plowing comes sowing after sowing the seede lies vnder the clots after springeth to a blade eare and last of all a ful corne and these degrees are to be expected in this spirituall haruest also I haue knowne others troubled because they cannot distinctly tell the time of their conuersion Why doe not some women conceiue and know it not for a season yet before long they can easily discerne it And in like sort may the new birth be wrought and yet some while the person be ignorant of the same For as the spirit bloweth where and when so how he listeth Thou must trie it by the effects If therfore the daily course of finne be staied the breasts of thy vnderstanding and heart with the sincere milke of the word be filled and thou trauell in minde and wil that good works may be produced thou art borne of God and one of his adopted children Vse 4 And is this haruest secret and hidden Then let the righteous neuer rest content with any measure of spirituall crop they haue attained to for they haue but like Ruth participated of the gleanings The very chiefe of the haruest is gathered into heauen and there they shall haue it the vpright are in the wildernes and haue but tasted of the good things of the world to come yea this doctrine should cause all of vs to thresh out the word to breake our hard hearts to sow apace both the seeds of good works and the rich and precious graine of prayer Oh that wee did but conceiue aright how these seeds will fructifie and the full sheaues that we shall reape either in life or death or at the last day Truly not one of these cornes shall miscarry but all take roote spring and bring foorth fruite in great abundance I say then be not wearie in this course of husbandry iudge not that The haruest is past but scatter this seed euery where and crie aloud that the great day of reaping may come and the principall time of gathering yea it should moue thee to wish to be loosed and to desire Christs comming to iudgement and then it will appeare what thou shalt be for whatsoeuer good thing any man hath done that same shall bee receiue of the Lord whether he be bond or free It cannot be denied but that as in the daies of Elias the children of God in this world like the corne couered with chaffe may be hidden and not discerned but at that day Christ shall single them out call them by name and reward them according to their workes Euery good intention of the heart each sentence powdred with salt the still prayers that haue been powred out in the poorest corner of a cottage and euery good action done in secret shall come to light and haue his blessing and then the difference will be discerned between the righteous and the wicked between him that serued God and him that serued him not Mal. 3. vlt. Goe on therefore and be not deiected For the husbandman must first sow that he may reape the fruit and hee that soweth liberally shall reape also liberally 2. Cor. 9. 6. And now wee come to obserue a second point the which we gather out of the consequent part of the first proposition which is that Doct. 2 The righteous are the reapers of Gods greatest benefits Light and gladnesse bee sowen for them only and for none other Balaam saw this full well therfore he desired to dye the death of the righteous and that his last end might be like vnto his Dauid crieth out Marke the vpright man and behold the iust for the end of that man shall be peace yea the righteous shall be had in euerlasting remembrance and such shal want no manner of thing for their memorie shall bee blessed here on the earth and their names for euer engrauen in heauen But with the wicked it shall not be so for their fame shall rot their names shall be written in earth their hopes make them ashamed and at the last day their image shall be despised They shall be as chaffe before the winde and shall not be able to stand in the presence of the Lord but bee depriued of the kingdome of heauen and throwne downe into the nethermost hell We deny not but that they may flourish for a time spread themselues like the greene bay tree and bigge Cedars send out their children as sheepe place them on the highest hils play vpon the tabret and harpe spend many daies in carnall pleasures yet for all this in a moment they shall descend into the pit This shall be the portion of vniust and wicked men but the contrary to the righteous And it also standeth with good reason Reason 1 For first the iust are vnited to Christ their husband and head they are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh therefore they shall partake in truth though not in degree of all his priuiledges And from this vnion wee are said to be heires of God Gal. 4. heires annexed with Christ Rom. 8. heires of grace 1. Pet. 3. heires of the kingdome Iam. 2. 5. heires of eternall life Tit. 3. yea coheires with Christ of all things present or to come For the righteous are Christs and Christ is Gods 1. Cor. 3. 21. 22. 23. And as they that are thus grafted into the second Adam shall be partakers of all his goods so the vniust not being in him shall taste of all the heauy iudgements of God the Father He that is not a branch of this Vine shall be cut off wither dye and suffer the vengeance of eternall fire Iude 7. Reason 2 Againe they haue right to all the promises and none but they Heb. 11. 1. 2. Many may say that They are Abrahams seed haue true title to heauen and boast much that They are free but they that so thinke may deceiue their own soules and be farre from the kingdome of heauen For Godlines only hath the promises of this life and the life to come 1. Tim. 4. 8. And if the Sonne make man free then is he free indeed But alas the wicked vniust and prophane haue no promise to inherit heauen all the threats in Gods booke are denounced against them For Many sorrowes shall be to the wicked and they that doe commit sinne shall not be vnpunished And the Apostle is round in this thing Be not saith he deceiued for the vnrighteous shall not inherit the kingdome of God 1. Cor. 6. 9. Reason 3 A third reason is this that as the righteous haue only true title to the promises so they only haue faith to applie them say that wicked men had which they haue not right to the promise of life yet they haue no faith to applie it to themselues in particular whatsoeuer such men bragge and boast of yet All men haue not faith and he that beleeueth not is
and the not keeping of the Law be debts as in truth they be then as Paul writeth to Philemon concerning Onesimus let vs in all humilitie of heart by the hand of faith set both on Christs score And thus much for the matter of our iustification by which we are made righteous The manner how or by what meanes it is applied followeth and that is faith and faith onely for we are iustified by faith onely as by an instrumentall cause for faith laieth hold on the obiect matter of our iustification Christ and his obedience and so vniting the beleeuer to him hee is iustified though not by his owne inherent and actuall righteousnesse So that God the Father accepteth of this satisfaction as if we in our owne persons had both for holinesse of nature and perfection of obedience absolutely answered and fulfilled the Lawes iustice And from this that I haue said we may gather these conclusions First that None was euer personally righteous but Christ onely For if his Father would marke what was done amisse yet he was and is and euer shall be able to abide it for he was holy for nature and perfect for life Againe hence it will follow that all men stand in neede of Christs merits and all cause of boasting is totally excluded from mankind yea whatsoeuer Papists babble the blessed Virgin her selfe So that the person for whom light is sowne is hee that by faith applieth Christ and his obedience being offered by the Father to himselfe in particular And thirdly we may from this safely conclude that They who haue no faith cannot be iustified and consequently saued For wee must of necessitie haue faith to apply Christ as an instrument for faith is as a hand to receiue and put on the righteousnesse and merits of the second Adam We are said to liue by faith that is in beleeuing in the Lord of life They therefore that haue no faith are dead in trespasses and sinnes Adam had life in himselfe at the creation now we haue it out of our selues from Christ at our iustification And last of all we may collect that the obiect of faith and matter of iustification is not within vs but without vs and that we stand in need of the same else no saluation whence these three Corollaries follow First that sinnes before conuersion cannot hinder mans perfect iustification Let this bee well obeserued Secondly that good workes after our effectuall vocation doe not further our iustification before the Lord they will helpe to assure vs that our faith is sound and iustifie vs in the eyes of the world but no other waies And lastly from this I also conclude that They are in a great errour who hold the bare act of faith without the application of Christ and his obedience to iustifie We are said to liue by our hands yet wee vnderstand that it is meant by that we get by labor and trauell for no man eates his fingers so wee may truly be said to be iustified and saued through faith but wee must know that it is by what faith resteth on and applieth to the person and no otherwise this is the plaine meaning And now I come to the second branch of my text and ioy Some expound the first part by the second and say that by light is meant ioy and by iust vpright in heart But I rather vnderstand that sanctification is meant in this clause for many are apt to say they haue faith yet want holinesse therefore the spirit would take away that false cauill Againe good and righteous persons call the soundnesse of their faith sometimes into question doubting of the truth of their spirituall condition therefore to remoue that scruple and to comfort and settle their wauering minds the Prophet annexeth as a helpe this other clause wherein is comprehended sanctification And vsually in the holy Booke these two are coupled together and they may not be put asunder 1. Cor. 6. 11. Now for the interpretation of the words some reade ioy others gladnesse the difference of these two I take to be this Ioy is in the heart secretly hidden and gladnesse may be seene in the face or by some outward signe discerned for where one Euangelist writeth Reioyce and bee glad another saith Reioyce and leape Feare and ioy are internall but trembling and gladnesse externall See Mat. 5. 12. Luk. 6. 23. Psal 2. 11. Matth. 28. 8. Vpright Seemes to be a Metaphor tooke from a pillar or thing that standeth as wee say bolt vpright not inclining more one way than another or some reade it Right or Streight of heart that is in whose thoughts intentions and conuersations is no guile like Nathanaël or Ezekiah and heart is added to shew the true roote of sinceritie as also to condemne outward hypocrisie for some like the old Pharisies are iust outwardly but inwardly full of rottennes the heart is not vpright what shew soeuer they make of holinesse and righteousnes or it may be annexed for the comfort of the iust that though they faile sometimes in outward act yet it falleth foorth contrary to the intent and former purpose of their heart for the most faithfull hath his failings whatsoeuer his resolutions haue been to the contrary And now in few other words thus may we plainly resolue these What if the faithfull be afflicted ouerwhelmed with the waues of sorrow compassed about with great and manifold euils drowned in the depth of depths and well neere swallowed vp of ouermuch heauinesse shall they not heare of glad tidings will not ioy breake out as light in the morning and all teares be wiped from their eyes yes this is an eternall truth that All such as are iustified by faith in Christ sanctified hauing hearts without guile by the word and spirit though they sow in teares plow in paine and all their crop seeme to be blasted yet there be great blessings appointed by God for them which though for a season they be couered and hidden like corne in the furrowes they shall one day reape and receiue in earth and heauen according to the sure promise of the Lord. Thus to our power hauing pickt out the true meaning wee come to gather some profitable instructions and out of the word sowen we may first obserue that Doct. 1 The righteous mans haruest in secret and hidden It lieth like the corne couered in the ground Their life is hid and it is not manifest what they shall be No eye hath seene or eare heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man what the Lord hath laid vp for them that loue him Name what you can and it will be a mysterie a secret thing that belongs to the vpright in heart Reason 1 First is not the decree of God a hidden thing a depth vnsearchable and able to make a man astonied Did not Paul crie out Oh the deepnesse of the riches both of the wisedome and counsell of God! how
vnsearchable are his iudgements and his waies past finding out Reason 2 And is not the incarnation of Christ a secret too what more to be admired than That God should become man and be manifested in the flesh The very Angels desired to peepe into this mysterie This is one of the Lords wonderfull workes The way of a virgin with a man Reason 3 Againe the conuersion and regeneration of a sinner a admirable it s a noble yet a secret work Nicodemus a great Doctor could not see into it And if naturall births be so strange what shall wee iudge of this Reason 4 Moreouer Peace of conscience and ioy in the holie Ghost is no open matter None knoweth it but hee that hath it So is the earnest of the Spirit and true seale of saluation the power life and sweetnes of the word The remission of pardon for sinne with Certaintie of saluation 1. Pet. 1. 8. Reason 5 And in the fifth place the haruest is secret if we consider where it is growing One close is The secret purpose of God and who can vnderstand it A second is his word and how hardly is that to be searched into A third is a mans owne heart and is not that both secret and deceitfull And last of all the very principall part of the haruest is hid with Christ in heauen and when hee appeares it will appeare what it shall be Vse 1 And is the Righteous mans haruest secret and hidden Then the prophane must learne not to speake euill of their waies as though of all time it were the worst spent time that is spent in the seruice of God Why shouldest thou report basely of what thou art ignorant of Doest thou know what delight is in reading praying hearing singing and meditating that art dead and neuer couldst awake to goe to worke Canst thou see into the heart of another and tell of his treasure When wast thou in the third heauē to take view of the great things that there be by God prouided for his seruants against the great day of Reaping Therefore indge not lest thou be iudged vnderstand the truth and then speake for its wisdome to conceale any thing we know not as it commendable to speake the truth of a knowne good matter Thou art to learne that Gods children are a hidden people and haue hidden comforts such as the world knowes not of Sometime you shall haue a man commended on this manner when peraduenture his suite is not of the costliest Oh Sir as meane a man as he seemeth there is few such in the parish he is an vnknowne man there is no end of his good This may truly be said of all the faithfull though they should goe in sheep skinnes camels haire and fare meanly euery day that there be but too few such in the parish they are vnknowne men and of a truth there is no end of their good for are they not called Gods stored or hidden ones Psal 83. 4. Is not their kingdome a treasure hid in the field How much is that goodnesse O Lord thou hast laid vp for them that trust in thee Dauid admired or desired as one doubtfull to be resolued Vse 2 And the righteous here are also to be admonished that they doe not regard the censures of such as are blinded by the God of this world What if they like Pharaoh crye out Who is the Lord that we should serue him and is there any profit in seruing the Almightie Why they cannot iudge of thy estate they perceiue not the things of the spirit of God but count them foolishnesse They thinke that Gaine is godlinesse and are out of the way How can a blind man vnderstand and iudge of colours and are not great and secret things too high for a foole Say therfore with the Apostle I passe not for such mens iudgements or rather pray with thy Sauiour Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe crye out in compassion with Stephen Lord lay not this sinne vnto their charge Is it to be expected that such as counted Christ to be without forme reputed him a wine bibber Iohn to haue a diuell and the chiefe seruants of the Gospel filled with the spirit to be drunk with new wine and out of their wits should iudge and esteeme charitably of thee and thy proceedings Neuer expect this for it is a thing impossible Nature cannot goe beyond it selfe and naturall men cannot discerne of things that are spirituall Vse 3 And is this Haruest hidden Then it may be a comfort to the vpright in heart when they thinke their owne state to bee miserable What if afflictions compasse thee like a garment the fiery triall seeme to burne thee wicked men rise vp in armes against thee or Satan shoote his sharpe shafts to wound thee Suppose the Father seeme to frowne vpon thee Christ to reiect thee and the fellowship of the Spirit to be departed from thee Yet must thou hope stil for thine haruest is secret and often blasted in thine owne eye Was not Dauid himselfe sometime as one reiected Did he not crie Lord restore me to the ioy of thy saluation Iob was in a great straite when he set downe this peremptorie sentence While mans flesh is vpon him hee shall be sorrowfull and so long as his spirit is within him it shall mourne And haue not the dearest of Gods Saints been strangely for a time perplexed Assure thy selfe that No new thing is befallen thee or strange matter come vnto thee but such as are incident to the Lords beloued ones He that readeth Dauids Psalmes would imagine the man to be mad that penned them if he had not some experience of spirituall desertions What is liker to good graine than grasse at the first sprouting or shooting vp of both and what doth more resemble faith than infidelitie especially at the first instant of a mans conuersion Yong Conuerts to speake with reuerence are not vnlike some of your London Cockneyes tell them when they come into the Countrey that wheate is wheate hauing but couered the earth and not growne vp to a blade and eare they will not credit you for they haue no experience in matters of that nature they haue bought it onely winnowed in the market and therefore imagine so to finde it growing but the skilfull husbandman knoweth full well that the corne in his close will be as good wheate at haruest as any that is sold in all their Citie So hee that is not an old disciple and hath not skill in this kinde of husbandrie because hee findeth not faith and hope and loue perfect at the first breaking vp of the field of his soule by the plow of the word feareth that hee hath no grace at all but a grounded Christian knoweth the contrary Learn then this lesson that after
condemned already Many in their fond imaginations thinke that like the Giant of Gath they haue vpon the hand of their faith sixe fingers yet alas when they come in the day of death or time of triall to feed on the promise to put on the Lord Iesus Christ they like Adonibezek will lacke their thumbes and dye for want of feeding on the food and true bread of eternall life Now the righteous haue not only the precious promises but also precious faith the which two being vnited carry the whole man into the garner of God and large field of the kingdome of glory for me are saued by faith And as the sickle is to the hand of the reaper so is faith to the soule of the righteous and true beleeuer Reason 4 And last of all hee that is a reaper of these fauours must fit himselfe for the kingdome of heauen and that the Lord of glory may come in He must cast out the bondwoman and her sonne Satan and all the seeds of sinne purge himselfe of the old leauen cleanse the inside of the cup and platter of his soule and this will none but the righteous doe vngodly men lodge their Lord in the Inne they cast him into a cratch suffer him to knocke yet permit him not to enter and suppe with them They will not dresse and sweepe the floore of their soules cast out the rotten goundsell in the barnes of their hearts and emptie themselues of that rubbish that shutteth the doore dammeth vp the roome and shouldreth out this heauenly ricke this haruest of the Lord But the righteous they sweepe the house make way for the haruest open the doore pluck vp the euerlasting gates and giue the King of glory good great and royall entertainment so that he will sup with them they with him and partake of all his fatlings Vse 1 And seeing the point thus by reason and Scripture confirmed let vs come to make application And here in the first place we may see the vanity of our prophane and vngodly persons who crie out as the people in former times if wee preach this doctrine that Only the righteous reap these great fauours you take too much vpon you Moses and Aaron for all the congregation is holy Thus they in this cleere light of the Gospell say what in their hearts with the foole No in publique and seeke to defend it that All shall be heires of Gods greatest benefits not one shall perish And wee say too that if they be righteous and for number as the dust of the earth or starres in heauen that they shal all inherit the kingdom of God and of glorie but if they be proud vniust deceitful and want vpright hearts were they as the sand on the sea shore drops in the huge Ocean graines on the ground or fishes in the water for multitude that so liuing and so dying they must reape nothing but wrath vengeance and the largest fields of Gods highest displeasure euery mothers sonne Darkness trembling terror and the sting of the second death shal be the sheafe of their field the corne of their barne and the best graine that shall be preserued for the garner of their soules for they were neuer vnited to Christ haue any right to the promises truth of faith in their hearts neither would open the gates of their soules that the King of glorie might come in and finde fauourable acceptation And yet for all this in the land of vprightnes they will doe wickedly What shal I say or where shal I begin and when make an end Haue wee not the biting vsurie the cursed couetousnesse the deuouring oppression the destroying extortion the shop of dearth darknes and deceit the vnequall weight mixt ware and counterfeit stuffe And as sure as the word of God is true and holy and iust that vpon whom these foule sinnes shall be found hee shall dye the death I know that this is a hard position to settle in their minds yet he that denieth this for a truth must turne Atheist gainsay that there is a resurrection a iudgement to come and a iust Iudge that reuengeth all wrong Psal 50. 21. 2. Pet. 3. 3. 4. Vse 2 And in the second place here is a world of comfort to the vpright in heart For whatsoeuer the Lord hath sowne in earth or heauen if thou faint not thou shalt reape in due time In earth thou shalt haue food and raiment fit and conuenient and if need be in great abundance Let the waters swell the sea rore the earth tremble the winde blow and the floods come yet thou shalt escape all danger Let the Sunne be darke the Moone turned into blood the Starres fall the heauens burne and the elements melt with heate yet iust Lot shall be deliuered Noah escape drowning for righteousnes is written in thy forehead and the destroyer shall not destroy thee What if thou sow in teares plow vp thy ground in a time of mourning yet thou shalt reape with ioy and by the hand of the Angell be carried like a rick of come in due time into the garner of God For faithfull is he that hath promised and will surely doe it Hee hath sowen and his sonnes shall reape though the haruest be long in comming the crop shall be the bigger the better Therefore in the middest of all thy sorrowes let this meditation comfort thy soule that the righteous and vpright in heart of which number thou art shall be the reapers of Gods greatest benefits Vse 3 And seeing this is thus Let no man say that It is in vaine to serue the Lord and that Godlinesse is not gainfull for it is profitable euery manner of way Iob serues not God for nought neither doth righteousnes preuent riches The fooles prouerbe is that He that vseth plaine dealing shall die a beggar I say no and adde more that hee that doth not vse it shall dye like Iudas a very beast and iudge whether is the better I can tell you that when the heauy sentence shall visit vs that did Ezekiah Thou must dye not liue then will the worth of a well led life be a matter of moment a thing much set by seene into and this tidings shal come and will not tarry and then shall the iust liue by his faith haue boldnes of spirit and reape that riches the great husband in heauen had sowne and prepared from the beginning for the vpright Then shall he haue all teares wiped from his eyes rest from his labours and his life shall see the euerlasting light yea he shall reape fulnes of ioy freedome from all bondage and pleasures for euermore Vse 4 And in the last place seeing the righteous are the only reapers of the Lords greatest blessings it must be a strong motiue to moue vs to be such We would all be set at libertie both spirituall and corporall enjoy all the blessings that the great