in these we may see him in these we may enjoy him by these we may be made like to him as in 2 Cor. 31.18 But we all with open faâ—e behold as in a Glass the glory of God and are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as hâ— the Spirit of the Lord. Thirdly They make their abode with them in the Spirit which proceeds from the Father and the Son So they may both be said truly to abide with us while we have the Spirit the Comforter which proceeds from the Father and the Son as a pledge of their love Joh. 15.20 When the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father I will send him says Christ even the spirit of truth which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which proceedeth from the Father There is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son to the People that keep his Word and thus Believers are said to hold fellowship with the Father and the Son in the first Epist of John 23. It is by the Spirit we are drawn being drawn we come being come we are enabled to walk with God in Christ It is the Spirit that doth for all us As in the Eccho the Aire being moved by the voyce returns the same sound by its own motion So in all our Communion with God and Christ the Soul being moved by the Spirit returns answer by vertue of the Spirits motion in us Come says the Spirit I come says the Soul being taught by the same Spirit All the works wrought on the Souls of men in order to Salvation are wrought of God and Christ in us but by the Spirit As in these three special particulars First By the Spirit they instruct and teach The Spirit is an enlightening Spirit a Spirit of Judgment and of Burning The Spirit reveals the counsels of God the great Mysteries of the Kingdom leads into all Truth makes men wise to Salvation Secondly By this Spirit they quicken and comfort the Souls of men Rom. 5.5 It is by the Spirit that the love of God iâ— shed abroad in our hourts Our cold and frozen spirits are warmed and made fit for action and by this Spirit we are awakened Hence the Church prayes for the breathings of this Spirit Cant. 4.16 Awake O North-wind and come thou South blow upon my Garden that the Spices â—â—â—of 〈◊〉 flow out Thirdly By his Spirit they do strengthen and establish the hearts of men in the ways of Holiness thus they are made strong in the Lord and in the power of his might strong to resist temptations strong to suppress corruptions strong to perform duties by this Spirit they are carried through all difficulties by this Spirit their infirmities are healed they are made to persevere and kept stedfast and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord and sealed up to the day of Redemption Thus God and Christ do make their abode with them that keep the Words of Christ till they come to make an everlasting abode with them in Heaven And according to the workings of this Spirit more or less in the hearts of men God is said to be present or absent from his people Secondly The Reasons why God and Christ will make their abode with them that keep his words First Because of their special love to and care of them that keep his words Indeed all the care of God is concerning his people that he hath in the world therefore in the second Commandement he is said to shew mercy to thousands of them that fear him and keep his Commandments that do not cast his words behind their backs and forsaking his Appointments follow their own Inventions So that if we faithfully keep his Word he will abide with us in our work And this is the great Reason in the Text My Father will love him not but that he loves his Elect from Eternity but he will manifest his Love to them and therefore he will make his abode with them as the people of his Love for in Deut. 32.9 The Lords Portion is his People and Jacob is the Lot of his Inheritance And in Mal. 3.17 they are called his Jewels and men will abide with their Treasure Secondly Because of the near Relation that is between God and Christ and them that keep his Word That is a very full place of Scripture for this purpose Mat. 12.50 Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in Heaven the same is my Brother and Sister and Mother What nearer Relation can there be than these So near are they to Jesus Christ that keep his Word observe his Will and be true and faithful to his Appointments and sure such near Relations will desire Cohabitations on both sides First God and Christ are said to stand Related in a Paternal Relation Secondly They are said to stand Related in a Conjugal Relation First God and Christ stand in a Paternal Relation to his People First God is their Father and they are his Sons and Daughters And this the Church doth acknowledge in Isa 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledge us not thou O Lord art our Father c. And with this the Lord comforted mourning Zion Isai 49.14 15. But Zion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me But God says Can a Woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the Sons of her womb Yea they may forget yet I will not forget thee Behold I have graven thee on the palms of my hands c. My abode is with thee Secondly Jesus Christ is their Father Isai 9.6 The everlasting Father Therefore he promiseth his Disciples in this 14 John 18. I will not leave you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orphans or Fatherless children He is the most affectionate tender-hearted Father Tam pater neâ—â— tam pius nemo None so good none such a Father as he says Terâ—ul Secondly God and Christ stand related to them that keep his Word in a Conjugal relation and God hath laid a special command of co-habitation upon persons in this relation The man must dwell with his own Wife First God is related as a Husband And will not God dwell with his People when he hath espoused to himself I will betrothed thee unto me for ever Hosea 2.19 Yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and judgment and in loving kindness and in mercies I have even betreth thee unto me in faithfulness And in Isai 54.5 6. For thy Maker is thy Husband c. For the Lord hath called thee as a Woman forsaken c. Secondly Jesus Christ is the Husband of his People as we see in the whole Book of Canticles And so in Ephes 5. from the 29. Verse to the end of the Chapter Now where shall God and Christ make their abode but with their espoused Ones Doth Jesus Christ delight to
Martyrs 7. And lastly the Remish religion is a self-contradicting religion One of their Canons saith a man in some cases may take the Sacrament at the hand of an Heretick another Canon saith he may not A learned and judicious Writer observes above an hundred Contradictions in their Religion Therefore again I press the words of my Text Wherefore my beloved nay let me say my dearly beloved flee from Idolaâ—ry To shut up all let me exhort you to these two or three things First Hold fast the Doctrine of the true Orthodex Protestant Religion the very filings of this gold is precious Keep all the Articles of the Christian Faith if you let one fundamental article of your Faith go you hazard your Salvation When Samson pulled down but on Pillar immediately the whole Fabrick tumbled so if you destroy one Pillar if you let go one Fundamental of Truth you endanger all Secondly Hold forth the profession of the Protestant Religion I say do not only hold fast the Doctrine of the Protestant Religion but hold forth the Profession of the Protestant Religion Be not ashamed to wear Christs Colours Christians remember this one thing those Persons that are ashamed of Christ are a very shame unto Christ The Religion I exhort you to flee from is a novelty that which I press you to stand to is a verity it is consonant to Scripture it is built on the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles and hath been sealed to by the blood of many Saints and Martyrs Thirdly and lastly do not only hold fast and hold forth but also adorn the Protestant Religion this is holy Pauls Exhortation to Titus Tit. 2.10 Adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour Adorn Religion with a holy Conversation There is nothing hardens Papists so much as the loosness of Protestants Therefore adorn your holy Religion with a holy Conversation Do as Christ did tread in his steps make your Saviour your Pattern Let me assure you I can hardly think they do truly beleeve in Christ that do not really conform unto Christ The Primitive Christians Sanctity did much-what propogate Christianity And this is that beseech you carry home with you Hold fast and hold forth the Protestant Religion and adorn it with a Holy and Bible-Conversation and when you do not hear me Preaching to you yet let me beseech you hear this good Word speaking in you Wherefore my dearly beloved flee from Idolatry Consider what hath been said and the Lord make it advantagious to all your Souls The Prayers of several of these Divines Mr. Calamy's Prayer at Aldermanbury OH most Holy thou ever blessed Lord God thou fillest Heaven and Earth with thy Presence We pray thee fill all our hearts with the Presence of thy Grace and let it appear that thou art in the midst of us with that powerfull assistance of thy Spirit that we may receive a token of thy love from thee at this time It is a singular favour that the doores of thy Sanctuary are open to us and that yet we may meet together in thy Name we pray the continue it to us and sanctifie it to us that every Sabbath may add to our stature in Jesus Christ We confess we have forfeited all our mercies wee have heard much of God and Christ and Heaven with our ears but there is little of God Christ and Heaven in our hearts We confess many of us by hearing Sermons are grown Sermon-proof VVe know how to scoff and mock at Sermons but we know not how to live Sermons It is a miracle of free grace thou hast not taken the Gospel from us ere this time but thou art a merciful God and though we cannot please thee yet Mercy pleaseth thee and we have no argument to bring along with us to beg thy favours but thy Mercy in Jesus Christ We pray thee that thou wilt glorifie thy Soveraignty in being gracious to us and pardon our many and great transgressions Thou makest use of the malice of men for thy Glory Thou killest Goliah with his own Sword O help us to put our trust in thee thou that canst kill and cure by killing Blesse these Nations of England Scotland and Ireland and find out yet a way to save us Pour down thy blessings upon the head and heart of our Sovereign Charles by thy Grace King of Great Britiain thou hast done great things for him let him do Great things for thee Bless him in his Royal Consort in his Royal Relations in his Council Bless the Magistrates and Ministers of this Realm Lord forgive us for we live as if we had been delivered to work wickedness we cannot sin at so cheap a rate as others do we pray thee humble us under our great and grievous sins give us repentance unto Salvation and a lively Faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ Quicken our graces forgive our sins make alive our Souls let us be such as thou wouldst have us to be make us Christians not only by an outward Profession but an inward Conversation that we may live in Heaven while we are on Earth and come to Heaven when we shall leave the Earth To that purpose bless thy Word unto us at this time and give us all grace to make conscience of what we hear and how we hear and all for Jesus Christ his sake to whom with thy blessed Self and Spirit be all Glory and Honour Amen Mr. Nalton's Prayer at Foster-lane ETernal most Mighty and most glorious Lord God thou art God alone and besides thee there is no Saviour or helper our strength stands in thy Name who hast made both Heaven and Earth of our selves we are able to do nothing that is pleasing in thy sight we can pollute thy Name but we cannot honour thy Name we can run away from thee but we cannot run unto thee unless thou dost powerfully draw us by the holy spirit We can grieve thy spirit but we cannot grieve for grieving of thy spirit Oh let thy strength be manifested in our weakness look upon us with the favour thou bearest to thy children Enter not into judgment with thy servants for we cannot answer thee one of a thousand not one thought of a thousand thoughts not one word of a thousand words most of our actions have been reproveable and the best of our services have been unprofitable our omissions commissions and presumptions have been multiplyed intolerably Oh! how often have we take 〈◊〉 Name in vain while we have been confessing our sins how often haâ—â— we run from confessing our sins to the committing of sins and from committing sins to the confessing sin again as if we had but mocked thy sacred Majesty Though we know thy Favour is better than life we have parted with it upon easie terms Oh the pride and stubbornnesse that is in our hearts All the mercies thou hast bestowed upon us have not melted us into tears for our unkindnesse and all those blows that have fallen upon our backs have
and by our lively trust through the Covenant of Grace on our part let there be such a unity between Christ and us that all the powers of Hell may not be able to separate us from thee speak peace to our hearts still our consciences say I have received a sacrifice for you I shall befriend you I will be just and faithful to forgive your sins my Law is sully fulfilled by another though broken by you my Justice is fully satisfied by another though provoked by you my wrath is ceased by the means of another though incensed by you Oh Lord what a cordial would this be canst not thou amongst this great multitude of people espy some that through the Spirit of thy Son would worship thee in thine own way speak peace to every such soul Is there any soul before thee O Lord to whom thou hast given the grace of desire O lord give them grace according to their desire and thou which didst regard us when we were running from thee do not reject us now we are drawing near thee And thou which bidst us believe by the command of thy Word help us to believe by the operation of thy Spirit draw us that we may be able to follow thee thy loving kindness is better than life Some do say Who will shew us any good But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us and thou wilt glad our hearts more than in the time when Corn or wine or Oil increaseth Let it be fair above head when it is dirty below let us see one contrary in another let us confute an eye of sense with an eye of faith and when we come to see nothing here that can gratifie our senses let us have something to quiet our souls We would fain be at war with sin that we may be at peace with thee though we cannot return as much as we have received yet help us to return as much as we can give us repentance unto life epentance from dead works a mourning fat greater for the remembrance of sin than we have pleasure in the committing of sin those secret distempers in our souls that no eye sees but thine let us cry out Wretched men that we are who should deliver us from this body of sin And as the fear of condemnation doth decrease so set the fear of transgression increase And because O Lord thou hast not made us to bleed with thy greatness O Lord make us to blush with thy goodness let us as truely desire that Heaven would enter into us into a way of holiness here as we desire to enter into Heaven in the way of happiness hereafter Let us see that our kindness to sin is cruelty to our Saviour let net that live quietly one minuite with us that would not let Christ live let us see there is nothing small by which the great God is offended and an immortal soul is damned We are to be in the world but for a while to take a turn or two and be gone Oh that we might make it the business of our life to get into Christ though it be the scorn of men and burdensome to nature yet this is that which will bring us peace at last Let us be what we profess our selves to be let us love Christ and evangelically keep his commandements let us live by faith let us keep thy Commandements let us be above the world in the world above the love of life and above the fear of death let not the smiles of the world allure us nor the frowns thereof affright us from thee but in all these things let us be more than conquerers through Jesus Christ Let us love him much whom we cannot love too much Help us to be above the power of Hell let us ever say My soul it is good for me to draw nigh to God Let us be willing rather to be faved with a few than go to Hell in a crowd let us live as if Eternity were long and life but short let us thrive in holiness and be brought neerer to thy self by every dispensation let us in this our day know the things that concern our peace before they be hid from our eyes and know the time of our visitation and though God suffer long he will strike at last O Lord bow the heavens and come down among us at this time and be with the unworthiest of thy servants and give unto him a door of utterance and to thin great people a door of entrance and let them be all taught of God and let them truly find that the great God is teaching to the heart when that a weak worm is speaking to the ear let all the work be done by theo and let all he praise redound unto thee and let him that is with us be greater than he that is in the world behold us in the Son of thy love smell aswee savor of rest on these our poor prayers speak peace to our consciences rebuke the tempter tread him under our feet shortly raise us up to newness of life let us remember when that which is perfect is rome that which is imperfect shall be done away Hear us and help us through our dear Redeemer let us live for him here and with him hereafter and all for his sake whom not seeing we love in whom believing we rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory to whom with thee and thy Sprit be Glory and Honour now an for ever Amen Mr. Cradocott's Prayer at St. Sepulchres MOst glorious and most gracious Lord God who art God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hast put thine own Name and stamp upon this Day wilt thou be pleased to appear now and prepare and dispose our unprepared and indisposed souls for holy Observation of this thine holy day Will the Lord vouchsafe us the incomes of his spirit and influences of his Grace whereby we may be inabled to offer up spiritual Sacrifice which may be acceptable to Jesus Christ Lord thou requirest praying hearts but thou hast not commanded us to use Prayer-books and if thou wilt give us the Spirit of Prayer we shall not need them Lord give us praying hearts at this time let us find by experience that the Sabbath is a day of Souls opportunity that thine Ordinances are full of marrow that thou hast not said unto thy Children the seed of Jacob seek my face in vain VVe acknowledge we are unworthy to lift up our eyes to heaven we have cause enough to cry out God be merciful to us sinners undeserving ill-deserving men and women we acknowledge our natures are blots of all wickednesses we are by nature enemies to thy Majesty heirs of death children of darkness slaves to sin captives to lust dead to sins and trespasses how are our understandings darkned and our hearts-hardened what are our hearts but a store house of malicious thoughts a brothel house of adultery a palace of pride we are by nature
wâ—th us all thine remember thy people from one end of the world to the other Thy people are very low this is a time of Jacobs troubles the Bush is burning every day Oh thou the Hope of Israel the Saviour therof shew thy self in mercy to these Nations We bless thee for all thy mercies that thy judgements do not seize upon us every day that thou dost not sweep us away that thou dost not rain Fire Brimstone on England as thou didst on Sodom our sins cry aloud to heaven for vengeance God is greatly provoked every day it is a miracle of patience that thou hast not destroyed us God can pardon the sins of the Nation at once but we are not fit for pardon we do not humble our selves O Lord humble us give repentance to England from the highest to the lowest that we may return unto thee We desire to bless thee that our Eemies have not had their wills over us they said they would pursue and overtake and satisfie their lusts but God did blow upon them and they did sink in the mighty Water and thou hast yet preserved thy Church we pray thee do not leave us nor remove thy Gospel whatsoever thou dost Pour down elle choicest of thy bâ—essings upon our Sovereign Charles by thy Grace of England Scotland France and Ireland Bless him with the Blessing of Heaven and Earth make him a blessing to all of us Bless him in all his Relations the Lords of the privy Councel Look on them that have desired an interest in our prayers known to thee are all of them know their souls in this time of adversity make their beds in their siekness Give Faith to them that complain of unbelief give the Spirit of Prayer to those that complain they cannot pray be a Councellor to those that wan councel in their affaires either by Sea or Land let thy blessig go with them whereever they go Spare the lives of Children if it be thy will Prepare us for thy good and holy Word let it be a savour of lise unto life and let it come with power unto us Oh let us hear it as thy Word not as the word of a poor man but as the Word of God and all for the Lord Christ his sake for whom we bless thee to whom with thee and the Spirit of Grace be given Glory and Honour for evermore Mr. Waltons Prayer in Walbrook O Lord God all our springs are in thee it is good for us to draw nigh to thee through Jesus Christ thou art all fulness thou art the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and in him our Father thou art our light thou givest us these blessed opportunities of enjoying communian with thy self God blessed for ever These mercies are forfeited mercies we have abused the blessings of thy House we have grieved thy blessed Spirit therefore it is just with thee to deprive us of these comforts and to make us know the worth of these mercies by the want of them Lord we desire to judge our selves that we may not be condemned with the world Righteous art thou O Lord and just in all thy judgements we confess we are unworthy to have any converse with so holy a God we are polluted dust and ashes not worthy to tread thy Courts and it is of thy mercy that we are not consumed how often have we pluckt fruit from the forbidden tree we have sinned presumptuously against the clearest Light and the dearest love alwaies have we sinned thy footsteps have dropt fatness thou hast shewen mercy to us but the better thou hast been to us the worse we have been to thee thou hast loaded us with thy mercies and we have wearied thee with our sins when we look into our selves Oh the poyson of our natures whatever the Leper did touch was unclean Thus do we by our spiritual Leprosie infect our holy things our prayers had need have pardon and our tears had need have the blood of sprinkling to wash them how vain are our vows how sensual are our affections we confess we are untuned and unstrung for every holy Action we are never out of tune to sin but alwaies out of tune to pray we give the world our male affections and our strong desires we should use this world as if we used it not and alwies we pray as if we prayed not and serve thee as if we served thee not there is not that reverence nor that devotion nor that activeness of faith that there should be Lord if thou wouldst say that thou wouldst pardon all our sins to this time only judge us for this prayer wo unto us what breathings of unbelief and hypocrisie is there now when we approach unto thee we pray thee pardon us for Christs sake Who can tell how oft he doth offend we can as well reckon the drops of the Ocean as number our sins we have filled the number of the Nations sins but we have not filled thy bottle with our tears This is that that doth exceedingly aggravate our sins that we cannot mourn for sin we can grieve for our losses but we cannot mourn for our unkindnesses we have crucified the Lord of life sin hath not only defiled us but hardned us nothing can melt us but the love of Christ nothing can soften us but the blood of Christ O with-hold not thy mercies from us O help us to eat the Passeover with bitter herbs let us look on Christ weep over him let us look on a broken Christ with broken hearts and on a bleeding Christ with bleeding hearts let us mourn for our dis-ingenuity that we should grieve that God that is always doing us good Oh! humble us for our unkindnesse and for Christs sake blot out our transgressions they are more than we can number not more than God can pardon Though we have lost the duty of children thou hast not lost the goodness of a Father Let us be held forth as patterns of mercy so shall we trumpet forth thy praise to all Eternity Whatever afflictions thou layest upon our bodies let not our sins be unpardoned let not sin and affliction be together upon us let their be peace in Heaven and peace in the Court of Conscience We have found this part of thy Word true In the world we shall have troubles let us find the other part true in Jesus Christ we shall have peace Oh let peace and holiness go together make us new Creatures that we may be glorious Creatures Without Faith Christ will not profit us when we can call nothing in the world ours let us call Christ ours Lord draw thine Image every day more lively upon us a more lively hope and a more inflamed love to Christ let us have a spirit of courage and resolution keep us from the fallacies of our own hearts keep us from the defilements of the times make us pure in heart that we may see God that we may have Gospel spirits humble spirits
meek spirits as Christ did take our flesh let us partake of his Spirit Why dost thou imbitter the brest of the Creature to us but that we should finde the sweetness of the Promises There is as much in the Promises as ever let us live upon God let us cast anchor in Heaven and we shall never sink Shower down thy blessings even the choicest of them upon the head and heart of our dread Sovereign Charles by thy appointment of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith let him see wherein his cheifest interest lies let him count those his best subjects that are Christ's subjects Bless him â—n hâ—s Royal Consort in his Royal Relations the Lords of his Privy Council let them be a terror to eviâ— doers and incouragers of those that do well Bless all thy Ordinances to us make them to be fulness of life to every one before thee we are come this day to partake of them Oh pour in Wine and oyl into our souls let us be a watered garden let this blessed Sacrament be a poyson to our lust and nourishment for our Grace Hear us be our God follow us with mercy crown us with acceptance and all for Christ his sake whom not seeing we love in whom believing we rejoyce to Christ with thee and thy holy Spirit be Glory Honour and Praise now and for ever Amen Mr. Lye 's Prayer at Allhallows Lumber-street O Lord our great God thou canst do all things for thou dost dispose and govern all the wayes and works and words of thy Creature to thâ—ne own praise We thy poor Creatures the workmanship of thy hands the price and purchase of thy Sons blood do desire this morning to fall down and humble our selves at the Throne of thy Grace we desire to lift up an eye of Faith to thee that thou mayest dart an eye of Love to us since thou hast commanded us to come unto thee Oh bless us now we come Let it not be in vain for any of us from the high'st to the low'st from the richest to the poorest that we have sought thy Face this morning Blessed Father pour down a spirit of Prayer a Spirit of preaching a Spirit of Rejoycing a spirit of Practising in the midst of us let us not only be enabled to know what to do but to do what we know Thou that distd cure the eyes of the blind with clay and spittle Oh heel that natural dimness that is in the best of us Thy Rod in the hand of Moses brought water out of the Rock Oh do thou strike upon those rocky hearts that our adamantine hearts being softned may gush out into Rivers of tears Oh drown our sins in the Red sea of our saviours blood help us to smite upon our thigh and to ask our selves what we have been and what we have done and humble us under the omission of any commanded duty and the comission of any for bidden sin sins of thoughts wordes and dieds sins against the Law against the Gospel of youth manhood and old-age sins before under and since conversion sins against prayers vows promises covenants and oaths Oh Lord if thou didst prefer thy Bill against us we could not stand if we were weighed in the balance of the Sanctury we should be found too light but holy Father remember not against us our former sins but rather have mercy upon us according to thy loving kindness cross and blot out our iniquities blot them out so fully and wholly that it may be to us as to Judath in the promise that the sins of Judath should be sought for and not found O bathe our souls in that Fountain that was set open for Judah and Jerusalem though our sins have been as Scarlet let them be as white as Snow though they be red like Crimson let them be like Wool We have read that a flood of sin brought down a deluge of water that they covered the tops of the mountains Oh let thy deluge of mercy cover the tops of the mountains of our sins It is the glory of a God to pardon great sins We desire to turn unto thee with our whole hearts do thou subdue our iniquities let us be not only cleansed but let us have the efficacy of the spirit of Christ to wash us from the guilt of sin because we boast we are not under the Law but under Grace Be gracious to our Soveraign Lord Charles King of England Scotland France and Ireland It is thy promise that Kings shall be Nursing Fathers to thy children grant that under the shadow of his Majesty thy people may be protected that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty Oh let thy people possess the Land from Dan to Beersheba Oh give us Scripture-Magistrates and Gospel-Ministers as long as the Sun and Moon endures Let thy VVord be sanctified to us let it not be only as water to get out our spots but as a Refiners fire to purge our dross and take away our tin And holy Father where thou hast begun a good work do thou go on and bring it to perfection let not the light that is in us be like the glimmering light of the evening but as the light of the morning that shineth more and more to the day Let our best wine be kept to the last let the end of our lives be the end of sinning Thou hast cast our lot in the midst of temptations of all sorts thou hast brought many of us through the red Sea but we are in the wilderness with Zeba and Zalmunna and those that dwell at Tyre the children of Ammon Moab and mount Seir and all the forces that Hell can make against us Oh put upon uâ— all the whole Armour of God Now in these days of Errour gird us with the Girdle of Truth Oh now in these days of falsity give us a helmet of Hope Now the Devil darts at us give us the Sheiâ—d of Faith Oh give us the Sword of the Spirit of the word of God that it may enable us to confute the gain-saying of foolish men Oh help us to pray with all manner of prayer constantly fervently faithfully feelingly that we stand and not fall and that not in our strength but in Gods To this end be with us upon this thine own day our Manna falls every day and it is doubled upon the Lords day Oh let us be as thy servant John in the Spirit upon thine own day let God by his Spirit come into our spirits understandings consciences wills memories and affections that all our conversations without and affections within may be obedient to thy Word Enable thy Servant to deliver thy Word faithfully God forbid thy Servant should stand upon so sandy a foundation as the Wisdome of Man one iota of thy Word hath more wisdome in it then all men and Angels have Good Father give thy people a hearing ear it is too much they have played
by the light of the Candle slighted thy Manna so long Oh now therefore to day give us to hear and know and believe and do the things that concern our everlasting peace Hear us for Christ his sake to whom with thy blessed Self and Spirit be glory now and for ever The Prayer of Mr. Caryl at Magnes Bridge foot OH our Father what a priviledge is this that we may draw near to thee all our springs are in thee the Creature is but a dry heap a barren wilderness 't is but a Cistern and a broken Cistern It hath no water of its own nor can it hold that which is poured into it Oh that our hearts were taken off and dis-engaged from all things on this side thy self that we could say with thy Servant Whom have we in heaven but thee and on earth there is none that we desire in comparison of thee Then though our flesh and hearts fail us yet God would be our portion for ever VVe pray thee manifest thy Grace to us at all time and especially at this time that we may come before God in this publick worship as we should Let us see thy goings out in thy Sanctury and let us be satisfied with the fatness of thy house and drink of those pleasures that are for evermore Lord we have given thee cause to withdraw from us for we have not laboured to be fruitful under means and therefore thou in judgement mightest make them hereafter to be fruitless unto us and because we have taken no pains to get good by them thou mightest justly say they shall do you no good VVe have heard much of thee but we know thee but little we acknowledge thou mightest judge us because we know so little and thou mightest punish us because we do so little of what we know according as that faithless Servant was punished which knew his Masters will â—nd did it not Oh where be those manifestations of God that we have had Have we had not the light of the knowledge of God shining to us in the face of Jesus Christ But we have not rejoyced in this light but have compassed our selves about with sparks of our own kindling and therefore it is just we should down in sorrow and yet thou lengthenest out thy patience to us and yet we have one opportunity more to come unto thee Oh we pray thee let us understand the things belonging to our peace before they be hid from our eyes let our souls be bound in the bundle of life with Christ Jesus We pray thee that that Spirit of thine may strengthen us that the Spirit may guide us and lead us into all truth leave us not to our own strength nor to our own councel but shew us the secrets of thy Word and Works Thou hast promised Thy secret shall be with them that fear thee and thou wilt shew them thy cevenant And as thou dost give us thy Sabbaths so give us to thrive by them and help us to grow as the Herb and sent forth our fruit as Lebanon Let thy Word come with power one every one of us that it may not be as the beating of the air but let it fit us for Duty that we may honor our God in the midst of these changes until we come to that place where there is no change and all for the sake of our dear Lord Jesus to whom with Thee and the blessed Spirit be Glory and Honour now and for ever Mr. Venning's Prayer at Olaves before Sermon OH Lord God thou art the Fountain of Life yea thou givest to all Life It is necessity draws us now unto thee and we acknowledge it is a very great favour that thou wilt admit us to come into thy presence Indeed the services we do are not worthy thy acceptance thou gettest nothing by them but the gain of godliness is to our selves But wo unto us what a loss and what a curse will â—t be to us to haâ—e a form of Godliness and yet be ungodly Oh Lord how should this indear thee and thy word and thy service that thou wouldst have us do good for our own sakes thou turnest our obedience into priviledges thou hast made the means of our happiness a part of it If there were no other glory but to glorifie thee oh what a glory would it be to be found doing thy will there is a sweetness to be found in it more than in the Honey or in the Honey comes It is a great happiness to be conformable to God to be loving to God to be like to God is the greatest happiness that we can be capable of if we were now in heaven we could not have other happiness but this in a greater degree O Lord how should our souls be drawn forth to acknowledge thee may we not cry out in admiration Lord what is man and among the sons of men what are we that thou art so mindful of us Thou mightest have displayed thy VVord to many thousands in the world and we left ignorant But blessed be thy Name thou art pleased to admit eâ—en us also thereunto Oh let it not be a small thing unto us seeing we may yet live to serve God Oh Lord in Christ it will be worth our while to live and in him 't will be worth our while to die Oh that we may mind the end of living and the end of dying that whether we live or die we may be the Lords Indeed it were not worth our while to live and spend so much time in the world if it were only to have pleasure and honour and gratifie our selves to eat and drink and to be merry this is not worth our while What would it be O Lord to die in our sin and be eased of the miseries of this world and be sent to the place of torment But seeing thou hast provided for our living and our dying well give us to improve these means and that we may live and dye well let not our affections though our bodies be upon the earth though we converse with flesh yet let not our conversation be after the flesh but let us be like them which have sent their hearts up to heaven and do but tarry here to finish their Masters business and then we shall go where our hearts are and where our dear Lord Jesus Christ is Indeed Lord we have cause to complain of our hearts how we minde this world as it never would have an end and the world to come as if it would never have any beginning as if we had no souls to mind or had no mind to look to our souls We live as if all those glorious Reports thou hast made were but as a tale that is told we have cause to be ashamed that we have the means and the names of Christians and have not lived answerable to the discovery of the Lord Jesus Christ Indeed we have cause to bear our shame yet how few of us know what
it is to be ashamed to sigh over our sins and groan over our iniquities I how few out of tenderness do mouru for sin but as if it were indifferent to us whether we have our sins purdoned or the grace that we beg to be granted and if we do beg to be pardoned where are the souls that desire to be purged If thou shouldst let us have our wills Oh then we should think thou wert a good God whereas it is thy great Love that thou dost deny us our wills we poor wretche we are up and down as the things of this world do come into us and go from us if God give us great things then we think our selves in Paradise and if God take from us then we fall out with God himself Oh! how ill do we take it at thy hands if thou dost not give us what we would or take from us what we would The doctrine of self-denial is a meer riddle to us we would fain spend the strength of our youth in following the lust of the eye and gratifie our sensual affections and when we come to die it may be we would have a Lord have mercy upon us in our mouths and think it strange if God should not give us what we ask O Lord convince us now that we may be willing to be crucified to the world and to die to sin Lord we may flatter with our selves but our hearts do but abuse us while we think there is such contentment in the enjoying of this world what is this when we come to die Alas if we were not besotted content is sooner gained by self-denial than by pleasing our selves Can we think we shall be at ease till we come to God Is it like to be well with us while our wayes are contrary to the wayes of God are not thy waies the waies of peace Oh! how can we be at rest when our waies are contrary to thine Oh! un-lust us we had better part from our idols here that that they should part us from God hereafter Lord if there were no other hell this is damnation to be a sinne for this is the nature of sin to separate us from God Oh help us to account the reproaches of Christ better than the honors of the Cross of Christ better than the Crown of the world O shew us the sinfulness of sin and the emptiness of the world that we may take thy Counsel and mind thy Glory and be ruled by thy Will Oh how happy would it be with us if our souls were brought into such a frame We are Lord as yet great strangers to the life of God Oh! let us know what it is to live with thee and to thee and with thee that we may say For us to live in Christ and to die is gain and that we may say Whom have we in Heaven but thee O Lord We depend upon thee let thy goodness be seen do not put us off with the means of grace but give us grace it self And seeing thou art pleased to make use of such a poor thing as the preaching of the Gospel is and seeing this is the means to bring our souls to eternal life Oh let it be so to us that we may repent from sin and believe in the righteousness of the Gospel Oh Lord thou knowest all our frailties and all our necessities find out them that are dead in sins and quicken them find out the hard hearts and soften them find out the proud hearts and humble them find out the formalists and bring them to the power of godliness and pour in wine and oyl into the wounds of the wounded in spirit and let the administration of the Gospel be in the demonstration of the Spirit that as the truth is delivered to us we may be delivered to the truth that while we touch the hem of thy garment Vertue may come out from thee Thou hast said that mercy pleaseth thee we are sure it will pleasure us Oh let us not loose our time but do thou teach us to profit and supply our wants for the sake of our dear Lord to whom with Thee and thy Spirit be given more Glory from now unto eternity Nr. G. N. his Prayer TO thee O Lord Jesus we commend our selves To thee who judgeth rightly thy poor Servant resigneth and commiteth this Congregation The Lord pardon unto me wherein I have been wanting unto them The Lord pardon unto them wherein they have been wanting in the hearing of thy Word that we may not part with sin in our hearts Unto thee who judgest uprightly I commend them The Bishop of Souls take care of them Preserve them from the love of the World teach them to wait on thee and to receive from thee whatevor any one or Family may stand in need of Provide them a Pastor according unto thine own will only in the mean time give us that Anointing shall lead us out of our own wells and waies that we may walk in the waies of Christ Jesus The Lord Jesus say now amongst them I am your Shepheard you shall not want Say to them as thou didst to thy Disciples Let not your hearts be troubled you beleeve in the Father beleeve also in me So far as we are able we put thy Name upon them we name the Name of the Lord Jesus over them The Lord Jesus bless them teach them to follow Holiness Peace and a Heavenly Conversation The Lord make them usefull to each other The Lord Jesus be a blessing to them and me and all ours The God of Peace and Consolation fill them with blessings according as thou seest every one stand in need of To thee O Lord we commend then do thou receive them that under thy counsel they may be preserved blameless until the day Jesus where we may all meet crowned with Glory Amen FINIS Mr. GEORGE THORNE of Weymouth HIS FAREWEL-SERMON PSAL. 37.34 Wait on the Lord and keep his Way NOt knowing whether ever I shal speak to you more from this place being willing to leave a word in season I shall recommend to you what in answer to prayer I have recived of the Lord for the directing me in my course in this gloomy dark day being well assured that as many of us as work by this rule and fall by this compass how ever we may be scatered by the tewpestuous storms we meet with here in the Sea of this World shall shortly arrive at and meet in our desired Port the Haven of Eternal Rest and Happiness What therefore the Lord hath said to me and that with a strong hand that say I unto you in the Name of the Lord Wait on the Lord and keep his VVay The scope of this Psalm is to direct the People of God and to encourage them to keep on in the course of Godliness at such times as when the Wicked prosper flourish and grow great and the godly are afflicted trouble persecuted and oppressed And there are two
honour in the World they shall be sure of this that abundance of peace and joy and comfort shall possess their souls that keep their garments White they shall walk in the inward White of joy and peace with Jesus Christ and this is a blessed reward Indeed now this joy this White of joy arises in the Soul three wayes 1. From the testimony of their own Consciences O they who have a good testimony from their own consciences walk in White 2 Cor. 1.12 We have this for our rejoycing the testimony of our consciences that in all simplicity and godly sincerity we have our conversation in Heaven that is walking in White this is our rejoycing our conscience speaks well of us and kindly to us and who is able to express the sweetness of this thing None can know what this is but they that have it as it is said of the New Name written upon the White Stone Rev. 2.17 'T is a thing beyond expression what the joy and peace of a good Conscience is Now this I say that our White garments and our walking in White ariseth from the testimony of our Consciences 2. As from the testimony of our Consciences so from that testimony which is greater than our Consciences the Spirit shedding abroad of Divine Love thus it is with those that do not defile their garments but endure any thing rather than defile their garments Rom. 5.3 4 5. And not only so but we glory in tribulations knowing tribulations worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed and whence was all this because of the Holy Ghost which was given to us this causeth joy unspeakable The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God This witness doth cause wonderful joy much more than the witness of our own Consciences 3. This joy doth arise from a well-grounded hope which that soul hath that keeps himself clean hope of enjoying Heaven at last hope of future glory is our present joy Rom. 5.2 By whom also we have access by faith into his grace even we stand and rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Now they who keep their garments white have good ground of hope of the love of God therefore this must needs cause them to walk comfortably as they who have this hope purifie themselves so they who purifie themselves have good ground of their hope and therein great cause to rejoyce 1 Pet. 1.5 6. Who are kept by the power of God through Faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last times wherein ye greatly rejoyce though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through many temptations We walk in white in hope we have of that inheritance now lay these three things together If they who keep their Garments undefiled have the testimony of their own consciences and the testimony of the Spirit shedding the love of God in their hearts and a well-grounded hope of future glory how can it be but these must walk in white with Jesus Christ that is in comfort and joy of the Spirit and of their own spirits Thus David walked he had abundance of joy upon his conscience of his own integrity and of keeping his heart and hands clean from those iniquities his enemies charged him with Psal 3. The Lord shall judge his people Judge me O Lord according to my righteousness and according to mine integrity that is in me He appeals to the Lord the Lord shall judge his people Judge me O Lord according to my righteousness Thus he appeals to God himself he had so much confidence and his heart gave him he kept himself from those sins So Job walkt in white though his friends black't him exceedingly yet he walkt in white in his conscience Job 16.10 Behold my witness is in Heaven and my record is on high I have not only a witness in my conscience but my witness is above He walkt in white notwithstanding all his afflictions from God and his friends Hezekiah walkt in this white when death looked him in the face Lord thou knowest I have walkt uprightly with thee I need not stay in the proof of the thing let me make some Use and Improvement of it Vse Is this blessed reward to those who keep their garments white to walk in the white of peace and joy then here we see the happiness of all those who are true to Christ and his ways Psal 119.1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the Law of the Lord. 'T is just in the language of the Text they indeed shall walk in white it is a great part of our blessedness to have peace of conscience and inward joy Oh how much better is it than the peace and joy of this world and the comforts of this world Prov. 15.13 A merry heart or as another translation saith A good conscience and indeed a merry heart and a good conscience do but one explain the other a merry heart or a good conscience is a continual feast Here is no surfeiting in this feast but a continual musick continual joy and comfort Oh how blessed are they who are undefiled in the way That which Christ said of the Lilly Solomon in all his Glory was not arrayed like one of these so may I say of the Lilly-white soul that keeps himself white in the world who keeps himself white in matter of practice and worship Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these Lilly-white ones Oh the Rivers of Consolations that flows to them that keep themselves out of the puddles of the world if you keep your selves from the puddles of the world from the dung of the world ye shall have rivers of joy flowing into your souls I may say to all such as Solomon saith Eccles 11.9 Go thy way it is a familiar speaking to them Go thy way blessed soul eat thy bread with joy though the world feed thee with the bread of adversity and though the world give thee nothing but the water of affliction yet let thy Garments be always White though the World cloath thee in mourning and cause thee to prophesie in Sackcloth with the Witnesses yet be of good comfort O Lilly-white soul for God now accepteth thy works now drink thy Wine with a merry heart thy labour thy ambitious labour is that whether present or absent thou mayest be accepted of him thou hast the fruits of thy labour the Lord accepts thy works therefore rejoyce in it Here is the happiness of those who keep themselves clean from a defiled and a defiling World 2. This point gives us an account why the servants of Christ stand so strictly upon their terms with the World even while some call it peevishness others ignorance others wilful stubbornness What is the reason the reason is because they understand in some measure and have had experience in some measure what it is to walk in some measure with Christ
subjection to his Law If you will please God in all your actions look to this That what you do may bear some resemblance to his Nature and hold forth obedience to his Law Consult the will of God and in all things act in conformity to that will do not allow your selves in the Commission of any known sin for that will certainly displease God as it was said of David when he took Bathsheba to Wife but saith the Text the thing displeased the Lord. Do not Bank any known duty for that will displease God In a word be holy in all manner of conversation This being too general I shall not insist upon it only in a word more particularly Do those things now now make conscience of those duties which now lie upon you in the doing of which you will certainly please God and they are such as these Be stedfast in the ways of God in the midst of a back-sliding and apostatizing age stand fast to the Law of God Phil. 4.1 Contend for the faith which is delivered to the Saints ver 3. of the Epistle of Jude Be not ashamed to own Christ before all the world if you be ashamed of him on earth he will be ashamed of you in Heaven and wo be to that sinner whom Christ is ashamed to own Reckon reproaches for the name of Christ better than the pleasure of sin that is but for a season When God calleth you to it assert the purity and spirituality of Gospel-worship do not place Religion in a sew shadows where the substance is neglected but chiefly minde self-denial mortification crucifixion to the world keeping up close communion with God love the people of God whatever the world say or think of thee for God is highly pleased when he seeth his Children loved Keep up Religion in your Families whatever scorn or contempt is cast upon you Oh that you would labour to be of Abrahams spirit I know saith God he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord Gen 18.19 I do not know any one better means for the keeping up Religion in this Nation than for Masters of Families to be consciencious in the discharging of this duty Be good in bad times be patterns of good works to those that shall behold you Let no reproach or obloquy make you to abate your exact walking with God whatever you meet withall in the ways of holiness and a strict life say If this be to be vile I will be more vile Make conscience of a strict observation of the Lords day take heed of that Sacriledge of stealing away holy times of prostituting that to common and civil uses which is impropriated and dedicated to the service of God Pray for and love all those that have been instrumental for your spiritual good in the work of the Ministry whatever dirt is now thrown in their faces and though you never get more good by them Forget not to distribute to the necessities of Gods people that are many of them in a low condition for this is a sacrifice of a sweet odour and well-pleasing to him Carry your selves with all patience and Christian meekness towards them that wrong you pray for them that are your enemies and when you are reviled revile not again but commit your selves to that God who judgeth righteously Do your duty to your superiors and to those that are in Authority So carry your selves that it may be with you as it was with Daniel they had nothing against him saving in the matter of his God Bank not any duty for suffering choose the greatest of suffering before the least of sin In a word so walk as it becometh the Gospel And finally I speak to you as the Apostle spoke to them Phil. 2.16 Hold forth the word of life that I may rejoyce in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain nor laboured in vain The third use is for comfort to all those that do conscienciously endeavour in all things to please God the comfort lies in this you may suffer but when ever you suffer the Father will not leave you alone Pleasing of God does not secure a man from suffering from men sometimes it rather exposes a man to suffer from men But now though it does not prevent suffering yet it takes away the sting and venome of suffering it makes it to be like Sampsons Lion when it was slain he found nothing but honey in the belly of it Oh! the presence of God in a time of affliction is exceeding precious it turns gall into honey thorns into roses Be not troubled in your thoughts about what you may undergo if God be with you all will be well if God comes when the Crosses cometh the weight of it will not hurt you what is a Prison when God is there My brethren though estate leave you relations leave you all your comforts leave you so long as God doth not leave you it will be be well therefore do not fear be not dejected or discouraged Isa 43. 1 2. Fear not O Jacob why so when thou passest through the water I will be with thee We have more reason to be afraid of prosperity with Gods absence than of adversity with Gods presence A good God will make every condition to be good it is not a prison but a palace where God is they that do the things that please God whatever condition they may be brought to the Father will not leave them alone Ministers may leave you the means of Grace and Ordinances in a great measure may leave you your creature-enjoyments and comforts may leave you but here is a God that will never leave you Oh! bless his holy name Fourthly Is this pleasing of God a duty of so great importance and benefit then be tender and charitable in judging of those that do differ from you and others upon this account because they dare not displease God I may in this caution aim at my self and others of my brethren in the work of our Ministry but I am not here at present to take my last farewel I hope I may have a little further opportunity of speaking to you but if not let me require this of you to pass a charitable interpretation upon your laying down the exercise of our Ministry there is a greater Judge than you must judge us all at the great day and to this Judge we can appeal before Angels and men that it is not this thing or that thing that puts us upon this dissent but it is conscience toward God and fear of offending him I censure none that differ from me as though they displease God but yet as to my self should I do thus and thus I should certainly violate the peace of my own couscience and offend God which I must not do no not to secure my Ministry though that either is or ought to be dearer to me than my very life and how dear it is God
beautiful and glorious thing it is the Angels glory and shall we be ashamed of that which makes us like the Angels there is a time coming when wicked men would be glad of some of that holiness that now they despise but they shall be as far then from obtaining it as they are now from desiring it 17. Think not the better of sin because it is in fashion think not the better of impiety and ungodliness because most walk in those crooked ways Multitude is a foolish Argument Multitude doth not argue the goodness of a thing the Devils name is Legion that signifieth a multitude Hell-road is this day full of Travellers esteem not the better of sin because most go this way do we think the better of the Plague because it is common the plea of a multitude will not hold at Gods Bar when God shall ask you Why did you prophane my Sabbath why were you drunk why did you break your oath to say then Lord because most men did so will be a poor plea. God will say to you then seeing you have sinned with the multitude you shall now go to Hell with the multitude I beseech you as you tender your souls walk Antipodes to the corruptions of the times if you are living Fish swim against the stream dead Fish swim down the stream Ephes 5.11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them 18. In the business of Religion serve God with all your might Eccles 9.10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might for there is no device or work in the Grave whither thou goest This is an argument why we should do al we can for God serve him with all our strength because the Grave is very near and there is no praying no repenting in the Grave our time is but small and therefore our zeal for God should be great David Danced with all his might before the Ark and so should we act vigorously for God in the sphear of Obedience Rom. 12.12 Fervent in Spirit serving the Lord. Take heed of a dull lazy temper in Gods service you must not onely say a prayer or read a prayer but you must pour out your souls in prayer not onely love God but be sick of love to God God in the old Law would have the Coals put to the Incense Levit. 16.13 and why so to typifie that the Heart must be enflamed in the worship of God your prayers must go up with a flame of Devotion I confesse Hell will be taken without storm you may jump into Hell with ease but it is all up-hill to Heaven and therefore you must put forth all your might Mat. 12.11 The violent take Heaven by force Heaven is not taken but by storm do you not see men zealous and very active for the Devil and for their Lusts and shall they take pains for Hell and will not you take pains for Heaven 19. Do all the good you can while you live to others God hath made every Creature useful for us the Sun hath not its light for it self but for us the Fountains run freely and so doth the myrrh drop from the Tree every Creature doth as it were deny its self for us the Beast gives us its labor the Bird gives us its musick the Silk-worm its silk Now hath God made every thing useful for us and shall not we be useful one for another O labor to be helpful to the souls of others and to supply the wants of others Jesus Christ was a publick blessing in the World He went about doing good We are Members of the Body politick nay we are Members of the Body mystical and shall not every Member be helpful for the good of the body That is a dead Member that doth not communicate to the good of the body O labour to be useful to others while you live that so when you dye there may be a miss of you many live so unfruitfully that truly their life is scarce worth a prayer nor their death scarce worth a tear 20. Every day spend some thoughts upon Eternity O Eternity Eternity all of us here are ere long it may be some of us within a few days or hours to lanch forth into the Ocean of Eternity Eternity Eternity is status interminabilis says Boetius no Prospective-glass can see to the end of Eternity Eternity is a summ that can never be numbred a Line that can never be measured Eternity is a condition of everlasting misery or everlasting happiness if you are Godly then shall you be for ever happy you shall be always sunning your selves in the light of Gods countenance if you are wicked you shall be always miserable ever lying in the scalding furnace of the wrath of the Almighty Eternity to the godly is a day that hath no Sun-setting Eternity to the wicked is a night that hath no Sun-rising O I beseech you my brethren every day spend some time upon the thoughts of Eternity The serious thoughts of an Eternal condition would be a great means to promote Holiness 1. The thoughts of Eternity would make us very serious about our Souls O my Soul thou art very shortly to fly into Eternity a condition that can never be reversed or altered how serious would this make us about our Heaven-born souls Zeuxes being once asked why he was so long in drawing of a Picture answered Aeternitate pigno I am now painting for Eternity Oh how frequently would that man pray that thinks he is praying for Eternity Oh how accurately and circumspectly would that man live that thinks upon this moment hangs Eternity The thoughts of Eternity would make us slight and contemn all the things of this World what is the world to him that hath Eternity always in his eye Did we think seriously and solemnly of Eternity we should never over-value the comforts of the world nor over-grieve the crosses of the world 1. We should not over-value the comforts of the World worldly comforts are very sweet but they are very swift they are soon gone the pleasures of the World are but for a season just like Noah's Dove that brought an Olive-branch in her mouth but she had wings and so did presently fly from the Ark so are all outward comforts they bring an Olive-branch but they have wings too with which they flie away 1. The thoughts of Eternity would make us not to over-grieve the crosses and sufferings of the world What are these sufferings to Eternity Our sufferings says the Apostle are but for a while 1 Pet. 5.10 what are all the sufferings we can undergo in the world to Eternity Affliction may be lasting but it is not everlasting Our sufferings here are not worthy to be compared to an Eternal weight of Glory And thus my Beloved I have given you these twenty Directions for your precious souls I beseech you treasure them up as so many Jewels in the Cabinet of your breast Did you carry
your affairs that ye stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together not to pluck out one anothers throats no more of that but striving together not against one another but for the faith of the Gospel So 1 Cor. 15.58 Therefore my Brethren be stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 'T is our Duty to stand But 2. Wherein must we stand fast I have no new Doctrine to preach now I shall but mind you of what I have formerly spoken when you would not believe I confess I do not begin to be of a new judgement now and should I be continued in the Ministry a mercy I can hardly hope for I should be of the same judgement and preach this Doctrine Stand fast God will certainly bring the people of God in England to his own terms or else fare them well for ever What is that we should be stedfast in I would advise to a stedfastness 1. Of Judgement 2. Of Resolution 3. Of Fatih 4. Of Conscience So stand fast in the Lord in your Judgement in your Resolution in your Faith in your Conscience 1. I would advise you to a stedfastness of Judgement Strange Doctrines are the greatest Fetters that do assault a sound Judgement they are like waves if they do not split they will shake the Ship to purpose therefore your way is to cast Anchor well to stand firm on the Rock of Truth I had almost said all in a word Protestant truth though the market may rise somewhat high yet stand firmly there while strange Doctrines like so many impetuous Waves are beating upon you break themselves in pieces they may but if you stand can never hurt you I am not to begin to warn you against Popery not that I have the lest reflexion on any thing in the World but on the Scriptures I am apt to think the wound of the beast must be healed however do not you spread a plaister for the Beast to heal his wound Be no more children tossed to and fro carried about with every wind of Doctrine with every wind of windy Doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness that can cog the die notable Gamesters there are in the world but you must stand steady in judgement you must be firm to your principles I would have you Stars not Meteors for Meteors are carried about with every blast of wind I hope better things of you I shall pray God would make you stedfast in judgement First be sure to get good principles and secondly be sure to stand in those principles that you have got And though I cannot say but some Tares are sown among this Parish yet I bless the Lord for the generality I hope I may say I have an Orthodox Ministry 2. 'T is not enough to stand in judgement but we must be stedfast to our Resolution 1 Cor. 15.58 Be stedfast unmoveable such as stand firm on some basis and foundation that doth not totter and stagger if they find you staggering to be sure the next moment they look upon you as falling Be as they say of one or both of the poles of the heavens though all the world turns the poles are immoveable If I mistake not you may see a great turn in the world and behold at this day the greatest turn that ever was in England but yet you must not move you must not stir be true to your Resolutions but just to your first Love go on in the Lords work let nothing take you off If I have preached any false Doctrine among you witness against me at the day of Judgement but if the things I have preached be true stand to the truth if you do not witness against my Doctrine mine 't is not but rather witness for it remember if you leave it that very Doctrine will witness against you at the day of judgement Oh! the excellent Heroe Queen Hester thus and thus will I do and if I perish I perish You cannot imagine against how many thousand temptations a stedfast resolution will guard you 3. There 's a Stedfastness of Faith too when we so believe as that we do not waver or do not deviate Will you give me leave to propose to you my dear friends though my Congregation I cannot call you that question which our Saviour did unto the Jews whom he hated though I love you The Baptism of John whence was it from Heaven or of men The Doctrines you have heard have they been from Heaven or from men Answer me if from men abhor them man is a false Creature man would make merchandize of your faith and Souls but if from Heaven why then should you not believe them I bless the Lord my Conscience bears me witness I never did so far propose a Doctrine to you I would have you believe without Scripture if the Doctrines have been from God believe them if not abhor them and any of those that shall dare to bring a Doctrine but dare not bring the Authority of the Scripture to warrant them You may not be like those in Jam. 1.6 That wavereth like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed The most godly man may stumble in his way i. e. tread awry but a wavering minded man is never setled concerning this way Blessed be God I am not now on this day that looks as like my dying day as can be in the World to begin to fix upon a Religion fix upon my way I know my way if God will but keep my steps and guide me in that way If God be God I appeal to your Consciences worship him if Baal be God worship him do not stand in disputing and doubting do not say shall I shall I if the ways you have found be the ways of God follow them God hath but one way to Heaven there is but one truth if Baal be God follow Baal do not stand wavering do not consult with flesh and bloud t is an infinite mercy that God will give any of us to leave Relations Estates Congregations any thing for Christ 't is an infinite mercy we do not split upon a Rock Be sure to be either for God or Baal a godly man many times halts in his way but never halts between two opinions 4. Stedfastness of Conscience Indeed the genious of my Ministry hath lain this way and here I could casily lanch out but I must be short I would speak a word in season to those that are weak it becomes you to be stedfast in conscience then have a God-decreeing a Christ-redeeming a Spirit-quickening a Gospel-promising a Heaven-prepared a God infinitely more ready to save him then he can possibly be desirous to be saved by him Be stedfast in Conscience against the guilt the filth of sin against the temptations of Satan c. Let us draw near with full assurancee of Faith you can never believe Gods
us 1 Cor. 1.14 The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned It may they will tell you a natural man may love God with his heart really as so and savingly whereas the Apostle tells you Rom. 8.7 The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject unto the Law of God neither indeed can be Remember it in all those doctrines wherein we agree with those whom we call Pelagians and Arminians so far we agree with the Jesuits and the worst of Papists 3. As you would avoid Hell avoid all those doctrines that would lift up self-righteousness and debase the righteousness of Christ I fear I shall never be in that capacity that I would to stand you in stead in this particular I confess I am against forty things in Popery but my soul is here engaged if that doctrine be a truth I never expect salvation by God either I must be saved by Christ alone or else I must never be saved by Christ at all though Christ will never save me without sanctification yet Christ never intended my sanctification should merit his salvation be as holy as you can as if there were no Gospel to save yet when you are as holy as you can you must believe in Christ as if there were no Law at all to condemn you Come and tell me of the merit of Saints c. I will believe that truth when I believe the Whore of Babylon to be Christs Spouse see Phil. 3.9 2 Cor. 5.21 8. Why should you stand you must be praying Christians I confess when most of my strings are broken there is yet one holds there is a Spirit of Prayer remember Atheist among the Saints of God I can pray yet and I had rather stand against the Canons of the wicked than against the prayers of the righteous Oh! pray that you enter not into temptation or if we enter into temptation Lord let not the temptation enter into us pray if possible let this cup pass from me but if not let it not poyson me but let me be bettered by it and in due time deliver me from it I believe it would be a great temptation to you if it should be said to you you shall trade with no man any more c. you have enjoyed these and these comforts bid them adieu for ever you shall have no more to do with them this would be a temptation Temptations and Tryals are great and certainly where they are so prayer should be strong There is no relief to be expected on earth all our relief is to be expected from God and that 's to be obtained by prayer Pray that God would be pleased above all things in the world to make you sincere would you be stedfast in your profession you must be sincere in your practice To him that hath shall be given that is a comfort to him that hath but truth of grace to him shall be given growth of grace Would you be steaddy Christians then make it your great work to attend the Ordinances that God hath prescribed to make you steady Christians you were told of this many years ago concerning attending the Ordinances of God Quest Pray what are those Answ 1. There are secret Ordinances it may be thou canst not be so much in the Pulpit as thou wouldst Oh! be more in thy Closet it may be thou shalt not have so many opportunities to hear so many Lectures be more conscientious in thy meditations in secret it may be thou shalt not have that freedom with God in publick be more earnest with God in private 2. Mind your families more than ever you have your Children and Servants call aloud upon you How many grave faces do I see at this time that can tell me Sir I remember some twenty or thirty years ago you could not pass the streets but here was one Family repeating the Word of God another singing the praises of God another praying to God another conferring concerning the things of God at that time we had not so much foolish absurd excursion into streets and â—ields as now O! for the Lords sake begin to take them up now let the Amorite Perisite and Jebusite do what they will but oh for you and your children and your servants do you serve the Lord up again with those godly Exercises when we cannot hear a Sermon then read a Sermon if we cannot hear a Sermon well Preached our Godly Parents would engage us to read a Sermon well Pen'd if nothing new let the word repeated and meditated call to mind what you have heard Oh! reduce your selves to your Christian frame let the debauched Atheists know that they have something among you to be feared that 's your prayers let them know that though you have not those opportunities you have had yet you will improve those you have And you Masters of this Parish for Gods sake keep in your Servants on this day more than ever you are to be accountable for their souls and they will give you a thousand thanks when they come to age especially at the day of judgement Oh! then blessed be God I had such a Master blessed be God I had such a Mistriss blessed be God I had such Parents Quest But then for publick Ordinances what would you have us do Answ 1. Where evere Christ doth find a tongue to speak I am bound to find an ear to hear and an heart to believe I would not be mistaken I bless the Lord I am not turned out of my Ministry for being a Scismatick I know Schism is a sin nor know I any of my Brethren that are so do not mistake us therefore do not go and tell the Jesuits we are Schismaticks for we are none But this I would advise I speak as though I were dying do whatsoever lies in your yower to hear such whom you think to be godly beg of God be earnest with him that he would give Pastors after his own heart and whom God hath sent not such as may daub with untempered mortar and not such as may prophecy lies in the Name of the Lord not such as may be clouds without water but such as may be guides of the blind burning and shining Lights faithsul Stewards What shall you do what did you twenty or thirty years ago what did the good old Puritans do they were not Schismaticks But as much as lies in you possible hear them whom in your conscience God doth hear Oh! then expect the Word of God should come to your hearts when you have ground to believe it comes from your Pastors heart I must confess I intend to do the same when put into the same condition with you I acknowledge I am bound in Conscience to hear the Word of God but I must take care whom I hear hear those by whom God speaks I hope God will grant several such
Take but this advice more and I have no more to say Whatever abuse you find either in Paster in People or where-ever you find it do not go as your old use have been to rail calumniate back-bite and speak behind their backs this is wicked and ungodly but do every one according as God prescribes us that are members of any visible Church what 's that If I know any thing against my Brother do not go and make a sputter and a noise and back-bite but take the rule of Christ If thy brother trespass against thee go and tell him of his fault between him and thee alone if he shall hear thee thou hast gained thy brother but if he will not hear thee then take with thee one or two more and if he neglect to hear them tell it to the Church and leave the bloud at their door thou hast freed thine own soul I hope by Gods grace I shall do so Thus I have now spoken something from this Scripture I cannot speak what I desire for besides the exhausting of my Spirits there is something to be done after viz. a Funeral Sermon I shâ—ll say no more but only this The God of Heaven be pleased to make you mind these plain things I can truly say this I have not spoken one wâ—rd that I remember which I would not have said to you if I had been a dying and being to go to God as soon as gone out of the Pulpit and the God of peace be with you only mind that one thing When God doth not find a tongue to speak do not you find an ear to hear and an heart to believe Mr. Mede's Farewel Sermon 1 Cor. 1.3 Grace be unto you and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ YOu will wonder possibly that I should pitch on the Apostles Salutation for my valediction and make that the conclusion of my Preaching which he made the beginning of his Writing and therefore I have made a double Plea for it I find that this was a Form of Blessing peculiar to this Apostle both in the beginning and end of this Epistle for as there is scarcely one Epistle but begins with it so many end with it likewise as in Eph. 6.24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit So in 2 Thes 3.18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your all So that I find the Apostle to use it frequently at the beginning and end of his writing I thought as I made it the matter of my prayer for you in the beginning so I might make it my farewel to you in the ending and therefore Grace be unto you peace from God our Father from our Lord Jesus Christ Besides this as Jacob said to his Benjamin concerning his Venison when his Father asked him how he found it so quickly he answered because the Lord thy God brought it to me The same I may say of this Scripture for considering of what subject I should speak in my last labours here among you the Scripture came to my thoughts and opening the Book came immediately to my sight and therefore I may say God brought it to me which I no sooner looked upon but methinks I saw the Apostle on Mount Gerizim and his mouth filled with blessings for what greater blessings can a man wish than that which comprehends all blessings and that is grace and peace Being therefore now to part I thought to go to the top of the Mount and leave with you grace and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ In which words there are two generals 1. A double Blessing desired 2. A double Spring discovered 1. A double Blessing desired and that is grace and peace Grace is of all Blessings the richest peace is of all comforts the sweetest both these the Apostle begs for the Corinthians and so do I for you Beloved Grace be unto you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ 2. Here is a double Fountain discovered and that is the Father and the Son God and Christ The Father is called the God of Grace the Son is called the Prince of Peace not that Grace is from the Father without Peace not Peace from the Son without Grace but both Grace and Peace are from God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ The Order of the words is worth nothing Grace be to you and Peace First grace then peace for there can be no peace without grace nor grace but there will be peace but there can be no true peace but from God not from God but as he is a Father not from God as a Father but as our Father and he cannot be said to be our Father but through our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore he said Grace be unto you and Peace from God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ both are manifested as a golden Chain linked together not grace without peace nor peace without grace but both enjoyned together to cram the believers Souls with grace and peace Now from the Order of the Words we might raise several Observations 1. That Peace is the fruit of Grace 2. That Grace and Peace are both from God 3. That Love which is the spring of Grace and Peace is from God as a Father 4. That we share not in his Love but only as he is our Father All is from Propriety First Our Father then grace and peace from God our Father 5. That God is our Father only through Christ But before we draw any thing from the Text by way of Observation we will speak to the terms by way of Explication Grace be unto you What is here meant by Grace This is a sweet word it perfumes the Breath it cherishes the Conscience it warms the heart it ravishes the Soul as the Spouse was ravished with â—ayes of Christs glory so Christ revives the Soul with one of his gracious rayes discovered to the heart Grace is the life of the Soul thou art dead till Grace quickens thee thou art lost till Grace find thee undone till Grace saves thee Grace is the Manna of Angels the spiritual Bread which those that are holy in being are nourished with and subsist by Angels live on Grace and stand by Grace Man that shares in the Grace of God is made fellow Commoner with Angels eats Angels food and shares in Angels blessings Grace is the substance of the Scripture the end of the Law the fulness of the Gospel Gregory calls it the Heart and Soul of God I am sure Grace is the Heart and Soul of the Word 't is a little Word but it comprehends all good here is more than Homers Iliads in a Nut-shell 't is the Epitome of all the good in Heaven an Earth name any Word that signifies good in the Soul here or hereafter but it is found in the Index in this little word Grace Grace comprehends Gods love to us and our
love to God and as Gods love to us is the sum of all Mercy so our love to God is the summe of all Duty Grace is the new birth of the Soul whereby it takes up another nature a new nature a spiritual God-like nature as Christ was born and thereby took on him the nature of man and was made flesh so man is born by grace and thereby takes upon him the nature of God and is made Spirit and here you have at once the great mystery of Grace in the lowest debasement of a Saviour and the highest advancement of a Sinner for the Lord Christ could not be more debased than to be born it was nothing so great an abasement for Christ to dye as for him to be born for being once made man it is no wonder for to die but being the great God it is a wonder that ever he should be made man Lo here is the debasement of Christ yet if he had been born to a Crown to Honour it had been something but he was born to shame to sorrow and death but man by grace is born to a Crown to a Kingdom he hath a title to all the glory and blessedness of heaven from the first moment of his new birth So it is in the Text Grace be unto you and Peace Peace in Scripture is a very comprehensive term it carries in it all happiness It was the common greeting of the Jews Peace be unto you Thus David by his Proxy salutes Nabal peace be to thee and thy house and the Apostle here alludes to this form of salutation that he might mix new Testament mercy to old Testament manners he first stiles Grace before peace as Jacob did with his Venison he made it a savory meat such as Isaac loved Peace is the glory of Heaven in the bosom of God and brought into the world in the arms of Angels the first peace you read of in the Gospel was peace by the Administration of Angels Luke 2.3 4. And suddenly there was with the Angels a multitude of the heavenly Host praising saying glory be to God in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men And when our Lord Christ first sent out his Disciples this was the Doctrine that he bid them preach Mat. 10.12 13. When you come into a house salute it and if it be worthy let grace and peace come upon it Mark here by the way our Lord Jesus Christ is no enemy to good manners he would not have Christians to be Clowns which is the use of some among us who would have their Religion quarrel with good manners no but In whatsoever city or town you enter salute it and let grace peace come upon it that is wish peace to them saying the peace of God be upon this place upon the head and hearts of all in it So that peace is both a Gospel-salutation when Ministers and people meet and it 's a Gospel-valediction when the Minister and the People parts So did the Apostle and so do I now Grace be with you and Peace I observe in Mat. 10.13 14. our Lord bids his Disciples when they enter into a house If the house be worthy to let their peace come upon it but if they be not worthy let grace peace return unto you Instead of leaving peace with them to shake off the dust of their feet against them that is to shew that God will shake them off as dust and tread them under feet as fuel My Brethren your diligent attendance on the Word at this place hath comfortably prevented that part of my charge to shake off the dust of my feet for how beautiful have the feet of a poor worm been unto you being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Christ And therefore seeing our Lord Jesus Christ said If they be worthy of their peace abide with them on this account I wish to you grace and peace from God our father and from our Lord Jesus Christ But what is that peace It s the beauty of Vnion the harmony of the Creation the pleasure of Life the feast of a good Conscience 't is that which makes life sweet and death easie Peace sweetens all our possessions and all our afflictions without this the fulness of the world is a burden with this poverty and emptiness is a pleasant Companion without this our bread is gravelled with sourness and our water mingled with bitterness with this green Herbs become a feast and our water is turned into wine peace it is the most beautiful creature in the world And therefore it is beloved of all courted of all many seek her but few there be that enjoy her they do not go the right way to find her for In the ways of Righteousness is peace Peace is the seminary of all blessings temporal as Grace is of all blessings spiritual in grace you have implyed all Holiness in peace all happiness in grace all inward in peace all outward blessings grace and peace are the Alpha and Omega of all blessings as God iâ— of all beings no bleâ—â—ing comes before grace and no blessing lasts longer Then see in this phrase of speech the Apostle wishes upon them as I do upon you all the blessings both of time and eternity and yet he wished not more to them than God promised to give them 1 Tim. 4 8. For godliness hath the promise of this life and that which is to come grace be unto you and peace c. not one without the other though a man may have peace without grace as in a time of dissertion or temptation and a man may have peace without grace as in a secure and unregenerate Condition grace without peace is often found in a troubled conscience and peace without grace is often found in a seared conscience as grace without peace is very uncomfortable so peace without grace is very unprofitable like Rachel beautiful but barren therefore the Apostles desires ye should have both Grace and Peace we say the Sun and Sali are the most useful creatures in the world the one for shining the other for seasoning My Brethren grace and peace are the Christians Sun Salt grace is the light of their souls and peace is the savour of their comforts grace shines through all their faulties and Peace seasons all their mercies The blessings of God are become as twins as Christ said of the Spouse Cant. 4.2 She is like a flock of sheep that are even shorn which come up from the washing whereof every one bear twins and none is barren among them grace and peace here are knit together by the spirit of God in a sacred knot not to be untied as Castor and Pollux when seen together portend happiness to the Marriner so when Grace and Peace are found in a soul together they portend the highest security and blessing to the Believer they are said in Scripture to be bound together where God gives the one he never denies the other
it but our Resurrection and the thoughts of it must be our comfort And oh how doth this encourage us to come unto God though sin be heavy upon us Remember there is a God of Peace that takes to himself his Name for this very end that sinners may know for their encouragement that Reconciliation is wrought out between God and them through Jesus Christ and if they will but come and take hold of the blood of the everlasting Covenant Christ hath said they shall have all the blessings and benefits promised in the Covenant of Grace and that the blood of Christ can procure for them they shall have forgiveness of sins and salvation of Soul Therefore when we consider Christ hath dyed to have a Flock and for saving of the Flock and to make himself the God of Peace through his blood this should comâ—â—â— It remains we come to confider of the matter of the prayer this is very full make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight c. Here we are to observe two things First The matter of the Apostles desire Secondly The measure of it The matter of his desire is That the Hebrews may be made perfect in every good work to do the will of God i. e. That they may be fully and throughly regenerate sanctified throughout both in soul and body and that they may be furnished with all graces and enabled for every duty Take notice of every one of the Expressions First make you perfect 't is the duty of Christians to perfect every good work to cleanse themselves from all the impurity of flesh and spirit and to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord 2 Cor. 7.1 Secondly in every good work in matters of Piety Righteousness Charity Sobriety for within these heads most of these things may be comprehended that belong to Christians they will go a very great way to make a perfect Christian but that Christian cannot be perfect that is not sanctified in every one of these Thirdly to do his will that you may be ready cheerfully willing to do his will on all occasions But how is it possible flesh and blood should attain to this that they should be perfect in every good work Why saith the Apostle working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ Working in you You see thereby all our works depend on God and 't is in vain for us to build on any Foundation but this for 't is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure c. Col. 2.12 through the faith of the operation of God working in you or doing in you or causing in you or making in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight Our work is to depend on Gods work our outward working depends on Gods inward working Again that which is acceptable in Gods sight but 't is only through Jesus Christ good works themselves though never so good agreeable to the Law and Gospel yet if God look not on our persons and works through Christ they will not serve the turn ye cannot be accepted working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ Will God be pleased with nothing but only for Christ Jesus his sake and if it do not please Christ it will not please God 'T is truly plainly verily so That which God cannot accept of through Christ he doth not accept at all but now things are so ordered that God hath put all things into Christs hands Christ Jesus hath the ordering of the Worship and Gouernment of the Church he hath the making of all the Articles of the Christians Creed a Christian is bound to believe nothing but what Christ teaches as necessary to Salvation so that in Christ we are compleat if we believe as he teaches us to believe and if we worship God as he teaches us to worship God and have such order and government concerning his house and walk so as we desire in all things to please our Lord and Master and have him before our eyes then are we returned unto Christ the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls But if we present God with any kind of Creed Model of Worship or Government that hath not Christs Image and stamp upon it God will say as Christ concerning the money Whose Image or Superscription doth it bear If we can say Christ's the way of worship we have learned from Christ that Order and Government in the Church we have learned from Christ then the Father and Son will own it If it have Mans superscription upon it not Gods or Christ I cannot tell how we should presume it can be acceptable to God through Christ for God hath so confin'd himself he will not be pleased but through Christ and that all Matters of Religion in the New Testament should be ordered according to Christs mind as the Old according to Moses 'T is necessary we enquire after Christs mind in what we do If we can do any thing and in doing it are sure it will be acceptable to God through Christ well and good otherwise not This is the Apostles prayer That God would make them perfect in every good wark to do his will working in them that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ The Doxology Whether we refer it to God or Christ 't is all all one we have no body to honour and glorifie in the Church but God through Christ We cannot tell how to divide those that are so nearly united Therefore when we glorifie God we glorifie Christ And this me must observe God hath ordered all mens concomments so that we have nothing to plead for our Souls salvation but Gods grace the Rule in his Word his Gospel that he hath made known to us and therefore let the Word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom There is a great deal of Do in Gods Church about This and That he that must determine the business is Christ and there are but two ways the determining things for the present and for the time to come hereafter by questioning the matter of fact for the present by making of our Rule When the question comes concerning the matter of fact there he receives our Rule What hath Christ said how hath Christ provided in things of this nature It 's plainly so and so but in dubious matter and customs and the like I know not how to answer them when we shall come to auswer Christ when he shall put the question Did you not know whom you was bound to fear Did I speak nothing at all in the case neither generally nor particularly Could you not by any means come to understand my mind I doubt we shall not be able to answer this But we must say we found a certain state in the Word but having laws and customs among our selves therein were at a stand Why saith
Christ was your Laws and Customs above or below my Word Must your Law be ruled by my Word or my Word by your Dâ—ctrine Did not all Christians hold out this that the Word of Christ was above all authority in the matters of Christ Shall the Members of the Body become greater than the Head Therefore you could not be ignorant in this case your own professing me to be so great in all my Natures and Offices but when you come to practice then you will deny me Shall we be able to answer this We must consider of this that if we would please God it must be through Christ and then we must carry our sâ—lves as directed by Christ Jesus in his Word and nothing can take us off that principle no pretence whatsoever for Christian Religion is such a thing in the nature and substance of it as Jesus Christ is the Author of Therefore if Christ be the Author all that belongs to Christian Religion as to its substance we should account nothing of moment in Religion but only that which we can ascribe to Christ as the Author of it The care of the Church is in the hand of Christ whatsoever providences are let in on the Church to exercise or try the Church all must be born patiently but every Member must worship him God hath made Jesus Christ a Shepherd c. In what he finds fault we must not justifie what he commands we must approve what he calls to be done we must practise what is not his we must not own as his Much may be drawn from this both for instruction and consolation that Christ is the great Shepherd though he die in his Members he shall rise in his Members I may say though he die in his Ministers he shall rise in his Ministers Isa 59.21 As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put into thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor cut of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever This is a part of the Covenant that the Word and Spirit of Christ shall be continued among the Members throughout all Ages God will provide his children shall not live without a Spirit neither without his Word God hath engaged himself for both for the one as well as the other that there shall be a super-addition and perpetuating of them and herein we must depend upon the faithfulness of the great Shepherd of the sheep Mr. Venning's Farewel-Sermon Heb. 10. Verse 23. Let us hold fast the Profession of our Faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised THat Christians are greatly concerned not only to believe and to make Profession of their belief but to hold fast their faith and the Profession of it is that which I have already proved unto you the several Obligations that lie upon Christians hereunto have been in one or two Sermons handling among you the great Obligation here annexed is for he is faithful that hath promised From whence and from other places of Scripture I have deduced several Arguments and propounded them unto you the last of which was this None can promise us better than God can none can threaten us worse than God can and therefore it concerns us to hold fast If any man can do more for you or against you than God can leave God and cleave to that person but seeing that is impossible let it be as impossible for you to leave God Can any body promise you better than Heaven and that God hath promised to them that do believe Can any threaten you with worse than Hell and that God hath threatned to them that do not believe I shall now proceed to touch the remaining Arguments that are behind and give you a few helps with which I shall conclude this discourse at this time I pray God I may not say Preaching too There are several Arguments to be drawn First From the Subject concerned Vs Secondly From the Object the Profession of our Faith And Thirdly From the Act with the Qualifications Hold fast without wavering First From the subject concerned Vs Let us hold fast whatever others do if they let go Faith and God and Heaven and Souls and All yet let us hold fast Whatever the Apostle speaks of or to Believers there is a very great Emphasis in the word we or us as in the first of Tim. 6.8 saith he Having Food and Raiment let us be content Indeed he might have said let every man be content but the Emphasis lies in the us if no body else will be content yet let us for a Christian lies under more Obligations to all manner of vertue than any other man doth If Nature will not be content with little yet let Grace Let us be content So here let us hold fast our Profession It may be others will let it go I but let us hold it fast let us among whom let us upon whom let us in whom such mighty things have been done by God let us hold fast or else it will be an intolerable upbraid and condemnation to us That it will be both see but two Texts of Scripture the first is in Mat. 11.20 21. Then began he that is Christ to upbraid the Cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not Wo unto thee Chorazin wo unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in Sackcloath and Ashes but I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of Judgment than for you And thou Capernaum which art exalted unto Heaven shalt be brought down unto Hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day But I say unto thee that it shall be more tollerable for the land of Sodom at the day of judgment than for thee Pray do but mark what an upbraid their is and what ground because mightier works had been done among these than among others Now it seems to be a little excusable that they where these mighty works had not been done did not repent and therefore their punishment shall be more tollerable but it will be more inexcusable for them among whom less mighty works have been done If they do not comply with the design of God their condition will be far more intollerable They that have been lifted up to Heaven as it were that have as it were seen Christ crucified before there eyes for them to Apostatize and turn away from Châ—ist of how much sorer punishment shall they be thought worthy Certainly thâ—se very persons that have great and mighty works done among them upon them too great Convictions and strong Resolutions and yet they shall Apostatize Oh! how will God upbraid
little business will buy a Priesthood and so they are said to be without the true God without a teaching-Priest and without Law Mark what followes And in those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great vexations were upon all the Inhabitants of the Country and Nation was destroyed of Nation and City of City for God did vex them with all adversity 3. Safety and security goes when the Gospel goes so in the Text but now cited The Ark was taken away their strength and safety was gone When the Jews rejected the Gospel the Romans came and took away both their place and Nation John 11.48 If we let him thus alone the Romans will come and take away both our place and Nation About forâ—y years after Titus and Vespasian took away their City they cried If we let this man alone the Romans will take away our Nation and this was the ready way to bring the Romans upon them 4. When the Gospel goes Civil liberty goes when the Jews slighted the Gospel and turned their backs upon it they quickly became Bondslaves to the Romans 5. When the Gospel goes the honour and glory splendour and beauty of a Nation goes It is the Gospel that is the honour and beauty of a Nation and when that goes all the glory goes As old Eli said when the Ark was taken away the glory was departed from Israel 1 Sam. 4.22 Jer. 2.11 12 13. Hath a Nation changed their gods which are yet no gods but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit that is the Worship of God into the Traditions of men What is it that lifts up one Nation above another but the Gospel Above all Nations of the Earth England hath been lifted up to Heaven 6. When the Gospel goes all soul-happiness and blessedness goes The Gospel you know is the means appointed by God to bring Souls to an acquaintance with Christ to an acceptance of Christ to an interest in Christ to an assurance that he is theirs and they are his Now when this goes all soul-happiness and blessedness goes 7. When the Gospel goes the spiritual presence of God goes for that still goes with the Gospel There is a general presence of God as the Psalmist speaks Psal 139. Where shall I go from thy Spirit Whither shall I fly from thy presence This presence of God reacheth from Heaven to Hell in that sense God is included in no place nor excluded out of any place But alas What is this general presence When the Gospel goes the special presence of God goes This leads me by the hand to the third Query Query 3. And that is this Whether God will remove the Gospel from England or no It is the fear of many but I humbly suppose No whatsoever darkness may be upon it yet that God will not remove it if you please I will offer a few things that signifie something as to my own satisfaction and it may be so to you 1. The rooting that it hath got in the hearts of sinners and Saints in the Judgment Affections and Consciences both of sinners and Saints Certainly it hath got so deep a root in the hearts of many thousands of Saints and sinners that it shall not be in the power of Hell to raze it out 2. The glorious anointings that are to be found upon many thousands of Gods servants in this Nation to preach the everlasting Gospel and who would be glad to preach upon the hardest terms keeping God and a good conscience to preach it freely as the Apostles of old did And certainly God hath not laid in the Treasure that it should be turned into a heap of confusion but that it should serve to the end for which he laid it in 3. The ineffectualness of all former attempts and designs to destroy the Gospel You know what endeavours of old there hath been to darken this Sun to put out the light of Heaven in the Marian dayes and in other dayes since them and yet it hath not been in Prisons Backs Flames Pillories nor any thing else to extinguish the glory of it And then 4. All Designs and Attempts to extinguish the everlasting Gospel have turned to the advancement flourishing and spreading of the Gospel 5. God never takes away the Gospel from a people till the body of that people have thrust the everlasting Gospel from them When indeed they have been so bold as to thrust away the everlasting Gospel God hath been severe unto them But till the body of a people have thrust away the everlasting Gospel God hath not taken it away from them 2 Chronicles the 36. Chapter from the 15th verse to the end God sent his Messengers early and late they abused slighted and scorned them till there was no remedy So in the 35. of Jeremiah from the first to the twelfth it is a famous Text for this So in the thirteenth Chapter of the Acts and the 45 46 and 47. verses Because you haue thought your selves unworthy of Salvation Lo we turn to the Gentiles till the Jews came to thrust away the everlasting Gospel the Lord continued it to them 6. The spreading of the everlasting Gospel is the special means appointed by God for the destruction of Antichrist First he is to be consumed by the spirit of his Mouth then destroyed by the brightness of his coming the spirit of Faith and prayer in them that would be willing to lay down any thing rather than part with the Gospel God will not put his blessed Church to the blush he will not make them ashamed of their confidence 7. Are there not multitudes of the Children of Believers that fall under many promises And will not God make good his engagements to them I will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your seed and the seed of the Vpright shall be blessed c. 8. The strange and wonderful affections and tenderness that God hath wrought in his children to the Gospel What meltings and mournings and what a spirit of prayer hath God put upon his people 9. There are many young tender plants and buds of Grace such in whom the spirit of God hath stirred a hungering and thirsting and longing after the great concernments of Eternity I would upon these grounds and others of the like import hope and believe that the Lord will not remove his everlasting Gospel however he may correct his people for their trifling with and slighting the glorious Gospel I have several times thought what a day of darkness was upon the World in respect of sin and superstition When Christ brought the everlasting Gospel what a day of darkness and superstition was on the whole Earth But you know what the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 1.21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that believe When it is nearest day then it
Conscience is awakened by the Spirit in the Ministry of the Word herein 't is powerful and efficacious There are divers instances in Seripture how powerful the Word hath been in point of Conviction in Felix the Apostle Paul preached to him of righteousness and judgement to come c. he trembles The Judge at the Bench trembleth at the Word delivered by the Prisoner at the Bar So powerful is the Ministry of the Word as to discover our sinfulness So the Disciples going to Emaus their hearts burnt within them when our Saviour opened to them the Prophets c. So it was with St. Peters Auditors Acts 2. they were pricked in the heart when they heard this he did preach to them in the power and demonstration of the Spirit and plainly discovered that sin that they were more especially guilty of and when they heard that they were pricked in the heart c. 2. It was a Word of Conversion also Conviction is one thing and Conversion in anoâ—her Sometimes men may be convinced and yet have no change wrought in them therefore Conversion is another work it is a turning men from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God c. To receive an inheritance among them that are sanctified Herein is the Word powerful viz. in Regeneration I have begotten you by the Word to a lively hope c. Of his own will hath he begotten you c. 4. It is a word of comfort and consolation it is a powerful word and able to comfort the heart and the Ministry is very effectual herein when set on by the Spirit to quiet satisfie and pacifie the Consciences of men which declareth the remission of sin and whosoever's sins are forgiven must needs be comforted Indeed it is not in the power of men to forgive sins yet they can speak a word of comfort in season by the administration of the promises the Spirit of God going along with them and then they are not onely declarative but operative Where I say it pleaseth God to bless and sanctifie the Word it is effectual for quieting of the minde for pacifying of the conscience and setling of the troubled soul Thus you see how powerful the Ministry is and seeing it is so this should teach us how to behave our selves under it it is powerful in it self and powerful in its dispensation and hath none of that weakness mentioned before of the dispenser of it 'T was with you saith St. Paul in much weakness and in fear and in trembling 1 Cor. 2 3 4. And my speech was in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power These may seem to be contradictory but 't is answered the Word is powerful in the demonstration of the Spirit though delivered by one of humane weakness as before is declared This spiritual power we should look at and labour after which power doth not consist in matter of elocution the inticing words of mans wisdom nor in matter of voice which indeed is a good thing and suitable to the nature of the matter A quick and powerful delivery is of great efficacy and power for the setting home of truths Yet this doth not make a powerful Ministry for a whisper in the ear may cause a thunder-bolt in the conscience the power lies first in the nature of the matter the matter consists in the nature and condition of Mankinde the certainty of the Judgement the necessity of Christ the Covenant of Graceâ— and the graces and priviledges thereof c. These carry a great deal of power and effiacy with them when they are carefully and frequently dispensed and Gods Spirit going along with them so they become powerful for the Ministry consists not in empty notions and speculations that will onely fickle the fancy but never reach the conscience Moral discourses though they be of great use yet if we rest in them they leave us as they found us Evangelical truths which are manifold are to be delivered in the Ministry Now as the matter of the Ministry must be powerful so the expression must be powerful there should be suitableness of expression to the matter i. e. with gravity sobriety and affection c. Strong lines make but weak preaching and take away the efficacy but delivering truths in the demonstration of the spirit and in power that is most effectual when we speak feelingly and from our hearts it comes then through the blessing of the Lord with it with power This is then to learn us of the Ministry viz. 1. Use Let us be careful that the matter of our Ministry be powerful so that the handling and dispensing thereof be powerful that so it may come home to the conscience thus we should deal with all The words of the wise are as goads and as nails fastened by the Ministers of the Assemblies c. So our words should have a force and power in them This as the Apostle says is mighty and powerful to the beating down of strong holds c. Vse 2. Secondly In reference to hearers seeing the Ministry is powerful you must then submit your selves to the power of it Many people are Sermon-proof and think to stand out against the power of the Word but if it comes in power to the conscience they will not be able to resist it as it is said of them in the Gospel They were not able to resist the Spirit by which he spake viz. Stephen And for those that desire the conversion of others what course should be taken by them for that end but by good counsel instruction prayer and good example to endeavour them and more especially to bring them to the Word and administration thereof which God hath sanctified for this end So much for the excellency of the Gospel viz. The excellency of the power c. I come to the second 2. The Author of it 1. Positively it is of God And 2. Negatively it is not of us First Positively it is of God and that in all the considerations of it in the full extent of it it is of God So the Ministerial gifts the performances of it and the success of it are all from God First Ministerial gifts are from God it is he that makes us able Ministers of the New Testament There are saith the Apostle Paul diversity of gifts to one is given the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit c. 1 Cor. 12.4 5 6. It is God that bestows every good gift Secondly The performance also is from God his grace concurrs and assists therein the habit and the act are both from him God gives gifts to men and he enables them to dispense them Ministerial employments are not onely for general but particular applications and so need not onely general but particular assistances That I might be enabled saith Saint Paul to fulfill the work c. the Lord stood by me and strengthened me that my preaching might be fully accomplished It is God
in this place where he spent his labour and pains many years I could give large accounts and testimonies of him if need were from my own knowledge of him having been acquainted with him many years He was not only a Minister but the Son of a Minister his birth and education suiting together He look'd upon it not only as an honour but an engagement to be careful to walk in those steps set before him and to continue the work of the Ministry begun by his religious Father Certainly the Children of godly and holy Parents cannot come off so cheap in their carriages as others they have greater accounts to make as having greater examples set before them greater advantages of Prayer Exhortation c. and so greater engagements this was thought on and observed by him And as he was the Son of a Minister so when he came to years and was sitted he took upon him the Ministry as he was one of great abilities so accordingly he discharged them faithfully and conscienciously He was a spiritual powerful consciencious Preacher he preached by his life for as Erasmus saith we should not only love to speak truths but we should digest truths on our own hearts before we commend them to others and so they will be the more effectual He was a man of a very meek sweet and humble spirit a man of a great humility and of great meekness in the midst of great abilities which was a great Ornament in him a man full of tenderness and condescension to others a man of a very yielding and melting frame of Spirit soon dissolved into tears It was the saying of one that a good man is full of tears so this good man was full of tears not affected but very real and hearty drawn from the fulness of his Spirit as the Apostle Paul saith he served the Lord in much humility and many tears This was remarkable that in these times our Reverend Brother was full of tears in delivering his Doctrine which was suitable to the age we live in being full of sin and calamity there is much need of a bewailing spirit to bewail the iniquities and miseries of the times they that cannot bewail themselves need the tears of others He was a man of great integrity and single-heartedness in his exhortations he had much of the simplicity of Christ as the Apostle Paul speaks In reference to the Ministry he had no worldly and base affection he had no carnal designs therein but his chief design was to bring Souls home to Christ that was his chief business What the Apostle saith of himself may also be said of him that in simplicity and godly sincerity he had his conversation in the world not walking in craftiness nor handling the Word of God deceitfully but by the manifestation of the truth commending himself to every mans conscience in the sight of God 2 Cor. 4.2 He was a man had ability to speak a word in season he was very compassionate to wounded spirits he himself having been much afflicted He was a man much in communication with God and had much acquaintance with God and was careful in improvement therein He was a Jacob in wrestling with God a Moses that stood in the Gap an Elijab that prayed earnestly the whole Land was the better for such a person being much with God the made many addresses to him and had much holy familiarity with him And as in his publick performances he was very faithful and beneficial so in his Family and privately he was very fruitful and serious In a word not to multiply much in this kind you need it less in this Auditory but only by way grateful memorial there was much of God and Christ in him and he was a great example to his fellow-servants there was much of this Treasure spoken of in the Text in this Earthen Vessel as in the matter of it he was one of a Gospel Spirit and in the conveyances of it he had great abilities for the work of the Ministry and discharged it with a great deal of success As he had this treasure in an Earthen Vessel so his Vessel his frail body was no disparagement to him but the advancement of the treasure in setting forth the power to be of God his outward man was much weak and worn away but his inward man was upheld by the grace of God His first work in the Ministry was in that place where my self have relation to he was an assistant to my Predecessor being then past labour Mr. Richard Couder and performed the work so well that he was exceedingly beloved of Mr. Couder and well beloved of the Parish and other places He left a good impression behind and I found good effects by the foundation there laid The Apostle Paul indeed desired not to work there where another had laid the foundation but I thought it a great advantage that the foundation was laid by such a Master-builder He was called into the Country to Rughy in Warwickshire there he continued very fruitful and did much good For some occasion he removed returned into the City and came into this place where he continued about 18 or 19 years discharged the work of the Lord carefully I need not say much of his carriage in this place I appeal to your own consciences I may say of this servant of Christ as the Apostle Paul said of himself 1 Thes 2 10 11 12. Ye are his witnesses and God also how holily and justly and unblameable he behaved himself among you as you know how he exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a Father doth his Children that ye would walk worthy of God who hath called you unto his Kingdom and Glory Therefore there lies an engagement upon you to walk answerable to the truths he delivered and to follow his steps considering the end of his Conversation I shut up all in the words of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians chap. 4. v. 9. Those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in him Do and the God of Peace shall be with you Mr. Beerman's Farewel Sermon BEloved I know you are not ignorant that I am called by Authority to depart from you which for Conscience sake we must obey and were it not for the breach of Conscience I think I could be content to undoe my self to stay with you I shall now in love and tenderness take my leave of you all with that large portion of Scripture in the 20th of the Acts from the 17th Verse to the end they were Paul's parting words to the Ephesians Verse 17. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the Elders of the Church and when they were come unto him he said unto them Ye know that from the first day that I came into Asia after what manner I have been with you serving the Lord with all humility of mind with many tears and temptations which befel me through the lying
Ministry hath done more it hath taken the stone out of mans heart and hath given them new hearts it hath made all the Commandements of God easie to maâ—p a poor soul because it loves its Father its Redeemer and Comfoâ—ter There is a kind of obedience in a godly faithful Minister and if this will not do nothing will as in Luke 16.31 3. Is not the cause of the non-proficiency of such a people under such a Ministry in themselves Oh men do hinder the fruit of the Word in their own souls the powerful operation and working of the Word on their own souls The Lord prophesies that sentence on the Jews Mat. 13.14 â—e lays all the blame on themselves and assigns their own sins as the reason and cause of it as in Verse 13. And thus our blessed Savior expounds the Parable of the Sower shewing how many that hear the Word are never the better for it and he layeth the blame on themselves as in Luke 8.14 What then hast thou not profited under the Ministry of the Lords faithful Servant Oh lay the blame on thy self 4. Consider Hath not the Lord himself a hand in the proficiency or non-proficiency under such a Mâ—nistry Surely the Lord hath a chief hand in making the Ministry of his Servants fruitful or not fruitful to them that enjoy it Now to enjoy and not to enjoy is it not a fearful sign that you are not of God as John 8.47 Is it not a sign that thou are not of Gods elect at least of Regeneration But you will say Did not the Jews hear Gods Word Yes they did with their bodily ears but they heard it not with saith submission and fruitfulness and therefore our blessed Savior tells them they were not of God that is they were at least in an unregenerate if not in a reprobate condition And so Joh. 10.26 Ye are those Goats saith Christ that must stand at my left hand in that great day and then Unbelievers shall reflect on themselves not on Christs Ministry by the mouths of his Servants But if any should say What then will you say that all of us are Reprobates that are not wrought on by your Ministry I say not so for that seed which hath been sowen on you may â—o your souls good hereafter though it hath done them little or no gooâ— as yet But secondly that I may boldly say That if any of you dye in your present state unconverted unregenerate you will carry with you to your grave as fearful marks of reprobation as we can finde any in the whole Book of God John Baptist compares the Ministry oâ— the Gospel to a Fan in Mat. 3.12 When the Lord Jesus maketh use of the Ministry of his faithful Servants among the people when he maketh use of those Fans it will appear who among them are Wheat and shall be gathered into the Lords Garner and who among them are Chaff and shall be cast into fire And now whether the present state that you have lived under and are not yet wrought upon by a faithful Ministry be not very dangerous judge ye And so much may suffice for the Doctrinal part If so be then That a Ministers soundness in Doctrine and holiness of sife and conversation doth lay a great Obligation on a people conscienciously and duly to practice every commanded duty Then first of all the first Use we shall make of this Doctrine shall be by way of Tryal and Examination and that in two particulars First Whether you in this Parish in this place you here before the Lord 1. Branch of the Vse of Tryal do make conscience of the due practice of every commanded duty Secondly Whether the Ministry you have enjoyed and lived undeâ— doth not lay a great Obligation on you so to do For the first of these Whether you here before the Lord do make conscience of the due practice of every commanded duty in obedience to Almighty God you may try your selves by these three excellent Ingredients First Vniversality Canst thou in the witness of thy conscience say that through grace thou dost every as well as any part of the Lords revealed Will so far as thou knowest it 2. Vniformity Dost thou do all without prejudice or partiality 3. Vbiquity Art thou the same at home as abroad in thy Closet as well as in the Congregation and dost thou mind inward and secret as well as open and outward holiness What saith Conscience to this As first Have commanded Duties a Throne in your own Souls and Conscience Secondly Have they a Throne in thy Family First Have commanded Duties a Throne in your own souls and consciences Are your hearts fully possest with the power of those divine and heavenly Truths which you have often heard which hath been again and again inculcated upon you as it was upon the Thessalonians 1 Thes 1.5 their carnal principles were confuted their passions moderated their Iusts mortified their self-ends confounded are yours so Have commanded Duties a Throne in your souls and consciences Oh that all your consciences could give a satisfying answer to this Query Secondly Have commanded Duties a Throne in your Families Do you make conscience of Family-duties Are your houses Bethels that is houses of God house◠〈◊〉 Prayer Are your habitations of holiness and righteousness Do you make conscience of relative as well as of personal duties Oh that all your consciences could give a satisfying answer to this Query 2. Branch of the Vse of Tryal But now the second Branch of this Use of Tryal and Examination is this Whether the Ministry you have enjoyed and lived under doth not lay a very great Obligation on you to put in execution every commanded Duty as Rom. 10.6 7 8. that is the Word of Faith we preach read that place And may not we take up that with some variation and say You have heard of the disease the misery and remedy When the great God shall arraign thee at the great and fearful Day and shall say thus Thou rebellious Wretch why didst thou not forsake thy evil ways thy drunkenness thy tipling thy covetousness thy snuffling at Purity thy inveterate heart and spirit against my holy ways and Ministers why didst thou not forsake thy evil ways wilt thou be able to say Lord I lived under 1. A soul-betraying non-resident Minister one that made it his business to fleece indeed not to feed the flock Or 2. under a soul-poysoning Innovator Or 3. under a soul-pining dry Nurse Or 4. under a soulguiding Guide Or 5. under a soul-unsetling Temporizer Or 6. under a soul-destroying Discountenancer 1. Canst thou say that thou livest under a soul-betraying non-resident Minister one that made it his business to fleece and not to feed the flock one that looked after the wooll and fat of the flock the fleece but never minded the flock but non-residency hath been hitherto decryed as that as breeds a Minister idle and erroneous or licentious but wilt thou
we may live with the God of Peace hereafter Mr. Bull of Newington-Green his Farewel Sermon in the Forenoon Joh. 14.16 And I will send the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever THe Observation that I commended to you out of these words was this It is the great work for which the Spirit of Christ is given by God to comfort the hearts of his people You may remember that I have formerly opened the truth to you and have shewed you what this spiritual comfort is that the Spirit of Christ works in the hearts of his Disciples I gave it you in this Description It is that inward spiritual satisfaction that the heart of a gracious person finds in and through Jesus Christ in all the various dispensationâ— of God towards him whereby he is enabled to go on in chearfulness in the way that God would have him whether it be by a way of doing or of suffering And herein I shewed 1. The nature of the spiritual satisfaction 2. The Author of it It is God by his Spirit 3. The Object of it God through Jesus Christ 4. The proper subject of this inward spiritual comfort the people of God 5. And lastly The effects of the spiritual comfort it is to strengthen the heart both to do and to suffer I came the last time to shew you how the Spirit of God doth this 1. He doth it as an enlightning Spirit By shewing where comfort is to be had by opening the eyes of the understanding as he did Hagars bodily eyes to see the Well of Water 2. He doth it as a quickning Spirit bringing the Soul into that capacity to take in the comfort for what comfort can a dead man receiver a Cordial and Puddle is all one to a dead man 3. He works this inward spiritual satisfaction by discovering the truth of his vital Principle in the Soul for a man may have a principle of grace and spiritual life in him and not know it that though he has the spiritual comfort yet it is all one as if he had it not Now this is the great Question that is debated in the heart of a childe of God Whether he be regenerated and born again Whether he hath grace in his soul that grace that will qualifie him for glory and if he was satisfied as to this he would not be a moment without comfort But he is afraid that he is dead in sin that he is a stranger to the life of grace hence ariseth all the Spiritual troubles Now the Spirit of God comes in and resolves the case comes into the soul by his bright reflections and fills our souls with comfort Now we have received not the spirit of the World but the Spirit which is of God 4. The Spirit of God is a comforting Spirit as he openeth the vein of godly sorrow in the soul Truly this is the next way to spiritual comfort when a man can once spiritually mourn for sin Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Godly sorrow opens the vein and le ts out the matter that hinders comfort and causeth inward trouble in the soul A gracious man takes a great delight in godly sorrow Oh! it 's matter of marvellous comfort to a Child of God when he can kindly mourn for his sins 5. The Spirit of God comforts the soul as he is a mortyfying Spirit Thus he takes away that that is the ground and matter of Believers trouble mortifying that sin that is the cause of his sorrows pride unbelief inordinate love to the World 6. The Spirit of God works comfort in the hearts of his people by setting their own spirit to seek for comfort in Gods own wayes The last thing that I did for the explication of the Doctrine was to add some Propositions and they are such as these 1. Many a gracious heart that hath fellowship with the spirit of God in his sanctifying work may feel and find none in his comforting work The Sun may operate where it doth not shine A man may be in a state of Salvation when it doth not feel the joyes of Salvation Isa 51.3 You shall find those that fear the Lord and had the comforts of the Holy Ghost yet walked in darkness 2. Even those gracious souls that have the fellowship of the comforting spirit to day may want it to morrow This is not daily bread while the Saints are on this side Heaven The Solstice of a Christians comfort doth not last all the day long they are not feasted with this every day they have the night as well as the day there is a night as well as a day in the heart of a gracious soul as it is natural in the common course of nature the Sun may shine to day but it may be clouded to morrow Thus it was with that holy man Psal 30.7 Lord by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled And God doth this in infinite wisdom to put a difference between Earth and Heaven this valley of tears and that state of Glory that so the hearts of Gods people may be kept in frame of longing after the state of Heaven God will have his people be groaning here that his people may groan after that condition when all sorrowing and sighing shall flee away God reserves perfect comfort to be the reward of perfect holiness while our graces are imperfect we must make account that our comfort will be so too Tears will be never wiped from our eyes till sin be quite taken out of our hearts 3. Those that have had this spiritual comfort in their Souls they may lose not only the impression of the Spirits comfort but they may feel the impression of Gods anger Haman complains That the wrath of God did bang upon him and that the terrors of God had out him off A gracious heart hath real grounds of Consolation though he hath not present sensible comforts A child of God hath always that that if he did see he could not be without comfort the Promises are his support he hath the first fruits of the Spirit and right to eternal life A Child of God shall always have so much to keep up his hopes and affiance upon God A Child of God in the darkest condition though he doth not see enough to make him rejoyce in God yet he sees enough to make him trust in God though he walk in darkness and see no light yet he trusts in God Job sayes Though the Lord slay him yet be would trust in him David was in great trouble while he was in that disquiet expostulation Why art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou disquieted within me trust in God 5. Those that have inward comforts from the Spirit may at the same time have little comfort from Gods outward dispensations It may be dark without when it is light within
while Stephen sees nothing but blood here below he saw Heaven above And Christ rells his Disciples In the world they shall have tribulation but in him they shall have peace 6. And lastly Though this be one great work of the Spirit of God to comfort the hearts of Christs Disciples yet there are some special seasons wherein the Spirit of God gives out this comfort There are seasons of sadness there is a season of heaviness and there is need of it There is a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance I shewed you some of the Seasons 1. One special season of the Spirits comforting the renewing Soul is presently upon the Souls first salvation After the spirit is become a Spirit of Adoption presently it becomes a Spirit of Consolation after the Spirit hath come into the soul in the Law it then nextly appears a Spirit in the Gospel 2. Another season when the Spirit gives out this comfort is just before the Lord layes upon his people any great affliction When was it that Christ was transfigured and his face did shine as the Sun it was immediately before his bloody passion Christ was first taken into the Mount before he was lifted up upon the Cross When was the voice heard This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased but just before he was led into the Wilderness to be tempted When was Paul lifted up into Heaven it was immediately before Satan was sent to buffet him Thus God gives his people something beforehand to support their Spirits that they may not faint the Disciples were full of comfort Acts 5 41. And when was this immediately just before they were carryed before the Council and whipt up and down like Vagabonds and Rogues for preaching the Gospel 3. Another Season when the Spirit gives out this Comfort is in the time of suffering God comes in the nick of time especially if a man suffer for righteousness sake if this suffering be upon the account of Christ he seldom sails to send the Comforter for the relieving of his Spirit 1 Pet. 4.13 But rejoyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy Bodily confinement and in ward straits are the time of the souls greatest inlargement John had his vision in the Isle of Patmos When a Child of God is brought to a piece of bread then is the season for God to feed him with heavenly Manna Jacob had glorious Visions while he was flying from the wrath of his Brother when he had nothing but a heap of Stones for his Pillow It was in the Wilderness that God speaks to his Church thus I told you of Mr. Glover a Prisoner who found no comfort in the time of his imprisonment but when he was going to the stake he cryed out He is come be is come meaning the Spirit the Comforter 4. Another season of Comfort is after some special exercise of grace godly sorrow-for sin free actions in the pardon of sin and new Engageme â—â—s and Resolutions and Promises of more close walking with God after declining from him 5. Another season of Comfort is After some great Tryals and Afflictions Light is then most pleasant when we newly are come out of a dark place after Thunder comes Lightning after a Storm comes a Calm God led his people first into the Wilderness and then into the Land of Canaan It is often so in Gods Dispensations towards his people their greatest Afflictions go before their greatest Deliverances And therefore let not the Saints of God despair when they are at the lowest when they walk in darkness and see no light yet let them trust in the Lord. 6. Another Season of comfort was when men were conscienciously diligent in their particular Callings then they walk with God To this I gave you an instance in the Shepherds they were faithful and diligent in their Callings they were watching over their flocks by night and then the Angel comes and tells them To you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord Luke 2.11 A company of poor Shepherds keeping of their Sheep God appears unto them and manifesteth his comforting Presence when the Scribes and Phaâ—isees notwithstanding all their long prayers and their strict Rites and Ceremonies hear not a word of him 7. Another Season of comfort is when we are either preparing for or in the spiritual act of some duty When grace is exercised to prepare the heart to pray and in attendance upon such an Ordinance then oftentimes the Spirit of God is with them to let poor souls in their endeavors finde acceptance with God Hannah had been praying to God But what melody did she finde in her heart When Mary sate â—at Christs feet how doth Christ fill her heart with comfort sealing up her salvation to her I now come to close with some Application Vse of Information Use If it be the work of the Spirit of God to comfort the hearts of Christs Disciples then by way of Information I gather this That a poor soul is very hardly setled and satisfied in point of Comfort Sure it is a hard matter to comfort a poor soul when one of the Persons of the blessed Trinity must be employed on purpose to do it This is an office belonging to the Holy Ghost when he is to be the Paraclec the comfort of the Holy Ghost This sure is a hard matter to comfort the wounded spirit when the soul is full of the spirit of bondage Oh! the hesitates the jealousies the doubts and fears the objections that a poor soul makes against his spiritual peace and comfort now it begins to take comfort then it doubts again now he believeth and takes courage but anon he is afraid there is a great deal ado to fasten comfort upon a poor soul 2 Cor. 1.22 23. What a heap of Words are there together and it is all little enough to comfort a poor soul Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed us is God and hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the spirit in our hearts It is not without much tugging and drawing that the soul is first brought to believe and then when it doth believe it is a hard thing to perswade it that it doth believe There is a strange kind of squemishness upon the heart he thinks that there is no comfort to be taken that doth belong to him Luther says It is a harder thing to comfort a troubled Conscience than to raise the dead Surely it must be as hard when nothing but the same power must do it The soul is hardly convinced but all the glad tidings of the Gospel are golden streams and all the Promises are but pleasant Fancies without any Reality but that these things should belong to him this he cannot believe for want of faith
So that the Spirit of God is fain to come in and end the controversie before the soul will be satisfied 2. If it be the work of the Spirit of God to comfort the hearts of his people Then all the comfort of Christless and graceless souls is nothing worth there is no true peace for they are not the Disciples of Christ which are the proper subjects of this comfort they will not hearken to Christ nor learn of Christ but they cast his words behind their backs and break his bands asunder Those that do not learn Christs Precepts and follow Christs Canons and obey Christs Commands they are none of Christs Disciples aâ—d to be sure they have not the Spirit of Christ which is the Efficient in this comfort and without the root there cannot be the fruit for this inward peace is the fruit of the Spirit And therefore what comfort they have it is either a sinful comfort which to be sure will end in sorrow or else at best it is but a carnal comfort which will soon vanish like the crackling of thorns under a Pot There is no peace saith God to the wicked there is no peace with God as long as you are at peace wiâ—h sin 3. Here they are stumbled with the Riddle That the people of God should be sorrowing yet always rejoycing As sorrowing yet always rejoycing The carnal world think this to be a contradiction though they be troubled without yet they have peace within though they have maâ—ter of sorrow in respect of outward affliction yet they have fellowship with the Holy Ghost the comforter which gives peace in affliction joy in sorrow light in darkness which fills thee with joy unspeakable and full of glory Secondly If the Holy Ghost be the only Comforter of the hearts of Gods people then let me exhort every one of you to labour for an interest in this Comforter Friends I beseech you be restless till you have got some evidence of the Comforter in your souls by the inhabitation of the Spirit in your hearts without you have an interest in Christ there is no comfort no true comfort to be expected no comfort in prosperity no comfort in adversity no comfort in life nor in death no peace with your consciences Men may make a shift to keep themselves at quiet for the present by lulling conscience they may have a kind of peace from a false principle Ah but what will you do when storms arise what will you do when death and affliction comes Jonas lay quietly asleep till the storm came O my friends we must shortly lye a dying the Lord knows how soon O what will you do for comfort in a dying hour all other comforts may forsake you and before that time you may meet with sorrow and heavy afflictions so that all your friends in the world will not do you good your friends may fail your hearts may fail and then no comfort but the comfort of the Holy Ghost will do you good the time may come that all your friends may prove miserable comforters when God comes to deal with the soul to set sin home upon the conscience to lay sin before us then what will you do We are all guilty of sins of omission and sins of commission when these come to be charged upon the soul what will you then do then no plaister of comfort will stick but those of the Spirits laying on unless the Spirit seal up the pardon of sin the love of God to the soul nothing will quiet and comfort the soul however men may be merry for a time yet there is a time of sorrow that will come when they shall reflect upon their ways when they shall see nothing but sin behind them and terrours before them Oh! what amazement will seize upon their souls they have no interest in God in Christ they have no interest in the Promises there is nothing that will comfort you unless you have an interest in the Spirit But then what shall I do that I may get this comforting Spirit into my soul First Thirst earnestly after it The Promise is made to those that thirst after it Isa 44.3 Thirst after him in his convincings in his humblings in his sanctifying mercy Oh let the desire and longing of thy soul run out this way no matter for an Estate no matter for Friends and outward comforts if thou hast the Spirit of God thou hast that that is paramount to all outward comforts Secondly Pray earnestly for the Spirit You are not so willing to giâ—â— your children that they want as God is to give his Spirit to them that ask it Cry mightily Lord give me thy Spirit and cry to the Spirit and say as Laban to Abicam Come in so pray the Spirit to come in to thy Soul Thirdly If you would have this Comforter to come and abide with you You must resolve to become Christs Disciple It is only for such that Christs prays that God would send the Comforter You must hearken and obey him and follow him wheresoever he goeth You know the terms upon which you must be Christs Disciple Mat. 16.24 He must deny himself and take up his Cross and daily follow Christ He must deny himself There is two selfs in a man nay three selfs and they must de denied but however the first two must be denied if you intend to be Christs Disciple 1. A mans righteous self If any thing that we are that we have or can do from our works or duties any thing of our own all must be denied in point of Justification 2. Sinful self A mans corruptions must be denied pride passion and love to the world 3. Natural self Friends estates relations credit and honour and outward comforts these may be denied you may be called to part with them but if they come in competition with Christ they must be denied 2. You must take up the Cross of Christ rather than forsake his honor or disobey his commands You must resolve to follow Christ wheresoever he shall lead you either in a way of active or passive obedience you must take up Christs load you must undergo his burden Now Christians are you resolved upon this now sit down and consider what it will cost you to be Christians and if you would have the best you must be contented with the worst and if you are resolved upon this then you are the true Disciples of Christ and you are under the promise of his comfort and Christ is praying the Father to send you another Comforter who shall abide with you for ever 2. Vse of Exhortation 2. Vse Is of Exhortation wherein I shall apply my self to the true Disciples of Christ those that have had communion with Christ in his sanctifying Presence labour after communion with him in his comforting Presence To all others that are without the Spirit of God I may say as Jehu to Jehoram What hast thou to do with these things Labour to be
another and if he hath it not from the Spirit of God he will seek it some other way if he hath not comfort from the Spirit of God he will seek some sparks of his own kindling rather than they will sit in darkness without comfort they will light their candle at the Devil's fire And as he delivereth from temptation on the right so he delivereth from temptation on the left hand he that is filled with the comforts of the Holy Ghost what are sufferings to such a man he hath that within will carry him through all danger here is that comfort and that life by Christ which may ease us in our greatest crosses this will make a child of God speak of the sufferings of this world as a light matter Our light affliction which is but for a moment shall work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods because in Heaven they had a better and more enduring substance Heb. 11.35 Some were tortured receiving no deliverance because in Heaven they had a better substance Oh if you would be kept from the snares of the World let your comforts be above the power and danger of temptation from any thing here below 3. By way of Direction How shall we have communion and aâ—t fâ—ith upon the Holy Ghost as your Comforter the Holy Ghost is designed and appointed by God the Father to this Office now you know none love to be slighted in their Office and if we do not act faith upon the Holy Ghost we slight his Office therefore we should have recourse to him in a way of believing as we should act faith upon Christ for the pardon of sin so we should act faith upon the holy Ghost for a sense of that pardon 2. Go often to Jesus Christ and beg him and beseech him to entreat the Father for you Go to God the Father in the name of Christ and beg it upon the account of Christs Prayer and Intercession that he would send the Comforter and you have a good argument to enforce the Petition the very same as the Disciples That Christ would when he went away Pray the Father and he should send you another Comforter Christ tells them that some there were that would kill them and in so doing think they did God good service therefore Christ in compassion to them in the state that he left them in prays the Father that he would send the Comforter So now we must go to God those Ministers that were wont to comfort us are now to be taken from us our Barnabas's sons of consolation their mouths are to be stopped though Ordinances are now to be damned up the Houses of God made places of defilement our Teachers are removed into corners our Troubles encrease and we have none to tell us how long the light of our eyes the comfort of our hearts in respect of outward means are going from us whither shall we go we want Bread for our Souls we want cordials for our Hearts Blessed Saviour pity us and since thou wilt not come to us in thy own presence as thy Embassadors to come to us by thy Spirit do now in Heaven as thou didst on earth Pray the Father for us do not leave us so many Orphans without Father or Mother but send thy Spirit to refresh our Souls See how we are hated and reviled and we must suffer these things now Let us have thy Spirit 3. If you would have communion with the Spirit of Christ in his comforting work Take heed you do not lay up your comforts in the Creature this is to seek for the living among the dead those that rejoyce in the Creature rejoyce in a thing of nought and you that have an interest in God God will not take it at your hands if you seek it any where else no not in Ordinances though God would have you to seek comfort in Ordinances yet he would not have you to seek comfort from Ordinances 4. Set down and be much in duty Psal 63.5 6. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips when I remember thee upon my hed and meditate on thee in the night-watches If you look at the beginning of the Psalm you shall finde that this Psalm was penned when David was deprived of the Ordinances of God Many a man complains that he lives uncomfortably no wonder when he little thinks on Christ 5. Be much in the exercise of grace Then they that walked in the fear of the Lord when they walked in the comfort of the Holy Ghost 6. Take heed of quenching and grieving the Spirit your Comforter by neglecting his motions or by acting any thing against the minde of the Spirit Do not sin against him as your enlightning Spirit that will hinder him as your Comforter I close with a word of comfort to the people of God If it be one of the great works of the Spirit of God here is matter of great comfort to those that stick close to Jesus Christ Sure your comforts will be satisfying comforts and sufficient because they are comforts of the Spirits working The Lord Jesus hath promised to make up the want of his bodily presence by sending his Spirit He was now going from them and tells them That he could not stay and this was sad news to the Disciples who were ready to break their hearts and the best comfort that he could afford them was to tell them That he would send the Comforter If Christ can comfort his people in the absence of himself surely he can comfort them in the want of all other comfort that relate either to soul or body and so in the want of mercies in the want of outward Ordinances he can comfort the soul It is the Spirit of God that can comfort in the use of these and if he will he can do it in the want of them he can comfort us in the wilderness where no water is when he doth deny the means he can comfort us without where he denies us the stream he can make us drink at the Fountain 7. And lastly The people of God find hereby that their comforts are abiding Your liberty your friends ah Ordinances of and Ministers may be taken from you your Ministers may be banished your Ministers may be imprisoned but here is a Comforter that abides for ever And though they may keep your Ministers out of the Pulpit yet they shall not take the Comforter out of your hearts So that when I shall not preach any more to you I shall pray the Father that he would send you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever Mr. Bull of Newington-Green his Farewel Sermon in the After-noon Acts 20.32 And now Brethren I commend you to God and to the Word of his Grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that are
the Father of all comfort and there are many gracious promises God hath made to this purpose that they may be as so many Aquavitae pledges of Consolation to his people So that this will appear That it is the best Office of a Minister both to Minister and People to commend them to God 1. To Ministers it is the highest expression of their love What greater testimony of their love can they shew to their people to do all that for them that he would willingly have done and ten thousand times more Is it not an expression of love from a dying Father to his children Dear Children I am now dying I can provide for you no more I shall leave you such a Friend that shall provide for you in a more abundant measure than if I had been with you It is the best demonstration of their Faith 1. That he will not leave them to the wide world and then 2. He will not take any one he will trust his people with none but God who is able and willing to give account of them 3. It is the greatest satisfaction to his heart A Minister leaving his People can never be satisfied in his own breast that he should leave them and commit them and not to know to whom but when he knows with whom he hath committed them when he hath delivered them over to God that first committed them to him this is a great quietment and satisfaction to a Minister's spirit God layes the people as a depositum and will require an account of them at the last day Now when a Minister is taken from his people he cannot be satisfied till he hath delivered back his trust to God Lord here they are and while I was with them I did what I could but now I am taken from them here I surrender them back into thy hand when I was in the world I kept them in thy Name And so it is best for the people to be left to such a one who will keep them in all their Dangers and comfort them in all their Afflictions 3. How should a people be commended to God 1. By Exhortation 2. By Prayer First By Exhortation Thus the Apostle before and after my Text. And then by Prayer for so doth Saint Paul Calvin looks upon those Words as a Prayer brought in Always making mention of you in my Prayers Rom. 1.19 Phil. 1.4 Col. 1.3 And I trust that I shall not only now at this solemn departure but as long as I live still recommend you into the hands of God though I shall not preach to you yet I shall still make mention of you in my Prayers that God would stablish and comfort and preserve you to his heavenly Kingdom 4. Why doth the Apostle commend them to the Word of his Grace For these two Reasons First Because all the good that any people can look for is from God it is declared and laid up in the Promises and in the Gospel there is the Treasure of God it is in the Gospel The grace of God which hath appeared to all men bringeth salvation Tit. 2.11 We could never have known of the glorious mysteries of Salvation had it not been for the grace of God we could never have expected good but from the Gospel that is the great Magna Charta wherein God hath made over whatsoever concerns the eternal good of his people We have nothing to shew for grace and comfort and heaven and glory but his Gospel That is the great deed of gift that God hath given to his People poor sinners might look a Saviour if the Word of God had not revealed it those people have no ground to expect Salvation if God had not declared it in his Gospel to bestow it upon them 2. The Gospel is the only instrument by which God brings and conveys all that good to the Soul that it stands in need of all spiritual and temporal good that accompanies salvation God works nothing immediately to the Soul but by the Gospel First If any soul be converted to God it is by the grace of God And as Conversion so Sanctification that is effected by the word of God so likewise is Edification Salvation and Preservation Vse I come now to the Application It may be I have been too long already but Gods knows that it may be the last time that I may trespass in this kind and I have the Apostles example who preached at Troas till midnight but I promise to have done in a great deal less time Vse In the Application I shall in the Apostles example Commend you to the grace of God My Brethren and dearly Beloved and longed for now God by his providence is taking me away from you in the exercise of my publick Ministry I commend you to God and to the word of his Grace This I shall do First By exhorting and counsel and then by Prayer First By way of Exhortation 1. In reference to God and then 2. In reference to the Word of his Grace First of all my Exhortation in reference to God is That you would commit your selves to God If it should be so much a Ministers care to commend his people to God it 's good reason they should commend themselves 1. A Ministers commending you to God will be to no purpose if you do not commit your selves I shall alwayes make mention of you in my prayers as long as God shall continue me in this valley of tears I shall pray that God would build you up and sanctifie you I shall pray for you but God will not hear my Prayers if you do not hearken to my counsel To commit your selves to God 2. Consider if you can so commit your selves to God as to get God to take charge of you you are made for ever 1. God will be an All-sufficient God in stead of all the friends in the world you shall not need any that shall provide for you to protect you God will be All in All in stead of Father in stead of Mother Houses Lands Relations God will be better to you than ten Husbands than ten Ministers Ah better than ten thousand Worlds God can sweeten all your enjoyments God can provide for you and make you happy in the midst of the wants of Creature-comforts God is a Sun and a Shield He will give grace and glory and no good thing will he with-hold from them that fear him God contains all in himself Eminenter get God and you get all Let the World frown or smile let it turn upside down Though the Mountain be thrown into the midst of the Sea though the World be set on fire yet a Soul that is in Gods keeping is happy God is a present help in time of trouble 2. As God is an All-sufficient Friend so he is a firm and fast Friend to them My Father and Mother forsook me but the Lord took me up Psal 27.10 My flesh and my heart fails but God fails me not though
my Minister and my Friend leave me yet God will not leave me he is engaged by his own promise truth and faithfulness I will never never never leave thee nor forsake thee If you do not forsake God God will never forsake you if once you have so committed your selves to God as God accepts the charge he hath undertaken that you shall never depart from him It is part of the Covenant and he is engaged to all the Relations wherein he stands to his people as a Husband as a Father as a Master But you will say How shall we commit our selves to God that God may have a charge of us I will give you one Direction for all 1. Take God to be your God and give up your selves to be his people â—f you will before you and I part heartily and unreservedly give up your selves to God to be his people it will be the comfortablest day that ever I saw though in other respects it may be the saddest As certainly God is your God so certainly he will keep you if you will avouch your selves to be Gods I will avouch God to be yours 1. You must take God to be the portion of your souls inheritance lay up all your happiness in God for if you chuse any thing else for your happiness but God God will have nothing to do with you God will be All or Nothing Your hearts must say as David's Lord thou art my portion whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee He accounted all nothing for God God was his happiness God was his Portion God was his All in All. 2. You must make God the center of all your love and delight God will have all from you or nothing you must not divide your affection between God and the World you must love nothing in comparison of him love nothing but in subordination to him as you would have God to be wholly yours so you must be wholly his 3. You must rake God to be the strength and shield of hearts As you would have God to take care of you you must cast your care upon God If you place your hope any where else there will be no sure hold the Anchor of your hope must be cast no where else if you lay your burden any where else God will not lend a finger to help you but if you place your hope in God God will help you your extremity shall be his opportunity 4. You must take God to be the guide of your hearts if you would have the priviledge of God's guard you must keep in Gods way keep in Gods way and you will be sure of Gods protection do you keep Gods precepts and God will keep your person do what God commands and avoid what God forbids and then you need not fear what will become of you Let the World frown and Friends forsake you resolve that you will follow God wheresoever he leads you then he will be your God all your dayes and he will guide you here by his counsel till at last he bring you to his glory And this leads me to the second Exhortation in respect of the Gospel Secondly Brethren I commend you to the Word of Gods Grace I commend you to the Precepts of God to be obeyed by you I commend you to the Promises of God to be believed by you 1. Keep them hold them fast carefully it is your treasure life keep it and it will keep you it is all that you can shew for Heaven I leave it as a Depasitum if you part with it take heed how you will answer it at the last day it is the Talent which God hath committed to you for which you will be commended for keeping at the great day Hold fast the Word of God's grace there is old tugging by the Devil and his instruments either to pull you from the Word or the Word from you Let go any thing rather than the Gospel let go your Friends your Estates your Lives rather than let go the Gospel Study Gods Word do not keep it by you for no purpose Search the Scriptures for in them you hope for eternal life There 's the Pearl of great price there is Directions there is Comfort this Book of God will make you wise unto Salvation If you never hear Sermon more you have enough by the use of the Bible to carry you to Heaven There 's Divinity there is holiness and Heaven almost in every syllable when you cannot have it preached to you Be much in the study of it Then practice it conscionably Be not only Hearers but Doers of it let your conversation be such as becomes the Gospel Iâ— was the Apostles advice to the Philippians and its mine to you Let your Conversation be such as becomes the Gospel Let your Conversation become the Precepts the Priviledges the Promises of the Gospel Having then thus commended you to God give me leave before we part to commend God and his Gospel to you 1. Make it your daily business to walk with God make him the Companion of your lives Converse with God every day in the inward of your hearts He that is a stranger with God God will soon be a stranger to him and if you neglect God one day you may be to seek him when you most need him 2. Live in the daily exercise of Grace and Godliness 1. Live in the continual exercise of Faith live by it you have need of the exercise of that Grace every day You can as well live without food as live without Faith it is that Grace which feeds upon Christ 2. Be much in the exercise of the Fear of the Lord all the day long be afraid to sin against God in the secret of your souls mind his presence in all places in all company in all businesses 3. Be much in the exercise of Humility live humbly and think better of others than your selves Humility will exceedingly adorn your profession 4. Be much in the exercise of Repentance Be frequent and constant in Prayer Pray continually do it spiritually and do it exactly as to the season of it 5. Be fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Whatsoever you do for God do it with all your might do not put off God with the skin but give him the marrow 6. Be careful not only to keep up secret but Family-worship the less preaching there is in publick the more catechising and instructing there should be in private I know no more likely means than the setting up the worship of God in private Families 7. Prize the Sabbath be strict and exact in the observation of the Lord's-day I have shewed you many times wherein the spiritual observation of it doth confist it is your Seed-time your market-day it is a sign you shall one day celebrate an everlasting Sabbath with God in the highest Heavens 8. Be stedfast in the ways of God in a back-sliding Age Keep your
ground while others fall away stand fast in the Faith Be not ashamed to own Christ before all the world reckon upon the reproaches of Christ and count them greater riches than the Treasures in Egypt Do not place Religion in a few shadows when the substance is neglected do not think that God will be put off with the skin without the substance and by your holy Conversation labour to put to silence the foolishness and ignorance of wicked men that men may have nothing to accuse you but in the matters of Jesus Christ that you may cut off occasion from them that seek occasion Let no reproach make you lay aside holiness and say If this be to be vile I will be viler still And love all those that have been instrumental for your spiritual comfort Forget not to contribute to the necessity of the poor Saints think that God hath given you your Estates for such a time as this for this is acceptable to God Bless them that curse you pray for them that despitefully use you so shall you heap coals of sire upon their heads when you are reviled revile not again Do your duty to your Superiors to those that God hath set over you and so carry your selves as it was in the case of Daniel that they may find nothing against you save in the matter of your God In all things let your Conversation be as becomes the Gospel of Jesus Christ That I may rejoyce in the day of the Lord Jesus that we have not run in vain and laboured in vain And labour to keep up that Christian love which in this place hath been more eminent than any where I know I would preach St. John's Doctrine Little children love one another And that my expression may be pathetical I shall speak it in the words of the Apostle in Phil. 2.1 2. If there be therefore any Consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfil ye my joy that ye like-minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind I now have but a word more speaking of yours and mine own comfort under this sad Dispensation 1. It is a Minister's comfort that when he is taken from his People he can yet Commend them to God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build them up and to give them an inheritance among them that are sanctified And truly my dearly beloved in the Lord this is my great work now when I am a dying to you as to my publick Preaching My beloved I am very sensible that it is a very sad and solemn thing for a Minister to be rent from a People that he loves as his own Soul that he hath laboured among for to bid adieu to those solemn meetings wherein I have preached to you wherein we have mingled our sighes and our tears before the Lord wherein we have rejoyced and sat down before the Lord at his Table Now to think that I must Minister with you and for you no more in these Ordinances methinks it is a heart-breaking consideration to think that I am now dving in this congregation to think that I now dying whilst I am preaching but this is my comfort under these sad thoughts that I can Commend you to God and to the Word of his Grace to one that is able to keep you and to build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that are senctified Like a dying Father I can commend you to the care of such a Friend infinitely able to supply all that I could not do for you It is the comfort of a dying Father when he sees his children weeping round about him that he can commend them to a Faithful Friend willing to do that for them that he desired to do and a thousand â—imes more I would hope that I have some children that I have begotten to Christ by my Ministry towards whom my bowels yearn but hiâ— is mâ— comfort that I can put them into the Arms of their and my heavenlâ— Father of their and my blessed Redeemer to be keâ—thâ— the powâ—r of God There are many poor souls that are yet in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity and if the Lord had seen good I would sain have seen of the travel of my soul in their salvation but I can commend them to God who knows them who belong to his Eleâ—ion he can either restore or can do it by another hand and you that are in any measure grown in Grace I will be willing to be helpful to your joy and instrumental to your comfort But I commend you to God who is alle to give all grace to you and to keep you sied fast It will be some alleviation of sorrow though I must leave you and dye to you as to my publick Ministry that I hope I may a while go up and down and converse with you to be among you The Lord grant this favour that I may behold your stedfastness 2. This may be your comfort as well as mine this may be the comfort of all those poor Congregations that are like to be made Widows by the Metaphorical death of their Guides and Pastors but I leave you into the hands of all Grace and of all Comfort This is a black day upon Israel when so many faithful Ministers are slain at one blow this is a day of gloominess and darkness in many Congregations for so many Ministers to be beheaded in one day What hath England committed Is it not some high Treason If we look to the cause of it why so many Ministers are as dead in one day as so many Children without a Father And if we look upon this cause what hath caused God thus to deal with us we must complain Oh! our unfruitfulness Our fearful unthankfulness under the mercies of God This will be the Emphasis and sting of our grief and this should be the matter of our grief And then if we consider the sad Prognostick what it doth seem to foretel It is a sign that when God lays aside so many faithful Ministers of some scourge or calamity that is coming upon us But you that can lament this Judgment you that can lament the sad deprivations of these powerful Ordinances Remember that though your Minister be dead God can raise you up others in their stead and where the way of instruments are wanting He can do it without them and those that are begot in Christ shall be preserved and those yet unbrought in who belong to the Election of Grace shall in Gods due time have the effectual work of the Spirit wrought upon their Souls For he is able to build you up and to give you an Inheritance among them that are sanctified And though I take this solemn leave of you as to this publick Exercise yet if the Lord shall open the door and take of those bands of Death that the
they dare to venture their life that have no ground of a better life but for those that have a well grounded hope of the mercy of God they say We reckon these light afflictions which are but for a moment to work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Fear not any of these things which you shall suffer Prop. 7. Christ does limit Satan he hath him in a string him and all his instruments The Devil shall cast some of you into prison c. Every word hath its weight who shall do it the Devil What shall he do cast you into prison How far some of you How long ten dayes For what use that you may be tryed Christ as he hath Satan in a chain of providence so he hath a chain of Restraint it is Christ that sets a circle about him he cannot cause a hair of thy head to fall he is in the hand of Christ they are as truly under him and his hand as they are against him If God let alone his Enemies what shall they not do If God let alone his People what shall they do 2. God has a special Providence about the things of his Church by way of Eminency by way of Premission and ordination 3. You will not deny but there 's power enough in God to destroy all that are against him and to limit and all shall make to the praise of God and to his peoples good 4. The Lord is exceeding merciful he cannot hold when the Enemy comes to insult to blaspheme and revile Now will I arise saith God and set him at liberty from him that puffeth at him there is not only a judging of their Enemies hereafter but a judging of them here the world shall say Verily there is a God that rewardeth righteousness verily there is a God that judgeth the earth 5. God hath a special design in hand therefore just so far as he will carry on the design God hath towards his people which is always a design of Faithfulness just so far shall the enemy go Isa 10. The Enemy means not so he means to cut off people not a few but Gods end was otherwise and he will over-rule them this is the comfort there is a set time there is an end There is a difference between the afflicting of God's people and judging their Enemies in the intention and extension one is for ruine the other in proportion one is a light affliction the other a load And then for extension one is for ever the other is for a time for ten dayes Then our affliction shall have an end I and a comfortable end the end of our sins and the end of our sorrows God will restore comforts to his mourners let us be mourners during the time of mourning God will quickly cloath us with garments of praise there shall be an end of sufferings never an end of our joy and glory Prop. 8. To conclude in a word Be faithful to the death Be faithful in your Promises in your vows and purposes your covenants of obedience and reformation persist in the doctrine of the Gospel and the worship of the Gospel and the Ministry of the Gospel and Offices Christ hath fixt in his Church be faithful by your most earnest zealous desires before the Lord Be faithful to the death he will never let you see death till all your fears are conquered he can presently take them away he will certainly be present with you in all your troubles And remember God in tender mercy and faithfulness for the present accepts thy unfeigned purpose to be constant and faithful to him to the death Mr. Philip Lamb's Farewel Sermon Preached at Beer-Regis in the County of Dorset Aug. 17. 1662. Joh. 14.23 Jesus answered and said unto him If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him THe departure of Jesus Christ unto his Father from whose bosom he came into the World was very sadly resented by his Disciciples whose mixt passions produce a very great disturbance and trouble upon their Spirits The inward Anxiety and unconcealed grief of the Disciples move the Bowels of their more affectionate Lord to pity their case and provide for their relief and give them instructions how to express their love unto him in his absence not so much in carrying blubber'd eyes and heavy hearts as by remembring and observing the Counsels and Instructions that he hath given to them while he was present with them So that this whole Chapter is fill'd up with Counsels and Comforts Directions and Consolations First Directions and Counsels especially in the 1.13.15 verses First To the exercise of Faith verse 1. Ye believe in God believe also in me And this is the life even a life of Faith which we must live till we come to the enjoyment of Christ by which we fetch comforts in all troubles and strength against all tentations from Jesus Christ Secondly To the duty of Prayer ver 13. which is the proper duty of an afflicted State as Jam. 5.13 Is any afflicted let him pray By Prayer the Soul empties his Complaints in Gods bosome and finds ease by telling him of all the trouble and grief that attends his state Prayer hath that divine excellency that like a heavenly Charm it speaks away trouble and speaks in comfort as 't is said of Hannah 1 Sam. 1.18 She prayed and went away and did eat and her countenance was no more sad And thus our Prayers alwayes speed when they be made by the help of the Spirit and offered up to God in the name of Christ 13 14. verses Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name that you shall receive Thirdly To obedience in the 15. verse to do the work committed to them If ye love me keep my commandements You cannot better express your love to me than in keeping my words Nor is there a more certain way for men to find comfort than this by keeping his commands for then though they cannot enjoy his Person yet they shall not miss his Promise Secondly The Consolation which he gives them in the 2. ver c. the 16. ver c. and the 23. ver c. First In the 2 3 4 ver c. From the place whether he was going to his Father and their Father his Home and their Home whence he did intend to come again to them So that his going from them was but a Recess or with-drawing for a time until he came For in ver 3. I will come again and receive you to my self as rendred in the Greek I come again in the Present Tense to intimate the certainty of his coming to them again as if he were already come which in ver 28. of this Chapter Christ tells them should be matter of great joy to them If ye loved me ye would rejoyce because I said I go unto the Father Secondly From ver 16.
depart from such persons God threatens it as a sore judgment upon Jerusalem Jerem. 6.8 Be thou instructed O Jerusalem lest my soul depart from thee When God departs in comes all judgments for it follows in the Text Lest I make thee desolate Desolation comes as soon as God is gone yea says the Lord Hos 9.12 Wo to them when I depart from them And though he depart from such by removing his Counsels Gospel and Ordinances He will still be with them in judgment when he is far from their affections he will be nigh to their Consciences then he will shew his terrour and his wrath and then they shall finde that as there is not a sweeter promise thâ—â— this I will never leave thee nor forsake thee so not a more terrible judgment than this I will not love thee nor abide with thee Thirdly A Vse of Lamentation Let us lament our selves who have had God and Christ making their abode with us for many years in their special Providences Gospel-Ordinances c. Yet have we not improved so glorious a Presence so rich a mercy especially we have cause to lament this four-fold neglect First That we have so little acquainted our selves with God and Christ so little prized and observed their presence with us that we have learnt no more of God and Christ but are yet strangers to them so that Jesus Christ may say to us as in John 14.9 Have I been so long time with you and yet hast thou not known me Philip so he may say to us Have I been so long time with you in my Providences Ordinances and by my Spirit and yet have you not known my Goodness my Faithfulness my Name my â—aws and Ordinances Sure it is with most of us as with Jacob Gen. 28.15 16. The Lord was with him when he was in his Dream and when he awaked he said Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not So God hath been with us but we have been in a dream or in a sleep all this while but when God shall awaken us we shall say with him God was in this place and we knew it not Secondly We may lament our selves that we have so little conformed to God and Christ God hath been with us but we have refused his company as Ephes 2.12 And had our conversation as without God and without Christ in the world Oh when God and Christ shall depart from us it will be a heart breaking to us and we shall dearly repent the least miscarriages Thirdly We may lament that we have not lived more upon God and Christ to trust in them and depend upon them for Life and Salvation and made him our Counsellor Guide and Strength and lived upon his All-sufficiency we have not made them our Sanctuary our Treasury our Happiness though they have been with us in whom are all things Yet have we lived at so poor a rate as to our spiritual comforts as if we had been under the Hypocrites Curse Job 20.22 In the fulness of his sufficiency he is in straits Or guilty of that vanity mentioned in Eccles 6.2 To have Riches and Honours c. and not a heart to use them To have faith to use them for our comfort we have even starved our selves at the fullest Table and Spring head of plenty Fourthly We may lament our selves that we have not taken more pleasure in the enjoyment of God and Christ in the Gospel and Gospel-Ordinances accounting all Company and delights solitariness in comparison of the joy and comfort that is in the abode of God and Christ especially when God expects we should rejoyce in him and hath promised to abide with such Isa 64.5 Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousness and remembreth thee in thy wayes Two Uses of Exhortation 1. To get the presence of God and Christ with us 2. To endeavour to keep God and Christ abiding with us The first Use of Exhortation Let us be exhorted above all desires to desire Gods presence And above all getting get God and Christ to make their above with you Oh with what ardency and heat of desire doth David express himself Ps 27.4 One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple and so in Psalm 42.1 2. As the Hart pants after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God My soul thirsteth for God when shall I come and appear before God O when wilt thou come unto me And in a multitude of such like Pathetick breathings after God And that we may the more earnestly desire this mercy the abode of God and Christ with us consider three particulars First Consider the presence of God and Christ is the special favour and honor that God bestows only upon his own people By this was Israel distinguished from all the world Exod. 33.16 My presence shall go with thee and in the last verse of the last chapt of Ezekiel it is the Church only that is called Jehiah-Shammah the Lord is there her Founder Preserver and Governor Secondly Consider that they that have God and Christ with them dwell continually at the Fountain-head of consolations as David says Psal 23. I shall want nothing the Lord is my shepherd my cup runs over Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life This Fountain keeps our cisterns full our channels run shal low sometimes but never are they dried up Hos 14.5 I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the Lilly and cast forth his roots as Lebanon they shall grow up as the Lilly beautiful and fair and as the Cedar well rooted and established He that hath the Sun hath Light he that hath the Well must needs have Water Ille possidet omnia qui possidet possidentem omnia He hath all things who hath him from whom all things come Thirdly Consider that when all comforts leave us God will not when friends forsake and riches profit not in the evil day God is a present help in time of trouble and loves to shew himself in dubiis arduis in the greatest difficulties and on the mount of straits Jesus Christ says truly to us what Peter said rashly to him Though all forsake thee yet will not I. Object I have found God and Christ gone from me says the soul when I have had need of him Answ First That God and Christ may and do sometimes hide their faces from their dearest friends Secondly Though God and Christ do sometimes withdraw from us yet every interruption of communion is not a separation The Sun doth not cease to be when it ceaseth to shine Grace may suspend its acting but doth not lose its being God will not finally forsake his people Thirdly God hath very many gracious ends why he sometimes withdraws and they are always
in mercy to his people Sad providences producing sweet effects Directions and helps how to get the presence of God and Christ with us First Repent and humble your selves because of all your sins that you have at any time rejected the counsels of God and resused grace and mercy and neglected opportunities of doing your souls good and drawing near to God Repentance and resolution against sin come like John Baptist to prepare a way and a place for God and Christ to come to and make their abode in Of the Hearts and Houses of impenitent sinners we may well say God is not there The way to have God to turn unto us is to turn away from sin as Ephraim Jer. 31.18 19 20. He bemoaned himself and repented and God came to him as to his dear Son and to his pleasant Child Secondly Believe in Jesus Christ and by Faith get an interest in him It is by Faith only that we get an entertainment to Jesus Christ It is by Jesus Christ alone that God and man come together No man hath seen the Father at any time but the Son and he to whom he doth reveal him and he that hath the Son hath the Father Rom. 5.1 Being justified by Faith we have peace with God Thirdly Own Jesus Christ in all his offices as your King Priest and Prophet First As your King let him have the Soveraignty of your souls that he may rule over you If Christ be your King God will be your Father God loves to come where Christ hath his Throne Secondly As your Priest that his Righteousness may give you the advantage of communion with God without which we cannot come near to him and he will not come near to us Thirdly As your Prophet that he may shew you the way if his Spirit be your Guide and his Word your Rule you may be sure his Promses shall be your portion even this Promise in the Text They will come to you and make their abode with you even God and Christ Fourâ—hly Seek earnestly after God and Christ in the use of all appointed means till you come to see and enjoy their presence with you Here shall be fhewn these two particulars 1. Where we may seek God and Christ 2. How or after what manner we must seek them First Where we must seek after God and Christ First We may finde them in the works of Creation these will represent God and Christ unto us the power and wisdom of God and Christ by whom the World was made In omni re aspeciabili quaedam extant vestigia Dei In all the visible Creatures there be some prints of the invisible God so that he which lives altogether without God must needs be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without excuse having God so near him Secondly We may finde them in the Word 2 Cor. 4.6 The glory of God shines there in the face of Jesus Christ and to them that are conversant in the Word God hath promised to reveal himself Isa 66.2 To this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word And the Apostle gives this direction Rom. 10.6 7. Say net in thine heart Who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach Thirdly We may finde them in Prayer Jam. 4.8 Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you If you will be strangers to the duty of Prayer to the Throne of Grace God will be a stranger to you he hath promised to draw nigh to them that draw nigh to him and so in Exod. 20.24 In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee and I will bless thee Fourthly We may finde them in the communion with the people of God Where two or three are niet together in my name there will I be says Christ in the midst of them Therefore Jesus Christ directs us to go up by the soot-steps of the flock and they enquire wisely Cam. 6.1 that say to the Church of Christ Whither is thy beloved gone that we may seek him with thee And when the two Disciples went to Emmaus communing of Christ he came and joyned himself with them Secondly How or after what manner we must seek God and Christ Take these four following Directions First Affect your selves with the worth and excellency of this presence of God and Christ carry a high esteem of them in your hearts think with your selves how safely they are immured as the Prophet said unto his servant There is more for them than can be against them Isa 33.16 Their place of defence is the munition of râ—cks c. O what sweetnesse and satisfaction have they within with whom God and Christ abides as the Spouse doth express it Cant. 1.3 Because of the savour of thy Oyntments thy Name is as Oyntments pâ—ured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee Thy Name of Mercy Wisdome and Faithfulness how doth it refresh their hearts that have the presence of God and Christ O sweetness and satisfaction beyond expression and then conclude Si tanius quaerentibus O quantus pâ—ssidentibus If he be so good to them that seek him how good is he to them that enjoy him Secondly Labour to affect your souls with the great want and need that you have of the presence of God and Christ while men do think in their hearts they can be well enough without God and Christ they will never seek after them but say as in Jer. 2.31 We are Lords we will come no more unto thee that is we have strength enough of our own we need no more of thy support and thus David brings in the wicked priding themselves in Psa 10.4 The wicked through the pride of his countenance as in the Original through the pride of his nose will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts when these proud Laodicean spirits will not seek the poor hungry desolate soul that sees a need of God and Christ finde them Thirdly Quicken your selves to much diligence in seeking The Prophet complains No man stirreth up himself to seek the Lord. It is a business of the greatest concernment and must not be attended with a cold indifferency but as one set on by a true love and where that is Non quiescit amor sed quaerit amatum Love will be restless in the pursuit of the thing or person beloved See with what heat men seek the world with much more heat seek God and Christ We must do as the woman that had lost her groat she lights a candle sweeps the house seeks diligently so we must set up the light of the Word and to work with the besom of a serious repentance and thorow-reformation and
diligently enquire Thus David with a very vigilant eye seeks him whom his soul loved Psal 132.4 5. I will not give rest to mine eyes nor slumber to my eye-lids till I have found out a place for God c. Lastly Resolve with your selves never to give over till you come to the perfect and full enjoyment of them as Job said I will wait all the days of my appointed time so do you seek all the days of your appointed time if we would finde God and Christ we must all seek the days of our lives They that will finde what they seek must seek till they finde As God in the Creation did not rest till he had man so man should not rest till he hath found God and as in the Redemption Jesus Christ did never cease seeking till he found all the lost sheep of the house of Israel so we should never give over till we have made God and Christ our own This should be the work of our lives and upon this work I must leave you For now I must tell you that perhaps you may not see my face or hear my voice any more in this place yet not out of any peevish humor or disaffection to the present Authority of the Kingdom I call God and Man to witness this day it being my own practice and Counsel to you all to fear GOD and Honour the KING but rather a real dissatisfaction in some particulars imposed to which notwithstanding all endeavors to that purpose my conscience cannot yet be espoused Wherefore I hope in this and in all my abode with you I may say without ostentation with the Apostle in 2 Cor. 1.12 Our rejoycing is this The testimony of a good Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the World especially to you-wards And as he saith in Acts 20.26 27. So I take you to record this day that I have endeavoured to be pure from the bloud of all men for I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God both by my life and Doctrine because I knew this very well that as one says Suadet loquentis vita non oratio that the Preachers life is the most lively Preaching I shall onely add this my Friends that though my Lips be sealed up that I may not speak from God to you yet I shall not cease to speak to God for you as ever I have done And though I cannot have you in my eye yet I shall lodge you in my heart and asking nothing of you but your Prayers shall hope to meet you daily at the Throne of Grace and that at last we may enjoy one another in Heaven And because they say the words of a dying man makes the deepest impression before I am altogether civilly dead I shall give you one Exhortation more Secondly Let it be your endeavour to keep God and Christ with you that they may make their abode with you in their hearts and houses that whatsoever you loose you may not be undone In the General First Take heed you do not slight or abuse his Providences Secondly Do not despise or neglect his Ordinances Thirdly Be sure you do not grieve his spirit Secondly Observe more particularly these ten Directions which I would leave with you That God and Christ may make their constant abode with you First Endeavour to please God and Christ and to walk as the Gospel commands in all well-pleasing And for this purpose Observe these three Rules First Entertain God and Christ like themselves Now they are come to you as Solomon did his Temple which he had prepared for God The Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee much less this poor Tent so with the most humble frame of spirit admire his greatness and infinite condescension for he is the King of Glory as in Psal 24. And so give him suitable entertainment for he will dwell with the humble and contrite spirit If Elizabeth wondred at the visit which Mary gave her with a Whence is it that the Mother of my Lord is come unto me then admire that the Lord himself should come not only to visit your hearts but to make such a gracious abode with you And as the Centurion said unto Christ in the Gospel I am not worthy thou shouldest come under my roof So acknowledge your unworthiness of so rich and unparallel'd a grace that God and Christ should come in unto you to abide with you Secondly Wait upon God and Christ with all readiness of minde to observe every intimation of the will of God to you Stand always ready as Servants wait upon the hand of their Masters saying in your hearts Lord what wilt thou have me to do or what wilt thou have me to suffer It is the frame and posture which Christ commends unto his Disciples Luke 12.35 Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning to do his will as it is done in Heaven Thirdly Take pleasure and delight in the company and society of God and Christ above all the pleasures in the world Do nothing without first calling God and Christ into the action Remember this in these four cases especially First Pray God and Christ along with you into all your spiritual duties that you may be sure to perform them all according to the mind of God None knows better what will please God than himself do not enquire so much what others say but what God appoints 't is not what this or that man says how we must serve God but what God says himself as Augustin said to the Manichee in another case Nec egote nec tu me sed ambo audiamus Apostolum So hear what God and Christ says to us as to the performance of all our duties If we will entertain God and Christ and have their company we must set before them such savory meat as they like lest we be like them Mat. 15.9 of whom Christ says In vain do they worship me c. and our service be like theirs of which the Lord said Who hath required these things at your hands O what was that great evil the people were guilty of for which there comes that heavy judgment Psal 78.60 He forsook the Tabernacle of Shiloh the Tent which he placed among them Sure it was some great guilt in the former ver we find it to be their Hypocrisie Apostacy and Idolatry any taint of this kinde will make the jealous God forsake our solemn meetings Secondly Pray God and Christ into all your Civil affairs The Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with God in their entrance upon every work was a commendable practise It is reported of Publius Scipio the Roman that he would always go first to the Capitol and then to the Senate so we should begin our Civil employments with spiritual duties And do as Abrahams servant when he was to take a Wife for his Master's Son he took God along with him and thus to abide with God
is to have God to abide with us Therefore says the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he is called and in the 24. Verse Brethren let every man wherein he is called therein abide with God and God will abide with him Thirdly Pray God and Christ to your Tables at your eating and drinking for man doth not live by Bread only If these be guests at your Tables you must needs have chear enough there 's more sweetness in a morsel with them than in all dainties without them and then you may be sure also your Tables shall not be a snare unto you Theophrastus reports of the Heathens that they did first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they did first Sacrifice and then Kill lay on their meat entertain and eat And it is the Apostles rule seeing all things come of God through Christ That God and Christ should not be unbidden guests but as in 1 Cor. 10.31 Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the Glory of God Fourthly Pray God and Christ along with you in the morning when you rise and at evening when you lye down visit him morning by morning and evening by evening this is the way to have a prosperous day and a safe night David took this course Psal 4.8 I will both lay me down and take my rest for thou Lord onely makest me dwell in safety and this gave Jacob such a pleasant dream Genesis 28. that having God with him he was all night within view of Heaven Secondly Love God and Christ above all and then God and Christ will not depart from you for He shews mercy to thousands of them that love him and hath made over himself and heaven and all to them that love him It is reported of Ignatius that his love was such to God and Christ that he had the name of Christ Cordi ejus insculptum graven upon his Heart It is such a Heart love that he requires for he is a jealous God and will have all our love If we love any thing better First It will steal away our hearts from God And Secondly It will take off the heart of God from us so that God and Christ will set themselves against us Thirdly If we would have God and Christ to make their constant abode with us delight we in the society and fellowship of the People of God with whom they dwell never be ashamed to converse with them whom God and Christ do own for theirs The Apostle's Argument why we should entertain strangers in Hebr. 13.2 Because thereby some have entertained Angels unawares is but mean and inconsiderable to this reason why we should entertain and own the Saints of God for thereby we are sure to entertain Christ as in Mat. 25.40 For this cause the Gibeonites made a League with Israel For we have heard that God is with you And there is a promise in Zech. 8.23 That ten men out of all Languages shall take hold of the skirt of a Jew saying We will go with you for we have heard that God is with you Malachy 3.16 They that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkned and heard it c. He was with them and indeed God dwells in the Tabernacles of the righteous Fourthly If we would have the constant abode of God and Christ with us let us keep our selves clean from sin our hearts pure our consciences undefiled and as the Apostle says void of offence towards God and towards men very careful not to sin against God and very circumspect not to sin against man that this may be our comfort that the world must needs say of us as they did of Daniel That they could finde nothing against him save in the Law of his God as in Daniel 6.5 Whatever others do beware of sin Say as Joshua I and my House will serve the Lord. Watch against sin chuse any suffering rather than the least finne Consider in that choice two particulars First Consider in all your sufferings God will be with you but in any of your sins he will not abide with you as in the example of Israel Exod. 32.23 When the Calf was got into the Caâ—â—p God forsakes the Host of Israel When Saul forsook the Lord the Spirit of the Lord forsook him That was an excellent saying of Azariah the Sonne of Obed in 2 Chron. 15.2 And oh that all England could hear iâ— Hear thou me Asa and all Judah The Lord is with you while you be with him If you seek him he will be found of you but if ye forsake him he will forsake you Secondly Consider 't is an act of high presumption reflecting much upon the purity and holiness of God for men to imagine that God will own and prosper them with his presence while they go on to do wickedly in their Whoredoms Drunkenness Blasphemy and all manner of Prophaneness which God can no more own than disown himself So they foolishly promise themselves Peace Deut. 29.19 Though they walk in the imagination of their hearts and adde drunkenness to thirst But the Lord will not spare but his anger and jealousie shall smoak against them till he hath brought them down from their high mount of a sinful and carnal confidence Therefore the Prophet reproves that wicked People Micah 3.11 where the Judges the Priests and the Prophets were corrupted Yet they say Is not the Lord among us none evil can come upon us Therefore shall Zion be plowed as a Field c. as Abner said to Joab This will prove an evil thing and a bitter in the latter end as Galen says of Meats Quae dulcia sunt facile in bilem amaritudinem convertuntur Sweet Meats generate choller and corrupt matter so sin that is a sweet morsel now will be shame death and hell at last Fifthly With an humble acknowledgment of former barrenness under Gods gracious presence with you resolve and endeavour to be more fruitful God never left his Vineyard and pull'd up the Hedge and commanded the rain not to fall upon it in Isa 5. till it became barren or did bear corrupt fruit The exil'd Confessors in Queen Maries days confessed that as Vrsin says in the Preface to his Catechism the cause of their present suffering was their former barrenness and unprofitableness under the Gospel And a sad example of this is Jerusalem over whom Christ laments O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou c. if thou hadst known in this thy day c. but now they are hid from thine eyes and when once a People grow up to this heighth to reject the Gospel then expect some fearful Judgment Read the last Chapter of Chronicles the second Book and at the 16. Verse and them you will see when the wrath of God is like to break our upon a people without remedy Sixthly If you would have the continual abode of God and Christ with you
it not unto me ver 45. Beloved there is a time coming when the great God will reckon with ungodly men for all the injuries and wrongs which they have done to his people as if they were done to himself immediately Oh! consider of this you that are true Believers are you invironed round with adversaries either spiritual or temporal you have God for your defence a God infinite in power which is able to defend you from the hardest assaults of your most potent and politick Enemies his Name is a strong Tower the Righteous fly unto it and are safe Are you encountring with great temptations The Lord being your Father he will protect you and not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able to bear but together with temptation will make way for your escape that you may be able to bear it 1 Cor. 10.30 the Lord knoweth that his Children are liable to many temptations from Satan from the world and from their own corruptions and that they are subject to many afflictions and tribulations from the hands of men and therefore he will be sure to be with them and to be a very present help to them in the time of trouble Thirdly Is God a Believers Heavenly Father then there is a comfort for them that God will pity them and compassionate them in all their afflictions a tender Father pitieth his Children when they are in any calamity as for instance in sickness how will the groans of a Child go near the heart of a loving Parent How do the Agonies of pain in the Child cause grief and sorrow in the Parents heart What means would not a Parent use to procure the health and ease of a Child My life is bound up in the life of the Lad says Jacob concerning Benjamin Oh Absalon my son my son would God I had dyed for thee says David concerning Absalon What sympathyzing and sellow-feeling will a dear and tender Parent have of the miseries of his Children And as a Father pitieth his Children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him Psal 103.13 The Lord is very pitiful Jam. 5.11 The pity and compassion of the Lord towards his Children is excellently set forth in that Scripture Jer. 31.20 Is Ephraim my dear son Is he a pleasant Child I speak against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him saith the Lord The bowels of the Lord do exceedingly yearn towards his people in all their afflictions and distresses and he is full of pity and compassion towards them Fourthly Is God a Father to all true Believers then here is also for their comfort that God doth and always will love them and take delight in them He loves them with an everlasting love they are his chosen Jewels and he will certainly one day polish them though he suffer them to be among the rubbish of the World for a while They are his pleasant pictures and he delights to be looking on them the eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear him and upon them that hope in his mercy Psal 33.18 God takes pleasure to be viewing the new creature which he hath framed by his own Spirit in the hearts of his people and his own Image which he stamped upon them and herein the love that the Lord beareth his Children infinitely exceeds the Love that earthly Parents bear to theirs in that he loveth them continually Earthly Parents they love their Children but their love may be withdrawn from them again and is often times but the love of God will never be withdrawn from his love whom the Lord loveth he loveth to the end and although his loving countenance may be eclipsed for a time and they may lose the sence of his love to them by their failings sinful infirmities yet the Lord loves them still There is nothing shall be able to separate Believers from the love of God Rom. 8.25 and onward the Apostle Paul putteth the question there saith he Who shall separate us from the love of God Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as it is written For thy sake are we killed all the day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter Nay saith he in all these things we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is not all the troubles of the world nor tribulations nor any thing that can render Believers less lovely in the eyes of Christ It is not all the Devils in Hell that can withdraw Gods love from his children although they do endeavour it by enticing them to sin by their temptations and then by accusing them to God for sin yet all this will not rout them out of God's love though the Devil do labour to pick a quarrel between God and his people yet it is not principalities nor powers it is not all the power of Hell that shall be able to withdraw Gods love from them Fifthly Is God a Father to Believers Then they may take this for their comfort that he will continually be mindful of them Parents do remember their Children and are mindful of them so the Lord he remembreth his people and will never forget them Isa 49.15 Can a Woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb yea they may yet I will not forget thee Earthly Parents though it be but rare yet they may and sometimes do forget their children but God he is more tender and mindful of his Children than earthly Parents are of theirs yea they may yet will not I forget thee c. Though Gods people do too often forget him yet he doth never forget them but remember them in all their conditions even in their low estate God is mindful of them Psal 136.23 Who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for ever Lastly Is God a Father to Believers Then they may take this for their comfort that God will provide an inheritance for them hereafter Fathers provide portions and inheritances for their Children for hereafter so doth God Rom. 8. Now saith the Apostle We are the Sons of God and if sons then heirs heirs of God and coheirs with Jesus Christ How often is the Kingdom of Heaven called an inheritance the inheritance of the Saints or them that are sanctified Acts 20.32 and 26.8 There is an eternal inheritance laid up for the Children of God for hereafter yea the Kingdom of Heaven is their inheritance and it is now preparing for them John 14.2 and they shall have assuredly one day an abundant entrance into their Fathers Kingdom the Children of God
not beat folly out of our hearts We have been unprofitable all our days some have done thee more service in one year than we in all our time We have forgotten thee in the day of prosperity and sung a lullaby to our own Souls Oh that we could speak these things with broken and bleeding hearts But as in the time of our ignorance we could sin without reluctancy so now we can sin without repentance Oh that thou wouldst smite the rock that there might flow out tears VVe can do nothing by way of expiation if we would weep out our eyes nothing but the blood of Christ can take away our guilt O that there might be a spring of that blood upon our souls at this time Oh that that blood may at this time bring a report of love and a message of mercy to us Do we beg any more than thou hast promised Oh hast not thou accepted of that satisfaction that Christ hath made in his own person If we had suffered the torments of Hell it could not have made that satisfaction that Christ hath made Give us the witness of thy spirit and thy Love and we will say we have enough give us hearts of flesh crush the head of the serpent in our souls O Lord Christ thou camest into the world to destroy the works of the Devil in our hearts and to build up the Kingdom of the spirit in us Oh when shall we see the old man decay in us and the new man to live more and more O be wisdom to guide us and Righteousness to cleanse us from guilt and redemption to deliver us from the wages of sin let us be nothing in our selves that we may be all in thee our saviour Oh honour us so far that we may honour thee VVe pray thee strengthen our weak saith quiet our consciences we would not live a day longer than that we may honour thee tread Satan under our feet fit us for our places and imployments let not our conditions be so low but that our hearts may be lower we are posting to death Oh let sin die before we die let us know our names are written in the Book of Life before thou take away our life Look upon thy servant our dread Sovereign Charls of Great Britâ—â—â—n France and Ireland King oh inrich his Royal heart with all those saving graces of thy Spirit in order unto a wise and happy Government of these Kingdoms Look upon his Royal Consort his Royal relations the Lords of his Privy Council and make them blessings to this Nation oh sanctifie thy good word oh give thy gracious assistance to us both in speaking and hearing let us hear it as that word by which we must be judged that we may be convinced by it and say it is the power of God to salvation to every soul of us Let our meeting be for the better to all of us that we may be built up in the most holy Faith and let us know we have not sought thy face in vain for Jesus Christ his sake our dear Saviour for whom we bless thy Majesty to whom with thee and thy Spirit be praise for ever Amen Mr. Jenkin's Prayer at Christ Church MOst blessed and holy Lord God thou art infinitely beyond our apprehensions who wast infinitely happy before the worâ—d was made and wantest none of thy creatures nor their services to make thee more excellent than thou art in thy self we daily want thee thou never wantest us thou art pleased to make use of ordinances Ministers Sabbaths as thy Institutions to accomplish and bring about the great work of thy Glory and mans Salvation yet Lord thou dost not need them thy Spirit is not made efficatious by these things but it is that that makes these things efficatious though thou art pleased to tie us to them when we may have them and duly enjoy them yet thou dost not tie thy self to them We desire in these our addresses to eye the happiness of Saints that depends upon him that depends upon none we are here in thy presence by thy goodness and grace O whither should we go but to thee and how should we come but by thee Oh strengthen our faith kill our corruptions inflame our love give us assurance of thy love to our souls oh that God would teach us how to pray that we may taste and see how good the Lord is this day that our souls may be filled as with marrow that we may by our own experience be able to say It is good for us to draw nigh to God and that a day in his house is better then a thousand elsewhere that there may be a communion between us and God let there be a disunion between us and sin we confesse we brought sin enough into the world with us to cause thee to with-drawâ—th blessed self from us and to cast such unproffitable servants as we are into utter darkness we have been a long time in thy school and yet how dull are we we might have been teachers of others but we need our selves be taught which are the first Principles of the oracles of God we love less than we know and we do less than we love we have neither done that good nor received that good which we should or might have done and received We have been trees that have cumbred the ground in thy orchard but we have brought forth no fruit Wo unto us that we have not known the day of our visitation many of us have one foot in the grave and yet we have lived without God in the world we are wise in every thing but in our own Salvation we live as if Hell were a priviledge those of us that have some knowledg of thee have great cause to repent that we have walked so unworthily of God Which of us pray continually and fervently or live the life of saith we confess we neither take our afflictions humbly nor our mercies thankfully nor want our comforts contentedly nor fill up our relations fruitfully We live as if Hell were a scare-crow as if all the threatnings of thy word were an empty noise as if there were neither sweetness in Heaven nor bitterness in Hell When we come into thy presence where are our hearts what earthly dispositions do we bring along with us the sins of our Prayers cry louder then the Supplications of our prayers what hypocrisie and formality cleaves unto us If thou dost not look upon the iniquities of our holy things with an eye of pitty what will become of us O Lord be pleased to smell a sweet savour of rest and peace through thy dear Son O Lord it is only his precious Blood that can sprinkle our hearts and quiet our Consciences and no other thing We do renounce our own Works and we cry out in our selves Undone undone It is through thy beloved Son that we are accepted and therefore to that end bring us to him by a saving operation on thy part
wholly flesh totally opposite to the holy Laws of thy Majesty and were it not for thy renuing and restraining grace we should break forth into as vile abominations as the vilest of men our lives have been a continuall piece of rebellion against God who did make us and doth feed and cloath us all thy paths have been paths of mercy to us but we have requited thee evil for thy good and hatted for thy love Oh foolish men and women that we have been I we acknowledge our Gospel-sins are of a deep dye Thou hast not been a VVildernss or Land of darkness to us we have been exalted to heaven in the means of salvation but Oh! how short do we come of knowledge to the time and means we have enjoyed and our obedience comes short of our knowledge we have not walked up to that light which thou hast given us We desire to lay our selves low before thee Oh do thou open our eyes and present us to our selves show us the vilenss of our lives Blessed be thy Name that thou hast laid help upon one that is mighty to save all that come to thy Majesty by him and thou hast promised all that beleeve on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Oh help us to receive him in all his Offices in our hearts help us to give him the keys of our hearts and help us to live and die to him that died for us and let our souls be united to thee by him that his death may be ours and his life ours and his intercession ours Oh let our unity to Christ be demonstrated to us by our communion with and conformity to him in grace and holiness And we pray thee dearest Lord pardon our sins in the Court of heaven and in the Court of our own consciences besprinkle our conscienees in the blood of Christ and say to all before thee at this time that desire to fear thee more and serve thee better Sons and Daughters be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you And do not only justifie us but sanctifie us purge our consciences from dead works inform our understanding conform our wills to thy holy VVill let our hearts and lives be comformed to the Image of thy Son that beholding thereof we may be changed from glory to glory and let us have more knowledge of thy will that we may do thy will und suffer thy will with more patience and be filled with the fruits of Righteousness which are to the glory of God Let us not be empty Vines that bring forth fruit to themselves but let us bring forth fruit to God whereby thou maiest be glorified Oh plant that great grace of Self-denial in our souls and let us take the Cross of Jesus Christ and follow him wheresoever he goes Remember all thine extend thy favour to those thou hast cast on beds of sickness and let there be a saving change wrought in them before that change by death shall come and they that are drawing nigh their time of Travel let the arms of the All-sufficient God be under them and be better to them than their Faith or our prayers and look graciously upon poor children entitle them to an inheritance that fadeth not away make them a blessing in themselves and a blessing to their Parents And those that deâ—re the conversion of Relations that walk in waies of perdition do not let them find peace in any way against thy Majesty and let them know that sin will be bitter in the latter eud Look upon us that are before thee at this time before we go hence and shall be here no more make thy face to shine upon us let our coming together be for the better and not for the worse to any of us let thy poor Servant be able to deliver thy Message plainly and powerfull and give thy People hearing ears and obedient hearts and let us rejoyce that we did wait upo thee in thy Worship this day and all For Christ his sake in whose Name and Words we call upon thee Our Father ' which art in Heaven c. Doctor Manton's Prayer at Covent-garden O Lord God all that we can do is nothing of our selves we can do nothing Oh let us have the gracious Assistance of thy Spirit as this time let thy love constrain us say unto us Thou art our Salvation Do not say that we shall fill up the measure of our Iniquities and there shall be no hope for us O Lord we are ashamed that we have waited so long in thine Ordinannances and have got no more profit to our toor pouls but we have given up our hearts to the pleasures and vanities of this world that are but for a season even those that thou hast drawn out after thee do not walk worthy of thee anseerable to that blessed hope of future Happiness in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation Jesus Christ is to many of us become a stumbling-blook and a reck of offence while our hearts are caried out after the wirld with such strong affections Oh! when shall we carry our selves so as those that profess themselves to be secke's of a better life We come into thy presence now for strength do thou manifest thy self to us thou hast promised to pour out thy Spirit upon all Flesh Oh let it be unto us according to thy promise O Lord our hearts naturally are averse to thee so that of our selves we shall never be able to do any thing that may be wel-plensing to thee but do thou regulate us by thy blessed Spirit that we may observe thy statutes and do them and that thy Commands may not be grievous to us that it may not be burdensom for us to do the work of God O Lord when shall our hearts be made sound in thy statutes we wait upon thee in the use of thine Ordinances that we may have a new supply from thee that at length we may come to see that thou art at work with us to save our soules O help us to be followers of them who with faith and patience do follow thee to do nothing unbecomming our holy Call suffer us not to swerve from thy Commandments but let us have a constant and earnest desire after thee Let the choicest of thy Mercies come down on our Sovereign Charles King of England Scotland France and Ireland let His heart be guided by thee let him always set the before his eyes that under the shadow of his Goverment we may have Peace in all Godliness and honesty Bless him in his Relations in his Councils Teach our Senators wisdom Be with all thy Faithfull Magistrates and Ministers let them be a terrour to evil doers and an encouragement to them that do well Be with us in the way of thy worship we are here met together to hear and handle thy holy Word Oh do thou command it to light upon all our hearts let it come in the evidence and demonstratian
of thy Spirit and all for Christ his sake for whom we bless thee to him with thee and thy holy Spirit be Praise and Glory for evermore Dr. Anesley 's Prayer at Giles-Cripplegate HOly and great God of Heaven and Earth suâ—h his the condescention of thy Grace that thou art pleased to manifest thy special presence to thy poor creatures though thou hatest sin with a perfect hatred yet thou lovest sinners with an infinite Love though thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity yet thou art pleased to manifest thy Love to sinners that approach to thy service O Lord when shall we admire enough thy Grace and Love how thou art pleased to communicate thy self to a poor man Dear Father raise and fix our hearts help us to mind the business that we come about and to deal very faithfully with our own souls in the matters of eternal moment Oh that we could pray so that our prayers through grace might be returned upon us with a blessing O that we could wait upon thee to hear thy Word as the Oracles of God let us hear what Christ will discover to us for our spiritual benefit Lord grant that our souls may know what it is to be in the Spirit in the Lords day Dear Father thou canst deal with such hearts as ours for the curing of them we pray thee do it we must needs acknowledg hadst not thou laid help upon one that is mighty that is able to save to the uttermost we must have perished to all eternity for we do not know any upon the earth more vile then our selves The very agravations of our sins to render us monstrously abominable the means of grace we have afforded us the stirrings of thy spirit in us the patience and goodness of God towards us makes it a wonder that our hearts do remain so blockish But dear Lord we do find by experience that our immortal souls are much debased all the faculties of our souls are out of tune our understandings are so dark our conceptions of God are so low our consciences are so benum'd that the stirrings of them are scarce discerned or perceived our affections are spent upon the creature that we cannot gather them up again our wills are perverse our memories are apt to retain the dross and let out all that is good we pray thee for Christs sake make an experiment upon our souls what thou canst do what sinners Christ can save what corruptions the spirit of God can subdue in our souls teach all our hearts do not stand behind the wall and look through the latice do so much as may leave us without excuse but good Lord put thy hand in at the hole of the door and let thy fingers drop honey upon the handle of the Lock And oh set open these everlasting Doors that the King of glory may enter in Subdue us intirely to thy self do not ask our wills whether we be willing or no but make us willing do not ask us what we would have but give us what thou knowst is good for us Dear Lord we pray thee deliver us from sin according to thy hatred of it and pour out thy grace upon us according to thy love of grace that our souls may be refreshed that we may find thy thoughts are above ours as high as heaven is above the earth Dear Father it is thy promise that those that wait upon thee shall renew their strengths we have no might the Devil bastles us our own hearts are treacherous to us The world intices us to sin against God oh deliver us from all these enemies especially from the plagues of our own hearts that we may perfect holiness in the fear of God give us spiritual blessings whatsoever thou givest us or whatsoever thou deniest us thou knowest thou art rather willing to give us spiritual blessings than any other mercies and we want spiritual mercies most Oh oh give us spiritual Mercies that we may say This is the way of God in his Sanctuary Where grace is not wrought work it where it is begun increase it Dear father convince those that are not yet convinced Make thy word a quickning word an ingrafted word to the saving of our souls help us to hear as for our lives as those that long after God Hear Prayers for the King bless him in his Royal Relations and grant under him we may live a quiet life in all godliness and honesty Bless the Magistrates and help them to remember that causes one day must be heard over again Help thy Ministers to keep close to thee in ways that are well pleasing Be with us at this time Lord assist the meanest of thy servants let our souls now find that thou dost magnifie thy word above all thy Name do us good receive us quicken us that we may live in heaven upon earth that we may know what it is to be filled with the fulness of God and know the heighth breadth depth and length of thy love that passeth knowledg Communicate thy self to us as thou usest to do to thy people let us feel thy presence let us not think of any thing but the business we are about let us with singleness of heart set our selves to mind thâ— concernment of our immortal souls and all we beg for Christ his sake who hath taught us thus to pray Our Father c. Dr. Bates his Prayer at Dunstans in the West O Lord thou art a most holy high God the Glorious Angels when they stand before thee cover their faces yet they dâ—d never violate thy Laws and if they how much more need have we to do it We are sinful dust and ashes our solemn Services are sin We desire to approach thy presence and to have an eye to thy glory in all our services and addresses We beseech thee give us a serious and a deep sense of our own hearts and vile affections that we may cast our selves down at thy feet with all humility We have infinite reason to be abased in our selves our God help us We came into the world with sin and as soon as we did breath in the air we infected it there is an infection and pollution in all our faculties what coldness is there in our affections and what unbelief in our faith and our wills do stand apopsite against thy holy nature VVe confess we have had ten thousand experiences of those corruptions that are within us for our while lives are full of provocations against God How many vain thoughts and how many rebellious actions Blessed Father we confess we are out of measure sinful we have sinned against the clearest convictions of thy word and the tender compassions of thy Gospel against the most severe promises we have made of our service to God against the checks of our own Consciences we confess the sins of the Heathens who live without God in the world are small in comparison of ours and we fear therefore a greater degree
of wrath will fall upon us O Lord how many ways hast thou used to reclaim us what Arts hath thy blessed Spirit used how many times hast thou approached to our souls and shewed us something of thy glory and the glory of heaven and the terrours of hâ—ll the one to allure us and the other to scare us But Oh! how many times have we grieved thy blessed Spirit who came to seal us and despised thy Son who came from heaven to earth and liv'd a sorrowful life and died a shameful death how often hath he offered us grace and glory if we would how to his Scepter but we have preferred a base lust before that excellency that he hath purchased us Oh how often hast thou condescended so far as to intreat us to be reconciled how easie hast thou been to forgive and how hard have we been to be forgiven VVe confess thou mighâ—est pass an eternal Doom upon us for we are sensible of the dishonour that we have brought upon thy Name Do thou at this time strike upon all these rocks that are in thy presence at this time give us hearts of flesh let our repentance pâ—eprare us for corversion let there be such a through conviction that thy grace and Mercy may be admirable in our eyes VVe intreat thee hear us pardon all our iniquities let us be monuments of thy grace and favour speak peace to our Consciences convey those clear evis dences of thâ—â—â—ve unto us that may inable us to scatter all our fâ—aâ—s that we may rejoice in God and have hope of glory Let the image of thy Son be engraven on all our hearts and let our souls be made subject to him while we are in the world preserve us from the evil of it If thou givest us out ward happiness give us withat inward holiness and if we do suffer help us with patience to bear all knowing we are in our journey and our passage to a better life and let our whole time be spent in a serious Preparation to appear before thy Tribunal and let us consider the unchangableness of that state hereafter Remember thy whole Church make the Name of Christ glorious in the world shed abroâ—d thy light and thy truth heavour back-slidings and love us freely Let thine Ordâ—nances continue among us and let thy blessing descend upon our sovereign Lord the King of England Scot and France and Ireland Defender of the Faith Incline his heart to thy Law make him an instrument of publick good protect his person and give him prosperous affairs Bless his Royal Consort his Relations his privy Counsel let them promote solid Piety and real Godliness Bless the Minister of thy Word and Sacraments Let their labours be precious in thy sight and remember all afflicted ones revive thy Mourners and let thy grace answer all their fears Let thy presence be in the midst of us and help us to hear as our last and let us be raised nearer heaven and make thy word powerful and effectual to all our souls and let thy word subdue our lusts and aâ—l we beg for the sake of Jesus Christ in whose Name and words we sum up our imperfect Prayers Our Father which art in Heaven c. Dr. Jacomb's Prayer at Martins Ludgate BLessed God thou art a God blessed for ever thou givest Mercy to all returning and repenting sinners thou art worthy to be praised by all that draw nigh unto thee Thou hast vouchsafed to us one Sabbath more Oh that we might all of us be in the spirit upon the Lords day that whatever we do we may do it in the strength of God that we may offer spiritual Sacrifices to God this day through our Mediator the Lord Jesus It is a very great condescention that thou shouldst suffer such as we are to come unto thee O Lord we are unclean we are unclean from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot we are overspread with the leprosie of sin all the faculties of our souls are defiled our understandings are darkened our wills are corrupted we have affections but they are carnal we have hearts but they are impure we have consciences but they are seared and as our inward man so our lives are unholy as the fountain is so is the stream besides that our general guilt that we brought into the world we are guilty of innumerable actual transgressions against thy holy Law We think O Lord there are no greater sinners in the world than we our sins are attended with many aggravations We have finned against Prayers against vows and promises we have had as much light shining before us as any in the world have had great is our unbelief Oh that we could lay these things to our hearts We do refuse to come to Christ we go about to establish a righteousness of our own and neglect the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ how are our hearts glewed to the present things of this world Oh! what do we do for thy glory How unreformed are we under all the ways of God that he hath taken to make us a holy people Give us a sight of our sins O Lord we confess sometimes we do make a formal confession but we do not find our hearts melted for sin as they should Oh take away from every one of us this heart of stone give a heart of flesh give us tender hearts make us sensible of all our departing from thee Oh let us look upon him whom we have pierced let us mourn that the Water of penitential sorrow may flow from us we are strangers to our selves we do not see what a hell there is in our nature Oh! how should we put our mouths in the dust and loath our selves if so be there might be hope O Lord convince us of sin give us such a sight of sin as may make us flie to thee give us such a sight of our own guilt that maâ—â— prepare us for the Grace of Godâ— now we are sâ—ung with the fiery Serpents help us to come to Jesus Christ our brazen Serpent give us the holy Spirit to bring us out of the state of nature to let that God that made us Creatures make us new Creatures O Lord we are thine own work but we are dead in trespasses and sins give us grace and speak a word to them that are dead put out thine Almighty Power and draw some sinner to Christ this day and those that have any breathings after thee Oh! thou that gavest them that desire carry on thine own work in them where thou hast begun a good work carry it on let sin as the house of Saul grow weaker and weaker and grace as the house of David grow stronger and stronger Oh! increase our faith O Lord at this time we do not onely stand in need of grace but of a great measure of grace Oh! help us by faith to relie upon God that thou mayest help us at last Bless
was the way Moses would have taken when the Lord was sending him to deliver his People had the Lord left him to himself as you may see at large in the third and forth chapters of the Book of Exodus 5. By rebelliously and traiterously slepping out of the place that God hath set a man in This was that way they tempted David unto in 1 Sam. 24.4 and which Abshai would have taken had not David hindered him 1 Sam. 26.9 Now none of these waies are just and honest being all of them contrary to the Command and a departing from God to the Creature as I shall clear particularly First That sinfully to comply with the wicked to abate the edge of their wrath is contrary to the Command is clear from these Scriptures Ephes 5.7 Be ye not therefore pantakers with them that is with the wicked with the Children of disobedience Now one way of partaking with them is by sinful compliance hence vers 11. Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darkness have you no hand do not you bear a part be not drawn in to comply in these things To this purpose is that Rom. 12.2 Be not conformed to this VVorld Nonconformity to this world is a Christians duty Secondly That sinfully to shift and shuffle through Lyes and deceitful Equivocations to provide for ones safety is contrarie to the Command of God clear is that Gen. 20 9. where Abimelech reproving Abraham for his practise tells him Thou hast done things to me that ought not to be done Thirdly That to render evil for evil and to avenge our selves is against the Command of God clear is that Prov. 20 21. Say not thou I will recompence evil but wait on the Lord and he shall save the. 1. Thess 5.15 See that none render evil for evil to any man Rom. 12.17 Recompence to no man evil for evil and 19. Dearly beloved avenge not your selves Fourthly That basely to desert the place that God hath put a man in is against the Command of God clear is that 1 Cor. 7.24 â—rethrin let everyone wherein he is called therein abide with God and as in the condition wherein so in the place whereunto till God remove him Fifthly That rebelliously to step out of a mans place is against the Command of God is clear from Eccles 10.4 If the spirit of thy Ruler rise up against thee leave not thy place for yeelding pacifieth great offence Subjects are here directed how to carry themselves when that the spirit of the Ruler rises up against themselve counsel that the Spirit here gives is That they keep their place not in a way of rebellious opposition but in way of yeelding subjection leave not thy place as a subject containe thy self within the bounds of thine own calling and condition bridling all disloyal passion and forbearing all unlawfull attempts toward off the wrath of the Ruler he speaketh not against a prudent withdrawing from a storm as David from Saul Elias from Ahab and Christ frm Herod but against a disloyal and rebellious defection as Israel to their Tâ—ms 1 Kings 12 16. So that whatever the provocations be that the Rulers give Subjects must submit themselves by yeelding active obedience in a I things which they command according to God and by patiently enduring what they inflict on us though for righteousness sake keeping our selves in the same humble obedient and loyal temper what ever provocations we meet with to the contrary And that in all these waies there is a departing from God the Creature arising from a distrust of his All sufficiency to provide for us in his way and from a conceit of our own wisdom to provide beâ—ter for our safety is most manifest therefore these wayes being contrary to the Comand of God and injurious to his All-sufficiency are not just and honest but to wait on the Lord and to keep his way this is the good the right and the honest Way See 1 Sam. 12.23 where he tells them that He will shew them the goood and right Way and what that is he acquaints in the nxt verse Only fear the Lord and serve him in Truth with all your heart which is to the same purpose with wait on the Lord and keep his way that is the honest and good Way in which the Lord commandeth his People to walk 2 Chron. 6.27 His Commandments being holy just and good Rom. 7.12 The way of his Comandments must needs be good just and honest and his Cammandments being the Rule the goodness of a way lyes in its conformity thereunto and this is the way that is agreeable to the Command of God as in the Text. 2 This is the wisest way When a man hath many wise subtile and powerful enemies watching to mischieve him he had need behave himself wisely Hence when our Saviour sends forth his Disciples as Sheep among Wolves Mat. 10.26 he says to them Be wise as Serpents and innocent as Doves he adviseth them to the wisest as well as the honestest way Now however carnall men do think some one of the forementioned wayes to be the wiset yet it will be apparent that to wait on he Lord and keep his Way is the wisest course by these two arguments First It is the Way which the truest and highest Wisdom the Wisdom of God doth direct unto so here in the Text So in that Psal 27.14 he complains of his enemies and of false witnesses that were risen up against him that did breath out cruelty vers 12. and then by the Spirit he commends to himself and others suitable advice in such a case vers 14. Wait on the Lord. So Exod. 14.13 there Pharoah and all his Hosts are at the heels of the poor Israelites and he counts of nothing but of destroying them Exod. 15.9 and they for their parts knew not how to escape Now sayes Moses to them Fear ye not stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. So that whatever distress the People of God are in this is the way the Wisdom of God directs unto for what the word of God in the Scripture directs to that the Wisdom of God directs as is clear from that Luke 11.49 2dly This is the way that the wisest men have taken David was a wise Man we read of him 1 Sam. 18.30 that David behaved himself more wisely then all the Servants of Saul so that his name was much set by Now this was the way that he took as you have him speaking in that Psal 18.21 I have kept the wayes of the Lord and not wickedly departed from my God for all thy judgements were before me and I did not put away his statutes from me c. So Psal 119 110. The wicked have laid a snare for me yet I erred not from thy precepts Daniel was a wise man hence that Proverb Ezeck 28.3 Wisen than Danirl and he took this course when that his Enemies had laid a snare for him to take away his Life
wicked watcheth to mischief you when the wicked even your Enemies and Foes come upon you to eat up your flesh as sal 27 2. then to wait on the Lord to stand your ground to follow the Lord to keep his way This is an argument of a brave and gallant Spirit Was it not a proof of a heroick and brave Spirit in Paul when he saies to them Act. 21 13. What mean you to weep and to break my heart for I am ready not to be bound only but to dye a Jerusalem for the Nâ—me of the Lord Jesus VVhen men are bold and daring in a wicked way and will resolutely keep on whatever difficulties or opposition they meet with this is not true valour but a mad hardiness and desperate stoutness of spirit But when men are couâ—arious and undaunted in following the Lord stedfastly keeping and walking on in his way maugre all opposition that Satan and wicked Men make against them this is true valour and galantry of Spirit Such brave and heroick Spirits were they mentioned Heb. 11 35 36 37. who have this honourable Testimonial of the Lord vers 38 of whom the World was not worthy Persons whereof every one was more worth than the VVorld or too excellent to abide in the VVorld being worthy of better and greater honour than the world could give them 4. 'T is the way by which you shall most victoriously triumph over all your enemies wait on the Lord and keep his way and you shall go on conquering and to conquer over Sin Satan the VVorld and Antichrist over all our enemies Though God you shal do valiantly for he it is that shall tread down all your enemies Psal 108.13 For this is the victory that overcommeth the world even your Faith 1 John 5.4 Through Faith whereby we wait on God and keep his Way we shall overcome the world that is Satan and all his wicked crew with all the instruments of mischief they make use of against us Hence that Rom. 8.37 In all these things we are more than Conquerours through him that loved us and this honour have all they that wait on the Lord and keep his Way 3 'T is the way by which you shall bring most honour to God to the Lord Jesus Christ the Captain of your Salvation That the people of God are imployed in service whereby God is honoured that reflects hunour upon them and the more God is honoured the more honour have they that serve him the Queen of Sheba counted Solomon's servants happy who waited continually upon him 1 King 10.8 how much more honourable is it to wait on the Lord in that a greater than Solomon is here Now wait on the Lord and keep his way herein you will greatly honour the Lord. As they that dissert and forsake the Lord and his waies when it comes to any hard service do greatly dishonour him as if there were not enough to be had to make amends for all their hardships they endure so they that follow the Lord and heep his way through sharp oppositions and sufferings they greatly honour him in the world to cleave to the Lord and follow him when all the world are about out ears for his sake to keep his Way when that his Way is every where spoken against to continue faithful in his service when nothing but bonds and persecutions attend us for it this commends his Service and tendeth much to the honour of his Name and Wayes 4. This is the ready way to true Honour As the wise man hath it in that Prov. 27.18 He that waiteth on his Master shall be honoured So wait on the Lord and keep his Way and you shall be honoured and that with true Honour even that honour that is of God In that John 5.44 our Saviour distinguisheth between that honour that is of men and that Honour that is of God and that is the the true Honour that is of God For as they say Honor est in honorante non in honorate in him that honoureth and then that is true and highest honor that is from the only true God that high and only One. Now this honour have all they that waiting on the Lord and keeping his Way do honour 1 Samuel 2 3â— Him that honoureth me I will honour and sayes our Saviour John 12.26 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall my servant be and what honour that is you may gather from that Col 3.4 and it further followes If any man serve me him will my Father honour Thus it appears to be the most honourable way 5. Lastly This is the most comfortable way It must be granted 't is a way that is attended with sufferings tribulations and distresses 2 Tim. 3.12 and yet it is the most comfortable way as will appear In that 1. It is the ready way to have peace inward peace the best peace in the midst of all the trouble the world can bring upon you in that Joh. 16.33 the Lord Jesus saith to his Disciples that in the world they should have tribulation but in him they should have peace And to wait on the Lord and keep his Way is the ready way to attain his Peace as appears from Isa 26.3 Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee That which rendered perfect peace iâ— Peace Peace in the Original the reduplication according to the Idiome of the Hebrew denoting the excellency perfection abundance and duration of Peace But to whom is this promise made saith the text to him whose mind is stayed on the Lord and trusteth in him and in verse 2. to the righteous Nation which keepeth the Truth which according to the point in hand may be exprest to them that wait on the Lord and keep his Way So Psal 119.165 Great Peace have they that love thy Law and nothing shall offend them 2. 'T is the ready way to have the holy Ghost who is stiled the Comforter to abide with us What more comfortable way than that wherein we may be sure to have the Comforter to be with us to abide and continue with us Wait on the Lord and keep his Way so shall the Comforter abide with you for ever Express is that of our Lord to this purpose John 14 15.16 If you love me keep my Commandments and I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever So ver 23 If any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come and make our abode with him So that this is the way to have Father Son and holy Ghost to come to us and abide with us 3. The Comforts which are to be had in this way are true solid substantial and abiding Comforts such as fill the soul with inward joy and mirth under the forest outward trouble so as that they can sing in prison
The keeping of it in your memories judgements and profession will be but in vain unless you keep it in your hearts Lay up and hide the Word of God in your hearts let the desire and delight of your soul be in the Way of the Lord with the Psal 119.111 Thy Testimonies have I taken for mine heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart 'T is the Caracter of the Godly man Psal 1.1 2. He delighteth in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night 5. Keep the VVay of the Lord in your lives and conversation walking therein conscientiously observing the Commandments of God to do accordingly I am speaking to those who have chosen the way of the Lord to walk in and they may read what the Lord saith in that Deut. 5.32 You shall observe to do as the Lord your God hath commanded you you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left you shall walk in all the Wayes that the Lord your God hath commanded you and to as many as walk according to this rule peace shall be upon them and upon the Israel of God Having this opened this Duty take these few Directions among the many that might be given 1 Let the Spirit of Christ be your guide and principle I am speaking unto such as have the Spirit of Christ Now if you consult that Ezek 36.27 You shall find that the Lord promiseth his people that he will put his Spirit within them and to what promise viz. both to encline enable and guide them to walk in his Statutes and to observe his Commandmenâ—s to do them There is no entring into the way of the Lord but by the Spirit Joh. 3 3. we all naturally being gon astray wander from the way of the Lord and it is the spirit only that can and doth reduce men into this way and the best being but lame and having not only a principle of halting in but declining from it there is no walking in this Way but by the assistance and guidance of the Spirit Let therefore the Spirit of God be your guide it is comprised that he shall lead you into all truth John 16.13 Let the spirit be your principle walk in the Spirit Gal. 5.16 then you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh but shall keep the way of the Lord. 2. Make the Word of God your rule I have heretofore from that John 6 39. and 1 Tim. 3.15 and several other places cleared to you that it is given of God for this end to be the rule both for Faith and Practice Keep therefore unto this and by no meanes depart from this if you would keep the Way of the Lord. Here you have the Lord revealing his Way and that clearly and plainly so that the most simple that apply themselves to it may understand it the Scriptures are a perfect and a constant rule Therefore as in that Isa 8.26 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no Light in them There are some that make the Light within their rule and that in opposition to the Word but the Light in such is Darkness for if they speak not according to this Word if it be but diverse from though not directly opposite unto it then there is no light in them Indeed the Light within that is Concience enlightned is a rule but it is Regula Regulata a Ruled Rule There is Regula Regulans and Regula Regulata A Ruling Rule and a Ruled Rule The former is a Rule to the latter by which it is to be tryed and approved The Word of God is a Ruling Rule and Conscience is a Ruled Rule which is to be obeyed as far as it speaks according to the Word and no further If therefore you would keep the Way of the Lord do not despise Conscience do not neglect the Light within but make it not thy Rule make the Word of God thy Rule admit not of any thing that is belonging to the Way of the Lord that is not grounded upon or not warranted by his Word If you would keep the Way of the Lord hold fast to what is written stick to the Word That saying of Austin is famous Sive de Christo sive de Ecclesia sive de quacunque alia re non dico si nos sed si Angelus sed coelo vobis annunciaverit praeterquam quod in Scripturis accipistes Anathema sit Not to say If we but if an Angel from heaven shall preach any thing of Christ or of the Church or of any other thing besides what ye have received in the Scripture let him be accursed Like to that Gal. 1.8 9. The Word is the heavenly Compass whereby we may be directed to steer our course aright to the Haven of happiness Keep you to the Word while one says this is the way and another that Try all things by the Rule of the Word and make that your Rule to walk by Hence when Paul was taking his leave of the Church at Ephesus in that Acts 20. in his Farewel-Sermon that after his departure they might keep the way of the Lord you may read what he commends to them verse 32. And your brethren I commend you to God and the Word of his Grace which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among those that are sanctified He commends the Word of God to them So Beloved now that I may no more speak to you from this place for the teaching of you the right and the good way I recommend to you the Word of the Lord which will be a light to your feet and a Lanthorn to your paths to guide you in the Way of the Lord till you attain the end of your Faith the Salvation of your souls What knowledge I have of the way of the Lord what I have taught you of the way of the Lord I have been taught by the Spirit of the Lord through the Word and though you want the great help of a plain powerful and faithful Ministry for the future yet let not those that are sincere in desiring to walk in the way of the Lord be discouraged by those who would make them believe that the Word is hard to be understood for that as it is more from malignity in us than difficulty in the Scriptures that the most do not understand them so they are easie to be understood by them that sincerely endeavour it being not onely most plain and clear in teaching the way of the Lord but also appointed to enlighten the eyes and make wise the simple Psal 19 7 8. Yea the entrance of it giveth light it giveth understanding to the simple Psal 119.130 And how weak and simple soever any of the Saints may be in worldly matters and in the Worlds account yet of them all is that spoken 1 John 2.27 But the anointing which ye have received of him
abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lye even as it hath been taught you ye shall abide in him Though they corrupt and pervert this Text that make use of it to the disannulling of all Ministerial teaching for if John had meant so to what purpose did he write this Epistle yet when God depriveth us of this help this Scripture affords support and comfort to the Saints that by the Spirit in them they shall be enabled to understand what he teacheth in the Word so as to abide in the Lord and in his Way as they have been taught Having then the Spirit for your principle and guide let the Word be your Rule and you shall keep the Way of the Lord according to that promise Isaiah 35.8 The wayfaring-men though fools shall not erre therein 3. Let the example of Christ be your pattern that you may keep the Way of the Lord set this Copy alwayes before you He always kept the Way of the Lord as he came down from Heaven to do the Will of his Father John 6.38 so he did alwayes those things that did please him John 8.29 He never departed in the least from the Way of the Lord He knew nâ— sin neither was guile found in his mouth If then you would keep the Way of the Lord learn of him follow him walk even as he walked Indeed in the things that are proper to Christ as God or as Mediator therein he is not to be imitated by us but in the things that he did or suffered as man he left us an example or pattern that we should follow his steps 2 Pet. 2.21 Hence that Exhortation of his Mat. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meâ—k and lowly in heart That then you may be directed as well as encouraged to keep the Way of the Lord look to Jesus and walk as you have him for an example Indeed the Apostle exhorts to walk as you have him for an example Phil. 3.17 But knowing that he could give you but an imperfect Copy he exhorts in that 1 Cor. 11.1 Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ It may be of good use to us to minde the examples of the Apostles and faithful Ministers of the Gospel that have walkt on in the Way of the Lord before us But forasmuch as there in none of them even Peter himself but went awry more or less therefore make the example of Christ your pattern Time will not permit to prosecute this at large I shall only offer some few particulars from the example of Christ to you such as may be most seasonable to further you in keeping the Way of the Lord. 1. It was the work and business of the Lord Jesus Christ to do the Will of his Father to do what pleased him As he came down from Heaven to do his Father's Will as you before heard from John 6.68 so he made it his work and business To this purpose is that Luke 2.49 How is it that ye sought me wist ye not that I must be about my Fathers business with that John 4.34 Jesus saith unto them My meat is to do the Will of him that sent me and to finish his work If then you will keep the Way of the Lord herein be ye followers of Christ let it be your work and business to do the Will of the Lord and to walk in all well-pleasing before him Let the Exhortation be in the words of the Apostle 1 Thes 4.1 Furthermore then we beseech you Brethren and exhort you That as you have received of us how you ought to walk and please God so ye would abound more and more 1. It was the practice of the Lord Jesus Christ to look on all the sufferings that came upon him as coming from the hand of his Father in accomplishment of his Word and therefore quietly to submit to them To this purpose is it that he tells Pilate in John 19.11 Thou couldst have no power at all against me except it were given thee from above He looks beyond Pilate to him that was above So John 18.11 The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it He overlooks the instruments and looks on his sufferings as a Cup put into his hand by his Father And as he observed the hand of his Father in the sufferings that came upon him so he takes notice that they are in accomplishment of Scripture Mat. 26.53 54. Thinkest thou that I could not now pray to my Father and he shall presently give me more than twelve Legions of Angels but how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be and he takes notice that the Scripture had foretold that thus it must be and that he must suffer and enter into glory as he clears iâ— in that of Luke 24.25 26. Therefore though he prayed if it be possible as Matthew hath it and if thou be willing let this Cup pass from me as Luke hath it yet he quietly submits to his Father's Will with a Not my will but thine be done And as Mat. 26.42 If this Cup may not pass away except I drink it let thy will be done Thus you see how by looking to the Fathers hand he willingly submits to what sufferings came upon him That you may keep the Way of the Lord in the midst of all the sufferings you are like to meet with herein following the Lord Jesus Christ eying the hand of your gracious Father in all the sufferings that come upon you of what nature soever and by whomsoever inflicted and what ever may be the ends of those by whom you suffer yet that they are all ordered by him in accomplishment of his Word Do ye not believe this I know that ye do believe it by Faith therefore improve it for the quieting of your hearts in all your sufferings This is that the Apostle presseth the Saints unto in the 12th of the Hebrews where he taketh for granted that all kind of sufferings more especially such as come upon us by the contradiction of sinners are fatherly corrections from the Lord and so in accomplishment of the Word of God according unto that Psal 89.30 31. and therefore humbly to be submitted to so Heb. 12.9 10. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and live for they verily for a few days chastened as after their pleasure but he for our profit that we may be partakers of his holiness Seeing therefore whatsoever befalls you in the way of the Lord is by your Father's ordering in accomplishment of his Word for your profit that ye may be partakers of his Holiness submit your selves to him eye your Fathers hand and end and be quiet 3. It was the practice of Jesus Christ in his state
that are commanded thee of God Secondly Beg of God to give you such a heart that you may not only say as the people in a good humour once to Moses All that thou shalt speak unto us that will we observe and do but find your hearts such as in Deut. 5.29 O that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep my Commandements always c. it is he by whom the Word is made as James hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A fruit-bearing word Begin all your hearing with prayers and conclude them with prayers â—â—â—ause 't is of the greatest concernment â—â—â—â—tly A Vse of Comfort First If we keep this Word this Word will keep us It will keep us in the worst of times yea at all times Prov. 6.22 When thou goest it shall lead thee when thou sleepest it shall keep thee and when thou awakest it shall talk with thee If thou keep his Commands his Commands will keep you if you keep his Promises his Promises will bring you to Glory Secondly If we keep his Word we shall not want present comforts The present gratuities which we have from Christ should be enough to encourage us if there were no future reward Psal 19. Inkeeping them there is great reward Thirdly Jesus Christ promised a blessedness to such persons they shall be a blessed people Rev. 1.3 Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this Prophecy and keep those things which are written therein and so in Luke 11.28 Blessed are they c. and with the best of blessings doth he crown them in the Text My Father will love him and we will come to him and will make our abode with him which is the second Observation God and Christ will make their abode with them that keep his Word In which Observation we shall take notice of these three particulars First How God and Christ do make their abode with them that keep his Words Secondly Why God and Christ will make their abode with such Thirdly What an excellent blessing it is to have God and Christ abiding with us First How God and Christ do make their abode with them that keep his Words in which these three particulars must be shewn 1. How God abides with his People 2. How Jesus Christ abides with them 3. How both God and Christ will make their abode with them that keep his Word First How God the first Person in the Trinity is said to make his abode with them that keep his Word And this will be two wayes seen First It is not here to be understood of his common or general presence as he is the infinite God and being Omni-present fills Heaven and Earth for so he abides with all the works of his hands yea so he is with them that fear him not Secondly It is here properly understood of Gods abode by way of special presence as he is a gracious Father therefore Jesus Christ doth first express the Fathers love and then his abode as the product and fruit of his love My Father will love him and we will come unto him c. He will come and abide with his as a God in Covenant with them therefore hath he put it into a promise in 2 Cor. 6.16 I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my People Secondly How Jesus Christ will make his abode with them that keep his Word which will be shewn also First Negatively Secondly Affirmatively 1. Negatively It is not to be understood of a carnal or corporal presence of Christ as Papists imagine as if the flesh of Christ could be in all places whom the Heavens must contain till the time of the restitution of all things for so sayes the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.16 acknowledging If he had known Christ after the flesh yet so he knows him no more 2. Affirmatively He makes abode with his people after a spiritual manner God the Father makes his abode with his Servants as a Father to them Jesus Christ abides with them as the Head of his Church as it is in Eph. 5.25 He is the Head of the Church and the Saviour of his Body God abides with us in Christ Jesus Christ abides with us by his Spirit A learned Author shews four wayes of Christs abode with Believers 1. Politice ut Rex in Regno As a King in his Kingdom and so he gives Laws as the only Head and King of his Church protects them and orders all their affairs 2. Occonomice ut pater in Domo As a Father in his House and so he takes care and makes provision for his people as a Father for his Family 3. Ethice ut Ratio in Howine As Reason in a Man which is the light that directs man in all his actions Jesus Christ directs and leads his people 4. Physice ut Anima in Corpore As the Soul in the Body which animates and acts the whole man without which the Body is a dead and liveless Trunk so Jesus Christ doth quicken our Souls by whom we have spiritual life And that he is the Head of the Church and thus abides with them First Consider he hath all grace and life in him John 5.26 As the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself Therefore the Psalmist sayes Psal 36.9 With the is thee Well of life and in thy light shall we see light Secondly From him is all grace and life conveyed out unto us Joh. 1.16 Of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace Yea whatsoever we receive from the Spirit of God we have from him originally as in Joh. 16.15 For he shall take of mine and shew it unto you Thirdly How God and Christ are both said to make their abode with them that keep his Word And this I shall shew to be three wayes First By their special providence and inspection with them and so we may see them in several Scriptures abiding with them as in Zach. 1.8 9 10. verses There 's Jesus Christ among the Myrtle trees which represent the Church And in Rev. 1.13 He is there in the midst of his golden Candle-sticks And David tells us of his experience of Gods presence with him Psal 73.23 I am continually with thee thou upholdest me with thy right hand And the Apostle Paul 2 Tim. 4.7 The Lord stood by me Indeed the eyes of the Lord are upon the Righteous and he hath said he will not leave them Secondly They make their abode with them in the Gospel and Gospel Ordinances where these be continued in their power and purity there the Tabernacle of God is among men and when these are taken away Ichabod the Glory is departed We may say God hath forsaken us As the Ark was a type and token of Gods special presence with the Jews so the Gospel and Gospel-Ordinances are a signal token of Gods abode with us for