is still to seek in every difficulty and gone in every new strait whereas hee who laies up Experiences and can make use of them feed upon them hee shall be inabled thereby to depend upon God in any strait and difficulty whatsoever Thus you see David God delivered me out of the Paw of the Lyon and out of the paw of the Bear and hee will deliver mee out of the hand of this Philistim David feeds on the Lyon And because he hath been my helper therefore under the shadow of his wings will I rejoyce Now in the passing of this duty of dependence upon you I find two things to bee great enemies to it which be you aware of 1. Beware of Obliterating the Notions of God 2. Beware of burying the remembrance of his works 1. Beware of Obliterating the Notions of God Had Moses seen God and had the same Notions and apprehensions of God at the Rock that he had at the Red sea which was a far greater difficulty then to fetch water out of the rock he could have trusted in God for that as well as for the former But those thoughts and conceptions of God were for the present darkened and over-shadowed with Passion and therefore hee could not trust God then So if David had had the same apprehensions of God when he counterfeited himself Mad for fear of Abimelech the King of Gath or when he was pursued by Saul and burst forth into these words I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul which he had at other times as when he saith Ps 27.1 2 3. The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid when the wicked mine enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh they stumbled and fell Though an host pitched against mee my heart should not bee afraid though war bee raised against mee In this will I be confident Or when hee saith to Saul concerning Goliah God that delivered mee out of the Paw of the Lyon c. hee will deliver mee from this uncircumcised Philistim Or when hee saith God is our hope and strength a help in trouble ready to bee found therefore will not wee fear though the Earth bee moved though the mountains bee hurled into the depth of the Sea Hee would not have so fainted in these like or lesse exigences So had Abraham had the same apprehensions of God when hee feigned his wife to bee his Sister which hee had when God made him the Promise of a Sonne or when hee went to sacrifice his Son hee could have trusted and depended on God in this câ—se as well as in the former this difficulty being far short of the other So did Gods people see God at all times as they do at some times they would then be able to depend on God and trust in him in any cases though never so difficult but if they lose the apprehensions and conceptions of God and suffer Passion and fear to raise up a cloud to overshadow and darken their understandings they shall never bee able to beleeve and depend upon God in any difficulty and therefore first hold up the Notions of God of his power wisdom mercy and the like 2 Beware of burying the remembrance of his former works Psal 78.6 7. They were commanded to tell the wondrous works of God to their children that the generations to come might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God Intimating that the best way to keep up their hope and dependance on God was to hold up the remembrance of what hee had done Hee that forgets the one will not be able to do the other And therefore you see it set down as a reason of the Disciples distrust Their hearts were hardned They forgat the miracles of the Loaves Mark 6.52 Intimating that it they had remembred that they had not now been to seek in this present difficulty And indeed the want of the remembrance of former mercies doth cause us to distrust and hinders us in our dependence on God for present and future straits whereas on the contrary holding up the remembrance of former will inable us to hold out in present and future distresses You cannot think his arm is shortned you cannot think God cannot nor can you think God will not that he hath helped before and will help no more for mercy is tyed to the Church by covenant Wicked men may injoy a mercy to day but they can have no assurance to have another to morrow because mercy is not tied to them by Promise or by Covenant But now mercy is tyed to the Church by Covenant by Promise Hee hath tyed his mercy to us by his Truth Psal 25. All his ways are mercy and truth not only mercy but truth All God doth is but Performance of Promises wee hold his mercy by Tenor of truth and may challenge mercy by vertue of his truth And therefore David could say Psal 23.6 surely mercy and goodness shall follow mee all the days of my life Wicked men cannot but the Saints may say Mercy shall follow mee all the days of my life Not in this or that particular but in every passage of Providence as the water followed the children of Israel the rock followed them 1 Cor. 10.4 from one station to another as long as they wandred in that dry and thirsty wilderness 5. Use Doth God do wonders for his Church Then it is good being on the Churches side They have a God with them that can do wonders for them what though our enemys have skill power strength and multitude yet we have a God who is stronger than the strongest wiser then the wisest who can over-power and overplot our enemys who alone can do wonders for us As Plutarch said of the Scythians that though they had no musick nor vines yet they had Gods among them So whatever is wanting to a people if they have God with them there is a plentifull supply of all You may set God against all and hee can weigh down all advantages When Charls the Fift Emperor of Germany sent his Herald with challenge again Francis the First King of France Hee commanded the Herald to proclaim him with all his Titles Styling him Emperor of Germany King of Castile King of Aragon of Naples and of Scicile Francis commanded his Herald to proclaim as often King of France as the other had titles of honor by all his Countries Implying that France alone was more worth than all the Countrys the other had So when our adversaries do glory in their strength in their skill in their power and multitudes let us oppose God against them whom they oppose and there is enough to weigh down what ever advantage the arm of flesh can have against us we have a God with us whiles wee are with him with his cause with his truth And hee can do wonders for us 6. Use Doth
EVIL 2 SAM 24.10 And now I beseech thee Take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly THE occasion of these words was the hand of God upon the Children of Israel for Davids Sin of Numbring the people You read in Verse 2. That David commanded Joab to go and number the people and at the first Joab he disswaded him But you will say Was it not lawful to number the people Did not Moses the same in the Wilderness and Joshua and Nehemiah Yea But Joab saw the pride of Davids heart in it as appears by his answer in Verse 3. And Joab said unto the King Now the Lord thy God adde unto the people how many soever they be an hundred fold But why doth my Lord the King delight in this thing notwithstanding the Kings word prevailed against Joab though indeed to his trouble and Israels cost Happy had it been for David and Israel too if the work had not been done But Joab goes and the number is brought in There were Eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew sword and the men of Judah were Five hundred thousand Well But what was the Fruit what was the Effect of this 1. You read Davids heart smote him Verse 10. that is His Conscience accused him If Conscience be not a Bridle it will be a Whip if it be not a Curb it will be a Scourge if you will not hear the Warnings you shall feel the Lashings of Conscience if it do not restrain from sin Monendo by Admonition it will put us to Pain in sin Mordendo by Contrition 2. But there was not all God would punish him for the sin And you may read the Sin in the Punishment He had Gloried in the Number and therefore God would Lessen the Number Yet he puts it to his choice which of the Three judgements he propounds whether Seven years Famine or Three moneths flight before his Enemies or Three days Pestilence he would take Every one was Flagellum Mundans A sweeping Scourge But mark Davids behaviour God threatens judgâ—ment and David goes and Mourns for sin For Davids heart smiting and his Prayer though set before yet seem to be afterward and an effect of the Prophets discovery of sin as appears by the Verse following the Text For When David was up in the morning the word of the Lord came unto Gad Davids Seer where you see it is rendred as a reason why his heart smote him and why he prayed thus because the Prophet had been with him and had convinced him of his sin and denounced Gods judgements against him whereupon Davids heart smote him and he prays Take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly But here it may be demanded Why when God threatned judgement David should go and pray for pardon of sin why did he not desire GOD rather To forbear his strokes To avert and turn away his wrath Than meerly To Beg pardon of sin or if he had desired this yet why did he not Beg the other as well as that and joyn them together in the same Petition Answ 1. To teach us in all the pressures and evils upon our Outward man to turn our thoughts Inward and lament sin 2. Because he saw sin the Cause of judgement and therefore desires the removing of this that so the other might be withdrawn also 3. Because he knew the judgement could never be removed in Mercy unless the sin were taken away Every Preservation is but a Reservation every Deliverance is in justice not in mercy if sin be not taken away 4. He was more apprehensive of the Dishonor of GOD by his sin than of any judgement that his sin had brought upon him Or 5. He sees sin The Greatest Evil and therefore seeks the redress of that rather than of any other Evil Take away the iniquity of thy servant In the Text you may observe Two Parts of Prayer I. Confession II. Petition 1. Confession with self-judging For I have done very foolishly 2. Petition Take away the iniquity of thy servant joyned with faith Or here you have 1. The Petitioner David set forth from his Relation Thy Servant 2. The Petitioned GOD. 3. The Petition it self Take away or Pardon the iniquity of thy servant for the phrase seems to have respect to the Scape-Goat a Type of Christ which was to Carry away the sins of the People into the wilderness Levit. 16.22 thereby signifying Christs taking away sin There is little difficulty in the words but what we may make a difficulty As indeed it would be a making of difficulties to go about to expound that which is so plain rather than an unsolding of them if I should tell you of the several distinctions men make of sin Three words in the Hebrew Exod. 34.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By one they will have to be meant Original Sin by another Infirmities by the other your Grosser Sins But upon examination I finde them used promiscuously and therefore such distinctions of them hath no bottom The letter of the words and outward face of the Text speaks Three Doctrines 1. That GODS servants may commit sin commit iniquity The iniquity of thy servant 2. Fresh sinnings must have Fresh repentings If you Renew your sins you must Renew your Sorrows 3. There needs fresh pardon for fresh revoltings Take away He doth not say Assure me it is taken away but Take away But this will not be the subject of my discourse now That which I intend to speak to shall be The Time and Occasion of these words which was when GODS judgements were threatned against him 1. Sin truly is and GODS peöple do apprehend it to be Doct. 1 The Greatest evil in the world He doth not say Take away the Plague take away the Judgement threatned but Take away this Sin He lookt upon sin as the Greatest Evil. 2. When GOD threatens to punish sin Doct. 2 it is the best way to run unto GOD to Take away sin Or When GODS hand is either Felt or Feared it should be a Christians wisdom To Repent of sin To Desire sin removed We begin with the first Doctr. That sin truly is and GODS people do apprehend it to be The Greatest Evil in the world We will take it 1. In its Pieces 2. We will close them 1. The Doctrine doth part it self into Two parts 1. That sin is the Greatest Evil in the world 2. That GODS people apprehend it to be the Greatest evill in the world 1. Sin the greatest evil in the world 1. For the first That sin is the greatest Evil in the world I may shew this 1. By Collation and Comparison of this with other evils 2. By Demonstration and Proof of it to you 1. If you Compare the Evil of sin with other evils you shall see how short All other kinde of Evils are to this Evil of Sin 1. Most of all other evils are but outward They are but such as
Oh! it is dear to him therefore hee gives charge to the World touch not one of these you touch the apple of mine eye offend not one of these little ones they are dear to mee hee is chary over them Yea hee doth not only charge but menace too and threatens men if they shall hurt any of his little ones It had been better for you that a Milstone were tyed about your necks and cast into the middle of the Sea than to offend any of these little ones Christ is exceeding chary over his Church and People they are dear to him Take a taste of it Job 18.8 when hee himself was in that Agony and when hee suffered himself to bee hailed before the Judges and to dye yet you see how chary hee was over his Disciples why saith Christ I am hee you seek for if therefore you seek mee let these go their way As if hee had said I am hee whom you seek and against whom your malice goes forth do what you will with mee but spare these let these go what have these done with Jonah cast mee into the Sea that the storm may cease nail mee on the Cross fling mee into the grave do with mee what you will that these may escape Oh! Christ must needs bee chary of them when hee would put his back between his Church and the stripes interpose his soul between the wrath of God and them Drink of that bitter cup that they might not taste of it bee wounded that they might bee healed bear the curse that they might carry away the blessing as there was no sorrow to his sorrow so no love to his love all loves are lost nay seem hatred in comparison of his Another place John 7.9 to the 16. see there when he was to go from them how chary hee was over them he commends them to his Father and desines him to keep them whom hee had given him As if hee had said Father they are mine and I love them dearly I have done much for them but I will do more therefore preserve them therefore keep them I am no more in the World but these are in the World holy Father through thine own name keep those whom thou hast given mee thus you see how chary Christ was over them And therefore his heart is exceedingly taken with his Church Hee will keep them from trouble hee will buy out their trouble with the troubles of the whole World and their lives with the lives of thousands you have a place for this Isa 43.3 4. I gave Egypt for thy ransome I gave Ethiopia and Seba for thee God will give whole Kingdomes for his Church to preserve them from trouble I have loved thee therefore will I give men for thee and people for thy life As if hee had said I stand not at it to give the heads of a thousand men the lives of ten thousands to save thy life to preserve thee The Ramme to save Isaac hee is chary of them if not to keep them from trouble yet to support them in trouble Hee is chary of them hee will deliver them out of trouble hee will not suffer the rod of the wicked to rest Though for a time yet c. many are the troubles of the Righteous but hee knows how to deliver his and reserve the wicked If Christ do not deliver thee from trouble yet hee will deliver thee in trouble and at last hee will deliver thee out who knows how to deliver his when thou not c. That which a man thinks all too little nothing too much too dear to bestow upon that the heart of a man is exceedingly taken withall Where all the expressions that a man can lay out do still fall short of his affections to it it is a sign the heart is much taken with such a thing When a man thinks not riches nor labour nor his bloud his life too dear this shews the heart is much taken with it Now the Church is so dear to Christ that hee thinks nothing too dear nothing too much for it It was not his bloud within his veins nor his life within his breast which hee counted too dear for her Hee can beseem to bestow any thing on her Hee will bestow temporals on her Dabit sua quod non detinuit se at least so much as is necessary for her All things necessary for life godliness if hee give himself how much more all things Rom. 8.32 will hee give the greater and deny the less no. That love which gave the greater will not deny thee the less if it were good for thee so much hee hath ingaged himself by Covenant to give thee as to bear thy charge to Heaven and then there is no want The Lions shall hunger and suffer want c. Hee bestows Grace on thee and Faith is more precious than Gold Hee might bestow out words on thee and yet his heart never taken with thee Dives had more wealth uttered more eloquence Saul more command Agrippa more glorious apparel than those his heart is taken withall Hee may give Wealth to a Dives Command to a Saul Eloquence to a Herod But hee never bestows Grace on any but it is an evidence his heart is taken with a man As Abraham gave portions to the sons of the Concubines but Isaac had the inheritance Hee will bestow his Spirit on thee to inlighten renew c. Hee will bestow himself on thee the collectioner of all other blessings God cannot extend his love further in giving nor wee ours in desiring And that which a man bestows himself upon must needs bee precious in his eyes Christ doth bestow himself on thee Who is the summum genus of gifts the gift of gifts The gift which doth intitle us to all other gifts all is yours if you bee Christs The gift which sweetens and sanctifies all other Like the Unicorns horn takes away the venome and poison of all other There is a curse with all other gifts if Christ bee not given A curse to your Gold your Silver your Prosperity your Meat Drink Health and Strength But where Christ is given hee takes off the curse sanctifies all hee doth not only turn comforts into blessings but crosses into blessings A blessing in sickness in poverty in death c. Christ bestows himself upon his Church hee doth pass over himself and all his by deed of gift hee and all his is yours As you and all yours are his your sins and sorrows all his And all his are yours his merits his Spirit As Christ said to the Father so may yee to Christ all thine is mine his merit cloathing his bloud drink flesh meat Hee is meat drink cloaths Christ doth not stay here but hee bestows Heaven upon his Church It is the Mannor house which hee hath reserved for his Spouse Father I will that those whom thou hast given mee may bee where I am c. Joh. 17.24 They are married together and co-habitation
of the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and stay or lean upon his God and Isa 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is staid on thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because hee trusteth in thee which word in the matter of Justification designeth that Act whereby finding and feeling our own weakness as unable to support our selves wee do lean and rest on Christ as David Psal 28.7 The Lord is my strength and my shield my heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 trusted in him and I am helped c. And to these words in the Old Testament wee may adde those forms of words in the New and so wee shall finde that what in the Old is expressed by some one of these words is in the New expressed by beleeving in and upon To instance in a few We trust in the name of his Holiness saith the Old Testament Psal 33.21 and He that believeth in his name saith the New John 1.12 13. Trust in the Lord with thy whole heart saith the Old Prov. 3.5 If thou believest with thy whole heart saith the New Acts 8.34 37. In thee O Lord have I trusted let me not be confounded saith the Old Psal 31.1 25.2 and He that believeth on him shall not be ashamed saith the New Rom. 10.11 So that you see that to Trust and to Believe are Synonima import the same things though they differ in name yet not in nature He that Trusteth Believeth and he that Believeth Trusteth In which sense we have the phrases of believing in or upon 1 Pet. 2.6 Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner stone and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded Where by believing on him cannot be meant any thing but a laying and building our selves upon Christ as the foundation that we may be made a spiritual house as you have it in Verse 4 5. the like we have Rom. 10.10.11 He that believeth on him and so 2 Tim. 1.12 For I know in whom I have believed c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whence it is apparent that to believe in God is as much as to commit our selves to his trust for so it there followeth I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him or deposited with him or delivered up unto his keeping to that day that is his soul to everlasting life So that we see that to believe in Christ is with confidence and trust to rely upon him And thus much for the formal act of faith 2. For the formal object of faith and that not of faith at large for so the word of God is the objectum adaequatum of it but as it is particularly justifying faith quatenus justificat as it properly justifieth which is not the believing of every truth of God but that onely which by way of eminency is called The Truth that is Christ himself with all his merits John 14.6 and so here in the Text He that believeth in him Hence justifying faith is often called the Faith of Christ because he is the proper object of it Rom. 3 22 26. Gal. 2.16.20 And faith in Christ Acts 20.21 and Faith in the blood of Christ Whence I thus argue That Object to the Belief of which justification and salvation is promised that is the Object of justifying faith But to believe in Christ is Justification and Salvation promised Therefore Christ is the object of justifying faith Thus as briefly as I could having shewed what is the formal both act and object of justifying faith I shall now lay down this one Conclusion Doct. That the great thing which is required at our hands for Justification and Salvation is beleeving in Christ Hee that beleeves shall bee saved In the prosecution of this wee will shew 1 What Faith is 2 That Faith is the great requisite 3 Why God hath made choice of this to bee the instrument of Justification 4 How Faith doth justifie whether formally or instrumentally 5 What bee the Royalties of Faith 1 What Faith is For the first What Faith is Wee will not define the habit of Faith but the Act of Faith nor every Act but that only which justifieth Now according to the diversity of opinions herein such is the diversity of Definitions They who hold the Assent to bee the Act of Justifying Faith define it to bee a firm and willing Assent to the truth of God in generall and to this truth in particular that Christ is the Messiah and Saviour of the World They who hold it to bee a receiving of Christ define it to bee such an Act as whereby wee receive Christ in all his offices But not to trouble you with these That which I will give you is this Definition Faith is an Act of a regenerate person whereby knowing and assenting unto the Promises of God and to this Truth in particular that Christ is the Messiah or Saviour of the World doth rest upon him for Justification Sanctification and consequently for Salvation Now to explain this Definition 1 I say that Faith is an Act for wee speak not of Faith in actu primo as an habit infused and implanted in us but in actu secundo as an Act whereby wee are justified for wee are not justified by Faith as an habit or as a grace inherent in us but as I said by Faith as an Act as it goeth over to Christ as wee see here the Promise is not made to the Habit but to the Act of Faith Hee that beleeveth c. That is the first I call it an Act 2 The subject person so it is said to bee an Act of a regenerate person a man universally sanctified regenerated and born again for take Faith which way you please for the Act or for the Habit neither of them are before Regeneration 1 The Act of Faith that is not before the Habit of Faith a thing must bee in esse before it can bee in operari there must bee a Habit of Faith within before there can bee the exercise of Faith without 2 And this Habit of Faith is not infused before other graces it being part of our inherent Sanctification as infidelity is a part of our corruption nor is it again infused alone but together with the rest of the graces of Gods Spirit by which wee are regenerated So that Faith is an Act of a regenerated soul A man cannot beleeve till his understanding bee enlightened and his will changed and this is not before Grace Again to beleeve is an Act of a living man not of a soul dead in sin and therefore the soul must first bee indued with the life of Grace before it can perform this living action Indeed we are said to be sanctified by Faith and so it might seem that our Sanctification were a fruit of Faith an effect of Faith but wee are not to understand this as meant of the first work of Sanctification which is not acquired or put forth
is that the Lord said c. And Aaron held his peace Why what was his tryal why it was the loss of his Sons the loss of his Eldest Sons when they were young and without posterity in the first day of their Ministration in the sight of all the Congregation and by so fearful a Judgement as fire from the Lord and in the act of their sin offering strange fire Nay and which some think was joyned with Drunkenness too whereupon immediatly follows the prohibition of Wine So that the Congregation might suspect they went but from fire to fire from a destruction by fire to a preservation in fire from a temporal to an eternal burning Yet now in all this mark the Power of Faith Moses having declared the Author God the cause their sin It 's said Aaron was dumb and held his peace Auditâ voluntate Dei silet having heard the Will of God hee was mute and silent his Tongue was chained up hereby confessing saith Calvin Justo Dei Judicio extinctos esse That they were slain by the Just Judgement of God The like you see in Eli when Samuel had declared what God had said to him concerning the destruction of his house why saith he It is the Lord let him do what pleaseth him 1 Sam. 3.18 And remarkable was that in Job You may read in the first Chapter how one wave came upon the neck of another 1. The Sabeans fell upon his Oxen and his Asses and slew his Servants 2. Another comes and tells him Fire from Heaven had burnt up his Sheep 3. A third tells him The Caldeans had taken away his Camels 4. A fourth hee comes and tells him His Sons and his Daughters were eating and drinking and a wind blew down the house on their heads and buried them all in one grave His whole stock was lost in one day Nay Hee lost not his stock of Cattel only but of his Children also My Brethren these were great trials enough to put a man out of patience enough to make the most composed man besides himself To lose his goods his Cattel his Substance and all in a day Nay to lose his Sons and his Daughters which were his whole Posterity the stay and hope of his Family yea and all at once at one clap and that so suddenly yea and in the midst of their merriments These were great Tryals where Yesterday it might have been said who so rich as Job now to day who so poor as Job Yet mark here now the Power of Faith how it silenced the Soul In stead of murmuring hee fell down and worshiped and said The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken away Blessed bee the Name of the Lord. Thus you see the Power of Faith And my Brethren you had need of Faith As the Apostle said of Patience So I of Faith You have need of Faith As you walk in the way of this life you shall meet with such things as will move you as will put you besides your selves If Faith do not settle and compose you you cannot bee undique sursùm like a Dye light upon your square if Faith bee not your bottom You may have crosses and losses before you die You may lose your Husbands your Wives your Children your Goods Jobs lot may befall you And every one of these may cause a man to rise up against himself may cause an uproar in the Soul Wee are not Stoicks wee are not without Passions nor sinfull-Passions mutinous-Affections And therefore wee had need of something in the Soul to sway and keep down these unruly distempers And this is only Faith which can stil and calm the soul in all storms and tempests A man without Faith in such a case as this is like a naked man in a storm like an unarmed man in a battel like a Ship unballanced and unanchored in a Tempest A man without Faith is under no command Passions of Anger Fear Grief and all command him And Passion without Faith is violent breaks down all banks drowns overwhelms and destroies the Soul And therefore you had need of something to ballance the Soul to charge the Soul to calm and still the Soul in such a condition Now you see Faith is an Heart-calming an Heart-quieting and stilling-Grace which it doth after this manner 1. Imperiously 2. Perswasively 1. Sometimes Imperiously and that either 1. Commanding or 2. Checking the Soul 1 Imperiously commanding the Soul Laying charge on the Soul to bee quiet to bee still My Soul bee silent to Jehovah said David As Christ did the Waters and the Wind. Peace and bee still and there was a great calm So here when the Waves are up and threaten to overflow the banks to overwhelm the soul Faith laies her command upon the soul Peace and bee still No more words Leave your murmurings Leave your impatiency Thus sometimes Faith calms the soul 2. Imperiously checking the the soul You do not well to bee angry You do not well to grieve You do not well to bee discontented to bee impatient You offend God cause him to scourge you more to lay more load upon you seeing you bear this so impatiently As the Town-Clerk of Ephesus stilled that uproar with these words Act. 19.40 Wee shall verily bee called in question for this dayes uproar seeing there is no cause can bee given-of this concourse So Faith doth sometimes lay the tumults in the soul You shall verily bee called in question one day for this Passion this Discontent this Murmuring this Uproar seeing no cause can bee given that you should quarrel with God as you do 2. Faith doth sometimes calm the Soul in a Mild and perswasive-way wherein it reasons with the Soul Why art thou so much cast down oh my Soul Why art thou so troubled so disquieted within mee In which reasoning Faith will take an Argument of Patience 1. From the Author of Afflictions That is God Afflictions troubles arise not out of the dust but from God which was the ground of Davids patience I was dumb c. Because it was thy doing So of Jobs The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken away So in case of Shimei his cursing David David did not bite at the stone and never minde the thrower but hee looks up discovers the hand as well as the stone Let him alone It may bee God hath bid him go forth and curse David 2. Sometimes from the ground of Gods dealings and that is sin Faith produceth sin to bee the cause For this cause and this stops the mouth Psal 51. That thou mayest bee just when thou judgest This laies a Soul in the dust makes a man accept of the punishment of his iniquity As you have the phrase Levit. 26.41 That is lye down justifie God clear God in all his dealings bee so far from murmuring that the Soul will take Gods part in all clearing God and condemning it self Thus you see the Church Wherefore doth a living man complain A man for the
is a Soul-inriching-Grace It gives a man not only Title and interest into a Soul-inriching-God a Soul-inriching-Christ a Soul-inriching-Treasure but gives the soul the possession and injoymnet of all this By Faith wee possess God injoy God and by no other way but by Faith in Christ Though Faith be poor in it self the poorest Grace of all as having nothing of its own such a Grace as lives all upon anothers stock is fed with anothers food rich by anothers riches as the Apostle said of himself Hee was poor yet making many rich having nothing yet possessing all things so I may say of Faith Though it bee poor in it self yet it makes us rich doth inrich us with all the riches of Christ though it hath nothing in it self yet it possesses all things it possesseth Christ which is all Oh! If you bee rich in Faith you cannot bee poor in Grace Quantum credimus Tantum amamus Quantum credimus Tantum speramus Saith Aug. poor in Holiness Faith sanctifies So much Faith so much Grace so much Faith so much Love so much Faith so much Hope so much Faith so much Humility so much brokenness of spirit for sin so much Patience Zeal c. Never was it known a strong Beleever to bee a weak Christian So much Faith write down so much Grace Little in Faith and little in Grace little in love c. Grace is still proportionable to the measure and degrees of Faith like the fountain and the flood Hence Faith is called the Mother-Grace 2. Pet. 1.2 3. Grace and Peace bee multiplyed on you by the Knowledge of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By the acknowledgement that is by Faith The augmentation of Faith doth cause the multiplication of Grace not in the kinds only but in the degrees The more Faith in degrees the more Grace Grow in Faith and you grow in all Grace Decrease in Faith and all the Graces of God decrease in thee There is decay of Love of Joy of Patience The ground of all decayes is the decay of Faith Well then To draw to a conclusion of this you see Faith is an inriching-Grace 1. It inricheth the understanding with knowledge with heavenly wisdome which is better than gold It makes the Head a store-house of divine knowledge There is some Knowledge before Faith Scientia Principiorum the Knowledge of Principles But the best Knowledge is after Beleeving Wee beleeve and know saith John First beleeve and then know Crede ut intelligas beleeve that thou mayest understand Hence David Psal 119. Teach mee good Judgement for I have beleeved thy Word Not that I may beleeve but for I have beleeved Non possunt discere qui nolunt credere Addiscentem oportet credere Hence Augustine upon Heb. 4.2 The Word did not profit them because it was not mixt with Faith in them that heard it saith They cannot learn because they will not beleeve Hee that would learn must beleeve As Knowledge of things revealed goes before Faith so Faith goes before the exact understanding and clear apprehensions of them How shall a man bee able to understand these heavenly Mysteries in the Word all which are far above Reason The Mystery of the Trinity the Mystery of Christ in whom there is nothing but Mysteries His Person a Mystery his Nature his Works all Mysteries 1 Tim. 3.16 Without Controversy great is the Mystery of godliness God manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the World received up into Glory That hee should bee God-Man mortall and immortal That there should bee such greatness and such baseness such infiniteness and yet such finiteness in one person These are all Mysteries Hence Christ is called Isa 9.6 Wonderful because all is wonderfull in Christ hee is wonderful in his Person in his Nature in his offices in the managing of them A chain of wonders So the Creation a Mystery Resurrection a Mystery Christian Religion is nothing else but a bundle of holy Mysteries Which how shall any man understand until first hee beleeve Hee that seeks to know before hee beleeve shall never know The best way to know is to shut your eyes captivate Reason and Beleeve and then you shall see and know Thus you see Faith inricheth with Spiritual Knowledge 2. As Faith inriches the Understanding the Head with Knowledge so it inriches the Heart with Grace It makes the Heart a Treasury of divine and holy Graces The least of which are worth all the Riches of the World Divines set down four invaluable things 1. The Favour of God in Christ 2. The Souls of Men. 3. The Spirit 4. The Graces of the Spirit 1. The Favour of God That 's invaluable Psal 63.3 Thy loving kindness is better than Life And Life is the most precious thing a man hath in the World Skin for Skin and all a man hath will hee give for his life The Devil was right there Now Gods loving-kindness is better than Life 2. The Souls of Men. What will it profit a man to gain the whole World and lose his Soul Christ sets the gain of the whole World against the losse of one Soul Hee puts one Soul in one Balance and the whole World in another And one Soul weighs down all What will it profit its too light All that gain cannot make up this loss It is an incomparable loss because an irrecoverable loss once lost lost for ever There 's no recovery of a lost soul Though a man may lose other things yet may hee recover them again Man may lose Riches c. but not his Soul when once lost for want of beleeving 3. The third invaluable is the Spirit not to bee bought with silver or gold Hence Peter told Simon-Magus when hee would have bought the Spirit Thy mony perish with thee Thinkest thou the Gift of God may bee bought with mony 4. The Graces of the Spirit The least of which doth weigh down all the World The least grain of Grace of Love of Repentance of godly sorrow Humility is worth ten thousand Worlds Faith is more precious than gold saith Peter Now these are the Riches that Faith doth possess the Soul of the invaluable Riches of Grace Other Riches God deals out promiscuously and No man knows either love or hatred by any thing before him A man may do wickedly and prosper as it was said of Antiochus Epiphanes Dan. 8.24 â—5 These Riches Gods enemies do share in as well as his friends Nay and have often the greatest share the greatest portion Job 21.7 Jer. 12.1 Dives may have more wealth Saul more command Agrippa more gorgious apparel than the dearest of Gods Saints But now these are such Riches as God bestows upon none but Beleevers Abraham gave portions to the Sons of the Concubines and sent them away but unto Isaac hee gave all hee had Rex honores dignis Other Riches may bee taken away A man may bee rich to
not discover to bee sins Peccata vastantia conscientiam An unsound heart may mourn for some greater sins such as have made great wounds and gashes in his conscience but for sins quotidiana incursionis for omissions and common frailties wandring of thoughts imperfections in duty deadness coldness unbeleef these gnats can hee swallow his light doth not discover these to bee sins Nay yet further A sincere mourning is not only an universal mourning that hee mourns for all sinnes of his own but hee mourns for other mens sinnes as well as his own he hath a fountain within him which runnes over to the good of others Wee have read of some who have mourned for their own sinnes and yet have been unsound You see Pharaoh Ahab Judas But wee never read of any who were grieved with and have mourned for the sinnes of others as well as his own but their hearts were sound Lot his righteous soul was grieved for the sinnes of Sodome and yee know his heart was sound hee s called Righteous Lot David hee mourned for the sinnes of others yea such as were his enemies Ps 119.139 as hee saith Rivers of tears runne down mine eyes because mine enemies keep not thy Law And you know David was sincere God tells us hee was a man after his own heart and the heart of David was single and sincere with God The like I might tell you of Moses of Samuel of Daniel Nehemiah and others hee that mourns only in relation to guilt and hell that mans Cistern runnes out only for his own house Hee mourns for sinne no farther than it doth reflect upon himself and so not for sin as sin but sin as it is evil to him as it binds him over to the wrath of God and eternal damnation But hee that mourns for sinne in its own nature as an offence to an holy pure gracious God his fountain runs over to the use of others hee goes and mourns over other mens sins as well as his own Wee read the Angels they rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner What is the ground do they receive any further addition of good thereby no they are full but therefore do they rejoyce because God is further glorified And if joys were capable of sorrows heaven of tears they would upon the same ground mourn for the sinnes of mee because thereby God is dishonoured And if wee could see God as they do our hearts would bee filled with grief our eyes with tears to see the God so great so gracious so holy to bee abused and wronged by wicked men though wee no way guilty of their sinne Thus a sincere heart hee mourns for other mens sinnes as well as his own he is grieved when his enemys do break Gods laws not so much because they hurt or wound him but because they dishonour God and wound their own souls It troubles him to see men swear and lye to joyn hearts hands together against God his cause his Church his people his Ministers not because they hurt him but strike against God and so but beat themselves against a rock and break themselves do that which will turn to their own shame and sorrow at the last which is the best end that can bee expected of sin 3. Character 3 Sincere mourning is a mourning for sinne a sorrow for sin Sorrow is like Mercuries influence good if joyned with a good Planet bad if it bee joyned with a bad Planet It was good in Peter it was naught in Judas good in David naught in Ahab In the one it was worldly in the other it was a godly sorrow the one was a sorrow for the evil of punishment thâ— other for the evil of sinne Flagella dolent quare flagellantur non dolent The one roared under presenâ— lashes the judgement and punishment of sinne as Augustine saith They lament the evil caused not the evil causing the evil of puâ—â—â—hment the present lashes not the evil of sinne You shall see the difference of it in Pharaoh and David God you see punished Pharaoh for sinne plague upon plague judgement upon judgement and hee crys under the lashes the present judgement Oh! take away this plague take away this death also take away these lice these Caterpillars c. but there was not a word of sin But I have sinned saith David 2 Sam. 24. to 27. I beseech thee take away the iniquity of thy servant One would have thought hee should have prayed to have the plague removed which was then on the people But hee saith take away this sinne not this plague nay in the 17th vers Continue the plague if thou please against mee and my fathers house only pardon mine iniquity Why thus because hee saw sinne a greater evil than the plague and therefore desires rather to be rid of the sin than the punishment of it Here was now a vast difference between the sorrows of the one and the other Take away this plague saith Pharaoh but continue the sinne Take away the sinne saith David though thou continue the plague The one hee mourned under the present lashes the other under sinne Sincere mourning is a mourning for sinne and not for sinne as clad with wrath but for sinne abstractly sinne in its own nature not for sin in its damning but for sin in its defiling nature 4. Character 4 Sincere mourning is a proportional mourning there are two proportions of sin First of the measure Secondly Of the merit of sin Where the heart is sincere it is proportionable 1. To the measure of Sin Great sins must have great sorrows thou hast abounded in sinning thou must abound in sorrowing Thus you see it was with Manasses hee was a great Sinner and a great sorrower hee was humbled greatly saith the Text. So Mary Magdalen a great sinner and shee is a great sorrower It s true I grant Non ex gradu â—t mensura paenitentiâ—â— c. That Sincerity doth not lye so much in the measure as the truth of mourning there may bee godly sorrow in a drop in one tear when there is not godly sorrow in a Sea of Teares But this I say withall that sincere hearts doe ever labour to carry a proportion between their sinnings and their sorrowings between their repentings and their revoltings and though a man may bee justified in heaven without such a measure of sorrow yet hee will scarce bee justified or get peace in the court of his own Conscience without it That 's the first 2 The second Proportion is To the merit of Sin Sincere mourning is proportionable to the merit of sinne Non actu sed affectu as the demerit of sin is infinite so sorrow for it must bee an infinite sorrow infinite I say not in the act and expression yet in the affection of the soul As it is said of a wicked man if hee should live for ever hee would sinne for ever in respect of his desire and will to
special and particular fruits set down 2 Cor. 7.11 of godly sorrow on which I want time to insist But now an hypocrites sorrow is a sorrow to sorrow a paenal not a fruitful sorrow hee is never the better for all his howling his heart never the more humble his spirit never the more broken his soul never the more set against Sin These tears they leave him as they found him they are not changing and transforming tears hee is never the more watchful never the more careful to please God hee rather grows more secure takes more heart to sin against God hee thinks hee hath done penance and satisfied the Law hee hath discharged the former score by his present roarings and therefore may beginne a new reckoning a new score and sin more freely against God whereas true mourning makes us watchfull and so our falls make us secure To sum up all in a little 1 The unsound heart hee mourns for Sin either as clad with punishment or as it bringeth the evil of punishment after it the first you see in Pharaoh the second in Ahab The other laments Sin as Sin sin abstracted and separated from wrath and punishment 2 The one howls under the present lashes the evil of punishment the other under the evil of sin 3 Sence doth provoke the one to mourning faith and love do cause the other to mourn 4 The ground of the one is self-love the ground of the other love to God 5 The one is slavish the other childish 6 The end of the one is peace and joy of the other it is discouragement and dispair as in Cain and Judas c. 7 The one breeds a bitternesse and turbulency of spirit the other humility mildness self-denial Thus I have shewed you these three things and cleared them I beleeve there 's many of you who do not pray at all many who are yet to shed one tear for Sin Alas when was the time thou hast entred thy Chamber thy closet and broken thy heart for sin humbled thy soul for sin Let mee tell thee thus much thou hast sinned this sinne will have sorrow one time or other if not here in fruitful mourning hereafter in paenal mourning in weeping and gnashing of teeth If thou wilt not sorrow for a time thou shalt howl for ever It may bee thou thinks no such matter conscience is now at peace Ista tranquillâ—tas tempestas erit it is like a book bound up if once opened your peace shall end in a storm your joy in sorrow happy thou if God wound thee that hee may heal thee break thee that hee may bind thee humble thee that hee may comfort thee It is better bee broken here than to go whole to hell better be wounded here than to go sound to hell better to bee a sad Saint than a merry Devil What David prayed for his enemies may wee pray for our best friends Send them down quick to Hell Send them down here by humiliation that they may avoid eternal damnation hereafter Wee began with the last first viz. clear your sincerity in your performances in particular wee named three particulars in Hearing Praying Mourning Wee come now to the end which is the first in order of nature though wee have made it last in time Clear sincerity in Obedience in the general 2. Clear the sincerity of your hearts in Obedience in general Now to this as to the former I will give you some Characters of a sincere Obedience Sincere Obedience is 1. A faithful 2. An universal 3. A fruitful 4. A filial Obedience Wee shall only single out some of them because wee are willing to finish this Doctrin 1. Character Full. A sincere Obedience is a full Obedience an universal Obedience It is universal in respect of the subject the whole man it is universal in respect of the object the whole Law it is universal in respect of durance the whole life Hee who obeyes sincerely obeyes universally his obedience is not only sutable to the rule in respect of the nature and quality of it but it is proportionable also to the rule in respect of the latitude and extent of his obedience There is no man that serves God truly who doth not indeavour to serve God fully Sincerity turns upon the hinges of universality It is said of David that hee had respect to all the Commandements of God and that hee hated every false way Hee had not obeyed any if hee had not respected all nay which is yet more Act. 13.22 hee fulfilled all the will of God the words are in the plural number 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the wills and Commands of God and of Zachary and Elizabeth Luk. 1.6 that they walked in all the Commandements of God blameless hee who obeyes sincerely indeavours to obey thoroughly Wee will instance in these branches 1. In suffering as doing First Hee will obey God in suffering Commands as well as doing in losing as well as gaining Commands An unsound spirit may follow God while hee can follow his own game too while they can serve God without cost without pain or losse c. such men love cheap obedience But when Obedience comes to bee chargeable when his Obedience to God may cost him his liberty his riches his estate then they retire while Religion and the World do walk in the same path there are many who will tread the paths of Religion but when there comes a turning that they must shake hands and part riches one way Christ another God one way the World another then they will forsake Christ You see it was so with the young man hee was willing to follow Christ so far as hee might bee no loser so far as to keep his wealth too But when Christ told him if hee would follow him hee must sell all when it comes to this that either hee must part with his Riches or with Christ then hee falls off and went away sorrowing But hee who obeyes sincerely serves God for himself such a man will obey God though to the hazard and loss of all hee will obey God in costly as well as cheap losing as well as gaining duties Such a man prizeth more of one act of Obedience than hee doth of all his injoyments and will take up naked Obedience though with the loss of all As hee will not commit a sin though hee might gain the World for it so hee will not neglect a duty though hee lose a World for it You see this in the three Children in Daniel and in Queen Maries dayes those go in Sheep-skins who might have gone in Silks c. Secondly Hee will obey God in relative Commands as well as absolute Sincerity doth not only lye in absolute Commands towards God but in relative Commands one towards another And where the heart is sincere hee will not only hear and pray and obey God but hee will walk in all duties of Righteousness and charity towards his Brother Hee is
as they spake for the time they were not aware of deceit in their hearts But hee that saw further into them than they into themselves discovered deceit to lye at the bottome below which they were not aware of and therefore it follows O that there were such an heart in my people alas it is but a present pang of conscience there is no such heart in them So it was well spoken of Hazael 2 King 8.12 13. when Elisha told him what bloody cruelties hee should exercise towards Israel Is thy servant a Dog saith hee hee thought the Prophet did him a great deal of wrong what should ever hee exercise such beastly cruelty but hee saw not the bottome of his heart as was seen after in the next Chapter So it was well spoken by them in Jer. 42.6 7.20 21. When the Princes desired Jeremy to inquire of the Lord whether they should go and bound themselves with an oath to obey whithersoever God bade them go they would go But there was a deceit lay low they had a secret resolution to go into Egypt and thought God would have sent them thither and then they would have been taken for an obedient people But when the message came contrary they shewed the falseness and hollowness of their spirit and fall into flat contradiction against the word of the Lord. The word that thou hast spoken wee will not do And therefore seeing the heart is so exceedingly deceitfull there is great need of thorough search and tryal of our spirits If you take the first verdict the heart gives up you are likely to bee deceived and therefore wee are to observe the Apostles Rule 2 Cor. 13.5 to examine and prove that is not only to examine and so take the first Evidence the heart gives up but prove the Evidence whether it bee true or no. Deceits lye low As for example Enquiry is made whether I have Faith c. 2. Rule 2. Labour to acquaint thy self with the most sure and clearing Evidences of sincerity and try thy heart by them It may bee thou hearest the Word and perhaps with joy thou bewailest sin and perhaps with tears thou avoidest gross sins with care thou opposest common corruptions with zeal All these are comfortable signes but they are not infallible evidences of Grace For what is in all this which Ahab which Saul which Herod which Judas had not It is a great deal of wisdome in the tryal of our selves to bee acquainted with those sorts of evidences which are of a clearing nature of which I will give you two properties 1. Those Evidences which are clearing are such as the Word doth countenance What ever evidences the Word doth not countenance they are but the presumptions of our own heart and never give us comfort in life or death It is the book must cast us or clear us at the last day A second property of clearing evidences They must bee such as are universally reciprocal distinctive evidences That is such evidences as are incompatible with any whose hearts are not sincere and concomitant with them whose hearts are sincere They must bee such as are essential to a Christian as a Christian If there bee any who hath them and is not a Christian is not sincere or any who is a Christian sincere and hath them not they are not right They must bee such as do manifest every person in whom they are to bee sincere and do discover where ever they are not what ever shews they have they are not sincere I have told you formerly on another subject that what ever another man may do or have and yet not bee in Christ yet not bee sincere will never bee a sufficient evidence to mee that having or doing that I am sincere And by these two properties there will bee a great deal cast down from being clearing evidences if I had time to insist on them Thou prayes thou hears thou dost much in the ways of God but this will not bee enough to clear thy sincerity for I have shewed you that a man may do all this and more too yet not sincere and therefore these will bee no clearing evidences And therefore let us go by this rule examine what are those clearing evidences of your sincerity and examine your selves by them Obj. But how shall I know what are those heart-clearing evidences that so I may examine my self by them Answ I have shewed you some properties you see of evidences of this nature I have also cast down many from being sufficient to clear your sincerity Wee will now give you some which are clearing evidences 1 Some taken from the disposition of mourning Demonstrations of sincerity in 1. Mourning in part of Sin 1 An Hypocrite cannot mourn for all sin it may be hee may mourn for general for common and sensuall sinnes but not for close spiritual and secret sinnes his unbeleef his hypocrisy pride 2 An hypocrite cannot mourn for sin as sin for sin in its own nature but as clad with wrath and punishment Now then if God have given thee a heart to mourn for all sins and for sin as sin it is an evidence of thy sincerity 1 An hypocrite cannot mourn for the want of fulness of ordinances 2 Of Ordinances want 2 Nor can hee mourn for want of any Ordinance out of discovery of the beauty and excellency in them Now then if God give thee a heart to mourn for c. 3 An Hypocrite cannot mourn for sins of others 3 In sin of others nor 2 for the want of growth in himself If therefore God hath given thee such a heart c. thou must conclude thine own sincerity Sincerity of Desires 2 For matter of desires 1 He cannot desire the death of all sin hee hath some darling c. 2 Hee cannot desire the death of any sin as sin but for other respects If therefore God hath given thee a heart desirous to bee purged as well as pardoned that desires the death of all and of sin as sin c. Again in point of desire of grace 1 An Hypocrite doth not desire all grace there are some he would not own hee loves not universal exactnesse 2 Hee desires not any grace as grace in its own native beauty and excellency but at times death c. and then as a stalking horse If therefore God hath given thee a heart to desire and thrist after all grace exact conformity to God in all things and to desire grace as grace c. Of Affections 1 To God 3 For matters of affections 1 An Hypocrite cannot love God for himself 2 Hee cannot love God as God as in his own nature so contrary If therefore God hath given thee a heart to love him for himself c. To Sainâ—s 2 Again towards the Saints 1 An Hypocrite hee loves not all the Saints some hee may not all 2 Hee loves not the Saints as the Saints but for other respects If therefore God
is the stage on which God will act all his Wonders and it cannot bee long before this frame bee dissolved and this stage bee taken down If Saint Johns time were the last hour surely ours are the last minute But yet God will not take down the stage till all hath been acted which hee hath ingaged himself to do for his Church Now I say God hath ingaged himself to destroy that man of sinne to make his Church glorious Read at your leasure how much God hath promised to do for his Church in Isa 60. throughout Glorious Promises which though they had a gradual accomplishment in the first Preaching of the Gospel yet not so fully as the Words there hold out which yet must bee made good and therefore it is yet to be expected Hitherto the Church hath been buried up under reproach scorn and persecution hitherto sufferings Prisons Fires stakes they have been the Portion of the Church As yet though we have had our Lucida intervalla our Respites and Breathings The Church of God hath been like Noahs Ark tossing and fluctuating upon the Billows and devouring waves of troubles and Persecutions And the Saints under the Altar the blood of the slain crys How long Lord holy and true though they say How long yet they say Holy and true They give God the glory of his truth and faithfulnesse Though hee defer the accomplishment of what he hath promised yet hee is true of his promise And hath God ingaged himself to make his Churches glorious and that before the end of all things And is the day so neer to an End And is God faithfull is hee true of his Promise why this may something perswade with us that notwithstanding the present oppositions and troubles God is now comming in with mercy and deliverance to his Church and People And God hath not left us without home-hopes that the work is begun That mighty Spirit of Prayer which God hath poured out upon his People That increase of light and knowledge the weakning of the man of sinne in those two Limbs whereon hee hath stood so strongly Germany and Spain that numerous increase of converts within these few years All which are fore-running signs of the Rising Condition of the Church God doth not use to beget Children to the Murderers nor to increase the number of his People to fatten the sword of the enemy Indeed when God hath intended to bring judgements upon a People Hee hath taken his People away hee hath lessened the number as hee tells us Isa 57.1 Hee takes them away from the evil to come but hee never increaseth them against judgements As the lessening presageth judgement so when he increaseth them it is a presage of mercy Every one that is now brought in every Convert we have is a Pledge to this Nation that God will nor destroy this Nation Nay it is an evidence that God will do great things for us Act. 7.17 It is said When the time of Promise drew nigh the people grew and multiplyed in Egypt Their growing was a sign of their rising their increase discovered the promised mercy was not far off And these are the hopeful signs that the day of the Churches redemption draws nigh and is even at the doors As Christ said of the fig-tree when you see the Fig-tree bud and put forth her leaves know that Summer is nigh So when you see these things you may know that the Churches Redemption is at hand God is risen upon his throne and will not sit down if our sins do not make him repent till hee have made his Church glorious in the earth And now having told you my thoughts and that which perswades with me to hope that God will do a wonder for us yet I must tell you again that you may not bee discouraged with the sad appearance of things that wee may suffer many throws many pangs much opposition and perhaps some bloud before these things God will save us From trouble by trouble He will bring us through a Sea and through the wildernesse unto Canaan Yet I will say as Joshuah did Numb 14.8 If the Lord hath any delight in us hee will bring us into this Land God seldome doth great things without great commotions Paul and Silas were not delivered out of Prison but by an Earthquake Though it bee grievous to see yet it is that wee fear And wee must not forsake a good cause because of opposition This were to leap out of the ship because the winds blow to bee impatient of the Ark because the billows rise to seek our safety in the midst of Danger This assure your selves Though Earth and hell should fight against you your safety lyes on Gods side in Gods cause and there is no safety elsewhere These things I suggest to you by way of Cautional advise that when you see these things you may not be troubled As Christ said to his Disciples These things I tell you before that when they do come to passe your hearts may not bee troubled So these things I tell you before that though God will deliver us from trouble yet it will bee by trouble though hee save us yet it shall bee by fire that when you see these things you may not bee troubled when you see storms to fall oppositions and troubles to arise you may not bee moved from your own stedfastness I tell you this is necessary advice a seasonable admonition to you lest the oppositions and seeming contrarieties of Gods proceedings should weaken your faith and move you from your own stedfastnesse The best of us are too apt to live by sense and not by faith by works and not by the Word by Gods outward appearances and proceedings of Providence and not by Promises And therefore out Faith doth wane or increase according as God doth let out or restrain himself in the ways of his Providence when God doth let out himself to succour and releeve his Church when wee see deliverance in the Promise and deliverance in his outward proceedings too then wee can believe but if God do any way restrain himself or his outward Proceedings do seem to walk contrary to his own Promises Though perhaps that bee the next way for the performance of his Promises As you see it was with Joseph with Israel in Egypt where the Promise spake one thing and Gods outward proceedings seemed to speak another In this case wee are ready to give up all and thus did David I shall one time or other perish by the hand of Saul and therefore wee should learn this lesson in some kinde to shut our eyes to the works of God and look upon the Word of God Not only to look upon the outward proceedings of Providence but upon the stability and truth of the promise and see the Word say Yea when the Works seem to say Nay and conclude because the Promise saith it shall bee though all secondary means whereby the Promise should bee performed say It