BEAMS OF DIVINE LIGHT, Breaking forth from several places of holy Scripture, as they were learnedly opened, In XXI. Sermons. The III. first being the foregoing Sermons to that Treatise called The Bruised-Reed, Preached on the precedent words. By the late Reverend and judicious Divine, RICHARD SIBS, D.D. Mr. of Katherine Hall in Camb: and sometimes Preacher at GRAY'S INN. Published according to the Doctor his own appointment subscribed with his hand; to prevent imperfect Copies. ESAY. 60 3. The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and Kings to the brightness of thy rising. PSALM. 84.11. For the Lord God is a Sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory; and no good thing will be withhold from them that walk uprightly. LONDON. Printed by G.M. for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R Harford, at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater Noster-Row. MDCXXXIX. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE JOHN, LORD ROBERTS, Baron of Truro: AND TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LADY LUCE his pious Consort, Grace and Peace from Jesus Christ. Right Honourable and truly Noble: IT was not so much the Nobility of your blood, as that of Grace given unto you from the divine hand, which did so much interest you in the love and esteem of that worthy Servant of Christ, and Author of this work; in whom▪ Vrim and Thummim met, whose whole course being a real, and vital sermon, sweetly consonant to the tenor of his teaching, made him amiable living, and honourable dead in the opinion of as many as well knew him: This was the thing (I suppose) which wrought unto him from you (as well as from many others of your Noble Stock and Ranke) more than an ordinary esteem: and this is that which maketh me in nothing to doubt, but that his labours made public under your names, shall be very welcome unto you: the work is answering unto the man; and therefore worthy you, and your acceptance: only this is the disadvantage; that though these Sermons had his own tongue to preach them; yet they want his own pen to commend them unto your Honours: I well know that the expressions of holy truths from a gracious heart by lively voice do breed deeper impressions in thirsting and reverend hearers, than any publishing of them in dead letters can do; yet this we find in experience, that holy and necessary truths, this way coming abroad into the Churches of God, do get the advantage to continue longer, and to become a more general good; they may stir up the affections, and set on-wards in the course of holiness where the comforts are sure, and the honours honouring everlasting. In these ensuing Sermons you have variety the mother of delight; and such notable descriptions of the person, offices, love, and life of Christ, that by them you may not only be settled in divine assurances to your further comforts, but also directed and encouraged (both in your inward and outward conversation) to follow the example of Christ, the most blessed and unerring example unto all Christians. This Champion I beseech you both to follow unto your lives end; make it your work to set up Christ, and his Religion both in your hearts, and in your houses. Acknowledge none but Christ in matter of salvation; and none to Christ in point of affection: let Christ be Christ with you, and then if Christ (and if not Christ nothing can) be worth any thing he will make you worthy indeed, he will prove unto you in life and death a Sun, a shield, even a full and an answerable good: with this Christ I leave you, and with you these ensuing Sermons, to be read and observed for your spiritual furtherance in the enjoyment of eternal life by jesus Christ, desiring the great God of Heaven and Earth to look upon both you and yours in much grace and mercy; giving unto you all the comfort and crown of Religion here on earth; and hereafter in Heaven. I rest, Your honours to be commanded JOHN SEDOWICK. To the Reader. Christian Reader: THE Word of God is given us as a most precious treasure, and that not for ourselves only, but for our children after us, and therefore is called Jsraels' Jnheritance, Deut. 33.4. Moses commanded us a Law, even the Inheritance of the Congregation of jacob. All the wealth in the world is but as dirt and trash in comparison of the Word to the people of God. (Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever; for they are the rejoicing of mine heart, saith David, Psal. 119.111.) And therefore as they rejoice in their own enjoying of it, so they do what they may to assure it to their children when they are dead, that it may be entailed upon them and their posterity after them, Yea so they do also with the knowledge of divine truths which they have found in the Word, (which is not indeed found out by men all at one time, but by degrees, as Gold is found in Mines▪ as men come to search farther and farther and to dig deeper and deeper for it) It was not (they know) imparted to them for their own use only, but for the benefit of others, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to profit withal, 1 Cor. 12.7. and therefore as it comes to them from Heaven they hand it to others, 1 Tim. 3.15. that so it may be continued in the Church, the ground and pillar of truth, for the good of those that shall live in future times. This was, I hope, the chief aim of those that have published these Sermons of that worthy Light of our Church, Dr. Sibs. And surely we have great cause in this regard thankfully to acknowledge their care and pains, who both took them so exactly from his mouth as he delivered them, and then kept them so charity as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a precious thing committed to their trust, 2 Tim. 1.14 and have now published them for the common good of all that will make use of them. For by this means what was delivered to a few may now build up many to farther degrees of knowledge and grace even all the Land over, and they that never saw his face may be made sharers in those his labours which only a few were so happy as to hear. Being myself one amongst others that have found the advantage hereof, I was not so hardly won as otherwise I should have been, to commend these Beams of divine Light to the respect of others. Divers truths of greatest consequence are exactly handled in the several Sermons here presented to you, as concerning the misery of our natural estate and the bl●sse and happiness of those that are quickened by Christ, concerning the necessity of the Word, our spiritual Food & the Zealous Violence of the Faithful impressing after it, concerning the diverse both joys and sorrows, complaints and Triumphs of God's children here, when they are black though comely, Cant. 1.5. and concerning their happiness in death, and glory after it, and many other whereof these few are only a taste, The study of the Scriptures made the Author a man of God, perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, and as became a faithful Steward of the manifold grace of God, he endeavoured to teach the whole counsel of God, and to store men with the knowledge of God's will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. I desire that both thou and I and all God's people may so read these his labours that it may farther our growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord jesus Christ, to whose grace I commend thee, being Woodstreet, November 6. 1638. Thine in him ARTHUR. JACKSON. A DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST, In His nearness to GOD, In His calling, In His qualification, In His execution of his calling. In three Sermons, Being the leading Sermons to that Treatise called the Bruised Reed, preached upon the precedent words. By the late Reverend and learned Divine RICHARD SIBS, Doctor in Divinity, Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at GRAY'S INN. ISA. 61.1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. LONDON. Printed by G M. for N Bourne, and R. Harford and are to be sold at the south entrance of the Royal Exchange, and at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head-Alley in Paternoster row. MDCXXXIX. A DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST. MAT. 12.18. Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my Beloved in whom my soul is well pleased, I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall show judgement to the Gentiles, he shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets, etc. THE words are the accomplishment of a prophecy taken out of Isaiah 42. as we may see by the former verse, Scope of the words. That it might be fulfiled. Now the occasion of bringing them in here in this verse, it is a charge that Christ gives verse. 16. That they should not discover and make him known for the miracles he did, he withdraws himself, he was desirous to be concealed, he would not live to the view overmuch: for he knew the rebellious disposition of the Jews, that were willing to change their government, and to make him King, therefore he laboured to conceal himself all kind of ways, now upon this charge that they should tell no body, he brings in the Prophet Isaiah prophesying of him, Behold my servant, etc. he shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. Other Kings labour that their pomp and magnificence may be seen, but he shall not mind ostentation, he shall not be contentious nor clamorous, for these 3. things are meant when he saith, he shall not strive, nor cry, neither shall his voice be heard in the streets, he shall not yield to any ostentation: for he came in an abased state to work our salvation, he shall not be contentious, nor yet clamorous in matter of wrong, there shall be no boasting any kind of way, as we shall see when we come to the words, you see then the inference here. The inference in the Prophet Isaiah is to comfort the people, and to direct them how to come to worship the true God, after he had declaimed against their Idolatry, as we see in the former chapter, Behold my servant, etc. Great Princes have their Ambassadors, and the great God of Heaven hath his Son, his servant in whom he delights, through whom, and by whom, all intercourse between God and man is. It is usual in the Prophecies, especially of Isaiah that Evangelicall Prophet, when he foretells any thing comfortable to the people, Christ promised in the old testament. in the promise of temporal things he riseth to establish their faith in better things, 1 To establish faith in other promises. by adding thereto a prophecy, and promise of Christ the Messias, to insinuate thus much, I will send you the Messias that is a greater gift than this that I have promised you, therefore you may be sure of the less, as the Apostle reasons excellently, Rom. 8. If he spared not his own son but delivered him to death for us all, how shall he not with him give us all things? So here, I have promised you deliverance out of Babylon, and this and that, do you doubt of the performance? alas what is that in comparison of a greater favour I intent you in Christ, that shall deliver you out of another manner of Babylon, Behold my servant whom I have chosen, and in Isa. 7. Behold a Virgin shall conceive, and bore a son, etc. I will send you the Messias, God shall become man, therefore I will not stand for any outward favour or deliverance whatsoever. So he goes to the grand promise, that they might reason from the greater to the less. There is another end why in other promises, 2 To comfort them against their own unworthiness. there is mention of the promise of the Messias, to uphold their faith. Alas we are unworthy of these promises, we are laden with sin and iniquity. It is no matter, I will send you the Messias, Behold my servant in whom my soul delighteth, and for his sake I will delight in you, I am well pleased with you, because I am well pleased in him, therefore be not discouraged, All the Promises are yea and Amen in jesus Christ: 2 Cor. 1.19. For all the promises that be, (though they be for the things of this life) they are made for Christ, they are yea in him, and they are performed for his sake, they are Amen in him; So much for the occasion of the inference in the Evangelist Saint Matthew, and likewise in the Prophet Isay. To come more directly to the words. Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my Beloved in whom my soul is well pleased, etc. In the words you have a description of Christ, his nearness to God, Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my Beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. And then his calling and qualification, I will put my Spirit upon him. And the execution of that calling, He sh●ll show judgement to the Gentiles. Then the quiet and peaceable manner of the execution of his calling, He shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets, etc. Behold, This word is as it were a Beacon lighted up to all the rest, in all the Evangelists you have this word often repeated, and the Prophets likewise when they speak of Christ, there is no Prophecy almost but there is this word Behold, Why? The word Behold used. Not to spend time in the variety of acceptions, but to speak of it as may serve for the present purpose. 1 To show Christ as present. The use of it in the Prophet, especially out of which these words are taken, was to present Christ to the hearts of the people of God then, therefore he saith Behold; for Christ was present to the Believers then, he did profit before he was, he did good before he was exhibited, because he was the Lamb of God slain from the beginning of the world, he was yesterday as well as to day, and to morrow as well as to day, yesterday, to day, and the same for ever: he was present to their Faith, and present to them in Types and Sacrifices, and present in God's acceptation of him for them; therefore the Prophets mount up with the wing of Prophecy, and in regard of the certainty of the things to come, they speak as if they were present, as if they had looked on Christ present, Behold my servant, and Behold a Virgin, etc. But that is not all, 2 To take their minds off from their miseries. another use of this word Behold, was to call the people's minds from their miseries, and from other abasing objects that dejected them, and might force despair; why do you dwell upon your unworthiness, and sin, raise up your minds, Behold my servant whom I have chosen, etc. This is an object worth beholding and admiration, especially of a distressed soul that may see in Christ whatsoever may comfort it. 3 To raise their minds from earthly things. A third end of it is to raise the mind from any vulgar, common, base contents, you look on these things, and are carried away with common trivial objects, as the poor Disciples when they came to the Temple, they stood wondering at the stones, what wondrous stones? what goodly building is here? so shallow minded men, they see any earthly excellency, they stand gazing; Alas saith Christ, do you wonder at these things? so the Prophet here raiseth up the minds of men to look on an object fit to be looked on, Behold my servant, etc. So that the Holy Ghost would have them from this saving object, Christ, to raise satisfaction to their souls every way; are you dejected? here is comfort; are you sinful? here is righteousness; are you led away with present contentments? here you have honours, and pleasures, and all in Christ Jesus, you have a right to common pleasures that others have, and besides them you have interest to others that are everlasting pleasures that shall never fail; so that there is nothing that is dejecting, and abasing in man, but there is comfort for it in Christ Jesus, he is a salve for every sore, a remedy for every malady, therefore, Behold my servant. This word Behold, it is a word of wonderment, and indeed in Christ there are a world of wonders, every thing is wonderful in him. Things new are wonderful, and things rare, and things that are great, that transcend our capacity are wonderful, that that stops our understanding that it cannot go through them, vulgar things we see thorough them quickly, but when we see things that stay our understandings, that raise our understandings higher, and that are more capacious than our understandings, here is matter of admiration and wonder. Now whatsoever may make wonderment is in Jesus Christ, whose name is Wonderful, as it is Isaiah 9.7. therefore the Prophet saith, Behold. My servant. Christ is called a servant, Christ a servant. first in respect of his creation, because being man, as a creature he was a servant, but that is not all. He was a servant in respect of his condition; servant implies a base and low condition, 1 By Condition. Philip. 2. Christ took upon him the form of a servant, he emptied himself, he was the lowest of all servants in condition: for none was ever so abased as our glorious Saviour. And then, 2 By Office. it it a name of office as well as of base condition. There are ordinary servants and extraordinary, as great Kings have their servants of state. Christ besides his abasement, he was a servant of state, he was an Ambassador sent from the great God, a Prophet, a Priest, and a King, In respect o● God. as we sh●ll see afterwards, an extraordinary servant to do a piece of service that all the Angels in Heaven, and all the men on the Earth joined together could not perform, this great masterpiece of service was to bring God and man together again that were at variance, as it is, 1 Pet. 3.18. 1. Pet. 3.18. to bring us to God, we were severed and scattered from God, his office was to gather us together again, to bring us all to one head again, to bring us to himself and so to God, to reconcile us, as the Scripture phrase is. Now it being the greatest work and service that ever was, it required the greatest servant, for no creature in the world could perform it, all the Angels of Heaven would have sunk under this service to have undergone satisfaction to divine justice: for the Angels themselves when they sinned, they could not recover themselves but sunk under their own sin eternally; thus we see how he is God's servant, who set him a part and choose him to his service. In respect of us. And then, he was a servant to us, for the Son of man came to minister, not to be ministered unto, he washed his Disciples feet, he was a servant to us, because he did our work and suffered our punishment, we made him serve by our sins, as the Prophet saith; he is a servant that bears an other man's burden, there was a double burden, of obedience active, and obedience passive, he bore them both, he came under the law for us, both doing what we should have done, and indeed far more acceptably, and suffering that we should have suffered and far more acceptably, he being our surety, being a more excellent person, he did bear our burden, and did our work, therefore he was God's servant, and our servant, and God's servant, because he was our servant, because he came to do a work behooveful to us. Herein appears the admirable love and care of God to us wretched creatures, here is matter of wonderment. If we look to him that was a servant. If we look to that in God, and him, that made him stoop to be a servant. If we look to the manner of the performance of this service. If we look to to the fruit of that service, they are all matter of wonderment. God's love to us. If we look to the person that was this servant, 1 In the person thus abased. Phil. 2. the Apostle in Philip. 2. will tell you he thought it not robbery to be equal with God, yet he took upon him the shape of a servant, was not this wonderful for God to become man, the glorious God to abase himself to be a servant? God-Man glorious God, and base servant: for the living God to dye, for the incomprehensible God to be enclosed in the womb of a Virgin, for glory itself to be abased, for riches to become poor, what matter of wonderment is here? the very Angels stand at a gaze and wonder, they pry into these things, his name may well be Wonderful. There are four notable conjunctions that are especially wonderful, 4. Conjunctions wonderful. two in us and two above us. One in us, is the conjunction of so excellent a thing as the soul breathed in by God, the soul of man is an admirable thing, the world is not worth it in the judgement of him that gave himself for it, that this should be joined to a piece of earth, indeed I am wonderfully made saith David, in regard of his body, but the conjunction of the soul and body together, so excellent a substance, to so base a thing as earth, to a piece of red well coloured earth, to a lump of flesh, it is a wondrous conjunction. But there is a more supernatural conjunction of man, when all of us, sinners as we are, are knit to Christ our head, and head and members make one Christ, here is a wondrous conjunction, Saint Paul calls it a mystery, Ephes. 5. these conjunctions in us are wonderful. But now (to go higher) in Christ there are more wonderful conjunctions, for the greatest and the meanest to join together, for God and man to come together, the Lord of all, and a servant, and such a servant as should be under a curse, for the highest of all to come to the deepest abasement, for there was no abasement ever so deep as Christ's was, in a double regard. Christ's abasement t●e greatest. First, none ever went so low as he, for he suffered the wrath of God, and bore upon him the sins of us all, none ever was so low. And then in another respect his abasement was greatest, because he descended from the highest top of glory, and for him to be man, to be a servant, to be a curse, to suffer the wrath of God, to be the lowest of all; Lord whether dost thou descend? here is a wonder in these conjunctions. Next to Christ's abasement was adam's, because he was the most excellent, being in the state of innocence, and carrying the image of God, and being familiar with God, for him presently to come into that fearful condition, it was the greatest abasement, because it was from the greatest dignity, that made the abasement of Christ so great, for Lordship to submit to service, for God to be man, the blessed God to become a curse, here is matter of wonder indeed. In Christ again there was a conjunction of perfect body, perfect soul, and perfect God, and all make one Christ; In the Trinity there is a conjunction of three persons in one nature, that is a wondrous conjunction, but it belongs not to our present purpose, here you see there is matter of wonder in the person, that Christ should be a servant. There is matter of wonder likewise in that from whence he is a servant; 2 Whence Christ was so abased. whence comes it that Christ is a servant? It is from the wondrous love of God, and the wondrous love of Christ, to be so abased, it was wondrous love in God to give him to us to be so abased, and the wondrous misery we were in, that we could not otherwise be freed from; for such was the pride of man, that he being man would exalt himself to be like God, God became man, he became a servant to expiate our pride in Adam, so that it is wondrous in the spring of it. There was no such love as Christ's to become a servant, there was no such misery as we were in out of which we were delivered by this abasement of Christ, becoming a servant, so it is wondrous in that regard, springing from the infinite love and mercy of God, God's love in Redemption gre●ter then in Creation. which is greater in the work of Redemption, and Reconciliation, then in the Creation of the world, for the distance between nothing and something was less than the distance between sin and happiness. For nothing adds no opposition, but to be in a sinful state there is opposition, therefore it was greater love and mercy for God when we were sinful, (and so obnoxious to eternal destruction) to make us of sinners not only men, but to make us happy, to make us heirs of heaven out of a sinful and cursed estate, then to make us of nothing something, to make us men in Adam, for there God prevailed over nothing, but here his mercy triumphed over that which is opposite to God, over sinfulness and cursedness. To show that the creature cannot be so low, but there is somewhat in God above the misery of the creature, his mercy shall triumph over the basest estate where he will show mercy, therefore there is mercy above all mercy, and love above all love, in that Christ was a servant. Thirdly, 3 The fruit of Christ's aba●ement. it is wondrous in regard of the fruit we have by this service of Christ, the work of our Redemption, to be translated from the kingdom of Satan to the glorious liberty of the sons of God, to be brought out of darkness into marvellous light, it is marvellous matter of wonder, the good we have by this abasement of Christ, Behold what love the Father hath showed us that we should be called the sons of God? Now all this comes from Christ's being a servant, our liberty comes from his service and slavery, our life from his death, our adoption and sonship and all comes from his abasement, therefore it is a matter of wonderment for the great things we have by it, O the depth, O the depth saith Saint Paul, here are all dimensions in this excellent work that Christ hath wrought by his abasement, by his incarnation, and taking upon him the form of a servant, and dying for us, here is the height, and breadth, and length, and depth of the love of God in Christ, O the riches of God's mercy, the Apostles they stand in a wonder and admiration of this, and indeed if any thing be to be admired, it is Christ, that wondrous conjunction, the wondrous love that wrought it, and the wondrous fruit we have by it. Matter of wonderment in the work of Redemption. It is the baseness of our nature we can wonder at shallow things, there cannot be a foolery but there will be many about it presently, and stand admiring every empty idle thing, that the nature of man is carried away with, whereas indeed there is nothing worthy of admiration but the wonderful love of God, O how wonderful are thy works? saith David of the works of Creation, Psal. 8. the work of Creation and of providence whereby God guides the world are wonderful, and the Psalmist cries out of the folly of men, that do not regard the work of the Lord, Psal. 107. Fools regard not this, The works of the Lord are worthy to be considered, they are known of all that delight in them, Psal. 111. but if these things be so wonderful, and to be regarded and delighted in, alas what is all the work of redemption? Great is the mystery of godliness, God manifested in the flesh, etc. there are mysteries, matters of admiration, but carnal men think these trivial matters, they can hear matters of more rarity, and when they speak of these things, alas they are too wise to wonder, tush, they know the Gospel well enough, whereas indeed, as we see here, they are things that deserve the admiration of Angels, and as they deserve it, so the Angels prie into these excellent secrets in Jesus Christ. Christ a servant by way of excellency. Christ was a servant by office and by condition, we must not rest in this base condition: for he took upon him the form of a servant that he might be an excellent servant, there is both baseness and excellency in the word servant: for his humiliation was a degree of his exaltation, and a part of his advancement; if we regard his humane nature, it was an advancement for man's nature to be grafted into God by conception, and incarnation, b●t if we regard his Godhead, for him to conceal himself, and lay aside the beams and rays of Majesty, and clothe himself with man's flesh, this was the first degree of humiliation, it was an advancement to his flesh, but it was a concealing and hiding to his Godhead, for God to become a servant this was an abasement: but then consider the excellency of the service how God▪ delighted in it, and how useful it was to us, and we shall see that he was a servant by way of excellency. There was first in Christ humane flesh, abased flesh, and then glorious flesh, abasement was first necessary for Christ: for he could not have performed the office of a servant, unless he had undertaken the condition of a servant, he must first be abased and then glorious, our ill must be his, before his good could be ours, and how could he undergo our ill, our sin and misery, and the curse due to us, but he must be abased? our sins must be imputed to him, and then his righteousness, and whatsoever is good is ours, so here is both the abasement of his condition, and the excellency of his office to be a King, Priest, and Prophet to his Church, as we shall see afterward. Is the Lord Christ a servant, this should teach us not to stand upon any terms, Use. if Christ had stood upon terms, Seeing Christ was a servant we should be humble. if he had refused to take upon him the shape of a servant, alas where had we and our salvation been? And yet wretched creatures we think ourselves too good to do God and our Brethren any service. Christ stood not upon his greatness, but being equal with God he became a servant. Oh we should dismount from the tower of our conceited excellency. The heart of man is a proud creature, a proud piece of flesh, men stand upon their distance, what; shall I stoop to him? I am thus and thus, we should descend from the heaven of our conceit, and take upon us the form of servants, and abase ourselves to do good to others, even to any, and account it an honour to do any good to others in the places we are in. Christ did not think himself too good to leave Heaven, to conceal and veil his Majesty under the veil of our flesh to work our redemption, to bring us out of the cursed estate we were in; shall we think ourselves too good for any service? Who for shame can be proud when he thinks of this that God was abased, shall God be abased, and man proud? shall God become a servant, and shall we that are servants think much to serve our fellow-servants? Let us learn this lesson to abase ourselves, we cannot have a better pattern to look unto then our blessed Saviour. A Christian is the greatest freeman in the world, he is free from the wrath of God, free from hell and damnation, from the curse of the Law, but than though he be free in these respects, yet in regard of love he is the greatest servant, love abaseth him to do all the good he can, and the more the Spirit of Christ is in us, the more it will abase us to any thing wherein we can be serviceable. Then again here is comfort for us, Use. 2. that Christ in whatsoever he did in our redemption is God's servant, Comfort that Christ became a servant. he is appointed by God to the work, so both God and Christ meet together in the work; Christ is a voluntary in it, for he emptied himself, he took upon him the form of a servant, he came from Heaven voluntary. And then withal the Father joins with him, the Father appointed him and sent him, the Father laid him as the corner stone, the Father sealed him, as it is, john. 6. The Father set him out, as it is, Romans 3. he hath set him out as the propitiatory. Therefore when we think of reconciliation and redemption, and salvation wrought by Christ, let us comfort ourselves in the solidity of the work, that it is a service perfectly done, it was done by Christ, God Man, it is a service accepted of God, therefore God cannot refuse the service of our salvation wrought by Christ, Christ was his servant in the working of it, we may present it to God, it is the obedience of thy servant, it is the satisfaction of thy servant, here is that will give full content and satisfaction to conscience in this that whatsoever Christ did, he was God's servant in it, but we shall better understand the intent of the Holy Ghost, when we have g●ne over the rest of the words, Behold my s●rvant▪ Whom I have chosen. Christ chosen of God. Christ was chosen before all worlds, to be the head of the elect, he was predestinate and ordained by God. As we are ordained to salvation, so Christ is ordained to be the head of all that shall be saved, he was chosen eternally, and chosen in time, he was singled out to the work by God, and all others that are chosen are chosen in him, there had been no choosing of men but in him: for God saw us so defiled lying in our filth that he could not look upon us but in his Son, he chose him, and us in him. Christ chosen to his office. Here is meant not only choosing by eternal election to happiness, but a choosing to office, there is a choosing to grace and glory, and a choosing to office. Here it is as well meant a choosing to office as to grace and glory. God as he chose Christ to grace and glory, so he chose him to the office of Mediatorship. Christ did not choose himself, he was no usurper, No man calls himself to the office, as it is in Hebrews, but Christ was called and appointed of God, he was willing indeed to the work, he took it voluntary upon him, but as Mediator God chose him, God the Father and he joining together. If we respect eternal salvation or grace or office, Christ as ma● chosen to salvation. Christ was chosen in respect of his Manhood: For as it is well observed by Divines, Christ is the Head of all that are predestinate, and the humane Nature of Christ could not merit its choice, it could not merit its incarnation, it could not merit union with the Godhead, it was merely from grace. How could Christ's Manhood deserve any thing of God before it was? Things must have a subsistence before they can work: Our blessed Saviour is the pattern of all election, and his Manhood could not merit to be knit to the second person, as how could it being a creature? Therefore the knitting of the humane nature of Christ to his divine, it is called the grace of Union, the choosing of the humane Nature of Christ to be so gracious and glorious, it was of grace. Christ he was both a chosen servant and a choice servant, in calling him a chosen servant, it implies his excellency, as a chosen vessel, a chosen arrow in God's quiver, so a chosen servant, every way excellent. This adds to our comfort, that whatsoever Christ did for us, he did it as chosen, he is a chosen stone, as Saint Peter saith, 1. Peter 2.6. A precious corner stone, though refused of the builders, yet precious in God's sight. Was Christ a chosen servant of God and shall not we take God's choice? To re●t in God's choice. Is not God's choice the best, and the wisest? Hath God chosen Christ to work our salvation, and shall we choose any other? Shall we run to Saint's mediation, to the Virgin Mary and others for intercession, which is a part of Christ's office? Who chose Mary, and Peter and Paul to this work, there is no mention in Scripture of them for this purpose, But behold my servant whom I have chosen. God in Paradise did choose a wife for Adam, so God hath chosen a husband for his Church, he hath chosen Christ for us, therefore it is intolerable sacrilegious rebellion, and impudence to refuse a Saviour, and Mediator of Gods choosing, and to set up others of our own, as if we were wiser to choose for ourselves then God is, we may content ourselves well enough with God's choice, because he is the party offended. Besides, it is folly to go out from Christ where there is all fullness and content, to leave Gods chosen servant, and to go to any other servant, to any broken vessel, God rests in this servant, as Pharaoh did in joseph, the second person in the Kingdom, therefore let God's choice and ours agree. To offer Christ to God in our services. And this directs us also in our devotions to God, how to carry ourselves in our prayers and services, to offer Christ to God, Behold Lord thy chosen servant, that thou hast chosen to be my Mediator, my Saviour, my all in all to me, he is a Mediator and a Saviour of thine own choosing, thou canst not refuse thy own choice, if thou look upon me, there is nothing but matter of unworthiness, but look upon him whom thou hast chose, my head and Saviour. Again, Take heed of neglecting Christ. if Christ be a chosen servant, O let us take heed how we neglect Christ. When God hath chosen him for us shall not we think him worthy to be embraced, and regarded, shall we not kiss the Son with the kiss of love, and faith, and subjection? he is a Saviour of Gods own choosing, refuse him not. What is the reason that men refuse this chosen stone? They will not be laid low enough to build upon this corner stone, this hidden stone; the excellency of Christ is hidden, it appears not to men, men will not be squared to be built upon him, stones for a building must be framed, and made even, and flat, men stick out with this and that lust, they will not be pared and cut and fitted for Christ; if they may have their lusts and wicked lives, they will admit of Christ, but we must make choice of him, as a stone to build upon him, and to be built on him, we must be made like him, we like not this laying low, and abasing, therefore we refuse this Corner stone, though God hath made him the corner of building to all those that have the life of grace here, or shall have glory hereafter. The Papists admit him to be stone, but not the only stone to build on, but they build upon him and Saints, upon him and works, upon him and traditions, but he is the only corner stone, God hath chosen him only, and we mu●● choose him only, that we may be framed and laid upon him to make up one building, so much for that. Behold my servant whom I have chosen. My Beloved in whom my soul is well-pleased. How do we know that these words in the Prophet Isaiah are fitly appliable to Christ? By the greatest authority that ever was from the beginning of the world, by the immediate voice of God the Father from Heaven, who applies these words in Isaiah to Christ, Mat. 3. in his inauguration when he was baptised, This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, this is that my Son, that beloved, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the beloved Son, so beloved that my soul delights in him, he is capable of my whole love, I may pour out my whole love upon him, in whom I am well pleased, it is the same with that here, in whom my soul delighteth, the one expresseth the other. How, and in what respect is Christ thus beloved of God? Christ beloved of God. 1 As God. First as he is God, the Son of God, the engraven Image of his Father, so he is primum amabile, the first lovely thing that ever was, when the Father loves him, he loves himself in him, so he loves him as God, as the second person, as his own image and character. And as man he loves him, 2 As Man. for as man he was the most excellent creature in the world, he was conceived, fashioned, and framed in his mother's womb by the Holy Ghost. It is said, Heb. 10.5. God gave him a body, God the Father by the Holy Ghost fashioned and framed, and fitted him with a body, therefore God must needs love his own workmanship. Again, there was nothing in him displeasing to God, there was no sin found in his life any way, therefore as man he was wellpleasing to God, he took the manhood, and engrafted it into the second person, and enriched it there, therefore he must needs love the Manhood of Christ being taken into so near a union with the Godhead. As God and man Mediator especially he loves and delights in him, 3 As Mediator. in regard of his office, he must needs delight in his own Ordinance and Decree, now he decreed and sealed him to that office, therefore he loves and delights in him as a Mediator of his own appointing, and ordaining to be our King, and Priest, and Prophet. Again, 4 In regard of the execution of his office. he loved and delighted in him, in regard of the execution of his office both in doing and suffering. In doing, the Evangelist saith, he did all things well, when he healed the sick, and raised the dead, and cured all diseases, whatsoever he did was well done. And for his suffering God delighted in him for that, as it is in john 10.17. My Father loves me, because I lay down my life, and so in Isaiah 53. He shall divide him a portion with the great, because he poured out his soul unto death, and in Philip. 2. Because he abased himself to the death of the Cross, God gave him a name above all names, therefore God loves and delights in him for his suffering and abasement. It is said of Noah, Gen. 8.21. that he offered a sacrifice after the flood, and the Lord smelled a sweet savour of his sacrifice, and thereupon he saith, I will not curse the earth again, so God loves and delights in Christ as he offered himself a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour wherein God rests, he felt such a sweet savour in the sacrifice of Christ, he is so delighted in it, that he will never destroy mankind, he will never destroy any that believe in Christ, the sacrifice of Noah was a Type of Christ's sacrifice. Now that Christ's sacrifice was so acceptable to God, there is a direct place for it in Ephes. 5. Walk in love as Christ hath loved us and hath given himself an offering and a sacrifice to God of a sweet smell. And indeed how many sweet savours were there in the sacrifice of Christ offered on the Cross? was there not the sweet savour of obedience? he was obedient to the death of the Cross, there was the sweet savour of patience, and of love to mankind, therefore God delighted in him, as God, as Man, as Mediator God-Man, in his doings, in his sufferings, every way. Doth God delight thus in Christ, Quest. in his person or considered mystically? Answ. I answer both, God loves and delights in Christ mystical, God loves Christ mystical. that is, in Christ and his members, in whole Christ, This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, not only with whom alone by himself, but in whom, in him as God, in him in body and soul, in him as head of the Church, in him mystically, in all that are under him any kind of way, God delights in him▪ and all his. Is it possible that he should delight in the head, and refuse the members? That he should love the husband, and mislike the Spouse? O no; with the same love that God loves Christ, he loves all his, he delights in Christ and all his with the same delight, there is some difference in the degree, That Christ in all things may have the pre-eminence, but it is the same love; therefore our Saviour sets it down excellently in his own prayer, he desires that the same love wherewith his Father loved him may be in them that are his, that they may feel the love wherewith his Father loves him: for he loves him and his members, him and his Spouse with all one love. This is our comfort and our confidence that God accepts us, Com●ort, God's love to us grounded on Christ. because he accepts his Beloved, and when he shall cease to love Christ, he shall cease to love the members of Christ, they and Christ make one mystical Christ. This is our comfort in dejection for sin, we are so and so indeed, but Christ is the chosen servant of God, In whom he delighteth, and delights in us in him, it is no matter what we are in ourselves, but what we are in Christ, when we are once in him and continue in him, God loves us with that inseparable love wherewith he loves his own Son, therefore Saint Paul triumphs, Rom. 8. What shall separate us from the love of God in Christ jesus? This love it is founded in Christ, therefore neither things present, nor things to come, (as he goes on there gloriously) shall be able to separate us, you see what a wondrous confidence and comfort we have hence, if we labour to be in Christ, that then God loves and delights in us, because he loves, and delights in Christ Jesus. God loves the work of our redemption. And here is a wondrous comfort that God must needs love our salvation and redemption, when he loves Christ, because he poured out his soul to death to save us, doth not God delight that we should be saved, and our sins should be forgiven, when he loves Christ because he abased himself for that purpose? What a prop and foundation of comfort is this, when the Devil shall present God to us in a terrible hideous manner, as an avenging God, and consuming fire, etc. (indeed out of Christ he is so) let us present to ourselves thoughts of God, as the Scripture sets forth God to us, and as God set● forth himself not only in that sweet relation as a Father to Christ, bu● our father, I go to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God, having both one God, and love and care. There is none of us all but the Devil will have a saying to us, either in the time of our life, in some terrible temptation, especially when any outward abasement comes, or at the hour of death, and all the cordials we have gathered out of the Word will then be little enough to support the drooping soul, especially in the hour of temptation. Oh Beloved what a wondrous stay, and satisfaction to a distressed conscience doth this yield, that Christ in all that he hath wrought for us, is God's chosen servant, whom he loves and delights in, and delights in him for this very work that he abased himself and gave himself for us, that he wrought God's work, because he wrought reconciliation for us? If we can believe in Christ, we see here what ground of comfort we have, that God loves and delights in us, as he doth in his own Son. And what a comfort is it now in our daily approach to God to minister boldness to us in all our suits, Comfort in our daily approach to God. that we go to God in the name of one that he loves, in whom his soul delights, that we have a friend in Court, a friend in Heaven for us, that is at the right hand of God, and interposeth himself there for us, in all our suits that makes us acceptable, that perfumes our prayers and makes them acceptable, his intercession is still by virtue of his service, dying for us, he intercedes by virtue of his redemption, if God love him for the work of redemption, he loves him for his intercession, therefore God must needs regard the prayers made by him, by virtue of his dying for us, when he loves him for dying for us. Be sure therefore in all our suits to God to take along our elder Brother, take our beloved Brother, take Benjamin with us, offer all to God in him, our persons to be accepted in him, our prayers, our hearing, our works, and all that we do, and we shall be sure to speed: For he is one in whom the soul of God delights. There must be this passage and repassage, as God looks upon us lovely in him and delights in us, as we are members of him, all God's love, and the fruits of it come to us as we are in Christ, and are one with him, then in our passage to God again, we must return all, and do all to God in Christ, be sure not to go to a naked God: for so he is a consuming fire, but go to him in the mediation of him whom he loves, and in whom his soul delighteth. To stir us up to delight in Christ. And shall God love him, and delight in him, and shall not our soul delight in Christ? This therefore should stir up our affections to Christ, to be faithful in our conjugal affection as the Spouse of Christ, to say, My Beloved is mine and I am my Beloved's, Christ calls his Church, My Love and my Dove. Doth Christ delight in us, and God delight in Christ, and shall not we delight in Christ, that delights in us, and in whom God delights? In the 1. Cor. 16. ult. the Apostle is bold to pronounce a bitter curse, Anathema Maranatha upon him that loves not the Lord Christ Jesus, a most bitter curse, when Christ shall become a servant to do our work for us, to suffer for us, to bear the burden of our sins upon the tree, to become our husband, to bestow his riches upon us, to raise us to the same condition with himself, and withal to be such a one as God hath chosen out to love, and delight in as the best object of his love, and most capable of it, and for us not to solace and delight ourselves in him that God delights in, when God delights in him for our sake, God loves and delights in him for the work of salvation and redemption by his blood, and shall not we love and embrace him for his love which is for our good? What good hath God by it but only the glory of his mercy, in saving our souls through Christ? Therefore if God love him for the good he doth to us, much more should we love him for the fruit of it that we receive ourselves. It should shame us therefore when we find dullness, and coldness upon us, that we can hear of any thing better than of Christ, and arguments concerning Christ are cold to us, alas, where is our love, and joy, and delight? and when we can make no better but a carnal use of the incarnation and other benefits by Christ, we should therefore desire God to shed the love of Christ into our hearts more and more, that we may feel in our souls the love that he bears to us, and may love God and Christ again, for that that he hath done for us. On what 〈◊〉 to value Christians. Hence we have also a ground of estimation of Christians to be excellent persons, doth God value poor sinful souls so much as to give Christ for them to become a Saviour, doth he delight in Christ for giving himself for them, and shall not we love one another, whom God and Christ so loves? We may know we are in 〈◊〉 But if God love and delight in those that are in Christ with the same love and delight that he hath in him, how shall I know that I am in Christ, and that God thus delights in me? 1 I we have his Spirit. Briefly, a man may know that he is in Christ, if he find the Spirit of Christ in him, for the same Spirit (when Christ took our nature) that sanctified that blessed mass whereof he was made, when there was an union between him and the second person, the same Spirit sanctifies our souls and bodies, there is one Spirit in the head and in the members, therefore if we find the Spirit of Christ in us, we are in Christ and he in us. How to know we have the Spirit Now this Spirit is renewing, Whosoever is in Christ is a new creature, all is new, old things are done away, the old manner of language, the old disposition, old affections, old company, all old things are past, all is new, and if a man be a new creature, he hath right and title to the new heaven and new earth, let us examine the work of grace in us, if there be no change in us we have no present interest in Christ, we have to do with him because he is still wooing us to be in him, but as yet we have no title to him. The very beholding of Christ is a transforming sight, the Spirit that makes us new creatures, and stirs us up to behold this servant, it is a transforming beholding, if we look upon him with the eye of faith, it will make us like Christ; for the Gospel is a mirror, and such a mirror, that when we look into it, and see ourselves interessed in it, we are changed from glory to glory; a man cannot look upon the love of God and of Christ in the Gospel, but it will change him to be like God, and Christ: for how can we see Christ, and God in Christ, but we shall see how God hates sin, and this will transform us to hate it as God doth, who hated it so that it could not be expiated but with the blood of Christ God-man, so seeing the holiness of God in it, it will transform us to be holy, when we see the love of of God in the Gospel, and the love of Christ giving himself for us, this will transform us to love God, when we see the humility and obedience of Christ, when we look on Christ as God's chosen servant in all this, and as our surety and head, it transforms us to the like humility and obedience, those that find not their dispositions in some comfortable measure wrought to this blessed transformation, they have not yet those eyes that the Holy Ghost requireth here, Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my Beloved in whom my soul delighteth. I will put my Spirit upon him. Now we come to the qualification of Christ for his calling, in these words, I will put my Spirit upon him, that is, I will clothe him with my Spirit, I will put it (as it were) upon him as a garment. Degrees of Christ's receiving the Spirit. Now there were diverse degrees of Christ's receiving the Spirit at several times: for he was conceived by the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost did sanctify that blessed mass whereof his body was framed in the womb of the Virgin, he was quickened in the womb in his conception by the Holy Ghost, and he was graced by the Holy Ghost, and led by the Spirit in all things before his Baptism, but afterward when he came to set upon his office, to be the Prophet, and Priest, and King of his Church, that great office of saving mankind, which he did not solemnly set upon till he was thirty years old, than God poured upon him a special portion of the Spirit answerable to that great calling, than the Spirit lighted upon him, Christ was ordained to his office by the greatest authority that ever any was ordained from the beginning of the world: for at his Baptism when he was ordained and set apart to his office, there was the Father from heaven uttered an audible voice, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, and there was Christ the party baptised and installed into that great office, than there was the Holy Ghost in the form and shape of a Dove, it being a matter of the greatest consequence that ever was in the world, greater than the Creation, it was fit it should be done with the greatest authority, and so it was, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost being present at the admission of Christ into his office, this is especially here intended, though the other be included, I will put my Spirit upon him, that is, I will anoint him, as it is in Isaiah 61.1. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (saith Christ) because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to open the prison for them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, that is, the year of jubilee, for that was a Type of Christ, to preach the Gospel, deliverance to all that are in captivity, servitude, and thraldom under Satan and sin, this was accomplished when Christ at his Baptism entered upon his office, God put his Spirit upon him, to set him apart, to ordain him, and to qualify him with abundance of grace for the work, for there are these three things especially meant by putting the Spirit upon him, What is meant by putting the Spirit on Christ separation, or setting apart, and ordaining and enriching with the gifts of the Spirit. When any one is called to great place, there is a setting apart from others, and an ordaining to that particular, and a qualifying, if it be a calling of God, he qualifies where he ordains always. But Christ had the Spirit before, what doth he mean then when he saith he will put the Spirit upon him now? I answer he had the Spirit before answerable to that condition he was in, now he received the Spirit answerable to that condition he was to undertake, he was perfect then for that condition, now he was to be made perfect for that office he was to set upon, he was always perfect, he had abundance of Spirit for that estate he was in, but now he was to enter upon another condition, to preach the Gospel, to be a Prophet, and after to be a Priest, therefore he saith now especially, I will put my Spirit upon him. Three sorts of persons anointed. Now this putting of the Spirit it is expressed in Isaiah 61. and other places by Anointing. There were three sorts of persons that were anointed before Christ, Prophets, Priests, and Kings, now Christ was to be a Prophet, a Priest, and a King, therefore he was to be anointed with the Spirit to enable him to these three offices. I might here take occasion to enlarge myself in the offices of Christ, but I will only speak of them as the Text ministereth just occasion. Three main defects in man. There are three main defects in man since the fall. There is ignorance and blindness. There is rebellion in the will and affections. And in regard of his condition, by reason of the sins of nature and life, a subjection to a cursed estate, to the wrath of God and eternal damnation. Now answerable to these three grand ills, whosoever shall be ordained a Saviour must provide proportionable remedies for these; hereupon comes a threefold office in Christ that is ordained to save man, to cure this threefold mischief and malady. As we are ignorant and blind, Supplied in Christ. he is a Prophet to instruct us, to convince us of the ill state we are in, and then to convince us of the good he intends us and hath wrought for us, to instruct us in all things concerning our everlasting comfort, he is such a Prophet, as teacheth not only the outward, but the inward man, he openeth the heart, he teacheth to do the things he teacheth; men teach what we should do, but they teach not the doing of them, he is such a Prophet as teacheth us the very things, he teacheth us to love and to obey, etc. And answerable to the rebellion, and sinfulness of our dispositions, he is a King to subdue whatsoever is ill in us, and likewise to subdue all opposite power without us, by little and little he will trample all enemies under his feet, and under our feet too ere long. Now as we are cursed by reason of our sinful condition, so he is a Priest to satisfy the wrath of God for us, he was made a curse for us, he became a servant, that being so he might die, and undergo the cursed death of the cross, not only death, but a cursed death, and so his blood might be an atonement as a Priest, So answerable to the three fold ill in us, you see here is a threefold office in Christ. In what order C●ri●t performs his offices. Now Christ performs these three offices in this order. First of all he is a Prophet, when he was baptised the Spirit was put upon him, as in Isaiah 61. To preach deliverance to the captives. First he preached wherefore he came into the world, why God sent him, and discovered to the world the state they were in, and when he had preached as a Prophet, then as a Priest he died, and offered himself a Sacrifice. After death his Kingly office was most apparent. For than he rose again as a triumphant King over death and all our enemies, and ascended in his triumphant chariot to Heaven, and there he sits gloriously as a King in his throne at the right hand of God, so that how ever at his Baptism, and before when he was sanctified in his mother's womb, he was both King, Priest, and Prophet, yet in regard of the order of manifestation, he manifested himself first to be a Prophet, secondly a Priest, and thirdly to be a King: For his Kingly office broke forth but seldom in the time of his abasement, sometimes it did, to show that he was ruler, and commander of Earth, and Sea, and Devils, and all, he wrought miracles, but the glorious manifestation of his kingly office it was after his resurrection. Now the fundamental, Chriests priestly office the principal. the chief office to which he was anointed by the Spirit (upon which the rest depends) it was his Priestly office: for wherefore was his teaching, but to instruct us what he must do and suffer for us, and what benefit we have by his Sacrifice reconciliation with God and freedom from the wrath of God, and right unto life everlasting by his obedience to the cursed death of the cross. And how comes he to be a King to rule over us by his holy Spirit, and to have a right unto us? But because as a Priest he died for us first, He washed us with his blood, he purged us with his blood, and then he made us Kings and Priests, Rev 1. All other benefits came from this, he washed our souls in his blood first, whatsoever we have from God, is especially from the great work of Christ as a Priest abasing himself, and dying for us, and thereupon he comes to be a Prophet and a King, thus we see the order of Christ's offices, how they come to be fruitful to us, the rest especially by virtue of his priestly office. Note this by the way, Christ's priestly office includes two branches, his sacrificing himself for us, a Priest was to offer Sacrifice, and to pray for the people, our Saviour Christ did both in the days of his humiliation; in his prayer in joh. 17. there as a Priest, he commends his sacrifice to God before he died, and now he is in Heaven making intercession for us to the end of the world, he appears for us there. We see then to what purpose God put the Spirit upon Christ, to enable him to be a Prophet, a Priest and a King, and thereupon to take away those mischiefs and evils that we were subject and enthralled too, so that we have a supply for all that may any way abase us and cast us down, in the all sufficiency that is in Christ Jesus, who was anointed with the Spirit for this end. Object. It may be objected, Christ was God himself, he had the Spirit and gives the Spirit, therefore how could the Spirit be put upon him? Answ. I answer, Christ is both God and Man, Christ as God gives the Spirit to his humane nature, How Christ both gives and receives the Spirit. so he communicates his Spirit, the Spirit is his Spirit as well as the Fathers, the Spirit proceeds from them both. Christ as man receives the Spirit, God the Father and the Son put the Spirit upon the manhood of Christ, so Christ both gives and receives the Spirit in divers respects, as God, he gives and sends the Spirit, the spiration and breathing of the Spirit is from him as well as from the Father, but as man he received the Spirit. And this is the reason of it, next under the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Christ the mediator was to be the spring, and original of all comfort and good, therefore Christ's nature must not only be sanctified and ordained by the Spirit, but he must receive the Spirit to enrich it: for whatsoever is wrought in the creature is by the Spirit, whatsoever Christ did as man he did by the Spirit. Christ's humane nature therefore must be sanctified, and have the Spirit put upon it. God the Father the first person in Trinity, and God the Son the second, they work not immediately, but by the Holy Ghost, the third person, therefore whatsoever is wrought upon the creature, it comes from the Holy Ghost immediately, so Christ received the Holy Ghost as sent from the Father and the Son. Now as the Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son, so he works from the Father and the Son, he sanctifieth and purifieth, and doth all from the Father and the Son, and knits us to the Father and the Son; to the Son first, and then to the Father, therefore it is said, The grace of our Lord jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the Communion of the Holy Ghost; because all the communion we have with God is by the Holy Ghost, all the communion that Christ as man had with God was by the Holy Ghost, and all the communion that God hath with us and we with God is by the Holy Ghost: for the Spirit is the bond of union between Christ and us, and between God and us, God communicates himself to us by his Spirit, and we communicate with God by his Spirit. God doth all in us by his Spirit, and we do all back again to ●od by the Spirit, Because Christ as a Head, as the second Adam was to be the root of all that are saved, (as the first Adam was the root of all that are damned) he was therefore to receive the Spirit and to have it put upon him in a more excellent and rich manner, for we must know that all things are first in Christ, and then in us. All 〈◊〉 in Christ, than 〈◊〉. God chose him first, and then he chose us, God singled him out to be the Saviour, the second Adam, and he calls us in Christ. God justified Christ from our sins, being our Surety taking our sins upon him, we are justified, because he by his resurrection quit himself from the guilt of our sins, as having paid the debt. Christ is the first fruits of them that rise again, we rise again, because he is risen. Christ first ascended, we ascend in Christ. Christ is first loved, we are loved in the Beloved. Christ is first blessed, we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in jesus Chrest. So whatsoever is in us, we have it at the second hand, we have the Spirit in us, but he is first in Christ, God hath put the Spirit in Christ, as the spring, as the second Adam, as a public person, that should receive the Spirit for us all, he is first in all things, Christ must have the pre-eminence, he hath the pre-eminence in all, both before time, in time, and after time, in election, in whatsoever is done here in this world, and in glorification, all is first in Christ, and then in us, he is the elder Brother. We must understanding this, to give Christ his due honour, and respect, and to know whence we have all we have. Therefore the Spirit is said here first, to be put upon Christ. We have not the Holy Ghost immediately from God, but we have him as sanctifying Christ first, and then us, and whatsoever the Holy Ghost doth in us, he doth the same in Christ first, and he doth it in us because in Christ. Therefore in john 14. Christ saith, He shall take of mine, whatsoever the Holy Ghost works in us, he takes of Christ first. How is that? Thus; How the Spirit takes of Christ and gives to us. The Holy Ghost comforts us with reasons from Christ, he died and hath reconciled us to God, therefore now God is at peace with thee. Here the Holy Ghost takes a ground of comfort from the death of Christ. When the Holy Ghost would raise a man up to holiness of life, he tells him, Christ thy Saviour and Head is quickened, and is now in Heaven, therefore we ought to rise to holiness of life. If the Holy Ghost be to work either comfort or grace, or any thing, he not only doth the same thing that he did first in Christ, but he doth it in us by reasons from Christ, by grounds fetched from Christ, the Holy Ghost tells our souls that God loves Christ first, and he loves us in Christ, and that we are those that God gave Christ for, that we are those that Christ makes intercession for in Heaven, the Holy Ghost witnesseth to us the love of the Father, and the Son, and so he fetcheth from Christ whatsoever he works. And hence the work of the Holy Ghost is distinguished from illusions, and delusions that are nothing but frantic conceits of comfort that are groundless. The Holy Ghost fetcheth all from Christ in his working and comfort, and he makes Christ the pattern of all, for whatsoever is in Christ, the Holy Ghost (which is the Spirit of Christ) works in us, as it is in Christ. Therefore in john 1.13. it is said of his fullness we receive grace for grace, that is, grace answerable to his grace. There are three things that we receive answerable to Christ by the Spirit. Three things we receive by the Spirit. We receive grace, that is, the favour of God answerable to the favour God shows his Son, he loves his Son, he is graciously disposed to him, and he loves us. So grace habitual, we have grace in us answerable to the grace in Christ, we have love answerable to his love, patience answerable to his Patience, Obedience and Humility answerable to that in Christ, the Spirit works a conformity to Christ in all things. Likewise in the third place, the Spirit assures us of the same privileges that issue from grace: Christ is a Son, the Spirit tells us we are sons, Christ is an heir, the Spirit tells us we are heirs with Christ; Christ is the King of Heaven, and Earth, the Spirit tells us that we are Kings, that his riches are ours, thus we have grace for grace, both favour and grace in us, and privileges issuing from grace, we have all as they are in Christ. Even as in the first Adam we receive of his emptiness, curse for curse, ill for ill, for his blindness and rebellion we are answerable, we are borne as he was after his fall, so in the second Adam by his Spirit, we receive grace for grace. Hence issues this, that our state now in Christ is far more excellent than our state in Adam was. How doth it spring hence? Quest. Thus, Answ. Christ is God-Man, his nature was sanctified by the Spirit, Whence it is that our state in Christ is better than it was in Adam. he was a more excellent person, he gives and sends the Spirit, Adam was only a mere man, and therefore his goodness could not be so derived to his posterity: For how ever the Holy Ghost was in Adam, yet the Holy Ghost did not so fill him, he was not so in him as in Christ, the Holy Ghost is in Christ in a more excellent manner, for Christ being equal with God he gave the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost comes from Christ as God, now the second Adam being a more excellent person, we being in Christ the second Adam, we are in a more excellent, and in a more safe estate, we have a better keeper of our happiness then Adam he being a mere man, he could not keep his own happiness, but lost himself and all his posterity, though he were created after the Image of God, yet being but a mere man, he showed himself to be a man, that is, a changeable creature: but Christ being God and man, having his nature sanctified by the Spirit, now our happiness is in a better keeping, for our grace hath a better spring, the grace and sanctification we have it is not in our own keeping, it distils into us answerable to our necessities, but the spring is indeficient, it never fails, the spring is in Christ. So the favour that God bears us, it is not first in us, but it is first in Christ, God loves him, and then he loves us, he gives him the Spirit, and us in him. Now Christ is the keeper both of the love of God towards us and the grace of God, & whatsoever is good, he keeps all for us, he receives all for himself and for us, he receives not only the Spirit for himself, but he receives it as Mediator, as Head, for we all of his fullness receive grace for grace, he receives it as a fountain to diffuse it (I say) this shows us our happy and blessed condition in Jesus Christ, that ●ow the grace and love of God and our happiness, and the grace whereby we are sanctified and fitted for it, it is not in our own keeping originally, but in our head Christ jesus. These be comfortable considerations and indeed the life and soul of a Christians life and comfort, if we conceive them aright, they will quicken us to obedience, and we shall know what the Gospel is. To come to make some use of it. I might observe this, that none should take that office upon them to which they are not called of God, nor qualified by his Spirit, especially Ministers, because Christ did not set upon his office, till the Spirit was put upon him, the Spirit must enable us, and fit us for every thing, but I leave that, and come to that which concerns us all. First then hath God put the Spirit upon Christ, as the Evangelist saith in joh. 3.34. He whom God hath sent, that is Christ, he speaketh the word of God: For God gives him not the Spirit by measure, God doth not stand measuring grace out to Christ, but he pours it out upon him full measure, running over, because he receives it not for himself alone but for us, we receive the Spirit by measure, Eph. 4.7. According to the measure of the gift of Christ, Christ gives us all a measure of sanctifying knowledge and of every grace, till we grow to be a perfect man in Christ. Therefore it is called the first fruits of the Spirit, as much as shall fit us for Heaven, and grace sufficient, though it be not that measure we shall have hereafter, or that we would have here. Christ had a full measure, the fullness of a fountain, diffusive, not only abundance for himself, but redundance, and overflowing for the good of others, he being the head of the Church, not only a head of eminence, but of influence to bestow, and convey all grace in him to all his members, proportionable to the service of every member, therefore he received not the Spirit according to measure, that is, sparingly, but it was showered upon him, he was filled and clothed with the Holy Ghost. Is it so? Use. Let us labour then to see whereto have supply in all our wants, To see whence our supply is. we have a full treasury to go to, all treasure is hid in Christ for us, what a comfort is this in any thing we want? If we want the favour of God, go to his beloved Christ, desire God to love us in his Beloved, and to accept us in his gracious Son, in him whom he hath made his servant, and anointed with his Spirit for that purpose. In want of grace. If we want particular graces, go to the wellhead Christ, consider of Christ now filled for us as it was in Aaron, the oil that was poured on Aaron's head ran down to his beard, and to the skirts of his clothing, the meanest parts of his garment was bedewed with that oil; so the graces of God's Spirit poured upon our head Christ, our Aaron, our high Priest run down upon us, upon all ranks of Christians, even upon the skirts, the weakest and the lowest Christians, every one hath grace for grace, we all partake of the oil, and anointing of our spiritual Aaron, our High Priest. If we want any thing therefore, let us go to him, I can do all (saith S. Paul) in Christ that strengtheneth me, go to him for patience, for comfort, for every thing, because God hath put his Spirit upon him, to supply all our wants, he hath the oil of gladness above his fellows, but for his fellows, Psal. 45. he hath the oil of grace more than any, but it is not only for him but for us all. Therefore let us have comfortable meditations of the fullness of Christ, and make use of it, all this is for me, in Col. 2. S. Paul sets it out, in him the fullness of the Godhead dwells personally (for that is meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) and it follows after, in him we are complete. Wherefore is all the fullness that is in him? to show that in him we are complete, so in 1 john. 5.20. to show how the spirits of the Apostles agree, in this saith he, we know that the Son of God is come in the flesh, and hath given us an understanding to know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son jesus Christ, This is true God and eternal life, Christ is true God and eternal life for us all, for our comfort, We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, etc. Little children keep yourselves from Idols. How doth this depend upon the other? Thus, will you go to Idols, flocks and stones, devises of men's brain for supply of grace and comfort? Christ whom God hath sent, he is come into the world, He is God and eternal life; God hath given eternal life, and this life is in his Son, therefore why should you go to Idols. What is the ground of Popish Idolatries and abominations, Ground of Idolatry. they conceive not aright of the fullness of Christ, wherefore he was ordained, and sent of God: for if they did, they would not go to Idols and Saints, and leave Christ. Therefore let us make this use of it, go out of Christ for nothing: If we want favour, go not to Saints, if we want instruction go not to traditions of men, he is a Prophet wise enough, and a Priest full enough to make us accepted of God, if we want any grace, he is a King able enough, rich enough, and strong enough to subdue all our rebellions in us, and he will in time by his Spirit overcome all, Stronger is he that is in us than he that is in the world. The spirit in the world, the Devil and devilish minded men they are not so strong as the Spirit of Christ: For by little and little the Spirit of Christ will subdue all. Christ is a King, go not out of him therefore for any thing. Babes keep yourselves from Idols, you may well enough, you know whom to go too. To carry ourselves answerable to our riches. Therefore let us shame ourselves, is there such a store-house of comfort and grace every way in Christ? Why are we so weak and comfortless? Why are we so dejected as if we had not such a rich husband? All our husband's riches are ours for our good, we receive of it in our measure, why do we not go to the Fountain, and make use of it? Why in the midst of abundance, are we poor and beggarly? here we may see the misery of the world, Christ is a Prophet to teach us the way to Heaven, but how few be there that will be directed by him? Christ is a King to subdue all our spiritual and worst enemies, to subdue those enemies that Kings tremble at, to subdue death, to subdue the fear of judgement, and the wrath of God, and yet how few will come under his government? Christ is the light of the world, yet how few follow him? Christ is the way, yet how few tread in his steps? Christ is our wisdom and our riches, yet how few go to him to fetch any riches, but content themselves with the transitory things of this life? Men live as if Christ were nothing, or did nothing concern them, as if he were a person abstracted from them, as if he were not a Head or Husband, as if he had received the Spirit only for himself and not for them, whereas all that is in Christ is for us, I beseech you therefore let us learn to know Christ better, and to make use of him. Again, To make use of Christ in our sailings. if Christ hath the Spirit put upon him for us all, then in our daily slips and errors make this use, to offer Christ to God with this argument, take an argument from God himself to bind him, God will be bound with his own arguments, we cannot bind him with ours, but let us go to him and say, Lord though I be thus and thus sinful, yet for Christ jesus sake thy servant, whom thou lovest and hast put thy Spirit upon him to be a Priest, and to make intercession for me, for his sake pardon, for his sake accept. Make use of God's consecration of Christ by the Spirit to God himself, and bind him with his own Mediator, and with his own Priest of his own ordaining, thou canst not Lord refuse a Saviour and Mediator of thine own, sanctified by thine own Spirit, whom thou hast set apart, and ordained and qualified every way for this purpose, let us go to God in the Name of this Mediator Jesus Christ every day, and this is to make a good use of this, That God hath put his Spirit upon him. How to know the Spirit is put on Christ for us But to make a use of Trial, how shall we know that this comfort belongs to us, that Christ hath the Spirit put upon him for us or no, whether he be ordained a King, Priest and Prophet for us? That which I said before will give light to this, we must partake of the same Spirit that Christ hath, or else we are none of his members, as we partake of his name, so we must also of his anointing, thereupon we are called Christians, because we partake of the anointing and Spirit of Christ, and if we have the Spirit of Christ, it will work the same in us as it did in Christ, it will convince us of our own ill, of our rebellions, and cursed estate, and it will convince us likewise of the good we have in him. And then, he is a Spirit of union, to knit us to Christ, and make us one with him, and thereupon to quicken us, to lead us, and guide us, and to dwell in us continually, to stir up prayers and supplications in us, to make us cry familiarly to God as to a Father, to comfort and support us in all our wants and miseries, as he did Christ, to help our infirmities, as the Apostle at large in Rom. 8. sets down the excellent office of the Holy Ghost, what he doth in those that are Christ's. Let us therefore examine ourselves, what the Spirit doth in us, if Christ be set apart to redeem us, as a Priest? (Surely all his offices go together) he doth by the same Spirit rule us, Rev. 1. He hath washed us in his blood, and made us Kings and Priests. Whosoever he washeth in his blood he maketh him a King, and a Priest, he makes him by the power of his Spirit able to rule over his base corruptions, we may know then, whether we have benefit by Christ by his Spirit, not only by the Spirit witnessing that we are the Sons of God, but by some arguments whereby the Spirit may witness without delusion, for though the Spirit of Christ tells us that we are Christ's, yet the proof must be from guiding and leading, and comforting, and conforming us to Jesus Christ, in making us Kings, and Prophets, enlightening our understandings to know his will, and conforming us to be like him. The Spirit of Christ is a Spirit of power and strength, it will enable us to perform duties above nature, to overcome ourselves and injuries, it will make us to want and to abound, it will make us able to live and to dye, as it enabled Christ to do things that another man could not do. So a Christian can do that, and suffer that that another man cannot do and suffer, because he hath the Spirit of Christ. At the least whosoever hath the Spirit of Christ, he shall find that Spirit in him striving against that which is contrary, and by little and little getting ground, where there is no conflict, there is no Spirit of Christ at all, I will not be large in the point, only I speak this by way of trial to know whether we have the Spirit of Christ in us or no, if not we have nothing to do with Christ: For Christ saves us not as he is out of us only, Christ was to do something of himself that we have no share in, only the good of it is ours, he was to redeem us by his blood, to be a Sacrifice, the title to Heaven and salvation was wrought by Christ out of us, but there is somewhat that he doth not only for us, but he works in us by his Spirit, that is, the fitting of us for that he hath given us title too, and the applying of that that he hath done for us. Whosoever therefore hath any benefit by Christ, he hath the Spirit to apply that to himself and to fit and qualify him to be a member of such a Head, and an heir of such a Kingdom, whosoever Christ works any thing for, he doth also work in them, there is a Spirit of application and that spirit of application if it be true it is a Spirit of sanctification and renovation fitting us every way for our condition, Let us not abuse ourselves, as the world commonly doth, concerning Christ, they think God is merciful and Christ is a Saviour. It is true, but what hath he wrought in thee by his Spirit, hast thou the Spirit of Christ? or else thou art none of his, Romans 8. Where ever Christ is he goes with his Spirit, to teach us to apply what Christ hath done for us, and to fit us to be like him. Therefore let those that live in any sins against conscience, think it a diabolical illusion to think God and Christ is merciful, I but where is the work of the Spirit? All the hope thou hast is only that thou art not in Hell as yet for the time to come, but for the present I dare not say thou hast any thing to do with Christ, when there is nothing of the Spirit in thee, the Spirit of Christ conforms the Spouse to be like the husband, and the members to be like the Head, therefore beg of Christ that he would anoint himself King in our hearts, and Prophet, and Priest in our hearts, to do that that he did, to know his will as a Prophet, to rule in us as a King, and to stir up prayers in us as a Priest, to do in some proportion that that he doth, though it be in never so little a measure, for we receive it in measure, but Christ beyond measure, we must labour for so much as may manifest to us the truth of our estate in Christ, that we are not dead but living branches. The Spirit given more abundantly sinoe Christ's ascension. Now Christ gives and conveys his Spirit especially, and most of all since his ascension, and sitting at the right hand of God, for after his resurrection he declared his victory over all his enemies, and therefore was able to give the Spirit without opposition, and upon his resurrection, death and hell, and the anger of God were overcome, and our sins were satisfied for, now Christ was Head indeed having trod all his enemies under his feet, now he was enabled to give the Spirit, but upon his ascension into Heaven, and his sitting there, he was more enabled, for even as the Sun, being so high above the Earth, doth convey his light and heat and influence upon the inferior bodies, So Christ being so highly advanced is fitter to infuse his Spirit and grace here below since his exaltation, therefore the Church is fuller of grace, and grace hath been more spread and diffused since the ascension of Christ then before, and the Evangelist gives it as a reason, The Spirit was not yet given, because Christ was not ascended, intimating that after his ascension, there was a more full portion of the Spirit given, God being fully appeased by the death of Christ, and Christ staying the advantage that was fittest to give the Spirit, now God the Father gives the Spirit with the Son, so in both regards there was a greater fullness of the Spirit. Therefore the Prophets speaking of the times of Christ, especially of his exaltation, show that then they should be filled with the Spirit, that the Spirit should be poured out upon all flesh more abundantly than before. And that is the reason that the Apostles so differed from themselves, before and after Christ's ascension, what a wondrous alteration was there? Peter before, he flies even at the voice of a maid, and they were full of contention, and vain glory, but after we see when the Spirit, the Holy Ghost came down after Christ's ascension into Heaven, how courageous, and valorous they were that they accounted it a matter of glory to suffer any thing, and indeed we have more or less valour and courage, the more of less Spirit we have, now they having received more abundance of Spirit, hereupon they were more courageous and undaunted at one time then another, and this abundance of the Spirit comes especially since Christ's advancement. But how or by what means doth Christ give his Spirit to us? How Christ gives the Spirit This Spirit that is so necessary for us, 1 In the ministry of the Word. Gal. 3.2. it is given by the ministry of the Gospel, which is the ministry of the Spirit, received ye the Holy Ghost by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith preached? when the love of God in Christ, and the benefits by Christ are laid open in the preaching of the Gospel to us, God gives his holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Now God in Christ would save us by a triumphant and abundant love and mercy, and the Spirit of God never goes but where there is a magnifying of the love and mercy of God in Christ, therefore the ministry of the Gospel, which only discovers the amity and love of God to mankind being now reconciled in Christ, it is accompanied with the Spirit, to assure us of our part and portion in those benefits: for the Spirit is the fruit of God's love as well as Christ, Christ is the first gift, and the Spirit is the second, therefore that part of the word that discovers God's exceeding love to mankind, leaving Angels (when they were fallen) in their cursed estate: and yet giving his Son to become man, and a curse for us, the discovery of this love and mercy of God, and of his Son Christ to us, is joined with the Spirit: for by the Spirit we see our cursed estate without the love and mercy of God in Christ, and likewise we are convinced of the love of God in Christ, and thereupon we love God again, and trust to his mercy, and out of love to him perform all cheerful obedience, whatsoever we do else if it be not stirred by the Spirit, apprehending the love of God in Christ, it is but morality. A man shall never go to Heaven but by such a disposition, and frame and temper of soul as is wrought by the Holy Ghost, persuading the soul first of the love and favour of God in Christ. What are all our performances if they be not out of love to God? and how shall we love God except we be persuaded that he loves us first? therefore the Gospel breeds love in us to God, and hath the Spirit together with it, working a blessed frame of sanctification, whereby we are disposed to every good duty. Therefore if we would have the Spirit of God let us attend upon the sweet promises of salvation, upon the doctrine of Christ: for together with the knowledge of these things the Holy Ghost slides, and insinuates, and infuseth himself into our souls. Therefore the Ministers of the Gospel should be much in laying open the riches of God in Christ; in unfolding Christ all other things will follow, as S. Paul in 2 Tit. 12. The grace of God hath shined, hath appeared gloriously, teaching us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live holily and soberly in this present world, where the grace and love of God is persuaded and shed into the soul all will follow. What is the reason that former times were called dark times, and so they were, the times of Popery, a dark age? Christ was vailed, the Gospel was vailed, there was no preaching of salvation by Christ alone, people were sent to stocks and stones, and to Saints, and instead of the word, they were sent to legends and such things, Christ was obscured, thereupon they were dark ages, those ages wherein the Spirit of God is most, is where Christ is most preached, and people are best always where there is most Spirit, and they are most joyful and comfortable, and holy, where Christ is truly laid open to the hearts of people; the peaching of mere morality, (if men be not careful to open Christ, to know how salvation is wrought by Christ, and how all good comes by Christ) it will never make a man perfectly good, and fit him for Heaven, it may make a man reform many abuses, like a Philosopher, which hath its reward, and respect amongst men, but nothing to give comfort at the hour of death, and the day of judgement, only that whereby the Spirit is conveyed is the knowledge and preaching of Christ in his state and offices. 2 In obedience. Again, the Spirit of Christ is given, in obedience to this Gospel, Acts▪ 5.32. He gives the Holy Ghost to them that obey him. Now there is the obedience of faith, and the obedience of life, when the soul is wrought to obedience, to believe, and to be directed by God, than the Holy Spirit is given in a further measure still, the Holy Ghost is given to them that obey▪ to them that do not resist the Spirit of God: for in the Ministry of the Gospel the Spirit is given in some degree to reprobates, it is offered, it knocks at the hearts of the vilest persons, that lives in filthy and false courses of life, whose tongues, and bodies, are all instruments of an unsanctified soul to offend God, they have gracious motions offered them, but then they do not obey them, therefore the Spirit seizeth not upon them to rule in them, they have the Spirit knocking upon them, he doth not dwell in them, and take up his lodging in them. The Spirit is given to them that obey the sweet motions of it. Now who is it that hears the blessed word of God, the blessed tidings of salvation, but he hath sweet motions of the Spirit to be in love with God and the mercy of God, and to hate sin a little for a time, then presently upon it corruption joins and and swells against those motions, and they only rest in the bare motion, and never come to any perfection. This is the state of reprobates in the Church, they have many motions by the Holy Ghost, but their hearts are not subdued to obedience, not to constant obedience. Therefore if we would have the Spirit of Christ, let us labour to subject ourselves unto it, when we have any good motion by the Ministry of the Word, or by conference, or by reading of good things (as holy things have a savour in them, the Spirit breathes in holy exercises) Oh give way to the motions of God's Spirit, we shall not have them again perhaps, turn not back those blessed messengers, let us entertain them, let the Spirit dwell and rule in us, it is the most blessed lodger that ever we entertained in all our lives, If we let the Spirit guide and rule us, it will lead us and govern and support us in life and death, and never leave us till it have raised our bodies, the Spirit of Christ in us at length will quicken our dead bodies, Rom. 8. it will never leave us till it have brought us to Heaven. This is the state of those that belong to God, that give way to the motions of God's Spirit to rule and guide them; therefore if we would have the Spirit of Christ, let us take heed of rebelling against it. This is the state of many of us (the Lord be merciful to us, and cure us) that we do not only not receive the motions of the Spirit deeply into us, but if they be such a cross us in our pleasures and profits, though the Word and Spirit join together, there is a rising of the proud spirit of man against so much of the Spirit and the motions of it, and against such parts of the Word as crosseth us, this will be laid heavy to our charge one day that we would bring the Spirit of God to our corruptions, and not bring our hearts to God's Spirit, and hereupon be those phrases in the Scripture of tempting the Spirit, Ananias and Saphira tempted the Spirit, that is, when men will do that which is naught, and try whether God will forgive them, and put it off or no, how many are there that tempt the Spirit? that put it off, perhaps I shall have the like motions another time, I shall have better occasion when I can gain no more, when I can have my pleasures no more, thus men resist the Spirit, as Saint Stephen saith, that is when the Spirit discovers to them what they should believe, and what they should do, and they see it crosseth their resolution to be naught, hereupon they resist the work of the Spirit, that else would close with their souls and sanctify them, and fit them for Heaven, if they would give way to it. And there is a quenching of the Spirit, that is, when men have sweet motions of the Spirit, and presently by some ill language or course of life they defile their vessels and quench the sweet motions of the Spirit. Let us take heed of all these, of tempting, of resisting, and quenching the Spirit: For undoubtedly (living in the bosom of the Church) we have many heavenly motions, especially those that have so much goodness in them as to attend upon God's ordinances, they have those motions at those times, that they never have after perhaps, but they either resist them, or quench them, and wrong and grieve the Spirit, as Saint Paul saith, Grieve not the Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption, Ephes. 5. Men speak or do somewhat that grieves the Spirit of God in them, their conscience being enlightened by the Spirit tells them that they have done that which is naught, yet notwithstanding for this or that advantage, to please this or that company, they will speak or do that which is ill, and then the Spirit that was given in some measure before is grieved at this carnal and sinful liberty. Therefore if ye would be guided by the Spirit of Christ, take heed of all these and of such like courses. Another means whereby we may come to obtain the Spirit, 3 Prayer. is Prayer; to be guided by the Spirit of Christ, (next to Christ himself our Saviour) is the most excellent thing in the world, therefore it is worth the begging and getting, Luke 11.13. How much more shall your heavenly Father give his holy Spirit to them that ask him? Insinuating, that we can ask nothing greater than the Spirit. A man that hath a sanctified judgement next the forgiveness of his sins through Christ, he begs nothing more than the Spirit to witness the favour of God in Christ, and to fit him for other favours, especially to fit us for the world to come. God can give nothing greater, nor we can beg nothing greater, if we have sanctified judgements, than the Spirit of God, therefore let us have a high esteem of the holy Spirit of the motions of it, and out of an high esteem in our hearts beg of God the guidance of the Spirit, that he would lead us by his Spirit, and subdue our corruptions, that we may not be lead by our own lusts, and so consequently by Satan that leads us by our own lusts in the way that leads to perdition. So much for that, I will put my Spirit, etc. And he shall show judgement to the Gentiles. After Christ was fully furnished, as he was furnished with the Spirit of God, and with a commission from Heaven, from Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, having this high commission, and gifts for it by the Spirit, he falls upon his office presently, we are never fit for any thing till we have the Spirit, and when we have the Spirit it is active, and vigorous and working, He shall show judgement to the Gentiles. Object. What is meant by judgement here? By judgement is meant laws, Answ. he shall declare his laws, What meant by judgement here. his truth, and together with declaring the truth of the Gospel, which is his Evangelicall law, he shall declare it in the soul, and bow the neck of the inward man to the obedience of this his judgement. Christ then by himself and his Apostles and Ministers, shall declare his truth (which is the sceptre of his government) to the Gentiles, and not only declare it, as Princes do their laws by Proclamations and Statutes, etc. but he shall declare it to the heart by his Spirit. Now in the hebrew language, ordinarily, wise government is called judgement, he shall declare judgement, that is, his manner of government, he shall declare it by his Spirit, and cause our Spirits to submit to it. And indeed grace is called judgement, in the phrase of Scripture, the grace of sanctification, because it is agreeable to judgement, to God's law, it is agreeable to it, and wrought by it in the soul, and it is the best judgement, for grace whereby the soul is subject to the judgement and law, and rule of God, it must needs be the best judgement, because it is agreeable to God's judgement, grace judgeth aright of things, and subdues all things, the affections and inward man to itself. But why is the word of God called judgement? The word of God called judgement. It is called so frequently in the Psalms, and in other places of Scripture, because the truth of God shows what God doth judge. Judgement is originally in God who is the first truth, and the first good, the first truth judgeth best of truths, what is light, and what is darkness, what is truth, and what is error, what is good, and what is ill, what is safe, and what is dangerous; all will grant that God is the first light, and the fir●t truth, therefore he doth originally judge of the difference of things: for even as in the creation he put an eternal difference between light and darkness, and severed things that were in the confused Chaos, and established an orderly world, that Heaven should be above, and earth below, that one thing should be above another, and all in judgement. So in the governing of mankind, he shows his judgement by his word, and that word shows how God judgeth of things. Law's show, judgement what is to be done, and what is not to be done. The Gospel shows God's judgement, what he will have us believe and hope for, and how we must carry ourselves in way of thankefullnesses if we do this, than the Gospel, the word of God judgeth what shall become of us, we shall be saved, if we do the contrary, the word again judgeth what our state shall be, we shall be damned, so it is called judgement, because it judgeth what is good and what is ill, and because it determineth what shall become of us if we obey or disobey. Hereupon it is that the word of God is a glass wherein we may see our own condition infallibly, what will become of us, the Word of God judgeth thus, he that lives in such and such sins shall come to this end, God will inflict these and these judgements upon him. judgement in the first place is, you shall do this and this, because it is good. judgement in the second place is, because you have not done this, this shall befall you, so the Evangelicall judgement of the Gospel is this, He that reputes and believes shall not perish, but have everlasting life: but he that arms and furnisheth his heart to rebellion, he shall perish in his sins, He that believeth not is condemned already, the wrath of God hangs over his head. So from this, that God's truth is called judgement, we may know how to judge of ourselves, even as God judgeth in his Word▪ we may see our own faces and conditions there, he that is a man of death may see it in the Word, and he that is appointed for happiness may there see his condition. Again, Sanctification judgement. not only the Word of God, the Gospel (which is out of us in the book of God) is called judgement, but the work of God in the soul, Sanctification is called judgement, hence we may observe, what is the most judicious course in the world, the most judicious frame of soul, when it is framed to the judgement and truth of God, being the first truth. When a man is sanctified and set in a holy frame, it is from a sanctified judgement the flesh is subject to the Spirit, here is all in a gracious order, the base part doth not rule the higher, but the higher part of the soul, a sanctified judgement rules all, because the whole is in right judgement, therefore sanctification is called judgement, and other courses though they be never so fashionable are but madness, and folly, and disorder in the censure of the Scripture, nothing is judgement and true wisdom, but sanctification and obedience flowing from sanctification, Therefore saith Moses in Deuteronomie, Then shall you be known to be a wise people when you obey the Laws that I have given you, only that shows a wise judicious man, to be obedient to God's truth by the Spirit sanctifying him. Without the truth of God and the Spirit in us framing our souls answerable to the truth, we are out of all good order: For then the affections that should be ruled, rule us, than the body, and the lusts of the body, rule the soul, and the Devil rules by both, what a shameful disorder is this, when a man shall be ruled by the Devil and his own lusts that he should tread under feet and trample upon? and this is the state of all that have not this judgement in them, that have not the word of God written in their hearts bowing and bending them by the Spirit of God to spiritual obedience, to prove this I will name but one place among many, Titus. 3. ●. he shows the state of all men, that are not brought into subjection by this judgement, by the Word and Spirit of truth. We ourselves (saith he) were sometimes foolish and disobedient, till this judgement is set up in us, we are foolish in our understandings, and disobedient in our wills and affections, deceived and misled by the Devil, and our own lusts: for that follows upon folly, those that are foolish and disobedient are deceived and led away to eternal destruction, There is a way that seems good in a man's own eyes, but the issues of it are death, saith Solomon, this is the state of all men that are not led with the judgement of God's truth and Spirit, sanctifying and framing their souls to obedience, they are foolish and disobedient and deceived, and so it will prove with them in the end, Serving divers lusts, and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hating one another. Now when God by his blessed Truth and Spirit sets up his rule in the heart, it brings all into captivity, as Saint Paul saith, it brings all the inner man into subjection. The Word of God is the weapon of God, these judgements are mighty in operation together with the Spirit▪ to beat down all strong holds and to set up another judgement there, it brings all into captivity to the truth and command of God, and to the motions of the Spirit, the Word and Spirit beat down all the strong holds that are raised up in the heart by Satan, and our corruptions, so we see here what is meant by this phrase, He shall declare judgement to the Gentiles. It is a militant word, therefore I have stood somewhat the longer in unfolding of it. Grace wrought by preaching Now this is wrought by the preaching of the Gospel, He shall declare judgement to the Gentiles, all grace comes by declaring, The Gospel is the power of God to salvation. Let but the Gospel (which is God's judgement how men shall be saved, and how they shall walk in obedience by way of thankfulness to God) be declared, and all that belong to God shall come in, and yield homage to it, and be brought in subjection. The Devil in the Antichristian state knows this well enough, therefore he labours to hinder the declaration of judgement by all means, he will not have God's judgements but men's traditions declared, he knows the declaring of God's judgements will breed an alteration quickly in men's dispositions: For when he saith, He shall declare judgement to the Gentiles, he means the consequent as well as the thing, he shall so declare judgement that they shall yield spiritual obedience and come in and be saved. Let the Devil do his worst, let all seducers of souls do their worst, if they would but give way to the preaching of the Gospel, let but judgement be declared, let God's arm be stretched forth in delivering the truth, he would soon gain souls out of the captivity and bondage of Satan, they know it well enough, therefore by all the ways they can they stop the preaching of the Gospel and disgrace and hinder it, and set up men's traditions instead of the Gospel, but I will not enlarge myself farther upon these words, but go on to the next. He shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. These words set down the mild, Christ's mild carriage. and sweet, and amiable manner of Christ's carriage upon earth here in his first coming to work the great work of our redemption, he did not carry the matter in an outward glorious manner, in pomp, but he would have his miracles concealed oft times, and himself hidden, his Godhead was hid under the veil of his Manhood, he could not have wrought our salvation else, if the devil and the world had known Christ to be as he was, they would never have made those attempts against him, therefore considering he had such a dispensation to work our salvation, as a King, Priest, and Prophet, he would not cry, and contend, and strive, he would not come with any great noise. Now here is an opposition to the giving of the law, Difference between the giving of the law and Gospel. and likewise to the coming and carriage of civil Princes. You know when the Law was given all the mount was on fire, and the earth thereabout quaked, and trembled, and the people fled, they could not endure to hear the voice of God speaking in the mount, there was such a terrible smoke and fire, they were all afraid, thus came Moses: now did Christ come as Moses? was the Gospel delivered by Christ as the law was, in terrors and fears? Oh no; Christ came not in such a terrible manner in thunder and lightning, but the Gospel it came sweetly. A Dove, a mild creature lit upon the head of Christ when he was Baptised, to show his mild manner of carriage, and he came with blessing in his mouth in his first Sermon of all, Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that mourn, blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. The Law came with curses, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the law to do them. Christ came in another manner, the Gospel was delivered in a mild sweet manner, Christ as an Ambassador came sweetly to entreat and beseech, there is a crying indeed, but it is a crying out of love and entreaty, not a shouting in a terrible manner as was at the giving of the law, no nor as at the coming of other civil Princes into a city with shouting and noise of trumpets, with pomp and state, and great attendants. Christ came not into the world to execute his kingdom and office in such pomp, and noise, as it is said of Agrippa, Acts. 25.23. he came with great pomp, so worldly Princes carry things thus, and it is needful in some sort, people must have shows and pomp, the outward man must have outward things to astonish it withal, it is a policy in state so to do, but Christ came in another manner, he came not to make men quake and tremble that came to speak and deal with him, he came not with clamour and fierceness: for who would have come to Christ then? But he came in a mild, and sweet, and amiable manner; we see a little before the text, upon occasion of the inference of these words, he commands and chargeth them that they should not discover him and make him known, when he had done a good work he would not have it known. Now there are three things especially insinuated in this description, he shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the street. That Christ should not be outwardly glorious to publish his own excellency, nor contentious, he should not cry nor quarrel, nor he should not be clamorous, if he had any wrong, to be all on fire presently, but he should be as a meek Lamb, he should make no noise, he should not come in vain glory, or clamour, etc. But here we must know that Christ was a wise discerner of the fitness of times: for sometimes he would have things published, sometimes he would not, sometimes he would be known, sometimes he would not. Christ in his second coming, shall come all in majesty and glory with his Angels, and all the earth shall appear before him, but now his wisdom told him (now he came to save the world as a Prophet, Priest and King, to work man's salvation) that he must hide and conceal himself, and so he ordered all his courses by discretion, every Sacrifice must be salted with salt, every thing should be seasoned with the salt of discretion, this is the steward of all our actions, to know what is fit, Christ knew it was fittest to conceal himself now at this time. To take heed of vain glory. Now by Christ's example we should learn this, not to be vain glorious, not to make a great noise, you have some if they do any thing that is good, presently all the world must know it, this was not Christ's disposition; it is a disposition that is hardly wrought out of man's heart without an exceeding great measure of the Spirit of God: For we see good men have been given this way. David would number the people that it might be known what a great Monarch he was, what a great number of people he had, he was a good man, yet vainglorious, he smarted for it. So good Hezekias, Ambassadors were sent to him from the King of Babylon, and that they should know that Hezekiah was no beggarly Prince, out must come the vessels of the Temple, and all his treasures, to show what a rich King the King of judah was. His vainglory cost him all his riches, as the Prophet told him. So the Disciples before they received a great measure of the Spirit, how vainglorious were they? They contended for the higher place, therefore they advise Christ to go up to Jerusalem, that he might be known, As jehu said to jonadab, come up and see my zeal for the Lord of Hosts, he accounts it nothing unless it be seen, so flesh and blood, if there be any thing done that is good, all the world must know it presently. Christ chargeth them that no noise should be made, but that they would conceal him. What should we learn hence? To be of Christ's disposition, that is, to have no more care of the knowledge of things than the light of the things themselves will discover, to do works of light, and if the things themselves will break forth to men's eyes and they must see our light shine, then let them, and imitate our good works, but for us to blazon them abroad ourselves, it is not the Spirit of Christ. Let us labour to have humility of spirit, Labour for humility. that that may grow up with us in all our performances, that all things that we speak and do may savour of a spirit of humility, that we may seek the glory of God in all things more than our own. And let us commit the fame and credit of what we are or do to God, he will take care of that, let us take care to be and to do as we should, and then for noise and report, let it be good or ill as God will send it: We know oft times it falls out that that which is precious in man's eye is abominable in Gods, if we seek to be in the mouths of men, to dwell in the talk and speech of men, God will abhor us, and at the hour of death it will not comfort us what men speak or know of us, but sound comfort must be from our own conscience and the judgement of God: therefore let us labour to be good in secret, Christians should be as minerals, rich in the depth of the earth, that which is least seen is his riches, we should have our treasure deep: For the discovery of it, we should be ready when we are called to it, and for all other accidental things, let them fall out as God in his wisdom sees good. So let us look through good report and bad report to Heaven, let us do the duties that are pleasing to God and our own conscience, and God will be careful enough to get us applause; Was it not sufficient for Abel, that though there was no great notice taken what faith he had, and how good a man he was, yet that God knew it, and discovered it? God sees our sincerity and the truth of our hearts, and the graces of our inward man, he sees all these, and he values us by these, as he did Abel; As for outward things, there may be a great deal of deceit in them, and the more a man grows in grace, the less he cares for them; as much reputation as is fit for a man will follow him in being and doing what he should, God will look to that. Therefore we should not set up sails to our own meditations, that unless we be carried with the wind of applause, to be becalmed and not go a whit forward, but we should be carried with the Spirit of God and with a holy desire to serve God, and our brethren, and to do all the good we can, and never care for the speeches of the world, as St. Paul saith of himself, I care not what ye judge of me, I care not what the world judgeth, I care not for man's judgement, this is man's day; We should from the example of Christ, labour to subdue this infirmity which we are sick of naturally. Christ concealed himself till he saw a fitter time. We shall have glory enough, and be known enough to Devils, to Angels and men ere long, therefore as Christ lived a hidden life, that is, he was not known what he was, that so he might work our salvation, so let us be content to be hidden men. A true Christian is hidden to the world till the time of manifestation comes; when the time came, Christ then gloriously discovered what he was; so we shall be discovered what we are, in the mean time let us be careful to do our duty that may please the Spirit of God, and satisfy our own conscience, and leave all the rest to God; Let us meditate, in the fear of God, upon these directions for the guidance of our lives in this particular. FINIS. GOD'S INQVISITION, In two Sermons By the late Reverend and Learned Divine RICHARD SIBS, Doctor in Divinity, Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at GRAY'S INN. GEN 18.21. I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. PSAL. 14.3. They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy, there is none that doth good no not one. LONDON. Printed by G.M. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford. MDCXXXIX. GOD'S INQVISITION, JERE. 8.6, 7. I harkened and heard, but they spoke not aright: no man repent him of his wickedness, saying, what have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Yea the stork in the Heavens knoweth her appointed times, and the Turtle, and the Crane, and the Swallow observe the time of their coming, but my people know not the judgement of the Lord. UPON the sins of people it hath been always God's course to send his Prophets to warn them before hand, and afterwards upon that to observe how they profit by that warning, and thereupon he takes occasion to proceed answerably: God usually exerciseth a great deal of patience ere he strikes: he made the world in six days: but he is six thousand years in destroying it. Meaning of the words. In this verse after the holy Prophet had menaced the judgement of God upon them, there is set down what use they made of it. Alas! They spoke not aright, no man repent him of his wickedness, saying, what have I done? And lest they should object, how do you know this? He saith here it is upon inquisition, I harkened and heard. So the words contain God's inquisition or enquiry, Parts of the words. and then God's evidence upon that inquiry, together with a complaint. His enquiry, I harkened and heard. For we must apply these words to God, there is the same phrase, Mal. 3.16. The Lord harkened and heard, and a Book of remembrance was written before him, so here, I harkened and heard▪ here is the enquiry. Then secondly, the evidence upon the enquiry, They spoke not aright. And thirdly, the complaint upon that evidence; set down First positively, They repented not of their wickedness, which is amplified, 1. From the generality of this their impenitency, No man repent him, and 2. From the cause of it, want of consideration, they did not say, what have I done? If they had called themselves to account concerning what they had done, certainly they would have repent. 2. Comparatively, They turned to their course as the horse rusheth into the battle. Lastly, superlatively, preferring the skill of the poor Storks and Cranes, and the Turtle, and Swallow, before the judgement of his senseless and stupid people. The Stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed time, and the Turtle, the Crane, and the Swallow: But my people know not the judgement of the Lord. This is the sum of the words. First of God's enquiry, 1 God's inquiry. I harkened and heard. Ere Sodom was destroyed, The Lord came down to see whether there were such cause or no. God is most just, he will see cause for his judgements: He hath no delight in punishing. When he judgeth it is not out of his Sovereignty; but out of his justice; he doth it not as a Sovereign Lord, but as a just judge. Now a judge must do all upon inquisition and evidence, therefore saith he, I harkened and heard. Where by the way the gods of the earth to whom he hath communicated his name should learn hence, not to be rash in their judgements, but to have sound evidence, before they pass sentence. I harkened and heard, To hearken is more than to hear, to apply one's self with some affection to hear a thing. God is all ear, as he is all eye, he hath an ear every where, he hath an ear in our hearts, he hears what we think, what we desire, he sees all the secret corners of our hearts, therefore when he saith here, I harkened and heard, it is by way of condescending to our capacity. We may learn hence briefly, That God hath an ear, and an eye to our carriage and dispositions, to our speeches and courses. If we had one always at our backs that would inform such a man and such a man what we say; one that should book our words and after lay them to our charge, it would make us careful of our words. Now though we be nev●r so much alone, there are two always that hear us, God hearkens and hears, and God's deputy in us, conscience hearkens and hears; God books it, and conscience books it. As God hath a book wherein he wrote us before all worlds, and the book of his providence for our bones, and all things that concern us; So he hath a book for our works and words. Mal. 3.16. They that feared the Lord spoke often one to another, and the Lord harkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him, etc. So here I harkened and heard, God, and conscience note and observe every thing. To enforce car● in our carriage This doth impose upon us the duty of careful and reverend walking with God: Would we speak carelessly, or ill of any man, if he heard us? When we slight a man, we say we care not if he heard us himself; But shall we slight God so? Shall we swear and lie, and blaspheme, and say we care not though God hear us that will lay every thing to our charge, not only words but thoughts? Mat. 12.36. We shall give an account for every idle word, and for every idle thought, and shall we not regard it? It is from the horrible profaneness of the poisonful rebellious heart of man that men do not consider these things, God hearkens and hears, he is at our studies, he is at our windows, he hears us in our chambers, when we are in company, when we meet together, when we take liberty to censure and detract, when we swear and revile. What if men hear not, yet conscience hears, and God hears? and when God shall lay open the book of conscience, and lay before a man all his naughty speeches, and wicked works, what will become of him then for not making use of this principle, that God hearkens and hears? God sees now with what minds and affections we come about this business, whether it be formally to put off God, to make it a cover for our sinful courses after, as if God were beholding to us for what we do now, and therefore might the better bear with us, though we make bold with him hereafter, he not only hairs what we say, but sees our minds and purposes, nay he knows our thoughts long before they are▪ This is the cause why godly men have always walked so carefully and circumspectly, Ground of circumspect walking. they knew that God's eye and ear was over them; as of Enoch and Noah, it is said in this regard that they walked with God, and joseph when he was tempted, Shall I do this (saith he) and sin against God? and shall not God see if I do this▪ Doth not he see my ways and count all my steps, saith job. So again, What makes wicked men so loose? The Prophet tells, Psal, 94.7. they say, the Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of jacob regard it. Or as it is, job. 22.12. etc. Is not God in the height of Heaven? How doth God know, can he judge through the dark cloud, thick clouds are a covering to him that he sees not, and he walketh in the circuit of the Heavens. Tush he regardeth not, he is immured and shut up there: but to such Atheists we see what the Prophet answers, Psal. 64.8. etc. Ye brutish foolish people, shall he that makes others hear not hear himself? he that planted the ear, he that is all ear, shall not he hear? As it makes good men walk holily and reverently, to consider of this, that God is present, and present as an observer, and a judge, so the want of taking this to heart makes wicked and carnal persons do as they do. So much briefly for these words, I harkened and heard. No man spoke aright. 2 The evidence. But what evidence doth he give upon this inquisition? they spoke not aright, which is amplified from the generality of this sin, No man spoke aright, the meaning is especially that they spoke not aright concerning the judgements of God threatened: when God had threatened judgements, he harkened, and heard what use they made of them, but they spoke not aright. Quest. In how many respects do we not speak aright in regard of the judgements of God? Answ. First in regard of God, men speak not aright, We speak amiss of God's judgements. when they do not see him in the judgement, but look to the creature, to the second causes: 1 In regard of God. as now in the time of the plague, to look to the air and weather, and this and that, (which is a good providence,) and to forget him that is the chief, to kill dogs and cats, and to let sin alone, to cry out; oh what air there is this year, and what weather it is! to talk of the second causes altogether, and to forget God, this is to talk amiss of God's judgements threatened, in regard of God. Again we talk amiss in regard of others, 2 In regard of others. when we begin to flight them in our thoughts and speeches, oh they were careless people, they adventured into company, and it was the carelessness of the Magistrates, they were not well looked to, they were unmerciful persons, etc. Is it not God's hand? put case there might be some oversight; art thou secure from God's arrow? he that struck them may he not strike thee? this is to talk amiss of the judgement of God in regard of others; when we think that God hath singled them out as sinners above the rest: as the Disciples thought of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifice. No, no, saith he, think not they were greater sinners than the rest, do not add your bitter censure of the judgement of God on them, and make it heavier, (there is a woe to such persons, as add afflictions to the afflicted,) except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish. Is not the ripest corn cut first? God oft times takes those away that are fittest for him, and leaves others to the cruelty of men, therefore by this rash judgement there may be great wrong to men, and to wrong men in our censures, it is to talk amiss of God's judgements in regard of others. 3 In regard of ourselves. Again we talk amiss of God's judgements in regard of ourselves, when we murmur and fret any way against God, and do not submit ourselves under his mighty hand as we should. 1 When we murmur against God. Again, we sin against the judgements of God abroad, when we take liberty to inquire of the judgements of God abroad, 2 Whe● we make 〈◊〉 use of his ●u●gements. and never make use of them; as now to be ask what number die of the plague weekly, and our hearts tremble not at it, we lift not up our hearts to God, God be merc●full to us, Lord forgive our sins, what will become of us? we had need to make our accounts even; this is to talk amiss of God's judgements: It is a vein that men have naturally, to inquire after news of all sorts; be it the sharpest and bitterest that may be, though it be the destruction, and ruin, and death of other men, whatsoever it be they desire to hear it, if news: in the mean time there is no care to make use of it, which is directly that for which these men here are said to have talked amiss, No man spoke aright. Why? no man repent him of his wickedness, etc. as we shall see afterwards. We should talk of the judgements of God to be bettered by them, Isa 26.9. we should learn righteousness, when the judgements of God are abroad, and the arrows that wound others we should make warning arrows to ourselves: now when we trifelingly only inquire of these things, and are not moved ourselves, we talk amiss of God's judgements. Let us labour to talk of the judgements of God (when they are abroad, Use. ) as we should. To talk aright of God's judgements. In regard of God, to raise our hearts above all second causes, to see him in it: It is the hand of God, as the Scripture calls the plague, whatsoever the second causes are, whether it be the air, and the devil mingling himself oft times to corrupt the air, all is by God's permission and providence. We should look to the first wheel that leads the rest, and sets them going, we should see God in all, and therefore speak reverently of him. And in regard of our brethren, to speak charitably of them, and think, it is the goodness of God that he hath not stricken us as he hath them. And when we speak of ourselves, when the judgements of God are on us, let us humble ourselves, and justify God; we may complain: but it must be of ourselves and of our sins, that have brought judgements upon us, of our want of making use of the judgement of God upon others, or upon ourselves: lesser judgements would not serve turn, therefore God is fain to follow us with greater; let us always justify God, and complain of ourselves, and then in regard of ourselves, we speak aright of the judgements of God. Let us never speak of the judgements of God, but with affections fit for judgements, with awful affections. Shall the Lion roar, and shall not the beasts of the forest tremble? Shall we hear God roar in his judgements, and hear the trumpet blown, and not be affected? we see here how God complains, that when he hearkened and heard they spoke not aright. Let us therefore make conscience of all our words. We shall if not now, yet at the day of judgement, give account for every idle word, for every cruel word, as it is in the prophecy of Enoch, cited in the Epistle of jude: But especially let us take heed of our words when we speak of God's judgements; for it is the not speaking aright of them that is here especially meant: I harkened and heard but they spoke not aright. So much for the evidence, come we now to the next clause, God's complaint upon this evidence. No man repent him of his wickedness. They did not repent of their wickedness, and the fault was general, No man repent, the first yields this instruction, Doct. When judgements are threatened and we repent not, God is offended. That it is a state much offending God, not to repent when his judgements are threatened. God will not suffer it long unpunished, to be impenitent when his judgements are abroad, and threatened, much more when they have already ceased upon our brethren: For that is the end of all his judgements to draw us near to him, to draw us out of the world, and out of our sinful courses; when therefore we answer not, God must take another course, What is the plague and other judgements, Simile. but so many messengers sent to every one of us to knock, and our answer must be, Lord I will repent of my evil ways, I will turn from my evil courses and turn to thee: If we give this answer, God will take away his judgements, (or sanctify them, and that is better) but when there is no answer, the messenger will not be gone, God will add plagues upon plagues till we give our answer, till we repent and turn from our wicked ways. Now that we may do this, Conviction a help to repentance. we must be convinced thoroughly that the courses we live in, are unprofitable, dangerous, hateful courses, and that the contrary state is better: For repentance is an afterwit, and man being a reasonable creature, will turn from his way except he see great reason why; therefore there must be sound conviction that it is a bitter thing to offend God; jer. 2.19. we must indeed be convinced by the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God usually takes the benefit of affliction, affliction together with instruction, instruction without affliction will do little good: stripes and the Word must go together else we will not give God the hearing as we should. Therefore that we may be sound convinced of our sins, we should desire God especially in the hour of affliction to help our souls by his Spirit, that we may be convinced that our courses are naught, that they are courses dishonourable to God, The hurt we have by sin. and dangerous to ourselves, that sin defiles our souls, that it hinders our communion with God, which is the sweetest thing in the world, that sin puts a sting into all our troubles; that sin makes us afraid of that that should be comfortable to us, of death and judgement, and God's presence; that sin grieves the good Spirit of God that would take up his lodging in us; that it quencheth the motions of the Spirit that are sent as sweet messengers to us, to allure and comfort us: that sin grieves the good Spirit of God in others, that it grieves the good Angels that are about us, that it gratifies none but the Devil, the enemy of our salvation, that it defiles and slaines our souls, wherein the Image of God should shine, that it doth us more harm than all the things in the world beside (indeed nothing hurts us but sin, because nothing but sin separates us from God) that it shuts Heaven and opens Hell, and so makes us afraid of death, lest death should open the gate to let us into Hell, in a word that it hinders all good, and is the cause of all ill; Let us consider of this and work it on our hearts. And consider withal our former courses, rip up our lives from our childhood, consider the sins of our youth together with our present sins, that so we may the better stir up and awaken our consciences: Let us consider whether we are now in a state wherein we could be content that God should send his judgements upon us: Consider how we have been scandalous to others, how we have drawn others to sin, that the guilt of other men's sins will lie upon us; it may be we have repent, but have they? Consider the repetition of our sins, if we have not committed them again and again, and other circumstances that may aggravate them. Let us labour to work these things on our hearts, and desire the Spirit of God to convince our souls of the foulness and dangerousness of sin. When we sin against conscience, what do we, but set the Devil in the place of God, we make ourselves wiser than God, we leave God's ways, as if we could find better, and more profitable, and more gainful courses than his; sound conviction of this will move us to repentance. And let us be stirred up to repent presently; Not to delay repentance. doth not God now warn you? Is it not dangerous living one hour in a state that we would not dye in? May not God justly strike us on the sudden? Do but purpose to live in sin one quarter of an hour; may we not be taken away in that quarter? Is not repentance the gift of God, and are not gifts given according to the good pleasure of the giver? Wait therefore for the gales of grace, and take them when they are offered. Grace is not like the tide that ebbs and flows, that we know when it will come again, when we see it go: No, God gives the gales of grace according to his good pleasure, therefore take the advantage of the present motions of the blessed Spirit. Danger of deferring. The longer we live in any sin unrepented off, the more our hearts will be hardened, the more Satan takes advantage against us, the more hardly he is driven out of his old possession, the more just it may be with God to give us up from one sin to another, the understanding will be more dark upon every repetition of sin, and conscience will be more dulled and deadened. Those that are young therefore, let them take the advantage of the youth and strength, and freshness of their years to serve God. That which is blasted in the bud, what fruit may we look for from it afterward? Alas, when we see the younger sort given to blaspheme and swear, to looseness and licentiousness, what old age may we look for there? Again what welcome shall we expect, when we have sacrificed the best of our strength, and the marrow of our years to our lusts, to bring our old-age to God? Late repentance seldom true. Can this be any other then self-love? Such late repentance is seldom sound, it comes (I say) from self-love and not from any change of heart. As in the the humility of wretched persons, a little before the judge comes, though they have carried themselves as rebels before; yet than they will humble themselves: not out of any hatred to their courses, but out of fear of the judge. So it may be, now thou art arraigned by God's judgements, thou forsakest thy sinful courses, not out of the hatred of thy sins (for if thou couldst thou wouldst sin eternally, and that is the reason sinners are punished eternally: Because they would sin everlastingly) but thou seest thou art in danger to be pulled away by God's judgements. It is not out of love to grace, it is not from any change of nature, that thou desirest to be a new creature, that thou admirest grace to be the best state: but it is to avoid danger; not that thou carest for the face of God, to be reconciled to him: but to avoid the present judgement. And what a staggering will this be to conscience, when a man shall defer his repentance till God's judgements seize upon him? We see it is false for the most part: Because such persons that are then humbled, when they recover, they are as bad, or worse then ever they were. Therefore an Ancient saith well. He that is good only under the cross, it never good, it comes not from any change that God works; but merely from self-love. Therefore presently let us repent of those ways that God convinceth our conscience to be evil ways: God may strike us suddenly: Those that forget God, and care not for him now, it may be just with God to make them forget themselves, to strike them with frenzy, to take away the use of their memories then, and when sickness comes, we shall have enough to do to conflict with sickness, we shall have enough to do to answer the doubts of conscience, Oh it would upbraid then! We shall think it a hard matter then to have favour from God, whose worship we have despised, the motions of whose Spirit we have neglected and resisted. Conscience after long hardening in sin will hardly admit of comfort, Conscience after long sinning hardly admits comfort. it is a harder matter than it is taken for: Therefore even to day, presently you that are young, now in the days of your youth, now in the spring of your years, repent you of your sins, before old-age comes, which indeed as Solomon describes it, is an ill time to repent in. Alas! then a man can hardly perform civil duties, (as we see in Barzillai, he complains that in his old-age, he could not take the comfort of the creatures) Therefore put not off this duty till then. And all, both young and old, now when the judgements of God are abroad in the world, take the advantage, return to God, renew your covenants, make your peace now, now this danger doth warm our hearts a little, let us strike the Iron now while it is hot, let us take the advantage of the Spirit now awakening us with this danger. Our hearts are so false and so dull we have need to take all advantages of withdrawing ourselves from our sinful courses. And to encourage us to do it, Benefits by timely repentance. let us consider if we do this, and do it in time, we shall have the sweetness of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts. You will say, we shall lose the sweetness of sin. 1 The favour of God. ay, but you shall have a most sweet communion with God. One day of a repentant sinner, that is reconciled to God, is more comfortable than a thousand years of an other man, that is in continual fear of death and judgement. Oh the sweet life of a Christian that hath made his peace with God he is fit for all conditions, for life, for death, for every thing: now by this we shall have this grace and favour of God: the Lord will say unto us by his Spirit, I am your salvation. And beside, you shall have his grace renewing, and altering, and changing you, framing you to a better course of life. And he will be so far from misliking any for their former sins, that he will give them cause to love him the more, as we see Luk. 7. She loved much: because she had much forgiven her. Christ we see upbraided not any of his followers with their former sins, he regarded nor what they had been formerly, Zaccheus the extortioner, Marry Magdalen, Matthew the Publican, Peter that denied him, we never hear that he upbraided any of them, he doth not only vouchsafe mercy to Peter repenting; but advanceth him to his former office Apostolical: so sweet a God have we to deal with; let this encourage us. 2 Prevention of judgements. Again it is the way to prevent God's judgements, as we see in Nineveh and others. Put case we repent not, we cannot go fafe in the city, nor any where, but God may meet with us, and strike us with his arrow. The only way to prevent his judgements, is to meet him speedily by repentance. This is the way not only to turn away the wrath of God concerning eternal damnation, but outward judgements, as we see joel. 2, and many other places. 3 Turns all to good. Then again, should we be stricken; if we have made our peace with God, if we have repent, all shall be welcome, all shall be turned to our good, we know the sting is pulled out. If the sting of death be pulled out, if the malignity and poison of any sickness (be it the plague or whatsoever) be pulled out, why should we fear it? It comes in love, and shall be turned to our good, and in the mean time God sweetens it. Difference between god●y and others. Here is a grand difference between the children of God and others, If the judgement of God light upon a repentant person, it comes from favour and love, to correct him for his former sins, it is turned to good, and in the mean time, it is sweetened with love, and mixed with comfort, and moderated, as it is Isa. 27.7. hath he afflicted thee as I afflicted others? No, he moderates his judgements to his children, and not only moderates them, but sweetens them with comfort. If God do correct a repentant person he is no loser by it, nay he is a gainer, It is good for me that I have▪ been afflicted, Oh the blessed estate of that person that reputes and turns from his evil ways! 1 Prayer of impenitent not heard. But if a man do not repent, but live still in sin, what a state is he in? God cares not for his prayers, If I regard iniquity in my heart, Psal. 66.18. God will not hear my prayers: and what a state is a man in, when his prayers that should beg for blessings, and avoid judgements, and procure deliverance, are not heard, but shall be turned into sin? When God that is a God hearing prayer▪ shall not regard his prayer? What a case is this? Yet if we regard iniquity in our hearts, if we repent not of our sins, God will not regard our prayers. Then besides that, 2 Fear in wicked men. there is a noise of fear in the unrepentant persons heart; wheresoever he goes, he is afraid of the plague, afraid of sickness, afraid of death, afraid of every body: he knows he hath his heaven here, he hath not the sting of evils pulled out, therefore he is afraid he shall go from the terrors of conscience to the torments of hell, his conscience speaks terrible things to him, what a cursed state is this? How can he look with comfort any way? If he look to Heaven, God is ready to pour the viols of his wrath, to execute his vengeance on him. If he look to the Earth, he knows not how soon he shall be laid there, or that the earth may swallow him up. If he think of death it strikes terror to him, every thing is uncomfortable to an unrepentant sinner. Let all this stir us up to this duty of repentance, it is the end why God sends his judgements: First, he warns us by his Word, and if we neglect that, he sends judgements, and they ●eaze on us, that is a second warning, and if lesser judgements will not warn us, than he sends greater, and all to make us repent, if we repent we give the judgements their answer, and he will either remove them or sanctify them, so much for that. A word of the generality. No man. No man repent of his evil ways, we see then, Doct. Generality is no plea. That Generality is no plea. We must not follow a multitude to do evil, we must not follow the stream to do as the world doth, will any man reason thus; Now there dye so many weekly of the plague, it is no matter whether I go: I will go now into any place without any respect to my company, & c? Will he not reason on the contrary: Therefore I will take heed, I will carry preservatives about me, and look to my company. Self-love will teach a man to reason so, The Infection is great, therefore I will take the more heed. And will not spiritual wisdom teach us, the more spreading and infectious sin is, the more heed to take? When all flesh had corrupted their way, than came the flood. Generality of sin makes way for sweeping judgements that takes all away. Therefore we have more reason to tremble, when the infection of sin hath ceased upon all, when no man reputes of his wickedness; a man should resolve, surely I will come out of such company, as we see Lot departed out of Sodom, and David in his time, was as a Pelican in the wilderness. I will rather go to Heaven alone then go to hell and be damned with a multitude. Multitude is no plea to a wise man. Shall we think it a means to increase danger in worldly things, and shall we think it a plea in spiritual things. It hath been the commendation of God's children that they have striven against the stream and been good in evil times, Redeem the time: because the days are evil, saith the Apostle. A carnal Christian saith, does as the rest do: but saith David, Mine eyes gush out with rivers of waters, because men keep not thy Law. Do not fear that you shall pass unrespected if you be careful to look to yourselves this way; If there be but one Lot in Sodom, one Noah and his family in the old world, he shall be looked to as a Jewel among much dross, God will single him out as a man doth his jewels, when the rubbish is burnt. God will have a special care to gather his jewels. When a man makes conscience of his ways in ill times and ill company, God regards him the more for witnessing to his truth and standing for, and owning his cause in ill times, it shows sincerity and strength of grace, when a man is not tainted with the common corruptions. No man repent. What was the cause of all this, that they were thus unrepentant, and that general No man said What have I done? The did not say in their hearts and tongues, What have I done? they were inconsiderate, they did not examine and search and try their ways. Here we see Man can reflect upon his actions First, that a man can return upon himself, he can search and try his own ways, and cite and arrest, and arraign himself, What have I done? This is a prerogative that God hath given to the understanding creature, the reasonable soul, it can reflect upon itself, which is an act of judgement. The bruit creatures look forward to present objects, they are carried to present things, and cannot reflect: But man hath judgement to know what he hath done and spoken, to sit upon his own doings, to judge of his own actions. God hath erected a tribunal in every man; he hath set up conscience for a register, and witness, and judge, etc. there are all the parts of judicial proceeding in the soul of man. This shows the dignity of man, and considering that God hath set up a throne and seat of judgement in the heart, we should labour to exercise this judgement. Secondly, Neglect of self judging cause o● misery. God having given man this excellent prerogative to cite himself, and to judge his own courses, when man doth not this, it is the cause of all mischief, of all sin and misery. Alas! the vile heart of man is prone to think, it may be God hath decreed my damnation, and he might make me better if he would. But why dost thou speak thus? O wicked man, the fault is in thyself, because thou dost not what thou mightest do, hath not God set up a judgement seat in thy heart to deliberate of thine own courses whether thou dost well or ill? and thy own conscience (if thou be not an Atheist and besotted) tells thee thou dost ill, and accuseth thee for it. An ordinary swearer, that by athiestical acquaintance, and poisonful breeding is accustomed to that sin, if he did consider, what good shall I get by this, by provoking God, who hath threatened that I shall not go guiltless, and that I shall give an account for every idle word, much more o● every idle oath, the consideration of this would make him judge, and condemn himself, and repent and amend his ways. The exercising of this judgement, it makes a man's life lightsome, he knows who he is, and whether he goes, it makes him able to answer for what he doth at the judgement seat of God, it makes him do what he doth in cofidence, it perfects the soul every way. Again, whatsoever we do without this consideration, it is not put upon our account for comfort, when we do things upon judgement, it is with examination whether it be according to the rule or no. Our service of God is especially in our affections, when we joy and fear, and delight aright. Now how can a man do this without consideration? For the affections, wheresoever▪ they are ordinate and good, they are raised up by judgement; they are never good but when they are regular and according to judgement, when judgement raiseth up the affections, and we see cause why we should delight in God, and love him, and fear him more than any thing in the world, they are then an effectual part of divine worship: But else they are flat and dead, and dull, if we waken them not with consideration. The heart follows the judgement, the brain and the heart sympathize, when we see cause and reason to love and fear, and worship God, we must love God with all our mind, that is, with our best understanding, we must see reason why we do so. How to use our understanding. Therefore let us labour to use our understanding more this way. Is our understanding and judgement given us to plot for the world, to be judicious for the things of this life only? No, but to be wise for the main end, to glorify God, to save our souls, to get out of the corruption of nature, to maintain our communion with God every day more and more. The end of our living in the world is to begin Heaven upon earth: So to live here, as that we may live for ever in Heaven, whatsoever is done in order to this end is good, but nothing can be done to this end but upon due consideration. Let us improove our judgements for that end they are principally given us, not for particular ends, to get this or that man's favour, to get wealth, etc. but to use all as they may serve the main: we know not how short a time we shall enjoy these things, and further than they serve for the main, we shall have no comfort of them ere long. Our projects should be to gain glory to God, and to bring ourselves and others to Heaven, there is excellent use of this consideration, this way it is one main way to repentance, we see here, No man repent, because no man said, What have I done? Now if we would practise this duty, Hindrances of consideration. we must labour to avoid the hindrances. The main hindrances of this consideration are 1. The ra●e of lusts, 1 Rage of lusts. that will not give the judgement leave to consider of a man's ways, but they are impetuous, commanding, and tyrannous, carrying men (as we shall see in the next clause) As the horse rusheth into the battle: We see many carried to Hell that never enjoyed themselves: but are always under some base pleasure, when the Devil hath filled them with one pleasure, than they project for another, and never take time to say, What have I done? Oh the tyranny of original corruption! If we had in our eye, the vile picture of out nature, that carries us to things present, to profits, and pleasures, and gives us not liberty and leisure to bethink ourselves, would we do as we do? Alas we see some men so haunted with their lusts, that they cannot be alone, they cannot sleep, and when they are awake they must have music, as that King when he had massacred a world of men, he could not be quiet a whit, conscience raged so. When men follow their pleasures, they rob them of themselves. Therefore they are said in Scripture to be mad men, and fools without wit, they are so taken up with the rage of their lusts that they have not liberty to enjoy themselves, they have no time for consideration. 2 Too much worldly business And then another hindrance is too much business; when men are distracted with the things of this life: they are overloaded with cares, with Martha's part, and so neglect Maries part, this makes men toil, and droil for the world, and never consider where they are, nor whether they go, how it shall be with them when they go hence, how the case stands with them before God, whether they be gotten out of the cursed state of nature that we are all borne in▪ they never think of this: but all the marrow, and strength of their souls is eaten out with the world. Those that in their youth followed their lusts, when they come to years, are taken up with the world and slight religion: their minds are employed, how to get the favour of this man, and that, and so have not leisure to consider what will become of their souls: Therefore too much distraction with the things of the world is joined with drunkenness. Be not overcome with the cares of this life, with surfeiting and drunkenness saith Christ. Then, 3 It is a hard thing. it is a secret and hard action, because it is to work upon a man's self. It is an easy matter to talk of others, to consider other men's ways; You shall have men's tongues ready to speak of other men, they do so and so, and thus they feed themselves with talking of other men, and in the mean time neglect the consideration of their own state. And again, it is a plausible thing; he that talks of other men's faults, gives an intimation that he is innocent, (and he had need be so) It is easy, and plausible, men glory in it, it feeds corrupt nature to talk of other men's faults: But to come home to a man's self, that is a hard thing, it is without ostentation or applause, the world doth not applaud a man for speaking of his own faults. Men are not given to retired actions, they care not for them, unless they have sound hearts, and this being a retired action that hath no glory nor credit with it, men are loath to come to it. 4 It presents an unwelcome spectacle. Then again it is not only hard and secret, but this returning upon a man's self, it presents to a man a spectacle that is unwelcome. If a man consider his own ways, it will present to him a terrible object. Therefore as the Elephant troubles the waters that he may not see his own visage: so men trouble their souls that they may not see what they are, they shall see such a deal of malice and self-love, and fear, and distrust that they would not have others in the world to see for any thing: but it is good to see it: For repentance and consideration it is physic, it is sharp but wholesome: It is better to have the physic a day, then to have the sickness and disease all the year; so this consideration and repentance though it be sharp, yet take it down: for it will prevent Gods eternal judgement, as the Apostle saith, If we would judge and condemn ourselves, we should not be condemned with the world. What an excellent thing is this that we may keep sessions in our own souls, and so need not be called to God's assizes? Men are called to that, because they slubber over, and neglect this: Men will not keep this sessions in their own hearts (which they might do, not only quarterly, but daily) and thereby they make work for God; is it not better now to unrip our consciences by consideration and repentance, then to have all ripped up then when the Devil shall stand by to accuse us, who will say this was done by my instigation, and it is so, and our own consciences shall take part with the Devil and accuse us also? It will be little for our ease to make God our judge, we might save the labour by putting conscience to its office now, to examine our ways every day, especially now when God calls for it by his judgements, repentance is the covenant of the Gospel, and repentance depends upon this consideration, so much for that, No man repent him of his wickedness, saying, what have I done? But did they stay here? No; it follows, Every one turns to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Every one hath his course, Every man hath his course. his way, whether good or evil, the course of a wicked man, it is a smooth way perhaps, but it is a going from God, it leads from him, and where doth it end? (for every way hath its end) It is a going from God to hell, there all the courses of wicked men end. Examine then where thy course begins, and where it ends, from what thou walkest, and to what, whether thy course aim. Consider where thy speeches, and actions are like to end. The specification and denomination of our ways to be good or evil, is especially from the end. The wicked they take their courses, smooth wide courses, the broad beaten way, where they may have elbowroom enough, though it end in Hell, and destruction: but the wicked and their ways are both hated of God; otherwise it is with God's children, they may sometimes step into ill ways, but they have not an ill course, and God doth not judge a man by a step, God judgeth by the course not by a step. but by his course and way: Therefore consider what is the tenor of thy life, is thy way good? Oh it is an excellent thing to be in a good way! For a man every day to repent of his sins, to make his peace with God, to practise the duties of Christianity in his general calling, and in his particular calling to call upon God for a blessing. Such a man's way is good, it hath a good end. Perhaps he may step out of his way by the temptations of Satan, but that is not his course. The best man in the world for, a passion on the sudden may step into an ill way, as David, when he determined to kill Naball but it was not David's way, therefore we see how soon he was put off with a little counsel, and how thankful he was. Blessed be the Lord, and blessed be thou, and blessed be thy counsel, etc. his way, and course was another way. And so on the other side the wickedest man in the world may set a step in a good way for a fit, a very Saul may be amongst the Prophets and speak excellently and divinely; but all this while he is out of his way, his way is a course of wickedness, to which therefore he will soon betake himself again, as it is here said of these men, They turned to their own courses, As the Horse rusheth into the battle. Here it is comparatively set down, If you would see how the horse rusheth into the battle, it is lively and divinely expressed, job. 39.19. by God himself. Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Canst thou make him afraid as a Grasshopper, the glory of his nostrils is terrible, he pa●eth in the valley and rejoiceth in his strength, he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted: neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets ha ha; and he smelleth the battle a far off, the thunder of the captains and the shouting. There you have an excellent description of this creatures fierceness (the wit of man hath not such expressions) and how he rusheth into the battle, God to abase wicked men, compares them here to the horse, not for that which is good in him, but for their violence in ill courses; they rush into them, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Now the horse rusheth into the battle, 1. Eagerly, (as you see him described in the place of job) and 2. Desperately, he will not be pulled away by any means, and then 3. Dangerously: For he rusheth upon the pikes, and ofttimes falls down suddenly dead, he regards not the pikes nor guns nor nothing, but rusheth on in the danger. Herein wicked men are like unto the horse, going on in their course eagerly, 1 They are eager. desperately, dangerously, 1. They go on eagerly, it is meat and drink unto them, They cannot sleep until they have done wickedness. They plot and study it, it is their delight, they are not in their element, but when they are talking wickedly, and corruptly, or deceiving, or satisfying their desires, the ambition and lusts of their corrupt nature. They can no more live out of these courses, than the fish can live out of the water: therefore they go eagerly upon them. 2 Desperate. And as they go eagerly, so desperately, and irreclaimably too, nothing will restrain them, no thorns, nor troubles that can lie in their way; though God hedge in their ways with thorns they break thorough all: Even as Balaam, he would go on though there were a sword drawn before him, he was more brutish and unreasonable than his poor beast, the very sword of the Angel could not move that covetous wretch to go back. So it is with every wicked man, he goes on desperately, nothing will keep him back, and reclaim him: though God take many courses to do it, by his Ministers, Magistrates, by the motions of his Spirit, by his judgements threatened, by judgements executed upon others, and upon themselves sometimes, yet they are so eager upon their sins, all this will not beat them off: they love their sins better than their souls: nor is it only open riotous persons that thus rush into sins, but civil rebellious persons also, that bless themselves in their ways, and it may be, live as irreligiously as the other. Take a covetous or an ambitious man, he sacrificeth all to get such a place, etc. Such a man mocks Christ, (as the Pharisees mocked him, notwithstanding all his good Sermons and miracles) he goes on desperately, nothing will hold him, he breaks through all bars and oppositions, he cracks his conscience, grieves the good motions of the Spirit, despiseth good counsel, and will venture upon the outward breach of laws sometimes, rather than he will be defeated of his designs. And as they go eagerly and desperately, 3 Dangerously. so dangerously too, for is it not dangerous to provoke God? to rush upon the pikes? to run against thorns? Do you provoke me to jealousy (saith God) and not yourselves to destruction? No; they go both together, if you provoke me to anger, it will be to your own ruin. In Levit. 26. God will walk stubbornly to them as they have done to him; and he will be froward with the froward, Psal. 18. Those that are rebellious sinners, whom no bonds will hold, no counsel, that break all laws, as the man possessed with the Devil broke his chains, the time will come that when God executes his wrath he will be too good for them, the Devil will be too good for them, hell will be too good for them, conscience will tear them in pieces, and the judgement of God will seize on them. The way of wicked men is a wretched, a desperate, and dangerous course: thou art stubborn against God, and he is so against thee: he will do to thee as thou dost to him. Who are we, are we stronger than God? Careless atheistical persons think they are: tush, they can wind out well enough: but they will find it otherwise: Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy, 1 Cor. 10 23. are we stronger than he, saith the Apostle? let us lay this to heart. Sin hath defaced the Image of God in man We see here again how sin hath clean defaced the Image of God in man. Man being in honour, he would become like God; he was weary of his subordination, he would be absolute, and because he would be like God, God made him like the beast, and it is worse to be like the beast then to be a beast: for the beast in his own condition follows the instinct of nature: but to be like a beast, is for a man to unman himself, to degrade himself to a base condition than God made him in, and when a man doth this, he is either in malice like the Devil, or in licentiousness as the beast is, he is always like the Devil or a beast till he be a new creature. And that our nature is come to this, we are beholding to our own yielding to Satan and his counsel, we rush as the horse into the battle; therefore let us beware of this. Be ye not as the horse and mule, etc. saith David, Psal. 32.9. Who would not labour to be in a better condition? to be a new creature, to be changed by the powerful ordinances, and Spirit of God? so much for that briefly; come we now to the last clause, Yea the Stork in the Heavens knoweth her appointed times, and the Turtle, and the Crane, and the Swallow observe the time of their coming, but my people know not the judgement of the Lord. Here is another expression comparative, or rather superlative; he compares them to the Stork, and Turtle, the Crane, and Swallow, and prefers these poor creatures, in wisdom and providence, as going before men: But my people know not the judgement of the Lord: There needs no great explication of the words, [judgement] is directive, or corrective. The directive is the Law of God; What meant by judgement. setting down Gods judicious course, This you shall do, or if you do not this you shall be punished. When we obey not God's directive course, we meet with his corrective: for judgement is the stablishing of judgement: judgement of correction is the stablishing of judgement of direction. God's Laws must be performed, they are not skare-crowes; if we avoid the one, we shall run into the other: if we do not meet him in the judgement of his directive law, we must be met with in his law corrective, (if we be good men,) or destructive if we be bad men. Wha● meant by it here. Now here (I take it) he means especially the judgement of correction, the time of visitation, it was a dangerous time (as it is now among us,) they were already under several heavy judgements, as famine, etc. (we see in the next verse, there was no vines, no grapes, etc. all failed.) And beside, a far heavier judgement was ready to come upon them, they were ready to be carried into Babylon, and they knew not the judgement of the Lord. What meant by (not knowing.) [They knew not] that is, they did not make use of it: for in divinity, things are not known when they are not affected. God knoweth all things, but when he doth not affect and delight in us, he is said not to know us: so we are said not to know, when we do not affect and make use of things. They know not the judgement of the Lord. They were not ignorant, he had told them of vengeance, he had told them that they should be carried into captivity: but they made not that use they should of it, therefore they are said not to know it. So the old world; it is said they did not know of the flood: certainly Noah had told them of it: but when they made not a right use of it, but went on brutishly, they knew it not. It is all one not to know it at all, and not to make use of it. Wicked men think they know God, and they know religion well enough: I, but what use do they make of it in their particular course? that which we do not use, we do not know in religion. If ill be discovered, and be not avoided by thee, thou art a brutish senseless creature, (thou dost not know it) and so thou shalt be dealt with. They know not the judgement of the Lord, that is, They will not know it, it was affected ignorance. The words being thus unfolded, here first we see, That God confounds the proud disposition of wicked men by poor silly creatures, God shames the pride of men by the creatures. the Crane, the Turtle, the Swallow and the like. What their wisdom is we see by experience: in winter to fly from hard and cold parts to those where there is a Spring, They are here in the moderate season, and when the Summer is gone, they go to a more moderate air, where they may live better. For the life is the chief good of such poor creatures, and their happiness being determined in their life, they labour to keep that: they have an instinct put in them by God to preserve their being by removing from place to place, and to use that that may keep life. Now man is made for a better life, and there be dangers concerning the soul in another world, yet he is not so wise for his soul and his best being, as the poor creatures are to preserve their being by the instinct of nature. When sharp weather comes they avoid it and go where a better season is, and a better temper of the air: but man when God's judgements are threatened and sent on him, and God would have him part with his sinful courses, and is ready to fire him, and to force him out of them: yet he is not so careful as the creatures; He will rather perish and die, and rot in his sins, and settle upon his dregs, then alter his course: so he is more sottish than the silly creatures, he will not go into a better estate, to the heat, to the Sunbeams to warm him, he will not seek for the favour of God to be cherished with the assurance of his love, as the poor creature goeth to the Sun to warm it till it be over hot for it. Man should know what is good and what is evil: the new creature doth so: for with the change of nature, there is a divine wisdom put into the soul of a Christian, that teacheth him what is good and what is evil, that he may be careful to avoid the evil: that he may discern of things that differ: that he may say this is good for my soul, and all the world shall not scoff me out of that that I know to be good with their profane jesting, they shall not drive me from that is good, & for courses that are ill, they shall not draw me with all their allurements, I know what belongs to the good of my soul better than so. It should be thus with Christians, to be wise for their spiritual being, as the poor creatures, the Stork and the Crane, and the Turtle are to preserve their poor life here with as much comfort as they can. God takes instruction out of the book of nature into his book. God takes out of the book of nature things useful to insert them into his divine book: because now no man shall be ashamed to learn of the creatures. Now since the fall man must learn of the poor creatures, and such a dunce is man, it is well for him, if he can learn of the Ant, and Crane and Turtle, and therefore doth God take lessons out of the book of nature, and put them into his book, to teach us to furnish ourselves with divine mysteries, and instructions from the creatures. And indeed a gracious heart will make use of every thing, and have his thoughts raised with them: As the Prophet jeremy here, he shames them by the example of the creatures. But of this by the way. The thing most material (with which I will end) is this. That God after long patience hath judgements to come on people, Doct. and it should be the part of people to know when the judgement is coming. After long patience God sends judgements. There is a season when God will forbear no longer in this world. They know not the judgement of the Lord, the meaning is not in hell; though that may come in, that is employed in all, but they know not the judgement of the Lord, that is, they know not the judgements that are coming. Quest. When judgements are coming God opens the hearts and understandings of his people to know them: Answ. as there is an instinct in the creatures to know when there will be hard weather. judgements coming may be known. But how shall we know when a judgement is near hand? 1 By comparing the sins with the judgement By comparing the sins with the judgements: if there be such sins that such judgements are threatened for; then as the thread followeth the needle, and the shadow the body, so those judgements follow such and such courses. For God hath knit and linked these together, all the power in the world and hell cannot unlinke them, sin and judgement: judgement either correcting us to amendment or confounding us to perdition God therefore having threatened in the Scriptures such judgements to such sins, if we live in such and such sins, we may look for such judgements. Thus a wise man by laying things together, the sins with the judgements, though he cannot tell the particular, yet he may know that some heavy judgement is at hand. 2 When it hath ceased on us in part. Again, there is a nearer way to know a judgement, when it hath ceased on us in part already: he that is not brutish and sottish, and drunk with cares and sensuality, must needs know a judgement when it is already inflicted, when part of the house is on fire: We see judgement hath ceased now on the places where we live, and therefore we cannot be ignorant of it. By example o● others. Mat. 24.38, 39 Again, we may know it by the example of others, God keeps his old walks: Therefore it is said, As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the Son of man comes: they were eating and drinking and marrying, and knew not till the stood came and took them away. God will be like himself, if sinners be like themselves, he will not change, if they change not, but will deal alike with them in his judgements as he hath dealt with others. What ground have we to hope for immunity more than others? We may rather expect it less; because we have their examples, and so they wanted those examples to teach them which we have. In jeremy 7.12. (saith God) Consider, look to Shilo, and see what I did there, so will I do to you. So likewise the judgements on Jerusalem are a fearful spectacle for us. These and other examples may help us to judge of our condition in regard of approaching judgements. Again, 4 General security. general security is a great sign of some judgement coming. In the days of Noah there was a general sensual security, notwithstanding the Prophet foretell them of the deluge, they were eating, etc. and knew not till the flood came and took them away. So likewise if we eat and drink and marry and build and be negligent and careless of making our peace with God, especially when warning is given us, it is a sign that some judgement either personal on ourselves, or generally on the place we live in will come upon us: there is never more cause of fear then when there is least fear. Want of fear the root of it. The reason is, want of fear springs from infidelity (for Faith stirs up Fearfulness and care to please GOD, By Faith Noah moved with fear, or reverence, builded the Ark) it proceeds from infidelity not to be afraid when there is cause. Again where there is no fear, there is no care: So the root of the want of fear is infidelity, and the spring that comes from it is carelessness, which always goes before destruction; When men care not what becomes of them, if God be pleased so it is, if judgement come, so it is, the care is taken, When men thus say, peace peace, then cometh destruction. It is a terrible thing for a State or a City, or a particular person to be careless: for the life of a Christian it is a watching as well as a warring condition, he must be always on his guard; therefore he must not be careless, and say peace, where God speaks no peace. 5 The generality of sin. Again we may know that some judgement is coming by the universality and generality of sin, when it spreads over all. When there is a general infection of sin, we may well fear the infection of the air: sin hath infected the souls of men, therefore no wonder if God in the plague have a hand in infecting their bodies. We see here before the Prophet threatened this destruction, there was a generality of sin. In the 10. verse of this Chapter, he cries out against the covetousness and false-dealing of the Priests and Prophets and men of all estates: And so also Chap. 5. verse 4. The poor they were naught, they were poor in grace and goodness as well as in condition, Then saith he, I will see if there be any goodness in the great ones, I will get me to the great men, verse 5. they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgement of their God: but they have broken the yoke and burst the bonds. When poor and rich, great and small, when all are sottish and brutish, when all flesh had corrupted their ways, as it was before the flood, than judgement must needs come: surely generality of sin makes way for generality of judgement; as the deluge of sin made way for the deluge of water. So the overflow of sin will make way for a flood of fire, God will one day purge the world with fire. Particular sins fore-showing judgement. But now for particular sins whereby we may know when judgement is coming, 1 Injustice. these they are, first Injustice and formality in Religion; when men are generally unjust, destruction is near, and indeed how can a Christian soul look upon men's courses abroad; in these regards, but he shall weep in secret; Is there not a general injustice? Will not men get any cause so they have a good purse? Is not innocency trodden down ofttimes? 2 Formality in Religion. And so for Religion, it is generally neglected; indifferency and formality they are the sins of the times. Here is a sweet progress! In Queen Elizabeth's time we began with zeal and earnestness; but now we begin to stagger whither Religion is the better, we will join and put them together that God hath put an eternal difference between, Light and darkness, Is this our progress after so much teaching to put off God with formality and deny the power? Persecution. Again, another particular sin foreshowing judgement, is persecution of Religion and religious men. When God is worshipped with conscience as he should be, what imputations are laid on it. I need not speak, the world knows well enough; Can God endure this, when conscience of his service shall go under the brand of opposition? God is much beholding to the times, when there is nothing so heartily hated as that. There are many things loathsome, as deboishnesse, etc. But what is so eagerly, and heartily hated as the power of godliness? that which they have been known to do for conscience, hath been matter of reproach, and ruin almost to many men. If a man will not prostitute his conscience to a creature, to make an Idol of him, to set him highest, if he will not be buxom, and crack his conscience for a creature, he is scarce thought fit to live in the world; will God suffer this, if these things be not amended? If any thing be good in Religion, the more the better, the more exact Christian the better. Exactness in other things is best: Is to be best in the best naught, when to be best in that which is not so good carries away the commendations? In 1. Thessa. 2. The wrath of God is come on them to the utmost; God they hate and they are contrary to all men. This is a forerunner of destruction, the spiteful opposing of goodness: God will not endure it long. And so when men will go on incorrigibly in sin (as these here, They rush as the horse into the battle) when they will not be reclaimed, it is a forerunner of destruction. Alas! the Ministers of God strive with men, but they break off the cords, and cry, tush they are silly men shall we yield to them? We know what is for our gain and profit and credit in the world better than so; Let us look to that, and not be hampered in these religious bonds; No, we are wiser than so. Thus when men are incorrigible and account the wisdom of God stark folly, it is a sign of destruction. There is an excellent place for this, Ezekiell 24.12, 13, 14. She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not out of her, she would not have her filthiness taken from her. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I would have purged thee, with the Word and the preaching of judgements, and thou wouldst not be purged; therefore thou shalt not be purged till thou die, until I cause my fury to rest upon thee, I the Lord have spoken it, it shall come to pass, I will do it. When God goes about to purge us by his word, and we will not amend our ways, we will not stoop, but strengthen an Iron sinnew, and a whore's forehead. We will not be purged, nay (saith God) thou shalt not be purged till I purge thee out of the world to hell, till my fury rest on thee, Ith' Lord have spoken it, it shall come to pass. There is another notable place, Prov. 29.1. He that is a man of reproof, that is, a man that is sermon proof, that is often reproved and yet carries himself impudently and hardens his heart, and stiffens his neck, he shall suddenly be destroyed, he doth not mean but that he had warning enough: but because after long warning he hardens his neck, he shall suddenly be destroyed, when he looks not for it, and that without remedy. There is the same phrase in 2. Chron. ult. 16. There was no remedy, when they did not regard God's Ministers, that directed them the way to Heaven, but would live in rebellion against the means of salvation, then saith God, there was no remedy. God sent his messengers betimes, and had compassion on his people, he would not have had them perish: They trifled with him and mocked his messengers, accounted them weak men, they despised his Word, and misused his Prophets, and then the Lords wrath rose against his people, and there was no remedy. So when people are as those here in the text, that they rush as the horse into the battle, that they are Sermon-proofe, that when every Sermon they hear, as the hammer on the Smith's anvil, makes them harder and harder (as Moses speaking to Pharaoh increased the hardness of his heart) it is a sign of destruction. Now whether it be so or no, I leave it to your particular consciences, we that are Ministers tell you of your filthiness, of your profaning the Name of God, and contempt of God's Word; Whether have we gained upon you or no? Who hath left an oath? Who hath left his wicked courses and entered into a nearer communion with God for all our teaching? Blessed is that man; It is a sign God will not destroy him; it is a sign that in the general visitation God will regard that man. But alas we may almost complain with jeremy in this Prophecy, jere. 5.1. Where he runs up and down to seek a man. Alas! They are very few, they are thick sown but come thin up that obey the ordinance of God. It is some comfort that men will submit to the ordinance, that they will come to hear, some good may be learned, it is better than to keep out of the compass of God's law (as those men do that pretend they can read Sermons at home, and so will teach God a course to bring men to Heaven) there is hope of men when they submit to God's ordinance: But I beseech you, how are you affected now for the present? How do you come now into the presence of God? If you will not amend, and resolve to enter into a new course; He that is often reproved and will not come in, judgement will come suddenly on him, without all remedy: And it is good it should be without remedy: Because it is without excuse, you cannot plead, and say that there were not Prophets among you. If the Heathens were hardened and given up to destruction, The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against them, because they lived in a course of rebellion against the light of nature, shall you that have the light of nature, and the word of God, and the motions of his Spirit too, think to live in rebellion, and not be accountable for it? It shall be easier for them that never heard of the word of God; where God hath magnified his mercy, he will exalt judgement, those that are l●ft up to Heaven in privileges, shall be cast down to hell. Woe unto thee Capernaum, etc. The more in privileges, the more in judgement, if they be abused. unfruitfulness Again, another particular sin whereby we may discern a judgement coming is, unfruitfulness under the means; as the figtree when it was digged and dunged, and yet was unfruitful, than it was ●eare a curse. In Heb. 6. the ground that is tilled, and manured, and hath the rain falling on it, it is then near unto cursing if it bring not forth. Perhaps a Heathen, a Pagan, if he were under the means, would be fruitful, therefore there might be hope of him: but those that are under the means▪ under the Sunshine of the Gospel, under the influence of it, the Spirit working on their hearts, and yet they live in the sin of unfruitfulness▪ it makes way for judgement. The axe is laid to the root; when men are taught, than the instrument of vengeance is laid to the root, and down they go if they bring not forth good fruit. Sins of omission (when that all hath been taught) are sufficient to bring a man to judgement. At the last judgement, you have not visited me in prison, you have not relieved the poor, etc. will be evidence enough to cast a man into hell. And the like may be said of the omission of other duties: when a man is called to place, when he hath opportunity to do good, he hath a price in his hand, and yet hath no heart to lay it out to his power. God hath made him a steward, and yet he is unfruitful, and labours to undermine and ruin the state of others? What can such a man look for, but the judgement of God to light on him first or last? if not present judgement on his body, yet to be given up to hardness of heart, and so to hell, which is worst of all. Nay more, Decay in our first love. decay in our first love is a forerunner of judgement; when we love not God as we were wont, In Rev. 3. I will take away thy Candlestick, because thou hast left thy first love. Is there not such a plenty, and depth in good things, especially of the Gospel, whereby our sins are pardoned, and grace is given? is there not that sweetness in them, whereby to gain our love more and more? Is there not a necessity to renew our peace? Why should we decay in our love? The things of the Gospel are so excellent, and so necessary, that when God sees them undervalved, it is a forerunner of judgement, let us take heed of decay in our affections. When there is no zeal for the truth, it is an ill sign. It is a good sign for the present that God hath some blessing for us, that now in our public meetings, there is regard to Religion, and that in the first place, there is some zeal for the cause of God against those that would wrong the cause of Religion, we have some cause to hope in respect of that. And let every one labour to stir up the Spirit of God, and study how he may do, and receive good, and be fruitful, and warm in his affections, considering what excellent blessings we enjoy in the gospel's. What is the glory of the kingdom we live in above Popery? our religion that we have, the sunshine of the Gospel; now the riches of Christ are unfolded, we have the key of Heaven, Heaven opened, what glorious times are those? The glory of the times is the manifestation of the Gospel, and shall we grow in the decay of our love? ●s there ●ot cause to grow in love to the Gospel, when God hath taken it from others, and hath given ●● to us? Now Jdolat●y is where true Religion was, and the Mass is said, where God was religiously worshipped in other places, and countries; Shall God deal so with us, and shall we not be in love with that truth? Since we have had the truth, what peace, and plenty have we had? And if ever we lose it, it will go with other things: if God take away the truth, away goes our peace and prosperity; he will not take it away alone; it came not alone, and he will not take it away alone. Doubtless it must needs make way for judgement, when our love to so precious a jewel as the Gospel, shall begin to die and decay, when we shall begin to slight and disregard it. And so for any particular man that hath had good things in him, if they now begin to decay it is an ill sign that God is fitting him for judgement. Well, but what shall we do when judgements are coming? We see judgements are like to come, nay are in part come, the Plague of pestilence hath ceased on us already; and then war is threatened, and that by enemies that have been foiled before: Foiled enemies are dangerous enemies if they be proud; Now we have proud enemies that have been foiled, and Idolatrous withal, and what mercy can we look for from them? God fought against them for us from Heaven in some measure, and they being cruel provoked enemies are the less likely to show any mercy. God is indeed so merciful to us yet, that he hath taken us into his own hands, rather than to give us up to the malice and fury of Idolatrous enemies. But yet those that can lay things together and consider the times; they shall see there is more cause of fear than is taken to heart. Well and in this case what shall we do? What to do in dangerous times First in the interim between the threatening and the execution (there are some judgements in the cloud, 1 Improove the time. and the storm seems to hang o●ver us, and the sword of the pestilence is drawn over our heads by the destroying Angel, though he hath not yet stricken us in our particular, now in the time between the threatening and the execution) Oh improove it, make use of this little time; get into Covenant with God, hide yourselves in the providence and promises of God, make your peace, defer it no longer. 2 Mourn for the ●ins of the land. And secondly, mourn for the sins of the time, that when any judgement shall come you may be marked with those that mourn. Take heed of the errors and sins of the times, lest when a judgement comes you be swept away in the general judgement: but let us rather have our part with those that mourn, that God may give us our lives for a prey. 3 Be watchful. And thirdly, be watchful, practise that duty; we have the plague to put us in mind of it, besides the threatening of dangers by enemies abroad: if we will not watch now and stand upon our guard, when will we? Let us be watchful to do all the good we can, to be fruitful, to be good stewards, to have large hearts. The time may come that we may be stripped of all, and we know not how soon, having but a little time, let us do good in it, study all opportunities in these times, roof up our sluggish souls. Fear it is awaking affection. jaakob, when his brother Esau was ready to cease on him, he could not sleep that night: We know not how soon the hand and arrow of God may strike us (besides other judgements) let us shake off Security, and do every thing we do sincerely to God. We may come to God to make our account, we know not how soon, let us do every thing as in his presence and to him: in our particular callings, let us be conscionable, and careful and fruitful, let us do all in our places to God, and not to the world or to our own particular gain: but do it as those that must give account ere long to God. Now God threateneth us to come, and give our account, who can be secure, he shall have life for a week or for one day? We cannot, our times are in God's hands: we came into the world in his time, and we must go out in his time: but now we have less cause to hope for long life. This is to make a right use of the judgement of God to be watchful in this kind. And withal let us be good husbands now in the interim, Store up comforts. between the threatening and the execution of the judgement let us store up comforts from the promises of God, and store up the comforts of a good life, we shall have more comfort of the means we have bestowed wisely then of that we shall leave behind us. Thus if we do, come what will, we are prepared. Many holy and heavenly men have been visited with pestilential sickness. Hezekias was a King, and his was a pestilential sickness; and many holy Divines of late, and other Christians have been swept away by the sickness. junius and other rare men of excellent use in the Church. Therefore let us labour to get into the favour of God, make use of our renewing our covenant for the time to come (that is one end of fasting now, to renew our covenants, to remake them for the time to come) and then come what will and welcome, life or death: for there is a blessing hid in the most loathsome sickness and death. If we come to Heaven, it is no matter by what way: Though the body be sown in dishonour (we may die of a noisome disease, that we cannot have our friends near us, yet) the body shall rise again in honour. What matter (saith Saint Paul) If by any means I may come to the resurrection of the dead, by fair death, or foul death, it is no matter. And if so be that God make not good his promise of particular protection of our bodies from contagion, etc. it is no matter: we have a general promise, that he will be our God, he is the God of Abraham; the God of the dead as well as of the living. He is a God that is everlasting in the Covenant of grace, in life and death and for ever, if we be entered into the covenant of grace, it holds for ever. And when all other promises fail, and all things in the world fail, stick to the main promise of forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting: When all things in the world will fail; we must leave them shortly wealth and whatsoever, what a comfort is in that grand promise, that God will forgive us our sins, and give us life everlasting for Christ! Therefore when all things else are gone, let us wrap ourselves in the gracious promises of Christ, and then we shall live and dye with comfort. FINIS THE DEADMAN, OR, THE STATE OF EVERY Man by nature. In one Sermon. By the late Reverend and Learned Divine RICHARD SIBS, Doctor in Divinity, Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at GRAY'S INN. JOHN. 5.25. Verily, verily I say unto you, the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. LONDON. Printed by G.M. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford. MDCXXXIX. THE DEADMAN. EPHES. 2.1. And you hath ●ee quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. THE matter of this excellent Epistle is, T●e matter of the Epistle. partly doctrinal, and partly exhortatory: as it was S. Paul's course in all his Epistles, to lay the foundation of practice in doctrine. The heart must be moved, but the brain must be instructed first: there is a sympathy between those two parts, as in nature, so in grace. The doctrinal part of the Epistle sets out the riches of Christ, (chiefly in the first Chapter) in regard of the spring of them, God's eternal election. Then in this Chapter by way of comparison; by comparing the state of grace to the state of nature. You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Dependence of the words. The dependence of this Verse, I take it to be from the 19 Verse of the first Chapter. The Apostle there prays that the Ephesians might have the eye of their understandings opened and enlightened, that they might know (among other things,) what the exceeding great power of God is towards us that believe, According to the working of his mighty power that he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead: that they might have experience of that mighty power that raised Christ from the dead. Now here in this Chapter he saith, They were raised together with Christ, and set together with him in heavenly places. His reason is in this manner. Those that are raised up and quickened with Christ to sit in heavenly places with him, have experience of a mighty power: But you are raised up and quickened with Christ to sit in heavenly places with him: therefore you have experience of a mighty power that raised Christ: for those that are raised and quickened with Christ have experience of that power that Christ had when he was raised up. The second thing that he intends especially in this Chapter, is to show that being raised with Christ, they are brought nearer to God, both jews and Gentiles, that of themselves were far off. Now he shows that they were raised and quickened with Christ, and brought near to God in Christ, that they might magnify the free grace of God in Christ; (all is by grace) and thereupon to be stirred up to a suitable, comfortable and gracious life. To come to the words, And you hath he quickened, etc. They are an application of the former comfortable truths to them, you hath he quickened, etc. These words, hath he quickened, are not in the original in this place: they are after in verse 5. When we were dead in sins, he quickened us: but they are put in, in the translation; because they must be understood to make the full sense. In the words consider these things First of all, here the Apostle puts them in mind of their former condition. And then he sets down in particular what it was, They were dead in trespasses and sins. Then he tells them wherein they were dead, what was the cause of their death, and the element wherein they were dead, in trespasses and sins. Lastly, not in one trespass and in one sin; but in trespasses and sins. And then to speak a little of quickening, to take it out of the 5. verse. You hath he quickened. There is the benefit with the condition. That which Jaime at is especially to show our estate by nature, and how we are raised out of that. I shall touch the points briefly as I have propounded them. He minds them of their former condition. Saint Paul here first minds them of their former condition, you were dead in trespasses and sins: For contraries give lustre one to another, and it magnifies grace mervailously to consider the opposite condition. He that never knew the height and breadth and depth of his natural corruption, will never be able to conceive the height and breadth and depth of God's infinite love in jesus Christ. Saint Paul had deep thoughts of both as ever man had; therefore he could never enter into the argument, of abasing man, and extolling the love of God in Christ, that he could satisfy himself: but his spirit carries him from one thing to another, till he set it out to the full. And every one of us should be skilful in this double mystery, the mystery of the corruption of nature that is unsearchable, there is corruption in the heart that none knows but God only: and we must plow with his heifer that carries a light into the hidden parts of the soul, and discovers corruption: there is a mystery of that as well as of the Gospel, of our deliverance out of that cursed estate from the guilt and thraldom of it. I do but touch it only, to show the scope of the Apostle. Why we should consider our ●ormer condition. Now besides the consideration of it for this end; to magnify the grace of God, and to understand what our former estate was the better: there are many other ends. As to stir up our thankfulness, when we consider from what we are delivered, to glorify God the more. There is no soul so enlarged to glorify God as that soul that hath large thoughts of its estate by nature, and that estate by nature made worse by custom, our second ill nature and bondage voluntary: considering God's mercy in delivering and freeing us from all sins and trespasses, this will make us thankful indeed. And it is a spring of love to God, when we consider what great sins we have forgiven us● it will make us humble all the days of our lives, and pitiful to others: but this may be handled fitter from another portion of Scripture. To come therefore to the words. Who were dead in trespasses and sins. Their condition is, Man natura●y dead. they were dead; the specification of their death, in sins and trespasses, and not in one, but in sins and trespasses. Here I might digress and tell you a discourse of life and death at large: Death what? every man knows by experience what they are. In a word death is a privation of life. Life what? What is life? and whence ariseth it? Not to speak of the life of God, (God is life and Christ is life) but of l●fe in us. It ariseth from the soul: first there is a soul; and then a life from the union with that soul; and then there is a secret kindled motion and operation outward, wheresoever life is. Life in man (I say) spring● from the soul: The soul h●th a double life, a life in itself, and a life it communicates to the body. The life in itself, it liveth when it is out of the body, it hath an essential life of its own: but the life of the body is derived from its union with the soul, and from that union comes lively motion and operation. Spiritual life whence? The spiritual life of the soul is by the Spirit of Christ, when our soul hath union with the quickening Spirit of Christ, and by Christ's Spirit is joined to Christ, and by Christ to God, who is life itself and the first fountain of all life: then we have a spiritual life. The Spirit is the soul of our souls, and this spiritual soul, this Spirit in us is not idle wherever life is there is motion and operation inward and outward suitable and proportionable to the fountain of life, the Spirit of God himself. So on the contrary it is with death; what is death? Death is nothing else but a separation from the cause of life, from that from whence life springs. The body having a communicated life from the soul, when the soul is departed it must needs be dead. Spiritual death Now death (take it in a spiritual sense) it is either the death of law our sentence: as we say of a man when he is condemned, he is a dead man. Or death in regard of disposition; and then the execution of that death of sentence in bodily death, and in eternal death afterward. Now naturally we are dead in all these senses. 1 In disposition. First by the sin of Adam, in whose loins we were, we were all damned; there was a sentence of death upon all Adam's rotten race, as we say damnati antequam nati, we were damned before we were borne, as soon as we had a being in our mother's womb, by reason of our communion with Adam in that first sin. And then there is corruption of nature as a punishment of that first sin, that is a death (as we shall see afterward) a death of all the powers, we cannot act and move according to that life that we had at the first; we cannot think, we cannot will, we cannot affect, we cannot do any thing that savours of spiritual life. Hereupon comes a death of sentence upon us, 2 Sentence. being damned both in Adam's loins and in original sin, and likewise adding actual sins of our own: if we had no actual sin it were enough for the sentence of death to pass upon us, but this aggravates the sentence. We are dead in law as well as in disposition. 3 Execution. This death in law is called guilt, a binding over to eternal death: it breeds horror and terrors in the soul for the present, which are the flashes of Hell-fire, and expectation of worse (even of the second death) for the time to come, which is an eternal separation from God for ever, an eternal lying under the wrath and curse of God in body and soul (after they are united at the resurrection) because we would sin eternally if we did live eternally here: and no satisfaction being made for man after death, there must be an eternal sentence and punishment upon him, a terrible condition: if we were not afraid of the first death we should be afraid of the second death that follows, we are all dead in trespasses and sins. Now what is the reason of it why we are dead? First of all, the ground of it is; by sin we are separated from the fountain of life, therefore we are all dead. Secondly, by sin we lost that first original righteousness which was comproduced with Adam's soul: when Adam's soul was infused, it was clothed with all graces, with original righteousness: the stamp of God was on his soul, it was connatural to that estate and condition, to have that excellent gracious disposition that he had. Now because we all lost that primative Image and glory of our souls we are dead. We are dead likewise not only in regard of the time past, but for the time to come: No man by nature hath fellowship with the second Adam, till he be grafted into him by Faith, which is a mere supernatural thing. In these regards every man naturally is dead. Sin itself a death. Nay sin itself, it is not only a cause of death, of temporal death, as it is a curse; and so of eternal death: of that bitter sentence, and adjudging of us to, both that we feel in terrors of conscience, and expect after. But sin itself is an intrinsical death: Why? Because it is nothing but a separation of the soul from the chief good, (which is God) and a cleaving to some creature. For there is no sin but it carries the soul to the changeable creature, in delight, and affection to its pride, and vanity, one thing or other. Sin is a turning from God to the creature, and that very turning of the soul is death, every sinful soul is dead. In these and the like considerations, you may conceive we are all dead. And you hath he quickened, who were dead, etc. Let us consider a little what a condition this is, to be dead in trespasses and sins. Not to speak of the danger of the death of sentence, when a man by the state of nature lies under the wrath of God, that hangs over his head, and is ready to crush him every moment. Signs of spiritual death. But to speak of that death that seizeth upon our dispositions, we are dead by nature. 1 Coldness. And what doth death work upon the body? unactiveness, stiffness; so when the Spirit of God is severed from the soul, it is cold, and unactive, and stiff. Therefore those that find no life to that that is good, no nor no power nor strength; it is a sign that they have not yet felt the power of the quickening Spirit, when they hear coldly, and receive the Sacrament coldly, as if it were a dead piece of work and business; when they do anything that is spiritually good coldly, and forced; not from an inward principle of love to God (that might heat and warm their hearts:) but they go about it as a thing that must be done, and think to satisfy God with an outward dead action. 2 Unloveliness. Again, death makes the body unlovely, Abraham would buy a piece of ground that he might bury his dead out of his sight, he could not endure the sight of his own beloved wife when she was dead. Death takes away the beauty and the honour that God hath put upon the body, so that it is not honourable to those that behold it after death. The Image of God stamped upon the soul of man by the Spirit, it is the glory of a man: after sin it is an unlovely soul. We are all deprived of the glory of God, as S. Paul saith. 3 loathsomeness. And not only so; but there is a loathsomeness contrary to that honour that was in it before. Though all art and skill be used that may be to set out a dead body, (with flowers, or whatsoever you will) to please the fancy of the living: yet it is but a dead body, and the stench will be above all other sweet smells. So let any natural man be as witty, and as learned, and as great, and as rich as you will; or as he can be set out with all these ornaments and flowers: yet he is but a carrion, a loathsome creature to God, if his soul be separated from God, and inwardly cleave to the creature. If he have not a new heart, he is abominable and loathsome to God, and to all that have the Spirit of God. A dead soul is abominable to all God's senses, (the Scripture thus familiarly condescends unto us,) he will not behold him, he looks upon the proud afar off. And he smells no savour from their performances, the very sacrifice of the wicked is abominable, he looks upon them as we do upon a dunghill, as a loathsome thing. The prayers of the wicked are an abomination to God, he turns away his face from them, he cannot endure them. And for his ears, he will not hear the prayers of the wicked. And for feeling, he is wearied with their sins, as a cart is with sheaves. Nay, he is wearied with their very good actions, as it is Isa. 1.8. Whatsoever wicked men perform it is abominable to God, he cannot behold them, he cannot endure them, he is burdened with their sins; and those also that have the Spirit of God in them, as far as they see the foulness of their sins they loathe them. But herein a wicked man agrees with a dead body, a dead body is not loathsome to its self. So take a carnal man, he pranks up himself, he thinks himself a jolly man, especially when he is set out in his flowers, those things that he begs of the creatures, he sees not his loathsomeness; he thinks himself a brave man in the world, in the place he lives in: and he hath base conceits of others, of God, and all things of God. Dead men are not loathsome to themselves, because they want senses. As in a prison, the noisome savour is not offensive to them, because they are all acquainted with it; it hath ceased upon and possessed their senses: So wicked men they smell no ill savour and sent one from another: because they are all dead persons, one dead man is not loathsome to another: as a company of prisoners they are not offended with the noisomeness of one another. 4 They are separate from God and God's people. Again, we sever dead persons from the rest: so indeed a dead soul as he is severed from God, so ae jure, he should be severed from the company of others: there should be a separation, and as soon as the life of grace is begun, there will be a separation between the living and the dead. Let the dead follow the dead, and bury the dead, saith our Saviour in the Gospel. 5 senselessness. Where bodily death is, it deprives of all senses, there is no use of any, either of the eye or tongue, Without speech etc. it makes them speechless: So he that is spiritually a dead man, he can speak nothing that is savoury and good of spiritual things, if he doth he is out of his element, if he speak of good things he speaks with the spirit of another man; if he speak of the writings of other men, it is with the spirit of the writer. He cannot speak to God in praise, or to others in experience of the work of grace, because he hath a dead soul. Put him to his own arguments, to talk of vanity, to swear or to talk of the times, you shall have him in his theme: but to talk of God and divine things (unless it be to swear by them and to scorn good things) he cannot; he is speechless there, it is not his theme. Without sight. And as he is speechless so he hath no spiritual eyes to see God in his works. There is nothing that we see with our bodily eyes▪ but our souls should have an eye to see somewhat of God in it, his mercy and goodness and power, etc. Without taste. And so he hath no relish to taste of God in his creatures and mercies: when a man tastes of the creatures he should have a spiritual taste of God and of the mercy in him, Oh how sweet is God A wicked man hath no taste of God. Without bearing. And he cannot hear what the Spirit saith in the Word, he hears the voice of man, but not of the Spirit when the trumpet of the Word sounds never so loud in his ears. These things ought not to be overmuch pressed, much curiosity must not be used in them, but because the Holy Ghost raiseth the proportion from these things, some thing must be said of them. As there is no sense nor moving to outward things, 6 Immooveable. so no outward thing can move a dead body: offer him colours to the eye, food to the taste, or any thing to the feeling, nothing moves him: So a dead soul, as it cannot move to good, so it is moved with nothing, that that affects a child of God, and makes him tremble and quake, it affects not a carnal man at all. And as in bodily death, 7 Grows worse. the longer it is dead, the more noisome and offensive it is every day more than other: So sin it makes the soul more loathsome and noisome daily, till they have filled up the measure of their sins, till the earth can bear them no longer. We say of a dead body it is heavy: so dead souls I am sure they are heavy, heavy to God and to Christ that died for sin, and heavy in themselves, they sink to earthly things in their affections, and thereby they sink lower and lower to Hell, and never leave sinking till they be there. As the life of grace is like the Sun when it riseth, it grows still till it come to full perfection, till it come to the life of glory: So on the contrary this death is a death that is more and more increased in the loathsomeness and noisomeness of it every way: so that the longer a carnal man lives the more guilt he contracts, A child of a hundred years old (as the Prophet saith) the longer he lives the more vengeance is stored for him; he treasure's vengeance up against the day of vengeance, and it is a curse for a man in his natural estate to live long, for he grows more and more abominable every way. These things help to understand the Scripture, and therefore so far we may well think of them. To know what we are by nature. If this be so, I beseech you let us learn to know what we are by nature; not to make ourselves in our own conceits better than indeed we are. We judge of ourselves as we are to civil things. A man that hath natural parts, that can discourse and understand the mysteries of law and of the state, we value men by these. Alas poor soul thou mayest be dead for all this; what are all these abilities for? Are they not for the spiritual life? What is this to the life of grace? They only blow thee up with pride and set thee further off, and make thee uncapable of grace. If thou talk of learning; the Devil is a better scholar than any man, he knows matters of state and other things better than thou dost, and yet he is a Devil for all that, therefore never stand upon these things. But there is a company that are more to blame then these; one would think that these have something to be proud off, that they might set themselves against God and goodness: but there is a generation that have little in them, that yet think themselves the only men in loose licentious life, despising all, caring for none, & think it the only life to live as they list, to go where they list, in what companies they list, to have bounds of their own: these think themselves the only men, when indeed they are no body; they are dead loathsome creatures; (it is the mercy of God that the ground doth not sink underthem;) and yet they carry themselves, as if they only were alive. Again if we be all dead by nature, To avoid intimate society with carnal men. and there ought to be a separation of the living from the dead; let us take heed in our amity and society that we converse not with natural men too much, that have not spiritual goodness in them; that we converse not with them with delight and complacency. It is a tyrannical thing to knit dead and living bodies together, and he was accounted a tyrant that did so: surely in choosing our society, conjugal or friendly, any intimate society to join living and dead souls together, we are tyrants to our own souls. We wrong our souls to join with dead persons, who would converse with dead courses, and corpse? The very creatures startle at the sight of a dead body; nature startles at that that is dead. If we had the life of grace (further than the necessity of civil conversation, and the hope of bettering them forceth it upon us) we would have no society with those that we see are in the state of nature. What issues from them but stench? eyes full of adultery, nothing that is pleasing can come from them; nothing can come from all their senses but rottenness, and stench; what comfort can a man (that loves his own soul, and hath any desire to be saved) have by intimate converse with such persons? let them have never so good parts, they hurt more one way than they do good another: you see we are all dead by nature, and what this death is. Object. But you will say there is a difference between natural death, and spiritual death: for in natural bodily death, there is no moving; but in this spiritual death of the soul, men have senses, and motion, etc. Answ. It is true, thus far they differ; though a man be spiritually dead, Difference in natural and spiritual death. yet notwithstanding he hath feet to carry him to the house of God; he hath ears to hear the Word of God; he hath abilities of nature upon which grace is founded. God works grace upon nature. Now a man living in the Church of God, that is a grace when a man hath grace to live within the compass of the means: he can by common grace, without any inward change of nature, come and hear the Word of God, and when he is there he may yield an ear to listen, and he hath common discourse and understanding to know what is said and upon what ground, he can offer himself to the work of the Spirit; he can come to the pool (though he be not thrust in this day, or that day) when God stirs the waters: this by common grace, any man living in the Church may do. Therefore though we be all dead, To use the natural parts God hath given us. even the best of us by nature: yet let us use the parts of nature that we have, that God hath given us, to offer ourselves to the grations and blessed means wherein the Spirit of God may work. Let us come to hear the Word of God, john 5.25. The time is come and now is that the dead shall hear the voice of God, where the voice of God is in the Ministry, and so they shall live. As in the latter day the noise of the trumpet shall raise the dead bodies: So the trumpet of the Word of God sounding in the ears of men (together with the Spirit) shall raise the dead souls out of the grave of sin. Therefore I beseech you as you would be raised up out of this death, hear the noise of God's trumpet come within the compass of the means. As God is the God of life, and Christ calls himself the life and the Spirit, the Spirit of life: So the Word is the Word of life, because together with the Word God conveys spiritual life. The Word of God in the Ordinance is an operative working Word. As it was in the creation, God said, Let there be light and there was light: So in the Ministry it exhorts and stirs up to duty, and there is a clothing of the ministerial word with an almighty power, it is a working word. As when Christ spoke to Lazarus, when he stanke in his grave, he said Lazarus come forth, it was an operative working word, there went an almighty power to raise Lazarus. Therefore though we find ourselves dead and have no work of grace: yet let us present ourselves more and more to the Ordinance of God. God will be mighty in his own Ordinance: the blessed time may come, let us wait when the waters are stirred, and take heed that we despise not the counsel of God, which is to bring man to spiritual life this way. God can raise old sinners. And object not I am dead and rotten in sin many years, I am an old man. You know many were raised in the Gospel, some that had been dead few days: Lazarus was rotten and stanke. It shows us that though a man be dead and rotten in sin, yet he may be raised first or last, the blessed time may come, therefore wait; never pretend long custom, and long living in sin, All things are in obedience to God, though they have a resistance in themselves, yet God can take away that resistance and bring all to obey him. All things in the world though they be never so opposite to God's grace, they are in obedience to his command. Therefore though there be nothing but actual present resistance in the soul to that that is good and a slavery to the bondage of sin: yet attend meekly upon the Ordinance, God can make of Lion's Lambs, he can take away that actual resistance. As Christ when he was raised, the stone that lay upon the grave was removed: So when God will quicken a man, he will remove the stone of long custom that is upon him; though he have been dead so many years, yet God can roll away the stone and bid him rise up. Therefore let none despair, God is more merciful to save those that belong to him, than Satan can be malicious to hinder any way. The best of us all, The best men have some remainders of death. though we be not wholly dead, yet there are some relics of spiritual death hanging upon us, there be corruptions which in themselves are noisome. Therefore let all attend upon the means, that the Spirit of God by little and little may work out the remainders of death; the remainders of darkness in our understandings, and of rebellion in our wills and affections. For there be usually three degrees of persons in the Church of God. Three degrees of men in the Church. Some open rotten persons that are as graves, open sepulchers, that their stink comes forth and they are profane ones. There are some that have a form of godliness that are merely ghosts, that act things outwardly but they have not a spirit of their own; they have an evil spirit and yet do good works: they walk up and down and do things with no spirit of their own. The second are more tolerable than the first in humane society; because the other stink and smell to common society: common swearers and profane persons that stink to any except it be to themselves. But the godly have this death in part; the life of sentence is perfect, the life of justification: but spiritual life in us is by little and little wrought in the means, the Spirit of life joins with the Word of life and quickens us daily more and more. A word of these words And you hath he quickened. Suitable to the * Easter-day. occasion. This being our estate, let us know how much we are beholding to God who hath quickened us. God quickens us with Christ and in Christ. It is a comfortable consideration. In that God hath quickened Christ and raised him from the grave, it shows that his Father's wrath is pacified, or else he would not have quickened him, he gave him to death, and quickened him again, therefore we may know that he hath paid the price for us. And he quickens us with Christ and in Christ, whatsoever we have that is good it is in Christ first, That Christ in all things might have the pre-eminence. Christ first rose and ascended and sits in Heaven, and then we rise and ascend and sit in heavenly places with Christ, * See the Sermons upon Rom. 8.2. Therefore as St. Peter saith well, in 1. Peter 1.20. God hath raised Christ, that our faith might be in God. If Christ had not been raised up, our Faith and Hope could not have been in God, that he would raise us up, we are quickened and raised in Christ, all is in Christ first, and then in us. The ground of this is, that Christ was a public person in all that he did, in his death, therefore we are crucified and buried with him; in his resurrection and ascension, therefore we are quickened with him and sit in heavenly places with him. He is the second Adam; And if the first Adam could convey death to so many thousands, so many thousand years after; and if the world should continue millions of years, he would convey death to all: shall not Christ the second Adam convey life to all that are in him. So think of all things both comfortable and uncomfortable in Christ first, when we think of sin, think of it in him our Surety and when we think of freedom from death and damnation; think of his death, when we think of our resurrection, think of his, when he rose again; in his resurrection the acquittance from our sins was sealed: thereby we know that the debt is paid, because he rose again, let us see an acquittance of all in the resurrection. And if we think of the glory that God hath reserved for us, think of it in Christ, see Christ glorious first, and we in him. See Christ at the right hand of God, and we in him, carry Christ along with us in our contemplations. We are quickened with Christ, Christ takes away all the deaths I spoke of before. Christ by his resurrection took away the death of sentence, he rose again for our justification, so that now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ. So again in regard of that deadly disposition that is in us, Christ quickens us in regard of that, by infusing grace by his Spirit: for Christ is an universal principle of all life: Now Christ by his death pacifying his Father obtained the Spirit, and by that Spirit which he infuseth as a principle of life, he more and more quickens our nature and makes it better and better till it be perfect in Heaven. As Adam was a principle of death, and the more we live in the state of nature, the worse we are, till we come to hell: So when we are in Christ, the Spirit sanctifies us more and more till he have brought us to perfection. And as we are quickened from the death of sentence and of disposition, so we are quickened in regard of that hope of glory that we have: For now in Christ we are in Heaven already, and though there come bodily death between, yet notwithstanding that is but a fitting us for glory, the body is but fitted and moulded in the grave for glory. This very consideration will quicken a man in death, my head is in Heaven above water, therefore the body shall not be long under water. And Faith makes that that is to come present, and affects the soul comfortably. Christ is in Heaven already, and I am there in Christ, and I shall be there as verily as he is there; I am there de jure, & de facto I shall be there; in these considerations Christ quickens us: Therefore saith St. Peter, Blessed be God the Father of our Lord jesus Christ who hath begotten us again through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, to a lively hope of an inheritance immortal, etc. We are begotten again to this inheritance by the resurrection of Christ, who is risen again to quicken himself and all his. The consideration of this should affect us as it did Saint Peter, to bless God. Now all this quickening power ariseth from our union with Christ, we must have a being in Christ before we can have comfort by death with him, or by rising with him. Our union with Christ springs from faith: faith is cherished by the Sacrament: the Word and Sacrament beget faith: faith unites us to Christ: union with Christ makes us partake of his death, and the benefits of it, and of his resurrection and ascension to glory: therefore the more we attend upon this ordinance of the Word, and the seal of the Word, the Sacrament, the more our faith is increased: for God invites us to communion and fellowship with Christ, and all his benefits and favours: and the more we find faith assured of Christ, the more union and fellowship we have with Christ, and the more we seel that, the more Christ is a quickening Spirit: quickening us with the life of grace here, and the hope of Glory afterward. Therefore let us comfortably attend upon the ordinance of God sanctified for this purpose, to strengthen this our union with Christ. FINIS. THE FRVITFULL LABOUR FOR Eternal Food. In two Sermons, By the late Reverend and Learned Divine RICHARD SIDS, Doctor in Divinity, Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at Grays-inn. ESAY. 55.2. Why do you spend money for that which is not Bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Harken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. JOHN 6.55. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. LONDON, Printed by G.M. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford, 1639. THE FRVITFULL LABOUR FOR Eternal Food. JOHN 6.27. Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for the meat that endureth to everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give you, for him hath God the Father Sealed. OUr blessed Saviour was mighty in word and deed, witness what he did, what he taught, and both in this Chapter. What he did, he fed many with a few loaves, he came over the water without any help. What he taught, witness from this part of the Chapter to the end. The words are part of an Answer of our blessed Saviour to his hypocritical followers, that followed him for the Loaves, and not for any confirmation of their faith by his miracles: for upon occasion of those two miracles (mentioned in the former part of the Chapter) they followed him, and perceiving that he was miraculously come over the water, they began to ask him, Rabbi, how camest thou here? Our Saviour perceives that they meant to compliment with him, he sees with what hearts they came after him, therefore as most befitting the Exigence of their state, because they were hypocrites, he answers, not to their question, but to their persons, Verily, verily, ye seek me not because of the miracles, but because ye eat of the loaves and were filled. Labour not for the meat that perisheth, etc. The Verses together contain a Conviction, and an Injunction, or direction. A Conviction, and that is serious and loving. Serious, Verily, verily I say unto you, you seek me not because of the miracles, but because ye eat of the loaves, etc. He convinceth them of their fault, of their hypocrisy, of their wicked and carnal aims in holy business, they come flattering of Christ, but as he was too holy to flatter, so he was too wise to be flattered, he deals therefore directly with them, thoroughly convinceth them of their hypocrisy and corrupt aims in following after him. We are all naturally prone to these carnal ends in holy actions; we must take heed with what minds, with what hearts we come before God, whose eyes are brighter than the Sun, who regards not so much what we do, as with what minds we do it. As his conviction is Serious, so it is Loving, for with the conviction or reproof follows the injunction or direction, Labour not for the meat that perisheth. In the Injunction there are two things. First, he shows them what they should not follow, he takes them off from labouring after the meat that perisheth. And then secondly, he instructs them in what they should follow, what they should seek after, But labour for the meat that endureth to everlasting life, etc. There are Arguments in both. In the first, there is an Argument dissuasive, and that is enfolded, Labour not for the meat that perisheth, because it is meat that perisheth. In the second, there are Arguments prerswasive, or enforcing to the duty, and they are three, The necessity. The excellency. The possibility of attaining. The necessity, it is meat, and what so necessary as meat? The excellency, and that is set forth, first by the continuance, it is meat that endures. Secondly, by the fruit or effect of it, it is meat that endures to everlasting life, it is meat to life, and it is meat that tends to an everlasting, to a glorious life. The possibility of attaining it, The Son of man shall give it you, for him hath the Father Sealed. There are three things that must concur to make a thing attaineable, and to be had, A willingness in the giver. Power and strength to give it. And then Authority with power. here are all these; here is will to bestow it, he will give it, what freer than a gift? the Son of God became the Son of man upon purpose to give it, he will give it, and he will give it freely. here is power and strength to give it, for he is the Son of God as well as the Son of man. And then here is Authority joined with that power, for the Father hath Sealed him. The Father that created Heaven and Earth, that hath all power in his hands, that is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, He hath Sealed him, He hath given him full Commission to be the Saviour of all that trust in him, Christ came not without Authority from God the Father, he came out with God's broad Seal as his Commission. So you see the Arguments, both dissuasive, Labour not for the meat that perisheth, and persuasive, But for the meat that endureth to everlasting life. I shall but touch the former, and principally insist upon the latter Branch. To speak a little for the explication of the words. What is here meant by the meat that perisheth? We must enlarge the sense according to our Saviour's meaning; By the meat that perisheth, he doth not intend only outward food, but all outward things whatsoever, they are the meat that perisheth, all earthly and outward things are the food that the soul of a natural man feeds upon. The soul of a Covetous man feeds upon his money, applauding himself that he is worth so much and so much. The Ambitious man Camelion like feeds upon the air, upon the airy applause of the people. The Sensual man feeds upon base and sensual pleasures, in a word, all carnal men, natural men are condemned to that sentence of the Serpent, to eat dust, to feed upon outward, earthly, perishing things. So that every thing that is not grace and glory or the means that lead to it, is a perishing thing. Nay (to raise it a little higher) Learning and Knowledge, if it be only of perishing things, is food that perisheth, for as the frame of nature and the civil frame of the world must have an end and perish, so the knowledge of natural and civil things must needs be perishing also. And to say no more, the very knowledge, the speculative and contemplative knowledge of religious things, if we have only the knowledge of the things in us and are not turned into the things we know, is a perishing thing. The truths of God indeed are the food of the soul, but unless the goodness of those truths be the food of the will and affections, unless we are moulded and fashioned into the very form of those truths, unless we are framed to a love and liking of that which we know, that those truths be rooted and planted in us, it is food that perisheth. In a religious discourse, in preaching, all your ornaments, besides that which quickeneth and strengtheneth the soul to holy duties, is food that perisheth. And your hearing, if it be only to hear witty sentences and turnings of speech without regard to the truth itself, is food that perisheth. Thus you see what a great latitude this food that perisheth hath in Christ's meaning. Now our blessed Saviour takes them off from labouring for this by a strong Argument: Would you have a greater argument? It is food that perisheth, we do not regard the lustre of things, but their continuance. Why do we esteem of Crystal more than glass? Because it continues: Flowers have a goodly gloss, but we regard them little, because they are fresh in the morning and cast away at evening. And so it is with all excellencies, unless it be grace or glory. All flesh is grass, and the excellentest things of nature, wit and honour and learning and all, though they be not as grass so common, yet they are as the flower of the grass, they are all fading and withering, but the Word of God endureth for ever, that is, the grace and comfort that we get by the blessed truths of God, that endures for ever, and it makes us endure for ever, but all other things are food that perisheth, and we perish in the use of them, The world passeth away and the concupiscence of it, the world, the things lusted after perish, and in lusting after the world the lust perisheth, and we perish to in the pursuit of them, nay which is worse, the immoderate seeking after these things destroy us, we eternally perish, for by placing our affections on earthly things we turn earthly. Therefore in Divinity we have our denomination from our affections, we are called good or ill not from our knowledge but from our affections. The Devil knows good, but he is not good, it is loving and joying and delighting in good or ill that makes us good or ill, we have our form and being in religion from our affections. Now by seeking after and placing our affections that are ordained to close with better things, which shall make us happy in another world, by planting them on earthly things we become like the things earthly, by placing them on the world we become the world, we become earthly, therefore they are not only perishing in themselves, but we perish in the pursuit of them. It is a strong argument that is here used, all earthly things are food that perisheth; for alas he that is rich to day may be poor to morrow, he may be as rich as job in the morning, and as poor as job at night, he may be in credit now with Haman, and be in discredit ere soon, he may be in health now, and sick ere long; we need not Scripture for this, experience reads us this lecture enough, but we are so desperately set on earthly things, that neither Faith, nor experience, nor the strength of discourse, nor reason is sufficient to take us off till God by his Spirit convince us throughly of this, therefore Moses prays that God would teach them to number their days, so though there is a sufficient argument in the discovery of these earthly things to be perishing things to enforce a dissuasion, yet we cannot loosen our affections to them, nor know the uncertainty of them till God teach us. To make some use of this, in a word, and so to go on to that which I more intent. If all things here below be grass and as the flower of the grass, perishing and fading things, why then we should take heed that we do not redeem any perishing thing with the loss of that which doth not perish, with the loss of this soul of ours, which is an eternal spiritual substance, breathed in by God in the creation, and redeemed by Christ, which is capable of immortality, capable of happiness, capable of the blessed impression of the Image of God, What if one should gain the whole world (saith Christ that knows the price of a soul best) and should lose his own soul. It is an argument sufficient even to a man that is led but with the strength of natural reason, not to labour for that which will perish, when he hath a soul that will not perish; to labour after that thing as his main chief good, that is of shorter continuance than himself is extremity of folly: therefore no carnal man that seeks after these perishing things can ever be a wise man, because he hath an end inferior to himself, he may be wise for particular ends, to be rich, to have great places, to get his pleasure, this is to be wise for particular ends; but he cannot be wise for the chief and last and best end, for his soul, for eternity, he cannot direct his course that way, that labours for the food that perisheth. And again, we should not pass to neglect any earthly thing to gain advantage to our souls, because they are perishing things, we should force ourselves to contentment in the loss of earthly things for the gain of spiritual; the loss of things perishing is an easy matter, we lose things that will perish whether we lose them or no; All earthly things perish either in our time or after us; we should not therefore be over eager in getting of these earthly things, let us leave things that perish to men that perish: you see therefore how strong a reason our Saviour Christ allegeth here, Labour not for the meat that perishes, because it perisheth. And learn here from our blessed Saviour a point of heavenly wisdom, you see when he would take us off and dissuade us from the pursuit of earthly things, he takes an argument from the nature of them, they are perishing things, and therefore when we look upon the outward lustre of earthly things, we should withal consider the perishing nature of them; when we are tempted to too much delight in the creature, we should present to ourselves the perishing and fading nature of outward things; when we are tempted to sin either to commit, or to leave that which is good for any thing that is outward, we should consider, what do I now, I stain my soul, I crack my conscience, I contract guilt and grounds of terror for the time to come, for that which is perishing: it is always good to have present to our souls and to our fancies the nature of earthly things, that they may be as present as the temptation, that Satan from them urgeth and forceth upon the soul; it is good always to remember that they are perishing things, and that as they are perishing in themselves, so they will destroy us, cause us to perish in the pursuit of them. But my meaning is not to dwell long upon this. Labour not for the meat that perisheth. What? doth Christ mean that we should not labour at all for earthly things? doth he read a Lecture of ill husbandry and unthriftiness and negligence? No, he doth as we do, when we would set a crooked thing strait we bend it as much the contrary way, our Saviour saw that they were desperately addicted to earthly things, that they followed him for their bellies, sought him for the loaves, therefore he bends the stick the contrary way, Labour not for the meat that perisheth, that is, labour not for it in comparison of better things, labour not so inordinately, so immoderately, labour not so unseasonably. It is said of the Israelites that they brought Egypt into the Wilderness, because they brought the love of the Garlic and Onions of Egypt with them: we have many come to the Church, to these holy exercises, to this holy place, but they bring the world with them, they come with carnal affections: labour not so unseasonably; it should be our heavenly wisdom to lay aside importunate earthly thoughts of earthly things, to drive them away as Abraham did the Birds from the Sacrifice, we should leave them as he did the Beasts and his Servants at the bottom of the Mount when he went up to sacrifice unto God: thus labour not, labour not immoderately, labour not inordinately, labour not unseasonably. But how shall we know when our labour is immoderate, unseasonable, and inordinate after earthly things? I answer (in a word) when they either hinder us from, or hinder us in holy things, when they keep us from holy duties, as from the santifying of the Lords day, or from any other service of God, or when they hinder us in them, when they fill us full of distractions, when they turn the soul from the business in hand, etc. thus when they do either hinder us from or hinder us in better things, we may know we offend against this dissuasion of Christ, Labour not for the meat that perisheth. But why doth our Saviour begin first with his dissuasion, Labour not for the meat that perisheth, and then enjoin what they should seek after, but for the meat that endureth to everlasting life? Because he saw that their souls were corrupted and desperately set upon the seeking after earthly things, and when the soul is invested to any thing, there must first be a remoovall of that; as in ground, the thorns must first be rooted out, before there be any sowing of seeds, and in bodily distempers, there must first be a purge of the malignant humour, before there be any Cordials given; so Christ, he first takes them off from an immoderate and inordinate seeking after the world and earthly things, and then he directs them what they should do, what they should seek after, seek the food that endures to everlasting life. here is the prerogative of Christianity, a Heathen man out of the strength of moral discourse and outward experience can teach the negative part, can tell you that all earthly things are vain and perishing. A Stoic will declaim wittily and gravely from moral principels and daily experience upon these things, that these earthly things of themselves are all vain and fading, and that it is our conceit of them only that bewitcheth us to them, it is that only that renders them to us green and fresh: But now for the affirmative part, what we should seek after, here Paganism is blind, that is only to be learned in the Church of Christ, it is proper to Christianity to direct us here, as I shall discover better to you when I come to speak of the duty enjoined, which is that I especially aim at. But before I come to enforce the act or duty which our Saviour here exhorts unto, I must unfold the object of that act, what is meant here by the meat that endures to everlasting life. The meat that endures to everlasting life is our blessed Saviour Christ Jesus, as he is contained and wrapped up in the means of salvation, with all the blessed liberties, privileges, and prerogatives, graces and comforts that we have by him and in him: for our blessed Saviour never goes alone, he is never embraced naked, but with him goes his graces, comforts, prerogatives and liberties; we have him not now as we shall see him face to face hereafter in Heaven, but he is to be considered as wrapped up in the Word and Sacraments, so is Christ the food that lasts to everlasting life, and in this latitude we must take it, or else we mistake and straiten the Holy Ghost. But why is our blessed Saviour so considered, and the comforts, and prerogatives, and good things we have by him termed food? In diverse respects. To instance in a few: but first, you must know that as the soul hath a life as well as the body, so it hath a taste as well as the body, and as God (lest the body should pine away) hath planted in it an appetite, which is the bodies longing after that which refresheth it, for if it were not for appetite, if it were not for hunger and thirst who would care for meat and drink; so God hath planted in the soul, (lest it should pine away) a spiritual appetite, an earnest longing and desiring after that which is the most necessary good of the soul; for the soul hath that which the body hath, taste, and smell, etc. though in a more sublime and divine sense, but as really and truly, as we shall see afterwards. Now our blessed Saviour is this spiritual food of the soul, He is the bread of life that came down from Heaven, He is the true Manna, He is the true Tree of life in Paradise, in the Church of God the true Paradise, He is the true Shewbread, He is the true Lamb of God, He, considered with all the blessed prerogatives and privileges and comforts we have by him, is called meat or food for diverse respects. First, whatsoever sweetness, or comfort, or strength there is in meat, it is for the comfort and strength and good of the body; so whatsoever is comfortable and cherishing in Christ (as indeed all comfort and cherishing is in him) it is for our good; to us He is given, for us He was borne, to us a Child is borne, to us a Son is given, all is for us, for us men, for us sinners; there is nothing in his natures, in his state and condition both of abasement and exaltation, nothing in his Offices but it is all for our good. Consider him in his humane nature, and join with his nature, his abasement, that he was man, that he took upon him our nature, that he was abased in it, that he humbled himself to death, even to the death of the Cross, to be a sacrifice for our sins, how doth the soul feed on this, on the wonderful love of God in giving Christ to be incarnate, and then to die for us, how doth the soul feed upon the death of Christ, because by that God's wrath is appeased and he reconciled, where the dead body is there the Eagles resort, so doth the soul prey and feed upon the dead body of Christ, Christ crucified is the special food of the soul. Consider him in his Exaltation, in his glorious Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, how doth the soul feed upon that, Christ our Surety is risen again, therefore our debt is discharged, the justice of God is satisfied to the full; so for his Ascension, when the soul is basely minded on earthly things, it ascends to Christ who is taken up to Heaven for us: so his sitting at the right hand of God, the soul feeds on that, because he sits there till he have triumphed over all his enemies, till he have trod them all under foot. Consider him in his Offices. In ignorance the soul feeds on him as a Prophet to instruct it; in the sense of wrath and anger the soul feeds on him as a Priest to make peace and reconciliation: in want of righteousness, the soul feeds on his righteousness, he is our righteousness: In the sense of corruption, the soul feeds on him as a King, that by his Spirit will ere long work out all corruption, that as he will tread down all our enemies without, so he will tread down all corruption within▪ he will never leave the soul till he have made it a glorious house fit for himself. So the prerogatives we have by him, the soul feeds on them, feeds on his Redemption, that by his Redemption we are freed from our enemies and all that hate us, and all that we feared, that we are set at liberty from the Law, from sin and from death, and notwithstanding all the debasements of this world, we are the sons of God and heirs of Heaven. In a word, whatsoever is in Christ is for our good, He is all mine, his Life is mine, his Death is mine, his Resurrection is mine, his Ascension is mine, all is mine, he is expended and laid open for my good, that's the first. Again, as in the bodily life, there is a stomach, a power to work out of the meat that which is for strength and nourishment: so in the soul, there is faith the spiritual mouth and stomach of the soul to work and draw out of Christ whatsoever is for the comfort and nourishment of it; as there is comfort in Christ, so the Spirit of God gives a man a hand, a mouth as it were, giveth a man faith to work out of Christ somewhat for comfort; what were food if there were not a stomach to digest it, to make it a man's own? so what were Christ if we had not faith to lay hold on him? Again thirdly, as our life is nourished and maintained with that which is dead, with dead things, so the chief dish that maintaineth and nourisheth the life of the soul (as I said before) is Christ crucified, God forbid (saith the Apostle) that I should rejoice in any thing but in Christ crucified, when the soul of a poor sinner is pursued with accusations from Satan and his own conscience, when they take part with God against him, whether runs it? to the city of refuge, it runs to Christ, to Christ crucified, thither the soul flies being pursued with the guilt of sin, to the horns of the Altar, as joab did when he was pursued, but with better success, for he was pulled from thence, but the soul that flies to Christ crucified, to the death of Christ, to Christ abased, to his satisfying the wrath of God by his death, and making of us friends with God, there it holds, there it lives, and there it will continue for ever; this keeps the soul alive. And then again, as in meat, before it can nourish us, there must be an union, an assimulation, a turning of it into us; so Christ, except he be made one with us by faith, unless there be an union between him and us, he can never nourish and comfort us savingly. Again, as we oft eat, and after we have received food once, yet we eat again every day, because there is a decay of strength, and there are still new businesses, new occasions that require new strength, and therefore there is need of a continual repairing of our strength by food: Even so there is a perpetual exigence, a continual need that the soul hath to feed upon Christ, upon the promises of Christ, and the prerogatives by Christ, because every day we have fresh impediments, f●esh assaults, and therefore we have need to fetch fresh supplies and refreshment from Christ, to have meat from Christ every day, to live on Christ not only at the first, but continually, that as our corruptions, and temptations, and infirmities return every day, so every day to feed on Christ for the repairing of our spiritual strength; especially we are to make daily use of the death of Christ, for howsoever the death of Christ be transient in respect of the act of it (as one of the Ancients saith) yet the fruit of it remains for our daily comfort and refreshment, his blood runs every day in the Church afresh, like a fountain always poured out for juda and jerusalem to wash in, it always runs, that is, in regard of God's imputation, in regard of the fruit that comes to the soul, and therefore we should make daily use of it for the comfort and strength of our souls upon all occasions, We have an Advocate with the Father jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins, he is now an Intercessor in Heaven, he continually applies the fruit of his death now by his intercession in Heaven. Again, as after meat received and eaten, there is strength and comfort gotten for the affairs of this life; so likewise after the soul hath digested and relished Christ, and the benefits and prerogatives that come by him, after we have made the heavenly truths of Christ our own, the soul is strengthened to holy duties, it is fit to do, it is fit to suffer, it is fit to resist temptations, it is fit to perform all the services of Christianity. In these and diverse other respects Christ is the blessed meat here mentioned, not himself alone, but considered with all the blessed good things which we have by him: for Christ (as I said before) is never alone, if we have him, we are sons in him, we are heirs in him, we are free in him, we are redeemed in him, we are Kings in him, Priests in him, Prophets in him, we are all in him, we have with him all the good things that he hath, for as we have not them without him, so we have not him without them, those that have the field, have the pearl in the field, and they that have the pearl in the field, have the field, they that have Christ, have Christ clothed with all his blessed prerogatives, and privileges, and comforts. But wherein lieth the difference between this meat, this food of the soul and other meat? In these things. First of all, Christ as he is from Heaven, so all the graces and comforts that we have by him are all from Heaven, and they carry us to Heaven, all the other things are earthly. Secondly, all earthly food doth not give but maintain life where it is, but Christ he is such a food as gives life, he is as well life as food, I am the life. Again thirdly, the nourishment we have from this outward food, we turn to ourselves, but Christ this spiritual meat, turns us into himself, transforms us into his own likeness, for Christ offered to us in the Gospel being digested by Faith, doth by his Spirit change us every way into his own likeness. Lastly, all other meats are consumed in the spending, and there will a time come when we shall not be able to relish any worldly thing, our mouth will be out of taste with these outward things; But Christ the food of the soul is never consumed, but grows more and more, and when we can relish no other, we may relish this food that endures to everlasting life, it always satisfies the soul: all earthly things are as salt water that increase the appetite but satisfy not, only Christ and grace and the comforts we have by him satisfy and that everlastingly, they are as a spring that never dies: As he himself in his own person endures to everlasting life, so all that we have by him is everlasting, grace is everlasting, grace ends in glory: Christ always satisfies, though not wholly here, because there must be a continual recourse to him, yet he will satisfy hereafter, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Thus you see what is meant by the food that endures to everlasting life, and the reason of the resemblance, and the difference that is between this and other meat. Here are arguments enough then to enforce us to a labouring after this meat that endures to everlasting life, that is so agreeable to the best part of us, that is able to make us happy, to labour by Faith to get them to be our own. Now the labour required is especially to get a stomach to this meat, God requires nothing of us when we come to his delicacies but that we bring a good stomach with us, I will therefore speak a little of that, what we must do to get an appetite to this spiritual meat. A good stomach we know is procured by sharp things, the Paschall Lamb was to be eaten with sour herbs, if we would have an appetite after Christ, labour daily to consider what a cursed estate we are in without Christ: God hath left the Law as for other purposes so for this, that we should feed upon the threatenings of it, that it should drive us to Christ; A legal faith is the way to evangelical. Labour therefore thoroughly to be convinced of the need thou standest in of Christ, and then I need not bid thee to labour for the food that endures to everlasting life, that will sharpen thy appetite after it: And beg of God illumination to see the ill that is in thee, and the ill that belongs to thee: God hath left infirmities and corruptions in us on purpose for this end, and likewise we have tentations without us, we carry not only a Hell within us (which if God should not keep in would carry us to despair) but there is a hell without us, the tentations of Satan, the accusations of the Law, the anger and wrath of God; thus we should labour to be convinced of our wretched estate without Christ, the danger we are in if God should take us hence on a sudden, this will force every day a fresh appetite and stomach in the soul to feed on Christ. Secondly if we would sharpen our appetites to this food, we must purge our stomaches which naturally surfeit of earthly things, purge the soul by a consideration of the vanity of all other things that draw us from Christ: the reason why we have no better relish of Christ and heavenly things is, because we cleave in our affections so much to earthly things, we set up Idols in our hearts instead of Christ, and we cleave in an adulterous and false affection unto them. Let us set before us arguments of the vanity of all things but Christ, and there can be no better argument than here is set down, they are all perishing things: that which the soul neglects Christ and Heaven and happiness for, and is so madly set upon, alas they are all base in respect of the soul, the whole world is not worth a soul, they are all perishing things, of less continuance than the soul is; we should purge our souls by such considerations as these. Then again thirdly: Exercise getteth a stomach, let us every day spend our spiritual strength in spiritual exercises, in resisting tentations, in withstanding the snares of Satan, in bearing those daily crosses that God lays upon us, live as Christians should live, and the exercise of a Christian life will enforce us to go unto Christ to feed on him, to fetch from him spiritual strength; when in our daily exercise we shall see the continual need we have of pardon for daily sins, of comfort and strength against daily corruptions and infirmities, this will make us feed on Christ and on the promises made in him, not only on the promise of forgiveness, but on the promise of a supply of necessary grace, on that sweet promise, that he will not quench the smoking flax nor break the bruised reed, feed on him as a King to subdue our corruptions, etc. the daily exercise of a Christian life will force us unto Christ. Again, to whet our appetite after Christ, consider the necessity we have of spiritual strength and comfort: when a man considers that he hath a journey to take, he will eat to enable him to his journey, as Elias was bid to rise up and eat because he had a journey to go, we are all to take a journey as far as Heaven, and we are to travel through the wilderness of this world, and we shall be daily assaulted (besides our inward corruptions) with diverse tentations, and therefore we had need every day to fetch strength from Christ: and consider that sickness will come, and death will surprise us, and if we have not Christ we are wretched creatures without him: and though we have applied Christ to ourselves and made him our own, yet a time of deseition, a time of trial will come: Thus the necessity of spiritual strength will force us to feed upon Christ. Again to get us a stomach to these things, let us converse with those that are spiritual, with those that are heavenly minded, that have tasted of heavenly things, when we see them delight in reading, delight in hearing, when we see them contemplate of Heaven and heavenly things, on Christ and the benefits we have by Christ, on the blessed condition of a better life and of the world to come, when we see these persons that are better than ourselves, that have less cause than we, take such pains for their souls, we will be ashamed of our own neglect, and it will be the discourse of a soul presently with itself, surely there is some excellent strength and comfort in these things, some extraordinary sweetness and refreshment that these men find, that they so fall to them: it is a great advantage to converse with those that are spiritual. And lastly, to put an edge to our dull appetites after this food, consider we know not how soon this table that Christ hath spread, these dainties that wisdom hath provided for us in the Ministry of the Word may be taken from us, therefore let us fall too while we have them; We should do as those do that being at a feast and have neglected feeding, at the latter end when they see all ready to be taken away fall too a fresh: we know not how long we may enjoy these blessed opportunities, therefore now with joseph, let us lay up against a time of scarcity, there will a hard winter come, therefore let us imitate the wisdom of that poor creature the Ant, to provide against winter: Now while the jubilee is let us take out a pardon: there is a time of spending to come, now let us get oil in our Lamps: Now is the seed time, now are the waters stirred in the pool of Bethesda: Now is the acceptable time of grace, we know not how long it shall continue, therefore now let us labour for the food that endureth to everlasting life. I never knew any repent of the pains they had taken for their souls, but many that have lamented and bewailed the precious time they have spent, and that they have not been good husbands for their souls: It is one special point of heavenly wisdom to take advantage of our precious time, to fill it up with holy exercises; let us often offer this consideration to our souls, wherefore was I sent hither into this world, what is the end why I live here? is it to scrape together perishing things and so to perish with them, or am I not rather sent hither to get out of the state of corruption wherein we all are by nature? to get into Christ, to make him mine own, to be turned into him, to feed on him, to get joy and comfort, and strength from him? is not this the end why I live here? But to go on, and to make an use of trial, whether we have as we should do relished and tasted Christ, whether we have fed on this meat or no. How shall we know that? I answer, we may easily know it: For first of all, if we have relished Christ and the good things by him, we disrelish all other things, we begin to have a base esteem of all earthly things. It is with the soul as it is with a Balance, when Christ is high in the soul, other things are low, and when other things are high, Christ is low in the soul: Christ was high in Paul's soul, therefore he esteemed all as dung in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ. The poor Woman of Samaria when she had heard Christ, and tasted the sweetness that was in him, down goes her waterpot, and she runs to the City and tells them, I have seen a man that hath told me all things, is not this the Messiah? Zaccheus, when he had tasted of grace, and had the pardon of his sins by Christ, half my goods I give to the poor, etc. when grace is planted in the soul, when the soul hath tasted once of better things, there will be a mean and base esteem of earthly things: the more the soul feeds on heavenly things, the less respect it hath to temporal things. The soul is a finite Essence, and it cannot spend itself on all things, the more it runs into severals, the more shallow it is to others; as in a stream, when it is cut into many channels it runs weakly in the several, whereas it runs strongly in the main; so it is with the soul, when it is scattered, as the poor Israelites were about the land of Egypt to gather straw, to gather these perishing earthly things, it is weak to heavenly things, it hath little strength to those, but when the course of it is wholly bend to those, there are but weak or no desires running to these earthly things, when once the soul of a Christian hath had a true taste and relish of the things of Heaven, it looks with a despising eye upon whatsoever is here below; when once it hath tasted of Christ, then especially it grows out of relish with poison, than away with Popery, away with false doctrine, away with hypocrisy, and formality in religion. Again secondly, we may know that we have tasted Christ and fed on him, and on the good things that are by him, when we are strengthened by our feeding, when we are strengthened to duties, strengthened against tentations and against corruptions. Thou sayest thou believest on Christ and hast made him thine own, what comfort and strength feelest thou by Christ? art thou able to encounter a tentation? art thou able to resist a lust? art thou able to perform holy services? If there be no strength in thee, but every tentation turns thee over, and thou yieldest to every base lust, where is Christ? canst thou believe Christ to be thy King, and yet suffer thy lusts to bear sway in thee? canst thou believe that Christ is a Priest that died forty sins, and yet cherishest and lovest sin? canst thou believe that Christ is in Heaven and that thou art in heavenly places with Christ, and yet hast no mind of heavenly things, but art carried away with every earthly thing? No, thou hast not yet tasted how good and gracious the Lord is, thou hast not yet relished the heavenly Manna: the soul that feeds on Christ is strengthened from spiritual reasons and supernatural grounds and divine principles drawn from Christ to duty, so that it is enabled even with a holy violence to do any thing for Christ's sake; for the soul reasons thus, Christ gave himself to death for me, I will therefore (if need be) give myself to death for him, Christ thought nothing too dear for me, I will think nothing too dear for him, this pride, this vanity that I am tempted to, these were the spears that were the death of my Saviour; thus the soul fetches reasons from the death of Christ to strengthen it against temptations, to strengthen it to duty: and so for the matter of comfort, after meat hath been received we are refreshed, if the soul be sweetly refreshed with the comforts that are to be had in Christ, and in the Word of Christ, it is a sign we have tasted Christ: those that have trembling and discouraging hearts and souls, that cannot rest nor receive comfort, it is a sign they have not rightly tasted Christ, Come unto me (saith Christ) all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and ye shall find rest to your souls; in Christ there is rest, out of Christ there is no rest; and so likewise those that have corruptions bearing sway in them, it is a sign they have not so much as touched Christ, for if they had but touched Christ he would stop the issue of their corruptions; the poor woman in the Gospel as soon as she had touched Christ, her bloody issue was stayed, so upon the least touch of Christ by faith, there will be an abating of corruption. Thirdly, in the bodily life we know, after a good meal, the desire and appetite is satisfied; so the soul that tastes of Christ, it hath sweet satisfaction and contentment: O the sweet satisfaction that a Christian soul hath above a Heathen. A Christian that hath Christ need not go out of him for any thing, it hath fullness and satisfaction in him in all estates, both in life and in death; dost thou find Christ, and the privileges and prerogatives we have by him, dost thou find the Word of Christ and the promises of the Word fully and sufficiently satisfy thee, than it argues that thou hast fed on Christ, for Christ being received by faith into the soul, gives it fullness and contentment. Lastly, to name no more, as men (if they have the grace of God in their hearts) will give thanks for their bodily food; so it is an evidence that we have fed on Christ when our hearts and tongues are enlarged to praise God for Christ, for the comforts and contentment and satisfaction that we find in him and in religion; therefore Saint Paul begins his Epistle to the Ephesians, with Blessed bee God the Father of our Lord jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly place; in Christ. And Sa●nt Peter being led by the same blessed Spirit, his heart being full, his mouth is full of thanks, Blessed be God the Father of our Lord jesus Christ, who hath begotten us again to an inheritance immortal, that fadeth not away, reserved for you in the heavens (for you that are reserved by faith to salvation) so undoubtedly the soul that tastes the sweet comforts of Religion in Christ will be much in sweet inlargements of heart in thanksgiving, it cannot be otherwaise, it is an universal reason, the more believing a soul is, the more thankful a soul is, where there is no praise, there is no faith. Thus you see how we may try whether we have tasted and relished, whether we have fed upon the food that endures to everlasting life or no. Taste is the most necessary sense of all (saith a wise searcher of the mysteries of Nature) our life is maintained by taste: Every creature sees not, every creature hears not, but every creature hath taste: you may judge of yourselves by your taste and relish, and if once you have tasted and relished Christ, all the world cannot persuade you to fall from him, if all should say there were no sweetness in Religion, that it were better to be a worldling, etc. you would defy it, you would never believe it, there is no disputing against what a man tastes, if all men should say sugar were sharp, if I once tasted it I would say otherwise. Labour for the meat that endures to everlasting life. The Arguments enforcing this act upon the object, to labour for Christ, are, that he is food, and food that endures, and food that endures to everlasting life. Let me from these arguments here in the text (for I will draw no other) enforce what I have said before, I have showed you what this labour is, and rules how you may know whether you rightly labour for this food or no: Now to enforce this act, consider first the necessity of that our Saviour here enjoins us too, it is food. It is a strange thing that persons should persuade themselves that they are Christians, and yet go from day to day without refreshing themselves with Christ, and with the meditation of the blessed estate they are in by him, both in respect of this world and that which is to come, without getting strength from Christ against tentations and against corruptions: Christ is food, and the promises and prerogatives we have by him are food, we should labour after it every day, feed on it every day: If a man should ask a man in his calling, why do you take such pains Morning and Evening, rising early and going to bed late? He would answer it is to get bread, it is to get food to maintain my family: So should it be our answer to any that wonder why we take such pains for our souls, why we labour so after Christ, Oh remember we take pains for life, to get and maintain life, and what is so necessary as life? And if life be so necessary, food which preserves it must be necessary: we see the Patriarches for food left their country, and the poor Egyptians sold themselves and their cattle and all to get food to keep life. We famish eternally except we feed on Christ, except we have so much Faith as makes us one with him, except by Faith we digest him and get nourishment and strength from him: it will appear to be so when it is too late, ere long nothing in the world will relish us, and then if we have not Christ and the things of another life to relish us what will become of us? I beseech you consider what opinion and judgement we shall have ere long of these earthly things and of the better things of another world, at the hour of death our judgements will be convinced that the things of Heaven are the best things: and if it be true that they will be so then, why is it not true that they are so now? Labour to have the same judgement now. With the necessity our blessed Saviour joineth the excellency of this food, It is food that endures to everlasting life: Christ and the good things we have by him are of equal extent and of equal time with our souls, if we labour for earthly things, we labour after that which is of shorter continuance than our souls, we may outlive our happiness, and what a miserable state is that? But if we labour for the food that endures to everlasting life, our happiness is of the same continuance with our souls, and that is only true happiness. If there were such a Tree upon the Earth now as there was in Paradise, a Tree of life, that whosoever should taste of the fruit of it should live, though but on the Earth here to enjoy his sensual pleasures. Oh what would not men give for a little fruit of that Tree, though it were to redeem a little time and to lengthen out a fading base life on earth, but much more to live for ever: Here is food that endures to everlasting life, to such a life as is heavenly and glorious. Now blessed be God that since we are cast out of the first Paradise by sin, that now in our relapsed estate God is so merciful to us as to provide another manner of Tree of life, that in Paradise was but a typical Tree, the true Tree of life is Christ, and whosoever feeds on him shall not perish but have everlasting life; certainly if we believed this, it could not be, but it would wondrously see us on to labour after this meat, because it is not only food that tends to the preservation of life, but to life everlasting, to a life that endures as long as our souls. And let us know that if we do not labour for this meat that brings to this life, look what degree of excellency we have had in the rank of the creatures the same degree we shall have in misery, for as the Angels in the degree of excellency were the most excellent creatures, but being fallen they are in the same degree of misery that they were in happiness and are now the most accursed creatures of all others: So man as he is a most excellent creature, if he feed on the food that endures to everlasting life, so if like Nebuchadnezar he f●red as a beast on earthly things and forget his soul and affections which are made to close and feed on Christ and better things, he shall have the same degree of misery that he hath in happiness, even next to the Devils the most wretched creature that can be: What if a man were clad as Aaron was in all his pontificality, in his Priestly robes? What if he should feed deliciously every day as Dives? what and if he had the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Samson? what and if he had all the kingdoms of the world? if he have not the food that endures to everlasting life, he should be stripped of all these ere long, it is only Christ and the good things that are to be had in him and by him that continue everlastingly. This should enforce us to labour after this food in the use of all good means: and before I leave the point, consider the reality, the truth of these heavenly things, of these things we have by Christ the second Adam, all things else are shadows: The food that nourisheth the body it is not food in comparison of that, earthly kingdoms are not kingdoms in respect of that, earthly sonship is not sonship to that, earthly riches they are nothing, they are vanity in comparison of that, earthly inheritance is no inheritance in comparison of the inheritance we have by Christ, all other things are but titles of things, they are but empty things, there is a reality in Christ, a truth in the kingdom of grace. Alas what is riches, what are pleasures, what are honours, what is sonship, what are all earthly things in comparison of the soul which is an immortal, a spiritual, an eternal substance, they are but shadows, those things that are of equal extent and continuance with the soul, and not only of equal extent, but that raise the soul to have communion with God in Heaven, with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, there is the reality, there is the truth, if we will have the truth of things: I am that bread (saith Christ afterward in this Chapter) and my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed, as if other meat and other drink refreshed not indeed, but were only shadows of things. Labour therefore for this meat, and certainly if so be the Spirit of God once convince your judgements that these things which I say are true, both for the necessity and excellency of this food, they will be effectual to stir you up to labour more after this food that endures to everlasting life. So much for that. Which the Son of man shall give you, for him hath God the Father Sealed. To come now to the possibility of attaining this food, which is the third argument our blessed Saviour useth to enforce upon us this injunction, to labour for the food that endures to everlasting life. Hope stirreth up endeavour, as we see in marchandizing, though when we venture beyond the seas we commit all to wind and water (as they say) and it is doubtful what the issue may be, yet we hope, and that sets us on work: So the poor Husbandman, but that he hopes to have a comfortable issue, to have a harvest, he would never set himself to work. Now here is hope, and hope on a better ground a great deal, for he that makes other things successful, he hath given Christ for this purpose, and Christ (you see here) he gives himself, which the Son of man shall give you. here is all that we may ground and found our hope upon, here is will, here is power, and here is authority to give it. here is will, Christ will give it, why? because he is the Son of man. What use is there of these words in this place? why doth he not say which the Son of God shall give you? O the Son of God without the Son of man is indeed a Fountain of good things, but he is a sealed Fountain, alas of no comfort, our comfort is in Emanuel God-Man, all our comfort is to be brought back to God from whom we fell in Paradise, and we must be brought back again to God by God, but unless God had become man, man had never come back again to God, therefore all the union and communion we have with God it depends on this first union of Christ with our nature, that the Son of God became the Son of man (as Saint Austin saith) for now the next union that we become the Sons of God it comes from this, that God became man: and therefore he saith here, the Son of man shall give it you, you need not climb up to Heaven to fetch this food that endures to everlasting life, for the Son of God is come down from Heaven to Earth, to take the nature of man, and in that to die, in that to satisfy God's wrath, and so to become this blessed and everlasting food. The Son of man, the second Adam, as by one man we all come to misery, so by the second Adam (by man) we are restored to a blessed condition again: therefore he saith here the Son of man, because in the humane nature all our salvation was wrought: indeed the worth and efficacy of our salvation comes from the divine nature, but it was wrought in man's nature, the divine nature could not work it alone. But I will not dwell on this. The Son of man shall give it you, you need not fear it, God is become man on purpose to give it you, we may now boldly go to a Mediator which is made bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, we should have feared and trembled if he had only been God, but now all grace and comfort is hid in this nature of ours in Christ: if Christ had not taken this poor wretched nature of ours upon him, it had been a hateful nature to God, God hated the nature of man, but now because the Son of God is become the Son of man, our nature is become lovely in the eyes of God, and not only lovely, but it is filled in him with all grace, and of his fullness we receive grace for grace. He will give it therefore, because he is the Son of man. here is will, I but what power and strength hath he to give it? He is so the Son of man as that he is also the Son of God, therefore we are said (Acts 20.) to be redeemed with the blood of God, Christ by his eternal Spirit, by his Godhead offered himself a Sacrifice for sin; so that he can give it because he is God. But what authority hath he? He is Sealed to do it, that's the third, that is, he hath authority, for authority is here expressed by Sealing. Now Christ is said to be Sealed, first, because there is the impression of God upon him, even as the seal imprints in the wax the likeness of that which is in it, so God hath imprinted in Christ his own likeness, he is the Image of God, for Christ as he is God, is the character of his Father, and his humane nature is likewise as like God as nature can express, we saw (saith the Apostle) his glory, the glory as of the only begotten Son of God, we saw a kind of divinity in him as much as humane nature could receive, the likeness of God sparkeled in him; therefore he is said to be Sealed, but that is not all nor the principal here meant. Again secondly, the use of a seal is to appropriate and distinguish from other things, so Christ is Sealed, that is, God hath appropriated him to be his own Son, and to be a Mediator of his own appointing, and hath distinguished him from all others by a blessed anointing and qualification of him above all, he is as Saul amongst the rest, higher than all, he is as Aaron, anointed with the oil of gladness, but above his fellows, and yet for his fellows, from him distils the blessed ointment of grace, it is poured on his head first, and descends from him down to all the skirts of his garment, to all his members. So here is in this Sealing, likeness, distinction, and appropriation. But especially by Sealing here is meant authority, for a thing sealed is not only to distinguish and appropriate to a man's use, but to authorise also, as a Magistrate that hath the King's broad Seal, he is authorized: so Christ he hath God's Seal, God hath authorized him to be a Mediator, and as he was fore-ordained before all worlds (as the Apostle Peter saith) to be the head of them that should be saved, 1 Pet. 1. and to be their Mediator, so when the fullness of time was come, when he came in the flesh, he was authorized by the greatest testimony that ever was, by the blessed Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost at his Baptism, This is my beloved Son, hear him, saith a voice from Heaven, there was the Father, the Son in the voice, the Holy Ghost in the Dove, there was the whole Trinity, so he was authorized from Heaven. And then he was authorized by his miracles, God gave him power to work those works which none could do but a Mediator, therefore he saith, if you believe not me, yet believe me for my works sake. He was authorized also by his Resurrection, as the Apostle saith, in Rom. 1.4. He mightily declared himself to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead: the Angels from Heaven brought witness of him, he was witnessed by all kind of persons on earth, yea by the devils themselves: so he is Sealed and authorized every way by all kind of witnesses to be a Mediator. This is set out in other phrases in the Scripture. In Psal. 2. This my Son have I set upon my holy hill of Zion, and Rom. 3. toward the latter end, Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, God hath set him forth as the Shewbread was set out under the Law. And then again in another place, Whom he hath sent, and in 1. Cor. 1.30. He is made of God unto us Wisdom, etc. He is made of God, that is, he is Sealed, appointed, authorized by God for that purpose. So you see, why Christ is said to be Sealed, especially because he is authorized by God the Father, made, sent, set forth, whom the Father hath Sealed, that is, the party offended by our sins, he hath Sealed and authorized Christ to be a Mediator. If this be so, let us learn this use of it, to bless God the Father as well as Christ, Blessed be the Father of our Lord jesus Christ, and Blessed be Christ, for him hath the Father Sealed by the Spirit. The blessed Trinity have all a hand in our salvation. And then again consider, if we despise Christ, whom we despise, we despise the Father that hath Sealed him, it is a weighty matter, Read the second Psalm and you shall see there what it is to despise Christ, not to kiss the Son, that is, when God hath anointed and set forth a Saviour, and Sealed him and authorised him by all the testimonies that can be to be a Mediator, not to receive him for our King, for our Priest and Prophet, it is a rebellion, not against Christ only, but against the Father who hath Sealed him. And likewise it serveth wonderfully to strengthen our faith when we go to God for forgiveness of sins: offer him his own broad Seal, offer to him Christ a Mediator authorized by himself: Lord I am thus and thus a sinner, but notwithstanding thou hast sent thy blessed Son and set him forth to be a Saviour for me, and him I offer to thee, thou canst not deny or refuse thy own Sealed Mediator and Redeemer, if he had been a Mediator of my own appointing and of my own sealing it were another matter, but I offer thy own Mediator, look on the death of him whom thou hast Sealed to be my intercessor. It is a wondrous prevailing argument with God, he cannot deny that which he hath devised himself, him whom he chose before all worlds for this great office. But how shall I know whether he be Sealed for my good or no? saith the soul that hears this, we hear much of an authorized Saviour, of an authorized Mediator to be All-sufficient, but what is that to me? Why? for whom is he Sealed? is he Sealed for Angels or for men? and amongst men, is he Sealed for holy men or sinners? I come not to seek or to save whole men, or men that never were lost, no, he came to seek and to save men, but they are lost men, sick men: and it is a faithful saying, and worthy of all means to be embraced, that Christ came into the world to save sinners, saith blessed Paul, therefore he is Sealed to save thee if thou art a sinner, to save thee if thou wilt receive him, and thou art bound to receive him under pain of the punishment of rebellion. Is it not rebellion not to receive a Magistrate whom the Prince hath authorized under his broad Seal? it is another manner of matter not to receive Christ, it is a greater sin, then to sin against the Law, for if a man sin against the Law there is the Gospel to help him, but if a man sin against the Gospel there is not another Gospel to help him, now to refuse Christ offered in the Gospel is a sin against the Gospel, where then can there be hope of salvation? salvation itself cannot save him that will not be saved, that refuses the remedy Sealed by God the Father the party offended, who can heal him that casts down the Potion that is brought to heal him, that refuseth the Physician that comes to cure him? I say he is Sealed to save thee if thou wilt be saved, if thou wilt receive him, receive him not only to be thy Saviour, but to be thy King to rule thee, and thy Prophet to teach and instruct thee, as we shall see afterwards. But to clear this a little better, we must know that there are three distinct sealings. There is God sealing of Christ, which I have unfolded to you. And there is our sealing of God, that is, our sealing of God's truth. And then again, there is Gods sealing of us by his Spirit: And these follow one the other. Why hath God sealed Christ; but that we hereupon should be stirred up to believe, and to receive Christ, and so by consequence to seal that God is true in sending such a blessed Mediator, as St. john saith, john 3.33. He that believes in the Son hath set to his seal that God is true. God hath sealed him that we by receiving him should seal God's truth. Beloved, God comes to us for our testimonials, for our hands and seals, Oh how wondrously doth God condescend to weak man▪ He hath sealed Christ for the office of a Mediator, and he offers him unto us, and he comes to us likewise that we would set to our seals too, that Christ is the Son of God, he counts it not sufficient that he hath sealed him himself, but he will have us seal too, and we seal him when we receive him, he that receives him hath set to his seal that God is true, he that doth not receive him, he makes God a liar, saith Saint john. And what comes of this when we receive Christ and set to our seal that God in the promise of salvation by Christ is true? Then we having honoured him, he honours us by sealing us by his Spirit, as the Apostle saith: Ephes. 1. In whom after ye believed ye were sealed, So when we believe and set to our seal that God is true, God seals us by his Spirit, after ye believed you were sealed. But what is this seal of the Spirit whereby God seals us after we believe? I answer, God seals us when he sets the stamp of his Spirit upon us, when the work and witness of his Spirit is wrought in us: For as in a seal, the wax hath all in it, ●he whole likeness of the Image that is in the seal: So the soul that is sealed by the Spirit hath the likeness of the Spirit of Christ stamped on it, God imprints in their spirits the likeness of his Son, that is to say, he makes ●hem loving souls, humble souls, obedient as Christ was in all things, patient, meek, etc. you may see in the spirit of a believing man an expression of the Spirit of Christ, so that if you would see Christ in his excellencies, look on the spirit of a true Christian, there you shall see a resemblance of Christ Jesus, not perfectly but in some comfortable measure, you shall see the very Image of Christ, you shall see how full of love he is, how patient in crosses, how humble, how meek, how obedient to God in all things both in a passive and active obedience. This is the stamp of the Spirit, when a man believes God honours him by setting his Image on him. And yet this is not all, besides this we are sealed with the witness and comfort of the Spirit as well as with the work of the Spirit, the Spirit of God sweetly witnessing that we are the sons of God: and this sweet witness of the Spirit especially comes after we have honoured God by believing in temptation, when we are able to hold out and say as job said, Though he kill me yet will I trust in him, so when we can after conflicts of doubting and despair, say, though he kill me yet will I trust in him, I will set to my seal that he is true, well will you so? God to honour such a soul seals him to the day of redemption, that is, he gives to the soul of such a one a sweet evidence and testimony that he is the Son of God. And this seal of the Spirit is double, not only done by the witness and work of the Spirit inwardly (which I have showed) but likewise the Spirit doth seal them outwardly, enabling them to make an outward confession of Christ and his Truth, and therefore in Reve. 14. Christians are said to be Sealed in the forehead, that is, as they are marked and singled out in ill times to be such as God hath set his special favour upon, so they are Sealed with a spirit of boldness willingly and with forwardness to confess the truth of Christ in ill times. Now (to apply it to our purpose) wouldst thou know whether thou be such a one for the present as for whom Christ is Sealed a Mediator? Examine first of all whether thou hast put to thy Seal that God is true by receiving and believing Christ and the promise of Salvation through him, if thou hast done so then thou wilt find another Seal from God, even the work of the Spirit in sanctifying of thee and conforming of thee to the Image and likeness of Christ, and thou wilt find the witness and comfortable testimony of the Spirit in telling thee that thou art the Son of God: and withal thou wilt have a spirit of boldness and readiness and forwardness to confess Christ, thou wilt not care for all that the world saith, but wilt if (need be) stand to the profession of Religion to the death. If thou canst find this in thyself, undoubtedly thou art not only such a one as Christ came to Seal, but for the present, thou mayest be assured that thou hast interest in this Mediator Sealed by God for that purpose. Thus you see that here is food that endures to everlasting life, which is Christ and the benefits we have by him, you see that that blessed meat is attaineable, because he is willing to give it, for he is become Man for that purpose, he is able to give it, for he is God as well as Man, and he hath aurhority to give it, for God the Father hath Sealed him and fitted him for that office. If we receive him he will Seal us with his blessed Spirit, that is, the same Spirit that furnished Christ with grace, that sanctified him in the womb, will sanctify all those that are his members, will work a likeness and conformity in them to his blessed Image, for the same Spirit that was in the natural Son is in all the adopted Sons of God. And he will likewise give us the comfortable evidence and assurance that we are the Sons of God, furnish us with boldness and resolution to profess Christ in all times. Let me then I beseech you come again to reinforce this exhortation: Take heed you refuse not Christ, consider with what authority he comes, he is Sealed, it is no presumption therefore to receive him, though you be never such sinners, to receive him (I mean) not only to be a Priest to reconcile you to God, but to be a King to rule you, and a Prophet to instruct you by his Spirit, to receive him on this manner is no presumption; to receive him indeed as a Saviour, but to neglect him as King, to refuse to come under his government is great presumption, but to receive whole Christ is obedience and faith and no presumption, nay if you do not receive him you sin damnably, you commit the greatest sin that can be: He came to save all that will come under his blessed government, that will kiss the Son, Reve. ●2. Whosoever will, let him come and drink of the waters of l●fe, all the good promised by Christ is promised upon our receiving of him, upon the obedience of our Faith, there is nothing required but a will to embrace him and to be under his government, there is no exception made of sins or persons or times. At what time soever a sinner reputes, whatsoever sinner, whatsoever time or whatsoever the sins be, if he reputes Christ is ready to receive him. If you pretend your unworthiness and want of excellencies, he takes away that objection, Come unto me all that are weary and heavy laden, Mat. 11 28. Isa. 55.1. Come buy without money, and here in the text, the Son of man shall give it, and what so free as gift? If you pretend you have sinned since your calling, and that you have sinned against conscience, and knowledge, and therefore now you have no further hope of Christ: remember that Paul 2. Cor. 5. speaks to the Corinthians that were in the state of grace, I beseech you to be reconciled to God, and in jeremy 3. Return again you Backesliding Israel, and I will heal your Backesliding, and again, will a man receive a wife that hath played the harlot and broken the band of marriage? Yet return O house of Israel and I will receive you, Therefore run not away from God, though thou hast sinned after thou art in the state of grace, come again I beseech you still Christ is to be received, the door of grace is always held open, and the golden sceptre continually held out as long as we live in this world. But yet it is not good to neglect the time of grace, receive Christ presently, defer not to come under his government, and receive him wholly, or else there is no receiving of him at all. And (to press this a little further) I beseech you consider, that if you leave not your sinful courses and come under the blessed government of Christ, if you receive not this Sealed King, this Sealed Priest and Prophet, this Sealed Mediator whom God hath Sealed and sent unto you for salvation, there is not any thing in the world that will one day more torment you then your refusal of him; O that we should ever live to hear of salvation so freely offered and of a Saviour so authorized, yet notwithstanding that we should respect our sins more than our souls, and because we could not have him to be our Saviour except we came under his government, and be ruled by him as a King, we refused him wholly altogether: Indeed if we might have had salvation by him and the forgiveness of sins, and withal have remained under the rule and sway of our own lusts and been led by them, we would have been contented to have had him, but rather than we would leave our blasphemous, our unclean, inujurious and covetous courses of life, we were content to let Christ go if he would; O that we should reject this Sealed Saviour, O that we should refuse salvation offered on such loving terms, when God was so loving as to Seal and authorise his Son, when the Son was so loving as to give himself when he was Sealed, to refuse this and that for such base respects, will certainly one day when the conscience is wakened, prove the greatest torment that can be. See how the Apostle notably enforceth this in the second of the Hebrews, if so be they did not escape that despised Moses Law, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? he doth not say how shall we escape if we oppose Christ, if we rail on him, if we despise his Image in his children, as many cursed wretches do, but how shall we escape if we do but neglect so great salvation, so witnessed and authorized with all the signs, so offered and tendered with all the terms of love that may be. And therefore if there be any here that have lived in sinful courses, and have a purpose to break them off, that are weary of the government of their lusts and of Satan that rules them by their lusts (for all are under one government or other, either under the Sealed government of Christ, or under the base government of Satan that tends to damnation) O leave it, and come under this Governor Sealed by God the Father, authorized from Heaven by the blessed Trinity, by miracles, and by all the arguments that can be, come under his blessed government, and you shall do well, God the Father, the party offended with your sins, he hath Sealed him, and he cannot refuse a Mediator of his own Sealing. And do not say your sins have been thus and thus, for consider what were these parties that he offers himself to here, that he saith to, Labour for the meat that endures to everlasting life, were they not cursed Hypocrites that followed him for the loaves, and yet he saith to them, Labour for the meat that endures, etc. I am Sealed even for your salvation, if you will come out of your hypocrisy and be ruled by me; therefore let none stand out from coming under the government of Christ, for he offers mercy (you see here) to the worst of men, even to cursed hypocrites. And (to conclude with a word of comfort) if there be any poor distressed soul frighted in conscience with the sight of his sins and Satan's temptations, O let such consider the love of God in Christ: Satan pictures out God as a terrible Judge, and so he is indeed to men that go on in their sins, a consuming fire: but art thou weary of thy courses, art thou willing to come under a better covenant, let not Satan abuse thee by setting God before thee as a terrible Judge, and Christ as one that would not save thee; no, come in, kiss the Son, for him hath the Father Sealed, Sealed for thee if thou be weary of thy sins, enforce not upon thy soul any unwillingness to be in God, wherefore doth God stoop so low, and labour by all these arguments here, as that Christ is the Son of man, and that he shall give it you, and that the Father hath Sealed him for that end, wherefore is all this, but to show his willingness to receive thee? wherefore hath the Father Sealed Christ but in love to thee? Come in therefore, and then if you will seal to this truth, if you will believe, and cast yourselves on God's gracious promise even against doubting and distrust, you shall find God sealing you by his Spirit, you shall find his Spirit witnessing to your spirits that you are the sons of God. here than you see is sure footing for poor doubting souls to fasten upon, God the Father, the party offended, hath Sealed his Son, hath authorized him to save thee, if thou repent and come in; what are all thy sins and unworthiness to Christ, God-man, Sealed and authorized by the Father who is the party offended? if thou art willing to come in, bring all thy sins and oppose them to Christ God-man Sealed by the Father and they will vanish as a cloud. But (as I said before) if thou wilt not come in and accept of this Saviour, if thou wilt not submit thyself to his government, thou sealest thy damnation. Thus you see I have unfolded this blessed portion of Scripture, Christ Jesus and all the prerogatives and benefits that come by him, is the food that endureth to everlasting life: you see the arguments our blessed Saviour useth to enforce us to Labour after this food, it is food, it is food that endures, & it is food that endures to everlasting life, and he will give it, for him the Father hath Sealed and authorized so to do, he is both the gift and the giver, both the food and the inviter to the food, both the Priest and the Sacrifice. Labour therefore after this food. There is an objection which I will briefly answer and so end. Labour after it, why? Christ will give it, if he will give it why must we labour after it? and if we must labour for it, how doth he give it? how can these two, gift, and labour stand together? I answer, very well, Christ will give himself and forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting, and yet we must labour too: But we must know for what we must labour, we must not labour for any merit to the title unto Heaven and happiness, Christ indeed gives that; But labour in the use of all good means to get knowledge and faith to receive this gift, to get the knowledge of Christ, what he is in his natures and offices, what he hath promised, what he hath done and what he hath suffered, what the intent of the Gospel is, what the Giver is, and what the authority is that his Father hath given him, this requires labour, it is a labour to crack the shell, to understand the letter of the Scripture, to know what the gift and what the giver is. And it is likewise a labour to get faith to receive this gift, to get the soul emptied of all selfe-confidence, of all worth in itself and in the creature, for Christ must be received with a beggar's hand, and it will ask much labour to deny a man's self, for proud flesh will always have somewhat to trust to either in itself or in the creature. So that these two may well stand together, labour and gift: we are taught to pray, Give us this day our daily bread, God will give us our daily bread, we must not therefore stand still and do nothing, but though God will give it, yet he will give it in the use of means, in the use of our lawful callings, so here, God will give us this spiritual food, yet he will give it in labour, it is his ordinance, and whatsoever he gives, he gives not in idleness but in obedience to his ordinance, he will have us to labour in the use of the means, in reading, hearing, receiving the Sacrament, praying, meditating and the like, to have a part in Christ this blessed gift Nay, because he will give Christ, therefore la●our, the one enforceth the other, the like reason Moses giveth the Israelites, Fight (saith he) for the Lord hath given them into your hand, ●hey might say, if our enemies be given into our hand why should we fight? yes, fight the rather, be encouraged to fight, because you shall be sure to conquer, so here, Labour for the meat that endures to everlasting life, for the Son of man will give it, therefore labour, because he will give it, in labouring we shall be sure to have it, do that which belongs to thee and thou shalt be sure to have that which belongs to God, thou shalt find Christ, and Heaven, and glory, and all in the use of the means: But he gives nothing without labour; there can be no good done in earthly things without labour, and do you think to have Heaven without labour? No, spiritual things are against the stream, Heaven is up the hill, there must be labour, there must be striving against corruptions within and against temptations without, and our labour it is a happy labour, it is not a barren labour, 1 Cor. 15.58 our labour is not in vain in the Lord, as the Apostle saith, we that labour for the food that endures to everlasting life, we labour for somewhat, but worldlings that beat their brains, and tyre their spirits, and rack their consciences, and wear out their bodies, it is all for nothing, it is for that which is vanity and vexation of spirit, for that which they must leave behind them. A true Christian (to encourage him to take all the pains that may be) he labours for something, it is a hopeful and not a barren labour: And (beloved) blessed are we that we can have this food for our labour, that since the fall we can recover by the second Adam a better estate than we had by the first. And our blessed Saviour to the end he might distinguish true Christians from Hypocrites, enjoins this duty of labouring so much the more, for we have many in the Church that think to have Christ and his benefits without labour, as if Heaven would drop into their mouths, they can say that God is merciful, and Christ died for us, but you shall in the mean time find them careless of reading, of hearing, of praying, of the Communion of Saints, etc. are idle in working out their salvation with fear and trembling, negligent in selling all that they have for the Pearl, will part with nothing for Christ, I say to distinguish these Hypocrites from true Christians, therefore he saith, Labour, to show to us that only they that labour for Christ in the use of all good means, that labour for the true knowledge of him and for faith to receive him, that sell all for him, that take pains to grow in grace and in union with Christ, that make him their best portion in the world, and delight in him, it is they only that have interest in Christ, only the painful Christian is the true Christian. Therefore I beseech you, as you would have it discerned that you are not Hypocrites in the Church, be stirred up to use all sanctified means to know Christ, to believe in him, to know that you are in a communion with him, that you belong unto him. Be not discouraged, you shall have rest ere long, There is a rest for the people of God, Heb. 4. as the Apostle saith to the Hebrews. Indeed so long as we are here below there is labour joined with weariness, for we have great conflicts with corruptions and temptations, with enemies within, and enemies without, but be of good comfort we shall at last come to a rest, to a rest perpetual and everlasting: It is true, in Heaven there shall be labour, for we shall be always praising God, but it shall be labour without weariness, labour without conflict, there shall be no corruption within, nor no devil without, Satan could enter into Paradise below, but he shall never enter into that heavenly Paradise, therefore be encouraged to labour for a while, though it be tedious, because of corruptions and temptations, yet there is a rest for the people of God, an eternal Rest. FINIS. VIOLENCE VICTORIOUS: In two Sermons, By the late Reverend and Learned Divine RICHARD SIBS, Doctor in Divinity, Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at Grays-inn. GEN. 32.26. I will not let thee go except thou bless me. 1 COR. 15.57. Thanks be unto God which giveth us the victory through jesus Christ our Lord. LONDON, Printed by G.M. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford, 1639. VIOLENCE VICTORIOUS. MAT. 11.12. From the days of john Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force. JOHN Baptist and our blessed Saviour gave mutual testimonies one of another, he witnessed of Christ before he came, and our Saviour Christ gives witness of him here. The occasion of this you have in the second verse: Occasion of the words. john being in prison sends two of his Disciples to Christ, to know whether he were the Christ or no; not that john did doubt, but to confirm his Disciples. Christ returns a real and a verbal answer, Tell john (saith he) what ye have seen and heard, etc. and then he closeth up all, Blessed is he that is not offended with me. Upon this occasion Christ enters into a commendation of blessed St. john Baptist, even unto a comparative commendation, amongst them that were borne of women there had not yet risen a greater than john the Baptist, 1 From the excellency of his ministry. not so much in eminency of grace (though that may have a truth) as in regard of the dispensation of his Ministry, john living in more glorious times: For the excellency of the Church is from Christ: he doth ennoble and advance times and places and persons, Bethlehem, a little City, yet not a little City in regard that Christ was borne there, and saith Christ, Luk. 10 23. Happy are the eyes that see that which your eyes see, every thing is advanced by Christ. So john Baptist in regard of his office, being the immediate forerunner of Christ, was greater than all that were before him: yet he saith the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than be▪ not in grace, but in prerogative, in regard of the revelation and manifestation of more things. For john Baptist died before he saw the death and resurrection and ascension of Christ accomplished, before he was glorified. Therefore in regard of these prerogatives, the least in the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, in the Church of the New Testament is greater than he. It is a rule that the least of the greater, is greater than the greatest of the less. john was greater than the greatest of them that were before him; but lesser than the least of those that were after him. Then Christ commends john from the efficacy of his Ministry, 2 From the efficacy of his Ministry. From the days of john Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force; so you see how the words depend upon the former. For the points we are to consider in them. First, here you have the state of the Church in the New Testament, (It is a Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Heaven) together with the quality of the means whereby it comes to be a Kingdom, the means of grace, the Gospel. The Gospel and the people that are wrought on by the Gospel in the New Testament, they are both called the Kingdom of Heaven. Then secondly, here is set down the affection of those people that seek this Kingdom at that time, and so forward to the end of the world; the disposition of the persons is, they are violent. The third is, the issue or success of this eagerness and violence; though the manner be violent, yet the success is good, the violent take it by force. The fourth is, the date or time when it begins, and how long it continues; it bears date from the preaching of Saint john Baptist to the end of the world; until now, that is, to the end of the world, as it was said, till now, in the Evangelists time, so posterity may say until now, from the first coming of Christ, till his second coming, while there is a Gospel preached, which is the Ministry of the Spirit, the Spirit will be working, and there are such glorious things in the Gospel, that there will be violence offered, so while there is a people to be gathered, and a Gospel to be preached to gather them, and a Spirit that works by that Gospel, there will be violence in the Church offered to the means of salvation. Doct. 1. First, The state of the Church, together with the means, The Church the Kingdom of Heaven. the Gospel preached, it is called The Kingdom of Heaven. Besides others, there are three main significations of these words, The Kingdom of Heaven. Threefold signification of the Kingdom of Heaven. First, the famous, leading, proper signification is the state, and place where God himself, and his people are most glorious, The Kingdom of Heaven; 1 Heaven. all the other significations end in that. But secondly, because all that shall come into that glorious Kingdom, they must be Kings here first in the state of the kingdom of grace, 2 State of grace. which consists in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, in the graces and comforts of the Spirit, therefore the state of grace comes to have the name too of The Kingdom of Heaven▪ And thirdly, 3 Means of grace because grace in this world cannot be attained without an order, and means, and dispensation from God; hereupon, the dispensation of the means whereby we come to have grace is also called The Kingdom. The unfolding the mysteries of salvation in the Gospel, is called the Kingdom of God. As Christ saith, The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, that is, the preaching of the Gospel, therefore the Gospel is called the Gospel of the Kingdom, and the Word of the Kingdom, because by this Word we come to have grace, and by grace, glory; there is no glory without grace, and no grace without the Word, one makes way for another. The preaching of the Gospel doth cause a Church (which is the Kingdom of Christ) wherein he rules by the Sceptre of his Word, by which Word, Christ and all his riches, and glory, and prerogatives are unfolded, and thereby grace is wrought, and grace leads to glory. This connexion and subordination is to be observed. First, 1 A ground of conviction. for the conviction of those who do not indeed belong to the Kingdom of Heaven; every man is ready to talk of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the glory there; I but there is a subordination of grace, and of the means of grace; how standest thou affected to the means of salvation, to the Word of the Kingdom, the Word of life, The Word of reconciliation? for it hath the name from all the excellencies to which it brings us, to show, that as we value life, a Kingdom, reconciliation, and all that is good, so we must value this Gospel, or else it is a presumptuous confidence; if the privileges of grace and glory belong to us, we must come to them by these steps; those that regard not the Gospel and means of salvation, they have nothing to do with grace nor glory, they are hereby convinced of arrogant folly. 2 Of comfort. Again, it is a ground to comfort weak Christians that regard the means of salvation, and yet fear their falling away; be of good comfort whosoever thou art, God hath knit and linked these together, all the power of earth and hell cannot break one link of this chain; conscionable attending upon the means and grace and glory will go together. Therefore hold on, attend upon the means of salvation, and wait with comfort; The Gospel of the Kingdom will bring thee to grace, and grace (though it be but an earnest, but a little measure) will bring thee to glory. Where God hath begun a good work he will finish it, he will second one benefit with another, diligent attending on the means with grace, and grace with glory. In Scripture, works have their denomination from that they aim at, as the Apostle saith, Ye have crucified the old man, and ye are crucified with Christ, because ye are in doing it, and ye shall do it perfectly; so we are Saints, because we shall be so; we are Kings now, because we are in part so, and we shall be so fully hereafter; so grace is called the Kingdom of Heaven, because it is the undoubted way to the Kingdom of Heaven and glory. God would help our faith by the very title, for we are not elected to the beginnings only of glory, but to the perfection, as it is excellently set down, Ephes. 1. We are elected to glory by means and beginnings; therefore undoubtedly we may hope for the accomplishment when we see the beginnings. Why is the state of grace and the means of grace and glory itself called the Kingdom of Heaven? Quest. Answ. Answ. Because they are all of and from Heaven, Why grace and the means of it are called the Kingdom of Heaven the one is in Heaven the Kingdom of glory, and the other the Kingdom of the Word here, and truth and grace which are by it are from Heaven, the truth we have and grace from the truth come from Heaven, yea and Christ the Author of all is from Heaven and they all lead to Heaven. Which should teach us with what minds to converse in the hearing and reading of these things, Why the things of the Gospel are slighted. with heavenly affections. And it shows likewise why worldlings and base people are no more affected with the things of the Gospel, because it is the Kingdom of Heaven. If it were of the world we should have it sought with eagerness enough, though it were a less matter than a Kingdom: but it is a Kingdom of Heaven remote from flesh and blood, there must be a new Spirit to work a new sight and a new taste, to work a change in the heart of man, and then he shall know the things of the Kingdom of Heaven. He must come out of the world that will see this Kingdom, as in Reve. 18. Come out of Babylon. A man must come out of Antichrists' Kingdom, to see the baseness of it, he cannot see it in the midst of it, so we must come out of the world if we would see the glorious Kingdom of Christ, it is a heavenly Kingdom. Therefore the greatest potentates of the world must abase themselves, there is no greatness in the world can help them to this heavenly Kingdom. Quest. But why should the Gospel and the state of the Church in the New Testament be called the Kingdom of Heaven and receive the date now; was it not the Kingdom of Heaven before? Answ. I answer, it is the manner of the Scripture to give titles to things from the glorious manifestation of them, things are said to be when they are gloriously manifested. The Mystery of Christ is said to be revealed now in the time of the Gospel, it was known before to Adam and Abraham and the rest: but now there was a more apparent glorious manifestation of it, therefore now the manifestation of Christ and the good things by him, they are called a Kingdom; before it was kept enclosed in the pale of the jewish Church, it was vailed under Types, it was hid in promises that were dark and obscure, but when Christ came, all was taken off and Christ was unvailed. It is said in the Gospel, The Holy Ghost was not given yet, john 7.39. because jesus was not yet glorified. The Holy Ghost was given before, but not so fully and plentifully: So there was a state of Heaven before men were saved, before the coming of Christ: But it was not called the Kingdom of Heaven, it was not a state of liberty and freedom from the bondage of ceremonies, etc. And there is reason that there should be violence offered to this state and means, and grace wrought by it, it is a Kingdom: it is no great wonder that a Kingdom should suffer violence, especially such a Kingdom as the Kingdom of Heaven. In a Kingdom there is What is in a Kingdom? There is first of all freedom from slavery and danger, 1 Freedom. a Kingdom is an independent state, there is none above it, he that is a King is free, independent and supreme. Then again a Kingdom is a full state, 2 Plenty. there is abundance and plenty of people and good things in a Kingdom. Again, 3 Glory. in a Kingdom there is glory and excellency: (where is it to be had else?) all the glory and sufficiency and contentment that Earth can afford. Now in that the state of the Church by reason of the glorious Gospel is called a Kingdom. First it is a free state: as indeed the Word doth make us free from former bondage. In particular the Gospel of Christ it frees us from Jewish bondage, and from all kind of bondage spiritual. john 8.36. If the Son make you free ye are free indeed. A Christian is above all, he is over sin and Satan and the Law, he is free & supreme and independent all are under him. A Christian as a Christian, he is under none but Christ, under no creature. 1 Cor. 2.15. The spiritual man judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. I speak not of civil differences: But as a Christian is a member of Christ, and a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, he hath a kind of independent state, his conscience is only subject to God and Christ; but all earthly things he commands, they are under him. Christiaenity a full state. And 2. the sta●e of a Christian is a full state: 1 Cor 3.21. God is his, Christ is his, All things are his, so much as shall serve to bring him to Heaven, that which is truly good is directly his, and indirectly all other things are made his by Christ, who hath the authority and power and strength of a King to command all things to work together for his good: death and sin and all that befalls him are thus his. And then he hath a spirit of contentment in the want of good and of patience in the suffering of ill, Phil. 4.13. that he can do all things (as St. Paul saith) through Christ that strengtheneth him. What he wants in outward things, he can fetch supply from the promises of the Gospel, he can fetch supply from Christ, and from the state to come, and what he wants in other things he hath in grace which is better. A state of glory 3. It is a state likewise of glory and excellency: but it is a spiritual glory, and therefore it consists together with outward baseness and meanness, it is a glorious state to be the Son of God, to be heirs of Heaven, heirs of all things in Christ, by the Spirit of Christ in him he rules over all. How glorious is the Spirit of God in a Christian in the time of temptation and affliction, when he hath a Spirit ruling in him, that is stronger than the world and all oppositions whatsoever? 1 john 4.4. The state of a Christian is glorious even in this world in the beginnings of it. What then is the glory that is to be revealed on the Sons of God in the day of revelation? Rom. 2.5. It cannot enter into our thoughts, it is above our expression, nay it is above our imagination and conceit; Thus you see there is great cause why the Kingdom of Heaven should suffer violence. When Crowns and Kingdoms are laid open to people with hope of getting them, especially such a one as the Kingdom of Heaven is, it is no wonder if there be violence offered to get them. The next thing is the affection of those that seek after this Kingdom, it is violent. The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence. How doth the Kingdom of Heaven, the Gospel and means of grace suffer violence. First, because when these good things were revealed by john Baptist and then by Christ, 1 In regard of the multitude. and after by the Disciples and Apostles, many thronged into the Church, which is the gate of the Kingdom of Heaven: they all pressed to be of the Church, to hear the Word of God. They hung as it were upon the word of Christ; upon his mouth; Luk. 12.1. Mat. 3.5. they pressed so, that they trod one upon another; and it is said they all came out to hear john Baptist, jerusalem and all judea and all the region round about jordan, so that in regard of the multitude there was violence. 2 In regard of the affection. And then in regard of their affections, their zeal to the good things of the Gospel was eager, and earnest: To be Citizens of a Kingdom, to partake of the means of salvation, to come to grace, and so to glory, it made them wondrous violent. 3 The persons which were In regard likewise of the persons, the Kingdom of Heaven suffered violence, the persons being such as might be judged to have no right unto it. 1 Sinners. Alas for poor wretched sinful men and women, that had been notorious sinners to come to receive a Kingdom, to become Kings, this was strange. What had sinners to do with grace? This doctrine was not heard of in the Law, that there should be hope for such wretched persons as these, if such might be admitted surely there must needs be great violence. 2 Poor. Luk. 7.12. Then again, they were poor and mean people, The poor receive the Gospel; for beggars to become Kings, poor men, that were advantaged by their outward abasement to come to spiritual poverty. 3 Stran●ers. Mat. 8.12. Again, they were Gentiles, Alients from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenant of promise, Heathen people. The jews were the children of the Kingdom, the Gentiles were foreigners and strangers; now for these to come in, and the children of the kingdom to be shut out, it must needs suppose violence; where there is no apparent right, there is force. Now what right had the Gentiles (that were little better than dogs) could they have any thing to do with the kingdom? I saith Christ, they take it by violence, and the Jews, and the proud Scribes and Pharisees that seem to be the apparent children of the kingdom shall at length be shut out. Mat. 20.16. They that were first (in outward prerogatives) shall be last, and they that were last (the Gentiles, sinners, mean people that take the advantage of their baseness, and sinfulness, to see their unworthiness, and to magnify the grace of God in Christ) shall be first. In these respects the Kingdom of Heaven is said to suffer violence. People will to Heaven what ever come of it, when these good things are discovered they will have no nay. Hence we may learn this, That it is the disposition of those that are the true members of the Church of God to be eager and violent. Doct. The disposition of Christians eager and violent. Those that intent to enter into the Kingdom, they must throng, and strive to enter; and when they are in, they must keep the fort, and keep it with violence. There is indeed a violence of iniquity and injustice, Ob. and so the people of God of all others ought not to be a violent people; Do violence to no man, saith the Baptist to the soldiers, Luke 3.14. violence rather debars out of the kingdom of Heaven, then is any qualification for it: But this is another manner of violence which our Saviour here speaks of, necessary for all that desire to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, Answ. and that for these reasons. Grounds of this violence. First, betwixt us and the blessed state we aim at there is much opposition, and therefore there must be violence. 1 Opposition. The state of the Church here, the state of grace, and the enjoying of the means of grace it is a state of opposition. Good persons, and good things, they are opposed in the world. Christ rules in this world in the midst of his enemies, Psal. 110. ●. he must have enemies therefore to rule in the midst of, he must be opposed, and where there is opposition between us and the good things that we must of necessity have, we must break through the opposition, which cannot be done without violence. Now the means, and graces of salvation they are opposed every way, within us, and without us. From the flesh. 1. They are opposed from within us, and that is the worst opposition: for Satan hath a party within us that holds correspondency with him, our own traitorous flesh; in all the degrees of salvation there is violence hence; in effectual calling, when we are called out of the kingdom of Satan, he is not willing to let us go, he would keep us there still, and when we come to have our sins forgiven in justification, there is opposition, proud flesh and blood will not yield to the righteousness of the Gospel; it will not rest in Christ, it will seek somewhat in itself. In Sanctification there is opposition between the flesh and the Spirit: every good work we do, it is gotten out of the fire (as it were) it is gotten by violence, in every good action, whether it be to get grace, or to give thanks to God, how many carnal reasonings are there? If a man be to give to others, the flesh suggests, I may want myself. If he be to reform abuses in others, he is ready to think, others will have somewhat to say to me, and I shall be offensive to such and such men. And then the affection to earthly things chains us to the things below, and self-love prompts a man to sleep in a whole skin; we love our wealth, and peace, and favour with men, so that a man cannot come to the state of grace without breaking through these, and hereupon comes the necessity of violence from the opposition from within us, we must offer violence to ourselves, to our own reason, to our own wills and affections, You have not yet resisted unto blood, Heb. 12.4. saith the Apostle; we do not resist by killing others, but we ourselves resist to death, when rather than we will miss of Heaven, and happiness, and rather than we will not stand for the truth we will suffer death. 2. Again there is opposition from the world, From the world on the right hand, by the snares and delights of the world, to quench the delight in the good things of the Spirit, and on the left hand, by fears, and terrors, and scandals to scare us from doing what we ought to do. From Satan. 3. And then there is opposition from Satan in every good action, he besets us in prayer with distracted thoughts, and in every duty, for he knows they tend to the ruin of him and of his Kingdom. There is no good action but it is opposed from within us, and without us; the means of salvation, and the attending on them, they are not without slander and disgrace in the world. God will have this violence therefore, because there is opposition to the means, to the attendance on them, to grace, to every good action, to every thing that is spiritually good. God seems an enemy. Nay, sometimes God himself becomes a personated enemy, in spiritual desertions he seems to forsake and leave us, and not only to forsake us, but to be an enemy, to write bitter things against us, job. 13.26. and that is a heavy temptation. 2 To difference true Christians from others. Again, God will have this violence, and striving, as a character of difference, to show who are bastard professors, and who are not, who will go to the price of Christianity, and who will not. If men will go to Heaven they must be violent, they must be at the cost and charges, sometimes to venture life itself and whatsoever is dear and precious in the world. A man must be so violent, that he must go through all, even death itself, (though it be a bloody death) to Christ; this discards all lukewarm, carnal professors, who shake off this violence; in all estates of the Church it is almost equally difficult to be a sound Christian; for God requires this violence even in the most peaceable times. Now the truth and religion are countenanced by the laws, yet the power of it is by many much opposed. Therefore he now that in spite of reproach, in spite of slander will bear the scorns cast upon the Gospel, that will go with Christ without the gate, Heb. 13.13. bearing his reproach, such a man may be said to be thus violent; it is an easy thing to have so much Christianity as will stand with our commodity, or with pleasure, etc. but to have so much as will bring us to Heaven (I say) it is equally hard in all times of the Church, it requires violence to carry us through these lesser oppositions. Again, 3 To set a higher price on this Kingdom. God will have us get these things with violence, that we may set a greater price on them when we have them; when we have things that are gotten by violence, that are gotten hardly, O we value them much, Heaven is Heaven then, things that are hardly gotten, and hardly kept, are highly prized. Again, 4 The excellency of the things. the excellency of the thing enforceth violence; it is fit that excellent things should have answerable affections. Now it being a Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Heaven, what affection is answerable but a violent strong affection? 5 The necessity. Again, together with the excellency, the necessity requires it; for the Kingdom of Heaven, it is a place of refuge, as well as a Kingdom to enrich us. There were Cities of refuge among the Jews, when a man was followed by the avenger of blood, he would run as fast as he could to the City of refuge and there he was safe, so when a guilty conscience pursues us, when there is a noise of fear in the heart, when God's judgements awaken us, & hell is open, when a man apprehends his estate, and is convinced what a one he is, and what he deserves, of necessity he will fly to the City of refuge, and where is that, but in the Kingdom of Heaven, in the Church? happy is he that can but get in at the gate of this Kingdom, there is no doubt of his going in further; but there must be a striving to enter in at the gate, Luke 13.24. and then there he shall be hid in his Sanctuary; as the pursued Doves, get into their nests, and the Coneys hide them in the rock, when they get that over their heads then they are safe: so a Christian, when he is pursued with conscience, and with the temptations of Satan, he flies to his Sanctuary, do you wonder that a guilty man should flee to his sanctuary, and the pursued creatures to their hold and refuge? In this respect the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence. Herein it is compared to some great rich City that hath some great treasure and riches in it, and it must be besieged, and beleaguered a long time, and those that can enter into it they are made for ever. Or it is like the entrance or gate of a City where there is striving and thronging, and where besides enemies are, that if men strive not, they are cut, and mangled, and killed, so it is in the state of this Kingdom, when a man's eyes be opened, he sees the devil, and hell behind him, and either he must enteror be damned, and being entered, it makes him rich, and advanceth him for ever; so he is strongly moved to offer violence on both sides: if he look behind him there is the kingdom of Satan, darkness, and misery, and damnation, (for as Pharaoh pursued the Israelites when they were got out of his kingdom, so the devil pursues a man when he is broken out of his dominion) And then before him there is the kingdom of happiness and glory, the fear of that that follows them, and the hope of that that is set before them, both make them strive to enter into the gate of that City. What should this teach us? First, Use To judge of our estates by our violence. let it be a rule of trial to know, & judge of our estate, whether we be entered into this gate of Heaven or no? our lives are very short, very uncertain; let us consider if we be in the way to Heaven; what striving, what struggling, what violence have we ever offered? There are a company that regard not the means of salvation at all, either in private or public. Some come to the Word, and hear, but they do not hear it as the Word of God, to be ruled by it, but as a discourse to delight themselves for the time, to have matter to speak of, and to censure, not with a spirit of obedience to be guided by it as the Sceptre of the Kingdom. What violence is this, now and then to hear a Sermon, now and then to read a Chapter, now and then to utter a yawning prayer between sleeping and waking, perhaps when thou knowest not what thyself sayest? how than wouldst thou have God to regard it? What violence is in the lives of most Christians, what strength to enforce good actions, how do they improove the means of salvation? many means are wholly neglected: some perhaps they use that may stand with their convenience now and then, whereas there must be an universal care of all the means, there cannot one be neglected without the loss of grace; and there must be attendance on them with violence. There is none of the means can profit us without rousing, and stirring up our spirits; we cannot hear, nor pray, without drawing up, and raising up our souls; the flesh will stop the comfortable performance of any action else, and Satan will kill them in the very birth if he can. Men violent for outward things. To search a little deeper, do but compare your courses toward these good things of Heaven, with your courses towards the world. If there be hope of preferment, the doors of great men are sure to suffer violence with favourites. The Courts of justice suffer violence, to have our right in earthly things. The stages, and such places are thronged, and suffer violence. If a man could but overlook the courses of men abroad in the City, he should see one violent for his pleasures running to the house of the Harlot as a fool to the stocks. Pro. 7.22. Another to the exchange to increase his estate. Another to the place of justice, to detract his neighbour, or to get his own right, perhaps neglecting his title to Heaven in the mean time. Another to the Court to get favour to rise to some place of preferment. These places suffer violence: but what violence doth the poor Gospel endure? Alas, it is slighted, and men will regard that when they can spare time, etc. It is not regarded according to the worth and value of it; if ever we look to have good by the Gospel, our dispositions must be violent in some proportion answerable to the excellency of it. Alas we may justly turn the complaint on ourselves, Heavenly things offer violence to us that whilst we spend our strength in violence about the base and mean things of this life, the Kingdom of Heaven it offereth violence to us, and yet we will none of it. How doth God beseech us in the Ministry, We beseech you to be reconciled, 2 Cor. 5.20. Ezek. 18.31. and Why will ye die O house of Israel? As if the Gospel and grace were commodities that God were weary off, he comes and puts them upon us whether we will or no, and yet we refuse them, we are so far from offering violence to the Gospel and to grace, that God offers violence to us, as if we should do him a favour to receive the Gospel and to do good to our own souls, and yet the vile, proud, base heart of man will not regard and receive these heavenly things. How will it justify God's sentence at the day of judgement, when he shall allege there was a discovery of such things unto you, and instead of violence in seeking them, you slighted and neglected them? Nay; there is a worse sort of men than these, those that oppose the Kingdom of Heaven in the means of it, in the persons of it, what kind of men are these, think you? What violence may stand with wisdom. Again, we see here that there is a blessed violence that may stand with judgement. A man cannot be violent and wise in the things of this world, because the things are mean, and eagerness is above the proportion of them. A man cannot be violent after honour, or riches, and be as he should be; these are things that he must leave behind him and they are worse than himself: much less after filthy pleasures can a man be violent and wise, a man must become a fool in this respect, 1 Cor 3.18. as the Scripture saith. But in respect of heavenly things a man may be violent and wise: for there is such a degree of excellency in the things, that no violence can be too much. Men talk of being too strict and too holy: Can there be too much of that which we can never have enough of in this world? I speak it the rather to confound the base judgement that the world hath of a holy disposition, which is carried with a sweet, eager violence to t●ese things. They are thought to be frantic, to be out of their wits, as they thought St. Paul was; 2 Cor. 5.13. but he answers, If we be out of our wits, besides ourselves, it is to God. Christ himself was sometimes laid hands on, as if he had been out of himself, and as Festus told blessed St. Paul, That much learning had made him mad, when he saw him eager in the cause of Christ. So many, when they see a man earnest in the matters of God, they think surely these men have lost their discretion: No it is the highest discretion in the world to be eager and violent for things that are invaluable, and if men be not eager for these, they are fools, they know not how to prise things, the most judicious men here are most violent, so that it be violence that hath eyes in its head, violence guided with judgement from the knowledge of the excellency of the good things in the Gospel, I speak of such a violence as that. Away then with base reproaches, Not to heed idle reproaches. let us not, be affrighted with the ill reports of idle brains and rotten hearts of people, that know not the things that belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. Alas they know not what they say, they are to be pitied and not censured. Is there any thing that a man should be earnest for, if not for these things? Were our fowls made to pursue things that are earthly and base, worse than ourselves? Were our wits made only to plod in our temporal, and to neglect our heavenly calling? If any thing may challenge the best of our endeavours, the marrow of our labours, the utmost of our spirits and wits, certainly it is these, grace and glory, that will stand by us, when all things will fail us. Therefore let not your own hearts besot you, nor the vain speeches of others affright you. It will be acknowledged by every one ere long, that there is nothing worth a man's eagerness but these things. The worldling is violent and eager, he troubleth himself and his house about a vain shadow, for pleasures and profit, etc. and what comes of all his violence? He is turned naked into his grave and thence into Hell, and there is an end of all the violence about all other things besides these. The disposition of true professors We see then the disposition of true professors, they are violent in respect of heavenly things. Those therefore that are not earnest in the cause of Religion when the state of things requires it; they have no Religion in them, they are not in the state of grace. We must be earnest first of all against our own sins: Violence must begin there, to subdue all to the Spirit of Christ, to suffer nothing else to rule there; and after that violence to maintain the cause of Christ. To contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints, to contend with both hands, not to suffer it to be wrested from us or to be betrayed, and if it be opposed to vindicate it: we must be violent both to propagate the truth of God, and in case of opposition to vindicate it, Mat. 12.30. He that is not with me (saith Christ) is against me. If a man be not with Christ, he is against him: it may seem a strange speech, but Christ cannot abide lukewarm neuters, he cannot abide nullifidians, he cannot endure cold persons, his stomach cannot brook them, he will cast them up, as he saith, Reve. 3.15, 16. I would thou wert hot or cold. A man had better be nothing in Religion then be lukewarm. The reason is, if a man will have good by any Religion he must be earnest in it. 1 King. 18.21. If Baal be God stand for him, if you would have good by him, if the Lord be God stand for him, be earnest in his cause: if Popery be good then stand for that, if you hope for good by it, and if our Religion be good, then stand for that, if you hope for good by it. There is no good received by Religion, if we be not earnest for it, Religion is not a matter to be dallied in. Therefore they are bitter, Newters hateful to Christ. sour, profane scoffing Atheists that trifle with Religion, as if it were no great matter what it be. They will be earnest in all things else, earnest to scrape riches to satisfy their base lusts: but for Religion i● is no matter what it be, it is a thing not worthy the seeking after, the old Religion or the new or both or none. These are persons to be taken heed off, breeding a temper opposite to Religion more than any other, Christ can least brook them: there is great reason for it; who can brook any favour to be neglected and slighted? Especially for these excellent things to be undervalved and slighted, it canno● be that God can endure it. There will be a faction in the world while the world stands, Christ and Antichrist, Good and evil, light and darkness, but a man cannot be of both, he must show himself of one side or other in case of opposition. Therefore the temper of the true pofessor is to be earnest in case of opposition of Religion, and in case of opportuninity to advance his Religion; in civil conversation and dealing with men that are subject to infirmities, he must be gentle and meek. Mat. 3.16. Act. 2.3. The Spirit of God descended in the shape of a Dove upon Christ, as well as in fiery tongues upon the Apostles. But in the cause of Christ, in the cause of Religion, he must be fiery and fervent. No man more mild in his own cause then Moses, Exo. 32.19. he was a meek man: but when occasion served, when God was offended, down he throws the Tables of stone, he forgot himself, though he were the meekest man in the world otherwise in his own matters: So I say the Spirit is both meek and gentle as a Dove, and earnest and zealous and hot as fire. In Acts. 2, The Spirit of God comes down as a mighty wind. The wind is a powerful thing, if it be in a man's body. There is no torment like to windy sicknesses, as their complaints witness well enough that feel them: and if a little wind be enclosed in the earth it shakes the whole vast body of the earth. The Spirit is like wind, it makes men bold, it fills them with a great deal of eagerness in the cause of God. Again, the Spirit appeared to the Apostles in the likeness of fire, it inflamed their zeal and made them fervent that were cold before; Mat. ●6. 69, 70 as we see in Peter, the voice of a damsel terrified and affrighted him, but when the Spirit came upon him, it so fired him that he accounted it his glory (Act. 5.41.) to suffer any thing for the cause of Christ. Therefore those that hope for any thing by religion, let them labour to be for that Religion in good earnest, they shall find God in good earnest with them else. Again, Religion taketh not away, but ordereth the affections. hence we see that Religion takes not away the earnestness of the affections, it doth direct them to better things, it changeth them in regard of the object, It takes not away any thing in us, but turns the stream another way; Violence requires the height and strength of the affections: Religion taketh them not away, but turns them that way that they should go. If a stream run violently one way, if it be derived by skill and cunning another way, it will run as fast that way when it is turned as it did before. So it is with the heart of man: Religion takes nothing away that is good, but lifts it up, it elevateth and advanceth it to better objects. There are riches and honours and pleasures when a man is in Christ: but they are in a higher kind, therefore they draw affections and greater affections than other things: but these affections are purified, they run in a better, in a cleaner channel: whereas before they ran amain to earthly, dirty things below, the same affections (of love, of desire and zeal) do remain still, he that was violent before is as violent still, only the stream is turned: For example take St. Paul for an instance, he was as earnest when he was a Christian as before, he was never more eager after the shedding of the blood of Christians and breathing out slaughter against them, as he was afterwards in breathing after the Salvation of God's people and a desire to enlarge the Gospel. Zaccheus was never so covetous of the world before, as he was covetous of Heaven when he became a Christian. I say Religion takes not away any thing, only it turns the stream: But it is a miracle for the stream to be turned, it was God that turned jordan: so it is a greater work than man can do to turn the streams of man's affections that run amain to earthly things, to make them run upward, it is only God's work. This is the excellency of Religion, it ennobles our nature, that which is natural it makes it heavenly and spiritual, that a man shall be as earnest for God and good things as ever he was before after the things of this life. So much for that point. The third thing is the success. The success of this violence The violent take it by force. The earnestness of affection, and violence, it is successful, they take it. The good things of God, they are here compared to a Fort, or to a well fenced and well armed City strengthened with bulwarks and munition, that is a long time besieged, and at length is taken; for this clause, The violent take it by force, it doth as well show the issue of these violent ones striving for the Kingdom of Heaven, to wit, that they do at length take it, as the manner how it is taken, Doct. namely, by force. The violent, and only the violent, and all the violent, do at length certainly obtain what they strive for, the Kingdom of Heaven. Why? 1 The violent have promises. Mat. 7.7. Rev. 3.19, 21. 1. Because it is promised to the violent, Knock and it shall be opened unto you, Be zealous, and repent, (that is the means to cure all former transgressions, repent, and be zealous, and do the former works) and To him that overcommeth, (that is, he that is earnest, that will never leave off till he hath overcome) to him will I grant to sit with me on the throne, Rev. 2.7. and To him that overcommeth will I give to eat of the tree of life; all the promises are to him that overcomes, to him that is zealous and earnest. 2 They have a victorious spirit. Then again, the spirit whereby a man is earnest, is a victorious spirit, as Christians have the Word and promise to build on, that leads them on, and encourageth them: so they are led by a mighty Spirit, that hath the force of wind and fire, that beats down all before it, that breaks through all oppositions, and difficulties, being lead with a divine Spirit, what earthly thing can oppose that which is divine? it brings under, and subdues all; therefore the violent take it, the Spirit of God seizing upon, and possessing the heart, and carrying it with strength after these things. 3 God hath set Heaven at this rate. And then only the violent take it, because God hath set it at this rate, he that heareth, and doth, he that perseveres to the end, he that sells all for the pearl, for the treasure in the field, there must be nothing retained, all must be parted with, we must be at any cost, and charge, and peril, and all little enough; it is offered to us upon these terms of parting with all, of enduring any thing, of breaking through all difficulties; only such, and all such shall obtain it by force. 4 The violent only can prise it. And again, only the violent, because only they can prise it when they have it. They only can prise grace, and Heaven, they know how they come by it, it cost them their pleasures, and profits, it cost them labour, and danger, and loss of favour with men, and this pains, & cost, & loss, it indeares the state of grace, and glory to them: for God will never bring any man to Heaven, till he have raised his affections to that pitch to value grace and glory above all things in the world. Therefore only those shall take it by violence; for only those show that they set a right price on the best things, they weigh them in the balance of the Sanctuary, they value things as God would have them valued. But, is not the Kingdom of Heaven, Ob. and grace free? therefore what needs violence to a thing that is free, and freely offered? I answer, Answ. because it is free, therefore it is violently taken: Freedom of grace enforceth violence. for alas, if it were offered to us upon condition of our exact performing of the Law, it might damp the spirits of men, as indeed usually such if they be not better informed, they end their days in despair: but being freely offered, The Publicans and Harlots (saith Christ) go into the Kingdom of God before the proud Pharisees; because it is free, it is free to sinners that feel the burden of their sins: Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, etc. Mat. 11.28. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Mat. 5.3, 6. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, they shall be satisfied. Thereupon he that hath a guilty conscience, he makes haste, and offers violence, when he hears of free pardon. What makes the condition of the devils so desperate? There is no hope of free pardon to them, what makes men so eagerly to embrace the Gospel notwithstanding their sins? Because it is freely offered. Thereupon it was that the Gentiles were so glad of it, that had been sinners and under Satan's Kingdom before, and that makes miserable persons (that are humbled with afflictions and abasement in the world) glad of it; it being so great a thing, the Kingdom of Heaven, the favour of God, and freedom from misery, and so freely offered. It is so far from hindering violence because it is free, that therefore the humble afflicted souls that desire grace are the more eager after it. The proud Pharisees thought the Kingdom of Heaven belonged only to them; and therefore they despised Christ, and despised the Gospel, because it was propounded to sinners, and to such mean persons that they thought were viler than themselves: but now when the meaner sort of people, and others that were abased with crosses in the world saw what a kind of Gospel it was; what great matters were offered, and that it was offered freely; they justified wisdom, Mat 11.19. Luke 7.29, 30 and the counsel of God which others despised, and pressed for it with violence. Holy violence hopeful. It is little comfort to hear of the excellency, and the necessity of these heavenly things, if there were not hope of them. 1 Hope stirs up diligence. Hope stirs up diligence and endeavour in the things of this world; what makes men adventure to the Indies, east and west? They hope for a voyage that shall enrich them all their life; hope in doubtful things stirs up industry. What makes the poor husbandman diligent to plow and to sow? ●he hope that he shall have a harvest; yet this is under a providence that may guide it another way. But spiritual things are more certain, therefore hope in spiritual things must needs stir up endeavour, we need not call them into question. 2 To use means constantly. And as it stirs up to diligence, so it stirs up in the use of the means, not to give over till we see our hopes accomplished. Then in the third place hope of success, 3 To wait. that we shall not lose our labour, it enables and strengtheneth us to bear the tediousness of the time, and the encumbrance of afflictions, and whatsoever is between us and the thing we expect, though we have not that comfort from God that we would have, yet it makes us wait upon God. Therefore when he saith, Christian's endeavours successful. the violent take it by force, it is to encourage us, the violent, eager, strong endeavours of a Christian in the ways of God, in the means of salvation, they are no successelesse endeavours. He labours for that he knows he shall have, his violence is not in vain; he that is violent in good things hath a promise, he that wrestleth with God shall overcome, and he that overcommeth shall have a crown, here is a promise to build on: therefore here is encouragement to be earnest and violent, he shall overcome, he shall enter the Castle at the last, if he continue striving and give not over. Hence there is a difference to be observed between the endeavours of a Christian and of three sorts of other men. Difference between the endeavours of a Christian, and 1 Enemies of the Gospel. First of all, if those only that offer violence to the Kingdom of Heaven, that set on it with encouragement, shall get it and that by force, what a great difference then is between them, and those that in a contrary way offer violence to the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, those that wrong Christ in his members, and hinder the means of salvation, what promise have they to speed? Surely they have no promise nor hope at all, only their malice carries them amain in spite; because the Gospel reveals their hollowness, and hypocrisy to all men, and forceth upon them a necessity to be other men than they list to be for the present, therefore they are eager in hating the Gospel. There are threatenings enough against such as are violent against the Gospel, they are violent in vain, Acts 9 5. for they kick against the pricks; they run themselves against a stone wall, and they shall dash themselves against it. Those that have ill will to Zion shall perish, Psal. 2. there is one sits in Heaven that laughs all their attempts to scorn. A Christian hath comfort in his endeavours; there is hope of good success though there be inward and outward opposition, he shall prevail. Those that are enemies have nothing but discouragement, they shall be as grass on the house top, Psal. 129.6, &c that no man blesseth but is cursed of every one, no man bestows a good word on them, it is a fruitless endeavour, they are under a curse. Again, it shows us how to judge of the courses of other men, 2 Worldly men. that are violent in other courses about the world. A Christian he takes his Kingdom at the last and enjoys it for ever: but those that are violent for the world after pleasures, after base things than themselves, alas when they have it, they have but a shadow and they become shadows in embracing it: Vanity embraceth vanity and how soon are they stripped of all. If a man by violence scrape a great estate, he must leave it shortly; here he found it, and here he must leave it in spite of his heart ere long; and all is but vanity in the censure of him that knew all things the best of any man; even Solomon, that had gone thorough the variety of all things. And oft times they miss of that they labour for, They do not rest that they get in hunting; Pro. 12.27. they hunt after preferment and after riches, but oft times they do not enjoy them, and if they do, they get the curse of God with them and ere long they are stripped of all; but here is that that may strengthen our endeavours, The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it, it is not an endeavour that is lost. 3 Sluggish Christians. Then again, this shows that the state of true Christians is different from the state of persons that are carried to good things, but not violently; The violent take it, he surpriseth the city at the last, he lays his siege and will not remove till death▪ he will not give over till he have it, he will have it or he will dye in the business, and so at last he obtains his desire. The sluggish careless man he goes a little way. As Agrippa said to Paul, he was almost persuaded to be a Christian, Act 26.28. so it is with such men, in some things they will be Christians, but there they are at a stand, they will go no farther, and so all they have done is to no purpose, Pro. 13 4. The sluggard desireth and wisheth, but his soul hath nothing. A sluggish, cold, lazy Christian he looseth all his pains. If a man be to go ten miles, and go but nine, and there sit down, he shall never come to his journey's end. If a man will give but 7 or 8. shillings for that which is worth 10. he shall go without it. Grace and Glory are set at this price, there is required such strength of labour and endeavour and violence: therefore without this a man shall never attain it, unless he stretch himself to such a pitch, 1 Pet. 1.9. He shall never come to the end of his Faith, the salvation of his soul, to the high calling of God in Christ jesus. The sluggard wisheth and gets nothing, the reason is, because he is a sluggard, because he will not strive, but the striver gets the fort and hath all in it, and is a man made for ever. Pro. 26.26. The sluggard thinks himself wiser than many men that can give a reason. The sluggish discreet Christian, I warrant you he hath reasons for what he doth. It is not good to be too earnest, it will incur the disfavour of such a man or such a man, I shall be accounted so and so for my pains: But a wise man he seeth the excellency of the things, and he knows that his courses and his conscience will justify him at the last, and therefore he goes on what ever comes of it. God is not so weary of these precious things, The preciousness of the things require violence. these precious jewels of grace and glory, as to force them upon us. Is the Kingdom of Heaven such a sleight thing, that it should be obtruded to us whether we will or no? Shall we think to have it when our hearts tell us we esteem other things bet●er? No; there are none ever come to Heaven but their hearts are wrought to such an admiration of grace and glory, that they undervalue all things to it: therefore there is no hope for any to obtain it, but he that takes it by violence. We see Moses esteemed the basest thing in the Church better than the greatest excellencies in the world that men are so violent after, he esteemed the very afflictions of God's people better than the treasures and pleasures of sin for a season, nay then the pleasures of a Court. When men shall esteem the base things of the world, above all the treasures of Heaven, above the state of Christianity, they have no hope of coming there: they may pretend God is merciful and Christ died, etc. I but whosoever he brings to salvation; he works such a sense of misery in them and such an apprehension of grace and of the means of grace that there is an undervaluing of all other things. God will not bring them to Heaven that shall not glorify him when they come there, and how shall they glorify him here, or there when they value the world and these base things that they must leave behind them more than the things of Heaven? This is the reason that few are saved, because they content themselves with easy, dull and drowsy performances, and never consider with what proportion they are carried to things: when they had rather lose the advantage of that which will bring everlasting good to their souls, then loose the petty commodities of this world and yet think themselves good Christians, what a delusion is this? It is the violent only that are successful, they take it by force. Ob. ay but what if the opposition grow more and more. Answ. Then the grace of God and courage will grow and increase more and more; Grace increaseth with opposition. As Luther said well, the more violent the adversaries were the more free and bold was he. So the more the enemy's rage the more the spirit of grace grows in God's people, it inceraseth by opposition. As Noah's Ark, the higher the waters were, the nearer still it was carried to Heaven. So we are nearer to God and nearer to the Kingdom of Heaven, the more opposition swells and rages, True courage grows with opposition. As the Palmtree riseth up against the burden that presseth it down: so the divine spirit being a heavenly thing, and all opposition below of the Devil and devilish minded men being but earthly, what are they to the divine Spirit which sets us on and encourageth us? They cannot quell it, but the Spirit grows more and more in opposition. The Apostles they ran all from Christ when he was to be crucified, they had but a little measure of the Spirit, but when the Holy Ghost was shed more plentifully on them, they began to stand courageously for the cause of Christ when there was more opposition; the Spirit grew more and more, till they sealed the Truth with their blood. Exhortation to holy violence. Therefore though opposition of enemies and their fury and rage grow: let us know whose cause we manage and with what assurance of success, the violent at length shall take it by force, Let us meditate upon this that success is tied to violence: therefore when you pray to God, if he seem to deny your request, offer violence, wrestle with him, let him not go without a blessing, when he seems to be an enemy, as sometimes he doth, to try our strength, we must use an holy violence; when we are dull and not fit to pray, nor fit for holy things, Let us stir up the Spirit of God in us, and labour to get our of that estate, let us use violence and violence will overcome at the last. A man that hath the Spirit of God gets the victory of whatsoever opposeth him. If there be snares offered from the world he withstands them, if Satan come with his temptations he resists him, he hath a promise for it, Jam. 4.7. resist the Devil and he will flee. Let us hold out and we shall get the victory and overcome even God himself, how much more all other things? Therefore when either opposition without or indisposition within sets upon us in the course of Religion and Piety, let us think here now is time and place for violence. I know if I set myself about it I shall have the victory and the Crown. A Christian is always in a hopeful state and condition, he hath somewhat to encourage him, he hath arguments to prevail over the state of opposition, he knows he shall win all at last if he go on, and that makes him courageous in what estate soever he is. Let us not be discouraged to hear of opposition. And let us be encouraged when we hear of good things, when we hear that the Kingdom of Heaven and grace is offered in the preaching of the Gospel. Pro. 8.34. Rom. 14.17. Let us attend upon the posts of wisdom's doors, and not give over till we come to pea●● of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost. If we hear of comfort in the Word of God against distress of conscience, let us never give over till we find it. If we hear that God is a God hearing Prayer, let us never leave knocking at Heaven Gate, never leave wrestling till our prayers be heard, when we hear what ill is to be avoided, and what good is offered; let us not cease till we avoid the one, and obtain the other, The violent take it by force. The last point is, The time when this violence began. the date of time from whence this Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence. From the days of john Baptist until now. Was there not a Kingdom of Heaven that suffered violence before john Baptists time, Quest. did the Kingdom of God begin then, was Christ a King, and was Heaven opened only then? I answer no, Answ. but now the things of God were more gloriously discovered; therefore john 1.51. Henceforth you shall see Heaven opened. The Kingdom of Heaven was opened now by the preaching of the Gospel more gloriously than before. Therefore the state of the Gospel is called the Kingdom of Heaven, partly in regard of the times before, and partly in regard of the times after. The Law was full of servile bondage to Ceremonies, Bondage of Ceremonies in the Law. it was a heavy dark state, they were laden with a multitude of Ceremonies, which were but cold things to the spirit of a man that desires peace, though they were Ceremonies of Gods appointing, yet they were but outward empty things in comparison, weak and beggarly elements, as the Apostle saith, Gal. 4.9. They were costly, and painful, and cold things, that had not the efficacy of spirit in them. john's preaching and living powerful. And secondly, than it was entailed to the Jews only. Now since Christ's time, it is enlarged, and being more large and free, this blessed estate is called a Kingdom, john Baptist now opening Christ clearly, and a better state than the Church had yet enjoyed, when people saw an end of the Ceremonies, and the beginning of the glorious liberty in Christ, this made them violently set on them. Again, john Baptist made way for Christ, levelling the souls of men by his powerful preaching, and his holy life; he taught them in what need they stood of Christ; he was the messenger sent before Christ for that end, he was as the morning Star to the Sun, he was powerful in his preaching, and holy in his life, he told every man his own: he told the Pharisees that they were a generation of vipers; he showed men their state by nature, and told them of a better state, that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand; Mat. 3.2. and although he wrought no miracles, yet himself was a miracle; to teach such holy doctrine, and to live an austere holy life in those evil days, it was no less than a miracle; therefore this violence to the Kingdom of Heaven it hath the date from john Baptists time, from his preaching, not from his birth, he being so excellent a preacher, no wonder there should be violence. This shows the reason why the Gospel in later times was embraced so greedily, Why the Gospel in Luther's time was embraced with violence. when Luther began to preach, alas people had been in a worse condition than Jewish in respect of Ceremonies, and otherwise foolish idle men they will set God to school, they will have some fooleries always that they will make as much of as of the worship of God, and so it had been in the times before Luther. In Saint Augustine's time, he was pestered with many vain ceremonies, and good man he yielded to the stream and custom in many things, though he could hardly endure the slavery of those things. Now when the times grew better, it was no wonder that the world embraced the Gospel with violence; as in Luther's time, when there was a freedom proclaimed from those beggarly rudiments and traditions. Antichrist had hampered the consciences of men with an intolerable mass of foolish groundless ceremonies, making them equal with the Word of God, as we see in the Counsel of Trent; and this vexed the consciences of people like scorpions, as it is Rev. 9.5. they oppressed the people with a multitude of weights and burdens, which when people could not assent unto, it stung their consciences. No wonder then if people thronged after Luther when he opened the doctrine of free justification by faith, that the consciences of men were not to be hampered with these things; He taught that God's people were only to have a few ceremonies for present order, but for the rest, to trouble men's consciences, and to make them of equal value with the Word of God, he showed it was an abominable doctrine and wrote against it learnedly and sweetly: and therefore it is no marvel though the truths he taught were soon and cheerfully by multitudes embraced. Why the Gospel now is disesteemed. And the reason why now the Gospel begins to be so little embraced and esteemed, is because, by reason of the long continuance of it, we are weary of this heavenly Manna. As the people in Saint john Baptists time, as eager as they were after john's preaching, john 5.35. yet it was but for a time that they rejoiced in his light, they grew weary of him; we never felt the burden of those Romish Ceremonies, and therefore now grow weary of our liberty, whereas in the beginning of Luther's time, because they were eased from many beggarly, and which is worse, tyrannical ceremonies of Rome, therefore with much joy and eagerness they embraced the truth when it came to be preached amongst them. To be thankful for liberty from Popish thraldom. Therefore we are to praise God for the liberty of the Church at this time, that we have the Word of God to rule our consciences, and that other matters are not pressed on us but as matters of decency and order. Alas if we were in bondage to those proud Popish wretches, our consciences would be enthralled to a world of snares. Last of all, From the days of the Baptist and so forward the Kingodme of Heaven did suffer violence, because from that time forward the Spirit begun to be more plentifully given. Christ comes with his Spirit, which is the soul of our soul, and the life of our life, the Spirit it is like a mighty wind that moves the ship in the water. The ship is becalmed it cannot move unless there be a wind, so the soul cannot move to that which is good without the Spirit. Now there is more abundance of the Spirit since the coming of Christ. Christ who is the King of his Church, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, he reserved the abundance of the Spirit till his own coming, especially till he entered into Heaven, than the Spirit came in abundance. joel 2.28. It was poured upon all flesh, it was but (as it were) dropped before, but than it was poured out. Then the Gentiles came in, and the Apostles received the Spirit in abundance, therefore no wonder that there was violence offered to the Kingdom of Heaven, than hence we may observe, That the more clearly Christ, The Spirit effectual in the Ministry of the Gospel and the blessed mysteries of Christ are opened, the more effectual the Spirit is, and the more heavenly men are, and more eagerly disposed to spiritual things. The reason and ground of it is in nature, the affections follow the discovery of the excellency of things. When first the necessity of being in Christ is laid open; that there are but two Kingdoms, the Kingdom of Christ, and the kingdom of the devil, and that a man must either enter into the Kingdom of Christ or be of the Devil's kingdom still. 2 The excellency of Christ's Kingdom. And when secondly together with the necessity, the excellency of Christ's Kingdom is discovered; that it is a state that will make us all Kings, a state wherein we shall at length overcome all opposition of hell, sin, death, the wrath of God, that whereas earthly Kingdoms are opposed and enthralled, and one dash against another, the Kingdom of Heaven is a state that subdues all that is against it by little and little: (as Christ overcame death, and the wrath of his Father, and now rules in Heaven in his person, so all his members shall overcome all in time) when the excellency of this Kingdom is laid open to the understandings of men, is it a wonder that their affections are set on fire, will any thing do it more than such a Kingdom? 3 Hope of obtaining it. Then in the third place, when it is hopeful too, when together with the necessity and excellency of it, there is assurance given us that we shall obtain it if we strive for it, when it is offered freely, even grace and glory, and we are entreated to receive grace, Come unto me ye that are weary, etc. nay we are threatened if we do not come, and we have example of the worst sort of people; of Zaccheus, and the poor woman out of whom the devils were cast, of Peter that denied Christ, of Paul that persecuted him, such as had been wretched persons, that have come out of Satan's kingdom, when these things are propounded, and understood, and apprehended, men that are in their wits, that are not besotted by the devil, men that are not in love with damnation, and hate their own souls, they will embrace them. When they see a state discovered in Christ wherein they are above Angels (in some sort) above death, and hell, that they triumph over all in Christ, that because it is as sure that they shall be crowned Conquerors with Christ in Heaven as if they were there already. When it is propounded thus hopefully, who would not offer violence to this Kingdom? When john Baptist laid it open so clearly to them, this is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, john 1.29. it made them offer violence to it. And this is another reason why in the latter, the second spring of the Gospel, (for there was a Winter in the time of Popery, it being a Kingdom of darkness, keeping people in ignorance) so many nations so suddenly embraced the truth; Luther was a man that was wondrously exercised and afflicted in conscience, this made him relish the doctrine of justification by grace in Christ, and thereupon to lay open the mysteries of Christ, and the bondage of Popery; and this being once a foot, the people's minds being prepared out of the sense of their former bondage, whole kingdoms came in presently. As in the Spring time when there comes a fine Sunshine day, the prisoners are let loose out of the earth after a cold winter: So after the winter of affliction and persecution inward and outward came the Sunshine of the Gospel and made all come forth and flourish presently. Wheresoever Christ is taught powerfully and plainly and the excellency, and necessity of the sta●e we have by him, and that men may partake of it, if they be not false to their own souls, there is always violence offered to these things, because where the riches of Christ are opened, the Spiri● goes with it, and goes with violence that it carries all before it. Why Papist soppose preaching. Hence again, we may see that Popish spirits are witty in opposing the unfolding of the Gospel in the Ministry, especially where there is conscience and skill to unfold Christ plainly, they know when Christ is opened all their fopperies and inventions will grow base, the more Christ is unfolded, the more people will grow in hatred of Antichrist, the more they s●e the light, the more they will hate darkness, for this cause they oppose the unfolding of the Gospel to the understanding of the people, they would keep people in ignorance that they may make them dote upon them. It argueth a disposition dangerous, that shall never taste of the good things of God, to be in a bitter temper against the unfolding of the Gospel of Christ: For we see here the discovery of it makes it wondrous effectual, john Baptist laying open Christ clearer than he was discovered before, the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence. Here we are instructed, How to get thi● holy violence. what way we should take if we would bring ourselves or others into a temper fit for Heaven, to an earnest temper after holy things, not to begin with dead outward actions; but to begin as becomes the condition of reasonable men, as God deals with man, befitting the nature of man; begin with the understanding. Let us meditate seriously of the truth of Christ's coming in the flesh, of the end of his coming, To dissolve the works of the Devil, to bring us out of the state of nature to a better condition, meditate of the excellency of the state of grace, of the eternity and excellency of the state of glory. Let us warm our hearts with these things, when a man hath once these things and believes them, let him be cold and dull if he can; And so if we would gain others to a fit disposition for Heaven, let us labour to instruct them what their state by nature is, what Kingdom they are borne in, that they are liable to Hell and damnation, that they are under the possession of the strong man, the Devil, if the stronger man bring them not out and dispossess him; and let them know withal the infinite love and mercy of God in Christ, offering a better state, giving the Gospel and promising his Spirit with his truth, and if they belong to God this will work upon them or else nothing will. Other courses to punish men in their purse, or imprison them, or the like, may subdue them to outward conformity, but if we would bring their souls to Heaven, le● us endeavour to enlighten their understandings to see the danger they are in, and to see the riches of grace and salvation that is proffered in Christ, and this will compel them to come in, Luk. 14.23. there will be no need of any other compulsion, no more than there can be need to bid a man escape away that sees wild beasts about him, or to bid a guilty person to flee to the City of refuge and take hold of the Horns of the Altar. Let john Baptist come before Christ to make way for him, and presently the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and after Christ's time when the Spirit was more abundantly given and the Gospel more clearly opened, the world stooped to the Gospel, ●he Gospel at length overcame the proud Sceptre of the Roman Empire, they laid their Crowns down before Christ's Gospel: the Cross of Christ got above the Crown in the preaching of the Gospel it was so powerful. Thus if we would have the number of Heaven enlarged, let us desire that God's truth may be opened plainly and powerfully. john Baptist was a plain and powerful preacher, a man of a holy life, they all reverenced john as a holy man, thereupon his doctrine came to be so effectual: This is the way whereby God will do good to those he delights in, For others that are bitter Atheists whom God hath appointed to damnation, the Gospel hardens them and makes them worse. The Pharisees were the worse by the preaching of Christ, when the Gospel is preached, some are made worse by it and malign and persecute it as far as they dare, as the Apostle saith, God is glorified in the damnation of such bitter opposers. We are not to look to gain all by preaching: those that withstand it are sent by it with the more just damnation to Hell, but those that do belong to him are gained this way. Let us labour therefore for a clear manifestation of Christ, there is the treasure of all goodness in Christ, whatsoever is necessary to bring us to Heaven, and the more he is discovered and applied the more we are enriched with grace and comfort. Times of change may come, and if times of opposition and persecution come not, yet temptations will come, and the hour of death will come, when we shall have occasion to use all the strength and comfort we have, and the more dangerous the times are, the more sound and clear knowledge of Christ we should labour for, and that will breed this holy violence that shall break thorough all oppositions whatsoever. FINIS. THE CHURCH'S Complaint and Confidence. In three Sermons, By the late Reverend and Learned Divine RICHARD SIBS, Doctor in Divinity, Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at Grays-inn. LAM. 1.20. Behold O Lord for I am in distress, my bowels are troubled, mine heart is turned within me, for I have grievously rebelled, abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death. LONDON, Printed by G.M. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford, 1639. THE CHURCH'S COMPLAINT AND Confidence. ISAIAH 64.6, 7, 8. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy Name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now O Lord thou art our Father, we are the clay, and thou our potter, and we are all the work of thine hands. THE words are part of a blessed form of prayer, prescribed to the Church long before they were in captivity. It begins at the 15. verse of the former Chapter, Look down from Heaven, behold from the habitation of thy holiness, etc. The blessed Prophet Isa●ah, was carried with the wings of Prophetical spirit over many years, and sees the time to come, the time of the Captivity; and God by his Spirit doth direct them a Prayer, and this is part of the form. For God in mercy to his people, as he foresaw before what would become of them; so he vouchsafes them comfort before hand, and likewise he prescribes a form of prayer before hand. Forms of prayer useful. It is very useful to use forms; the 102. Psalm, it is a form of pouring out the soul to God, when any man is in misery, as you see in the Preface (but that by the way) These verses are a part of a form prescribed for the pouring forth an afflicted soul, We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness, etc. The words they are, Division of the words. First, an humble confession of sin. And first of the sins of their nature, of their persons themselves, We are all as an unclean thing. And then of the sins of actions, all our righteousness is as filthy rags. And then in the third place, a confession of the sin of non-proficiency, of obduration, and senselessness, that notwithstanding the corrections of God, they were little the better, There is none that calleth upon thy Name, or that stirs up himself to take hold of thee. In the second place there is an humble complaint of the miserable estate they were in by their sins, We all fade as a leaf, ●ur iniquities like the wind have taken us away, them hast hid thy face from us, and consumed us, because of our iniquities. The complaint is set forth in these four clauses. And then an humble supplication, and deprecation to God, in verse 8. and so forward. Now Lord thou art our Father, we are the clay, thou art the potter, we are all the work of thy hands, etc. These be the parcels of this portion of Scripture. But we are all as an unclean thing, etc. Here is first an humble confession. Benefit of afflictions. And first observe in general, what afflictions will do, especially afflictions sanctified; that which all the Prophetical Sermons could not do, that which all the threatenings could not do, affliction now doth. Now when they were in captivity and base estate, they fall a humbling themselves. So the Prodigal, nothing could humble him but afflictions. By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept; all the denuntiations of judgements before they came to the waters of Babylon could not make them weep. One affliction will do more than twenty Sermons, when God teacheth and chastizeth too, when together with teaching there is correction, than it is effectual. And this is the reason of God's course, why when nothing else will do, he humbles his people with afflictions; because he cannot otherwise teach them. Affliction remooves the fuel of sin. Affliction withdraws that which is the fuel of sin: for what doth our sinful disposition feed on? upon pleasures, and vanities, upon the honours of this life, and riches, etc. Now when affliction either takes these things away, or imbitters them if we have them: then that which sin carried us to, and that we fed our own base earthly lusts with, being gone, when a man is stripped of these, he begins to know himself what he is; he was drunk before. I deem a man in prosperity little better than drunk, he knows neither God, nor himself, nor the world, he knows it not to be as a vain world: he knows not himself to be vanity, to be an empty creature, except he consist in God, and make his peace with him; he knows not God to be ●uch a holy God, and such an angry God for sin: but when affliction comes, and withdraws, and strips him of those things that made him fierce against God, than he begins to know God, and to tremble at the judgements of God when he begins to smart: he begins to know himself to be a mad man, and a fool, and a sot; he did not know himself before in his jollity: and then he knows the world indeed as a vain world. Blessed be that affliction that makes us know a gracious and good God, and the creature to be a vain creature, and ourselves out of the favour of God to be nothing. You see what afflictions will do. God doth use to break men, as men use to break horses, they ride them over hedge and ditch, and over ploughed lands, uneven grounds, and gall them with the spur, and with the bit, and all to make them tractable: and then afterward they ride them gently, and meekly, and rather so then otherwise. So God is fain to carry his children over ploughed lands, he is fain to break them in their wickedness, to bring their ways upon their heads, he is fain to gall them, and humble them every kind of way that they may carry him; that he may bring their spirits under him, that he may lead them in the ways that lead to their own comfort. Use Let us never murmur therefore at God's hand, Not to murmur at God's hand. but willingly yield at the first: what doth a stubborn horse get, but the spur, and stripes? and what doth a man get that stands out, when God comes to humble him by affliction, and intends his good? nothing but more stripes. To come to the parts. We are all as an unclean thing, etc. here first you see there is an humble confession. I will not enlarge myself in the point of humiliation; but speak a little because this is the day of humiliation, the occasion is for humiliation, Humiliation necessary. all this is to bring us low, to humble 〈◊〉, to make us know ourselves. Without humiliation Christ will never be sweet unto us, and the benefit of health, etc. will never be precious to us. I mean by humiliation when God humbles us, and we humble ourselves, when we join with God, when Gods humbling of us, and our humbling of ourselves go together, then mercy is sweet, and favour and protection is sweet; when God pours his judgements on others, and spares us. Kinds of humiliation. Now humiliation, it is either real, or inward, or verbal. Real humiliation indeed, that is, our humbling ourselves by fasting, especially when it is joined with reformation of our wicked ways, or else it is a mockery of God, as it is in Isaiah 58. to hang down the head for a while, and in the mean time to have a hard heart, to shut up our bowels to our brethren: but that is a real kind of humiliation when we think ourselves unworthy of the creatures of meat or drink, of any refreshing: for this humiliation of fasting is a kind of profession (though we speak not so) that we are unworthy of these things. But all is nothing, without inward humiliation of the soul; verbal humiliation is in words (as we shall see after in confession) and it must come from inward humiliation of spirit. Use. To labour for humiliation. Therefore (considering it is here the first disposition of God's people) let us labour to work upon ourselves those considerations that may make us humble, I will h●●●e a few. First to bring ourselves to the glass of the Law, Helps to humiliation. examine ourselves how short we have been of every Commandment. 1 Consider our obedience to the Law. But especially bring ourselves to the Gospel; we hope to be saved by Christ: and have we mourned for our sins as one mourneth for his first borne? 2 To the Gospel Our sins have wounded Christ. Have we preferred Christ in our thoughts above all the things in the world, have they all been dung to us? Have we had that blessed esteem of the gracious promises of the Gospel and the prerogatives therein set forth, that they have been so precious to us, that we have undervalved all to them, as S. Paul did? A base esteem of the Gospel is a great sin, How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation? Put case we be not enemies to the Ministry and to holiness of life expressed in the Gospel, as many cursed creatures are: yet a base esteem and undervaluing in our thoughts is a thing punisheable; How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation? Have we walked worthy of the dignity we are called to by the Gospel? Have we carried ourselves so in spiritual things, as to rule our base lusts? Have we been careful of private Prayer, to offer ourselves to God as Priests? Are we not pressed in S. Paul's Epistles, To carry ourselves worthy of our profession, and have we done so? Let us bring our carriage and see how proportionable it is to Gods advancing of us in these glorious times of the Gospel and this will bring us on our knees. We are ashamed of a little unkindness to men; But when we consider how unkind we have been to God, that thought not his dear Son and Heaven and happiness too much for us; besides other favours that he protects and clothes and feeds us every day, and yet we have not been answerable: these considerations would humble us proportionable to our carriage to men: Can we be ashamed to offer an unkindness to men, and are we not ashamed, cannot we be abased with this that we have carried ourselves so towards God? It comes from Atheism and infidelity of heart, that either we believe not these things to be good, or else that we have not our part and portion in them, could we ever be so dead and dull hearted else? 3 Call to mind our especial sins. Again, that we may be humbled, let us call to mind, now in this day of Humiliation, our special sins, we may soon know them, our consciences and our enemies will upbraid us for them, & we are loath to hear of them above all, either by the ministry or by our friends, we wish above all that the preacher would not speak of them & fret it he do, and our hearts run upon them above all. So let us search our false hearts which way they run: and now in the day of our abasement, let us think what would lie heaviest on our conscience, if God should take us now with sickness or sudden death; let us think with ourselves what is the sin that would afflict me most? that would stagger me most, that would shake my Faith most? whether it be filthiness, or profaneness, or swearing, or injustice, and whether have I made satisfaction or no? Let me examine, if God should strike me with his Arrow now, what sin would rob me of my comfort and make me afraid to yield my soul to God. Now think of it, his is the way to be humbled: you may now bring yourselves to consider of that that at other times you will not give yourselves leisure to do. What are days of fasting for, but to give ourselves leisure, that we may not think of meat and drink and business? These days should be days of rest, that we may think of that that concerns our souls: take the advantage when thou rests from thinking of other business, think with thine own soul what will lie heaviest upon thy soul. This is required to Humiliation; this real Humiliation that is outward, it is a protestation of the inward, and verbal Humiliation is but an expression of what we do inwardly. There are two things wondrous necessary before the soul can be in the right frame it should be in. First the soul must apprehend deeply what distance it hath from God, what alienates it from God before it can be wise: and it must be estranged from that before ever it can come to couple and join with God; when the soul apprehends what separates it from God and conceives as it should do of that, than it will be the readier to apprehend God and then all duties will come off easily. Therefore let us first of all work upon our own souls to be humbled and by all the helps that can be. 4 The uncertainty of life. And to help it, consider now at this time, how uncertain our life is, we know not who may be stricken next; and consider what the dangerous issue is, if we humble not ourselves here before God humble us in our graves. Let us help Humiliation by all that may be: For where this is all will follow easily: a man will go out of himself to God, when he is abased in himself, and sees no comfort in Heaven or Earth but in God; that there is nothing to be stuck to in the world, but all is vanity and he may be stripped of life and of all these comforts ere long; when a man is abased Faith and Obedience will come off easily. What is the reason that Christ is not relished more? and that many fall off? They were never deeply humbled: according to the depth of Humiliation is the growth of holiness of life and the height of Faith. All graces rise higher as the soul is more deeply humbled: The more we descend deeply in digging and rending up our hearts, the more the Word of God sinks into the good ground that suffers the plough to rend it up and to cut off the weeds. The more deeply we are humbled, the more the fruits of God's Word appear in our hearts and lives, the more fruitful is our conversation: all comes indeed upon the truth of our Humiliation, and when that is not deep and true all the rest is shallow and counterfeit: there we should work it upon our own hearts. And labour to be humble and low in all the powers of our souls; 5 To be humbled in all the powers of the soul. to have humble judgements, to think of ourselves as God thinks of us. God thinks of us as sinners, God and Christ think of us that we are such as must deny all in us before we be fit for Heaven. Let us judge of ourselves as he that must be our judge doth and will judge of us ere long, labour to have low judgements of ourselves, what we are in ourselves, empty of all good, defiled with all ill. And this will breed poverty of spirit in our judgements. Then let us labour for Humility in our affections, to bring ourselves more to God, to stoop to him in fear and reverence. And Humility in our obedience and conversations to God and to men every way, let Humility spread itself over all the parts and powers of the soul and body, and over our whole lives, I cannot stand further upon that. Now here is verbal humillation, Verbal humiliation. that is by confession, expressing our humiliation by our words, as the people of God do here by confession, laying open our sins that God may cover them: what we hide God will never cure: Necessity of confession of sins. therefore we should take heed that now we are to deal with God, we lay open the bottom of our souls to him: let not the Iron be in the wound. You know a Chirurgeon can heal nothing if the Iron or poisoned arrow stick there. If there be corruption in the stomach it must up, if it be ill gotten goods, it will not digest, up it must all to God: For men except there be scruples that a man cannot free his conscience, there is no necessity, though great conveniency: but between God and thy soul open all by confession, and give not over till thou hast brought pardon to thy heart of that sin thou hast confessed. Every sleight confession is not enough, but it must be a resolved down right confession without guile of spirit, as it is in Psal. 32. this is the course that David takes there; until he dealt roundly with his soul without guile, His moisture was as the drought of Summer: he was in some dangerous disease that could not be cured. And do we look to be preserved from falling into sickness, or if we be sick, to be cured? We must begin the cure in our souls, lay open the wound to God, I said I will confess my sin, and thou forgavest me, he begins with confession. So all persons that either fear or are under any judgement, let them begin with laying open their souls to God: when the soul is healed he will heal the body presently after: for he lays sickness upon the body for the soul, and when the wound is healed, the plaster will fall off of itself; therefore let us lay open our sins by confession and shame our souls all that we can. This is the way to give glory to God, Confession of sin gives glory to God. let us join both together, our own ease and glory to God. When we have laid open our souls to God, and laid as much against ourselves as the Devil could do that way: for let us think what the Devil would lay to our charge at the hour of death, and the day of judgement; he would lay hard to our charge this and that, let us accuse ourselves as he would, and as he will ere long: The more we accuse and judge ourselves and set up a tribunal in our hearts, certainly there will follow an incredible ease. jonah was cast into the Sea, and there was ease in the Ship, Achan was stoned, and the Plague was stayed: out with jonah, out with Achan and there will follow ease and quiet in the soul presently; conscience will receive wonderful ease. It must needs be so, for when God is honoured conscience is purified. God is honoured by confession of sin every way. It honours his omniscience, that he is all-seeing, that he sees our sins and searcheth the hearts, our secrets are not hid from him. It honours his power, what makes us confess our sins, but that we are afraid of his power lest he should execute it? And what makes us confess our sins? But that we know there is mercy with him that he may be feared? And that there is pardon for sin, we would not confess our sins else, with men it is confess and have execution, but with God confess and have mercy, it is his own protestation; we would never lay open our sins but for mercy. So it honours God, and when he is honoured, he honours the soul with inward peace and tranquillity. We can never have peace in our souls, till we have dealt roundly with our sins and favour them not a whit; till we have ripened our confession to be a thorough confession. What is the difference between a Christian & another man? Another person slubbers over his sins, God is merciful, etc. and he thinks if he come to the Congregation and follow the Minister, it will serve the turn. But a Christian knows that Religion is another manner of matter, another kind of work then so: he must deal throughly and seriously, and lay open his sin as the chief enemy in the world, and labour to raise all the hatred he can against it, and make it the object of his bitter displeasure, as being that that hath done him more hurt then all the world beside, and so he confesseth it with all the aggravations of hatred and envy that he can. But to come more particularly to the confession here spoken off, We all are as an unclean thing, etc. We all. We see here holy men themselves confess their sins and rank themselves among sinners in their confessions, so we learn hence this, That we in our confessions (in our Fast especially) ought to rank ourselves amongst the rest of sinners, Holy men in their confessions rank themselves with others. and not to exempt ourselves from other sinners. Perhaps we are not guilty of some sins that they have been guilty off: God hath been merciful to us and kept us in obedience in some things: but alas there is none of us all but we have had a hand in the sins of the times, the best of all conditions are guilty of them; therefore we have cause to rank ourselves among others, as he saith here. We are all as an unclean thing, and as Daniel, he makes a confession of the sins of all, we are all of us guilty. How are we all guilty? The best men guilty of the sins of the times. We are all guilty in this respect, we receive some taint and soil from the times we live in, 1 In not sorrowing for them. either our zeal is weakened, we do not grieve so much for the sins of the times, and who is not guilty in this respect? We do not grieve and lament as we should: as S. Paul tells the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 5. they should have been sorry and humbled; they were guilty of the sin of the incestuous person, because they were not humbled for it. We are thus far guilty at least the best of us, that we do not sorrow for the common sins. Alas how many sins are there that every body may see in the times in all ranks? In Pastors, what unfaithfulness and 〈◊〉 Governors and in places of justice; what crying of the poor and men oppressed; and in all ranks of people we see a general security, we see filthiness, and hear oaths, for which the Land mourns, as jeremy saith, jer. 23. These and such like sins provoke God and solicit the vengeance of God, and will have no nay till they have pulled down vengeance; Who hath been so much humbled for these sins as he ought? Perhaps ourselves are not personally guilty of them: but are they not our sins so far as we are not abased for them and oppose them, and repress them as we should in our places and standings, whether we be Ministers or Magistrates? Thus far we are guilty all, therefore the Prophet might well say, We all are as an unclean thing, etc. 2 By Sympathy. Then again, there is a great Sympathy in the hearts of good men; they are full of pity and compassion, and therefore they join themselves with others, partly knowing that they are guilty in some degree with others; and partly because they are members of the same body politic and ecclesiastical, they live in the same Church and common wealth, therefore all join their confession together, we all are as an unclean thing, etc. Use. Let us make this use of it, every one of us to be humbled; To labour every one to be humbled. do not every one of us bring sticks to the common fire? Do we not add something to the common judgement? If there be two malefactors that have committed a trespass, one of them is taken, and used in his kind, he is executed, will it not grieve the other? he will think, was it not my case, I was a wretched sinner as well as he. If there be diverse Traitors, and the King is merciful to one, and the other he executes, will it not grieve him that is spared, if he have any bowels or good nature? (besides goodness in other kinds) will he not think, it was my own case, there was no difference between me and them, only the mercy of the King? So the best of us may think, have I not a corrupt nature, and for the sins of the times, am not I soiled with them? others have been stricken, might not the same arrow have stricken me? certainly this consideration that we bring something to the public sins, it will make us humbled for the public, as the Church here confesseth, We are all as an unclean thing, etc. To come to the particulars of the Confession. We are all as an unclean thing. here is a confession of their persons, We are all tainted by nature. their persons were tainted; we are all a tainted seed and generation in nature, what the wickedest is wholly, the best are in part; therefore it is no error that we should say so and so of ourselves in our confessions, as Saint Paul saith of himself, I am sold under sin, Rom. 7. one would wonder that he should confess so. Alas blessed man, he felt that in part, that others in the state of nature are wholly: so we are all filthy, the best (as far as they are not renewed) are as other men are. Unclean. It is a comparison taken from the Leprosy, or some other contagious disease: those that were tainted of them were separated from the Congregation seven days, Sin a leprosy. or some set time. So it is with sin, especially the sins of this people, they had sinned grievously, and were severed from their land, not seven days, but seventy years, the leprosy and filthiness of their sins and lives was such. Indeed sin, especially the sin of nature, it is a leprosy, contagious, pestilential, and as a leprosy it spreads over all the parts and powers of body and soul. Take a man that is not changed, he hath a leprous eye, full of adultery, he hath a leprous uncircumcised ●are, ask him how he judgeth of discourses, and Sermons, he relisheth nothing but that which is frothy, and vain; plain substantial solid discourses either in hearing, or reading, will not down with him, he hath a leprous judgement, his eyes, and ears. and tongue are defiled, and corrupt, he is vile, and abominable in his speeches, he is uncircumcised in all, all are unclean, all his powers are defiled by nature. All the washings in the Law did signify this, Washings in the Law what they signified. the corruption and defilement of our natures, which needs another washing which they tipified, a washing by the blood and Spirit of Christ. Christ came by water and blood, both in Justification and Sanctification. There is a Fountain opened for judah and jerusalem to wash in. All those washings showed a defilement spiritual, that needed a spiritual washing. This sin is a leprous contagious sin, therefore by nature we may all cry as the Leper, unclean, unclean, the best of us may take up that complaint as far as we are not renewed. Sin like a leprosy defiles all. A leprous man defiled the things that he touched; so it is with sin, till it be forgiven, we defile every thing. A proud man especially when he is set out in his bravery, he thinks himself a jolly man, a brave creature; alas he is a filthy creature, not only in himself, but in every thing he puts his hand unto; he taints, and defiles every thing, even civil actions, he sins in eating and drinking: not that they in the substance of them are sins, but he stains every thing; for he forgets God in them, he forgets himself exceedingly, and he returns not thanks to God: so in moral civil actions, much more in religious, he defiles himself in every thing, he is defiled to all things, and all things are defiled to him, this is our state by nature, We are all as an unclean thing. Use. This should enforce a necessity of cleansing ourselves in the blood of Christ, To labour to be cleansed by the blood of Christ. that is, in the death of Christ who hath satisfied the justice of God. Our natures are so foul in regard of the guilt, and stain, that the blood of God-man that is, the satisfactory death of God-man was necessary to breed reconciliation and atonement between God and us. And the blood of Christ which by the eternal Spirit offered himself, Heb. 9 14. must purge our consciences, etc. our consciences will not otherwise be pacified and cleansed in regard of guilt, but will clamour and cry still; much less will God be appeased, neither God nor conscience will be pacified, but by the blood of him who by the eternal Spirit offered up himself, and then it will in regard of the guilt and stain, than God and conscience will both be appeased. Therefore in Zach. 13. There is a Fountain opened for juda and jerusalem to wash in. And The blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin. Blood is of a defiling nature; but the blood of Christ cleanseth, because it is a satisfactory blood, he died, and was a sacrifice as a public person for us all. By the Spirit of Christ. Then again, considering that we are all defiled, besides this cleansing from the guilt of sin, let us get our natures cleansed by the Spirit of Christ more and more, we are all defiled. Use 2. Take heed of society with sinners. And take heed of those that are defiled, take heed of sinners; who would willingly lie with a leprous person? yet notwithstanding for matter of marriage, and intimate society, there is a little conscience made, men converse with leprous company, they join in the most intimate society with those that are leprous in their judgements. The life of nature we know, and are careful to avoid what may impair it: but it is a sign we have not the life of grace begun in us, because we do not value it, if we had, we would be more careful to preserve it, and to take heed of contagious company. Who would go to the Pest-house, or to one that hath Lord have mercy upon us on the door? none but a mad man, he might do so: and surely those that join with swearers, and drunkards, and filthy persons, and go to filthy places, and houses (as many do, the more shame for them) they think they have no souls nor no account to make, 〈◊〉 go to these places, and infect themselves. It is a sign they have no life of grace, all companies are alike to them. Is this strength of grace? No, they have no life of grace, they have nothing to lose; for if they had the life of grace they would preserve it better. Sin is a filthy thing, Sin worse than the plague. more filthy than the leprosy, nay then the plague itself: for the plague, or leprosy, makes but the body loathsome; but the sin that we cherish, and are loath to hear of makes the soul loathsome. The one makes unfit for the company of men; but the other, sin, and corruption, and lusts, unfit us for the Kingdom of God, for Heaven, for life or death, therefore it is worse. The leprosy of the body makes a man not a whit odious to God; but the leprosy of the soul makes us hateful to him. We may have more intimate communion with God in the plague, than out of the plague; because God supplies the want of outward comforts: but in sin we can have no comfortable communion and society with God; therefore this plague of the soul is many ways worse than the pestilence. But we want faith, God hath not opened our eyes to see that that we shall see and know ere long, and it is happy if we consider it in time. In actual sins to have recourse to the corruption of nature. To conclude this point, concerning the corruption of nature, take David's course, Psal. 51. when sinful actions come from us, or unsavoury words, or beastly thoughts, or unchaste and noisome desires that grieve the Spirit of God, let us go to the Fountain, alas my nature is leprous, as far as it is not purged, I was conceived in sin, my mother brought me forth in iniquity. The more we take occasion every day to see, and observe the corruption of our nature, the less it is; and we cannot better take occasion, then upon every actual sin to run to the fountain, the filthy puddle from whence all comes, and be more humbled for that, then for particular sins. It is a mistake in men, they are ashamed of an action of injustice, &c, but they should go to their nature and think I have a false unclean nature, whereby I am ready to commit a thousand such if God should let me alone, I have the spawn of all sin as far as the Spirit hath not subdued it. It is a defect of judgement to be more humbled for particular sins, nature is more tainted than any action, that sowing, breeding sin (as the Apostle saith) it is worse than the action, it breeds the rest. So much for that, they confess here, We are all as an unclean thing, in ourselves. But what comes from us? That that aggravates to the utmost a sinful state. All our righteousness is as filthy rags. He doth not say we have filthy actions, but our best actions are stained, and not one, but all. Mark how strong the place is, We all, the people of God, he includes all, as Daniel saith, I confess my sins, and the sins of my people; and there is no man in the Church but he might have this confession in his mouth, We the people of God, All the best actions of the best men defiled and all We, in all our actions, All our righteousness, etc. so all the actions of all the righteous, the best actions of the best men, and all the best actions of the best men are defiled, and stained, it is as great an aggravation as may be. Some would have it to intend the Legal righteousness, yet notwithstanding it is true of all; and when we now humble ourselves it is good to think of all; so we may say, all our righteousness, whatsoever comes from us it is stained, and defiled. As for their Legal performances there is no question of them: for alas they trusted too much to them, in Isaiah 1. and Isaiah last, they thought God was beholding to them for them, Away with them, away with your new Moons, etc. they were abominable to God as the cutting off a dog's neck, as it is Isaiah the last: so all their righteousness, their ceremonial performances were abominable. But I say we may raise it high ●●, it is not only true of them, but in greater matters, in our best moral performances, they are all as tainted rags. Object. How can this be? It is strange it should be so, the Papists cry out here that we discourage men from good works; if all our righteousness be as filthy rags, why should we perform good works? Answ. Put case a man be sick, all the meat he eats it strengthens his sickness, Though our best actions be defiled, yet there is some good in them. shall he therefore not eat at all? Yes, he must eat somewhat, there is nature in him to strengthen as well as his disease. Thy best performances are stained, wilt thou do none therefore? yes, though they be stained, yet there is some goodness in them; thou mayst honour God, and do good to others; besides the ill there is good; there is gold in the Ore; there is some good in every good action; nay there is so much good as that God pardons the ill, and accepts the good. So though our good actions be ill: yet for their kind and matter and stuff they are good, they are commanded of God: For their original and spring they are wrought by the Spirit of God: for the person the workman it is one in the state of grace, and for acceptance God rewards them: But it is another thing when we come before God to humble ourselves, than we must see what stains and sins are in them. There is no good action so good, but there are wants and weaknesses and stains and blemishes in it as it comes from us. The Spirit of God indeed is effectual to stir us up to good actions: but we hinder the work of the Holy Ghost and do not do them so throughly as we should: therefore besides our wants and weaknesses, there is a tainture of them, either we have false aims, they are not so direct, or our resolutions are not so strong; false aims creep in for a while, though we do not allow them: and then there are some coolers of our devotion; our love is cold, our hatred of sin is not so strong; our prayers are not so fervent, our actions are not so carried without interruption, but are hindered with many buy thoughts; who cannot complain of these things? Who is not brought upon his knees for the weakness of his best actions? Nay I say more a Christian is more humbled for the imperfections and stains of his best actions than a civil carnal person is for his outward enormities: for he turns over all his outward delinquences and makes the matter but a trick of youth, when a poor Christian is abased for his dullness and deadness and coldness; for false aims that creep into his actions; for interruptions in his duties, that his thoughts will not suffer him to serve God with that intention that he would, but puts him off with motions and suggestions and temptations in his best performances: this abaseth him more, then outward gross sins doth a carnal person. When we deal with God, Our righteousness it is as menstruous clothes. Know this for a ground, that there is a double principle in a Christian in all things that he doth, A double principle in a Christian there is flesh and Spirit, and these two issue out in whatsoever comes from him. In his good words there is flesh as well as Spirit, in his thoughts and desires, in his prayer, his prayer itself stands in contraries: So every thing that comes from him it is tainted with that that is contrary, the flesh opposeth and hinders the work of the Spirit, and so it stains our good works. Contraries agree in a Christian Therefore contraries are true of a Christian, which seem strange to another man. A Christian at the same time is deformed and well-favoured, He is black and comely. I am black but yet well-favoured, saith the Spouse, black in regard of sin, but well-favoured in regard of the Spirit of God and the acceptation of Christ. He is a Saint and a Sinner: a Sinner in respect that sin hath spread over all parts, and a Saint in respect of Christ's acceptance, My Love and my Dove, Christ makes love to his Church as if she had no defilement: but he looks on her better part, he looks on her as she is in his love, and as he means to bring her after. But the Church looking upon herself as she is in herself, she is much abased: the ground of it is the imperfection of sanctification in this world. The best of our works are as menstruous clothes, when we think of the corruption of the best things as they come from us, when we come to humble ourselves before God, we must down with proud styles and Pharisaical thoughts, although there be somewhat that is good: yet let us think of all the ill that may abase us. There is a season for every thing, In what case to 〈◊〉 and upon our innocency. when we are tempted to be overcome by Satan; then think of the good, as job when he was tempted, I have done this and this, you cannot take away mine innocency. In false temptations from the world and Satan, then stand upon our innocency. But when we humble ourselves before God, Alas I am dust and ashes, I abhor myself, as job and Abraham said, lay all proud apprehensions of ourselves aside, and all good works, especially in one kind, in matter of justification, all is dung in comparison of Christ. All must be sold for the pearl, the Righteousness of Christ. There is no reckoning must be had of good works by way of merit in justification and our title to Heaven. What gives us title to Heaven and frees us from Hell? The death of Christ, the obedience and satisfaction of Christ. God by it hath redeemed us perfectly without any thing in ourselves, and accepts us to life everlasting only by the Righteousness of Christ: therefore it is called God's Righteousness, because it was done by Christ, it was wrought by God. Our righteousness is as a menstruous cloth, it is spotted and stained and defiled, it will not do the deed, it will not satisfy conscience, much less the exact piercing judgement of God: that is the righteousness that must stay our souls in life and death, and we must oppose it to all temptations, as a satisfying thing that will set down conscience to be quiet, it must be the Righteousness of God-Man, nothing else will do it. All our righteousness is as filthy rags, that is the confession of their sinful actions. The next thing he confesseth is senselessness. There is none that calls upon thy Name; that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. There be other words between concerning the complaint of their miserable estate, but I will handle them that concern their sins first. There is none that calls upon thy name. Prayer put for the whole worship of God. In a word, he means that none worshipped him: because prayer is put for the whole worship of God, as indeed it may well be put for the whole: for it exerciseth all the graces of the Spirit. What one grace is not set on work in prayer? (it is put for all the inward worship of God) If it be faith, prayer is the flame of faith; when there is faith in the heart there will be prayer in the mouth. The knowledge of God, prayer is grounded upon a Promise; so it comes from that part of spiritual worship. Hope, hope makes a man pray, no man would pour out his supplications but to him that he hath hope in. And for Love, God's love and mercy draws us into his presence, and joy and delight in the presence of God draws us to pray. We give God the honour of all his attributes in prayer; of his truth, of his goodness, of his mercy, of his presence every where, etc. So it sets all graces on work and gives God the honour of all, It is the worship of God every way, for though it be an outward verbal worship of itself, yet it expresseth the worship of God inward: it gives God the honour of all. Therefore those that pray not what kind of persons are they? Danger of neglecting prayer. Wretched persons. The sickness is now among us: If a man should ask now what Family is likeliest to have the vengeance of God on it? though I speak not to censure those that have it, but I speak in Gods ordinary course; surely those that do not exercise the du●y of prayer. Pour out thy wrath upon those that call not upon thy name. Those families that call not upon God humbly morning and evening, or that person that doth not morning and evening reverently call upon God, they are fit objects for the vengeance of God, for the plague or the like: Pour out thy wrath upon the families and persons that call not upon thy name, insinuating that the Lord will spare us if we do call upon his name and humble ourselves: If thou wilt needs pour out thy vengeance, let it be on them that have not grace humbly to call upon thy name. Let us make conscience of this du●y, except we will prove atheists and lie open to all the vengeance of God. There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. He represents God to us as a great person, that would bestow some benefit, and is ready to turn away himself, yet none lays hold of him or desires him to stay: so (saith he) there is none that lays hold on God to keep him that he should not go away: Therefore when he saith, None calls upon thy name, or stirs up himself to take hold of thee, he means there are none that pray earnestly. Incense was to be burnt, or else it cast no sweet smell, our prayers must have fire and zeal in them, our prayers must be cries that must pierce Heaven. Out of the deep have I cried unto thee, Lord. We must stir up ourselves, we must waken ourselves, to waken God: indeed before we can waken God we must waken ourselves. There is none stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. Insinuating that if we would lay hold of God, Prayer lays hold on God. he will be stayed. To speak a little more particularly of this. God is so gracious that he will be stayed even by prayer, the way to stay God in his judgements and to lay hold of him and to keep him among us, it is prayer. Let us take notice now of the hand of God upon us; what is the means to stop his hand that he come not among us with his public judgements? It is prayer. The way to stop God and the Angel that hath his sword now drawn over our heads, it is prayer. God so condescends that he will be stopped by prayer; as we see in Exo. 13. he saith to Moses, let me alone, Moses prayed and alleged arguments to God that he should not confound his people, Let me alone saith he, insinuating that prayer binds Gods hands. So powerful is prayer that it binds the Almighty, it makes the omnipotent in some sort impotent, he cannot do that he would, he cannot execute his wrath, prayer binds him, when a company of Christians lay hold on him by prayer, he cannot do that he threateneth: the only way to lay hold of God is by prayer. In Ezek. 22. there is a complaint that none stood in the gap, insinuating that if any had stood in the gap when the vengeance of God was coming abroad they might have prevented the wrath; the way to stand in the gap and to keep God is to pray and to p●ay hearty. Now that God may be held by our prayers, they must be strong prayers, every prayer will not hold God, they must be strong prayers that must bind such a Samson that hath his strength: therefore there must be a stirring up of ourselves; he saith here, There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. So it is the duty of Christians to stir up themselves in these times. Quest. How shall we stir up ourselves? Answ. First, by considering the danger we are in: danger felt or feared, We must stir up ourselves to lay hold of God. it will make a man lay hold. When a child feels the smart of the rod, 1 By considering our danger. he lays hold upon his father or his mother's hand, strike no more, when the children of God feel the smart of his judgements then they cry, O no more. The cry of the child prevails with the mother, though it cannot speak ofttimes: So when in the sense of sin and misery we cry to God, we move his bowels with crying. There is no question but the serious apprehension of danger felt, doth awaken the soul and stir it up. It is so also in danger feared, a danger feared with belief will work as if it were present: for a man that hath a spirit of faith to ●ee that unless God be appeased with good courses, he will punish as surely as if the judgement were upon him. Faith makes things present, both good and ill, and it makes a man sensible of things that are not yet upon him. This is the difference between a Christian and another man, another man puts the evil day far off from him: but a believing Christian by a spirit of faith sees God (except he be turned away by hearty and humble repentance) ready to cease upon him, and so he walks humbly in all his courses. So that danger felt or feared by a spirit of faith awakens and stirs up the soul to lay hold on God. Therefore in spiritual dangers we should especially waken our souls to see in what need we stand of Christ, and the pardoning mercy of God in Christ, that we may waken him, and give him no rest till we find peace in our consciences. Then again, 2 Meditation of the exce●e●y & necessity of that we beg. that that we may stir up ourselves withal is the meditation of the necessity and excellency of grace, and of the good things we beg: the serious consideration of that will make us stir up ourselves to lay hold on God and give him no rest till we have it. When a man thinks the loving kindness of God is better than life, and if I have not that, my life is nothing to me. It is not only better than corn and wine and oil, but then life itself. Pardon of sin, and a heart to do good is better than life itself, than any thing in the world. If one should offer such a man this, a heart patiently to bear ill, and large to do good, and strength against temptations; he would rather have this gracious disposition than any thing in the world, he had rather have the pardon of sin with the sense of God's favour then any thing in the world. This will stir up a man, as we see in David, Psal. 51. Mercy, mercy, it binds God, and lays hold on him, together with pardoning mercy to have a heart enlarged with spiritual joy. There is nothing spiritual, but it is so excellent, that if we had the eyes of our spirits awakened to see them, we would bind God, and lay hold of him, he should not go further till he had shined on us. 3 Importunity with God. Therefore let us offer violence to God this way, never give him rest till we obtain. You see when the two Disciples were going to Emmaus, Christ made as though he would have gone further, but they compelled him. Now there is a semblance as if God threatened war, and would take away the Gospel, there are dangers toward. When God makes such a semblance, let us lay hold on him, let him go no further. Lord, night approacheth, and affliction approacheth, Lord stay thou shalt go no further, let us stop God with importunity. The consideration of danger, and the necessity and excellency of the things we beg will make us lay hold on God. Outward service alone not accepted. There is an hypocrisy among men, among a company of Formalists, that are the bane of the times, that God will spew out, they are as ill as profane persons in his nostrils: they think that all devotion is in prostrating themselves (which is good, and more than profane men will do) and yield a dead sacrifice to God, they will come, and hear, and yield the outward act, in outward humiliation. Is this to rouse thyself? outward things are never currant but when they express outwardly the inward truth; therefore take another course man, God cares not for the dead empty carcase thou bringest him; work upon thine own heart by meditation of the danger thou art in, and of the excellency of the things thou art to beg, and meditate of the Majesty of God whom thou appearest before, of his goodness and truth, &c affect thy heart deeply with these apprehensions, let these serious thoughts draw outward expressions of humiliation; and than it is excellent, when the outward expression follows the inward impression, when there is somewhat inward that shows itself outward, when we stir up ourselves, and not to think that all devotion consists in a comely outward carriage (which is commendable of itself,) but because men usually rest in it, it is prejudicial to their souls good. We must offer a reasonable sacrifice to God, we must love him in our hearts, we must work upon our hearts, and carry ourselves so in our inward man, as that we may stir up our whole man, and awaken our souls, Praise the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me praise his holy name, we should stir up ourselves by speaking to our own souls, that we may waken and take hold of God. 4 To look for an answer of our prayers. This again will help it, a man should never come to pray, but he should have an answer before he hath done, either at that time or another; never give over till thou hast an answer, this will make us stir up ourselves indeed. How do you know a prayer from a formal lip-labour? A man that prays conscionably marks what he doth, and expects a return, as a man that soweth his seed. He that doth a thing with hope of issue will do it thoroughly, therefore never pray to perform an empty duty to God; but mark what you pray for, if it be forgiveness of sins, or for grace, or protection, etc. and do it with that earnestness that you may hope for an issue answerable, and this going about it will make us do it to purpose; do we think to serve God with the deed done? God hath appointed prayer for our good, and to convey blessings to us: Let us pray so as we may expect a blessing by it. Now that prayer that expects a blessing to be conveied, it will be a prayer to purpose, it will make a man stir up himself. There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. The complaint applied to the present times. The complaint of this holy man of God may be taken up at this time of many of us now; how few are those that rouse and stir up themselves, but put off God with an empty compliment? Nay, in these times of danger, have ye not a company of idle persons that will not vouchsafe to hear the Word, nor to come and humble themselves; but walk and talk offensively, as if they would dare God, or if they come here, they come not with a resolution to hear the issue of their prayers, to rouse up themselves to lay hold on God. Because, as there is a great deal of Atheism in regard of God, so there is much dead flesh in regard of men. Who is so pitiful of our brethren round about as he ought? We had need to stir up ourselves, the danger is present, we are beset round about, yet who is stirred up to earnest prayer? we want bowels of compassion. Those that have hearts compassionate, it is a sign that God intends good to them; but of the most we may take up this complaint, we are dead-hearted in regard of our sins against God, and in regard of the contagion among us. A man may see it by men's discourses, there is inquiry how the sickness spreads, how many dies? but men do not labour with God to make their accounts even with him; nor we are not compassionate to men, for that would be a means to stir and to rouse us up to lay hold of God, to stay his hand out of love, and pity, and compassion to our brethren which are our flesh, though it should never seize on us: I say I fear this complaint is too justly on many of us. I beseech you let us labour to amend it as we tender our own salvation (perhaps that we do not regard so much, we shall ere long, but then) as we tender the health of our bodies which we prefer before our souls, let us humble ourselves more then ordinary now. Extraordinary humiliation required sometimes. Some devils are not driven out but by prayer and fasting; so some judgements they will not away without prayer and fasting, not only public but private fasting and prayer. Sometimes there must be more than ordinary humiliation for some sins; for some kind of temptations there must be prayer and fasting; for some maladies prayer and fasting, and more than ordinary stirring and rousing up of ourselves to lay hold upon God. God will not be held with ordinary humiliation, that will not do it: but there must be a resolution against, and a hatred of all sin, and to please God in all things. We must do it with extraordinary humiliation now, because the judgement is extraordinary. There is ordinary humiliation, and extraordinary; as there are ordinary feasts, and extraordinary, so there is ordinary humiliation for daily trespasses; but in extraordinary judgements extraordinary fasting and humiliation. As there is ordinary washing daily, but there is washing and scouring at good times; God calls for extraordinary humiliation now, not only prayers, but stirring and rousing up of ourselves. We should apprehend the danger as seizing on ourselves; this night it may seize upon us for aught we know: It should affect us, and make us stir up ourselves. This is the way to hold God by prayer; and if we hold him, he will hold the destroying Angel, he hath all creatures at his command. Thus you see how we should confess the sins of our persons, the sins of our good actions, our want of calling upon God. There is none that calls upon thy Name, that stirs up himself to take hold of thee. Thus far proceed the branches of their sinful disposition in those times. Now he complains likewise of the judgements of God. We all fade as a leaf, Our iniquities as the wind have taken us away. Thou hast hid thy face, And we are consumed because of our iniquities. The complaint hath these four branches, a little of each. We all fade as a leaf. Wicked men are as leaves, Men fading as leaves. and worse, they are as chaff. Godly men, because they have a consistence, and are rooted in Christ, and set in a good soil, they are trees of righteousness. But godly men in the state of their nature, and in regard of this life they are as leaves: wicked men are as leaves every way, and as chaff which the wind bloweth away, as we shall see afterwards. We all fade as a leaf. 1 For performances. He means, first, in regard of ceremonial performances that were without vigour and spirit of true devotion. There was no spirit in their Legal performances, they were dead empty things; therefore when judgement came, they were as leaves. So an idle careless hearer when judgement comes all is as leaves; when conscience nips him (as his atheistical heart will do ere long) than he is as a leaf, all fades away. The Jews when they were in trouble, all their Legal performances faded, they were all as a leaf. So is it true in regard of mortality, 2 Mortality. the vanity of health, and strength, we all as a leaf fade away when God's judgements come to nip us. Men are as leaves, as the leaves now in autumn fall, and there is a new generation in the spring; and then they fall away, and a new generation comes again; so it is with men, some are blown off, and some come on again. We all fade as a leaf, not to be large in the point. At this time we are all as leaves, in this City now there is a kind of wind that nips a world of men, many hundreds in the head. It is an autumn wind that nips the leaves, our autumn wind with us is before the time; a kind of autumn wind in the spring, in summer, that nips the leaves and takes away the vigour of health. And so (as I said) for all idle performances, that have not a foundation in substantial piety, they are all as leaves, when trouble of conscience comes, they are as Adam's figleaves; when God comes to search, and examine, they all fall off, both in respect of our performances, and in respect of our lives, we are all as leaves when God comes in judgement, this is one part of the complaint. We are all as leaves, the like we have of Moses the man of God, Psal. 90. when God blows upon us with the wind of his displeasure we fall off as leaves. Then another expression is, Our iniquities as the wind have taken us away. As chaff, Men out of Christ blown away as with a wind. or things that have no solidity in them are blown away with a puff of wind: so it is with a man, if he be not a Christian set into, and gathered unto Christ. By the fall we all fell from God, and were scattered from him; sin blew the Angels out of Heaven, it blew Adam out of Paradise, and now Christ the second Adam gathers us to him again by his Word and Spirit, and so we have a solid and eternal being in him. But out of Christ our iniquities as a wind, and Gods judgements blow us all away first or last. Wicked men settle on their dregs a great while; but when God's judgement comes, it blows them in this world to this part, and that part ofttimes when it pleaseth him to exercise his outward judgements, but if he do not blow them away here, he will give them a blast that shall send them to hell their centre. Out of Christ there is no solidity, no consistence or being for any man: therefore when God's judgement comes it blows them away in this world, and at the hour of death sends them to hell, this is the state of all. Our iniquities like the wind take us away: he means here, they were blown out of jury to Babylon. It was a strong blast that blew them out of their own Country. May not we say, Our iniquities have blown us away? What hath blown us from our callings and employments? Is it not the Pestilence? and what brings that? Is it not our iniquities? So that we may all complain of this, Our iniquities have blown us away. A child of God looks to his sins in all judgements We see here, he lays the blame upon their iniquities; did not the Babylonians carry them away? Alas they were but God's instruments, God was displeased by their sins, his wrath blew them away. So you may see here the child of God in all judgements looks to his sins, he justifies God, he murmurs not and says this and that, no, but it was my sins, We have sinned against the Lord, Micah 7. I will bear the wrath of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, and Lament. 3. Man suffers for his sins, and every one of us may say, it is our iniquities have taken us away. A gracious heart justifies God and condemns itself. The children of God may complain sometimes of God's hand, but they will never censure God's hand: they justify God always, though they may complain of the bitterness of his hand. Here they complain of the bitterness of the judgement, they were blown into another country, into captivity, they do not complain of God. God will have us complain, but as he will have us complain; so we must justify him and condemn ourselves, just are thy judgements. An Hypocrite thinks God is beholding to him for his outward performances, and when judgements befall him, he frets and censures God: either he thinks there is no God, or he frets and fumes against God, he is discontented: but a Christian justifies God and condemns himself. Our iniquities have blown us away, our sins keep good things from us. Therefore let us now lay the blame where it is, Use. To lay the blame upon our sins. search out our sins personal and particular, and complain of them, they have a hand in this plague. God is no tyrant, he delights not to confound his creatures, but sin makes him out of love with his creatures, the workmanship of his own hands, it is our sins. Therefore let us lament the sins of the times: so far we may without Hypocrisy and aught to take to heart and mourn for the sins of the times that we hear by others and see our selves, and mourn for our own hearts that we cannot mourn, we must mourn for the sins of the times, as Daniel and Nehemiah, and all the blessed men of God have done. It is not the plague that hurts us, that is but God's messenger; sin doth us more harm than all the Devils in Hell and all the plagues in the world; it is not outward evils we need to fear, let us fear sin and lay hold on God, he is the Lord of Hosts, he hath all the creatures at his command: let us get sin away that doth us all the mischief, it is that that makes bate between God and us, and then God makes a controversy between us and the creatures: it is our sins. Ground of humiliation for sin And that is the reason of the necessity of humiliation for our sins, because sin breeds a separation between God and us, and between the creatures and us. When God is offended, the creatures are infected: let us see our sins, by them we infect the air, by our vain specches and oaths and our filthiness. Our sins infect the air, and that breeds infection in our bodies. Our sins cry, they have a voice to cry to God, if our prayers do not outcry them. Therefore let us cry to God to hear the cry of our prayers and not of our sins. How many voices have crying sins! There is the voice of the people oppressed, the voice of filthiness, etc. sin's clamour in God's ears, they clamour for wages due, and the wages of sin is death, sin cries though it say nothing in words, it cries in God's ears and it will not rest till he hath poured out his vengeance. The filthiness and oaths and athiesme and profaneness, the suffering of the dishonour of his name: these sins of the times are those that pull miseries upon us, Our iniquities have taken us away as the wind. So much for that. For thou hast hid thy face from us, and we are consumed because of our iniquities. Sin makes God hide his face from us, and then we are consumed, because of our iniquities. We melt away in the hand of our iniquities, as the word is. Indeed sin is a cruel tyrant, when God leaves us in the hand of our sins, he leaves us in a cruel hand. Christ came to redeem us from our sins, our sins are they that torment us, it is very significant in the Original. We are melted, Nations and kingdoms melt before sin. we melt away as wax before the fire, as snow before the Sun, because of our iniquities, when God gives up men to be handled as their own sins will handle them. Nations melt before the hands of sin, and Kings and Kingdoms and all. Let God give up men to delight in sin, Kingdoms, or persons, they melt and molder away in the hand of their sins. But to speak a little more of the next words. Thou hast hid thy face from us. That is, thou hast hid thy comfort from us. God hath a double face, God's face what a face that shines on our souls in peace and joy and comfort, when he saith to the soul, I am thy Salvation: And his face that shines on the outward estate, that keeps misery and sickness and danger from us, and bestows good things on us. And God takes away his face from us in regard of the inward man, when he gives us no peace: but leaves us to spiritual desertion. In regard of the outward man, God hides his face, when he gives us up to Pestilence and war and sickness and miseries in this life, when he gives us up to outward desertion. Sometimes God shines on wicked men in outward things, but he hides his face for peace of conscience: and sometimes God's children have his face shining on their conscience, but he hides his face in respect of outward things, sometimes he shines in neither of both: as at this time he neither shined on these blessed men in outward favours, for they were in captivity, nor in the sense of his love and favour, for they were in desolation, and eclipsed every way. The face of God, it is as the Sun to the creatures: when the Sun hides his face, what is there but darkness and night? What makes the night, but the absence of the Sun? What makes Winter, but the absence of the Sun? when he grows low and cannot heat the earth: So what makes winter in the soul, deadness and darkness and dullness in God's service? The absence of the face of God, God shines not on the soul. What makes night in the soul, when the soul is benighted with ignorance that it cannot see itself nor see the judgements of God? God sh●nes not, the Sun of righteousness shines not on that soul. God is the Sun of the creature, he gives life to the creature, what will become of the creature when God neither shines outwardly nor inwardly on it? As at the day of judgement, he shall take away outward comforts, there shall be no outward shining, and all inward comforts, they shall have no hope, he shall altogether hide his face: when God the Fountain of all good shall hide his face altogether from the creature, that is Hell: The place where God shines not outwardly with comforts nor inwardly, nor there shall be no hope of neither, but a place of horror and despair, that is hell, as the hell of this life is when God shines not on our souls. Now these holy men they complain, The conflict of faith when God hides his face. yet they pray, Thou hast hid thy face. here is the conflict of Faith that sees God hide his face and yet will follow God; it sees God ready to turn away himself, and yet it will lay hold of him, and have a glance of him, it will wrestle with him and not let him go without a blessing. So there be degrees of Gods hiding of his face: though God seem to hide his face and to withdraw outward comforts and perhaps in some to withdraw his favour from their hearts inwardly: What shall they do, droop? No, wrestle with God as jacob: see through the cloud that is between God and thy soul; break thorough by faith, and with job say, Though he kill me yet will I trust in him. Let us stir up ourselves to lay hold on God when he seems to turn away his face: and imitate good jacob, never give over seeking the face of God. We must seek God's face. How shall we seek the face of God? 1 By prayer. By prayer, for that brings us to the face of God though he seem to hide his face, as jeremy complains, jeremy 14. Why art thou as a stranger? and yet he prays: seek him by prayer. 2 In his ordinances Seek him in his Ordinances; hear the Word of God, thy face Lord will I seek. God invites you ●o seek his face now by fasting and humiliation, seek his face in this ordinance: here is the blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Though outwardly God hide his face in some regards; yet when he offers outward liberties, refuse them not: he offers his face to us now in Christ, seek by prayer and other means holy communion with him still; and never leave seeking till you have got a glance of him: and stir up yourselves to lay hold on him, that he would show his loving countenance upon you. Those that turn their backs on God's ordinances and in rebellion to his commandments live in sins against conscience, can they wonder that he hides his face from them, when they turn their backs on him? Rebellious persons that will not yield meekly to God's Ordinances and submit to his Commandments, do they wonder that God takes good things from them? When we sin we turn our backs upon God and our face to the Devil and the world and pleasures: when men turn their faces to sin, to pleasures and vanity, and their backs on God, do they wonder that he suffers them to melt and pine away? Let us do as the Flowers do, the Marigold, etc. they turn themselves to the Sun: let our souls do so, let us turn ourselves to God in meditation and prayers, striving and wrestling with him, look to him, eye him in his Ordinances & promises, and have communion with him all the ways we can. Let our souls open and shut with him, when he hides his face let us droop, as the Flowers do till the Sun come again. When the waters fall the Flowers droop and hold down their heads, when the Sun riseth the next morning up they go again, as if there had been never a shower: So when we have not daily comfort of Spirit in peace of conscience, let us never rest seeking God's face in his Ordinances and by Prayer, and that will cheer a drooping soul, as the Sun beams do the flagging flowers. Then you may know that God's face shines upon you in some measure when he gives you means and gives you hearts to use those means and comfort in your consciences, that whether you live or die you are Gods: this is a beam of that Sunshine on the soul, when God vouchsafes joy and comfort. A little of this will banish all fears: if you have one glimpse of his countenance, you shall not need to fear the plague, or war, or death, if he shine on you, one glance will take away all fear. Paul when he was in the stocks, one beam of God's countenance made him sing at midnight; Let thy countenance shine on us and we shall be safe, let what will become of us outwardly. If God shine not on us for outward favours, if he shine on our souls and release them from fears and guilt, and speak peace to them, and say unto them, he is the●r salvation (and as he saith in the Gospel, thy sins are forgiven thee) all will be well whatsoever become of us. Let us seek the Lord while he may be found, hold him before he go, let him not depart: attend upon the means, never miss good means of seeking his face till we have got a sweet answer from Heaven that he is our God. Now follows the supplication. But now O Lord thou art our Father, etc. here is a prayer which is a kind of holding God, The consideration that God is our Father should stir us up to seek to ●i● by the relation of a Father; this is one way of stirring up our souls, to consider the relation of a Father. It stirs up bowels, when a child is beaten by his Father, O stay Father, spare, it works upon the bowels. There is a world of Rhetoric in this one word Father, why Lord, thou art my Father, shall I be destroyed? let us lay hold on God by this relation that he puts upon himself; and he will not lay it aside though we be unworthy to be sons. He doth not say, thou art our Father, and we are thy sons; because he thought they were unworthy, (as the Prodigal saith, I am unworthy to be called thy son) but instead of saying we are thy sons, he saith, we are the clay, thou art the potter. Yet he is a Father continually; and though in Christ you cannot call him Father, yet you may by Creation, and initiation, being brought up in the Church. Go to him with the encouragements you have, and cast yourselves upon him. There is a bond for you by Creation, and there is his command, he bids you call him Father, he is a Father by Creation; look not upon this or that sin, but go to him, and call him Father, as you may call him; say thou art my Father, thou hast given me a being in the Church, wrestle with him as you may, though as found Christians you cannot call him Father. Be weary of your courses, are you willing to come under God's hand to be sons; you are sons by Creation already, offer thyself to be of his family for the time to come, and God will give a sweet report to thy soul. Stand not out at the staff's end, Thou art our Father, Lord. If you have a purpose to live in firm, the Devil is your father, and not God, you are of your father the Devil, but if we be willing to submit, we may say, Doubtless thou art our Father. We are the clay, thou art the potter. here is a resignation of themselves to God, in this term, Resignation of ourselves in prayer requisite thou art the potter, we are the clay. Indeed we are but earthen vessels the best of us, in regard of the bodily life we have; and we are at the liberty of God to dispose of as he pleaseth. So, before he comes to put forth this prayer to God, he useth this resignation of themselves into the hand of God: we are as clay in thy hands, Lord dispose of us as thou wilt: Let us remember this when we come to pray to God, use all means of abasement that can be; To abase ourselves in prayer lay aside all terms other then abasing terms, we are the clay, and as job saith, I abhor myself in dust and ashes. So the Saints have done in all times, I am not worthy to be called thy son, and I am less than the least of thy mercies. Let us lay aside proud and lofty terms, and cast down our crowns at the foot of Christ, as the Saints in Revel. 4. cast down all our excellencies, let us have no thought of outward excellencies, of beauty, or strength, or riches, or high dignity, when we come to God, we must come with low thoughts to the high God, can the creature be too low in his presence? And then come with resignation, we are the clay, thou art the potter, do with us as thou wilt; if thou dash us in pieces as a potter's vessel, thou mayst do it; that is the way to escape. That is well committed that is committed into God's hand; some men shift by their wits, and will not trust God with their health, and strength, they be double minded, as Saint james saith, they will have two strings to their bow, if lawful means will not serve, unlawful shall: No, but we must commit ourselves to God as to a faithful Creator, and then see what he will do; than it stands with his honour, he will look to the lowly, I am the clay, thou art the potter, here I am, do as thou wilt, as David saith, it is a blessed estate thus to resign ourselves into God's hands. If the Devil and Reprobates could be brought to this, they should never come there where they are in terrors of conscience. Let us labour to practise this duty, Lord I commit to thy hands my body and soul, I cast myself into thy bosom, do with me as thou wilt. Some that have stood out at the staves end with temptations many years, have gotten comfort by this resignation. We are the clay, thou art the potter, thou mayst mould and break us as thou wilt. The way now to escape the plague is not altogether to use tricks of wit, and policy (though lawful means must be used) but labour to get into Christ, and resign ourselves into God's hand absolutely, and say thus, We are the clay, etc. Lord, thou mayst dash us if thou wilt, as thou dost now many hundreds weekly, thou mayst dash us in that fashion if thou wilt: Only we may have a desire that God would make our lives and health precious to him, that we may serve him as if we were now in Heaven, and that we may have grace to make good use of all. But if God have determined and decreed to take us away, let us resign ourselves into his hands. It is no matter though the body be sown in dishonour, they shall be raised in honour, we are the clay, he is the potter, let him do what he will with our carcases and bodies, so he be merciful to our souls. These vessels of clay when they are turned to earth, they shall be renewed of better stuff, like the glorious body of Christ; then our souls and bodies shall be glorious by him that took a piece of flesh and clay for us: O the humility of Christ! we wonder that the soul should animate a piece of clay, so excellent a thing as the soul is; much more may we wonder that the Son of God should take a piece of flesh and clay upon him, to take our nature of base earth, to make us eternally glorious as himself. Let it comfort us though God dash our clay in pieces as a Potter: yet Christ that took our clay to the unity of his Person, our nature being engrafted into him, he will make our bodies eternal and everlasting as his own glorious body. Let us resign ourselves into God's hands, as the Church here, Thou art the Potter, and we are the clay, and then we shall never miscarry. FINIS. THE SPIRITVALL JUBILEE. In two Sermons. By The late learned and reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS: Doctor in Divinity, Mr. of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at GRAYS-INN. JOHN 8.36. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. GAL: 5.1. Stand fast therefore in the liberty, wherewith Christ hath made us free. LONDON, Printed by E. P. for Nicholas Bourne, and Rapha Harford, and are to be sold at the South entrance of the Royal Exchange, and in Queen's head Alley, in Pater-Noster-Row, at the gilt Bible. 1638. THE SPIRITVALL JUBILE. ROME 8.2. For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ jesus, hath made me free from the Law of sin and of death. THERE be four things especially, Four things that trouble a Christians peace. that trouble the peace of a Christian (and indeed of any man) in this world. The first, is sin, with the guilt of it, binding them over to the wrath of God, and the expectation of misery; a heavy bondage. The second, is (besides the guilt of sin) the remainders of corruption, with the conflict that accompanies them while we live in this world; and that conflict must needs be tedious. The third, is the miseries of this life, that accompany always both the guilt and remainders of sin in this world; we are condemned to a great deal of trouble here: and this doth much exercise and perplex God's children▪ And then the shutting up of all; death, and damnation: the thought of these things doth much disquiet and disturb the peace of a Christians soul. Now in this Epistle we have comfort against all these: First, for the guilt of sin, that binds us over to eternal judgement, and the wrath of God; we are freed by the obedience of Christ, the second Adam: as is excellently she well in the fifth Chapter. And for the remainders of corruption, that we conflict with in this world; we are assisted against that, by the Spirit of Christ: for, as by the obedience of Christ, we are freed from the guilt; so by the Spirit of Christ, we are helped and assisted against the remainders of our corruptions. For the third, the miseries of this life; we have victori● in Christ; In him we are more they conquerors, as you have it in this Chapter: They can do us no harm, Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ jesus. We have 〈◊〉 singular comforts in this Chapter against all the troubles than can be fall us; and this is one, that triumphs over all: All things shall work for the best, to them that love God. What should I speak of hurt, from any thing that befalls us, when all shall work for the best, by the overruling of him that commands all, Vers. 28? And for death itself, Neither life nor death shall be able to separate us from the love of God. And for damnation, which accompanies death, It is God that justifieth, who shall condemn? There is opposite comforts in God's Book, nay, in this Epistle, and in this Chapter, against all that may any way trouble our peace. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ jesus, saith the Apostle; and then he goes on after, to show how by the help of the Spirit, all things work for the best, etc. In this very Verse likewise, you have this comfort set down, of our freedom by Christ from any thing that may hurt us. For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ jesus, hath made me free from the Law of sin and of death. The words are dependant, Dependence of the words● as we see in the particle, for, For the Law of the Spirit of Life, etc. They depend upon the first Verse thus, as a reason why, how ever there be sin in God's children, yet there is no damnation to them. There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ jesus, he proves it thus; Those that are free from the Law of sin, and of death, which brings in condemnation; those undoubtedly are free from damnation: but those that are in Christ Jesus, they are freed from the Law of sin, and of death; therefore there is no condemnation to such. But how shall we know, that we are in Christ Jesus? Those that have the Spirit, and are led by the Spirit of Christ, they are in Christ; The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ jesus, hath freed me from the Law of sin, and of death. So I say, the words are especially a reason of the former, There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ jesus: because, by the Spirit of Christ they are freed from the Law of sin, and of death; and by consequent, they are freed from damnation: for, what brings in damnation, but sin? In the words then, there is an opposition; there is Law against Law; The Law of the Spirit of life, in Christ; and, the Law of sin, and of death. Now, where there are contrary Laws, if there be contrary Lords (as there must be) New Lords will have new Laws; especially, if they be Lords by conquest: they will alter the very fundamental Laws that were before; as you know the old Conquerors have done in this Kingdom. Here is Law against Law, and Lord against Lord; Christ against sin, and death. Here is a Lord by conquest over all other Lords, and Laws: therefore, here must needs be an alteration of Laws upon it, the very fundamental Laws must be altered. But to come more particularly to the words; For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ jesus, hath freed me from the Law of sin, and of death. The words are much vexed by Expositors. I will rather speak my own judgement of them, and reconcile them, then dash one man's judgement against another: for that tends not to edification. The Law of the Spirit of life, etc. The meaning of the words is plain, if we compare it with other Scriptures. [The Law. Law, what. ] It is nothing but a commanding power: for so the word written, the Law (in the Apostles meaning) is but a power forcing and commanding. So the Law of the Spirit of life, is the commanding and forcing power of the Spirit of life in Christ jesus: and so the Law of sin, it is either the tyrannical command and forcing power of sin, or else the condemning for sin afterwards, as we shall see hereafter; for we shall unfold the words better in the particulars. First then, Parts of the Text. here we have set down what estate we are in by nature; we are under the Law of sin, and of death. And then, here is our freedom and deliverance from that; we are made free from the Law of sin, and of death. And then the Author of it, Christ Jesus; The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ jesus hath freed me from the Law of sin, and of death. In the words, and those that go a little before, there are these three main fundamental points of Religion: The misery and bondage of man. The deliverance of man. And his duty. Here you have his misery; he is under sin and death. Here is his deliverance; he is free from this by Christ. And for his duty, you have it in the last Verse of the former Chapter, speaking of his deliverance: Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? then it follows; Thanks be to God through jesus Christ our Lord: Thankfulness is due, not verbal thankfulness only. Indeed, the whole life of a Christian, after his deliverance, is a real thanksgiving: but that is not in my Text. To speak therefore of our estate by nature, and of our deliverance; our estate is, that we are under the Law of sin, and death. We are under the Law of sin. Observ. We are under sin: what sin? We are under a threefold sin. Naturally we are under the Law of sin. We are under the first sin of our first father: for as Levi paid Tithes in Abraham to Melchisedech, Sin threefold. so we all sinned in the Loins of Adam our first Parent, 1 Adam's sin. and the guilt of that first sin lies upon us. 2 Original sin. Secondly, there is another sin that is derived and springs from that first sin; which is the deprivation of the Image of God, the pravation of our nature, we call it original sin; whereby we are stripped of that good we had in our first creation, and have the contrary image, the image of Satan stamped upon us: so we are under the first sin, the guilt of it; and we are under the sin of nature, which we call original sin, because it is derived to us even from our birth and first original we had in Adam. And then we are under actual sins, 3 Actual sins. which are so many bonds to tie us fast under sin. We are dead by nature, but we are dead and rotten by actual sins; we supper add to the guilt of our sin, by our daily conversation. We are blind by nature, but we are blinded indeed much more, by our custom of life. Every sin doth, as it were, tie us faster to damnation, and keeps us faster under the bondage of sin. Every new sin takes away some part of the light of the understanding, and takes away some freedom of the will; it darkens the judgement more and more, and enthralls the will and affections, and binds a man more and more to the just sentence of God: That as it is, Prov. 5. Prov. 5. the sinner is tied with the bonds of his own sins: he is under the chains of an habituated wicked course of life, as well as of the sin of nature, which is the spring of all. This is the miserable state of man, Sins as chains. and these chains of his sins reserve him to further chains: Even as the Devil is reserved in chains, that is, in terrors of his conscience, which as chains bind him till he be in Hell, the place he is destinated to; so we being in the chains, and bondage, vexed with our sins, we are at the same time in the chains of terrors of conscience, the beginnings of Hell, and reserved to chains of damnation, and death, world without end. It is another manner of matter, our estate by nature, than it is usually taken for. If men had but a little supernatural light, to see what condition they are in, till they get out into Christ Jesus, they would not continue a minute in that cursed estate. justice in God, to give up men to their sins. And we have deserved to be cast into this estate, by reason that we left our subordination and dependence upon God; which being creatures, we should have had. Therefore we turning from God to the creature, God punisheth our rebellion to him, with rebellion in ourselves; because we withdrew our subjection from him, that therefore there should be in us a withdrawing of the subjection of sin, and of the whole soul to God. So this captivity to, and giving up to sin in us, it is penal, and sinful; but as it comes from God, it is merely judicial. Therefore we have it oft in the New Testament, in Rom. 1. & 2 Thess. Rom. 1. 2 Thess. The Gentiles, because they would not entertain the Truth that they might have had by the light of Nature, God gave them up to their sins. And then the Christians, after the Apostles times, they set slight by the good Word of God, the Gospel, therefore God gave them up to believe lies. It was sin in them; but as God gave them up, it was justice. So this captivity, and giving men up to their own lusts, it is justice, as it comes from God, it is a horrible judgement; it is worse, then to be given up to the Devil himself: for by being given up to our lusts, we increase our damnation. To be given up to be tormented of the Devil, it is not such a mischief, as this spiritual captivity under sin: we are guilty ourselves, of our own thraldom. And this will increase both the shame, and the punishment: The shame, that a man shall say in Hell afterward; I have brought myself hither, I had means enough, prohibitions enough; I had sometimes chastisements of God, sometimes motions of his Spirit, sometimes one help from God, sometimes another: yet notwithstanding I broke through all oppositions that God set between me, and the execution of my lusts, and to Hellward I would; and hither I have brought myself. So that indeed, the greatest part of Hell torment, the shame of them especially it will be, that men have brought themselves by their own wits and carnal lusts, thither. And indeed, all the wit a carnal man hath that is not sanctified by God's Spirit, it is to work himself to misery, to be a drudge to his lusts; that sets all the parts he hath on work, not how he may serve God, and be happy in another world; but how he may proule & provide for his own carnal lusts. The misery of being under sin. This is the estate of all men by nature, they are under sin, under the power of sin, the blind judgement leads the blind affections, and both fall into the ditch, into Hell. 1 We are under Satan. The fearfulness and odiousness of this condition, to be in prison, and thraldom, and bondage to all kind of sin, natural & actual, it will appear further by this; That being in subjection to our base lusts, by consequence we are under the bondage of Satan: for, he hath power over death, by sin; because he draws us to sin, and then accuseth us, and torments us for sin. By sin, we come to be under his bondage; so that we are under the fearful captivity of the Devil, while we are under the captivity of sin: for, all the power that he hath over us, it is by sin; he is but God's executioner for sin. First, God gives him power to draw us to sin, to punish one sin with another, and then he suffers him to accuse, and to torment us afterward. What a fearful bondage is this, that being under sin, we are under Satan? We are servants to our enemy; as God threatened his people, that they should serve their enemies: but this is a greater judgement, to be slaves to this enemy. This is the condition of every sinner. To be a slave to a man's enemy, it is a judgement of judgements: yet notwithstanding, this is the case of every man by nature, he is a servant to his enemy, to Satan, and his own lusts. He is a right Cham, a servant of servants: for Satan useth him as the Philistines did Samson, he puts out his eyes, he puts out his judgement, his wits, he besots him; and so he goes blind in Satan's blind work, and business: he is in a Maze all his life long, till at length he sink into Hell. So this is the aggravation of a man's estate by nature he is a slave to his enemy. You know blessed Zacharie saith, Luke. 1. Luke 1. That being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we might serve him without fear in righteousness and holiness all the days of our life. There is no wicked man, but he is acted by the Devil (oh, Wicked men acted by the Devil. that we would consider of it:) we think we are led only by our own lusts and sins as men; but until a man be in Christ, Ephes. 2. he is ruled by the command of the Prince of the Air, and in 2 Tim. 2, 2 Tim. 2. he is ruled by Satan, according to his will. Even as a Bird in a snare it may move up and down, but it is still in the snare and he that hath it there cares not, he knows he hath it, safe and he goes about to catch other birds: So when we are in our lusts, and follow them the Devil hath us in his snare, he is secure of us, and goes about getting more and more still; the Devil acts, and moves, and leads all carnal men. But how chanceth it, that they do not know and perceive it? It is because he goeth with the stream of their own corruptions. Carnal men better than the Devil would have them. Indeed we must make some limitation of this. In some cases, the Devil doth not move carnal men, they are better than the Devil would have them be for the good of the Commonwealth, and State; but yet take them as they stand in relation to Religion, they may be devilish, secret, bitter, dark enemies to that. Though they may have strong heads for the good of the State, yet it is not from any intrinsical good in themselves; but God useth them, and makes them do that. For the Devil would have all naught; he is an enemy to the very Swine, therefore much more to the good of a State. Therefore there are many politic civil Virtues, as we fee in Achitophel, and judas, which no question, is more than the Devil would have; he would not have civil men so good, he would not have them do that they do for the common good oft times: yet the Devil will be sure to be at one end of the good they do, to taint them, that their aim shall not be good, it shall not be to the glory of God, it shall not be in reference to salvation. And so as the good is temporal, they have a reward suitable to their desire, they care for no more: for they believe not Heaven, but in a general notion; It may be there is such things, it may be not: therefore the good they do, is some little petty obedience; and what do they desire? To be well esteemed, and respected; to be venerable, and to have honourable opinions in the hearts of men, that men may stoop in their conceits to them as men of respect. This they deserve indeed, and this they have; God gives them that they would have. But as Christ tells the pharisees, who did excellent good things, but it was to be seen of men, he tells them, they had their reward: they had all they looked for; for they were Atheists, they looked not for Heaven. So a man may say of all men that are out of the state of grace: though they do more than the Devil would have them, and for divers degrees of that they do, they are not subject to the Devil; yet he taints their actions one way or other in the end, he joins himself in the action first or last, he hath a hand in all their actions. So that notwithstanding there be many good things, yet this hinders not a whit, but that they may be under the power of the Devil: for it is but in reference to civil Government and State, which is but for a time: The fashion of this world passeth away; here will be no Magistrates to govern, nor no people to be governed, ere long. I speak it, because many men are ready to propound such and such, to imitate them in their courses; and to say, I will be no more religious than he: when, perhaps, all may be but formality, and common graces for this world. God will honour some so much, to be instruments for common good here: but what is that to eternal salvation? He may be a slave to his lusts, and an enemy to the power of grace, for all that. Therefore, unless we see men wrought upon thoroughly, to be of the mind of Christ, to have the Spirit of Christ, to judge of things as Christ judgeth, to judge the service of God, and doing his will, to be the best things, and to go about doing good, and that with reference and obedience to God; all is nothing, else: A man may be under the bondage of his corruptions, and so by them to Satan. 2 To worse thing: than ourselves. Again, when we are under our lusts, and sins, it is about earthly things; we are in slavery to that which is worse than ourselves. Sin is the vilest thing in the world, and the things whereabout sin is occupied, are the profits, and pleasures, and trifles of this world, mean petty things; it is a base slavery, to consider whom we serve. 3 So excellent a thing as the soul. And to consider what it is that is in bondage, the immortal soul of man, that had the image of God stamped upon it; and in the soul of man, the most excellent part, the will, that is most free, yet being under sin, it is most bound. Our will was given us, to cleave to God, and the best things; to make choice of the best things, and to cleave to them undivided in life, and death, and for ever; and so by cleaving to things better than ourselves, to advance ourselves to a higher condition. For when the soul of man that is under better things, that is under God, and Christ, and doth cleave to God, and Christ, in his affections, and to the things of a better life; these be things bettering a man's condition, even raising the soul from its own present estate, to a glorious condition. For we are as we affect, our wills and our affections do transform us; therefore wicked men are called the World, because they love it; and holy men are called heavenly, because they are carried in their affections and wills, to heavenly things. Our affections and wills do denominate us, they give us the name; nay, that is too little; they do give us the reality, the state. When God so altars and changes our dispositions, that out of a sanctified judgement, we make a right choice of things, and then cleave to them in our wills and affections constantly; this raiseth our nature to be higher than itself. He that cleaveth to the Lord, is one Spirit, as the Apostle saith. Indeed, our affections transform us anew. Simile. As it is with the fire, it transforms cold and gross bodies to be all fiery: so God, and heavenly things, work upon our hearts, they transform us to be like themselves. Now for this inward soul of man, which is so excellent a thing, fitted by God to cleave to better things, for communion with himself, and everlasting happiness; for this, to be a drudge to base pleasures, and profits, to the windy empty things of this world, to vain titles, & such like empty things, and to place its happiness in these things; it is a pitiful degeneration, that so excellent a thing as the immortal soul of man, that shall never die, should join with those things that shall make him miserable; that it shall be better for a man that he had never been, as it is said of judas; It had been better for that man that he had never been borne. 4 The fruit of it. In the next place, consider that that follows this thraldom and baseness to our lusts: 1 Uncertain pleasure. there is a double fruit of it. The one, is uncertain: I mean, for our yielding to our base affections, what get we? The pleasures of sin for a season, a little pleasure, or profit, perhaps not that neither: but if we have it, it is a fading commodity, that goes away quickly; when they are gotten, what are they? vanity; they promise more before we get them, than they perform when we have them. But then, there is another wages, that God in justice hath appointed for it, that is damnation; The wages of sin is death: it cries for wages. When we are under sin we can look for nothing but death; and therefore he joins them together here; the law of sin, and of death; an expectation of eternal misery. This a man hath that is wedded to himself, that hath not learned the first lesson in the Gospel, to deny himself; he is a wretched slave to the Devil, in his best part, and power; his lusts imprison his will and affections; his wit, that should devise how he should be happy for for eternity, it is only a drudge to his base lusts. There are a company of men, that are the shame, and blemish of the Gospel, that set their wits a work only how to devise to satisfy their base lusts; and then the issue and conclusion of all this, is eternal misery; and in the mean time, the expectation of misery in terrors of conscience. This is the estate of every man, till he be translated by the Spirit of God to a better condition in Christ, that he spends out his time in a base and miserable thraldom, worse than the thraldom of the Israelites in Egypt, or in Babylon. And it is so much the more fearful, 5 Men are insensible of their bondage. because men are insensible of it, like Bedlams, that make nothing of their chains, that laugh in their chains. A frantic man, when he is bound in chains, he laughs; when they that are about him weep at his misery: so you have men frolicking in sin, they will swear at liberty, and besot themselves at liberty, and corrupt their consciences, even for base trifles: they think they are in no bondage, they do all wondrous cheerfully, and well; when as, indeed, the more cheerfully and readily any man performs the base service of sin, Freedom in sin is a bondage. the more he is in bondage. Freedom is opposite to bondage; notwithstanding, such is the nature of sin, that the more freely we do it, the more we are bound; because the more freedom we have, the more we are entangled; we run into guilt upon guilt, till after guilt comes execution, an eternal separation from the presence of God, and an adjudging to eternal torments for ever. The false judgement of the world, who are happy. So that it is a false judgement that the world hath: they think great men happy men, why? They do as they list. ay, they may do so, and oft times they take the liberty to do so; they will be under no Laws, they are so far from obeying the Law of God, that they are loath to be hampered with the Laws of the State, or with any Laws, but they will be above all. A miserable condition, why? the more will a man hath in evil, the more miserable; for the more freely, and with less opposition he tangleth himself, (let his place be never so great) the deeper he sinks in rebellion, and the deeper he sinks into guilt upon guilt; which will all come to a reckoning, at the hour of death, and day of Judgement. So the men that we admire, and envy most (out of simpleness, and want of judgement) they are the most miserable creatures in the world; if they be out of Christ; and have not grace: for they have nature let loose in them, without restraint, and nature being under the captivity of sin, becomes out of measure sinful, in such: The less a man is kerbed either from Laws above him, or the Law within him, to check him, the more wretched man he is: for the deeper he goes in rebellion and sin, the deeper his torment shall be afterward. Great persons have a great privilege; what is that? they shall be greatly tormented; that is all the privilege that I know, if they be naught. Those that shake off all bonds, any earthly privilege and prerogative, is so far from exempting them from misery, that it makes them more miserable: for unless they have grace to use those things that might be an advantage to better things, they sink deeper and deeper into sin, and so into terrors of conscience, first or last; and by consequence, to damnation: Oh, it is a fearful condition, to be the greatest Monarch in the world, and not to be in Christ, and under the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ! they are the objects of pity above all kind of men, to truly judicious souls, that know out of God's truth, and by the light of the Spirit, what is to be judged of the state of men. You see then what kind of misery it is that natural men are under, being under the Law of sin. To declare it a little further; for men will hardly think it is such a bondage, 6 The tyranny of sin. to be under sin. Therefore, I beseech you, do but consider how sin tyrannizeth, where it gets strength; Covetousness. see it in some instances. The covetous worldly man that is under the Law of that lust (he hath the law of other lusts, but that is predominant) see how it tyrannizeth; it takes away his rest, the use of God's blessings, the good things he hath given him to enjoy, it makes him in thrall to the creature. Carnal pleasure. We see it in carnal pleasure; Amnon, when he lusted after his sister Thamar, it took away his rest. And how doth this base affection tyrannize in some men? it makes them forget their bodies so, that they overthrew their health, and hasten death temporal; it hurts the natural man, it makes them forget their credit, it makes them forget their souls, it makes them stink, by living in that carnal noisome sin. The judicious Heathen were sensible of it, by the strength of natural judgement: yet sin where it is in any strength uncurbed, it so tyrannizeth, that it makes men forget both health, and life, and credit and estate in this world, that they come to nothing. What should I speak of forgetting life eternal, and damnation? (they have no faith to believe that, but) such is the tyranny of sin, that it makes them forget things sensible; that by experience after, they see how dear they have bought their base pleasures, with the loss of credit, and health, and comfort; with the loss of the estate that God hath trusted them withal, in this world. Ambition. Take a man that is under the base Law of ambition, a proud person, see how it tyrannizeth over him; it makes him forget blood, and kindred, all the bonds of nature, he will kill his brethren to make his way; as you know in our own Stories, such Tyrants, if there were not Stories enough in this kind, daily experience shows it. Where the Law of ambition and pride reigns, it makes the heart wherein this Tyrant sets up his Throne, to forget all bonds whatsoever, of nature, and justice. You know whose speech it was; If the Law must be violated, it must be for a Kingdom: but men will do it for far less; we see what men will do for a base place to command others in this world, (when they are conscious of their own ill courses, and commanding corruptions) and all to give way to the base affection of ambition. A touch is enough of these things, for experience witnesseth, and goes along with me. All men that are not in Christ, they have some predominant sin, either some base sin, or some more refined sin, and lust, that keeps them from Christ and salvation, and this tyrannizeth over them. And this is the nature of this Tyrant sin, Sin takes away the sight of itself. it hath such possession of a man till he be got out of it, and be in Christ, that it takes away the sight of itself, it hinders the knowledge of itself, it puts out a man's eyes. For that whereby a man should judge of corruption, it is corrupt itself. Wisdom in man corrupted. The wisdom of a man is death, it is enmity to God. The wit that he hath that should discern of his base courses, it tangles him more and more to his own lusts: so that wit, and wisdom, the highest part of the soul, it is imprisoned by base affections, and that power that should discern corruption, it is set on work to satisfy corruption. What is the wit of a man that is not in Christ, occupied about all his life time? it is nothing but a drudge, and a slave, to devise means to satisfy his base lusts. Take a worldly man, he is exceeding witty to contrive worldly plots, and business (though he be a dunce, and a sot, in matters that are spiritual) in his own tract and course, he hath a shrewd wit, why? because his lusts to the world, they whet his wit. So we see the best thing in man now, is enthralled to sin, his very wisdom itself; therefore it is enmity to God. Men not given up to all sins alike. Every man hath some Herodias, some sin or other that he is in bondage to, till he be in Christ. He cannot in a like measure, be given and enthralled to all sins, it is unnecessary: because one sin serveth another; many sins serve one great one. Corruption doth not run in all streams in one equality: but it runs amain one way unchecked, and uncontrolled, and unmortified, (in all men that are not in Christ) and subdues the soul to itself, that it can devise, and plot for nothing, but to satisfy that base lust. This is the state of man by nature. Object. But some will say, it is not our state and condition; we are baptised, and receive the Sacrament, and hear Sermons, and read good books, and therefore we are not under sin. Answer. But saith the Apostle, His servants ye are to whom ye obey; you may know the state of your service, and subjection by the course of your life. And as Christ saith to the jews, john 8. they bragged that they were free: alas, proud people, they were neither free for soul, nor state: for they were under the Romans. They thought they were free because they were Abraham's children: were they not in captivity to the Egyptians, and under the Babylonians, and in present captivity under the Romans? yet they forget themselves out of pride: If the Son make you free, ye are free indeed: but because they were in a sinful course, they were slaves of sin. So it is no matter what privileges men are under, that they receive the Sacrament, and are baptised, and live in the Church, etc. His servant's year, whom ye obey. If there be prevailing lusts that sit up their throne, and tyrannize in our hearts, and set our wits on work, to devise how to satisfy them, more than to please God; it is no matter what privileges we have, it is no matter whose livery we wear, but whom we serve. We may wear God's Livery, that shall be pulled over our heads afterwards, and we be uncased, that it shall appear that we are the Devils servants under the profession of Christ. There is no man that is not in Christ, that denies his corrupt nature any thing: if revenge bid him take revenge, he will if he can; if he do not, it is no thanks to him, but to the Laws. If any sin rise in the heart, all the parts of the body, and powers of the soul, are ready weapons to this tyrant, to keep a man in slavery. As if anger and wrath, keep a man in bondage, you shall have it in his countenance, his hand will be ready to execute it, his feet will be ready to carry him to revenge. If it be a proud heart that a man is kept under, you shall have it in his looks, and expressions outward. If it be the base affection of lust, you shall have adultery in the eye, an unchaste and uncircumcised ear, and filthy rotten language. Men you see upon all occasions are ready to execute the commands of these tyrannical lusts, in some kind or other. Therefore never talk of thy freedom, when lusts are raised up within thee, either ascending from thine own corruption, or cast in by Satan, and so joining with thy heart, presently thy tongue will speak wickedly, and thine eyes, and looks, and countenance, show that there is a naughty heart within, and the whole man is ready to execute it, further than a man is kerbed by Law, or respect to his reputation or the like, which is no thanks to him. Yet a man cannot act the part of a civil man so well, but the corruption of his vile heart, will betray itself in his looks or language, one time or other this tyrant will break forth. Therefore let us look to our hearts and courses, for if we be not in Christ, we are under the Law of sin, And of Death. We are not only under the law of sin, We are under the law of death. but also of death. Now, there is a death in this world; the separation of the soul from the body; 1 Natural. but that is not so much meant here: for when we are in Christ, we are not free from this death. But there a is worse death, 2 Spiritual. which is a separation of the soul, from the favour and love of God, and from the sanctifying, and comforting Spirit of God: when the Spirit of God doth not comfort, and sanctify the soul, it is a death. 1 In this world. For as the soul is the life of the body; the body hath but a communicated life from the union it hath with the soul. The soul hath a life of its own, when it is out of the body, but the body hath its life from the soul; so it is with the soul, when there is an estrangement of the soul from the Spirit of God, & Christ, sanctifying and comforting and cheering it, than there is a death of the soul: the soul can no more act any thing that is savingly, and holily good, than the body can be without the soul. And as the body without the soul, is a noisome odious carcase, offensive in the eyes of its dearest friends: so the soul without the Spirit of Christ, quickening and seasoning it, and putting a comeliness and beauty upon it, it is odious. All the clothes, and flowers you put upon a dead body, cannot make it but a stinking carcase: so all the moral virtues, and all the honours in this world put upon a man out of Christ, it makes him not a spiritual living soul: he is but a loathsome carrion a dead carcase in the sight of God, and of all that have the Spirit of God: for he is under death, he is stark, and stiff, unable to stir or move to any duty whatsoever, he hath no sense, nor motion. Though such men live a common, natural civil life, and walk up and down, yet they are dead men to God, and to a better life. The world is full of dead men, that are dead while they are alive, as S. Paul speaks of the Widow that lives in pleasures. A fearful estate, if we had Spiritual eyes to see it, and think of it. 2 At the hour of death. But then after the death of the soul in this world, there is another degree of spiritual death; which is, when the soul leaves the body, than the soul dies: for than it goes to hell, it is severed for ever from the comfortable and gracious presence of God, and likewise it wants the comforts it had in this world. 3 At the day of Indgment. And the third degree of it is, when body and soul shall be joined together; then there is an eternal separation of both, from the presence of God, and an adjudging of them to eternal torments in hell. This is the state of all men that are not in Christ, they are dead in soul while they live; dead after the separation of the soul and body; and after to be adjudged to eternal damnation, world without end. Life is a sweet thing, and we know death it is terrible; when we would set out our hatefulness to any thing, we use to say, I hate it as death: do we love life, and do we hate death? we should labour then to be out of that condition, that we are all in by nature, wherein we are under sin and death, in regard of spiritual life (I mean) for, for civil life, and government, and policy, men may have life and vigour enough, that are hypocrites: but I speak of a better life, an eternal life, that is not subject to death. Now, A man under sin is under death. mark the joining of both these together, we are under sin and death by nature; where a man is under sin, he is under death: for as the Apostle saith, Rom. 5. Rom. 5. Sin entered into the world, and by sin death. They were neither of both God's creatures, neither sin nor death: but sin entered into the world by Satan, and death by sin. Oh, ye shall not die, saith Satan; he was a liar always from the beginning: so now he saith to men, you shall not die; you may do this, and do well enough, but he is a liar, and a murderer; when he solicits to sin, he is a murderer. Let us take heed of solicitations to sin, from our own nature, or from Satan; mark how God hath linked sin, and death, The wages of sin is death. When we are tempted to sin, we think, I shall have this credit, or profit, or contentment, or preferment, and advancement in the world. ay, but that that you get by sin, it is not so great as you look for, when you have it, if you get it at all: Sin and death go together. but afterwards comes death, the beginnings of eternal death, terrors of conscience universally follow, if a man be himself, if he be not besotted. The more a man is a man, and enjoys the liberty of his judgement to judge of things; the more he sees the misery that is due after sin, with a fearful expectation of worse things to come. Sin, and death are an adamantine chain, and link that none can sever; who shall separate that which God in his Justice hath put together? If sin go before, death will follow; if the conception go before, the birth will follow after: if the smoke go before, the fire will follow. There is not a more constant order in nature, than this in God's appointment, first sin, and then death, and damnation after. Use. Therefore when we are tempted to sin, let us reason with ourselves, To see death in sin. there is death in the pot, let us discern death in it, it will follow. And if a man after repent of it, it will be more sharp repentance and grievous, than the sin was pleasant; that a man shall have little joy of his sin, if he do repent; if he do not repent, what a fearful estate is a man in, after he hath sinned? Sin, and death go together, no humane power can sever them: for take the greatest Monarch in the world, when he hath sinned, conscience is above him as great as he is; for conscience is next under God; it awes, and terrifies him, and keeps his sleep from him: as we see of late in our bloody neighbour Country▪ after that great Massacre, he could not sleep without Music, and the like. All that they have and enjoy in the world, all their greatness, it will not satisfy and stop the mouth of conscience: but when they sin, they feel the wrath of God arresting, and they a●e as i● were, shut up in prison, under the terrors of an accusing conscience, till they come to eternal imprisoment, in the chain of hell, and damnation. This is the estate of the greatest man in the world, that is not in Christ. They are not so happy as we think they are, they are imprisoned in their own hearts: though they walk at never so much liberty abroad, and do what they list: for sin and death goes together; and before eternal death comes, the expectation, and terrors of it seize on them for the present. So that whatsoever our first birth be, though it be noble, and great, yet by it we are bondslaves under sin and death, unless our second birth, our new birth, make amends for fl●●e, for the baseness of our first birth. This prerogative, our spiritual nobleness, is such an estate wherein we are not borne; but are borne again to it, to an inheritance immortal, etc. But by nature we are all bond men, though we be be borne never so nobly. Therefore let us never brag of our birth, as the Jews did, that they were the children of Abraham. No, saith Christ, you are of your father the Devil. Let none stand upon the Gentry, and Nobility of their birth, unless they be taken out of the condition they are in by nature, to be in a better condition in Christ: for we see all men naturally, are under the law of sin and death. These things are slighted, because we enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; men think to be enthralled to sin, it is pleasant thraldom, they are golden fetters: for I shall have the pleasures of sin all my life time, etc. and for death, I will set a Roman spirit against death. Saith a Roman; what, is it such a matter to die? It is nothing to die; they set a good face on the matter. And this is the conceit of many men, till they come to it: but alas, to be enthralled to death, it is another matter, Eternity of misery should deter from sin. for behind death, there is a gulf. A man may break the hedgewell enough with a strong resolution to die; it is nothing to die, if there were an end. But there is a gulf, there is damnation, and destruction behind, there is eternal torment behind, to be adjudged from the presence of God for ever; to be separated from all good, and all comfort, and to have society with the Devil and his Angels in hell, and that forever, and for ever. Thou mayst perhaps make ●light of the service of sin, because thou hast the present baits to delight thee; but thou shouldst regard death. Thou mayst neglect death; but then regard eternal death. This word Eternal, it is a heavy word, Eternal separation from all good, and eternal communion with the Devil, and his Angels, and for the wrath of God to seize on thy soul eternally, world without end, me thinks men should not set light by that. Therefore considering that this is our estate by nature, we are all slaves to sin, and death, let us labour to get out of this cursed estate by all means, which is by The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ jesus. Now, I come to speak of our freedom, The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ jesus, hath freed me from the Law of sin and death. Freedom acceptable. This is good news indeed, to hear of freedom: good news to the Israelites to hear of freedom out of Egypt, and for the Jews to hear of Cyrus' Proclamation for their freedom out of Babylon. Freedom out of bondage is a sweet message. Here we have such a message, of spiritual freedom, from other manner of enemies, than those were. The year of Jubilee, it was a comfortable year to servants that were kept in, and were much vexed with their bondage: when the year of Jubilee came, they were all freed; therefore there was great expectation of the year of Jubilee. Here we have a spiritual Jubilee, a manumission and freedom, from the bondage we are in by nature. The Spirit of life in Christ, makes us free from the Law of sin, and death. There is life in Christ, We are freed from all ill by Christ. opposite to death in us: there is a Spirit of life in Christ, and a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ, opposite to the law of sin, and of death in us. So that this is our happiness, while we live here (oh it is the blessedness of men to make use of it while they have time, and space and grace to repent, and to cleave to Christ) that whatsoever ill we are under by nature, we may have full supply in Christ; for all the breaches that came by the first Adam; There came the wrath of God, the corruption of our nature, terrors of conscience, death and damnation, all these followed the sin, and breach of the first Adam; all these are made up in the second. He hath freed us from all the ill we received from the first Adam, and that we have added ourselves: for we make ourselves worse than we come from Adam, by our voluntary and daily transgressions: but we are freed from all by the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ jesus. How comes this freedom? 1 By satisfaction. There can no freedom be without satisfaction to divine Justice. For why are we under sin? God gives us up to sin, why are we under death? God gives us up to death. Why, are we under Satan's government? he is God's executioner, God's sergeant, he gives us up to him here, because we offend him. Why are we under damnation and wrath? because God is offended. All our slavery comes originally from God; however it be sinful in regard of Satan that keeps us; yet the power whereby he keeps us is good: for he doth it from God. His will is always naught, but his power is always lawful: therefore the power whereby the Devil keeps us (if we look up to God, under whom the power is) it is a lawful power: for God hath a hand in giving us up to fin, it is a judicial giving up; and then by lusts, and ●inne, to Satan and death, and damnation. So if we speak of freedom, we must not begin with the executioner: the wrath of God must be satisfied; God must be one with us, so as his Justice must have contentment. Satisfaction must be with the glory of his Justice, as well as of his Mercy: his Attributes must have full content, one must not be destroyed to satisfy another; he must so be merciful in freeing us, as that content must be given to his Justice, that it complain not of any loss. Now, reconciliation always supposeth satisfaction, it is founded upon it. And satisfaction for sin, 2 By taking our nature. it must be in that nature, that hath sinned: now man of himself could not satisfy divine Justice, being a finite person; therefore God the second Person became man, that in our nature he might satisfy God's wrath for us, and so free us, by giving payment to his divine Justice. The death of Christ God-man, is the price of our liberty, and freedom. But why doth the Apostle speak here, of a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ, which frees us; but here is no mention of satisfaction by death? Oh, but death is the foundation of all, as we shall see afterwards. To unfold the point therefore, because it is a special point; and the words need unfolding; Here it is said, there is life in Christ. A Spirit of life in Christ. and a Law of a Spirit of life in Christ. Life in Christ. There is life in Christ, not only as God for so indeed he is life. 1 As God. God, his life is himself: for life is the being of a thing, and the actions, and moving, and vigour, and operations of a thing answerable to that being. So the life of God is his being. As I live saith the Lord, that is, as I am God, I will not the death of a sinner. Now, Christ hath life in him as God, as the Father hath: but that is not especially here meant. 2 As Mediator. There is life in Christ as God-man, as Mediator. Now, this life is that life, which is originally from the Godhead: indeed it is but the Godheads quickening, and giving life to the manhood in Christ; the Spirit quickening, and sanctifying the manhood. And we have no comfort by the life of God, as it is in God's life alone severed: for alas, what communion have we with God without a Mediator? but our comfort is this, that God, who is the fountain of life, he became man, and having satisfied God's Justice, he conveys life to us, he is our head, he hath life in himself as God, to impart spiritual life to all his members; so there is life in Christ, as Mediator. And there is a Spirit of life; that life it is a working life: for spirit is an emphatical word; spirit added to a thing, increased the thing. Again, he saith, the Law of the Spirit of life. Law, is a commanding thing; to show that the life in Christ, it is a commanding life, it countermands all opposite lives whatsoever, of sin, and death; and this Law is a countermand to all other Laws; the Law of the Spirit of life frees us from all other Laws. So here is life, the Spirit of life, and the Law of the Spirit of life; all words of strong signification. But for the clear understanding of this sweet and comfortable point: First, consider how the Law of the Spirit of life is in Christ, what it doth in him; and then how it is derivatively in us. First of all, All in Christ first. we must know this for a ground, whatsoever is done to us, is done to Christ first, and whatsoever we have, Christ hath it first. Therefore life is first in Christ, and then in us; Resurrection, first in Christ, and then in us; Sonship, first in Christ, and then in us; Justification from our sins, first in Christ, (he is freed from our sins) and then in us: Ascension first in Christ, and then in us: Glory in heaven first in Christ, and then in us. We have nothing in us, but it is derived from Christ: therefore this being laid as a ground, we must consider how the Spirit of life works in Christ, what it doth in Christ; and than what it doth as it is in us: for whatsoever Christ hath, it is not only for himself, but for us. The Spirit in Christ. What doth it in Christ? 1 Sanctified his humane nature. The Spirit of life in Christ, first of all it did quicken, and sanctify his humane nature; that nature that Christ pleased to take upon him, it stopped sin, it made a stop of original sin, in sanctifying that blessed mass, out of which his body was made, for the foundation of his obedience actual, that it was so holy, it was hence, that his nature was purified by the Holy-Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin: the foundation, that his death, and sufferings was satisfactory, and acceptable, it was that his holy nature was sanctified by the Spirit of God. So the first work of the Spirit of life, in the Son of God, it was to sanctify, and quicken that blessed mass, that he took upon him. And the Spirit of life that quickened, 2 Ennobled it. and sanctified our nature in Christ, did likewise ennoble our nature: for even as a base woman is ennobled, when she is taken in marriage with a great man, she hath his dignity accounted hers: so our nature by the Spirit being sanctified, is knit into the union of person with Christ; that our nature and the second Person, make one Christ, so our nature by the Spirit, 3 Enriched it. is ennobled by this union. And also enriched it with all grace, that our nature is capable of: for the nature of Christ had this double prerogative above ours: First of all, that blessed mass of flesh it was knit to be one person with God, and then that nature was enriched, and ennobled with all graces above ours. And this the Spirit of life did to Christ himself, to his humane nature that he took upon him, that he might be a public Person. For God the second Person, took not upon him any man's particular person, of Peter, or Paul, or john: for then there should have been distinct persons, one person should have died, and another rise: but he took our nature into his Person▪ so that the same Person that did dye was God, though he died in our nature; that he might be a public Person. So we must consider Christ sanctifying our nature, that he might sit and sanctify all our persons. But did the Spirit of life do nothing else, but sanctify and enrich the humane nature of Christ with grace? 4 Fitted him for his Sacrifice. Yes; for the Spirit of life in Christ, did sanctify him for his Sacrifice, as he saith john 17. in that blessed prayer, john 17. I sanctify myself for them: it prepared him for his death, and made him a fit Sacrifice. When he entered upon his calling, he had more of the Spirit: the Spirit of life, as it were was increased. For it is no heresy to think, that the gifts of Christ (for the manifestation of them) were increased. For in every state he was in he was perfect; and when he set upon his Office, and was baptised, he was fuller of the Holy-Ghost: (as it were) there was a fuller manifestation than before, when he did not set upon his Office openly. 5 Supported him in death. In his death, what did the Spirit of life then? It supported him in his very death: for there was an union of the Spirit; when there was a separation of his soul and body, there was not a separation of the union. That which gave dignity, and strength, and value, and worth to his death, it was the Spirit; though there was a suspending of the comfort a while, yet there was no separation of the union, but I speak no more of that, being not especially meant here. 6 In raising him. But especially in his Resurrection, (which we are now to think of by reason of the day, and it is not amiss to take all occasions) especially then, the Spirit of life that had sanctified Christ, and quickened him, and enriched his nature, and supported him, and done all; that Spirit of life quickened the dead body of Christ, And he was mightily declared to be the Son of God, by the Spirit of sanctification, Rom. 1.4. Rom. 1.4. by his Resurrection from the dead. The Spirit of life raised him from the dead, and put an end to all that misery that he had undergone before for our sakes. For until his resurrection, there was (as it were) some conflict, with some enemies of Christ, either with Satan, or the world, or with death itself: he lay under death three days, until Christ's body was raised, our enemies were not overcome, God's wrath was not fully satisfied, (it was not declared to be satisfied at least:) for he being our surety, till he came out of the grave, we could not know that our sins were satisfied for. But now, when the Spirit of life in Christ comes, and quickens that body of his in the grave, Rom. 4. and so doth justify us, as it is, Ro. 4. He died for our sins, and rose again for our justification; that is, by the Spirit of life in Christ, quickening his dead body, he declared that we are fully discharged from our sins, because he was fully discharged from our sins; being our surety, he showed by his Resurrection, that he was fully discharged from all that he took upon him. When a man comes out of prison, that is a surety, his very coming out of prison shows, that he hath a full discharge of all the debt he undertook to pay: so the Spirit of life, raising Christ's body the third day; manifestly declared, that the debt he took on him, was fully discharged: and so as he died for sin, to satisfy God's Justice for them; so he rose again for our justification, to show that he had a full discharge for all. Now, since the Spirit of life in Christ jesus, hath quickened his body; the soul may make a bold demand to God, 1 Pet. 3. as it is in 1 Pet. 8. It may make that demand, Rom. 8. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect? it is Christ that died, nay rather, that is risen again, and ascended into heaven, and makes intercession for us. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's people? it is God that justifieth, who shall condemn? our sins? Christ hath taken our sins upon him, and satisfied divine Justice for them; and by the Spirit of life, hath quickened that dead body of his, that was surety for us himself; we may well say, Who shall lay any thing to our charge? he that is our surety is dead; dead? nay risen again, nay, ascended, and sits at the right hand of God. Therefore now the conscience of any Christian, may make that interrogation, and bold demand there; it may stand out any, that dares to oppose the peace of his conscience now; that he may say, who is it? it is God-man that died, it is Christ that died in our nature, and hath raised that nature of ours again, and is at the right hand of God, who shall lay any thing to our charge? The Spirit of life in Christ, quickening him, hath quickened us together with him; so that now we may boldly demand, we are freed from our sins, because our surety is free from all. All this was for our good; What Christ did, was for us. what Christ did, it was not for himself, but for us: and in his birth, and life, and death, and resurrection, we must consider him as a public person, and so go along with all that he did as a public person. To see our ill in Christ. Whatsoever may be terrible to us, we must look upon it, first in Christ. If we look upon the corruption, and defilement in our nature; look upon the pure nature of Christ, his nature was sanctified in his birth, and he is a public person; therefore this is for me; and though I be defiled in my own nature, and carry the remainders of corruption about me; yet the Spirit of life in Christ sanctified his nature, and there is more sanctity in him, than there can be sin in me. When we look upon our sins, let us not so much look upon them in our consciences, as in our surety Christ. When we look upon death, look not upon it in ourselves, in its own visage; but as it is in Christ undergone, and conquered; for the power of the Spirit of life in Christ, overcame death in himself first, and for us; and will overcome in us in time. When the wrath of God is on our consciences, look not upon it, as it is in ourselves, but as undergone by Christ; and as Christ by the Spirit of life, now in him is raised up, not from death alone, but from all terrors. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? See Christ by the Spirit of life quickened from all, not only bare natural death, but from all enemies thou needest to fear: from the Law, it is nailed to his Cross, he now triumphs over it; and from sin; he was a Sacrifice for it: and from the wrath of God, he hath satisfied it, or else he had not come out of his grave. So whatsoever is terrible, look on it in Christ first, & see a full discharge of all that may affright thy conscience, and trouble thy peace any way. To see Christ's good for us. See him in his death, dying for every man, that will believe. Consider him in his resurrection as a public person, not rising himself alone, but for all us; therefore is 1 Pet. 1. 1 Pet. 1. There is an excellent place, Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord jesus Christ, who hath begotten us again, to a lively hope by the resurrection of jesus Christ; to an inheritance immortal, undefiled, etc. and so go along with him to his Ascension, and see ourselves sitting with him in heavenly places, as Saint Paul speaks, oh, this is a sweet meditation of Christ! to see ourselves in him, in all the passages of his birth, and life, and death, and resurrection, and ascension, to glory in heaven: for all that he did, was as a public person, as the second Adam. But now, before the Spirit of life in Christ come to free me; I, and Christ must be one, there must be an union between me and Christ, I must be a member of Christ mystical. For as Christ quickened his own body, every joint when it was dead, because it was his body: so he quickens his mystical body, every member of it: but I must be a member first, I must not be myself, severed from Christ. The Spirit works application. Therefore the Law of the Spirit of life, which is in Christ, the first thing it doth, (next to impetration, and obtaining of happiness) it works application; for these two go together, impetration and application. Christ by his death obtained all good, and by his resurrection he declared it: but there must be an application to me. Now this Spirit of life which is in Christ, which quickened him, and raised him up; (and all for my good) must apply this to me. The grace of application it is faith, Faith the grace of application. therefore this must be wrought in the next place. How doth the Law of the Spirit of life free me? because first it freed Christ, therefore me: but that is not enough, except there be application. Therefore the Law of the Spirit of life works faith in me, to knit me to Christ, to make me believe, that all that he hath done is mine: and the same power that raised Christ from the dead, works the power of faith, and application: For we must not think, that it is an easy thing for a carnal man to believe, to go out of himself, that it is salvation enough to have salvation, by the obedience of another man: No; both in the Ephesians, and Colossians, in diverse places, it is S. Paul's phrase, that the same power that raised Christ from the dead, must raise our hearts, and work faith in them. For as the good things that faith lays hold on, are wondrous good things, even above admiration almost: that poor flesh and blood, a piece of earth, should be an heir of heaven, a member of Christ, that it should be above Angels in dignity; as the things are superexcellent things, even above admiration (in a manner:) so the grace that believes these things, it is a strange and excellent, and admirable grace, that is faith. Therefore faith must be wrought by the Law of the Spirit of Christ; by the ministry of the Gospel. This is the grace of application, when a man goes out of himself; when he sees himself first in bondage to his corruptions, to Satan, and to death: and then sees the excellent way that God hath wrought in Christ, to bring him out of that cursed estate: then he hath by the Spirit of life faith wrought in him. And indeed the same power, and Spirit that quickened Christ from the dead, must quicken our hearts to believe in Christ. It is a miracle to bring the heart of man to believe. We think it an easy matter to believe: (indeed it is an easy matter to presume, to have a conceit) but for the soul in the time of temptation, and in the hour of death, for the guilty soul, to go out of itself, and cast it self upon the mercy of God, who is justly offended, and to believe that the obedience of Christ is mine, as verily as if I had obeyed myself: here must be a strong sanctified judgement, and a mighty power to raise the soul, to cast itself so upon God's mercy in Christ. So that besides the obtaining salvation by Christ, there must be a grace to apply it, and this faith doth. Faith is said to do that that Christ doth, How faith is said to do that that Christ doth. because faith lays hold upon Christ, what faith doth, Christ doth, and what Christ doth, faith doth: therefore it hath the same actions applied, and given to it, that Christ hath. Faith is said to save us: you know it is Christ that saves us: but faith lays hold on Christ, that saves us: faith purgeth the heart, and overcomes the world: Christ by his Spirit doth all this: but because faith wrought by the Spirit, is such a grace, as lays hold on the power of Christ, it goes out of itself to Christ: therefore what Christ doth, faith is said to do. So then the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ, not only freed Christ himself, by his Resurrection: but likewise by the same power, whereby he raised himself, he raiseth our hearts to believe what he hath done, both in his state of humiliation, and exaltation, and makes all that Christ did ours. The Spirit of life in Christ jesus, working faith in us, and by faith other graces, doth free us from the Law of sin, and death, Christ doth it, and faith doth it, and grace which issues from faith doth it, subordinately. Christ doth it by way of merit: and by his Spirit, working faith in us, to lay hold upon whatsoever Christ hath done or suffered, as if we had done it ourselves, so it frees us from the law of sin, and death; because it lays hold of the freedom wrought by Christ for us. But beside, and next to faith, there is a Spirit of sanctification, by which we are free from the commanding law of sin, and death▪ But to clear all this, consider there is a freedom in this life, Freedom double. and in the life to come from sin and from death. 1 In this life. A freedom in this life, in calling, in justification, in sanctification: and in the life to come a freedom of glory. 2 In effectual calling. There is a freedom in effectual calling, by the ministry of the Gospel: the Gospel being preached, & unfolded, faith is wrought whereby we know what Christ hath done for us, and we see a better condition in Christ, than we are in by nature; seeing by the Spirit of God, the cursed estate we are in, we are convinced of sin in ourselves, and of the good that is in Christ, and hereupon we are called out of the thraldom we are in by nature, by the Spirit of Christ, and the Word of God, unfolding what our condition is: for man by nature having self-love in him, and that self-love being turned the right way, he begins to think; I, doth the Word of God say, I am a slave to sin and damnation? the Word of God can judge better than myself, and then the Spirit of God sets it on with conviction, that undoubtedly this is true. And together, with the cursed kingdom and slavery that I am under, there is discovered a better state in Christ: for the Gospel tells us what we are in Christ; freed from hell, and death, and heirs of heaven: oh the happy estate of a Christian to be in Christ! The Gospel, with the Spirit discovering this, a man is called out of the cursed estate he is in by nature, to the fellowship of Christ, by faith, which is wrought in this calling: so that now he comes to be a member of Christ by faith, so that whatsoever Christ hath, or is, or hath done or suffered, it is mine by reason of this union with him by faith, which is the grace of union that knits us to Christ, and the first grace of application. So there is the first degree of liberty, and freedom wrought by the Spirit of God, together with the Gospel in effectual calling. The second is in justification, 2 In justification. that faith and belief in Christ, that was wrought in effectual calling, it frees me from the guilt of my sins. For when the Gospel (in effectual calling) discovers, that Christ is such a one, and that there is such an estate in Christ; and there is faith wrought in me: then that faith lays hold upon the obedience of Christ to be mine. For Christ in the Gospel offers his obedience to be mine, as if I had done it in mine own person; whatsoever Christ did or suffered is mine: for he is made of God, to be Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, to be all in all; the Gospel sets him forth to be so. Now faith laying hold of Christ, to be made of God all in all, obedience, righteousness, etc. whatsoever is needful, hereupon this faith justifies me, hereupon I come to be free from the guilt of my sins, because my sins were laid upon Christ, Christ's death, was the death of a surety; it was as if I had died myself, and more firm; thus I come to be free in justification: for what my surety hath done, I have done. 3 In sanctification. Again, there is a freedom in sanctification, that is, when a man believes that Christ is his, and that his sufferings are his, than the same Spirit that discovers this to be mine, it works a change and alteration in my nature, and frees me from the dominion of sin. The obedience of Christ, frees me from the condemnation of sin, and the Spirit of sanctification frees me from the dominion of sin. This is the freedom of sanctification, which faith lays hold on, Whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ, is none of his. Christ as a head, derives to me the holy Spirit, to sanctify my nature, and of his fullness, we receive grace for grace; so the Spirit of sanctification in Christ frees me from the dominion of sin and death. It is said here, To be free from the law of sin and death, what? that by Christ we have spiritual liberty and freedom, not from sin, and death, but from the law of sin, and of death. It is one thing to be freed from sin, and death, and another thing to be freed from the law of them: for we are not indeed freed from sin, and death, but from the law of sin, and death; that is, from the condemning power of sin; that though sin be in us; yet it doth not condemn us: and though we die, yet the sting is pulled out, death is but a passage to a better life. So I say in Justification, we are freed from the condemning power of sin, and in sanctification, from the commanding power of sin. When we are knit once to Christ, we have the obedience of Christ, ours in justification: and the holiness of Christ is derived to us, as from the head to the members in sanctification, and so we are freed from the law of sin. To understand this a little better, the same Spirit that sanctified the natural body, the humane nature of Christ, whereby he became bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh: the same Spirit doth sanctify the mystical body of Christ, that it may be bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. For before we come to heaven, Christ must not only be bone of our bone, etc. that is, in his Incarnation, but we must be bone of his bone, etc. that is, we must have natures like Christ, not only flesh and blood; for (so a reprobate hath flesh and blood, as Christ hath) but we must have his Spirit altering and changing our nature, that instead of a proud, disobedient, rebellious nature, now it must be a holy and humble, and meek nature; (together with humane frailty, for that we carry about with us;) then the Spirit of life derived from Christ, makes us bone of his bone. For indeed, in his humane nature, being bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, he made us bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh: he became man, that we might partake of the divine nature, being partakers of the divine Spirit. So that now the Spirit of life in Christ, when we are knit to him, is a Spirit of sanctification, altering our natures, and working in our hearts a disposition like Christ's; that we judge, as Christ judgeth, and choose, as Christ chooseth, and aim at God's glory as Christ did. For there is the same mind in us, that was in Christ, Philip. 2. Philip. 2. In our proportion, growing still more and more, to conformity with Christ, till we be in heaven, till Christ be all in all, 1 Cor. 15. 1 Cor. 15. When he will change our nature to be holy as his own. 2 In the life to come. Besides this liberty from sin, and death in this life, there is a glorious liberty, and freedom tha● we have by the Spirit of Christ, when we are dead: for then the Spirit of life that raised Christ's dead body, will raise our bodies, and that Spirit of Christ that raiseth his body, and raiseth our souls in this world from sin to believe in him, will raise our dead bodies. The same virtue, and power, that works in Christ, works in his members: this is called, The glorious liberty of the Sons of God. Then we shall be freed indeed, not only from the law of sin, but from sin itself, and not only from the law of death, but death itself, and we shall live forever with the Lord. Christ then shall be all in all by his Spirit. Christ will never leave us, till he have brought us to that glorious freedom: we are freed already from sin, and death, he hath set us in heavenly places, together with himself, now; In faith we are there already: but then we shall be indeed. Thus you see how we come to have the law of the Spirit of life in Christ, to free us from the law of sin, and death, and all the passages of it. You see here that there is law against law. Use. The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ, Comfort against rebellion of lusts. against the law of sin, and death. I beseech you consider that God hath appointed law, to countermand law, the Spirit of Christ to overcome sin in us, not only in justification, but in sanctification; oh, let us therefore comfortably think, there is a Law above this Law. I have now cold, dead, base affections: but if I have the Spirit of Christ, he can quicken, and enliven me, he will not only pardon my sin: but by the Law of his Spirit direct, guide, and command me a contrary way to my lusts. And this is an Art of spiritual prudence in heavenly things, whensoever we are beset with dangers, to set ●reater than that against it. The Devil is an Angel; but we have a guard of Angels about us. The Devil is a Serpent: but we have a bra●en Serpent that cures all the stings of that Serpent. We have Principalities and Powers against, but we have greater Principalities and Pours for us. The Law of life, against the law of sin and death. We have a law of our lusts tyrannising over us, and enthralling us; it is true: but then there is a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, to overcome, and subdue that law of our lusts, if so be that we use the prerogatives we have, if we use faith, and go to God, and Christ, in whom are all the treasures of grace. How to use our prerogatives. He is the treasury of the Church, of his fullness we receive grace for grace. Are we troubled with any corruptions? go to the Spirit of liberty in Christ, and desire him to set us at liberty from the bondage, and thraldom of our corruptions. And remember what Christ hath done for us, and where he is now, in heaven: let us rai●e our thoughts, that we may see ourselves in heaven already; that we may be ashamed to defile our bodies and souls (with the base drudgery of sin, and Satan,) that are sanctified in part in this world, and shall be glorified in heaven. Certainly faith would raise our souls so: we betray ourselves, when being once in the state of grace, we are enthralled basely to any sin. For sin shall not have dominion over you, because you are under grace, saith the Apostle. Being under grace, if we do 〈◊〉 use our reasoning, and use faith, and exercise the grace we have given us, we cannot be in thrall to corruptions. We shall have remainders to trouble us: put not to 〈◊〉, and reign, and domineer. For sin 〈◊〉 bears ●way, but when we betray ourselves, and either believe not what Christ hath done for us, or else exercise not our faith. A Christian is never overtaken basely, but when he neglects his privileges, and prerogatives, and doth not stir up the grace of God in him. Learn this then, when we are troubled with any thing, set Law against Law; set the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ, against all oppositions whatsoever, Comfort in temptations. and let the temptation ●●e where it will: let it lie in justificati●●, as when we are tempted by Satan to despair for sins, 1 To despair. for great sins, oh but then consider the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ, hath freed me from the law of sin, and of death. Christ was made sin, to free me from sin. Consider that Christ was God-man, he satisfied divine Justice, the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin, though they be as red as crimson. Thus set Christ against our sins in justification, when the guilt of them ●●oubles our souls. 2 Temptation by lusts. And so likewise, when we are set on by base lusts, set against them the power of Christ in sanctification. What 〈◊〉 I now? a member of Christ, one that professeth myself to be an heir of heaven: there is a Spirit of life in Christ my head, there is a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ; that is, there is a commanding power in his Spirit, and that Spirit of his is not only in the head, but in the members. If I go to him for grace, I may have grace, answerable to the grace that is in him; grace that will strengthen me with his power: be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, Ephes. 6. Ephes. 6. and in Christ I can do all things, by his Spirit, though in myself I can do nothing. 3 Deadness of Spirit. And so in deadness, and desolation of Spirit, when the soul is cast down with discomfort; let us think with ourselves, the Spirit of life in Christ, is a quickening Spirit, if I can believe in Christ, he hath freed me from the guilt of sin, and he hath by his Spirit, given me some little enlargement from the dominion of my corruptions, why should I be cast down? I am an heir of heaven; ere long Satan shall be trodden under my feet; ere long I shall be free from the spiritual combat, and conflict with sin, that I am now encountered with; therefore I will comfort myself, I will not be cast down overmuch. 4 In the hour of death. In the hour of death, let us make use of this freedom of the Spirit of life in Christ jesus from the law of sin, and death. When the time comes, that there must be a separation of soul, and body; oh let us think with ourselves; Now I must dye, yet Christ hath died, and I must dye in conformity to my head, and here is my comfort: the Law of the Spirit of life, hath freed me from the law of death, it hath freed me from spiritual, and eternal death. So that now through Christ, death is become friendly to me; death now is not the death of me, but death will be the death of my misery, the death of my sins, it will be the death of my corruptions, death now will be the death of all that before troubled me: but death will be my birth day, in regard of happiness; Better is the day of death, than the day of birth. When a man comes into this life, he comes into misery; but when he dies, he goes out of misery, and comes to happiness; so that indeed, we never live till we die, we never live eternally, and happily till then: for than we are freed from all misery, and sin. Blessed are they that die in the Lord, they rest from their labours; they rest from the labours of toil, and misery, they rest from the labours of sin; from all labours whatsoever. Blessed are they that die in the Lord, and of all times then blessed; more blessed then before, they rest from their labours, and then begins their happiness, that shall never end. So you see what comfort a Christians soul sprinkled with the blood of Christ, may have if, it go to God in Christ, and beg of Christ to be set at liberty, from all enemies, to serve God in holiness and righteousness. We are not only freed from ill, but advanced to good. I speak too meanly, when I say, the Law of the Spirit of life, hath f●●ed us from 〈◊〉▪ and death: this is not all▪ the Spirit of life, not only frees us from ill, but advanceth us to the contrary good in every thing, wherein this freedom is. For we are not only called out of misery, but to a Kingdom▪ we are not only freed from sin, but entitled to heaven, in justification: and in sanctification, we are not only freed from corruption, but enabled by the holy Spirit of liberty, to run the ways of God's Commandments, and make them voluntary, to serve God cheerfully zealous of good works; we are not only freed from the command, and condemnation of sin, and ●he rigour of the Law▪ but we have contrary dispositions, ready, and willing, and voluntary dispositions wrought by the Spirit of Christ, to every thing th●●●s good. And so we are not only free from death and misery, (for so things without life are, they suffer no misery) but we are partakers of everlasting life, and glory, the liberty of glory. God's benefits are complete, that is, not only privative, freeing us from ill; but positive, implying all good: because God will show himself a God: he will do good things as a God, fully. For the Law of the Spirit of life, not only frees us from the law of sin, and of death: but writes the Law of God in our hearts: he not only frees us from the law of death; but advance us to everlasting life, to the glorious life we have in heaven, to live for ever with the Lord: o● happy condition of a Christian! if we could know our happiness. Let us often meditate deeply of Christ, and of ourselves in him, let us see all our ill in him; and all our good in him: see death overcome, and sin overcome by his death, he being made a curse for us: see the Law overcome, he being made under the Law for us: when the wrath of God vexeth, and terrifieth us, see it upon him; He sweat water and blood in the Garden. It made him cry out, My God, my God, why ●ast thou forsaken me? See all that may trouble us in him, as our Surety. And all the good we hope for, see it in Christ first: whatsoever he hath in his natural body, it is for his mystical body; for he gave his natural body for his mystical. God, in the world to humble us, exerciseth us with troubles and calamities, as he did Christ: we must be conformable to our he●d: but consider the poison, and sting of all ills we need to fear, is swallowed up▪ and taken away by Christ. And as I said, let us see all our good in him, we are sons in him▪ raised 〈◊〉 him, blessed in him, set in heavenly places with him, and shall be follow-heires, and Kings with him; for we are his members; his Spouse, the wife shall enjoy the same condition as the husband, whatsoever he hath she shall have. What a comfortable estate is this I we can fear no ill, nor want no good; whatsoever he hath, it is for us: he was borne for us: he died for us, he is gone to heaven for us, for us, and our good, he did, and suffered all these things. We cannot exercise our thoughts too much in these meditations. Application to the Sacrament. The Lord's Supper is a Sacrament of union and communion, hence it hath its name; and by receiving the Sacrament our Communion, and union with Christ, is strengthened. What a comfort than is it to think, if I have fellowship with Christ, it is sealed by the Sacrament? when I take the Bread, and Wine, at the same time I have communion with the Body, and Blood of Christ shed for my sins; and as Christ himself, was freed from my sins, imputed to him, and by his Resurrection declared that he was freed: so surely shall I be freed from my sins. So that this Communion, taking the Bread and Wine, it seals to us our Communion, and fellowship with Christ, and thereupon our freedom from sin, and from the Law, and sets us in a blessed, and happy estate. We should labour therefore, by all means to strengthen our union, and Communion with Christ; and amongst the rest, reverently and carefully, attend upon this blessed Ordinance of God: for the body of Christ broken, doth quicken us; because it is the body of the Son of God. My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed: and he calls his body broken, the bread of life, Why? because it was the body of the Son of God, who is life, job 6. All life comes from God. Now Christ taking our nature upon him, his death is a quickening death: and by reason of the union with the divine nature, now, it is the body of God broken, and the blood of God shed for us, (there is our comfort,) and he was declared to be so by his Resurrection, that declared that he was God, and that he was freed from our sins. Powerful must that Saviour needs be, that was so strong in his very death, when his very body was broken, and his blood let out: then he did work the foundation of all comfort: for than he satisfied the wrath of God. Christ was strongest when he was weakest. The Resurrection was but a declaration of the worth of that he had done.) Now, in the Sacrament we have Communion with Christ dying, especially, as his body is broken, and his blood shed: for that is the foundation of all comfort by his Resurrection. And because the Spirit of life was in Christ, and did quicken his body while he was alive, and was a Spirit of life, even when he died, and gave worth, and excellency to his death: therefore, when we take the Communion, we ought not to meditate merely of the death of Christ, as his blood was shed, and his body broken: but of the death of such a person, as had the Spirit of life in him, as was God and man: and so set the excellency of his person, against all temptations whatsoever. Set the excellency of Christ so abased, his body broken, and his blood shed, against all temptations, if it be the greatest; the wrath of God upon the conscience; yet when conscience thinks this, God the party offended, gave his own Son to be Incarnate, and the Spirit of life in him, did quicken man's nature, and in that nature, did die for satisfaction: now, God will be satisfied by the death of such a Surety, as his own Son: so that the excellency of the Person, having the Seal of God upon him (For him hath God the Father sealed) john 6. doth wondrously satisfy conscience in all temptations whatsoever. What need a man fear death and damnation, and the miseries of this life, and Satan? what are all? if God be appeased and reconciled in Christ, than a man hath comfort, and may think of all other enemies, as conquered enemies. Now we cannot think of the death of Christ, who was a quickening Spirit: but we must think of the death of an excellent person, that gave worth to his death, to be a satisfactory death for us. Therefore let us receive the Communion with comfort, that as verily as Christ is mine, so his quickening Spirit is communicated to me, and whatsoever he hath is mine: If I have the field, I have the Pearl in it, his obedience, his victory over death, his Sonship is mine, his sitting in heaven is for me, he sits there to rule me, while I am on earth, and to take me up to himself when I am dead, all is for me: when we have Communion with Christ, we have communion with all: Therefore the Spirit of life in Christ jesus (when I am one with him, it quickens m●) and frees me from the law of sin and death. FINIS. SAINT PAUL'S CHALLENGE. In one Sermon. By The late learned and reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS: Doctor in Divinity, Mr of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at GRAYS-INN. PSAL. 27.3. Though an Host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, In this will I be confident. LONDON, Printed by E. P. for Nicholas Bourne, and Rapha Harford, 1638. SAINT PAUL'S CHALLENGE. ROME 8.30. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? THE words are a glorious conclusion, and triumph of faith: the conclusion upon all the former particulars in the Chapter, and the foundation of all the comforts that follow after, to the end of the Chapter. They are as the centre of the Chapter: all the beams of heavenly comfort in this divine Chapter, they meet as it were in one, in this short clause, What shall we say then to these things, etc. In the words briefly, there is, first a question, What shall we say to these things? And then a triumph, If God be with us, who can be against us? It is a question answered with another question, What shall we say to these things? He answers it with another question, If God be with us, who can be against us? What shall we say to these things? To these things before mentioned: If w●e be in Christ, there is no condemnation to us: if we be led by the Spirit; if we be heirs of heaven, and fellow heirs with Christ, if we suffer with him, if we have the spirit of prayer to help our infirmities in the worst conditions, if all creatures groan with us, and if all work for our good; if God from all eternity hath written our names in heaven by election, and separated us from the rest of the world in vocation, and hath sanctified, and justified us, and will after glorify us; what shall we say to these things? The heart of man is full of doubtings, and misgiving, full of thoughts, According to the multitude of my thoughts, thy comforts refreshed my soul, a multitude of thoughts, and a multitude of comforts; there is comfort after comfort, because there are thoughts after thoughts, and surmises after surmises. There is no waist comfort set down in this Chapter; and when he hath set down all, he comes, and concludes in a triumphant manner, What shall we say to these things? He propounds the quaere to himself, he catechiseth his own heart, and others, if these things be so, what can be said against them? Surely the unbelieving, doubting, dark, rebellious heart of man, hath many things to say against divine truths, for though divine truths be lighter than the Sun, and there is no greater evidence of any thing in the world; yet they find no place in the unbelieving heart. Let God say what he will, the doubting heart is ready to gainsay it: but these truths are so pregnant and clear, that it is a wonder, that any thing should be said against them, What shall we say to th●se things? Again he means, 2 To show the greatness of our privileges. what comfort can you have more? what can you desire more? what can be said more? what use will you make of all that hath been said? what will you suck out of it? If all this be true that hath been spoken before; that a Christian is so elevated above the common condition: if God love him from everlasting in election, and to everlasting in glorification; if in the middle time, all shall work for the best; what comfort can the heart of man desire more? and what use can you make of this for courage, and for comfort for the time to come? these things are employed in this question, What shall we say to these things? It is good, Use. often to propound quaeres and demands to our own hearts, It is good to propound quaeres to ourselves. when we read or hear divine truths, to ask our own hearts, you have heard these things, what say you to them? For whatsoever God saith in his Word, will do us no good, till we speak to our own hearts, and be convinced of it, and say it is so: therefore we should say to ourselves, here are many comforts, and duties pressed; but what sayest thou to it, my heart, dost thou not stand out against comforts, and advice? It is no matter what God saith, unless he overpower the unbelieving heart, to say, what shall I say to these things? shall I not agree with God, and his Spirit, and his comforts? shall they be best in regard of an unbelieving heart? o●, no; Therefore let our care be, to store them in the treasury of our memory, which should be like the pot of Mannah, to contain heavenly comforts: let us treasure up all the truths we can, all will be little enough, when we shall need comfort. But when we have them in our memory, let us ask ourselves, are these things so, or no? If they be so, believe them, if they be not so, then let us give liberty to ourselves, and away with hearing, and reading, etc. If they be so, for shame let me yield to them. Let us ask these questions with some fruit, let us deal thus with our own hearts, often call them to account, whether unbelieve or no; for we have such a faculty, ●nd power, we can reflect upon ourselves. And we ought to desire of the Spirit of God▪ to teach our hearts, to reflect upon themselves, to examine whether we know, and if we know, whether we believe, and what use we make of these things, and why we should live thus; doth this life, and course of mine, agree with these principles? The best of us all are tardy this way; therefore let not that part, without making some use of it. But I proceed to that, I will more dwell on. If God before 〈◊〉, who can be against us? Here is first a ground laid, and then a comfort built upon it. The ground that is laid, is▪ If God be with us? when he saith; If God be with us? he doth not put the case, but lays it as a ground; If God be with us? as indeed he is with all his, in electing them, in calling them, in working all for their good, in glorifying them after, etc. If God be with us, as he is, than this comfort is built upon this ground, Who shall, or can be against us? For the first, the ground that is laid, is that, God is with his children. God is with his children. Indeed he is with the whole world, he is every where: but he is with ●is Ch●rch, and children, in 〈…〉. The soul in●pred in the whole body, but it is in the brain ●fter another 〈…〉 it understands, and 〈…〉 he is not every where comforting, and directing, and sanctifying, nor every where giving a sweet and blessed issue. So, besides the general respect, that will not now stand on: God is with us, that 〈◊〉 his, in a more peculiar manner, in all his sweet Attributes: How God is with them. in his wisdom, to direct us, with his power, to assist, and strengthen us; by his grave, and love, to comfort us; and he is with us, in all our perplexities to stay our souls: he is with us by his sweet, and gracious mercy, to feed 〈◊〉 with hidden Mannah, with secret comforts in the midst of discomforts: when there is no comfort else with us, than God is with us. And then he is with us, in the issue of all that a godly man takes in hand in his name, he is with him in all crosses, to direct and tu●●e them to his best good: All things work for the best, to them that love God. He is with them, in all his sweet relations, as a gracious Father in Covenant, as a Husband. He is with them in those sweet comparisons, as a Hen, as an Eagle, to carry them on his wings, above all dangers, as he carried the Israelites in the wilderness. He is with them in all comfortable relations. Therefore God, in the Scriptures borrows 〈◊〉 from every thing th●● is comfortable: He is with them as a Rock to build on, as a Shield to defend them: in the time of heat and persecution, he is a shadow, to keep them from the heat, he is with them as a light. Christ is our life in death, our light in darkness, our righteousness in sinfulness, and guilt, our holiness in impurity, our redemption in all our miseries. There is somewhat of God in every creature, therefore God takes names from his own creatures: because there is some strength or comfort in them. God gives himself variety of names, as there are variety of our distresses. Are we in misery? God is a Rock, a Shield, a Tower of defence, a Buckler: he is all that can be said for comfort. He is with us in his Attributes, and sweet relations, and all sweet terms, that may support our faith; that whatsoever we see comfortable in the creature, we may rise more comfortably to God, and say, God is my Rock, and Shield, and my light, and defence. And then God is with us in every condition, and in every place whatsoever; he is not only a God of the mountains, and not of the valleys, or a God of the valleys, and not of the mountains; as those foolish people thought; but he is in all places, and at all times with his. If they be in prison, he goes with them: Act. 16. Act. 16. He made the prison, a kind of Paradise▪ a heaven. If they be banished into other Countries, he goes with them: I will go with thee oh Jacob, into Egypt, and bring thee back again. If they be in death, he is with us to death, and in death: In the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with ●e: at all times whatsoever, and in all conditions, God is with us. In all our affairs whatsoever, God is with us: Fear not Josua: Fear not Moses: what was the ground of their comfort? I will be with thee. He was with Saint Paul in all conditions, therefore he bids him fear not. So our blessed Saviour, the head of all, in Act. 10.38. Act. 10 38. in the speech of Peter to Cornelius, he did all things well, for God was with him: you see how God is with his children. Ground of it. From God's free love. What is the ground, that the great and holy, and pure God, blessed for ever, should be with such sinful and wretched creatures as we are; that he should not only be with us, and about us, and compass us as a shield, but be in us? The ground of all, is his free love in Christ, Christ was God with us first. God that he might be with us, ordained that Chris● should be God with us, Emmanuel, that he, should take our nature into unity of person with himself. Christ being God with us, (that he might satisfy the just wrath of God fo● our sins, and so reconcile God, and us together,) he hath made God and us friends: so that this, that God is with us, it is grounded upon an excellent, and sound bot●om●, upon the Incarnation of our blessed Saviour, that for this very end, that God might be with us, was God with us, that is, he was God and man, to bring God and man together, he was God and man in one, to bring God and man, that were at contrary terms, to terms of reconciliation: to recollect and bring us back again to God, from whence we fell. So the reason why God the Father, Son, and Holy-Ghost, are with us; it is because Christ, the second Person, God and man, is with us: or else there could be no such sweet terms as these are: you see how it is founded. Christ took our nature, and advanced and enriched it. Now, he having taken our nature, and our persons to be one with him, how near are Christ and we together? There is one common spirit in him and us, one common Father, I go to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. There is one common Kingdom, and inheritance, we are fellow-heires with him: oh how near is Christ to us! our souls are not so near our bodies, as Christ is to us, and God in Christ. So you see this, that God is with us; it is founded upon an excellent, wonderful, comfortable mystery. This I suppose is clear, therefore I come to that I intent further to enlarge, that is, the comfort built upon this ground, If God be with us, Who shall be against us? The comfort on the former ground. One would think this a strange question, for a Christian no sooner comes to be one with Christ, and so to be reconciled to God, but he hath against him all the powers of hell, and then he hath the whole world against him presently, Satan's Kingdom: and then he hath an enemy that is worst of all, (that stirs up strife and rebellion, and contention, even in his own heart) his own flesh. So that we may say, who is not against a Christian? If God be with us, all else but God, will side against us. There are two grand sides in the world, to which all belong: there is God's side, and those that are his; and there is another side, that is, Satan's, and those that are his; two Kingdoms, two seeds, two contrary dispositions, that pursue one another, till all the one be in hell: Satan and all his seed together, the Devil, and all that fight under his banner, that are led with his malignant, poisonful spirit; though it may be they cannot do more hurt or do not out of politic respects; though they have poisonful hearts: yet these never leave contending till they be in hell: and the other never leave, till they be in heaven together. Christ makes it his prayer, My will is, that where I am, they may be also, and his will must be performed: so that he need not ask the question, If God be with us, who shall be against us? there will be enough against us. How far the enemies of God's children are against them. It is true; but in what sense are they against us, and how far are they against us? They are thus far against us in their wit, in their plots, and policies; in their wills they would devour all, if they could: they are against us in their endeavours, they do what they can against the Church and people of God. They are against us in their prevailing likewise: their endeavours are not idle, but prevail very far over God's people, even to insolency: Where is now their God? as it is oft in the Psalms; and to the dejection of God's people: The Lord hath forsaken me; The Lord hath forgotten me. God's people are brought very low, to the pits brink, the pit almost shuts her mouth upon them. So you see they are against them many ways. God gives a great length to their tether. And many reasons God hath to let them prevail, Why God suffers them to prevail. both to draw out their malice the more; and then to show his people their corruptions the more; and then to exercise their graces in waiting; and for the just confusion of their enemies at the latter end: and for the sweet comfort of his children at the end, (when God sees the fittest time to meet with the enemies) that they might have sweet experience of God's seasonable care, how ever God put off a long time for some respects: so you see they may prevail, a long time. No man can be against God's children. Yet who can be against us in this sense; that is, to prevail altogether? who shall be against us, so far as to have their will in the issue? They prevail a great way: what do they intend? not to prevail over the persons of God's Church and people, but the cause which in spite of Satan, and his instruments, and all must stand invincible to the end of the world. 1 In respect of Christ● cause. They intent likewise, to prevail over the courage of God's people, that they cannot neither: for Saint Paul saith after in this Chapter, In all these things we are more than conquerors▪ that is, abundant conquerors▪ a strange high term. 2 The courage of his children. But in some sense, we are more than conquerors: for if we consider what weak persons Gods children are; what strong enemies they have, and what weak means they prevail with in the sight of the world, to flesh and blood, that such persons, should prevail over such enemies, by such weak means as they do, in this respect, they are more than conquerors. So he may say, Who can be against us? that is, to have their wills, to overthrow the cause of Christ, and the courage of God's children; they may prevail in this, or that particular, but at the last, all their plots, and counsels, shall prove abortive, and bring forth a lie. All is but to magnify God's power the more, in letting them go so far: and then to dash all their moulds, and plots. God's children, they have the Devil and all his company, the world, and the flesh: but there is God the Father, Son, and Holy-Ghost, for them, the blessed Trinity, that are able to blow away the other three, and all the strength, and support they have whatsoever. Who shall be against us? It is not a question of doubting, or inquisition to learn any thing; but it is a question of triumph: he doth (as it were) cast a bank, and bid defiance to all enemies whatsoever: Who shall be against us? Let them stand out, Satan, and the world, and all Satan's supports, let them do their worst. There is a strange confidence which is seated in the hearts of God's children that they dare, thus dare hell, and earth, and all infernal powers, they set God so high in their hearts, that they dare say with a spirit of confidence, Who shall be against us? The meaning is, not, who shall be against us, to take away our lives or liberties, etc. As the speech is, they may kill us, but they cannot hurt us: the worst they can do is to send us to heaven, and make us partakers of that we desire most. First we desire that God will be with us here; and secondly, that we may be with God in heaven: they make Gods children partakers of their desires, by killing of them. Let Tyrants, and all persons, that have a malignant disposition to the Church of God, and are armed with power, let them do their worst, the cause must stand impregnable; Christ will have a Church, and Kingdom in the world, and their spirits will be impregnable against them: they may kill them, but they cannot hurt them; they may kill them, but they cannot kill their courage. As we see in the Martyrs, there was the Spirit of God in them, above all the dealings of of the persecutors: there was a fire of God's Spirit in them, above all outward fire whatsoever. You see it must be taken for granted, that the Church of God, and every particular Christian, hath many enemies against them, as it is, Psal. 129. Psal. 129. From my youth up (saith the Church) they have fought against me, but they have not prevailed. From my youth up, from Abel, to the last Saint that shall be in the world, there will be always some against God's people: yet their comfort is that none shall be against them to prevail, either over the Spirit of God in them, or over the cause that they manage. Use. First of all you see then, that the state of a Christian in this world is an impregnable state, The state of a Christian impregnable. and a glorious condition. Here is glory upon glory, from this clause to the end of the Chapter. If God be with us, who shall be against us? If God gave his Son for us, shall he not with him give us all things else? there is another glorious speech. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's people? another glorious triumphant speech, another glorious speech, Who shall separate us from the love of God founded in Christ? He loves Christ first, and us in Christ as members, and as he loves him eternally, so he loves us eternally too. Therefore you see every way the state of a Christian is a glorious condition, Who can be against us? You see the state of God's people, it is an impregnable and glorious condition. A Christian never alone. Then, by this means, those that are strange Paradoxes to flesh and blood, yet they agree in a Christian. He is never alone; when he is alone, God is with him, the Father, Son, and Holy-Ghost, are with him, Angels are with him, God is not only with him, but his guard is with him, and God's Spirit is with him, and in him victoriously both in grace, and comfort. Christ saith to his Disciples, when they thought to leave him alone: saith he, you cannot leave me alone, My Father is with me: and Saint Paul towards his latter end, that had deserved so well of the Christian world, All forsook me (saith he) but the Lord forsook me not, but delivered me out of the mouth of the Lion. So a Christian is not alone, he is not left to the mercy of his enemies; but God is with him, and who shall be against him to prevail over him? Again though a Christian be a worm, A Christian, though weak in himself, strong in God. a person trampled upon: for so the Church is the most afflicted part of mankind: yet Fear not thou worm Jacob. The world accounts them as worms, and they account themselves so, they are trodden on as worms; they are worms upon earth, yet they have a glorious head in heaven, and a glorious guard about them, strange things agree in a Christian: therefore let us not stumble, though we see not these things presently, the life of a Christian is a mystery. Again, Christianity grounded strongly. hence we see that a Christian profession; to be a sound Christian, to have true faith in Christ, to be one with Christ, and to be taken out of the state of nature, this condition and the happiness of it, it hath the strongest foundation of any life in the world. Christianity is founded upon the strongest and the greatest reasons that can be: Faith stands with the greatest reason, that a thing can do. Why? The comfort of a Christian is that he hath no enemy that shall prevail over him, and what is the ground of that? God is with him, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Faith is that that lays hold upon that presence and promise, and covenant of God, and is not faith well bottomed? A Christian that carries himself valiantly and courageously, is not his course grounded on sound reason? Is not God with him? God the Father, is his father; God the Son is his Redeemer; God the Holy Ghost, is his Comforter. There is no other men that have strong reason for their course, for that choice that they make of their Religion and of their ways, they prove but fools in the conclusion: only the sound Christian that by the Spirit of God hath his eyes open to see the cursed estate he is in by nature, and what it is to be in Christ, and by a Spirit of faith is made one with Christ, he is the truly wise man in his faith and affiance, that the world mocks at, that he hath no common supports in the world, which he cares not for, if God be on his side, he cares not what man can do against him, as it is Psal. 118. you see on what ground it is founded: Psal. 118. God is with him, and none can be against him. To lay up principles. Let us labour to lay up these principles, we work according as our principles are: Principles are the foundation of all conclusions that arise from them. As our grounds are, so are we in our faith, and working, and grace, and comfort, every way: if we have rotten principles, if the grounds of our comfort be rotten, our course will be rotten, and uncomfortable in the conclusion. Let us build upon the Rock, to be well bottomed, and founded, that our principles and grounds be strong, and that they be so to us; for what if God be with his, if he be not so to us? Let us labour to lay up sound grounds. Grounds have influence into the whole course of our lives; this one Text hath influence into all the parts of our lives, in doing, in suffering, in all conditions. I know not a more pregnant fruitful principle in the Scripture than this, If God be with us, who can be against us? It is like a pearl, little in quantity, few in words; but strong in sense, large in the fruit that issues from it. Therefore as we may carry pearls or precious things wheresoever we go, because there is a great deal of worth in them, and they be small in quantity: so we may carry this principle with us, let us be sure to lay it up, and make use of it. There be these two, That there is a God, and that God is with his children, and so with his children, that he will subvert and overthrow all their enemies, and all their plots and endeavours; a principle of wonderful comfort. If this principle be well laid, Ground of Christian courage. it is a ground of a Christians courage, in all conditions whatsoever: it is no matter how many enemies he hath; for as Cyprian saith, Cyprian. Non potest seculum, In opposition. etc. the world cannot hurt him, that in the world hath God for his protector: for the Devil he is crushed already, though he keep ado, and stir up storms, he perisheth in the waves (as he saith) he hurts himself more than any body else, he increaseth his own torment, and so do all his children: The flesh likewise it busles against the Spirit, but it looseth, and the spirit gains upon every ●oyle: why? here is the principle, God is with us, there is no power can resist God; for then God should withstand himself: the power that the creature hath, it is but a borrowed power; and if by a borrowed power it should withstand God's purpose, God must be against himself, his Kingdom must be divided, which is a contradiction. Therefore this is the ground of the courage of a Christian in all conditions. What is the reason that the Scripture hath that phrase so often, Fear not, I am with thee; as to Paul, and joshua, and the rest? because it is the ground of all courage. We see weaker creatures than man, a Dog in the sight of his master, he will fight courageously, because he hath a superior nature by him, that he thinks will backe him: And shall not a Christian when he hath laid up this principle, that God is with him, God incarnate, God in his nature, when he is a member of God (as it were) of that person that is God, shall he not be courageous when he hath him to look upon him, and to backe him? And if God be with us, he is not so with us as to neglect us, he is so with us, as he hath interest in the cause we have, and in our persons, he is with us as one with us, nay as in us by his Spirit, and whosoever toucheth us toucheth the apple of his eye. Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Here is ground of courage in whatsoever may befall us, to stand it out in all conditions whatsoever. Nothing can sever Christ and a Christian: this body will never be beheaded: Christ will never be separated from his body, he will not lose the poorest member he hath. You see it is the duty of a Christian to be courageous, and undaunted in the cause of God, and from this ground, because God is with him, and who can be against him? Let all the world be against God, and against the cause that a Christian professeth, they do but kick against the pricks, they dash against a rock, as the waves that break themselves, they do not hurt the rock a whit, they do but cast stones upward that fall upon their heads again. Therefore it is a desperate cause that malicious spirits manage, who have more parts than grace, and arm themselves and their wits to hurt the people and Church of God, and slander his cause, and do all the hurt they can. It is a ground likewise of encouragement in our callings; In our callings. when God calls us to any thing in our places, that is good, he will be with us: therefore in our places and standing, let us do that that belongs to us; let us not fear that we shall want that which is necessary, or miscarry any way. When Moses pretended he ●ould not speak, Who gives a mouth, saith God to him? Therefore let us take courage, not only in suffering, and opposition, but in our places and standings. God will be with us, he gives his Angel's charge, to keep us in our ways, we have a guard over us. Ground of contentment. Here is a ground likewise of all contentment in any condition in the world, what can be sufficient to him, that God cannot suffice? God All-sufficient is with thee, thou canst want nothing that is for thy good; thou mayst want this and that, but it is for thy good that thou wantest it, Those that fear God, shall want nothing that is good: It is a ground of all contentment, God is with them, to fill their souls to the utmost. He is made for the soul, and the soul for him: for our end is to have communion with God in jesus Christ here, and everlastingly in Heaven; God is fitted for us, and we for him. Here is fresh comfort for the soul always, he can fill up every corner of the soul, he is larger than our souls. Therefore let us be content, in what condition soever we are in, God is with us; therefore, let the peace of God which passeth all understanding guard our hearts: even from this very ground and conclusion, God is with us, who can be against us? Let Moses be cast into a basket of Bul-rushes, if God be with him, he shall not be drowned: Let Daniel be cast into the Den, if God be with him, God will come between the Lion's teeth and him: Let the three blessed men be cast into the fiery Furnace, a fourth shall be with them, and keep them from the hurt of the flame▪ Let God be with Noah, he shall swim upon the waters, and the greater the waters the more safe he, and the nearer to heaven: Let God be with us, and we may be content with any condition whatsoever. Again, Not to be discouraged for our infirmities. let us not be over much discouraged with our infirmities and corruptions; If God be with us, who can be against us? Our corruptions are against us, and they are worse to me than the Devil, and all enemies, saith a poor Christian. Indeed they are, for the devil hath no advantage against us, but by our corruptions: but if thou account thy corruptions thine enemies, they are Gods enemies, and Christ's enemies, as well as thine, he will be with thee, and thy corruptions shall more and more be wasted; for the flesh shall fall before the spirit, this Dagon shall fall before this blessed Ark; stronger is he that is in us, than he that is in the world. The Spirit of God is stronger in us, than corruption in us, or the world without us; it ministers stronger grounds of comfort than all other can do of discomfort. If you be under the spirit and under grace, sin shall not have dominion over you: It may be in you, but it shall not have dominion, because ye are under the covenant of grace. Therefore though corruption be in us, for our exercise and humiliation, yet it shall not be against us, to abridge us of comfort; they serve to drive us nearer to God. Let none be discouraged, Christ came to destroy the works of the Devil; therefore he came to destroy sin in us, which is the work of the Devil, he came to take away, not only the guilt, but the very being of sin, as he will at last: for if God and Christ be with us, who shall be against us? Object. But it may be objected by some: But I find not God with me. Answer. God sometimes hides himself. It is true, sometimes God hides himself, Thou art a God that hidest thyself; he seems as a stranger in his own Church, to be as a way-faring man, as the Prophet saith; he takes no notice of his Church and their afflictions, he seems not to take them to heart, nor to pity his Church. Oh! but this is but for a time, and for trial, Can a mother forget her child? Isai. 49. Isay 49. Put case she should, yet will not I forget thee. God hides himself but a while, to try the graces of his children, and to give way to the enemies, to let his children to see their corruptions, & his wise dispensation. And these desertions we must be acquainted with. God seems to be away from his children, yet he is with them, and supports them with invisible strength. He seems to be with wicked men in prospering them in the world, that they have all at their will in outward things, yet he is far from them; he withdraws himself in spiritual things, they have no grace, no sound inward comfort. And he seems opposite to his children, he leaves them outwardly, in regard of assistance, and friends: but they have an invisible inward presence of the spirit, to support and strengthen them; therefore measure not des●ertions, Gods being, or not being with us by outward respects: for so he is with the enemies of the Church ofttimes, and not with his children: But he is with his in the sweetest manner, supporting of them when they are in darkness, and see no light of Gods▪ countenance; yet they have so much light, though they think they see it not, as makes them trust in God, Let him that is in darkness and sees no light, trust in the name of God. Therefore, as I said, it is a principle pregnant for comfort, and use: if God be with us, he is with us in life and death; for whom he loves, he loves everlastingly, from everlasting to everlasting. If this be so, Question. what shall we do to God again? what is the best evidence to know that God is with us? There is a relation between God and his, Answer. he is so with them, We may know that God is with us. as that they are with him likewise in all passages. Doth he choose them? they in time choose him, 1 When we are with him. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none in earth that I desire in comparison of thee. Doth he call them? they answer. Doth he justify and free them from their sins, they make that answer of faith that Peter speaks of, I do believe, Lord help my unbelief; they have faith to lay hold upon the forgiveness. And likewise, if God be with them, 2 De●ight in God's presence. they can delight in God's presence: Can God delight to be present with them that have not grace to delight in him? God's children maintain their communion with him in all the sanctified means they can, they are afraid to break with God. Therefore those that to please and give content to others, and for base ends will displease their God, it is a heavy sign that God as yet hath not showed himself in his gracious mercy in Christ jesus to them. If God be with us, we will be of his side, and his enemies shall be our enemies, 3 Taking Gods side. and his friends our friends. He that claims this, that God is with him, he will say, I will be with God, and for God. God hath two things in the world that we must have a care of, his Church, and his cause; take them out of the world, the world is but a hell upon earth, a company of miscreants, profane, godless, impudent, poisonful creatures; take away the cause of God, Religion, and the people that are begotten by Religion, and what is the rest of mankind? The world would not stand (but be all upon heaps) for a company of sinful wretches that will have their wills: but it is for the Church, and people of God, that the world stands. Now he that hath God with him, and he is in terms with God, that they are friends (as Abraham was the friend of God) he will side with God and Religion, God's cause shall be his cause, and God's people his people, he will cleave to God's side as the safest; if he may have never so much preferment in the world, he will not join with Antichrist▪ he will not betray the cause of Religion, if he might have a world for it: Why? because he knows if God be with him, who can be against him? God hath given us understanding, and grace, to maintain friendship with him, to ha●e common friends, and common enemies: Therefore if we stand not for God, let us never talk of God's presence with us. He▪ will be present to confound us▪ to overthrow us, and pursue us to Hell, but not graciously present, without we labour to maintain the cause of Religion as far as we may. God is with us, if ●●e be with him, 2 Chron. 15. 2 Chron. 15. if we be with God to take his part, he will be with us to protect and defend us▪ to guide and comfort us, and to give issue to all our affairs: Not that our being with him, is the prime cause of his being with us, but it is an evidence to know whether he be with us (as we make profession) when as far as our callings will suffer, we be with him, and maintain his cause. Again, 4 By testimony of conscience. If we would know whether we be with God, and he with us, ask conscience whether it be with thee, for conscience is God's Vicar. Is conscience with thee, dost thou not sin against conscience? What conscience saith, God saith; and what it forbids, God forbids, especially when it is enlightened by the word; doth conscience speak peace to thee from the Word? then thou art with God, and God is with thee. Especially in the great point of justification, doth conscience speak peace to thee in the blood of Christ? is thy heart sprinkled with it; that it is not as the blood of Abel that cries for vengeance? ha●t thou a spirit of faith, to believe that Christ shed his blood for thee in particular▪ than thou art with God, and he with thee, because God hath sprinkled the blood of Christ upon thy heart. Quest. What course shall we take to keep God comfortably with us? Look thou be in covenant with him, Answer. and not only at large in covenant: How to have God with us. but look that continually upon all occasions thou renew thy covenant: 1 By renewing our Covenants. for sometimes God's children may be in covenant, they may be his children; yet because they renew not their covenant, especially after some breaches, God is not with them, so comfortably as he would, to free them from their enemies; as we see in the case of the Benjamites, God's people sometimes may have the worst, though they be in covenant because they have committed some sin, and have not renewed their peace and covenant with God. Therefore if we would make a comfortable use of this truth, that God is with us, and would find him so in our affairs and business, let us renew our covenant upon all occasions, and our purpose to please God. And then look to the cause we take in hand, 2 Look to our cause. and to our carriage in that cause, if our persons be good, be in covenant, and the cause good, and our conscience good, and our carriage suitable, then God will be with us. Let us make use of these principles, that we may be in love with the comfortable secure condition of a Christian; there is no state so glorious, so comfortable, so secure, and free from danger. If we were in heaven and should look down below upon all snares, and dangers, what would we care for them? Now if he be with us, and we with him, God is our habitation, we dwell in the secret of the Almighty, Psal. 91. he is our high Tower, The way of wisdom is on high, to escape the snares below. Therefore let us raise our souls as high as heaven, and God is, and set ourselves where our hopes are, where our God is, and we have set ourselves in our Tower, that we have set God in our hearts, and set ourselves in him; then we may overlook the devil, and men, and death, and danger and all. As a man that stands upon the top of a Rock, that is higher than all the waves, he overlookes them, and sees them break themselves upon the Rock: so when we see God with us, and ourselves with him, by a Spirit o● comfort, we can overlook all with a holy defiance, as the Apostle saith here, who can be against us? what can separate us? Oh! the excellent state of a Christian, when he is assured of his condition! Who would not labour for assurance that yields this abundant comfort in all conditions? Novemb. 5. A word of the occasion, for which I made choice of this portion of Scripture: Here is a double fitness to the occasion, both at home and abroad, If God be with us, who can be against us? God was at home in 88 he was with us in the Powder-Treason: He was with us in the great sickness to preserve us, and to give us our lives for a prey, he hath been with us. And we ought not to forget this, but upon occasion of this great deliverance, to call all former deliverances to mind, national, and personal, to consider how often God hath given us our lives, and how oft he hath preserved us from death, and to take occasion to bless God for all at once, and so to make some special use of these meetings. Then if we look abroad, God hath been with us in that he hath been with his Church; for they, and we, make but one body, that member that hath not a sympathy with the body, it is but a dead member: therefore if we be not affected with the presence of God, with the Armies abroad, we are dead members. We may say, in regard of these outward deliverances, God hath been with us, and none hath been against us. If God had not been with us in the Powder-plot, where had we been? Our lives would have been made a prey, that that would have been done, would have been more than the blowing up of the Parliament; they would have blown up the Kingdom with the King, and Religion with religious persons, and the State with Statesmen: It would have brought a confusion of all, and have moulded all after an Idolatrous Antichristian fashion, it would have overthrown the State, and persons and all; the issues would have been worse than the present thing: And therefore if God had not been with us, as he was graciously with us, what would have become of us? Psal. 1●9. as it is in Psal. 129. If God had not been with us, they had made us a prey, and overwhelmed, and devoured us all, there had been no hope. Have not we cause to bless God, and to be thankful? therefore let us labour to do it for ourselves, and for our neighbours. How shall we show our thankfulness to God? not in outward manifestations only, which is laudable, and a good demonstration of the affections of people: but alas what is that? we must show our thankfulness in loving that Religion that God hath so witnessed for, and defended so miraculously: Labour to love the truth, to entertain it in the love of it, and to bring our hearts to a more perfect hatred of Popery▪ For if we wax cold and indifferent, or oppose God's cause, and undermine it, do we think that God would suffer this long, would he not spew us out of his mouth? (with reverence I speak it.) Though he have defended us again and again, he will be gone with his truth and religion: It came not alone, nor it will not go alone; if Religion go, our peace, and prosperity, and the flourishing of our state; all will go. It is our Ark, if that go away, our happiness goes away, let us make much of Religion, that is the way to be thankful. Again, let us show our thankfulness by giving and doing some good to the poor, by refreshing their bowels, that they may have occasion to bless God. And for the time to come, let us trust in God, that God will be with us, if we be with him; and to stick to him: who then shall be against us? Let the Devil, and Rome, and Hell, be all against us, if God be with us. Bellarmine goes about to prove Luther a false Prophet. Luther as he was a courageous man, and had a great and mighty spirit of Faith, and prayer: so his expressions were suitable to his spirit: what saith he? The cause that I defend, is Christ's, and God's cause, and all the world shall not stand against it, it shall prevail; if there be a counsel in earth, there is a counsel in heaven that will disappoint all. God laughs in Heaven at his enemies, and shall we weep? And things are in a good way, if we can go on, and help the cause of God with our prayers, and faith that God will go on; and with our cheerfulness and joy, that God may delight to go on with his own cause. We may encourage ourselves; though perhaps we shall not see the issue of these things, yet posterity shall see it. FINIS. THE CHURCH'S ECHO, In one Sermon. By The late learned and reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS: Doctor in Divinity, Mr of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at GRAYS-INN. ISAY 64.1. Oh that thou wouldst rend the Heavens and come down, that the Mountains might flow down at thy presence. LONDON, Printed by E. P. for Nicholas Bourne, and Rapha Harford, 1638. THE CHURCH'S ECHO. REVEL. 22.17. And the Spirit, and the Bride, say, Come. THis Book of the Revelation is an history of the state of the Church from the first coming of Christ to his second coming. These two last Chapters set down the glorious condition of the Church in the latter end of the world, and as it shall be in the consummation of all things: when the present state of things shall determine in the second coming of Christ. For howsoever (no doubt but) there is set down the glorious condition of the Church in this world in part: yet the desire of the Church rests not in any condition here, therefore it is carried to the consummation and perfection of all. There shall be a kind of new world at the conversion of the jews: but when the Church is under that blessed condition, yet it is under desires still of farther perfection, till an end be made of all things. Therefore this saying here, Come, hath reference to the future state of the Church. All the desires of the Church are restless till the consummation of all things in the latter coming of Christ. It carries all before it in a desire, Come Lord therefore to call the jews: Come Lord to confound Antichrist, which must be before that: for the jews will never come in, till the scandal of Idolatry be removed: & when all this is fulfilled, then come Lord to make an end of this sinful world. Simile. As it is with a river, it carries all before it, till it discharge itself into the Ocean, where it is swallowed up: so it is with the desires of a Christian; they carry all in the mean time, between heaven and them in a stream, and never rest ●●ll they be swallowed in heaven itself, and ●●e second coming of Christ to finish 〈…〉 s, and then is the period of all happiness, and ●he accomplishment of all promises; when Christ shall come to be glorious in his Saints. The words they are (as it w●re) ●n echo a● answer back again of the Bride, the Spouse of Christ, unto his promise of his coming, which he makes twice in this Chapter, in ver. 7. Behold I come quickly, and in ver. 12. Behold, I come quickly; and he comes not empty handed, My rewards is with me. Now the Church here echoes back again, Christ saith, I come, and the Spirit, and the Bride say, come. The words contain the most heavenly desire that can be, of the most excellent personage in this world, the Queen, the Bride of Christ; and it is a desire to the most excellent person absolutely, Christ himself, a desire of his coming; and it is stirred up by the most excellent Spirit, the holy Spirit of God: for the meaning of the words is this, The Spirit and the Bride say, Come, not as distinct and severed, but the Bride by the Spirit saith, Come, the Holy Ghost in the Bride, as it is Rom. 8.26. Rom. 8.26. We know not what to pray, but the Spirit makes intercession; How is that? The Spirit makes intercession, by making us make intercession: for what Christ doth, the Spirit causeth us to do, for there is one Spirit in Christ, and us. So the Bride by the motion of the holy, and blessed Spirit, say, Come. The order of our discourse upon these words shall be this, First, to speak of the person wishing, and her condition, The Bride. And then of the desire of this excellent personage, the Bride. And then of the moving cause that stirs up the Bride to desire the coming of Christ, First, The Church ● Bride. for the person, the Bride. The Church is sometime compared to a woman for weakness; sometimes to a wife, for faithfulness to her Husband and Christ; sometimes to a Bride; because she is contracted to Christ in this world; sometimes to a mother for her fruitfulness; sometimes to a Virgin, for her chastity: here to a Bride, because this life is but the time of Contract; but the consummation of the marriage shall be in heaven. Now this contract between the Church and Christ, and between every particular soul and Christ: for both are the bride of Christ. Even as it is the same soul that is in the little finger, and in all the whole body, the same soul enlivens both: so it is the same Spirit in the Bride in general, and in every particular Christian, therefore the Bride is both every particular Christian, & the whole Church. Now the contract that is made between the soul, and between the Church & Christ, it is by the Spirit of God which knits the soul to Christ, and Christ to the soul. And for this end that Christ might be a Husband, and contract this Bride to himself in our nature, he married our nature, that he might marry our persons. There is a threefold degree of union. An union of Nature. An union of Grace. An union of Glory. The union of nature was, than Christ took our nature upon him. The union of grace, is when we take his nature, when we partake of the divine nature: The union of glory is when we shall all be in heaven. The first is, for the second, and the second for the third. Christ became bone of our bone, in nature, that we might be bone of his bone, with him in grace, and so perfectly one with him in glory. We see the Bride that is the Person. Here I might take occasion to speak of the sweet comfort that issues from this, that the second Person in the Trinity should dignify us so much, as to take us to unity, with, and contract us to himself; but I will not speak much of this point, having spoken more at large of it out of the Canticles. Can. 5. If marriage be honourable, what is this marriage and contract? which is indeed the pattern of all other, Use 1. others are but shadows to this. Hence comes the sweet security & peace of the Church, Comfort by our marriage to Christ. from this contract between Christ and it▪ for all our debts are discharged by this, he took upon him our sins. And then the Church hath interest in him, and all his in this contract and marriage, which is to be consummate, all that he is & hath, is the Churches. All is yours, because you are Christ's. What a large comfort is this? if we had hearts to consider of it, and to improove it; his grace serves for the Church, Of his fullness we receive grace for grace. So we may say of all the privileges that Christ hath; they are first in him, and then in the Church, the Church shines in his beams. And as it is matter of wondrous comfort, so it is likewise matter of more special comfort, in case of infirmities. The Church is a woman, therefore the weaker vessel. Now God that bids us bear with the woman, as the weaker vessel, to honour her with the honour of gentle usage: (for that honour is meant) he that teacheth man his duty, will he not perform it himself? to bear with his Church, as the weaker vessel. Hosea 2. Especially when it is the condition of the marriage, Hosea 2. I will marry thee to me in mercy; we may claim mercy as a part of our dowry by Christ, pardoning mercy, forbearing, pitying mercy; we make not use of this comfort, when we are discouraged. But this teacheth us likewise how to carry ourselves to Christ as we should do, Use 2. chastely, to take heed how we judge of things, we must keep our judgements chaste. A Christian hath not liberty to riot in his opinion, to run at random, to see what 〈◊〉 reason ●aith: No, he must think what Christ thinks, and submit his judgement to him. And he must have no will of his owns, he must give it up to his contracted Husband, Christ, and be content to be ruled by him in all things; be must forget his father's house, and his former condition, and not to make this marriage, (as carnal professors do) a cover for their adulterous unfaithfulness. What is the course of many Christians? They make the profession of Religion, a cover for their ill dealing, for their unfaithful courses, what a shame is this? It is abominable. What makes the faults of wives worse, than the fault of single persons? because they are contrary to covenants, besides many other inconveniences, the confusion of offspring, and the like: but this is one grand difference, to make the exageration of the fault, it is contrary to former covenant. Those that are swearers, and filthy persons, that disgrace Religion, and yet notwithstanding cover themselves under pretence, that they are contracted to Christ, they are baptised, and come to the Sacrament, etc. such wretched persons shall know ere long, what it is to dally with Religion, what is the aggravation of the faults of such persons? They deal as filthy adultresses do, they make Religion a cover for their wretched courses. God is merciful, Christ died, we are Christians, we are baptised, &c▪ This is an obligation to a stricter life, it gives men no liberty, but is a stricter bond to● holy life, the renewing of the new covenant again, and again. Therefore there is no comfort for any such wretched persons, that countenance themselves under the profession of Religion: in add a greater degree to their offence; Oh ye adulterers, and adulteresses, saith S. james, know ye ●ot that the love of the world, is unity with God? When we let 〈…〉 loose to vain things, and 〈…〉 are contracted to Christ, we are adulteress, & adulteresses. I beseech you there for 〈…〉 name of Christ, for it is our office that are 〈…〉 Christ and his 〈◊〉 together 〈…〉 phi, friends of the Bridegroom, 〈…〉 new Testament. Let me 〈◊〉 you in 〈…〉, 〈◊〉 those 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 given up their names to Christ 〈…〉 〈◊〉 with 〈…〉 all to him in 〈…〉 man, in 〈◊〉 judgements and will be and affections● and than you shall find 〈…〉 condition in this world. Indeed 〈…〉 for't of this condition, to be indeed and not in outward profession 〈…〉 covenant with Christ, to be 〈◊〉 to him 〈◊〉 if you will take liberty 〈◊〉 the profession of Religion, to live loosely, to be wearers, &c filthy persons; to use your tongues as you lift, as if you had made no promise to Christ, as indeed we all have, what will be the confusion of your souls ere long? oh, that we dallied with Religion, that we were entreated to be as we should be by all sweet bonds, and yet we preferred our own lusts, and base affections. This will be the aggravation of hell and damnation itself; this entreaty of Christ, and the excellent prerogatives and privileges, that we have in Christ; and in the mean time we stand more upon our own base courses, and will not leave any thing, to give up ourselves to Christ: but I mean not to dwell on this point. This is the person: The Bride, she is called the Bride, The Church why called a Bride. and not the wife, because she is only contracted here on earth; and she is called the Bride, in opposition to the whore of Babylon in this Book, that is, the filthy adulteress, the false Church. The true Church of Christ is a Bride, and a virgin, in heaven she shall be a wife: the false Church is a whore; she defiles herself with Idolatry and abominations: so partly for distinction from itself, in heaven where it shall be a wife, and partly in opposition to the false Church, she is here called a Bride. To come in the next place, to the desire of the Church. The de●ire of Christ's coming. How should the Church know she is a Bride? This is one way: The desire of the marriage; where there is a true contract, there is a desire of the marriage, of the consummation of it, a desire of the coming of Christ. In this there are two things considerable. First, that Christ will come. And then the Church hath a de●ire of this coming. That Christ will come. I need spend no time to prove it, for it is an Article of faith, He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. There must be a second coming of Christ. And he will come to make an end of what he hath begun here. He came to redeem our souls, he must, and he will come to redeem our bodies from corruption. He came to be judged, and to die for us, he must come to be judge of the quick, and dead, he came to contract us, he will come again to marry us, and to take us where he is. He loved us so, that he came from heaven to earth where we are, to take our nature, that he might be a fit Husband, but he will come to take us to himself, we shall enter into his Chamber, to the Palace of the great King, Psal. 45. Psal. 45. He will come; there is no question of that. The uneven carriage of things in this world to the eyes of men evinceth so much. You see how it is here with mighty persons, that shake off Christ's yoke; how they bear sway; how Satan plays reaks in opposing Christ, he rules in the children of pride: this must not always be so, there must, and will be a time when Christ will be glorious in his Saints. Now the life of Christ in the Saints, is a hidden life, there must be a day of revelation. And even as it was in Christ's first coming, there was all kind of arguments and witnesses to prove that he should come in the flesh, a Choir of Angels from Heaven to witness it; and on earth, the wise men among the Gentiles; and among the Jews, old Simeon, there was men and women, all kind of witnesses. So in his second coming, there is all kind of witnesses: in this Chapter here is Christ and the Angel, and john, and the Spirit, and the Spouse, the Church in general, and every particular soul, their desire of his coming shows that he will come; for the desires stirred up in the heart by the holy Ghost, they will not be in vain. The desires of his coming show that he will come; for spiritual desires must have their accomplishment; there will be a coming of Christ, there is no question of that. And the Church here desires it: it is the disposition of the Church to be carried in her desires to it: wherein we will show the ground of this desire. And then the use that we are to make of it. The Church desires the coming of Christ in regard, The grounds why the Church desires the coming of Christ, are manifold. First of all, look but to the present condition of things in this world, 1 Of scandals. the state of things, the scandals that are in the Church: there will be a desire in the Church that all scandals and offences may be removed, as it is in the Gospel, Christ will come, and take away all that offend. 2 Persecutions. Look again to the state of the Church here, it is but a persecuted afflicted estate; nay those that should countenance the poor Church, how roughly is the poor Church used ofttimes of those? Those that should encourage the Church, their rugged and rough usage stirs up this desire in the Church, when those that should be most encouragement, are oft times the greatest discouragement. Then again the Church hath Antichrist to oppose it, 3 Oppositions in the Church. and false Brethren in it; false persons that hang in their affections to the world; and however they make a show, yet their minds are carried to pomp, and to a false Religion, because they are besotted with a proud carnal disposition, which they prefer before the simplicity of the Gospel, vain persons in the bosom of the Church that know not what the glory of the Church is. Then again, 4 Weakness of Christians. if we regard even the weakness of the Church itself, it breeds a desire of Christ's coming: for alas, there is but a weak sight in men; and variety of sight where there is weakness, breeds variety of judgement; and where there is variety of judgement, there will be jealousies even among good persons, and these are irksome to the Spirit of God in any that love the sweet peace, and concord of Christians, that are contracted to Christ: this will not be avoided in this world; only those that are wise & strongest in grace, they will be the greatest peace makers, and bear with the weak in this kind. Then again, 5 Corruption by Satan. while we are in this world, there is not the best thing but Satan will put his foot and claw in, except grace overpower him. The Magistracy, and ministry alas how are they many times profaned and abused by Satan and corrupt hearted men, that know not how to manage them graciously, and fruitfully? The Magistracy that is for good, it is turned ofttimes for grievance, as if all the world were made for them, and they to do nothing but to have others Idolise them. And then for the Ministry, those that should be teachers of others many times discourage those that they should cherish: and as the Prophet complains in his time of the false Prophets, they discourage those that they should encourage, and strengthen the hands of the wicked, and grieve those that God doth not grieve by their false carriage, taking contrary ways to God's Spirit; they grieve those that they should cherish, and comfort, and strengthen the hearts of those that they should take down, by flattery and false applications: This will be to the end of the world (notwithstanding the excellent Ordinance of God, by which God works his own good ends) while the world stands there will be a taint upon God's Ordinance till Christ come, and then all that grieve and offend shall be taken away; there shall be no Sun nor Moon then, for the Lamb will do all; there shall be no Magistracy nor Ministry then, God will be all in all. And so for all conditions; there is no condition nor nothing that is good in the world, but Satan labours to bring a vanity upon it, and the corrupt heart of man is prone to yield to him: this will be to the end of the world. Therefore we should not be overmuch offended, to see things carried otherwise than we would have them. Why should we wish for that condition that will never be in this world? Wish we may, but we must wish it in its own time, it will be hereafter. Let us labour that it may be so then, and bear with all here as patiently as we can. Again, 5 Christian's conflict. take the best Christians of all, in themselves, in their own particulars. Alas, what a conflicting life hath a Christian with his own heart? Sometimes in general he can see truths very clear, but in a particular, some passion or other, of Anger, or Revenge, etc. it clouds his judgement, that he cannot see what is to be done, what is best. The reason is, the imperfection of the work of mortification, hinders him in his passages, and business, that he cannot clearly decide of what is best at this time. S. Paul complains of this, that he could not do the good that he would, and that he did the ill that he would not. There are none but they carry some of these dregs with them in this world, that hinders them in their designs and determinations: only those that have the power of God's Spirit in a greater portion than the rest, they get more victory over these things, and can more clearly see any thing then others: yet notwithstanding, all have some impediment this way, even the best. The necessities of this life enforce a great deal of trouble, 6 The necessities of this life. the supplying the necessities of nature, and of the condition that God hath set us in, which all shall have an end then. Then again, the relation between Christ, and this contracted Spouse, 7 The relation between Christ and the Church. and every faithful soul, enforceth a desire of his coming. It is the time of the Church's contract, she is a Bride now, she is contracted: now all the time between the contract, and the marriage, it is a time of longing and desire, therefore the Church cannot but desire the second coming of Christ. It is the nature of imperfection, where there is truth in imperfection, to desire perfection: you see the little seed that is sown in the ground, it breaks through the thick clods, because it is not in its perfection, till it be in the ear, nature hath given it an instinct to break out: so where the seed of grace is, it will break, out and shoot forward to desire still, and still, till it comes to perfection. Grace being an imperfect state here, it puts forward in desiring that perfection, that it cannot attain in this world, but in the world to come: therefore the Spirit, and the Spouse say, Come. 8 From the nature of love. And then from the nature of the affection of love itself where it is planted; it is an affection of perfect union, contract will not serve, but marriage must come after. Love will not satisfy itself in imperfect union, but it cries, Come, Come, still it is carried in a restless desire, till it come to perfection. Therefore put the case the Jews were called and converted, and Antichrist subdued, hath the Church an accomplishment of the period of her desires, to say no more Come? oh no: yet Christ is not come as he will, there is not a perfect consummation of all, until that of time itself, there will be a desire of the Bride and Spouse, to say, come. Thus we see what grounds there are of this desire. But is this only true of the Church militant, Question. herebelow, doth not the Church in heaven say Come too? Answer. Yes the Church in heaven saith, Come, The Church in heaven desires Christ's coming. too. The Church in heaven, and earth are but one Family; they are (as it were) but one Parliament, there is the higher house in heaven, and the lower on earth, and both say come. What is the reason that the Church in heaven saith, Come? Because the Church in heaven have bodies that be rotting in earth; which bodies helped them to serve God on earth, fasted with them, and prayed with them, and endured pains and toil with them. The soul acccounts itself imperfect, till it be joined to its old companion, the body again; therefore it desires Come Lord, that my body may be united to me again, that so we may both perfectly praise thee in heaven. Then again, they have not all their company, all the Saints are not gathered, and they will not be merry indeed, till they all meet in heaven: therefore that all may meet, even the Church in heaven, hath a desire, Come Lord: so both heaven and earth, agree in this, they meet in this desire. This may be a ground of trial, Use 1. whether we be truly the Bride of Christ, Trial of our estate. or no; the ground of the trial may be gathered hence; whither is the bend of our desire carried? is our condition so here, as that we desire to be as we are still? then all is naught with us. The Church we see saith come, nothing will content her in this world: so those hearts that are wrought upon by the Spirit of God, nothing here will content them but still they say come. The disposition in carnal persons is clean contrary; they say as it is in job, Depart from us, we will none of thy ways: they are of the mind of the Devil, in the Gospel, Why dost thou come to torment us before our time? do not come. If it were in the power of most men in the Church, whether Christ should come to judge the world or no, do you think they would give their voice that way, that Christ should come? they would never do it: for they know how unfit a condition they are in for the second coming of Christ. If thiefs and malefactors might have liberty to choose, whether there should be Assizes, or no, surely they would never have any, so it is with the men of the world, that live in sinful wretched courses, that abuse their tongues, and their bodies, are they of the disposition of the Bride, to say, come? oh no, they know they have not done their duty: therefore let us enter deeply into our own souls, and try whether cordially we can yield this desire of our hearts, to say come? Therefore to (spend a little time in a further search) if we can truly say, Come, 1 By desiring Christ to come into our hearts now. we will desire Christ to come into our souls now, to rule our souls now, to come and make way for himself in our hearts. Is it possible for the soul to desire to go to Christ, that will not suffer him to come to it? If Christ rule not in us, we shall never reign with Christ: if Christ's Kingdom come not to us, we shall never enter into Christ▪ Kingdom: therefore the soul that hath this desire truly, to say, Come, it will give Christ entrance into it, and let him come by his Ordinances. Come Lord by thy word, come by thy Spirit into my heart, close with my heart, drive out whatsoever is there, that will not give thee liberty to reign as thou wilt: these desires will be in a true heart, it will not cherish wilfully those desires that are contrary to this. Shall we think that that Christian that saith these words in good earnest, will put Christ away in his Ordinances, and not care for to hear his word, nor care to meet Christ here in earth, and yet pretend a desire to meet him in heaven? where is Christ, here? is he not in his Congregations, and Assemblies of his Saints? those therefore that despise the Ordinances of God, and yet pretend, that they desire that Christ should come, do they not profane the Lords Prayer, when they say, Hallowed be thy name, Thy Kingdom come? They patter it over, they do not mean it in good earnest: when they despise the Ministry, and the Ministers, and whatsoever is Christ's, despise the motions of his Spirit, and will not suffer him to rule in their hearts, but are ruled by rules of policy, and reason, and flesh: can they say, Come? No, they do abominably profane the Lord's Prayer: what kind of Service is that, when their desires are quite clean contrary? It is a protestation contrary to their faith, and therefore it is a nullity: they profess in their prayers, that they would have Christ to come, and yet their course of life is contrary, they would not have him come. Again, those that truly desire Christ should come, they will be subordinate helpers under Christ, 2 They promote his coming. to promote those things that tend to his coming: before Christ comes, Antichrist must be abolished and consumed; the Jews must be converted, and the number of the Elect must be consummate, and finished. Therefore what shall we say, when those that pretend to desire the coming of Christ, shall countenance heresies that m●st have an end first? And those that are against wholesome Laws to be made in that kind, those that countenance Idolatry, and false worship, stablishing what Christ must abolish before he come, can they say, Come in good earnest? Their course is contrary to what they pray. Therefore indeed, and in good earnest we pray, Thy Kingdom come, and say with our souls as the Church here, Come, when we set ourselves to abolish heresy and false worship of God, that is adulterous, and promote the true Service of God; when we labour in our places that the number of the Elect may be consummate, when we labour, that our children may be God's children, and our servants, may be God's servants, and every one in our places labour that the Kingdom of Christ may be enlarged. If we put not to our helping hand, to that we pray for, it is a contradiction. Those therefore that live scandalous lives, i● scandalous courses and speeches, and hinder the conversion of people's souls, and labour to draw them to wicked hellish courses, when they post to hell themselves, and labour to draw others into cursed society with themselves, they cannot truly say, as the Church here, Come. Let us take it to heart, that we do not mock, and dally with Religion, it is a greater matter than we take it for. It is impossible, but a Christian that saith his prayers in earnest, should be thus affected, unless we make a mockery of Religion. Again, 3 Fitting for it. if we can indeed say Come, there will be a fitting for this coming, a preparing ourselves for it, for our going to Christ. Is it not so in civil things? and doth not grace work that, that nature doth in a higher degree? If we desire that a great person should come to us, will there not be a fitting of our houses, of our apparel, and entertainment ●●table to the worth of the person? or else a man may say, surely you loo●e for no body this day, there is nothing fitted, and prepared: so if we pretend we desire Christ to Come, and yet notwith standing we are careless of getting knowledge, and of purging our souls, of growing in grace, careless of being such as Christ may delight to come unto: This carelessness of fitting, and preparing ourselves, shows that we do but in hypocrisy speak the words, when we have no such thing in our hearts. Those that desire the Kingdom of Christ, and the happy condition of Christians in another world, they desire the way of it here, that is, by fitting, and preparing themselves for that estate, and indeed it will work those effects, as it is Tit. 2. and other places, what is the motive there to live a holy, and righteous and sober life? Looking, and waiting for the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ. There he inserts a holy life between the two comings of Christ, showing that the believing the end of both, will work this effect in the change of our lives, To be sober to ourselves, and just to others, and holy to God: The grace of God hath appeared, that is, in the first coming of Christ, teaching us to deny all ungodliness, and worldly lusts, etc. and then looking forward still, for the second coming of Christ. So that he believes, that the grace of God hath appeared in saving our souls by the death of Christ in his first coming; and he that believes that he will come to be glorious after in his second coming; certainly he will live justly and soberly, and righteously in this present world, he will fit himself for that estate that he professeth to desire. Let us try ourselves by these evidences in some measure, and not think our state good till we can say from our hearts, Come. But are Christians always in this state of soul, that they can say, Come? Answer. I answer, they are always in some degree fitting themselves for Christ; Christians not always fitted alike for Christ's coming. but notwithstanding, they are not always so exact and watchful, that they could wish, that he should come at this time. Take the comparison from a wife, a spouse, she heartily desires the coming home of her husband: yet perhaps sometimes things may not be in so good order, as to wish that he were here now; nay, I have not yet prepared. This is the state of careless Christians, that have soundness of grace, and yet are careless: they desire the coming of Christ, and they love the glory of the life to come, and endeavour weakly for it; yet they are so careless, some corruption hangs on them, that they have not so mortified, and subdued as they should do; they are not yet so fitted as they should be. Therefore God often rouseth such by afflictions, and other courses in this world, to wean them more from the love of the world, and to prepare us, because we are slothful, and careless to prepare ourselves. So I say that sometimes the best Christians sometimes may be more indisposed then at others, by reason of security growing on our souls, so weak are we, and beset with temptations: therefore let none be overmuch discouraged with that; but let us strive as the Church here, to be in such an estate, as we may always say, Come. Well upon trial if we find ourselves not so disposed as we should, how shall we carry ourselves, Use. that we may say, Come? Let us labour to purge ourselves by mortification more & more, Direction to come to desire Christ's coming. he that hath this hope purgeth himself. 1 To purge ourselves. And let us endure Gods purging of us, and justify Gods purging of us by afflictions; and think that God hath this aim; certainly this is to make me more heavenly minded, to raise my affections up. I will therefore bear the anger of God, I have deserved it, and he hath holy ends in it to make me partaker of his righteousness. Let us purge ourselves by grace, and endure the course that God takes to purge us by daily crosses; for God aims by it to wean us more and more from the world. 2 Unloose our hearts from the world. And let us labour daily more and more, to unloose our hearts from the things below. Those that would remove a Tree, they loosen it from the root of it; so our affections are rooted to earthly things, therefore we should labour to lose them daily more and more, by the consideration of the uncertainty and vanity of all things: they are not that that will stick to us, and give us content, when we shall stand in most need of them: here we must leave the things of the world, as we find them here, we must part with them. Therefore we should labour to unloose our hearts, and to plant, and set, and pitch them where they may be safe, and swallowed up in better things. 3 Meditate of our happy condition. And to this end, often meditate of the excellency that shall be in the second coming of Christ; oh, the glorious time then! See the means how the Church comes to be stirred up here, to say Come. Christ saith before, that he was the Root of David, the bright morning Star, he sets out himself gloriously, and the gloriousness of that time: then the Church, hearing what the excellency of that state will ●e then, and the excellency of Christ, the Church hath desires suitable to those manifestations. Therefore let us meditate of the state of the Church, what it will be, and of the excellency, and glory of Christ, when he● shall com● to be glorious in his Saints, what a happy condition it will be; and to feed our meditations; let us be oft in hearing, and reading, of these things. If we hope for any thing to come in this world: as if a young heir● that shall have great possessions, the more he grows towards years, the more he thinks, I shall have this manor, and that, he thinks of the possessions he hath▪ so a Christian, the nearer he grows to heaven, the more he thinks upon, and talks, and is willing to hear of that condition that he shall have. The more we are in meditation, and to help meditation▪ the more we are in thinking, and speaking, and conferring of these things, what will befall us ere long (if we be Gods,) the more our affections will be raised up, as we see in the Spouse here, upon the manifestation of th● excellency of Christ, comes this desire after the coming of Christ. This is one reason of the deadness of our hearts; we do not awaken them with such holy thoughts as we should, and we are not under those means as we might oft time's. There cannot be any thing more ●weet, and powerful to draw up our souls, than meditation in this kind. 4 Labour for the Spirit. Again, that we may be able to say, come, let us labour to be more and more spiritual, that the holy Spirit may rule our spirits, & then the spirit is always for Come. Nature saith not come, because it is above nature: I mean nature not corrupt, ●aith not Come. It is a hidden secret to nature, nature saith slay still, it hath no desire to it, the flesh is contrary altogether: but the Spirit in the Spouse saith, Come. The Spirit doth all, as the soul doth all in the body, it acts it, and leads it, and comforts it, and giveth beauty to it: so the Spirit first knits Christ and us together: there is the same Spirit in Christ the head, and in the Church, there is one common Spirit in head, and members. And when it hath done, so it acts, and leads, and sanctifies, and purifies the Church, it acquaints the Church with the good things that God hath given her, acquaints her with the deep meaning of God, the love of God in Christ, it acquaints God with our desires, he knows our meaning in our prayers, and we know his meaning, it acquaints us with the state we shall have after, and assures us of it; It is the earnest of the Inheritance: the Spirit, and the graces of it are not only the earnest, but a part of that Inheritance, a part of heaven, where our bodies shall be spiritual; not that they shall turn to be spirits, but they shall be ruled wholly by the Spirit, as the soul rules the body. As it is in a river, it is impossible that the stream should run higher than the springhead from whence it comes: so it is impossible that our desires should rise higher than the spring from whence they come; the desires of nature cannot go higher than nature; the desires of the flesh are fleshly: but spiritual desires, as they spring from heaven, (they have a noble original, and head) so they carry to heaven again. Therefore as the Spirit comes from God the Father and the Son; so it carries us back again to the Father, and the Son; as it comes from heaven, so it carries to heaven back again. That is one way to know whether our desires be spiritual or no; our desire of death, and of the coming of Christ, if it be from wearisomeness of life, and from afflictions in the world, so nature may desire. I were better be dead then to be thus; as jonas wished death, and the children of Israel, and Elias in a passion; oh that I were dead, etc. but if those desires spring from the Spirit, than they come from heaven: from the consideration of the excellency of the state we shall have there, that it shall be better with us, and that death is but a dark passage to a glorious condition. We may know our desires are spiritual from the rise of them, if they come from spiritual, and holy, and heavenly considerations: the Spirit doth all in the Spouse that is holy and Spiritual. Therefore let us give entertainment to the Spirit of God, Means to get the Spirit. and be where we may have further, and further communion with the Spirit, in spiritual Ordinances. The preaching of God's holy Word, (though it be meanly esteemed by the world) it is the Ministry of the Spirit; in the hearing of it, the Spirit is given: if we would have the Spirit, let us attend upon the Ministry of the Spirit. And let us study Christ, and make him all in all. Saint Paul questions with the Galathians, saith he, I would know of you, how came ye by the Spirit? by hearing of Christ's Gospel, or of the Law preached? No, it was by the Gospel: so that not only the Ministry in general, but the Evangelicall Ministry that unfolds Christ, and the infinite love of God in Christ, the excellent condition we have in this world, and look for in the world to come: the Spirit is effectual with these thoughts to make us holy and heavenly. The Law beats down; but the Gospel, especially these Evangelicall truths make us spiritual. Therefore we should be willing to hear spiritual points. There are a company of men, that love to hear curious and nice points, and if a Minister be acquaint, an● satirical, and unfold points suitable to their apprehension, they can digest this: but come to speak of things above nature, of Christ, and the benefits by him; they are spiritual, they are remote, and transcendent above their nature, that they cannot relish them. But he that hath the Spirit of Christ, of all points, there are none to those that unfold Christ, and the benefits by him, the glory that we hope for by him in another world. And let us not grieve the Spirit, but give way to his motions. The Spirit is now among us in his Ordinance knocking at our hearts, and desiring entertainment, let us give way, and not quench the good motions that he stirs up, and the Spirit shall be given more and more to us; The Holy-Ghost is given to them that ebey him. And let us beg the Spirit, God will give his holy Spirit to them that ask him, Luk. 11. Luke 11. As if he should say, the Spirit is the best thing that God can give, you that are evil, can give good things to your children: but your heavenly Father hath one good thing instead of all, he will give his Spirit. Therefore, when we find our hearts dead, and d●ll, and earthly, and baseminded, think thus: Alas, I am a lump of flesh now, where is the Spirit of God? certainly if I had the Spirit in me, I could not be as I am. If we love our souls, we will take this course, we trifle with Religion else. God doth all by the Spirit, the Spirit is Christ's Vicar: here is no need of a Ministerial head between the Spouse and Christ, the Spirit and the Spouse are so near together: there is such a conjunction between Christ and his Church, that where the Spirit is, he stirs up desires of his coming. Only let us attend upon the means, and Ordinances, that he hath left in his Church. And let us consider we are not for this life, we are not to live here always: the child in the womb is not for that life, and when it is in the world, it is not for this life, there is a third life that we are for. An imperfect state rests not till it come to perfection: our best is behind: let those that are naught, fear the second coming of Christ. Let Herod, and judas, and the beast of Rome fear, that shall be cast into the burning lake. Let Felix tremble, the corrupt Judge, and all that live in corrupt courses. But we that profess ourselves to be Christians, and hope for better things in another world, let us labour to banish base fears: and to this end, let us labour to be spiritual, and not to be lead by the flesh, Whosoever is Christ's, hath the Spirit of Christ, or else he is none of his, as it is sweetly, and largely, and heavenly proved, Rom. 8. We have nothing to do with Christ, unless we have his Spirit, to stir up motions, and desires of better things than this world can afford. FINIS. DAVID'S CONCLUSION: OR, THE SAINT'S RESOLUTION. In one Sermon. By the late learned, and reverend Divine, RICHARD SIBBS. Doctor in Divinity, Master of Katherine-Hall in Cambridge; and sometimes Preacher at Grays-Inne. jeremy 30.21. Who is this that engageth his heart to approach unto me, saith the Lord? James 4.8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. LONDON, Printed by E. P. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford. 1639. DAVID'S CONCLUSION: OR, The Saint's Resolution. Psalm 73.28. But it is good for me to draw near to God. THis Psalm is a Psalm of Asaph, or a Psalm of David, and committed to Asaph the Singer: for Asaph was both a Seer, and a Singer. Those Psalms that David made, were committed to Asaph, so it is thought to be a Psalm of David; and if not of David, yet of Asaph, that likewise was a Singer in the house of God. The Psalm represents to us a man in a spiritual conflict; by a discovery of the cause of it, The contents of t●e Psalm. and a recovery out of the conflict, with a triumphant conclusion afterwards. 1 A conflict. He begins abruptly, as a man newly come out of a conflict, Truly God is good to Israel: as if he had gained this truth in conflicting with his corruptions, (and Satan who joins with corruption in opposing:) say the flesh what it can, say Satan what he can, say carnal men what they can; yet God is good to Israel. 2 A discovery. After his conflict he sets down the discovery, first of his weakness, and then of his doubting of God's providence, and then the cause of it, the prosperity of the wicked; and Gods contrary dealing with the godly: then he discovers the danger he was come to, Verse 13. v. 13. verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency, etc. And then the recovery in verse 17. I went into the Sanctuary, 3 The recovery. and there I understood the end of these men. The recovery was by going into the Sanctuary; Verse 17. not by looking upon the present condition: but upon God's intention, what should become of such men, and there he had satisfaction. 4 The Victory. Then his victory, and triumph over all, verse 23. Nevertheless I am continually with thee. Verse 23. It was a suggestion of the flesh that thou wast gone far from me: by reason of the condition of carnal men that flourish in the eye of the world. No; Thou art continually with me, and thou holdest me by my right hand; thou upholdest me I should fall else. But what would God do so for the time to come? he will guide me by his counsel, while I live here, and when I am dead, what will he do for me after? he will receive me to glory: whereupon saith he, who have I in heaven but thee? and there is none in earth that I desire besides thee. Therefore, though for the present my flesh fail; yea and my heart fail; yet God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. We see here his victory set down, and he gives a lustre to it, by God's contrary dealing with the wicked: for lo, they that are far from thee, shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go whoring from thee. Now in the words of the text, you have his Conclusion upon all this, nevertheless, it is good for me to draw near to God. This is the Conclusion upon the former principles; The scope of the words. this is as it were the judgement upon the former demurs; the sum of all comes to this: let all things be weighed, and laid together, I am sure this is true: It is good for me to draw near to God. So he ends where he began, God is good to Israel; therefore because God is so good to Israel, It is good to draw near to God. So you see in what order the words come; they are the words of a man got out of a conflict, after he had entered into the Sanctuary, and after he had considered the end of wicked men, at whose prosperity he was troubled, and took scandal. Before I come to the words, it is not amiss, briefly to touch these points, to make way to that I am to deliver. First of all that, God's children exercised with conflicts. God's dearest children are exercised with sharp spiritual conflicts. God suffers their very faith in principles sometimes to be shaken. What is more clear than God's providence? not the noon day: yet God suffers sometimes his own children to be exercised with conflicts in this kind, to doubt of principles written in the book of God (as it were) with a Sunbeam; that have a lustre in themselves. There is nothing more clear, than that God hath a particular special providence over his; yet Gods ways are so unsearchable, and deep, that he doth spiritually exercise his children; he suffers them to be exercised, as you see here, he comes out of a conflict: but it is good for me to draw near to God. I will but touch it, therefore I will extend it only to God's people, that (if by reason of the remainders of corruption, God suffer their rebellious hearts to cast mire, and dirt, to cast in objections that are odious to the spiritual man, that part that is good) they may not be cast down too much, and dejected. It is no otherwise with them, than it hath been with God's dear children; as we see in jeremy, Habakuk, and others. It is a clear truth; I only point at it, that we might have it ready, to comfort ourselves when such things rise in our souls; it is no otherwise with us, than it hath been with other of God's dear children. The second point is, that, God's children when they are in this conflict they recover themselves. God's children recover 〈◊〉 of conflict. God suffers them to be foiled; but then they recover themselves. First there is a conflict, and then oft times the foil: a man is foiled by the worst part in him: and then after awhile he recovers, and then (as in other conflicts) there is triumph, and victory: as we see here, his conflict, and recovery. For God's children go not far off from him, Reas. Gods children go not far from him. (as it is in verse 27. Lo, they that are far off from thee, shall perish) they may have their thoughts unsettled a little concerning God's providence: Verse 27. but they run not far off, they go not whoring as carnal men do. They begin to ●lip; but God hath a blessed hand under them, to recover them, that they do not fall away, that they fall not foully. They may slip, and fall a little to stand better, and surer after; but they go not far off, as wicked men do: they never slip so low, but God's goodness is lower to hold them up: he hath one hand under them, and another hand above them, embracing them, so that they cannot fall dangerously. This is the second, from this that we see here, he recovers out of this conflict. Which may serve to discern our estate in grace; Use. To discern our estate. if we belong to God, though such noisome imaginations rise, yet notwithstanding there is a contrary principle of grace always in God's children that checks them, at the least afterwards, if not presently. Such noisome thoughts as these rule, and reign in carnal men: for they take scandal at God's government, and they judge indeed that the ways of wicked men are happy: they have false principles, and they frame their course of life to such false principles, and rules: from cherishing athiestical doubts of God's providence, and the like. It is far otherwise with God's children: there are conflicts in them; but there is a recovery, they check them presently; they have God's spirit, and the seed of grace in them, that is never extinct. The way to recover out of conflict to enter into God's Sanctuary. The way of recovery, is to enter into God's Sanctuary: for we must not give liberty to ourselves to languish in such a course; to look to present things too much: but look into God's book, and there we shall see what is threatened to such, and such ill courses; and what promises are made to good courses: and then apply God's truth to the example; see how God hath met with wicked men in their ruff, and advanced his children when they were at the lowest; when they were even at the brink of despair. Examples in this kind are pregnant, and clear, throughout the Scripture. The Lord saith, It shall go well with the righteous, and it shall not go well with the wicked, Let him escape a thousand times. Doubtless there is a reward for the godly. Let us look in the book of God, Benefit of entering the Sanctuary. upon the predictions, and see the verefying of those predictions in the examples that act the rules, and bring them to the view: let us see the truths in the examples. This entering into God's Sancturary it is the way to free us from dangerous scandals, and to overcome dangerous conflicts: for the conclusions of the Sanctuary are clean contrary to sensible carnal reason. Carnal reason faith, Different conclusions of God's word, and carnal reason. such a one is a happy man, sure he is in great favour, God loves him: oh but the Sanctuary saith, it shall never go well with such a mam. Carnal reason would say of Dives, oh, a happy man: but the Sanctuary saith, he had his good here, and Lazarus had his ill here. Carnal reason saith, is there any providence that rules in the earth? is there a God in heaven, that suffers these things to go so confusedly? ay, but the word of God, the Sanctuary saith, there is a providence that rules all things sweetly, and that all things are beautiful in their time. We must not look upon things in their confusion, but knit things, To look to the end of God's providence. Mark the end, mark the end of the righteous man, Psalm 37. Look upon joseph in prison, Psal. 37. here is a horrible scandal: for where was God's providence to watch over a poor young man: but see him after, the second man in the Kingdom. Look on Lazarus at the rich man's door, and there is scandal: but see him after in Abraham's bosom. If we see Christ arraigned before Pilate, and crucified on the Cross; here is a scandal; that innocence itself should be wronged: but stay awhile; see him at the right hand of God, ruling principalities and powers, subjecting all things under his feet. Thus the Sanctuary teacheth us to knit one thing to another, and not brokenly to look upon things present, according to the dreams of men's devices; but to look upon the catastrophe, & winding up of the tragedy. Not to look on the present conflict, but to go to the Sanctuary, and see the end of all; see how God directs all things to a sweet end. All the ways of God (to his children) are mercy, and truth; though they seem never so full of anger, and displeasure. Thus you see, God's children are in conflict oft times, and sometimes they are foiled in the conflict; yet by way of recovery, they go into the Sanctuary, and there they have spiritual eye salve; they have another manner of judgement of things, than flesh and blood hath. The sight of faith ●rawes us near to God. Again, we see, when he went into the Sanctuary, the very sight of faith makes him draw near to God. Sometimes God represents heavenly truths to the eye of sense, in the examples of his justice. We see sometimes wicked men brought on the stage: God blesseth such a sight of faith, and such examples to bring his children nearer to him: as we see immediately before the text, thou wilt destroy all that go whoring from thee, and then it follows, It is good for me to draw near to God. So that the spirit of God in us, and our spirits sanctified by the spirit, takes advantage when we enter into the Sanctuary (and sees the diverse ends of good, and bad) to draw us close to God. Indeed that is one reason why God suffers different conditions of men to be in the world (not so much to show his justice to the wicked, Why God suffers different conditions of men. as) that his children seeing of his justice, and his mercy, and the manifestation, and discovery of his providence in ordering his justice towards wicked men, it may make them cleave to his mercy more, & give a lustre to his mercy. It is good for me to cleave to the Lord: I see what will become of all others. The next that follows upon this; God's children have a contrary course to the world. that God's children thus conflicting, and going into the Sanctuary, and seeing the end of all there. They go a contrary course to the World. Simile. They swim against the stream. As we say of the stars, and Planets, they have a motion of their own, contrary to that rapt motion, whereby they are carried, and whirled about, in four and twenty hours, from East to West; they have a creeping motion, and period of their own; as the Moon hath a motion of her own, backward from West to East that makes every month; and the Sun hath a several motion from the rapt motion he is carried with, that he goes about in a year. So God's children they live, and converse, and are carried with the same motion as the world is: they live among men, and converse as men do: but notwithstanding they have a contrary motion of their own, which they are directed, and carried to by the Spirit of God: as here the holy Prophet saith; It is good for me to draw near to God. As if he should say, for other men, be they great or small, be they of what condition they will, let them take what course they will, and let them see how they can justify their course, and take what benefit they can; let them reap as they sow; I do not matter much what course they take, I will look to myself; as for me I am sure this is my best course, to draw near to God. A Christians rule of life not from the world. So the sanctified spirit of a holy man; he looks not to the stream of the times, what be the currents, and opinions, and courses of rising to preferment, of getting riches, or attaining to an imaginary present happiness here: but he hath other thoughts, he hath another judgement of things, and therefore goes contrary to the world's course. Hear Saint Paul, Philip 3. saith he there, Phil. 3. All men seek their own, I cannot speak of it without weeping: whose end is damnation, whose belly is their God, who mind earthly things. But what doth Saint Paul, when other men seek their own, and are carried after private ends? oh saith he, our conversation is in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour; who shall change our vile bodies, and make them like his glorious body; according to his mighty power, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. So you see the blessed Apostle, (led with the same spirit as the man of God here) he considers not what men do, he fetcheth not the rules of his life from the example of the great ones of the world, or from multitude: these are false, deceiving rules: but he fetcheth the rule of his life from the experimental goodness he had found by a contrary course to the world. Let the world take what course they will, it is good for me to draw near to God. I might add a little further, Corrupt courses of the world settle God's children. that The course, and corrupt principles of the world, are so far from shaking a child of God, that they settle him. They stir up his zeal the more. As we say; there is an antiperistasis, an increasing of contraries by contraries; as we see in winter the body is warmer, by reason that the heat is kept in; & springs are warmer in winter, because the heat is kept in. So the spirit of God in the hearts of his children, works, & boyles when it is environed with contraries; it gathers strength, and breaks out with more zeal, as David, Psal. 119. Psalm 119. when he see men did not keep God's law; we see how he complains to God, It is time Lord for thee to work. Indeed it is the nature of opposition to increase the contrary: those that have the spirit, and grace of God in truth, they gather strength by opposition. Therefore the use we are to make of it, Use. is to discern of ourselves, of what spirit we are, Of tr●all. what principles we lead our lives by, whether by examples of greatness, or multitude, or such like, it is an argument we are led by the spirit of the world, and not by the spirit of God. God's children as they are severed from the world in condition (they are men of another world) so they are severed from the world in disposition, in their course, and conversation: therefore from these grounds their course is contrary to the world. But, it is good for me; (But) is not in the original, it is, And it is good for me; but the other is aimed at: the sense is, But it is good for me to draw near to God, and so it is in the last translation. Thus you see what way we have made to the words. I do but touch these things, and it was necessary to say something of them: because the words are a triumphant Conclusion upon the former premises. Doct. And in the words, in general, observe this first of all, Wisdom justified of her children. that, God by his spirit enableth his children to justify wisdom by their own experience. To make it good by their own experience, It is good for me to draw near to God. And this is one reason why God suffers them to be shaken, and then in conflict to recover, that after recovery they may justify the truth nihil tam certum, etc. nothing is so certain as that that is certain after doubting, nothing is so fixed as that that is fixed after it hath been shaken; as the trees have the strongest roots, because they are most shaken with winds, and tempests. Now God suffers the understanding, God's children shaken, why? that is, the inward man, of the best men to be shaken, and after settles them; that so they may even from experience justify all truths: that they may say it is naught, it is a bitter thing to sin: Satan hath abused me, and my own lust abused me, and enticed me away from God: but I see no such good thing in sin, Simile. as nature persuaded me before. As travellers will tell men, you live poorly here; in such a country you may do wondrous well, there you shall have plenty, and respect; and when they come there, and are pinched with hunger, and disrespect, they come home with shame enough to themselves that they were so beguiled. So it is with God's children: sometimes he suffers them to be foiled, and lets them have the reins of their lusts awhile, to taste a little of the forbidden tree; that after they may say with experience, it is a bitter thing to forsake God, it is better go to my former husband, as the Church saith in Hosea, when God took her in hand a little, sin will be bitter at the last. So the prodigal, he was suffered to range, till he was whipped awhile; and then he could confess it was better to be in his father's house. God suffers his children to fall into some course of sin, that afterward by experience they may justify good things, and be able to say that God is good. And the judgement of such is more firm, and doth more good than those that have been kept from sinking at all. God in his wise providence suffers this. Use. We should labour therefore to justify in our own experience all that is good. What is the reason that men are ashamed of good courses so soon? It may be they are persuaded a little to pray, and to sanctify the Lords day, to retire themselves from vanity, and such like: I, but if their judgements be not settled out of the book of God, and if they have not some experience, they will not maintain this, therefore they are driven off. Now a Christian should be able to justify against all gainsayers whatsoever can be said, by his own experience; That to read the book of God, and to hear holy truths opened by men led with the spirit of God, it is a good thing▪ I find God's spirit sanctify me by it. To sanctify the Lords day, I find good by it by experience. That where there is the communion of Saints; holy conference, etc. I can justify it, if there were no Scripture for it: I find it by experience to be a blessed way to bring me to a heavenly temper, to fit me for heaven. So there is no good course, but God's children should be able both by Scripture, and likewise by their own experience to answer all gainsayers: when either their own hearts, or others shall oppose it, he may be able to say with the holy man here, it is no matter what you say; It is good for me to draw near to God. So much for the general. To come more particularly to the words. It is good for me to draw near to God. HEre you have the justification of piety, of holy courses, which is set down by drawing near to God. And the Argument whereby it is justified, It is good. This gloss put upon any thing, commends it to man: for naturally since the fall there is so much left in man, that he draws to that which is good: but when he comes to particulars, there is the error, he seeks heaven in the way of hell, he seeks happiness in the way of misery, he seeks light in the way of darkness, and life in the way and path of death; his lusts so hurry him, and carry him the contrary way: but yet there is left this general foundation of Religion in all men; as the heathen could say, naturally all men from the principles of nature draw to that which is good. Here religious courses are justified, and commended from that which hath the best attractive, and most magnetticall force. It is good to draw near to God. Good hath a drawing force: for the understanding that shows, and discovers: but the will is the chief guide in man; and answerable to the discovery of good or ill in the understanding, there is a prosecution or aversation in the will, which is that part in the soul of man that cleaves to good discovered. To unfold the words a little. [It is good] To draw near to God who is the chief good. It is good in quality, and good in condition, and state; It is good in quality and disposition: for it is the good of conformity for the understanding creature to draw near to God the Creator, who hath fitted the whole inward man to draw near, to conform to him. And then it is good in condition: for it is his happiness to do so; the goodness of the creature is in drawing near to God. The nearer any thing is to the principle of such a thing, the better it is for it: the nearer to the Sun, the more light; the nearer to the fire, the more heat; the nearer to that which is goodness itself, the more good; the nearer to happiness, the more happy: therefore it must needs be the happiness of condition to draw near to God. So you see what is meant, when he saith here, it is good: It is a pleasing good, conformable to Gods will, he commands it: and it is for my good likewise, it advanceth my condition to draw near to God. To go 〈◊〉 God 〈…〉. [To draw near] what is it to draw near to God, we shall see by what it is to go from God. God is every where, we are always near to God, Whither shall I go from thy presence? If I go to hell, thou art there, etc. saith the Psalmist. God is every where indeed in regard of his presence, & power, & disposing providence but then there is a gracious presence of God in the hearts of his children. And there is a strange presence of God to Christ, the presence of Union; which makes the humane nature of Christ the happiest creature that ever was, being joined by a hypostatical Union to the second person; but we speak not of that nearness here. 3 How God is near us There is a gracious nearness, when the spirit of God in the spirits of those that belong to God, sweetly enlargeth, and comforts, and supports, and strengtheneth them, working that in them that he works in the hearts of none else: for instance, The soul is in the whole man, it is diffused over all the members; it is in the foot, in the eye, in the heart, and in the brain: but how it is in all these? It is in the foot as it moves it, it is in the heart as the principle of life, it is in the brain, and understanding, using, and exercising, his reasoning understanding power: so that though all the soul be in the whole man, yet it is otherwise in the brain than in the rest; so, though God be every where, yet he is otherwise in his children than in others: he is in them graciously, and comfortably, exercising his graces in them, and comforting them; he is not so with the rest of the world: you see how God is present every where, and how he is graciously present with his. So answerable we are said to be near to God (we are near him in what state soever we are; How we are near to God. but then) there is a gracious nearness when our whole soul is near to God, as thus: when our understandings conceive aright of God, 1 In our understanding. as it is said of the young man in the Gospel, when he began to speak discreetly, and judiciously, Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God: when men have a right conceit of divine truths, they are not far from the Kingdom of God; when there is clearness of judgement to conceive aright. Those that have corrupt principles, are far off; if the understanding be corrupt, all the rest will go astray: there is the first nearness when the judgement is sanctified by the spirit to conceive aright. 2 In our minds. Then again, there is a nearness, when we not only know things aright, but mind them; when the things are present to our minds, when God is in our thoughts. David saith of the wicked man, God is not in his thoughts. When we mind, and think of God, and heavenly things, they are near to us, and we to them: For the soul is a spiritual essence, it goes every where, it goes to heaven, and is present with the things it minds; we are nearer to God, and heavenly things, when we mind them, and think on, and feed our thoughts on them. 3 In our wills. Again, we are near them when our wills first make choice of the better part with Mary; when upon discovery of the understanding, the will chooseth deliberately: upon consideration follows the determination, and choosing of the will, and upon choice, cleaving, which is another act of the will; when it chooseth that which is spiritually best, every way best for grace, and condition, than it cleaves to it. As it is said of jonathan, his heart did cleave ●o David: so the woman cleaves to her husband, as Saint Paul speaks: when the will chooseth, and cleaves to that which is good, then there is a drawing near. And likewise when the affections are carried to God as their object, 4 In the affections than there is a drawing near to God, Love. when our love embraceth God, and heavenly things: for love is an affection of union, it makes the thing loved, and he that loveth to be one: it is the primary, the first borne affection of the soul, from which all other affections are bred, when we love God we desire still further, and further communion with him. Desire. And where there is love, if we have not that we love, than the soul goes forth to God in desire of heavenly things; the heart pants after God, as the Hart doth after the rivers of waters, and after holy things, wherein the spirit of God is effectual. And when we have it in any measure, than the soul shows a sweet enlargement of joy, and delight in God. Io●. Thus when we judge aright of, and mind heavenly things, and make choice of them, and cleave to God with all our affections of love, and joy, and delight, when these are carried to God, and heavenly things, than we draw near to him. Faith. And especially when the inward man is touched with the spirit of God, even as the Iron that is touched with the Loadstone, though it be heavy of itself, it will go up: so, when the inward man is touched by the spirit of God, with a spirit of faith, which is a grace by which we draw near to God with trust: for it is confidence, and trust that draws us near to God. Faith it is wrought in the whole inward man, in the understanding, in the mind, in choosing, and cleaving: but especially it is in the will: for faith is described to be a going to God, a coming to him, which is a promotion, or going forth, which is an act of the will, so by faith, and trust, specially we draw near, and cleave to God. Even as at the first we fell from God by distrusting of his word, saith the Devil, ye shall not die at all, we believed a liar more than God himself. Now we are recovered by a way contrary to that we fell; we must recover, and draw near to God again by trusting, and relying upon God. You see what is meant by the words, It is good for me to draw near to God. Doct. To come to observe some things from them, Con●iction of the judgement, the ground of practice. first this, that, Spiritual conviction of the judgement, it is the ground of practice. It is good, and good for me; For we know in nature that the will follows the last design of the understanding; that which the understanding saith is to be done, here, and now all circumstances considered it is best, that the Will chooseth, and that a man doth: for the Will rules, and leads the outward man. Now where there is a heavenly conviction of the understanding of any particular thing, this at this time is good, all things considered; and weighed in the balance, on the one side, and on the other; where this is, there comes in practice, and drawing near to God always. Conviction is when a man is set down, so that he cannot gainsay nor will not, but falls to practise presently: then a man is convinced of a thing. That which is immediately before practise, and leads to practise, it is conviction; Now there are these four things in conviction. 4. Things in conviction. There is first truth, a man must know that such a thing is true. Then it must not only be a truth, but a good truth; as the Gospel is said to be the good word of God, and it is a true, and a faithful saying. It is a true saying, that Christ came to save sinners; and it is a faithful, a good saying. If it be not good as well as true; truth doth not draw to practise as it is truth, but as it is good. As it must be truth, and a good truth, so it must be good for me, as the holy man saith here, It is good for me, etc. A thing may be good for another man; the Devil knows what is good; and that makes him envy poor Christians so; wicked men know that which is good, when they sin against the holy Ghost; but for them it is better to keep in the contrary: so that we must know it is a truth, and a good truth, and good for us in particular, that it is best for us to do so. The fourth is this, though it be true, and good, and good for us; yet before we can come to practise, it must be a good that is comparative, better than other things that are presented, or else no action will follow. A man must be able to say, this is better than that. A weak man that is led with passions, and lusts, he ofttimes sees the truth of things, and sees they are good, and good for me, and wishes that he could take such a course: but such is the strength of his passions at this time that it is better to do thus, it is better to yield to his lusts, and he trusts that God will be merciful, and he shall recover it afterwards. These four things, therefore must be in conviction, before we can take the best course; and these are all here in this holy man: for he saw it was a truth, a duty, and likewise that it was a good truth: for to be near to God the fountain of good, it must needs be good: And then it was good for him to be so: nay it was good, all things considered: for it is a Conclusion (as it were) brought out of the fire, out of a conflict; Nay say the flesh, and say all the world what it can to the contrary, It is good for me to draw near to God, he brings it in as a triumphant Conclusion. Put drawing near to God in one balance, and lay in that balance all the inconveniences that may fallow drawing near to God; the displeasure of great ones, the loss of any earthly advantage; and lay in the other balance all the advantages that keep men from drawing near to God: as if a man do not keep a good conscience, he may please this or that man, he may get riches, and advance himself, and better his estate; consider all that can be, yet notwithstanding, it is better to draw near to God, with all the disadvantages that follow that course, than to take the contrary: Thus you see the truth clear, that conviction is the way, and foundation of practice. Therefore we should labour by all means to be convinced of the best things. Use. To labour for conviction. It is not sufficient to have a general notion, and slightly to hear of good things: no, we must beg the spirit of God that he would seal, and set them upon our souls, and so strongly set, and seal them there, that when other things are presented to the contrary, with all the advantages, and colours, and glosses that flesh and blood can set upon them: yet out of the strength of spiritual judgement we may be able to judge of the best things out of a spiritual conviction, and to say it is best to cleave to God. So said the blessed man of God Moses, there was in the one end of the balance, the pleasures of sin, the honours of a Court, there was all that earth could afford: for if it be not to be had in a Prince's Court, where is it to be had? his place was more than ordinary, he was accounted the son of Pharoh's daughter: yet lay all that in the balance; and in the other part of the balance, to draw near to God's people; though the people of God were a base, forlorn, despised, afflicted people at that time: yet notwithstanding to draw near to the cause of Religion, the disgraced cause of Religion, to draw near to God when he is disgraced in the world (it is easy to draw near to God when there is no opposition) but to draw near to God's part, and side, when it is disgraced in the world, Moses saw it the best end of the balance, put in the afflictions, and disgrace of God's people, or what you will. So it was with Abraham when he followed God (as it were) blindfold, and left all, his father's house, and the contentments he had there. So it was with our Saviour's Disciples, they left all to follow Christ: they were convinced of this; surely we shall get more good by the company of Christ, than by those things that we leave for him. profaneness whence it is. Let us labour therefore to be convinced of the excellency of spiritual things, & then spiritual practice will follow. And undoubtedly the reason of the profane conversation of the world, it comes from hidden atheism: that men make no better choice than they do, that they draw not near to God; let them say what they will, it proceeds from hence. I prove it thus; when men are convinced of good things, they will do good: for conviction is the ground of practice, and when men do not take good courses, it is because they are not convinced of the best things. Therefore men that swear, and blaspheme, that are carnal bruit persons, at that time Atheism rules in their hearts; that they believe not these things in the book of God to be true. Can the swearer believe that God will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain: that a curse shall follow the swearer? and the whoremonger, that whoremongers and adulterers God will judge? and so the covetous, and extortioners, (they that raise themselves by ill means) shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven, can men believe this, and live in the practice of these sins? (if they did believe these things indeed, as the word of God sets them down, if they did believe that sin were so bitter, and so soul a thing as the word of God makes it) certainly they would not: therefore it comes from a hidden Atheism. Indeed there is a bundle of Atheism, and infidelity in the heart of man, and we cannot bewail it too much: In the best there are some remainders of it: as this holy man, so foolish was I, and as a beast before thee, when he thought of his doubting of God's providence. Therefore considering that the cause of all ill practice, is that we are not spiritually convinced of the contrary, that sin is a naughty, and bitter thing; nor are we sufficiently convinced of the best things, let us labour more and more to be sound convinced of these things— Now, nothing will do this but the holy Ghost, T●e holy Ghost ●●●meth. john 16. as ye have it john 16. Christ promiseth to send the Comforter, the holy Ghost, and he shall convince the world of sin: that is, he shall so set sin before the eyes of men's souls, that they shall know there is no salvation but in Christ; he shall convince them of unbelief, that horrible sin; they shall have it presented so to them, that they shall believe presently upon it. This the holy Ghost must do. But the holy Ghost doth it in the use of means; The holy Ghost convinceth in the use of means. therefore it must be our wisdom, to hear, and pray, and meditate much, that God would vouchsafe his spirit to persuade us, to convince our understanding, to convince us of all our false reasonings against good things; that there may not a vile imagination rise in our hearts contrary to divine principles. It is good to draw near to God: therefore it is good to come to the Sacrament, Application to the Sacrament. which is one way of drawing near to God. Let us be so convinced of it, that it is not only a necessary, but a comfortable, and sweet duty to have communion with God: for will we suffer for Christ if we will not feast with him? What shall we say of those therefore, that are so far from drawing near to God when they have these opportunities, that they turn their backs? They clean thwart this blessed man here, he saith, It is good for me to draw near to God; nay say they, it is good for me to have nothing to do with God, nor Christ, no not when he comes to allure me. Now he is come near us indeed, that we might come near him: because we were strangers to God, and could not draw near to him simply considered, God became man, Emmanuel, God with us, that he might bring us to God. Christ is that Jacob's ladder that knits heaven and earth together; Christ, God and man, knits God and man together: this was the end of his incarnation, and of his death, to make our peace, to bring those near that were strangers, nay, enemies before, and of our part and portion in the benefit of his death, we are assured in the Sacrament. Therefore let us draw near to our comfort, with cheerfulness, for his goodness that we have these opportunities. Let us draw near to God to have our faith strengthened, and our commuion with him increased. Only let us labour to come with clean hearts, God will be sanctified in all that come near him. Let us know that we have to deal with a holy God, and with holy things, and therefore cast aside a purpose of living in sin, let us not come with defiled hearts: for then, though the things be holy in themselves, they are defiled to us; let us come with a resolution to renew our covenant, and come with rejoicing that God stoups so low, to use these poor helps, that in themselves are weak, yet by his blessing they are able greatly to strengthen our Faith. FINIS. KING DAVID'S EPITAPH: OR, An Epitome of the life and death of King DAVID. In three Sermons. By The late learned, and reverend Divine RICHARD SIBBS. Doctor in Divinity, Master of Katherine-Hall in Cambridge; and sometimes Preacher at Grays-Inne. Luke 1.74, 75. That we being delivered from our enemies, might serve him in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our lives. 2 Sam. 14.14. For we must needs die, and are as water spilt upon the ground. LONDON, Printed by E. P for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford. KING DAVID'S EPITAPH. Acts 13.36. For David after in his own Generation he had served the Counsel (or will of God) he fell asleep, and was laid to his Fathers, and saw corruption. THe words are part of a Sermon of blessed Saint Paul, wherein he proves out of the old Testament Psal. 16. that David prophesied of Christ, and not of himself. David saw corruption; but he of whom David spoke, saw no Corruption: therefore David was not the Messias. He shows that the things there spoken, do no way agree to David, but to the Messias, who saw no corruption: For David after he had served his own Generation fell asleep and saw corruption. In general observe this; How to understand the Scriptures. One of the best ways to understand the Scriptures, is to compare the old Testament and the new together. That which was spoken, and foretell of Christ in the old Testament; and fulfilled in the New, that must needs be true. Christ is the true Messias; why? It was foretell so of him in the old Testament, and accomplished in the new: therefore Christ is the true Messias, comparing the prophecy, and the event together. For the old, and new Testament make up but this syllogism: He that should be so, and so as was prophesied: Born of a Virgin; that should come at such a time in the later end of daniel's week's etc. he is the true Messias: But Christ was such a one, he was borne of a Virgin, came at such a time, he saw no corruption: for he rose the third day: therefore Christ is the true Messias. God's children leave a good name. Again, you see the holy Ghost here could not mention David without terms of honour; David after he had served the will of God in his Generation, etc. Precious to God is both the life and death of his Saints. The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance. The name of josias is as an ointment poured out: so indeed the names of holy men are as ointment poured out, they sweeten men when they are gone. David's body was buried among them: but David had a better Tomb, he was buried in the best monument, in the hearts, and remembrance of God's people; and in the remembrance of God. God wraps him up as a valiant man in his own colours. He mentions not David barely here, but his serving the will of God. Let wicked men cast what aspersions they will upon the names of God's people: let them eclipse them, and cloud them as they please, as their malice instigates them therein; the names and reputations of God's people are not in their keeping, and power: For David shall have a good name (in spite of all the ●●oeg's and Shemeies', when they are rotten body and name together) we see here many hundred years after he is mentioned with titles of honour. It should encourage us therefore to serve God as we regard a good name. Mark here the language of the holy Ghost, Savoury language of Scripture. the language of Canaan. When he speaks of a good man, he speaks of him in savoury terms: he doth not say that David after he had been so long, or lived so long, or reigned, and flourished so long: (as we see in stories such a man lived, or reigned, etc. so long and then died:) yet this had been true, after he had lived, and reigned so long he died. But that is not the language of the holy Ghost; but after he had served God so long. The Scripture values men by that that God values them, and not as men do, by their life, and reign, and flourishing in the world, and their esteem with men, but as his carriage hath been to God. David served the will of God in his generation. And then when he speaks of his death, he fell asleep he sweetens the harsh name of death, with a sweet term the Scripture puts upon it. It is a comfortable thing to consider the very language of the Scripture, how savoury and heavenly it is, raising us up to comfortable and heavenly thoughts, even from the very manner of the phrase. Different (as I said) is the phrase of Scripture from other histories, that say, such a man lived, and reigned so long, and then he died. And indeed a man may say of a wicked man, he was so long in the world, but if he did no good, a man can scarce say that he lived: for what is life without doing good, but a mere being in the world? Or if his life be ill, we may say, such a man troubled the world so many years, & then went to his own place, as it is said of Ind●s: but this is the Epitaph of a holyman, he served God so long, and then he slept, and had happiness of God; another manner of Epitaph than other men have when they are gone. This I observe from the very language or phrase: David when he had served the will (or counsel) of God as the Word is. Again in the third place observe this in general, that God sets down David here only as he was a good man, and passeth by all his infirmity and breaches: whereas alas David▪ life was woven with good and ill▪ there were some ill spots in that excellent garment; there were some ill parenthesis made in that excellent speech; there was somewhat (by the infirmity of man) that was not so good: but doth God speak of that when he mentions David? Oh no! But David after he had served God in his generation, etc. The spirit of God in Saint Paul, passeth by all that was amiss, and sets down that which is good; to show us this comfortable point, By what God values his children. that God values those that are in Christ, (and have repent of their sins) not by what they have been, or have done at some time: but by what they are, and what they resolve to be. God values them by their better part, by that that is his in them, by that that is spiritual in them. He judgeth them by the tenor of their lives, and not by a particular flaw in their lives. This is God's infinite mercy, when he pardons, he pardons absolutely, he forgets as well as forgives: therefore the phrase of Scripture runs, He will cast our sins behind his back, & cast them into the bottom of the sea, that they shall never rise up in remembrance. When we have once repent of our sins, they are to him as if they had never been done; they are as things forgotten. Peter, after his foul fall, he was not so much as upbraided by Christ in particular, Thou hast denied me, etc. only Christ comes sweetly over him with a question, Lovest thou ●e▪ he tells him not, thou hast betrayed me thus and thus: no, he doth not so much as upbraid him with the mention of it. So curious is God for troubling the peace of his people, that when they have sound repent of their sins, they shall never hear of it to their confusion, nor at all, except it be to better them, and to perfect the work of humiliation. Contrary to the fashion of the corrupt poisonful nature of man: if they have but one thing (in all a man's life) to hit him in the teeth with, he shall be sure to hear of it oft enough, and pass by whatsoever is good in him. God doth not so with his children, but though they have some breaches in their lives, he passeth by them, and taketh notice of that which is good in them; as we see here the Apostle doth, being directed by the spirit of God. But though God so sweetly pass by David's faults when he mentions him, & calls him a man after his own heart, etc. yet there is one thing that God puts in as a scar upon David▪ he was a man after Gods own heart; in all things, Why the matter of Vriah so objected to David? but in the matter of Vriah. Why doth that come in Scripture? Surely God mentions that, because that was done with more deliberation and advice, it was done in cold blood; it was not infirmity, but presumption in that. Now the more will there is in any action of sin, the more heinous the sin is, the more the guilt is increased. There was more will in that: for it was not done in heat of passion, but deliberately: therefore it was a foul act. The spirit of God takes notice both of the good, & of the evil; Rev. 2. as we see in the Epistles, (in Rev. 2.) to the Churches, he had found fault with them before, and (indeed God discerns directly where we are to blame) yet this thou hast, that thou hast the works of the Nichol●itan, etc. If there be any good, God takes notice of it. Davi● after h● had repent of that foul sin, and was sharply corrected for it (as indeed he was,) David was a good man for all that, he served God in his Generation. But (to give you an item by the way) however God passed by the sin in David, and accounted him after his repentance a good man; God corrects his sharply for their sins. yet he must be sharply corrected for it. Let no man therefore presume upon this that God will judge him by the tenor of his life; and therefore he will commit particular enormities: oh no! it cost David dear: for besides his heart-smart in his own particular (God made his heart bleed, it cost him many a salt tear, besides that) it was punished in his posterity: God raised up his own bowels to take arms against him; he made him wish a thousand times that he had not so offended God. It is ill trying conclusions with God; though God afterwards pardon us, and turn all to good; yet it shall cost us dear first. Though God will bring us to heaven: yet if we will venture upon sins against conscience, and take liberty to offend God, he will take sharp courses with us, yet it shall not prejudice our salvation; you see those sins of David after he had repent & was corrected for them, they were forgotten, and David (in regard of the course of his life) served God; his life was a service of God notwithstanding some particular actions. These things may be useful to the best of us all: therefore I observe them in general from God's manner of mentioning David here with honour; and passing by his infirmities. To come more particularly to the words. Then David after he had served in his Generation, the will of God, etc. THe words are a short Epitome of the life and death of the blessed man David First, I will speak of his life, and then of his death. In his life there are these two parts: First, the time in which he lived, when this service was done: In his Generation. And then the manner of his carriage in that time of his generation, It was a service of God, He served God. And this service of God is set down by the object of it; God. By the rule of his worship; the will of God. He served God, but how? as he had revealed his will to him, not at random: God will be served according to his own will. And then here is the act, he served▪ So here is the proper object of worship, God, in whom all our service is terminate; whatsoever we do it must rest in him; if we do good works to men, it must be for God's sake, we must serve God in it. Then here is the proper rule carrying us to that object, his Will And then it must be a service, it must be done in obedience to God. David in his Generation served the will (or counsel) of God, as the Word is. For his death, we shall speak of it after. First, The time. for the time, In his generation. [Generation,] in the Scripture, signifies a succession of men one after another, as you have it in Matth. 1. Matth. 1. from such a one to such a one, so many generations, Generation, wh●● it is. so many successions. You know in the Latin tongue, seculum, is taken for an age, or generation; the space of an hundred years: though Moses shut up the life of man in a shorter time. Succession of one man after another, is a generation. Generation, sometimes in a general sense, is taken for all of one kind. The generation of Noah, and the generation of the righteous; that is, all of that kind, without restraining it to succession. But most commonly it is the consideration of men from succession of them; having the term from the way whereby we enter into the world, that is, by generation; therefore the succession of men from one to another, is called Generation. Now here, Generation implies both the times, and the persons. The persons of men are a several generation, and the time wherein they live is a generation, and both are here included: David in his Generation (among the age of men, and in the time wherein he lived) ●erved God. The meaning of the place is clear. The points considerable here, are, First of all, that there is a generation, a succession of men one after another. Secondly, that every man hath his particular generation, Davi● had his generation, wherein he served the Lord. Thirdly, that he served God in his Generation, that is, the whole time of his Generation: yet with this limitation, he served God only in his generation while he was here, before he came to heaven. In heaven there is a kind of service, but it is not by way of work, but of reward. We must serve God in our generation here. If ever we look to reap hereafter, we must sow now. David served God in his generation. First of all, There is a generation, a succession of men. Obser. Th●re is a succession of men. Particular men go off the stage; but the species, the kind is eternal; kinds of things continue forever. Man dies no●, but Paul and Pete● and David die: there is a succession of particular men. It is with men, as it is with the waves of the sea; one wave goes away, and another comes after. It is with men as it is with trees: for men are compared in Scripture to trees: trees of righteousness; and man, take him in his nature, is like a tree: the Poet could say to that purpose; it is with men as with trees, some leaves fall off in Autumn, and others come in their place the next spring: so it is with men, they have their several Generations, there is an Autumn, a decay, and there is a spring of them, there is a succession of Generations. Use 1. To teach us this lesson, To make use of our short time. that, our time being short here; (every man hath his generation; one Generation goeth away and another cometh, as the Scripture saith: we must be laid to our Fathers, and otherr must stand up in our place; Rise up josua; for Moses my servant is dead, (saith the Lord:) one servant of God dies, and another riseth. There be many that must act their parts in this world, therefore some must go off the stage, that others may come on) therefore while we have time here, let us be sure to do good, before we be taken away, suddenly, we know not how soon and there be no more generation. Here there will be a succession of generations till we all meet in heaven, & then there will be no succession, there shallbe no more death; but as the Apostle saith, we shallbe for ever with the Lord. And it should teach us likewise (considering that in regard of our being and natural condition in the world, Use 2. To make sure an eternal Generation. there are several successions, generation after generation, that now we are here, and presently after no more seen in the world) to make sure an eternal generation, to be borne anew of the immortal seed that never dies, as Saint Peter saith, that tends to immortality; there is no death in that birth. A Christian as he is a new creature, hath a generation to eternity, he never dies. In regard of our being here, there is generation after generation; successions of men: but when we are new borne, though we cease to be here, we go to heaven. He that believes in me (saith Christ) shall never die. Man that is 〈◊〉 of a Woman (saith Job) hath but a short time to live, and (that short time) is full of misery: but man that is borne of the spirit, hath an eternal time to live, and that a happy life. All flesh is grass in regard of this life we lead, which is supported with meat, and drink, and the comforts of this life: all flesh is grass, and the beauty of it as the flower of the grass; but the Word of God endureth for ever; and as Saint john saith, he that doth the will of God, endureth for ever. The word of God endures for ever, because it makes us (having the spirit of God) to endure for ever. The world passeth, and the lusts of it, but he that doth the will of God, (that is, new borne by the word of God, and transformed to the obedience of God, he) abides for ever. Would you abide for ever, and not pass from alteration to alteration, (as wicked men) they alter, and come to nothing, and worse than nothing) than labour for this estate, this is the way to abide for ever: this life hath no date of days, no death. Labour to plant ourselves in Christ by faith, To get into Christ by faith. that so in him we may have an eternal estate. Psal. 90. Thou art our habitation from generation to generation. It was a Psalm that was made upon occasion of their falling away in the Wilderness; they dropped away as leaves, and few of them came to Canaan: Well, (saith he) we fall away here, and wither as grass, etc. But thou art our God from generation to generarion, that is, we have a perpetual subsistence in thee. A Christian when he is in God (by being in Christ) hath a perpetual everlasting subsistence. As we are Temples of God: so he is our Temple, we dwell in him, thou art our habitation, etc. Who would not labour to be in such an estate? for in this world there is nothing, but a succession of Generations. Secondly, Obser. Every man hath a particular generation. There is some emphasis in this: Every man hath his particular generation. David in his generation: For men drop not into the world at all adventure: but every man hath his own time appointed, when to come into the world, and when to go out, some in one time, and some in another. Therefore the times wherein they live are foreknown of God: he hath set down when such a man shall be borne, in such an age of the world; so long he shall live, such work he shall do, and when he hath done his work, he shall be taken away hence, and another shall come, and stand up in his place. So every man hath his own generation designed, and appointed, and ordained by God himself from all eternity; not only his generation, but all the circumstances of it, the very place of his abode, the time, and season, and country where he shall live, all are set down. It is useful for this end, Use. to observe in what times our lot is fallen, To observe in what Generation we live. to what times God hath reserved us, what generation, and age we live in: to consider of the state of the times. Are they good? bless God that hath reserved us to those times We pity some good men that lived in ill times; as our Countrymen in Queen Mary's time, 1 To bless God if they be good. and other dark times; they were worthy men, and it was pity they lived not in better ages: certainly they would have been excellent men then: Therefore we should bless God for reserving us to better times. What makes the times better? The discovery of salvation by jesus Christ: the discovery of the means of happiness in another world: In what age there is a clearer discovery, where there is most spirit working together with the outward means: that is a blessed age: the spirit of God was not working so much in former times of darkness, and Popery. Then there were many that followed the Beast to their eternal destruction, though God had mercy on many souls that followed him. As it is said in Scripture, they followed Absalon in the simplicity of their hearts, not knowing whither they went: so they followed Popery in the simplicity of their hearts, not knowing the danger, God had mercy on them; yet certainly, thousands of them were wrapped up in darkness: they were miserable times then. Those that know Popery will say so; those that read the story will say so: the world was wrapped in wars, and miseries in those times. It is true, In what respect t●ese times are. our times are not so good as they should be, and in many regards they are miserable times: Miserable. and we must not murmur at this dispensation of God, if God hath so appointed that our lot shall be to live in hard, and ill times. I say in some respects these are bad times: for the world, the older it grows, the worse it is; Simile. As it is in a sink, the further it goes, the more soil it gathers: so all the soil of former times are met in the sink of later times, & in that respect this generation is an ill generati●: but if we consider what makes times good, 2 Happy. the manifestation of Christ's glorious Gospel (that hath shined for a hundred year, & more in our Church) the discovery of the means of salvation so clearly, the abundance of the spirit with the means, making men to apprehend the means, enlightening their understandings to make use of them, and working their hearts to obedience: look in what age these are, they are happy times. Witness our Saviour (and he is the best judge;) Happy are the eyes that see the things that ye see, and the ears that hear the things that you hear. Oh! in former times if they had seen that that we see, and heard that that we hear, they would have accounted themselves happy: Oh! those that lived two hundred years ago (though they were good men) if they had lived to see that that we see, and to hear that that we hear, (living in the glorious lustre and Sunshine of the Gospel) how would it have rejoiced them? Therefore as we have cause to consider of the ills of the time, and generation, that we be not swayed away with them: so we have cause on the other side to bless God, that hath reserved us to these times of knowledge. In regard of the ills we may say with Saint Austin. August. Lord to what times are we reserved! But in regard of the good things we may say, blessed be God that hath reserved us for these things: that he hath cast our time thus, that we should be borne in this generation, in the blessed time of the Gospel, in this second spring of the Gospel: We should bless God for it. Use. 2. To be bettered by the good in the generation. Well; but that is not all: we are to be accountable to God for the time and means we enjoy here in our generation. If we be not the better for it, we shall be so much the worse. It had been better for us to have been borne in times of Popery, and darkness, in places of ignorance, than living in the glorious times of the Gospel, and in places where the light is discovered, and to be naught in the midst of such light. Those that are bad now, Sins under means greater. are very bad: we see by experience, that of all men, the most outrageous wretched persons are those that are ill in good places: for God gives them up to more than an ordinary measure of profaneness. A man shall have better, and more civil usage; he shall see better carriage in a Pagan, than in many Christians that are not good under the means. There be degrees of those that are naught; some God gives up to a profane spirit in the midst of the means: a fearful brand. Those that are bad now in the glorious times of the Gospel, their sins are presumptuous sins: they are not damned simply for sinning, so much as for sinning against the means, for sinning against such light, for sinning in these times; Those that lived in darkness they could do no better. What; to be swearers now! to be licentious▪ disordered persons now! to contemn holy things now! to be corrupt in our callings now! In this generation when the light of the Gospel hath so gloriously shined! what excuse can men have for their sins now? Certainly it shall aggravate their damnation that they were children of darkness in the midst of light: nothing will trouble their consciences so much as that they have offended against so many means, and so many helps as they had in the days they lived in. I beseech you therefore, as we should bless God for reserving us for these times and places of knowledge, and light: so let us take heed lest they be a means of aggravating our damnation afterward; that we shall wish that we had never been borne in such times, but rather in times of darkness. It shall go better with our forefather's that lived in darker times, than with us, if we live in profane and ungodly courses. Use. 3. Not to be tainted with the sins of our generation. Now there is no generation so good, but there be gross sins in all times, and generations: therefore let every man be careful (as to consider the good of the generation, to take good by it; so likewise) to consider the sins of the time wherein he lives that he be not tainted with the sins of that generation. God's children have a counter-motion, a contrary motion, to the motion of wicked persons in every generation: therefore in our generation let us do as David did in his generation, stand against the ills of the times; go against the stream in that which is ill. It is the commendation you see in the old Testament; Noah was a good man in his generation; and such, and such, were good men in their generations. David in his generation served God, Psal. 12. and yet the times were naught: help Lord (saith he) for godly men perish from the earth. The times were naught when he lived: there was Doeg, and Achitophel, and Shemei, and other wicked men: yet David was a good man in his generation, he was not carried with the stream of the times. A godly man considers who are good, and who are naught in his generation, and he walks to heaven with those that are good, though they be never so few; he goes in a contrary motion to others, he doth not conform to the world, Rom. 12. Rom. 12. he fashions not himself according to the world, according to the wicked men in the generation he lives in: but he fashions himself to them that are of another world, that go a contrary way to the world. Every generation hath a Genius both for manners and study: Use 4. To set ourselves against the sins of our generation. former times they were given to Barbarism: now these times are more refined for outward respects. So for sins; every age hath particular sins that reign; Superstition in former times: but now the clean contrary; profaneness, Atheism, hardness of heart against the light, Presumption, Looseness, and the like. Now these being the sins of our times, we should go so much the stronger against the stream of profaneness, and Atheism. The Devil discovers himself in diverse shapes, Divers sins in diverse ages. in diverse generations: sometimes he prevails with ignorance; and then he is a spirit of darkness: sometimes he is a spirit of profaneness, and Looseness. Now consider by what sins the Devil hath most advantage, and be sure to set ourselves against them. And let every one in his place, Use. 5. labour to make the generation we live in as good as we can. To labour to make the Generation we live in, good. Why doth God speak thus honourably of David? He served God in his generation; that time was the better for him. We have all cause to bless God for such men, they are blessed men. Let every one of us in our generation carry ourselves so, that when we are gone, it may be said; such a man did much good in his time, and place, and hindered much ill, What a blessed thing is it when in our generation we hinder all the ill, and do all the good we can! that others may say to our comfort, and credit, the times, and place was the better for such a man. Beloved, every one of us hath his generation: some have a longer generation, some a shorter; some have a longer glass appointed to run out; some their glass is run out in a shorter time: Well, be it longer or shorter; let us be careful that we trifle not out our generation, and time wherein we live unprofitable; that little part of time that God hath given us to work in, let us be sure to bestir ourselves in our generation, we know not how long or short our generation is. Alas, if most men ask their own consciences, wherefore they live; what is the life of many, but an annoyance? they infect the air with their oaths; they are a burden to the earth; they misspend the blessings of God: but what hath the times been the better for them? their lives have been scandalous, wicked, and vicious. It should be our glory to shine in our times, as lights in the midst of a sinful generation. I beseech you therefore let us take the counsel of holy Saint Paul. Gal. 6. Gal. 6. While we have time, let us do good: while we have a part to act here upon the Stage of this world, let us act our parts; do that wherefore we came into the world. We have not assurance from God that our generation shall hold thus long, or thus long: therefore whatsoever we have to do, let us do it presently, let us reform our wicked lives presently, before we go hence and be no more seen. And for the good we have to do, do it presently; put it not off: no man is assured of his continuance here. In the next place, 3 We must serve God our whole time. David served God in his generation, he did not do it by starts, and fits; he did not do this or that good act: but he served God in his whole generation: So must every man, not only be content to do now and then a good action; for the veriest wicked man in the world may do good sometimes, and the best men may do ill sometimes: but in the whole course of our life, we must do good in our generation, our course must be holy, the whole tenor of our lives while we are in the world. All things have their time, but there is no time for sin, there is no time for vanity, no time for swearing, no time for sensuality, and looseness. Therefore let the whole course of our lives be spent in the service of God. What do we know but that that little time wherein we yield to the service of the Devil, may be the time when God will fetch us hence? and what will become of us then? therefore resolve not a moment to serve sin; our whole time is but short in respect of eternity: what is our generation to world without end? Therefore let us be content to serve God our whole generation. We must serve God in our life time. He served God in his generation, that is, in his life-time, while he was here: for God hath placed us in the world to do him some work. This is God's working place, he hath houses of work for us: now, our lot here is to do work; to be in some calling, and course to work for God. We are not sent here into the world to play, or to live idly. Religion is no vocal profession: every man must have some calling or other, and in his generation he must do good: For what will our account be afterwards else, when we shall give an account to God how we have spent our time in our generation? what good we did, what ill we hindered? It will be a fearful account; when we have spent our time idly, perhaps scandalously, and offensively, and sent others to hell by our example. We must serve God in our generation, in our life. Danger of deferring God's service. Thou that livest profanely day after day, when dost thou mean to serve God? at the hour of death? did David serve God when he was to die only? No, he served God in his generation, and then fell asleep. Alas, why do we put off? there is no sowing after this life; then is the time of reaping; and why wilt thou defer the time of sowing till thou come to reap? It is a time to reap the comforts of religion at the hour of death; shall we defer to serve God's will till we come to make our own will? and oft times it is forced what we do then. No, we must serve God all our time: David served God all his generation. To do a few good works at our death only; it is a swinish doing good: the swine will do good when he is dead; then there is profit of his flesh, though all his life he were noisome. Those men that put off thus, they are rather swine than men; beastly men. God seldom accepts the good they do then, and it is a forced good; if they were not to die then, no good at all would be done: that they do, is because they can keep it no longer. It shows they have no grace nor faith at all: for if there had been faith to depend upon God, they would have done good before; but they think, I may come to misery myself, and I know not what distrustful base thoughts; therefore they will do no good in their life-time. But we must serve God in our generation, if we will be saved. These things are of some use, and we should not forget them; but I come to the service itself, which I shall a little more stand upon. David served the will of God. HEre is considerable, as I told you, these three things. The object whom he served, God. The rule by which he served him, his will: and then: The service itself: for to know the will of God, and not to serve him, it is to no purpose; all must go together, we must serve the will of God; as we see here David did. Doct. For the first; It is a known truth, that God is the main object of all our service. God the object of our service. Indeed we serve men: for in love (which is a very busy grace) we must serve one another in good works, but the love of God must set all on work, and all must be done in obedience to him. God is the object that must terminate all our service to men; whatsoever duty we do, we must do it as to God. If we serve men; (if we be Christians) it must be with reference to God, because he commands us, and that we may honour God. Psal. 16. We can do no good to him; what doth he care for our goods? but he hath substituted men in his place, he hath appointed such and such men in our generation to do good unto: & he accounts what we do to them for his sake, as done to him. God is the object of our service: God in Christ as our Father. God, God as Creator to be served. as God, without Christ a Mediator, aught to be served for our very Creation; if we were to go to Hell when we had done; or should vanish to nothing, with the beasts: for our very subordination, and subjection to God as creatures, implies service. He is the object of service, as being our Maker, having given us a being, having given us reason to serve him. But now God considered as a Father in Christ, in the Covenant of grace, we ought to serve him in a higher regard; not as creatures the Creator only, and as servants their Lord: but as a gracious Father. So God the Father, Son, and holy Ghost, and Christ Mediator God-man, are the object of our service, the whole adequate, fit object: we must not go beyond them: for whatsoever else we do, it must be in reference to them. I will not dwell upon the point; it is a foundation to that I am to speak of. The next thing is the rule of his service, he served the will of God. The will of God. THe word signifieth Counsel, Will of God, Counsel, why? and it is better translated Counsel, than Will▪ because it is more emphatical: Gods will is his Counsel, not in regard of imperfection in Counsel; for Counsel implies somewhat imperfect; as deliberation, and consultation; God sees all at once, he doth not deliberate: but in regard of that which is eminent in Counsel; what is that? Wisdom; by Counsel thou shalt be established: so whatsoever is God's will, that is Counsel; it is wise; it is weighed, it is as gold seven times tried. Therefore we should stoop to whatsoever is God's will; either in his word, or in events; his Will is Counsel, he is wise, he is not rash. A pattern to all those that would be like God, to do all by Counsel, and not by Will. Those that are put to their will, if there be not answerable wisdom to guide it, to what mischief do they plunge themselves and others? God must be served according to his Counsel, or Will, as he hath discovered himself in his word: Service what. for service is nothing but an action done with an eye to the will of another: for if a man doth an action that one would have him do; if he do it not with respect to his command, it is no obedience, nor service: he that hath not some care in the act, it is no obedience. As the Civil Law saith, infringit obedientiam, etc. it breaks from the nature of obedience, that hath no cause for it; he must know his reason: at the least there is the command of the superior must be a reason, and ground for what he doth in all his obedience and service. Therefore there is a like necessity of the word of God, as of his service: for what Master will be served according to the will of his servant? why doth the Scripture mislike will-worship; worship that is according to our own will? Will worship. why forbidden? because there in we make ourselves God, we serve ourselves, and not God. We must not serve God, as we would be loath to be served ourselves; we would be loath to ha●e a servant compliment with cap, and knee, and then do as he list himself: and so for us to come, and compliment with God, to hear his word, as if we would be directed by him: to kneel, and pray to him for fashion, and then all our life after to do as we list. It is a delusion to say we serve God, unless we serve him according to his Will. Therefore there must be a rule of our service, God's written word the rule of our service. and that rule is the written word of God. There was a time when the word of God was not written; Heb. 1. and than God discovered his Will by dreams, and visions, and many other ways: but when the world was enlarged, and mankind spread further, traditions from hand to hand was not a fit means, and way to deliver truths: because it was subject to corruption. God therefore would deliver his Will (how he would be ●erved) in writing: and God sanctified this course, and gave credit to it, by his own example, writing his own Law with his own finger. The ten Commandments were written by God himself. God was the first Preacher, and the first writer; he was the first Preacher, he preached the Gospel to Adam in Paradise: and the first writer, the ten Commandments being written by God himself. Now, we have the written word of God to be our rule (how God must be served) an exact, and perfect rule. I will not speak by way of controversy: I (hope we are grounded well enough) but by way of direction for a godly life. God's Will is a sufficient rule. What is requisite in a Rule? Properties of a Rule, appliable to the word of God. First, a rule must be clear, and open, that it may be made use of, by those that are to be regulated by it: therefore we say, The secret will of God can be no rule, 1 Open, manifest. because it is secret. That which is a rule must be manifest and open: therefore the revealed will of God that every one may see, Secret Will of God, no rule, why? that is our rule. We may cross Gods secret will and do well, and we may serve it, and yet do ill. A Father may pray for his child's life, and may cross the secret will of God, and yet doth well; God allows bowels in Fathers. A wicked man may do according to God's secret will, and yet sin: therefore that was not the rule of David's service, nor cannot be of ours. Secret things belong to God: but revealed things to us and our children, saith blessed Moses. The will of God as it is discovered must be the rule of our actions: A rule must be open, or else it is no rule. Again, the rule by which we must lead our lives it must be infallible, 2 Infallible. not subject to error; for than it cannot be the rule of our service. The Word of God is an infallible rule, it cannot deceive, because it is the Word of God: men wrote it indeed; but it was God that dictated it: the finger writes, but the head dictates: holy men wrote it according as they were guided be the holy Ghost. The will of any man cannot be the rule of any man's service, further than it is agreeable to the first rule, why? because it is subject to error, and mistake. That which must be the constant rule of a man's life, it must not be as popish traditions and the like; it must be infallible: now the word of God is so, it is infallible: a man may err, and be a man, and a good man too: but God cannot err, and be God; the word of God cannot be false and be the word of God, therefore it is an infallible rule. When this is applied to any creature, The Grand lie in the Church of Rome. it is a Grand lie, and the foundation of misery in that Church: this is the first lie in the Church of Rome; That the Church consisting of a company of men cannot err: what a horrible absurdity is this, to make the will of man the rule: that the Church cannot err, that Popery cannot err? though they err egregiously; they account rebellion service; and make traitors merit, etc. But are our Tenants subject to such gross things? No, we make the rule of obedience the infallible word of God, that cannot err. To attribute that of that which cannot err, to that which can err, it is a horrible absurdity: but I will not enter into controversies. 3 In extent. Again, that which is a rule must be perfect in commensuration, in measure: it must be of equal extent to all things that are to be ruled. Now the things that are to be ruled, is our whole carriage, and conversation: therefore that that is the rule for a man, it must rule his thoughts, his speeches, and actions: so the word of God, it rules the whole carriage of a man. There is a proportion between the rule, and all things that are to be ruled by it; all things fall under the word of God to be directed, and ruled by it: It gives direction to our thoughts, to our speeches, to our actions, in our callings; it gives direction to Magistrates, to Ministers, to Masters, to Servants, to all estates, and conditions, in life, in death. It is exceeding large as David saith, All things come to an end, but thy Commandments are exceeding large. It is a rule that extends to all things that are to be ruled whatsoever: no other rule but Gods will doth so: for men's laws, they have nothing to do with thoughts: thought is free for them. 4 Authentical. Again, a rule must be authentical; what is that? It must be credited for itself, it must have authority of, and for itself, and not depend upon another (if it be the first rule;) Indeed there be subordinate rules, there is a rule ruled, and a rule ruling men's laws; the Magistrates will, it is a rule ruled by a higher rule: and as long as it so, it is a good rule; but there must be a rule ruling, above all subordinate rules whatsoever; what is that? The word of God; it hath authority from itself, not borrowed of men: it is a rule that rules all, & is ruled of none others rule: but by this rule; this is a rule, ruling the very rulers of the world. No man's will is a law further than it is squared by this law of laws. 5 Inflexible. It is an inflexible rule, it cannot be bend to men's purposes; man would bring Gods will to his will; but it is the measure that measures all, and is measured by none: for we must not judge the word, the word must judge us. You have some presumptuous persons that will judge, and murmur at the word, but the word will be too good for them, and judge them. He that judgeth the law, and gives sentence on the law, shows himself a fool, the law must judge him: much more the law of God; therefore it is authentical. These are the main properties of that that must be a rule to judge our lives by. Now the word of God, is both known; and is not subject to error any kind of way: and it is equal to all things that may fall under it; and it is authentical, of credit for itself (let men say what they will,) it must rule, and not be ruled. Therefore David when he ordered his course of life by this will of God, he deserved this commendation, that in his generation he served the will of God. There be subordinate rules in their kind; as the Law of Nature, and the Laws of men, direct in things of this life, to do them in that manner, according to the rule: a civil Law for civil actions: men's Laws for men's actions: but when we do any thing holily, we must have direction from God's Law, and that must put the respect of service to God upon our actions. For howsoever we do things civilly by the Civil Law; and do things comely by the Law of Nature: Nature teacheth us to carry ourselves in a decorum's, to give every man his due: but it is not a service of God, except it be directed by the rule of God, a man cannot serve God without a higher rule than man can give. But you will say, How to apply the rule in particular actions. how shall we apply, and make use of this rule in particular actions; the Word is but short, but actions are infinite; the Word of God directs me not to this, or that action; and ●aith, you shall do this, or that in particular; but gives general rules: how shall we come to carry ourselves in particular actions? here is the skill: for a rule is not to hang up, a measure is not to be cast aside; but to be applied; a rule is a thing in relation to a thing ruled, and a measure to things measured; and if we do not apply it, we lose the use of it. How shall we know how to serve the Will of God in every particular action? Outward helps. Besides the general Word of God, we have some outward helps, and some inward. The outward helps are: First the Ministry, 1 The Ministry. that is one main outward help; and what is the Ministry for, but to dig up the treasure, the Mine of God, to lay open the Will of God in particular; to branch out, and lay open, and anatomize the duties of such, and such callings, by their Ministerial gifts, which God hath given his servants in a competent measure, to give particular directions? They have their callings for this end, to speak a word in season; they have the tongue of the learned, God hath not set up this calling for naught, therefore, as we go to the learned in the Law, in doubts in that kind: so in particular doubts, why do we not make use of those that study that way? if it be in such a case, as perhaps we have no light in ourselves. It is one end of their calling, because perhaps our callings are such, as that we cannot study particulars ourselves, therefore God hath sanctified that calling, that we might have the use of it: that is one. Another outward help for particulars; 2 Communion with good people it is communion with good people, those that are led with the spirit of God: for we must know, that God oft times lays up the practice of one man in the breast of another: because he would knit man to man. We are oft times at a loss, the best of us all, in particular directions what to do: sometimes a meaner man (in some things) than ourselves, can give better directions in particular than ourselves; shall we storm, and swell at this? no; it is God's wisdom that one man should carry that which is for the special use of another: that we might take counsel, and ask advise one of another. A wise man ordereth his doings by Counsel, saith the Wiseman: and oft times he that takes advise of himself, hath a fool to his Counsellor; and he beshrewes himself that he would not take the benefit of another man's advice: therefore, besides the public Ministry, this is one help, our Christian friends, and acquaintance; and they are reserved for such a time: A friend is made for adversity, for ill times, in perplexed, and doubtful cases: this is to make use, and benefit of others. Again, 3 Laws of men. the Laws of men; what are the Laws, if they be good, but particular determinations of the Will of God. We ought to have reverend conceits of the Laws: for they do but bring Gods generals to particulars, if they be good Laws: if they have not their derivation from God's Laws, they are naught; but if they back that in any thing, they are nothing but a particular determining of the general rules in God's Word, to give every man his due, etc. Therefore in many cases we may know what the Will of God is, by the good Laws of the kingdom, which bind the Conscience to obedience. There is no disobedience to men's Laws, but where there is disobedience to God's Laws first, which hath established men's Laws. And then in some particulars (when it doth not appear what we should do) the example of good people, 4 Example of good people. of the wisest, and best in the rank, and place where we live, till we know the contrary, the best way is to rest in their judgement, to follow the advice of others, the direction of friends, or the Laws and customs; and not to be refractory, and opposite, except there be reason to the contrary: for man's spirit is a divine thing, it must always be led with some reason: but with this reservation, a man may keep to others, till it appear otherwise, till he see other light, and direction, to take this course. This is the ●disposition that should be in every peaceable ●man. These be some outward helps to know the Will of God in particular actions. The inward helps to know what Gods Will in particular is, 2 Inward helps. together with the Word of God unfolded. The Spirit of God, 1 The Spirit of God. which is as a voice behind us, saying, This is the way, walk in it. Isa. 30. Isa. 30. Wherefore serves the blessed Spirit, but to be a Counsellor? as Isa. 9.7. Isa. 9.7. Christ, he is the blessed Counsellor, how comes he to be so? not immediately by himself, but by his Spirit. All things he doth to his Church, is by his Spirit: he fills his Church with his Spirit. Now the children of God having this Spirit of Counsel to advise them in particulars, they are led with the Spirit. This is one inward help, and a main one. And surely, if we would give way to the blessed guidance of God's Spirit, and not grieve, and quench, and resist the Spirit; the Spirit of God would be ready to direct us upon all occasions, we should be guided in particular actions with a better Spirit than our own. And this Spirit we may have by prayer, God will give the Spirit to them that beg him, Luk. 11. Luke 11. 2 Particular grace Prudence. Then another inward help, is particular grace, which God gives to his children. Particular prudence, to speak words, and to do actions in season, that every thing may be beautiful in its time. There is Sapience, Wisdom, and Prudence: I Wisdom dwell with Prudence. It is the wisdom of a man, to understand his way, what to do in particular, or what not to do. It is Prudence, or discretion to discern of differences: now that grace of God is in some measure given to all his children: he makes them wise to understand their own way. They are not so wise perhaps for other things, it is not their way. God lets some men go with a less measure of discretion to heaven than others; because he hath less work for them to do: but every man hath as much as will bring him to heaven; the less he hath himself, the more he shall have of others. Some men are excellent in gifts of Wisdom, they can tell you generals out of the Book of God excellent well: but come to directions in particular, and you shall have meaner men of better discretion than they. Either we have it ourselves, or else God will associate us, and by his providence cast us upon other acquaintance, that have a greater measure of this grace, that he will have us acquainted with. God gives every one of his a Spirit, to discern what to speak, how to advise, how to comfort, what to do. And the meanest Christian is more in this for religious actions, than the greatest man in the world, that hath not the Spirit of God: for he can tell in particular, how to bear afflictions, and how to enjoy prosperity, because the Spirit directs him what to do. Again, 3 Conscience. God hath put into every man a Conscience, wherefore serves conscience, but especially to direct in particulars? There is a faculty of the soul, that we call a Treasury; a preserving faculty, that is to lay up general rules out of the Word of God, and directions out of good books, and from the counsel of other men: it is a faculty to treasure up rules, therefore it hath the name of preserving: but there is a conscience under this, that being sanctified by the Spirit of God, & being directed in general by the word of God, it directs in particular. Conscience tells us, this in particular you ought to do; this you have done: in this particular you have done well, in this you have done ill: so conscience is put in us to check, or direct us in particular. It is God's Vicar in every man, together with the Spirit: Conscience, together with the Spirit is a great help to know Gods Will in particulars. If men would not be too bold with Conscience, Conscience (together with God's Spirit) would be faithful to them. Conscience may say as Reuben said to his brethren, when they were in misery; Did not I tell you, do no hurt to the lad? deal not so hardly with joseph as to cast him into the pit? so many men do many things amiss, Conscience may say; did not I tell you this before, it was naught, and yet you would needs do it? yes certainly: and when Conscience is not harkened unto as a director, it will scourge as a judge. It hath many offices; and it is good to keep this Conscience in its office, to let Conscience do its full duty, let Conscience direct us to the full. Certainly, if we would hearken to this Vicegerent in our hearts; (this littlegod, that God hath placed there (in mercy) to guide our lives in particular) it would be better with us than it is, we should end our days with more comfort, and give a better reckoning than we can. 4 Experience. Again, experience may be added as another help. Experience is a great help in particulars: for indeed generals are raised out of experiments in particular. Therefore those that are wise Politicians, Statesmen, they are not so out of books altogether; but men of experience, that can say, such a case hath been so at such a time: so that out of observation, and particular experience, they are able to say (upon the like case) it should be now at this time thus, and thus. If therefore we would treasure up experience, it would be a good help to know what is to be done in particulars: to consider how it hath been in former time, and consider the experience of others; you see then what the rule of our service is, Gods Will: with these helps subordinate to it, how to direct ourselves in particular actions to serve the Will of God: So much for that point. He served. NOw I come to the act of Service, 3 The Act, he served God. God must be served according to his own Will: we must search, and try what is the good, and holy, and acceptable Will of God Rom. 12. Rom. 12. I have showed how we may search in particular what the good, and acceptable Will of God is: Now when this is discovered, the next thing is to serve God in the knowledge of his Will: for all the blessings are annexed to service, and not to knowledge. If ye know this Will; is there all? no; happy are ye if ye do it. If we know the rule and do it, we are happy. What if we do it not? He that knows his Master's will, and doth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. It will but aggravate our damnation, To know Gods will, and not do it, aggravates our damnation. to know the rule, to have directions what to do, and not to do them. Then the rule that we have, hath another use: if we use it not for direction in what we do, it will be brought against us at the day of judgement, as a direction for God to damn us by: this you knew, this counsel you had, these motions of the Spirit you had; this, Conscience told you; this, the Ministry, and your friends told you; notwithstanding you crossed, and thwarted all; when it is not a direction for us to obedience, it will be a direction for God to give sentence. Therefore let us make conscience, first to know the will of God, (which is the rule of all our actions) by all the means we can, and then to give service to it. David served the will of God: his life was not unfruitfully, and wickedly spent; but he served the Counsel of God that had planted, and placed him there in the world for that purpose. Why hath God planted us here, in the Paradise of the Church? that we should not be barren trees; or bring forth ill fruit: but that we should serve him, and be fruitful in our places This word service, is a harsh word, and such a thing as proud spirits could never digest. Why did the Devil's fall? 'Cause of the fall of Angels. they would be in a state independent, and not under others: they would have their own courses; and therefore the Scripture saith, they kept not their own standing. God set them in one course: and they swelled and would not keep it. The particular is not set down in Scripture: but they kept not their own standing. Neither the Devil, who is a proud creature, nor men led with the spirit of the Devil, can endure service: every man would be a God to himself, to be guided by his own lewd will, and lusts, (and God knows) they are blind guides, and we shall know it to our cost, if we have not a better guide; when the will of God is revealed therefore, we must have a care to serve it. Now, to serve, To serve, wha●? implies two things especially, an action, and a reference of that action to the will of another, that is service (as I said before) to do a thing, and to do in obedience: for if a man do never so many things, if it be not in obedience to the will of another, it is no service, he serves himself: so to serve God is, when we know the will of God, to do accordingly, and to do it because it is the will of God; than it is service: or else it is a work indeed done, but no service, or obedience. All obedience is with looking to the will, and pleasure of another, that hath authority to direct us: and then we serve the revealed will of God, when the whole inward and outward man is fashioned, and framed to that: when there is a measuring of both together: as when we obey the directions, when we tremble at the threatenings, when we imitate the examples of holy writ, when we are raised up with the comforts; when answerable to every divine truth, there is an answerable disposition of soul: when there is a sweet harmony between God's truth, and our inward, and outward man. Rom. 6. Rom. 6. We must be cast into the mould of the word: as a thing when it is moulded in another frame, it carries the print of the frame or mould; so we serve the will, and word of God, when we are moulded answerable to that will. Service of God. Now more particularly, this service of the will of God; It is either immediate inward service of the will of God; or outward service. Inward service, is the obedience of the first Commandment, 1 Inward. when upon the konwledge of God, we set him up in our souls, and cleave to him in our affections, of trust, and joy, and love, and delight, to give him the supremacy of all these; then we serve him with inward worwip, and service; and this indeed is to set the Crown upon God's head, and to make him King, and God in our hearts; he must have the prime of our inward service: when we love God above all, and fear him above all, and delight in him above all, & cleave to him when all things else fail us, this is the immediate service of God in our hearts, when we give God his own in our hearts. Hence comes all other service whatsoever: or else it is but the eye-service that is not enlivened with the inward worship of God. Now, besides this inward, there is a service of God that comes from this inward service, which is, of the outward man, that is, when we pray to God▪ and that requires our words, when we praise God in thanksgiving, when we come to hear the word, and to receive the Sacrament; and so all outward holy actions are the service of God, and are drawn from the inward immediate worship of God that I spoke of before. Besides these (which come more immediately from a sanctified spirit) there is a service of God, 3 Service in obeying the second Table. that is the obedience of the second Table, when we do good to men with an eye to serve God as we say; there is an elicit proper service of God, & a commanded service of God, cultus imperatus. All duties to men are a service of God, when we do them as commanded of God, as, because I love God, therefore I honour my parents, and Magistrates, and therefore I will not commit adultery, as joseph, shall I do this and offend God? So the Scripture allegeth reasons out of the first Table, when we are tempted to sins against the second Table: and then the duties of the second Table are a worship, and service of God, when they are commanded by the first. And this is the difference between a mere formal man, Difference between a formal man and a Christian. and a Christian in his outward performances; a Civil man is altogether for the second Table: but he hath not his rise from the first; he gives every man his due, etc. but it is not in obedience to God, because God hath commanded him to do it: but because he sees it is a deformed thing to be unjust, out of the light of nature) he condemns the sin, but not out of religious respects: it is not a service of God all this while. ay, but when it is from love to God, when that great command (thou shalt love God above all) sets him upon this, than all the duties he performs to man are a service of the will of God: for God commands them. Even the basest works are a service of God, when they are done in obedience to God, as Saint Paul tells them in Collos. 3. Collos. 3. and Ephes. 6. Ephes. 6. the poor servant serves the Lord Christ; when a poor servant is at his work, employed in the business of man, poor common things; yet he serves the Lord all the while: For God hath set him in that calling, and he doth the second Table in obedience to the first; and he serves men, those that are his governors with an eye to the great Governor, and Master that is above all, that will reward them for their poor service, Ephes. 6. however their Master reward them, Ephes. 6. This is to serve the will of God then, to yield to him the immediate service of the soul, and the outward expressions of it, and to go thorough all other duties as they spring from the first: then we are moulded (as I said before) answerable to the word of God. To apply this to our blessed man David, and then to make use of it to ourselves. Application to David, ●e served God. Thus did David serve the will of God in his time: for you may see what he was; he is anatomised, and laid open to our eyes in the Psalms, 1 In the inward man. you may see his care of serving God in his 〈…〉 See how he cleaved to God in his 〈◊〉 in Psal. 18. Psal. 18. how he loved God, and joyed in God, and in the word of God, above all things in the world; he esteemed the light God's countenance, more than corn, or wine, or oil. Psal. 4. Psal: 4. I give but a touch to show how this description is true of this blessed man, that ●e served the will of God. And for the expression of 〈◊〉 praise, 2 Outward. and prayer he was a man after Gods own heart, especially in this, he was ready upon all occasions to bless, and praise God; he kept his communion with God, as we see, though he were a King, yet his 〈…〉 was to serve God, as we see in Psal. 1. Psal. 1. he meditated in the word of God day and night. What time had he to rule his Kingdom then? The meaning is, that all the spare time that he had, it was to think of God, to look to the rule, the word of God, how to guide his life. And for his outward calling (there is a double calling wherein we serve God as Christians, 3 For the second table. our general, and our particular calling, wherein we are to deal with men) what an excellent man was he ●hee served the will of God, as a Governor of a family, we see in Psal. 101. Psal. 101. how he carried himself in the midst of ●his house, to all his servants, a liar should not abide in his house. You have a direction there how to guid● your families, you see how he served the Will of God as a governor; yet there was a fault in him in that respect, he was too indulgent to Absalon, and Adoniah. A man may be a good man, and yet be too blame in some particulars: but when his heart is right, God pardons the rest. As a King. You see how he carried himself as a King, he was an excellent King, the delight of Israel: he carried himself every way as a King should do: he tempered mercy, and judgement together: I will sing of mercy, and judgement: so he did in his whole carriage sweetly temper mercy, and justice, he dispensed these two. And as a King must not only serve God himself; but to make others serve God: so his care was to establish the worship of God, as you find in the story. David, when he saw all in peace and quiet, than he begins to take care for the Ark, 1 Chron. 17. 1 Chron. 17. I dwell in a house of Cedar: but the Ark of the Lord remains under curtains: therefore he took a course for that. So governor's should do, when God hath settled them in their government quietly, to begin to think of God's house: for they rule not well, they serve not the Will of God, except, besides their own service, they call others to serve him. A Magistrate must be the keeper of both Tables himself, and cause others to do it, he must lay down his crown at the feet of Christ, as it is in Isay. Thus David was a nursing father to the Church of God, he served God in his particular calling. Now (to make use of another division) the Will of God it is either in things to be done, In suffering. or to be suffered, and obedience answerable to that is either active, or passive; as David served God in doing, so he yielded obedience, and served the Will of God in his passive obedience: wherein he did deny himself exceedingly, as much as ever man did, next to Christ; you see how he denied himself in his carriage toward Saul, in matter of revenge, how he overcame himself, because he knew that revenge was Gods, and that God was his, and therefore would right him well enough; and in Shimei, God hath bid him rail; he would not revenge▪ and other notable examples we have, how he submitted to Gods Will, as in 1 Sam. 30.6. 1 Sam. 30.6. when he was in extremity, he encouraged himself in the Lord his God; there he stayed himself in extremity; and in 2 Sam. 15.25. 2 Sam. 15.25. there is a notable place how he submitted himself too God. The King said, Carry back the Ark of God, if I have found favour in the eyes of God he will bring me again; but if God say thus, I have no delight in him; behold here I am, let him do as seems good to him. Here was a resignation of himself to the will of himself in serving of him: so in Psal. 39 Ps●l. 39 I held my tongue Lord; because thou didst it. Thus you see how he served the will of God, in the inward service of God, and in the outward to God, and man; in both callings, as a good man, and a good governor, in his family every way he served the Will of God. Use. And wherefore is all this? Here is a pattern for us that we should serve the Will of God: To imitate David. to serve the Will of God immediately, to labour to bring our hearts to trust in him, to fear him above all, to delight in him above all; and to express it in our outward service of him, and in doing duties to men from inward respect to God; in conscience of our duty, to serve God when we serve men: to carry ourselves in our general calling, as Christians, and in our particular place, not only to be good men; but good in our callings; good Students, good Lawyers, etc. Let us show our Religion there, as David did: this is to serve the Will of God. That is not Religion that is left behind in the Churchy as Lactantius saith, Lactantius. that is no Religion that we leave behind, when we come to the Church door: but that is Religion, when we learn our duty here, and carry it in our breasts to practise it every day in the week, when we show it in our places; that is the service of God. Therefore let this holy man be an example to us; wherefore are these particular things recorded of him in the Scriptures, but that we should transform ourselves to this blessed pattern. The whole life of a Christian we see is a service of God: there is nothing that we do but it may be a service of God; no, not our particular recreations, if we use them as we should; as whettings to be fitter for our callings, and enjoy them as liberties with thankfulness to God that allows us these liberties to refresh ourselves. There is no passage of a man's life, but it may have the respect of a service of God: it is not the matter, or stuff, but the stamp that makes the coin: so it is not the work, but the stamp that makes it a service, when we do it with a● eye to God. Simile. Let the King set a stamp but upon brass, upon a token, yet it will go for current, if it have the King's authority, and stamp upon it: let it be but an action of our callings, suppose to give counsel in our studies, or pleading of the Law, etc. if it have God's stamp upon it, if there be Prayer upon it to bless it, and it be done in obedience to God, and with justice; not against the rules of Piety, and Charity, (and as far as it may displease God to balk, and avoid all temptations in our callings out of Religious respects) it is a service of God: our whole life not only in the Church, but in our particular places may be a service of God; as it is said, here David served God. Oh, if we could think of this wheresoever we ar●, we would take no liberty to offend God in any things we would not thrust Religion into a corner, into a narrow room, and limit it to some days, and times, and actions, and places; and then take liberty to defraud, and dissemble; to abuse ourselves this way, and that way; is this to serve God? to serve God is to carry our ●elves as the children of God wheresoever we are: so that our whole life is a service of God. A Christian is no Libertine, no man of freedom, he is a servant. Indeed we have changed our Master: we are set at liberty from the slavery of sin and Satan; but it is not that we should do nothing; to be belials, without voake: but it is to serve God, we are taken from the service of Satan to be the Lords freemen, and indeed it is to that end, we are delivered that we might serve God; therefore all the actions of our life should be a service to God. Luke 1. Quest. To make this a little clearer: how can this be (will some man think) that every common action should be a service of God? I will make it clear by an instance; the beasts, Answ. and other creatures, and we, have common actions; How common actions may be a service of God. such as we do in common, as to eat, and to drink, and to move: the beast doth this, and man doth it; when a man doth them, they are reasonable actions, because they are guided with reason, and moderated by reason: but when the beast doth them, they are the actions of a beast; because he hath no better faculty to guide him. So common actions, they are not a service of God, as they come from common men, that have not grace, and the Spirit of God in their hearts: they are mere buying, and selling, and going about the actions of their callings, as the actions of a beast are the actions of a beast. But let a Christian come to do them, he hath a higher life, and a higher spirit, that makes them spiritual actions that are common in themselves; he raiseth them up to a higher order, and rank. Therefore a Christian serveth God in all that he doth, he hath an eye to God: that which another man doth with no eye to God, but merely in civil respects. We say of policy: it is an ancient observation, which is good, and very fit. The knowledge of a common wealth; it is a building knowledge, a commanding knowledge: for though a Statesman doth not build, he doth not buy and sell, and commerce: but he useth all other trades for the good of the State. It is a knowledge commanding all other inferior Arts, and Trades (in a common wealth) to the last end: they should all be serviceable to the commonwealth, and if they be not, away with them. So Religion, and the knowledge of Divine things, it is a commanding knowledge, it commands all other services in our callings, etc. It doth not teach a man what he shall do in particular in his calling: but it teacheth him how to direct that calling to serve God, to be advantageous, and helpful to his general calling: to further him to heaven, to make every thing reductive to his last end, which he sets before him, that is, to honour, and serve God in all things, to whom, he desires to approve himself, in life, and death: he hath a principle, the holy Ghost in him, and he labours to reduce every thing to the main end, oh that we were in this temper. To serve God in our sufferings. And as we must labour to imitate holy David in doing: so likewise in suffering. We must be careful that nothing of Gods displease us, as we are careful (for ourselves) that nothing of ours displease God. In doing, we ought to be careful that nothing of ours displease God: in suffering, that nothing of God's dealing displease us: for there is rebellion in both, in passive obedience, as well as active. There is rebellion when we murmur, and will not be as God will have us, as if we were wiser than he, to appoint our own condition: whereas we should resign ourselves as David, here I am, let the Lord do as it pleaseth him, and as they said in the Acts; The will of the Lord be done: and as we pray in the Lord's prayer, Thy will be done, insinuating, not our own. We must be content to stoop in our sufferings obediently to God, because he is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works; in all the courses he takes with us, we should be ready to justify God in all things David served God. Now, how did he serve God, for the manner of his service? The manner of his service was as it should be, and so he was exemplary to us all in that, amongst others, his servi●e was▪ First, 1 Universal. universal, to God, and to men every way. Secondly, it was uniform; he was good in all conditions; 2 Uniform. a good Shepherd, a good King, he was good in his family, etc. So the service of the children and servants of God, it must be uniform in all estates: to know how to want, and how to abound, etc. And then his service was cheerful; 3 Cheerful. we see how oft he rouseth up himself in the Psalms, awake my Harp and Lute, etc. And lastly his service was sincere. 4 Sincere. It was to God: Signs of cincerity. you may know his sincerity by this; he cared not for scoffings, he practised duties that were scorned at. 1 To practise scorned duties. That is, an evidence of sincerity, when in ill times, the children of God stand to God, and Religion. When Micholl mocked him, saith he, I will be yet more vile for God. When God may have glory, and Religion defence, for men to stand for God in ill times it is a sign of sincerity; an hypocrite will never do so. David did at all times, in his Generation. And then it was a sign of sincerity, 2 To appeal to God. that he would appeal to God: Try me Lord, if there be any way of wickedness in me: when a soul can go to God, and say, Lord, if there by any way of wickedness in me, any secret lurking corruption in me (that may endanger the state of my soul) that I know not of, discover it to me; that is a sign that a man is in league with no sin: but his service is sincere. 3 Comfort. A man that is not sincere, hath no comfort: so much sincerity, so much comfort. If a man do not things to God in sincerity, all is lost to God, a man may have commendations of the world, as the pharisees had (which is nothing but a kind of curse) you have your reward, that is, you have it here, and shall lose it hereafter. So much concerning the life of David, in those words, David in his Generation served the Counsel, or Will of God. Now (to make a perfect discourse of it) we will speak something of his end. He fell a sleep, and was gathered to his Fathers, and saw Corruption. HE fell asleep, that is, he died: for sleep in Scripture, it is a middle phrase, appliable to good, and bad: for wicked men (in Scripture) are said to sleep, Difference in the death of godly and wicked. and good men are said to sleep. Only the difference is, as the persons are: for the sleep of wicked men, it is like the sleep of a male factor before his execution, that is ofttimes tripped in his sleep: Simile. or like the sleep of a man in sickness, or in a mad fit, his sleep doth but concoct the malignant humour, and after he wakes, he rageth three times more than he did before. So the sleep, the death of a carnal wicked man, it is but a preparation to his execution: it is but the sleep of a distempered man, that wakes with more horror, and terror, and rage, than ever before: indeed properly the death only of the godly is a sleep. But to observe something first briefly in general. We see here is a time of dying, Obser. as well as 〈◊〉 a time of living. A time of dying as well as living. There is a time to serve God in living, and there is a time to yield our souls to him as well as a time to serve God in doing the actions, and functions of this life. Which should teach us this, Use. not to fix our thoughts too much on life. Not to think much of long life. As there is a time for all things to the living: so there is a time to cease to live: and therefore to use the world with moderation, as though we used it not, knowing that the fashion of the world passeth away. It should teach us to serve God as well in living as in dying. And it should teach us to do all the good we can while we have time. David served God while he lived, and he served God in dying: because his death was in obedience: but (as I said before) after death, properly there is no service of God: but a receiving of wages, therefore let us serve God while we live, while we have time; because there is a time when night will come, the night of sickness, and of death, and then no man can work; if he would never so fain. He fell asleep. Why did he not die before? he served God a great while, he did not die when he was first a good man. Obser. God will have his Children serve out their Generation. God's children must serve their time. They must serve out their time. As soon as ever we believe, we have right to heaven: 1 To gain others. but God will have us bear the burden of the day awhile, to bring others to heaun with us; to go before others in the example of a godly life; to gain as many as we can. 2 To try our graces. To try the truth of our graces before we come to heaven, whether they be true or no; that they may be true tried graces. And he will have us perfect before we come to so holy a place, 3 To perfect us. he will have us grow in grac, as Ahasueros his wifes were to be perfumed▪ and prepared before they came to him. It is a holy place that we hope for, a holy condition: therefore, he will have us by little, and little, be fitted by the spirit of God. Many such reasons there be, why God in heavenly wisdom will have us go on here a time before we come to heaven: though as soon as we believe we are in the state of salvation, as Christ said to Zacheus, This day is salvation come to thine house. Use. Therefore let us not repine that God will have us live. Not to repine that God will ●ave us live. Indeed, as soon as a Christian hath faith, he hath life in patience, and death in desire, for he is impatient to want his crown: oh, but here is the time of service: and when he considers the eternity of the reward he shall have after; he will be glad to serve God, and he will be ashamed that he can do it no more. When he knows he shall have an eternal weight of glory for a little service, than he will deny his lusts, and pleasures to serve God in the place he lives in, whether he be Magistrate, or Minister whatsoever; to undergo the burden of a little service. Again, in that it is said here, Then he fell asleep, not before; till he had served the counsel of God. God hath allotted a man a time. He hath set him a glass that must be run, Obser. he hath given him a part to act, God hath allotted a man a time. and he cannot be taken away till that be done; he can never fall asleep till he have served the counsel of God. As it is said in the Gospel, concerning our Saviour Christ, his hour was not yet come. They have laid wait for him: but his hour was not come: so there may be many snares laid for the children of God by Satan, and his instruments: but till their hour be come, all the Devils in hell, nor all the Devil's instruments on earth, cannot shorten a man's life one minute of an hour: for he shall fall asleep when he hath served the counsel of God; when he hath done all that God will have him to do. Therefore it is ground of resolution: Use. let us go on in our places, Ground of resolution. and callings, undantedly, and wisely too, not to tempt God, to rush into dangers: but (I mean) without base fear, and distrust: for we must serve God to day and to morrow, and then we shall be sanctified. We must serve God the appointed time that he will have us to live here; and then we shall fall asleep, and not before: no creature hath power over the life of man to shorten his days. The next thing we will observe from the nature of sleep is, that, Obser. The death of the godly is a sleep, in respect of refreshing. The death of the godly, refresheth as sleep. Sleep doth refresh, and repair, and as it were recreate, and make a man anew. Sleep, and rest, it is the blessed ordinance of God, it is an excellent thing to repair man: so after death, nature shall be repaired better; we shall rise fresher, as it is, Psal. 17. ult. when I arise, Psal. 17. ult. I shall be satisfied with thine image, we shall rise refreshed, better than we lay down. 1 Cessation from labour. So that as we go to bed then, to sleep, to cut off all cares: so when we rest in death, all cares, and fears, and terrors; all annoyances are cut off. Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord; they rest from their labours: insinuating, that there is no rest before: for to a man that knows that this world is a workhouse, and his life a service to God, he thinks of no rest till he be in his grave; so death it is a sleep, in regard of that rest. We rest from the labour of sin, we rest from the wearisome labour of the body, from the labour of afflictions, and oppressions, from the molestations of other men among whom we live, every way this life is tedious, and death rest. Again, it is in this respect a sleep: 2 Hope of rising. because a man goes to bed with assured hope of rising again, and therefore he goes quietly: though it be a state of darkness for the time, all the senses are bound up, yet he knows that in God's ordinary providence, he shall rise again: therefore men not only quietly, but cheerfully go to bed. So there is greater ground to know that we shall rise again out of our graves, than that we should rise out of our beds: for many men's beds have been their graves, in some sort, (I mean) they have died in their beds: but for the resurrection, we have the word of Almighty God, (that is a God of his word) that we shall rise again: and we have it in the pledge of our Saviour's resurrection, there is no doubt of that. Therefore when we die (if we have faith) we should make no more of death, than men do to go to bed: hoping undoubtedly of an assured, and joyful resurrection. The want of faith in that kind, makes us backward to this: you see in what respect death is said to be a sleep. To speak only of those references, and relations that are most pertinent between sleep and death. David fell asleep, and very willingly: for he had lived a painful life: 3 After ●abour. he served God, both as a private man, as a Shepherd, & as a King, Eccles. 5.12. To a labouring man sleep is sweet, Eccles. 5.12. so to a man that hath served God carefully in his calling, and kept a good conscience, death is very sweet. We see children that have been playing all day, they are loath to go to bed, but to a man that hath wrought all day, sleep is sweet, as wise Solomon saith, to a labouring man. Would we then have death as a sweet rest to us? Use. let us do as David did, that is, To be painful▪ be painful, and laborious in our particular place, and in our general calling: let us be faithful in them to keep a good conscience, and set all in order as much as we can while we live; 2 Set all in order. to leave no seeds of debate when we are gone. Some men die carelessly this way in disposing the good things that God hath given them; they lay a foundation of perpetual jarring afterward: and so their death is scarcely a sleep and rest: they cannot but be disquieted, when they think how they leave things, because they were not wise before hand. David settled Solomon in his Throne, and set all things right before he died, and that made him die, not only in rest, but in honour, in 1 Chron. 29.28. David died in a good old age, 1 Chron. 29.28 full of riches and honour. 3 Get fait● in Christ. And let us labour to get assurance of a change for the bette●: David his flesh rested in hope, because he believed in Christ, that Christ's body should see no corruption, P●al. 16. Psal. 16. So if we would have death sweet as a sleep, let us labour to get assurance by faith in Christ: and so our flesh may rest in hope, that as Christ raised his own flesh, so he will raise ours. Good Simeon, when he had seen Christ once, Lord now let thy servant depart in peace, etc. so after we have gotten a sight of Christ, to be our Christ, our Saviour, and Redeemer, and have interest in him; Lord now let thy servant depart in peace. So much for the term, sleep. It is added beside, that He was gathered to his Fathers. HE● was gathered to his Fathers both in regard of his body, and in regard of his soul▪ for his body went to the house of the dead, the grave: and his soul went to his fathers, to heaven. As I said before of sleep, so of this: it is a phrase of Scripture that must be understood as the persons are. When a man dies, his body goes to the place, or house of all men, the house of darkness, the grave▪ but for his soul that goes as the man is (to his fathers) to hell, if he be naught: to the souls of just and perfect men (as the Apostle speaks) if he have lived a gracious, and a good life; and so it must be understood here, b●cause he speaks of a blessed man. He was 〈◊〉 to his Fathers; Fathers, who meant. he means not to his immediate fathers, but all believing men before him, that were the children of Abraham, his soul went to them, his body to the first Mother; the Earth, out of which it was taken. So the General is nothing but this, that Obser. When we die we are put to our fathers. When w● d●e, we are put to our fathers. Therefore this should moderat● our fear of death, and our grief for the departure of others. Why we are not lost when we die; the soul and body is taken asunder, it is taken in pieces: but both remain still; the body goes to the earth from whence it was taken, and the soul goes to God that gave it. And for our comfort, we go to those that we knew before (many of them) to our fathers; not to strangers. Especially in respect of our souls, we go to our fathers▪ to our next forefathers, and to our old fathers; to Abraham, Isaac, to jacob, to David, to blessed Saint Paul, and Peter, and all the blessed men that died in the faith. And when we are dead, we go to those that are more perfect than those that we leave behind us. This should moderate our grief: oh, I leave my friends behind me, my father, and mother, and children's it is to go to better, to greater; and those that love thee better. Thou goest to greater: for they are in their pitch, they have attained their end, they are in heaven▪ and to better, they are refined from those corruptions that men here are subject unto: and then their love is perfect likewise: therefore going to our fathers, and not to strangers, to those that are better, and greater, and love us more perfectly; why should we think much to die? they will be ready to entertain us; oh the welcome that souls find in heaven! and at the day of the Resurrection the sweet embrace, when all the blessed souls that have been from Adam to the last man, shall meet together! seeing therefore we go to our fathers, it should rather make us cheerful: Here, whom do we live with? take them at the best, our friends? men, subject to jealousies and weaknesses; our jealousy makes us suspect them, and their weaknesses makes us think the meaner of them: so our love is not perfect, nor our graces are not perfect; therefore we cannot have perfect love, and contentment while we are here. But in heaven there shall be no jealousy, nor fear, nor imperfection, which is the ground of jealousy: we shall perfectly love them, because they shall be perfectly good; and they shall perfectly love us, because we shall be perfectly good; and one shall stand admiring the graces of God in another; and that will maintain a perpetuity of love: therefore it is want of faith that makes us unwilling to yield our souls unto God at the point of death. It is a going to our fathers. But then we must take heed what fathers we imitate here, Take heed whom we imitate. take heed who are our patterns while we live; Heb. 13.7. for if we do not imitate them here, we cannot live with them in heaven when we are dead. Therefore it is a very necessary item in Heb. 13.7. Look to them that rule over you; that speak the word, whose faith follow: Considering the end of their labour. Let us look before what kind of men those have been, that we desire to live with in heaven: and mark the end of their conversation: for such as we delight in, and frame our carriage to here, such we shall live with hereafter. We must not think to live with Nero, and die with Paul; to live Epicures, and die Christians; to live dissembling, and falsely in our places, and to die comfortably, and to go to the blessed souls at the hour of death, and at the resurrection. No, God will gather our souls with wicked men, if we fashion our carriage to wicked men: such as we delight in, and live with, and set as patterns before us, with such we shall live for ever hereafter. He was gathered to his fathers. To delight in the communion of Saints. One sign of a man that shall be gathered to believing fathers, to his good forefathers (besides imitation) is this, to delight in the congregations of just men here. A man may know he shall go to the congregation of perfect souls in heaven, if he delight in the congregations of God's Saints here: for surely he that hath a confidence, to be in the proper heaven, heaven that is so blessed; he will have a care while he lives, as much as he can, to be, and delight in the heaven upon earth. Now the chief heaven upon earth, is the Church of God; Oh how amiable is thy dwelling place oh Lord! where many souls meet together, to join in speaking to God, and in hearing God speak to them. Those therefore that delight not in the congregations; that delight not in the service of God; what hope have they to be gathered to the congregation of the faithful when they are gone? so much for that, he was gathered to his fathers. And he saw Corruption. IT is an Hebraisme, for, he felt Corruption, he had experience of Corruption. All other senses are attributed to sight, that being the principal of all the senses, they have their term from it: because sight is the most excellent, the most capacious, and quick sense, therefore (I say) the actions of all the other senses are attributed to it; as we say, see how he speaks, and so here, he saw Corruption, that is, he had experience of it; because sight is a convincing sense. He could not properly see when he was dead: but the meaning is, he had experience of Corruption; the truth is this, in a word, that, Obser. The best, The best, and greatest subject to corruption. and greatest men in the world, when they are gone, they are subject to corruption. David was a King, and a Prophet: a man after Gods own heart; yet this could not keep David's body from Corruption. Reas. 1. We are dead men here. The reason is, we are but dead men here: this is not the life that Christ hath purchased for us; we are going to death: our natural life is but Cursus ad mortem, a continual going to death. We are alive now, but alas our life is nothing, but a continual dying: every day cuts off a part of our life. It is a statute, that all must die. 2 We cannot be crowned else. And it is our perfection to die, we cannot otherwise see God, & enjoy our Crown. Death indeed is nothing but misery: but when we die, we go to live. The best must see Corruption. Therefore this should be an argument to support the soul, Use. when we think of the rottenness in the grave, To support us against corruption and of that place, and time of horror, when we shall be no more here upon earth. It is no otherwise with us than it hath been with the best in the world, they all saw Corruption in their time. Again, considering we have but corruptible bodies here, 2 To take most care for the soul. body's that must see corruption: let us take care for the better part. He is a mad man, that having two houses, one freehold, the other a rotten tenement, ready to fall about his ears, that shall take delight in that, and neglect his own inheritance, which is a goodly thing; it is for want of wit: and it is as much want of grace, when we having a double life, the life of grace, that ends in glory; the life of the soul, the life of God, as Saint Paul saith: and then the life of the body (which is communicated from the soul to the body) which is corruptible: our bodies are but tabernacles of clay, whose foundation is in the dust: for us to take care of this vile body as the Apostle calls it, Phil. 3. Who shall change our vile body; Philip. 3. and make it like to his glorious body: according to his mighty power: to take care of this vile body, and to neglect our precious souls. It is the care of most (such is the carnal breeding of men: and they follow those that bred them in this brutishness, as if they had no souls, as if there were no life after this, their care is) what they shall eat, and what they shall drink, and put on; what to commend themselves by in the outward man, to the view of others; all their care is for their outward man. Alas, what is it, but a corruptible, vile body? it is but the case of the soul; they forget the jewel, and look all to the Casket, which is a base body, take it at the best while we are here. And take heed we be not ensnared with the bodies of others. 3 Not to be ensnared with the bodies of others. This is the corruption of men, to gaze in this kind. You see wise Solomon, and others, were much troubled with temptations in this kind. Consider, that body that thou dotest on now, and which is made by the Devil a snare to thee: what will it be erelong? so noisome, that thou wilt not endure the presence of it; it is but a flower, and it is fading, fresh in the morning, and dead at night. All flesh is but grass: it is a corruptible body. If thou wilt needs love, be acquainted with such as have excellent spirits, that shall live eternally: Oh, there is an object of love indeed! that is the true love, and acquaintance that is spiritual. Many things may be lovely in the outward person: but see that there be a heavenly spirit; that is mounting up, that savours of good things, a spirit that hath life begun in it: that shall be for ever happy in heaven: unless there be this, there cannot be a fit ground for the love of any wise man. To imitate David in life, and death. To end all, you see here a short story of a good life, and a blessed death: let us make this blessed man of God exemplary to us in both. Let our whole life be nothing but a service of God: and let us consider the generation wherein we are to take, and do all the good we can in our time. And then consider what death will be; when we come to die, it will be a sweet s●eep to us; and our resurrection will be a refreshing, our flesh shall rest in hope, as David saith: We shall be gathered to our fathers, we shall see Corruption, indeed: but mark what David saith, Psal. 16. Psal. 16. my flesh shall rest in hope, because thou wilt not suffer thy holy one to see Corruption Then this is the upshot of all: though we see Corruption when we are dead; yet with the ●y of faith we see a rising again from Corruption. We see death but as a pot to refine us in: even as it is with silver when there is much corruption and heterogenial matter mingled with it, the fire refines it; but it is not lost: so the grave refines the body, and fits it for a glorious resurrection. The flesh rests in hope all the while, though the body see Corruption: because our head saw no Corruption: if the head be above water, what if the body be down? our head saw no Corruption, that is, Christ: for he rose out of the grave before his body putrified: for his body had a subsistence, and was gloriously united to the second person in Trinity: and being united to the Lord of life, it saw no Cortrption. For that did not lie upon Christ as our Saviour, to be corrupt, but to die, to be made a curse for us; and then especially, I say, by reason of the near union of it to the God of life. Well then, what is David's argument of comfort? in Psal. 16. Psal. 16. My flesh shall rest in hope; because thou wilt not suffer thine holy one to see Corruption. Because Christ rose from the grave himself; the holy one of God: our flesh may rest in hope, though we see Corruption: because the same divine power that raised christ our head out of the grave, (that his body saw no Corruption) will raise our bodies to be like our glorious body. Our blessed Saviour that overcame death in his own person; by his power he will overcome death for all his mystical body, that is, his Church: it shall be perfect in heaven, soul and body together, as he himself is glorious now in heaven. That we may say with David, notwithstanding our bodies see Corruption (as his did) yet our flesh shall rest in hope, because Gods holy one saw no Corruption. FINIS. The Table. Part, Page A Abasement. ABasement of Christ the greatest 1, 10. Abasement of Christ, whence it was, 1, 11. Fruit of Christ's Abasement, 1, 13. Adam. Our estate in Christ better then in Adam, 1, 43. Affections. Affection's not taken away by religion, 1, 249. Afflictions. Benefit of Afflictions, 1, 279. Against. How far the enemies of God's children are Against them, 2, 74. In what respect none are Against God's children, 2, 75. Alone. A Christian is never Alone▪ 2, 78. Angels. Angels, the cause of their fall, 2, 202. Anointed. Three sorts of persons Anointed, 1, 34. Appetite. How to get Appetite to feed on Christ, 1, 183. Application. Application wrought by the Spirit, 2, 43. Faith the grace of Application, Ibid. Approach. Comfort in our Approach to God, 1, 27. Ascention. The Spirit given more abundantly since Christ's Ascension, 1, 53. Authority. Authority of Christ from his Father, 1, 202. B Behold. The word B●●●ld how used, 1, 5. Blame. Blame to be laid upon ourselves in judgements, 1, 316. Bodies. Bodies of others not to be doted on, 2, 229 Bondage. Freedom in sin a Bondage, 2, 17. Bride. The Church of God a Bride, 2, 101. Why the Church is called a Bride, 2, 106. C Care. Ground of Care in our carriage, 1, 82. Ceremonies. Bondage of Ceremonies in the Law, 1, 263. Chains. Sin as Chains, 2, 7. Choice, Chosen. Christ Chosen of God how, 1, 19 We should rest in God's Choice, 1, 20. Christ. Christ not to be neglected, 1, 21. How to know we are in Christ, 1, 30. All that is good is first in Christ and then in us, 1, 40. To take heed of refusing Christ, 1, 210. The greatness of the sin to refuse Christ, 1, 212. Comfort for such as receive Christ, 1, 213. See Chosen, servant, delight, Adam. Christians. Difference between Christians and others, 1, 238. 2, 205. Disposition of true Christians, 1, 246. Church. Three degrees of men in the Church, 1, 156. Cleansed. To labour to be Cleansed by the blood of Christ, 1, 296 Comfort. Comfort from the ground of God's love, 1, 25. Comforts when to be stored up. 1, 131. Ground of Comfort for weak Christians, 1, 228. Coming. There must be a second Coming of Christ, 2, 107. The Church desires Christ's Coming, 2, 108. The Church in Heaven desires Christ's Coming, 2, 113. Christians not always fitted alike for Christ's Coming, 2, 118. Directions how to desire Christ's Coming, 2, 119 Communion, See Saints. Common, See Service. Condition. Why we should consider our former Condition, 1, 140. Why God suffers different Conditions of men, 2, 137. Conflict. God's children exercised with Conflicts, 2, 132. How to recover out of Conflict, 2.134. Confession. Confession of sin necessary, 1.288. Good men in their Confessions rank themselves with others, 1, 289. Conscience. Conscience after long sinning hardly comforted. 1, 94 Conjunction. Four Conjunctions wonderful, 1, 10 Consideration. Hindrances of Consideration, 1, 103. Contentment. Ground of Contentment, 2, 84. Contraries. Contraries agree in a Christian, 1, 302. Conviction. Ground of Conviction, 1, 127. Conviction of judgement the ground of practice, 2, 148. Four things in Conviction, 2, 149. Conviction to be laboured for, 2, 151. Conviction wrought by the Holy Ghost, 2, 155. Correct. God Corrects his children sharply, 2, 169. Counsel. The will of God called Counsel, why, 2, 187. Corruption. The best men subject to Corruption, why. 2, 227. Ground of support against Corruption, 2, 218 Courage. Ground of Christian Courage, 2, 81. Course. Every man hath his Course, 1, 107. God judgeth men according to their Course, 1, 108 Gods children have a contrary Course to the world, 2, 137. Creator. God to be served as a Creator, 2, 187. Cr●●●ion, See Redemption. Creature. God shames men's pride by other Cr●atures, 1, 115, D Danger. What to do in times of Danger, 1, 129. Death, Dead. Men naturally Dead, 1, 141. Death what, Ibid. Death spiritual wherein it is, 1, 142. Sin itself a Death, 1, 144. Signs of spiritual Death, 1, 145. Difference in natural and spiritual Death, 1, 152. The best have remainders of Death▪ 1, 155. Every man under the law of Death, 2, 25. How we are under the law of Death, 2, 27. Sin and Death go together, 2, 28. freedom from sin and Death what, 2, 49. Difference in the Death of godly and wicked▪ 2, 216. See Sinne. Defect. Three main Defects in man, 1, 34. Defiled. The best actions of the best men Defiled, 1, 299 Delay. Repentance not to be Delayed, 1, 91. Danger of Delaying, 1, 92. Delight. Delight in Christ the ground of it, 1, 28. Desire, See Coming. Dying. There is a time of Dying as well as living, 2, 117. Devil. Carnal men better than the Devil would have them, 2, 11. Diligence. Diligence how stirred up, 1, 254. E Enemies. How far God suffers the Enemies of his children to prevail, 2, 75. See Against. Eternity. Eternity of misery should deter us from sin, 2, 30. Everlasting life. What meant by meat that endures to Everlasting life, 1, 175. Excellent, See Necessity. F Face. Face of God what, 1, 322. Conflict of faith when God hides his Face, 1, 323. God● Face how to be sought, 1, 324. Fade. Men Fade as leaves, how, 1, 315. Failing. How to make use of Christ in our Failings▪ 1, 49. Faith. How Faith doth that which Christ doth, 2, 45. To get into Christ by Faith, why, 2, 175. Faith draws near to God, 2, 137. Father. The consideration that God is our Father what it should work, 1, 326. Fathers who meant by them, 2, 223. When we die we are put to our Fathers, 2, 224. Feed, Food. Christ and his benefits why called Food, 1, 176. Difference of spiritual and corporal Food, 1, 182. How to know we have Fed on Christ, 1, 188. Motives to Feed on Christ, 1, 197. Formality. Formality in religion a forerunner of judgements, 1, 121. Freedom. Freedom acceptable, 2, 31. Freedom from all ill by Christ how, 2, 32. Freedom double, 2, 46. See Violence. Full. Christianity a Full state, 1, 232 G Generality. Generality in sin no plea, 1, 98. Generality of sin a forerunner of judgement, 1, 120. Generation. Generation what, 2, 171. An eternal Generation to be made sure, 2, 173. Every man hath his particular Generation, 2, 175. To observe the Generation we live in why, 2, 176. To take benefit by the good in our Generation, 2, 178. Not to be tainted with the sins of the Generation, 2, 180. We should labour to make the Generation we live in good, 2, 182. God. God is with his children, how, 2, 69. Ground of God's presence with his children, 2, 72. How to know God is with us, 2, 87. What course to take that God may be with us, 2, 90. To go from God, what, 2, 144 See Prayer. Godly. Difference between the Godly and others, 1, 96. Good. There is Good in our actions though they be defiled, 1, 300. We are advanced to the greatest Good by Christ, 2, 56 See Generation. Gospel. Difference of giving the Law and the Gospel, 1, 69. Gospel why disesteemed, 1, 266. Spirit effectual in the Gospel, 1, 267. Guilty. The best men Guilty of the sins of the times, 1, 291. H Happy. The judgement of the world who are Happy, 2, 18. Heaven. The Church the Kingdom of Heaven, 1, 326. Threefold signification of the Kingdom of Heaven, Ibid. Why grace, and the means of grace are called the Kingdom of Heaven, 1, 229. Help. Helps to do Gods will, 2, 197. See Outward. Hide. God sometimes Hides himself, 2, 86. Hold. We must stir up ourselves to lay Hold on God, 1, 308. Hopeful, See Violence. Horse. Wicked men compared to Horses, 1, 110. Humility. Humiliation. Grounds of Humiliation, 1, 16, 320. Humility why to be laboured for, 1, 73. Humiliation necessary, 1, 281. Kind's of Humiliation, 1, 282. Helps to Humiliation, 1, 283. Verbal Humiliation, 1, 287. Humiliation extraordinary, 1, 314. I Idolatry. Idolatry the ground of it, 1, 47. Image. Image of God defaced by sin, 1, 112. Importunate. Why to be Importunate with God, 1, 310. Imitation. Imitation of holy men needful, 2, 210. To take heed whom we Imitate, 2, 125, 231. Impregnable. The estate of a Christian Impregnable, 2, 78. Endeavour. Difference between Endeavours of Christians and others, 1, 256. See Success. Infirmities. Infirmities should not discourage us, 2, 85. Innocence. In what case to stand on our Innocence, 1, 303. judgement, judging. What meant by judgement, 1, 63, 113. judgements of God how spoken of amiss, 1, 85. How to speak aright of God's judgements, 1, 87. God offended when we repent not by his judgements, 1, 88 Neglect of self- judging the cause of misery, 1, 101. After long patience God sends judgements, 1, 117. judgements coming how known, Ibid. Sin to be looked to in judgements, 1, 318. justice, See Sin. K Kingdom. What things are in a Kingdom 1, 231. Excellency of Christ's Kingdom, 1, 268. See Heaven. L Labour. Labour for earthly things when immoderate, 1, 173. To Labour for Christ as food, 1, 216. Labour distinguisheth Christians from others, 1, 219. Language. Language of Scripture savoury, 2, 165. Law. Law what, 2▪ 5. See Gospel, Sin. Leprosy. Sin a Leprosy, 1, 294. Life. Life what, 1, 141. Life spiritual whence, 1, 142. Life in Christ, how, 2, 34. To serve God in the time of Life, 2, 184. Long Life not to be looked for, 2, 217. Not to repine if God give us Life, 2, 218. Lie. Grand- Lie in the Church of Rome, 2, 191. Love. Christ Loved of God how, 1, 22. Decay in our Love a forerunner of judgement, 1, 127. Lust. Comfort against rebellion of Lusts, 2, 51. M Marriage. Comfort by our Marriage with Christ, 2, 103. Means. Greatness of sinning against Means, 2, 179. Mourn. To Mourn for the sins of the times, 1, 130. N Name. God's children leave a good Name behind them, 2, 164. Nature. Things made use of in Scripture from Nature, 1, 116. To see what we are by Nature, 1, 150. Natural parts how to be used, 1, 153. Every one tainted by Nature, 1, 293. In actual sins to see the corruption of Nature, 1▪ 298. Near. God Near us how, 2, 145. How we are Near to God, 2, 146. Necessity. Necessity of what we pray for, 1, 309. Newters. Newters hateful to Christ, 1, 247. O Obedient. The Spirit given to the Obedient, 1, 58 Offices. Offices of Christ in what order performed, 1, 36. Old. God can convert Old sinners, 1, 154. Opposition. Grace increased by Opposition. 1, 260. Outward. Outward service alone not accepted, 1, 310. Outward helps to do Gods will, 2, 194. P Patience, See judgement. Peace. Four things trouble a Christians Peace, 2, 1. Perish. Meat that Perisheth what, 1, 167. Not to gain things that Perish with the loss of our souls, 1, 170. Plague. Sin worse than the Plague, 1, 297. Popery. To be thankful for freedom from Popery, 1, 266. Popery opposeth preaching, why, 1, 270. P●●er. Power of Christ to give himself and his benefits, 1. 201. Prayer. Prayer a means to obtain the Spirit, 1, 61. Forms of Prayer useful, 1, 278. Danger of neglecting Prayer, 1, 305. Prayer lays hold on God, 1, 307. To look for answer of our Prayers, 1, 312. Resignation of ourselves in Prayer, 1, 328. See Worship. Preaching. Grace wrought by Preaching, 1, 68 See Popery. Precious, See Violence. Priestly. Christ's Priestly office the principal, 1.37. Prerogatives. How to use our Prerogatives, 2, 52. Principles. Principle in a Christian double, 1, 302. Principles to be laid up, 2, 80. Prom●se●. Christ Promised in the Old Testament, 1, 3. Profaneness. Profaneness whence it is, 2, 152. Providence. To look to the end of God's Providence, 2, 135. Q Querie. It is good to propound Queries to ourselves, 2, 67. R Reason. Different conclusion of God's Word, and carnal Reason, 2, 135 Redemption. God's love greater in Redemption then in Creation, 1, 12, 26. Reflect. Man can Reflect upon his actions, 1, 100 Repentance. Late Repentance seldom true, 1, 92. Benefit of lively Repentance, 1, 95. See Sinne. Reproach. Reproach not to be regarded, 1, ●45. Resolution. Ground of Resolution, 2, 219. Riches. To carry ourselves answerable to our Riches, 1, 48. Rule. Properties of a Rule appliable to God's Word▪ 2, 190. Rule, how to be applied in particular actions, 2, 194. See Word. S Salvation. Christ as man chosen to Salvation, 1, 19 Saints. To delight in the communion of Saints, 2, 225. Sanctuary. Benefit of entering God's Sanctuary, 2, 135. Satan. When we are under Satan, 2, 10. Scripture. How to understand the Scripture, 2, 164. Sealing. Se●ling of Christ, what, 1, 201. What use to make of Christ's Sealing, 1, 204. How to know Christ is Sealed for our good, 1, 205, 209. Sealing threefold, 1, 206. Sealing of th● Spirit, what, 1, 207. Servant, Service. Christ a Servant, how, 1, 7. Comfort, that Christ was a Servant, 1, 17. To offer Christ in our Service to God, 1, 20. Danger of deferring God's Service, 2, 184. God the object of our Service, 2, 186. Service what, 2, 188, 203. Common actions a Service of God, how, 2, ●12. Qualification of our Service of God, 2, 214. See Life. Shaken. God's children Shaken, why, 2, 141. Secret. Secret will of God no rule, 2, 190. Security. Security a forerunner of judgement, 1, 119. Sight. Sin takes away the Sight of itself, 2, 21. Sinne. The hurt we have by Sin, 1, 90. Particular Sins foreshowing judgements, 1, 121. Naturally we are under Sin, 2, 5. Sin threefold, Ibid. Justice of God to give men up to Sin, 2, 8. Misery to be under Sin, 2, 9 Fruit of thraldom to Sin, 2, 16 Men not given up to all Sin alike, 2, 22. We should see death in our Sins, 2, 28. See Generality, Death, Leprosy, judgement. Sleep. The death of the godly a Sleep, 2, 220. Society. Society with carnal men to be avoided, 1, 151. Soul. The Soul chiefly to be cared for, 2, 228. Spirit. How to know we have the Spirit, 1, 30. Degrees of receiving the Spirit, 1, 32. The Spirit put on Christ how, 1▪ 33. Spirit given, and received by Christ how, 1, 38. Three things we receive by the Spirit, 1, 42. How Christ gives the Spirit, 1, 55. Spirit in Christ how, 2, 36. Means to get the Spirit, 2, 123. See Ascention, Gospel, Stir, See Hold. Strength. God the Strength of a Christian, 2, 79. Success, Succession. Christian's endeavours Successful, 1, 255. There is a Succession of men, 2, 172. Sufferings. Service of God in our sufferings, 2, 209, 214. Supply. Our Supply whence it is, 1, 46. T Table. Service of God in obeying the second Table. 2, 205, 207. Tast. Taste a most necessary sense, 1, 193. Temptation. Comfort in Temptation, 2, 53. Thankful, See Popery. Thraldom, See Sin. Time, Times. Time when especially to be improved, 1, 129. Why to make use of Time, 2, 173. How our Times both miserable and happy, 2, 177. To serve God our whole Time, 2, 183. God's children must serve their Time, 2, 218. Every man's Time allotted by God, 2, 219. Tyranny. Tyranny of sin, 2, 19 V Vainglory. Vainglory why to be avoided, 1, 72. Value. Ground whence to Value Christians, 1, 30. By what God Values his children, 2, 167. Violence, Violent. Violence offered the Kingdom of Heaven how, 1, 233. Christian's disposition Violent how, 1, 235. Ground of this Violence, ●, 236 To judge our estate by our Violence, 1, ●41. Violence after outward things, 1, 242. Violent only take Heaven, 1, 251. Freedom of grace enforceth Violence, 1, 253. Holy Violence hopeful, 1, 254 Precious things require Violence, 1, 259. Exhortation to holy Violence, 1, 61. Gospel in Luther's time embraced with Violence why, 1, 265. How to get holy Violence, 1, 271. See Wisdom. Understandings. How to use our Understandings, 1.102. Vnfruitfullnesse. Vnfruitfullnesse a forerunner of judgement, 1, 126 Vs. All good in Christ before in Us, 1▪ 40. How the Spirit takes from Christ and gives to Us, 1, 41. How the Spirit is put on Christ for Us, 1, 50. What Christ did was for Us, 2, 41. W Washings. Washings in the Law what they signified, 1, 295. watchfulness. watchfulness when requisite, 1, 130. Will. Will of Christ to give himself, 1, 119. Will of God known and not done aggravates sin, 2, 201. Will-worship. Will-worship why forbidden, 2, 189. Wind. Wicked men blown away as with a Wind. 1, 317. Wisdom. What violence may stand with Wisdom, 1, 244. Wisdom in man corrupted, 2, 21. Wisdom justified by whom, 2, 140. Word. Spirit given in the Ministry of the Word, 1, 55. Written Word the rule of our service, 2, 189. World. Business of the World hinders consideration, 1, 104. Worldly things to be neglected why, 1, 171. Christians rule of life not from the World. 2, 138. Ill courses of the World settle God's children, 2, 139. Worship. Prayer put for all God's Worship, 1, 304. FINIS.