and shall not the beasts of the forrest tremble Shall wee heare God roare in his judgements and heare the trumpet blowne and not be affected wee see here how God complaines that when he harkened and heard they spake not aright Let us therefore make conscience of all our words Wee shall if not now yet at the day of judgement give account for every idle word for every cruell word as it is in the prophesie of Enoch cited in the Epistle of Iude But especially let us take heed of our words when wee speake of Gods judgements for it is the not speaking aright of them that is here especially meant I hearkened and heard but they spake not aright So much for the evidence come wee now to the next clause Gods complaint upon this evidence No man repented him of his wickednesse They did not repent of their wickednesse and the fault was generall No man repented the first yeelds this instruction That it is a state much offending God not to repent when his judgements are threatned God will not suffer it long unpunished to be impenitent when his judgements are abroad and threatned much more when they have already ceazed upon our brethren For that is the end of all his judgements to draw us neare to him to draw us out of the world and out of our sinnefull courses when therefore we answer not God must take another course What is the plague and other judgements but so many messengers sent to every one of us to knocke and our answer must be Lord I will repent of my evill waies I will turne from my evill courses and turne to thee If wee give this answer God will take away his judgements or sanctifie them and that is better but when there is no answer the messenger will not be gone God will adde plagues upon plagues till we give our answer till wee repent and turne from our wicked vvaies Novv that vve may doe this vvee must bee convinced thorovvly that the courses vvee live in are unprofitable dangerous hatefull courses and that the contrary state is better For repentance is an after-vvit and man being a reasonable creature will turne from his vvay except hee see great reason vvhy therefore there must be sound conviction that it is a bitter thing to offend God vvee must indeed be convinced by the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God usually takes the benefit of affliction affliction together vvith instruction instruction without affliction will doe little good stripes and the Word must go together else we will not give God the hearing as we should Therfore that we may be soundly convinced of our sins we should desire God especially in the houre of affliction to helpe our soules by his Spirit that wee may bee convinced that our courses are naâ—ght that they are courses dishonourable to God and dangerous to our selves that sinne defiles our soules that it hinders our communion with God which is the sweetest thing in the world that sin puts a sting into all our troubles that sin makes us affraid of that that should bee comfortable to us of death and judgement and Gods presence that sinne grieves the good Spirit of God that would take up his lodging in us that it quencheth the motions of the Spirit that are sent as sweete messengers to us to allure and comfort us that sinne grieves the good Spirit of God in others that it grieves the good Angells that are about us that it gratifies none but the Divell the enemy of our salvation that it defiles and slaines our soules wherein the Image of God should shine that it doth us more harme then all the things in the world besides indeed nothing hurts us but sinne because nothing but sinne seperates us from God that it shuts Heaven and opens Hell and so makes us affraid of death least death should open the gate to let us into Hell in a word that it hinders all good and is the cause of all ill Let us consider of this and worke it on our hearts And consider withall our former courses rip up our lives from our child-hood consider the sinnes of our youth together with our present sins that so we may the better stirre up and awaken our consciences Let us consider whether we are now in a state wherein wee could bee content that God should send his judgements upon us Consider how wee have been scandalous to others how we have drawn others to sinne that the guilt of other mens sinnes will lye upon us it may bee wee have repented but have they Consider the repetition of our sinnes if wee have not committed them againe and againe and other circumstances that may aggravate them Let us labour to worke these things on our hearts and desire the Spirit of God to convince our soules of the foulenesse and dangerousnesse of sinne When we sinne against conscience what doe we but set the Divell in the place of God wee make our selves wiser then God wee leave Gods waies as if wee could finde better and more profitable and more gainefull courses then his sound conviction of this will moove us to repentance And let us be stirred up to repent presently doth not God now warne you Is it not dangerous living one houre in a state that wee would not dye in May not God justly strike us on the sudden Doe but purpose to live in sinne one quarter of an houre may we not be taken away in that quarter Is not repentance the gift of God and are not gifts given according to the good pleasure of the giver Waite therefore for the gales of grace and take them when they are offered Grace is not like the tide that ebbs and flowes that we know when it will come againe when we see it goe No God gives the gales of grace according to his good pleasure therefore take the advantage of the present motions of the blessed Spirit The longer we live in any sinne unrepented off the more our hearts will be hardened the more Satan takes advantage against us the more hardly he is driven out of his old possession the more just it may bee with God to give us up from one sinne to another the understanding will be more darke upon every repetition of sinne and conscience will bee more dulled and deaded Those that are young therefore let them take the advantage of the youth and strength and freshnesse of their yeares to serve God That which is blasted in the bud what fruit may we looke for from it afterward Alas when wee see the younger sort given to blaspheme and sweare to loosenesse and licentiousnesse what old age may we looke for there Againe what welcome shall wee expect when we have sacrificed the best of our strength and the marrow of our yeares to our lusts to bring our old-age to God Can this be any other then selfe-love Such late repentance is seldome sound it
comes I say from selfe-love and not from any change of heart As in the the humility of wretched persons a little before the judge comes though they haue carried themselves as rebels before yet then they will humble themselves not out of any hatred to their courses but out of feare of the judge So it may be now thou art arraigned by Gods judgements thou forsakest thy sinnefull courses not out of the hatred of thy sinnes for if thou couldest thou wouldest sinne eternally and that is the reason sinners are punished eternally Because they would sinne everlastingly but thou seest thou art in danger to be pulled away by Gods judgements It is not out of love to grace it is not from any change of nature that thou desirest to be a new creature that thou admirest grace to be the best state but it is to avoid danger not that thou carest for the face of God to be reconciled to him but to avoid the present judgement And what a staggering will this be to conscience when a man shall deferre his repentance till Gods judgements seaze upon him We see it is false for the most part Because such persons that are then humbled when they recover they are as bad or worse then ever they were Therfore an Ancient saith well He that is good onely under the crosse it never good it comes not from any change that God works but meerely from selfe-love Therefore presently let us repent of those waies that God convinceth our conscience to be evill wayes God may strike us suddenly Those that forget God and care not for him now it may be just with God to make them forget themselves to strike them with frenzy to take away the use of their memories then and when sickenesse comes wee shall have enough to doe to conflict with sicknesse we shall have enough to doe to answer the doubts of conscience Oh it would upbraid then We shall thinke it a hard matter then to have favour from God whose worship we have despised the motions of whose Spirit we have neglected and resisted Conscience after long hardening in sinne will hardly admit of comfort it is a harder matter then it is taken for Therefore even to day presently you that are young now in the daies of your youth now in the spring of your yeares repent you of your sinnes before old-age comes which indeed as Salomon describes it is an ill time to repent in Alas then a man can hardly performe civill duties as we see in Barzillai he complaines that in his old-age he could not take the comfort of the creatures Therefore put not off this duty till then And all both young and old now when the judgements of God are abroad in the world take the advantage returne to God renew your covenants make your peace now now this danger doth warme our hearts a little let us strike the Iron now while it is hot let us take the advantage of the Spirit now avvakening us vvith this danger Our hearts are so false and so dull we have need to take all advantages of withdrawing our selves from our sinful courses And to incourage us to doe it let us consider if we doe this and doe it in time wee shall have the sweetnesse of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts You will say wee shall loose the sweetnesse of sin I but you shall have a most sweet communion with God One day of a repentant sinner that is reconciled to God is more comfortable then a thousand yeares of an other man that is in continuall feare of death and judgement Oh the sweete life of a Christian that hath made his peace with God! he is fit for all conditions for life for death for every thing now by this wee shall have this grace and favour of God the Lord will say unto us by his Spirit I am your salvation And besides you shall have his grace renewing and altering and changing you framing you to a better course of life And he will be so farre from misliking any for their former sinnes that hee will give them cause to love him the more as wee see Luk. 7. Shee loved much because shee had much forgiven her Christ we see upbraided not any of his followers with their former sinnes hee regarded nor what they had beene formerly Zaccheus the extortioner Mary Magdalen Matthew the Publican Peter that denied him wee never heare that he upbraided any of them hee doth not onely vouchsafe mercy to Peter repenting but advanceth him to his former office Apostolicall so sweete a God have we to deale with let this incourage us Againe it is the way to prevent Gods judgements as wee see in Nineveh and others Put case we repent not we cannot goe fafe in the citie nor any where but God may meete with us and strike us with his arrow The onely way to prevent his judgements is to meete him speedily by repentance This is the way not onely to turne away the wrath of God concerning eternall damnation but outward judgements as wee see Ioel. 2 and many other places Then againe should we be stricken if we have made our peace with God if we have repented all shall be welcome all shall be turned to our good wee know the sting is pulled out If the sting of death be pulled out if the malignity and poison of any sicknesse be it the plague or whatsoever be pulled out why should we feare it Jt comes in love and shall be turned to our good and in the meane time God sweetens it Here is a grand difference betweene the children of God and others If the judgement of God light upon a repentant person it comes from favour and love to correct him for his former sinnes it is turned to good and in the meane time it is sweetned with love and mixed with comfort and moderated as it is Isa. 27.7 hath hee afflicted thee as I afflicted others No hee moderates his judgements to his children and not onely moderates them but sweetens them with comfort Jf God doe correct a repentant person hee is no looser by it nay he is a gainer It is good for mee that I have been afflicted Oh the blessed estate of that person that repents and turnes from his evill wayes But if a man doe not repent but live still in sinne what a state is hee in God cares not for his prayers If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not heare my prayers and what a state is a man in when his prayers that should beg for blessings and avoid judgements and procure deliverance are not heard but shall be turned into sinne When God that is a God hearing prayer shall not regard his prayer What a case is this Yet if we regard iniquity in our hearts if we repent not of our sinnes God will not regard our prayers Then besides that there is a noise of feare in the
servant to do our worke for us to suffer for us to beare the burthen of our sinnes upon the tree to become our husband to bestow his riches upon us to raise us to the same condition with himselfe and withall to be such a one as God hath chosen out to love and delight in as the best object of his love and most capable of it and for us not to solace and delight our selves in him that God delights in when God delights in him for our sake God loves and delights in him for the worke of salvation and redemption by his blood and shall not wee love and imbrace him for his love which is for our good What good hath God by it but onely the glory of his mercy in saving our soules through Christ Therefore if God love him for the good he doth to us much more should we love him for the fruit of it that wee receive our selves It should shame us therefore when we finde dullnesse and coldnesse upon us that wee can heare of any thing better then of Christ and arguments concerning Christ are cold to us alas where is our love and joy and delight and when we can make no better but a carnall use of the incarnation and other benefits by Christ we should therefore desire God to shed the love of Christ into our hearts more and more that we may feele in our soules the love that hee beares to us and may love God and Christ againe for that that hee hath done for us Hence we have also a ground of estimation of Christians to be excellent persons doth God valew poore sinfull soules so much as to give Christ for them to become a Saviour doth he delight in Christ for giving himselfe for them and shall not we love one another whom God and Christ so loves But if God love and delight in those that are in Christ with the same love and delight that he hath in him how shall I know that I am in Christ and that God thus delights in me Briefly a man may know that hee is in Christ if he find the Spirit of Christ in him for the same Spirit when Christ tooke our nature that sanctified that blessed masse wherof he was made when there was an union betweene him and the second person the same Spirit sanctifies our soules and bodies there is one Spirit in the head and in the members therfore if we find the Spirit of Christ in us we are in Christ and he in us Now this Spirit is renewing Whosoever is in Christ is a new creature all is new old things are done away the old manner of language the old disposition old affections old company all old things are past all is new and if a man be a new creature hee hath right and title to the new heaven and new earth let us examine the worke of grace in us if there be no change in us we have no present interest in Christ we have to do with him because he is still woing us to be in him but as yet we have no title to him The very beholding of Christ is a transforming sight the Spirit that makes us new creatures and stirres us up to behold this servant it is a transforming beholding if wee looke upon him with the eye of faith it will make us like Christ for the Gospell is a mirrour and such a mirrour that when we looke into it and see our selves interessed in it wee are changed from glory to glory a man cannot looke upon the love of God and of Christ in the Gospell but it will change him to be like God and Christ for how can we see Christ and God in Christ but we shall see how God hates sin and this will transforme us to hate it as God doth who hated it so that it could not bee expiated but with the blood of Christ God-man so seeing the holinesse of God in it it will transforme us to be holy when we see the love of of God in the Gospell and the love of Christ giving himselfe for us this will transforme us to love God when wee see the humility and obedience of Christ when we looke on Christ as Gods chosen servant in all this and as our surety and head it transformes us to the like humility and obedience those that find not their dispositions in some comfortable measure wrought to this blessed transformation they have not yet those eyes that the Holy Ghost requireth here Behold my servant whom I have chosen my Beloved in whom my soule delighteth I will put my Spirit upon him Now wee come to the qualification of Christ for his calling in these words I will put my Spirit upon him that is I will cloath him with my Spirit I will put it as it were upon him as a garment Now there were divers degrees of Christs receiving the Spirit at severall times for hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost did sanctifie that blessed masse whereof his body was framed in the wombe of the Virgin he was quickned in the wombe in his conception by the Holy Ghost and he was graced by the Holy Ghost and led by the Spirit in all things before his Baptisme but afterward when he came to set upon his office to be the Prophet and Priest and King of his Church that great office of saving mankind which he did not solemly set upon till hee was thirty yeares old then God powred upon him a special portion of the Spirit answerable to that great calling then the Spirit lighted upon him Christ was ordained to his office by the greatest authority that ever any was ordained from the beginning of the world for at his Baptisme when he was ordained and set apart to his office there was the Father from heaven uttered an audible voice This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased and there was Christ the partie baptized and installed into that great office then there was the Holy Ghost in the forme and shape of a Dove it being a matter of the greatest consequence that ever was in the world greater then the Creation it was fit it should be done with the greatest authority and so it was the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost being present at the admission of Christ into his office this is especially here intended though the other bee included I will put my Spirit vpon him that is I will annoint him as it is in Isaiah 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon mee saith Christ because the Lord hath annointed me to preach good tidings to the meeke to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives to open the prison for them that are bound to proclaime the acceptable yeare of the Lord that is the yeare of Iubile for that was a Type of Christ to preach the Gospell deliverance to all that are in captivity servitude and thraldome under Satan and sin this was
no Spirit of Christ at all I will not be large in the point onely I speake this by way of tryall to know whether wee have the Spirit of Christ in us or no if not we have nothing to doe with Christ For Christ saves us not as he is out of us onely Christ was to doe something of himselfe that wee have no share in onely the good of it is ours hee was to redeeme us by his blood to bee a Sacrifice the title to Heaven and salvation was wrought by Christ out of us but there is somewhat that he doth not onely for us but hee works in us by his Spirit that is the fitting of us for that he hath given us title too and the applying of that that he hath done for us Whosoever therefore hath any benefit by Christ he hath the Spirit to apply that to himselfe and to fit and qualifie him to be a member of such a Head and an heire of such a Kingdome whosoever Christ works any thing for he doth also worke in them there is a Spirit of application and that spirit of application if it be true it is a Spirit of sanctification and renovation fitting us every way for our condition Let us not abuse our selves as the world commonly doth concerning Christ they thinke God is mercifull and Christ is a Saviour Jt is true but what hath he wrought in thee by his Spirit hast thou the Spirit of Christ or else thou art none of his Romans 8. Where ever Christ is he goes with his Spirit to teach us to apply what Christ hath done for us and to fit us to bee like him Therefore let those that live in any sinnes against conscience thinke it a diabollicall illusion to thinke God and Christ is mercifull I but where is the worke of the Spirit All the hope thou hast is onely that thou art not in Hell as yet for the time to come but for the present I dare not say thou hast any thing to doe with Christ when there is nothing of the Spirit in thee the Spirit of Christ conformes the Spouse to bee like the husband and the members to be like the Head therefore begg of Christ that hee would annoint himselfe King in our hearts and Prophet and Priest in our hearts to doe that that he did to know his will as a Prophet to rule in us as a King and to stirre up prayers in us as a Priest to doe in some proportion that that he doth though it bee in never so little a measure for wee receive it in measure but Christ beyond measure wee must labour for so much as may manifest to us the truth of our estate in Christ that we are not dead but living branches Now Christ gives and conveyes his Spirit especially and most of all since his ascention and sitting at the right hand of God for after his resurrection he declared his victory over all his enemies and therefore was able to give the Spirit without opposition and upon his resurrection death and hell and the anger of God were overcome and our sinnes were satisfied for now Christ was Head indeed having trod all his enemies under his feete now he was enabled to give the Spirit but upon his ascention into Heaven and his sitting there he was more enabled for even as the Sunne being so high above the Earth doth convey his light and heate and influence upon the inferiour bodies So Christ being so highly advanced is fitter to infuse his Spirit and grace heere below since his exaltation therefore the Church is fuller of grace and grace hath beene more spread and diffused since the ascention of Christ then before and the Evangelist gives it as a reason The Spirit was not yet given because Christ was not ascended intimating that after his ascention there was a more full portion of the Spirit given God being fully appeased by the death of Christ and Christ staying the advantage that was fittest to give the Spirit now God the Father gives the Spirit with the Sonne so in both regards there was a greater fullnesse of the Spirit Therefore the Prophets speaking of the times of Christ especially of his exaltation shew that then they should be filled with the Spirit that the Spirit should be povvred out upon all flesh more aboundantly then before And that is the reason that the Apostles so differed from themselves before and after Christs ascention what a wondrous alteration was there Peter before hee flies even at the voice of a maide and they were full of contention and vaine glory but after we see when the Spirit the Holy Ghost came downe after Christs ascention into Heaven how couragious and valarous they were that they accounted it a matter of glory to suffer any thing and indeed we have more or lesse valour and courage the more of lesse Spirit we have now they having received more abundance of Spirit hereupon they were more couragious and undaunted at one time then another and this abundance of the Spirit comes especially since Christs advancement But how or by what meanes doth Christ give his Spirit to us This Spirit that is so necessary for us it is given by the ministery of the Gospell which is the ministery of the Spirit received ye the Holy Ghost by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith preached when the love of God in Christ and the benefits by Christ are layed open in the preaching of the Gospell to us God gives his holy Spirit the Spirit of Christ. Now God in Christ would save us by a triumphant and abundant love and mercy and the Spirit of God never goes but where there is a magnifying of the love and mercy of God in Christ therefore the ministery of the Gospell which onely discovers the amity and love of God to man-kinde being now reconciled in Christ it is accompanyed with the Spirit to assure us of our part and portion in those benefits for the Spirit is the fruit of Gods love as well as Christ Christ is the first gift and the Spirit is the second therefore that part of the word that discovers Gods exceeding love to man-kinde leaving Angells when they were fallen in their cursed estate and yet giving his Sonne to become man and a curse for us the discovery of this love and mercy of God and of his Son Christ to us is joyned with the Spirit for by the Spirit we see our cursed estate without the love and mercy of God in Christ and likewise we are convinced of the love of God in Christ and thereupon we love God againe and trust to his mercy and out of love to him performe all chearfull obedience whatsoever we doe else if it be not stirred by the Spirit apprehending the love of God in Christ it is but morallity A man shall never goe to Heaven but by such a disposition and frame and temper of soule as is wrought by the Holy Ghost
hand strike no more when the children of God feele the smart of his judgements then they cry O no more The cry of the child prevailes with the mother though it cannot speak oft-times So when in the sence of sin and misery we cry to God we move his bowels with crying There is no question but the serious apprehension of danger felt doth awaken the soule and stirre it up It is so also in danger feared a danger feared with beliefe will worke as if it were present for a man that hath a spirit of faith to â—ee that unlesse God be appeased with good courses he will punish as surely as if the judgement were upon him Faith makes things present both good and ill and it makes a man sensible of things that are not yet upon him This is the difference betweene a Christian and another man another man puts the evill day farre off from him but a beleeving Christian by a spirit of faith sees God except he be turned away by hearty and humble repentance ready to ceaze upon him and so he walks humbly in all his courses So that danger felt or feared by a spirit of faith awakens and stirrs up the soule to lay hold on God Therefore in spirituall dangers we should especially waken our soules to see in what need we stand of Christ and the pardoning mercy of God in Christ that we may waken him and give him no rest till we find peace in our consciences Then againe that that we may stirre up our selves withall is the meditation of the necessity and excellency of grace and of the good things we beg the serious consideration of that will make us stirre up our selves to lay hold on God and give him no rest till we have it When a man thinkes the loving kindnesse of God is better then life and if J have not that my life is nothing to me It is not onely better then corne and wine and oyle but then life it selfe Pardon of sinne and a heart to doe good is better then life it selfe then any thing in the world If one should offer such a man this a heart patiently to beare ill and large to doe good and strength against temptations he would rather have this gratious disposition then any thing in the world he had rather have the pardon of sinne with the sense of Gods favour then any thing in the world This will stirre up a man as we see in David Psal. 51. Mercy mercy it binds God and laies hold on him together with pardoning mercy to have a heart enlarged with spirituall joy There is nothing spirituall but it is so excellent that if we had the eyes of our spirits awakened to see them wee would bind God and lay hold of him he should not goe further till he had shined on us Therefore let us offer violence to God this way never give him rest till we obtaine You see when the two Disciples were going to Emmaus Christ made as though hee would have gone further but they compelled him Now there is a semblance as if God threatned war and would take away the Gospell there are dangers toward When God makes such a semblance let us lay hold on him let him goe no further Lord night approacheth and affliction approacheth Lord stay thou shalt goe no further let us stop God with importunity The consideration of danger and the necessity and excellency of the things we beg will make us lay hold on God There is an hyprocrisie among men among a company of Formalists that are the bane of the times that God will spue out they are as ill as prophane persons in his nostrils they thinke that all devotion is in prostrating themselves which is good and more then prophane men will doe and yeeld a dead sacrifice to God they will come and heare and yeeld the outward act in outward humiliation Is this to rouze thy selfe outward things are never currant but when they expresse outwardly the inward truth therefore take another course man God cares not for the dead empty carkasse thou bringest him worke upon thine owne heart by meditation of the danger thou art in and of the excellency of the things thou art to beg and meditate of the Majestie of God whom thou appearest before of his goodnesse and truth c affect thy heart deepely with these apprehensions let these serious thoughts draw outward expressions of humiliation and then it is excellent when the outward expression followes the inward impression when there is somewhat inward that shewes it selfe outward when we stirre up our selves and not to thinke that all devotion consists in a comely outward carriage which is commendable of it selfe but because men usually rest in it it is prejudiciall to their soules good Wee must offer a reasonable sacrifice to God wee must love him in our hearts wee must worke upon our hearts and carrie our selves so in our inward man as that we may stirre up our whole man and awaken our soules Praise the Lord O my soule and all that is within mee praise his holy name we should stirre up our selves by speaking to our owne soules that we may waken and take hold of God This againe will helpe it a man should never come to pray but he should have an answer before he hath done either at that time or another never give over till thou hast an answer this will make us stirre up our selves indeed How doe you know a prayer from a formall lip-labour A man that prayes conscionably markes what he doth and expects a returne as a man that soweth his seed He that doth a thing with hope of issue will doe it thoroughly therefore never pray to performe an emptie dutie to God but marke what you pray for if it be forgivenesse of sinnes or for grace or protection c. and doe it with that earnestnesse that you may hope for an issue answerable and this going about it will make us doe it to purpose doe we thinke to serve God with the deed done God hath appointed prayer for our good and to convey blessings to us Let us pray so as wee may expect a blessing by it Now that prayer that expects a blessing to bee conveied it will be a prayer to purpose it will make a man stirre up himselfe There is none that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee The complaint of this holy man of God may be taken up at this time of many of us now how few are those that rouze and stirre up themselves but put off God with an empty complement Nay in these times of danger have ye not a company of idle persons that will not vouchsafe to heare the Word nor to come and humble themselves but walke and talke offensively as if they would dare God or if they come here they come not with a resolution to heare the issue of their prayers to rouze up themselves to lay hold on
to send us to heaven and make us partakers of that we desire most First wee desire that God will be with us here and secondly that we may be with God in heaven they make Gods children partakers of their desires by killing of them Let Tyrants and all persons that have a malignant disposition to the Church of God and are armed with power let them doe their worst the cause must stand impregnable Christ will have a Church and Kingdome in the world and their spirits will be impregnable against them they may kill them but they cannot hurt them they may kill them but they cannot kill their courage As we see in the Martyres there was the Spirit of God in them above all the dealings of of the persecutors there was a fire of Gods Spirit in them above all outward fire whatsoever You see it must be taken for granted that the Church of God and every particular Christian hath many enemies against them as it is Psal. 129. From my youth up saith the Church they have fought against me but they have not prevayled From my youth up from Abel to the last Saint that shall be in the world there will be alway some against Gods people yet their comfort is that none shall be against them to prevaile either over the Spirit of God in them or over the cause that they manage First of all you see then that the state of a Christian in this world is an impregnable state and a glorious condition Here is glory upon glory from this clause to the end of the Chapter If God be with us who shall be against us If God gave his Sonne for us shall hee not with him give us al things else there is another glorious speech Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people another glorious triumphant speech another glorious speech Who shall separate us from the love of God founded in Christ Hee loves Christ first and us in Christ as members and as he loves him eternally so he loves us eternally too Therefore you see every way the state of a Christian is a glorious condition Who can be against us You see the state of Gods people it is an impregnable and glorious condition Then by this meanes those that are strange Paradoxes to flesh and blood yet they agree in a Christian. He is never alone when hee is alone God is with him the Father Son and Holy-Ghost are with him Angels are with him God is not only with him but his guard is with him and Gods Spirit is with him and in him victoriously both in grace and comfort Christ saith to his Disciples when they thought to leave him alone saith hee you cannot leave me alone My Father is with me and Saint Paul towards his latter end that had deserved so well of the Christian world All forsooke me saith he but the Lord forsooke me not but delivered me out of the mouth of the Lion So a Christian is not alone hee is not left to the mercy of his enemies but God is with him and who shall be against him to prevayle over him Againe though a Christian be a worme a person trampled upon for so the Church is the most afflicted part of man-kind yet Feare not thou worme Jacob. The world accounts them as wormes and they account themselves so they are trodden on as wormes they are wormes upon earth yet they have a glorious head in heaven and a glorious guard about them strange things agree in a Christian therefore let us not stumble though wee see not these things presently the life of a Christian is a mysterie Againe hence we see that a Christian profession to be a sound Christian to have true faith in Christ to be one with Christ and to be taken out of the state of nature this condition and the happinesse of it it hath the strongest foundation of any life in the world Christianity is founded upon the strongest and the greatest reasons that can bee Faith stands with the greatest reason that a thing can doe Why The comfort of a Christian is that he hath no enemy that shall prevaile over him and what is the ground of that God is with him God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Faith is that that layes hold upon that presence and promise and covenant of God and is not faith well bottomed A Christian that carries himselfe valiantly and couragiously is not his course grounded on sound reason Is not God with him God the Father is his father God the Son is his Redeemer God the Holy Ghost is his Comforter There is no other men that have strong reason for their course for that choise that they make of their Religion and of their wayes they prove but fooles in the conclusion onely the sound Christian that by the Spirit of God hath his eyes open to see the cursed estate he is in by nature and what it is to be in Christ and by a Spirit of faith is made one with Christ hee is the truely wise man in his faith and affiance that the world mockes at that hee hath no common supports in the world which hee cares not for if God be on his side hee cares not what man can doe against him as it is Psal. 118. you see on what ground it is founded God is with him and none can be against him Let us labour to lay up these principles wee worke according as our principles are Principles are the foundation of all conclusions that arise from them As our grounds are so are we in our faith and working and grace and comfort every way if wee have rotten principles if the grounds of our comfort bee rotten our course will be rotten and uncomfortable in the conclusion Let us build upon the Rocke to be well bottomed and founded that our principles and grounds bee strong and that they be so to us for what if God be with his if he be not so to us Let us labour to lay up sound grounds Grounds have influence into the whole course of our lives this one Text hath influence into all the parts of our lives in doing in suffering in all conditions I know not a more pregnant fruitfull principle in the Scripture than this If God be with us who can be against us It is like a pearle little in quantity few in words but strong in sence large in the fruit that issues from it Therefore as wee may carry pearles or precious things wheresoever we go because there is a great deale of worth in them and they be small in quantity so wee may carry this principle with us let us bee sure to lay it up and make use of it There be these two That there is a God and that God is with his children and so with his children that hee will subvert and overthrow all their enemies and all their plots and endevours a principle of wonderfull comfort If