all his â—houghts How little is God in any of our thoughts according to His excellency No our shops our rents our backs and bellies usurp God's room If any thoughts of God do start up in us how many covetous ambitious wanton revengeful thoughts are jumbled together with them Is it not a monstrous absurdity to place our friend with a crue of vipers to lodge a King in a sty and entertain him with the fumes of a jakes and dunghil A wicked man's heart is little worth Prov. 10.20 The tongue of the just is as choice silver c. Apud nos cogitare peccare est Minucius Foelix all the pedling wares and works in his inward shop are not valuable with one silver drop from a gracious man's lips It was an invincible argument of the primitive Christians for the purity of the Christian Religion above all others in the world that it did prohibit evil thoughts And is it not as unanswerable an argument that we are no Christians if we give liberty to them What is our moral conversation outwardly but only a bare abstinence from sin not a disaffection Were we really and altogether Christians would not that which is the chiefest purity of Christianity be our pleasure And would we any more wrong God in our secret hearts than in the open streets Is not thought a beam of the mind and shall it be enamour'd only on a dunghil Is not the understanding the eye of the soul and shall it behold only guilded nothings 'T is the flower of the spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plat. Shall we let every Caterpillar suck it 'T is the Queen in us Shall every ruffian deflore it 'T is as the Sun in our heaven and shall we besmear it with misty phancies It vvas created surely for better purposes Lampridius than to catch a thousand weight of spiders as Heliogabalus employ'd his Servants It was not intended to be made the common fewer of filthiness or ranked among those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Histor animal lib. 8. which eat not only fruit and flesh but flies worms dung and all sorts of lothsome materials Let not therefore our minds wallow in a sink of phantastical follies whereby to rob God of his due and our souls of their happiness 2. Exhortation We must take care for the suppression of them All vice doth arise from imagination Upon what stock doth ambition and revenge grow Mirandul de Imaginat c 7. Isay 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way the unrighteous man his thoughts c. but upon a false conceit of the nature of honour What engenders covetousness but a mistaken fancy of the excellency of wealth Thoughts must be forsaken as well as our way we cannot else have an evidence of a true conversion and if we do not discard them we are not like to have an abundant pardon and what will the issue of that be but an abundant punishment Mortification must extend to these Affections must be crucified Gal. 5.24 and all the little brats of thoughts which beget them or are begotten by them Shall we nourish that which brought down the wrath of God upon the old world as though there had not been already sufficient experiments of the mischief they have done Is it not our highest excellency to be conform'd to God in holiness in as full a measure as our finite natures are capable And is not God holy in his counsels and inward operations as well as in his works Hath God any thoughts but what are righteous and just Therefore the more foolish and vain our imaginations are Eph. 4 17 18. the more are we alienated from the life of God The Gentiles were so because they walked in the vanity of their mind and we shall be so if vanity walk and dwell in ours As the tenth Commandment forbids all unlawful thoughts and desires so it obligeth us to all thoughts and desires that may make us agreeable to the divine Will and like to God himself We shall find great advantage by suppressing them We can more easily resist temptations without if we conquer motions within Thoughts are the mutineers in the soul which set open the gates for Satan He hath held a secret intelligence with them so far as he knows them ever since the fall and they are his spies to assist him in the execution of his devices They prepare the tinder and the next fiery dart sets all on a flame Can we cherish these if we consider that Christ dyed for them He shed his blood for that which put the world out of order which was accomplished by the sinful imagination of the first man and continued by those imaginations mention'd in the Text. He dyed to restore God to his right and man to his happiness neither of which can be perfectly attained till those be thrown out of the possession of the heart That we may do this Let us consider these following directions which may be branched into these heads 1. For the raising good thoughts 2. Preventing bad 3. Ordering bad when they do intrude 4. Ordering good when they appear in us 1. For raising good thoughts 1. Get renewed hearts The fountain must be cleansed which breeds the vermine 2 Cor. 5 17. Jer. 4.14 Wash thy heart from wickedness c. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee Pure vapors can never ascend from a filthy quagmire What issue can there be of a vain heart but vain imaginations Thoughts will not become new till a man is in Christ We must be holy before we can think holily Sanctification is necessary for the dislodging of vain thoughts and the introducing of good A sanctified reason would both discover and shame our natural follies As all animal operations so all the spiritual motions of our heads depend upon the life of our hearts * Prov. 4.23 as the principium originis As there is a law in our members to bring us into Captivity to the law of sin Rom. 7.23 so there must be a law in our minds to bring our thoughts to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 We must be renewed in the spirit of our minds Ephes 4.23 in our reasonings and thoughts which are the spirits whereby the understanding acts as the animal spirits are the instruments of corporeal motion Till the understanding be born of the spirit †John 3.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit it will delight in and think of nothing but things suitable to its fleshly original but when 't is spiritual it receives new impressions new reasonings and motions suitable to the Holy Ghost of whom it is born A stone if thrown upwards a thousand times will fall backward because 't is a forced motion but if the nature of this stone were changed into that of fire it would mount as naturally upward as before it sunk downward You
intent upon his building that he disregarded the Divine Nemesis that was apparent fulfilling the terrible threatning prophesied against the builder of Jericho Josh 6.26 3. An obstinate fierceness of spirit a diabolical fortitude is the cause that sometimes men despise afflicting providences so far as to resist them There is a passive malignity in all an unaptness to be wrought on and to receive spiritual and Heavenly impressions from God's hand but in some of the sons of perdition there is an active malignity whereby they furiously repel judgments as if they could oppose the almighty Their hearts are of an anvil-temper made harder by afflictions and reverberate the blow like that Roman Emperor who instead of humbling and reforming at God's voice in thunder thundred back again All judgments that befall them are as strokes given to wild beasts that instead of taming them enrage them to higher degrees of fierceness Isai 3.9 10. The Prophet described some of this rank of sinners who said in the pride and stoutness of their hearts the bricks are fallen down but we will build with hewn stones the sycomores are cut down but we will change them into Cedars And thus many though not explicity yet vertually declare a resolution notwithstanding the most visible discouragements from Heaven to proceed in their sinful courses with more greediness and from a sullen secret atheism are more strongly carried to gratifie their lusts when they are in afflictions 2. I shall proceed to consider the other extreme of fainting under God's rebukes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The original word signifies the slackening and relaxing of things that were firmly joyn'd together The strength of the body proceeds from the union of the parts when they are well compacted By their disjoynting 'tis enfeebled and rendred unfit for labour In this notion the Apostle in the 12 verse Exhorts them to lift up the hands that hang down and strengthen the feeble knees That is to encourage and strengthen their souls by a real belief of the promises made to afflicted Christians 2. It may respect the sinking and falling away of the soul like water being hopeless of overcoming troubles When water is frozen into hard ice it will bear a great burthen but when 't is dissolved and melted nothing is weaker So the Spirit of a man confirmed by religious Principles Prov. 19.14 is able to sustain all his infirmities Si fractus illabitur orbis if the weight of the heaviest afflictions fall upon him yet his mind remains erect and unbroken and bears them all with courage and constancy But if through impatience under tribulation and diffidence in the divine Promises we shrink from our duty or reject the comforts of God as if they were small and not proportionable to the evils that oppress us This is to faint when we are rebuked by him The causes of this despondency are usually 1. Either the kind of the affliction when there is a singularity in the case it increaseth the apprehension of God's displeasure because it may signifie an extraordinary guilt and singular unworthiness in the person that suffers and upon that account the sorrow swells so high as to overwhelm him 2. The number and degrees of afflictions when like those black clouds which in winter days joyn together and quite intercept the beams of the sun many troubles meet at once and deprive us of all present comfort Job lost his children by a sudden unnatural death and was tormented in all the parts of his body and reduced from his rich abundance to the dunghil and a potsherd to scrape his boils Indeed his heroical spirit was supported under those numerous and grievous troubles but such a weight were enough to sink the most 3. The continuance of afflictions when the clouds return after rain and the life is a constant scene of sorrows we are apt to be utterly dâ—jected and hopeless of good The Psalmist tells us all the day long I have been plagued and chastened every morning and from thence was strongly tempted to despair Psal 73â—â—4 4. The comparing their great sufferings with the prosperity of those who are extremely vicious inclinâ—s some to despair For not only their pâ—esent evils are heightned and more sensibly felt by the comparison but the prosperous impiety of others tempts them to think there is no just and powerful providence that distributes things below and looking no higher than to second causes that are obvious to sense they judg their state past recovery The next thing is to prove that 't is the duty and wisdom of the afflicted not to despise the chastenings of the Lord nor to faint under them 1. 'T is their duty carefully to avoid those extreams because they are very dishonourable to God 1. The contempt of chastisements is a high profanation of God's honour who is our Father and Soveraign and in that quality afflicts us 'T is our Apostle's argument Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh Heb. 12.9 which corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much more be subject to the Father of Spirits and live 'T is a principle deeply planted in the humane nature which the most barbarous Nations have kept inviolable to express humble respects to our Parents from whom we derive our life and by whose tender care we have been preserved and educated although their discipline be rigorous But it is infinitely more just and reasonable that we should reverently submit to the Father of Spirits who hath the highest right in us As much as the immortal spirit excels the infirm corruptible flesh proportionably should our reverence to God when he most sharply rebukes us exceed our respects to our earthly fathers when they correct us The manner of the Apostle's expression is very significant Shall we not much rather if there be any vital spark of conscience remaining in our breasts if reason be not wholly declined to brutishness we cannot do otherwise 2. Fainting under chastenings reflects dishonourably upon God 'T is true in some respect those who are extremely dejected are not so guilty as the despisers for usually they acknowledge the order and justice of his providence But that false conception of the Father of mercies either that he willingly afflicts the children of men or that he hates them because he afflicts them here is so contrary to his holy nature and injurious to his goodness 1 Joh 4.9 the special Character of his nature that 't is an equal provocation with the slighting his Soveraignty 'T is the best wisdom not to despise God's chastenings nor faint under them I will not insist upon the consideration that 't is the counsel of the supreme wisdom to us nor that 't is the avoiding the vicious extremes which is the chiefest point of moral prudence but it is the only way to prevent the greatest mischiefs that will otherwise befal us 'T is said He that is Wise is profitable to himself that is
conformity with the will of God which is the highest liberty where the x 2 Cor. 3.17 spirit of the Lord is there is liberty It is a poor liberty that consists in an indifferency Do not the Saints in heaven love God freely yet they cannot but love him As the only Efficient cause of our loving God is God himself so the only procuring cause of our loving God is Jesus Christ that Son of the Father's love who by his Spirit implants and actuates this grace of love which he hath merited for us Christ hath a Col. 1.20 made peace through the blood of his Cross Christ hath as well merited this grace of love for us as he hath merited the reward of glory for us Plead therefore Dear Christians the merit of Christ for the inflaming your hearts with the love of God that when I shall direct to rules and means how you may come to love God you may as well address your selves to Christ for the grace of love as for the pardon of your want of love hitherto Bespeak Christ in some such but far more pressing language Lord thou hast purchased the grace of love for those that want and crave it my love to God is chill do thou warm it my love is divided Lord do thou unite it I cannot love God as he deserves O that thou would'st help me to love him more than I can desire Lord make me sick of love and then cure me Lord make me in this as comfortable to thy self as 't is possible for an adopted Son to be like the Natural that I may be a Son of God's love both actively and passively and both as near as it is possible infinitely Let 's therefore address our selves to the use of all those means and helps whereby love to God is b Fovetur augetur excitatur exeritur nourished encreased excited and exerted I will begin with removing the impediments we must clear away the rubbish e're we can so much as lay the Foundation Impediment 1. Self-love Impediments of our love to God this the Apostle names as Captain general of the Devil's Army whereby titular Christians manage their enmity against God in the dregs of the last dayes this will make the times dangerous Men shall be lovers of their own c 2 Tim. 3.1 2. selves When men over-esteem themselves their own endowments of either body or mind when they have a secret reserve for self in all they do self-applause or self-profit this is like an errour in the first concoction get your hearts discharg'd of it or you can never be spiritually healthful the best of you are too prone to this I would therefore commend it to you to be jealous of your selves in this particular for as conjugal-jealousie is the bane of conjugal love so self-jealousie will be the bane of self-love Be suspicious of every thing that may steal away or divert your love from God Imped 2. Love of the world this is so great an obstruction that the most loving and best beloved Disciple that Christ had said (d) 1 Joh. 2.15 love not the world nor the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him and the Apostle James makes use of a Metaphor (e) Jam. 4.4 calling them Adulterers and Adulteresses that keep not their conjugal love to God tight from leaking out toward the world he chargeth them as if they knew nothing in Religion if they knew not this that the friendship with the world is enmity with God and 't is an universal truth without so much as one exception that whosoever will be a friend of the world must needs upon that very account be God's enemy the Apostle Paul adds more weight to those that are e'en press'd to Hell already (f) 1 Tim. 6.9 10 11. They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition for the love of money is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves thorow with many sorrows but thou O man of God flee these things c. when men will be some-body in the world they will have Estates and they will have honours and they will have pleasures what variety of vexatious distractions do unavoidably hinder our love to God when our hearts are hurried with hopes and fears about worldly things and the world hath not wherewithall to satisfie us how doth the heart fret under its disappointments and how can it do otherwise we would have happiness here Sirs I 'le offer you fair name me but one man that ever found a compleat happiness in the world and I dare promise you shall be the second but if you will flatter your self with dreams of impossibilities this your way will be your folly though 't is like your posterity will approve your sayings (g) Psal 49.13 and try experiments while they live as you have done but where 's your love to God all this while 't is excluded by what Law by the Law of Sin and Death by the love of the world and destruction for Christ tells us all that hate him love death (h) Prov. 8.36 Imped 3. Spiritual sloath and carelessness of Spirit when men do not trouble themselves about Religion nor any thing that is serious Love is a busie passion a busie grace love among the passions is like Fire among the Elements Love among the Graces is like the Heart among the Members now that which is most contrary to the nature of love must needs most obstruct the highest actings of it the truth is a careless frame of Spirit is fit for nothing a sluggish lazy slothful careless person never attains to any excellency in any kind what is it you would intrust a lazy person about let me say this and pray think on 't twice e're you censure it once Spiritual sloath doth Christians more mischief than scandalous relapses I grant their grosser falls may be worse as to others the grieving of the Godly and the hardning of the wicked and the Reproach to Religion must needs be so great as may make a gracious heart tremble at the thought of falling but yet as to themselves a sloathful temper is far more prejudicial e. g. those gracious persons that fall into any open sin 't is but once or seldom in their whole life and their repentance is ordinarily as notorious as their sin and they walk more humbly and more watchfully ever after whereas Spiritual sloath runs through the whole course of our life to the marring of every duty to the strengthning of every sin and to the weakning of every grace Sloath I may rather call it unspiritual sloath is a soft moth in our spiritual wardrobe a corroding rust in our spiritual Armory an enfeebling consumption in the very vitals of Religion Sloath and
carelessness without an Epithete bare sloath without any thing to aggravate it ordinarily doth the Soul more hurt than all the Devils in hell yea than all its other sins Shake off this and then you will be more than Conquerors over all other difficulties shake off this and there is but one sin that I can think of at present that you 'l be in danger of and that 's spiritual pride You 'l thrive so fast in all grace you 'l grow up into so much communion with God that unless God sometimes withdraw to keep you humble you will have a very Heaven upon Earth Imped 4. The love of any sin whatsoever the love of God and the love of any Sin can no more mix together than Iron and Clay every Sin strikes at the being of God (i) Deicidium The very best of Saints may possibly fall into the very worst of pardonable Sins but the least of Saints get above the love of the least of Sins we are ready to question Gods love unto us as Dalilah did Sampson's love to her if he do not gratifie us in all we have a mind to but how could Dalilah pretend love to Sampson while she comply'd with his mortal enemy against him how can you pretend to love God while you hide Sin his enemy in your hearts as it was with the grand-child of Athaliah (k) 2 King 11.1 2 c. stoln from among those that were slain and hidden though unable at present to disturb her e're long procures her ruine so any Sin as it were stoln from the other Sins to be preserv'd from Mortification will certainly procure the ruine of that Soul that hides it can you hide your Sin from the search of the Word and forbear your Sin while under the smart of affliction and seem to fall out with Sin when under gripes of Conscience and return to Sin as soon as the storm is over never pretend to love God God sees through your pretences and abhors your hypocrisie (l) Job 34.21 22. His eyes are upon the ways of man and he seeth all his goings there 's no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves Come Sirs let me deal plainly with you you are shameful strangers to your own heart if you do not know which is your darling Sin or Sins and you are Traytors to your own Souls if you do not endeavour a through Mortification and you are wilful Rebels against God if you do in the least indulge it never boggle at the Psalmist's counsel (m) Psal 97.10 ye that love the Lord hate evil Imped 5. Inordinate love of things lawful and in some respect here 's our greatest danger here persons have Scripture to plead for their love to several persons and things that it is a duty to bestow some love upon them and the meer stones are not so plainly set as easily to discern the utmost bounds of what is lawful and the first step into what is sinful and here having some plausible pretences for the parcelling out of their love they plead not guilty though they love not God with all their hearts souls and minds whereas they should consider that the best of the world is not for enjoyment but use not our end but means conducing to our chief end Here 's our sin and our misery our foolish transplacing of end and means Men make it their end to eat and drink and get estates and injoy their delights and what respect they have to God I know not whether to call love or Service they shew it but as means to flatter God to gratifie them in their pitiful ends Having warned you of some of the chief Impediments I shall propose some means to engage your hearts in love to God which you may confidently expect to be effectual through the operation of the Holy Ghost and you may likewise expect the operation of the Spirit in the use of such means The means are either Directing Promoting or Conserving Means to attain love to God 1. Directing and that is Spiritual Knowledge this is beyond what can be spoken in its commendation A clear and distinct knowledge of the love and loveliness of God in the amazing yet ravishing methods of its manifestations and the clear understanding of the heavenly priviledge of having our hearts inflam'd with love to God this will do I would fain perswade you to try I am not able to say how much to direct you in this case plainly get and exercise this twofold knowledge 1. The knowledge of Spiritual things did we but perfectly know the Nature of the most contemptible insect nay did we but know the Nature of Atoms this would lead us to admire and love God but then to know those things that no graceless person in the world cares for the knowledge of e. g. the inward workings of Original Sin and how to undermine it the powerful workings of the Spirit of grace and how to improve it what are the joys of the Holy Ghost and how to obtain them would not such things insinuate the love of God into you add then 2. The knowledge of ordinary things in a Spiritual manner so as to make the knowledge of Natural things serve Heavenly designs Thus Christ in all the Metaphors in all the Parables he used To value no knowledge any further than it is reducible to such an use this would lead us into the loving of God Thus I name but one directing means promoting means are various not but that Spiritual knowledge doth singularly promote the love of God but it 's proper work lyes in directing The several things I shall name for inward means your way of managing must make them so 1. Self-denyal this is so necessary that no other grace can supply the want of it It is among the graces of the Soul as among the members of the Body one member may supply the want of another the defect of the Lungs may be supplied by other parts The want of prudence may be supplied with Gospel-simplicity which looks like quite another thing but nothing can supply our want of love to God nor can any thing supply our want of Self-denyal in order to our loving of God We can never have n Fo◠fotidissimus suo 〈◊〉 horribilissimum stercus vermis nequis simus Bonavent stimul Amor. p 153. too low thoughts of ourselves provided we do not neglect our duty and let go our hold of Christ Those very things that not only we may love but we must love 't is our duty to love them and our sin not to love them yet all these must be denyed when they dare to stand in competition with our love to God o Luk. 14.26 If any man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple Christ would have us count what Religion will cost us
doth God mean to give me such a command as never to any one else in this world He consults not his Wife Oh what will Sarah say He sticks not at what might expose Religion What will the Heathen say You may well suppose great struglings between Nature and Grace but God seemed to press upon him with this Question Whether dost thou love me or thy child most Abraham doth as it were answer Nay Lord if that be the question it shall soon be decided how and where thou pleasest Another instance we have in Moses (k) Exod. 3.13 and 33.15.18 if you will compare two or three Scriptures Moses at first he enquires of God as we do of a stranger what is his Name upon Gods further discovery he begs more of his special presence and upon God's granting of that his Love grows bold and he said I beseech thee shew me thy Glory upon his finding God propitious he begs that God would remove the cloud and shew him as much of his Glory as he was possibly able to bear the sight of Take one instance more and that is of Paul who thinking God might have more glory by saving of many than by saving of him was willing to quit the happiness of salvation for not the least Grace much less grace in the height of it could possibly choose a necessity of hating and blaspheming God which is the venom of Damnation but his Love to God is greater than his love to himself and so he 'l reckon himself happy without Glory provided God may be more glorified And thus I have produced three Examples of one before the Law one under the Law and one under the Gospel How will you receive it if I shall venture to say We have in some respect more cause to love God than any than all these Persons put together What singular gleams of warm Love from God they had more than we are in some respects exceeded by the noon-day light and heat of Gospel-love that we have more than they What love-visits God was pleased to give them are excelled by Christs as to them extraordinary presence among us What was to them a Banquet is to us our daily bread God opens the windowes of heaven to us God opens his very heart to us We may read more of the Love of God to us in one day than they could in their whole Life 2. Angels that unweariedly behold the face of God (l) Mat. 18.10 they refuse nothing that may evidence their love to God 'T is ordinarily the Devils work to be the Executioners of Gods wrath it is said (m) Psal 78.49 he cast upon them the fierceness of his anger wrath and indignation and trouble by sending evil Angels among them but the good Angels will not stick at it when God requires it (n) 2 King 19.35 The Angel of the Lord went out and smote in the Camp of the Assyrians 185000. But now we have more cause to love God than the Angels God hath expressed greater Love to us in Christ than he hath to them He took no hold of Angels c. (o) Heb. 2.16 not any one of them receiv'd so much as the pardon of any one sin God would not bear with them in so much as the least tittle So soon as they ceased to love God with a perfect love God hated them with a perfect hatred And for the blessed Angels (p) Heb. 1.14 are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation but none of the Saints are to minister to the Angels in any thing How should we love such a Master but I have a Pattern to commend to you above the Angels 3. Christ and oh that the mention of Christs Love to his Father might transport us though Christ did nothing but (q) Joh. 8.29 what pleased his Father Christ suffered every thing that might please him ( ) Phil. 2.8 Christ obeyed every Command endured every Threatning that it was possible to endure and that to the intensive extent of them yet God dealt more hardly with Christ than ever he doth with any of us (s) Isa 53.10 It pleased the Father to bruise him and to put him to grief whereas the Church in the midst of her Lamentations must acknowledge (t) Lam. 3.33 he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the Children of men yet Christ pray'd (u) Joh 17.23 that the world may know that thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me Should not we then pray and strive to love God as near as it is possible as Christ loved him Christ had not one hard thought of Gods severe Justice no not when he endur'd what was equivalent to the eternal torments of the Damned and shall our love shrink at Gods fatherly Chastisements Christs love to God did not abate while God poured out his Wrath and shall ours abate under Medicinal Providences whatever our outward condition is in this World 't is better than Christ's Thus I have endeavoured to acquaint you what Abilities are requisite and how to attain them that you may love God c. How to improve and augment our love to God 4. How to improve and augment all our possible abilities to love God with all our Heart Soul Mind and Strength and for this I shall give you one general yet singular direction though I must inform direct and press several things under it and that is set your selves to love God Set upon it as you are able do for the engaging of your love to God as you would do for engaging your hearts in love to a person commended to you for marriage Here 's a person commended to you which you never saw nor before heard of All the report you can hear speaks a great suitableness in the person and consequently happiness in the match you thereupon entertain the motion and a treaty to see whether reports be true and affections feasible though at first you find no affection on either side yet if you meet with no discouragements you continue converse till by a more intimate acquaintance there ariseth a more endearedness of affection at length a non-such love becomes mutual Do something like this in spirituals I now solemnly bespeak your highest love for God Perhaps God and thy soul are yet strangers thou hast not yet met with him in his ordinances nor savingly heard of him by his spirit Don't slight the overture for from thy first entertainment of it thou wilt be infinitely happy Every thing of Religion is at first uncouth the work of mortification is harsh and the work of holâ—ness difficult but practice will facilitate them and make thee in love with them so the more thou acquaintest thy self with God the more thou canst not but love him especially considering that God is as importunate with thee for thy love as if his own happiness was concern'd whereas he is infinitely above receiving benefit
quoad modum tendâ—nd in objectam 1 Cor. 13.8 Voet. ibid. Love never faileth the same kind of love the same Numerical love that was in gracious Persons on Earth shall be continued in Heaven and receive it's perfection presently after its delivery from the Body of Death There will be a greater change in all our Graces than in our Love A great part of our Life is taken up in the Exercise of those Graces that I may in some respect say dye with us The one half of our Life is or should be spent in Mortification The whole of our time needs the exercise of our Patience Our Life at best is but a Life of Faith much of our sweet Communion with God is fetch'd in by secret Prayer But now in Heaven there shall be no sin to be mortifi'd nothing grievous to be endured Faith shall be swallow'd up in Enjoyment and your Petitions shall be all answer'd So that now Christians set your selves to love God and you shall no way lose your labour Other Graces are but as Physick to the Soul desirable for something else which when obtained they are useless but Love to God is the healthful Constitution of the Soul there 's never any thing of it in any sence useless Most of the Graces of the Spirit do by our Souls as our Friends by our Bodies who accompany them to the Grave and there leave them But now love to God is the alone Grace that is to our Souls the same that a good Conscience our best Friend in both Worlds 4. This Divine Love is so unknown to the World that when they behold the Effects and flames of it in those that love God in an extraordinary manner they are ready to explode it as meer Vanity Folly Madness Ostentation and Hypocrisie When Paul manag'd his Audience more like a Sermon than a Defence Festus cries out upon him as mad (h) Acts 26.24 Yea when Christ himself in love to God and Souls is more hungry after Converts than Food his nearest Relations think him craz'd and the multitude cometh together again Mark 3.20 21 32. so that they could not so much as eat bread and when his Friends heard of it they went out to lay hold on him for they said he is beside himself But were they any other but his carnal and graceless Relations that did this See behold thy Mother and thy Brethren without seek for thee (i) 1 John 3.13 No marvel then that Enemies reproach you Friend forsake you Relations slight you and the World hate you Christ tells us (k) Joh. 15.18 23. if the World hate you ye know that it hated me before it hated you But how can the World hate Christ who in love to it came to dye for it Christ tells his Hearers the true Reason (l) Joh. 5.40 42. I know you this is no groundless surmise nor censorious rashness but I know you that you have not the love of God in you Let what will appear at the top this lies at the bottom And therefore judge I pray you who more phanatick those that hate God when they pretend to love him or those that are counted phrantick for their serious Love to God I shall neither name more nor enlarge further on this first rank of Characters but be brief also in the second The Absolute Properties of Love to God are among many some of them such as these 1. It is the most ingenious of all Graces In poor inconsiderable Loves not worth the mentioning how do persons contrive wayes for the expressing and exciting of Love and there 's no way to prevent it Oh how much more when the Soul loves God there 's nothing meliorates the parts like Grace Divine Love makes the best improvement of Wit Parts Time when a Person loves to pray though he can scarce speak sence to men he can strenuously plead with God a person that loves to meditate though he knows not how to make his thoughts hang together in other things they multiply on his hand with a spiritual and profitable consistency In short to do any thing that may engage the Heart to God what gracious stratagems doth Love abound with That (m) Nieremberg de art Vol. p. 114. as he that beholds his Face in a Glass makes the Face which he sees his very look is the Pensil the Colour the Art so he that loves God sees such a Reflexion of God's love to him that a proud person doth not more please her self in her own fancyed beauty than this gracious Soul is graciously delighted in the mutual dartings of Divine Love Keep from Will-worship and humane Inventions in the things of God especially from imposing upon others your Prudentials of Devotion and then I will commend it to you to try all the Experiments which the Scripture will warrant to encrease the flame of your Divine love 2. Love to God is the most bold strong constant and daring Grace of all the Graces of the Spirit of God (n) Cant. 8.6 Love is strong as Death every one knows what work Death makes in the World It is not the Power of Potentates nor the Reverence of Age nor the usefulness of Grace can prevent its stroke it conquers all So doth love to God Nothing can stand before it what dare not love to God attempt It designs impossibilities viz. Perfection and is restless for the want of it I may in some sence say it would fain have contradictions true viz. to be without the Body while in it the Body's being a clog is so wearisome Love to God not only baffles Satan but through God's gracious condescension it even prevails with God himself that God will deny nothing to the Soul that loves him 3. Love to God is the onely self-emptying and satisfying Grace (o) Nieremb p. 322 c. spaâ—siâ— Love 't is self's egress 't is a kind of Pilgrimage from self he that loves is absent from himself thinks not of himself provides not for himself But oh how great is the gain of renouncing our selves and thereby receiving God and our selves we are as it were dead to our selves and live to God nay more by love we live in God (p) 1 John 4.16 God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him By Faith we live upon God by Obedience we live to God but by Love we live in God It is herein alone that we can give something like a carnal though 't is indeed an highly spiritual answer to Nicodemus his question (q) Joh. 3.4 How can a man be born when he is old can he enter the second time into his mothers Womb and be born We have our Soulâ— immediately from the Father of Spirits by Regeneration we return to God again from whom by Sin we are estranged and by love we live in him in some little resemblance to the Child's living in the Mother's womb what the mother loves the
taken upon me to speak unto the Lord which am but dust and ashes Again O let not the Lord be angry and I will speak (z) Psal 89.7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him Methinks that passage of Christ to his Disciples with the circumstance of time when he spake it just upon the most servile action of his life may for ever keep an awe upon our hearts (a) Joh. 13 12 13. Know ye what I have done unto you Ye call me Master and Lord and ye say well for so I am When God deals most familiarly with us as with friends let us carry it reverently as becomes servants 3. Obedience to the commands of God and to those commands which would never be obeyed but out of love to God (b) 1 Joh. 5.3 For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous e. g. to obey those commands that are unpleasing and troublesome Those commands that thwart our carnal reason and so part with things present for the hopes of that we never saw 1 Joh. 2.5 nor any man living that told us of them Whoso keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected hereby we know that we are in him Once more hear what Christ saith He that hath my commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self unto him Joh. 14.21 23 And again if any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him 4. Resignation of our selves to God whereby we devote our selves wholly to God to be wholly his (e) quoad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quoad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be every way disposed of as he pleaseth (f) 2 Cor. 5.14 15. The love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one dyed for all then were all dead And that he dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them c. This resignation is like that in the conjugal relation it debars so much as treating with any other it as it were proclaims an irreconcileable hatred to any that would partake of any such love God doth not deal with us as with slaves but takes us into that relation which speaks most delight and happiness and we are never more our own than when we are most absolutely his 5. Adhesion and cleaving unto God in every case and in every condition (g) Psal 63.7 8. in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoyce my soul followeth hard after thee Methinks we may say of the law concerning (h) Deut. 22.6 birds what the Apostle saith of the law concerning oxen doth God take care of birds for our sakes no doubt 't is written to instruct us against cruelty but may we not learn a further lesson the bird was safe while on her nest our onely safety is with God Now to cleave to God in all conditions not onely when we fly to him as our onely refuge in our pressures but in our highest prosperity and outward happiness when we have many things to take to whence the world expects happiness this is a fruit of great and humble love this demonstrates an undervaluing of the world and a voluntary choosing of God this is somewhat like heavenly love 6. Tears and sighes through desires and joys when the spiritual love-sick soul would in some such but an unexpressable manner breath out it's sorrows and joys into the bosom of God Lord why thus loving to me and why is my heart no more overcome with divine love those that never receiv'd so much from thee love thee more O I am weary of my want of love O I am weary of my distance from God! O I am weary of my unspiritual frame we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened not for that we would be uncloathed but cloathed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life i Here when the heart is ready to dye away through excess of love 2 Cor 5.4 't is passionately complaining of defects Dear Lord what shall I say what shall I do what shall I render O for more endearing communications of Divine love O for more answerable returns of love to God! Thus much of effects as to God The onely effect I shall name as to us is a seeking of heaven and things above with contempt of the world and all worldly excellencies One that loves God thinks he can never do enough in heavenly employments A person that abounds in love to God is too apt to neglect secondary duties which are in their places necessary they are apt to justle out one duty with another e.g. those duties wherein they have most sensible communion with God bear down lesser duties before them whereas could we keep within Scripture-bounds and mind every duty according to it's moment then this is an excellent effect of divine love e. g. to be afraid of worldly enjoyments lest they should steal the heart from God yet at the same time not to dare to omit any worldly duty lest I should prove partial in the work of Christianity To make conscience of the least duties because no sin is little but to be proportionably careful of the greatest duties lest I should prove an hypocrite such a carriage is an excellent effect of divine love this is fruit that none who are not planted near the tree of life can bear Mutual effects are these and such like as these 1. Vnion with God Union is the foundation of communion and communion is the exercise of union The Spirit of God is the immediate efficient cause of this union and faith is the internal instrument on our part but love is the internal instrument both on God's part and ours (k) Eph. 3.17 Christ dwells in our hearts by faith we being rooted and grounded in love This union is most immediately with Christ and through him with the Father and Holy Ghost It is an amazing and comfortable truth that our union with Christ does much resemble the personal union of the two natures in Christ I grant 't is unlike it in more considerations because of the transcendency of the mystery but yet there 's some resemblance e. g. the Humane Nature in Christ is destitute of it's subsistence and personality by it's union with and it's assumption to the divine so the gracious soul hath no kind of denomination but what it hath from its union with Christ It 's gracious being is bound up in its union with Christ Other men can live without Christ but so cannot the gracious soul Again in Christ there 's a communication of properties that is thâ—t which
is so far from forsaking God that he will forsake all things for God yet he may till he recollect himself be more moved with some petty loss In short he may have some violent Gust of Affection after other things but the constant breathings of his Soul is after God 2. We must distinguish between the solidity of our Love and the flashiness of it between a superficial and a lasting Joy e. g. A Covetous man may laugh more when he is tickled than when you give him a thousand pound but he is a thousand times more joyful of his thousand pound than of his being tickled The Souls love to God is Well rooted (b) Eph. 3.18 As a sick man is pleased with one that will sit with him and alleviate his pains by diversion but he is more pleased with that man that shall cure him While our Souls are in a sickly frame we are pleased a little with variety of Diversions but we soon see their emptiness and charge our Souls to return unto God for a perfect cure 3. We must distinguish between our spiritual love and our sensible love while we live in this world such is our weakness through the remainders of Sin and imperfection of Grace that our Animal and Vital spirits are more affected with sensible things than with spiritual The things of the World are neer to us and we cannot live without them but yet he that loves God never sayes upon the Enjoyment of them (c) Luk. 12 i9 Soul take thine ease Oh no he is angry and grieved that he is at all pleased about such things 2. Complaint I hope I am not wholly destitute of this excellent Grace yet I am afraid to own that I have it Is it impossible to get my Heart above this uncomfortable uncertainty O that my heart were more raised and fixed above this anxious temper I 'le close all with an Essay to answer this Complaint onely premise Let not any thing that shall or can be spoken be wrested to give the least encouragement imaginable to any thing of Sin take heed you do not upon any account gratifie your sloth or indifferency of spirit or any sins of Omission keep off this Rock and then thy solicitude about thy fickleness gives thee grounds of hope to get above it Take therefore these short Directions how to get and keep the most certain constant comfortable spiritual frame of Divine love that is to be had upon Earth 1. Keep a severe Watch against all sins yet give not way to drooping Fears because of unavoidable infirmities (d) Psal 130 3 4. If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquities O Lord who shall stand But there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared 2. Observe your own temper what it is that most draws out your love to any person or thing in this world and improve that very inducement to love God (e) Cant. 5.16 He is altogether lovely that is Imagine or name any thing that is most desirable most worthy to be loved and admired and that 's he 3. Endeavour to love God out of Duty when to your own apprehension you cannot love him out of Grace I would commend this to you for all your gracious carriage towards God and for all the kindness you would receive from God e. g. Repent as 't is a duty even while you fear you want the Grace of Repentance Believe as 't is a duty while you think you cannot act Faith as a Grace So justifie God i. e. acknowledge God to be Righteous though he condemn you when you fear God will not justifie you Sanctifie God i. e. celebrate God's Holiness when you fear he 'l not sanctifie you i. e. not make you holy So set your selves to love God i. e. take heed you do not offend him do all you can to please him take up with nothing on this side himself In short Let God find you in a way of Duty and you 'l find God in a way of Grace 4. Study Christ What Divine love we either receive or return 't is through Christ You may look for encouragement from Christ for every thing but Sin In every thing have recourse to Christ (f) Col. 2.10 for the performance of every Duty for the attaining of every Grace when you fear Grace is withering Christ will revive it (g) Cant. 3.10 In a word pray and strive that you may feel what it is for Christ to be all in all Christians practically mind these four Directions and they will be as the Wheels of Christ's Chariot that 's pav'd with Love to bring his Beloved to Glory How ought we to love our Neighbours as our selves Serm. II. Math. 22.39 Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self THE Apostle bids us consider Christ Heb. 12 3. who indured (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Emphati 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 posuit declarans magnitudinem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aretius such that is so great contradiction of sinners against himself It was from a great spirit of this kind that his adversaries used to propose so many captious questions to him We find him no less than three times opposed in this one chapter First by the disciples of the Pharisees and the (b) Forsitan in populo tunc qui dicebant oportere dare tributum Caesari vocabantur Herodiani ab his qui hoc facere recusabant Vide Drus com ad voces N. T. L. De Dieu Herodians about the lawfulness of giving tribute unto Caesar again the same day by the Sadduces with a question about the resurrection which they denied When he had so well acquitted himself of both these that the first marvelled and left him and the last were put to silence behold he is again set upon by the Pharisees who seem to have chosen out one of their number to oppose him with a question Then one of them which was a Lawyer asked him a question tempting him ver 35. The same person is by another Evangelist called a Scribe Mark 12.28 One of the Scribes came c. There were two sorts of Scribes among the Jews viz. Scribes of the People who were Actuaries in and about matters of publick concernment and Scribes of the Law whose business was to read and interpret the Law of God unto them such a one was Ezra who is said to be a ready Scribe in the Law of Moses Ezra 7.6 and upon this account they are said to sit in Moses's seat of this last sort was the person in the Text Math. 23.2 as plainly appears by joyning both Evangelists together Mark says he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one of the Scribes Matthew says he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Lawyer if we put them both together they say he was a Scribe of the Law And the question that he tempted Christ with is concerning the Law Master Luke 2.46.47 which is the great Commandment in the Law v. 36. He who was able at
Obedience he requires of them by the work of the Spirit upon their hearts changing them regenerating them and causing old things to pass away and all things in them to become new 2 Cor. 5.17 and further to increase that fitness for and readiness to Spiritual things by his guiding assisting and quickning them in those holy wayes into which he hath brought them and by those ordinary means the Word and Ordinances which he hath appointed for the working and improving of their Graces 9. With the reward God promiseth to their Faith and Obedience in the blessedness of their Souls at the end of this life and of their whole man after the Resurrection in their being for ever with the Lord 1 Thes 4.17 when the unbelief and disobedience of others will be punished with everlasting torments inflicted by him In a word whoever comes to God Heb. 11.6 must believe not only that he is but that he is the rewarder of those that diligently seek him Men ought in the beginning of Religion to look to the end of it have some sight of the goal when they enter upon their race know their wages when they set about their work The Doctrine of rewards furnisheth men with the greatest incentives to holiness ignorance or unbelief of future recompence must needs make men negligent of present service take away the knowledge of Heaven and Hell and ye take away all â—are and thoughts of Religion These things I lay not down as an enumeration oâ— Fundamentals or compleat scheme of Religion it is sufficient for 〈…〉 that they are some of the most necessary and substantial truths wherein the generality of Christians are concerned which they are therefore especially and in the first place to acquaint themselves with and before those things which are less necessary to Salvation as being further from the Foundation And indeed this is the very method of Nature Men usually seek those things first which are most necessary and other things afterward they first lay their Foundation and then set up their Superstructures Principles must be known before Conclusions can be drawn from them Those Doctrines of Religion must be first known from whence others are to be deduced and without the knowledge of which others can be but confusedly and darkly known This seems to have been the Apostle's Method Heb. 6.1 where he speaks of some Truths which they are in paticular I stand not to dispute which were Principles and first learned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost others as conducing to the perfection of the Saints unto the knowledge of which he would therefore have them go on He that knows not those things which must be known knows nothing yet to any purpose Prop. 3. Men should Labour after such a knowledge of the Truth as that they may be able to give a Reason of the hope that is in them 1 Pet. 3.15 To shew on what Ground they stand what is the Foundation of their Faith and Hope that the Religion they profess is indeed the true Religion and that the Doctrines they own are really Founded upon the Scripture of Truth Dan. 16.2 and in a word they should be able to give a Reason why they believe rather thus than otherwise and hold such Doctrines rather than the contrary They should Labour after such a Grounded knowledge of the Truths of the Gospel as that they may be able to say of them as well as of the Duties of it that they are fully perswaded in their own Minds and do not take up things upon trust Rom. 14.15 or believe the Truth upon the Credit of others It is a shame for Professors to be merely Believers upon Tradition to see with other Mens Eyes or be like the Heathen Idols that have Eyes and see not They are Men and have reasonable Powers and ought to make use of them even in the things of God so far as they are Revealed and Subjected to their Judgment The Spiritual Man Judgeth all things even the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2.10.15 Though they are to submit their understandings to God yet they are not to resign them to Men. They that will judge for themselves in the things of this life should no less do in the things of the other That Man that will not trust another with his Estate or Purse should much less do it with his Conscience and Salvation Prop. 4. Men should especially give themselves to the study and labour after the knowledge of the present truths 2 Pet. 1.12 I mean those truths which are the special truths of the Times and Ages and Places in which Men live We shall find if we observe it that God who delivers hls Mind and Will to Men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by several parts and degrees doth in some Ages make more clear discoveries of some truths in others of other truths and though the whole will of God and all those truths which we are any way concerned to know in order to our Salvation be sufficiently laid down in the Scripture yet there is sometimes more knowledge of one truth stirring in the World sometimes of some other Sometimes God calls his Servants more especially to Preach up and bear Witness to such or such a particular Truth which either was less known and understood before or is more opposed at present Immediately after Christ's resurrection the great truth of that time the then present truth was that Jesus was the Christ that very Messiah whom God had promised to the Fathers and the Jews themselves did expect This the Apostles did first of all Preach confirming it especially by his Resurrection from the dead Thus Act. 2.36 God hath made the same Jesus both Lord and Christ Act. 5.31 Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour So Philip to the Eunuch Act. 8.35 And Paul so soon as he was converted and sent to Preach presently declares that Jesus was the Christ Acts 9.22 And Peter to Cornelius Acts 10.42.43 And Apollos in Achaia ch 18.28 And afterwards we find that the Jews and Judaizing Christians pertinaciously adhering to the Law of Moses gave occasion to the more full Preaching of the Doctrine of free Grace and Justification by Christ alone and the abolishing of the legal Ceremonies as we may see in the Epistle to the Romans Galatians Colossians and Hebrews And after towards the end of the Apostles times the Heresie of Cerinthus gave occasion to the more full vindicating the Doctrines of Christ's Godhead Hieronym in Catal. Script Ecclesiast as we see in the Gospel of John And some hundreds of years after that the Pelagian Heresie gave occasion for the renewed publication of the Doctrine of free Grace by Austin Prosper and others And in the beginning of the reformation of Religion in the last age the first truths God called those Worthies that then lived to the Preaching of were those especially which concern the Lord Jesus Christ in his Prophetical and Priestly offices
Families Husbands towards their Wives Wives toward their Husbands both toward their Children and they again toward their Parents In a word Men are to study those things which are most profitable such as will better their condition and not only improve their understanding You know a sick Man had rather have a good Medicine than fine Clothes he minds more the easing of his Pain than the dressing up of his Body That which will make you spruce will not always make you well Fine trappings will not Cure a lame Horse nor the Painting of the Face heal the Diseases of the Spleen or Liver That knowledge which adorns your Mind yet may not always mend your Heart To conclude this Men must labour to know the truth as it is in Jesus Eph. 4.21 So to know it as to feel it and be under the influence of it or to know the truth to that end for which Christ teacheth it that is that Men may be better as well as wiser more ready to do their Master's will as well as know it Men know the truth as they should and as Christ would have them when their knowledge puts them upon the great duties of Mortification and Sanctification v. 22. That ye put off as to your former Conversation the Old man and v. 23 24. Be renewed in the Spirit of your Mind and put on the New man Prop. 7. Every Man should labour to get as much Spiritual knowledge as he can by the means of the knowledge he hath and as he can get without the neglect of other necessary duties It is not for nothing that the Apostle prays for the Collossians Ch. 1.9 that they might be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all Wisdom and Spiritual understanding and exhorts the Corinthians Epist 1.14.20 though in Malice they were Children yet in understanding to be Men. If Christians ought to grow in every Grace why not in knowledge which is it self a Grace and helpful to all other Graces We are to be accomptable for the means we have of getting our knowledge increased and therefore sure are to labour that we may get it encreased And though a less measure of knowledge might serve turn to bring a Man to Heaven yet 1. It is contrary to that Spirit of Ingenuity that largeness of Heart towards the things of God which is supposed to be in Believers to stint themselves in the knowledge of the truth and to be content to know only just so much as may carry them to Heaven That were to study Spiritual truths not so much because they love them as because they cannot want them and so not of choice but necessity 2. Even where a less measure of knowledge might save a Man yet a greater should be endeavoured after because it might be otherwise so useful For 1. It might make his work more easie Clearness of knowledge takes off much from the Difficulty of Duty The better a Man sees his work the more easily he may do it The most skilful Artist may sumble when he works by a dim light That Man is like to go on most readily in his way who not only knows the right one but the wrong ones too those turnings and by-paths which might mislead him and seeing the Monuments of others mistakes may be warned by their wandrings 2. More knowledge might make his way more pleasant The more delectable Objects a Man hath to entertain his Eyes the more delight he may take in Travelling When Night-journeys as they have more of Danger so have less of Pleasure A clear sight of Spiritual things may help a Christian in his way not only as a Direction but as a Delight 3 It might make himself more useful more helpful to others Nec in hoc tantùm te accerso ut proficias sed ut prosis Sen. Epist Though less knowledge might suffice us for our selves as to our general Duties yet more will make us helpful to others and enable us better for the performance of relative Duties The more knowledge we have the more we may communicate Those that understand most themselves may best instruct and direct others They that are well skilled in their own duties are most sit to teach others theirs Rom. 15.14 Filled with knowledge able also to admonish one another And thus we see in these propositions what knowledge we are to labour after in order to Salvation Only I add two Cautions against two ordinary vices which Men are very liable to in their enquiring after knowledge Nihil igitur certius est quà m alterū Angelicae cognitionis genus quo post Deum quae in Deo sunt reliqua intelligunt non ita perfectum esse quin in hoc cognitionis genere quotidie proficere possint novi Semper aliquid discendo ac novo modo cognoscendo Zanch. de dei ope ib. Caut. 1. Take heed of curiosity which is the itch of the mind It is not a kindly appetite but a fond longing or an ambitious vain affectation of knowing those things which we are least concerned or not at all concerned to know and which if known would do us little good It is a lust and therefore not to be indulged in our selves but mortified It appears 1. In making inquiries into these things which God hath not revealed Deut. 29.29 Secret things belong to the Lord our God but things that are revealed unto us and to our Children c. This curiosity our Saviour checks in his Disciples Act. 1.6 Wilt thou say they at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel Our Saviour replies It is not for you to know the times and the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power God hath revealed enough to us in his Word for our use and furtherance in Faith and Holiness and to desire to know more is to desire to be wiser than God would have us We must not pry into those things which it is only God's Prerogative to know The Angels themselves know not some things and we should be content as well as they not to be omniscient It is dangerous peeping into God's Ark you know who smarted for it 1 Sam. 6.19 If knowing what God hath revealed do not save us I am sure searching into what he hath not revealed will not God hath told us so much of his mind in the word as may take up our whole Man in the study of it and we cannot busie our selves in inquiring into his secrets without neglecting the study of those things which are revealed and are most useful for us 2. Curiosity appears in enquiring into the reason of God's will If Rulers in the World will not have their Laws disputed If volumus jubemus be their stile and though they do not give the reason of their Commands yet they count their Commands reason enough for their Subjects obedience Sure we should allow God as much as we do his Creatures We should reckon God's will is never unreasonable His
God 3. Odes or spiritual Songs may belong to natural things what we ought to debate discuss viz. The Race Order Harmony and Continuance of the World and God's infinite Wisdom manifested in it 2. Some distinguish these according to the Authors of them 1. Psalms they are the Composures of holy David 2. Hymns they are the Songs of some other excellent men recorded in Scripture as Moses Heman Asaph c. 3. Spiritual Songs they are Odes of some other holy and good men not mentioned in Scripture as the Song of Ambrose Nepos and others 3. Some aver that these several speeches mentioned in the Text answer the Hebrew distinction of Psalms Among them there were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mizmorim which treated of various and different Subjects 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which only mentioned the Praises of the most High 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which were Songs more artificially and musically composed and some Divines observe were sung with the help of a musical Instrument But I may add Are not all these several species mentioned to prefigure the Plenty and the Joy which is reserved for the Saints within the Vail when they shall join in consort with the glorious Angels in singing their perpetual Hallelujahs to their glorious Creator 3 The manner of Singing Our Text saith with Melody with inward joy and tripudlation of Soul If the Tongue make the Pause the Heart must make the Elevation The Apostle saith to the Colossians Colos 3.16 We must sing with grace which is as some expound it 1. Cum gratiarum actione with giving of thanks And indeed thankfulness is the very Selah of this duty that which puts an accent upon the Musick and sweetness of the Voice and then we sing melodiously when we warble out the Praises of the Lord. 2. With gracefulness with a becoming and graceful dexterity And this brings both profit and pleasure to the Hearers as Davenant observes Psalms are not the Comedies of Venus or the jocular Celebrations of a wanton Adonis but they are the Spiritual ebullitions of a composed Soul to the incomprehensible Jehovah with real grace God's Spirit must breathe in this service Et prodessâ— veliat dâ—lectâ—re Dav. Cantemus cum gratia à Spiriâ—u Sâ—ncto donata Chrysost Hoc quod praecinitur sine gratià Dâ—i impleri non potest Oecâ—m Sine corde nulla est modalatio Bod. here we must act our joy our confidence our delight Singing is the triumph of a gracious Soul the Child joying in the praises of his Father In singing of Psalms the gracious heart takes wings and mounts up to God to joyn with the Celestial Quire It is grace which sits the heart for and sweetens the heart in this duty And where this qualification is wanting this service is rather an hurry than a duty it is rather a disturbance than any obedience 4. The Master of the Chore the Preceptor that is the Heart We must look to the Heart in singing that it be purged by the Spirit and that it be replete with spiritual Affection He plays the Hypocrite who brings not the heart to this Duty One observes There is no Tune without the Heart Singing takes its proper rise from the Heart the Voice is only the further progress And indeed God is the Creator of the whole man and therefore he will be praised not only with our Tongues but with our Hearts The Apostle tells us He will sing with the spirit 1 Cor. 14.15 And David informs us his heart was ready to sing and give praise Nâ—n vox sed votum non musica cerdula sed cor Aug. De modo benè vivendi Bern. Psal 57.7 8. 108.1 Augustine admonisheth us It is not a Musical-string but a Working-heart is harmonious The Virgin Mary sings her Magnificat with her heart Luke 14.47 And Bernard tells us in a Tract of his That when we sing Psalms let us take heed that we have the same thing in our Mind that we warble forth in our Tongue and that our Song and our Heart do not run several ways If we in singing only offer the Calves of our Lips it will too much resemble a Carnal and a Jewish service 5. The End of the Duty To the Lord. So saith the Text viz. To Jesus Christ who is here principally meant Our singing must not serve our Gain or our Luxury or our Fancy but our Christ our Lord and dear Redeemer In this Duty it is his Praises we must mainly and chiefly celebrate And most deservedly we magnifie the true God by Psalms and Singing when the Heathens celebrate their false and dung-hill-Gods Jupiter Neptune and Apollo with Songs and Hymns One well observes Singing of Psalms is part of Divine Worship Deus est canendi Vnicus Scopus Bod. and of our Homage and Service due to the great Jehovah Bodius takes notice that God is the true and only scope of all our singing And truly if the Spirit of God be in us he will be steddily aimed at by us Thus Deborah and Barak sang their Triumphal Song to the Lord Judges 5.3 The several parts of the Text being thus opened they may be set together again in this Divine and Excellent Truth Doct. Non franges vocem sed frange voluntatem non serves tantùm Consonantiam Vocum sed concordium Mo um Bern. Aug. In the Ordinance of Singing we must not make Noise but Musick and the Heart must make Melody to the Lord. So the Text. Augustine complained of some in his time That they minded more the Tune than the Truth more the Manner than the Matter more the Governing of the Voice than the Raisedness of the Mind And this was a great offence to him Singing of Psalms must only be the joyous breathing of a raised Soul and here the cleanness of the Heart is more considerable than the clearness of the Voice In this Service we must study more to act the Christian than the Musitian Many in singing of Psalms are like the Organs whose Pipes are filled only with Wind. The Apostle Col. 3.16 tells us we must sing with our Heart We must sing David's Psalms with David's Spirit One tells us God is a Spirit and he will be worshipped in Spirit even in this duty Now to traverse the Truth 1. We will shew the Divine Authority of this Ordinance 2. We will shew the Sweetness of it 3. The Universal Practice of it 4. We shall shew the Honours God hath put upon this Ordinance 5. And then come to the main Case 6. And make Application For the first We shall shew the Divine Authority of this Ordinance 1. By Scripture-Command 2. By Scripture-Argument 3. By Scripture-Pattern 4. By Scripture-Prophesie 1. From Scripture-Precept And here we have divers commands laid upon us both in the Old and New Testament David who among his honourable Titles obtains this to be called the Sweet Singer of Israel 2 Sam. 23.1 he frequently calls upon himself Psal 7.17 I
Praise the Lord for his mercy endureth for ever And when they began to sing and to praise the Lord set ambushments against the Children of Ammon Moab and Mount Seir which came against Israel and they were smitten Israel's success follows Israel's singing If the people of Israel will look to their Duty God will look to their Enemy and lay that Ambush which shall ensnare and overthrow their power 3. With Evident Miracles This we find upon Record Acts 16.25 26. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God and the prisoners heard them and suddenly there was a great Earth-quake so that the Foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately the doors were opened and every ones hands were loosed Behold here an eminent Miracle Prisons saluting the Prisoner's Liberty Paul and Silas singing set God on working and if their Tongues were loosed in Duty their hands shall be loosed for Liberty Singing like praying can work wonders Lorinus observes Angelicà peculiari â—peâ—d Sâ—lâ—tio Vinculorum accidit Lorin Case that the prisoners Chains were taken off and their bands loosed by the peculiar power and work of Angels And now I come to the main Case How we may make melody in our hearts to God in Singing of Psalms Answ 1. We must sing with understanding We must not be guided by the Tune but the Words of the Psalm we must mind the Matter more than the Musick and consider what we sing as well as how we sing The Tune may affect the fancy but it is the Matter affects the heart and that God principally eyes The Psalmist adviseth us in this particular Psalm 47.7 and so doth the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.15 Otherwise this sweet Duty would be more the work of a Chorister than of a Christian and we should be more delighted in an Anthem of the Musician's making then in a Psalm of the Spirit 's making A Lapide observes that in the Text 1 Cor. 14.15 the word understanding is Maschil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 profound judgment We must sing wisely if we will sing gratefully we must relish what we sing In a word we must sing as we must pray now the most rude Petitioner will understand what he prays 1 Cor. 14.15 If we do not understand what we sing it argues carelesness of Spirit or hardness of Heart and this makes the Service impertinent Upon this the worthy Davenant cries out Facessunt Boatus Papistarum qui Psalmos in Templis reboant sed linguà non intellectu Dav. Non clamans sed amans cantat in aure Dei Aug. Adieu to the bellowing of the Papists who sing in an unknown Tongue God will not understand us in this Service which we understand not our selves One of the first Pieces of the Creation was Light and this must break out in every Duty 2. We must sing with affection Love is the fulfilling of this Law It is a notable saying of Augustine It is not Crying but Loving sounds in the Ears of God In Isa 5.1 It is said I will sing to my Beloved The pretty Child sings a mean Song but it delights the Mother because there is love on both sides It is love not skill makes the Musick and the Service most pleasing When we go about this Work we must lay our Book before us a heart full of love The Primitive Christians sang Hymns to Christ whom they entirely loved Love indeed is that ingredient which sweetens and indulcorates every Service 3. We must sing with real Grace This the Apostle admonishes us Col. 3.16 It is Grace not Nature sweetens the Voice to sing We must draw out our Spices our Graces in this Duty The Hundred forty four thousand which were Elected and Glorified Saints sang the New song Rev. 14.3 Singing is the tripudiating of a gracious Soul Gratia est devotionis radix Gorran Gorran well notes That Grace is the Root of true Devotion Wicked men only make a noise they do not sing they are like crackt Strings of a Lute or a Viol they spoil they do not make Musick The Righteous rejoice in the Lord Psal 33.1 The Raven croaks the Nightingale sings the Tune As God will not hear Sinners when they pray so neither when they sing the singing of Wicked men is disturbance not obedience Indeed the Saints singing is a more solemn Ovation Praising Him who causeth them to triumph in Christ 2 Cor. 2.14 The Saints above sing their Hallelujahs in Glory and the Saints below must sing their Psalms with Grace Fashion Puppets as you please they cannot sing it is the alive Bird can chirrup that pleasing noise 4. We must sing with excited Grace Not only with Grace habitual but with excited and actual the Musical Instrument delights not but when it is plaid upon In this Duty we must follow Paul's advice to Timothy 1 Tim. 4.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stir up the Grace that is in us and cry out as David Psalm 57.8 Awake Love awake Delight The Clock must be pluckt up before it can guide our Time the Bird pleaseth not in her Nest but in her Notes the Chimes only make Musick while they are going Let us therefore beg the Spirit to blow upon our Garden that the Spices thereof may flow out when we set upon this Joyous Service Cant. 5.16 God loves active Grace in Duty that the Soul should be ready trim'd when it presents it self to Christ in any Worship 5. We must sing with spiritual joy Indeed singing only makes joy articulate it is only the turning of Bullion into Coyn as the Prophet speaks to this purpose Isa 65.14 Isa 65 14. Singing is only the triumphant gladness of a gracious heart a softer Rapture We must sing as David danced before the Ark 2 Sam. 6.15 with shouting and rejoycing in God We sing to Christ And Dr. Bound observes There is no joy comparable to that we have in him this is joy unspeakable and full of glory Joy must be the Selah of this Duty 6. We must sing with Faith This grace only puts a pleasingness upon every service if we hear the Word must be mixt with Faith Heb. 4.2 if we pray it must be the prayer of Faith Jam. 5.15 We must bring Faith to Christ's Table or else as Austin saith Dormit Christus si dormit Fides Dormit Christus si dormit Fides Aug. if Faith sleeps Christ is likewise asleep and so Faith must carry on this Ordinance of Singing especially there must be a credence in the Hallelujahs above we must believe that the Saints here are only tuning their Instruments and the louder Musick will be above that in glory there will be such pleasing sounds which the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 2.9 No Ear ever heard 7. We must sing in the Spirit As we must pray in the Spirit Jude v. 20. so we must sing in the Spirit the Spirit must breathe as well as Grace act or the Voice sound in this Duty
acceptance with God or in a condition of spiritual life that is the forerunner and earnest of a life of glory 2. But again if you consider the nature of the drink which he hath appointed it is wine and not water By it may be signified thus much that as there is no sort of drink so grateful to the palate so reviving and strengthning to the spirits so that spiritual life that the Soul is raised to by the Death of Christ is a life of the greatest pleasure and joy that is conceivable for as no liquor like Wine doth chear a sad drooping spirit so nothing doth so glad and chear the Soul as Faith in a Crucified Christ according to that of the Apostle Peter in whom though we have not seen 1 Pet. 1.8 yet believing we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory Thus much for the Duty this do 2. The end of the Duty and that is in remembrance of me Here are two things to be inquired into I. What reason was there for the instituting an Ordinance for his remembrance II. Why of all the acts and expressions of his love to sinners above all he would be remembred in his sufferings for us which is the special signification of this Supper 1 To the first I say you must call to mind that the time of instituting this supper was the night before that day he died Now the consequent of his Death was to be this that he should be taken from Earth to Heaven there to be personally present till the day of judgment Now that his Church on Earth might not forget him in this long absence he therefore appointed this supper for a frequent quickning them to the remembrance of him till he came again 2 To the other Question I Answer That the reasons why Jesus would have this act of his love to be especially remembred above all other may be these 1. Because his dying for his Church was the greatest act of love he ever shewed his Church Greater love saith Christ hath no man than this John 15.13 1 John 3.16 that a man lay down his life for his friends Again saith the Apostle Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us If a man should part with his liberty and suffer bonds or lay down his estate and become poor or leave his Country and become an exile for his friend these were all expressions of great love but none of them are comparable to laying down life and shedding ones blood for a friend This last is that wherein Christ hath eminently demonstrated his love to his Church this he glorieth in and this is that which he would never have his Church forget but frequently remember in this supper 2. Because that though he gave and still doth give very great testimonies of his love to us as in his Resurrection Ascension Intercession preparing Glory and lastly in his coming again to raise us justifie us and to take us to himself to behold and enjoy that Glory that he had with the Father before the World was yet this Ordinance is rather for the remembrance of his bloody Death for us than for the remembrance of any of the other blessings and why Because that all these other depend on this Christ could never have risen to our justification had he not died for the satisfaction of the Law and his Fathers Justice Nor would he have been admitted as an Intercessor nor have been allowed one mansion in Glory for any of us nor would his Father have suffered him to have returned again to take any one of us to himself if he had not by his death made our peace opened the new way into the Holy of Holies and purchased a glorious Resurrection and an Ascension to the Heavenly and eternal glory for us So that since all his other acts of love to his Church depend on this of his dying no wonder if he appointed this Supper for the remembrance of his death rather than any thing else he either did or promised to do for us The Conclusion is that since that the end of this Ordinance is so glorious and that is the remembrance of the greatest love that ever God the Father or Son shewed to us it cannot but cast a Lustre and Glory upon the duty of coming to this Supper and engage us to a chearful participation thereof 3. The Obligation to this duty and that is Christ's Command this is implied in the Text but exprest in the foregoing verse what saith the Apostle Paul I have received of the Lord that which also I declare unto you The Apostle doth but declare the Command is Christ's he is the Author of it It is Christ not Paul that said This do in remembrance of me Christ's Commands are the bonds by which we are tied up to Obedience if we break his bonds we are transgressors Remember who they were that conspired together saying Let us break his bonds asunder and cast away his cords from us they were such that the Lord hath in derision to whom he will one day speak in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure The commands of superiors set out all duty to inferiors and punish for neglect and the higher or greater the superior is the more authority hath the command and the greater punishment will be inflicted on the disobedient If disobedience to the word spoken by Angels received a just recompence of reward of how much sorer punishment shall they be thought worthy that disobey the command of Jesus Christ If a Child's disobedience deserves the rod or a Servants the cudgel or a Subjects the axe or halter what doth disobedience to the Lord Jesus deserve that is greater than Father or Master or any earthly Soveraign whatever Take heed then my brethren of being found guilty of neglect of this duty that is bound upon you by the command of so great an authority as this of the Lord Jesus that hath said This do in remembrance of me 4. In the next place is to be considered the persons obliged and those are the Church of Christ so far as by Scriptural Qualifications they are capacitated to a participation thereof who are 1. Those that can discern the Lord's body in this supper the want of this the Apostle gives as the reason of unworthy receiving it 1 Cor. 10.29 and tells us they eat damnation to themselves Now there are two ways wherein the Lord's body may be said to be discerned in this supper 1. When the Understanding is spiritually enlightned to perceive the true nature and ends of this supper and thereby is enabled to see a greater difference between this and our ordinary meals for he that shall for want of knowledg therein come to this Table with no better preparations or to no other intents than when he goes to his own Table he doth certainly pervert the ends of the institution and prophanes the Ordinance and therefore cannot chuse
may require frequent accesses to the throne of grace in a day But I humbly think at the least once a day which seems to be imported by that passage in our Lord's prayer give us this day our daily bread Since after our Lord's appointment of secret prayer in the text he gives us this prayer as a pattern to his Disciples Qu. 3. When persons are under temptations or disturbance by passions is it expedient then to pray 1 Tim. 2.8 Ans Since we are enjoin'd to lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting I judg it not so proper to run immediately to prayer but with some foregoing ejaculations for pardon and strength against such exorbitances and when in some measure cooled and composed then speed to prayer and take heed that the Sun go not down upon your wrath without holy purgation by prayer Eph 4.26 though I must confess a Christian should always endeavour to keep his course and heart in such a frame as not to be unfit for prayer upon small warnings The very consideration of our frequent communion with God should be a great bar to immoderate and exuberant passions Qu. 4. Whether may we pray in secret when others must needs take notice of our retirement Ans I must confess in a strait house and when a person can many times find no seasons but such as will fall under observation I think he ought not to neglect secret duty if his heart be right before God for fear of others notice we must prevent it as much as may be and especially watch our hearts against spiritual pride and God may graciously turn it to a testimony and for example to others Qu. 5. Whether we may be vocal in secret prayer if we can't so well raise or keep up affection or preserve the heart from wandering without it Ans No doubt but yet there must be used a great deal of wise caution about extending the voice De Orat. That of Tertullian counselling persons at prayer ne ipsis quidem manibus sublimius elatis c. Ne vultu quidem in audaciam erecto Sonos etiam vocis subjecios esse oportet aut quantis arteriis opus est si pro sono audiamur c. qui clarius adorant proximis obstrepunt imò prodendo orationes suas quid minùs faciunt quam si in publico orent Advises that both hands and countenance and voice should be ordered with great reverence and humility What arteries need we if we think to be heard for noise and what else do we by discovering our prayers than if we pray'd in publick yet surely if we can obtain some very private place or when others are from home and the extension of the voice be found to some persons by long experience to be of use such may lawfully improve it to their private benefit Q. 6. How to keep the heart from wandring thoughts in prayer Ans Although it be exceeding difficult to attain so excellent a frame yet by frequent reflecting upon and remembring the eye of God in secret by endeavouring to fix the heart with all possible watchfulness upon the main scope of prayer in hand by being very sensible of our wants and indigencies by not studying of impertinent length but rather being more frequent and short considering God is in heaven and we upon earth and by exercise of holy communion as we may through the implored assistance of the spirit attain some sweetness and freedom Eccl. 5.22 so likewise some more fixedness of spirit in our addresses before the Lord. Qu. 7. What if present answers seem not to correspond to our Petitions Ans We must not conclude it by and by to be a token of displeasure and say with Job Job 10.2 shew me wherefore thou contendest with me but acknowledg the soveraignty of divine wisdom and love in things that seem contrary to us in petitions for temporal mercies and submit to the counsel of Elihu 33.13 since he giveth no account of any of his matters neither can we find out the unsearchable methods of his holy ways to any perfection 11.7 There be other cases and scruples that might be treated of as about prescript words in secret prayers to which I need say but little since such as are truly converted (d) Gal. 4 6. Rom. 8.26 Zech. 1◠10 Acts 9.11 have the promise of the spirit of God to assist and enable them and they need not drink of another's bucket that have the fountain nor use stilts and crutches that have spiritual strength neither are words and phrases but faith and holy groans the nerves of prayer Yet for some help to young beginners doubtless it 's of use to observe the style of the spirit as well as the heavenly matter of several prayers in the holy Scriptures Psal 23.6 139.17.18 Neither need I to press frequency to a holy heart that is saln in love with spiritual communion for he delights to be continually with him the thoughts of God are so precious to him his soul is even sick of affection and prayes to be stayed with more of the flagous and comforted with the apples in greater abundance Cant. 2.5 To some though I fear how few how far it is lawful and expedient to withdraw for the necessity of the frail body in this vale of tears It may be replyed (g) Jam. 5.11 Hos 6.6 that the Lord is very pitiful and gracious to our frailties that he had rather have mercy than sacrifice in some cases Though I doubt these Phaenixes are but rare that are in danger of expiring in prayer as martyrs of divine love as Gerson expresses Gers T. 2. kk 5. Having now finisht with what brevity I could the foregoing queries I should treat about short sudden occasional prayers commonly call'd ejaculations but indeed that requires a set and just discourse yet because of a promise above recited I shall give a few tasts of it and then conclude with some application Ejaculatory Prayer Is a sudden short breathing of the soul towards Heaven upon instant and surprizing emergencies In holy persons it 's quick and lively rising from a vehement ardour of spirit swifter than the flight of eagles and keeps pace with a flash of lightning It flies upon the wings of a holy thought into the third Heavens in the twinkling of an eye and fetches auxiliary forces in times of straits There are many presidents recorded in sacred page upon great and notable occasions with strange success When good magistrates are busie in the work of reformation Neh. 13.14.22 let them imitate Nehemiah when redressing the profanation of the Sabbath Remember me O my God concerning this c. When Generals and Captains go forth to war Josh 1.17 observe Israel's apprecation to God rather than acclamations to men The Lord thy God be with thee as he was with Moses In time of battels or pursuit of the enemy valiant Joshuah darts up
lusts they serve their pleasures Tit. 3.3 serving divers lusts and pleasures but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Prince in man is possest with principles of a more direct contrariety whence it must follow that all the thoughts and counsels of it are tinctured with this hatred They are indeed a defilement of the higher part of the soul and that which belongs more peculiarly to God And the nearer any part doth approach to God the more abominable is a spot upon it as to cast dirt upon a Prince's house is not so heinous as to deface his image The understanding the seat of thoughts is more excellent than the will both because we know and judge before we will or ought to will only so much as the understanding thinks fit to be willed and because God hath bestowed the highest gifts upon it adorning it with more lively lineaments of his own image Colos 3.10 Renewed in knowledg after the image of Him that created him implying that there was more of the image of God at the first creation bestowed upon the understanding the seat of knowledg than on any other part yea than on all the bodies of men distill'd together Heb 12.9 Father of Spirits is one of God's titles To bespatter His children then so near a relation the jewel that he is choice of must needs be more heinous He being the Father of Spirits this spiritual wickedness of nourishing evil thoughts is a cashiering all child-like likeness to him The traitorous acts of the mind are most offensive to God as 't is a greater despite for a son to whom the father hath given the greater portion to shut him out of his house only to revel in it with a company of Roisters and Strumpets than in a child who never was so much the subject of his father's favour And 't is more heinous and odious if these thoughts which possess our souls be at any time conversant about some Idea of our own framing It were not altogether so bad if we loved something of God's creating which had a physical goodness and a real usefulness in it to allure us but to run wildly to embrace an Ens rationis to prefer a thing of no existence but what is colour'd by our own imagination of no vertue no usefulness a thing that God never created nor pronounced good is a greater enmity and a higher slight of God 6. In respect of Connaturalness and voluntariness They are the imaginations of the thoughts of the heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch Moral 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tâ—ales Diog. Lacrt. and they are continually evil They are as natural as the aestuations of the Sea the bubblings of a fountain or the twinklings of the stars The more natural any motion is ordinarily the quicker it is Time is requisite to action but thoughts have an instantaneous motion The body is a heavy piece of clay but the mind can start out on every occasion Actions have their stated times and places but these solicit us and are entertain'd by us at all seasons Neither day nor night street nor closet exchange nor temple can priviledg us from them We meet them at every turn and they strike upon our souls as often as light upon our eyes There is no restraint for them The Laws of men the constitution of the body the interest of profit or credit are mighty bars in the way of outward profaneness but nothing lays the reins upon thoughts but the Law of God and this man is not subject to neither can be ‖ Rom. 8.7 Besides the natural Atheism in man is a special friend and nurse of these few firmly believing either the omniscience of God or his government of the world which the Scripture speaks of frequently as the cause of most sins among the sons of men †Isai 29.15 Ezek. 9.9 Job 22.13 14. Actions are done with some reluctance and nips of natural conscience Conscience will start at a gross temptation but it is not frighted at thoughts Men may commit speculative folly and their conscience look on without so much as a nod against it Men may tear out their neighbours bowels in secret wishes and their conscience never interpose to part the fray Conscience indeed cannot take notice of all of them they are too subtil in their nature and too quick for the observation of a finite principle They are many †Prov. 19.21 There are many devices in a man's heart Florus l. 2. c. 3. Mâ—jor aliquantoâ—abor erat invenire quam vincere and they are nimble too like the bubblings of a boyling pot or the rising of a wave that presently slides into its level and as Florus saith of the Ligurians the difficulty is more to find than conquer them They are secret sins and are no more discerned than motes in the air without a spiritual sun-beam whence David cryes out Psal 19.12 Cleanse me from secret sins which some explain of sins of thoughts that were like sudden and frequent flashes of lightning too quick for his notice and unknown to himself There is also more delight in them There is less of temptation in them and so more of election and consequently more of the heart and pleasure in them when they lodge with us Acts of sin are troublesom there is danger as well as pleasure in many of them but there is no outward danger in thoughts therefore the complacency is more compact and free from distraction The delight is more unmixed too as intellectual pleasures are more refined than sensual All these considerations will enhance the guilt of these inward operations The Uses shall be two though many Inferences might be drawn from the point 1. Reproof What a mass of vanity should we find in our minds if we could bring our thoughts in the space of one day yea but one hour to an account How many foolish thoughts with our wisdom ignorant with our knowledg worldly with our heavenliness hypocritical with our religion and proud with our humiliations Our hearts would be like a Grott furnished with monstrous and ridiculous pictures Ezek 8.5.10 or as the wall in Ezekiel's vision pourtrayed with every form of creeping things and abominable beasts a greater abomination than the Image of jealousie at the outward gate of the Altar Were our inwards opened how should we stand gazing both with scorn and wonder at our being such a pack of fools Well may we cry out with Agur Prov. 30.2 We have not the understandings of men we make not the use of them as is requisite for rational creatures because we degrade them to attendances on a brutish phancy I make no question but were we able to know the phancies of some irrational creatures we should find them more noble heroick and generous in suo genere than the thoughts of most men more agreeable to their natures and suited to the law of their creation †Psal 10 4. God is not in
medicinable Let the thoughts of old sins stir up a commotion of anger and hatred We feel shiverings in our spirits and a motion in our blood at the very thought of a bitter Potion we have formerly taken why may we not do that spiritually which the very frame and constitution of our bodies doth naturally upon the calling a lothsom thing to mind The Romans sins were transient but the shame was renewed every time they reflected on them †Rom. 6.21 Whereof you are now ashamed they reacted a detestation instead of the pleasure so should the revivings of old sins in our memories be entertain'd with our sighs rather than our joy We should also manage the opportunity so as to promote some further degrees of our conversion * Psal 119.59 I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies There is not the most hellish motion but we may strike some sparks from it to kindle our love to God renew our repentance raise our thankfulness or quicken our obedience Is it a blasphemous motion against God It gives you a just occasion thence to awe your heart into a deeper reverence of His Majesty Is it a lustful thought Open the floud-gates of your godly sorrow and groan for your original sin Is it a remembrance of your former sin Let it wind up your heart in the praises of him who delivered you from it Is it to tempt you from duty Endeavour to be more zealous in the performance of it Is it to set you at a distance from God Resolve to be a light shining the clearer in that darkness and let it excite you to a closer adherence to him Are they envious thoughts which steal upon you Let thankfulness be the product that you enjoy so much as you do and more than you deserve Let Satan's fiery darts enflame your love rather than your Lust and like a skilful Pilot make use of the violence of the winds and raging of the Sea to further you in your spiritual voyage This is to beat the Devil and our own hearts with their own weapons who will have little stomach to fight with those arms wherewith they see themselves wounded There is not a remembrance of the worst objects but may be improved to humility and thankfulness as St. Paul never thought of his old persecuting but he sank down in humiliation and mounted up in admirations of the riches of grace 4. Continue your resistance if they still importune thee and lay not down thy weapons till they wholly shrink from thee As the wise man speaks of a fool's words so I may not only of our blacker Eccl. 10.13 but our more acrial phancies The beginning of them is foolishness but if suffered to gather strength they may end in mischievous madness therefore if they do continue or reassume their arms we must continue and reassume our shield * Eph 6.16 Above all taking the shield of faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taking up again Resistance makes the Devil and his imps fly but forbearance makes them impudent In a battel when one party faints and retreats it adds new spirits to the enemy that was almost broken before so will these motions be the more vigorous if they perceive we begin to flag That encouraging command Resist the Devil and he will flye from you †Jam 4.7 implies not only the beginning a fight but continuance in it till he doth fly We must not leave the field till they cease their importunity nor encrease their courage by our own cowardise 5. Joyn Supplication with your opposition Watch and pray are sometimes linkt together * Mat. 26 41. The diligence and multitude of our enemies should urge us to watch that we be not surpriz'd and our own weakness and proneness to presumption should make us pray that we may be powerfully assisted Be as frequent in solliciting God as they are in solliciting you as they knock at your heart for entrance so do you knock at heaven for assistance And take this for your comfort As the Devil takes their parts so Christ will take yours at his Father's Throne he that pray'd that the Devil might not winnow Peter's faith will intercede that your own heart may not winnow yours If the waves come upon you and you are ready to sink cry out with Peter Master I perish and you shall feel his hand raising you and the winds and waves rebuked into obedience by him The very motion of your hearts heaven-ward at such a time is a refusal of the thought that presseth upon you and will be so put upon your account When any of these buzzing flies discompose you or more violent hurricanes shake your minds cry out with David Psal 86.11 12. Vnite my heart to fear thy Name and a powerful word will soon silence these disturbing enemies and settle your souls in a calm and a praising posture 4. A fourth sort of directions is concerning good motions whether they spring naturally from a gracious principle or are peculiarly breath'd in by the spirit There are ordinary bubblings of grace in a renewed mind as there are of sins in an unregenerate heart for grace is as active a principle as any because 't is a participation of the divine nature But there are other thoughts darted in beyond the ordinary strain of thinking which like the beams of the Sun evidence both themselves and their original And as concerning these motions joyn'd together take these Directions in short 1. Welcom and entertain them As 't is our happiness as well as our duty to stifle evil motions so 't is our misery as well as our sin to extinguish heavenly Strange fire should be presently quench'd but that which descends from heaven upon the Altar of a holy soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Polycarp Epist ad Phil. terms holy persons must be kept alive by quickning meditation When a holy thought lights suddenly upon you which hath no connexion with any antecedent business in your mind provided it be not unseasonable nor hinder you from any absolutely necessary duty either of religion or your calling receive it as a messenger from heaven and the rather because 't is a stranger You know not but you may entertain an Angel yea something greater than an Angel even the Holy Ghost Open all the powers of your souls like so many Organ-pipes to receive the breath of this Spirit when he blows upon you 'T is a sign of an agreeableness between the heart and heaven when we close with and preserve spiritual motions We need not stand long to examine them they are evident by their holiness sweetness and spirituality We may as easily discern them as we can exotick plants from those that grow naturally in our own soil or as a palate at the first taste can distinguish between a rich and generous wine and a rough water The thoughts instill'd by the Spirit of adoption are not violent tumultuous full
faithless confidence a fond credulous presumption arising from a groundless over easie perswasion of the mercy of God towards us this kind of Presumption may be joyn'd vvith some sense and conviction of sin and the dangerous consequence of it but presently salves all vvith the general air and breath of a Promise misconstrued and misapplied The Mistakes are these 1. This is more Fancy than Faith or Hope 'T is a vain imagination that deludes men into a belief and expectation of that vvhich they are in no likelihood of in no capacity for they promise themselves vvhat God hath never promised cry peace peace vvhen God hath not spoken peace 2. Such an one doth not rightly distinguish between the vvorkings of natural affection towards any good propounded and the rational actings of Hope for the obtaining of it in a probable or certain vvay in the use of due and proper means Heaven glory and eternal Life are good vvords and better things at the first mention of them vve naturally desire them and vvish for them but shall vve be carried away vvith a meer sound of vvords must vve needs have all vve hear of vve shall quickly bring our selves into a fools Paradise this vvay dreaming vve eat and yet awake an hungry there is more ado than so to inherit the Promises vve must prove our title first the Promises give us an interest in Heaven but 't is Christ that gives us an interest in the Promises he opens the mouth of a Promise to speak comfort to us in him they are all Yea and Amen but out of him they all cry no no vve have nothing for you vvho are out of Christ they vvill deny all the vvorld that come not in his Name and never let out any thing of their treasure to such no vvringing out of one drop of solid comfort The bare History or outward Relation of the Mercy of God in the letter of the Word gives us no interest in the things promised the carnal Jews as Paul observes had the Promises and boasted of them but got little by them Christ is the door of every Promise let us not think to make a forceable entry to climb up at the vvindows like Theives to steal out mercy as if vve cared not how vve came by it you vvill find vvhat is so gotten vvill thrive accordingly and quickly come to nothing What I drive at is this 't is not the report of the vvorth or amiableness of a thing but an apprehension of the possibility of it as to us that causes hope till vve are clear in this our hope cannot act rationally if it have no other ground besides our own desires and natural inclinations raised and kindled in us by the specious appearance and ravishing beauty of some taking objects this argues rather vvhat vve vvould have than any likelyhood of obtaining of our vvishes vvhich is of the very essence of hope earnest desires are very apt to run out into a forward presuming hope vve know not vvell vvhy or vvherefore Quae volumus facile credimus 3. Another mistake in this fond credulous presumption is that it takes up promises in its own sense and not in the true sense and meaning of God So the Jews John 8.33 cryed they were Abrahams seed c. and the Promise run in these very words to Abraham and his seed therefore who but they must be included in it but it was the Spiritual seed that God meant not that after the flesh they are not all Israel which are of Israel Rom. 9.6 No sayes Christ you are the Children of the Devil of your Father the Devil John 8.44 and they took up stones and threw at him ver 59. being not able to bear any contradiction to their false hopes So when we read those Promises of salvation to those that come to Christ believe in him call upon his Name we must not understand them as if a bare form of Godliness and crying Lord have mercy upon us would bring us to heaven No My brethren the Mystery of Religion lies deeper than so 't is the labour of the heart that requires the greatest diligence intention and seriousness imaginable strong workings within great agonies and contentions of Spirit in our dealings with God in any duty The life of our Worship does consist in these inward spiritual motions of the Soul towards God This is that coming that believing that praying to which Salvation is promised The grace of Hope enquires after the Secrets of the Covenant the real intent and mind of God in every Promise prayes for a right understanding of all particulars Open my eyes that I may see the wonders of thy Law Psal 119.18 Besides the true meaning of a Promise a Child of God is very solicitous to know whether God do indeed mean him and speak to him and offer those pearls to him whether he be a person rightly qualified and under all those due circumstances that belong to persons entertaining such an hope 't is a great comfort and satisfaction to a Believer when God does own his hope and encourage him in it by some sensible demonstrations of his undoubted interest in such and such Promises he hears God saying to him take eat this is thy portion purchased by Christ for thee thou art my Child and this is childrens bread it belongeth to thee While we are musing and praying over a promise God does sometimes feed us out of that promise himself and with his own hand puts many a sweet morsel into our mouths O this is overcoming kindness this is a double a treble welcome to have such fare and the Master of the Feast standing by and looking on and carving to us himself and crying out as it is Cant. 5.1 Eat O my friends drink yea drink abundantly O beloved When we have shut our Bibles and have done with a promise and are setting down the Cup of Salvation out of our hands God many times makes us to mend our draught and go deeper than ever we did drink yea drink abundantly O beloved But presumption is a bold guest thrusts in uninvited catches at this and that in a rude manner The word Presumption notes a taking before-hand before 't is offer'd before 't is due before he is called he runs away with a promise puts his own sense upon it and deludes himself with vain hopes from it and when the King comes to review his Guests shall be cast out into outer darkness Mat. 22.11 12 13. 4. Another errour or mistake in presumption is that it picks and chuses out some Promises and rejects others the priviledges of the Saints it catcheth at freedom from condemnation eternal life and glory but the Promises of Grace Sanctification and Holiness it minds not it hopes to see God without Holiness and to go to Heaven as well as the best it is more for the wages than for the work But the grace of Hope fastens upon every Promise gathers honey out of every flower
my spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour Luke 2. I will rejoyce in the God of my salvation Hab. 3. your Father Abraham saw my day and did rejoyce to see it the plain English is this Abraham saw Jesus Christ in the promises sc his obedience and sufferings and the glory that came by Christ's righteousness and did apply it to himself by Faith and was assured of his interest in it which made him to rejoyce in that sight Though a Prince may have a legal right to a treasure hid in the field yet till it be discovered to him there is no joy the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost and so we rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.2 5. I will not dispute whether assurance be of the nature of Faith our Reformers were of renown and other learned men since at home and abroad that are for assurance do not at any hand exclude adherence some think that Faith is a mixed habit adherence and assurance are two acts of the same Faith two flowers from the same root 'T is true there may be adherence without assurance but it is as true that there cannot be assurance without adherence If I know and believe that Christ died for me I should stick to it in negotio justificationis without taking notice of any inherent holiness either in men or Angels how do the stars disappear at the rising brightness of the Sun yet no disparagement to the stars at all But I say I will not dispute and if I could it were both unseasonable and needless for whether assurance be of the nature of Faith or whether it be an effect of Faith is all one in this case before us for there must be something of assurance that must bring in joy and comfort The believers here in my Text they loved Christ and in whom after they believed they did rejoyce with joy unspeakable their first acts of Faith might be recumbency afterwards evidence then joy so the Ephesians after they believed in Christ they were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise as an earnest Ephes 1.13 14 15. The note of the old learned and pious Piscator is unusquisque fidelis verus est not esse potest or esse debet but est certus suae salutis I will name but one Scripture more 't is Cant. 2.6 my beloved is mine and I am his he feeds among the lillies my beloved is mine there is the Gospel with its marrow in the heart of a believer there is assurance and I am his there is the law in the same heart there is obedience he feedeth among the lillies there is joy and comfort he died for me and I am his soul and body for his service Hence comes joy and sometimes such that even overwhelms This for the entrance now to the directions First If you would get Faith comforting in life as well as saving at death you must not sit down satisfied with a bare recumbence on Jesus Christ Mistake me not I do not discourage and I dare not disparage it If it be right as I take that for granted it is a grace more precious incomparably than all treasures and happy is the bosom that wears so inestimable a Jewel But when Christians sensible of their sin and hell do attain to this they rest satisfied here They are told and that is truth that their state is safe there they acquiesce set up their staff behind the door and go no further they do not press on for assurance they will rather argue against it thus Object That assurance is not so necessary Answ So necessary what do you mean is it not commanded is it not promised is it not purchased is it not attained by the people of God sure it is necessary to the vigor of grace and to the being of joy and comfort be of good comfort thy sins are pardoned Object 2. Yea but many do live and die and do well without it Answ Who told you so the Scripture saith the Spirit himself doth bear witness with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8.16 and we know and believe the love that God hath given us 1 John 4.16 with many very many more Texts to that purpose A tempted believer may bear false witness against himself sure such a position as this with mercy upon uncertainties is not the way to comfort him the sure way were to advise him to see his sins more and humble his soul more for them and to study Jesus Christ and to come to him more with the like and God will return and speak peace they that sow in tears shall reap in joy Object 3. But this joy is not so necessary Resp What do you mean again so necessary why 1. It is frequently commanded take one Text Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord i. e. Christ always and again I say rejoyce 2. It is frequently promised I will make them joyful in my house of prayer Isa 56.7 I will see you again and your heart shall rejoyce and your joy no man taketh from you 3. It is practised frequently we rejoyce in Christ Jesus Phil. 3.3 4. It is often prayed for the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing Rom. 15.13 5. It is Christ's office to give the oyl of gladness for the spirit of heaviness Isa 61.3 6. It is the special work of the blessed Spirit who is therefore the Comforter Take the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in what notion you will his work is either comforting or tending to comfort Lastly It is the priviledge of the Gospel-Ordinances to feast the soul with marrow and fatness and with wine well refined i. e. God hath not given us the spirit of bondage to fear again as formerly but the Spirit of adoption whereby or rather by whom i. e. cujus ope we cry abba Father Surely joy and comfort is necessary for the measures of grace If you had a child infirm sickly hard-favoured and a friend should say this strength quickness and comeliness is not so necessary your child is alive is it not you would think this were hardly sutable much less comfortable Object 4. A Christian that doth come to and rely on Christ for righteousness may have comfort Answ yes but then it must be by the way of a practical syllogism He that cometh to Christ shall never perish Joh. 6. but I do so therefore Here his coming together with repentance and obedience which are concomitants beget evidence and from thence comfort Object 5. but many good people want this joy and comfort Answ confessed but then it is our own fault did we use the means especially secret duties meditation prayer which we neglect it would be otherwise Object Last But those that do these yet are in great darkness Answ Yea for sometime The holy spirit teacheth many lessons excellent ones in this School chiefly these three 1. They learn what dismal creatures
inordinate desires after more wealth do proceed 2. By a deep conviction of the greatness of the sin of Covetousness as also of the greatness of the folly that accompanieth that sin 3. By frequent and serious meditation upon death and the eternity which follows upon it 4. By the getting true notions of the vanity of riches and all things here be low 5. By the turning the desires into the right channel and the placing of them upon their proper Objects God and Christ and Spiritual things 6. By Considering how well others do who have but a slender proportion of these things and how thankful they are for that little which God measures out to them I do not at all enlarge on these things both because this is not that notion of Contentment which I most design as also because I shall have cccasion to speak more to them in what will follow How as it lies in the quietness of the mind c. 3. Therefore we are to consider Contentment as it imports a calmness and composedness of mind in every condition stilness and sedateness of spirit under all occurrences of Providence When a man likes whatsoever God doth to him or with him doth quietly submit unto and acquiesce in God's dispose of him this is contentment And so there is a great affinity though not a perfect identity 'twixt it and Patience so 't is opposed to all vexing fretting and murmuring to all undue perturbations of mind under God's dispensations towards us though they be never so cross to our natural desires Unquestionably this was one thing if not the main intended by our Apostle when he saith I have learned in every state to be content 'T is as if he had said I am brought to this alwaies to think well of God and of every state into which he is pleased to bring me whatever pleases him pleaseth me be it imprisonment poverty sickness reproach death it self let but God's will be done and I am content I am taught to bear all things with great * A. Christo omnia aequanimiter ferre Sum edoctus Hieron equanimity or eavenness of Spirit The Question then will come to this How may we and Others get this excellent frame to have the heart in every state calm and quiet without being disturbed and discontented under any thing that doth befall us the resolving of this Question will be my present work Three Helps to Contentment For answer to it I will reduce all to these three Helps or Means Consideration Grace or Godliness Prayer He that would learn and live Contentment must be a Considering man a godly man a praying man Consideration will do much Godliness will do more Prayer will do most of all In the former we have what Reason and Judgment can do In the second we have what a Divine Principle can do in the third we have what God himself can do In consideration we have the strength of the Man In grace the strength of the Christian In prayer the strength of God all of which being united they must needs do the work effectually Now as to these three Directions it is with me as it sometimes is at the head of a spring where the stream at first is so narrow that with ease any may stride over it but afterwards it doth very much widen and dilate it self in so much that the little stream is turned into a vast river So here take these three Heads in the General and at the first naming of them so my work seems to lie in a very small compass but when I come to make a further and more distinct inquiry into them truly there is a vast sea before me where 't is hard to find any bounds or limits I shall go over them with as much brevity as the Subject will admit of and as may best conduce to the great end the furtherance of Contentment The first means is Consideration By which I understand Of the past help viz. Consideration not only that which is rational and proper to a Man as a Man but that which is religious and divine both together but especially the latter have a great influence upon contentment Few do live Contentation because few do act consideration we are passionate because we are inconsiderate Were there but more considering doubtless there would be less murmuring David said in his haste All Men are liers Men are hasty and sudden and indeliberate Psal 116.11 they do not duly weigh and ponder things and thereupon passion and discontent prevail over them 'T Is good advice that in Eccles 7.14 In the Day of adversity consider when we meet with any thing which runs cross to our desires which makes it a day of adversity did we but sit down and consider about the matter this vvould much tend to the quieting of our spirits Consideration is an excellent help to Contentation He who is not thoughtful vvill never learn the lesson of the Text. Discomposures of mind are not to be kept off by any Spells or Charms but by solid and judicious consideration But vve must leave the General and come to Particulars and novv I am going out of the Straits and lanching out into the main Ocean The enquiry is How is a Christian to manage consideration in order to his attaining of contentment For your direction in this I vvill 1. Set before you that special Matter Directions how to manage Consideration in order to Contentment which you are to consider upon for this end 2. Instance in some of those common Cases wherein Contentment or Discontent are usually acted and shew what those considerations are which are proper to each for the promoting of the one and the preventing of the other 3. Speak a little to the Manner wherein Consideraion is to be managed For the first Of the special matter of it Would you knovv vvhat is that special and proper Matter which your Consideration is to work upon to further contentment in every state then bring it to to these three Heads Consider 1. Who it is that orders the State 2. What there is in the State it self 3. The excellency of a contented frame Who orders the state and how 't is ordered 1. Who it is that orders the estate surely the Supreme Sovereign all disposing God My times are in thy hands Psal 31.15 'T is so with every man in the world and with every thing about every man all is in God's hands There is an hand above which directs all Events here below He that numbers our hairs orders our state Good and Evil do not come by chance or happen in a casual and fortuitous way but both are disposed by God's Providence and according to his Will This we seem to give a full assent unto and yet in practice we do either wholly forget it or flatly deny it My advice therefore is this when at any time your hearts begin to storm and fret at your condition pray
Christianity calls for quietly and readily to resign up all our comforts to God's dispose Christian 't is a great part of thy religion to be content under these crosses not to have thy comforts ‖ Omnia ista nobis accedant non haereant ut si abducantur fine ullâ nostri lacetatione discedant Senec. Ep. 74. torn from thee as the plaister is from the flesh but to come off easily as the glove doth from the hand 5. Where there is ground of hope that the everlasting state of dead Relations is secured as there is for the Adult who lived in the fear of God for Children descending from Parents in covenant with God there 't is mere self-love which must cause discontent For had we true love to the dead we should rejoyce in their advancement as Christ saith Joh. 14.28 if ye loved me ye would rejoyce because I go to my Father You are troubled because they are not with you but you should joy in this that they are with Christ which is far better Phil. i. 21. 8. Think how others have undergone this tryal Aaron had his sons cut off by a dreadful Judgment but 't is said of him he held his peace Levit. 10.3 Job 1.21 2 Sam. 12.15 c. See Val. Max. l. 5. c. 10. So it was with Job and yet he blessed the Lord So long as there was hope of the life of the child David prayed and fasted but when he saw God's will was done he rose up and eat and afflicted himself no more Nay I might recite several examples of Heathens who did to the shame of us Christians bear the death of dear Relations with great equanimity and undisturbedness of spirit Well I hint these several things to you when any of you are thus tryed I allow you a due and regular grief and sense of God's afflicting hand but there must be no vexing or discontent under it which the Considering of the forementioned particulars may very much prevent or remove 3. Thirdly Wben Relations continued prove uncomfortable How as to uncomfortable Relations this occasions daily risings of heart and much discontent O the sad fires of passion which hereby are kindled in many too many hearts and houses The comfort of Relations is grounded upon suitableness where that is not the rose is turned into a briar or thorn What is unsuitable is uncomfortable as the yoke that doth not suit or fit the neck is alwaies uneasie Now this unsuitableness refers either to the natural temper or to something of an higher nature in both 't is very afflictive but especially in the latter There is an unsuitableness in respect of the natural temper or disposition I intend in this principally Husband and Wife the one is loving mild gentle of an even and calm spirit sweet and obliging in his or her converse the other is quite contrary froward passionate cholerick hard to be pleased alwayes quarelling c. Here 's a cross now and a heavy cross too but what 's to be done by them that bear it so as that they may learn Contentment under it why let them be often in considering these things 1. That God hath a special hand in this affliction 'T is he who brings persons together in this relation he made the match in Heaven before it was made on earth and therefore he is to be eyed in all the Consequences that attend it if it be comfort he is to be blessed for it if it be discomfort he is to be submitted to under it 2. Though this be a sharp tryal yet 't is for good where it 's sanctified It drives many nearer to God weans them more from the world keeps them humble draws out their graces gives them experience of supporting mercy learns them to be more pitiful to others and the like 3. May be this is the only affliction with which some are exercised In all things else 't is mercy only in this thing God sees it good to afflict surely such have little reason to be discontented What under such variety of signal mercies canst thou not bear contentedly one signal affliction 4. The Cross is heavy but patience and contentedness will make it lighter Levius fit patientiâ quod corrigere est nefas The more the Beast strives the more the yoke pinches the more quiet he is the less it hurts him and so it is in that Case which I am upon 5. Possibly more suitable Relations were once enjoyed but forfeited So that if you will be angry it must be with your selves not with God 6. Death will soon put an end to this Cross and we shall shortly be in that state wherein we shall have nothing unsuitable to us But 2. There is an unsuitableness in higher things such as do more immediately concern the honour of God and the everlasting condition of Souls as Grace and no Grace Holiness and sin Godliness and Vngodliness Here now I principally intend Parents and Children though other Relations may be included also Here is a Parent that fears God that lives an holy and godly life that owns the good wayes of God and walks in them c. But his Child or Children are of a quite other Spirit and take a quite other course oh they live in sin and wickedness in open enmity to God carrying it as the Sons of Belial they curse swear drink defile their bodies profane Sabbaths neglect duties scoff at Godliness puff at all good counsel discover a Spirit obstinately set against God c. This is an affliction of a very great stature taller by the head and shoulders than several that have been spoken unto before yet many godly Parents groan under it whose head and hearts are broken by ungodly Children and never was this affliction more common than now when youth is so much debauched I verily believe many good Parents could with much less grief bear the death of their Sons were they but fit for it than that which they daily undergoe through the wickedness of their lives Truly these are much to be pitied yet I would desire them to labour to be contented and submissively to bear this heavy cross In order to which frame let them consider 1. That 't is no new thing for good Parents to have bad Children Sometimes it so happens that when the Father is bad the Son is good but it more frequently happens and God suffers it to be so that the world may see Grace doth not run in a blood that when the Father is good the Son is bad It hath been so from the beginning Adam had his Cain Noah his Cham Abraham his Ismael Isaac his Esau David his Amnon and so in many others and it will be so to the end of the world Pray think of this though 't is a cutting yet but common affliction 2. Children are ungodly yet there is hope at last they may be reclaimed As stubborn as they are God can make them yield he can change
because they being conjoyned do make the Christian Compleat in Godliness he submitting to the Praeceptive in Contentment to the Providential will of God or because Godliness gives the highest motives to contentment and that again reflects a great beauty and lustre upon Godliness but chiefly because Godliness issues out in contentment and causes that blessed frame of heart and because without Godliness there can be no Contentment He that is not a Godly man i. e. a sanctified and gracious man for I shall consider Godliness principally in its habitual notion cannot be a contented man in that sense wherein the Apostle speaks of it in the Text. Many of the old Heathens seemed to go very far in contentment to have a great mastery over passion in all occurrences to be very sedate and calm They notably improved their Reason and consideration if not wholly to suppress Discontent yet however to keep it in so as that Others should not perceive it and many of them through the firmness and greatness of their spirits could and did bear much with great tranquillity of mind for the spirit of a man may bear his infirmity Prov. 18.14 But yet as to true Evangelical Contentment they knew nothing of it for that necessarily requires a divine principle within and a divine and special assistance from above to both of which they were altogether strangers And so it is still with all mere Moral men such as are destitute of Grace and of the Spirit So that as ever you desire to learn in every state to be content you must look to this that ye be renewed and sanctified All motives without let them be never so high all consideration within let it be never so serious will not prevail to the keeping of the heart quiet under crosses unless there be a work of saving grace there The true and only way to be content is to be godly for indeed Contentment is the daughter of Godliness For the better opening of this Direction How Godâ—iness doth further Contentment it will be requisite that we enquire How Godliness or Grace doth produce this effect of Contentation Ans It doth it by these wayes or methods 1. As it rectifies and works in and upon the several Faculties of the Soul For this is necessary to be done in order to Contentment and it being done Contentment cannot but follow upon it Let me make this out particularly 1. Grace rectifies the Vnderstanding which it doth by dispelling its natural darkness and setting up a clear and saving light in it Now this light hath a great influence upon Contentment for the Vnderstanding being thus enlightned Fancy and Imagination do not carry it in the soul as before they did and hereupon the heart is brought to a more quiet temper Our inquietudes of mind are founded in the power and prevalency of Fancy We fancy such and such things to be evill when in truth they are not so at leastwise as God sanctifies them or to be more evil then in truth they are and upon this when those things are laid upon us we fret and vex whereas do but take away this vanity and mistake of fancy Nihil est miserum nisi cum putes Boeth de Consol l. 3. Phil. 3.8 there would be no such great evil in what we suffer Nihil admodum atrox passus es nisi id tu tibi fingis as he of old truly said And again we fancy such and such things to be good yea good in a very high degree and then upon the want of them we are disturbed Whereas if Fancy did not delude us they have but very little good in themselves and as to us in our special circumstances may be none at all and therefore why should we be troubled about them The winds then arising from this point Grace lays them by freeing the person from the power of fond imagination and instead thereof by setting up solid judgment in him so that he shall be able to judge aright of things and not to perplex himself one way or another further than the nature of the thing before him will bear Men generally are unquiet because they are injudicious if sanctifying grace therefore by that heavenly light which it brings into the Understanding shall make them more judicious by doing of this it must also make them more quiet An enlightned head promotes a submissive heart when 't is right counting about worldly things then 't is contentedness No wonder that Paul had learned in every estate to be content he having before learned to count all things but loss for Christ 2. Grace rectifies the Will thus in causing it to comply with and yield unto the Will of God Whenever this supernatural habit is infused into a man there is a melting of his will into God's Will so that there is but one and the same will between them Now by this means it doth the work which I am speaking of for when 't is thus certainly there can be nothing but Contentment What can put the spirit into disorder when 't is come to to this Not as I will but as thou wilt When wind and tide go contrary wayes then the waters are rough and boisterous but when they both go the same way then all is calm and smooth So here when God's will and Ours differ then storms of passion rise but when they agree there 's nothing then but evenness and stilness in the spirit Oh! we are never discontented but 't is from the jarring and clashing of our wills with God's Quod siâ— esse velis nihilque malis As he said Cesset voluntas propria non erit infernum so say I Let but Christians lay aside their own will and rest in the will of God and assuredly there will be no perturbation of mind in them Indeed the duty of universal contentment is unpracticable till it come to this and grace bringing the Creature to it so it works Contentment 3. Grace rectifies the Affections in taking away their inordinacy towards earthly things in keeping of them within their due bounds and limits and so it works Contentment What is it that causes unquietness in us for the most part we may resolve it into the unmortifiedness of some affection or other Lust is the fuel that kindles and feeds this fire that makes us to quarrel and fall out with God because our conditions are so and so Great Vessels must have much water or else they split themselves Where the love is too great to earthly things if much of them be not possest there 's great danger of discontent but where 't is duly bounded a little of these things sufficeth as smaller vessels sail well enough even in shallow waters The pain in the head proceeds from the foulness of the stomach Purge but that and the head hath ease Purge but the heart from its unholy affections and a man hath ease and comfort in every condition That which indangers impatience is the greatness
matter of it were true enough But a Reproach is the Acting of a mind designing of and rejoycing in evil Unto a Reproof it is essential that it spring from Love Whom I love I rebuke is the absolute Rule of these things Let a man rebuke another though for that which indeed is false if it be in Love it is a Reproof but let him rebuke another though for that which is True if it be from a mind delighting in evil it is a Reproach and if it be false it is moreover a Calumny 3. Where a man in such cases is fully justified by the Testimony of his own Conscience bearing Witness unto his Integrity and Innocency yet may he greatly miscarry under the occasion if he attend not diligently unto his own Spirit which most men judge to be set at the utmost liberty under such injurious Provocations as they esteem them Wherefore to keep our minds unto Sedate Christian moderation in such cases and that we may not lose the Advantage of what is befallen us we ought immediately to apply them unto such other Duties as the present Occasion doth require As 1. To Search our own Hearts and ways whether we have not indeed upon us the guilt of some greater evils than that which is falsely charged on us or for which we are reproved on mistake And if it appear so upon examination we shall quickly see what little reason we have to tumultuate rise up with indignation against the charge we suffer under And may we not thence see much of the Wisdom and goodness of God who suffereth us to be exercised with what we can bear off with the impenetrable Shield of a good Conscience whilst he graciously hides and covers those greater evils of our hearts with respect whereunto we cannot but condemn our selves 2. To consider that it is not of our selves that we are not guilty of the evil suspected and charged No man of sobriety can on any mistake reprove us for any thing be it never so false but that it is merely of soveraign Grace that we have not indeed contracted the guilt of it And humble thankfulness unto God on this occasion for his real preserving Grace will abate the edge and take off the fierceness of our indignation against men for their supposed injurious dealings with us 3. Such Reproofs if there be not open malice and continued wickedness manifest in them are to be looked on as gracious Providential warnings to take heed lest at any time we should be truely overtaken with that which at present we are falsely charged withal We little know the Dangers that continually attend us the Temptations wherewith we may be surprized at unawares nor how near on their account we may be unto any sin or evil which we judge our selves most remote from and least obnoxious unto Neither on the other hand can we readily understand the wayes and meanes whereby the Holy Wise God issueth forth those hidden provisions of preventing Grace which are continually administred for our Preservation And no wise man who understands any thing of the deceitfulness of his own heart with the numberless Numbers of invisible occasions of sin wherewith he is encompassed continually but will readily embrace such Reproofs as Providential warnings unto watchfulness in those things whereof before he was not aware 4. When the mind by these Considerations is rendred Sedate and weighed unto Christian moderation then ought a man in such cases patiently and peaceably to undertake the Defence of his Innocency and his own Vindication And herein also there is need of much Wisdom and Circumspection it being a matter of no small difficulty for a man duely to manage self and Innocency both which are apt to influence us unto some more than Ordinary vehemency of Spirit But the Directions which might and indeed ought to be given under all these particular Heads would by no means be confined unto the Limits fixed to this Discourse 3. If the matter of the Reproof be True in fact then it is duely to be considered whether the offence for which any one is reproved be Private or Publick attended with scandal If it be private then it is to be weighed whether it was known unto and observed in and by the Person himself reproved or no before he was so reproved If it were not so known as we may justly be reproved for many things which through Ignorance or Inadvertency or Compliance with the Customs of the World we may have taken no notice of and if the reproof bring along light and conviction with it the first especial improvement of such a peculiar reproof is thankfulness to God for it as a means of deliverance from any way or work or path that was unacceptable in his sight And hence a great Prospect may be taken of the following deportment of the mind under other Reproofs For a readiness to take in Light and Conviction with respect unto any evil that we are ignorant of is an evidence of a readiness to submit to the Authority of God in any other Rebukes that have their Convictions going before them so the heart that is prone to fortifie it self by any Pleas or Pretences against convictions of sin in what it doth not yet own so to be will be as prone unto obstinacy under Reproofs in what it cannot but acknowledge to be evil If it were known before to the person reproved but not supposed by him to be observed by others under the covert of which imagination sin often Countenanceth it self that Soul will never make a due improvement of a Reproof who is not first sensible of the Care and kindness of God in driving him from that retreat and hold where the Interest of sin had placed its chiefest Reserve Sins so far Publick as to give matter of offence or scandal are the ordinary Subject of all orderly Reproofs and therefore need not in particular to be spoken unto Having shewed the Nature of Reproofs in general with such considerations of the matter of them as have afforded occasion unto sundry particular Directions relating unto the duty under Discussion it remains only that we farther explain and confirm the two generals comprised in the observation deduced from the Text namely 1 Why we ought to receive reproofs orderly or regularly given unto us esteeming of them as a singular priviledge and 2 How we may duely improve them unto their proper end the Glory of God and the Spiritual Advantage of our own Souls As to the first of these we may observe 1. That mutual reproofs for the curing of evil and preventing of danger in one another are Prime Dictates of the Law of Nature and that Obligation which our Participation in the same Being Offspring Original and End to seek the good of each other doth lay upon us This God designed in our Creation and this the rational Constitution of our Natures directs us unto To seek and endeavour for each other all that good whereof
repent of their sins and accept of God's Son to come into and to keep in God's vvays vvhen they see vvhither those vvays have brought them There they vvill meet vvith all the Holy Martyrs so famous in their generations for their courage and constancy vvith all the Holy Prophets and Apostles the Pen-men of the Scriptures so famous in their time for the large and plentiful effusion of the Spirit of God upon them vvith all the good Kings and Princes and all the righteous persons vvhatever that have lived in all ages and generations of all kinreds Nations and Languages they shall then be gathered all into one body under Christ their head and joyn together in blessing and praising and singing Hallelujah's unto the Lord for ever 2. In Heaven pardoned persons will have the company of all the glorious Angels here the Angels guard them and are ministring Spirits unto them Heb. 1.14 Hereafter they will be their companions and there will be mutual and most sweet converse between them Some delight in the company of Nobles and the great ones which belong to the Courts of great Princes they shall have the company and conversation of the glorious Angels who are the Nobles of Heaven and Courtiers of the King of Kings How the Angels and Saints will converse together and communicate their minds one to another is too high for us to conceive and too difficult for us to determine but surely the converse will be very sweet and full of love and delight 3. In Heaven pardoned persons will have the company and fellowship of the glorious Spirit the Holy Ghost here they have his presence and powerful operations they feel now especially at some times his sweet breathings and powerful operations which do wonderfully enlighten them greatly quicken and inflame their hearts with divine love yea and fill their hearts with spiritual and heavenly joy But in Heaven they shall have a fuller sweeter more powerful and constant presence of the glorious Spirit they shall there be filled with the Holy Ghost as full as they can hold yea beyond their present capacity they shall be under the sweet breathings of the Spirit whereby the flame of divine love will be kept alive in them perpetually in the greatest height and heat of it and this shall abide to Eternity 4. In Heaven pardoned persons shall have the company of the Lord Jesus Christ in his glory Here they have heard of him there they shall see him here they see him with the eye of Faith there they shall see him eye to eye and face to face Austin did wish to have seen three things above all other things that were to be seen in the World Rome in its Glory Paul in the Pulpit and Christ in the flesh The righteous in Heaven will see that which is far beyond Austin's wish they will see Zion in its Glory Paul in his Glory and Christ in his Glory They will see Zion in its glory which will far exceed Rome in its greatest splendour when it was most illustrious for wealth and riches through the spoyls of so many conquered Kingdoms which were brought into it when it was most illustrious for stately houses and sumptuous buildings for wise and learned Men famous and valiant Captains and Souldiers The new Jerusalem Mount Zion which is above will out-shine Rome in glory more than the Sun doth out-shine the smallest Star in Heaven or the faint light of a Candle here upon earth They shall see Paul in his glory they shall hear him praising God with triumphant acclamations of joy which will be far more than to hear him preach in a state of weakness and infirmity but chiefly they shall see Christ in his glory the sight of Christ in his humiliation was nothing in comparison of a sight of him in his state of exaltation They shall see him then as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 Behold now are we the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Christ was never seen on earth as he is his glory was shadowed his Divinity was vailed and his humanity was most evident to the view which had its infirmities but hereafter his humanity will appear to be lifted up into such glory as doth exceed all created glory of Men or Angels and his Divinity will be most illustrious to the view of the Saints at the sight of which they will be astonished with admiration and love and O how will they gaze and wonder at his marvellous beauty and shining excellency when they see him come down from Heaven attended by all the holy Angels and when they shall not only see him but meet with him be owned and welcomed by him and be taken to live with him 1 Thes 4.16 17. The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Arch-angel and with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. It was a great priviledg which the Apostles had to live with Christ when he was humbled and vilified here on earth what a priviledg then will it be which all the righteous shall have to live with Christ when he is glorified in Heaven and that not for a few years but for ever What a happiness will it be to see the glory which Christ had with the Father before the World was and not only to see it but to share in it 5. In Heaven pardoned persons shall have the company of the Father they have his gracious presence here on earth they shall have his glorious presence in Heaven there they shall have the immediate Beatifical vision of him and the full most blessed fruition of him The sight of God's back-parts the glimpses and glances of his eye at a distance the mediate enjoyment of him in and by Ordinances doth sometimes even transport them and strangely fill them with wonder and delight but O what Soul-ravishing admirations what transports and extasies of joy will they have when in Heaven they shall behold God's face be alwayes under the beams of the light of his countenance and have continual close intimate full enjoyment of him fellowship and communion with him and this to abide for ever and ever In Heaven they shall dwell with God and God will dwell with them Rev. 21.3 I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying behold the Tabernacle of God is with Men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God This this will be happiness indeed to have God himself to dwell with them and manifest himself not only in his grace but in his glory unto them therefore it followeth v. 4. And
the Souls of others with close and pressing importunities to prize and prosecute that Element and State of Joys and Holiness which is not credited relished and valued by himself And further 2. Were it supposed also that the regular faithfulness of a Minister was separable from the spirit faithfulness of a Christian either in themselves or in the Subject yet how can we imagine such operative influential apprehensions and true relishes of the joy reported and proposed as shall prevail against all oppositions and discouragements and competitions from the frowns and flatteries bribes and stroaks of Earth and Hell to animate a Minister's brest so as to make him through in all the Enterprizes and Employments of his Function whil'st his own Work and Interest as a Christian is neglected and those influences of this joy entailed upon a course well finished though they be powerful to make him faithful in the one shall yet be found too languid to issue in the same diligence and success as to the other And 3. We must conclude that this Eagle-eyed Apostle saw and reckoned on it that a Christian Minister and an Apostle must be a through-Christian and something yea much more or else he could not possibly conclude his Course would bring him to his Joys 1 Cor. 9.24 27. Therefore the Sense and Errand of the Text amounts to this Doctr. That the comforts of a well compleated course will make all discerning serious Christians to be above the regard of Life or fear of all afflictions bonds or death to compass them Rom. 8.18 and Phil. 1.20.23 The very instance argument and errand of my Text and Doctrine grounded thereupon imply and include several things as that 1. there is a state of future joys and retributions for we have no reason to imagine that our Apostle was so blind as to be deceived himself nor so wicked as to deceive others No man that knows and credits the existence of a Deity but he must take him to be the strongest wisest the best of beings and so that he must needs be omnipotent omniscient and all-sufficient and if so then it is beyond all controvesie that omnipotence can at such a rate address it self to Creatures as to make them happy or miserable as it best becomes it self He that ordained and framed this state cannot be thought to have acted to the utmost of his strength for what can stint omnipotence and doth it suit the wisdom of God to make a Creature capable of an everlasting state and of the hopes and prospect of it and to implant in it an expectation of it and rule him by those hopes and fears which do and must derive their influences from an eternal state and after all to make it evident that man was only made to be imposed on or ruled and managed by mistakes and meer fallacious arguments and errours or hath God afforded us the least intimation of his mind in nature providence or scriptures that this is the way of conciliating that love and honour from his Subjects or of implanting and maintaining those necessary fears in man which government requires for the attainments of its ends to make them live in expectation of what is no ways fit to reach its ends because it is either false or mean and therefore I need not go about to prove what here is granted and improved and what so many incomparably better pens have proved before me 2. this state hath sufficient force as to argument and motive to press us to do and suffer all that we can meet with or be called to in our whole Christian course All those severe perplexities which our religion calls us to as to obedience in sufferings and duty are not beyond the compensations of these approaching expected joys and if they obstruct the influences and eclips the light and glory of what is proposed and promised as our great argument and encouragement 't is utterly only our own fault that makes what is sufficient to be ineffectual 3. The comforts of a course well finished cannot be had without the regular management finishing of our course this can never be without resolution and preparation of the heart by which it must be born and kept above immoderate love to life and fear of sufferings and death Faith is the spirit of religion the spirit of faith is hope and the spirit of hope is love and these are all the most successful preparations of the heart Had faith its liberty power and prospect in the heart of all professors it would make them too sagacious concerned to be imposed on by plausible delusions and bold pretences in all these sublunary trifles to that substantial solid satisfaction and excellency which are expected by ductile mortals to be experienced therein or hoped for therefrom Did we but look beyond the grave and wilderness and search and see that land of promise which is beyond them we might be entertained and allured with such clusters from it as would afford us more grateful relishes and spirits than all the feculent extractions of these transient comforts could amount to All our delights and pleasures in and great sollicitudes about these lower things would be effectually mortified and conquered 2 Cor. 4.17 18. what breasts of consolation are evidence substance Heb. 11.1 sense and presence do strangely invigorate strengthen the dangerous influences of this Worlds comforts and concernments in their addresses to the heart of man 2 Tim. 4.10 And because the gain and comforts of true Religion are invisible and distant therefore their certainty and transcendent excellency must be concocted into deep and sound Perswasions and be digested into answerable Affections Resolutions and Pursuit and all those Arguments and Motives which must prevail upon us to run and finish the course and race which is set before us must be derived from and are to be reduced to this deep perswasion of these certain and transcendent comforts nor is it possible that Religion should live or thrive but in the power of and true proportion to our apprehensions and perswasions of those fundamental truths and principles of God's existence and rewarding excellency Heb. 16.6 Man must be ruled as God hath made him and as fear and love are the commanding passions and affections of every subject capable of moral government so something there must be reported and determined fit for the exercise and discipline thereof and if transcendency in what must influence â—oth be not credible and demonstrable their influences must of necessity prove too languid to attain their end Equality spoils choice as far as iâ— extends and if the comforts of another state do not exceed what we can meet with here sure powerful Godliness would lose its life and brests together nor could it be existent in its practice without its arguments and motives and with submission to better judgments I think that impossibility of pleasing God without faith spoken of Heb. 11.6 Results not only
unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ for we are dead and our life is hid with Christ in God and when Christ who is our Life shall appear then shall we appear in Glory with him Mortifie therefore your earthly Members Fornication Vncleanness inordinate Affections evil Concupiscence and Covetousness which is Idolatry You must not only deny all visible gross ungodliness which even the very Sons of Morality will decline and decay but also all worldly lusts and their secret operations living soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Take heed of slumbring in these secret lusts for ye are children of the light and of the day and therefore take heed that you sleep not as others do but watch and be sober for they that sleep sleep in the night and they that are drunk are drunk in the night but let us who are of the day be sober putting on the Breast plate of Faith and Love and for an Helmet the hope of salvation watching and praying always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape those things which shall befall the foolish Virgins and that ye may stand before the Son of man who is coming with ten thousand of his Saints to execute Judgment upon all and therefore be sober and watch unto Prayer seeing the end of all things is at hand and look well to your Lamps which are your Watch-lights that they burn brightly in this World's Midnight and pray particularly for daily supplies of Oil and sincerity in all your Actions and Duties both to God and man never omitting to beg for Death-bed-Grace that so you may live and die to the honour of your Bridegroom And as for this present World use it as if you used it not and have no more to do with it than bare need requireth And set your Hearts and Houses and all your civil secular Affairs in order having your conversations in Heaven whence you look for Christ the Saviour And thus walking with God in the exercise of these gifts of Grace when we come to dye we shall change our places only but not our company And let none of you behold Death at a distance nor have it seldom in your thoughts but daily in your eye that you may not fear it when it cometh A Lion is not terrible to his Keeper that seeth him every day You must frequently converse with God Christ Death and Judgment For when Christ speaketh of his coming to Judgment he so expresseth it as if he were to come in their time to whom he spake it Matth. 24 42. Mark 13.33.35 36 37. Luke 21.34 35 36. And so indeed he did for he comes to every man at the hour of his Dissolution And we are his Agents or Factors in a foreign Land and how soon he may remind us home and call us to an Account we know not Say not therefore My Lord delayeth his coming lest we are thereby rocked into a midnight sleep and scared with a midnight-cry of Behold the Bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him I shall not detain you much longer You have heard what those Graces are which are chiefly to be exercised in order to an actual preparation for the coming of Christ by Death and Judgment I now commend them to your daily exercise and for your encouragement therein shall leave a few Considerations with you and conclude First That the Door of eternal Rest and Glory shall stand open for you at Christ's coming to you by Death Why 1. Because you are ready and they that are ready go in with the Bridegroom God hath made you meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the Saints in light Col. 1.12 and hath wrought you for the self same thing 2 Cor. 5.5 You are a Vessel of Mercy prepared for Glory Rom. 9.23 2. You admitted Christ into the door of your hearts when there he stood and knocked Rev. 3.20 3. You had your conversation in Heaven whilst you lived here on earth It was your Father's house where you used daily to converse the doors whereof shall open to you at your Death Secondly Consider the place into which you shall be admitted for the wise Virgins shall enter into the King's Palace Psal 45.14 15. into Paradise the third Heavens your Father's House a City that hath foundations whose Builder and Maker is God Heb. 11.10 A magnificent Structure surely that hath such a Builder and Maker 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that hath built the City most artificially and curiously and for publick shew as the original words do import Such a City it is yea a Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world Mat. 25 34. The first hansel of God's workmanship Gen. 1.1 This is the place whither you shall enter Thirdly You shall enter thither with the Bridegroom even our Lord Jesus Christ and this is heaven enough viz. to be where Christ is Luke 23.42 43. John 14.3 17.24 Phil. 1.23 1 Thess 4.17 Heaven is described by being with Christ And when Christ shall descend from heaven with a shout to judge the world if all the Saints suppose should not descend with him but any of them be left behind what an alteration would they find in heaven whereas all of them going with Christ it is all one as if they were still in heaven with him You know Paul was caught up into the third heavens and yet when he comes to describe heaven and the Saints everlasting happiness there he calls it being for ever with Christ for this is a comprehensive expression How so 1. If the Saints shall be with Christ then shall they be exempt from all troubles and trials these fall off from them like Elijah's Mantle when he went to heaven There is now a glorious door of partition between these and them they are all excluded viz. Sin Sorrow Afflictions Reproaches Necessities Persecutions Poverty Sickness Pain Death Curse wicked men and Devils you shall never be troubled with these any more 2. If they enter in with Christ they shall enjoy the Father in him John 20.17 and be filled with the Holy Ghost from them both and thereby with unspeakable consolations and the fulness of God and they shall live for ever in the immediate contemplation and vision and fruition of one God in three persons and be replenished to the brim with eternal love from them and to them 3. You shall enjoy the fellowship of an innumerable company of Angels and shall then know who they are and love them entirely and be as intimately beloved of them though now in your present state you cannot bear the presence of one of them 4. You shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven and enjoy communion with the Spirits of just men made perfect Heb. 12.23 All this followeth from your entrance into Heaven with Christ Fourthly Consider that you shall enter into Heaven with Christ the Bridegroom and therefore to be married to him And hence again it will follow 1. That there will be the nearest relation possible between Christ and you for you shall be one conjugally for ever with him You are one with him mystically and matrimonially who is one with the Father essentially 2. You shall be invested with unutterable Glory seeing it is a Marriage-time wherein the Bridegroom and Bride shall shine in the richest Attire and Embroidery that is in all the Wardrobe of Heaven Christ and the Saints shall wear the very same Glory John 17.22 3. There shall be unconceivable Love Joy Delight and Complacency between the Bridegrom and the Bride and as the Bridegroom rejoyceth over the Bride so shall the Lord Jesus rejoyce over his Spouse O there will be a most glorious delightful loving sweet familiarity and conjugal rejoycing between Christ Jesus and the Saints Marriage-joy upon earth is usually great what then will that be in heaven when shall be fulfilled thâ—â— which Christ spake at his last Supper I will not drink of the fruit of the Vine until the day that I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom Mat. 26.29 Where by fruit of the Vine we understand Wine which maketh glad the heart of man Psal 104 15. and causeth it to rejoyce and shadoweth out the Love of Christ and Joys of Heaven to us Cant. 1.2 4. And by New we understand other Mark 16.17 with Acts 2.4 in the Original So that in this Marriage there shall be new i. e. other yea othergess wine viz. Love Joy and Rejoycing than there is in the Lord's Supper For Christ who kept the best wine to the last at the Marriage in Cana in Galilee will surely do so at his own Marriage at the last day 4. This Marriage is not on Earth but in Heaven and therefore it shall never dissolve as Marriages on Earth do but continue unto Eternity O how will the Holy Angels rejoice and sing at this Marriage For they that sang at the Birth of Christ when he lay in the Manger will sing to the purpose at his Marriage when he sitteth upon his Throne in the highest Glory Now the consideration of these things is greatly inducing to be very studious in actual preparations for the coming of Christ Be ye therefore much in the exercise of Faith Hope Love Repentance Goodness Mercy and works of Bounty Diligence and Faithfulness in your Callings Sobriety Watchfulness and Prayer that so at last you may have an entrance ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And now Brethren Abide in him that when he shall appear you may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming but lift up your heads with joy unspeakable and full of Glory Hear wisdom therefore and receive instruction that you may be wise in the latter end And God himself and our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ make you to encrease in all these Preparatory Graces to the end that he may establish your hearts unblameable in Holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saints And now Grace be with all them that love him in sincerity Amen FINIS
Davenant well observes they are called spiritual Songs ratione Originis in point of their Original Spiritu Sanct. impellente excitante Dav. the Spirit excites and impels the Soul to this holy Service and he observes that the Spirit is the prime Artificer in this work Thus in the foregoing Verse to the Text Ephes 5.18 the Apostle adviseth us to be filled with the Spirit and in the Text it self he calls us to be singing of Psalms and Hymns c. When the Spirit fell upon the Apostles Acts 2.1 then they spake those glorious things recorded and so must we sing being sublimated and raised with the Spirit This Wind as the Spirit is call'd John 3.8 must fill our Organ In Psalmis canendis praecipua Christianorum cura esse debet ut cor ritè afficiatur Dav. Quatuor sunt conditiones rectè canendi 1. Vocis abieritas 2. Operis conformitas 3. Cordis attentio 4. Pia rectitudo Gor. Cantas ut placeas populo non Deo francis vocem c. Bern. before we can make any Musick 8. And what Davenant suggests is very pertinent here In singing of Psalms our principal care must be of our Hearts and to follow the Wise man's counsel Prov. 4.23 to keep our Hearts with all diligence And this Learned man gives us a good reason For they who neglect their Hearts may please men with the artificial suavity of their Voice but they will displease God with the odious Impurity of their Hearts And we must watch our Hearts for vain and sinful Thoughts will fly-blow this Duty as well as others Gorran well observes There are four Conditions of right Singing There must be 1. The Alacrity of the Voice 2. The Conformity of the Work 3. The Attention of the Heart 4. A Rectitude towards God And holy Bernard draws up an Indictment against Offenders in this kind Thou singest saith he to please the people more than God thou breakest thy voice musically break thy Will morally thou keepest a Consonancy in thy Voice keep a Concord and Harm my in thy Manners A holy heart and life make them that sing to chant melodiously First purifie then thou wilt tune thy Heart 9. Neglect not Preparatory Prayer Prayer prepares for singing as well as other Ordinances Indeed Jehovah est Archimusicus the great Harmonist who must put every heart in tune he must screw up every peg of affection and strain every string of meditation in this Ordinance The Wise man observes Prov. 16.1 The preparations of the heart are from God Preparations in the plural number preparation to Hearing Preparation to Praying Preparation to receiving of the Holy Supper and so preparation to Singing Our singing must needs be melody to the Lord if it be assisted by the Lord God will surely hear the melody he himself makes in a gracious heart engaged in this duty Thus the Case may be answered Vse 1 This checks those who despise this Ordinance Who look upon it as Noise but not singing as the crackling of thorns but not the Musick of Hearts But these do not consider 1. The Holy Ends of this Duty viz. Sâ—ientiam quam compâ—ravimus ex serâ—pturis exprominus ad fratrem aedificandum In est appetitus piis gen randi pâ—â—s fideles Clem. Alex. 1. Psalms are sung for Instruction We instruct one another in this service this duty is for Spiritual and mutual Edification As a Learned man well observes That knowledge we acquire from the Scriptures we draw out in this duty for our brother's edification We edifie our brother by singing as well as by speaking by warbling forth the Word in Holy Singing as well as by urging and pressing the Word in Holy Discourse A Proclamation is never the less authentical because it is proclaim'd by sound of Trumpet the Tune only accents the Matter Clemens Alexandrinus well observes There is an appetite in good persons to strengthen their brethren and this may be done in singing as well as in other Ordinances 2. Psalms are sung for Admonition This the Apostle expresly intimates Col. 3.16 Teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and Hymns we may reprove a sin in singing of a Psalm as well as in the quoting of a Text and incourage Vertue as well by lifting up our voice as by giving of our praise Thus David Psal 51.13 We may truly be Satyrists in this very Ordinance When we sing a Psalms of Judgment we may awaken sinners and when we sing Psalms of Mercy and loving-kindness we may incourage Saints 3. Psalms are sung for Praise and Thanksgiving Then as the Psalmist speaks Psal 17.8 We awake our Glory which Interpreters call the Tongue an excellent instrument for praising God Singing of Psalms is only the Eccho of Praise the rebound of a joyous heart in a laudatory Speech Praise loudly and Musically proclaim'd that men may hear our Thanksgivings and bear testimony to our gratulatory enlargements as the passenger bears witness to the Musick of a Grove there the pleasant birds sit and sing Now do such consider the rare effects of this Duty viz. of singing to the Lord and they are 1. Singing can sweeten a Prison Thus Paul and Silas indulcorated their bondage by this service Ne sit hora gratiae immunis gaudio Conventus nostri sonent Psalmos Cypr-Hoc genus delectationis est animae nostrae valdè cognatum Deus Psalmos instituiâ— ut ab iis simul caperetu utilitas Voluptas Chrysost Acts 16.25 As prayer can shed a perfume so singing can cast a delight on the most displicent dungeon this truly Divine Service can turn a prison into a paradise a place of restraint into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God As Cyprian used to triumph Our Conventions sing our Psalms 2. Singing can prepare us for sufferings When Christ was ready to be offered up he sang an Hymn with his Disciples Christ sups and sings then dyes Joy in the Lord whereof singing is only the rebound arms against the dint of suffering It is a good saying of Chrysostome Hoc genus delectationis c. This kind of delight is most natural to the Soul God appointed Psalms that from thence profit and pleasure may flow together Singing raises the heart above the discouragement of suffering nor can we so well muse upon our pains while we are so sedulously tuning our praises 3. Singing lightens and exhilarates the Soul We may say of this duty as Tremelius speaks of David's harp that by the Musick of it the storms of Saul's Spirit were allayed and he was composed and serene Singing both reveals and amplifies our joy It is not only a discovery but an improvement Psalmis nos oblectemus ex hisce hilaritatem nostram promanare annotandum est As a learned man well takes notice Let us delight our selves in singing Psalms and from them let us draw our Chearfulness and Delight Let all our sweet Waters gush from this spring Nor do such consider