our treating of this Subject we are not to restrict it to them only 2. That we may the better know who those of a clean heart are this distinction is necessary 1. There is a Legal cleanness of heart which is a perfect and compleat purity according to what the Law requires 2. There is an Evangelical or Gospel cleanness of heart which is 1. A godly sorrow and humiliation from heart-uncleanness 2. A holy detestation hatred and abhorrence of every sin 3. A constant endeavour every day more and more to be rid of sin 4. A sincere cordial love to holiness and heart purity 5. A fervent and earnest praying with David Psal 51. Create in me a clean heart and renue a right spirit within me 6. An unfeigned faith whereby a humbled soul does notwithstanding of the guilt and filth of sin lay hold on Christ for Justification and Sanctification It 's of this later and not the former the assertion in the Text is verified Psal 32.1 2. Blessed is the man whose sins is forgiven and whose transgression is covered blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guil By this time you may perceive that my Text points at these three things 1. The goodness of God here mentioned it not that common providential bounty whereof the whole Creation are made partakers but the specialties of Gods love and favour 2. Though there are many titular Christians that go under the name of Church-members Saints and Professors yet the specialty of Love is the peculiar priviledge and portion of upright-hearted ones only 3. It is a most infallible certain and undoubted truth that God is good to his Church and people especially such as are sincere souls amongst them O how sweet is it to speak of this goodness of God but how much more sweet to taste of it O its sweet to know it but much more sweet to feel it experimentally and to have a lively sense of his goodness to my own soul in particular For the opening of this more fully I shall propose this method 1. Give some few Scripture-proofs of this truth God is good to his people 2. Some demonstrations thereof from what has been common to his people in all ages 3. From some particular blessings bestowed upon the Jews under the Old Testament 4. What the goodness of God was to the Gospel-Church as in contradistinction to the Jews 5. What were the peculiar blessings of God to the Primitive Church in Christ and the Apostles days 6. Wherein the goodness of God appeared to the Church for the first Three hundred years after the death of Christ and his Apostles 7. What from the first rise of Antichrist till he came to his full height and during his reign 8. What the good providence of God is like to be from the first remarkable beginning of Antichrists ruin to the time and period of his utter destruction from the beginning of the work of Reformation to the end of the World Here 's Work enough carved out for me to speak and you to hear of we may well say Who is sufficient for these things We might be greatly discouraged even at our first entrance upon it were it not for this one thing That God with whom we have to do and whose work we are about is of infinite goodness grace mercy love and bounty abundant in goodness and truth he giveth liberally and upbraideth no man Jam. 1.5 First For Scripture proofs take these few instead of many Psal 31.19 O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which â—hou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men Zech. 3. last ver Psal 103.11 12 13 15 16 17 c. Psal 107. this is four or five â—imes reiterated O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the sons of men and Psal 136. this is 26 times repeated The mercy of the Lord endureth for ever and 145.7 â— 9. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy â—reat goodness and shall sing of thy righteousness the Lord is gracious and full of compassion slow to anger â—nd of great mercy the Lord is good to all and his tenâ—er mercies are ever all his works Secondly The consideration of such blessings as â—re common to the upright hearted ones in all ages 〈◊〉 a farther demonstration of this truth and they â—re these 1. There 's none of them but it was upâ—n the heart of God to do them good before the â—oundation of the world Eph. 1.4 5 6. 2 Tim. 1. â—0 2. That unspeakable and unparallell d mercy 〈◊〉 God in promising and sending his dear Son to work redemption for his people is a confirmation â—f this Joh. 3 16. God so loved the world 3. There 's one of Gods peculiar ones but in due time have â—een effectually called from darkness to light he â—…kes the heirs of hell wrath and damnation and â—dopts them for his own children 1 Joh. 3.1 Beâ—old what manner of love and goodness this is 〈◊〉 Pardon of sin is that that all the people of God have been partakers of Micah 7.18 O who is a God like unto our God that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Isa 43.25 Ezek. 36.22 5. All such have had the soul-saving and sanctifying graces of the spirit bestowed upon them 2 Pet 1.4 6. They have had Ordinances and means whereby grace and all spiritual blessings may be communicated to them Psal 147.19 20. He sheweth his word to Jacob his statutes and his judgments to Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation 7. Whatever blessings they have all is by the tenure of a Covenant of Grace 2 Cor. 1.20 .. All promises are Yea and Amen in Christ to them that believe O the never-enough-admired goodness of this God that has condiscended so far as by a voluntary Contract and Covenant to make himself a Debtor to such undeserving wretches Psal 34.3 O come let us magnifie the goodness of the Lord together 8. God is so good that he has in all ages furnished his people with what he knew to be most convenient for them if the light of his countenance was best for them than they had if the joys and consolations of the Holy Ghost if the hidings of his face if poverties iâ— aches if Ordinances or if sometimes the want of Ordinances was good for them if persecution or deliverance from it He has sanctified every state and condition making all things work for their good Rom. 8.28 in one word Psal 84.11 The Lord is a Sun and a Shield he giveth grace and glory no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly and 37.37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright behold the end of that man is peace Isa 64.4 Psal 40.12 Many O Lord my God are thy wonderful works which thou hast
done and thy thoughts which are to us-ward they cannot be reckoned up in order before thee if I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbred Thirdly The consideration of the eminent acts of God's gracious Providence towards the Church of the Jews under the Old Testament is a proof of this truth some few whereof are these 1. Of all Nations under Heaven them only he separated to be a holy People for himself Deut. 7.6 7 8. Thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people for himself above all the people that are upon the face of the earth the Lord did not set his love upon you nor chuse you because ye were more in number than any other people for ye were the fewest of all people but because the Lord loveth you 2. That Aegyptian Deliverance so miraculously wrought for them was an eminent act of God's good Providence to them and that in these respects 1. He furnished them with a General every way fit for that Expedition Ps 105.26 He sent Moses his servant and Aaron whom he had chosen 2. He inflicted ten several tremendous Plagues and fearful Judgments on their persecuting and oppressive Enemies because they would not allow them liberty to worship God according to the Command of God and their own Consciences Ps 105.27 That of the cutting off all the First-Born of their Adversaries in one night when the deâ—â—â—oying Angel pass'd over them is memorable as also their being in Goshen a Land of Light for three days together when the other were in Darkness 3. In spite of all Opposers they had one very glorious Sacramental Passover-day before they were brought forth 4. He did greatly enrich them with Ear-rings and Jewels of their cruel Task-masters Exod. 22.36 5. While they were surrounded with the Red Sea on the one hand and Pharaoh's Army on the other you know what great Salvation he wrought for them Exod. 15.1 2 3 4 5. O sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the Sea 3. The many signal passages of his Providence towards them in the Wilderness do demonstrate this Truth Truly God is good to Israel 1. He sweetned the bitter Waters of Marah for them Exod. 15.23 24 25. 2. He Rained Manna from Heaven upon them and gave them Quails to eat even when in a pettish murmuring Humour they said unto Moses and Aaron would to God we had Died by the Hand of the Lord in the Land of Aegypt when we sat by the flesh-Pots and when we did eat Bread to the full for ye have brought us forth into the Wilderness to kill the whole Assembly with Hunger 3. When they Thirsted and had no Drink He opened the Rock and the Waters gushed out they ran in the dry places like a River Psal 105.41 4. Through the prevalency of Moses's Prayer they obtained a glorious Victory over the Amalekites Aaron and Hur holding up his Hands for which an Altar was errected to the Lord as an eternal Monument of that Meâ—â— Exod. 17. end 5. They had the Pillar of the Cloud by Day to keep them from the violence and scorching Heat of the Sun and the Pillar of Fire by Night to shelter them from the cold thereof and to lead them on their way in the Dark Ps 105.39 6. They had the Law in a most solemn way and manner given forth from Mount Sinai Exod. 20. O happy is that People that 's under a Theocracy and who are governed only by that Law which is purely Divine The Law Moral did in a general way teach them their Duty both to God and Man The Ceremonial did teach them more particularly what to give unto God and the judicial Law did inform them how they ought to walk one towards another as Members of such a Body Politick Nation Kingdom or Common-wealth 7. The Lord did institute Tabernacle-Worship first in the Wilderness Better be in the Wilderness with God's Ordinances than in Aegypt without them 8. When they proved Idolatrous in erecting a Molten Calf to be a visible representation of God's marching on before them upon their Repentance and Moses's Prayer God was graciously pleased to pardon their Sin Exod. 32.11 12 13 14 9. All that Forty Years they were in the Wilderness they had no need to renew their Shooes nor Garments 10. When they were stung with fiery Serpents they had a brazen Serpent erected as an Ordinance of divine Institution for their Remedy and Cure Numb 21.9 Lastly Most of all these things their Manna Water out of the Rock Tabernacles high Priest Ark Sacrifices Altars Pillar of the Cloud and Fire and the brazen Serpent were Typical representations of Jesus Christ and visible Signs of his Presence amongst them I was lately very much taken with the Reading of the First Second Third and Fourth Chapters of Numbers where after numbring the Children of Israel they are Ranked in Battalia as a Camp in the midst of this Camp was the Tabernacle with the Ark of the Covenant next unto it the Priests and Levites and round about them the rest of the Tribes when the Priests and Levites stood with the Ark the People stood when the Ark moved and marched on they accordingly followed and what did all this signifie But that they were even in the Wilderness under the conduct of their great Captain-General Jesus Christ Deut. 32.11 12 13. As an Eagle stirreth up her nest and fluttereth over her Young spreadeth abroad her wings So the Lord alone did lead him and there was no strange God with him he made him ride on high places of the earth that he might eat the increase of the fields and he made him to suck honey out of the Rock and oyl out of the stinty rock Gen. 32.34 Behold mine Angel shall go before thee it was in Allusion to this marching Posture of their's that the Psalmist breaks forth Psal 46. Though the Mountains be removed the Lord of Hosts is with us the God of Jacob is our Refuge God is in the midst of her she shall not be moved And Cant. 6.16 Who is she that looketh forth as the Morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun terrible as an Army with banners Time would fail in telling you what God did in dividing Jordan in possessing them with a Land that did flow with Milk and Honey in distributing to every Tribe their Portion and Inheritance by lot in driving out their Enemies the Ammonites Moabites the Hivites Jebusites and Gargasites what shall I tell you of his raising up Deborah and Barak Gideon Sampson Ely Samuel and others endued with an extraordinary Spirit to be not only Princes and Judges over them but also to rescue them out of the Hands of their Enemies to whom their Sins had enslaved them what shall I tell you of all the gracious acts of favour conferred upon them under
debtors they are For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things their duty is also to Minister unto them in carnal things Acts 2.44 45. All that believed were together and had all things common and sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all Men as every Man had need And 4.32 Neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own but they had all things common 6. In all Changes and Conditions they were constant still one and the same not sickle or variable some times for one thing sometimes for another Acts 2.42 And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine and in fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers 46.47 And they continued daily in the Temple with one accord and breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart praising God and having favour with all people and the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved 2 Cor. 1.21 22. 1 Thes 3.12 13. Rev. 3.10 Thou hast kept the word of my patience And 2.13 I know thy works and where thou dwellest even where Satans seat is and holdest fast my Name and hast not denied my Faith even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful Martyr Lastly The Lord was graciously pleased to confer the Honour of Martyrdom upon them Stephen was the Proto-Martyr Acts 7. They were scattered at Jerusalem by reason of Persecution Acts. 8. Paul and Peter suffered at Rome under Nero the one Beheaded the other Crucified So also James surnamed Justus Nay there was not one of the Apostles that escaped a violent Death John only excepted Let us make some use of all this in some Three or Four things 1. Let us bless God for his goodness to them O Blessed be the Lord that ever there was such a one as the Apostle Paul O Blessed be the Lord for the Truths Ordinances Gifts and Graces that were communicated to them we are in a sense sharers in the Mercies What was then written or transacted said or done was all for our Instruction 2. Did the Lord give forth such an abundant measure of the Spirit at the first Plantation of the Gospel according to what the Work of that Day did require which was to bring the carnal Jews from off their Ceremonies and the heathenish Gentiles from Satan to God who must see Miracles otherwise they will not believe Let us believe and be confident that the same good God will not be wanting to proportion the Gifts and Graces of his Churches and Servants to the Work of this our Day which is the reformation of Religion from Antichristianism Blessed be the Lord for any small bedewings and besprinklings of the Spirit poured forth upon any in our times in order hereunto 3. Let us from hence bemoan our selves and others that go under the Name of Churches of Christ who have degenerated so far from them in Doctrine Discipline Worship Gifts Graces Holiness of Conversation Perseverance in Sufferings contraria mixta seposita clarius elucescunt In the primitive times Christ placed us in a kind of Paradise but we have not kept our first Habitation 4. Let 's not only remember whence we are fallen but also return to our first Estate and when we set about a Reformation whether Personal or Ecclesiastical Let 's be sure to set the primitive Pattern before us as near as may be Let 's Love as they did endeavour to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace as they did continue steadfastly in the Apostles Doctrine in fellowship in breaking of Bread and Prayers as they did No sufferings frighted them from following the Lamb be followers of them in all things imitable so far as they were followers of Christ Sixthly God was good to his Gospel Israel after the Death of the Apostles till Constantine's time And here before I come to particulars it will be necessary to premise these few general considerations as introductory for the clearing of what is further intended 1. Be it known to you that immediately upon the Death of the Apostles the Church was in a persecuted state It 's true it was so in their time but not as afterwards when there were publick Laws and Edicts made against the profession and professors of the Christian Religion providence so ordering it that they should have some respite till the Gospel and Churches had some Plantation 2. The time of this persecuted Condition was Three Hundred Years or thereabouts 3. The Instruments whom the Devil made use of for this diabolical Service were the heathen Emperors of Rome Rev. 12.3 The party there combating against Michael and his Angels Christ and his People is thus described A great red Dragon having seven Heads and ten Horns and seven Crowns upon his Heads A Dragon because of his Power red because of his Cruelty having seven Heads i. e. seven several sorts of Governments in Rome heathenish as also it was built upon seven Hills having ten Heads with seven Crowns thereupon to distinguish Rome-heathen from Rome-Antichristian Rev. 13.1 That has not only seven Heads and ten Horns but also Crowns upon the Horns to intimate that Antichrist made Kingdoms of those that were but Provinces during the Dragon's Reign under the heathen Emperors 4. Having perused several writers of great Note both for Godliness and Learning upon that transcendantly high mystical Scripture of the Revelation It 's most probable as I humbly conceive that they guess right who assert that the Seals Chap. 6. hold forth this State of the Church during the first three Centuries of which Ch. 12. to verse 13. seems to be explicatory 5. In treating of this Subject I shall be necessitated to make use of History to which I require no more of you but a Historical Faith I account it a great Mercy that every Age has had some faithful Servants of God whose care it has been to transmit to posterity the memorable acts of Divine Providence to his People Psal 145.4 One generation shall praise thy works to another and shall declare thy mighty acts I will speak of the glorious honour of thy Majesty and of thy wondrous works 1. God was good to them in giving forth this incomparable rich and rare Monument of the Revelation of John the Divine the principal scope and intendment whereof was 1. To forewarn them of the near approach of suffering times that so they might not be surprized but in a readiness to encounter therewith 2. That they might know what their sufferings would be by whom and of what continuance 3. That they should be comforted and encouraged under all especially upon this two-fold consideration 1. There 's no sufferings shall befall you but according to the predetermination and fore-appointment of a wise God and loving Father 2. Let the Churches troubles be what they will they shall have a glorious and an assured issue seeing this was the good end of
Number of all Nations and they shall stand before the Throne and before the Lamb. Tho' it was hardly visible whether there was a Church or no formerly yet now they shall openly shew themselves Cloathed with white Robes to shew that they have shaken off Popery with its Doctrine of Merits Indulgences Penances and Satisfactions and seek Justification only by Faith in Christ and his Righteousness having Palms in their Hands as a sign of Victory over the Beast over his Mark his Image and the Number of his Name and they cried with a loud Voice Salvation of our God which sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lamb and the Angels also fell on their Faces before the Throne and Worshipped God saying Amen Blessing and Glory and Wisdom and Thanksgiving and Honour and Power and Might be unto our God for ever and ever Amen The State of the Church shall now be a kind of Heaven upon Earth in comparison of what it was during Antichrists Reign and her Glory shall still encrease from one Degree to another till she be fully possessed of Heaven it self where their shall be a total exemption from all Evil and an abundant affluence of all good truly God is good to Israel Chapter Eighth This Eighth Chapter does under the First four Trumpets contain as I humbly conceive the Churches Sufferings for the next Three Hundred Years after Constantine where observe 1. Upon opening the Seventh Seal there was silence in Heaven for half an hour i. e. for some short time the Church had some respite from outward Commotions and Troubles and this is to be reckon'd among the Demonstrations of God's goodness to them or it signifies a holy attention in Heaven's Inhabitants the Christians to what God shall be pleas'd to speak to them by this Seal that brings forth Seven several Trumps and each of them a several Judgment it put them in a kind of amaze to consider That no sooner they were deliver'd from Paganish Persecutions which lasted for Three hundred Years but immediately there 's a new Cloud a gathering 2. To the Seven Angels which stood before God were given Seven Trumpets v. 2. to intimate God's goodness in this That he did solemnly denounce Wrath and Judgment against Carnal Christians that began to corrupt their Ways and thereby did call aloud upon them to Repent Trumpets are for an Alarm to War and they give a distinct sound that every one may know their Duty So good is God that he is not willing that any should Perish but all should come to the knowledge of the Truth Repent and be Saved 3. Even in those Days God had a Praying People whose Persons and Prayers found acceptance through the Intercession of Jesus Christ Verse 3 4. Another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden censer and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of the Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the throne and the smoak of the incense which came with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angel's hand 4. The very same Angel of the Covenant Christ himself takes some Fire from off the Altar and casts it into the Earth And then there were voices and thundrings and lightnings and earthquakes v. 5. It 's he that perfumes the Saints Prayers that plagues and punishes the world of Apostate Professors with spiritual Judgments All Judgment is committed of the Father to the Son and therefore the Sealed ones may be secure they need not be afraid of what shall fall out O the goodness of God in this thing And now come to the Trumpets themselves When the first Angel sounded there followed hail and fire mingled with blood and they were cast upon the earth and the third part of the trees were burnt up and all green grass was burnt up vers 7. This may be fitly applied to Arrianism the first spiritual Plague wherewith the Church was pestered even in Constantine's time It brought Hail with it which is a cold and nipping thing destructive especially to Trees and Grass Many Trees i. e. Eminent Ones became cold in matters of Worship and in their Love one to another And all Grass was burnt up i. e. The generality of common Professors throughout the World were much Baptized into Arrianism There was Fire mingled with Blood i. e. It produced a most bloody Persecution of all that were Asserters of the Divinity of Christ and his being Co equal Coessential and Co-eternal with the Father God's goodness under this Trumpet was in these two 1. There was but a third part of the Trees burnt up i. e. There were several Persons of great Note both Magistrates and Ministers who did even in those days faithfully witness to the Truth of Emperors Constantine Valentinian Gratian Theodosius of Ministers Alexander Hosius Foelix Secundus c. 2. Tho' Fundamental Truths were much struck at yet the Lord caused the Earth to help the Woman Rev. 12.16 i. e. Tho' their Synods and Councils did begin to grow very earthly carnal and corrupt yet God made use of them for the prefervation of Fundamental Controverted Truths in there Purity and Incorruption In the Council of Nice call'd by Constantine Anno 330. Arrianism was abundantly confuted in that of Constantinople Anno 380. under Gratian and Theodosius Macedonius and his Followers called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they denyed the Personality of the Holy Ghost were confuted The Third great Council at Ephesus under Theodosius II. Anno 431. did condemn Nestorius's holding that Christ had two Persons The Fourth at Chalcedon under Martianus An. 451. condemned the Eutychians confounding the Natures of Christ Upon the sounding of the Second Trumpet There was as it were a mountain burning with fire cast into the Sea and the third part of the Sea became blood and the third part of the creatures which were in the Sea and had life died and the third part of the Ships were destroyed i.e. Now began hot contests between Church-men for Precedency and this did quickly corrupt the Ordinances themselves the Seas and Ships by which Christians as such do maintain a Spiritual Trade and Commerce with God and one with another Contentions among Church-men were a fair Foundation laid by the Dragon for the intended and designed Superstructure of Antichristianism and they were kindled 1. By their own Pride and Ambition 2. By reason of the great Benefices bestowed upon them by Constantine witness that Voice then heard Hodie venenum effusum est in ecclesiam this day Poison is poured out on the Church It might then be said Religio peperit divitias filia devoravit matrem 3. They had the favour of the Emperors and great Men. 4. Because their Ministry was in the Imperial Seat they claim'd more than ordinary Privileges 5. Some good Men being much wrong'd and injur'd by the unjust Sentences and Church-Censures issued forth against them in the Eastern Councils did