and Comfort to poor fainting desponding Souls Esa 50.4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary c. The Spirit of God by Solomon tells us that a word fitly spoken is like Apples of gold in Pictures of silver Prov. 25.11 Here we are to understand that a word in due time and place and pertinent to the purpose As beyond all dispute it is Amiable and Ravishing to the Eye to behold so orient and dazling a sight as Apples of Gold drawn to the Life in Pictures of Silver So undoubtedly a word of Counsel and Comfort brought Home to the Conscience of a doubting wounded Sinner ravisheth and gladdeth the broken Heart As cold water to a thirsty Soul so is good news from a far Country Prov. 25 25. When the word suited to a poor tempted Souls Distress is brought home in the nick of time as we say Oh! how sweet is it then Thirdly A third thing which bespeaks the Word of Christ sweet to a real Believer is the Holy Ghost his Efficiency and quickening Power accompanying the same what we say of corporal Bread Rayment Physick Drink c. what can they avail to comfort and nourish the Body without the Spirit of God bless and sanctifie their use to the end for which they are appointed The same may be truly said of the Word and Sacraments c. what can they avail for the Souls good if the Efficiency and quickning Influence of the Spirit of God go not along with their use It is for want of this quickening Virtue of the Spirit of God that so many Sermons are Preached and so few sinners really Converted It is for want of this quickning Efficacy of the Spirit that so many Ordinances of Religion are attended and enjoy'd by thousands of Professors without any sensible or visible Growth in Grace The Word of God is like a well made Knife or Razor tho' never so keen and sharp yet without a living Agent they can neither Cut nor Shave So the Word of God neither the Law can awaken convince or wound the Conscience for sin Nor yet the Gospel Heal or Comfort a Soul in Distress without the Energy and quickening Efficacy of the Spirit of God There are two sorts of People who hereby appear to be in a woful Condition First such as frequently hear and read the Word Receive Sacraments and go the Round in all external Acts of Religious Duties and yet without any motion of spiritual Life from the Spirit of God in their Souls These are like blind Horses in a Mill going round all day long alway treading in the same Tract not seeing or considering where they are or what they are doing These keep to the Form in a Customary way but heed not the inward Power which is that which renders all Acts of Religious Worship both pleasing and acceptable to God and which proves the Soul to be in Reality a living Member of Christ's Mystical Body Esa 29.13 2 Tim. 3.5 Rev. 3.17 Secondly There be others who in pretence of internal Motion and Power in the Soul from the Spirit who to avoid the Damning Formality of the others now mention'd will not only neglect but even slight the Word and Ordinances reflecting on the Word as a dead Letter and the Holy Institutions of Christ in his Churches as carnal poor empty and beggarly Elements Some of these are Seekers in plain English Quakers who are always learning But never come to the knowledge of the Truth 2 Tim. 3.6.7 Others are super-ordinanced who have gotten above all ordinary Means These in their own Conceits at least are so near Perfection that they need not the use of outward Ordinances These are gotten in outward Shew and Profession above Ordinances but never yet were they acquainted with true Piety Both these sorts are under the powerful working of an Infernal Spirit of Delusion which feeds their Souls with Chymerical Whimsies and Enthusiastical Dreams instead of the Doctrin which is according to Godliness These wretched Extreams are to be carefully shunn'd and avoided as the as the Paths which lead to Hell and Eternal Ruin The sure way hereto is to keep within sight and hearing of the Shepherds Tents Cant. 1.8 Beâ—are of false Teachers and avoid the Doctrin which hath not God's Word for its Foundation Esa 8.20 In hearing and reading and all other Ordinances of Religious Worship see that the outward Form and the inward Power be not separated Those things which God hath joyned together must not be put asunder Esa 59.21 Mat. 19.6 That great Man Augustin us'd to call the Word of God Creating Words Verba Divâ—na saith he sunt verba creativa And that on the account of the quickening Energy and Power that goes along with them This is a Truth which hath been acknowledged â—s well by Enemies as by Friends to the Truth Jo. 7.46 The Officers answered never Man spake like this Man Luke 24.32 And they said one to another did not our Hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the Scriptures He that brags of the Word of God and is a Stranger to the Power thereof in his own Soul he is an hypocritical Formalist He who boasts of the Power of the Spirit within and holds not the Form of sound Words indited by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost to be a Rule of Faith and Holy Life he is a deluded Enthusiast From both these Extreams the Care and Faithfulness of the Great Shepherd will keep all who are given him by the Father Thirdly The Works of Christ are all sweet to the true Believer By Works here I intend the Works of his Mediatorial Undertaking Among the gods there is none like unto thee O Lord neither are there any works like unto thy Works Psal 86.8 Besides the Works of Creation and Providence which are common to the whole Trinity there are Works which are Peculiar to Christ as Mediator I will reduce them to six Heads First His Work of Incarnation or his Assuming the Human Nature into Unity with his Sacred Godhead This is the Mystery of all other Mysteries and of this the Temple and Tabernacle of old were shadowy Types To this Mystery that in Prov 8.31 had reference even before Christ came in the Flesh yea before the Birth of Time it self if I may so speak rejoycing in the habitable Parts of his Earth c. The then intended Union between the Godhead and our Flesh is in that Scripture pointed at and this is chiefly intended by John Jo. 1.14 And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us c. And by Paul in 1 Tim. 3. last And without controversie great is the Mystery of Godliness God was manifested in the flesh c. There are three things especially which bespeak the Incarnation of Christ to be sweet and delightful to the true Believer
not doubting but that the Spirit of Christ which made it so delightful and ravishing to themselves would make it the same to other Believers if once Printed At their earnest Request I did make a Promise of Publishing the same when I found my self thereunto Encouraged by Providence All the Harm I wish thee kind and charitable Reader is that the Spirit of Truth who Inspir'd Solomon the Penman of that Glorious Mystery handled in this short Treatise may graâ—iously vouchsafe unto thee such a measure of the Anointing from above as may Render thee capable of understanding and applying thy self by Faith the things held forth and contain'd in it that so thou may'st Experimentally come to taste and feel the sweet Joy and Delight wherewith the unworthy Author met in Studying and Preaching the same And wherewith those godly Believers who heard it Preacht did meet at whose Importunity I have now Publisht the same for the publick Good If thou findest any Comfort and Soul Advantage by reading it let it be a Motive to stir thee up to joyn with me in heartily requesting the more Learned and Experienced of the Bridegrooms Friends and faithful Ambassadors to supply my great Deficiency and shortness in setting forth the Commendation of this Incomparably Excellent Appletree in whose Shadow and Fruit consists the very Life and the Ail of all true Believers both here and hereafter If it happens thou think me too sharp and too bâ—ld in handling the Papist the Quaker and Arminians c. In this Treatise I heartily desire thee to consider but two things for preventing Prejudice in thy Spirit either against the Truth herein discover'd or against the Instrument by whom the Providence of God sees fit to make the Discovery to thee First The apparent Disparagement which the Principles and Practises of the above mention'd Hereticks put upon the â—hurches Appletree in that they hold and teach that Christs Righteousness alone is not sufficient to justifie a Sinner at the Bar of God without the Sinners Qualifications as concauses with Christs Righteousness in Justification This is a disparagment to Christ the Churches Appletree which the God of Love and Patience himself cannot bear Deut. 18.18 Jo. 5.23 And should not I herein Patrizare that is Imitate my Father in decrying and condemning such a Christ debasing and Soul damning Principle I should not by being silent herein evidence my self to be the Adopted Son of God Secondly Boldness for God and Zeal for the Honour of his Son are some of those blessed Effects which the Shadow and Fruits of the Appletree produce in all true Believers who sit under the shadow and feed on the Fruit of the Churches Appletree Acts 4.13 Gal. 4.18 To convince any hereof who question the Truth of what I now assert Let such but once get saving Acquaintance with this Appletree by sitting under its comfortable and delightful shadow in time of the most raging Storms they meet with and by feeding believingly on its Fruit And in case they become not bold and zealous for God and Christ I shall be willing to bear the ignominious Brand or Character of a false Prophet Acquaint now thy self with him and be at Peace thereby God shall come unto thee Job 22.21 O taste and see that the Lord is goodâ— blessed is the Man that trusteth in him Psal 34.8 Sermon I. Cant. 2.3 As the Appletree among the Trees of the Wood so is my Beloved among the Sons I sat down under his Shadow with great Delight and his Fruit was sweet to my taste AMong all the Metaphors whereby the Wisdom of God hath seen sit to set forth the Excellency and Commodiousness of Christ his Son as he is design'd for the Happiness and Comfort of poor elected Sinners None so sets him forth to the life as this of the Appletree as will most plainly appear by two things First By explaining or unfolding the Sense and Meaning of the Spirit of God in this Allegory or Metaphor Secondly By a due and scriptural Application of the same to the Souls of poor weak tempted Believers for the Relief and Comfort of whom the same is left upon Record I begin with the first viz. to Explain and unfold the Sense and Meaning of the Spirit of God in this Allegory or Metaphor The design of the Spirit of God in this Allegory is I humbly conceive to set forth the incomparable and transcendent Excellency of Jesus Christ above all other of Adams Children and that on a twofold Account First On the Account of what he is in himself Secondly On the Account of the great Work he is design'd and call'd to by his Father First On the Account of what Christ is in himself he far and unspeakably transcends all the Children of Adam so witnesseth the Spirit of God concerning him Psal 45.2 Thou art fairer than the Chlidren of Men Grace is poured into thy Lips therefore God hath Blessed thee for ever To this also witnesseth the Church of God the true Spouse of Christ which is acted and guided by the Spirit of God Cant. 5.10 My Beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest among ten thousand and ver 16. His mouth is most sweet yea he is altogether lovely This transcendent Excellency of Christ in himself on which account he Excells all the Children of Adam is to be considered with respect to two things First In respect of his Godhead as Christ is God he is blest with an uncreated essential Excellency above all Created Beings from whom as such all created and communicated Excellency in Angels and Saints flows and springs Zach. 13.7 Jo. 17.5 Phil. 2.9 Heb. 1.3 Secondly In respect of his Humanity Christ is transcendently more Excellent than all the Children of Adam and that on a twofold Account First On the account of the Spotless Purity and perfect Integrity of his Human Nature whereby a Foundation was laid for uniting the elect World to God in a Bond of an Everlasting Union Had not the Humanity of Christ been spotless and free from all Stain of sin it could not possibly have been capable of Union with thâ— Divine Being Psal 5.4 Mal. 1.13 2 Cor. 5.21 It is on this Account that Christ is stil'd the Lamb of God Jo. 1.36 John speaks with Allusion to the Pascal Lamb under the Law which was to be a Lamb without Spot or Blemish Exod. 12.5 To this also alludes the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 1.19 But with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without Blemish and without Spot The sinless Purity of his Human Nature and the exact Conformity of all his Human Actions to the demand of Gods Law are here intended Secondly On the Account of the extraordinary Anointing of the Spirit poured out on the Humanity of Christ to sit and meeten him for the great Work of Mediation between God and elect Sinners Of this Christ himself gives an Account by the Evangelical Prophet Esa 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me
Luke 2.24 compared with Lev. 12.8 I marvel which of all the wise Men or the Professors of this Age would freely make such a Choice for themselves or theirs Christ had regard to the Promise not to Riches or Honours Fourthly His taking on him the form of a Servant Psal 40.6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire mine Ears thou diggedst thorow David personating Christ speaks with Allusion to to Exod 21.6 where the Law for Servants is set down that Ceremony of Boring the Servants Ear thorow with an Aull did prefigure Christs perpetual Servitude to his Father until he should finish the Work he had undertaken to go thorow with Jo. 17.4 I have glorified thee on the earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do Phil. 2.7 And made himself of no Reputation and took upon him the form of a Servant c. Fifthly The Objects of his Choice whom he loves and delights in viz. the poor and despised ones of the World The design of the Scriptures now quoted is not to assure us that all poor ones in this World are to be Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven or that all who are richly or nobly born after the Flesh shall die damned But the design is to shew that very few comparatively of the rich and noble of this World are saved Worldly greatness and saving Grace very rarely meet together in the same Person when they do none on Earth prove more lowly minded and abundant in Love to and Zeal for God than such Ja. 1.9 10. Let the Brother of low degree rejoyce in that he is made high But the rich in that he is made low c. A second thing in the Appletree which Allegorically sets forth the Excellency and Usefulness of Christ to the Elect is its spreading and shadowy Nature As the Appletree is of singular Use and Advantage to Human Bodies to shelter them from Storms and Showers so the Lord Jesus spiritually fled or run to by Faith is useful and advantagious to the Souls of Gods Elect in time of spiritual Storms Christ is set forth in Scripture as the only Shadow of Security to the Children of God in time of all their Distress and Tribulations Esa 4.6 And there shall be a Tabernacle for a Shadow in the day time from the heat and for a place of refuge and for a Covert from storms and from rain Esa 25.4 Thou hast been a strength to the poor a strength to the needy in his distress a refuge from the storm a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible ones is as a blast against the wall The Prophesies now mentioned are to be understood of and apply'd to Christ and the Elect and none else Christ is a Shadow to them and to none else and none in Earth or Heaven can secure them from the dreadful Storms they meet with but he and none besides him The doctrinal Observation which Naturally Results from the former part of the Text is That Christ the Son of God Allegorically set forth by the Apple-Tree is a shadow of Protection to the weakest Believer let what storms will come on him in this World Or thus in the most distressed and deplorable Case and Condition a Believer can Possibly be in in respect of Sin and Misery He is for ever secur'd from perishing being found under the shadow of Christ's Protection Besides the words of the Text that in Esa 25.4 is a full and convincing Proof of the Observation now laid down To which many other Scriptures may be added out of both the Old Testament and the New But omitting many Quotations I shall proceed to a more clear and convincing Demonstration of the truth of Doctrine now Asserted And that by an Enumeration of the several particular Storms wherewith the weak Believer must look and expect to meet before he Arrives at Heaven And out of all which Christ will most certainly deliver him There are six sharp and dreadful Storms wherewith Gods Elect meet be ween the Cradle and the Crown in Glory from all which the shadow of Christ's Mediatorship covers and secures them for ever First The storm of the Laws damnatory Sentence which thunders out Curses and eternal Death on all Adams Children none excepted Rom. 3.19 Now we know that what things the Law saith it saith to them that are under the Law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God Gal. 4.10 For as many as are of the works of the Law they are under the Curse for it is written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Law to do them Here 's a Storm which is like the Avenger of Blood under the Law it will never be laid till the awakened convinced Sinner be either in Hell or shelter'd under the shadow of Christ's mediatorial Satisfaction given to off nded Justice for the sinners of God's Elect From this Storm none can secure but the Lord Jesus Jo. 8.36 If the Son therefore shall make you free ye shall be free indeed Rom. 10 4. For Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth When the elect sinner flies for Refuge to the shadow of Christ's mediatorial Satisfaction from the terrifying sentence of the Laws Malediction and Curse the Law sounds a Retreat It ceaseth to pursue the sinner or to threaten him any more with Damnation As the Avenger of Blood was not to follow the Man-slayer into the City of Refuge so neither will the Law pursue with Curse and Vengeance the believing sinner who hath gotten under Christs shadow Secondly The bitter Agonies of a wounded Conscience when the Laws Terror reaches the Soul and like fire drinks up the very Spirit of a poor sinner so that he knows not which to go or what to do for Ease and Healing Oh! who but Christ's mediatorial shadow can shelter such a wounded Soul It is marvellous to think what various and pitiful shifts the bewildered sinner makes to shelter himself from this storm and to lick the Wound whole which the killing Terrour of the Law hath given the Soul and Conscience within The distressed sinner lying bound in the Laws Prison and ready every moment to sink into final Desperation under the insupportable burden of its own Guilt according to that in Pro. 18.14 But a wounded Spirit who can bear of this Job seems to complain most bitterly Job 6.4 The Arrows of the Almighty are within me the Poyson whereof drinketh up my Spirit the Terrors of God do set themselves in array against me He is filled with perplexing Thoughts what he had best to do in this sad and deplorable Condition Do and live being the Principal derived from the first Adam to the Trade of working he goes thinking and hoping with his Father Adam to hide and cover from the Eye of God's All-seeing Knowledge his spiritual Nakedness and Deformity with the Fig-leaves of his
are intended the Personal Graces of the Lord Jesus Christ these are all sweet and delightful to a real Believer and they are said to be so on a threefold Account First On the Account of the Purchase which the due and full Improvement of those Graces in him hath made for God's Elect. Hence those Expressions of the Apostle Acts 20.28 To feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own Blood Ephes 1.14 Which is the earnest of our Inheritance until the Redemption of the purchased Possession to the Praise of his Glory That Stock of Grace put into the first Adams Hand to be improved for himself and us his Posterity was lost and thereby both he and we in him are become meer Bankrupts uncapable of ever paying to Justice a Ransom for our own Redemption But the Stock of Grace wherewith the second Adam was Intrusted for God's Elect it was improv'd to the uttermost for the everlasting Advantage of God's chosen Here by Christ hath purchased for the Elect Justification Sanctification and all other Good spiritual and temporal Secondly The personal Graces of Christ are sweet and delightful to the real Believer on the Account of their being both the Original from which the Graces of the Believers receive their first Rise and their After Nourishment Christ's Fulness is the Fountain the Graces in Believers are the Streams or Springs which flow therefrom Hence we have that Expression of the true Church of real Believers Psal 87. last verse All my springs are in thee From this Christ assures all Believers of the Infallible Certainty of their Eternal Salvation Jo. 14.19 Because I live ye shall live also Jo. 15.4 Abide in me and I in you as the Branches cannot bear Fruit except they abide in the Vine no more can you except ye abide in me Thirdly The Imputation of the Perfection of Christ's Graces to the Believer is that which renders both the Believers weak Graces and all his Imperfect Performances acceptable and pleasing to God They who question or oppose this will find it a hard task to shew in what other Sense the Scriptures following are to be taken Ephes 1.6 To the praise of the glory of his Grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved Rev. 8.3 And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer and there was given unto him much Incense that he should offer it with the Prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which is before the Throne The highest and most refined Acts of Sanctification in Believers even those Acts which come nearest to that sinless Perfection which is every Believers Duty to strive after they are imperfect and therefore stand in need of the spotless Sanctification of the Mediator to recommend them to God Pertinent to the purpose in hand is that of Augustin Domine lavas lachrymas meas O Lord wash thou my Tears of Repentance Vnto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own Blood Rev. 1.5 And have washed their Robes and have made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. Rev. 7.14 Secondly By the Fruit of Christ we are to understand his Word this is the meaning of the Spouse in Cant. 5. last verse His mouth is most sweet yea he is altogether lovely Here the Words of Christ are Synechdochically intended by which the Love and Grace of God to sinners Elect and chosen in Christ is revealed in the Gospel and made sensibly manifest in the Conscience of true Believers by the Holy Ghost with this accords that of the Psalmist How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter than hony to my mouth Psal Three things there be which bespeaks the Words of Christ sweet and delightful to a real Believer First The Suitableness of them to a Believers necessitous Condition What is it which bespeaks the Gospel of Christ to be so sweet and preferrable before the Law but the Suitableness thereof to poor distressed sinking Souls the Doctrin thereof being a System of sweet and precious Promises suited to every Condition Believers can be in in this Life According to 2 Cor. 1.20 For all the Promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen to the Glory of God by us And 2 Pet. 1.4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these ye may be made partakers of the Divine Nature The Suitableness then of the Words of Christ's Mouth is one thing which bespeaks them sweet and delightful to a real Believer what is or can be more suitable to a Creature who is dying of the Wounds given him by sin than the glad Tidings and Discovery of a Saviour who is both Able and Willing to save and reconcile him to God The Spirit of the Lord saith Christ is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted to preach Deliverance to the Captives and recovering of Sight to the blind to set at Liberty them that are bruised Luke 4.18 What makes bodily Medicaments or Plasters so valu'd and desirable but their Suitableness to the Distemper or Ailment of the Body A Promise of the Everlasting Covenant of God's Grace suited to the afflicted tempted and despairing Condition of a poor Sinner It is like Physick or a Plaster suited to the Body When the poor sinner inwardly feels through the powerful Influence of the Holy Ghost the healing Virtue of the Promise Oh! how sweet and comfortable is such a Promise to that Soul I will never forget thy Precepts saith Holy David for with them thou hast quickned me Psal 119.93 Every experienced Believer can more or less tell how surpassing all other words the Words of Christ are and that on the account of their Suitableness to the necessitous and streightened Condition they have been in Hence the Commendations given by real experienc'd Believers to the Word of Christ above all other Writings and Sayings whatever I was saith one experienc'd Believer to another in such and such a Streight and the Spirit of Grace brought such and such a word of Promise to my Mind and Thoughts and thereby reliev'd and comforted my drooping pensive Spirit And saith another I was so and so tempted in such a place at such a time even to a bordering on the very Verge or Precipice of Desparation and Ruin And when I concluded my self past all Hope of escaping the Blessed Spirit brought to my Remembrance such and such a Promise which was every way suited to the tempted Condition I was in and thereby my Spirit was stayed and holpen Oh! how blessed a Priviledge are those Souls blessed with who can speak these things experimentally Secondly The Words of Christ are sweet to a real Believer on the account of the Seasonableness of them This was one of the needful Qualifications which was to be in Christ to make him a compleat high Priest viz. to know how to time Deliverance
taken you but such as is common to Man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able to bear 1 Cor. 10.12 To which I will only add Wherefore he is able also to save them to the utmost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them Heb. 7.25 And can any Fruit be sweeter than this to a poor Distressed Tempted and Despairing Soul Fourthly By the Intercession of Christ the Peace and Reconciliation procured by his Meritorions Sacrifice is kept up and conâ—inuâ—d for ever For unto us a Child is Born unto us a Son is Given and the Government shall be upon his Shoulders c Esa 9.6 The keeping up and continuing the Peace between God and the Elect as necessary as the first Procurement of it As by the Meritorious Virtue of his Sacrifice he hath procur'd Peace with God for the Elect so by the renewing Efficacy of his Spirit in the Souls of Believers and his prevailing Intercession in Heaven for them he continues and keeps up that Peace Psal 37.23 24. Jer. 32.40 Rev. 8.3 4. Fifthly The Intercession of Christ in Heaven is the cause of Application of all the Good spiritual and bodily which Believers receive at the Hands of God As the Procurement of all Good for the Elect depends on Christs Sacrifice so the Actual Application thereof to them depends on his Intercession And whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name that will I do that the Father may be Glorified in the Son If ye ask any thing in my Name I will do it Jo. 14.13.14 In the sixth place to add no more The Intercession of Christ with his Father in Behalf of the Elect is not a matter of precarious Entreaty but of Justice and Equity wherein he cannot be put off He intercedes for no Favour or Mercy but what he first paid 〈◊〉 price for on the Behalf of his Elect and therefore it must not be thought a matter of meer Entreaty but of Equity and Justice for God to 〈◊〉 to Believers what they ask in Christ's Name To what hath been observ'd concerning those six several sorts of Works which are Peculiar to Christ as Mediator between God and Sinners I will add one more and it is his Providential Work of Gubernation or Ruling the World and that as all the rest of his Works is most sweet to the true Believer That the Government of the World is in a way of Recompence committed by the Father to Christ is plain by his own Declaration thereof to his Apostles All Power is given to me in Heaven and in Earth c. Mat. 28.18 The same witnesseth Paul And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be Head over all things to the Church Ephes 1.22 The same also Apostle to the Philippians saith Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a Name which is above every Name That in the name of Jesus every Knee should Bow both of things in Heaven and things on Earth and things under the Earth Phil. 2.10 That the Works of Providence are also sweet to the true Believer seven things will make it Appear First God's King who Rules the Providential Kingdom here on Earth he is also the Believers King That Christ is God the Fathers King is plain and evident from the Scriptures above-mentioned to which may be added Psal 2.6 Yet have I set my King upon my Holy Hill of Zion From these Scriptures it is plain that God hath committed the Government of all things in his Providential Kingdom to Christ his Son to be improv'd for the Good and Advantage of God's Elect. The Prospect which Balaam had hereof put him on declaring the Victoriousness and Felicity of the People of God above all other People on Earth The Lord his God saith he of Israel is with him and the Shout of a King is among them Numb 23.21 That Christ is the Believers King is evident from the Scriptures following Esa 33.22 For the Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King he will save us Rev. 15.3 And they sang the Song of Moses the Servant of God and the Song of the Lamb saying great and marvellous are thy Works Lord God Almighty Just and True are thy Ways thou King of Saints Of Kings it is said Regum est parcere Subjectis debellare superbos It is the Part or Property of Kings to deal gently with these who submit readily to their Rightful Authority but to subdue and vanquish their Enemies who submit not to the Yoke of Duty This Property of a King will be found to be in God's and the Believers King above all the Crowned Heads that ever breath'd on Earth For as Christ is God the Father's King to Sway the Scepter of his pardoning Mercy and Gospel Grace in the Hearts and Lives of the Elect who in effectual Calling are made his willing Subjects He will by his Almighty Power defend and save them from all adverse Powers which seek to spoil and ruin them He will not only defend and protect them from all Enemies and Dangers but he will carry it gently and tenderly towards them under all their Weaknesses and Infirmities But towards the wicked who refuse and reject his Yoke he will vanquish and subdue them Not by the Scepter of his special Grace as he deals with God's Elect But wiht that Iron Rod which the Father hath put into his Hand for this very end He will break them to pieces Psal 2.9 But those mine Enemies which would not that I should Reign over them bring them hither and slay them before me Luke 19.27 This is undoubtedly a high Priviledge and Mercy wherewith God's Chosen are Eternally Blest above the rest of the Race of Adam to be under the commanding Power and Everlasting successful Conduct of such a King The Damned in Hell would give ten thousand Worlds if they had them at command to be under the Conduct of this King But for their opposing and despising this precious and sweet Redeemer they are judicially given up to the Tyranny of such a King as knows no Mercy who instead of saving will continue to torment and destroy Rev. 9.11 This Lord Jesus He and He alone excluding all others is the Head and King over the Church of God's Elect. None will claim such a Priviledge but the Man of Sin and such as are akin to his Antichristian Hierarchy Christ is to the Church of the Living God a Head of saving Influence as well as a Head of Commanding and Protecting Power which none in Heaven or Earth can pretend to without borrid Blasphemy Were this very Point but rightly understood and by Faith apply'd as it should it would make the weakest Believer in England as bold as a Lyon in the ways of his Holy Profession But for want of this even Ministers themselves shamefully Cowardize when Christs Enemies appear Rampant Secondly There