Heavenly callings This I take it is apparent Exod. 20.10 where not only a cessation from our earthly vocations is required but the sanctification or keeping that day holy is enjoined 2. A Sabbath instantly after the Creation was instituted blessed and sanctified by God himself and therefore as far as I can discern was born with the world hath lived with it to this present and shall never dye but be changed into that eternal Sabbath yea even our heavenly Father himself thus far kept a Sabbath that he rested that day from all his works which he made Gen. 2.2 and propounds his practice as a kind of precept to his Children Exod. 20.11 3. By vertue of the Decalogue and that fourth commandment in it a Sabbath is of moral obligation to the Iews and bound them to a necessary and religious observation of it 4. A moral equity of the 4 Commandment is generally by all confessed obliging all men to a sufficient and convenient time for Gods Worship Now that a Seventh-dayes Sabbath was in the Iewish Church this sufficient and convenient time I conceive will not be denyed neither can any I think yield any good reason why a seventh day should be the equity of the Sabbath a time sufficient and convenient then and now inconvenient 5. We no where find this statute of a seventh dayes Sabbath abrogated by the Law-giver who then can repeal it but only translated to the first day of the week which that it is done is apparent but whether done by Christ himself in person or which is equivalent by his Spirit in the Apostles appears not And therefore that Appellation of the Lords day used by the Spirit Apocal. 1.10 is the fittest title which Christians can give it But of all other seasons the most special and happy is that when God draws neer and even offers himself to be found Isa. 55.6 when by his voice in his word he calls Awake thou thaâ— sleepest arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Ephes. 5.14 when he maketh us that gracious proffer Turn ye at my reproof behold I will poure out my Spirit unto you Prov. 1.23 when as that Angel deals with Peter Act. 12. he smites sleep out of our eyes shakes us out of our drowsiness and by corrections offers himself as a Father unto us Heb. 12.7 and so by his quickning Spirit moves and stirs our secure and sluggish spirits As when the waters in that pool were troubled healing followed Ioh. 5.4 so when the Messengers of God have by his word stirred and troubled us if then we instantly step in and take hold of his grace health and salvation will certainly follow But take great heed of delayes see Psal. 119.60 If it be inhumanity to say unto a neighbour it is most impious to say unto God Go and come again to morrow Prov. 3.28 Saints seek early Isa. 26.9 and then the promises meet them They that seek me early shall find me Prov. 8.17 Object But some may seek early and not find Prov. 1.28 Answ. There is Gods day and our day The Lord himself riseth early and calls Jer. 7.25 Then if we stirr up our selves to seek we shall find him Psal. 63.1 5. but if we let pass his day and seek in our day our early will prove too late When he slew them they sought him and enquired early after God Psal. 78.34 But then he had sworn in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest Psal. 95.11 They lived long after but never entred 3. Lastly how or after what manner must we seek 1. As famisht persons with hunger and thirst Ho every one that thirsteth Come to the waters and Isa. 55.1 2. Thus we are constantly invited Let him that is athirst come Rev. 22.17 Thus accepted I will give to him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely Rev. 21.6 Now hunger and thirst are those natural and ordinate affections of the body rising from a sense and grief of want whereby it vehemently and constantly desires the food wherewith it is nourished and grows But as there is an inappetence so is there also an inordinate desire of meats and drinks rising from distemper a disease not hunger but the hungry evil not thirst but dropsie-thirst coveting excess devouring rather than eating and then vomiting but never satisfied Thus is it with our spirits The true â—unger therefore includes 1. Emptiness 2. Longing 3. A constancy that is an ordinate and seasonable return of this desire rising not from distemper but emptiness and such an emptiness as proceeds from the right use of this food well digested into the inward man for growth Some are full gorged with lusts and so loath this honey comb Prov. 27.7 some very empty but not at all hungry as those that are dead or deadly sick Those Laodiceans were poor empty naked but not hungry as dreaming that they were rich and wanted nothing Rev. 3.17 Some are full of longing but nothing empâ—y as that Ruler Mark 10.17 22. who had he been as empty of temporal living as he was greedy of eternal life would have willingly accepted that easie condition to have bartered earthly for heavenly treasures When all these meet together in the heart and make it hungry they fail not to satisfie and make us blessed Matth. 5.6 But when they are severed and single they prevail nothing Secondly We must seek with the whole heart not divided nor double so if we seek we shall surely find him Deut. 4.29 And blessedness with and in him Psal. 119.2 But a divided heart is ever faulty Hos. 10.2 and a double heart wavering betwixt God and Mammon Christ and Lust obtains nothing Iam. 1.7 8. Thirdly With a Washed heart purged from the love and dominion of sin For as all Sacrifices and even our prayers are â—oathsome when they are presented with â—nclean hearts Prov. 21.27 so when we are washed the most deep-died sins cannot hinder our acceptance Isa. 1.16 17 18. If we regard wickedness in our hearts the Lord will not hear us Psal. 66.18 but if we forsake our sin we shall find mercy Prov. 28.13 Fourthly when we have thus sought we must wait upon God The Lord is good to theâ— that wait for him to the soul that seeketh Lam. 3.25 The experience of Saints will ratifiâ— this truth I waited patiently for the Lordâ— and he enclined unto me and heard my cry Psal. 40.1 Our blessed God hath long waited upon us to be gracious unto us and to shew us mercy and blessed are they that wait upon him to receive mercy Isaâ— 30.18 If then you seek your portion aright if you seek God in Christ Christ in his Wordâ— if you seek him in due time his time hiâ— day when he offers himself and stirrs your hearts if you delay not but when God riseth early to call you you wake early to meet him if you seek with an hungry intire washed heart patiently waiting upoâ— the posts of
his doors he will certainly opeâ— the door let you in give you life anâ— make you blessed I will also finish this Chapter with a verse borrowed from divers of those Poetical Prophets Vast Ocean of light whose rayes surround The Universe who know'st nor ebb nor shore Who lend'st the Sun his sparkling drop to store With overflowing beams Heav'n ayer ground Whose depths beneath the Centre none can sound Whose heights 'bove heav'n and thoughts so loâ—ty soar Whose breadth no feet no lines no chains no eyes survey Whose length no thoughts can reach no worlds can bound What cloud can mask thy face where can thy ray Find an Eclipse what night can hide Eternal Day Our Seas a drop of thine with arms dispread Through all the earth make drunk the thirsty plains Our Sun a spark of thine dark shadows drains Guilds all the world paints earth revives the dead Seas through earth pipes distill'd in Cisterns shed And power their liver springs in river veins The Sun peeps through jet clouds and when his face Are maskt his eyes their light through ayers spread and gleams Shall dullard earth bury life-giving streams Earths â—oggs impound heav'ns lightâ— hell quench heav'n kindling beams How miss I then in bed I sought by night But found not him in rest nor rest without him I sought in Towns in broadest streets I sought him But found not him where all are lost dull sight Thou canst not see him in himself his light Is maskt in light brightness his cloud about him Where when how he 'l be found there then thus seek thy love Thy Lamb in flocks thy Food with appetite Thy Rest on reâ—ting dayes thy Turtle Dove Seeâ— on his cross there then thus Love stands nail'd with love For surely know that Eternal life even CAP. XI All Blessedness is found only in the Lord Iesus Christ. THE whole Portion of man all treasures and true riches which fill man with true blessedness are stored up in Christ Riches and honour are with him yea durable riches and righteousness Prov. 8.18 In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Col. 2.3 He is full of grace and truth and from his fulness we all receive and grace for grace Joh. 1.14 16. and so are we filled with the fulness of God Ephes. 3.19 It will therefore be not more needful than delightful to take a further view of this glorious inheritance so to kindle and inflame our dull hearts with more love and longing after him to drive us to seek and quicken us in seeking that â—o we may find him Of all the Artifices devised and practised by that envious and subtle Serpent this is the principal to draw a Curtain before this express Image of Gods person who being the Brightness of his glory Heb. 1.3 if we could behold with open eyes his Divine beauty would wonderfully ravish our enamoured spirits and so attract win and hold our eyes and hearts that he would utterly raze out all other vain loves and washy colours and cause us wholly to despise all those painted flowers of counterfeit beauties which grow not in his face and shine not in his eyes As therefore that our heavenly Father the Father of lights in his gracious wisdom to draw us to Christ commands his light to shine out of darkness and opens for it a window in our hearts to give us knowledge of the glory of God in no other object but the face of the Loâ—d Iesus Christ 2 Cor. 4.6 so this Prince of darkness imployes all his Engines with all diligence to obscure that light of the Gospel lest in it this Image of God should shine out unto us 2 Cor. 4.4 And as he by his false Apostles deceitful workers labours to distort those amiable lineaments and darken the radiant beauties of the Lord Iesus so our God sets his servants of the Ministry on work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 3.3 to limb out Christ in all his love and excellency to us Now it is he who hath committed that pencil of his Gospel into my weak hand I desire therefore as I can a poor Apprentice in my trade and as I have learnt of him to describe him to you you know well as other Princes so this King of Kings wooes by picture He sends here unto you drawn by a rude hand his pourtrait which as dimm as it is by reason of my unskilfulness is able through his working to enflame your hearts with love with sickness of love with ardent desire and restless longings after him As in the Creature there is a double quality which kindles affection either simple whereby it self is perfect or relative whereby others are bettered so is there in our Lord and Creator a double excellency â—imply considered wherein himself is incomprehenâ—ibly blessed in his most glorious perfections relative in his infinite both goodness and fulness to supply our imperfections and fill us with blessedness For the first because our infirm eyes would soon be dazeled with the rayes of that Sun of Righteousness if in open light and full view he were presented to us therefore the Lord is pleased to mask the face of â—hat glorious lustre with shadows of earthly comparisons and to let us here see the â—ight of it as through a cloud Now as corporal beauty consists 1. Of a â—omely feature when the whole body and â—very limb is cast into a due frame keeping â—ust proportions and every one fashioned in â— right mould neither excessive nor defeâ—tive and 2. Of an amiable colour dispread â—ver the whole body and every member â—hen each part is dressed and tired in such â—livery as most commends it to the eye of the â—eholder so also doth the spiritual view 〈◊〉 curiously drawn Cant. 5. from the 10. v. 〈◊〉 the end There may you behold our beâ—â—ved excellently pourtrayed by the hand of 〈◊〉 own Spirit as well in all his excellencies 〈◊〉 head locks eyes cheeks lipps hands leggs 〈◊〉 countenance mouth as also in his most â—â—vely colours white and ruddy c. The meaning is Look as a person excellently comely in all the lineaments and proportions of every member and exquisitely fair in the natural tapestry of a pure complexion is a most ravishing object to an eye of flesh so in that second Adam the quickning Spirit could we lift up our eyes to take a full view of his dazeling beauties which now are veiled from our imperfect sight for no man can see him and live could we behold in their measures those his most glorious Attributes and then clearly discern that infinite purity shining and sparkling in every one of them it would as once it certainly shall fill our spirits with heavenly raptures and ravishing extasies in contemplation of those divine beauties Take a more particular and distinct view of these most glorious perfections Look what comeliness is in man that in Christ is Omnipotency or All-sufficiency Comeliness iâ— nothing else but that form of body whereby
his grace brings us to immortality and glory Whithersoever you turn you one oâ— these will be at your elbow In every corner you shall meet with the Lovers of thesâ— Harlots doating on their plaistered beauties and drawing others to the same doteageâ— Those Paramours of Rome will deeply swear that their Mistress is the Queen of the World that the Sun even the Scriptures borrows all his beams from her eyes that there is no Paradice but in her arms no Heaven but in her embraces no hope but in her anchour no faith but in her breast no truth but in her mouth that if she commands Vices and prohibits Vertues you were bound to believe that Vices were good and Virtues evil So Bellarm. De Roman Pontif. l. 4. c. 5. The other not so lofty in their boastings but as dangerous in their baits and lurings They will promise you liberty and what is more suitable and sweet to nature but make you as themselves servants to corruption Now if you should trust your own eyes and lean to your own understanding you might easily be charmed with their enchantments But if ever you mean to keep your heart intire for the Lord Iesus you must not afford one glance to these his Rivals but through the glass of his word That but else nothing will broadly display the putrid loathsomeness of these haggs and rotten puppets Be ever asking Where it is written this was the buckler of the Ancients I adore the fulness of Scripture Let the shop of Hermogenes teach us where it is written if it be not written let him fear the woe pronounced against Adders and detracters Tertul. This was the sword of the Spirit whereby our Saviour himself warded his breast from all those fiery darts of Satan and beat down all his strong assaults Matth. 4.4 7 10. But so cunning are some of these Imposters that they will challenge you at your own Weapon They have learnt this fence of their old Master the Devil who seeing our Lord standing upon this guard had presently in shew the same weapon and charged it against him It is written saith he Matth. 4.6 whereby you see how needful it is for you to have your senses exercised in the word to discern good and evil Heb. 5.14 and what necessity lies upon you to meditate in the word of God day and night Psal. 1.2 that you may breath your soul in those breathings of that Holy Spirit The enemy is crafty the issue of the combate life or death eternal Another sort of Whores that old Baud and Pandar the World and the Devil dresâ— up in another fashion to lay battery to your heart the will and affection and they arâ— as if not more dangerous than the former The first is the Lady Mammon boasting her self the only true Riches but indeed a meer slip and counterfeit brass and copper covered with tinfoyl Yet how many unstable souls hath she beguiled She hath all the tricks of a Whore first in quality secondly in action For 1. She is false and lying what content and happiness doth she promise to her Paramours yet did she never satisfie any Lover Eccles. 5.10 How should that give man content which hath no more worth than mans fancy gives it She drowns us in perdition and destruction and pierceth with many sorrows 1 Tim. 6.9 10. 2. She is inconstant and light winged and flies away Prov. 23.5 2. Her actions also whorish she hunts for the precious life of a man Prov. 6.26 No less hire will purchase her company than the price of our souls Matth. 16.26 when she hath shut us within her embraces she shuts us out of the Kingdom of Heaven As soon shall a Camel pass through the eye of a needle as a man loving riches through the strait gate of life Mar. 10.24 25. 2. A Whore sells nothing but repentance and mourning at our latter end Prov. 5.11 And what do men reap from the love of riches but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Jam. 5.1 The way to keep off our hearts from this false Strumpet is to fasten our eyes upon the heavenly Riches which are first true the metal not base but precious promises 2 Pet. 1.4 precious faith much more precious than gold 1 Pet. 1.7 The stamp upon them is the Image of the King of Heaven which makes them currant in all his Dominions 2. They are durable riches Prov. 8.18 they will never fail you In life and death they will follow you Rev. 14.13 He that looks upon God as his Portion and sees in what pleasant places the lines are fallen to him Psal. 16.5 6. He that looks upon Christ his Treasure Col. 2.3 and those glorious riches stored up in him will look upon all other riches as loss and dung Phil. 3.8 and think the meanest room of his heart too precious to be taken up with trash and trumpery The second Harlot is Honour Reputation and Credit with men A proud Strumpet that carryes her head aloft but the veriest dirt of all the rest yet how strong are her allurements How did she draw away those in part-believing Iews specially Rulers Ioh. 12.42 how easily did she carry them down in a stream of popularity from the fountain of life She hath a strong faction in all mens hearts to work for her but principally in those who are great in the worldâ— If ever you attain any eminence there she will prove a dangerous tentation Take heed of casting one glance toward her lest you be overcome Remember that warning of our Saviour you cannot entertain faith and her in one heart Joh. 5.44 Take heed also of being dismayed with her frowns Assuredly know she will affront you with reproach contempt disgrace If ye cleave to Christ were you Kings were you the King of Kings she would not be afraid to revile you and spit in your face David was torn with her mocks Psal. 35.15 16. because he followed that which was good Psal. 38.20 The Son of David derided by proud Pharisees Luk. 16.14 Think not being servants to be above your Master It is enough for the Disciple to be as his Master and the servant as the Lord. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub how much more shall they call them of his houshold Matth. 10.25 whosoever will live godly be sure of â—t shall suffer at least this persecution 2 Tim. â— 12 But take off your eye from this shadow â—nd lye of honour and set it upon that true â—lory Could you with Moses behold but â—ne spark of that heavenly advancement â—ou would with Moses account the reproach 〈◊〉 Christ greater honour than all the treasures of Egypt Heb. 11.26 If you will take up the â—â—count aright thus you will value it for indeed God himself is your praise Deut. 10.21 Christ himself the glory of his Israel Luk. 2.32 And what weight then in the ballance of any impartial judgement can the rotten breath of a mortal creature and the
you vow Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy spirit be hasty to utter any thing before God Eccl. 5.2 Be very sparing and slow in making but sure and timely in paying vows Psal. 67.11 Eccl. 5.4 Let your vowes promise some warrantable service as Iacob Gen. 28.21 22. General vowes made in Baptism pay daily Psal. 61.8 particular seasonably Deut. 23.21 Let your vowes be ever conditional if God will help and assist you then looking to his gracious promises beg strength and stirr up your selves to a diligent and cheerful performance Pay them not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver 2 Cor. 9.7 Frequently thus meditate Great Fount of light whose overflowing streams Lend stars their dimmer â—parks Suns brighter beams Thy mouth spoke light thy hands at first did shed it Along the skie and through the ayer did spred it So shadedst earth with curtains of the night And drewst those curtains to give days their light Then gathering all that scattered light compactedâ—t In one vast burning Lamp and strait enactedst That all less lights should beg their borrowed beams And from that â—ountain fill their narrow streams So that more spiritual and sacred ray Which riâ—ing from thy mouth gave spirits day In those first ages had no certain sphere But breath'd by thee shin'd forth from mouth to ear Aâ— length collected by thy gracious Spirit Fills all the world with light with life and spirit There I behold thy self thy Lamb and Dove Shining in grace burning in heavenly love There I my death and thine thy power my duty See and by seeing change into thy beautie Lord let thy light draw off my wandring eyes From empâ—y forms and lying vanities Oh fix them on thy self and make me see My Light in all things nothing all in thee Thou boughtâ—t me all oh make me all thine own Be all in me I all in thee alone CAP. XX. Man as man is not man but Vanitie THere is but one end to which all men aym all their thoughts desires and actions even Blessedness and but one way leading to this end knowledg but this way hath two periods 1. The knowledg of our selves 2. Of our God a truth so palpable that even heathens in their midnight without eyes could feel something of it and not only find it themselves but commend and prove it to others The whole scripture was penn'd by the Holy Ghost to this very end to be our light and guide in this way yet as far as I conceive no where so briefly and cleerly doth this Guide point out this way unto us as in that short but full sentence Eph. 2.5 Even when we were dead in sins he hath quicken'd us together with Christ. Look as it is with some double-faced pictures if ye view them on the one â—ide you shall see a beautiful pourtrait of some lovely virgin or such like if ye change your place and look on the other side ye see an Owl Ape or some deformed creature so hath Gods blessed Spirit as in Tableture drawn the picture of man If you behold him in himself in his own and old nature he is but a body oâ— death if you look on him in his new nature and in the second Adam full of glorious life One side no better than a Divel if not worse the other no worse than an Angel if not better In the first he is dead dead in sin the death of hell In the second he is alive quickned with Christ in the life of God Let this piece therefore be the last Legacie which in the conclusion of this Testament I bequeath to every one of you that you may hang it up in the best room of your heart where you may have it ever in your eye and there behold your selves 1. In your tombs dead in sins and buried in the graves of lust 2. In your resurrection quickned in and with the Lord Iesus Christ. Death consists 1. In the privation of life when life is not or is now nothing 2. In the consequents of this privation corruption putrefaction stench loathsomness Consider then the picture of your old man 1. In the rude draught the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. In the full pourtrait when all the colours and complements are added In the former Man in the first Adam howsoever magnified by himself or others considered not physically or civilly but spiritually is a base abject creature hardly to be called a creature a very privative and therefore nothing He is as we say a may be possibly he may be some thing but as yet in this estate a sheer vanitie and a meer nothing He is but Somnium hominis a dream and so are all his actions Though he mount up in exâ—ellencie unto the Heavens and his head reach unto the clouds he shall fly away as a dream and not be found chased away as a vision in the night Joh. 20.6 8. As when an hungry man dreams and behold he eats but he awakes and his soul is empty and a thirsty man dreams and behold he drinks but he awakes and behold he is faint and his soul hath appeâ—ite Isa. 29.7 8. voluptuous men in their feasts and riots do but dream that they eat drink and are merry worldlings do but dream that they find treasures and very joyful they are in gathering pocketing and chesting it but they awake and in their hand is nothing Eccl. 5.14 As a dream when one awaketh so oh Lord when thou awakest thou shalt despise their glory Psal. 73.20 Mâ—n is like to vanitie Psal. 144.4 A very small but very like and lively picture so like that as it is spoken of the blind man Ioh. 9. we may say this is he others he is very like him but himself when he hath his eyes will fully confess I am he I am a meer dream and a sheer vanitie Attentively observe that fuller picture Psal. 39.5 Mine age is as nothing before thee and verily every man in his best estate is altogether vanitie Where this emptiness of man is excellently set out in divers propositions 1. Man is vanitie You may say perhaps some men the poor are despised nay 2. Every man Indeed take him at his worst in sickness trouble c. nay 3. In his best estate In some respects it may be as subject to losses crosses death c. nay 4. In all respects Altogether vanitie But is not this an hyperbole more spoken than intended No it is an infallible truth which the Spirit of truth hath bound with an asseveration Verily Verily every man in his best estate is altogether vanitie Nay the Lord proceeds yet further and to convince our self-conceit and fond pride assures us that as men of low degree are vanitie so men of high degree are worse a lie so that high and low weighed in a true ballance are lighter than vanitie it self Psal. 62.9 A lie what great men glittering in their pomp admired by some feared by others are