it may be said of every grosse and presumptuous sin in the godly it provokes God to anger But yet there is a great difference betwixt Gods anger towards his children Difference betwixt Gods anger towards his children and the wicked and that wrath of his that commeth upon the children of disobedience First his anger towards his Children endures but for a moment In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment Es 54.8 but with everlasting kindnesse wil I have compassion on thee And of the godly it is said Ps 103.9 He will not alwaies chide neither keepeth he his anger for ever But as for the wicked it is not so with them but those tokens of his anger and wrath are but the beginnings of their sorrowes and a fire kindled that shall devoure to destruction It differs betwixt the godly and the wicked in measure God ever proportioneth the sufferings of his Children according to their strength He will not suffer them to be tempted above that they are able 1 Cor. 10.13 But now the Lord never takes notice what strength a wicked man hath to bear his punishments but oftentimes they sink under the burthen of them as Cain Saul Judas c. They bring forth the quiet fruits of righteousnesse in the one they make the wicked more desperate in sinning they tend to the instruction of the one they tend to the destruction of the other Thirdly Gods judgments are medicines to cure his children of the maladies of sin and to fit them for mercy and deliverance But as for the wicked that are vessells of wrath they tend to fit them for destruction so as the Prophet saith Es 21.24 Hath he smitten him meaning indeed his own Children as he smot them that smot him meaning indeed the wicked The Lord is not angry with them both alike nor smites them both alike And lastly Use 3 seeing the anger of God is so terrible and insupportable even a consuming fire and lies so heavy many times upon his own Children the malignity whereof is taken off by Christ It is our duty that as we sin daily Use 4 and provoke him daily by our sins so to be earnest solicitors to the Throne of grace daily that the Lord would not rebuke us in his anger Ps 38.1 2. neither chastise us in his wrath That the Lord would not deal with us according to our sins nor reward us according to our iniquities for if the Lord should we were never able to answer him for one of a thousand our provocations are so many and great that we may say with the Church Lam. 3.22 It is the Lords mercy that we are not consumed There is no way to escape Gods anger but as we sin daily to repent daily since we forfeit his mercies daily by our sins And in thy wrath are we troubled Text. MOSES and the people of God here confesse that they were exceedingly amazed and troubled by Gods anger and wrath gone out against them for their sin Whence we may observe Doct. 6 what it is that doth most affect the godly Sin most of all affects the godly wounds their souls and makes their hearts to bleed viz. The sense and feeling of Gods anger and frowning countenance against them for their sins that by their sins they have so far provoked God thus to frown upon them and to be displeased with them For as the loving kindnesse of God is better than life it selfe Ps 63.3 so the sense and feeling of his wrath and displeasure is that which wounds their souls to the quick so as there can be no comfort no joy no rest nor peace but sorrow griefe vexation and trouble of heart No doubt there were many things that troubled the heart of David in the matter of his sins of Adultery and Murther as the murther of his faithfull servant and subject Uriah the drawing of Bathsheba to the sin of Adultery and his drawing of Joab and others into the guilt of his sin besides the seandall that he had given to Religion But this was it that wounded him to the heart his sin against God and therefore he cries out Against thee against thee have I sinned nothing went so neer his heart as his offence against God and the sense of his displeasure Many times the wicked mourn for sin with worldly sorrow 2 Cor. 7. when by their sins they bring shame punishment or some detriment to their estate and the like Thus Pharaoh was troubled and took on Exod. 9.27 because of the Thunder and Hail and when that was over his trouble was over Gen. 27.38 Thus Esau wept when he had parted with his Birth-right for his own losse not for his offence against God And thus was Saul troubled when Samuel told him 1 Sam. 15.14 1 Reg. 11.21 that God had rent his Kingdome from him and Ahab when the judgment was denounced against his house Whereas in the godly the apprehension of Gods displeasure and the sin against him works the greatest sorrow though their sins were never so secret and should never come to light A gracious soul lookes more upon God offended then upon what he hath deserved This the Apostle calls a sorow according to God 2 Cor. 7 10. when it proceeds not from selfe love but because of God And this is that Zach. 12.12 which the Lord in some measure works in the hearts of all his And the Reasons are The first is taken from the nature of sin Reas 1 which is a Transgression of the Law By sin the most holy and righteous Law of God is violate and broken and hereby God is provoked A small offence against a Prince is made Treason so are sins committed against him being an infinite God Is given by the Apostle Reas 2 Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage to fear again but ye have received the Spirit of adoption Now such as have received this Spirit the Spirit of Adoption to be made the Sons of God these cannot but love God are affraid to offend God and much grieved if at any time by their sins they provoke God Is for tryall Use 1 whether our griefe and sorrow for sin be a godly sorrow and a fruit of true repentance yea or no. The vildest wretch its possible may some times have compunction and sorrow of heart for sin and they may wish that they had never committed such evills Ahab mourns and Judas repents himselfe and yet all was but worldly sorrow that brought death A wicked man and a very Hypocrite may go wonderfull far this way but upon tryall it will be found that their sorrow is conversant about the evill of punishment and not for the evill of sin It is the losse of credit detriment in estate shame punishment or the like that affects them selfe love works it in them and were it not for shame punishment hell or torment for sin they would
hearted to preach liberty to the captive c. Here you see to whom Christ is sent and here is a soul qualified for mercy not all and every one that lives under the Gospell that hath been Baptized and goes under the name of a Christian but such only as are sensible at their spirituall misery and thraldome by reason of sin I came saith Christ to seek and to save that was lost Miserable creature thou Luk. 19.10 if thou be not one that Christ came to seek and to save But if thou be not a lost creature a poor wretched damned creature in thy own apprehension thou wilt never have Christ to save thee Secondly till we thus see sin Reas 2 and are sensible of Gods wrath and displeasure for sin we shall never prize Christ neither are fit to receive any comfort from Christ When a poor soul comes truly to see fin and the wrath of God due for sin and that sin is a burthen too heavy for that soul to bear Christ will never be pretious to the soul The full soul loatheth the hony comb But take a poor wounded soul whose heart is truly humbled it is like a smitten Hart O to the soyle it flyeth Ps 42.1 As the Hart brayeth after the Rivers of water so longeth my soul after thee O God Let such a soul have all the treasure in the world presented unto him on the one hand and the least drop of the blood of Christ on the other hand O it is Christs blood that he priseth above all As Rachel said to Jacob Give me Children or else I die so saith a poor soul Give me Christ for the pardon of my sins or else I die and shall perish for ever This serves to discover unto us what is Gods manner of dealing in the work of mans Conversion and Salvation Use 1 the Lord works by contraries God brings men to joy by sorrow to blessednesse by the sense of our cursednesse as at the first Creation God brought light out of darknesse so doth God now bring life out of death and out of our deep apprehension of Gods anger and displeasure God founds and grounds our greatest comfort Well then would you know how it fares between God and your souls call to minde your sins past the sins of your youth the sins of your middle age and the sins of your riper years and see how your hearts stand affected towards them Can you think of them without griefe of heart have you as yet never felt the terrours of the Almighty for sin You never felt such a weight and burthen of sin that you were ready to sink under it O deceive not your own souls the foundation of grace and salvation is not yet laid But now if upon examination you finde the terrours of the Lord your hearts wounded that the remembrance of your sins is grievous unto you and that the burthen of them is intollerable here is a good mark that God intends much good to such a soul Seeing this is Gods manner of dealing in the work of Repentance and conversion to God Use 2 to work in the soul an apprehension of Gods anger and displeasure for sin Here is matter of mourning and lamentation in regard of the great security of this age wherein we live there is little fear or dread of Gods anger and wrath for sin amongst men a clear argument that men are far from this grace of true repentance The Lord be mercifull to a world of men that live amongst us even in the bosome of the Church if we had a fountain of tears with Jeremy we might weep them out to see the misery of the greatest part of the world that though they live in the bosome of the Church and partake daily of the Word yet are not wrought upon How many have we that are so far from grieving for their sins that it is their grief they cannot sin more freely Men cannot endure to meet with any check or controlment in their sinfull courses You that know the world and you that know the state of this place cannot but know how many we have that sit upon their Ale-bench and there despite the Spirit of grace glorying in their sin O that such would but consider that dreadfull place of the Apostle 2 Thess 2.13 That all might be damned that took pleusure in unrighteousnesse yet fear not damnation But the damnation of such doth not sleep And last of all Use 3 here is matter of admirable comfort and consolation to such upon whose hearts God hath been at work that have been under the Spirit of bondage and have layne under the threats of the Law have seen sin and have apprehended Gods displeasure in their souls for sin I may say to such a one as it was said to blind Bartimaeus Behold Christ calleth thee who for this spirit of heavinesse will give thee the spirit of gladnesse sorrow may endure for a night but joy commeth in the morning and Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall rejoyce O Object but if I were sure that my sorrow were right I might have comfort but I fear my trouble is not so much for offending God by my sins as for fear of Hell and of wrath which sorrow even a wicked man may have and yet perish at last Even this fear of Gods wrath Ans of hell and damnation may be at the first in us and as a needle make way for the threed of godly sorrow thus much is intimated by that of Paul Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage to fear again Ro. 8.15 which word implyeth thus much that even the very godly themselves had at first in them the spirit of bondage to fear God for his wrath hell and damnation A degree of grace if I may so call it that for ought I know all Gods children at first in some measure or other passe under But how shall I know Quest that it is not my case at this present True sight of sin and humiliation of the soul that shall finde comfort Answ hath principally these three properties First when the heart is carried against sin with such an indignation as that there is a heart-rising against a mans most secret corruptions 2 Cor. 7.11 What indignation saith Paul hath it wrought in you A heart-rising against our most secret corruptions stirring in us is a good signe our sorrow for sin is sound It may again be known by that full purpose of heart that is in us not to sin again as those godly Converts mentioned in the Scripture Paul Zacheus Mary Magdalen Peter c. fell not into their sins again Thirdly it may be known by the blessed victory that the soul gets daily against sin when corruption weakens daily and grace growes more vigorous in the soul these may comfort the heart that such a soul is qualified for mercy Ver. 10. The daies of our years are threescore years and ten and
sorrow shall be turned into joy and your hearts-shall rejoyce It is true affliction and the pangs of repentance do sometimes so dazzle the eyes of the godly that their priviledges are sometimes hid from them There is a seed-time for peace and a seed-time for joy which many times proves sharp and bitter Light is sowen for the righteous The time of repentance and godly sorrow is this seed-time which howsoever the godly sow in tears yet they shall doubtlesse come again with joy and bring their sheaves with them Worldly sorrow is comfortlesse that separates from God But godly sorrow causeth repentance unto life and brings peace at last in as much as it drawes us neer to God This also lets us see the misery of many thousands in the world Use 2 and what enemies they are to their own peace and comfort that hoodwink themselves and labour for nothing more then to keep sorrow from their hearts they will not be brought to see the foulnesse of their sins but labour to smother the checks of their owne consciences that when either by the Ministry of the Word or by some sharp affliction they have had their sins discovered and their consciences awakened fall to sports and pastimes and merry company and drink away care and to put away these melancholick thoughts as they call them out of their heads and use all means possibly to thrust out of their minds the thoughts of sin that they may not be troubled like a man in a burning Feaver that drinks cold water which at last doth but increase his fit Alas what cold comfort is this to a distressed conscience whereas the only way is to flie unto God to confesse sin and by true repentance and godly sorrow to lay the soul low at the footstool of the throne of grace with David and to beg for mercy O fill us with thy mercy WE have felt thy anger justly upon us for our sins q.d. so as thou hast justly turned away thy savour and shewed thy heavy displeasure against us Yet we beseech thee be a reconciled God unto us again and according to the extremity of our misery fill us with thy mercy Hence we-learn Doct. 2 Before we be filled with â—nercy we must feel our misery That before we can be filled with Gods mercy we must have a lively sense of our own misery Moses and the people here confesse their sins and the exceeding misery they had plunged themselves into by reason of sin and then they beg for mercy and cry and call for mercy and that for no small quantity but for abundant store of it Fill us with thy mercy Before we be filled with mercy we must feel our misery When Adam had sinned how did the Lord bring him into a capacitie of mercy and deliverance but by bringing him to see into what a bottomlesse gulph of misery he had plunged himselfe into Gen. 3.9 Adam where art thou And again Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee thou shouldeâ—â— not eat And this is the direction the Lord gives to his Prophet Es 58. Cause Jerusalem to know her abominations And this Doctrine is taught by our Saviour himselfe in that Sermon of his upon the Mount Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted And Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse c. where our Saviour tells us that none can be satisfied with Gods mercies in Christ but the hungry and thirsty souls Look we upon all those godly converts mentioned in the Scriptures David Peter Mary Magdalen those poor Jewes that had imbrued their hands in the blood of the Lord Jesus and see how sensible they were of their sins and misery by reason of sin before they were filled with Gods mercy in the assurance of the pardon of their sins David he sits weladaying night and day and waters his couch with tears Peter weeps bitterly Mary Magdalen washeth the feet of Christ with tears the Jewes cry out Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved In a word all of them in some measure have had their hearts broken have felt the terrours of the Lord and their consciences touched with the apprehension of Gods wrath and have tasted of the bitternesse of sin before they have tasted of the mercies of God in Christ for the pardon of them This wounding of the heart and terrour of conscience for sin Reas 1 though it be no grace yet it makes way for grace in the soul as one saith though it wash not the hands yet it puts off the gloves It is as the needle that makes way for the third God first gives the spirit of bondage which is the spirit of fear and then gives a spirit of adoption which gives boldnesse and comfort when the threats of the Law have had their proper work upon the conscience to convince of sin unto condemnation then the sweet promises of the Gospell will prove seasonable to the humble soul to convince them of Christs righteousnesse to salvation Secondly Reas 2 that herein and hereby the Lord may make his children come to know the price and worth of mercy which the Lord will do to those upon whom he intends to bestow mercy How welcome will a pardon be to a condemned person that lookes every day for execution O how pretious will the least drop of Christs blood be to a wounded soul that pants and breaths under the heat of Gods wrath for sin No chased Hart doth more earnestly covet the soyle then such a distressed soul for Christ Besides Reas 3 Luk. 1.53 all the promises of mercy are made to such and such only He filleth the hungry with good things but sends the rich emptie away Luk. 5.31 The whole needs not a Physician but those that are sick Joh. 7.37 Matth. 5.5 6. This lets us see the reason Use 1 why most men have no more sense nor feeling of Gods mercy or else have but small tast of it the reason is they never yet felt the weight and burthen of their sins they were never truly humbled for their exceeding misery they never felt their extream need of Gods mercy and the blood of Christ to save their souls they did never truly hunger and thirst after it but like the Laodicean Church thought themselves well enough Rev. 3.17 and needed nothing but knew not that they are miserable and poor and blinde and naked Would you be filled with Gods mercy would you drink your fill of the water of life then you must hunger and thirst after it and finde your extream need of mercy beg mercy at Gods hand with tears Men hunger and thirst after the things of this life because they feel the want of them but they thirst not after mercy because they feel no want of mercy their stomachs are so cloyed with the love of the world with the profits pleasures and the delights of the flesh that they have
and Honour and some outward priviledge wherein they excell others a common fault in the world Indeed I confesse that such as are in the place of Magistracy or in any other condition wherein they goe before others these are to be reverenced according to their severall conditions and places they are in for so much doth Religion it selfe require But in whomsoever Gods Image doth appeare when men excell in vertue abound in zeale in Religion and holinesse and other graces of the inward man these ought to have the highest place and the chiesest roome in a Chrians heart and we ought to honour them most that most honour God Fourthly and lastly Use 4 since God doth thus honour good men with a good name this may serve by the way of caveat to all the godly that they carefully heede their waies that they doe nothing that may bring a blott upon their good name that God hath honored them withall Which such doe who make profession of Religion yet walk inordinatly as those that are without when the world shall take just offence at the carriage of many shal justly open their mouthes against them to say A good man but proud a good man but covetous a good man but contentious with his Neighbours a man given too much to company-keeping O downe with his Bur. And you that professe godlinesse take heede of this offence ye give to others and know that hereby thou strikest into every side of Christ himselfe woundest Religion keepest others from the faith who happily had come on before this time hadst not thou laine a stumbling blocke in their way thou art a griefe to the godly and makest worke for thy selfe of deepe sorrow and humiliation of Soule for this sin at last and withall let such men know that are so ready to rake into the Dunghill of other mens faults and infirmities that the best gold is not without some drosse nor the best Christian without some imperfections It is the priviledge of the Saints in Heaven to be free from sin It cannot be expected whilst we are here till we come to be Cloathed upon and it is a signe that such men are little at home that are so busie abroad did men truly looke about them in respect of their own◠failings such men would be lesse censorious of others Hitherto of his praise The man of God A Prayer of Moses HEre we have his practise 3 His practise he prayeth A prayer of Moses the man of God And this Psalm is a prayer of his that he put up to God in the behalf of the people at this time in great affliction and distresse Whose practise and example may learne us this lesson That such as are Teachers of Gods people should pray for Gods people Doct. 3 Teachers of Gods people should pray for Gods people How frequent is Moses in this duty at all times when Gods wrathfull displeasure was kindled against this people Still he stands in the gap to turne away Gods wrathfull displeasure from them Thus Abraham prayed for the Sodomites that they might be spared Gen. 18.23 whose prayer was so prevalent with God that if there had been but ten righteous found in the five Cities God had spared those Cities for their sakes Gen. 20. And thus he prayed for Abimelech and he was healed by his prayer When the people desired Samuel to pray for them 1 Sam. 12.23 God forbid saith he that I should sin against God and cease praying for you It is the duty of faithfull Ministers not only to teach and instruct their people but also to pray earnestly to God for them A Preaching and a Praying Ministry must alwaies goe together And this was the high commendation of Moses Aaron Samuel and Daniel and other the Prophets and Servants of God that upon all occasions they still preferred their suites to God in the behalfe of the people And this was frequent with the Apostle Paul in the behalf of the Churches as for the Romans Rom. 2.9 10. God is my witness whom I serve in the spirit that without ceasing I make mention of you in my prayers So having exhorted the Ephesians not to faint at his troubles he prayes for them Ephes 3.14 15. For this cause saith he I bow my knee to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye may be strengthened by the Spirit in the inward man And this duty did he likewise performe in the behalfe of the Colossians We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Col. 1.3 alwaies praying for you And this duty no doubt the Apostles learned of their Lord and Master◠whose custome was to teach the people in the day time and to go out at night and pray for them And this duty belongs to all that are Pastors of Christs flock Is any afflicted James 5. let him pray and let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray Because as they are by their calling and function to be Gods mouth unto the people Reas 1 Mal. You shall hear the Law at their mouth so again are they to be the mouth of the people to God As he speaks from God therein he performs his Propheticall Office as he speaks to God therein he performs his Priestly Office in offering up the Sacrifice of Prayer Secondly Teachers of the people Reas 2 must pray for the people Because all our Teaching and Preaching is but planting and watering 1 Cor. 3.7 which will come to nothing if God give not the increase Ministers may speak to the ears but it is Gods priviledge 〈…〉 to the heart and to 〈…〉 their Lydia may hear Paul preach but God must open her heart or else it cannot be effectuall Serves to let us see the great necessity of a praying Ministry Use 1 as of a preaching Ministry 'T is true a learned painfull and faithfull Ministry is Gods Ordinance to reveal unto the Church the minde and will of God in things appertaining to life and salvation Yea there is such a necessity of a powerful and zealous preacher of Gods truth that where Prophecying faileth the people perish Yet this is not all there is more required at their hands Gods house is a house of prayer as a house of preaching and as there we come to know the minde and will of God in things appertaining to life and salvation by preaching so there we come in a comfortable expectation to have the same bestow'd upon us from God by ear nest hearty prayer We have amongst us many that are frequent in the former duty to preach unto their people yet make little reckoning or account of the latter whereas a preaching and a praying Ministry must go together You shall finde Moses and Aaron and Samuel as frequent upon their knees earnestly striving and contending with God in prayer for the people as preaching and instructing them in the minde and will of God And for
his favour again And because wee cannot come unto him without Christ who alone must stand betwixt the wrath of his Father and us We must come in his name and through his Mediation and intercession who will accept our prayers not for any worthinesse in us or them but for his sake alone It is he alone that must perfume our prayers with the sweet incense of his merits Rev. 8.3 Io. 16.23 and mediation without which our persons and prayers can finde no acceptation with him Seeing it is God alone that in all misery and distresse is sought unto Vse 2 as this example shewes This overthrows that erroneous Doctrine and practise of the Church of Rome who teach men to pray to Saints and Angels to Peter and Paul the Virgin Mary to this He-Saint and to that Shee-Saint c. we utterly renounce this Doctrine and abhor this practise as that which hath neither precept nor promise nor Example in all the Book of God to leave the Creator for ever blessed and fly to the Creature What greater dishonour can be done to God and Christ 1 Ioh. 2.1 since we have one Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins What is this but to leave the Kings son and to go to a servant to speak to the Father Nay what is this but to rob God of his honour and Christ of his office both to be an advocate and to make reconciliation are proper to the person of Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 2.5 There is one Mediatour even the man Christ Jesus Besides the Angels are but fellow-servantâ— Rev. 22.9 See thou do it not I am thy fellow servant As for the Saints in heaven they know not our wants Es 63.16 Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel know us not And no lesse folly and madnesse is it to pray to stocks and stones reliques and bones as the Papists do And the last is Use 3 we are taught hence where to go and speed in times of affliction and distresse Lord saith Peter whither shall we go thou haft the words of eternall life It is our duty then to repair and resort to God the Father through the merits of his son Jesus Christ What Parent can be more compassionate of the child in time of misery and distresse then the Lord is to his children in their afflictions yea such is his love and compassion towards them that though by reason of their affliction they are not able to put up a distinct prayer to him yet their very sighes and grones shall passe for powerfull and effectuall prayers Hezekiah mourning like a Dove and chattering like a Crane is heard and answered of God yea the Spirit helps our infirmities when we cannot pray as we ought Rom. 8. With sighes and grones that cannot be expressed We may rest assured the Lord is neer to them that draw neer to him Is our faith weaks he will strengthen us are weignorant he will instruct us do we want grace he will supply us is our love cold he will quicken it is our repentance imperfect he will perfect it are judgments amongst us he will remove them are we in distresse he will have mercy upon us do our sins trouble us he will discharge us are we in sicknesse he will restore us are we in misery he will deliver us So that every true believer may comfortably conclude that his wea kest prayers sighes and grones proceeding from a broken heart a hungring and thirsting desire after grace and mercy shall not return in vain but God in his due time will answer the desire of their souls We shall not want that grace that we unfainedly desire neither shall we be hurt with that corruption we unfainedly lament Return O Lord. THe words are not so to be under stood as if God at any time did totally leave and forsake his people for so God never departeth from his whom he once loved in Christ Howbeit in times of affliction and distresse the Lord seemeth to them thus to do as the Sun may be sometimes under a cloud yet will appear again so though the cloud of our fins may hide the face of God from us for a time yet he will pierce through them and shinâ— upon us at last But now whilst the Lord thus withdrawes himselfe from his people it is a most bitter time unto them they can have no rest nor peace till the Lord returne again and be appeased towards them Hence we may farther observe Doct. 3 that so long as the Lord is departed from us and turneth his angry countenance towards us there can be no peace Whilst God seemes to be angry there can be no peace no comfort to a poor sinner but extream sorrow griefe and perplexity of spirit We may see this in those sad complaints of Gods people that have felt his frowns angry countenance upon them for their sins how heavy intol lerable the sense of his displeasure hath bin we may see it in that sad complaint of David Ps 6.1 2. O Lord rebuke me not in thy anger neither chasten me in thy sore displeasure my Soul is sore vexed but Lord how long David could have no rest nor peace in his soul so long as he lay under Gods displeasure And thus prayes the Church O Lord correct me but with Judgment Ier. 10.24 not in thy anger lest thou bring me to nothing Yea the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe in the sense of Gods anger and displeasure cries out Mat. 27. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me What are a mans wife children gold silver lands livings or all the world when the soul shall combat with Gods wrath A wounded spirit who can bear Es 57. The poor soul scorched with the heat of Gods anger and displeasure for sin nothing can comfort it but the Lords returning again in love and favour Ps 4.6 Lord saith David lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corn and their wine encreased the whole world is not to be compared to it David having sinned and by his sins having eclipsed this favourable countenance of God towards him O how earnest is he in begging his gracious presence again towards him Ps 51.10 11.12 1. He prayes that God would turn away his angry countenance from him 2. That he would restore him again to the joy of his salvation 3. That he would not take away his Spirit from him But Quest why doth the Lord deal thus with his own children Reas No doubt the Lord doth it in much love towards them that hereby they might feel the bitternesse of sin and his anger and displeasure for the same that they might learn to prize his favour and loving countenance towards them at a higher rate then before they had done
prayers and complaints to God lay open our miseries and plead our long continuance in them Secondly Use 2 seeing Moses and the people of God here do labour to move the Lord to pitty and compassion from the consideration of their long continuance in their miseries We may take notice how prone we are when God hides himself from us for a short time which he may justly do when wee sin against him albeit it be but for a short time yet it seems unto us long A gracious heart cannot be long without Communion with God Ps 143.6 My Soul thirsteth after thee saith David as the thirsty Land None know the worth of God but the gratious Soul What were all the World without the Sun and what were a believing Soul without God Such as have tasted and seen how sweet the Lord is hunger and thirst more and more to be filled with his presence As Moses the more familiar he grew with God the more he desired to see of God when the Lord is provoked to withdraw himself at any time from his people which somtimes the Lord doth being justly provoked by the sins of his people This brings horror and terrour to to the Soul Thou didst turn away thy thy face saith David and I was sore troubled And again Hide not thy face from me Ps 43.7 else I shal be like to themthat go down into the pit Ps 63.3 Thy loving kindness saith David is better then life it self He accompts himself a dead man if God be not reconciled to him in Christ What life what comfort what joy in a mans Soul unlesse God vouchsafe his gratious and comfortable presence there Return O Lord how long VVE are farther to observe That in respect of Gods comfortable presence Doct. 5 God may turn aside from his people for a time Io. 13.1 God may turn aside for a time from his own people It is true God doth never totally leave or forsake his For whom he loves to the end he loves them His gifts are without repentance in some gracious operation or other his spirit is alwaies present yet in respect of his comfortable presence he may seem to turn away from his people for a time It was Davids case when he had fallen into those dangerous sins of Adultery and Murther for the present he lost the comfort of Gods gracious presence that he had formerly felt and therefore prayes Ps 51.8 Restore me to the joy of thy Salvation and make me to hear the voice of joy and gladnesse that the bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce Ver. 11. And Cast me not away from thy presence And thus he complains at another time Ps 22.1 Why hast thou for saken me why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring Doubtlesse at that time David wanted the assistance of Gods gratious presence in as much as his Soul is thus perplexed And thus again he cries out in much anguish and perplexity of Spirit Ps 88.14 VVhy hast thou cast off my Soul why hidest thou thy face from me It seems Davids comfort and assurance was much eclipsed at these times This was the case of Job Iob 30.20 I cryed unto thee and thou dost not hear me I stand up and thou regardest not And this was the sad complaint of the Church Lam. 3.8 VVhen I cry and shout he shutteth out my prayer O this hath been that that hath wounded the Souls and troubled the Spirits of the godly that the Lord hath seemed to shut out the prayers and not to come in to their succour in times of distresse The woman of Canaan Mat. 5.26 what might she think but that Christ had cast her off seeing he would not answer her and when he did speak called her Dog an answer able to have broke her tender heart yet at last comes in and grants her request The Lord deales many times with his Children as Joseph with his Brethren deals roughly with them Gen. 42.9 You are spies and to prison they must go yet at last fill their Sacks Saith he Thus doth the Lord seem to take day with his people and puts them off to a fitter time when mercy will be more seasonable and deliverance will be more welcome Neither let this seem strange unto us for the Lord may do this That hereby he might take triall of the graces of his Reas 1 in the hearts of his servants as their faith hope patience c. All which are now set on work whilst the Lord is pleased to suspend deliverance for else what would become of the patience of the Saints if there were no more but ask and have Secondly Reas 2 that whilst the Lord is thus pleased to withdraw himself and defer deliverance we might take occasion to search more deeply into our own hearts thereby to discover the greatnesse and hainousness of our sins which have plunged us into such a gulf of misery and labour to find out those secret sins unrepented of that caused the Lord thus to frown upon us and to hide his favourable countenance from us whereas if our miseries were light and quickly removed we should harâ—ly think our sins so great as indeed they are And that when upon our Repentance we have obtained peace and reconciliation again with God Reas 3 wee may prize it ever after at a higher rate and be the more careful that we do nothing that may interrupt our peace again with God or turn away his loving countenance again from us Every good thing that is hardly come by is more carefully kept and more hardly lost Gods favour and love being got with long seeking and often praying is highly prized and not easily parted withall And last of all God many times deferts to help his Church and people in misery and distresse Reas 4 because that seasonable time of their deliverance is not yet come After three daies he will raise us up Hos 6.3 and we shall live in his sight The Lord hath made every thing saith Solomon beautifull in his time Eccl. 3.11 And there is a time for all things under the Sun No doubt but Zachary and Elizabeth prayed for a child whilst they were young Luke 1. and no doubt but God heard them only they must leave the time to him in whose hands are times and seasons Daniel mourned three weeks of daies and receives no answer Yet see the place Dan. 10.12 13. From the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand c. thy words were heard God ever suspends deliverance for a fit time when it is most seasonable for his own glory and his peoples comfort Seeing the Lord deals thus with his own people thus to withdraw himself Use 1 and to withhold his comfortable presence from them for a time Wee are taught not to despair when we find that this is his dealing with us What though the Lord
should bring us low and deny his comfortable presence to us that we meet not with him in that comfortable way of his providence and mercy in the return of our prayers and seeking of him as heretofore we have done But that he seems to write bitter things against us and to call our sins to accompt and seems to withdraw the comfortable aspects of his favour and love from us for a time yet in an acceptable time deliverance will come Every vision is for an appoinâ—ed time Every vision that is every promise or every word of prophecy God makes good in his appointed time Es 28.10 Hab. 2 4. and the just shall live by Faith What though things stand at a stay in Church and State what though Parliament upon Parliament are rendred unfruitful what though Sects and Heresies increase and get head threatning all confusion And all this while God seâ—ms to stand a far off as one that will not be spoke withall Yet let us rest assured that God is the God of the abject his promise is that such as mourn in Sion shall be delivered and they shall have beauty for ashes Es 61.3 and the spirit of joy for the spirit of heavinesse Secondly Use 2 this may serve for matter of comfort and consolation unto all the faithfull that though by their sins they may rob themselves of the comfortable feeling of Gods favour and love for the present yet Jer. 31.3 Rom. 11.29 Joh. 10.28 with everlasting love he loveth them His gifâ—s are without repentance And no man shall pluck them out of his hand Sin may take away the feeling of his grace but not the possession thereof Though we often meet with repulses at Gods hand yet a believer hath no denyall but at one time or other in one kinde or other God answereth the prayers of his people It is our dutie then with Moses and the people of God here to ply the Lord with prayers and complaints and herein to presse the Lord with arguments as they do to move the Lord to take pitty upon us But Quest what arguments have we to use to God to strengthen our faith and to support our prayers These and the like arguments may we use in prayer Reas 1. As Moses here that we are his people even the sheep of his pasture a people upon whom his Name is called And will God forsake his people 2. Plead the Lords Nature that he is ready to hear that it is one of his glorious Attributes to be the God that heareth prayers Ps 65.2 3. Plead his promise that he will be with his in six troubles and in seven Iob 5.19 and that he will never leave them nor forsake them 4. Plead we the experience we have had of his mercy and goodnesse in former times Thou hast set me at liberty saith David when I was in trouble And let the consideration thereof strengthen our prayer and support our faith 5. Plead that we come in Christs Name and he hath said that whatâ—ever we ask in his Sons Name he â—ill hear us 6. And last of all we may plead the praises that wait for him in Sion that if the Lord will be so graciously pleased to hear and answer us we will ever give him thanks and praise These and the like arguments will be excellent props to stay our faith and to strengthen our hands in prayer What means our Saviour in propounding the example of the unrighteous Judge Luke 18. but to encourage us in our suites to God and to shew the blessed fruits and effects of importunate prayers Hitherto of the first argument that they use to move the Lord to take pitty on them viz. that they had been so long time in misery How long Lord The second argument that they use to move the Lord to pitty and compassion Arg. 2 is taken from their present estate and condition Let it repent thee concerning thy servants And is taken from the Covenant of grace made unto them in Christ viz. that I will be thy God and thou shalt be my people So then the force of their reason is this q. d. O Lord we confesse that we have grievously sinned and provoked thy anger and thou mightest justly have cast us off But Lord remember thy old Covenant towards us that we are thy Servants and thou art our Lord we are thy people and thou art our God we are thy children and thou art our Father O then be pacified and reconciled unto us thy poor and unworthy Servants for thou hast not plagued the very heathen that know thee not but even us thy Servants and thy own people And therefore we humbly intreat thee to be reconciled to us And as Moses useth this as a reason to move the Lord to take pitty upon them Doct. 6 To plead Gods covenant an excellent motive to move the Lord to pittie Neh. 1.10 11. because they were his Servants a people in Covenant with him We learn That it is a very forcible reason and good motive to move the Lord to pitty when we can prove that we are his Servants and so minde the Lord of his Covenant that he hath made with us in Christ Thus Nehemiah when he came to intreat the Lord in the behalf of the people pleads this as an argument to move the Lord to pitty and compassion Now these are thy servants and thy people whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power and thy strong hand O Lord I beseech thee let now thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name And thus doth the lamenting Church plead their case with God Lam. 2.20 Behold Lord and consider to whom thou hast done this q. d. O Lord thou hast not done this to the heathen people that have not known thee nor call not upon thy Name but to thy own people that know and fear thy Name Upon this very ground Ps 119.94 David grounds his request to God I am thine O save me And thus Jacob when he desired to be delivered from his Brother Esau pleads this Covenant that God had made with him Lord thou hast said I will do thee good And often doth David put the Lord in minde of his promise Quicken me O Lord according to thy word And Ps 119. Let thy mercifull kindnesse be my comfort according to thy word Whereas such as are not his servants neither are in Covenant with God cannot look to speed in prayer But of them the Lord speaketh thus What hast thou to do Ps 50.21 since thou hast cast my Covenant behinde thy back and hatest to be reformed There is no hope that ever such should obtain any thing at Gods hand that are not in Covenant with God Let a wicked wretch come to God in prayer to ask for any mercy or blessing at Gods hand either for himselfe or for the Church he doth but
no desire of mercy and these the Lord sends away emptie O fill us with thy mercy THey crave not here a small pittance or a light tast of Gods mercy but even to have their hungry souls filled and satisfied with mercy Hence we see Doct. 3 We should labour for a plentiful sense of Gods mercy that it is not enough for us to have some light tast of Gods mercy in Christ for the pardon of our sins but we must labour to have it in a plentifull measure To be filled with the fulnesse of God and the feeling of his love The Lord is a bottomlesse Sea of mercy able to fill every soule that comes unto him but we are like a vessell that hath a narrow neck which if it be cast into the Sea yet is not quickly filled but by degrees Even so the mercy of God is as the bottomlesse Sea able to fill every soul that hungers and thirsts after mercy Whence then is the cause that we are not filled with mercy Surely in our selves our Faith which is the mouth of the soul is so narrow that though the Lord be able and willing to powre his graces and mercies into our souls yet we cannot receive but drop after drop one drop after another And hence it is that in a long time we receive but a small measure of grace and mercy because the Lord must distill it into our hearts as we are capable to receive it now a little and then a little Es 28.9 10. precept upon precept and line upon line here a little and there a little It was only true of Christ Ps 45.7 that he received not the spirit by measure He was annoynted with the oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes But as for us we receive grace by measure Whilst we are here We know but in part 1 Cor. 13.9 And according to our knowledge so are our other graces proportionable Gods children in this life have not fulnesse or perfection of any grace but only so much as the Lord in his wisdome sees meet for them and we are still to be adding grace to grace Grow in grace saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 2. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby And the Apostle exhorts us to joyne to our vertue faith and to faith knowledge c. So that it is not enough for us to have some light tast of Gods love or of the graces of his Spirit but we must labour to have them in a plentifull measure to be filled therewith The best of Gods Saints in this life Reas 1 have no grace in perfection we are not capable of fulnesse of grace in this life but must pray still Lord increase our faith and with the Church here Lord fill us with thy mercy And Christ teacheth us daily to pray Thy Kingdome come The Lord is pleased thus to exercise his people with many wants and imperfections in his graces given them here Reas 2 to humble them and to keepe down the pride that so naturally is ready to rise in our hearts especially in spirituall gifts Paul lest he should be lifted up with the abundance of Revelations had that prick in the flesh that he should not be exalted above measure 2 Cor. 12.8 Thus many times are the godly kept low in their own eyes that they might walk the more humbly with God Seeing then Use 1 that it is not enough for us to have some light tast of Gods love in Christ for the pardon of sin but we must labour to be filled with the feeling of his love This serves to condemn the greatest part of the world even Professors themselves that when they have got a little tast and feeling of Gods love and of the work of grace in theirsouls have a little measure of knowledge of faith and other graces content themselves and think they have enough But this ought not to be If ever thou hadst any true tast of Gods mercy in Christ it will make thee hunger and thirst after more and therefore the Apostle Exhorts 2 Pet. 1.2 that As new born babes we should desire the sincere milk of the Word that we might grow thereby He adds If you have tasted how sweet the Lord is intimating thus much that untill such time as we truly tast how sweet the Lord is we shall never truly desire the sincere milk of the Word Seeing the cause why we are not filled with the mercy of God Use 2 even at our first conversion is not in God but in our selves even in the want of Faith which is the inlet of all grace into the soul It is our duty to encrease in Faith in knowledge repentance and obedience for as these graces grow and encrease in us so will the feeling of Gods mercy and love towards us in Christ encrease in us Such as have a great measure of Faith there will be a great measure of the feeling of Gods love Fill their Sacks saith Joseph Scanty sacks could not carry away any plentifull store of provision where Faith is weak the neck of the soul narrow and streight there will be but a little measure of the feeling of Gods mercy which should stir us up to grow in Faith because as our Faith grows so our feeling of Gods mercy grows Satisfie us early or in the Morning THat is with speed they that lust for a thing cannot indure to be delaied It is death to a thirsty man to belongwithout drink So they that have their Soules scorched with the sense of Gods anger O it is mercy they long for And such a Soul thinks every hour ten and every day a year till they be refreshed with Gods mercy All delaies to such distressed soules is death it self Hear me speedily O Lord saith David My Spirit faileth hide not thy face from me lest I be like unto them that go down into the â—it Satisfie us early or in the Morning q. d. Lord let us not lye any longer soaking in extream miseries lest we be even swallowed up in desperation but make speed to take pitty upon us The like we have by that of David Ps 5.3 Hear my prayer in the Morning where David intreats the Lord not to defer his mercy but to to make speed to his help So Moses here intreats the Lord to hear them in the Morning That is with speed that hee would not deferre to hear them but with speed to take pitty on their miseries and troubles Now when Moses and the people of God pray thus that God would not defer to help them they do not this with impatient minds but partly in regard of their own frailty lest if the Lord should suffer them to lie longer in misery their faith should fail them in their expectation of Deliverance Doct. 4 And partly to shew their hearty Only Gods favour refresheth a distressed Soul and longing desire and comfort and feeling of
sware in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest Yet he made good his promise to their seed and gave them that good Land to possesse it Which serves for the just reproofe of those Vse 1 who having matter of joy and rejoycing to rejoice in the Lord and to set forth the praise of his grace turn it into carnall joy and rejoycing into eating and drinking sports and pastimes As at this time we have indeed cause of joy and rejoycing for the great work of our Redemption by Iesus Christ But alas wee turn it into carnall mirth to feasting and reveling to carding and dicing and unto all prophanesse more liker Heathens then Christians But let such know that thus turn the grace of God into wantonnesse they will cause the Lord one day to turn their mirth into mourning and their carnal rejoycing into weeping and lamentation This was the case of this people though in Aegypt they were somwhat moderate yet when they came out of bondage whereas they should have rejoyced in the Lord Exod. 32.6 and set forth his mercy in their deliverance They set them down to eat and drink and rose up to play Use 2 Secondly seeing Moses and the people of God here will make this the end of Gods mercy to them in their deliverance and in being reconciled again unto them to rejoice in the Lord with joy and gladnesse Then Religion exceeds not mirth and joy neither is matter of dumpishnesse and sadnesse as many vertuous speak of it but it is matter of joy and gladnesse nay there can be no sound mirth joy or rejoycing without this when a man doth truly repent him of his fins is reconciled to God in Christ and feels his love shed into his heart this alone will yield matter of sound joy and solid comfort O say the cursed Ismaels of our times these professors are alwaies sad and heavy full of sighes and groanes and complaining there is no pleasure at all in their waies and courses c. Such are altogether ignorant of the life of a Christian as Christ said I have meat to eat that ye wot not of So hath a Christian joy that the world wots not of when a poor Prisoner that hath offended the Law shall have the King to come to his house and speak kindly and lovingly unto him How will this cheer up his heart then what greater comfort to a poor soul then when God shall put his spirit into the heart of a man and assures him of his love in Christ and where the spirit of the Lord is there must needs be comfort and joy for he is the spirit of comfort It is true in regard of our sins and corruptions we have in us matter of mourning and sorrow yet in regard of Gods love in Christ we may lift up our hearts and rejoyce O then all we desire to have matter of sound and solid joy in our souls let us labour to feel the love of God in Christ shed into our hearts this will make us joyful in sicknesse as in health in the Prison and at the stake as those blessed Martyrs were Ver. 15. Make us glad according to the daies wherein thon hast afflicted us And the years wherein we have seen evill IN this verse Moses and the people of God make their third Request and petition unto God and that is for comfort that the Lord would gladden their souls after their sorrows and afflictions Make us glad according to the daies c. And herein we have 1. What they pray for Comfort 2. That in their comfort that the Lord would keep some proportion that as he had a long time afflicted them for their sins so he would in mercy give them answerable matter of comfort and rejoycing For this is the Lords manner of dealing with his people the lower he humbleth any poor soul for their sins and the deeper sence they have of their misery the greater measure of joy and of comfort he usually bestowes upon them Observe we first of all from the coherence of this petition with the former 1. They pray for reconciliation verse 13. 2. For the feeling of his mercy verse 14. 3. Now for comfort in their misery verse 15. From which order in their requests we learn That the fountain of all true comfort to a distressed soul Doct. 1 Reconciliation the fountain of true comfort is our blessed reconciliation to God in Christ and the comfortable feeling of that love of his to our souls For till a man have truly repented of his sins and comes to be reconciled to God in Christ what dram of comfort can such a one have When the day begins to break then we know the Sun will soon arise In the dark night of affliction what comfort to a distressed soul but when the Sun of righteousnesse shall arise Mal. 1. with healing under his wings and Christ which is our life shall appear Here comes true comfort and the soul is here refreshed as the Sun-rising doth the world It fares many times with a poor soul Mat. 14.24 as it did with the Disciples in the ship they tugged all night but in vain but in the fourth watch of the night Christ came and relieved them when their hope was almost past Jacob wrestled all night with the Angell but about the break of the day he obtained the blessing When we have tugged long and striven hard with God by repentance and prayer at last he will come and in an acceptable time he will command salvation to his people Ps 9.18 The poor shall not alwaies be for gotten the hope of the afflicted shall not perish for ever Whereas wicked men that are in their sins and not reconciled to God they can have no peace they can have no comfort Es 57. There is no peace to the wicked saith my God 1 Sam. 16.23 We may see this in King Sanl what comfort had he in his Kingdome Wife Children Harp Musick or what else so long as God was angry with him and was without the feeling of his love all the world could not yield him one dram of comfort the evill spirit did still torment him A poor condemned Traytor what comfort can he have in wife children gold silver c. nothing will cheer up his spirit but the Kings pardon So a poor distressed soul feeling the anger and wrath of God pressing his soul unlesse God shew his loving countenance in the pardon of sin can have small comfort 'T is true wicked men may tast of worldly comforts and they may seem to have much peace in their consciences as any of the godly themselves for so saith Job Job 2â— Their houses are peaceable and without fear And they aâ—â— not in trouble as other men are Thus Saul when David played upon his Harp had some kinde of ease that the evill spirit for that time did not torment him and thus many wicked men can run to
dispensation to dispose of his people that many times we are no sooner rid of one misery but there comes another in its room yet at last the Lord gives peace And who doth not finde this true by experience in himselfe sometimes to feel much joy and comfort in himselfe yet by and by either by some sin that they have fallen into or by some cloud of affliction or other that joy is eclipsed and to be lost for a time As we see the trees in winter seem to be dead as though they would never grow again yet when the spring comes the heat of the sun revives them again So many a dear child of God either by some sin committed for want of keeping a stricter watch and walking more closely with God or by some storm and tempest of affliction and temptation seemes even to be void of comfort for a time yet when this winter and storm is over the presence of Gods love and favour cheers them up quickens their hearts Ps 6.38 and puts into them comfort and spirituall joy again Quest But what may be the Reasons why the Lord should thus be pleased to exercise his children in this life with such alterations and changes Ans I answer Reas 1 One reason may be from our selves There is such a world of corruption that lies lurking in our hearts that albeit we have tasted and seen how sweet the Lord is which should teach us for ever to walk both humbly and holily before him and to be afraid to offend him and provoke him lest his loving kindnesse should be turned into frowns and displeasure Yet alas we are many times what with the temptations of Sathan and our own inward corruptions so hurried about that we are often drawn to dishonour God and fall into those sins that turn his favours into frowns as it was the case of David after he had sinned so hainously he lost much of that comfort he had formerly felt and is fain to beg hard that God would restore him again to the joy of his salvation Ps 51.12 Secondly Reas 2 the miseries and afflictions of Gods children serve to set out the abundant riches of Gods mercy The more desperate the cure is the more obliged is the Patient to the Physitian And when the Lord shall raise us up from the depth of misery whereinto our sins have plunged us and give us comfort and deliverance this works abundance of love and thankfulnesse Mary loved much because many sins were forgiven her And David can say I Love the Lord becanse hee hath heard the voice of my weeping And thirdly herein and hereby Reas 3 the Lord will shew the priviledges of his people above all wicked and ungodly ones his Children either in darknesse they see light or after darknesse they shall see light Whereas of the wicked it is found true They cryed Ps 18.41 but there was none to save them even to the Lord but he answered them not Let us apply this Seeing our condition here is so variable and changable Vse 1 at one time full of joy at another time full of sorrow c. It shall bee our wisdom to take heed to our hearts how we pitch our Tabernacle here as to think that that health peace or prosperity that somtimes we enjoy is built upon such a foundation that will not be shaken It was Davids case to be ready to fall asleep upon his bed of worldly pomp and ease I said in my prosperity I shall never be removed thou Lord of thy goodnesse hast made my hill so strong But God-awakened him out of that sleep as he saith Thou didst turn away thy face from me and I was sore troubled We may sometimes have the joy of faith but it may quickly be clouded with infidelity we may now be full of hope by and by our hearts may be filled with fear now we may have a glimpse of Gods Tabernacle by and by his back parts are turned towards us As the flesh Iusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh so the graces of God themselves within us are continually in combat The consideration whereof should wean us from the world and make us more mindeful of that life where all tears shal be wiped away from our eyes and sin from our souls for whatsoever we here have and enjoy is movable but that Inheritance fadeth not Secondly Use 2 seeing the estate of Gods children in this Word is so uncertain and changable somtimes joy sometime heavinesse somtimes comfort somtime sorrow It should teach us this wisdom to take heed that we do not despair as if we were utterly cast off of God when the Lord seems thus to frown upon us But rather when wee have lost the comfortable feeling of his love and lost our hold of God seek again unto him for comfort as David did Ps 51.12 Restore me to the joy of thy Salvation and Make me to hear the voice of joy and of gladnesse that the bones which thou hast brâ—ken may rejoyce And where we have got it to make more accompt of it and to apply it to our souls Seeing what comfort we have in the feeling of Gods love Use 3 may not only be dimmed and weakned by our sins but even overwhelmed and Eclipsed as when a cloud hides the light and the heat of the Sun from us O how carefull then ought we to be of sin that we never dare-willingly and wilfully to put our hands to sin that robs us of our joy and comfort this will rob us of our comfort in prayer in finging of Psalmes in hearing and in all duties for the present and bring horror and terror in the soul instead thereof Certainly he is but a titular Christian that doth not find this true by experience in himself Hast thou been bold to sin against thy God to lie to deceive to commit uncleannesse c. Thou shalt presently feel thy joy and comfort for the present clouded and eclipsed till by repentance the breach be made up again betwixt God and thy soul and God becomes again reconciled All duty in publick and private will have little relish in them and yield but small comfort till thou hast been at the Throne of grace and there begged pardon and made thy peace O then let us dread sin that robs us of our comfort and overwhelms our soules with griefe and sorrow And last of all Vse 4 seeing the estate and condition of Gods Children in this life is subject to such alterations and changes This may stay us at this time wherein the Lord is pleased to suspend our desired comfort in rendring our Parliaments one after another thus successelesse and that Reformation in Church and State which our eyes have so long desired to see yet retarded and Sects and Heresies to make head amongst us threatning daily some farther distemper in the body politique of our State if not confusion at last Yet let us stay our selves upon
Eagle they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint They shall be like the tree planted by the Rivers of waters whose leaves shall not fall And this may yield matter of singular Comfort and consolation unto all the faithfull Hath the Lord begun in any of us the good worke of grace and put it into our hearts to walke in the right way of his commandements and to travaile towards the celestiall Canaan let us blesse God for this mercy And withall all intreat the Lord that he would still direct and guide us and never leâ—ve us but even bring us to the end of our Journey And never forsake us till he hath put us into the possession of that glorious inheritance prepared for us in that heavenly Canaan for if he direct us not by his grace and by his spirit it cannot be that we shall hold out but must needs turne aside in the broad way to destruction A Table of the principall Doctrines contained in this Book In the Title Doct. 1. TO doubt of Gods providence and to question his power a great sin page 5 Doct. 2. The greatest Honour is truly to be called a Servant of God page 14 Doct. 3. Teachers of the people should pray for the people Doct. 4. Times of affliction are times of prayer page 31 VERSE I. Doct. 1. The very complaints of the godly are effectuall prayers page 42 Doct. 2. When a Nation or people decay in beauty and glory it is high time to be humbled page 51 Doct. 3. To plead Gods former mercies a speciall motive to move him to pitty page 56 Doct. 4. Gods Church and people have ever had a Dwelling place page 62 Doct. 5. The Church of God is ever one and the same page 72 VERSE II. Doct. 1. In times of distresse we are ready to question Gods power page 77 Doct. 2. The knowledge of Gods covenant gives boldnesse in prayer page 84 Doct. 3. There was a time when there was no earth or world page 89 Doct. 4. God was from all eternitie page 95 VERSE III. Doct. 1. The greatest comfort to the godly in suffering times is to consider that their afflictions come from God page 101 Doct. 2. Our life and being here uncertaine page 107 Doct. 3. All men at last shall rise againe page 118 Doct. 4. Man a peece of living Clay page 131 VERSE IV. Doct. 1. Our life short being compared to eternitie page 138 Doct. 2. Man hardly convinc'd that his life is short page 142 VERSES V VI. Doct. 1. Death is unresistable page 147 Doct. 2. Death many times comes suddenly as a flood page 153 Doct. 3. Death is as a sleepe page 165 Doct. 4. Life of a man so fraile as no example can expresse page 173 VERSE VII Doct. 1. Gods people should be humbled when it fares worse with them then with the wicked page 185 Doct. 2. Though mans life be short yet sin makes it shorter page 190 Doct. 3. Extraordinary Iudgments signes of extraordinary sins page 196 Doct. 4. Mans ignorance of God great page 207 Doct. 5. Gods Anger once kindled Consumes to destruction page 110 Doct. 6. Sin most of all affects the heart of the godly page 120 VERSE VIII Doct. 1. Sight of sin Ground of Humiliation for sin page 227 Doct. 2. Sin the cause of all judgment upon a people 136 Doct. 3. Times of affliction discover Corruption page 247 Doct. 4. A true penitent will be Humbled for his most secret sins page 257 Doct. 5. Our most secret sins are done God looking on page 265 VERSE IX Doct. 1. The sufferings of the godly sometimes exceed the wicked page 274 Doct. 2. Gods hand somtimes long upon his own people Ibid. Doct. 3. The effect of Gods anger terrible page 285 Doct. 4. It is the sight of sin and the sence of Gods displeasure for sin that is the ground of true Repentance page 293 VERSE X. Doct. 1. Mans life but short page 305 Doct. 2. Misery of man since the fall wondrous great page 313 Doct. 3. There is no age of mans life but is full of labour and sorrow page 316 Doct. 4. Sin many times causeth suddain death page 323 Doct. 5. Godly confesse their own sins as the sins of others page 325 VERSE XI Doct. 1. Few take notice of Gods Anger as they ought to doe page 331 Doct. 2. Gods anger most terrible page 337 Doct. 3. Men feare God no more because they know not the power of his wrath page 340 Doct. 4. The best faile in the measure of the feare of God page 346 VERSE XII Doct. 1. No man can number his dayes aright unlesse God teach him page 355 Doct. 2. We ought to esteeme of every day as our last day page 361 Doct. 3. Men are never truly wise till then page 371 Doct. 4. True wisedome consists in true obedience page 377 VERSE XIII Doct. 1. Men never seeke to God for Reconciliation till they feele his displeasure page 385 Doct. 2. In times of misery and distresse God only is to be sought unto page 393 Doct. 3. Whilest God seems to be angry there is no peace page 405 Doct. 4. To mind the Lord of the Continuance of our affection a good motive to move him to pitty page 411 Doct. 5. In regard of Gods gratious presence God may turne aside from his people for a time page 415 Doct. 6. To plead Gods covenant an excellent motive to move him to pitty page 424 VERSE XIV Doct. 1. There can be no comfort to a distressed Soul ' till it be reconciled to God page 436 Doct. 2. Before we can be filled with mercy we must seeke our misery page 442 Doct. 3. We must labour for a plentifull sence of mercy page 446 Doct. 4. Onely Gods favour refresheth a distressed Soul page 452 Doct. 5. Gods mercyes should provoke to cheerfulnesse in his service page 457 Doct. 1. Reconciliation to God the fountaine of all true comfort page 463 Doct. 2. Our condition here wonderous Changable page 470 Doct. 3. God will never cast down his people so low bur he will raise them up at last page 480 Doct. 4. Afflictions past though long seeme short page 485 Doct. 5. We may pray for mercy answerable to our misery page 486 VERSE XVI Doct. 1. God is the protector of his people page 489 Doct. 2. Gods servants may looke for protection from him page 495 Doct. 3. No worke more excellent then Gods protecting his Church page 501 Doct. 4. To plead Gods glory a good motive to move the Lord to helpe page 509 Doct. 5. We ought to take care of the Church after our dayes page 518 Doct. 6. Wicked cannot pray for themselves or others but repenting of their sins can both page 527 VERSE XVII Doct. 1. We are deformed till the beauty of Christs Rigteousnesse be put upon us page 427 Doct. 2. Nothing we doe can prosper without Gods blessing page 532 Doct. 3. Before War is to be taken in hand God is to be Sought unto page 539 Doct. 4 Perseverance in any good Gods gift page 543 FINIS