God they are the three issues of a gracious beleeuing heart and where they are not there is no faith at all I beseech you let us imitate this blessed woman You see here the name of Lydia is precious in the Church the name of Lydia as it is sayd of Iosiah it is as a boxe of oyntment powred out the name of Lydia cannot bee named in the Church but there is a sweete sauour with it As soone as shee beleeued the Holy Ghost the spirit of GOD blowing upon the garden of her heart where the spice of Grace was sowed stirred vp a sweete sent of faith and of bountie and liberalitie in the cause of Christ. Let not this bee in vaine to us but euery one of us labour to bee like Lydia you see what loadestone drew PAVL heere to goe unto her house shee had Faith and shee expressed it in loue Let us labour to haue faith and to expresse it in loue to GOD vnto CHRIST to his people and word and ordinances that haue his stampe on them and let us boldly owne the cause of CHRIST let us not regard the censures of vaine men that say thus and thus Faith and loue forget danger it is bold Shee forgot all the danger that shee was in by countenancing Paul and such men Let us labour for faith and loue and wee shall not say this and that There is a Lion in the way but wee shall goe on boldly vntill wee doe receiue the end of our faith and loue the salvation of our soules FINIS The Table A. Abasement part page CHrists word powerfull in his abasement 2.92 Affections Affections to Religion strong in women 1.9 Affliction Affliction why sent of God 2.58 Prayer a remedy in affliction 2.60 Angels Praise a duty fit for Angels 2.108 Appetite To blesse God for appetite 2.46 Spiritual appetite how recovered 2.140 Attend Attention God opens the heart to attend 1.46 Attention necessary 1.54 Directions to attend on the Word 1.57 Trials of attending aright 1.69 Attire Selling and wearing rich Attire lawfull 1.17 Atheisme see Nature B. Baptisme Baptisme a seale of salvation 1.76 How to thinke of our Baptisme 1.78 Beginning Great things from small beginnings 1.11 Boldnesse see Sinceritie C. Callings Callings allowed of God 1.14 Censure Censure of wicked men not to be regarded 2.24 Command Command of God over all things 2.84 Commerce Commerce lawfull 1.15 Confirme Approbation of strong Christians confirmes the weak 1.95 Crie Gods children crie in afflictions 2.57 D. Death Gates of death what 2.49 Death how to disarme it 2.53 Deferre God why hee deferres helpe 2.81 Dishonour Only wicked men dishonour God 2.104 displease To take heed of displeasing God 2.87 Distemper What to doe in spirituall distempers 2.141 Divinitie Divinitie transcends other Arts. 2.37 E. End Fooles forget their End 2.17 Epicures Happinesse of Epicures unstable 2.45 Extremitie see Crie F Faith Faith trialls of it 1.104 Fooles Folly Wicked men fooles 2.9 Why they are fooles 2.10 Folly in Gods children 2.25 Fruitfull True faith fruitfull 1.101 G. Garments Garments the use of them 1.16 Gates see Death God God to bee sought in trouble 2.35 Gospell Gospell the ground of faith 1.50 H. Heathen God heares the prayers of the Heathen 2.21 Heart Heart opened by God 1.32.34 Heart what meant by it 1.40 Humiliation Ground of humiliation of wicked men 2.21 I. Iesting Iesting with sinne a signe of folly 2.16 Invitation Lydia's invitation 1.99 Iustifie To justifie God in his judgements 2.33 L. Labourers Labourers to be prayed for in Gods harvest 1.52 Love Trials of faith by love 1.104 M. Meanes God brings the elect under meanes 1.29 Mind The mind must be sanctified to attend to the Word 1.43 Miserie Miserie of wicked men 2.50 Why God suffers men to fall into great miserie 2.55 Murmuring Murmuring in trouble the cause of it 2.39 N. Nature Atheisme against nature 2.57 Notice God takes particular notice of his 1.7 O. Open. Trials whether the heart bee open 1.46 See heart Passion Wicked men fooles for their passion 2.12 Passion how it presents things 2.13 Patience Patience to others the ground of it 1.38 Patience in our selves 2.34 People People of three sorts before Christ. 1.19 Pestilence To praise God for deliverance from the pestilence 2.129 Physitian God the best Physitian 1.71 Power Powerfull Gods word Powerfull 2.83 Incouragements to pray from Gods power 2.89 See Abasement Poyson Sinne as poyson 2.41 Prayer What state we are fit to pray in 2.62 Prayer to God successefull 2.73 See affliction Praise All men to praise God 2.99 Other creatures how they prayse God 2.102 Prayse the end of all we doe 2.109 Helps and meanes to prayse God 2.113 Preached The Word preached the usuall meanes of faith 1.51 Preaching how to be prized 1.54 Preparation Workes of preparation necessary 1.20 Preparation from God 1.21 Preparations remove hindrances 1.22 Progresse of preparation 1.24 Preparations not to bee rested in 1.31 Providence Instances of Gods providence 2.3 R. Rod. Sinne puts a rod into Gods hand 2.40 S. Sicknesse Sinne the cause of sicknesse 2.32 Sicknesse how from God 2.38 Extremitie of sicknesse 2.43 Naturall cause of sicknesse 2.44 How to converse with the sicke 2.47 To have recourse to God in sicknesse 2.73 Sight Foure things requisite to sight 1.55 Sinne. Aggravation of sinne 2.22 Vnhappy succession of sinne 2.31 Beginnings of sinne to bee avoided Ibid. Particular sinnes to be searçhed out 2.34 What sinnes hinder prayer 2.82 Sinceritie The boldnesse of sinceritie 1.95 Soule God by his Word heales the soule 1.137 T. Table Whence the breach of the second Table comes 2.27 W. Waiting Waiting after prayer necessarie 2.79 Weake How to judge of weake Christians 1.77 Wisdome Spirituall Wisdome to bee begged 2.23 Wittie Wicked men wittie in their Generation 2.18 Women See Affections Word See Power Worldling The course of Worldlings 2.35 Wound Fooles wound themselves 2.20 FINIS A Rescue from DEATH with a Returne of Praise PSAL. 107.17 c. Fooles because of their transgressions and because of their iniquities are afflicted c. THis Psalme containeth some passages concerning Gods particular sweete Providence not onely to the Church but to other men for Hee that created all things even the meanest creature must haue a providence over all things his providence must extend it selfe as large as his creation for what is providence but a continuance of creation a preservation of those things in being that God hath given to have a being The Prophet here of purpose opposeth the profane conceits of them that thinke God sits in heaven and lets things goe on earth as if he cared not for them it was the fault of the best Philosophers to ascribe too much to second causes The Psalmist here shewes that God hath a most particular providence in every thing First hee sets it downe in generall and then hee brancheth it out into particulars especially foure wherein hee specifieth Gods providence The first instance is of those
wee should doe to attend to purpose And that we may doe it let us adde some meditations to these practises Consider first of all whose word it is It is the word of the great God and the word of God for my good It is the good word of God and the word of God that brings me much good eternall salvation if I obey it it is the word of God that brings eternall damnation if I obey it not It is the word of the great King a Proclamation a Law whereby I shall be judged and perhaps that word that I shall not heare another time perhaps the spirit may worke more now then at another time therefore I will be wise give way to the spirit of God and not beate it backe perhaps I shal never have such a gale of the spirit offered againe it may be the last Sermon I shall heare while I live we should have such meditatiōs we that speak as if it were the last time we should speake and you that heare as if they should be the last things that ever you should heare for how doe wee know but it may be so It is another manner of matter to heare then we take it Take heed how yee heare saith our blessed Saviour We heare nothing but it sets us forward in the way of Grace to heaven or forward to hell we are helped by it to heaven or else hardened by it further to hell We had need to take heed how we heare we must be judged by that wee heare and that that wee heare now negligently and carelesly God will make good at the day of judgement We may shake off as prophane spirits doe the Ministers exhortations but will you shake off depart ye Cursed at the latter day Will you shake off that sentence you would not heare me and I will not heare you Oh! no Therefore shake not that off now that will be made good then If thou entertaine the Gospell now God will make it good then if thou receive mercie now he will shew that thou art acquitted then before Divels and Angells and Men. Let us regard this and let it make us heare the word with attention as this good woman here God opened her heart and shee attended to the things that were spoken of Paul But you will aske how shall I know a man whose heart is opened and attends better then another man doth I will give two or three briefe rules of discerning He that by the spirit of God attends to the good word of God to purpose with an opened underding he not only knowes the words and the shell in preaching the word of God but the things he knowes not only what faith and repentance is in the words but he hath a spirituall light to know what the things are what repentance is and faith and love and hope and patience hee knowes the things And likewise he that hath attended to purpose he can do the things he not only knowes what he should doe but by the grace of the spirit and attending upon the word of God he knowes how to doe them Grace teacheth him not onely that hee should denie himselfe and live soberly and righteously and Godly but it teacheth him how to live soberly and righteously and Godly Grace when we attend upon the word as wee should teacheth us to doe the things not only that we should repent and pray c. but to doe them it opens the things and gives abilitie to doe them And in the next place those that attend as they should doe there is a spirituall eccho in their soules to every thing that is taught that is when they are exhorted to beleeve they answer Lord I will beleeve Lord I will heare I will repent and I will take heed of such sins by thy grace when God saith seeke my face Lord thy face will I seeke This is the answer of a good conscience this eccho where there is attention to the word of God by the spirit there is an eccho to that the spirit speaks Lord it is good and it is good for me if I yeeld to this if I doe not it is naught for me to put off repentance till another day I desire to yeeld now and oh that my heart were directed if it be rebellious and not yeelding there is a desire that the heart may be brought into subjection to every truth revealed there is a gracious eccho in them that attend to purpose Then againe those that doe attend from a sanctifing grace they see things by another light by a spirit of their owne by a heauenly light by a species in their owne kind spirituall things with a spirituall light Many come and heare sermons and can discourse and wrangle and maintaine janglings of their owne and all this out of naturall parts and out of pride of heart but a gracious holy man sees spirituall things by a spirituall light in their owne kind A man that is borne in a dungeon and neuer saw the light when he heares discourse of the Sun and stars and earth and flowers and plants he that Imaginations what they should be but he fancies other things so a man that neuer had spirituall eye-sight to see spirituall things in their kinde he fancies them to bee this and that but he sees them not by their owne light many speake and talke of good things but it is by the spirit of other men out of books and hearing and not by a spirit of their owne He that attends by grace speakes out of a spirit of his owne and not out of other mens spirits he sees spirituall things in their owne colours Thus wee see how to discerne spirituall attention And he that knowes what this meanes what is it to haue his heart opened to attend when he goes from hearing the word he judgeth of his profiting by it not by what he can say by heart but by how much the meeker hee is how much more patient how much more able to beare the crosse to resist temptations and to haue communion with God so hee values his attending upon the meanes and hearing the word by the growth of his grace and the decay of his corruptions Shee attended to the things that were spoken of Paul And shee was baptized and her houshold SHEE had the meanes of salvation and shee had the seale likewise which is baptisme We haue all need of seales wee haue need to hane our faith strengthened God knowes it betthen wee our selues We thinke Baptisme and the Communion small matters but God knowes how prone wee are to stagger hee knowes that all seales are little enough therefore it is sayd here shee was baptized and all her houshold Baptisme is a solemne thing it is the seale of the Covenant of grace you are well enough acquainted I imagine with the thing therfore I will not enter into the common place it is needlesse As the whole trinitie
little of her argument whereby shee forced the blessed Apostle and the rest to her house If yee have judged me faithfull IT is a most binding argument If you judge me faithfull you must judge me a child of God an heire of heaven the Spouse of Christ you must judge mee all these and the like If you have judged mee faithfull come to my house And if you judge me so can you denie me this courtesie It is a conjuring wondrous forcible argument If you have judged mee faithfull It implies that S. Paul and holy men would be more strange else And so there should not be intimate familiaritie converse there may be but not familaritie with those that are not faithfull Indifferent carriage to all alike shewes a rotten heart those that make no difference betweene good Christians and formall hypocrites No but if you have judged me faithfull come to my house As if she had said I know your spirits are such that except you judge me faithfull you will not take this courtesie at my hands Againe she supposed if Paul judged her faithfull he would not denie her that courtesie Those that upon good grounds wee judge faithfull we should be gentle to them and easie to be intreated The wisedome that is from above is so Grace Sweetnes the Carriage and alters a mans disposition Those that have felt pittie from God are mercifull to others Therefore if you have judged mee faithfull c. It was an argument of a great-deale of sinceritie to appeale to their knowledge and judgement If you have judged me faithfull If she had not beene sincere she would not have done so but sinceritie makes a man bold to appeale to God himselfe Lord thou knowest that I love thee saith S. Peter and If there be any iniquitie in my heart saith David they dare appeale to God and to Gods people if yee have judged me faithfull In this speech likewise shee desires to have confirmation of her estate from the Apostles And indeed it is a great confirmation of weake Christians to have the judgement of strong Christians that they are good If you have judged mee faithfull doe me this courtesie And would it not comfort her soule to have the judgement of so strong a man as Paul It is a great strengthening not onely to have the spirit of God witnesse for us but the spirit of God in others And sometimes in temptations the judgment of others will doe us more good then our owne in a darke state Therefore wee should appeale to those that feare God to judge us faithfull though we be in a mist and in darkenesse sometimes that we are not able to judge of our owne condition And indeed when we judge the people to be truly good and true hearted to God we owe them this dutie to thinke them good people and to shew it it is a debt we wrong good persons when wee take wrong conceits of them Shall wee not affect and loue them that God loues It is as if shee had sayd God hath taken me into his family and will admit mee to heauen and will not you come to my house when Christ shall take men to be members of his body shall not we take them into our company It is a wrong to good people to be strange to them sometimes there may by way of censure in some sin be a little strangenesse but ordinary stangnesse becomes not Christians it becomes not that sweet bond the Communion of Saints If you haue judged me faithfull That is the bond Her invitation is Come to my house and and abide there YOU see many sweet graces presently after shee beleived here is a loving heart Why did shee desire them to come to her house To expresse the loue she did beare to them for their works sake shee felt the loue of Christ by their ministery and now she desired to expresse the fruit of her loue in maintaining them And not onely so but she desired to be edified by them shee was yongly planted and shee desired to bee watered from them Shee knew Paul would drop heauenly things and giue her that that might stablish her therefore she desired that they would stay at her house that she might haue benefit by their heauenly discourse and be built vp and edified further and further So you see these two graces especially upon beleeuing a bountifull louing heart shee intreated them not onely to come to her house but to abide there a good while as they did And here was her desire to bee edified And a boldnesse to appeare to owne Christ and his ministers in dangerous times for in those times it was a dangerous thing to appeare to be a Christian they were worse hated then the Iewes were though both were hated yet Christians were aboue all Therefore false Christians would be circumcised they would be Iewes to auoid the Crosse that they might not bee accounted Christians You see in Generall true faith that works loue and workes by loue It workes loue in the heart and by loue it works all duties of hospitallity and bounty by loue When it hath wrought that holy affection it works by that holy affection You see here it is neuer without fruit presently faith brings forth fruit as soone as shee was baptized shee shewes her loue to the Apostles and their company and her bounty and her boldnesse in the cause of Christ. We say of a graft it is grafted to purpose if it take and bring forth fruite so shee being a new sience graft into Christ shee tooke presently as soone as she was baptized into Christ here is the fruite of loue and bounty and boldnesse in the cause of Christ. Zacheus as soone as euer he beleeved halfe my goods I giue to the poore So wee see the Gaoler afterwards presently upon beleeving he entertained the Apostles with a feast and washed their wounds Take heed of a barren dead faith it is a false faith if thou beleeue indeed faith will worke loue and worke by loue as it did in this blessed woman her faith knit her to Christ in heauen her loue was as the branches of the tree her faith knit her to the roote but loue as the branches reached to others her branches reached fruit to the Apostle and his company So it is the nature of faith that knits us to Christ the same spirit of loue knits us to others and reacheth forth fruit to all wee converse with As wee desire to haue evidence of the soundnes of our faith let us see what spirit of loue we haue especially loue to these three things loue to Christ to whom wee are ingrafted and loue to the ministers of Christ. We cannot shew kindnesse to Christ he is in heauen but his ministers and his poore are upon the earth when wee can buy ointment to poure on Christs feete his poore members and his Ministers and loue to the word of
is shewed in particular callings which are sanctified by God to subdue the excesse of corruptions Men without callings are exceeding vicious as some Gentlemen and beggars in this I may ranke them together those that haue no callings nor fit themselues for a calling and that are out of a calling lawfull Callings are lawfull And so this calling of commerce and trade A seller of purple Though for the most part men gather a great deale of soile and corruption by commixture of manners with those they deale with yet there must be commerce and this particular commerce of selling of Purple The body of man needs many callings there is not a part of mans body not one member but it sets a particular calling on work Therefore this life is a life of many necessities and there must be callings and trading and this particular trading selling of purple It may seeme superfluous but it is not altogether for Garments are for 3. ends For Necessity Ornament Distinction Now purple howeuer it be not for necessity it is for ornament and distinction for Magistrats and the like persons of great quality How-ever the pride of the times hath bred a confusion that one will goe as well as another yet God that allowes distinction of callings and persons allowes distinction of habit and attire Therefore selling of purple is lawfull and the wearing of rich attire Kings daughters went in such as it is sayd of Davids daughters So there bee not over much delicacie for delicacie in this in these times is fatall as there be many in the City and in the countries that are given to over-much nicitie and sumptuousnes in this kind it is a fore runner of ruine Otherwise it is lawfull for those that may to weare purple as it is lawfull to sell Purple so that as he sayd to the great Emperour they doe not consider the purple so much as that the purple couers dust and base flesh that must turne to dust and ashes and rottennesse ere long so that people bee not lift up in that that is borrowed from the poore creature from wormes It is a strange thing that men should be so sicke in their fancie as to thinke themselues the better for that they beg of the poor creature so a man take heed of fancie and pride it is lawfull to use purple Shee was a seller of Purple So much for her calling Shee worshipped God SHEE was perhaps a Iew and looked for a Messias There were 3. sorts of people before Christ. The Iewes and those that we call prose lites and Religious persons fearing God Shee might be one of the three it is not certaine what shee was Certainely shee was one that feared God She had some religion in her though yet shee was not ripened in the true Religion shee was a woman that feared God From such kind of places as this we haue occasion to speake of workes of preparation Saint Paul was sent to her shee was a woman that feared God To speak a little of works of preparation It is true God usually prepares those that hee meanes to convert as we plow before we sow wee doe not sow among the thornes and we dig deep to lay a foundation wee purge before Cordialls It is usuall in nature and in grace preparations therfore preparations are necessary There is such a distance betweene the nature and corruption of man and grace that there must be a great deale of preparation many degrees to rise by before a man come to that condition hee should bee in therefore preparations we allow and the necessity of them But we allow this that all preparations are from God wee cannot prepare our selues or deserue future things by our preparations for the preparations themselues are of God And thirdly though we grant preparations yet we grant no force of a meritorious cause in preparations to produce such an effect as conversion is No only preparation is to remooue the hindrances and to fit the soule for conversion that there may not be so great a distance beetweene the soule and conversion as without preparation there would be But when is preparation sufficient When the soul is so farre cast downe as it sets a high price on Christ and on grace aboue all things in the world it accounts grace the onely pearle and the Gospel to be the Kingdome of heaven when a man sets a high price on grace more then all the world besides then a man is sufficiently prepared Some poore soules think they are neuer prepared enough but let them looke to the end that God will haue preparation for that is that a high price be set upon the best things and value all things but grace meanely in their owne ranke when a man is brought to that pitch that by the light of the spirit hee esteemes all nothing but Christ and that hee must be had and he must haue sauing grace let him neuer talke whether hee bee prepared or no. This disposition shewes that he is prepared enough at least to bring him to conversion Now God in preparation for the most part Civilizeth people and then Christianizeth them as I may say for the spirit of GOD will not be effectuall in a rude wild and barbarous soule in men that are not men Therefore they must bee brought to Civilitie and not only to civilitie but there must be a worke of the law to cast them downe and then they are brought to Christianitie thereupon Therefore they take a good course that labour to breake them from their naturall rudenesse and feircenesse as by nature every man is like a wild asse-Colt there cannot be more significant words a Colt an asse Colt and wild Now ther is no sowing in the sand or on the water there is no forcing of grace on a soule so farre indisposed that is not brought to Civilitie rude and barbarous soules therefore Gods manner is to bring them in the compasse of Civilitie and then seeing what their estate is in the corruption of nature to deject them and then to bring them to Christianity as we see here in Lydia For howeuer there is no force of a meritorious cause in preparations to grace to raise up the soule to grace for alas that cannot be it is not in it to produce such a blessed effect yet notwithstanding it brings a man to a lesse distance then other wild creatures that come not within the compasse of the means Therefore vsually to those that use the talents of their vnderstanding and will that they haue well God after discovers himselfe more and more Therfore let all be incouraged to grow more and more to courses of civility and Religion and wait the good time till God shine on them in mercy For though those courses can neuer produce religion yet it brings men to a proximity and nearenesse to God and Christ more then those that stand further off But
I will not force this point further at this time Shee was a woman that feared and worshipped God Shee was faithfull in that light shee had and to him that hath shal be given Shee worspipped God NOT in any sight of her owne she had the grace of God from the spirit of God All feare comes from the spirit of God initiall feare and ripened feare all feare is from God but I will not conflict with adversaries at this time You see the person a woman her calling A seller of purple and her pious disposition shee was such a one as worshipped God And she heard Paul The sweete providence of God brings those that belong to Election vnder the compasse of the means at one time or other Let the divell and the instruments of the Divell rage and oppose and doe what they can those that belong to God God will haue a time to bring them within the compasse of his calling and effectually call them by his spirit As here Lydia there was a sweete preventing providence that shee never thought of God brought an Apostle for the saluation of her soule shee heard Paul and was converted To come to the description of her conversion in the next words Whose heart the Lord opened to attend to the things that were spoken of Paul GOD opened her heart To what purpose To attend to the things spoken of Paul God by the word preached opens the heart to attend to the word by the word we are fitted to the word The spirit and the word draw us to themselues The spirit and the word draw us to regard the word by the word her heart was opened to attend to the word First I will speake of the opening her heart And then of her attending upon the word preached by Paul God opened her heart Shee was a religious woman yet her heart was shut before God opened it Shee was religious in her kind yet her heart must be further opened before shee could bee saved There is no staying in preparations in this or that degree as many abortiues in our times that make many offers they haue the spirit of bondage and are cast downe but there they stick and neuer come to proofe But those that will attaine to salvation must not rest in religious dispositions in good affections and gracious offers they must goe on further and further as wee see here God opened her heart Obserue then in the opening of the heart these things First the heart is naturally shut and closed up as indeed it is to spirituall things it is open enough to the world and to base contentments here but it is shut to heauen and heauenly things naturally it is cleane locked up Partly in its owne nature being corrupt and earthly partly because Sathan he beseigeth all the senses and shuts up all There is a spirit of deafenesse and blindnesse and a spirit of darknes and deafnesse in people before God hath brought them by the powerfull worke of the Gospell from the Kingdome of Satan that poffesseth every man naturally Naturally therefore our hearts are not open but locked and shut up that is supposed here so that except God be mercifull to breake the prison as it were whereby by vnbeleife and the wickednesse of our nature we are shutt up there is no hope of salvation at all God opens the heart The second thing is this that as our hearts are shut and closed up naturally so God and God alone opens the heart by his spirit in the use of the means God opened Lydia's heart God hath many keyes he hath the key of heauen to coÌ„mand the raine to come downe he hath the key of the wombe the key of hell and the graue and the key of the heart especially He opens and no man shuts and shuts and no men opens He hath the key of the heart to open the vnderstanding the memory the will and affections God and God only hath the key of the heart to open that it is his prerogatiue He made the heart and he onely hath to doe with the heart he can vnmake it and make it new againe as those that make locks can doe And if the heart be in ill temper hee can take it in peices and bring it to nothing as it were as it must be before conversion and he can make it a new heart againe It is God that opens the heart and God only All the Angels in heauen cannot giue one grace not the least grace Grace comes meerly from God it is meerly from God All the creatures in the world cannot open the heart but God only by his holy spirit For nature cannot doe aboue its sphere as we say aboue its owne power Naturall things can doe but naturall things For nature to raise it selfe up to beleeue heavenly things it cannot be Therefore as you see vapours goe as high as the sunne drawes them up and no higher so the soule of man is lift up to heauenly thâ—ngs by the power of Gods spirit God drawes us and then we follow God I say onely openeth the heart Because there is not only want of strength in the soule to open it selfe but likewise there is enmity and poyson in the heart â—o shut it selfe and shut out all goodnesse A man hath no senses to spirituall things no eyes no eares no taft no life Nay there is an opposition to all A naturall man perceiveth not the things of God neither can he he wants senses and those senses hee hath are set against goodnesse as the Apostle saith he esteemeth them foolishnesse I need not bee much in so easie an argument that you are well enough acquainted with Naturally the heart is shut and God only must open it This should teach us patience when we can do little good with those that are under us by all our instructions and corrections wait the due time Grace is not of thy giving the heart is not of thy opening or of any mans opening therefore as it is 2 Tim. 2. waite and beare with patience men of contrarie minds waiting when God in due time giue them grace to repent Grace is Gods creature it is none of our owne Therefore take heed that we be not short angry spirited if we cannot haue all we would haue of those that are under us children or servants let us waite Gods time he opens the heart in his time And if wee find not grace wrought in our owne hearts at the first or second or third sermon Let us doe as hee at the Poole of Bethesda lie there till the Angell stirre the water till God bee effectuall by his spirit God doth it and he only doth it only we must waite he will doe it in his good time be not ouer short-spirited This we ought to obserue out of these words God opened the heart of Lydia The heart is put for the whole soule he opened her understanding to
was at the Baptisme of Christ so euery infant that is baptized is the Child of Christ. And it is a speciall thing that we should meditate of We slight our baptisme and thinke it needlesse you see the holy woman here would bee baptized presently shee would haue the seale of the covenant There are many that are not booke-learned that cannot read at least they haue no leasure to read I would they would read their booke in their Baptisme and if they would consider what it ministers to them upon all ocasions they would be farre better Christians then they are Thinke of thy Baptisme when thou goest to God especially when hee seemes angrie it is the seale of the covenant bring the promise Lord it is the seale of thy Covenant thou hast prevented mee by thy grace thou brough test mee into the Covenant before I knew my right hand from my left So when we goe to Church to offer our seruice to God thinke by baptisme wee were consecrated and dedicated to God we not only receiue grace from God but we giue our selues to God Therefore it is sacriledge for persons baptized to yeeld to temptations to sinne we are dedicated to God in baptisme When we are tempted to despaire let us thinke of our baptisme wee are in the Covenant of Grace and haue receiued the seale of the Covenant baptisme The divell is an vncircumcised damned cursed spirit hee is out of the Covenant but I am in the Covenant Christ is mine the holy Ghost is mine and God is mine therefore let us stand against all the temptations of that vncircumcised vnbaptized damned spirit The thinking of our baptisme thus will help us to resist the Devill he is a coward if hee bee resisted he will flee and what will better resist him then the Covenant of grace and the seale of it When we are tempted to sinne let us thinke what haue I to doe with sinne by baptisme I haue union with the death of Christ he died to take away sin and my end must be his I must abolish sin in my nature Shall I yeild to that that in baptisme I haue sworne against And then if we bee tempted to despaire for sin let us call to mind the promises of grace and forgiuenesse of sins and the seale of forgiuenesse of sinnes which is baptisme For as water in baptisme washeth the body so the blood of Christ washeth the soule Let us make that use of our baptisme in temptations not to despaire for sin And in conversing among men let us labor to maintaine the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace to live peaceably Christians must not fall to jarre why There is one faith and one Baptisme have wee not all one father one inheritance one baptisme one Religion and shall wee breake one with another for trifles they forget their Baptisme that are so in quarrells Thus if wee would thinke of it it is such a booke as would be readie at hand for all services And then for our children those that God hath committed to us let us make use of baptisme do they die in their infancie make this use of it I have assured hope that my child is gone to God he was borne in the Covenant and had the seale of the Covenant baptisme why should I doubt of the salvation of my child If they live to yeares of discretion then be of good comfort he is Gods Child more then mine I have dedicate him to God and to Christ he was baptized in the name of Christ Christ will care for him as well as for me If I leave my Children behind me they are Gods and Christs children they have received the seale of the Covenant baptisme Christ will provide for them and he that provides heaven for them will provide all things in the way to heaven necessarie God hath said I will be the God of thee and of thy children they are in Covenant thine they were Lord. A man may commit his Children to God on his death-bed thou gavest them me and I commit them to thee againe as before I did by baptisme All this wee have by thinking of our baptisme If we looke no further as prophane spirits doe not then the water and the elements we can have no comfort by these things but wee should consider Gods blessed institution and ordinance to strengthen our faith And to our children when they come to yeares baptisme is an obligation to beleeve because they have received the seale before hand and it is a meanes to beleeve Shee was Baptized And her houshold SO good is God where the governour of the familie is good he gives all the familie good because he makes conscience in governing and instructing them God crownes their indeavours with successe that they shall be all good As we see Abraham and his houshold the Gaoler and his houshold Zacheus and his houshold Oh! it is a a blessed thing to be a good governour in a familie he brings a blessing upon his house the Church of God is in his house There cannot be a more honorable title to any house then to say it is the Church of God that the Governour of the familie brings all in subjection to God that as he will have all serve him so he will have all serve God that he will not have a servant but he shall be the servant of God nor a child but he shall be the child of God and he labours to make his wife the Spouse of Christ. Thus it should be said of every Christian familie and then they are Churches Alas in many places now they are hells because there is little regard had of instructing of them Beloved many poore soules have had occasion to blesse God forever that they haue bin grafted into such good families And put case sometimes thou hast instructed them and taken paines and there is no good done When thou art dead twenty yeares after it may come to their minds all those instructions when they are in worse families Oh! in such a place with such a Master I had such instructions but I had no grace to take good by them but now I call them to mind so the seed that was sowen long before may take effect then This should incourage those that are Governours of families to be good Lydia was baptized and her houshold And she besought them saying if you have judged me faithfull to the Lord come to my house and abide there HEre is the fruit of Lydia's conversion when shee was converted and baptized shee intreated the Apostles to come to her house and abide there and she prevailed shee constrained them by a morrall kind of violence they suffered themselves to be overcome If you have judged mee faithfull c. Come to my house and abide there Here is her invitation and the argument that she forceth it by If you have judged me faithfull to Christ then come to my house To speake a
darts out oathes and blasphemies against God that shall returne backe upon his owne pate many such fooles there are God will not hold them guiltlesse He is a foole that knowes not or forgets his end every wicked man forgets the end wherfore he liues in the world hee comes here into the world and liues and is turned out of the world againe and never considers the worke that he hath to doe here but is carried like a foole with affections and passions to earthly things as if hee had been borne only for them A wiseman hath an end prefixed in all that hee doth and hee works to that end Now there is no man but a sound sanctified Christian that hath a right end and that works to that end other men pretend they haue an end and they would serue God c. They pretend heaven but they worke to the earth-ward like moles they digge in the earth they work not to the end they pretend to fixe to themselues All men how wittie soeuer they are otherwise in worldly respects they are but fooles As we say of owles they can see but it is by night so wicked men are wittie but it is in the workes of darkenesse they are wise in their owne generation among men like themselues but this is not the life wherein follie and wisedome can be discerned so well it will appeare at the houre of death and the day of judgement then those will be found wise that are wise for eternity that have provided how it shall goe with them when all earthly things shall fayle them and those will bee fooles that haue only a particular wit for the particular passages of this life to contriue particular ends and neglect the mayne they are penny wise and pound foolish Achitophel a wittie wiseman his counsell was an oracle yet he was not wise to prevent his owne destruction He is a madman a foole that hurts and wounds himselfe none else will doe so wicked carnall men they wound and hurt and stab their owne consciences oh if any man should doe them but the thousandth part of the harme that they doe themselves every day they would not indure it they gall and load their consciences with many sins and they doe it to themselves therefore it is a deserved title that is given them God meetes with the pride of men in this terme of folly for a wicked man above all things is carefull to avoid this imputation of foole account him what you will so you account him a shrewd man withall that can over-reach others that he is craftie and wise he glories in the reputation of wisedome though God account him a foole and hee shall bee found so afterward and to abate the pride of men Hee brings a disgracefull terme over their wit and learning and calls them fooles This should abase any man that is not a right and sound Christian that the God of wisedome and the Scripture that is GODS word esteemes of all wicked men bee they what they will to be fooles and that in their owne judgements if they bee not Atheists if they will grant the principles they pretend to beleeve Let this therefore bee an aggravation in your thoughts when you are tempted to commit any sinne Oh! besides that it is a transgression and rebellion against Gods commandement it is follie in Israel and this will bee bitternesse in the end Is hee not a foole that will doe that in an instant that hee may repent many yeeres after Is hee not a foolish man in matter of dyet that will take that that he shall complaine of a long time after None will bee so foolish in outward things So when we are tempted to sinne thinke is it not follie to doe this when the time will come that I shall wish it undone againe with the losse of a world if I had it to giue And begge of God the wisedome of the holy Ghost to judge aright of things the eye salve of the Spirit of God to discerne of things that differ to judge spirituall riches to be best and spirituall nobilitie and excellencie to be best and to judge of sinfull courses to be base how ever otherwise gainfull let us labour for grace The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome those that doe not feare the Lord they haue no wisedome And passe not for the vaine censures of wicked men thou art hindred from the practise of religious duties and from a conscionable course of life why Perhaps thou shalt be accounted a foole by whom By those that are fooles indeed in the judgement of him who is wisedome indeed God himselfe who would care to be accounted a foole of a foole We see the scripture judgeth wicked men here to be fooles Wee must not extend it only to wicked men but euen likewise Gods children when they yeeld to their corruptions and passions they are foolish for the time in Psa. 38.5 My wounds stinke and are corrupt because of my foolishnesse and in Psa. 73. So foolish was I and ignorant c. Therefore when any base thought of Gods providence comes in our mind or any temptation to sin let us thinke it folly and when we are overtaken with any sin let us be-foole our selues and judge it as God doth to bee foolishnesse this is the ground and foundation of repentance So much for the quality of the person here described Fooles I come to the Cause Because of their transgressions and because of their iniquities Transgression especially hath reference to rebellion against God and his ordinances in the first table Iniquity hath reference to the breach of the second table against men and both these have their rise from folly for want of wisedome causeth rebellion against God and iniquity against men all breaches of Gods will come from spirituall folly Why doth hee begin with transgressions against the first table and then iniquities the breach of the second Because all breaches of the second table issue from the breach of the first a man is never vniust to his neighbours that doth not rebell against Gods will in the first table and the foundation of obedience dutie to man it riseth from mans obedience to God Therefore the second table is like the first that is our loue to our neighbour is like to our loue of God not only like it but it springs from it for all comes from the loue of God therfore the first command of the first table runs through all the Commandements Thou shalt honour God and honour man because we honour God A man never denies obedience to his superiour to the magistrate c. but he denies it to God first a man never wrongs man but he disobeys God first Therefore the Apostles lay the duties of the second table in the Scriptures vpon the first Saint Paul alway begins his Epistles with the duties to God and religion and when he
malice David thought this a favour even that God would single him out to punish him with the Plague of pestilence that he might not fal before his enemies The mercies of God are wondrous great when we fall into his hands hee is a mercifull God hee hath tender bowels fuâ—ll of pitty and compassion but The very mercies of wicked Idolaters are cruell there was a mercie therefore in that that God would take us into his owne hands In the third place we see when he had taken us into his own hands how he hath stopped the raging of the pestilence and hath inhibited the destroying Angell even in a wondrous manner that the Plague when it was so raging that it should come to decrease upon a sudden God was wondrous in this worke is not here matter of praise Then againe it is a mercy to us all here that he should give us our lives for a prey as God saiâ—h in Ieremiah to Baruch Wheresoever thou goest thou shalt have thy life for a prey might not Gods arrow have followed us wheresoever wee went Whither can a man goe from this arrow but that God being every where might smite him with the pestilence now in that hee hath watched over us and kept us from this noysome contagious sicknes and hath brought us altogether here quietly and freely that so there may bee entercourse betweene man and man in trading and other callings this is the fourth ground of praysing of God And that it did not rage in other parts in former time God scattered the pestilence more ouer the kingdome It is a great matter to blesse God for I beseech you let us say with the same spirit as this holy man hâ—re Oh that men therefore would prayse the Lord for his goodnes and for the wonders that he doth for the children of men For his goodnesse that hee would rather correct us here then damne us for his goodnesse that hee would not giue us up to our enemies For his goodnesse that he stayd the infection so suddenly and that he stayd the spreading of it further For his goodnesse vnto us in particular that hee hath kept us all safe What shall wee doe now but consecrate and dedicate these liues of ours for he giues us our liues more then once at the beginning there is neuer a one heere but can say by experience GOD hath given me my life at such a time and such a time let us give these lives againe to God labour to reforme our former courses and enter into a new covenant with God this is one part of thanksgiving to renew our covenant with God to please him better and indeed in every thanksgiving that should bee one ingredient Now Lord I intend and resolue to please thee better whatsoeuer my faults haue formerly beene I resolue by thy grace and assistance to breake them off without this all the other is but a dead performance Now breifly by way of analogie and proportion to rayse some meditations from that that hath hath beene delivered concerning the body to the soule for God is the Physitian both to soule and body If God with his word can heale our bodies as the Psalmist sayth here much more can hee with his word heale our Soule There are many that their bodies are well thanks be to God but how is it with their soules here you haue some symptomes to know their spirituall state and oh that people were apprehensiue of it haue you not many that their soule loatheth all manner of meate and they draw neere the gates of death their soules are in a desperate state they are deeply sick how shall wee know it their soule abhorreth all manner of wholsome meate how many are there that relish Poets and history any trifle that doth but feed their vaine fancie and yet cannot relish the blessed truth and ordinances of God Where is spirituall life when this spirituall sence is gone when men cannot relish holy things if they relish the ordinance of God it is not the spirituall part of it so farre as the spirit toucheth the conscience but something that it may be is sutable to their conceit expressions or phrases or the like but it is a symptom and signe of a fearefull declining state when men doe not relish the spirituall ordinances of God which should be as it were their appointed food when they doe not delight to acquaint themselues with God in hearing of the word and reading and the like let such therefore as delight not in spirituall things know that their soules lye gasping they are at the gates of spirituall death all is not well there is some fearfull obstruction upon the soule that takes away the appetite the soule runnes into the world ouermuch they cloy themselues with the world when men caÌ„not relish heavenly things they are eate vp with the delight and joy of other things pleasures and profits Let them search the cause and labour for purging sharpe things that may procure an appetite Let them judge themselues and see what is the matter that they doe not delight more in heauenly things let them purge themselues by confession to God and consideration of their sins and labour to recover their appetite for it is almost a desperate estate They are at the gates of death Especially now when we come to the communion what doe we heere if we cannot relish the food of our soules let us examine if we desire to tast the loue of God and to be acquainted with God here if not What shall wee doe in these spirituall distempers Desire of God cry to God that he would forgiue our sinnes and heale our soules by his holy Spirit that hee would make us more spirituall to relish heavenly things better then we haue done before that as the things that are heauenly are better in their kind then other things are so they may be better to our tast A man may know the judgement of his state when hee answereth not the difference of things what the difference is between the food of life and ordinary food what the difference is between the comforts of the holy Ghost and other comforts betweene the riches and pelfe of the world and the riches of the spirit the graces of God that will cause a man to liue and die with comfort the true riches that make the soule rich to eternity there is no comparison beg of God this spiâ—ituall relish to discerne of things that differ that we may recouer our appetite God by his word and spirit can doe it not only the word written but the in ward spirituall word written in our hearts desire God to joyne his spirit with his word and sacraments and that will recover our tast and make us spirituall that we shall relish him that is both the feast-maker and the feast it selfe he is both the meat and the provider of the banquet For whence is it that all other things are