Pharaoh in the overthrow of Gods people saith he Let us work wisely How wisely they were overthrown and drowned themselves their wisdome brought them into the middest of the Sea Consider the vanity of earthly things And then consider how just it is with God to crosse them either in their own time as the rich fool in the Gospel when he had riches for many yeares This night shall they take away thy soul. That we may not walk according to the false rules of fleshly wisdome let us oft think of these things And to adde another thing out of the Text You see here that S. Paul rejoyced in this That his conscience could witnesse that he had not walked in fleshly wisdome so if you do not walk according to the rules of fleshly wisdome you shall have this benefit your conscience shall glory in it To make it clear to you Take in your thoughts a Politician upon his Death-bed that hath striven so much for riches that hath striven to root himself by policy to attain to such and such places to obtain his pleasure and delights in the world what glory what comfort hath he in this There is nothing more opposite to comfort then plotting for as I said before when I spake of simplicity the more will there is the more deliberation and plotting there is in sin the more is the sin because it is done cooly as we say so of all persons usually if their wits be their own the greatest plotters die most desperately For then their conscience tells them that they have set their wits on the rack to do this mischief and that mischief and here his comfort is cooled his peace of conscience is broken What comfort can there be when that which he sinned for that which he broke the peace of his conscience for that is gone and he must be taken and hurried away from that but the wound of conscience the crack of conscience that remains for ever when he shall think That for which I sinned is vanished but my terrour abides for ever A man therefore that walks after the rules of fleshly wisdome he can never say with S. Paul I rejoyce But on the contrary let a man be able to witnesse to himself as S. Paul could At such a time my fleshly subtle wisdome would have discouraged me from doing good and the wisdome of flesh and blood in others would have discouraged me from reforming such and such abuses but I knew it was my duty and I did it here now is comfort At such a time I was moved to such evil by flesh and blood in my self or perhaps in others as a man shall never want the Devil in his friends the Devil comes to us in our nearest friends but I had the grace to withstand it I was not led by such and such ruleâ—… by my acquaintance or by my own devices but I had grace to resist such motions What a wondrous comfort is this There is nothing so sharp in conflict as this To resist Carnal wisdome it is the shrewdest temptation that is from carnal wisdome and as the Temptation is the strongest so the comfort is answerable When Jezabel shall be offered with her inticements with her colours with her paint and a man can dash her in pieces and cast her out of the window when a man can maintain sincerity and honesty what a comfort is this The greater and stronger the temptation is that is resisted the more is the comfort when we come to yield our soules to God when we come to our account Therefore be not discouraged when you are set upon by Carnal wisdome by strong reasons of others or subtle reasons of your own is it against the rule is it against Conscience is it against the Word withstand it that which is sharpest in the conflict will be sweetest in the comfort Again if so be that Carnal fleshly worldly wisdome for it is all one for the flesh is led by the world and both coâ—…spire together and hold correspondence to betray the soul if it be such an enemy that it hinders our joy and comfort and that it ever we will joâ—… we must not be led by carnal wisdome Then we ought in our daily courses to repent not onely of grosse sins but to repent even of carnal devices and carnal designs Why It is the motion and the counsel of Gods enemâ—… and of our enemy therefore as Davia Psalr 37. and Psal 7â—… when fleshly wisdome did suggest to him carnal motions oâ—… doubting of the providence of God that he began to think well of the waies of the wicked that they prospered that were led altogether by fleshly wisdome he censures himself it is the drift of both Psalmes So foolish was I and as a beast before thee As indeed Man is a beast by his own knowledge as Jeremy saith For all carnal men sympathize either with beasts in base lusts or else with Devils in politick lusts either they are like Devils subtle or like beasts brutish in all their courses Therefore when any base thought opposite to the Majestie of God and his Truth and to the Spirit of God moving our hearts ariseth in our hearts think This is the motion of mine enemy of an enemy that lurks in my bosome of Godsenemy of a Traitor let us renounce it and be abased and censure our selves for it as holy David did So foolish was I c. Crush all thoughts and devices of carnal wisdome in the beginning We see that the Godly they ought not nor do not lead their lives by fleshly wisdome nay take it in the best sense take it for the rules of reason they do not lead their lives altogether by the light of nature but only in those things wherein the light of nature and reason may be a Judge For the light of reason the principle of reason is given us as a candle in the dark night of this world to lead us in Civil and in common actions and it hath its use but yet natural reason it becomes carnal reason in a man that is carnal All things are impure to him that is impure even his very light is darknesse Not that the light of nature and that reason which is a part of the Image of God is in it self evil it is good in it self but the vessel taints it Those that have great parts of learning that have great wits and helps of learning as much as may be what do they they trust in them and so they stain them Therefore Luther was wont to say Good works are good but to trust in good works is damnable So nature and reason and learning they are good in themselves but trusting in them they become carnal when a man neglects better rules for them when men scorn Religion as your Politicians usually do then naturall reason in regard of this tainture it becomes Carnal Not with fleshly wisdome or not with natural wisdom as it is a
assistance this is the disposition of a modest Christian. You see in Psal. 2. how the Psalmist there insults over those that threaten to do this and that Why do the Heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing c. against the Lord and against his anointed As if they would swallow up the Church and Christ the anointed why do they do this and that God that sits in heaven he laughes them to scorn You see the grounds of lightnesse so far forth as is needful I will name no more The way to prevent it may be in observing these grounds of constancy Especially this Stablish your thoughts with counsel for the time to come consult go not rashly and headlong about matters It is not with our common life as with those that run in a race for their swiftnesse gets all but in matters of government in Common-Wealth there the most staid get all those that weigh things and then execute upon mature deliberation that ripen things first and go not rawly and indeliberately about it this every man takes for granted but it is not thought on Then again labour to suppresse passion in any thing that comes from us speak nothing in passion for one of these things will follow If we execute it we are in danger for the things in passion and inconsiderately spoken if not we shall have the shame of being frustrate we undergo the shame of lightness that we speak that in our passion and heat that we retract after One of these inconveniencies will follow either you will do it and then it will be dangerous or you will not do it and then you will be ashamed a fit reward of rashnesse God gives us passions to be guided and ruled and not to rule us they are good servants and onely servants that should be raised up and stirred up onely when reason and judgment raiseth them and not otherwise But to go on Another cure of this rashnesse is holy dependance on God by prayer and by faith to commit our wayes to him our thoughts to him for the time to come leave all to him entertain nothing wherein we cannot expect his gracious assistance the best Christian is the most dependant Christian. That is the first thing the Apostle declines What is the second thing Or the things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh They thought he was a Politician as this is the lot of Gods Children sometimes if so be that God hath given them parts either of nature or breeding carnal devillish men that are led altogether by plots themselves esteem them by themselves The things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh He propounds this interrogatory to their conscience not idly but he knew that they had a prejudice in them by his corrivals false Apostles therefore he labours to wipe away that imputation likewise that he did not purpose and consult of things according to the flesh What is flesh here Flesh is the unregenerate part of man whereof fleshly wisdome is the chief for that guides the old man that is the eye of old Adam Carnall wisdome it is the fleshes counsellour in all things therefore especially he means that But why is it called flesh For many reasons among many this is one that the soul so far as it is sinful it is led with things that are fleshly that are outward and thereupon a man is called flesh and the soul it self is called flesh because it cleaves in its affections and desires to earthly things And because the poor understanding now which ruled all and should rule all is become an underling to the carnal will and carnal lusts Therefore it self is called flesh likewise The wisdome of the flesh is enmity with God For now it is swayed even which way carnal fancy and opinion and the flesh lead it The reason is it is betwixt God and heavenly things and betwixt earthly things And if it were in its right original as it came out of Gods hands being a Spirit it should be led by God and by Gods Spirit and Gods Truth by better things then it self as every infirm thing is guided by that which is better then it self as brute creatures are guided by men and weaker persons by Magistrates that are or should be better but now since the fall without Grace renew a man the understanding part of mans soul instead of lighting its candle from heaven it often lights it from hell and is ruled by Satan himself and takes advice even from things meaner then it self and plots and projects altogether for things worse then it self It was not given for that end God knows that give it this soul of ours to proul for earthly things for the ease and honour and profits and pleasures of the world That excellent Jewel that all the world is not worth it was not given for that end no it was given to attain a higher end then this world to attain communion with God but now since the fall it is thus with it that it is a slave Carnal wit is a slave to carnal will and that carnal will is drawn by carnal affections affections draw the will and the will drawes the wit and makes it plot and devise for that which it stands for for carnall lusts and affections which whet the wit that way therefore the whole soul is called flesh even reason it self And hereupon wicked men are called the world why the world because they are led with the things of the world with the guise and fashion of the world A man in the language of the Scripture is termed by that which he cleaves to therefore if the heart and soul cleave to the flesh and the things of the flesh it is flesh if it be led with the world and the things of the world it is called the world Wicked men are the world because the best thing in them is the love of worldly things and their wit is for worldly things all the inward parts of their soul are spent upon worldly things therefore they are called flesh and the world And sometimes Satan himself a man as far as he is carnal is called Satan yea good men Go after me Satan saith Christ to Peter A man as far as he yields to any thing he is named from that which he yields to when fleshly things rule a man he is called flesh when worldly things rule him profits and pleasures a man is the world when a man yields to Satan he is Satan This should make us take heed by whom we are led under whose government we come Saith S. Paul Do I purpose according to the flesh that is according to the profits and pleasures and honours which the flesh looks after are those my advisers my intelligencers my counsellours in the things I take in hand what may make for my honour my pleasure my estate my worldly ease here No saith he I
favour and grace of great persons alway And as the favourable aspect of the heavens upon inferiour bodies promiseth good things and men promise themselves from that favour and good so the favour and grace of God enlarge the soul with joy and comfort And there is that measure of joy in those that are in the free favour of God that they will honour God freely to cast themselves upon his mercy And it is with a disesteem of all things in the World besides it is such a joy as works in the soul a base esteem of all things else St. Paul esteemed all drosse in comparison of the knowledge of Christ and the favour of God in Christ. So in Psal. 4. David saith of some There be many that will say who will shew us any good any good it is no matter but saith the Holy Spirit in David Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me He goes to prayer he saith not who will shew us any good it is no matter what or how we come by it any earthly good worldly men desire No saith he Lord shew us the light of thy countenance he desires that above all things So he saith Psal. 3. The loving kindnesse of the Lord is better then life it self Life is a sweet thing the sweetest thing in the World but the grace and favour of God is better then that For in this when all comforts fail the Children of God have assurance that neither life nor death nor things present nor things to come nor any thing can separate us from the love of God in Christ which shews it self better then life it self When life fails this favour shall never fail Nothing shall be able to separate us from the favour of God in Christ it is an everlasting favour and therefore everlasting because it is free if it were Originally in us it would fail when we fail but it is an everlasting favour because it is free God hath founded the cause of love to us in himself so much for that Grace be unto you And peace All that I will say of peace in this place is this to shew That True peace issues from Grace It is to be had thence Peace we take here for that sweet peace with God and peace of conscience and likewise peace with all things when all things are peaceable to us when there is a sweet successe in all businesse with a security in a good estate It is a blessed thing when we know that all will be well with us This quiet and peaceable estate issues from grace peace of conscience especially I observe it the rather It hath been the errour of the world to seek peace where it is not to seek peace in Sanctification to seek it in the work of Grace within a man Not to speak of worldly men that seek peace in outward contentments in recreations in friends and the like alas it is a poore peace But I speak of Religious persons that are of a higher straine they have sought peace but not high enough True peace must be selected from Grace the free favour in Christ. This will quiet and still the clamours of an accusing conscience God reconciled in Christ will pacifie the conscience nothing else will do it For if our chief peace were fetched from sanctification as many fetch it thence in error of judgment alas the conscience would be dismaid and alwaies doubt whether it had sanctification enough or no. Indeed sanctication and grace within is required as a qualification to shew that we are not Hypocrites but are in the state and covenant of Grace it is not required as a foundation of comfort but as a qualification of the persons to whom comfort belongs Therefore David and St. Paul and the rest that knew the true power and efficacy of the Gospel they sought for peace in the grace and free favour of God Let us lay it up to put it in practise in the time of dissolution in the time of spiritual conflict in the time when our consciences shall be awakened and perhaps upon the rack and Satan will be busie to trouble our peace that we may shut our eyes to all things below and see God shining on in Christ that we may see the favour of God in Christ by whose death and passion he is reconciled to us and in the Grace and free favour of God in Ghrist we shall see peace enough It is true likewise besides peace of conscience of all other peace peace of successe and peace of state that all creatures and all conditions are peacable to us whence is it It is from Grace for God being reconciled he reconciles all when God himself is ours all is ours when he is turned all is turned with him when he becomes our father in Christ and is at peace with us all are at peace besides so that all conditions all estates all creatures they work for our good It is from hence when God is turned all are turned with him He being the God of the creature that sustaines and upholds the creature in whom the creature hath his being and working he must needs therefore turn it for the good of them that are in covenant with him All that are joyned in covenant with him he fills them with peace because they are in Grace with him This should stir up our hearts above all things in the world to pray for Grace to get Grace to empty our selves of self-confidence that we may be vessels for Grace to make Grace our plea to magnifie the Grace of God We must never look in this world for a peace altogether absolute that is reserved for heaven our peace here is a troubled peace God will have a distinction between heaven and earth But when our peace is interrupted when the waters are come into our souls what must be our course when we would have peace go to Grace go to the free promise of Grace in Christ. Grace and Peace From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The spring of Grace and peace are here mentioned After the Preface he comes to the Argument which he intends and begins with blessing One part of the scope of this blessed Apostle is to avoid the scandall of his sufferings for he was a man of sorrows if ever man was next Christ who was a true man of sorrow the blessed Apostle was a man of miseries and sorrow Now weake shallow Christians thought him to be a man diserted of God they thought it was impossible for God to regard a man so forlorn so despicable as this man was What doth he before he comes to other matters he wipes away this imputation and cleers this scandal You lay my crosses and sufferings and disgraces in the world to my shame it is your weakness that which you account my shame is a matter of praise I am so farre from being disheartned or discouraged from what I suffer that Blessed be God the Father of
from us he takes occasion from our sins but he is merciful from his own bowels he is good from himself we provoke him to be severe and just therefore be we never so miserable in regard of sin and the fruits of sin yet he is the Father of mercy of free mercy mercy from himself mercy pleaseth him Micah 7. he is delighted in it Now that which is natural comes easily as water from the fountain comes without violence and heat from the fire comes without any violence because it is natural A Mother pitties her child because it is natural there is a sweet instinct of nature that moves and pricks forward nature to that affection of love that she bears to her child So it is with God it is nature in him to be merciful to his because they are his Mercy is his nature we are his we being his his nature being merciful he will be merciful to all that are his to such as repent of their sins and lay hold of his mercy by a true faith His word shewes likewise his mercy there is not one attribute set down more in Scripture then mercy it is the name whereby he will be known Exod. 34. where he describes it and tells us his name what is the name of God his long suffering and mercy c. there is a long description of of God in that place David in Psal. 3. besides that which is in every Prophet almost hath the fame description of God to comfort Gods people in his time in Psal. 86. 103. 145. there is the same description of God as there is in Moses he is merciful and long suffering c. he describes himself to be so and his promises are promises of mercy At what time soever a sinner repents and without limitation of sins all sins shall be forgiven the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin If there be no limitation of persons whomsoever of sins whatsoever or of time whensoever here is a ground that we should never despair God is the Father of mercies It is excellent that the Prophet hath in Isai. 55. 7. to prevent the thoughts of a dejected soul Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon I but I have abused mercy a long time I have lived in sin and committed great sins well notwithstanding that see how he answers it My thoughts are not your thoughts you are vindictive if a man offend you you are ready to aggravate the fault and to take revenge c. But my thoughts are not as your thoughts nor my wayes as your wayes saith the Lord for as far as the heaven is above the earth so are my thoughts above your thoughts and my wayes above your wayes We have narrow poor thoughts of mercy because we our selves are given to revenge and we are ready when we think of our sins to say can God forgive them can God be merciful to such c. My thoughts are not as your thoughts nor my wayes as your wayes It is good to consider this and it is a sweet meditation for the time undoubtedly will come that unlesse Gods mercy and Gods thoughts should be as him self is infinite unlesse his wayes should be infinitly above our wayes and his thoughts infinitly above ours in mercy certainly the soul would receive no comfort The soul of a Christian acquainted with the word of God knows that Gods mercy is as himself is infinite and his thoughts this way are as himself is infinite Therefore the Scripture sets down the mercies of God by all dimensions There is the depth of Wisedom but when he comes to speak of love and mercy as it is in Ephes. 3. Oh the depth and bredth and height of this Indeed for height it is higher then the heavens for depth it fetcheth the soul from the nether most-deep we have deep miserie out of the deep Icryed to thee yet notwithstanding his mercy is deeper then our misery O the depth of his mercy there is a depth of mercy deeper then any misery or rebellion of ours though we have sunk deep in rebellion And for the extent ofthem as I said before his mercy is over all his workes it extends to the utmost parts of the earth The scripture doth wonderfully enlarge his mercie beyond all dimensions whatsoever These things are to good purpose and it is a mercy to us that he sets forth himself in mercy in his word because the soul sometime or other when it is awakned as every one that God delights in is awakened first or last it needs all this it is all little enough God is merciful to those that are heavy laden that feel the burden of their sins upon their souls such as are touched with the sence of their sins God still meets them half way he is more ready to pardon then they are to ask mercy As we see in the prodigall when he had wasted all when he was as low as a man could be when he was come to huskes and when he had despised his fathers admonition yet upon resolution to return when he was stung with the sence of his sins his father meets him and entertains him he upbraids him not with his sin Take sin with all the aggravations we can yet if we repent and resolve uppon new courses there is comfort though we relapse into sin again and again if we must pardon 10. times 7. times as Christ saith certainly there cannot be more mercy in the Cistern then there is in the fountain there cannot be more mercy in us then there is in the Father of mercies as God is Take sin in the aggravations in the greatnesse of it Manasses sin Peters denying of his Master the thief on the crosse and Pauls persecution take sin as great as you will he is the father of mercies If we consider that God is infinite in mercy and that the scripture reveals him as the Father of mercies there is no question but there is abundance a world of comfort to any distressed soul that is ready to cast it self on Gods mercy For those that are converted that are in the state of Grace Is God the father of mercies Let this stir us up to imbrace mercy every day to live by mercy to plead mercy with God in our daily breaches to love and fear God because there is mercy with him that he might be feared It is a harder matter to make a daily sweet use of this then it is taken for Those that are the fittest subjects for mercy they think themselves furthest off from mercy Come to a broken soul who is catched in the snare whose conscience is on the rack he thinks alas there is no mercy for me I have been such a sinner God hath shewed me mercy before and now I have offended him again and again those that are the
shut but he keepes Court every day therefore Christ in the Gospel enjoynes us to go to God every day every day we say the Lords prayer forgive us our trespasses insinuating that the Court of mercy is kept every day to take out our pardon every day there is a pardon of course taken out At what time soever a sinner repents c. How shall we improve this mercy every day Do this when thou hast made a breach in thy conscience every day believe this that God is the Father of mercies and he may well be merciful now because he hath been sufficiently satisfied by the death of Christ He is the Father of Christ and the Father of mercies This do every day And withall consider our condition and estate is a state of dependance In him we live and move and have our being this will force us to mercie that he would hold us in the same estate we are in and go on with the work of grace that he would uphold us in health for that depends upon him that he would uphold us in peace for that depends upon him he is the God of peace that he would uphold us in comfort and strength to do good and resist evil we are in a dependant state and condition in all good of body and soul. He upholds the whole world and every particular let him take away his hand of merciful protection and susteining from us and we sink presently And every day consider how we are invironed with any danger remember we have compassing mercies as we have compassing dangers as it is Psal. 32. Mercy compasseth us round about Every day indeed we have need of mercie that is the way to have mercy here is a fountain of mercie the Father of mercy bowels opened the onely way to use it is to see what need we have of mercie and to flie to God to see what need we have in our souls and in regard of outward estate and to see that our condition is a dependant condition And lastly to make a use of thanfulnesse Blessed be God the Father of mercy we have the mercie of publick continued peace when others have war and their estates are consumed blessed be God the Father of mercie we sit under our own Vines and under our own figtrees If we have any personal mercies blessed be God the Father of mercies this way if he shew mercie to our souls and pardon our sins blessed be God the Father of mercies in this kind that he hath taken us and redeemed us out of that cursed estate that others walk in that are yet in their sins Oh it is a mercie and for this we should have inlarged hearts And withal consider the fearful estate of others that God doth not shew mercie to and this will make us thankfull As for instance if a man would be thankfull that hath a pardon let him see another executed that is broken upon the Wheele or the Rack or cut in pieces and tortured and then he will think I was in the same estate as this man is and I am pardoned Oh what a gratious Soveraign have I The consideration of the fearefull estate out of mercie what a fearefull estate those are in that live in sins against conscience that they are ready to drop into Hell when God strikes them with death if they dye so what a fearefull estate they are in and that God should give me pardon and grace to enter into another course of life that though I have not much grace yet I know it is true I am the child of God the consideration of the miserie of others in part in this world without repentance and especially what they shall suffer in Hell to consider the torment of the souls that are not in the state of Grace this will make us thankfull for mercies for pardoning and forgiving mercies for protecting mercies that God hath left thousands in the course of nature going on in a wilfull course of sinne This is that that the Apostle here practiseth Blessed be God the Father of mercies The other stile here is The God of all comfort The life of a Christian is a mysterie as in many respects so in this that whereas the flesh in him though he be not altogether flesh thinks him to be a man disconsolate the spirit finds matter of comfort and glory From whence the world begins discouragement and the flesh upbraiding from thence the spirit of God in holy Saint Paul begins matter of glory they thought him a man neglected of God because he was afflicted no saith he Blessed be the God of all comfort our comforts are above our discomforts As the wisdom of the flesh is enmitie to God and his spirit in all things so in this in the judgment of the cross for that which is bitterest to the flesh is sweetest to the spirit Saint Paul therefore opposeth his comforts spirituall to his disgraces outward and because it is unfit to mention any comfort any good from God without blessing of him that is the spring and fountain from whence we have all he takes occasion together with the mention of comfort to blesse God The God of all comfort The verse contains a wise prevention of scandall at the cross Saint Paul was a man of sorrows if ever any was next to Christ himselfe and that might prevent all scandall at his crosses and disgracefull afflicted usage he doth shew his comforts under the cross which he would not have wanted to have been without his cross therefore he begins here with praysing of God We praise God for favours and indeed the comforts he had in his crosses were more then the grievance he had by them therefore had cause to bless God Blessed be God c. The God of all comfort The God of comfort and the God of All comfort we must give Saint Paul leave to be thus large for his heart was full and a full heart a full expression And he speaks not out of books but from sense and feeling though he knew well enough that God was the Father of mercie God of all comfort that way yet these be wordsthat come from the heart come from feeling rather then from the tongue they came not from Saint Pauls pen onely his pen was first dipt in his heart and soule when he wrote this God is the Father of mercie and God of all comfort I feele him so he comforts me in all tribulations The God of all comfort To explaine the word a little Comfort is either the thing it selfe a comfortable outward thing a blessing of God wherein comfort is hid or else it is reasons because a man is an understanding creature reasons from which comfort is grounded or it is a real comfort inward and spirituall by the assistance and strength of the Spirit of God when perhaps there is no outward thing to comfort and perhaps reasons and discourse are not present at that time yet
conscience of those that are awakened and Satan useth that as a means to despair in every crosse Therefore let us search and try our souls for our sins for our chief discomfort are from sin for alas what are all other comforts and what are all other discomforts If a mans conscience be quiet what are all discomforts and if conscience be on the rack what are all comforts the disquiet and vexation of sin is the greatest of all because then we have to deal with God when sin is presented before us and the judgements of God and God as an angry judge and conscience is awaked and on the rack what in the world can take up the quarrel and appease conscience when we and God are at difference when the soul speaks nothing but discomfort In this case remember that God doth so far prevent objections in this kind from the accusations of conscience that he reasons that he will comfort us from that that cöscience reasons against comfort he doth this in the hearts of his children to whom he means to shew mercy as we see in the poor Publi Lord be merciful to me a sinner saith he God taught him that reasoning Nature would have taught him to reason as Peter did Lord depart from me I am a sinful man and therefore I have nothing to do with God So our Saviour Christ Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden they think of all people they ought to run from God they are so laden with sin they have nothing to do with God Oh come unto me saith Christ. Therefore when thy conscience is awakened with the sense of sin remember what is said in the Gospel Be of good comfort be calleth thee be thou of good comfort thou art one that Christ calls Come unto me ye that are we ary and heavy laden and Blessed are those that mourn That which thou and the Divel with thy conscience would move thee to use as an argument to run away our Saviour Christ in the Gospel useth as an argument to draw thee forward he comes for such to seek and to save the lost sinners This is a faithful saying saith St. Paul that Christ came to save sinners therefore believe not Satan he presents God to the soul that is humbled and terrified in the sight of sin as cruel as a terrible judge c. He hides the mercy of God from such to men that are in a sinful course he shewes nothing but mercy I but now there is nothing but comfort to thee that art cast down and afflicted in the sence of thy sins for all the comforts in the Gospel of forgivenesse of sins and all the comforts from Christs Incarnation the end of his coming in the flesh the end of his death and of all is to save sinners Look thou therefore to the throne of mercy and grace when thy conscience shall be awakened with the sence of sin and Satan shall use that as an argument to draw thee from God consider the Scripture useth this as an argument to drive me to God to allure me to him Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden And Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost Luther a man much exercised in Spiritual conflicts he confessed this was the Balme that did most refresh his soul God hath shut up all under sin that he might have mercy upon all He shut up all under sin as prisoners to see themselves under sin and under the curse that he might have mercy upon all upon all those that are convinced with the sence and sight of their sins he hath shut up all under sin that he might have mercy upon all those that belong to him This raised up that blessed man therefore let us not be much discomforted but be of good comfort Christ calls us For such as are sinners that are given to the sins of the tongue and of the life to rotten discourse to swearing and such like to such as mean to be so and think their case good oh God is the God of comfort To such as I said before I can speak no comfort nor the word of God speaks none they must have another Word and another Scripture for this word speaks no comfort to such that are sinful and wretched and will be so and justifie themselves to be so All the judgments in the Scripture are theirs hell and damnation and wrath that is their portion to drink We can speak no comfort to such nor the word of God that we unfold it hath not a drop of comfort for them God will not be merciful to such as go on in wicked rotten scandalous courses that because hell hath not yet taken them they may live long and so make a covenant with hell and death and blesse themselves Oh but thou hast made no covenant with God nor he hath made none with thee and hell and death have made no covenant with thee though thou hast made one with them but there are two words go to a covenant Death and Hell shall seize upon thee notwithstanding thy covenant Those that will live in sin in despight of the ministery in spight of afflictions there is no comfort to such I speak only to the broken heart which are fit vessels for comfort God is the God of comfort to such What shall we say then to such as after they have had some evidence of their good estate that they are Christians are fallen into sin is there any comfort for such Yes doth not St. Paul in 2 Cor. 5. desire such to be reconciled to God we are as Ambassadors of Christ desiring you to be reconciled if you have sinned so God hath comfort for those that have sinned Christ knew that we should every day run into sins unawares therefore he teaches us in the Lords prayer to say every day forgive us our debts our trespasses there is Balme in Gilead there is mercie in Israel for such daylie trespasses as we run into Therefore let none be discouraged but flie presently to the God of comfort and Father of mercies And think not that he is wearie of pardoning as man is for he is infinite in mercy And though he be the party offended yet he desires peace with us But yet notwithstanding that we shall not love to run into his Bookes he doth with giving the comfort of the pardon of sin when we fall into it add such sharpe crosses as we shall wish we had not given him occasion to correct us so sharpely we shall buy our comfort dear we had better not have given him occasion God forgave the sin of David after he had repented though he were a good man before but David bought the pleasure of his sin dear he wished a thousand times that he had never given occasion to God to raise good out of his evil to turn his sin to his comfort yet God will do this because God
would never have us in a state of despair For other grievances besides sin the comforts that we are to apply are more easie and they are infinite if we could reckon the particular comforts that God comforts his Children withall It is good to have generall comforts readie for all kind of maladies and grievances and this poor wretched life of ours in our absence from God is subject to As for instance that general comfort the Covenant of grace that is a spring of comfort that God is our God and Father in Christ what can come from a gracious and good God in covenant with us but that which is good nothing but what is favourably good I mean For the covenant is everlasting when God takes once upon him to be our Father in Covenant he is so for ever Dum castigas pater c. While he corrects he is a father and when he smiles upon us he is a father God in the covenant of Grace takes upon him a relation that ever holds as he is for ever the Father of Christ so he is for ever the Father of those that are members of Christ and whatsover comes from the Father of mercy whether he correct or smile whatsoever he doth is in mercy Again in the middest of any grievance remember the gracious promise of mitigation 1 Cor. 10. 13. God will not suffer us to be tempted above our strength but he will give an issue to the temptation he will give a mitigation and either he will raise our strength to the temptation or he will bring the temptation and trial to our strength he will fit them and this is a comfort There is comfort likewise in all troubles whatsoever of the presence of God God will be present with us if once we be in Covenant with him he will be present in all trials to assist us to strengthen us to comfort us to raise our spirits And if God be present he will banish all discomforts for God is light and where light is darknesse vanisheth Now God being the Father of light that is of all comfort where he is present he banisheth discomfort in what measure he is pleased to banish it Therefore David often reasoneth from the presence of God to the defiance of all troubles Psal. 3. If God be with me I will not fear ten Thousand that are against me And in Psal. 23. Though I walk in the valley of the shaddow of death I will not fear for thou art with me And if God be with us who can be against us Rom. 8. And when thou passest through the fire I will be with thee c. I will be with thee not to keep thee out but to uphold thee As he did the Mariyrs there was a fire of comfort in them above that fire that consumed their bodies and as we see he was with the Three Children there was a fourth like the Son of God So in all tribulations there is another with us that is the Spirit of God that comforts us in all and is present with us in all The Goldsmith when he puts the wedge into the fire he stands by till the drosse be consumed so God is with his Children in the furnace of affliction he brings them into affliction he continues with them in affliction and he brings them at last out of affliction The presence of God is a main and a Grand comfort in all tribulation Besides in all that befalls us whatsoever consider the end all is for a good end All things work together for the best to them that love God saith St. Paul Why do we endure Physick because we know the Physitian is wise and he is our friend and he doth it to carry away burdensome hurtful humours we shall be better and lighter afterwards do we do this in our common course in the things of this life Grace will much more certainly teach us to do it to reason it is from a father and it is for my good Let us look whence it comes and what it tends to with the promise of mitigation and of Gods presence in our troubles these are main comforts if we could think of them if the Divel did not take them out of our memorie And for the first ground of comfort that God doth comfort us withall in all tribulations it is the promise of finall deliverance and finall comfort for ever if none will raise our souls that will when we shall consider that it will not be long The short afflctions in this world bring an eternal weight of glory there will be a finall deliverance Life it self that is the subject that receives affliction that is short our life is but a moment therefore our afflictions must be short Life is longer then discomforts there is but a peece of our life subject to miseries and if that be but a vapour but a moment and as a point between eternity before and eternity after what are the miseries of this life certainly they are but for a moment Therefore the promise of final deliverance when all teares shall be wiped from our eyes this should comfort us if nothing else would This is the way therefore whereby God usually comforts by suggesting the heads and springs of comfort And indeed there is a daily method of comforting whereby we may comfort our selves in all crosses if we would use that daily method and order of comfort As there is a kind of diet to keep the bodie in temper so there is a kind of spirituall diet to keep the soul in temper in a course of comfort unlesse it be when God takes liberty to cast down for some special end as we see in Job Therefore let us take this course for God as he comforteth us so he comforts us as understanding creatures he useth our understanding to consider how we should comfort our selves and after we are once in a state of comfort if we be not wanting to our selves there is no great difficultie to keep our comfort there are meanes to keep daily comfort God hath provided them and he will be present to make good all his comforts Grant it therefore that we are in the covenant of Grace that God is our Father in Christ and we take him to be our God to be all sufficient then to keep our selves in a daily temper for comfort every day keep our souls tender that we may be capable of comfort keep the wound open that we may receive balme that there grow not a deadnesse upon the heart considering that while we live here there is alway some sin in us that must be wrought out by some course or other let us trie and search our souls what ill is in the wound let us keep it open and tender that there may be a fitnesse for mercy to receive the balme of comfort which will not be if we slubber over Certainly it is an excellent course every day to search our
hearts and wayes and presently to apply the balme of comfort the promise of pardon take the present when we have searched the wound to get pardon and forgivenesse daily as we sin daily Christ bids us ask it daily This will make us fit for comfort by discerning the estate of our souls and the remainders of corruption That which sharpens appetite and makes the balme of God to be sweet indeed is the sence of and the keeping open of our wound a daily search into our wants and weaknesses a daily fresh sight of the body of sin in us and experience how it is fruitful in ill thoughts and desires and actions this will drive us to a necessity of daily comfort And certainly a fresh sight of our corruptions it is never without some fresh comfort We see St. Paul Rom. 7. he sets himself to this work to complain of his indisposition by reason of sin in him and how doth he end that sight and search into his own estate he ends in a triumphing manner Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus After he had complained Oh miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this bodie of death There can be no danger in a deep search into our waies and hearts if this be laid as a ground before that there is more supplie and heavenly comfort in God and the promises of God then there can be ill in our souls then the more ill we find in our selves the more we are disposed to fetch grounds of comfort from God And together with this searching of our souls and asking daily pardon let us for the time to come renew our covenant with God that we may have the comfort of a good conscience to get pardon for our sins past and renew our resolutions for the time to come And withall that we may use an orderly course of comfort let us every day feed on Christ the food of life let us every day feed upon something in Christ consider the death of Christ the satisfaction he hath made by his death his intercession in Heaven his blood runs afresh that we may every day feed on it We may run every day into new offences against the law to new neglect of duty into new crosses let us feed upon Christ he came into the World to save sinners to make us happie with peace of conscience here and with Glorie afterward Let us feed on Christ daily as the bodie is fed with cordialls so this feeds and comforts and strengthens the soul. This is to live by faith to lead our lives by faith to feed on Christ every day And likewise if we will keep our souls in a perpetual temper of comfort let us every day meditate of some prerogatives of Christians that may raise our souls Let us single out some or other As for example that excellent prerogative to be the Sons of God What love saith the Apostle that we of Rebels and Traitors in Christ should be made the sons of God That of slaves we should be made Servants of servants sons of sons heires and of heires fellow-heires with Christ what prerogative is this that God should give his Son to mak us that were Rebels sons heires and fellow heires with Christ And to consider what follows upon this liberty that we have from the curse of the Law to goe to God boldly to go to the throne of Grace through Christ our elder brother by prayer to think of eternall life as our inheritance to think of God above as our Father Let us think of our prerogatives of Religion adoption and justification c. Upon necessity we are driven to it if we consider the grievances of this world together with our corruptions our corruptions and afflictions and temptations and desertions one thing or other will drive us to go out of our selves for comfort to feed on the benefits by Christ. And consider what he hath done it is for us the execution of his office and all for us what he is what he did what he suffered what procured all is for us The soul delighting it self in these prerogatives it will keep the soul in a perpetuall estate of comfort Therefore the Scripture sets forth Christ by all terms that may be comfortable he is the door to let us in He is the way the truth and the life the water and the bread c. In sinne he is our righteousness in death he is our life in our ignorance he is our way in spirituall hunger and thirst he is the bread and water of life he is all in all And if we cannot think of some prerogative of Christianity then think of some promise as I said before think of the Covenant of Grace there is a spring of comfort in that that God in Christ is our God to death and for ever and that promise I speak of that All things shall work for the best Let us every day think of these things and suggest them to our owne souls that our souls may be affected with them and digest them that our souls and they may be one as it were And every day stirre up our hearts to be thankfull a thankfull heart can never want comfort for it cannot be done without some comfort and chearefulness and when God receives any praise and glory he answers it with comfort a thankfull heart is alway comfortable And let us stirre up our hearts to be fruitfull in the holy actions the reward of a fruitfull life is a comfortable life besides Heaven God alway in this life gives a present reward to any good action it is rewarded with peace of conscience Besides it is a good foundation against the evil day every good action as the Apostle sayth to Timothie it layes up a good foundation The more good we do the more we are assured that our faith is not hypocritical but sound and good and will hold out in the time of tryall It will be a good foundation that we have had evidence before that we have a sound and fruitful faith What do wicked men carelesse sinful creatures that go on in a course of prophanenesse and blasphemie c they lay a ground of despaire a ground of discomfort to be swallowed up in the evil day then conscience will be awaked at the last and Satan will be ready to joyn with conscience and conscience will seal all the accusations that Satan layes against them and where is the poor soul then As it is with them so on the contrary the Christian soul that doth good besides the present comfort of a good conscience it layes a good foundation against the time to come for in the worst times it can reason with it self my faith is not fruitlesse I am not an hypocrite though the fruits of it be weak and mixed with corruptions yet there is truth in them this will comfort us when nothing
a Carnal man for he hath the presence of Gods Spirit to support him in some measure Therefore let us not be afraid before hand fear nothing saith the Apostle that thou shalt suffer And with Moses let us not be ashamed of the rebuke of Christ but Let us go out of the Campe with Christ learning our reproach And because we know not what God may call us to let us entertain presently a resolution to endure whatsoever in this world God calls us to to passe through thick and thin to passe through all kind of waies to the hope of our Glorious calling if by any way by any meanes saith St. Paul I may attain the resurrection of the dead If by any meanes I may come to heaven by fair death or by violent death he scorned reproach if by any means he might be happie And for others it is a wondrous quailing to the spirits of men that offer any wrong if it be but a disgrace a scoffe is a persecution to a Christian for a good cause when wicked men oppose a Christian in a good cause and course let us learn what they do they kick against the pricks Do they know what they do when they reproach Christians it is the reproach of Christ. What was Ishmaels scorning a persecution Christ is scorned in his members will he endure this at their hands When good causes are opposed Christ is opposed and Christ is scoffed This doth enable our suffering being an abasing of it self that Christ accounts it done to him Base men of the world they think when they scoffe at goodnesse and wrong the Image of God in his Children they think they deride and despise a companie of weak creatures that they scoffe at silly persons meaner then themselves but they are deceived they scoffe Christ in them and he takes it so Saul Saul why persecutest thou me The foot is trode on on the earth and the head speaks from heaven It is the reproach of Christ and it will be laid to thy charge at the day of judgment that thou hast scoffed and persecuted and reproached Christ in his members it will be a heavy indictment Men should not regard what they conceive of things but what he that must be their judge will conceive of things ere long and he interprets it as done to his own person It is true both of good and ill whatsoever good we do to a Christian as a Christian to a Disciple in the name of a Disciple Christ takes it as done to himself Matth. 25. In as much as you have done it to these you have done it to mee It should animate us to do good offices to those that are Christs what we do to them we do to Christ. Let us be willing to refresh the bowels of Christ in his members at home or abroad as occasion serves to maintain the quarrel of Christ as much as we can to relieve Christ he comes to us in the poore and asks relief he that shed his blood for us he that dyed for us he that hath given us all asks a little pittance for himself that we for his sake would be so good to him in his members as to do thus and thus that for Jonathans sake we would regard poore lame Mephibosheth his son Christ though he be gone he hath some Mephibosheths some poore weak members and what offices we do them he accounts done to himself it runs on his score he will be accountable for every good word we speak in his cause for every defence for every act of bountie It is a point of large meditation to consider that the Crosses and Afflictions of Christians they are the sufferings of Christ. Do but consider the spirit of God intended in this phrase to dignifie all disgraces and indignities that are put upon us in a good cause and quarrel could he have said more in few words he calls them not disgraces or losses or death but he puts such a comfortable title upon them that might make us in love with suffering any thing and set us on fire to endure any thing in a good cause they are the sufferings of Christ. As the sufferings of Christ abound so our consolations c. The third general point is That our consolations are proportionable to our sufferings Our consolations abound We suffer in this World that is hard I but they are the sufferings of Christ there is sweetnesse And then another degree is our consolations abound as our sufferings abound Consolation is as I shewed before in the unfolding of the word an inward support of the soul against trouble felt or feared and it must be stronger then the grievance or else the action of comfort will not follow There is a disproportion between the agent and the patient in all prevailing actions or else there is no prevailing if the comfort be not above the maladie it is no comfort And therefore no comforts but divine comforts will stand at length because in all other comforts sedet medecinum morbo the maladie is above the remedie they may make glorious pretences as the Philosophers do Plutarch and Seneca and the rest but they are as Apothecaries boxes they have goodly titles but there is nothing within Alas when there is trouble in the conscience awakned with the sight of sin and the displeasure of God what can all those precepts compose and frame the soul in petty troubles They have their place and surely the neglect of them many times is that that makes the crosse heavier but alas in divine troubles in terror of conscience it must be divine comfort it must be of like nature or else the effect of comfort will never follow and those be the comforts that he meanes here As our troubles and afflictions abound so our consolations our divine supports they abound the point is this that Our comforts are proportionable to our sufferings What did I say proportionable it is above all proportion of suffering As it is said Rom. 8. the afflictions of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed And indeed in this life the consolations abound as the sufferings abound For God keeps not all for the life to come he gives us a taste a grape of Canaan before we come to Canaan as the Israelites they sent for grapes to taste the goodnesse of the land and they had them brought to them by the spies by which they might guesse of the fruitfulnesse and sweetnesse of the land it self so the taste and relish that Gods Children have of that fulnesse which is reserved in another world it is answerable and proportionable to their sufferings and in the proportion the exceeding part is of comfort there is an exceeding if not for the present yet afterwards The Ark did rise together with the water and comforts rise together with matter of suffering But what is the reason of the proportion why the greatest comforts follow the greatest sufferings
is no proportion the choyse is much better to have comfort with grievance then to want the comfort together with the grievance St. Paul would not have chosen immunity from suffering he would not have been exempted from the crosse to have wanted his comfort For the disproportion is wide and great the comforts are inward and sweet the crosses for the most part are outward What are all the croses and sufferings in this world set aside an afflicted conscience it is but brushing of the garment as it were some outward thing in the outward man but the comforts are inward and deep But what if there be inward grievances too Then we have deeper comforts then they the crosse is never so deep but the comfort is deeper Oh the depth of the wisedom and love of God! there is the part and dimension of Gods love the depth of it There is a depth in crosses Out of the deep have I cryed to thee But there is a deeper depth of comfort there is a hand under to fetch us up at the lowest Thy right hand is upon me and thy left hand is under me saith the Church to God there is comfort lower and deeper then the greivance though it be inward spirituall greivance Nay of all grievances I know what I speak a little of mine own experience and it is true in the experience of all Ministers and Christians that there is none that have more help then they that are exercised with spirituall temptations of conscience they are forced to search for deep comforts shallow comforts will not serve their turn and when they have them they keep them and make much of them they have more retired and deep thoughts of Christ and of comforts then other people who as they are strangers to their crosses so they are strangers to their comfort There is no degree of proportion between the crosses and the comforts the crosses are momentary the comforts are growing the crosses make us not awâ—…it the worse and the comforts make us better Feare nothing therefore but go on in the wayes of religion and never be discouraged to suffer in a good cause for feare of men to think oh this will come and that will come No no if the sufferings grow the comforts shall grow with it be of good comfort Again Another use may be that we judge aright of those that are disgraced in the world if their cause be good that we should not have distastfull conceits of them as indeed suffering breeds distast naturally in men they love men in a flourishing estate and distast them suffering but that is corruption of men but God is the nearest to them then nearer then ever he was and their comforts increase with their crosses In the conunction between the Sun and the Moon as by expaerience we see in the space between the old and new Moon there is a time of conjunction we think the Moon to be lost in that time because we see her not but the Moon is more inlightened then then ever she was in her self but here is the reason the light part of the Moon is turned to the Sun-ward to heaven-ward and the darke part is turned toward the earth So a Christian in crosses and abasement seems to be a darke creature but he is more inlightned then then ever before why his light part is to God-ward it is not seen of the world the world sees his crosses but they doe not see his comforts and as the Moon is nearer the Sun at that time then at other times so the soul hath to deale with God in afflictions it is nearer to God and his dark side is toward the world As the World sees the Moons Eclipse so the world sees our darknesse but not our inward comforts therefore we should judge aright of others in this case Another use shal be of thankfulness to God that besides the comforts of heaven which are not to be spoken of and which we shal not know till we come to feel them besides the great comfort we have to be free from Hell that we have a measure of comfort here in this world in our pilgrimage and absence from Heaven such a measure of comfort as may carry us with comfort along We ought to be thankfull to God not onely for redemption and glorification but that God comforts us in our pilgrimage that he mingles crosses with comforts nay that in this world our comforts are more then our crosses Some may object I but my crosses are more then my comforts Are they so dost thou suffer in a good cause or no if thou dost thy comforts are more then thy crosses if there be not a fault in thee What shall I doe therefore First Take this direction in suffering pull out the sting of sin though we suffer in never so good a cause for in one suffering God aims at divers things God in thy suffering aims at thy correction as well as at the exercise of thy grace and at thy comfort therefore let affliction have the correcting and amending part first and then the comforting part will ollow Though the cause be good yet Gods Children oft times want comfort till afterward Why They have not renewed their repentance and cleansed their souls they have not pulled out the sting when they have repented of their personall sins that lye upon them and gone back to the sins of their youth and then renewed their Covenant with God and their purposes for the time to come then comes comfort and not before Therefore it is no disparagement to a good cause that sometimes Christians find not present comfort they have personall sins that hang on them that are not repented of which God intends to amend them of as well as to honour them by suffering in his cause Againe if Gods Children complain that their sufferings are above their strength and above measure and desire God to weigh their afflictions they are so great as Job saith It is the speech of sense and not of faith it is the speech of the fit and not of the state there is a fit and a state it is no matter what they say in their fit then the flesh and sense speak and not grace and faith at that time If they judge by sense then they judge so but we know that reason corrects the errours of sense and faith corrects the errours of reason but what do they say in their constant state their comforts are answerable to their crosses either in suffering or afterwards though not alway at the same time So much for that But this will be abused by carnall persons we speak of abundance of comfort but it is to those that have interest in it the book of God speaks no comfort to persons that live in sin and will do so we speak comfort to those that are broken-hearted for their sins that are content to indure the reproach of religion in
uncharitable men judge amiss of the generation of the righteous Whereas they should set the Court in their own hearts and begin to censure there and to examine themselves they goe out and keep their Court abroad but I say passe not a harsh censure upon others or on thy selfe no not for extream dangers for God now is making way for great comfort let God go on his way without thy censuring of him Again This should teach us that we should not build overmuch confidence on earthly things on the things of this world neither on health of body or on friends or on continuance of life alas it is Gods ordinary course to strip us of all in this world we think of great reputation but saith God I will take that from you you shall learn to trust in me You think you have strong and vigorous bodies and you shall live long and therefore you will venture upon such and such courses I but God suffers his children to come to extream dangers and hazards that they think the sentence of death is passed upon them And since this is Gods course with the body and with the Members and with our head Christ himself shall we think to have immunitie and to escape and not looke to Gods order The Church is in great miserie and we are negligent in prayer we think there are many good people and there is strong munition c. As if when Gods people are in security and forget him and his blessings it were not his course to strip them of all to suffer them to fal into extream dangers have we not the Church before our eyes to teach us Let us trust therefore in nothing in this world So much for that point The second thing in the first part is this that As Gods Children are brought to this estate so they are sensible of it They are flesh and not steele they have not the strength of steele as Job saith they are men they are not stones they are Christians they are not Stoicks Therefore St. Paul as he was in extremity so he apprehended his extremity and with all his heart he would have escaped if he could he looked about to all evasions how he might escape death Gods children are sensible of their crosses especially they are sensible of death as he speaks here of himself We despaired even of life it self The word is very significant in the originall we were in such a strait that we knew not how to escape with life so that we despaired of life we would have escaped with our lives but we saw no way to escape To make this clear there are 3. things in Gods Children There is Grace Nature Corrupt nature nature with the tang of Corruption Grace that looks upward to glorie and comfort Nature looks to the present grievance nature looks not to things to come to matters revealed in the Word to supernatural comforts nature looks to the present crosse even nature without sin Corrupt nature feeles and feeles with a secret murmuring and repining and heavinesse and dulnesse as indeed corrupt nature will alway have a bout in crosses it will alway play its part first or last There are alway these three works in the Children of God in all extremities Grace works and that carries up up still trust in God it looks to heaven it looks to the end and issue that all is for good Nature it fills full of sense and pain and makes a man desire remedy and ease Corrupt nature stirs a man up to fret and say what doth God mean to do thus it stirs a man oft-times to use ill meanes indirect courses St. Paul was sensible from a right principle of nature and no doubt here was some tang of corruption with it he was sensible of the fear of death Adam in innocencie would have been affected and exquisitly sensible no doubt if his body had been wronged for the more pure the complexion the more sensible of solution as Physicians say when that which should be knit together if any thing be loosed by sicknesse or by wounds that should by nature not be hurt but continue together it breeds exquisite pain As to cut that which should not be cut to disjoyn that which should be together this is in nature The Schoolemen say and the reason is good that Christs paines were the greatest paines because his senses were not dulled and stupified with sensuality or indirect courses he had a body of an excellent temper and he was in the perfection of his years when he died therefore he received such an impression of grief in his whipping and when he was crowned with thornes that was it that made him so sensible of grief that when he sweat he sweat drops of blood and upon the crosse it made him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Gods Children out of a principle of nature are sensible of any grievance to this outward man of theirs to the body especially in death as we see here St. Paul And there is most patience where there is most sense it is stupidity and blockishnesse else Why are Gods Children so sensible in grief especially in death Oh there is a great cause indeed in some regards they are not afraid of it for death is an enemy to nature it is none to Grace but when I speake not of Grace and Glory but of nature hath not nature great cause to tremble at death when it is an enemy to nature even to right nature It is the King of fears as Job saith it is that Tyrant that makes all the Kings of the earth to tremble at him when death comes it is terrible why because it strips us of all the contentments of this life of all comforts whatsoever we have here Nature without â—…n is sensible of earthly comforts that God hath appointed for nature and when nature sees an end of them nature begins to give in and to grieve Again death parts the best friends we have in this world the body and the soul two old friends and they cannot be parted without exquisite grief If two friends that take contentment in each other common friends cannot part without grief how shall these bosom-friends these united friends body and soul part without grief This marriage between the soul and the body cannot be disunited without exquisite pain being old acquaintance Again nature abhors death it hinders us of all imployment it hinders of all service of God in Church and Common-wealth And so grace which is beyond nature doth a little desire the continuance of life But nature even out of no sinful principle it sees that now I can serve God no longer I can do God no more service I can do good no longer in this World and therefore it takes it to heart Our Savour saith While you have light walke the night cometh when no man is able to work the night of sicknesse and death So
it breeds discomfort and is terrible that way Again in death we leave those that cast their care upon us we leave oft times Wives and Children without Husband or Father those that had dependance upon us and this must needs work upon nature upon a right principle of nature indeed the excesse of it is with corruption alway Again in death there is great pain They say Births are with great pangs and so they are Now death is a birth the birth of immortality no wonder then if it have great pangs therefore nature fears it even for the pangs the concomitants that are joyned with it And then in death nature considers the state of the body presently after death that that goodly body that strength and vigour I enjoyed before must now be wormes-meat I must say to the worm Thou art my brother and to corruption Thou art my mother and the like as it is in Job That head that perhaps hath ruled the Common-wealth the place where I lived it must lie level with others and that body that others were inamoured with it must now be so forlorn that the sight of it will not be indured of our best friends Nature considers what the estate will be there that it shall turn to rottenesse ere long that the goodliest persons shall be turned to dust and lie rotting there till the day of the Resurrection Faith and Grace looks higher but because we have nature as long as we are men these and such like respects work upon nature and make death grievous But besides the glasse of nature and these things here in the World look upon it in the Law of God in that glasse and so nature trembles and quarrels at death Death what is it It is the wages of sin it is the end of all comfort and nature cannot see any comfort after that it is beyond nature Nature teacheth us not that there will be a Resurrection of the body nature teacheth not that the soul goes to God here must be a great deal of Grace and a great deal of Faith to convince the soul of this nature teacheth it not Now when besides this the Law of God comes and faith Death came in by sin and sin is the sting of death death is armed with sin and sin comes in with the evidences of Gods anger here unlesse there be Faith and Grace a man is either as Nabal a stone and a fot in death or as Judas and Cain swallowed up with despaire It is impossible for a man that is not a true Christian that is not a good man but that either he shouldbe as a stone or desperate in sicknesse and Death without Grace he must be one of them If he be a wise man he cannot but despair in the hour of Death For is it a matter to be dallied with or to be carried bravely out as your Roman spirits and Atheists think they account it a Glory to die bravely in a stout manner Is it the terrible of terribles so to be put off when all the comforts in this world shall end and all imployments cease when there is eternity before a man and after death hell and eternall damnation of body and soul Are these matters to be slighted it would make a man look about him if a man have not faith and Grace he must eitherr despaire or die like a stone none but a good Christian can carrie himself well in the hour of death nay a good Christian is sensible of death and till he see Gods time is come he labours to avoid it by all meanes as St. Paul doth here But St. Paul had another ground beyond nature to avoid Death He knew himself ordained for the service of the Church therefore he desired to escape that he might serve God a longer time for the good of his Church Are Gods Children sensible of Death and the danger of it and out of a principle of nature and Grace too How then should carnall wretched men look about them that have not made their accounts even with God the report of Death to them should be like the hand-writing upon the wall to Belteshazer it should make their knees beat together and make their countenance pale it should strike them with terrour and like Nabal make their hearts to die as a stone within them But it is a Use of comfort to poore deluded Christians they think alas can my estate be good I am afraid of Death I tremble and quake at the name of Death I cannot endure to hear of it but it most of all affects me to see it therefore I fear I have no Grace in me I fear I have no faith in me Be not discomforted whosoever thou art that sayest so if thou labour to strengthen thy faith and to keep a good conscience for thou mayest do thus out of a principle of nature nature trembles at Death A man may do two things from diverse principles from diverse respects both without sin For example in fasting nature without sin desireth meat or else fasting were not an afflicting of a mans body but Grace that hath another principle and that desires to hold out without sustenance to be afflicted so here is both a desire and not a desire and both good in their kind So a man in the time of sicknesse and death he may by all meanes desire to escape it and tremble at it out of a principle of nature but out of a higher principle he may triumph O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory and they that believe in Christ shall never die We are in heavenly places together with Christ we are as sure of heaven as if we were there So out of such kind of principles we may triumph over Death by Faith and Grace So let none be discouraged nature goes one way and faith and grace another a man may know when it is nature and when it is grace when grace subdues nature and subordinates it to a higher principle a man need not be much troubled Christ himself our head he was afraid of death when he looked on death as death but when he looked upon death as a service as a redemption as a sweet sacrifice to God so with a thirsting I have thirsted saith he he thirsted after death in that respect looking to his humane nature to the truth of his manhood then saith he Oh that this cup might passe from me but in another consideration he willingly gave his soul a sacrifice for sin to God The desire is as the objects are presented let heaven and happinesse be presented so death is a passage to it so death is the end of misery and the beginning of happinesse so Gods Children desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ as St. Paul did But look upon death otherwise as it is an enemy to nature as it is a stop of all imployment in this world and of all service
to the Church that we can do God no longer service and so a man may desire to live still and be afraid of death if he look upon death in the glasse of nature and in the glasse of the Law likewise that it comes in as a punishment of sin so indeed it is terrible it is the King of fears But look upon it in another glass in the glass of the Gospel as it is sweetned and as it is disarmed by Christ and so it is comfortable Better is the day of death then the day of birth for in our birth we come into miserie in death we go from it So upon diverse considerations we may be diversly affected and have diverse rspects to things for the soul of man is framed so to be carried to the present object and therefore to a good man in some respects at sometime death is terrible he trembles at it which upon higher considerations and respects he imbraceth willingly Indeed it is a signe of a wise man to value life it is the opportunitie and advantage to honour God After death we are receivers and not doers then we receive our wages but while we are here we should desire even for the glory that is reserved for us to do all the good we can because the time of life is that blessed advantage of doing good and of taking good It is to be in heaven before our time to do others good and to get evidence of heaven for our selves This is the second thing that as Gods children are suffered to fall into extream dangers so they are very sensible of them especially in matter of death which is the last enemie there the Devil sets upon them indeed he knows that that is the last enemy and that there he must get all or lose all and he labours to make death more terrible then it is or should be The way not to fear death and not to let nature have over-much scope is to disarm death before hand to pluck out the sting of it by repentance weaken it before hand that it may not get the better Even as we doe with our enemies the way to overcome them is to weaken them to weaken their Forces to starve them if we can to intercept all their provision What makes death terrible and strong we put stings into it our sins our sins against conscience the time will come when conscience will awaken and it will be then if ever to our comfort and then our former sins will stare in our faces the sins of our youth the sins that we have before neglected soundly to repent for therefore let us labour this way to make death less terrible Again That we may not fear it over-much let us look upon it in the glasse of the Gospel as it is now in Christ as it is turned cleane another way Now it hath sweet names it is called a dissolution a departure a sleeping a going to our Fathers and such like God doth sweeten a bitter thing that it may enter into us with lesse terrour so it must be our wisdom to sweeten the meditation of it by Evangelicall considerations what it is now by Christ. And withall to meditate the two termes from whence and whither what a blessed change it is if we be in Christ it is a change for the better better company better imployment a better place all better Who would be grieved at and afraid of death Let us recal the promise of the presence of God he wil be with us to death and in death Blessed are those that die in the Lord. And especially faith in Christ wil make us that we shal not fear death when we shall see him our head in heaven before us ready to receive us when we come there and to see our selves in heaven already in him as verily in faith and in the promise as if we were there We are set in heavenly places with Christ already Let us have these and such like considerations to sweeten the thought of death But to touch this which is an Appendix to that formerly mentioned that Gods children are deceived concerning their death oft-times The time of death is uncertain St. Paul thought he should have dyed when he did not he was deceived There is a double errour about death sometimes we think we shall not dye when indeed we are dead men sometimes we receive the sentence of death we passe a censure upon our selves that we cannot live when God intends our escape so it is uncertain to us the houre of death sometime we are uncertain when it is certain sometime we think it certain when it falls not out so both wayes we are deceived Because God will have us while we live here to be at an uncertaintie for the very moment of death Our times are in his hand Our time of life is in his hand we came into the world when he thought good our time of living here is in his hands we live just as long as he will have us our time of death is in his hand The Prophet saith not only my time is in thy hands but my times my time of comming into the world my time of living in the world and my time of going out of the world shall be when thou shalt appoint me therefore he will have us uncertain of it our selves till the moment of death come St. Paul was deceived He received the sentence of death in himself but he dyed not at that time So that the manner and circumstances of death are uncertain whether it shall be violent or faire death it shall beby diseases or by casualties whether at home or abroad all the circumstances of death are hidden from us as well as death it selfe and the time of it And this is out of heavenly wisdome and love of God to us that we should at all times be provided and prepared for our dissolution change It is left at this uncertainty that we might make our estate certaine to be fitted to die at all times Let us make that use of it to provide every day oh it were a happy thing if we could make every day as it were another life a severall life and passe sentence upon our selves a possible and probable sentence it may be this day may be the last day And let us end every day as we would end our lives how would we end our lives we would end them with repentance for our sins past with commending our souls into the hands of God with resolution purpose to please God in all things with disposing all things wisely in this world Let us end our daies every day so as much as possible may be let us set every thing right let us set the state of our souls in order set all in order as much as may be every day it were a blessed course if we could do so And this is one part one main branch of our corruption wherein it shews it self
strongly that we live in an estate that we are ashamed to die in Come to some men and aske them how it is with you have you repented of your sins past have you renewed your purposes for the time to come Yes we doe it solemnly at the Communion but we should renew our repentance and renew our Covenants every day to please God that day Do you do so now If God should seize upon you now are you in the exercise of faith in the exercise of repentance in the exercise of holy purposes to please God are you in Gods wayes do you live as you would be content to dye But Satan and our own corruption bewitcheth us with a vaine hope of long life we promise our selves that that God doth not promise us we make that certain that God doth not make certain indeed we are certain of death but for the time and manner and circumstances we know them not sometimes we think we shall dye when we doe not and sometimes we dye when we think we shall not Oh will some say If I knew when I should dye I would be a prepared man I would be exact in my preparation Wouldest thou so thou art deceived Saul knew exactly he should die he took it for exact when the Witch in the shape of Samuel told him that he should dye by to morrow this time and yet he dyed desperately upon the swords point for all that he did not prepare himself It must be the Spirit of God that must prepare us for this if we knew never so much that we should die never so soon we cannot prepare our selves our preparation must be by the Spirit of God let us labour continually to be prepared for it And let no man resolve to take liberty a moment a minute of an houre to sinne God hath left it uncertain the day of death what if that moment and minute wherein thou resolvest to sin should be the moment of thy death and departure hence for it is but a minutes work to end thy dayes what if God should end thy dayes in that minute Let no man take liberty and time to sin when God gives him no liberty in sin If God should strike thee thou goest to Hell quick thou must sink from sin to Hell It is a pittifull case when as eternity depends upon our watchfulness in this world But to come to the end and issue why he was thus dealt with by God carrying him through these extremities That we might not trust in our selves but in God that raiseth the dead Here is the end specified that God intended in suffering him to be brought so low even to deaths door that there was but a step between him and death the end is double That we should not trust in our selves but in God that raiseth the dead It is set down negatively and positively First That we should not trust in our selves and then that we should trust in God And the method is excellent for we can never trust in God till we distrust our selves till our hearts be taken off from all confidence in our selves and in the creature and then when our hearts are taken off from false confidence they must have somewhat to relie on and that is God or nothing for else we shall fall into despaire The end of all this was that We might not trust in our selves but in God that raiseth the dead The wisdom of heaven doth nothing without an end proportionable to that heavenly wisdom so all this sore affliction of the blessed Apostle what aimed it at To pull downe and to build up to pull downe selfe-confidence That we might not trust in our selves and to build up confidence and affiance in God but in God that raiseth the dead We being in a contrary state to grace and communion with God this order is necessary that God must use some way that we shall not trust in our selves and then to bring us to trust in him so these two are subordinate ends one to another We received the sentence of death that we might not trust in our selves From the dependance this may be observed that The certain account of death is a meanes to weane us from our selves and to make us trust in God The sentence of death the assured knowledge that we must dye the certain expectation and looking for death is the way to wean us from the world and to fit us for God to prepare us for a better life you see it follows of necessity We received the sentence of death that we should not trust in our selves c. The looking for of death therefore takes away confidence in our selves and the creature Alas in death what can all the creatures help what can friends or physick or money help then honours and pleasures and all leave us then This the rather to note a corrupt Atheisticall course in those that are to deale with sick folk that are extreame sick that conceale their estate from them and feed them with false hopes of long life they deserve ill of persons in extremity to put them in hope of recoverie Physitians that are not Divines in some measure what doe they against their conscience and against their experience and against sense Oh I hope you shall doe well c. Alas what do they they hurt their souls they breed a false confidence it is a dangerous thing to trust upon long life when perhaps they are snatched suddenly away before they have made their accompts even with God before they have set their souls in that state they should doe Therefore the best way is to doe as good Isay did with Hezekiah set thy house in order for thou must dye that is in the disposition of second causes thou shalt have a disease that will bring thee to death and God had said so God had a reservation but it was more then Isay knew at that time Set thy house in order for thou must dye So they should begin with God to tell them as we say the worst first It is a pittifull thing that death should be accounted the worst but so it is by reason of our fearfulness deal plainly with them let them receive the sentence of death that so they may be driven out of themselves and the creature altogether and be driven to trust in God that raiseth the dead Put thy soul in order you are no man of this world lest they betray their souls for a little self-respect perhaps because they would not displease them It may be in some cases discreet to yield to make the means to work the better but where there is nothing but evident signs of death they ought to deale directly with them that they may receive the sentence of death It wrought with St. Paul this good effect I received the sentence of death that we might not trust in our selves but in God that raiseth the dead It is Gods just judgment upon Hypocrites and
he not onely greives but with Achitophel he goes to ill courses it is a sign he trusted too much and too basely to them before Again when the enjoying of these things is joyned with contempt and base esteem of others it is a sign that we rest too much in them there is more trust put to them then they should bear we should not in the enjoying of honour or riches or pleasures or any thing think the meaner of others Especially security shewes that we trust too much in them when we bless our selves I shall do well Soul soul thou hast goods laid up for many years saith the foole and he was but a foole for it to promise certainty for uncertainty A man cannot stand in that which cannot stand it self to promise life in a dying condition to promise any thing in this world when the very nature of them is uncertain Thou foole saith the Scripture If his soul had been so full of faith as his Barnes were of Corn he would never have said Soul soul take thy rest for these things but he would have trusted in God It is a sign we trust too much to these things when we secure our selves all will be well and blesse our selves as the Scripture speaks Again it is a sign we trust too much to these things when upon confidence of these things we go to ill and unwarrantable courses and think to be born out by these things As when the younger sort shall pour forth themselves to vanity and are carelesse of swearing and licentiousnesse that they care not what to do they shall live long enough to repent c. This is a diabolicall trust that God will give them no security in So when men that have riches will venture on bad causes and think to carrie it out with their purse they trust in matter of oppression and think to bear out the matter with their friends or with their place or with their wits this is false trust Thy wisdom hath caused thee to rebell as the Prophet saith concerning Babylon they thought they had reaching heads and so ventured upon rebellious courses When any of these outward things draw us to unwarrantable unjustifiable courses it is a sign we plant too much confidence in them and it is a sign if we belong to God that he intends to crosse us in them The very confidence in these things hath drawn many to ill courses to do that that they should not do as good Josias Hezechias David and the rest Thus we see how we should examine our selves whether we trust too much in these things or no. Now since we are thus prone to this false confidence and since we may thus discern it if we discerne it in our selves how shall we cure it That in the next doctrine That we might not trust in our selves From whence observe It is a dangerous state to trust in our selves This ill disposition to trust in our selves or any thing out of our selves but onely in God in whom we should trust it is dangerous For a man may reason thus from the text That which God is forced to take such desparate courses for as to bring such an excellent man as St. Paul to such extremity and all that he should not trust in himself that he was not onely prone to but it was a dangerous estate for him but God brings him to deaths doore that he received the sentence of death that he might not trust in himself that he might see the nothingnesse of all things else therefore it was a dangerous estate for him to trust in himself It is ill in respect of God Our selves In respect of God to trust to our selves or the creature is to Idolize our selves or the creature we make an Idol of the thing we trust in we put God out of his place and set up that we trust in in Gods roome and so provoke God to jealousie VVhen men shall trust their wits in matters of Religion as in Popery they do they serve God after their own inventions what a dishonour is it to God as if he were not wise enough to prescribe how he will be worshipped Go after me Satan saith Christ to Peter he calls him Divell why what hurt was it he came with a good intention That which Popery think they please God most in they are Divells in and these things that they teach are the doctrines of Divells But the wisdom of the flesh is death it is not subject to the law of God nor can be subject saith the Apostle Rom. 8. So it is dangerous because it is offensive to God There is a way that seemeth right in a mans own eyes the issues whereof are the issues of Death It is Idolatry in regard of God And it is spirituall Adultery for what should take up our affections should we not place our joy our delight which follows our trust alway for trust carries the whole soul with it what should take up our joy and delight should not God and Heaven and Heavenly things should not these things have place in our hearts as they have in their own worth when we take these affections from God and place them upon the creature they are Adulterous affections when we love riches or pleasures better then God that gave us all it is an Adulterous whorish Love Oh ye Adulterer s and Adulteresses saith blessed St. James know ye not that the love of this world is enmity with God It is likewise falshood for it makes the creature to be that that it is not and it makes God that which he is not we despise him and set up the creature in his roome There is a false witnesse alway in false confidence indeed there are many sins in it There is Ignorance not knowing the creature to be so vain as it is there is Ignorance of God not knowing him to be All in all as he is And there is rebellion to trust in the Creature when God will not have it trusted in And there is impatience when these supports are taken away then men grow to murmuring There is almost all sins hidden in self-confidence and self-sufficiencie you see the danger of it to God Besides that it is dangerous to our selves it brings us under a curse Cursed is the man that maketh flesh his armes Jer. 17. that trusts in any thing but God It brings us under a curse as I said because it is Idolatry and spiritual Adultery And then again because leaning to a false prop that being taken away that shored us up before down we fall with that we leaned on Now all things but God being vanity we relying upon that which is vain our trust is vain as the thing is vain we can hope for no better condition then the things we trust to they are vain and we are vain so there is a curse upon them Therefore we have great cause to hate
and perhaps I shall have better occasion to speak of it afterward I onely apply it to the present purpose how it strengthens faith in misery and in the houre of death A man is strengthened in his faith when he thinks now I am going the way of all flesh I am to yield my soul to God and death is to close up mine eyes yet I have trusted in God and do trust in God that will raise my body from the grave This comforts the soul against the horrour of the grave against that confusion and darknesse that is after death Faith seeth things to come as present it sees the body after it hath a long time been in the dust clothed with flesh and made like the glorious bodie of Christ faith sees this and so a Christian soule dies in faith and sowes the body as good seed in the ground in hope of a glorious resurrection And that comforts a Christian soule in the losse of children of wife of friends that have been dearest and nearest to me I trust in God that raiseth the dead that he will raise them again and then we shall all be for ever with the Lord it is a point of singular comfort for the maine Articles of our faith they have a wondrous working upon us in all the passages of our lives it is good to think often upon the pillars of our faith as this is one That God will raise us from the dead But I go on to the next verse VERS 10. Who delivered us from so great a death who doth deliver us in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us SAint Paul sets down his troubles to the life that he might make himself and others more sensible of his comforts and of Gods grace and goodness in his deliverance These words contain his deliverance out of that trouble his particular deliverance out of a particular trouble And this deliverance is set down by a triple distinction of time as time is either past present or to come so God who is the deliverer for all times he hath delivered us for the time past he doth deliver us for the present in whom we trust that he will deliver us for the time to come Who delivered us from so great a death After St. Paul had learned to rrust in God after he had taken forth that lesson a hard lesson to learn that must be learned by bringing a man to such extremity I say after he had learned to trust in God that raiseth the dead God gave him this reward of his diligence in the blessed school of afflictions he delivered him who hath delivered us and who doth deliver us continually he will not take his hand from the work and for the time to come I hope he will do so still St. Paul here calls his trouble a death It was not a death properly it is but his aggravation of the trouble that calls it a death because Gods mercy onely hindred it from being a death it was onely not a death it was some desperate trouble some desperate sicknesse the particular is not set down in the Scripture We know what a tumult there was about Diana of Ephesus Acts 19. and in 1. Cor. 15. He fought with beasts at Ephesus which is in Asia after the manner of men Whether it were that or some other we know not whatsoever it was he calls it a death he doth not call it an affliction but a death a great death to make himself the more sensible VVherefore have we souls and understandings but to exercise them in setting forth our dangers and the deliverances of God to consider of things to affect us deeply The Apostle here to affect himself deeply he sets it down here by a death And oft-times in the Psalmes the Psalmist in Psalme 18. and Psal. 11. he calls his afflictions death and hell and so they had been indeed except God had delivered him But to come to the points that are considerable hence First of all we may observe this that God till he have wrought his own work he doth not deliver he brings men to a low ebbe to a very low estate before he will deliver Secondly After God hath wrought his own work then he delivers hischildren Thirdly he continues the work still he doth deliver me Fourthly That upon experience of Gods former deliverance Gods children have founded a blessed argument for the time to come He hath he will deliver me God is alway like himself he is never at a loss what he hath done he doth and will doe reserving the limitations as we shall see afterward God doth not at the first deliver his children He delivered St. Paul but it was after he had brought him to receive the sentence of death and after he had learned not to trust in himself but in God that raiseth the dead God deferres his deliverance for many reasons To name a few God doth deferre his deliverance when we are in dangers partly as you see here to perfect the work of mortification of self-confidence to subdue trust in any earthly thing St. Paul by this learned not to trust in himself And then to strengthen our faith and confidence in God when we are drawn from all creatures to learn to trust in him And to sweeten his deliverance when it comes to indear his favours for then they are sweet indeed after God hath beat us out of our selves Summer and Spring are sweet after Winter so it is in this vicissitude and intercourse that God useth favour after affliction and crosses is favour indeed That makes heaven so sweet to Gods Children when they come there because they go to Heaven out of a great deal of miserie in this world And partly likewise God defers it for his own glory that it may be known for his meer work for when we are at a losse and the soul can reason thus God must help or none can help then God hath the glory therefore in love to his own glory he defers it so long Again he useth to defer long that he might the more shame the enemies at length for if the affliction be from the insolencie and pride of the enemies he deferres deliverance till they be come to the highest pitch and then he ariseth as a Gyant refreshed with wine and smites his enemies in the hinder parts he is as it were refreshed on the sudden And as it is his greatest glory to raise his children when they are at the lowest so it is his glory to confound the pride of the enemies when it is at the highest if he should do it before his glory would not shine so much in the confusion of them and their enterprises against his children One would think he should not have let Pharaoh alone so long but he got him glory the more at the last in confounding him in the Red-sea So Haman came very farre almost to the execution of the decree he
be like thy self thou thinkest I hate those that thou hatest that are my dear Children therefore Herod presumed to go on and lay hold on Peter but the Church falls a praying and God smites Herod with a fearful death he was eaten up with lice with worms bred in his body So I say it is no good argument to say I have prospered in wicked courses I do prosper and therefore I shall prosper I have gotten a great deal of goods by ill means and I have kept such ill company and though some mislike my courses yet I hope to morrow shall be as to day c. Take heed blesse not thy self Gods wrath will smoak against such Treasure not up wrath unto thy self against the day of wrath argue not so upon Gods patience It is an argument for Gods Children he hath been my God he is my God and he will be my God it is a Sophisme else for others and as the Prophet Amos saith He that hath escaped the Lyon shall fall into the hands of the Bear so the wicked that escape one danger shall fall into another at length it is no good argument for them to hope for the like of that they have had Nay rather it is the worst outward sign in this world of a man in the state of reprobation of a man hated of God to prosper and have security in ill courses God blesseth him and lets him go on in smooth courses as the streames of Jordan go on smooth and still and then enter into the dead sea so many men live and go on in smooth easy courses and we see at length they either end in despair as Judas or in deadnesse of heart as Nabal So that of all estates it is the most miserable when a man lives in a naughtie course and God interrupts him not in his course with some outward judgment It is a reason onely for the Children of God to support themselves with in a good cause wherein they walk with a good conscience then they may say truly God that hath been my God till now will be my God to the end of my dayes Is God so constant to his Children in his love and in his fatherly care providence that whom he hath delivered he doth deliver and will deliver let us be constant in our service and love back again let us return the echo back again and say I have served God I do serve God and I will serve God because he hath loved me he doth love me and he will love me he hath delivered me he doth deliver me and he will deliver me as he is constant in love to me so will I be constant in respect in reverence and obedience to him Therefore we see the Saints of God as God loves them from everlasting to everlasting being Jehovah as he never alters in his nature so not in his love to them so they never alter in their love to him therefore it is a clause in Scripture expressed by holy men To whom be praise for ever as they knew that he was their God for ever and for ever so they purposed to be his people and to praise him for ever and for ever And because they cannot live here alway themselves they desire that there may be a Generation to praise him for ever and for ever and they lay a plot and ground so much as they can that Gods Name may be known that Religion may be propagated for ever They know God is their God for ever they know he is constant in love to them and they are constant in their love to him and for his glory To whom be glory for ever See here the happinesse of a true Christian that is in Covenant with God he can say I have had my happinesse and my portion I have it and I shall have it for ever Take a worldling can he say so he cannot God will confound his insolence if he should say so I have been rich I have prospered in my course I have attained to this and that means I yet thrive and I shall thrive I is it so No thou buildest upon the sands howsoever God hath done and howsoever he doth thou canst not secure thy self for the time to come Onely the Christian that makes God his rock and his fortress his shield and strong tower of defence he may say he hath had that which is certain he enjoyes that which is immutable and constant God is his portion his eternal portion he hath been good he is good and he will be good to eternity no man else that hath a severed happinesse out of God can say so A sound Christian take him in all references of time he is a happy man if he look back God hath delivered him from Satan from hell and damnation and many dangers If he look to the present he is compassed about with a guard of Angels and with the providence of God God doth deliver him he hath a guard about him that cannot be seen but with the eye of faith The Divel sees it well enough as we see in Job Thou hast hedged him about how can I come to him He looked about to see if he could come into Job to see if the hedg had any breach but there was none Gods providence compassed him about God hath and doth deliver And if he look to the time to come he will deliver he seeth that neither things present nor things to come shall be able to separate him from the love of God And this is not onely true of outward dangers but especially in spiritual God hath been gracious he hath given Christ How shall he not with him give us all things A Christian is in the favour of God now how shall he not be so for ever He hath eternity world without end to comfort himself in that God as long as he is God he hath comfort as long as he hath a soul so long Jehovah the living God will be his God both of his body and soul he is the God of Abraham therefore he will raise his body he is the God that raiseth the dead and he will for ever glorifie both body and soul in heaven Look which way he will a Christian hath cause of much comfort why should he be dismayed with any thing in the world why should he not serve God with all the encouragement that may be when he hath nothing to care for but to serve him As for matter of deliverance and protection it belongs not to us but to him let us do that that belongs to us and he will do that belongs to him if we commit our soules to him as to a faithful Creator in weldoing he hath delivered us he doth deliver us and he will deliver us and preserve us to his heavenly Kingdom VERS 11. You also helping together by prayer for us IN these words the holy Apostle sets down the subordinate means that God hath sanctified to continue
comforted then it is most terrible at the hour of death we should have most comfort if we had any wisdom when earthly comforts shall be taken from us and at the day of judgment then an ill conscience look where it will it hath matter of terrour If it look up there is the Judge armed with vengeance if it look beneath there is hell ready to swallow it if it look on the one side there is the divell accusing and helping conscience if it look round about there is heaven and earth and all on a fire and within there is a hell where shall the sinner and ungodly appear If the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the sinner and ungodly appear at that time O let us labour to have a good conscience and to exercise the reflect power of conscience in this world that is let us examine our selves admonish our selves judge our selves condemn our selves do all in our selves Let us keep court at home first let us keep the assizes there and then we shall have comfort at the great assizes Therefore God out of his love hath put conscience into the soule that we might keep a court at home Let conscience therefore do its worst now let it accuse let it judge and when it hath judged let it smite us and do execution upon us that having judged our selves we may not be condemned with the world If we suffer not conscience to have its full work now it will have it one day a sleepy conscience will not alway sleep if we do not suffer conscience to awake here it will awaken in hell where there is no remedy Therefore give conscience leave to speak what it will perhaps it will tell thee a tale in thine ear which thou wouldest be loath to hear it will pursue thee with terrours like a blood-hound and will not suffer thee to rest therefore as a bankrupt thou art loath to look in thy books because there is nothing but matter of terrour This is but a folly for at the last conscience will do its duty it will awaken either here or in hell Therefore we are to hope the best of them that have their consciences opened here there is hope that they will make their peace with God that they will agree with their adversary while they are in the way If thou suffer conscience to be sleepy and drowsie till it be awaked in hell wo unto thee for then thy estate is determined of it will be a barren repentance Now thy repentance may be fruitful it may force theeto make thy peace with God dost thou think it will alway be thus with thee Thou besottest thy conscience with sensualitie and sayest Go thy way and come another time as he said to St. Paul I will tell thee this peace will prove a tempest in the end Conscience of all things in the world deserves the greatest reverence more then any Monarch in the world for it is above all men it is next unto God and yet what do many men regard the honour 〈◊〉 their friends more then conscience that inward friend that shall accompany them to heaven that will go with them to death and to judgement and make them lift up their heads with joy when other friends cannot help them but must needs leave them in death Now for a man to follow the humours of men to follow the multitude and to stain conscience what a foolish wretch is he though such men think themselves never so wise it is the greatest folly in the world to stain conscience to please any man because conscience is above all men Again those that follow their own humours their own dispositions and are carried away with their own lusts it is a folly and madnesse for the time will come that that which their covetous base lust hath carried them to that shall be taken away as honours riches pleasures which is the fuel of that lust which makes them now neglect conscience all shall be taken away in sicknesse or in the time of despair when conscience shall be awaked Now what folly is it to please thy own lust which thou should'st mortifie and subdue and to displease conscience thy best friend and then when thy lust is fully satisfied all that hath been fuel to it that hath fed it shall be taken away at the hour of death or some special judgement and conscience shall be awaked and shall torment thee for giving liberty to thy base lusts and to thy self And those eyes of thy soul that thy offence delighted to shut up there shall some punishment come either in this life or in that to come that shall open those eyes As Adams eyes were opened after his sin why were they not open before he had such a strong desire to the apple he did not regard them but his punishment afterward opened those eyes which his inordinate desire shut So it shall be with every sinner therefore regard no man in the world more then thy conscience Regard nothing no pleasure no profit more then conscience reverence it more then any thing in the world Happie is that man that carries with him a good conscience that can witnesse that he hath said nor done nothing that may vex or grieve conscience if it be otherwise whatsoever a man gains he loseth in conscience and there is no comparison between those two One crack one flaw in conscience will prove more disadvantagious then the rest will be profitable Thou must cast up the rest again they are sweet bits downward but they shall be gravel in the belly We think when we have gained any thing when we have done any thing we shall hear no more of it as David said to Joab when he set him to make away Uriah Let not this trouble thee So let not this ill gain let not this ill speech or this ill carriage trouble thee thou shalt hear no more of this We take order to stop and silence conscience thinking never to hear more of it oh but remember conscience will have its work and the longer we defer the witnesse and work of conscience the more it will terrifie and accuse us afterward Therefore of all men be they never so great they are most miserable that follow their wills and their lusts most that never have any outward check or inward check of conscience but drown it with sensual pleasures As Charles the 9 th who at night when conscience hath the fittest time to work a man being retired then he would have his singing boyes after he had betreyed them in that horrible Massacre after which he never had peace and quiet And as Saul sent for Davids Harpe when the evil spirit was upon him So wicked men they look for forreign helps but it will not be for the greatest men with their forreign helps are most miserable The reason is because the more they sink in rebellion and sin against conscience the more they sink in terrours it shall be the
Therefore he that hath any truth of grace in him he will look to himself and look to God in the most free actions of all You see then how we may judge of our sincerity whatsoever we do A sincere Christian stands thus affected in some measure in some degree in the good he doth in the ill he abstaines from whatsoever it be he thinks he hath to deale with God Now to stir us up to this blessed state to labour for this frame of soul to be sincere to have our conversation in sincerity what needs be added more then this that without it all is nothing all our glorious performances are meer abominations without sincerity God will say you did it not to me you did it for vain-glory you did it for custome or out of education for vain and by-respects and not to me and do you look for a reward of me you did it not for conscience for conscience alway looks to God and what we do not in conscience and obedience to God in our generall or particular calling it stands not on our reckoning with God it is as good as if it were not done in regard of God and of the life to come You have your reward saith Christ. It is no matter what your respects be here if you carry your selves carefully in your place to have the credit of men to gain the favour of men you have your reward Will you looke for a reward from God when what you did you did it to the world What a pittifull thing is this that a man should doe many things many years together and yet do nothing that may further his day of account because it was not done out of conscience of his duty his conversation was not in sincerity to God Now if we have not truth we have nothing in Religion Saint Paul saith as I said before Of an Idol It is nothing why it is a piece of wood or a piece of Gold the materialls of it is something But it is nothing to that which it should be If a man be not true in Religion he is nothing in that he is a true hypocrite but a false Christian. He is nothing in Christianity he is something in hypocrisy but that something is nothing All the shewes in the World and all the flourishes they are nothing What is the reason that excellent Clerks men of excellent parts die comfortlesse many times VVhy God is not beholding to them for all that they did they sought their own praise As the Prophet Isay saith When you fasted did you fast to me When you did good works did you do them to me may God say there was no truth in it so much simplicity so much comfort sincerity is all that we can come to in this world perfection we cannot attain to Christ is perfection for us Truth is all that we can reach to and without that all is nothing therefore we ought to regard it especially Again on the other side this is a great encouragement to be sincere to be true-hearted in all our courses and actions because it gives acceptance to whatsoever we doe and it is that by which God values us God values us not by perfection not by glorious shewes but by what we have in truth So much truth so much worth A little pearl is worth a great deale of rubbish A little sincerity because it is Gods owne creature it is the sincerity of God it is wrought by him it is his stuffe There is an almighty power to work truth in us for by nature we are all false God gives to some men to carry themselves more civilly then others but it is nothing worth except God change a man by grace because God accepts us according to sincerity God values us by truth so much truth so much esteem of the God of truth And where this sincerity is God beares with many infirmities As in marriage the husband that is discreet that knowes what belongs to marriage if the heart of the wife be true though she have many women like infirmities he passeth by them as long as the conjugall knot is kept unviolate So a Christian if his heart be true that he looks to God in all things though he have many infirmities God passeth by them As we see in Asa how many faults had he committed he trusted in the Physitians he used the Prophet hardly and many other faults and yet it is said that his heart was upright all his daies because he had truth in him It was in passion that he did this or that otherwise So Hezechias although he had many infirmities yet he could say that he had walked uprightly before God and God did well esteeme him for it And when he speakes of those that were to come to the Passeover Be mercifull to those that prepare their hearts those that have true hearts though they have many weaknesses Now if the heart be false though a woman have many vertues yet if she want the main if she have a false heart to her husband what is all the rest So the soule that is married to God that hath sweet communion with God if the heart and soul be naught what are all the shewes in the world they are nothing Let us take it to heart therefore and labour to approve our hearts and souls to God in all that we doe more then our lives and outward conversations to the world Let them think what they will so God approve of our hearts and intentions and purposes we are not to passe what the world judgeth as Saint Paul saith of himself Again this should incourage us to labour for sincerity and truth because wheresoever that is there is a growing to perfection To him that hath shall be given If we order our conversation aright as the Psalmist saith and labour to please God in all things the more we doe the more we shall have grace to do and the more we have the more we shall have to him that hath shall be given that is he that truly hath and doth not seeme to have but hath not indeed that seemeth to have goodnesse and hath none indeed that which he hath shall be taken from him A true Christian is alway on the mending hand it is a blessed prerogative he is alway mending and bettering by Gods blessing For where God gives in truth if it be but a little if it be but a grain of mustard-seed if it be true he will cherish it till it come to be a tree he will adde grace to grace one degree of grace to another Where there is truth it is alway honoured with growth It is not onely a sign of truth but where truth is there will be an endeavour of growth it is a prerogative where God bestowes truth he will alwaies adde the grace of growth though not at all times alike yet if Christians sometimes do not grow their not growing and their failings shame
is more sure and the dignity he is advanced to by Christ is greater then he should have had if he had stood still in Adam This is the condition of the soul an excellent creature it is capable of the Image and likenesse of Christ and of God capable of all grace Again if it submit it self to base creatures it becomes even as them and therefore men are called the world they are called flesh they are called after that which leads them the very soul it self as it were is flesh For as the very body of a holy man in some sort is spirit and every thing in him is spirit as it shall be at the day of Judgment as S. Paul saith it shall be raised a spiritual body because it shall be subject to the motions of the Spirit of God in all things and it shall not be supported by bodily meanes Now the very soul is bodily and carnal such a degeneration is wrought in man since the fall he makes his soul that was given to guide him in this world and which is made apprehensive of better things of the things of another world this soul he makes it the bawd to serve his base lusts and pleasures Not in fleshly wisdome Now wisdome is a middle word it may be either spiritual or carnal as the man is in whom it is If a man have moral honesty in him and good things in him that way it makes him a good Politician a wise man usefull in his place Though he be not a sound Christian yet he may be a wise man in his place and God useth such kind of men in the world and they have their reward here they are advanced c. But if it light in a divellish nature in a crooked oblique nature then it is malicious divellish wisdome And note this by the way All men that have flesh in them have not fleshly wisdome for some are carried with the flesh with the rage of fleshly lusts as the swine in the Gospel were carried headlong into the Sea they are carried by their lusts to hell as your common swaggerers and roarers that so they may escape the danger of the Lawes they care not for God nor man irregular wild persons These have flesh they are ruled by the flesh but they have not so much as fleshly wisdome for they take courses to overthrow themselves in the world to overthrow their names and their bodies and all They have not so much as policy in them their lusts so reign in them Such wretches we have oft-times amongst us that think themselves some body but they have not so much as Carnal wisdome in them to carry themselves better then a Devill Now in other men the flesh hath a wisdome that carries them not after this fashion but it whets their wits and they are as bad in another kind As take the same man when he is young he is carried by his brutish lusts without any wisdome at all even as the hurry of his lusts carry him and transport him when he growes old he is carried subtilly with the wisdom of the world He is alway under lusts alway under the flesh when he is young he is carried with base lusts and when he is old he is under the flesh and fleshly wisdome still he is carried with slavish covetousnesse to the world as formerly he was subject to base lusts in his youth all this is naught Where these differ in the subject in the person usually the base lust serves the witty those that are carried with base lusts they are subject and inthralled and over-ruled by those that are carried with the wisdome of the flesh As your subtile men your Usurers and subtile oppressours great witty men they make other men serviceable to their turn other men are slaves to them But to come nearer that that I mean to stand on My Conversation hath not been in fleshly wisdome You may see by the Coherence which I will not dwell on what to judge of fleshly wisdome Fleshly wisdome is where there is no simplicity nor sincerity because he opposeth them here Where fleshly wisdome is there is neither simplicity nor sincerity For take a subtile wise man he is all out-side and there is no simplicity in him He that is not wise to God but to the world he wraps himself in ceremonies in matters of Religion and studies the out-side of things to approve himself to the world and to attain his own ends but there is no simplicity or sincerity he that is wise to the world hath no respect to God Sincerity hath an eye to God and a sincere man as far as he is sincere hath an eye to God and he doth this and that because God seeth him and because God is leased with it but he that works according to fleshly wisdome he hath aimes contrary and distinct to that therefore the Apostle saith We walk in the sincerity of God as it is in the original and not according to fleshly wisdome So you may know from the opposition that fleshly wisdome is where there is no sincerity Where there is no love to God or to men There is no simplicity all is for shew and where there is all for shew there is double carriage not in simplicity aiming at Gods glory there is fleshly wisdome That for the Connexion But the point of Doctrine proper to the place is this That Gods Children have another manner of rule to live by then the world the rule that a godly wise man goeth by is not fleshly wisdom A man that looks for any joy that lookes to be in the blessed estate that Saint Paul here was in he must not be ruled by fleshly wisdome Our Conversation saith he in the World hath not been in fleshly wisdome Saint Paul no question but he had flesh in him and likewise he had fleshly wisdome because flesh is in all parts and it mingles it self with all graces In the understanding there is light and darknesse in the will there is rebellion and pliablenesse to God So Saint Paul had the stirrings of fleshly wisdome in him When he was in danger no doubt but the flesh would stir in him you may avoid it by shifts if you will And when he was before great ones you may flatter and betray the truth if you will No doubt but Saint Paul as he expresseth him himself Rom. 7. as he had a conflict in himself in other regards so there was a conflict between wisdome and wisdome the wisdome of the flesh did stirre against the wisdome of the Spirit I but it is one thing to have fleshly wisdome in us and it is another thing to make it our rule It is one thing to have flesh in us and another thing to be in the flesh as the Scripture-phrase is This conflict wondrously afflicted Saint Paul no doubt but it was one sharp conflict No question but carnal wisdome set S Paul to shift for himself
carnal projects and purposes and so much Religion as goes beyond that and discovers him to be false and halting so much he opposeth The wisdome of the flesh is bitter and sharp against all the opposers of it and stirres the cursed nature of man to the opposing of that which is contrary to it Take a carnal man either in Magistracy or Ministery if he be not humbled with pains in his calling and with the Word that he teacheth what doth he most hate in the world what doth he oppose is there any thing but saving grace is there any thing but that which God loves most and which is best for his soul that is the object of his spight and of his poyson and malice To be led by this is even as if a man should be led by a Pirate by a thief by an enemy and what can become of that man to be led as the fool to the stocks as Solomon saith he is in the way of death There is a way that seemeth good to a man in his own eyes but the issues of it are death saith Solomon and that is the way that carnal wisdome dictates to men It hinders also from the reforming of ill Policy overthrowes policy as we say Policy overthrowes Common-Wealths Tell a man that is in place You ought to reform this abuse and that abuse he is ready to think Oh if I be not wary others will enquire into my life too and find me out So this cursed policy this carnal wisdome it makes men unfruitfull in their places by forecasting dangers and so it hinders from doing good and from reforming grosse abominations and abuses So it hinders from suffering when God calls to it it forecasts if you be Religious you must suffer it will bring your good name in question it will bring your life in question it will hazard your estate Whereas indeed all the world is not worth the truth of God and a man loves not his life that will not hate it in such a case if it come to case of confession and standing for the truth in a good quarrel But here fleshly wisdome objects this and that danger as we see in Spira and others And thus man yielding to fleshly wisdome he growes desperate at length There are two men in a man as it were there is the flesh and the spirit The flesh saith as Job's Wife said Curse God and die or Blesse God and die read it whether you will there is the murmuring part in the crosse that bids us curse God and as Peter said unto Christ Oh save your selves this shall not befall you pity your self have regard of your self The flesh when we are to suffer saith as Eve to Adam as Job's wife to him or as Peter to Christ Oh spare your self be wise be wise And to colour the matter the more there must be a pretence of wisdome when as it is the greatest folly in the world to redeem any earthly commodity even life it self with the cracking of conscience with the breach of that peace which passeth understanding and perhaps with the losse of our soules It is the greatest folly in the world it is to be penny wise and pound foolish So we see whensoever we are about to suffer carnal wisdome hinders us As it hinders us from good and in good and hinders us from reforming evil and in suffering when we are called to it So it provokes us to evil and that we may swallow down the evil with the greater pleasure and more deeply it colours ill with good We may thank this politick carnal wisdome that truth and goodnesse ever goes with a scratched face that it goes under disgrace that it goes in a contrary habit and that hypocrisie goes in its ruffe in its colours I say we may thank carnal wisdome for if truth were presented in its own view it would stirre up approbation from all And if men could see vice and wickednesse uncased if they could see it in its own hue they would all detest it Carnal wisdome sees that this is not for the advancing of the projects it hath and therefore it disgraceth that which is good and sets false colours on that which is ill I say it stirres up to ill and it keeps us in ill Carnal wisdome saith You may do this you may continue thus long It deceives us with vain hopes of long life I might enlarge the point You see then what reason Gods Children have not to be ruled by fleshly carnal wisdome By the way let me give this caution That oftentimes that is accounted carnal wisdome that is not The weaker sort they are too blame oft-times to lay imputations upon those that God hath given greater gifts to and they account that carnal wisdome that is not so but is spiritual prudence I must needs adde that caution by the way As for a man to keep his mind and not to speak against evil in all places The prudent man shall keep silent saith the Prophet The times and the place may be such that the prudent man may keep silence it is best to do so And likewise to be cautelous to prevent danger so far as it may be without breach of a good conscience Saint Paul you know when he was called before the Sadduces and the Pharisees he escaped by a shift it was not a sinful shift he said he was a Pharisee and so he set them together and they falling into contention Saint Paul in the mean time escaped Many things might be done if we would take heed of carnal wisdome and that with a great deal of wisdome and approbation too Jeroboam might have settled his Kingdome and yet he need not have set up the two Calves in that cursed policy it was foretold that he should have those Tribes but he would be wiser then God and he would devise a way of his own David might have escaped from Achish the King of Gath he need not have made himself a fool Achitophel might have provided well for himself under David his old Master he need not have proved a Rebel There is nothing that Carnal wisdom doth but Heavenly wisdome will do it better if men could light on it and God would give them better successe in their carriage but there is a way for heavenly prudence I say and that must not be accounted carnal wisdome It is for want of this that people are too credulous Gedaliah he trusted too much he was too credulous to trust considering that men are subject to infirmities and subject to falsenesse it is good to be doubtful to be suspitious sometimes and it is no carnal wisdome neither The very loadstone of a lie is credulity What imboldens people to deal falsly with men they know them to be credulous and weak they will believe any thing But for the most part the errour is on the contrary over much jealousie Your carnal Politicians are over-jealous Jealousie
the greatest judgement that God can shew in this world to give us up to our own wits to our own devices for we shall wind and turn and work our own ruine And that is the hell of Hell in hell when the soul there shall think with it self I brought my self hither God will be exceedingly justified when men by their own wit shall damne themselves When God hath revealed to man taught them this is the way O man I have shewed thee what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee he hath revealed it in his Word doe this and doe that and he hath given conscience to help and yet out of policie to contrive thy own pleasures and profits and advantages in the world thou hast done the contrary When a mans soul shall reason thus My owne wit brought me hither I am damned by wit I am damned by policie a poore policy it is that brings a man to damnation Therefore we should beg of God above all things that he would not deliver us up to our selves As Saint Austin hath a good speech Lord free me from my self from my own devices and policy The divell himself is not such an enemie as I said as our own carnal wit for it is that that betrayes us to Satan Satan could do us no harm unlesse he had a friend within us Therefore beg of God above all things Lord give me not up to my own brain to my own devices for man is a beast by his own knowledge but let thy wisdome and thy will be my rule Again if so be that we ought not to make this carnal fleshly wisdome the rule of our life then let us have a negative voyce ready presently for it whensoever we find any carnal suggestion in our hearts say nay to it presently deny it presently have a jealousie presently when any plot ariseth that is not warrantable by the Word of God and that is contrary to conscience and to simplicity and sincerity presently deny it consult not with flesh and blood as Saint Paul saith of himself Gal. 1. I consulted not with flesh and blood And when you have any thing to do Considering that this is not the rule you are to live by or when you have any thing to resist when you have any thing to suffer Consider what God requires consider what is for the peace of conscience consider what is for the good of your selves and for the good of the Church consult with these advisers with these intelligencers and not with flesh and blood Consider not what is for your profit for your pleasure for your ease but resolve against them Get the truth of God so planted in your hearts that it may carry you through all these impediments and all these suggestions whatsoever And because we cannot do this without a change we cannot have a disposition contrary to carnal wisdome without a change for except a man be born anew except he be a new creature he cannot have holy aimes you must labour therefore more and more to have the spirit of your mind renewed and to grow in assurance of a better estate for what makes men carnally to project for this world they are not sure of a better They reason thus with themselves It may be I may have heaven it may be not I am sure of the pleasures present of the profits present although alas it be but for a short time whereas if thy soul were enlightned with heavenly light and thou wert convinced of the excellent estate of Gods Children in this world in the state of grace That a Christian is incomparably above all men in the first-fruits of heaven in the peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost which is above all prosperity and all profit whatsoever And that in heaven which is above our capacity and reach every way they shall be happy if men were convinced of this certainly they would not prostitute their pates to work so worldly If they were sure of heaven they would not so plod for the earth Let us therefore labour to grow daily in the assurance of salvation beg of God his Spirit to have your minds enlightned And withal to joyn both together to see the vanity of all earthly things which set carnal wisdome on work For first outward things they work upon the sense upon the outward man profits and pleasures are outward things and therefore they work upon sense they work upon opinion in opinion they be so as indeed worldly things are more in opinion then in truth A carnal worldly man he thinks poverty a hell he thinks it is such a misery it is not so Labour to have a right judgmenr of the things of the earth that set carnal wisdome on work to avoid poverty to avoid suffering for a good cause The Devil inflames fancy fancy thinks it is a great hurt to be in poverty fancy thinks it is a great good to be in honour to be in credit to have great place that other men may be beholding to us Alas get a sanctified judgment to see what these things be that set our wits on work What are all these things Vanity and vexation of spirit Let our meditations walk between these two often think of the excellent estate of a Christian in this world and in the world to come and that will set heavenly wisdome on work it will make you plot and be politick for heaven And then withall see the vanity of all other things of pleasures and honours and profits and whatsoever that we may not prostitute our soules to them which are worse then our selves that our soules may not set themselves on work to project and proule for these things that are worse then themselves Let this be your daily practice the meditation of these two things is worthy to take up your cogitations every day To consider the vanity the vexation and uncertainty that accompanies all these things when you have got them as we see in Ahab when he had gotten the Vineyard Besides the vanity of thâ—… consider how you have gotten them and how miserable will you judge your selves presently How doth God meet with the carnal wits of men in the attaining of things The wicked man shall not roast that which he took in hunting He hunted after preferment he hunted after riches to scrape a great deal for his posterity how doth God deal with such he overthrowes them utterly and his posterity perhaps they spoyl all Himself roasted not that which he took in hunting Ahab got much by yielding to the carnal wisdome of Jezabel Hast thou gotten and also taken possession What became of Ahab with all his plots and devices Achitophel and others God may give them successe for a while but afterward he gives them the overthrow Herod he had successe a while in killing of James and therefore he thought to work wisely and get Peter too God struck him with Worms
me But his wisdome for me was greater in preventing occasions above my strength in offering meanes that I never dreamed of in fitting occasions and opportunities to me The wisdome of God about and toward a Christian is more then any wisdom that is in him For alas having to do with the divell and with malicious spirits and with the world the streame whereofis against grace it is hard for that beame of wisdom in us that little wisedome we have though it be an excellent spirituall divine thing yet notwithstanding there is a heavenly wisdom that watcheth for us and gives issue and successe to all the good we doe and turnes away all evill that is above the proportion of Grace and strength in us therefore saith he Our conversation is in the Grace and favour of God not onely in me but for me I find experience of grace not onely the grace that is in me but of Grace every way for me in all my courses And that is the reason why weaker Christians are sometimes the safer Christians Another Christian that is wiser he meetes with tronbles perhaps I but God knowes that he hath but a little proportion in him and therefore Gods Wisdome is more for him without him God doth wondrously for infants and weak persons the lack in them is supplied by his heavenly wisdom And that makes Christians confident not to take thought what they shall speake or how to carry themselves more then is meet not to have distracted thoughts I mean to be discouraged in a good cause he thinks I have not onely a promise of grace to direct and guide me but likewise the wisdome of heaven for me to discourage others to take away occasions of discouragment from me to offer me encouragments and to lift up my spirit when occasion serves This is the comfort of a Christian that God is his strength He hath wrought all our works for us saith the Prophet he not only works gracious works in us but he works all our works for us In that the Apostle mentions grace when his meaning is of the particular grace of wisdome as the opposition shewes The first thing that I will observe from it is this That A Christian stands in need of wisdome When he is out of the fleshly government of fleshly wisdom he stands in need of another wisdom and that is Grace the Wisdome of God We stand in need of wisdome for alas what can we do in this world without wisdome what can we do without light For bodily inconveniences we have a bodily light an outward light to shew us what is noysome for reasonable inconveniences that our common wits apprehend we have the light of reason but there be many inconveniencies many dangers to the soul now there must be a light of wisdome answerable we need a heavenly wisdome to avoid devillish inconveniencies and dangers to the soul which without wisdome we cannot avoid Again there is a necessity of wisdome that is heavenly when we have renounced carnal wisdome there is such a likenesse between that which is good and that which is evil between truth and falshood Likenesse is the mother of errour Falshood is wondrous like truth evil is wondrous like good oft-times in shew when a Sophister hath the handling and the propounding of it Though there be as much distance between them as between light and darknesse yet to the appearance of man to his shallow judgment they are wondrous like one another here is need of wisdome to discern and distinguish between these Again there is wondrous need of wisdome because there are a great many hindrances from the doing of that which is good it is good to have wisdome to see how to remove those hindrances There are a great many advantages to help us to do good there is much wisdome requisite to take all the helps and advantages to do that which is good and unlesse we have wisdome we cannot take the advantages to do good as we should Again good is not good without wisdome vertue is not vertue without discretion when to speak and when not to speak A fool speaks all his mind at all times saith the Wise man Now to do things in season to be trees of righteousnesse to bring forth fruit in season To speak a word in season it is like apples of Gold with pictures of silver One word in season is worth ten thousand out of season Good is such a thing that it is never good indeed except it be cloathed with all convenient circumstances one inconvenience in the circumstance marres the good things And a world of wisdome there needs to see the things that are about good actions to help them or to hinder them and if there be helps and advantages to know how to use them there needs a great deal of heavenly light So we stand in need of wisdome As we stand in need of our eyes to walk in our common wayes so much we need a heavenly eye in our soules a heavenly light of wisdome Again we see by the policy of Satan that that which is good the best good it is hid under evil the best wisdome goes under the name of folly and unnecessary nicenesse and the vilest courses go under policy and wisdom Now there is need of much wisdome to discover things and to see them in their right colours when things are thus carried In a word such difference there is of things that there needs a great deal of discerning and heavenly wisdome and a greater light then a man hath by nature to guide him to heaven I need not stand to multiply reasons you see a man hath need of a great deal of wisdome And which is the second branch as he needs it So he may have wisdome He may have this heavenly wisdome As S. Paul saith here I walk not according to fleshly wisdome but by the grace of God the grace of wisdome he means according to heavenly wisdome as he needed it so he had it Saint James tells you how you may have it If any man lack wisdome to guide his life either in prosperity or adversity how to abound without pride and how to bear afflictions how to make his prosperity that it be not a snare to him If any man lack wisdome let him ask it of God who is the Fountain of wisdome let him light his candle at Gods light Carnal wisdome lights its candle at hell-fire a Carnal man rather then he will misse of his ends he will go to hell he and his riches and policy and all it is otherwise with heavenly wisdome We have need of wisdome and wisdome we may have The vessel that we must fetch it in is faith and the vent of faith is prayer faith sends its Ambassadour prayer to God If any man lack wisdome let him go to God And surely thus Solomon did he is an example of that He saw he lacked wisdome to govern
own particular one way and gain to the State or Religion another he considers not what will it advantage me but what is it for Religion It is the chief prevailing reason how he may gain to Religion and the glory of God he will not redeem his life to impeach the glory of God and Religion This is a man that leads his life by grace Again where grace is there graces are together there is a sweet linking of them therefore S. Paul instead of wisdome names Grace of God all grace A man therefore may know that he is led by grace when there is no solitary grace for where grace is solitary it is not at all it is but a shadow For there is not one grace but it is of special use in the managing of a Christians life and conversation therefore S Panl instead of wisdome puts grace here For instance there is a great necessity of seeing by a light above nature things above nature If a man lead a life above nature there is a necessity of heavenly illumination and conviction that there is a better happinesse then the world affords And then there is a need of love to carry the soul to that happinesse that is discovered But then there are a world of impediments between us and heaven and happinesse that is discovered to us in the Gospel by Christ Jesus there must be heavenly wisdome therefore to discover the impediments and to remove them And there are many advantages how to attain our end we must use this and this meanes these and these helps that God hath ordained here must be heavenly wisdome to use the advantages and to avoid the hindrances But there are a world of troubles between our end and us between heaven that is discovered and us therefore saith the Apostle Ye have need of Patience And patience that is sustained by hope hope casts anchor in heaven and assures us of happinesse there and then patience sustains us in whatsoever befalls us in this world Therefore the Apostle saith not I lead my life by wisdome but by grace by wisdome as it hath a connexion with all other graces Therefore a man that out of hearing of the Word or reading c. hath it discovered that there is a better way then he takes and yet notwithstanding hath not love to carry him to it nor wisdome to remove the impediments he works not towards his end there is no grace at all there is illumination but it is not sanctified illumination but a meer common work of the Spirit because where true wisdome is there is love and patience and hope and all other graces to carry the whole soul to that happinesse that is discovered Therefore by this you may know a gracious wise man he works to his end alwayes another man heares and wishes Oh it were well if I could attain heaven but carnal policy and base affections hold him in a beastly course of life that he works not to that end onely he hears such things and thinks God will be merciful and Christ hath dyed and when he cannot enjoy the world longer he will have good words that way but that will not serve the turn a man must lead a life in grace that will dye and be saved by grace he must work and carry the whole man with it and not onely have knowledge but faith and love and all a man must work with it Who is a wise man in outward matters is he a wise man that only talks of States matters out of Books he hath read No but he that when he comes to a businesse to negotiate in the world can remove hindrances and attain his end and overthrow the plots of his enemies when it comes to particular actions here is a wise man that can attain his end by working that doth work to his end till he have attained it So he proves graciously wise in Religion that works to his end or else he is a foolish man a foolish builder As Christ saith If ye know these things and do them not you are as a man that builds on the sands your profession will come to nothing Again a man may know that he is guided by Grace that he doth every thing by gracious wisdome when he doth provide for himself best in the best things out of a sanctified judgment when he doth judge aright of differences when he considers that there is a difference between the soul and the body between this life and eternal life there is a main difference between the glorious eternal life in the world to come and this fading life which the soul communicates to the body in this world when a man judgeth the difference between true riches and these things that we are so set upon that are but lent us for a little while When he judgeth between the true honour to be the Child of God and the fading honours of this world that shall lye down in the dust with us and shall all depart and be gone it appears then he hath a sanctified judgment he discerns of things that differ And according to this if he lead his life in gracious wisdome he makes his provision he makes his provision as his judgment leads him his judgment leads him to the best things therefore he provides for the best things As Christ saith of the Children of this world they are wise in their courses in their Generation they provide against beggery they make friends before-hand as we see in that unjust steward So a Christian provides for his soul he looks to that he makes him friends of his unrighteous Mammon he makes him friends of his earthly things that is he doth deserve well of men that they pray for him and so help him to heaven He daily makes his account ready he cuts off impediments that he meets with in the way he troubles not himself with impertinencies he spends not more time then needs about worldly things he useth them as they may help his work to be better and better in grace to be fitter and fitter for glory As he discerneth differences so he makes his provision answerable he provides for the best in the first place Or else he were a foolish Merchant a foolish builder a foolish man every way the Scripture saith he is no better that cannot discern the difference and provide well for himself when other things fail The Scripture doth well call wicked men fooles they have no judgement they do not provide for themselves they prefer these things say what they will before better things they are fooles in their provision Achitophel he made provision he set his house in order and what became of him after he hanged himself He made much provision for the world and at last he knew not how to forecast and provide for his soul. The Scripture calls the rich man in the Gospel a fool he was wise enough to contrive for himself yet he was but a rich
as S. Paul doth here My care in my course of life and conversation hath been in Simplicity I have cast my self upon God and his government and not looked to the world and in sincerity I have aimed at God in all things I have had no false and by aimes I have not spared even my life by any carnal end I have not served my self either in Religion or in my course of life but I have laboured to serve God in serving my brethren and have led my life by the grace of God and by the Word of grace which I laboured to know that I might follow Let us be able in some measure in truth to say thus And then we may say further with S. Paul That this is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience We shall never want joy And then let the world judge of us as it will there is such a strength and power such a prerogative and majesty in Christian comfort when a man can as I said reflect thus on himself that though in a weak measure yet in truth his conversation and course of life hath been though his slidings have been something in simplicity and sincerity that nothing can daunt it in this world It is above all discouragement above all eclipse of good name the testimony of Conscience which hath Gods testimony with it The witnesse of two is a strong witnesse the witnesse of God and conscience it will so settle our soules that neither ill reports nor any usage in the world shall daunt us we shall have comfort in all the passages of our lives be they what they will Whereas other men that lead not their lives in a constant course of holy simplicity and sincerity they are as the Prophet saith like the leaves of the Forrest shaken with every alteration with every rumour of ill newes But a sound Christian in the worst alteration there may be combustions there may be alteration of State yet his heart is fixed he is not moved Likewise in the hour of death he can say with Hezekias Thou knowest Lord I have led my life in simplicity that I have served thee with a perfect heart that is in sincerity I have desired and endeavoured to grow better which is all the perfection we have in this world sincerity witnessed by growth and strength against the contrary this will comfort us in all the alterations and changes in this world which is as a Sea full of trouble and at the hour of death likewise and at the day of Judgment this is that onely that will make us able to look Christ in the face Truth hath a Divinity in it this simplicity and sincerity more then any earthly thing it hath that in it that is real and spiritual A man that hath the Grace of God in the truth of it there is a great deal of majestie in it There is the greatest majestie in heavenly things when they appear most simple because of their excellency There is some thing of Gods in sincerity so much as a man hath in truth so much of Gods He partakes of the Divine nature as S. Peter saith so much as he hath in truth though it be never so little and being a branch of God it will make him look upon God in the day of Judgment Why because he knowes he is in the Covenant of Grace that he hath title to heaven by Christ. When a mans conscience can tell him that he hath led his life not by carnal wisdome but in the truth of Grace it will make him out-look Satan and all the troubles of the world and look unto Christ with comfort Who would not be in such a state Thus we see a Christian leads his life Not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God I will adde one thing more and so finish the verse We may see hence That the most Religious men are the best Statesmen I know proud carnall Machivillian dispositions make a scorn at these positions they think them to be austere and poor principles till they come to death As that Wretch said himself when he came to dye That he had provided for all things but for death but while they are in their ruffe they think they can manage States and do all When indeed they bring the vengeance of God upon their own persons and upon the State they live in For God is neither in them nor with them He is not in them for they want Grace they are led by carnall wisdome altogether And he is not with them God will not give them good successe unlesse it be to increase their Judgement He will not give good successe to those projects that they take up contrary to his rule Therefore those that will be guided by reasons of Religion and submit themselves to the guidance of Gods blessed Spirit they are best for the state of their own soules and best for the publick estate For doth not God know the mysteries of State better then any man Is not he a better Politician then any Achitophel in the world If they have any State-policy that is worth the naming is it not from him Is it not a beam from that Sunne Yes why then who is the better the difference of parts excepted but take them alike a gracious man and another that is not so let the one fetch his counsel from hell from darknesse and the other be ruled by reasons of conscience and Religion there is no comparison God will crosse and curse their projects that are for their own ends both in themselves and in the State too As for the other that are under Grace and the government of Grace God will be wise in them by his Spirit and he will be wise for them Psal. 1. Whatsoever a good man doth it shall prosper it is a large promise How wondrous happy and wise were the Children of Israel when they kept the Covenant of God This is your wisdome to keep the Commandements of God Deuteron 4. and their wisdome made them happy How happy were they in David's time who made the Statutes of God the Man of his Counsel How happy was the State in Solomons time till Solomon did warp and bend to Carnall counsell to strengthen himself How happy was his Government till that time but never after that they were environed with enemies round about but alas who could hurt the people of God so long as they submitted themselves to the government of grace they were alway happy Therefore it is an idle thing to suppose that there will be any good successe by carnal projects no the onely good States-man is the religious man And it was never better with the Church of God before or since the time of Christ then when those were in the stern Do but think of this oft as S. Jude saith God onely wise we must all of us light our candle at that fire All wisdome even this poor spark of reason that God enlightneth every
an oath which is the sign of all truth between man and man Their abuse of the Sacrament too they have abused all Gods signs and all to ill purposes to swear with private reservations whereas the old principle of Isidore is constantly and everlastingly true Conceive the oath as you will it must be understood as he to whom it is sworn understands it and not as he that swears Therefore undoubtedly Popery must fall every day and judicious men though they be not gracious they see it must fall It should make us hate them deeply because the courses they take are the overthrow of society this abuse of expressions of that excellent gift that God hath given namely the tongue whereby what is in my heart another man may understand and also writing whereby a man may convey his mind many hundred miles Now these excellent gifts that God hath given for society for men to turn them against God and against Society it must needs provoke the Majesty of God And as it is a sin against Society so it is a sin that is punished by society All men must needs hate them that do so those that have no other argument against Popery they have argument enough from their equivocation Those that are not subtile-headed to see other things when they look to the Gun-powder Treason and to their equivocation there is argument enough for any plain simple man to hate Popery Therefore let us be like our selves in all that we do to God or to men I had occasion to presse the Point when I spake of simplicity therefore I will not dwell further on it I write no other thing then what you read or acknowledge He means they acknowledged it in their heart and conscience What I write of my conversation that which you have heard it is no other then that you read and you acknowledge it too for they had felt the power of his Ministery Whence first of all observe That Where the Minister converseth by the Grace of God and not by carnal wisdome God is not onely wise in him but for him He is gracious and good for him he gives him successe in the hearts of others When a man is led by the Spirit of God the same Spirit that guides him in speaking guides his auditors in hearing and gives a sweet and a strong report in their hearts of what he saith What I write of my self you acknowledge that my Conversation hath been in sincerity and not onely my conversation but my Doctrine every way you have acknowledged me the same Spirit that guided me to do so wrought in you an acknowledgment of it in your conscience Therefore if you would have the speeches of the Ministers to take effect you should desire God not only to guide them in what they are to say but likewise with the same Spirit to work in the hearers and when the same Spirit works in both what a glorious successe is there As we see here S. Paul carried himself in his own person and in his Ministery graciously in simplicity and sincerity for it is meant of both he taught simple doctrine without any glozing without any far-fetched beauty from wit or eloquence or the like and he looked to God in his life and conversation and as God guided him so he stirred them up to pray for him as the Word and Prayer they are alway joyned together the Word had a report in their hearts as it had in his own What I speak you acknowledge c. It is not for us to deliver our minds and there an end but when we are to speak we ought before-hand to look up to God and desire his Spirit to be effectuall in us that we may speak in the wisdome and grace of the Spirit and likewise that it may be effectual to them that they may acknowledge it that they may feel in their soules and consciences the power of what we speak and feel in our selves So you see the truth of what I said before That God was not onely wise in S. Paul but he was gracious and good for him in those that he was to deal with And there is the glory of a good Minister that is a humble man and denies carnal wisdome That God will delight to honour himself by using him as an instrument to do good to others God usually will give report of what he saith to the hearts of others Proud men that speak what they speak by carnall projects and carnall wisdome and seek themselves usually the hearts and consciences of other men give no report to them For man naturally is proud and when he sees that the most excellent man in the world hath by-aimes he will not be gone beyond by him say what he will If a man set up sailes for himself he doth not win upon others But he that discovers himself that he seeks the glory of God and the good of the soules that he deales with and denies himself in that which otherwise he could do that useth not the strength of parts which he hath because he would discover the simple Word which is most Majestical in simplicity God seeing this simple and sincere desire he honours and crownes the Ministery of such a man with successe in the hearts of the people Therefore saith S. Paul here I write no other thing concerning my self but God hath honoured me with the issue of it in your hearts likewise that you acknowledge what I say You acknowledge Acknowledge is a deep word it is more then to know it is more then a conviction of the judgment it is when the heart and affections yield when the inward Spirit upon experience yields I feel and acknowledge this is true it is more I say then knowledge The next point then that I observe is this That God doth give his Children that love him in simplicity and sincerity a place in the conscience of men He gives them place in the consciences of those that have conscience for there are some that have no science and therefore they have no conscience as Popish superstitious persons c. But those that deal faithfully that live in the Church and see the glory of God God gives them a place in the conscience of those that they live amongst and deal with And they seek more to have place in their conscience then in their fancy then in their opinion and Imagination and humour A carnal man so he may have the humour the fancy and Imagination of his hearers delighted he regards not what inwardly they may feel from him he regards not how he warms their hearts and conscience and how they acknowledge him within and therefore perhaps if he have a good word for the present Oh a glorious man c. it is all he cares for but he hath no place in their conscience because they feel him not working there and he hath no aime to be there A good man seeks to edifie and build up
can this be a grief to the Minister and not for the damnation of their soules together And they shall find it a heavy and bitter thing to grieve the Spirit of God in others as well as they wound their own conscience both are joyned together What a happinesse is this that the more a man is interessed in the good of another man the more glory if he be a meanes of any good in him he shall have good and you shall have glory The best things in nature are communicative and diffusive the Sun gives light to the whole world so the best man is most fruitful and communicative he labours to gain all men by his acquaintance He knowes this that he is not for himself he is reedeemed for the honour of Christ And then he knows that anothers good will be my glory it will increase my glory and be the object of my glory On the contrary we see a company of wretched despicable creatures let their outward estate be as glorious as it will but I speak of them as Christian eyes judge and esteem of them that draw others on to the same course with them if they be blasphemers themselves they glory to make others so if they be given to sensuality they labour to make others sottish as themselves if they be given to filthinesse they draw others to communion with themselves Well will these people be much for their rejoycing in the day of the Lord think you what will they do when they think of others such as they have neglected altogether that God gave them charge of The very thought of them instead of making them rejoyce it will make them astonished I betrayed his soul he was my friend or my servant I let him live in such sins Good neglected will torment us hereafter But then ill infused by example and by word I poysoned him suppose I have repented my self but perhaps the person that I have drawn to communion in my sin hath not repented what a torment will this consideration be Good neglected will be matter of torment much more evil infused poyson infused When we shall see at the day of Judgment instead of a company that we have gained to God and been a meanes to further their salvation we shall see a company that we have infected with our ill example and our evil perswasions this will be in hell an increase of torment One will curse another and say You brought me hither The father will curse the sonne To get riches for you I crackt my conscience and lost my soul And the sonne shall curse the father By your riches that you lost me I lived a base and sensual life whereas perhaps I might have trusted to my good endeavours otherwise so here shall be cursing The friend shall curse his friend You might have told me of this you strengthened me in evil courses As it will be our glory when we shall see such and such as God hath used as instruments to do good unto so it will be a torment indeed to think Such and such I neglected and betrayed such and such I corrupted I beseech you therefore take heed of it And would you have matter of joy in this world that should joy you when nothing else will joy you as Saine Paul was in affliction oft what comforted Saint Paul First his own conscience that he was a good Christian an heir of heaven a good Apostle but when he wanted joy what would he do when he had no liberty but was imprisoned when he had nothing then he considered How hath Christ dignified me to do good to others this honouring of him to do this it comforted him more then all his imprisonment and abasement and reproaches could discourage him the conceit that God did use him as an honourable instrument for his honour and service to do good to others So the testimony of our Conscience that God hath used us to do good to others not onely to make me to gain heaven but to be an instrument to gain others this will comfort us in the world come what will This should stirre up those that have to deal with the soules of others not only Ministers but all others that have any committed to them that they should labour to make them good to work upon them for the good of their soules that they may have them as matter and objects of their joy at that day If they do not as I said when they are presented to them as persons whom they have neglected and betrayed negligently for want of instruction and reformation of their lives and as persons whom they have infected with their ill example which is worse alas what matter of horrour will they be They will not say of them as S. Paul saith here You are my joy and my crown and my glory but they will be matter of horrour these be they that I havs betrayed and neglected and infected and brought to hell to this cursed condition with my self It will be an increase of the torments of hell at that day all those whom we have hurt any kind of way But what shall it be then of those that have opposed goodnesse that have not only betrayed others by neglect but have maligned good where they have seen it what will become of them that are so far from making others good that they have despighted the Image of God in others and have exercised their bitternesse upon Christ in his members and Ministers To adde one thing more What! these Corinthians that had so many abuses and such weaknesses were they the matter of S. Paul's joy Yes why therefore people must take heed how they leave Churches that have corruptions in them Schisme oft-times is a greater fault then the fault upon which they pretend separation the things for which they pretend a rent are not so great a fault in the Church as the want of Charity in them to do so If Saint Paul would have taken occasion to leave them what good occasion had he alas how many corruptions had they in doctrine and in manners too but yet notwithstanding as ill as they were he saw what good was in them and looked not to the evil he knew that God would perfect the good things that were in them and saith he notwithstanding all their infirmities I see you were ready to reform when I wrote an Epistle to you therefore I doubt not but you will be our rejoycing In the day of the Lord Jesus This is the time it must be taken inclusively I am your rejoycing and you are mine to the day of the Lord Jesus and in the day of the Lord so he means here It is laid as a ground here That Jesus Christ hath a Day It is his day by way of eminency and excellency Jesus Christ hath many dayes two especially The day of his first coming and the day of his second coming The first coming of Christ was the
day of the Gospel when he came to work our salvation His second coming is to accomplish our salvation In his first day he came to be humbled and to be judged to be a sacrifice for us In his second he is to come gloriously to judge the quick and the dead In the first he came to gain a Church to himself by his second he shall come to accomplish the Marriage now is the contract There is the Sabbath after the six dayes of this life the day of the Lord shall appear the Sabbath day the day of Jubilee the solemnization of the marriage the solemn triumph over all enemies The first day was to save our soules especially from the thraldome of sin and Satan The second day this that we speak of here shall be to save our bodies from the rottennesse and corruption in which they have lien rotting in the grave till that day of Christ. As he raised his own body so at that day he shall raise our bodies and make them like his glorious body That is the main Day the Day of all daies for then he will come to accomplish all that day shall never have a night it shall be day for ever As the Cloud that went before the Israelites to Canaan that side toward the Egyptians was dark but the other side was lightsome toward the Israelites so this day it shall be a dark day it shall be both a day of vengeance and a day of glory Saint Paul saith here You shall be my rejoycing and I yours at that day but those that do not believe the Gospel and obey the Ministery of it it shall not be a day of rejoycing to them It shall be a glorious day when all other glory shall vanish all other glory in the world shall be eclipsed even as the Starres are not seen when the Sun appeares in the firmament All the glory at that day shall be the glory of Christ and of his Church To omit other things that may be spoken out of other places of Scripture the Point I will observe hence is this That The measure of a Christians rejoycing in this world in any thing it is the Consideration of what it will be at the great Day of Judgment I say the rule whereby a Christian judgeth things and that measure whereby a Christian measures things to be thus or thus in their excellency and worth it is as they will be esteemed at that day of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here S. Paul saith I am your rejoycing and you are ours at the day of the Lord Jesus What is this a vain glorying to commend him Oh he is a worthy learned Rabbi a great learned Apostle and then that they were such and such people No no They had grace wrought in them and S. Paul saw such evidences of grace in them that at that day they should look upon Christ with boldnesse because they were sincerely gained to the Gospel So then this must be the rule of the worth of any thing to esteem it as it will be then at that day which is a day when all our estates will be determined of for eternal happinesse or eternal misery To explain it a little We do not value things of short continuance because they are short as flowers that are fresh in the morning and cast away at night but we esteem things that will hold out so our rejoycing and glory and comfort we should consider of it how it will hold out Riches avail not in the day of wrath Things have that degree of goodnesse or evil in them they have that degree of vanity or seriousnesse as they will stand out at that day What are riches in the day of wrath even in this world what will riches be then at the day of the Lord Jesus Therefore a Christian values them not they are not the good of a Christian he esteems not the applause of men and pleasures are nothing they are momentany they avail not when conscience is awaked They leave a man and not onely so but they leave a sting behind them If all the good things in the world will stand us in no stead then then what will the sins do that thou hast made so much of what will the sins do that thou hast betrayed and damned thy soul for thy filthinesse and thy betraying of goodnesse what will that do How wilt thou look the Judge in the face when as nothing in the world that is excellent will hold out and avail at that day But what then will avail at that day when Christ shall come to judge both the quick and the dead Why this That thou hast submitted thy self to acknowledge Christ as thy King and thy Priest and thy Prophet and by means of the Ministery thou hast been wrought on and the work of the new creature is begun in thee true and sincere grace that thou darest look on Christ that thou art in the state of grace this will comfort thee in the day of Judgment By this you may discern who take the wisest course he that measures his life by a right measure and rule who judgeth aright of persons and things he judgeth aright of things that values and labours to interest himself in those things that will comfort him in this world and stand by him in the world to come he hath a right judgment and esteem of things What be those things Grace a holy humble gracious believing carriage and disposition when a man gives himself to Christ and renounceth the world and sees the vanity of all things but the estate of Christianity he hath those things in some little measure that shall be perfected at that day Who take the wisest course those that seek to please the humour of men those that seek to feed their own corruptions and the corruptions of others those that will have some present glory in the flesh I but what will they have at the day of the Lord Jesus Surely those that labour to approve themselves in sincerity and truth to Christ Jesus in all things and so that they may approve their hearts to him they care not what the world judgeth of them as Saint Paul saith I passe not what ye judge of me If there be a day of the Lord when he shall be Judge then those are the wisest and the best courses that will hold out at that Day And those that will not we shall be ashamed of them all And that is the reason that many men of excellent parts and endowments are comfortlesse in the time of temptation they did not think to do things with reference to Christ in sincerity to please him fot then they might old up their heads at that day There is a great deal of Atheisme in our hearts we frame our courses to present contentments by reason that we have little belief for the time to come I beseech you let us often have in our thoughts the second coming of
examples and allurements and seducing of others from the disgrace that is put on good things what discouragements and scandals from without Again are there not oft-times new and great temptations that a man must have a new measure of grace to resist There is continual occasion of new spiritual strength to oppose new temptations and new spiritual strength to endure new crosses and to enjoy new benefits In all the passages of our life there is a necessity of more grace of further supply of grace A man with that proportion of strength which he had before he cannot encounter with new temptations and therefore there must be new grace and fresh attending upon the means while we live here Again unavoidable times will come when there must be strength of Grace sicknesse will come Temptations to despair will come conflicts with Satan will come we need not say put the case such and such but it is an unavoidable case they will come wherein a great strength of Grace will be necessary therefore we cannot be too much careful in attending upon the means of salvation to be confirmed and strengthened Again do we not need a great measure of strengthening Grace continually doth not the Devil envy goodnesse and good actions when we go about to pray when the best men are about the best actions what a deal of distraction is there how doth Satan confound them with distractions what a deal of confirming Grace need we to every good work when a Christian is taken out of the Kingdome of Satan he is the Butt the object of his malice and the malice of those that are his instruments We must pull every good work as it were out of the fire we must use violence to nature to temptations in every good duty to perform them strongly we need a second and a third Grace many degrees of Grace Then again we are capable of more Grace for our understanding is such that we may know more still and our will is such that it affects more still and the more holy truths are made known to us the more the will is enlarged to cleave to them the more we know the more we may know Our understandings are wondrous large there is a great capacity in them and our adhesion and cleaving to truths is more and more the more we know the more the Will cleaves to it as it is Act. 11. 23. they exhorted them that with full purpose they would cleave fast to God we must cleave and adhere fast to the truth and to God every day go deeper get nearer and closer to God and labour to be established in good things Saint Paul prayes that they might be established more and more And David prayes that he might be established in good thoughts and desires and resolutions in good purposes to be stablished in every thing that is good Grace is a state that we may grow in and our soules are fit to be enlarged for there is a great capacity in the soul till we come to heaven it is not full we may grow in every Grace stronger and stronger As in the examples of holy men in Scripture it was never well with them but when they were growing there is a necessity of growing If this be true Let us set no pitch to our selves and abhor abhor even as the temptation of the Devil the conceit of fulnesse and of self-sufficiency to think I know enough what should I know more for or perhaps I could read at home as I said before It is Gods Ordinance and cursed is all private study when it is done in contempt of the Ordinance of God Take heed of such suggestions of fulnesse and standing at a stay No we need a second we need many degrees of confirmation and strength and all little enough There was never any that repented of the carefull use of the means strengthening and proficiency and growth in this kind is a pledge of perfection that God will perfect more and more that that he hath graciously begun I beseech you take it to heart that we alway need a further degree of strengthening Grace while we live in this world The strongest Christians are most desirous of strength who have you that doth most hunger after the means of salvation Surely those that have the greatest measure of grace because with grace the capacity of the soul is enlarged to receive more The soul is so framed by God that the more it hath the more it hungers after and Blessed are those that hunger they shall be satisfied Who care least for the means debauched shallow creatures those that are Popishly conceited such as are ill bred such as take scandal at all things in the communion of Saints at holy exercises the frequenting of publick and private duties the making conscience of calling upon God A Christian that knowes what it is he thinks all the meanes little enough he will not omit one of them that may be a meanes of his growth and strength he thinks if he neglect one means he decayes in all Therefore he joyns to all means private duties and then publike of hearing the Word and he hears out of season when he finds himself indisposed As the Ministers are to preach in season and out of season so he heares in season and out of season And therefore of all men he that is the most careful of his growth is the great the strong Christian the better he is the more he hungers after it Take this as a tryal If you do not desire to be strengthened in good things more and more you have no goodnesse at all I will presse the Point no further at this time but go on Saith Saint Paul I was minded to come to you that you might have a second benefit a second Grace that is a confirming strengthening grace We all need then a second grace a confirming grace Here I might make some Use to Ministers I will but touch it to shew what their duty is to those that are under them every man is as it were a Minister in his place to strengthen another and to exhort one another and to bestow grace one upon another but Ministers should do it especially They are like those that repair the Sea-banks the Sea gets over oft-times and eats out the banks they must be repaire continually they will impair else The Ministers pains it is like the labour of the husband-man when he hath sowen he must weed and when he hath weeded he must fence to keep it from the birds of prey and the violence of beasts c. and he must live by faith till the grain be ready So the Minister after he hath planted he must water and weed and fence and all little enough he must look to the banks and many times that which he getteth in one day he loseth in another nay oft-times the pitiful condition of a Minister is this that at the weeks end he
the soul under God A man may keep his wisdome and understanding safe still so he keep it under and let Divine truth sway and bring all in us into captivity to it self But alas the scope of the world is contrary instead of bringing the soul into captivity to Gods truth to be led by him to have no thoughts no aimes contrary to Gods will they make Gods truth a captive and prisoner to their own base affections as S. Paul saith Rom. 1. They hold the truth they withhold it as a prisoner under base affections And whereas all should serve the main end and intend better things they make a counterfeit loving of good things to serve their carnal ends they make heaven serve earth they make God serve man the Spirit serve the flesh they invert the order of things clean which is as contrary to nature if they had wisdome to consider it as that the heaven should be under the earth and the water above the air it overturnes all in Religion when we suffer carnal wisdome to rule all to imprison that light that God hath put into the heart and conscience and the light of his Word to base affections and not to bring all into captivity to the Spirit and the Word When we come to hear Gods Word we should consider that we come not for recreation but we come to a Counsellour to that that should sway and direct all our wayes and words to that that is not onely our comfort in the time of affliction but our counsellour as David saith it was the man of his counsel So we come here to be counselled to hear that which must direct us in the way to heaven we must come with a purpose to be guided by that to be taught As Cornelius faith We are here in the presence of God to hear what shall be said to us from God Saint Paul gives this direction 1 Cor. 3. If a man will be wise in heavenly things let him be a fool first It is a strange thing Let him be a fool that is let him be content to be esteemed so let him be content to lose his reputation of wisdome that he may be wise When he knowes others to be fooles let him take a substantial course that the vain world may think him wise It is hard counsel for of all imputations in the world many and the most had rather be accounted wicked then be accounted fooles account them the veriest fools which are unfit to speak think of them in the highest degree of ill you can oh they have wit enough for that they have learning and parts for that take not away their learning and parts account them not fooles account them what you will Religion masters this base opinion Saint Paul saith Let a man be a fool if he will be wise Let no man deceive himself and think Let poor men be so and so Religion is the private mans good and let them make conscience of such things but for us that are in place and authority we must rule by policy and he knowes not how to rule that is not a Politician Let no man deceive himself there is no man great or small but if he will be wise for heaven let him be a fool let him take courses that are conscionable though he be accounted a fool for his pains Let us be jealous of our own hearts in private and publick let us take heed to our own hearts that the flesh come not in Let us labour to be acquainted with Christ that he may be our counsellour and our guide in all things Specially now when we come to the Communion we now renew out Covenant with God and our acquaintance with Christ Jesus we come to feast with him Do we think to have any good by him any benefit by his death except we make him our King and Prophet to rule and guide us except we make him our Counsellour Therefore let us think before-hand we cannot come as we ought to receive the Communion unlesse we intend before-hand to renounce the flesh Christs enemy can you be welcome guests and resolve after to be led and ruled by his enemy If you will have good by Christs death as a Priest to reconcile you to God as this Sacrament seales the benefits of his death the breaking of the bread and the pouring out of the wine come with a purpose to be ruled and guided by this Counsellour in all things he is the great Counsellour Isai. 9. 7. that is willing to advise us by his Word and Spirit in all the particular passages of our lives and the more we enter into acquaintance with him by the Sacrament and maintain it by private prayer and by all sacred means the more ready he will be to do the office of a friend and counsellour in all the passages of our lives to advise us what is best I had occasion in verse 12. to speak at large of fleshly wisdome therefore I passe it That with me there should be yea yea and nay nay This sets down the manner of inconstancy the form of it yea yea to be on the affirmative part once and then nay nay the negative to be of one mind and peremptory in it and then to be of another mind and peremptory in that this is the issue of carnal wisdome and followes on it The things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh that with me there should be yea yea and nay nay insinuating that those that purpose things according to the flesh they are yea yea and nay nay Whence first we may observe which I touched before a little but it issues more properly hence from the dependance That Carnal men are alway inconstant men For a fleshly man led with the flesh being led with the things of the world and they being inconstant he must needs be as that which he is ruled by A man cannot stand safe upon the Ice because it self is not safe a man cannot stand in a thing that stands not that hath no consistence Now a Carnal man he hath no prop to hold him but the things below he cleaves to them and they are inconstant and variable and uncertain He that purposeth according to the flesh is yea yea nay nay Therefore his love is yea yea nay nay If he may have good by you he is yea yea he is for you but can you do him no good he is nay nay he will not own you then Therefore one way to be constant is not to be ruled according to the flesh which I spake of before for they that are are yea yea nay nay Therefore take heed how you trust carnal men in near intimate society as in marriage Or in near friendship never take a man that hath his own aimes and ends for he will respect you no more then he can advance his own ends by you Trust not the Wife of thy bosome saith the Prophet if she
we must swear by him And indeed it is a service of God and to good purpose when Christians swear to stablish and determine truths that otherwise are doubtfull They were doubtfull of S. Paul's doctrine and his person saith he To put you out of doubt of the truth I speak to you I dare call God to witnesse it is true and sound The Apostle doth so once after in this Chapter therefore I reserve the further handling of an oath to verse 23. because the word there is more infallible I call God to record upon my soul c. The next thing I observe hence is this That The believing that Gods Word is Gods Word and is certain it is a matter of great consequence It is of great consequence for Gods people that look to be saved to be stablished in their opinion and judgment of Divine truth that it is certain and not flexible and mutable according to our wills and conceits and dispositions but is yea alway the same as God himself the Authour of it For laying this for a ground that I said before that S. Paul takes God to witnesse he would not enterpose an oath but in a matter of great consequence therefore it is a matter of great consequence to be setled in this that the Scripture is Divine truth unalterable and unchangeable An oath is never good as I said but when it is necessary It must not onely be in truth but there must be a necessity It must not only be taken in righteousnesse but in judgment a man must do it in discretion when the thing is not determinable any other way Therefore it is a matter of great consequence that men take the Word of truth not to be as the Oracles of Apollo and of the Devill true one way and false another The Devil would escape the imputation of a lie though he be a liar but Gods Oracles be Divine they be yea And it is good that we think them to be so to be constant undoubted certain and unmovable Therefore the Apostle seales it with an oath he would not seal a slight truth by an oath but saith he As God is true our word to you was not yea and nay c. And Saint Paul saw a disposition in them to suspect the truth of God as indeed we are proner to believe the lies of our own hearts and the suggestions of Satan and the counsell of Politicians of carnall friends then to believe God himself Therefore partly for the indisposition in us and partly for the great exigence and necessity of the thing to believe that Gods Word is his Word that it is truth he seales it with an oath God is true It is a point of great consequence The reason is God can have no service else and we can have no comfort If we do not believe the Word of God to be undoubtedly true in great temptations and assaults what armour of proof shall we have we can have no comfort nor grace For sometimes subtile and strong temptations to evill come if the Word of God be not more undoubted to me then the present profit or pleasure or whatsoever if the temptation be ready and I be not built on and settled on some grounded truth that I know to be true as God is true when the temptation is strong and our faith weak where are we a man presently yields to base lusts and temptations And so in matter of danger and despair when a man is tempted to despair if he cannot build on this God is true and his Word is as true as himself he will not the death of a sinner c. here a man is swallowed up It is no matter how strong the foundation be if the building on that foundation be weak If a strong man stand in a slippery place down he falls if a man stand slippery and have a weak standing on a strong place on a strong foundation if he have a weak building on a strong foundation he shall soon be cast off So the Word of God is true in it self but if we be not perswaded so that it is infallibly true that it is alway yea we shall be shaken with temptations When we are tempted to sin the temptation is present we are sure of the temptation if we be not more sure of somewhat against the temptation somewhat out of the Word to beat back the darts of Satan when we are tempted to sin and to despair for sin down we go and therefore it is a matter of infinite consequence to be perswaded of Divine truth What makes many as they are in courses that are corrupt in their callings nothing but this they stagger whether it be true or no that there shall be a Judgment they stagger whether it be true or no that the Scripture saith if they were perswaded that it were yea as true as God is in heaven as true as they have soules so their soules must be called to Judgment for that they speak and do would they do as they do Therefore S. Paul stablisheth them by an oath God is true and as God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay Therefore take in good part with thankfulnesse the means that God hath ordained to strengthen our faith and assurance of the Word of God and the Promises of God Therefore he hath appointed the Sacrament for that purpose I say there is nothing in the world so strengthened as the soul of a Christian if he give himself to Gods truth to be ruled by it For if we will believe God we have his promise That Whosoever believes in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life rich promises precious promises as the Scripture calls them We have not onely promises but they are sealed with an oath Now an oath is an unchangeable thing Heb. 9. 16. we have promises and oath that we might have strong consolation whatsoever might secure man we have Besides his oath we have his seal his Sacrament It was his love to condescend to make any Covenant with sinfull creatures that upon any terms he would give them life everlasting It was a higher degree of love to set Christ to be the foundation of this peace and of this Covenant that now God and we may be at peace with satisfaction to Divine Justice that he is the foundation of the peace between God and us Now God may be mercifull without wrong without impeachment to his Justice that is a higher degree of mercy to enter into Covenant and to give Christ to be the foundation of all And then it is a higher degree then that to secure us of the Covenant that Christ is ours to seal the Word with an oath and with the Sacrament which is the seal of the Covenant what could God do more What a horrible sin therefore is unbelief that we should tremble at to call Gods love and truth in question But yet we are prone to it
certain they are made in him and in him they are Amen that is they are accomplished in him in him they are made and in him they are accomplished I might spend a great deal of time to shew the acception of the word Amen but it is not pertinent to my purpose Amen is here certain undoubtedly certain as it is here to make way to that which is to be understood There are three main senses of Amen It signifies that a thing is positively so and not no it is so Yea and Amen signifie that such a thing is as Let your yea be yea such a thing is But now Amen is more not onely that a thing is but it is so truly and so unchangeably it is Yea and Amen The Promises are yea they are made in Christ and then they are true in him undoubtedly eternally unchangeably true So take it in the strictest in the strongest sense you can all the Promises of God in Christ they are so true that they are invariably constantly eternally true in him they are made in him and performed in him they are Yea in him and Amen in him So the whole carriage of the Promises is onely in Christ. The truths we are to deliver out of the words are these First of all we must know That since the fall of man it hath pleased the Divine Nature the three Persons in Trinitie to stablish a Covenant of grace and so of salvation in Jesus Christ and to make him a second principle a second Adam by whom mankind is restored to a better estate then ever we had in the first Adam God now since the fall takes another course to bring us back again to him He doth not leave us as he left the Angels that fell in a state of perdition for ever but as we fell by infidelity and distrust of him so now we are recovered again by Promises and by faith in them There can be no intercourse between God and man but by some promise on his part God deales with man by Promises The reason is this How can man dare to challenge any thing of the great Majestie of God without a warrant from himself How can the conscience be satisfied The conscience looks to God it is a knowledge together with God how can conscience rest but in that it knowes comes from God Therefore for any good that I hope for from God I must have a promise For this is Gods constant dispensation while we live in this world we are alway under hope we are children of hope We are saved by hope we rejoyce in the hope of glory and hope looks to the promises whereof some part is unperformed How doth heaven and earth differ heaven is all performance here is some performance to encourage us and there is alway some promise still unperformed We are alway under some Promise and therefore the manner of our apprehending God in this world differs from heaven here it is by faith and hope there by vision vision is fit for performance faith and hope looks to the Promise alway here Therefore God rules his Church by Promises partly I say to secure the soul of man we cannot have any thing from God but by the manifestation of his own good will How can we look for any thing from God but by promise can we look for any thing from God by our own conceits that is a fooles Paradise Further God will have his Church ruled by Promises in all ages to exercise faith and hope and prayer and dependance upon God God will try of what credit he is among men whether they will depend upon his promise or no so that knowing he is true by promise it may be certain to them they shall have performance in time he gives men Promises to see if they will trust him God will have this manner of dispensation to rule his Church by Promises to arm us in this world against feares and discouragements therefore we have alway some Promise He might have done us good and have given us no promise but now having given us Promises he will try the graces that are in us and arm us against all discouragements and difficulties till the thing promised be performed For we must know that a Promise is a Divine thing better then any earthly performance Let God give a man never so much in the world if he have not a promise of better things all will come to nothing at the last Therefore God supports the soules and spirits of his Children with Promises to arm them against all temptations on the right hand and on the left that would draw them from trusting in his Promise he will have them live by faith and that hath alway relation to the Promise This is a general ground then That God now in Christ Jesus hath appointed this way to govern the Church with Promises Now what is a Promise A Promise is nothing but a manifestation of love an intendment of bestowing some good and removing some ill a manifestation of our mind in that kind is a promise of conferring of a future good or removing of a future ill therefore it comes from love in the party promising There are three degrees of loving steps whereof a promise is the last The first is inward love The second is real performance And the third is a manifestation of performance intended before it be and this I say is a degree of love For love concealed it doth not comfort in the interim in the time that is betwixt Now God who is love doth not onely love us and will not only shew his love in time but because he will have us rest sweetly in his bosome and settle our selves on his gracious Promises in the mean time he gives us rich and precious Promises He is not onely love and shewes it in deed but he expresseth it in word And we may well build on his Word as verily as if he had performed it in deed for whatsoever he saith is Yea and Amen This is the nature of a promise It is not only love and the expression of love in deed but the expression of it in word when he intends to solace and comfort and stablish and stay the mind of man till the good promised be performed Therefore even from this we see how God loves us that not onely he hath an inward love in his breast and doth good to us but he manifests it by word he would have us as I said live by faith and stablish our selves in hope Faith and hope are two graces altogether from Promises if there were no promise there could be no faith nor hope what is hope nothing but the expectation of the things that the Word saith And what is faith but a building on the Word of God Faith looks on the Word that God will give such a thing and hope looks upon the thing that the Word promiseth as the
of Christ why He hath nothing but present things with a great deale of addition of misery and his greatnesse makes him more sensible of his misery it makes him more tender and apprehensive then other men The other he wants many comforts of this life he wants the performance he is rich in bills and bonds God is bound to him he hath promised he will not forsake him but he will be his God in life to death and for everlasting he hath title to all the promises Godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. Happie man he hath so much performance for the present as is usefull for his safe conduct to bring him to heaven he shall have daily bread he that will give him a Kingdom will not deny him bread he that will give him a countrey will give him safe conduct And besides that he hath here by performance he hath rich and precious promises and they are all Yea and Amen they are certain His life is uncertain his estate in the world is changeable here his life is as a vapour and the comforts of life are lesse then life when life it self the foundation of these comforts is but a vapour so uncertain what are all the comforts of life yet a Christian hath comfort here the promises are invested into him and lodged in his heart and made his owne by faith Faith hath a wondrous peculiarizing vertue it makes a man own that which is generally propounded in the Gospell Now faith making the promises his own and they are certain a Christian take him at all uncertainties he hath somewhat to build on that is Yea and Amen that is undoubtedly constant and certain that will stick by him when all things fail him I speak this to commend the estate of a believing repentant Christian to make you in love with it In all the changes and varieties in this world a Christian hath somewhat to take to And likewise in all the dangers of this life he hath a rock to go to a hiding place God hath chambers of Providence as it is Isay 26. he bids the Church come into thy Chambers God hath a hiding place and secret roomes to hide children in when it is good for them in the time of Pestilence and War in the time of publike disturbance when there is a confusion of all things Come into thy Chambers God is a resting place and a hiding place he is stiled so every where in the Psalmes Psalme 18. My Rock and my shield as if David had said I have many troubles in the world but in God is my defence for he is my Rock my Shield and all whatsoever is defensive I have it in him What a comfort is this in all dangers a Christian knowes either he shall be safe here or in heaven and therefore he doth rest He dewells in the secret of the Almighty Psalme 91. that is in the love and the protection of God Almighty and as Moses saith Psalme 90. Thou art our habitation from everlasting to everlasting that is God is a dwelling place for him that builds on his promise for God and his Word are all one Thou art our dwelling place c. He saw they dropped away in the wildernesse by the wrath of God as we do now by the Pestilence and Moses made that Psalme he took occasion to meditate of the frailty of mans life We are as grasse as a tail that is told but what is our estate in God in the promises Thou art our habitation from everlasting to everlasting We dwell not long in the world sicknesse may come and sweep us away but thou art our habitation we dwell in God when we are dead when we are out of the world we dwell in God in Christ for ever Our estate in Christ is an everlasting estate Therefore in Psalme 112. the Psalmist saith of the righteous man there That he is not troubled for ill newes He is not senselesse he is very sensible but yet notwithstanding he is not shaken from his rest from his rock and stay for no ill newes or tydings why The Psalmist gives the reason his heart is fixed upon what foundation upon the promises and providence of God God hath promised to provide for him he is his Father and therefore he is not afraid of ill tydings What a blessed estate then is it to be in Christ and to have promises in Christ to be protected and preserved here so as is for our good and to have such a state in God for him to be our habitation and hiding place from everlasting to everlasting If our hearts be fixed here let us hear of ill tydings of war of this sicknesse and contagion let it be what it will if our hearts be fixed blessed men are we But if we have nothing to take to when trouble comes we are as I said before as a man in a storme without a hiding place Now every Word of God saith the Psâ—…lmist is a tried Word as silver tryed in the fire The promises are tryed promises that we may rest on them and as we are Christians what are we but men of promise the best is behind and what is our comfort in this world God lets down his love to us in gracious promises and he gives us a taste of the performance as Children have somewhat of their inheritance in their nonage to keep them so somewhat of heaven to comfort our soules we have but the main is to come and the performance is left till then therefore we cannot too much consider of this comfortable point Consider how many promises we have in the Word the certainty of them that they are Yea and Amen and in whom they are founded in him that is Amen himself for Christ is Amen the true and faithfull witnesse Revel 1. these are comfortable considerations Are the promises of God in Christ Yea and Amen Let us divide men who may make any use of them all men they are either such as are in Christ or such as are not in Christ. All the promises being made in Christ what comfort or what good can those that are not yet in Christ have by the promises I answer till they be in Christ none at all for a man out of Christ is out of the favour of God God cannot look on such a man but as the object of his wrath and as fuell for his vengeance and therefore there is no hope for such a man till he be in Christ. All other things in the world cannot comfort such a man for alas his being in the world his being rich his being in favour with such or such what are they fading beings that fail and himself with them he stands on the Ice they slip and he slips with them What are all beings in death ifa man have not a more stable being in Jesus Christ What comfort is there then for such a man by
the promises in Jesus Christ This that while there is life there is hope to get into Christ and so to get interest in the promises for the promises are free the word is Epangelia free promise it is not a promise on this or that condition but a free promise out of meere love a mercie Then though thou be yet in the state of corruption in Old Adam yet the promise is free But I have no worthinesse in me thou wilt say I have no faith no grace in me at all But remember the promise is free the condition is onely if thou wilt receive Christ which is not properly a condition of worth in thee it is not propounded by way of condition of any worth but thou must come with an empty hand with a receiving hand as a man must let fall what he hath before he can hold and take any thing A man must let go other things he must let go his hold of the creature he must not be so proud of the creature and so confident in it as he was he must see the emptinesse of the creature and of all things in the world thou must see that if thou be not in Christ thou art a wretched damned creature The hand of thy soul must be empty and then a sight of thy unworthinesse is all that is required before thou come to Christ and the promises a sight of thy unworthinesse and a comming to graspe with Christ and the promises for what is faith but a beggars hand empty of all things comming to receive a benefit They are most unworthy that find themselves most unworthy But you will say the promise is made to the poor in spirit and to those that hunger and thirst It is true but it is by way of preventing an objection of these men that are cast down in the sight of their unworthinesse As if Christ had said You think these men the unworthiest men in the world that are poore and hungry and thirsty you think you are destitute and have nothing but you are blessed you have interest in Christ and in the promises they are for you Let no man therefore be discouraged the promises are free therefore be not rebellious stand not out against Gods command God layes a command upon thee though thou be not in Christ and hast no right to the promises he laies a command on thee to believe Thou wilt ask what ground or title or right hast thou to believe to claim Christ and the promises This right thou hast thou hast the offer of Gods love in Christ. And thou hast not onely Gods offer but his command God commands thee to do it as St. John saith he hath commanded us to believe in his Son Christ as well as not to commit adultery or murther and thou art guilty if thou break this command as if thou break the other of murther or adultery And men that live under the hearing of the Gospell they shall be damned more at the day of judgement for disobeying this command for not receiving of Christ then for the other for the breach of all other commands may be forgiven if this were obeyed Therefore there is an offer of Christ with a command to receive him and a promise if thou receive him all shall be well all thy sins shall be forgiven is not here incouragement enough And then there is an invitation Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy-laden And put case thou hast nothing yet notwithstanding come and buy without silver saith the Prophet If thou say thou hast nothing yet all is free here Come whosoever will and drink of the water of life And he threatens damnation if thou wilt not the wrath of God hangs on thee if thou do not come in I but I am a sinner But where sin hath abounded Grace shall more abound So if a man stand out of Christ and come not in to him there are many incouragements for him to come and terrible denunciations of wrath if he come not the wrath of God hangs over his head for if he be not in Christ he sinks into hell when this short life is ended So there is this to incourage a man there is Gods command and his sweet invitation Come unto me And add to that his beseeching We are Ambassadours in Christs Name to beseech you to be reconciled to God to come to Christ to come out of the state of nature and out of the curse of God that you are under to come out of the uncertain condition that the world affords we beseech you to be reconciled to God to cast away your weapons whereby you are enemies to God he seeks to you for your love And if you have nothing come and buy without money have you a will to come If you be besotted and will continue in your estate then be damned and rot in your estate but if you will come and drink of the waters of life freely Let none be discouraged Christ and the promises are open to all Therefore how will Gods vengeance be justified at the day of judgment when these courses have been taken and yet men will not come in As Christ said to the Jewes You will not believe in me that you might have life Men will not men are in love with the profits and pleasures and fading things they will not imbrace the promises that are Yea and Amen It is nothing but wilfull rebellion that keeps men off that rather then they will leave their sins and come under the government of Christ they will reject the offers of merey if they cannot have Christ with their sins away mercie If they can have him to lead them to hell to swear and cozen c. then welcome Christ if he will come on those tearms he is welcome but rather then they will have him upon his own tearms they reject him So there is great reason for God to justifie the damnation of wretched hard-hearted persons that rather then they will alter their course they will reject mercy and Christ and all If they may have half Christ they will they will have him with mercie to forgive them but they will not have whole Christ as a King to govern them So there is ground for those that are not yet in the state of grace to come to Christ if they will receive him upon his own termes to take him as a King as well as a Priest to take him as a King to rule them as well as a Priest to reconcile them to his Father Nay God as I said in the Ministery intreats them to receive Christ to cast away the weapons of their rebellion to come under his government and all shall be well with them But for them that are in Christ that have imbraced and clasped him in some comfortable measure what comfort is it for them that all the promises in Christ are Yea and Amen I answer
bonds and when he pleaseth he can sue his bonds and God is well pleased with it Therefore indeed there is little difference between a Christian in poverty and a rich Christian onely the one hath more for the present but God is the riches of the other As for a worldling he hath but a Cistern when he hath most the other hath the spring he hath God in Covenant and Gods promises Let us therefore consider every day the exigents we are in whether in want of grace or want of assistance and necessaries or want of comfort and according to that let us consider what we are to do are we at our wits end now is there no hope for this in Israel Yes God hath left us rich and precious promises let us look to them In the next place then from our wants look to the Promises and proportion the promises to our wants ranck the promises it were a good work Oh that we should have so many promises and yet have them to seek when the Devil besiegeth us he layeth siege to shake our consciences and we are to seek in the time of temptation Let us remember the promises answerable to our necessities If we be troubled with sin call to mind the promise of forgivenesse If we be troubled with want call to mind the promise of supply If we be troubled with fear for the time to come call to mind the Covenant of grace the marriage for everlasting God whom he loves he loves to the end God loves us in Christ he loves Christ for ever therefore he will love us for ever So as I said before suit the promises to our present estate And from the promises have a higher rise yet go to him in whom they are made they are rich promises indeed good promises but how shall I know they shall be performed in whom are they made In whom God loves thee in Christ. What is he God and man he is God and therefore able to perform them he is man and therefore he loves thee as his own flesh and therefore he will perform them He is the Son of Gods love God for his sake as Mediatour will perform them heaven and earth shall conspire for thy good rather then thou shalt misse of the performance of the least promise Therefore from thy wants go to the promises and from the promises go to Christ and consider him he is anointed of God for thee he is anointed that he might be thy Christ and thy Jesus that he might be thy Saviour Immanuel God with us that he might reconcile God and us that in office he might be so that he might bring God and us together Consider him And then go to God and consider what relation in Jesus Christ God hath put upon him In Christ God is a Father and what can a Father deny to his adopted son in Christ whom he looks on in his natural Son Christ Yea and to settle our minds the more let us consider the relations that God and Christ have put upon them and the relations we stand in and the many promises we have in Christ who is anointed and sealed by God the Father to be our Saviour and to bestow good upon us God is become our Father what a world of promises is in that word Father what will a father deny to his son What if God had not left particular promises in Scripture if he had left but the relation of a Father it had been promise enough what can a father deny his child And then Christ what relation hath he taken on him he is our Husband what a world of promises is there in that what can a loving husband deny his spouse that he hath given himself for He hath taken upon him to be our head what want of influence can there be from such a head that hath taken all upon him for the body the head sees and hears and doth all for the body so Christ heares and sees and doth all for us What a world of promises is in this relation of a head if there were no particular promise Again Christ stiles himself sweetly our brother what a world of promises are in these relations God the Father is ours Christ is ours here is the grand Promise I will be your God and will give you my Son And then in the third place he hath promised his Spirit he will give his Spirit to them that beg him what a world of Promises is in that promise of the Spirit It is a comforting Spirit a sanctifying Spirit a quickening Spirit a strengthening Spirit all is in the Spirit As our soul doth all that the body doth so it is by vertue of the Spirit all the grace and all the comfort we have God hath promised himself and Christ and the Spirit the whole Trinity There is the grand Promise I will be your God Christ shall be your Christ and I will give you my Spirit If we had not other promises what a world of comfort have we in these Now in what relation stand we to these We are children we are heires we are Temples of the Holy Ghost c. put case our memories do not serve to call to mind particular promises in the time of trouble Consider in Christ how God loves thee he is thy God in Christ how Christ loves thee he hath taken thy nature on him to be thy husband he makes love to thee and desires thee to be reconciled And the Spirit is given thee by Christ he hath promised to give him if thou ask him the holy Spirit is the Spirit of Promise Think therefore of the general of the Covenant of grace and these relations that have the force of promises for sometimes particular promises may not come to our mind perhaps and these will stablish a man against the gates of hell and against all particular temptations This course we ought to take then to feed our thoughts with the promises the promises are the food of faith let not our faith languish and famish for want for want of meditations of God and Christ what relations they have put upon them and for want of meditating on particular promises in all kinds How well thriving might our faith be if we would oft think of these things And to make us the more to think of these things consider that all other things alas what are they when we have not a promise of them in Christ They are all vain fading things they will all come to nothing That which we have by promise grace and comfort and glory they are ours for ever God is ours for ever Christ is ours for ever the Spirit is ours for ever the relations we are in are for ever all other things are nothing they will come to nothing ere long This course we ought to take then that we may have comfort by the Promises Again in the next place if we look to the
certainly these promises being apprehended by faith as they have a quickning power to comfort so they purge with holinesse We may not think to carry our filthinesse to heaven Doth the swearer think to carry his blasphemies thither filthy persons and liars are banished thence there is no unclean thing He that hath these promises purgeth himself and perfecteth holinesse in the fear of God He that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure 1 Joh. 3. So these promises affect and quicken and purge And then the promises they do settle the soul because they be Yea and Amen they make the soul quiet If a man believe an honest man on his word he will be quiet if he be not quiet he doth not believe so much faith so much quiet Being iustified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So much faith so much peace Philip. 4. In nothing be carefull but let your desires be known to God in prayer supplication and thanksgiving and when you have done this The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall preserve your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus So where there is prayer and thanksgiving and doing of duty The peace of God which passeth all understanding will keep the mind in Christ and where there is not quiet and peace to preserve the heart mind there is neglect of duty before not committing our selves to Gods promises to build on them Again where there is a believing the promises there is not only a staying of the soul in generall but when all things are gone when all things are contrary that is the nature of faith in the promises Put the case that a Christian that is of the right stamp have nothing in the world to take to only Gods Word and Promises surely he knowes they are Yea and Amen It is the Word of God al-sufficient he is Jehovah he gives a being to his Word and to all things else therefore he hath the Name Jehovah therefore thinks the soul Though I have nothing yet I have him that is the substance of all things all other things are but shadowes God the Father Son and Holy Ghost are the substance that give all things a being and therefore I will cast my selfe on God here now is the Tryumph of faith when there is nothing else to trust to nay when all things else are contrary when it is faith against faith and hope against hope when there is such a conflict in a man that he sees nothing but the contrary here faith will shut the eye of sense and not look to present things too much though I see all things contrary though I see rather signes of anger then otherwise yet I will hope and believe in God for this or that Here is the wisdom of a believing Christian that believes the promises he will shut his eyes and not look on the waves on the troubles they will carry him away and dazle him but he looks to the constant love of God in Christ and to the constant promises of God his nature is constant and his truth is as his nature he cannot deny himself and his own Word when he hath made himself a debtor by his promise and bound himself by his Word Therefore in contraries say as Job Though he kill me yet will I trust in him True faith when it is in strength will uphold a man when all failes nay it will hold a man when all is contrary This our Saviour Christ in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen did excellently teach us by his own example For when all was contrary and our blessed Saviour felt the wrath of God which made him sweat drops of blood and made him cry out My God My God why hast thou for saken me yet here faith wrastled with My God my God still even under the wrath of God He brake through the seeming wrath of God into the heart of God Faith hath a piercing eye it will strive through the clouds though they be never so thick through all the clouds of temptation Christ had so piercing a faith it brake through all he saw a Fathers heart under an angry semblance So a Chistian triumphs by faith in oppositions to faith when all is contrary to faith yet notwithstanding he can say My God still This is an evidence of a strong faith in the promises Again an evidence of faith in the promises is faithfulnesse in our selves in our promises to God for surely the soul that expects any thing of God that he should be faithfull it studies to be faithful in the Covenant Psal. 25. All the wayes of God are mercy and truth All his dealings to his Children are mercy and truth to them that keep his Covenant For you know the promises have conditions annexed and where God fulfils his promise he gives grace to perform the condition to walk before him to allow our selves in no sin for if we allow our selves in any sin we perform not the Covenant on our part Now God will give grace to perform the Covenant where he will perform his own Therefore those that are unfaithful in their Covenant and yet think God will be faithfull to them it is presumption When we come to the Communion we think we do God a great deal of service but we must consider we enter into Covenant with God as well as he binds himself to us He gives us Christ all his blessings he reacheth forth Christ with all in him if we will receive him I but we bind our selves to God to lead a new life and to be thankful and to shew it in obedience And so in Baptisme we do not only receive in the Sacraments but we yield we bind our selves to God And we must be careful of what we promise to God as well as expect that which he promiseth to us if we expect his truth we must be faithful and careful of performing our Covenants to him Oh but how shall I do that saith the distressed soul I have no grace God knowes that well enough therefore he that promiseth he promiseth grace to perform the condition that is one part of the Covenant to give grace to fulfil the Covenant For he that saith If we believe and repent c. he will give us hearts to repent if we ask them he hath promised to circumcise our hearts to give us new hearts and to give us his holy Spirit if we ask him Why Lord thou knowest I have no grace in my self to fulfil the Covenant no but thou must perform both parts thou givest the grace and good thing promised and grace to keep the Covenant too therefore let none be discouraged Many things are required it is true but the things are promised that are required if in the use of means we depend on him by prayer For the promises are Legacies as well as promises what is the difference between a legacy and a
conquered over all enemies whatsoever and his conquest is ours Well then we see the foundation of the Church and of every particular Christian Christ Jesus whence comes the stability and firmnesse of the Church that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it It is built upon the rock upon Christ. So all the stablishing that a Christian hath it is from this rock his being built upon Jesus Christ If we were built upon man we could not stand if we were built upon Angels we could not stand if we were built upon any thing in the world we could not stand but being built upon Jesus Christ who is all in all to a soul that is stablished in him there must needs be an everlasting stablishing It is a fond Objection of some and unlearned against the principles of Divine truth that we may fall as well as Adam in Paradise as well as the Angels in heaven As if there were not a wide and broad difference between the state of grace and the state of nature A Christian hath more strength then the Angels in heaven or then Adam in Paradise ever had he hath a more firm consistence because he stands by grace By grace we stand as the Apostle saith A Christian hath promises of perseverance Adam and the Angels had none and therefore to fetch a reason of falling away from grace from the proportion we have to that condition is a meer Sophisme not rightly discerning the disparity It is not alike with the Angels and Adam and us for we stand by grace out of our selves being stablished in another We have not onely a promise of happinesse as the Angels and Adam had happinesse and a blessed estate but they had no promise to stand and be confirmed A poor weak Christian hath a promise to be stablished and confirmed Therefore those proud Sectaries that are between us and the Papists and joyn rather with them then us that trouble the Church so much they make an idle objection concerning falling away from grace to say Did not Adam fall away What is that to the purpose was Adam under the same Covenant as we are now in Christ Is there not a new promise made to us in Christ better then ever Adam could attain to Besides we are founded upon a better Adam upon the second Adam God-man we have not onely a better foundation but better promises that Adam and the Angels themselves wanted And therefore the Covenant of grace is said to be an everlasting Covenant I will marry thee to my self for ever Hos. 2. A Christian is not to be considered abstractively or alone for then indeed he is a weak creature as weak as other men are but consider him in his Rock on whom he is built consider him in his Husband to whom he is united and knit consider him in his head Christ look upon him as he is thus founded and stablished oh he is an excellent person See him in the difference betwixt him and others Those that are not stablished by a firm judgment and will and affection and so by faith in Jesus Christ what consistence what stability have they Those who have the firmnesse they have in the favour of men it is but vanity those that have the firmnesse they have in riches what are they how soon do they leave it all those that have the firmnesse they have in dependance upon any creature be it never so great alas they are nothing they are all vanity Both we our selves in depending and the things we depend upon are vanity therefore we are vanity because we fasten upon that which is vanity things have no more firmnesse then that hath upon which they lean those that have but a weak prop to support them when that falls they fall together with it Now those that are not founded upon Christ by knowledge and love and united to him by faith alas what standing have they when all things else besides God are vain For nothing hath a being but God and a Christian so far as he leans upon God Were not all things taken out of nothing and shall not they all turn to nothing must not this whole world be consumed with fire There must be a new world a new heaven and a new earth but this and all the excellencies in it as they were raised out of nothing so they shall come to nothing God he is I am that I am saith he and Christ he is yesterday to day to morrow and the same for ever A man cannot say of any creature in the world that it was yesterday and shall be to morrow and for ever We may say it of Christ he is Alpha and Omega the first and the last he was and is and is to come and therefore those that are founded upon him that have their happinesse in him they are firm as he is firm and those that build upon any other thing they vanish as the thing vanisheth There is nothing in the world hath such a Being but it is subject in time not to be it is onely a Christian that is in Christ who is as firm as Christ is and Christ can never be but that which he is for of necessity God must be alwayes like himself he is Jehovah I am I am at all times and Christ he is Jehovah A Christian therefore and none but a Christian hath a firm stablishing in Christ. Without this stablishing in Christ what are we what are wicked men Chaffe that the wind blowes away they are grasse c. things of nothing carried away with every blast but a Christian is a stone a rock built upon Christ Jesus But to come to the Person who it is that stablisheth He that stablisheth us in Christ is God Wherein we may consider these two Branches God must stablish God will stablish Can none stablish the soul upon Christ but God No For God is the onely maker of the Marriage between Christ and the Church The same God that brought Adam and Eve together in Paradise brings the Church and Christ together And as he gives Christ to the Church and hath sealed and appointed him to be wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption being made of God unto us for that purpose as the Apostle saith so he works the consent of the Church a consent in heart and spirit to take and embrace Christ. Now it is God onely that can work the heart to Christ None can come unto me except God the Father draw him It is God that gives Christ to be the husband of the Church and that brings the Spouse the Church to Christ. For first it is God by his Spirit that discovers to the soul its hideous desperate and woful estate without Christ and by the Spirit in the Ministery of the Word layes open the riches and excellency that is in Christ and the firmnesse and stability that is to be had in him and so drawes us with the Cords of a man
care not to encrease their knowledge The more we know of God the more we shall trust him The more we know of a man that we have bonds from that he is an able man and just of his word we shall trust him more and the more our security upon his promise and bond is encreased so the more we know of God as he hath revealed himself in his Word and his voluntary Covenant he hath made with us and performed in the examples of Scripture the more we know him the more we shall trust him And this must be a spiritual knowledge not onely a bare naked reading but it must be spiritual like the truth it self We must see and know spiritual things in their own light to know them by their own light is to know them by the Spirit You know the Spirit dictated the Scripture to the Prophets and Apostles the Spirit did all they wrote as they were acted by the Spirit Now the same Spirit must inform our understanding and take away the vail of ignorance and infidelitie I say the Spirit must do it we must know spiritual things in their own light Therefore a carnal man can never be a good Divine though he have never so much knowledge an illiterate man of another calling may be a better Divine then a great Scholar Why Because the one hath onely notional knowledge discoursive knowledge to gather by strength of parts one thing from another Divinity is a kind of Art and as far as it is an Art to prove one thing by another so a natural man may do wonders in it and yet know nothing in its own spiritual light That is the reason the Divel himself knowes nothing he is a spirit of darknesse because he knowes nothing spiritually and comfortably therefore as there must be humility and faith for our stablishing so there must be spiritual knowledge It is said here that God stablisheth us the same God that stablisheth us must give us faith whereby we are stablished and he must give us knowledge Beg of God that he would vouchsafe us his Spirit when we read the Scriptures beg of God that he would open our understanding by his own Spirit that as there is light in the Scriptures so there may be in us You know an eye must have light before it can see the light light is full of discovery of things in it self I can see nothing except there be light in my eye too there must be a double light so there must be a Spirit in me as there is a Spirit in the Scripture before I can see any thing God must open our eyes and give us spiritual eye-salve to see and then the light of the Scripture and our light together is suficient to found a saving faith as stablishing faith on What is the reason that a Christian stands to his profession though he be weak when the greatest learned men in the world flinch in persecution The knowledge of the one is spiritual and heavenly he hatht ligh in him the other hath no divine spiritual light when light is ioyned with light the light in the soul with the light in the Scripture it makes men wondrous confident To this end labour to be acquainted with Gods Word study the Scriptures and other Treatises of that kind that you may be able to hold fast the truth that it be not wrung from you upon any occasion And in reading it is a good course to observe the main principal undeniable truths such Dogmaticall truths as are clear and evident and to lay them up and oft make queries to our selves Do I understanst this or no Yes I do this I know is true build on it then and bottom the soule upon it And so if it be matter of promises these promises are undeniable true I will stay my soul upon them And so when we meet with plain evidences in the Scriptures that crosse our coruptions that meet with our known sins then consider of those places as Jewels and lay them up that you may have use of them as occasion serves All things have not an equall certainty in Scripture to us some things we may have an implicite faith in but the main we must have a clear apprehension of There are some things that concern Teachers more to know then others by reason of their standing in the Church it is sufficient that in preparation of mind we be ready to imbrace further truths that shall be discovered but in fundamentall truths it is not so we must have our hearts stablished upon them that as they are certain in themselves so they may be certain to us And often let us examine our selves Would I die in this and for this would I stand in the defence of this against any this will make us make much of so much truth as we know and labour to grow in truths in that kind And take no scandal to hear that any shrink from the profession of the truth and the maintaining of it that are of great reputation Was Christ the worse for Judas betraying of him and for Peters denying of him was Paul's truth the worse because he had many enemies Elymas the sorcerer and others Is the truth the worse because there are many that have carnall outward dependance that seeme to shrink when they should stand out The truth is not the worse it is the same truth still truths are eternall in themselves and in the good they bring if they be believed The Word of God endures for ever it is not variable as man is and therefore be not discouraged though men discountenance it remember whose truth it is for whose good it is given the Word of God it is a soul saving truth And retain the truth in love Love is an affection with which we should receive the truth or else God will give us over to uncertainties They in 2 Thess. 2 10. had the truth but because they received not the Love of the truth therefore God sent them strong delusions that they should believe a lie O how lovely is the truth The certainty of our estate in Christ the glorious priviledges that come by him that the gifts of God are without repentance that God looks on us not for foreseen faith or works but such as he had decreed to work himself How comfortable how lovely are these truths being the Word of God notwithstanding some seek to shake them These very truths should be retained in love And indeed the truth is not in its own place till it be fixed in the heart and affections and in a good conscience which S. Paul makes likewise the vessel of the truth and those that care not for that they make shipwrack of the truth And what truths you know labour to practise and then you shall be stablished If any man do the will of my Father saith our Saviour Joh. 7. 17. he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God
even in the hour of death Again in the second place to make an Use of examination I beseech you examine your selves whether you find this stablishing in your hearts or no whether your hearts be thus settled or no by the Spirit of God For beloved it is worth the labour and paines to get this grace and to be assured that you have it stablishing in Christ is most necessary and we stand in need of a great deal of spirituall strength Do we know what times may come If dangerous times come if we be not stablished what will become of us Oh it is a happy estate a Christian that is stablished in the sound knowledge and faith of Christ I beseech you therefore consider of it To give you an evidence or two whereby you may discern whether your hearts be settled and stablished A man hath the grace of stablishing and confirmation when it is upon the Word when God doth stablish him upon the promises And then again by the effect of it A man is stablished by the Spirit of God when his temptations are great and his strength little to resist and yet notwithstanding he prevailes Satan is strong if we prevail against Satans temptations we are stablished God is strong too strong for us if we can break through the clouds when he seems an enemy as Job Though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee Here is a prevailing a stablished faith In great afflictions when clouds are between us and God when we have faith that will breake through those clouds and see God through them shining in Christ here is a strong a stablished faith because here is mighty temptations and oppositions The strength is known by the strength of the opposition and the weaknesse of the party In the times of Martyrdome there was fire and fagot and the frownes of cruel persons who were the persons that suffered Children women old men sometimes all weak Children a weak age women a weak sex old men a withered melancholy dry age fearfull of constitution But when the Spirit of God was so strong in young ones in weak women in old withered men as to enable them to endure the torment of fire to enable them to endure threatnings and whatsoever as we see Heb. 11. here was a mighty work in weak men A man may know here is stablishing grace because except there were somewhat above nature where were a man in such a case Then a man may know especially that there is stablishing grace when he sees somewhat above nature prevailing over the temptation and confirming the weak nature of man that is the best evidence we have of Gods stablishing grace sometimes them that are stronger at some times are weaker at other times but as I said before that is to teach them that they have their strength from God Again if your hearts be soundly bottomed and founded and grounded on Christ and the promises of God in him then you will be freed at least from all victory and thraldome to base fears and to base cares and base sorrowes and base passions A man that hath no settled being on Christ he is tossed up and down with every passion he is full of fears and cares for the world which distract the soul upon every occasion full of unseasonable and needlesse sorrowes and griefs which vex and perplex the soul continually Oh how he fears for the time to come what shall become of me if such a thing happen how shall I be able to live in such a time c If he were settled upon God in Christ that he were his Father if he were stablished upon the promises of God in Christ I will not fail thee nor forsake thee Feare not little flock it is the Fathers will to give you the Kingdome and Why do you feare O you of little Faith and He that provides for the birds of the Aire for the Sparrowes for the Lillies of the field for the poorest creature will he not much more for you If I say we were thus stablished upon Christ and the promises there would be no disquietnesse those feares and griefs that usually perplex and inthrall the minds of men but where there are these distracting cares and vexing sorrowes and needlesse feares it argues a heart unsettled though perhaps there may be some faith notwithstanding Let us often examin our selves in this particular how it is with us when such thoughts arise what if trouble should come what if change and alteration should come He that hath truly settled his heart will say If they do come I am fixed I know whom I have believed I know I am a member of Christ an Heir of Heaven that God is reconciled to me in his Son I know God hath taken me out of the condition I was in by nature and hath advanced me to a better condition then I can have in the world and when the world shall be turned upside down I know when all things fail I shall stand He that his heart can answer him thus is firm A good man saith the Psalmist Psal. 1 12. 7. shall not be afraid of evill tydings why his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord and again in Verse 8. his heart is stablished therefore he shall not be afraid If our hearts be established then we shall not be afraid of evill tydings nor afraid of wars nor of troubles nor of losse of friends nor of losse of favours or the like A righteous man is afraid of no evill he that hath his heart stablished in Christ and that hath peace of Conscience wrought by the Spirit of God in the promises his heart is fixed in all alterations and changes he hath somewhat that is unchangeable even when he ceaseth to be in this world he hath a perpetual eternall being in Christ if he die he goes to Heaven he hath his being there where he enjoyes a more near communion with Christ then he can have in this world So that all is on the bettering hand to him that is stablished in Christ for it is not an act of one day to be stablished in Christ God doth it more and more till death and then comes a perfect consummation of this stablishing we shall be for ever with the Lord saith the Apostle A man then that is stablished in Christ he is fixed he is built on a rock come what can come he is not afraid Alas others that are not so they are as wicked Ahaz in Esay 7. he was boisterous out of trouble but in trouble he was as fearfull his heart shook as the leaves of the forrest as the leaves of the forrest when the wind comes they are shaken because they are not seemely knit to the tree because they have no stability All those whose hearts are not firmly settled in the knowledge of Christ and the excellent prerogatives that come by him when troubles come they are as the leaves of the Forrest or as you
When a man is without grace he goes lumpishly and heavily about the service of God he is drawen and forced to prayer and to hearing and to conference and meditation he is dead and dull and frozen to good works but when a man hath received this sweet anointing of the Spirit his heart is enlarged to all duties whatsoever he is prepared to every good work Again oyl makes chearefull so doth grace it makes chearful in adversity chearfull in death chearful in those things that dismay the spirits of other men so much grace so much joy for even as light and heat follow the fire so the spirit of joy doth follow this spiritual anointing Conscience of the interest he hath in the favour of God in Christ and the evidences of grace stamped upon his heart an assurance of a better estate in the world to come wonderfully enlarge the soul with spiritual joy that which makes a man lumpish and heavy and earthly is not the Spirit of God the Spirit of God is a Spirit of joy and it puts a gracious chearfulnesse in the heart of a Christian if there be mourning it is that it may be more chearful for light is sowen to the righteous sometimes in mourning God loves a chearful giver and a chearful thanksgiver all must be sweetened with chearfulnesse now this comes from the Spirit of God and he that is anointed with the Spirit in some measure partakes of spiritual joy and chearfulnesse Againe ointment you know is of a healing nature as Balme and other sweet ointments have a healing power and vertue the Scripture makes mention of the Balme of Gilead so grace hath a healing power repentance that is of a purging spiritual joy of a healing nature there must you know be first a cleansing and then a healing and strengthening so some graces are purgative and cleansing some againe are strengthening and healing repentance is a good purgation it carries away the malignant and evill matter but the Cordial that strengthens the soul is joy The joy of the Lord is your strength Nehem. 8. and so the grace of faith and love tend to cherrish and corroborate the soul so that I say these graces this Balme of the Spirit hath a special Soveraign power to heale us to heale us both from the guilt of sin and from the dominion and rule and filthy stain of sin it hath both a purging and a Cordial vertue Thus you see that upon good grounds the graces of Gods Spirit that he communicates to the Elect and only to them that are in Christ they are called anointing and they will have the effect of an ointment in us if we receive this anointing Let us therefore try our selves by these whether we be anointed or no what chearfulnesse is there what joy what strength what nimblenesse to that which is good what soveraignty hath grace in our hearts you have a company that professe Religion but make it serve their owne turne that make heaven to come under earth that make the service of God to stoop to other ends Beloved grace it is a superiour thing and Religion makes all subordinate Grace and Religion wheresoever it is in truth is of a ruling nature and so it is sweet and it is strong wheresoever it is it is curing and purging and cleansing wheresoever it is therefore I beseech you let us not deceive our selves I need say no more of the Point you may enlarge it in your own meditations I come to the persons As this anointing hath reference to the ointment so it hath relation to the persons that were anointed Now the persons anointed were first dedicated by anointing they were consecrated to God and separated from the world And as they were dedicated and separated so they were dignified by this anointing it raised them above the common condition And likewise with this anointing God gave them qualifications suitable You have three eminent persons that were anointed and so raised above the common condition of other men Prophets to teach the people Priests to offer sacrifice Kings to govern them Now Christ is principally all these He is the principal Prophet of his Church the Angel of the Covenant He is Logos the Word because as the inward word the mind of a man is known by the outward word so Christ is called the Word because as a Prophet he discovers his Fathers mind and makes known his Fathers will unto us And he is the great high Priest he makes atonement between God and us he stands between his Father and us And he is the great King of his Church that rescues it from all its enemies to protect and defend it But as Christ hath received this anointing primarily and above his fellows yet as I said before he hath received it for his fellows Every Christian hath his anointing from Christs anointing all our graces and all our oyatment is derived from him He saith the Appostle Rev. 1. hath loved us and washed us in his blood he loved us first which is the cause of all and then he washed us in his blood he did not onely shed his blood for us but he washed us in his blood he hath applied his blood to our souls and by applying that and sprinkling it upon our souls he hath made us Kings and Priests to God his Father And indeed the great King of heaven and earth he is and will be attended upon by none but Kings and Priests he hath no servants but such as are anointed he is followed of none but eminent persons such as are separated from the world and dignified above all other people for the glory of his followers tends to his honour therefore those whom God chuseth to be his atendants he qualifies them gives them the hearts of Kings royal qualifications and the hearts of Priests and the hearts of Prophets But this in the general To shew it therefore in particulars A Christian is anointed he is a person severed from the world dedicated to God and dignified above others and that from good reason because God hath given him an inward qualification which is the foundation of all And first he is a true Prophet for he hath received the anointing of the Spirit 1 Joh. 2. whereby he is enabled to discern of things he knowes what is true honour to be the child of God he knowes what is true riches Grace he knowes what is true Nobility to be born of God what is true pleasure Peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost he can discern between seeming and reall things and onely he that hath received this anointing of the Spirit And again as a Prophet he knowes not onely the things but the doing of the things he hath with the anointing of the Spirit ability to do that which he knowes the grace of God teacheth him not onely the duty that he should live justly and soberly and godly but teacheth him to do the things for God writes his Lawes in
onely so but he sealed him by many miracles by the resurrection from the dead by which he was declared to be the Son of God by the calling of the Gentiles and by many other things Christ being sealed he sealed all that he did for our redemption with his blood and for the strengthening of our faith he hath added outward seales the two Sacraments to seal our faith in this blood and in him who is sealed of the Father But here in this place is meant another manner of sealing for here is not meant the sealing of Christ but the sealing of us that have communion with Christ. The same Spirit that sealed the Redeemer seales the redeemed What is our Sealing Sealing we know hath this use First of all it doth imprint a likenesse of him that doth seal upon the wax that is sealed as when the Kings Picture or Image is stamped or sealed upon the wax every thing in the wax answers to that in the seal face to face eye to eye hand to hand foot to foot body to body So we are said to be sealed when we carry in our soules the Image of Jesus Christ for the Spirit sets the stamp of Jesus Christ upon every Christian so that there is the likenesse of Christ in all things understanding answers understanding in proportion as a child you know answers the father it hath limb for limb foot for foot finger for finger but it is not in quantity but in proportion and likenesse so it is in the soul that is sealed by the Spirit there is a likenesse to Christ something of every grace of Christ there is understanding of the same heavenly supernatural truths there is a judging of things as Christ judgeth and the affections go as Christs do he loves that which Christ loves and he hates that which he hates he joyes in that which Christ delights in Every affection of the soul is carried that way that the affections of our blessed Saviour are carried in proportion Every thing in the soul is answerable to Jesus Christ and there is no grace in Christ but there is the like in every Christian in some small measure the Obedience of Christ to his Father even to the death it is in every Christian the Humility whereby Christ abased himself it is in every Christian. Christ works in the soul that receiveth him a likenesse to himself And this is an undoubted Character of a Christian The soul that believes in Christ doth not onely believe in him for his own sake to be forgiven of his sins but together with believing feeling the forgivenesse of his sins and that Christ hath so loved him and done such things for him he is ambitious to expresse Christ in all things and it stirres him up with desire to be like him for thinks he is there such love in Christ to me and is there such grace and mercy in God to me and was Christ so good as to do and to suffer such things for me Oh how shall I improve things for him Oh that I might be like him lovely in his eyes This I say must needs be so these desires are undoubtedly universally in the soules of all those that partake of Christ it is the nature of the thing to be so we shall desire to be transformed more and more to Christ Every way to bear the Image of the second Adam who is as the Apostle saith from heaven heavenly and so shall we be heavenly-minded as he was heavenly-minded on earth talking and discoursing of the Kingdome of Heaven and sitting people for the Kingdome of heaven and drawing others from this world to meditate of a better estate there is a likenesse to these in the soul of every believer and that 's the reason that Christs Offices are put together in all those that he saves that look whosoever he is a Priest to to dye for their sins to them he is a Prophet to teach them and a King to subdue their corruptions and to change them and alter them and to rule them by his Spirit You have carnal men in presumption which leads them to destruction they sever things in Christ they will take benefit by Christ but they care not for his likenesse they will have him as a Priest but they respect him not as a King Now all that are Christs have the stamp of the Spirit upon them there are desires wrought in them by the Spirit of God to that purpose and a Spirit of Sanctification that makes them every way like Christ in their proportion And that is an evidence of the sealing of such a soul because the soul of it self hath no such impression for the soul of it self is a barren Wildernesse a stone that is cold and uncapable of impression when therefore the soul can command nature being stiffe and hard and dead we see an impression of a higher nature a man may know that undoubtedly the Spirit of God hath been in this soul for we see a loving spirit an humble spirit a gracious a believing a broken spirit an obedient spirit to every commandment of God the soul can yield it self wholly to the will of God in all things certainly I say the Spirit of God hath been here for these things grow not in a natural soul. A stone you know is cold by nature and if a man feel a stone to be hot a man may undeniably gather Certainly the Sun hath shined upon this stone Our hearts are very cold by nature undoubtedly when they are warmed with the love of God that they are made plyable to duties the Sun of righteousnesse Christ hath shined on this cold heart Gods Spirit can work on Marble can work on Brasse as Jeremy saith It was the commendations of one of the Fathers that he could work on Brasse God can work on our soules which are as brasse and make an impression of grace there and therefore when a man sees an impression upon such hard mettal certainly he may know that the finger of Gods Spirit hath been there So that the work of Sanctification is an undoubted feal of the Spirit of God A second use of a Seal is Distinction Seales are given for distinguishing for you know sealing is a stamp set upon some few out of many so this sealing of the Spirit it distinguisheth Christians from others as we shall see more at large afterwards Then again a Seal it serves for Appropriation for men seal those things that are their own Merchants seal those Wares that they either have or mean to have a right unto Men seal their own sheep and not others and stamp their own Wares and not others God here stoops so low as to make use of terms that are used in humane matters and contracts and by sealing he shewes that he hath appropriated his own to himself chosen and singled them out for himself to delight in Again sealing further serves to make things authentical to give authority and excellency to
any thing as we may be of Gods love for the time to come We have a common speech amongst us I know what I have but what I shall have I know not It is an ill speech thou knowest not what thou hast for these worldly things a man hath them so to day as they may take to themselves wings and be gone to morrow for they are but vanity A may be as rich as Job in the morning and as poor as Job at night so that a man knowes not what he hath but for the time to come for grace and glory he may say Though I know not what I have or how long I shall have it I know what I shall have I know that neither things present nor things to come shal be able to separate me from the love of God in Jesus Christ. So that you see here a foundation of the sweet and comfortable Doctrine of perseverance Grace is the Earnest of glory and it doth but differ in degrees the beginning of glory is here in grace the consummation of it hereafter We are anointed Kings here we shall be Kings in heaven we are sons here in this world we shall be heires in heaven we shall be adopted there in soul and body here we are adopted in soul for in this life Christs first coming was for the soul his second coming is for body and soul therefore the resurrection is called the day of regeneration because then it shall be perfected here regeneration is onely begun So that in respect that the work of the Spirit the graces of the Spirit are called an Earnest we may know and be assured of perseverance in grace and that that which we have now in the beginning shall be accomplished Oh how should this set us upon desires to have the blessed work of the Spirit upon us to have the Spirit to set his seal upon us to be Christs to have this Earnest and to get more and more Earnest till we have the full bargain accomplished in heaven Thirdly I told you that an Earnest is part of the whole they therefore that have not the Earnest cannot look for the bargain The Observation hence is That Those that look to be happy must first look to be holy This Point I mean to touch very briefly I am loath to passe it by though it be not the principal thing I aim at because it may serve for a kind of tryal whether a man have any right to heaven or no. It is the ordinary presumptuous errour of common Christians to think to go to heaven out of unclean courses with Lord have mercy upon us but miserable wretches are they that have not this Earnest of the Spirit in them an Earnest of heaven beforehand in grace and peace and joy We must all read our happinesse in our holinesse and therefore it is that happinesse in heaven and holinesse here which is happinesse inchoate have both one title to shew that we cannot have the one without the other we must enter into heaven here in this life The stones you know they were hewed before they were brought to the building of the Temple they were all made and fitted before-hand and so all that shall be stones in heaven they must be hewed and prepared and fitted here there must be no knocking and fitting of them there So then you see these three things touched that the holy Spirit together with the graces and comforts of it are called an Earnest and therefore that it is a part of the whole an assurance of the whole and that it shall never be taken away Now for the fourth that an Earnest is little in regard of the whole and indeed the holy Apostle aimes at this partly as well as at any other thing else an Earnest is little perhaps we have but a shilling to secure us of many pounds So then the point is this That Howsoever we may be assured of our estate in grace and likewise that we shall hold out yet the ground of this assurance is not from any great measure of grace but though it be little in quantity it may be great in assurance and security As we value an Earnest not for the worth that is in it self but because it assures us of a great bargain we have an Eye more to the consummation of the bargain then to the quantity of the Earnest so it is here Grace is but an Earnest yet notwithstanding though it be little as an Earnest is yet it is great in assurance and validity answerable to the relation of that it hath to assure us There is nothing lesse then a grain of mustard-seed but there is nothing in the world so little in proportion in a manner that comes at length to be so great as the graces of God and the work of the Spirit is The Crocodile a huge creature comes of an egg and the Oak it riseth to that greatnesse from an Acorn but what are these to the wondrous work of the new creature to be the heir of heaven rising from so little despised beginings from a little light in the understanding from a little heat in the affections from a little strength in the will compared for the littlenesse thereof to a grain of mustard-seed Indeed grace growes a man knowes not how As Christ saith of the seed sowen in the earth it growes up first to a blade and then to a stalk and then to an ear and then to be corn but a man cannot tell how so it is with the work of grace and the comforts of the Spirit when the Spirit together with the Word works upon the soul there is a blade a little and then a stalk and then Corn. First a babe in Christ little at the first and as it is little so it is much opposed As we see the Sun when it is weak in the rising in the morning there gather a great many vapours to besiege the Sun as it were as if they would put out the light of it till it comes to fuller strength and then it spends them all and gloriously shines in heaven so it is with the work of the Spirit of grace when it first ariseth in the soul there gather about it a great many doubts and discomforts the flesh riseth and casteth up all the dirt and mud it can to trouble the blessed waters of grace till it have gotten fuller and fuller strength to spend them all as it is when a man comes to be a strong Christian. But yet as little as it is seeing it is an Earnest and the first-fruits as the Apostle saith which were but little in regard of the whole harvest yet it is of the nature of the whole and thereupon it comes to secure A spark of fire is but little yet it is fire as well as the whole element of fire And a drop of water it is water as well as the whole Ocean When a man is in a dark place put the
which I observe the rather because I would raise your hearts to hate unbelief and distrust exceedingly because God labours to undermine it by all means possible Wherefore doth he use so many terms here of Sealing Anointing and Earnest with words and Sacraments and all whatsoever may confirm you The Holy Ghost applyes it to us all this is that we may not doubt of the favour of God and therefore when we find any goodnesse in us let us accompt that to give false witnesse against our selves is a horrible sin it is to make God a liar God stands upon his credit and therefore take heed what we say specially if we have found the work of grace in former time any Earnest that we have no grace God doth this for our assurance all his dealing of Word and Sacraments of Earnest and Oath and all that may be to assure us and therefore we should not crosse the goodnesse of God so as to cherish such a disposition as is most contrary to him that he labours to undermine by all means And therefore here is the poyson of Popish Religion that it maintaines doubting and leaves men doubting indeed they do well to maintain it in their Doctrine for indeed they false found a man upon satisfaction they false found him upon Purgatory and merits and the foundation they have of a Christian soul is uncertain and therefore they may well teach doubting it suits with the course that they take but I say it is very corrupt for God useth all means that we should not doubt and therefore it is idly objected God for his part will but for our part we have reason to doubt why he in all things stoops to us he labours to secure us and therefore in the Covenant of grace he doth his part and ours too But I hasten to that which followes because I would end with the time To touch that a little distinctly by it self that the Spirit doth all the Earnest of the Spirit for indeed though Spirit be not added to stablishing yet the Spirit stablisheth by Christ and the Spirit it anoints and the Spirit seales to the day of redemption and the Earnest of the Spirit So it is the Holy Ghost doth all here you have the three Persons in the Trinity we have three grand Enemies the world the flesh and Satan Now here are the three persons in the Trinity stronger then all our enemies He which stablisheth us is God the Father by his Spirit upon whom upon Christ â—…n Christ and gives us the Earnest of his Spirit you have I say the three Persons of the Trinity here but why doth the Spirit give us the Earnest why doth the Spirit give us grace and comfort seal us and doth all and stablisheth us I answer First of all because now since the fall we have no principles of supernatural good and therefore it must be a principle above our nature to work both grace and comforts in our barren hearts Again as there is no principle to that which is supernaturally good so there is opposition to that which is supernaturally good and therefore there must be somewhat to overpower the corruption of our nature But why the Spirit rather then the Father and the Son He comes from both and proceeding from both he is fit to witnesse the love of both for the Holy Ghost is in the breast of the Father and the Son and proceeds from both and he knowes the secret love of the Father to us and the love of Christ Jesus Mediatour to us Now the Spirit knowing the secrets of God as a mans spirit saith the Apostle knowes his own secrets he knowes his love and he knowes whom he loves So the Spirit of God knowing the affection of the Father and the affection of Jesus Christ to us is fit to be an Earnest fit to be a Seal Indeed all things are wrought by the Spirit in grace for application the desert is from the Son originally from the Father but in regard of application of what is wrought by the Son all is by the Holy Ghost both graces and comforts the Holy Ghost takes from Christ for if grace be wrought it is with divine reasons from the love of God in Christ if grace he wrought it is from the wondrous love of God reconciled in Christ wherein heaven is opened hell is vanquished it is by reasons fetched from Christ and so he takes of mine as Christ saith He shall take of mine and give to you he takes reasons from Christ the holy Ghost whereby he makes all the application is altogether by the Spirit And it must be by the Spirit again because the Spirit of God and no lesse then the Spirit can quiet our spirits for when the soul is distempered it is like a distempered lock that no key can open So when the Conscience is troubled what creature can settle the troubled Conscience can open the ambages of a troubled Conscience in such perplexity and confusion and therefore to settle the troubled Conscience aright it must be somewhat above Conscience and that which must quiet the Spirit must be such a Spirit as is above our spirits This is excellently set down in this Epistle in the 3. Chap. the work of the holy Ghost in this kind But I cannot stand upon it now at this time I go on Likewise in the first Epistle to the Corinthians the second Chapter and 11. ver that one place shall stand in stead of all What man knowes the things of a man but the spirit of a man that is in him So the things of God no man knowes but the Spirit Now We have received the spirit not of the world but the Spirit of God to know the things that are freely given us of God if our spirits were in the heart and soul of another man in the breast of another man we should know what another man thinks if a man had a spirit in another mans spirit surely he would know all his thoughts and all his affections Now the holy Spirit of God is in the breast of the Father and the Son and he knowes our spirits better then we know our own spirits he searcheth he is a searcher as the word is in the original the Spirit is a searcher he searcheth our own hearts and he searcheth the secret love of God to us that is the Spirit must stablish us Well then if the Spirit doth all how shall we know then that we have this Spirit A note or two and so go on If we have this Spirit of God to seal us and to be an Earnest I will not speak all that may be but a little for indeed all comes from the Spirit Even as in our souls how may a man know that he hath a soul by living and moving by actions vital c. So we may know a man hath the Spirit of God by those actions that come onely from the Spirit which is to
have the Spirit And likewise the Spirit makes us mourn and wait for the adoption of the sons of God those that mourn and wait have the Evidence of the Spirit for a worldling doth not mourn for his imperfections for his corruptions he doth not mourn that he is absent from his Saviour neither doth he wait for the accomplishment of that that shall be bestowed on Saints because he hath his portion here therefore those that can mourn for their corruptions for those things which the world is not able to tax them for because they cannot serve God with enlargement of the Spirit as they would and they wait also without despair or without discouragement till God have finished their course they are led with a better Spirit then the world Though I should name no more what a many sweet evidences are here to manifest a soul truly acted and guided and led by the Spirit but these shall be sufficient for this time Well then if the Spirit doth all if the Spirit anoint and seal and give Earnest of grace and comfort and all till he bring us to heaven being Christs Vicar for Christ hath no other Vicar on earth but his Spirit if the Spirit doth all as indeed he doth all for God to us and from us to God whatsoever God doth to us it is by the Spirit he anoints and seals and sanctifieth by the Spirit and whatsoever we do to God it is by the Spirit or else it is not acceptable we sigh and groan in the Spirit we pray in the holy Ghost saith Jude and that God doth to us immediately from the Spirit and all that we do to God is in the Spirit Is this so then as it an undoubted truth oh then we should labour by all meanes for this Spirit of God To give some directions in a word and so to end Labour I say to have the Spirit and to groan in the Spirit and to this end because the Word is the Chariot of the Spirit in which the Spirit is carried attend upon the Ordinances of God and use all kind of spiritual meanes wherein the Spirit is usually effectual for the Spirit will onely work with his own means all those bastard inventions and devices fetched from the Church of Rome humane devices in Gods service they are naught Gods Spirit will not be effectual with Popish devices and therefore Rome is the habitation of Devils Gods Spirit hath nothing to do there because they have set up a worship contrary to Gods worship they have set up a Covenant contrary to Christs Covenant they have set up the Covenant of Works and deny in a manner a Covenant of Grace Christ is not taught as he should be there Now wheresoever the Spirit is it is with the clear teaching of the Gospel Received you the Spirit by hearing of the Law or of faith preached Therefore let us attend upon the unfolding of Christ Jesus in the Gospel for the Spirit is given with a clear and true unfolding of Christ and omit no spiritual means wherein the Spirit is effectual as meditation reading c. For as a man working in a garden though he think not of it perhaps he drawes a sweet sent of the flowers there is a tincture from the ayr that is round about him So the Word of God being indited by the Spirit of God we being in holy company being led by the same Spirit a man shall either by reading of the Word or in holy company or conversing in good books he shall draw a spiritual sweetnesse from the Word or from those that he hath to deal with The spirit of a man is like water that runs from Minerals as we see bathes have their warmth from Minerals that they run through they have a tincture from them to be hot in this or that degree in this or that quality So it is with the soul when it runs through holy things when it hath to deal with good books and good company c. it draweth a spirituall tincture and therefore if we would have the Spirit of God to guide us let us be much in those things that the Holy Ghost hath sanctified us for that end at all times when we have liberty from our callings And withall take heed that we greive not the Holy Ghost any way if we will have the Spirit to seal us to increase our Earnest How do we grieve the Holy Ghost By cherishing contrary affections and lusts and desires And resist not the holy Ghost as now when you hear the Word of God if you shut your resolutions if you shut your hearts and resolve not to give way to any instruction that shall be delivered This is a resisting of the Holy Ghost God now knocks at the hearts of those that are here by his Word and Spirit and therefore we should open the everlasting doors and let the King of glory come in We should lay open all to the Spirit Oh when the Spirit when Christ is so willing to give the Spirit it cannot be any but our fault if we be no more spiritual then we are for indeed there is nothing in a manner required to be spiritual but not to resist the Spirit The Holy Ghost presseth upon us in the Word such reasons of heavenly-mindednesse of despising of earthly things of purging our selves from the corruptions in the world such reasons to be good that indeed none are damned in the bosome of the Church but such as set a bar against the Spirit of God in their hearts with a cursed resolution that they will not be better that they will not part with their cursed lusts therefore they are damned because they will be damned that say the Preachers by the Word and Spirit what they will they think it better to be as they are then to entertain such a guest as will marre and alter all that was there before take heed therefore of resisting of the Spirit and of grieving of the Spirit by any thing in our selves or by conversing with company that will grieve him He that hath the Spirit of God in him cannot endure carnal company for what shall he hear what shall he draw in at his senses but that which will be vexation of spirit to him therefore it is said of Lot His righteous soul was vexed with the unclean conversation of the Sodomites it is an undoubted sign of a man that hath no grace not to care for his company that hath grace Likewise yield all obedience and subjection to the Spirit and to all the motions of the Word and Spirit bring our hearts into subjection lay our selves as it were before the Spirit suffer our selves to be moved and fashioned and framed by it for God gives his holy Spirit to them that obey him And beg the Spirit also as the principal thing God gives the Spirit saith Christ to them that ask him and by Christs manner of speaking there he
and delight in what we single out but in his own course and way And if Naaman the Assyrian that thought the rivers of Damascus were as good as Jordan and therefore he thought it a fond thing to wash there if he had not yielded to the counsel of his servants he had gone a leper home as he came but he was wiser So those that cavil at the Ordinance of God they may live and die Lepers for ought I know except with meeknesse of spirit they attend upon the Ordinance But you will say Those that are true Christians and good men they are oft-times cast down by the Ministery and brought to pangs of conscience therefore what joy can there be how are they helpers of their joy If they do so yet it is that they might joy S. Paul did bring the Corinthians here to sorrow but he brought them to sorrow that they might joy as you have it excellently set down 2. Cor. 7. 8. For though I made you sorry with a letter I do not repent though I did repent I was sorry that I was forced to be so bitter against you for I perceive that the same Epistle made you sorry though but for a season now I rejoyce not that you were made sorry here is a sweet insinuation but that you were sorry to repentance for you were made sorry after a godly manner that you might receive dammage by us in nothing So the sorow that is wrought by the Ministery in the hearts of people it is a sorrow to repentance a sorrow tending to joy We say of April that the showers of that Moneth dispose the earth to flowers in the next so tears and grief wrought in the heart by the Ministery they breed delight in the soul they frame the soul to a delightful joyful temper after And that is part of the scope of this very text we are helpers of your joy and therefore if I had not spared you but had come in severity all had been for joy so whether the Minister open comfort or direction it is for their joy If they see them not in a state fit then to discover to them their sin and danger and to tell them that they must be purged by repentance before they can receive the Cordial of joy but all is for joy in the end A Physician comes and he gives sharp and bitter purges saith the Patient I had thought you had come to make me better and I am sicker now then I was before but he bids him be content all this is for your health and strength and for your joyfulnesse of spirit after you will be the better for it so in confidence of that he drinks down many a bitter potion So it is with those that sit under the Ministery of God thought it be sharp and severe and crosse their corruptions yet it is medicinal physick for their soules and all will end in the health of the soul in joy afterwards It will be objected again The Word of God and the dispensation of it it is for Doctrine to teach and to instruct and not especially to joy that should not be the main end for we see in Rom. 14. Whatsoever was written was written for our learning so in 1 Cor. 14. he that speakes speaks to edification and exhortation as well as to comfort It is true but all teaching and all exhortation and all reproofe they tend to comfort even Doctrine it self tends to comfort For as it is with divers kinds of food they have both a cherishing vertue in them to strengthen and a healing vertue to cure So it is with the Word of God the doctrinal part of it hath a comforting force And indeed doctrine is for comfort for what is comfort but a strengthening of the affections from some sound grounds of doctrine imprinted upon the understanding whereof it is convinced before The understanding is convinced throughly before the soul can be comforted throughly Therefore the Scripture tending to doctrine that being one end of it tends likewise to comfort because that is the issue of doctrine for what is comfort but doctrine applyed to a particular comfortable use As in Plants and Trees what is the fruit of the tree nothing but the juice of the tree applyed and digested into fruit so indeed doctrine is that that runs through the whole life of a Christian and the strength of Doctrine is in comfort Comfort is nothing but doctrine sweetly digested and applyed to the affections He will never be a good comforter that doth not first stablish the judgment in some grounds of doctrine to shew whence the comfort flowes So that howsoever there be many things in Scripture that are doctrinal yet in the use of them those doctrinal Points tend to joy and comfort As I said in meat there is the same thing sometime that both nourisheth and likewise refresheth as a Cordial So the Word of God both nourisheth the understanding and is as a Cordial to refresh and comfort and it is a kind of joy to the soul to have it stablished in sound doctrine that is the ground of comfort So that notwithstanding any thing that can be objected the end of the Word of God especially in the dispensation of it is to joy and comfort Which should teach people to regard the Ministery in this respect that it is a helper of their comfort that they do not grieve those that help their comfort for what is the end of a Minister as a Minister but to make others joy that both God in heaven and the Angels and Ministers and all may rejoyce together in the conversion of a Christian. Now for people to vex those that by vertue of their calling labour to help forward their joy is very unkind usage yet it was the entertainment that our blessed Lord and Master himself found in the world And S. Paul himself saith The more I love you the lesse I am loved of you And then it should move people to lay open the case of their soules to their spiritual Physicians upon all good occasions People do so for the Physicians of their bodies they do so in doubtful cases for their estates is all so well in our soules that we need no help nor comfort no removing of objections that the soul makes no unloosing of the knots of conscience is all so clear or are men in a kind of numbnesse and deadnesse and Atheism that they think it is no matter that they put all to a venture and think all is well It were better for the souls of many if they had better acquaintance with their spiritual Pastors then they have for their calling is to help the joy of the people and how can they help it except they lay open their estates to them upon good occasion what do they herein but rob themselves of joy they are their own enemies I passe to the third They are helpers of joy
Church is for they come at length in the grand Point of all to meer traditions What is the present Church The Pope is the Church virtually How do they know that he cannot erre he is Peters Successour How do they know he is so the Scripture saith not so it is Tradition so that the foundation of their Religion is meer tradition a thing from hand to hand that is questionable and uncertain that is the foundation of all their Religion what a resolution of faith is this We stand upon this against the gates of hell and against all temptations and tryals whatsoever we believe and fasten our soules upon this truth why It is the Word of God How do we know it is the Word of God Indeed the Church first of all hath an inducing leading power perswading to read to hear the Word of God and to unfold the Word by the Ministery and that is all that the Church doth but when we hear this there is a Divine intrinsecal majestie in the Word it self by which I know the Word to be the Word How do I know light to be light from it self it gives evidence from it self so Divine light in the Scriptures gives light of it self to all those for whom the Scripture was penned For whom was the Scripture penned For Gods people To all that have gracious hearts the Word carries its own evidence with it as light carries its own evidence it discovers it self and all things else so doth the Scriptures You have a sure Word of the Prophets Our Saviour Christ himself founds what he teacheth upon the Word Shall not we therefore ground our faith upon the Word when he that was the Head of the Church brings all to the Word in his teaching Therefore we have a better resolution for our faith then they have For indeed to say the truth as we may say of their kind of prayers when they may to Saints c. They worship they know not what So we may say of their faith they believe they know not what they believe in a 〈◊〉 man for the present Pope is all their Church which is an ignorant man many times in the Scriptures perhaps he never read them and he must determine controversies and get into the Chair and judge that that shall judge him ere long he must judge the Scripture that must be his Judge and the Judge of all mankind I list not to be large in this point a 〈◊〉 discovery is enough I hasten to something more practical We see then that faith hath an establishing power to stand by faith Then hence we may see these truths which I will but touch First that faith is certain it is a certain thing and makes the soul certain it is not a weak apprehension Again in that it is said here By faith ye stand we see here the perseverance of faith But you will say That faith whereby we stand is changeable and therefore we may fall No S. Peter makes a Comment upon this place We are kept by faith to salvation and receiving the end of your faith the salvation of your soules We are kept through faith to salvation So God by his power keeps that faith that keeps us There is a divine power that keeps faith that faith may keep us so we stand by faith and that faith stands to salvation because it hath a firme bottom to stand on and because it is kept by God himself We are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation Mark how it runs along to salvation Salvation is not onely certain in it self but that faith that layes hold on salvation is sure By faith we stand not onely for the present but we continue by faith and stand even to the death Again in the third place which followes from the other faith is a certain thing in it self and we are assured of our continuance we are assured that we shall be saved he that believeth may be assured that he shall be saved First faith is a certain thing in it self laying hold upon a strong foundation the Word of God And it is sure to continue it builds upon the rock Therefore a man may believe and he may know that he shall be saved he may know that he shall continue in a sure faith There is a latitude a breadth in faith and sometimes there is doubting and sometimes faith but yet there is alwayes faith more or lesse There is a little and a great faith but there is alwayes faith By faith we stand These things need not further inlargement I onely shew how they spring from this Text. In a word hence we learn That it is by faith that we stand and withstand all opposition whatsoever for faith is our victory This is your victory even your faith 1 Joh. 5. 4. By faith we overcome the world by it we stand and stand against all opposition whatsoever To make it a little clear The reason is partly because faith doth present to the soul greater good then the world can therefore nothing on the right hand can shake the soul of a believing Christian. Shall pleasures and profits and the honours of the world draw a Christian from his faith when faith presents better honours better pleasures at the right hand of God plesures for evermore No they cannot for there is nothing in the world but there is better in Religion incomparably better There is no comparison of the pleasures of Religion and of the world between the honour of being a child of God and the honours that the world can give Therefore there is nothing on the right hand in the world that can overcome the faith of a Christian but he can stand against all though it be a Kingdome Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter why Faith presented him greater honours in the Church of God he accounted the very reproach the worst thing in the Church better then the best thing in the world the reproach of Christ better then the treasures of Egypt Let discouragements be offered to Faith by Satan and the world let them come with all the terrours and threatenings they can faith is victorious and triumphant against them all it stands against them all because it sets before the soul greater good then the ill that the world can inflict and sets before the soul greater ills if it apostatize then the world can inflict Saith the world If you do not thus and thus you shall be cast into prison or perhaps you shall lose your life O but saith the soul If I yield to the temptations of Satan and my own vile corruptions I shall be cast into hell is not that worse There can nothing be presented to the soul that is terrible but faith will present to it things more terrible therefore if there be faith in the soul it will stand against all those terrours whatsoever Fear not them that can kill the body when they have done
fall into sin from this very ground for why do men fall into sin because at that time they stand not upon the Word of God revealed by conscience to be the Word of God Ask them why they sweat if they did believe the truth the Word saith I will not hold them guilâ—…lesse that take my Name in vain But I am not convinced by the Spirit assuring my soul that it is the Word of God if men did believe it would men bring a curse upon themselves And so whoremongers the Word of God saith Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge would men if they did believe this truth live in these sins But they have only an opinion of these things I hear that these things are divine perhaps they are not so and the knowledge that we have is not divine faith is not mingled with the Spirit Then again from sin we fall into despair for sin at last why because our knowledge of divine truthes is not spiritual nor from inward grounds of Scripture felt by experience the Spirit sealing the Scripture to my heart by some spirituall experience and thereupon men fall into despair for sin at length For Satan plies them with temptations from their own guilty conscience the grounds of their fears are present and the grounds of their terrours are present to their soules for they are there as it were sealed and branded in their very soules but their comforts are overly the promises are overly the Word is not rooted in their hearts by faith it is not sealed there by the Spirit of God the sanctifying Spirit never brought the Word and their soules together Hereupon they fall into desperation when their terrours are present and their comforts are overly If a man have never so sound a foundation if he stand not but float upon it he may fall and sink if a man be never so weak if he lie on a rock the strength of the rock is his so in our temptations if we have a strong foundation if we do not rest on it the foundation will not uphold us Now how can those rest on it that stagger in it that were never convinced by the Spirit that these things are so and that have had no spiritual experience Satan drawes thousands of soules to perdition because their terrours are present and their comforts are overly they are not built upon divine truth by the Spirit of God Again for Apostasie in the times of the alteration of Religion why do men alter as the State alters they are ready to have every Moneth a new faith if the times and Goverment alter why because they were never convinced by the Spirit of God of divine truths They had it from forreign arguments The former State of things countenanced this way now another State countenanceth another opinion therefore I will be of the safest This is because the soul was never convinced of the truth Therefore I beseech you labour to have arguments from the experience of the power of the Word in your soules and arguments from the Spirit of God to your spirits that it is the Word of God I will stand to divine truth I find such a majesty such a humbling pacifying satisfying power in it to all my perplexities and doubts that it cannot but be the Word of God it stayes my soul in all oppositions in all temptations and corruptions it gives a stay and foundation to my soul that no truth in the world else can do When the soul is brought to such a frame such a soul will not fall into grosse sins while it is in such a frame much lesse will it despair for sin and if there be altering of Religion a thousand times it stands as a rock unmovable because it knowes from inward grounds from the Word of God it self sealed by the Spirit to my spirit that it is the Word of God such a soul will hold out and only such a soul. We should labour therefore by all means to have our faith strengthened and amongst other meanes by the use of the Sacrament whereby God sweetly conveys himself to us by way of a banquet strengthening our faith in Christ he presents Christ to us as the food of our soules to refresh us even as the bread and wine doth Our blessed Saviour is wiser then we he knowes what we stand in need of that we have need to strengthen our faith For we have need to strengthen that that must be our strength which is faith And what is the Ordinance of God to strengthen faith is it not the Sacrament The proper use of the Sacrament is to strengthen faith which the Sacrament doth being a visible Sermon to us for here we see in the outward things Christs body broken and his blood shed it is a lively representation a visible crucifying of Christ a breaking of his body and pouring out of his bloud And withall here is an offer of Christ to us in the elements sealing of what it represents to our soules if we come prepared God feeds us not with empty signes but together with the outward things themselves he gives the spiritual to the soul that is a worthy Receiver Therefore come with a humble stooping to Gods wisdom in appointing these Ordinances to this end to strengthen faith And come with a desire to have faith strengthened that will uphold us against all temptations to sin or to despair for sin Oh beloved if we knew what good our faith must do us ere long we would labour to have it strengthened by all means What will become of us in the hour of death and in great temptations we shall be as chaffe driven with the wind if we have no consistence and stability in divine truth if our soules be not built on that if we have not faith whereby our soules may be rooted in Christ we shall be but a prey for Satan Therefore considering that faith is of such wondrous consequence it is the root of all other graces whatsoever as the Apostle saith here By faith ye stand He doth not say By patience or by hope or the like they are drawn from faith Strengthen that and strengthen all other that are infused from it As a tree we cast not water on the branches but on the root all the branches are cherished by the root so strengthen faith we strengthen love and hope and all if we strengthen faith and assurance of Gods love in Christ. Thus I have at length gone over this fruitfull portion of Scripture FINIS AN Alphabetical Table DIRECTING The Reader to the Ready finding out the Principal Points and Matters handled in this Book A. Achaia AChaia the Countrey wherein Corinth was Page 5 Acknowledge Acknowledge or Acknowledgment what p. 316 331 To acknowledge Christ what pag. 331 Christ acknowledged in the Minister p. 331 333 How to know whether we acknowledge the Minister p. 331 332 333 Action Three sorts of Actions good ill indifferent p. 254