further in Isa 49.25 26. A dreadful place to all cruel Oppressors of Gods people saith the Lord there I will contend with him that contendeth with thee and I will save thy Children And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh and they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine And Amos 2.6 Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof Why Because they sold the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of shoes So Isa 52.4 5 6. Thus saith the Lord my people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause Now therefore what have I here saith the Lord that my people is taken away for nought they that rule over them make them to bowl saith the Lord and my name continually every day is blasphemed Therefore my people shall know my name therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak behold it is I. By which it is very evident that the Lord does not onely intimate unto us how sorely he plagued the Egyptians because they had grievously afflicted and oppressed his people which voluntarily and of their own accord went down into Egypt but also that he will much more grievously plague the Assyrians that carried them away out of their own Land the Land of Canaan which he had given them for an Inheritance and there dealt so cruelly and unmercifully with them So sorely displeasing is it unto the Lord when those that rule over his people shall make them to howl that is to cry bitterly to mourn and lament so ely as it is rendred Jer. 4.8 and Ezek. 21.12 To this agrees that in the 50th Chap. of Jeremiah and the 33 and 34. Verses Thus saith the Lord of Hosts The Children of Israel and the Children of Judah were oppressed together and all that took them Captives held them fast they refused to let them go Their Redeemer is strong the Lord of Hosts is his name he shall throughly plead their cause that he may give rest unto the Land and disquiet the Inhabitants of Babylon What we may understand by the Lords pleading of the cause of his people here and disquieting the inhabitants of Babylon that oppressed them that of Jerem. 51.35 36. doth evidently declare The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon shall the Inhabitants of Sion say and my blood upon the Inhabitants of Chaldea shall Jerusalem say Therefore thus saith the Lord behold I will plead thy cause and take vengeance for thee and I will dry up her Sea and make her Springs dry When the Lord shall plead the cause of Sion then will he take vengeance for her that is he will avenge himself of his and her cruel oppressing enemies According to that which the Lord of Hosts the mighty one of Israel speaks in Isa 1.24 Ah I will ease me of mine Adversaries and avenge me of mine Enemies This is the time when he will make his Arrows drunk with blood and his Sword to devour flesh And then what follows Rejoyce O ye Nations with his people for he will avenge the blood of his Servants and will render vengeance unto his Adversaries and will be merciful unto his Land and to his people As it is in Deut. 32.42 43. This is that time which is called by the Prophet Isaiah The day of the Lords vengeance and the year of recompenses for the controversies of Sion Isa 34.8 called by Jeremiah the vengeance of the Lord our God the vengeance of his Temple Jer. 50.28 And take notice then how severe the Lord will be He tells us that his Sword shall be bathed in Heaven and it shall come down upon Idumea and upon the people of his curse to Judgement By Idumea we are to understand Edom or the Edomites who were the highest Kindred of the Israelites but notwithstanding they were their greatest enemies and oppressors And therefore said the Lord by the Prophet Obadiah Vers 10. For thy violence meaning the Edomites against thy Brother Jacob shame shall cover thee and thou shalt be cut off for ever And these are a Type and Figure of all the enemies of the Church of God who indeed do boast and brag that they are descended and born of the Church crying up the Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord setting up a Worship of their own devising and are in the practise of Sacraments and Ordinances as the true Church and Spouse of Christ yet indeed and in truth do hate persecute and oppress the true spiritual and sincere worshippers of Jesus Whereby it is very evident what dreadful plagues and punishments the sin of oppression doth bring upon a Land and Nation 2. The second Pestilential sin is the sin of Persecution and hatred against God and his people As God hath his Arrows of his deliverance for the preservation of his people against their enemies 2 King 13.17 So he hath the Arrows of his Indignation and wrath which Job being under a spirit of desertion and temptation apprehended were within him the poison whereof he said did drink up his spirit Job 6.4 So David in the like condition That the arrows of the Lord did stick fast in him and his hand pressed him sore Psal 38.2 And the Prophet Jeremy in his Lamentations He hath bent his bow saith he and set me as a mark for the Arrow He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins Lam. 3.12 13. I say whatever might be the apprehensions of these holy and righteous men yet surely the Lord has his arrows of his sore displeasure and wrath which as the instruments of death he hath prepared and ordained against the Persecutors Psal 7.13 And this of the destroying Pestilence is one of the sorest and sharpest of them as reckoned amongst his four sore judgements Ezek. 14.21 And as the wicked do bend their bow and make ready their arrows upon the string that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart Psal 11.2 So the Lord he has his bow and arrows and his Bow is bent also and his arrows he hath ready Psa 7.12 which he sends out and scatters his enemies with Psal 18.14 With these he breaks their bones and pierces them through Num. 24.8 yea makes them drunk with their blood Deut. 32.42 These are sharp in the heart of the Kings enemies Psal 45.5 The Instruments and means that the Lord makes use of against his enemies are piercing yea so piercing that the heart the closest and strongest part even that wherein life consisteth shall be peirced thereby The arrows of the Lord are like the swords of Saul and Jonathan which did execution and returned not empty 2 Sam. 1.22 You think by flying away and hiding your selves in the thickets of the forrest you shall be secured from the stroke of these arrows of Gods vengeance but know if
before the throne of God And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand Rev. 8.3 4. By this Angel we are to understand Christ our Mediator called the Angel or Messenger of the Covenant or the Angel of Gods presence Mal. 3.1 and Isa 63.9 who alone is the High Preist of Heaven and offereth and presenteth our prayars with the incense of his merits and intercession upon the golden Altar that is upon himself unto God for a sweet smelling savour as is testified Rom. 8.34 Eph. 5.2 Heb. 14.14 See also Rev. 5 8. 6. In God onely we ought to beleive therefore he onely is to be called upon He that commeth to God must beleive that he is c. Heb. 11.6 The same Lord who is ever all is rich unto all that call upon him For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Rom. 10.12 13. Again we are to pray unto God in the name of Christ which is not rudely and customarily to say these words Through Jesus Christ our Lord c. but in confidence of the merits and intercession of Christ to call on God our heavenly Father For since the fall of man none are called to come to God or have promise to speed but in the name of a Mediator I am the way the truth and the life saith Christ no man commeth to the Father but by me Joh. 14.6 And there is one God and one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2.15 John calls him the Advocate he who pleads our cause with the Father 1 Joh. 2.1 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them Heb. 7.25 In Christ alone we have access to the throne of grace Or as the Apostle expresseth it Through him we haue an access by one spirit unto the Father Ephes 2.18 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him Eph. 3.12 And what saith Christ himself Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you Joh. 16.23 So Col. 3.17 Whatsoever ye do in word and deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God and the Father by him Angels or Saints departed do not nor cannot present our prayers before God Abraham is ignorant of us Isa 63.16 Christ onely is our Mediator and High Priest who getteth an acceptatation of our prayers before God Heb. 4.14 Rev. 8.3 Again We are to pray in the name of Christ through the spirit Likewise the Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God Rom. 8.26 27. But ye beloved building up your selves in your most holy faith praying in the Holy ghost Jude ver 20. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit Ephes 6.18 No praying aright but in and by the Spirit God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth Joh. 4.14 And prayer surely is a principal part of his spiritual worship Is it not sad then to consider how carnal and formal worshippers do deride and make a mock at the Spirit of God! O say they you cannot pray but by the spirit So for Faith that also is a necessary ingredient in prayer James speaks of the prayer of faith that shall save the sick Jam 5.15 So also 1 Tim. 2.8 and Matth. 21.22 And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer beleiving ye shall receive Now this faith will work to the purifying of the heart For if we regard iniquity in our hearts God will not hear us Psa 66.18 We haveing therefore gracious promises from God that he will grant our requests that he will be very gracious unto us at the voyce of our cry Isa 30.19 That when we call he will answer Isa 58.9 and deliver us out of all our afflictions Psal 34.19 We must come unto God beleiving his word for that he is true and faithful as Sarah who received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised Heb. 11.11 But if hope to speed does not accompany our prayers they are vain Let not the doubting and wavering man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord Jam. 1.6 7. Yet know withal that this hope sometimes is very weak and feeble and many times seems to be overwhelmed in the godly Ps 13.1 2.31.22 and 77.7 8 9. Again As it must be a prayer of Faith so it must be from the heart with fervency of spirit Prayer is not a lip labour nor a formal devotion but it is the sighs and groans of a broken and penitent heart Hanna spake in her heart when her voyce was not heard 1 Sam. 1.13 Moses is said to cry unto the Lord when we find not one word that he uttered with his mouth Exod. 14.15 Hence is the exhortation that we be fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12.11 And it is said that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much Jam. 5.16 As the things we beg are of more excellent use for us so must we be more eager and importunate with the Lord for the obtaining of them I cried unto the Lord with my voice with my voyce unto the Lord did I make my supplication I poured out my complaint before him I shewed before him my trouble Psal 142.1 2. This shewed the earnestness and ferventness of his spirit in prayer So Ps 80.1 Give ear O shepherd of Israel thou that dwellest between the cherubims shine forth Before Ephraim Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength and come and save us This ariseth from the consideration of the necessity and excellency of what we desire as also from a burning zeal of Gods glory and hearty love of our brethren in opposition to a spirit of hypocrisie formality sluggishness and vain-babling Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion For the time to favour her yea the set time is come And what then For Sions sake I will not hold my peace and for Jerusalem sake I will not rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth Ps 102.13 com with Isa 62.1 Again when we pray we must pray with understanding 1 Cor. 14.15 Blind devotion is no way pleasing to God The soul without knowledge is not good Prov. 19.2 God will not be superstitiously and ignorantly worshipped Acts 17.22 23. The blind and the lame was not to come into the house of God If ye offer the blind for
and supplication that he had made 1 King 9.3 So Psa 41. Blessed is he that considereth the poor the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive and he shall be blessed upon the Earth and thou wilt not deliver him into the will of his enemies The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness So Psa 91.3 6 7 10. Surely he shall deliver thee from the noysom Pestilence Thou shalt not be afraid of the â—estilence that walketh in darkness nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon-day A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee Art thou sick then apply The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing Tbou wilt make all his bed in his sickness Art thou there where the sick are apply I will take away all sickness from the midst of thee Fearest thou the Pestilence I will deliver thee saith the Lord from the noysome Pestilence So that of Eliphaz to Job He shall deliver thee in six troubles yea in seven there shall no evil touch thee in Famine he shall redeem thee from death and in War from the power of the Sword Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the Tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh c. And thou shalt know that thy Tabernacle shall be in peace Job 5.19.20 21 24. So in Isa 43.2 The Lord promiseth he will be with us in the fire and in the water the waters shall not overflow us nor the fire devour us And in Heb. 13.5 he hath promised likewise that he will never leave thee nor forsake thee The labour of the Olive may fail as Habakkuk speaks our nearest and dearest friends and relations may fail our eyes may fail our tongue may fail our strength may fail our flesh and heart may fail our spirits may fail yet saith the Lord I will be with thee I will not fail thee nor forsake thee When the poor and the needy seek water and there is none and their tongue faileth for thirst I the Lord will hear them I the God of Israel will not forsake them Isa 41.17 What can be more refreshing and supporting to the poor languishing fainting sinking soul Thus in any trouble of soul body good name outward state present or to come thou maist by the soveraign power of saith working upon the word of his promise not only draw out the sting and expell the poison of it but also procure a great deal of comfort to thy truly humbled soul and maintain it in despight of all mortal or infernal opposition in a constant spiritual gladness Considering that all those Promises whereupon thy heavy and disconsolate heart in such cases may repose and refresh it self have their being and confirmation from the blessed name Jehovah it self see Exod. 6.3 and therefore as sure as God himself they are sealed with the bloody sufferrings of his only Son and therefore as true as Truth it self and if thou art in Christ are all as certainly thine as the heart in thy body or blood that runs in thy veins Nay and a little more for thy comfort the glory of Gods Truth is mightily advanced and himself extraordinarily pleased by thy more resolute stedfast and triumphant cleaving unto them What a blessed sweet and heavenly life then is the Life of Faith as it is exercised in the Promises of God O then be encouraged to be acting Faith in the Promises and to be storing up a good stock of Promises every day They are of excellent use in all estates in all conditions in all kind of distresses whatsoever By beleiving the Promises we shall prosper by beleiving and applying of them we shall come to participate of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 And therefore they are called exceeding great and precious promises That by these saith the Apostle you might be partakers of the Divine Nature not of the substance but of the quality Non transformatione naturae humanae in divinam sed participatione donorum quibus conformes efficimur divinae naturae as one distinguisheth very well not by the transformation of the humane nature into the divine but by the participation of gifts whereby we are made conformable to the Divine Nature And so it notes a fellowship with God in his holiness and a fellowship with God in his blessedness that is in the beatifical vision and brightness of glory upon which account as to the excellent use and nature of them one terms them a Christians Catholicon a general purging Medicine a Salve for every sore being a help to all duties a quickner of all graces and a comfort in all distresses And like a well-fill'd Apothacaries shop there is contained in them heavenly receipts of all sorts wholesome physick of every kind for expelling and curing all sorts of diseases and sicknesses incident to Saints and for the corroborating and strengthening of the new nature and keeping the spiritual man in a good healthful constitution lusty and strong able for Gods Service and for working out his own salvation with fear and trembling Wouldst thou then have thy faith like the Light in the Lords Sanctuary never to go out then acquaint thy self with Gods Promises know them well meditate on them confer about them let them be continually in thy mind memory heart and tongue Satan laboureth in nothing more then to keep us in unbeleif especially of particular promises for he knows if we beleive them we shall in all things have the victory Come before God with boldness carry peace in our own bosomes to our graves and do and suffer any thing for God Oh the abundance of sweet cordial comfort which all humble beleiving souls draw by faith out of every promise And these precious promises our breasts of consolation whereupon our comfort and happiness so much depend lye hid in the holy Scriptures as veins of gold in the earth How then should we be searching into those rich mines that bring to light such heavenly treasures and how should it stir us up to go to God in prayer for the accomplishment of them unto us and waiting in the diligent use of all means for the gaining of them you shall find God not only making you heirs of Promises but you shall be comfortable possessors of those many good things which God hath promised to beleivers And the more you meditate and the oftner you pray upon them the more good will you see in them and find to flow from them And this leads me to the next Spiritual Receipt and Soveraign Antidote and that is Prayer The Fourth Spiritual Receit 4ly The fourth special Receit and preservative against this contagious disease or which may be of excellent force and efficacy for the removal of it is faithful and fervent Prayer This is a tried receipt an approved remedy of which
trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters and that spreadeth out her roots by the river whose leaf shall be green and shall not cease from yeilding fruit Jerem. 17.7 8. Pro. 28.25 And as David Psal 40.4 Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust and respecteth not the proud nor such as turn aside to lies 3. A mans House or Habitation is the place of his Secresie Where does the Husband and the Wife or a man and his freind unbosome themselves communicate their thoughts and the very secrets of their hearts each to other but usually and for the most part in their Houses in their private Chambers and Closets So it is with the Man or Woman that makes God their habitation They 'l go to God and in their Closet and close retirements with the Lord how will they unbosome themselves and lay open their very hearts and most secrets thoughts and spread them before the Lord. So did Hanna in the bitterness of her soul she prayed and wept sore and in her secret retirements she poured out her soul before the Lord 1 Sam. 1.10 15. meaning the trouble and anguish of her heart So David when his spirit was overwhelmed within him then he cried unto the Lord and poured out his complaint before him and shewed him all his trouble Psal 142.1 2 3. So Jeremiah 20.10 11 12. when he lay under evil reports and defamation and his familiars watched for his halting what course does he take He goes to God and opens his cause unto him or discovers his cause unto him as to an Advocate or Patron O Lord of Hosts saith he that triest the righteous and seest the reins and the heart let me see thy vengeance on them for unto thee have I opened my Cause So is it said of Hezekiah when he had received the Letter of railing Rabshekah and read it he goes up into the House of the Lord and spreads it before the Lord in this manner O Lord God of Israel which dwellest between the Cherubims thou art the God even thou alone of all the kingdoms of the earth thou hast made heaven and earth Lord bow down thine ear and hear open Lord thine eyes and see and hear the words of Sennacharib which hath sent him to reproach the living God This hath been the manner of the Servants of the Lord who have made God their habitation they go to God in secret and pour out their souls before him O saith Job that I knew where I might find him that I might come even to his seat I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments Job 23.3 4. Holy Job even now a Proverb or a Prodigy rather perceiving his freinds discourses were fuller of reproaches then consolations neglects to answer them and resolves to get him to God the onely support and refuge of the miserable The soarest strokes cannot drive away gracious souls from God but rather draw them nearer unto him they seldome or never think themselves near enough unto God its Sun and Sheild and Center O that I knew where to find him that I might come even to his Seat And Gods Judgment-seat where he sits to hear and determine Causes is not terrible or unapproachable to a Beleiver who knows it to be a Throne of Mercy as Job did here And happy are all that can say so For we must all appear defore the Judgment-seat of Christ 2 Cor. 5.10 11. and it will be terrible to all those that do not often resort thither before hand And it is good to have our hearts and mouths fill'd with Arguments when we come to plead and expostulate and reason out our great concernments with our God who hath all good things lying ready by him and waits only for Prayer to come and fetch them away Not that God stands in need of our informing him concerning our necessities which he knows better then we but because hereby we give some proof that we are not altogether strangers at home as many careless ones are but know something of our selves and our own cases and of him and his dealings towards us If our mouths then be fill'd with arguments we may be sure of an Answer God will not sit still and say nothing he will not sit like an Image like a dumb Idol as the Abominations of the Heathens their Dii Stercorei their Dunghil Gods as they are called Deut. 29.17 must of necessity do they can do no otherwise though men fill their mouths with Arguments and empty their veins of their blood before them 1 King 18.28 Go boldly then to the Throne of grace plead with God and fill your mouthes with arguments spread thy complaints before him and open thy cause unto him for when ever you do so beyond all peradventure God will answer There 's no fear that he will interpret this sawciness and presumption in thee and so answer thee with his fists about thine ears or with his foot to kick thee out of his presence there is no fear that he will smother thee under the waight of his greatness or dazle thee with his beams or burn thee with his flames or drive thee from the judgement seat as Gallio did the Jews Act. 18.16 No he never beats his people lower then their knees and thence suffers them yea helps them to rise again nay he will lay his hand upon thy head yea under thy feet to do thee good he will stroke rather then strike a pleading soul He will strengthen thee and put mettle into thee He will not plead against thee with his great and absolute power So he dealt with Daniel a man that had great intimate acquaintance with God Chap. 10.19 How was he strengthened when the Angel touched him The Righteous may plead and dispute with him even at the bar of Equity and Justice and the Judge cannot but pronounce and pass sentence in their favour Thus righteous Jeremiah pleaded with him Righteous art thou O Lord when I plead with thee Jer. 12.1 And he invites his people to come and plead freely Isa 43.26 Put me in remembrance saith the Lord let us plead together declare that thou mayst be justified if thou haste any thing to say for thy self say on Yea Idolaters shall have this permission to plead for themselves and their dumb Idols if they have any thing to say for them Isa 41.21 Produce your cause saith the Lord bring forth your strong reasons saith the King of Jacob Shall Idolaters have this liberty and not the true Worshippers that worship him in Spirit and in truth The wicked shall they have it and not the righteous Yes doubtless this is that boldness of speech 2 Cor. 7.4 mentioned as the great priviledge of the Saints especially now under the new Testament Heb. 4.16 Accedamus cum loquendi ubertate ad thronum gratiae Letus come boldly unto the throne of grace Heb. 10.19 Having