Aegypt be our trust the end of that trust will be our confusion Isa 30.2 3. Might we build the Nest of our trust on the Sons of men Reason would bid us pitch on the topmost branches of the tallest Cedars I mean those earthly Gods the Princes of this World But alas these though styled Gods must dye like men Psal 82.6 yea like other men Their breath is in their nostrils they soon return to their dust from whence they sprang and then all their thoughts and with them our hopes on them perish Psal 146.4 4. Not in any thing clad in mortal flesh He that presumes to make flesh his Arm will be sure at a long run to find the Father of Spirits his Foe Thus saith the Lord Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his Arm Jer. 17.5 And thus we have dispatcht the third General IV. What are those sure and stable grounds on which Saints may firmly and securely build their trust on God Sol. There is nothing which the eye of Faith or Reason can discover in God but the arm of Trust may safely lean on But more particularly 1. Gods Almighty Arm and Power The Lord hath an Arm an out-stretched (n) 1 King 8.42 Arm An Hand an Omnipotent Hand An Hand that spans the (o) Isa 40.12 Heavens that stretcheth them out as a Curtain and spreadeth them out as a Tent to dwell in On this Almighty Arm may Believers (p) Isa 51.5 trust The Lord is the strong and mighty God Psal 24.8 That created the World with a (q) Psa 33.9 word and can as easily speak or look it into its first Nothing He is a wonder-working God Exod. 15.11 Elshaddai Gen. 17.1 Able to do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 far more exceeding (r) Eph. 3.10 abundantly than we can ask or think His vast power far exceeds our Wants Prayers Thoughts all that we can need beg imagine We want much can ask great things can think greater Our Imaginations exceed our Expressions Yet Gods power far exceeds both (Å¿) Psa 81.10 Open we our mouths never so wide his open hand can more than fill them Gods power then is a most firm Basis whereon to fix our trust Trust ye in the Lord Jehovah for in the Lord Jehovah is (t) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Petra saeculorum Everlasting strength Creature props are not able to bear the weight and stress of an Immortal soul They are sandy foundations apt to sink and crumble under us But an Almighty God is a Rock A Rock of Ages on which he that builds his confidence though the Winds blow the rain descends and the Storms beat upon him yet shall he not u Mat. 7.25 fall On this Power of God Abraham built his transcendent w Rom. 4.21 faith and David his impregnable trust 2 Sam. 22.2 3. 2. Gods infinite and free Goodness Mercy and Bounty The Lord is good to all and his tender x Psa 1 5.9 Mercies are over all his Works With the Lord there is mercy and with him is plenteous Redemption His Bowels are as tender as his Arm is strong He is no less willing than able to relieve Therefore let Israel hope in the Lord. It is the Psalmists y Psa 130 7. Inference Like as a Father pitieâ—h his Children so the Lord z Psa 103.13 pitieth them that fear him Thâ—t Father that sees his child in want and pities not and pitying if able relieves not forfeits the name of Father and may write himself not Man but Monster It is enough for our heavenly Father that he a Mat. 6.32 knows we have need of any thing The Lord is all that to his people yea and infinitely more than that which Isis Mammosa was to the Aegyptians A God full of Dugs and whilst he hath a breast let not Saints fear the want of Milk The Character that the Heathens Idolatrously gave their Jupiter may far more truly indeed only be ascribed to our Jehovah He alone is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Optimus Maximus The best as well as the greatest of Beeings Goodness is Gods darling Atribute It is that which he looks on as his glory I beseech thee saith Moses shew me thy b Exod. 33.18 glory Moses thy Prayer is heard and it shall be answered But what saies God in answer to this Request See Ver. 19. I will make all my goodness pass before thee The thing requested was a view of Gods glory The thing promised was a discovery of Gods goodness Which hints unto us that however all the Attributes of God are in themselves glorious yet the Lord glorieth most in the manifestation of his goodness So then though we have nothing to plead or prevaile with God as in or from our selves yet there is an Orator in his own bosome that will certainly and effectually intercede for our Relief and that is his goodness This was that that boyed up David this was the Cordial that kept him from fainting c Psal 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living 3. Gods many choice exceeding great and precious Promises These are the flagons that Faith keeps by her the Apples she hâ—th hoarded up in store to revive and quicken in a day of swooning Who will not trust the Word the Promise the Protest of the King of Kings God hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Never in no wise in no case whatever I do I will not do this whatever shift I make Heb. 13.5 The Greek here hâ—th five Negatives and may thus be rendred I will not not leave thee neither will I not not forsake thee Five times as one observes is this precious Promise renewed that we may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of its Consolations that we may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of its glory Leave us God may to our thinking but really he doth not will not Or if he leaves us for a time a small moment yet he will not forsake us utterly Desert he may but not disinherit forsake us it may be in regard of Vision not of Union Change his dispensation not his disposition e Isa 44 2. Dost thou pass through the waters Thy God hath promised to be with thee He was so with Noah and the Israelites in the red Sea and in Jordan Dost thou walk through the fire Warm'd thou mayst be thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee The three Children were living Monuments of this truth God sent his Angel and delivered his Servants that f Dan. 3.28 trusted in him The Lord hath graciously engaged to create upon every dwelling place of Mount Sion and upon her Assemblies a cloud and g Isa 4.5 6. smoak by day for her protection and the shining of a flaming fire by night
hath blessed you with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places Vse 3. How great is their folly and misery who keep at a distance from Christ Ioh. 5.40 Our Saviour mentions it as the highest folly in the Jews You will not come unto me that you might have life There is in Christ the life of justification to free us from that eternal death to which the Law sentences us The life of sanctification to free us from that spiritual death under which our apostacy hath brought us There is in him an Alsufficient fulnesse for the repairing of all our losses And are these mercies not worthy the coming for The Apostle puts the very Emphasis of the Heathens misery in this Ephes 2.12 that they are without Christ and therefore without hope And what is their misery Shall any of us make our choice Vse 1. Of Exhortation Let it be your care that Christ may be All to you 't is no small nor is it any common priviledge Many there are who live without Christ Ephes 2.12 Others to whom All that is in Christ is so far from being to their salvation that it only aggravates their destruction He that is to some the chief corner stone 1 Pet. 2.6 8. is to others no better than a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence This was prophesied of Christ This childe shall be for the fall and rising again of many in Israel There 's no mercy so eminently good Luk. 2.34 but through our corruptions it may become an occasion of evil Christ himself the greatest of mercies that ever God vouchsafed to creatures is yet so far from saving some from their sins that he only encreases their sin Ioh. 15.22 If I had not come and spoke unto them they had not had sin but now they have no cloak for their sin Those who enjoyed the Ministry of Christ in his own person and were not wrought upon thereby all their sins would comparatively have been a kind of innocence had they not discovered such an height of obstinacy 't is therefore no common priviledge But what should we do that it may be ours Take these few Directions 1. Labour to get your judgements setled in the belief of this great truth That all things in the world are a very nothing without Christ That you are poor in the midst of worldly riches and miserable in the midst of all earthly happinesse while you remain in your estrangements from Christ And that of all kind of poverty and misery this is the worst because it is in those spirituall blessings wherein consists both our present and future happinesse 'T is but little those persons understand of their great concernments that can with that Gospel-fool think themselves sufficiently provided for in the things of this world and say to their souls as he to his Soul Luk. 12.19 thou hast goods laid up for many years eat drinke and be merry Dost thou know thou livest in this world upon the very brink of eternity And dost thou know whether there be more than one step between thee and another world 1 Sam. 20.2 And canst thou take up with any thing on this side Christ it is an argument you know but little of your own concernments Some of the grosser Platonists thought the world to be a great Animal and the soul which acted it was God now if the soul be departed from the body what is it but a meer carkasse without life Christ is the very life and soul of all our comforts and without him all our creature-enjoyments are but as so many cyphers without a figure which have no significancy in them but are as so many nothings Nothing in respect of true comfort here nothing in respect of your preparations for another world Labour therefore through the glasse both of Scripture and experience to behold all the excellencies of this world as so many bladders filled with wind and at best to be like Hagars Bottle which was soon empty Gen. 21.15 or as broken Cisterns Cisterns and therefore cannot hold much broken Cisterns and therefore cannot hold what they have long Ier. 2.13 And withall let it be your wisdome to look upon Christ as that everlasting Fountain of all good which can never be drawn dry as that never failing Spring of all those blessings which will not onely sweeten every condition here but go with us beyond death and the grave Such fixed apprehensions of these things will be singularly usefull to engage our souls in an earnest pursuit after Christ Psal 63.8 or in the Psalmists words to follow hard after him and 't is his promise that they that come to him he will in no wise cast out Joh. 6.37 2. Be speedy in casting out those inmates which because they are unmeet companions for Christ 1 Sam. 5.4 Amos 3.3 may hinder his taking possession of your souls The Ark and Dagon could not stand together in the same room but if the Ark stands Dagon falls Can two walk together except they be agreed Christ and our corruptions are at no agreement these two cannot dwell together under the same roof If you would have Christ to take up his abode in your hearts you must prepare a place for him Psal 132.4 5. It was said of David he would neither give sleep to his eyes nor slumber to his eye-lids till he had found out an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. The souls of most men are so crowded with other guests that the best entertainment they can afford Christ is but such as he found in his first entrance into the world an out-room a stable a manger But let it be your care to renounce communion with all things that might hinder your communion with him Psal 45.10 11. to forget thy own people and thy Fathers house so shall the King greatly desire thy beauty so not otherwayes he will have no rivals no competitors not a part of our heart but all 3. Be willing to accept of Christ upon his own termes there can be no termes hard on which we may gain an interest in him Matth. 16.24 The great and main condition is Self-denial together with a full resignation of our selves to him and self-denial if duely considered is the greatest self-advantage 1. Because he calls us not to deny our selves in any thing that is truly for our spiritual good or at least so far as 't is for our good 2. Though he calls us to deny our selves in many outward good things yet 't is not so much to part with them as to exchange them for what is better 3. The main objects of self-denial are those things which 't is our priviledge to be freed from no reason therefore to be offended at such termes as these to resign up our mistaken judgements to the guidance of infinite Wisdome our corrupt wills to his most holy and gracious will 1 Joh. 5.3 Psal 119.151 172.
common modell but suiting the particular occasion now before him He blesseth God for making such an impression upon the hearts of the people as moved them to offer and after this sort to offer so cheerfully so generously from ver 10 to 18. and beseecheth God still to keep their hearts in such a temper to make this holy impression durable and abiding ver 18. O Lord God of Abraham c. keep this for ever in the imaginations c. Where we have the inforcement of the petition and the matter of it It is inforced from the Covenant of God by vertue of which he was the God of Abraham Isaac and Israel and had laid an obligement on himself to have a gracious respect to their posterity hence this expression is frequently used being no small incouragement to the faithfull to pray for covenant-Covenant-mercies and to pray in faith The matter of the Petition that which he prayes for is that the effect which his words had upon the people might be durable and continuing that the efficacy thereof might abide upon their souls and every part thereof that it might sink into the depths of their hearts and stick fast there that it might pierce through their fancies and imaginations into their mind and thoughts and through their thoughts into their hearts and affections that the Lord would continue it there and continue it long there even for ever David was apprehensive what a slippery and inconstant thing the heart of man is how like a deceitfull bow to which he elsewhere compares it how apt to slacken on a suddain when it hath been bended to any good inclinations or resolutions by the power of the Word or any other Ordinance What an unhappy womb it is how ordinarily holy motions miscarry before the heart hath gone out its full time with them What danger there was least their righteousnesse which now made such a flourishing appearance might prove like the morning cloud or the early dew And therefore having raised their hearts to so good a posture he takes the best course to fix them there His words having had a powerfull influence upon their souls he useth the best means to render it durable and abiding Hence Observe The people of God should endeavour to keep the influence of the Ordinances abiding upon their souls Doctr. I must not prosecute this Doctrine in the usuall method but mention it only as leading us to the Practical Case at this time to be resolved A conscientious hearer observing what his duty is will be presently inquisitive how he may performe it the duty is made known in the Observation the inquiry is in the Case before us What must be done that the influences of the Ordinances may abide upon us By the Ordinances we understand those principally which are publick the Word Sacraments and Prayer The Text and this exercise leads us to have a more special respect to the Word which we shall a little observe but so as not to exclude the rest By the influence of the Ordinances is ment the effect they have upon us while we are imployed in them their gracious or comforting efficacy that which tends to make our hearts and lives more holy or more comfortable that whereby our souls are quickned strengthned restored or refreshed By its abiding on us understand the continuance of this effect after the duty is done that so the Ordinances of God be not like those humane Ordinances the Apostle speaks of which perish in the using Col. 2.20 22. If you would have it stated clearly and more at large take it thus What course must we take that the gracious and comforting efficacy of publick Ordinances may not onely reach us while we are imployed in them but may continue on us afterwards so as we may walk under the sense and power thereof all along To resolve this without further preamble the course you must take for this purpose lies in the practice of some things and the avoiding of others The things to be practised take notice of in these severals 1. Get new hearts and get them daily more and more renewed an old heart is a heart of stone Ezek. 11.19 and the hardnesse of it is not removed but by degrees Now that which will sink deep into a tender heart a heart of flesh Ezek. 36.26 will glide off from an old heart as water from a stone without leaving any impression and where none is left none can continue The good seed which fell on stony ground it sprang up indeed but it continued not it withered away as soon as it sprang up Luk. 8.6 but they which with an honest and good heart heard the word they kept it and brought forth fruit with patience i. e. with persevarence ver 15. the fruitfull influences of the word abode upon them A good and honest heart not onely hears the word but kesps it not onely brings forth fruit but persists so doing The more tender humble and spirituall the heart is the more spirituall fruit and advantage doth it reap from the Ordinances and the longer doth it continue in possession of those advantages the lesse the soul is renewed the more resistance doth it offer to the Ordinances and the more they are resisted the weaker is their efficacy and the lesse their efficacy is the lesse while doth it continue A heart throughly sanctified is to the Ordinances like tinder which soon takes fire and is apt to keep it till it be forced out whereas a carnall unmortified heart is like green wood whose moistnesse giving check to the activity of the fire is not soon kindled and will soon go out if it be not well lookt too Naturalists observe that transmutation is easie in symbolicall elements such as agree in some prime qualities water is more easily turned into ayr than into fire A holy and spirituall heart will be easily wrought on by holy and spirituall Ordinances for here is an agreement in qualities and the more agreement the lesse opposition and the lesse the opposition is the more easily will it be mastered the power of the Ordinances will more easily both take place and keep possession Holinesse makes the soul both receptive and retentive of holy impressions Make it but your great businesse to grow every day more holy and it will not be so hard a matter to have the Ordinances work effectually on you or to have their efficacy continue with you 2. Labour to be much affected with the Ordinances while you are imployed in them Sleight impressions will be soon worn out and weak influences will quickly spend themselves and vanish If the Ordinances have but little effect upon you while you are under them it is not like to last long for that which is little is near to nothing and that which is so near to it may soon come to nothing It is not enough that your hearts be a little warmed but they must burn within you Luk. 24.32 while Christ is speaking to