Soul-mercies for his Children To see them poor in the World will not so much afflict him as to fear they will never be rich to God Besides the Sins of those that are nearly related are most frequently presented to our eyes and ears they cry nearest us and therefore they should cry loudest to us They are most committed to our care and therefore their miscarriages should be the greatest objects of our Fear Near Relations may also probably more endanger the residue of those that belong to our Family Sin in one or two though in a large Family may endanger and infect the whole We most strive to quench those Flames that destroy houses near us we are more fearful of them than of those at a greater distance A Snake in ones Bed is more formidable and a Toad there more odious and ugly than in my Field or Garden § 7 3. They that mourn for others Sins especially the Sins of those they most love must mourn more for their Sins than their Afflictions and outward Troubles They must be more troubled for the poysonful root of Sin than for the Branches and Fruits of Sufferings that spring from the Root We must more mourn for the sin of a Child than for the sickness of a Child More lay to heart what our Children have done than what they have undergone more for their Impiety than for their Poverty more because they have left God than because their Trades or Estates have left them more for fear they dy'd in Sin than because they dy'd The Troubles of the outward man must not so afflict us as the Unrenewedness of their Hearts and Natures To be afflicted for the death of thy Child's Body and not for his Soul-death in Sin is as if a fond Parent should when his Child is drown'd only lament the loss of the Child's Coat and Garment and not for the loss of the Child's Person § 8 4. We ought to bewail the Sins of others according to the Proportion of the Sins of the times and places where we live When Sin grows impudent and hath a brazen brow when 't is declared as Sodom Jer. 3.3 and not hidden when men are asham'd of nothing but not being impudent in sinning when Sinners cannot blush Jer. 6. v. 8 12. have lost the very colour of Modesty then is a fit Season for Gods People with Ezra 9.6 to say We are ashamed and blush to lift up our faces to thee our God to bewail and blush before God for those Sins of which Sinners are not ashamed and for which they have not a tear to shed Further when the Sinners of the times are obstinate and inflexible in Impiety as Nehem. 9.16 Harden their Necks 17. refuse to obey 20. are disobedient and rebell cast the Law behind their back 29 withdraw the shoulder and will not hear when they make their face as an Adamant Stone When the Wicked say as Jer. 44. As for the Word that thou hast spoekn we will not hearken to thee we will do whatever goes forth out of our own mouth then is the time for the Godly to have broken and melted Hearts when the Wicked are so Obstinate and Obdurate Next when Sin becomes universal when Governers and Governed from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head are all prophane and impious Isa 1.6 When a man cannot be found in the streets of Jerusalem Jer. 5.1 that will stand up for God and his Interest when as in dayes of Noah all flesh hath corrupted it self then is the time for all Gods People to mourn before God and to oppose an holy universality to a profane Lastly When not ordinary but the most horrid and gross Impieties are committed as Murder Sodomy Perjury broad-fac'd Adultery when these mountainons Wickednesses are acted then is the time for the Godly to endeavour to overtop these high towering abominations with a Flood of tears 5. We ought to mourn for the Sins of others advantageously to § 9 those for whom we mourn with the using of all due means to reclaim and reduce them 1. By Prayer for their Conversion and Gods pardoning them My hearts desire and prayer to God saith Paul is that Israel might be saved Rom. 10.1 He tells Chap. 9.1 how he bewail'd them that he had great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart for them but here we see he mingled his tears with prayers for them We cannot mourn for those for whom we cannot pray for every Evil that makes us grieve because of its continuance we must needs desire may be removed Exod. 32.11.27 Thô Moses when he was with the People maintain'd the Cause of God with the Sword yet when he was with God he endeavoured the preservation of the People with prayer 2. We must endeavour to follow the Mourning for Sinners with restraining them from Sin if we have it by Power We must not hate Sinners and suffer them to sin we destroy those whom we suffer to sin if we can hinder them None may permit Sin in another if he can restrain it but he that can produce a greater Good out of it than the permission is an Evil. Restraining of Inferiors is as great a duty as Prayer for Superiours See it in the case of Eli's negligence to restrain his Sons from their Impieties 3. We must mourn for Sinners with advantaging them by Example that they may never be able to tax us with those Sins for which we would be thought sorrowfull Examples sometimes have a louder voice than Precepts Tears will not in secret drown those Sins which publick Examples encourage We confute our Tears and Prayers before God by an unsuitable Example before the Offender The blots of others cannot be wip'd off with blurred fingers 4. We must follow our mourning for others Sins with labouring to advantage them by holy Reproof for the Sins we mourn for If our place and opportunities allow us we must not only sigh for their Sins but cry against them Ezek. 9.4 Lot was not only a Mourner for the Sodomites Sins but a Reprover I know not whether it be a greater sign of a Godly man to give a Reproof duly or to take a Reproof thankfully 1. But be sure Reproofs be given with Zeal for Gods Glory not either out of hatred to the Person reproved or out of desire to promote thine own Reputation and Interest by the Reproof The Apostles Acts 14.14.17.16 reproved Idolaters but Zeal for God purely put them upon it Paul and Barnabas rent their Cloaths as well as reproved Idolaters And Pauls Spirit was stirr'd with inward Zeal Act. 17.16 before his Tongue stirr'd against the Athenians Let Reproofs 2. Be mingled with Meekness Passion is seldom prevalent with a Sinner Sweep not Gods House with the Devils Besom Let the Sinner see thee kind to himself when thou art most unkind to his Sin 3. Let Reproofs be qualified with Prudence by observing the nature and degree of the Offence and the
Object of it is real the Ground of it certain the Actings of it sensible to himself and the Effects of it evident to others This I shall endeavour to do I. As for the Object of a Believers Faith and Hope that good which he believes shall be and expects after this life a state of glory for the spirits of just men He that shall deny that such a thing is must not own the Name of Christian when even the light of Nature will go so far toward the proving of it for 1. That shews us that the Soul is immortal as being of a spiritual nature and independent on the Body in its most proper and noble Operations the actings of the Understanding and Will 2. That there is a reward after this life for them that do well no less than on the contrary Punishment for evil doers This the generality of the Pagan World that knew not distinctly wherein that Reward did consist yet have granted the thing and who is not instructed by his own Conscience in the knowledge of it The work of the Law written in the Heart †Rom. 2.15 and the secret pleasure and satisfaction men take in their own Innocence or good actions proves a reward on the one hand as well as the fears and horrors which the Consciences of the most slie and secret sinners subject them to speak the punishment they expect on the other And if these things were only impressions made upon mens Fancies in their tender years it were strange that all the Reason they grow up to exercise and all the Art many obstinate Sinners make use of on purpose to obliterate them and to impress the contrary upon their Minds together with a thousand other Species printed on their Imaginations by their Employments their Pleasures and all the various Occasions and accidents of their Lives should never be able to rid them of these so unpleasing Sentiments 3. Something may be said even from natural Reason to prove this reward to consist in the enjoyment of God and so not only to evince the reality of some Happiness but of this in particular in the other life For 1. It will scarce be denyed but that the soul of Man is capable of enjoying God as its Sovereign good i. e. of most intensely delighting and entirely acquiescing in him as a good suitable to the spiritual Nature and sufficient for the vast capacity of an immortal Soul Some of the Heathen came near this when they stated mans Happiness as consisting in the Contemplation of the highest being And indeed the very Nature and Operations of the Soul and its apprehending spiritual Objects amounts to little less than a demonstration of this 2. The enjoyment of God is the greatest good any Creature can be capable of God is in himself absolutely the greatest good because an infinite one and comprehensive of all Perfection and there can be no greater good than to be possessed of him that is the greatest 3. The reward and happiness of an holy Soul can be nothing less than the greatest good and therefore must needs be the enjoyment of God himself this appears in that 1. Less than the greatest good cannot satisfie mans Soul and then to be sure cannot make it happy when its happiness consists in its being fully satisfied All the riches and pleasures of this World and delights of Sense can never be to the Soul instead of God because they are unsuitable to its nature which is spiritual to its duration which is immortal and to those appetites God hath implanted in it It 's very capacity of enjoying God is attended with a secret Inclination to it insomuch that many times when a man may not have an explicit and distinct knowledge of the good he wants yet being unsatisfied with what he hath though never so great he finds a want of something else and because he wants it he desires it though he know not clearly what it is to make him happy 2. It is most congruous to the Wisdom and goodness of God to appoint the greatest good to be the Happiness of the noblest of his Creatures not that they deserve it but because he may be most glorified by it and because he hath given them a nature capable of it As he suits the good of other Creatures to the capacities he hath given them so he doth the good of man None but Angels and men are capable of enjoying or actively glorifying him and God having capacitated them for that sutes their good to their Capacity It had not been agreeable to the Wisdom of God for man to have had only some inferiour good in this Life assigned to him as his chief Happiness when he had made him capable of an higher Thus much hath been said and more might even from Reason it self to prove the reality of those things Believers look for in the other Life How much might be said from Scripture with respect to which only they are the Objects of Faith but this I referre to the next head the ground of a Christian Faith 2. That is certain The same things sometimes may both be believed with a Divine Faith and known too by natural Reason but then the Medium whereby they are known and the ground whereon they are believed are very different the one is some rational argument the other the Word of God In the case before us the being of Eternal Life the present Object of Faith we speak of may be proved by reason but then so far it is not the Object of Faith but of Knowledge but withall it may be proved by Scripture and so it is the Object of Faith and as such I am now to speak of it and so to shew that the ground on which a Christian believes Eternal Life is most certain and that is no other than the Word of God particularly the Promise of the Gospel The Scripture therefore is the ground of the Faith of Eternal Life 1. As it reveals it for that it doth more fully and clearly though something a man may know of future Happiness by his natural light as before was said yet the fairest and most distinct notion he hath of it is by Revelation in the Word that tells us plainly what is that great good in which mans Happiness consists 1 Joh. 3.2 Seeing God as he is and being like him Life and Immortality are brought to light especially by the Gospel 2 Tim. 1.10 not only more distinctly discovered than ever Nature could discern them but than God himself had revealed them in the Old Testament 2. As it shews the way to it the terms on which it is to be obtained sets before us Eternal Life as in Christ it not only tells us of the thing it self but shews how man sinfull man may attain to the enjoyment of it declares true Holiness to be the way in which he is to walk and Christ the Door by which he is to enter 3. As it secures it upon
to stay here There is more in the World to Wean us than to tempt us Is it not a valley of tears and do we weep to leave it Are we not in a Wilderness among fiery Serpents and are we loath to leave their company Is there a better Friend we can go to than God are there any sweeter Smiles or softer Embraces than his k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Menand Sure those who know when they dye they go to receive their Reward should neither be fond of Life nor fearful of Death the Pangs of Death to Believers are but the Pangs of Travel by which they are born into Glory Believe this Reward Vse 2 Exhortation look not upon it as a Platonical Idea or Fancy Sensualists question this Reward because they do not see it they may as well question the Verity of their Souls because being Spirits they Branch 1 cannot be seen where should our Faith rest but upon a Divine testimony we believe there are such places as Affrica and America though we never saw them because Travellers who have been there affirm it and shall we not believe the Eternal Recompences when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God himself affirms it The whole Earth hangs upon the Word of Gods Power and shall not our Faith hang upon the Word of his Truth Let us not be Scepticks in matters of such importance The Rabbins tell us the great dispute between Cain and Abel was about the future Reward Abel affirmed it Cain deny'd it The disbelief of this Grand Truth is the cause of the flagitiousness of the Age. Immorality begins at Infidelity l Heb. 3.12 to mistrust a Future Reward is to question the Bible and to destroy a main Article of our Creed Life Everlasting such Atheists as look upon Gods Promise but as a forged deed put God to swear against them that they shall never enter into his rest m Heb. 3.18 If God be such an exceeding great Reward let us endeavour that Branch 2 he may be our Reward In other things we love a Propriety This House is mine this Lordship and Mannor is mine and why not this God is mine Go saith Pharaoh to Moses and Aaron Sacrifice to your God not My God The leaving out one Word in a Will may spoil the Will the leaving out this Word My is the loss of Heaven n Tolle meum tolle Deum Psal 67.6 God even our own God shall bless us He who can pronounce this Shibboleth My God is the happiest man alive How shall we know that God is our Reward Quest If God hath given us the Earnest of this Reward Answ this Earnest is his Spirit o Pignus redditur arrha retinetur Hierom. Ephes 1.14 Ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise which is the earnest of the Inheritance Where God gives his Spirit for an Earnest there he gives himself for a Portion Christ gave the Purse to Judas not his Spirit Quest How shall we know we have Gods Spirit Answ The Spirit carryes influence along with it p Est Vehiculum influentiae it consecrates the Heart making it a Sacrary or Holy of Holyes it Sanctifies the Fancy causing it to mint Holy Thoughts it Sanctifies the Will strongly by assing it to good as Musk lying among Linnen perfumes it so the Spirit of God in the Soul perfumes it with Sanctity Object But are not the Unregenerate said to partake of the Holy Ghost Answ They may have the Common Gifts of the Spirit not the special Grace they may have the enlightning of the Spirit not the anointing they may have the Spirit movere not vivere move in them not live in them But to partake of the Holy Ghost aright is when the Spirit leaves lively impressions upon the Heart it softens sublimates transforms it q Implet Spiritus Sanctus organum suum tanquam fila Chordarum tangit digitus Dei corda Sanctorum Prosper writing a law of Grace there Heb. 8.10 By this Earnest we have a Title to the Reward 2. If God be our Reward he hath given us an Hand to lay hold on him this hand is Faith Mark 9.24 Lord I believe a Weak Faith justifies r Credo Domine languida fide tamen credo Cruciger As a weak hand can tye the Knot in Marriage a weak Faith can lay hold on a strong Christ the nature of Faith is assent joyned with affiance ſ Acts 8.37 Acts 16.31 Faith doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make God ours other Graces make us like Christ Faith makes us One with him and this Faith is known by it's Vertue No precious Stone saith Cardan but hath some vertue latent in it Precious Faith hath Vertue in it it quickens and enobles it puts worth into our Services t Rom. 16.26 it puts a difference between the Abba Father of a Saint and the Ave Mary of a Papist 3. We may know God is our Reward by our choosing him Religion is not a matter of Chance but of Choice u Psal 119.30 have we weighed things in the ballance and upon mature deliberation made an Election We will have God upon any Tearms have we sat down and reckon'd the cost what Religon must cost us the parting with our Lusts and what it may cost us the parting with our Lives Have we resolved through the assistance of Grace to own Christ when the Swords and Staves are up and to sail with him not only in a Pleasure Boat but in a Man of War x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Ignatius ad Tars This choosing God speaks him to be Ours Hypocrites profess God out of Worldly design not Religious choice 4. God is known to be our Reward by the complacential Delight we take in him Psalm 34.7 How do men please themselves with rich Portions what delight doth a Bride take in her Jewels Do we delight in God as our Eternal Portion y Hae sunt Piorum delitiae Deo pacato frui Indeed he is a whole Paradise of delight all excellencies meet in God as the Lines in the Center is ours a Genuine delight do we not only delight in Gods blessings but in God himself is it a Superior delight do we delight in God above other things David had his Crown Revenues to delight in but his delight in God took place of all other delights Psalm 43.4 God my exceeding Joy or as it is in the Original the Gladness z 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Cream of my joy can we delight in God when other delights are gone Hab. 3.17 Though the Figtree shall not Blossom yet I will rejoice in the Lord. When the Flowers in a mans Garden dye yet he can delight in his Land and Money thus a Gracicious Soul when the Creature fades can rejoyce in the Pearl of price Paulinus when they told him the Goths had Sack'd Nola a Domine ubi sunt omnia mea tuscis and
to the end and ye see what power he had with God in Prayer for wicked Sodom God communicated his Secrets to him as one Friend to another and Abraham made Intercession to him as Favourites of Princes for Malefactors So did he for Sodom and ye know how far he prevailed for he was a Righteous man Jam. 5.16 and such a mans Prayer prevaileth much And what was Abrahams Righteousness even the Righteousness of Faith by Imputation Rom. 4. and this Faith living and working XV. We keep our selves in the Love of God when we declare a publick Spirit for the Cause of God in his Church against the Enemies of it by being zealous for his Glory and valiant for his Truth in our Station Judg. 5. This is lively asserted in the Song of Deborah and Barak who after she had praised some for their appearing and others for not appearing in this Cause dispraised the Lord she praised above all for his presence with his People and for that Spirit of Love he poured out upon them in these Words vers 31. So let all thine Enemies perish O Lord but let them that love him be as the Sun when he goeth forth in his might Now the Reason why this publick Spirit in the Cause of God is expressed by our Love to God is this Because God is so much concerned in it 1. As to his Honour to defend and deliver his People from his and their Enemies as the Midianites were 2. As to his Power in reducing thirty thousand to three hundred Jud. 7. as in Gideons case all that lapped He as a poor Barley Cake tumbled all the Enemies down and by a small company And a Woman in Deborahs case that is by her self and Jael Judg. 4.21 destroyed Jabin and Sisera's mighty Host To omit many other instances of publick Hearts in this case signally owned by God because they signally appeared for God Thus Moses Exod. 2.11 13. Judg. 5.9 This was their Love Thus saith Deborah My Heart is towards the Governours of Israel that offer themselves willingly bless ye the Lord. Zebulun and Napthali jeoparded their lives unto Death in the high places of the Field and thus did Issachar ver 15. But Reuben Gad Manasseh Dan and Asher are branded for their Cowardise I say all this appearing in the defence of all that was dear to God and them is called Love to God Therefore we may in no wise exclude this Noble publick Spirit in the cause of God and his People from the Love of God for there is no principle in the World like to the Love of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 3.8 Deum odisse in sacris literis peculiariter illi dicuntur qui falsos deos colunt Maimon Which love me and keep my Commandments Illa praecipuè quae ad arcendas pravas superstitiones pertinent Grot. Hinc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pij dicti sunt Ezek. 16.33 36 37. chap. 23.5 Jer. 2.2 I remember the love of the Espousals to animate and inflame the Soul to do great things for God This Spirit was marvellous in David whose very Name was from Love Therefore it is the duty of every Child of God to pray for the Spirit of God which only sheds all divine Love abroad in the Heart Rom. 5.5 which God inspires as he pleaseth XVI A great means of keeping our selves in the Love of God is to be Sincere and Sound in the Worship of God Mark this well for herein lyes the Love or Hatred of God as appears plainly in the second Commandement Exod. 20. ver 6. Therefore Idols and Idolaters are called our Lovers Hosea 2.5 7. Jer. 8.1 Hosea 13. They kissed the Calves ver 2. Therefore our Hankering and embracing of a false Worship provokes God to jealousie Therefore the Lord deals with Superstition and Idolatry in his People after the Law of Harlots and Adulterers The Scripture is full of this Language There is no higher Act of Love in God than to espouse a People to be his own and to give them a Rule of Worship of his own Institution and to hold them to it as he did Israel And when a People follows God and serves God according to his own appointments there are no higher Acts of Love towards him in Gods account God is enamoured with such a People God in his highest acts of jealousie was inraged against his Idolatrous people Psal 78.59 They kissed their Idols giving them all the tokens of Love and Homage 1 King 19.18 Job 31.27 They burnt their Children to them as the costlyest Sacrifice as Abraham would his Isaac in Love to God but God only tryed him by it Mark 7.7 Colos 2.22 Mat. 15.2 3 6. Rev. 17.4 5. he calls them his Hephsibah and his Beulah Isa 62.4 We see it also in the instance of good Kings how the Lord prized and praised them for this very thing for Reforming and setting up the true Worship of God as David Asa Jehosaphat Hezekiah Josiah how the Lord prospered them because their Hearts were right and perfect with God in this thing On the other side how he hath branded and blasted all those that were false herein For this was David a man after Gods own Heart fulfilling all his Wills which is chiefly meant in the point of Gods Worship Act. 13.22 As for the Wills of men in the Worship of God by their Inventions Traditions and Commandements he tells you he hates them and they are Abomination to him And no wonder for what intrencheth more upon the Honour of Gods Wisdom and Soveraignty than this That he doth not know best how to appoint his own Worship but must be fain to be beholding to Man for his devices and dictates in the Case This though it seems very gay is Whorish and Poysonous this golden Dress and Cup is intoxicating XVII A great Means of keeping in the Love of God is keeping up the Communion of Saints in all the parts and duties of it What this is we shall see according to Scripture The Communion of Saints is our Participation of all the good things of God in common whereunto all the Saints and only they have right consisting in our Union to God as our chiefest good this is with God as a Father with the Son and Holy Spirit 1 Joh. 1.3 2 Cor. 13.13 1. We have Communion with the Father as Children and all in the greatest Love 1 Joh. 3.1 Rom. 8.16 17. This is procured by Christ 1 Joh. 2.23 only obtained by Believing Joh. 1.12 And maintained by the Spirit Rom. 8.14 Who walk not in darkness but in light 1 Joh. 1.6 7. 2. We have Communion with Jesus Christ the Son of God By which we are made partakers of him of his Nature and of his Grace and of his Glory all which is done by Faith that uniteing and marrying Grace and this works such Conjugal Love between Christ and his Church as makes them
they may have thereby they will give them up to be an easie prey unto the other Designers And there are two Engines that are applied unto this purpose the one is Ignorance the other is Prophaneness or Sensuality of Life Whenever either of these prevails the Experience intended must necessarily be lost and excluded And the means of their prevailing are want of due Instruction by those who are the Leaders of the People and the encouragement of Sensuality by Impunity and great Examples This is the only formidable Conspiracy against the Profession of the Truth in this Nation without whose Aid all power and force will be frustrate in the Issue And as there is a great appearance in Divine Permission of such a state of things at present amongst us so if they be manag'd by Counsel also and that those ways of Ignorance and Sensuality are countenanced and promoted for this very End that the power of Truth being lost the Profession of it may be given up on easie terms there is nothing but Sovereign Grace that can prevent the Design For the Principle which we have laid down is uncontrollable in Reason and Experience namely That the loss of an Experience of the power of Religion will issue one way or other in the loss of the Truth of Religion and the Profession of it Whence is it that so many corrupt Opinions have made such an Inroad on Protestant Religion and the Profession of it Is it not from hence that many have lost an Experience of the power and efficacy of the Truth and so have parted with it Whence is it that Prophaneness and Sensuality of Life with all manner of corrupt Lusts of the Flesh have grown up unto the shame of Profession Is it not from the same Cause as the Apostle expresly declares it comes by 2 Tim. 4 2 3 4 5. One way or other the loss of Experience of the power of Truth will end in the loss of the profession of it But I proceed unto the Instance which I do design in the Church of Rome for the Religion of it at this day is nothing but a dead Image of the Gospel erected in the loss of an experience of its spiritual power overthrowing its Use with all its Ends being suited to the Taste of men carnal ignorant and superstitious This I shall make evident by all sorts of Instances in things relating to the Person and Offices of Christ the State Order and Worship of the Church with the Graces and Duties of Obedience required in the Gospel And in all my principal Design is to demonstrate what is the only way and means of securing our own Souls any Church or Nation from being insnared with or prevailed against by Popery 1. It is a general Notion of Truth that the Lord Christ in his Person and Grace is to be proposed and represented unto men as the principal Object of their Faith and Love He himself in his divine Person is absolutely invisible unto us and as unto his humane Nature absent from us For the Heavens must receive him until the time of the restitution of all things There must therefore an Image or Representation of him be made unto our Minds or he cannot be the proper Object of our Faith Trust Love and Delight This is done in the Gospel and the preaching of it for therein he is evidently set forth before our eyes as crucified amongst us Gal. 3.1 So also are all the other Concerns of his Person and Offices therein clearly proposed unto us yea this is the principal End of the Gospel namely to make a due Representation of the Person Offices Grace and Glory of Christ unto the Souls of men that they may believe in him and believing have eternal Life John 20.31 Upon this Representation made of Christ and his Glory in the Gospel and the Preaching of it Believers have an Experience of the power and efficacy of the divine Truth contained therein in the way before mentioned as the Apostle declares 2 Cor. 3.18 For we all with open face beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Having a Spiritual Light to discern and behold the Glory of Christ as represented in the Glass of the Gospel they have experience of its transfoâ—ming power and efficacy changing them into the likeness of the Image represented unto them that is of Christ himself which is the saving effect of Gospel-power But this Spiritual Light was lost among men through th efficacy of their Darkness and Unbelief they were not able to discover the Glory of Christ as revealed and proposed in the Gospel so as to make him the present Object of their Faith and Love And this Light being lost they could have no experience of the power of Divine Truth concerning him changing them into his Image They could make no affecting discovery of him in the Scripture All things therein were dark and confused or at least seemed an inaccessible Mystery which they could not reduce to practice Hence those who had got the publick conduct of Religion drove the people from Reading the Scripture as that which was of no use but rather dangerous unto them What shall these men then betake themselves unto shall they reject the notion in general that there ought to be such a representation made of Christ unto the minds of men as to inflame their devotion to excite their Faith and stir up their affection to him This cannot be done without an open Renunciation of him and of the Gospel as a Fable Wherefore they will find out another way for it another means unto the same end And this is by making Images of him of wood and stone or Gold and Silver or painting on them Hereby they supposed he would be made present unto his Worshippers That he would be so represented unto them as that they should be immediately stirred up unto the embraces of Faith and Love And herein they found sensible effects unto their great satisfaction For their minds being dark carnal and prone to superstition as are the minds of all men by nature they would see nothing in the Spiritual Representation of him in the Gospel that had any power on them or did in any measure affect them In these Images by the means of sight and imagination they found that which did really work upon their Affections and as they thought did excite them unto the love of Christ And this was the true Original of all the Imagery in the Church of Rome as something of the same nature in general was of all the Image-worship in the World So the Israelites in the wilderness when they made the Golden Calf did it to have a representation of a Deity near unto them in such a visible manner as that their Souls might be affected with it so they expressed themselves Exod 32 1. Wherefore in this State under a loss of
glorious and that in an eminent manner above all the outward Worship of the Old Testament in the Tabernacle and Temple whose Glory was great and as unto external Pomp inimitable To this purpose the Apostle disputes at large 2 Cor. 3.6 7 8 9 10. This therefore is agreed that there ought to be Beauty and Glory in divine Worship and that they are most eminently in that which is directed and required in the Gospel But withal the Apostle declares in the same place that this Glory is Spiritual and not Carnal so did our Lord Jesus Christ foretel that it should be and that unto that end all distinction of places with all outward advantages and Ornaments belonging unto them should be taken away John 4 20 21 22 23 24. It belongs therefore unto our present Design to give a brief Account of its Glory and wherein it excels all other ways of divine Worship that ever were in the world even that under the Old Testament which was of divine Institution wherein all things were ordered for Beauty and Glory And it may be given in the Instances that ensue 1. The express Object of it is God not as absolutely considered but as existing in three Persons of Father Son and Holy Spirit This is the principal Glory of Christian Religion and its Worship Under the Old Testament the Conceptions of the Church about the Existence of the Divine Nature in distinct Persons were very dark and obscure for the full Revelation of it was not to be made but in the distinct actings of each Person in the works of Redemption and Salvation of the Church that is in the Incarnation of the Son and Mission of the Spirit after he was glorified John 7.39 And in all the ways of Natural Worship there was never the least shadow of any respect hereunto But this is the foundation of all the Glory of Evangelical Worship The Object of it in the Faith of the Worshipper is the Holy Trinity and it consists in an Ascription of Divine Glory unto each Person in the same individual Nature by the same Act of the Mind where this is not there is no Glory in Religious Worship 2. It s Glory consists in that constant respect which it hath unto each Divine Person as unto their peculiar work and actings for the salvation of the Church so it is described Eph. 2.18 Through him that is the Son as Mediator we have our access by one Spirit unto the Father This is the immediate Glory of Evangelical Worship comprehensive of all the Graces and Priviledges of the Gospel And to suppose that the Glory of it doth consist in any thing but the Light Graces and Privileges which it doth it self exhibit is a vain Imagination It will not borrow Glory from the Invention of men we shall therefore a little consider it as it is here represented by the Apostle 1. The Vltimate Object of it under this consideration is God as the Father we have an access therein unto the Father And this Consideration in our worship of God as a Father relating unto the whole dispensation of his Love and Grace by Christ Jesus as he is God and our God his Father and our Father is peculiar unto Gospel-worship and contains a signal part of its glory We do not only worship God as a Father so the very Heathens had a Notion that he was a Father of all things but we worship him who is the Father and as he is so both in relation to the eternal Generation of the Son and the communication of Grace by him unto us as our Father so no man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him John 1.18 This Access in our worship unto the Person of the Father as in Heaven the holy Place above as on a Throne of Grace is the glory of the Gospel See Mat. 6.9 Heb. 4.16 châ—p 10.19 20 21. 2. The Son is here considered as Mediator through him we have this access unto the Father This is the Glory that was hidden from former Ages but brought to light and display'd by the Gospel So speaks our blessed Saviour himself unto his Disciples Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my Name he will give it you Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my Name ask and ye shall receive Iohn 16.23 24. To ask God expresly in the Name of the Son as Mediator belongs unto the Glory of the Gospel-worship The chief of them may be reduced to these three Heads 1. It is he who makes both the persons of the Worshippers and their Duties accepted of God See Heb. 2.17 18. chap. 4.16 chap. 10.19 2. He is the Administrator of all the worship of the Church in the holy place above as its great High Priest over the House of God Heb. 8.2 Rev. 8.3 3. His Presence with and among Gospel-worshippers in their worship gives it Glory This he declares and promises Mat. 18.19 20. If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven for where two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst of them All Success of the Prayers of the Church dependeth on and ariseth from the presence of Christ amongst them He is so present for their assistance and for their consoâ—ation This presence of a Living Christ and not a dead Crucifix gives Glory to Divine worship He who sees not the Glory of this Worship from its relation unto Christ is a stranger unto the Gospel with all the Light Graces and Privileges of it 3. It is in one Spirit that we have Access unto God in his Worship and in his Administration doth the Apostle place the glory of it in opposition unto all the glory of the Old Testament as doth our Lord Jesus Christ also in the place before referred unto for 1. The whole Ability for the observance and performance of it according to the Mind of God is from him alone His communication of Grace and Gifts unto the Church is that alone which makes it to give glory to God in his Divine Service If this should cease all acceptable Worship would cease in the world To think to observe the Worship of the Gospel without the Aid and Assistance of the Spirit of the Gospel is a lewd imagination But where he is there is Liberty and Glory 2 Cor. 3.17 18. 2. By him the sanctified Minds of Believers are made Temples of God and so the principal Seal of Evangelical worship 1 Cor. 3.16 chap. 6.8 This Temple being of God's own framing and of his own adorning by his Spirit is a much more glorious Fabrick than any that the hands of men can erect 3. By him is the Church led into internal Communion and Converse with God in Christ in Light Love and Delight with holy boldness the glory whereof is expressed by the Apostle
Heb. 10.19 21 22. In these things I say doth the true Glory of Evangelical Worship consist and if it doth not it hath no Glory in comparison of that which did excel in the Old Legal Worship For the wit of man was never yet able to set it off with half the outward Beauty and Glory that was in the Worship of the Temple But herein it is that it not only leaves no Glory thereunto in comparison but doth unspeakably excel whatever the wit and wealth of men can extend unto But there is a Spiritual Light required that we may discern the Glory of this Worship and have thereby an Experience of its Power and Efficacy in reference unto the Ends of its appointment This the Church of Believers hath They see it as it is a blessed Means of giving Glory unto God and of receiving gracious Communications from him which are the Ends of all the Divine Institutions of worship and they have therein such an Experience of its efficacy as gives Rest and Peace and Satisfaction unto their Souls For they find that as their worship directs them unto a blessed view by Faith of God in his ineffable Existence with the glorious actings of each Person in the dispensation of Grace which fills their hearts with Joy unspeakable so also that all Graces are exercised increased and strengthned in the observance of it with Love and Delight But all Light into all Perceptions of this Glory all Experience of its Power was amongst the most lost in the world I intend in all these Instances the time of the Papal Apostacy Those who had the conduct of Religion could discern no Glory in tâ—â—â—e things nor obtain any experience of their Power Be the Worship what it will they can see no Glory in it nor did it give any satisfaction to their minds for having no light to discern its glory they could have no Experience of its power and efficacy What then shall they do The Notion must be retained that Divine Worship is to be beautiful and glorious But in the Spiritual Worship of the Gospel they could see nothing thereof wherefore they thought necessary to make a Glory for it or to dismiss it out of the world and set up such an Image of it as might appear beautiful unto their fleshly minds and give them satisfaction To thiâ— end they set their Inventions on work to find out Ceremonies Vestments Gestures Ornaments Musick Altars Images Paintings with prescriptions of great bodily Veneration This Pageantry they call the Beauty the Order the Glory of Divine Worship This is that which they see and feel and which as they judge doth dispose their Minds unto Devotion without it they know not how to pay any reverence unto God himself and when it is wanting whatever be the Life the Power the Spirituality of the Worship in the Worshippers whatever be its efficacy unto all the proper ends of it however it be ordered according unto the prescription of the Word it is unto them empty indecent they can see neither Beauty nor Glory in it This Light and Experience being lost the introduction of Beggarly Elements and Carnal Ceremonies in the Worship of the Church with attempts to render it dâ—corous and beautiful by Superstitious Rites and Observances wherewith it hath been defiled and corrupted as it was and is in the Church of Rome was nothing but the setting up of a deformed Image in the room of it and this they are pleased withal The Beauty and Glory with Carving and Painting and imbroidered Vestures and Musical Incantations and Postures of Veneration do give unto Divine Service they can see and feel and in their own imagination are sensibly excited unto Devotion by them But hereby instead of representing the true Glory of the Worship of he Gospel wherein it excels that under the Old Testament they have rendred it altogethâ—â— â—inglorious in comparison of it for all the Ceremonies and Ornaments which they have invented for that end come unspeakably short for Beauty Order and Glory of what was appointed by God himself in the Temple scarce equalling what was among the Pagans It will be said that the things whereunto we assign the Glory of this Worship are spiritual and invisible Now this is not that which is enquired after but that whose Beauty we may behold and be affected with And this may consist in the things which we decry at least in some of them though I must say if there be Glory in any of them the more they are multiplied the better it must needs be but this is that which we plead Men being not able by the Light of Faith to discern the Glory of things spiritual and invisible do make Image of them unto themselves as Gods that may go before them and these they are affected withal but the Worship of the Church is spiritual and the Glory of it is invisible unto eyes of Flesh So both our Saviour and the Apostles do testifie in the Celebration of it We come unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the Living God the Heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable Company of Angels to the general Assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven and to God the Judge of all and to the Spirits of Just men made perfect and to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant and to the Blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel Heb. 12.22 23 24. The Glory of this Assembly though certainly above that of Organs and Pipes and Crucifixes and Vestments yet doth not appear unto the Sense or Imaginations of men That which I design here is to obviate the Meritricious Allurements of the Roman Worship and the Pretences of its efficacy to excite Devotion and Veneration by its Beauty and Decency The whole of it is but a Deformed Image of that Glory which they cannot behold To obtain and preserve in our hearts an experience of the power and efficacy of that Worship of God which is in Spirit and Truth as unto all the real Ends of Divine Worship is that alone which will secure us Whilst we do retain right Notions of the proper Object of Gospel-worship and of our immediate approach by it thereunto of the way and manner of that approach through the Mediation of Christ and assistance of the Spirit whilst we keep up Faith and Love unto their due exercise in it wherein on our part the Life of it doth consist preserving an experience of the spiritual benefit and advantage which we receive thereby we shall not easily be inveagled to relinquish them all and to give up our selves unto the Embraces of this lifeless Image SECT III. It is an universal unimpeachable Perswasion amongst all Christians that there is a near intimate Communion with Christ and Participation of him in the Supper of the Lord. He is no Christian who is otherwise minded Hence from the beginning this was always esteemed the principal Mystery in the
such an Headship The Church is visible and it must they thought have a visible Head It was meet also that this Head should have some such Grandeur and Pomp in the World as became the Head of so Great and Glorious a Society as the Church is How to apply these things unto Christ and his Presence with the Church by his Word and Spirit they knew not Shall they then forgo the Principle That the Church is to have such an Head and Supream Ruler That must not be done but be sacredly retained not only because to deny it in general is to renounce the Gospel but because they had found out a way to turn it unto their own advantage they would therefore make an Image of Christ as this Head of the Church to possess the Place and act all the Powers of such an Head for the Church they say is visible and must have a visible Head as though the Catholick Church as such were any other way visible but as the Head of it is that is by Faith That there must be an Head and Center of Union wherein all the Members of the Church may agree and be united notwithstanding all their distinct Capacities and Circumstances and how this should be Christ himself they know not that without a Supream Head present in the Church to compose all Differences and determine all Controversies even those concerning himself which they vainly pretend unto they expresly affirm that there was never a Society so foolishly ordered as that of the Church And hereon they conclude the Insufficiency of Christ to be this fâ—le Head of the Church another they must have for these Ends. And this was their Pope such an Image as is one of the worst of Idols that ever were in the world Unto him they give all the Titles of Christ which relate unto the Church and ascribe all the Powers of Christ in and over it as unto its Rule to him also But here they fell into a Mistake for when they thought to give him the Power of Christ they gave him the Power of the Dragon to use against Christ and those that are his And when they thought to make an Image of Christ they made an Image of the First Beast set up by the Dragon which had two Horns like a Lamb but spake as a Dragon whose Character and Employ is at large described Rev. 13.11 12 13 14 15 16 17. This is the Sum of what I shall offer on this Head Those who called themselves the Church had lost all Spiritual Light enabling them to discern the Beauty and Glory of the Rule of Christ over the Church as its Head and hereon their Minds became destitute of all Experience of the power and efficacy of his Spirit and Word continually to order the Affairs thereof in the ways and through the use of Means by himself appointed they knew not how to acquiesce in these things nor how the Church could be maintained by them Wherefore in this case they helped every one his Neighbour and every one said to his Brother be of good comfort so the Carpenter encouraged the Goldsmith and he that sâ—â—â—teth with the Hammer him that smiteth the Anvil They set themselves in their several capacities to frame this Idol and set him up in the place and stead of Christ so fixing him in the Temple of God that he might shew himself from thence to be as God Neither will this Idol be ever cast out of the Church until the Generality of Christians become spiritually sensible of the Authority of Christ exerting it self in the Rule of the Church by his Spirit and his Word unto all the Ends of Unity Order Peace and Edification until that be done a Pope or somthing like him will be thought necessary unto these Ends. But never was there a more horrid deformed Image made of so beautiful and glorious an Head All the Craft of Satan all the Wits of men cannot invent any thing more unlike Christ as the Head of the Church than this Pope is A worse Figure and Representation of him cannot possibly be made This is he of whom nothing not great nothing common nothing not exceeding the ordinary state of Mankind on the one hand or the other is thought or spoken Some say he is the Head and Husband of the Church the Vicar of Christ over the whole World God's Vicegerent a Vice-God Peter's Successor the Head and Center of Vnity unto the whole Catholick Church endued with a plenitude of Power with other Ascriptions of the same nature innumerable whereon it is necessary unto every Soul under pain of Damnation to be subject unto him Others aver that he is Antichrist the Man of Sin the Son of Perdition the Beast that came out of the Earth with two Horns like a Lamb and a Voice like the Dragon the false Prophet the Idol Shepherd the evil Servant that beateth his fellow-Servants the Adulterer of a Meretricious and false Church and there is no Mean betwixt these He is undoubtedly the One or the Other The Lord Jesus Christ who hath determined this Controversie already in his Word will ere long give it its ultimate Issue in his own glorious Person and by the brightness of his coming And this is an eminent Idol in the Chamber of Imagery in the Roman Church But at present it is evident wherein lies the preservation of Believers from being inveagled to bow down to this Image and to worship it A due sence of the sole Authority of Christ in and over his Church with an experience of the power of his Word and Spirit unto all the Ends of its Rule and Order will keep them unto the Truth herein and nothing else will so do And if once they decline from this in any Instances seem they never so small so as to admit of any thing in the Church or its Worship which doth not derive immediately from his Authority they will be disposed to admit of another Guide and Head in all other things also SECT V. Again it is a Notion of Truth That the Church of Christ is beautiful and glorious There are many Prophesies and Predictions concerning it that so it should be and there are sundry descriptions given of it as such It s Relation unto Christ with his Love unto it and valuation of it do require that it should be so glorious yea his great Design towards it was to make it so to be Eph. 5.25 26 27. This therefore all do agree in who profess Christian Religion but what that Glory is and wherein it doth consist whence it is and is said to be glorious is not agreed upon The Scripture indeed plainly declares this Glory to be Spiritual and internal that it consists in its Union unto Christ his presence with it the communication of his quickning Spirit unto it the cloathing of it with his Righteousness in its Sanctification and Purification from the defilement of Sin with its fruitfulness in Obedience unto
conscientious respect unto it Force and Fear rule all This is that Discipline in whose execution the blood of an innumerable company of Holy Martyrs hath been shed that wherein all the vital Spirits of the Papacy do act themselves and whereby it doth subsist and although it be the Image of Jealousie or the Image of the first Beast set up by the Dragon yet it cannot be denyed but that it is very wisely accommodated unto the present State of the Generality of them that are called Christians amongst them For being both blind and carnal and having thereby lost all Sense and Experience of the Spiritual Power of the Rule of Christ in their Consciences they are become an Herd not fit to be governed or ruled any other way Under the Bondage of it therefore they must abide till the vail of Blindness be taken away and they are turned unto God by his Word and Spirit for where the Spirit of the Lord is there and there alone is Liberty SECT VII Unto the foregoing particular Instances with respect unto the Church I shall yet add one more general which is indeed comprehensive of them all or the root from whence they spring a root-bearing Gall and Wormwood And this is concerning the Catholick Church What belongs unto this Catholick Church what is comprized in its Communion The Apostle declares Heb. 12.22 23 24. It is the Recapitulation of all things in Heaven and Earth in Christ Jesus Eph. 1.10 His Body his Spouse or Bride the Lambs Wife the glorious Temple wherein God doth dwell by his Spirit An holy mystical Society purchased and purified by the blood of Christ and united unto him by his spirit or the Inhabitation of the same spirit in him and those whereof it doth consist Hence they with him as the body with its head are mystically called Christ 1 Cor 12.12 And there are two parts of it the one whereof is already perfected in Heaven as unto their spirits and the other yet continued in the way of faith and obedience in this world Both these constitute one family in Heaven and Earth Ephes 3.15 In Conjunction with the holy Angels one Mystical-Body one Catholick Church And although there is a great difference in their present state and condition between these two branches of the same Family yet are they both equally purchased by Christ and united unto him as their Head having both of them effectually the same principle of the life of God in them Of a third part of this Church neither in Heaven nor in Earth in a temporary State participant somewhat of Heaven and somewhat of Hell called Purgatory the Scripture knoweth nothing at all neither is it consistent with the Analogy of Faith or the promises of God unto them that do believe as we shall see immediately This Church even as unto that part of it which is in this world as it is adorned with all the graces of the Holy Spirit is the most beautiful and glorious effect next unto the forming and production of its Head in the Incarnation of the Son of God which Divine Wisdom Power and Grace will extend themselves unto here below But these things the glory of this State is visible only unto the eye of Faith yea it is perfectly seen and known only to Christ himself We see it obscurely in the light of Faith and Revelation and are sensible of it according unto our participating of the graces and privileges wherein it doth consist But that spiritual light which is necessary to the discerning of this Glory was lost among those of whom we treat They could see no reality nor beauty in these things nor any thing that should be of advantage unto them For upon their principle of the utter uncertainty of mens spiritual estate and condition in this world it is evident that they could have no satisfactory perswasion of any concernment in it But they had possessed themselves of the notion of a Catholick Church which with mysterious Artifices they have turned unto their own incredible secular Advantage This is that whereof they boast appropriating it unto themselves and making it a pretence of destroying others what lies in them both temporally and eternally Unto this end they have formed the most deformed and detestable Image of it that ever the world beheld For the Catholick Church which they own and which they boast that they are instead of that of Christ is a company or society of men unto whom in order unto the constitution of that whole society there is no one real Christian grace required nor spiritual Vnion unto Christ the Head but only an outside profession of these things as they expresly contend A Society united unto the Pope of Rome as its head by a subjection unto him and his rule according to the Laws and Canons whereby he will grant them This is the formal reason and cause constituting that Catholick Church which they are which is compacted in it self by horrid Bonds and Ligaments for the ends of Ambition worldly Domination and Avarice A Catholick Church openly wicked in the generality of its rulers and them that are ruled and in its State cruel oppressive and died with the blood of Saints and Martyrs innumerable This I say is that Image of the Holy Catholick Church the spouse of Christ which they have set up And it hath been as the Image of Moloch that hath devoured and consumed the Children of the Church whose cryes when their cruel step-mother pittied them not and when their pretended Ghostly Fathers cast them into the flames came up unto the ears of the Lord of Hosts and their blood still cries for vengeance on this idolatrous generation Yet is this pretence of the Catholick Church pressed in the minds of many with so many Sophistical Artifices through the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive proposed with the allurements of so many secular advantages and imposed oftimes on Christians with so much force and cruelty that nothing can secure us from the Admission of it unto the utter overthrow of Religion but the means before insisted on A spiritual light is necessary hereunto to discern the internal spiritual beauty and glory of the true Catholick Church of Christ Where this is in its power all the paintings and dresses of their deformed Image will fall off from it and its abominable filth will be made to appear And this will be accompanied with an effectual experience of the glory and excellency of that grace in the souls of those that believe derived from Christ the sole head of this Church whereby they are changed from Glory to Glory as by the spirit of the Lord. The Power Life and sweetness hereof will give satisfaction unto their souls to the contempt of the pretended order of dependance on the Pope as an head By these means the true Catholick Church which is the body of Christ the fulness of him that filleth all in all growing
of the Gospel and endeavour as they say the conversion of the Souls of men This is the second Part of that Image which they have set up instead of the Holy Appointment of Jesus Christ The Third Way they insist on unto this purpose the third part of this Image consists in Plots and Contrivances to murder Princes to embroil Nations in Blood to stir up Sedition unto their Ruine inveagling and alluring all sorts of Vicious Indigent Ambitious Persons into an Association with them so to introduce the Catholick Religion in the places which they design to subvert This Engine for the Propagation of the Faith hath been plied with various Successes in many Nations of Europe and is still at work unto the same purpose And hereunto belong all the Arts which they use for the infatuation of the Minds of Princes and Great men all the Baits they lay for others of all sorts to work them over unto a compliance with their Designs Of these Parts I say is that dreadful Image made up and compos'd which they set up embrace and adore in the room of the Holy way for the propagation of the Gospel appointed by Jesus Christ In his way they can see no Beauty they can expect no success they cannot believe that ever the world will be converted by it or be brought in subjection unto the Pope and therefore betake themselves unto their own Faith Prayer Holiness Preaching Suffering all in expectation of the promised Presence and Assistance of Christ are no ways for efficacy success and advantage to be compared unto the Sword Inquisition and under-hand Designings And this also is that which they call Zeal for the Glory of God and the Honour of Christ another deformed Image which they have brought into Religion For whereas that Grace consists principally in postponing Self and all Self-concerns with an undervaluation of them unto the Glory of God and the special Duties whereby it may be promoted this Impious Design to destroy Mankind by all ways of Subtilty and Cruelty unto their own advantage is set up in the room of it But the consideration of the Nature and Spirit of the Vse and End of the Gospel of the Design of Christ in it and by it is sufficient to preserve the Souls of men not utterly infatuated in an abhorrency of this Image of its Propagation It is that wherein the God of this World by the help of their Blindness and Lusts hath put a cheat on mankind and prevailed with them under a pretence of doing Christ Honour to make the vilest Representation of him to the World that can be conceived If he hath appointed this way for the propagating of the Gospel he cannot well be distinguished from Mahomet But there is nothing more contrary unto him nothing that his holy Soul doth more abhor And had not men lost all spiritual Sense of the Nature and Ends of the Gospel they could never have given up themselves unto these Abominations For any to suppose that the Faith of the Gospel is to be propagated by such Cruelty and Blood by Art and Subtilty by Plots Conspiracies and Contrivances any way but by the foolishness of Preaching which unto that end is the Power and Wisdom of God is to declare his own Ignorance of it and inconcernment in it And had not men conceived and embraced another Religion than what is taught therein or abused a pretence thereof unto Ends and Advantages of their own this Imagination of the propagation of it had never taken place in their Minds it is so diametrically opposite unto the whole Nature and all the Ends of it SECT IX There is yet amongst them another Image of a General Principle no less horrid than that before mentioned and that with respect unto Religious Obedience It is the great foundation of all Religion and in especial of Christian Religion That God in all things is to be obeyed absolutely and universally Of all our Obedience there is no other Reason but that it is his Will and is known unto us so to be This follows necessarily from the infinite Perfections of the Divine Nature As the first Essential Verity he is to be believed in what he reveals above and against all contradiction from pretended Reasons or any Imaginations whatever and as he is the only absolute Independent Being Essential Goodness and the Sovereign Lord of all things he is without further Reason Motive or Inducement to be absolutely obeyed in all his Commands An Instance whereof we have in Abraham offering his only Son without dispute or hesitation in compliance with a Divine Revelation and Command It will seem very difficult to frame an Image hereof amongst men with whom there is not the least shadow of these Divine Perfections namely Essential Verity and absolute Sovereignty in conjunction with infinite Wisdom and Goodness which alone renders such an Obedience lawful useful or suitable unto the Principles of our rational Natures But these of whom we speak have not been wanting unto themselves herein especially the principal Craftmen of this Image-Trade The Order of the Jesuites have made a bold Attempt for the framing of it Their Vow of blind Obedience as they call it unto their Superiors whereto they resign the whole conduct of their Souls in all the concernments of Religion in all Duties toward God and man unto their Guidance and Disposal is a cursed Image of this absolute Obedience unto the Commands of God which he requireth of us Hence the Founder of their Order was not ashamed in his Epistle ad Fratres Lusitanos to urge and press this blind Obedience from the Example of Abraham yielding Obedience unto God without debate or consideration as if the Superiors of the Order were Good and not Evil and Sinful men Whilst this Honour was reserved unto God whilst this was judged to be his Prerogative alone namely that his Commands are to be obeyed in all things without Reasonings and Examinations as unto the Matter Justice and Equity of them meerly because they are his which absolutely and infallibly conclude them good holy and just the righteous Government of the world and the Security of men in all their Rights was safely provided for for he neither will nor can command any thing but what is holy just and good But since the Ascription of such a Godlike Authority unto man as to secure blind Obedience unto all their Commands innumerable Evils in Murders Seditions and Perjuries have openly ensued thereon But besides those particular Evils in matter of Fact which have proceeded from this corrupt Fountain this perswasion at once takes away all grounds of Peace and Security from Mankind for who knows what a Crew or Sort of men called the Jesuites Superiors known only by their restless Ambition and evil Practices in the world may command their Vassals who are sworn to execute whatever they command without any consideration whether it be right or wrong good or evil Let Princes and other great men
noluerint Adamum adorare Hoc suum peccatum non potuit celare Satan Luther Tom. 3. p. 82. b. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us says the beloved Disciple Joh. 1.14 He had a true body and a reasonable soul which soul of Christ considering its nearest union to the Divine nature and the light and joy and glory it must needs be full of may be look't upon by Milions of Degrees as the highest of Creatures and the chief of all the ways of God The Holy Ghost took care in the conception of Christ that his human nature should not be in the least defiled and his whole life was perfectly free from sin he did no evil neither was guile found in his mouth and his heart was alwayes pure And having taken mans Nature God is well pleased with that nature in Christ The man Christ Jesus always did those things which were pleasing to the Father The Sons of men may come with boldness to this Mediatour who is bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh He bears good will to men as the Angels sang aloud at his Nativity Man may be confident of a kind reception since Christ is so near akin to them and was in all things excepting sinful infirmities made like unto them that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest to make Reconciliation for their Iniquities Heb. 2.17 Christ is man and this man is Gods greatest favourite far greater than Joseph to Pharaoh or Mordecai to Ahasuerus Extra Christum oculos aures claudatis Vbi Iesus est ibi est totus Deus seu tota divinitas ibi Pater Spiritus Extra hunc Christum Deus nusquam invenitur Deus in carâ—e illa sic apparet ut extra hanc carnem coll cognosci non possit Luther Tam. 4. p. 491. a. He has the highest place in Heaven as well as in his Fathers heart let Saints search into his truth and they will find matters of unspeakable encouragement Here is the way to know the Father to worship him acceptably and to attain to fellowship with him here and for ever 3. Growing in the knowledge of Christ implies a more plain discerning and ful perswasion that he was foreordained to be a Redeemer Christ was the person pitched upon from eternity to be the Saviour of the Elect of God 1 Pet. 1.20 Who verily was foreordained befoâ—e the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you He is therefore caled the elect One in whom Gods Soul delights There was a compact and agreement made between the Father and the Son The Son agrees in fulness of time to be made of a Woman to take a body to offer up himself without spot to God and the Father promises eternal Life and Salvation and that he should have a Church givâ—â— him out of the world though the world is faâ—â—en into wickedness upon which Church this eternal life is to be bestowed The Prophet Zachariah tells â—s of a Counsel of Peace between the Lord of Hâ—â—â— and Christ whose name is the Branch Zach. 6.12 13. And the Apostle speaks of the promise of eternal life which God who cannot lie promised before the world began Tit. 1.2 This promise may very well be conceived to be made to the Son that he should give eternal life to all that were given him of the Father And when the Saints behold that Christ is the Person from eternity designed to be a Saviour they may include that God hath a love to them a care of them and a purpose of Grace towards them from everlasting and how securely and sweetly may they rest upon the blessed Jesus not doubting but he is a person every way fit and sufficient to finish that work of Redemption which he undertook according to the appointment of his Father 4. Growing in the Knowledge of Christ implies a greater insight into his sufferings It is not without reason that the History of these is so largely penned by all the four Evangelists certainly there is much in his Crucifixion which it concerns Believers to pry into The sufferings of Christ were great and that both in his body and in his soul his body was in a bloody sweat and his soul was amazed sore and full of heaviness and sorrow and in an Agony before he was condemned and fastned to the Cross but then all the pain and shame which he did undergo his Death was violent and accursed and just before he breathed out his last his Father hid his face his sufferings were unconceivably increased by a dreadful desertion which made him roar out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me When Christ died the sins of the whole Church were laid upon the head of the Church how many stings then had the death of Christ Isa 53.6 All we like sheep have gone astray we haâ—e turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all And if all were laid upon him none shall be laid to the charge of them who believe in him But how came it to pass that Christ did not sink under such a burthen The first sin of the first man was enough to sink all the world into Hell how could Christ bear up under all the sins of so great a multitude The reason is because he is God the blood of Christ is the blood of God how loud does it cry for Pardon and Salvation and how easily does it drown the cry of sin for vengeance The blood and sufferings of Christ applied and relyed on by Faith justifie the sinner silence Satan the accuser purge the conscience from dead works and open a way into the holiest of all by the Cross of Christ we are to climb up to the Throne of Glory The more the death of Christ is studied the Spirit will be more contrite the heart more clean the conscience more calm and quiet The death of Christ puts the sin to death but delivers the sinner from it 5. Growing in the Knowledge of Christ implies a more fruitful eying of his Resuâ—rection and going to his Father Hark to the Apostle Phil. 3. 10. That I may kâ—â—â— him and the power of his Resurrection The Justice of God had Christ under an â—rrest and hath cast him into the Grave as â—nto a Prison and if he had not fully paid the debt of those whose surety he became it would have held him in prison to this hour If Christ were not risen faith would be vain the guilt and power of sin would refrain But being risen true believers are delivered from sins punishment and power Sin and death and Satan are triumphed over Know that there is a very great power and vertue to be derived from the resurrection of our Lord. A power to raise a drooping Spirit When Christ was riseâ— dâ—e sends this Message to his Disciples that they might be well assurâ—â— his God was theirs his Father their Father
9 10. Lay hold of the promise of the Spirit which the Father is more forward to give then earthly Parents bread to their hungry Children take heed of grieving this holy Spirit deliver up your selves to his guidance and hear what he saith unto the Churches and he will lead you farther into all truth and glorify Christ Joh. 16 14. by causing you to see more of his beauty more of his glory 7. Take heed of seducing Spirits Hearken to the Apostle Joh. 14 1. Beloved believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God and the Trial is to be made with reference to Christ v. 2. It is much to be observed that Satan the Father of lies in broaching of heresies has struck at our Lord Jesus in a special manner Arrius of old denied his Godhead Eutyches his Manhood Nestorius denyed the Union of his Nature in one Person Pelagius opposed his Grace and Antichrist would fain banish his Gospel and hinder him from being lookt unto as the only Mediatour You that are the Sheep of Christ hearken not to the voice of such strangers but flee from them Be not like Children toss't too and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine as you would become perfect men in the knowledge of the Son of God and attain to the measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4 13 14. 8. Abstain from worldly and fleshly lusts these put out the Souls eyâ— and take away the heart These lusts are called deceitful and foolish lusts for they make meer fools of those that make provision to fulfil them The cleaner your hearts are from pride envy passion malice evil concupiscence and covetousness the clearer will the eyes of your understandings be to see the Lord Jesus The Apostle bids the Ephesians Chap. 4 22 23. to put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and then adds be ye renewed in the Spirit of your mind So Col. 3 5 10. Mortify your members which are upon Earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affection c. and then it follows put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that created him 9. Associate your selves with them who have a great measure of the Knowledge of Christ Solomon tells us He that walketh with the wise shâ—ll be wise but a companion of fools shall be destroyed Prov. 13 20. Value the communion of Saints and delight in them as the most excellent Company and like them best when they shew the best of themselves and most of all manifest that light and heat that is in them Oh what an improvement might Saints make one of another as to wisdom grace and consolation if they were not wanting â—ne to â—â—other and to themselves also The weaker Christians should learn of the stronger â—specially of their Teachers and Teachers themselves by iâ—â—â—â—ing light to others would find then own light increased Ego ex corum numero me essâ— profiteor qui scribunt proficiendo scribendo proficiunt August Epist 7. Knowledge being likâ— the Widdows oyl which the more it was drawn out the more it was augmented 10. Let your end in desiring a greater degree of the Knowledge of Christ be right not that you may be paâ—â— up in your own minds or admired by men but that Christ may bâ— more admired and esteemed by you If knowledge pulls you up you â—re not really great and grown but only swell'd and diseased Apparet Christus humilis ad superbos Est enim superbia non magnitudo sed tumor quod autem tumes videtur magâ—â—â—sed non est saâ— num Augustin Serm. 27. de Temp. as a Father observes Superbia non est magnitude sed tumor More talents will be committed to your trust if you ask more that you may improve them Let this be your design in desiring to grow in the knowledge of Christ that your Faith may grow exceedingly that your love may grow more ardent and that over all things in your hearts Christ may know the preheminence Long to know him better that this knowledge may more perfectly cleanse both your hearts and conversations Follow on to know him that you may follow harder after him In the fourth and last place I am to tell you what Vse and improvement you are to make of this knowledge of Christ or of Christ known And here I might speak largely first of all to them that are without Christ you that are in this state must needs he also without hope and with us God in the world You that are such pray consider what you have heard concerning the Lord Jesus and seriously weigh with your selves whether you have reason still to slight him Much good has been told you concerning him and none but a lying Spirit can suggest and a foolish heart believe that 't is best still to keep at a distance from him Christ calls after you to this day though you have long rejected him behold he stand at the door and knocks Prov. 3.20 waiting that he may be gracious Oh that at length you would he prevailed with to come to him I shall only vse these two arguments to perswade you 1. Christ is willing to receive the very must of you upon your returning and believing he will take you with all your faults and obtain your full and free pardon he will take you with all your debts and cross your scores cancel your bonds though you debts amount to many thousand talents He will take you with all your infirmities though â—ever so soul and loathsome and heal and cleanse your Souls by his Blood and Spirit The Apostle Paul speaks of his being apprehended of Jesus Christ Phil. 3 12. And when our Lord Jesus apprehended him and graciously received him whom did he receive it was a Blasphemer 〈◊〉 Persecutâ—r and Injurious and yet he obtained mercy Iâ— tâ—e Apostle had ransack all he could hardly have found a worse â—rue theâ— those mentioned 1 Cor. 6.9 10 11. Fornicatours Idolaters Adulterers â—ffiminate abusers of themselves with Mankind Thieves Covetous Drunkards Revilers Extortioners and yet these were washt and sanctified first and saved afterwards Here is a strong inducement to the very worst to come to this Gracious this mighty Saviour 2. Christ is willing to give himself to you so that all that he is and has shall be yours you are not only called but wooâ—d you are solicited to give your conâ—ent marriage and this is the greatest and the bâ—â— Match of all to be married to the Prince of life and Lord of all Be but willing to be his he is much more willing to be yours Oh wonder at his condescending love wonder at your own madness in standing out and presently yield your selves to Jesus saying Lord we repent we believe help thâ—â— our and â—â—belief and heal the impenitency and â—ardness of our hearts I shall say no more at present to the
Divine Perfections I. The many Doctrines which more immediately respect the Nature of God his Acts and Modes of Operation 1. More generally they are all such as represent somewhat of him who in all Perfections is infinite and infinitely above us God is a Spirit infinite infinite in his Essence or immense infinite in his existence or external There is according to the Conceptions we must form of God at least quoad nos a difference between Immensity and Externity Immensity denotes the Essence of God to be more large and comprehensive than can be measured but the import of Eternity is to be considered with regard to the Duration of the Divine Essence whence although we must assert the Essence and Existence of God to be so much the same that necessary Existence is included in the very Essence of God yet we may look on the divine Existence to be a pressior conceptus to that of the divine Essence for essence includes somewhat more than meer existence namely other perfections of the divine Nature which when considered as it fills Heaven and Earth and is infinitely beyond all without all bounds or limits 't is said to be immense but considered as enduring from everlasting to everlasting 't is Eternal The like of the other Attributes Thus our finite capacities may form some partial and inadequate Conceptions of these things but comprehend them we cannot If we look into any particular Attribute of God we are swallowed up as in a bottomless Ocean For there is not any one Divine Perfection that includes not in it Infinity the which is so far above us that we cannot reach unto it We cannot know him unto Perfection nor by searching find him out He is higher than the Heavens deeper than Hell longer than the Earth and broader than the Sea we cannot comprehend him His Nature his Attributes all his glorious Perfections being infinite are infinitely above us and seeing the Revelations made of God do after a sort represent somewhat of his glorious Nature they are not fully comprehended by us They point â—nto somewhat that is beyond us But to be more particular 2. God who is a Spirit Infinite is absolutely and simply One he is a pure Act but yet Three One absolutely and simply One God and yet Three Three Persons None can be more concerned in asserting the Oneness or Unity of the Godhead than the Christian how vehement soever the Mahometane Jew or Socinian may be in asserting the Simplicity and Oweness of the Divine Nature they cannot be more so than We are but yet a Trinity of Persons in the Godhead we must also affirm or our Religion is lost Whoever will but seriously acquaint himself with the Essentials of the Christian Religion will find that the believing a Trinity is as necessary to the being of our Religion as the believing the existence of God is to any Religion The Spirit of God has not only here and there expresly asserted the Doctrine of the Trinity but every momentous Doctrine of our Religion which is appropriate unto it as 't is Christian supposes it There are Three Fundamentals of our Faith all which conjunctly considered suppose a Trinity of Persons in the Godhead even God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost There is the Fall of Man his Redemption and Sanctification God at first made man upright and gave him a Holy Just and Good Law which was sanction'd with the Promise of a glorious Reward and with the severe Threat of Divine Wrath and Indignation Do this and Live but in the Day thou eatest thou shalt die Man transgresses this Law and is obnoxious unto the Threatning he must die For God who is Infinite in all Perfections is a God of Truth and must accomplish his Word He is essentially just and righteous and must proportion the punishment to the nature of the Crime An Infinite God is offended his Law is violated and this by Man by Adam the Head of Human Nature and therefore 't is impossible that any escape Infinite which is on finite Worms Eternal Wrath unless the Justice of God be satisfyed by proportionable Sufferings in that nature that sinned But if there had been but One Person as there is but One God there could not be an Infinite Person to undertake for us That one Person who was offended would be alone able to satisfie his own Justice but he is angry he demands satisfaction from another and should he enter into judgment with us we should not be able to stand He demands satisfaction and is ready to consume us unless an Infi-Person interposes on our behalf should he himself begin to capitulate with us singly he would be so far from offering himself to satisfie himself for us that he would immediately let out all his wrath Thus we see that the Doctrines about mans Fall and Redemption do necessarily infer that there is God the Father who gave us a righteous Law and who is highly provoked by the violation of it and as a righteous Judge proceeds to condemn us unless satisfaction be made unto his Justice and that there being God the Son a Person distinct from the Father who is also God sent by the Father and who assumed Humane Nature in which he suffered and satisfied the Justice of the Father whereby fallen man is in a way of recovery thus mans Fall and his Recovery suppose two Persons But whoever will more closely attend unto this Point will find that God being as Holy as he is Just and Righteous is as much concern'd for the Vindication of the Honour of his Holiness as that of his Justice whence our Sanctification becomes as necessary an Antecedent unto our Salvation as our Justification Though Justification and Sanctification are in their own natures formally and really distinct yet are ever in one and the same Subject You may and must distinguish them from each other but cannot separate them And the Reason is because God is as Holy as he is Righteous and as much concern'd for the Glory of his Holiness as for the Glory of his Justice And therefore the Holy as well as the Righteous Will of God must be satisfied But such are the Corruptions of our Nature so strong and powerful and we so weak and feeble that unless some one Almighty be our help we shall remain under the power of Sin unsanctified and no way advantaged by the Redemption of Christ's Death 'T is true Christ has died but not to save us in but from our sins It was never the Design of Christ that men should receive any special Blessings as the fruit of his Death while they continue under the power of Sin Enemies unto him He has made a purchase of Heavens Glories but will give it to none but such as submit themselves unto him He will that we humble our selves before him and be holy or continue in the state of Condemnation in which we are all by Nature but Holy we cannot
be without the help of an Omnipotent Spirit which only is able to enlighten our Minds and turn our Hearts from the power of Satan unto God All which supposes the Third Person of the Trinity the Holy Ghost By this 't is very manifest that such is the frame of the Christian Religion such the great Fundamentals thereof that without the supposing the Truth of the Doctrine of the Trinity of Persons in the Godhead the Christian Religion is gone 't is lost And how to comprehend this Mâ—stery is impossible There is no contradiction in this Doctrine nothâ—ng in it contrary to our Reason for 't is not said that Three Gods are One but Three Persons are One One God But how to fathom the Mystery we are at a loss 't is certainly beyond Us. So much concerning the Nature and Persons of the Godhead 3. Those Doctrines that have regard unto the ACTS of God are also very profound and mysterious 1. There are the Immanent Acts of God which do not terminate on any Objects ad extra off from God such as Divine Knowledge and the Decree whether of Election or Reprobation 2. Transient Acts such as terminate on an Object off from God namely the Works of Creation and Providence In my discoursing about the Immanent Acts of God I might be very distinct in considering what is very much insisted on by the School-men with reference to the Knowledge of God and acquaint the Reader with the many Distinctions that are used by that sort of men but if I do so I shall exceed the Bounds allotted me I will therefore pass by the Doctrine of Praescience which whatever may be said of it by some has such difficulties in it as admit not of our Solution and make some search into these profound Doctrines about the Decrees of Election and Reprobation That God has decreed the Salvation of some particular Persons is evident enough to any that will deliberately consult the Word of God and that 't is the Vnchangeable Determination of God That such as die in their Sins shall be eternally damned is as manifest The Eternal Decree of Election is so clearly so fully and distinctly reveal'd in Scripture that few or none presume wholly to deny it and such is the known Nature of Election that 't is not easie to believe the Doctrine of Election but withal we must take in the other of Reprobation for Election is but of some and if but some are taken the other are left they are not chosen they are refused they are reprobated But how this Doctrine of Gods leaving or reprobating any from all Eternity is reconcileable to these other that concern the Glory of Divine Goodness and Righteousness is above us The Sublapsarians have done very much towards the clearing up of this by supposing all in their lapsed estate under the guilt and pollution of Sin and God from all Eternity concern'd for his own Glory to Elect some who by being interested in the Blood of Christ should through the sanctification of the Spirit obtain Salvation with eternal Glory but left others to themselves who continuing in Sin are determined to die Hereby the glorious Grace of God in the eternal purpose of Calling Justifying Sanctifying some and thereby preparing them for Heaven is excellently displayed and the purposing from Eternity to leave others to themselves in their Sins for which after much long-suffering they shall be eternally damned is no way inconsistent with that goodness that is so infinitely extended to the Vessels of Mercy but does most fully illustrate how just and righteous God is in condemning them for their Sins and Transgressions Besides 't is obvious enough that the Decrees are but internal Purposes which have no influence on the thing decreed Decreta nil ponunt in Esse Though there is a certainty of the Event yet neither the Sin nor Destruction of the Reprobate is an Effect of the Decree What is here said towards the clearing up the Difficulties that attend this Doctrine is very well urged by the Synod of Dort and 't is no more than what has great countenance from the Holy Scriptures which suppose all in a laps'd and fallen Estate and therefore represents the Elect as Chosen in Christ Ephes 1.4 and Predestinated unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ Elect according to the Fore-knowledge of God the Father through Sanctification of the Spirit c. 1 Pet. 1.2 All which Expressions seem to suppose the Elect in a fallen estate standing in need both of a Redeemer and Sanctifier even as the Reprobates are said Jude 4. to have been before of Old ordained unto Condemnation which Condemnation does presuppose a Judicial Procedure and the Sentence past against them for their Sin which sufficiently suggests that they were considered to have been in a sinful a fallen state Nevertheless it must be acknowledged That this does not remove the difficulty it only supposes it to be insuperable and therefore to be passed over in silence The great Difficulty is How the Absolute Decree of Reprobation is consistent either with the Goodness or Righteousness of God or those other Methods which are taken for the salvation of all men What of Goodness is there in destinating men to eternal Misery or what of Justice in purposing to punish them for ever without any regard to their Sin even before any evil done or how can the unalterable secret Decree for their damnation accord with the sincerity of God in the many Offers which are made of future Glory 'T is true supposing the consideration of their faln state as antecedent to the Decree 't is goodness enough that any are chosen out of the sinful Mass and it would have been a righteous thing for God to have proceeded against all to a Sentence of Condemnation and seeing Christ has died and thereby satisfied Justice and the Spirit strives and that common Grace which is sufficient to enable men to do more towards their Salvation than they do is offered them and that 't is their Sin which is the only proper cause of their denying due Subjection unto Christ these things seem to be cleared up only the greatest difficulty remains to wit How 't is supposeable that such who came pure out of the hand of God can be considered as fallen without some respect unto the anteceding Decree of God What! is their Fall on the supposition of which depends all the Discoveries of the glorious Perfections of God made unto us in the Scriptures a meer casual hit One would assoon think that this curious and beautiful Fabrick the World was owing only unto the casual concourse of Epicurean Atoms for its being so as that the Glory and Beauty the Wisdom and Harmony that shines forth most illustriously in the Christian Religion should be only the product of Casualty or Chance but if the Fall or Sin of man must be considered to be decreed by that God the Purity and Holiness of whose Nature is infinite
we are as much at a plunge so that on the whole we see in the Decree of Reprobation somewhat Mysterious and Profound there is in this Doctrine somewhat that may raise our greatest admiration but can never be by vain Mortals comprehended for what of goodness in destinating those who were in a state of Holiness and Innocency unto Sin and Guilt or what of Righteousness in the giving the Innocent a Law and making them contrary to their innate holy propensions Transgressors of that Law or how does the Sincerity of God appear in the offers of Eternal Life to Adam on his Obedience even when his Disobedience was determined and inevitable This shews that there is somewhat above us in this Doctrine and that although there is nothing in this Point contradictory nor contrary to our Reasons yet there is in it somewhat that transcends it 4. The Doctrine about the Transient Acts of God whereby the Execution of the Decree is compassed falls next under consideration The Decree which is but an Immanent Act in God does not put the thing decreed into Being that is done long after by some Transient Acts. The Decree is from Eternity the Execution only in Time The Decree is but an internal purpose about what God will do in time which Decree in the time appointed being executed the thing decreed is then put into Being the which cannot be done without the Physical Influence of God This is true of every Decree whether that of the Worlds Creation its being destroyed by the Flood or by the last Conflagration The Decree of all this was eternal but the Execution in time The World is first created then after some hundred years the Deluge and although some thousand years have past yet not burnt The same of the Decree that some shall be glorified which does necessarily presuppose that they must be first in Being before the Decree of their Glorification can be accomplished 'T is naturally impossible that what is not actually in being should be actually the Subject of Glory or any thing else Moreover if we will believe what the Spirit says Rom. 8.30 they must be first effectually called and then justified and so through the sanctification of the Spirit be prepared for the Glory There is an Order to be found in the Execution of the Decree which is but according to the eternal Counsels of the Divine Will An Illustration of this we have in Man who may purpose to do many things in time his internal purpose to do the thing may be long before the time appointed and there is an Order to be observed in his purposes he purposes that one thing shall be first done and after that another as is best discovered by what he does The which being so we cannot argue that such a man purposing to give his Child an Estate when he arrives unto the Age of one and twenty that therefore 't was actually given some years before the like as to the point of Election God determined the Justification Sanctification and Glory of some Gods purpose was from eternity but he did then but purpose that this should be in time and that Sanctification should as necessarily precede the Glory as Justification be ordine Naturae before his Sanctification and therefore 't is absurd to argue God decreed their Justification from Eternity therefore they were justified from Eternity God decreed that they should be first called and then justified and therefore as Sanctification must be before Glory and Justification before Sanctification even so Effectual Vocation must be before their being justified so that although Paul be an elect Vessel yet he is not actually justified before he is effectually called These things are plain Truths but yet how to comprehend the ways of God in bringing these things to pass is beyond our Capacity and that this is so I will evince Among the Learned there are great Contests about the Modes of Divine Operation All grant that the Decrees would have remain'd unexecuted had not God by some Transient Acts put the Decree in being and that this must be considered to be done by some Physical Efficiency of God is acknowledged by all 'T is true the shewing How this Physical Efficiency doth contribute toward the execution of the Decree is difficult especially as to the causing such Acts as are clothed with vicious modifications where what is Physical in that Action is acknowledged to be from the Efficiency of God but whether the Divine Efficience be Mediate or Immediate is controverted between the Durandists on the one part and all the rest of the Schoolmen generally on the other but if Immediate whether antecedenter concomitanter or consâ—quenter is warmly debated by the rigid Dominicans Scotists and Molinists each of these three Factions differing from each other and casting in one anothers way insoluble Difficulties 'T is true the moderate Dominican such as Medina Dominicus à Soto and some others do in my Opinion give the best satisfaction in the stating these Controversies for they assert That we must distinguish between what is Natural and what is Moral in a sinful Action and that the subject Matter of the Vitiosity of a sinful Action is somewhat Natural that all the undue Modifications of it are Moral and included in the Formality whence they proceed to conclude That what is meerly natural in a sinful Action is from God a Notion no one will deny but what is Moral and Vicious in it or that Undueness that is the foundation of the sinful Relation considering Sin with reference to the Law whereof 't is a Transgression is from Man This seems to be clear enough only there still remains somewhat insoluble for whoever looks well into this Controversie will find that in the sinfulness of some Actions there is somewhat Positive what else is the Conversion or Termination of a Natural Act on an undue Object or the undue Determination of this Act on a due Object It must be acknowledged That Sin does not only result when the Act is about an undue Object but also when about a due Object if unduly conversant about it e. g. In the Hatred of God the Object of this Act is undue but as for inordinate Love to Father or Mother the Object of Love in this Case is not undue but from the Intension of the Act doth the Sinfulness result which Intension is somewhat Positive but whether it must be considered as somewhat Natural or as somewhat meerly Moral or Mixt partly Natural and partly Moral is beyond me but if not meerly Moral it must be from God and so God must be either the Author of Sin or the foundation of this Relation must not be considered to be included in the Formality of Sin that is the intension of the Act though inordinate and undue is not sinful By which it is manifest that if we consider the Controversie there is somewhat above us in the fairest stating it much more so in the other Accounts that
great Truth and if duely weighed will afford relief to such as are perplexed with the profoundness of some Doctrines c. For by this t is manifest That the Mysteriousness of the Doctrines the surprizing manner in which they are reveal'd the difficulties about the Hebrew Points and some Instances in Chronology the various Readings and the like they all serve as a spur to our Faith and a furtherance to our Salvation We have Arguments enough to convince us of the Truth of Scripture the certainty of a divine Providence and therefore we ought not to be unbelieving though we meet with some Difficulties that our Reason cannot overcome This should satisfy us that how great soever the difficulties may be how far soever they transcend our Understandings yet there is in 'em no Implication and if so they are in themselves reconcileable and although finite worms are not acquainted with the true Methods of Conciliation yet God who is Infinite in all perfections is These difficulties should not in the least stumble our Faith but rather engage us to be the more strong in believing 2. As by Faith we behold the Accomplishment of the Promises which are not comprehended by our Reason and can thorough the Mysteriousness of Doctrines and Providences see that they are of God so by Faith we are enabled to put our trust and Confidence in God even when under the darkest Dispensations Faith never appears so much in its lustre as when the greatest difficulties lie before it Then t is that the Believer puts his trust in the Power Wisdom Mercy and Faithfulness of God when under the obscurest Dispensations When there are some difficult Appearances in the Sacred Scriptures that relate to some Doctrines and when some Providences seem to be contrary to the discoveries that are made of God's Faithfulness c. then 't is that our Faith appears in its beauty for thereby we shew the just apprehensions we have of God's Power Wisdom Mercy and Faithfulness That God has promised to extend his Compassions to Believers that he will order all things to work together for their good is evident enough in Scripture but yet notwithstanding this all things seem to be against them they are afflicted and under sore temptations they lose their temporal Estates are deprived of their Liberty are sick weak and in great distress several thwarting Providences attend them all things are seemingly against them thus it was with good old Jacob he is bereaved of his Children Joseph is not Sâ—meon is not and Benjamin must be taken away All these things sayes he are against me Gen. 42.36 But yet this was the time for Jacob to exercise his Faith as he did in the following Chapter ver 14. q. d. The Lord Almighty be with you with him I leave you to him I commit my Concerns if I am bereaved I am bereaved i. e. the will of the Lord be done Thus it was with Job God had suffered the Tempter to break in upon him God himself seemed as if he was resolved he should die and yet then could Job say Though he slay me yet will I put my trust in him Job 13.15 So with Habakkuk chap. 13.17 18 19. Although the Fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be in the Vines though the labour of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat though the slocks shall be cut off the Fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls yet will I rejoyce in the Lord the Lord God is my strength he will make me to walk in mine high places Many other Instances might be given all which concur to evince That then is the time to put our trust in the Lord when we are in the dark and can see no light when there are in the Providences of God somewhat above us that we cannot reach unto then 't is that we are to look unto a Rock that is higher than our selves then are we called to put our trust in the Wisdom and Mercy and Faithfulness of him who hath promised to be with us to uphold and support us as said David At what time I am afraid I will trust in the Lord for though my Heart and my Flesh fail yet God will be the strength of my heart and my portion for ever On the other side when at the sight of the prosperity of the wicked the Believers feet were almost gone and his steps did well-nigh slip t is his Confidence in God that is then his stay The Providences of God in this Instance are remarkable for though God had said that the wicked shall not prosper nor live out half their days yet behold they live and their houses are safe from fear they prosper in the world they increase in riches How is this consistent with the threatning or how can the righteous see this and not be troubled Surely when they enter into the Sanctuary they see the End of all and are abundantly satisfied their Faith is hereby tried but yet they can say Good is God to Israel They begin to reason with God and will say Wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously but still conclude that the Lord is righteous Jer. 12.1 Though Clouds and Darkness are round about him yet Righteousness and Judgment are the Habitation of his Throne For notwithstanding all the dark Dispensations the Godly do still put their trust in the Lord they stay themselves on his Wisdom Power Mercy and Faithfulness the doing which all should endeavour when under dark Dispensations 2. Hereby the Grace of Patience is to the Glory of God held up in a continued exercise Patience is not to be consider'd to consist meerly in an enduring the conflict of Temptations and Afflictions with a quiet calm and sedate temper of Spirit but also in a quiet waiting for and expectation of the accomplishment of some great and glorious Promises in looking and patiently waiting for the End when we shall see with much clearness what now lieth in the dark and out of our view But if we hope for what we see not then do we with Patience wait for it saith the Apostle Rom. 8.25 Now there seems to be some inconsistency between Doctrine and Doctrine between some Doctrines and Providences yea and between Providences and Providences but yet we must conclude That 't is not so and that the time will come when our Lord will not speak any more in Parables unto us when the Vail shall be done away and when we shall find every thing to answer the Truth and Holiness of God no inconsistency in any of the Doctrines and Providences but the exactest Agreement and most excellent Harmony every one Doctrine and Providence concurring to the illustration of each other all which shall be seen with great satisfaction when we shall depart hence and be with the Lord. Now we know but in part we see but through a Glass darkly but then we shall know as we are known and see Face
of God's Transcendency are to be seen in them all Whence we have as satisfying an Argument to convince us that the Doctrines of the Gospel are from God and consequently true as that the world was created by him and is now under his Government yea such as believe a Providence and the Scripture to be the Word of God have as much to offer for their Faith as the meer Deist who only belive the Existence of a God has for his for the very same Characters Signatures Impresses and Footsteps of Gods infinite Perfections that are on the things made are in these Doctrines and Providences of which the Transcendency that is in them is an uncontroulable Evidence Why do we believe the World to be made of God but because we see that the things made are so admirably fram'd and order'd that there is somewhat in them incomprehensible by us They are made by One whose Wisdom is infinite and transcends our largest Capacities In like manner those who will look into the Scriptures and consult the Doctrines of the Gospel will find that there are the Impresses of infinite Wisdom in them which could not be unless they had been of God who is infinitely wise whence 't is that by the Transcendency that is in the Doctrines we are engaged to conclude that they are true i. e. we are hereby confirm'd and establish'd in the Truth of the Christian Religion that is discover'd unto us in the Holy Scriptures IMPROVEMENT III. The Third Improvement is this The Transcendency of these Doctrines and Providences prove most excellent Expedients to silence and stop the mouths of the Vngodly for by the Transcendency of some Doctrines and Providences God is carrying on the great End of glorifying his Righteousness in the letting out his Fury and Indignation on the Vessels of Wrath. God who made all things for himself will be Glorified either by or upon the People he has made God will be glorified by some to their Salvation and upon others in their Condemnation And by the Transcendency that is in the Doctrines and Providences both are done For the Transcendency of these Doctrines and Providences as hath been already shewn exciting the Faith and Patience of some does farther their Salvation and as they are stumbling-Blocks in the way of others they occasion the Ruine and Destruction of others These Transcendent Doctrines and Providences must be considered as stumbling-blocks that God puts in their way not that there is any Evil in God's putting them in the way but the Evil is only from the indisposition of the corrupt Heart of man For the clearer understanding which we must consider that there is certainly such a Decree as that of the Election of some particular Persons unto Glory which doth necessarily infer the dereliction of others the leaving them in a state of Sin and Misery Some being Elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father shall through the sanctification of the Spirit unto Obedience and the sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Christ obtain Salvation with Eternal Glory But others there are even ungodly men who turn the Grace of our God into lasciviousness and who were of old ordained unto Condemnation The Salvation of some the Damnation of others is acknowledged by all to be certain as to the Event and that there is no event in time but what was foreknown of God from Eternity is not denied by any that believe God to be God and that these Events cannot be without a Providence of God is most manifest 'T is true God has a greater influence on the Elect than on others for God does not only support their Powers and Faculties and by a Physical Efficience enable them to perform what is Natural in their Moral Actions but moreover God does by his mighty Power in infinite Wisdom sweetly determine the Elect to the doing what is morally good and savingly gracious God does not so much in such Actions as are sinful and vicious the moral Vitiosity or Obliquity that is in a sinful Action is not of God though what is natural in a sinful Action has its Origin and Rise from God yet what is Moral and Vitious is not from God God does not Physically and Invincibly determine any man to what is sinful in any Action the Sinfulness of an Action has no higher Being than a Creature for its Author However though the Sins of the Damned are without a Divine Physical Predetermination yet not without a Divine Providence There is no Event without a Providence of God As all Events are according to the fore-knowledge of God so they are by his Providence The Destruction of Pharaoh in the Red Sea according to the fore-knowledge of God and the hardness of his Heart that was the Cause of his ruine was by Gods Providence This Providence is somewhat more than a meer unconcerned permission and yet much less than a Physical Predetermination it falls short of this latter because God has no Physical influence on the sinfulness of our Actions and 't is more than the former for the Wisdom and Power of God is marvellously exercised in doing very much towards the bringing the Event to pass and that by laying stumbling blocks in the way of the Non-Elect which stumbling blocks in our way may occasion our Sin and Ruine but not cause it so that although the Lord does lay Stones of stumbling in our way which occasions our Sin yet he cannot be said to be the Cause or Author of our Sin No one is the Cause or Author of anothers Sin but he who does either Physically or Morally contribute to the Commission of Sin but though God lays stones of stumbling before the Sinner yet he does not in doing so either morally by perswasions draw or physically by Impression drive him to the Sin The stumbling block is before him and from it the Sinner takes occasion to sin against the Lord. Though such is the infinite Knowledge and Wisdom of God that he foreknows that such a Block in the Sinners way will occasion his Sin and notwithstanding puts it in his way yet he is not therefore the Author of his Sin because God does not hereby either Physically or Morally move the Sinner to the Sin for the Sinner having a Natural power to withstand it 't is his Wilfulness and Sin he does not That God does lay stones of stumbling before us is evident enough to any who will consult the Sacred Scriptures In Ezekiel 3.20 't is said that God doth lay a stumbling block before the man who was externally Righteous and he turns from his Righteousness unto Sin and dies in his Iniquity This will appear more convincingly in the Instances I will give concerning it The Dâ—scoveries that are made of Gods gracious Designs towards us are about such matters as do amuse us whoever will consider what is declared in the Gospel concerning the way to eternal life will find that Jesus Christ though he be God as well as
require much time in dressing and undressing No cost of Apparel is so ill bestow'd as that of precious time in apparelling And if common time be so ill spent what is the solemn sacred time laid out in such curiosity How many Sabbaths Sermons Sacraments Prayers Praises Psalms Chapters Meditations has this one Vanity devoured Let me recommend the counsel of holy Mr. Herbert to you Church-porch O be Dress't Stay not for t'other Pin why thou hast lost A Joy for it worth worlds Thus hell doth jest Away thy blessings and extremely flout thee Thy cloathes being fast but thy soul loose about thee O the wanton folly of our Times when as one expresses it it s almost as easie to enumerate all the Tackling of the Royal Soveraign as the Accoutrements of a capricious Lady and perhaps it requires not much more time to equip and rig out a Ship for the Indies as a whimsical Madam when she is to sail in state with all her Flags Streamers Pennons bound for a Court-Voyage With less labour did Adam give Names to all the Creatures in Paradise than an Attire-Herald shall give you the Nomenclature of all the Trinkets that belong to a Ladies Closet And yet all this is but to consume a whole Morning to put on which must waste the whole Evening to put off Direction VI. Suit your Apparel to the day of Gods Providence and to the day of his Ordinances There is a day wherein God calls aloud for baldness Isa 22.12 13. and do we cross his design with ranting Periwigs Does he bespeak Sackcloath and are we in our Silks and Sattins How absurd is it to appear in the high Rant like Zimri with his COSBI when the Church of Christ is mourning before the Lord And yet more incongruous when God calls and they that fear his Name answer his call in a day of solemn fasting and Prayer afflicting their souls before him and accepting the punishment of their sins for a Gallant to come ruffling into the Assembly as if he design'd only his diversion and to trifle out a tedious painful hour till he may adjourn his little self with all his splendid Equipage to the Devotion of the Play-house Thus did the builders of Babel answer each other when Vengeance had poured confusion on their Hearts and Tongues reaching the Hammer when his Fellow called for the Axe and thus do we answer our God who calls for Weeping and Mourning and we return Mirth and Jollity and gorgeous Apparel God by an express Law granted this Priviledg to the new married man That for a Twelve Month he should be exempted from the Wars Deut. 24.5 And yet tho this Indulgence held good when the Country was in danger of Invasion no exemption was to be pleaded when the Church was expos'd to Gods Indignation Then call an assembly sanctifie the people Joel 2.14 let the bridegroom come forth of his chamber and the bride out of her closet There was no discharge in this War But how well was it resented by Heaven when at the denunciation of the Divine displeasure against Israel that he would not go up with them Exod. 33.3 4. the people mourned and no man put on his ornaments Direction VII In all Apparel keep a little above contempt and somewhat more below envy He that will vere nigh either extreme shall never avoid offence either for sordidness or superfluity Let not your Garments smell either of Antiquity or Novelty Shun as much an affected Gravity as a wanton levity There may be as much pride in adhering to the antick Garbs of our Ancestors as there is in courting the Modern Fooleries A plain cleanliness is the true Medium between sluttishness and gaudiness Truth commonly lies in the middle between the hot contenders Virtue in the middle between the extreme Vices and Decency of Apparel in the middle between the height of the Fashion and a more running Counter and Opposition only because our corrupt hearts are more prone to the Excess than the Defect I laid the Rule to keep a little more below Envy than above Contempt Direction VIII Let the Ornament of the inward man be your Rule for the adorning the outward Take measure of your bodies by your souls That is Consider well what Graces Excellencies and Virtues will adorn a soul and let something Analogical be made the Trimming for the body The Apostle will have Women adorn themselves in modest Apparel 1 Tim. 2.9 Tit. 2.3 and especially the graver sort that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Tigurine Version renders in habitu qui Religionem deceat in such a habit as becomes Religion and Beza in habitu qui sanctimoniam deceat in such a habit as becomes holiness Now it may be enquired what is Apparel capable of modesty or immodesty of holiness or unholiness But the meaning is the Garment the manner of dressing or wearing must be such as indicates and discovers such qualities lodging in the soul And indeed if we could get the soul suitably adorned it would cut out make up put oâ—â— and wear suitable Ornaments 1 Pet. 5.5 The Apostle Peter commands us all to be cloath'd with humility Humility is a very proper wear for a sinner and if the soul be thus cloathed you may trust her to cloath the body When the Inward Man is new-framed and new-fashioned let it alone to frame and fashion the outward Attire The Platonists say That Anima format sibi Domicilium 'T is the soul that forms its house to dwell in And she that is so rare an Architect as to build the house will take care that it be conveniently tiled Direction IX Get the heart mortified and that will mortifie the habit Let Grace circumcise that and that will circumcise the long hair and sweeping Train with all the impertinent superfluities that wait on Vain-glory. Heal the heart of its inward pride and that will retrench the excesses of the outward I do not wonder that we find it so difficult to convince idle women that these Gayeties and Extravagancies of curled hair painting and patching are sinful when we cannot convince them of the evil of impenitency and unbelief The most compendious way of reforming Persons Families Nations and Churches is to begin at and deal with the heart as the shortest way to fell the Tree is by sound blows at the root Could we lay the Axe to heart-pride the Branches would fall the Leaves wither the Fruit fade with one and the same labour 'T is an endless labour to demolish this Castle of Pride by beginning at the top Undermine the Foundation and all the glory of the superstructure falls with it As a pure living Spring will work it self clean from all the accidental filth that 's thrown into it from without so the cleansing of the heart will cleanse the rest And when the Spirit of Christ shall undertake this work to convince the soul
hope not in these cloathes And so the Apostle We brought nothing into the world 1 Tim. 6.7 and it 's certain we can carry nothing out And why then all this a-do to spruce up a rotten Carcase for the short time that we are to tarry here We brought nothing in but filth and guilt and if we carry out these we had better never have come in Naked we came hither and if we go naked hence it had been better to have staid behind To what end then all this waste and all this superfluous cost is but waste A little will serve Nature less will serve Grace but nothing will satisfie Lust A small matter would serve him for his Passage and Pilgrimage that has God for his portion Any thing would suffice for this short Parenthesis of time were we but well harnassed out for Eternity Consider Christians God has provided meat for the belly and the belly for meat cloathes for the body and the body for cloathes But God will destroy them all as for those low ends and uses for which Nature or Vanity does now employ them Therefore says the Apostle ver 8. having food and raiment let us therewith be content Simple Food plain Apparel will answer all the demands of Nature and what is more than this is either evil or comes of evil or leads to evil If it be Food Nature is satisfied enquire no further acknowledg God in it crave his blessing on it bless him for it and glorifie him with it If it be Raiment enquire no further God sent it he indulged it own his bounty and bless the Donor Neither the length of life nor the comfort of life consists in the abundance of what thou enjoyest And how do you expect to rise again at the last day It was an affectionate speech of Tertullian Atque utinam miserrimus ego De cult Faemin in illo die Christianae exultationis vel inter calcanea vestra caput elevem videre an cum cerussâ purpurisso croco in illo ambitu capitis resurgatis an depictam Angeli in Nebulâ sublevent obviam Christo I would to God such a miserable sinner as I might rise up in the day of the Christians general triumphing to see whether you will rise again with your white red and yellow painted faces with your Curls Towers and Periwigs or whether the ministring Angels will take up in their arms any painted Lady to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the Clouds III. And let it have a just place in your consideration to humble you That God once borrow'd man's greatest bravery from the beasts He made them coats of skins That he cloath'd them spoke his Mercy Gen. 3.21 that he cloath'd them with skins intimated their Vileness Now have we since that mended the Matter who borrow our choicest Materials for cloathing from the Excrement of a Worm If Man himself in the notion of the Philosopher and his Life be but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dream of a shadow and his cloathing the Excrement of a Worm I wonder how he can be proud of it or draw matter of pride from it A shadow is nothing a dream of a shadow is something less than nothing and yet such is Man A Worm is vile but the Excrement of a Worm is the vilest vileness and such is all the glory of Man in his Ruff and Pageantry Nay Man himself is no better Job 25.6 Man that is a worm and the son of man that is a worm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here are two words rendred Man the one signifies Sickness and Misery the other Earth and Dust And here are two words rendred Worm the one comes from a Root that signifies to lift up the head the other signifies Purple and Scarlet to teach us That Man at his best state when he lifts up his head highest is but a wretched worm Some are longer some are brighter Worms than others some perhaps may be Glow-worms but all are Worms Earth worms cloathed by the Worms and at last shall be a Feast for Worms Art thou proud of thy make Remember thou art but a Worm Art thou proud of thy outward shape Remember thou art a debtor still to the Worms and be proud if thou canst only know that Man that is in honour and understands not who made him why he made him and that answers not the ends of his Creator in his Creation is like the beasts that perish Psal 49.20 IV. Let it have its due weight in your hearts That you have another man a new man an inner man to cloath to adorn beautifie and maintain Think not with the Atheist of Malmsbury that you have enough to do to maintain one man well for you have two And shall all the care all the cost be bestow'd on the Case the Cabinet the Shell when the Jewel is neglected Think with your selves when you are harnassing out for some sumptuous Feast when the Gold Ring and the gay cloathing goes on to conciliate Respect in the eyes of others Have I on my Wedding-garment Am I ready for the Marriage of the Lamb Rev. 3.18 Have I on the White Garment that the shame of my nakedness appear not before a pure and holy God Look into the Gospel-Wardrobe Christ has provided compleat Apparel to cloath you as well as compleat Armour to defend you and he commands you to put on both Would you have a Chain for your neck which out-shines the Gold of Peru or a Tiara for your head which shames that of the Persian Kings Prov. 1.8 9. Hearken to the instruction of your father forget not the law of your mother and you have it Would you have cloathing of wrought Gold Psal 45. 11 12 13. and wear those Robes the King's Daughter glories in when she is brought in to the King of Glory that he may take pleasure in her beauty Would you wear that Jewel which in the sight of God is of great price beyond those celebrated ones of Augustus or Tiberius Then get the Ornament of a meek and quiet spirit 1 Pet. 3.4 Would you have that which dazles the Diamond and disparages the Orient Pearl Adorn your souls with modesty 1 Tim. 2.9 10. shamefacedness sobriety and good works as women professing godliness Would you have the whole Furniture of the Gospel You have it provided by the Apostle Col. 3.8 First put off all these anger wrath malice blasphemy lying Anger ferments to wrath wrath boils up to malice malice swells up to blasphemy and all these break out into lying And put on as the Elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercies kindness humbleness of mind meekness long-suffering forbearing and forgiving one another And for an upper garment Be cloathed with Humility And that your cloathes may not sit loose and indecently on you 1 Pet. 5.5 Eph. 6.14 Rom. 13.14 Hom. 106. de Christo but close and fast Gird your selves with
made me free from the Law of sin and death v. 2. If ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live v. 13. The spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the Children of God v. 16. Likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities v. 26 27. But I must confine my self to that One in the Text the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leading Conduct Manuduction which this Blessed Spirit vouchsafes to the people of God He is the Saints Leader their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dux viae the Guide of their Life Look as by Christ they have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leading Accesse Admission to God the Father in Prayer Eph. 2.18 and 3.12 So by the Spirit they have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leading and Guidance in their whole course of Life In the discussing of this weighty Point I will 1. Open the nature of the Act the Leading of the Spirit 2. Propound and answer some practical Enquiries about it For the better opening of it I must 1. Lay down some things more Generally concerning it 2. Then come to the closer and stricter Explication of it Under the First I shall commend the following Particulars to you Distinctions premis'd about the Spirits Leading 1. The Leading of the Spirit is either General and Common or Peculiar and Special If we consider him as God in his joint participation of the Deity with the Father and the Son and in his joint Operations with them according to their Divine Essence so there is a Leading by him which does extend to all Creatures whatsoever For all of them by his Divine Power and Influxe in their several Beings Actions Motions and Tendencies are disposed ordered governed and overrul'd to the Glory of the Creator and the good of the Universe Take them in all their Faculties and in all their Operations they are all excited directed actuated by this Spirit And so in a general Sence they all come under his Guidance and Regency This also may be said to extend to all men to the Unregenerate as well as to the Regenerate How why as they all doe act and move * Acts 17.28 in and by him as He in a Common and Providential way does order and regulate all their several Actions and Motions For this he does in all as he is the first cause and the supream Soveraign So that as there is his common Illumination common Conviction common Restraints common Gifts which even the Graceless partake of so there is too a common Leading by Him which they also have Now most certainly this is not that Leading which the Text speaks of for this cannot be the Foundation or Evidence of the Priviledge mention'd A common Act will never entitle to a special Relation Ductus spiritus quo Filij Dei aguntur non est Generalis Dei Actus quo omnia moventur sed est specialis Gratia quâ Filii Dei Sanctificantur in viâ salutis diriguntur ad Deum Pareus Observare convenit esse multiplicem Spiritus Actionem Est enim Vniversalis quâ omnes Creaturae sustinentur ac moventur sunt peculiares in Hominibus illae quidem variae sed hic sanctificationem intelligit quâ non nisi Electos suos Dominus dignatur dum eos sibi in Filios segregat Calv. in loc How many are thus led by the Spirit who yet are far from being the Sons of God! That Leading therefore must be here intended which is special and peculiar to Gods people such as will amount to the making of the Proposition here Reciprocal and Convertible thus All the Sons of God are led by the Spirit and All that are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God 2. The special Leading of the Spirit is Extraordinary or Ordinary The former was confin'd to some Persons and to some Times and was not to extend to all Saints nor to continue in all Ages Thus the Holy Prophets the Apostles were led by the Spirit as they were immediately inspir'd guided and moved by Him in the discharge of their Extraordinary Work and Office These in the penning of the Holy Scriptures and in all that they revealed of and from God were acted and †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.21 and hereupon they were infallible in what they reveal'd But this was extraordinary and so Limited and Temporary The latter Leading of the Spirit therefore must be that which is here spoken of that which appertains to all Gods Children and at all times Did the Apostle when he says As many as are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God mean that as many as have Extraordinary Visions Revelations Inspirations Impulses from the Spirit of God are thus related to God and none Other surely no! Should we carry it thus high we should exclude all but the foremention'd Prophets and Apostles from being Gods Children which would be both sad and also false Wherefore 't is unquestionable that the Ordinary Abiding and Permanent Leading of the Spirit and that which reaches to all Believers is here intended 3. This Act of the Spirit may be consider'd either as 't is exerted at the first Conversion or after For as we distinguish the Grace of God into Prevenient and Subsequent so we may also distinguish of the Leading of the Spirit He leads at and in order to the first Conversion as he then does irradiate the Mind incline the Will spiritualize the Affections and so lead or guide the whole Soul to God and Christ Then he leads after Conversion as this is done by him all along in the whole course of a Christians Life for it is a continued Act. The Guidance of the Sp rit to bring a man into the state of Grace that 's done but once but the Guidance of the Spirit in the state of Grace that 's done Daily and Renewedly The first imports the infusing of a Living Vital Principle into the Soul the latter supposes this Principle and makes use of it in the Conduct of a Child of God in the way of Holiness Both are here to be taken in yet I conceive the last may be most proper And Observe these two Leadings of the Spirit have a different respect to our Sonship with God For the former Constitutes it the latter only Discovers and Evidences it The Spirit as leading me to God at the first Conversion makes me a Child of God the Spirit as leading me after Conversion causes it to appear that I am a Child of God 4. There is the Having of the Spirit and there is the Leading of the Spirit We have both in this Chapter the One v. 9. if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his the other in the Text. Now although these two be conjunct and inseparable whoever have the Spirit they are led by the Spirit yet they are distinct things To have the Spirit is to
be made a Possessor of Him in his Indwelling in us To be led by the Spirit is our partaking of his Directive Influence after we are made Possessors of him The First supposes the receiving of the Agent or Principle the second imports the Operation from that Agent or Principle The Greek Expositors do much insist upon this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys Whom Oecumenius and Theophylact follow Ideo non dicit Qui spiritum Dei acceperunt sed qui spiritu Dei aguntur i. e. qui illius actui obtemperant Musc but with that Explication of it which I do not drive at Observe say They 't is not said as many as have received the Spirit are the Sons of God but as many as are led by the Spirit For as they glosse upon it many receive the Spirit at Baptism who yet afterwards not being led by the Spirit to and in an Holy Life their Sonship to God ceases But this stating of the Having of the Spirit I meddle not with I consider the Reception of the Spirit not only in an external Baptismal way but in that which is inward real and saving And even this I make to be distinct from his Leading For although these are never disjoyn'd and separated but do always coexist and accompany each the other all Circumstances concurring yet in themselves they differ both as to Order and Precedence and also as to Nature and Essence The Having of a Soul and then the having of the subsequent Acts of that Soul are different things so 't is in that which I am upon These things that are more general being premis'd I come to a more strict and particular Explication of this Leading of the Spirit What is it to be led by Him It notes something on the Spirits part and something on the Creatures part Both must be taken in in the opening and stating of it 1. Something on the Spirits part So it imports 1. His special Guidance 2. His powerful Inclination 3. His Cooperation and Corroboration 4. His Regency and Gubernation 1. His special Guidance To be led by the Spirit The special Acts included in the Spirits Leading 't is to live under the blessed Guidance and Conduct of the Spirit This is the Notion which does most obviously comport with Leading How is the Blind man led why as he has one to direct and guide him to and in the way wherein he is to go So here Of this act as done by God and his Spirit the Scripture often speaks And the Lord shall guide thee continually Is 58.11 I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldst go Isa 48.17 Thou shalt guide me by thy Councel and afterward receive me to Glory Psal 73.24 Teach me to do thy Will for thou art my God thy spirit is good lead me into the land of uprightness Psal 143.10 Lead me in thy truth and teach me for thou art the God of my Salvation Psal 25.5 I will direct their work in truth and I will make an everlasting Covenant with them Is 61.8 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Psal 37.23 Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying This is the way walk ye in it when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left Isa 30.21 Here 's the Leading of the Spirit What the Cloud was to the Israelites in the directing of them in their Motions what the Guide is to the Traveller who knows not his way that the Spirit of God is to Believers their Guide and Director in this their Journeying and Wilderness state II. His powerful Inclination He leads not only by a naked Guidance or Directive Light beam'd into the Understanding whereby Believers are brought to know God's Will and what they are to do Col. 1.9 that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his Will Quid est duci spirieu Dei Est a spiritu sancto soris Verbo intus Illuminatione doceri de Dei voluntate nec non efficaciter flecti ac Regi ad volendum faciendum ea quae Deo placent Par. in all Wisdom and spiritual Vnderstanding Eph. 3.10 Proving what is acceptable to the Lord But he leads also by the Efficacious Inclining of the Heart the bowing and bending of the Will the overpowring of the Affections to close with and follow his Guidance in the doing of what is good and in the shunning of what is evil Divines bring the whole of the Spirits Leading under two words Monendo Movendo he first counsels and directs as to what is to be done and then he excites and effectually enclines to the doing thereof Psal 119.33 teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes here 's the Informing and Directing Act of the Spirit v. 35 36. make me to go in the path of thy Commandments Encline my heart unto thy testimonies and not unto Covetousness here 's the Efficacious and Powerful Act of the Spirit They who feel and experience This in themselves they are the Persons that are led by the Spirit I shall have occasion to speak more of it in what will follow III. His Cooperation and Corroboration When one leads another both the person leading and the person led have their proper Action and Motion and both unite and concurr therein And so 't is in the Saints being led by the Spirit as to what is Holy and Good He Acts and They Act too something there is done on His part something on Theirs too and there 's a mutual conjunct efficiency or Agency in Both. He acts then they act acti agunt And the Act is Theirs and His too theirs Subjectively and Formally His in respect of Excitation to it and Assistance in it They do the thing but 't is by his Influxe Is 26.12 thou hast wrought all our works in us Philip. 2.12 13. Work out your Salvation for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure In short we move we act and the Spirit concurrs and cooperates with us therein and so we are led by him †Dicet mihi aliquis ergo agimur non agimus Respondeo imò agis ageris tunc benè agis si a bono ageris Spiritus enim Dei qui te agit agentibus adjutor est Ipse nomen adjutoris praescribit tibi quia tu ipse aliquid agis Serm. 13. de Verbis Ap. Austine when he is proving the Necessity of the latter from my Text does also prove the Reality and Verity of the Former The other Act of the Spirit Corroboration or Strengthning falls in with this in part So his Leading resembles the Mothers or Nurses leading the Child it being weak not able to go alone they take it by the hand hold it up joyn their strength with its weakness and so they enable it to go In like manner the strong and mighty Spirit of
God does as it were take weak Christians by the hand and communicate his strength to them by which they are enabled to do what is required of them As it follows in this Chapter with respect to Prayer likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lifts with us and against us at the other end of the Burden And so it is in all the Duties of Holiness the Spirit lifts with helps the infirmities of Believers and strengthens them thereunto I can do all things through Christ strengthning of me Philip. 4.13 That he would grant you according to the riches of his Glory to be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inner man Eph. 3.16 I may allude to that of Elisha 2 Kings 13.16 He said to the King of Israel put thine hand upon the bow and he put his hand upon it and Elisha put his hands upon the Kings hands So we put our hands upon the bow attempt to believe pray mortifie sin and the like and then the Holy Spirit puts His hand upon Ours to confirm and strengthen us in all these Was it not for this we could do nothing Joh. 15.5 was it not for this Leading we could not move one step in the path of Holiness IV. A Fourth thing included in this Leading of the Spirit is his Regency and Gubernation Where he Governs there he Leads So vice versa and his Leading is ever attended with Rule and Authority 'T is like a Generals Leading an Army who Authoritatively disposes and orders all its motions like Moses his leading the People of Israel who had the Rule and Government over them As to Christ they are put together Behold I have given him for a Witness to the People a Leader and Commander to the People Isa 55.4 Such a Leading is this of the Spirit in Gracious Souls He has the Regiment of them He Commands and Orders them in their Course as he pleases they are subject to his Will steer'd by him in their Motions as the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oecum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophyl Ship is by the Pilot or the Chariot by him that drives it These are the Things on the Spirits part which do constitute his leading 2. To fill this up there is something on the Creatures part And that is their yielding up of themselves to the Guidance and Conduct of the Spirit Their free willing Bishop Halls Remains p. 147. Hollingsworth of the Spirit p. 65. spontaneous following of him in what he moves and dictates to them Without this 't is not Leading for that imports Motion after something that goes before And that Motion too must be Voluntary or else 't is being Hal'd and Dragg'd not Led This is the Disposition and Carriage of the Sons of God towards the Spirit He excites them to be Holy Heavenly-minded to resist and mortifie Corruption to Pray Hear Gods word perform other Religious Duties yea to take up their Cross in all they readily comply with him As David in that particular Case VVhen thou saidst seek ye my face my heart said thy face Lord will I seek Psal 27.8 He will teach us his ways and we will walk in his paths Isa 2.3 Draw me we will run after thee Cant. 1.4 Here 's the Spirits Leading and the Believers following of him It 's set forth v. 1. by walking after the Spirit it supposes a Principle of Life dead things may be drawn but they cannot properly be said to be led where the Spiritual Life is such do willingly conform to what the Spirit directs them unto But this I shall say no more of in this Explanatory part it being a thing that requires our Practice rather than any large Explication of it Thus I have opened the Nature of the Spirits Leading But it being a point of great Importance and the due stating of it being highly Necessary upon sundry Accounts I will further speak to these Four things about it Four things opened about the Spirits Leading 1. The Matter or Terminus what the Spirit leads unto 2. The Rule by which he leads 3. The Way and Manner wherein he leads 4. The Extent and Measure of it The matter of it 1. The Matter what the Spirit leads unto This is of great Extent but all may be reduc'd to these two things Truth and Holiness Truth is seated in the Vnderstanding and speaks the Spirits Leading of that Faculty Holiness reaches to the Heart within and Conversation without and speaks the Spirits Leading of Both in their utmost Comprehensiveness These he leads and guides unto but not in the least to their Opposites Error and Sin Every Agent is for that which comports and suits with his own Nature and against that which is contrary thereunto Therefore the Spirit being a Spirit of Truth and of Holiness this determines him to lead to these and to these only So his Conduct is stated in Holy Writ John 16.13 When he the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all Truth Eph. 5.9 The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and Truth Psal 23.3 He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his Names sake This Holiness includes in it Holy Affections the Exercise of the several Graces and these the Spirit guides unto 2 Thes 3.5 The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ The avoiding and mortifying of sin and this the Spirit guides unto If ye through the Spirit mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live immediately it follows As many as are led by the Spirit shewing that the Mortification of sin is one special thing which the Spirit leads to Gal. 5.16 walk in the Spirit after his Guidance and ye shall not fulfil the Lust of the flesh why because he always makes this the matter of his Guidance to keep men off from the Lust of the Flesh from all sinful ways and Courses He 's a Good and Holy Spirit in himself and therefore all his Motions tend to what is Good and Holy As Satan he being the Evil Spirit suitably to his Nature does excite and urge to what is Evil Acts 5.3 John 13.2 So e contra the Spirit of God He being the Good Spirit does excite and urge to what is Good and to nothing else How do they blaspheme this Holy Spirit who do wicked things and yet presume to say the Spirit leads them thereunto This must be laid down as a Principle of undoubted verity that the sole and whole tendency of the Spirits Leading is to Purity Obedience Universal Holiness and in no case to sin and wickedness II. The Rule by which he leads The Rule of it And that in short is the Written VVord God guides by the Spirit the Spirit guides by the VVord He is our Guide and the Word is our Rule The Spirit himself as to his own Actings has no External
destroy Natural Liberty Where the Spirit does not find sinners willing by his sweet Methods he makes them willing Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power a day of power yet willing Even the Spirits Drawing is managed with all consistency to the freedom of the will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys he draws but 't is one that he makes willing to follow Hos 2.14 Behold I will allure her ay there 's the Spirits leading This being the constant and avowed Doctrine of the Protestants and †Ductus spiritus non est impulsus violentus quo rapimur inviti ut stipites sed est efficax persuasio quâ ex nolentibus efficimur volentes Par. with many others particularly their Explication of the Spirits leading in the Text how injurious and invidious are the Popish Writers in their traducing and calumniating of them as if they asserted the Spirit in This or any Other Act to work with Compulsion or in a way destructive to mans Essential Liberty 'T is a vile scandal And yet how do Esthius Salmeron Contzen upon the Words charge our Divines with it We perfectly concurr with Blessed St. * Enchirid. Cap. 64. de verbis Apostol Serm. 13. c. 11 12. Austin in that excellent passage of his cited by the Rhemists As many as are led by the Spirit he meaneth not says he that the Children of God are violently compelled against their Wills but that they be sweetly drawn moved or induced to do good But no more of this IV. The Extent of this Leading of the Spirit The Extent of it A threefold account may be given of that 1. In regard of the Subject or person led So it extends to the Whole Man First to the Interior Acts of the Soul in its several Faculties Vnderstanding Will and Affections And then to the Exterior Acts of the Body yea to the whole Conversation For all these are comprehended within and fall under the Spirits Leading For as his Sanctifying Operation extends to all of these the God of Peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole Spirit Soul and Body be preserved blameless unto the coming of Christ 1 Thes 5.23 So does his Guiding Operation also these two being Commensurate and Coextensive This might be made out in Particulars was I not afraid of too much prolixity 2. In regard of the Object or Matter that the Spirit leads unto So it extends to the whole Duty of a Christian to all that he is to Know Believe and Do. Look as the Word in its External Leading guides us in all things that concern Faith and Practice it being a compleat and perfect Rule 2 Tim. 3.16 17. so 't is with the Spirit in his Internal Leading too Joh. 14.26 For Knowledge and Faith the Promise is But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you John 16.13 And again Howbeit when he the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all Truth see 1 John 2.20 27. And so 't is as to Holiness also this Spirit directs those who have him to and in the Practice of Holiness in its full and utmost Extent and Latitude Tit. 2.12 As the Grace of God the Gospel Without teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously godly in this present world which is the summe of all Duty towards God towards Men and towards our selves So the Spirit Within teaches guides inclines to all these His Gracious Conduct is not confin'd to does not terminate in this or that particular Duty of Religion no but it extends to every Duty to the whole Obedience of a Christian 3. In regard of the Degree and Measure of it Concerning which 't is clear that this Leading of the Spirit in the Directing Inclining Governing Notions of it is not as to Degree equal in all God's Children All have the Thing in the Necessary and Substantial part of it yet so as that there is a Gradual Difference in their having of it Some having more and some less He being a Free and Arbitrary Agent does proportion this Act of his Grace to different Persons as he pleases And he making Some more ductil to his Leadings than Others accordingly he vouchsafes more of Them to Those than he does to Others But in None does it reach so high as to render them perfect here For although we should grant which I do not that the Spirit should advance his Guidance consider'd in it self and as it comes from Him to such a Degree and Pitch as to lay the Foundation of Perfection in Saints here below yet considering what the Capacity of the Subjects of this Act is here they being Flesh as well as Spirit 't is not imaginable that de Facto and in Eventu they should ever here be perfect upon it Wherefore it must be bounded and limited though not from what the Spirit could do yet from what he is pleased to do in Believers in their present imperfect state He shall guide you into all Truth what so as to make Saints Omniscient or Infallible He guides unto all Holiness what so as to render them sinless and impeccable here on Earth we must by no means carry it thus high It therefore must be qualified thus He shall guide you into all Truth i. e. into the Knowledge of all Necessary and Fundamental Truths And he shall guide you into all Holiness i. e. so far as your present state admits of and so far as is necessary for your future Glory Beyond this Measure we must not extend or heighten the Spirits Leading For the truth is if we take it in this bounded Notion we secure the Thing but if we go higher we totally undermine and nullifie it as all Experience proves And by the way Observe that this Guidance of the Spirit in the General and that Guidance of His in Particular in the Duty of Prayer do much stand upon the same level Insomuch that as the Former the Spirits immediate Guiding of Believers in the Matter and Manner of their Actions does not thereupon render Them or Their Actions perfectly Holy and free from all mixtures of sin So neither does the Latter the Spirits immediate Guidance and Assistance in the Matter and Manner of Prayer render the Prayers of such infallible or of equal Authority with the Scriptures as some Object Because as to Both this Agency of the Spirit is to be limited partly from the Consideration of the present State of the subject in whom it is exerted and partly from the Spirits Aim and End therein 'T is true to obviate a bad Inference that may be drawn from hence the Apostles themselves considered as but Men and as men in the State of Imperfection so they were fallible as we are But as they had in matters of Faith
you Eph. 3.20 effectually to incline and draw you to what is Good To beat down and subdue the innate Renitency and Reluctancy of the Will Oh here 's the Leading of the Spirit To find out which two things must be searcht into 1. Whether it be the Spirit of God that leads us 2. Whether he leads us in a peculiar and saving or only in a common and general way Now the first must be found out by the foregoing Heads the last by that Head which I am now upon If the Spirit work in me as a Spirit of Power as well as of Light and Direction I may conclude I am led by Him I beseech you lay these Tryals and your Hearts close together and the Decision then will be easie and safe And pray consider as the Spirits Leading must evidence your Divine Sonship so the Things set before you must evidence the reality of that Divine Leading A Second Enquiry is What Inducements are there to excite and move men to endeavour to attain and live under this Leading of Gods Spirit 2. Enquiry Answ Many and Great Oh how strong are the Motives that are proper for the urging of this 1. As First The Excellency of the Thing The Person leading he is excellent the great Spirit of God The Act Divine and Supernatural Leading that is excellent The Object which this tends unto and terminates in that is excellent as the Loving of God Delighting in God Conformity to God all carry a transcendent Glory and Excellency in them Oh did but sinners know what this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Conduct and Guidance of the Spirit is what a blessed thing 't is to possess and feel it how earnest would they be in their Desires and Pursuits after it I 'me sure The Saints that have it would not be without it no not one Day for Millions of Worlds 2. The Necessity of it The Leading of the Spirit Oh how highly necessary is it who can be without it What becomes of the poor blind Man that has none to guide him Of the weak Child that has none to uphold it Alas the poor sinner in both respects does more need the Spirits Leading inwardly than either of These need external Leading Such is our Spiritual Blindness our Aptness to wander our Ignorance of our Way our lyableness to fall into Pracipices and the like as that without a Divine Hand to guide us we are lost And such too is our Spiritual Debility and Weakness as that if the Spirit of God do not hold us up in our Going taking us by our arms Hos 11.3 we fall immediately How absolutely necessary therefore is the Spirits Leading both for Direction and also for Sustentation 'T is true God has planted in Man a Natural Faculty to guide and direct him in his Actings the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Understanding Reason Conscience to be his Director and Monitor as to what he is to do And this in things of a meer Natural and Moral Consideration may be of great use to him Prov. 20.27 the Spirit of man is the Candle of the Lord Ah but as to things of a Spiritual Consideration the matters of Evangelical Faith and Practice he must have an higher Guide and Leader even the Holy Ghost or else in these things he 'l be at an utter loss Jer. 10.23 O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Prov. 16.9 a mans heart deviseth his way but the Lord directeth his steps The Natural Light separate from what is Supernatural is a very incompetent and insufficient Guide which evinces the Necessity of the Spirits Guidance 3. As the Natural Guide is defective and insufficient so there are other Guids which are destructive and damnable such as Satan Deprav'd Nature Indwelling Sin the Flesh the World Oh what dangerous Guides are these If they be our Leaders whither will they lead us why first to sin and wickedness here and then to Hell hereafter 'T is with them as with Solomons Whore Prov. 7.27 Her house is the way to Hell going down to the chambers of Death Can the Course be good when the Guide is bad and can the End be good when the Course is bad neither can be expected The Conversation Naturally comports with the Leader and the End judicially comports with the Conversation So that if these lead you this will inevitably follow upon it you 'l be very wicked in this Life and very miserable in the Life to come And besides this pray consider what a base thing it is for such a Creature as Man to be under the Conduct and Government of such base things as These Oh what a Debasement is it to him who is of such a Divine Extract and Original to be at the beck and ordering of such vile Things as Satan Sin and the rest Yet this is the misery of the Falne State upon Adams Fall Man has sadly lost his way and has put himself under woful Guides And one great thing done in his Restauration to his Primitive State is to reduce him to God as his First and Best Guide and Leader To drive this a little further in a word know that where 't is not the Leading of the Good Spirit it is the Leading of the Evil Spirit For One of these it must be not a Man in the World but he 's led by One of them Now do you not dread the thoughts of being led by Satan Oh it will be so unless you be led by this Holy Spirit of God What the Devil thy Leader Oh dreadful What comes after a Devil leading but a Devil tormenting 4. Weigh the Way and Manner of the Spirits leading You see how the Conduct of the Opposite Leaders is stated well how does this Leader manage his Conduct with great exactness and Wisdom he so leads as never to mislead so as always to direct with the deepest Judgment For as in all his Other Acts so in This he is the Spirit of Wisdom and Vnderstanding the Spirit of Counsel the Spirit of Knowledge Isa 11.2 I will instruct thee says God and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go I will guide thee with mine eye i. e. with great care and accuracy Psal 32.8 Thus the Spirit leads And He does this with infinite Truth and Faithfulness also As the wise man personating his Father says I have taught thee in the way of wisdom I have led thee in right paths Prov. 4.11 And as Abrahams Servant in the Particular Case before him Blessed be the Lord God of my Master Abraham which hath led me in the right way Gen. 24.48 And as the Psalmist with respect to Gods Conduct of Israel in the Wilderness He led them forth by the right way Psal 107.7 Such a Leading is this of the Spirit as to Believers in their whole course he always leads them in the right way And then he leads safely in
reference both to the Way and to the End He led them on safely Psal 78.53 I do but allude to it Here 's no such Leader as Those the Prophet speaks of Is 9.16 The Leaders of this people cause them to err they that are led of them are destroyed Oh who then would not be desirous to be led by him The skilfullest faithfullest safest Guide the Traveller pitches upon O Christian wilt not thou do the same for thy precious and immortal Soul 5. The Advantages Benefits Blessings that attend and result from this Leading of the Spirit are great and glorious As to instance in a Few inward Peace and Comfort whereever the Spirit is a Leading Spirit there he is or will be a Comforting Spirit A Readiness to all Dutys of Holiness so as to do them spontaneously and with Delight Gal. 5.18 If ye be led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law i. e. so as in your Obedience to act from a servile Spirit and from the meer External Compulsions of the Law but having the gracious Conduct of the Spirit this will make you do all Freely with the greatest Promptitude and Alacrity Sonship to God so it here comes in as many as are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God As it leads to Conversion it makes us the Sons of God as it leads after Conversion it evidences us to be the Sons of God as has been already said If the Spirit be thy Leader God is thy Father And what a Priviledge is this John 1.12 1 John 3.1 And then as the Consummation of all comes the Glory and Blessedness of Heaven as the certain portion of such who are led by the Spirit Death and Hell are not more sure upon the leading of Sin and Satan than Life and Heaven are sure upon the leading of this Spirit God ever saves in Heaven such whom he leads on Earth Gal. 6.26 As many as walk according to this Rule mercy and Peace be upon them Thou shalt guide me with thy Counsel Psal 73.24 and afterward receive me to Glory All being put together and seriously weighed have I not said enough and enough to excite you all to attain and close with this Blessed Leading of the Spirit of God Much more might have been added by way of Motive but if what has been said will not prevail I despair of ever prevailing with you A Third Enquiry follows 3. Enquiry How may this Leading of the Spirit be attained What is to be done by us that we may be thus led by Him Answ In order to this take the following Directions 1. There must be the having of the Spirit before there can be the Leading of the Spirit This Order is founded in the Nature of the Thing We cannot expect to participate of the Spirits Operations such as are saving before we participate of the Spirit Himself Therefore pray attend upon the Gospel by which He is convey'd to Sinners and then when you have once received him he will not be * Non est spiritus sanctus otiosus movet Mentes et ducit Mel. Idle and Ineffective but an Operative and Leading Spirit in you 2. The Antecedent First leading of the Spirit must be had before there can be the having of his Subsequent and Secondary Leading That is to say He must First lead you to God by Conversion first bring you into a state of Grace and then way is made for his subsequent Leading and Direction When he has been a quickning Spirit in the infusing of a vital Principle into the Soul then succeeds this Act which I am upon And not till then for who will attempt to lead a thing that is dead This Method of the Spirit therefore must be regarded and comply'd with 'T is first Sanctification then Manuduction in the several Things contained therein 3. Be willing to follow the Leading the Motions of the Spirit He gives again and again his secret Guidance to you shewing what you are to do what not if this be followed and comply'd with he 'l continue it if not he 'l withdraw and leave you to follow the Conduct of your own Inclinations a sore Judgment Psal 81.11 12. My people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me So I gave them up unto their own Hearts Lust and they walked in their own Counsel Oh dreadful Word The same will the Spirit do upon our rejecting or resisting of his Leading He may long strive but he will not always strive Gen. 6.3 If the person led shall once begin to struggle with him that leads him and shall refuse to follow his Guidance what is then to be done but to leave him to himself Continued rooted allowed Resistance to to the Spirit makes him so to cast off a person as to lead him no more His Initial Workings in this are to be closed with or he goes no further That one Act in the Leading of the Spirit viz. his Powerful Inclining of the Heart to comply with what he leads unto secures all the Rest If thou art an Opposer of the Spirit he will not be thy Guide Yield to Him and close with Him and he will not withhold this Grace from thee 4. Let your dependance be upon God and his Spirit for Guidance and Direction Would you have Him to lead you Oh let your Trust and Relyance be upon him and see that you renounce all confidences in yourselves He that thinks he has Wisdom or Grace enough in himself to order his Conversation aright shall never find the Spirit to be a Guide to him The meek will he guide in Judgment the meek will he teach his way Psal 25.9 VVhen a man is brought to this meek humble Frame then he is in the way of the Spirits Leading Prov. 3.5 6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thy own understanding In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths Christian Prudence Caution and Circumspection is our Duty but do we lay the stress of our Confidence upon that The steps of our strength shall be straitned and our own Counsel shall cast us down as he speaks Job 18.7 Mans goings are of the Lord how can a man then understand his own way Prov. 20.24 So long as thou thinkest thou canst go by thy self the Spirit will not take thee by the hand to lead thee 5. Pray much for this Grace of the Spirit It being a free and Arbitrary Act on his part he will be sought to for it and give it forth in that way which best suits with his Soveraignty Psal 25.5 Psal 5.8 Psal 31.3 Psal 139.24 Psal 143.10 How much was David in Prayer to God for this Lead me in thy Truth and teach me Lead me O Lord in thy Righteousness Make thy way strait before my face For thy names sake lead me and guide me Lead me in the way Everlasting Teach me to do thy will for thou art my
himself no more about us Oh take heed how you carry your selves towards him Not only upon Ingenuity Jer. 2.17 its base to be unkind to our Guid Hast thou not procured this to thy self in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God when he led thee by the way But also upon the account of self-Love for as we behave our selves to him so he will behave himself to us Ita nos tractat ut a nobis tractatur 3. Labour after the having of the Leading of the Spirit in an higher Degree and Measure than what as yet you have attained unto 'T is not enough meerly to keep it but there must be a Getting more of it As there should be a Rise in our following so we should press after a Rise in the Spirits Leading of us And that in a threefold respect that he lead us 1. More Extensively as to the Object 2. With greater Light and Clearness Power and Efficacy as to the Manner 3. With more Eavenness and Constancy as to the Duration and Continuance of it He guides you to Truth but does he guide you to all Truth He guides you unto Truth but does he guide you into Truth and is this his Constant and Continued working in you Oh this high Measure of it we should aspire at and pant after taking up with nothing short of it And so as to Holiness and Practical Godliness the same is to be endeavoured after There is indeed much Mercy in the lowest Degree of this Act and they that have the lest should be thankful but yet a fuller Proportion may and ought to be desired by every Child of God And surely they who experience what this Leading of the Spirit is never think they have Enough of it 4. So live as that it may appear to others that you are led by this Spirit Christians your Actions and Conversations should be such as may suit with the Spirit that leads you Such as may evidence to the world that you are not in pretence only but in truth and reality under a Divine and Supernatural Conduct Do we lay claim to this Oh then what Good do we do more what Evil less than Others do VVhat live in sin do Evil things be Proud Worldly Covetous Passionate Unclean Malicious Fraudulent and yet pretend you are led by the Holy Spirit Lord what an Indignity and Affront do you put upon Him what a Cheat and Fallacy upon your own Souls Pray never talk of This unless your Lives be Holy and Good For ye who are real Saints oh that you would oft think of this and look upon it as one of the highest Engagements to Circumspect Walking You that are Guided by such a Word without and such a Spirit within What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness 5. Be very thankful for this glorious Mercy Led by the Spirit admirable Love VVhat Thankfulness is due to Father Son and Spirit for it for all These have an hand though the last be more Immediately concerned in it VVhen you know not your way this Spirit shews it to you when you are weak and feeble not able to go this Spirit strengthens you I taught Ephraim also to go taking them by their arms Hos 11.3 VVhen Others are left to the Conduct of their Own Light Vnderstanding Inclinations which lead them to Sin and Death you are under the Conduct of this Gracious Spirit which leads you to Grace and Glory what cause have you to admire this Distinguishing Grace How great is the Fathers Love in this who as Fathers here when they send their Sons into Foreign Countreys and they themselves cannot be with them they send a Tutor or Governour with them in all their Travels to instruct and govern and take care of them Just so does your Heavenly Father do for you in and by his Spirit in this state of your Pilgrimage and absence from him How great is the Love of the Son in this for he has Purchased and now does Actually send this Spirit to be your Teacher Monitor and Guid. And how great is the Love of the Spirit too in this All his Operations carry infinite Goodness and Condescension in them but none more than this his tender and patient Guiding of us Should not all the Persons therefore be heartily sincerely and with the greatest enlargedness of Heart blessed and adored for it Especially considering how they design and aim at the exalting of Themselves by this very Act. As in the Miraculous Leading of the People of Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea and so on set forth Isa 43. V. 12. that led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm dividing the Water before them V. 13 14. that led them through the deep as an Horse in the Wilderness that they should not stumble As a Beast goeth down into the Valley the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest so didst thou lead thy people for what end to make thy self a Glorious Name Surely so in that Spiritual and Gracious Leading that I am treating of the great God whether Essentially or Personally considered designs much Glory and Adoration to Himself And let him have it for he well deserves it from all that have any Experience of this Grace A Fifth Enquiry May such who are led by the Spirit fetch comfort from it 5. Enquiry Is this a solid Bottom for any to build Holy Joy upon Undoubtedly it is You who have it may rejoyce and that greatly For 1. It 's a clear Evidence a deciding Argument of your being the Sons of God And what a Soul-rejoycing Priviledge is that Sons of God this assures of dear Affection tender Care strong Protection constant Provision free Access to God ready Audience of Prayer a gracious Presence in every Condition a favourable Acceptance of all Duties a good Inheritance and Portion and what not All These Blessings are yours if ye be the Sons of God and so you are if led by the Spirit Oh then what a Ground of Comfort is this 2. As 't is a certain Evidence of Sonship here so 't is a certain Pledge of Heaven and Salvation hereafter And that both upon the account of the Relation which it instates in For if Sons then Heirs Heirs of God and Coheirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 And also upon the account of the Leading it self For whereever that is as 't is in Order to Salvation so this Salvation by it shall certainly be obtained Never did any perish that liv'd under the Spirits Guidance and Conduct God ever saves where the Spirit leads All that he guids come safe to the End of their Journey to their Eternal Rest 3. Besides the Things which are wrap'd up in this Leading besides the Matter and Manner of it all of which carry in them Ground of the highest Joy consider but two things Further about it 1. That it is Abiding Permanent Continuing The Spirit does not lead and
Eyes are dazled with them and their Souls damned for them But at the things which are not seen Men in this World minding another World stand looking at these who have an Eye to see those things that are not seen There is a Mystery in Godliness 3. The Persons exerting this Act upon these Objects We that have the Spirit of God Who have our Eyes opened who consider we are hasting posting out of time into Eternity These things are set before the Men of the World who have Eyes but they do not see 4. The Property of these Objects 1. Things seen are Temporal 2. Things not seen are Eternal 5. The Reason moving Believers to keep a stedfast Eye upon Things unseen and to look off from things seen is the Eternal duration of the one and the short continuance of the other While we look for or because the things that are seen are Temporal not seen Eternal The good things in this World that are seen as Riches Pleasures Honours are things of time and only for time therefore we are not much concerned whether we win or lose them and the bad things in this Life which are seen as Poverty Imprisonment Persecution are at longest but for a short space and therefore we are not much concerned whether we endure them or be freed from them But that which addeth Weight to the things in the other World now not seen by the Men of this VVorld and draws our Eyes towards them and keeps them fixed thereon is the Eternity of them 6. The Influence that this looking upon things not seen hath upon the Beholders of them in keeping them from fainting under any Afflictions while we look c. Three words require a little Explication Looking Temporal Eternal I. While we look 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Verb is used six times in the New Testament and is variously translated 1. To take heed Luk. 11.35 Take heed therefore that the Light in thee be not darkness have a care see to it in this sense it is as if the Apostle had said We take not so much heed nor are we so full of care about these visible transitory things as we are of the Eternal Joys of Heaven and the unseen Happiness of the Saints above 2. To Consider Gal. 6.1 Considering thy self lest thou also be tempted q. d. We seriously consider and weigh in our Minds the Vanity Insufficiency and short Continuance of all visible things both good and bad whether Profit or Poverty Honour or Disgrace and the â—ulness excellency and everlasting Nature of things unseen and therefore prefer these before them 3. To mark observe and take notice of Rom. 16.17 Mark them that cause divisions among you Phil. 3.17 Be followers of me and mark them that walk so as ye have us for an example It is the Observation that Believers make that all seen things are Temporal unseen Eternal which worldly men take no notice of to influence them in what they do 4. To look Phil. 2.4 Look not every one on your own things To look with a diligent Eye as the Archer to the mark whereat he shoots to make a thing our scope and aim and so the Substantive is used Phil. 3.14 I press towards the mark In this respect the sense is the thing that we do aim at in all we do is to get a Title to and hereafter the possession of Eternal things to secure our Everlasting happy state to have treasures not for a while but for ever to have Honour and Glory and Joy not in hasty time but in abiding Eternity Believers are lowly in Heart but they look high the Men of this World are of an haughty Spirit but they aim at low things II. Temporal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Used four times in the New Testament twice concerning temporary Believers Matth. 13.21 but dureth for awhile Mar. 4 17. dureth but for a time Once concerning the pleasure of sin Heb. 11.25 then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season and in the Text comprehensively of all visible things take then a summary account of all that wicked worldly men have and all is but for a while What the richest among them have their grandure dureth but for a time and then is past and gone and hath no more existence What the merriest among them have Pleasures Mirth carnal Delights and Joy and this is but for a season their merry bouts will be quickly over and then succeeds weeping and wailing for ever What the best among them have even their Faith is but for a time and their Hope but for a short time at longest 't is Death shall close their Eyes and then ly down in Everlasting despair that all their comings in whether profits from the World or pleasures from their Sin or supposed happiness from their supposed Graces have their goings out that upon all they have you may write all is temporal They had Riches but they are gone Honours and Pleasure but they are gone Many good things in time but at the end of time all have an end and then when their endless misery comes this will be their doleful tune all our good is past and gone III. Eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alwaies existing all duration even time it self taken metaphysically is nothing else but the permanency of Essence Time External in sensu Physico is but ens rationis or nothing Therefore according to the manner of Beings must be the manner of their Abidings All Beings may be ranked into three sorts whence arise three sorts of Duration 1. Some things have both beginning and end as Beasts and other corruptible Creatures and their duration is time which hath both beginning and end 2. Some things have a beginning and no end as Angels and the Souls of Men and the state of both in the other World and the duration by which these are measured in Philosophy to distinguish it from Time and Eternity strictly taken is called Aeviternity which imports only an Initial defectibility of the things in themselves though by the absolute power of God there might be a period put unto their being once begun but there is no principle of corruption in their own Nature which should cause a cessation of their existing Essence nor is it in the verge of any created Power or second Cause to take that Being from them which was given to them by the first and these things because they have no end are Eternal 3. One only Being hath neither beginning nor end nor can have and that is God and his duration is Eternity properly and most strictly taken which is a duration inferring simple interminability of Essence all at once existing without succession Eternity in the most proper acceptation doth exclude not only actual beginning and end but all possibility of both and denotes indefectibility of Essence a parte ante a parte post existing all at once in one continued immoveable instant without consideration of any thing in it past
Thess 2.13 God hath from the Beginning chosen you to Salvation 1 Thess 5.9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain Salvation which Salvation doth include absence of all evil and presence of all good and this Salvation being Eternal Heb. 5.9 infers the absence of all evil for ever and the presence of all good for ever and whosoever is delivered from all privative Evils and possessed of all positive Everlasting good and that for ever can not be denyed to be happy for ever II. Christ hath redeemed some to be infallibly brought to Eternal Glory What reason can be given of the Incarnation and Death of the Son of God if there be no Eternal misery for men to be delivered from nor any Eternal happiness to be possessed of For 1. Did Christ dye to deliver his Followers from Poverty and Prisons from Sorrow and Sufferings from Trouble and Tribulation What! and yet his Holy Humble and Sincere people lye under these more than other Men that are wicked and ungodly why was Paul then in stripes and imprisonments in hunger and thirst in cold and nakedness in perils and jeopardy of his Life continually and such as Pilate Faelix and Festus in great worldly prosperity Or can it be imagined that Men persisting in Sin should be more partakers of the fruits of Christs Death than those that forsake their sin repent and turn and follow him 2. Did Christ suffer and dye to purchase only Temporal good things as Riches Honours for his Disciples Were these worth his precious Blood VVhatever Christ dyed for it cost him his most Sacred Blood Was it then for Temporal enjoyments only which Turks and Pagans may and do possess more than Thousands of his true and faithful Followers Did Christ intend the benefits of his Death for these in more especial manner then for such as remain finally impenitent and yet shall such reap the fruit of all his Sufferings and those that believe on him go without them Sober reason doth abhor it and all the Scripture is against it Would Christ have humbled himself to such a contemptible Birth miserable Life lamentable painful shameful Death only for transitory temporal fading Mercies If we consider the variety of his sufferings from God Men and Devils the dignity of the Sufferer I profess I cannot imagine any reason of all Christs undertakings and performances if there be not an Eternal state of Misery in suffering of evil things by his Death that Believers might be delivered from and of Glory in enjoying of good things to be brought unto III. The Spirit of God doth sanctifie some that they might be made meet to be partakers of the Eternal Inheritance of the Saints in light As all are not Godly so all are not Ungodly Though most be as they were born yet many there be that are born again there is a wonderful difference betwixt men and men the Spirit of God infusing a principle of spiritual Life and making some all over new working in them Faith in Christ Holy Fear and Love Patience and Hope longing Desires renewing in them the Holy Image of God is as the earnest and first fruits assuring of them in due time of a plentiful harvest of Everlasting Happiness Faith is in order to Eternal Life and Salvation Joh. 3.16 Love hath the promise of it 1 Cor. 2.9 2 Tim. 4.8 Jam. 1.12 Obedience ends in it Heb. 5.9 Hope waits for it Rom. 8.25 and because their hope shall never make them ashamed Rom. 5.5 therefore there must be such an Eternal-Blessed state they hope for IV. The Souls of all men are immortal though they had a beginning yet shall never cease to be therefore must while they be be in some state and because they be Eternal must be in some Eternal state This Eternal state must be either in the Souls enjoyment of God or in separation from him for the wit of Man cannot find out a third for the Soul continuing to be must be with God or not with God shall enjoy him or not enjoy him for to say he shall and shall not or to say he shall not and yet shall is a contradiction and to say he neither shall nor shall not is as bad if therefore the Soul be Eternal and while it shall be shall perfectly enjoy God it shall be Eternally happy If it shall for ever be and that without God it shall be Eternally miserable because God is the chiefest good the ultimate end and perfection of man The great work in this then is to prove that the Soul is Eternal and shall for ever be For which I offer these things 1. There is nothing within nor without the Soul that can be the cause of its ceasing to be here except God who though he can take away the being of Souls and Angels too yet he hath abundantly assured us that he will not Nothing within it because it is a Spiritual Being and hath no Internal Principle by contrary qualities causing a cessation of its Being and because it is simple and indivisible it is immortal and incorruptible for that which is not compounded of parts cannot be dissolved into parts and where there is no dissolution of a Being there is no corruption or end of it there is no Creature without it that can cause the Soul to cease Matth. 10.28 Not able to kill the Soul Luc. 12.4 Fear not them that kill the Body and after that have no more that they can do if they would kill the Soul they cannot when they have killed the Body they have done their worst their most their all 2. The Soul of man hath not dependance upon the Body as to its Being and Existence It hath certain actings and operations which do not depend upon the Body and if the operations of the Soul be independent from the Body such must the principle be from whence such operations do arise and if it can act without dependance on the Body then it can exist and be without the Body In the Body without dependance on the Body it hath the knowledge of immaterial Beings as God and Adgels which were never seen by the eye of the Body nor can because there must be some proportion between the object and the faculty and the Soul doth know it self wherein it hath no need of the phantasie for when it is intimately present to it self it wanteth not the ministry of the phantasie to its own intellection Besides it can conceive of universals abstracted from its singulars in which it doth not depend upon the phantasie for phantasmata sunt singularium non universalium therefore since it can act in the body without dependance on the Body it can exist without the Body and not dye when the Body doth which yet is more plain and certain from the Scripture which telleth us that the Soul of Lazarus after death was carryed by Angels into Abrahams bosom Luc. 16.22 but they did not carry it dead or alive but alive
Job 13.27 how narrowly should we look to our own when every one is a step to Everlasting Happiness or Eternal Misery We should look narrowly that we do not walk in the broad way that leads unto the one but in the narrow that will bring us to the other Matth. 7.13 14. 5. Look Earnestly with a longing look at unseen Eternal things Let your Hearts be filled with greatest intense desires after them as one that looks and thinks it long till the desire be accomplished as the Mother of Sisera looked out at a Window and cryed through the Lattice Why is his Chariot so long in coming Why tarry the Wheels of his Chariot Jud. 5.28 Why doth time make no more haste to be gone and flee away that when it is gone and past I might enter into Eternal joyes that never shall be past and gone Why doth the Sun that by its alternate presence and absence is the measure of my nights and dayes make no swifter speed in its diurnal Motion If it be as a Bridegroom coming out of his Chamber and rejoyceth as a strong man to run a race why doth it seem to my longing Soul as in the days of Joshua to stand still If the Sun in the Firmament be so slow let the Sun of Righteousness make more haste and come and lighten my passage to the other Eternal World that I might see him as he is and be more like unto him then at this distance I can be Return Return O Shulamite return return that I might look upon thee Make haste my Beloved and be thou like unto a roe or to a young hart upon the Mountains of spices that my looking for and after thee might be turned into looking upon thee Didst thou say a little while and ye shall see me and again a little while and ye shall not see me Why dearest Lord shall I count that a little while in which I do not see thee hast thou left it upon record yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Sweetest Saviour to my thirsty panting Soul it seems a great while while thou dost tarry and not come time seems long till I do see thee but when I shall see thee in looking on thy lovely glorious Self Eternity shall not seem long I will mind thee of thy promise surely I come quickly and make it matter of my prayer and in confidence of the performance of thy promise and audience of my Prayer will say Amen even so so quickly come Lord Jesus for according to my earnest expectation and my hope I groan and am travelling in pain until I see thee who to me art now unseen that then I might live by sight and no longer walk by Faith 6. Look though with Earnest yet with Patient expectation at unseen Eternal things He that walketh now by Faith that he shall hereafter live by sight will not make undue untimely haste though what he seeth by Faith in unseen Eternal Joyes and Glory doth fill his Soul with longing desires after them yet hope doth help with Patience to wait for them Rom. 8.25 For the beatifical Vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end of Temporal Life it will be given though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry though it tarry beyond some Moneths or Years that you desire to be there yet it shall not tarry one moment beyond the time that God hath appointed to take you to it therefore in the mean time live by Faith and see in things unseen what can be seen by Faith till things unseen shall clearly and with open face be seen by you 7. Look with a fixed stedfast Eye at unseen Eternal things if you give a glance or cast of the Eye towards things seen and temporal the Eye and Heart too is ready to fix upon them if you would fix your Eye upon Eternity upon God and Christ and the Joyes above Satan Sin the Flesh and World will be diverting of it that now in time comparatively you can but glance upon Eternity If you look that way many Objects will interpose themselves to hinder your sight and to turn your Eyes from things Eternal to things Temporal from God to the Creature from things above to things below But yet if we were full of the Holy Ghost as Stephen was we might look up stedfastly into Heaven as Stephen did and though not with the same Eye yet to the same effect and purpose see the Glory of God and Jesus standing on his right hand Act. 7.55 Though the thoughts are immanent yet in this respect they are too transient that they do no longer dwell upon Eternity But if the Devil and the World find your thoughts tyed to this subject and go about to loosen them say why do ye this for not my Lord but I have need of them Or if you are at any season seasonably got up into the Mount viewing Eternity and they send Messengers to you to come down reply for they think to do you mischief I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down Why should the work cease whilest I leave it and come down to you And though they send more than four times after this sort yet answer them still after the same manner 8. Look unweariedly at unseen Eternal things The Eye might be fixed for a while upon an Object and after a while be weary in looking at it can you look unweariedly at the vanities of this World and will you be so soon tired in beholding the Glorious things in the other World Do you look on things Temporal where seeing is not satisfying and yet are never satisfyed with looking And will you not look on things Eternal where seeing would be such a filling of your heart with satisfactory content that looking would not be tedious to your eye There is so much in God in Christ in all Eternal things in Heaven so much Beauty Glory Fulness that methinks we might stand looking at them night and day without any irksomness at all But alas when the Spirit is willing the Flesh is weak and whilest the Soul must look out of Flesh to see those Glorious things and so clogged with Corruption that is like dust within its Eyes that makes it weep because it can look no longer but yet in time we should endeavour to be more like to them that are already in that Eternity where they look at God and Christ unweariedly and though their looking is not measured by Days or Moneths or Years but by immensurable Eternity yet they shall never be weary of looking at them to all Eternity 9. Look with a joyful pleasant Eye at unseen Eternal things Look till you feel your Heart to leap for joy look till you find your Spirit is reviv'd within you look till the sight of your Eye affect your Heart Is Christ unseen yet not unknown Do not you now see him with
Christ and converse with him if he were on Earth it is better to see this pretious Christ in Eternal Glory it is worth the while to dy to have a view of your Lord-Redeemer in the highest Heavens Oh the wonderful transporting Joyes the Soul is filled with when it first cometh into the unseen but happy World when it hath the first Glorious view of its dearest Lord. Do you think it would desire to return to live in flesh upon Earth again Do you know what you do when you are so loth to dy Do you understand your selves when you are so backward to be taken out of time It is to be loth to go into Everlasting Happiness to go and take possession of unseen Eternal Glory 5. Such an Eyeing of Eternity would make us more patient constant joyful in all our sufferings for Christs sake When we poar upon our seen troubles and do not look at rest after trouble when we see and feel what is inflicted upon us but do not look what is laid up in Heaven for us when we see the rage of men and do not look at the love of God our Hearts and Flesh do fail but if we set unseen Eternal things over against things seen and Temporal it will be strength unto us Against the power of Men which is Temporal set the Power of God which is Eternal and then you will see their power to be weakness Against the Policy of Men which is Temporal set the Wisdom of God which is Eternal and then you will see all their Policy to be Foolishness Against the Hatred of Men which in its effects to you is Temporal set the Love of God which is both in its self and in its effects to you Eternal and you will see their hatred to be no better than raging unreasonable madness Keep your Eye upon the unseen Torments in the other World and you will rather endure Sufferings in this than venture upon Sin and expose your selves to them Keep your Eye upon the unseen Eternal Crown of Glory and it will carry you through Fire and Flames Prisons and Reproaches for the sake of Christ Heb. 11.26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward 27. by Faith he forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him who is invisible 6. This Eyeing of Eternity will be a powerful preservative against the temptations of Men or Devils a Sovereign Antidote against the Poyson of Temptation I see the Invisible God looks at me shall I then yield to the suggestions of the Devil or the sollicitations of men to sin I see there is an Everlasting state of Joy or Torment that I must be shortly in as sure as I am in this place and Satans design is to bring me to that state of Torment and if I follow him I shall be excluded from yonder glorious place from God and Christ and Saints above therefore by the Grace of God I will not yield to this Temptation but strive I will and Watch and Pray I will against the assaults of this deceitful Adversary for why should I be so foolish to lose Eternal Glory for momentary Pleasures and run my Immortal Soul into Eternal pain for short delights I do plainly see what will be the end if I do yield Damnation without end banishment from God without end I do clearly see that Stealing and Murder is not a more ready road to a place of Execution upon Earth than yielding to a tempting Devil is to Everlasting Misery 7. Such Eyeing of Eternity would wean our hearts from the things of time A sight and view of Heavens Glory would darken the Glory of the World as looking at the shining Sun over your Head doth obscure in your Eyes the things under your Feet after a believing view of the invisible God and the Glory of the place above this World would appear as a very Dunghil in your Eyes Phil. 3.7 8. as where we love there we look so the more we look the more we shall love and the more we love the Eternal things that are above the less we shall love the Temporal things that are below 8. Such Eyeing of Eternity would make us more like to God and Jesus Christ it will be a transforming and assimilating look 2 Cor. 3.18 But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Therefore when we shall see Christ who is now out of sight we shall be perfectly like unto him 1 Joh. 3.2 But we know when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 9. Such an Eyeing of Eternity would fill our Souls with Holy admirations of the Goodness Grace and Love of God to us When Paul had a sight of such unseen things he was in an Holy Extasie and Divine Rapture 2 Cor. 12.2 3 4. When we consider the Eternal Happiness of Heaven we shall stand as Men amazed that God should prepare such things for such men and bear such Love and shew such Mercy to such as we that are so vile and full of sin and say Lord what am I that might for ever have howled in the lowest Hell that I should hope to praise thee in the highest Heavens Lord what am I that might have been in Everlasting Darkness that there should be prepared for me Everlasting Light and Joy Why me Lord why hast thou designed me and wrought upon my heart and made me in any measure meet to be partaker of such Eternal Glory Oh! the depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out Rom. 11.33 How pretious are thy thoughts to me how great is the sum of them Psal 139.17 Oh how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee Psal 31.19 10. Such an Eyeing of Eternity would have this influence sure upon us to set our selves under a painful skilful serious Ministry It doth much concern you for you are going to an endless Life and Preaching is the appointed means to fit you for an endless happy Life then do you choose the most lively searching powerful Preaching it is for the life of your Souls for the Everlasting life of your Everlasting Souls If you were sick and in danger of Death when your Life lies upon it you would have the advice of an able Physitian that is serious and afraid that he no way become guilty of your Death Would you like that Physitian that seems to be unconcerned and cares not whether you live or dy if he might but have his fee Or that should merrily jest with you when you are sick at Heart and near to Death if you be not
Death where note 1. His Submission to the will of the Father He puts himself into his Fathers hands and Subjects himself to his pleasure 2. His design the Fathers glory Glorify thy Name He doth not say simply let my Agony and Death come but Glorify c. q. d. This being the means of thy Glory which thou hast fixt upon here I am do to me as seemeth good in thy Sight Hence observe First The best way to quiet and compose our Spirits in time of distress is the Prayer of Faith Wrastle with God and you Conquer your own Tumultuatings 1. Sam. 1.10 11 18. Secondly That Soul will be heard who forgets or neglects himself in Comparison and Prayeth for the Accomplishment of the Will and Glory of God So doth Christ here and God heard him See Heb. 5.7 Thirdly Our Exemption from suffering may sometimes be inconsistent with the Glory of God Save me from this hour saith Christ but for this cause came I unto this hour Father Glorify thy Name The Ground of the Point lyes in his Correction of his first Petition Fourthly The best and most Effectual means to prepare our selves to meet God either in the way of Mercy or Judgment is to resign our selves to the Soveraign Will of God to be disposed of for his Glory 1. I shall prove the Doctrin 2. Open the Nature of this resigned Frame of Spirit 3. Give some Arguments manifesting that it is our Duty especially in a Day of Distress 4. Apply the whole Before I enter upon the first I lay down this Supposition That believer who is prepared for Affliction is prepared for Salvation that the same qualification fits for both these dispensations I know some are Vessels of Wrath fitted only for Distruction Ro. 9.22 If the Apostle did there Treat of a Moral preparation which I know he doth not then we must Distinguish between Destruction and Affliction and of the fitness of the Vessels of Wrath for that and Saints for this But to decide this matter Our Doctrine and Question speaks of an Holy Gracious Preparation for Sufferings to bear them quietly and benificially not of a judicial Aptitude for Ruin much less an Eternal act of Preterition which is the Apostles meaning there This premised I suppose none will deny him who is holily qualified for Suffering to be in a blessed readiness for comfortable Dispensations and Providences Now that the above mentioned Resignation to the will of God for his Glory Prepareth a Soul both for Mercy or Judgment Suffering or Deliverance appeareth as follows 1. In that we find Holy Men of Old in this Spirit ready for either Dispensation Tribulation or Comfort Adversity or Prosperity Job shall be our First Instance his Resignation is notably expressed Chap. 1.21 Naked came I out of my Mothers Woumb and Naked shall I return Thither The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh Blessed be the Name of the Lord. The good Man upon the first gust of the Storm that beats Terribly upon him falls down at the Feet of God acknowledging his Soveraignity and Adoring his Name Well in this Frame he met with greater Tryals afterward and how did he bear them See James 5.11 Ye have heard of the Patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very Pitiful and of tender Mercyes In this Spirit he bear Affliction Patiently and received Mercy Plentifully God had two Designs on Job to Try and Bless him and Job's humble Spirit equally quallified him for both Take David for a Second Example By Absaloms Rebellion he was brought to a great Strait that must flye to prevent the Surprize of his Person Now take notice of his Frame 2 Sam. 15.25 26. And the King said unto Zadack carry back the Ark of God into the City If I shall find favour in the Eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it and his Habitation But if he say thus I have no delight in thee behold here I am let him do to me as seemeth good unto him David was not without hopes of being Restored to his Throne and yet he had fears of the Contrary but whether God would dispose of him that way or this he Submits to his Pleasure Resigns himself to his Will and this prepared him for Suffering and qualified him for Deliverance Isa 41.2 'T is said that God call'd Abraham to his Foot i. e. to an intire Subjection to his Will He disputed nothing that God revealed refused nothing which he commanded what was this for why to fit him for great Tryalls Mercies Gen. 12.1 2 3 4. Cap. 22.1 2 3 10 16 17 18. this was Pauls Frame Acts 20.22 23 24. 2. That Frame is most fit to meet the Lord in the way of Judgment or Mercy which Christ chose to suffer in and so to enter into Glory In the Text this was his case he was shortly to meet with two Contrary Dispensations He was to bear our Sin and to Conflict with the Wrath of God for it to Suffer the Violence of Hell and the World and to Dye an accursed Death but with all immediately he is to be Glorified at the Right Hand of the Father Both these he had in his Eye in this Chap. v. 23 24. He expected a double Glory upon his Death here by the Propagation of the Gospel in Heaven by the Exaltation of his humane Nature Chap. 17.15 and both these he looked for Heb. 12.2 Well how will he prepare himself for Suffering and Glory even by lying at his Fathers Foot in the Text. And now he can grapple with all his Enemys and now he can wait for his reward Matt. 26.39 42 44. 'T was in this Spirit that he went to meet his betrayer v. 45 46. This all the Evangelists mention for our Example Certainly Christ knew what was the best preparation for Judgment or Mercy and Chose it for himself and was therein our Pattern 3. That 's the best way to meet God in the way of his Judgments or Mercies which himself prescribeth but a Resigned humbled Spirit to his Will and Pleasure is commanded by himself to qualify us for such Dispensations 1 Pet. 5.6 Humble your selves therefore under the mighty hand of God and he shall Exalt you in due time q. d. bear my Afflicting hand and you shall feel my Supporting Exalting hand 4. That 's the best Preparation for Mercy or Judgment which God aimeth at in Afflicting and Rewardeth in Delivering his People and this is a Resigned Frame an Obedient Submiss Subdued Will to the Will of God If he afflict his Children 't is because they are Froward if he Cherrish them t is for the Compliance with his Pleasure Ephram was Smitten for his Stubborness and Comforted for his Obedience Jer. 31.18 19 20. God hath no Contention with us but our Crosness because our Wills Thwart his and our ways contradicts his First we resist his Commanding Will by Disobedience and then his chastizing Will
consistent with his Fathers Purpose and Honour yet all this notwithstanding he boweth his Soul and prayeth his Father to Glorify his Name so Matt. 26.39 c. His Soul trembled at the thoughts of the bitterness of that Cup we find him not Relucting at any foregoing Suffering but this amaz'd him as Mark expresseth it yet see his resolve nevertheless not my Will but thine be done Two things in times of Trouble we usually start at yet a resigned Soul will refer it self therein to the Will of God 1. The matter of the Tryal Very oft we think we could be content to bear any burden but what Providence lays upon us carrying it as if God had pick't out the very worst of Pains and Aff ictions for us We'd bear Sickness if it pleased God but cannot away with Death we 'd lay down our Lives at Gods Feet but know not to be confined in a nasty Goal Let God send any thing but Poverty or Banishment or Slavery c. The meaning of it is we would Suffer according to our own Will not Gods For to corrupt Nature any Trouble is more Eligible then what Providence fixeth upon Rachel could Die more quietly as she imagined then endure the Affliction of Barrenness Gen. 30.1 Though poor Woman she found that first as hard a Task as the second Chap. 35. 18. Was this Christs meaning when he prayed the Father to Glorify his Name doth he prescribe the Suffring or close with his Fathers Pleasure did Christ say any Cup Father but this any Death but this accursed Crucifixtion Nay but if this Cup may not pass away thy Will be done O how far are we from this Frame when we Complain our Lot is worse then any Mans. We think God hath chosen the Smartest Rod in all the Bundle for us But where is our Resignation all this while 2. The manner of the Tryal this is usually disputed Saul in his dispare will Dye but Scorns to be Slain by the uncircumcised 1 Sam. 31.4 Abimeleck too will Dye when he cannot help it but not by the hand of a Woman Judg. 9.54 And we flatter our selves as if we were willing to Glorify God by our Death only we would chuse the way of Dying The meaning is God shall be Glorified aâ— we please He shall have the Honours but we 'l prescribe the manner Indeed he owes us much thanks for our kindness Is this to Glorify God No! He is not Glorified but in the way of his Will 2. This Frame carrieth in it a Resolution of our Suffering not only into the Will of God but his Glory also O saith our blessed Lord I 'l Suffer thy Wrath and Mens Malice Rage and say thine be the Glory I 'l endure the Shame and thou shalt have the Honour Father Glorify thy Name Christ stood not upon his own Credit but the Fathers Glory 1 Cor. 10.31 Whether therefore ye Eat or Drink or whatever ye do do all to the Glory of God Ye whether ye Live or Dye Suffer or Prosper do all Suffer all for the Glory of God A resigned Soul counteth it worth his while to bear any Affliction so God be Glorified Our holy Lord here Ballanc't the Glory of God against his Sufferings what a blessed Spirit was that of the Baptist Jo. 3.30 I must decrease but he must increase he began to loose his followers when Christ entred upon his Ministry but instead of grudging at it or envying him he 's aboundantly Satisfied that his loss was his Lords gain A resigned Soul will be base in its own Eyes and be content to be vile in Mens Sight also so God be Glorified I know nothing more contrary to the Spirit of the Gospel then Affectation of Reputation to our selves nor any thing more Christian then Zeal for and desire of the Glory of God and our Lord Jesus Jo. 5.44 How can ye believe who receive Honour one of another Christ aimed at his Fathers Glory First Jo. 17.4 I have Glorified the upon Earth Here both in doing and Suffering we must design Gods Glory our turn comes not to have Glory till we be in Heaven Nay We must not only Aim at Gods Glory in our Suffering but be willing that he mannage our Sufferings to that end He always hath most Glory when he Orders the whole affair Christ doth not say Father I 'l Glorify thy Name but refers himself unto the Father do thou O Father Glorify thy Name Our Sufferings bring God no Glory unless he order them Heb. 10.7 Lo I come to do thy Will there was nothing of the Will of Christ in the case further then its Submission to the Fathers Will so must we lay our selves at the Feet of God and desire him to work out his own Glory in and by us 2. We must also be willing that he make what Glory for himself he pleaseth of us and by us Some think from Rev. 11.7 The Witnesses would have finish't their Testimony too soon and laid aside the Sackcloth and Ashes before the time What know we when God hath got Glory enough by our Sufferings Nay let 's be content to bear as long and as much as he thinketh fit to be sure we cannot Glorify him too much Let him Carve for himself when his Name hath had Glory enough by us himself will ease us Did Christ hang back after his Agony in the Garden No! but thence he went to meet his apprehenders thence to the Chief Priest thence to Herod and thence to Pilate again then to the place of Execution then to the Cross then to the Grave He Suffered as long and as much as it was his Fathers Pleasure His Prayer in the Text fixeth no measure nor Time but leaveth the Stint to the Will of God Holy Job bare his several Afflictions Patiently not one but all till God had done Paul professeth that he was not only ready to be bound but Dye for the Name of Jesus Acts 21.13 And none of these things move me saith he Chap. 20. 14. If when God hath Glorified himself by my Bonds he thinks fit to get him Honour by my Death I Submit This should check our impatience and weariness in a Suffering Day how can we say Father Glorify thy Name when we would Stint him in the degree and time of our Sufferings 3. This Frame Submits the Season when we shall Suffer to the Fathers wise Determination This was the dismallest hour that ever Christ saw the Hour and Power of Darkness Luke 22.53 when Hell and the World seemed to have all possible Advantages against the Lord. And doth he say Father save me from this Hour yea but he corrects himself and with respect to that Hour puts up his request to the Father in the Text Father Glorify c. He is so far from contending about the Season that he came designedly to Jerusalem at that time to Suffer Jo. 12.9 10. But we are apt to Reluct in this case O Lord deliver us from
this and that Hour and Glorify thy self any time else Some think Hezekiah was loath to Dye Isa 38.23 Because he was in the midst of his Reformation and the work unfinisht He might possibly think it more son Gods Glory to live then than Dye Let me out live this Sickness escape this Persecution avoyd this Judgment and Father Glorify thy self ever after is our Language But wher 's Resignation to the Will of God all this while One would think the Patriarks died very unseasonable Heb. 11.4 When they expected the fulfilling of Promises but however they died Contentedly Many of us would gladly be spar'd to see the Resurrection of the Witnesses the fall of Antichrist the return of the Jews and the Descension of the New Jerusalem and then they think they could say with Simeon Luke 2.29 30. Lord now let thy Servant depart in Peace c. These desires are good if attended with Submission to the Will of God otherwise Rebellious 4. Though Nature shrinke our Souls be perpext our Thoughts disturb'd for fear of the hour Approaching yet our Wills must be Resigned our Reasoning silenc't our Passions Resisted and all Submitted to the Will of God The Lord Jesus was now strangely Perplext fear and amazment stopt his Mouth for a while yet as soon as he can Recollect himself this is the Language both of Heart and Lips Father Glorify thy Name It may be we have Plausible Arguments against Drinking the Cup as our Weakness Psal 39.9 Levit. 10.3 our Fear and possibly that to escape would be more for Gods Glory that 't is an hard case that we are not Ready c. Well but if we would have God Glorify himself Reason must be silent and only Faith speak as Christ doth in the Text and Matt. 26.39 c. 5. This Resignation is not only a Thought but a Deliberate desire 'T is Christs request to God Nay he begs more Hartily that the Father Glorify himself then that he should be saved from that Hour Christians may now and then use such an Expression by way of Ejaculation as a short Prayer the result of some close Spiritual reasoning in our Souls but can we settle our desire this way can we say in time of Plague Persecution or other Distress Father Glorify c. The Lord Jesus knowing how much it conduced to the Fathers Glory doth not only desire to Suffer but desires it earnestly and passionately Luke 12.50 I have a Baptism to be Baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplisht His Heart was bent Bent to Glorify his Father he was therefore Angry with Peter for diswading Matt. 16.22 23. He spaks with an Holy Passionateness and Indignation Jo. 18.11 The Cup that my Father putteth into my Hands shall I not Drink it And this is recorded for our Imitation Acts 21.13 What mean you to Weep and breake my Heart I am ready c. was Paul's Spirit The Name and Glory of the Lord Jesus are concerned in my Sufferings and I will Suffer his Will We should endeavour not only to be Content but desirous of Suffering when it is for the Glory of God 6. Lastly This is Christs last and Final Resolve he was at first Reluctant but now he fixeth and Changed not till Death Ah! many of us may say now and then Father Glorify thy Name but our Spirit alters Our goodness is as a Morning Cloud early dew that soon Vanisheth Hos 13.3 O but a resigned Soul makes it his abiding Resolve 3. The next General is to Alledg some grounds on which this Resignation is Built and reasons for it 1. We cannot prescribe how God should be Glorified therefore 't is fit we be Resigned How have Men befooled themselves and dishonoured God in the case of Worship They 'l invent and prescribe Forms and Modes when they have no ground to believe he 'l accept them Nothing pleaseth God but his own Will Even in the case in hand we must not dispose of our Selves and Suffer how and when and where and by whom we please for this would rather dishonour then Credit the cause of God because it wholy depend's upon his Pleasure He hath laid the Whole Platform and contrivance thereof in his own Councels and purpose and therein all the several Spirits of the Mystery answer and add Beauty to each other Now any thing of our Will would deform the rest and take off from that Divine Symmatry and Concord which render all becomming the Wisdom Holiness Power and Soveraign Grace of God And why do we not as well teach him how he should Govern the World as how he should dispose of us would it be for Gods Honour if we should direct when it should Rain and when Shine when there should be a Storm and when a Calm He that understands not the whole Councel of God cannot direct any Fragment thereof who hath known the Mind of the Lord and who hath been his Councellor Rom. 11.34 Nay is it not most dishonourable that his Creatures should advise him that dust and ashes should correct his Will Isa 45.9 10. The way of Gods Glory is the way of his Pleasure Rev. 4.11 Into which unless we resolve our selves we obstruct his Honour 2. Because Gods Glory is most Valuable Christ stood not upon his Life in Comparison of his Fathers Glory what then is our Life or Ease or Credit to be laid in the bottom with it Better the World Perish then God not be Glorified It was made for his Pleasure Rev. 4.11 for that end is it continued and if it be dissolved that will be the design see how magnificently the Prophet speaks of God Isa 40.15 16 17. And shall nothing shall we stand between him and his Glory Methinks we should Tremble at our unwillingness to Suffer according to his Will considering how it Eclipses his Glory Joshua was more Solicitous for Gods Name than his own Life or all the Camp of Israel Jos 7.9 3. Because Christ hath shew'd us the way in this most difficult case Learn of me saith he for I am Meek and Lowly Matt. 11.29 Wherein did he express his Meekness see Isa 5.3 7. He neither refused nor murmured complained nor resisted He behaved himself most Submisly and Obediently Now learn of him lay down Passion and tumult in a Suffering day and lye at the feet of your Father what did the Lord Submit and may the servant Rebel Nay the Disciple is not above his Master nor the Servant as his Lord c. Matt. 10.24 'T is enough to be like him Eliah was content to Dye if God pleased why I am not better then my Father 1 Kings 19.4 Did the example of the Patriarcks move him Behold a greater then the Patriarks is here 4. Because God hath had his Will and Glorified his Name hitherto so he saith immediately after our Text. And must Providence be put out of its Course for us did not God Glorify himself upon and by all our Predecessors
in all Ages The greatest the holyest of them gave way to the Course of his Will they were sick imprison'd poor strangers Persecuted and Slain when by whom and as he pleased and what are we a foolish Generation arisen in this last and worst Age that we should reluct or murmur or tumultuate or be angry or impatient Jo. 5.17 My Father worketh hitherto c. He had not been impeded in his Providential will to that day nor is he yet And is it sit he should alter his course for us now at last This is the Fathers own Argument 5. Because do what we can he will Glorify his Name so himself saith in the words following I will Glorify it again Friends 't is fit we consider this matter when God call's to Suffering this is the Language of non-submission We will not be persecuted we will not be Imprisoned c. but what saith God I will c. Yea he will do it in spite of us He did not ask our Leave to make us nor will he to dispose of us Non-resignation imply's a double Contradiction 1. To God I will do all My Will my Councel shall stand in his resolve Isa 46.10 No saith an unresigned Soul I will not I cannot bear it it must not be at least for this once Vain man what would become of the World yea of the Church if Gods Will were not fixt Zach. 6.1 The providences of God are represented by Chariots some Red importing War some Black expressing Famine some Grizled Bay signifiing Vanity of dispensations others White denoting Peace and Comfort Well all this proceeds from two Mountains of Brass denoting the irreversible Councels of God Go to then vain Man if thou will not bear War or Famine c. stop the Chariots stay their Career if thou canst or lead them out of their way but know thou must first remove the Mountains of Brass and change Gods Eternal unalterable Councells Pray is it not better to Submit willingly then struggle in vain Take heed least the more thou strivest thou be the more intangled Isa 51.20 Never was any thing got by Resistance of the Will of God save Blows 2. To our selves and this is as absurd as the other is Vain and Atheistical Have we Prayed all our Days that the Will of God be done If we have not we are Strangers to Prayer Matt. 6.10 If we have then by refusing to Submit to the Will of God in Suffering times we contradict our selves Now what an absurdity is it to desire God to do his Will and refuse to submit when he brings his good Pleasure upon us Is this fair dealing doth it become reasonable Creatures or Christians may we say and unsay desire and deny the same things Obj. But we did not think of Suffering when we put up that Petition Ans And do we Pray we know not or regard not what is this to pray in Faith Is it an Affront to God to vent a Prayer to him without considering the sense or meaning of it Obj. We were of that Mind then but fear of Suffering hath altered our Judgments Ans And must God change his Will as oft as we vary ours This were to make him more changeable than our selves for whereas we only alter our minds as we think fit we would have God change as we please and so make our Wills the rule of His. Besides what we pray Diliberately we ought to resolve for ever or else our Praying is Lightness To which let me add that when Christ gave that directory of Prayer he left it as a standing Rule never to be varyed 6. Because God is our Father therefore we must acquiess in his Pleasure This is our Lords Argument Couch't in the Text. Father Glorify thy Name q. d. I Submit to my Fathers Will Job 17.11 The Cup that my Father giveth me shall I not Drink it Is it becoming our Relation to withstand our Fathers Will and Glory Would you take iâ— well if your Children should Rebel and refuse your Correction And how do you think your Heavenly Father will take your Resistance against his Poor Worms that we are there 's no Proportion between their Disobedience to us and ours to God When Saul though a King Rebelled against the Command of God 't is compared to the Sin of Witchcraft 1 Sam. â—5 23 See how strickt the Law was in this case upon Rebellious Children Deut. 21.18 19 20 21. What then shall our Father do to us when we refuse his Correction To inforce this Argument consider we must Submit to our Fathers Will. For 1. He gave us our Being Lives and all we have and shall he not dispose them may he not do what he will with his own Matt. 20 15. can we or any thing we injoy be better improved then for our Fathers Glory Of him and from him and to him are all things to him be Glory c. Rom. 11.36 2. Our Father is our Superiour 't is fit therefore we be resigned to his Will Exod. 20 12. Honour thy Father and thy Mother How much more our Heavenly Father Heb. 12 9. See Davids Spirit in the case Psal 131.12 q. d. I 'l keep within my own Sphear I 'l not stretch beyond my line in prescribing to God but Submit to his Will as a weaned Child taken from its dear Breasts intimating he 'd Weaâ— himself from what ever God disposed from him How patiently did Isaac permit himself to be bound and Sacrificed by Abraham Gen. 22.9 And yet he was of Age and Strength Sufficient to have strugled for his Life being Twenty five Years old But that holy young man abhorred the thoughts of striving with his Father And shall not we resign our selves to our God and Father in Jesus Christ 3. Our Father is Wiser then we therefore we should rest in his Pleasure shall we who are but of Yesterday and know nothing contradict the wise disposal of the Ancient of days the only wise God my Father saith Isaac herâ—â— the Wood and the Fire but where 's the Lamb O saith Abraham God shall Provide himself a Burnt-offering Gen. 22.7 8. He declares not his design but Isaac is so confident of his Fathers Wisdom that he replied no more It becomes the Children of God to esteem their Fathers Will most Sacred Nay but O Man who art thou that repliest against God Rom. 9.20 What though we see not how our Sufferings can Conduce to our Fathers Glory Remember his thoughts are not as our thoughts c. Isa 55. 4. We may well resign our selves to the Will of our Father for to be sure as such he 'l be tender of us Heb. 12.5 6. c. we indeed may Judg our Afflictions dreadful and insupportable but our Father knows what we can bear and how he 'l carry us through Comfortably He 'l not break the bruised Reed nor c. Matt. This is the reason why he Mannageth the Corrections of his Children that they may not
How long wilt thou forget me Lord for ever How long wilt thou hide thy Face from me How long shall I take counsel in my Soul having Sorrow in my Heart Daily How long shall mine Enemy be Exalted over me Psal 13.1 2. Thus is God said to hide his Face from the House of Jacob Isa 8.17 And thus when Providence treats and uses us in this World and most or all our outwards Comforts and Concerns are so perplext embittered and removed as if our God would hereby tell us That he regards and minds us not and will not be concerned for our outward peace and welfare Then is it that God may be said to hide his Face yet neither is this the thing that is principally intended in my Case 3. By Gods denying and with-holding all probabilities and presages of relief from either Men or Things and all sensible intimations of his own purpose to befriend us Psal 74.9 11. I will shew them the Back and not the Face in the Day of their Calamity Jer. 18.17 And I hid my Face from them and gave them into the hand of their Enemies so fell they all by the Sword Ezek. 39.23 Thus when God withers every helpful Arm defeats all Enterprises towards deliverance and supports and shuts up every Door of Hope and by the whole visible Frame and Posture of second Causes looks towards us and upon us as an angry frowning God Then is he said to hide his Face but this is not what the Case principally respects And therefore 4. God mainly hides his Face when he with-holds those inward sensible tokens of Respects which his Spirit usually affords to Holy Souls Psal 88.14 when he deals with us as if our Souls were utterly or very much despised and neglected by him Thus God tells us that he will no more hide his Face from his People because he had poured out his Spirit upon the House of Israel Ezek. 39.29 This is the Face of God indeed when his Spirit fills our Souls with all its Joys and Graces and his Face is hid indeed when we have no sensible Refreshments and Recruits from that Comforter the Holy Ghost by whom all Correspondencies must be maintained betwixt our God and us and thus our Case mainly intends We find a Man recorded for his Patience crying out wherefore hidest thou thy Face and holdest me for thy Enemy Job 13.24 and when looks God more like an Enemy then when he denies all sensible illapses and recruits of inward Light and Life and Joys Is it not dreadful to have our Sanctuary clusters to relish of no Blessing in them The Dews of Heaven are oft in Holy Services and Doctrines distilled upon us and our Addresses thither have been oft repeated and renewed but where is the Blessing and Success we look for Our Souls we find in our own Apprehensions to be contracted degraded and benummed Corruptions rage and make their rude resistances to all our Sentiments and Convictions Conscience oft quarrels with us and when Gods Rods are on us we sensibly discern great discomposures in our thoughts strange Mutinies and Tumults in our Passions uneasiness in our Spirits and damp upon our Hopes sadness on our Hearts and a strange readiness to resist all that God speaks and doth and how can we imagine that Gods Heart and Face stand toward us Fourthly Trusting in the Lord as his God in such a Case as this takes in abundance and amounts to much and these things it offers to the first observant and considerate glance 1. That the Object be trusty and no otherwise can he be who is God the Lord. 2. That the Act be answerable to the Object for trust is to run paralel with trustiness and 3. That this trusty Object gives us allowance to put trust in him for every one that is able and that would be faithful upon his Promise and Engagement will not Engage to be Responsible for what might otherwise be committed to him and hence this passage is inserted here the Lord his God 4. That he be a Person qualified and acceptable who here attempts to place his trust in the Lord as his God and therefore here he is styled in the Case a Gracious Person Trust then seems to be a compound of Faith and Hope and it is that Repose and Rest which both afford until desire and expectation be accomplished by that God on whom this trust is terminated so that in trust there are 1. A belief and sence of Gods existance and of his gracious Nature Heb. 11.6 Jer. 9.24 Mich. 7.18 for I must believe that there is a God and that he is kind and gracious e're I can trust in him 2. Credit given unto his Word and Promises as things clear sure and great Heb. 4.2 6 17 18. for these are both the ground and test of steady and succesful trust in God 2 Sam. 23.5 Remember thy Word unto thy Servant whereon thou hast caused me to Hope Psal 119.49 what is Gods Ability and Faithfulness to me unless he countenance my trusting in him and encourage me thereto 3. A consequent expectation of those things from him which he engages to perform and give things suitable to exigences and concernment as far as they agree with Gods Promises and Designs Psal 119.76 Ro. 4.18 21. 1 John 5.14 15. For all that God promises and would have us to expect is still with Reference to our wellfare in its subordination to His Glory and the Publick Good and all other Hopes are but extravagant and presumptuous if not reduced and conformed to this Test and Standard 4. An Acquiescence and Repose of Spirit in the thus fixing of this expectation Isa 26.3 4. for confident trust breeds satisfaction and makes Souls Patient and Serene till the thing hoped for and desired be brought to pass Ro. 8.24 25. for all these inward tumults which arise within from pressing Jealousies Griefs Cares and Fears are hereby stilled and all vain Shifts and Props rejected and all committed to and left with God Phil. 1.20 1 Pet. 4.19 2 Tim. 11.12 for here no reservations must be made nor any jealousies bad surmises or suspitions be any way Cherished or Indulged The Case explained and summed up is plainly this How may a Gracious Person one Sanctifyed and Inprincipled by Grace from whom God hides his Face gives him but little or no inward sence nor outward sensible notices of his wonted acceptance and regards trust in the Lord quiet and satisfie himself with expectations of Gods Gracious acceptance of him complacence in him and regards towards him as his God that God to whom he hath committed all and is devoted to and who will certainly regard and bless him as his true Favourite and as one by Grace in Covenant with him And how may he do it so as to abandon all disturbing Shifts and Cares elsewhere Direct I. Let him retire into himself and there Compose his Thoughts for close and serious Work Psal 4.4 77 6.
for here he will find a full and truly great employment for every Faculty and Thought More here is requisite to self Redress than meer reading Complaints or Prayer Here is Work within him and above him God and himself must now take up his closest deepest and most serious thoughts and pauses much here must be enquired into remembred considered and debated and the distracted wandring careless inconsiderate Soul that is broken and scattered into wild and incoherent thoughts is no ways fit for this employment nor can it without due recollection of it self proceed to argue down what lies upon it as its Load and Burthen He that knows nothing of himself as to his State and Temper and as to those urgent circumstances under which he lies cannot know much of God nor well discern what fit and pertinent improvement may be made of Gods refreshing Name and Promises And he that through his negligence converses little with himself must know too little of his own affairs and straits to make right applications of Gods Promises and Memorials unto himself so as to derive herefrom what is fit to cherish and support him Prov. 18.1 all must be set aside that may distract and summoned in that may assist and thought upon that may relieve him in this strait Direct II. When thus retired and composed let him discourse and mind his gracious self Eph. 2.10 Isa 26.12 Grace in the Heart is a great pledge and earnest and gives us huge assurances of good things to come 2 Thes 2.16 17. God hath set gracious Souls apart for his own self Psal 4.3 and to the highest Purposes and Endowments are they wrought and framed 1 Pet. 2.9 Rom. 9.23 2 Cor. 5.5 What clearer dawnings of a glorious day And what more hopeful token and presage of special Favour and Respects from God to us can we imagine than the participation of a Divine Nature that never can be pleased but when aspiring towards God and that is insatiable till it get up to him What! a Soul created after God and formed to his Praise and bearing such impresses of the Holy One And yet determined to Dereliction and Destruction Oh how can these things be Read but those Characters of God upon thy Spirit Mind the propensions and ascents of Heaven-born Principles see but what wonders Grace hath wrought already Hath God assayed to tear thy Soul from Satans Paw Hath he transformed thy Spirit and made it so much a resemblance of his own Holiness and Wisdom Hath he advanced thine esteem of Holiness and Heaven Hath he cast out thy rubbish and raised in thee an Habitation for his own Holy Name And will he demolish and disrespect a Monument and Structure to his own Praise Why did God thus illuminate thine Eyes inflame thy Heart with Holy Fervours and so invigorate thy active Powers as to enable thee to move towards him but that thou mightest attain to and possess his highest Favours and Endearments Hath it been ever thus with thee that nothing can satisfie thine Heart but Holiness God and Heaven Why then hath God thus cast his Mantle over thee but to attract and draw thy Soul to him And hath God put these Principles Instincts and Propensions into thee only to torment thee by the unsatisfied enragements of an Holy Thirst Is Grace so beautiful in another And is it the less valuable and observable because God hath implanted it in thy own self Art thou made restless and dissatisfied every where but under the influences and sensible smiles of Gods most gracious Countenance And doth thy God impose upon thee and only trifle with thee Grace is a Principle and Design so truly Heavenly and Exalting as that its Tendency proves its Extraction and manifests Gods Purposes to do thee good for ever Let this thy experience be observed for who can think it likely that God should draw such paralel lines upon thy Soul to his own Holy Will and make thee such an Epistle so manifestly written by his own Spirit and yet not allow thee to peruse thy self and to form what is wrought within thee into such pertinent Encouragements and Supports as thy respective Agonies and Distresses may require And how can this be done if no Survey be made no Inventory taken and considered of thine inward Worth and Riches And certainly from what God works with in a gracious Soul may it infer great things determined to it and reserved for it for who can think that God would rear an Habitation for himself and not Inhabit it Or raise a Temple so magnificent and sumptuous as the Holy Soul and not fill it with his Glory Eph. 2.22 2 Cor. 6.16 see Eph. 1.17 20. Acts 26.18 Had God designed to forsake thee utterly would he not have delivered and resigned thee up to a stupid and polluted Spirit Then hadst thou been so inapprehensive of the sinfulness of sin the beauty of Holiness the pleasure of a well ordered Mind and Life and of invisible realities as that thou wouldst have easily received and born the Image of the Devil and the World upon thee The thoughts and prospect of an eternal State would never have reconciled thee so the Severities and Courses of true Godliness nor have made thee so ambitiouslly solicitous for Divine acceptance and the satisfactions and fruitions of that State where God is all in all as now they have done Surely the Soul that is visited with the Day-Spring from on High guiding its Feet into the way of Peace and all this by the tender Mercy of its God and ought not so easily to give up all for lost as to despair of Light and Help because of present Darkness and of the Valley of the shadow of Death This white Stone with such a New Name in it is no small earnest nor an obscure sign of everlasting Mercies and Endearments God that hath Sanctified the Soul hath thereby signified his gracious Purpose to do it Good at last and never so to forsake it as to return no more So then what Holy Principles Favours Aims and Actions God hath brought thee to and thence encourage and fix thy trust in God Direct III. Let him then well observe how far the Face of God is hid from him indeed lest otherwise his own condition and Gods aspects and deportment towards him should be mistaken by him Isa 49.14 16. Psal 77.6 10. How oft do Souls mistake God and form or fancy great Discouragements and Ecclipses which rather rise and issue from themselves than him What if the Brain or Body should be indisposed What if some bold and wanton Expectations or Desires irregularly formed and cherished come to nothing Suppose some Melancholick Christians such have I known and have rather pittied and reproved than cherished and commended them should Desire Expect and Pray for some Miraculous illapses of strength and comforts on them or Beg of God some such Deliverances and Salvations as suit not the ordinary stated Methods of Gods Providence
thee unto the prejudice of thy best affairs and that he never be defective in ministring those supplies to thee which his own Glory the credit of Religion the publick Good and the great Duties of thy Place and Station do require And that he never call the out to any thing beyond thy Strength and Furniture but that he suit thy Strength and Spirit unto the Work and Burthens of thy Place and Day 1 Cor. 10.13 God will not be offended at thee for such trust as this supposing thy devotedness and thy due diligence and prudence in the choice and using of all meet Subordinate means and helps and thy fervent cryes to him 3 Think upon those Encouragements which God hath given to this trust Isa 26.3 4. Psal 112.7 thou hast Gods Promises and Engagements Heb. 6.17 18. 2 Pet. 1.3 4. Heb. 10.23 24. Psal 119.75 76. and these are certain suitable large and precious and the genuine product of infinite generous and resolved Love Thou hast those near and dear Relations which God hath assumed and owns to thee an Husband Father King c. Isa 54.5 10. 2 Cor. 6.18 Rev. 21.7 Thou hast the exhibition of his own Son Jesus Christ Heb. 10.19 23.4 14 16. 2.17 18. John 6.39 40. 1 Pet. 1.3 21. Rom. 8.32 35. Thou hast the earnest of the indwelling Spirit Eph. 1.13 14. 2 Cor. 5.5 and of that new Nature which he hath formed and cherished in thee as in 2 Tim. 1.7 Rom. 8.15 23 28. thou hast a sealed Covenant with Sacramental confirmations and experiences of prosperous trust both in others and thy self Psal 9.10 Rom. 15.4 Dan. 3.28 Heb. 11. Do then as David did Infer from known experience all that may strengthen regular Confidence for thus did he Psal 32.7 10. and thus did Paul 2 Cor. 1.8 10. The Lord is my Shield and Strength my Heart trusted in him and I am Helped Psal 28 7. And thou hast the Glory of thy God concerned in the prosperousness of thy Trust Ephes 1.12 Rom. 4.20 And now to close up all Why such manifold Encouragements to Trust in God if they were either Vain or Needless And how can any keep up their Trust in God without their deep and sober Thoughts about and their intent and most deliberate Pauses on these weighty things upon Record which God hath left to Justifie and Encourage your Trusting in him It is both Strange and Sad to see many Christians come to their Ministers with Complaints or put up Bills for Prayers in Congregations and to desire Solemn Days to be set apart for them whilst they rest only here as if they looked to be comforted and supported by some Charm or Miracle they look to be healed by a Word and they neglect their own Work they do not search into themselves that they may know whether or no the Grace of God hath made them capable of Trusting in the Lord as their God They bring not their Calamities and Dejections to the Test that they may clearly know under what hand of God they are cast and how far God hath hid his Face from them and how far not God enters not into their close and serious Thoughts that they may plainly see and know what there is in him to draw their Spirits forth to Trust in him Nor will they studiously revive that Sence of God upon themselves whereby their Trust in him may be Engaged Establish'd and Emboldned and yet they cry What shall we do to Trust in the Lord as our God Why Sirs I will tell you what to do 1. See that your Interest in God be cleared up this you may know by the prevalency of your Desires Pursuits and Satisfactions and by the Practical Resignments of your selves to him 2. See what this Interest in God refers viz. Nothing is desperately lost at present and all will be well at last and that all lies safe that can concern you see Psal 23.1 4. The truth is all that can be grateful great and sure may be inferred from hence 3. Accommodate and apply what you infer as skilfully and faithfully as you can to your distressing and discouraging Case and Circumstances there are Histories to tell us what God hath done and there are Doctrines to tell us what God is and can do and there are Precepts and Instructions to direct us what we are to do in what Cases upon what Grounds and Reasons and to what Ends and Purposes we may Trust in God and God hath given us marks to know what Interest we have in him and a Directory and Helps to get it if we have it not and he hath shewed us fully and plainly what it is and what at last it will amount to to want or have this Interest in himself and when as we have gotten it he hath taught us how to apply it fitly and how to bear our Spirits up in Hope and Trust thereby and after all this and much more shall we be negligent and lazy and cry out like Fools and Drones We know not how to Trust in God nor whether he be Ours or not let us not thus abuse our selves 4. Think on these Means and Helps whereby we may attain to an Ability and Faculty of Trusting in God and let them be most Faithfully improved such as the Word Sacraments Sabbaths Conferences Meditation upon the Word and Works of God but these need no Enlargements on them and my Limits are transgrest already READER Expect not Accuracy here I am very sensible of many Imperfections in this Sermon I am separated from my helps having my Bible only and my God to help me in my wandring Solitudes and Retirements these things are what I have discoursed with my own heart and if some Censure them others I hope will Pity and Pray for me and the God of Heaven accept and prosper these though weak Endeavours I had some Inferences prepared but because I would not be too tedious I forbear to add them so as to Enlarge upon them I will but mention these 1st Infer Hence it follows That Humane Souls are Excellent and Capacious Principles and Beings 2d Infer Graceless Sinners are under dark and dreadful Circumstances when God Afflicts and hides his Face from them they need not say Why cast down so much but rather why not more 3d Infer Excellent is the Temper and Condition that Grace puts Mens Souls into in that they are enabled prompted and directed to such ways to know and help themselves 4th Infer Right and due Thoughts of God do mighty Service to the Gracious Soul in all the Eclipses and Distresses that do or can befall it Psal 42.11 Infer I. Mans Soul is a Noble and Capacious Being Mark 8.36 37. It is called by Solomon the Lamp or Candle of the Lord searching all the Inward parts of the Belly Prov. 20.27 It is the great Treasure that ought to be kept and used well for out of it are the Issues of Life Prov. 4.23 Its Joys
Sence and to be rejected as unsound and false as well as absurd and unreasonable II. Merit quoad Justitiam commutativam There are among the Papists a considerable number who assert that there may be a meriting somewhat of God according to the Rules of Commutative Justice That there may be a meriting somewhat of God according to the Rule of Justice we grant for Jesus Christ merited much of God but this Merit was not according to the Rule of Commutative Justice but of Distributive Justice Merit as to Commutative Justice does necessarily include in it the passing of somewhat over unto God unto which God had no Right antecedent unto this Transaction But God is an absolute Lord and Sovereign who has a Right unto all things Jesus Christ himself as Man is Gods Propriety and all that Jesus Christ could give must be considered as Christ's either as he is God or as he is Man Whatever belongs to him as God is God's and as he is Man whatever he has 't is God's for which Reason Jesus Christ himself is not excepted when 't is said by the Apostle Rom. 11.35 Who has first given unto him and it shall be recompensed unto him again Who As if it had been said There is none no not one not Jesus Christ himself could give first unto God could give that unto God unto which God had not antecedently to that Gift a Right that is so to give unto God as to pass over a new Right unto God for which God should be under the Obligation of recompensing it Commutative Righteousness is inconsistent with the absolute Sovereignty and Dominion of God whence it must be acknowledged that either God is not the absolute Sovereign and Lord of the Universe which if not he is not God or there is no such thing as Commutative Righteousness in God and that Christ himself much less Man could not merit of God any thing according to the Rule of Commutative Righteousness That Christ merited according to Distributive Justice is asserted by all sound Protestants and by Vasquez and other Papists yea and that Adam in Innocency according to the tenor of that Law there given him might by rendring the required perfect Obedience have merited the promised Reward i. e. the merit would have been of such efficacy that God could not have remained just and not have given out the reward of Life is also granted But a Merit as to Commutative Justice contains in it an Implication when spoken of God for in plain English 't is to say That the Absolute Sovereign is not Absolute Sovereign However this Notion is embraced by some Papists who do not only â—â—â—y That Commutative Justice is in God but that according to the Rule of Commutative Justice man may merit of God the which is the more absurd as it supposes that man can give that unto God which is of a value proportionable to Eternal Life although Eternal Life as 't is to endure infinitely includes in it somewhat of an infinite Excellency such is the Nature of Commutative Justice as to stick to an Arithmetical proportion in adjusting the Value of things commuted which cannot be by man in this case unless there were somewhat of Infinity in what he gives unto God However notwithstanding the ridiculousness as well as falseness of the Notion there are many among the Papists if we may believe Arriaga who assert it 'T is true Vasquez explodes it with an Essay to evince that the Papists generally reject it but Arriaga a later Jesuit freely rebukes Vasquez affirming that commutative righteousness is in God and may be found to be between God and man and that this is generally received in the Church of Rome for says he This is the Opinion of Suarez Valentia Granadus who introduces Medina and Alvarez to agree with him in this Point Hurtado de Mendoza Ragusa Tannerus and Albertinus and Molina also who though he expresses himself with Caution in one place yet elsewhere doth freely enough own it besides Capreolus and the Thomists generally says Arriaga do agree with him in this and that therefore Vasquez is greatly to be blamed for affirming that so many were of the contrary Opinion whereas this about Merit quoad Justitiam commutativam has many more Authorities than Vasquez could produce for his Sence of it In fine Arriaga corrects Vasquez's Mistake in saying that Hosius and Sotus were against Commutative Righteousness and then proceeds to an Attempt of demonstrating the Truth of this Doctrine By this 't is apparent That if we may believe Arriago the Papists generally assert Merit according to Commutative Justice in which Sence 't is mostly oppugned by the Protestant Writers as a ridiculous Doctrine The which from what has been already suggested has been manifested But seeing this Doctrine contradicts our Reason our Endeavours must not be how to improve it we must immediately reject it as false and unreasonable III. There are some who call themselves Protestants and who seem to be zealous Asserters of Imputed Righteousness who being ignorant of the Gospel-Notion do assert That those very Sins which actually inhered in the Elect did pass from them unto Christ and that the Righteousness of Christ which actually inhered in him passes from him unto the Elect. But this is a Notion as contrary unto our Reasons as that of Transubstantiation it being as impossible that Our Sins or Christ's Righteousness which are Accidents Inhering in Subjects should pass from Us to Christ or from Christ to Us as the Accidents of Bread and Wine should pass from the Substance of Bread and Wine and inhere in Christ's Body These Notions then I reject as False and Contrary unto Reason But there are other Doctrines reveal'd in Scripture which transcend our largest capacities There are I must acknowledg many momentous and important points which though clearly enough reveal'd and in themselves not very hard to be understood yet because either obscurely or after a perplexed manner handled by some are listed among the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which the Apostle Peter makes some mention which by the unlearned are abused to their own hurt even when by the more judicious they are clearly understood and â—eadily embrac'd However 't is as certain that there are other Doctrines which bearing the Characters of infinite Wisdom on 'em are so grand and august that they transcend the most enlarged Understandings Of the Truth of these Doctrines we may be fully assured but yet cannot fully comprehend the whole of 'em we may know enough to raise our admiration but cannot frame any adequate conceptions of them These Doctrines are many and may be distinctly considered either as they have reference more immediately unto the Nature and Being of God his Acts both immanent and transient and consequently the modes of Operation or as they have a special aspect on those profound and mysterious Transactions about the carrying on fall'n mans Salvation in a way adjusted to the Glory of all the