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
he lets it goe on till the Physicke have wrought well carried away the malignant matter that he may be the better for it and that hee is a loving and tender Physitian yet so God when we are in trouble it is as Physick we cry but God he turnes the glasse as the Physitians doe nay this time shall be expired it shall work so long till thy pride be taken away thou shalt be humbled throughly till thou be weaned from thy former wicked pleasures till thou be prepared to receiue further blessings therefore they crie and crie and God deferres to heare the voyce of his children in the meane time he loues to heare the cry of his children and their prayer is as sweet incense yet he deferres stil but all is for the patients good be not weary of waiting it is a great mercy that Hee makes thee able to continue crying that thou hast the spirit of Prayer that thou canst poure out thy soule to God it is a great mercy and so account of it Perhaps thou hast not cast out thy Ionas thy Achan that there is some particular sinne vnrepented of and thou cryest and cryest but thy sinne cries louder thy pride or thy oppression cries thy wicked course cries thou cryest unto God and there is another thing cries in thee that cries vengeance as thou doest for mercie therefore search out thy Achan cast out thy beloued sinne see if thou regard iniquity in thy heart if thou regard any pleasing or profitable or gainfull sin and never thinke that God will heare thee till that bee out for it will out-cry thy prayers The next thing is the manner of Gods cure Hee sent his word and healed them WHAT word His secret commaund his will Let such a thing be as in the creation Let there bee light c. Besides his word written there is his word creating and preserving things created and so here restoring them that were sicke Hee sent his word and healed them and so at the resurrection his Word his voyce shall raise our bodies againe It is a strange manner of cure for GOD to cure by his word by his commaund It shewes that GOD hath an universall commaund of all things in the world in heaven and earth over divells and over sicknesses as it is said in the Gospell Hee rebuked the sicknesses Hee can rebuke the agues the plague and the pestilence and they shall bee gone by his word as the Centurion sayd I am a man that have servants under mee and I say to one come and hee commeth and to another goe and he goeth so thou hast all things under thee thou art GOD and if Thou say to a disease Come it commeth if Thou say goe it goeth GOD sent his word of command and healed them It is but a word of God to heale but a word of God to strike Hee is the Lord of Hostes If Hee doe but hisse as the Prophet saith for the flie of Egypt If Hee doe but call for an Enemie they come at his word as wee see in Pharaohs plagues the Flies and Frogs all things obey his word There is a sâ—cret obedience in all things to God when his will is that they shall doe this or that why doth the Sea keepe his bounds when as the nature and position of the Sea is to bee above the earth It is the command of GOD that hath sayd Let it bee there and hither shall thy proud waues goe and no further I might give many instances how GOD doth all by his word The Divells are at his word the whales the Sea when Christ rebukes it obeyes It should teach us not to displease this GOD that can strike us in the middest of our sinnes even with a word Let us feare this GOD put case we had no enemie in the world God can arme a mans humours against him he can raise the spirit and soule against it selfe and make it fight against it selfe by desperate thoughts hee needed not forreine forces for Achitophel and Saul he could arme their owne soules against themselves And when hee will take downe the greatest Gyant in the world he needs not forreine forces it is but working of a disease but giving way to a humour but inflaming the spirits and the soule shall abhorre all manner of meat Againe he gives a command a rebuke and they are gone presently therefore let us not offend this great God that is commander of heaven and earth let us labour to please him and it is no matter who else wee displease for hee hath all things at his command even the hearts of kings as the rivers of water when Esau sought for Iacob to hurt him there was a secret command God set upon him to love him therefore we should feare him and all other things shall feare us we need feare nothing so we have a care to feare God further then in God and for God but not so to feare them as to doe evill for them and offend the great God that can with a word command sicknesse to come or bid it be gone Againe in that God when all second causes faile can heale by his word therefore let us never bee discouraged from praying though wee see a hurly-burly and tumult in the Church though we see all Europe in combustion and the Church driven into a narrow corner let us not give over prayer for Christ that with a word commanded the waves to bee still and the divels to be gone and they presently obeyed him he can still the waves of the Church hee can pt a hooke into the nostrils of his enemies and draw them which way hee please he can still all with his word therefore howsoever things seeme to run contrary and opposite to our desires yet let us not give over hee that sees no ground of hope in carnall fleshly reason let him despaire of nothing despaire shuts the gate and doore of mercy and hope as it were you see here when all meanes faile when they were at the very gates and entrie of death God fetcheth them backe againe how with physick no hee is not tyed to physicke there is difference betweene God and betweene nature and art nature and art can doe nothing without meanes but the God of nature and art can doe it with his word How made hee this heaven and earth this glorious fabrick with his word Let there be light and there was light c. And how shall hee restore all againe with his mightie commanding word how doth hee preserve things by his word how are things multiplyed by his word increase and multiplie a word of blessing he doth all things with his word So hee can confound his enemies with a word Nay Christ in his greatest abasement when they came with â—taves and armes to take him Whom seeke ye Saith hee that word struck downe all the Officers of the Scribes and Pharisees they fell flat on the ground
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
of the largenesse of his heart he expresseth the same thing in many words therefore I shall not need to make any scruple in particularizing of them because there is not so much heed to bee given in the expressions of a large heart as to be punctuall in every thing First he begins with prayse Oh tâ—at men would therefore praise the Lord c. It is a duty as I said before fit for Angels fit nay it is performed by them For it is all the worke they doe it is the onely worke that was religious that Adam did in Paradise and that we shall doe in heaven with God therefore we are never more in Heaven then when we take all occasions of blessing and praising God wee are never in a more happie estate It is a duty therefore we should ayme at and the rather because it is the fruite and end of all other duties whatsoeuer what is the end of all the good we doe but to shew our thankfulnesse to God the end of our fruitfulnesse in our place that others may take occasion to glorifie God What is the end of our hearing To get knowledge and grace that wee may be the better able to prayse God in our mouths and in our lives What is the end of receiving the sacrament nay what is the duty it selfe a thanksgiving what is the end of prayer to begge graces and strength that so we may carry our selues in our places as is fit that so wee may not want those things without which we cannot so well glorifie God so the end of all is to glorifie God It is the end that God intended in all he framed all things to his owne prayse in the creation Why hath God given man reason here upon the stage of the world to behold the creatures Rom. 1. that seeing in the creature the wisedome of God in ordering of things the goodnesse of God in the vse of things and the power of God in the greatnesse of things the huge vast heaven and earth hee might take occasion to glorifie and magnifie this God to thinke highly of him to exalt him in our thoughts that his creatures heaven and earth be so beautifull and excellent what excellencie is in God himselfe And as the end of creation so in redemption all is for his glory and prayse in Ephesians 1. how sweetly doth Saint Paul set forth the end of it To the glory of his rich mercie and grace To bee mercifull to sinners to giue his owne sonne for God to be come man not for man in that estate as Adam was in innocencie but for sinners for God to triumph ouer sin by his infinite mercy here is the glory of his grace shining in the Gospell all is for the glory and prayse of God there And for particular deliverances in Psal. 50. Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me his deliverances of us in the passages of our life is that we may glorifie him by taking notice in imminent dangers of some of his attributes when there is no meanes of deliverance of his power and goodnes c. In Revel 4. The Elders are brought in praysing God for the work of creation and then in the fifth for redemption Thou art worthy for thou hast redeemed vs so indeed the worke of creation redemption and the particular passages of Gods providence and protection and preservation they are matter of prayse in heaven and earth among Gods people Now to name a few helpes and meanes to performe this duty the better If we would stirre up our selues to prayse God let us consider our owne vnworthinesse As in prayer there must be a humble heart for a man will not seeke abroad if hee haue somewhat at home poverty of spirit and humilitie of heart makes a man pray so it is the humble soule that praiseth God that sees no desert in it selfe this is one way to help us to prayse God to see nothing in our selues why God should so regard us as to giue us our lives for a prey to set his loue on us and to follow us with good nay we haue deserved the contrary that God should leave us and expose us to misery rather then to watch over us by his providence what is in vs It is he that hath made vs and not wee our selves he made us again when we were sinners when wee were worse then naught therefore to humble us we must consider our owne vnworthinesse hee that knowes himselfe vnworthy of any favour hee will bee thankfull even for the least as we see in Iacob I am lesse then the least of all thy favours therefore he was thankfull for the least so wee see here in the text these men are stirred vp to prayse God they saw no other helpe no worthinesse in themselues they were at the gates of death in a desperate estate O that such men would praise God indeed such men are fittest to praise God that can ascribe help to nothing but to God to no second causes Therfore in the next place as a branch of the former if we would praise God dwel not on the second causes if God use second causes in any favour he bestowes on vs either in keeping us from any ill or bestowing any good coÌ„sider it as a means that God might dispence with that he might use if he would or not vse See God in the second causes rise from them to him Art thou healed by Physick Use Physicke as a meanes but see God in it but if God hath cured thee without Physick without ordinary meanes then see him more immediatly doing good to thee without the helpe of second causes that is one way to helpe us to prayse God to see him in every favour and deliverance for what could second causes doe if hee should not giue a blessing especially prayse him when he hath immediately done it as he can did not he make light before there was a sunne he is not tyed to giue light by the sunne and hee made waters before hee made the clouds hee is not tied to the clouds therefore especially prayse God when wee haue deliverance we know not how without meanes immediatly from the goodnes and strength of God Againe if wee would praise God for any favour consider the necessitie and vse of the favour wee pray for as these men here they were at Deaths doore and loathed all manner of meate alas they had died if God had not helped them If thou wouldest blesse God consider what a miserable stare thou should be in if thou hadst not that favour to praise God for If thou be to blesse God for thy sences put case thou shouldest want thy sight what a miserable case thou shouldest be in so for any of the sences that a man wants whereby hee should glorifie God and take the comfort of
the Creature put case a man should want his tast as these men here their soule abhorred all manner of meate alas what a miserable case is it to want a relish and tast of the comfort that God hath put into the creatures put case we should want the meanest benefite wee enjoy how uncomfortable would our lives be This sparke of reason that God hath given us that wee have understanding to conceive things which is the engine whereby we doe all things as men and are capable of the grace of God what a miserable thing were it if God should take away our wits or suspend the use of them But especially in matters of grace if God had not sent Christ to redeeme the world what a cursed condition had we lyen in next to Divels Againe if wee would praise God let us every day keepe a Diary of his favours and blessings what good hee doth us privately what positive blessings he bestowes upon vs and what dangers hee frees us from and continues and renewes his mercies every day and publikly what benefit wee have by the state we live in Oh what a happie state is it that we live in peace that wee enjoy such lawes that every man may fit under his owne vine and under his owne figtree and enjoy the comforts of this life when all the world about us are and have beene in combustion We should keepe a Register of Gods blessings Oh that wee could learne to have such exact lives it would breed a world of comfort and wee should have a lesse account to make when wee die Every day labour to be humbled for our sinnes specially such as break the peace of our consciences and never give our bodies rest till our hearts have rest in the favour of God and together with matter of humiliation dayly observe how God bestowes new favours or else continues the old that notwith withstanding our provocation and forgetfulnesse of him hee strives with us by his goodnesse this is a blessed duty that we should labour to performe And then when we have done this let us rouse up all that wee are and all that wee have within us to praise God Psalme 103. My soule praise the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy Name What have wee within us to praise God Let us praise God with our understanding to conceive and have a right judgement of Gods favours of the worthinesse of them and our owne un worthinesse and then a sanctified Memory forget not all his benefites forgetfulnesse is the grave of Gods blessings it buries all And then there is in us the affection of joy and love to God to tast him largely and then all within us will be large in the praising of God And our tongue likewise though that be not within us it is called our glory let us make it our glory in this to Trumpet our Gods praise upon all occasions all that is within us and all that we are or have or can do let it be all to the glory and praise of God To draw to a conclusion with some generall application of all that hath beene spoken and then in particular to the present occasion You know how God hath dealt of late with this Citie and with our selves indeed for we are all of one body politike and however God visited them yet it was our sinnes also that provoked him we brought stickes to the common fire A Physitian lets the arme blood but the whole body is distempered God let the Citie blood but the whole kingdome was in a distemper so that it was for our sins as well as theirs wee all brought I say some thing to the common flame and God afflicted us even in them God hath now stayd the sicknesse almost as Miraculously as hee sent it It was a wonder that so many should be swept away in so short a time it is almost as great a wonder that God should stay it so soone And what may we impute it unto Surely as it is in the text They cried unto the Lord God put it into the hearts of the Governours of the state to appoint humiliation and crying to God and therefore since God hath beene so mercifull upon our humiliation it is religiously and worthily done of the state that there should be a time to blesse God Againe God did it with a word with a command it was both in the inflicting and delivery as it were without meanes for what could the Physitians doe in staying the Plague Alas all the skill in the world is at a losse in these kinds of sicknesses it comes with Gods command it is Gods arrow more especially then other sicknesses God sent it by his Command first to humble us for our sin and now hee hath stayd it with a word of command that from above 5000. a weeke it is come to three persons God hath sent his word and healed us It was a pittifull state wee were in before for indeed it was not onely a sicknesse upon the Citie but a civill sicknesse the whole state wâ—s distempered for as there is sicknesse in the body when there is obstruction when there is not a passage for the spirits and the blood from the liver from the heart and from the head these obstructions cause weakenesse and faintings and consumption So was there not an obstruction in the state of late were not the veynes of the kingdome stopped Was not civill commerce stayed the affliction of this great Citie it was as the affliction of the head or of the heart or of the liver if the maine vitall part be sick the whole is sicke so the whole kingdome not only by way of sympathy but it was civilly sicke in regard that all trading and intercourse was stopped it was a heavy visitation And wee have much cause to blesse God that now the wayes of this Sion of ours mourne not that-there is free commerce and intercourse as before that we can meete thus peaceably and quietly at Gods ordinances and about our ordinarie callings those that have an apprehension of the thing cannot chuse but breake out in thanksgiving to God in divers respects First of all have not we matter to praise God that he would correct us at all hee might have suffred us to have gone on and beene damned with the wicked world as it is 1 Cor. 11.33 We are therfore chastened of the Lord that wee should not be damned with the world it is his mercy that hee would take us into his hands as children that he would visite us at all Another ground of thankesgiving is this that since he would correct us he would use this kind of correction that he would take us into his owne hands might he not have suffred a furious bloody darke spirited divellish spirited enemy to have invaded us to have fallen into the hard hands of men acted with divelâ—ish
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