God and if once the divell be master of our eare and haue it at command what can be soe corrupt or accursed which he will not convay into vs How much better and more happy were it for vs to hearken to the heauenly voyce of God though that he saith should seeme heauy to vs. The worst he speaketh is to make vs good and to further our best estate He doth wish us well in the most wofull sentences he vtters against vs. Let him that hath an eare to heare heare what the Lord saith which if we will doe we shall many time heare him complaine against his people and giving this one jmpiety as a principall cause of thier wonder ful misery But they would not encline their eare And when he wished and meant them all good he saith Oh that my people would haue heard then saith he I would haue comforted them and crush't their enemyes but he complayneth mournefully against them but my people would not heart c therefore I gaue them up to the hardnes of their owne harts that they might be perverted by their owne counsells and soe come to sinall confusion through this perversenes Seing then this sin makes the Lord to giue ouer men now let every man that woull not be giuen ouer of God giue ouer this sin and for ever resolve to lay home the Lords truth to himself that it may liue in us and we may liue in it and by it before the Lord Put we on that resolution vnfaynedly Ier. 42.5 which the Iewes in Jeremies time did dissemblingly professe when they sayd The Lord be a true and faithfull witnes betweene thee and us if we doe not according to all things for which the Lord shall send thee to us ver 6. VVhether it be good or evill we will obey the voyce of the Lord thâ—y Good c. Let our deedes be as good as their words were here and it shal be wel with vs. Take the truth the Lord intends thee and it shall assuredly be well with thee And this is our second use of this point to sinfull men Vse 3 We goe on now to the third and last use and that concerneth all men information both saints and sinners holy and prophane one or others it is matter of information to them all and to every of them to betake themselves forthwith to doe according to this truth of God which now we have made manifest vnto you to know You see it is Gods minde that all men should apply his word Motiues you see also how farre it concerneth both Gods owne and all others soe to doe Let vs now endeavour to conforme both of some of those many good motives and considerations that may the better carry the ony and the other to the practise of this doctrine of application Gods people had neede of some provocations and vngodly persons had neede of some spurres herevnto To the godly both are too backward as we haue largely heard let vs doe our best to further them both herevnto We will begin with the best first and let the saints see what a multitude of mighty inducements they have to draw them thus to doe A few we will presse in particuler by which it will appeare vpon serious consideration how it stants them vpon to apply that now which till now they haue soe groyssly neglected and let alone First therefore Motiues 1 I pray you consider and vnderstand that if you doe not apply the promises of God you nullify and frustrate them you make them vtterly voyde of all truth and vertue Thinke throughly of it for it is thus and no better you doe thus and no otherwise And that you may see that soe it is remember and call to minde thus much God never meant his promises to any but to his owne people for their sakes alone himself did reveale and his pen-men did write them it never came into his hart that any man else shoull meddle with them he call's them precious promises because it should be knowne they are not commen meate for every man but foode only for the faithfull whome he hath chosen to be a precious and peculiar people to himself Now if this were his minde and meaning whervnto shall these promises serue if you receive them not to whome shall they goe if you take them not home if thus the case stand that wicked men must not haue them and you will not what shall become of them to whome or to what shall they appertaine what may be the vse or benefit of them It is not Gods minde to give them to sinners it is not yours to take them to your selves what shall they doe when they are vsefull to neither are they not voyde to both and soe become as a cancell'd writing wherin no man hath right wherof no man can have good Oh that you could lay this to hart and well ponder this evill of yours is it a small thing to anihiliate the greatest part of that wherof rather then one whitt shall perish Reu. 22.19 heaven and earth shall fayle and from which whosever doth detract or diminish in the least the Lord will diminish of his happines that is abolish him from all hope of being happy and encrease his curses vpon him This is the first evill of your refusall and it is fearefull and the manifestation of it should move you more then a litle to feare that practise which may and will pull you into such horrible impiety and also pull such heavy plagues vpon you But this is not all it is but the first and not the worst of some other that follow as infailliblely vpon this practise as this doth Secondly then Motive 2 consider that your refusall to take the promises of God vnto you doth not only actually make them voyd to you being a great part of Gods gracious truth but which is yet more sinfull and â—â—â—â—â—full it doth occasionally make all the rest of the scripture voyde which concerneth wicked men and soe the whole truth of God a thing which I tremble to vtter I say the whole truth of God is frustrate and through vs become nothing or as a thing of nought by our sinfull refusall of our part And this wil be as palpably evident as the former if you take knowledge that the divell who drawe's you to deny your portion doth by you draw others to doe the same make your refusall the occasion of theirs Let any childe of God who digesteth not Gods promises speake to a wicked man in case of any impiety or rebellion against God and bestow a reprooffe vpon him out of Gods word in vttering some curse and commination against his swearing drunkenes or any other evill the divell doth prompt him presently and put into his head what to reply and stop your mouth withall why saith the godles wretch should I tremble or trouble my self with these words of God that concerne me when you are not
not only say but shew to be a truth both from that euidence of Gods word against which Satan may cauill but the truth therof he shall never cancell and from that happy experience in such of his holy ones as haue found that from his hand which to comfort our harts they haue left vpon sacred record for ever Let vs take some taste of both that we may see how good the Lord is to his owne though they be euill before him yet ever with this caution that what we shall speake doe harten no man to commit the least sin but to encounter Satan when he would haue vs adde infidelity to our jmpiety and make our state desperate now which was but distressed before Nothing is more sure then this that God never gaue any man any assurance of this good who doth therby abett himself in any euill A caution it is to arme vs against temptation not to encrease corruption that the Lord reavealeth this truth He that soe peruert's it hath no propriety in God at all But let vs come to the point our interest in our God is good armour of prooffe against the feircest assaults of Satan when he vpbraideth our sin against God to oppose our consolation in God To doe thus is the fruit of his mallice but many a saint of God hath made better vse of their right and haue relieued their consciences with that which hath beene wrested against them to rob them of their best comfort When David had fallen fouly in the matter of Vriah multiplying one fearfull sin vpon another soe as that a man would wonder whith what face he should offer or dare to looke the Lord in the face we finde nothing more encouraged him to goe nothing carryed him but this that yet the Lord was his soe we perceiue by his owne words Deliuer me from blood c O God Ps 51.14 who art the God of my salvation God was yet his God and that hartened him to seeke his pardon The same was the prophet Ionahs course he was in as bad a case as a good man might be standing guilty of grosse rebellion against the Lords expresse comaund given vnto him and for the same persued apprehended and punished strangly by that hand of God that would haue protected and rewarded him in his obedience Now being in such a close prison as wherinto never man came but he that for such an egregious fact what hope can he haue of ever coming neere God againe or if he haue any hope wheron is or may it be grounded why even hervpon that yet at the worst he is the Lords and can soe assure himself as we see he doth once and againe in that prayer that he make's where we are certified by the holy Ghost that Ionah prayed vnto the Lord his God Jonah 2.1 ver 6. out of the fishes belly and further thou hast brought my life from the pit o Lord my God Beholde though he had miserably fayled before God yet his right in God fayled not God doth acknowledg himselfe to be his Ionah can challeng this interest and pray therevpon and soe pray that the Lord is pleased both to heare and to helpe as we see he did both in releasing him from his present affliction and in receiving him into his former favour and entrusting him the second time in that service about which he had employed him and wherin the prophet had so wretchedly rebelled before The same may we see in the poore prodigall in the gospell Luk 15.18 who is the image and representation of vs all euen of all the faith full that offende what had he to pleade or to put him into any hope that he might returne and be received againe into that house from whence he had of his owne accorde so foolishly departed and that he who had given him a childes portion already would ever know him for his childe more seing he had run through all and spent it so ryotously and lewdly in such base and rebellions courses as he had followed why this he had and this was all and fully enough to give him hopefull assurance of happy entertainment that yet for all this he from whome he feed and against whome he did offend was his father This was that which cheered him against all his misery and impiety and that enabled him first to purpose his returne home and afterward to practise the same he is my father therefore I will goe to him though I have fayled against him But what should we stand vpon particuler persons let vs see what comfort the Lord hath promised to all his owne 1 King 8.46 in this case When Salomon dedicated the temple and prayed most divinely therin he presupposing as well he might for it was too sure that Gods people might and would ceartainly sin against him and by sin so farre provoke him against them that they might either be cast out of their land into captivity or have some other heavy judgment inflicted vpon them herevpon he is a suitor to God for them that he would even in this their sinfull estate be gracious to them and what saith he that might moue the Lord to commiserate them in this their calamitous condition even this very thing for they are thy people and thine inheritance c ver 50.51 if any man would know what God sayd to this request of his he may read it in the next chapter I haue heard thy prayer and thy supplication c. cap. 9. â— Now this being vniuersall for all the people of God it giueth assurance from God to every one who hath any assurance in God that notwithstanding their miscarriages they are capable of his kindnes and favour And herof Nehemiah tooke good notice whenas Neh. 1. many a day after this he living to see that fullfilled which Salomon foresaw and feared betooke himself to God on the behalfe of the Jewes now having offended and being captivated ver 5. and he remember's God of this prayer of Salomon and this promise of his and repeateth the covenant wherin was contayned and enclosed the interest betweene God and them vrging him with his owne truth thou that keepest covenant and mercy c. and with the peoples interest Now these are thy seruants and thy people c. ver 5. ver 10. and having thus faith fully dealt with God God could not but deale most graciously with him and them as the sequell shewed Nay shall we see what God proffers in this case of his owne free accord and out of infinite and most gracious favour to all his offending saints surely if we coulde see it as we ought it would even swallow vs up into admiration and amazement for such and soe inconceivable is his kindnes to his owne herin that he doth not only encourage them to pray for all their impiety but doth also teach them how to entreat him and put 's words into their
thy handmayd c. And soe for all other comforts of any kinde whatsoever this was ever vrged as we might abundantly instance in Moyses in Dauid in Eliah Iehosophat Hezekiah and many more who many a time pressed God with it Yea which is well worth our nothing God himself hath often rendered this as that which hath as it were wrought vpon himself to respect them in his grace as it were easy to alledge out of many scriptures That one may serve for all which we finde by the prophet But thou Israell art my seruant Is 41.8 ver 9. Iacob whome I haue chosen the seede of Abraham my freind c. Thou art my seruant I haue chosen thee and not cast thee away And if the Lord himself doe make this vse of it to magnify his owne grace to vs we may cōfortably plead it before him to prevaile with him therewith we may be well assured that that which he makes an argument of magnifying his mercy on vs would be of excellent vse and force to pleade before him to moue him to manifest the same mercy to vs. Let vs not then in any wise be sparing herin we cannot be too bolde nor too abundant the Lord like 's that prayer and loue 's that suitor the better that is most full of it And the divell will have least to doe with those which are neerest and fastest to God And therefore to conclude and shut vp this point be it now our perpetuall care and endeavour to doe according to the tennor of that truth we have heard in this our first instruction arising from this interest so stissly pleaded by this blessed Patriarch in that he enter's thus into his petition with these words O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac c. Shewing clearely that he that would have his prayers enter into heaven and be entertayned with God must goe in this way with them And soe much for our first lesson laide downe in these words The end of the first Sermon Having done with his first encouragmēt we proceede to the consideration of his secōd as it lieth in the text following Thou Lord which saidest vnto me Returne into thy countrey c. wher in he now pleadeth his warrant he had from God as before he did his interest he had in God And herein we have two things to thinke off the first is the warrāt it self the second his assuming application therof home to himself The former to wit his warrant he divides into two particulers 1. a precept Returne into thy countrey c 2. a promise and I will deale well with thee From both which we might well note vnto you in the next place this worthy lesson that VVhatsoever we doe without warrant from God is wickedly done So much warrant as any man hath to doe any thing soe much comfort shall he haue in the doing of it If this were not an absolute and an vndenyable truth why did the Lord giue Jacob this comission for his journey or why should Jacob take it and make this vse of it to God himself as he doth it were no favour or mercy to haue it no point of faith no part of our duty to vse or to vrge it if we might be justifyed in any thing we vndertake without it But wee purpose not to prosecute this point at this presēt but to take another occasion if the Lord please to handle it at large Doctrine 2 The thing we ayme at is not soe much the matter of the warrant it self as Iacobs taking of it home applying of it to himself in that he saith Thou Lord who saydest vnto me From which practise of his we may obserue and you must learne thus much That it is the duty of every chirstian to carry the word of God home to his owne hart and to apply it particulerly to himself Looke what sacred truth the Lord hath left recorded for vs and either in any generall speciall or particuler rule of his word revealed to vs as tending to our particuler estate the same soe farre as it toucheth vs in any thing that doth or may concerne vs the Lord looke's we should lay it to our harts and appropriate it to our selves as our owne Every true christian is bounde to apply every part of Gods truth to himself evermore making that his owne which is mean't to him The instance of our text contayneth so cleare an evidence and confirmation of this doctrine and this holy Patriarchs practise is so pregnant for the point that we shall not neede to seeke farre for more witnes to enforce the truth of it Let vs a litle consider his carriage herin We heard before how God had spoken vnto him about this busines of his removall into his countrey here now we have himself not only relating what God said to him herin but also applying the same to his owne hart and state now that he is to goe to heaven for direction and comfort in the same in speaking to God he speakes that which God spake to him thou Lord who sayd vnto me c. he cleave's fast vnto that which he heard from God and let 's God heare of it from him againe he claymes Gods kindnes builde's vpon his precept and promise as vpon a foundation of direction consolation and assurance sufficiently able to beare him out against all opposition what-soever The precept leade's him to begin his journey the promise hartens him to goe on hoth are good to him in the duty he had to doe And we see that as Iacob is faithfull in applying all this so is the Lord carefull in reporting this his practise vnto vs and make's Moses many yeares after it was performed to receive it from his spirit by inspiration and to register it in this his blessed booke that it may remayne written for all ages to come for his approbation for our imitation that we might follow him who hath gone before vs herin and not only know what Iacob hath done but what the God of Iacob require's of vs from this light of his truth both to know to doe in any such cases as may ever become ours in any passage betweene the Lord and vs. In a word what he here did is therefore written and related that we might goe and doe likewise walking in the same path which this true survant of God hath troden out before vs which if we shall endeavour conscionably to doe and to be vpright with the Lord in the same what our benefit and advantage shal be the sequell will shew and we shall ever finde it our happines to lay Gods truth to hart Thus we see the case is cleare in the particuler of our text If we shall looke further abroade for our more assurance in the truth of this instruction and take vp such testimonyes as we might soone finde fasten vpon to this present purpose multitudes would flow apace vpon vs and it would be
or faint-hartednes one or other any or all these or any thing els it is to me vncertaine but sure it is that the Diuell it is that make's them soe froward and affrightfull that they doe not and they pleade they dare not take home Gods holy truth to their harts but forbeare it as forbidden fruit fearing to taste touch or handle any of that which the Lord in infinite favour jntendeth to them being that which doth clearly concerne their states and would would they be so wise as to apply it assuredly comfort their harts Nay Satan is so mighty in them herin and doth soe strongly posesse and strangly perswade them that they doe not only not accept or entertaine but doe shun decline and auoyde the words of grace and fly from every precious promise as from some deadly poyson or stinging serpent and when we have vrged and pressed all that we can conceive to be of any power to perswade men to participate of the sweete sayings of God they put of all from themselves and send vs away with sensles exemption and alienation of all that the Lord meaneth in mercy to them saying of themselves as Iehu to wicked Iehoram 2 king 9.22 what hast thou to doe with peace or as the wicked Iewes to Iudas what is that to vs mat 27. Thus are we put off and thy put out of the possibility of any of this comfort when we or rather the Lord by vs speake's peace vnto them what have I to doe with peace if we open Gods good treasure vnto them and endeavour to convay the riches of Gods truth vnto their poore distressed harts then what is that to me They will graunt all we say to be true in it self as it is Gods word and give full and free assent to the same but if you offer to bring it home to them it is none of theirs not true of them they have a superseadeas for it from Satan to make it all voide and of none effect in their particuler the property is altered if it come to be their case that which we speake is all true but it is much mistaken if it be brought home to their harts and states as if all that God spake were true but all he spake to them were false then which conceit what can be either more vnreasonable or more abhominable Thus doth Satan labour to pervert and frustrate the faithfull word of God which he hath left to prop vp and sustaine the soules of his saints in their distresses In which attempt of his Eph. 4 27. who have giuen more place to the diuell then the children of God who are expressly forbidden to doe it and who have not knowne their heavēly father soe well as to trust him in the truth of his blessed promises but have an eare open to every infernall suggestion and shut against Gods owne sure consolations refusing those sweetest words of grace which might if they did receive them make them truly happy A practise of such peevishnes and jmpiety as must needes be very hatefull and displeasing to God very hurtfull and pernicious to those that are faulty in it because it is most apparantly repugnant to the nature of God to all his precepts to all his childrens practise It is every way against the nature of God as doing infinite jnjury disgrace and indignity To that wisdome that revealed these his promises and sorted them out according to our afflicted state To that truth that confime's and seal'es them to vs and vs to them To that loue wherby we are accepted into the number of those who are capable of them which is not the case of every one no it is noe common thing but proper to the Lords owne sheepe to feede here and to them alone are the comforts of his blessed promises enclosed And as against his nature in his wisdome truth and loue soe further is this practise against his law comanding vs to doe otherwise for are we not enjoyned as we were before informed to lay them to our harts to binde them on our hands to hyde them within vs to have them still about vs as the ornaments we weare to adorne vs or the weapons that defend vs is it not the minde of God doe not we know it to be soe that he would have the soules of his saints to be the harbour receptacle storehouse of all commodity and advantage spirituall that comes from heaven And as it opposeth both his love and his law two wofull things to be withstood soe also goe's it against the holy practise of all those his most beloved one 's whose examples ought to have beene our instructions encouragments herein whose faith we should have followed considering what was the end of their conversatiō their forwardnes in this particuler shame's your sloath their holy violēce your base cowardice grosse negligence Doe but looke vpon some few practices set them before you for your further conviction Exod. 31.10.11 O yee of litle faith Moses was after a sort forbidden to fasten vpon God his promises promised fayre too if he would let the Lord alone not presse him on Israells behalfe with his words of truth yet he will not cease or be set downe ver 13.14 or sayd nay but come's vpon God with many a strong argument drawne from his owne evidence and doth not leave him till he hath prevayled with him And if he did this for others and that when God did seeme to diswade him what would he have done for himself where God did command him Nehemiah Neh. 1.5.10 whome we named in the former point doth also most eagerly entitle himself and the people to the ancient promises of God made long before is an earnest suitor to the Lord to make that good vpon them which in his goodnes he had many yeares agone promised to them But of all other and aboue all other Dauid doth exceede in this one thing and may be the speciall patterne of all Gods people in this practise he was good at it indeede as we might see in many Psalmes Psal 119. but if we survey but some particulers of that one wherin he aboundeth we shall see cause of wonder and admiration to see the odds betweene his faith and the infidelity of Gods people now adayes Let vs see how he behave's himself Sometimes ver 49. he putts God in minde of his promises Remember thy promise made to thy seruants wherin thou hast caused me to trust Sometimes he reveale's the comforting ver 50. yea the quickening power of them it is my comfort in my trouble for thy promise hath quickned me Sometimes he prayes for them and rests vpon them and doth after a sort challenge God of his promise ver 76. Let thy mercifull kindnes be for my comfort according to thy promise Sometimes he proclaimes the sweetnes of them to his taste and that he could not if he had not
taken them neere oh how sweete vnto me are thy words c. And lastly ver 103. not to be too tedious in instancing he doth lay a downeright clayme vnto them as his owne land intayled to him and never to be taken from him Thy testimonies haue I claymed as myne heritage for euer ver 111. for thy are the joy of my hart Thus doth good Dauid bestirre him herin and goe's before all Gods people whose commendation and comfort it would assuredly be to trace him in these steps But we neede not stand on particuler persons for we finde that whole churches have done the same in the dayes of their sorrowes So we reade of the church Haue respect to thy covenant and againe The Lord will not cast of his people Psal 74.20 Psal 94.14 micah 7.20 nor forsake his inheritance and yet againe Thou wilt performe thy truth to Iacob and thy mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworne to our fore-fathers of olde In all these and many the like which we spare to vrge we see the saints carriage and practise whether we coÌ„sider them apart or combined together into one body And now is it a small thing that this threefolde corde should be soe lightly broken wherwith the Lord would binde his people to this practise shall himself his law and his holy ones be all so slighted of vs Have we soe many worthy jnducement to draw vs on and soe many worthies that have gone before us and shall we lye behinde and not once striue or stirre that way nay which is yet worse run a cleane contrary course and fly from our owne comforts to the fearfull aishonour of God and danger of our owne soules through this desperate infidelity Oh deare Christians whervnto will this come what shall we say vnto you â— Cor. 4.21 how shall we intreat you let vs demaund the apostles question shall we come among you with a rod or with the spirit of meeknes when we have to doe with you for this fault well I know we must be wonderfull wary when we have to doe with wounded consciences we will not be too tart with the Lords tender lambes but endeavour since reprooffe must have place here to mixe reprehension and commiseration together inasmuch as we have to doe with afflicted soules and humbled spirits which speake not according to the truth in a setled resolution but according to the distraction and terror of some present temptation wherwith their adversary the divell doth so feircely assault and soe furiously fight against them that they are not able to stand vnder his stroakes but faint and sinke because he is so violent and they soe impotent fayne they would be better perswaded and beleeve professe otherwise if they could but their enemy aboundes with outrage and they are voyd of courage and hence it is he overules them and having captivated the power of Gods spirit in them for the present he make's them speake according to his owne the truth is that the people of God in their perplexity are the divels parhots and by him made to vtter that evill which many times he knowe's not well how to vent otherwise Oh that these poore soules the true most proper subiects of all good mens pitty and prayers did but well know and were throughly convinced that it is not they that doe it but sin yea Satan dwelling in them that the Lord will of his especiall grace discharge them of it and charge it as well he may vpon him who is both his adversary and theirs But the divell is so subtile in dealing with Gods sorrowfull saints that he will be exceeding loth to be seene in this or knowne of it but rather layes it vpon God and provokes many a distracted saint that is not himself to surmize that it is no small jmpiety against God to appropriate the promises And the better to seduce them therin he puts such pretences into their mindes and mouthes as they dreame and jmagine to be of God against whome they thinke they should fearfully offend if they should clayme these heavenly comforts to theÌ„selves Which pretences of his seing they are the maine impediments which hynder the happines of Gods people let vs take such knowledge of them as may make them apparantly knowne to be infernall therefore in no wise to be beleeved but alwayes abborted Among many other two to my obseruation are most vsuall doe prevaile vpoÌ„ the faithfull soe afright them that they dare not meddle but doe in some sort forsake their owne mercy He suggesteth into the dejected soules of these afflicted saints to make their harts the more fearfull 1. that the promises of God are not assigned to them by name how then can they have any interest in them 2. that they are soe vnworthy of them in regard of their wickednes that they dare not owne them or have any thing to doe with them These are the sear-crewes the bug-beares wherwith he make's them to forbeare and put off all But you that thus speake according to temptation now speake according to truth and shame the divell the father of lyes who suborne's these fruitles things against you to rob you of the riches of Gods vnspeakable grace Iob. 28.2 Spake out I say and tell me Is not this to darken the truth of God by words without knowledge which no man ought to doe Is not this to disparage his truth and faithfullnes who is Amen Reu 1.2 Cor. 1.20 the true faithfull witnes that faith that all his promises are yea and Amen vnto us that we might be rooted in the assurance of them Is not this to be beyond all Gods boundes to be besides ones self in our spirituall estate being overcome of a mysticall frenzy to cast of all affiance in the Lord Iob. 9.16 â—7 speaking stroÌ„gly in this distemper as Iob did if I had called vnto him and he had answered me yet would J not beleeve that he had hearkened to my voyce And shall we stand on that which we see will not beare vs but let vs fall nay throw vs downe and make vs fall for soe will these aforesayd pretences doe No be it farre from vs to doe soe And that it may be soe let vs come neerer to a more straight and narrow inquisition touching them which that we may the better doe we will set vpon them seuerally and soe set them out before you that we may shew them and you may see them to be the base subornations of Satan and by him bent to abuse God and beguile you of your blessednes and these two are all his only ends For the first which stiâ—ks so much with many Pretence and wherat they stumble to wit that because they are not named they dare not intermedle they know not that they are mean't or may make bolae with that which is written and wherin others are by name interessed You tell
in this one point of goodnes Shall a Cain quake and carry himself as a man soe deeply affected with the word of God and shall an Ahab and a Saul and such others as are sealed vp to eternall shame and contempt doe the same And shall Saints be behinde these Sinners and refuse to apply their part of the Lords truth when such infernall vassalls have done it shall the divell bring these before the Lord to vpbrayd him to his face that he ha's some reprobates who will doe more in this point of duty then some that goe for his children and are accounted holy and religions and that he can prevaile with some of his lym's to give creddit to Gods divine truth even for their evill when many of his owne holy ones doe refuse to entertaine the truth therof some for their good Oh what shall our God loose and what shall Satan gaine when it shall come herevnto that the divell shall plead this advantage too truly what may we expect who put weapons into his hands to fight against the Lord whose honor herin he will not spare to his vtmost to endamage abuse that he may enforce him in just reveng of this insufferable indignity done thervnto to fight against vs with the sharpest engine 's of his justice Thus in regard of wicked men doth he wound vs and these wounds are deadly if the Lords hand doe not heale our harts of them but this is not all nor indeede the worst of the two respects which we mentioned before And that we may well beleeve because the next micheife is in regard of Satan himself we know him to be worse then all the wicked men in the world Secondly then Note The diwell applieth scrip ture in regard of himself we are to know for our further reproach herin and our more forcible provocation hervnto that the divell himself hath behaved himself better in this point of application of Gods truth then many of Gods owne have done and that whether we consider his application of it either to others or to himself To others To others how readily though abusively did he apply those words of the holy ghost in the Psalme to our our Lord Iesus Christ it is written Mat. 4.6 he shall give his Angells charge over thee and in their bands they shall beare thee vp c which words in their true sence were as true of Christ as of any other in the world 1. Sam. 28 1â— The like herevnto he did also apply vnto Saul when he tolde him that the Lord hath done even as he spake by my hand when he counterfeited the person of Samuell and did his best to transforme himself into a true Prophet perswading Saul that the word was now fulfilled vpon him which God had formerly threatned to him 1. Sam. 15 28. to wit that the Lord had rent the kingdome from him and given it to one better then himself Divers more such instances might be produced to shew how forward Satan is to apply the truth of God to others To himself Neither indeede to doe him right and to give him his due though he be a divell hath he beene backward to take home Gods truth to himself as it were most easy to make apparent in many perticulers That one may be in stead of all which we finde vttered by himself when Christ came to disposesse him of the man who was so extraordinarily vexed by him why art thou come to torment me before the time Beholde how he even the divell who delude's and hinder's you from appropriating the Lords truth to yours soules can and doth apply the same both to others and to himself and that as we see in the worst sence to wit of that torment wherevnto he is reserved at the last day which he beleeveth and knoweth to be most true of himself that he shall feele it for ever and ever Now beloved let vs consider this motive well and throughly and sit downe and seriously surmize with our selves what the Lord will say to our soules and what we shall answer to him on this consideration that the very divell himself and divelish men have done him that honour in his truth which we have denyed vnto him How or with what faces shall we stand before him when he shall vpbrayd vs with both these shall we not see cause to fall grovelong on our faces before him and to lye downe in our confusion covering our selves with shame to see Satan and his slaves layd in ballance against vs and our selves found lighter then they before the Lord in this thing what soule would not blush what conscience would not bleede to beholde this thing yea but to present it before it self in imagination or meditation which thing I advise every Christian culpable herof advisely to doe that the same may never be actually presented by the Lord before them If any thing may take place vpon vs let this aboue all provoke vs. Say with your selves when the temptor come's to carry your harts from receiving the truth of God now thou comest to abuse me infinitely to make me worse then thy self to bring me vnder the guilt of that wherin thou wilt plead that thou art more righteous then I and wilt also produce thy infernall vassalls to have beene more faithfull then thou wouldst haue me to be in this practise Away feinde my God shall neuer haue thus much against me he hath too much already shall I adde this vnto all and dishonour him herin more then thou hast done Such soliloqnies or speeches within our owne harts would well beseeme vs I thinke if we vsed them at every temptation they would set Satan further from vs and soone make him weary of vs and vs of this our fearefull jmpiety against which we have vrged thus many motives and pressed each motive soe largely to the end that if Lord might please we might see an end of this heavy euill in the holy ones of God which is a thing to be prayed for vncessantly of all saints that soe the Lord might once have the glory and we the good of his truth and Satan the shame of all his suggestions to the contrary Thus having done with the saints of God for this matter To the vngodly we are now to see if we can move vngodly men to doe their duty to God in this point of application And soe much the rather doe we endeavour this by how much it may be noted that they seldome or never come to Gods house as clients to a court to heare their owne cause pleaded but ever as attorneyes to heare and speake for other men they come not as guests to this spirituall feast but as caruers not as merchants to this this most rich and beneficiall mart but as broakers they are evermore wholy for other men no body for themselues in this blessed busines They know where to bostow every lesson the preacher delivers they
to vrge any particulers now because we have much to say touching the promises in our next point yet thus much I must say and it concerne's every sincere christian to consent vnto it with his hart that if we have any assurance either of grace or any other good thing in present possession on earth or of glory and all eternall good in future expectation in heaven the assurance we have flowe's from the interest we have none but they that are the Lords shall partake of either Psal 84.11 and they that are his shall have both soe saith David sweetly The Lord will giue grace and glory and no good thing will he witholde from them that walke vprightly 1. Cor. 3.21 and the apostle sumne's vp all within this circuit All things are yours and that not only in generall or in the grosse but more particulerly he come's to a distribution ver 22. whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come ver 23. all are yours and whence is it that all is soe surely ours even hence and yee are Christ's this clause confirme's all that went before and is the reason that ratifyeth the same fally So then if a man would now sit him downe and set himselfe to thinke of all the infinite fullnes and vnspeakable plenty and variety of those good things which the Lord doth either giue on earth or reserue in heaven and having enlarged his hart to comprehend as many of them as he could thinke might make him truly and fully happy to the absolute joy and contentment of his very soule he should now further think why these things are to be had many haue them already many more shall haue them heareafter how may I also come by them and be sure to enjoy them The holy ghost doth readily tell vs the way and meanes which is to become Christs be you sure of that one thing and all these things are sure to you They that are his shall have all these and more then their owne or mans imagination can comprehend heavens fullnes cannot be conceived of any creature Angells are not able to expresse what Gods saints shall inherit and posesse when they come to the consummation of that their happines which is prepared of God purchased by Christ reserued for them and they preserued vnto it by the power and through the fauour of that God in Christ who at the last day shall call all his owne with those sweete words Come ye◠blessed children of my father receiue the kingdome prepared for you c. It was ordained and intended only to these and all they are as sure to haue it as Christ himself who doth now sit at the right hand of his father And thus we have in some measure opened some of those consolations vnto you which this our interest doth yeeld vnto vs I say some and in some measure because an absolute manifestation of them all cannot be vndertaken by vs or entertayned by you Our assurance is euident and we can declare it but our inheritance is infinite and none can vtter it Howbeit I hope we have sayd enough to make the comfort of this point cleare that it is a most happy thing to have right in the Lord to know him to be ours our selues his The which seing none but the saints of God candoe the benefit and joy herof remayneth only wholy to them and that in all and every of the particulers aforesaid which if we shall breifly summe vp together recall the particulers it will presently most plainely appeare that they are indeed happy by this heavenly truth In a word then is it not matter of much happines that we may goe to God and pray boldely that we be enabled to beare affliction cherefully that we be armed against sin throughly that we may be assured of all good absolutely These as we have heard are the sweete consolations of this sauing truth and in them all and in euery of them may the saints of God solace their soules and refresh their spirtis to know themselues capable of such advantages by the interest they have in the Lord their God who hath founded his favours vpon this truth and it is not more ceartaine and vndoubted that the foundation of God abideth sure 1. Tim. 2.16 and that the Lord doth know who are his then that they who are his may know all these good things to be theirs And thus much for the first use of this point vnto the saints of God Now we will set forward to the second Vse 2 Reprehension and that concerne's wicked and vngodly men whose impudency presumption in entitleing themselues to God is equall if not beyond the infidelity and feare of the faithfull who are so backward herin It hath ever beene the practise of that olde serpent the aiuell to withdraw Gods people from all their priueledges that they might not clayme them to encourage vngodly persons to whome they pertaine not to challeng them that soe he might draw them both vnder heauy jmpiety the one to rob themselues in refusing their right the other to rob God and his children in seizing vpon that which the Lord intended only to his owne The divell knowe's too well what he does The haynous euill of vngodly men in making claime to God oh that themselues did know it well when he abetts jmpious persons either to conceit that God is theirs or to call him soe it being such an jmpiety as scarce any is more insufferable or provoking and because he foresee's how it will anger and incense the Lord therfore is he so busy to set sinfull men about it Satan vnderstand's what damage it is to God what dāger to vngodly men and what advantage to himself And to the end they may also vnderstand it let vs ponder and particulate the evill of it so plainly as they may see it and seing it either shan and surcease it or make their sin by occasion of this discouery out of measure sinfull if they continue to commit it And this we will the rather endeauour because I am perswaded many a wicked man never jmagine's it sinfull but think 's he may safely yea that it is duty to call God his father and therfore in commiseration of their estate and desire of their information and reformation we will doe our best to make declaration of the monstrous impiety herof And first Euill 1 it is an vnspeakable indignity jnjury to the Lord a greater dishonor cannot be done against him for why it is a plaine putting of God into the diuells place For wheras he is avouched to be the God of this world that is 2. Cor. 4.4 of all those that are of the world and by Christ he is called the father of all prophane impious persons these vngodly wretches Job 8.44 doe father themselues vpon God and make the
much more easy to ouer-abounde then want any evidence But we will not cloy your memories with a multiplicity Shall we enquire at the Law according to the holy Prophets counsell why it is cleare for this point It is a ruled case with the great law-giver even the Lord who is that one law-giuer which is able to saue and destroy hath given it once and againe and many times in expresse charge to his people Consider seriously what he saith by Moses And these words which I commandeth thee shal be in thy hart And thou shalt teach them to thy children c. Dent. 6.6 ver 7.8 And thou shalt binde them for a signe vpon thy hand and they shal be as frontlets betweene thine eyes Now what meanes all this what may all these injunctions intend which are set downe here and itterated elswhere Surely there is something in it that we must have them so engrauen that our mindes may posesse them our mouthes may publish them at home and abroade by day and by night at bed and borde to our posterity daily to others occasionally can all this be for formall discourse or supersiciall accquaintance with the word of God no sure there is more meant then this come's to which alone is nothing the Lords minde is that we should have speciall familarity with his word and be in continuall meditation and practise therof signified by the binding of it on our hands and eyes all these particulers that are named here are to perswade vs to that one principall truth that we teach to wit that we must take home all the holy truth of God into our soules From the law we may passe to the Prophets but as we goe we will see what Solomon saith to it which if we doe we shall heare of many heavenly sayings to this purpose both in his Proverbs and his booke called the Preacher In the former we have many consells to this practise with comforts belonging to them As first where he exhorteth men to receiue Gods words and to hide his commandements Pro. 2.1 ver 2. to encline their eare apply their harts to knowledg and vnderstanding And againe that men should not forget the Law of God cap. 3 1. but let their harts keepe his commandements and yet againe that we ought to endeavour that our harts doe retaine God words cap. 4.4 and that we embrace them and in noe wise ver 8. let them goe he is much vpon this matter as vpon a thing of much consequence and mighty importance often advising all men hervnto And in his latter booke Eccles 12.11 he tell 's vs that the words of the wise should be vnto us as goades and as nailes fastned vpon us yea into us sticking close to vs and keeping fast within vs. Thus we see Solomons minde and know well what it is and now let vs aske the Prophets and they wil soone tell vs theirs for Moses and the Prophets and all the men of God are all in one tune for this truth it hath beene evermore their manner to come to men with Gods message and to tell them their owne from him not going behinde the dore or speaking behinde their backs but personally and to their heads delivering the minde of God to the mightiest of them as it were easy to instance in innumerable examples not only of these more generall prophecies that concerne peoples and nations but in those most speciall which were indiuidually directed against Princes Potentates the great one's of the earth as the king of Iudah Israell Babell Egipt Nineveh c. the like every of which with many more were spoken too to their faces in those particulers wherin the Lord did intend they should know his minde Soe we see we have the Law and the Prophets sure to vs in this particuler if now we shall also give eare to the Gospell it will also give abundant evidence hervnto both from Christ himself also from his Apostles in this point Christ sometimes spake plainely and spake noe parable as where he saith Blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it sometimes and more then once in divers parables he is againe vpon it as in the parable of the seede which must be layd deepe and covered close in the grounde and not supersicially sowed for every foule to carry away in the parrable of the leauen which must be raked vp into the midst of the meale and be mixed soe with it that it may never be severed from it againe but leaven every part of the lumpe And for the apostles they are of the same minde with Christ their master and speake to the same purpose Peter would haue vs receive the word as new borne babes receiue milke which is not only eaten swallowed 1. Pet. 2.2 but concocted and digested and becometh nutrimentall and is converted into the substance of their bodies col 3.16 Paul would haue it dwell in us richly that our harts might be a habitation Jam. 1.21 or house to receive and harbour the same Iames he would haue it engrassted in us and soe incorporated that it might as it were become one with vs and being soe he assures vs of the saving power therof saying it wil be able to saue our soules And now having all these witnesses what can we have more or what neede we soe much to confirme a truth so cleare here you see is the vniver sall assent and concurrence of all Gods servants yea and of his sonne too every one that spake by his spirits inspratiō spake more or lesse to this truthes confirmation But it would be needelesse to adde more testimony Let vs come to consider of such reasons as may further leade vs into the light and perswsiaon herof that we may see as well why we must thus take home Gods truth as only to know that soe we must doe It is a wise mans part not only to know what he must doe but also to vnderstand why that the reason of his duty may be discerned of him as well as the jnjunction And if we apply our selves to consider wherefore we must apply Gods truth in this manner we shall soone perceive that it is a thing consorting with cleare and apparant reason and that in divers respects some few wherof we will lay downe before you First our application of Gods worde Reason 1 was in regarde of vs the mayne end of his publishing the same vnto vs he reuealed it that we might recetue it it was left written to us that it should be written in vs. Doth not God himself give vs this as a reason in plaine tearmes and that by more then one or two of those whome he sent to deliver his minde VVhat saith Moses to all Israell Deut. 27.29 and in them to all the Israell of God Things reuealed belong to us and to our children what God hath revealed is revealed to vs and for vs and
vs that you finde these good words in Gods booke and doe nothing doubt of the truth of them no question but the Lords minde was that Abraham David and those other whose names are recorded with these comfortable sayings should rejoice in them and if their harts did not leape at them they were too blame seing these consolations were directed personally to them had they beene soe to vs we could have beene happy had we beene the men it had beene our consolation also but alas who are we to them where are our name 's to be founde But what a poore and pittifull plea this is Evindeces against it how idle and empty of all good evidence to proue any thing either directly or by consequence to this present point or any other good purpose will quickly appeare if we once come to looke into it and as we discover it we shall see there is nothing worth looking vpon in it Only here by the way before we set vpon it we may discerne a subtilty of Satan wherby he doth notoriously abuse you as once in another case he did divers others For when as there was some question made of Pauls doctrine Act. 18.14 Gallio told the Iewes that if their motion were a matter of weight and substance he would have hearkened to them but being but of words and names as he thought it was not worth the hearing The truth was that that matter was of more then words or names or such triviall stuffe even of the foundation Iesus Christ and the truth of the Gospel but the divell deluded that Gallio as now he doth many a man to thinke slightly of the great things of God but here he doth contrary for this which we haue in hand is but a question of wordes and names and no more and he strikes this jmpression deepely as if all the happines of a christian and all the hope of heaven lay vpon it Thus doubly deales the diuell to a wicked man the mayne truth of God shal be a matter of no weight and to a childe of God that which hath no weight at all in it shall overbeare the mayne truth of God But this by the way to shew how SataÌ„ befoole's both sorts I would all Gods people were as wise in this which is of no moment as wicked Gallio was in that which he thought to be soe And that they may be soe we will now lay open the nakednes of this matter of names in particuler and that so clearely I hope that hereafter it shall not be soe much as once named among christiaÌ„s when they shall once see the notable vanityes nay the notorious jmpieties that will follow vpon the pressing of it to this purpose And that they may be seene how sinfull they are we will set some of them downe in order before you wherof you shall doe well seriously to consider for you shall finde them exceeding grosse 1. Euidence coÌ„futed First it thwarteth manifestly overturneth Gods most wise and gracious manner of speaking by his spirit throught out the scriptures in this point of the application of his heavenly truth His course and order of speaking is this VVhen any diuine truth of his is reuealed it is soe vttered as it may most plainely appeare that he did intende and meane the application of the matter and substance therof except in some personall circumstance as well to every true Christian not named as vnto any to whome it was directly spoken and particulerly directed And that this is an vndeniable truth may be made very evident by many allegations both out of the olde testament and the new In the olde testament such as speake by Gods spirit spake thus David for one applyeth to himself that which is common to all Christians It is written of me Psal 40.7 that I should doe thy will O God where is this written more of David then of any other man many things were spoken to him by name from God but this was no more to him then to vs yet you see he assumeth and applyeth it to himself as written to him because he could not but know that obedience to the will of God did as directly appertaine to him and would be as exactly required of him as of any other man If this had beene sent by name to him from God he could have sayd no more then he doth and thus much you see he saith though no mans name be mentioned because he knew that euery man was meant The people of God in another Psalme doe the same as we may read and it very good for vs to note Psal 66.6 He turned the sea to dry land they passed through the riuer on foote thâ—re did we rejoyce in him marke how the people of God speake here of a thing long since past a mercy shewed to their fore-fathers yet the benefit and favour is acknowledged to God and he magnified for it as if it had bene done to them selues the change of the person is worth observation they passed through c there did we rejoyce Another like vnto this we finde in the prophet Hosea where that which is intreated off is spoken personally of Iacob to wit of his wrestling with God but the people of God in that time take it home and apply it vnto themselves soe the words inferre Hos 12.4 He had power over the Angell and prevailed he wept and prayed he founde him in Bethel there he spake with vs. The gracious consolatory words given by Christ called here the angel as being the angel of the covenant to Iacob touching his prevailing with God and Gods benediction of him are here said to be spoken to them there he spake with vs they claime them as if the Lord had blessed them as he did him Thus haue Gods people in the olde testament done And they in the new haue done likewise if we consider a few examples it will easily appeare Our Lord Iesus Christ is cleare in this case when he doth apply those very words of God as spoken to the Iewes that then were which were vttered to their progenitors many a yeare before Haue yee not read that which was spoken to you by God mat 22.31.32 I am the God of Abrahâ—m c see he aske's them why they did not make vse of this as spoken to themselues Exod. which yet by voice from God was sayd to Moses out of the middest of the bush that burned but consumed not Haue yee not read saith Christ as of he should say it is your negligence that you have not if you haue read it is your ignorance that you know not that thus you ought to apply the words of God if you have read what was spoken to Moses in this matter and imagine that God meant it to no more but him you erre it is an erroneous reading of Gods word and argue's we want knowledge when wee make that peculiar to anyone which the Lord
here and in heaven I say if you have his Faith I say not so much faith but such faith as he had a man is sufficiently proved to be the lawfull heire of his father though he come short of the extent and measure of many things his father had Our faith even the least measure given vs in the soundnes and truth therof doth avouch vs not only the children of Abraham but of God too Gael 3.19 as the apostle addeth we are all the sons of God by faith in Iesus Christ Let vs not then thus fondely pretend any thing against our selves but give our harts soundly to contende for that which may bring true benefit vnto vs. To be the successors of the saints in grace and holines is as good as to be named Christ argue's the Iewes because they granted themselves the children of them that slew the Prophets to be guilty of the blood of the Prophets and laye's it vpon them in these tearmes That vpon you may come all the blood which was shed from the blood of righteous Abell to the blood of Zacharias c. whome yee slew c. Now the same evidence that may convince a wicked man may comfort a childe of God to wit that he is a childe a successor in grace to the saints as they were in sin to those bloody persecutors And this is our second evidence against this pretence Thirdly this pretence of being named Eviden ∣ ce 3 overturneth all truth of scripture now and tyeth it wholy and only to the persons then liuing and there named as if it were then true to them but neither now nor then to any body els If this point of being named be soe materiall as these who thus vrge it doe make it then it was good scripture and Gods truth to them but it must needes dye with them become a dead letter to vs that now live And would not this inference be mōstrous vnspeakably blasphemous that we that are Gods childrē should devise argumēts against Gods word the jmmutability whereof is so oftē avouched every where that heauen earth must passe before one jot or title may fall therof yet with one breath we will make it all voyde as a thing of naught by our argumentation conclude that now it standes for a cypher rather them for any scripture what neede the divell more advantage he hath now enough to worke the vtter subversion of all religion seing out of the mouthes of religions persons he can gather conclusiōs to proue the scripture which is the ground of religion not to be as once it was of any power authority force and vertue but rather like some ban◠that is cācelled some lease or deede expired making Gods truth as momentany fading and mortall as the men were to whome it was spoken wheras we are to know that God speakes contrarily that albeit all flest be grasse yet the word of the Lord endureth for ever as being like the Lord himself who spake it eternall and vnchangeable If we shut not this out all atheisme wil be let in this is an open gap to all vngodlynes for if none haue right in the scriptures but they that are named there is now no booke of God no revealed will of his no scripture no rules of any religion extant the life of all is tyed to the length of their dayes to whome it was spoken and soe they being dead his truth is deceased with them and hath no more power to helpe vs then a dead man hath to helpe himself And thus every godles wretch may now lift vp his head tryumph that there is no curbe for his corruption no bridle for his rebellion he hath what he would haue seing these precise fooles which make such a doe about religion haue now when they haue done all vndone all religion and taught them a trick to cast off all that is revealed against their jmpietyes because they are not named they neede neither feare nor care for any thing that is either forbidden or commanded Nay which is yet more and more hellish by this reason of those that in this particuler are thus vnreasonable the Lord must make as many Bibles as there be ages and generations of men and put in all the names of all men both good and bad too if he make account to be beleeved or obeyed We must expect new editions of the scripture daily wherin every one may read his owne part and know it to be his owne by his proper name annexed thervnto Yea long before our dayes even in all the ages of the olde and new testament should many Bibles have beene extant besides that one which concerned but a few Patriarcks Prophets and Apostles whereas the multitude of beleevers was very great besides these we may safely thinke the Lord had many people beside these principall and extraordinary persons who were especially spoken to Now then seing the Lord in his wisdome never saw it meete to pen and publish more then one Bible that noe people of God in any time or state of the church did or could ever challēg more how grosse egregiously sinfull sencelesse are these who vtter that which if in this perticuler of names wherof we now speake it might be justified must condemne all Gods people of folly and God himself of injury God must be vnjust to witholde his will they must be vnwise not to call for that which they might as well know did concerne themselves as Abraham Dauid or any other whose name is soe often mentioned and recorded in this Inasmuch then as God himself remayne's only wise without doing this and his people of all ages were wise in not desiring any such thing cease we from this infernall infatuation which proclaimes our folly and infidelity to be of a deeper strayne then any age hath ever seene Let vs be sorrowfull for what is past and silent for heareafter and know that the truth of the scripture standes not vpon mens names but vpon Gods owne nature who for his owne names sake though our names be not there will fulfill it vnto vs in every tittle of that saving truth which by faith we can apprehend And this is our third evidence against this pretence Fourthly Eviden ∣ ce 4 this conceit of names concludes all the comfort of a Christian to depend vpon his nameing wheras intruth that of it self can evince no comfort at all and therof we may be soone perswaded if we consider these two things 1. that many are named who are never comforted in Gods booke 2. that the only comfort of a childe of God is to haue his name written in another booke to wit that booke of life For the first he knowe's nothing as he ought to know who knoweth not that many are named in the bible for evill not for good nay it had beene good for them in some sort that they had had no names recorded there As Cain Saul Ahitophell
all temptation giving no place to the divell or any instigation of his touching the application of the truth of God Let it not greiue vs a litle that we have given see much eare to him already and that the Lord hath beene soe slenderly beleeved of vs. Our insidelity hath done the Lord wōderfull dishonour we haue ill shewed our selves children of such a father whenas like froward infants we haue refused the sweetnes he hath provided for vs and even put into our mouthes We must soundly repent of this refractary carriage or els we may live to cry for that which now we will not have It were our part and duty rather to pant after the truth of God and to faint for want of it then thus frowardly to put it from vs when it is so lovingly proffered to vs. We litle know what we doe in refusing to receive his gracious truth he never spake that which was not worthy that we should heare it conscionably and lay it vp carefully Let vs resolve to doe soe heareafter and thinke him worthy of all prayse from vs who hath revealed his truth soe clearely as it may be entertayned of vs comfortably And if we will thus doe and endeavour hervnto we shall soone see what inconceivable consolations the Lord hath reserued for vs in those promises he hath revealed to vs. If this reproffe worke kindely to purge out this evill we may then give you some taste of the good the Lord hath in store for you Shall we speake euill to our selves where God speake's good or turne his goodnes into our owne euill this is for Satan not for saints to doe Strive we to doe as the Lord would have vs and if we will now cease to lend an care to the divell and further for ever hearken to our God we shall see what more he hath to say to his people in the second place from the truth of the doctrine which we have propounded And all that is sayd by God touching his people is only good Consola ∣ tion 2 for if it be an absolute and infaillible truth that every one ought to apply that truth of God which God speaketh to him then may all the Lords saints know for a surety that all the sacred blessed and sweete sayings of God contayned in his booke are now become their owne the Lord intende's they should apply and enjoy them Not a good word is fallen any where from the mouth of God but the same is wholy and solely meant to the soules of his children he sptake it of purpose that they might take it it was reuealed by him that it might be receiued by them Noe heavenly tydings of gladnes and great joy no speech of life and peace either for present or eternall happines but it is meant and sent by God to them and from him they have it sometimes immediately from his owne mouth I will hearken what the Lord God will say for he will speake peace to his people to his saints c. Psal 83.8 Luk. 2.10 sometimes by the ministrey of Angells Beholde we bring you glad tydings of great joy c. The Lord hath nothing to say on his churches childrens behalf but when thy speake to him to answer them with good words comfortable words Zach. 1.13 as the prophet Zachariah tell 's vs. Whatsoever is found any where that savours of any saving efficacy or excellency it is appropriated to them by the Lord himself who is the sole authour and the allsufficient founder of the same He sets open the fountaine of grace and compassion to the house of David his servants Zach. 13.1 and to their only vse benesit and behooffe is it reserved such only may drinke of the water therof as he hath of his grace put apart to partake of himself it is noe open place for all persons or any ordinary for all commers but enclosed and jmpaled to the Lords people alone All the consolations of God are theirs Isa 52.12 God himself sayes it both by his prophet I euen I am he that comforteth and by his apostle blessed be God the father of all mercy and God of all consolation who comforteth us in all our tribulation c nay he gives so much that if they will receive it their consolations may abounde not only in themselves but towards others they may have comfort to spare that we may comfort others with the same comforts wherewith we were comforted of God Comfort yee comfort yee my people will your God say Isa 30.1 speake comfortably to Ierusalem cry unto her that her jniquity is pardoned her warfare is accomplished c Behold how freely how fully the Lord speake's how he doubles his comforts Comfort yee comfort yee and jtterates his words Speake comfortably cry vnto their and this saith the prophet will your God say it may be nay it is sure the divell◠and the world will say otherwise to you thus to others it is their manner miserably to misapply all that God saith they vse having their heads yea their harts full of ydle proclamations to promise peace to themselues and their fellowes in jmpiety and prophanes and out of their owne spirits to blesse themselves and discomfort the saints of the living God but if the Lord once open his mouth and come to speake his minde we are to know that his words which are simply good in themselves and himself absolutely able to make them good to vs are to be vttered only to his owne none but they are spoken too when he speakes good He drawes out the breasts of his consolations to them but shuts vp his bosome to all others not a drop of this milke is for any mans mouth but his owne babes and to them both breasts are tendered that they might drinke freely and have thier full draught Soe saith the Lord by his prophet Isa 66.10 Rejoyce with Ierusalem all ye that loue her c that yee may sucke the breasts of her consolations and be satiffyed that yee may milke out and be satiffyed with the abundance of her glory For thus saith the Lord ver 11. ver 12. I will extend peace like a river and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing streame then shall yee sucke and be borne upon her sides and be dandeled upon her knees As one whome his mother comforteth ver 13. soe will I comfort you and yee shal be comforted in Jerusalem And when yee shall see this your hart shall rejoyce and your bones shall flourish the hand of the Lord shal be knowne towards his servants c. Thus in this most comfortable metaphor doth the Lord make knowne his mercy and favour and we all know the most that can be manifested in nature is betweene the tender babe and the loving mother and this similitude the Lord assumeth to resemble his vnto vs the nature wherof cannot be fully shaddowed by any thing vnder
traytor murtherer or some other malefactor doth to reade those lawes or statutes which declare the sentence due to such offences as he stands guilty off in his owne knowledge But to returne to the terror of transgressors you are to know that whatsoever is spoken for evill it is spokē to you any potion that is terrible or dreadfull is prepared of the Lord and full mixed for you and by you it must be drunke out to the very dregs that you in this kinde of application of it may either be purged to your true and timely reformation or poysoned to your eternall destruction Never once dreame of thrusting off these things from your selves you cannot shift off that which the Lord will fasten vpon you what he sett's on none can shake off beleeve it beleeve it there 's noe shunning of that which the Lord saye's you must either heare it or beare it or both God will not be set soe light by of any flesh as to have his words goe wholy vnregarded He that will heare his owne may soe be wrought vpon as that he shall not beare it it may worke vpon him that repentance to salvation which is never to be repented off But he that doth either refuse to heare or heareth without fruit let him know that he is the man that must beare those curses which he either heareth not at all or not as he ought as it were most easy to manifest in the most miserable experience of many a wretch who turning away his eare from the Lords message the Lord hath turned the heavy contents of the same loose vpon himself and made him to cry out wofully in the eares of God and men vnder the insufferable sence and terror of that vnto the tydings wherof their eare was contemptuous and would not take seasonable notice It hath too palpably appeared to be the manner of the most wicked men and I know not whether any thing may be a more manifest eare-marke of an jmpious and vngodly person to be extreamely jmpatient when the truth of God hath beene plainely tolde them these are of the number of those wretches which were foretolde by the Apostle that endure not wholesome doctrine that which soundes not sweetely and is not melodious is no meate or musike for them they are so farre from application that they will not give God audience but either wilfully withdraw themselves from the house of God where it is spoken or being present bewray that damned humor of hellish perversnes and impatience against the Lord and his messenger which hath beene found in that godles Ieroboam and divers such branded rebells and for which amonge other their impietyes the Lord hath left them recorded vnto vs as the fearefull and rejected objects of his justice and fury It 's a heavy signe men meane to live and dye in their sinnes when once they refuse application of the word inasmuch as even the application of Gods truth is the life of all instruction the death of all corruption I know not a more apparant token of a man whome the Lord is resolved everlastingly to reject then when he hath given him over to a wrangling disposition and quarrelling spirit against the faithfull ministey of the word if that will chafe him and make him fret and fume it is past question that he hath a hart both hating God and hated of God hardened and enraged by the divell and with him to be plagued for ever Oh that you could consider this who goe out of Gods house with that hellish resolution that in another case Dagons preists did not to tread vpon the threshold therof any more in haste noe you will not come to church to be soe bayted and yet who can doe lesse then bayte you that come to the temple of the Lord as Beares to the stake as beggars to the stocks But consider I pray you you that soe abhorre application how wofull your estate is that must be bayted if you come and reprobated if you come not to heare the Lord speake vnto you If the first be soe bitter what is the latter while thou art a wicked person thou canst avoyd neither Looke throughout the history of Gods booke and take notice who have beene the most notorious miscreants whome the Lord hath noted as vessels of wrath prepared to destructiō you shall soone finde those to be the principall castawayes vpon whome the word of God hath beene castaway who have either not heard it or with no proffit or patience but with murmuration and resistance I could instance Cain to whome God spake himself and Ieroboam before named and Ahab and Ihojakim and Elyes sons and a multitude more of most wofull and accursed miscreants whose want of application of the word of God vnto them was one eminent evidence of their just perdition Remember what God saith to you by his prophet woe be to him that striveth with his maker woe I say to him that spurnes against the needefull manifestation of that misery whervnto his sin hath made him subject before his maker Can any thing be of worse consequence to vs or heape more vengeance vpon vs then this Among men you know what a haynous matter it is for any offendor or malefactor having deserved imprisonement to offer to breake out and run away or if he cannot doe soe to grow stuburne headdy and vnruly in the prison and if the king send any to examine his fault and to arraigne him for his offence to give them surly answers vnseemely reproachfull and reviling speeches to such a one the jaylor is more straight and layes more jrons vpon him the judge is more severe and gives him the heavier censure which shal be excecuted to the vttmost extreamity without any mitigation or favour And can any man jmagine that that is not hydeous in Gods eyes which is haynous in mans Is it not his course to double his curses vpon such as struggle to avoyde and decline the declaration and application of them shall they not suffer for their obstiancy impatiency as well as for other any impiety yea assuredly they shall and let them know that where they adde one evill to another the Lord wil adde to their punishment and multiply it out of measure as they doe their sin If therefore either by infernall flattery and mysticall collusion of your owne soules in secret Iob. 31. which was a thing that Iob execrated or by open refusall and jmpious renuntiation of what the Lord speaketh a thing wherof the Iewes were most grosly guilty Ier. 44.16 and for which they were abhorred of God or by both these or any other wicked way or meanes you seeke cunningly to worke wynde out your selfe from taking such particuler notice of Gods threatnings against your sin and your selfe as he requireth and your iniquity deserveth be you well assured and know ceartainely that by such corrupt and vngodly carriage you shall at once encrease the Lords provocation
against you and your owne confusion before him Ro. 2.5 and so store vp wrath against the day of wrath and the iust declaration and excecution of his iudgement vpon your soule and body for ever And that you may see I speake not this without booke I pray you looke what God saith in his booke to this purpose how read you in the sift booke of Moses called Deuteronomie read there striue to understand what you reade and out of your vnderstanding of it ponder that saying and lay it vp in your harts There you shall heare God speaking thus touching the point we haue now in hand Dent. 29.18 ver 19. Least there should be among you any roote that beareth gall and worme wood and it come to passe that when he heareth the words of this curse that he blesse himself in his hart and say I shall haue peace though I walke in the imagination of my owne hart ver 20. to adde drunkenesse to thirst The Lord will not spare that man but the anger of the Lord and his iealousy shall smoake against him all the curses that are written in this booke shall lye vpon him ver 21. the Lord shall blot out his name from vnder heaven And the Lord shall separate him vnto evill out of all the tribes of Israell according to all the curses of the covenant c. ver 21. So that the generation to come shall say when they see these plagues c. Thus you see the Lord doth manifest and that in many words his minde concerning this matter and that we may the better discerne his meaning we may bretfely abridge all that these words doe import into two particulers 1. how haynous a thing it is in Gods sight sinfully to shift off the saving truth of God from our selves 2. how heavy the hand of God wil be in the extreame extraordinary punishment of him that doth soe The act is exceedingly amplified and aggravated if we doe well consider the particulers of the text wherin we finde it branched and blazed out to be an evill consisting of many evills a very composition of many impietyes and much corruption First it is an impious thwarting of God a crossing of him even a giving him the lye to his face when any man shall dare to say I shall have peace though c. Is not this extreame impudency thus to out face the Lord of heaven in his owne truth to tell him as it were to his teeth that we shall have peace whē he saith resolutely we shall have none in any vngodly way are we nor vndertakers against the wisdome power and justice of God by all which that which he hath here vttered against this sin shal be assuredly executed vpon the sinner shall we offer to say I shall have peace when the Lord who is only wise allmighty and most just saith we shall not is not this to make the world beleeve that we thinke our selves able well enough to secure our selves against him and know a way how to avoyd that which he saith he will inflict as if we could goe beyond God and overeach him by some policie or power of our owne Secondly it is a proude exalting of our selves aboue the Lord a trusting vpon our owne vayne lying and blasphemous words blessing our selves and giving no creddit to his most stable and immutable words of truth as if our blessing of our selves had farre more efficacy to save and comfort vs then his words of cursing have to cast vs downe and terrefy vs. Thirdly it is an encreasing of sin we adde one evill to another and soe lade our soules with more and more impiety augmenting our evill before the Lord and encouraging our selves in the same by this blessing of our selues in our sinfull courses and casting aside Gods righteous and heavy curses All these three amplifications of this impious and hellish act are apparant in the text and thus much sin doth he commit that applyeth not but putteth off the sacred word and truth of God from himself The punishmet due to this threefolde act of impiety followe's in the text too it is layd out both negatiue and affirmatiuely Negatiuely in that one wofull sentence The Lord will not spare or the Lord will not be mercifull to that man a truth clearely contradictory to the conceit of these accursed miscreants who are soe be sotted that they can beleeve nor apprehend nothing in the Lord but mercy and soe make him a notorious monster therin as if he had nothing els in him Affirmatiuely and that many wayes in such miserable sayings as follow every one worse then other if we note them Such a sinner shall feele 1. the anger of God and to put him out of hope of appeasing it it is added that 2. the jealousy of the Lord shall breake out and smoake against him and jealousy is jmplacaple rage such as will heape vpon an offendor 3. all the curses written in Gods booke none no not one to be avoyded or escaped among the rest 3. notorious curses are named to wit 1. that his name shal be blotted out from vnder heaven 2. that the Lord shall separate him unto euill 3. that the ages to come shall fall into admiration of that mans fearefull condition Loe thus shall it be done to the man that the Lord will avēge himself vpon for this one sin of shifting off the sacred truth of God from himself He shall have no mercy from God but all the misery that may be he shal be the vnhappy object of Gods heavy anger of his fearfull jealousy of all his curses vnto which the Lord shall soe set him apart and pick him out that he shal be the wonderment of all succeeding times This is the Lord doome vpō him who fawneth vpō himself in his prophanes and flyeth as much as in him lyeth and wil not heare of the justice of God revealed in his word against his wickednes Let vs then deare christians take heede and beware of a stubborne hart a stiffe necke an jmpious spirit to throw away what the Lord saith to vs Doe not provoke him to jealousy we are not able to deale with him he is stronger then we know we that nothing well more vexe or sooner prouoke him herevnto then this jmpiety of refusing to apply his worde to our selves He is heavily jealous as well he may be of that mans estate that will not endure his truth For why consider I pray you what good can be in him what evill can be out of him who rejecteth what God saith it is not possible he should haue any good who will none of that word which is the only ground of all good to vs and the only guide of vs vnto it neither is any euill jmpossible but all most easy to be fastened vpon the man who forsaketh the sole and soueraigne meanes of his good That man must needes heare Satan that heareth not
can finde a fit party for each reproffe he vtters here were for such a one and such a one say they in their vaine thoughts when they heare the minister lay it on vpon such sins as they surmize's them to be guilty off Thus they can soone dispose of all that is delivered and finde roome for it in other mens consciences and conversations as for themselves they conceive nothing to concerne them vnlesse now and then Satan prompt them to put vp something which they imagine may harten them in their prophanes or to lay theevish hands vpon some of Gods sacred promises wherby they may be in the divells and their construction therof abetted in some sinfull course Now to touch these and to teach them better what they have to doe as their duty in this particuler we neede not say much because much of that which hath beene spoken to Gods people in this case doth concerne wicked men also and doth equally presse both to doe that which the Lord requireth Howbeit we must breifely give these vngodly ones something to vnderstand from God for their owne parts in this point that if it may be they may also be brought to better practise First then let them know Motiue 1 that not to apply any thing at all to themselves is a most wofull thing and an evill of strang extent both in regard of injury to God and jmpiety in themselves The Lords injury is not litle when what he speaketh from his owne most sacred mouth and breathed into man by his owne celestiall spirit shal be all in vayne when such holy and powerfull words as his are full of divine vertue and heavenly influence shal be frustrate voyd and of none effect but goe vnregarded as some idle tale all the dayes of a wretched mans life And thine jmpiety is not lesse who as an adder goest and comest dease from the glorious voyce of the God of heaven and by applying nothing makest it to appeare that thy vngodly hart doth thinke that either the Lord hath nothing to say that is worth thy hearing or good for condition or that thou hast no neede of any of all that vnspeakable good which is spoken from him by his messengers Now how these two or either of them wil be answered to the Lord let it be well considered by every sinfull man Secondly Motive 2 it is a most apparant signe of God rejection of a man and of a mans damnation before God when he shutts vp the soule of a man that none of his word can enter and soe close's vp his eyes that he cannot see any of his truth to concerne himself This is most manifest by the expresse words of the Apostle 2. Cor. 4. â— 4 If our gospell be hid it is hid to them that are lost in whome the God of this world hath blinded their mindes c least they light of the glorious gospell should shine vnto them see here they that lay not Gods truth to hart are only such as are lost that is cast away let goe of God into the jawes of Satan as Iudas is sayd to be the lost child of perdition Joh. 17.12 Isa 6. Mat. 13.14.15 And to the same purpose long since spake the Prophet Isaiah Christ after him where he saith that mens harts are hardened and their vnderstandings darkened that hearing they may heare and not perceiue any of Gods truth to be good for themselves and this spirituall obstruction in the judgment is an infaillible argument of Gods purpose to confound the soule and body of a man for ever and ever for soe it is added least they should convert and J should heale them And if we should goe to examples who but reprobates have heard Gods word and not applyed it to the bettering of themselves Nay which is more Note and I desire may be well marked it is impossible that any but reprobates should heare Gods word without all application For why if the Lord give not a man a hart to receiue the word of his grace it is most ceartaine that the Lord hath not a hart to receiue that man into grace Were it not easy to instance Elyes sons whose not taking home to hart their fathers counsell from God is sayd to be the evidence of their destruction note the words of the text well Notwithstanding they obeyed not the voyce of their father 1. Sam. â— 25 because the Lord would destroy them this was the signe of their destruction from God because his word did them no good Vnto these I could adde others more but wee neede not If then this be soe that we see what their state is that apply not Gods truth even a state of perdition that this not application is a most evident signe of this condition I hope it will cause any that shall consider it to cast about and to take better notice of himself in this thing Thirdly let all vngodly men know Motiue 3 that in that which they doe apply now and then to wit such promises as sometimes they snatch at when they heare any thing that doth as they corruptly conceive humor and please them I say let them know that herin they wrong both the Lord his children and themselues The Lord in medling with that which he never meant them for his promises as we have heard are the proper inheritance of his owne people now to be too bolde with that which is the Lords and to vse it amisse is an abuse offered to him His children are injured in that their bread is taken from them by these dogs The blessed promises are their bread and no meate for any that are vngodly and therefore for a wicked men to seize on them is but but the part of an vnmannerly curr who catche's that from his masters hand for himself which he meant his childe should have But the most and worst evill is their owne and that appeareth in this that these promises of God thus vsurped by them are in Gods justice poysoned to them and doe become occasions of their wofull hardening in their wicked courses The Lord doth curse this misapplication of his truth and make's his word thus abused the savour of death unto death And soe they goe on in vngodlines being smothered by the prince of darknes and see not their way to lead vnto death Fourthly Motive 4 and lastly in not applying the threatnings which the Lord hath appointed as their due portion what doe they but in like manner as before injure the Lord who hath assigned them to their soules refusing to receive what he offer 's to them and making vtterly voyd to their vtmost power all that part of the holy booke of God which doth consist of curses terrors and comminations for seing as was sayd before of the promises in reprooffe of the people of God that Gods meane's not his children should have them and vngodly men to whome they are meant by God doe not meane to
take them are they not left voyd as serving for none as good for nothing Besides how many sins are wrapped vp in thy refusall of these threatnings O thou wicked man consider soe is there not infidelity Joh. that thou belevest not they belong to thee and he that beleeveth not is condemned already Is there not pride of hart that stoope's not to that which may humble thee Pro. all that are proud in hart are abhomination to the Lord. Is their not grosse ignorance that thou knowest not the state of thy hart to require this physike and hath not God sworne that ignorant persons shall never come to heaven Psal 95.10.11 They have not knowne my wayes therefore I sware in my wrath they shall never enter into my rest Nay what impiety is there not in this neglect to take notice of that which the Lord would fasten vpon you for your humilitation and soe consequently for your saluation if you would receive the same And doe you not in thus doing forsake your owne mercy and force Gods justice vpon your owne soules How happy were it you could see your vnhappines herin But because you will not conscionably looke after it the Lord will not shew it and soe you sinke and perish in the indignation of God for want of due consideration of it Thus you have your motives such as we can give vnto you to perswade your better care and circumspection touching your selves and your soules estate before the great God of heaven by whome you must be adjudged at the last and great day of his glorious appearance You see that as yet you condition is miserable and accursed for either you apply none of his truth at all or you misapply all you meddle with and his majesty cannot beare either of these both being dishonorable to him and damnable to you Gather these few motives into your myndes and ponder well and throughly vpon them thinke how it is in each perticuler and in them all together let them take place vpon you give no more place to the divell that Gods heavenly word should have no place in you Desire to open your harts to his voyce but first desire him to open them to himself he never opened heaven to any whose hart he did not open to heare and apply his word aright If therefore after all that is sayd you remaine as before closed stopt up that the truth of God cannot enter know for a surety from the God of truth that heauen is shut against you hell only is open to you and thither must you goe to him even Satan that would not suffer you to come to God whose suggestioÌ„s as you obayed soe now shall you receive of the Lord the just recompence of reward due therevnto from his infinite wrath and vengeance for ever and ever But if you will returne and repent he will leave a blessing behinde him â—ocl 2. there is mercy with him for you here there is glory with him for you in heaven And thus much for those motiues that may incite all sorts of men to apply the truth of God Now if any childe of God or any other would know vpon what tearmes they might be bold to apply the promises of grace let them looke back into the signes of their interest into Christ layd open in the former point pag. 55. c. and they will also serve for sound warrant herevnto for whatsoever doth interest vs into him doth together with him give vs right to all other things The end of the second sermon NOw from the application of the things God spake vnto Iacob wee are by due order to proceede to the things that were spoken to him which he doth apply vnto himself and they are lying in these latter words of the verse Returne into thy country to thy kindred I will deale well with thee which words doe containe in them these two particulers 1. a precept Returne into thy country to thy kindred 2. a promise And J will deale well with thee I might take them a sunder and handle them severally and I did intende it but because time will not suffer me to doe soe I will gripe them togeather and intreat of them both at once in one generall instruction and that is this That Doct. 3 whosoever wil be willing to doe as God will haue him shal be sure to fare well The onely way to be well dealt withall is to resolue to be ruled by the Lord to be ordered by him to be at his finding disposing for all our wayes of setling or remooving going or abiding to or from any place to set vpon or let alone any practise This is the high way to be truely happy the onely course that can be to be in a state assuredly comfortable that a man will cast himself and his affaires vpon the Lord and doe in all things as he will have him God himself shall tell vs the truth of this point from heaven and avouch and seale it vnto vs by his owne most sacred word to Iacob which words we see Iacob doth plead before the Lord and fathers them vpon him and vrgeth them to him and the Lord doth graciously acknowledge them as his owne and doth actually accomplish them vpon him as in all other cases he had done before soe in this particuler now in hande wherin though he feared nothing more then hard and rigourous dealing cruell and tyrannicall carriage yet being willing to doe as God bade him he sounde nothing lesse but in stead therof he had all loving intreatie and most kinde brotherly entertainement that might be Now then seing God first spake it to Iacob Iacob doth now vrge it to God God in this ever after made it good to him it is a truth past controversy an vndoubted truth that may passe without all colour of doubt or question It may well goe for a rule That he that wil be ruled by God shall ceartainely fare well Neither did this begin to be a truth now at this time as if it had never beene soe before but it was thus from the beginning and began to be experimentally true as the first man that ever God made gave a law vnto for doing his will can well and soundly certify vs that well doing well-being went ever togeather How much present happines comfort welfare was provided for Adam in the state of his innocency and obedience it had beene happy for him and vs had he continued in his subjection to the law of his maker doe this liue How well was he in his paradice wherin what he was in his person by created nature and grace what he had for his portion in things naturall and spirituall wee can give some guesse out of the records of sacred writtings but what he should have beene had he continued his obedience without transgression when from earth he should have beene translated to heavens happines that
we cannot once conceave neither can the infinite immeasurablenes of it enter our harts in any measure But in what he was and should further have beene in what he had and should further have enjoyed we see enough to assure vs of this truth sufficiently And as true as it was to him he being the roote of all mankinde and in the steade of vs all so true had it beene to vs all had he and we stood in that state of integrity and incorruption wherin he was created Nay that we may yet see the vnmoveable goodnes of God that he is still of the same minde though we are not the same men though we fayle in our obediēce he faile's not in his kindnes Beholde he is God changeth not immutable in favour constant in his compassions a sure freinde to a faithfull man a well-willer to a well-doer still and ever that howsoever we have offended against him provoked greived him enforced him to deprive vs of our happy estate yet hath he raysed vs againe brought vs into such a blessed condition as wherin yet we may be made most happy partakers of the truth of this instruction Passe we from Adam to Abraham and we shall soone see it to be still true The Lord bidd's him goe out of his countrey and leaue all behinde him as now he will have Iacob returne into his and take all with him and now let vs looke vpon the condition and tearmes of his obedience Gen. 12.1.2 cap. 35.1.2 what is promised to him in the text why even this I will blesse thee thou shalt be a blessing and againe I am the buckler thine exceeding great reward was not all this performed to him in truth was not God as good as his word with advantage yes that he was as we all know True it is never any was put to greater matter of obedience and it is as true that never any was crowned with more precious favours and abundant mercyes from God his name is as famous for Gods kindnes to him as his is for obedience to God We reade of the faith of Abraham wherin he was so famous that he is enstyled the father of the faithfull and Abraham is honoured not onely in his graces before men but also in his extraordinary prerogatives receaved from God he being called the freinde of God which honourable appellation was not by name given to any in all the olde testament but yet it is vouchsafed to all the faithfull by Christ in the new I call you no more seruants but freinds and againe Joh. 15.14 Gal. 3.14 yee are me freinds if yee doe whatsoever I command you and the blessednes we have by Christ is entituled the blessing of Abraham that the blessing of Abraham might come vpon the Gentiles c. Now what happines Abraham found in yeelding himself to God to doe as he would have him in all things the same founde his posterity also and generally not to insist vpon any more particular instances the Lord hath entailed our welfare to all his precepts as we may finde in all and every of them that nothing is more frequent then the promises of his grace annexed to the promise of our obedience still the Lord fasten's and tye's the one too the other every where Moses is most abundant in many places in this particuler Deut. 5.29.33 cap. 6.18.24 cap. 10.13 cap. 12.28 cap. 16.13 almost in every chapter of Deuteronomie no one thing is so often itterated as this Take heede doe according to all that I command you that it may be well with you with your children for ever It is ordinary almost in all chapters and often found in divers verses of some one And to the end we might be sure of all absolute assurance of all this good in thus doing the Lord doth as it were put vs into possession of the same saing And all these blessings shall come vpon thee cap. 28.2 shall ouertake thee first all in generall all these blessings shall overtake you secondly every one in particuler as it is in the verses following where thy are particulated at large Neither is Moses the only man that thus speake's but the Prophets also vtter the same words very oftē speake the same language every where as it were most easy to instance in more places then time will permitt vs now to quoate Say yee it shal be well with the righteous saith Isaiah Isa 3.10 Jer. 32 29 I wil doe thus and thus saith God by Ieremiah for the wealth of them and their children speaking of his covenant of grace Testimonies you see would abound if we should muster vp all that we coulde finde in the scriptures but we will spare them and enquire after some reasons of the point and they are these that follow First if this were not a truth that Reason 1 they that wil be ruled by God shall fare well then there were not nor could be any encouragement at all to any good for what hart can any man have to be obedient to the Lord and to submit to his law if soe be we might not be sure of something for soe doing All these good words of God were worth litle and men should have small mynde to bende themselves to the best obedience of their harts and lives to please the Lord in all things if it were not for the hope herof and that they might build vpon this blessednes wherof we speake But we must know that nothing of all this that the Lord saith is any whitt in vaine neither can be but that every jott and tittle of it was and is truly intended vnto the faithfull by him who never spake any thing but seriously as he did indeede mynde and intende the same Secondly Reason 2 if this were not so the divell would prove at least semingly to the world a better pay-master then God for why he promise's and makes proffers to such as he can bewitch to doe his will of great things Mat. 4.9 Job 21. Psal 73. So he did to Christ All these things I will giue thee So the Saints complaine in Jobs and Davids dayes how well wicked men fared in all respects being the servants of sin and Satan wondering exceedingly how and why it should be or could be soe And good Ieremiah he was even at his witts end Ier. 12.1.2.3 stumbled soe shrewdly at this that he was almost cleane downe and even driven to a non-plus when he saw how well it went with wicked men Now because the Divell who although in no sense indeede he can be and yet to the blinded sence of sinfull men he seeme's to be a better master then the Lord and also to the end that no enlightened minde should once imagine any such thing God himself will have vs know that his promises and his payment too are such and soe royall that as we say in our proverbe there is no
be learning better by hart every day that I may expresse it in life more and more to my last day It is a lesson which I may in good sence entitle the summe and abridgment of all the lessons and truthes of God I have taught you from time to time every of which wherto have they tended but to informe you in the point of obediēce to the Lord vpon the blessed hope of his heavenly promises of your best welfare to be accomplished vpon you It is the lesson wherin the Lord himself instructed Adam as being the abridged modell of his whole minde Doe this and liue and thence the Apostle call's our obedience to God Micah 6.8 obedience to life The prophet Micah taught it in his time he hath shewed thee O man what is good what the Lord requireth of thee c And if the Lord have shewed vs what is good let vs shew our selves vnto him in all good carriage conformable thervnto for what he require's is not only good in act before him but better in issue for vs. VVe were created to good works that we should walke in them saith the holy ghoste Nay doe we not daily pray that his will may be done of vs Thy will be done c And if to be ruled by God were the end of our creation and the ayme of our petitions as also considering as we have seene that in thus doing we shall receiue endles felicity and consolation O deare christians let vs even in our soules endeavour our vtmost herevnto let the almighty evermore master and manage our harts and liues to rule and overule both according to the good pleasure of his will that we may approove our selues to be vpright practitioners of the power of this truth Soe shall we be sure to have the Lord to freind to liue in his favour here and afterward be as sure to liue with him and see his face for ever and ever for himself hath assured vs that they that haue done good shall goe into life everlasting And vnto the building of you all vp in the assurance of this most blessed condition both my preaching vnto you and my practise before you my prayers for you have all jointely and severally done their best from time to time as the Lord hath enabled me since I first came among you and you soe lovingly cast your early and vnexpected kindnes vpon me Since which time that I may with your patience pardon tune this my last string to that sweetest straine both touching you and my self and make cleare declaration before God and Angells and men how I haue beene with you and how you haue beene with me and we both with each other and soe while I can begin to sing to my beloved a song of my beloved because when I come to speake of our parting I can be no more musicall but mournefull and not my harpe-but even my hart-strings will faile Suffer me I beseech you to open my selfe vnto you and to rip vp and relate the manner both of my Entrance amonge you and of my Continuance with you and how our God hath dealt with vs both in both these My entrance Vthes 2.1 Touching the former I presume I may make vse of the Apostles words and appeale vnto them and apply them to my particuler on your behalfe Bretheren you your selues know that our entrance in vnto you was not in vayne Reu. 3.7 You well know that he that hath the key of David who shutteth and no man openeth and openeth and no man shutteth you know I say and soe doe I that it was he that vnlock't your loving harts and set open the dore of your christian desires to my first entertainement and employment soone after my arrivall in this place whenas I being a meere stranger among you I might not with reason have any such hope or expectation yet beyond both I found your abundant favour Strange loue among strangers much like that which hath beene spoken off but most like that which God who is loue hath freely shewed to vs without merit when we were strangers and enemies also to him But they that are most like him in mercy shal be most like him in glory Touching the latter My cōtinuāce Act. 20.18 to wit my Continuance with you since this my Entrance I will also take vp the same Apostles words you know from the first day that I came after what manner J haue beene with you at all seasons you have not beene strangers either to my publike ministration or to my private conversation in both and either of which I have desired to lead you towards heaven with light of truth and life according to the truth I taught so farre as frailty might permit I am not willing to speake much of either yet something I must say of both but all I speake shal be vere and verecunde with modesty and truth For my personall carriage and demeanor I have ever aymed at such a course in the whole passage therof as might be safely jmitable to you all that you might follow me with a right foote in that happy way wherin the holy Ghost doth advise vs to make straight pathes vnto our feete Heb. 12.13 that we might run the way of Gods commandements This I say was my ayme and that I dare boldely say and I have gone as neere it as I could but through weaknes or want of due watchfullnes I know I have erred trodden a-wry being sometimes wyde sometimes short of that we should striue vnto I hope you all acknowledge that all flesh and blood may doth miscary and if we be any thing more through the grace given vs of God yet have we soe much more of that worser then of this better part that there can be no possibility of our perpetuall vprightnes before men who are our fellow offendors how much lesse before the Lord whose eyes are soe peircing and soe pure To arrogate Papall jmmunity of being infallible in judgment or vnblameable in life to affirme a possibility of not erring in either is blasphemously to derogate from the Lords owne excellency who alone is able to challenge the whole world to taxe or attaint him in any yea the least appearance of any evill whatsoever For my speech when God hath given vs occasion of private discource as by your most kinde and ordinary invitations of me to your ordinaryes we found many opportunityes when we did eate our bread together with cheerefullnes you are my witnesses that I have tempered my talke to the time to the persons present and matter presented If it were diuine as many a time it was we have had heavenly sawce to our earthly foode you know I had ever laboured your edification and building vp to God in the saving knowledge of his sacred will in all points passages incident to every kinde of divinity and according to the quality and nature of the question