the Beasts of the Field the Fowl of the Air and the Fish of the Sea and whatever passeth through the paths of the Seas How easie is it for him to provide things of this nature who has so much who has all of them in his own keeping But far better Blessings than these he has in his hand to bestow and of the best Blessings he is most liberal When we knock at his door we should remember how rich he is whose all things are and that this Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him Rom. 10. 12. 4. God is Lord Redeemer of his People and a mighty Lord indeed he shews himself in the Redemption of them Jer. 50. 34. Their Redeemer is strong the Lord of Hosts is his Name he shall thorowly plead their cause that he may give rest to them Redemption supposes that redeemed ones were enslaved lost and under a Curse To redeem must needs be granted an high act of Mercy and Grace and of force and might likewise The Lord is a Redeemer by Power and Conquest he throws down the Dominion of Sin demolishes its strongest holds he thrusts Mammon out of the Throne of the heart he treads Satan under his Peoples feet in a Sense also he is a Redeemer by Commutation God became Man that he might stand in Man's room suffer in Man's nature and be Man's Surety and Saviour And he redeems by paying a price and that the Price might be of infinite value he gave no less than himself for those whom he has redeemed 1 Cor. 6. 20. Ye are not your own for yea are bought with a price therefore glorifie God which bought you in your Body and in your Spirit which are Gods And in Gal. 2. 20. He loved me says the Apostle and gave himself for me The Prey and the Captives are delivered out of the hands of that terrible Enemy the Prince of Darkness Believers are redeemed from the Curse of the Law by him who was made Flesh Sin and a Curse for them They may triumph indeed because the first death is unstung the Grave has lost its Victory and none of them shall be seized and hurt by the second death This Lord Redeemer How should he be attended upon How should sinful and lost Souls before they are lost past recovery being sensible of their danger come flocking to him in great numbers flying as a Cloud and as Doves to their Windows 5. God is Lord and Law-giver and all are bound to obey those Laws he gives them His Laws are the best that ever were given In the keeping of these Laws lies true Goodness and Sin which is incomparably the foulest and most pernicious and worst of all Evils is a Transgression of these Laws which God has delivered to us How often in the New Testament do we read of the Kingdom of God! And Kingdom implies a King and Laws and that there are Subjects who must obey the one and the other The Cross of Christ excludes not Christians Sufferings but their Sufferings are not expiatory of Sin as his were and the Obedience of Christ excludes not Christians Obedience but his was meritorious theirs is not How strictly soever some may take the Gospel and say 't is all Promises I am sure the Gospel as it represents it self takes in Commands Christ is a King to be obeyed as well as a Propitiatory Sacrifice to be rested on and he is the Author of Salvation to all them that obey him and they that obey not the Gospel which shews it has Laws to be obeyed shall be punished with everlasting Destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Heb. 5. 9. 2 Thess 1. 8 9. Faith in Christ does not make Believers lawless nay the Apostle speaks with some vehemency Do we then make void the Law through Faith God forbid yea we establish the Law Rom. 3. 31. Indeed we are not under the Law i. e. under the Curse of the Law if we are true Believers nor under it as a Covenant Do this and live we are not to hope for Justification nor to fear Condemnation by it But the Law is a Rule which we are bound to act and walk according to and unto this Rule our Hearts and Lives with great Care and Conscience should be conformed And that these Laws may be the better observed the Lord and Law-giver must be more eyed He takes notice whether we yield Obedience and is most ready to assist us to obey And he should always be set before us both as our Observer and our Helper too Psal 16. 8. I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved 6. God is Lord who has power to save and to destroy James 4. 12. There is one Law-giver who is able to save and to destroy Who art thou that judgest another He has the power of Life and Death Death that is eternal Life that is everlasting He is the Lord of Hosts all Creatures are at his command and beck and are ready either to be the Executioners of his Wrath or to serve him in his gracious purposes and pleasure He is that mighty God who lifts up his hand to Heaven and says I live for ever I kill and I make alive I wound and I heal neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand Deut. 32. 39 40. All sorts of Life are from God that of Nature Grace and Glory He can raise those that attend upon him from the brink of the Grave and rescue them out of the very jaws of Death Psal 30. 2 3. O Lord my God I cried unto thee and thou hast healed me O Lord thou hast brought up my Soul from the Grace thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down into the Pit 2 Cor. 1. 9 10. We had the Sentence of Death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God who raiseth the Dead who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us God is he who quickens and makes those Spiritually alive that were dead in sins and trespasses He reverses the Sentence of Death which the Law had passed upon them gives them a new Life and Nature and inables them to walk in newness of Life 'T is a mighty Voice attended with his powerful Spirit which raises the Dead in sin and makes them live to God John 5. 25. Verily verily I say unto you the hour is coming and now is when the Dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live And when this Spiritual Life is wrought 't is really eternal Life in the Seed and Blossom and into eternal Life at length it shall be ripened and perfected The sanctifying Grace of the Spirit is likened unto water because 't is of a cleansing refreshing and fructifying nature and this Grace shall still be acting and
upon them that we may take heed of being like them 2. Distraction is a Fault that is most easily incurred as the Leaves of some Trees waver with the least stirring of the Wind so the Mind of Man is apt to waver and discover its natural Instability when Corruption stirs within or Satan endeavours to put the Heart into Disorder How far may the Heart if it be not strictly watched start of a sudden as far as the East is from the West nay as far as Earth is from Heaven 'T is natural to the Soul to lift up it self to Vanity This is intimated plainly by the Psalmist when he describes the acceptable Attendant on God to be one that hath not lift up his Soul to Vanity Psal 24. 4. By Vanity we may understand Idols which are called by that Name or the Vanities of this World which the Heart is so prone to gad and rove after even when Duties of the greatest Importance are performing and which ought to be performed with the greatest Fixedness of Thought and Seriousness imaginable 3. The longer the Distraction is it is the worse A Heart which is truly good and honest may be seized on by Distraction before it is aware The evil one may step into the Chariot and begin to drive it away from God deceitful Sin may suddenly arise in the Soul and begin to disturb and defile it But when this is quickly observed and the wakeful Conscience checks the Heart and the upright Heart is glad of the Admonition and presently checks it self and immediately returns to its Lord and to its Work and Duty Satan misses his Aim and the Duty shall not be lost The Soul which follows hardest after God may sometimes stumble but if assoon as 't is down 't is up again and runs the faster This running will not be in vain But when Distraction continues for a great while it argues the Conscience is not so vigilent and faithful as it should be in that it does not correct these vagrant Thoughts which come into the Mind There is a Fault also in the Heart that it can so patiently endure such vain Guests to lodge in it for so long a time before they are turned out of doors The Psalmist says that his Spirit made diligent Search Psal 77. 6. A Spirit that does so will quickly take notice of these roving Imaginations and there is an endeavour to thrust them out assoon as they are found out But if there is a Carelessness and too great a Connivance at these Wandrings though the Soul may not be quite dead in Sin yet there is much of a Spiritual Lethargy and Sleepiness which is the Image of spiritual Death 4. If Distractions in holy Duties are ordinarily allowed of they argue the Heart not right with God When the Heart is constantly absent from Ordinances and does not care to be better inclined and disposed to them when it willingly is at Mammon's and Satan's Command even then when the Body draws nigh to God and there is a Lip-honour and Service given to him this argues plainly that the Heart is unrenewed and remains alienated and estranged from the Lord. The Heart must needs be still carnal and wicked and Enmity against God that is like the eyes of Fools in the End of the Earth Prov. 17. 24. When things above should be sought and Heaven should be minded These things being premised I shall tell you what Distraction in attending upon God is in in these Particulars 1. The Heart is distracted in this Attendance when its Thoughts are impertinent and vain These kind of Thoughts may well be called Legion for they are many They are like the Motes in the Sun or the Bubbles in the Water on a rainy Day innumerable These Thoughts hover about the Minds of the best when they engage in holy Duties and will presently intrude if they are not kept out with a very strict Guard But where they are entertained they draw off the Heart from the Work in hand and the Lord sees it and is displeased Psal 94. 11. The Lord knoweth the Thoughts of Man that they are Vanity and Impertinency is not the smallest part of this Vanity Vain Man is compared to a wild Ass's Colt Job 11. 12. The Silliness of that Creature and its Frisks and Motions to little purpose are a fit Representation of the Mind of Man and of its foolish Sallies and Vagaries in the Lord's Service Who has not reason to cry out with the Psalmist Psal 69. 5. O God thou knowest my Foolishness and my Sins are not hid from thee If in the Performance of holy Duties the Tongue should fall a talking of some other matter and idle and vain Discourse should proceed out of the Lips this would be a scandalous Distraction that others might take notice of Now thinking is the Minds speaking and the Heart-searcher can and does more easily take notice when the Mind thinks impertinently than we can observe when the Tongue speaks so 2. The Heart is distracted when in religious Duties its Thoughts are wicked and vile Our Lord who well knew what is in Man tells us Mat. 15. 19. Out of the Heart of Man proceed evil Thoughts These are the first bad Offspring and the greatest Wickedness that is acted begins with them How great was Man's Wickedness upon Earth When God saw that every Imagination of the Thoughts of his Heart was only evil continually Gen. 6. 5. If Thoughts are evil continually they don't cease to be evil when Duties of Religion are engaged in When proud Thoughts or wanton filthy Thoughts or worldly Thoughts or envious malicious and revengeful Thoughts or any other wicked Imaginations have place in the Heart These as Swarms of noisome Flies corrupt Mens Services and make their Sacrifices unto God to become abominable By these the Mind does not only wander from God but is alienated and estranged from him The Heart is in Hell while the Eyes are looking up to Heaven and the Tongue is speaking to the God that dwells there When a Man with an Heart full of such sinful Thoughts approaches unto God how loathsome must he needs be unto his pure and piercing Eye The Lord beholds and knows him afar off Psal 138. 6. And indeed what Fellowship can there be between Holiness and Pollution It s much more unbecoming and dangerous for such an one to approach the Presence of God than it would be for the foulest Leper with the nastiest Garments to come before the greatest Emperor upon the Face of the Earth 3. The Heart is distracted in attending on God When hellish Injections are entertained Satan sheweth his deep and inveterate Enmity against God in these blasphemous Injections and he creates a very troublesome Disturbance to us in the Lord's Service he has fiery Darts whereby he does endeavour to cause Hell Fire in our Consciences by dispairing Agonies and Horrours And blasphemous Thoughts are like fiery Bombs which he shoots into our Souls to put
us into Disorder in our Duties and utterly out of Frame Sometimes this wickedly bold and foul and wretched Spirit will give the vilest Names to the blessed God which are given to the worst of Men. Sometimes he will say that divine Favour and Fury are both contemptible and as if he were a mere Idol that 't is not in him to do good or to do evil Zeph. 1. 12. whereas indeed penal Evils are all from him Amo. 3. 6. Shall there be evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it And the Psalmist tells Psal 33. 5. He loves Righteousness and Judgment the Earth is full of the Goodness of the Lord. Sometimes Satan will deny the Providence of God and say how doth God know And is there Knowledge in the most high As if he did not regard Men or their Ways but that all things in this World fall out either according to blind Chance or fatal Necessity whereas the Psalmist with great Force and Evidence of Reason argues Psal 94. 9 10. He that planted the Ear shall he not hear He that formed the Eye shall he not see He that teacheth Man Knowledge shall not he know Nay sometimes this evil one though himself believes a God and trembles before him yet will inject atheistical Thoughts and confidently deny the very Being of a God that he may discourage all Religion and Application to him Whereas the Heavens declare the Glory of the Lord and as the Light of the Sun is evident so it is evident there is a God by whom that Sun was made and all things visible besides Finally this lying Spirit will bear in with great Violence blasphemous Falshoods against the Word and Gospel of Jesus Christ Christ was manifested to destroy the Works of the Devil and the Devil will endeavour to hinder the Word of Christ from being believed though God himself did bear witness to the Truth of this Word both with Signs and Wonders and with divers Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own Will Heb. 2. 4. and miraculous Operations of Grace cease not to this Day When a blind Mind is made to see when an Heart of Stone is turned into an Heart of Flesh when the dead in Sin are made alive to God and Righteousness is their Practice and their Conversation is in Heaven all this shews a divine Efficacy in the Word and its divine Authority and most certain Truth These hellish Injections must by no means have an undisturbed Abode in the Mind for if they have they will cut the Sinews of all religious Endeavours They will damp the Affections dead the Heart and eat out all manner of gracious Inclinations and Purposes These blasphemous Injections shew that there is a Devil for even Nature as bad as it is will rise against some vile Thoughts which he casts in and he is an Enemy to God to Righteousness to the Souls of Men and as great a Lyar as an Enemy therefore he is not at all to be credited but his Wickedness and Falshoods to be abhorred 4. The Heart is distracted when though its Thoughts are good they are unseasonable A good Thought becomes a bad one when 't is entertained at a time that is not proper for it If when we are confessing Sin a Thought good for the matter of it arises that is utterly alien that draws the Mind away from thinking of Sin and that has no Tendency to humble and break the Heart for it This Thought by its Unseasonableness becomes evil If when we are Petitioning for Mercy a good Thought should intrude and make us forget what we are doing and we neither mind what we are asking nor to whom we are speaking A good Thought in this Case causes a sinful Distraction Solomon says that every thing is beautiful in its time Eccles 3. 11. A Word spoken in due season how good is it And as Words so Thoughts are the better the more seasonable they are If the subtle Serpent cannot divert the Mind from the Duty performing by bad Thoughts he will endeavour to do it by good ones If when hearing the Word preached we fall a reading the Scripture to our selves or our Minds are upon a Piece of a Sermon hat we heard at another time and the Truths that are propounding and the Duties that are pressing are not at all regarded Alas we are but too much like the very high way ground and the Seed is catched away assoon as sown 5. The Heart is distracted when the Mind and Judgment are so carnal and perverted as to esteem earthly things above spiritual and eternal When our Lord says The Light of the Body is the Eye Mat. 6. 22. He intimates that what the Eye is to the Body the Judgment is to the Soul and indeed to the whole Man If the Judgment be rectified and apprehends things aright the actings of the Soul will be the better but if the Judgment be darkened and does not discern between Truth and Falshood between good and evil between Substance and Shaddows the Soul must needs wander away from God and lose it self quickly When the Judgment is perverted there is a very wicked Distraction of Mind for the Judgment gives Sentence against God and for the Creature as if a Portion in this Life were more worthy to be chosen and secured than an Inheritance that is eternal It was said to the rich Man in Hell Son remember thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things Luke 16. 25 They are called his good things because his mistaking Mind apprehended them to be the good things indeed and the best things of all were not in his Judgment so good as these How can the natural Man chuse but be distracted in all his Duties he performs to God since his darkened Mind thinks such Duties unprofitable and that the things of God are Foolishness 1 Cor. 2. 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are Foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 6. The Heart is distracted when the Will and Affections withdraw from God and fasten upon Vanity A false Judgment being past no wonder that a foolish Choice is made This is an ill distraction indeed When the Biass of the Will turns away from God and it refuses to be subject to him though the best Lord and cares as little to enjoy him as to obey him The Lord observed and complained of this Psal 81. 11. My People would none of me He offered no less than himself to them who is so infinitely desirable who was so alsufficient and able to fulfil their Desires in whom the truest Delight was to be found yet this greatest and best Offer was contemned And when the Heart and Affections are thus denyed to God how are they bestowed Pleasures are loved more than God and even in his House and when there is an external Service yielded the Heart goeth after its Covetousness Ezek.