lesse then rebellion and stubbornesse then witchcraft and idolatry You will say then that by this doctrine all sins are alike Hee that to relieve his extreme necessity stealeth a sheepe breaketh Gods commandement aswell as he that killeth his owne father And is there no difference betweene these sins I answer Yes verily some sins are farre greater then others are 2 King 3.2 Iehoram the son of Ahab wrought evill in the sight of the Lord but not like his father and like his mother His sins were great but not so great as theirs Our Saviour telleth the Pharisees that some sins in comparison of others are like gnats and some like camels Mat. 23.24 And though the least in it owne nature doe deserve eternall torments and foolish man cannot comprehend how there can be any degrees any Magis or Minus more or lesse in those torments that are eternall and infinite yet the eternall God knoweth how to make degrees and differences even in those eternall torments And though the torments that the least sinner shall endure in hell be infinite and such as no tongue can expresse no heart can conceive how great and intollerable they will bee There shall bee nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth Luke 13 28. There the worme never dyeth nor the fire never goeth out Mar. 9.44 Yet will the Lord inflict greater torments on such whose sins have beene like camels and lesser upon those whose sins have beene like gnats Hee knoweth how to beate the servant that knew his masters will and did it not with many stripes and him with fewer that did it not because he knew it not Luke 12.47 48. to make the torments of Chorazin more intollerable then those of Tire and Sidon Mat. 11.22 Some sins yee see then are greater then other some But what is it that putteth the difference betweene sins What are the weights and ballances wherein sins are to bee weighed if wee would know which are the heaviest and which are the lightest sins Not the opinion of men of the world of the multitude of the time nor the censure and punishment that men doe passe and inflict upon sin For so in times past it should have beene a greater sin to eate flesh upon a friday then to breake many of the commandements of God and in any man not to keepe the day of Christs birth holy in a solemne manner should be a greater sin then to break any one of Gods commandements as than to steale to commit adultery or idolatry or blasphemy either These are therefore false weights and ballances to judge of the greatnesse or smallnesse of sins by But by the weights of the Sanctuary by the word of God onely this is to bee judged of And this is the rule that Gods word giveth us to judge which are the greatest sins The more directly any sin is committed against God the more contempt is done to God by it the greater the sin is As the sin against the holy Ghost is the greatest sin of all sins because it is most directly committed against God hee that committeth it sinneth of meere malice and despite against God Hee doth despite unto the spirit of grace as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 10.29 So every other sin the neerer it commeth to it the more directly it is committed against God the greater the sin is And from this generall rule these three particulars will follow First That the sins of the highest degree against the first table are greater then those of the highest degree against the second So Samuel speaketh of witchcraft and Idolatry as of the greatest sins 1 Sam. 15.23 Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornesse is as iniquity and idolatry So our Saviour calleth the first table the first and the great commandement Mat. 22.38 Secondly That sins committed against knowledge are greater sins then those that are committed out of simple ignorance because there is greater contempt done to God by them then by the other See this in a sin of omission Iames 4.17 To him that knoweth to do well and doth it not to him it is sin As if he had said to him it is sin with a witnesse See it also in sins of commission Pauls blasphemy and persecution was in respect of the deed it selfe a farre greater sin then the sin of that man was that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day And yet Paul found mercy with God because he did it ignorantly as himselfe saith 1 Tim. 1.13 Whereas the other found no mercy with God as we see Numb 15.35 because he did it against his knowledge presumptuously How may that appeare will you say Surely he and all the congregation knew well how strictly a little before God had enjoyned a precise rest even from gathering of Mannah upon the Sabbath day Exo. 16.23 yea from doing any worke even about the making of the tabernacle yea or kindling a fire in any of their tabernacles upon the Sabbath day Exod. 15. â— 3. And yet would he doe this he sinned against his knowledge he sinned presumptuously Therefore is this story brought in by the holy Ghost immediatly upon the law that God had made against presumptuous sinners as a sanction and ratification of that law Numb 15.30 32. O thinke of this you that at this day do so presumptuously profane the Lords Sabbaths not by gathering a few sticks but by following your profits and pleasures on that day with the neglect and contempt of Gods house and worship The spirit of God wrought that love in Davids heart to the house of God that he professeth Psal. 84 10. He had rather be a doore-keeper in the house of his God then to dwell in the tents of wickednes And what spirit is it that maketh you to hate and loath the house of God as you do that maketh you so farre in love with the tents of wickednes I mean the ale-houses the most of which if any houses under heaven may well be called the tents of wickednes as you are that you cannot be drawn from these tents of wickednes into the house of the Lord no not upon the Lords day you cannot pretend ignorance for your sin no more then he that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day could you sin against your knowledge as he did you sin presumptuously as he did yea your sin is worse then his was 1. Wee read not that he did this in the time of Gods publike worship as you do 2. He spent not his time so ill in gathering sticks as you do in swilling and gaming upon the Sabbath day 3. He drew not other lewd companions to joyne with him in his sin as you do And yet God met with him he died without mercy as you have heard for his sin be you sure the Lord will meet with you also one day and unlesse you repent and forsake this sin you shall find no more mercy with God then he did Well because I see many of you my
after Sermons these holy brethren that stand so much upon sincerity and can abide nothing that savours of Popery these precise fooles that must be singular forsooth that dare not sweare by small oathes were all well taxed to day We see they are no better than hypocrites all these things have beene found in hypocrites we heare Let no man I say say so For though these things have beene found in some hypocrites yet are they no signes to know an hypocrite by neither are they all hypocrites that do thus neither is an hypocrite that doth thus an hypocrite for that cause because he doth thus But thou in scorning any man for this very thing because he maketh profession of religion because he goeth to Sermons because he useth prayer and so seemeth more holy than his neighbours because he is scrupulous in the smallest thing that he thinketh to be a sinne bewrayest the profanenesse of thine owne heart and openest thy mouth against heaven as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 73.9 All these five things that I have instanced in are such things as God is highly pleased with and hath promised great reward unto as I will shew you particularly First It is a singular good thing to love and delight in the sound Ministery of the Word and such a thing as a Christian may take much comfort in Great peace have they saith David Psal. 119.165 that love thy Law And by the Law and Word of God the same thing is meant throughout that Psalme and nothing shall offend them And on the other side That man can have no true goodnesse in him that hath no love to the Word that careth not for it For faith commeth by hearing of the Word as the Apostle saith Rom. 10.17 Yea he must needs be in a most wofull estate though he feele it not For He that turneth away his eare from hearing the Law saith the Holy Ghost Prov. 28.9 even his prayer shall be abomination And what shall other his actions be if his prayer be so Secondly It is a singular good thing also to use prayer constantly The Holy Ghost praiseth Cornelius for this Acts 10.2 that he prayed unto God alway As if he should have said He kept a constant course in prayer He that useth it must needs receive a blessing from God by it This is so ordinary a thing with God to blesse them much that pray much that our Saviour saith Matth. 7.8 Every one that asketh receiveth It is said of Obed-Edom 2 Sam. 6.11 that while the Arke of God continued in his house the Lord blessed him and all his houshold And the blessing that he received by it was so sensible and apparent that others were able to take notice and to tell David of it It was told to David saith the holy story 2 Sam. 6.12 that the Lord had blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that pertained unto him because of the arke of God And certainly there is no family where prayer and Gods Worship is constantly used morning and evening but the whole family useth to receive a blessing by it Yea God hath been wont to shew such respect unto this duty that he hath oft rewarded it and given a blessing unto it a temporall blessing I meane not onely when it hath beene performed by his owne faithfull servants with a good heart but even when it hath been used also by such as have had no truth of grace in them at all As appeareth in the example both of Iehoabaz the King of Israel 2 King 13.4 5 and of the mariners Ion. 1.14 15. And on the other side as they can have no true goodnesse in them but are Atheists in heart that use not to pray Psal. 14.14 The foole hath said in his heart there is no God He calleth not upon God so the many houses where no prayer is used seeme to prosper as well as any other doe yet certainly God hath given sentence already against them in that Propheticall prayer which we read Ier. 10.25 Powre out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not and upon the families that call not on thy Name There wanteth nothing but that God give order for the execution of this sentence which he hath already given against them which how soone and in what manner he will doe it is knowne onely to himselfe no man can tell Lecture CXXXV On Psalme 51.7 Decemb. 22. 1629. IT followeth now that we confirme the same unto you in the other three particulars And for the third Although there be as I shewed you some hypocrites that seeme to be strict observers of the Sabbath Day yet is that no signe of an hypocrite neither is the conscionable and precise observation of the Sabbath to be misliked ever a whit the more for that For it is a singular good thing to be strict in the observation of the Sabbath and such a thing as God is highly pleased with and hath been wont to reward wheresoever he findeth it I will give you a full proofe of this in one particular To keepe a bodily rest upon that day from all our owne workes is but one particular that is required of us in the observation of the Sabbath Nay that is as I may say but the outside of the commandement and concerneth onely the outward man the outward and bodily observation of it Of the fourth commandement as well as of all the rest that may truely bee said which the Apostle speaketh Rom. 7.14 of the whole Law We know saith he that the law is spirituall The spirituall observation of it by the inward man when wee call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable as the Prophet speaketh Esa 58.13 That is When wee can joy in that day as in the Lords owne holy Day and esteeme it in our heart a farre greater and more honourable Day than any other day keeping the rest and performing the duties of the Day cheerefully reverently conscionably spiritually This spirituall observation of it I say by the inward man is the chiefe thing that God requireth of us in the fourth commandement The outward and bodily observation of it which may bee performed by a man that hath no truth of grace in him at all is nothing in Gods account in comparison of this And yet of this bodily observation of the Sabbath by the outward man the resting from our owne workes is but the least part The exercising of our selves upon that day in doing of the Lords worke the spending of it in such holy duties both publike and private as may breed and increase grace and sanctification in us is a greater matter and more pleasing to God a great deale than that is No man may think hee hath kept the Sabbath well because hee resteth from all the labours of his calling upon that Day So farre forth the bruit beast thy oxe and thy horse keepeth the Sabbath as well as thou For so is the expresse commandement Deuteronomie 5.14 Neither thy
oxe nor thy asse nor any of thy cattell shall doe any worke upon that Day Of thee that art a man and a Christian man God requireth more than so Hee will have thee not onely to rest from thine owne labours but to spend the Day so farre as thy bodily necessitie will permit in such religious duties as may make thee a more holy and a better man The Hebrew word Sabbat from whence the Sabbath Day received the name signifieth not such a rest as wherein one sitteth still and doth nothing as the word Noach doth but onely a resting and ceasing from that which hee did before So God is said Genesis 2.2 to have rested the seventh Day not that hee rested from all workes For My Father worketh hitherto and I worke saith our Saviour Iohn 5.17 but because he rested from all the worke that hee had made as Moses saith there As if hee had said Hee rested from creating any thing more And so wee likewise are expresly commanded to rest upon the Sabbath not from all workes but from such workes as we did and might doe upon the six dayes God never allowed us any day to spend in idlenesse and doing of nothing specially not that day But hee hath appointed us workes and duties for that Day which hee would have us as carefull to goe about them as we are upon any other day to goe about the workes of our calling and when wee are at them to performe them with every whit as much diligence and care to doe them well as wee doe any worke wee take in hand upon the six dayes Let no man say what would you have us to doe if we may do no businesse upon the Sabbath Would you have us spend the time in sleeping or talking or sitting at our doores or walking abroad How would you have us passe the time for the whole day To such a one I answer Thou hast so much worke to doe as if thou wert as thou shouldst bee thou wouldst complaine that thou wantest time to doe it And yet this worke that God hath enjoyned us to spend this day in hath such interchange and variety in it as no good hearth hath cause with those carnall professours Malachy 1.13 to snuffe at it and to cry behold what a wearinesse it is how â—edious and toylesome a thing it is to keepe the Sabbath as these men would have us to doe But the true Christian findeth just cause to call the Sabbath a delight as the Prophet speaketh Esa 58.13 for all this worke and labour that God hath enjoyned us in it Wee have publike duties to performe on that day in Gods house And both the family-duties and secret duties which wee are bound to performe every day are by the equity of that law Numbers 28.9 10. to bee doubled upon the Sabbath Day And in very deed the Lord hath for that very cause chiefly commanded us to rest from all our owne worke upon the Sabbath Day that wee might the better attend upon and profit by these holy workes these duties of piety and religion which are the proper workes of that Day For that is the chiefe end that the Sabbath was ordained for Remember the Sabbath Day to keepe it holy saith the Lord in the fourth commandement Exodus 20.8 And Deuteroâ—omie 5.12 Keepe the Sabbath Day to sanctifie it And I gave them my Sabbaths saith the Lord Ezekiel 20.12 to be a signe betwixt mee and them that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctifie them As if hee had said Hee remembreth not nor keepeth the Sabbath he regardeth it not nor careth for it how strict soever he be in resting from his owne labours that keepeth it not holy that spendeth in not in such religious duties as wherein we may know and feele by experience that it is the Lord who by his ordinances doth sanctifie him who doth both begin and increase grace in his soule And yet though this be so though the bodily observation of the Sabbath and that that is performed by the outward man onely bee nothing in Gods account in comparison of the spirituall observation of it with the heart and inward man and though our resting from our owne labours in that Day bee the least part even of the outward and bodily observation of it Yet see what account the Lord maketh even of that and how highly he is pleased with it This will sufficiently appeare unto you in that promise the Lord hath made unto it Ier. 17.24 26. wherein he plainly declareth that the flourishing estate both of Church and Common-wealth dependeth greatly even upon this even upon the strict observing of the bodily rest from our owne workes upon the Lords holy Day Two things are to be observed in this promise 1. The duty unto which the promise is made ver 24. If ye diligently hearken unto me saith the Lord to bring in no burden through the gates of the City on the Sabbath Day but hallow the Sabbath Day to doe no worke therein As if hee should say If ye carefully looke to this that no burdens no carriages goe in and out at the gates of Ierusalem on the Sabbath Day that the Sabbath may be but so farre hallowed that no worke be suffred to be done upon that Day You see the promise is made even unto the bodily rest even unto so much as an hypocrite and carnall man may performe and which every Magistrate and Master and Father hath power to compell such unto as are under their government Even to this I say the promise is made Then secondly observe the blessing and reward that is promised even unto this and that is twofold The first concerneth the common-wealth and civill state Verse 25. Then shall there enter into the gates of this City Kings and Princes sitting upon the Throne of David riding in chariots and upon horses they and their Princes the men of Iudah and the inhabitants of Ierusalem and this City shall remaine for ever As if he should say I will maintaine the honour and dignity the wealth and strength the peace and safety of this State and Kingdome The second blessing that is promised concerneth the Church and State of Religion Verse 26. And they shall come from the Cities of Iuda and from the places about Ierusalem c. As if he should say My solemne assemblies shall be duly frequented there shall be no sects and heresies no schisme or separation I will continue mine owne worship and the purity of my holy Religion among you You see beloved by this one place how much God is pleased even with the outward rest from our owne works upon the Sabbath Day and what a happinesse it would bring both to the Church and Common-wealth if even that were observed On the other side it is worth the noting how all publike judgements and common calamities that ever befell Gods people are imputed by the Holy Ghost to no one sinne more than to the profanation of
the Sabbath yea even to the neglect of this outward rest from our owne workes on that day If you compare 2 Chronicles 36.21 with Leviticus 26.34 35. you shall finde this noted for a chiefe cause of that miserable captivity that Gods people did endure in Babylon Because the land did not rest in your Sabbaths saith the Lord when yee dwelt upon it And Nehemiah telleth them so much after their returne from that captivity Nehemiah 13.18 that God did bring all the evill that was come upon them and upon Ierusalem because their fathers had prophaned the Sabbath so as they then did How was that Surely they suffered men to tread wine-presses on the Sabbath a work that is not in use among us but our grinding of corne and making of malt is equivalent unto it and they suffered men to goe in and our with burdens and carriages and to buy and sell wares upon the Sabbath as you shall finde Verse 15 16 of that Chapter And these are the things of which hee saith Verse 18. Did not your fathers thus and did not our God bring all this evill upon us and upon this City And looke what hath beene said of every Church and Kingdome that the flourishing estate or ruine thereof dependeth greatly upon the observation or neglect even of this outward rest the same may be also said doubtlesse of every towne and family and particular person that their welfare and undoing dependeth much upon this Never was any man made the poorer by the strict observation of the Sabbath Day by refusing to buy or sell or doe any of his worldly businesse upon that Day But the more conscionable any man is in resting from all his owne workes upon that Day the more plentifull a blessing hee shall be sure to receive from God upon the labours of his calling in the six dayes And it is not thine owne labour or toyling but the blessing of God that maketh rich when all is done as Salomon teacheth us Proverbs 10.22 I know well that the worldly man cannot believe this but thinketh this would be the way to undoe him How should I live saith he if I should do no businesse on the Sabbath Day I cannot maintaine my charge by going to Church and doing nothing for a whole day But marke I pray you how God answereth these men Leviticus 25. The Lord gave his people then a commandement to keepe every seventh yeere a Sabbath all the yeere long thus farre forth The seventh yeare shall be a Sabbath of rest to the land saith the Lord there verse 4 5. a Sabbath for the Lord thou shalt neither sow thy field nor prune thy vineyard no nor reape and gather that that grew of it owne accord to thy private use for so the 5 verse is to bee understood And if ye shall say and object saith the Lord verse 20 21. what shall wee eat the seventh yeere As if he should say How shall wee live then that yeere seeing wee shall neither sow nor reape As indeed they had much more reason to object this against the keeping of one yeare in seaven then wee have against the keeping of one day in seven for a Sabbath the Lord answereth this verse 21. I will command my blessing upon you in the sixt yeare and it shall bring forth fruit for three yeeres So may I say to thee Keepe the Sabbath conscionably remember the Sabbath day before it come and cast for it by dispatching before hand all that thou hast to doe as neither thou nor thy servant may have any thing left to be done upon that day and the Lord will command his blessing upon thy labours in the six daies accordingly so as thou shalt not bee impoverished ever a whit but enriched by it On the other side the Lord hath beene wont to reveale his wrath from heaven upon townes and families and upon particular persons as much for this one sinne of profaning the Sabbath as for any other And namely by that fearefull judgement of consuming fire by which specially and by name hee hath in his Word threatned to punish this sinne If you will not hearken unto mee saith the Lord Ieremy 17.27 to hallow my Sabbath day and not to beare a burden even entring in at the gates of Ierusalem on the Sabbath day then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof and it shall devoure the pallaces of Ierusalem and it shall not bee quenthed And thus have I shewed you in this one particular how highly God is pleased with the strict observation of the Sabbath day And if it please him so well to see men rest from their owne workes upon that day which yet as I told you is but the least thing that belongeth to the right observation of it you may bee sure hee is much more pleased to see men spend that day in doing of his workes in exercising themselves in those duties of piety and mercy which hee hath appointed to bee done upon that day especially in seeing them keepe his Sabbaths spiritually and conscionably Certainely they that doe so shall bee sure to bee blessed and rewarded of God for it To this purpose it is worth the observing that as our Saviour saith Marke 2. â—7 that the Sabbath was at the first made for man for the great benefit and behoofe of man Man could not no not Adam in his innocency have beene without it but with great danger and losse unto him So the Holy Ghost saith that twice of the Sabbath Gen. 2.3 and Exodus 20.11 that hee never said of any other day that the Lord blessed that day that is appointed it to bee a meane of a greater blessing to man if hee keepe it as God hath commanded him to doe then any other day or any of the ordinary workes of any other day can possibly bee Two sorts of blessings there be which the conscionable observer of the Sabbath shall be sure to receive by it The first are spirituall And they indeed are the chiefe blessings of all because they are durable and everlasting and because they concerne the soule which is the chiefe and most precious part of man And for these was the Sabbath chiefly ordained that God might by it in the use of his ordinances inrich our soules with spirituall blessings in heavenly things So the Lord saith Ezekiel 20.12 that hee gave his Sabbaths to his people to that end that they might know that hee was the Lord that sanctified them Wee shall know and find that the Lord will sanctifie us both begin and increase saving grace in our hearts if we keepe the Sabbath conscionably Yea the Lord hath promised Esa. 56.6 7. to every one that keepeth his Sabbath from polluting it that he will make them ioyfull in his house of prayer And Esa. 58.13 14. that if a man shall keepe the Sabbath heartily and spiritually then hee shall delight himselfe in the Lord. By these two places it appeareth that God hath bound himselfe
Proleps and notwithstanding he say he cannot beleeve for 1 hee hath foure just causes and encouragements to beleeve 2 He doth indeed truly beleeve though weakely and though hee perceive it not p. 682. Lect. 132. We should all highly esteeme of Christ and hunger and thirst after him and his righteousnesse labouring above all things to win him and to be found in him p. 683. 1 Motive else our state will bee wofull when extreame affliction and death shall seize upon us Six things to bee distinctly considered in this 1 Motive 1 Certaine it is a change affliction sicknesse and death will come 2 how soone none knowes 3 nor in what kinde and measure p. 684. 4 when it commeth it will awaken the conscience and that being wakened will bring into our remembrance our sins and the judgement wee must goe to 5 If we have not gotten Christ before we are in danger then to bee made uncapable 6 our case will bee most wofull if we be without him then for there 's no hope of mercy or comfort from God without him p. 685. On the other side they that have Christ may be safe and comfortable in any affliction nay never so comfortable as then p. 686. 2 Motive He that hath not Christ can have no sound comfort in his prosperity nor in any of Gods outward blessings for 1 though they be blessings and good things in themselves yet to him they are not He had better be without them they shall doe him no good but much hurt Ibid. For they are none of their owne they have no spirituall sanctified or comfortable title to them p. 687. 2 God hath not given them any thing in love Though these things be fruits of his common love they are no signes of his speciall love And no man can have any sound comfort in the common love of God but in his speciall love onely Ibid. p. 688. On the other side he that is in Christ may have sound comfort even in the outward and common blessings of God for 1 they are his owne and he hath the highest title to them 2 They are good to him and shall doe him good and no hurt p. 688. 3 They are to him pledges of Gods speciall love p. 689. Applic. Great folly and danger of such as preferre worldly things before Christ Ibid. p. 690. Lect. 133. None are fit to receive Christ nor can thirst after him but the poore and such as feele themselves utterly void of all goodnes p. 691. The civill honesty and those morall parts that are in many naturall men are in themselves good things pleasing to God and such as he useth to reward and the reasons of it p. 692 693. Professors should walke honestly and the greatnesse of their sinne that doe not set out in three points p. 694 695. Yet there is no sound comfort to be found in it the Lord is never a whit the better pleased with a man in resepct of salvation for his civill honesty unlesse he be in Christ p. 695 696. Lect. 134. There are sundry good things to be found in many an hypocrite and better things then in any meere naturall man and that in three respects p. 697. There is in many an hypocrite 1 a kinde of love to the Word and the ministery thereof he will heare constantly and with delight hee will commend and professe much love to the teacher so doth not the civill man 2 he will keepe a constant course in praying not ordinary onely but extraordinary so doth not the civill man 3 He is a strict observer of the Sabbath so is not the civill man p. 698. 4 Hee hateth Idolatry and the monuments of it and loveth the sincerity of religion so doth not the civill man 5 He is reformed not only from grosse sinnes but even from the least sins so is not the civill man p. 699. These things are not therefore to bee misliked because they are to bee found in some hypocrites neither may wee despise and scorne any for any of these things for though they be found in many hypocrites yet are they no signes of an hypocrite Ibid. 1 It s a singular good thing to love the Word and he can have no true goodnesse but is in a wofull estate that doth not 2 to keepe a constant course in prayer is a very good thing and such as God will blesse and he can have no true goodnesse in him but is in a wofull state that useth not to pray p. 700. Lect. 135. Though 1 the bodily observation of the Sabbath and such as may bee performed by th' outward mâ—n be nothing in Gods account in comparison of the spirituall 2 The bodily test from our owne workes bee the leaft part even of that the spending of the day in holy duties is a farre greater matter then that p 701 702. yet God is highly pleased with that and hath promised great reward unto it p. 702. and a chiefe cause of common calamities hath beene the neglect even of that p. 703. No man can become poorer by the conscionable keeping of the Sabbath day Ibid. Man receives a greater blessing by the Sabbath then by any other day specially in spirituall things but also in temporall p. 704 705. Lect. 136. We have all cause to praise God for the good lawes have beene made to provide for the better observation of the Sabbath and the hypocrisie and profanesse of the people generally appeares in seeming so zealous for the lawes and neglecting these so much p. 706. Every Minister is bound to reproove sin p. 707. The â— and chiefe thing that belongs to the right observation of the Sabbath is the keeping of the rest and performing the duties of the day cheerefully and spiritually and against this they offend that sleepe ordinarily at Church this sin is worthy of open reproofe p. 708. This is more then a sin of infirmity Foure notes given to discerne a sin of infirmity from a raigning sin p 709. The second duty required in the observation of the Sabbath is to spend the day in religious duties specially publike against this they transgresse that absent themselves from the Church p 710. The third and last thing is that we rest from al our own works on that day against this the profanesse and open contempt of the Sabbath by children and youth is a grosse sin Ibid. God will not endure profannesse and open contempt of religion no not in children yet will he lay this their sin to the charge of Masters and Parents and Governours chiefly p. 711. Lect. 137. It is a good thing and highly pleasing unto God to love the sincerity of Gods worship and to do nothing in that but what he can see warranted by the Word p. 71â— It is also a good thing to â—ate all Idolatry and every thing that belongeth to it and proceeds from it p. 712. It s no signe of an hypocrite to make conscience of the least sin p 714. Answer to
6.25 It shall be our righteousnesse if we observe to doe all these commandements before the Lord our God as hee hath commanded us When Gods materiall house was to bee built God gave to Moses for the Tabernacle Exod. 25.9 and to David for the Temple 1 Chron. 28.12 a patterne according to which hee would have every thing made and done And of this patterne that God gave to David for the Temple it is expressely said 1 Chron. 28.19 that God gave it him in writing Nothing might bee done either by Moses or by Solomon though they were two of the wisest men that ever lived about the Tabernacle or Temple nor about the whole service of God that was used in them but according to that patterne that God had given them And this charge the Lord did repeate unto Moses to shew the importance and necessity of observing it foure severall times Exodus 25.9.40.26.30.27.8 And so the Apostle also mentioneth it Hebrews 8.5 See saith hee that thou make all things according to the patterne that was shewed thee in the mount And even thus hath the Lord done in the building of his spirituall house hee hath given us a patterne according to which hee would have all our good workes done and he hath given it us in writing in the holy Scriptures and he hath given it us with this charge that whatsoever wee do we doe it according to this patterne See this charge expressely given Deut. 5.32 You shall observe to doe as the Lord your God hath commanded you yee shall not turne aside to the right hand nor to the left As if hee should say ye shall neither doe more nor lesse then that When one asked our Saviour this question Master what shall I doe to inherit eternall life He answereth him thus Luke 10.25 26. How is it written in the law How readest thou As if he had said In the written law of God and there only thou shalt find what those good workes are that God will reward in heaven And that you may the better see what a perfect and absolute patterne and rule this is that God hath given us in his written Word and what necessity there is that we should follow the direction of it in every thing wherein wee desire to please God I will manifest it unto you in six points which I must desire you to attend unto First There is no good worke any man can doe no good thing at all that any man can take in hand to please God with whether it concerne the worship of God or his conversation with men or the carriage of himselfe any manner of way no duty either of holinesse towards God or righteousnesse towards men or sobriety towards himself but he may have cleere direction for it in the Word of God I grant that this cleere direction in every thing is not easily found in the Word much diligence in reading and studying of the Word in attending upon Gods ordinance in the Ministery of his servants and in humble and fervent prayer is required hereunto yet may we certainely if the fault be not in our selves find cleare and certaine direction in the Word for all these things As there was nothing to be done about the Tabernacle not so much as the snuffers or curtaines or rings or pins that were to be used about it but they were all set downe in the patterne that God gave to Moses in the mount See this plainely proved Pro. 2.1.9 My son if thou wilt receive my words saith the wisedome of God and hide my commandements with thee then shalt thou understand righteousnesse and judgement equity yea every good path And indeed how els could the holy Scripture be â—o profitable and sufficient not only to teach and convince in all matters of Doctrine but also to correct and instruct in righteousnes that by it the man of God may become perfect throughly furnished unto every good work as the Apostle saith it is 2 Tim. 3.16 17. if there were any one good duty which the Minister of God might not be able out of the holy Scripture to give Gods people cleere direction in Therefore the Lord giveth this testimony of David 1 King 14.8 that he kept his commandements and followed him with all his heart to do that only that was right in Gods eyes As we do that which is right in Gods eyes then only when we keepe his commandements and follow the direction of his Word so then only do we follow the Lord with all our hearts we serve him with honest upright hearts when we do that only that is right in his eyes that only that we have the direction of his Word for Secondly Nothing that God hath commanded or approved in his Word can be a sin but must needs be lawfull and good how unreasonable or inconvenient or void of good successe soever it may seeme unto flesh and bloud Every creature of God is good saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 4.4 5. for it is sanctified by the Word and prayer As if he should say Whatsoever God hath allowed and sanctified in his Word that must needs bee good Nay to account any thing evill or to make scruple of doing any thing that God in his Word hath approved is doubtlesse a great errour and sinne Be not righteous overmuch saith the Holy Ghost Eccl. 7.16 neither make thy selfe over wise As if he had said Be not holier then God make no more sins then God hath made Our Saviour calleth the Ruler of the Synagogue hypocrite Luke 13.14 15. for holding it unlawfull to doe workes of mercy on the Sabbath day Why Was it not a good thing in him to be so zealous for the observation of the Sabbath or was it a good thing to doe such cures upon the Sabbath Yes verily because God had not in his Word forbidden but allowed and commanded works of mercy to be done then at all times this man in being so hot zealous against it shewed himselfe to be no better then an hypocrite See in a notable example what the danger of this is 1 King 20.35 36. A Prophet said to his neighbour in the word of the Lord and his neighbour knew him to be a Prophet and that it was the word and commandement of the Lord which hee spake smite mee I pray thee and the man refused to smite him hee made scruple to doe it because hee thought it unjust and unreasonable to doe it But what saith the Prophet to him Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord but wilt be more righteous and mercifull then God would have thee as soone as thou art departed from mee a lion shall slay thee And so it fell out Hee had not sinned in smiting and wounding the Prophet as verse 37. you shall find another upon the same warrant and commandement did yea hee sinned in not doing it in making a scruple of it when he had Gods Word and commandement for it So it
specially in such as are publike Therefore wee shall finde that the Lord calleth the Sabbath Levit. 23.2 a holy convocation as if it were nothing else as if the whole day were to be spent at Church and in keeping of holy assemblies And indeed that place proveth well that as much time should be spent on that day in Gods publike worship as the conveniency and edification of the Church will well permit And for this we have the example of our blessed Saviour who though he was able to spend the day in private duties of piety a thousand times better then ever any other man was and though also the Church assemblies that he had then to goe to were never a whit better but worse a great deale then ours are yet it is said Luk. 4 16. His custome was to goe to the Synagogue to the Church every Sabbath day And yet though as I said before our Church assemblies be as well frequented in this Towne by many as in any other place and though there be never a Popish recusant amongst us yet shall you hardly finde in any place more Atheist recusants more that doe seldome or never come to Church that doe so ordinarily and constantly serve the Devill in the Ale-house when we are serving God here in his house then are to be found in this Towne And for the third and last branch of the commandement that injoyneth us to rest from all our owne workes upon the Lords day you shall hardly finde I beleeve such open profession of profanesse and contempt of the Sabbath in children and youth in all the country as in this Towne You teach them to keep the Lords holy day just as your selves use to keepe these holy dayes with more misrule and riot then you use at any time of the yeare besides and as all the Israelites did keepe holy day to the golden calfe Of them it is said Exod. 32.6 That they sat downe to eate and to drinke and rose up to play and Verse 17. It is said that in their sporting and playing they kept such a shouting and noise as Moses when hee heard it wondred what it should meane And surely amongst our youth such a shouting and hollowing may be heard as a man would thinke there were some Bull or Beare baited in our streets every Sabbath day Hath God threatned to burne that Towne with unquenchable fire where men are allowed to doe the worke of their callings upon the Sabbath day as you have heard out of Ier. 17.27 and doe you thinke he can endure to see his Sabbath or any part of his Sabbath spent in ryoting and disorder Specially so openly and with so high a hand No no be not deceived God will not be mocked he hateth ryoting on the Sabbath much more then he doth working on the Sabbath As is plaine by Esa. 58.13 Where in one verse he nameth and forbiddeth twice the following of our pleasures as the chiefe profanation of the Sabbath day I know some of you will thinke this to be great indiscretion in me to preach thus against childrens faults But to these I have two things to answer First that God maketh not so light account of childrens faults specially not of their profanesse and contempt of Religion as you doe And if you did believe the Scriptures and were not Atheists in heart when you read in 2 Kings 2.23 24. what befell the children of Bethel you would be of my mind Secondly In speaking of these faults in the youth I doe not so much reproove them as the profanenesse of their parents and governours that keepe them not in but suffer them to do so yea of the Officers also that have power and authority to redresse these things and doe nothing in it If the names of these children and servants were taken as it is fit they should bee many of them would bee found to bee the children of such parents servants of such masters as would bee thought to bee very honest men and good Christians too It is the hypocrisie and profanenesse of these parents and masters that is the cause why their children and servants doe so The fourth commandement though it do concerne and bind all men yet is it given in charge chiefly to parents and masters of families as is plaine by the words of it Exodus 20.10 I tell thee thou art to answer for the breach of the Sabbath that is committed by any stranger thou receivest into thy house and much more then for that that is done by thine owne child and servant When Nehemiah saw how the Sabbath was profaned in Ierusalem by buying and selling of victuals it is said Nehemiah 13.17 hee contended with the Nobles and Governours of Iudah and blamed them for it And bee yee sure God will one day contend with you whosoever you be that have authority and power to redresse these things and doe it not he will charge you with all this Wee have heard of a ruler of the Synagogue Luke 13.14 that could not see the people doe that which hee thought to bee a profanation of the Sabbath without great indignation O that our Magistrates and inferiour officers that our parents and masters of families had but some of his zeale for the Lords Sabbath that they could not without indignation see or heare of the prophanation of it Then should we doubtlesse have no such buying and selling such loading and travelling no such disorder and hooting in our streets no such ordinary absenting from the Church-assemblies no such sleeping and snorting in our Church on the Sabbath Day as we ordinarily have Lecture CXXXVII On Psalme 51.7 Ian. 5. 1629. IT followeth now that we proceed to prove that the two last points of goodnesse that I told you are to be found in some hypocrites are likewise in themselves very good things and never a whit the more to be misliked because they are found in some such men And for the fourth of them To love the sincerity and purity of Gods holy religion and worship and to hate idolatry with all false worship is certainly a good thing and highly pleasing unto God For the first of these No man is to be blamed for desiring to see warrant in the Word for whatsoever hee doth as a worship and service of God especially or for being afraid to do that which hee can see no warrant for in the Word of God In nothing are wee so precisely tied to the direction of the Word as in the matters of the worship of God The charge that is given us Deut. 12.32 What thing soever I command you observe to doe it thou shalt not adde thereto nor diminish from it that is neither doe more nor lesse than I have commanded that charge I say concerneth the matters of Gods worship principally And how highly this pleaseth God when we doe nothing to worship him by but that onely that he hath given us direction for in his Word is evident by the reason of the
that he looked for no comfort Therefore is this oft mentioned as the justest and soundest ground of all true comfort Comfort yee comfort yee my people saith your God it is the Lords speech to his servants and messengers Esa. 40.1 2. speake ye comfortably to Ierusalem How should we do that may Gods servants say Cry unto her that her warrefare is accomplished that her iniquity is pardoned No sound comfort can be had till then and when once that is knowne nothing can make a mans state uncomfortable So speaketh our Saviour to the poore man that had the palsie when he saw him dejected in mind and uncomfortable he saith not sonne be of good comfort thy palsie hath left thee thou that couldst not have come hither if foure men had not brought thee Marke 2.3 shalt be able to take up thy bed and walke home without any helpe but how doth he comfort him Matth. 9.2 Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiven thee So when he would comfort Mary Magdalene that was so full of trouble of mind and sorrow that she was able with her teares to wash his feet Luke 7.38 he saith unto her vers 48. Thy sinnes are forgiven thee As if he had said thou hast no such cause to weep so thou hast cause to be comfortable and cheerefull for thy sins are forgiven This peace of God that is the comfort and joy that riseth from the knowledge of the pardon of our sins and reconciliation with him is said Phil. 4.7 to passe all understanding No heart can conceive how comfortable and blessed a thing that is but that which hath felt and enjoyed it Thirdly The man that truly knoweth what sin is desireth and longeth after nothing so much as the pardon of his sin is not so earnest and importunate with God in any suit as in this If God should now have said to David as after he did unto his sonne Solomon 1. Kings 3.5 Aske what I shall give thee Certainly this should have beene his petition Lord that my sins may be forgiven yea see how earnest he is here with God for this To such men Christ who is our propitiation and only meanes to procure and purchase our pardon is pretious as the Apostle speaketh 1. Pet. 2.7 To you that beleeve he is precious yea so precious that in comparison of him and of Gods favour through him they esteeme basely of every thing else Phil 3.8 I do count all things but dung that I may win Christ. Fourthly and lastly The man that truly knoweth what sin is thinks he hath even enough when he hath gotten his pardon though God should deny him all things else and saith of it as Iacob when he was sure Ioseph was still living Gen. 45.28 It is enough Yea he counts himselfe to be a happy man if once he have obtained this So we see David here maketh this his only suit and saith in another place that this is enough even to make a man happy Psalm 32.1 2. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven whose sinne is covered blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity Nothing can make that man miserable whose sins are forgiven Now the reasons and grounds of this Doctrine are principally two being taken from the true and sound consideration of the nature of sinne And for the nature of it we will goe no further then to that description that David maketh of it in these two verses and to those two comparisons whereby he doth here resemble it First he compareth sin to debt in these words verse 1. Blot out my transgressions Our sins are our debts as our Saviour teacheth us to call them and account of them in the fift petition of the Lords prayer Matth. 6.12 Forgive us our debts First The obedience God requireth of us in his Law is no more but just and due debt we are bound and ought to performe it and in case we performe it not the penalty and curse which the law inflicteth is most justly due unto us We stand bound to performe either the one or the other To this obligation every mans conscience hath set his hand and seale and will acknowledge it and say Amen unto it one day God requireth in his Law that so soone as his people should come into the land of Canaan the curses of this law this bond and obligation should be read in the hearing of them all men women children and that all of them should say Amen to it Deut. 27.26 Cursed is he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to doe them and all the people shall say Amen The copy and counterpane of this bond betweene God and us every man hath in his owne conscience which will acknowledge it to be most true and just as the Apostle speaking even of heathen men saith Rom. 2.15 which shew the worke of the Law written in their hearts Secondly These debts of ours though we be apt to forget yet the Lord will never forget The Lord hath sworne by the excellency of Iacob saith the Prophet Amos 8.7 Surely I will never forget any of their works Hee keepeth a debt booke wherein he hath set downe in writing every one of them Esa. 65.6 Behold it is written before me And our owne conscience also scores up every one of our sinnes and sets downe the time and place when and where we committed them and so came into Gods debt further and further And though it be like a sealed and clasped booke for a time that we cannot looke into it which maketh us thinke wee are little or nothing in Gods debt yet these bookes will one day bee opened Revelation 20.12 I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the bookes were opened and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Bookes according to their workes and then it will appeare our debt bookes agree fully with Gods debt bookes our scores with his scores According as the Apostle saith Rom. â—15 â—6 that the consciences of men shall beare witnesse with God in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ. Thirdly These debts of ours if we get not in time a discharge and Quiâ—â— est from them will be exaâ—tâ—d every one oâ— them at our hands The Lord I tell you is such a creditor as will looke to have his owne Eccles. 1.9 Know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement And 1â— 14 The Lord shall bring every worke into judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or evill Fourthly these debts of ours are growne to such a huge summe as we are never able to satisfie and pay them and therefore they are compared to a debt of ten thousand talentâ— Matth. 18.24 a summe which there was never any merchant or King in the World so rich as was able to pay it Fiftly Now consider well of this reason To an honest
throne from the wrath of the Lambe Of the Lambe Why what cause have any to feare the Lambe He is so called in reference to the sacrifice of his body and soule that he offered to his father for the sins of men Iob 1.29 Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sins of the world What need men be afraid of the Lambe of God O the more that Christ hath done for sinners the more indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish will be upon every soule that hath despised so great mercy and taken incouragement thereby to sin and hath not been brought unto repentance by it Say thou not then any more my sins shall never trouble me because God is so mercifull and Christ hath died for sinners but rather let the looking upon him whom thou hast pierced cause thee to mourne as one mourneth for his onely sonne and to be in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first-borne as the Prophet saith it shall be with all such as have the spirit and any true knowledge and assurance of Gods mercy Zach. 12.10 There is yet a third cause why men are not troubled for their sinnes noâ— will be disquieted in their minds with the remembrance of them and that is examples they have observed and experience that they have had of Gods mercy in others I have my selfe will many a sinner say knowne many that were worse men then ever I was that never had any trouble of minde for their sinnes in life nor in death in their healths nor in their sicknesse and yet God was mercifull unto them they lived in Gods favour for they lived in credit and were well thought of and well beloved of their neighbours and they dyed in Gods favour for they died most quietly they shewed no feare or unwillingnesse at all to dye and to goe to God but had marvellous peace in their consciences and shewed great comfort in the assurance of their salvation Now for answer to this plea I say in generall as our Saviour doth Mat. 18.7 Woe be to the world because of offences Yea woe be unto the world even because of this offence for thousands have stumbled at it even this that men notoriously wicked have died so peaceably hath hardened infinite numbers in their sins and made them to thinke there is no great danger in them But to answer this plea in particular First This is no good argument such sinners lived in Gods swear because they lived in credit and in the love of their neighbours For 1 the Lord seeth not as man seeth as he telleth Samuel 1 Sam. 16.7 Men are apt to applaud them that live wealthily and merrily whatsoever their life be Psal. 49.18 Men will praise thee when thou dost well to thy selfe But so doth not God For as our Saviour saith Luke 16.15 that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God 2. Men are bound in charity to judge the best 1 Cor. 13.5 Charity thinketh no evill and to be afraid of judging and censuring others Be not many masters controulers or censurers saith the Apostle Iam. 2.3 knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation and to thinke of others according to the profession that they make and that they know by them and not to take upon them to judge their hearts It was no fault in the Apostles that they thought so well of Iudas and suspected themselves as much as him when Christ said one of them should betray him Matth. 26 2â— 3. The man whom wee have knowne to have beene a notorious sinner it may be hath beene foundly humbled for his sinne and shed many a teare for it though we know it not For this may be done in secret Zach. 12.14 Every family apart and their wives apart Secondly this is no good argument such sinners dyed in Gods favour because they died quietly and without all feare and seemed very comfortable and to have great assurance of their salvation For 1. It is possible for most wicked men to die very quietly and without all feare For of most wicked men it is said Psal. 73.4 5. There are no bands in their death they are not in trouble as other men 2. It is possible even for most wicked men to be passing well perswaded of their owne estate and that God is their God Mic. 3.11 Yet will they leane upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us 3. God doth oft let wicked men scape scot free heere that he may reserve them to greater torment in hell 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to reserve the unjust unto thâ— day of judgement to be punished at that day he will manifest his wrath upon them 4. Though we may not presume to judge of the finall estate of any such man because the worke of God in the conversion of a sinner is oft times secret and wonderfull Ioh. 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it commeth and whither it goeth So is every one that is borne of God And God is able to worke saving repentance in them even after they are speechlesse and cannot expresse their repentance unto men Yet is the example fearefull when such as have had many witnesses of their sinnes have had no witnesses of their repentance the example of such is worthy to have a marke set upon it for others to take heed by as in the case of Absoloms death they laid a very great heape of stones upon him 2 Sam. 18.17 For 1 God doth never pardon any mans sins in whom he doth not worke repentance Acts 5.31 Christ gives repentance unto Israel and forgivenesse of sins 2 He first gives men the spirit of bondage before the spirit of adoption Rom. 8.15 Yee have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare but the spirit of adoption 3. God useth to worke in those whom he gives repentance unto humiliation proportionable to the measure of their sinnes as we see in the case of Manasses 2 Chron. 33.12 He humbled himselfe greatly And Mary Magdalen wept so that she washed Christs feet with teares Luk 7.38 4 Where sinne hath beene notorious there repentance also should be notorious yea the true penitent will be glad and desirous to have as many witnesses of his repentance as of his sinnes as we see in David heere And in Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy 5 No judgement of God is so dreadfull as when he punisheth sinners with hardnesse of heart This was the judgement whereby God plagued Pharaoh of whom it is said that God raised him up of purpose that he might shew his power on him Rom. 9.17 Lecture XVIII On Psal. 51.1 2. March 7. 1625. FOlloweth the second use of the former Doctrine and that is for exhortation to perswade and stirre us all up to do as David doth heere even to
there be which are made unto it 1. That it shall never hinder nor beggar a man that that is thus given shall not be lost See this promise Pro. 19.17 He that hath pity on the poore lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given the Lord will pay him againe It will returne againe yea it will returne againe with advantage and increase In which respect it is compared to the casting away of your seed into the ground 2 Cor. 9.6 He which soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reape bountifully Admit thou dost not find it againe presently certainely if thou give thine almes with a good heart it shall not be lost thou shalt find it againe one day Eccl. 11.1 Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many daies And Psal. 37.26 He is ever mercifull and lendeth and his seed enjoyeth the blessing Yea that that is thus given will bring Gods blessing upon all that wee have besides Deut. 15.10 Thou shalt surely give him and thine heart shall not bee grieved when thou givest unto him because that for this the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all thy workâ— and in all thou puttest thine hand unto Luke 11.41 Give almes of such things as ye have and behold all things are cleane unto you This answereth two objections that usually men make to excuse their uncharitablenesse to the poore First beleeve me I know not how soone I may want my selfe I answer Thou art an infidell if thou say so for God hath said this is the way to keepe thee from want Pro. 28.27 He thâ—â— giveth unto the poore shall not lack Secondly I have children to provide for I answer thy children shall not be the poorer for this if God bee to be beleeved but on the contrary thy miserablenesse to the poore is the way to bring Gods curse upon thy selfe and thy children too Pro 11.24 There is that scattereth and yet increaseth and there is that withholdeth more then is meet but it tendeth to povertie The second sort of promises that are made to this duty are these that there is nothing we can do that will give us that security of heart that joy and comfort against the dayes of common calamity or against any particular judgement that may befall our selves as this will doe that wee have beene given to the workes of mercy this will free our hearts from the feare of them Psal. 112.7 8. He shall not be afraid of evill tidings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord his heart is established he shall not be afraid Iam. 2.13 Mercy glorieth against judgement For 1 we have a promise there it will give us hope to be delivered from them Psal. 41.1 Blessed is he that considereth the poore the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble or 2 that God will give us strength and comfort in them Isa. 58.10 If thou draw out thy soule to the hungry and satisfie the afflicted soule then shall thy light arise in obscurity and thy darknesse be as the noone day As if he had said the most uncomfortable estate thou canst fall into shall be comfortable to thee In which respect Solomon makes this a strong motive to the workes of charity Eccl. 11.2 Give a portion to seven and also to eight be liberall in thine almes for thou knowest not what evill shall be upon the earth As if he should say how soone thou mayst loose all that thou hast And surely as there is now much evill threatned to our state by the power and designes of our bloudy enemies so if the wisest of Gods Prophets were now alive to direct us what to do to prevent these evills they would advise us next to our repentance our teares and prayers unto God unto this course as Daniel did that great King Dan. 4.27 O King let my counsell be acceptable unto thee breake off thy sins by righteousnesse make restitution and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poore if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity As if he had said if any thing will turne away the judgement this will The third and last sort of promises that are made unto this duty are such as concerne the life to come For this will strongly confirme a man in the hope of eternall life if he have beene given to the workes of mercy In which respect the Apostle calleth it 1 Tim. 6.19 The laying up for our selves a good foundation against the time to come that we may lay hold on eternall life And our Saviour Luke 16.9 Make you friends of the Mammon of unrighteousnesse that when ye faile they may receive you as faithfull witnesses of your faith into everlasting habitations In which respect also in that great day of reckning when every man shall receive according to his workes there shall be principall regard had to the workes of mercy Mat. 25.34 36. Come ye blessed of my father c. for I was an hungred and ye gave me meat c. And so much for the second point I told you was to be observed in this example of our heavenly father The third is this that we must not onely pity them that are in misery and relieve them too but we must do it freely also though the parties we relieve be most unworthy of it Some cautions I will premise before I prove this First true it is that the poore in all places are for the most part the most void of grace and not so miserable in their corporall as in their spirituall estate as Ieremy spake of them in his time Ier. 5.4 they are fooliâ—h or profane they know not the way of the Lord not the judgement of their God Pro 30.9 Least I be poore and steale and take the name of my God in vaine as if he had said so do usually poore men Secondly they that can do it ought to use their utmost endeavour for the reforming of them and it is the sinne and shame of this and all other places that they are born with as they are That which Solomon speaketh of all children may specially be applyed to the poore and their children Pro. 22.15 Foolishnes is bound in the heart of a childe but the rod of correction the house of correction shall drive it farre from him Thirdly you that are by office to take care for the poore ought to enquire into their conditions as well as into their wants and to put a difference in your almes Let such as are uncleane or idle or such as so soone as you give them a penny will to the ale-house with it presently let such I say smart for it let them feele the misery of want a little better It is the Apostles charge 2 Thess. 3.10 If any will not worke let him not eate Fourthly and lastly We are all bound in our almes to put a difference betweene the poore Gal 6.10 Let us doe good to all men especially to them that are
receive their comfort And these directions are six principally First They must enquire into and labour to find out in themselves the cause of this affliction that by unfained repentance they may remove it Thou must examine what sin it is that is in thee or hath beene in thee that hath thus provoked God to with-draw the comfort of his spirit from thee This is the wisest course to be taken in any affliction David took this course in a grievous famine 2. Sam. 21.1 David enquired of the Lord. What he did enquire may appeare by Gods answer that is to say what the speciall sinne was that he or his people had committed that provoked God to this It is for Saul saith the Lord and his bloudy house because he slew the Gibeonite But in this kind of affliction of mind this course is specially to bee taken This course Saul before hee fell away from that goodnesse hee had learned by being brought up in Gods Church tooke when hee had sought unto God and could receive no answer from him 1. Sam. 14.37 38. Draw ye neare hither all ye chiefe of the people and know and see wherein this sinne hath bin this day As if hee should say Certainly some sin of ours is the cause why the Lord refuseth to answer us let us find it out and remove it Thus did Iob when he was in this case we now speake of when hee had lost the feeling of Gods favour for that was doubtlesse his chiefe affliction he beseecheth God to helpe him to find out the cause of it in himselfe Iob 10.2 Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me And 13.23 Make me to know my transgression and my sinne For 1. though not alway yet usually this is the cause even of this affliction either some sin they have fallen into as in this case of David or some secret corruption they nourish in themselves that choketh their peace and comfort and like a thicke fog or filthy vapour rising up in their soules keepeth the light of Gods countenance from shining on them according to that Esay 59.2 Your iniquities have separated betweene you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you Now this this speciall sin must be found out Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our waies and turne againe unto the Lord. 2. This is a sure way to recover our comfort when wee can mourne more for this that by sin we have departed from God then that God hath by this spirituall desertion departed from us and so by repentance returne to him againe hee will certainly returne then to us and restore to us our comfort For this is his promise Mal. 3.7 Returne unto me and I will returne unto you saith the Lord of hosts The second direction is this Thou must call to mind the times that are past how it hath bin with thee formerly Hadst thou never any comfortable feeling of Gods favour and of the worke of Gods grace in thy heart Didst thou never heare in thy selfe that sweete voice of the spirit of adoption witnessing to thy heart that thou wert Gods child enabling thee to cry Abba Father of which the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.15 16. Examine thy selfe well rub thy memory and call this to mind This direction the Apostle giveth the faithfull Hebrewes when hee would perswade them to hold fast their confidence and not to cast it away Hebrewes 10.35 Call to remembrance saith hee verse 32. the former dayes in which after ye were illuminated ye endured a great sight of affections and what joy you found in your selves then verse 34. Ye tooke joyfully the spoyling of your goods This course David tooke in this very case Psalme 77.5 6. I have considered the dayes of old the yeares of ancient times I call to remembrance my songs in the night I commune with mine owne heart and my spirit made diligent search and verse 10. And â— said this is mine infirmity but I will remember the yeares of the right hand of the most High By remembring the yeares of the right hand of the most High that is of the comforts hee had found in the assurance of Gods favour hee came to perceive that it was but his infirmitie to bee thus dejected now This course hee also tooke at another time when hee was in this case Psalme 143.45 My spirit is overwhelmed within mee my heart within mee is desolate I remember the dayes of old Observe beloved and take notice therefore I pray you of the working of Gods grace in your selves of the sweete comforts you finde at any time in the light of Gods countenance and assurance of his favour in the hearing or reading of his Word in receiving the Sacrament in your prayers and specially in your afflictions Yea doe as David did Psal. 85 8. I will hearken what the Lord God will speake for hee will certainely at one time or other speake peace to his people and to his Saints Keepe a Register of these times because the remembrance of them may stand you in stead when a change shall come For you may write as wee say and build upon this if ever thou wert in Gods favour thou art still if ever God by the spirit of adoption did say unto thy soule I am thy salvation thy God thy father Christ is thy Saviour his body was broken for thee his bloud was shed for thee he is so still The spirit of God in the holy Scripture teacheth this expressely Iohn 5.14 Verily verily I say unto you He that heareth my word and beleeveth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life And Romans 11.29 The gifts and calling of God are without repentance that is such gifts and such a calling as God vouchsafed to the fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob for of those the Apostle had spoken the gifts of Election justification santification effectuall calling God never repented him of This the Apostle Iames also teacheth Iames 1.17.18 that in those gifts of God that are good indeed and perfect gifts perfectly good such as hee instanceth in the next verse the gift of regeneration to bee there is no variablenesse nor shadow of turning in the Lord. Thus the Lord answereth his people that were in this very tentation Ieremy 31.3 The Lord hath appeared to mee of old say they so it is to bee read as in the Geneva As if they had sayd but now hee hideth himselfe and hath forsaken mee Yea saith the Lord I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindnesse have I drawne thee As if hee should have sayd I would never have drawne and effectually called thee to bee my people If I had not loved thee with an everlasting love If I had meant ever to cast thee off againe So that 1. this should make us all in love with Grace Wisedome is the principall thing saith Solomon Pro. 4.7 therefore get wisedome and with
Another promise we read of Iob 33 27 28. He looketh upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not hee will deliver his soule from going into the pit and his life shall see the light Another promise we have Prov. 28 13. He that confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes confessing goeth before forsaking shall find mercy Another promise is in that knowne place 1 Iohn 1.9 If wee confesse our sins God is faithfull and just see the certainty of this promise and how wee may build upon it to forgive us our sinnes and cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse See the extent and largenesse of this promise he will forgive and cleanse such from all unrighteousnesse Thirdly Gods Prophets and ministers to whom as I told you the last day the Lord hath given speciall commission and authority to remit and retaine the sins of men to pronounce unto men in his name and assure them of pardon and promised to ratifie what they doe in this case accordingly Iob. 20.23 Whose soever sins ye remit they are remitted have bin wont confidently to assure men of mercy and pardon upon their unfeined confession of their sins Thus did Samuel when the people had fully and particularly confessed their sins 1 Samuel 12 19. Wee have added to all other our sinnes this evill to aske us a King presently he comforteth them and giveth them assurance of mercy vers 20.22 Feare not saith he for the Lord will not forsake his people for his great names sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people So dealt Nathan with David 2 Samuel 12.13 David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord that was the summe and breviate of his confession uttered no doubt in that manner as gave Nathan just cause to judge it was unfeined and Nathan said unto David the Lord also hath put away thy sinne thou shalt not dye The fourth proofe is the experience of Gods servants that by taking this course have found comfort The Publican when out of shame compunction of heart hee had cryed God bee mercifull to mee a sinner Luke 18.13 14. which was a short indeed but a most unfeined and effectuall confession of his sin he went downe to his house justified hee obtained mercy The like experiment wee have of this in the prodigall son Luke 15.18 20. who when he did but fully resolve and purpose with himselfe to go and confesse his sin unto his father before he could doe it he found mercy his father prevented him when he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his necke and kissed him But the most famous experiment of all others is that of David Psal. 32.3.5 Being in distresse of conscience for sin he professeth that till he tooke this course he could find no comfort but upon the taking of this course he found ease presently And it is a thing very observable even the difference that was betweene Saul and David The sinne of Saul mentioned 1. Sam. 15. was nothing so hainous as that of Davids mentioned 2 Sam. 11. and 12. And yet Saul after hee committed it could never find mercy with God but the spirit of the Lord the common gifts of the spirit departed from Saul and an evill spirit from the Lord troubled him 1 Samuel 16.14 and hee waxed worse and worse ever after But David found mercy with God and grew in grace exceedingly And the speciall difference that is noted by the holy Ghost betweene them is this David when God had used an effectuall meanes to discover his sin to him confessed it freely and unfainedly 2 Samuel 12.13 Saul though hee had as effectuall meanes to discover his sin to him as David had 1 Samuel 15.16 19. yet could not unfeinedly and freely confesse his sin but did what hee could to hide it and deny it and cloake it and extenuate it 1. Sam. 15.20 21. and though he seemed at length to confesse it verse 24. yet was that extorted not free and voluntary the losse of his Kingdom and of his honor and dignity troubled him more then his sin as appeareth verse 30. The fift and last proofe of the second branch of the Doctrine is the practise of Gods Saints who have ever beene wont upon the former grounds of Gods direction and promise and their owne experience to take this course to find mercy with God and have put great confidence in it And for this Davids example is most observable Hee maketh this heere a ground of his hope in prayer Have mercy upon mee blot out my transgressions for I acknowledge my transgressions And 2. Sam. 24.10 David said unto the Lord I have sinned greatly in that I have done and now I beseech thee ô Lord take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly Yea Psalme 32.5 Hee mentioneth nothing else that hee did to finde mercy with God when he was in distresse but this onely I acknowledged my sinne unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I sayd I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord. Did hee not also make petition for pardon Surely either expressely or intentionally hee did but the chiefe thing that hee did and that that hee greatly relyed his hope upon was the hearty confession hee made of his sins And this course Gods servants have taken in seeking to find mercy with God even for others Looke whom they have beene suitors for their sinnes they have beene wont to confesse to God So did Moses in that vehement and extraordinary suite hee made for Israel Exodus 32.31 Oh this people saith hee have sinned a great sinne and have made them gods of gold So did Aaron when in the solemne feast hee was to make atonement betweene God and the people Leviticus 16.21 Aaron shall confesse over their sacrifice all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sinnes See how large and full a confession it must be So did Nehemiah in his private fast he kept for the Church I confesse saith he Nehemiah 1.6 7 the sinnes of the children of Israel which wee have sinned against thee wee have dealt very corruptly against thee c. Yea in their publike fasts wherein they have beene most importunate suitors for others their prayers have beene sometimes almost wholly spent in confession of their sinnes As wee shall see in a private fast that Daniel kept Daniel 9. where his prayer consisting of sixteene verses foureteene of them were spent in confession of sinne And in the publike fast mentioned Nehemiah 9. where it is not onely sayd verse 2. that the summe and effect of that whole dayes worke was a confession of their sinnes and the iniquities of their fathers but the prayer that was used that day consisting but of thirty and two verses verse 6.37 one and thirty of those verses you shall finde were spent in the
great pleasure or great advantage if we would yeeld unto it Sinne deceived mee saith Paul Rom. 7.11 and so slew me But when it shall be brought againe by our conscience into our mind and set before us it will appeare unto us as an enemy and a tormentor and the sight of it will be grievous and terrible unto us It is therefore fitly resembled by the harlot Solomon speaketh of Proverbs 5.3 4. The lips of a strange woman drop as an hony combe there is the first comming of sin when it commeth to tempt and allure us but what followeth Her end is bitter as worme-wood sharpe as a two edged sword There is the second comming of sin into our mind when it commeth to accuse and torment us It is like unto those locusts Iohn saw in his vision and whereby he doth testifie and represent the Popish fryers and Iesuites Reve. 9.7.8.10 Their faces were as the faces of men and their haire as the haire of women There is the shape that sin appeareth in when it first representeth and offereth it selfe unto us but their teeth were as the teeth of Lyons and they had tailes like unto Scorpions and there were stings in their tayles There is the latter comming of sin and the bitternesse and anguish it will put us unto when our conscience shall set it before us and accuse us of it And certainly no paine or anguish in the world in comparable to that which the strokes and wounds of the conscience will put a man unto A wounded spirit who can beare Pro. 18.14 To have unquietnes at home to have her unquiet with thee that is continually with thee at board and in bed is justly estemed one of the greatest miseries in this life Solomon compared it Pro. 19.13 to a continuall dropping that will wast the hardest stone in the world But to have our own conscience brawle and exclaime and be unquiet with us is a misery unspeakably greater then the former can be O then let us be afraid to sin even in this respect because our conscience will be so apt to fall out and be unquiet with us if wee do so apt to cast it in our teeth to accuse yea to smite and wound us for it Thirdly The time when our conscience will begin thus to set our sins before us thus to rebuke to check and wound us for them or when it hath once begun when it will make an end or in what degree or measure it will doe it no man but God alone that setteth it a worke doth know This kind of affliction as all other is is compared to a cup or potion Mark 10.39 Ye shall indeed drinke of the cup that I drinke of Now this cup the Lord keepeth in his own hana as it is said Ps. 75.8 he powreth out of the same Every man shall drinke of this cup when the Lord seeth good to minister it and hee shall drinke of it in that measure as the Lord shall see good to appoint But no man hath cause to looke for any long truce with his conscience or that i will give him any long day If thou dost not well saith the Lord to Cain Gen. 4 â— sin that is the punishment and sting of sin lyeth at the doore that is is neere even at the doore as the same phrase is rendred Mat. 24.33 Fourthly and lastly There is no comparison betweene the pleasure or profit that any sin can yeeld us and the anguish and paine which our conscience will put us unto when it shall accuse and smite us for it 1. The pleasure and joy that sin yeeldeth us is but overly in the faâ—e rather then in the heart as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5 1â— There is no soundnesse in it it is mixed for the most part with inward gripings Pro. 14.13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowfull But the sorrow and anguish that our conscience will put us unto when it accuseth and smiteth us for si◠ô that is a soaking and deep sorrow It is bitter and reacheth unto the heart as the Prophet speaketh Ieremy 4.18 2. The pleasure or profit that any sinne can yeeld us is but momentany and of very short continuance That made Moses make so light account of all the pleasures of sin because he knew they endured but for a season Heb. 11.25 They are therefore compared Eccl. 7.6 to the crackling and blaze that thornes make under a pot But the sorrow that sin will bring us unto when our conscience shall charge us with it is durable and no man knoweth how long it will last That sin that may bee committed in an houre or in farre lesse space may cost a man deepe sorrow and griefe of mind all the dayes of his life after For a conclusion therefore of this first duty that from this doctrine wee are exhorted unto certainly if we could rightly consider of this worke of our conscience how apt it will be when God shall awaken it to bring our sins to our remembrance in this manner as you have heard of it would make us afraid to sin See the truth of this in three notable examples The first is of Iob. My righteousnes saith he Iob 27.6 I hold fast and will not let it go yea he professeth ver 3 4. All the while my breath is in me and the spirit of God 〈◊〉 in my nostrils my lips shall not speake wickednes nor my tongue utter deceit And why so My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live As if he had fail I will not give my conscience occasion to brawle with me whatsoever I doe I will have care to keepe peace there The second is of Abigal that wise and gracious woman who perswadeth David not to revenge himselfe of her husband Nabâ—l by this argument 1 Sam. 25.30 31. It shall come to passe when the Lord shall have apâ—ointed thee ruler over all Israel that this shall bee no griefe to thee nor offence of heart unto my Lord either that thou hast shed blood causelesse or that my Lord hath avenged himselfe As if shee had sayd if thou shou'dst doe it thy conscience will be apt one day to checke and smite thee for it even when thou shalt be King and in thy greatest pompe doe it not therefore that thou mayst prevent the accusation of thy conscience The third is of Paul who giveth this reason why he was so afraid of every sin whether it were against the first or second table even the care he had to keepe his conscience cleare and quiet Act. 24.16 Herein do I exercise my selfe to have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men And so much of the first use that this Doctrine serveth unto Secondly it serveth for reproofe of such as never thinke of never are troubled with any of their sins they could never say as David doth here my sin is ever before me Of this sort the world is full in all places Observe
Ieremy 2.19 and thy backslidings shall reprove thee know therefore and see that it is an evill thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God and that my feare is not in thee saith the Lord God of hostes Be thou sure conscience will find thee out and reprove thee sharply for thy sins sooner or later at one time or other Shall Gods people thinke we and his dearest servants be the only men whose sins shall be set before their eyes who shall be vexed and disquieted with the sense of their sins whose consciences shall accuse and smite wound them for sin No no if David and Iob and Peter have bin so troubled and put to such anguish of mind for their sins bee ye sure the reprobate and sinner shall feele much more If this be done to the greene trees that had much sap of grace and goodnesse in them what shall be done to the dry As our Saviour speaketh Lu. 23.31 The sorrow that Gods people endure for their sinnes it is nothing if it be compared with that that the reprobate shall feele The dregs of the cup of the Lords wrath all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drinke them as the Psalmist speaketh Psalme 7.5 8. As senslesse and benummed as Iudas his conscience was before he had betrayed Christ so as Christs powerfull ministery as you heard could not awaken it yet did it not alwayes continue so but presently after he had committed his sin it was awakened with a witnesse and did his office upon him as you may see Matth. 27.3 5. This the Lord threatneth to such sinners as have beene least troubled with their sins and most confident of his love Psalme 50.21 These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy selfe but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes And when God shall set thy sins before thee thou shalt not be able to avoid the looking and thinking of them no more then Belshazzar was the hand writing upon the wall Dan. 5.5 And when will God doe this may you say When shall the consciences of all wicked men be awakened I answer 1. God can do it even in the time of our best health and greatest jolitie as he did with Belshazzar 2. He doth it usually in the time of sicknesse or some sharpe affliction as he did with Iosephs brethren Genes 42.21 And 3 If thy conscience doe not awaken before certainly so soone as thou commest to judgement either generall or particular thy conscience will then awaken and doe his office upon thee even the office of an accuser of a witnesse and of a tormentor At the day of the declaration of the just judgement of God the conscience of every man will doe his office as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 2.15 16. Then the bookes shall bee opened Revelat. 20.12 Every mans conscience wherein as in a booke all the actions of his life and words of his mouth and thoughts that have beene in his heart are faithfully recorded and which were in many men all the dayes of their lives like such a clasped or sealed booke as is spoken of Esa. 29.11 that they could never read nor see what was written in it shall then be layd open before him that he may read yea hee shall then be compelled to read what is written in it Then will the Lord bring the hidden things of darkenesse to light as the Apostle speaketh 1 Corinth 4.5 and will make manifest the counsels of mens hearts unto them Then shall all men clearely see not onely what they have done but also whether it have bene good or evill lawfull or unlawfull that they have done The eyes of their consciences are now so blind that they cannot see nor perceive by the clearest light of the Word in the plainest ministery that is that to neglect prayer in secret and in their families to spend the greatest part of every Sabbath irreligiously to neglect the hearing of the Word upon the Lecture day upon every trifling occasion to live in malice to use fraud in their dealings with men to spend their time unprofitably c. are any sinnes but when that day commeth the scales will fall from the eyes of their consciences and they shall clearely see that they are sinnes and grievous sins too Then their conscience will beare witnesse according to the worke of the Law that is written in their hearts Romans 2.15 16. And that which he saith of the knowledge of the Elect in that day is true also of the knowledge that the reprobate shall have then 1 Corinth 13.12 Now they see but as through a glasse darkely but then face to face now they know but in part but then they shall know even as they are knowne And as the Lord speaketh in another case Ier. 23.20 it may be said unto all men in this case In the latter dayes ye shall understand it plainly which now you cannot be perswaded of that these are sinnes LECTVRES ON PSAL. LI. 4 Lecture XLIII on Psalme LI. 4 Decemb. XII MDCXXVI Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and bee cleare when thou judgest WEe have heard that in the former verse David maketh confession of his sin in generall it followeth now that we proceed to shew how he doth it in this and the next verses more fully and particularly For 1. Hee maketh confession of the speciall actuall sin that he had offended God by at this time and which Nathan had charged him with in this verse I have done this evill 2. He amplifieth and aggravateth this his sin by three arguments 1. By the person against whom this sin was committed in this verse Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight 2. By the fountaine and roote from whence this sin did spring that is to say his naturall corruption verse 5.3 By the knowledge and truth of grace that he had received from God before he fell into this sin in the sixth verse Now in this verse that I have now read there are two things principally to be observed 1. How David accuseth himselfe before God heere and amplifieth his sin against himselfe in these words Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight 2. The reason why he doth so in the last words of the verse That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest and be cleare when thou judgest Now then to begin with the first part of the verse for the opening of the words that the Doctrine may the more cleerely arise from them for our instruction and lest he should seeme by this manner of speech to extenuate rather then to aggravate his sins foure questions must be briefly resolved First was this foule act that he committed an offence against God onely was it not
will is so Thus the Apostle proveth it was no unrighteousnesse in God to love and chuse Iacob and to hate and reject Esau before either of them had done good or evil even before they were borne because his holy will was so Rom. 9.14 15. What shall we then say Is there unrighteousnesse with God God forbid For he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion And this is the first ground and reason of the Doctrine taken from the consideration of the Iudge himselfe The second respecteth them that are judged and corrected by the Lord. We must needs cleare the Lord from wronging any man in any of his judgements because he never judgeth nor punisheth any man before he hath deserved that and much more then that that God layeth upon him This reason Elihu giveth Iob 34.10 11. Hearken unto me ye men of understanding farre bee it from God that he should doe wickednesse and from the almighty that he should commit iniquitie for the worke of a man shall he render unto him and cause every man to find according to his wayes And the Apostle Rom. 3.19 That every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God As if he should have said Seing all the world is guilty before God and lyable to his curse for the transgression of his Law every mouth must needs be stopped if not yet certainly at the day of the Lord no man shall be able to open his mouth against or charge him with injustice in any of his judgements upon men Now this Doctrine serveth unto two uses especially 1. For instruction and the informing of our judgements 2. For exhortation and working upon our will and affections For the first This Doctrine serveth notably for convincing of an errour that hath too much place in the minds of most men All men by nature are apt at least secretly in their hearts to question the righteousnesse of God in many of his judgements When the Apostle had made this objection Rom. 3.5 Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance He addeth presently these words I speake as a man saith he As if he should say Every naturall man is apt to speake and thinke so This appeareth evidently by the generall opposition that is made against the doctrine of predestination which both our Church and other reformed Churches have long taught and received by cleare warrant of the word of God For not onely the Papist and the Anabaptist and the Pelagian but every naturall man in the world is apt to cavill against this Doctrine to account it a most absurd and unreasonable Doctrine and all because they cannot conceive how it can stand with justice that God should make such a decree as that is But the Doctrine you have now heard and the reasons of it being well understood and beleeved will stop their mouthes and convince their errour in this point This will be evident unto you if you will but observe these foure points First God had done no wrong if in his eternall decree he had chosen no man unto life but reprobated all men unto destruction For he is our absolute soveraigne Lord as we have heard and it was lawfull for him to doe with his owne what himselfe pleased And who hath deserved that God should choose him unto life As the Apostle speaketh in this very case Rom. 11.35 Who hath first given unto him and it shall be recompensed to him againe Secondly God never condemneth any nor did decree to condemne any but for sinne For he will render to every man according to his workes Rom. 2.6 So that if any man be damned the Lord is not the cause of it but himselfe Thou hast destroyed thy selfe saith the Lord to the wicked Iewes Hos. 13.9 And we have more cause to admire the mercy of God that he hath ordained to save any when he did foresee that all would cast away themselves then to doubt of the justice of God in appointing some to destruction which hee did foresee they would by their voluntary and wilfull transgression most justly deserve Thirdly Though God did foresee that such and such would by their sinnes and continuance in infidelity justly deserve eternall damnation yet it was not the end God aimed at and propounded to himselfe in the decree of reprobation that wicked men might perish for that is a thing God never tooke pleasure in As I live saith the Lord God Ezek. 33 11. I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked But the thing that moved God to make that decree and the end he intended and aimed at in it was the manifestation of his owne glory Pro. 16.4 The Lord hath made all things for himselfe yea even the wicked for the day of evill 1. The manifestation of his glorious justice and wrath against sinne upon the reprobate Rom 9.22 2. The manifestation of his glorious mercy towards his elect which could never have beene so glorious if it had beene common to all mankind And this reason also is gven by the Apostle Rom. 19.23 Fourthly The Lords decree as it is not the cause of the damnation of any but their owne sinne so neither is it the cause of their sinne It doth not impose a necessity upon any to sinne but notwithstanding this decree every man sinneth voluntarily and unconstrainedly neither is the Lord but his owne corruption onely and Satan the cause of his sinne Iam. 1.13 14. So that to conclude this first use Let every one of us strive to suppresse and to reject with detestation and trembling all thoughts that shall rise in our hearts to call into question the righteousnesse of God in any of his decrees or judgements According to the example of the Apostle Rom. 3.4 who when he had but by occasion of this doctrine of reprobation mentioned this objection Is there unrighteousnesse with God abhorreth it presently and rejecteth it in this manner God forbid saith he And if we be not able to comprehend how any thing that the Lord hath decreed or done can stand with equity and justice let us ascribe it rather to our owne weaknesse and shallownesse of understanding then impute the least shadow of injustice unto the Lord and check our selves in that manner that holy Iob did Iob 42.3 I have uttered that I understood not things too wonderfull for me which I knew not Lecture L. On Psalme 51.4 Febru 27. 1626. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the second use that this Doctrine serveth unto And that is to stirre up every one of us that we should strive and labour for this grace to be able to do as David doth heere when it shall come to be our owne case to yeeld this passive obedience unto God in all the degrees of it that we have heard of whensoever or howsoever the Lord shall be pleased to judge and correct us The necessity
endure for us Iohn 18.11 The cup which my father hath given me shall I not drinke When we are once assured God is our father wee shall be made well content to take the bitterest potion from his hand And thus doth the holy Apostle reason Rom. 5. for when he had said that being justified by saith wee are able even to glory in tribulations hee giveth this for the reason of it verse 5. Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost that is given unto us As if hee had said When once the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts and soaketh into them so as we have a comfortable sense and feeling of it how can we choose but beare tribulations patiently and even glory in them Thirdly and lastly Faith maketh the heart that hath it undoubtedly certaine of those promises God hath made to his people in their afflictions of which we heard when I spake of the motives unto this duty as namely 1. That they shall tend to our good in the end Heb. 12.10 Hee correcteth us for our profit And 2. that in the meane time he will not forsake us in them but assist and support us Psal. 91.15 I will be with him in trouble I will deliver and honour him These promises I say faith maketh the heart certaine of Heb. 11.1 Faith is the evidence of things not seene And he that is sure of these promises how can he choose but beare affliction patiently And say with David Psal. 56.4 In God will I praise his word as if he should say I will praise God for his word and promise And what followeth in the same verse In God have I put my trust I will not feare what flesh can doe unto me Let me apply this briefly 1. By way of exhortation 2. By way of comfort First Seeing faith will stand us in that stead in the evill day and yeeld us that strength and comfort in all afflictions it standeth us upon to get it in time and to looke well to our selves that that faith we thinke we have be such as will abide the tryall in the fornace of affliction such as will not deceive us in the evill day It is the exhortation of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether you be in the faith prove your owne selves For alas if we have no true faith no sound assurance that we are in Christ when death shall come when the troublesome time of persecution when the sword of the bloody enemy shall come what shall we doe How shall we be able to beare it What patience what comfort can wee looke to have in that day 1. Extreame affliction is wont to awaken the conscience and set it on worke to bring a mans sins to his remembrance that he never thought of nor was troubled with before As you have heard from the example of Iosephs brethren Gen. 42.21 And what will quiet the conscience when it falleth on brawling and exclaiming upon a man Certainly nothing but faith that sprinkleth the bloud of Christ upon it as the Apostle teacheth us Heb 9.13 14. 2. In the evill day Satan will be apt to cast into mens soules his darts of desperation his fiery darts as the Apostle calleth them And what is it that will quench these darts Surely nothing but faith as the Apostle teacheth Ephe. 6.16 Above all take the shield of faith whereby yee shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of that wicked one Let us therfore looke well to our faith sith our patience and comfort in affliction dependeth so much upon it Two notes I will give you to try it by First By the meanes and manner how it was wrought in thee How camest thou by it Did the Lord worke it in thee by the ministery of his word Did thy saith come by hearing Rom. 10.17 Canst thou say that before ever Christ came into thy heart Iohn Baptist came before him to prepare his way Mark 1.2 That the ministery of the law that effectually discovered thy sins and miserable condition unto thee was thy schoolemaster to bring thee to Christ Gal. 3.24 That before the Lord spake peace to thy heart by the still soft and sweete voice of his Gospel he prepared thy heart to receive it as he did Eliahs 1 Kin. 19.11 12. by great terrour This is certainly the ordinary way whereby God bringeth his elect to faith If thou came not to thy faith this way but in some other more extraordinary manner as I doe not deny but it is possible thou mightest for who can limit the holy one of Israel Psal. 78 41. or tye him to certaine rules thou hast the more cause to suspect it and to try it the more diligently by the second note and that is this Secondly Try it by the effects of it in thy selfe How hath thy faith thou sayest thou hast in Iesus Christ wrought with thee What change hath it made in thee Wee have all of us very lately renewed our faith and made solemne profession of it and confirmed it in the holy Sacrament In it we have by faith fed upon the Lord Iesus or els that bread we did eate at the Lords Table will be as gravell betweene our teeth one day as Solomon speaketh in another case Prov. 20.17 that cup we drunke of there will be as a cup of deadly poison unto us As therefore I exhorted you the last day to examine your selves well before you went to the Lords table so do I now exhort you to an after examination of your selves Hast thou Indeed by faith fed upon the Lord Iesus so lately Then certainly 1. Thou shalt find some abatement of the strength of thy corruptions and lusts Where Christ is by faith received he will purifie the heart Act. 15.9 The woman that had the bloody issue when she had by faith touched but the border of his garment she felt such vertue comming from him as dryed up stanched the issue of blood as you shall find Luke 8.44 And is it possible that wee should have by faith not only touched his garment but eaten and drunke his very body and bloud and yet feele no vertue at all come from him to dry up the fountaine of our corruption but it runneth as fresh and freely as ever it did 2. If thou hast by faith fed upon the Lord Iesus some increase of spirituall strength to resist tentation and to walke in Gods wayes is wrought in thy foule by it Didst thou ever with a good appetite eate thy corporall food but thou receivedst some refreshing and strength by it Arise and eate saith God to Eliah the second time 1 Kin. 19.7 8. for thou hast a great journey to goe and he arose and did eate and drinke and went in the strength of that meat fourty dayes and forty nights And is there not as much vertue in the body blood of Christ being fed upon by faith to give and increase
or doctrine of their mothers Pro. 1.8.6.20 which sheweth plainely it was the practise of Gods Church then that even mothers were teachers of their children even when they were very young and under their government they were wont to teach them good things Yea there is an expresse commandement for this not onely that we should teach our children but that we should teach them even when they are very young Teach a child in his way saith Solomon Pro. 22.6 that is that way that is fit for him according to his capacity as he is able to receive it by a little at once as you poure liquor into narrow mouthed bottells As you do when first you begin to feed their bodies with the spoone so must you do when first you begin to feed their soules with instruction Secondly You must betimes acquaint them with the practise of religion as reading of the Word and prayer and giving of thankes at their meat and singing of Psalmes We shall find Mat. 21.15 that the little children had learned of their parents to sing Hosanna part of the 118. Psalme to the praise of Christ. Yea more then this parents should endeavour to restraine their children from evill and to breed in them a conscience of sin even while they are very young You know the fourth commandement enjoyneth us that not our selves onely rest from all our own works on the Sabbath but that our children do so too Exo. â—0 10 Ezekiel professeth unto God Ezek. 4 14 that from his child-hood from his infancy as some read it he had not eaten any thing that Gods law had forbidden His parents had taught him even then and yet then we know the appetite to meate is most strong and unruly to make conscience of it Parents therefore must joyne instruction with corrections that may breed in their children a knowledge and conscience of the sinne for which they correct them Reproofes or corrections for instruction saith Solomon Pro. 6.23 are the way of life Without instruction correction will do little good And one fault amended by a child out of conscience that it is a sin is worth the amending of an hundred out of the feare of the rod onely That which David saith of Gods corrections may fitly be applyed to this Psal. 94.12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest O Lord and teachest him out of thy law Few or none are the better even for the Lords rods if they be corrected onely by him if they be not instructed also Thirdly You must bring them with you to the Church to the publique worship of God betimes even while they are very young even so soone as they can come and be there without disturbance of the Congregation that they may be acquainted with Gods worship and ordinances betimes Moses told Pharaoh Exod. 10.9 they must have their little ones with them to the solemne worship they were to do unto God in the wildernesse and would not accept of liberty for all the rest unlesse they might have their little ones with them And when Ioshuah according to Gods commandement read the law of God solemnly to the Congregation of Israel Ioâ—â— 8.35 they had their little ones with them in that solemne assembly And when Christ was preaching in the Congregation the people brought their little children unto him Mat. 19.13 that their little ones might have the benefit of his prayers Fourthly and lastly You that are parents must examine your children how they profit by the meanes of grace try how they understand what they heare repeate it and make it plainer to them and in repeating it apply it also Moses requireth the people Deut. 6.6 7. to teach that to their children which they had heard of him They might have objected what needeth that seeing they being present in the congregation heard what thou taughtest as well as we Yes but thou must teach it them againe saith hee for all that more plainly more familiarly Teach these things diligently to your children saith hee yea wheâ— and sharpen them upon your children for so the word there signifieth that is so repeat and make things plainer to them as you may apply them also labour to bring them to some feeling and conscience of that that is taught them O how would Religion flourish how would knowledge and grace grow in your children if you that are parents would thus doe your duty would bee teachers as well as wee and lay to your helping hand to this worke And the best ministery in the world will doe little good while you hang off and will doe nothing Two objections there be that some parents are apt to make against this First It is an absurd thing say they to teach children religion for them to meddle with the Scriptures or for them to bee taught to say either their Catechisme or prayers or grace A Parrat may as well be taught these things as a little child For alas they have no capacity to understand and bee sensible of such matters and therefore it is but a taking of Gods name in vaine to teach them such things Indeed this hath ever beene the conceit of carnall men Pharaoh could not abide to heare Moses say they must have their little ones with them to serve God Exodus 10.10 And Matth. 21.15 When the high Priest and Scribes heard the little children meddle with the Psalme and sing Hosanna they were sore displeased Yea when the disciples themselves Mar. 10.13 carnall men also in this as appeareth by the rebuke they received for it from their master ver 14. he was much displeased with them for it when they saw men bring their children to Christ they rebuked them for it But this is but a carnall conceit as shall appeare by three things that I have to answer unto it First Children when they are very young are capable of the seeds and beginnings of regeneration and saving grace See a notable proofe for this in the example of Iohn Baptist Luk 1.44 Assoone as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine eares saith his mother to Mary the babe leaped in my wombe for joy There were certainly in that babe the seeds and beginnings of saving knowledge and faith of saving grace both in his understanding and in his will and affections also But you will say that case was extraordinary and miraculous I grant it was so indeed yet is it to the purpose for all that For it sheweth that the youngest infant is not so uncapable of saving grace but that God is able to worke it even in them And that this should encourage us to use all the meanes wee can to breed grace in them betimes because wee know not how soone God may bee pleased to worke with the meanes and blesse them unto them According to that of Ecclesi 11.9 In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening with-hold not thy hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that But heare now
more should this be the resolution of every true Christian if wine and strong drinke if such company and recreations as I have been wont to use cause me to offend I will never use them againe while I live Secondly To labour in our callings and to follow diligently the meanes of our thrift is in it selfe a most lawfull thing For God hath expressely allowed it Exod. 20.9 Six daies shalt thou labour and doe all thy worke And he that is not carefull to provide for his family is worse then an infidell 1 Tim. 5.8 But a man may easily surfet and take more of this also then will do him good For the cares of the world and the deceitfullnesse of riches saith our Saviour Mat. 13.22 choke the word and make it unfruitfull even under the best ministery in the world Nay it is not possible but the best man under heaven must needs surfet and take hurt by it if he keepe not a measure in it Therefore the most wise God that knoweth us better then we doe our selves hath seene it necessary to injoine unto his people one day in every weeke to be kept as a Sabbath a day of rest from our worldly labours and affaires and spent in spirituall duties Exod. 20.8 Yea he saw it necessary even for Adam before his fall that he should not continually be imployed in dressing of Paradise but that one day in seven he should rest from that labour and be imployed wholly in spirituall duties Gen. 2.3 Yea he hath ordained that no one of the weeke daies should be wholly spent in our wordly affaires but that some part of every morning and of every evening should be spared from them and imployed in spirituall duties As appeareth plainely in those two lawes the one for the sacrifice Exod. 29.38 39. the other for the incense Exod. 30.7 8. which every morning and evening was to be offered up unto the Lord. If any man shall say Tush those were but ceremoniall lawes what tell you us of them I answer They were so indeed but yet there is a morall equity of them which is perpetuall And of them I may say as the Apostle doth of another of the same kinde 1 Cor. 9.10 For our sakes no doubt this is written to teach us that it is the will of God that every morning and every evening we should spend some time in his service If any shall object againe Tush those lawes concerned the Priests onely in the Temple and serve well in the morall equity of them to prove that Ministers should do so but what is that to the people I answer That these lawes concerned the people as well as the Priests as appeareth Luke 1.10 The whole multitude were praying without that is in the courts of the Lords house which was the place allotted to them in the Temple 2 Chron. 22.5 at the time of incense You see then how dangerous the Lord seeth it is for us to be alwaies imployed in the affaires of our worldly callings be our callings what they may be for some are certainely more toilesome then others are how necessary it is for us to be oft taken off from them and to have our hearts and minds turned another way And certainely the man that hath most imployment in the world hath of all other men most cause to love the Sabbath and praise God for it and long for it and acknowledge the necessity of it yea to keepe his times constantly for religious duties every morning and every evening and to account it an happinesse if his occasions will also permit him to frequent Lectures and to say with David Psal. 84.4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will still be praising thee Because he of all others is in most danger to have his heart corrupted and glued to the world See a notable proofe of this in that straight commandement that is given unto the King Deut. 17.19 and Iosh. 1.8 to read every day some part of the Bible And Daniel would not omit his constant course of praying three times a day though he knew he was in danger to bee cast into the Lyons den for it Dan. 6.10 And therefore those men that never have enough of toiling and moiling about the world but as Solomon speaketh Eccl. 4.8 There is no end of their labours neither is their eye satisfied with riches they thinke they never have enough These long daies are not long enough for them to do their businesse in they can spare no time morning nor evening for religious duties nay six daies in a weeke is not time enough for them but they must needs take some part of the Lords day to imploy in their worldly occasions that see no necessity at all of spending any part of the weeke daies in religious duties either in hearing or reading of the Word or praying with their families but are apt to say of them that use it as Pharaoh did Exod. 5.8 They are idle and have nothing to do and therefore they cry saying let us go and sacrifice unto our God yea that see no necessity of the Sabbath it selfe specially not of those meanes God hath ordained for the sanctifying of it but think they can do well enough without them and are apt to say of it as those did Mal. 1.13 Oh what a wearinesse is it And such men as I have described the world yea the Church of God is every where full of Such men I may boldly say have no mortification and consequently no true repentance in them at all no care to keepe under the corruption of their own heart such men certainely care not how strong it grow how much it increase in them And hee that hath no care of that he that doth not study and practise mortification certainly hath not the spirit of Christ in him as you have heard and therefore is none of his hee cannot possibly be saved Take a notable proofe for this in the speech and example of the blessed Apostle who when he had said 1 Cor 9.25 Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things And so hee that striveth to get the mastery over his owne corruption must be temperate in all things and not take too much either of meate or drinke or of company or of recreation or of worldly businesse He addeth verse 27. I keepe under my body and bring it into subjection lest by any meanes when I have preached unto others I my selfe should bee a cast away If Paul had not bin temperate in all things taking no more of them then would stand with the health of his soule Paul himselfe had bin a cast away and could never have bin saved Lecture LXV on Psalme 51.5 Iuly 24. 1627. THE fourth meanes whereby the corruption of our nature is to be mortified is a conscionable use of the exercises of religion I know there bee many that use religious duties both publique and private ordinary and
with can do when ye leave holding of it In which respect the Lord compareth himselfe to a nurse that dadeth a child Hos. 11.3 I taught Ephraim to goe taking them by their armes We can neither goe nor stand any longer then the Lord doth uphold us This is the inference that the Apostle himselfe maketh Phil. 2.12 13. Worke out your owne salvation with feare and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do even of his good pleasure Because we have no ability to preserve our selves in the state of grace but all dependeth upon the power and goodnesse of God therfore we must feare Continue in his goodnesse as the same Apostle speaketh Rom. 11.12 keepe in favour with him otherwise thou also shalt bee cut off But you will say that is not possible whom God once loveth in this kind he loveth for ever I answer First Whom God doth love in this kind them he maketh fearefull to offend him fearefull to fall and to decay in grace and this feare is a principall meanes whereby he doth preserve them from falling away This is plaine Ier. 32.40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them and I will not turne away from them to doe them good but I will put my feare into their hearts that they shall not depart from me So that by this thou shalt know whether thou be indeed converted whether there be any truth of grace in thee if God have put this feare into thy heart there is otherwise there is none at all Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed least he fall 1 Cor. 10.12 Secondly Though those whom God loveth according to his good purpose he loveth to the end and therefore will never disinherit them nor utterly cast them off yet if they be not fearefull to offend him though he love them yea because he loveth them he will chasten them as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 12.6 and he scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth And in what kind he will scourge them how long his scourge shall lie upon them how deepely he will wound them with the lashes that he will give them with his scourge that the Lord onely doth know Admit that if ever we had the spirit of God and truth of grace in us it will never depart from us we can never loose it utterly but yet if we grow secure and neglect the meanes whereby we may preserve grace in our selves and keepe it alive whereby wee may preserve our selves from falling away we may quench the spirit in our selves This is plaine by the Apostles speech 1 Thess. 5.19 20. Quench not the spirit despise not prophesyings Even the despising of hearing the Word will quench the spirit that is deprive us of the operation of the feeling of the comfort of Gods grace in us Be it he that is once in the state of grace shall be preserved by God from falling totally from taking such falls as should break his neck and quite deprive him of the life of grace and from falling finally from falling into such pits as he should never be able to get out of againe from taking such falls as the Apostle speaketh of Heb. 6.6 which they that take them can never after be renewed againe by repentance Yet if he grow secure and looke not well to his feet if he nourish not in his heart the feare of the Lord he may fall fearefully he may take such falls as may breake his bones as may put him to such anguish of soule as if he had a kingdome he would give it to be eased of it This is plaine by the words of David in the 8. verse of this Psalme Make me to heare joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce His fall into adultery and murder had broken his bones that is had put him to more anguish and griefe then ever man felt that had his bones broken in his body Lecture LXXI On Psalme 51.5 October 9. 1627. THe fift and last point of application is to comfort and strengthen those poore soules that being indeed in the state of grace are yet much perplexed that either they are already or shall and may hereafter fall fearefully from it Two tentations there be whereby the best of Gods servants are often troubled greatly in this point of their perseverance in grace First Some of them are apt to conclude that they are already quite fallen from grace because 1 They have lost their first love that delight and fervency wherewith they were wont to serve God 2 They have lost their faith and cannot be assured of Gods favour as once they were 3 They slip ever and anon into the sins they have repented of and find no strength to overcome them Against this first tentation there is notable comfort and strength ministred to Gods people in the Word of God and even in that which we heard the last day of the admirable worke of God in the perseverance of his Saints And for the comfort and strength of Gods people against this tentation the Scripture giveth us two notable preservatives First The choisest of Gods servants and such as unto whom the Lord hath given the best testimony in his Word have beene in this case that thou art in subject to this variablenesse to these alterations in their spirituall estate They have not stood alwaies steady in one state but have beene of and on with the Lord. 1. For their delight and fervencie in good duties You shall read of David that sometimes hee did service unto God with marvellous alacrity and cheerefullnesse of spirit When hee contributed to the building of Gods house he did it with exceeding joy 1 Chron. 29.9 David the King rejoyced with great joy You shall also read of his going to the house of God with the voice of joy and praise as one that were going to a feast Psalme 42.4 And sometimes againe you shall heare him complaining of the deadnesse of his heart that he could serve God with no life or cheerefullnesse at all Psalme 119 25. My soule cleaveth to the dust quicken thou mee according to thy Word 2. So it is with them for their faith and confident assurance of Gods favour David that one while glorieth The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I feare Psalme 27.1 At another time you shall finde him quite void of this assurance Psalme 31.22 I said in my hast I am cut off from before thine eyes You shall heare him complaining Psalme 88.15 While I suffer thy terrours I am distracted And blessed Paul who at one time speaketh so triumphantly Romanes 8.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ At another time 2 Cor. 7.5 you shall heare him complaine of inward feares and terrours 3. For their conscionable care to please God in all their waies they have shewed great inconstancy in that also 1. Abraham was sometimes so obedient unto God so carefull
Matth. 5.4 for they shall bee comforted I will dwell with him saith the Lord Esay 57.15 that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones For 1. then and never till then wee will in our judgements value and prize Gods favour in Christ above all things in the world and say with David Psal. 63.3 Thy loving kindnesse is better then life Shew us the father saith Philip to Christ Iohn 14.8 and it sufficeth us This hee spake indeed out of ignorance and curiositie but thus speaketh the humbled soule advisedly Let mee but see my heavenly father reconciled to mee in Christ and the light of his countenance shining upon me and I have enough though I had nothing else in the world And on the other side the humbled soule doth say that without this though hee had all the world he hath nothing but is ready to say with Paul Phil. 3.8 I count all but as dung without Christ. â— Then when we are soundly humbled and never till then wee will hunger and thirst after Christ and desire Gods favour in him more earnestly and eagerly then any thing in the world It was the voice of an humbled soule that wee read Psal. 42.1 â— As the Hart panteth after the water brookes so panteth my soule after thee ô God my soule thirsteth for God And they that can thus thirst after Gods favour shall be sure to obtaine the assurance of it Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse saith our Saviour Matth. 5.6 for they shall bee satisfied And what marvaile is it then that there bee so few that attaine to this assurance alas there bee few that prize it as they ought few that thirst after it because few that are soundly humbled in themselves for their sinnes Lecture LXXXIII on Psalme 51.6 March 4. 1627. THE fourth thing that they must doe that desire to get and preserve in themselves a comfortable assurance of Gods favour is this They must nourish in their hearts a constant care to please God in all their wayes and a feare to offend him in anything For 1. None but such can possibly get or keepe any true assurance of Gods favour 2. All such shall certainely attaine unto it For the first You may heare some wicked men glory much in the assurance they have of their owne salvation and pronounce peremptorily of many a servant of God that all their profession is no better then hypocrisie because they are so full of feares and so doubtfull of their salvation A wise man feareth saith Solomon Prov. 14.16 and departeth from evill the godly mans doubts and feares keepe him from many a sin that otherwise he should fall into but the foole rageth and confident hee sinneth outragiously and yet is confident But this is but a vaine presumption this can be no true assurance certainely It is not possible for any man that wittingly liveth in any knowne sinne to have any true assurance of his salvation or of the favour of God Let us draw neerâ— saith the Apostle Heb. 10.22 with a true heart in full assurance of faith But how may a sinfull man attaine to this high priviledge to bee able to draw neere to God with that boldnesse and full assurance of faith that God beareth a fatherly love unto him He telleth us that in the next words alluding in his speech to the manner of such as did draw neere to God under the ceremoniall law having our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience and our bodies washed with pure water As if hee had said without a man be both justified and delivered from the guilt of his sinnes by the bloud of Christ and sanctified and delivered from the dominion of sinne by the spirit of Christ it is not possible for him to draw neere unto God in full assurance of faith Let the man that hath the strongest faith and the most comfortable assurance of Gods love once give himselfe liberty to commit any grosse sinne and hee must needes loose his comfort and assurance of Gods love Certainely our iniquities as the Prophet speaketh Esay 59.2 will separate betweene us and our God and our sins will cause him to hide his face from us See the proofe of this in David Who ever had more comfortable assurance of Gods favour then hee sometimes had The Lord is my light and my salvation saith he Psal. 27.1 whom shall I feare But when hee had once given liberty to himselfe to sinne against his conscience in the matter of Vriah see how all his comfort in the assurance of his salvation and of Gods favour was quite lost Restore to mee saith hee Psal. 51 1â— the joy of thy salvation But what speake I of grosse sinnes Let a Christian but grow worldly and secure let him but remit any thing of that watchfulnesse and care that was wont to bee in him to take heed to his wayes of that feare to offend God in any thing of his diligence to serve and please the Lord and his comfortable assurance of Gods favour will bee lost See an example of this in the Church the spouse of Christ. Cant. 5.2.6 It is said verse 6. her beloved had withdrawne himselfe and was gone shee lost the comfortable assurance of his love How lost she it Not by any grosse sin but meerely by her lazinesse and wordly security by that answer she gave him verse 3. I have put off my â—â—at how shall I put it on I have washed my feete how shall I defile them As if she had said I am now at ease and quiet and by opening unto thee by hearkning and yeelding unto thee in every thing I should put my selfe to a great deale of trouble and labour that I am now eased of Thus lost shee her sweete assurance of Gods love then and thus doth many a soule loose it at this day That exhortation therefore that the Apostle giveth to the Hebrewes 6.11 is necessary for every one of us Wee desire that every one of you saith he shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end As if he had said ye have good things in you now such as accompany salvation you have now much labour of love yee have ministred unto the Saints and yet do minister but if you would have full assurance of your salvation be diligent to doe so still even unto the end if you grow negligent and carelesse in these duties hereafter this full assurance of salvation you will certainly loose A full and well grounded assurance of our salvation and of the favour of God will not bee gotten in a day or two without good proofe and experience wee have had of the worke of Gods grace in us it will never be gotten And when we have gotten it we may easily loose it againe if either wee give liberty to our selves in knowne sinnes or grow secure and carelesse in taking heed
of faith as he wept for the want of it But the naturall man so desireth Gods favour and grace as the want of it never troubleth him Wo unto you that are full saith our Saviour of such Luk. 6.25 for ye shall hunger Wo unto you that laugh now for ye shall mourne and weepe Lecture XC On Psalme 51.6 May 27. 1628. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the application of the point which is the fourth thing I propounded in the method And surely there is no Doctrine hath more force to encourage us to the service and obedience of God then this hath The application I will make of it shall be 1 unto them thar refuse to serve God and to be religious 2 unto such as doe serve God and are religious indeed And in my speech to the former I will shew you 1. That there be in the world yea in the Church of God very many that doe so doe refuse to bee Gods servants 2. Why and upon what pretence they doe so their folly in it and that they have no just cause so to doe 3. The dangerous estate that they are in that do so For the first I know well that all men in the Church especially and among us will say they are Gods servants Are we not all Christians Doe we not all professe the true religion Doe they not come to Church and say their prayers and receive the Sacrament Alas many that doe so have as heathenish hearts as any are to be found among the Turks or savage Indians I grant the Lord hath in his Church a great number that serve him as retemers and will be content for their owne advantage to weare his cloth and to wait on him now and then But they will not live in his house nor bee his meniall servants There belongeth more to the proving of one to be the servant of God then this to say hee is his servant and to weare his livery Hee that is Gods servant indeed must 1 Depend upon him and put his trust in him As the eyes of servants looke to the hands of their masters saith the Psalmist Psal. 123.2 so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God untill hee have mercy upon us 2. He must doe him service and daily service he must doe what he commandeth him Thus doth the Apostle describe a Christian servant even to an earthly master 1 Tim. 6.1 Servants as under the yoke Every servant is under a yoke he may not doe what he listethâ— And so is Gods servant described he must not onely professe but practise religion This is the protestation of Gods servants Iosh. 24.24 The Lord our God will we serve and his voice will wee obey And certainely God hath but a few such servants even in his Church He hath many reteiners but very few houshold servants many professours at large but few that will endure his yoke the power and practise of religion They professe they know God saith the Apostle Tit. 1.16 but in their workes they denie him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good reprobate When it commeth to matter of practise and obedience then they renounce him and say with those Luk. 19 14. We will not have this man to reigne over us As if they had said any rather then him A strange and fearefull thing it is to be spoken and yet not so strange and fearefull as true as bad a master as the Divell is men had much rather serve him then the Lord. See the truth of this in three points First The Divell we know hath many more followers and servants then the Lord hath and may in that respect boast against the Lord as Papists doe against us that universality and multitude is on his side He is the prince of this world as our Saviour calleth him Iohn 14.30 And the way that leadeth to destrution is abroad way Matth. 7.13 and many there be that walke in it he can want no servants Whereas on the other side and Lord hath but a few to serve him He is faine to take one of a city and two of a tribe as he speaketh Ier. 3.14 His way the way that leadeth unto life Matth. 7.14 is narrow and but a few goe that way Secondly All the services that Satan imployeth his servants in all the worke that hee hath for them to doe besides the hard reckoning that hee will make with them for it when the day of payment shall come is for the present full of vexation of spirit the worke and service it selfe is no better then most toilsome and base drudgery That covetousnesse is so you may see in Ahab 1 King 21.4 5. and that filthy lust is so you may see in Ammon 2 Sam. 13.2 and that beastly drunkennesse is so you may see Pro. 23.29 And the like I might shew you of many other of the workes that this master imployeth his servants in O what paines men are content to take in his service How they toile and moile in it They weary themselves to commit iniquity as the Prophet speaketh Ier. 9.5 And yet though this be so Satan can have servants enough On the other side the places and workes wherein the Lord imployeth all his servants are honorable services and full of freedome and liberty That as it is said of Solomon 1 King 9 2â— Of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen So may it more truly be said of the Lord he useth none of his servants as bond-men they are all his freemen as the Apostle calleth them 1 Cor. 7.22 He imployeth them in no drudgery not base services but taketh them neare unto himselfe to wait upon his owne person In which respect they are called Psal. 148.14 A people neare unto him Nay he useth them as friends rather then as servants Henceforth saith our Saviour Iohn 15.15 I call you not servants for the servant knoweth not what the Lord doth but I have called you friends Though this be so I say yet can the Lord get nothing so many servants no not in his Church and among those that call themselves Christians as Satan hath Nay surely most men doe with all their endeavour shunne his service and blesse themselves from it they abhore it as if it were the greatest bondage in the world to be truly religious to bee the servant of God Israel would none of mee saith the Lord Psalme 81.11 Of all masters they would none of him Men had rather doe any drudgery in the service of Satan and serve him as bondslaves then to be the Lords freemen and serve him in the most honourable place he can imploy them in Thirdly and lastly The service that men doe to Satan though it be never so toilesome a drudgery yet they doe it willingly and cheerefully it is no trouble to them The lusts of your father ye will doe saith our Saviour Iohn 8.44 But the service that most men doe unto God is most irksome unto them they had rather
give you Pastours according to mine heart which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding It is the Lord of the harvest that sendeth forth labourers into his harvest as our Saviour speaketh Matth. 9.38 And even as hee did at the first in the Primitive Church not onely send forth his Apostles his chiefe labourers into his harvest but did also appoint them the speciall field and part of the field where they should worke Goe not into the way of the Gentiles saith our Saviour to them Matthew 10.5 6. and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not but goe rather to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel And after when hee did send them to the Gentiles to worke in that field hee still had a speciall hand in appointing them what part of the field they should worke in He forbad them to preach the Word in Asia Acts 16.6 and verse 7. Hee suffered them not to goe into Bythinia and verse 10. hee called and commanded them to goe into Macedonia and to preach the Gospell there And even so now also though not so sensibly as then because visions and revelations are now ceased yet as truly and powerfully the Lord hath still a speciall hand in disposing the ministery of his Word who shall enjoy it and who shall want it how long it shall continue where it is and when it shall bee removed from thence It is hee that holdeth the seven starres that is all the starres of the Churches in his right hand as our Saviour speaketh of himselfe Revel 2.1 he disposeth of them as it pleaseth him And hee also protecteth and maintaineth them no man shall bee able to plucke them out of his hand or to remove them till they have done the worke that hee hath appointed them to doe and hee lay them downe himselfe And so the Lord speaketh of his two witnesses that is of that competent number of faithfull teachers that God said hee would raise up to his Church to discover and oppose Antichrist Revel 11. not onely that the just period of time even to a day was determined by him how long they should prophesie verse 3. even a thousand two hundred and threescore daies but also verse 7. that till they had finished their testimony and done that work which the Lord had appointed them the beast that ascended out of the bottomlesse pit should not make warre against them nor overcome and kill them Let no man impute it either to chance or to the goodnesse or policy of man that the Gospell which is banished out of the Palatinate and many other places is preached in this land and among us so plentifully that it hath continued and made it abode with us for so long a time No no let us acknowledge Gods speciall hand and goodnesse towards our land and towards our selves in this and let him have all the glory of it Certainely if wee had hearts rightly to consider and weigh this with our selves wee would find just cause to say of this as the Church doth in another case Psal. 118.23 This is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes It is of the Lord certainely and of his speciall goodnesse that any man doth enjoy the benefit of a sound ministery whereby hee hath his outward calling unto grace and which is the ordinary meanes of his conversion And even in this first respect the conversion of a man is to be ascribed unto God alone Secondly As God giveth the meanes of grace to all such as doe enjoy them it is of his gift and goodnesse onely that they have them so is this a speciall and rare favour of God not common unto all men All men have not meanes given them of God sufficient to convert them and bring them to saving grace This is a peculiar favour that God vouchsafeth but unto some it is not common to all men It is an errour to thinke that God doth in this respect love and desire the salvation of all men alike that hee giveth to one as well as to another without difference the meanes to bring them to grace and salvation These two things indeed cannot be denyed 1. That God doth vouchsafe the meanes of saving grace yea as excellent means to many a reprobate as hee doth to any of his elect When the sower went forth to sow Matth. 13.3 8. there fell every whit as good seed upon the high-way side and upon the stony and thorny land as upon the good ground But his maine aime is for the elects sake that live amongst them as our Saviour also teacheth us in another case in the Parable of the tares Matthew 13.29 30. 2. To all men even to all the reprobate God vouchsafeth some meanes of grace some meanes to convert them and bring them unto repentance Christ lighteth every man that commeth into the world saith the Apostle Iohn 1.9 Every man hath received from him the light of nature and doth in many things know what is good and what is evill and that which may be knowne of God saith the Apostle Rom. 1.9 that is to say that there is a God and that hee is to be feared and worshipped is manifest in them in their very hearts and consciences for God shewed it unto them even unto all men by nature God hath given this knowledge unto them And they that have this light and knowledge cannot bee denyed to have meanes given them of God to bring them unto grace and unto repentance Nay the Apostle teacheth us Rom. 2.4 that the goodnesse of God whereof all men living doe taste leadeth them unto repentance is a notable meanes to turne and convert their hearts unto God Yea he telleth us ver 15. that the Gentiles have the worke of the law that is to say that which the law requireth written in their hearts and that thereupon they doe by nature the things contained in the law verse 14. But all this that men have by nature these helpes that God thus vouchsafeth unto all men are not sufficient meanes of grace and conversion They are sufficient indeed to make them without excuse and to that end they serve as the Apostle expressely teacheth us Rom. 1.10 By giving unto all men this light and these meanes God hath not left himselfe without witnesse against them as the Apostle speaketh Act. 14.17 But to breed saving grace and to worke sound conversion in the heart they are not sufficient No no it is not the light of nature not that knowledge of God that is gotten by the contemplation of the creature nor the worke of the law that is written in all mens hearts but the Gospell onely that is a sufficient meanes of grace and conversion The Gospell is the ministration of the spirit as the Apostle calleth it 2 Corinth 3.8 And therefore hee telleth the Ephesians 2 12. that while they were without Christ while they were strangers from the covenants of promise they were without hope Till Christ
then dead men Such a one was Paul who though before his conversion he had lived most civilly and his life touching the righteousnesse which is in the law had beene blamelesse as himselfe speaketh Phil. 3.6 yet was he before his conversion but a dead man For you shall find hee putteth himselfe in that number Even when we were dead in sinnes saith he Ephes. 2.5 Of all men you see it is said that they are by nature not onely halfe dead as the man that went from Ierusalem to Iericho and fell among theeves as Luk 10.30 but stark dead And therefore the worke of our conversion is called by the Holy Ghost not the healing of a wounded man or the curing of a sicke man but the giving of life unto and raising up of a dead man God when wee were dead in sinnes hath quickned us and hath raised us up saith the Apostle Ephes. 2.5 6. It was certainely a mighty worke of Christ when upon his saying to the Leper Matth. 8.3 Bee thou cleane immediatly his Leprosie was cleansed But it was a farre mightier worke of Christ when upon his saying unto Iairus daughter Matth. 5.41 42. Damsell I say unto thee arise straightway the damsell arose and walked And such a mighty worke of Christ as this is the conversion of every man To every soule before it can be converted the Lord by his mighty voice saith as you read Ephes. 5.14 Awake thou that sleepest that is to say the sleepe of death Psalme 13.3 and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light The dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God saith our Saviour Iohn 5.25 and they that heare shall live Certainely we are all by nature dead in trespasses and sins and our conversion is a reviving and raising up of one that was dead and if a dead man hath any power at all to further his owne resurrection then may it bee granted that there is in a man by nature some power to further the worke of his owne conversion but not els I know well what is objected against this reason that there can bee no strength in it 1. Because it is taken from such sayings of the Holy Ghost as are not proper but similitudes onely figurative and borrowed speeches and that from similitudes nothing can bee taught or concluded demonstratively 2. That the meaning of the Holy Ghost in these speeches cannot be to teach that the naturall man is in all respects like unto a dead man because it is evident every naturall man hath some life left in him But unto this I answer First That the similitudes and borrowed speeches that the Holy Ghost useth in the holy Scriptures are profitable to teach and to convince also As the Apostle speaketh of the whole Scripture 2 Tim. 3.16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for convincing too Yea and doctrine may be as substantially confirmed and any errour as strongly improved and convinced by those places of holy Scripture as are set downe in similitudes and borrowed speeches as by any other so that those similitudes be not strained beyond the scope and intent of the Holy Ghost in using and applying of them yea the doctrine of salvation is more clearely and convincingly taught unto the faithfull in sundry of the Scripture similitudes and parables then in any other place Therefore the Lord speaketh of this as of a great favour and mercy vouchsafed unto his Church that he hath in his Word taught us by similitudes I have also spoken by the Prophets saith hee Hos. 12.10 and I have multiplied visions and used similitudes by the ministery of the Prophets He taught them many things by parables and said unto them in his doctrine saith the Evangelist of our Saviour Mar. 4.2 He used similitudes and parables much in his ministery and hee taught them doctrine by parables And when he had taught Nicodemus this very doctrine that we have now in hand Ioh. 3.3 the doctrine of the conversion of a man the necessity of it and the manner of it by a similitude and figurative speech borrowed from our naturall generation a similitude which men now a daies can as ill abide should be pressed in the handling of this doctrine as they can this of a naturall mans being dead in trespasses and sins hee sharply reproveth him ver 12. for his blockishnesse and frowardnesse in not understanding and beleeving this truth that was taught him in so plaine a manner and by so familiar a similitude If I have told you earthly things that is this heavenly and necessary Doctrine in an earthly manner by an earthly similitude and ye beleeve not how shall ye beleeve if I tell of heavenly things If I should teach you in a more heavenly manner And surely I am afraid Christ will bee as angry with many now a daies as he was then with Nicodemus that will not beleeve man is by nature utterly void of freedome of will to further the work of God in his conversion though the Lord have so often taught it us in his Word in this earthly manner by these plaine and sensible comparisons and said that we were all by nature dead in trespasses and sinnes that our conversion is a regeneration a new creation a resurrection from the dead yet they will not beleeve it Secondly Whereas they say that the naturall man is not in all respects like unto the dead man for it is evident there is some life left in him I answer That he hath indeed some life The very light of nature which every man hath is a kind of life And so the Evangelist speaketh Iohn 1.4 In him was life and that life was the light of men The Ability that the naturall man hath to doe sundry things that are morally good the Gentiles doe by nature the things contained in the law saith the Apostle Romanes 2.14 argueth there is some life in him A naturall life I confesse he hath as well in his soule as in his body whereby he is able to live unto himselfe and unto men but spirituall life whereby he might live unto God he hath none at all In respect of any ability is in him to further his owne conversion of any ability to do or think or desire any thing that is truly good and pleasing unto God of any freedome of will to accept of Gods grace in Christ when it is offered to him in the Gospell in respect of this spirituall life I say he is starke dead Hee is utterly alienated from the life of God as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 4.18 For every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is onely evill continually as the Lord speaketh Gen. 6.5 No man hath any jot of spirituall life in him till he be regenerated till Christ dwell in his heart by faith The life which I now live in the flesh saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 I live by the
unfeinedly and serve him with upright hearts that yet doe not know they doe so And though such may bee sure as you have heard in the former direction to attaine vnto assurance of Gods favour in the end yet would they certainly attaine unto it sooner and in better measure if themselves did know that they doe unfeinedly feare God and serve him with upright hearts Hereby wee know saith the Apostle 1 Ioh 3.19 that we are of the truth and shall before him assure our hearts When once we know we are of the truth of the number of those that are sincere and upright hearted then shall we assure our hearts even before God Now no man can know this well that is not carefull to observe consider and examine his owne waies Ponder the path of thy feet saith the Holy Ghost Pro. 4.26 and let all thy waies be established As if he had said By pondering and considering our doings well we may have them established make them stable and firme such as we may build sound comfort and assurance upon Hee that doth truth saith our Saviour Ioh. 3.21 that is hee that is indeed and in his practise not in profession onely a godly man commeth to the light that his deeds may bee made manifest that they are wrought in God As if hee should say Hee doth by the Word examine his deeds whether they bee so performed as God may bee pleased with them Certainely there is never a good duty wee performe at any time never a prayer wee make never a Sermon wee preach or heare never an almes wee give nay I say more never a bargaine wee make never a duty wee performe even towards men in our particular callings but it may give us assurance of Gods love if we can find it hath beene wrought in God that is done by the guidance of his spirit and with an upright heart For no man can doe any thing with an upright heart that is in faith and obedience and love to God till he be in Gods favour till he be in the state of grace and a justified man A corrupt tree saith our Saviour Mat. 7.18 a man that is in his naturall estate cannot bring forth good fruit As many as are led by the spirit of God saith the Apostle Rom. 8.14 they are the sons of God certainely Therfore also he telleth poore servants Col. 3.24 that did their service to their idolatrous and bad masters in singlenesse of heart fearing God that they knew even by this that they should receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance They might grow assured of their salvation even by doing the duties of servants with good and upright hearts And as any one duty performed with a good heart will give assurance of this in some measure so the more good works any man knoweth he hath done the longer he knoweth that he hath continued in a constant care to please God in all his waies the stronger his assurance shall be A strong and full assurance of salvation will not be gotten in a day or two by one or two good actions but by a constant continuing in wel doing and by long proofe and experience of the working of Gods grace in our hearts We desire saith the Apostle Heb. 6.11 that every one of you doe shewe the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end As if he should say You have good things in you now and such as accompany salvation such as may give you good assurance of your salvation you shew much labour of love ye have ministred to the Saints and yet do minister but if you would get full assurance of hope you must hold out and doe so still to the end Two things there be that are wont to be objected by many a good heart against this First If a man could certainely know that the duties hee performeth were done with an upright heart that in his conversation and course of life he were led by the spirit of God then he might indeed thereby get this assurance But there is all the difficulty every man may find by experience the truth of that which the Prophet speaketh Ier. 17.9 The heart is deceitfull above all things and desparately wicked who can know it To this I answer that though this be indeed an hard thing yet this is not impossible The Lord that knoweth our hearts as deceitfull as they be as the Prophet there speaketh verse â—0 maketh his children also able to know their owne hearts and the uprightnesse of them Hezekiah knew he had walked before God in truth and with an upright heart as himselfe professeth Esa. 38.3 And Peter certainely knew that hee did unfeignedly love the Lord and durst call the Lord himselfe to witnesse for this Ioh. 21.17 And there is no Christian but if hee would ponder the path of his feet and take heed to his to his waies according to the word and take paines to examine them by the rules thereof he might know the uprightnesse of his owne heart in them it might be made manifest unto him that they are wrought in God as our Saviour speaketh Iohn 3 2â— Yea when he is at the worst and most destitute of his assurance if he could examine his owne heart he should find in it evident arguments of uprightnesse as feare to offend God in any thing longing after his favour and prizing it above all things love of the brethren poverty of spirit and griefe of heart for it upon which he might ground good assurance that he is in the favour of God O the wrong we doe to our selves in the carelesse neglect of observing and examining our own waies This is a maine difference betweene the upright hearted Christian and the naturall man The one is ever best perswaded of his own estate when he thinketh least of his owne waies and doings he cannot abide to examine his owne waies or to thinke seriously of his owne doings If by any hand of God upon him or by a searching ministery they bee brought into his mind it is a death unto him Like unto the broken merchant that cannot abide to goe into his counting house to cast over his bookes On the other side The upright hearted Christian is never so comfortable as when he hath most seriously coâ—siâ—ered his owne waies when his heart hath beene so searched as he can looke into the bottome of it Let every man prove his own worke saith the Apostle Gal 6.4 and then shall he have rejoycing in himselfe alone and not in another A good man shall be satisfied from himselfe saith Solomon Pro. 14.14 He shall if he will take paines to examine his owne heart find sufficient ground of comfort in himselfe The second thing that many a good soule will object against this is That hee hath done what hee can to examine his owne heart and hee can find no truth of grace in himselfe nothing to ground any good assurance upon To this I
answer That this may bee indeed for a time the case of a deare child of God as we shall heare in the next use They cannot discerne in themselves for the present any goodnesse But even in this case observation and examination of their owne waies will be of great use unto them For then it will be good for them to call to minde the times that are past and those evidences they have had of the truth of grace in them in former times This course Iob took to recover his comfort sundry times as you shall find Chap 23.11 12. and in three whole Chapters together 29.30 31. And so did the Prophet likewise Psal. 77.6 I call to remembrance my long in the night I commune with mine owne heart and my spirit made diligent search He did by communing with his own heart and searching it diligently call to mind that there was a time when hee could sing in the night when the spirit of adoption had given him such assurance of Gods love as made him full of joy and comfort even in the night season And this course the Apostle prescribeth to Gods people Heb. 10. â—2 as a singular meanes to preserve and recover their confidence and assurance of Gods favour Call to remembrance saith he the former daies in the which after ye were illuminated ye endured a great fight of afflictions Alas will you say what comfort is it to mee to remember what goodnesse hath beene in me in times past which I am now fallen from and have lost I answer That if ever thou hadst grace in thee in truth although the sense and feeling of it thou mayst loose for a time the vigour and operation of it may be nipt and interrupted for a time but the grace and seed of regeneration is an incorruptible seed as the Apostle calleth it 1 Pet. 1.23 where it is in truth it is lasting I will pray the father saith our Saviour Iohn 14.16 17. and hee shall give you another Comforter that hee may abide with you for ever Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth in you and shall bee in you Looke what heart the spirit of God did ever dwell in there he shall be there he will abide for ever Christ hath prayed the father that it may bee so The poore humbled sinner therefore that did ever in his life at any one time in any one action discerne the truth of grace in himselfe though now he can discerne none may from thence conclude infallibly that there is truth of grace in him still and consequently may receive great helpe from thence for the recovery of his assurance againe O what cause is there then that we should continually in all our wayes commune with our owne hearts about this and search diligently to find this truth of grace in our selves seeing this will stand us in such stead at a dead lift as wee say in our spirituall desertions to recover our assurance againe Lecture CXXVI On Psalme 51.7 August 18. 1629. A Third helpe that he must use that would get assurance of the favour of God in Christ that would preserve it when hee hath it and recover it when he hath lost it is carefully to observe and call to mind the experiments he hath had of Gods speciall favour and love formerly This course Gods people have taken in this case and found great successe in it Take the Psalmist for an example of this Psal. 77. who when he had so farre lost his assurance that it was a trouble to him to remember God and his spirit was overwhelmed in him as he complaineth ver 3. and that he cryed out ver 7 8 9. Will the Lord cast off for ever and Will he be favourable no more Is his mercy cleane gone for ever Hath God forgotten to be gracious He had strong tentations to doubt he should never recover Gods favour againe Now to raise himselfe out of this wofull estate he resolveth thus with himselfe ver 10. But I will remember the yeares of the right hand of the most high that is the yeares and times of my life wherein I had sweet experience of Gods mercy and love For so is this phrase interpreted Psal. 17.7 Shew thy marvellous kindnesse ô thou that savest with thy right hand them that put their trust in thee And 80.17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand This course also David tooke at another time Psal. 143.5 6. When his spirit was overwhelmed within him and his heart within him was desolate then I remember saith he the daies of old I meditate on all thy workes I muse on the workes of thy hands Hee called to mind and seriously thought upon the passages of Gods providence toward other of his people but specially toward himselfe in former times and sought to recover his comfort and assurance this way And see what successe Gods servants have found in this case how they have grounded their assurance upon this I will cry unto thee saith David Psal. 61.2 3. when my heart is overwhelmed for thou hast beene a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy Because thou hast beene my helpe saith he Psal. 63.7 therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoyce And 71.20 Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me and shalt bring me up againe from the depthes of the earth And whereupon grounded hee this assurance and confidence That he had expressed before ver 5 6. Thou art my hope ô Lord God thou art my trust from my youth by thee have I beene holden up from the wombe thou art he that tooke me out of my mothers bowells my praise shall be continually of thee But you will haply object and say Can any man ground true assurance of Gods love upon the experience he hath had of Gods goodnesse towards him in these temporall and common favours Such experiments of Gods love as these are I could record a great many But alas these are poore grounds for any man to build his assurance and comfort upon 1. No man can say because God hath formerly beene good to him in this kind therefore he will be good to me againe God repented that he had made Saul King 1 Sam. 15.35 God giveth such gifts as these unto many and taketh them quite away againe and so seemeth to repent the bestowing of them Nay 2 no man can judge of Gods love or hatred by such things though he were sure to enjoy them alwaies as the Holy Ghost teacheth us plainely Eccl. 9.1 Many castawayes and Esau by name have had abundant experience of Gods goodnesse in such things and yet the Scripture saith expressely that God hated him for all that Mal. 1.3 But to this I have two things to answer First Though these outward blessings bee to reprobate men no arguments of Gods speciall
Fiftly and lastly It cannot be denied but that in some sense a man may bee said even by this inherent righteousnesse to be justified before God For so farre forth as any man by the worke of Gods spirit in his heart is become truly holy and good upright and without hypocrisy so far forth God doth esteeme and account him a holy and good and just man The Lord taketh notice of his owne graces in his children approveth of them and giveth testimony unto them So the Holy Ghost saith of Noah Gâ—n 6.9 that he was a just man And of Zachary and Elizabeth Luke 1.6 that they were both righteous before God So Solomon prayeth 1 King 8.22 that the Lord would justifie the righteous to give him according to his righteousnesse You see then wee doe not deny as the Papists falsly slander us all inherent righteousnesse no nor all justification by inherent righteousnesse neither But this is that we beleeve and teach according to the Scriptures That this inherent righteousnesse is not that righteousnesse whereby any poore sinner in this life can be justified before Gods tribunall and judgement seat for which hee is pronounced to be innocent absolved from death and condemnation and adjudged unto life eternall Of this justification as it is opposed unto condemnation as the Apostle useth the word Rom. 8.33 34 It is God that justifieth who shall condemne and as our Saviour useth it Matth. 12.37 By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned is the Question betweene us and them And that we are not thus justified in Gods sight by any inherent righteousnesse I will first give you evident proofe out of the holy Scripture and secondly I will shew you good reason out of the Word why no man can be so justified in Gods sight For the first Nothing is more cleerely taught in the holy Scripture then this that no man can be justified in Gods sight by the works of the law that is by doing that which the law requireth him to do And what is our inherent righteousnesse but a conformity to the law of God to that which the law requireth of us By the deeds of the law saith the Apostle Romanes 3.20 there shall no flâ—sh bee justified in his sight And againe Knowing saith he Gal. 2.16 that a man is not justified by the workes of the law but by the faith of Iesus Christ even we have beleeved in Iesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified True saith the Papist the Apostle saith so indeed but by the works of the law he meaneth the workes of the ceremoniall law which many false teachers in those daies did maintaine to be necessary unto justification And those be the works he speaketh of Rom. 4.10 Abraham was justified before he was circumcised which was a worke enjoined him by the ceremoniall law therefore it was not his circumcision nor his obedience to that law that justified him So Gal. 2.16 when he denieth we are justified by the works of the law he meaneth those works of the law he had spoken of in the former verses and for which he had reproved Peter and that was about his conforming himselfe to the Iewes in works enjoined by the ceremoniall law But to this I answer First It is true that he speaketh in those two places of the workes of the ceremoniall law and excludeth them from having any hand in our justification But even in those places he excludeth not the workes of the ceremoniall onely but all workes of the law even of the morall law also For 1 his words are generall and without any limitation Rom. 4.6 David describeth the blessednesse of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without workes without any workes And verse 5. To him that worketh not but beleeveth in him that justifieth the ungodly to him hâ—s faith is imputed unto righteousnesse And what good workes are they the want whereof maketh one an ungodly man Are they the works of the ceremoniall law onely are they not rather the workes of the morall law And in Gal. 2.16 his words are generall Knowing a man is not justified by the workes of the law 2. He excldeth the workes of that law that was given to all men to the Gentiles as well as to the Iewes and whereby the Gentiles as well as the Iewes might have some hope to be justified For he saith Gal. 2.16 By the workes of the law shall no flesh be justified As if he had said Neither Iew nor Gentile We have before proved saith he Rom. 3.9 that is to say In his former dispute against justification by workes both Iewes and Gentiles that they are all under sinne And verse 28 29. Therefore wee conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law Is he the God of the Iewes onely is he not also of the Gentiles As if he should say Neither the deeds of the law that the Iewes were bound unto nor the deeds of the law that the Gentiles were bound unto can justifie a man before God And what law was that which the Gentiles were bound to observe Certainely not the ceremoniall but the morall law only Secondly I answer The Apostle doth exclude from justification the workes of that law whereby commeth the knowledge of sin For these are his words Rom. 3.20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh bee justified in his sight for by the law commeth the knowledge of sinne As if hee should have said The use that the law serveth unto is not to justifie us in Gods sight but to discover our sin and misery to us and so to drive us to seeke justification by faith in Christ. And what law is that whereby commeth the knowledge of sin Certainely the morall law principally But then they object secondly Admit the Apostle do speake of the works of the morall as well as of the ceremoniall law yet he meaneth not those workes of the morall law that are done by the faithfull through the grace of Christ but those that are done by men while they are in the state of nature before their conversion before they do beleeve And such works of the morall law say they we confesse cannot justifie a man before God To this I answer 1. That the Apostles words are generall as I shewed before and we must use no limitation where he useth none 2. The Apostle Rom. 4.2 denieth that Abraham was justified by his workes though he were one of the faithfull yea the father of the faithfull as he calleth him ver 11. no not by those works of his whereof he might seeme to have cause to glory which he could never meane of those works he did before he was a beleever for he was an idolater before as we read Iosh. 24.2 And the Apostle would
to everlasting confusion Cain had a greater portion of them then Seth and Esau then Iacob And what comfort can a man have in such fruits of Gods love as these are What comfort can the traitour take in that goodnesse of the King that being apprehended hee giveth order that hee may have a faire and good lodging in the tower and a good diet too till matters be ripe and ready for his arraignement and execution No no he taketh small comfort in all this nothing will assure him of the Kings mercy and love till his pardon bee brought him So may I say of all these outward blessings thou canst have no sound comfort in them till thou have Christ and hast through him gotten the pardon of thy sinnes These are indeed fruits of Gods common love but these are no fruits or signes of Gods speciall or everlasting love of that love that he beareth to them whom he meaneth to save eternally No man knoweth either love or hatred by any thing that is before him saith Salomon Eccl. ◠1 A man cannot argue God loveth him with his speciall love because he enjoyeth these things nor that God hateth him because he wanteth them And it is not that common but this speciall and everlasting love of God onely that we are to make reckoning of and to take comfort in In this was manifested the love of God towards us saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 4.9 10. because that God sent his onely begotten Sonne into the world that we might live through him Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Sonne to be the propitiation for our sinnes If thou canst say God hath given Christ unto thee and to thee an heart to receive him then thou maist be bold to say God loveth thee indeed But thou canst never say God loveth thee indeed till thou be in Christ. He is called the Sonne of his love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 1.13 He hath made us accepted in the beloved saith the Apostle Eph. 1.6 As if he had said He loveth us for his sake and he loveth none but for his sake and with respect unto him onely And what good will it do thee to have all the world if thou have not Gods love What comfort canst thou take in any thing thou hast if God have not given it thee in his love Now on the other side that this Motive may have the more force in thy heart consider what a happinesse it is for a man to be in Christ even in respect of these outward things The true believer and he that knoweth Christ is his may take great comfort even in these outward and common blessings of God God giveth to him saith Salomon speaking of these things Eccles. 2.26 that is good in his sight reconciled to him in Christ and justified before him wisdome and knowledge and joy He joyeth even in these outward blessings he useth them with joy and comfort In which respect it is said by David Psal. 37.16 that a little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked men Have he little or have he much he hath more comfort in that he hath than any wicked man in the world can possibly have For First That that he hath is his owne he hath the highest title unto it All things are yours saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 3.21 23. and ye are Christs In giving Christ unto us how shall he not with him also freely give us all things saith the Apostle Rom. 8.32 Secondly He shall have good of that he hath it shall do him good and no hurt it shall not hinder his happinesse it is sanctified unto him The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich saith Salomon Proverb 10.22 and he addeth no sorrow with it As if he had said He that hath wealth with Gods blessing shall have no cause to repent him another day that he lived so prosperously Thus God promiseth his people that are in covenant with him Deut. 30.9 The Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every worke of thine hand in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattell and in the fruit of thy land for good for the Lord will rejoyce over thee for good as he rejoyced over thy fathers Marke how the Lord doth not onely promise unto his people these outward things that he would increase them in their children and in their estates but that he promiseth them also and repeateth this promise twice in this one Verse that he would give them these things for their good they should have good of them they should receive good and no hurt by them To have the things is nothing unlesse we have them with the blessing unlesse God give us good of them When the Apostle had said 1 Tim. 4.3 5. that God hath created all meat to be received with thankesgiving of them that believe and know the truth he addeth in the next words that every creature of God is good As if he had said To the believer all Gods creatures are good and to none but him and he giveth this reason For it is sanctified saith he by the word and prayer As though he should say When Gods creatures are sanctified unto us when we have a holy use of them and are made the better by them then are they good to us and not els and to the true believer they are sanctified and to none but him Thirdly and lastly Whatsoever the true believer he that is in Christ hath in these outward things he hath it in Gods love and therefore he may well take comfort in it We are wont to say that an hearty welcome is the best cheere that any friend can make us Though our fare be but meane yet if we can find we have it with a good will and that our friend is glad of us and thereby we discerne that he doth unfeignedly love us this we esteeme of more worth than the best cheere in the world this maketh the homelyest fare most sweet and acceptable unto us And certainely it is much more so in this case When a man once knoweth he hath Gods love and that that which God hath given him be it little or much is given to him in love O this giveth a most sweet and pleasant relish to all Gods blessings that we do enjoy this maketh a man to take true and solid comfort in them Thus Iacob speaketh of his children Genesis 33.5 These are the children that God of his grace hath given unto thy servant and Verse 11. of his cattell Because God hath dealt graciously with mee and because I have enough Hee tasted Gods speciall love unto him even in these things I told you even now that no unbeliever can take any sound comfort in any of Gods outward blessings because hee cannot conclude from thence that God loveth him with a speciall love but though he cannot he that is in Christ may These common
by promise to them that keepe his Sabbath not onely to worke sanctification increase of holinesse and power over their corruptions which hee professeth in that former place of Ezekiel was the very end hee gave his Sabbath for but also by his spirit of adoption to increase in their hearts a lively sense of his favour assurance that he heareth and accepteth their prayers peace of conscience joy in the Holy Ghost which are blessings the Christian soule prizeth above all things in the world Why may you say may not a man receive increase of grace and spirituall comfort in the use of Gods ordinances on any other day but onely on the Sabbath I answer Yes verily but these promises may give him assurance to receive them more richly and plentifully upon the Sabbath then on any other day The second sort of blessings that the conscionable observers of the Sabbath receive by it are temporall For concerning them also wee have a promise Esa. 58.14 that he that heartily and spiritually keepeth the Sabbath God will cause him to ride upon the high places of the earth he shall have honour and esteeme in the world so farre as it shall be good for him and he will feed him with the heritage of Iacob that is he shall continue and abide safely in the land of Canaan which God promised to Iacob for his inheritance Gen. 28.13.48.4 Yea the Lord will nourish and feed them he shall eat the good things of the land as the Lord promiseth Esa. 1.19 to all that yeeld willing obedience unto him Lecture CXXXVI On Psalme 51.7 December 29. 1629. IT followeth now that we make some application of that which wee have heard touching the Sabbath and so proceed unto the two last particulars of those five which I have proved to be in many a man that is no better then an hypocrite And that which I have to say by way of application is first of all more generall and concerneth all other persons and places as well as this secondly more speciall and concerneth this place principally Of all I may say ô that God would give us hearts to beleeve that which wee have heard taught us concerning the observation of the Sabbath day out of the Word of God by which wee must bee all judged at the great and dreadfull day as our Saviour assureth us Iohn 12.48 O that wee could beleeve that the surest way to make our Church and State to flourish to secure us from enemies abroad and Papists at home to maintaine Gods Gospell and the purity of his religion amongst us that the surest way to make our Townes and families and persons to prosper and do well were to keepe the Lords rest upon his holy day If we could beleeve this then would wee bee the more carefull to keepe the Sabbath better our selves and then would wee doe what lieth in us that it might bee better kept by others also I know our corrupt hearts are apt to have in them many reasonings against the strict observation of the Sabbath day And these imaginations and reasonings that wee have in us against the truth of God the Apostle 2 Cor. 10.4 5. calleth strong holds and high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God But of all these strong holds and high things I may say as our Saviour saith in another case and another sense speaking of the faith of miracles Matth. 17.20 If wee had but as much faith as a graine of musterd seed but a little faith to beleeve the promises and threatnings that we have heard concerning the observation or neglect of the Sabbath we might easily remove all these mountaines out of our way Diverse notable good lawes we have had made of late yeares for the better observation of the Sabbath day Some to restraine men from doing their owne workes some other to compell men to doe the Lords worke by frequenting diligently the Church assemblies upon that day And blessed be God that hath given that heart to our King and State to make such lawes In respect whereof it may be fitly said of them as Deborah speaketh in another case Iudg. â— 9 My heart is towards the governours of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people Blesse ye the Lord. The hearts of all Gods people should be towards the governours of Israel for shewing themselves so willing to provide for the sanctifying of the Lords Sabbath we should all blesse the Lord for them The whole land I nothing doubt fareth the better and hath had the tranquility thereof lengthened the rather even by the zeale that our governours have shewed in this point towards God and towards his house But that which is said of the daies of King Iehosâ—phat 2 Chron. 20.32 33. may fitly be applied to our times Iehosaphat did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Howbeit the high places were not taken away for as yet the people did not prepare their hearts unto the God of their fathers Our gracious King in Parliament hath done that which is right in the sight of the Lord in making these good lawes Howbeit the Sabbath is still in most places shamefully profaned these good lawes are not executed for the people do not prepare their hearts unto God they have no heart to his honour or service at all And indeed in nothing doth it better appeare that the hearts of the people generally are not prepared unto God but utterly alienated and estranged from him then in this that when they have but the least colour and semblance of law to justifie any of their unwarantable practises whereby they may trouble any of their brethren and devise deceitfull matters against them that are quiet in the land as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 35.20 there they will seeme wondrous zealous for the lawes and presse them hotly they frame their mischiefe by a law as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 94.20 they pretend nothing so much for their deadly hatred against others that are innocent as that they doe not obey the law This was Hamans outcry against Gods people in his time Est. 3.8 These keepe not the kings lawes And of Daniels adversaries against him Dan. 6.13 He regardeth not thee ô king nor the decree that thou hast signed And of those lewd fellowes of the baser sort which we read of Acts 17.5 7. against Paul and the brethren with him These all say they doe contrary to the decrees of Caesar. Whereas I say to colour their malice against God and his people they seeme zealous for the law for the Magistrate Let the Magistrate make lawes that tend most directly to the honour of God that concerne the weightiest matters of Gods law as our gracious Iehosaphat hath done for the observation of the Sabbath for the punishment of swearing for the suppressing of the multitude and disorders of ale-houses the very chiefe nurseries of all profanesse and impiety these lawes you shall find they have no zeale
Doctrine so unto the uses that are to be made of it Now the grounds and reasons of the Doctrine are principally two The one taken frō the consideration of the nature of sin the other from the consideration of the nature attributes of the Lord himselfe And in the nature of sin two things are to be cōsidred 1. that every sin is a transgressiō of the law of God 2. that every sin is a contēpt done unto God For the first What is it that maketh any thought or word or action to be a sin Not the offending or hurting of our selves or any other man by it but the offending of God and breaking of his Law As no good duty I performe to any man is a good worke unlesse in doing it I respect the Lord and do it in obedience to him As Paul saith to Christian servants Colos. 3.23 24. Whatsoever ye doe doe it as to the Lord and not unto men knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ. So no wrong I can do to any man is a sin but in respect of the disobedience contempt I shew unto God and his Law by doing of it This is plain Lev. 6.2 If a soule sin commit a trespasse against the Lord lie unto his neighbour in that that was delivered him to keepe or in fellowship or in taking away by violence or hath deceived his neighbor No sin can be more directly committed against our neighbour then cosenage theft and robbery are and yet ye see that that maketh a man a sinner in these things is this that in doing of them he hath cōmitted a trespasse against the Lord. Thus the Apostle when he had said every one that hath a true hope to be saved to go to heaven doth purifie himselfe from all sin corruption so maketh himselfe fit to go thither giveth this for the reason of it 1 Ioh. 3.4 because sin is a most hainous dangerous thing and why so Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law for sin is the transgression of the law That that maketh sin so dangerous a thing that that maketh Gods people so fearfull to sin so careful to purifie cleanse themselves from their corruptions is this that by sinning they transgresse the law of God So the Apostle Paul teacheth us 1 Cor. 15.56 The sting of death is sin the strength of sin is the law What is it that maketh death so painfull terrible as it is unto men Surely nothing but sin that giveth the sting unto it and what is it that maketh sin so strong to condemne them and cast them into hell to sting and torment the conscience as it doth Surely nothing but the law that giveth the strength to sin that the law of God hath bin transgressed by it This is the plain meaning of that which the same Apostle saith Rom. 4.15 The law worketh wrath for where no law is there is no transgression What is it that brings Gods wrath upon man in this life or in the life to come that stingeth the conscience with the sense of it Why sin you will say and in saying so you say truly for so saith the holy Ghost Ephes. 5.6 Because of these things commeth the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience Yea but what is the cause that sin bringeth the wrath of God upon man Surely nothing but this because by it Gods law is transgressed the law worketh wrath saith the Apostle Secondly this is also to be considered in the nature of sin that by every sin that we cōmit we do not only transgresse Gods law but we also despise him do an injury and contempt unto him For as it is among men when ye invite a man of worship and worth unto a feast if you give him not his due in placing of him though his cheere be never so good though the place he sits in be otherwise never so convenient though in words entertainment you neglect no cōplement towards him yet if you place him not according to his degree if you set one that is known to be his inferior above him in stead of a kindnes that you have pretended he wil esteeme that you have done a great disgrace indignity unto him So is it much more in this case If we set not the Lord in the highest roome of our hearts if we prefer our owne will before his as in every sin we do if we sleight any commandement of his thinke it is no great matter to transgresse it this is a plain contempt done unto God a despising of him So the Lord doth not only esteeme of grosse sinners that they cast him behind their backs as he tells Ieroboam 1 kin 14.9 But even of his own people whē they sin against his law So he telleth David twice that in cōmitting these sins of adultry murder 2 Sā 12.9 10. he had despised his cōmandement he had despised him So he telleth Ely that in neglecting to shew that severity to his lewd sons that he ought to have done he despised him 1 Sam. 2.30 And he telleth Moses Aaron that they had rebelled against him Nū 20.24 And so much for the first reason ground of the doctrine The second reason is taken from the consideration of the nature and attributes of God the person whose law is transgressed by our sins Foure attributes there be in the Lord which if we consider well we shall easily beleeve that we are to hate our sins and mourne for them out of this respect chiefly that we have offended God by them The first is his omnipresence omniscience he is present with us whersoever we are his eye is upō us he beholdeth us whatsoever we are doing Can any hide himselfe in secret places that I should not see him saith the Lord Ier. 23.24 do not I fill heaven earth saith the Lord Pro. 15.3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evill the good This was a main thing Nathan laid to Davids charge whereby he aggravated his sin 2 Sam. 12.9 Wherfore hast thou despised the commandement of the Lord to do evill in his sight And this was it that at this time lay so heavy upon Davids conscience O Lord I have done this evill in thy sight As if he had said all my care was to be secret to hide my sin from the eyes of men thou didst it secretly saith the Lord to him 2 Sam. 12.12 but all this while thine eye was upon me when for the committing of my filthines I had shut all out of my chamber I could not shut out thee when I did it in the darke the darknes hid me not from thee as he speaketh Ps. 139.12 but the night shineth as the day the darknes and the light are both alike with thee This is that that did even fil his heart
with shame sorrow when he considered that he had done so lewdly the Lord being by the Lord looking upon him And surely so will this work upon every one of us also when God shall be pleased to awaken touch our hearts as he did his It is a matter of extreame shame and trouble of mind even to most wicked men to know that any man hath seene them and bin privy to that which they have done If one know them saith Iob 24.17 they are in the terrors of the shadow of death How much more must it trouble the heart of Gods child when he considereth the Lord saw was an eye-witnes of all the foulest sins that ever he committed All men by nature would be much restrained from many sins if they knew of any body though it were but a child that were by them to see what they did And thus the murderer and adulterer are brought in by Iob 24 5. emboldening themselves No eye shall see me As if he had said If they knew there were any eye to see them they durst not do it And they are noted for men grown to an extraordinary height in sin that feare not at all nor are restrained from sinning by the eye of man that are so impudent as they care not who see or know what lewdnes they do Esa. 3.9 Such as declare their sin as Sodom that hide it not Such as are like Absalom who spread his tent upon the top of the house and went in to his fathers concubines in the sight of all Israel 2. Sam. 16.22 And will not this appeare to the child of God when God shall open his eyes a far greater impudency height of sin that he in sinning regarded not nor feared the Lords eye that he durst do such such things when the Lord looked upon him Surely to David it did here O Lord I have done this evill in thy sight And so it will do to every one of us when God shall be pleased to give us such hearts as he did unto David For thus doth the Lord oft aggravate the sins of men Esa. 65.12 Therfore wil I number you to the sword you shal al bow down to the slaughter because when I called ye did not answer when I spake ye did not heare but did evill before mine eyes and did choose that wherein I delighted not The second attribute of God the consideration wherof setteth forth the hainousnes of sin is his infinite holines and the dislike he beareth unto sin This is a chiefe attribute of his that wherein his glory doth principally consist This is plain by that song of the blessed Angels Esa. 6.3 Holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory And in the first petitiō of the Lords praier where when our Saviour would have us to pray that Gods name may be glorified he teacheth us to expresse it in these termes Hallowed be thy name let holines be ascribed unto thee Now the Lord being thus infinitely holy 1. He hateth and disliketh sin there is nothing so contrary and opposite to his nature as sin is No man doth hate any thing in the world no mans heart doth so much loath or rise against any thing as the Lords doth against sin Hab. 1.13 Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evill canst not looke on iniquity He cannot abide to looke upon it Ier. 44.4 I sent unto you all my servants the Prophets rising early sending them saying do not this abominable thing that I hate The Lord in the ministery of all us his servants doth in the most patheticall manner he can perswade and entreat you to be afraid to sin to repent of your sin even for the Lords sake even for this cause because his soule doth so much hate and loath sin Oh do not this abominable thing which I hate 2. Because the Lord is infinitly holy he must needs be grieved with sin Nothing grieveth the Lord so much as sin doth It is a great griefe to any ingenuous mind and a thing that of all others we can worst brooke to see our selves despised and contemned by any David complaineth oft of it and prayeth against it Ps. 119.22 Remove from me reproach contempt But never was man so much grieved to see himselfe despised as the Lord is to see men despise and sleight him as I told you we all do when we sin against him Grieve not the holy spirit of God by your corrupt communication saith the Apostle Eph. 4.30 As if he had said Because he is holy sin must needs grieve him 3. Because the Lord is infinitly holy sin must needs anger disquiet and vexe his spirit Nothing in the world can so much provoke a man unto anger nothing can so cut him to the heart so vexe disquiet his mind as the Lord is provoked cut to the heart vexed with our sins Esa. 63.10 They rebelled and vexed his holy spirit Eze. 16.43 Thou hast fretted me in all these things Now when Gods child doth consider well of this his sin must needs trouble him more in this respect that he hath done that that God so loatheth hateth that he hath grieved and vexed him so much by it then in respect of any evill or punishment he hath brought upon himselfe by it So did it David here Against thee thee only have I sinned And so wil it the senslessest heart here when God shal touch him as he did David here O that we could consider how God may complaine of us as Ps. 95.10 Forty yeeres long was I grieved with this generation How long have we grieved the Lord some of us by living in one sin some in another O that we could say to our own hearts as the Prophet doth to Ahaz Esa. 7.13 ô my soule is it a small thing for thee to grieve men by thy sins that thou wilt also grieve my God The third attribute of God that setteth forth the hainousnes of our sins is the infinite greatnes majesty of the Lord Great is the Lord saith David Ps. 145.3 greatly to be praised his greatnes is incomprehensible And indeede this is the beginning and foundation of all religion and piety to esteme the Lord to be higher then the highest Eccl. 5.8 and to acknowledge in our hearts this infinite greatnes and majesty of the Lord Ascribe ye greatnes to our God saith Moses Deut. 32.3 And thus did the blessed Virgin Lu. 1.46 My soule doth magnifie the Lord. Every transgression even among men is more or lesse hainous according as the person is against whom it is cōmitted He that doth smite his father or his mother or but curse revile them shall surely be put to death saith the Lord in his Law Exo. 21.15 17. Whereas the reviling yea or wounding or maiming of another man was not so great a sin nor to be punished in so severe a manner as you may
things are to him pledges of Gods speciall and eternall love and therefore are they sweeter unto him than they can be unto any other man By this I know thou favourest me saith David Psal. 41 1â— because mine enemy doth not triumph over me Was this such a token of Gods speciall favour toward him Why God hath done thus much for many a wicked man he hath graunted temporall deliverances from their enemies to many a one whom he did never beare any speciall favour unto Well though this be so yet to David this was a strong argument of Gods speciall favour he relished Gods love in it And that made this temporall blessing so sweet unto him that made him take such joy and comfort in it as we may see he did by his breaking forth into so hearty and patheticall a thanksgiving for it Verse 13. Blessed bee the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting Amen and Amen Hee respected the minde and affâ—â—tion of the giver toward him more than of the gift it selfe a great deale And that is the cause why the true believer can rejoyce more in and give God thanks more heartily for his meat and drink and for all other of Gods common mercies than any other man can do O that wee could believe that that hath beene said for this second Motive and lay it to our hearts It is a lamentable thing to see how all men dote upon these outward and common blessings of God how light account they make of Christ in comparison of them They thinke they can never spend time enough in seeking after them The sixe dayes that God hath allowed them to spend for the most part that way saving onely a small portion of every day for a morning and evening sacrifice to be offred unto him are not sufficient but they must also rob the Lord of his Day and spend part of that that way too O the toyle and labour that men willingly and gladly take for the getting of these things For this men will rise up early and sit up late and eat the bread of sorrowes as the Prophet speaketh Psalme 127.3 And on the other side alas how little time are men willing to spend how little labour and diligence do men use to get Christ. Nay the maine cause why Christ is so lightly esteemed of why he is so little sought after is the high esteeme men make of these common blessings if they have them they think themselves happy though they want Christ and miserable if they want them though they should have never so good a portion in Christ and his merits If thou mark well the parable of the guests that were invited unto the great supper Luke 14.18 thou shalt find that the onely thing that made them set light by that great mercy that was offered them was the respect they had to their worldly profits and pleasures They had some-what els to doe then to come to that feast they had other matters matters of their profit and matters of their pleasure which it more concerned them to looke after then after Christ. O that men would see their folly and madnesse in this 1. These things can stand thee in no stead in the evill day nor yeeld thee any comfort then when thou shalt stand in most need of comfort That which Salomon saith of riches Proverbes 11.4 that they availe not in the day of wrath may bee said also of all other outward blessings Nothing but Christ will yeeld thee comfort then 2. For the present thou canst take no sound comfort in them as thou hast heard now 3. Thy preferring of these base things in thy mind and affection before Christ and prising them above him is an high contempt done unto him A goodly price may I say of you as hee did of the Iewes Zachary 11.13 that I was prised at of them 4. Remember the fearefull sentence that was given of them that did as thou dost that out of respect to their profits and pleasures neglected to come to the supper when they were invited Luke 14.24 I say unto you saith the Lord that none of those that were bidden shall taste of my supper It seemeth they neglected the time and offer of grace that the Lord of the feast had made unto them out of this conceit that the Lord that by his servants invited them now to that supper was so bountifull and kept so good a house that though they did not come then they might come soone enough on the morrow or some other day when they had nothing els to doe and find good cheere enough left to serve their turne as no doubt most men conceit God is so mercifull and Christ is so easy to bee had as that any time will serve if it bee but halfe an houre before they die when they can follow their profits and pleasures no longer to seeke after Christ. But marke how these guests were deceived because they came not then when the Lord invited them and specially because they neglected to come upon this ground that they thought their profits and pleasures were more worth more to bee regarded then any of the dainâ—ies that they might feed upon at that feast therefore the Lord vowed that none of them should ever tast of his supper And surely it is much to be feared that as many of you specially of you of this Towne doe match these guests in their sinne so you doe also match them in their punishment and that the Lord hath already passed this dreadfull sentence upon you None of these whom I have so often and so long invited to come to my supper to receive Christ and all his merits in those meanes of grace that I have offered unto them and that have all this while neglected and despised this mercy of mine shall ever tast of my supper shall ever feed upon Christ or receive true comfort by him while they live Lecture CXXXIII On Psalme 51.7 Novemb. 24. 1629. THe third Motive that may perswade us to seeke without delay and labour to find that wee are in Christ that we are fully and perfectly justified in Gods sight through him is this That we can have no true comfort in any goodnesse that seemeth to be in us till we know our selves to bee in Christ. This Motive is in this respect necessary to bee insisted upon because nothing hath more force to dull our appetite unto Christ and keepe us from seeking comfort in him then that contentment and comfort we find in some goodnesse that wee thinke is in our selves Great is the contentment that men find in the outward and common blessings of God and great force there is even in that as we heard the last day to keepe men from hungring and thirsting after Christ. But the comfort and content a man taketh in the least goodnesse that he findeth in himselfe is farre greater and he is apt to blesse himselfe more in that then in any outward blessing
that he doth enjoy Not of works saith the Apostle Ephes. 2.9 good works he meaneth least any man should boast As if he should say A man is exceeding apt to boast of his good workes though not outwardly in words yet inwardly in heart he blesseth himselfe and secureth his heart in nothing so much as in his good workes in any good worke he knoweth by himselfe And when he had said 1 Cor. 1.30 that Christ is made unto us of God wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption As if he had said We have all in him he giveth this for the reason of it verse 31. that hee that gloryeth might glory in the Lord. As if he should have said If we had any of this without Christ we would be apt to glory in it and care but a little for him And therefore it is so oft said that the poore and such as find themselves to be utterly destitute of all goodnesse are the onely men that are fit to seeke and receive comfort by Christ. The Lord hath anointed me saith our Saviour Luk. 4.18 to preach the Gospell to the poore As if he should say Small hope there is that any but they will receive it Ho every one that thirsteth saith he Esa. 55.1 come ye to the waters and he that hath no money Where it is to bee observed that hee maketh the man that thirsteth and the man that hath no money all one As if he had said None will thirst after Christ but only those poore wretches that have no money nothing of their owne to take unto So he saith likewise Zach. 11.11 that they were the poore of the flocke that waited on him And who are meant by these poore ones in all these places Surely not such as lived in the want of bodily and worldly wealth but such as are poore in spirit and feele an utter want of all goodnesse in themselves these are the onely men that will thirst after Christ and are fit to receive him And so the Apostle interpreteth that metaphor when he saith Romanes 4.5 to him that worketh not that hath no worke no goodnesse at all to trust unto but beleeveth in him that justifieth the ungodly knoweth himselfe to be void of all goodnesse full of ungodlinesse and therefore flieth to Christ and beleeveth in him to him his faith is counted for righteousnesse Yee see then how apt we are to be kept from Christ from prising him and desiring him as we ought even by those good things that are in us This impediment will easily be remooved if we consider well the force of this third Motive wee can have no true comfort of any good thing that is in us till we bee in Christ. To speake distinctly of this point you shall see the truth of it 1 In those good things that are in many a naturall man 2 In those good things that are in many an hypocrite 3 Lastly In those good things that are in the regenerate man himselfe And in handling these three I will observe this method 1. I will shew you that there are in every one of these some good things 2 That there is no true comfort to be found in any of this goodnesse till we be in Christ. For the first It cannot be denied but there are many good things in some naturall men That that we call civill and morall honesty is certainely in it selfe a good thing That many men live so unblameably free from any open or knowne offence specially against the second table The care that many naturall men have to keepe their word to deale justly with all men to bee helpfull and mercifull to such as stand in need of them and many such like things that may bee discerned in them are doubtlesse very good things The conscience that Abimeleâ—h the King of Gerar made of adultery and that integrity of heart that was in him that way of which wee read Genesis 20.5 was a very good thing Yea those are good things not onely in the esteeme of men but even in the account of the Lord himselfe We read Marke 10.20 21. when our Saviour heard the young man say that he had observed all the commandements of the second table from his youth and knew well that in respect of the outward observation of them be had spoken the truth that beholding him he loved him for this Certainely God loveth and liketh well of these moralities and civill vertues that are in naturall men Yea and he useth to reward them also Let me shew you the proofe of this in three degrees First Many a naturall man by the care hee hath to deale justly with men and by his good workes the workes of charity that hee doth avoideth many temporall judgements of God that doe fall upon other men That is the reason why the Prophet having threatned desolation against the Moabites Esa. 16.3 adviseth them that by executing judgement and shewing mercy to the oppressed they would labour to prevent it And the Prophet Daniel Daniel 4.27 giveth hope unto Nebuchadnezzar himselfe that by righteousnesse and shewing mercy to the poore he might obtaine a lengthening of his tranquillity Secondly It is not to bee doubted but that many naturall men prosper much the better both they and their posterity in their outward estate even for the morall parts that are in them It is said Exodus 1.20 21. that God dealt well with the midwives of Egypt and made them houses because of the mercy they shewed to the Hebrew infants they feared God so farre that they durst not make them away though the King so straitly commanded them to do it Thirdly and lastly The Lord hath been wont to reward these civill vertues and morall parts that are in some naturall men even with spirituall blessings also in some sort For even for this cause by his restraining grace he keepeth them from some sinnes that otherwise they were in danger to fall into I know saith the Lord to Abimilech Gen. 20.6 that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart for I also withheld thee from sinning against me therefore suffered I thee not to touch her Two evident reasons there are why the Lord must needs love and reward these morall parts these civill vertues that are in many naturall men First Because of the good they doe to others thereby even the service they doe to his good providence in preserving society and peace among men This civill honesty and these good morall parts that are in many naturall men where there is no religion are the very sinewes and bonds of humane society and there were no living or conversing among men without them This reason the Lord giveth why hee would reward Nebuchadnezzar and his army for the service they did against Tyrus Ezekiel 29.20 Because they wrought for me saith the Lord God As if he had said They were instruments of my good providence in the just ruiâ—e and destruction of that wicked people And if God doe