Gal. 1. 8 9. Use 2. Let us prize the word of God above gold yea above fine gold Let us read it diligently reverently praying to God to give us the same spirit that wrote it to inable us to understand it and conscientiously to practise it Let us make it the joy and rejoycing of our heart and as it is in the Text Let us make it our Delights but of this I spake in the former point The onely motive I shall now use to perswade you to make the Word your Delights shall bee this in the Text. Because it will keep you from perishing in the time of your greatest affliction It will comfort you when you have most need of it that is under heart-sinking-afflictions and at the hour of death and it will comfort you when all outward comforts and creatures fail It wil bee food to strengthen your weake Faith Physick to cure the remainders of corruptions it will bee a Cordial to revive your drooping spirits and fainting souls It will make you more than Conquerors over all temptations and distresses Quest. But now the great Question is How a childe of God ought to manage and make use of the word of God so as to make it a Conduit of support and comfort in the day of his greatest Afflictions Answ. To bee able to do this there is a great deal of spiritual wisdom and understanding required For the word to many people is like Sauls Armour to David which was so cumbersome to him that hee could not wear it There are many know not how to use the Word so as to bee comforted by it As the woman of Samaria told Christ Ioh. 4. 11. The Well is deep and thou hast nothing to draw with So may â—I say The word of God is a deep Well it is a Well of salvation but it is deep and the deeper the sweeter but most people want Buckets to draw with they want a spiritual Art to fetch out of these Wells of salvation divine supportation and consolation and therefore to help you in this great work you must know That the word of God may bee divided into three parts Into Commandements Threatnings and Promises And though a Christian must not neglect the commanding and threatning word yet if ever hee would make the word a Channel of Divine comfort hee must study the promising-word for the Promises are a Christians Magna Charta for Heaven All comfort must bee built upon a Scripture promise else it is presumption not true comfort The Promises are pabulum fidei anima fidei the food of faith and the soul of faith As faith is the life of a Christian so the promises are the life of Faith Faith is a dead Faith if it hath no promise to quicken it As the Promises are of no use without Faith to apply them so Faith is of no use without a Promise to lay hold on And the great reason why the people of God walk uncomfortably in their afflictions is because they do not chew the Promises they are rare Cordials but as a man cannot taste the sweetness of a Cordial unless hee chew it no more can wee receive any spiritual refreshment from the Promises unless wee meditate on them The promises are as a Mine full of rich treasure but as Mines unless wee digge deep into them wee can never get the gold and silver hid in them no more can wee injoy the soul-ravishing comfort of the promises unlesse we digge into them by a serious consideration of them They are as a garden full of rare flowers able to sweeten any condition But because wee doe not walk in this garden and pick out these flowers hence it is that wee live so disconsolately and dejectedly under our afflictions There are many rare stories declaring the comfort that some of Gods Saints have received from the promises in the day of their distresse Mr. Bilney that blessed Martyr was much wounded in Conscience by reason of the great â—n hee committed in subscribing to the Popish errors but hee was much comforted by reading those words 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Iesus Christ came into the VVorld to save sinners of which I am the chief Beza was supported under his troubles by the words of Christ Iohn 10. 27 28 29. Mr. Bolton tells us of one that was upheld under great affliction and comforted from Isa. 26. 3. Of another from Isa. 57. 15. I knew a young maid that went triumphantly to Heaven by the refreshing shee found in that well known Text Matth. 11. 28. and many that have been wonderfully cheared by reading the eight Chapter of the Romans and by that Text 1 Ioh. 3. 14. VVee know that wee have passed from death unto life because wee love the Brethren The truth is there is no promise but if God bee pleased to illighten it and shew us our interest in it will afford a Harvest of joy It is with Promises as it is with Sermons That Sermon which once heard did not at all work upon us the same Sermon heard at another time may exceedingly affect us And the same Text of Scripture which sometimes doth not at all comfort us may at another time convey much comfort to us Two men troubled in conscience may both of them read the same chapter and hear the same Sermon and one of them may have his troubled minde pacified and the other continue troubled and the reason is because the Spirit of God makes the Word effectual to one and not to the other How often hath a distressed Saint read Mat. 11. 28. 1 Tim. 1. 15. Ioh. 10. 27 28. Isa. 26. 3. Isa. 57 15. 1 Ioh. 3. 14. and found no comfort in reading of them But if the Spirit of God did come in and open his eyes to behold the rich mercies wrapt up in these promises and his interest in them they would fill him with comfort above expression And therefore if ever you would make the Word of God Gods instrument to conveigh support and comfort to you in the time of soul-sinking afflictions you must study the promises and pray unto God that his Spirit may irradiate them and shew you the fulness of them and your interest in them Quest. How must wee improve the promises so as to make them spiritual bladders to keep us from being drowned in the deep waters of Affliction Ans. You must doe three things 1 You must make a Catalogue of the Promises 2 You must seriously ponder and meditate on them 3 You must apply them to your own souls as belonging to you in particular 1 You must make a Catalogue of the Promises you must gather them up as they lye scattered in the Word into a spiritual Nose-gay and binde them together You must doe as they that gather up ends of Gold and Silver you must lose none Every promise is as a ray of gold as a Star in the firmament And
of death Pray unto Christ to anoint thine eyes with his Spiritual eye-salve And to cause thee to hope in his word of Promise according to that excellent prayer of David Remember the Word unto thy Servant upon which thou hast caused mee to hope It is God must cause us to hope and trust in his Promises or else wee shall never bee able God hath given thee eyes to see thy misery O pray for eyes to see his mercy The Church of Laodicea wanted eyes to see her misery Shee was miserable and naked and knew it not Thou hast eyes to see thy undone condition out of Christ. Pray for eyes to behold the riches of mercy that are in Christ and his willingness to receive all that come to him Rule 12. Pray unto God not onely to give thee Spiritual eyes to see thy interest in the Promises but a Spiritual hand to inable thee to apply them to thine own soul in particular By this spiritual hand I mean A Christ-appropriating Faith Justifying Faith is as it were the hand of the soul by which wee appropriate Christ and all the Promises as belonging to us in particular Now Faith is the gift of God Pray for the Spirit of Faith And for your incouragement consider that the Spirit is called The Promise of the Father and that holy Spirit of Promise And God hath promised to give the Spirit to those who ask for it If yee then being evill know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him The office of the holy Spirit is first to seal grace and then to seal to grace First the Spirit sanctifieth us then it witnesseth to our spirits that wee are sanctified Pray therefore unto God that hee would not only work grace in you but witness unto the grace which hee hath wrought Pray for the sanctifying and sealing work of the Spirit That hee would not onely fit you to have an interest in the promises but assure you of your interest in them Rule 13. Study thy interest in the promises in the time of health and outward prosperity For I find by experience that a childe of God under outward affliction or divine desertion or extream melancholy is many times like a man in the dark A man in the dark cannot though never so learned read in a book of the clearest print or fairest character hee cannot though never so active undertake any thing of weight No more can a childe of God in the hour of distress read his evidences for heaven much less study to finde out evidences hee looks upon all the promises with a black pair of spectacles and wants light to see his interest in them When Sion was in distress shee said God had forsaken her and her Lord had forgotten her When David was persecuted by Saul hee said in his haste All men were liars even Samuel himselfe who had told him that God would bestow the Kingdome on him Hee said in his haste hee was cut off from before Gods eyes Thus did Heman Christ himselfe cryed out when hee was upon the Cross with a loud voyce My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee As men in Agâ—es and Feavers are not fit judges of meats and drinks whether they bee good or bad because their pallats are out of taste So a distressed Christian when under extream melancholy divine desertion or some great affliction is no fit judge at such a time of his interest in the Promises And therefore my advice is Make out thy interest in time of prosperity and live upon it in time of adversity Make and read over thy Evidences for Heaven in time of health and learn then by heart that when thou comest into a dark condition thou mayest neither have them to make or to read Do as Tamar did Gen. 38. 18. 25. When Iudah her Father in law lay with her shee took as a pledge his signet bracelets and staffe And afterward when shee was in great distress and ready to bee burnt as a Harlot shee then brought her staffe and signet and bracelets and said By the man whose these are am I with childe and thereby shee saved her life So must you do In time of health study thy interest in the promises and in time of sickness live upon what thou hast studied then bring forth thy staffe and bracelets c. then produce thy evidences and make use of them as spiritual butteresses to keep thee from falling into despair I knew a very godly woman not unknown to many here who in her life time had taken a great deal of pains to compose and write down her evidences for heaven and who also kept a Diary of her life and wrote down how shee spent every day when shee lay upon her death-bed it pleased God to with-draw himself from her for a while and to let the Devil loose who tempted her to despair told her shee was an Hypocrite a Formalist and that shee had no true grace in her Shee sent for mee made her bitter complaint to mee and sadly bewayled her condition Then shee told mee which before I knew not how shee had spent her life how carefull shee had been in searching her wayes in observing how shee spent every day and how exact in collecting Evidences for Heaven the book was sent for I read a great part of it to her and tooke much delight and content in what I read And it pleased God to come to her with comfort in the reading of it Shee shewed her Staffe and her Bracelets and thereby quenched the fiery darts of the Devil Thus I have in three Sermons taught you how to make use of Scripture-promises as Conduits of soul-supportation and soul-consolation in the day of distress When you hereafter read the Bible remember the promising-word as well as the commanding and threatning word make a Catalogue of the Promises meditate upon the pretiousness freeness usefulness latitude richness and immutability of them They are as certain as God himselfe they have the strength of God the comforts of God and assistance of God in them Above all labour to make application of them to your own soul. For this purpose study these thirteen Rules and Directions Pray unto God to give thee spiritual eyes to see thy interest in them and spiritual hands to reach out after them Pray to God to give thee spiritual ability to act faith upon the promises to draw vertue from them as the woman who had the bloody issue did from Christ to suck out all the sweetness that is in them to hang upon them as the woman did upon the Prophet and as a Bee doth upon a flower and by application of them to thy soul to live in God and on God here till thou comest to enjoy the blessings promised with God for ever in heaven There is one
bee sure to cause us to come running to him And how sweet is a text of Scripture to a childe of God in the hour of his distress By all this it appears that God afflicts his children not to hurt them but to help them and that God hath many glorious and gracious ends and aimes in afflicting of them Therefore it is that David saith of himself in the 71. verse of this Psalm It is good for mee that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy Statutes Hee never said It is good for mee that I have been in prosperity but hee rather saith the contrary in the 67. verse Before I were afflicted I went astray but now I have kept thy word Gods people will bless God as much if not more in Heaven for their adversity than for their prosperity Use 1. Let us not pass rash censures upon persons under great afflictions Say not such a woman is a greater sinner than others because more afflicted This was the fault of Iobs friends and God expresseth his anger against them for it Iob 42. 7. My wrath is kindled against thee and thy two friends for you have not spoken the thing that is right c. This was the fault of the Barbarians Act. 28. 4. When they saw the venemous beast hang upon the hand of Paul they said among themselves no doubt this man is a murderer c. But remember they were Barbarians It is a sign of a Barbarian not of a Christian to pass a rash censure upon persons in affliction Think you saith Christ that those eighteen upon whom the Tower in Siloam fell and slew them that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem I tell you nay but except you repent ye shall all likewise perish Luke 13. 4 5. Think you that they which have the stone and gout in extremity that have cancers in their faces and breasts are greater sinners than others I tell you nay c. For my part if I would censure any it should bee such as live wickedly and meet with no affliction These have the black brand of reprobation upon them These are men designed to damnation Ambrose would not tarry a night in the house of a Gentleman that had never in all his life been afflicted for fear as hee said lest some great and sudden judgement should betide it But when I see a godly woman afflicted then I say this is not so much for her sin as for her trial this is not to hurt her but to teach her to know God and to know her selfe to break her heart for sin and from sin to make the world bitter and Christ sweet God hath put her into the fire of affliction to refine her and make her a vessel fit for his use God is striking her with the hammer of affliction that shee may bee squared and made ready to bee laid in the heavenly Ierusalem Use 2. Here is rich comfort to the children of God under the greatest afflictions For the best of Saints are subject to the worst afflictions This is the lot of all Gods children Christ himself not excepted Afflictions indeed considered in their own nature are evil things and so are called Amos 5. 1â— They are part of the curse due to sin the fruit of Gods revenging wrath they are as a biting and stinging Serpent And to a wicked man remaining wicked they are the beginning of Hell Unsanctified afflictions parboil a wicked man for hell and damnation But now to a childe of God they have lost both their name and nature they are not punishments properly but chastisements not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They are not satisfactory but castigatory Jesus Christ hath taken away the sting of these Serpents they are not fiery but brazen Serpents they have a healing not a hurting power Christ hath removed the curse and bitterness of them as the wood sweetned the waters of Marah Exod. 15. 25. So Christs Cross hath sweetned the bitterness of Afflictions There are eight comfortable considerations to chear the heart of a childe of God in the day of his distress 1 God never afflicts his people but ut of pure necessity 1 Pet. 1. 6. Though ow for a season if need bee yee are â—â—â—aviness As a most loving Father never corrects his childe but when heâ— is forced to it Hee willingly provides for his childe but punisheth him unwillingly So God freely loadeth with his blessings but hee never chastiseth his children but when forced to it therefore hee saith expresly Lam. 3. 33. Hee doth not afflict willingly Isa. 27. 1. Fury is not in mee It is wee that put Thunderbolts in Gods hand If the Sâ—n did not first draw up the vapours from the earth there would never bee any thundering or lightening God would never thunder from Heaven with his judgements if our sins did not first cry to Heaven for punishment As Christ whipt the sellers of Oxen and Sheep out of the Temple with a whip made in all probability of their own cords So God never scourgeth us but it is with a whip made of our own sins Prov. 5. 22. Rom. 2. 5. Thou treasurest up to thy self c. God hath a double treasure a treasure of mercy and a treasure of wrath his treasure of mercy is alwayes full but his treasure of wrath is empty till wee fill it by our sins And therefore when God punisheth his children hee calls it a strange work and a strange act Isa. 28. 21. It is observed of the Bee that it never stings but when provoked Sure I am that God never afflicts his children but out of pure necessity 2 Not only out of pure necessity but out of true and real love as I have shewed Heb. 12. 6 7 8. Object Do not divine afflictions proceed out of anger Was not God angry with Moses for speaking unadvisedly with his his lips And angry with David for his Adultery and thereupon afflicted both of them Answ. This anger was a Fatherly anger rooted in love It was not ira quae reprobat but ira quae purgat It was not ira hostilis exterminativa but ira paterna medicinalis As it is a great punishment for God sometimes not to punish Isaiah 1. 5. Hos. 4. 14. So it is a great mercy sometimes for God to withdraw his mercy 3 Afflictions are a part of Divine predestination That God which hath elected us to salvation hath also elected us unto afflictions 1 Thes. 1. 3. That no man should bee moved by these afflictions for you your selves know that wee are appointed thereunto The same love with which God elects us and bestoweth Christ and his Spirit upon us with the very same love hee afflicts us 4 They are part of the gracious Covenant which God hath made with his people Psal. 89. 31 32 33. In which words we have three things considerable 1 A supposition of sin If his children forsake my Law c.
saith of the Jews 2 Cor. 3. 14 15 16. That to this day there is a vail over their hearts when Moses is read and when they shall turn to the Lord this vail shall bee removed So it is with Christians when a wicked man reads the word there is a vail over his eyes and over his heart and over the Scriptures The god of this world hath so blinded his eyes that hee cannot behold the beauty and glory of them but the true Saint hath this vail removed Christ hath anointed his eyes with his spiritual eye-salve hee seeth a surpassing excellency in the Word of God and therefore cannot but delight in it 2 Because they are not onely illightned but regenerated And as children new born by the instinct of nature have a natural appetite to milk for conservation of their life so the new born Saint by the instinct of grace hath a spiritual appetite to the Word of God according to that of Saint Peter 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new borne babes desire the sincere Milk of the VVord that you may grâ—w thereby The Word of God is the Saints food and as it is impossible for a childe unborn to desire food so for a man unregenerated to hunger after and take true pleasure in the Word and as it is impossible for a new born child not to delight in Milk so it is as impossible for a regenerate Christian not to delight in the Law of God 3 Because a true Saint hath the Law of God written in his heart according to that precious promise of the Covenant of grace Ier. 31. 33. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts A Saints heart is the counterpane to Gods Law The Law is within his heart Psal. 40. 8. and as it is in the Hebrew in the midst of his bowels in medio viscerum God hath infused a principle of grace into his inward parts whereby hee is not onely inclined but inabled to walk in all the Commandements of the Law blameless A true Saint hides the Law in his heart as a choice Iewel in a most precious Cabinet as David saith vers 9. I have hid thy Law in my heart Hid it as a rare treasure So doth every Saint and therefore cannot but delight in it 4 Because the same holy Spirit that wrote the word dwelleth in every true Saint It is certain that all Scripture is of Divine Inspiration and that the holy men of God spake as they were guided by the Holy Ghost And it is as certain That the same Holy Ghost dwelleth in every Saint Rom. 8. 11. And by vertue of the in-dwelling of the Spirit they are sweetly and powerfully drawn to make the Law of God their chiefest delight 5 Because it is Gods inditement and invention This reason is brought in the Text Unless thy Law c. It is the Law of that God in whom they delight It transcribes the minde and heart of God A true Saint seeth the Name Authority Power Wisdome and Goodness of God in every lettâ— of it and therefore cannot but take pleasure in it It is an Epistle sent down to him from the God of heaven It is one of the greatest Love-tokenâ— that ever God gave to his Church There are two great Gifts that God hath given to his people The Word Christ and the Word of Christ. Both are unspeakably great But the first will do us no good without the second 6 A true Saint cannot but delight in the word of God because it is his inheritance vers 111. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for â—ver for they are the rejoycing of my heart Therefore they were the rejoycing of his heart because they were his everlasting Inheritance 7 Because hee findes a sweetness in iâ— Delight is nothing else but a passiâ—n of the soul arising from thâ— sweetness of the object that wee enjoy Things that are good present suitable and sweet are the object of our delights such is the word of God to every true Saint It is sweeter than the hâ—ny and the hony-comb Psal. 19. 10. So also Psal. 119. 103. How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter than â—ony to my mouth A Saint must needs delight in it it is so suitable and so sweet 8 Because he loves the Law Now that which wee love wee cannot but delight in when wee come to enjoy it A true Saint doth not onely love the Law but hee loves it exceedingly Psal. 119. 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly A true Saint can say with David Psal. 119. 97. Oh how do I love thy Law and vers 127. I love thy Commandements above gold yea above fine gold And vers 72. The Law of thy mouth is better to mee than thousands of gold and silver Now because the Saints of God are so inamoured with the Law of God therefore it is that they cannot but delight in it as David saith Psal. 119. 47. I will delight my self in thy Commandements which I have loved Hee that loves the Commandements as all Saints do cannot but delight in them Use. This shews that there are but few true Saints amongst us There are many bastard Saints and nominâ—l Saints but few true and real Saints Wee live in an age wherein there were never more Saints and never fewer never more by outward Profession and never fewer by a holy Conversation It is the property of a true Saint to make the word of God his darling and delights But where shall wee finde such Saints It is easie to finde out men that can say Eating and drinking is my delight carding and dicing is my delight reading of vain and trifling books is my delight to satisfie the lusts of the flesh is my delight But where is the man that can truly say as David doth The Law of God is my delights and the joy and rejoycing of my heart for ever Austin professeth of himselfe that before his Conversion hee took no pleasure in the Word of God His proud heart as hee saith would not stoop to the humble expressions of it After his Conversion hee was ravished with the beauty and excellency of the Scriptures but before his Conversion hee saw no excellency in them Politian though a great Schollar yet a notorious Atheist professeth most blasphemously that hee never lost more time than in reading the Scripture And it is reported of Plato that when hee had read the first Chapter of Genesis hee said Hic vir multa dicit sed nihil probat This man saith many things but proveth nothing Where shall wee finde the man that puts a due estimation upon the word of God That prizeth it above gold yea above much fine gold That rejoyceth in thy word as much as in all riches verse 14. That can appeal to God and say as David vers 159. Consider Oh Lord how I love thy Precepts and vers 97. Oh how do I love thy Law There
are some men that can delight in any thing but in God and his Word and his Ordinances They can delight in the creatures of God but cannot delight in the Ordinances of God They can delight in the gifts of God in riches and health and honours But they cannot delight in the God of these gifts They can delight in books of Philosophy and Humanity but they cannot delight in the word of God Mark the sad condition that these are in It is a certain sign that there is a vail over their eyes and hearts that they are not yet anointed with Christs eye-salve that the God of the world hath blinded their eyes that they cannot see the glorious excellencies of the Law of God It is certain that they are not born anew for if they were new born babes they would desire the sincere milk of the word It is certain that the Law of God is not yet written in their hearts and that the Spirit of God doth not dwell in them It is certain that they have no part nor portion in the word of God that they never tasted the sweetness that is in it and that they have no true love to God nor to his word It is a true saying Qui regem amat legem amat hee that loves a King will love his Law And I may say Qui Deum amat legem Dei amat Hee that loves God will love the Law of God which is nothing else but his Image and his Picture his last Will and Testament his blessed Love-token And therefore if you delight not in the Law of God it is evident you do not delight in the God of this Law And if you delight not in God hee will not delight in you unless it bee to laugh at your destruction as it is Prov. 1. 26. Q. But how shall I know whether I do delight in the Word of God or no Answ. You shall know it by these notes 1 Hee that delights in Gods Law will bee very frequent in meditating and reading of it and very often in speaking of it Thus saith David Psal. 1. 2. His delight is in the Law of the Lord and therein hee will meditate day and night And Psalm 119. 97. Oh how do I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day So also vers 15 16. 23. Hee that takes pleasure in the Law hee will bee often thinking of it as Christ saith Matth. 6. 21. Where the treasure is there the heart will bee also If the word of God bee thy treasure thou wilt meditate on it Cogitatione crebrâ longâ profundâ Thou wilt frequently think of it and when thou beginnest to think of it thou wilt dwell upon the thought of it as a Bee dwells as it were upon the flower to suck out the sweetness that is in it and thou wilt think of it with deep and serious meditations and contemplations thou wilt dive into the unsearchable riches and treasures that are in the Word And as thou wilt meditate on it so thou wilt bee often and unwearisome in reading and perusing of it and discoursing about it A man that delights in hunting is never weary of talking of hunting and hee that delights in the world of speaking about the world and if you did delight in Gods word you would bee very frequent and indefatigable in discoursing of it 2 If you delight in the Word of God you would delight in the Ministers and Ambassadors of the Word lawfully commissionated by Christ For the great work of the Ministry is to expound and apply the Word and therefore if you dis-respect the godly learned lawful Ministry of the Word you take no delight in the Word 3 They that delight in the Word will bee at any cost to bring the Word to their Congregations they will part with thousands of gold and silver rather than with the word He that esteems the Word above thousands will bee willing to part with hundreds for the Words sake Hee will account a famine of the Word more bitter than a famine of bread by how much the soul is better than the body by so much will hee bee more troubled for a soul-famine than a bodily 4 Hee that delights truely in the Law will sincerely labour to obey it and bee mâ—ch grieved when it is disobeyed 1 Hee will sincerely labour to obey it hee will make the Word of God the man of his counsel vers â—4 Thy testimonies are my delight but how doth hee prove that in the following words and my counsellors Hee will make the Word a Lamp to his feet and a light to his paths vers 105. In all his undertakings hee will inquire what God would have him to do and hee will make Gods Word his Compass to sail by and pray with David vers 35. Make mee to go in the path of thy Commandements for therein do I delight 2 Hee will bee much grieved when others transgress the Law of God Thus David vers 53. Horror hath taken hold upon mee because of the wicked that forsake thy Law and vers 136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law And therefore you that delight in sin you cannot bee said to delight in the Word and you that are not pained and grieved when others sin you are not amongst the number of those that take pleasure in Gods Law or in whom God takes pleasure Use 2. Let us make it appear that wee are Saints in deed and in truth not only Saints in Mans but in Gods Calender by following the example of holy David set down in the Text. Let us make the Law of God our joyes and our delights Let mee speak to you in the words of the Apostle Col. 3. 16. Let the Word of God dwell richly in you c. not onely with you but in you And in the Words of Christ Ioh. 5. 39. Search the Scriptures for therein you hope to finde eternal life The Greek word signifieth to search as men do under ground for treasures or to search as men who dive under water for something that is at the bottome Let us with Iob 23. 12. Esteem the ward of God above our necessary food Let us love it above gold yea above fine gold Let it bee dearer to us than thousands of gold and silver sweeter than the hony and the honey-comb You that are Gentlemen remember what Hierom reports of Nepotianus a young Gentleman of Rome Qui longa assidua meditatione scripturarum pectus suum fecerat bibliothecam Christi who by often and assiduous meditation of the Scriptures made his breast the Library of Christ. Remember what is said of King Alphonsus that he read over the Bible fourteen times together with such Commentaries as those times afforded You that are Schollars remember Cranmer and Ridley the former learnt the New Testament by heart in his journey to Rome the latter in Pembrook-hall Walks in Cambridge Remember what is said of Thomas a Kempis
that hee found rest no where nisi in angulo cum libello but in a corner with this book in his hand And what is said of Beza that when hee was above fourscore years old hee could say perfectly by heart any Greek Chapter in Pauls Epistles You that are women consider what Hierom saith of Paula Eustochiam and other Ladies who were singularly versed in the holy Scriptures Let all men consider that hyperbolical speech of Luther That hee would not live in Paradise without the VVord and with it hee could live well enough in Hell This speech of Luthers must bee understood Cum granâ— salis Quest. May not a wicked man delight in the VVord of God Is it not said of Herod Mark 6. 20. that hee heard John Baptist gladly and of the stony ground Luke 8. 13. that it received the Word with joy Is it not said of the Israelites remaining wicked that they delighted to know Gods wayes and took delight in approaching to God Isa. 58. 2. and of the Iews Joh. 5. 35. that they were willing for a season to rejoyce in the Light held forth by the preaching of John Baptist Answ. There is a wide and vast difference between the joy and delight which a true Saint takes in Gods Word and that which may bee found in an hypocrite 1 The delight of a godly man is orderly and seasonable It is the consequent of conviction and humiliation For though Ioy bee the great work of the Spirit yet it is not the first work First The Spirit by the Word convinceth and humbleth and then comforteth therefore Christ saith Mat. 5. 4. Blessed are those that mourn for they shall bee comforted and David saith Psal. 126. 5. They that â—ow in tears shall reap in joy But the joy of an hypocrite is unseasonable and disorderly It is his first work It is said of the stony ground that when they heard the word they received it immediately with gladness Mark 4. 16. It is not said they received it first with sorrow and then with gladness Here is mention of joy without any antecedent humiliation Nay the Text saith expresly Luke 8. 6. it lacked moisture and therefore it withered away There are many Professors in our dayes that skip from sin to joy at first that all in an instant are in the highest form of sin and in the highest form of comfort that skip out of the lap of the Devil into the lap of joy These are as the stony ground These are wanton Christians They sow before they plough They know not the bitterness of sin and therefore in time of temptation fall away 2 The delight that a godly maâ— takes in the Word is a well-rooted delight It is rooted in an humble good and honest heart as is said of the good ground Luke 8. 15. But the delight of an hypocrite is shallow and superficial as his graces are sleight and formal so are his delights Therefore it is said of the seed that fell upon the stony ground that it had no root Luke 8. 13. and Matth. 13. 5. it wanted depth of earth and therefore when the Sun arose it was scorched The Apostle hints this Heb. 6. 4. and have tasted the good Word of God The delight of a wicked man in the Word is but a tasting and sipping no soaking a floating a loft in the River of Christs blood no diving down to the bottome A man may taste a thing and not like it taste and like it and yet not come up to the price of it as the young man Matth. 19. 22. Hee was very desirous to injoy eternal life but hee would not part with his possessions for the obtaining of it A Cook tasteth of the meat hee dresseth but they onely that are invited eat of it Tasting doth not imply habitual grace A man may taste that which hee never digesteth nor concocteth The Israelites tasted of the first fruits of the Land of Canaan and yet did not enter into Canaan Such is the joy of the hypocrite It is outward and superficial But the delight of a true Saint is inward solid and substantial Ieremy saith that the Word of God was the joy and rejoycing of his heart and that hee did eat it Ier. 15. 16. hee did not onely taste it but eat it And Paul saith Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inner man His delights had depth of earth they were well digested and concocted 3 It is superlative and over-topping A godly man delighteth more in God and his Word than in any worldly thing whatsoever Lord lift thou up saith David Psal. 4. 6 7. the light of thy countenance upon us thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased So also Psal. 43. 4. Unto God my exceeding joy Psal. 137. 6. If I prefer not Ierusalem above my chief joy And Psal. 119. 72. 127. The delight of a Saint in Gods Word over-toppeth all his creature-delights and injoyments and for the joy hee findes in it hee will sell all hee hath to purchase it Mat. 13. 44. But the joy of a wicked man is of an inferiour nature hee rejoyceth more in Corn Wine and Oyl c. And when it comes into competition hee will leave his spiritual and heavenly rather than lose his creature and carnal pleasures Thus Herod rejoyced in the word that Iohn Baptist preached but hee rejoyced more in his Herodias and when it came to the trial hee chose to behead Iohn Baptist rather than to part with Herodias The stony ground when persecution arose parted with all its joy and faith rather than it would lose its estate or life As a godly man rejoyceth in worldly things as though hee rejoyced not 1 Cor. 7. 30. So a wicked man rejoyceth in spiritual things as though hee rejoyced not In the old Law those Fowls that did both flye and swimme were unclean A wicked man would many times flye aloft in spiritual delights but hee would also bathe himself and swimme in carnal pleasures and his heart is more affected with worldly advancement and bodily recreations than with heavenly and this is a sign that hee is an unclean Christian and that his delights in God and his Word are not right because they are not overtopping and superlative 4 It is powerful and soul-strengthening full of life vigour and activity it will inable the soul to do and suffer any thing for God it turns a Prison into a Paradise it makes Martyrdome to bee as a bed of Roses it is Armour of proof to steel us and make us fit to indure Afflictions both for God and from God therefore David saith in the Text Unless thy Law had been my delights I should then have perished in mine Affliction His delight in the Law supported him from sinking It is like Oyl to the Wheels like Sails to the Ship and wings to the bird but the delight that a wicked man hath
in the Word is a powerless dead fruitless and strengthless delight It is as a paper Helmet and a painted fire it will not support him in the hour of adversity The persons represented by the stony ground fell away notwithstanding their joy as soon as ever persecution arose for the Gospel But the joy of a true Saint is soul-supporting and soul-upholding The joy in the Lord is their strength Neh. 8. 10. 5 The delight that a godly man hath in the Word is sin-excluding It cannot consist with a delight in any sin therefore David saith Psal. 119. 11. Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sinne against thee Sinne is as a wooden window to shut out the true joyes of the Spirit But now a wicked man though hee may delight in the Word yet hee also delights in sinning against the Word Although Herod heard Iohn Baptist gladly yet hee kept his Herodias and though the Israelites delighted to know Gods wayes yet they did not delight to walk in his wayes They were as a Nation that did righteousness hee doth not say they were such but quasi gens c. as a Nation that did righteousness And though they delighted to approach to God yet they did not delight to obey that God before whom they approached they took pleasure in sinning against God as well as in serving of God Isa. 58. It was not a sin-excluding joy and therefore it was false and counterfeit 6 It is grace-increasing The more a Saint delights in the Word of God the more careful hee will bee to obey the Will of God and to grow and increase in the grace of God therefore David saith Psal. 119. 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies for I love them exceedingly And Psal. 40. 8. I delight to doe thy Will O my God yea thy Law is within my heart because the Law was written in his heart therefore hee delighted to doe it Hee that delights to keep Gods Law God will give him more grace to keep it according to that remarkable text Psal. 119. 55 56. I have remembred thy Name O Lord and have kept thy Law this I had because I have kept thy Precepts What had David for keeping Gods Precepts Hee had power to keep his Law that is to grow and increase in keeping of it As the Prophet Hos. 6. 3. speaks of the knowledge of God Then shall wee know if wee follow on to know the Lord that is if wee industriously labour to know God wee shall have this reward to bee made able to know him more So may I say of the grace of God Hee that delights to keep Gods Law shall have this reward to bee inabled to keep it more perfectly A true delight in Gods Word is Grace increasing Grace is the Mother of all true joy Isa. 32. 17. and joy is as the Daughter and the Mother and Daughter live and dye together True spiritual delight ebbs and flows as grace ebbs and flows As the wood is to the fire oyl to the flame the shadow to the body so is joy to grace Quantum cresâ—is in gratiâ tantum dilatâr is in fiduciâ But now a wicked man though hee may have a kinde of delight in Gods word yet it is not a delight of the right kinde It doth not argue that hee hath true grace in him An hypocrite is all joy and no grace a Giant in joy and not so much as a dwarf in grace like a green bough tyed to a dead tree Hee is in the highest form of joy and not so much as in the lowest form of grace 7 The delight that a godly man hath in the word is not onely a delight in spiritual things but a spiritual delight grounded upon spiritual aimes and reasons But the delight of a wicked man though it bee in spiritual things yet it is but a natural delight As a godly man spiritualizeth carnal things so an ungodly man carnalizeth spiritual things Austin before his conversion rejoyced much to hear Ambrose preach but it was because of his eloquence as hee saith not upon a spiritual account A wicked man may follow a Preacher and delight in his preaching because of his elegant words and Rhetorical expressions because hee is unto him as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voyce c. as it is Ezek. 33. 32. Or out of novelty because newly come as the Israelites delighted in Manna at first but afterwards loathed it or because hee loves his person or out of a desire to obtain a form of knowledge in heavenly things The Pharisâ—es delighted to do many spiritual things out of vain-glory Iehu delighted to do the will of God but it was for his owne ends Pauci quaerunt Iesum propter Iesum Stella is of opinion that the Devil perswaded Herod to hear Iohn Baptist gladly and to reverence him and to do many things that so hee might hold him the faster in his possession The Devil had him sure by one sin and therefore hee provoked him to do some good things that so hee might rock him asleep in presumption and by his good things hee might quiet his conscience and put a fair gloss upon his incestuous practices A man may rejoyce in spiritual things upon sinful grounds and reasons But now a true Saint delights in the word upon a spiritual account because it is Gods word and God would have him delight in it because it is his guide to glory the way by which he is sanctified It is both concha canalis A Cistern to contain the glorious mysteries of salvation and a Conduit to convey God and grace into his soul. In a word hee delights in it because it is holy and pure hee can say with David Psal. 119. 140. Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it This no wicked man can truly say 8 The delight that a godly man takes in the word is without any reservation or distinction Hee delights in the whole word of God in the commanding and threatning word as well as in the promising word he beholds God and his wisdome and goodness in every verse and therefore hee can say with Hezekiah Isa. 39. 8. Good is the Word of the Lord. Hee hath the whole Law written in his heart and rejoyceth in every tittle of it But a wicked man hath his reservations and distinctions hee may delight in the promising word but hee undervalues the commanding word and turneth a deaf ear to the threatning word It is said of the Iews that they rejoyced in the light of John Baptist but it is not said They rejoyced in his heat Hee was a burning and a shining Light they rejoyced in his shining but not in his burning It is hardly possible for a wicked man remaining wicked to rejoyce in the burning zeal holiness and strictness of a Iohn Baptist. But a godly man delighteth both in the light and heat of the word 9 It is an abiding delight 2
Thess. 2. 18. Everlasting consolation Joh. 16. 22. Your joy no man taketh from you It is as a fixed Star But the delight of a wicked man in the Word is as the crackling of thorns upon the fire and as the Corn that grew on the stony ground which quickly sprung up and as quickly withered Iob 27. 8. Therefore it is said of the Jews Ioh. 5. 3. They rejoyced in his light for a season In the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for an hour A wicked mans delight in the Word is but as a blazing Star which is quickly extinguished Hee may rejoyce in the word while hee is hearing of it but it quickly vanisheth away Hee is like to a man that comes into a pleasant Garden and is delighted with the smell of it while hee is there But a childe of God makes a Posie of these Flowers to refresh him when hee is out Hee delights to read and to keep the Law of God continually for ever and ever Psal. 119. 45. Let us I beseech you labour with all labour for this superlative well-rooted powerful spiritual sin-excluding grace-increasing and abiding delight in the whole word of God Quest. VVhat must wee do that wee may bee inabled thus to make the Law of God our Delights Answ. 1. You must seriously study the excellency of Gods word this made David prize it so much and love it so much Psal. 19. 7 8 9 10 11. The Word of God hath God for its Author and therefore must needs bee full of infinite wisdome and eloquence even the wisdome and eloquence of God There is not a word in it but breathes out God and is breathed out by God It is as Ireneus saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an invariable rule of faith an unerring and infallible guide to Heaven It contains glorious revelations and discoveries no where else to bee found It hath a manifesting convincing soul-humbling soul-directing soul-converting and soul-comforting power and efficacy in it as appears by these Scriptures Heb. 4. 12. 1 Cor. 14. 24 25. 1 King 21. 29. Psalm 119. 105. 2 Cor. 3. 6. Psalm 119. 50. And therefore to delight in the Word and the God that made it is not only our duty Psa. 37. 4. But it is recorded in Scripture as our priviledge and as the great reward that God would bestow upon those that keep holy the Sabbath-day Isa. 58. 13 14. Then thou shalt delight thy self in the Lord. This shall bee thy great reward 2 You must fixedly ponder the necessity of practising this duty For if you delight in Gods Law God will delight in you If the Law bee your beloved you are Gods beloved If you take no pleasure in his word his soul will take no pleasure in you 3 You must pray for the grace of Illumination Whensoever you take the Bible in your hand to read in it pray Davids prayer Psal. 119. 18. Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law Philosophers observe that Lumen est vehiculum influentiae Light is the Chariot of influence as it begets the flower in the field the gold in the Mineral so the foundation of all regeneration is illumination Pray that God would open your eyes that you may understand the Scriptures as hee did to his Apostles Luke 24. 45. That hee would take away the vail that is upon your hearts 4 Pray that he that made you creatures would make you new creatures that as new-born Babes you may desire the sincere milk of the word 5 Pray that God would fulfill that excellent promise Ier. 31. 33. That hee would put his Law in your inward parts and write it in your hearts and then you cannot but heartily delight in it 6 Pray to God to give you the same Spirit that wrote the word to inable you to delight in it 7 Pray for a spiritual palate that you may not only delight in spiritual things but have a spiritual delight in spiritual things It is said of the Lioness that when shee hath once tasted of the sweetness of mans flesh shee is never satisfied till shee hath more of it Hee that hath tasted of the good Word of God and not onely tasted but eaten it and digested it into good nourishment hee will not onely delight in it but hee will delight in it above gold yea above fine gold and hee will never bee satisfied till hee bee filled with the fulness of that God that made it The End of the second Sermon THE Excellency and Usefulness OF THE WORD SERMON III. PSAL. 119. 92. Unless thy Law had been my Delights I should then have perished in mine Afflictions NOw I come to speak of the Proposition that is clearly held forth in the Text. Doct. 3. That the VVord of God delighted in is the Afflicted Saints Antidote against ruine and destruction Unless thy Law had been my delights I should c. The Word of God is the sick Saints salve the dying Saints cordial a most precious medicine to keep Gods people from perishing in time of affliction This upheld Iacob from sinking when his brother Esau came furiously marching to destroy him Gen. 32. 12. And thou saidst I will surely do thee good c. The promise of God supported him This also upheld Ioshua and inabled him couragiously to fight the Lords battels because God had said Hee would never leave him nor for sake him Josh. 1. 5. Melancthon saith that the Lantgrave of Hessen told him at Dresda that it had been impossible for him to have born up under the manifold miseries of so long an imprisonment Nisi habuisset consolationem ex Verbo divino in sua corde but for the comforts of the Scriptures in his heart There are eight things may bee said amongst many other in commendation of the Word of God 1 It is the Magazin and Store-house of all comfort and consolation There is no condition but one that a man can be in but hee may finde soul-supporting comfort for it out of the Word Indeed if thou resolvest to go on in sin the Word cannot comfort thee it threatneth Hell and Damnation to all such If the God of Heaven can make such miserable they shall be miserable But excepting this one there is no condition so miserable but a man may fetch a Cordial out of the Word to support him under it Art thou as empty of riches and as full of Diseases as Iob under the Old Testament and Lazarus under the New Testament are the sins-with which thou art willing to part many and great Is thy Conscience exceedingly wounded and disquieted Doth the Devil roar upon thee with hideous temptations let thy condition be never so sad the Word of God is able to afford thee comfort under it For it is the Word of that God who is the God of all consolation There is no kinde of true comfort but here it is to bee had here are Cordials of all sorts Comforts under bodily troubles
and comforts under soul-troubles There is no Monarch can furnish his table with such variety of delicates as God hath furnished his Word with variety of comforts 2 The Word of God is not only the Magazine of all true comfort but the Fountain from whence it is derived All the comfort that you receive by reading of good books is fetched out of this Book All the refreshings that the Ambassadors of Christ administer to you are borrowed from this Fountain As the King of Israel answered the woman that cried out saying Help my Lord O King If the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee So will all the true Ministers of Christ say to any distressed soul that cries out for comfort How can wee comfort you if the Word of God doth not comfort you All our comforts must bee fetcht from thence 3 It will comfort us at such a time when no outward thing can comfort us And that is when wee are under soul-agonies and when our soul sits upon our lips ready to depart when wee are sailing into the Ocean of Eternity then even then the promises of the Word will comfort us When gold and silver Father and Mother Friends and Physitians are miserable comforters then will one promise out of the Word fill us full of joy unspeakable and glorious 4 The Comforts of the Word exceed all other Comforts for they are pure and purifying sure and satisfying they are soul-supporting soul-comforting and soul-ravishing they are durable and everlasting The comforts of the world are not worthy to bee named that day in which wee speak of the comforts of the Word They are not consolationes but consolatiunculae At best they are but bodily unsatisfying and transitory Many times they are sinful and soul-damning 5 The Word of God is not onely a Magazine and a Fountain of comfort but also a touchstone by which wee must try all our comforts whether they bee true and real or no. All joyes hopes and assurances must bee tryed by the Word and if not rightly grounded thereupon are false and soul-delusions 6 It is as an Apothecaries shop or a Physitians dispensatory out of which wee may fetch all manner of Medicines to cure all the diseases of our souls Art thou spiritually lame blinde or dumb c. The Word will open blinde eyes make the dumb to speak and the lame to walk If dead in sins and trespasses the Word when it is the sword of the Spirit will quicken thee It is as a corrasive to eat sin out of thy heart therefore David saith I have hid thy Word in mine heart that I might not sin against thee 7 It is a spiritual Armory out of which wee may fetch all manner of Weapons to conquer the Devil and his temptations 2 Corint 10. 4. It is that little Brook out of which every David may fetch five smooth stones to destroy the Devil These five smooth stones are five texts of Scripture three of these Christ took out of the brook of the Word by which he subdued the Devil Mat. 4. 4. 7 10. 8 It is the Sun of the Christian VVorld As the Sun is the light of the Natural VVorld and without it the World is but a Chaos and a Dungeon full of darkness So is the VVord of God the light of the spiritual world without which a Christian is under an eternal night Therefore David saith Thy VVord is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path Psal. 119. 105. What would all the World avail if no Sun to illighten it and what comfort would all the wealth of it afford us if no word to instruct and counsel us For this is the Christians compass to sail to Heaven by his staffe to walk withall to Heaven his spiritual bladders to keep his soul from drowning The Cork to keep up the net of his soul from sinking Afflictions are like the lead of the Net which weigheth it down but the Word is as the Cork which keeps it up that it sinks not So saith David in the Text Unless thy Law had been my delights c. Vse If the Word of God bee of such invaluable excellency absolute necessity and of such admirable use 1 Let us bless God exceedingly for revealing his will unto us in the Word It was a great honour and priviledge to the Iews that to them were committed the Oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. And it is our great happiness that wee have not only the same Oracles of God which they have but an addition of the New Testament for the clearer discoverie of the mysteries of salvation unto us If God be to bee praised for every crum of bread we eat much more for giving us his VVord which is the bread of life and the only food of our souls Blessed bee God who hath not only given us the book of the Creatures and the book of Nature to know himself and his will by but also and especially the Book of the Scriptures whereby wee come to know those things of God and of Christ which neither the Book of Nature nor of the creatures can reveal unto us Let us bless God not only for revealing his will in his VVord but for revealing it by writing Before the time of Moses God discovered his Will by immediate revelations from Heaven But wee have a surer word of Prophecy a Pet. 1. 19. surer to us than a voyce from Heaven For the Devil saith the Apostle transforms himself into an Angel of light Hee hath his apparitions and revelations hee is Gods ape and in imitation of God he appears to his Disciples and makes them beleeve it is God that appears and not the Devil Thus hee appeared to Saul in the likenesse of Samuel And if God should now at this day discover his way of worship and his Divine Will by Revelations how easily would men bee deceived and mistake Diabolical delusions for Divine Revelations and therefore let us blesse God for the written word which is surer and safer as to us than an immediate Revelation There are some that are apt to think that if an Angel should come from Heaven and reveal Gods Will to them it would work more upon them than the written word but I would have these men study the conference between Abraham and Dives Luke 16. 27 28 29 30 31. Habent Mosen Prophetas c. They have Moses and the Prophets if they will not profit by them neither would they profit by any that should come out of Hell or down from Heaven to them For it is the same God that speaks by his written Word and by a voyce from Heaven The difference is only in the outward cloathing and therefore if Gods speaking by writing will not amend us No more will Gods speaking by a voyce O bless God exceedingly for the written Word Let us cleave close to it and not expect any Revelations from Heaven of new truths but say with the Apostle
make the VVord of God a Conduit of comfort in the day of your distresse you must not only meditate on the commanding and thâ—eating word but on the premising VVord The Commandements and threatnings must drive you to the Promises you must not only study your corruptions to humble you but also the Promises to comfort you I doe not say you must not study your corruptions but you must joyn the study of the Promises together with them If Abraham had minded only the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe and of his own body hee had never beleeved c. but hee was strong in Faith and staggered not because hee considered not his owne body now dead when hee was about an hundred years old nor the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe but was fully perswaded that what God had promised hee was able to performe If Sarah had considered only that shee was past age shee would never have beleeved that shee should have a Childe but she eyed the Promise and judged him faithful who had promised and that made her beleeve If a Saint of God looks only downwards upon the deadnesse of his heart and meditates only upon his sins and infirmities hee will never bee comforted in the day of his distresse But hee must also look upwards unto the Promises seriously ponder and fixedly study them which will bee as strong Pillars to support him and keep him from falling into despair in the hour of tribulation Q. What are the Meditations which we must have in reference and relation to the Promises in the day of our distress Ans. I will rank them into nine particulars 1 You must meditate upon the three great truths already mentioned 1 That God commands nothing as our duty which he hath not promised as his gift 2 That God in the Covenant of grace will accept of less than hee requires in the Covenant of works 3 That if wee truly beleeve in Christ God will accept of his righteousnesse as a satisfaction for our unrighteousnesse 2 You must meditate upon the excellency and preciousnesse of the Promises they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exceeding great and precious Promises They are precious in five respects 1 Because they cost a great price even the bloud of Christ to purchase them They are all made to us in Christ and for Christ they are in him yea and in him Amen The Covenant which is the Pandecta and Cabinet of all the Promises was sealed with his Bloud 2 Because they assure us of great and precious things they assure us of our interest in God of our justification reconciliation adoption sanctification and glorification Heaven it self is nothing else but the injoyment of the Promises Heb. 6. 12. The Promises are Heaven folded up Heaven is the Promise unfolded For the Promises are nothing else but the eternal purposes of God towards his Children made manifest The purposes of God are his concealed Promises and the Promises are his revealed purposes The Promises are the kisses of Iesus Christ they discover his dear love and when hee discovers to us our interest in them then hee kisses us with the kisses of his mouth and fills us with joy unspeakable and glorious They are made by God and they make over God to us as our portion and Christ as our Saviour and the Spirit as our Sanctifier and all good things both here and hereafter as our inheritance and therefore may well bee called exceeding great and precious Promises 3 Because they put a price upon the New Testament for wherein doth the New Testament exceed the Old unless it be in this because it is founded upon better Promises Heb. 8. 6. and bringeth in a better hope Hebrews 7. 19. 4 Because they put a price upon all the blessings of God A little mercy reached out to us as a fruit of a Promise is more worth than a world of blessings comming to us meerly by way of providence A man may receive blessings from God upon a double account either ex largitate or ex promisso either by way of providence or by way of Promise 1 By way of Providence Thus God gives the earth to the sons of men Psal. 115. 16. Thus hee gave one hundred twenty and seven Provinces to Ahashuerus Thus he sets up the basest of men to rule over Nations Dan. 4. 17. 2 By way of Promise Thus hee gives health wealth and all outward comforts unto his children For godlinesse hath the Promise of this life and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. Now you must know that a little blessing coming to us as a fruit of the Promise is more worth than a thousand blessings comming to us only by way of Providence And therefore David saith A little that the righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked Psalm 37. 16. And the reason is 1 Because blessings given by vertue of a Promise are signes of Gods special love and come flowing to us from the same love with which God gives us Christ they are the fruit of Covenant-love 2 Because wee have them as blessings A man may have a blessing and yet not have it as a blessing The Israelites had Quails sent them immediately from God which was a blessing in it self but was not sent to them as a blessing For while the meat was in their mouthes the wrath of God came upon them The wicked have blessings but not as blessings but as the Cup in Benjamins Sack which proved a snare to him rather than a mercy But the godly have blessings as blessings They have grace with them to improve them for Gods glory they have not only the blessings but a thankful heart for them and a fruitful heart under them which is a certaine signe that they have them as blessings 3 Because they are pledges to them of better mercies and beginnings of better They are not merces but arrha not their wages but an earnest of Heaven Now a farthing given as an earnest of a thousand a year is more worth than many pounds given as a reward A wicked man hath outward blessings as his portion his Heaven his All but a godly man that hath them by vertue of a Promise hath them as a pledge of Heaven and as a beginning of eternal mercies 5 The Promises are precious because they producâ— great and precious effects They are not only excellent in themselves but are also very powerful and operative upon all beleevers The Promises as one saith sealed by the Bloud of Christ ratified by the Oath of God testified by the Spirit of truth delivered by the hand of mercy and received by the hand of Faith are operative words and produce rare effects in the soul. They have Power 1 A Sanctifying 2 A Comforting 1 A soul-sanctifying Power Therefore they are said to make us partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. I say of the Divine Nature not by the communication of the Divine Essence but
a right and portion in all the Promises This is that which God saith Exod. 19. 5. If you will obey my voyce indeed then yee shall bee a peculiar treasure c. If yee will obey my voyce indeed not only in word and in shew but in deed and in truth Thus Ierem. 7. 5 7. If yee thorowly amend your wayes if yee thorowly execute judgement c. then will I cause you to dwell in this place c. If yee thorowly amend c. not only in some things but in all things not only outwardly but inwardly also This Rule is expresly delivered by the Apostle 1 Tim. 4. 8. Godlinesse hath the promise of the life that now is and that which is to come If thou beest a godly man in a Gospel-sense that is one who truly and sincerely indeavoureth to bee godly If thou makest Gods Will thy Rule to live by and not thine own Gods glory thy end and not thy own carnal interest Gods love thy Principle If thy Rules Aimes and Principles bee godly all the Promises of this Life and of the Life to come belong to thee It is worth observing that all the Promises of Life and Salvation are conditional Happiness is entailed upon Holiness Glory upon Grace You shall read in Scripture of the blessings of the Covenant and of the bond of the Covenant of the blessings of the Promises and of the condition of the Promises If ever you would assure your selves of your interest in the blessings of the Covenant you must try your selves by your sincere performance of the condition Thus Christ is promised to none but such as beleeve pardon of sin to none but such as repent and Heaven to none but such as persevere in well doing Tell mee then Canst thou say as in Gods presence that thou hast respect to all Gods Commandements though thou failest in all yet thou hast respect to all that thou obeyest God in deed and in truth and that thou sincerely labourest to bee godly This is a certaine signe that all the Promises are thy portion but you that are ungodly and doe not thorowly amend your wayes you that sleight undervalue and despise the commanding Word you have no part no portion in the promising word But it may bee a distressed Christian though without just cause will say that hee is afraid that hee doth not sincerely obey the commanding word and therefore dares not apply to himself the promising word wherefore I adde Rule 2. 2 The more thou art afraid lest thou shouldest have no right to the Promises the more right thou hast in all probability to them This I speak only to the distressed Christian not that I commend his fear But this I say This fear which thou art possessed withall is a probable signe that thou hast an interest in the Promises For a presumptuous Sinner never doubts of his right to them but takes it as a Maxime not to bee denied that they belong to him It is a comfortable saying of Mr. Greenhams When thou hearest the Promises and art in a cold sweat and hast a fear and trembling seizing upon thee lest they should not belong to thee doubt not but that they doe belong to thee For Christ hath said Come unto mee all yee that are weary and heavie laden and I will give you rest And the Prophet Isaiah calls upon those who are of a fearful heart to bee strong and fear not and tells us for our comfort that God will look with an eye of favour upon him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at his word Rule 3. 3 The more sensible thou art of thine own unworthiness to lay hold upon the Promises the more thou art fitted and qualified to lay hold upon them For the promises are as I have shewed the fruit of Free-grace Nothing moved God to enter into a Covenant with his people and thereby to become their Debtor but his free love Free grace brought Christ down from Heaven and it is Free Grace must carry us up to Heaven Christ himself is called the gift of God John 4. 10. Moses tells the Israelites Deut. 7. 7 8. The Lord did not set his love upon you nor chuse you because you were more in number than any people c. but because the Lord loved you and because hee would keep the Oath which hee had sworn unto your Fathers hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you c. God doth not love us because wee are worthy of his love but because hee loves us therefore hee makes us worthy Wee must not bring worthinesse to Christ but fetch worthinesse from Christ. And therefore if thou beest sensible of thine owne nothingnesse emptinesse and unworthinesse lay hold upon that excellent Promise Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven Blessed are those who are sensible of their spiritual wants for to them belongs the Kingdome of Heaven as certainly as if they were already in it Rule 4. 4 Study thy interest in the main and fundamental Promise and that will help thee to make out thy interest in all the other The main and fundamental Promise is the Promise of Christ. For all Promises whither Spiritual oâ— Temporal are made to us in and thorough him God hath promised never to leave us nor forsake us and that all things shall work together for our good that is if wee be in Christ God hath said all things are ours whether Paul or Apollos whether life or death whether things present or things to come but it is with this Promise if wee bee Christs Whosoever takes any comfort from any Temporal promise and is not in Christ doth but delude and cheat himself This then is thy work O Christian study thy interest in Christ make out that and make out all If no interest in Christ no interest in the Promises If an interest in Christ an interest in the Promises let this then be thy daily business to make it out to thy soul that Christ is thine Quest. How shall I bee able to doe this Answ. For this purpose you must diligently study three things 1 The Universality of the Promise of Christ. 2 The Freenesse of it 3 The condition upon which hee is tendred 1 The Universality of the promise of Christ. Christ Jesus with all his benefits is promised to every one who is willing to lay hold on him as hee is tendred in the Gospel The Apostles are commanded to go into all the world and to preach the Gospel to every creature hee that beleeveth and is baptized shall bee saved c. If thou hast a heart to beleeve bee thy sins never so great it is for the honour of Iesus Christ to pardon them As the Sea covers great Rocks as well as small so the Mercy of God in Christ will pardon great sins as well as little It will
made It is said of Iob James 5. 11. Yee have heard of the patience of Iob and have seen the end of the Lord c. This our Christian Sister did in a great measure partake both of Iobs pains and Iobs patience and made as happy an end as hee did though in another kinde In the morning of that day in which shee dyed shee fell into a slumber in which shee heard as shee thought one saying to her This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise Immediately shee awaked full of joy and though hardly able to speak yet shee uttered it to those who stood by and was much comforted with it Now though I am far from putting any confidence in dreams and doubt not that a man may dream hee shall go to Heaven and yet bee cast into Hell Though I do not think that comfortable dreams are sufficient evidences of salvation Nay when they are brought as proofs of erronious opinions I account them Diabolical delusions and when wicked men have them pleasant presumptions Yet notwithstanding when a woman who hath spent many years in the service of God and is visited by God for above a year with great and most grievous pains shall at the close of her life when shee is upon the very brink of eternity have such a sweet refreshing and heart-chearing impression upon her spirit when heart fails and flesh fails When shee can hardly speak to express the greatnesse of her joy then to hear a voice as it were saying to her This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise This in all probability was the voice of God and not of man This was the Lords doing and it is marveilous in our eyes I forbear saying any more Shee is gone from a Prison to a Palace from a Purgatory to a Paradise Shee is at rest with God where all tears are wiped away from her eyes The Lord fit us by his grace to follow her in due time into the Kingdome of glory Amen Mrs. Elizabeth Moores EVIDENCES FOR HEAVEN Collected by her self in the time of her health in such manner and method as they are here presented to Publick view 1 Her Design in this Collection IN the Examination of my self I finde that my Aims and Ends why I desire to gather together and clear up my Evidences for heaven if my deceitful heart doth not deceive mee are these following 1 THat hereby as a means I may bee inabled to glorifie God in the great work of beleeving that hereby with Gods blessing the dimme eye of my Faith may more clearly see the Lord Jesus Christ to bee a Peace-maker and Reconciler and Surety for mee even for mee who am by nature a fire-brand of Hell The time was I am sure when I was the Devils picture and had the black brand of Reprobation upon mee and therefore it doth neerly concern mee to search and trye what Evidences I have to prove that God fetching Arguments out of his own bowels and the riches of his free grace hath redeemed mee out of this lost estate 2 MY Aime is to strengthen that longed for grace of Assurance A grace which though it bee not of absolute necessity for the being and salvation yet it is of absolute necessity for the well being and consolation of a Christian without this grace I can neither live nor dye comfortably and I have been often exhorted by Gods faithful Ambassadors to gather together my Scripture Evidences and to have the approbation of some godly and experienced Minister or Christian and this by Gods blessing may bee a means to strengthen Assurance Yea I finde in Scripture that the Lord saith that the Priests lips shall preserve knowledge and thou shalt seek the Law at his mouth for hee is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts 3 MY Aime is to obey God in his Word who hath commanded mee by his Apostle to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling and to give all diligence to make my calling and election sure And I am exhorted to examine my self and prove my self whether I bee in the faith or no Know yee not saith the Apostle that Christ is in you except you bee reprobates And if any man bee in Christ hee is a new Creature old things are passed away and all things are become new Now then to prove whether I bee indeed and in truth born again is my desire at this time the Lord help mee and give mee a sincere and upright heart and guide mee herein by his holy Spirit for the honour of his holy Name 2 A brief Collection of her Evidences for Heaven Blessed bee God who hath through his free mercy begotten mee to a hope that I am regenerated and born from above and converted unto God Reason Because the Lord hath gone the same usual way with mee as with those heâ— pleaseth to convert to himself and this I shall make to appear in five or six particulars 1 The Lord by his Spirit accompanying the preaching of his Word caused the scales to fall from my eyes and opened them and set up a clear light in my understanding and made mee to see sin to bee exceeding sinful out of measure sinful and to look on it as the loathsomest thing in the world and on my self as a loathsome creature in Gods sight and in my own sight by reason of the Leprosie of sin wherewith I was over-run 2 The Lord brought mee to see the misery that I was in by reason of my sins I thought I was utterly forsaken of God and I thought that God would never accept of such a wretch as I saw my self to bee I could not think otherwise but that hell was my portion and that I by reason of my sins must go thither expecting every day when the Lord would glorifie himself in my damnation I saw my self in more misery because of my sins than I could then or now expresse to any body I looked upon God as a consuming fire and on my self as stubble ready to bee consumed by him c. 3 The Lord brought mee to a spiritual astonishment that I cried out What shall I do to bee saved and said with Paul Lord what wouldest thou have mee to do Do but make known to thy poor creature what thy will is and I thought I could do any thing or suffer any thing for the Lord. But since I have had some more knowledge of the holy Will of God woe is mee what a barren and unfruitful heart have I a heart that can neither do nor suffer any thing for the Lord as I ought to do But this I can say that the astonishment I was in by the sight of my sins and the misery I was plunged into put mee on the performance of holy duties especially prayer 4 The Lord took mee off my own bottome off my own righteousness and made mee to see that that was but a sandy foundation and would not