a man of sorrows if ever any was next to Christ himselfe and that might prevent all scandall at his crosses and disgracefull afflicted usage he doth shew his comforts under the cross which he would not have wanted to have been without his cross therefore he begins here with praysing of God We praise God for favours and indeed the comforts he had in his crosses were more then the grievance he had by them therefore had cause to bless God Blessed be God c. The God of all comfort The God of comfort and the God of All comfort we must give Saint Paul leave to be thus large for his heart was full and a full heart a full expression And he speaks not out of books but from sense and feeling though he knew well enough that God was the Father of mercie God of all comfort that way yet these be wordsthat come from the heart come from feeling rather then from the tongue they came not from Saint Pauls pen onely his pen was first dipt in his heart and soule when he wrote this God is the Father of mercie and God of all comfort I feele him so he comforts me in all tribulations The God of all comfort To explaine the word a little Comfort is either the thing it selfe a comfortable outward thing a blessing of God wherein comfort is hid or else it is reasons because a man is an understanding creature reasons from which comfort is grounded or it is a real comfort inward and spirituall by the assistance and strength of the Spirit of God when perhaps there is no outward thing to comfort and perhaps reasons and discourse are not present at that time yet
comfort unlesse with revelation and application in the third place thou open my soul to joyn with these comforts There must be a discovery and application and an opening of the soule to them As there be diverse flowers that open and shut with the sun so the soul by the spirit of God it opens to comforts though comforts be put close to the soul if that do not open to them there is no comfort given for all is in the application There is a double application of the thing to the soul and of the soul to the thing God must do all What is the reason that many here Sermons and Read sweet discourses and yet when they come to suffer crosses and afflictions they are to see They go to the stream they cut the Conduits from the spring they go not to the Well-head they see not the derivation of comfort it is necessary for the deriving of comfort to the soul to take the scales from the eye of the soul they see not the necessity of a divine presence to apply it and and to lay it close to the soul and to open the soul to joyn the soul to those comforts God is the God of all comfort If any thing will stir up devotion much to pray to God undoubtedly this will be effectual that whatsoever the comfort be whether it be outward things or reasons and discourses whatsoever we may go to God that he would give it Well this being so if God be the God of all comfort the Well of comfort the Father of comfort and hath remedies for every malady Then you see here whither to go you see a Christian in all estates hath ground of comfort for he is in Covenant with the God of comfort You will say to me what is the reason that Christians are no more comfortable having the God of comfort for their God I answer it is partly from Ignorance we have remainders of Ignorance that we know not our own comfort Satan doth vail the eye of the soul in the time of trouble that we cannot see that there is a well of comfort Poor Hagar when shee was almost undone for thirst yet she had a fountain of water near hand but she saw it not she was so overtaken with grief Ignorance and Passion hinder the sight of comfort when we give way so much to the present malady as if there were no God of comfort in heaven as if there were no Scripture that hath breasts of comfort that is as full as a breast that is willing to discharge it self of comfort as if there were no matter of comfort they feed upon grief and delight to flatter their selves in grief as Rachel that mourned and would not be comforted so out of a kind of Ignorance and Passion and Wilfulnesse they will not be comforted And again as Bildad saith Job 18. are the comforts of God light to thee These are good words but my discomforts are greater my malady is greater so the comforts of the Holy Ghost the comforts of Gods Spirit seem light to them Ignorance and Passion and dwelling too much makes us neglect comfort it makes us to see comfort to be no comfort in a manner Mary when Christ was before her eyes they were so blubbered with tears with fear that her Lord was lost that she could not see him even when he was before her so grief and Passion hinder the soul so much from seeing Gods comforts that we see them not when they are before us when they are present So men are guilty of their own discomfort it is their own fault Again oft times forgetfulnesse as the Apostle saith Heb. 12. have ye forgotten the Consolation that speaks have ye forgotten that every Son that God chastizeth not is a bastard have ye forgotten insinuating that if they had remembred this it would have comforted them have ye forgotten And then one especial cause is that I spake of before the looking to things present forgetting the spring the well-head of comfort God himself the looking too much to the means oh say some if they be in distresse if I had such a Book if I had such a man to comfort me certainly it would be otherwise with me I should be better then I am put case he were with thee alas he is not the spring it is the God of comfort that must comfort thee man in all thy distresses whatsoever therefore if thou attribute not more to God then to the creature nay then to an Angel if he were to comfort thee thou shalt find no comfort I even I am he that comforts thee I am he that pardons thy sins which is the cause of all discomfort that is comfort that is the sting of all I am he that pardons thy sins We as Criers may speak pardon to the soule but God must give it we may speak comfort but God must give it he must say to the soule I am thy salvation When men Idolize any discourse in books or any particular man overmuch though we may value those that are instrumentall above others there may be a difference of gifts but the resting too much in the creature it is an enemy to comfort and some grow to that wilfulness in that kind that they will neglect all because they have not that they would have whereas if they would look to God meaner meanes would serve the turne oft times if they would goe to the God of comfort Who comforteth us in all tribulation Afflictions and crosses as they are irkesome in suffering so they are likewise disgracefull and as it was in the cross of Christ there was two things torment and shame the one he felt himselfe the other he had from others those two disgrace is proper to the cross so it is in all the crosses that we suffer there is some disgrace with it therefore Saint Paul to prevent the scandall and disgrace of the cross as I said before he doth here begin with praysing God even for crosses in the midst of them Blessed be God the Father of mercies the God of all comfort who comforteth us in all tribulations c. Who comforteth us in all tribulation These words contain a making good of the former title He is the God of comfort and doth comfort he is good and doth good He fils up his name by his works he shews what he is the Scripture doth especially describe God not in all things as he is in himself but as he is and works to his poore Church and they are usefull termes all of them he is the Father of mercie because he is so to his Church he is the God of comfort because he is so to his people therefore he saith here as he is the God of comfort so he doth comfort us in all tribulation He doth not say who keeps us out of miserie blessed be the God of comfort that never suffers us to fall
a hair cannot fall from my head without his providence much lesse can the disposing of my calling which is a greater matter therefore I will seek his glory and frame my self and courses answerable to the will of him by whose will I am in this place Men have not their callings onely to get riches and to get preferment those are base ends of their own to serve themselves God placeth us in our particular callings not to serve our selves but to serve him and he will cast in those riches honour preferment dignity and esteem so much as is fit for us in the serving of him in our places The other party in the inscription from whom the Epistle is is Timothy our Brother HE sends his Epistle from Timothy as well as from himself This he doth to win the more acceptance among the Corinthians by the consent of so blessed a man as Timothy was who was an Evangelist Unitie by consent is stronger And there is a natural weaknesse in men to regard the consent and authority of others more then the things themselves And indeed if God himself in heavenly love and mercy condescend to help our weaknesse much more should all that are led by the Spirit of God We are subject to call in question the truths of God therefore he helps us with Sacraments and with other means and allurements and although that be truth that he saith yet because he would undermine our distrustful dispositions by all means he useth those courses So S. Paul that they might respect what he wrote the more as from a joynt spirit he writes Paul and Timothy our Brother It was an argument of much modestie and humility in this blessed Apostle that he would not of himself seem as it were to monopolize their respect as if all should look to him but he joyns Timothy with him so great an Apostle joynes an inferiour There is a spirit of singularity in many they will seem to do all themselves and carry all themselves before them and they will not speak the truths that others have spoken before them without some disdain As a proud Critick said I would they had never been men that spake our things before we were that we might have had all the credit of it Oh no those that are led with the Spirit of God they are content in modestie and humility to have others joyned with them and they know it is available for others likewise they will respect the truth the more And thus far we yield to the Papists when we speak of this whether the Church can give authority to the Word of God or no. In regard of us the Church hath some power in regard of our weaknesse but what is that power It is an inducing power an alluring power a propounding power to propound the mysteries of salvation but the inward work the convincing power is from the Evidence of the Spirit of God and from the Scripture it self All that the Church doth is to move to induce and to propound this quoad nos it hath some power in the hearts of men The Church thus far gives authority to the Scriptures in the hearts of men though it be an improper phrase to say it gives authority for as the men said to the woman of Samaria Now we believe it our selves not because thou toldest us c. The Church allures us to respect the Scriptures but then there is an inward Power an inward Majestie in the Scriptures and that bears down all before it Again here is a ground why St. Paul alledged humane authority sometimes in his Epistles and in his dealing with men because he was to deal with men that would be shamed the more with them Any thing that may strengthen the truth in regard of the weaknesse of those with whom we have to deal may be used in a heavenly policy One of your own Prophets saith St. Paul Tit. 1. towards the end And so in the Acts of the Apostles he quotes a saying out of an Atheist Timothy our Brother Brother he means not only by Grace but by calling As we know in the Law and other professions those of the same profession are called before Brethren So Timothy was St. Pauls Brother not only by Grace but by calling and two bonds binde stronger Here is a treble bond Nature Grace Calling They were men they were fellow Christians and they were teachers of the Gospel therefore he saith Timothy our Brother Timothy was an Evangelist yet notwithstanding it was a greater honour to him to be a Brother to St. Paul then to be an Evangelist an Hypocrite may be an Evangelist but a true Brother of St. Paul none but a true Christian can be All Christians are Brethren It is a word that levels all for it takes down the Mountains and fills up the Vallies the greatest men in the World the mountains if they be Christians they are Brethren to the lowest and it fills up the Vallies the lowest if they be Christians are Brethren to the Highest howsoever in worldly respects they cease in death as personal differences and differences in calling they all cease in death All are Brethren therefore he useth it for great respect St Paul was a great Apostle Timothy an inferiour man yet both Brethren Timothy our Brother To the Church of God at Corinth VVE have seen the persons from whom Paul and Timothy Now here are the persons to whom To the Church of God at Corinth Corinth was a very wicked City as where there is a great confluence of many people there is a contagion of many sins of the people and yet notwithstanding in this Corinth there was a Church For as Christ saith No man can come to me except my Father draw him so where the Father will draw who can draw back Even in Corinth God hath his Church he raiseth up a generation of men a Church which is a company of creatures differing as much from the common as men do from Beasts And yet such is the Power and Efficacy of the blessed Gospel of Salvation having the Spirit of God accompanying it that even in Corinth a wretched City this Word and this Spirit raised up a company of men called here by the name of a Church and Saints And such power indeed hath the Word of God with the Spirit not only in wicked places but in our wicked hearts too Let a man have a world of wickednesse in him and let him come and present himself meekly and constantly to the means of Salvation and God in time by his Spirit will raise a new frame of grace in his heart he will make a new Creation As at the first he created all out of nothing order out of confusion so out of the heart which is nothing but a Chaos of confusion of blindnesse and darknesse and terror there is a world of confusion in the heart of man God by his creating Word for his Word of the Gospel is creating as well
favour and grace of great persons alway And as the favourable aspect of the heavens upon inferiour bodies promiseth good things and men promise themselves from that favour and good so the favour and grace of God enlarge the soul with joy and comfort And there is that measure of joy in those that are in the free favour of God that they will honour God freely to cast themselves upon his mercy And it is with a disesteem of all things in the World besides it is such a joy as works in the soul a base esteem of all things else St. Paul esteemed all drosse in comparison of the knowledge of Christ and the favour of God in Christ. So in Psal. 4. David saith of some There be many that will say who will shew us any good any good it is no matter but saith the Holy Spirit in David Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me He goes to prayer he saith not who will shew us any good it is no matter what or how we come by it any earthly good worldly men desire No saith he Lord shew us the light of thy countenance he desires that above all things So he saith Psal. 3. The loving kindnesse of the Lord is better then life it self Life is a sweet thing the sweetest thing in the World but the grace and favour of God is better then that For in this when all comforts fail the Children of God have assurance that neither life nor death nor things present nor things to come nor any thing can separate us from the love of God in Christ which shews it self better then life it self When life fails this favour shall never fail Nothing shall be able to separate us from the favour of God in Christ it is an everlasting favour and therefore everlasting because it is free if it were Originally in us it would fail when we fail but it is an everlasting favour because it is free God hath founded the cause of love to us in himself so much for that Grace be unto you And peace All that I will say of peace in this place is this to shew That True peace issues from Grace It is to be had thence Peace we take here for that sweet peace with God and peace of conscience and likewise peace with all things when all things are peaceable to us when there is a sweet successe in all businesse with a security in a good estate It is a blessed thing when we know that all will be well with us This quiet and peaceable estate issues from grace peace of conscience especially I observe it the rather It hath been the errour of the world to seek peace where it is not to seek peace in Sanctification to seek it in the work of Grace within a man Not to speak of worldly men that seek peace in outward contentments in recreations in friends and the like alas it is a poore peace But I speak of Religious persons that are of a higher straine they have sought peace but not high enough True peace must be selected from Grace the free favour in Christ. This will quiet and still the clamours of an accusing conscience God reconciled in Christ will pacifie the conscience nothing else will do it For if our chief peace were fetched from sanctification as many fetch it thence in error of judgment alas the conscience would be dismaid and alwaies doubt whether it had sanctification enough or no. Indeed sanctication and grace within is required as a qualification to shew that we are not Hypocrites but are in the state and covenant of Grace it is not required as a foundation of comfort but as a qualification of the persons to whom comfort belongs Therefore David and St. Paul and the rest that knew the true power and efficacy of the Gospel they sought for peace in the grace and free favour of God Let us lay it up to put it in practise in the time of dissolution in the time of spiritual conflict in the time when our consciences shall be awakened and perhaps upon the rack and Satan will be busie to trouble our peace that we may shut our eyes to all things below and see God shining on in Christ that we may see the favour of God in Christ by whose death and passion he is reconciled to us and in the Grace and free favour of God in Ghrist we shall see peace enough It is true likewise besides peace of conscience of all other peace peace of successe and peace of state that all creatures and all conditions are peacable to us whence is it It is from Grace for God being reconciled he reconciles all when God himself is ours all is ours when he is turned all is turned with him when he becomes our father in Christ and is at peace with us all are at peace besides so that all conditions all estates all creatures they work for our good It is from hence when God is turned all are turned with him He being the God of the creature that sustaines and upholds the creature in whom the creature hath his being and working he must needs therefore turn it for the good of them that are in covenant with him All that are joyned in covenant with him he fills them with peace because they are in Grace with him This should stir up our hearts above all things in the world to pray for Grace to get Grace to empty our selves of self-confidence that we may be vessels for Grace to make Grace our plea to magnifie the Grace of God We must never look in this world for a peace altogether absolute that is reserved for heaven our peace here is a troubled peace God will have a distinction between heaven and earth But when our peace is interrupted when the waters are come into our souls what must be our course when we would have peace go to Grace go to the free promise of Grace in Christ. Grace and Peace From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The spring of Grace and peace are here mentioned After the Preface he comes to the Argument which he intends and begins with blessing One part of the scope of this blessed Apostle is to avoid the scandall of his sufferings for he was a man of sorrows if ever man was next Christ who was a true man of sorrow the blessed Apostle was a man of miseries and sorrow Now weake shallow Christians thought him to be a man diserted of God they thought it was impossible for God to regard a man so forlorn so despicable as this man was What doth he before he comes to other matters he wipes away this imputation and cleers this scandal You lay my crosses and sufferings and disgraces in the world to my shame it is your weakness that which you account my shame is a matter of praise I am so farre from being disheartned or discouraged from what I suffer that Blessed be God the Father of
Esay 28. you have made a covenant with hell and death with Gods judgments but hell and death hath not made a covenant with you You make a covenant think you shall do well but God is terrible to such his wrath shall smoak against such as make a covenant with his judgments and treasure up wrath against the day of wrath Take heed if the proclamation of mercy call thee not in if thou stand out as a Rebell and come not in but go on still then justice layes hold on thee Gods wrath shall smoak against thee As we see in Prov. 1. I will laugh at your destruction speaking of those that would not come in Chidas it is in Esay 27. 11. He that formed them and made them will have no mercy on them nor shew them favour He will have no delight in them They are Ignorant sotts and will not labour to know God and his will to do and obey it he that made them will have no delight in them and he that formed them will reject them It is a pittiful thing when God that made them and formed them in their mothers womb whose creatures they are shall have no delight in them when he that made them his heart shall not pittie them Ezek. 18. 18. he that goes on in a course of sin presumptuously and doth not repent Gods eye shall not pittie him he that made him will have no delight in him Therefore the Apostle because we are disposed and prone to abuse the goodnesse and long suffering of God and the mercies of Christ he saith Be not deceived be not deceived he oft presseth this for neither the covetous nor licentious persons shall enter into heaven Though God be mercifull if thou live in these sins be not deceived thou shalt never enter into heaven God will not be mercifull to the most of those that even now live in the bosome of the Church because they make mercy a band to their sinful courses God will harden himself he will not blesse such he hath no mercy for such to such he is a God of vengeance His mercy is to such as are weary of their sinful courses as I said he is mercifull but so as he is wise What Prince will prostitute a pardon to one that is a Rebell and yet thinks himself a good Subject all the while he is no Rebell cares he for a pardon And shall he have a pardon when he cares not for it Those that are not humbled in the sight and sence of their sins that think themselves in a good estate they are Rebells that have not sued out their pardon there is no mercie to them yet He that made them will not pittie them because they are Ignorant hardned wretches that live in blasphemy in swearing that in corrupt courses in hardnesse of heart that live in sins that their own conscience and the conscience of others about them know that they are sins devouring sins that devour all their comfort and yet notwithstanding they dream of mercy mercy Hell is their portion and not mercy that make an Idol of God Thus it is with us we are prone to presume upon Gods mercy I speak this that we should not surfet of this sweet doctrine that God is the father of Mercies He is so to repentant sinners to those that believe to those mercy is sweet We know oyl is above all other liquors Gods mercy is above all his own works and above our sins But what is the vessel for this oyl this oyl of mercy it is put in broken vessels it is kept best there a broken heart a humble heart receives and keepes mercie As for proud dispositions as all Sinners that go on in a course of sin the Psalmist terms them proud men he is a proud man that sets his own will agaist Gods command God resists the Proud it is the humble yeelding heart that will be led and lured by God that is a vessel to receive mercy It must be a deep vessel it must be a broken vessel deep with humiliation broken by contrition that must receive mercy And it must be a large vessel laid open capable to receive mercy and all mercy not only pardoning mercy but healing mercy as I said out of that Psalme That forgiveth all thy sins and healeth all thy transgressions Therefore those that have not grace and mercy to heal their corruptions to dry up that issue in some comfortable measure thay have no pardoning mercy and those that desire not their corruptions to be healed they never desired heartily their corruptions to be pardoned those mercies go together He is not the Father of mercy but of all mercies that belong to salvation and he gives them every one and he that desires the one desires the other Let us consider how the sweet descriptions of God and how his promises work upon us If they work on us to make us presume it is a fearful case it is as bad a sign as may be to be ill because God is good to turn the Grace of God into wantonnesse But as we are thus prone to presume so when conscience is awaked we are as prone to despair therefore if they work with us this way there is mercy with God therefore I will come in therefore I will cast down my weapons at his feet I will cease to resist him I will come in and take terms of peace with him I will yeeld him obedience for the time to come therefore I will fear and love so good a God If it work thus it is a sign of an elect soul of a gracious disposition And then if thou come in never consider what thy sins have been if thou come in God will imbrace thee in his mercy Thy sins are all as a spark of fire that falls into the Ocean that is drowned presently so are thy sins in the Ocean of Gods mercy There is not more light in the Sun there is not more water in the Sea then there is mercy in the Father of mercy whose bowels are opened to thee if thou be weary of thy sinful courses and come in and imbrace mercy In the Tabernacle we know there was a mercy Seat we call it a propitiatory In the Ark which this mercy Seat covered was the Law now in the Law there were curses against all sinners The Mercy-Seat was a Type of Christ covering the Law covering the curse though thou be guilty of the curse a thousand times God in Christ is merciful Christ is the Mercy Seat come to God in Christ there is mercy in Israel notwithstanding thy great sins If we cast away a purpose of living in sin and cast away our weapons and submit our selves to him he is the Father of mercies that is he is merciful from himself he is the spring of them and hath them from his own bowels they are free mercies because he is the Father of them For he is just by our fault he is severe
so many I would I could say Christian soules I cannot say so but they are a company of men that have the Image of God upon them men that live miserable poor such as for ought I know Gods mercie hath purchased with the blood of his Son may belong to Gods Kingdome They have the Image of God upon them yet they live without lawes without Church without Common-wealth irregular persons that have no order taken for them or not executed at the least to repress the sturdie of them and to relieve those that are to be relieved for age or impotencie It is a pittifull thing and a foule blemish to this Common-wealth and will bring some ill upon wealth and plague it from such irregular persons he will plague the Common-wealth for such enormities How do they live As Beasts and worse they submit themselves to no orders of the Church they have none and submit to none Here is an Obiect of mercy to those that it concernes And likewise mercie ought to be shewed to the souls of men as well as to their miserable and wretched estates Is Poperie Antichristian what mercy is it to suffer poysoners what a mercy were it in a common wealth to suffer men that are incendiaries to have liberty to do what mischief they would or men that should poyson fountaines and all that should refresh and nourish men were this any policy for the body And is it any policy to suffer those to poison the judgments of people with heresies to God and treason to their Prince to draw the affections of men from religion and the state where is mercy all the while Oh it is a mercy to them not to restrain them Mercy Is it mercy to the sheep to let the wolves at libertie No if you will be mercifull to shew mercy to the souls of these men is to use them hardly that they may know their error they may now impute the liberty they have to the approbation of their cause and so they are cruel not onely to others but to their own souls I speak this the rather it may be a seasonable speech at this time to enforce good lawes this way It is a great mercy mercy to the soul it is the greatest mercy and so crueltie to the soul is the greatest crueltie that can be What should I speak of mercy to others oh that we would be merciful to our own souls God is merciful to our souls he sent his son to visit us from on high in bowels of compassion he sent Christ as Zacharie saith and yet we are not merciful to our selves How many sinful wretched persons pierce their hearts through with covetousnesse and other wicked courses that are more dangerous to the soul then poyson is to the body They stab their souls with cares and lusts and other such kind of courses What a mockery is this of God to ask him mercy when we will not be merciful to our own souls and to intreat others to pray for us when we will not be merciful to our selves Shall we go to God for mercy when we will not shew mercy to our selves shall we desire him to spare us when we will not spare ourselves It is a mocking of God to come and offer our devotions here and come with an intent yet to live in any sin God will not heare us if we purpose to live in sin If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear my prayer As we ought to be merciful to the souls of others and to the estates of others so we should to our own souls How can they reform evills abroad those that are Governours when they do not care to refomr themselves can they be merciful to the souls of others that are cruel to their own they cannot Let mercy begin at home This is that that the scripture aimes at mercy and the right use of it is the way to come to salvation and the abuse of it is that that damnes and they are damned most that abuse mercy Oh the sins against the Gospel will lie upon the conscience another day The sins against the law they help with the Gospel to see mercy but sins against mercy prefer our sins above mercy and in temptations to despaire to extenuate mercy hereafter it will be the very hell of hell that we have sinned against mercy that we have not embraced it with faith that we have not repented to be capable of it But to end the point with that which is the most proper use of all which is an use of comfort in all estates to go to God in all he is the father of mercy And when all is taken from us in losses and crosses to think Well our fathers may die and our mothers may die and our nearest and dearest friends that have most bowels of pittie may die but we have a father of mercy that hath eternal mercy in him his mercies are tender mercies and everlasting mercies as himself is We are everlasting our souls are immortal we have an everlasting father that is the Father of mercies When all are taken away God takes not himself away he is the father of mercy still Now that we may make our selves still capable of mercy still fit for mercy let us take this daily course Let us labour every day to have broken and deep souls as I said before it is the broken heart that is the vessel that containes mercy a deeper heart that holds all the mercy we need therefore to empty our selves by confession of our sins and search our own thoughts and waies and afflict our souls by repentance and when we shall be fit objects for God the father of mercie to shed mercy into misery it is the Load-stone of mercy misery felt and discerned and complained of Let us search and see our misery our spiritual misery especially for God begins mercy to the soul in his children he begins mercy there especially General mercy he shews to beasts to all creatures but speciall mercy begins at the soul. Now I say misery being the Loadstone of mercy let us lay before God by confession and humiliation the sores and sins of our souls And then make use of this mercy every day for God is not only merciful in pardoning mercy at the first in forgiving our sins at the first but every day he is ready to pardon new sins as it is Lament 3. He renewes his mercies every day every morning God renewes his mercies not only for body but for soul there is a throne of grace and mercy every day open to go to and a Scepter of mercie held out every day to lay hold on and a fountain for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in every day it is never stopped up or drawn dry the fountain is ever open the Scepter is ever held forth and the throne is ever kept God keepes not terms Now the Court of Chancerie is open and now it is
there is a presence of the Spirit that comforts As we see oft times a man is comforted with the very sight of his friend without discourse to a man indued with reason whose discomforts are spirituall for the most part in the soule the very presence of a man that he loves puts much delight into him What is God then the God of comfort his very presence must needs comfort Comfort is taken many other wayes but these are the principall to this purpose First Comfort is the thing it selfe there is comfort in every creature of God and God is the God of that comfort In hunger meate comforts in thirst drink comforts in cold garments comfort in want of advice friends comfort and it is a sweet comfort God is the God of all comfort of the comfortable things But besides the necessary things every sense hath somewhat to comfort it The eye besides ordinary colours hath delightfull colours to behold and so the eare besides ordinary noise and sounds it hath musick to delight it the smell besides ordinarie savours it hath sweet flowers to refresh it and so every part of the body besides that which is ordinarie it hath somewhat to comfort it Because God is nothing but comfort to his creature if it be as it should be he is God of these comforts the God of all comfort of the comfort of outward things of friends c. So he is the God of the second comfort of comfortable reasons and arguments for a man especially in inward troubles must have grounds of comfort from strong reasons God ministreth these he is the God of these for he hath given us his Scriptures his Word and the comforts that are fetched from thence are strong ones because they are his comforts it is his Word The word of a Prince comforts though he be not there to speake it though it be a letter or by a Messenger yet he whose word it is is one that is able to make his word good he is Lord and Master of his word The Word of God is comfortable and all the reasons that are in it and that are deduced from it upon good ground and consequence they are comfortable because it is Gods word he is the God of all And those comforts in Gods word and reasons from thence they are wonderfull in the variety of them there is comfort from the liberty of a Christian laid out there that he hath free access to the throne of Grace comfort from the Prerogatives of a Christian that he is the Child of God that he is justified that he is the heire of Heaven and such like Comforts from the Promises of Grace of the presence of God of assistance by his presence these things out of the Word of God are wondrous plentifull Indeed the Word of God is a breast of comfort as the Prophet cals it Suck comfort out of the breasts of comfort Isa. 66. The books of God are breasts of comfort wels of comfort Isa. 11. there are springs of comfort Gods word is a Paradise as it were in Paradise there were sweet streams that ran through and in Paradise stirred the voyce of God not onely calling Adam where art thou terrifying of him but the voyce of God promising Adam the blessed seed So in the Word of God there is God rouzing out of sinne and there is God speaking peace to the soule there is a sweet current of mercie runs from the Paradise of God and there is the Tree of life Christ himselfe and Trees of all manner of fruit comforts of all sorts whatsoever And there is no Angel there to keep the doore and gate of Paradise with a fierie flaming sword No this Paradise is open for all and they are cruell Tyrants that stop th is Paradise that stop this Fountain as the Papists doe As God is the God of comfort so he is the God of comfort in that respect But this is not enough to make him the God of comfort we may have the Word of God and all the reasons from thence from priviledges and prerogatives and examples and yet not be comfortable if we have not the God of comfort with the Word of comfort the Spirit of God that must apply the comfort to the soule and be the God of comfort there For there must be application and working of comfort out of Gods word upon the soule by the spirit the spirit must set it on strongly and sweetly that the soule may be affected You may have a carnall man he for fashion or custome reads the Scriptures and he is as dead-hearted when he hath done as when he began he never looks to the spirit of comfort there must be the spirit of God to work and to apply comfort to the heart and to teach us to discourse and to reason from the Word not onely to shew the reasons of the Word but to teach us to draw reasons from the Word and to apply them to our particular state and condition the spirit teacheth this wisedome And therefore it is well called the comforter I will send you the comforter The poore disciples had many comforts from Christ but because the Comforter was not come they were not comfortable but heavie what was the reason because the Comforter was not come when the holy Ghost was come after the resurrection and ascension of Christ when he had sent the Comforter then they were so full of comfort that they rejoyced that they were thought worthy to suffer any thing for Christ and the more they suffered the more joyfull and comfortable and glorious they were You see what a comfort is it is the things themselves and the word and reasons from it and likewise the spirit of God with the reasons and with presence sometimes without any reasons with present strength God doth establish the soule together with reasons there is a strengthning power of the spirit a vigour that goes with the spirit of God that joyns with the spirit of the afflicted person So whether it be the outward thing as reasons and discourse or the presence of the spirit God joyning with our spirit God is the God of that comfort the God of all comfort A comfort is any thing that allaies a maladie that either takes it away or allaies and mitigates it A comfort is any thing that raiseth up the soul The comforts that wee have in this life they are not such as doe altogether take away sorrow and griefe but they mitigate them Comfort is that which is above a maladie it is such a remedie as is stronger to support the soul from being cast down over much with the grievance whether it be grievance felt that we are in the sence of such a grievance as is feared when the soule apprehends any thing to set against the ill we feare that is stronger then it when the soule hath somewhat that it can set against the present sence of the grievance that is stronger
We have a guard that keeps us from despair from sinking God delivereth us from our selves by this inward guard There is not the vilest Atheist that lives but let God open his conscience and let loose himself upon himself to see what he deserves to see what he is ready to sink into if he see not Gods mercy to deliver him if he see not an Intercessor a Mediator to come between God him what would become of him Therefore saith Saint Paul in Philip. 4. The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall guard your hearts and minds for so the word is in the Original shall guard your hearts and minds We have not onely a guard outward but we have a peace in us the Spirit of God the strengthening power of God the sight of the love of God God delivers us as from all others so from our selves Judas had no enemies God let him loose to himself what became of him Achitophel had no enemy God let him loose to himself too and then we see what a desperate conclusion he came to So whosoever thou art that contemnest Religion that makest any thing of greater moment and respect then that if thou hadst not an enemy in the world but all were thy friends as Judas had all to be his friends the Pharisees were his friends he had money of them but God opened his conscience and he could not indure the sight of it it spake bitter things to him when God opened an inward hell in his conscience So God doth deliver us outwardly and inwardly and the inward is double partly from despair partly from the rage of corruptions as I said before Is it not God that tyes up our corruptions There is such a world of sin in the heart of a man as often he finds the experience of it when he meets with a fit temptation to his disposition that Gods Children complain of themselves that the sins of their hearts have deceived them so God delivers men from the rage of lusts he tyes up their corruptions and delivers them from them And when we fall and are ready to despair for them he delivers us from despair He doth deliver he is perpetually delivering it implies that we alway stand in need of deliverance Therefore we should alway look up to God he is the breath of our nostrils In him we live and move and have our being in him we stand and in him we are delivered in the middest of all our enemies it should stir up our hearts thankfully to depend upon God he that hath delivered us he doth deliver us if he should not continue his deliverance we should be continually in extream danger VVho hath delivered us and doth deliver us c. A Christian is never in so great perplexity but God is delivering of him even in trouble So the Church saith Lamentations 3. It is Gods mercy that we are not all consumed The Church was in a pittifull estate then one would have thought they were as low as almost they might be yet notwithstanding the Spirit of God in those blessed men that lived in those times they saw that they might have been worse then they were and they saw that there was some danger from which they were delivered It is thy mercy that we are not all consumed God delivered them from extremity Nay in troubles God doth deliver so as there may be a distinction for the most part between his and others When I gather my Jewels it shall be known who serves me and who serves me not Mal. 3. God continually delivers more especially at sometimes As we say of providence providence is nothing but a continued act of creation And it is true the same power that created all things of nothing the same power sustains all things God upholds all things with his right hand For even as it is with a stone which is upheld by a mans hand let him withdraw his hand and down it falls so naturally all things as they are raised out of nothing so they will fall to their first principles except they be sustained by that continuall act of creation which we call providence to maintain them in the order wherein they were set at the first So there is a continuall act of deliverance till we be delivered out of all troubles and set in a place where there shall be no more annoyance at all either from within us or without us God doth still deliver O let this move us to a reverence of the eye and Majesty of the great God of the presence of God Who will willingly provoke him of whom he stands in need to deliver him Let God withdraw his deliverance his preventing deliverance or his rescuing deliverance for as I said there is a double deliverance he prevents us from trouble he delivers us that we do not fall into it and when we are fallen into it he rescues us If God should not thus deliver us there is no mischief that any others fall into but we should fall into the like were it not for his preventing deliverance As St. Austin saith well A man that is freed from sin ought to thank God as well for the sins that he hath not committed as for the sins that he hath had forgiven for it is an equall mercy that a man fall not into sin as for his sin to be pardoned And so for troubles too it is Gods mercy to prevent troubles as well as to deliver out of trouble when we are fallen into it Who would not reverence this great God what miscreant wretches are they that inure their tongues to swearing to tear that Majesty that if he should withdraw his deliverance and protection from them what would become of them Where there is perpetuall dependance upon any man how doth it inforce reverence and respect even amongst men Itis Athiesm therefore for men to inure their tongues to speak cursed language to inure their hearts to entertain prophane thoughts of God and to neglect the consideration of his Majesty Holy men in Scripture are said to walk with God that is to have God in their eye in all times in all places as he had them in his eye to delight in them to prevent troubles and to deliver them from troubles when they were in them We should take notice of Gods speciall providence in this kind that God by deliverance often gives us our lives and it should teach us to consecrate our lives to God Who doth deliver us In whome we hope or trust or have affiance that he will yet deliver us The holy Apostle doth take in trust here the time to come he speaks as if he were assured of that as of any thing past and he doth found his hope for the time to come upon that which was past and present As he saith in Romans 5. Experience breeds hope so it doth here in the Blessed Apostle He hath delivered and he doth deliver and why should
deliver me from every evill work and that is that which the Saints and Martyrs and all good people desire that God would deliver them that they may not sink in their minds that they despair not that they carry not themselves uncomely in troubles but so as is meet for the credit of the truth which they seal with their blood he hath delivered me and he will deliver me from every evill work and what saith he afterwards He shall preserve me to his Heavenly Kingdom He doth not say he shall preserve me from death he knew he should die but he shall preserve me to his heavenly Kingdom So put the case that God do not deliver from death yet he delivers by death There is a partial deliverance and a total deliverance there is a deliverance from this and that trouble and there is a deliverance from all troubles God delivers us most when we think he delivers least for we think how doth he deliver his Children when we see them taken away by death and oftimes are massacreed That is one way of delivering them God by death takes them from all miseries they are out of the reach of their enemies death delivers them from all miseries of this life both inward of sin and outward of trouble all are determined in death therefore God when he doth not deliver them from death he delivers them by death and takes them to his heavenly Kingdom God oft-times delivers his by not delivering them out of trouble for when he sees us in danger of some sin he delivers us into trouble to deliver us from some corruption Of all evills Gods Children desire to avoid the delivering up to themselves and to their own lusts to their own base earthly hearts to a dead heart he delivers them into trouble therefore to deliver them from themselves God will deliver us for the time to come so that we depend upon him and humble our selves and be like our selves When God delivereth us at the first it may be we are like our selves but perhaps afterward we grow prouder and self-confident and will not do that we formerly did therefore God sometimes though he put us in hope of deliverance yet he will not deliver us because we are not prepared we are not throughly humbled As we see in Judges 20. there the Israelites were to set on the Benjamits they go the first time and had the foile they go the second time and are foiled the third time they set on them with fasting and prayer and then they had the victory What was the reason they had it not at the first time they were not humbled enough they did not flee to God with fasting and prayer It may be there is some sin some affection unmortified of revenge and anger when God hath subdued that and brought it under and brought us to fasting and prayer then God will deliver us as at the third encounter they carried away the victory When we have not made our peace with God we may come the first and second time and not be delivered but when we are throughly humbled and brought low then God will deliver us And then we must know that alway these outward promises have a reservation to Gods glory and our eternal good God hath delivered me and he doth and will deliver me if it may stand with his glory and my good and therefore the soul saith to God with that reserved speech of him in the Gospell Lord If thou wilt thou canst heal me if thou wilt thou canst deliver me if it be for thy glorie and my eternall good or for the Churches good thou wilt do it and neither the Church nor the particular members of the Church desire deliverance upon any other termes but when it may be for the glory of God and for the Churches good when they may be instrumental by long life to serve God and to serve the Church and when it is for their own advantage to gather further assurance of their salvation then he hath and doth and will deliver still This is enough to build the confidence of Gods children upon for their deliverance for the time to come God will deliver his Church and Children and he will deliver them out of all he will deliver Israel out of all his troubles he will not leave a horn or a hoof as Moses said he will not leave one trouble he will deliver us at the last out of all and advance us to his heavenly Kingdom His bowels will melt over his Church and Children he is a Father and he hath the bowels of a Mother This may serve to answer all objections that will arise in our hearts as indeed we are ready to cavil against divine truthes and comforts especially in the time of trouble and temptation our hearts are full of complaints and disputes therefore I thought good to answer this But what is the argument of the Apostle here Especially experience he hath delivered he doth deliver and he will deliver me As God will deliver his Church for the time to come so this is one maine argument that he will do it experience of former favours and deliverances This Saint Paul useth familiarly 2 Tim. 4. 18. I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lyon and the Lord shall deliver me from every evill work and preserve me to his Heavenly Kingdom A blessed arguing So David argues God delivered me from the Bear and the Lyon and therefore he will deliver me from this uncircumcised Philistine So Jacob pleads that God would deliver him from Esau he had had experience of Gods mercy till then and therefore he trusted that God would deliver him from Esau. It is a good argument to plead experience to move God to care for us for the time to come It was used by the head of the Church By the body the Church and by every member of the Church It was used by the head Psalme 22. which is a Psalme made of Christ I was cast on thee from my Mothers wombe therefore be not far from me It was Tipycally true of David and it was true of the Son of David So the Church pleads with God in diverse places in Isay 51. 2. God calls to his people to make use of former experience Look to Abraham your Father and to Sarah that bare you c. Look to former times to the rock whence you were hewen and to the hole of the pit whence you were digged he that was your God then is your God now Look to Abraham your Father and from thence reason till now So in Isay 63. 7. I will mention the loving kindnesse of the Lord and the praise of the Lord according to the great goodnesse of the Lord bestowed upon us In all their afflictions he was afflicted c he speaks of former experience In love he bare them and carried them all the daies of old So in Psalme 44. Our Fathers have told
things they set light by them Hosea 8. 12. He gave them the great things of his law and they accounted them as slight as strange things not worthy to be regarded Praise consists in taking notice and not onely in taking notice but in remembring and minding them as in Psal. 103. My soul praise the Lord and forget not all his benefits And likewise in an estimation of them and likewise in expressing this thankfulnesse in words Awake my glory our tongues are our glory especially as they are instruments to praise and glorifie God we cannot use our language better then to speak the language of Canaan in praising of God Likewise praise consists in doing good which is reall praise though we say nothing Moses cryed to God though he spake not a word Evill works have a crie although they say nothing Abels blood cried against Cain and as evill works so good works have a crie though a man praise not God with his tongue his works praise God Job saith The sides of the poore blessed him What could their sides speak No but there was a reall thanksgiving to God their sides blessed God so our good works may praise God as well as our tongues and hearts The heavens and the earth they praise God though they say nothing because they stir us up to say something Let men see your good workes that they may take occasion from thence to blesse God saith Christ. Or else your praising of God is but a meer complementing with God to give him thanks with the tongue and after to dishonour him with your lives Psal. 50. What hast thou to do to take my Name into thy mouth sith thou hatest to be reformed what hast thou to do to take my Name into thy mouth either in prayer or in praise when thou hatest to be reformed High words are unseemly for a foole saith the Wise man and what higher words then praise Therefore praise for a man that lives in a blasphemous course of life in a filthy course of life praise is too high a word for a fool we must praise God in our lives or else not at all God will not accept of it It consists in these things Now some directions how to perform it for our selves and others If we would praise God for our selves or for any then let us look about us let us looke above us and beneath us let us look backward look to the present look forward every thing puts songs of praise into our mouth Have we not matter enough of our own to praise God for let us look about us to the prosperity of others let us praise God for the Ministery praise God for the Magistracy praise God for the government wherein we live There are many grievances in the best government but a Christian heart considereth what good he hath by that government what good he hath by that ordinance and doth not onely delight to feed on the blemishes as flies do upon sores it is a sign of a naughty heart to do so Although a man should not be insensible of the ills of the times for else how should we pray against them yet he is not so sensible as to forget the good he hath by them If we would praise God let us look to the good and not so much upon the ill Look up to heaven look to the earth to the sea David occasions praise from every creature every creature ministers matter of praise from the stars to the dust from heaven to earth from the Cedar to the Hisop that growes by the wall Is there not a beam of Gods goodnesse in every creature have we not use of every creature we must praise God not only for the Majesty and order that shines in them but for the use of them in respect of us And so let us look to the works of Providence as well as to the works of Creation Look to Gods work in his Church his confounding of his enemies his deliverance of his Church the Churches abroad our owne Church our owne persons our friends thus we should feed our selves that we may have matter of praising God God gives us matter every day he renewes his favours upon the place wherein we live and upon us as itis Lam. 3. It is his mercy that we are not all consumed Let us look back to the favours that we have injoyed let us look for the present what doth he do for us The Apostle saith here God doth deliver us doth he not give deliverance and favour and grace inward grace for the time to come hath he not reserved an inheritance immortall and undefiled in the heavens for us Wherefore doth he bestow things present and wherefore doth he reveal things laid up for us for the time to come but that we should praise him but that we should praise him for that which he means to do afterwards Blessed be God the Father who hath begotten us to an inheritance immortall and undefiled c. saith St. Peter God reveals good things that are to come that we are heires apparent to the Crown of glory this is revealed that we might praise him now that we might begin the imployment of heaven upon earth Let us look upward and downward let us look about us look inward look backward look to the present look forward every thing ministreth matter of praise to God Yea our very crosses happie is he whom God vouchsafeth to be angry with that he doth not give him over to a Reprobate sense to fill up his sins but that he will correct him to pull him from ill courses happie is he that God vouchsafeth to be angry with in evill courses There is a blessing hid in ill in the Crosse. In all things give thanks saith the Apostle what in afflictions I not for the affliction it self but for the issue of it There is an effect in afflictions to draw us from the world to draw us to God to make us more heavenly-minded to make us see better into these earthly things to make us in love with heavenly things In all things give thanks When we want matter in our selves let us look abroad and give thanks to God for the prosperity of others And with all in the second place when we look about us let us dwell in the meditation of the usefulnesse of these things of the goodnesse of God in them till our Hearts be warmed It is not a slight God be thanked that will serve but we must dwell upon it let our hearts dwell so long on the favours and blessings of God till there be a blessed fire kindled in us The best bone-fire of all is to have our hearts kindled with love to God in the consideration of his mercy Let us dwell so long upon it till a flame be kindled in us A slight praise is neither acceptable to God nor man And then let us consider our own unworthinesse let us dwell upon
any thing as we may be of Gods love for the time to come We have a common speech amongst us I know what I have but what I shall have I know not It is an ill speech thou knowest not what thou hast for these worldly things a man hath them so to day as they may take to themselves wings and be gone to morrow for they are but vanity A may be as rich as Job in the morning and as poor as Job at night so that a man knowes not what he hath but for the time to come for grace and glory he may say Though I know not what I have or how long I shall have it I know what I shall have I know that neither things present nor things to come shal be able to separate me from the love of God in Jesus Christ. So that you see here a foundation of the sweet and comfortable Doctrine of perseverance Grace is the Earnest of glory and it doth but differ in degrees the beginning of glory is here in grace the consummation of it hereafter We are anointed Kings here we shall be Kings in heaven we are sons here in this world we shall be heires in heaven we shall be adopted there in soul and body here we are adopted in soul for in this life Christs first coming was for the soul his second coming is for body and soul therefore the resurrection is called the day of regeneration because then it shall be perfected here regeneration is onely begun So that in respect that the work of the Spirit the graces of the Spirit are called an Earnest we may know and be assured of perseverance in grace and that that which we have now in the beginning shall be accomplished Oh how should this set us upon desires to have the blessed work of the Spirit upon us to have the Spirit to set his seal upon us to be Christs to have this Earnest and to get more and more Earnest till we have the full bargain accomplished in heaven Thirdly I told you that an Earnest is part of the whole they therefore that have not the Earnest cannot look for the bargain The Observation hence is That Those that look to be happy must first look to be holy This Point I mean to touch very briefly I am loath to passe it by though it be not the principal thing I aim at because it may serve for a kind of tryal whether a man have any right to heaven or no. It is the ordinary presumptuous errour of common Christians to think to go to heaven out of unclean courses with Lord have mercy upon us but miserable wretches are they that have not this Earnest of the Spirit in them an Earnest of heaven beforehand in grace and peace and joy We must all read our happinesse in our holinesse and therefore it is that happinesse in heaven and holinesse here which is happinesse inchoate have both one title to shew that we cannot have the one without the other we must enter into heaven here in this life The stones you know they were hewed before they were brought to the building of the Temple they were all made and fitted before-hand and so all that shall be stones in heaven they must be hewed and prepared and fitted here there must be no knocking and fitting of them there So then you see these three things touched that the holy Spirit together with the graces and comforts of it are called an Earnest and therefore that it is a part of the whole an assurance of the whole and that it shall never be taken away Now for the fourth that an Earnest is little in regard of the whole and indeed the holy Apostle aimes at this partly as well as at any other thing else an Earnest is little perhaps we have but a shilling to secure us of many pounds So then the point is this That Howsoever we may be assured of our estate in grace and likewise that we shall hold out yet the ground of this assurance is not from any great measure of grace but though it be little in quantity it may be great in assurance and security As we value an Earnest not for the worth that is in it self but because it assures us of a great bargain we have an Eye more to the consummation of the bargain then to the quantity of the Earnest so it is here Grace is but an Earnest yet notwithstanding though it be little as an Earnest is yet it is great in assurance and validity answerable to the relation of that it hath to assure us There is nothing lesse then a grain of mustard-seed but there is nothing in the world so little in proportion in a manner that comes at length to be so great as the graces of God and the work of the Spirit is The Crocodile a huge creature comes of an egg and the Oak it riseth to that greatnesse from an Acorn but what are these to the wondrous work of the new creature to be the heir of heaven rising from so little despised beginings from a little light in the understanding from a little heat in the affections from a little strength in the will compared for the littlenesse thereof to a grain of mustard-seed Indeed grace growes a man knowes not how As Christ saith of the seed sowen in the earth it growes up first to a blade and then to a stalk and then to an ear and then to be corn but a man cannot tell how so it is with the work of grace and the comforts of the Spirit when the Spirit together with the Word works upon the soul there is a blade a little and then a stalk and then Corn. First a babe in Christ little at the first and as it is little so it is much opposed As we see the Sun when it is weak in the rising in the morning there gather a great many vapours to besiege the Sun as it were as if they would put out the light of it till it comes to fuller strength and then it spends them all and gloriously shines in heaven so it is with the work of the Spirit of grace when it first ariseth in the soul there gather about it a great many doubts and discomforts the flesh riseth and casteth up all the dirt and mud it can to trouble the blessed waters of grace till it have gotten fuller and fuller strength to spend them all as it is when a man comes to be a strong Christian. But yet as little as it is seeing it is an Earnest and the first-fruits as the Apostle saith which were but little in regard of the whole harvest yet it is of the nature of the whole and thereupon it comes to secure A spark of fire is but little yet it is fire as well as the whole element of fire And a drop of water it is water as well as the whole Ocean When a man is in a dark place put the
from us he takes occasion from our sins but he is merciful from his own bowels he is good from himself we provoke him to be severe and just therefore be we never so miserable in regard of sin and the fruits of sin yet he is the Father of mercy of free mercy mercy from himself mercy pleaseth him Micah 7. he is delighted in it Now that which is natural comes easily as water from the fountain comes without violence and heat from the fire comes without any violence because it is natural A Mother pitties her child because it is natural there is a sweet instinct of nature that moves and pricks forward nature to that affection of love that she bears to her child So it is with God it is nature in him to be merciful to his because they are his Mercy is his nature we are his we being his his nature being merciful he will be merciful to all that are his to such as repent of their sins and lay hold of his mercy by a true faith His word shewes likewise his mercy there is not one attribute set down more in Scripture then mercy it is the name whereby he will be known Exod. 34. where he describes it and tells us his name what is the name of God his long suffering and mercy c. there is a long description of of God in that place David in Psal. 3. besides that which is in every Prophet almost hath the fame description of God to comfort Gods people in his time in Psal. 86. 103. 145. there is the same description of God as there is in Moses he is merciful and long suffering c. he describes himself to be so and his promises are promises of mercy At what time soever a sinner repents and without limitation of sins all sins shall be forgiven the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin If there be no limitation of persons whomsoever of sins whatsoever or of time whensoever here is a ground that we should never despair God is the Father of mercies It is excellent that the Prophet hath in Isai. 55. 7. to prevent the thoughts of a dejected soul Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon I but I have abused mercy a long time I have lived in sin and committed great sins well notwithstanding that see how he answers it My thoughts are not your thoughts you are vindictive if a man offend you you are ready to aggravate the fault and to take revenge c. But my thoughts are not as your thoughts nor my wayes as your wayes saith the Lord for as far as the heaven is above the earth so are my thoughts above your thoughts and my wayes above your wayes We have narrow poor thoughts of mercy because we our selves are given to revenge and we are ready when we think of our sins to say can God forgive them can God be merciful to such c. My thoughts are not as your thoughts nor my wayes as your wayes It is good to consider this and it is a sweet meditation for the time undoubtedly will come that unlesse Gods mercy and Gods thoughts should be as him self is infinite unlesse his wayes should be infinitly above our wayes and his thoughts infinitly above ours in mercy certainly the soul would receive no comfort The soul of a Christian acquainted with the word of God knows that Gods mercy is as himself is infinite and his thoughts this way are as himself is infinite Therefore the Scripture sets down the mercies of God by all dimensions There is the depth of Wisedom but when he comes to speak of love and mercy as it is in Ephes. 3. Oh the depth and bredth and height of this Indeed for height it is higher then the heavens for depth it fetcheth the soul from the nether most-deep we have deep miserie out of the deep Icryed to thee yet notwithstanding his mercy is deeper then our misery O the depth of his mercy there is a depth of mercy deeper then any misery or rebellion of ours though we have sunk deep in rebellion And for the extent ofthem as I said before his mercy is over all his workes it extends to the utmost parts of the earth The scripture doth wonderfully enlarge his mercie beyond all dimensions whatsoever These things are to good purpose and it is a mercy to us that he sets forth himself in mercy in his word because the soul sometime or other when it is awakned as every one that God delights in is awakened first or last it needs all this it is all little enough God is merciful to those that are heavy laden that feel the burden of their sins upon their souls such as are touched with the sence of their sins God still meets them half way he is more ready to pardon then they are to ask mercy As we see in the prodigall when he had wasted all when he was as low as a man could be when he was come to huskes and when he had despised his fathers admonition yet upon resolution to return when he was stung with the sence of his sins his father meets him and entertains him he upbraids him not with his sin Take sin with all the aggravations we can yet if we repent and resolve uppon new courses there is comfort though we relapse into sin again and again if we must pardon 10. times 7. times as Christ saith certainly there cannot be more mercy in the Cistern then there is in the fountain there cannot be more mercy in us then there is in the Father of mercies as God is Take sin in the aggravations in the greatnesse of it Manasses sin Peters denying of his Master the thief on the crosse and Pauls persecution take sin as great as you will he is the father of mercies If we consider that God is infinite in mercy and that the scripture reveals him as the Father of mercies there is no question but there is abundance a world of comfort to any distressed soul that is ready to cast it self on Gods mercy For those that are converted that are in the state of Grace Is God the father of mercies Let this stir us up to imbrace mercy every day to live by mercy to plead mercy with God in our daily breaches to love and fear God because there is mercy with him that he might be feared It is a harder matter to make a daily sweet use of this then it is taken for Those that are the fittest subjects for mercy they think themselves furthest off from mercy Come to a broken soul who is catched in the snare whose conscience is on the rack he thinks alas there is no mercy for me I have been such a sinner God hath shewed me mercy before and now I have offended him again and again those that are the
thee comfort that thou art much humbled in thy sicknesse and at the hour of death for it is hard for thee to determine whether it be true Repentance or meer sorrow for sin as it brings judgement Fear of damnation is not sufficient to bring a man to heaven thy nature must be changed before thou come to heaven thou must love Righteousnesse because it is Righteousnesse thou must love God because he is good thou must hate sin because it is sin How canst thou tell when thou hast been naught before affliction whether affliction have wrought this that thou repentest only out of hatred of judgement to shun that or out of hatred of sin because it is sin Therefore now a little repentance in thy health and in the enjoying of thy prosperity a little hatred of ill wayes now will more comfort thee then a thousand times more prayer and striving will then Although if thou canst do it truly then yet the gate of mercy is open but thy heart will scarce say it is truly done because it is forced Then again perhaps thou shalt not have the honour of it thou shalt not have the mercy thou that hast refused mercy and lived in a loose prophane course thou that hast despised mercy all the while God will not honour thee so much as to have a good word or a sorrowful word that even very grief shall not extort it from thee but as thou hast forgotten God in thy life and wouldest not own his admonitions thou shalt forget thy self in death and be taken away suddenly or else with some violent disease that shal take away the use of the parts that God hath given thee as inflammation of the Spirits or the like that shall take away the use of sound reason It is madnesse and no better to live as the most live to cry God is merciful c. thou mayest go to hell for all that repentance must be from a true hatred of sin and that that must comfort thee must be a disposition for the present for then it is unforced Therefore all these sweet comforts are to you that come in and leave your wicked courses if you have been swearers to swear no more if you have been deceivers to deceive no more if you have been licentious to be so no more but to break off the course of your sins as God shall enable you or else this one thing think of it that you now dawbe your conscience withall and go on in sin with that will be the most terror to you even Mercy nothing will vex you so much as mercy afterward Then thon shalt think with thy self I have heard comfortable of the promises and of the nature of God but I put off and despised all I regarded my sinful courses more then the mercy of God in Christ they were sweeter to me then mercy I lived in sins out of the abundance of prophanenesse that did me no good I lived in sins out of the superfluity of prophanenesse that I had neither profit nor pleasure by and neglected mercy The consideration of mercy neglected with the continuing in a wretched course it will more aggravate the souls torment Let us be incouraged to come in such as intend to leave their sinfull courses let them remember that then they come to a Father of mercy that is more ready to pardon then you are to ask it As you see in the prodigal Son which I instanced in before it is a notable sweet Story I have a Father saith he when he had spent all and was come to Huskes Affliction is a notable means to make us to taste and relish mercy I have a father and there is plenty in his house and he comes and confesseth his sin he had no sooner resolved but his Father he doth not stay for him but he meets him and kisseth him Let us consider of this description of God the Father of mercy it should move any that are in ill and lewd courses before In my Fathers house there are good things and in his heart there are bowels of mercy I have a Father and a Father of mercy I will go home and submit my self to him and say to him I have been thus and thus but I will be so no more you shall find that God by his Spirit will be readier to meet you then you are to cast your selves at the feet of his mercy and into the armes of his mercie he will come and meet you and kisse you you shall find much comfort upon your resolution to come in if it be a sound resolution The son fears his Fathers displeasure but saith the Father My thoughts are not as your thoughts Oh! I fear he will not receive me yes yes he is willing to imbrace you mercy pleaseth him and why will you perish O house of Israel Againe God is the Father of mercies This should stirre us up to an imitation of this our gratious Father for every Father begets to his owne likeness and all the sons of this Father are like the Father they are mercifull The Kings of Israel are merciful Kings saith the Heathen King Benhadad and the God of Israel is a mercifull God and all that are under God are mercifull his sons are mercifull as their heavenly father is mercifull Therefore if we would make it good to our own hearts and the opinion and judgement of others of us that we are children of this mercifull Father we must put on bowels of mercie our selves as in Colos. 3. 2. Now therefore as the Elect of God as you will make it good that God hath elected you put on the bowels of mercie Whatsoever we have from God it comes in the respect of a mercie and so it should doe from Gods Children every thing that comes from them to them that are in miserie it should be a mercy they should not only bestow the thing but a sweet mercy with the thing a child of God he poures out his bowels to his Brother as Esay saith Poure out thy bowels c. There is some bowels that is there is an affection in Gods Children they give not onely the thing the reliefe but mercie with it that hath a sweet report to the soule there is pittie that more comforts a sanctified soule then the thing it selfe We must not doe workes of mercie proudly it is not the thing that God stands on but the affection in the thing his benefits are with a fatherly pittie so should ours be with a pittifull respect with a tender heart The very mercies of the wicked are cruell If they be mercifull there is some pride of spirit there is some tast of a hard heart of an hypocriticall spirit somewhat is not as it should be their mercies are not mercies we must in our mercie imitate the Father of mercies Alas it is the fault of our time there is little mercie to those that are in miserie What a cruell thing is it that