is thâ—t truely I think walking with God is the having friendship and acquaintance with God Can two walk together unless they be agreed saith Amos 3.3 Noah he had friendship and acquaintance with God and therefore he could walk with him he could keep company with him in walking together we have the company of one another this had Noah he was in Gods way he kept in his way Also the having and maintaining peace and communion with God is intended in this walking with God We are apt to account it a great happiness to have friendship with great men surely it is much more and a great deal better to have communion with the God of heaven to have it and keep it is the great glory of a Christian This Noah had and it was greatly his honor Saith 1 John 1.3 Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ as if he should have said Brethren we are a people interested in choice and excellent mercies and we would invite you to a part in them but pray what is this choice mercy Why it is this We have fellowship with the Father through his Son Jesus Christ A great honor to the souls that have it and these were the honorable marks upon this Noah Now he was the man that God pickt out to deliver and keep in this common calamity when all the world was drowned he and those that went upon his score for his family was taken in upon this account they must be preserved and that is my first instance My second is the instance of Lot a man preserved in a common calamity and a few others for his sake Well was there any honorable Character found upon him Yes there was look 2 Pet. 2.6 7. He delivered just Lot vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked Here is the honorable Character found upon Lot He was just Lot and just Lot vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked I shall onely a little insist upon that clause Vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked The sin of the world was a burthen to his soul and that that he could hardly bear up under You shall find that is an excellent frame and that that God is pleased much to honor saith David Psal 139.21 Do I not hate them that hate thee and am I not grieved with them that rise up against thee Oh saith he Lord thou knowest my heart and thou knowest that there is something in me that thou prizest that is his meaning now what is it Why saith he they that grieve God they grieve me too they that carry it so as that they are a burthen to the Spirit of Grace they are also a burthen to my spirit I cannot bear it And hence he cryeth out in Psal 120. 5. Wo is me that I so journ in Mesech that I dwell in the tents of Kedar that is that I dwell among a wicked ungodly people a people whereby God is greatly dishonored wo is me that my lot is cast among such a people This was the honorable character found upon Lot he was grieved with the filthy conversation of the wicked therefore God markes him out and would not suffer him to fall by that judgement My next instance is that of Caleb and Joshua upon them were also some marks of honor upon Caleb especially Numb 14.24 But my servant Caleb because he had another spirit and hath followed me fully c. Here was Calebs mercy his going into Canaan and the honor put upon him was his not falling in the wilderness among the many thousands that fell but he must go into the good land His honorable characters were these two First he was a man of another spirit Secondly He had followed God fully 1. He was a man of another spirit of a more excellent spirit then the rest of Israel I let me tell you a man of a more excellent spirit then some of the worthies of Israel To have some excellency of spirit is one of the most excellent things in the world a man is truely excellent according to the excellence of his spirit and that was found upon Caleb Moses was a man of a very good spirit yet it seems Caleb was of a more excellent spirit then he I say Moses was a man of a very good spirit Num. 12.3 Now the man Moses was very meek above all the men on the face of the earth he had great meekness of spirit which is one of the most excellent spirits in the world See what testimony God gives of such in that 1 Pet. 3.4 The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price Now I say Moses he had â—his excellence of a meek spirit and yet it seems Caleb had some greater excellency of spiâ—it then he for Moses dyeth in the wilderness and Caleb is carryed unto Canaan that was one of the marks upon him he was a man of a more excellent spirit And the other was he followed God fully What is the meaning of that It is this he he was for all sorts of work easie and hard and all together never made a difficulty where God made none whatever God called him to that he was for You shall find wherein he did discover his following of God fully Num. 13.31 When the bad spies came and brought an ill report on the good land and cryed there are great difficulties we shall never be able to encounter with them Now Caleb he discovers his excellency and shews that he was a man of another spirit saith he in Numb 14.6 7. It is an excellent good land and in Chap. 13.30 says he We are well able to overcome it in this he followed God fully resolving according to the call of God though the difficulty were ever so great a heart to follow God and following of him through all difficulties was the excellency of this Caleb Here is a man that followed God to purpose this excellence was upon him and he is the man must go to Canaan to possess the good land though Moses and Aaron must dye by the way In Ezek. 9.14 you have there an Angel commissioned to go forth and set a mark upon the foreheads of those that sigh and cry for the abominations that were committed in that day Here are some men must be spared Who are they pray They are a people sighing for the abominations of their day such a spirit as Lot had vexed for the abominations of their time therefore these must be preserved and this is what I shall say to the first head that it is an honor to be preserved it is so from this consideration that usually God preserves none in such a season but those upon whom there is something of excellence to be found or if others it is for the sake of those upon whom those honourable Characters are found 2. It is a great honor to be preserved from common calamity if you consider that those
do melt under them and have a sence of them not a dread and fear that discomposeth the soul and puts it by its duty but such as is an awful sence Psal 52.5 6. Observe what a mixture there is in the spirit of a Saint under Gods judgements Gods judgements as they are revelations of his righteousness making good his threatnings working out his glory so the righteous laughs but yet he fears too There is a holy dread and awe upon his soul when he seeth how much of majesty shines forth in them Yea hypocrites are brought to fear because of Gods judgements sometimes but now they that do not see what dread there is in them they are not affected Isa 26. When the judgements of God are abroad in the earth the inhabitants thereof shall learn righteousness that is the good inhabitants of the earth shall do so mercy doth not any good to the wicked nor will judgement because they mind not the majesty of the Lord therefore they are not affected that is a second inference 3. If it be thus that sad judgements must break in upon the world then how miserable will the wicked of the world be Truly they fall under a double misery miserable first in that they shall have the greatest part of present judgement Secondly In that they shall have an eternity of misery hereafter Miserable in that they shall have the greater part of present judgement Mind that Isa 33.13 14. Hear ye that are afar off what I have done and you that are neer acknowledge my might The sinners in Sion are afraid c. mark as if he should say Men at length begin to consider Oh present judgements are sad You that are near acknowledge my might you see much of terror is in present judgements but if such be terrible what will an after-judgement be what will devouring fire be therefore take heed where your lot is cast and among what sort of men you are 4. What should sinners do will such judgements break in upon the world what should sinners do they should come and submit to Christ Be any of you sinners I tell you dreadful things will be upon the world whether they be now begun or no I cannot tell you but such there shall be and what will you do your work is to come and close with Christ the second Psalm is worth your reading an hundred times over he tells you what he will do with the wicked he will break them in pieces he will scatter them Well what then Oh Kiss the Son lest he be angry come bow before him for that kiss is a kiss of subjection it is a dreadful thing to meet with an angry Christ He is a Lamb and he is a Lion he is a Lamb slain and come but and kiss him and he will be a Lamb slain to you if not he will be the Lion of the tribe of Judah to tear you in pieces Now knowing saith the Apostle the terror of the Lord we perswade men we perswade them to what why we beseech you to come and submit to Jesus Christ that is that that we pray of you and that we are earnest with you for and one text more I would give you to this purpose Isa 28.14 15 16. Take the sence of this text and you shall see it much to my purpose God was coming forth in dreadful judgements but the wicked of the world they think to secure themselves How When the over-flowing scourge shall pass over it shall not come nigh to us Why not why We have compounded with death and with hell are we at agreement I but saith the Spirit of God take a little of my advice do not give trust and confidence to your own ways But saith he I have laid in Sion a chief corner-stone and trust to that this is the meaning of it do not talk of your agreeing with Death and compounding with hell but to go to Christ to the foundation that I have set and laid for you to build upon for your safety security Will you ask your heart how it is with you Have you built on this foundation-stone if you have that is the way not to be ashamed be that believeth shall not be confounded 5. Must such judgements break in upon the worlâ— it should teach us and direct us in praying with respect to present judgements and that thus we cannot absolutely or peremptorily beg that present judgements might be stayed but with this reserve that pâ—ovided it be not the time when God is coming forth with his great work in the world if it be not that time that God would stay his hand and also if God do purpose to do dreadful things in the land that he would make them serve the designs of his glory and for the furtherance of those things which he hath to do in the world but I say absolutely we may not I think begg of God that he would remove such a judgement begg that he would preserve his people and do them good by it and if it be not the beginning of what he hath said himself shall come to pass then that he would divert it and stay his hand 6. If God be coming forth in judgements and such terrible ones too how good is it to be a Saint and to be found in a right spirit in the day when God contends and comes out with his indignation against the world I tell thee if thou art a Saint and that in a right spirit it will be well with thee in the day that God contends And thus I have dispatched the first Doctrine namely that dreadful providences must come upon the world and having done with this I pass on to the second note from the words 2. Namely that when God doth come forth with these dreadful dispensations he is especially thoughtful for and careful about the weal and welfare of his own people He doth not hurl his judgements into the world at all adventures carelesly and inconsiderately not caring where they light but his eye is much upon and his care much after his own people He hath a great respect to them in all that he doth in the world 1. In prosecution of this truth I shall first confirm it to you that in publike calamities God is very mindful of his people and his heart is much to them And 2. Give you the Reasons of it and then make a little Application But first of all for confirmation of the truth it is evident from two or three things that the Lord doth take a speciall care of his people in days and times of common calamity It is evident from what he hath done in such seasons in times past you shall scarce find a common calamity recorded in the book of God but you shall find some care taken of his people therefore though there is a true sence in that word that all things come alike to all I say a sence that hath a truth in it yet this
the upright that is his delight When God comes to speak of the prayer of the wicked see hâ—w he is pleased to phrase it Hos 7.14 Says he They have not cryed uâ—to me with their hearts when they have houled upon their beds The prayer they put up is no better then the howling of a dogg if it be not the voice of a gracious heart it is but the voice of a dog and you know it is so called in the Scripture and hence in Zach. 12.10 it is said he will pour out upon the house of David the Spirit of Grace and of supplication fiâ—st the Spirit of Grace and then the Spirit of Supplication if there be not first a spirit of grace truely there can be no spirit of supplication and it was hence that Saul when he was effectually wrought upon and the work of grace was begun in his heart the spirit of God takes notice of it Behold he prayeth doubtless he had made many a long prayer and done something that he called prayer before that time being a Pharisee and one of the strictest Sect but yet he never prayed untill now now there is grace in his heart and he prayeth to purpose that is the second thing it is the breathing of a gracious soul 3. It is done in the help of the Spirit of Grace for if a gracious soul come and speak his own words that is not praying it must be speaking the words of the Spirit of God the breathing out the petitions that are put into the heart by the Spirit of God Zach. 12.10 a place I quoted even now you read that it is a Spirit of Supplication Gods good Spirit it helps and furthers and forwards the soul in this great work Rom. 8.26 We know not what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self helps our infirmities and truely souls this is very considerable when praying is as it should be it is done in the help of the Spirit of grace 4. In prayer the soul goeth to God as the Father and fountain of mercy he goes to him directs a prayer unto him therefore David says in Psal 25.1 To thee O Lord I lift up my soul and we are taught when Christ teacheth us how to pray in Mat. 6.9 to go unto God Say saies Christ Our Father we are bid to go to him and to go to him as to a Father And further 5. Prayer is going to God and a going to him in a promise you must have a promise to incourage you to pray mark this as a certain rule you have no warrant to ask that of God of which you have not a promise or something that is in the nature of a promise and if you ask me what I mean by something in the nature of a promise why it is the experience of the Saints of God what he hath done for them and wrought for them this is in the nature of a promise and you may plead it with God that what he hath wrought his servants of old that he would do again now by promise I mean the Word of God to plead for something that God hath given hâ—s word to give Jacob in Gen. 32. 11. he was in a streight and he goes to God and what hath he to plead with God Why he had a promise And thou saidst I will surely do thee good c. vers 12. He urgeth God with his promise Lord thou hast said thou wilt do me good and make my seed as the sand of the Sea If Esau come and kill my children How shall this promise be fulfilled Therefore deliver me I pray thee c. And in Rev 22.20 He which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Even so come Lord Jesus Mark here is the promise and the pleading of it also both in this verse the promise Christ saies Surely I come the pleading of the promise Amen even so come Lord Jesus so if we come to God in prayer we must plead a promise or something in the nature of a promise or else it is not praying 6. We must go to God in the name of Christ now that is not you will easily grant the bare saying we ask this in the name of Christ and beg it for Christs sake but the putting forth an act of fâ—iâ—h upon Christ as he to whom all promises are made and who hath puâ—chased for us an interest in the promises that is what I mean when I say we are to come in the name of Christs Joh. 16.23 Whatever you shall ask the Father in my name that you shall have come to God and tell him Lord thou hast made a great many promises to poor souls through Christ Jesus Christ hath purchased these promises at thy hand therefore we come to beseech thee for the merit and righteousness of Jesus Christ that thou wouldest make good those promises that thou hast made 2 Cor. 1.20 In him are all the promises Yea and Amen in him that is in Christ and in him they are Yea and Amen that is they are made good to the soul through Christ first the soul believes in Chriâ—t and hath interest in him and then hath interest in the promises 7. They go for suitable mercy according as their needs and necessities are The necessities of the Saints are not always the same sometimes they are of one kind and sometimes of another and the spirit of grace helps the soul to begg mercies suitable to its wants sometimes not to be led into temptation as Christ teacheth us to pray and sometimes to be delivered from trouble as David Psal 59.1 Deliver me from mine enemies O God defend me from those that rise up against me And thus I have given you an account what prayer is and shewed you that it is the breathing of a gracious soul in the help of the spirit of grace whereby it is inabled to go to God in a promise in the name of Christ to ask suitable mercy as the case requireth That is the first thing propounded what pâ—ayer is But 2. What can prayer do what hath it done To that I answer Very great things 1. Prayer hath prevailed to pull down very dreadful judgements upon a people Thus they that mocked the Prophet and scoft at him a little prayer of the Prophet brought very dreadful things upon those people 2 King 2. And he went up from thence c. at vers 23. it is spoken concerning Elisha and it is said that He turned back and cursed them in the name of the Lord that is he prayed that God would meet with them for this and whâ—t came of it you read There came two she-bears out of the wood and tare fourty and two children of them that mocked the Prophet David with a very short prayer he bâ—iâ—gs down judgement and evil upon Achitophel 2 Sam. 15. it was a very short prayer he puts up at vers 31. O Lord I pray thee turn thee counsel of Achitophel into
to it For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were When Christ comes in earnest he will make them fear in earnest and then the most daring confident of sinners shall tremble it is evident from five or six things I would go over very briefly 1. From hence in the day of Christ the conscience of every sinner shall be effectually awakened There shall be no secure conscience in the day of Chrisâ—s appearing Now though a sinner with a sleepy conscience may not consider may not be affected with and moved by the present judgements of God yet when Christ shall apear and conscience shall be awakened with it it will set him into a fit of trembling For present under word and works it is possible hardness of heart may remain upon sinners Scripture makes mention of a very desperate hardness of heart upon some it was said of some they were past feeling conscience was so stupified that they had no kind of sense no kind of tenderness at all 1 Tim. 4.2 Speaking lies in hypocrisie having their consciences seared as with a hot Iron You know that that which is seared with a hot Iron if it be the flesh it becomes senseless and be nummed so it is with the conscience there are consciences seared as with hot Irons the sense and vigor and activity of it is taken away but in the day of Christ this slâ—epy dead conscience shall be quickned that Scripture in the 9th chap. of Mark is usually applyed to this purpose v. 44 45. You read of a Worm that never dyeth which is granted on all hands to be the conscience and this receives a quickning when it comes to stand before the Seat of Christ and shall remain so for ever with a quickned conscience shall they be cast into Hell So the Acts 3.20 The time of Christs coming is called The time of the restitution of all things There shall be a restitution of all things with respect to the comfort of the Sâ—ints Therefore it is called A time of refreshing to them 19. vers When Christ shall come there will be a restitution of all things to the refreshing of the Saints but mark It will tend to the misery of sinners and among other things upon this account because then the conscience of sinners shall be returned unto them Man at first Creation had a lively active conscience that could quickly feel the least stirring from God but that man by sin hath lost in a gâ—eat measure and at that day I am speaking of conscience shall be restored to its activity life and strength and what a dread will an awakened guilty conscience put the sinner into A wakened guilty conscience of all things dreads the presence of God most it cannot away with that above any thing Methinks that expression should help a little this way that you have concerning Cain Gen. 4.16 And Cain went out from the presence of God He was full of guilt the blood of Abel was upon him he had guilt upon him and he gat him out of the presence of God and so Adam before him and his Wife what did they Gen. 3.10 I heard thy voice in the gardâ—n and I was afraid He had a guilty awakened conscience and therefore he could not bear the presence of the Lord. A poor sinner What will he do in the day of Christ when his conscience shall be awakened and it shall be guilty enough and yet he must indure the presence of Christ there shall be no refuge for him to run to nor place where he shall be able to hide himself Now upon this account that sinners will be awakened they will be filled with trembling 2. VVhen Christ shall come all the Atheism in their hearts will be effectually confuted You cannot conceive what a deal of Atheism there is in the heart of man by Nature unless you have observed it in your own hearts and that will tell you there is this Atheism in the heart of man by Nature they think there is no God or at least wish there were none and they are ready to say All this preaching is but to keep us in awe and to hinder us from living merrily and with such kind of Atheism as this is the heart of man is fraught by nature Psal 14.1 The fool hath said in his heart There is no God and Psal 10.4 The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts or as it may be rendred All his thoughts are There is no God it may be he will not say so openly but he doth it in his heart and he thinks so Few will speak it openly though they have secret thoughts that there is no God nor Christ nor judgement to come But now how will they tremble when they shall come to see all their Atheism confuted when they shall see Christ in his Glory and sitting upon his Throne and there sitting to execute judgement according to a Scripture-Rule according to what they have often heard Oh what a plunge will they be in at such a season what a damp will this strike upon their spirits when all their Atheism shall be confuted 2 Thes 1.7 it is said Christ shall be revealed from Heaven in flaming fire Revealed from Heaven Whâ— is he not reveâ—led in the Scripture Do we not know there is a God and Christ and judgement by the Scripture Yes but that will not convince some stupid sinners There be many will not believe there is a God a Christ and a Judgement for all this but he must be Revealed from Heaven before the sâ—nners Atheism will be wholly confuted Câ—rist in the Gospel is Revealed from Heaven this word it is not of mens making it is of Divine Authority but yet this will not dispel the Athâ—ism he must Be revealed from Heaven in flaming fire â—efoâ—e this work will â—e done That is the second thing to shew that some will tremble at Christs judgement that would not tremble at any previous judgement 3. They will then be filled with trembling because they will then be convinced of the sinfulness of sin There is not a sinner upon the face of the earth that doth see sin to be as sinful as it is VVhy what do they think of sin Fools they make a mock of sin or as the VVise man saith It is a sport to a wicked man to do mischief that is to commit sin this is but to the sinner a pretty kind of diversion that helps him to pass away his time mâ—rrily Some sinners theâ—e are that have renderness enough to tremble at the thoughts of judgement thougâ— not to tremble â—t sin Job 36.21 Take heed regard not iniquity for this hast thou chosen rather then affl ction This is the sinneâ—s choice they do see a dread in judgement but none in sin therefore they â—ather chuse to sin then suffer or fall under outward troâ—bles Sinners have mighty slight thoughs