in the other made to any grace in it selfe which it may rest upon yet the soule then looking upon God and considering what a God he is and what he sayes of himselfe of his mercy and kindnesse and free grace towards sinfull men The consideration of what meerely it knowes to be in God as he is revealed in the covenant of grace may support him This it is to stay upon his name Now to explaine this further to you By the name of God two things are meant First those glorious attributes especially of grace and mercy whereby God hath expressed himselfe and made himselfe knowne to us Secondly Jesus Christ as hee is made and set forth to be righteousnesse to the sons of men For the first in the 24. of Exod. ver 4 5 6 7. The Lord proclaimed his name The Lord God mercifull gracious long-suffering aboundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne and will by no meanes cleare the impenitent For the second I referre to that place Ier. 23. 6. speaking of Christ This is the name wherewith hee shall be called or made knowne to us THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSE that is that Jesus Christ who is God hath righteousnesse in him for us which may be made ours So that when a poore soule in distresse is not able to say I see such or such signes or any evidence in my selfe whereby I can say God is my God or that Christ is mine yet because I see free grace enough in God and righteousnesse in Christ which I being a sinfull man and not a devill may therefore bee capable of and may come to have an interest in them though I know nothing in my selfe whereby I can challenge any present interest and because grace and mercy is his Name and Our Righteousnesse his Sonnes Name therefore I doe cast my selfe upon both for pardon and favour and thereupon my soule leanes staies and abides and from these it will not bee driven So that these two apprehensions meeting in the heart in truth help to make up this resting upon his Name here spoken of namely First that there is such free grace good will and mercy c. in God and that Jesus Christ is appointed and made to be our Righteousnes And secondly that I am capable of and may come to have an interest in both these and that though there be nothing in me which may challenge an interest in them yet there is nothing that excludes mee whereupon I cast my selfe upon God for both and there rest yea though I cannot yet say that ever I shall obtaine them And this where it is in truth and accompanied with that firme resolution of turning to God in all things aforementioned is as good faith as any of you have in your hearts And so I come to the proofe of this namely That when the name of God and Christ are thus simply and alone apprehended they may bee sufficient ground for faith to rest upon then which nothing can be more comfortable to a poore distressed beleever Num. 14. When Gods wrath waxed hot against his people as sometimes in like maner it doth against a poore soule that God began to say how long shall they provoke me ver 11. and speakes of destroying them and of making Moses a great Nation what hath Moses his faith recourse unto but to that proclamation of his Name you heard of before and urgeth that ver 17 18. Let the power of my Lord bee great according as thou hast spoken The Lord is long suffering and of great mercy forgiving iniquitie transgression and sin and he desires him to shew his power in pardoning because as much power is seen in overcomming his wrath as in making a world Let thy power be great it was his name you see that was alledged by Moses and prevailed with God for mercy So also for his Sonnes sake The Lord our Righteousnesse Elihu sayes Job 33. when a mans soule is in deepest distresse as in the 19 20 21 22. ver he describes it yet sayes he ver 23. If there be a messenger to shew a man his uprightnesse that is that righteousnesse that is laid up for men in the Lord Iesus then God is gracious to him and sayes deliver him and he resting thereupon his flesh returnes to him againe it is a meanes to stay him and restore him I mention these places of the olde Testament rather then of the new out of which you see Gods name and his Sonnes name are al-sufficient to uphold and support a soule So the pen-man of that Psalme whether David or whoever Psal 130. when hee was in his depths as ver 1 2. plunged over head and eares in sorrow and discomfiture what hath his faith recourse unto 〈◊〉 4. to Gods name to nothing that was in himselfe but simply to what his faith apprehended to be in God Mercy it with thee hee sayes no more in him and with him it is to be had and he confirmes his faith in that by this argument because else none would feare him and If thou wert extreame to marke what were amisse no man could stand or would be saved therefore surely sayes he mercy is with thee and therefore let Israel hope in the Lord ver 7. And why what because Israel sees he hath grace in himself no but because mercy is with him plenteous redēption v. ult which word redēption hath relation to his Sons name There is enough in him else he will have none and Israel is mentioned in his will as capable of it therefore sayes he I will waite and hope in the Lord. ver 5. and though hee could not say that God had forgiven him yet forgivenesse was with him and there hee pitcheth and resteth his soule as a beggar at a great mans doore when there is none else in the country able or willing to relieve him there he lyes though hee knowes not whether he shall have any thing or no. In my fathers house there is bread enough sayes the Prodigall there it is to be had and no where else and there is enough and crummes will serve me sayes the woman of Canaan thou art the Mediator thought she and it is thy businesse to save and though I am a dogge yet I am capable of having crummes Woman sayes Christ great is thy faith not such faith among all my disciples These trusted in his name and nothing in themselves So Psal 62. David sayes at the 5. ver He trusted in God for salvation and mercy and exhorts throughout the whole Trust in God fully and at all times in no creature ver 8. 9. And what was it he rested upon simply two attributes of his viz. Mercy and Power God hath spoken once that is irrevocably as Psal 89. 35. Once have I sworne c. and twice I have heard this that is often met with it in the word and thought of it sayes he that with God is power v.
11. so as he is able to save in the greatest distresse and I have heard that to him belongeth mercy also v. 12. therefore he may bee willing to help and because these are in him though I have nothing in my self yet these I rest upon and these alone Many such instances more might be brought The reasons why the name of God Reasons and what is in God is prop sufficient for faith to rest upon are First because the name of God that is Gods attributes and Christs righteousnesse doe sufficiently and adequately and fully answer all wants and doubts all objections and distresses we can have or can be in whatsoever our wants or temptations be he hath a Name to make supply For example take that his Name in pieces mentioned Exod. 34. 5 6. consider every letter in that his Name and every letter answers to some temptation may be made by us First art thou in misery and great distresse he is mercifull The Lord mercifull the Lord therefore able to help thee and mercifull therefore wiling Yea but secondly thou will say I am unworthy I have nothing in me to move him to it well therfore hee is gracious now grace is to shew mercy freely Yea but I have sinned against him long for many yeares if I had come in when I was yong mercy might have been shewne me To this he sayes I am long suffering Yea but my sinnes every way abound in number and it is impossible to reckon them up they abound in hainousnesse I have committed the same sins again again I have bin false to him broke promise with him againe and againe his Name also answers this objection hee is aboundant in goodnesse hee abounds more in grace then thou in sinning and though thou hast beene false againe and againe to him and broke all covenants yet hee is abundant in truth also better then his word for he cannot to our capacities expresse all that mercy that is in him for us Yea but I have committed great sinnes aggravated with many and great circumstances against knowledge wilfully c. hee forgives iniquity transgression and sinne sinnes of all sorts Yea but there is mercy thus in him but for a few and I may be none of the number yes there is mercy for thousands and hee keepes it treasures of it lyes by him and are kept if men would come in and take them Object what thou canst his Name will answer thee Needest thou comfort as well as pardon hee is both Father of mercies and God of all comforts that is his Name 2 Cor. 1. 3. Needest thou peace of conscience being filled with terrours he is the God of peace 1 Thess 5. 23. Yea but I have an heart empty of grace and holinesse full of corruptions He is the God of all grace to heal thee as wel as of peace to pardon thee Needest thou wisdome direction he is the Father of lights as the Apostle sayes Is thy heart inconstant and full of double mindednesse he is unchangeable also as hee speakes there Iames 1. Thus all objections that can be made may be answered out of his Name Therefore it is al-sufficient for faith to rest upon The like may be as fully shewed in his Sonnes name in whom God hath made himselfe strong to shew mercy and bestow all good things Whose Name is adequate to Gods Name that is is of as large extent in worth and merit as Gods heart is in his purposes of shewing and bestowing mercies to purchase all that God meant to bestow Whose Name hath likewise an al-sufficiency in it to supply all our wants and desires and satisfie all scruples For example that his Name mentioned by the Prophet Esay chap. 9. 6. which he here directs to compared with 1 Cor. 1. ult For would we have peace of conscience and the guilt of sinnes removed He is the Prince of peace and is made Righteousnesse to us Are we in depths of distresse terrours within terrours without out of which wee see no redemption he is the Mighty God able to save to the utmost being made redemption to us Want we grace and his image to bee renewed and increased in us He is the Everlasting father a Father to beget his likenesse in us and everlasting to maintaine it ever when it is begun once he is made sanctification to us Want we wisdome to guide us He is the counsellor and is made wisdome to us All wee want he hath even as all he hath we want and further although we not onely want all these but never so much of all these his Name is also Wonderfull For such he is in all these able to doe beyond all our expectations to wonderment Or if the soule desires more distinct and particular satisfaction in point of justification which consists in the pardon of sins acceptation to the favour of God it being the point which in this state of desertion is questioned and wherein the soule desires satisfaction That other name of his The Lord our righteousnesse Jer. 23. 6. will answer all objections and doubts that our hearts can make if we had but skill to spell all the letters in it For if that righteousnesse of his satisfied God who in condemning us 1 Iohn 3. 20. is greater then our hearts then it may satisfie our hearts much more The righteousnesse of his life and death is not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an adequate sufficient ransome 1 Tim. 2. 6. But there is plenteous redemption in it Psal 130. Yea to superfluity as the Apostles phrase implies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 1. 14. that is overfull more then would serve the turn and that to pardon his sins who v. 15. was the chiefe of sinners Hee elsewhere challengeth all the wit and powers of sin and hell and darknesse to appeare in this dispute and undertakes to answer them all out of this one position which he layes as a bottome truth Christ hath dyed Rom. 8. 34. which is in effect the same with this The Lord our righteousnesse Who therefore sayes he shall condemne What can be alledged either in the hainousnesse of sinne in the generall or in any of thy sinnes in particular unto which an answer may not hence be fetcht from the righteousnesse of his death and life Is it that sin is an offēce against the great God Against thee against thee c. as David speaks and is not this his righteousnes the righteousnes of Jehovah Iehovah our righteousnes who is the mighty God Is the glory of this great God and all his excellencies debased by us in sinning and will not the emptying of his glory Phil. 2. 7. whose name is the brightnes of his fathers glory Heb. 1. 2. in performing this righteousnes for us satisfie and make amends Are our sinnes the transgression of the holy and righteous Law in every part of it and did not Jehovah who gave and made that Law to make
to look for help from him with submission though hee stayes long ere he comes Waiting is an act of faith resting on God and an act of hope expecting help from him an act of patience the minde quietly contenting it selfe till God doth come and of submission if he should not come Therefore sayes the Church being in this very case It is good sayes she to hope Lament 3. 26. and quietly to waite for the salvation of the Lord. It is good indeed to doe so for God will afflict the lesse case you the sooner comfort you the more when he doth come and in the meane while it makes you to possesse your soules and to bee your selves and upholds them and to doe otherwise to be impatient and to give over looking for the Lord as Abaz did is the greatest folly that can be for as Iob sayes Chap. 12. ver 14. If hee shut up there is no opening all the world cannot let you out he keepes the keyes of the dungeon and you must stay his leisure and he stayes but for a fit time to let you out Esay 30. 18. Hee will waite to be gratiâ—â—â— to you for he is a God of judgement a wise and judicious God and knowes the fittest times and seasons and that he stayes so long is not out of want of mercy for he waits and longs to be gracious but he doth it out of Iudgement and his wisdome sees not a fit time he is grieved as well as you that you are not yet fit for mercy that his mercy would not yet be exalted if he should shew it till you further see your misery and therefore sayes he Blessed are all they that waite for him And as he now waiteth but to be the more gracious to thee so he did heretofore a long while waite for thee that thou shouldest begin to turne to him and said When will it once be Ier. 13. ult Thou madest him stay thy leisure in turning from thy sinne why may he not make thee stay his for the pardon of it And indeed the escaping hell in the end is so great a mercy that it is worth the waiting for all thy daies though thou endure an hell here and gettest not a good looke till the very last gaspe and moment of living therefore put thy mouth in the dust Lament 3 29. and waite quietly if there may be hope at last And waiting thus goe on to use all the meanes of grace more diligently more constantly though thou findest a long while no good by them omit no ordinance God hath appointed for thy comfort and recovery As in a long sicknesse you still use meanes though many have failed as the woman who had the bloody issue spent all upon Physitians in the use of meanes for her recovery That trouble of minde doth onely hurt you that drives you from the meanes that trouble of minde that drives you to the meanes can never hurt you Therefore the devill endeavours nothing more then to keep such soules from the word from good company from the Sacraments from prayer by objecting their unprofitablenes unto them that all is in vaine and that you doe but increase your condemnation But first if thou learnest no other lesson in the use of the meanes but that thou art of thy self most unprofitable and that unlesse God teacheth thee to profit no good is done and so learnest to depend upon God in the ordinance This is a great degree of profiting But secondly as when men are sick and eate and cast up againe you use to say yet take something downe for some strength is gotten something remaines in the stomack which keepes life and soule together So I say here though thou shouldest forget in a maner all thou hearest seemest to reape no benefit by it yet heare for some secret strength is gotten by it And for encreasing thy condemnation know that utterly to neglect and despise the meanes is greater condemnation and know that if thou shouldst use them in a way of dependance obedience to God it would lessen thy condemnation Therefore reade pray meditate heare conferre receive the Sacraments forbeare not these your appointed meales Indeed when the body is sick ye use to forbeare your appointed foode but when the soule is sick there is more need of them then ever All these are both meate and medicine foode physick cordials and all Use reading the word The Scriptures were written for our consolation therefore reade them much attend on preaching for God creates the fruits of the lippes peace Isa 57. So receive the Sacrament often those dayes are sealing dayes goe thou and confesse thy sinnes write over thy pardon put in all thou knowest by thy selfe bring it to Christ to set his seale to it Onely take this caution that thou trust not to the use of the meanes but unto God in the meanes To think oh I shall have comfort by such a man or at such a time in such an ordinance this often dasheth all So beleeve in God as if you used no means and yet as diligently use the meanes even as if your confidence were to be in them Direction 9. To Pray Pleas to be used to God in Prayer for recovery out of this condition ANd ninthly above all things Pray and get others also to pray for thee for God often restores comfort unto such at the request of Mourners for them Isa 57. 18. But yet especially be earnest and fervent in pouring forth thy complaint thy selfe for though the speaking of friends may somewhat further thy suite yet as between two wooers so it must be wrought out betweene God and thee alone in private and his good will must bee obtained by wooing him in secret This counsell the Apostle gives you James 5. 13. Is any man afflicted let him pray And because of all afflictions else this of darknesse in a mans spirit needeth praier the most therefore David pens a Psalme on purpose not for his owne private use onely but for the benefit and use of all other in the like distresse as by the title of it doth appeare Psal 102. A prayer for the afflicted when he it 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 out his complaint before the Lord. And this sayes David is my constant practice when my soule 〈◊〉 I poure out my prayer unto thee Psal 61. 3. And it was Christs also for in his agony he prayed yet more earnestly Luke 22. 44. When at any time therefore thy sinnes and Gods wrath meeting in thy conscience make thee deadly sicke as Isay speakes then poure forth thy soul lay open and confesse thy sin and as it will ease thee as vomiting useth to do so also it will move God to pitty and to give thee cordials comforts to restore thee againe Thus David Psal 38. ver 18. being in great distresse ver 2 3 4 5. I will declare mine iniquity and be sorry for my sinne and hee makes it an argument to God to pardon him
to restore and to comfort a man again I will restore comfort to him ver 18. Sixtly §. 6. in case of deserting his truth and not professing it 6. Case and appearing for it when he calls us to doe it For deserting his truth when called to professe it In this case hee left many of the Martys many of whom especially untill those in Queen Maries dayes when with the Gospells increase and the light of it God gave more strength also and some then also did desert the truth for a while then God in respect of comfort deserted thē then they recovering Gods favour again upon repētance a new resolution taken to stick to the profession of the truth what ever came of it that their desertion made them the more bold and resolute And this was in part Ionahs case who having a commission sealed him to goe to Niniveh with a message from God he withdrew himselfe and went another way and God in the midst of his security casts him into a whales belly and when hee was there God withdrawes himselfe from him as if hee meant never to owne him more insomuch that Ionah sayes Chap. 2. 4. Then I said I am cast out of thy presence And there is this equity in this dealing of Gods thus with us That as when we are ashamed of Christ the punishment fitted to it is That Christ will be ashamed of us so when we will not witnesse for God there is no reason His Spirit should witnesse to us And so when wee seeme to evade persecution for the Crosse of Christ then it is meet God should meet with us and take us in hand himselfe which is far worse Seaventhly §. 7. in case of unthankfulnesse and too common an esteeme had of the assurance 7. Case and light of Gods countenance Of unthankfulnesse for former comforts and of freedome from those terrours and doubtings which others are in which is a sinne Christians are apt to run into For as the light of the Sunne because it is ordinary is not regarded none minde it or look at the Sunne but as hee said when it is in the eclipse So a continuall sun-shine of Gods favour enjoyed occasioneth but a cōmon esteeme of it And in this case God withdrawes those cōforts and assurance because they are the greatest and sweetest comforts of all other and which to abuse or not to value of all other provokes most therfore in this case God takes them away For as Hos 2. 9. in case of being unthankful in outward mercies God tooke them away and restored them not againe till they esteemed them better and acknowledged whence they had them So also in spirituall assurance light and comfort doth God in like maner deale CHAP. XIII The third generall head The Ends for which God leaveth his children unto this darknesse First such as are drawne from God and his faithfulnesse c. NOw let us come to those ends which God may have in this his dealing with one that feares and obeyes him which are many and holy ones First to shew his power and faithfulnesse in upholding raising up and healing such a spirit againe as hath been long and deadly wounded with inward terrours which is as great an evidence of his power as any other and therefore saith Heman Psal 88. 10. Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead shall thy faithfulnesse be declared in destruction ver 11. That is in raising my soul up again to joy and comfort which is as much as to raise up a dead man nay more as much as to raise up a soule already in hell for the same terrours sayes hee that destroy them doe in like maner seaze on me in the 1. Ephes 19. it is said That the exceeding greatnesse of Gods power was seene in raising Christ from death to life and wherein lay principally the demōstration of that power not simply in raising his body up againe that was no more then he did to others but in Acts 2. 24. the power is said to be shewen in this that hee having losed the paines of death wherewith it was impossible he should be held he was raised up againe his soule was heavy unto death with terrours and those paines in themselves were deadly though not to him in that hee being God as well as man it was impossible for him to sinke under them now therefore to raise up and glorifie that his soule that was so bruised wounded and pierced through and through herein lay the wonder and such a wonder God shewed in recovering Heman And to shew the greatnesse of this worke let us consider a little the depth and deadlinesse of this kinde of distresse it is compared to the bruising of a reede which when it is bruised who can make it stand upright againe It is called The wounding of the spirit Proverbs 28. which no creature knowes how to come at to heale none but God who is the father of spirits who made them and knowes how to mend them It is not onely called the sicknesse of the spirit as Esa 33. 24. where the want of the assurance of the forgivenesse of sinnes makes poore soules to say I am sick which to heale is made the prerogative of the Sunne of righteousnesse arising with healing in his wings Mal. 4. 2. but also it is called death and destruction for so in that 88. Psalme Heman calls that distresse that he was in And the reason is Gods favour is our life by which wee live and are upheld which therefore being withdrawne the soule is ready to faile and faint and to come to nothing and sinke into destruction Esa 57. 16. And againe the paines of those terrours are more violent and more powerfull to hold us under then are the pangs of death The wounds of the guilt of sinne being as deadly and as strong as the lusts of the power of it and it requires as great a power to dissolve and scatter them For all the strength that the law and Gods justice hath sinne also hath to back it For the strength of sinne is the Law 1 Cor. 15. 56. Secondly § 2. as to know the power of Christ his resurrection 2. End to know the fellowship of Christs sufferings so the fellowship of his sufferings that thereby the soule may be made more conformable to him as it is Phil. 3. 10. As there are the suffering for Christ so the sufferings of Christ and God makes his partakers of both persecutions without and terrours within With which Christs soule was filled then when as the text sayes Hee was heard in what he feared and his soule was heavy to death and My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee and so Esa 53. It pleased God to bruise and wound him Now then to conforme us to his image we that are his brethren and are the persons guilty must suffer somewhat in spirit as well as he and have a portion therein also
When his bones were broken Psal 51. Cleanse me from my sin ver 2. for I acknowledge my transgressions ver 3. and when he had confessed ver 4 5 6. then hee cryes Make me to heare of joy and gladnesse ver 8. and restore unto me the joy of thy salvation ver 12. and what was the chiefe ingredient the maine and principall motive which wrought most kindly with him to confesse and mourne and brought up all Against thee thee onely he puts in twice as much of the consideration thereof as of any other ingredient to make his heart mourne that chiefly if not onely melted dissolved him And in these thy confessions let the same also mainely worke with thee Against thee thee have I sinned thus oft thus grievously thus presumptuously Against thee a God so great and yet withall so good so kinde so willing to receive and pardon if my heart say were but as willing to turne unto thee and when thy case is as Iobs was Iob 10. 15 16 17. That thou art full of confusion as he speaks there so full as thou thinkest thy heart could hold no more and yet it encreaseth as it is there he fills thee fuller yet then doe thou poure out thy complaints to him as he poures in confusion into thee and when he hunts thee as Iob there complaines like a fierce Lion fall thou downe and humble thy selfe like a poore and silly Lambe if thou dyest dye at his feete mourning bleeding out thy soule in teares and when he hunts thee up and downe and pursues thee with blow after blow follow thou hard after him where ever he goes Psal 63. 8. with complaint after complaint And when yet he leaves thee not but again and again returns as some reade it after some intermission and shewes himselfe terrible to thee day after day night after night yet doe thou look in like manner againe and againe towards his holy Temple Ionah 2. 4. as Ionah did And when he begins to bring in new sins new inditements against thee as it is in the 16. verse Thou renewest thy witnesses and when thou thoughtest he had done with thee hee fetcheth new rods forth and enters into new quarrells and reckonings long since past and forgotten as it is in the same verse Changes and warre are against me vicissitudes and armies of disquietments and when one army is overcome new appeare in the field Then fall thou down upon thy knees and say as Iob at last doth Iob 7. 20. I have sinned I have sinned what shall I doe unto thee what shall I do unto thee oh thou preserver and not the destroyer of men these and these abominations I have done and I cannot now undo them what shall I do to obtain thy favour Alas nothing that can satisfie him onely confesse thy sinne Lev. 26. 41. accept thy punishment Go and strip thy selfe therefore and with all submission present a naked back to him and though every stroke fetcheth not blood onely but well nigh thy soule away yet complaine thou not one whit of him put thy mouth in the dust Lam. 3. 29 30. Be still not a word but only such as whereby thou utterest thy complaints and doest acknowledge thine own deservednesse of ten thousands times more And say as Micah 7. 9. I will beare thine indignation patiently for I have sinned against thee beare witnesse still to every stroke that it is not onely just but also lesse then thou hast deserved Neh. 9. 13. and that it is his mercy thou art not consumed Lament 3. and cut off by every blow and the heavier hee layes on struggle thou not he will let thee downe the sooner the higher he life 's up his hand to strike the lower let thy soule fall downe 1 Pet. 5. 6. Humble your selves under his mighty hand And still kisse the rod when hee hath done Hosea 14. 2. And then take up words of pleading for thy selfe It is for thy life desiring him to remember what hee hath beene ever thinking of even from everlasting thoughts of peace and mercy to us-ward and the number of them cannot be told as David sayes Psal 40. 5. which he hath been ever thinking of and with the greatest of delights as one that was in his besome and was his councellor his Son tells us Prov. 8. 31. and plead thou as David and other Saints of God have done What are now become of all these thy thoughts of mercy Isay 63. 15. are they restrained what Psal 77. 9. are all now on the sudden forgotten laid aside which thou hast been thinking on so long hast thou forgotten thine olde and ancient delights aske him if he hath forgotten his owne Name to be gracious and abundant in kindnesse it is his Name Say did the very intent of shewing mercy so infinitely before-hand possesse thee with delights and now when thou shouldest come to put it in execution and hast so faire an opportunity of doing it to a soule as full of misery the object of mercy as ever hast thou now no heart no minde to it And withall Say that thou hast notice given thee of an infinite and alsufficient righteousnesse in his Son laid up in him and that by his own procurement whereof his Son never had nor can have any need himselfe being God blessed for ever and for whom was it then appointed but for the sons of men those who are weary wounded sick broken Heb. 9. 16. lost these his Son hath put into his Will who still lives to be his own Executor And say further also to him that it is come to thine cares that his Spirit is the Comforter a God of comforts and that his Son hath bought them all his whole shop and all his cordialls Isay 61. 1 2 3. and all his skill and is annointed with this Spirit on purpose to poure him forth into the hearts of those that are wounded and sick and broken and the whole they have no need of them If it bee said unto thee yea but thou art most unworthy Answer Hosea 14. 4. but he professeth to love freely If the greatnesse of thy sins bee objected against thee pleade thou again Psal 130. 7. that Plenteous redemption is with him and if thou hast not enough to pardon me say I am content to goe without If that thou art ungodly Say That thou beleevest on him that justifieth the ungodly Rom. 4. 15. If hee puts thee off as Christ a while did the woman of Canaan and sayes he hath no need of thee say that thou hast need of him and canst no longer live without him for In his favour is thy life and that without it thou art undone If he seemes to rebuke thee that how darest thou presse thus to him who is the high and lofty One a sinfull man to him whose Name is holy Say thou hast heard himselfe say Thus faith that high and lofty One
lesser crosses would doe it he would not fetch out the great rod. If a rod will thresh out the cummin he useth not to turne the wheele over it nor take a â—â—aile to doe it Isa 28. 27. Now lesser afflictions work with the most of his through his blessing mercies work disgrace works poverty works and hee doth not willingly afflict Lamen 3. 33. And therefore not unnecessarily hee puts not men into the dungeon for every fault and therefore there are few long exercised this way Think not therefore thou hast not true grace Vse 1 because thou wert never terrified as some have been As some have true faith and sound peace who yet never tasted of joy unspeakeable and glorious So some have sound humiliation who never knew terrors of conscience If thou seest sin the greatest misery Christ the greatest good thou art humbled You see wee may often preach such things which doe yet concerne but a few in a congregation Vse 2 and yet wee are to preach them There are but a few walk long in darknesse yet to such Christ doth preach Yea and for such doth God give gifts the tongue of the learned God often gives a Pastor after his own heart for a few Ier. 3. 15. Take one or two of a Citie c. I will give theÌ„ Pastors after my heart much more are many Sermons often preacht but to a few So even by Christ himselfe as he sayes Luke 4. 26. There were many widdows c. but unto none was Elias sent but unto her at Sarepta and many Lepers but unto none was Elias sent but unto Naaman So sayes Christ I am sent but to a few and therefore as we must not defraud one poore soule of its portion because none else partake of it so the rest are not to think much but as in a Dole stay till their portion come and if any one poor soule hath had his estate discovered all the rest are to be thankfull See some reason why some in distresse of minde complaine Vse 3 that none ever were in the like condition thus they are apt to doe So the Church Lamen 1. 12. The reason is because few are so troubled and haply they never knew any but yet some are and have been in the like For 1 Cor. 10. 13. No temptation befalls but is common to man That those few in congregations Doct. 3 that walk in darknesse and yet fear and obey him God and Christ hath an especiall eye unto and care of you see hee singles them out as it were from all the rest Who is among you Esay 66. 2. All these things have my hand made but to this man will I looke that is poore and broken and trembleth at my word that is though all things and persons else in the world be my creatures and so I have a care of them all yet he seemes to over-looke all else and to him will I look c. as if there were none else in the Church The first reason is Reason 1 because it is the office of Christ so to doe The Spirit is upon him on purpose Esay 61. 1 2 3. to open the prison to them that are bound shut up in this dungeon to appoint to them that mourne beauty for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning garments of praise for the spirit of heavinesse He is the Physitian and hath undertaken the cure Mat. 9. 12. and whom should the Physitian have an eye to but the sick and the most sick as those are that cannot finde their sinnes forgiven Isay 33. 14. He is the Shepheard Esa 40. 11. and will take care of all his sheep knows them by name But of whom especially the lambs that are weak young Christians Hee will gather them with his armes and gently leade the ewes with young that are travelling and bringing forth as those under terrours are hee will not over-drive them for God hath given him charge he should lose none of them Secondly Reason 2 if his office did not move him to it his love would for he is a mercifull and a pittifull high priest Heb. 4. 15. and was in all points tempted as we are and especially in agony of spirit therein he dranke deepest of any and therefore is fitted to pitty us therein most and the greatlier any is troubled the more hee is touched Isa 63. 9. In all your afflictions he is afflicted And Ier. 31. 20. Since I spake against him I remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him When a childe is sick the mother is more troubled and carefull about it and her eye and minde more upon it then on all the house besides The Vse is Vse 1 to meet with that conceit that befalls all that are in darknesse they think that of all men else God regards not them Sion said God hath forgotten me Esa 49. 15. So David God hath forgotten to be mercifull Because they finde their hearts hard to God they think that his is so to them because they can finde no love in their hearts to God they think hee beares none to them but you see Christ especially enquires for such and over-looks all others else God hath graven thee on the palmes of his hands every sigh of thine goes to his bowels Esa 59. 15. I dwell with him that is broken to revive his spirit God is nigh him Second Vse is Vse 2 Are Gods eyes upon us more when wee are in trouble of spirit then on any other then let our eyes be upon him We cannot tell what to doe but our eyes are towards thee Let our eyes be towards him for help as of those that lookt on the brasen serpent let our eyes be towards him for service as the eyes of hand-maidens are on their mistresse to looke not to men not to credit but to have our eyes on God in all we doe as if if there were none else in the world to approve our selves unto In that when hee speakes of those his children that are in darknesse Doct. 4 he chooseth rather to describe them by feare and obedience then by any other grace observe that when the children of God are under terrours the most eminent grace that doth appeare in them is fearfulnesse to offend God and willingnesse to obey him other graces may be stirred but these are most eminent and therefore he mentioneth these for their comfort First Explication for Explication Know that severall occasions draw out severall graces When the Sunshine of Gods favour melts the heart then love and obedience thence proceeding are most eminent and also godly sorrow So Mary wept much loved much for much was forgiven her her heart was full of assurance On the contrary when the sense of Gods love is withdrawne and feares and terrours shed abroad in the heart then feare and obedience shewe and discover themselves Therefore Esay 66. 2. Hee that is poore and contrite and trembleth at the word are joyned trembleth at every command