Observation God doth communicate Rare Secrets to certaine knowne and chosen men It is Gods Prerogative Royall to communicate Secrets to whom he pleases and therefore these Knowne men are fitly termed Chosen men I know whom I have chosen saith our Saviour John 17. 18. God makes choise of some men for State Service and some for Church-Service and God doth communicate different Secrets to severall men answerable to those severall Services for which he hath chosen them 1. To his Servants the Prophets he did reveale Prophesies foretell the ruine of Monarchies and States such secrets were proper for them Amos 3. 7. 2. Our Lord and Saviour did reveale Doctrinall Secrets to his Disciples such Gospell-Secrets as they were to communicate to the Church of Christ John 15. 15. I call you freinds and I deale with you as freinds I impart Secrets to you not that you should keepe them close and conceale them but that you might publish and declare them I have not shunned saith Saint Paul to declare unto you all the Counsell of God Acts 20. 27 3. God doth impart Secrets of State to men of Publique Spirits that blacke secret of the Powder-plot was by a wonderfull providence discovered and prevented and we have had such admirable experiments of Gods mercy in this kind within these five years last past that our posterity will scarce beleeve what we have seene 4 God doth impart Mysterious Secrets to his chosen people whom he hath fore-knowne Some Secrets are communicated to them to make them his friends and other Secrets are imparted to them after they are his friends because they are his friends his Saints his Heires that they may thereby know themselves to be the Elect of God which is a Secret indeed First The Secrets which God doth impart to his Elect that they may become his friends and fall in love with him and holinesse are Convincing Secrets Humbling Secrets and both being set home by the Spirit are Converting Secrets for men doe discourse and act according to that Habit of Principles which is ingrafted in them and the last end intended by them The Spirit doth impart Convincing Secrets to us that he may take us off from our selfe-conceitednesse and selfe-dependance for whilest we are in our naturall estate we have â—igh thoughts of our selves and base thoughts of Grace and holinesse nay meane thoughts of God and Christ Now the holy Spirit doth convince us of our errour I say Convince that is the holy Spirit doth clearely and undeniably prove that to be most false which we conceive to be most true You saith the Spirit to these naturall but chosen men thinke your selves wise and strong rich and righteous highly favoured by God because you are flattered by men but the truth is You are fooles and weakelings you are slaves and beggars prisoners guilty filthy miserable abominable corrupted cursed and almost damned These are Humbling as well as Convincing Secrets The body sweates and the soule trembles at such amazing Secrets as these I am sent this day not to whisper but to speake this truth aloude in your eares All you that are yet in your naturall estate let your Parts Gifts Titles Places be what they will this this is your condition Give me leave to rent that vaile asunder which is before your eyes and over your hearts I arrest you this day at the Suit of the great Jehovah the glorious Commander of heaven and earth for a debt of ten thousand thousand talents my millions of millions and over and above of high treason against all the three blessed Persons of the holy Trinity You cannot deny the debt you must stand to the arrest you can have no protection you are in as great danger as if Death were before you the Devill behinde you and both ready to seize upon you The Spirit doth convince you that you are in a state of sinne because you are in a state of unbeleife John 16. 8 9. The Spirit doth reprove the word signifies Convince the whole world of unregenerate men Of sinne because they beleeve not in Christ The Spirit doth convince all carnall men that they are in the state of wrath nay of enmity because their hearts rise and swell against the Simplicity and Power of godlinesse Are these things Secrets to you or are they not if they be the God of all grace set these convincing truths home upon your Spirits If they be not then tell me all you that are in a state of enmity how dare you goe to sleepe in that estate I tell you in the Name of Jehovah that That man who doth not onely commit an act of sinne against knowledge but resolves to continue in a state of sinne after conviction is within some few steppes of the unpardonable sinne Thou that hast meane thoughts of God consider thy dependance upon God and Gods absolute Independency his Infinite Excellency the Soveraignty of his Over-ruling Providence as well as the Supremacy of his Almighty Power thinke of his satiating All-sufficiency and Flesh confounding Majesty that thou mayest learne to abase thy selfe before this great Jehovah the God of Glory Now let me speake and speake freely to thee whilest thou hast these vigorous impressions of Gods Excellency upon thy spirit This God of Heaven this Lord of Glory is a Professed Enemy to all those who resolve to continue in a State or course of sinne Dost thou heare me the God of Heaven is thine Enemy That God in whose hand thy life breath counsels wayes comforts are is thine Enemy Doth not thy soule tremble at such a thought Thy sinnes which thou lookest on as trifles are so many injuries nay affronts offered to this Almighty God thou hast abused him to his face and if this offended Majesty should refuse to be reconciled unto thee thou wilt for certaine die and perish to all eternity Let these humbling considerations abide upon thy soule let the terrours of the Almighty dwell upon thy spirit thou art now in a course of physicke and if thou feele convulâ—ions in thy bowels and tortures in thy conscience be patient under the hand of God that thou mayest be cured Be humbled be abased but doe not despaire be ashamed but be not discouraged Consider the filthinese of sinne the Purity Justice Majesty of God his VVrath Displeasure Zeale Indignation against every sinne and let all these considerations move thee to fly from sinne but not from God blesse God for that Secret for it is a Secret which hath supported and revived many a fainting soule and wounded spirit Tell me how doe these Secrets worke upon thee art thou willing to take a pardon upon faire and honourable termes wouldest thou doe any thing suffer any thing forgoe any thing that thou mightest be at peace with this mighty God Dost thou desire Direction from God Reconciliation and Communion with him Why then I have some Encouraging Secrets to impart unto thee God hath discovered his rich mercy his undeserved
love and free grace by a Covenant of grace sealed with the Bloud of Jesus Christ Guilt cannot looke on Majesty and Majesty is most terrible in an Enemy and a Judge but when Christ enterposes God is a reconciled God and tender Father in Jesus Christ In Christ Gods nature is lovely to us and our persons lovely to God God doth beseech you and Christ intreates you to be reconciled God shewes mercy to them that deserve no mercy There is an Heart-breaking and yet an Encouraging Secret a Gospell Secret these Secrets are usually the first ground of faith and hope Now faith and hope doe kindle in us a love to God and love doth most sweetely breake the heart and humble the soule My froward soule is now willing to abase it selfe before so good a God a God so willing to shew mercy to such a wretch as I am who deserve no mercy I see nothing in my selfe to encourage me to goe to God but I see enough in my selfe to drive me to him and I see enough in God for to encourage me to runne unto him I see mercy enough in God merit enough in Christ holinesse enough in the Spirit of holinesse to perswade me to runne to God for grace as well as mercy for faith and repentance as well as any other graces for pardon of sinne and power against it Come then be convinced of thine owne naughtinesse in spirituall respects humbly and yet chearefully cast thy selfe upon Gods free grace for pardon depend upon Christs obedience alone for righteousnesse upon his holy Spirit the Comforter for holinesse and comfort and say as Bradford did I am Hell but God is Heaven I am sinne but Christ is righteousnesse Blesse God for providing thee a Surety a Saviour who is able to pay all thy debts and to supply all thy wants I hope by this time thou art encouraged to trust Christ stedfastly and love him heartily and if thou findest thy heart overcome by the love of God in Christ then thou mayest goe to Christ not out of pure neede but pure love and Christ will give thee such liberall entertainement and hearty welcome that thou wilt prize and love Christ for himselfe and for his holinesse and all his excellencies as well as benefits and the more thou dost prize him the faster will thy devoute soule by a lively faith cleave unto him and the more thou dost cleave to him by faith the faster wilt thou adhere to him by love and the more thou dost love Christ the more wilt thou hate sin abhorre thy self for â—inne and deny thy selfe for Christ And the more thou art convinced of thy sinfulnesse and abased for thy sinne the more wilt thou prize Christ and love him and runne to him for grace and mercy and draw new vertue and fresh supplies from him that thou mayest every way expresse thy love unto him And beleeve it there will be no love lost between thee and Christ thou shalt be delighted with his presence satisfied with his love and acquainted with those other Secrets which God imparts to men after they are made Saints and freinds Not onely the wisedome of God hid in a Mystery of faith and godlinesse but the deepe things of God the Secrets of the Spirit of Adoption those Love-Secrets which Christ imparts to us when he comes in to suppe with us even Miracles of love and Treasures of glory And when Christ doth thus feast you with his love you will theâ— demonstrate your Spouse-like love to Jesus Christ you will be able to say that you love Christ for 〈…〉 for what you have from him or by him but you 〈…〉 in your love to him though you lose all you have for him When God doth bestow these loveâ—tokens and impart these Love-Secrets to his elect by a Spirit of Revelation Regeneration Adoption and hath taugh◠〈…〉 to know him love him and crie Abba Father to him the◠〈◊〉 ownes them for his sonnes and daughters and saith of them as he 〈◊〉 here of Abraham I know them I love them approve them because I chose them from all eternity Ob. But you will say the Secret imparted to Abraham seemes to be a Secular-Secret rather then a Religious-Secret Sol. I answer this Secret was imparted at least in Ordine ad Spiritualia for religious purposes and there are many edifying Secrets contained in it Abraham was not to repeate it as a story but as a Sermon to his Posterity that they might behold the Majesty of Jehovah in this great example of Divine vengeance and be perswaded to walke in the way of Jehovah as it is in my text This Secret was communicated before hand that the burning of Sodom might not be imputed to chance fortune or a violent tempest raised by the common course of nature but to the immediate hand of God That the sin-revenging Justice of God might be magnified and Posterity deterred from the sinnes of Sodom Pride fulnesse of bread abundance of Idlenesse unnaturall lust and base fornication Ezek. 16. 49. 2 Pet. 2. 6. Secondly This Secret was imparted to Abraham by way of Prolepsis for the preventing of an Objection which might have staggered his faith for God had given that Land to Abraham Lot had made choise of Sodom and Abrahams Portion bordered upon Lots and therefore Abraham would have beene exceedingly staggered at the Overthrow of Sodom if God had not acquainted him with this Secret before hand And therefore I have so freely discoursed of Encouraging Secrets that I might remove those blocks at which our faith is most apt to stumble Thirdly By the imparting of this Secret Lots policy is confuted and Abrahams selfe-denying faith commended Lot chooses the richer soyle but the fouler seate because of worldly accommodations but on a sudden the wickednesse of the place calls for a devouring fire which licks up all the wealth and buries all the glory of Sodom in dust andashes this Secret is not secular which takes off the heart from all secular accommodations and teaches men to choose their seate or dwelling not for secular advantages but for Spirituall Accommodations Fourthly It was requisite to shew you when a man is in an approved condition and how a man may be brought to lay hold upon the Covenant because when God speaking of Abraham saith I know him the meaning is I approve him as a man in Covenant with me he is a sincere upright man and will be true to me in the most declining times God takes notice of his Saints and Servants with a Knowledge of Approbation a sweete loving knowledge which implyes a deare and tender respect but God takes notice of every particular person with a Knowledge of Observation for God observes all our dispositions habits and inclinations all our thoughts plots designes all our desires intentions resolutions words and actions and will call us to an account for all in the presence of Saints and Angels before the Tribunall of Christ when Hypocrites and
by the Gospell is preached unto you Say not then in your hearts who shall ascend into Heaven to bring downe the minde of Christ The Word is nigh unto you Oh let it be nearer to you yet let the word of faith which is preached out of this Gospell be a word of faith ingrafted in thy heart thou mayest safely build thy faith upon the holy Scriptures for they are the words of God and though the Kingdomes of the earth be shaken yet the Words of God will stand and stand for ever Be convinced and fully perswaded that this is the truth be not staggered about it but be confident of it If the Word of God faile I will give thee leave to curse me upon thy death-bedde for I can with reverence and confidence appeale to God and say Lord if in this point I am deceived thou thy selfe hast deceived mee Fifthly Abraham was the Freind of God We are all by nature enemies to God we doe naturally conceive an Atheisticall hatred against him onely because he is a God to Truth Justice and Purity and threatens to torment us for those sinnes which we are unwilling to forsake wicked men wish with all their hearts that God were not so pure just and true as indeede he is and must be unlesse they would have him to be no God at all Are you not ashamed of this Atheisticall quarrell Consider that God is truth can an understanding minde hate truth which is the very dareling of the understanding God is goodnesse it selfe and can thy will hate that which is good even goodnesse it selfe infinite goodnesse God is love and canst thou be out of love with love it selfe Doest thou not see that thy nature is extreamely perverted and become even unnaturall but let me tell you that our enmity though thus unnaturally naturall and grossely Atheisticall is highly aggravated by the Love of Christ Christ died to save me though he knew that I would be his deadly enemy and offers me a pardon sealed with his precious bloud and therefore I doe even hate my selfe for hating Christ and am willing to be ordered as well as justified by Jesus Christ Christs minde shall be my minde Christs will shall be my will I desire to be a man according to Christs owne heart I will be a freind to Christ though I seeme to be an enemy to my selfe I professe my selfe a freind to all the freinds and an enemy to all the enemyes of Jesus Christ Oh I feele I blesse God I feele my selfe transported even beyond my selfe with raptures and extasies of love I am sensible of Gods eternall love to me and I cannot be content with any lesse then an eternity to expresse my love to him I will subscribe my selfe the eternall freind of Jesus Christ Sixthly Abraham was a Covenanter a perfect Covenanter Walke before me and be thou perfect or upright and I will make a Covenant with thee saith God to Abraham Gen. 17. 1 2. Walke perfectly in the perfect way of Jehovah as in the presence of Jehovah You must walke by fayth 2 Cor. 5. 7. and by sincere obedience Ephes. 2. 10. Let your heart be perfectly engaged to God and when that is done all is as good as done in respect of Gods acceptance and your comfort Our Saviour concludes his spirituall Exposition of the Law with this Exhortation Be you therefore perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect Matth. 5. 48. to shew that our sincere obedience is called perfect because our obedience in respect of our desire must be as large as the perfection of Gods holy will revealed in his Word nay he must endeavour and not onely desire to come up to the rule in the most nice points in every Iota and Title of the spirituall Law and glorious Gospel they who do ordinarily commit known sins and neglect known duties will not be esteemed Honest Covenanters they who study excuses or frame objections to elude plain Commandments the Wise man saith are prating fools men of great lips and no brains a fool of lips void of heart or brains Prov. 10. 8. 13. Tell these men such a thing is a breach of Covenant such a thing is a dutie such a thing is a sin they say they care not it is a clear case that they despise their wayes and Gods precepts and if they do not repent of their contempt they shall die for it He that keeps the Commandments keeps his own soul but he that despiseth his wayes shall die Prov. 19. 16. 7. Abraham was a good House-keeper he took care of his family and so I passe from Personal Holinesse to Household-godlinesse We must command our children and Houshold to walk in the way of Jehovah The whole family should be perfumed with the graces of the Governor for though all the pious actions which are performed by every member of the family proceed elicitive from that habituall godlinesse which is in that member yet they should proceed Imperative from the godlinesse of the Governor He should command Give me leave to enquire into the state of your families are they Nurseries of Piety do you look upon your heirs as Gods heritage and labour to make them sons of God and heirs of Heaven Do you desire to be spirituall as well as naturall Fathers to all your Children I am as it were born again in my childe oh that my childe might be born again in Christ and Christ in him I see too much of my own image in him oh that the image of Christ might be stamped upon him these are the heavenly ejaculations of holy parents We must say of our children as Jacob did of his These are the children which God hath graciously given oh let them be graciously educated Have a speciall care of your sons they are the support of the family O teach them to support Religion also that they may bear up Christs Name as well as yours Have a tender care of your daughters for by them other Families are linked to yours therfore season them with Religion and you may by them propagate Religion to many Families Would you have your Heirs good Statesmen teach them how to whet their tools at the Sanctuary to oyl their wheels with prayer and steel their Engines with Religion that they may seek the kingdom of God and his righteousnes in the first and highest place and secular advantages in a subservient way But when and how soon should we begin to teach our children why truly when they are able to learn any thing that 's bad it is high time to teach them something that is good when they can stammer out an oath or lisp near a blasphemy it is high time to teach them their Catechisme and instruct them in Principles of Christianity Teach them their Catechisme in A. B. C. The holy Spirit hath composed some Abcedarian Psalms in Achrosticall verses according to the order of the Hebrew Alphabet that children might learn an Alphabet