remissiion of sins and I know I may look to the free grace of God in Christ for grace as well as for glory and also for all other things my soul stands in need of Thus beloved a knowing soul will be able to rest up on the free grace of God in Christ although he see nothing at all but unworthiness in himself I do not say that every one that knows a little can do it but he that knows what may be known with dilligent search and therefore when you see your souls in distress and anguish of spirit and dare not beleeve you may safely conclude that although all that which they say against themselves be never so true and much more yet that is not the cause wherefore they do not beleeve but their ignorance of God is the true cause thereof Now beloved in the next place I shall come to shew you how the knowledge of God will keep men from presumption also and I pray you consider it Where the wisdom and truth of God and his soveraignty is known a person cannot go on in a course of disobedience for he very well knows that God cannot act below himselfe nor contrary to his Nature and Being and that he cannot lie nor alter the word that is gone forth of his mouth but the destruction of him that goes on in his sins wilfully and presumptuously is as unalterable as God himself for he cannot deny himself but he and his Word and all his Decrees are one there is no changing of God Beloved we are apt to mistake the Decrees of God and to take them for some secret things which do not belong to us indeed those decrees that are secret they do not belong to us and therefore let us not meddle with them by no means but his decrees that concern the salvation and damnation of the sons of Adam are revealed in the promises and in the threatnings of the Scriptures and are written for our warning and instruction therefore let us look to it for if we be found in those obstinate and rebellious courses that God hath threatened with destruct on that decree purpose and will of his shall never be altered for the sake of any man no nor for the sakes of all the men in the world now he that knows this dares not neglect his own salvation nor put off repenting and turning to God nor give up himself to work wickedness for he knows the danger thereof So that a knowing person you see is led to the obedience of faith as it were by a straight line that he cannot well go out of his way it is with a man that knows God my beloved as it is with a man that is put in a way that he cannot well go out of if you should say to a man friend keep you in this straight path go not out of it there is an hedge on your right hand all the way to the Town you are going and a River on your left hand now if the man should miss his way every one would wonder because his direction was so good So great an advantage an help hath a man to eternal life that hath the knowledg of God if he go out of the way to it it must be by an act of very great wilfulness Thus I hope I have opened this point plainly to all your understandings I shall now therefore come to the applycation of it Vse 1. And in the first place this Doctrin may serve to condemn and reprove that greivous sin of Ignorance it is lamentable to see the greatest part of men and women a mongst us so utterly void of the knowledg of God O the gracelesness and carelesness of men generally how are they hardened against their own souls I pray you consider the greatness of the sin Beloved it must needs be a great sin first because the Lord hath very plainly manifested himself and his Son in his word beloved those things that concern our salvation most immediately are the most plainly revealed in the Word there be some things hard it is true but these things are not so hard that are spoken of God and of Christ it is plain in the Scriptures that God is a God of Justice Wisdom Power Truth Mercy invisible eternal unchangeable one that knows the heart and the reines and the like and that Jesus Christ hath died for sinners and that we are bound to live to him that died for us and that he came to call sinners to repentance and that those that beleeve and obey the Gospel shall have eternal life these truths are very plain but although they be so yet evident it is that the greatest number among us are ignorant of these things altogether But further this adds to the sin that there is a great deal of means now more then hath been formerly to bring men to knowledge and it is altogether neglected or else hearkened to so carelesly that the Word is preached to the most of men altogether in vaine I am perswaded that if there were never a Word of God written at all nor any other means to know the Lord by left us but only the workes of creation and providence if that these works of his were humbly and wisely considered of they would reveal more of the glory of God then the most part among us do know notwithstanding the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shining a mongst us O therefore consider you that are ignorant of God how inexcusable and horrible your sin is what mean you to let the love of pleasure and profit sin and vanity eat out the love of God yea and of your own souls to O how will you appear before the Lord one day that have slighted the knowledg of him well let us pitty these men and mourn for them if we cannot perswade them to seek after God I am afraid the saints do not with Jeremiah weep in secret for these men nor with David gush out rivers of tears for the sin they live in and the misery that will come upon them O let us pray for them and be so much the more earnest by how much they are less sensible of there misery Vse 2. Secondly If this be so that the knowledg of God hath so gracious a tendency to bring a person to Eternal life then be sure you make your Children and those that are under your charge know the Lord. Beloved I speak to those that know him themselves I say to you make him known to all you can or to all you have an opportunity to speak to let your Children and Servants know what a God of mercy he is yea of free grace that looks to find no holiness nor repentance no nor one good qualification in those he seeks to save But he will work all these in the hearts of those that come unto him although they be never so bad that will not hinder their acceptation with God if so be they be but willing to be
Redemption as well as undertook it I say if Christ should have left the work in the midst as his poor Disciples through their ignorance would have had him there could never have been so great a mercy extended neither to them not to any others as the coming of the Holy Spirit and therefore our Lord tells them he must go or else the Comforter will not come now the reason wherefore the Spirit is said to be sent to do so many good Offices for the Saints is not to make us think that he is an inferior Messenger but to let us know that all that joy and comfort peace and sanctification and in a word all that Grace that is extended through the Divine operation of the Holy Spirit it all comes unto us through the blood-shedding of our Lord Jesus Christ and truly my Brethren if you do but consider the work of the Spirit in the hearts of Men me thinks it is enough to convince you or any knowing men in the world that he that doth it must needs be God If a man be but an experienced man and doth but mind the great blindness that is in the mind and the hardness that is in the heart and doth but consider how the soul is in slaved under the power of sin and Sathan living in the love and service of Wickedness being alienated from the life of God being far from the fear and love of him having no delight in his Commandements but being ungodly and graceless dead in trespasses and sins and then on the other hand considers what an Estate the soul must be brought unto before it can be fit for eternal communion with God If a person do but thus mind the greatness of the work the Spirit is to do in taking away the filth and pollution of the heart and cleansing the whole man from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and the renuing of the soul in knowledg and holiness and making it meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the Saints in light Now I say what man that hath Prayed and fasted and watched and used all the means he can and yet finds in what a frame his heart continueth how far from that purity and God-like-ness that one day he hopeth to enjoy but now which way could a man expect it if he that had undertaken the work were not infinite in Power Wisdom and Goodness for my part I look upon this work as the greatest of all those wonderful works that God hath done or hath promised to do and therefore it is not likely that the greatest of all works should be laid upon the shoulders of him that is less than God Again if you look Psalm 139. there you shall find that the Prophet ascribes both Omni-presence and the searching of the heart unto the Holy Spirit which plainly speaks out his being God and Rom. 9 1. you find Paul calling the Holy Ghost to bear witness of the truth of his heart sorrow for his Brethren the Israelites which plainly proves that he is God See two Texts for this 1 King 8.39 For thou even thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men the same words you have in 2 Chron. 6.30 in both which places you see it is the peculiar prerogative of the only true God to know the hearts of the sons of men and I think no man is or at least should be so weak as to think the Apostle would call him to bear witness of the truth of the heart that doth not understand and know the heart I shall name you but one Text more for this and that is Luke 1.35 And the Angel answered and said unto her the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God Here you see that the Holy Spirit is called the highest and I think a title beyond this is not given any where nor cannot be given to the only true God but besides the Angel tells Mary that the Holy Ghost shall come upon her and by the power of him she should conceive and therefore this Son of hers should be called the Son of God Now therefore me thinks this should put the business beyond all dispute for if the Holy Spirit be the Father of our Lord Jesus sure he cannot be less than the only true God But it may be you will say unto me How shall all this that I have said be reconciled Can the Father be God and the Son be God and the Holy Spirit be God and yet there be but one only true God Beloved I pray you do not cast away an Opinion because it is old neither do I perswade you to receive it therefore but measure all Opinions both old and new by the measuring line of Truth the Word of God unto which I shall leave you for the tryal of this great mystery of godliness and shall commend two Texts more unto you for the reconciling of what hath been said the one is in 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mysterie of godliness God was manifest in the flesh Here me thinks the Apostle shews you how all this is reconcileable God was manifest in the flesh saith he not the Godhead of Christ without the Father and without the Spirit but God saith He was manifested in the flesh that is the God-head as it is written Iohn 10.30 I and my Father are one not only in communion as some may think but also in union and One-ness as it is plain Iohn 14 9 10 11. another Text you have in Col. 2.3 9. In whom speaking of Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledg Mark it I pray you if all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledg be hid in Christ then are you like to find none of them out of him but all the wisdom of the Father and of the Spirit it will be all found in Christ as it followeth here in verse 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the God head bodily I know not how you can have more express and plain words all the fulness of the Father and of the Spirit if that be the fulness of the God-head you see dwells in Christ that is it hath such a real union an One-ness with the humane nature of the Lord Jesus that in Act. 20.28 his Blood is there called the Blood of God I shall leave these Texts of Scriptures to your serious consideration and proceed no further at this time but leave the Application till the Afternoon THE FIFTH EXERCISE John 17.3 This is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent I Have in the morning from these words as you know opened the Doctrine of the God-head unto you a work which I have not been forward in nor should I have medled with it being a work of an high nature and requireth the
made good by him nay though they should not be freely willing to be made good yet if they do but wait upon him in the use of the means he hath appointed he will work their wills to be good tell them Christ came for that end and purpose to work a cure upon the whole Man even to take away all sin and also all the degress of it yea he will take the strongest enmity that is in the Souls of Men against himself and his wayes from them and work the hearts of his worst enemies to love him and cause those that love sin best to hate it if they do but wait at wisdoms gate and suffer the reproofs and instructions of Christ to enter into their Souls and when you have pressed their Souls with the knowledg of his goodness and see them walk on stubbornly in the way of their own hearts then say to them O my Child Servant Neighbour Friend this path thou walkest in leadeth directly to Hell it is impossible for thee in a course of wilful disobedience to be saved The Lord is Jehovah and gives Being to his Word he cannot lye nor repent Heaven and earth shall pass away but his righteousness and truth endures for ever the word is gone forth of his mouth and can never be altered he is the same forever therefore hearken to his voice or else thou must perish for ever and if you thus instruct your Children and Servants in the knowledg of God you shall by this means bring them to Eternal life or if they miss thereof they shall be altogether left without excuse it is a most excellent service that you will do their poor Souls to direct them thus in the straight way to glory for being thus instructed they cannot well miss of it if they should it would be their grievous sin It is true they may make themselves ten times more the children of Hell than they were before but that is only their own fault if after they have received the knowledg of the truth they shall wilfully turn from it this I confess is a sin of a very dangerous nature and will marvelously aggravate the sin and condemnation of such persons but let not that discourage you Charity binds you to believe that you shall save their Souls and if you do not do it yet the means hath a proper tendency in it to bring about that end and the fault will lye upon themselves only but you have delivered your own Souls and this indeed is the case of all men where the light of the Gospel comes it will prove through their own default the great condemnation of thousands and yet for all that the Gospel is a great mercy and we have great cause to be thankful for it for it hath a blessed tendency to bring us to Salvation if we through our own wickedness do not turn this grace into wantonness I shall leave thus much with you at this time commending what hath been said to the blessing of the most High THE SECOND EXERCISE John 17.3 This is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent THese words have been opened the last day and one general conclusion drawn out of them which was this That the knowledge of God and of Christ is the means of eternal life This I hope was cleared to you the last time and in part applied I shall make no repetition but begin where I left and come to the uses that remain Vse 3. And the next use that we are to make of it is this if the knowledg of God be so advantagious toward the atainment of eternal life then I beseech you let us take notice of it and see the necessity of getting the knowledge thereof I wil tell you what great need you have of it Sollomon tels us we cannot be good without it Prov. 19.2 and it is evident that you can have no strength against your corruptions without it it is a most excellent means to help a man against sin yea against those sins he may be most naturally inclined to see Prov. 2.8 to the 17. He keepeth the paths of judgement and preserveth the way of his saints then shall thou understand righteousnesse and judgement and equity yea every good path saith Sollomon Yea but when shal a man have this glorious assistance to walk thus evenly and to know every good path and to be preserved and kept in so even a way it is a blessed condition indeed if a man knew how to attain it why that you shall see in the two next verses When wisdom entereth into thine heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul descretion shall preserve thee understanding shall keep thee Take notice I pray you it is knowledge you see that must be the means to keep a man from all those evils froward dark and crooked wayes spoken of in the 12 13 14 15 verses But it may be you will say I do not find it so hard a thing to fight against all those sins I am not inclined to brawling and bitterness it is a lust of another nature that I am troubled withall wantonness is my sin that I am most apt to fall into espescially when I meet with fit companions if I fall into an harlots company then am I presently snared Now read the 16 verse and you shall see what a bulwork the knowledge of God is against the danger of such a sinfull temptation mark it I pray you to deliver thee saith he from the strange woman even from the stranger which flattereth with her words You see Beloved how strongly a man is fortified against the strongest temptation that is furnished with this precious grace Harlots have tricks to speak with their eyes and this is temptation enough to a man inclined to that sin but when she shall be so impudent as to speak plain english and fall to flatter a man with words now the temptation is much stronger but yet you see this means will keep a man in such a time and this is the reason of it the knowledg of God works that faith in a man and that fear of God and brings the soul into acquaintance and sweet communion together with him so that a man will not grieve the spirit of Christ nor break company with him for all the pleasures in the world and look how it is in this so it will be in any other case whatsoever if there be any corruption that a man finds harder to be mortified then ordinary it will help him against it and without this you must not look to get victory over sin specially those sins or that same one curruption that is more then ordinarily strong for you most know that the Divell can tie a man fast enough with one cord and keep him as fast in prison when there is one door locked upon him as if there were twenty now you cannot expect help out of his paw without the
knowledge of God for if you would have grace and strength to mortifie sin you must go to Christ for it and if you go to him it must be by faith and if that be gotten it must be by the knowledg of God Secondly you will never get such a faith as will stand you in any stead or do you any good in the day of temptation without it for it must be the knowledge of the nature of God that is a God of love and of Free-grace and one that can abound in pardoning and that he sent Jesus Christ to save sinners till a man knows that Christ is a Saviour that he layes both the first and the last stone thereof and that a man cannot be one hairs breadth better then he is by nature till the Spirit of Christ hath mended him and that the first work that a man can do acceptably is to come to Christ for a cure both for his heart and life I say till a man knows this he can never be established in beleeving you shall see the reason of it presently a man that wants this knowledge he gathers such grounds to build his confidence upon that are swept away in the day of temptation it is with his faith just as it is with a house that is built upon the sands where the tide comes when the wind and the tide comes strong away goes the ground and the house together even so is it with an ignorant mans faith for this is one of his best incouragments to beleeve when he considers that his former sinfull prophane life is the road way to hell then he endeavours to leave those courses and falls to prayer and to reading and hearing and this he takes to be such a change that now he thinks he is a child of God and that all the promses belong unto him but then when his old lusts appear again and take hold on him then he falls to utter dispair and concludes that he was but an hypocrite at the best and that there is no hope for him and one day he thinks it is a duty to beleeve and another day he thinks there is no ground for him so to do and thus the poot soul is unstable and tossed like a ship in a tempest one while mounted up to heaven and another while thrown down into the deep and melted a way with trouble But now the soul that knows God and did see in him a ground to beleeve at the first without any works of righteousness done before-hand and that knew Jesus Christ came to save from sin and to give repentance as well as eternall life and did at the first cast himself upon him not as a saint but as a sinner this man if he should fall as low as he was before yet he will see at least the same ground to beleeve us he did see at the first I speak not this to incourage any any to renew there sins I hope you wil not make so bad a use of it but if any should yet is the doctrin of grace a truth that must be preached though some should wrest it to their own destruction Thirdly the knowledge of God will carry a man through the worst of troubles if he should come into Jobs case that his wife should be strange and his children and estate swept away and his godly friends turned his enemies yet would he be able to say with him though he kill me yet I will and I can trust in him for I know my Redeemer liveth Thus when a man can say with Paul I know whom I have beleeved by being able to see the power wisdom truth and goodness of God it will be such a rock for him to set his feet upon that will keep him from sinking in the worst of times Fourthly a man that knows God will serve him with that delight that another man cannot do an ignorant man may be convinced that it is a duty to hear and to pray and the like but he hath no comfort in these ordinances but yet he uses them because he dares do no otherwise but a man that knows God sees such a beauty in God that he goes to seek him with much delight he knows they be means appointed of God to bring him into neerer communion with him and to give him a more glorious sight of God and therefore it is a work well peasing to him and he goes about it with as much content as men use to go to their recreations but the other goes to the same work as one goes to a trade that he is set to against his will he does it untowardly and unwillingly and will get from it if he can and so wil the man from duties that knows not God if he can but find a way to escape the rebukes of his own conscience Now therefore I pray you make it your first greatest work to get the knowledg of God with all diligence seek for it for the prise thereof is greater then silver choice gold or rubies therefore search for it more then for hidden treasures There is two means that I will direct you to make use of for the getting of this knowledge The first is the consideration of the works of God if a man do but humbly and wisely observe his great works they will shew forth much of his glory if you look to the heavens and consider what a great distance they are spread above the earth and compassing it round about and see those glorious creatures the Sun Moon and Stars roul about to serve poor worms and lumps of clay how plainly will they teach you that the creator of them is a God of infinite goodness for before ever he did create either them or the men for whose sakes they were created the Lord did perfectly understand all the wickedness that would in time be commited by every one of them and yet it did not hinder him in this great worke but he hath done it and continues to uphold it notwithstanding all that unworthiness that is found among the children of men and if you look to the Earth and the Seas and see them hang in a round lump in the midst of the heavens cleaving together and the waters not over-flowing the earth this great work will tell you that the Creator thereof is infinite in power wisdom and goodness and if you consider how the Earth and the Seas are stored with variety of Creatures with severall hosts of creatures and yet not a man nor a beast nor a fish nor a fowl no worm nor any creature more nor less but God takes care every day how they shall be fed the wild beasts of the wilderness that no man takes care of have there meat and there drink every day from the hand of God Oh how do these gracious acts of his every day preach the glory of his great name to all considering men that will but set themselves to mind the great wisdom patience power truth
not unlawful such a reward may be received neither do I speak as if there were no lawfulness in any remove I know it is lawful when a mans work and not his wages is the cause thereof I shall say no more to this because I am not speaking to an Auditory of Preachers but I intreat you al to look to your hearts that you use your knowledg not for the advancing of your selves in the world but for the glory of God the good of your own souls and the good of the souls of others learn by it more to fear and to trust in the Lord dayly learn to delight in him by it and let it be a means of bringing you into a neerer communion with him every day and forget not to communicate your knowledge to others but be distilling of it dayly into their souls it is true ignorant ones should be asking their fathers and their elders and such as can teach them Deut. 32.7 but seeing they are commonly backward to their duty therefore every knowing person should be wisely and humbly forward to draw them to the knowledg of him Another duty you must be intreated to take special notice of is this if you professe to know God remember to live holily you are ingaged to it eminently therefore I yray you above all things let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel and let every one of you that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity 2 Tim 2.19 The Apostle Titus 1.16 speaks of a sort of men that professe to know God but in works they deny him being abominable saith he and well may he say so for it is abominable indeed to know God and to carry ones self as if they had never heard or known that there is a God I beseech you take heed that none of you be found among that abominable nūber but let your works manifest that you are such as doe indeed know the Lord it concerns every one of you to shine as lights in this present evil world you have no other way to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men at lest no way without this although you speak never so knowingly and holily that will not serve the turn actions speak lowder then words therefore I pray you let us study holiness without it we cannot see the Lord hereafter nor please him here without it we shall do no good in the world nor draw any ignorant ones to the knowledg of God or love of his truth but contrarily you will be a means to drive men from Christ and to cause them to abhor his truth without holiness you neither will nor can be of any better use in the world then to be stumbling blocks for blind men to tumble over into hell therefore let us cast away every work of darkness and put on the whole armor of light studying to be holy in all manner of conversation and bring forth those fruits of humility patience justice mercifulness love self-denial and the rest of the fruits of the spirit that the world may see that God is in you of a truth and that they may be able to say these men do indeed direct us into the path that leads to eternal life but if you walk contrary to holiness you will do no good but hurt with all your knowledg the better you talk the more mischief you will do the world will be apt to think there is no beleeving you whatever you say but the better you speak of God the more they will question whether there be a God or no for say they if these men did beleeve as they speak would they live as they do therefore if you would not be instruments to bring the world into stark Atheisme live holily if this follow not namely there turning Atheists yet that wil follow which is bad enough the world wil certainly conclude that you are hypocrites and that you have your bad ends in all your good words and so they will be brought to have an evil opinion of all your undertakings and so you will be in no capacity to do them any good therefore I pray you consider and beware of all those sins that will procure so much mischief especially beware of those sins the World is so apt to charge upon you it is a charge the World hath had against professors this thirty years and more in my knowledg that they are a proud people and none so covetous as they and that they be uncharitable and do no good in the World Now I pray you Brethren consider whether this be true or no if this be a slander then you may bear it the better but if your proud carriage covetous words or actions close-fistedness and the like have procured this report then I beseech you repent and let your attire be below your Rank rather than above it let your words and actions be free from Covetousness give not the World occasion any more to speak or to think so hardly of you abound more in doing good according unto your ability and let no more such complaints be heard by your means it were better a great deal that you were out of the World than that you should live in it to bring forth such fruit as will cause the Gospel to have an evill savour in the World There is one duty more that I would intreat you to mind if the knowledg of God and of Christ be of so great use then let us not forget to be thankful that he is pleased to afford us such a gracious means of knowledg as the Word of Truth is Oh consider of the greatness of his Mercy that the Lord should be pleased to write so many plain and gracious characters of his great and glorious Name and send it to us and that we should at least see so much of his back parts as may incourage and inable us to beleeve and that he should so preserve the Scriptures as he hath done although they have gone through so many foul hands and he hath very plainly manifested the ends of our Lord Jesus Christs coming into the World and thereby opened a door of Salvation unto us poor unworthy sinners this should cause us to exalt his Name and tell forth his praises and wonderful works with rejoycing that we may affect the hearts of others and cause them to love the Lord and to trust in him for ever Vse 5. I have but one Use more to make of this Point and that is a word to Men that know not God I must let you know that it is your duty to be thankful also and although you do not know the Father nor the Son yet that you might have known them and may yet possibly come to know them it is a great mercy and although you care not to know him yet it is his mercy nevertheless in affording you so gracious a means of knowledg I say although you neither do nor will know him yet is he merciful
for all that but that is not all I have to say to you take one word more and set it upon your hearts if you do not come to know him it will be more tolerable for Sodom for Turks for Indians and for the brutishest of Men than for you they that do not know him and glorifie him according to the means afforded to them shall not be excused But Oh how inexcuseable shall you be that live in England nay in those places where you have had the Gospel plainly and plentifully Preached unto you temember that when you come before the Judgement seat of Christ it will not be possible for you to find an excuse for your ignorance which of you have humbly and conscionably sought for knowledg and have not found it have you used that direction Solomon gives you Prov. 2.2 3 4. how often have you read the Scriptures over and pondered them in your hearts it may be not twice in all your lives I pray you tell me when Christ shall come to ask you at the day of Account whether you had not a word called a Bible that did testifie of him and of his Father and that gave you direction how you might attain Eternal Life what will you then say to him if you should say that although you had the Scriptures yet you understood them not if you will but give him leave to ask you whose fault that was whether this did not come to pass through your own neglect of his word and minding things of less moment I marvel whether you will not then be speechless yea or no. Again if he shall ask you whether you neither knew nor heard of any man living in the Age with you that was able to direct you in the way to Eternal life will not these questions stop your mouths and let you see that your Condemnation is just upon you Consider this and let it prevail with you to cause you to seek after the Knowledg of God in time but if you will still mind present vanities more than Eternal happiness you cannot say but you had a fair warning and that your Blood is upon your own heads and so much for this time and for this Point THE FOURTH EXERCISE John 17.3 And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent I Shall now come to this second Head of Doctrine in this Text namely The Lords being called the only true God Now the word Only signifieth one and no more but one but if you further ask what the word True meaneth the answer must be this the Lord by this Word opposeth himself to or differenceth himself from all others that are no Gods by Nature and so no Gods in truth For the right understanding of this one only true God I must shew you that there are two sorts of Gods besides this one only True God I shall shew you who these be wherefore they are called Gods For the first sort of them you must know that there are Gods by Office and that you shall see in Psalm 82. there you shall see a sort of Men called Gods not for their goodness sake but for their Office sake and therefore hath the Lord put this Title upon Magistrates and Rulers that we might learn to obey them in the Lord. A second sort of Gods you may find noted in Deut. 32.17 there they are called by the name of New Gods and in Psalm 81.9 they are call'd by the Name of strange Gods these are Idols the work of mens hands which they make to Worship or at least they make them to Worship God by them these are false Gods even the Work of Error and the fruit of mens folly no way deserving the name of Gods but only to rebuke the foolishness of men for adoring the devices of their own hearts and esteeming so highly the work of their own fingers But now the only true God is he that made Heaven and Earth unto whom the name of God in a proper sence is only due and that is the Point I would have you note Doct. 2. That there is one only true God and there is no other Gods but he I shall intreat you to note how plentiful and plainly this is expressed in the Scriptures Deut. 4.35 39. Vnto thee it was shewed that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God there is none else beside him The words are very plain this is that truth that God would have Israel know and therefore he shewed it to them that there was one God and there was none else beside him and therefore Moses presseth it again in Verse 39. that Israel should know it and consider it that the Lord which had made them hear his voice from Heaven and shewed them his great fire on Earth verse 36. and that had loved their Fathers and chosen their Seed and brought them out of Egypt verse 37. and that had driven out those mighty Nations and given their Land to Israel that this God is God both in Heaven and in Earth and that there is no other God beside him And in the sixth Chapter and fourth Verse Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord and in the 10.17 he is called the God of Gods and Lord of Lords And so it is said also in 1 Cor. 8.4 that there is no other Gods but one and in the sixth verse it is said that to us there is but one God and in 1 Tim. 1.17 he is there noted by such descriptions as do abundantly clear the truth of this First he is therefore called the King Eternal Immortal Invisible Now this Word the King shews plainly that he that is the supream Being is but One and that this one Being is from Eternity and continues to Eternity and is one invisible Spirit more excellent and glorious than can be beheld with the Eye of flesh Again he is there called the only wise God which is as much as to say it implies so much that he and he alone is that one Eternal simple Being who is the well-spring and fountain of all wisdom look also Psal 86.8 10. Isai 37.16 and 44.24 Jer. 10.10 11 12. I might alledg a multitude of places more for the proof of this if need were but these may suffice to evidence it to us that there is one and but one Eternal God that is the only fountain perfect on of all Power Wisdom Goodness yea the cause of all other Beings whatsoever and he from whom all Creatures more and less have their Being and are preserved yea from this Infinite Being that fils Heaven and Earth with his glory Jer. 23.24 but is not contained in them 1 King 8.27 but contains the Creatures within himself Acts 17.28 I say from him all Grace and comfort whatsover deserveth the Name of good is extended and given of free and meer Grace to the whole Creation and therefore this I beseech you hold fast that
man can never be disappointed by trnsting in him for he is a Rock on whom you may rest with full assurance all those that trust in him shall never be ashamed therefore trust in him at all times and for all things that your souls stand in need of you may go to him for it not only by Prayer but also by dependance whatever your wants be whether you want pardoning or purging mercy or sanctifying grace or outward things in all cases whatsoever trust perfectly and fully upon him without fear for a supply of all your wants for he is the only true God that is to say he is the fulness and perfection of all power wisdom mercy truth and goodness whatsoever and one that can no more disappoint the soul that trusteth in him than he can cease to be God but I beseech you take heed that you trust in no other person nor thing whatsoever but only in him for if you do you commit Idolatry against him therefore set up no other gods to your selves I pray you see what the Prophet saith to this case Jer. 17.5 Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord here you may see how this sin is cursed of trusting in man it would make one tremble to fall under the curse of the Holy Spirit what is the matter that procureth this Curse why the sin is trusting in man and that is a very grievous sin for it is a making flesh his arm that is his strength and that is to set up another god as you may see in the words following and whose heart departeth from the Lord mark it I pray you when a man depends upon the Creature for any thing that is proper for God to give this is to ascribe that to the Creature which is due to God and it is a very high degree of sin to depart from the Lord and that in heart and to rest upon the Creature for help instead of God it is plainly to deny him and to honour the Crearure and that in heart with the greatest honour that can be given to the Lord for it is to acknowledg the Creature to have both power and mercy to help in time of need and to deny it to be found in God see Psalm 62.10 11 12. If riches encrease set not your hearts upon them but what if we should wherein lies the sin note it I pray you the sin is great and lies in this that a man saith in his heart there is both power and mercy in Riches to help me and this saith the Prophet only belongeth unto God as it followeth in the next words Now therefore I pray you trust in nothing but in the living God neither for spiritual nor for temporal things Oh I depend neither upon Friends nor Riches no nor yet upon wisdom nor strength nor trade nor any thing in the world that is below the only true God But you will say what is it to trust in these things I would not willingly do it for I know it is a sin I answer when a man promiseth himself comfort from any thing whatsoever he trusteth in it let him say what he will to the contrary as for example when a man thinketh thus in his heart I have a Friend that will not see me want or I have a good Trade or so much Riches or Land therefore it shall go well with me this man trusteth in these things or whosoever promiseth himself Bread to eat or Clothes to put on from any other ground save only this the power mercy and truth of God he having undertaken to provide for him trusteth in that thing whatever it is therefore let Rich men especially remember Pauls charge in 1 Tim. 6.17 and look well to their hearts that they do not trust in their Riches no not for Bread for to morrow but only in the promises of the living and only true God The fourth duty that you owe to this only true God is obedience this use Moses makes of this point Deut. 4.39.40 the Lord saith he s God both in Heaven and in earth there is none else and what follows Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes and his Commandements I pray you observe it his Commandements must be obeyed that is all of them you must obey for if you should obey some of them and leave the rest undone the Lord would never take it well at your hands no Beloved you must give up your selves to walk universally obedient unto all the Commandements He that shall break one of the least of them Mat. 5.19 shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven that is that shall allowedly and wilfully break the least of them God looks to be obeyed in all things whatsoever you know to be a duty although it be never so small or never so contemptible you must yeild obedience to it or whatever you can come to know to be a duty hereafter you must have your hearts in a ready frame to obey when you do come to know or can come to know more or whatever you know or can come to know to be a sin you must avoid and mortifie there must be no bearing with any sin no nor with any corruption if it bring never so much profit or never so much pleasure all must be cast away that is contrary to his most holy will and all this is to be done willingly or else the Lord accepteth it not the Lord looks for the whole heart and therefore if you do dot willingly and in love to God yeild up your selves to live to him in all things he will not account it sincere obedience And as you must take heed you obey no sin so likewise you must obey no Creature but in the Lord therefore if the Magistrate or thy Husband Master or Father Landlord or whosoever commandeth thee to do any thing that is not according to the will of God let this be an everlasting Law to thee in all such cases obey God rather than men but if any that hath authority over thee shall command any thing which is lawful and may be done without scruple of Conscience in all such cases thou art to yeild ready and willing obedience unto them as unto Christ And the last but not the least duty that I shall now press upon you is this Take heed that you learn of no man or men what worship you must give unto God nor after what manner it must be performed but learn all this of the Lord himself get a ground from the Scriptures for all the Doctrines that you receive for truth I say get a ground for them in your own understandings and all the wo ship of God both for matter and manner and all the circumstances thereof see that it be grounded upon the word of truth if you would be sure not to commit Idolatry then take heed of being lead by the judgements of men in any of
these things neither do you follow the imaginations of your own hearts in these things but labour to get a distinct understanding in your own souls of whatsoever is to be beleeved for Doctrine or for whatsoever is to be practised in matters of worship for if you walk in darkness you will walk uncomfortably but if you walk in the light and knowledg of his will your walking wil both please him and bring much comfort and peace to your own Soul Vse 2. But I shall now speak one word to provoke those wretched man thet live without God in the world to consider of their condition and so conclude I beseech you my dear friends do not live still so estranged from the life of God neither do you go on to abuse his mercy and loving-kindness from day to day as you have done but let the goodness and long-suffering of the Lord lead you to Repentance you have heard what a God of Holiness power wisdom goodness and faithfulness he is yea what an eternal unchangeable invisible infinite Being he is you have heard something both of his Name and of his Works and much more is to be known and may be known of him in the Word of Truth and will you continue so unthankful and ungodly abusing this grace and love of God who hath manifested himself in his holy Word that you might come to the knowledg of him and so to salvation and do not you think it a most grievous sin to live as many of you do as void of the knowledg of him as those that never heard of his written Word it is a most unthankful abuse of his goodness O where would such men be glad to hide themselves at the great Day even under a Rock if they did know how to get under it and as for many of those that cannot chuse but know something of God how unanswerable to that little knowledg that they have do they walk neither loving nor fearing his great Name having no respect at all to his worship nor to any of his Commandements nor trusting in him at all no more than if he had never made them any promises Beloved how evident be these things notwithstanding all that God hath made known of himself unto men yet how little love have they for him and how little zeal for his glory loving pleasure profit yea sin it self better than God fearing the frowns of men more than the displeasure of him and trusting in the promises of their honest Neighbours yea in a little durty wealth or any vanity in the world rather than in the power and truth of God casting his worship and Commandements behind their backs as if they owed him no service now I pray you bethink your selves how you shall appear before the Lord at the great Day and how he will take it at your hands that you should live so prophane a life being alienated from the life of God and rooted and hardened in all wickedness as if you had never known nor heard of the Name of God Oh Repent in time and thankfully imbrace that means of grace which God in the riches of his mercy doth yet afford unto you and so much I shall commend to your consideration and to the blessing of the Almighty THE SIXTH EXERCISE John 17.3 And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent I Shall now come to speak to this third and last general Head in this Text namely the Lords sending of Jesus Christ and for this end and purpose that I may proceed both with brevity and plainness I shall proceed in this order First I shall shew you the excellency of the person of Christ even as he is the Son Secondly I shall clear it unto you by the Scriptures how that Jesus Christ had a Being with the Father in glory before the world was and from thence was sent into the world to take upon him our Nature Thirdly I shall endeavour to set before you the ends of his coming into the world And now for the first of these I pray you take notice that the Scriptures in many places do exalt the Lord Jesus above all other Creatures whatsoever I shall name you some few of them look Hebrews 1. the whole Chapter but especially note two or three passages in the beginning he is there said to be appointed heir of all things and to be the brightness of his Fathers glory and to be made much better then the Angels which word made better must needs have respect to his Creature-nature also he is there said to be him by whom God did make all things and doth uphold them And in the Revelations 3.14 he is called the beginning of the Creation of God and in Col. 1.15 16 17. he is called the first-born of every Creature all things are said to be created by him and for him and he to be before them that by him they all consist So that from these and other like Texts I gather that God did first create the Spirit of Christ filled him with his own glory and then by him brought forth the whole creation I say that Spirit of Christ which afterward took flesh of the Virgin Mary and so became true man was the first and the choicest piece of all the workman-ship of God for you must know that Christ had a created Spirit that was set up and brought forth and brought up with the Lord and was by him before any of his other works had a Being Prov. 8.22 to the 30. and this is he that the Lord possessed in the beginning of his way and is the same that talked with Abraham and that Abraham made intercession to for Sodom Gen. 18. and that brought the children of Israel through the wilderness and is the same that God commandeth them to obey Exod. 23.20 21 22 23. But this I shall say no more to now but come to the second particular and that is to shew you that the Lord Christ was sent from the bosom of the Father into the world for us you will see this plain in many places I wil name you some of them John 3 13. No man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven even the Son of man The words are very plain the son of man you see came down from heaven and in the 31. ver He that cometh down from heaven is above all he that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth he that cometh from heaven is above all I pray you mark it Christ is here opposed to all other men in this that they are from the earth but he is from heaven yea as he is the son of man he is from heaven but if he had received his first beginning in the womb of the Virgin as well in respect of his spirit as in respect of his body he could no more have been said to have been sent