the Cross Father into thy hand I commend my Spirit Believe it Christian thou that art truly such it will afford thee more comfort than that God is thy Heavenly Father and thou his Child by Adoption and Regeneration then if thou wert related to the greatest Prince and the puissant Monarch in all the world Thus I have done with the first Use which is a Use of Consolation to the godly upon this consideration that they are the Children of God and that he is their Heavenly Father 2 Vse for Caution Secondly If it be so that all true Believers are the Children of God and that he is their Father then this should caution wicked men to beâ—are how they meddle with Gods Children Oh! have a care of afflicting wronging persecuting hurting of the people of God lest you be found fighters against God have a care of anoying and troubling those that are so near and dear to God that are so tender to him as the apple of his eye beware of vexing and molesting those that are so nearly related to the great King of Kings and Lord of Lords you may think it may be that you may do what you will to the godly because they are low and mean in the world as many of them are But I must tell you as mean and as low as they are in your esteem they are near and dear to God carnal men may think they may oppress and wrong and do what they please to the people of God because they are weak and not able to help themselves but little do they think how nearly the great God doth account himself concern'd in their affairs little do the great ones of the world consider what heavy reckoning will be laid to their charge one day for injuring wronging and molesting the poor servants of God if they did surely we should not have them so busily imployed therein as they are Thus for the second Use 3. Vse for Examination Thirdly Is it so that Believers have God for their Heavenly Father then here is matter of Tryal how shall we know whether God be our Father or no and whether we be his children in this peculiar manner by Adoption and Regeneration It is true God is a Father to us by Creation and we are his Children by Profession but if this be all the relation that we bear to God this will not entitle us to holiness and salvation without we are regenerate and born again and are become his Children by Regeneration and God be our Father by vertue of the new Covenant We are all by nature the children of wrath Ephes 2.3 How shall we know then whether we are gotten into the state of Son-ship by Adoption and Regeneration and whether God be our heavenly Father there are manâ—â—hat pretend that the have God for their Father when as yet they are under the Dominion of their lusts and are strangers to a work of true conversion and regeneration and enemies to a life of holiness and a groundless presumption that men are the Children of God when there is no such matter hath proved the bane of many thousand souls I shall therefore give you these characters whereby we may know whether we are the children of God in this peculiar manner or no. First Whose Image do you bear do you bear the Image of God or else do you bear the Image of Saran Those that are the Children of God by Adoption and Regeneration they are such as bear their Fathers Image the Image of God which is created in righteousneâ—s and in true holiness is ingraven upon their souls they are such as do bear the Image of the heavenly Adam 1 Cor. 15.49 And they have put â—n the New man which is created in knowlâ—dge after the Image of him that created him Col. 3.10 And it is so with thee dost thou bear the Image of God hast thou a new and holy nature put into thee inclining thee to all holy duties and avoid all sin art thou renewed in holiness then thou art a Child of God and God is thy Heavenly Father but if it be not thus with thee if thou hast not this new and holy nature wrought in thee but thy old corrupt nature is predominant inclining thee to sin whatsoever groundless presumption thou mayst have yet thou art no true Child of God by Regeneration and Adoption Secondly Wouldst thou know whether thou art the true child of God or no by whose spirit art thou led by the spirit of God or by the spirit of Satan they that have God for their Father are led by the spirit of God Rom. 8.14 As many as are led by the spirit of God they are the Sons of God try thy self then by this art thou led by the spirit of God Dost thou live after the flesh and not after the spirit Dost thou mind the things of the spirit and not the things of the flesh if so then thou mayst comfortably conclude that thou art the Child of God and that he is a heavenly Father we may know our Sonship by our spirit if we are the Sons of God by Adoption and Regeneration then we are led by a spirit of God which is a spirit of Prayer Rom. 8.15 A spirit of liberty making us free from the dominion of our lusts and from the slavery of sin and Satan 2 Cor. 3.17 John 8.32 A spirit of love to God and to the people of God 1 John 5 2. Thirdly We may know whether God be our heavenly Father or no by this do we labor to set forth the honour of God Children they are very tender of the honour of their Parents this is a great duty to honour earthly Parents Exod. 20.11 much more should we honour God which is the Father of Spirits If I am your Father where is mine honour saith Christ if God be our Father where is that honour that we should yield to him if we are the Children of God by Regeneration and Sanâ—â—ification then we are tender of the honour of Christ it will make our hearts rise to hear his Name blasphemed or taken in vain his Salbaths prophaned his Worship corrupted by humanâ— mixtures his Creatures abused unto excess his Commandments broken these things will grieve and trouble us more than any thing if we are Gods Children in truth But if we can see God dishonoured by the unholy lives of carnal men his Commands trampled under foot and yet not be grieved at this but canst close in with those that make it their business to dishonour God then thou art no Child of God in this particular sense the great dishonour that is brought to God in the world is a sad sign that there 's but few very few that are in truth the Children of God and the abounding and increasing of all sorts of sin whereby God is exceedingly dishonoured drunkenness swearing Sabbath-breaking uncleanness lying extortion oppression scorning and deriding at Holiness contempt of Gods Ordinances Persecution of his
take up that good resolution of Joshuah's As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Though all else forsake God yet will not I yet let not us I beseech you saith he that you would not conform your selves to the fashions and manners of this wicked world Oh take heed of conforming your selves to the conversation of this world but walk harmless and shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation if we will comply with the world I mean to be as most of the world are that is temporizers time-servers preferring the pleasing of Man before the pleasing of God then we must lye in wickedness as all the World doth 1 Joh. 2.16 For all that is in the World is either the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye or the pride of life and these are not of the Father but abideth in the wicked one the Prince of the power of the Air after whom the men of the world walk This is the seventh Take heed of conforming your selves to this World Eightly Take heed of a hasty spirit when you are under sad dispensations when you are under sufferings you are apt to seek and close with relief come it which way it will and on what terms it will Let me beseech you Christians to have a care of such a hasty and impatient spirit Esa 26. verse 18. He that believeth maketh not haste that is he maketh not haste to get out of his afflictions The people of Israel were of hasty spirits and murmured because they were kept so long in the Wilderness for which God slew an innumerable company of them Saul was of a hasty spirit and by it lost his Life and Kingdom Jacob's Mother no sooner told him his Fathers intent but he was resolved to have the first blessing though he cheated his Brother and lyed for it and so told his Father that he was his eldest Son but he himself was afterwards deceived by a lye with having the eldest Daughter given him instead of the younger Take David for your example he waited Gods time the Kingdom was promised to him after Saul's death and when Saul pursued him you know David had him twice in his power and with ease might have destroyed him but he would not Far be it from me saith he that I should touch the Lords Annointed let God smite him by the hands of his Enemies I will not It is far better to be Gods Bondslave than the Devils Freeman Do not use any the least action whatever in any indirect way to deliver thy self but patiently sit down and wait Gods good time which when once come thy deliverance will assuredly come with it Take heed then of a hasty and sullen spirit under afflictions some men when God takes away any comfort from them are of so sullen a spirit there is no pacifying of them God will now this day take something from you which I believe you would willingly keep will you therefore be of so sullen a spirit that because you cannot enjoy all you 'l not injoy any but will rob your selves of all What though you cannot enjoy your Minister any longer will you not make use of the Ordinances of God I beseech you refrain this spirit and let the deprivation of one mercy be a means to make you make better use of those that are left Ninthly My ninth Caution is this Take heed of an ungodly Minister I speak not to any mans person in particular neither can I because I know not as yet who will succeed me but whosoever he be if he be wicked beware of him for if he be ungodly the people will follow him for like Priest like People And I pray God deliver you from such Ministers as for Doctrine do teach the traditions of men and cry Peace Peace when sudden destruction hangs over their heads Such Ministers may please you but believe me they will never profit you but at last you will find that through the Vale of Security you are led to the Pit of Perdition They will tell you you need not be so strict and diligent in your conversations nor Heaven is not so hard and difficult to gain as some would make you believe believe them not but remember that without holiness none shall see God and that neither Fornicaters Adulterers Idolaters Thieves Murtherers Covetous persons Drunkards Revilers nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven Tenthly and lastly Take heed you be not found professors of the Gospel only Christ when he was preaching to a throng of people as I am here this day said unto them Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisie Oh that I had no cause to say the leaven of the Pharisees is among you I mean that there are many here that are but bare Professors let me ask you that are only Professors this one question Is Religion good or bad If it be not good what is the reason thou art not ashamed to profess it if it be good what is the reason thou dost but profess it By thy bare professing thou losest the love of Man by no more than professing thou canst never gain the love of God so that on all sides thou art like to be miserable The World will hate thee for being so good and God will hate thee for being no better What a sad thing is it that thou losest thy comforts in this life by professing so much and thy comforts in the life to come by no more than professing Thus you have heard what I have to say by way of Caution I shall now speak to you by way of Counsel The former ten were Negative these shall be Positive First I intreat you all that above all things you would mind the one thing necessary that you would not trouble your selves so much with many things of little concernment but mind the great thing for which you came into the World Oh my friends will you spend your time for that which will not profit you and your money for that which is not Bread Look after Grace labour to get an interest in Christ of which you being unprovided you will be undone for ever it will be better for you you had never been born Oh! gain Christ and then you will be fitted for all times all troubles and all conditions that can happen unto you you will be endued with all wisdom and with all riches if you gain not Christ all that God doth to you and for you will nothing at all avail you Secondly My second Advice and Counsel unto you is this That you would live as you would die live to day as if you must dye to morrow Let me aâ—k you would you be content to dye in the state you are in If my Soul doth not desire to be in a better state when I come to dye than now I am in I may very well sit down satisfied if not then surely it greatly concerns me
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
his Disciples your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom 3. Doct. That every true Believer is interessed in the Kingdom of Heaven the great God will bestow the Kingdom of Heaven upon Believers 4. Dâ—ct That the Kingdom of Heaven is the free gift of God It is the Fathers good pleasure to give you a Kingdom The Kingdom of Heaven comes not to a Believer by his own merits nor by his own deservings but by God's free gift the free grace of God is the great motive it is God's good pleasure so to do The Saints cannot merit heaven by their holiest actions though they walk never so closely with God no no the Kingdom of heaven is God's free gift unto Believers 5. Doct. Lastly That the consideration of a Believers interest in the Kingdom of heaven should make him chearful and couragious in the practice of holiness and keep him from being dismayed and discouraged at all the afflictions and tribulations that he meets withall in the world this Doctrine is gathered from the Exhortation in the Text and the reason of it taken together the Exhortation viz. Fear not little Flock the reason of the Exhortation viz. For it is your Fathers â—ood pleasure to give you the Kingdom intimating that this one consideration that God will bestow the Kingdom of Glory upon his people hereafter should make them with all willingness and chearfulness to wade through all the calamities and incumbrances of this frail life A Believers heavenly interest should make him rejoyce in the midst of all his tryals and tribulations that he meets with from the hands of men here on earth I shall â—huse out the second and last of these observations to go on upon not having time and liberty to insist on them all that observation then which I shall first of all insist upon is this viz. Doct. That God is a Believers Father or that every true and sincere Christian hath God for his Father and is a child of God It is your Fathers good pleasure Before I come to the confirmation of this Truth I shall shew how many ways a people or person may have God to be their Father and they may be his Children First A people or person may have God for their Father by Creation as God is the great Creator of the World and they are his Creatures in this general sence God is a Father to all the Men and Women in the World to this refers that Scripture Mal. 3.10 saith the Prophet there Have we not all one Father Hath not one God created us but it is a more peculiar son-ship that belongs to Believers they have God for their Father in a more special and peculiar manner than this is Secondly A people or person may be the children of God and God may be their Father by profession Thus God was a Father to the Jewish Nation of old because they among all the Nations of the World did profess to own the Lord for their God and to serve and worship him and in this respect God doth profess himself to be a Father to Israel Jer. 3 9. I am a Father to Israel saith God Ephraim is my first-born And thus God is a Father to all those that do profess his Name But if this be all the claim that we can lay to God as our Father that he is so to us and that we are his children only by an external profession this will not entitle us to the Kingdom that eternal inheritance that God hath laid up for his people in the life to come it is therefore yet in a more peculiar manner that Believers have God for their Father Thirdly A person may have God for his Father by adoption and regeneration and thus true Believers and only such are the children of God and God is their Father 1 John 12.13 To as many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe on his name which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God These are the sons of God the strictest and most peculiar sons that shall be made partakers of all the priviledges of the children of God viz. those that receive Christ into their hearts by faith and such as are truly regenerate and born again these are the true and genuine children of the most High the heirs of God and coheirs of Jesus Christ as the expression is Rom. 8. these are the children of whom it was spoken 2 Cor. 6. last I will be a Father unto you and you shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty Having thus shewn unto you the several respects in which we may have God for our Father I shall come to the confirmation of it and shall prove that Believers have God for their Father in this special and peculiar manner there are abundance of Scripture-proofs for this in which Jesus Christ speaking to his Disciples calleth God their Father Mat. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they seeing your good works may glorifie your Father which is in Heaven And ver 48. Be ye perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect Mat. 6.8 Your Father knoweth what things you have need of before you ask them Mat. 18.14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in Heaven these little ones should perish Joh. 20.17 Go tell my brethren saith Christ that I ascend to my Father and to your Father to my God and to your God By these and other Scriptures we may see that God is set forth to Believers under the relation of a Father to them And as God is called in Scripture a Believers Father so they are called sons Gal. 4.6 Because ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father Wherefore thou art no more a servant but a son and if a son then an heir of God through Christ Again 1 Joh. 3.2 Now we are the Sons of God but it doth not yet appear what we shall be when we shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Gal. 3.16 The Apostle speaking to the unbelieving Galatians saith We are all the Children of God by Faith which is in Christ Jesus I shall no longer insist on the confirmation of this Doctrine but shall come to the application of it Vse Is it so that all true believers are the children of God and have God for their heavenly Father then the first use may be of comfort and consolation to the godly in that they are so nearly related to the great God believers by virtue of their son-ship having God for their heavenly Father have abundant ground of comfort and consolation upon these several accounts First They are under his fatherly care and providence fathers take care for their children to provide them things necessary as meat drink and apparel ab iisdem
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
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
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
is not to be neglected though it cannot be perfectly conceived and it is the nature of a wicked man to have Gods work far out of his sight be sure to lay them up in your hearts And thus far you may take notice of them To trust the God that hath all the elementary Meteors in his power and at his command and this learn to tremble and dread before that God that hath you in his power and can do with you and all other things as he pleases 3. You have here considerable the admonition of God or the Monitory Precept God lays down to Moses i. e. he forbids him to draw nigher and then bids him to pull off his shooes the reason of the former will be easily understood in the opening of the latter I shall therefore in it briefly take notice of two things 1. An Injunction Put off thy shooes 2. The Argument whereby he doth back this Because the place whereon he stood was holy ground For the opening of the former the Injunction Put off thy shooes I shall not give the divers glosses and divers interpretations which men with more wit than weight have endeavoured to make of this Scripture the plain meaning is this which is given us by Theodoret Put off thy shooes Gods scope and drift and intent hereby was to require of Moses reverence when he was to receive a message of very great concernment and importance about his Church the design of God was in this to prepare him to obedience therefore God required that of him then which servants were wont to do when they came to their Lord and Master to shew their reverence to them Servants use to come bare-foot to their Masters to testifie reverence to the commands of them on whom they waited Nudare pedes signum reverentiae And the putting on the shooes is in Scripture as well as among other Writers held a token of denomination or masterly power Hence some conceive John spake of Christ as one that had his shooes on and of himself as one that was unworthy to unite his shooes And the prophet Isaiah by a sign of putting off his shoes is commanded by God to put off his shoes from off his feet and to walk naked and bare-foot and he did so Isai 20.2 which denoteth the servility of the people in token that Gods people were to be in a low condition in captivity So we read of Mourners in Ezek. 24.17 that were of a low spirit they are said to go without shoes or unshod And my Brethren on the other side when God would shew the freedom of his people and their deliverance from servitude he is said to put shoes on their feet Ezek. 16.10 and the reception of the Prodigal into his fathers house and the freedom and priviledge his father intended him according to some learned men intended by that expression in Luk. 15.22 is set forth by putting on shoes upon his feet So that I take the meaning of this command to be so much Shew by this thy reverence thy humility thy due submissiveness thy subjection of spirit together with thy servile readiness to do whatsoever I shall command thee Calvin hath this Note upon the Text If so excellent a servant of God as Moses had need to be quickened to reverence and obedience by such a Ceremony certainly we that are more backward to humility and obedience should by our reverent behaviour when we come into the presence of God signifie both the reverence of our souls by our outward expressions and likewise quicken and fortifie the inward graces of our souls by the inward gestures of the body especially in prayer as kneeling and lifting up the hands uncovering of the head and the like for the presence of God is great and it 's the presence of the great God indeed We that are not onely by the Law of Creation so infinitely below him but also in regard of that illegal Law of sin so much against him should testifie our humility before him and subjection to him when he calls for it by our reverence 2. The reason by which this is backt Because the place whereon Moses did stand was holy ground The meaning I take to be this it is holy in regard of that visible and miraculous token symbol and sign of his presence that is here discovered in this place not because the place was as I do not understand how any place is of its own nature holy but God did testifie that the place being the place of his special presence had thereby a holiness there being now a sign given by God to Moses that he was extraordinarily and miraculously there And thus I have opened the second Branch whereon this Injunction was backt This place was holy so it was then Now I do not understand how I can discourse of this so profitably unto you concerning the holiness of places unless we take notice of the holiness of places in the time of the Gospel and consider whether and how in these times one place may be said to be holy or holier then another And truly I am not put on this employment willingly nor the handling of this subject and if it were not extorted from me by something I do not say that I have seen but that I have read that was written by men and those none of the meanest neither the learnedst of the Papists I should not now have chosen to have entred upon this Task concerning the holiness of places in opposition to whom I have entred upon this Discourse I will give you expressions which one of the devoutest and the other of the learnedst of them hath the learnedst of them accounted so at least though blessed be God his weapons have not been formidable to the Church is Bellarmine his words are these Templum consecrandum merito venerabile divina virtute preaeditum est The Temple consecrated is deservedly holy and venerable in worship and endowed with divine vertue and efficacy the Temple ought to be looked upon as honourable and venerable And for the other Durandus he tells us So great is the Religion and holiness of Churches that those things should be and may be forbidden to be done in them he means perpetually or else he said nothing for we grant as much which in other places may duly and lawfully be done In the handling of this question How are we to judge and conceive of the holiness of places in the time of the Gospel I shall endeavour first to explain it and then faithfully and truly endeavour to resolve and determine the same First then for explanation I shall here endeavour to open these two things to you first what it is for a place to be holy or wherein the nature of the holiness of the places consists secondly what that is that is foundation or cause of the holiness of places and both these must in our discourse and likewise apprehension be accurately distinguisht 1. What it is for
against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be so that they that are in the flesh cannot please God Why because there is that principle in them as carries out a real enmity to the Law and Will of God it is as if the Apostle had said They will not be subject to Gods will not obedient to Gods command there is a principle of enmity in them against these things so cannot please God God is pleased when his will is fulfilled his commands observed to please God is in all things so to act that whatever we do we may express a likeness to Gods naâ—â—â— and a blessed subjection to Gods revealed will and this is the first thing A second thing is the proof of the Doctrine they that thus please God he will be with them he will not leave them alone especially in an hour of tryal For my Brethren assure your selves of this that which the Father did for Christ he will do for all his Members 't is true Christs sufferings being greater then ours possibly can be and so his relation to God being higher then ours is he a Son by eternal Generation we onely by adoption he had the presence of God in a more glorious manner then we can expect but yet in our Sphere according to the measure of our tryals and according to our capacity we shall as really have the presence of God with us as Christ had with him that as we are partakers of Christs sufferings so we also shall be partakers of Christs support he that will be present with believers in heaven as he is with Christ he will be present with believers here on earth as he is with Christ in all his sorrows and sufferings Now for the confirming of this comfortable truth I need not speak much Many promises you have in Scripture for it and what ever God hath promised he will certainly make good Turn to that one promise in stead of many Isa 43.2 When thou passest through the water I will be with thee through the Rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee And you shall find too that the Saints have experienced it in all ages God hath made it good Jacob was a man that met with many sharp tryals God exercised him with many troubles you shall find that when he was going to Padan-Aram and was in a very afflicted condition Gen. 28 15. God comes to him and saith Behold I am with thee Gen. 31.5 His father frowned upon him but the God of his father helped him Joseph Gen. 22.20 his master took him put him into prison a place where the Kings prisoners were bound he was in the Prison but the Lord was with Joseph The Prophet Jeremy was thrown into a Dungeon but the Scripture saith God was with him The three Children was thrown into the Furnace of fire but there was a fourth with them and that was the Son of God Dan. 3.25 Paul when he was brought to his trial all men forsook him but God stood by him 2 Tim. 4.16 So the Christians in all their sharp sufferings 2 Cor. 4.9 they were persecuted but not forsaken persecuted by men but not forsaken by God God hath abundantly made out this and doth so still that he will never leave those alone in a time of suffering who desire uâ—â—â—ignedly in all things to please God Nâ—â— the third thing is to shew you in what respect God is with such why this presence of God is an active presence God is not meerly with his people but he is with them in an active way for this is a certain truth God is working when the Saints are suffering I will open this in several particulars First God is with such in his teaching presence Gods correction and Gods instruction they usually go together and where there is the chastenings of Gods hand there is also the teaching of Gods Spirit Psal 90.12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest and whom thou teachest Christ though he were a Son yet learned obedience by the things that he suffered God teacheth his upright ones many lessons in a time of adversity which they never learned in a time of prosperity For we are like idle boys or bad Scholars that learn best when the rod is over us In a prosperous condition God speaks to us and we mind him not Jer. 22.21 Ispoke to thee in thy prosperity but thou wouldest not hear and this hath been thy manner from thy youth upwards in prosperity God speaks once and twice as Job speaks but we will not hear but in the time of adversity God opens the ears Jud. 8.16 As Gideon taught the men of Succoth with thorns and briers so doth God teach his people by affliction and oh the many blessed truths that they learn when they are under the Rod when they want liberty Oh what a mercy is it to have liberty then when they have not Ordinances as before what a mercy is it to have Ordinances then Oh what an evil thing is it then for them that they have departed from God! God teaches them these things then sin is never so bitter mercy is never so sweet as in a time of suffering Oh how vain and empty is the creature then Oh how sweet is communion with God then I say such things as these God teaches then Secondly God is with such in his guiding presence Psal 73.24 Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel and afterwards receive me unto glory When Israel was in the Wilderness then they had the cloud to guide them It is a blessed thing to live under the conduct and direction of the wise God we never have so much of this as in an hour of tryal indeed the people of God never fly so much to God for direction as as such a â—ime as Saul when he was in distress then he calls for the Ephod and thus it is with us under affliction then we look to God Thirdly God is with them in his preserving and hiding presence God is the Saints hiding place their shield their buckler their rock their defence the Scripture expressions are many to hold out Gods protection as to his people God hath a constant care over them to preserve them and save them oh but especially in a time of trouble as the Marriner is never so careful of the Ship as under a storm and God is never so careful of his Church and people as under affliction Jeremy is in Dungeon now God saves him Daniel is in the Den now God saves him The three Children in the Fire now God saves them Peter is in Prison now God saves him The mother never tends the childe so carefully as when the childe is sick and Providence is never so tender to the People of God as under a suffering condition Fourthly God is with them in his comforting Presence 2 Cor. 4.1
the Lord Then First by way of Lamentation 1. Over our own Souls 2. Over hundreds of Congregations Lord we do say hundreds nay thousands of Congregations that are this day though they do not accompany us in person yet mingling tears with us and especially as I hear in the West of England 1. Over our hearts We must stand that is our Duty Oh how should it cause us to lye low by reason of the instability of our hearts and their cursed declining from the true foundation every day Alas Beloved this is that God complains of They are a Generation whose spirit is not stedfast with God and therefore we have very much reason to complain of it Oh what an unsetled people have we been to day we have been apt to cry Hosanna ' Hosanna to the son of David to morrow our note is changed crucifie him crucifie him give us Barnabas to day the Lord is God to morrow Baal any thing is God provided we may keep our Estates Oh Lord what wilt thou do with such a people as this certainly it is a lamentation and ought to be a lamentation Believe it beloved I can now count seven years if not something more wherein I have most clearly expected the days I now see no way but the severest ways to be taken with such a false people as we have been Judge in your own thoughts whether we have been true to God or man to Saints or sinners to the Church of God at home or abroad whether or no this be not matter of Lamentation 2. With respect to our Congregations It is not against the Law yet to call them our Congregations This I confess I can rather weep than speak too I cannot speak my heart is too big for my head here Lord is it the duty of people of saints to stand to be stedfast how then should we mourn over their poor souls that because their Pillars are taken away must needs for ought we know Fall unless thou dost support them what Lord dost thou complain of a flock of sheep that are scattered there is no wonder in it their Shepheard is gone Do you look on it as a strange thing to see a poor Ship tossed here and there in the Sea when her Pilot is destroyed why mothers is it a strange thing for your children to fall and knock their arms legs their brains out why their mother is taken from them Oh poor people good God provide for this Congregation I and for this City that let defacing abominable wretches say what they will is certainly one of the best Cities God hath in the world and therefore they hate it so desperately because God loves it and because they hate that God that loves it I bless God I can speak of my own people they are not a mad pestifferous people for the most of them How many thousand have their hearts at their mouths now at this time before God in England Alas alas that we should have our Seers carried away from us but what think you when poor people shall be exposed to greater temptations to an Vlcer in the very Kidneys to a Plague in the very Heart or Head you now fear it but when you feel it what then 2. By way of Exhortation Beloved I remember good Jacob when he was come into Egypt ready to die calls his Children together and before he dies blesseth his children I cannot say you are my children but I can say in the strength of God you are dearer to me than the children of my own bowels I remember what poor Esau said hast thou but one blessing my Father bless me even me also Oh my Father Oh Beloved I have a few blessings for you and for Gods sake take them as if them dropt from my lips when dying it is very probable we shall never meet more while the day of Judgement what ever others think I am utterly against all irregular ways I have I bless the Lord never had a hand in any change of Government in all my life I am for prayers tears quietness submission and meekness and let God do his work and that will be best done when he doth it Therefore be exhorted to stand fast in the Lord my own people hear me now though you shall never hear me more be exhorted to stand fast in the Lord you are not a schismatical heretical people I do not know the least person among you inclining to Popery therefore be exhorted as ye have been a people that have waited upon the Ordinances of God that have not persecuted your poor Ministers that have made it your design and business to live lovingly quietly and as it becomes Christians I am confident a Minister may live as comfortably among you as among any People in England So be ye stedfast unmoveable alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Here I had prepared I confess several arguments to have moved you to this stedfastness 1. I could have told you that withdrawing of any one of you back you will meet with great temptations which will very much unfit you for Heaven If any man or woman draw back my soul saith God shall have no pleasure in him I could have urged you with examples from the Heathens Alexander being in Indea bid them tell him the greatest rarity in their Country Sir go tell them say they when you come to Greece there are many here that cannot be forced by the prowess of Alexander to change their minds I know there are some here that cannot be easily perswaded to change their Religion Saith Lactantius Our very women torment their tormenters I would never desire a more able Disputant than a woman against a Monck I could tell you of those injoyments God hath put on you our miseries have been great but our mercies have been greater I could tell you of six troubles and of seven of six wherein God hath stood by and of seven wherein he hath not forsaken and the truth is he cannot forsake his people he may forsake them as for comfort he will never forsake them as for support let him lay on a burden he will be sure to strengthen the back 3. I hope it is not dangerous if I tell you you are engaged to God there are vows upon you Baptismal vows to say no more you have sworn to God you have lifted up your hands you are those that have undertaken that you would be true to God to your lives end if these vows have been any way strengthened Oh! remember Zedekiahs case Ezek. 17.18 19. Seeing he despised the Oath by breaking the Covenant when lo he had given his hand and hath done all these things be shall not escape therefore thus saith the Lord God as I live surely mine Oath that he hath despised and my covenant that he hath broken even it will I recompense upon his own bead Remember it
with in that Reverend man M. Hildersham and to me it seems to have much weight in it What hopes says he can we have of many of our Hearers in England who are willing to give the Word a hearing and outwardly profess it but what hope can we have but that if a time of trial come they will turn Papists or profane or any thing for they never loved the Word when they heard it and they never obeyed the Word but lived in known sins they take up a form of godliness and hate the power of it what hope but that if a time of trial come these will fall from the truth 6. If you would be able to hold fast the truth that you have heard and received then take heed of recâ—â—â—â—â—â— the least truth of God take heed I say of knowing and willing forsaking the least truth and knowing and willing giving way to the least errour as the committing of the least sin may render a man abominable unto God as you find in Levit. 11.43 You shall not make your selves abominable with any creeping thing that is with the eating any creeping thing Now this was one of the least Commandments that God gave out for the not eating of such such things yet by transgressing this the people might make themselves abominable the committing of the least sin may make a man abominable to God so the embracing of the least errour and the forsaking of the least truth may make a man abominable to God the least truth forsaken knowingly and the least errour embraced knowingly becomes a great sin and a little errrour makes way for a greater if once a man gives way to one errour a thousand will follow after If we would hold fast the whole body of truth we must take heed we forsake not the least truth if we forsake God and his truths whether in lesser matters or greater and if we turn back again to Popery and conform to the Papists in lesser matters saith Mr. Hildersham know of a certainty that Popery shall return again 7. If you would hold fast the truths you have heard and received then shun all such persons as would go about to draw you off from the truth of God shun all Seducers confer not with them have nothing to do with them and their ways Prov. 19.27 Cease my Son to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge thou hast been instructed in the words of knowledge and if any would instruct thee otherwise and seek to draw thee off from the words of truth and knowledge have nothing to do with them Cease my Son to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge Now my Brethren this advice I judge to be more seasonable because it is in my apprehension that this present providence of God in taking off at one stroke so many of his Servants that have endeavoured in uprightness of heart to instruct you and the people of God from this work it is on my heart to think and fear this will give a great advantage to Seducers to seek to corrupt you and draw you off from the truth to their party When the Shepherds are smitten there is a great opportunity given to the Foxes c Wolves to make a prey of the flock when God makes it dark and night then all the Beasts of the Forest creep out as the Psalmist saith Psal 104.20 When there is a night and cloud on the Ordinances of God then all the Beasts of the Forest will go forth many will undertake to be your Instructers and say here is Christ and there is Christ but believe them not memember the things you have heard and received and hold them fast cease from the instructions of those that would turn you aside 8. And lastly If you would be able to hold fast the truths of God then commend your selves and the truths you would hold to God in Prayer and beg of God to hold you that you may keep his truth Put up those requests to God that David doth Psal 15. Hold up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not and in the 119. Psalm Be surety for thy Servant for good hold thou me up and I shall be safe and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually And thus my Brethren I have done with this Doctrine and this Sermon and as far as I know with my Preaching in this place The day is at hand wherein I and many others of my Brethren shall be through not naturally dead yet civilly dead dead in Law dead as to the work of the Ministry And as I told them of this particular Congregation the last Lords day so I tell you know what I would be willing to speak to you if I lay on my death-bed and had the exercise of Reason and Memory that I have now look I say what I would say to you if I now lay on my death-bed the same I shall speak to you now through Gods assistance and first I would and in some measure do give thanks to God the God of the spirits of all flesh that hath called me a poor unworthy Creature not only to the knowledge but to the Preaching of the Gospel 〈◊〉 his Son Jesus Christ and that in this place and in this part of the 〈◊〉 and hath pleased in mercy to continue life and liberty to 〈…〉 work here almost Twenty six years Secondly I would be 〈…〉 I am in some measure thankful to God and to his people both of this Town and of the Neighbour-hood for a great deal of love 〈◊〉 respect and encouragement that they have given to my Person and Ministry here and particularly I do acknowledge my self to be greatly obliged to my Reverend Brethren the Neighbour-Ministers for the much love I have received from them their readiness to help me in supplying my place in the time of my sickness or absence and sweet society I have had with them I believe you think it is no easie thing for me to speak or think of parting with such an Auditory and society the like to which I never look to have on earth again But seeing for my sins and your sins God will have it so we must submit and lie at his feet that which he hath made crooked who can make streight But before we part give me leave to speak a few words to you something by way of Request and something by way of Advice by way of Request I would speak this First That if any of you have found any benefit by my poor Ministry that if any of you have been enlightned or awakened or strengthened and built up in the truth and encouraged in the ways of holiness by any thing that God hath put into my mouth to speak to you let God have the praise and let me have some room in your hearts and prayers however God shall deal with me My second Request is That wherein soever you have seen
healing spirit This Legacy I would leave with you as matter of great concernment Labour mightily for a healing spirit away with all discriminating names what-ever that may hinder the applying of Balm to heal our wounds labour for a healing spirit discord and division becomes no Christian For Wolves to worry the Lambs is no wonder but for one Lamb to worry another this is unnatural and monstrous God hath made his wrath to smoak against us for the divisions and heart-burnings that have been amongst us Labour for an oneness in love and affection with every one that is one with Christ let their forms be what they will that which wins most upon Christs heart should win most upon ours and that is his own grace and holiness The question should be What of the Father What of the Son What of the Spirit shines in this or that person and accordingly let your love and your affection run out this is the tenth Legacy Leg. 11. Be most in the spiritual exercises of Religion Improve this Legacy for much of the life and comfort joy and peace of your souls is wrapt in it I say be most in the spiritual exercises of Religion There are external exercises as hearing preaching praying and conference and there are the more spiritual exercises of Religion exercises of Grace Meditation Self-judging Self-tryal and Examination Bodily exercise will profit nothing if abstracted from those more spiritual The glory that God hath and the comfort and advantage that will redound to your souls is mostly from the spiritual exercises of Religion How rare is it to finde men in the work of Meditation of Tryal and Examination and bringing home of truths to their own Soul Leg. 12. Take no truths upon trust but all upon trial â— Thes 5.21 So 1 Joh. 4.1 Acts 17.11 It was the glory of that Church that they would not trust Paul himself Paul that had the advantage above all for external qualifications no not Paul himself Take no truth upon trust bring them to the balance of the Sanctuary if they will not hold water there reject them Leg. 13. The lesser and fewer opportunities and advantages you have in publick to better and enrich your Souls the more abundantly address your selves to God in private Mal. 3.16 17. Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another c. Leg. 14. Walk in those ways that are directly cross and contrary to the vain sinful and superstitious ways that men of a formal carnal luke-warm spirit walk in this is the great concernment of Christians But more of that by and by Leg. 15. Look upon all the things of this World as you will upon them when you come to die At what a poor rate do men look on the things of this world when they come to die What a low value do men set upon the pomp and glory of it Men may now put a mark upon them but then they will appear in their own colours Men would not venture the loss of such great things for them did they but look on them now as they will do at the last day Leg. 16. Never put off your Consciences with any plea or with any argument that you dare not stand by in the great day of your account It 's dreadful to consider how many in these dayes put off their conscience We did this and that for our families they would have else perished I have complied thus and wronged my conscience thus for this and that concernment Will a man stand by this argument when he comes before Jesus Christ at the last day Because of the Souls of men many plead this or that Christ doth not stand in need of indirect wayes to save Souls he hath ways enough to bring in Souls to himself Leg. 17. Eye more mind more and lay to heart more the Spiritual and Internal workings of God in your Souls than the External Providences of God in the World Beloved GOD looks that we should consider the operations of his hand and the despising the works of his hands is so provoking to him that he threatens them to lead them into Captivity for not considering of them But above all look to the work that God is carrying on in your Souls not a Soul but he is carrying on some work or other in it either blinding or enlightning bettering or worsâ—ing and therefore look to what God is doing in thy Soul All the motions of God within you are steps to eternity and every soul shall be bless'd or curss'd saved or lost to all eternity not according to outward dispensation but according to the inward operations of God in your Souls Observe what humbling work reforming work sanctifying work he is about in thy spirit what he is doing in that little world within If God should carry on never so glorious a work in the world as a Conquest of Nations to Christ what would it advantage thee if Sin Satan and the World should triumph in thy Soul and carry the day there Leg. 18. Look as well on the bright side as on the dark side of the Cloud on the bright side of Providence as well as on the dark side of Providence Beloved there is a great weakness amongst Christians they do so pore on the black side of Providence as that they have no heart to consider of the bright side If you look on this black side of the Providence of God to Joseph How terrible and amazing was it But if you look on the bright side his fourscore years reign How glorious was it If you look on the dark side of the Providence of God to David in his first years banishment much will arise to startle you but if you turn to the bright side his forty years reign in glory How amiable was it Look on the dark side of the Providence of God to Job Oh! how terrible was it in the first of Job but compare this with the last of Job where you have the bright side of the cloud and there God doubles all his mercies to him Consider the patience of Job and the end that the Lord made with him do not remember the beginning only for that was the dark side but turn to the end of him and there was his bright side Many sins many temptations and much affliction would be prevented by Christians looking on the bright side of Providence as well as on the dark Leg. 19. Keep up precious thoughts of God under the sowrest sharpest and severest Dispensations of God to you Psal 22.1 2. and 3. My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring O my God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent There was the Psalmist under smart dispensations but what precious thoughts hath he of God under all But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praise of Israel though I am thus
the World for their choice the Spirit and Son of God that this is their choice Therefore no wonder c. But how do they chuse God Answer They chuse God as the object of their souls love as the chiefest of ten thousand as the lot of their inheritance as the companion of their souls to converse with him as the Commander of their ways to bt guided by him as a shelter of their hearts as a refuge to fly unto in the time of danger The first Vse was by way of Examination Is God chosen as the chief object of our souls love Can we truly say There is none in Heaven but thee none upon Earth I can desire besides or in comparison of thee Can we say in having God The lines are fallen unto me in a pleasant place yea I have a goodly heritage Is communion with God our Heaven upon Earth Is God the Commander of our ways as well as we hope to be the Saviour of our souls Is God our shield or buckler our retreat in danger The second Vse was by way of Consolation Believers have you made choice of God Happy are the people that are in such a case thou hast the best assurance in the world to come to the best possession in this world peace and joy Peace within if not Peace without And Joy the best Joy in the world Joy unspeakable and full of glory And truly if so be that this be thy portion in having chosen God 't is no wonder thou dost not Apostate from him It is no wonder that whatever comes upon a Believer yet for that his heart is not turned back neither his steps declined from Gods way And this leads to The Fourteenth Sermon Psal 44.18 Our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy way FRom these words two Observations 1. In times of sufferings and afflictions true Christians are to make a narrow inspection into their hearts to see how they stand affected Thus did the Church here 2. To keep stedfast and close with God notwithstanding all afflictions and sufferings we undergo either from or for God is the duty and commendation of Saints 'T was our duty and 't is our honour Lord c. In prosecution of this point these seven preliminary Theses were laid down 1. When man was first created his heart stood rightly bent towards God as his great centre and mark 2. When man fell his heart immediately drew off and turned back from God 3. Though this be the case of fallen man yet poor creature he sees it not 4. The very Formalis Ratio of sin that wherein the Formality of sin consists is in this not so much in finning against God by outward Acts as in the hearts departing from God 5. All true Conversion to God begins at the Heart 6. It is an Argument of infinite love in God to bring back our hearts to him 7. When once the heart of a Believer is brought back to God no suffering or affliction is able to turn that heart from him Quest When may a mans heart be said not to be turned back notwithstanding all sufferings and afflictions Answ 1. When a man still retains the same esteem and estimate of God that ever he had When Job looks upon God as a God fit to be lessed though God be plundering of him 2. When a man still retains the same affections the same love to him delight in him fear of him as much as ever 3. When we hope and trust in God as much as ever Though he kill me yet will I trust in him 4. When we have the same resolutions to cleave to God as ever If a God in Israel as long as a God in Israel 'T is all one makes not to the God of the Philistims this is for a mans heart not to be turned back from God By way of Vse 1. Learn The heart of man is very apt to turn from God in dayes of affliction our heart is not though theirs were 2. It concerns us in time of affliction and suffering to see if our hearts be not turned back from God But what means shall I use that I may not turn a base Apostate Answ 1. Be watchful over your hearts they are exceeding slippery and deceitful The veriest Thieves in the world 2. Be still bending of your hearts from the world and the flesh unto God as you bend a crooked stick to make it streight 3. Do not only bend but bind your hearts tie them shackle them as you would one that hath broken Prison by holy serious Scriptural necessary vows 4. Converse much with God That man that converses much with God it is not the frowns of men shall bring his heart off from God To spur you on to this duty with these motives 1. If you turn from God the soul of God will turn from you If any man draw back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him 2. Keep close to God in such a time and God will keep close to you Here 's a people that not all their sufferings could make them fall from me God glories in such a people 3. This will be one of the greatest comforts by way of argument of your sincerity that your heart is upright with God This will make an Hezekiah look up to God in the time of sickness with a Lord remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart 4. If you will not turn from God by way of Apostacy you may run to God and find in him a Sanctuary And so you have it in The Fifteenth Sermon Isa 8.14 He shall be for a Sanctuary THe words are an allusion to a City of refuge and from hence this Observation Jesus Christ will be for a sure refuge to all those that make him their fear and dread And the truth is there is the greatest reason in the world Christ should be so Saints stand in greatest need of this Sanctuary They are a poor weak helpless generation of Creatures but they have a Rock of refuge The Conies are but a feeble folk yet make their Houses in the Rocks Christ bears dearest love to them they are most precious to him they are his Jewels what will a man preserve if he will not preserve his Jewels Will Christ be a Sanctuary Then 1. See the true reason why the Saints of God are of such an heroick Spirit even when troubles look them in their faces and ring in their ears they have a God to fly to a Christ to rest on 2. See the reason of that consternation of spirit that seizes on wicked men in times of troubles Hide me from the wrath of the Lamb why they have no refuge to go to and however it is with them now you shall hear nothing but howling and lamenting when God shall come to avenge the blood of his Saints 3. Be exhorted to make Christ your Sanctuary get into this City of Refuge and for Motives
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
convinced of the need and want of Christ but such as have been partakers of the Spirit of Christ as a sanctifying Spirit labour after communion with him as a comforting Spirit and to this end I shall stir you up to this 1. By way of Motive 2. By way of Comfort First by way of Motive Though you have some comfort it is but little in comparison of what you may have and in comparison of what you may stand in need of though a Saint would not change the saddest hour of his life for the sweetest hour in his former condition If the Saints of God did enjoy the comforts that they might oh what blessed lives might they live but they are so full of trouble as if there were no Holy Ghost the Comforter The people of God are oftentimes troubled without a cause as that holy man Why art thou cast down oh my soul He could not render a true account of his trouble he was sad but he could not tell why or wherefore 2. When there is cause they are apt to be troubled without measure In those cases where it is a sin not to be troubled at all the people of God are apt to be troubled over-much as the Israelites in their bondage in Egypt It were a sin for them not to be troubled but they were so full of troubles that they could not hearken to Moses and Aaron And so the Disciples in the Text it were a sin for them not to be troubled for the absence of Christs body but so to be troubled as if God could not comfort them without him this was their weakness And to come to our Cases it were a sin to slight this Dispensation of God that is coming upon us if we should not be troubled for the loss of the Ministers of Jesus Christ but to mourn before God under the sense of this Dispensation to mourn so much as to think that when these are gone all are gone to be so much troubled as not to hearken to the words of the Text That we have a Comforter I remember an admirable expression of a Child to his Mother when his Father was dead to shew That out of the mouths of Babes and Sucklings God can manifest his praise Why Mother says the Child though my Father be dead yet God is alive May not I say so to you Though your Ministers be as it were naturally dead yet is not God alive Is not the Spirit of God alive Though you have some comfort yet you have little in comparison of what you may have if you seek for it 2. Study the excellent nature of the comfort how little soever a man hath of this spiritual comfort it will sweeten his condition be it what it will be When a Man hath communion with the spirit God he hath comfort in all conditions then though a mans condition be never so bad yet it is very good Hâ—b 3.17 Though the Fig-tree shall not blossome though the fruit be not in the Vines the labour of the Olive shall cease and the Fields shall yeild no meat the Flocks shall be cut off from the Fold and there shall be no Herd in the Stalls yet will I rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my Salvation He can fetch Hope and ground his Faith upon the Promises though the Providences and Dispensations of God be never so mysterious the comfort of the Spirit doth make up the want of all other comforts The comforts of Ordinances are sweet comforts Sermon-comforts are sweet comforts Sacrament-comforts are sweet comforts Ah but the comfort of the Spirit can supply the want of all these All outward crosses cannot hinder these inward comforts a man that hath these inward comforts may have a Feast with bread and water a little of this comfort is able to sweeten a whole Ocean of sorrow In the multitude of my thâ—ughts withâ—n me thy comfort delight my Soul Psal 94.10 So that when the hearts of God's people are filled with sad thoughts what will become of themselves what will become of their Families what will become of the Church of God what will become of the Ministery of the Gospel and of the Ordinances of Christ they are full of sad fears and distracting thoughts when they have a multitude of thougts in the midst of all these spiritual comforts can comfort and refresh the Soul Oh labour after a greater share of this comfort God hath cast us upon sad times wherein we shall have need of more than ordinary comfort We are like to have troubles without if we have not peace within it will be very sad we are like to lose much of Christ's bodily presence I mean in his Ordinances how many of those Messengers that present the person of Christ and stand in his stead If we should not enjoy the other comforter our estates would be doleful If we have darkness without and darkness within how sad will that darkness be 3. Labour to get more communion from the Spirit of God This will raise and sublimate your natural comforts and turn them into Spiritual comforts A man can never relish these outward comforts till he come to taste the ravishment and sweetness of the holy Ghost till he taste the love of God these give them a higher lustre than the men of the world though they enjoy much comfort yet they do not enjoy half that a child of God doth the little that the righteous hath is better than the great revenues of the wicked to a Child of God a dinner of green hearbs is more savoury and pleasant to him than the stalled Ox because a Child of God hath better sauce with it Worldly men they smell to their flowers it is the only godly man that sucks out the honey that all things are given to him in love out of this he sucks comfort A gracious heart sees all these outward comforts that they are purchased with the bloud of Christ and therefore these should do him good and he may take comfort that he hopes for what he hath not as wel as for what he may have and he may take comfort in his condition be it what it will he sees all is for his good such a one believeth what he readeth not So he believeth Gods ways are ways of Truth though some more sweet and some more bitter 4. Labor after communion with the Spirit in his comforing work is another This is the best preservative against all intanglements of sin whatsoever It is a great hour of temptation and if our comforts do do not lie above the world we shall be greatly insnared by the world If a man eat sweet-meats he cannot relish ordinary food so while these sweet comforts lie upon the soul he cannot relish these ordinary things in the world What do you tempt me with those things saith a child of God What are these to the comforts of the Holy God The heart of man will seek comfort one way or
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
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.
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
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
Plummet and what is not warranted by the Word of God or maintainable by Argument drawn from it we should not close with And for the closing up of all do but consider how this Chapter and the things that I have spoken to you and preached from it how they do all influence this Exhortation Little Children keep your selves from Idols see to it that you approve your selves in holy Worship to God and the Lord Jesus Do but argue thus You profess to be Believers and is it not your duty to answer to this profession Your Falth is a pure Faith and an obediential grace it is a grace that will tutor you to hang upon Christ and his appointments and Institutions and therefore being Believers study to keep your selves from Idols and whatever is not consonant to the will of God concerning Worship You believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God keep your selves from Idols in this respect for he is come into the world and hath shewed the pattern of his House and then you are born of God carry it like a people that are born of God that are high born and credit your holy profession by keeping a dependance upon that God of whom you are born and then being Believers you are born of God and have overcome the world and therefore shew forth your heroick spirit by standing out in all opposition to Idols and whatever is contrary to sound Doctrine and the power of godliness You have an Unction from the Holy One and this engages you to look to it that you keep your selves from Idols And then we know saith he that the Son of God is come and hath given us understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ And thereupon he brings in this Little Children keep your selves from Idols as if he should say This is the true God God in Christ Jesus Christ the Son of the Father this is the true God and he hath eternal life with him other god are false gods and â—hat benefit will you have by following them and performing worship to â—hem Nothing but eternal death false gods can bestow no eternal life upon you but this is the true God and he can give you eternal life And therefore Little Children keep your selves from Idols And now yet one word more I would not occasion any discomposure of spirit that is not becoming you But this I must say for ought I know you have the words of a dying man and we use to say that the words of dying men are apt to take somewhat a deep impression I mean a dying man not in properness of speech according to nature and if it should be so I hope there would be cause of rejoycing on my part but I speak the words of a dying man in respect of the Ministerial Office I suppose you all know there is an Act come forth by Supream Authority and it is not for us to quarrel at all but to submit to it and hold correspondency with it so far as we can with a good conscience and there being many Injunctions that many besides my self cannot comply withall therefore we are willing to submit to the Penalty inflicted This I say you have for many years had the benefit of my poor Labours I have fulfilled near up towards forty years and have performed my service to God Christ and his People and I bless his Name not without acceptance and success My work so far I know in this course as in the weekly course is now at an end my desire is that you whose hearts have been inclinable to wait upon God in the way of my Ministry may be kept faithful to God and that you may have the blessing of the everlasting Covenant coming upon your Souls and that you may have the power of this Doctrine held forth in this Sermon put forth upon your hearts that as you do believe that Jesus is the Christ that as you profess these things you may carry it suitably to your profession that you may walk in love to God love to Christ and love to one another that you may labour to manifest a noble generous Spirit in overcoming the world in Errours Corruptions false Doctrines and unwarrantable Worship that you may in all things labour to approve your selves And littlte Children keep your selves from Idols Amen Mr. Calamy's Sermon Preached December 28. 1662. 1 Sam. 4.13 And when he came Lo Eli sate upon a seat by the way side waiting for his heart trembled for the Ark of God THat you may the better understand these words you must know that whatsoever God threatned against old Eli in the second and third Chapters because he did not restrain his wicked Sons from their lewd courses is here executed in this Chapter therefore we read there were four thousand I raelites slain by the Philistines And the Elders of Israel met together to consult how to repair this great loss they confess it was the Lord that had smitten them For say they Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines And they conclude the way to repair this their loss it was to fetch the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh and carry it into the battel whereupon they appointed Hophni and Phinehas to fetch it whereby they imagined that the presence of the Ark would save them from ruin but herein they were miserably mistaken for this judgment befell them not because the Ark was not in the Camp but because their sin was in the Camp The Ark of the Covenant would not preserve those that had broken Covenant with God And therefore there was a great slaughter of the Israelites and were slain thirty thousand men and Hâ—phni and Phinehas were slain and the Ark it self was taken Prisoner But what was old Eli doing He was ninety and eight years old and was not able to go to the Battel but sits upon a seat by the way side near the Battel and there he sits thinking what shall become of the Ark And lo Eli sate upon a seat by the way side watching for his bea rt trembled for the Ark of God for fear lest the Ark should be taken He was not troubled what should become of his two sons or what should become of the people of Israel but what should become of the Ark of God In the words are three parts 1. Old Eli's sollicitousness for the Ark. 2. Old Eli's heart trembling for fear of the Ark. 3. Old Eli's preferring the safety of the Ark before the safety of his two sons wise and children He sate upon a seat by the way side watching for his heart trembled for the Ark of God But what was the Ark of God why should old Eli's heart tremble for fear of the Ark I answer this Ark was the holiest of all the things of God it was so holy that it made every place holy where it came
alimur ex quibus generamur is a true Maxim We are nourished of those of whom we are begotten Fathers when their children ask bread will not give them stones nor when they ask fish will they give them scorpions Mat. 7.9 He that provides not these things for his children is worse than an Infidel 1 Tim. 4.8 and hath God commanded this from Parents towards their children and will not God much more provide for his children that are truly regenerate and born again and that have his Image by faith engraven on their souls he would do it much more abundantly Mat. 7.11 If ye being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to those that ask him This then is one great priviledge that believers are made partakers of by vertue of this relation having God for their heavenly Father God will certainly provide good things for them both for their being and well-being here and hereafter and they may come to God as a Father with holy boldness of faith for all things that they shall stand in need of God takes care for those that are strangers and enemies to him and makes his rain to fall upon the unjust as well as upon the just Mat. 5.4 5 He giveth them rain from heaven silling their hearts with food and gladness Acts 14.7 And will he not much rather feed his own children he giveth food to all flesh Psal 136.25 And will he not much rather take care for his own children that are engrafted into him by faith that do love and serve him if God's bounty be largely extended to those that are strangers and enemies to him even to those that go on in sin and wickedness as many times it is then certainly he will kill the farted Calf for his own children as the Father of the prodigal did for his returning Son Nay in this the great God exceedeth earthly Parents as far as Heaven is above the earth for natural Parents they give good things to their children when they ask them but God the Father of Spirits will do much more abundantly for his children aboye what they are able to ask or think the Petitions of God's children may be large their desires and thoughts larger than heir Petitions for we are not always able to express outwardly what inwardly we desire but God will do more abundantly for his people beyond all these Let us look into the Word of God and we shall there see what noble provision he hath made for his people what food yea angels food he hath provided for them what a feast of fat things I mean of spiritual dainties and delicates he hath dressed for them for their bread they shall have the bread of life he that eateth thereof shall never hunger John 6.48 they shall have their fill of that hidden Manna laid up in the Sanctuary We read of Benjamins Messe Gen 4.3 last That it was five times as much as any of his Brethren but the children of God their food that they shall have from their heavenly Father shall be a thousand times better and more satisfactory than that which shall be given to the men of the World they shall have their measures heaped up pressed down and running over Psal 34.10 The young Lyons shall lack and suffer hunger but the children of God those that cry unto God their Father shall want no good thing but especially spiritual good things they shall be sure to have their fill of these and shall be satisfied with them even as with marrow and fatness and for their drink they shall have the heavenly Nectar the water of Life the bloud of Jesus Christ the which whosoever drinketh shall thirst no more John 4.14 they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of his house he will make them drink of the River of his pleasures for with God is the fountain of life in his light they shall see light Psal 38.8 9. there is a River the streams whereof shall make glad the City of God Psal 46.4 and his Children shall drink of this River of Water of life clear as chrystal proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb Rev. 22.1 it is for these especially that God hath provided the spiritual milk of the Word that they may grow thereby they shall suck sweetness out of the promises those rich breasts of consolation and for their apparel the Children of God may say as the Prophet Isa 61.10 I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my soul shall be joyful in my God for he hath cloathed me with the garments of salvation he hath covered me with a robe of righteousness as a bridegroom decketh himself with Ornaments and as a Bride adorneth her self with Jewels What shall I say they shall be cloathed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ a garment without spot or blemish white as snow even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of those Thus you have the first ground of consolation to Believers upon the account of having God for their Father he will certainly provide for them those things that shall be necessary both in this life and in the life to come Secondly Is God a Father to Believers then another ground of consolation is this That he will defend them from their enemies How mightily doth it provoke natural Parents to see their Children abused How quickly will their eye affect their heart and stir them up to come in and rescue them So will the Lord do for those that are his children by Adoption and Regeneration he will defend them he will be a wall of fire round about them so that all their enemies both spiritual and temporal shall not be able to do them any real hurt the Devil and all his wiles and temptations the World and all its tempting allurements yea all the policy and malice of Earth and Hell shall not be able to work their ruine the Lord is on their their side and they have more for them than they have against them Upon this consideration it was that David tells us in his Book of Psalms Though I walk saith he in the valley of the shadow of death yet will I fear none ill for thou O Lord art my Rock and my Fortress and my salvation eke for ever Would we not account him unworthy the name of a Father that would suffer his Children to be beaten and abused and destroyed before his face and not act in their defence and will God suffer his dear Children so to be No certainly He that toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye Zach. 2.8 and God accounts what is done to them as if it were done to himself in person In as much as ye did it unto those little ones ye did it unto me Will Christ say one day as he tells us Mat. 25.40 and in as much as ye did it not unto the least of these my brethren ye did
faithful laborious Ministers and People I say the abounding of these and such like abominations is a very sad evidence that there are very few that have God for their Heavenly Father in this special and peculiar manner and that are his children by Adoption and Regeneration Lastly wouldest thou know whether God be thy Father and thou his child by this whether thou art couragious in the ways of God and in the practice of Godliness they that have God for their heavenly Father they have a noble and Heroick spirit they are such as will not be ashamed nor afraid to lead a holy life notwithstanding all the mocks and taunts and threats of the world they that are of a base timerous spirit that are afraid of owning the ways of holiness for fear of being reproached reviled or opposed by the prophane world they that are afraid to cleave to the wayes and people of God in discouraging times they are not of the right strain say not then that thou art born of God unless thou canst prove thy noble extraction by thy noble and heroick courage resolution notwithstanding all the trouble calamity persecution thou maist meet with in the world Thus much for Examination 4. Vse for Exhortation Fourthly Is it so c. Then here is a word of Exhortation First Unto those that are Unregenerate that have not God for their Father in this peculiar manner and that is that they would never be in rest till they come to be united unto Jesus Christ and to have him to be their Father by Regeneration it is a sad thing to be void of this when we cannot go to God as to a Father and cannot expect any thing from him as from a Father Oh! how little do thousands think of this whether they are the Children of God and have God for their Father or no they care not for it they make not out after it Or take it for granted when they have no true and real ground so to do Oh! then labour to get into this state of Son-ship close with Jesus Christ by a lively operative heart-purifying faith that thou maist thereby be invested into Gods family and become his Child consider that before thou art thus by faith ingrafted into Christ thou hast woful Parents thou art a child of disobedience Ephes 2.2 A child of wrath Verse 3. A child of Satan John 8.44 Secondly Here is a word of Counsel and Exhortation to the Godly that are the Children of God by Adoption and Regeneration First To those m◠first councel is that you would make it your greatest care and diligence to please your Heavenly Father and have a care of sinning against him consider that the sins of Gods Children are very grievous to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said Caesar to his son Brutus when he saw him among his betrayers What and thou my son so will God say to his children when they grieve him by sin what and thou my son my child one whom I have Adopted my Heir what will you sin against me I thought you had had more love have I loved you so much and do you love me so little hath my spirit comforted you and will you grieve it have my bowels yearned towards you and will you kick against them have I been crucified for you and will you crucifie me again afresh by your sins The nearer the Relation is that the soul beareth to God the greater is the aggravation of the sin against God Secondly Labour to shew forth your noble extraction by your noble and raised affections it is beneath the son of a Prince to be taken up with trifles it is beneath one that is heir to a Kingdom to set his affections upon low and base things things of nought So it is beneath the Children of the great King of Kings and Lord of Lords to let their affections run out inordinately after the world and the enjoyments thereof they are born from above and therefore should set their affections upon things above and not on things on earth Colos 3.2 What an unsutable thing is it for a Christian to be taken up with the inordinate love of the world it is a Degradation to the heirs of Heaven to have their minds taken up only or mostly with Earth and earthly Vanities they are ad majora nati born to greater things it is unbecoming such to soil their affections with Earth which are born to an inheritance incorruptible which fadeth not away Oh that the children of God and such as do profess themselves so to be would manifest their holy and heavenly extraction by their holy and heavenly affections and that such as are the Sons and Daughters of God by Adoption and Sanctification would not walk so far beneath that Relation Thirdly Labor to imitate your heavenly Father Be you followers of God as dear Children Ephes 5.1 Be ye mercifull as your heavenly Father is merciful be ye holy as he is holy be ye compassionate as he is in all things labor to imitate your Heavenly Father it is a Christians honor to be like God and to imitate him Fourthly Labour more and more to obey your heavenly Father our natural Parents may require obedience of us and it is our duty to give it them much more may him that is the Father of spirits require it of us and it is much more our duty to give it him Walk as obedient Children 1 Pet. 1.14 Yea you must obey him chearfully too The obedience of Children is herein differenced from the obedience of slaves in that slaves are drawn to their duty out of a slavish fear but children come to it willingly out of a fillial affection Oh therefore let your obedience to God be chearful and voluntary Take delight to do the will of your heavenly Father Lastly Submit to your heavenly Fathers chastisements this is the Exhortation of the Apostle to the Hebrews Heb. 12.5 6 7. My Son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him For whom the Lord loveth be chasteneth and scourgeth every Son he receiveth If ye endure chastening God dealeth with you as with Sons for what Son is he whom the Father chasteneth not But if ye are without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye Bollards and not Sons Let us not then murmur and faint under our afflictions and chastisements but let us submit to them and labour to grow the better for them Thus much for the first Observation That God is a believers heavenly Father the other observation that I proposed to insist upon from this Text was the last of the five mentioned in the beginning and it contains the chief sum and scope of the whole verse and is most suitable to our Times and to this Occasion you may remember was this Doct. That the consideration of a Believers interest into the Kingdom of Heaven should make him chearful and couragious in the practise of holiness and
did bear the reproach of my youth Is Ephraim my dear soâ— is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Ephraim that was a Tribe one of the Tribes of Israel you hear hath the voice of a penitent sinner he smites upon his thigh which is a sign of great anguish of spirit here you have the penitent here you have the weeping shame-fac'd sinner But in the verse following you have God standing and looking on saith God Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels within me are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him If thy heart breaks thou seest that God's heart will turn towards thee Oh the excellency of Repentance that doth so much prevail with the God of heaven It is these dews and heavenly showers that must revive your almost dying withering blessings Repentance it is that holy Oyl that must recover our Lamps that are going out Oh the excellency of Repentance From hence you may gather what an excellent priviledge a penitent heart hath with God It is the mourning lamenting sinner that is like to do England good these heard hearted sinners they cannot recover an almost lost Gospel they cannot fetch God again but a penitent heart can My beloved how can you live without such a Grace your Souls want it your Families want it three Kingdoms want it the great want in England is broken-heartedness Vse 3. Is Repentance the only way to prevent the Judgments of God Then you may from hence gather That when God either hath his Plugues upon a people or continues in threatning his Judgement upon a People it is a sign that those people are very guilty of impenitency and that this people have not yet repented of their sins If God threatens thee O England Scotland and Ireland If God threaten thee to give thee up to hardness of heart and blindness of mind doth God do it at this day then I say O England Scotland and Ireland you are impenitent people at this day If you see a Kingdome groaning under the Judgments of God it is a sign that they have not made use of those remedies that would have cured them This is my Charge against England we have been a stiff necked People Oh London London how long shall God wait on you before you repent how often hath God threatned to remove the Gospel from among you how often hath God visited you with great and grievous Sicknesses how many thousands have been killed by the Sword how many Widows and Fatherless Children have there been left desolate God hath visited you this year with Mercy and yet you repent not Oh my beloved is not this sad If God come to punish you after you have received so many mercies from him take heed that God doth not rid his hands of you Why fit you as if you had no hand in these things you careless Masters that never pray in your Families nor never teach your Families to pray It is for your sins that God doth threaten to remove the Gospel and to take away his Ministers Will you repent of your sins If you do not sad will be your ends God mâ— cut you off from the face of the Earth and raise up unto himself a generation out of your loyns that may serve him better than ever you have yet done and God may cause you to die in a wilderness Oh the hard heartedness of the People of England Oh the Swearing the Wickedness the Superstition and Prophaness that is grown up amongst us That I may say as the world was once drowned by water so it is now almost filled with wickedness Oh you sinful wicked Generation is this your requital to God for all his Mercies Deut. 32.6 Do you thus requite the Lord O foolish People and unwise Is not he thy Father that hath bought thee hath he not made thee and established thee May I apply this to you Is this the thanks you return to God that hath been as a Father to you that hath bought you and made you When your sins grow so high do not you think but that the wrath of God will grow high too Objection I But you say Why do you speak to us of these sins speak to them that commit such sins Answer My beloved have you repented of your sins Are not you grown hard hearted with the rest of this generation Let me ask you Have you repented of those sins that you are guilty of Yes say you we hope we have Let me try you a little with these few things First of all Have you thought upon the wickedness of your wayes Have you set your sins in order before you Have you called to mind the manner of your Lives and Conversations Sin is never left until it be soundly laid to heart A repenting Man is one that the World sayes is a moplâ—g Man or Woman he is one that will look himself in the face of the Gospel an hour to find out his spots and when he hath found them he falls a weeping Secondly If you have repented as you say you have what hath been your mourning for Sin You came crying into the world your mother said Since the first tears that you shed how many tears have you shed for your sins When were you alone in your Chambers When have you done as Ephraim did How often have your Cheeks been wet with your Tears how many Handkerchiefs have you wet with your Tears for your Sin Oh my Beloved do you think that God will not humble you for your sins God will humble you before he exalt you God will bring you to the brink of Hâ—â—â— before he brings you to Heaven Thirdly If you have repented of your Sins as you say you have Then what Reformation is there in your lives what sin have you left What sins are they that you have forsaken Have you observed that you are more humble than you were heretofore Do you observe that your hearts are more in Heaven than they were before Do you observe that you pray more and delight in prayer more than you have done It may be you are ready to try out that you are well Well but have you repented Alas you talk you have repented of your Sins when it may be that you know not one sin that you have left Didst thou once Swear by the holy Name of God and art thou now afraid for to take his Name into thy mouth but with great reverence and adoration Fourthly Have you repented of your sins as you say you have done Then what Resolutions have you taken up for your future obedience Is it your resolution for to seek God more in prayer than ever you have yet done Will you watch your hearts in prayer â—â—â—re than you
Christ Jesus Consult with flesh and blood and that will never teach you to believe but an ignorant presumptuous Faith This concerneth me not to have my thoughts plunged about this or that worldly care but to become a new Creature in the renewing of the spirit of the mind Fourthly Consider ever 1. To follow Peace 2. To follow Holiness 3. To exercise Patience 1. To follow Peace Two of these you have in the Hebrews Heb. 14. Follow Peace with all men and Holiness without which none shall see God Do not esteem it your interest to contend Let the Peace of God rule in your hearts Fret not thy self because of evil doers It is an easie matter to sin in our Anger a rare thing to moderate anger against sin so as not to sin in that anger 2. To follow Holiness Refuse Peace that cannot be enjoyed without Holiness It is upon the view of God I shall see what kind of love he is and Christ saith Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Resolve to follow holiness not greatness riches c. And he that will do so Christ saith shall suffer persecution in this present world Wherefore it will be good to consider 3. To exercise patience Let us add upon that account 1. Love not the World 2. Love not your own Wills 3. Value your own Souls 1. Not the World The Text saith 1 Joh. 2.15 Love not the World neither the things that are in the world If any man love the world the Love of the Father is not in him For all that is in the world the Lust of the flesh the Lust of the eye and the Pride of life is not of the Father but is of the World And the World passeth away and the lust thereof but he that doth the Will of the Father abideth for ever The love of this world maketh a man to be in respect of the Prince of this world as a Bird in the Fowlers snare There is no way sooner to sin away their everlasting Love than to love this present World 2. Love not your own Wills That person is neither prepared to do for God nor to suffer for him that nath not learned something of this lesson of Self-denial There is no divine service but in doing Gods Will and that I cannot do but by parting with my own delivering up my self unto him to be led and guided by his holy Spirit Christ saith If any man will be my Disciple let him deny himself take up his Cross and follow me 3. Value your own Souls The great care and consult is for gratifying the body if but part of that time were spent on the soul which is on the needless care of the body it might render it in a far better and more goodlier posture Let every one think I carry that in my bosome is of more value than the whole worlâ— neither can the whole world recompence the loss of it and if we have such jewels let us take care to secure them A careless common spirit doth not become a Christian Let none imploy their time in disputing this or that vain Opinion but spend it on your souls Secondly In order unto the particular divine Providence now ending of our Ministry unto you 1. Whatever happeneth on this account let it be your exercise to cry out for the holy Spirit of Christ he will grant you a greater supply than you may expect from any man whatever So Christ comforteth his Disciples Though I go yet I will pray unto the Father and he shall send you another Comforter and he biddeth them pray for it also Even so as for what concerneth us this we cannot be denyed to pray that God would send out his holy Spirit among you and upon you and while we may speak unto you we desire you to pray for it also Our work did lye but to bâ—ing men to Repentance by conviction of sin to believing by the shewing of Righteousness and to convince of both by Christs conquest over sin This Christ sheweth his holy Spirit the Comforter can do Joh. 16.8 9 10 11. And when he is come he shall reprove the world of Sin of Righteousness and of Judgment Of sin because they believe not on me of Righteousness because I go to my Father and ye see me no more of Judgment because the Prince of this world is Judged This is a suitable and sufficient reply 1 Joh. 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 and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him That Anointing was the Spirit pour'd out on our Head Christ Jesus and ran down the skires of his garments not that instruction should cease but this Spirit can either fill it administred or supply it being wanting And the withdrawing of this present Ministry may be to cause you to pray more incessantly for this holy Spirit day and night And Christ promiseth The Father will give it to them that ask it 2. Be more frequent in your converse with the Scripture It is the Pillar of Truth and by a frequent converse with it also you will find a pure mind stirred up to remember 3. Be more frequent in Meditation Let not the world swallow up all your time so as not to meditate on your Souls the Scriptures and Heaven The meditation on Gods Law keepeth us from the Counsel of the ungodly from standing among sinners or sitting down in the seat of the scornful Psal 1. It is worthy of our wonder any should read the Scriptures believing them indicted by a holy Spirit and yet scorn Holiness Religion c. 4. Be more usual in personal private and family Duties Devotion God doth call those that know how to address themselves unto him to a more earnest private devotion Jacob was alone when he wrestled for a blessing There are particular seasons in which God calleth his people into a retirement Isaiah 26 20 21. Come my People enter thou into thy Chambers and shut thy dores about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over-past For behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the Inhabitants of the earth for their iniquities So also Zech. 12.11 12. And in that day shal be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon And the Land shal mourn every Family apart the Family of the House of David apart and their Wives apart the Family of the House of Nathan apart and their Wives apart the Family of the House of Levi apart and their Wives apart all the Families that remain every Family apart and their Wives apart In that day there shal be a Fountain opened to the House of David and to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for Sin and for Vncleanness If I
grains I conclude this with that saying of St. Ambrose Good Workes are the way to but not the cause of Salvation Therefore when you have done all say you are unprofitable servants I here is no Angel can merit for he chargeth them with folly much less vile and sinful man Therefore count all your own Righteousness but as dung and dogs meat In a word relie not on our own merits put the crown on the head of Free-grace That 's the eighth Ninthly The ninth Error in the Popish Religion is the Doctrine of Purgatory There is say they a middle and infirnal place called Purgatory Now what is this but a subtile artifice and trick to get money for when they especially those that are rich are about to die and make Wills if so be they will give large sums of money the Priests will pray for them that they go not into Purgatory or if they do that they may be quickly delivered out of it How contrary and repugnant is this to Scripture that holds forth no Middlle place The wicked when they die their Souls go immediately to Hell Luke 16.23 The rich man was buried and in hell he lift up his eyes T is true there is a Purgatory in this life and that is the Blood of Christ 1 Joh. 1.17 If we are not purged by this blood while we live we shall never be purged after by fire Wicked men when they dye do not go into a fire of purgation but damnation And on the other hand Believers when they die pass immediately to Heaven Luke 23.43 This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Christ Jesus was now on the Cross and was instantly to be in Heaven and the penitent Theif was immediately to be with Christ Here is no mention of any such place as Purgatory The antient and Orthodox Fathers were all against Purgatory as Chrysostome Cyprian Austine Fulgentius Tenthly A tenth Error is the Invocation of Angels a praying unto them This is a certain rule that Angel-worship is VVill-worship expresly forbidden in Scripture Col. 2.18 Their distinction of Mediators of Redemption and of Intercession doth not help them Though we pray say they to Angels as Mediators of Intercession yet we pray to Christ as Mediator of Redemption Answ Jesus Christ in Scripture is not only called a Redeemer but also an Advocate and it is a sin to make any our Intercessor but Jesus Christ That it is sinful to pray to Angels is clear from many Scriptures See Rom 5.10 How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed Mark we may not pray to any but them in whom we believe But we cannot believe an Angel therefore we must not pray to an Angel So also in Heb. 10.17 Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the Blood of Iesus He only is to be prayed unto by whom we have entrance into the Holiest but it is by Iesus Christ that we enter into the holiest therefore it is only Iesus Christ that we must pray unto That is the tenth 11ly An eleventh Error is Their VVorshipping of Images they burn Inccense before the Image which is a Divine worship unto the Image Now this is directly contrary to the very letter of the Command Exod. 20.4 5. Image-worship and Idol-worship are terms synonimical God saith of Idols that they speak Vanity Zach. 10.2 And is it not a vain thing to worship those things that are vain and that speak vanitie None can draw the picture of a Spirit who then draw the Picture of him who is the Father of spirits This Opinion of Image-worship hath been condemned and exploded by several Councils and Synods 12ly Another Error in the Popish Religion is They deny Jesus Christ suffered the pains of Hell in his Soul Indeed to give them their due they do aggravate the pains of Christs Body but they deny he felt the Pains and Torments of Hell in his Soul This Opinion doth much lessen the Sufferings of Christ for us the same doth lâ—ssen the Love of Christ to us But it is clear Christ felt the pains of hell in his soul But when we say Christ suffered the Pains of Hell in his Soul we do not mean that he felt horror of conscience as the damned do but we mean he felt that that was equivolent to it he felt the burden and pain of Gods wrath Christ Jesus suffered equivolently the pains of Hell that so he might free us really from the Torments of Hell 13ly And lastly another Error is this The Pope say they hath a power to absolve men from their Oathes Of what sad consequence and how dangerous this may be to Protestant States I leave themselves to judge It hath been often determined by learned Casuists that an Oath once taken the matter of it being lawful persons cannot be absolved from it But no more of this matter I 'le now wind up all in a word or two of application and it shall be in the words of my text VVherefore my beloved flee from Idolatry flee from Popery take heed of that Religion that brings forth so many Monsters And besides these thirteen Errors consider briefly these six or seven Particulars 1. The Popish Religion is an impure filthy Religion they allow of Stewes and Brothel-houses for money nay some of the Popes themselves have been guilty of Sodomy and Simony 2. It is a Superstitious Religion that appears in their Christening of Bels in their using of Salt Spittle and Cross in Baptisme Indeed Paul gloried and rejoyced in the Cross of Christ St. Paul had the Power of the Cross in his heart not the Signe of the Cross in his forehead It is an unspeakable indignity and dishonour to Jesus Christ to use that in his VVorship that he never instituted 3. Popery is upheld by Deceit and Lying How have they belyed both Calvin and Luther They say of Luther that when he dyed the Devils were seen to dance about him and that he dyed with much horror and despaire when as he went severely and sweetly out of the world his last words being those of our blessed Saviours Father into thy hands I commit my Spirit 4. The Popish Religion is an out-side carnal Religion it consists in external things as Whipping Fasting Chringing There 's nothing of Life and Spirit in their Worship it 's but a skeliton and carkass there is nothing of Soul and Spirit in it 5. The Popish Religion is an unedifying religion it doth not build men up in their most holy Faith it doth not carry on the work of Sanctification there is more of Pomp then purity in it 6. It is a cruel Religion it is maintained and propogated by Blood and Cruelty The Pope will have St. Pauls Sword as well as St. Peters Keyes and what he cannot maintain by dint and force of Argument that will he endeavour to maintain by force of Arms. In a word the Romish Church is a Purple VVhore dyed with the Blood of Saints and
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
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
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
The promise of the Spirit which shall supply his absence such a Spirit as shall reach them comfort them and be in stead of All to them give them such Joy Courage and Peace as the World can neither give nor take away ver 27. Peace I leave with you my Peace I give unto you c. Thirdly In the 23. ver in the Text We will come and make our abode with him while you keep my words which is the great promise here 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 words of the Text are an Answer to the Question of Judas not Iscariot Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self unto us and not unto the world Jesus Christ gives the Answer If a man love me he will keep my words c. To him the Promise is made That the Father will love him They love him that keep his words and to these he hath said He will manifest his love to them and make his abode with them In which word there are three parts considerable First A Supposition If a man love me c. Secondly A position which is the effect of that love He will keep my words Thirdly A promise which is two-fold First Of the Father's love My Father will love him Secondly The Co-habitation of the Father and Son with such a Person We will come unto him and make â—ur abode with him The Observations that I intend to insist upon are two First That it is the duty and special property of them that love Jesus Christ in sincerity to keep the words of Christ Secondly That God and Christ will make their abode with them that keep his words First Of the first of these That it is the duty and special property of them that love Jesus Christ in sincerity to keep the words of Christ If any love me he will keep my words he will do my will walk in my ways treasure up my truths and counsels This Doctrine requires three things to be spoken to in their order 1. That Jesus Christ must be truly loved 2. What it is to keep his Words 3. Why it is both the duty and property of them that love him to keep his words First That Jesus Christ must be truly loved there is such an indispensible necessity for this that the Apostle says 1 Cor. 16.22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be Anathema Maranatha let him be accursed But because every one pretends highly to love Jesus Christ and but few that love him indeed I shall shew two things more briefly 1. Who is he that truly loves him 2. Why we should all truly love him First Who is he that truly loves Christ First He truly loves Jesus Christ who upon the discovery and tender of Jesus Christ in the Gospel as King Priest and Prophet can willingly deny all for him as the Merchant Mat. 13.45 46. sold all that he had for the goodly Pearl And so Paul Phil. 3.8 accounts all dung his parts his righteousness by the Law his greatest excellencies he loves Christ in deed and not in shew only who can leave the world his dearest lusts his best righteousness for Christ This is a true conjugal love Psal 45.10 Hearken O daughter and confider and encline thine ear forget also thine own people c. When Christ sees that we have such love to him that we will part with all for him then he sees a beauty in us that delights him Secondly He truly loves Jesus Christ who having received him will rather lose all than part with him again who accounts Jesus Christ better than his best things as he sayes in Mat. 10.37 He that loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me c. therefore sayes the Spouse Cant. 8.6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart as a seal upon thine arm let me be so united to thee that I may never be sever'd from thee It is a very hard lesson and an irksome duty for the best of men to part with friends liberty peace life all these or either of these sweet mercies but to part with Christ nothing can perswade or enforce the soul that truly loves him that 's a thought more cruel than the Grave witness the holy Martyrs a whole cloud of witnesses that notable and eminent Galeacius Marquess of Vico c. Thirdly He that truly loves Jesus Christ takes abundance of delight in communion with him No pleasure like the kisses of his mouth No sweetness like that of his bosome all his ways are peace and his paths pleasantness Christ makes every condition comfortable there is no comfort of life but in that little enjoyment of Christ that the soul hath in his life 't is communion with Christ converse with him that is all my comfort and pleasure in the world O how doth the Spouse take care that he be not disturbed in Cant. 2. â— I charge you O ye daughters of Jerusalem by the Roes and the Hinds of the field that ye stir not up nor awake my Love till he please The words are an allusion to one that would not have her Friend disturbed and speaks to her companions and charges them by all that is dear and pleasant to them not to break the rest of her best Beloved and shews the wonderful delight the soul takes in communion with Jesus Christ and the special care that it alwayes hath that no tentation break in nor corruption break out to interrupt that sweet communion or occasion Christs departure who will not for any profit commit any sin or cause Jesus to depart from him Fourthly He that truly loves Jesus Christ having lost the sight of him is never satisfied till he come to the re-enjoyment of him is alwayes at a loss and is never quiet till he enter into acquaintance and communion with him as in that of Joseph and Mary they having lost their Son went seeking till they found him So Cant. 3.1 2 3 c. By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth I sought him but I found him not I will rise now and go about the City in the streets and in the broad ways c. I said to the Watchmen Saw ye him whom my soul loveth c. By all which is expressed the sedulous care and industry of a living soul seeking after Christ First By night in her bed Jesus Christ hath her best thoughts in her closet and private duties of Prayer serious Meditations spiritual Ejaculations and secret self-Examinations in all these the soul enquires As one that loves the world by night his meditation is of the world so the man of pleasures and honours is pursuing his lusts in the night season the wicked man is contriving mischief upon his bed so the soul that loves Christ his are still at work after Christ Secondly I will rise now and go about the
while they are in the World they are as Heirs in their minority they have not yet the possession of their inheritances but it is theirs and they shall have it in reversion but hereafter when they shall leave this earthly Tabernacle then they shall have the possession of it Every true and sincere Believer he is an Heir to a Crown even a Crown of glory that fadeth not away Their lines are fallen to them in a pleasant place they have a goodly Heritage the Lord is the portion of their Inheritance Psal 16.5 6. It is the hope of this Inheritance of theirs that carrieth on the souls of the Saints in the whole course of their lives and maketh them joyfully and willingly to wade through all their troubles and difficulties that they meet with in their way to Heaven It is the consideration of this their portion and inheritance which they are entailed to by having God for their Father that makes them forget the things that are behind and press forward towards the mark for the price of the high calling which is in Jesus Christ it is their acting faith upon this and having an eye to the recompence of reward that makes them run with patience the race that is set before them as knowing that when they have finished their course they shall receive a Crown of Life which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give them at that day Here the godly have the earnest of their inheritance which is the Spirit of God Eph. 1.14 After that ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise which is the earnest of our Inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possâ—ssion unto the praise of his Glory Here Believers have the promise of their inheritance The Word of God is a Believers Patent for his inheritance in which God doth as it were by promise make over Heaven and Happiness and Glory to true Believers to be enjoyed by them for ever in the Life to come but hereafter then they shall have the fruition and possession of it Would you know what a glorious Inheritance this is that the children of God by believing are entitled to 1 Pet. 1.4 It is an Inheritance uncorruptible undefiled which fadeth not away They are Heirs to a Crown of Glory the are heirs of God and coheirs with Jesus Christ which is the Heir of all things believe it Friends it is such a glorious inheritance that the Children of God are entitled unto that all the Inheritances and Poffessions in the world are but a trifle in comparison of it to set out the beauty and excellency of the Saints inheritance is a task fitter for some Angel than for a mortal Creature For eye hath not seen neither hath ear heard neither hath entred into the heart of man to conceive what the Lord hath laid up for them that fear him Isa 64.4 Thus you see what abundant cause of comfort Believers have upon this consideration that God is their Father and that they are his children in every condition of their lives in every trouble either outward or inward howsoever it be with a regenerate Christian one that is a true child of God he hath cause to take comfort in this First Is a Believer in want here in the World is he in distress and driven to streights not knowing what course to take for the supplying of his natural wantâ— as Gods people are driven to such conditions sometimes he can go to God as unto a Father and make his wants and necessities known to him he both can and will finde out some way or other for a supply for you He that hath promised so large a portion hereafter in Heaven will not deny so much of this World as is necessary for you in your way to Heaven Your Father knows what good things you have need of Mat. 6.8 God which is the Believers Father knows what things they need and he is ready to hear them and knoweth how to help them Secondly Is a Believer in danger is he inviron'd about with his Enemies on every side and compassed about with those that seek his hurt Oh! what comfort is this that he can go to God as unto a Father for help even to him that is Almighty and able in a moment to defend them from their most powerful and politick adversaries is a godly man in danger and hath he Enemies that do wrongfully seek his life as David had Psal 31.13 yet he may have the same confidence that David had in that condition and say as he said in the follownig Verse Yet I trust in thee Oh Lord I said thou art my God my times are in thy hand deliver me from the hand of mine Enemies and from them that persecute me Thirdly Doth a Believer finde his corruption within to rebel against the regenerate part Doth he finde the Law in his Members which is warring against the Law of his minde to lead him into captivity to the Law of sin and death Doth he finde his sins to be very strong within him and that they begin to draw him away from God Oh! what comfort is this to a Child of God in this condition that he can go and complain then to his heavenly Father and be consident that this Father will hear him and hâ—â—◠〈◊〉 and make him more than a Conqueror over all the Enemies of his 〈◊〉 Fourthly Art thou that art a believer in doubt and knowest not what course to take go to thy heavenly Father for direction he is the infinitely wise God and he will be sure to direct thee for the best Fifthly Art thou slandered reviled and reproached in the world and made the common scorn and derision of the Ungodly go to thy Father thy heavenly Father and complain to him he will certainly clear up thine innocency as the light at noon-day and wipe off all the reproaches that are wrongfully cast upon thee Sixthly Art thou that art a Believer wronged by men and knowest not how to right thy self go to thy Heavenly Father he will certainly set all things right one day neither is it all the power and policy of thine adversaries nor their riches nor any thing that shall be able to pervert him and hinder him from redressing thy wrongs and from doing thee right Seventhly and lastly Dost thou finde thyself to be in a state of languishing thou that art a Believer for to such I am speaking all this while Dost thou finde thy natural strength to decay and thy sickness to encrease and thy pains to grow upon thee putting thee in minde that thy body must be shortly laid in the grave telling thee that thou mayest expect with in a few days or hours to lay down thy earthly Tabernacle and to encounter with the pangs of death Oh happy soul then that canst make thy approaches to God as unto a Father and breath out thy soul into the bosome of thy Heavenly Father and say as Christ did when he was on