drunk with the wine having the the wind at my back and the reines on my neck I am running like a blind mettlesome horse with full carreer in the easy and smooth but slippery waies of jolity and pleasures into the pit of distruction farre be it from me to count it a misery to slide and have my legs broken with Affliction that I may goe no further or to meet with such a crosse in my way in these crosse and crooked waies of death as may violently throw me into the path of life If I am like a mad man and ready to destroy my selfe have I cause to be sad for it or is it my misery to be bound as the expression is Job chap 36.8 No I should rather chuse to cut of my right hand my selfe and pluck out my right eye and voluntarily throw away any thing that is most pleasant to me rather then in keeping of it displease and offend my God or my brother or my selfe or my conscience Moreover Affliction as it brings us out of love with the pleasures of the creatures and the pleasures of sinne so it brings us in love with God and the pleasures of godlinesse which are then most when there are least of the others to the godly man's unspeakable joy and comfort Who can chuse and if ever you were well affected you will say so but be ravished with and desire more of that exceeding weight of comfort that is to be found in most secret meditations of most confident prayers to most familiar converses with all the three persons of the most blessed Trinity now none of these exercises are better done or with lesse dissturbance then in a time of adversity VVho would not love godlynesse ever after that should work such effects in such a time if it were never so little while 'T is strange to see what excellent fruits there are of such a seeming dead tree VVhat profit and gaine by such a dead trade as suffering of affliction seems to be to a believer at the first view and to a carnall eye at any time Believe it these fruits are recompence enough and enough I will set down therefore for a third particular wherein Afflictions are beneficiall viz because they make us doe like children when some body hath beaten them or when they see their enemies about them viz to cleave to God to keep us closer to our Fathers side and cling the faster about him A child that is alwaies at home with his Father either knowes not or thinks not what a happinesse it is to have a Father A Father is little more to him then another man He can never love him so well or prize the enjoyment of him so much as one that hath been sometime absent from him and knowes the want of him The way to be much in love with any thing is to see it but seldome and none knowes the value of a thing better then he that is put to buy it The time of Affliction is God's usuall time both of calling the uncalled before and calling home againe the rest 'T is his time when he will be sought and found of men and 't is his time when he makes them to seek him In the second of Chron 33 12 and 13 't is said of Manasseh When he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himselfe greatly before the God of his fathers and prayed unto him and he was intreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him againe to Jerusalem into his kingdome Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God So Isa 19 22 it is said of Egypt They shall returne even to the Lord and he shall be intreated of them and shall heale them After the children of Israel have suffered affliction in captivity then saith the Prophet they shall stay upon the Lord the holy one of Israel in truth Isa 10.20 The Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit and a wife of youth when thou wast refused saith thy God In the same Prophet chap 54.6 And thus much did Azâ—ria testifie to Asa 2 Chon 15 3 and 4. * 'T is said of Christ Heb 5 8 Though he were a son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God and without a teaching Priest and without law But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel and sought him he was found of them And as the absence of the person of a father so likewise doth the discontinuance of his favour encrease the love of the child and make him more obedient to his command If a child be alwaies dandled upon the knee and suffered to have his will and never denied a request 't is a thousand to one but at length he scornes the love that is so cheap and be by so much the more disobedient by how much he hath the lesse cause 'T is the ready way first to make him sinfull by his forsaking his father then to make him miserable by his father's forsaking him Faire weather and the sunshine of prosperity may cause thee to presume runne out and play off too farre like the wanton conies from the rock of defence and so bring thee into danger but the stormes of adversity unlesse thou art unreasonable when thou art in will make thee keep in and unlesse thou art insensible when thou art out will make thee runne in againe Surely afflictions if thou hast any thing of a Sonne in thee will make thee hang about and depend upon God and look up in his face as the child does to his father with teares in thy eyes and prayers and cryes in they mouth and never leave moaning before him till he take thee up and hug thee in the armes of his Spirit set thee down againe with this gracious answer Be still and feare not there is nothing shall hurt thee thy faith hath saved thee and my love shall never leave thee 4. Afflictions are beneficiall not only because they make men more willing and able to seek God but as I hinted but now because God also is more willing and more easy to be found in a time when we are to seek or at a losse and can find no comfort from any thing else And therefore whereas David in one sense said in the time of great water-flouds they shall not come near thee I say in another In the time of great water-flouds or in time of adversity they shall come near thee and then best of all and best welcome and with best successe God is a present help at all times but he is a very present * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 helpe in time of trouble Psal 46 1. God is not as men are to take most notice of those that are greatest and are able to requite and to slight others No he hath not despised nor abhorred the
Jesus Christ And these things write * I see no reason for Beza's sit communio let it be because of these words I unto you that your joy may be full 1 Joh 1.3.4 Now the Spirit is a third person whose company Christians enjoy and upon the account whereof their condition affords them matter of rejoycing For although they enjoy the Father and the Son by the Spirit yet may I well put this for a third enjoyment because they enjoy the two first but by hope and desire and by meanes of the Spirit which they shall not have such need to doe when they come to Heaven but the Spirit they enjoy immediatly and it workes immediatly upon them and not by objects only for that is rather the businesse of God's providence then the Spirit Now can it be imagined that a man can live a sad life that hath a Comfortour not only with him but within him as our Saviour told his disciples He dwelleth with you and shall be in you Joh 14.17 Must it not needs be a great helpe to joy to one that is travelling to Heaven I say not to be led by the hand but in a manner carried on towards his home To have a word constantly behind him saying This is the way walke in it whensoever he shall turn either to the right hād or to the left Isa 30.21 When there is so great danger of errour and the danger of errour is so great to have for his guide the Spirit of truth within him Joh 14.17 chap 15.26 chap 16.12 Is it nothing think you for one that was once under the law of sinne and death now to live and be led by a Spirit of life Rom 8 2. Is it so slight a cause of joy think you for one that was once a poore ignorant soule and seeth millions round about him remaining in that condition perhaps for ever to have the Spirit of wisedome and revelation to have the eyes of his understanding enlightned so as to know what is the hope of God's calling and what the glory of his inheritance in the Saints and what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power towards believers who believe according to the working of his mighty power Eph 1 17.18.19 Can there be a more joyfull thing to a man that was once only under the law a meere servant and continually in feare * Heb 2.15 Luk. 1.74 not only to be adopted and to have his condition changed but to have a Spirit of Adoption within him to give him an enjoyment and sence of his condition and enabling him to looke boldly upon God and call him Abba father Rom 8.15 Is it so small a matter of comfort think you for one that is in continuall need hath occasion to pray to God but knowes not how to pray as he ought to have such a one within him as the Spirit himselfe to make intercession for him Rom 8.26 Is it not matter of joy think you for one that hath a great burden of sinne lying upon him and would faine be eased while others by insensibility and death in sins and trespasses lye still and stir not at all to have the Spirit himselfe who is set opposite of * Gal 5.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 purpose to sinne and the flesh to keep them in subjection continually within him enabling him to mortifie the deeds of the body that he may live Rom 8.13 Hath not he by much the start of the men of the world for mirth who in times of persecution and scandall when feare love of the world carrie others that are hypocrites cleane away hath continually within him a Spirit not of feare but of power and love and of a sound mind to hold him fast 2 Tim 1.7 Is this comfort of God small for men not only to have eternall life given * Job 15.11 them in a free bargaine or covenant of grace and not to have earnest only but to have for earnest the earnest of the * 2 Cor. 5.5 Perhaps best interpreted appositively The Spirit for an earnest As said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the seale of circumcision Rom 4.11 A manner of expression in most languages as in Hebr. Gen 15.18 Ezek 3.13 c Spirit You may judge what sweet cheerfull company the Spirit is by his fruits The fruits of the Spirit are love joy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeeknesse temperance Gal 5.22.23 I know that carnall men who are yet in the world and not chosen out a Joh 15.19 of it will be ready to laugh at you if you tell them thus much and will not by any meanes be brought to believe what I have said of the Spirit which is a thousand times too short I am too young a Christian to speak sufficiently of it because they see him not neither know him Joh 14.17 But the godly know him and though they see him not yet they doe find continually by experience that he dwelleth with them and is in them as it is in the same place 4ly Besides the company of God lest he should complaine of too great distance betwixt him and his company A godly man hath the conpany of ANGELLS Creatures as well as himselfe and though in their nature his superiours yet in their office 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 merely ministring spirits sēt forth to minister for them who shall be heires a Or that shall inherit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are heires already Ro 8.17 of salvation Heb 1.14 For the number how many every Christian b See more in the View of Threats in the ch of Enemies of God's Church hath I dare not undervalue their condition and respect with God to say they have but one a piece But rather think they are so farre from having the number stinted so low that it is not stinted at all but they may have more and more as their need increaseth even to Mahanaim enough to make a campe if there be occasion as well as Jacob * Gen 32.2 and a 2 Kin. 6.17 Elisha 'T is true we read of but one Angell for all the Israelites Exod 23 But that Angel was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Angell of his presence b Perhaps ment by presence Ex 33.14 otherwise interpreted by Moses v. 15. or face Isa 63.9 his chief Servant Zach 3.8 who was next to him continually saw * Esh 1.14 his face nay he was the expresse Image of his person and so the fitter Angell of his face or presence and although he be called by occasion an Angel for what he did yet he had another name from what he was by inheritance the name of a Son Heb 1.4.5 If God sent his Son it is likely he sent the more Angels to attend him But David absolutely saith that The Angel b For Angells An enallage of the singular number for the plurall usuall in the Heb as Exod 33.38 Lev 11.2 c.
2 3. Let us break their bonds asunder and cast away their cords from us But we feare not that you will take any hurt by this for we trust we have compounded you a sufficient antidote against such poyson in what hath been already said if not we have choice of many ingredients more which we doubt not will make the physick strong enough 4ly Fourth ground Accepcion of actions A fourth cause that a godly man hath to be merry may be The acceptation of his actions whereof he hath good assurance by the testimony of God's Spirit For we see amongst our selves 't is a very great cheering to a man both in and for the doing of a thing if the person for whom he does it accept's of it as the contrary must needs be a great discouragemet Goe thy way eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy work Eccles 9.7 I said By the testimony of God's Spirit for that must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Rom 8.16 witnesse together with his spirit or else the witnesse of his own spirit or conscience is nothing worth And therefore Paul when he had commended the truth of what he was to say to the Romanes by the testimony of his conscience as if he had said nothing if he had said no more presently added 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Holy Ghost Rom 9.1 I I say the truth in Christ I lye not my conscience also bearing me witnes in the Holy Ghost When I have spent howers in prayer or hearing or meditation or fasting nay when I have well spent my whole life let me but have Enoch's testimony * Heb 11.5 Fift ground Experience of God's love that I have pleased God how will my heart rejoyce 5ly A fift ground may be Experiences of God's love which a good Christian hath a great many more then he takes notice of and that I must needs tell him is his usuall fault Is it not of efficacy think you to make a man merry to have in his mind when he is alone and to be able to talke of when he is in company such and such a mercy recieved at such and such a time How such a time God hedged up his way into sinne how at such a time he hedged up his way into misery How signally and plainly God hath carried him along in all his wayes by an overruling hand of providence so that all things even those which in his best advised judgment he thought the worst were made to worke for the best How at such a time God opened his eare for instructiō * Job 36.10 How at such a time he gave him a most gracious meeting with warming ēbracings of love at such a time with strong sealings of the righteousnesse of faith at another time with most lively quicknings of hope If these consolations be small I know not what consolation is 6ly The sixth ground The Scriptures The sixth thing that will afford the godly man matter of joy is that wherein the wicked man can take no comfort because it layes open his sin to him together with the punishment of it which he hath no assurance to avoid for want of faith and repentance The written word of God which we call the Scriptures even both the Testaments left with us for this end that we as the Apostle * Rom 15.4 saith through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope How many hundred most abundantly comfortable promises are there in those Scriptures not only of things able to make the godly joyfull for such might be and they might be never the better for they might take no joy in them but some of them even of joy it selfe The Spirit of the Lord is upon me c. To appoint unto them that mourne in Zion to give unto them beauty for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the Spirit of heavinesse c. Isa 61.1.2 3. See also Isa 51.11 ch 60.20 The whole Gospell what is it else but joyfull newes Not barely newes but joyfull newes glad tidings of great joy as saith the Angell Luk. 2.10 Now when godly men meet with such a treasure of rich treasures as the Gospell is which they never laboured nor paid for and such a large crop of mercies and benefits as are contained in the Gospell which they never sowed nor plowed for which Christ alone hath purchased for them to their hands of his own free love when instead of walking in darknesse as they have done all their life before they shall see a great light and though their lot was cast in the land of the shadow of death that even then the light shall shine upon them how can they chuse but joy according to nay beyond the joy in harvest and as men rejoyce that devide the spoyle * In that verse whereas we read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not in creased the joy it is read also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are w rds usually changed and encreased his joy and so the Sept read Isa 9.3 He that keeps continuall feasting upon such good cheare as the promises unlesse he be very stupid and absurd as it is an absurd thing to be sad at a feast his garments must needs be alwaies white his head can never lack oyntment Now in the Gospel God hath set before us the table was spread at Jerusalem Isa 25.5 though to the Jewes it became a snare Psal 69.22 a feast of fat things a feast of wines on the lees well refined Isa 25.6 Nay not only the promises benefits to come when Christ shall come nor the Gospel or the newes of their comming either before or after their coming but even all the commandements and lawes of God and Christ contained in the whole book of the Scriptures as grievous as they are to a wicked man are to a godly man matter of infinite pleasure and delight God's lawes are so just and righteous that the vertuous heart of a just and righteour man cannot but delight in them as all other things doe in that which is most suitable to them How many times does David tell you thus much The statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart Psal 19.8 And Ps 119.111 They are the rejoycing of my heart see at your leasure the 14.16 20 27 50 54 70 92 143 verses of the same psalme Indeed God's Lawes are such proper and wholsome food for a man that if the Stomack be clean and the will be not disordered with lusts and ill humours they cannnot chuse but relish them The very nature and constitution of the soule neither corrupted nor distempered with sinne and lusts will agree with it and embrace it with as much love and complacency as a healthy stomach doth wholsome food And indeed it is the maine reason why God's law is so pleasing and delightsome to a regenerated person viz
Christians are commanded to be doves Mat 10 16 as if they must not be quarrelsome but they are withall allowed to be serpents as if they might be cautelous and wise not harmfull but when they cannot chuse as a snake they say is not unlesse you barre up his way to his hole But you will say In the Canticles they are compared to a dove only as if either they would not fight or could not well if they would But what then must they needs be so much in harmes way what if they be hid in the clefts of the rock Cant 2.14 What if God hide them in the secret of his presence from the pride of man and keep them secret in a pavilion from the strife of tongues Psal 31.20 If God himselfe hide a man ' I le warrant you he knowes how to hide him where he shall be safe And that was it that David in his trouble chose to fly unto him rather then any one else to hide him Psal 143.9 For I fly unto thee to hide me As our Saviour said If the Sonne of God make you free you shall be free indeed So may I say to all those that are truly godly If God hide you or if God make you safe as indeed he does then are you safe indeed so safe that not a haire of your head shall fall to the ground and so safe that you may be secure Not secure without care of diligence to looke to your selves but only secure without care of diffidence and distrust not to looke unto God Christians may not be setled upon their lees but they may and must be setled upon their faith Secure they may be not because they presume of not leaving God but because they are confident God will never leave them So secure as you may imagine the Israelites were when they were in the sea Ps 78.5 And he led them on safely so that they feared not So as Zophar allowes in the book of Job If iniquity be in thy hand put it farre away and let not Wickednes dwell in thy tabernacles For then thou shalt lift up thy face without spot yea thou shalt be stedfast and shalt not feare because thou shalt forget thy misery and remember it as waters that passe away And thine age shall be clearer then the moone thou shalt shine forth and thou shalt be as the morning And thou shalt be secure because there is hope yea thou shalt digge about thee and thou shalt take thy rest in safety Also thou shalt lye down none shall make thee afraid Job 11.14 Upon condition they set the Lord alwaies before them as David did they may say as David did Ps 16.8.9 I have set the Lord alwaies before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoyceth my flesh also shall rest in hope But to tell you a little more particularly what Believers have to shew for their security 1. They have promises which are sure mercies For they were made by one that cannot lye and strongly tied himselfe with an oath to performe what he promised So that they have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strong consolation Heb 6.18.20 They have the Spirit which is Truth it selfe 1 Joh 5.6 for the past witnessing with their spirits that they are the Sonnes of God Rom 8.16 And for the future an earnest of their inheritance Eph 1.14 and a seale of God's own putting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor 1.21.22 which he will never * deny nor resume 2 Cor 1.22 3. They have our Saviour's word Joh 10.28.29 And I give unto them eternall life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my and. 4. They have our Saviour's prayer to the father Father I Will also that Whom thou hast given me be with me Where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me Joh 17.24 And we doubt not that he was heard nay we know it Joh 11.42 5. Whereas the Arminian objects that he denies not but God will stick to them but the feare is that they shall not stick to him this objection is answered by what God promised long agoe to his people viz not only not to depart from them but put his feare into their hearts so that they should never depart from him Jer 32.40 He that called us will ceratainly recall us seeing he cannot repent of his calling as he is too good to repent of any other a Grotius and such as he would have all Gospel gifts to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gift Rom b Bouum perseverantâ—ae daturum Deum vecatis suis ista vocatione de qua dictum est sine paenitentia sunt dona dei vocatio omni Christiano consitendum est August De dono perseverantiae c. 14. 11.29 6. The very nature and worke of faith is to give Christ to them Now he that hath Christ or the Sonne hath life Joh 5 12. And this life is eternall viz because it is in that Sonne ibid and the same life that he hath only as yet hid with him in God Col 3.3 Having therefore their salvation thus assured to them upon good grounds being assured of their salvation because they build upon those grounds and having 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things that accompany salvation Heb 6 9 they can use the words of Paul 2. Cor 5 1. Not we think but we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved We have a building of God a house not made with hands eternall in the heavens They are as good as in Heaven already being in Christ who is there As Paul saith And hath raised us up together and hath made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus Eph 2.6 It was John's ordinary language WE KNOW Hereby KNOW we that we are in him 1 Epist 2.3 We KNOW that when he shall appeare we shall be like him ch 3 2. We KNOW we have passed from death to life v 14. We KNOW that we are of God ch 5 19 and vers 13 that we may KNOW that we have eternall life See also ch 3.19.24 ch 4.13 ch 5.15 Those that would hinder Christians from this comfort usually object that place Phil 2.12 Worke out your salvation with feare and trembling To whom I answer 't is true indeed though God have hedged us in on every side and supported us with props of everlasting love which are so fastned that they cannot slide and so strong that they cannot be broken yet like the man that stands upon a tower environ'd with battlements so that he cannot fall over our legs shake and our joynts tremble and our hearts quake for feare when we look down upon the ground from whence we came and out of which we were made and consider our own frailty and look not up to God that upholds us and his grace and loving kindnesse with which we are