deliver you no more as our Lord Christ after his satisfaction is said to finish transgression and make an end of sin so men by their transgressions may finish and make an end of mercy also it may come to its full number Now why doth the Lord in this manner record and number the mercies he hath bestowed upon a people surely it is in reference unto a Judgement he will call them to an account for the place where he set them on a fruitful hill the wall he made about them of protection the wine-press of Ordinances that he set up in them and the overthrow of their enemies that he wrought for them Thirdly the abuse of mercies is by God imputed to men and punished by him wo to Ariel Ariel was either the Altar of God where the sacrifices were offered or the Lyon of God quod vicinas Gentes subjugasset and yet there is a woe unto them Have I been a Wilderness to you or a Land of darkness and what iniquity have your Fathers found in me therefore I will be a Lyon unto Ephraim and as a Leopard I will observe them And what are these but ultimi judicii praeindicium for now the reasons of Gods Judgements are secret and no soul sees them but the Lord will make it appear in the day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the day of Revelation of his righteous Judgement and all the Nations of the world shall see that it is not without cause all that the Lord hath done therefore particular Judgements are resemblances of the general Judgement it s said the Sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood Rev. 6.12,13,14 There was a great earth-quake and the Sun became black as a sack-cloth of hair c. which some have misapplyed unto the day of Judgement because of the resemblance in the description of it but it hath a great resemblance because it was all in reference to it therefore all the mercies that people do receive they are in reference to an account Doctrine 4. Fourthly answerable unto mens receits so shall their account be they that have received much shall account for much and they that have received little shall but for a little he that hath received five talents must look to reckon for five and he that hath received but two shall count for no more it is some kind of comfort unto them that have received but a few talents that they count but for a few as he did comfort his friends that had but one eye he should count but for the sins of one eye and it is a comfort unto godly men many times who have little of the things here below that their account for them shall be less then many another mans and it is a great ground of fear and terrour unto them who have received much from God surely great will their account be some shall account for an hundred talents and others but for few indeed much mercy is sweet in the receit but it is sad in the account and yet thus it must be upon a double ground First because all the mercies of God are given unto eternal ends and therefore they shall all of them be brought forth and accounted for in the eternal Judgement its true that the Lord hath some temporal acts that he doth in time but he hath no temporalends they are all of them eternal and all that men do all their actions also are in reference unto eternal ends therefore they shall all be brought forth at the eternal judgement so shall all that the Lord doth also and though the frame of this world shall stand but for a season yet the Lord will have an eternal glory thereby when all the creatures shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God so though there be great variety of mercies given to the children of men yet the glory that God shall have by them shall be everlasting glory as it is in our acts of sin though it be but for a season yet the misery will be everlasting so though Gods acts to the creature in this life be but temporal yet the glory of them will be everlasting there is not any one of these temporal mercies that you enjoy but the Lord doth them to eternal ends and therefore he will reap by them eternal glory and therefore some make that the meaning of that place Eccles 3.14 What ever the Lord doth he doth for ever ab imutabilitate men can change none of the works that they do indeed men may do works in one age which the next age may destroy and pluck down but men cannot do so of the worksof God what he doth there is no man can add to it or take from it For the ends of all Gods works they have all of them reference to eternity he doth them all for an eternal end which shall remain when the work is destroyed yet it shall attain its end and shall redound unto his eternal glory Secondly because all the Judgements of God shall be righteous Judgements now righteousness doth consist in a proportion therefore it shall be exactly answerable unto mens sins which they have committed and to the mercies which they have received it must neither exceed nor fall short there is a great deal of difference between acts of soveraignty and dominion in God when the will of God only is to be looked upon and the acts of his Justice wherein he will deal with the creature by a rule and will plead with him in a rational way so as he shall in the Judgements of God be his own Judge also therefore he is said Esa 28.17 to lay Judgement to the line and Righteousness to the plummet that is summa equitate jus reddere Forer Forer Therefore the Lord will be very exact in it in setting mens accounts in order before them for Jesus Christ shall Judge as man by the man Christ Iesus and therefor it shall be done in such a way as men may be capable of and may understand the reason of his proceedings that so they may justifie the Lord and therefore the Saints are said to Iudge the world because they shall be assessors with him when they shall hear the mercies that he hath bestowed and how he doth require of men his own again in that great day of their account Use If it be so that answerable to mens receits shall their account be then let us consider our mercies that God hath bestowed upon us what persons what people can equal us in mercies surely such will our account be without parallel we are all for receiving mercies at receits we are good but who doth think of his account Go to now you rich men weep and howl you great men men of great gifts men of high place men of great interest let me tell you answerable unto all this will your account be ye that pride your selves in what you have received
the Church Phil. 3.19 it was because their God was their belly and they minded earthly things So that if there be a Diotrephes that loves preferment he must and will have both the Dictates and Inventions of men as well as their persons in admiration for advantage sake Fourthly Cowardize Gal. 6.12 they found out a middle way to mix the bondage of the Law with the liberty of the Gospel that they might not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ but that they might be well thought of on both sides Ieroboham set up Idolatry in Bethel and an old Prophet of the Lord dwelt there yet such was his Cowardize that it seems he had nothing to say against it but that the Lord must send a Prophet from Judah to reprove him 1 King 13. and the truth is had not the Ministers been in many ages a generation of spiritual cowards they had never had so many inventions imposed upon them as they have had Secondly there are also many causes in the people but I will only insist upon this one because they receive not the Doctrine of the Gospel in the purity nor the worship of God in the love of it and therefore the Lord in Justice gives them up unto an efficacy of deceit 2 Thes 2.10,11 They are ready to receive any Doctrine without trying the spirits and to yield unto any command willingly walk after the Commandment Hos 5.11 they are for the most part a lump fit to receive any leaven the Prophets prophecy falsly c. and the people love to have it so Ier. 5. ult for a pompous Religion that consists much in outward shews and that which abounds most in bodily exercise is a thing that is generally well-pleasing unto men Amos 4.5 and usually when men forsake the rule then they look more at what will please them then what will please God this liketh you O house of Israel and this was all they looked at therein Secondly when God turns unto a people in mercy and they return unto him he will free them from all this superstition or idolatrous mixtures Zeph. 3.9 I will restore unto them a pure language which place being compared with that Isa 19.18 They shall all speak the language of Canaan Language there notes consensum cum populo Dei in fide cultu restoring a pure language may signifie purity both in Doctrine and Worship they shall speak no more partly the language of Canaan and partly of Ashdod as in times past but the pure language of Canaan in Judgement I will make them one Nation upon the Mountains of Israel and they shall defile themselves no more with their Idols and their detestable things and from all your Idols I will cleanse you Ezek. 37.2,3 And I will give unto them one heart and one way that they shall fear me for ever Ier. 32.39 Now the reason why the Lord will take away these mixtures when he returns are these First because usually these are the greatest and the most provoking sins of a Nation Hos 9.15 all their wickedness is in Gilgal this was antiently the place of worship 1 Sam. 15.12 and there they did now worship God according to their own devices the Prophet tels them where they did think to please God it was the greatest transgression that they did commit for so I conceive the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to be taken pro summo in all their thefts adulteries drunkenness c. they did not all of them provoke the Lord so much as that they did worship him according to their own inventions in Gilgal Deo serviendum est non ex arbitrio sed ex imperio There is nothing to be done but by rule Gal. 6.16 now where the creature shall take so much upon himself as to set his wisdom above the wisdom of God and set his threshold beside the threshold of the Lord Ezek. 43.8 it is a provoking sin that the Lord cannot endure Secondly because this is a special cause why God departs from any people now the Lord will never return in mercy unless the cause be taken away that provoked him to depart Ezek. 8.7 every humane invention imposed as necessary to the service of God is an Image of jealousie and the aim of it is to provoke the Lord to go far from his Sanctuary it is finis operis though not operantis Thirdly because of all Judgements upon a people this is the greatest and therefore when the Lord returns unto them in mercy he must take away these Psal 81.12 I gave them up to walk in their own counsels it is spoken as of the greatest Judgement could befall them and so it is for a man to be a rule to himself for he that is his own rule must needs be his own end and he that is his own end must needs be his own God and therefore it is a speech of the greatest displeasure he hath made unto himself Altars to sin therefore Altars shall be unto him to sin Hos 8.11 Fourthly when God doth return unto a people in mercy he doth intend to delight in them and rejoyce over them to do them good and that he can never do in any service that they perform until worship be purged from humane mixtures Mal 3.3,4 When he hath sat in his Church as a refiner and hath purged his worship then shall the sacrifices of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord as in the daies of old then but not till then Use Let this teach every one of us a double duty First hate all idolatrous and superstitious mixtures in Gods worship whatsoever Secondly beware of them First hate them as being the thing that causeth the Lord to go far from his Sanctuary to be unto his people as a wayfaring man that tarries but for a night groan under them as burdens that so the Lord may return unto his people in mercy and restâ—… unto his Church a pure language that they may no longer halt between two opinions no more swear by God and by Malcome but that he may restore to us one heart and one way To move your hatred against it consider First of all kinds of sin this is most defiling thou defiledst thy self with thy Idols Ezek. 22.4 Now what is defilement or filthiness it is saith Aquinas Carentia nitoris quem ex gratia habemus indeed all sin stains and blemisheth the beauty of the soul but this sin above others And if we observe the Scripture we shall see that they have been men of most corrupt spirits and the most profligated consciences that have been most set upon humane inventions in the things of God take the Pharisees for an instance and indeed it is Just with God that they that will find out waies of worship for God to be unto themselves means of sanctification that those should prove in just Judgement a means of desolation Secondly it is most inflaming they have inflamed themselves with their Idols under every
others derive it from another word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifies dux gregis Forelius the first of the flock the first of the heard one that goes forth as the Leader of the flock and so they make it to be a term of Dignity given unto them that they were those whom the Lord honoured above all the Nations of the earth they were the head of all people But Thirdly it is derived from a word that signifies to see 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dirigit vel intendet oculos to intend and fasten ones eye Now of all people they were the seeing people and Ierusalem is therefore called the Valley of Vision they saw the mind of God so as no people in the world did like unto them they were the seeing people the Septuagint renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Beloved people then if you take in all these it will not be amiss they were the people that had the right discovery of the way of God they were a people that God honoured and advanced above all people and a people that knew more of the mind of God and saw more of the works of God then all the Nations of the world besides Secondly for the transgression here charged upon Iesurun this seeing people It is they waxed fat and kicked I shall speak a little distinctly to them They waxed fat there is in Scripture fatness spoken of in a good sense the fatness of Gods house spoken of Psalm 36.9 and my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness Psal 63.5 Est quaedam saturitas pinguis sapientiae sapientia ista animae quae carent macrescunt there is in wisdom and in the things of God abundant satisfaction saith Austin Austin a fatness and a soul without this wisdom is lean so then this is not the fatness here spoken of for that would never produce the other that is Kicking against the Lord Fatness here hath a double signification it is two things First it signified those that had abundance of outward things and their hearts wholly set upon them and so rich men that have a great deal of the good things of this life are said to be fat Psal 22.29 they that be fat upon earth have eaten c. and so in Isa 5.17 the wast places of the fat ones shall strangely eat It is meant of the great and rich men of the world therefore they that have abundance of outward things are said to be fat in Scripture But that is not all but you must put the other branch to it Whose hearts are set upon them and satisfied with them these are said to wax fat When they have much and their souls are satisfied with that much in Psal 17.10 they are inclosed in their own fat abundance of these outward things hem in their spirits and incompass them about called nourishing of a mans heart in Iames 5.12 not only taking the creatures to nourish their bodies but their hearts being satisfied in these things they are said to nourish their hearts It was a dishonour to the Grecians that they were hair-nourishing Grecians it is not so great a shame to be a hair-nourishing Grecian as it is to be a heart-nourishing Christian that is the first thing Secondly there is another thing in fatness and that notes to be dull dead senseless stupid all this doth fatness intimate in Isa 6.10 Go make the heart of this people fat that seeing they may see and not perceive It notes that a man is become dull dead senseless so then Ieshurun waxed fat that is they had many outward things and rested satisfied in them and in reference to the Ordinances of God and the Judgements of God and the fear of them they were a dead senseless dull people they were a fat people Secondly they kickt as well fed beasts you know use to do for from thence the Metaphor is taken and herein there are two things also First it notes they were untamed their untamed disposition they did refuse subjection to the Lord they kickt against his yoke and so you shall find that mercies do make men rebellious that is one danger the Lord saith of Pharaoh For this cause have I made thee to stand I have made thee to stand I have raised thee up you read it the meaning is this the same God that cut off so many thousands in Egypt he could have taken off Pharaoh in the beginning what is the reason he did not that by these mercies Pharaoh might become the greater enemy to God that he may say I know not the Lord Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice so you shall find in Jeremiah 5.5 I will get me to the great men but they altogether had broken the yoak and burst the bands they were the worst and the most refractory against all the commands of God of every sort of men whatever and commonly great men have seldom much of this life but in this manner they kick as if there were a greater liberty allowed them then other men It notes their rebellious disposition suitable to that Hos 10.11 Israel loves to tread out the Corn loves to thresh why because the mouth of the Oxe was not then to be muzzled so much of Religion as carries a present advantage with it so much of Religion and the waies of godliness they love but they do not love to plough saith God I will pass over her fair neck they were grown great and by this means they were grown tender and could not submit now saith God I will cause the yoak to pass over thy fair neck But there is another thing in it It not only notes disobedience but disobedience with contempt with presumption and so you shall find in 1 Sam. 2.29 the Lord saith of the sons of Ely VVherefore kick ye at my sacrifices It was to offer the greatest contempt and scorn to him that could be they kickt at the Lords services this was their sin abundance of mercies they received from God but their hearts were satisfied with the mercies and this made them grow senseless before God being thus fat they kickt they were rebellious and disobedient against God and manifested it with the highest kind of presumption that could be this Jesurun waxed fat and kickt There is but one general Doctrine that I have made choice to speak something to you of at this time Doctrine That a people dearest unto God that have had the greatest discoveries of God among them are in great danger to be made the worse by the mercies which they receive here is Iesurun Gods people and a seeing people that had the greatest discoveries from God and yet they are a great deal the worse for the mercy that they enjoy it is a point of great concernment in the prosecution of it Give me leave to speak to two things First prove it to you that even the best men are in danger to become the worse for mercies
worse A man would think if any thing would make men the better mercies would It s true had men ingenuous natures as grace brings But there are four great reasons why it is a dangerous thing for a person or people to enjoy mercy and not be the worse for mercy First is from the corruption that is in the heart of man It is true the mercy of God is not a cause why men grow the worse for it infuses no malignant disposition into the soul of man But the mercy of God is an occasion though it be not the cause as it is said of the Law of God Rom. 7.11 Sin took occasion by the Law the Commandment gave no occasion But sin took occasion the command forbids sin but sin took occasion to act more violently against the command the more the Dam is made up against the water the more it swells corrupt nature takes occasion from the Law Christ is put for the rising and fall of many in Israel and so is the mercy of God it is not properly the cause but that which sin takes occasion from Now we are to put a great difference between things as they are in themselves and the effects that flow from them the nature of the cause and the effects that are not proper from it as a cause but as they look to the substance there are two things in the torments of hell somewhat that is essential somewhat but accidental somewhat essential upon what object soever it lights he is sure to undergo it But there is somewhat accidental the wrath of God in the soul is essential to the torments of hell So that the Lord Jesus Christ undergoing what was due to sinners the essential part he underwent when it pleased the Lord to bruise him and to put him to shame But somewhat is not essential but may be separated as it is from such a subject as despair and the like and you are in this to distinguish between what is the proper fruit of mercy and what is but occasional matter coming to such a subject and taking hold of that and so affliction it is no cause of sin no more then mercy is But yet affliction is many times an occasion of sin It is said of Ahab the more he was afflicted he sinned yet more that is the first reason because the corrupt heart of man takes occasion to sin from mercy Secondly from the general curse that by reason of sin is come upon all the creatures and all Gods providential dispensations you know that antient curse Gen. 3.19 Cursed be the ground for thy sake It notes the ground as referring to a mans use and all the dispensations of God towards the creature there is a double curse come upon the creature in reference to you First as it is decaying and so it is a vexing creature for this fills the creature with vanity and that vanity fills the soul with vexation But the great curse lies in this it is a polluting and defiling thing now as it is a means to defile the soul of man yet notwithstanding this is the curse therefore to the unclean all things are unclean that is all the providences of God to that man are means to increase that mans uncleanness and that I think is the meaning of that place 1 Iohn 2.16 Whatever is in the world is lust c. why is there nothing in the world but lusting then the meaning is there is such a Curse come upon all the creatures towards man so far as a man is of the world so far they are objects of lusts to him and draw out his lusts to improve them and therefore Job saith of himself in Iob 31.26 If I beheld the Sun when it shined and my heart hath been secretly enticed there is an enticing goes along with it what is the reason of it because there is a general curse come upon all the creatures and all the dispensations of God through the creatures that all these shall be means to insnare and defile the man Thirdly from the especial malice of the Devil against mercy It is true he is an enemy to all the creatures and he would destroy them all as creatures out of his enmity to God as he did the Gadarens herd of Swine But in a more especial manner the Devil is an enemy to the mercy of God more then to any other creature of God Why because the Devils sin is direct enmity and malice and revenge God looks for most glory from his mercy and therefore of all other things the Devil hath the greatest envy to that that God may be dishonoured by them take the first mercy of the Lords dealing with Adam the Lord made him to be the Monarch of the whole world But there was one mercy that the Lord vouchsafed him above all the rest should be the glory of the man It was a far greater glory to have the woman subject unto him then to have all the rest of the world Now upon this mercy the Devil sets his malice and he received her a rib but the Devil made her a snare Satans great aim is that he may abuse Gods mercy if God give a man great parts and gifts above all other men the Devil desires to abuse those parts as Austin saith of Licinius a young man of great gifts Cupit abs te ornari Diabolus Austin the Devil desired he might be credited by him great mercies and great abilities are the special stocks that above all others the Devil desires to graft upon No fruit so bitter to God as the abuse of mercy and therefore look to your selves for it is the Devils great design to abuse your mercies Fourthly there are some mercies that God hath given to persons and people out of a particular displeasure you heard of the general curse that came upon all the creatures before But now I say there are some mercies that God gives out of peculiar displeasure and they prove a more peculiar curse I conceive that will appear plain to you in Zach. 5.3 there is a curse goeth forth the general curse went out ever since the fall It shall enter into the house and consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof and so if you observe Mal. 3.2 I will saith the Lord Curse your blessings I gave you blessings and notwithstanding these blessings there shall be a peculiar curse you have it more fully cleared to you in Eccles 5.13 riches reserved for the owners hurt one hath riches great mercies they are so Wisdom is good with an inheritance But many a man God gives riches to out of a peculiar displeasure and they are reserved to him for his hurt No wonder these men grow the worse for mercies because it is out of a peculiar displeasure that the Lord gives them as Austin saith of Gods hearing prayers Austin he hears wicked mens prayers and gives them things they ask though not properly as an answer
have not we reason now as to bewail our wants so to weep over our mercies all this day long and to consider how much we are the worse for those mercies wherein the Lord hath been merciful to you There is a second use of Caution and admonition do you take heed seeing it is so dangerous a thing that the same thing be not justly said of you and charged on you as was here upon Jesurun that they were the worse for their mercies the mercies they received did but ripen their sins and hasten their ruine take heed you bring forth fruits worthy of the mercy you receive as Christ saith bring forth fruits worthy of repentance you may remember it is said of Solomon Cant. 8.11 he had a Vine-yard in Baal-hamon and Solomon let it out but he expected to have the incomes of his Vine-yard the Lord deals so with men whatever the mercies are you do receive the Lord expects returns for them and that your mercies should make you thrive and grow more in grace and more in obedience that you should be the better for them But what are the natural fruits that the mercies of God should bring forth that I may know when they are fruits that grow upon mercy naturally not from sin occasionally that I may say I am the better for mercy I shall name to you six particulars and pray lay them to heart First the proper fruit of mercy is an humble acknowledgment of our own unworthyness when the soul is made more humble under the apprehension of its own unworthiness that is a mercy indeed the Lord directs to this in Deut. 26.5 they were to come to bring their first fruits to God when they came to Canaan they were to come to God and say A Syrian ready to perish was my Father and the Lord brought us out of the Land of Egypt they acknowledge their own unworthiness of mercy when a soul can say as Iacob doth I am less then the least of all thy mercies Secondly the proper fruit of mercy by which a man may be said to be the better for it is when they ascribe all mercy to God when they say VVe have wrought no deliverance in the earth neither have the inhabitants of the earth formed it it is not my bow nor my sword that hath saved me but as David Psal 18.2 VVhen God had delivered him from all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul Now what doth David say The Lord is my strength and my rock he is become my salvation God is all in all he looks on no instruments no second causes Thirdly when mercies do bring a mans sins to remembrance the soul stoops under the apprehension of mercy what will God shew mercy to me one so rebellious and disobedient as I and then the soul reads over the guilt of his sin with new remorse is this thy Voice thy act O Lord whom I have so much provoked that the Lord might have cast me off so long ago It was so with them in Ezek. 16. ult when God shews the greatest mercy that ever he will give them when he will give them sisters for daughters and exalt her to be the mother Church of the earth then they shall remember their waies and their doings and shall be confounded and put their mouthes in the dust and never lift up their faces any more when I am pacified towards them I might have expected that God should have destroyed me rather and sent me to hell as well as to captivity but will the Lord yet shew mercy the soul is in bitterness for this Fourthly when mercies lay upon the men the stronger obligations and a man makes this use of it looks upon himself as more firmly bound to God that is the use they make of mercy in Ezra 9.13 after we have received such a deliverance as this should we rebel as if they should have said if this mercy do not make up the banck against disobedience nothing in the world will do it this makes a man as David to cleave to God with full purpose of heart and to say this God is my God is my God for ever Fifthly when the soul studies what he shall return to God for all his mercies you know that God not only expects returns but proportionable returns And I desire you would take notice of it 2 Chron. 32.26 But Hezekiah rendred not according to the benefit done unto him But can our returns be answerable to our receipts there is a double way to make reckonings even you can never return so much in the thing but in the will and so much the more as the hand of God is large in mercy so much the more thy heart should be enlarged in returns and let me offer this to your thoughts in every affliction it is observed God hath some one special end though the Lord hath many ends do meet in every action for therein his wisdom appeareth But yet notwithstanding some special thing the Lord aims at in every affliction and therefore Iob goes to God and saith Lord shew me wherefore thou contendest with me there is some especial thing that the Lord aims at that he would have his people to endeavour to find out and so it is in every mercy though the Lord have many ends in it yet some special end the Lord aims at in every Mercy which you should consult with God about go to the Lord Jesus as your Priest and desire direction from him enquire what special duties the Lord aims at in this mercy For you can no more thrive under mercy then you concurr with God in his ends set those three ends together Mich. 6.8 and now oh man what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God But it is good for you to spend some time to enquire what is the peculiar thing the Lord aims at in every affliction and in every mercy that is the way to thrive under and to be the better for mercy Lastly that soul is the better for mercy when it loves God the more for it Psal 18.1 a great mercy David had received deliverance from all his enemies Oh I will love the Lord saith he that is the first thing he doth not say I will love the mercy and I will rejoyce in the mercy No I told you it was Austins observation Austin It is an adulterous love the love of an harlot to love the gift above the giver Let this be an evidence of your love that you so delight in the mercy as you delight in the goodness of the God of the mercy and that you keep your selves in the way of mercy ever after why is one particular mercy so sweet the Scripture speaks of Gods drawing out of loving kindness how shall the soul obtain it keep your selves in the way of mercy then thou shalt be sure to be kept in the way of loving kindness continually there
First by constraint or by purchase or by conquest and in al these waies the creatures are servants to Christ Secondly by consent when one being sui juris doth freely and willingly consent and enter into Covenant with another to yield up his will unto him to do his work and to be subservient unto his ends Now Christ was not born a servant for he was the only begotten Son of God There is a threefold service introduced by sin First a service of men to Satan Ioh. 8.44 to be led Captive by him at his pleasure and in the highest manner as a God to worship him hence he became the God of this world Secondly that civil subjection of one man to another there was a Dominion that man had over all the other creatures and there was a natural subjection of children to their parents but a civil subjection of man to man came in by sin by the curse Nomen illud culpa meruit non natura Austin Austin Thirdly Christ as Mediator becomes a servant unto God the Father had man stood all the creatures had been every way fit for the ends for which they were created and they would have answered Gods expectation in them all but when sin came into the world there is now a new work to do to raise up the decaies of mankind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to take away sin and let the sinner live and this no creature in heaven or earth was fit for the Lord must make a new servant raise one a purpose for it and unto this Christ did give consent freely and willingly he took upon him the form of a servant Phil. 2.7 Heb. 10. he saith Loe I come to do thy work O God c. Now that it may appear there was in him such an instrumental fitness for all God the Fathers ends we must examine what these ends are for which he is appointed and they are of two sorts First principal Secondly additional and over-plus ends c. First the principal ends are four two of them are in respect of God and two of them are in respect of man First in respect of God First the highest manifestation of all his glorious excellencies the Lord had shewed forth much of himself before but he will now set forth a new System of all his attributes and he will so manifest them in Christ as they were never known before and if he had created millions of sons they would never have been so fit instruments for the manifestation of God as Christ is First God had shewed much wisdom before in the creation of the world but much more in its reparation c. but now to take away sin and let the sinner live sin damned and the sinner saved and that by so unimaginable a way as by the second person to be made flesh it is that which the Angels admire and study c. Secondly God had before shewed a great deal of mercy and goodness to the creature making him after his own Image and entred into Covenant with him but for to take up a creature into personal union with himself and to make up one person and he never to put off that clay again for ever how great is this goodness Thirdly God had shewed much Justice before both upon Angels and men but all this was but Justice upon creatures yea guilty creatures now Gods Justice is far greater he will not spare his son when sin was but imputed and it is said he delighted to grinde him to powder the word in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 53. as the word is used to beat a thing in a morter c. it was the highest act both of mercy and Justice that he did not spare his son that we might thereby be freed from the punishment due to sin Fourthly it was the highest act of soveraignty he had an absolute soveraignty over all the creation before he gives what Law he will and appoints to what end he will but for the Son to become a servant he that thought it no robberie to be equal with God and yet to take upon him the form of a servant c. and to be made under the Law herein the soveraignty of God was marvellously declared c. therefore if God will manifest himself unto the world there is more seen of him in Christ then can be in all the creatures in heaven and earrh Secondly for Communication of himself in the highest way Now this is the highest way of all other for the ground of Communication is union and the higher the union is the more glorious the Communication Now the Lord having taken the Lord Christ into the highest union with the God-head there must needs be the fullest Communication and so God will dispense nothing unto the creatures but by the son 1 Ioh. 5.11 and the more abundantly the Lord doth communicate himself unto Christ the more gloriously will Christ communicate himself unto us for he hath made him the second Adam A publick person a fountain a common Treasury and by him he will dispense himself to us therefore in respect of God the Father whether we consider Gods intention by manifestation or self-communication Christ is the fittest Instrument to accomplish Gods ends in respect of God Secondly in respect of us and so Gods ends are set down Luk. 2.14 peace and good will towards men reconciliation and communion and there is a fitness in Christ for them both First for reconciliation there must be satisfaction given unto God something answerable to the wrong that God hath sustained by sin for it must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for if he will make the peace he must pay the debt and this none was able to do but Christ Consider sin hath wronged God in point of goods and hath destroyed all the creatures but Christ hath a world to lay down for he is heir of all things he is haeres natus and he laies down his natural right and takes it by a new title as it were Heb. 1.3 he is become haeres constitutus an heir appointed c. Sin did wrong God in point of service it took away the service of all the creatures from him but now Jesus Christ becoming a servant he can do God more service then all men or Angels could have done to eternity and that in a higher and far more glorious way and sin did also wrong God in point of honour and there it is impossible for a creature to make satisfaction If all the Stars should be Ecclipsed they do never answer an Ecclipse of the Sun it is nothing in comparison of the Suns Ecclipse but if the Sun should be contented to be Ecclipsed as Christ the Sun of righteousness he who in glory thought it no robberie to be equal with him and Ioh. 17.2 he had a glory with God before the world was and he did lay down this glory for a time and now he having finished his work in the
do not enjoy the same light they do not see the days of the son of man Kings and righteous men have desired to see the days that you see and have not seen them and to hear the things that you hear yet have not heard them Plus uno die vident pueri quam per totius vitae tempora philosophi Gerhard in his Chronology speaks of Infoelix seculum exhaustum hominibus ingenio doctrina claris Gerhard there are dark times and there are times also when the light of the Moon is as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun sevenfold Esay 30.26 One age hath much and another age hath little Secondly They have not the same deliverances for three hundred years she travelled under cruel persecution under the power of the Red Dragon but at last the Church brought forth a man-childe who was exalted upon the throne of God as the fruit of all their travels all their prayers and as the price of all their blood principem à quo libertatem exemplum fidei mundus accepit Sulpic. There is a time when the Lord doth lift up the rod of the oppressour and there is a time when he doth break their yoke from off the neck there is a time when the enemies do plough upon the backs of the people and make long their furrows and there is a time also when God doth cut their harness and they are able to plough no longer there is a time when God gives his people to be troden down as 〈…〉 in the streets and there is a time when no stranger shall any more pass over it there shall be no more a grieving thorn or a pricking bryer there shall be none to hurt or destroy in my holy Mountain c. there is a time when God doth bend Judab for him and when he doth raise the worm Jacob to thresh the Mountains c and the Lord delivers the land out of the mouths of the Enemies c. Doctrine 3. Whether men have received little or much it is all in reference to an account there is a time when the King will take an account of his servants for he will come to reckon with them Mat. 18.23 There is not a talent that the Lord bestows but it is in reference to this account all mercies received must surely be counted for every one of us must give an account of himself unto God and there are not only personal but there are national accounts he that is Judge of all the world he is the Judge of all Nations Isa 5.3 Iudge I pray you between me and my vineyard he that refers unto men to judge he will be the Judge himself also and he will surely judge them with righteous judgement For First All their mercies are recorded by him they may forget them but he records them what is a great part of the Scriptures but the records of God Chronicles of his several mercies and deliverances that he hath bestowed upon his people in succeeding ages Micah 6.5 Remember from Shittim to Gilgal it was the place of their Transgression when they committed abominations with the daughters of Moab and sacrificed unto Baal Peor did eat the offering of the dead and Gilgal was the first place that they set their foot upon in the Land of Canaan when the Lord rolled away from them the reproach of Egypt from whence it had its name and in the very places the Lord wrote in their names the memorials of his mercies that the very names of the places might be a witness of his mercies to them in memoriam and in testimonium Jehovah jireth Gilgal Berachah c. as you record your victories by the names of Dunbar and the name of Worcester c. the 78. Psalm is nothing else but the Lords records in which he hath written the memorial of that continued Tract of mercies which he gave unto them and the Lord wrote the memory of their mercies in the months Exod. 12.2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months the Lord changed the beginning of their years in the remembrance of his mercy Ver. 14. This day shall be unto you for a memorial How should the third of September be for a memorial unto you c. though the Canon of the Scripture be consigned and the Lord will write this story by an infallible spirit no more to remain upon records amongst men yet they are all of them recorded before him as the Law is written in the hearts of the people of God not with paper and Ink but by the spirit of the living God so doth the Lord record his mercies which he doth multiply upon his people not with pen and Ink but by the spirit of the living God in the heart of God for ever as it s said of the sins of men Deut. 31.34 Is it not laid up in store with me and sealed up amongst my Treasures they are laid up amongst the treasures of God so God hath treasures of mercy also as well as of sins by him c. Secondly they are numbered by him as the Miracles of Christ in the daies of his flesh were numbered as it s said this was the first Miracle that he did and this was the second Miracle that Jesus did after he came out of Judea into Galilee So also the Miracles that Christ did work in glory are all numbered as the Lord numbers the several degrees of his enemies downfal in seven Seales seven Trumpets and seven Vials so he doth number also the several degrees of his peoples deliverances and 2 Numb 14.22 he doth number their sins answerable unto the number of his mercies they have seen my Miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness and they have provoked and tempted me now these ten times it is true that the mercies God bestows on us are a multitude of mercies and it is as easie for us to number the stars as it is to count them all but though we cannot do it yet God can do it and he doth it who can tell the number of the stars and call them all by their names Psal 71.15 David saith that he would shew forth the salvations of God all the day long for I know not the number of them c. and we must consider God hath his set number of mercies for a people if they abuse them and walk unworthy of them he will not shew mercy for ever he will not draw forth his loving kindness from generation to generation Cessat descensus si in perpetuum ascensus cessat as Belishazers Kingdom was numbered the Lord wrote a memorial for him so he will write a memorial upon some mercies as the number of sins is finished as Antichrist hath his Numbers the number of the beast is the number of a man c. and mercies may have their number also even your mercies the Lord may say Now your prosperity is numbered your deliverances victories are numbered I will
Thirdly how they have been improved and what hath been returned unto God for them What shall I return unto the Lord c. Hezekiah returned not according to all that God did for him Let me put some questions to you to what ends you think God hath wrought deliverance for you First was it that the Truths of God might be corrupted In Ierusalem there shall be deliverance and holiness and is the first step to holiness the subversion of Truth it remains as a brand upon their Tayls for ever Rev. 9.7,10 Their faces were as the faces of men and they were locusts they conquered wheresoever they came but they had a sting in their tails they corrupted Religion wheresoever they came and is the way to holiness to corrupt truth that cuts up holiness by the root shall it be said this is the Army that conquered all enemies but generally poysoned the people whom they conquered and shall it be said in this age men asserted the liberties of men but corrupted the truths of God shall we contend for every thing but truth and this is a Truth there are fundamentals in Religion let scorners say what are fundamentals let me say how long halt you between two opinions c. Secondly were you delivered that your brethren might be oppressed that some few men might share Nations between them I looked for Iudgement and behold a cry I and its a cry that will enter into the ears of the Lord of Sabboth every man is for gain from his quarter and no man abates of his own private interest whatever he can stretch forth his hand unto he takes let the people be opprest yea authority over-awed rather then we be retrenched we groan under the peoples oppressions and yet we are the greatest oppressors let all opposition be removed that so none but we may oppress Thirdly to trample the Ministery under your feet and to remove that standing Ordinance to pluck the stars out of the right hand of Christ but yet they will be preserved notwithstanding all opposition and take the Jesuites counsel Contzen begin with them first that there may be none able to maintain any thing in the Religion which we oppose error cui patrocinium deerit sine pugnâ concidet Fourthly was it that the Ordinances of God might be by every one prophaned and to turn liberty unto Libertinism a free liberty to make Arminians Socinians c. and all manner of abominations and they must not be restrained no nor discountenanced though the Apostle will not allow a man to shew that common humanity to them that he would do to a Heathen Receive them not into your house because they bring not this truth is there nothing men have to dally with but the truths of Christ is there nothing to be turned into wantonness but the grace of God it is the word of his grace were we delivered to commit all these abominations c. I beseech you nay charge you to beware of these things else first your mercies will be witnesses against you and let me tell you then the witness of mercies and of conscience there are not any more dreadful but him who hath said I will be a swift witness c. Secondly your deliverance is then not in mercy but in wrath mens pleasures may become plagues and their liberty their destruction Thirdly if you forsake God then your deliverances will be your ruine Josh 24.20 if you depart from him after he hath done you good he will turn and do you hurt but consider the Lord doth make glorious promises to his people Jerusalem shall be a quiet habitation c. and the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad Rivers Esa 33.21 Rivers first for fruitfulness Deut. 10.7 a fruitful land a land of Rivers c. Secondly defence Amos 3.8 Whose rampant was the Sea and whose wall was from the Sea Thirdly for plenty Esa 23.3 The harvest of the River is her revenue and this is a Mart of Nations c. And whereas Siloah was a little River what they wanted in the creature should be supplyed in God he would be a place of broad Rivers to them But Rivers may give access to enemies as well as do good to the inhabitants there were but two sorts of ships some for burthens and some for war but no galley with oars or ships for war should pass but the supplies from God shall be without any inconvenience they shall receive good from God without evil c. Fourthly consider how mercies shall be avenged there is no provocations like unto them of sons and daughters because there are none that are so much against mercy and those mercies that are not returned in thankfulness and obedience wil surely be required in punishment in rewards the Lord doth not return unto men according to their services but he doth reward men in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of mercy Hos 10.12 but punishments shall be answerable to abused mercy and that either here or hereafter there is no people so highly the people of his curse as those that have been the people of his mercies and those to whom he hath shewn most love you have I known of all the Nations of the earth c. therefore you will I punish Amos 3.3 and its mercy and light that will be the great aggravations of mens sins hereafter the Lord doth come to ask fruit here in waies of grace but he will exact hereafter in waies of Justice for he will not lose any of his mercies but if he hath them not returned here in way of thankfulness he will hereafter in a way of torment as mens mercies have been so shall their torments be the greater vessels of mercy men have been in this life the greater and the larger vessels of wrath they shall be in the life to come for mercy here doth but inlarge the heart for wrath hereafter The upright Heart AND Its DARLING Sin PSALM 18.23 I was also upright before him and kept my self from mine iniquity DAvid now being grown old his enemies being subdued the promise that God made to him fulfilled and the Kingdom settled upon his head and he was not only delivered from the danger of the hand of Saul but also from the fear of the house of Saul he cannot let the remembrance of such a mercy pass without a song of praises though for particular deliverances he made particular songs before that God might have praise is his end in bestowing mercy and it should be our end in desiring mercy and they are our greatest assurance of enjoying of mercies when Gods enlarging of his hand is also a means of enlarging of our hearts for he doth expect no other sacrifice but the calves of our lips Here are four or five things that David here takes notice of First he sets forth the greatness of the danger that he was in the sorrows of death compassed me round about c. Secondly the glory of the
condition Ezek. 7.19 The stumbling block of their iniquity Luke 8.13 There is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an opportunity of temptation when such fall away Sixthly what sin is it interrupts thee most in holy duties for when all other lusts are kept out Satan will be sure to set these darling sins on to speak for him and the corrupt part within a man will joyn with him that these may have audience and when a subservient lust may not then be entertained the darling may Ezek. 31.33 Ioh. 13.27,30 after Christ had been upon the Mount Satan tries their Communion by that how their master-lust will take with them Try your hearts how you stand affected unto this from day to day and so judge of the truth of your repentance and mortification and the measure of it by the subduing of your master-sin for there is not a greater sign of an unsound heart then for a man to reserve and delight in a master sin and that root of bitterness will in time spring up and thou shalt again be defiled and thou wilt afterwards return with the dog to his vomit and it will be as a secret curse from God to thy soul and this sin being only kept under for some time it will as a dam to the water rise the higher and as fire covered break forth with the greater violence and make way for seven worse spirits and so thy latter end will be worse then the beginning I should now have enlarged these motives to stir you up to take heed of this sin as First this sin will be the ground of thy Apostacy the stumbling block of thy iniquity Secondly this sin God will in Judgement give thee up to restraining grace is a mercy now for a man to have his lust let out for a man to be as wicked as he will to be let alone in sin is a great Judgement c. Thirdly this will be thy torment for ever Rev. 1.8 so much pleasure as she hath had so much torment give her the worm of conscience shal be in the gnawing of this sin above all others c. I should also have shewed you that these darling sins are either personal or national or Church sins and I should have given you instances of each of these as First for personal stubborness in Pharoah gain-saying in Corah envy in Saul churlishness in Nabal ambition in Absolom intemperance in Felix c. Secondly National Curiosity in the Athenians Acts 17.21 and cruelty in the Babalonians robberie in the Caldeans c. Thirdly Church sins Idolatry was found in Israel having those amongst them that teach false Doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans in the Church of Smyrna suffering the woman Jezebel to deceive and seduce my servants in the Church of Thyatira having a name to live in the Church of Sardis being luke-warm in the Church of Laodicea and abusing Church-power to the persecution of the Saints in the Church of Rome no man may buy or sell that hath not the mark of the beast and there is sellingof the souls of men and making merchandize of them c. First personal sins I should now have proved that there are such sins Secondly how a man should know what it is in him that is his Darling sin Thirdly that this sin above all other sins is to be denyed But I cannot more enlarge The Lord give you the spirit of wisdom and understanding Let us look to God for a Blessing An Alphabetical Table of the Principal Heads and Matter in these preceding Sermons A Acts of God that he exerciseth are of two sorts p. 235 Adam man was in him two waies p. 343 Afflictions prevent sin p. 180 Afflictions are for instruction ibid Afflictions are for sanctification p. 181 Agreement between God and Man is twofold p. 340 All Israel a double sense of it p 272 All Things are the Saints See after page 163. in p. 146 Angel applyed to Church-Officers p. 686 Angels differ in office p 49 71 Angels additional glory shall be made out to them ibid Angels why impeccant p. 148 Angels that never fell what they have by Christ Anger of God is two-fold p. 176 Antichrist a three-fold discovery of him p. 75 Antichrist the fruit and consequences that will follow upon his destruction p. 86 Antichrist riseth in a double Beast p. â—78 Army hath three things to make it orderly p. 93 Authority threefold erected by Christ p. 3â—3 B Babylon the great is fallen p. 70 Babylon who speaks it ib. Babylon why so called p. 74 Babylon how is it said it is fallen p. 75 Babylon shall certainly fall p. 76 Babylons causes of destruction p. 77 Babylons destruction shall be double p. 81 Babylons destruction is matter of Triumph to the Saints p. 84 Babylons consequences of her destruction p. 86 Babylons ruine how to improve it p. 87 Barrenness perpetual why inflicted for the neglect of the Gospel p. 19 Barrenness spiritual are of three sorts p. 20 Barrenness perpetual why God gives men over to it p. 23 Barrenness hath three several steps and degrees p. 25 Battle bow what it is p. 393 Beast that the woman rides upon what is it p. 73 Beast hath three names given to it ibid. Beast full of eyes what it notes p. 570 Beasts the four what they set forth p. ibid. Blessed in the end That a man may be so directions for it p. 225 Bondage see Covenant C Candlesticks golden how Christ is said to walk amongst them p. 697 Calling of the Jews See Jews Capernaums exprobation p. 311 Capernaums exaltation p. 312 Cases two in which God gives his people early assurance p. 603 Christ hath a double reference to us p. 143 Christ how he hath freed us from the Law p 344 Christ is God the Fathers servant p. 638 Christ in him there are two things that should mainly take up our studies p. 637 Christ how he came to be a servant p. 640 Christ had in him instrumental fitness for his Fathers ends p. 642 Christ hath a double Title p. 677 Christ though in heaven yet he is still in office p. 682 Christ why he singles out the seven Churches of Asia to write unto p. 684 Christs care of the Churches Officers p 686 Christs care what is the act of it and what is noted from it p. 688 689 Christs care of the Members p. 693 Christians duty See Perfection Church her power and glory in time to come shall be visible p. 2 Church her perfection stands in two things p 91 Church her order consists in three things p. 92 Church-officers are of two sorts p 95 Church hath three things in it differenced by the Lord p. 110 Churches All accepted of officers p. 115 Church without officers a true Church p 116 Church compleat with officers ibid. Church-authority is spiritual p. 1â—3 Church-power for spiritual ends p. 124 Church comforted with assurance of deliverance p. 466 Church her glorious condition after deliverance p. 467
can expect with comfort and therefore let thy heart say Amen unto this promise be it unto thy servant according to thy word Luke 1.38 And to stir you up to it consider first the means by which God will do it and they be all desirable First he hath promised to take away the unclean spirit out of the Land for if the unclean man were taken away new would arise therefore the promise is to take away the unclean spirit Zach. 13.2 Secondly he will take off the hearts of his people from these mixtures that Ephraim shall say What have I to do any more with Idols Hos 14.18 Thirdly he will root out all these Idolatrous spirits amongst us that will not be reclaimed they that purifie themselves in gardens shall be consumed when God comes to purifie his Church Isa ult 17. there shall be no Canaanite in the Land any more for ever Zach. 14 ult and when they are cut off no more of his name shall be sown Nahum 1.14 Secondly to move you to it you have Gods command Isa 62.6 Ye that are the Lords remembrancers keep not silence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lords recorders and a main thing that the people of God do record is the promises which as yet remain unaccomplished unto the Church Thirdly we have a concurrence of all the prayers of the Church of God that have gone before us for the prayers of the Church be like the acts of a State they dye not with the man that made them for they are made unto an eternal God grounded upon an everlasting righteousness offered by an eternal spirit and therefore they are eternally acceptable and of an eternal efficacy in after ages Davids prayer Psal 109.8 took effect upon Judas Act. 1.2 therefore as we must preach for after ages as the Prophets did and the Apostles entred upon their labours so must we pray for after ages and be content that other men in time to come shall reap the benefit of our prayers Lastly God hath begun already and now we have great cause to be earnest with him to go on with it Chrysost hom for he hath said shall I bring to the birth and shall I not bring forth Isa 60.9 Experiences of former mercies are a special pledge of future Psalm 74.14 he smote the head of Leviathan in the waters and gave him to be meat to his people inhabiting the wilderness it is spoken of Pharoahs army which God destroyed in the red Sea that is the destruction of the Egyptians was a pledge to him of the accomplishment of the mercy that God had promised to cast the Canaanite out of the promised Land and to give them possession of it many hardships they were to pass through in the wilderness but God gave them this mercy as food not to their bodies but food to their faith while they were in the wilderness therefore those former great and glorious promises were accomplished So that former mercies are food that God gives unto the faith of his people to feed upon till he hath perfectly accomplished whatever he hath promised unto his Church Let no man say who shall live when God doth this but be sure for thy time have a stock going in the Churches ship for there is no knowledge nor work nor labour in the grave where thou art going therefore sow thy seed and if the harvest come not in thy time yet thou shalt be no loser for in glory God will reward thee according to the fruits of thy doing Ier. 17.10 the Lord tells thee Go thy way Daniel thou shalt rest and stand up in thy lot in the end of thy dayes Dan. 12. ult comfort and encourage one another with these words Grace is Wisdom AND Wisdom the Principal thing Preached at a meeting of the Company of Black-Smiths Octob. 29. 1647. in Fish-street London PROV 4.7 Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get wisdom c. WHen the Lord gave Solomon his option 1 King 3.5 Ask what I shall give thee the choice that he himself made was wisdom Give unto thy servant an understanding heart and his request pleased God so well that the Lord gave him wisdom and understanding exceeding much and largeness of heart even as the sand upon the Seashore And this Book seems to be an Epitome of that large heart that God gave unto the Author of it the Book of the Canticles indeed sets forth the knowledge and the mysterie of Christ and Ecclesiastes sets forth the knowledge of the vanity of the creatures but here en totum Solomonem that there is not any part of the revealed will of God or the duty of man for knowledge or practice but in this book it is more or less touched at And we have great reason to admire the goodness of God that hath not suffered this Sun to set but being dead he yet speaketh and the Lord having honoured him with wisdom above all men that ever were except the Lord Jesus Christ we should hearken to his advice concerning wisdom in the text wisdom is the principal thing c. In the words you have these two things First a commendation of it Secondly an exhortation to it First the commendation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word signifies either purity or dignity and so some interpreters render it principium sapientia wisdom is the principal thing Montanus and others of a purity in order and so Tremelius renders it quia caput est sapientiae eam acquirere the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom this is the chief excellency therefore let it be gotten in the first place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word signifies to get a thing as a mans own possession to have a title to it and a propriety in it to make it his own to have it in his own heart and to possess it for himself and whereas there are many waies of gain that men do follow in the world and many other possessions that men do strive for and seek after the wise man here sayes in the middle of all your other gettings let this be the principal care of every one of you it being above all others the principal thing and though the world flow in upon you and you wash your steps in butter and be great gainers otherwise and the earth bring forth her encrease to you yet with all your other gains get understanding whatever you get or lose make sure of this above all But what is meant by wisdom By wisdom in this book is meant two things First Christ the wisdom of God So Prov. 8.30 I was by him as one brought up with him c. Secondly Grace which is the only wisdom in a man and so the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom or caput the chief and the principal part of it but it is only in the latter of these senses that I shall speak to at this time Doctrine First that grace only is true wisdom Secondly that
leave till it work it out Mat. 12.35 the regenerate part in a man will be continually expelling corruption he doth daily wash his feet and is as a bone dislocated till he be again reconciled to God after he hath sinned against him for he saith It was better with me when I had peace of conscience then now when the Lord called me to communion but sin hath separated between me and God and therefore in regard of his daily failings also as well as committing any gross act of sin he looks upon himself as Turtullian doth as nulli rei nisi paenitentiae natus Tertullian it is with him as it is with a man in a swound whilest his soul is in him there is a principle that will bring him to life again but if a man be dead it is not so there is no inward working in him because an inward principle is wanting But you will say to me How should a man attain to this I will give you these three directions at present First be very sensible that thou art without it by nature and what a miserable condition it is for a man to be without grace I desire you will consider if thou hast not the Image of God upon thee thou hast the Image of the Devil and thou art under the power of the Devil who is perfectly contrary to God and an enemy to him and thou shalt be punisht with him to all eternity if thou continue like unto him and then consider all the means thou canst use cannot bestow grace Christ into the world and Christ into the heart are free gifts Lumen naturae nature new dressed may make a shew but it can never be a new man it is a new creation an act of Almighty power must pass upon thee before thou art in a state of grace Eph. 1.19 and let thy heart dwell upon this apprehension Secondly wait upon God forit to this end in all converting Ordinances attend at wisdoms gates Cant. 1.16 for this is the bed wherein souls are begotten to the Lord even the Ministery of the word Cant. 4.2 every one bears twins Psal 110. it is as the dew that falls from th◠womb of the morning there are abundance of souls begotten for it is a dole of spiritual gifts Rom. 1.12 I have begotten you through the Gospel Grace is the Law written in the heart and God is pleased to make use of the Ministery as his pen to write it there Thirdly do not only wait but cry for it Pro. 2.2,3 make it thy great request unto God from day to day that thou mayst have experience of a work of Regeneration that thou mayst rest in no grace but true grace nor be satisfied with oyl in thy lamp only unless thou have it in thy Vessel that thou mayst not build upon the sand but on a Rock for this will be the destruction of most of those that profess Religion at the last day that they have thoughts to walk in the narrow way before ever they entred in at the strait gate O labour that the spirit of God may not only have an influence upon thee in common gifts but that he may work truth of grace in thee and that he may not only come unto thee as forma assistens to assist thee in some common duties for a time but as forma informans so as to abide with thee and in thee for ever THE Danger of being worse BY MERCIES DEUT. 32.15 But Jesurun waxed fat and kicked AS it is said by some of the Book of the Revelations It is both an Historical Prophecie and a Prophetical History the same we may truly say of this present day It is either a Thanks-giving Fast or it is a Fasting Thanks-giving the present mercy calls for the one the abuse of former and the fear of the abuse of this mercy also calls for the other the present mercy indeed calls for Thanks-giving but when we consider how mercies have been abused by us and what cause we have to fear lest this also should be so this calls to mourning and humiliation there are two things which every godly man is to look at in a mercy First that he may obtain it Secondly that he may improve it That he may obtain the mercy and that he may obtain a right use a right improvement thereof otherwise though it be a mercy in the thing it will be a curse to the man as I have often shewed you That which the Apostle saies of afflictions I would allude unto in this particular in Heb 12.10 there is no affliction for the present is joyous but grievous but afterwards it brings forth the quiet fruit of righteousness the mercy in affliction lies in the use of affliction So I may say of mercy inverting the words Every mercy for the present is joyous not grievous but afterwards it brings forth many times the bitter fruit of wickedness and unrighteousness For its the use of mercy makes the mercy a mercy as the use of affliction doth the learned do use to say of riches and honours and all the good things of this life that they are things indifferent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither good or bad in themselves but according to the use that is made of them and according as the person is that uses them So I say of all the blessings that we receive from God they are blessings according to the use that is made of them and according to the condition of the person that uses them otherwise they are not mercies therefore as the Lord hath been pleased to give us a mercy so let this be one great end of our humiliation and of our supplication to God this day that we may be broken before God for the abuse of former mercies and obtain of the Lord a right use of this mercy This Chapter out of which I have chosen this portion of Scripture was the last song that ever Moses the man of God indited while he was here upon earth until he ascended up into heaven there to sing hallelujahs to the Lord for ever and this song is partly historical and partly prophetical there are four things in the context that are historical that yet notwithstanding are worthy of your observation First the great care that the Lord had of this people Israel above all the Nations of the world Verse 8. When the most high devided to the Nations their inheritance he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel It is an observable Scripture the Lord gave the earth to the children of men so the Psalmist tells you but yet the Lord will not have the children of men to scramble for the earth to see who can get most of it No the Division of the earth is the Lords he hath devided the earth and separated the sons of Adam which is the meaning of that dark place Isa 7. there were two Kings which the Lord calls
for outward mercies I even for spiritual mercies Secondly give some grounds and reasons to demonstrate the truth thereof how it comes to pass that there should be so much danger that a people should become the worse for mercies For the proof that you may understand the more distinctly let me lay it down in a double distinction of mercy Mercies are either Privative or Positive Privative that is deliverances preservations from varieties of evils and dangers which otherwise we were liable unto and indeed it is a good rule that some Divines have Majores sunt gratiae Privativae quam Positivae our Privative mercies are greater and more then our Positive mercies are though we perceive them not the dangers that we are delivered from are more then the present mercies we do enjoy Now let us see whether Privative mercies make men the worse when men are delivered do they grow the worse for their deliverance look to this Deut. 32.26 the Lord speaks of a great Privative mercy I said I would scatter them into Corners I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy least their adversaries should behave themselves strangely least they should say Our hand is high I delivered them from their enemies when I took no argument from them for their deliverance then I took an argument from their enemies the Lord made use of that argument I would have given them into the hand of their enemies but I feared least they would wax proud what good now did this deliverance do this people in the 32. Verse Their Vine is the Vine of Sodom and their grapes are the grapes of Gomorrah here is the fruit now that these men brought forth of their Privative mercies that the Lord did not give them into their enemies hands for all that the people grew more wicked under these and their grapes were c. in this manner they improved their corruptions then certainly deliverances Privative mercies men are in danger to grow the worse by them In Psal 78.38 Many a time he turned his wrath away and would not suffer his whole displeasure to arise Were the people the better for it afterwards No they grew so much the more rebellious I will give but one instance more of Privative mercies and it is a famous one And it were well we made these our looking glasses Jonah is sent to prophesie against Niniveh VVithin fourtie dayes and Niniveh shall be destroyed the King with the City were awakened and humbled themselves before God and the Lord was pleased to defer the Judgement they were delivered were the people ever the better or was this deliverance in mercy No the people were never the better as appears if you look to the prophesie of Nahum where you have the destruction of that people threatned to be at hand this people that had fasted and prayed yet notwithstanding vengeance comes upon them with greater fury afterwards In Nahum 3.3,4 Woe to this City that is full of blood and lyes God spared her for a time and respited his wrath but then his wrath came upon them to the utmost thus Privative mercies may make men grow the worse And men may be delivered and a Nation delivered and they growing worse for it the Lord may reserve them to further plagues Secondly there are Positive mercies and they are of two sorts and men are in danger of growing worse by both of them Either temporal or spiritual mercies as if the Lord give men the Scriptures they are in danger to wrest them to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3.6 if God give them his Gospel they are in danger to turn his grace into wantonness In the Epistle of Iude ver 4. Not the word of grace but the priviledges of grace if God give men the Ordinances they say The temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord And we are delivered to commit all this abomination Ier. 7.8,9 and so in Heb. 6.7,8 there is the ground that drinks in the rain of Ordinances and Influences and yet brings forth Briers and Thorns So if men receive spiritual priviledges they may be the worse for them Mat. 3.9 Nay spiritual divination and be in danger to be the worse for it Paul was so 2 Cor. 3.7 there was sent a Messenger of Satan to buffet him least he should be lifted up overmuch Nay spiritual motions and operations Heb. 6.5,6 there are men enlightned that have tasted of the good word of God been made partaker of the gifts of the holy Ghost and tasted the powers of the world to come these are great works and yet notwithstanding what do these do these fit a man for the great Apostacy such as can never admit of a renovation thus When the unclean spirit goes forth out of the man which is a great common work too yet he returns with seven worse spirits then certainly spiritual mercies indanger men they that know most of God and Christ are in great danger to be the worse for such mercies And so it is true of temporal mercies too if you will take notice of that Hosea 1. it is a whole proof of the point in hand the text tells what is the mother of all the decay there spoken of even until they are called Loami they are not my people What is the mother of all this Diblaim and that properly signifies bunches of dryed Figgs and it is and was commonly interpreted to be a great dainty among them Cakes of Figgs were part of Abigals present to David By this the Lord sets forth their great plenty and abundance this is the mother the people had abundance and their hearts were set upon it What was the daughter to this people Gomer the word doth signifie perfection or defection commonly Interpreters take it in the last sense that is brought forth that great defection that great consumption that came upon the whole Land then certainly men may be the worse for temporal mercies that instance I am sure is plain enough in Dan. 7.2 out of the four winds that contended upon the great Sea there arose four beasts When they were grown great so as to become Monarchs they forgate to be men and became beasts and never till then never beasts till they became Monarchs thus there is a great deal of danger that men should grow the worse for temporal mercies I shall give one instance more in Neh. 9.25,26 they took strong Cities and a fat Land and possessed houses full of all goods c. and did eat and were filled and became fat c. Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against thee here were men that were a great deal the worse for their plenty the Scripture is full of such instances Let this serve for the proof of the point But you will say to me What is the reason are the mercies of God of such a malignant nature so invenomed that they make men grow thus and thus the
to prayer God hears prayers with revenge Gives the things prayed for but out of a peculiar displeasure No wonder then that men be the worse for them take but the instance of Vzziah 2 Chron. 26. he fought many battles and the Lord helped him mightily you will say God intended good to this man sure No all this was in displeasure he mightily helped him till he was strong and then his heart was lifted up to his own destruction My Brethren God doth as much rain snairs on men in mercy as in any other of his dispensations whatsoever and therefore look to it it is a dangerous thing for a people to receive mercy if they do not improve it I shall now speak a few words of Application there are but two uses that I would make of it First of examination Look back upon all the mercies that you have received from God temporal and spiritual mercies privative positive mercies Indeed it is your duty the expression is in Psal 68.26 Bless the Lord from the fountain of Israel Not only for late mercies received but look to the Fountain from whence all mercies did first flow Remember the Lord from Shittim to Gilgal Micah 6.5 it is from the first beginning of mercy to the latter end of them ask but the question now of your own hearts look to your own personal mercies every one in private family mercies and the publick mercies that God hath afforded the Nation and tell me are you the better or the worse for them have you brought forth fruit answerable to the mercy or hath not the Lord cause to say Do you thus requite the Lord oh foolish people and unwise what are the evil fruits that mercies are in danger to bring forth by which people are made the worse and see whether or no a great many of these be not to be found amongst us and if they be you may say the thing is a mercy yet notwithstanding you have little reason to take comfort in it certainly it can never be a mercy to thee nothing is a mercy to you but that which you are the better for There are six things that are the ordinary waies by which men do appear to be the worse for mercy And pray let us see whether all these be not to be found amongst us this is a day wherein you should lay your selves naked before God First the ordinary abuse of mercy is forgetfulness of God Deut. 4.14 When thou hast eaten and art full and dwellest in houses that thou buildest not and enjoyest wells that thou diggedst not then take heed least thou forget the Lord thy God And indeed this is the first and the most natural fruit of a heart fatted with mercy for so it is said here they waxed fat and kickt they lightly esteemed the rock of their salvation the mercies of God make men dis-regard God Now I pray consider if the mercies that raise thee up cast God down in thy soul examine I pray hath respect to God risen by his mercie look to it each particular foul and judge your selves faithfully I am afraid I may speak it with a great deal of bitterness respect to God hath not risen by his mercies to this Nation Nay rather lay aside all things for the things of God we have nothing to do with them Certainly this is an evil thing and is an argument that men grow the worse for mercy Secondly when they are settled upon them and satisfied with them Let them but keep this mercy it will be well with them Let us enjoy this all is well See how the people are brought in it is a strange speech Ier. 2.31 We are Lords say they we will come no more to thee God set them in a good and a prosperous condition now we will own God no more we will raign alone have we seen so much need of God in a mercy or do we ever come in to God but when some present trouble is upon us if any great eminent danger be over us then a fast otherwise if not for a year together it is no matter as much as to say we are satisfied with mercies and have enough of them We are Lords and will come no more at thee Thirdly when men grow refractory unto duty and oppose the things of godliness with a higher hand that is another way by which men grow worse for mercies An untamed heifer unaccustomed to the yoak that is the expression when you shall find such a disposition in you to reject God deride his Ordinances oppose the Ministers corrupt his Scriptures or at least endeavour to make them void by mystical allegorical interpretations and thereby make them a sound of words and no more when men dare proceed to this pass and have a great deal to say for themselves and against duty confidently this is an evil fruit of mercy Fourthly when a people do begin to dote upon their own beauty God sets them in a good condition and they begin to rest in it that evil was the fruit of their mercy Ezek. 16.15 Thou wast comely through my comeliness that I put upon thee But thou didst trust in thine own beauty this is another evil fruit of mercy men grow more self-confident of their own wisdom and their own strength and trust in their beauty a great Argument that men grow much the worse for mercy Fifthly when men ascribe mercy to themselves and would take the glory from God Hab. 1.16 Sacrifice to their own net and say this is great Babel that I have built my wisdom saith one and my power saith another this or that arm of flesh hath got the victory the hearts of men run out to second causes to poor instruments this is an argument that men grow the worse for mercies when they cannot call to mind any former thing wherein the Lord hath been pleased to use them but with great Elevation of Spirit And it must not be spoken of but with the greatest advancement of the instrument that can be And Lastly when men imploy all to their own use when all mens mercies do but serve their lusts one man saith we have obtained this mercy therefore I will be rich now I must sit at the stern saith another the management of all the negotiations of the State is in my hands as much as to say God hath given all these mercies to serve me remember that place in Isa 29.1 It is a Scripture I confess you should have much before your eyes Wo to Ariel to Ariel the City where David dwelt why is Jerusalem called Ariel you have it rendred in the margent the Lyon of God that City and that people which had been as a Lyon to conquer all the neighbouring Nations that none were able to stand before them yet when they abused all these barely to serve themselves the Lord hath a woe for them have these been the fruits that mercies have brought forth amongst us the Grapes of Sodom
shall be a tract of mercies to thee take heed therefore that your mercies do make you the better for otherwise mercies wronged are the most dangerous things that are medled withal But how shall I know that I know that I am the better for mercies Pray observe these four rules and I have done First thy mercies will never make thee the better unless they be mercies that proceed from a Covenant-right and interest What is that the great promise of the Covenant is I will be thy God that is all that is in God thou hast an interest in then there is infinite mercy in God that mercy is my mercy the God of my mercy and the God of my strength this labour to be sure of what mercy soever thou receivest let it flow from a Covenant-interest that thou hast closed with the Lord and chooses him for thy God no mercy will do thee good else Secondly when a man as he receives all from God doth direct all to God that he that is the first cause is made the last end when the soul saith of him are all things therefore to him are all things I desire to have no benefit from that which God hath no glory from when a man doth so it is an argument that the mercy doth his soul good Thirdly consider this is the mercy that doth you good when it makes thy soul prosperous I would not have you judge of mercies by any thing but with relation to your souls as God gave Gaius a great estate the host of the whole Church in Iohn 3.2 I wish thou maiest prosper as thy soul prospers if God hath given thee a large estate great employments or great dignity amongst men is thy soul the better then thou art the better but never till then take the instance of Iehosaphat 2 Chron. 17.5,6 he had silver and gold in abundance and his heart was lifted up in the way of Gods Commandments how should I know when God gives me riches in mercy why his soul was lifted up and therefore he had them in mercy Lastly wherein your prayers to God are drawn forth more for a sanctified use of the mercy then for the mercy it self this is certain it is said of ungodly men that by the prayers of Gods people their mercies are turned into snares in Psal 69.22 let their table be made their snare and that which should have been for their welfare let it become a trap so their prayers are drawn out that all the mercies that they receive may cause them to thrive and prosper that every thing may work for good together for good as the Lord hath promised to those that love him And so much now for the point which is of continual use to you and therefore I beseech you consider of what hath been spoken March 3. 1652. Vnruly Thoughts quieted BY Divine Consolations At Pauls June 9. 1653. PSALM 94.19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul THE Psalm in the Hebrew is without a Title and therefore I can say nothing either of the Author or the Occasion but the Septuagint adds a title and Jerom from them Psalmus David quarta sabbati Ierom. upon which Austin and Ierom have their several conjectures which will be to little purpose to humble you withal only from the contents thereof Musculus and Calvin both do observe that the Psalmist doth here speak de persecutionibus domesticis some that proved great persecutors at home and they do referr it unto Saul and unto his government it is true they had many enemies round about them all the neighbour Nations the bordering Nations they were their evil neighbours the Holy-Ghost calls them so in Ier. 12.14 but yet it seems they had more cruel inmates within worse then all the neighbours without a home-born slaverie amongst all upon earth is the greatest misery home-born Oppression among all upon earth is the greatest tyrannie yet notwithstanding so it seems it was for that is the humor of some men as if they were only ad dominium and all others admancipium nati they born to rule all other men born to serve and such was Sauls party Cush the Ethiopian Psal 7.1 Jews by profession but Gentiles in Religion this misery grew so great upon David that he chose rather a voluntary exile then to subject himself unto the cruelty of those or that hypocritical faction which bare rule in his own Nation as Salv. l. 5. de grat p. 6. such was the oppression in that time of the Roman Governors ut-unum Romanorum erat omnium votum liceat iis vitam agere cum Barbaris This seems to be the great subject of the Psalm In the words that I have read to you there are two things to be considered First Davids affliction if he were the Author of the Psalm and that arose from a multitude of perplexing thoughts within him And Secondly here is Davids Consolation too in the midst of this affliction thy comforts delight my soul amara vulnera sed suavia medicamenta Austin so Austin saith From these two Branches there are two Observations that I have made choice of to speak something to you at present The first is this That in evil times the misery of the Saints of God is more from thoughts within then troubles without Secondly That God provideth Consolations in and answerable unto the afflictions of his people which shall have a power to revive and delight their souls Doctrine first To begin with the first of them In evil times the misery of the Saints of God is more from thoughts within then from troubles without There are three things in the opening of this truth that I shall endeavour briefly to demonstrate to you First That the best men they are not freed while they live here from unruly un-subdued thoughts Secondly That in times of trouble these thoughts come in by multitudes a mans thoughts are never so tumultuous as in troublesom times And then Lastly That the great part of afflictions doth lie more in these tumultuous and unruly thoughts within then in all a mans troubles and afflictions without winds without do not cause an earth-quake but wind within 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the first even the best men while they live here they are not freed from unruly and unquiet thoughts Thoughts they are the immediate issues of principles the buds and the blossoms of the principles that are in a mans heart and so long as godly men live here they will have corrupt principles in them so long will these principles bud and blossom into unruly and inordinate thoughts while a man is in an unregenerate estate all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart are evil and only evil Gen. 6.5 because he hath nothing but a principle of sinning in him when he is regenerate yet so long as a corrupt principle remains in him so long there will arise in him unruly unsubdued thoughts it is very true
the multitude of my thoughts so were the multitude of Gods consolations God will give it in the time and the season of it but withal the Lord will give it according unto the measure when he doth bring great afflictions he provideth for you strong consolations that as the affliction aboundeth so the consolations shall abound the Lord tells you that his rewards shall be according to the measure of his mercies it is an admirable expression in Hosea 10.12 according to the measure of mercies your rewards are the Lord measures your consolations according to the measure of your afflictions Thus then you see the truth of these two points Let us see now what these consolations were that upheld the heart of our Psalmist here in those sad times thy comforts delight my soul what were they I will go no further then the Psalm neither and you shall find that there were eight that were the great stay of his heart in those times As in the first place he did consider God beholds them it is a wrong that is done to his people under the fathers eyes that was the first thing that he did stay his heart on the people of God do say Surely thou art our father though Abraham know us not and Israel be ignorant of us we have no greater comfort that we can look at no friends below yet notwithstanding our groans are not hid from thee That was the first comfort Secondly God did not only see it Surely thou hast seen it but withal he did comfort himself with this God would revenge it therefore he calls him thou God to whom vengeance belongs the God that revengeth habes ultorem Deum Hierom. Hierom he was a God that did avenge the cause of his people he hath said vengeance is mine and of the Lord Jesus Christ when Steven was stoned Acts 7. it is said he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God Jesus standing why the Scripture every where saith that Christ is gone to Heaven and is sate down at the right hand of God but he seeth him standing up at the right handof God what is the reason that is tanquam causae suae judex vindex saith one as one that was the Judge of his cause and the avenger of his wrong I this is another great ground of comfort upon which the heart is stayed My God is a God to whom vengeance belongeth Then In the third place by all these the Lord teacheth his people for so he saith in the 12. Verse Blessed saith he is the man whom thou chastenest and teachest out of thy Law that is another stay of heart in the worst of rimes the rod saith he hath a voice hear the rod and who hath appointed it Nay the rod teacheth a man that it is better to be under the saddest affliction and have the graces of that condition drawn forth rather then to be under the greatest prosperity and the sins of that condition drawn forth do but observe Iam. 1.4 Let the brother of low degree rejoyce that he is exalted I you will say he hath good reason for it but Let the brother of high degree rejoyce that he is made low a hard matter to rejoyce in that my Brethren a godly man can as truly rejoyce in an afflicted condition so as the graces of that condition be drawn forth in it as he can rejoyce in a prosperous condition much rather if the sins of that condition be drawn forth in it therefore there is a teaching in the rod when a man is brought to that indifferency of Spirit as I remember the Father brings in David speaking Vis me Pastorem ovium aut regem populorum ecce paratum est cor meum Lord saith he shall I be a Keeper of sheep again or Lord shall I be a King over Israel Lord my heart is ready my heart is ready willing to embrace each condition This is another thing the rod is a Teacher the rod hath a voice Besides In the fourth place There is a rest God hath prepared for his people in the most restless condition so he saith in the 13. Verse that thou mightest give him rest in the day of evil there is a shaddow of Gods wing and the people of God in the worst condition they can lie down under this shaddow with great delight Look into that precious Scripture Hos 14.8 I am like a green fir-tree saith God the Lord like a fir-tree Why in two things it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 densam umbram habens so the Septuagint renders it a tree that yields a thick shaddow and it is a tree likewise that is alwaies green perpetuo virens never casts its leaves as other trees do in the Winter so saith the Lord such is my defence you may lie down under my shaddow in quiet and he gives them rest in the day of evil And In the fifth place he comforts himself with this the Lord knows that the thoughts of man are but vanity with that he comforts himself that all these designs shall come to nothing all their thoughts are but vanity the Lord hath appointed that he will take the wise in his own craftiness and his hand shall not perform his enterprise the Lord hath said by iniquity shall no man be established the Lord hath said he will not suffer the hypocrite to rule least the people be ensnared that is the expression Iob 34.3 Now let their designs be what they will be with this he comforts himself yet notwithstanding the Lord knows the thoughts of men to be but vanity That is another ground of comfort And then In the sixth place that I may draw to a conclusion that while they labour for their own exaltation God is preparing for their destruction that is another thing that he comforts himself with for so he saith till the pit be digged for the ungodly till the pit be digged all this while I do not envy their rising saith he but rather pitty their ruine Impatientia humana non vult habere Dei patientiam Ierom. Jerom for God is preparing a pit all the while that is another great ground of comfort in the worst of times for my Brethren there is a judgement written that must be executed and many times as Austin well observes upon the place faelicitas peccatorum fovea est ipsorum Austin even their very prospering in an evil way is the pit in which they find their ruine that is another thing by which he comforteth himself Seventhly That I may draw to an end though for the present the Lord seems to neglect the condition of his people yet he comforts himself with this that God seemed to neglect for the present but saith he he will bring forth judgement to righteousness it is true indeed Gods judgement for his people seems now to have left them it is hid but saith he the Lord will appear for their safety and he tels them plainly that will he
reformation God will honour and bless it unto us also But if it be such a fast as the Lord hath chosen and in which he delights it must be a day for a man to afflict his soul for that is the duty of a fast Isa 58.5 I know the Hebrews do put soul for person and the humiliation should reach to the whole man but yet so as that which is the main in the man do not pass unhumbled nor un-affected rend your hearts and not your garments it is the soul hath the great hand in the sin it is the soul that is the sole and the arch-rebel against the Law now only to humble the body is but Mountebank-like to lay salve to the weapon but not to the wound And it is inforced Lev. 23.29 that soul that is not afflicted that day shall be cut off from amongst the people c. And there is nothing that will afflict the soul like to sin it being of all evils the greatest when it is felt and by the lively coming of the Commandment it revives and the man dies answerable unto the reformation such must be the humiliation now there is a double reformation that we do profess to endeavour personal and National there can be no expectation of the latter without the former therefore both must be laid to heart and that chiefly in your own particulars by you whom the Lord we hope will use in this great work he that will be a vessel of honour for the Masters use must be purged and when Ioshuah was to negotiate a publick reformation and to administer a publick service his filthy garments must be taken away and he cloathed with change of rayment Zach. 3.4 there are no mens sins that are of such dangerous consequence as yours and your personal sins have an influence upon your publick imployments and services and the sins of such a man do send up a prohibition and will blast the wisdom of his head and the labour of his hands and their personal sins are a great ground and cause of National sins Ita nati estis ut bona vel mala vestra ad Rempublicam pertineant Tacit. Tacit. In omnibus peccantibus pecco Prosper it is a sad saying of Prosper if ever you would have National Iudgements removed and mercies to be conferred you must be affected with National sins first for as an ungodly man cannot love his brother because he doth not love himself Non diligit proximum quia non diligit seipsum and so he can never be affected with other mens sins his eyes cannot gush out Rivers of tears because men do not keep the Law of God c. because he is not affected with his own for sin is filthiness and therefore it is the more loathsom to a man the neerer he is to it therefore my work at this day shall be to set your own sins before you that you may pluck out the beam that is in your eye first and ye shall be able to see clearly to pluck out the beams that are in the eyes of the Nation and to affect your hearts with your own personal guilt and neglects if the Lord be pleased to make me instrumental this day that it be unto you a day of atonement I shall look upon it as a great mercy and a great step unto our National deliverances and protections and as for more publick mis-carriages and the other parts of the work of this day I hope God will be with the spirits of those his servants that afterward are to carry on the work of this day Here we have the Churches condition set forth to us which shall be the same for the first 6000. years which being ended according to the Jewish accompt postea sabbatum the time of Satans seduction is at an end for Poperie but the time of his persecution is not the witnesses are not yet slain c. but there will come a time when in this respect Satan also shall be bound In fine sexti millessimi anni malitia omnis aboleatur e terra Lactant. Lactant. de divin Imper. p. 576. It is black as the Tents of Kedar but yet comely as the Curtains of Solomon there is a very great comliness under the Churches blackness with which in her suffering she supported her self Here we have also the causes of the Churches blackness which is the Sun in general it was not natural and blackness that grew out of her self but from the Churches adversaries the Sun hath lookt upon me persecution hath scorcht me but yet it was not only from enemies without though it is true as the Lilly amongst thorns so is my love amongst the daughters tot hostes quot extranci Tertul. but it is from those of the same family the Churches enemies are those of her own house my mothers children matris filios non patris vocat men born in the same Church and claiming the same interest in the Church with the true members qui maxime conjuncti videbantur qui sese Ecclesiae nomine venditant Mercer Mercer Hostes Ecclesiae intestini authoritate sua ad ipsius perniciem abutentes Beza Beza They were angry with me the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies iram vehementem excandesentiam bitter fierce anger anger exasperated and kindled as a flame the same word is used Isa 41.11 All they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and the men of thy strife shall perish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the Septuagint they strive with me or they fought against me the bitterest indignation against the Church and the bitterst opposition is from those within it self her mothers children the ground of the greatest persecution of the Church is laid in the composition and constitution of the Church and therefore the flourishing and prosperous condition of the Church in the latter daies is upon this gronnd Isa 54.12,13 When the foundations are laid with Saphir the windows made of Agates and the gates of Carbuncles de hominibus non de doctrina Calvin Calvin Then great shall be the peace of the Church in right cousness shalt thou be established and thou shalt be far from oppression c. To constitute Churches of a mixed multitude as it laies the matter of all Church corruption so it laies the foundation of the bitterest Church persecution Now how did they vent their displeasure it was by putting them upon difficult and distracting imployments for I do not understand that of Churches becaus the Church is in Scripture commonly called a Vine-yard the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel Isa 5. and the Lord brought a Vine out of Egypt and planted it c. neither did these mothers children take so much care of Churches but they laid all the care of the Churches upon them and they took none at all both the care of Church and Common-wealth was laid upon them and by this means they were distracted and
keep thy house For they are in a special manner thy own Vineyard First keep thy heart Prov. 4.23 above all keeping keep thy heart it was the great care of David Let my heart be sound in thy statutes I will run the way of thy Commandments when thou shalt inlarge my heart and it was the grand honour of David that his heart was upright with God and it is made the pattern of his sincerity to the Governors that followed c. and it was the grear comfort of Hezikiah when he came to dye after he had ruled the people skilfully all his daies Remember that I have walked before thee with a perfect heart and it is this that is the bitter reflexion upon all the good that Iehu had done after that glorious testimony of God to him thou hast done all that was right in mine eyes and which was in my heart 2 King 10.30,31 but he took no heed to walk in the Law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart c. And the grounds of it are these four First this is properly your own it is the soul is the darling it is the soul is the man it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore he that doth lose his soul is said in another place to lose himself It is true that there is a great trust committed unto a man in other things but yet they are all but this worlds goods a mans estate is no more and a mans honour is no more nay a mans inward gifts and abilities of his mind are no more they do all dye with him if there be tongues they shall cease and knowledge it shall vanish away 1 Cor. 13.12,13 Now if propriety be an engagement as we do love persons and things because they are our own Christ loved his own he loved them unto the end c. Surely there is nothing that is your own like unto your heart therefore keep thy heart above all keepings for if thou lose thy soul thou art a lost man and a Son of perdition Secondly this Vineyard above all others is in danger and the most fought against First by sin 1 Pet. 2.11 it is against the body and state and brings all plagues upon both but it is eminenter against the soul Numb 16.38 sinners against their own souls so that as it is really the act of the soul the sin of the soul for sin is in the soul as grace is it is radicaliter in corde redundanter in corpore as sin is mainly the act Micha 6.8 the sin of my soul c. it is the mischief of sin which doth really light upon the soul and it is to the prejudice thereof Secondly Satan mainly fights against the soul he is Abaddon the destroyer he seeks to devoure all the man I but it s the soul that is the sweet morsel that he doth continually with greediness gape after he doth take away the word it is Mat. 13. least they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and be converted it is the conversion of the soul that he really is an enemy to and when he knows he can hinder the salvation of a soul there is no such pleasure to him for there is no walking in the narrow way without entering at the straight gate Satan is the envious one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now as the greatest mercie is that of the soul so the greatest envy of Satan is that which reacheth unto the soul Thirdly the main Judgements of God are upon the soul as the greatest blessings from God are spiritual so the greatest Judgements from God are also spiritual and that is when he doth suffer the soul to prosper in a way of sinning Hos 8.11 they made them Altars to sin Altars shall be unto them to sin Magna est ira quando peccantibus non irascitur Deus Ierom. Jerom. Tu dixisti Domine ita est ut omnis malus animus sibi ipsi sit poena Austin Aust Thirdly answerable to the prosperity of the soul so do all things else prosper all prosperity is to be measured by it oh 3.2 So Paul did measure all his prosperitie 2 Cor. though his outward man did decay so his inward man was renewed it was that he could rejoyce in because he measured his prosperitie be that of his soul and otherwise for a man to have an enate honour and a high place in the world and to mount all the steps of honour and to prosper in it in waies of briberie and blood all this is but that Psalm 106.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Muis translates repletienem emaciantem Muis. a fulness that doth cause a leanness in the soul to be indutus purpura cum conscientia pannosa truly that man doth not prosper whose soul prospers not though all things else be according to the desire of his heart c. Fourthly this will have a very great influence upon your government and therefore keep this Vineyard Psal 47. ult Magistrates are said to be Shields of the earth they should be scuta Deo as well as hominibus to keep off the Judgements of God to stand in the gap with Moses and Ioshua who did this in a common slaughter and David in a publick famine c. And is he like to prevall with God for a people who hath neither communion with God nor interest in him is he like to turn away Judgement who is every day instrumental in procuring it and who is also to be fuel for the same consuming fire And in respect of men also there is a power over the bodies and estates of men and there is a power over their hearts and in their consciences and such a one God doth give unto gracious Magistrates as we see he gave his people of old as David c. There is a double Image that a Magistrate must bear an Image of God in him as a man as well as upon him as a Magistrate and the heart of men will stoop to them that are such Magistrates Let me tell you It is not a Scepter a Sword nor a Mace a Navy nor an Army that can long govern a Nation An evil heart will destroy a mans wisdom and will blast his government and make it unsuccessful whatever he be though he be never so great a Polititian and never so much admired and cryed up by men yet if he be not a godly man be shall not prosper the Lord was with him and whatever he did he made it to prosper I that is the true ground of all success in government therefore be sure keep your own Vineyard c. But you will say How shall we make our Government prosper Take there directions First keep a good conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in this â—…xercise my self daily saith Paul to keep a conscience void of offence Government is a burdensome thing and therefore it is said that Christ hath the Government upon his shoulders
authority and power c. Thirdly they receive the Spirit of God that acts them Ezek. 1.12 and they receive many gifts from this spirit even a spirit of Prophesie Rev. 19.10 Sixthly will God have the world Judged there is none fit but he that is the Son of man to Judge the world Acts 17.31 he will Judge the world by the man whom he hath appointed and who is able to do this but Christ to take the accounts of all the world or tell them what they owe unto God and what is due in punishments or rewards from God unto them again he only can open the Books the Book of Conscience and the Book of Gods decrees and discover the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the heart c. and when he hath performed this last and great service and given up the Kingdom of the Church to God the Father then God shall be all in all in the Son as well as in the Saints and it will appear that he is the highest end and his glory the utmost aim of both and that all the glory that Christ hath he hath as the Fathers servant and so it is with the Saints also c. Thus if we consider all the ends of God Christ hath in him a fitness that doth answer them all Use 1. Take notice of the goodness of God in this it was a great mercy to provide a Mediator and an act meerly of free-grace and to do all this for you when you fell from him when he did not catch after the Angels but let them go but the Lord adds to his mercy much in the suitableness of it that your Mediator should be taken up amongst your brethren and he that sanctifies and they that are sanctified to be of one for it is the suitableness of the mercy that doth make it much the greater for God to give Adam a help when amongst the creatures there was none found was a mercy but now for the Lord to give him a meet help a friend of a suitable spirit and a calling suitable to a mans disposition for all sweetness doth arise from fitness O what a great mercy is this for God to give a man such a relation which is as his own soul Now how should this sweeten the Lord Christ unto a man and how should we study his suitableness unto Gods ends as he is Gods servant we should labour to bring our hearts into such a holy frame that the Lord may delight in our suitableness also with all his ends and purposes we should take comfort in a suitable wife estate employment but above all in a meet Mediator Secondly this doth plainly argue that God will give us all things Rom. 8.32 A wise builder doth make his building in some measure answerable to the foundation surely he that hath laid a foundation of Saphires he will not build upon it mud-walls and cover them with a roof of straw he hath laid the foundation in Christ his only son and if he did not spare him surely he will with him give us all things c. So he that hath fitted you with a Mediator answerable to all Gods ends and your ends he will surely fit you with all things so that thou shalt want nothing that thou standst in need of he will give thee a sutable estate and feed thee with food convenient for thee he will dispense mercies to thee in the fittest time for the Lord waits to be gracious he takes measure of mens spirits you may think It would be fit for me to have such a mercy but the Lord denyes it you let me tell thee mercies in thy time without Gods time will do thee hurt if thou have a mercy before thou be ripe for it before God see a fitness in thee to receive it it will be unseasonable God takes measure of mens spirits I say and defers mercies that his children long for till they be made meet to receive them therefore if God with-hold any good thing from thee do you conclude Surely it is not fit for me for else he that hath fitted us with a Mediator he would never fail to fit you with all things else Use 2. If an instrumental fitness be an honour to Christ then it must needs be so unto us to be vessels of honour fitted for the Masters use and here Consider First to be employed by God is the greatest honour to the creature as the greatest dishonour is for God to lay a man aside 2 Tim. 2.21 c. The great title of honour that Moses had was the Lords owning him as his servant Moses my servant c. and David my servant and the Angels their great honour lies in their services they are principalities and powers Rom. 15.20 but in all this they are ministering spirits and Paul yea so have I strived to Preach the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He lookt upon it as his duty and as his glory also their ambition lay in this who should do most work not who should receive most wages truly to be a Door-keeper Psal 84.10 the meanest office the lowest employment for God is an honour to the greatest Prince in the world and therefore if the Lord employ men in eminent services it is the greater favour and the greater honour Secondly it is a great honour to be useful amongst the creatures Eliakim was highly exalted by God I will fasten him as a nayl in a sure place c. Isa 22.23,24 Much people shall hang upon him c. Mich. 5.7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord and Elijah a man mighty serviceable to God in his generation he is called the Chariot of Israel and the horse-men thereof c. It is the honour of godliness to be profitable for all things c. Thirdly the Lord is exceedingly pleased with the services of his people Hos 9.10 I found Israel as grapes in the Wilderness c. but they are then more specially acceptable if their services proceed from a spirit suited and prepared for them for a good work from an unprepared heart is a provocation unto God and a sign of hypocrisie in the man 2 Chron. 12.14 and truly if our services be not acceptable to God they will never be comfortable unto us Question The great Question therefore which we should study all our daies should be What will make a man fit for service I will give you a few things briefly First he that will be fitted for service must be acted by the same principle Christ was and he must do all from a principle of union and unction Christ did his from a personal union and from an unction without measure being cloathed with the Spirit but we from a mystical union and an unction from the same spirit according to our measure 1 John 2.20 having received this spirit as a spirit of regeneration and sanctification for there are no
the Law in the Tabernacle in Exod. 25.31 which was a type of the Church of God for all things were done unto them in types and yet with this difference Under the Law there was but one Candlestick in the Tabernacle but here are seven Candlesticks what is the reason there is a double Ground and both of them Considerable First Because the Church of God under the Gospel should be of a larger extent then under the Law and for that Cause happily it is that the dimensions of Johns City go so far beyond that of Ezekiels though it be spoken of the same thing and of the same time yet Ezekiels City that is but 4500. Cubits and Saint Johns is twelve thousand furlongs A great difference But Ezekiel saw it with Legal apprehensions he had a sight of Gospel-Ordinances by a darker light only But John saw it with a Gospel light and he describes the latitude and the dimensions thereof according thereunto Secondly And that is the main reason there was but one Candlestick in the Tabernacle because the Church of the Jews was but one and though they had many Synagogues yet they met all in one stem they were united all in one shaft but the Churches of the Gentiles are many and for that Cause though there was but one Candlestick under the Law yet there are seven under the Gospel and that is the meaning why a Candlestick Secondly Why is the Church is called a golden Candlestick Upon a double Ground First Because Gold is the purest mettal and the Lord will have his Church such they shall differ as much from other men as Gold doth from the common clay in the streets the Lord is very exact in every thing in the Church he is very curious of what mettle such Candlesticks be made of and therefore it is not every society or constitution of men that will be lookt upon as a Church to Christ but when the Lord lays the Foundation of a Church he doth it with Saphirs Isa 54. Non est de doctrina sed hominibus there is a double Foundation of Churches as Divines do observe doctrinae personae the Church is founded on doctrines but here of persons the First founders of which the Church is built they must not be common stones for if the Church become corrupt if the Gold become Dross if the house of the Lord become an outward Court then the Lord will take no care either to build or to measure it and there is Golden Doctrines 1 Cor. 3.12 The light that doth shine forth in this his Candlestick and then the Lord is curious with what oyl the Candlestick is maintained for the Lord will not have it maintained with common oyl that Persons may put in themselves but God will not delight in them It is a strange expression that in Zach. 4.12 These empty golden oyl out of themselves their parts their pains and all it must be golden oyl Secondly Because Gold of all other mettals is the most precious and of the highest esteem there is as much difference between the Church of God and other men as there is between Gold and Dirt in the street as between Diamonds and Pebbles in the Lords esteem make Israel a Church and then all the earth is mine saith the Lord but thou art my peculiar treasure in Exod. 19.5 they are to God above all people the truth is they are the first fruits of all the creatures the Church is called so Iames 1.18 The first fruits were best and were dedicated to God and they did also consecrate the whole crop you all claim a title to Church-membership look they be golden Candlesticks the Lord hath his scales to weigh you and his touchstone to try you and let me tell you the less Gold there is in any Church the less value God sets upon it Thirdly How is Christ said to walk in the midst of the Golden Candlestick It denotes a promise of especial presence and fellowship this is the promise that the Lord made unto the Jews Lev. 26.12 I will walk among you and I will be your God and my soul shall not abhorr you 2 Cor. 6.16 I will dwell and walk amongst them it notes his presence with them in all ways of love and Communion for Amos 3.3 Two cannot walk together unless they be agreed When God hath Communion with us he is said to walk with us therefore we read of his goings in the Sanctuary this then is the meaning he affords his especial presence and Communion Now here is an observation that I shall hint unto you There is a gratious presence of Christ with his Church in all Church-administrations Two Scriptures hold forth this gloriously unto you one is Psalm 27.4 I would see thy beauty and glory as I have seen in thy sanctuary thy beauty what is beauty It is a symmetry and a proportion of parts now when you look abroad on the works of God you see one Attribute manifested in one work and another in another you see not these parts put together and so the beauty of them doth not appear God doth great things when he manifests an attribute when he would shew his love he gives his Son when he would manifest his mercy he pardons sin so that in the Works of God the Atributes of God are thus scattered you cannot see them together But come to the Sanctuary and there you see beauty all the Attributes of God are displayed there for as Christ as Mediatour is the stage on which all the Attributes of God are acted for he is the Image of the Invisible God so is the Church the stage or scene on which Christ acts all these Attributes Rev. 11. There is the special presence and beauty of God to be seen there beyond what there is in all the world beside Secondly There is the great Glory of God to be seen in heaven and you shall find that there is a great resemblance between his presence in his Church and in Glory In Heb. 12.22,23 When you read it you will see but little difference between that and heaven that you can scarce know it from heaven we are come to the heavenly Jerusalem to the General assembly of the Church of the first-born whose names are written in heaven to God the Iudge of all to Iesus the mediatour of the New Testament c. Let us compare a little the presence of Christ with his Church with that of his presence in Glory take the parrallel in these five particulars First Christ in heaven is present in Majesty and Glory It is called the throne of his Glory and such is his presence in his Church too And therefore observe it he is said to sit upon a high Throne in the midst of his Churches Rev. 4.3 The name of the Church is called Iehovah Shammah on that account the Lord is there Ezek. 11. Christ doth nowhere but in heaven discover so much of his Kingly Majesty as he doth in
that are heirs of salvation Heb. 1.14 and all the dealings of God do tend to prepare them for that great end but to qualifie them for their inheritance being they are as yet but in their nonage that they may be made meet inheritors c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 1.12 there is a spiritual preparation by which the soul is fitted for so great mercies as the Lord doth intend in reference to eternity to bestow upon man and so the Saints have an interest in the soveraignty of God over all things in the providential in reference unto the spiritual Kingdom that as the Lord Jesus Christ hath undertaken the government of it in order unto this end Eph. 1. ult and therefore all things work together for good Rom 8.28 the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things that is omnis creatura omnes eventusâ— shall work together that is not of themselves but by a gracious concurrence or co-operation of God with them and Ministers are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 workers together with God 2 Cor. 6.1 by a gracious concurrence of the principal cause together with the instrument for instrumentum agit dispositive in virtute principalis agentis Others do refer working together unto the creatures themselves that is not apart they may not seem so but by a blessed disposition and a sweet combination and concatenation they do work together for good the Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is ad aeternam salutem for sine summo bono nil bonum There is nothing good to him that is without the chief good there is nothing good but that which is in order to the chief good the Ordinances of God are good and they are therefore good because they are Ordinances that God hath appointed for so good an end as to fit us to enjoy the chief good Heb. 6.7 The ground that drinks in the rain that it may bear fruit meet for him that drâ—sseth it and so receive a blessing from God and so Paul c. is yours 1 Cor. 3.22 that is given for your sakes and with a special tendency to your good and so also it is true of providences there shall be deliverance Isa 35.7,8 The parched ground shall become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water that which had nothing but barrenness now shall become fruitful and that which was no way profitable but hurtful for men a habitation of Dragons that shall now bear grass for the use of man for the Lord will make a way for their return into their own Land and it shall be a way of holiness that is via sanctitatis sanctificata for a way in which they that are holy shall walk and a way that shall tend to make them to become more holy Joel 3.17 Then shall Jerusalem be holy and no strangers shall pass through her any more their deliverance shall come upon their holiness and Dan. 11. ult when Daniels people shall be delivered by the overthrow of the Turkish Empire for that great Empire shall fall by the hands of the Jews in the glorious Land and it is the coming together of bones Ezek. 37.7 the noyse and the shaking that is spoken of is tidings out of the North and the East and there he shall come to an end and none shall help him and whereas Canaan was not called the holy Land nor Jerusalem the holy City after the death of Christ yet until this time it was called so ver 41. the glorious or the pleasant Land but now it should be a mercy bestowed upon a holy people and it should be sanctified to make them holy and now it is called the glorious holy Mountain and so it s said of Jehosaphat 2 Chron 17.3,4,6 His Kingdom was established they all brought him presents he had silver and gold and he walked in the wayes of David his Father Secondly there are some things that are given unto men but it is for the good of others such as tend not unto their own salvation at all So some men shall be raised and exalted not for their own sakes Isa 44.28 Cyrus is my Shepherd saith the Lord he shall perform all my pleasure I will hold his right hand and subdue Nations before him I will loose the loyns of Kings break the gates of brass in pieces and cut asunder the bars of Iron give him the treasures of darkness and the hidden riches of secret places for Jacob my servants sake and for Israel my elect Isa 45.1,3,4,7,14 There is authority given also for the sake of others as many times power and success is given for the sake of others and yet they that are in power c. themselves have no good by it he hath not known me saith the Lord. So there is many a man makes riches his glory that his house is increased but it is not for his own sake but the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just Prov. 13.22 He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor Prov. 28.8 And a man may say of such Bees in all their gatherings Sic vos non vobis it s not for your selves but it is for the good of others that all this is done and indeed all good things that ungodly men do receive it is not for their own good as it is not for their own sake it is for the Saints sake and it is by their Covenant and therefore Luther saith omnia conservantur propter verbum sanctum semen Deus non curat Politiam Oeconomiam nisi propter Ecclesiam It is true that there are many that receive great mercies great deliverances but it s not for their own good but for their hurt Eccles 5.5 Biches are for the hurt of the owner and so it is also of honours and victories which are mercies in the things but not to the men as Cyprian saith of the Sacrament Petro â—…emedium Iudae venenum so it is of all blessings unto one in perniciem unto the other in salutem to the good of others which he himself had no good by Doctrine 2. The gifts bestowed by God and the talents that are committed they are committed they are not given unto all in the same measure but according to different measures some have much and some have little some have two Talents and some have five Talents and here are two things to be considered First He doth not give in the fame measure unto all persons it is true that there is no servant that is without his talent to trade with for the Lord doth not expect to reap where he hath not sown or to gather where he hath not strawed but yet he doth not sow alike plentifully everywhere and that neither of grace nor of gifts nor of opportunity First Not of grace Ephes 4.7 Unto every one of us given according to the measure of the gift of Christ but not
deliverance and that was as an answer unto prayer Thirdly the fruit of it and to be unfruitful under mercies is the greatest barrenness for they drop fatness and not only the fruit of the lips words in labris nata but it must be from inward and hearty affections e sulco pectoris God expects special fruit under mercies or under crosses and if he comes to find fruit upon a figg-tree dunged he will be much displeased if he find none Now the fruit of the mercy is threefold First the love of God is enlarged and inflamed the more mercy a gracious heart receives the more abundant he is in love to God for our love to God is but by reflexion we love God because he loved us first and the more the soul tasts of Gods love in a mercy the more it doth draw forth in him love to God again much was forgiven her therefore she loved much so much is given to a Saint by God therefore he loves God much Secondly his confidence in God is enlarged the Lord is my rock and my fortress my deliverer and when I call upon him I shall be saved from mine enemies the Lord is the God of salvations and to him belong the issues from death and this God I have an interest in he is mine by Covenant and he is by my experience all this to me Thirdly he is by this quickned and encouraged unto prayer therefore I will call upon the Lord and I will pray to him in all dangers and my cry shall come before him it shall enter into his ears c. The proper fruit of mercy indeed is the inflaming of a mans love to God and the strengthening of a mans faith and his encouragement and the inlarging of a mans heart in prayer Fourthly he sets down the grounds of all these mercies First Gods free-grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it was Gods good pleasure and from this fountain do issue all Gods mercies to the Saints as Christ resolves it Mat. 11.25 Even so Father for so was thy good pleasure nay the greatest blessings that ever were bestowed upon a creature and the highest advancement that the creature was capable of the union of the humane nature with the God-head to be ex nullo merito sed gratis Secondly in the person to whom the mercy is bestowed for as God stands in a peculiar Covenant-relation to his people so he hath a peculiar providence over them Job 29.4 The secret of the Lord is upon their Tabernacle and according to their integrity the Lord will appear for them and own them in trouble God is with his people at all times but he is nearest to them in the worst times And here there was first Justitia causae the Lord hath undertaken the cause of the oppressed and the relief of the innocent Now they charged me with treacherie with a design to kill the King and to take the Kingdom as a man that raised sedition and civil wars in the Nation the Lord knows in this my integrity according to the uprightness of my heart and the cleanness of my hands hath he recompenced me Secondly Justitia personae a legal righteousness there cannot be so there is none righteous no not one but there is that which in Gods account goes for righteousness evangelical and that is sincerity and truth in the inward parts God delights in the works of his own spirit and in rewarding the graces that he himself hath wrought in a man Qui tribuit ut benefacerem secundum puritatem factorum retribuit mihi August Aust in loc Now he shews wherein this sincerity doth appear in these three things First I have not departed from God wickedly that is with a purpose and resolution of heart to continue in a way of sinning and that is the property of sincerity a man indeed may be over-taken and surprized by a temptation but it is not with a resolution to forsake God and to cleave unto the sin or rest in it he will not sleep in it spare it or favour it that is to do wickedly against God to have a double heart and a double eye to look upon two objects partly at God and partly at sin so to keep God as to keep some sin also as it is with all false hearted men in the world they look not upon god alone let them pretend to Religion never so much yet they look not unto God alone but upon something else together with God as Herod he regarded John but regarded his Herodias more and the young man in the Gospel comes to Christ yet he looks after his estate and Iudas followed Christ yet looks after the bag this is to depart wickedly from the Lord. Secondly all his Iudgements were before me a sincere and an upright heart hath a respect to all the Commandments as it s said of David Acts 13.22 A man after Gods own heart he must fulfil all his wills not only easie duty but difficult duty not only those that are in fashion but those that are out of fashion and are discountenanced amongst men in the least as well as in the greatest for the whole Law is written in the heart and his obedience thereunto is universal Rom. 6.17 And the more of Gods authority there is in the Law the deeper impression it hath upon the spirit Thirdly I was also upright before him and I kept me from mine iniquity A sincere heart hath the most serious resolutions the most unfeigned detestations and therefore the greatest and the most diligent watchings against his own iniquity that sin to which his nature is most prone and wherein he is most apt and hath commonly been to be ensnared In the words are two things First Davids profession of his sincerity Secondly his testification of it First I was upright 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfect there is a two-fold perfection First a legal perfection which is a perfect conformity in nature and in life to the Law of God such as was in Adam in the state of his innocency and this the Papists contend to be attainable even in this life but here Who can say my heart is clean or I am purged from my sin therefore surely this was not the perfection David here speaks of for his failings were known and confessed by himself and remain upon record known and read of all men Secondly there is an evangelical perfection a perfection according to the tenour of the second Covenant and this is two-fold First in a mans Justification and so a man is perfefectly justified that is in Christ for we are made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5.22 So we are said to be compleat in Christ and by his blood to have no more conscience of sin So the Church is said to be all fair and to have no spot in her and so by one offering the Lord hath for ever perfected them that be sanctified Heb. 10.14 Secondly a perfection of Sanctification and this