not seen It is certain that by the special Providence of God they are more eminently upheld confirmed in their state of integrity governed in their motions and actions by God and that in a more eminent manner than other inferiour creatures but I intend no discourse of that 2. The second object of special Providence is Man 1. Mankind considered in the general All men and women are under more special acts of Providence as to Preservation and Government than the grass or the beasts the inanimate creatures or the brute creatures but neither shall I make this the subject of my discourse The Psalmist speaks of man in the general Psal 8.5 Thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands thou hast put all things under his foot All sheep and oxen yea and the beasts of the field 2. But Secondly The Church of God and more especially those that are the invisible part of it that glory not in appearance only but in reality and have not only a name to live but live indeed are the more eminent objects of special Providence I say first 1. The whole visible Church by which I mean the whole body of people whom God by the Preaching of the Gospel hath called out to an external profession and visible owning of the Lord Jesus Christ The Church of the Jews of old Amos 3.2 the whole body of that Nation circumcised and visibly owning and serving the true God were under more special Providence than all the world besides The Christian Church is so Canaan of old was the land which God cared for and he hath a Canaan now his whole Church which he doth care for and for whom he exerciseth a more special Providence both in the preservation and Government of them 2. But yet the invisible part of the visible Church that is that number of Professors whose Profession is not only visible to men Psal 33.18 but their faith their sincerity their true holiness is seen by God who love and fear the great God in truth and holiness these are the most special objects of special Providence Only one thing let me more add in an answer to this Question that neither all mankind not members of the Church nor all Churches nor all Saints are under the same or equal influences of Providence and therefore Divines have distinguished special Providences into those which are more extraordinary or ordinary the former are more miraculous or little differing from miracles the latter are more equal and ordinary and so will be the more the subject of our discourse All men are not restrained as Abimelech was All Churches are not preserved in a red Sea a wilderness have not Manna rained from heaven to feed them nor Waters brought out of a rock to satisfie their thirst as the Jewish Church had All Saints are not taken up to Heaven in a fiery Chariot as Elijah nor preserved in the Lions Den as Daniel or in the fire as the three children But there is 1. A special Providence attends every visible Church of Christ 2. And every one who is a true believer and puts his trust in the Lord. I come more particularly to shew you by what more particular acts the Providence of God discovereth Gods special care for his Church and for particular Souls Quest 3. By what more particular acts doth the Providence of God discover Gods special care for the visible Church and for particular believing souls 1. As to the Church of God 1. He preserveth it so as it shall never perish You know the promise The gates of hell shall not prevail against it Matt. 16.18 God preserveth the individual Being of every particular man He holdeth our souls in life but yet his being shall fail there will come a time when he shall not be Our Prophets are gone our fathers where are they God preserveth the Beings of Polities the Kingdoms and Empires of the World but these also have their periods where are the great Empires of the Medes and Persians the Grecians the Romans c He so preserveth his Church that it shall never fail this is a Specialty of Providence Men shall dye Kingdomes shall dye Empires shall come to nothing the Church shall not dye This woman may flee into the Wilderness from the red dragon as in Rev. 12. Where she hath a place prepared of God but there she shall be fed 1260 days the earth shall help the woman Rev. 12.16 Christ will be with them to the end of the world God so preservetth no creatures no Polities no Societies of men whatsoever 2. A second specialty of Providence relating to the Church seems to be a special Ministry of Angels Heb. 2.14 Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who are heirs of salvation Who are those that are heirs of salvation but the Church of God Acts 2.47 And the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved 1 Cor. 11.10 The woman ought to have power over her head or a covering over head because of the Angels There have been many Divines who have thought that in the Government of Providence some particular Angels have the charge of particular Kingdoms and Provinces and Churches You read Dan. 10.12 The Prince of the Kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty one days but lo Michael one of the chief Princes came to help me and ver 21 There is none that holdeth with me in these things but Michael your Prince There are some also that interpret thus The Angels of the Asian Churches mentioned in the Revelation but most interpret them of the Pastors over them but certain it is the Angels whether one more specially or no have a special Ministry towards the Church of Christ Psalm 91.11 He shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways I shall not enlarge upon this for though this seemeth to be plainly enough in Scripture revealed yet the particulars of their Ministration are not so clearly revealed as we can assert much distincty concerning them Dan. 12.1 At that time saith the Prophet shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people The Angels stand up for the Church that is a Specialty of Providence 3. Thirdly All Gods extraordinary acts in the Government of his Creatures have been for his Church It was in revenge of their oppressions that God sends ten plagues one after another upon Pharaoh it is for them he suspendeth the Laws of Nature for them the waters of the Red-sea then the waters of Jordan divide for them it was that the Sun stood still in Gibeon and the Moon in the Valley of Ajalon in the time of Joshuah That the earth opened Numb 16 and swallowed up Corah Dathan and Abiram It is for his Church that natural Beings have acted beyond their ordinary capacities Hail-stones are
Who could have imagined either the first Plantation of Gospel-Doctrine and Churches or the after-reformation of it when Popery had everywhere obscured it had not God by an infinitely-wise Providence first fitted the circumstances of the world to his own works To give you an instance so late that it is in most of your memories The Restauration of our present Soveraign was a great work of Providence had not God fitted the circumstances of the three Nations for such a work with how much tumult confusion and blood-shed must it have been effected It were easie to make the same observation of particular Providences relateing to our selves we shall find that God brings forth his works in their seasons and his season is always such as the Wit and Wisdom of Man had it been to chuse could not have chosen a fitter He maketh every thing beautiful in his time saith Solomon Indeed this is all the beauty of Providence almost which we discern Beauty in persons lyes much in symmetry or proportion of parts and mixture of colours There is a Beauty of Providence that lyes in the symmetry and proportion of it to the revealed Will and Promises of God but the further beauty of Providence lyeth in the seasonableness of it and the fittedness of Gods work to the circumstances of the world or of our persons at that time when he produceth it And herein we understand much of the loving-kindness of God But I shall add no more to this Observation SERMON XX. Psalm CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I Am going on in making some special Observations concerning the motions of Divine Providence Five I have already made and discoursed I proceed now to a sixth Observ 6. It usually subordinateth the civil affairs of the world to the Religious concerns of his Church 1. The world was of old divided into the circumcision and the uncircumcision that is Jews and Gentiles The Jews which were the circumcision made the visible Church until Christ's ascension or at least until he came in the flesh Since it hath been divided into Jews Christians and Heathens I speak not meerly of the name Christians that I know was first given the Disciples of Christ at Antioch but I understand under that notion such as own Jesus Christ and the Doctrine of his Gospel these make up the New-Testament Church the Gospel-Church the whole number of them makes up the Church Catholick visible Those of them in this or that Nation make up the visible Church in such a Nation Indeed a particular Organical-Church can consist of no more than so many as have either explicitly or implicitly agreed to walk together under the charge and inspection of such or such Officers 2. But there is a world amongst Christians as well as amongst Heathens all Hypocrites and seeming Professors who are carnal and savour nothing but earthly things make up this world which is opposed to the invisible Church which is restrained to the number of true and real Saints who glory not in appearance but in truth and reality Now this Church of God is that which God hath set his love upon above all other people in the world 1. The first and great objects of his love are those whom he hath chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world and for whom in time Christ dyed and whom God hath effectually called and translated out of darkness into marvelous light These are those whom God hath set a part for himself Psal 4.3 A chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people to shew forth the praises of him who hath called them out of darkness into marvellous light 2. Next to these is the whole body of the visible Church To the body of the Jews appertained the Adoption and the Glory and the Covenants and the giving of the Law and the Service of God and the Promises Rom. 9.4 5. And as the Scripture mentioneth divers priviledges which were peculiar to the Jews and are to the Church as to have the Oracles of God the Word and Sacraments so doubtless there are many promises which relate to the whole body of the Church which argue Gods peculiar kindness to that body of people Whether it be because God hath more honour from them than from Pagans or for the sake of his invisible Church which is amongst them I shall not undertake to determine certain it is that the thing is so Now the Observation which I make is but a further evidence of this love that God by his Providence disposeth and governeth the affairs of the world in a just subordination to the good of his Church and to those wise ends which with reference to that he is bringing about and this is true both in reference to the Pagan world and the Christian world according to the design which God hath by which he doth design to do good to his whole Church so he disposeth and governeth the affairs of the Pagan world And according to the design God hath by which he designs to bring about good to the sincere Servants of God in any place so he disposeth ordereth and governeth the affairs of ungodly men amongst whom they live This will appear by a twofold Observation which you shall make 1. Concerning the variety of the same people's spirits 2. Concerning the variety of their actions 1. As to the variety of the same people's spirits with reference to the Church of God and those especially in it that walk more fully and close with God It is matter of astonishment to those who do not wistly consider the wheel within the wheel or the spirit of the living God within the wheels upon which all the great actions of the world do turn the world is sometimes all in an uproar against those they nickname Puritans that is such as exercise themselves to keep a good conscience both towards God and towards men for that is the true description of such a person and if profane and carnal men hate some that are otherwise in their Conversation it is but their mistake for they think them so holiness and strict walking is the thing they hate revile and maligne If you were of the world saith our Saviour the world would love its own but because you are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you John 15.19 sometimes again the scene is quite altered that of the Prophet Zechariah is fulfilled Zech. 8.23 Ten men take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew saying We will go with you for we have heard that the Lord is with you men stand amazed at this The People of God are the same walk in the same method of Conversation but the hand of God is in the thing Sometimes God designeth in his external Providence to smile upon his people and give them some breathing-time a few halcion-days
the ignorance and sottishness of the Popish-Clergy together with their covetousness ambition and debauchery to grow to that heighth that they grew an abomination to all men And as it is in the Political and Ecclesiastical body so it is as to the particular persons of Christians the Providence of God ordinarily disposeth the body according to the work which he hath to do upon the soul But that is more forreign to my observation therefore I shall not inlarge upon it Besides that I spake something to it under the former observation which hath some cognation with this this only differing from it in this shewing you that the Providence of God doth not make the Church lacquey to the world but he makes the world lacquey to the Church and subordinateth the business of the world to his own great designs relating to the Church Now if you ask me the reason of this it doubtless lyeth Reas In the peculiar favour of God to that people in the world which bear the name of his Church You have an expression Psal 87.2 The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Sion was the place at the foot of which the Temple was built where all the worship which God had in the world performed according to his will was performed The tabernacle in Shiloh was forsaken Psal 78.60 God hath a particular kindness for any place for any persons amongst whom his true worship is and where he hath placed to himself a Tabernacle though God had a kindness for the whole seed of Jacob yet he loved the gates of Sion above all the dwellings of Jacob because that was the place where his worship was regularly performed It holds still under the New Testament and will hold to the end of the world wheresoever God hath a Church or people he hath a particular kindness for that people they are in Scripture called the house of God God is said to dwell and walk amongst them and God hath yet a more particular favour to those that are the invisible part of the visible Church I mean such as truly belong unto God that worship him in spirit and in truth that fear the Lord and hope in his mercies as the Psalmist expresseth it Psal 33.18 All the world is nothing to God in comparison of this little flock to whom it is his will to give a Kingdom He hath given them his Christ and shall he not with him give them all things This were easily to be proved to you from a variety of Scripture and arguments drawn from thence Now supposing this it is no wonder if he subordinateth his works in the world to his designs here This is that Canaan which the Lord careth for and upon which his eyes are from one end of the year to another Deut. 11. His heritage the dearly beloved of his soul Jer. 12.7 His peculiar treasure his sister his spouse the redeemed and ransomed of the Lord his portion in short there is a multitude of expressions by which God hath shewen that his Church the whole body of people owning and professing him and especially those of them that worship him in spirit and truth and walk up to the rule of his word are dearer to him than all the world besides He calls them his bride Rev. 21.9 His beloved Psal 108.6 His building 1 Cor. 3.9 His City Heb. 12.22 His chosen generation 1 Pet. 2.9 His family Eph. 3.15 His husbandry 1 Cor. 3.9 His Kingdom the lot of his inheritance Now considering this it is no wonder at all that the Providence of God should manage all the affairs of the world in subordination to his designs for the good of this body All the relation of God to others is but that of a Creator and they are no better than the synagogues of Satan as to the Divine Worship that is in them and the throne of Satan with respect to the homage of their Conversation They are called children of wrath of disobedience of the curse strangers and forreiners If God sometimes gives up his people into the hands of wicked men it is either 1. For his peoples good to purge away their dross and take away their tinn as the Prophet expresseth it or for to ripen sinners for their destruction that they may by it fill up the measure of their iniquities Methinks you have a full proof of this Observation in the 105 Psalm the Psalmist in that Psalm is calling the Church of the Jews to give thanks unto the Lord to sing unto him to talk of all his wondrous works Then followeth a recapitulation of those great things which God had done for them amongst which this is reckoned that he subordinated his motions of Providence amongst the men and the nations of the world to his gracious designs for them Vers 14. He suffered no man to do them wrong yea he reproved Kings for their sake saying Touch not mine anointed do my prophets no harm and so he goes on almost quite through that Psalm Now I say the reason of all this was his love set upon this people As most of us have some particular persons that our heart is most set upon some particular interest and design that we drive on now whoever those persons be or whatever that design be we make all the rest of our actions to be subordinate to that So the great God having set up his glory as his great interest and design and set apart him and them that are godly for himself it is no wonder at all if he ruleth all the world and governeth all the affairs of it in subordination to this great interest and the good of this people I now come to the Application of this Observation Vse 1. In the first place as I said before upon the other Observation so I say here From hence a wise and observing Christian may in a great measure know what weather it is like to be in the Climate of the Church How it is like to fare with them that are the People of God They are and always were the far lesser part of the world and their quiet and tranquillity to look with a rational eye doth much depend upon the complexion of the men of the world and their inclinations if God intends a calm and tranquillity to the Church he usually so ordereth the world that the earth helps the woman the men of the world either out of good nature or which indeed mostly is the business out of interest shew them kindness Hence you shall observe that when God intendeth the tranquillity and prosperity of the Church his Providence ordinarily bringeth one of these things to pass 1. He sometimes raiseth up some eminent servant of his to do great services for the men of the world this you see in the case of Joseph God had designed the Jews a prospering multiplying time in the land of Egypt he raiseth up Joseph makes him a Privy-Counsellor to Pharaoh yea the second man
or Christian For the Jewish Church he that runneth may read it in the whole story of the Old Testament Moses makes a large recapitulation Deut. 1. ch 2. ch 3 and ch 4 and the very bent of his Discourse is to shew the eminent special Providences of God for them above all other people and Nations upon the Earth In short the whole story of the Jewish Church after Moses his time until Christs coming is all but an eminent proof of this Doctrine After Christs coming and ascension the Christian Church was formed encompassed with Enemies on all hands the Jews on one hand the Heathens on the other The Jews power indeed was not much they were at first under the power of the Romans and in a few years utterly destroyed by them but the Heathens over-spread the World The Roman Empire was then in its glory They were full of Philosophers and learned men to whom the Gospel appear'd no better than foolishness They were established and rooted in Idolatry and very jealous of their Religion The Christian Church began with twelve men most of them Fishermen one indeed a learned man Paul was afterwards added to them What think you must there not a great deal of special Providence be shewed to preserve this little flock these few men sent out to plant the Gospel over all the World that they should go and in despight both of Jews and Gentiles spread the Gospel over all the World It is true there were great persecutions great havock made by the Enemies of the Church amongst them for three hundred years but this still evidenceth the more special Providence of God watching over them working with them that though they did what they could to blow out this light and had all the power in the World on their side yet neither the Philosophers and Orators of the World with their Philosophy and Rhetorick could argue and perswade the World from this New Doctrine nor all the force and rage they could use could fright the World from it nor root it out of the World neither destroy all the Ministers nor root out all the professors but a number should be left in all places and after three hundred years an Emperour should arise that should establish the Christian Religion and make it obtain in all places It is true after this the Christian Church degenerated admitted foul Heresies Idolatry and Superstition and it became with the Christian Church as it was with the Jewish Church in the days of Elijah Prophets were hid in caves Elija complained he was left alone yet God had his seven thousand in Israel that had not bowed the knee to Baal nor kissed him with their lips Antichristianism had so prevailed in the Christian Church that the sincere and true Professors were few A few in the valleys of Piedmont A few in Germany who stuck to the truth did it not argue a great and special Providence of God to watch over these few keeping them that they were not swallowed up by their numerous adversaries Luther began the Reformation in Germany and began it almost alone One poor man against all the power of Rome God preserved him alive prospered his works in his hands Indeed this Doctrine of special Providence needeth no other proof than what might be afforded it from the story of that great man who considering what he did and with what an undaunted spirit and courage he did it lived almost every day by a Miracle and yet went down to the grave in peace in a good old age like a shock of corn in its season as Job speaketh For particular instances of the special Providence of God towards particular Saints the time would fail me to tell you the particular stories of Abraham Jacob Joseph Daniel David and there is hardly any child of God living but will find it in the records of his own life that hath been preserved more than other men There is no truth more wrote with a Sun-beam than this great truth of Special Providence is Now if any man ask me the reason of it it is enough to say So it pleased God God is free in these as in other of his dispensations but yet let me shew you the reasonableness of these more particular and special Providences 1. It hath been an old Observation That Gods Providence is most eminently exercised about the noblest of his Creatures Angels and Men but I know not how to make this Notion out The Angels are more noble creatures than men spiritual substances of vaster capacities according to this observation they should be the more the objects of special Providence but I say I doubt this I am sure there was one great act of special Providence in which the Angels were not concerned Christ did not take upon him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham 2. But Secondly Of the whole Creation Angels and Men are those creatures whom in Creation he was pleased most to fit and capacitate for the great ends of his glory for an active designed glorifying of his holy name Let me open this a little 1. The great end of all the actions of God is his own glory The wise man tells us That the Lord made all things for himself Prov. 16.4 Indeed if we wisely consider the thing it must be so every rational agent worketh for some end and his reasonable nature constraineth him to work for the best end God is the highest reasonable agent and as he can do nothing in vain but for some end so he cannot but act for a good end and for the best end Now this could be no other than himself his own honour and glory so that as the Apostle saith of Gods swearing because he could swear by no greater he sware by himself so we must say of Gods working because he could work for no better no higher end than his own glory therefore he wrought for himself whatsoever he did he did for his own honour and glory Now as I have said before 2. If we diligently consider it God cannot be otherwise glorified by his Creatures than by their praedication and publication of his honour and glory The essential glory of God is neither capable of augmentation nor of diminution no creature can add any thing unto that Now look Thirdly As a man may be honoured mutely or more livelily so may God For example A Limner draweth a curious piece which is exposed to view he gets a great deal of honour credit and repute by it the Picture is a dead mute thing and hath no voice to praise its maker by nor any understanding or will to praise him from any intention and design and choice yet it honoureth him the Workmanship and Art of it gives the Limner a repute to all that view it We will now suppose this Limner to have two Sons both excellently bred up in Arts and Sciences c. but the one a rude debaucht fellow rebellious to his father yet a man
of parts and as he sheweth his breeding and education upon any subject he honoureth his Father But the other Son is dutiful loves his Parent makes it his business to commend him to all you will say That this Limner though he receiveth some honour from his mute and dead Picture and some honour from his rude and rebellious Son yet the dutiful Son is he who bringeth most honour and repute to the Father This is the case betwixt God and his Creatures God hath made the Sun the Moon the Stars the Earth the Seas the Whales the Lions and Elephants the Eagles the little Silk-worms all these are pieces of the Divine Workmanship all give honour and glory to God but it is done mutely and passively The vile and wicked men of the world that are rebels against God yet give a glory to God The structure of their bodies the endowments of their minds honour God who made them and gave them those excellent features qualities and endowments God useth them some of their vile and malitious actions to bring about his wise and glorious ends but God doth but as it were extort his glory from them But now the people of God out of choice and design and by a voluntary act and constant study give honour and glory to him Obedience is better than sacrifice doing of his will is more acceptable to him than burnt-offerings The glory God hath in Heaven from Angels and the Souls of just men made perfect is from their voluntary praising of him and doing of his will therefore we pray Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven Now I pray observe Fourthly Angels and men are the only creatures capable of an active voluntary designed glorifying of God The Heavens and in them the Sun the Moon the Stars glorifie God but they know it not they are inanimate creatures not capable of knowledg The brute creatures act not from any principle of reason they have no rational nature and though God hath glory from them yet it is not from any principle within them so that Angels and Men being rational Beings have a further capacity to serve the Lords great end in bringing glory to God than all the Inanimate Creatures yea than all the vegetative or sensitive Creatures in the World Fifthly Amongst men The whole Church of God in the general is that body of people where there is any voluntary glorifying of God Psal 29.9 In his temple doth every one speak of his glory The whole visible Church bringeth an active glory to God it is the Pillar upon which his Proclamations of truth and grace are hung forth to the view of the World Psal 76.1 His name is great in Israel In the Church whether in truth or in sincerity all men glorifie God by a professed subjection to his Ordinances and an outward owning of him Sixthly But Lastly God is most eminently glorified by his Saints 1. They do it most heartily steadily and fully What hypocrites do they do in a meer shew and outward appearance As they glory in appearance so they glorifie God but in appearance from the teeth outward as we say there is nothing of heart design and choice in it they indeed glorifie God but we may say of their honouring and glorifying of God as the Prophet said Isa 10.7 of Assyria's serving God Howbeit he meaneth not so neither doth his heart think so but it is the godly mans choice design study and he doth it more steadily the hypocrite is in and out he glorifieth God one hour by confessing his sins putting up prayers to him reading his word singing his praise and spits in the face of God the next hour by swearing and cursing and blaspheming by drunkenness and disobedience and the godly man glorifieth God most fully the hypocrites action is but the action of his outward man he doth not glorifie God as the godly man doth in body and mind and spirit 2. Godly men glorifie God sincerely so do no hypocrites no formal professors All hypocrites aim at themselves they do what they do as our Saviour said of the Pharisees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be seen of men the godly man driveth no such designs nor hath a squint-eye in his actions which appear to be directed to the glory of God the glory of God is the first the main of his design 3. Lastly The godly man is he alone whom the Lord hath set apart for himself whom he intendeth to take up into Heaven to pursue the great end of his glory to all eternity Now the glory of God being the great end to which he directeth all the general and particular acts both of his preserving and of his Governing-Providence it from hence appeareth exceeding reasonable that Providence should work both in preserving and in governing the world by these different degrees and with these Specialties which I have shewed you God is more glorified by men than either by inanimate creatures or by any vegetative or sensitive creatures More by that body of men called his Church than by Heathens amongst whom his name is not known More yet by godly men whom he hath set apart for himself and who steadily designedly heartily sincerely set themselves to pursue the great design of his glory than by any hypocrites and formal professors therefore it is but reasonable they should in their degrees be cared for preserved and governed by God in a more special and eminent manner But I shall add no more to the Doctrinal part of this discourse The Application still remains for the subject of further discourse SERMON XI 1 Cor IX 9. Doth God take care for Oxen I Am come now to the Application of my former Discourse You have heard that God doth not only exercise some general acts of Providence in the preservation and government of all his creatures but some special acts of Providence in the preservation and government of some creatures in a more particular and eminent manner Though God doth take a care for Oxen yet he doth not take such a care for Oxen as he doth for Angels for men and amongst the children of men particularly for the members of his Church and amongst them for such as are not so only in an external visible profession but in truth and sincerity they are under the highest Specialties and care of Divine Providence The Doctrine of Gods Special Providence concerning Angels and mankind in the general and the Polities and Societies of men I much passed over The former being much a secret to us and not much concerning us and my Discourse being not amongst Heathens but to a Congregation which universally is within the pale of the visible Church I therefore most enlarged upon the Specialties of Divine Providence as you know with reference to the Church of God and those in it who truly fear God accordingly I shall sute my Application In the first place Vse 1 Let this instruct all that hear me this day in the
others preserving your lives your health blessing you in your relations and estates and trades prospering and succeeding you in your undertakings above all what he hath done for your souls more than for the souls of others plucking you as brands out of the fire snatching you as the Angels did Lot out of Sodom 3. Lastly This observation of special Providence will more eminently engage and quicken you to duty God expects it from you as you may see by Moses his discourse to the Israelites in the four or five first Chapters of Deuteronomy and you will find your hearts more enlarged in duty from the sense and apprehension of them But of this more under the next branch of Application Secondly Vse 3 This Doctrine of special Providence calleth upon all mankind in general that part of them which make up the Church of God more especially and yet more particularly those that fear the Lord for more special homage and duty to God those gradations you know I observed in special Providence The objects the general objects of it I told you were Angels and Men. I baulked the discourse of Gods special Providence in the preservation and Government of the good Angels as that the particulars of which we know little of so neither are they those to whom we are to preach neither do those blessed Spirits need any of our exhortations they spontaneously perpetually and without ceasing give honour and glory to God and do his will and this in a degree proportioned to that special Providence by which they are both preserved and governed We are bid to pray that we might be able on earth to do the will of God as it is done in heaven it is to men to the sons and daughters of men that I am to speak 1. Let all the sons and daughters of men then praise God and glorifie him in a degree proportioned to that special Providence which God exerciseth toward them in general You will say what is that I answer in the general It is more than that which God exerciseth towards any degree of creatures that is beneath them There are three orders of creatures beneath man 1. Such as have only Being no life as the Earth the Waters c. 2. Such as have Being and life but no sense as berbs and plants 3. Such as have Being and life and sense but no reason as beasts birds fishes creeping things of all these God taketh a care as I have before shewed you but doth God take care for Oxen saith the Apostle in my Text God exerciseth a more particular special Providence for all the children of men than for any of these Then certainly every man is obliged to honour and glorifie God more than these do There is none of these but glorifieth God in its kind The Heavens declare his glory The little Bee and Silk-worm glorifieth God as they are his workmanship and indued with excellent qualities which speak the infinite wisdom of God every spire of grass glorifies God as it sheweth it self to the world and challengeth all the art of men to make such a thing Nay these inanimate and brute creatures use all the faculties and qualities with which they were created to the end for which God indued them with them Alas the best of men come much short none liveth and sinneth not None lives who useth not some of the faculties which God hath given him for his honour and glory to his disservice and dishonour Wherein then can man live up to the special Providence that watcheth over preserveth and governeth him I answer In the voluntary directions of his words thoughts and actions to the glory of God This no creature but man can do they have no reasonable souls they act meerly ex necessitate naturae according to the necessity of nature imposed upon them by the Law of creation God indeed hath an honour from every man as he is created in the image of God and is a noble and glorious creature One man may more speak the praises of God than another as he is indued with a greater wit or wisdom hath more dexterity sagacity more excellent parts than another but while the poor creatures heart is not right-set and bent and directed to the glory of God wherein doth he more than an Element or a brute Beast that man only in this excelleth a Stone or a brute Beast that with purpose of heart out of choice and designedly honoureth God and quotus quisque est how rare is the man in the world that sets his heart to bring God glory by his manlike actions God hath indeed an accidental glory by most mens actions but it is rather to be said that God is glorified by them than that they glorifie God Now what a sad reflection this is for a wicked man to think that his horse more glorifies God than he doth There 's no man liveth but partaketh more of a special Providence than any other creature not of his order certainly God expects from all of you some service proportionable to this particular Providence Say to your selves sometimes What do I more for God than the flower of my Garden the grass in my field the beast in my stall and see if the answer of your souls to such a Question will not reflect a shame upon you O study your special Providences and live up to them remember that where God hath given much he expects much But rest not here do not only study the special Providences which you are under as men and which are common to all men with your selves or to the most of men with your selves but observe and study also the particular Providences that have followed you for which God expecteth a return It may be you have more wit more wisdom than others you have a greater dexterity in business God hath better provided for you given you a better estate more comforts in your relations c. Oh live up to these Specialties of Providence you will expect it from those to whom you have at any time done any good you are mistaken if you think that God doth not expect it from you 2. This more especially calleth to you who are the members of the visible Church for a more special consecration and dedication of your selves unto God You have heard that the Church is an eminent object of special Providence many ways many special Promises are made to it and that is the body of people of the world whom God careth for see then what a particular obligation lieth upon all professors all members of the visible Church to give God honour and glory You are the only people in the world to whom the Oracles of God are committed you are the pillar of truth you are those who do alone enjoy the Ordinances of God you are the people in the midst of whom God dwelleth upon whom the eye of God is from one end of the year to the other Certainly there lies an high obligation
wheel we see nothing in it that resembleth God the great workman we see in it nothing of the Divine Wisdom possibly nothing of the divine goodness and loving-kindness but could we have patience till the Lords work came off the wheel we should easily see it in quite another representation we often see in Gods works of Providence nothing but confusion and blood and trouble and multiplied troubles and disturbances to those who most fear him and desire to walk most closely with him But in the evening of that day saith the Prophet Zech. 14.6 it shall be light The day neither light nor dark but in the Evening it shall be light Gods peoples days sometimes are plainly darkness thick darkness but would we have patience to the evening of them we should see light The Evening is the close and making up of the day When God cometh to close up his days work did we but observe Divine Providence we should easily understand that it would be light Sorrow may be for a night but joy shall be in the morning So as I say again This is one great reason why at all times we cannot understand the loving-kindness of the Lord to his Church and his people because we do not observe the motions of Divine Providence but take only a slight and superficial view of them I shall conclude this Discourse with an Exhortation to the duty of the Text The observation of the motions of Divine Providence Vse 2 In my last discourse I discovered to you some unsearchable things in Divine Providence and cautioned you against too curious an Enquiry into them My business now is to call upon you non caecutire in revelatis not to be blind as to those things which God hath revealed This also is your duty as well as the other by the former you acquit your selves from an unwarrantable curiosity by this from a wretched unthankfulness The Providence of God is daily working in order to the fulfilling of Gods great end the glorifying of his great and holy Name the establishing of his people c. 1. Do not rest in a meer view of what is done in the World but fix your eyes upon it Lay up the things in your heart let your thoughts dwell upon them the remarkable passages of them especially You see and hear of Wars and rumours of Wars inundations fires changes and over-turning in Nations of powers and Dominions you at present understand not the tendencies and indications of them you cannot make up a judgment of them and prophecy what will and shall be from them but yet observe them lay up these things in your minds yea and let them not pass out of your minds as we are to hear for the time to come so we are to behold and observe the motions of Providence with a respect unto a time to come too Do not think you can expound every Providence presently the vision oft-times is for an appointed time and is to be expounded by time in the mean time only to be diligently marked and observed taken notice of as a great work of God the meaning of which we shall understand hereafter Divines say That the meaning of many Providences and our clear understanding of them is one of those things wherein our knowledg shall be bettered and perfected in the day of Judgment and till that time when the hidden things of God as well as of men shall be made manifest we must be content to know but in part 2. Do not secondly observe meer single acts of Divine Providence but let your Eye follow it in its motions God sometimes hath his works a long time upon the wheel especially those relating to his Church I will give you two famous instances 1. The establishing of his ancient Church of the Jews in Canaan The promise was out for it Gen. 12 to Abraham it was more than five hundred years before this work was off the wheel of Providence four hundred years before they went out of Egypt where they were in bondage forty years they travelled in the wilderness then during all the time of the Judges yea and in Sauls time too they were but in a very unquiet condition In David and Solomon's time they came to a setled estate in the promised Land There was a Promise given out unto Christ for having the ends of the earth for his possession David mentioneth it Isaiah prophesieth much of it After this Christ comes was crucified c. And it was three hundred years after this before these Promises had any considerable accomplishment Indeed as to particular persons their beings are of shorter duration and the Providence of God brings about the promises to them in much shorter periods or they could see nothing of Gods loving-kindnesses in the issues or contextures of them but take heed there of resting your Eye upon the observations of some single acts of providence relating to them those who should thus have observed the motions of Providence with reference to Abraham Jacob Joseph David Daniel Job would have seen little of that loving-kindness of the Lord to them which yet is evident enough to all that keep their Eye upon their story to the winding up of their bottoms Now to this observation of Providence you have two great Arguments in the Text 1. It is an Indication of spiritual Wisdom A wise man looketh not only at present things but at things past and yet to come Now Wisdom is a lovely thing It is justified of her children saith our Saviour Every man desireth the reputation of a wise man and studiously avoideth the reproach of a fool Two things speak a fool 1. To observe and mind nothing Or 2dly Meerly to take notice of things present and gather conclusions from them 2. Thus you shall understand the loving-kindness of God Then you will see that all the paths of God towards his Church are mercy and truth Truth not a word failing of the promise and mercy working for the good of them that love God yea thus you that fear the Lord shall understand the loving-kindness and truth of God to your particular souls A thing the evidence of which is and ought to be of more value to you than the whole World I will conclude my Discourse by giving you three Cautions to direct your observation 1. Observe the Providence of God when it seemeth to move contrary to his Word but never determine the Indication of it without the Word Indeed the Providence of God never moveth contrary to the Word it is always a servant to some Declaration of the will of God in some promise or threatning but it often seemeth to us to move contrary which made the Psalmist cry out Doth the promise fail for evermore The reason of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that deceiveth us is our imperfect knowledg or understanding of the Word of God and non-acquaintance with the Counsels of God and contrivances of his Wisdom and the variety of those
unlawful thinking to add to the day of small things this way Abraham failed in this going in to Hagar so did Asa in the instance beforementioned though he acted otherwise when the Ethiopians and Lubims were against him Indeed nothing is more contrary to faith than this it speaketh a plain distrust in God nothing is more improper and needless supposing the truth of this Observation 4. The last thing to be done in such a case is Prayer to God to supply by his arm what is wanting in humane means To this Asa and Abijah all the servants of God in such distresses have had recourse God will be found in a way of Prayer SERMON XVIII Psalm CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I Am pointing you to some observable things in the motions of Divine Providence though the way of God in it be in many things unsearchable and past finding out Three Observations I have already made justified them by plenty of instances and endeavoured to give you some reasonable account of them and suted some Application to them I proceed now to a fourth which you may take thus Observ 4. The Providence of God as to its works relating to his Church and people rarely as to circumstances answereth the expectations and confidences of the best of Gods people I will open it in two things 1. God never faileth the grounded expectations of his people as to any thing which he hath promised Psa 9.18 The expectation of the poor shall not perish Their expectation is upon God and their Souls wait for God Psalm 62.5 and their expectation and confidence in him shall not fail They that trust in him shall not be ashamed It is made the portion of a wicked man Prov. 11.7 Prov. 10.18 that his expectation shall perish but the hope of the righteous shall be gladness The Wiseman saith His expectation shall not be cut off Prov. 23.18 The reason is plain The expectation of good men is an expectation of faith and the object of faith is the word of God and heaven and earth shall pass away before one tittle of Gods word be it of promise or precept shall fail Many promises as to the Jews and as to Gospel-Churches are fulfilled some are yet to be fulfilled Antichrist is yet to be destroyed The Jews doubtless are to be called in a more plentiful manner than they have yet been There are many Scriptures that seem to assure a more united peaceable glorious state of the Church Now these Promises are matter of Gods peoples expectations and as to the things promised the expectations of the poor people of God shall not perish for ever the things shall certainly be accomplished If their hopes and expectations and confidences might fail the word of God the truth of God might fail but this cannot be 2. But secondly as to circumstances you shall observe God rarely answereth the confidences and expectations of the best of men unless they be part of the Promise By circumstances I understand whatsoever is not essential to the thing promised Particularly 1. Time when a thing is done 2. Place where a thing is to be done 3. Particular persons by whom as Instruments God will do his work 4. Particular means or actions by which the things should be brought to pass These and such like I call Circumstances as to which Gods Providence often fails not only the earnest desires and expectations but the highest perswasions and confidences of men yea even of such as fear him 1. As to persons Who if he had not exactly considered the Promise subjoined to what God had said they should four hundred years be servants to the Egyptians and it was not like Joseph should indeed live so long but I say if he had not considered that but only received a notion of the delivery of Israel out of Egypt would not have thought Joseph should have been the man who should have given conduct to that motion Who would have expected it from Moses a poor Hebrew child exposed to the next tide in a thin Ark of Bulrushes yet by Moses Providence did the work When Moses had done that work and given them forty years conduct in the Wilderness and was grown an experienced Commander who would not have thought and expected that he should have led them over Jordan and given them possession of the promised Land But Moses must die and his servant Joshua must do it In the captivity of Babylon the believing Jews doubtless had great expectation of a deliverance according to the Promises so often repeated by the Prophet and unquestionably they had their expectations upon this and that person probable to have done it but who could have dreamed that Cyrus should be the man The Army of Israel under Saul might reasonably have expected that some or other of the great Soldiers which were at that time doubtless in the Army of the Israelites should have encountred Goliah Who could have thought of a Shepherd's coming and doing of it with a sling and a stone There is a Promise under the New Testament for the bringing down of Antichrist the ruin of Babylon how often have mens expectations been upon this or that or the other Prince to have done it and to what strange confidences have some even good people grown that this or that person should be the man should pull Antichrist out of his Seat we see hither to God hath failed all their expectations the person appears not that shall do that great work and when he shall appear it is likely that it shall be one never talk'd of never thought of Secondly As to Time We have a strange curiosity to know the times and seasons which is not for us to know but are reserved only to God Tell us say the Disciples when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the World Matth. 24.3 Acts 1.6 Wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel There are three great Promises or four concerning the Churches of God the fulfilling of which we yet expect 1. That for the destruction of Antichrist 1 Thess 2.7 8. 2. For the full conversion of the Jews Rom. 11.26 to speak nothing of many other Texts which look that way 3. Christs second coming of which you know the Scripture speaketh plentifully 4. A more calm and flourishing and peaceable state of the Church which many Scriptures also seem to look toward whether for a thousand years precisely under the conduct of Christs coming personally or no hath you know been much disputed but the generality of the most inquisitive Divines into the will of God do think there shall be a more peaceable and calm state of the Church of God Now it is strange to observe the curiosity of many in searching out the precise time when these things or some of them should begin or be Some have fixed this
a knowledg too high too deep for thee Providence usually bringeth home both the promises to the Saints and the threatnings to the Sinners in a way quite different from what they looked for or it may be expected it in I have spoken enough already to take Christians off this but yet because it is a great point a thing wherein we are prone to slip and wherein our slipping is more than ordinarily dangerous let me spend a little time further to argue you out of this vanity and to direct your Souls in the expectation of the fulfilling of Divine Promises 1. Consider how much the strength of your souls is spent and how vainly in the expectations of your own fancies As the expectation of that for substance which God never promised is but the expectation of our own fancy so neither is the expectation of what God hath promised under such circumstances as are no part of the promse Now the strength of our Souls runneth much out in such expectations Let a man but fancy that in such a year Babylon shall fall The Jews shall be called The thousand years shall begin That by such a time the Church in distress or his Soul in distress shall be delivered It is strange to observe how the Soul will spend it self upon such a Notion the thoughts of men run upon it their wits are bent to interpret dark Scriptures into their own fancies it presently becomes the main article of their faith and the great argument of their hope and the whole subject of their discourses and at last possibly they are enforced to acknowledg that they had a lye in their right hand The Prophet useth the expressions upon an higher argument but yet they are applicable here Why spend you your strength for that which is not bread and your labour for that which will not profit There is nothing that is bread for a Soul but the Word of God it hath pitied my Soul many times to observe many otherwise I hope serious persons how they have spent themselves in such Enquiries and expectations as these Consider secondly how the faith of your souls is often endangered and shaken by your disappointments in these things I do but name this again for I before enlarged upon it How ready are we to dis-believe the Promise wholly because it comes not in the circumstances that we fancied it would come The Apostle was aware of this great Evil and therefore when some had been prophecying in the Church of the Thessalonians of a sudden coming of Christ to Judgment he writeth to that Church 2 Thess 2.1 2 Now we beseech you brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him that you be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us as if the day of Christ were at hand Let no man deceive you by any means The Apostle saw that this hasty and ungrounded expectation of Christs coming under such circumstances as he had now here revealed did not only tend to the troubling of Christians when they saw themselves disappointed but also to the shaking of their faith as to the thing it self and therefore beseecheth them by the coming of our Lord Jesus and by their gathering together unto him what can be the meaning of that but this If ever you expect the joyful coming of Christ and would keep your faith steady as to it if ever you would be with us gathered unto him concern not your selves in those who would limit the Promises to the circumstances of their own fancying Let them pretend Revelations of the Spirit or wrest the word of God yet faith the Apostle let them not deceive you You have an eminent instance of this shaking of Christians faith so consequential to this limiting of God to circumstances Luke 22.31 There was a Promise of redeeming Israel Christ had been crucified and three days were passed and they had heard nothing tending to their expectation say they We trusted it had been he which should have redeemed Israel and besides all this to day is the third day since these things were done Their faith began to shake as to the main Promise because Providence in the accomplishment of them did not fit it with the circumstances which they had fancied Thirdly Consider it much hindereth that duty of waiting upon God which the Scripture so often presseth upon us I need not mention particular Scriptures there is hardly any one duty more pressed upon Christians in Scripture than this patient waiting upon and for God Now how doth that Soul wait upon God that limits God to his circumstances of time place means persons he indeed waiteth upon those circumstances a while but when he is disappointed as to them he knoweth not how to wait upon God any longer The Soul which truly waiteth on God leaveth circumstances unto him You will say unto me in the next place What then is the duty of a Christian with respect to the Promises whether concerning the Church or his own soul in particular I answer to receive and embrace them and be perswaded of the truth of them and leave unto God the way time manner and circumstances for fulfilling of them which he hath not revealed going on in the way of our plain duty till God shall please to give a being to his Word You shall see your duty Heb. 11.13 These all died in the faith not having received the promises but having seen them afar off and were perswaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth What promises were these The promises of Canaan of the Messias Abraham saw Christs day and rejoyced saith our Saviour They received these promises in their ears God revealed his will for these things they saw them afar off as things like to come to pass many years after they were perswaded of them of the truth of them that God would give them a being they embraced them with thankful believing hearts and lived so as that they confessed themselves strangers and pilgrims of the Earth in a constant course of self-denial and fulfilling the will of God and in a crucifixion to the World they never stood troubling themselves to search out the particular time and circumstances when and which way God would do these things but kept in the faith of the Promise leaving circumstances unto God Let us go and do likewise I shall conclude this discourse with a Text of our Saviours Luke 17.20 21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God should come He answered and said the Kingdom of God cometh not with observation Neither shall they say Lo here or Lo there for behold the Kingdom of God is within you Let me a little open these words to you The Kingdom of God that is the great things which concern the Kingdom of God these are not brought to pass and come
then they shall find favour in the eyes of the great men of the Earth and of their lesser neighbours another time he designeth to scourge and chasten his people then every ones spirit shall be up and their tongues let loose against them Thus it was with the Israelites Gods ancient people Exod. 11.7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue The Psalmist telleth us Psal 105.23 24. That Israel came into Egypt and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham and he increased his people greatly and made them stronger than their enemies Vers 25. He turned their hearts to hate his people to deal subtilly with his servants 2. The great variety of actions in the world doth also demonstrate this In the 12th of the Revelations you have as Divines think shewed unto John the state of the Gospel-Church there represented under the notion of a woman cloathed with the Sun having the Moon under her feet travelling and in pain The Devil and his instruments the Enemies of the Church set out under the notion of a great Red Dragon Vers 3. Having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns This Dragon was cast unto the earth and there ver 13. He persecuted the woman who had the wings of an Eagle given her by which she fled into the wilderness where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent vers 15. The serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away off the flood Now vers 16. it is said That the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the Dragon cast out of his mouth Very good Interpreters by the Earth there understand V. Paraeum ad loc Homines terrenos per quos saepe aliud agentes Deus Ecclesiam suam mirabiliter protexit The men of the Earth by whom though they intend no such thing God often wonderfully protecteth his Church God sometimes designeth to scourge and chasten his people for their sins then all the world is in arms against them sometimes again he designeth to increase his Church and give them further ground to enlarge their Territories and increase their borders he then accordingly disposeth the spirits of the men of the world and the truth is the various complexion of those Nations in the world that are Enemies to the Gospel of Christ and of those persons that are certain Enemies to the power and practice of Godliness is a thing of which an account can hardly be given by him that doth not consider this That God hath a people in the world that are dear unto him and with whom in the wisdom of his Providence he dealeth diversly sometimes exalting and lifting them up another time humbling them and keeping them low and with relation to these he governs the hearts and actions of Princes and great men and of the lower sort of men also subordinating the affairs of the world to his designs with reference to these people God hath a design to multiply the seed of Jacob according to his promise though there be a famine in Canaan it shall not destroy them his Providence directeth one of that family to be sold into Egypt to become a great man there to save much people alive to give them rest and a time to multiply there peaceably Exod. 1.7 And the children of Israel were fruitful and multiplied and increased abundantly and waxed exceeding mighty and the land was filled with them Exod. 1.7 But there was another part of the promise to be fulfilled they were to come out of Egypt and to inherit the promised land of Canaan God accordingly ordereth the actions of the Kings of Egypt they shall grow jealous of them and set themselves to destroy them He turned their hearts to hate his people saith the Psalmist and to deal subtilly with his servants David is anointed to be King over Israel and Judah and to the Kingdom he must come the Philistines shall protect him he shall flee to them for sanctuary against Saul and they shall afford it him On the contrary God hath a design to chasten the Israelites and David their King the Philistines shall be their constant Enemies seeking all advantages against them There is nothing more remarkable in Divine Providence than this is Who seeth and is not astonished sometimes to observe the strange difference in the complexion and inclinations of the wicked world to Gods little remnant in it The ebbing and flowing of the Tide of which none that I know hath as yet given the world a satisfactory account is not so unaccountable a thing as this is If we do not admit of the hypothesis of this Observation Will not any one be amazed to consider how the Gospel should at first have gotten any footing in the world but for this What a strange thing it was that John the Baptist the harbinger of our blessed Lord should be suffered to come preaching in the wilderness and so plainly to point out the coming of the Messias that Jerusalem and all Judea and all the Region round about Jordan should go out to him confess their sins and be baptized of him that immediately upon this Christ should come and meet with that acceptance he did though indeed it was true that the generality of his own received him not That first the seventy and then the twelve should go out to Preach the Gospel and Paul alone should carry it from Hierusalem to Illyricum and the great persecutions should not arise till the Gospel had got such a footing that it was not to be rooted out but they rather tended to the furtherance than to the hinderance of it I say these were all strange things to him that considereth not how God to this great end subordinated the affairs of the world The Jews were then tributary to the Romans and so in no capacity to shew themselves such hinderers of this as probably they otherwise would have been The Romans were a great while more careless in the matters of Religion while the Gospel continued in Judea it made little noise in the world and was looked upon but as a division amongst the Jews in matters of Religion in which the great masters of the world concerned not themselves so much and when the Apostles first carried the Gospel amongst the Heathens it was at first little taken notice of while the Christians grew very numerous so as ten persecutions succeeding one another could not root them out and the same thing you shall constantly observe in any great works of Providence relating to the Church It could not have been thought that Germany and France should have so easily fallen in with the carrying on of the Reformation if the Providence of God had not first fitted the world for it by the complexion of Princes the diversity of their interests by suffering
second place get an acquaintance with the promises of God Two Sorts of promises you must be acquainted with if you would bring your hearts into this frame of silent waiting for God 1. All those promises that are made to the Church and people of God for support and comfort in and under troubles and deliverance out of them of which the Scripture is full such as these Psal 94.14 The Lord will not cast off his people nor forsake his inheritance Read at your leisure Psal 128.6 Jer. 29.10 Mic. 4.4 11 12. Isa 27.5 7 8. Isa 33.20 Jer. 33.6 A second sort of promises are those that are specially made to this waiting upon God Psal 37.9 Psal 27.14 Isa 40.13 Wait upon the Lord and he shall strengthen your heart They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength like the Eagle they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint The promises in Scripture of this nature are very many These are but a specimen of them 3. Lastly Labour to be acquainted with the ways and methods of Divine Providence which is to deal out dispensations of mercy to his people not presently but after their waiting upon him some time Habakkuk 2.3 The vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak it shall not lie though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry The Church in her Song saith Lo this is our God we have waited for him to this is our God we have waited for him we will rejoyce and be glad in his Salvation 2. Secondly Beg of God a waiting frame of Spirit As there is nothing more sinful in it self nor more tormenting to our selves in an evil day than an impatient hasty Spirit so there is nothing more conducive to our glorifying of God nor to the quiet of our own Spirits than a silent waiting Spirit This the God of Heaven must give and he giveth it to them that ask him beg of God those graces which may dispose thee to this patient waiting I might instance in many habits of grace necessary to bring the soul into this waiting temper I will touch only upon 4 or 5. 1. Beg Faith of God Faith in his Word and Promise He that believeth maketh not haste The hastiness and impatience of the Soul floweth from its distrust in God for the fulfilling of his Word 2. Hope is another gracious habit which disposeth the Soul to waiting we hope for what we see not for what we see why do we any longer wait for 3. Humility is a third the proud soul thinks much to wait he looketh upon mercy as his due and thinketh that God wrongeth him whiles he withholds it from him the humble soul believeth that it deserveth nothing and is therefore willing upon the least crevis of hope to wait upon God 4. Pray for patience a passive patience this is necessary in order to the bearing of evils Lastly Pray for meekness a froward Spirit is always an hasty Spirit and knows not how to wait Now to press this duty upon you I shall but name to you several Considerations leaving them to be digested and inlarged upon in your private thoughts 1. Consider first It is the work of thy day The question is what God would have a child of his do when the enemies of Religion and godliness are very high and rampant and the people of God are low poor and afflicted and God suffereth wicked men to devour those who are more righteous than themselves as if men were under the same providence as the Fish of the Sea and the Beasts of the Earth where without any regard to right or wrong the greater devoureth the less at such a time as this what should a good and righteous man do Let Solomon answer Prov. 20.22 Say not I will recompence evil but wait on the Lord and he shall save you Hence you shall every-where in Scripture find the Church and people of God resolving upon it and the Lord when he instructs his people what to do in an evil day this is that which he directeth Isa 60.9 Zech. 3.8 Hab. 4.5 Isa 8.17 2. It is that which God hath alone left for you to do in such a day Our Eyes of sense in such a time are quite put out we have nothing to do at such a time but to stand still and see the Salvation of God Jer. 14.22 Are there any amongst the Gentiles that can give rain therefore we will wait upon thee we have nothing else to do we have none else we can wait upon therefore we will wait upon thee 3. It is that which hath been the practice of all the people of God and what they have called their souls to in evil times Psal 52.9 Psal 62.5 Indeed it is the whole business and life of a child of God It was the practice of the Church Mic. 7.7 And of Job The Saint hath the promise of heaven but he must wait for it 4. Thou hast ground enough to do it the Power of God the Goodness and Truth of God are certainly a sufficient ground of encouragement to any soul to wait upon God who hath promised help and is so true that he cannot lie who is able to help and to do more abundantly than we stand in need of and who is Infinite in Goodness and wanteth no love to prompt him to come in to the relief and succour of his people 5. Waiting upon God gives God the honour of many Attributes It giveth Him the glory of his Soveraignty His Wisdom His Power His Truth and His Goodness 6. It is a great evidence of your Faith He that believeth maketh not hast 7. It is that which in a day of evil will distinguish you from wicked and ungodly men they cannot wait upon God but break out into fits of impatience c. 8. There is nothing so effectual in an evil day to help thee to keep down thy corruptions to silence thy temptations You have heard it in that to which many promises are made That your waiting upon God is pleadable as an argument for the mercy which you desire In short there are very many Arguments might be used to perswade this silent waiting upon God but I have before spake to many of them and shall therefore add no more to this Discourse SERMON XLIX Rom. IX 15. For he saith unto Moses I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion upon whom I will have compassion I Am as you know attempting to expound the hard Chapters of Divine providence giving you some account of those Motions of it which to us appear most difficult I have brought these under some heads propounding to speak 1. First To such as concerned the exhibition of the Covenant of works after the establishment of the Eternal Covenant of Redemption and Grace And 2. The Exhibition or tender of grace to all indefinitely after the Decree of
to judge as God judgeth and particularly as to this point of growth in grace we must judge of it according to the means and helps of grace which the person hath had considering the natural temper of the person as also his temptations and afflictions which he hath had to put him back we must so judge of his growth and thrift Possibly his circumstances have been such as have necessitated him in order to getting bread to live in a Town in a Family where he hath scarce ever heard a good Sermon nor hath had any means of Instruction no good examples to go before him and quicken him in the ways of God Possibly he hath walked in the dark and seen no light his life hath been a life of many afflictions great temptations thou hast lived where thou hast had a great plenty of spiritual food all imaginable means to promote the work of God in thy soul In such cases as these thy brother is the object of thy pity and prayers and all the charitable assistance thou canst give him but by no means of thy censure 5. Lastly This Discourse doth highly solicite your charity for those who differ in their apprehensions of some Principles of Religion from you And here if any where I had need plead with you for charity for although it be evident that it is not in the power of a man to believe what he would but the assent of the mind to a Proposition must necessarily be according to the evidence of the truth of the thing which his understanding hath yet it is matter of amazement to consider what Feuds what Alienations in Affection are the products of Differences in Opinion As if Heaven were entailed to Understandings of one Complexion There alwayes were in the Church of God and there alwayes will be different apprehensions in some matters of Truth and generally they have brought forth disorders great disorders in mens practice each one hugging his particular opinion as if he judged himself and none but himself infallible And even Protestants declaiming against an Infallible Head upon the Earth will yet arrogate an Infallibility of Judgment unto themselves When as nothing is more demonstrable than that my brother hath as much reason to quarrel with me for differing from him as I have to quarrel with him for his differing from me unless he will say I cannot be deceived but you may which would give a just foundation for the renewing of that old question of the false prophet Which way went the spirit of God from me to thee Doth any one say I have Scripture for my Opinion So saith the other Doth he say I think I am verily perswaded of it by the spirit of God So saith the other Doth he say But I have divers learned and good men of my mind Truly there are not very many differences of any moment but his brother may say the same Will he say But the Church wherein I live is of my mind Be it so this indeed should much regulate sober Christians as to the publishing and divulging of their opinions to the disturbance of others but it ought neither to rule Faith nor to guide private Practice If it doth the particular Church which all confess fallible is made the Rule of Faith or the Supreme Judge of it neither of which it can be What mean therefore these heats The Question is still about a Judge in the case Whether a mans particular conscience must not be the proximate rule of his actions If it must not what must We have lost the very Basis of the Protestant Religion and shall whether we will or no be sorced to Rome to find an Infallible Judge and when we have done that we have but cheated our own souls for he is not to be found there though one may indeed be found that arrogates that Title and to whom credulous Proselytes give it How much better is it to stay at home and act according to that excellent Canon of Saint Paul Phil. 3.15 Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing you be otherwise minded God shall reveal this unto you The confessed Golden Rule Whatsoever you would that others should do unto you the same do you unto them again if it were well studied by Christians would put an end to all their little bickerings upon this score to all their prejudices one against another all their uncharitable Judgings and Cenfurings of one another all their eagerness against and persecutions one of another One thinks the Government of the Church should be by Prelates another by Presbyters a third by Common Suffrage Suppose all these agreed in this that without faith and holiness no man shall see God Let every one walk in this way they will at last meet in the Kingdom of God One thinks Children should be baptized another thinks that none ought to be baptized till he be capable of instruction and making an open profession of faith and holiness Yet may both these truly receive embrace and rest upon Jesus Christ as their alone Saviour their failing is but in a single point of obedience there indeed one of them must fail if they practice according to their principle but who liveth and sinneth not against God Who judgeth every sin in event damnable especially where the error too is in matter of judgment which a man hath no power to over rule his own Faith and Perswasion in and to practice contrary to what he is perswaded to be his Duty were but to play the Hypocrite to sin against the light of his Conscience and interpretatively against the Mind of God and that wilfully Mistake not the Kingdom of Heaven is not intailed to Parties but as in every Nation so amongst all Parties who so believeth in Christ feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of God Take heed of embracing Propositions which are inconsistent with that Faith and Holiness without which none can be saved There is also another uncomfortable sort of Propositions viz. Such as who so holdeth and practiseth up to them will be obliged to break Communion with all or most Churches And here I must lament the unhappiness of them that are fallen into the mistake of the Seventh-day-Sabbath I have known some of them whom I could not but think persons truly fearing God but certainly next to Errors in Fundamentals which will divide a soul from the Head Christ Jesus such as divide from the Body are of most dangerous consequence For the Christian Sabbath I make a doubt whether there be any thing which is not plain in Scripture which comes to us by an universal tradition of the Church but that alone no considerable number of people in any Age of the World ever disputed it whence as also from the Scriptural proof though raised by consequence for it there is not this day a very considerable number of Christians in the World but do observe it as the Lords Sabbath
the seventh part of our time which the Fourth Commandement hath consecrated so as those under a different perswasion in this thing are under a necessity of breaking Communion in solemn acts of Worship with all Churches and this is very sad and uncomfortable Study to be rooted and grounded in every Truth though every Proposition of Truth be not of that value as to break Unity and Peace for yet there is not any but is worth searching and inquiring after but if after all you cannot be reconciled to your Brethrens Opinions nor yet reconcile them to yours learn according to the Apostles Precept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to speak to contend for to hold the Truth in love and to be charitable to those whom you may discern of different perswasions and apprehensions from you God as I have shewed you doth in great wisdom permit these different apprehensions in his people God may have received those that so differ do you receive them because God hath received them Thus I have shewed you how my fore-going Discourse may be useful to you for the improvement of your charity It may also be useful to you for the improvement of your piety and that divers wayes 1. Vse 2 To teach you to adore the divine wisdom in these different dispensations of his providence You cannot understand why God suffereth some of his people to be weak weak in faith weak as to their spiritual habits and exercises you think God might have more glory if they were stronger and their habits were more confirmed which is certainly true as to the actings of those particular persons the more strong any one is in faith the more confirmed he is in the habits of holiness the more undoubtedly that single person would glorifie God but the Government as of particular souls so of the whole Church is upon Christs Shoulders And in the government of his providence he so administreth the affairs of particular souls as he may have the most glory from the whole Besides God ordinarily governs his people not by miraculous operations but by ordinary reasonable means Which two things being supposed Gods infinite wisdom appears in the different sizes and statures of his people in their different states and complexions Every one hath that measure of grace and knowledge which best suiteth the good of the whole Body of his Church which as the body natural hath different members and those of different uses and must be so disposed as shall render them most serviceable one to another and the whole most serviceable to the great design of Gods glory Let us not therefore trouble our selves in disputing the equity and reasonableness of Divine Providence in its motions for though we cannot by searching find out the Almighty unto Perfection yet you see there is no such variety in Gods Dispensations of this nature but a reasonable account may be given of it And as to these Dispensations it will appear at the last that those who have least shares of this hidden manna will have no lack of enough to bring them to Heaven and those who have the greatest portions of it will find they have nothing over 2. But in the second place This Discourse affords a great argument to promote holiness in all our souls The subject of my Discourse hath been not the dispensations of the first grace but Gods further manifestations unto the souls of his people And you have heard it given as one reason of Gods variety in the Dispensations of them That some souls walk more closely with God are more afraid to offend him and more careful to please him than others are For though the soul as to the Reception of the first grace be meerly passive yet as to the receiving of these manifestations in the several degrees of them it is many ways Active All therefore that I have to do is to call upon you to perfect Holiness and to shew you what force there is in this Argument to ingage you to it Holiness is a great General comprehending whatsoever is the Duty of Man pursuant to the Will of God All Duties both to God and Man fall under the Motion of it as well Acts of Righteousness towards Men as Acts of Devotion towards God yea and not Acts onely but even secret Thoughts and those powers and habits of the Soul which are the Principles of such Acts. When I therefore upon this account call upon you to perfect Holiness my meaning is that you should study that perfection of Spirituality and Heavenly Duty which God requires of you but for the sake of those that are weaker and because there are some pieces of Holiness which do more properly and immediately trend towards the reception of these gradual manifestations and the omission of which may in a more peculiar and special manner hinder the reception of them and provoke God to deny them let me open this general in some few particulars 1. First Take heed of all wilful sinning for if we consider the with-drawings of these Divine Influences as punishments of sin as undoubtedly sometimes they are it is hard to say what wilful sinning God may not thus punish Davids sins of Murther and Adultery were acts of unright ousness towards men yet God punished them in this manner as we may gather from his penitential Psalms there is no sort of sin that I know but may for a time separate betwixt God and the Soul and make him to hide his Face from it That Christian therefore that would have these manifestations of God unto him these abidings of the Holy Spirit with him must be Holy in all manner of Conversation having a respect to all Gods Commandements as well those of the second Table as those of the first Conscience may check and reflect sourly upon the soul for any of them and where that doth so reflect and check there will be little Peace and Comfort little Life and Vigour unto duty little Growth and Progress in the Ways of God Herein therefore exercise your selves to keep a Conscience void of offence both towards God and towards men to keep your selves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit 2. Secondly In a more particular manner take heed of all earthy mindedness 1 Joh. 2.15 Love not the World nor the things of the World if any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him v. 16. For all that is in the World the lust of the Eyes the lust of the Flesh and the pride of Life is not of the Father but is of the World Pleasure Profit Honour is all that the World can afford any man A man given up to the pursuit of pleasure or of worldly profits and advantages or worldly honours and preferments scarce can have any true love for God and the promise of manifestation is made to him that loves God and keeps his Commandments The Apostle telleth us That to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is