for we are not able to do it Psal. 37.5 He will bring it to passe there the Lord takes it as peculiar to him onely therefore in Isai. 26.12 you may compare them both together it is said there Lord thou wilt ordaine peace for us for thou also hast wrought all our workes in us The scope of this place is this Other men saith he they forget God they carry themselves aloft but it is hee that will ordaine us peace though none else shall put his hand to it it is he that doth all our works for us not our especiall workes only but all it is not any man or any creature that doth them it is he that workes all our workes for us And if we did beleeve this we should looke upon him with another eye and serve him after another manner we should be more dependent on him we should be more fervent in prayer not when we would doe any thing turne every stone and to knocke at every creatures doore to see what helpe they could give us but our eye would bee towards him for it is in vaine to runne to them no creature can doe it there is no enterprise but hath many wheeles and the stopping of one wheele hinders the whole enterprise and it is hee that turnes all those wheeles commands all must bring it to passe or else the least thing will hinder our greatest enterprises therefore you see that the fairest blossomes of our endevours doe often wither and the unprobablest things doe come to passe See it in David to give you an example of it when he would trust God he had a promise of the Kingdome but not by himselfe his owne power should not doe it and yet the wheeles of Gods providence did bring it to passe So when he staid his hand from killing Nabal did not the Lord bring it to passe in a better manner than hee could have done And when he had the Kingdome Abner was his great enemie but yet David did nothing but that which was right and you see how God did bring it to passe he tooke away his life without any hand of his So Ishbosheth was his enemie yet when David sate still and did nothing his head was brought to him though they that did it did it wickedly yet it was an act of Gods providence to him Thus things are done for the best when wee commit them to him but if we doe them our selves wee are as they that fished all the night long and caught nothing till Christ came and bade them to cast in the net then they inclosed a great multitude of fishes So it is with us when we goe about any enterprise it is in vaine we are not able to doe it There is a double going about any enterprise when we goe about an enterprise without God and when we goe about it with him When wee goe about it without God I confesse that yet some things are brought to passe and that will serve to answer an objection which you have fully expressed in Psal. 37.7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for him fret not thy selfe because of him who prospereth in his way because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to passe c. There is the objection Object For when we teach this doctrine of trusting in God as David had before vers 5. The objection then is there are many that doe not trust in God and yet they bring their things to passe Answ. 1 To this we answer that either they doe it not it withers under their hand 2 Or else if they doe it it is to no purpose they receive no comfort from it Therefore hee addes the evill doer shall be cut off that is though they doe goe farre in an enterprise yet they never come to the end they reape not the fruit of it hee cuts them off so that if you looke to the issue it is as good as nothing 3 It tends to their owne hurt to their owne ruine if they get wealth favour with great men credit c. the sword turnes to their owne bowels their ease slayes them and it turnes to their owne destruction Therefore take heed of it if thou doest goe about it with God hee will give thee the comfort of it One thing brought to passe by him is better than a thousand by themselves without him Learne from hence the only remedy against the vanity that all creatures are subject to that we have to doe withall for what is the reason of that mutabilitie we finde in all things Is it not from hence that they have no being of their owne If you looke to the rocke to the foundation from whence they were hewen and to the hole of the pit from whence they were digged they were made of nothing and are readie to returne to nothing Take a glasse or an earthen vessell they are brittle if you aske the reason they are made of brittle materials plate is not so so that this is the reason of all the vanitie under the Sunne because they are made of nothing Therefore there is no way to remedie this but to looke up to God Act. 17.28 For in him we live move and have our being This is the meaning of it They have not onely had their being from him at the first but their being is in him We have our being in him as the beames in the Sunne and an accident in the subject Then if thou wouldest have constancie in any thing thou must looke up to God Every creature is mutable it is so for unchangeable as constancie is communicated to it from the unchangeable God Consider this for matter of grace When thou hast got any good desires or good purposes at any time remember that the being of them comes from God Hence it comes to passe that good purposes oft-times doe come to nothing and like sparkes goe out againe because we remember not that they are from God wee thinke that if wee have good purposes to day if wee be spiritually minded to day we shall be so tomorrow and thus you deceive your selves you must consider that the being of them comes from God that place is remarkeable 1 Chron. 29.18 when David had rejoyced that the people had offered willingly he prayes that GOD would keepe it in the imagination of the thoughts of their hearts If we would thus hang upon him and depend on him when the Spirit hath breathed in us at any time when we have any sparks of truth and are warmed with any holy affections if we would give him the glory of this that he gives a being if we would make this prayer that David doth you would finde it a meanes to make you more equall and more even in grace And what I say of this I say of all other things It is the fault of us all we are subject to the which is said of wicked men Isai. 56.12 Come yee say they
in preaching the Gospell of Iesus Christ I doe it in my spirit that is I doe it not for by-ends for feare of men or the like but I doe it in my spirit that is plainly heartily and sincerely So that to worship GOD in spirit is to have a plainnesse and sincerity in our worshipping him that is to doe it heartily what we doe to him in our praying and worshipping him when it is not formally and customarily done but our spirit seconds it within this it is to worship him in spirit So that the scope of our exhortation is that you would worship GOD chiefly in your spirits As it is said of singing Psalmes Col. 3.16 Admonish one another in Psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And the ground of it is because GOD is a spirit and therefore he beholdes at any such time when you come before him the inward behaviour of your spirits that is he observes when you come to preach or pray what squint-eyed ends what vaine glory what respect to men you have Yea he observes how farre naturall conscience leads you so that you do it as a task out of custome c. he observes what worldly-mindednes and carnall affections creep into the soule at that time that makes you either to post off the duty or else to doe it in a customary manner All this doth he behold he lookes to the inward carriage of the spirit and therefore doe you looke chiefly to the inward carriage to the inward frame of your minde Quest. But what is that more particularly Answ. I will shew it to you in these three things 1. See that thy spirit be as neare him as thy lippes are Isay 29.13 Hee complaines of a sort of people that draw nigh unto God with their mouth and with their lips doe honour him but have removed their heart farre from him and their feare towards him is taught by the precepts of men So Ier. 12.2 Thou oh Lord art neare in their mouth and farre from their reines Now if thou wouldest worship him in spirit see that thy spirit be as neare him as thy words are As for example in prayer thou confessest thy sinnes and professest that thou doest hate them thou prayest for mortification and grace for weanednes from the world herein thy words and Gods will doe agree they are consonant and when yet it may be the inward inclination of thy heart is farre enough off from this expression therefore bring thy spirit neare to God as thy lippes are and then thou worshippest him in spirit To shew you more plainly what this farrenesse off of the spirit is take a covetous man and put him upon the racke of any exigent where hee must part with all to save his life he will say as much as need to be in this case but his heart is set as close to his wealth as ever it was before so that he is loath to part with any thing And take a thiefe that comes before the Iudge hee confesseth his fault and begges pardon and saith that he will doe so no more but yet his heart sits as neere to his theft he is as farre from honesty as ever he was before So take a man when he comes into some exigent for that usually is the time as at the receiving of the Sacrament or at his day of death he comes and professeth to the Lord that hee will follow no more his wicked courses but he will become a new man here his words draw neare but looke to the bent and inclination of his heart to the radicall constitution of it and that is farre from holinesse there hee sits as close to his sinne as hee did before Therefore if thou wouldest worship God in spirit take care that thy spirit draw neare to him upon all such occasions as thy words doe A man in his ordinary course it may be prayes and his prayers are good but how farre his heart is from it that his life shewes It is a strange thing that at the Sacrament men come and make confession of their sins and yet their spirits are far from it and that their practise shewes Consider this you are the men that the Prophet doth speake too you draw nigh to GOD with your lips but your heart is farre from him And this is the first particuler When you worship God with all the might and strength and indevour of the minde and all the faculties of it this is to worship God in spirit 2 Sam. 6.14 It is said of David that hee danced before the Lord with all his might it was a worship of God a spirituall worship of God wherein David by his outward act of dancing did expresse his exultation and reioycing in the Lord. Now the text saith that he did this with all his might with all the might of his spirit for so you must understand it It is a Metaphore taken from the body when a man useth all his strength and might to doe any thing he vnites all the forces of his body to it so a man worshippeth God in spirit when all the faculties of the soule are concentred and united together in the performance of such a dutie And therefore it is called a wrastling with the Lord as Iacob did and it is called a striving with God as Paul saith that you strive together with me in prayer Rom. 15.30 that is when the soule and the minde are joyned all together when hee bends the whole soule to the worke this is to worship God in spirit Such an expression you haue Act. 20. where Paul went bound in the spirit to Ierusalem that is his spirit did not hang loose but it was girt up in a resolution to goe through with the worke whatsoever came of it his spirit was bound Now when thy spirit hangs loose upon the duty halfe on and halfe off when a man cares not whether hee doth it or no this is not to worship God with the spirit but when thy minde is girt up and thou dost it with all the intention of thy soule then thou dost it heartily as it is Col. 3.22 Servants obey in all things your Masters according to the flesh not with eye-service as men pleasers but in singlenesse of heart fearing GOD where eye-service and heartily are opposed Eye-service is when a man doth it in the outward shew and appearance onely and what is the other to doe a thing heartily That is when a mans strength and his soule doth goe with the duty and the contrary to this is the loosenesse of the minde and the wandring of it about other things when the body and the words are well imployed but the minde doth not goe with them this is not to worship God in spirit when the spirit sits thus loose to God And this is the second thing wherein this worshipping of God in spirit doth consist The Third which
thorow performance For as it was in the old law a lame sacrifice was accepted as none so a lame prayer a lame hearing the word a lame performance of any exercise God reckons as none Therefore in these things God sends them away empty as they came What better are they doe their hearts get any thing Beloved God is a fountaine and if he meet with a fit pipe as is an ordinance rightly performed there he usually conveyes his grace but if he meet with a foule pipe and obstructed there hee doth not conferre any blessing Now if thou saist I have thus behaved my selfe and have not beene answered Doe not deceive thy selfe for if it be truly performed you shall be answered so that looke if it be truly done expect a blessing GOD will not suffer his ordinance at that time to be a pen without inke or a pipe without water I hope there be none of us here that neglect prayer to GOD morning and evening that live as if there no GOD in the world as if they were not his subjects if there be GOD will wound the hoary scalpe of such But these are not the men I speake to but they are those that doe it from day to day they pray from time to time and omit it not these are the men whom wee are to advertise in this case Take heede though you pray every day yet it may be thou hast not made a prayer all thy life yet and this is the case of many For if thou considerest what an ordinance is indeed thou shalt know that the Lord doth not reckon all petitioning as a prayer nor set it downe for the ordinance And it may bee the case of the Saints sometimes though we speake not now to them they may pray often and yet the Lord not register nor set it downe for a prayer and therefore it may never come into remembrance before him And this I take to be Davids case in the time of his adultery the ground of which you shall see Psal. 51.16 17. Open thou my lips O LORD and my mouth shall set forth thy praise David had as it were mistaken himselfe he thought that he had prayed and offered a sacrifice but saith he I was deceived all this while I was not able to open my mouth to any purpose therefore Lord open thou my mouth I brought sacrifice in but thou regardest it not till my heart was humbled Therefore a broken and a contrite heart O GOD thou wilt not despise Therefore you deceive your selves that goe on in a customary performance of holy duties and thinke that you pray for all this that thinke this worship to be in the spirit onely when your outward man carries it selfe negligently this is but a lame performance they must goe both together Therefore looke that it be an ordinance which then it is when not onely the spirit of a man is well set but the whole man is applied to the duty that is when all the strength of a man goes to it Object If you say May not a man pray sometimes when he is walking or lying or riding by the way or the like Answ. I answer There be two times of prayer one is ordinary and in private when you may have all opportunity to doe it in a holy and solemne manner and then you ought to doe it solemnly The other is when you pray occasionally and there the occasion and disposition doth not admit such outward solemnity as when a man gives thankes at meate or prayeth when hee rides Here the Lord accepts the will for the deed GOD requires not this upon all occasions yet when you may you ought to doe it in a reverent manner not onely of spirit but of the bodie also You may gather it from Christ he fell on his face and prayed Luke 22.42 and Daniel and Abraham it is said that they bowed themselves to the ground And it is said of Christ that hee lifted up his eyes to heaven when he blessed the loaves Why are these set downe If any man might be freed Iesus Christ might but it pleaseth the holy Ghost to set downe that circumstance of him that he fell on his face and that hee lift up his eyes to heaven Indeed in this case when it is hurtfull to the body there it may be omitted the Lord will have mercie rather than sacrifice even mercie upon your bodies So also when you finde that it hurts the inward man and hinders it when the heart doth it out of a conceit that it may performe it the better then there is a libertie left unto you to dispense with it As I say for prayer so for other duties when a man comes to heare the word hee saith my minde is intent enough though I make not such a shew yet notwithstanding know this that thou must behave thy self reverently when thou commest before God You shall see in Luke 4. when Christ preached it is said that the eyes of all the people were fastened upon him Why is such a corporall gesture noted in the text is it in vaine No because it is a comely gesture therefore it is to be regarded Quest. 2 How should we conceive of GOD in prayer seeing he is a Spirit and a Spirit we never saw what conceit and apprehension of GOD should we have then when we come to call upon his name Answ. Wee may not conceive him under any corporeall shape for he is a Spirit and therefore they that thinke they may worship the humanity of Christ disjoyned are deceived we are not to worship it as separated from his Deity for we are to worship the Trinity in the Vnity and the Vnity in Trinity which we cannot doe if we worship his humanitie as separated from his Deity Therefore when you come to pray before GOD you must remember that he is a Spirit filling heaven and earth strong gracious mercifull full of goodnesse and truth c. concerning which three things are to bee considered First That he is a Spirit Object But how shall I conceive of a Spirit Answ. How doest thou conceive of the soule of another man when thou speakest to him thou never didst see it yet thou knowest that there is such a spirit that fills the body and that doth understand what thou sayest and speakes to thee againe so remember this of the Lord that he is a Spirit Compare Ier. 23.24 with this Can any man hide himselfe in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Doe not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord Secondly That the Lord fills heaven and earth as the soule fills the body so that thou must thinke that hee sees all things and heares all things Indeed the Lord is not in the world as the soule is in the body but in an incomprehensible manner which we cannot expresse to you yet this is an expression which wee may helpe our selves by and is used every where
Consider that although a lust left at liberty when God hath taken off the chaine and suffers it to doe what it will doth contract more guilt and doth indeede more hurt to mankind yet he that hath a heart as full of lust and filthinesse is no lesse abominable and odious in Gods sight Take a wolfe that runnes up and downe and kills the sheepe that wolfe is abominable and every one cries out against him but a wise man that sees a wolfe tyed up in a chaine hates that as much as he did the other for he knowes that he hath the same nature and would doe as much hurt if he were let loose So we may say of men whose hearts are full of lusts God it may be hath tyed them up so that they breake not forth yet these lusts are abominable and hatefull in his sight though they doe not so much hurt nor breake so many commandements Therfore let them consider this that live under good families good Tutours or in good company coÌ„monly they are as wolves tied up they cannot break forth so into outward acts it may be they are restrained by reason of some bodies favour that they would not lose or the like but yet they give way to the spirit within that rangeth and lusteth up and downe and this is therefore defiled in Gods sight Consider that these lusts of the Spirit are full of the spawne and egges of sinne that is they are the mother sinne it is pregnant with actuall sinne Iam. 4.1 From whence come warres and fightings among you come they not hence even of your lusts that warre in your members Concupiscence is but as the lust of the Spirit which concupiscence is full of actuall sinnes and brings them forth when occasion is given Iam. 1.15 And therfore it is more hated than an act is which is but one which hath not so much spawne in it and therefore you ought to cleanse your spirit from this pollution Quest. But how shall we doe this to get our spirits thus cleansed Answ. 1 You must search out the pollution of the spirit For the spirit of a man is a deepe thing and hidden full of corners and cranne a lust and pollution will easily hide it selfe in 〈◊〉 therefore thou must finde it out and confesse it Doe as David â—â—d goe to God and say Lord search and try me see if there be any wickednesse in me as if he should say if I could I would search my owne heart but I cannot doe it enough therefore doe thou come and doe it I will open the doores as a man useth to say to the officers that come to looke for a traytour Doe you come in and search if there be any here I will set open my doores so faith David here So when a man would cleanse his heart from the pollutions of his spirit let him doe on that manner remember that to hide a traytour is to be a traytour himselfe therefore labour to finde it and when it is found confesse it to the Lord and lay a just weight upon it What though it never breakes forth into outward actions say to the Lord O Lord I know that thou lookest to the spirit and art conversant about it to have a polluted spirit is an abomination to thee This is a thing that we would doe and wee are oftentimes to blame in this in our prayers for we confesse our actuall sinnes and doe not confesse the pollution of our spirits to the Lord. Quest. But you will say We would faine have some directions to finde out this uncleanesse of our spirits Answ. Consider what ariseth in thy spirit when it is stirred at any time and there thou shalt finde what the pollution of the spirit is Set a pot on the fire and put flesh into it while it is colde there is nothing but water and meat but set it a boyling and then the scumme ariseth It is a similitude used in Ezek. 24.11 12. I say observe what ariseth in thy spirit at any time wheÌ„ there is some commotion when thy spirit is stirred more than ordinary now every temptation is as it were a fire to make the pot boyle any injurie that is offered to us this makes the scumme to arise now see what ariseth out there and when any object comes to allure thee to sinne see what thoughts arise in thy heart as the thoughts of profit or preferment so that when such an opportunity comes it stirres the spirit and sets it on boyling consider what then ariseth in thy heart and thou shalt see what thy spirit is And that which thou art to doe when thou findest it is to confesse it to the Lord and suffer it not to come into outward act cast it out suffer it not to boyle in Ezek. 24.13 When thou hast done this thou must not stay here but thou must labour to loathe and hate that pollution of spirit There are two things to be hated by us the sinne that we looke upon as a pleasant thing but there is besides thy inclination to that thing and that is the pollution of thy spirit and that thou must hate and loathe thou must not onely hate the object that is offered to thee but thy selfe also and the uncleanesse of thy spirit Thus it is with every one whose heart is right Ezek. 36.21 that is when a man begins to looke upon his sinne and see the pollution of the spirit in it he begins to grow to an indignation against it as that is the fruite of godly sorrow 2 Cor. 7. he findes his heart so disposed that he begins to quarrell with his heart and to fall out with it and to say What have I such a heart that will carry me to sinne that will not onely carry me to sinne but to hell Hee begins to loathe himselfe hee would not owne his owne selfe if hee could hee would goe out of himselfe he is weary of his owne heart such a hatred and loathing thou must have of this pollution of spirit that is in thee And this thou shalt doe if thou wilt but consider what evill this pollution doth bring thee and what hurt filthinesse hath done to thee a man can hate the disease of the body and cry out of it and why should not men doe so of the soule It is our sinne that is the cause of all evill it is not poverty or disgrace or sicknesse but it is sinne in thy poverty sinne in thy disgrace sinne in thy sicknesse so that if a man could looke upon sinne as the greatest evill and that doth him the greatest mischiefe he would hate that above all things And here remember not onely to doe it in generall but to pitch thy hatred chiefly upon thy beloved sinne Be ready to say in this case as Haman of Mordecai what availeth it me if Mordecai yet live If we could do so with our beloved lusts and come to such a hatred of
contrary Therefore in 2 Tim. 4.22 Paul prayes The Lord Iesus Christ be with thy spirit as if hee should say this is the greatest mercy that I can wish thee and the greatest good that God can doe thee and therefore he wisheth God to be with his spirit Now to set on this point a little further and to make this plaine to you you shall see it in these three things 1. Because all other things as riches poverty health sicknesse c. he dispenseth these promiscuously so he gives riches to wicked men c. because as it is Eccles. 9.1 His love or hatred cannot be knowne by these things Whence I reason thus That wherein the love and hatred of God is most seene therein his providence chiefly exerciseth it selfe but in the fashioning of the spirits of men there and there chiefly is his providence seene for other things come alike to men to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not 2. The disposing of other things is much in the power of men A Prince or a man hath power to kill or to save he can give riches and honor and take them away at his pleasure But to rule the spirits to compose and guide the apprehensions and affections of the soule that belongs to God alone a man is no more able to doe it than to rule the raging sea For as it is proper to God alone to compose the winde and to rule the waves so it is proper to him alone to rule the turbulent affections to compose and guide them If there be any disordered affection in the heart as an immoderate love of any thing or an impatient desire to any thing who is able to remove it but the Lord who is a Spirit So who can implant holy affections in thee but he alone as for example to thinke a good thought a man cannot do it without him who is the Father of spirits so to perswade a man no man can doe it it must be the Lord as Noah saith God shall perswade Laphet to dwell in the Tents of Sem. So to see the hainousnesse of sinne and the evill of it no man can doe it but by the spirit of God as it is said Iohn 16.9 The Spirit convinceth men of Sinne. So to wil this or that which is good it is he that workes both the will and the deed A man cannot choose but bee swallowed vp with worldly griefe except God keepe him he cannot chose but feare the face of man except God assist him for this is one of Gods prerogatives royall to rule in the affections and apprehension of men 3 Because the guiding of a mans spirit is of the greatest consequence of all other things else Now God is a wise commander and therefore he will not exert and put forth his power but in things of greatest moment but the guiding of our affections is all in all to us For in a mans outward estate what things soever befall him all are nothing but what his apprehension is of them and how he is affected to them makes them crosses or comforts if a mans spirit be whole the greatest crosse is nothing and the least is intolerable if his spirit be broken As againe what are all pleasant things if a man hath not a heart to apprehend them As to Paul what was all his persecution as long as his spirit was whole within him he carried it out well and what was Paradise to Adam and a kingdome to Ahab when their spirit was broken It is the apprehension that makes every thing to a man heavy or unheavy pleasant or unpleasant sweete or sower and therefore this is the use to be made of it to behold Gods providence cheifely on our spirits and not onely in our owne spirits but what he doth vpon the spirits of others also It is a thing we stumble at when we see a wicked man prosper and carry all things in the world before him we should not say where is Gods providence and the truth of his promise but see what he doth upon the spirit of that man If thou seest such a man more malicious to the Church and children of God growing more carnall and abominable in his courses therein is Gods curse seene more than in all the dispensation of outward curses for that treasure of sinne which he layes up for himselfe will draw on a treasure of wrath which will be executed in due season Therefore beholde your spirits alwayes and Gods providence upon them Lament 3.65 Give them sorrow of heart thy curse upon them the words signifie which is thy curse upon them Therefore if you see an obstinate heart in a man that is the greatest curse of all As in receiving the Sacrament there wee doe pronounce a curse to him that receives it unworthily and prophanes the Lords body but it may be he goes on and sees it not but now looke upon his spirit and see how GOD deales with that whether his heart doth not grow harder and more obdurate which is the greatest curse You may observe this every where If thou seest one that hath a vaine and idle spirit that cannot studie that cannot pray that cannot choose but be carried away by an unruly lust to this or that thing believe it this is a greater judgement than all the diseases in the world than all shame and disgrace that wee account so much of than poverty and crosses as it is the greatest mercy on the other side when a man is able to serve GOD with an upright heart and to be sincere in all his carriage Thus it is with men and this thou shouldest observe in thy selfe also from day to day Let us not observe so much what accidents befall us what good is done to us or what crosses wee have it is true indeed GOD is seene in all these things but chiefly looke what GOD hath done to our spirit what composing of minde or what turbulency of affections or what quietnesse what patience or what impatience and for this be chiefly humbled or be chiefly thankfull for to take away from Christ the praise of sanctification is as much as to take away the praise of his redemption Herein thou shalt see his love or hatred manifested to thee his greatest judgement shewed to thee or his greatest mercies The Third Vse is that which the Scripture makes of it Iohn 4 24. If God be a Spirit then worship him in Spirit and truth What it is to worship God in spirit and truth you shall see if you compare this place with that in Rom. 1.9 For God is my witnesse whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospell of his Sonne that without ceasing I make mention of you alwayes in my prayers The meaning of it is this When Paul had taken a solemne asseveration GOD is my witnesse c. doe not thinke saith hee that I have done this feignedly I am no such man
of justification whence Part. 1 Pag. 71 Iust see Will. Iudgements Iudgements spirituall the greatest Part. 2 Pag. 27 Iudgements dispensed by God now as in former time 2 98 Iudgements of God different in time and meanes 2 101 K. Kill Lusts must be killed 2 13 Knowledge Knowledge experimentall that there is a God 1 63 L. Labour Labour how it is sweetned 1 151 Lame Performances lame when the body is not exercised 2 40 Law Law written in mens hearts proves that there is a God Part. 1 Pag. 13 Liberty Gods presence gives liberty Part. 2 Pag. 164 Life God onely the living God Part. 1 Pag. 80 Life the shortnesse of it should make us thinke of eternity Part. 1 Pag. 167 Light What makes all outward things light Part. 1 Pag. 163 Prophecies of Scripture limited to a set time Part. 1 Pag. 50 God without limits Part. 1 Pag. 121 Our obedience to God should not be limited Part. 2 Pag. 142 VVhen wee limit God wee doubt of his power Part. 2 Pag. 195 Lips Our spirits must be neare God as our lips Part. 2 Pag. 33 Long see Short Low VVe should not rest in things too low Part. 1 Pag. 149 GODS power can raise from a low condition Part. 2 Pag. 201 Love GODS immutability makes us love him Part. 2 Pag. 88 Love of other things must be subordinate to the love of GOD 2.144 To walke with GOD a signe of love Part. 2 Pag. 163 Lusts. Lusts defile the spirit of man Part. 2 Pag. 6 The tenth commandement against lust Part. 2 Pag. 7 Lusts restrained hatefull to GOD Part. 2 Pag. 9 Lusts mortified make us constant in well-doing Part. 2 Pag. 115 See Doing M. Magnanimity An holy magnanimity in enjoying of GOD Part. 1 Pag. 134 Magnanimity false Ibid Mahomet Mahomet denied two things in Christ Part. 1 Pag. 84 See false Maiesty Majesty of Scripture proue the truth of them Part. 1 Pag. 56 Majesty of GOD 1 76.77 Man That there is a GOD proued by the making of man Part. 1 Pag. 6 Difference betweene the actions of man and beast Part. 1 Pag. 17 Heathen Gods men Part. 1 Pag. 81 Matter GOD without matter Part. 2 Pag. 127 GOD can worke without matter Part. 2 Pag. 180 Merit All that we can doe cannot merit of GOD Part. 1 Pag. 123 Mercie Mercie of GOD how it is over all his workes Part. 2 Pag. 54 Mercie we should goe to God for it Part. 2 Pag. 68 See Iudgement Minde To worship GOD with all the minde Part. 2 Pag. 35 See Great Miracles Miracles proove the truth of the Scriptures Part. 1 Pag. 48 Mahomets religion wanted miracles Part. 1 Pag. 84 Monuments Monuments none more ancient than those in Scripture Part. 1 Pag. 11 Morrow Morrow not to boast of it Part. 1 Pag. 118 Move Motion GOD not subject to motion Part. 1 Pag. 170 A spirit moves it selfe and other things Part. 2 Pag. 3 Multiplication No multiplication in GOD Part. 2 Pag. 48 Mutability How to comfort our selves in the mutability of things Part. 1 Pag. 172 Mutability of the creature forgotten Part. 2 Pag. 203 N. Nature Nature the course of it altered since the creation Part. 1 Pag. 32 Faith strengthened from Gods workes in Nature Part. 2 Pag. 193 Need. God hath no need of any creature Part. 2 Pag. 193 Nothing Outward things nothing in two respects Part. 1 Pag. 131 O. Object Objection Single heart lookes but upon one object Part. 2 Pag. 60 Objections against this principle that there is a God Part. 1 Pag. 30 Observe GOD observeth all wee doe Part. 2 Pag. 168 See Sinne. Omnipotent Omnipotency of GOD Part. 2 Pag. 176 Omnipotency of GOD wherein Part. 2 Pag. 177 Omnipresence A caution concerning the omnipresence of GOD Part. 2 Pag. 14 Originall Originall of all creatures Part. 1 Pag. 6 Love wisedome c. originally in GOD Part. 2 Pag. 49 Owne Two cases when God punnisheth his owne children Part. 2 Pag. 99 Outward Outward man stirrs up the inward Part. 2 Pag. 40 P. Parts GOD what parts Part. 2 Pag. 50 Perish Why it is nothing to GOD that many perish Part. 1 Pag. 127 Particular Prophecies of Scripture particular Part. 1 Pag. 50 Perspicuouse Prophecies of Scripture perspicuouse Part. 1 Pag. 50 Perfect GOD is perfect Part. 1 Pag. 120 Perfection what Ibid 5 differences betweene perfection in God and in the creatures Part. 1 Pag. 121 To praise GOD for his perfection Part. 1 Pag. 129 4 Signes of praising Gods perfection Ibid Place A spirit not held in any place Part. 2 Pag. 4 Pleasure Pleasures why men are carried away with them Part. 2 Pag. 131 Power Power of GOD every where Part. 2 Pag. 149 Power of GOD the end of it Part. 2 Pag. 185 Power of GOD we should believe it Part. 2 Pag. 194 Power of GOD doubted of Part. 2 Pag. 197 Power of GOD manifested Part. 2 Pag. 199 Pollution Pollution of spirit to find it out Part. 2 Pag. 10 Pollution directions to finde it out Part. 2 Pag. 11 See Prayer Prayer Fervency in prayer one ground of it Part. 1 Pag. 71 Pray against pollution of spirit Part. 2 Pag. 14 Men may pray much yet not aright Part. 2 Pag. 42 Prayer two times of it Part. 2 Pag. 43 He that is rejected of GOD cannot pray Part. 2 Pag. 93 Prayer heard of God now as in former time Part. 2 Pag. 103 Power of God should make us pray Part. 2 Pag. 198 Praise Praise of men why men are led away with it Part. 2 Pag. 131 See weakenesse Presence Presently Presence of God infinite Part. 2 Pag. 148 How men are present Part. 2 Pag. 155 Why God auengeth not presently Part. 2 Pag. 157 Presence seene in 3. things Part. 2 Pag. 160 How we are present with God Ibid. How wee make God present with us Part. 2 Pag. 161 Prophets Prophecies Prophecies in Scripture prove the truth of it Part. 1 Pag. 50 Poets the Gentiles Prophets Part. 1 Pag. 81 Providence Providence of God the greatnesse of it proves that there is no other God Part. 1 Pag. 79 Greatnesse of God seene in his providence Part. 2 Pag. 125 The ground of Gods particular providence Part. 2 Pag. 154 Provoke See Casting off Prosper Those that trust not in God may prosper Part. 1 Pag. 115 Profession why men leaue their profession Part. 2 Pag. 88 Fearfulnes in profession whence Part. 2 Pag. 134 Promiscuously Outward things dispensed promiscuously Part. 2 Pag. 28 Probabilities VVhen we are incouraged by probabilities we doubt of Gods power Part. 2 Pag. 194 Punish see owne Purity Purity of Scriptures prove them true Part. 1 Pag. 56 Purposes Purposes of GOD brought to passe by wayes vnknowne to us Part. 1 Pag. 36 Stronge lusts breake stronge purposes Part. 2 Pag. 116 Purposes 3. helpes to strengthen them Part. 2 Pag. 117 Purposes must be renewed Part. 2 Pag. 118 Q. Quantity God simple without quantity 2 74. R. Reall Miracles in Scripture reall Part.
all men Such ingenuous simplicitie lodged in depth of wisedome Holinesse of life so set in honour and esteeme and immoveably settled with evennesse of vvalking in midst of all vanities Such humilitie in height of parts gratiousnesse of heart in greatnesse of minde So rare fixt and happy a conjunction in an house so eminent doth not fall out without a generall observation To your Name and Honour therefore wee present it most Noble LORD as the last Legacie bequeathed by him to the Church as a pledge of our service and a counterpane of your Lordships most raysed thoughts and resolutions And likewise unto others as honoured vvith your Lordships name that those vvho studie either men or bookes may reade these SERMONS together with your Lordships VERTVES each as the coppie of the other to invite them to the imitation of the same And that the VVorld which like that Indian Monarch accounts such true Pictures of the beauty of Holinesse as this to bee but counterfeit because not tawnie like their owne and looke upon so high Principles of Godlinesse as emptie notions raised up by art and fancie to make a shew may see and know in you the true reall uniform subsistence of them and that God hath indeede some such living walking Patternes of his owne Great Holinesse and more transcendent Graces VVhich Graces Hee who is the God of all Grace increase and perfect in your Lordship here that hereafter you may be filled with all the fulnesse of him So pray Your Honours ever to be commanded THOMAS GOODWIN THOMAS BALL THat there is a God proved Page 5 1 By the Creation Ibid. By the law written in mens hearts Page 13 By the Soule of man Page 15 VSE 1. To strengthen faith in this Principle Page 22 VSE 2. What consequences to draw hence Page 28 Objections against this Principle Page 30 2 That there is a God proved by faith Page 19.45 The Scripture proved true by foure things Page 48 VSE 3. To confirme us in this Principle Page 61 Difference in the assent of men to this Page 62 4 Meanes to confirme our Faith in this Page 68 Three Effects of a firme assent to this Principle Page 70 3 That there is no other God but GOD. Page 75 Five Arguments to prove that there is no other God Page 76 The gods and religion of the Heathens false proved three wayes Page 80 Religion of Mahomet false Page 82 VSE 1. To beleeve that our God is God alone and to cleave to him Page 85 VSE 2. To comfort us in this that God will shew himselfe the true GOD in raising the Churches Page 87 VSE 3. To keepe our hearts from Idolatrie Page 88 Three grounds of Idolatrie Page 89 What God is Page 94 Doctrine God only and properly hath being in him Page 97 What the being of God is explained in five things Ibid. VSE 1. There is something in Gods Essence not to be inquired into Page 100 VSE 2. To strengthen our faith and incourage us in wants and crosses Page 103 VSE 3. To give God the praise of his being Page 112 VSE 4. To learne the vanitie of the creatures and the remedie against it Page 116 Attributes of God of two sorts Page 119 The First ATTRIBVTE The perfection of God Page 120 Five differēces between the perfection of God and the creatures Page 121 VSE 1. All that wee doe cannot reach to God to merit Page 123 VSE 2. To see the freenesse of Gods grace Page 125 VSE 3. To goe to God with faith though wee have no worth in us Ibid. VSE 4. God hath no need of any creature Page 126 VSE 5. Though many perish it is nothing to God he is perfect Page 127 VSE 6. Gods commands are for our good hee is perfect Ibid. VSE 7. To give God the honour of his perfection Page 129 Foure signes of exalting Gods perfection Ibid. The creatures of themselves can doe nothing for us in three respects Page 137 The Second ATTRIBVTE God without all causes Page 140 Reason 1. Else something should bee before him Ibid. Reason 2. That which hath a part receiveth it from the whole Page 141 Reason 3. All other things have a possibility not to bee Page 142 VSE 1. God wills not things because they are just but they are just because he wills them Page 143 VSE 2. God may doe all things for himselfe and his owne glorie Page 144 VSE 3. We should doe nothing for our owne ends but for God Page 146 Eight signes to know whether a man make God or himselfe his end Page 148 The Third ATTRIBVTE Doctrine God is eternall Page 156 Five things required in Eternitie Page 157 Reasons why God must be Eternall Page 158 Foure differences betweene the Eternitie of God and the duration of the creatures Page 159 Consect 1. God possesseth all things together Page 159 Consect 2. Eternitie maketh things infinitely good or evill Page 160 VSE 1. To minde more things Eternall Page 161 Motives to consider Eternity Page 167 VSE 2. Not to be offended with Gods delaying he hath time enough to performe his promises being Eternall Page 168 VSE 3. To consider Gods love and enmitie are eternall Page 171 VSE 4. To comfort us against mutabilitie of things below Page 172 VSE 5. God is Lord of time Page 174 PART II. The Fourth ATTRIBVTE God is a SPIRIT Page 2 Foure properties of a Spirit Ibid. VSE 1. Gods eye chiefly on our spirits therefore they must be kept fit for communion with him Page 4 How to fit our spirits for communion with God Page 6 Directions for cleansing the spirit Page 10 VSE 2. Gods government chiefly on the spirits of men Page 25 Proved by 3 Demonstrations Page 28 VSE 3. To worship God in spirit Page 32 Which consists in three things Page 33 What necessity of the gestures of the bodie in Gods service Page 38 How to conceive of God in prayer Page 44 The Simplicitie of GOD. Gods simplicity proved by sixe reasons Page 48 Consec 1. To see what a stable foundation faith hath Page 51 Consec 2. God cannot be hindred in his workes Page 52 Consec 3. The Attributes of God are equall Page 53 VSE 1. To labour to bee content in a simple condition Page 54 VSE 2. To labour for singlenesse of heart Page 59 Two things in simplicitie Page 60 VSE 3. To goe to God rather than to the creatures Page 67 The Fifth ATTRIBVTE Gods immutability Page 72 Five Reasons of Gods immutability Page 73 Two Objections against Gods immutability Page 76 Consec 1. How to understand severall places of Scripture Page 78 Consec 2. Love and hatred in God eternall Ibid. VSE 1. Take heede of provoking him to cast us off Page 80 The time of Gods casting off a man unknowne Page 83 VSE 2. Gods gifts and calling without repentance Page 84 How to know vvee are in Covenant vvith God Page 85 The unchangeablenesse of God takes not away endevour Page 93 The occasion end and
looke how men doe this in a greater measure so much greater Atheisme they have Againe if you doe beleeve that there is such a God what is the reason when you have any thing to doe that you runne to creatures and seek help from them and busie your selves wholly about outward meanes and seeke not to God by prayer and renewing of your repentance if you did fully beleeve that there is a God you would rather doe this Againe What is the reason that men are carried away with the present as Aristotle cals it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this same very nunc doth transport a man from the wayes of vertue to vice that they are too busie about the body and are carelesse of the immortall soule that they suffer that to lye like a forlorne prisoner and to sterve within them Would you doe so if you did beleeve that there is such a God that made the soule to whom it must returne and give an account and live with him for ever Againe what is the reason that men doe seeke so for the things of this life are so carefull in building houses gathering estates and preparing for themselves here such goodly mansions for their bodies and spend no time to adorne the soule when yet these doe but grace us amongst men and are only for present use and looke not for those things which commend the soule to God and regard not eternity in which the soule must live I say what is the reason of this if there be not some grounds of secret Atheisme in men What is the reason that there is such stupidity in men that the threatnings will not move them they will be moved with nothing like beasts but present strokes that they doe not fore-see the plague to prevent it but go on and are punished And so for Gods promises and rewards Why will you not forbeare sinne that you may receive the promises and the rewards Whence is this stupiditie both wayes Why are we as beasts led with sensuality that we will not be drawne to that which belongs to God and his Kingdome Is not this an argument of secret Atheisme and impiety in the heart of every man more or lesse Againe what is the reason that when men come into the presence of God they carry themselves so negligently not caring how their soules are clad and what the behaviour of their spirits is before him If you should come before men you would looke that your cloaths be neat and decent and you will carry your selves with such reverence as becomes him in whose presence you stand this proceeds from Atheisme in the hearts of men not beleeving the Lord to be hee that fills the Heaven and the Earth Therefore as you finde these things in you more or lesse so labour to confirme this principle more and more to your selves and you should say when you heare these arguments certainly I will beleeve it more firmely surely I will hover no more about it To what end are more lights brought but that you should see things more clearely which you did not before So that this double use you shall make of it One is to fix this conclusion in you hearts and to fasten it daily upon your soules Vse 2 The second is if there be such a mightie God then labour to draw such consequences as may arise from such a conclusion As if there be such a one that fils Heaven and Earth then looke upon him as one that sees all you doe and heares whatsoever you speake As when you see a ship passe thorow the sea and see the sailes applied to the wind and taken downe and hoysed up againe as the wind requires and shall see it keepe such a constant course to such a haven avoiding the rockes and sands you will say surely there is one within that guides it for it could not doe this of it selfe or as when you look upon the body of man and see it live and move and doe the actions of a living man you must needs say the bodie could not doe this of it selfe but there must be something within that quickens it and causeth all the actions even so when you looke upon the creatures and see them to doe such things which of themselves they are no more able to doe than the body can doe the actions that it doth without the soule therefore hence you may gather that there is a God that fils Heaven and Earth and doth whatsoever hee pleaseth and if this be so then draw nigh to him converse with him and walke with him from day to day observe him in all his dealings with us and our dealings with him and one with another be thankfull to him for all the blessings wee enjoy and flye to him for succour in all dangers and upon all occasions THE SECOND SERMON HEBREWES 11.6 He that commeth to God must beleeve that GOd is c. BEfore we come to the second sort of arguments to prove this principle that GOD is by faith we thinke it necessarie to answer some objections of Atheisme which may arise and trouble the hearts of men Object 1 Men are ready to say that which you shall finde in 2 Pet. 3.4 All things have continued alike since the creation That is when men looke upon the condition of things they see the Sunne rise and set againe and see the rivers runne in a circle into the sea the day followes the night c. the winds returne in their compasses and they have done so continually and there is no alteration therefore they doubt whether there be such a God that hath given a beginning to these things and shall give an end Answ. 1 For answer to this consider that these bodies of ours which we carry about with us which we know had a beginning and shall have an end that there is something in them that is as constant as any of the former as the beating of the pulse the breathing of the lungs and the motion of the heart and yet the body had a beginning and shall have an end Now what is the difference betweene these two It is but small this continueth only for some tithes of yeares but the world for thousands the difference is not great and therefore why should you not thinke it had a beginning as well as your body and likewise shall have an ending See what the Apostle saith in this place though all things continue alike yet there are two reasons whereby hee proves that God made the world and that the world shall have an end 1 The first is laid downe in verse 5. For this they are willingly ignorant of that by the Word of GOD the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the waters and in the waters That is naturally the waters would cover the earth as it did at the beginning for the naturall place of the waters is above the earth even as of the aire above the waters Now
what it is that troubles thee what a man aimes at if he lose his end that grieves him when his worke is done if this be thy trouble that thou hast lost some credit or profit then thine end is thy selfe but if this be thy griefe that thou hast not done it in such mâ—â—sure that others may receive profit and advantage by it it is a signe that thou diddest it not for thy selfe but for Gods glory 6 Besides if a man considers what it is that doth make things pleasant and gives amabilitie to that which is harsh in it selfe Labour in it selfe is sweet to no man unlesse there be something in it that sweetens it now consider what that is if in it thy eye is upon thy wealth that comes by it if thou studiest hard and if thou preachest much and it is for the praise of men thou seekest thy selfe and thy reward is in it but if thou lookest up to the Lord if thou doest it because he sees it and knowes it and that he may say I know thy worke and thy labour it is a signe that thy end in it was the Lord and not thy selfe 7 From whence doest thou looke for wages from God or from men Whence come those complaints of the unthankfulnesse of friends and pupils and those we doe good to but because we looke to men and not to God For if we did looke to God for our reward their thankfulnesse or unthankfulnesse would be of small moment to us for doth the Nurse nurse the childe for it own sake only doth shee looke for reward from the child or from the mother that putteth it to nurse if you look for your reward from men they are your end but if you looke for it from the Lord their encouragements or discouragements will not much move you 8 Againe consider wherin thy minde resteth for that which a man makes his end therein his minde resteth and in nothing besides a husband-man though he doth plow and sow c. yet he rests not til he comes to the harvest he that hews stone and squares timber doth it and stayes not till the house be built therefore doe thou consider with thy selfe in all thy workes what it is that gives rest to thy thoughts if thou doest say I have now wealth and riches enough and means enough I have gotten what I aimed at and now my soule is at rest if thou sayest I have now honour and name enough my children be well provided for and therefore your soule rest in this then this was your end and not the Lord wheras you ought to say though I have provided for my children yet doe they feare the Lord are they brought home to him My trade hath brought me home much but how serviceable have I been with it I have much credit and estate but what glory hath it brought to IESVS CHRIST So he that is a Minister it is true I have enough enough credit enough for estate but what is this have I brought any glory to the Lord have I converted any if thy heart can have no rest but in the Lord and in the things that belong to the Lord it is an argument that thine eye was upon him Remember this that seeing we are made seeing we have an higher cause and that to be without cause belongs to God alone therefore wee must carry our selves as creatures as it is said of David he served his time hee did nothing for his owne end but he carried himselfe as a servant he did not say I will have so much pleasure and then serve God he did not cut the Lord short but he served his time he gave the Lord the whole day It was the comfort that IESVS CHRIST had when he was to goe out of the world Iohn 17.4 I have glorified thee on earth I have finished the worke that thou gavest me to doe that is I was as a servant and I chose not my worke but it is that which thou gavest me and I have not done it by halfes but I have finished it therefore glorifie thou me So if thou canst say it when thou goest out of the world that will be thy comfort at that day but if not remember that it is the Lords manner of dealing when men will seeke themselves and their owne end he layes them aside as we doe broken vessels fit for no more use and he takes another If there be any here that can say so that the Lord hath laid thee aside and taken thy gifts from thee remember consider with thy selfe that hadst thou used them to his glory and made him thy end be sure that he would not have laid thee aside but that he would have used thee Beloved we see it by experience that men of small parts yet if they had humble hearts and did use them in the simplicitie of their spirits to Gods glory then he hath enlarged them and used them in greatest imployments Againe on the contrary side men of excellent parts they have withered because they did not use them to Gods glory therefore he hath layd them aside as broken vessels THE NINTH SERMON EXODVS 3.13 14 15. 13 And Moses said unto GOD behold when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them The GOD of your Fathers hath sent me unto you and they shall say unto mee What is his Name what shall I say unto them 14 And GOD said unto Moses I AM THAT I AM. And he said Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel I AM hath sent unto you 15 And GOD said moreover unto Moses Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel The LORD GOD of your Fathers the GOD of Abraham the GOD of Isaac and the GOD of Iacob hath sent me unto you this is my Name for ever and this is my memoriall unto all generations The third Attribute of GOD. WE come now to a third Attribute and that is the Eternity of GOD for God doth not say He that was but He that is hath sent me unto you He that is without all cause the efficient and finall he must needs be eternall he that hath no beginning nor end must needs be eternall and besides in that he saith I am that I am not I am that I was it must needs be that hee is without succession Therefore from hence we may gather that GOD is Eternall In handling of this point we will shew you First wherein this consists The reason why it must be so The differences The consectaries that flow from these distinctions of eternitie For the first you must know that to eternitie these five things are required It must not only have a simple but a living and most perfect being For eternity is a transcendent property and therefore can be in none but in the most excellent and perfect being and therefore it must be a living being This we have expressed in Isai. 57.15 Thus saith the
to be made after his Image and therefore in Heb 12 God is called the Father of Spirits Why He is the Father of the body also he made that but the meaning is that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Father over them because he guides and nurtures them being most like to himselfe as the sonne is like the father so they are like to him and therefore hee most regards the spirits of men As you may see when Samuel went to anoint David King and all the sonnes of Iesse came before him those that were much more proper than David God tells him that he did not looke upon the persons of men nor upon their outward appearance hee heedes them not what doth he then he sees the soule and spirit of man the Lord looketh upon the heart and according to that hee judgeth of them 1 Sam. 16.7 Now if his eye be chiefly upon the spirit thou shouldest labour to let thine eye be chiefly still upon thy spirit and so thou shalt most please him Let thy eye be upon thy soule to keepe it cleane that it may be fit for communion with him who is a spirit This should teach you to looke to the fashion of your soules within because they are likest to him and carry his image in them he is a father of them in a speciall manner and they are that whereby you may have communion with him in that which is most proper unto him in spirituall exercises and performances Object But you will say what is it that you would have us to doe to our spirits to have them fit for the Lord that he may regard them and that they may be like to him Answ. 1 1 Thou must scoure and cleanse them from all filthinesse 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearely beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinisse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God There is a pollution which the Apostle speakes of which pollution he divides into two kindes of the flesh of the spirit both of these thou must labour to bee cleansed from but specially that of the spirit if tâ—â—n wouldst have it fit to have the Lord to delight in for he being a Spirit doth most regard those actions which are done by the Spirit and therefore that is the thing that mainely thou shouldst looke to Object But what is that pollution of spirit or what is that which doth defile it Answ. Every thing in the world defiles the spirit when it is lusted after 2 Pet. 1.4 Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust that is the world and all things in the world and all the parts of it they doe then corrupt the spirit defile and soile it when the soule of man hath a lust after them You might medle with all things in the world and not be defiled by them if you had pure affections but when you have a lust after any thing then it defiles your spirit therefore in Titus 1.15 the Apostle speakes of a conscience defiled And in Matt. 15. 19. saith our Saviour out of the heart proceede evill thoughts murthers adulterers fornications thefts false witnesse blasphemies these are the thâ—â—gs whâ—â—h defile a man He doth not speake onely of actuall adulterie or murther but even of the siâ—â—ull dispositions of the soule even these are things that defile the spirit in Gods sight who lookes upon them as you doe upon outward filthinesse with the eyes of your body So that every inordinate lusting of the soule doth defile the soule Object But is not this rule too strait We are commanded not to murther nor to commit adultery this is the commandement and why should you say that every disordered affection doth defile the soule and that it is more regarded by God then the outward actions Answ. You must know that the tenth commandement doth strike against these abominations Thou shalt not lust and so it is translated Rom. 7 so that these lustings of the spirit are those that defile the soule You see that God hath spent a whole commandement against them And indeede all the actuall sinnes committed by us simply considered in themselves as committed by the body are not so hated of God as the pollution of the spirit is Nay I dare be bolâ—â— to say that the act of adultery and murther is not so abominable in Gods eyes as the filthinesse of the spirit this is more abominable in the sight of God who is a spirit than the act of the body for it is the spirit that he mainly lookes to Indeed the act contracts the guilt because the lust is then growne up to an height so that it is come to an absolute will and execution Therefore if these lustings doe presse into the soule wee should put them out againe and reject them with shame and griefe for GOD is a Spirit and beholdes the continuall behaviour of thy spirit Againe the injury which you offer to others though in it selfe it be a great sinne yet that inward brooding of it in thy heart plotting mischiefe that boiles within thee while it hatches rancour and revenge this is that which he hates though thou shouldest never commit any actuall sinne this way Iam. 4.5 you have this phrase used The lust of the spirit to envie that is the bent of the spirit and inclination of the minde which lookes upon the gifts of others whereby it overshines them so that they lust to have that light put out that their candle might appeare above it though they act nothing yet this is abominable to him And that I might not deliver this without ground consider There is nothing so pleasing to God as a broken heart Isa. 57. Now the breaking of the heart is nothing else but the severing betweene the heart and sin As when you see an artificers worke wherein many parts are glued together if it should fall downe or the glue be dissolved then they all breake to pieces and when the lusts that are in our soules are thus severed this pleaseth the Lord not that the affliction of a mans spirit is pleasing to the Lord but the separation of sinne from his soule when the soder that joynes a sinfull action and the heart together when this is dissolved this doth please the Lord. And by the rule of contraries if this be true then it is true on the other side that when the spirit is glued by any lust to any inordinate thing it is most hatefull to God for the stronger the lust is the stronger is the glue and therefore a man the more he is tyed to this world and hath such strong lusts the more hee hath this uncleannesse and pollution of spirit And therefore as a broken heart is most acceptable to God so a spirit that is knit to any inordinate object by the thing that it cleaves to it becomes most hatefull and abominable to him
them as Haman had of Mordecai to hate that beloved pollution which cleaves so fast to thy spirit this were a blessed thing Thou must yet goe a step further that is to get it mortified to get it utterly cast out slaine and killed not to suffer it to live with thee thou must doe with such a pollution of thy spirit as thou doest with thine utter enemy whom thou followest to death and wilt have the law upon him and wilt be content with nothing but his life So when thou hast found out thy sinne then goe this step further to have it out before the Lord and cry against it and say that it is his enemy thy enemy an enemy to his grace it hath sought thy life and thou wilt have the life of it before thou hast done this thou shouldest doe to get it utterly cast out to get an utter separation betwixt thy soule and it so that if there should come a temptation to hee againe if there should be pleasure on the one hand and threatnings on the other then thou shouldest say rather any thing than this sinne than this lust it is my greatest enemy that hath done me thus much mischiefe so that thy soule doth not onely loath it but thou wilt not suffer it to live in thee this is that which wee ought to doe if wee would cleanse our spirits When a man hath done all this thou must goe to God and beseech him that hee would melt that soder as it were that he would make a dissolution that he would sever thy soule and the lust that cleaves so fast to it That which made the soule and the object to cleave so fast together is lust that is the soder which like unto soder must be melted with fire Isay 4.4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Sion and shall have purged the blood of Ierusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of wisedome and by the spirit of burning that is the holy Ghost who is as fire that melts the soder and loosens it also the word Ier. 23.24 so also in Mal. 3. Christ there is compared to fire and to Fullers sope and all to expresse the divers wayes that the Lord hath to cleanse our spirits from sinne Sinne cleaves to the soule as drosse to the gold now the spirit of burning cleanseth and purifies it yea it doth it violently and therefore it is said to be a hammer also in Ieremy Againe sinne sinkes in as a deepe staine therefore Christ is as sope to cleanse it And therefore goe and say to God Rather than I should not be cleansed Lord cleanse me with the fire of affliction as it is also called Zach. 13.9 And I will bring the third part saith the Lord through the fire and will refine thē as silver is refined will try them as gold is tryed It were best my beloved if you would yeeld to the Spirit the Word that they may cleanse you before his sight For if that will not doe he will come with the fire of affliction and it is better that you should be dealt so with than that your soules being still uncleane should perish for ever To fit thy spirit for the Lord that is a spirit and the father of spirits thou must goe yet one step further thou must labour to beautifie it to seeke to adorne it by a spirituall excellency Now if thou wouldest beautifie it by any thing seeke not for outward excellencies as clothes or fine apparell or adorning in the sight of men but seeke such an excellency as is sutable to the spirit seeke not other things for they are such things that God regards not So that as every man seekes some excellency or other that which thou art to seeke is to get spirituall excellency such as may beautifie thy heart for that which is outward God regardeth not You shall see an excellent place for this Isay 66.2 All these things hath my hand made saith the Lord but to this man will I looke even to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word When the Lord lookes upon all things here below they are all at his command my hand hath made them saith he and I can dispose of them as I will but what is it of all them that I doe esteeme a spirit that is fashioned and beautified with inward ornaments so that it trembles at my word that is the thing which I regard So 1 Pet. 3.3 you have a comparison there of outward excellencies and of the spirituall decking of the inward man which the Apostle preferreth because that is a thing that is esteemed of by God Whose adorning saith the Apostle let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the haire and of wearing golde or of putting on of apparell But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meeke and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price So it is said of wisedome Prov. 3.22 It shall be life to thy soule and grace to thy necke that is wisedome adornes the soule in the sight of God therefore that is the excellency that is chiefly to be sought by us even thus to adorne the soule And there is good reason for it for if thou consider what thy body is and what thy spirit is thou shalt see that all these things that doe adorne the outward man are not the excellencies to bee sought after Indeed there are divers kindes of those excellencies they are of three sorts First excellency of clothes and building and such gaudy things which children and vaine men and women are sensible of Secondly great titles and honours and great rewards which a higher sort of men are capable of Thirdly the excellency of learning and knowledge and skill in arts and sciences and this also is but an outward excellency for though it be seated in the spirit yet it inables onely to outward things These are not the excellencies that thou shouldest seeke for but it is an excellency of the spirit thou art to regard looke to thy spirit what that is for as the spirit is such is the man Spiritus est perfectio hominis this is the proper excellency the body is but as it were the sheath for the soule a man is said to be more excellent as his soule is excellent Other excellency is but an outward excellency this excellency is that which is intrinsecall to a man the other are but adventitious they are not proper it is not that which makes the difference The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour There is a difference of honour but all these are but accidentall differences the essential difference is the spirit and that is it which God regards and by this thou excellest thy neighbour All other excellencies are but as when a mule or an
Christ Ioh 4.34 Iesus saith unto them my meate is to doe the will of my Father and to finish his worke that is I will be content to neglect my body to doe that which is the worke of my spirit the worke of my Father And such is his owne advice seeke not the loaves saith he nourish not your bodies labour not for the meate that perisheth but looke that thy soule get the better in all things Object But how shall I know this whether my soule doth rule or no Answ. When the bodily appetite and inclination shall arise so high as to rule the sterne of the soule and the actions of it then the body gets rule over the soule but when these shall bee subdued and ruled and guided by the soule when they shall bee brought to that square which the spirit within shall set downe then the spirit rules over the body Object But my inclinations are strong and I cannot rule them what must I doe then Answ. Thou must doe in this case as Saint Paul did who kept under his body by violence as men use to tame horses we should keepe it downe wee must take heed of carnall lusts they will keepe the body too high as a Horse may be too lustie for his rider yet so as on the other side it must not be kept too low for the body is the instrument of the soule but onely the soule must have dominion over it it should alwayes bee subject to the principall agent as it is said of a servant that he should not be Supra negotium nor infra negotium but par negotio not above nor below but fit for his businesse so ought the body to be the soules servant Beloved consider this doe but thinke what your soules are that you should suffer them to be thus in subjection Thinke what a shame it is that these bodily affections should so overrule the spirit that is made like to God the soule that shall live for ever the soule for which Christ dyed that is better then all the world beside thinke I say with your selves what a sencelesse and unreasonable thing it is that this soule should be kept under by the body and that the body should rule over it Are not men in this kinde like to beasts subject to sensualitie that eate that they may play and play that they may eate and the soule is not considered all this while how it is a spirit that is like to God himselfe who is a spirit Alas what is the body to it It is in it as in a prison such is the body to the soule not to be regarded in comparison of it Therefore adde this to the other that the soule may still be advanced and that it suffer not bodily actions to bring it into subjection lest you be as bruite beasts subject to sensuality made to be taken and to be destroyed FINIS THE ELEVENTH SERMON EXODVS 3.13 14. And Moses said unto God Behold when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them the God of your fathers hath sent mee unto you and shall say unto me what is his name what shall I say unto them And God said unto Moses I AM THAT I AM c. Vse 2 A Second use from this point is this If God be a spirit then his dominion government and providence is chiefly exercised on the spirits of men It is true his providence is over all things that belong to us but as he is in himselfe a Spirit so he puts forth and exerciseth this power of his principally in guiding the spirits of men and in that you are chiefly to observe his providence toward you And that you shall see in Rom. 14.17 The kingdome of God that is his rule and power is not in meate and drinke for they are outward things and hee that is a spirit regards them not but it is in righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost that is in the things that belong to the spirit therein is his kingdome and dominion chiefly exercised So also Psal. 33.14 15. From the place of his habitation hee looketh downe upon all the inhabitants of the earth he fashioneth their hearts alike hee considereth all their workes Marke it when God lookes downe from heaven and beholdes the children of men the chiefest thing that he doth wherein his government is exercised is in that hee fashions their hearts and spirits and therefore those eternall subjects of his that live with him for ever and spirits as the Angels and the soules of men Therefore if thou wouldest observe the will of the Lord toward thee and wouldest see wherein his providence is chiefly exercised looke upon thy spirit upon all occasions that is what bents what inclinations what hopes and desires hee hath put into thy soule If you looke upon men in the world you shall see them divers in their spirits one man lusts after riches honour and preferment another after gaming sporting and drinking now looke upon this temper of spirit as the greatest judgement of all others Againe looke upon the spirits of other men they are fashioned a contrary way to deny themselves to seeke grace and avoid sinne to be content to have God alone to doe his worke and to leave their wages to God to live a painfull life serving God and men with their sweetnesse this is a quite contrary spirit and this is the greatest blessing Therefore you shall see that when the Lord is angry with a man so that his anger is wound up to the highest pegge then he gives him over to this judgement as it is Psal. 81.12 So I gave them over to their owne hearts lust and they walked in their owne counsells that is my judgement shall be executed upon their spirits to leave them to an unjudicious minde Againe on the other side when the Lord would doe a man the greatest kindnesse then he fashions his spirit another way Deut. 30.6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord with all thine heart and with all thy soule that thou maist live as if he should say when I minde to doe you a kindnesse then I will thus fashion your hearts aright So Ezek 36.26 A new heart also will I give unto you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and will give you an heart of flesh The Scripture is plentifull in this Therefore if thou wouldest observe what the LORD is to thee looke how hee fashions thy spirit if thou findest that hee leaves thee to unruly affections and lusts and leaves thee to be glued to that from which thou shouldest be divorced or that he hath left thee in bondage to the feare of men as a snare to thee there is no greater judgement in the world than this as it is the greatest mercy on the
hath not much but yet some difference from the former is this when the spirit of a man beholds God alone when his eye is upon him when hee comes to worship him and upon nothing besides If a man will have an eye to men to the praise or dispraise that shall follow the performance of the duty he doth so farre worship men But hee serves God and worships him in spirit when his heart is left naked and stripped of all other respects in the world and so filled and over-awed with the presence of God that all other respects doe vanish This it is to worship God in singlenesse of heart and this is opposed to outward performance Col. 3.22 for eye-service is but onely a bodily and outward worship but when a man doth it with singlenesse of heart then it is not eye-service as there that is it is not outward onely Now singlenesse of heart is this when the minde hath but one single object to looke upon so that to looke not upon any creature but upon God and none besides This is to worship God in singlenesse of heart which is the same with holinesse of spirit As the holinesse of the vessell in the old law was when it was set apart from all other services to God alone so the holinesse of a mans spirit is when it is separated from all by-respects and aimes and is wholly devoted to him whence our word Devotion doth spring and when a man worships God with this nakednesse with this singlenes and holinesse of spirit then he worships God in spirit But when thou commest to performe any duty as to preach a Sermon or to pray and thou lookest what men will thinke of thee and what praise and credit thou shalt get by it this pollutes your spirit so farre as you doe this there is not singlenesse but doublenesse of spirit and here is eye-service in GODS account Therefore looke alwayes to worship him in spirit remember the argument here used GOD is a Spirit that is looke how the corporeall eye of man beholds the body when thou commest to Church and can see the negligence of thy behaviour and uncomely gesture so GOD that is a spirit he beholds the vanity and loosenesse of thy spirit within the turning and rouling of it this way or that way therefore take diligent heede to thy spirit labour to approve thy selfe to him care not what any creature saith or thinketh of thee and this is to worship him in thy spirit Now here are two Questions to be answered Quest. 1 If GOD must thus be worshipped in spirit and it is the behaviour of that which he lookes to what necessity is there then of a bodily comely and outward gesture how farre is this required in his worship Answ. The spirituall worship of God is never well performed but when it is signified by the comely gesture of the body as farre as wee may I say they must concurre the body must goe with the spirit though indeed he chiefly lookes to the spirit for they are both his 1 Cor. 6.20 Besides the body doth exceedingly helpe the spirit and it doth testifie when you come before others that holinesse and reverence which you have of Gods glory and majesty Therefore to perswade you to this you must know that when ever you come to worship God there ought to be a great solemnity in every part of his worship which cannot be without the concurrence of the body and spirit of man they cannot be disjoyned And you shall see the necessity of this in these 3 things 1. Because though holinesse be seated in the spirit yet it doth will appeare in the body at the same time You know the light of the candle is seated in the candle yet it shines through the lant-horne if it be there so though holinesse be seated in the spirit yet it will appeare in the body if it be there It is so in all other things and therefore must needes be so in this As take any affections that are in us as a blushing affection when occasion is it will appeare in the body whether we will or no so an impudent face is discerned and perceived also so awefulnesse and feare and reverence they will shew themselves and looke out at the windowes of the eyes and appeare in the face except we willingly suppresse them Now if these will doe so surely it holds in this also If there be a reverence of the minde it will be seene in the behaviour of the body Therefore you see Eliah when he prayed earnestly the disposition of the body went with it he put his face downe betweene his legges So Iesus Christ when hee prayed for Lazarus hee groaned in his spirit and wept Now if he did so who might be exempted if any might then doe not thou thinke that thou canst have a holy reverent disposition of the minde and it not appeare in the body it cannot be Therefore you shall finde that this is called the heart every where because the affections are seated there and now the body is accordingly affected as the heart is affected for what affections a man hath such is his heart 2. Consider this If thou findest thy selfe apt to a carelesse negligent behaviour and carriage of the body when thou commest to GOD and pretendest this that he is a spirit and must be worshipped in spirit I say consider whether this be not an excuse that thy flesh makes to this end that it may be lazie and have some ease to it selfe from a false acception of that principle God is a Spirit that so it may give way to an outward lazinesse of the body Therefore looke narrowly to it thou shouldest stirre up the outward man that thou thereby maist stirre up the inward man when thou commest before God in any worship 3. Consider that to make any thing an ordinance there must be an application of the whole man to it otherwise it is but a lame performance and God will not reckon as the obedience of an ordinance For this truth must be remembred That an ordinance of God performed as it ought to be doth usually carry a blessing with it A prayer a Sacrament received as it ought a fast kept as it should moves the Lord to give a blessing if thou doest not Ponere obicem thou shalt not goe away empty for it is alwayes accompanied with a blessing as it is said to Ananias Acts 9. Goe to Paul for behold he prayes when it is a prayer indeed God can holde no longer Doe you thinke that Paul never prayed before when he was a Pharise Yes but it was not as he ought he never prayed indeed till now now consider when thou commest before the Lord to performe any duty to him thou wilt say it may be that my spirit is well disposed though the gesture of my body be not according but I say deceive not thy selfe with this but looke that it be a
come in that is if my understanding shall suggest a thing inordinate and shall say Goe and give a bribe to Faelix and thou shalt escape imprisonment goe and take a gift of these Corinthians and thou shalt have something of thine owne and shalt not be so dependent on the almes of others now saith he when carnall wisedome shall suggest any such thing to mee I would not admit of it but I walked in simplicity and godly purenesse toward all men but especially toward you Corinthians here was in him the simplicity of the Doves That we might draw it to a little more particulars you shall see an other expression of this Ephes. 6.5 Servants be obedient to them that are your masters in the flesh with feare and trembling in singlenesse of your heart as unto Christ that is servants take heede even with feare and trembling that you admit not by and sinfull respects in performing your duty as there are many motives as feare hope reward and a necessity to doe it but keepe your hearts single that you may looke onely upon Christ and his commandement and then you shall be faithfull in your service but if other respects mingle themselves with this simplicity you will doe but eye-service you will doe it in a double and dissembling manner not plainely and heartily and simply Therefore let us put in practise this simplicity upon all occasions in all other things whatsoever Rom. 12.8 He that distributeth let him doe it in simplicity that is men are subiect to by ends in their good workes as in giuing almes or shewing a kindenesse to men there may be many by-respects as that they may make use of them heareafter or the like but saith hee keepe you your hearts simple to looke upon GOD alone in them So in conversing with men when you professe love and kindenesse you are subject to by ends in doing it but they are commended Act. 2.46 that they did eat their meat with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart that is what love they professed one to another it was simple and plaine not double Compare this place with that in 1 Pet. 1.22 Seing you have purified your selves in obeying the truth through the Spirit vnto vnfained love of the brethren see that yee love one another with a pure love fervently that is when there is nothing else when the heart is simple and plaine when there is nothing but love noe mixture noe by ends in it So likewise when you come to preach the Gospell doe it in simplicity of heart that is let there be nothing besides as the Apostle saith of himselfe he preached Christ and not himselfe so we should doe every thing in simplicity of heart And so you should behave your selves in your elections to looke with a single eye to the oath by which you ought to be guided doe nothing for feare or favour of men or for any sinister respect I wish I could speake and give this rule to all the kingdome at Parliament times For it is an errour among men to thinke that in election of Burgesses or any others they may pleasure their friends or themselves by having this or that eye to their owne advantage or disadvantage that may arise from it whereas they ought to keep their mindes single and free from all respects so that when they come they may choose him whom in their owne consciences and in the sight of God they thinke fittest for the place and that you may doe so you are to get a single and a simple heart to doe it Vse 3 3 If there bee in GOD this simplicity that we have declared to you then goe to him upon all occasions goe not to the streame goe not to the creatures which have what they have but by derivation and participation but goe to him that hath all that he hath naturally and abundantly not sparingly as they have that have it by participation As when a man is in any miserable condition wherein hee desires pitty and would bee respected and relieved what wilt thou doe in this case Wilt thou goe to weake man and have him to pitty thee No goe to the great GOD in whom there is mercy it selfe Amongst men he that is the fullest of pitty he hath but a streame of it a drop of it therefore seeke not so much to him no not to parents their pitty falls infinitely short of what is in GOD remember that he is mercy it selfe that is thou shalt finde infinitely more mercy in him then can be saide to be in man the most that can be said of man is that he is mercifull but that which can be saide of GOD is that the very thing it selfe is there If you have a firebrand and light it by the fire it is something but fire it selfe is another thing man he hath a little mercy but if you goe to GOD he hath a sea of mercy and he is never dry Therefore whatsoever thy misery or distresse bee whether of conscience or estate be sure that thou goe to God and say to him If evill parents can bee so mercifull to their children when they aske it of them what then shall I have of him that is mercy it selfe Matth. 7.11 So likewise for wisedome if thou hast a doubtfull case and knowest not what to doe thou goest to thy friends which in deede is a good meanes and ought not to bee neglected for in the multitude of councell there is peace but remember this that there is but a little wisedome in them and therefore they will councell thee but a little but goe to God that is wisedome it selfe Pro. 8. Goe to him for hee will give thee wisedome liberally and without reproach Iam. 1.5 thinke of him that hee is the fountaine of wisedome and fullnesse it selfe So if thou needest grace thou wouldest faine have more thou wouldest have thy faith strengthened and thy love and zeale more fervent goe to CHRIST then from whom wee receive grace for grace and that is made to us wisedome sanctification and redemption goe to God that is grace it selfe Goe not to men for what they have they have it from him therefore looke upon all occasions that thou goest to the Lord when thou wantest comfort goe not to thy pleasure and sports and friends and acquaintance but goe to God that is the great God of heaven and earth that hath it in him abundantly and in him thou shalt find more abundance then in any man of the world FINIS THE THIRTEENTH SERMON EXOD. 3.13 14. And Moses said unto God Behold when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them the God of your fathers hath sent mee unto you and shall say unto me what is his name what shall I say unto them And God said unto Moses I AM THAT I AM c. IN these words as you know God describes himselfe to Moses by his eternall being I AM hath sent me unto you Now our businesse
unchangeable God So that this doctrine is for comfort to all the Saints of God Therefore consider thou whether thou art in the state of grace whether thou hast made the match with Iesus Christ if ever there was a covenant betweene Christ and thy soule But how shall I know it you will say Did you ever come to this as to say I am content to be divorced from and to part with all things with every lust and to be content to follow him through all his wayes and to beare every crosse yet this is not enough Did there follow hereupon a generall change within thy heart and a new heart and a new spirit given thee otherwise it is but lip-labour a thought onely that passeth through the mind and therefore was never any such actuall agreement betweene Christ and thee But if there were any such change then thou maist comfort thy selfe for God is unchangeable and this covenant it is an everlasting covenant Consider that it is every where called so Isay 55.3 it is said to be an everlasting covenant because it is founded upon the sure mercies of David God gave Saul mercies as well as David God tells him that he shall have the kingdome if hee will walke in his wayes but Saul started out of the wayes of God and so God performed his part but yet the covenant was broke because Saul performed not his part And as it was with Saul so it was with the people of Israel because they broke the covenant on their parts God also broke his David started out of the way as well as Saul but they were sure mercies that were promised him for it was an everlasting covenant of mercy Therfore you must know this that there is a twofold covenant First a single covenant such as GOD makes with children when they are baptised which is this If you will believe and repent and walke in my wayes you shall be saved now if they breake the condition GOD is freed he is not bound any further Secondly a double covenant to performe both parts which is this If you will believe and repent you shall be saved and I will give you an heart and you shall repent and believe and be saved I began the worke and I will finish it here is not onely a covenant on Gods part to be our Father but on our parts also as in the other but GOD doth not onely promise for his part but makes a covenant to to inable us to performe the conditions on our part and therefore it is called a double covenant And it is impossible that this covenant should be broken for then GOD should breake it himselfe for he is ingaged for both parts and so be changeable if hee should not give thee a new heart and keepe thee from the first day of thy regeneration till death Therefore it is an everlasting covenant and the fruites of it are sure mercies it is a double covenant and therefore cannot be changed And it is called Compassions that faile not why are they called so to shew the unchangeablenesse of this covenant But you will say what if I fall into sin I will forgive them saith the Lord. Oh but lusts doe rebell old lusts and new but saith the Lord I will mortifie them and give you grace to overcome them Oh but grace is subject to decay but I will renew it saith GOD. If thy sinnes and lusts should exceede his mercies then they should faile but they cannot and therefore they are called compassions that faile not Besides consider this that the covenant is made in Iesus Christ. There are two Adams he made a covenant with both with the first Adam he made a covenant as with the common roote of all mankinde but Adam brake the covenant and so did all his members But there is a second Adam and all that are saved are members of him as truely as wee are of the first Adam and he kept the covenant and therefore if he stand they shall stand also Besides consider that he makes this Covenant as to sonnes and not as to servants To the servant the Master saith Doe my worke faithfully and thou shalt have thy wages if not I will turne thee out of my dores but with his Sonne it is not so hee abideth in the house for ever if he fall into sinne hee corrects and nurtures him but yet hee keepes him in his house for ever Answ. But what use is there of this Doctrine Object There is this end for it were it not for this Doctrine thou couldest never love God with a sincere and perfect love For I aske thee this question canst thou love him with a perfect love whom thou thinkest may sometime become thine enemy It is a saying Amare tanquam aliquando osurus is the very poyson of true friendship But now when thou knowest that God is knit to thee by an unchangeable bond that hee is a friend whom thou maist build upon for ever whom thou maist trust this makes thy heart to cleave to him as Paul saith I know whom I have trusted this makes thy heart to fasten upon him and there is no scruple of love which would be if there were a possibility of change Besides what makes a man to depart from his profession Because he thinkes to get a better portion but when thou hast this portion sure Christ and heaven sure why shouldest thou let it goe Heb. 10.23 Besides endeavours never faile till hope failes And therefore when thou art sure that thy worke is not in vaine in the Lord it is that which makes thee constant and immovable in well-doing And therefore the use is to make us have strong consolation in the Lord and to doe his worke abundantly to doe that which wee are exhorted to doe to cleave to the Lord without separation And this wee cannot doe except we were sure of him and that you may know by this that he is an unchangeable God and the gifts of his calling are without repentance FJNJS THE FOVRTEENTH SERMON EXOD. 3.13 14. And Moses said unto God Behold when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them the God of your fathers hath sent mee unto you and they shall say unto me what is his name what shall I say unto them And God said unto Moses I AM THAT I AM c. Object WHEN men heare that GOD is thus unchangeable that when he hath rejected any he never retracts his decree this objectiō may be made For what end is it then to pray to endeavour a change of life or to repent for if there be such an unresistable decree past against mee what hope is there Before I come to a particular answere to this I will premise these two things in generall First you know that in other things there is an unchangeable Decree as there is an unalterable Decree concerning the time of mens death and yet no man for this doth cease
torches appeare to be nothing when wee looke upon the Sunne so if we could consider aright of the greatnesse of God all the faire speeches of men would be as nothing Now the way to get this magnanimity is to beleeve this greatnesse of God and to consider that wee are the sonnes of God and heires of heaven the cause of this pusillanimity is the want of faith If wee did beleeve that we were the sonnes of God and did beleeve that GOD would be with us that he was so great a GOD and that hee did stand by and second us we should not be so fearefull as we are Therefore strengthen your faith that you may have your mindes inlarged that so you may walke without impediments and be perfect with him as it is said of Abraham that hee was perfect with God in all his wayes FINIS THE SIXTEENTH SERMON EXOD. 3.13 14. And Moses said unto God Behold when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them the God of your fathers hath sent mee unto you and they shall say unto me what is his name what shall I say unto them And God said unto Moses I AM THAT I AM c. Answ. IF you aske the question Quest. How a man shall come to this greatnesse of mind what rise it hath from the greatnesse of God I answer First it ariseth thus from it When a man considers that GOD is so exceeding great and that hee hath interest in him that will make him to despise all other things as small things in comparison of him Indeed if GOD was great and we had no interest in him then there was no cause why wee should take to our selves this magnanimity upon any such ground but seeing that he is so great and that his greatnes shall be improved to our advantage what addition can any thing else make unto us You shall see that Paul raised his heart upon this ground Phil. 3.8 considering the priviledges that hee had in Christ this makes him to account other things as nothing Hence in Iames 1.10 Let him that is of a high degree rejoyce in that hee is made low that is let him rejoyce that hee is inabled to looke upon his riches which he did so highly magnifie before to thinke them as nothing but as fading flowers let him rejoyce in it because now he is made a greater man because he seemes too bigge for them they are no such things as before he thought them to be not that they are made lesse but because he is exalted and lifted above them Secondly so likewise there is a rise for it in this regard because he is able to defend us and protect us and beare us out against all opposition You see that men looke great because they have got great men or Princes to beare themselves upon But when men consider that they have the great God on their side to beare themselves upon why should not they have great mindes Thus Moses Hebr. 11. regarded not the wrath of the King because hee did see that GOD that was invisible that is when he considered GOD in his greatnesse the King and his wrath were nothing to him So that the way to get this magnanimity is to beleeve that GOD is our GOD and according to the greatnesse of a mans faith such will be this greatnes and magnanimity of minde that we commend to you Saul when he was a King had a new heart and a new spirit because when he beleeved in earnest that he was a King he looked upon things after another manner he had other thoughts and other affections than he had before and so would any man else if he were advanced from a meane estate to a kingdome And if we did beleeve that wee were the sonnes of the great God of heaven and earth wee would have great mindes therefore the stronger our faith is the greater our minde is Onely this is to be added that this faith must not be in the habit onely in thee but it must bee exercised and renewed continually there must not be onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the actuall use of it And were that which GOD said to Abraham I am thy exceeding great reward were this beheld of any of us that GOD is so great and that this greatnesse is our exceeding great reward then all other rewards would seeme but small things You shall see what David did upon this ground in Psal. 27.1 The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I feare the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid See here are two things First he considers that GOD is his He is my salvation Secondly he considers the greatnesse and strength and power of God and from thence he drawes this conclusion whom shall I feare For in thee doe I trust that is in this power and greatnesse of GOD and the interest that I have in him Psal. 46.1.2.3 GOD is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble Therefore will we not feare though the earth be removed and though the mountaines be carried into the midst of the Sea though the waters thereof roare and bee troubled and though the mountaines shake with the swelling thereof that is when GOD is seene in his greatnesse when we looke vpon him and beleeve him to be such a God and that we have interest in him in the greatest trouble and confusion that can befall vs though the earth be shaken and the mountaines cast into the midst of the Sea yet the minde will not be shaken but still remaines the same They beare out all because they have a great God to beare themselves vpon who will protect and defend them vpon all occasions Vse 2 If GOD be so great and infinite as he is hence we should learne to feare him and to tremble at his word A great and potent enemy men will feare therefore this is one use that we are to make of the greatnesse of GOD that his wrath is exceeding great and so is his goodnesse and both are to be feared Wee ought to feare his wrath lest it come upon us and his goodnesse least we loose it for he is a great God and his wrath is able to crush in peices and to consume us as he expressed it when hee put forth but some part of his strength as when he consumed them with their Censers even the company of Corah Dathan and Abiram Who can dwell with everlasting burnings as if he should say he is a great God who can come neere him who can converse with him how shall men deale with him Some of them there made an evill use of it but we must learne to make use of it for our owne advantage to take heed how we provoke him for is it a small thing to have the great God of heaven and earth our enemy Let them consider this that live without GOD in the world