EVANGELICALL SACRIFICES. In nineteen. Sermons. 1. Thankful commemorations for God's mercy in our great deliverance from the Papists powder-plot. 2. The successful seeker. 3. Faith Triumphant. 4. Special preparations to fit us for our latter end in four Funeral Sermons. 5. The faithful Covenanter. 6. The demand of a good Conscience. 7. The sword of the wicked. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS. Doctor in Divinity, Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. The third Tome. Published and perused by D. Sibbs own appointment, subscribed with his hand to prevent imperfect Copies after his decease. ROMANS 12. 1. I beseech you brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. LONDON, Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R. Harford, at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row. 1640. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE EDWARD, Viscount MANDEVILL and his LADY ANNE, his Pious Consort, increase of GRACE.. Right Honourable, A Pious Christian whilst upon earth, takes his time to do his task, he is or would be, all in grace, and all to duty; well knowing that the time is short, the work great, the wages sure; and that the best improvement of parts and talents will bring in the master the greatest advantage, and himself the present and most lasting comforts: This is the fruit of a well led life, to advance God in glory and a Christian in comfort: such as serve God in fulfilling his will must to heaven, carry their graces with them, enter into their master's joy, & if they be eminent in profession or public in place, leave behind them their example, or some other monument to the world of their fidelity in their places; happy such servants that can thus employ their times and improve their talents: This was the endeavour of that shining, and burning lamp D. Sibbs the author of this work which I now make bold to present unto your Honours; such holy and useful truths were delivered by him in his life time, that the judicious conceive, may prove very profitable unto the Church, being published after his death; I conceive thus of the man; what he did in his ministry in public, or in his conference in private, it was done aptly, pithily and profitably; his art was to hide his art, & Artis est celare artem. to say much in few words; he did not desire to cloud his matter from his hearers, or to walk so long about any one text, till errors were vented, or his auditors tired; you shall find him to be himself & one constant to his own principles, all along the treatise; here you have no new errors broached, or old truths deserted, but opened maintained and honoured, the glory of teachers, expectation of hearers, and recompense of readers. Having found this to be your Honour's honour (and let it still be) to content yourselves with humble knowledge, cordial respect & vital expressions of received truths, that you are not in number with those that change their judgements, (and I fear their religion) as they do their friends and fashions; being constant in inconstancy, and that with you it is not, truths Non ex personis probamus fidem, sed ex fide personas, Tertul. for persons, but persons for truth. I doubt not the admittance of these Sermons unto your respect & patronage; my only request is, that as the author did honour you, so these labours of his (now made public) may be as so many divine beams, holy breathe, and celestial droppings, to raise up your spirits to hate the dominion of the Beast, to help forward the ruin of mystical Jericho, and all other Unprosperous buildings, and builders; that you may become Successful seekers, gaining faith Triumphant, to acquaint you with the Hidden life, that at length you may obtain the redemption of your bodies, knowing that Balaams' wish is not enough, unless the faithful Covenanter take you into covenant with himself, this alone yielding to you the demand of a good conscience, which shall be your defence against the Sword of reproach. These I leave with you, and you with God, and rest, Your Honours at command, JOHN SEDGWICK. To the Reader. SO precious the remembrance should be of GOD'S thoughts of mercy to us-ward, when he delivered us from that hellish plot of the Gunpowder Treason, that if there were nothing else to commend this Treatise to us, the first Sermons here presented to us, which were preached upon that occasion, may justly procure it a ready and hearty welcome. When GOD works such wonders for a Church and people as that was, it is not enough to praise GOD for the present, and to rejoice greatly in the great salvation He hath wrought for them; yea the more a people are in such a case affected for the present, the more inexcusable they must needs be, if afterward they slight and disregard it, and that because their former joy proves, they were throughly convinced of the greatness of the mercy, and so discovers their following ingratitude to be the more abominable; whence it was that when jonathan put his Father Saul in mind how David killed Goliath, and thereby had wrought a great deliverance for them (to the end he might no longer seek his ruin, that had been the means of so much good to GOD'S people) withal he wished him to consider that he himself stood by, an eyewitness of that Noble exploit of david's, and was then mightily affected with joy when he saw that formidable Giant fall under his hand, Thou sawest it (saith he) and didst rejoice, 1 Sam. 19 5. intimating, how inexcusable it would be, if he should forget that deliverance, concerning which himself had been so wondrously affected when it was done. As therefore we have great cause to bewail the general decay of men's thankfulness for this great deliverance (at ●…e first discovery of that cursed plot, ●…r mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing all the Land over, and every man could say, The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad, as Psal. 126. 2, 3. and yet now scarce one amongst many is affected with it (as in former times) so have we also great cause to bless GOD for the holy alarms of God's Watchmen, whereby they have endeavoured to stir up those that are fallen from their first joy, and so amongst the rest for these of Reverend D. SIBBS, the Author of them, wherein he hath so feelingly set forth the misery of that Antichristian ●…ondage, from which we were delivered 〈◊〉 that Deliverance, that methinks he ●…hat reads them with due care must ●…eeds find his heart rousing up itself, ●…s Deborah did, Awake, awake, Deborah, ●…wake, awake, utter a song, judg. 5. 12. As for the other Sermons, which in this third Tome, be styled Evangelicall Sacrifices, which are published together with these, you shall find them no less profitable than these, though in divers other respects. The most of them tend to fit Christians for their latter end (a work of greatest importance) & do so sweetly set before our eyes that recompense of reward reserved for us in heaven, that I hope many of that brood of travellers, the generation of those that seek●… God's face and favour here on earth, shall find them a great help to the finishing of their course with joy, and others shall be wakened, that are too ready to slumber and forget whither they are going to strive to enter in at the straight gate, and not to content themselves with a lazy Balaams' wish; which, Reader, let us seek from him, who only gives the blessing, to whose Grace I commen●… thee, resting still, Thine in the hearty desire of thy Spiritual welfare, Arthur Jackson. THE BEAST'S DOMINION over Earthly KINGS. A Sermon preached upon the 5th of November, in remembrance of Our Deliverance from the Papists Powder-Treason. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS. Doctor in Divinity, Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. REVEL. 16. 14. For they are the Spirits of Devils working Miracles, which go forth to the Kings of the earth. LONDON, Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R. Harford, at the Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row. 1639. THE BEAST'S DOMINION over Earthly KINGS. REVEL. 17. 7. For God hath put into their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree to give up their Kingdoms to the Beast, until the Word of God shall be fulfilled. THE occasion of this day's solemnity hath been long and well known, and we have often in this place spoken of it; and it were a thing not unseasonable for the day, to set out in its lively colours that facinorous act, which will scarcely be credible to posterity, it exceeds my conceit to set it out in the right colours: I have therefore taken a text tending that way, and serving for our present purpose. It pleaseth our blessed Saviour out of his love to his Church, not only to give directions what to do, and what not to do, what to believe, and what not to believe, but to foretell likewise all future calamities, that so the Church might be fore-armed, and might not be surprised with terror upon the sight of some sudden or strange accident; as especially the flourishing estate of Antichrist: He therefore foretells all, both the beginning, the growth, the strength, the proceeding, and at last the destruction of that Man of Sin. The Church in this world is always under some prophecy, it is always under somewhat that is unfulfilled; for until we come to heaven there is not an accomplishment of all prophecies. This Book is a setting down of prophecies of future events to the end of the world. This Chapter sets out in lively colours the state of the Pontificality, the state of Rome, under the Bishop of Rome, the Pope: and not the state of Rome under the Heathen Emperors. It sets down likewise the judgement of God in this life upon this Beast, and upon the Whore that sits upon the Beast. The description is large in the former part of the Chapter, it would take up a great deal of time to unfold that; but because I have divers other things to speak of, I will pass that by. The judgement of God upon the Beast and Whore, is set down partly in the verse before the Text: The ten Horns which thou sawest upon the Beast shall hate the Whore, and make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire, for God hath put into their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree to give up their Kingdoms to the Beast, etc. Here the judgement is set down, what it is, and by whom it shall be, by the ten Horns; that is, the ten Kings; and secondly, what they shall do, and that is set down in order. First, these ten Horns, these ten Kings, Western Kings, They shall hate the Whore. Hatred is the beginning of all actions that are offensive; for it is the strongest, and stiffest affection of ill, as love is the strongest of good affections, They shall hate the Whore: It is not only anger, but hatred. They shall make her desolate and naked; that is the second degree, they shall leave her, they shall strip this Strumpet of her ornaments and strength, whereby she set out herself. They shall eat her flesh, that's the third; that is what they have given her before to enrich her, withal, that which made her in such well liking, that which commended her, that wh●…ch is her living, the riches of the Pope's Clergy gotten (most of it) by ill means they shall take from her. But that is not all, but there is a higher degree than all this, They shall burn the Whore with fire. So that in the foregoing verse you see is set down what the judgement is, and who shall bthe Executioners of this judgement. But why must all this come to pass? He riseth to the highest cause: God hath put into their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree with one consent to give their kingdoms to the Beast: God afterwards put into their minds to hate the Beast. So that in this verse is the severity, and the mercy of God, his justice and his goodness: His severity in putting into the hearts of these Kings to agree with one consent, to give up their kingdoms to the Beast. A great judgement so to besot them: but here is a limitation of that severity at last, till the time come, until the Word of God shall be fulfilled; that is, until they shall cease to be thus deluded by the Bishop of Rome, and then they shall begin to hate the Whore, as much as ever they were deluded by her, and shall eat her flesh, and consume her with Fire. For the explication of these words, they being somewhat hard, I will spend a little time to unfold them. And first I must show who is this Beast. For God hath put into their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree to give up their Kingdoms to the Beast. The Beast is mentioned in three places in the Revelation, in the ninth Chapter there is mention of the Beast coming out of the bottomless Pit; and in the 13. of the Beast that rose out of the Sea; and here in this 17. of a scarlet coloured Beast, having seven heads and ten horns. The Beast (in a word) is the state of Rome, sometime under the heathenish Emperors, sometime under the Pontificality: the Question is, whether the Beast here spoken of be the state of Rome, under the Roman persecuting Emperors before Christianity prevailed much, or the state of Rome under the usurpation of the Bishop of Rome? I answer, undoubtedly it is here meant of the state of Rome as it is upheld, the Whore. The Beast, that Beast: For it is meant here of one that seduced by lying miracles, of one that should come in a mystery, of one that should deal with fornication, and such courses. Now heathenish Rome it overcame men by violence, and by force, and not by whorish insinuations, by drawing them on to Idolatry: It is said in the fifth verse, that upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great, Mother of Harlots: Babylon in a Mystery, and this Mystery is a great word too with them: the Mystery of the Mass, in every thing there is a Mystery, all their Ceremonies are Mysteries: This word Mystery therefore in the forehead of the Whore, showeth what Beast it is, that is here meant. It is observed by divers Writers, that in the Frontlet of the Pope's Diadem, there is written this name, Mysterium, as in julius the seconds time; but afterwards when they smelled that he was construed thereby, to be the very Whore, they razed out that, and put in julius secundus, etc. And she sits upon many waters, She sits, mark, the Spirit of God will not suffer us to err: what is the regiment of the Pope called, Sitting? such a Pope sat so long, the Whore sits in the very phrase, and what is the seat called? the See of Rome, the See of Antichrist: Divers other particular things there are to show that he means Rome; that is, the state of Rome under the Bishop of Rome to be the Beast here spoken of. Especially considering the connexion of this Chapter with that following, where is set down the final destruction of this Beast: now we know that heathenish Rome ended long ago; therefore that Beast which is here meant must needs be that which follows in the next Chapter, and therefore it must needs be Rome, as it is under the Bishop, the Pope of Rome. It is said in the 13. Chapter, that this Beast made the former Beast to speak, did enliven and quicken the former Beast; so indeed this Beast, Rome considered under the Pope, which succeeds that Beast, Rome as it was under the Roman Emperors, quickens the former Beast: for now all is as glorious as ever it was in heathenish Rome: For after that the Goths and Vandals had possessed Rome, the Pope put some life into the Empire of Rome, and did himself become Emperor. For indeed the Emperor of Germany, though he be entitled King of Rome, yet that is but a mere titular thing, the Eagle is deplumed of her fea●…thers, of her authority; it is only the title he bears: And if any Emperor come to Rome, the Pope will make him swear fealty, and he must not long stay in Rome, he cannot endure that. And it is well said in the Revelation, that this Beast is the Image of the former Beast, for the Pope is altogether like the Emperors, almost in every thing. For the Emperors were crowned: The Pope for failing hath three Crowns: The Emperors had their scarlet: this is a purple coloured Whore in scarlet; They spoke the Latin tongue, and forced all nations almost to speak Latin, as a monument of their slavery. So all in the Popish Church is in latin, their prayers in Latin, all in latin, even for the simple and sottish people to use. Ancient heathen Rome had their grave Senators; the Pope hath his Cardinals. The heathen Emperors, as Domitian and others would be adored as Gods: So likewise is the Pope of Rome adored, and mark the slight; he hath a Crucifix upon his feet, and Kings must kiss that, & so with adoring of the Cross they adore his person, as they did Heliodorus, that heathen Emperor. Thus in every thing almost they agree with ancient Rome, and in many other things I might run over their likeness to the former Beast. Now this Beast (to describe him a little better, that we might know what these Kings did, when they gave up their Kingdoms and Thrones to the Beast.) It is said in the 13. chapter, that the Dragon gave power to the Beast: the Dragon is the Devil; and as he wrought effectually in the former Beast in heathen Rome, to make war with the Saints, so is this Beast, Pontifical Rome stirred up, and acted by the Devil, the Dragon to persecute the Church: So that this Beast hath the power, and the spirit of the Dragon, the Devil himself. And that you may discern that I do them no wrong, consider how the Dragon, and this Beast (which is moved, and lead, and acted by the spirit of the Dragon) agree in their courses. I will name two or three to you. The Dragon's course is to make us distrust God; you know how in Paradise he taught our first Parents to distrust the word of God, Ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. So the force of Popery is to dishonour, and to discredit God's truth, to put out the people's eyes, to lead them blindfold, to make the Scripture a matter of error and heresy, and bid the people take heed of it; as if God meant to deceive them, to go beyond them in giving them his Word; as though it were not a word of salvation. As the Dragon himself said to Christ, If thou wilt fall down and worship me, all these will I give thee: So the Pope takes upon him the Dragon's power, these that will be good sons of their Church, these and these preferments will he give them, when he hath as much right to them as the Devil had to those. The Devil fell from heaven at the preaching of the Word, at the preaching of the Gospel; the Apostles when they returned from preaching, told our Saviour that they saw Satan fall down like lightning. So Antichrist falls by the preaching of the Gospel, by the breath of the Lords mouth, he is not able to stand before it no more than Dagon before the Ark; the Word preached is as fire to consume him, so he is like the Dragon in that. In disposition he is like the Dragon: The Devil is a Liar and a Murderer from the beginning, the father of lies; so likewise the Pope is a Liar, all Popery is nothing but lies; therefore 2 Thess. 2. it is said, They are given over to believe lies, Popery is a grand lie, it is a lie in the primacy,; for it came in by forgery and intrusion, it is a lie in Purgatory, which is a mere conceit; it is a lie in their miracles, which they have devised to maintain their false worship with; It is a lie in their works of supererogation, that they can fulfil more than the Law requireth. So that all Popery consider it distinctly from our Religion (because they have that which we have, and some patches of their own) consider it by itself, it is a mere lie. Besides that, they maintain the doctrine of Equivocation, which is a lie, a justifier of lies, which is worst of all. And to murder; this present day and occasion tells us that murders come from them, their Doctrine maintains it, and they make orations in commendations of Traitors, as Sixtus Quintus did in praise of him, that killed Henry the third, King of France, and the bloody Massacre of France is pictured up in the Pope's Court: As the Devil is a Liar and a Murderer, so is this Son of the Devil, who is led by the Spirit of the Dragon, in disposition they are alike. In course of life they are alike. The Dragon is said to draw the third part of the stars of heaven down to the earth; that is, to draw men which were as the stars of heaven, to make them deny their Religion. So this Dragon, this Pope, the instrument and vassal of Satan, he draws the third part of the stars from heaven, and he draws men from the love of the truth by preferment and honour, men that are learned, men that are otherwise of excellent parts, he draws them from heaven to earth; that is, he draws them from the knowledge of the truth and goodness to earth, and lower than earth too if they do not repent, even to hell itself from whence he came. Thus I might go on to show that this Beast is Rome under the Pontificality, and not Rome under the Heathen Emperors: likewise that this Beast is acted, lead, and guided by the spirit of the Dragon, by reason of the resemblance which it holds parallel with him in these and other things. So much for explication of this Beast. But why is the state of Rome called the Beast? Daniel first knew the great Empires, the one of Babylon, called a Lion, the Persian Monarchy, a Bear, the Grecian a Leopard; but here in this Chapter is a strange Beast, that hath all the cruelty and fierceness of all those Monarchies: Called therefore a Beast for her fierceness and cruelty. God's Church they are sheep and lambs, Christ himself the Lamb of God, the opposite Church of Antichrist, a Beast, acruel Beast. If you go to plants, God's Church are lilies, the opposite kingdom are thorns. If you go to Fowls, God's Church are Doves, Turtles, mild and gentle, the opposite Church are Eagles and birds of prey. But I say they are called Beasts, for their cruelty: The state of Rome under those heathenish Emperors was a Beast, and in those ten persecutions the Emperors are rightly called Beasts; so likewise Rome Papal is a Beast. Our Religion, true Religion entertained makes of Beasts men, the true knowledge of Christ altars their natures, turns Lions into Lambs, as the Prophet saith, Isa. 11. But the Popish religion, it makes of men beasts, makes them worse than themselves: For these Gun powder-traytors, many of them as they were by birth Gentlemen, so their dispositions were gentle and mild, divers of them, not of the worst dispositions, only that bloody Religion made them worse than their nature was: So I say Papal Rome is a Beast, and popish religion makes men beasts. Well, I will not enlarge myself in the uses of this point, because I shall speak of it afterward, if the time will give me leave, only this, have nothing to do with this Beast, keep out of her paws, keep out of her claws: A Lion, or a cruel Beast may seem to be calm for a while, but a Lion will (as we say) show a Lion's trick once a year. Meddle not therefore with this Beast, it is a Beast; so much for that, what the Beast is, the state of Rome under the Bishop of Rome. For God hath put into their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree to give up their kingdoms to the Beast. Whose? The Angel sets down in the verse before, the ten Horns, the ten Kings; the ten western Kings, whether it be a certain number for an uncertain, or whether it be a certain number, I will not dispute of now, but take it so as it cannot be disputed against, a certain number for an uncertain: A number of the Western Kings gave up their kingdoms for a while to the Beast, until the Word of God should be fulfilled. But mark the phrase, God put it into their hearts to give up their kingdoms to the Beast. Will God put into their hearts to give up their kingdoms to the Beast? why then the Pope of Rome need not pretend Constantine's donation, that he 300. years after Christ gave unto them many territories about Rome: But they may depend upon a higher donation, God put it into the hearts of the Kings to give up their kingdoms to the Beast: Here is a higher title than the donation of Constantine. But we must know that this is not meant, as if God gave him a right, by putting into the hearts of the Kings to give up their kingdoms to the Beast: but God seeing these ten Horns, these ten Kings to be in a sinful estate, who deserved to be left of him, and to be given up to further illusion, and by withdrawing his grace to give them up to the occasions of sin, to this seducing Beast and Whore, he put into their hearts to give up their kingdoms to the Beast. But this must be a little cleared. Is God the Author of sin? God put it into their hearts, he did not only rule the events, but he put into their hearts, etc. I answer: The phrases of the Scripture are well enough known in this kind. God gave them up to a reprobate sense, Rom. 1. 12. The falling of the people from Rehoboam, it is said, it was of the Lord; And God bade Shemei rail, divers such phrases there are in the Scripture: How must these be understood? thus. Not that God doth allow or command any thing that is evil, much less that he doth infuse any evil into men, so that, when it is said he put these things into their hearts, here is neither an outward command, nor an inward infusion; what is it then? Here is a finding of them in an evil and sinful estate, and God useth that evil and mischief, and wickedness that he finds to his own end, and purpose, He infuseth no malice or evil, but finding of it he useth it to his own particular end and purpose, & makes way and vent for it upon particular occasions. These ten Kings, he infuseth no love of superstition into them, but finding them evil, and not as they should be Subjects of his kingdom, and misliking his sweet government, it was just with God to give them up to be slaves to the Beast, & by consequence to the Devil himself, that spoke and wrought by the Beast: So I say God took away the impediments, and opened a way to their evil disposition: He used their evil disposition to this or that particular thing, even as a Workman that finds an ill piece of timber, he makes not the timber ill, but when he finds it ill, he useth it to his own good purpose; and as a man (it is Luther's comparison) as a man that moves a Horse that is lame, he doth not put lameness into the Horse, but useth him to his own purpose being lame; so God finding these men evil in the general, he directs this ill into particular courses, to work itself this way, and not that, in this particular action, not in that: For God although he be not the Author of evil, yet he is the Orderer of it, and he determines and directs it, both to the object, and also to that end which he pleaseth. In a word, consider sin in three distinct times, before the commission, in it, and upon the performance: Before, God doth not command it, nor infuse it, but disallow and forbid it: In the sin, he permits it to be done; how? by substracting of his grace, in not working, then by offering occasions that are good in themselves: And thirdly by tradition, by giving men up to Satan; as here the Beast is given up to Satan, and the Kings were given up to the Beast: So that God gives men up by substraction of his grace, and by tradition, and then he doth uphold them in the committing of sin, upholds the powers: And when it is done, applies them to this particular, and not to that particular: In the doing of it, he limits it, he sets the bounds of it, both for the time of it, as also for the measure of it, as here in the Text: Thus long shall the ten Kings give up their Crowns to the Beast; and thus far shall they go, until the time come, that the Word of God shall be fulfilled: so he limits sin in the committing of it, both for the measure, and also for the time: The Rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the back of the righteous. Thus you see the meaning of the words, God will put into their hearts; that is, by withdrawing of his grace, which they deserved by their sinful courses; and offering to them this Man of sin, this Beast, which shall come with such efficacies of error, so that his grace being withdrawn, and they given up to the Devil, to Satan, and the Beast, they shall without doubt be deluded, and seduced, but with this limitation, until the time come, that the Word of God shall be fulfilled, I might be large in this point, but it is not so suitable to the occasion, only somewhat must be said for the unfolding of the Text: So much therefore for that. God put into their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree to give up their Kingdoms to the Beast. They agree all unto it, and therefore it was not a thing done by force: Rome, and the heathen Emperors did compel men, did overcome men by force of Arms; these agree, it was a voluntary, and a free act in them; necessary it was in regard of God's judgement, but it was free and voluntary in regard of themselves, for with one consent they gave up their Kingdoms to the Beast. Thus having unfolded the meaning, we come to observe some truths and conclusions that do arise out of the words. I will not mention all, or the most that might be observed, but only some special. God put into their hearts to give up their Kingdoms to the Beast. Here first of all from this ariseth, God's special providence in Ill, in the greatest evil that can be there is his special providence apparent; God put into their hearts to give up their Kingdoms to the Beast: Observe here many acts of his Providence, the withdrawing of his grace, the giving them up to Satan, and to ill occasions, the presenting them with good occasions, which meeting with an ill disposition makes them worse; for good occasions meeting with an ill disposition makes it worse, makes it rage the more; as the stopping of a torrent makes it rage and swell the more; as also the limitation of all this, until his Word shall be fulfilled; thus in this work, Heaven and Earth and Hell meet in one action: Thus it was in that great action of the crucifying of our blessed Saviour, there is the action of God, in giving his Son to be a sweet Sacrifice, and the action of judas, and the Devil in him betraying of Christ, and the action of the Soldiers, in crucifying him. Saint Augustine in the unfolding of this point, of the Providence of God in Evil, observes how many may concur in one action, God without blame, man without excuse: God without blame, he finds men ill, and leaves men (deserving to be left) he takes away his grace, and as a judge gives men up to Satan: Man without excuse, because man works willingly, They with one consent gave up their Kingdoms to the Beast. That is the first. The second is this, that the will of man may be swayed by divine governance, and yet notwithstanding work most willingly, and freely. Here, God puts into their hearts to do this, and yet they willingly, and with one consent gave their Crowns to the Beast. God first hath his Providence in ill, and then that providence is such, that it doth not rob man of his liberty, because God finding man in an ill course, he forceth him not to this or that particular ill, but directs him only: The hearts of Kings are in the hand of the Lord, as the Rivers of waters. A Man when he findeth a River of water, he doth not make the stream, but only makes way, that it may run this or that way, as it pleaseth him; so God, finding the hearts of Kings, or the hearts of any, as the Rivers of water, He opens vent, that they should run this, and not that way; that they should be given to this, and not to that, here is the action of God, and yet the free liberty of man. But how could this be free, when they ●…ould not avoid it? I answer, they were not privy to Gods directing, they worked not in conscience of Gods moving, but they followed their own ●…usts and will: Between God's work and Man's will, there is always sin: God never works immediately in Man's will; for Man's will is free, but Man's sinful freewill is the ●…ext cause in sin: Although God put it in●…o their hearts, yet he found them sinfully disposed. And then, the judgement is not bound or ●…yed. The hearts of these Kings told them, that they might give their Crowns, or not give them to the Beast, their judgement saw they had reason to do it, though their judgement were corrupt; so, a sinner sees reason to do this or that, and although it be corrupt reason, yet it moves him at that time, his judgement is not bound up, but God lets his judgement be free, though he take away his heavenly light, and so he judges perversely That's the second. The third is, That it is a terrible judgement of God to be given up to a man's own will, to leave a man to his own consents. It is here spoken by way of judgement, That God put it into their hearts to give up their Kingdoms to the Beast. And indeed so it is a terrible judgement. There are some objections to be taken away, for the clearing of this weighty point. How is it a judgement, or a punishment, when it is voluntary? They willingly gave up their Kingdoms. I answer, the more voluntary, and free a man is in sin, the more and greater the judgement is; and as when sin is more restrained, either inwardly by the Spirit, and by the conscience, or outwardly by the Laws and terror, the more mercifully God deals with men, so the more free the current of the disposition runs in ill ways, the more wretched a man is. Yea, but will the heart of some Atheistical person presently say, what punishment is it, as long as I have liberty in evil, and meet with no hindrance in my courses, and feel no harm, but rather the contrary, as many that get their riches by ill means, and those great Papists, those great Usurpers, we see what estates they get to themselves. I answer, Spiritual judgements are so much the greater, by how much they are less sensible, because if they be not sensible to us here, they will be the more sensible to us hereafter: And those that have their will most here, shall suffer most against their will hereafter: It is the greatest judgement in this world, for a man to have his will in sinful courses: He that shall make an Idol of his will (especially a man that is in great place of Honour) that shall make all ways serve for the accomplishment of his will, when he hath ●…t, he is the most miserablest man in the world; ●…or he that hath his will most in courses unjustifiable, shall suffer most against his will, when he cometh to a reckoning: such men therefore are the more miserable, because such taking themselves to be absolute persons, and their ways the best ways, though they have many determents from their base courses, yet they will hear no counsel; and therefore the ●…rder to be reclaimed; It doth not therefore take away from their punishment, but rather aggravate it. I beseech you let me press this a little, that these judgements are great judgements (although we do not feel them) when with a free consent we give ourselves unto ill: It is a heavy judgement when God leaves us to our own lusts, and takes away the guidance of his Spirit, we had better that God should give us up to the Devil for a while to be tormented, we had better be in Hell (if a man might come out at a certain time) then to be given up all our life time, to do with our own consent and will, that which is liking to our own will and lust; because by yielding to our own will, we yield to the Devil that rules in a Man's affections and will: For a Man's affections, when they are carried to evil, they are the Chariots of Satan; when the Devil sees excessive sinful affections; as excessive sinful joy, and delight in sinful pleasures; he being about us, is always carried in these affections, and carries us also strongly in the ways that lead unto eternal perdition. We judge, when a man suffers some outward punishment, as casting into prison, or the loss of his sight, oh he is infearfull case; but what is the case of a man blinded by Satan, and his own lus●…s? A man that is a slave to his own base affections, and by consequent to the Devil, which rules in his affections, and so consequently to damnation; A man that lies under the wrath of God, that hath no heart to repent; If a man had spiritual eyes, to consider the case of that man, he would never pity so much the case of those men that suffer outward losses, as he would pity those which he sees to live, and oftentimes to die in evil courses of life. This should therefore be an use of direction to us, that seeing we hear, that God rules the hearts of men, that he takes away his Spirit, and leaves men to occasions, we should pray to God to rule our hearts himself; Lord take thou the rule of our hearts to govern them thyself: It was a good prayer of the Ancient Church, Oh God from whom all holy desires, and all good counsels do proceed, etc. Indeed it is he from whom all good counsels do proceed. These ten Horns, they were ten Kings, no doubt but as they were men of great place, so of great parts, but without God's Spirit, without his light, the greatest and the wisest man is but mad, he is as a man out of his wits, puzzeled in darkness, and knows not which way to go. When God gives men over to their own lusts to their blind affections, they lead men to judgement, & they must needs fall into the pit. Let us desire God to put into our hearts holy desires, holy purposes; for from him all holy desires come; let us desire him not only to govern our estate, and to preserve our bodies from danger; but Lord keep thou our hearts, we cannot keep our hearts of ourselves, do thou bend our understandings, bow our affections, and our wills, that they may run in the right way. And (to stir us up to this the more) we must know, that that Evil which we do not, we are beholding to God for, as much as for the good we do. Why do not men, having an ill disposition, and corruptature, do ill? Because God offers not occasions of ill; if God should offer occasions, they would commit the Evil as well as others; It is God that puts into men's hearts to hate that Evil: If God should take away his Spirit, men would not hate evil, when occasions are offered, as these men did not, when the occasion was offered, They gave up their kingdoms and thrones to the Beast. So that we are beholding to God, for all the ill that we do not, either it is his not offering occasions, or else his giving us strength in the occasions. This we forget. We are apt to say, this wicked man hath done this, this good man is fallen into this, this man hath done that: but where is our devotion at this time? we should rather say, Lord it was thee for causes thou best knowest, for if thou hadst left me (especially when occasions were presented and offered, and there was a correspondent corruption in my heart) to close with the occasion, I had fallen into the like sin, it was thy keeping, and not my goodness. One thing more, the Beast is expressed before in Chapter 13. to be lead by the Devil. So that howsoever the Devil, who by Saint Paul is called the God of this world, and the Pope the subordinate Vicar to the Devil (and so by consequence he is the Devil, for the Devil, the Dragon rules him:) Howsoever I say there be the Devil, the God of this world, and the Pope in this world, the Vicar of that Dragon, yet there is but one Monarch, one that rules all, both Devil and Pope, and all the wicked limbs of both to his own ends. It was God that put it into the hearts of these Kings to give up their Kingdoms to the Beast: It is he alone that is absolute, that gives the liberty of the Chain, both to men and devils: Thus far they shall go, and no further. It is a good saying of the Schools, There is no Ill so ill, as there is good that is good, there is not any ill so strong, as God is good: but every ill must come under the government of God: The Devil himself, nor the vile heart of man cannot go out of his rule, yet may run out of his Commandments, but than it runs into his justice, he may go against the revealed will of God, but then he runs into his secret will: there is no Ill, Ill in that degree, that God is good, but every Ill is in somewhat, and from somewhat, and for somewhat that is good, as it is overruled by God. The crucifying of Christ, which was the worst action that ever was, yet it tended to the greatest good, viz. the salvation of mankind. So this giving to the Beast, of these ten Thrones, by these ten Kings, it was a sin, and a punishment of their sin, but it was for a good end, as we shall see afterward, if the time will give leave. This should teachus absolute dependence, and subjection to this great God; they need fear no creatures, that fear God, they need fear no Devil, nor Turk, nor Pope, nor all the limbs of them, for God is the absolute Monarch of the world, he can do what he will, and if God be on our side, who can be against us? It is said, that he is a wise Politician, that can make his own ends out of his enemy's designs: The great Governor of heaven and earth can do so; He can put a hook into the nostrils of the Leviathans of this world, and can draw them, and rule them as he pleaseth; they may do many things, but it shall be all to accomplish his ends and purposes, they shall do his will: God put it into the hearts of these Kings to fulfil his will; (He) put it into their hearts, to agree to give up their kingdoms to the Beast; and so they did submit themselves to Antichrist, for a great while. In the next place it is expressed how this came, They (Gave) their Kingdoms to the Beast. We are to see how far faulty these Kings were, and how far faulty the Pope, the Beast, was to whom they gave their Kingdoms. For it may be objected, that these men they did but obey God, for he put it into their hearts, and for the Pope, they offered their Kingdoms to him, and who would not receive offered Gold? But here is a deal of devilish deceit; for first, God gave them over to themselves, and they gave themselves, and their Kingdoms to the Beast; what then was sinful in them? This, to give their Kingdoms to the Beast? This, they betrayed their Kingdoms; Here is a wrong to God, a wrong to themselves, and a wrong to their Subjects. A wrong to God, whose Vice-gerents they were; did he give them their Kingdoms, to give them to his Enemy, to give them to the Beast, and by consequence to the Devil? Doth God raise up men to rule, that they should enthral themselves, and their Kingdoms to the Beast, to give them to God's Enemies? No, King's reign by Him; The Pope saith, by me: Is their constitution of men? No, King's reign by God, they derive their authority from him: It is he that hath power over Kings, Dan. 2. They reign not if he will, and they may rule ●…f he will, by his will permitting, else no man can reign, By me Kings reign: If then they reign by him, it is a treason against God to betray the Kingdoms, that he hath given them, into the hands of his Enemies: It is a wrong to Christ, whereas they should kiss the Son, by kisses of subjection, as Princes use to do in the Eastern Countries, to fall down and kiss their Sovereign's toes, they do (in this) the clean contrary. Here is a wrong to themselves, they betray their own authority, that when God hath made them Kings to rule, they will be slaves, and it is a great sin for a man not to maintain his standing, as it is well observed by his Majesty, who (if ever Prince did) doth vindicate himself, and challenge his regal authority, and it shall continue, and make him live even to the world's end. It is the greatest sin for a man to betray himself; Every man is to maintain that place and standing, that God hath set him in. These ten Horns they wronged themselves, and their place, God made them Kings over their people, and they become slaves to an Antichristian Priest. It was a great wrong to their Subjects, kingdoms we know follow their Kings, and if jeroboam make Israel to sin, all Israel will quickly sin: diseases come from the head, if the head be naught, there will be a disease in the body ere long; A greater stone being tumbled down from a Hill, it carries lesser stones along with it; so, great Kings when they fall themselves, they draw their Kingdoms after them: therefore the phrase of the Scripture is, God put into their hearts to give, not only themselves, but their Kingdoms to the Beast: for commonly the Idol of the people is their King, and being led by sense, and not by faith, they fear him more than they fear God, and their own restraint, more than they fear Hell, and so they come to this damned Religion by depending upon him: therefore it is a wrong to the people, knowing they are so slavish by nature, and wanting faith, are fearing terror led by the present command of their King. Thus it was a wrong in these Kings every way. But the Pope, the Beast, what was too blame in him? He did but take that which was offered him, They gave their Kingdoms to the Beast. I answer, Indeed he took that which was offered him, but he did abuse these Kings, he abused the Christian world, He had no title to these Kingdoms, but was a fraudulent Possessor of them, because he came to them by a slight; He raised himself to the Popedom by the ruins of the Empire; for upon the divisions of the Empire, the Emperor having enemies in the East, he was fain to rest in Constantinople, and thereupon Rome being much neglected, at last was overrun by the Goths and Vandals, and the Pope taking occasion of the absence of the Empe●…our set up himself; thus raising himself by ●…e ru●…nes of the Empire, and then he being ●…stablished, set up Pepine, Father of Charles the Great, and put down Childerick; who (being 〈◊〉 weak Prince) he deposed, and set the other 〈◊〉, that he might gratify him so; so he col●…ogued with Princes. And then again, he wan respect and authority from the Horns, by diabolical and 〈◊〉 courses. For first, he abused their under●…andings, keeping them from the Scriptures: ●…nd then he abused their affections, and drew ●…em this way, and that way with toys. They ●…ave him great matters, and he gave them In●…ulgences and Pardons, & consecrated Grains, ●…nd such like things. Then again, he would oft force them to ●…ield by Excommunications, and many false ●…itles of Peter's Successor, and Peter's Chair, so by the terror and dread of Excommunica●…ion, he awed them. Again, he wrought by subtlety, joining with one Prince against another, setting one against another: And if he joined with any party, he had such a slight, that he would be sure to make him a slave to the Papacy, one way or other, or else he would excommunicate him, and then before they should be absolved, they must either pay a great sum of money, or else they must go such a voyage, or set such men or such on such an Enterprise. And then again, he gave dispensations to sell souls, and so men might do what they would, they should have Pardon, otherwise they should have Excommunication. And then again, he had preferments for the Sons of the Horns, Cardinal's places for their second Sons, that they should be great Princes, he had high places for them. Then again, he laid his foundation on false grounds; He would be universal Bishop, and the Church could not err, and all of them must fetch, and determine of their matters from him, and appeal must be made to none, but to him, and in certain cases none could satisfy the Conscience but him. So that he greatly raised his authority by these false and cozening means, and all that yielded to him, were a deluded company of people, that were deluded by the false and subtle courses that he took. And therefore, although they gave their Kingdoms to him, yet he possessed them by a fraudulent ritle, the means he used were diabolical. They gave their Kingdoms to the Beast, till the word of God should be fulfilled. Well, we see here the judgement of God upon the Christian world; It was not only a judgement upon these Kings, as they were Kings, but God punished the people's sin in the slavery of these Kings to the Beast. See here, the judgement of God upon Kings and Princes, for not esteeming as they should do the glorious Gospel of Christ, for they both, Princes and people had it, but they esteemed it not, but delighted in untruths; therefore God gave them up to believe lies. We are not therefore overmuch to pity our Ancestors, though they deserve pity, yet we excuse them over much this way; for certainly God is just in his judgement, who seeing them delight in lies, more than in his truth, took away his grace, and gave them up to this Beast, that they should give up their authority, both Prince and people to him; And because they would not be ruled by God's will, thinking themselves wiser than he: He appointed them to be ruled by one that should be ruled by the Devil: For the Devil was in the Pope, and who would serve the Devil, if he knew it? But because they would not yield unto Christ's sweet government; therefore he gave them over to a government fit for them, even to be governed by the Beast. I beseech you take notice of this point, when we entertain not the glorious Gospel of Christ, the good word of God, that word that declares salvation unto us, and which is an Instrument to work grace in us, to fit us for heaven; that word that is the seed, and the food of our new Birth, the Evidence of our Inheritance; that good word, which is the greatest jewel under heaven, when we do not value that, it is the greatest error that can be, and it is just with God, to give us up to this, and to that error, if not unto Popery, yet unto some one error that the Devil is in, and contrary to the Spirit of God. Do ye think, if a Master should see his servant take ill courses, and would not do according to his appointment and admonition, that he would not leave him to take his own course, and so let him do his own will, that thereby he might see his folly, in not being ruled by him▪ So it is just with God, when he sees that we do not make much of his Gospel, of his soule-saving Gopel, that we will not have that alone, but Traditions with it, and that besides Christ, we must have other Mediators, as if Christ were not rich enough: It is just with God to give both Prince and people up to the Beast. Let us therefore make much of the Gospel: what moved God to give up the Eastern Empire, those glorious Churches in Saint john's time, unto the Turk? nothing but this, they did not value the Gospel: What moved God to give up those Western Kings to Romish Antichrist (for those two, the Turk and Pope are twins, they had their beginning at once, about 700. years after Christ) what moved this? But only when God had dealt graciously with them at the first, and gave them his truth to save their souls, (which is the most comfortablest thing in the world, to have God discover what he means to do with us, and what he would have us to do) when he discovered his will to them, and saw them leave his will, saw them leave Gold, and take Dross, prefer the traditions and wisdom of men before the wisdom of God, it was just with him to give them up to believe lies. They gave their Kingdoms to the Beast (mark the limitation here, until) until the word of God should be fulfilled. I see I cannot make an end of the Text; a little further, and so I will conclude. Here is an Until, here is a stop, the Devil and the Beast had their time to seduce the Kings, and the Kings had their time to be seduced, and to give up their Kingdoms, but God hath his time, Christ hath his time: Christ gives his enemy's time, and then takes time himself: Until the time that the Word of God shall be fulfilled. We see here then a mixture of mercy with justice, that after God had given them up justly, not only the Eastern Empire, but also the Western Kings to the Pope, yet notwithstanding here is an Until. God limits Ill, not only for the measure of it, but also for the time of it; God at length turns the stream of things, so that these Kings that were thus abused, and baffeled by this Man of sin, this Beast, at last they grow wise, by the in●…nct of God, and hate the Beast, as much as ever they loved her. So then this is the point. That the same God, that by divine Providence gave way to these Kings, to abuse the doctrine of the Gospel, and that gave way to these people, that were unthankful, to yield themselves in such slavery to the Pope, yet notwithstanding in mercy God at the last put into the hearts of these Kings to withdraw their necks from this yoke, and to put their necks under Christ's yoke. This Until, hath had a beginning many year ago; for we know, (to omit other Kings of other Countries) King Henry the Eight of famous memory, (take him without those things we cannot upbraid; now he was a man of great, and excellent parts, as he was of great vices:) He was an excellent instrument of Christ, to unhorsed the Pope, to shake off his government, to hate the Whore, and to eat her flesh; that is, to overthrow the Monasteries, those Cages of unclean Birds, and those Peter-pences, those exactions; for indeed the Pope made England his Ass, to bear his burdens: It would move any man's patience, to see how pitifully the Popes of Rome have abused this Island, so that we may now truly say as Christ saith: If the Son make you free, you are free indeed; Christ hath made us free, the Gospel hath made us free, and ever since the coming of the Gospel we have flourished. King Henry shook off the yoke first, and after him King Edward, and after him Elizabeth of blessed memory, and now our gracious King. So that this Until, it begun long since to hate the Beast, and to eat her flesh; one thing ther●… is yet undone, To burn her with fire, if they hate the Beast, and eat her flesh, this will c●…me to●…, to burn her with fire, even the ten Kings that were subject to her before shall do that. We see wickedness shall not thrive always, it shall not always be night, but the Sun shall arise at the last, Impostures shall not always abuse the world, their madness shall be made manifest at length; as Paul saith, 2 Tim. This is our Comfort, that there is an Until, a time prefixed of God, to discover, and to lay open all Impostures: And now the time is come, that most of this should be fulfilled, some of these words of God are fulfilled, the Beast is hated, and now the Beast is known to be the Beast, to be cruel, witness the blood of Saints, the Murder of Kings, those horrible acts that are allowed from Rome. The Beast I say is now discovered, and hated. The Affections that are due to the Beast is hatred. If ever we hatred any thing, we may hate the state of Rome: It is a Beast, and the object of hatred, and ever was; and if ever I say we hated any thing that was deserveable of our hatred, it is that, why? do we not hate a Harlot? do we not hate an old Strumpet, an old painted Strumpet? do we not hate her that is a Bawd? there was never Bawd, there was never Whore that did the thousand part of that harm, that this Bawd, this Beast, this Whore of Rome hath done, drawing so many thousand souls to hell. Of all the judgements that ever were since the beginning of the Christian world, that God hath visited the pride and wickedness of men with, there was none so grievous, as to suffer this Man of sin to rule in the Church: the spiritual judgement of the Papacy, it is the greatest judgement of God, that was ever inflicted upon any. We hate them that misuse us under the pretence of love, that cheat and cozen us, and we delight in their punishment; there was never Cheater, never Cozener like this: And surely so God hath fulfilled his word, that she is hated even in our Children, that know but the grounds of Religion, to whom Christ hath shined by the evidences of his thuth, that have the Spirit of God in them, they hate those Impostures, those abuses of Christian Religion, with which this Beast hath deluded the Christian world, which shows that they have a contrary spirit to the Spirit of God; and indeed so they have, for besides their own base government, they maintain the corruptions of men, feeding the pride and vanity of men's natures, with outward, formal, empty things; so that the very weak ones, even Children now they hate the Whore, hate her Impostures, hate her Cruelty, hate her Lying, and all. I see the time is past, I can go no further, ●…ut will draw to an end, only a little to still us up. Shall God then reveal, and discover this painted Strumpet, this Bawd, and shall we labour to conceal her ill, shall we daub, shall we make her better than she is? shall we hinder God's purpose? God's word is, that she shall be revealed, the Princes shall hate her, and consume her with fire: Let every one of our purposes help God's purpose and Providence, and decree in this point, that this shall be, it is God's purpose; and whosoever stops it, certainly they bring the judgement of God upon them; those that would rear up ●…ericho again, we know what befell them, and they that rear up Rome, that begins now to be discovered, they bring the judgement of God upon them: God will perform this as well, as he performed the other, as he put it into the hearts of these Kings to betray their Kingdoms to the Beast, so he will put into their hearts to hate the Whore. Now that we may hate her, let every one labour in his place, Ministers in their place to lay open their Impostures, their cozenings, and all their filthiness, whereby they deceive the people: Magistrates in their place to ocuntenance the Ministers, to see the laws executed as they may: These that through ignorance are seduced, that are not jesuited (for there is no hope of them) but others, their persons many times in the policy of state may have favour, but not their Religion. Let us all take heed that we grow in knowledge: Let us labour to make more of the Gospel of Christ, the more Christ appears in glory, the more Antichrist will appear in shame; Let us labour by prayer, and not give God over by prayer, to plant the love of the truth in our hearts, to entertain the truth with love, to value it according to the respect it deserves at our hands, and let us labour to be moulded into that truth, to obey it, else though we have it; yet if we do not love it, if we be not transformed into it, though our wits and parts be never so great, we may be seduced to error: God gave over these Kings, men of great place, and of great parts, because they did not love the truth, to believe lies. My purpose was to have showed the danger, if we do not further God's purpose in discovering this wicked Antichrist: A state wherein the Devil, the Dragon, is effectual, and this Book wondero●…sly sets down the danger. It is another manner of danger now to relapse, and to apostatise, after the appearing of the glorious Gospel of Christ: than it was a hundred years ago under darkness, and we know it to be so: of all the judgements in this world it is the greatest for God to give up a man to decay in his love to the truth, to affect this cursed Religion, that the sentence of God hath passed upon, and it must be fulfilled, That they shall hate the Whore, and burn her with fire, that she shall be left desolate and naked. But you may object. Alas how is that likely to be, when we see now what strength the Beast hath gotten, and how he ru●…fleth in the world at this time, how he triumpheth and trampleth the poor Church under his feet. Well, it is but a living before death, undoubtedly Babylon is fallen, it is fallen, saith john in his time; that is, it is as sure to fall, as if it were fallen already: the word of God hath said so, the power of man cannot hinder it: He that put it into the heads & hearts of the Kings to betray their Kingdoms, he shall also put it into their hearts and heads to hate, and burn the Whore with fire at the last; It must be so, the Angel said it was done, as if it were done already, it is as sure as if it were done; therefore let us never take scandal at the flourish●…ng state of the enemies of the Church abroad, let us never dislike our Religion for that. Babylon is fallen, the time will come when it shall be done, Heaven hath concluded it, and earth cannot hinder it, no nor Hell neither, God hath said it, and shall not he do it? It is the word of him that is Lord of his word; because he is Lord of hosts, and Lord of the Creatures: It is the word of him that is Lord of Lords, that is Lord of heaven and earth, Lord of all things; He hath said that Babylon is fallen, and therefore it must be so, he being Governor and Lord of all things, and of his word too, that can make all things prove serviceable to his purpose: Let us comfort ourselves therefore, as if it were present, and not take offence at the state of the Beast, and the Whores flourishing, but present him to yourselves as he is set out in the Text, see him growing, see him rising, see him decaying, and at last see him cast into the bottomless pit, to burn in the Lake of fire for ever: It is you see the word of God from heaven, that he is fallen, and cast into the earth as a Mil●…one, and shall never ●…ise again: He shall never quicken again. Heathen Rome was quickened by Papal Rome; the Pope quickened the former Beast: But there shall never be Beast after this Rome, and therefore he is said in this Chapter, To go into destruction; that is, he, and his state, and all (without repentance) shall so go into destruction, that there shall never be other Beast. And that that shall help this destruction forward, shall be the course that themselves take; God as he hath decreed their destruction, so he hath appointed that their own plots, which they have devised for their own maintenance, shall turn to their confusion: Do you not think that the ruin of the Pope will be by the jesuits, who are grown (by their pressing themselves, and by their pragmatical meddling into Prince's affairs, by their drawing and assuming all business to themselves, and by their striving, and bringing all to their profession) to such hatred of the world, that even these means, which they themselves take, will be the means of the overthrow, and downfall of Popery: As the counsel of Achitophel was, the means to infatuate him, so their own courses will cause their own overthrow. In the Powder-treason, they thought they had been made for ever, but God turned their wickedness upon their own heads. And now in these later times, we may see that God takes his cause into his own hands, and you know who spoke it by observation, Hamans' wife, If thou begin to fall, thou shalt not prevail, but shalt surely fall before him; so if God take the matter into his own hands, as he hath done already, let them fear; For they shall surely fall and not prevail, until he hath wrought his work in Zion, until he hath thoroughly purged his Church: they shall prevail; there is a little time allotted them, but it is nothing, let us see by the eye of faith, what this Book saith of them, that they shall be destroyed, and let us look on the courses they themselves take which will cause their destruction; was there ever any thing that weakened Popery so much, as this desperate attempt that we now celebrate this day? Indeed if we go to an ignorant Papist, and tell him what doctrine they teach, and what upholds their doctrine, tell him of the Powder treason, ask him concerning the traitors, he will mince the matter, oh they were unfortunate Gentlemen, etc. But how did Sixtus Quintus mince the matter when they had success in the massacre in France, when many thousands of people we●…e sl●…ine, against the Law, slain under pretence of being married, and bidden to a marriage? He was so far from disallowing the act, as that he caused it to be pictured in his Palace: So if these had achieved this, they had not been unfortunate Gentlemen, they had been made, they had been sainted, as some of them are; Saint Garnet, S. Devil; if the Devil himself will help them, and further Popery, he shall be sainted, and if they be never so base, yet for their Rebellion, and destruction of Kings, they shall be sainted by them; will not this provoke men to hate the Beast and the Whore, to make her desolate and naked, and to eat her flesh, and to burn her with fire? Well, the time is past, I cannot finish the Text as I thought to have done: To speak to the particular occasion I need not, it is yet fresh: And what should we speak of the Gunpowder-treason? the jesuits and Priests having the Devil for their Midwife, they are big of such like plots, Hell, Rome, and Satan, and the jesuits, those Frogs of the Bottomless pit, they are full of devising such attempts. But I rather thought to speak against Popery, against the Beast, and her Religion at this time then Rhetorically to amplify that act of theirs; when indeed we are ready to have a new one continually, for they are always plotting and devising, I mean those jesuits; Our comfort is to look to the Scripture, to look here what shall be the end of these Frogs, and of the Beast, ere long they shall be cast into the burning Lake: Let us bless God that we live under this government, of so Gracious a Prince, that hath more weakened the Pope by his learned Writings, then ever any Prince did. So much for this time. THE RVINE OF MYSTICAL JERICHO. A Sermon preached upon the 5th of November, in remembrance of Our Deliverance from the Papists Powder-Treason. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS. Doctor in Divinity, Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. JOSH. 6. 10. And it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the Trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the Wall fell down flat, etc. LONDON, Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R. Harford, at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row. 1639. THE RVINE OF MYSTICAL JERICHO. HEB. 11. 30. By faith the Walls of jericho fell down, after they had been compassed about seven days. THIS Verse suits somewhat to Novemb, 5. the occasion: therefore I have made cho●…se of it at this time. This Chapter contains the triumph of Faith in the hearts and souls of those in whom this blessed grace is planted; so that the excellency and office of all graces are attributed to it, there is a stirring up of all other graces whatsoever in saith. All the Worthies that are spoken of before they did that they did, And obtained a good report by faith. The Spirit of God goes on here, and shows a glorious effect of this blessed grace, in the falling down of the Walls of I●…richo. This short Verse is taken out of the Sto●…ie of the Conquest of jericho, mentioned in jos. 6. in the later end of the Chapter, where joshua 6. you have the whole Story set down at large, I need not rehearse it: And withal you have there a curse set down; that whosoever should go about again to build the walls of jericho, he should lay the foundation in his first borne, and in his youngest Son he should set up the gates. He that would raise up such a cursed building again, he should do it with the overthrow of his own building, of his own Family; (as the Scripture calls a man's house a building) he should lay the foundation in his eldest Son, and build the Gates at the death of his youngest Son. And a little to acquaint you with the fullness of the word, before I come to the Story: you have an audacious cursed attempt to build the walls of jericho again, in 1 King. 16. toward the latter end, in a wicked King's time, in 1 King. 16. 34. ahab's time. There was one so adventurous, one Hiell, that he would build jericho, he laid the foundation in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the Gates in his youngest Son Segub, according to the word of the Lord spoken by joshua, the Son of Nun: you see whence this story is fetched. By faith the walls of jericho ●…ll down, after they had been compassed about se●…en days. They were compassed about seven ●…ayes, and the Ark in the midst; and the se●…enth day, they went seven times about, and ●…en the walls fell down, as you have it in the ●…tory. But to come to the words, and to ha●…en to that that I specially mean to touch at this time. First of all observe here, that jericho had mighty walls, as you see in the Story; it had walls, and trusted in these walls; or else they would have come out, and have made condi●…ions of peace with Israel: but as they had ●…als, so they were confident in them; as you ●…ee the Spies, in Numb. 14. they tell what Numb. 14. ●…alled Cities they had, and that terrified them. And next you see here, that God overthrows their walls, and by what means? by ●…oore, and base means, by Trumpets of Rams●…ornes; they had silver Trumpets, but they used not them, but meaner Instruments, Rams-hornes, those were the means, and the time that they used them seven days together, and then that by faith, using these means, they overthrew the walls of jericho, they fell down. From hence by Analogy, and proportion we may see. First of all, that carnal men they build up walls, and put their trust in them. The secondis, that God confounds these courses. The third is, that God doth it by weak, and silly means believed by faith. The last point is, that faith in the use of these means overcomes all. By faith the walls of jericho fell down after they had been compassed about seven days. And then we shall come to other things that concern us, and apply it to the time. Natural men since the fall they must have somewhat to trust to. Since man lost his first prop, and confidence, and communion with God, he turns to the Doct. 1. Men naturally trust to somewhat. creature, there is always some confidence in some creature, and men leave God in what measure they trust that. When Cain was banished his Father's house, then hefals to building of Cities, he must have some contentment▪ and those that were escaped the flood, within a hundred years after the Flood they must build a Tower of Babel, that should reach to Heaven, to get themselves a name, wanting better courses. Every one will have some Castle, and wall of jericho to trust to; Riches are the Rich-man's strong hold, as Solomon saith. Achitophel trusted to a shrewd head and policy, that proved his ruin afterwards. The jews had outward sanctity to trust to, opposing it to the righteousness of Christ, the righteousness of faith, Rom. 10. they would set a foot a dead Righteousness that could not Rom. 10. stand, and therefore they were shut from the Righteousness of God in Christ. Man will have a holiness, a wisdom, a strength, and power of himself, in the things below here, as I might show at large, both in examples, and otherwise: naturally we find it in ourselves; if we be sick, we trust to the Physician, and other means; if we be in danger, we flee to the arm of flesh, to some mighty man, we trust in some great friend, if we have any; If we be in danger of invasion, or such like, we trust our walls and defences, and till strong temptations come, we trust in our ownstrength till Satan pick so many holes in it, that we cannot stay there, and that conscience upbraids us: Always a man hath somewhat to trust to, till he be brought to desperate conditions; and rather than he will have nothing to trust to, he will trust to the broken Reed of Egypt, he will trust to that that will deceive him, and hurt him, as the Reed of Egypt did the jews, rather than they would trust God, and the word brought by the Prophets, they would trust Ashur, and Egypt. Now the Spirit of God in the Scriptures takes notice of this proneness to false confidence: Issue of false confidence dangerous. Trust not in uncertain Riches. If Riches increase, set not your hearts on them. And man when he sets his heart upon false confidence, the issues are more dangerous, he will come against God; he doth not only set up these holds, that he hath in rebellion against God, but he proclaims (as it were) defiance to God, and his word, and his ordinances, till afterwards God destroy all his false confidence, and bring him to shame. In 2 Cor. 10. there is a notable place to show what holds there are in the heart of man, that 2 Cor. 10. oppose against God, and his truth in his word, holds that Satan keeps in man, and man joining with Satan the Enemy, holds against God and his truth. The weapons of our warfare (saith he) are not carnal, but mighty through God, to cast down strong holds: The holds are within us, and we are so far from preparing ourselves to Grace, and to entertain Grace when it is offered, that naturally we set up holds against God and Grace. There must be strong power to overturn all, to lead them into captivi●…y to the obedience of Christ; To cast down the imaginations, and every high thing, every high thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and to bring in Captivity every thought. So there are three mighty things in 3 things in man by nature. every natural man. This false reasoning, and Sophistry; there is no man will go to Hell without reason; take the debauchedst wretch that lives, he is 1 False reasonings. mad with some reason, and he will be damned with some reason; God is merciful, Christ is come; and others are as bad as I, and I hope in time to repent; this vile reasoning must be turned out of a man before he can be saved. 2 Proud thoughts. Then there are proud thoughts, what? shall I yield to such a one as he? I am better than he; I understand these things as well as he: As that proud Cardinal in Germany said, I confess these things that Luther finds fault with are naught; but shall I yield to a base Monk? so men think, shall I yield to a Minister? the proud, rebellious heart of man, is lift up in proud thoughts against God. And then there be fore-casts; if I do thus, 3 Fore-casts of danger. this danger will come of it, I sha●…l provoke such an Enemy, I shall lose such a friend, I shall endanger myself: Now when the truth of God comes, down goes all these sophistries, and high thoughts, and all these fore-casts, they all lie flat when the Spirit of God comes in the power of the word: but naturally every man hath these, he builds up some Castle against God, he builds up the walls of jericho, and trusts in them too. Thy wisdom hath caused thee to rebel, saith God to the King of Baby lon: Let not the wise man trust in his wisdom, insinuating that wise men are subject to trust in their wisdom, and the rich man in his riches, and the strong man in his strength; therefore God commands that they should not do so. Thy wisdom hath made thee to rebel. Let us take notice of this, and make this use Use. Trial of our trust. of trial of it, that if by the power of God's Spirit, we can use all outward means, and not trust in them, that we can trust in God, and not to our strength, than we have somewhat in us above nature; for naturally every man before he be in communion and covenant with God, he hath some earthly false support or other to trust on, either within him; some policy, and wisdom; or without him some friends, or riches; some Bulwark or other, and this sets him against God, and against the means of salvation, till God come in effectual calling, and overturn all: but this doth but make way to other things, therefore I only touch it. The second thing is this, that God first or last overturnes all vain confidence in the creature, Observ. 2. God overturnes vain confidence in the creature. The walls of jericho, down they must; and whatsoever exalts itself against God, either it shall end in conversion, or confusion: because the time must come, that God must have all the glory: Was there ever any man sierce against God, and prospered? The rage of man turns to the glory of God, saith the Psalmist. There is neither wisdom, nor policy, counsel nor strength, or any earthly thing against the Lord, as the Wiseman saith, Prov. 6. God will confound all, he scattered Proverb. 6. the proud in the Imagination of their own hearts, as the blessed Virgin saith: And when they had built Babel, to get them a name, they found confusion. There is a notable place in Esay 50. Behold all you that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks; Walk Isay 50. (saith God) in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled; this ye shall have at my hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow: Men that will walk in the light of their own fire, that will have a wisdom of their own; distinct may contrary (oft times) to Gods: Well, go on, walk in the light of your own fire that ye have kindled; but take this withal with you: You shall have this at my hands, saith God, ye shall lie down in sorrow. What became of Hamans' plots? what became of Achitophel's policy? they all turned upon their own heads; although men build up Castles to secure themselves in their earthly defences, and munition, yet God overturnes all. Therefore let us make that use that jeremy Use. jer. 20. doth, jer. 20. Therefore let not the wise man trust in his wisdom, or the strong man in his strength, or the rich man in his riches, let a man joy in none of these: but if he will joy, let him joy in this, that he knows the Lord, that he is in covenant with God. That for the second, briefly. The third is this, that God doth this by base and weak means. He confounds great, and mighty Enterprises, Observ. 3. God dothit by weak means. and mighty persons, and useth but base and despised means: As here the walls of jericho fell down with the noise of Rams-hornes. This I might carry along through all the stories in the Scripture, from the creation to this present time, to show how God doth great things by despised means, sometimes by no means at all; sometimes clean contrary to all means. When our Saviour Christ gave sight to the blind, he put clay upon his eyes, that one would think were fitter to put them out. We see in the story of the Israelites what an Ox Goad did, and what Samson did with the law bone of an Ass: We see by what a trick the Midianis es were put to flight by Gideon. In all the Stories we see when God would do great matters, he doth it by base means: when he would confound the pride of Pharaoh, he will do it by Frogs, and Lice, and such base creatures, that were fittest in God's wisdom, to overthrow the pride of that wretched King: God, as he overturnes the pride of men; so for the most part he doth it by weak, and despised means. And the Reason is clear, that he may have all the glory; sometimes the means that he Reason. That God may have the glory. useth have no influence at all to effect the thing: but are only joined with the thing; as here, what influence could poor Trumpets of Rams-hornes have to cast down Walls? they could have none, but only it was a thing joined before the walls fell down; they were things that must be used to try their obedience; and that they might know that it was not by chance that they fell down, but by God's power, and for other reasons. But if there be any influence from the cause to the effect, it is supposed it cannot produce the effect of itself: therefore I say God doth this, that he may have all the glory; for that is his end, and it ought to be our end: we see here though they had silver Trumpets, yet they must by God's appointment use these base means, Trumpets of Rams-hornes. Now they were to use them seven days Digression. together, and therefore on a Sabbath day: but it was no breach of the day, because God can dispense with his own Law; In case of Charity good works may be done on the Sabbath, and in case of duty likewise, as the Priests killed the sacrifice on the Sabbath: so here was sufficient warrant for them, God gave them a command, God that made the Law, can dispense with his own Law in things that touch not upon his nature, as his truth, and purity, etc. doth: In things that touch his nature, he should deny himself, if he should dispense: God cannot lie, because truth is natural to him; God cannot do any thing that is unfit for his nature: but for things that are out of him, he is Lord of days, he is Lord of goods and life, he hath a right to dispense here, as we see in the taking away the Egyptians jewels, and the like; they were outward things: But for those things that are intrinsecall in God, he cannot command that which is contrary to his truth, and nature, other things belong to his Sovereignty; but that by the way. They were to compass the walls seven days: if they had made an end before the seventh day, the walls had never fallen down: howsoever there was no power in their going about to effect that, yet God would not work the effect till he was waited on in all the seven days. The means appointed by God must be used, and so long as God will have them used, there must be a depending and waiting upon God all the time. To give a little further light, to that I touched before, you will ask, why God useth Quest. means, and doth not work immediately? why he did not cast down these walls by his own will, and pleasure? Besides, that I said before, God useth second Answ. causes, not for defect of power, but for demonstration of his goodness, and for the trial of our obedience, and the like: therefore being Lord of Hosts he hath multiplicity of ranks of creatures, which he useth to effect those things, that he could do himself, if it pleased him: therefore let such questions cease: it pleased God so to do. The last point is this: It was by Faith, in the use of means, that the Observ. 4. It is by faith in the use of means. Walls of jericho fell down. If they had not depended upon God, in their going about seven days, the walls had stood still. It was by faith they did it, and it was a great faith, that using such a ridiculous stratagem as this, to go about the walls with Rams-hornes, they should think the walls would fall: It might shake their Faith, and likewise expose them to the scorn of those of jericho within: therefore it was a great faith in them: Not that all had faith; for certainly divers of them were unbelieving persons: But joshua their Captain, and some others of them had faith, and all of them had hope of the best. It was faith that believed this in this unlikelihood of second causes; for there is the strength of faith, when second causes are weak, than faith is strong. Abraham's faith was the stronger, by reason there was more indisposition in the second causes, in Sara's womb to conceive a child; for her womb was dead; in the course of nature she could not conceive: therefore it is said by Saint Paul, Rom. 4. He being strong in faith, gave glory to God, strong faith gives glory to God. So here Rom. 4. was a strong faith, because the means were weak, or none at all; for these means had nothing in themselves to work such a glorious effect as this, that the falling of the walls should follow; it was but a means adjoined; that it should be done by such a poor thing as this, it was the strength of faith. But was it the strength of faith in itself? could faith do this? Quest. Oh no; but that which that faith lays hold Answ. on doth, that faith is said to do: God honours the grace of faith, by terming that to be Faith said to do that which God doth. done by it, that he doth himself; for it was the power of God, the goodness of God to them, and the justice of God (against the sins of these people) that overturned the walls of jericho, faith it was, but an empty hand to lay hold upon this power; it was the grace, whereby they went out of themselves, and denied themselves, and gave glory to God, in accomplishing the truth of his word, and his wisdom, and power, and justice. So God did it, but it is said to be done by faith; because as I said, God honours faith thus much. What strength God and Christ hath, when faith la●…es hold on them, faith hath that strength: because it builds upon them, faith sets a man upon God and Christ, and upon the truth of God: Hereupon it comes to be so victorious, & conquering a grace as it is, because it caries us to that that doth all, by faith they did this. But here were other graces likewise that Why only faith is named. sprang from faith, that helped them also: There was a great deal of patience to go about after that silly fashion, with Rams-hornes seven days together, here was patience, and perseverance, and hope: But as I said before, because faith doth enliven all other graces, it gives life to all, and stirs up all, therefore that is named. In the whole Chapter the exercise of other graces is attributed to faith, because they draw strength from that to quicken them all, and to stir them all to their several offices: strengthen faith, and strengthen all other graces whatsoever. Thus you see we have briefly gone over these four main things. Now let us by way of proportion raise them 1 Kingdom of Satan resembled by walls of jericho. higher, and make use of them to other things. To give a little touch. The walls of jericho represent to us many things. The Kingdom of Satan in general, the power of the Devil in himself, and in his instruments, who hinders what he can, our coming out of Egypt to Canaan, he labours to come between us, and Heaven, to hinder us all he can by all means. He hath walls of many kinds, the strength of Tyrants, the subtlety of Heretics. What a world of ado was there to bring Israel out of Egypt? God was put to it (as it were) to work so many Miracles, to bring that poor despised people out of Egypt, to bring them through the Red Sea, when they were in the wilderness: what ado was there to bring them thence? what opposition? and then when they came to jordan, what Miracles were wrought? the division of the waters by the Ark coming through, and then the first, the frontier Town, that was (as it were) the key to let in all, and to stop all: jericho the first town, for the entrance into Canaan, there was opposition made, when they would have entered into Canaan. It is no easy thing to come out of Egypt, and to enter into Canaan, it is a mighty work to bring a poor Christian out of the Kingdom of Satan, to bring him out of spiritual Egypt, through the Wilderness of this life, 〈◊〉 bring him through jordan, those waves of death to put him into Heaven, to bring him at length to his own country, to Canaan: because there is spiritual wickednesses stand in the way, both in regard of Satan himself, and in regard of the instruments he useth. But Christ came to destroy the works of the Devil, as it is said 1 joh. 3. 8. and he himself 1 joh. 3. 8. overcame Satan, and triumphed over him, as it is Colos. 2. He lead him in triumph: he triumphed Coloss. 2. over Satan himself, and he will triumph over Satan in all his members: as he over-came Satan in himself; so he will overcome in us all; For stronger is he that is in us, than he that is in the world. The Spirit of God, as he is in us, is stronger than Satan, not only Christ our glorious Captain overcame him, and is now in Heaven, but the Spirit of God in us weak creatures, with faith laying hold upon the word of God, is stronger than he that is in the world, he is stronger than the Devil, and all that are against us. But besides Satan, there is in us much opposition, 2 Our own corruptions. that must be subdued before we come to Canaan: as we saw before, in 2 Cor. 10. those reasonings and sophistries, proud high thoughts, all must be brought down, because Satan doth join with these; and if it were not for enemies within us, Satan could not prevail over us; as it was Dalilah that betrayed Samson, or else the Philistines could not have hurt him: so it is with our own corruptions, there be these walls within us, these betray us to Satan, he could not hurt us, but that we ●…etray ourselves. Now by little and little, all these walls ●…hall fall; not all at once, as the walls of Ieri●…ho did, but they shall molder in pieces by lit●…le and little; God by degrees will perfect the work of mortification, and sanctification, ●…ill he make us take his Son Christ; like our Husband, and Head, that we may be fit for so glorious a Head. But to come to the particular occasion: 3 The Kingdom of Antichrist. Besides other enemies that are between us, and Heaven, Satan is powerful, and effectu●…ll, and strong in the Kingdom of Antichrist: And by all means, that Church (which is opposite to Christ) hath studied to build up walls, to build up jericho, and to stop the Church of Christ, to hinder it what they could. Now what walls have they built up? As Pharaoh said, Let us deal wisely, how wittily have they gone to work, to overthrow the Church of God in all times, and to set up themselves, and their own Kingdom? It were a large discourse, it would take up the whole time to show their policy and the plots they have had, to give an instance in a few. How strongly have they built up walls in their own conceit, when they had got the whole world almost into subjection to them? before Luther's time all the world followed them: They had used the matter so, that Kings themselves had betrayed their very Crowns to them, they had betrayed their Kingdoms, they were rather Vassals to them then Kings; they had gotten the temporal sword into their hands, as well as the spiritual. And they had raised up to themselves a bloody Inquisition, to suppress all light of tru●…h as soon as ever it sparkled out, all beams of truth were stopped with their bloody Inquisition; they thought they had fenced themselves safe enough. Then again they had disabled all the Kings, and Princes of Christendom. And then because the Pope would engage Princes to him, to strengthen the walls higher, and to make them stronger; the young sons of Princes he would make them Cardinals. And then he would arrogate to himself a power absolute to dispense in case of marriage, and oaths, and such like: And besides, what plots have they had for the counterfeiting of Authors, for falsifying of Authors, purging out true Authors, that they might have none give witness against them? what tricks have they to keep people in ignorance? (because it is a Kingdom of darkness) the Bible they must have: God hath preserved that; but they would have it in an unknown tongue: And what other devises to abuse the people withal? How have they fenced themselves, by applying themselves to humour all sorts of people? For even as the Devil enlargeth his Kingdom, by applying himself to the cursed sinful disposition of men: so doth the Pope here upon earth, apply himself to the ●…infull disposition of all sorts of men. There ●…re no kind of men, but they have a bait in Popery. For lose Libertines, there are stews. For others that are of a more reserved, and severe disposition, there are Monasteries. For superstitious persons, there they have a world of ridiculous Ceremonies, devised to themselves of their own brain, and never used in the Primitive Church: For those that are covetous, they have the riches of the world in their own hands; they have had at least before, more than they now have. For proud ambitious persons, they have honours of all sorts. For the people, they have many carnal liberties for them. And for all the senses of the body, they have something to delight them, to draw people from the power of Religion, to carnal outward worship. So they have studied, and whetted their wits all the ways that might be to apply themselves to the dispositions of all sorts of men whatsoever, that so they might strengthen the walls of jericho. I might be large, I give you but a taste. Well, but what hath God done? God hath infatuate, and overthrown their walls, and by weak means. Luther a poor Monk, with a Luther. Trumpet of Rams-hornes, with his preaching, and with his writing; you see how he shook the walls of Rome, how much they have lost within the last hundred years, the last age, the last Centurie of years they have lost a great part of this Western part of the world, that they had in slavery before, and how by weak means (as you heard) by the preaching of the Gospel, by Learning, and Knowledge. It is no wonder that the Devil hates Knowledge and Learning, as Luther saith well, He hates the quills of Geese, because they are Instruments to write against them. He hath a Kingdom of darkness; and Hell, and the Pope is a King of darkness: Now when the light of Knowledge, the light of the Word of God, the ordinance of God, when preaching came; these poor Trumpets did shake the Church of Rome: As we see in England, the walls of jericho fell down; by what m●…anes? by a Child (in manner) King Edward the sixth, and Edward 6. after by a woman; and if the word of God had gone on in like proportion in other places▪ Popery had been lower than it is. So we see then, that as high as they built, and as much as they fortified, though they be not wholly cast down, yet they are shaken, and that by weak means. Now the way to effect this, that these walls may fall down more The means to cast down the walls of mystical jericho. and more: It must be by the spiritual means that God will use; we must use the means that God hath appointed us, poor contemptible means, Trumpets of Rams horns, the 1 The preaching of the word. preaching of the Word, the discovery of the truth; and by this means we shall more and more gain upon them. And undoubtedly, let them but give free liberty, to the preaching of the Word in other countries, and we shall see them shortly as heretical (as they term it) even as London, and England is. Such a power there is in God's Ordinance, the Spirit of God accompanying it, that it carries all before it, it lays all flat, it beats all strong holds down before it. What shall we do then? By faith use the means that God hath appointed, the weapons appointed, and sanctified by God, they are strong through God, to beat down all strong holds. And take heed especially that we do not build up the walls of jericho again, nor suffer them to build them: You know joshua pronounceth a curse upon all that should build the walls of jericho, he should lay the first stone in the death of his eldest Son, and the last at the death of his younger; and so as we have it in the story of Hiel, it was made good. I beseech you therefore, let every one of us in our place, labour to ruinate these walls of jericho, and take heed how we build them again, or suffer any to build them again. What way have we to prevent their building, Quest. that the walls of jericho be not built again? they go about it what they can; we see what course they take: They have all the art of Hell, to help them, lies, and equivocations; How many Kings, and great ones have they at this day to support, and help them, to keep them from falling? they do all that they can to keep life now; how shall we prevent this, that they build not up the walls of this spiritual jericho again? First of all, every one labour to do what they can in their callings. Magistrates to execute Answ. How to prevent the building the walls of spiritual jericho. the Laws of the Kingdom, which (as those say that are well acquainted with them) are very beneficial to the Church of God: Therefore the Magistrates in their place should do what appertains to them. And so for Ministers; the spiritual means, 1 whereby such heresies must be confounded, it 2 is by the breath of the mouth of Christ, as it is 2 Thess. 2. He shall consume him with the breath of his mouth: For things are dissolved contrary 2 Thess. 2. to that way that they were raised at the first, and contrary to that way they were maintained: Popery, as it was raised; so it is maintained by darkness, and blindness, and ignorance of the word of God, and of divine truth: the way to hinder it therefore from being built again, is to lay open divine truths, and to plant the ministry: Every one must labour for this, to be faithful in their place, and standing. Saint Paul saith, 2 Tim. They shall prevail no longer, because their madness shall be manifest. How doth that follow? The very manifestation of error hinders the prevailing of it: That is the way to hinder Popery from prevailing, to manifest it by preaching, and writing, and such good means: For the demonstration of errors to be so, is a refuting of them: For who would willingly be deceived? Therefore the laying open of the madness of Popery, and the folly of their devises, it hinders their prevailing; no man willingly would have his soul led into error: Therefore let us lay their errors open in the Ministry, and the grounds of them, the danger of Popery, how pernicious it is. When this is discovered in the Ministry, men as they love their own souls will take heed: That is the way therefore to keep the walls of jericho from being built, to set an able Ministry every where, and to countenance them; and those that are Gods Captains to fight his battles against them. It is a world of hurt that comes to the Church by impropriations, especially in the North parts; as we hear too much by reports: In great and mighty Parishes to set up poor, and weak men, and others wholly to receive the Revenues, and that is the reason of the swarm of dangerous Papists in those parts. Oh! that these things had been looked to in time; The walls of jericho had not been built again in those parts so much as they are. This is one main way, the planting of an able ministry: for this painted Harlot, she cannot endure the breath of the Ministry, it discovers all her painting, it lays her naked and open, she knows it well enough. Then again, take heed of the spreading of 3 infections: Men should be careful this way; they build up their Religion thus, that else would fall down more and more: We are so confident in our cause, that we suffer men to read any Popish Treatises. They on the other side watch all things, so that there cannot a Spark of our light break into them, what by their Inquisition, and other cou ses that they take; Confidence in our cause hath made us careless, and secure in this kind; therefore care this way is one means to help it. And then encouragement of good learning: Popery fell with the beginning of good learning; 4 Religion, and good learning came in together; If I were in some place, I should speak more of this; for as I said before, it is a dark Religion, not only in regard of the Religion itself; but it grows, and thrives with Ignorance, and Barbarism, and not understanding of Arts, and tongues, they have helped very much towards the overthrow of these walls of jericho. Every one should contend for the faith once given. As Saint jude admonisheth; every one, the poorest man may contend with his prayers. He that saith, Thy Kingdom come, what doth he pray for? If he pray in faith, he desires that God would pull down all opposite Kingdoms, to the Kingdom of his Son Christ; that the Kingdom of Christ may come, more and more in the hearts of his people, that he may reign every where more freely, and largely than he doth; every one may help forward the Kingdom of Christ, he may help forward jerusalem, and ●…ull down jericho, every one that hath a fer●…ent devotion of prayer. And by a holy life; for when men are vicious, 5 and carnal, they occasion God (for not ●…oving, and embracing the truth) to give them ●…p to Popish errors, and such like. Many ways there be to stop the building up of jericho. But this is one especial, which this day occasions; 6 that is, thankfulness to God, a thank●…ull Remembrance, how God hath fought for 〈◊〉; how God hath by little and little ruinated the walls of this jericho, and hath helped us to build the walls of our jerusalem. A thankful Remembrance is a notable means to hinder the growth of Popery: For when we remember their attempts, how God hath cursed and crossed them, it will make us love our Religion, that God hath witnessed to by so many Deliverances, and it will make us hate theirs the more: Therefore it was a worthy work of that Reverend Bishop, that set out in a Treatise all the Deliverances that have been from Popish Conspiracies, from the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's time to this present; it was a worthy work, beseeming that grave, and Reverend Person. Prayer gets blessings, but thankfulness keeps them: so thankfulness to God for that which is past, for so many Deliverances, is a means to preserve God's love, and care of us still; that he will be our Buckler and castle, & hold, and all defence, thankfulness will do this. We are over prone to look upon civil grievances (which are to be regarded, and helped in season) but naturally our nature is subject to complain more then to be thankful; we are so sensible of ill, as to pray for remedy: but then let us always be thankful to God for the good we have had these many years together, and the good that still (blessed be God) we enjoy. What cause have we to be thankful, that we are as the three young men in the Furnace? Al Europe hath been in combustion, and we have been untouched, and safe in the midst of the Furnace, under a quiet government. What cause have we to bless God, f●… continuing the liberties of the Gospel, where by the soul is built up in saving knowledge, and Ignorance banished? It was a fault in Rehoboams' time, in the beginning of his Reign, it was a fault in these men, they could complain of the government of Solomon; and certainly there were many grievances in Salomon's: He was a great Builder, and it was not without some cause they complained: Yet notwithstanding Salomon's time was a blessed time, and they had great cause to bless God, for the government of Solomon: Now it is very likely in the story, that they forgot it, and only lighted upon some grievance. I beseech you let us in these times stirrpour hearts to be thankful, as upon other occasions; so upon occasion of this day, we are to bless God for this glorious deliverance, which we have spoken of 〈◊〉 again, and again, and therefore we need ●…t be much in the particular setting out that ●…inorous, and prodigious fact, that gives the ●…y occasion to be remembered, as it hath oft ●…ne before. Let that Remembrance I say ●…re us up to thankfulness, to show our ●…ankefulnesse, and love to that truth that God ●…th defended. Hath God been a wilder●…sse to us? As the Prophet complains; hath ●…ligion done us any harm? why should ●…e grow cold, and lukewarm? why should 〈◊〉 decay in our first love? why should we be 〈◊〉 unfruitful, when God hath given us so ●…any encouragements to be thankful, and 〈◊〉, as he hath done? I beseech you let 〈◊〉 consider with ourselves, if we be not more ●…ankefull upon these occasions for these deli●…erances, and work our hearts to love Reli●…on, and to hate Popery more; it will be just ●…ith God, that they shall be thorns in our ●…des, more than they have been, and pricks 〈◊〉 our eyes, that we shall see what a dangerous ●…ction they are, and what case we are in. For ●…ose that are drunk with the Cup of this Har●…t, it takes away their wits from them, those ●…hat worship Images and stocks, they are stocks ●…hemselves. Though the danger be great to ●…hemselves, yet they labour to make others ●…orse than themselves, there is no trusting to ●…hem: we should more fear them, then foreign ●…nemies; both reasons of State, and reasons of Religion, and reasons of our own safety, all should be forcible to have a special regard to prevent the growth of Popery. For ourselves, that hear of the destruction of this jericho; we have heard what jericho was How to prevent our own destruction. before it was destroyed. For aught we know God may destroy jerusalem, as well as jericho, and by a worse people than themselves, as the Prophet saith, Ezek. 17. by a base people. It Ezek. 17. is no matter, though others be worse than ourselves: God when he plagues his people, will do it by worse than themselves, and cast the Rod into the fire when he hath done, Ash●… the Rod of my wrath, Esay 10. Therefore let us Isay 10. look to ourselves, that we be thankful to God: It will be no plea that we have been safe thus long, thus many years: for these people of jericho, God let them alone four hundred years, as it is in Gen. 15. They were threatened, but Gen. 15. the sins of the Amorites were not yet 〈◊〉 jericho was a part of that Country; but when their sins were full, than they were destroyed. God had patience four hundred years, to the sins of the Amorites, to this people: And at last judgement came upon them fearfully. So howsoever God hath been forbearing, and long suffering towards us: Yet let us look about us, oh destruction may be near. It is not sufficient to think that God will destroy Antichrist, that the walls of jericho shall down, he may do that, and yet he may destroy us, there may bedanger toward us too. And it is no comfort to them neither, that God will punish us; or that easeth not their overthrow neither: ●…or if he do so to the green Tree, what will he ●…oe to the dry? If his Children be whipped with Scorpions, what will he do to Rebels? ●…f the Children of God scarcely be saved, where ●…hall the sinner and ungodly appear? If the Children taste of the wrath of God, than the enemies shall taste of the dregs of his wrath; it is no comfort for them; for their Doom is set down, Babylon is fallen. It will not be so much comfort to us, that God will destroy them, as it will be to look to ourselves in time before a peremptory Decree come forth to make our peace with God. The King of Sodom, and others, were delivered by Abraham: but a●…terwards we see how fearfully they perished. Pharaoh was let alone for a time, yet after he was destroyed in the Sea: jerusalem had warning after warning; yet afterwards it was destroyed: so, though we have had deliverance upon deliverance, yet if we make not more of Religion, and grow more in detestation of that Religion, that God would have us set our selus against, it will be just with God to punish us, and to lay us open to them that we have sinfully favoured. Use. To set against Popery by faith. We see what great matters faith will do in the use of means: though they be poor, weak, base means: Therefore let us set upon Popish Religion in our places, and callings in a spirit of faith, in the use of means; and let us never think, we are too weak, and now they are mighty, and strong. It was said to Luther, when he began to write against the Luther. Pope, oh! poor Monk, get thee into thy Cell, and say Lord have mercy upon thee, dost thou think to overcome the whole world with thy writing? so the walls of jericho may seem so mighty, the opposite power that we are to set against, as if we should lose our labour to set against it: but whatsoever is opposite to Christ we have a promise, it shall be overthrown: Let us, in a spirit of faith set upon them in the use of means, and God will make it good, as in former times. And for all other things that stand between To set against our corruptions by faith. us, and heaven, all the walls of jericho, all opposition, let us set upon them with a spirit of faith in the use of means: for he that hath overcome for us (as I said) will by little and little overcome in us: These corruptions of ours shall fall before the Spirit of God, by little and little; And as Hamans' wife could tell him, If thou begin to fall before that people, th●… shalt certainly fall: so if the work of Grace be begun in us, that corruptions begin to fall, undoubtedly, and certainly they shall fall: they cannot stand before the Spirit. For grace is in growing, and corruption is in decaying continually in a Christian. Quest. Why God doth not subdue corruption at 〈◊〉 Why doth not God all at once subdue these walls of jericho in us; but by little, and little? God will exercise our faith, and patience: we are Warriors here in this world, our life is Answ. a warfare, and he will exercise grace in us, he ●…ill have us combat with enemies; these in●…ard enemies among the rest. Again, he will let us see what he hath done ●…r us: If we were not exercised with enemies, ●…e should not be thankful sufficient, for victo●…e over the Devil: When we have been vexed ●…ith the Devil's temptations, then blessed be God, and Christ, that at last these troubles are ●…ased. How much are we beholding to Christ, that hath freed us from the danger of ●…hese? we are only annoyed with the trouble. ●…his will make us thankful, when we have ●…arted. This keeps us likewise from soul devour●…g sins: less infirmities in us, keep us from ●…ide, and security: God hath many ends. ●…ut to cut off other things, because the point 〈◊〉 large, I only give a taste. Let this comfort us, that the walls of Iericho●…hat ●…hat is to say, whatsoever opposeth us in ●…ur coming out of the state of nature, and ●…ur entrance into the state of heaven, whatsoe●…er opposition is between shall fall: Therefore ●…et us strengthen our faith, in the use of means. How shall we strengthen our faith this way? Quest. Faith is strengthened by the knowledge of Answ. How to strengthen faith in the fall of our corruptions. ●…he attributes of him, whom we lay hold upon, ●…hose power doth all: the more we know ●…im, the more we shall trust him: Let us la●…our to know God in Covenant, to be our Fa●…her, and to know Christ as he is, in his nature, and offices, what he is to us: to know his wisdom, and power, and truth, that there may be a bottom for faith to build on: the more we grow in spiritual knowledge, the more we shall grow in faith, and the more we grow in faith (the more we shall grow in other graces) whereby we overcome all our enemies that set against us. Again, let us make use of all former experience to strengthen faith: Hath God beg●…n the work? do the walls of jericho begin to f●…ll? He that hath begun a good work, will finish it to the day of the Lord. Let us take in trust the time to come, by experience of God's truth for the time past: for the work of the Spirit is a continued work. The Spirit of God in subduing our corruptions, he would not have begun, if he had meant to have left off, and interrupted the work. The Spirit suffers us to fall sometimes, but it is to teach us to stand better afterward; he turns our very falls, and slips to our good. Let us strengthen faith therefore from former experience, as David did: we have overcome the Bear, and the Lion; therefore let us set on the Philistine: And as joshua set his foot on the necks of the ten Kings, and said; Thus shall the Lord thy God destroy all thine enemies: so hath the Spirit of God, set his foot as it were upon some corruptions? thus shall God deal with all corruptions, and temptations at length, and never leave the blessed government of us, till he have subdued all. Let us rise from one experi●…ent to another, to strengthen faith; God is ●…like in all truths. You know in judges 5. saith judg. 5. ●…he holy woman Deborah. So let all thine ene●…ies perish: The heart of that blessed woman ●…as (as it were) enlarged prophetically; when ●…ne falls, they shall all fall, there is like reason. See how gloriously Hannah in her Song enlargeth her faith, by God's power, and goodness, ●…ecause she had experience in herself: so ex●…erience in ourselves, or others will-inlarge ●…ur faith to look for greater matters still from ●…ur gracious, powerful God: thus we ought ●…o labour to strengthen our faith. And the third thing to help faith in all spi●…ituall 3 oppositions that we meet with, is daily ●…xercise in using it, to make it brighter conti●…ually every day, by working with it upon ●…ur enemies. And in the state of Grace to live by it, both for this present life, to depend upon God for all things; and likewise for necessary grace: As the Disciples when they were enjoined a hard duty, Lord increase our faith, say they; they go to exercise their faith upon it. If that be increased, all is increased. And so in our callings, exercise it by depend●…ng upon God for strength, and success. Saith Peter to Christ, Lord at thy word I will cast out the Net, though it were very unlikely it should do any good; they had fished all day, and catched nothing: but yet he would wait, and go on still, At thy word I will cast out the Net: He did it, and the Net broke with the multitude of fish. Let us exercise our faith, in daily obedience to God, depend upon him in the use of means. And learn this, to wait in the exercise of 4 our faith; as they that went about the walls of jericho, they did it seven days: Put case they had done it six, and no more, the walls had stood still. He that hath ten miles to go, and goes but nine, she shall never come to his journey's end: When God hath set down such a time, so long thou shalt wait, and use the means, and depend upon me by faith, in the use of the means; if we be short spirited, and lengthen and strengthen not our faith in the use of the means, we shall never attain our desire; therefore let us labour to wait. Here is the difference between Christians, and others; Difference between Christians and others. there is no man, but he would be happy, if so be it were not for this waiting: If a wicked man should see Hell open, would he commit sin, if he should see it present? If he should see Heaven open, and Christ coming with his reward with him, he would be godly: there is not the vilest wretch in the world, but he would be so, if these things were present: but because it is only discovered in the word of God, and faith must believe, and wait for the reward, and faith must wait all the time of our life, here is the trial: So that a Christian differs nothing from a worldly man, but in a Spirit of faith, and waiting, and continuance of that faith, in the ●…ane time before a man come to enjoy, and ●…eive what he looks for: Faith gives God 〈◊〉 glory of all his attributes, the glory of his ●…th he hath spoken, and therefore he will ●…ke it good. The glory of his wisdom that 〈◊〉 hath found out such a course for us to walk 〈◊〉; The glory of his mercy that he hath ●…de such promises to such wretches; so all ●…er attributes faith gives glory to; therefore ●…od glorifies faith, and the special act of ●…ith is waiting: If I tarry long, wait thou: ●…nd we have need of patience: Faith stirs up ●…tience to help, and assist it, as we see here ●…ese waited seven days: Remember there●…re to exercise faith in continual dependence ●…pon God; take heed of being short spirited, ●…ough God defer the rewarding of the ●…ighteous, and the punishment of the Wic●…ed: yet hold out still, he that hath promi●…d will come in time, and make good that that ●…e hath said in due time. Give God the glory ●…f appointing the fittest time; He is the best ●…iscerner of opportunities, Our times are in ●…is hand, all kind of times, therefore let us de●…end upon him for that, only labour to have a ●…trong spirit of faith, that we may wait his good leisure. And to help us, do but consider, what if we wait a few years, what is that to Eternity? I might enlarge the point: what great matters faith will do, both in heaven, and earth, every way. We see here, faith shakes the very earth: God he is the Lord of heaven, and earth. The earth is the Lords, because these walls were built upon God's earth, we see here one puff of God blows them all down; and faith laying hold upon this casts them down; though faith doth it not immediately, yet God doth it, because he is laid hold on by faith. Let us labour therefore to have faith above all other graces: It is the Mother Grace, it is To labour for faith. the Grace that is the spring of all Graces, if we wo●…ld have patience, and hope, and love, and perseverance, and constancy together; let us labour to have faith strengthened, and to feed our faith the more, let us look to the word of God, make it familiar to us: the Spirit goes together with the word, to strengthen and increase our faith, and that being strengthened, all is strengthened whatsoever. Now the way to try, whether we have this To try if we have faith. faith or no (not to speak largely of the point, but as the Text leads me) is, if we humbly attend upon the means that God hath appointed, though they seem base to carnal reason: As how do we know that these Israelites had faith, when they went about the walls of jericho? because they have humbled themselves to use the base means, that God had appointed, though they were very unlikely. Naaman, out of the pride of his heart, saith he, what are the waters of jordan? have not we waters that can do as much? but if the servants had not been wiser than the Master, he had gone home a Leper as he came: so when men hear the word preached, they think, cannot we read good books at home? and for the Sacrament, it is a poor Ordinance; what is there, but wine and bread, and such like? Take heed of a proud heart: God will have weaker means to try us, whether we will humble ourselves to his wisdom, or no: where there is true faith, it will be careful to use all good means, or else it is a tempting of God, and not a trusting of him, when we do not use the means that he hath sanctified. And where there is faith, as there will be a careful use of all means, so there will be a care in the use of means, not to depend upon the means, but to trust in God. There will be a joining of both together; faith doth not take away the use of means; nay, he that is most certain of the end, should strive to be most careful of all means used to that end. There ought no man to be more diligent in using the means, than he that is most certain of the end; because he is encouraged to use the means, knowing that he shall not beat the air, that he shall not lose his labour, so if we by faith lay hold upon God for the destruction of Antichrist, and that God would subdue our corruptions, and that they shall fall before the Spirit by little, and little; if by faith we lay hold upon this that God will perfect the good work he hath begun in the use of good means; this will stir us up to use all means with cheerfulness, and constancy. There are none that are more careful of the means, than those that are most sure of the issue. Those that are careless of the means, let them pretend what they will, they are presumptuous persons, they have no faith: for that will stir us up to use the means, and in the use of means to depend upon God: so careful is faith to use the means, as if without them God would do nothing; and yet in the means it is so careful to depend upon God; as if the means could not do any thing without God▪ Thus, faith walks between the means, and the great God. Let us go on constantly in living the life of faith, and using all the blessed means that God hath sanctified: God ha●…h sanctified the preaching of the Word to beat downeal these spiritual walls, let us go on, all our life time, and at length, the last Trump shall sound, another Trumpet shall sound; and then not only the walls of jericho, but the walls of heaven and earth shall fall down; and then we shall enter into that heavenly Canaan, both body and soul. In the mean time, let us exercise faith: and to quicken our faith the more, let us have those blessed times in the eye of our soul; let us see them as present: It is the nature of faith to apprehend things to come, as present: let us see heaven, and earth on fire: see Christ coming to judgement; let us see ●…ll the walls down, the Graves open, whatsoe●…er opposeth, and stands between us, and glo●…y; see all gone, let us see ourselves at the ●…ight hand of Christ, and triumphing in hea●…en: For the Scripture speaks of that, that is ●…o come, as if it were passed: We sit in heavenly ●…laces with Christ, and we are saved by faith, and ●…ee are glorified. Thus the Spirit of faith ●…eakes of the glorious times to come, when ●…ll enemies shall be trodden under foot: Sa●…han, and all enemies whatsoever, shall go to their place, the opposite Church shall be no longer; when the last Trump shall blow, we shall all stand together at the right hand of Christ, and be for ever glorious with Him. THE UNPROSPEROUS BVILDER. A Sermon preached upon the 5th of November, in remembrance of Our Deliverance from the Papists Powder-Treason. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS: Doctor in Divinity, Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. HAB. 2. 12. Woe to him that buildeth a Town with blood, and establisheth a City by Iniquity. LONDON, Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R. Harford, at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row. 1639. THE PROSPEROUS BVILDER. jos. 6. 10. Cursed be the Man before the Lord, that riseth up, and builds this City jericho: He shall lay the foundation of it in his Firstborn, and in his youngest Son set up the Gates thereof. THE words are a terrible denunciation of a curse; of the man of God joshua, wherein you have the Curse generally set down. Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth to build this City jericho, and then a specification in particular, wherein the Scope of the words. Curse stands; the two branches of the Curse are these, He shall lay the foundation of it in his Firstborn, and in his youngest Son set up the Gates thereof. It shall be with the rasing out of his posterity. So that the Text is nothing else but a terrible denunciation under a curse of the destruction of the family of that person, that should labour to build up jericho again. I will not speak much of Cursing or Blessing, being not pertinent to my purpose; only to give a touch of it. As in Blessing there are three things considerable, that come near one another; there is a Blessing, a Prayer, and a Prophecy; the Prayer is for a blessing to come, the Prophecy, is of the certainty of it, that it shall be, the Blessing is an efficacious application of the thing to the person. I mean those three, because the one gives light to the other. So it is likewise in Cursing, there is a Prayer, that God would pour forth his vengeance upon the enemies of the Church, and a prophetical Prediction that God will do it, and a Cursing, when it comes from a qualified person, that is lead by a better Spirit than his own (for every one is not fit to cast these bolts;) Cursing is an efficacious application of the curse to the person. When a man is (as it were) the declarative instrument, whereby God works, and brings the curse upon the person; so that we must account a curse to be a wondrous deep thing. The persons qualified for cursing or blessing, they are Parents, either politic, as Magistrates, or Parents natural, to curse or bless their children, as we see in Noah, Cursed be Cham, etc. Or else Parents spiritual, whose office it is indeed especially, to bless, or curse. It is a greater matter than the world takes it for, a blessing, or a curse, especially from a spiritual Father. The Apostles that were spiritual Fathers of the Church, they begun their Epistles with blessings, and so the Prophets and patriarchs. Therefore we should regard the blessing, Blessing of Ministers to be regarded. that God gives by his Ministers: Some are ready to run out before the blessing, as not esteeming either blessing or curse. Luther a man of great parts, and grace, saith of himself; That if a man of God should speak any thing terrible to him, and denounce any thing against him, he knew not how to bear it, it would be so terrible. The jesuits themselves, amongst the rest one De Lapide, he saith, The Priest cannot sooner come into the Pulpit, but if there be a Nobleman there, down he falls, and all look for the blessing of the Priest. The Devil is always in extremes, either to drive people to superstition, or else to profaneness, and Atheism, either to regard the blessing of those whom they should not regard, or not to regard any blessing at all; not to regard that good men should pray for them, or their Children; if the Devil can bring men to Hell, by either ex●…reames, he hath his will. As for the blessing of Rome we expect it not; and for their curse, we need care no more for it, than an armed man, needs to ca●…e for a headless arrow, or for a Child's Potgun. But those men that come in the name of God, and are qualified with callings to pray, and to bless, their prayers and blessings are highly to be esteemed, and so likewise their curses. I would it were more esteemed, it would be a means to convey God's blessing more than it is. Cursed be the Man before the Lord. Take this Caution by the way; though josua were a man of God, he was a mixed person; he was both a Magistrate, and in some sort a Minister: As we say of Kings, they are mixed persons, they are Keepers of both tables; Custodes utriusque tabulae. there is more in the supreme Magistrate, then is common. Every one must not take upon him to curse upon every motion of the flesh; for here it is not (as one of the Ancients saith well) The wrath of a man in commotion, and fury; but the sentence of a man in a peaceable temper, who is the Conveyer of God's curse; it is passive here, as well as active. In the New Testament we are commanded to bless, and not to curse. It is a common fault, upon every distemper to fall a cursing, and oft times it lights as an Arrow shot upwards upon the head of the Curser: we are people of God's blessing, all true Believers, and we should delight in blessing, having felt the blessing of God ourselves upon our souls, we should be moved to blessing; both by way of gratitude to those that are our superiors, and have done us good, that God would bless them: and by way of amity, and friendship to those that are under us, or about us; and by way of mercy to our very enemies; we should pray for, and bless our very enemies themselves, as our Blessed Saviour prayed for them-that cursed him. This should be our ordinary disposition, we should be all for blessing. As for curses we must take heed, that we direct them not against any particular person, we have Not to curse particular persons. no such warrant, though the Primitive Church pronounced a curse against julian, a notable Enemy: And Saint Paul, he cursed Alexander the Coppersmith; but for us this time, the safety way is to pronounce all those curses in the Psalms, and else where in Scripture, upon the implacable, and incorrigible enemies of the Church, the whole body of the malignant Church, and so we should not err. I will not dwell longer upon this Argument, only I thought good to remember you to regard the blessing, of those that have the Spirit of God to bless, especially that have a calling to do it, and to take heed of cursing. But to come to the particulars. Cursed be the Man before the Lord. That is, let him be cursed indeed, that that is done before the Lord is truly, and solemnly done: this was a solemn Curse, a heavy Curse, & it did truly light upon him. And let him be cursed before the Lord, however the world bless him, as a man cannot do such a thing, as to build a City, but the world will commend a man for doing such a thing, but it is no matter for the world's commendation, if a man set upon a cursed cause, so much for the phrase, Cursed be the Man before the Lord; that is, he is truly, and solemnly cursed and cursed before the Lord, though men bless him. That riseth, and builds this City jericho. That is the cause why he should be cursed? because he would build that City, that God Why God would not have jericho built again. would have to be a perpetual monument of his justice.. Why would not God have jericho built again? God would not have it built up, partly, because he would have it a perpetual remembrance of his goodness, and merciful dealing As a monument of God's mercy and justice. with his people, passing over jordan, and coming freshly into Canaan: for we are all subject to forget; therefore it is good to have days set apart for remembrance, and somewhat to put us in mind, as they had many things in old time to help memory. If this City had been built again, the memory of it would have been forgotten, but lying all waste and desolate, the Passengers by would asketh cause, as God speaks of his own people: what is the reason that this City lies thus? and than it would give them occasion, of speaking of the mercy of God to his people. And likewise it would give occasion to speak of the justice of God against the idolatrous Inhabitants, whose sins were grown ripe: God foretold in Genesis, that the sins of the Amorites was not yet ripe: but now their sins were ripe, they were Idolaters. And likewise it was dedicated to God, as the 2. It was dedicated to God. first fruits, being one of the chief mother Cities of the land, it was dedicated, and consecrated to God, as a thing severed, it was to be for ever severed from common use. There are two ways of severing things from common use, one by way of destruction, as here the City of jericho: Another by way of dedication, as the Gold of jericho. God would have this City severed from common use, as a perpetual Monument, and remembrance of his mercy, and justice. And likewise he would have it never built 3 For terror to the rest of the people. up again, for terror to the rest of the Inhabitants: For usually great Conquerors set up some terrible example of justice to terrify others: Now this being one of the first Cities, after their passing over jordan: God would have the destruction of it to strike terror, together with this sentence of a curse, upon all that should build it again for ever. And then that this terrible sentence might 4 To draw others to come in. be a means to draw others, to come in to God's people to join with them, and submit, and prevent their destruction, seeing how terribly God had dealt with jericho. Many such reasons may be probably alleged: but the main reason of reasons, that must settle our 5 God would have it so. consciences, God would have it so. Iosu●…, he was but God's Trumpet, and God's instrument to denounce this curse. Cursed be the man before the Lord, that shall build up this City jericho, we must rest in that. I will go over the words, and then make application afterwards to the occasion. I come to the specification of the Curse, wherein it stands. He shall lay the foundation thereof in his Firstborn. If any man will be so venturous to build it The specification of the curse. 1 King. 16. 34. up again, as one Hiel did, in 1 King. 16. 34. If any man will be so audacious, he shall do it with the peril of the life of his first begotten; and if he will not desist then, he shall finish the Gates of it, he shall make an end of it with the death of his younger Son. It is God's custom, to denounce a threatening of a curse 3 God threateneth before he strike. before he execute it. It is a part of God's mercy, and of his blessing, that he will curse only in the threatening: for therefore he curseth, that he might not execute it: and therefore he threateneth, that he might not smite, and when he smites, he smites that he might not destroy, and when he kills the body, it is that he might not destroy the soul, as 1 Cor. 11. 32. Therefore some of you are weak, and sick, and 1 Cor. 11. 32 some sleep, that you might not be condemned with the world. Thus God is merciful, even till it comes to the last upshot, that men by their rebellions provoke him; God's mercy strives with the sins of men. Mark here the degrees of it, first God threatens the Curse, Cursed be the man. And then in the particulars, he begins with the eldest Son. First there is a threatening, and when the execution comes, he takes not all his Sons away at once, but begins with the Eldest; and if that will not do, he goes to the youngest. This carriage of God, even in his threatenings, To move us to turn to him. it should put us in mind of God's mercy; and likewise it should move us to meet God presently, before any peremptory decree be come forth (as we shall see afterward:) for if we leave not sinning, God will never leave punishing: He might have desisted in the death of his first Son: but if that will not be, God will strike him in his youngest Son, and sweep away all between: for so we must understand it, that both elder, and younger, and all should die. Now for the judgement itself. He shall lay the foundation thereof, in his Firstborn. There is some proportion between the Punishment proportionable to the sin. judgement, and the sin. The sin was to raise up a building, a cursed City contrary to Gods will: The punishment is in pulling dough ea man's own building: for Children (according to the Hebrew word) are the building, the Pillars of the house; and since he would rais●… up a foundation, and building contrary to God's mind, God would pull up his foundation. Cities are said to have life, and to grow, and to have their pitch, and then to die like men: And indeed they do, observing only a proportion of time, they are of longer continuance: but otherwise Cities live and grow, and die, and have their period as men have. Now he that would give life to a City, that God would have buried in its own ruins, God would have his sons die, he would have his sons (as it were) buried under the ruins of that City, that he would build in spite of God, that would give life to that City that was cursed. Oft times we may read our very sins in our punishments, there is some proportion. But to go on to the particulars. He shall lay the foundation in his Firstborn. A heavy judgement; because the Firstborn, Death of the Firstborn a great judgement. as you know he saith of Reuben, he was his strength, and he was King, and Priest in the Family: the Firstborn had a double portion; he was redeemed with a greater price (as we see in Moses Law) than other sons. It was a heavy judgement to have his Firstborn smitten in this fashion, to be taken away. If any ask why God was so severe, that he Why God sometimes punisheth parents in their children. did not punish Hiel in himself, but take away his children, it may seem against reason. But we must not dispute with God: for we must know that God hath the supreme power, of life and death. Then we must know again, that children ●…re part of their Parents, God punisheth the parents in their children: and it is a heavier punishment oft times in their esteem, then in themselves: for they think to live, and continue in their children; now when they see their children took away, it is worse than death; men oft times live, to see things worse ●…hen death, as those that see their children killed before them, as Zedechias, and Mauritius the Emperor: for indeed it is a death oft. A man dies in every child, this man he died in his eldest son, and he died in his youngest son; he died in regard of the apprehension of death, it was more sharp in apprehension, then when he died himself. So it is a heavy judgement to be stricken in our children: God when he will punish, he punisheth oft times in posterity; As we see it was the most terrible judgement of all upon Pharaoh, that in his Firstborn, God drew them all to let Israel go out, when He smote their Firstborn: It is a heavy judgement for a man to be stricken in his Firstborn, either when they are dissolute, and debauch▪ed, and lawless, (for God hath judgements for the soul, as well as for the body) or else when they are taken out of the world. But thirdly, which is very likely another reason that moved God (that we may justify God, in all our sentence, that we give of him) he took them away, because they imit●… their father in ill; and God hath a liberty 〈◊〉 strike when he will, when there is cause; and whom he will, he will spare for so many Generations. You will say, why doth he light on such 〈◊〉 Quest. Generation? and why not on such a place? It is his liberty, and prerogative, when 〈◊〉 Answ. deserve it, and he lights upon one, and 〈◊〉 upon another: we must not quarrel with God, but leave him to his liberty; it is a part of 〈◊〉 prerogative, Who art thou oh man that dis●…test? Why God, when all are equally 〈◊〉 strikes one, and not another, why he exec●… judgements in one age, and not in another: there may be reasons given of it, but it is 〈◊〉 mystery that must not be disputed; but I cannot stand on these things. He shall lay the foundation thereof in his Firstborn, and in his youngest Son set up the Gates thereof. This terrible sentence we see executed 〈◊〉 1 King. 16. 34. In Achabs' time, there was 1 King. 16. 34. one so venturous, as to build jericho again. There is an accent to be set upon that, that it was in Achabs' time. Hiel would needs build jericho again, and why should he build it? Hiel no doubt saw it a wondrous commodious place to found a City, being near to jordan: And then he saw, and considered that it was accounted a famous thing to be founder of a ●…itie. And then no doubt he thought, that ●…hab would not only permit him to do it, but ●…ould gratify him: wicked Ahab, which had ●…ld himself to work wickedness; that was 〈◊〉 abominable Idolater himself, and coun●…nanced Idolatry, and had set up the false ●…orship of B●…al; it was likely enough in his ●…me that jericho should be built; and there●…ore no doubt, but he did it partly to insinuate ●…imselfe with Ahab. And to show how little ●…e cared for Iosua's, or Iehova's threatening, as ●…sually such impudent persons that are grown up with greatness, that have sold themselves to be naught, that have put off all humanity, and modesty; they are fittest to carry wicked, and desperate causes, being agreeable to them: so this wicked person was a fit man to do this, and he thought to please Ahab by it. Man is a strange crea●…ure, especially in greatness of riches, or place, etc. A piece of earth that will be puffed up, if he have flatterers, and sycophants about him, and a proud heart withal; he will forget, and dare the God of heaven, and trample under foot all threatenings, and menaces whatsoever. As this wicked Hiel, rather than he will miss of his will, he will break through thick, and thin, and redeem the fulfilling of his will, with the loss of his own soul, and of his children, his Firstborn, and his last, and all, Mens mihi pro regno, let a man be happy in his will, he cares not for all the world; if he may have his will, 〈◊〉 all go upon heaps: this is the nature of ma●… One would think that this threatening migh●… have scared a man that had loved himself, 〈◊〉 his posterity: but nothing would keep hi●… he would venture upon it, as we see in 〈◊〉 place, 1 King. 16. Thus we have passed ov●… the words. To come to handle the words by way of The words handled by way of Analogy. Analogy, how they may agree to other thing●… by way of proportion, and in a spiritual mystical sense. There are divers degrees of men, that venture upon curses, and thereupon grow to be cursed Men build jericho again. themselves, even as this man ventured upon the building of jericho, so there be many tha●… do the like in a proportionable kind. I shall name some few. God did determine, that the jewish Ceremonies By retaining jewish Ceremonies. should determine, and have an end and period: Now in Saint Paul's time, there were many that would put life into them, and join them with the Gospel. Saint Paul tells them, Christ shall profit you nothing: Those are they that build jericho again, that revive, and put life into that, that God hath determined should never revive again. When the jewish Ceremonies were honourably interred, and laid in their graves, these men would raise them out of their graves again, and so venture upon God's curse, and be excluded from Christ. These are one sort of men, that raise jericho again. And so afterwards in the Church, ●…here were those that would build up jericho, ●…hat would still retain jewish Ceremonies, ●…nd Heathenish in the Church, and some at the ●…irst with no ill minds. But then afterwards, as Augustine complains, they so pestered the August. Church, with jewish and Heathenish Ceremonies, that the jews condition was better than theirs; for these things should have been buried. Gerson, that had many good things in him, though he lived in ill times: Oh saith he, good Augustine, Dost thou complain of those times? what wouldst thou have said, if thou hadst lived now? What is Popery, but a mass of jewish, and heathenish Ceremonies, besides some Blasphemies that they have? I speak concerning what they differ from ours, which are decent and orderly; what a mass of Ceremonies, and fooleries have they, to misled men that are taken away with fancies to distaste the truth of God, and to have respect to fancies, to outward pomp, and gorgeous things, rather than the Gospel? These men build up jericho again, and bury the Gospel as much as they can. There are another sort of men, that raise up 2 By reviving old heresies. jericho, that revive all the heresies that were damned to Hell, by the ancient Counsels. The heresy of Pelagius, was damned to Hell by the ancient Counsels: The African Counsels, divers of them, divers Synods (wherein Augustine himself was a party) they condemned Pelagius heresy. Are there not men now abroad, that will revive these heresies? And there must be expected nothing, but a curse, where this prevails: for they are opinions cursed by the Church of God, that have bi●… lead by the Spirit of God heretofore, such opinions I mean, as speak meanly of the grace of God, as if it were a weak thing, and advance the strength of freewill, and make an Idol of that; And so under the commendation, and setting up of nature, are enemies of grace: These are those that build up jericho. There are a company that build up jericho 3 By breaking statutes and wills. likewise, persons that will venture upon the 〈◊〉 of Founders of Colleges, etc. those that have left Statutes, and Testaments, and Wills, established, and sealed them with a curse, as it were against the Breakers of them; yet some make no more bones of breaking these, either Statutes or Wills, than Samson did of breaking his coards; as if they would venture upon the curse of former times, and persons that very likely were led by the Spirit of God, and could say Amen to their curses, as if they were nothing like Hiel, that would venture upon the terrible curse of josua, come what would, he would break through all. But the jericho especially, that a world of 4 By upholding Popery. people go about to build again, is Popery. How many have ye to build up the walls of jericho again in this kind? But to make this a little clearer, because the occasion leads to this something, I will be the larger in it. How came they to build these walls of jericho? Quest. by what means came this Religion, that is so opposite to the Religion of the Scripture, this Religion, that was gathered by the Count cell of Trent into one Sea (as it were) that whosoever drinks of it dies, as it is in the Revelation: how comes this Religion? how crept it into the world? I could be long to show that it came by degrees, Answ. How Popery sprang up. while the Husband men slept, than the Devil sowed his tares by Heretics, and such like: It grew by degrees. And then the world was scared, and terrified with shows, and fancies; as with the succession of Peter, that is a mere fancy; and then they were frighted with Excommunications, the terrible sentence of the Church. And then again it is a kingdom of darkness, Popery is; by little and little they brought in Ignorance, not only of the Scriptures, but of other things, they had their prayers in an unknown tongue, forbidding the Scriptures, and the like. In the night they might do what they would, when they had put out the Candle; when they had buried the knowledge of the word of God, they might bring in any heresy, many ways they came in. Now the preaching of the Gospel, is the How it is pulled down. means to pull down these walls of jericho, it is the going about the walls of jericho: By the preaching of Luther, and others, the walls have fallen, though not utterly: yet notwithstanding, in the last hundred years there hath been a great ruin of Popery. What means have they now to build the walls again? How they bestir themselves: Quest. there is a new sect of jesuits, that are the spirit of the Devil for knowledge, and industry, it is a strange project they have now to build up the walls of jericho again, and 3. things they have in their project, and these are, to set up the Pope again, and a Catholic King under him, as he is the Catholic Head of the Church: and to set up the Council of Trent in the 〈◊〉 vigour: these are the main projects they labour to set up, and so to build jericho again this way, and what cou●…se do they take? The Devil hath a thousand wiles, I cannot Answ. How this Jericho is built again. reckon all the Instruments of Satan, who can tell all his wiles? They go about to build the walls of jericho again among other ways, By shutting out of all light, by their terrible Inquisition, a most cruel thing; by the tyranny of this Inquisition they shut out a●… light of God's truth in all places, where Popery is established. Then again they have all Satan's arts to build up jericho, by slanders, and lies; they labour to estrange the hearts of people, what they can against the truth of Religion; and therefore they raise all the lies, and slanders they can; nay and they will not suffer so much as a Protestant Writer to be named; but the ●…ame of such a one say they be blotted out 〈◊〉 ●…hen they have their Index Purgatorius, to ●…urge all, that savour of truth, that favour our ●…ause. And then they have their Dispensations. And (to cut off other things, for where should 〈◊〉 end?) indeed their policy is almost endless ●…n this kind, they have the quintessence of their ●…owne wit, and of Satan's, to sharpen them in this kind. They deal as the Magicians of Egypt, when Moses came to do wonders, they imitated him in all the rest, except in one: so they strengthen themselves much in imitating the Protestants. We labour to build the walls of jerusalem, they imitate us in building the walls of jericho. We preach, to shake off drowsiness, and they fall a preaching. We print, and they print. We publish books of devotion, they go beyond us. We set out books of martyrology, to show the cruelty of them, and they have lost much by that; hereupon they do so too, and aggravate things, and add their own lies. So by imitating our proceedings, wherein we have gained upon them, they like the Egyptian Magicians do the like, and God hardens their hearts, as he did Pharaoh's, by the Magicians. Again, by labouring to make divisions, between Kings and their subjects, what they can in those places, where their Religion hath not obtained ground, that they may get a party they cherish division like the Devil, they divide and rule. It was julians' policy, to provide that n●… Christian should bear any office in the war●… to be Captain, etc. So if the jesuits and Papists may have their will, no man that is opposite to them, shall have any place; those th●… shall have the place to manage offices, and suc●… like, shall be those that incline to them: th●… they bring to pass, if they can; and so 〈◊〉 Captains in the wars, etc. As julian the Apostate, he cared not for judaism, but did wh●… he did, out of spite to the Christians: so 〈◊〉 the most of their plots thus they work 〈◊〉 way or other. I say there is no end of their plots, only it is good to know them; for so we may the better prevent them. How shall the building up of jericho be stopped, seeing they go about it so: and indee●… Quest. they have built much of late years, and ha●… raised up their walls very high, and labo●… what they can to stop the building of Ierus●… lem? The way to stop this jericho, that it nev●… Answ. How to stop the building of this jericho. go up again, is the judicious knowledge 〈◊〉 Popery, that it is a Religion contrary to the blessed truth of God. God hath left us hi●… Testament, his Will, wherein he hath be que●…thed us all the good that we can challenge from him. Now this Religion is contrary 〈◊〉 our Father's will; and they know it we●… 1 Knowledge of their tenants. enough, and therefore they build their co●…s upon men's devises, and not upon divine ●…th. They know if people come to know the ●…estament, that they should lose, and there●…re they labour to suppress knowledge, and ●…xtinguish it; we should labour to know the ●…ontroversiall truths between us, and them, ●…nd to have the knowledge of the Scriptures: ●…or knowledge is a notable means to streng●…hen us; there are none that know Popery; ●…hat will be deceived by it. And then, together with the knowledge of 2 Of their practice 2 ●…im. 4. ●…heir tenants, to know their courses, and pra●…tises, and policy, in 2 Tim. 4. They shall pre●…aile no longer (saith Saint Paul) for their mad●…esse shall be made manifest. Why shall they not prevail any longer? their madness shall be manifest: so that the manifesting of the madness of men, is the cause why they shall prevail no longer. It were good to know all their ●…ndermining tricks, and all the policy of the jesuits, and Papists, that lay their trains a far off, that they may be the less seen: As the Spider gets into a corner, that she appear not; so themselves will not appear; but they draw women, and other licentious persons, and they have greater than them too: so they lay their trains a far off, that they may have their will: It is good to know their devilish practices, that so their diabolical madness may be manifest, that so they may prevail no longer: for undoubtedly, if their courses were laid open, there is no man that loves his own safety, and the safety of the Kingdom but would hate them. Another way to stop the building of Ieric●… is to have young ones instructed. I would Parents 2 To instruct young ones in grounds of divinity. would have more care of catechising▪ and others in their places, would have more care of grounding young ones in the ground of Religion. Popery labours to overthrow that: for the worshipping of Images, it is directly against the second Commandment, and they are só guilty of it, that they take it away in some of their books. The young●… sort that are the hope of the succeeding Church should be well grounded in Religion: that that is right, will discover that that is crooked, it would make them impregnable against all Popish solicitations. The neglect of this, is the cause why many Gentlemen, and of the Nobility; the neglect of their education by those that should over look them, hath made them fit for jesuits▪ and Priests to work on, having ripe wi●…s otherwise; And all because of the Atheism of those that have neglected their breeding, and filled their heads with other vanities, it hath been the ruin of many families in this Kingdom; therefore it is good to season younger years with the knowledge of the grounds of Religion. And in all the dark corners of the land to 3 To set up lights in dark place. set up lights that may shine; for these Owls fly in the dark, they cannot endure the light of the Gospel by any means, they see the ●…reath of God's mouth is too hot for them, and ●…ey must be consumed at length by that, by ●…e preaching of the Gospel; not with the word, but with the sword of Christ's mouth, ●…ntichrist must especially be consumed; and ●…ey know this by experience, therefore they ●…bour under hand (they will not be seen in 〈◊〉; but oft times others are Instruments more ●…en they are aware) to stop the preaching of ●…e Gospel, by all the policy they can. Again (as I said before) Popery is a King●…ome 4 To cherish good learning. of darkness, and nothing will undo 〈◊〉 but light: therefore we should labour to ●…errish all good learning; it is a notable ●…eanes to assist against Popery. julian knew ●…at well enough: therefore he would not suf●…er Parents to send their children to School, ●…ut to be brought up in Ignorance: And so ●…apists would have a neglect of learning, that ●…ight help this way. And because they labour to reign in divi●…on, let us labour to unite ourselves, and not 5 To labour for Unity. ●…reakeupon small matters, but to join together with one shoulder, as one man, against ●…hat malignant Generation; and mark those ●…mong us, that are the causes of division, as the Apostle saith, Mark them, they serve not Christ, but their own bellies, they serve their ●…wne turns that reign in division. Let us la●…our as much as may be, if we will join ●…rongly against the enemies of God, and his Church, to unite our forces together, and no●… to entertain slight matters of breach on●… from another. And with these, let us join our prayers to 6 To be thankful. God, and our thanksgiving; we are not thankful enough, that God hath brought us out of the Kingdom of darkness; not only out of the darkness of sin, and Satan; b●… from the darkness of Popery. We have no●… been thankful to God for that Deliveran●… in Queen Elizabeth's time, out of the Egyptia●… darkness, and the Deliverance in our la●… King's time, and deliverances in later times▪ we are not thankful enough; and we beg●… to show it, in not making much of Religion▪ and growing in further, and further obedienc●… of Religion. Is this our thankfulness t●… God? what doth Religion hurt us? are 〈◊〉 not beholding to God for our Religion, and t●… Religion for our peace, and Deliverance 〈◊〉 hath not God witnessed the truth of our Religion from Heaven by Deliverances? hath no●… God been with us strangely, by the confusio●… of the plots of others? and how do we 〈◊〉 quite it? by growing to a lukewarm temper. A lukewarm temper is odious in th●… sight of God. I would thou wert hot or cold, saith Christ. The best Religion in the world is odious, if it be cold; God will not endure us t●… join the Ark and Dagon, Christ and Belial. Certainly, if we do, God will spew 〈◊〉 all out; it will be the confusion of the Church d State; and yet this is the thankfulness ●…at we give to God, for the Gospel of peace, ●…at we have been so much beholding to ●…im for. Therefore it is good to take occasions, as ●…ee have one ministered this day, to call to ●…ind the former dealing of God to us, in the ●…un-powder-treason, and other Deliverances; ●…hich we have had several occasions upon ●…is day to speak of. And (to come nearer ●…ur selves) let us stir up our hearts to thank●…ulnesse, which is the main end of this day; ●…nd among the rest for our gracious Prince, ●…hat God hath delivered him as the 3. Chil●…ren in the fiery Furnace, they were kept, and ●…reserved untouched of the fire: so God hath ●…reserved him in the fiery Furnace. The not ●…eing thankful for these things, will be a ●…eanes for God to lay us open to his, and our ●…nemies. Therefore let us make use of this ●…ay, especially to stir us up to thankfulness. To go on. For the building of the walls of jericho 7 To set against our corruptions. what should I speak of Popery, and the like? We should labour to overthrow that jericho. All of us have vowed in Baptism, to fight against the world, and the Devil, and the main Enemy of all that is within us, that is our flesh: we could not be hurt by them, we betray ourselves, as Samson betrayed himself to Dali●…ah. Those that are baptised, and especially that have renewed their vows by solemn fasting, and renewed their Covenant, in taking the Communion; as there are none of us all▪ but have vowed against our corruptions, and sins, in Baptism, and have renewed their solemn vows in the Communion, and in public fasting: Well, when we go about to strengthen our corruptions, and the corruptions of the times, in the places where we live; what do we go about? to build the walls of jericho again: what do we go about, but to strengthen that that God hath cursed? There is nothing under Heaven so cursed, as this corruption of ours, that is the cause of all the curses of the creatures; of all the curses that ever were, or shall be, even to the last curse, Go ye Cursed to eternal destruction. This Pride, and Sensuality, and secret Atheism, and Infidelity, that we cherish, and love more than our own souls; this is that, that many go about to build, and oppose all the ways that are used to pull down jericho: and ha●…e nothing so heartily, as the motions of God's Spirit, and the means that God's Spirit hath sanctified, to pull down these walls of jericho. Must not this be a cursed Endeavour, when we go about to build, that that we ourselves have vowed to pull down? when we go about to raise that, that we have formerly destroyed by our own vows? As Saint Paul saith, Gal. 2. If I again build the things I have destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. Indeed when we go about to build the things that we have vowed their destruction, we make our ●…lves transgressors. Let us take notice of the wondrous poison, ●…nd rebellion of the corruption of our hearts ●…n this kind. Hath not the Lord threatened ●…urse upon curse, against many particular sins? ●…ursed is the man that calls evil good, and good ●…vill; have we not many that do so? In Deu●…ronomie there is curse upon curse, to those ●…hat misled others. And in the New Testa ●…ient there is curse upon curse: Saint Paul●…hreatneth ●…hreatneth, that such and such shall not enter ●…nto the Kingdom of Heaven; yet not with●…tanding the Curse, we go about to build Ieri●…ho again, to set up that that God hath pronounced a Curse upon. We cry out against Popery, and well we may, when the Scripture directs curses against their particular opinions, as where it ●…aith, If an Angel from Heaven, shall teach other doctrine, let him be accursed. The Coun●… cell of Trent hath cursed those that s●…y traditions are not of equal authority with the Scriptures, and so they set curse against curse. We wonder at them, that they are not of aid of the curse of God, nay to countercurse God as it were; when he curseth disobedience, to curse the practice of obedience to him. And then there is a curse to those that shall add or take away from the Scripture. Saint john seals the whole Scripture with a Curse. Cursed is he that adds, or takes away, etc. Now they add to the Scripture that that is no Scripture; and they take away what they list, as the second Commandment, and the Cup in the Sacrament, I say we wonder at them, tha●… they will run upon the curses, that they will be stricken through with so many curses, more than Absalon with javelins, or Acha●… with stones, Cursed is he that worshippeth graven Im●…ges; besides particular things that are cursed in Scripture: We wonder at them that they are so desperately blind to run on. But are no●… we as ill? are there not many curses in the Scripture, and denunciations of being excluded from the Kingdom of God, against the courses that are taken by many men? and ye●… we venture on it. Will a negative Religion bring any man to Heaven, to say he is no Papist, nor no Schismatic? No, certainly, therefore profane persons that maintain corruptions, and abuses, and abominations, against the light of conscience, and nature, and Scriptures, they raise up jericho again, and they are under a curse. Let me ask any one why Christ came? Application concerning the feast of the nativity. The Apostle saith (and they will be ready to say) To dissolve the cursed works of the Devil▪ It should seem by many notwithstanding, especially at these times, that he came to establish the works of the Devil: for what good we do in the Ministry, in three quarters of a year, it is almost undone in one quarter; At the time when we pretend great honour to Christ, we live as if he came to build up the ●…ursed walls of Hell, to break loose all. Whereas he came to destroy the works of ●…e Devil: He came to redeem us out of the ●…ands of our enemies, that we might serve him ●…ithout fear, in holiness and righteousness all the ●…ayes of our life, He came to redeem us from ●…ur vain conversation: nay, many live as if ●…ee came to give liberty to all conversation. ●…s not this to raise jericho? to raise a fort for ●…athan, to enter into our souls, and keep pos●…ession in us? to beat out God, and his Spirit? ●…o fight against our known salvation, when we rear up courses contrary to Christ's coming in the flesh, and to the end of Christ's dying for us, which was to free us from our ●…aine conversation, and to redeem us from the world, that we should not be lead as slaves to the customs of the world. Therefore let us consider what we do, what To consider our course of life. ●…our course of life is, if it be a proceeding, and ●…edification, and building up ourselves more, and more to Heaven, a growing in knowledge, and in holy obedience, to the divine truths we know; if it be a pulling down of sin more and more, a going further, and further out of the Kingdom of darkness, and a setting ourselves at a gracious liberty to serve God; oh! it is a happy thing, if it be so: if our life be a taking part with Christ, and his Spirit, and his Ministry, to grow in grace and piety; oh! it is an excellent thing when we grow better; the longer we live in the world, and this cursed jericho, the corruption of nature (which if we cherish, will be the cause of an eternal curse after) if it go down, and we r●…ine it more, and more, and we suffer the word to beat down the forts of Satan, those strong Imaginations, etc. But if our life be nothing else but a living answerable to our lusts; that as we are dead, and cursed by nature, so we make ourselves twice dead, a hundred times dead by sin, and bring curse upon curse by our sinful conversation; we are then under God's broad seal cursed. We are all borne accursed, till we get out of the state of nature, to free us from which, Christ became a curse; if we get not out of this, but go on, and feed our vanity, and corruption, what will be the end of it, but an eternal cursr afterwards? Therefore let us consider what we do, when we maintain, and cherish corruptions, and abuses in ourselves, and others; We build that that God hath cursed, we build that that we have vowed against ourselves. And how will God take this at the hour of death? thou that art a careless drowsy hearer of the word of God, and a liver contrary to the word of God; how will God take this at thee, at the hour of death, when thy conscience will tell thee, that thy life hath been a practice of sin, a strengthening of corruption? The old Adam that thou hast cherished, it will stare, and look on thee with so hideous a look that it will drive thee to despair. For conscience will tell thee, that thy life hath been a strengthening of pride, of vanity, of covetousness, and of other sins, thy whole life hath been such; and now when thou shouldst look for comfort, than thy corruptions, which thou shouldest have subdued, they are grown to that pitch, that they will bring thee to despair, without the extraordinary mercy of God to awaken thy heart by repentance. Why therefore should we strengthen that that is a curse, and will make us cursed too? and will make the time to come terrible to us, the hour of death, and the day of judgement? How shall men think to hold up their faces, and heads at the day of judgement, whose lives have been nothing else, but a yielding to their own corruption of nature, and the corruptions, and vanities of the times, and places they have lived in? that have never had the courage to plead for God, that have been fierce against God, Who ever was fierce against God, and prospered? When men make their whole life fierce against God, against the admonitions of his word, and Spirit, and their whole life is nothing but a practice of sin; how can they think of death, and judgement without terror? Now it were wisdom for us, to carry ourselves so in our lives, and conversations, that the time to come may not be terrible, but comfortable to think of; that we may lift up our heads with joy, when we think of death, and judgement: but when we do nothing but build jericho; when we raise up sin, that we should ruin more, and more, what will the end of this be, but despair here, and destruction in the world to come? You may shake off the menaces, and threatenings Christ's sentence unavoidable. of the Ministers, as Hiel shook off I●…suah's; he was an austere, singular man, and it is a long time since jericho was cast down, and God hath forgotten; hath he so? he found that God had not forgotten. So there are many that think, that words are but wind of men, opposite to such, and such things: but though our words may be shooken off now, and the word of God now in the preaching, may be shaken off; yet it will not when it comes to execution. When we propound the curse of God against sinful courses, you may shake off that curse: but when Christ from Heaven shall come to judge the quick, and the dead, and say, Go ye cursed, that were borne cursed, that have lived cursed, that have maintained a cursed opposition to blessed courses; that have not built up your own salvation, but your corruptions, you that loved cursing, Go ye cursed to Hell fire, with the Devil and his Angels for ever: will you shake off that? No, no, howsoever our ministerial in r●…aties, may be shaken off: yet when God shall come to judge the quick, and the dead, that eternal threatening shall not be shaken off. Therefore I beseech you, consider not so much what we say now, but what God will make good then, What we bind on earth, cut of the warrant of God's book, Shall be bound in Heaven, and God will say Amen, to that we say agreeable to his word. Think not light of that we speak: for To tremble at God's word. God will make good every word, he is jehovah, he will give being to every word. He is not only mercy, but justice (we make an Idol of him else) and we must fea●…e him in his justice. He loves to dwell with such as are of a contrite Spirit, that tremble at his word. It is said of David, that when Vzzah was stricken, he trembled. Hiel, and such kind of persons regard not the threatenings of God, but go on, and treasure up wrath. It is a sign of a wicked man to hear the menaces, and threatenings, and not to tremble. To end all with two places of Scripture; saith Moses, He that hears these things, and blesseth himself, my wrath shall smoke against him. God's wrath shall smoke, and burn to hell against such a one as blesseth himself, that knows he is cursed under the seal of God, that doth ill, and yet he blesseth himself in doing ill: therefore take heed of that, add not that to the rest, God's wrath will smoke against such a one. And you know what Saint Paul saith, Rom. 2. If thou go on and treasureup wrath, thou buildest jericho, that thou hast vowed the destruction of. Every time thou takest the Communion, thou treasurest up wrath against the day of wrath. For there will be a day of the manifestation of the just wrath of God, and then these things will be laid to thy charge. Let us every one labour to get out of the state of nature, to break off our wicked lives, and to get into Christ the blessed seed, and then we shall be blessed, we shall be made free, free from the curse of nature, and of sin. Let us renew our Covenants against all sin, and make conscience to be lead by the Spirit of Christ, that we may gather sound Evidence every day, that we are in Christ, and so out of the Curse. THE SUCCESSFUL SEEKER. In two Sermons, on PSALM 27. 8. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS. Doctor in Divinity, Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. 1 CHRON. 16. 11. Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek his face continually. LONDON, Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R. Harford, at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row. 1639. The Successful SEEKER. PSAL. 27. 8. When thou saidst, seek ye my face; my Heart said unto thee, thy face Lord will I seek IN the former Verse, David begins a prayer to God, Hear oh Lord, have mercy upon me, and answer me. This Verse is a ground of that prayer, Seek ye my face, saith GOD; the heart answers again, Thy face Lord will I seek; therefore I am encouraged to pray to thee: In the words are contained, GOD'S Command, and David's Obedience. Seek my face, thy face Lord will I seek. God's warrant, and David's work answerable, the Voice, and the Echo: the Voice, Seek m●… face: the rebound back again of a gracious heart, Thy face Lord will I seek. When thou saidst] it is not in the original, i●… only makes way to the sense; passionate speeches are usually abrupt, seek my face, thy f●… Lord will I seek. The first thing that I will observe from the inco●…ragement is, that God shows himself to his understanding Observ. God shows himself to the understanding creature. creature. God begins you see, seek my face, he mu●… open his meaning, and show himself first, God comes out of that hidden light that he dwells in, and discovers himself, and his will to his creature, especially in the word. It is our happiness now, that we know the mind, and meaning of God. What is the ground of this? what need God stoop thus? There is the same ground for it, as that there is a God; these things go in an undivided knot, God. The reasonable, understanding creature, and Religion that ties that creature to God, a discovery of God what that Religion shall be. For in the intercourse between God and Man must not appoint how to serve God. Man, man can do nothing, except he hath his warrant from God. It is extreme arrogance for man to devise a worship of God. Do we think that God will suffer the creature to serve him as he pleaseth? No, that were to make the creature, which is the Servant, to be the Master. It belongs to the Master or Lord to appoint the service: what Master, or Lord will be served according to the liberty, and wisdom, and will of his servant? And shall ●…he great God of Heaven and earth be worshipped, and depended upon, as man pleaseth, or from any encouragement from himself▪ shall not he design his own worship? he that singles out his own work, makes himself master in that; therefore God begins with this command, seek my face, and then the heart answereth, thy face Lord will I seek. God must first discover his mind of necessity to the creature. Scriptures might be forced hence to show the duty owing from the creature, Man, to God: for the creature must have a ground for what ●…he doth, it must not be will worship, Infringit, etc. It is a rule, it weakens the respect of obedience that is done without a cause: though a man doth a good deed, yet what reason, what ground have ye for this? and that we may do things upon ground, God must discover himself, therefore he saith, Seek my face. It may be objected, that every thing proclaims The knowledge of God by the creatures insufficient. this, to seek God, though God had not spoken, nor his word, every creature hath a voice to say, seek God, all his benefits have that voice to say, seek God, whence have we them? If the creature could speak, it would say, I serve thy turn, that thou mayest serve God, that made thee and me: as the Prophet saith, the rod and chastisement hath a voice, Hear the Rod, and him that smiteth, every thing hath a voice. We know God's nature somewhat in the creature, that he is a powerful, a wise, 〈◊〉 just God, we see it by the works of creation, and providence: but if we should know his nature, and not his will towards us, his commanding will, what he will have us do, and his promising will what he will do for us; exce●… we have a ground for this from God, the knowledge of his nature is but a con●…ed knowledge, it serves but to make us unexcusable, as in Rom. 1. it is proved at large. It is too confused to be the ground of obedience, unless the will of God be discovered before, therefore we must know the mind of God. And that is the excellency of the Church of God above all other people, and comp●…nies of men, that we have the mind and will of God, what here qui●… of us, by way o●… duty to him; and what he will do to us, as a liberal, and rich God: These two things which are the maine are discovered, what we look for from God, and the duty we owe back gain to God, these are distinctly opened in the word; you see here God begin●… with David, seek ye my face. Indeed God is a God of order: in this subordination of God and the creature, it is fit that God should begin, it is God's part to command, and ours ●…o obey. This point might be enlarged, but it is a point that doth but make way to that that follows, therefore I will not dwell upon it. Again in this first part God's command or warrant, Observ. 2. God is willing to be known. seek ye my face; you see here, God is willing to be known, He is willing to open and discover himself; God delights not to hide himself: God stands not upon state, as some Emperors do, that think their presence diminisheth respect: God is no such God, but he may be searched into. Man, if any weakness be discovered, we can soon search into the depth of his excellency, but with God it is clean otherwise, the more we know of him, the more we shall admire him. None admire him more, than the blessed Angels, that see most of him, and the blessed Spirits that have communion with him; therefore he hides not himself, nay he desires to be known, and all those that have his Spirit, desire to make him known: Those that suppress the knowledge of God in his will, what he performs for men, and what he requires of them, they are enemies to God, and of God's people; they suppress the opening of God, clean contrary to God's meaning, seek my face, I desire to be made known, and lay open myself to you. Therefore we may observe by the way, that That God doth not shine on us is our own fault. when we are in any dark condition, that a Christian finds not the beams of God shining on him, let him not lay the blame upon God, as if God were a God that delighted to hide himself; oh no, it is not his delight, he loves not strangeness to his poor creature; it is not a point of his policy, he is too great to affect such poor things: No, the fault is altogether in us, we walk not worthy of such a presence, we want humility and preparation. If there be any darkness in the creature, that he finds God doth not so shine on him, as in former times, undoubtedly the cause is in himself, for God saith, seek my face, he desires to open himself; but it is a point that I will not be large in. We see hence likewise, that God's goodness is a Communicative, spreading Observ. 3. God's goodness communicative. goodness. That is peculiar to God, and to those that are lead with the Spirit of God, that are like him, they have a communicative diffsive goodness, that loves to spread itself, Seek my face. I am good in myself, but I desire to shine on you, to impart my goodness to you. If God had not a communicative, spreading Or else he had not created the world. goodness, he would never have created the world: the Father, Son, and Holyghost, were happy in themselves, and enjoyed one another before the world was, but that God delights to communicate, and spread his goodness, there had never been a Creation, nor a Redemption. God useth his creatures, not for defect of power, that he can do nothing without them: but for the spreading of his goodness: and thereupon comes all the subordination of one creature to another, and all to him. Oh that we had hearts to make way for such a goodness, as God would cast into us, if we were as we should be. God's goodness, is a spreading imparting goodness. It is a common distinction, there is the goodness of the Fountain, and the goodness of the Vessel, that is our goodness, because we contain somewhat in us that is good: the goodness of the creature, that is but the Channel, or the Cistern, but the goodness of God is another manner of goodness, the goodness of the Fountain. The Fountain begs not from the River, the Sun borrows not light from the Candle, God begs not goodness from the creature. Ours is a borrowed goodness, but his is a communicative goodness, seek my face: that I may impart my goodness. The Sun delights to spread his beams, and his influen●… in inferior things, to make all things fruitful: such a goodness is in God, as is in a Fountain, or in the breast that loves to ease itself of milk. I note it, that we may conceive aright of God's willingness to bestow his goodness. God, that is more willing to bestow good, than we are to ask it; he is so willing to bestow it, that he becomes a Suitor to us, seek ye my face, he seeks to us to seek him. It is strange that heaven should seek to earth; & yet so it is. Whence comes this in God, the at ribute o●… Quest. goodness, the spreading goodness in his 〈◊〉ture, that he desires to impart, and to comm●…nicate himself? There is no envy in God, he hath none above Answ. No envy in God. him, and therefore he labours to make all good▪ There is a mystery in it, but if some be 〈◊〉 good, the fault is in themselves; as it is a prerogative in him to make some more, and some le●… good; so there is a fault in them: that I 〈◊〉 no better, it is my own fault. The prerogative belongs to God, we must not search into that: but every man may say, I might have been better, and more enlarged, I did not seek his face, that he might take occasion to ●…nlarge himself towards me; would we be like our heavenly Father? let us labour to have large affections, to have a spreading goodness. Two things make us very like God, th●… Two things wherein we are like God. much concern this point: To do things freely, of ourselves, and to do them far. To communicate goodness, and to communicate it fa●…e to many. The greater the fire is, the further it burns, the greater the love is, the further it extends, and communicates itself. There are none more like God, than those that communicate what good they have to others, and communicate it, as far, and remote as they can, to extend it to many. Our Saviour Christ, you see what a world were beholding to him, Heaven and earth were beholding to him; and the nearer a man comes ●…o Christ, the more there is a kind of felfe●…eniall, to do good to others. Saint Paul had 〈◊〉 great measure of Christ in him, he was con●…ent to be bestowed for the good of the Church, the care of all did lie upon him. A ●…ublike mind is God's mind, a public mind is a mind that loves to do good freely, and large●…y to others: therefore God saith, seek my face, that I may have better opportunity to empty my goodness to you. Seek my face, that is, seek my presence; the face is the glass of the soul wherein we see the mind of a man, seek my face; that is, seek my mind, seek my presence, as we shall see afterward. I will speak no more of that point, Gods warrant, or command, but go on. My heart said unto thee, thy face Lord will I seek. Here is the work, and obedience, My heart said unto thee, etc. David's heart was set in a good, and sanctified frame by God; it was between God, and his obedience. The heart is between God, and our obedience, as it were an Embassado●…r, it understands from God what God will have done▪ and then it lays a command upon the whole man. The hear▪ and conscience of man is partly divine, partly humane; it hath some divinity in it, especially if the man be a holy man. God speaks, and the heart speaks; God speaks to the Heart, and the Heart speaks to us: And oft times when we hear conscience speaking to us, we neglect it; and as Saint Augustine said of himself, August. God spoke often to me, and I was ignorant of it. When there is no command in the word, that the heart directly thinks of (as indeed many profane careless men, scarce have a Bible in their houses) God speaks to them thus, conscience speaks to them some broken command, that they learn against their wills, they heed it not, but David did not so, God said, Seekeyee my face, his heart answers, thy face Lord will I seek. The heart looks upward to God, and then to itself: My heart said] It said to thee, and then to itself: First his heart said to God, Lord I have encouragement from thee, thou hast commanded that I should seek thy face, so his heart looked to God, and then it speaks to itself, Thy face Lord will I seek: It looks first to God, and then to all things that come from itself. My heart said] it said of that point, concerning the thing thou saidst, seek my face. My heart said [to thee] David saw God in all his commandments, Thou saidst to me, seek my face, My heart said to thee. I know the command is from thee, I have to deal with thee, in the command and encouragement, and in the warrant, I look not to the words, but to thee, the authority, and strength of them comes from thee. My heart said to thee, thy face Lord will I seek. Between the answer of David, and Gods command and warrant; the heart comes to think seriously upon the command, and then to enjoin the duty. This is to be considered, because there is no knitting of these two together, but by the heart, the serious consideration of the heart, when God faith, seek my face, he answers, I will seek thy face. How comes this return? The soul considers the ground of the return, before the return. A man when he doth any thing, he doth it from the principles of a man; a holy man when he doth a thing, he doth it from the principle of a holy man; and what is the principles and foundation of the practice of a holy man: a sanctified understanding to tell him what God hath said, and what he hath promised, and wherein God hath discovered himself. Well, when the heart knows that once, the heart hath enough from heaven-ward, it hath enough from heaven, God hath said, and promised it: then the heart by a work it hath of itself, speaks to itself, and to the whole man, to seek God. The heart will not stoop without reason, the heart of an understanding man, but when it sees the command first, seek my face, than it answers, thy face Lord will I seek. So that this command of God, and this encouragement, and warrant from God, Seek ye my face, it was in David's heart, it was written, and set, and grafted in his heart, and then his heart being awed with the command of God, God hath said thus, the heart goes again to God, thou hast said thus, Lord, Thy face will I seek. See the depth of David's speech, when he faith, Lord thy face will I seek. It came from his heart root, not only from the heart, but from the heart grounded upon the command, and encouragement of God. Seek my face; there is the ground, the heart digesting this thoroughly, this is God's Command, I understand it, and understand it from God, I see the authority from whence itcomes, therefore I will stir up myself, Thy face Lord will I seek: I shall have occasion to speak somewhat of it afterwards, in the next thing his obedience, therefore I go on. Thy face jehovah will I seek. Here is his return again to God, that he will seek the face of God, I will seek thy face in all my necessities, than I will seek to thee; and in all thine ordinances I will seek to thee, whereinsoever thy presence is discovered, thy presence is in all places, especially in thine ordinances, thy presence is in all times, especially in the time of trouble, and need; in all times of need I will seek to thee, in all exigences I will seek unto thee, and in all thi●…e ordinances wherein I may find thee; I know I may meet with thee there, thou givest thy people meetings in thine ordinances, it is thy walk, therefore thy face Lord will I seek where I may be sure to meet thee, in thine own way and ordinances: So much for the meaning. Thy face Lord will I seek. Here is first of all an Application, and obedience from Application; they be words of particular Application: Thy face will I seek. God had given him a ground, Seek ye my face, his heart makes the Application, Thy face I will seek, applying the general encouragement to himself in particular. So that you may observe hence that, The ground of all obedience, of all holy intercourse Observ. The ground of obedience, application. with God, is a Spirit of Application. Applying the truths of God, though (generally spoken) to ourselves in particular. It is spoken here in the plural number, Seek ye my face; but the general implies the particular, as London is in England, Seek ye my face, all ye that are the people of God; but I am one of them: what though I be not named? (that tenant in Popery is against sense) when a man is condemned by the law, is his name in the law? It is against such a fact; he is a Malefactor: And so the particular is included in the general, Seek ye my face. David knew that, reason taught him that, and not Religion. Now the ground of Application of divine 1 God's truth belongs to all. truths to ourselves in particular, is this; that the truth of God (setting aside some circumstantial things, that arise sometimes to particular persons, that sometimes limit the command to one person, or the promise to one person (cut off those distinctions) all comfortable truths agreeto God's people in all ages, while there is a Church in the world. All truths are eternal truths, die not as men do. David is dead, and Moses is dead, but this truth is not dead, Seek ye my face: Paul is gone, and Peter is gone, we are the Davids, and the Mose's, the Peter, and the Paul's now, those truths that were good to them, are good to us. Whatsoever was written before, was written for our comfort. There is an eternal truth that runs through all ages of the Church, that hath an everlasting comfort▪ God hath framed the Scriptures not to be limited to the times, wherein they were written, as the Papists idly speak, Bellarmine and others, as if they were occasional things, that the Scriptures were written by occasion of such, and such men, and concerned only those times: but the Scriptures were written for all times, and it concerns a times to apply all truths to themselves (setting aside those circumstances, that are applied to particular men, which are easy to discern) in Heb. 13▪ that that was said to josua, jos. 1. the Apostle applies it to the Church in his time, and to all: Be not afraid, I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, it is a general truth. And Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, that whosoever believes as Abraham, is a son of Abraham. These truths are universal, and concern every one, as well as any. And so many other places of Scripture: The promise of the blessed seed, the believing of it runs from the beginning of the world, in all ages to the coming of Christ. All other promises were but an enlargement of that, that was the Mother-promise; that is the ground of Application, that the general truths agree to all the Churches. The truth of God is the portion of every child of God, he may claim every promise, and aught to follow the direction of every command. The reason is, because all the Church of God are Heirs alike; Heirs of the Promise, Children of Abraham, Heirs of salvation, they have interest in Christ-alike, in whom all the promises, are Yea, and Amen; in whom all the promises have their making, and their performance. And by reason that there is an indifferent equality (in regard of the main things) of all the children of God: they have interest alike in all the benefits by Christ; in all truths, in all substantial duties to God, and all favours from God, that is the ground of the equity of Application. But if you will have the ground of the necessity 2 Ground of necessity of application. of it, nature will show that: for the truths are food, if food be not taken, what good doth it do, without application▪ The word of God is a sword: what will a sword do, if it hangs up in a man's Chamber▪ or if it be not used, when the enemy approacheth▪ The Application of the sword of the Spirit gives the virtue to it, it is to no purpose else, divine truths are physic, if it be not applied, what use is there of physic? There is a necessity (if we will obey God) of a Spirit of Application; there is nothing that will do good, but by application, neither in nature, nor in grace: There must be a virtual application at least: the heavens work upon the earth, there is no Application bodily, the heavens are too high; but there is a virtual Application, there comes light in, and influence to these inferior bodies: therefore we say the Sun is in the house, and in the place we are in, though there be only his influence there. But there must be application of divine truth to the soul, it must be brought near the soul, before the soul can move▪ There is a necessity of Application from a principle of nature, to make it our own. Now as in nature there is a power in the soul, to work out of the food, that that is good for every member, which we call a digestive power and faculty; that applies, and as●…milates the meat and nourishment we take to every part. There be fibra sucking veins, that suck out of the meat strength, for this and that purpose. So there is in the soul of every Christian, and holy man, there is a spiritual sucking, there is a drawing, assimilating digesting Spirit, that digests and draws out nourishment out of the book of God, that is fit for him, that he can say, this is mine, this is for me; I want comfort, and strength, and direction, here it is; I want light, here it is; I am weak, here is supply for it: so there is a digestive power by the Spirit of God in every Christian, to suck, and to draw out of the word, that that is fit for all purposes and turns, and he can apply the word upon every occasion; as if it be a command, he obeys it; if it be a threatening, he trembles at it; if it be comfort, he rests in it; if it be a direction, he follows it likewise: He applies it answerable to the nature of the word whatsoever it is, his heart is moulded answerable to the word, by reason of the Spirit of Application. As there is a ground of the Application of A principle of Application. the word, and a necessity of it; so there is a principle of Application; that is, the Spirit of God in the hearts of the children of God, teaching their spirits to draw wholesome truths fitting to themselves, and none but the children of God can do it, that have the Spirit of God, they cannot apply the word of God aright. False Application of the word of God, is the cause of all mischief sometimes, when those that apply the law, should apply the Gospel; and on the contrary, when those that should apply the law, sinful secure persons, apply the Gospel. Many times poor distressed persons, that comfort belongs to, Oh comfort my people, they apply the Law that belongs not to them, in that case false application is the ground of mischief; therefore the Spirit of God is the principle of Application of divine truths, according to the exigence, and estate of God's people. Therefore we should be stirred up to beg Use To beg the spirit of application. the Spirit of Application, to maintain our communion, and intercourse with God, that we may apply every thing duly, and truly to our selus, & our own fowls; all is to no purpose else, if we do not apply it: if it be not brought home to our souls, and digested throughly in our hearts, we must say, this is from God, and this belongs to me; when we hear truths unfolded, to say of ourselves, this concerns me; and say not, this is a good portion, and a good truth for such a one, and such a one, but every one take out his own portion, this is for me. God saith, Seek my face, thy face Lord will I seek, with a spirit of Application. If we do not, as indeed it is the fault of the times, to hear the word of God loosely; we care not so much to hear the word of God, as to hear the gifts of men, we desire to hear fine things to increase notions, we delight in them, and to hear some empty creature, to fasten upon a story, or some phrases by the by) alas you come here to hear duties, and comforts, if you be good, and sentences against you, if you be naught, we speak Gods threatenings to you, that will wound you to hell, except you pull them out by repentance. It is another manner of matter to hear, than it is took for. Take heed how you hear saith Christ, so we had need, for the word that we hear now, shall judge us at the latter day, thereupon we should labour for a spirit of Application, to make a right use of it, as we should. Therefore those humble souls that are cast down in the sight, and sense of their sins, they must apply the sweet, and blessed comforts of the Gospel, such as are contrite in spirit, Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. Come unto me, all ye that are weary, and heavy laden, etc. Those on the other side, that go on in a course of sin, and will not be reclaimed, let them consider what Moses saith, Deut. 29. If a man go on, and bless himself, my wrath shall smoke against such Deut. 29. a man, and burn to hell. I will not remove my wrath from him, till by little and little I take my good spirit from him, and let him go with some temporal comforts, and then bring him to hell. I will curse him in his blessings, he shall have blessings, but he shall be cursed in all that he doth, and all things shall be in wrath and anger, that shall burn to hell. Such like places let such men apply to themselves: there is no comfort at all to men that live in sin wittingly, and willingly: If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear my prayer. If a man 〈◊〉 me ordinance of God, hearing, and good means, His prayer shall be abominable. He that will 〈◊〉 hear the Law, his prayer is abominable. The applying of these things would make men bethink themselves, and turn to God, when he considers what part of the word belongs to him, and makes a right Application. If we make not a right Application of God's Danger of not applying the word. truths, this mischief will come ofit, we 〈◊〉 hour God, and his bounty: hath God been 1 We dishonour God. so bountiful, as to give us so many instructions, and such promises, and shall not we 〈◊〉 them our own? what is the end of the ministry, but to spread before us the unsearchable riches of Christ? they are yours, if you will take them, when you have not a spirit of Application, and are not in case to take them, they are lost; God's bounty is discredited. The Devil rejoiceth, when he seeth what 〈◊〉 We rejoice the Devil. excellent things are laid open in the Church of God, in the ministry, what sweet promises and comforts, but here is no body to take them, and lay hold on them: Like a table that is richly furnished, and there is no body comes and takes it; it makes the Devil sport, it rejoiceth the enemy of mankind; when we lose so great advantage, that we will not apply those blessed truths, and make them our own. There is no greater delight to Satan, then for us to refuse those dainties that God hath provided for us; what can rejoice an enemy more, then to see courtesies refused? He sees that all the Scripture is for comfort to poor distressed souls, and when they refuse their comforts, and set light by them, as they tell job, Settest thou light by the consolations of the Almighty? Then Satan, the enemy of mankind, and especially the enemy of our comfort, since he hath lost all comfort, and all hope of it himself, he rejoiceth to see us in this condition comfortless; therefore let us lay claim to the promises by a spirit of Application. Again, we are inju●…ious to ourselves, we 3 We injure ourselves. rob our own souls; the want of this makes Christians be discouraged, and droop as they do; when they are cast down, all comfortable truths belongs to them; yet they put them off, this is not for me; and those in my case, when God saith, he will come and dwell with a humble heart, this is not for me: this spirit of peevishness and frowardness, is that that keeps them long from that comfort that they might enjoy: What, to be in the midst of comforts, and to starve, for a man to be at a feast, and to starve, because he hath not a spirit to digest, and to take that that is fit for him? We detest, (and deservedly) those misers that in the midst of all their abundance, will not spend six pence upon themselves; what a spirit of baseness is this, in the midst of spiritual contentments and refresh, when God offers to feed our souls with the sa●… things of his house, to say oh, no, this belon●… not to me; and cherish a peevish froward spirit that puts all away. Why do we not labo●… to be in such a condition, that we may be cherished? and that we may have satisfaction▪ to be truly hungry, and poor in spirit, that we may be filled, and satisfied; and not to go on thus stubbornly. There is a proud kind of modesty, oh, this belongs not to me, I am unworthy: if we will hearken to our own misgiving hearts in the time of temptation, we shall never answer God, and say, Lord thy face will I seek. Therefore let us labour for aspirit of supplication: I will not enforce that point further. Now from this spirit of Application (from this general, seek ye my face) comes obedience: for it is a speech of obedience. Thy face Lord will I seek. I will seek by thy strength and grace: for We seek God by his strength. when God utters a general command to his children, theregoes with that command a secret virtue, whereby they are enabled to seek him. There came a hidden virtue with this, seek my face, when David's spirit was raised by God to think of it, together with the thought of this, seek my face, there was a virtue enabling his soul to return back to God, to say, Lord thy face will I seek. So though David said, I will seek thy face, yet there was a spiri●…uall virtue that enabled him. God must find is before we can seek him; he must not only give the command to seek his face, but toge●…her with the command, there goes a work of ●…he Spirit, to the children of God, that ina●…leth them to seek him. In the covenant of grace, God doth his part ●…nd ours too: our part is to seek God, to ●…lease him, and walk before him (they are all ●…ne, I need not be curious in particulars.) Now ●…his was not a speech of self confidence: but 〈◊〉 speech of the spirit of God, that went with the command to him. This is a greatincouragement (by the way) to hear good things, and to come to the Congregation; we hear many great things, high duties, but we are not able to perform them; It is true, but the Gospel is the ministry of the Spirit, and together with the duty there goes the spirit to enable us to the duty. Stand up and walk, saith Peter to the poor lame man, and there went an enabling virtue to raise him. Arise, saith Christ to Lazarus, and there went a divine virtue to make him rise, and here, seek my face, there went a divine virtue to make him seek, which those that contemn the ordinances of God want, because they will not attend upon the ordinances: so much for that. Now I come to his obedience, Thy face Lord will I seek. David's obedience. This obedience ariseth from Application and his obedience hath these qualifications. It was present, as soon as he heard God 1 Present. will, as soon as his heart did think of the word, he puts not off. The Spirit of God, and the works of it are not slow in the children o●… God; but when they hear their duty, then is a spirit presently, Thy face will I seek, before the heart grow cold again. Again, this return and answer, as it wa●… 2 Pliable. present, so likewise it was a pliable obedience, Thy face will I seek: It is a speech of a ready cheerful, pliable heart. Where the Spirit o●… God works, it makes not only present, and quick, but cheerful, and pliable: For the Spirit of God is like fire, that softens the hardness of the heart, that naturally is like iron, and makes it pliable. God's people are a voluntary people, as it is Psal. 110. a people of devotion, Psal. 110. of readiness of will, and cheerfulness, a free hearted people, a people set at large they are lead with a Royal spirit, a spirit above their own; and that makes that easy, and pleasant to them, that otherwise is difficult, and impossible to nature. When Isaiah's lips were touched with a co●… from the Altar; that is, he had somewhat from the Spirit of God, to encourage nature, th●… here I am Lord, send me, he detracted the busines●… before, and put it off as much as he could. The Spirit of God makes pliable, as we see in the Acts, they cared not for suffering whips, or any ●…hing, because they were made pliable to God's Act. 4. service, they accounted it an honour to suffer ●…ny thing for God's sake; the obedience that is good, is pliable and cheerful. God would have things in the Church done by such people, the very building of the Ta●…ernacle was done by such voluntary people, ●…hat brought in, as God moved their hearts. Oh (Beloved) a Christian knows what it is to have a Royal Spirit, a free spirit. David knew it, when he had lost it by his sin, he pra●…ed that he might have a free spirit, a cheerful spirit in the service of God, and in his particular calling: for sin darkens, and straitens the soul. Thy face will I seek, his heart was weary, and pliable now as God would have it. So should our hearts be, and they will be so, if we have the Spirit of God, ready, and cheerful. God hath none to fight his battles against Satan, and the Kingdom of Darkness, but voluntaries: all God's people are voluntaries, they are not pressed soldiers; I mean, not against their wills in that sense. Indeed they have press-money in Baptism, to fight against the world, the flesh, and the Devil; but they are not pressed, they are voluntaries, they know they serve a good General, that will pay them abundantly; therefore they labour to be voluntary: It is a good saying, there is no virtue in men that do things against their wills: for that is virtue, and grace that comes from a man, from his own principles, from cheerfulness, God loves a cheerful giver. I might enlarge this, but I do but take it, as it may strengthen the point: our obedience to God, it must be pliable, and cheerful, and voluntary. Again, obedience, if it be true, it is perfect, 3 Perfect or sincere. and sincere, looking to God. Thy face Lord will I seek: we must eye God in it, and God's commandment, and not have a double eye, we must not look to our own selves, it must be perfect obedience; that is, opposite to that which is hypocritical, that is the best perfection: for the perfection of degrees is not to be attained here, but this perfection of soundness is to be laboured for, as we see here, it was a sound obedience, Thy face Lord will I seek, I will not seek thy favours, and blessings so much, as thy face. It was perfect obedience, as perfection is opposed to unsoundness. It was likewise a professed obedience, before 4. Professed, or resolute. all the world, in spite of Satan. Thy face will I seek; let the devil, and the world do what they can, let others do as they will; but as josua saith, If you will worship other Gods, if you will fall away do: But I and my house will serve the Lord: what if his house will not serve the Lord? If my house will not serve the Lord, I will. So we should all be of Iosua's mind, I and my house will serve the Lord; let the world go which way it will. In blessed Saint Paul's time, oh, saith he, There are many of whom I have told you often, and now tell you weeping, who are enemies to the Cross of Christ, whose end is damnation, who mind earthly things. What doth Paul in the mean time? oh, but our conversation is in heaven, we swim a contrary way, we care not to let the world know it, our conversation is another way. So our obedience must not only be present, and pliable, and perfect, but a professed obedience, that is, to break through all the oppositions of the Devil, and the world, with an invincible resolution, to b●…eak through all difficulties, and scandals, and examples of great persons; and of this, and that; if we will go to God, and say truly, Lord thy face will I seek: Let other men seek what they will, let them seek the face, and favour of others, thy face will I seek, thou shalt be in stead of all to me, as indeed he is. Again, as it is a professed, so it is a continued, 5 Perpetual. a perpetual obedience; he is resolved for the time to come: Thy face will I seek, not only now, and then turn my back upon thee afterwards: but I will seek thy face, till I see thee in heaven. I see thy face in thine ordinances, in the word, in thy people, where two or three be gathered, thou are among them. I will see thy face as I may, till I see it in heaven: so here is a perpetual resolution, Thy face I will seek. Lastly, the●…e is one thing more in this obedience and answer to God's command, that his answer to God, is an answerable answer; that is, the answer and obedience is suitable to the command; Gods command was, seek my face, his answer is, thy face Lord will I seek. So the point is, that, Our obedience to God must be proportionable to that, that is commanded. Observ. Obedience to God suitable to his command. It must not be this, or that devised by men, when the Lords eye is on you in this place, and gives you a charge to do thus; the obedience must be suitable; when he saith, seek my face, we must obey, thy face Lord will we seek. Therefore it may in some poor sense be compared to an Echo, we return obedience in the same kind: the Spirit of God teacheth the children of God to do so, to answer God in all the things he doth. I know not a better evidence of a child of God, than this answering Spirit. How shall I know that God loves me? I love him again, therefore I know he hath loved me first, it is an undoubted argument: How shall I know that God hath chosen me? I choose him, Whom have I in heaven but thee? and what is there in earth in comparison of thee? It is an undoubted Argument, shall I be able to single out God, to be instead of all to me, and hath not he chosen me first? Can there be any thing in the Current, that is not in the Spring before? It is impossible. I know God, I look on him as my father, certainly he hath shined on me first. I have said to him, thou art my God, certainly he hath said before, thou art my servant; If I say to him, thou art my God, certainly he hath said before, I am thy salvation, he hath begun: for this is the order, God begins, he saith, Seek my face, then if we have grace to return answerable obedience to God, Thy face Lord will I seek, when thou biddest me, Lord, I will love thee, I will choose thee, and delight in thee, thou shalt be my God; if we have this returning spirit back again, we cannot have a better argument, that God loves us, then by answering God's course. This is that that Saint Peter hath in 1 Pet. 3. 1 Pet. 3. that that doth all in Baptism, it is not, the washing of the filth of the body, but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the answer, or the demand of a good conscience, but answer is better: the answer of a good conscience cleanseth in Baptism. What is that? In Baptism, dost thou believe, saith the Minister, in God the Father Almighty? I do believe, that was the answer: dost thou believe in God the Son? I do believe: dost thou believe the Forgiveness of sins, the Resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting? I do believe; dost thou renounce the Devil, and his works? I renounce them; that is the answer of a good conscience; where that is from the heart, there God hath spoken to that heart before, and there is obedience to purpose; Thy face will I seek, it is that that brings comfort, not the washing of the water, it is not the eating of the bread, and drinking the wine, and hearing the word of God, when there is not the answer of a good conscience; when we say we believe, and we will do this, to do it indeed, Lord I will believe, I will go out of the Church with a purpose to practise what I hear. Here is the answer of a good conscience, when we mingle what we hear with faith, and labour to practise it, or else it will do no good. Our obedience must be suitable, and answerable, as I said before, if it be a direction, to follow it; if it be a command to obey it; if it be a threatening, to fear it; if it be a comfort, a promise, to rest upon it: Let there be a suitableness of obedience to the word, thereafter as the word is. Let us have a spiritual desire to these things, to imitate the holy man of God, as we desire to share in his comforts. I will follow this point of the answerableness of obedience; a little further, and then come to the particular of seeking. Let our obedience be every way answerable first, let the heart think, what God saith, what God commands, and promiseth, let the heart take the word of God, the second time, and ruminate on it, and go over it again. Let us look into the word, and see what is commanded, and what is promised, and then let the heart go over it again. And then upon that all eage it to God. Put case a man be in trouble, Lord thou hast To allege the promise to God. commanded, Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will b●…re thee, Psal. 50. Let the heart think of it, and go over that encouragement (it is 1. In trouble. Psal. 50. rather an encouragement than a command, though indeed God lay a command on us, to be good to our own souls; it is a duty to love ourselves: Therefore he commands us to go to him, to seek his face, as though we wronged him by disobedience, when we injure ourselves by our peevishness, as indeed we do. God loves us better, than we love ourselves) let us think of the command, and invitation; thou hast commanded me Lord, and encouraged me to come; I am now in trouble, experience teacheth me. I come to thee, thou hast said, He that sitteth in darkness, and seeth no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord. I am in darkness, and see no light now, I trust in thy name, let the heart think of the promise, and then allege it to God, and come with an obedient answer, and cast itself upon him, and trust in him. We are in want perhaps, and see no issue, no 2 In want. supply, think of God's gracious promise, I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. I come to thee, and claim this promise, I am in covenant with thee, etc. So we should take the promise, thou hast 3 For acceptation. said, At what time soever a sinner comes to thee with a repentant heart, thou wilt forgive his iniquities, and though his sins, were 〈◊〉 scarlet, thou wilt make them as snow, and white as wool; my soul thinks of that command, and I come to thee. Thou hast bid all that are weary, and 〈◊〉 laden in soul, that are troubled in conscience with the sense of their sins, to come unto thee: my heart thinks of thy command, and invitation, I come to thee, I am weary, and heavy laden. First let us think of the encouragement, that is our warrant, and then yield present obedience: And then what will be the issue? what will spring from it? when the heart and obedience join with the command, that there is a meeting, that they concentrate the heart, and obedience: God bids the heart obey, the heart saith I do obey, when these meet, the issue must be exceeding comfortable, it cannot be otherwise. When the obedient heart meets God in his command, in his promise. In all perplexity of business, Commit thy way to the Lord, and he shall establish thy thoughts, Prov. 3. Prov. 13. and other places: Lord I commit my ways to thee, establish my Prov. 3. Prov. 13. thoughts and designs, agreeable to thy will: because thou hast bid me commit my ways to thee. In the hour of death, let us commend ourselves to God, as to a gracious, and merciful Creator, 1 Pet. 4. Lord I commend to thee my 1 Pet. 4. soul, who art the Creator of my soul, and the Redeemer of it, here is an obedience answerable, what can be the issue of it, but comfort? Therefore let us learn by the example of this blessed man, that when he had but a hint from God, seek ye my face, answers, Thy face Lord will I seek. Faith will see light at a little crevice, when it sees an encouragement once, a command, it will soon answer; and when it sees a promise, half a promise, it will welcome it; it is an obedient thing, The obedience of faith: it believes, and upon believing, it goes to God: As the servants of the King of Assyria, they catch the word presently, Thy servant Benhadad, so faith it catcheth the word. To put God in mind, it is an excellent thing with the Prophet, whosoever penned the 119. Psal. 119. Psalm, whether David, or some other, Remember thy promise, wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust. As it is Nehem. 1. Remember Nehem. 1. Lord, he puts God in mind of his promise; and so it is good often, to put God in mind, Lord thou hast made such and such promises, I know thou canst not deny thyself, if thou sh●…uldest deny thy word, thou must deny thyself, thy word is thyself. Remember thy promise, wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust: If I be deceived, thou hast deceived me, for thou hast given me this promise, and this command: This is an excellent way to deal with God (as it were) to wrestle with him. By t●… promise thou hast quickened me, Psal. 119. Whe●… Psal. 119. I was dull and dead hearted, than I thought o●… such, and such a promise, I allege that promise, and apply it by a spirit of faith, and that quickened me. And indeed (as I said) God hath made us fit to answer him, and we should study in all things to return unto him by his spirit; whatsoever God doth, the heart should return back again, love for love, knowledge for knowledge, seeking for seeking, choosing for choosing. He begins with us, he chooseth us, he loves us, he seeks us; and we if ever we intent to be friends with God, and to entertain a holy communion (as all that shall be saved must do) we should labour to have our hearts to return to God, what we find from God first. Thy face Lord will I seek. To come more particularly to this seeking, which is the particular of the obedience, and of the application. Thy face Lord will I seek. Seeking implies, that our happiness is out What implied by seeking. of ourselves, it implies that there is somewhat in ourselves, in the application to which there must be some happiness; therefore we go out of ourselves to seek. It is a motion, and it is out of an apprehension of some want, a man seeks out of some want, or out of some loss, or out of some duty. Ether he hath loss, and therefore he seeks; or else he Ground of seeking. wants, and therefore he seeks; or else he owes respect and duty, and therefore he seeks: it is somewhat without a man that moves his seeking. God need not seek the creature, he hath all fullness in himself: Indeed his love makes him seek for our love, to be reconciled to him. But the creature, because his happiness is out of himself in communion with God, the Fountain of all good, he must seek. Christian's must be Seekers. Christians are seekers. This is the generation of Seekers, Psal. 24. Psalm 24. All mankind, if ever they will come to heaven, they must be a generation of Seekers. Heaven is a generation of Finders, of Possessors, of Enjoyers, Seekers of God: but here we are a generation of Seekers; we want somewhat that we must seek; when we are at best, we want the accomplishment of our happiness. It is a state of seeking here, because it is a state of want, we want something always. But to come more particularly to this seeking the face of God, or the presence of God. The presence of God, and the face of God, Presence of God. where is it to be sought for? Know that first for a ground: The presence 1. Every where. of God it is every where: but that is not the thing here purposed. There is a face, and presence of God i●… every thing, in every creature: therefo●… In the creatures. every creature hath the name of God, some times a Rock, because as God is strong, so●… Rock is strong. So likewise a shield, as a shie●… defends, so God defends us: there is som●… resemblance of God in the creature, therefore God hath the name of the creature: but th●… is not here meant. The presence of God meant here, is that presence that he shows in the time of need, 3 In necessity. and in his ordinances. He shows a presence in need and necessity, that is a gracious presence to his children, a gracious face. As in want of direction, he shows his presence of light to direct them: In weakness he shows his strength: In trouble and perplexity he will show his gracious, and comfortable presence to comfort them. In perplexity he shows 〈◊〉 presence to set the heart at large: answerable to the necessity there is a presence: So in need God is present with his children, to dire●… them, to comfort them, to strengthen them, if they need that. And in the issue of all business, there is a 4 In the issue of all. presence of God to give a blessing: for there is a presence must be even to the end of things: when we have all we would have, yet God must give a blessing: so you see there is a presence of God answerable to the necessity of man; as it hath reference to this place. Thy face will I seek, to direct me by thy hea●…enly light when I know not what to do, as ●…ehosaphat said, we know not what to do, but our ●…yes are towards thee. And so in weakness when we have no strength of our own, then go to God, to seek the face of God that he would be present with us. So, when we are comfortless, go to God that comforts the abject. The God of all comfort, go to him, for his presence, for help. And when we are troubled in our hearts about success; what will become of such and such a business, go to GOD that gives success, and issue to all. Thus we see a presence of God answerable to every necessity of man. There is a gracious presence of God likewise 5 In the Ordinances. in his ordinances; that is the chief presence, next to heaven, the presence in God's Ordinances, that is, in the unfolding of the word, in the administration of the Sacraments, in the communion of Saints. Indeed in the Ordinances God is graciously present; Where two or three are gathered together, I will be in the midst of them. Therefore in Rev. 1. It is said, Revel. 1. that Christ walks in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks, that is, in the midst of the Church; There is a gracious presence of of Christ in the midst of the Candlesticks; he takes his walks there, Christ hath a special presence in his Church in the ordinances, and that David aims at here too, not only, I will seek thy face introuble, and necessity, when I need any thing from thee: but, Thy face will I seek in all thine ordinances, to enable me for the other. For it is in vain for a man to think to seek God in his necessity and exigence, if he seek not God in his ordinances and do not joy in them. So you see where the face, and presence of God is to be sought: in necessities of all kinds, and in the ordinances. Now in our seeking the presence or face of In seeking God's face there is, God, there is four or five things that I will touch the heads of. First of all, seeking implies observance, 1. Observance. seek my face, that is, observe me, respect me as a God. Thy face I will seek, I will be a follower of thee; As in English an observer is a follower, a creature, It is a proud word: as if man could make a man of nothing. And indeed they are creatures in that kind, they are raised of nothing. To seek a man is to observe him, there is a notable place for it, Prov. 29. 26. Many seek the ruler's favour. Prov. 29. 26. In the Greek translation, the Septuagint the word is, to observe, and respect a man, which is translated seeking. Many observe the ruler, but every man's judgement cometh from the Lord. You see, those that think to rise by the favour of such or such a man, they will be his followers, as I said, and observe him, they study men: as those that rise by favour that way, they study not books so much as men, what may delight such a man what he respects; surely they will serve him at every turn. A base Atheist makes a man his god; that he may rise, he will deny God and the motions of Conscience, and honesty, and all to observe the face of a great man whom he hopes to rise by: but a true Christian observes the great God, the greatest preferment comes from him; so it signifies to observe. In Psalm 62. there you shall see the ground Psalm 62. of observation is that power belongs to God. I have heard once, nay twice. He heard it twice by the meditation of it by going over it in his heart again. I have heard, once, nay twice, that is, I tho●…ght again and again on it, that is hearing of it oft. We may hear a truth a hundred times, that is, by meditating of it, I have heard once nay twice, that power belongs to God, that is, riches and power to advance a man. Atheistical men think, all belongs to the creature, but power belongs to God. That is one thing that is meant by seeking, diligent observing of GOD, and respect to him and his will and commandments in all things. If so be that a person of great place should say, observe me, and I will prefer you, I hope men would be ready enough, they need no more words: Here is the Atheism of our hearts, God saith, I will do all good for you; the greatest preferment is to be the child of GOD here; and the heir of heaven after. What preferment is there to that of Christianity? and he saith, seek my face, observe me, respect me, let the eye of your souls be to me; as it is in the Psalm, As the eyes of a maid are toward the hand of her Mistress. The obedience of a servant is toward the eye of the Commander; so the obedience of a Christian is toward the eye of God, to see what God commands; we should be more serviceable to God. It is an argument of the atheism of our hearts, to take more encouragement from a mortal man that can raise us, and do us a pleasure, than f●…om God himself. But to let that go, that is the first branch, Seek my face, that is, observe me. Then seek my face, that is, depend upon 2 Dependence. me, to seek God's face is to depend upon him for all, it argues dependence: for him that we observe, we observe him for something; we depend upon him to be our raiser and maker; so seek my face, seek my countenance and favour, depend upon me, and it shall be sufficient for you. Then, in the third place. Seek my face, that 3 Seek God's favour. is, seek my favour, and grace; favour appears and shines in the face: Seek my face, observe me, depend on me, for what? for my favour. What is that? It is all, if we have the grace of God, we have all: for the grace of God is in every thing that is good to us. If we have the graces to salvation, they come of free grace: every good gift is the grace of God. Children are the grace of God: So if we have the grace of God, we have all for our good: we have all in the spring of good which is the grace and favour of God. As men, if they be graced from a great person, they study not this and that particular thing, they think I have his favour; and that favour of his is ready for all exigences. And therefore in way of compliment, they say, I seek not this or that, but your favour. The favour of God it is a store-house and spring and fountain better than life itself, as the Psalmist saith. The loving kindness of the Lord is better than life. When life fails, the favour of God never fails: life will fail, and all earthly comforts, but the favour of God is better than life itself, it is everlasting: and eternal. In Psalm 4. you see how worldly Psalm 4. Atheistical men rejoice, when their Corn, and Wine, and Oil increase. And who will show us any good? Who? It is no matter who, any good, any hope of preferment, it is no matter what way; and it is no matter what, any good: and let them but show it, and we will wo●…k it out, we have wit enough. O saith he, but your wit I stand not upon, nor your courses: but Lord, let thy face shine upon me, lift up the light of thy countenance, and that shall be instead of all honours, and preferments. So in seeking, we must observe God, and depend upon him, and for what? for his favour especially: for the face, and favour of God; let me have a good look from thee oh Lord, let me have thy favour and love, for other things I leave them to thy wisdom, thou art wise enough; only let thy face shine on me. Oh this favour and face of God it is a sweet thing, this presence of God. What is heaven, but the presence of God there? Let God be present in a dungeon, it will be a paradise; let God be absent, Paradise, it is as a hell or dungeon, as it was to Adam; after he had sinned he run to hide himself. What is hell, but the want of God's presence, God's face and favour is not there? What makes hell in the heart of a man? God is not there, but leaves the heart to its own darkness, and confusion; oh, therefore the face, and favour of God, seek that especially. Again to seek the face of God, is to pray to him, to put this in execution in prayer: every To pray to him where in Scripture, it is all one, to pray, and to seek God's face, it is called the spirit of prayer: which because I have spoken of at large out of another Scripture, I will now say nothing of it. Likewise in the next place, to seek he face 5 To seek him in his ordinances. of God, is to attend upon the presence of God, wheresoever he reveals himself: to attend upon the word, and ordinances, is to seek the face of God. It is said that Cain went from the face of God, when he went from the worship of God in his father's house, he went out from God. Where God is worshipped, there God is present; and when we leave the place where God is worshipped, we leave God's presence, God is more especially present there: therefore seeking the face of God is to attend upon God's ordinance. I will seek thy face, that is, wheresoever there is any presence of thee, I will seek thee. Christ when he was lost, he was found in the Temple: that hath a literal sense, but it is true in a spiritual sense; if we lose Christ, and have not comfort from Christ, we shall find him in the Temple, the sweetest presence of his spirit is there. His body is in heaven, and his spirit is his Vicar in the world: if we want comfort and direction from Christ, we shall meet him in the Temple: there he gives us sweet meetings by his spirit; there we have the comfort, and direction, and spiritual strength that we wanted before we came. There is the best meeting. As in the Canticles, Christ goes into the Garden of spices. He goes among his children, that are as a watered garden, and as so many plants of righteousness, and beds of spices; he delights to be there. Christ is in the communion of Saints, in the ordinances, Therefore, Thy face will I seek, especially in the Tabernacle, and Temple after, especially in the Church, and communion of Saints, there thy face will I seek. Thus we see, the unfolding of this promise of a gracious, obedient, respective heart, Thy face will I seek. I will add no more, but come to the use of it. Use. Direction to seek God's face. And in the first place by way of direction: That we may seek the face of God; that is, observe him, and depend upon him, and enjoy his favour, and meet with him in his ordinances, 1. Know him and ourselves. we must first get, The knowledge of God, Ourselves. Get the knowledge of God; for they that know him will seek to him: they that know his riches, his power, his sufficiency; in a word, his all-sufficiency for all things, they will seek to him. And they that know themselves; that know their wants, their inability to supply those wants, and know the greatness of those wants, and that they must be supplied, they will out of themselves. They that have nothing at home will seek abroad. The knowledge of these two therefore: of the great God, the all-sufficient God; and of ourselves, the unsufficiency of ourselves every way, either for direction, or for protection, 〈◊〉 for comfort in distress, or for strength in 〈◊〉 tie to go through business; or for issue when we are about any thing, They that know that the way of man is not in man, as jeremy saith, they would certainly out of themselves. Therefore let us grow in the knowledge of God, and of ourselves, of our own wants and necessity. And especially know God now in Christ's. To know God in Christ. For there is enmity between the nature of God, and the nature of man, of sinful man: but that Christ hath taken our nature now and made it lovely to God, and God lovely to us. Christ Emanuel, God, and man, God with us, hath made God and us friends: therefore now we must go to God in that Emanuel, in Christ, that Ladder that joins heaven and earth together. See God's face shining in Christ, his gracious face, and this will encourage us to go to God, together with our wants; go not to absolute God, a god without a mediator: for then God is a consuming fire. In the next place when we go to God, and seek to God, be sure to seek his favour, and 2. Seek God's favour first. grace in the first place. If we want any particular thing, protection, or direction, or comfort in distress, go not for that in the first place, but let us see in what terms God and we are; let us be sure that reconciliation, and peace be made. For if we seek to God in our particular wants, and have not made our peace before, but have sought to other gods, to men, and to our shifts, God may say, you seek to me? Go to the gods you have served, to the great men you have served, to the riches you have trusted unto, go to your shifts. Therefore first, make peace and reconciliation with God before you seek other things. If a man have offended a great person, he doth not go and seek particular favours, till first he have made peace and taken up the quarrel. Let us take up the quarrel between God and us by repentance, and a promise of new obedience, get reconciliation that way, and then seek for particular favours after. For what if God give you particular favours, if they be not from his grace and favour, what will they do us good? What will all that a reprobate wretch hath do him good? What will his favours, his riches, and honours and preferments do him good when he dies, when he shall conflict with the anger of God? when he shall see hell before him, and see heaven shut? He seeth he hath all, from a general providence, and as a reward for his care in this world; God answereth him with a civil enlargement for his civil obedience, but he hath his reward: heaven he hath not, he cared not for it; what will all do without the love of God in Christ? therefore I beseech you, let us first seek the favour and mercy of God in Christ. And then for particular things go to him as the exigence is: for in God there is a supply for all turns; and that is the ground of seeking: for our seeking, it must be a wise seeking: now it were not wise, unless there were a supply in God for every want whatsoever it is. If the creature could do any thing without God, we should upon good ground make that God. If any thing could raise us without God (I mean) to comfort, we might seek to them, and make them God, upon good reason: but what can they do? In anger, God may let a man enjoy favours, as the fruits of his displeasure, but what can they do without him? They can do nothing. Therefore it must be the supreme cause, the highest cause, the great wheel that turns every little inferior wheel in the world, they turn with the great wheel of divine providence, and goodness, therefore go to him as the first cause. Again in seeking the favour of God, we 3 With pure consciences. must search our consciences, to come with pure and clean hearts to God to seek him. If we regard iniquity in our hearts, God will not Psalm 66. hear our prayers. We come to God with a purpose to offend him; if we come not with a purpose to leave our sins, why do we come? God will not regard our prayers. We must come with pure consciences to God, as it is excellently set down, Psal. 24. 3. Who shall assend Psalm 24. 3. into thy hill, O Lord, who shall stand in thy holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart. And then he saith after. This is the generation of them that seek him, those that have clean hands, and a pure heart. Thou hast foul hands; thou art a briber, a corrupter; thou hast an impure heart, thou art a filthy creature, thou hast lived in such and such sins, cleanse thy hands, and thy heart. This is the generation of them that seek him. If a man seek the pure and holy GOD, with an unclean heart, and unclean hands; if he be corrupt in his hands, and in his heart, that is the fountain, he may seek God long enough, before he find him; and if he see GOD, it is in anger. Again if we would seek the face, and favour of God, let us study the word hard; study the promises as I said before, bind him with his own word; thou hast said thus, I allege thy own word: jacob when he wrestled with God, Genesis 32. then he saw God; he called Gen. 32. the place Penuell, that is, the face of God, because of seeing God. Upon wrestling; when the heart by faith wrestleth with God by the promise. Lord thou hast done this: though I feel no comfort, yet I will rest upon thee; that place will be Penuell, The face of GOD will be there, GOD will show himself. And let the extremity be what it will; seek Seek God in extremity. God in extremity: allege the Word of God in extremity. What word have you for extremity? In the mountain God will be seen. His face will be seen in the mount, that is, when there is no other help whatsoever. God is a present help in trouble, Psal. 46. He is the God that comforteth the abject, that none else can Psal. 46. comfort, And he that is in darkness and sees 〈◊〉 light, let him trust in the name of the Lord. And though I were in the valley of the shadow of death, if the Lord be with me, I will trust in him, Psal. 23. And though thou kill me, yet will I trust in Psal. 23. thee, saith job. In extremity seek God then; and find out words and promises then, as the Scripture is large in that kind: for then there is most need of seeking God. Lord if thou help not now, none can help. Difference of men in extremity. And this is the difference between a true Child of God and another; in the time of extremity Saul seeks to the witch: but David seeks to God as here, Lord thy face will I seek. Many things upbraided David no question with his sin, and the affliction he was in. Thou seek God? thou hast offended him, and now thou indurest some sign of his displeasure: a heavy case (beloved) sometimes, especially in the time of extremity, than conscience saith, I am in extremity, and withal God follows me with such, and such sins, a guilty conscience meets me in my prayers to God and upbraids me, thou hast done so, and so: that if there be not faith, and a word of God to lay hold on in extremity, what will become of the poor soul? It is swallowed up. No question David was now in pangs, and many things offered to thrust him off; and he might say. I have many things to discourage me, yet thy face Lord will I seek, for deliverance out of trouble, and for pardon of sin. Set the promise of God, and the pardon of sin above all extremity whatsoever. God is the God of all, and above all, he is the God of comfort, if comforts be wanting, he can make them a new. In the want of means, and when means are against us, let us see lie to God. jonah in the Whale's belly, that was a creature, that might have consumed him with heat, When he was in the belly of hell, he called unto God. If a man be as low as hell, if he have a command to come, and a promise, it will fetch him thence, therefore allege the promises, and the word. What a miserable taking are they in, that in extremity have no acquaintance with God's word? with the promises, or good examples? that have stored up nothing? Alas, they are in the midst of a storm; naked, in the midst of war, and opposition, disarmed: they lie open to all assaults. Therefore as you love your own souls, gather grounds of comfort, treasure up promises and holy truths; that in extremity you may say with David upon good ground, Lord, thou hast said thus, and thus, and in this extremity I come to thee. Thy face LORD will I seek: break through all fears, and discouragements whatsoever, allege the command of God, and the promise of God and the encouragements of God: my discouraged heart saith thus, and Satan saith thus, but Lord thou sayst thus, seek my face, shall not I believe and obey God, more than the devil or mine own lying false heart? therefore except we will betray our souls to temptations, and betray the comforts that we have, let us seek GOD in all extremities. I desire you to remember these directions, To seek God in his ordinances. and be encouraged to seek to God: join the seeking in extremity with the seeking him in his ordinances. If we do not seek him in his ordinances, in the time of peace, let us never think he will be so familiar with us, in the time of trouble. If we be not acquainted with him in his ordinaces in prosperity, in extremity he will be far off. Therefore seek the face of God now in all his ordinances; that is the way to have provision of strength against all other extremities whatsoever. It is a great comfort in extremity to one that hath sought God in his Ordinances before. Foolish Atheistical men seek not the wisdom of God in his Ordinances, God Prov. 1. cries to them, and they regard it not; but then they cry to God, and God will not answer them, but laugh at their destruction. And as it is in Zachary, you cry, and I will not hear, because I cried, and ye would not hear. When GOD speaks, and we regard it not, we shall cry, and he will not regard it: Therefore as we desire his presence in the evil day let us labour to hear him now. Let us search his will, what he requires of us, and what he will do for us, and labour to be armed with obedience against the time of distress. And let us seek him betimes, now presently To seek God betimes. Psalm. 63. seek the favour of God, you that are young, In the morning early will I seek thee, Psalm. 63 In the morning of your years, In the morning of the day it is good to seek God before the heart be possessed with other business, that he may bless all our affairs: Seek his face, that his blessing and direction and strength may be upon all. Let us set upon things in his wisdom and strength, and hope on his blessing. And in the morning of your years, early put not off: for here is the mischief, if we●… seek not God early, betimes, the heart wi●… be hardened and willgrow worse: to morro●… we shall be more unfit then to day. The●… those that seek in their sickness, and at th●… hour of death, that is self-love; it is grace, to seek God for himself, out of old acquaintance and love; but to seek him in sicknes●… only, and to neglect his ordinances, it is mee●…ly self-love. As a malefactor that carries himself ill in prison, and then seeks the judges face at the bar: when God arraigns' 〈◊〉 man at the bar, then to seek him, it come from self-love. But that obedience we ow●… to God is to seek him out of a new nature, o●… of love of God's goodness and grace: wh●… we seek him in extremity, not out of the lo●… of grace, but to escape the danger of hell and damnation, such seeking seldom proves good. Many make a great show of repentance and turning to God; many of those prove false. He that is good in affliction only is never good. Therefore put not off seeking God's fac●… by prayer, and the use of all good means. Many men, first settle their estates, and then send for a Physician, and the divine la●… of all, when they are sick. Oh, but seek God first, and above all things in the world, or else we have adulterous, Idolatrous hearts, to make the face of man our Idol, or health ou●… Idol, we should seek God's face above all. The Scripture sets him out sweetly to us: Encouragements to seek God's face. ●…erefore one way to encourage us to seek to ●…OD, is to present to our souls GOD under ●…ose sweet terms. He is a rock in the mid●…st of the waves, He is a habitation in the ●…ddest of a storm, thou art our habitation. ●…e is called a hiding place, he hath the shad●…ow of his wings to coverus, let us fly under ●…e shadow of his wings, he is presented ●…eetly to us in Christ. Therefore let us have ●…course to him upon all occasions, and now, ●…w, that we may be familiar with him, that ●…e may be acquainted with him now, in the ●…yes of our youth, and he will know us in age, ●…d sickness; if we be not acquainted with him ●…w, he will not acquaint himself with us ●…en: therefore seek his face now, and above ●…l things seek it. And can we have more encouragement? ●…here was never any that fought the face of ●…od that went away sorry. It is said of some ●…ood Emperors, that never any man went sor●… out of their presence, either they had the ●…rant of their suits, or good words. God sends ●…one sorry away; there are none that come ●…to the presence of God but they are the bet ●…er for it, they go away more cheerful, and ●…ore satisfied; their consciences are quieted, ●…hen they pour out their souls to God. There is the peace of God which passeth understan●…ing preserves their souls, as it is, Philip. 4. In Philip. 4. ●…othing be careful, but let there be thanksgiving for favours received, and let your requests be 〈◊〉 known to him, and the peace of God shall prese●… your hearts and minds. You shall not despair, and be over much cast down, peace will preserve you. And if we do not seek the face of God, now when we may enjoy his presence, we●… shall never see his face in glory hereafter: 〈◊〉 must now be acquainted with him or else we shall not when we would. Therefore, as we may enjoy the presence of God in his Ordinances; so in all our affairs let us seek his face, and blessing; let us have what we have, and do what we do in his blessing and assistance, and not in the strength of wit, and shifts. Let us do what we do by divine strength, and in confidence of his blessing. That, that we do by his strength we may expect his blessing on, we cannot do so by our shifts. Let us in▪ ure ourselves in these courses, and we shall find much peace, and by long acquaintance with God we shall be able to commit our souls to him, we shall be able to look him in the face at the hour of death. He that looks God i●… the face often in prayer, and seeking him, may look death in the face. These things may be made effectual if your hearts be prepared, as the Scripture phrase is. And because I mentioned preparing, that is a word in Scripture that is set before seeking. Rehoboam did not thrive; he did not prepare his heart to seek God. jehosaphat was blessed of God, he prepared his heart to seek the Lord. Therefore let us come prepared to seek God, prepare our hearts to seek him. Think, when I go to the congregation, I go to seek God's face, therefore come in humility, and subjection. And in all the courses of our lives, let all of us prepare, and set our hearts in frame to seek God in all things: and let us set upon nothing that we cannot depend on him for assistance, and look to him for a blessing. And when we cannot enjoy his favour, and blessing in any thing, we were as good be without it as have it. This is the way to have our wills in all things. Christ, the truth itself hath left ●…s this one sweet promise, Seek ye first the kingdom of God. He speaks there of seeking our own good, what is the best thing we should seek for? Seek ye first the kingdom of God, of grace, and of glory: the favour of God, and the fruit of his favour, grace. Seek those best things in the first place; what then? It is the way to have all things else as far as they are for our good. But we would have more, we think if we seek to God, and depend upon God's divine principles, and rules, it is a way to beggary and disgrace. Oh, no, It is the way to have our own desire in all things as far as is for our good. Let us seek first the kingdom of God, that God may rule, and reign in us, and we shall reign in the kingdom of God. For other things, God will bring it to pass I know nothow, they shall be cast upon us. He that is f●…ll for heaven and happiness, GOD will make him full for the world, and successful, as much as he sees 〈◊〉 to bring him to heaven: if God see any thing that would hinder him, he must leave that to his wisdom. Therefore let us labour to be able from truth of heart, to return to the commandment, and promise of God, this sweet and gracious answer of the holy man David, when God saith generally or particularly, Seek my face, Thy face Lord will I seek. FINIS. FAITH TRIUMPHANT. In five Sermons, on HEB. 11. 13. By The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS. Doctor in Divinity, Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. LUKE 7. 50. And he said to the woman, thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace. LONDON, Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R. Harford, at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row. 1639. FAITH TRIUMPHANT. HEBR. 11. 13. These all died in faith; not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, they were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers, and pilgrims on earth. THis Chapter is a little book of Martyr●…; it discovers the life, and death of the holy Patriarches, and by what means God's Children are brought into possession of that that they have an interest, and right unto upon ear●…h; it is by faith: by faith we do, and suffer, all that we do, and suffer, all that God hath ordained us to go through, till he have brought us and invested u●… to heaven, which is prepared for us. In the former part of the Chapter there is an induction, the instances of particular blessed Patriarches: and after he had named divers particulars he sums, them up in this general. All these died in faith. In this verse there is, First, the general set down. All these died in faith. And then the particular unfolding of this. They received not the promises, having scene them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed they were strangers, and pilgrims on earth. He sets down their faith particularly, hereby setting down what might hinder it and yet did not hinder it, the not receiving of the promises. They received not the promises, and yet they believed the promises, that is, the things promised, they were afar off, and yet they saw them. They saw them, that is the first degree, They were persuaded of them; that is the second. They embraced them; that is the third. They confessed they were pilgrims and strangers, that is the fourth. All these died in faith. There is one faith from the beginning of the One faith from the beginning of the world. world: as there is one Christ, one salvation, so there is one uniform faith for the saving of our souls, we hope to be saved by jesus Christ as they were. I do but touch that. Then again here is implied, a continuance Perseverance in faith. and perseverance in faith. All those died in faith, that is, they lived in faith, and by saith, till they died, and then they died in faith. Faith first, makes a Christian, and then after he lives by faith; it quickens the life of grace, and then he leads his life by that faith, he continues in it till he come to death, which is the period of all, and then he dies by that faith. But of perseverance to the end, and the helps to it, I spoke at large upon another occasion, therefore I omit it. All these died in faith. Faith carried them along all their life time till death itself. Now that faith that helped them through all the difficulties of this life, that faith by which they lived, in that faith they died. They died in faith. In the faith of the Messias, infaith of Canaan, in faith of heaven. For the Patriarches, they had not Canaan till many hundred years after, it was a type of heaven; they had not Christ till some thousands of years after: So they died in faith of Christ, of Canaan, and of heaven, the benefits by Christ is the upshot of all this. They died in faith. He doth not say how otherwise they died; because it is not material whether they died rich or poor, great, or mean, God takes no great notice of that, nor a Christian takes no great notice of it. They died in faith. Whether they died a violent or a peaceable death it is no matter, they died blessed, in that they died in faith. They died in faith, which in other phrases, is to die in the Lord, to sleep in the Lord: because whosoever dies in faith dies in Christ. Faith lifts them up to Christ, and they steep in Christ. It is a happy thing to die in Christ; Now those that die in faith, they die in Christ, Blessed are those that die in the Lord, they rest from their labours, saith the Apostle. All these died in faith. They continued in faith to death, and then they ended their days in faith: When death closed up the eyes of their bodies, then with the eye of faith they looked upon Christ, upon God in Christ reconciled to them; the point is clear, that The grace of faith, it is such a grace that it Doct. Faith carries a Christian through all the passages of his life. carries a Christian through all the passages of this life. It enableth him to hold o●…t to the end, to suffer those things that he is to suffer, and in the end by it he dies: and when all things else leave him in death, when riches leave him, when friends leave him, when honour, and great places leave him, when his life, & senses leave him, when all leave him, yet faith will never leave him, till it have put him in full possession of heaven; and than it ceaseth when it hath done the work it hath to do, which is to bring us to heaven, than it is swallowed up in vision, and sight, and hope into fruition, and enjoying of the thing hoped for. It is a blessed grace that stands by us, and goes along with us, and comforts us in all the passages of this life, and even in death itself, in those dark passages; it never forsakes us till it have put us in possession of heaven. All these died in faith. What is it to die in faith? Quest. To die in faith (as I said) is to die in the Answ. To die in faith what. Lord by faith, and it looks to the Time Past. Present. To come. To the time past, to die in faith, is to die in 1 In respect of the time past. assurance of the forgiveness of sins, when by faith and repentance we have pulled o●…t the sting of sins past: for faith looks upon Christ, and Christ hath taken the sting of death in his own body, and death ever since hath been stingless, and harmless to his members; he hath disarmed it, death had nothing to do to kill Christ; now seizing upon him who should not have died, who was our surety, death hath lost his sting: so that to die in faith is to die in assurance of forgiveness of sins past, by Christ. For the present, in the present instant of death, to die in faith, is to see God reconciled 2 The time present. to us in Christ, and with the eye of Stephen to see Christ ready to receive our souls; to see Christ sitting at the right hand of God, to break through all that is between, to see ourselves sitting at the right hand of God in heavenly places with jesus Christ; This is to die in faith, to see ourselves there with our head, where we shall be ere long. Faith makes things to come present. To die in faith is to die in assurance of that blessed salvation presently, even at that instant of time, at the parting of soul, and body, that Christ will receive our souls that are redeemed with his precious blood, that cost him so dear; he will not suffer the price of his blood to miscarry. Faith apprehends that Christ will go down with us to the grave, as God said to jacob, fear not to go down into Egypt, I will go with thee: so God would not have us fear to go down into the grave, those dark cells, and dungeons, God will go down with us. Our flesh shall rest in hope, because Christ our surety was raised out of the grave, and sits in heaven in glory, and majesty, therefore our flesh rests in hope, as it is, Psalm 16. 5. Thou wilt not Psal. 16. 5. suffer thy holy one to see corruption; therefore our flesh rests in hope till the resurrection, because GOD did not suffer his holy one to see corruption: this is to die in faith. 3 The time to come. And for the time to come, to die in faith is by faith to overcome all the horror of death. Death is a terr●…ble thing: and of all the passages wherein we have occasion to use faith, it is most exercised in death. It requires more to die in fa●…th, then to live in faith: for then the soul it looks to the horror of the grave, it sees nothing there but dust, and rottenness. It looks to the pangs of death, sense; and nature doth. And likewise the soul so far as it hath noth●…ng but nature in it, it looks to the dissolution of two friends, the body, and the soul, who have been long coupled together, and their parting is bitter. And then it looks to the parting with friends here with whom they have lived lovingly, and sweetly. In death, nature sees an end of all employment in this world, of all the comforts of this life, etc. and therefore it is a terrible thing. Now to die in faith is to die in conquering all these, with a spirit above all these. What doth faith Faith overcomes all that is terrible in death. in the hour of death? It over-comes all these; and all such like. For when the soul by faith considers the The horror of the grave. horror of the grave, as the chambers of death; faith considers they be but resting places for the body, that it sleeps there a while till the day of the resurrection, and then they meet again. And it considers that the flesh rests there in hope of a glorious resurrection; and faith sees a time of restoring as Saint Peter saith, There shall be a day of restoring of all things, There is a day of refreshing, and restoring to come, when those eyes where with we now look up to heaven, and those fee●…e that carry us about our callings, and about the exercis●… of religion, and those hands that have been lift up to God; that body that hath been the vessel of the soul shall be restored, tho●…gh it be turned to dust and rottenness. Faith seet●… the faithfulness of God; that God in Christ hath taken these bodies of ours in trust: 〈◊〉 know whom I have believed, 2 Tim. 1. 12. and be 2 Tim. 1. 12. is able to keep that I have committed to him. I have committed to him my soul, my body, my whole salvation. I know he is able to keep that I have committed to him. And I kn●… that my Redeemer liveth saith job, it was his comfort in all extremity, that he should see him with his very same eyes. And then for the pangs of death which nature The pangs of death. trembles, and quakes at, faith consider●… of them as the pangs of Child birth. Every birth is with pangs: now what is death, but th●… birth to immortality, the birth of glory? we die to be borne to glory and happiness. All our life time we are in the womb of the Church, and here we are bringing forth glory: now death I say, it is the birth day of glory and a birth is with pain; faith sees it is 〈◊〉 birth day, it sees that presently upon it the●… shall be joy, as with a woman after she hath brought a man child into the world, so it comforts itself against the pangs of death. Again faith sees them short, and sees the glory after to be eternal, it is a little dark passage to an e●…nall glorious light. Then for the dissolution, and parting of Parting of soul and body. ●…o friends, soul, and body, faith sees that ●…is but for a wh●…le, and then that that parting 〈◊〉 a bringing in a better joining; for it brings ●…e soul immediately to her beloved, our Sa●…our Christ jesus, and faith sees that it is not ●…g till body and soul shall be reunited a●…ine for ever, and they shall be for ever with 〈◊〉 Lord. And then for friends; faith sees, indeed, ●…at we shall part with many sweet friends; Loss of friends ●…t saith faith, we shall have better friends, we ●…e to GOD, we go to the souls of per●…ct men, we go to innumerable company of ●…ngels; we go to better company a great ●…ale. And for all the employments we have here Company and employment. ●…we have below, faith sees that there will be ●…rcise in heaven, we shall praise God with ●…gels and all the blessed and glorious com●…ny of heaven. So consider what you will ●…at is bitter, and terrible in death, faith con●…ers it, it sees an end of it and opposeth to it ●…tter things: because notwithstanding death ●…ts off many comforts, yet it brings better; 〈◊〉 is a blessed change, it is a change for the bet●…r every way; faith sees that there is a bet●…r place, better company, better employment, ●…tter liberty, all better. And which is more, 〈◊〉 die in faith is to die in assurance that all is ours as the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 3. 16. 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 3. 16. death is ours, Paul is yours, Christ is yo●… death is yours. This is our comfort when●… days shall be closed up with death; faith b●…lieves that death is ours, that is, it is for 〈◊〉 good: for as I said, it brings us to our wish●… haven, it brings an end to all misery, an 〈◊〉 our sins, an end to our pain, an end to 〈◊〉 vexations, an end to our discomforts, and to 〈◊〉 scandals here below, an end to all the tempt●…tions of Satan. The Lord will wipe all tears fr●… our eyes then. And it is the beginning of ●…pinesse that shall never end. So indeed fai●… sees that the day of death is better than t●… day of birth: when we come into misery 〈◊〉 not so good as when we go out of misery, 〈◊〉 enter into happiness. This is to die in faith. 〈◊〉 the time past to see the forgiveness of al●… 〈◊〉 sins, to see the sting pulled out. And for 〈◊〉 present, to look to Christ ready to receive●… souls, and to see him present with us to co●…fort us, to strengthen us against the p●…ngs 〈◊〉 death. And for the time to come, by ●…aith 〈◊〉 overlook the grave, to over look death, 〈◊〉 all, and to see all conquered in Christ, 〈◊〉 ourselves in heaven already with Christ; 〈◊〉 thus a Christian being upheld with this gr●… he ends his days in faith. This should stir●… us up (if this be so) to 〈◊〉 Use. To labour for faith. this grace of faith, above all graces to get ●…rance that we are in Christ jesus, that so 〈◊〉 may live with c●…mfort, and end our day●… with comfort, and live for ever happy in the ●…ord. It is only faith, and nothing else that ●…ill master this King of fears, this giant that ●…bdues all the Kings of the earth to him. This ●…onster death, he out faceth all, nothing can ●…ut face him but faith in Christ, and that will ●…aster him. As for your glorious speeches ●…f Pagans, and moral civil men, they are Death terrible. ●…ut flourishes, vain, empty flourishes, their ●…earts give them the lie: Death is a terrible ●…ing, when it is armed with our sins, and when 〈◊〉 is the messenger of God's wrath, and citeth ●…s before God, it is the end of happiness, and ●…he beginning of torment. When we look ●…pon it in the glass of the law, and in the ●…lasse of nature, it is the end of all comforts, it ●…s a curse brought in by sin. It is a terrible ●…hing, nothing can conquer and master it but ●…aith in Christ. Oh let us labour therefore to get it while we live, and to exercise it ●…hile we live, that we may live every day by ●…aith. It is not any faith that we candy by, it must 〈◊〉 a faith that we have exercised, and tried ●…efore; it is a tried, a proved faith, that we must end our days by: For alas, when death comes, if we have not learned to live by faith before, how can we end our days in faith? He that while he lives will not trust God with his children, that will not trust God with his soul; he that will not trust God with his estate, but will use ill means, and put his hand to ill courses to gain by; he that will not trust 〈◊〉 for his inheritance, that will not cast his br●… upon the waters, and trust GOD to see 〈◊〉 gain; he that will not do this while he liv●… how shall he trust God for body and soul, 〈◊〉 all in death? he cannot do it. It must be●… faith that is daily exercised, and tried, wher●… by we must commit our souls to God w●… we die, that we may die in that faith: t●… we may be able to say, all the days of 〈◊〉 life, I had experience of God's goodness, 〈◊〉 depended upon him, and I have found him 〈◊〉 in all his promises; I committed myself, an●… my ways to him, and I found him good, a●… gracious in blessing me, I found him giving 〈◊〉 a good issue, and now I am strengthened there by, to trust GOD that hath been so true 〈◊〉 me all my life time, I will trust him 〈◊〉 with my soul, that he will never fail●… me. Let us all labour for this faith: for tho●… it cannot be said of us that we die rich, or th●… we die great in the world; perhaps we may die a violent death: (as there be divers diseases that lead the body into distempers) it 〈◊〉 no matter how we die distempered, and in any estate, so it may be said of us, we die in able●…sed faith. But it may be objected, that all God's children Object. die not in faith, because some die raging Answ. Christians die in faith notwithstanding distempers. and distempered, and in such fits. But we must know that they die in faith not with standing all that: for than they are not ●…em selves; the covenant between God and ●…em was made before, they have given up ●…emselves to GOD, and committed their ●…ules to God before, for a Christian gives ●…p himself every day; he commits himself ●…ule and body continually to God, as a bles●…ed sacrifice of a freewill offering; so he ●…arns to die daily, daily labours to live in the ●…state he would die in; he ought to do thus; ●…nd many Christians do thus: therefore notwithstanding these distempers, the covenant ●…etweene GOD and the soul remains still, ●…nd he dies in faith. It is said here, they all di●…d Christian's may want feeling. in faith: he saith, not they all died in fee●…ing. A man may die in faith, and yet not die ●…n feeling; and sometimes the strongest faith ●…s with the least feeling of God's love. Fee●…ing may be reserved sometimes for heaven: ●…et notwithstanding we must not take it so as 〈◊〉 there were no feeling where there is faith; for there was never faith yet, but upon the ●…ouch of faith the soul drew some strength ●…nd some inward feeling, though it be not discerned of the soul in regard of the immode●…ate desire of the soul to have more: yet there is always so much feeling, and strength, and comfort that supports the soul from despair, take the child of GOD at the worst. Therefore when I speak of feeling, I speak of a glorious demonstration, that God sometimes takes away from his children. They died in fa●…th though not always in feeling of 〈◊〉 they died in faith, though not always by a fai●… death, or in a comely manner outwardly, 〈◊〉 the applause of the world: it is no matter, for that they all died in faith, and that is sufficient. It is the desire of God's Children, that they may die in faith, and die in Christ, as they have lived in faith, and lived in Christ. Fai●… is a blessed grace; by it we live, by it we stand, by it we conquer, and resist, by it we endure, by it we die, by it we do all those worthy matters we do, in spite of the devil, and his kingdom: this is that excellent grace of faith by which we live, and by which we die. These all died in faith. For they lived as they died, and died as they As men live so they die. lived. It is a usual general rule, as men live so they die, he that lives by faith, dies by faith; he that lives profanely, dies profanely. If we suffer the devil to lead us and abuse us all the time of our life, we must think God in just judgement will give us up, that he shall delude us, and abuse us at the hour of death. Carnal confidence disposeth men, to think they shall step our of their filthy blasphemous course of life, out of their sinful cursed condition to leap to heaven presently, it is no such matter. Alas, heaven it must be entered into on earth; there must be a fitting and preparing time on earth for heaven: we must look to die as we live. There is but one example of a man that died by faith that did not live by faith, that is, the good thief, and yet that little time of life we see how fruitful it was: but the rule is, all that will die in faith must live in faith; and usually men are affected, and disposed, and their speeches, and carriage are on their death bed as they were when they lived, GOD in just judgement giving them up to that course. Many wish that they may live in popery, and enjoy the liberty of that carnal religion, but they would not die by that religion; they live by that religion, and die by ours, when they have had the sweetness and liberty that is given them there to sin, and then open all in confession and be clean, and then sin again, and such easy courses they have that betrays thousands of souls to damnation: Now this is their course, when conscience is awakened they fly to savation by CHRIST, if they understand any thing at all, or else they die desperate, if they look to be saved by that religion as they live by it: if we look to die by faith, we must live by it. These all died in faith, not having received the promises. For God promised them Canaan, and they died many hundred years before, their posterity came into Canaan; he promised them Christ, and they died long before Christ came; he promised them heaven, and they entered not into heaven till death, so they received not the promises, that is, they received not the things promised; for else they received the promise, but not that that was promised; they received not the type, Canaan, not the things typified; Christ, and heaven. This is added as a commendation of their faith, that though they received not the things that they looked for, yet notwithstanding they had such a strong faith that they continued to live by faith, and died in faith. The promises here are taken for the blessed things promised. This should teach us this lesson, that God's promises are not empty shells, they are real things. And than whatsoever God promiseth God deals with men by promises. it is not barely propounded to the soul but in a promise, it is wrapped up in a promise: he gives us not empty promises nor naked things, but he gives us promises of things which we must exercise our faith in, in depending upon him for the performance of them till we be put in possession. For here all the blessings they looked for, is wrapped up in the name promises; they received not the promises; the meaning is, they received not Canaan; they received not Christ in the flesh, not life everlasting. Now the believing soul, it looks upon all the good things that it looks for from God, not nakedly, but as they are involved, and wrapped, and lapped up in promises, it must have a word for it, it looks to GOD'S word. For the soul looks not now immediately as it shall do in heaven, it looks not to God, and to Christ directly: but it looks to Christ and heaven, and happiness, as it is in a promise. It dares not expect any thing of God but by a promise. Alas the guilty soul, how dares it look God in the face but by a promise? except he have engaged himself by promise, and he hath engaged himself by promise that he will do it, he hath pawned his faithfulness that he will do it: and then the soul looks to the promise, and in that it looks to Christ, and grace, and heaven, and happiness, and all good things. A presumptuous idle person that knows not Faith looks on God by the promise. what God is, that he is a consuming fire, he rusheth into God's presence. Faith dares not go to God but first it pleads his word to him, it pleads his promise to him; it looks on God by a promise. The very phrase enforceth this upon us that we should make great account of the promises, because we have all good wrapped in them. The promises are the swaddling clouts; Christ, and Heaven, is wrappped in them. And when we have a promise, let us think we are rich indeed, for God will perform his promise. From the promise then the soul goes to the nature of GOD, than it thinks of his justice, his justice ties him to perform it; it thinks of his mercy, and truth, faithful it he that hath promised. Then it thinks of that great name jehovah, that gives being to the world, gives being to 〈◊〉 things, nay, and that will turn all things that are now to nothing, as when they were nothing he gave them being at the first: that jehovah hath made these promises of life everlasting, of necessary grace to bring us thither, he hath made a promise of perseverance, and of comfort under the cross, and affliction, a promise of provision, and the like. That great God jehovah that gave being to all is faithful, he hath bound himself, he hath laid his faithfulness to pawn, that he will make all good, that is here promised. The soul after it sees the promise it riseth up, and looks to God. They received not the promises, that is, the things promised, so much I desire to observe from the phrase. They received not the promises. He speaks in the plural number, though he Why he saith promises. mean but one main promise, that is, the Messias, for all other were types of him. Believers are called Children of the promise. Here they are called promises, for the repeating of them. The promise of the same thing it was made oft: there was no new promise, the promise of the same thing was seven times repeated, and renewed to Abraham presently one after another. So they are called promises, to show that the promise can never be too much thought on, though it be the same promise, of Promises to be oft thought on life everlasting, the same promise of grace, and of comfort, the same promise of the resurrection, etc. All the promises of good things to come we cannot think of too oft; nor receive the Sacrament the seal of the promise too oft; God knows what we are, he will have us oft receive the Sacrament, and oft hear the same things. We see the Prophet Esay, and the rest, how oft they inculcate the same promises of comfort, to the people in captivity concerning their deliverance out of it; they repeat it again, and again: the same reason should enforce the soul to have recourse to the promises again, and again. When there is any doubt or darkness ariseth, to comfort the soul with the promise again, and again. Satan puts clouds, and darkness before the soul every day: there is a repeating of sin, of infirmities, and darkness every day: we should every day repeat the promises still though it be the same pro mice, and the seal of them. This I observe from the number. They received not the promises. There is a distinction of the words Evangelion, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. and Epangelia in the Greek, they have a different signification, Epangelia is of the time of the promises that were before Christ, and they were all in expectation of the promise, of the promised Messias: the time of that dispensation was Epangelia, Evangelion that was the time of the Gospel, when the promise was brought into performance, when our salvation was wrought by Christ in his first coming: so they lived under the promise, but they lived not under the things promised; they had Epangelia the promise made to them, but they had not Evangelion, that is, the dispensation of time wherein Christ lived, which were indeed glorious times, when Christ came in the flesh, they received not those, yet notwithstanding they died in faith. To shame us, that have so many means, and helps, and yet notwithstanding are so earthly minded, and so stagger and doubt in matters of salvation, and have our faith to seek: when all these blessed worthies the Patriarches died in the faith that they lived in, and yet they received not the promises, no, not the type of the promises, they received not Canaan, which was an earthly type of heavenly Canaan, which was promised them; they came not to reap that till long after, when they came out of Egypt, as for Abraham, Isaac, and jacob, they lived in the land of promise as strangers. They received not the promises. They were comforted notwithstanding that their posterity should receive them. Canaan, was a type of CHRIST, and of Heaven, I observe this by the way that, God doth not reveal all things at all times. Obser. God doth leave divers things to be revealed God doth not reveal all things at all times. in divers ages of the Church. God doth not reveal every thing in every time. To comfort all ages of the Church. We see not every thing in our times, we must be To comfort all ages of the Church. content. There is to come the conversion of the jews, many good souls desire that: there is to come the confusion of Antichrist, and many good things, that God will bring to pass in another age, our posterity they shall see it. Let it comfort us: by faith we see the promises, though we do not receive the things promised, we have the promise in the Scriptures: let us comfort ourselves in that, that the benefit is reserved to our posterity. Every age hath several privileges, that that one age hath not, another hath: these-grand Patriarches saw not what their posterity saw, their posterity saw not what those that lived in the time of Christ saw: those in Christ's time saw not the discovery of Antichrist which we see, our posterity shall see the confusion of Antichrist, which (it may be) we shall not see. Again this should help us against the common To be thankful for what we have. infirmity that Christians are subject unto, we should be thankful for some things, though we have not all that we would have. These received not the promises, they had the promise, they had the word, though they had not the things promised, and that comforted them, though they had not the thing, no, not so much as the type of the thing, not Canaan these blessed Patriarches, Abraham, Isaac, and jacob, yet they were thankful, and cheerful, and died in faith. It is a common infirmity which our na●… unthankefulness. is too prone to, if the Church be notinall things as we would, we will not hear, we care for nothing, like cursed children, if they have not all they would have, they care for nothing. Theseall, they had the promises, they had not the things promised; but did they take pet upon this? Oh no; they embraced 〈◊〉 promises, and looked for thethings promised in due time, though they had them not themselves. So it is with particular Christians, other Christians they see go comfortably i●… their Christian course, and they have nothing; no grace, no faith, no love, no goodness: because they have not all they would have, therefore they have nothing, what an ill affection is this? We should be thankful for that we have, that we can deny ourselves, and we should be content to wait for that we have not: this is the disposition of a Christian that is in a right temper: and that is it which holds many from comforts, that they do not thankfully acknowledge that they have. Our covetousness, and greediness, of that that we have not, and yet would have it, makes us that we do not see that we have already. We all look forward, we would have more, and more, and are not thankful for the present grace. The Patriarches were not so, they wanted many things that they desired heartily to have; and yet they comforted themselves, and died in faith, though they did not receive the promises. They saw them afar off. They saw them afar off, and were persuaded Order of God's Spirit working. of them, and embraced them, etc. This is the order of God's spirit, first to open the eye to see, and by sight to persuade, and upon persuasion to stir up the heart and affections to embrace: for good things are brought into the soul through the understanding, by the spiritual sight of the understanding, and from that into the will and affections, by embracing the things we know: this is GOD'S course daily, therefore he saith they first saw them, and then were persuaded of them, and then embraced them. They see them afar off. Indeed they saw them a far off, they were not fulfilled till many years, and generations after, yet they see them. By what eye? The eye of faith. By the eye of faith: faith makes things present though in themselves they be far off. It is the nature of faith to make things that are absent to be present to the believing soul, and it affects the soul somewhat as if it were present. We know things work not upon the soul but as present: a danger that is, many years to come, it affects not the soul unless Things affect as present. it be apprehended as present; nothing affects the soul but as present. Now there are two ways of things being present. One is when the things themselves be present, that is, when we shall be in heaven, and enjoy Christ, and all the joys of heaven; then the things are present themselves. And then there is a presence of faith, when faith apprehends the things promised to us as present; faith makes the things present in somesort, not in all respects: for then faith were all one with vision, and possession: but in regard of certainty they are present, and in regard of sound comfort: therefore God gives other graces, between faith, and possession, to strengthen and enable faith that it do not sink in the work, between faith, and the full possession of the good things we believe, we have patience, and hope, and many other sweet graces; but all dispose the soul comfortably to wait for the accomplishment of the things believed. Now though the presence of faith affect not so much as the presence of sight: yet it doth affect. What is the reason that a holy man is so much affected with heavenly things, he feels no more joy many times than a wicked man? It is the nature of faith that so represents them to him, and sets before his eyes the excellency of the things that he sees them as present. Faith, hath her eye, faith hath her senses, What kind of eye faith hath. faith hath feet of her own, whereby she goes to Christ: faith hath arms of her own to grasp, and to clasp Christ. Faith hath ears of her own, to hear the word of God, and believe it; faith hath eyes of her own; and what kind of eyes? to seething afar off, to see things invisible; to see things within the veil, to see things that are upward, things that sense and reason can never reach unto. Reason sees more than sense, but faith sees more than reason. Faith sees the resurrection of the body, faith sees the glory in heaven, that all the eyes in the world cannot see. Faith correcteth the error of reason, reason corrects the error of sense. They saw him afar Faith sees afar off. off, with the blessed eye of faith. Faith hath an eye that sees a far off, it sees things remote both intime, and place. It sees things far off inplace, faith sees 1 In regard of place. things in heaven, it sees Christ there, it sees our place provided for us there, it sees God reconciled there, by it we see ourselves there, because we shall be there ere long: faith sees all this, it breaks through, and looks through all, it hath most piercing beams, the eye 〈◊〉 faith. And it works in an instant, it goes 〈◊〉 heaven in a moment, and sees Christ. And for distance of time, the eye of faith, 2. Time. 1. Past. it sees things past, and things to come. It see●… things past, it sees the creation of the ●…ld, it sees the redemption of us by jesus Christ, 〈◊〉 sees our sins there punished in Christ our su●…ety, it sees us crucified with Christ jesus, 〈◊〉 sees all discharged by him. Faith see●… 〈◊〉 the Sacrament: when we take the bread, 〈◊〉 hath recourse presently to the breaking of 〈◊〉 body of Christ, and the shedding of the blo●… of Christ. Then Christ is crucified 〈◊〉 us, 〈◊〉 dies to us, when we believe Christ was 〈◊〉 fied for us, and died for us, faith makes it present. And so for the time to come, faith hath 〈◊〉 2. To come. eye that looks a far off, it sees the resu●…ction of the body, and life everlasting: 〈◊〉 sees the general judgement, it sees eternal happiness in heaven; it sees things afar●… o●…. It is the Evidence of things not seen. What is the reason of it? It makes things not otherwise seen, be seen, and presently seen; it gives a being to things. It is a strange power that faith hath: faith is the eye of the sanctified soul, it is the light of the soul. In the dark, though things have a colo●… and a lustre in them, yet till light co●…e to make them clear, they are all as if they 〈◊〉 not, they are not seen: but when the light discovers them, than those things that were impossible to be seen, and had in them colour, and lustre, they come to be actually seen. So it is wi●…h faith, there is the happiness of a Christian, there is glory, and grace; reason it seeth not this; here is a night of all these things, if there be not light in the eye of faith: now when there comes the promise of God as a light discovering them, and the eye of faith to see all this, than here is an evidence of the things, a clear sight of them which without faith are as excellent things in the night that no eye can see. Faith is a further light, a light beyond all, a supernatural heavenly light, and sight, it sees beyond all other eyes, beyond the eye of the body, or beyond the other eye of the soul, which is reason. Now this work of faith is called sight, among Sight of faith quick. other respects for this, that sight is the most capacious, and comprehending sense; it apprehends its object quickly, and sight it works upon the affections, so faith hath a quick eye sight, it pierceth through the dark things of the world, it pierceth through contraries. God's children, though they see their estate oft times contrary to the promise, as if God did not regard them: yet they break through that. You know God's manner of working is in contrary estates, when we die, faith sees life; when we most apprehend our sins, faith sees the forgiveness of sins: when we are in the greatest mystery, faith hath so quick a sight that it sees happiness, and gl●…y through all. It sees a far off notwithstanding the interposing of any thing contrary, by flesh and blood. Faith is sometimes called taste, and by the Things requisite to sight. name of other senses, but especially by the name of sight. As in sight there is both the light outward, and a light in the eye, and the application of the light in the eye to the object: so in faith there is a light in the things revealed, a promise, and discovery of it by the light of the Gospel, and an inward light in the soul, answerable to the inward light in the eye: for a dead eye sees nothing, and a quick living eye sees nothing without the light of the air. So there is a double revelation, by the word, and by the spirit: the spirit works an eye of faith in the soul, and then it discovers to it the things of God. They saw them a far off. God created a new eye in the soul, a new sight which they had not by nature: for even as the natural eye cannot see things that are invisible; so the natural man cannot see the things of God, which are seen not by a natural, but by a supernatural eye, eye hath 〈◊〉 seen, nor ear heard, nor hath entered into the heart of man to conceive, what God hath prepared 〈◊〉 his children, 1 Cor. 2. 10, 11. The eye there-therefore 1 Cor. 2. 10. 11. that must see things a far off, it must be a supernatural eye; and the light that must discover them must be the light of God's truth: for reason cannot see the resurrection of the body, and the life to come, and such glorious things as the word of God reveals to us. If you ask why this sight of faith is so necessary, Quest. this supernatural sight. I answer, nothing can be done in religion Answ. Sight of faith necessary. without the supernatural eye of the soul, nothing at all: for a man may see heavenly things with a natural eye, and be never a whit the better: a man may see the joys of heaven, he may hear much of heaven, and happiness, and forgiveness, and think oh, these are good things: but yet notwithstanding he doth not see these things with a supernatural eye, he doth not see these things to be holy, and gracious, and to be fit for him: he wisheth them with conditions, but not with the altering of his disposition. As a man may see an earthly thing with a heavenly eye: because he sees God in it, and there is somewhat of God in it to lead him to see him: so a man may see heavenly things with a carnal eye, as Balaam wished to die the death of the righteous. A carnal man may be ravished with heavenly things; but he must look upon them as things suitable, or else all is to no purpose. How doth faith see this? how comes faith Quest. to have this strength? Because faith sees things in the power of God, it sees things in the truth of God; he 〈◊〉 Answ. Faith looks to God's power and truth. jehovah, he gives being to things: therefore as God Almighty gives being to things in their time, when they are not: so faith in his promises sees that these things will be, it sees things in the truth of God, in the promise of God; there it hath these eyes to see a far off Itself is wrought by the mighty power of God in the soul, for it is a mighty power for the soul to neglect the things it sees, to neglect riches, and honours, and pleasures, and to stand admiring of things that it sees not: for a man to rule his course of life upon reasons which the world sees not, because there is a happiness to come, and a God that he believes in, etc. It is a mighty power that plants such a grace in the heart, faith is wrought by the mighty power of GOD. As itself is wrought by the power of God, so it lays hold upon the power of God, that the promises shall be performed. In all the promises it sees, and lays hold on the mighty power and truth of God, and therefore it hath such an eye. Our duty then is to labour to have our faith Use. To labour for strong sight of faith. clear, to have this eye of faith, to have a strong faith, a strong sight. When is the sight of faith strong? Quest. When it is as the faith of these Patriarches Answ. Three things in a strong sight. was. There are three things that make a strong sight, that makes us conceive that he sight of faith is a strong sight. When the things are far of that we see, then if the eye see them it is a strong sight: a weak eye cannot see a far off. Secondly, when there are clouds between though the things be near; yet when there are clouds between, to break, and pierce through them, there must be a strong sight. Then thirdly, when there is but a little light; when there are many obstacles in the midst, and to break through all by a little light to seethings remote, here is a strong eye, and this was the sight of these blessed men, they had a strong eye. For the things they looked on were remote, a far off, divers thousands of years 1 When the thing seen is far off. they saw Christ by faith: the soul mounted up on the wing of faith, it flew over many thousands of years in a moment, and see Christ the Messias, and see heaven itself typi fied in Canaan. So swift is the eye of faith, it mounts over all in a moment. As the eye of the body in a moment can look to the v●…sible heavens, so a strong faith, it sees Christ in heaven. And then between them, and that they 2 When there are clouds between. looked to what difficulties were there? Blessed Abraham who was a type of Christ, how many difficulties had he? besides other of the Patriarches. We see God commanded him to slay his son, a command (one would think) against reason, against affection, against hope, it was faith against faith as it were, It was against reason in the eye of flesh. Now in this case to strive against all these difficulties, what a many clouds must Abraham break through here, against sense, and against affection, he must hope against hope, he must have faith against faith, he must deny affection, he must go and take his only begotten son Isaac, and he must be the executioner and butcher himself and slay him for a sacrifice; Here must be a strong faith in the power of God, that must see God raising Isaac from the dead, as he did after a sort: for when he was bound for a sacrifice ready to be slain, he caused a Ram to be taken in the thicket, and to be offered, and Isaac escaped. It was a strong faith to break through all these. Indeed blessed Abraham saw more excellency, and power in the work of God then in his beloved Isaac. So faith that is strong it sees more comfort, and joy, and matter of benefit and blessing to the soul in the promises, and in the word of God then in Isaac, that is, then in the dearest thing in our own account that we have, that the faithful soul had rather part with all then with God: it will not part with his promises for all that is in the earth, not for the dearest thing in this world, Isaac shall go rather. Then for their light to go by it was but 3 When there is little light. little, what a little light had they? Answ. Promises, they saw things in types, and glasses, a few promises, and what was that they sought? A heritage far off. We on the contrary have all set nearer hand that may help us, but we have a weaker faith. One would think it should greatly help us to lead our lives till we come to heaven: for that that we believe is nearer, heaven is nearer, how little a time is between us, and the day of judgement? how little a time between us, and the glory that is to be revealed? For the clouds that we have between they are none in comparing our light with theirs. How many promises have we discovered before hand? we have Christ come in the flesh and risen again: we have the Gentiles called, and all these things we have light upon light: we have larger promises, and a larger unfolding of divine truths; the Canon is enlarged, the Bible is enlarged, more than it was then; there are many books added, and the New Testament. Now how doth it come to pass that we see not so well as they, nor so strongly as they? I answer, the reason is this, their light was less, but their sight was stronger, we have more light, and less sight; we have things nearer, but our sight is weaker. (the more shame for us) A strong eye may see a far off by a little light. When a weak eye cannot see so far by a greater light. The eye of their soul, the eye of faith was stronger, and more light some: the spirit of God was stronger in Abraham, but his light of revelation was lesser; he had fewer promises: for he desired to see Christ's day, and saw it not. So it is with Christians sometimes, when there is a great strength of faith, yet it may be there is not so much light: a weak Christian may have more light, but he hath a weaker eye, and he in that respect sees better than a stronger. To a stronger God doth not discover to him so much outwardly sometimes suitable to his inward, God's dispensations are divers in this kind. Now to help our sight to heaven, this To help the sight of faith. sight of faith, that we may every day ascend with the eye of our souls, with this blessed sight. Let us take heed of the God of this world Satan, that he do not with the dust of the 1 Take heed that Satan blind not. world dim our sight: what is the reason that many cannot see the glorious things of GOD? The God of this world, saith the Apostle, hath blinded their eyes; he casts dust in their eyes, they are covetous, they are blind in their affections they have dark souls. The soul when it is lead by affections, and lusts; when the affections will not suffer it to see, it covers the eyes of it. And then the outward things of the world, they are cast into the eyes, we must take heed of these inward, and outward lets, take heed of Satan, that he do not with outward objects bewitch us. For as it is in prospective glasses: you know such glasses, Simile. some are of that nature, they represent to a man things that are a far off, as if they were near, so faith it is a kind of prospective glass, it presents to the soul by reason of this supper natural light, things that are far off as if they were near. Now as God hath his prospective glasses, to see a far off; so the Devil hath prospective glasses, that when things are near he makes them seen a far off (as such glasses there are too) when death, and danger, and damnation are nea●…e; When a man carries the sentence of damnation in his bosom, when he carries a stained, defiled conscience; the devil with his prospective glass makes him see death, and destruction as a far off. I may live so many years, and enjoy my pleasure, and my will. Now this is but a false glass, the devil abuseth them: for your life is but a death, and when we begin to live we begin to die: why should we account therefore of the time to come? death and life go in equal pace one with another, everyday we live so much is taken from our life; and then the cutting off of all is uncertain: let us take heed that Satan blind us not. And withal desire God to open our eyes 2 Desire God to open our eyes. every day, to take the scales from the eye of our souls, that we may see the promises, that we may see Christ, that we may see God shining on us in Christ: that he would take away the veil from the things by exposition, that he would open the truth to us by his Ministers: and that he would take away the veil from our hearts, that our hearts may join with the things. That when by ministerial means the things are clear, that there may not be a veil of infidelity on our hearts, but that our hearts may sweetly join with them. Let us beg daily that GOD would take away the things that hinder, inward and outward, that we may see the things a far off: that we may not be as Peter saith, mop eyed, that we cannot see a far off, but that we may set heaven before our eyes, and the judgement and the happiness to come, that we may see, and view and eye those things by faith, and that we may square our lives answerable. Then again to help our sight of Christ, and happiness, let us get a fresh sight of our 3 Get a sight of corruption. corruption, and sin every day: let us every day look on that terrifying object of our corruption of nature hang it in the eye of our souls as an odious object to humble us. Let us see every day what a corrupt heart we carry about us, see how odious these things are to God, how it offends him, see how it exposeth us to the wrath of God, if he should take us in the midst of our sins, and corruptions: let us have these things fresh in our eyes every day, and that will clear our sight. Men are loath to look in the book of their consciences, because they are loath to be disturbed from their pleasures. Let us see what need we stand in of Christ: the view of our corruptions will make us glad to see a better object, it will make us turn our eyes to CHRIST, to the promises, and all things that we have by Christ, we shall be glad to look to him: What is the reason we have no more delight to see the glorious things afar off? We see not the dimension of our corruptions: for than we would be glad to see all the dimensions of God's love in Christ, the height, and breadth, and depth and all. So much for that. They saw them a far off. They were persuaded of them. It was such a sight of the things as was Persuasion follows sight. with convincing; with persuasion. And indeed this follows well upon sight: for sight of all other senses persuades best: hearing is not so persuasive as sight: supernatural sight: brings forth supernatural persuasion. Sight is a convincing sense even outward sight: so inward sight it is a convincing thing it persuades, and sets down the soul that a thing is so, when a man sees it. All the men in Sight convinceth. the world cannot persuade the weakest man in the world, when it is day, or night; when the sun shines, or it is dark, that it is not so: when he sees it, he will believe his own eyes more than all the world besides. And as it is in sensible things, we believe our own eyes: so much more in spiritual things we believe our eyes. When there is a spiritual light of revelation in the word discovering such things, and also to spiritual light a spiritual eye: when the spirit puts an eye into the soul to see supernatural things that reason cannot attain to; then there is persuasion: though all the world should persuade the soul that such a thing were not so, it would say it is so, it will believe its own eyes. If all the world should persuade a Christian that there is no such excellency in religion, that his ways are not good, that he is but foolish, etc. he knows the contrary, and will not be scorned out of his religion, and driven out of it by any contrary persuasion of men whom he pities (though perhaps they are otherwise beyond him) in the state of nature: for sight it is a convincing thing. Especially when there is some taste with Especially with taste. sight: for taste together with sight convince 〈◊〉 of the goodness of things; as we see in those that lead their life by tasting and feeling. The creatures maintain their life by tasting some proportionable food fit for them. So a Christian, when once he hath tasted of spiritual things, the proper food of his soul, when he hath seen, and tasted of them, he will never be driven out of his religion, and his 〈◊〉 by any means, when he hath seen, and 〈◊〉ed, he is throughly persuaded. A man must not dispute against taste, when he hath tasted a thing to be so, talk to him otherwise, he saith, I have tasted, and feel, and see it to be so; and therefore we see that after sight comes persuasion. Now this persuasion is a supernatural persuasion, Persuasion supernatural. and it is General, Particular. A general persuasion of the things, of the general truths, and a particular personal persuasion of our interest in them. When we are persuaded that the truths are so, generally, that are revealed in the word of God; and when we are persuaded by the help of the spirit that we have a particular interest in them, a portion in them. And both are here meant. They see them a far off, and were persuaded of them, they were convinced both of the truth, and goodness of them: and of the truth and goodness to them in particular. Now persuasion is a settled kind of knowledge. Persuasion what. Persuasion comes divers ways, there be divers degrees tending to persuasion. Degrees to persuasion. First, the poorest degree of the apprehension of things, is conjecture; a guessing that 1 Conjecture. such a thing may be so or otherwise, but I guess it rather to be so. Beyond conjecture there is opinion, when a man thinks it is so, upon more reasons 2 Opinion. swaying him one way: and yet in opinion there is fear on the contrary that it may be otherwise. And the third degree beyond opinion is certain knowledge, when a man is not only conceited, 3 Knowledge from argument that the thing is so, his opinion is so upon some reasons inducing him; but he knows it by arguments, and reasons: that is science and knowledge, when the mind is persuaded by arguments; but that is not so much here meant, the persuasion by argument. There is another degree then, of knowledge 4 Persuasion from authority of the speaker. which is by the authority of the speaker, a persuasion from thence: when I know not the thing by the light of the thing so much, because I see the reason of the thing; but because I know such a one saith it; that is the persuasion of faith. When one is persuaded of a thing not so much out of his own knowledge, out of the principles of the thing; setting out the causes of the thing, as out of the credit of the person that speaks. Now this persuasion riseth out of faith in the authority of the person, when I believe a thing for the authority of the speaker: it ariseth from the knowledge of him that speaks; that he is able, and that he is true and that he is honest, and good: that he will not deceive because he is good, and he will not be deceived because he is wise; we conceive that he is wise, and holy, and able with all, one that we trust. If together with this knowledge and persuasion, from the authority, and truth, and goodness and wisdom of the speaker, there be joy●…ed sense and experience, we see it proved; and when there is experience, there is reason why And some experience. we should believe that he saith because we have found the thing to be so. So when there is both the authority of the speaker, and some inward sense, some sight, and taste, and feeling, and experience of the thing spoken; here comes that settled persuasion: for he is undoubtedly true that hath spoken it, and I have found in some degree the thing true that he hath spoken. Now both are here meant in some degrees, they saw the things a far off, both by the authority of the promise; as likewise by their own sight, and some taste they had. For God reserves not all for heaven, God gives his children some taste, and feeling, some little joy, and comfort; the first fruits of the spirit here. So they were persuaded, from the authority of the speaker, and some sense, and feeling of the thing in somemeasure. Now this persuasion hath its degrees. Degrees in this persuasion. There is a full persuasion. And there is a persuasion that is not so full that is growing to further persuasion still. And this persuasion hath degrees, both in the general persuasion, of the truths themselves, and in their particular interest: for all Christians are not alike persuaded of divine truths themselves, nor all Christians are not a like persuaded of their particular interest in those truths. There be degrees in both respects. For the things themselves, we may 1. In general. grow stronger, and stronger persuaded: even as the light, and our eye grows clearer, the stronger is our sight: so our persuasion while we are here may grow stronger, and stronger. It was strong in Abraham; yet not so uniformly strong, but that it was weaker sometimes than others, as we see in the story. And 2. Particular. so for particular persuasion, the spirit of God may give assurance that may be shaken, I but he recovers himself presently: the tenor of a Christians life is usually a state of fight, and persuasion, when he is himself, and when he remembers his own principles. To come particularly, you see here that, Spiritual persuasion is necessary. Spiritual persuasion necessary. Both of the things in general, and of our interest in them. It may be asked whether there may be Quest. a persuasion of the truth in general, without a persuasion of our own particular interest in them? I answer no; not a sound, undoubted spiritual Answ. Sound persuasion is with particular interest. Conviction double. persuasion. There is a double conviction, a conviction when a man cannot tell what to say against it: but spiritual conviction is when a man is convinced of the truth, and goodness of ●…he thing, and this always draws the other with it, first or last. A man may be convinced that he cannot tell what to say against the truth, but that is not properly persuasion. A man is persuaded by divine truth that all the promises a●…e true in the Gospel, and it draws with it a particular light: he sees, and is persuaded of his own interest in it, first or last: for a strong persuasion of divine truth, of God's word; when I know it is God's word, it works in my flesh, it changeth me, it lifts me up, it casts me down, etc. So that a Christian knows that the word of GOD is the word of GOD by a spiritual persuasion wrought by the efficacy of the word; from an intrinse call principle in the word itself. But sometimes it falls out that a Christian may be convinced of the truth of the word in general that it is God's word, and that the promises of salvation are true, and yet notwithstanding he may not feel the particular persuasion of the forgiveness of his sins, and of his acceptation to life everlasting, and his interest in Christ; these two are sometimes separable in regard of feeling. A Christian hath always a persuasion of the truth of GOD, of the things, but he hath not always a like persuasion of his own interest in them. How do you prove that these are severed Quest. sometimes. Thus; There is the birth, and infancy of a Answ. Particular persuasion sometimes weak. Christian; when a Christian is in his birth, he is not persuaded of his own good estate, as he is after when he is grown, than he knows his estate. A soul that is in the state of grace that hungers and thirsts after good things, at that time it may be it is not acquainted that it shall be satisfied, it is not acquainted, of its own interest, but stretcheth itself forward for entire satisfaction, and it shall be satisfied: that is, the soul that hungers, and thirsts after the persuasion of GOD'S love in Christ, and the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting, there is never soul that thus ●…gers, and thirsts but God satisfies it at length, for the most part in this world, or else certainly in the world to come forever. But always where there is this persuasion supernatural, that the word of GOD is true indeed, that there is salvation to all true believers, when it is wrought by the spirit; there is either a persuasion of our interest, or somewhat tending to persuasion, some hungering and thirsting, some desire that God accepts for the deed, to show that such a man is in the state of grace. I speak this the rather, because some are deceived in their own estates, they do not conceive aright of themselves, they think they are not in the state of grace when they find not that particular, strong assured persuasion. I answer they may be in the state of grace God suspends the knowledge of being in a good estate. notwithstanding. A Christian knows not his own estate always, at all times. It is one grace to be in a good estate, and another to have the knowledge of it, they be different gifts of God, and God suspends the knowledge of a man's being in a good estate, for several ends. Sometimes, among the rest for this one, to humble us, to keep us from security, to make 1 To humble us. us careful, and diligent; to make us know that he hath the keeping of our feeling and persuasion in his own hands. As he hath the keeping of all our grace, so he hath the keeping of the knowledge that we have grace, and of our comfortable walking, that we may know we have every thing from him, both grace, and the feeling of grace: and if we take liberty to ourselves, he will take liberty, to keep our feeling at that time: to make us humble, and to make us seek reconciliation again, It is one part of God's dispensation with his children, to hinder their persuasion of their particular interest sometimes. Sometimes the children of God may be in such a condition; as that they may think for a time in their judgement, that they be in a contrary esta●…e; they are mispersuaded of themselves, not to be God's children (as it were) God may suffer this, that they shall not only have a weak staggering persuasion, but a persuasion to the contrary though it be a false persuasion. But how shall they know that they are Gods Quest. children at that time? They say they are so shaken, and at a stand, they are so conceited that they are none of Gods: that God hath left them, and forsaken them. You may know it by this, that at the same Answ. How to know God's children in loss of assurance. time they are conscionable of all heavenly duties, at the same time, they neglect no means of salvation: at the same time they complain against their own corrupt course of life that hath given God occasion to leave them thus to themselves, at the same time they strive against this, and labour to be persuaded of GOD'S truths in general. And though the devil sometimes shake that persuasion, that God's truth is not God's truth, and make them question whether it be the word of God or no, and whether there be such a thing as life everlasting: (the devil shakes us in principles sometimes) but yet a Christian in such temptations, though he be shaken in his principles by the force of wickedness, yet he attends upon the means, and goes on more conscionably, he doth not give back, but labours for satisfaction, and further settling still, and is ashamed of himself that he should have such beastly thoughts as the Psalmist saith, so foolish was I Psalm 73. and ignorant, and as a beast before thee, when he began to stagger in the principle of the providence of God. So sometimes a Christian is brought, to stagger in principles, in the main general persuasion of the word of God, but he likes not himself, he accounts himself as a beast, and labours for satisfaction still in sanctified means and never gives over; Though he have not particular persuasion, he gives not over holy duties, but goes on in spiritual duties, he labours to obey God in all things, he is conscionable to God, in fear and trembling in the least thing. A man may say to such a soul, it shall find peace at the length: for God's ways are unsearchable: GOD hath cause, and reason why he keeps such a soul under for a time, and withholds some sense and persuasion: but usually GOD'S comforts come more abundantly to such a soul, he reserves it for the time of affliction, or the hour of death. The truth is, it is a constant rule, that though Usually Gods children have particular persuasion. it may be thus with some in some cases: yet ordinarily Gods children may be persuaded of their particular condition; yea, and they ought to labour after this persuasion, and assurance, that their souls may be filled with marrow, and fatness, and that they may joy in God, and have boldness to come before God in prayer, that they may be fruitful in all holy duties: that they may be strong to suffer afflictions, and to resist temptations. Therefore though God sometimes in his wise dispensation, suffer them to be hindered: yet not withstanding this is a thing that is both attainable, and that they ought to labour for, and never give their heart's rest till they attain to it. I say we ought to labour for it: for the soul is never in such a frame as it ought to be but when it hath gotten some assurance of God's love. But I must add this; we must labour that this persuasion be supernatural by the spirit of God, both of the truths in general, of the promises in general, and of our interest in particular in them, we must labour that it be by the spirit to our spirits, that the spirit may seal them to our spirits. For it is not sufficient to know the word of God to be the word of God, and the promises, to be the promises, because we have been brought up in them, and can say them by heart, and it were a shame for us to conceive the contrary, that is not sufficient: for that will deceive us. We must labour (as I said of knowledge, that we may be supernaturally convinced, so also that is from that knowledge,) that it may be spiritual, or else it will deceive us. How do we prove that? Quest. To make it a little clearer, because it is a Answ. If persuasion be not supernatural. point of some consequence, even as I showed of what consequence the sight of faith is: so I may say of this persuasion. We must labour therefore to know how we come by this persuasion, and whether it be such as we can hold out in, whether it be such by which we can stand out in the time of temptation. If there be nothing but that argument of breeding, and of general light, of discourse, that we see one thing how it follows from another: I say it will deceive us: because constant obedience will never follow upon such a persuasion; nor constant holding out to death, nor constancy in death (if the conscience be once awaked) neither will we be fruitful in our lives, and conversations. To make this clear. If the soul be not persuaded by the spirit 1 There will not be obedience. of God, together with the spirit of the Scripture, for the same spirit that is in the Scripture, must be in our spirit, working our nature's suitable to the Scriptures to be holy: if we do not by that spirit by which the Scripture was indicted, know those truths, we shall never be obedient to them, not constantly. For what is the reason, that men when they are told, God doth forbid you to take his name in vain; God forbids you to seek after earthly things, God forbids you by the Scriptures to defile your vessels, he forbids you to seek these things below, he forbids you these courses. Now a man that hath knowledge that is not supernatural, that hath it not by the spirit, he hears these things with a kind of scorn, and despiseth them as niceties, he never makes scruple of these things, because he knows they are forbidden, or commanded of God, because he hears so; but he hath not known by the spirit of God that penned the Scriptures, that these indeed are Gods divine truths, the spirit hath not sealed these truths to his soul, this is God's word; he hath not felt it in converting his soul in mortifying his corruptions, in raising him being cast down; in working wonders in his conscience, in bringing all into a spiritual subjection. When he hath not felt the word work thus, for all his general knowledge by education, and breeding, and reading, he may be a disobedient wretch, and live, and die a rebel, and bitter opposite against the power of grace: because he hath not knowledge of the word of God and of particular truths by the spirit of God, it is no persuasion of the spirit. And this is that that men wonder at, that know not the mystery of these things: to see great Scholars, men of great knowledge, perhaps Divines, that are Preachers to others, to see such an one vicious, to see him carnally disposed as others, when a man seeth this he thinks, what do you talk of the word of God, if there were such a thing, men that know these things must needs lead their lives after the rule. It is no wonder, the devil hath knowledge enough, but he is no divine at all, because he hath it from his nature being a spirit: so a man may be a devil incarnate, he may have knowledge of these things, and yet no true divine. But he that is taught by the spirit of God, the things in the word of God, the spirit works a taste in them. Historical truths are known by their own light, there is no such need of the spirit to discover them, but the promises, and threatenings, and such things, are known by the spirit, a man feels the power of the word of God, than a man is convinced; otherwise if the spirit do not reveal these things, a man will never obey, but be rebellious. And as there willbe no obedience, so there will be no holding out in time of peril and 2 No holding out temptation. The persuasion that a carnal man hath that is not a sanctified persuasion, it will not hold out in the hour of death, in the time of temptation, in strong temptation, either on the right hand by preferments, and favours, or on the left hand by threatenings, and persecutions; it is but a seeming persuasion, when any thing comes that is stronger than it, it will not hold; when there is afflictions, and persecutions in the Church, we see many excellent learned men hold not out in their profession, Why? they were drawn to the profession of Religion by dependence on such kind of men, or they only followed religion as they saw reason for it, or they have been so bred in it, etc. Now reason may be brought against reason; when men have no other motives than these, when persecution comes that they must lose their preferments or their friends or their life, they fall away altogether: because that persuasion that they seemed to have before, it was no spiritual persuasion wrought from intrinsical grounds of divine truth, that hath a majesty, and a spiritualness in itself, but it was merely wrought out of foreign grounds. Now we see a meaner man that hath his knowledge wrought by the spirit of God; the same spirit seals that knowledge to him with the word of God, that indicted the Scripture, and acted the holy men of God, that wrote the Scriptures. As his portion is incomparably great, so he is persuaded of his interest in those good things, the same spirit that convinceth him of the truth, and of the certainty of the things, it convinceth him likewise of his part in them, and this supernatural persuasion together with his interest in those good things persuaded of, sets down the soul, so as it will not move: he holds out in persecution, because he hath felt the work of divine truth in his soul; he hath found the spirit of God casting him down, and raising him up to comfort, therefore he holds out in his persuasion in all trials, and never apostatizeth from that estate, and condition. And so for unfruitfulness in conversation, 3 No fruitfulness. notwithstanding all those motives we have in the word of God, a man that is not convinced spiritually of those excellent things, he goes on deadly as if there were no motives, because the spirit of God hath not sealed them to his spirit: he hath not given him an apprehension of the divine encouragements wrapped up in the promises in the Scripture, and when death and danger come, for the most part such men are desperate notwithstanding all their learning, and knowledge literal that they have. For it will not hold water, all knowledge that is not wrought by the spirit of God sealing divine truth to the soul, with some evidence of the power of it, it will not hold out in the trial. all. Especially when Satan with his fiery darts comes with strong temptations: for the soul never felt the working power of the word. It feels then the temptation, it apprehends the poisonful fiery temptation but it hath not so inwardly digested the truths of the spirit, and therefore is surprised with the horror and spare: there is not wrought in heart an deexperimentall feeling of knowledge, and therefore the heart cannot beat back the temptation. When the Devil shall come and tell men you have been thus, and thus, and they have not felt the truth of that they seemed to believe; conscience tells them, it is true I have heard, and read such, and such things, I never believed them, they never sunk deeply into my heart: when temptation shall be nearer the soul then, the truth shall be, when temptation presseth sore, they are swallowed up of despair: therefore let us labour that our general knowledge from the word and our particular knowledge and persuasion that it may be spiritual. Now how doth the spirit work this particular Quest. persuasion? I answer, the spirit of God works it in Answ. Persuasion wrought by the spirit. the soul together with the word: the spirit and the word go together, All the men in the world cannot persuade the soul, without the spirit of God join, Paul preached, but God opened Lidia's heart. We have it not of ourselves, it must come from without, from God's spirit opening our eyes, and persuading, and convincing our hearts, God persuade japhet to dwell in the tents of Sem, no creature can do it, it is passive, it is said here they were persuaded. That persuasion that is sound, that carries a man to heaven, by which he dies in faith, 〈◊〉 must be from the spirit of God. All the words of the ministry, and all reasons, nothing will do it but God, God must persuade thesoule. Now what doth the spirit here? The spirit enlightens the understanding which Quest. I spoke of before, it opens the understanding in Answ. How the spirit persuades. persuasion, it doth propound arguments, and motives from the excellency of the things promised, and the privileges of religion, and the good things we have by Christ, etc. and together with propounding these excellent encouragements and motives, the spirit strongly works upon the disposition, upon the will, and affections, it works upon the soul, and so doth persuade and convince. And thereupon comes embracing (which I shall have occasion to speak of afterward) The soul being persuaded embraceth. Now this persuasion is not only by propounding of arguments by the word, and spirit, but likewise a working upon the will, from whence there follows an inclination of the will, and an embracing of the things we are persuaded of. For let all the arguments in the world be brought to a man to persuade him, that God will be merciful to him in Christ: tell him of the free offer, Whosoever will, let him come in, all that will; a large offer, let him join to that offer of mercy the inviting, Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will ease you: a sweet inviting: join with the invitation a command; it is his command that we should believe in his son jesus: let him strengthen that command with the threatening, he that believes not is damned already. Let a man remove all objections that the soul can make, of its unworthiness, Come unto me all ye that are weary, and heavy laden, and I will ease you, though you groan under the burden of your sin. Let a man object again, I have nothing worthy in myself. Why, come, and buy though you have no money. Let him strengthen all these proposals with examples of the mercy of God to Manasses, to Peter, to Paul a persecutor, to Mary Magdalen and the like, let all these arguments be wondrous effectually propounded, the soul will not yield unless God's spirit join with these arguments, (and all in that kind) and convince the soul of our particular interest in these things, and persuade the will to embrace these things offered. That, God hath reserved in his own power, to bring our hearts, and the promises together: to bring our hearts, and divine truths together. Let there be never so much set before us in the ministry, he hath reserved this prerogative, and authority that our hearts, and the truth should close together to embrace them in hearing. All things depend upon the spirit; when we do not regard the spirit, in hearing and reading, etc. Let all the things the Scripture hath be propounded, and set on with all the excellency, and eloquence that may be, GOD hath reserved it to himself, by his spirit, to give faith to persuade our souls that these belong to us, and to incline, and draw the will. I have showed you then, the kinds of persuasion, general, and particular; and how it is wrought by the spirit, that unless this persuasion be wrought by the spirit, we shall never hold out in it, though we have all the arguments in the world, we shall be disobedient. Disobedience comes when things are not discovered by the spirit; and apostasy when the persuasion is not wrought by the spirit: and desperation, when the knowledge is not spiritual. Now the manner is by removeing contratraries, The manner of working this persuasion. and moving the heart, and drawing it. With the word of man, God enters into the very will, and affections: for as he made the soul, and framed it, so he knows how to work upon it, and to draw it sweetly by reasons, but yet strongly that it may be carried to the things revealed. GOD at the same time works strongly by carrying the soul; and sweetly with reasons. For God first comes into the soul by divine light, by reas●…; ●…nd then he sinks into the soul by his spirit, ●…o draw the soul to these reasons: without this we never yield to those reasons, but stand ●…ut in rebellion. GOD persuades the soul sweetly of the 1. Sweetly. ●…ruth by showing a man the goodness of it, and ●…he suitableness to our condition, and the reasons of it, how they agree to our nature: he doth not force the soul, but doth it with reasons and arguments sweetly. And ●…e doth it 2. strongly. strongly, that the soul when it is persuaded would not for all the world be of another mind; it is so strong that the persuasion, and ●…he promises, are stronger than the temptations of Saran, and the corruptions of the ●…esh, or then the candals of the world, that nothing ●…an separate us from Christ; nothing can drive ●…s from our faith, and hope, the persuasion is ●…et so strongly upon the soul because it is a divine persuasion. It is a strong work to persuade the soul. A strong work to persuade the soul. For the spirit of God. When it brings a light into the soul it brings agreat many graces with it, when it shines upon the soul, and discovers better things, it brings other graces ●…o persuade, and to embrace the things it discovers. As it is an infinite mercy, and goodness of God to discover to our souls such excellent things, as we may be persuaded of; as if 〈◊〉 estate to be such as indeed it is above our 〈◊〉 prehension in this world, neither eye hath 〈◊〉 nor ●…are heard nor hath entered into the heart 〈◊〉 man, the things that God hath prepared for 〈◊〉 that love him: so likewise it is Gods infinite work of power to frame the soul to be persuaded of this: it is as m●…ch power to 〈◊〉 the soul to this persuasion, as it is mercy 〈◊〉 discover them in a manner: there is such 〈◊〉 ward rebellion, and distrust in the soul, 〈◊〉 ling these truths into question, as if the●… things were too good to be true. Consider●… our own unworthiness, and vileness, 〈◊〉 the excellency of these things, laying the●… together, the unbelieving heart of man 〈◊〉 prone to unbelief above all other sins▪ 〈◊〉 can hardly conceive that there are such thin●… for God's children, except the heart be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tily wrought on, unless together with 〈◊〉 suasion there be some work in the soul▪ whence it may gather by the work of the spirit that they are those to whom such good things belong, because the spirit of God hath sing●…ed them out, and set his seal, and stamp on them, above other men by some evidence●… of grace. It is another manner of work then the world takes it to be: For as I said before, together with the Scripture, there must a spirit of persuasion go, there is a sec●…et messenge●… goes with the outward peech, both of the preacher, and of the Scripture or else all the ●…guments will not be to purpose, they will be ●…f no efficacy. As the Israelites they had arguments, and ●…otives enough to persuade them of Gods love ●…nd care to them, yet notwithstanding GOD ●…ave them not a heart, Deut. 29. In Christ's Deut. 29. ●…me, what miracles did they see? yet their ●…earts were hardened, because God together ●…ith his shining in the outward means did ●…ot subdue the rebellion of their wi●… and af●…ections; and therefore the more they saw, ●…he more they were hardened: the Scribes and ●…harisees, and some of their desperate fol●…owers. Well then considering that the spirit doth Use. To labour for spiritual persuasion. ●…his great work, let us labour that our know●…edge may be spiritual; that our persuasion of divine truth in general, and our part, and ●…ortion in divine truth that it may be spiritu●…ll: for as Saint Paul divinely, and excellent●…y sets it down, 2 Cor. 2. 10, 11. that as no ●…an knows the things that are in man, but the spi●…it 2 Cor. 2. 10, 11. that is in man: so no man knows the things of God's word, divine truths, nor his part, and por●…ion and interest in them, but by the spirit of God. If we bring the Engine of our own ●…it, and parts to God's truth, ●…o sermons and ●…ookes, we may never be the better, if we ●…ome not with a spiritual intention, with ●…everent, and humble hearts, and implore the ●…eaching of the spirit that together with the revelation of the word there may bee●… 〈◊〉ving of the veil by the spirit, that with 〈◊〉 outw●…rd teaching there may be the inwar●… teaching of the spirit; that with the 〈◊〉 opening the ●…are there may be the opening 〈◊〉 the hear●…, that he that hath the key of 〈◊〉 may open, and inoline, and persuade the 〈◊〉 that he may persuade japhet, as the Scrip●… phrase is. It is fac●…legious presumption to come 〈◊〉 holy places, and to set upon holy duties, 〈◊〉 hear or read the word of God, without 〈◊〉 thing up our hearts to God for his holy 〈◊〉 We cannot plow without his Heifer. Can 〈◊〉 know the mind of God without the 〈◊〉 God▪ What arrogancy is this to thin●… 〈◊〉 be saved; and the spirit never tell us with 〈◊〉 word so: but it is only a presump●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. This is a sacrilegious surpation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God's glory. The spirit of God know●… 〈◊〉 things are in God towards us, and reveals 〈◊〉 our spirits Gods inward love to us, The 〈◊〉 ●…eacheth us to know the things that are 〈◊〉 God. We only know the good that G●… means us by his own 〈◊〉 and therefore let us labour every day more and more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spiritual, and heavenly minded. And above all things to make it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To beg the spirit. Luke 11. of our desires as it 〈◊〉, Luke 11. to pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirit, he will give his holy spirit to them that 〈◊〉 it, it is the best, and the chiele gilded of all: 〈◊〉 this makes our knowledge heavenly, our 〈◊〉 suasion heavenly; and sound, and constant in ●…e, and death. And this spirit carries the whole soul with it: this spirit makes us like the word of GOD, because it is spiritual it makes us so, and we love it in our inward man, and consent to it, and joy in it. Whereas naturally there is inward rebellion in the greatest Scholar in the world against the word of God, the heartriseth against divine truths they are as opposite as fire, and water, as heaven, and hell. The proud heart of man slights the promises of mercy as nothing to petty things of the world, it slights the comforts of the word, to carnal comforts, and the Commandments of GOD in respect of the commandments of men. The proud man looks scornfully, upon the things of conscience, and of the spirit: only the spirit of God brings the proud heart of man to be subject to the word of God; Nothing that is not spiritual, w●…ll hold out. Whatsoever is not spiritual, Christ will not own at the day of judgement. I●… the spirit seal 〈◊〉, and set a stamp upon us, Christ will look on his own stamp of the spirit, where the 〈◊〉 fr●…its are not, the harvest will not so low. The spirit is an earnest; where the earnest is not, the barg●…ine will not follow. I beseech you let us labour for the spirit in the use of all means: let us ●…ttend upon the word, which is the ministry of the spirit, and we shall find that the spirit will alter, and change us, and show us our interest in the promises, and the goodness of them. 〈◊〉 more we a ●…end upon the means, the more 〈◊〉 shall see it, and the more we pray the mo●… 〈◊〉 shall have the spirit: and the more we ob●… God, the more we shall have the spirit of Go●… God gives his spirit to them that obey him. And this should reach us when we come 〈◊〉 Use. To desire God to persuade us. hear, or to read the word of God. Lo●… pen mine eyes, LORD penswade my 〈◊〉 LORD bow the neck of my soul, 〈◊〉 my inward man, that Iron sinew, Lord 〈◊〉 away my hard heart and give me a 〈◊〉 ●…sh, teach my heart, thou must persuade, 〈◊〉 incline me, incline my heart Lord. We wa●… religious carriage in this, 〈◊〉 come presumptuously upon con●… 〈◊〉 wit, to hear Se●…ons, and to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so we come away worse than we 〈◊〉 Why? w●… do●… not 〈◊〉 too Go●… 〈◊〉 swa●… us. They ●…ere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 Man●… here, 〈◊〉 he opens ●…he eyes, and God persuades with enlightening. 〈◊〉 he persuades. God persuades the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Devil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Vlcar, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…wade by darkness, by maintaining 〈◊〉 ●…ome of darkness. The Devil all 〈◊〉 shows no reason, he keeps the soul 〈◊〉 ●…esse, and blindness. Anti christ pe●… 〈◊〉 men to their religion, how? by fleshly allure. men's, not instructing them, and opening their eyes, enlightening their understandings, ●…ut GOD opens their eyes, to see, and ●…hen teaches, and persuades. The devil's instruments they persuade, and so they teach, ●…nd draw away, they persuade with carnal objects, and the like, to draw, and bewitch the ●…ffections, and so the judgement is dark still. But where there is true dealing, there is no ●…are of the light. Therefore those that are enemies, to the means of salva●…ion, that fear, God's people should know too much, they take a course contrary to God: for God enlightens, and then persuades, and knowledge enlighteneth: so that knowledge is necessary. All divine persuasion of faith hath the name of knowledge. They were persuaded by the spirit of God of the truth of GOD having their eyes opened. It is an evidence we are not persuaded, we Evidence that we are not persuaded. come to Church, and attend upon the means, we go on in a course of sin; we are not divinely persuaded, God hath not persuaded our hearts, he hath not enlightened us. For if the covetous man were persuaded, that neither covetous nor extortioners should enter into the kingdom of heaven, would he not leave that course? Light and persuasion, always rule the action: for we work, as we see, and are persuaded in every thing. The very beasts do as they see, and as sense leads them: an Ass bears burdens, you know nature hath s●…amed, and made him for it: but can you drive the silly creature into the fire? he knows that will consume him. So that men they are brutish, they will not be persuaded by the spirit of God, they run into courses, that if they had light in their souls, and if they were persuaded whither it tends, they would never run into hell fire. If there were a pit open before a m●…ns eyes, would he plunge himself into that pit that were before his eyes? A man that lives in sins against conscience, he runs into a pit. There are no manner of liars, of who●… mongers, of covetous persons, of such wretches as take the name of God in vain, that shall escape unpunished. Men leada life in a course wherein they see a pit before them, and yet they run on; are they persuaded. No, no, certainly they are not persuaded. And so for the means of salvation, men that care not for hearing the word, are they persuaded it is the word of God to salvation? they are not persuaded. We may know the truth of our persuasion by the power it ha●… to r●…le our lives and conversations. What is the reason that a simple man, a weak man, 〈◊〉 lives. Christianly, and dies in the faith he lived by; when as a great man, in conceit, in know ledge he lives wickedly, and dies worse? he cause the one hath not this knowledge of the spirit, the spirit of God never opened his eyes, the spirit of God never persuaded him, he hath it in books, and by education and the like. There are none that ever hold out but those that have the spirit of God to be their teacher and persuader. We must see things in their own proper light, the spirit of God hath to deal with the heart, God hath only power of that: he must deal with the heart, we must not trust therefore to education, or to outward things. If a man should ask the reason of men, why do you leave these courses, why do you do this good? a Christian doth not say, I was brought up to this, or I cannot do otherwise: but I do it from a principle of the New Creature. Let us desire God, that we may do things from reasons of Scripture, from reasons of pleasing God, that we may do them from a holy sanctified affection, that we may be persuaded by the spirit, and then it will hold out. They were persuaded of them. And embraced them. They embraced the promises: the good things promised, Christ's coming in the flesh, and Canaan the type of heaven, and heaven itself; though they had not these things, yet they embraced what they had, they embraced the promises. That is the nature of Faith makes much of what it hath. faith, if it have not that it looks (as it hath not till it come to heaven;) yet it makes much of that it hath, it embraceth the promises, and in the promises the thing itself promised. Now these things follow one another in a Embracing follows persuasion. most natural order: for sight brings persuasion; sight and conviction brings strong persuasion, and persuasion breeds embracing: for we embrace that in our affections that we are persuaded of to be good. According to the strength of conviction, and persuasion, is the strength of the affections: those things that we have a weak persuasion of, we have a weak affection to, those things that we are fully persuaded of, and are great withal, the affections cannot but stretch forth themselves to embrace them. When the understanding was enlightened to see the truth, and to be persuaded of the truth of the promises; then the will, and affections they join and embrace those things: the will makes choice of them, and cleaves to them, the affection of desire extends itself to them, the affection of love embraceth them, the affection of joy delights in them. Spiritual conviction, always draws affection. For God hath framed the soul so, that upon discovery of a good o●… of itself, it doth stretch out itself to embrace that object, the good thing presented, it cannot be otherwise. We see, the eye it cannot but delight in beautiful objects: so the understanding of itself it delights in true things, and the will in things that are good, that are delightfully good, or spiritually and conveniently good to the person, it cannot but be so. The author of nature, God, doth not overthrow nature, but preserves it in its own work: therefore where he gives a light to discover, and persuade, both of the truth in general; and of our particular interest in those things; he gives grace likewise, to the will, and affections, to that part of the soul that is carried to good things to embrace them; and upon discovery of evil, in that part of the soul that is affected to evil, there is an ave●…sation, and loathing of things that are in convenient, and ●…itfull, it must needs 〈◊〉 in the light of reason. We may know whether the spirit of God Trial of our estate by embracing. have wrought any thing in 〈◊〉 by o●… embracing of good things: for (as I said) Godhath made our souls thus, when the soul 〈◊〉 convinced of the truth, and goodness of a thing, and isperswaded, the affections will always follow that that is showed to be the best. Now when the spirit of God discovers to the soul the excellencies of religion to be above all other excellencies whatsoever. That the favourof God is better than life itself, and discovers to the soul the vanity of all other things; then comes the soul to embrace them for the soul cannot but 〈◊〉, which the understanding being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 best, and best for me: in comparison of all other things, this is now at this time all things considered best for me to do; hereupon comes embracing always; the affections follow spiritual persuasion. There be two main branches of faith. 2. Branches of faith. One is spiritual conviction, and persuasion, that things are so good, and that they belong to us. Another branch of faith is to go out, and close, and meet with the things. Upon discovery of the excellency of the things; the heart opens itself to let in those things. It is in grace as it is in nature; the heart is open upwards, and pointed downward: 〈◊〉 the heart and soul of a man opens to heaven ward when those things are discovered by the spirit to be best, the spirit opens, and closeth with those things. A man may know what he is in religion by his affections, by his affection of love: for the affection of love, will open to the things that are discovered to be best whereof heeiss persuaded, and his affection of joy, h●… will delight in those thing●…: and his affection of grief, his heart will be shut to things that are contrary: and his affection of zeal, in the p●…sute of the means, and in opposing that that is an enemy to that good, it is always so, the heart embraceth what we are persuaded of. God hath made the affections of the soul for supernatural things: he 〈◊〉 made our understanding to conceive, of the heavenly light and those prerogatives, and privileges; and he hath made our affections to embrace those heavenly things. And then a man is in his right subordination, in his right state under God, he is framed as he should be; he is in a right frame of soul: when his soul is convinced of the excellency of the best things and when his affections of joy, and love, and delight, of zeal, and trust, and all are set on those things. For then a man is raised above the condition of an ordinary man: such a man is come to his perfection, he is come out of that cursed estate that naturally all are in: for now the soul is set upon things that make it better than itself. For the soul is as the things are it is carried to: when the soul is persuaded of heavenly things, and of its interest in them, and is carried to them by the sway, and weight of the affections of love, and joy, and delight (which is called here in bracing) then the things embraced transform the soul to be like them, as they be heavenly, and glorious, and excellent, there is nothing in the world to be named with them, all else is ●…g, and dross: then a man comes to be holy, and heavenly, and spiritual, he is raised in a condition far above others, above all othermen, though he be never so mean in the world: when his soul is enlightened, and answerable to the light, there is heat; when there is light in the understanding, and heat in the affections accordingly to embrace, than the soul is in a right temper, a man is a holy, and happy man, therefore no wonder if upon persuasion, and sight, they embraced those things. Let us try the truth of our estate by our affections, To try our estàte by our affections. by our embracing of good things, by opening our hearts to the best things, by our joy, and delight in them. Is there a holy wonderment at them? Oh! how I love thy 〈◊〉! and one day in thy courts is better than ten thousand elsewhere, and Oh, the depth of his mercy! and one thing have I desired of the Lord, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. When the soul stands in admiration of God, and good things; when it is ready to welcome Christ, and heavenly things, and the state of religion; now away all former vanities; away all lusts of youth, away all confidence in beauty, and strength, and riches, all these are but dung to the soul; the soul hath seen better things, there is a discovery of better things, and now the respect of all other things falls down in the soul, when there is a discovery of better things. The soul cannot do otherwise, when it is convinced supernaturally; the same spirit that discovers better things, opens the soul to ●…low them, it is so with every soul that hath the true work, and stamp of the spirit in it, it is set upon heavenly things; it saith with Saint Paul, I account all dung and dross, in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ. There is an attractive, a drawing magnetical power in heavenly things, when they are propo●…nded to the soul, by the spirit to draw the affections and to make us spiritual like themselves. Let us therefore labour more and more to have our affections wrought upon. As we are in our affections, we are in religion. It is impossible that a Christian should be spiritually convinced that there are such excellent things belong to religion, and that he hath his part and portion in them: and not be transformed to a spiritual state, and frame of soul, to love, and delight in holy things, and to despise that which is contrary. And when he is in such a state, what is all the world to him? What cares he for riches, or pleasures, or honours, when the soul sees incomparable better things? Whom have I in heaven but thee? and what do I desire on earth in comparison of thee? saith David. When he had a little meditated of the vanity of earthly things, and saw the goodness of God to his children. It is good for me to draw near unto God. It is a speech of conviction: the soul is convinced that it is good, and best to draw near to God in holy means, and in holy duties to keep close to him, and then it cries out, whom have I in heaven but thee? Therefore let us never rest in such a knowledge of holy things, as doth not convince us of the goodness of them, and of our interest in them so far as may draw, and work upon our affections to embrace those things. When we find our hearts, and affections wrought on, that holy things, as they are excellent in themselves, so they have an answerable place in our hearts; that as they are holy, and high, and best, so they have a high place in our hearts, than a man is in the estate of a Christian: or else a man may very well doubt of his estate, when he can hear of heaven and happiness, and of the excellency of the children of God, that they are heirs of heaven, etc. and his heart be not affected with these things: he may well question himself: do I believe these things? here are rich and precious promises, but where is my precious faith to close with, and to embrace these things? do I believe them? If Idoe, how is it that I am no more affected with them? and so let us stand in the meditation of the excellencies of Religion so long till our hearts be affected and warmed with them. This will follow affections, a desire to think oft of them: as David joins both together. Oh! how do I love thy law, it is my meditation continually. That that a man loves, he oft thinks of, that stirs up love, and love makes him oft consider of it: and when it is thus with a man, he is in such 〈◊〉 condition as these holy Patriarches, fit to live and die by his faith. They saw them, and were persuade of them, and embraced them. Therefore I say we may know whether we have this spiritual light; whether we have true faith or no, if we have these embrace; if we be so persuaded of them that we embrace them, with delight, and desire, and love, and joy: if we make choice of them, and esteem them highly, and cleave constantly to that which is revealed to us; than it is a divine light, and persuasion; because we embrace them. Certainly, there is nothing in religion divine, Faith carries the whole soul unless the affections be carried with it. True faith carries the whole soul, to whole Christ, out of a man's whole self. It carries the understanding to see, and the will to choose, and to cleave, it carries the affections to joy, and delight, and love, it carries all. Therefore those, that when holy things 〈◊〉 discovered, they have not a high esteem of them, that they pri●…e them not above earthly things, that they cleave not to them with a disesteem of other things, that they joy not in them as their best portion, that they do not embrace them, there is no true faith at all, for where there is true faith there is this embracing. God hath made the soul (as I said) for these The soul made for heavenly things. heavenly things; and when the soul and they close together, there is a sweet embracing then the soul is raised above itself, the soul is quieted, and stilled, and satisfied. There is nothing in the world else will better the soul, but the embracing of these things; nothing else will beautifi●…, and adorn the soul in God●… sight, our souls are made forthem, our desires are made to embrace them, our love, and o●… joy to delight in them, our wills to cleave to them, and ●…ke choice of them above other things. We abuse our souls: they are not made 〈◊〉 Love of earthly things abaseth the soul. close, and grasp with the world: they are no●… made for th●…se things that are base●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selves, we abase our souls. A cove●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 himself woe: sethan ●…is: 〈◊〉 he is called the world, because he hath nothing in him better than the world. If we embrace Christ, and the promises of salvation, the things of anotherlife the embracing of these raiseth the soul to be excellent like the things, and it doth 〈◊〉, and rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the heavic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What quiets the soul. in the middle p●…int of the earth; and light bodies rest 〈◊〉 to their 〈◊〉 So the soul it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith resting in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 soul ●…rying it to the thing it is made for. 〈◊〉 these holy men, in all the ●…yles, and 〈◊〉 bless of tho world, in all confusions, th●… souls of these blessed 〈◊〉 rested in Christ. We may say of all earthly things, as 〈◊〉 hath this sentence of them, Micah 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Micah 2. hence, here is not your rest so we may say to the soul concerning ri●…hes, and honours, and friends, here is 〈◊〉 yours rest. You were not made to embrace, and to cleave to these things, Our rest is in Christ, and in the good things we have by him. These good 〈◊〉 embraced him with their whole soul. This shows that many men have not faith, Want of faith, scene by want of affections. they know not what it means. Where there is tr●…e faith, there is always, love, and joy, and delight in the things believed, it carries the soul with it. In what measure we apprehend the goodness of a thing, in that measure our love is to it: In what measure we apprehend the greatness, and fitness of a thing in that measure our affections are carried to it. The understanding reports it to the affections of love, and liking, and they are naturally carried to that which the soul makes report of to be useful; the understanding makes them follow it: therefore it is a sign our understandings are not persuaded, our eyes are not opened, when we love not good persons, and good things, when we cleave not to them above all things. Those that do not embrace, and cleave in their will, and affections to good things, let them say what they will, they do not believe. If there were but a light conjecture in men, if there were but a guessing, that there were such a happiness, and that there were such horrible ●…orments for sinners that live in sin, they would live otherwise then they do. Therefore deadness in the affections discovers Atheism in the judgement, and heart, it shows there is unbelief: for how is it possible that a man should not be carried in his affections to a good that he is persuaded of? and how is it possible he should not loathe ill, and dost 〈◊〉 things? If he were persuaded that hell were such as it is; and that these courses lead to hell, and destruction, and estrange him from the favour of God, whose loving kindness is better than life itself, if men were persuaded, of 〈◊〉 things in any strength, their souls would not be affected as they are. Therefore if we would know whether nature How to know nature is corrupted. be corrupted or no, we may do it by this. You have some men that are conceited, especially when they are in their ruff, and have all things plenty. Divines talk much of the corruption of nature, and such things; they think all is well. O! but do but lay these things together, the excellency of the things promised, and the terror of the things threa●…ed, and our ●…ndisposition to these things in regard of persuasion, that we live as if we did not think these things to be true. What a disposi●…on o●… soul is that that calls divine truths into question? To believe the lies of our own hearts, and the temptations of the devil, and the world that lies in mischief, before the 〈◊〉 ved truth of GOD itself, that is sealed 〈◊〉 the oath of God? And yet the heart of man 〈◊〉 naturally carried to believe these things mo●… than God himself. Witness the lives of me●… who have dead, car●…, base affections 〈◊〉 regard of heavenly things: they show 〈◊〉 they are not persuaded of them, notwithstanding all the sweet arguments, and persuasions that the Scripture hath. They do not profess that they call them in question: yet they live as if they made no doubt that they are all false. It is a folly not to believe those things that are sealed by so many evidences as divine things are: but it is more desperate folly to live as if we did not believe them at all. If these things were digested, they would make us out of love with our own natural estate, and to labour for a spirit of faith to persuade our souls: both that those things are so indeed that God hath revealed, and to get assured persuasion of our part, and interest in them. Indeed a dead faith is no faith at all; it is the effect of the whole Epistle of S. james, that it is no faith that is dead, it doth not work upon the heart, and affections, nor the life, and conversation: a dead faith is no faith at all. Let us shame ourselves therefore: Lord, To shame ourselves in want of affections. do I profess I see things above nature? that I see Christ in heaven, and see myself there? and do I profess that I am persuaded that the word of God is true, and am I no more affected? where is my love? where is my joy? where is my comfort? doth my heart run after other things, that profess myself to be persuaded of better things? Let us never rest, but be angry, and wroth with our hearts and affections: for they are made for these promises, our precious faith is made to embrace precious promises, and to carry the whole soul to them. And let us help this with complaining of To pray for affections. ourselves, and with prayer. Lord, thou hast discovered excellent things in thy word, and hast persuaded me, Lord open my heart, the heart is thy throne: the heart, and will and affections thou dealest with especially: Lord incline my heart, enlarge my heart. The LORD hath promised in the new covenant to teach our bowels to love: Lord teach my heart to love thee. Thou hast opened my understanding to conceive holy things; or else I had never been able to understand thee, and thy truth: teach my bowels also to love, teach them to cleave to the things: take off my love, my joy, and delight, from earthly things and plant them where they should be, enlarge them the right way: fill my heart with thyself, as thou hast made it for thyself. This should be our desire. What be the affections whereby the soul embraceth Quest. these good things it is persuaded of? The soul embraceth these things in the affections of faith, and hope in the first place: for faith is an emptiegrace in itself, it is carried Answ. What affections embrace good things. to somewhat out of itself, that it embraceth, and layeth hold on; and hope is with faith always. Together with the work of faith and hope there is a sanctified affection of the embracing soul, there is a love of the things promised; (which is embracing;) and a love of the means; and likewise joy, and delight in them, expressed by thankfulness. As you see the Patriarches in the story of Genesis, when God discovered holy things to them a●…resh that he would give them the land of Canaan; and the Messias to come, and all that happiness; there was thankfulness, presently they built Altars to God. And which always accompanies thankfulness, humility. As Abraham, Genesis 17. 3. down he falls when God made him such a large promise, he falls down on his face, as if he were unworthy of Gen. 17. 3. such a thing: so, this disposition always accompanies a soul that embraceth, together with faith, and hope, that leads the affections after them, there is love, expressed in a constant obedience and care of duty to God, many ways; As it is an affection that will not be concealed. And joy, and delight, with thankfulness, and humility, considering the excellency of the things, and our unworthiness, that we cannot but have this disposition always; thankfulness, and humility. And likewise contentment to end our days: a disposition that follows embracing in faith, for where embracing of faith and love is in an imperfectestate, there will be joy when that comes that makes way to full embracing, that is, in heaven itself: as Simeon rejoiced when he embraced Christ in his arms; what did the old man think we, when he came to heaven when Christ and he met there? And Abraham rejoiced to see CHRIST'S day with the eye of faith, and likewise embraced it with faith, and that wrought joy. What did Abraham then when he came to heaven? when he see all ended there? I say death, that makes way to full enjoining, and embracing, in this very respect, it is not only patiently entertained of God's children, but comfortably, as letting them in to the good things that they esteem above all the world besides: to the possession of Christ, to heaven, and happiness. Let us consider of these things. To come to direct us a little, about this embracing, in faith, and hope, and love, and joy, and the whole soul, when the soul (as it were) goes out to the things we are persuaded of. Quest. How shall this be wrought upon the soul? This embracing we see it follows upon Answ. How this embracing is wrought. persuasion; and persuasion follows seeing: they saw them far off, and were persuaded of them, and thereupon they embraced them. Therefore let us labour for a clear understanding of divine things. That which the eye sees, the heart grieves for in ill; and that that the eye 1. By supernatural knowledge. sees the heart embraceth in good. And in what measure our eye sight of heavenly things is clearer, and our persuasion stronger, in that measure our embracing is lovely, and full of joy and delight. Therefore let us labour to grow in knowledge, in supernatural spiritual knowledge; and that our persuasion may be stronger every day more and more, for answerable to that, our affections will grow, and will be carried to the things discovered. And there is nothing more effectual to commend knowledge to us then this, that it is a means to work, a holy and heavenly disposition, and temper in us, especially if it be spiritual. And let us meditate upon what we seem to know and are persuaded of; let us dwell upon things still, to work them upon the will and affections, let us dwell upon them till our hearts be warmed well with the things known; and that we profess ourselves to be persuaded of. And join with it an enquiry upon the soul; are these things so? do I know these things? and am I persuaded of these things that they are so? how is my disposition answerable then, am I so affected as I should be? is my love so hot? and my joy so working, and spiritly, and quick as it should, or no? and hereupon take occasion to stir up ourselves, and to check our own souls. Alas that I should have such things discovered, and that I should see such things, in such a strong persuasion in the book of God, and profess myself to be persuaded of these things and yet be so dead at all times. And if we find our affections any thing working, that we are disposed to embrace these things than we cannot but be in an excellent temper and bless God that vouchsafed together with the excellency of the things themselves, to show us our portion by his holy spirit, to enlighten our understandings, and to persuade us, let us bless God for this, for it is a work above nature. And withal, because the soul cannot close To let go other things. with, and embrace these things; but it must let lose other things: (for you know, in embracing there must be a letting go of those things that were formerly within the gripe) if we would gripe these things in our affection and will, we must have them only, we must not think to grasp the world, and them together; the things here below, and them together; as we shall see after in that point, they accounted themselves strangers to earthly things. Therefore this is one way to come to this embracing, to come to the sight of the vanity, and insufficiency of all things in comparison of Christ, and the happiness we have by Christ. To see in matter of judgement, the insufficiency of works, and merit, and such like in the matter of justification; the insufficiency of all such trash as the popish religion abuseth the world withal. And so in matter of conversation, to see the insufficiency, and emp●…nesse, and vanity, yea the vexation of all things besides these good things here offered, the good things that God's spirit offers to the eye of our souls that he offers to our wills and affections; what are all, to these; and effectually think so, think what should draw a man's affections after it; beauty or strength; consider what will become of these ere long. And then withal consider the excellency of the estate of the body, and soul in heaven, if we carry ourselves as we should do, and preserve ourselves in our spiritual condition; let us lay these things together, and then we shall see how infinitely the one is beyond the other. If it be for honour, and favour of the world; consider the vanity of them, and how short a time we may enjoy them; and the things themselves are subject to alteration. And withal consider the constant excellency of the favour of GOD in Christ jesus which will comfort us in life, in death, and for ever. And so for riches, and possessions in this world consider how soon all here must be left, and how the soul is larger than all these things, if we had a thousand times more abundance than we have, and that our souls that are more large, and more excellent, they are not made for these things, but for better; and what use we shall have of better things when these fail, the soul being immortal, and eternal. This will make us let go earthly things in our affections and hold them in their place, in a secondary place, as things serviceable in the way to heaven, and not to grasp them in our affections, for than they pierce the soul to death and damnation. And if we would be affected as we should be to good things, let us keep our affections Keep the affections tender tender, and keep them clear from the guilt of any sin, that may work fears, and doubts: for together with sin goes fears, and doubts, they are bred in sin naturally: therefore if we would maintain this embracing, oh, let us keep our souls, as we keep our understandings clear, so keep our affections tender by all means, and keep our consciences unspotted; that so our affections of joy, and delight, and love, may be ready pressed to good things, even to the best things. Another way is in particular to meditate To meditate of God's love in Christ. of the love of Christ, the love of GOD in Christ, and of his embracing of us. For we must know that our embracing is upon persuasion of Gods embracing of us. We embrace not the promises of Christ as a man embraceth a dead post that cannot return embraces to him again: this embracing of Christ, and heaven, it is a mutual embracing, and it is a second, reflexive embracing; we embrace God, and Christ, because we find God in Christ embracing our souls first in the arms of his love, therefore we embrace him again in the arms of our affections, because we find Christ embracing us in the arms of his affections. Therefore let us attend upon the means, upon private reading of the word, and upon the ministry: for what are the ministers but to contract Christ and the soul together? they are friends of the Bridegroom, to discove▪ CHRIST'S love to us, and his loveliness; his loveliness in himself, his riches in himself, and his love to us to allure us again to CHRIST? the ministry is for this end especially, to draw Christ, and the foul together. And what is the Scripture in the intent and scope of it, but to discover to us the excellen ci●… of Christ, and the good things we have by him, his love & good intention to our souls? Now hearing these things in the ministry, they are effectual together with the spirit to draw our affections back again to him. And naturally we cannot but love those that love us. Now when we are persuaded of God's love tous in Christ, and Christ's love to us (God having made our souls for love to himself, and friendship with himself, and the nearest, and sweetest conjugal friendship, now therefore) the more his love is discovered to us, the more we shall love him. Therefore let us be constant in attending upon good means; we shall always hear something, that will either strengthen our faith in the promises of God, or show us our duty to God again; we shall have something discovered whereby the spirit will be effectual to help this embracing. Let us go to reading and hearing with this scope, and intention: Now I come to hear, I come to have my soul wrought on; I come to hear some message from heaven, to hear some good thing to draw my mind from the world and worldly things; and upon hearing our duty to God, to walk lowly in thankfulness for those good things that we have, and that we hope for in another world? It is no wonder that men lose their affections that are careless in the use of me●…nes; and if they lose them, will they not lose all? The best man living if he be care less in using the means of salvation, and give himself to the world altogether, or to his calling, things not in themselves unlawful, his affections will be dead, he shall lose them: for God hath ordained that our affections should be quickened by heavenly means, and GOD knoweth better than we ourselves that hath sanctified these means to this purpose. In attending upon the means, we shall hear a discovery of good things, and hear comforts, and have our light strengthened by new discovery of new Scripture, or by old Scriptures lively applied, something to increase the life of our persuasion at every Sermon, and reading good books, and by every good company, and that which increaseth knowledge, and persuasion makes our affection, and embracing stronger. I beseech you let us take these courses, or else all is to no purpose: the main thing in religion is the will and affections: and when the will and affections are wrought on, the work is done in the matter of grace. And there is no other way to know whether the former wor●… of the understanding, and persuasion be effectual and to purpose or no but this; to know whether the will choose, and cleave to good things; and whether our affections joy, and delight in them: there is the trial of the main work. The work indeed is especially in the judgement, when it hears sound and supernaturally of the ills that are to be avoided, and of the good things that are to be embraced: bu●… where is the trial of the judgement, but when it carries the whole soul with it; when it carries the stern of the soul with it. Now that which is immediate to our souls is our affection of joy, and delight, and the the like. Therefore let us take to heart these things, and never think we are any thing in religion till our hearts and affections be wrought upon; till our knowledge be such as may sway that whole inward man. Again consider the excellency of these The excellency and necessity of the good we hope for. good things that we have discovered to us in the Gospel, (that are the object of our embracing) together with the necessity of them, that without them we are wretched creatures, there is no hope for us. Let us every day consider what ground of hope we have, (though the things be not yet possessed) whether the things be true that we hope for; whether they be confirmed to be true or no; and how we rest on them: for let things be never so excellent, and necessary, unless the soul conceive of them as things attainable, as things belonging to us, all is to no purpose, this effect of embracing will not be wrought in the soul. Therefore consider more and more the hopefulnes The hopefulness of them. of them, that may help this embracing. A Christian, when he believes, and hopes for that happiness that shall be revealed to him; the things promised; what a world of grounds of hope hath he for it? he hath the word of God for an inheritance immortal and 〈◊〉; he hath the will of Christ: Father I will th●… where I am, they may be, joh. 17. his prayer to his father is his will; and his will must be performed: for he lives for ever to make good john 17. his own legacy to his Church. And he is now in heaven, preparing that happiness for us that we so embrace with faith. And he hath left us here his spirit to be a pledge that he will come again: he hath left his spirit, and hath taken our flesh to heaven, to strengthen our hope, that this shall follow. Our flesh is in heaven in him already, and his spirit is in earth in 〈◊〉; as a mutual depositum in trust between him and us; and all to strengthen the hope of that happiness that is reserved. Besides, the Seal of the Sacrament; the end of which is to cherish hopefulness of Christ, and of all the good we have by him. His oath is added to his promise, that all things might be immutable, and unchangeable of the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting etc. Now especially when we find our heart's 〈◊〉 sink downward, and not to have that life 〈◊〉 they should have, by meditating on these things, of their excellency, and necessity, and to conceive in Scripture the grounds of hope of them, it will quicken us. Add likewise (for our own interest) what work of the spirit we have; and than what singular promises we have, that where GOD hath begun he will make an end. For why is the work of the spirit called an earnest, but that God will make good the bargain? Consider what work of the spirit we have: for whatsoever is spiritual is eternal in a man: what joy is spiritual, what love is spiritual, what knowledge is spiritual, it shall be made up in perfection, it shall never be taken away. See then how the spirit seals us by the work of it; and what earnest we have, in peace of conscience, and the work of it. This will cherish hope: for that is part of this embracing, to embrace them with faith and hope. And this should be a daily course, to work upon the affections, to estrange them from all things and from the meditation of all things else. And as I said before to consider the love of God to us, and to love him again. And consider likewise the hopefulness of good things, that nothing in the world is so made good to us as the things of a better life, the things of grace, and glory. And God hath borrowed from all assurance amongst men, terms to show the assurance of the good things we have in hope and faith. The pledge of the spirit; the earnest of the spirit; the seal of the spirit: the witness of the spirit. What terms are there used among men that may confirm any thing, that you have not used to strengthen this supernatural assurance of these supernatural good things? GOD herein succours our weakness, knowing how prone we are to call these things into question. And consider especially our own unworthiness, our vileness, and baseness, that we deserve none of this: when conscience is once awaked to know aright our own unworthiness, than we shall find it a difficult thing to believe these things. Therefore it is a work worthy our daily endeavour, to search the Scriptures, which applies itself to our capacity, and confers all the help in the world to increase our grounds of hope of the best things; and then our disposition is as it should be. And let us deeply consider of the necessity of heavenly things, and the foulness of sin, and the danger of our natural condition, and this will make us embrace better things, He that sees himself in danger of drowning, will embrace that that may stay him. He that sees himself in danger to be pulled away from that that upholds him from sinking, he will clasp about it fast. Let us consider what a many things we have in this world to pull us away from God and good things, and to lose our gripe, that we may not lay such hold of them. The devil envies our embracing of these things, and there are many things to lose our affections from them, consider the danger, and withal the necessity of these good things: that if they be lost, we do not only lose them, but we lose them with the loss of our souls with eternal damnation in the world to come: we do not simply lose them, but we plunge ourselves into the contrary. Let us consider of this, and it will make us clasp fast, and keep our hold by all means possible. In that measure that we apprehend the danger, in that measure we shall embrace these excellent things. Case. Now to answer a doubt, and a case or two by the way: How happens it then that God's children sometime, when their judgement is convinced; yet their affections are not so quick, they are something flat in their affections. As God's people complain sometimes: alas that I should believe such a happiness as heaven is; and such glory; and yet find my affections no more stirred! Is it possible that I should be the child of God, and believe these things, and find myself no more affected? Sol. Why the affections of God's children are sometimes dead. Indeed this troubles the peace of God's children sometimes, and good reason: for we see here, after sight comes persuasion, then embracing; the will, and affections, cannot but entertain that good they are persuaded of; and so there is great ground for the objection. But there may be some mistake in this, for sometimes the judgement may be convinced, and yet the affections not be so quick: because there may be a diversion at the same time: there may perhaps be some present cross, that may be fall thee, or some present thing lawfully loved, that takes up the affections at that time. As for example, the presence of Father, Mother, Wife, or children, or of other friends may take up the affections for the time; now the affections running that way at that time, perhaps not sinfully neither: they are not so enlarged to heavenly things, God knows our capacity, and what our affections can do. Then again there may be some present grief upon them, that God to humble a man may take up his affections, so that at that time he shall not be so affected with good things: though ordinarily he comfort himself with the best things; and so he doth afterward, when he hath given his grief, and his present affections some liberty. There is a love of intention, & of valuing: a man may be deceived that way. A man values his child more than a stranger that he entertains: yet for the present he may give a stranger better looks, and better entertainment. Though he set mo●… value on his child, or his dear friend that 〈◊〉 hath secured himself of; yet he will not show such countenance to them as to a stranger on the sudden. So it is here, God's children, their constant joy is in the best things, and they are judiciously carried to the best things; but on the sudden there may be an entertaining of some other thing, and perhaps not unlawful neither; perhaps it may be sinful; to humble Gods children: but that is but but on the sudden: his course is to carry his affections above all earthly things. Again in another case God's children are deceived this way sometimes, for they think they have no affections when they have affections. How is that seen? in case of opposition; let God, and Christ, and heavenly things be opposed, and you shall see then that they have affections. Those that for want of stirring up the grace of God in them; or for want of good means or by indisposition of body seemed to be dull in their affections; let religion be disgraced, or opposed any way, and you shall find then their affections deep in their hearts to heavenly things: but they appeared not before, because there was no opposition. These, and such like thoughts we may have to content the soul that is disquieted this way. But the rule is certain, that a man's affections are as his persuasion is, and his persuasion as his light is: As he hath a heavenly light, discovering heavenly things, so is his persuasion of a better estate than the world can yield; and answerable to his persuasion, his soul is raised up to delight in the best things. This is his course; if it fall out to be otherwise, there be reasons for it, which we must discreetly judge of, and not trouble the peace of a good conscience. To go on. They confessed they were strangers and pilgrim's 〈◊〉 earth. The●…e words contain, what they were in regard of earthly things: their disposition, and carriage to all things besides the promises; to the things below; they were strangers, and pilgrims in regard of their condition below. Itsets down how they apprehended themselves to be, and how they discovered themselves to the world to be. They were in regard of heaven indeed, heirs of happiness, heirs of a kingdom, in regard of the world, and earthly things, they were strangers, and pilgrims. And as they were, so they made themselves, to be no better than they were, they confessed it, they were not ashamed of it: they apprehended themselves to be as they were, and they carried themselves answerable: their life and course spoke as much as their tongues, they confessed both in word, and in deed, that they were strangers, and pilgrims. Now in the words I say, you have their disposition, and their profession; their condition, Scope of the words. and their confession. Their disposition, and carriage, and state, and condition, they were strangers and pilgrims. The discovery of it, they confessed they were so. And this confession is double. Their confession was either verbal, as jacob confessed, when he came before Pharaoh, few and evil have the days of the life of my pilgrimage been, saith old jacob. Or it was a real confession, discovered by their carriage, that they were strangers: their course spoke louder than their words. Those that in the whole course of their life, show a weaned affection to earthly things, though they talk not gloriously, as some idle persons do in a bravery, we are but strangers here, and we must be gone, etc. Though I say they do not speak thus as some do that never think so: yet notwithstanding their carriage betrays it: their course, and company, and conversation shows that indeed they confess themselves pilgrims, and strangers. Now the order of the words is this: strangers, Difference between pilgrims and strangers. and pilgrims: there is little difference between these two. Strangers, shows our absence from home, that we are abroad in another country, that we are in another place. And Pilgrims, shows our carriage to our country, our going home: a pilgrim or traveller is he that is going homeward. They confessed themselves that they were not at home; but they were going toward that that was their home, toward heaven, to that City whose builder and maker was God himself. We are strangers, to show what we are here on earth; In regard of heaven we are strangers on 〈◊〉, and not mere strangers that rest, and do nothing, but such strangers as are passing home toward their country, we are strangers, and pilgrims on earth: the one implies our absence, the other implies our moving to the place of our abode. The points considerable are; first this, Th●…s Gods children upon earth here, are strangers, and pilgrims. They are not at home but are travelling toward their country. The second is this, that They profess themselves to be so: They know they are so, and they confess that they are so, they are not ashamed of it. For the first, It is the disposition of him that hath truly interest Doct. God's people strangers on earth. in better things (though but in faith, and hope) to be a stranger, and a pilgrim in regard of all things here below. And this follows the other: for where the eyes of the understanding, are opened, and a man is persuaded, there is an embracing of better things, as our proper good things; there is a considering of all other things as things that do not belong to us, in a manner we are strangers. When faith apprehends Christ, and heaven, and happiness to be our own, and our country to be above: faith apprehending and grasping these things and embracing them: at the same time, it is to be supposed, and necessarily follows; that we are strangers. It follows out of the necessity of the thing itself: for upon the very consideration that a man is an heir of heaven, that he hath another country, and condition, out of the necessity of the thing itself, though there were no other reason for it, the affections of the soul will be closed up (as it were) to other things; and he will consider of other things, in an inferior condition as they are. For the things, though they be good in their kind and order, both the things above, and the things below, yet there being such a difference in these good things; and the things here below, the contentments here on earth, being so meanly good, and so short in continuance, and so weak in their satisfaction of the soul, that they cannot be possessed together with the blessed assurance of better things, but with the affections of strangers, and pilgrims: this follows I say from the nature of the thing, that in whose eyes heavenly things are great, in his eyes earthly things are mean. They are accounted as they are, secondary mean things of the way, to help him forward home. If a man were on the top of a great mountain, he would see the things below to be very little, and the things above would appear greater to him, so when the soul is raised up to see great things, though they be a far off, as these did with the eye of faith; at the same time, his soul looking to things below must needs apprehend them to be little in quantity, as indeed they are. If a man were in body lift up to heaven, and should look upon the earth; what were the earth, but a pooresilly point, the whole earth i●… self, much more a man's own possession: so when the soul is lifted up to heaven by faith, (which sets a man in heaven before his time;) when it looks from thence to the earth, and earthly things, it must of necessity consider them as they are, to be poor mean things. Therefore this follows, that being persuaded of the promises, that is, of the good things promised in religion, in the word of God: to earthly things, they were strangers, and pilgrims. He that is from home, and hath another home, which he is not at, he is a stranger: but Christians have another home. For first, they are bred from heaven, they are borne from heaven, they are borne in jerusalem Christians borne anew from heaven. that is from above; they are borne in the Church by the seed of the word and spirit: now as they are from heaven, so their 〈◊〉 is to heaven again: for every thing naturally riseth as high as it springeth. As we say of water, it mounts as high as the head of it is: so our affections mount as high as the spring of them is. Now a Christian being borne from Heaven a Christians Country. heaven, he tends to that in his affections, that is his country. It is his country, because his father is there, in his glory; and his Saviour is there; and a great part of his kindred are there, the souls of perfect men, and the glorious Angels in a most glorious manner, (though they be in their attendance upon the earth;) there is his country, his City, his house, there is his happiness, his home. I shall not need therefore to prove that the godly are strangers. If heaven be his country, earth must needs be the place of his pilgrimage: there is no question but that follows. It is said here, they were pilgrims, and strangers upon earth. Upon earth. Because where ever a Christian is, if it be upon any place upon earth, he is a stranger and a pilgrim; if he be in his own house, he is upon earth, and therefore he is a stranger in his own house; if he be in his own possession, he is upon earth, and therefore he is a stranger in his own possession. As David confessed though he were a King, I am a stranger, and a pilgrim here as all my fathers were, 1 Chron. 29. 15. A King in his kingdom 1 Chron. 29. 15. is upon God's earth, and therefore he is a stranger in his own kingdom here. As Austin August. saith very well, quisque domus suae, etc. every man is a stranger in his own house, we are strangers here on earth; therefore. It is not any condition on earth that exempts a child of God from being a stranger, when the greatest Kings in the world have confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims: so that all Christians, of what condition joever they are, from the highest to the meanest, they are all strangers upon earth, it is a clear point. And it must needs be so, for the head of Christ a stranger on earth. Christians was a stranger: his love made him a stranger: for he left his father's bosom, his love drew him from heaven to earth, and here, he conversed as a stranger: he dwelled in his body here as a tabernacle which he laid aside for a while, to work the work of out redemption; and then after to dwell in it for ever. He was the prime stranger of all strangers, he that makes us all strangers here and Citizens of heaven, he was a stranger on earth. He was not indeed a stranger: for he was Lord of heaven, and earth: yet in regard of his state of exaltation that was to come after; in regard of dispensation, he was here as a servant: he lived here as a stranger. And indeed he was as strangely used; for he came among his own, and his own knew him not, as it is in john 1. he was not known among his own Country john 1. men the jews: he was a stranger on earth. He conversed with us here, and was among us as a stranger: you see how his speech and carriage and conversation on earth, it was as a strangers. He was talking always of his father's house, and of the kingdom of heaven. When he speaks of the estate of the Church, which is the only company of people here, in whom God rules by his spirit; yet because they are ordained for the kingdom of heaven; he calls them strangers here, and terms them by that that they are ordained to. All his mind was of the kingdom of heaven: we see after he was risen, the matter of his discourse, as the Gospel tells, it was of the kingdom of heaven, he talked of things that belonged to the kingdom of God: all his speeches were that way, and his comparisons were fetched that way. The kingdom of heaven is like to such a thing, and such a thing. And all his work was to draw men from the earth. As it was his grand work to redeem men from the earth; that is, from hell, and from their cursed condition: so the matter of his teaching was answerable to his work, to draw men to heaven, all the pains that he took before, and after his death till he was taken into heaven it tended that way. He came from heaven to earth to woo us to be a spouse to himself, he came from heaven into a strange country, to take us for his spouse, to take our nature, and in our nature, to win us to die for us: he carried himself as a stranger every way, he regarded not earthly things. Now answerable to our head Christ must all Christians be in their affections and dispositions, we must be conformable to him; we must be strangers as he was. All that look to die in the faith of Christ, We must have affection of strangers. and to be happy for ever, they must witness their believing, and loving of better things by an answerable carriage to all things here below, they must have the affection of strangers, and travellers: Faith doth enforce this. It is the nature of the soul from a principle and ground of nature, that when the soul is carried up one way, it is shut another: when it cleaves unto, and embraceth better things, when it is open to heaven, the point of the soul is shut to the earth, and we look upon these things as strangers and pilgrims, only for necessary use. These, holy men the Patriarches were strangers. The Patriarches strangers. Strangers in their own esteem, As Abraham, and jacob, they confess they were sojourners, 1. In their own esteem. and David though he were a King, yet he saith, he was a stranger, as all his fathers were. Psal. 39 12. So all the Patriarches they professed themselves to be strangers, and sojourners; and they did it not in word only but in deed: they showed it by dwelling in tabernacles, and tents, poor things, fit for strangers; heaven was their house, Tabernacles are movable, weak things that have no foundation: So they knew their life was like a tabernacle here. And their manner of life showed what they looked for, they carried themselves as those that hoped, and looked for better things. They were strangers in their dispositions, they affected things above, and cared no more for these things then for necessary use, to help them to serve God in their places; and those that are strangers in their dispositions they desire to be at home. Again they were strangers in GOD'S esteem. God termed them so; and so it is with 2. In God's esteem. all that believe in Christ: when we once believe and are new creatures, new borne to a better inheritance, presently at the same time we are strangers here. Strangers likewise in the esteem of the 3. In the world's esteem. world. The world used them as strangers, strangely. When a man leaveth the world and cleaveth to God; presently the world setteth on him by reproaches, and all they can; because they think he will disgrace them by his change; therefore they labour to make him, as black as they may that way: they use all strangely that break from them. God will have it so: because he will have his children not to love the world, therefore he will have the world hate them. So they are strangers in that respect, they think it strange that they do not as they did formerly; that they do not as they do, wicked men think it strange that they run not with them into the same excess of riot: so, they are strangers in the esteem of wicked men. So they are strangers in regard of their place, heaven is their hope: they are begotten to an inheritance, immortal, undefiled, etc. they live in a place where they are strangers, they are every way strangers. But you will say, wicked men are strangers, Object. and pilgrims too? Answ. Wicked men how strangers here. I answer, they are indeed so: for in regard of the shortness of their lives, and the uncertainty of the things they enjoy: for they outlive all their happiness here, they are snatched hence before they be aware, therefore they are but travellers here; but they go from ill to worse: yet in regard of their affections they are no strangers, but account themselves at home from a spirit of infidelity, and pride, and earthliness. Therefore they are called men of the earth, and those that dwell on the earth, in the Revelation: because they look no furtherthen the earth, and here they root, and fix their affections upon this earth: they do not fix their hearts and affections upon the things above, they look not after them, they care not for them, they value them not nor esteem them. Therefore, answerable to their thoughts, and bend of their soul and mind, is their discourse, their speech and carriage: and thereupon they are called men of the earth, and called the world, because they love nothing but the world; they are as it were changed into the things they love, they are earth, as the Prophet saith, Oh earth, earth, etc. and they are the world, because their affection of love joins them to these earthly things. The Church in the Revelation is called heaven: but the beast is said, to rise out of the earth: for that which bred the carnal religion of Popery it was nothing but earth, and earthly respects. Therefore how ever they are strangers here, that they cannot be here long, and they have souls that are of an everlasting continuance: yet because their affections, and the bent of their souls are all here, they account themselves at home here, and here they plant themselves, and their posterity, therefore though in some sense they be strangers, yet not in that sense that the children of God are. Every Christian is borne from above, and borne to things above, and he is a stranger here. All his course from his new birth till he come to the possession of his inheritance in heaven, it is nothing but a travailing, he never sits down, but is always in his motion, and passage. Every good work is a step of his way: he is in motion still; he takes degrees from better to better, from grace to grace, from knowledge to knowledge, till he come to his home. Let us make a trial of ourselves, how our affections stand to these things; whether our hearts be weaned from earthly things, undoubtedly if we have embraced Christ, we shall use the world as though we used it not. We shall be transformed into the Image of Christ, and he used the things of this world as a stranger, only to comfort him in the way; we shall have the same mind that he had. We shall carry ourselves as strangers, as those that hope for a country in heaven. Therefore I will name some particulars, to show the condition, and carriage of a stranger. First of all, a stranger is travailing to another The carriage o●… him that is a stranger. country (to join both in one, for the one follows the other) he that is a stranger, that apprehends what he is, and apprehends that he hath a country to go to, he travails toward 1. He is going toward his country. it. A stranger that is travailing homeward, he is content with his present condition: for he 2. He is contented. knows he shall have better at home. In jere. 45. God by jeremy speaks to Bar●…ch a good Jerem. 45. man, I will destroy all these things, and dost 〈◊〉 seek great things for thyself? If a Christian did consider, jam going to heaven, to God, what do I seeking great things here, which God will destroy? What will become of heaven and earth, and all things here ere long? And if the time be long ere heaven and earth be destroyed, yet what will become of me ere long? I shall be turned to earth, and shall I seek great things here upon earth? Shall I not be content with my portion? certainly a stranger is content with his present portion, he that is a traveller, when he comes to his Inn, if perhaps things be not so clean, if his usage be not so good; he thinks it is but a night and away; it is no great matter, this is not the main; he will not be over much discontent, and quarrel at any unkind usage in the way, for he knows he shall have better usage when he comes home. Therefore as he will be content with little, be it what it will be, he knows it is not the main. So he will be patient if he meet with unkind 3. Patient. usage, he will not stand quarrelling by the way, and so hinder himself in his journey. he will be patient in the injuries, and wrongs in this life. If a Prince be misused in another country, he is contented, and thinks with himself, I have a country where I shall be more respected; and therefore he bears it the more willingly. So a Christian is a King, he is an heir, and being a stranger, he shall meet with dogs in this world; as, who do dogs bark at, but at strangers? now being strangers we must look for dogged usage. It is no wonder that dog's bark at strangers, it is their kind: they consider it is the disposition of wicked men to do so, they do but their kind. Would a man have dogs not to bark? and would we have wicked men that have evil tongues not to scorn that they know not? to do otherwise is to forget their kind. A Christian knows they do but their kind, he pities them, and he doth not stop his journey and his course for it. He will not be scorned out of his religion by a company of profane spirits, he will not be laughed out of his course; he knows what he doth better than they, they are mad, and fools, he knows it; and they shall know it themselves ere long. He knows that he is in a serious judicious course that he can approve, and they cannot theirs, therefore he will not be scorned out of his course. Thus faith in Christ makes him that is a stranger here, content, and patient. He whose soul hath embraced Christ is contented with any thing: any thing is sufficient to his soul, that is filled with better things. Nothing will content a covetous earthly man; a man of the earth: such men think themselves at home, they make a league with hell, and death; the men of the world they think they shall live here always: but a Christian, that embraceth a better life with Christ in happiness to come, he knows he shall not be here long, he is here but as a stranger, and shall shortly be at home, and therefore he is contented with any thing. Likewise the knowledge of this that we are strangers and pilgrims, it will make a man not 4. Thankful. only content and patient, but thankful, for any kindness he finds in this world; that God sweetens his absence from heaven, and his pilgrimage on earth what; that God should love me so, not only to give me heaven; but to give me contentments on the earth to sweeten my way to heaven, what a mercy is this! He is thankful for any contentment, he is thankful to the world, to those that do any thing for him, that afford him any courtesy here that may help him in his pilgrimage, and make it less troublesome and cumbersome to him. All the Saints in former time were wondrous thankful for that they had: for what can a traveller look for but discourtesies, and hard usage? and if he find any thing better he will be thankful: certainly it is more than I ●…ooked for, saith he. When a man is bend toward heaven, he cannot but look for hard ●…sage from the world. We see when Christ did but look toward jerusalem, the Samaritans ●…ad enough, they began to malign him, why? his face was toward jerusalem. So when base worldlings see that a man will to heaven, and leave their company, and courses, they cannot digest this. A man of an ill conscience when he sees another oppose that course that he resolved to stick to, he sees he confutes his course, he sees his face is toward heaven, and therefore labours to disgrace him. As the wench said to Peter, Thou speakest as one of Galilee, thy speech betrays thee. So when a man is going toward heaven, every base person, the veriest rascal of all, hath pride enough to scorn Religion: So we see they make not much of the world, nor the world of them, therefore they are contented, and thankful if they find better: for what can a stranger look for but strange usage in a strange place. And therefore we see in Scripture, how thankful they were, even for refresh, for meat and drink: our Saviour Christ was known by breaking of bread; he used to be thankful. In all things give thanks. They saw the favour and love of GOD, in a crumb of bread, and in a drop of refreshing in any kind: oh! here is a blessed God, that hath given us these comforts in the way. The Saints of GOD are wondrous thankful for the comforts of their pilgrimage, the comforts of this life. And this should make us more thankful, because The way to heaven smother to some. all men's pilgrimages are not alike: 〈◊〉 do we not see the life of some more cumber. some? some live in a great deal of want, some live in a great deal of opposition more than others do, others go in a smooth●… way to heaven. God sees his children's weakness, he sees they have not strength, and if in pity, he keeps them that they shall not enco●… with opposition, but lead them a better way than others, it is special matter of thankfulness to God and men too. He that is a stranger, he is glad of any good 5. He is glad of company. company; oh if he meet with a man of his own country, he is a man alone for him; so it is with a Christian that walks in the way to heaven with him, he is comforted much in it. A stranger, he hath his prime intention 6. They mind their journey's end. home to his country, and what he doth in the way it is in virtue of his prime intention, though he doth not in every particular action that he doth, think of it. A traveller when he rides on the way he doth not think of home in every step. I but he doth that that he doth in virtue of his prime intention when he first set out; and calls to remembrance oft times as he goes home, he thinks of his jou●…es and by the way. I observe this note of some weak Christians that think they are not heavenly minded, except they do nothing but think of heaven, and heavenly things: that is but a weak and ●…lly conceit. It should be our thought in the morning, our thoughts should open with that, it should be the key to open the morning, the thought of this course what will become of us ere long in heaven: but then all that we do should be in virtue and strength of that prime intention to please God, and to go to heaven: though we think not always of the present business: yet it is good as much as may be to quicken our endeavour. And hence it is that there is another property 7. Though he step out of his way, he comes in again. of a stranger that is going to a place, perhaps he may step out of the way, yet not withstanding by virtue of his first intention he gathers himself homeward again, if he take other matters in hand, he gathers home still: though he go out of his way, in he comes; he considers, this is not my way. So a child of God, sometimes he diverts, and turns aside, yet notwithstanding he considers, doth this way lead to God ward? to heaven ward? be these actions Christian actions? are they the way to heaven? if he see they be not, though he have stepped awry, he comes in again, and is gathering homeward. Though he may perhaps forget himself a little, (a traveller) yet his bent is homewards. So a Christian man though perhaps in some particular he may forget himself, yet he is always gathering home, his bent is home, and his course is godly. Take a Christian, perhaps he may step awry, but his course is godly, and he labours to recover himself: and if a traveller stay at any time by the way, he makes amends afterwards by making more haste. So doth a Christian, if we consider him with his affections lose to good things: yet he recovers himself again, and sets upon religious actions and courses with more violence of spirit, and recovers his former loss again. A traveller and stranger he provides before 8. He provides for all encumbrances. hand for all encumbrances; he knows though he meet not with troubles, yet he may, therefore he will be sure to go with weapons, and he will go with that that may sustain him by the way. Religion teacheth a man to gather out of the word of GOD, comforts before hand, and munition before hand to carry with him: put the case he never use them; he may have cause to use them, and then if he have them no●…, what will become of him? he lies open to adversaries by the way. Therefore there is a spirit in a Christian, an instinct, that stirs him up, he will be reading the word of God, and good books, and hearing the word: this I may have use of at such a time, this I will lay up for such an occasion: put the case that such an occasion come not, he looseth nothing, he seasoneth his soul, in the mean time, and prepares it for worse things if worse come Woe to those that have not laid up strength and comfort against evil times before hand. If a man go to s●…a, and be not provided before hand, if he take a journey, and be not provided before hand, then when a storm comes, what a case is he in? It pleaseth God to teach us by these resemblances, heavenly things: therefore because they are fit means to convey holier things unto us, it is good to take this help that God affords us, considering that he shows us by these shadows, better things. When we travail, and are going on in our journey towards heaven, it is good to consider higher things, it is a good meditation: therefore to go on a little further. A traveller, and stranger is inquisitive of 9 Inquires of the way. the way, whether he be in the way, or out of the way; he asks not at random, that doth not content him, whether he go West, or North, or South, or East, it doth not content him to ask where lies my country, Eastward, & c? No; but he will ask the particular towns, and particular turnings and windings how he may avoid going out of his way, and which is the right way; and he will ask upon every occasion, because he knows, if he go but a little out of his way, it will be a long time ere he shall recover it, and he will be ashamed to come back again, and the more he goes out of the way, the more trouble it is to come back again. So it is with a Christian, he doth not only desire to know in general, but he desires to have daily direction, what shall I do in such a case of conscience, and in such a case? how shall I overcome such a temptation if I meet with it? And so he is willing to have daily direction how to walk with God day by day, that he go not out of his way in any thing. For even as every step that a man takes is a part of his journey; so every action of a man's life it is a part of his journey to heaven; and therefore he is willing to have direction for every step, that he may walk step upon step, upon good ground: therefore he goes upon good grounds of a good conscience, in the duties of Christianity, he will have sound conviction, what is good, and what is true in religion: what religion is true that he may venture his soul upon; and what use he may make of his particular calling; what he may do with a safe conscience, and what not; and what he may not do that he will not meddle with, and what is clear to his conscience that he will do. So every step he takes, though it be in his particular calling, it helps him forward: As Saint Paul saith, in the Epistle to the Colossians, of servants, that they serve God in serving their master; so a poor servant in his drudgery may serve God. So in our ordinary professions we are in the way to heaven, if they be sanctified by prayer before hand, and do it in conscience and obedience to God, that hath set us in this way. There are two callings, our general, and particular calling, and we show religion, that is our general calling, in our particular calling, as we are placed in this or that calling, and what we do in either of these callings, is the way to heaven. Now the care of a Christian is, that he be well advised what to do, and on what ground. And even as a traveller considers of things 10. He useth things as they may help in his journey. by the way as they make to his end, to further his journey or hinder his journey, he looks to heaven as his country that he hopes for, and therefore he doth not tangle himself with any more than may help him home; if they hinder him once, away they go, if they may help him he takes them. A Christian in his travail in the way to heaven, considers of things that may fall out by the way, as they may help and further him to heaven. If I find that things, Indifferent things. though they be indifferent in themselves, if they trouble me in my way to heaven (it may be they are not so to another, but they are to me) though another can do it, yet I must consider whether I can do it, and find myself enlarged to heaven as at other times? if not, away with it, it is not indifferent to me, because it hinders my journey to heaven. A wise traveller will venture upon things, and courses as they serve, or hinder the main, though they be things perhaps that he cannot over-well spare, yet if they trouble him in his journey, off they go, that he may be more expedi●…e and right in his way. I wonder at the boldness of many that profess themselves religious, and yet dare venture upon any thing. Undoubtedly if they did search their own hearts, they could not but say that such courses do dead and dull them, and make them forget religion, that such company is not safe to keep, I find myself the worse by it, why should I venture upon any thing, that may stop, and hinder, or cool, and dead me in my way to heaven? If a man be wise, he will consider of things as they help or hinder him to that. As for sins whereof we are convicted, it is the Apostles counsel, Heb. 12. he puts it Apparent sins. out of all question, we must cast off all that burden that presseth down, etc. A traveller will not have a burden upon him. The sin that hangs so fast on, we must labour to mortify, to kill our lusts and corruptions more and more, and never leave till we have cast them off, these things are undeniable. I spoke before of things in themselves indifferent, and to other men in different, if they have a larger measure of wisdom; but for corruptions, and sins, they fight against the soul; they fasten us to the world: therefore above all things we must cast off them. As Saint Peter saith excellently, in 1 Pet. 2. I beseech you brethren, as pilgrims, and I Peter 2. strangers, abstain from fleshly lusts, which fight against your souls. Insinuating that pilgrims, and strangers should altogether abstain from lusts, from the cherishing of carnal lusts, for these fight against the soul, they fight against the comforts of the soul; against the graces of the soul, and against the eternal well being of the soul. The more a man cherrisheth base lusts, the more it damps his comfor●… and grace, and weakens his assurance of life everlasting; they fight against all good in the soul; therefore, let us abstain from fleshly lusts that fight against the soul. That is clear, all confess that: But the other that I spoke of before, carefulness of things indifferent if we find them not so to us; till we get more mastery of ourselves, we must even be careful of our liberties, and not give ourselves those liberties that others do if we find they hinder us in particular. Yet with a secret concealing of it, not to entangle the consciences of other men, who perhaps may use those things with less hindrance than we do. A wise Christian will be wary in that kind: If he find the things of the world to hinder him, he will not have his heart eaten up with the world, nor eaten out with lawful things: being therefore to prepare for a better life and to do God's business, he will only take the things of this life as they may make for a better life, and be a furtherance of him to his home; he winds home by all means, he useth all advantages to come nearer to God, and whatsoever hinders him he labours to avoid. Again, he that accounts himself a stranger 11. H●… values not himself by outward things. here, he doth not value himself by outward things: saith teacheth a man when he is an heir of heaven, not to value himself by earthly things, he thinks himself a stranger in his own house as David did, though he were a King (as I said) every Christian is a stranger at home, he values not himself by his honours, nor dignity, nor by the things that he hath here; nor he doth not disvalue himself by poverty or disgrace, he knows he is a stranger, he is going home, therefore he values himself by that he hath at home. Christians are Kings and heirs, they esteem not or disesteem of themselves by what they have here below, they account them as things in the way, that God gives them, if they be good, to sweeten their pilgrimage; if they be ill to sharpen their journey. It is necessary that God should give them these things, good things to sweeten their journey, and if they loiter in their way to heaven, than that they should have crosses to drive them homeward. In all confusions in the world, faith teacheth a man to stand as a man upon a rock immovable, because he is a stranger: if any thing fall out in the City or place where a stranger is, he carries his own jewels, and things about him and so goes away, his goods are not of that place: so in all confusions of the world a Christian hath good things of another world; the good things he carries with him, are not subject to losses or crosses; they are not subject to the misusing of the world: when all things shall be on fire, a Christian hath his treasure laid up in heaven, in a place where no earthly creature hath power of it; it is not subject to any ill; and that make; him in all estates contented and patient. Let heaven and earth go together, a Christian when he hath embraced better things, a Christian thinks himself a stranger that is going home, therefore in all his life he carries himself as a stranger. To go on a little further. A traveller in his way, must of necessity have refresh by the way, or else he will fail: therefore sometimes he sings, and som●… suseth other refresh. Now what saith David? Thy statutes have been my song in the house of my pilgrimage; that is, when I want other comforts, they are my song, my joy, and delight. A traveller must needs have comforts that may revive him in his ●…ainting, he must have some pleasant walks for meditation. Let us therefore when we grow weary, refresh ourselves in walking, in holy meditation, take a turn there, to think of the vanity of all earthly things, and how soon they come to an end; and of the excellency, and eternity, of our glorious condition, and estate when we come home; and then think of the helps and comforts by the way, and such like. The Art of divine meditation is an Art for this end, that since we are all travellers, that we are from home, and that we are going home, we may walk in wisdom. Let us learn that art to feed and strengthen our souls with such meditations as may clear them by the way: to set some time apart when we grow dull, and indisposed in religion; then let us think how to cherish and refresh our souls with those excellencies that are indeed above our comprehension, our hearts cannot conceive of it; it is set out in the word of God to our conceit, but as it is we cannot conceive here what is reserved for us when we shall come home: therefore let us do as travellers, often think of home, and what is at home for us, and that will make us when we are in the way, and any comfort would draw us out of our way, to think. O these are good comforts, but this is not my home, I have betterat home then this, and this will stay me from home. Therefore the cross is necessary for travellers, that they may know they are not at home, that they may embitter his comforts. This consideration, that he is not at home, and that this is not his country, as it will keep a Christian from temptations, so it will draw him on to constancy in his love, and in going on: for a traveller sits not down, to stay there; he thinks, here I am, and home I must go, and I shall not come home by sitting here. So the oft thinking of home, it will both sweeten our troubles, and likewise the comforts that we meet with in this world, it will make us that we shall not be ens●…ared with them; because, though they be comfortable things, yet alas what are these? these indeed are fit to make a man forget home, to forget heaven, as a man that sees goodly things, good●…e houses, these things saith he, are they that make a man unwilling to go out of the world. But he that is assured of a country, and knows that he hath a better home than all these earthly things, that are shadows and vanity; he thinks these are very goodly things, but what are these to that that is reserved? and if I sit down by these, if a traveller sit down by delights, and gaze upon things by the way, when shall he come home? Let us think oft of home, there are many uses to think and meditate of that blessed day, this among the rest: that it draws us on forward, and forward still, that we shall not sit quiet but go on still, and not rest till we come home. And the nearer we are home the more busy, and the more cheerful we should be: as a traveller, when he comes near home he is more cheerful, when he hath home in his eye: when he sees the smoke of his country he rejoiceth. As these Patriarches, they saw the promises a far off. As men when they see the tops of steeples and houses; they think, now we have them continually in our eye, we see some thing of home, and the nearer they come the more they see, and the nearer they come, still the more they see: so the longer a Christian lives, the nearer and nearer he comes home: if he understand himself and have any assurance in any degree, it makes him more joyful towards his end. Thus it was with God's people, when they were nearer their end, than they sung sweetly the Swan's song, and then they were enlarged in their spirits: as jacob when he was dying, we see what a will he made, what legacies to his children. And joseph when he was dying, and Moses the man of God. The song of Moses, and David the sweet singer of Israel. The last words of David what sweet words they were. And Saint Paul when he was to go out of the world, I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, henceforth is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, etc. And our blessed Saviour toward his end, we see how heavenly he was in his prayer. And good Simeon, Lord now let thy servant depart in peace, etc. when he had grasped Christ once, he was loath to live any longer: so it should be with Christians as it is with travellers, the nearer they are home the more and more comfortable they should be still. It is a shame for old men to fear when they come near their end, when they are near the haven then to fear. It is as if a man in a storm should fear the haven; or a man that trav●… and sees a City to be afraid of his own house; whereas he should rejoice and think he is nearer his happiness then other men, as Saint Paul tells the Romans, your salvation is nearer now than when you first believed. So we should think our salvation, and happiness in heaven is nearer now than when we first believed; and therefore the less time we have to travail here with encumbrances in the way to heaven the more joyful we should be. The nearer we are to death, the nearer to our preferment, the nearer to our country and our home. These are the advised thoughts of a Christian: and when other thoughts come into a man, when he is stricken in years, surely they are not in him as a Christian, but as he is weak, and wants faith, and assurance of salvation. Oh, let us therefore labour to get assurance of another a better country: for what made these holy men confess themselves strangers, and pilgrims here? They saw the promises a far off and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and in that measure they were assured of a better condition, they carried themselves as strangers and pilgrims here. To wind up all in a word, you see here their disposition. I beseech you make this text your pattern, to be moulded into: you see how these blessed men long ago lived in faith when their light was less than ours is, and they died in faith, and will welcome us when we shall come to heaven, we shall go to Abraham, Isaac, and jacob, and the rest of the Patriarches and holy men. It will be a blessed time when all the blessed men that have gone before shall welcome us to heaven. If we look to be happy as they are, we must live as they did, and die as they did: though we cannot so strongly as they did, see that with the eye of faith that no eye else can see: yet let us desire God to persuade us of these truths more strongly, than the devil of our own lusts shall persuade us to the contrary: let us desire God to set on his truths so strongly that all other things may not hinder us, that we may embrace them with our best affections, of love, of desire, of contentment, that we may witness all this by our demeanour to earthly things, by our base esteem of them, and carry ourselves as pilgrims and strangers on earth. If we do thus live in faith and die in faith, we shall live with Abraham, Isaac, and jacob in the kingdom of heaven eternally. FINIS. THE HIDDEN LIFE. In two Funeral Sermons upon COL. 3. 3, 4. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS: Doctor in Divinity, Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. 1 JOHN 3. 2. Beloved, now ye are the Sons of God, and it doth not appear what we shall be. LONDON, Printed by E. Purslow, for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queen's head Alley, in Pater-Noster-Row. 1639. THE HIDDEN LIFE. COLLOS. 3. 3, 4. For ye are dead, your life, is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. THE dependence of these words Dependence of the words. (in a word) is this. The Apostle after he had laid the grounds of some Doctrines, he doth frame the building of a holy life and conversation. It is in vain to believe well, unless a man work accordingly: he that lives against his faith shall be damned, as he that believes against it. Thereupon in this Chapter he comes to raise their affections to be Heavenly minded, and stirs them up to subdue what soever is contrary to Heavenly mindedness. And because it is a duty of great moment to be heavenly minded, and to subdue base affections, he inserts weighty reasons between: If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things that are above. And among other reasons, the●… 〈◊〉 this, ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. And thereupon he forceth seeking of the things that are above, and the mortifying of earthly members. For the duties of Christianity ●…e to be applied two ways, to be heavenly affected & to subdue that which is contrary: to be heavenly minded, & to mortify our earthly members. Now how shall we do both? For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God, etc. You see the first proposition, ye are dead, A Christian dead, how. with whom? with Christ in God. A Christian is dead many ways. He is dead to the law, to the moral law, he looks not to have comfort and salvation by it: by the law, he is dead to the law, and so flies to Christ. A Christian is dead also to the ceremon●…ll law: now in the glorious lustre of the Gospel, what have we to do with those 〈◊〉 element that were for Children? A ceremo●… disposition is opposite to the glory and lustre of the Gospel, as the Apostle speaks in the former Chapter. He is dead likewise to sin, having communion with Christ (when he died for sin) he is dead to sin. He that hath communion in the death of Christ, hath the same affection to sin that Christ had. Christ hated it infinitely when he suffered for it; so every Christian thinks that Christ died for my sins, and by union with Christ, he hath the same affection to it, he is dead to it. And because this is but an inchoation, and beginning, a Christian is not perfectly dead to sin, he stands in need of afflictions, and in regard of afflictions he is dead, they must help the work of mortification. And because no affliction can sufficiently work mortification, but death itself, which is the accomplishment of mortification, we are dead in respect of death itself, which is the accomplishment of all: though we live here for a time, we are dead in regard of the sentence that is passed on us, as we say a man is dead when the sentence is passed on him; in that respect we are dead men, for our life is but a dead life (besides the sentence that is passed upon us) death siezeth upon us in the time of our life, in sicknesses etc. And so they prepare us to death: thus, and many other ways we are dead. The second proposition is, Our Life is hid with Christ in God. We are dead, and yet we have a life. A Christian is a strange person, he is both dead and alive; he is miserable and glorious, he consists of contraries; he is dead in regard of corruption, and miseries, and such like, but he is alive in regard of his better part, and he grows two ways at on●…: it is a strange thing that a Christian doth, he grows downwards and upwards at the same time; for as he dies in sin and misery, and natural death approaching; so he lives the life of grace, and grows more and more till he end in Glory. This life is said to be a hidden life, It is hid with Christ in God. Life of a Christian hidden. The life of a Christian, which is his glorious spiritual life, it is hid among other respects. It is hid to the world, to worldly men, because a Christian is an unknown man to them: because they know not the Father that begets, therefore they know not them that are begotten, as S. john saith: they know not the advancement of a Christian: he is raised into a higher rank than they. Therefore as a beast knows not the things of a man, no more doth a carnal man, in any excellency, know the things of the spirit, for they are spiritually discerned; therefore it is a hidden life in the eyes of the world: a worldly man sees not this life, in regard of the excellency, he passeth scorns, and contempts of it, of folly and the like. A Christian, in respect of his happy life, is a stranger here, and therefore he is willing to pass through the world, and to be used as a stranger. It is a hidden life likewise ofttimes, not only to worldlings, but in regard of the children of God themselves: because by reason of some infirmities that are in the best of God's children, they are apt to judge amiss, harshly and rashly one of another. Likewise by reason of those calamities that are common to all men alike, they are afflicted as others, and have sicknesses, and are contemned more than others, and by reason of this, the children of God often censure those that have the beginnings of spiritual life in them. It is hid from them. It is hid likewise from themselves: for often God's children know not themselves, in temptation, in their nonage, in the beginning of their conversion, in the time of desertion, and spiritual slumber and sleep, Grace seems to be dead in them, and then they know not that they have this spiritual life, especially if this desertion be joined with outward abasement, they call their estate into question, as in Psal. Psal 73. 7. 73. 7. and in divers places of Scripture: Gods children oftimes, by reason of their inquisition and search, they raise clouds, whereby they conceal from their own eyes, their own life. Partly through distemper of body, and partly by distemper of spirit, there are clouds raised between them and their happiness, that they cannot see their spiritual life. But especially it is hid in regard of common infirmities, wanting gifts that others have, that have not a dram of grace sometimes, that live to please men, and look altogether to the outside, they do that many times to pleasemen better than a Christian. Sometimes God himself hides himself out of wisdom and mercy to us, when he sees that we carry not ourselves so reverently as we should. And this reason may be sufficient of God's dispensation: God will have it so: partly for the further hardening of wicked persons, and for trial: for if all were laid open in this excellent estate of a Christian, who should try their patience? who would not be a Christian for the comfort, and for the sense, and feeling? Oh, but this is not so, a Christian hath a life, but it is a hidden life: therefore God will try whether men will live by faith or sense, whether they will have their ways now or no, or whether they will depend upon that glorious life that God will reveal in time to come, and to exercise and strengthen faith: God will have it so, that this life shall be now hid, that we may live by the promises, though we have no feeling at all; that we may persuade ourselves in the greatest desertions and extremities, yet I have a hidden Life in Christ, though I have little influence, and manifestation of it in me: yet I have a glorious life in my head, and I live now by Faith, till I come to live by sight. This is one reason. We should not therefore take offence, we must not judge of Christians by outward show and appearance, as CHRIST saith, we should not judge of ourselves by outward appearance, nor of the Church. The Whore of Babylon hath more painting and setting out, in all glorious shows (it being an outside religion) than the true spouse of Christ, whose glory and beauty is within, doth it follow therefore that she is the true Church? Oh no, for the beauty of the wife of Christ it is a hidden beauty, she is glorious within, a stranger doth not meddle with the joy of the Church. Christians have a name indeed, and a stone, that none know but them that have it: It is hidden Mannah, we must not judge of the Church, or of Christians by outward appearance, we shall be deceived in that. Our Life is hid with Christ, the spring of all spiritual life. The Life of a Christian is a secret life, it is a peculiar life, it is a safe life. It is secret because it is hid; as I said, God's children are secret ones, they are not known to the world, nor to themselves ofttimes. But ordinarily faith in them breaks through the Cloud, and unmaskes God himself, and sees God's Fatherly face, though he hide himself. They have a promise to lay hold upon, and they acknowledge him to be their Father, and wrestle with him, it is a secret Life, but it is not so secret, but that Faith says into it, it pierceth the Veil, and sees a glorious Life there. Faith will see Gods glorious countenance; Faith makes it a glorious Life though it be secret, therefore let us not judge ourselves nor others by appearance. And it is also a sure life, it is hid with Christ in God, mark on what grounds it is sure. First it is hid in Heaven, no enemy can come there, the Devil comes not there since he first lost it, and was cast out. It is safe in regard of the place, it is hid in Heaven. And it is safe, because it is hid in Christ, who purchased it with his blood, who hath trampled upon all opposite powers, over death, and hell itself, it is hid in heaven, and in him who hath overcome all opposite power, therefore it is a safe life. And it is hid with Christ in God. Christ is in the bosom of God; Christ mediator, it is hid with Christ in God, he is the store-house of this life, it is hid with him. If any can rob God, than they may rob our Life from us, for it is hid with Christ in God; it is a sure life therefore. Oh! but we may lose it, though it be sure in respect of God. Object. Nay, saith S. Peter, We are begotten again Answer. to an inheritance, immortal, and reserved for us in Heaven, and we are kept by the power of God to salvation. It is kept for us, and we are kept to it, God hath prepared it for us, and prepared us for it: so it is a most sure life, especially because Christ lives for ever, with whom it is, It is hid with Christ in God. It is likewise a peculiar life, only to God's people: for they only have union, and communion with Christ, and therefore he saith here, your life is hid with Christ in God. It is likewise a glorious life: for it is hid with Christ, who is the glory of God, and he saith in the next Verse, when Christ who is our life shall appear, we shall appear with him in Glory. It is a glorious life, but of that I shall speak in the next verse. We see then that our life is hid in Christ, and what kind of life this is; it is a secret, sure, peculiar, glorious life. Alas, we are ready to judge of ourselves by the present, and not to think it a glorious life: but he saith, it is hidden for us; Light is sown for the righteous, it doth not appear for the present. A garden hath seeds sown, and herbs, but in the winter there is no difference between it and a common field; but when the sun shines and appears, than the herbs appear in their lustre: so it is with a Christian, there is light, and immortality, and happiness sown for him, when Christ, the Son of Righteousness, shall appear, than we shall appear with him in glory. As we may say of all things below, they have a hidden life, the plants and the flowers in the winter, they live by the root, and when the Sun appears, than they also appear with the Sun in glory. So it is with the Righteous, they have a hidden life, it is hid now in the root, in their head, in this life, when Christ the Son of Righteousness shall appear, when the spring comes, when the resurrection comes, than we shall appear with him in glory; and so I come to speak of that verse. When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall ye appear also with him in Glory. Our life is now hid, our happiness is veiled over, there are many things between us and our life, but shall it always be so? Oh no, When Christ who is our Life shall appear, we shalt appear also with him in Glory: he meets with a secret objection. The parts here to be stood on are these. First, Christ he is our Life, he shall appear in Glory as our Life. This is taken for granted, it is a supposed truth, When Christ who is our Life shall appear, it is taken for granted that he shall appear in glory: The next thing is, that we shall appear likewise with Christ. Christ shall appear, and we. And then the consequence, how these depend one upon another, because Christ appears in Glory, therefore we, when Christ who is our life shall appear. The Apostle cannot mention Christ, without an addition of comfort, and the Christian soul loves Christ, it sees such matter of comfort, and such righteousness in him, that it cannot think of Christ, without a comfortable addition of Lord, Saviour, Life, Hope, Glory, etc. Christ carries with him all comforts, he is food, the bread of life, the water of life, all that is good to the soul, therefore the Apostle gives this sweet addition, Christ out life. How is Christ our life. He is every way the cause of the Life of Grace and of Glory. And not only so, the cause, but the root, and spring in whom it is: we have it from Christ, and in Christ: we have it in Christ, as a root, and from Christ as a working cause, and by Christ as a Mediator: For Christ procured Life at God's hands, by his Sactifice, and Death. We have it in Christ as a head, from him as a cause (together with both the other persons) and through him as Mediator, who by his death made way to life; appeasing the wrath of God: so we are reconciled and pardoned by the death of Christ. Christ is not only our Life so, but as the matter of our life that we seed on; when he hath wrought spiritual life in us, than the Soul lives by Faith in Christ still, and seeds upon him, he is our life because we feed on him: for as food nourisheth the body, so the Soul, being every day set on by fresh temptations, and afflictions, and troubles, and fresh discomforts, the Soul of necessity is forced to look to Christ, every day, and to feed upon Christ, to feed upon his blood af●…esh, which runs conti nually: for he is a Mediator for ever, and he is in Heaven to make good, that he hath done by his death and we look upon him every day, and feed on him, and so he maintains the life he hath begun. Christ is our life thus: More particularly (for memory sake) Christ when by faith we have union with him once, (as we can have no communion without union with him) when we are one with him once by faith; we have life from Christ; the life of reconciliation in law, opposite to our death in law, and in sentence; for by nature we are all dead, and damned as soon as we are borne for our own sins, and the sins of our first parents; we are dead in sentence: Now by Christ there is a reversion of this sentence. Christ by his obedience, and suffering hath satisfied his father: so by our union with Christ we are alive in sentence, we are absolved in GOD'S court of justice, for he will not punish sin twice. And then after the life of justification being justified by faith, we have the life of sanctification, and holiness: for GOD out of his love, when he hath pardoned our sin, he gives his spirit as the best fruit of his love: and we having our consciences absolved, and acquitted by the spirit of GOD through the obedience of Christ, we love GOD. GOD so loveth us when he is appeased by Christ, that the bar being taken away, our sins being pardoned, and the sluice of mercy open, there is way made for another life, the life of sanctification by the spirit: upon pardon of our sins he gives the spirit, and we feeling that love, have love wrought in us to him again, and that love stirs up every Christian to obedience. In the next place, after he hath acquitted us by his Alsufficient satisfaction, being God and Man, and hath given us his spirit: there is another life, the life of comfort, which is the life of our life, in peace of conscience, and joy unspeakable, and glorious, this life issues from the former: for when we find our conscience appeased, that God saith to our souls, he is their salvation, and find a newness wrought in our nature by the spirit of God, and some strength to obey him, than we begin to have a sweet peace, (as the Children of God find in themselves) and joy unspeakable, and glorious. This is the life of this life, having union with Christ, and his Righteousness, and spirit, we have this peace, which is the way to Glory, and the beginning of it. For besides that, Christ is our life in Glory afterwards, in this life he is our life. Answerable to our servile fear, as we are dead in law, we have a life in justification. As we are dead in nature, so we have a life in sanctification, we are dead in despair and run into terrors of Conscience, so we have a life in joy, and peace. But all those in this life are imperfect, because there is only an union of Grace here till we come to the union of Glory in Heaven, and then at the day of judgement there will be a perfect justifying of us, we shall not only be acquitted in our conscience, as we are now, but we shall be acquitted before Angels and Devils and Men, and Christ will acknowledge us: these are they for whom I died, these are they for whom I made intercession in Heaven, we shall be acquitted there, and there we shall be acknowledged: And then the life of sanctification, that is now in part, shall then be perfect, and likewise the peace that now passeth understanding, shall then be full, and our joy shall be full by Christ who is our life: So than we see we have in Christ the second Adam, whatsoever we lost in the first root. Whence did we draw sin, and misery? by union with the first Adam, we have damnation, we have the wrath of God, we have corruption opposite to sanctification, we have terrors, and horror of conscience. By the second Adam and union with him we have a spring of life, and peace, and all that we lost in Adam, and more than all we lost, he being God-man. The sin of the first Adam was the sin of a man: the obedience of the second Adam, was the obedience of God-man, which raiseth us to life everlasting. Rom. 5. So that there is more comfort in the life we have by Christ, then there is discomfort in our death by Adam. We see then hence that in all our deadness and dulness, and want of grace, there is a spring in our nature. God hath given Christ, God-man, that there should be a treasure in him for all the Church, that we may fetch supply out of our nature. He is fit to be our life: for our nature in him is united to the Godhead, therefore Christ is a fit fountain to derive grace to believers; because man's nature in him is advanced, by being united to the second person, he is God-man, able to derive all grace, and comfort, and righteousness whatsoever. Shall the first Adam derive unrighteousness, discomfort and misery that was a man? & shall not Christ God-man, derive righteousness, and comfort, and joy, and peace, and whatsoever is good? undoubtedly he shall. Therefore in all want of grace, in all temptations and assaults, let us go to the fountain, to the fullness of grace, to the fullness of God's love in Christ, Christ, God-man is our life. As when we are cold, we come to the fire: so when we are dull-hearted, let us come to this quickening spirit. And to this end, let us be stirred up to use those means wherein Christ will be effectual, (whereby as by veins, the blood of this spiritual life is conveyed;) as the Word, and Sacraments, the Communion of Saints, and all sanctified means, whereby the life of grace, and comfort may be conveyed to us: let us never be out of such ways, and courses, as where by Christ derives this life of grace, and let us take heed of those that are contrary. But, how shall I know, saith a weak soul, Question. (that finds little comfort, and peace, and little sanctification, and is besieged with troubles, and is doubtful, and knows not whether his sins be forgiven or no, how shall I know) whether Christ be my life or no? I answer that the life of Christ is but now Answer. begun in us, and it is very little at the first. There is nothing less than grace at the beginning. The life of Christ is conveyed to us from Christ voluntarily not by necessity. He gives the will and the deed according to 〈◊〉; therefore we must know that we have more or less comfort, and more or less grace as he pleaseth. He brings all to heaven in all ages that have the true life of grace, though he make a difference, and give to some more, and to some less, because he is a head that flows into his members, not out of nature, but of his own pleasure. And a Christian soul that hath union with Christ, that hath a being, and station in him may know it; there are always some pulses from this heart: as we know there is some life by the beating of the pulses: so Christ's dwelling in the heart, is known by these pulses, there will be striving against corruption, and complaining of it. (Nature, and corruption will not complain against corruption: co●…ption will not strive against corruption,) there will be sighing, and groaning, which is seconded with a constant endeavour to grow better, it is not a flash: these pulses beating in the soul of a true Christian, show that there is the life of grace in him, that Christ's dwells in his heart. And this oft times doth more appear in the greatest temptations: Take a Christian at the worst, his heart sighs to God, to recover him, he is sick, and yet he hopes in Christ, Christ in the greatest desertion is his life, who was also our pattern, when he was at the lowest, My God, my God. So a Christian at the lowest, he hath a spirit of prayer, (though it may be) he cannot pray distinctly, yet he can sigh, and groan, and God hears the sighs of his own Spirit always: Therefore when these pulses beat in him, in the greatest temptations he may know that Christ lives in him. Sometimes Christ in respect of this life, in this world reserves himself to the chief occasion; as some great affliction of the outward man. In 2 Cor. 4. We see there, when the 2 Cor. 4. body of Saint Paul was afflicted, when it was abased by many afflictions, The life of Christ was most manifested in him. God reserves to poor Christians (that now live in peace and quiet) the greatest feelings and manifestations of Christ's living in them, till some great cross, till the hour of death, till a time of need. The life of Christ is most manifest in the time of abasement. By the way therefore, let us not avoid crosses for Christ's sake: avoid not any abasement, though it be imprisonment, or death; the more our outward man is abased, if it be for Christ's sake, the more this life of Christ, this blessed life, this peace that passeth understanding, and this joy in the Holyghost is increased; we shall feel our absolution, and justification the more. This life of Christ is most manifested when we honour him most by suffering for him. Therefore let us avoid no cross for him. Christ who is our life, Shall appear: There are two appearings (we know) of Christ; his first appearing, and his second appearing. His first appearing was to work our salvation; his second shall be to accomplish, and finish what he hath begun to work. His first appearing, was to redeem our souls from death, & his second shall redeem our bodies from the corruption of the 〈◊〉 so his second appearing shall be to accomplish all the good that he came to do and to work by his first. As verily therefore as Christ is come in his first appearing; so verily and certainly he shall appear the second time. And as it was the description of holy men before his first coming, to wait for him, To wait for the consolation of Is●…ael: so Christians now; those blessed souls that have the report of this they wait for the coming of Christ. There were all kind of witnesses then of his first coming, Angels, men, women, shepherds, the Devils themselves, The Trinity from heaven witnessed of him: so for his second coming there are witnesses. Christ himself saith he will come. The Angels say, This jesus that ye see go up shall come again. It is an Article of our faith, that he shall come. The Spirit of God in every Christian saith come, and that is not in vain, the desires of the Spirit of God must be fulfilled, therefore he shall come; and the Spirit of God stirs up our spirits to say come. There are all kind of proofs, & arguments for it. It is an Article of our faith: it is laid here for a ground, and therefore I will not enlarge myself in it: but come to the next point. Christ will appear, and We shall also appear with him in glory. We shall appear, and appear with him and appear in glory with him. Christ himself his glory is in some sort hid now: for though he be King of the Church, yet we see what enemies are in the Church; and Satan ruffles in the Church a great while, and the nearer he is to his end, the more he rageth; so that Christ's glory seems to be hid; but Christ then shall appear, and his Church shall appear with him in glory. Why shall we appear with Christ, and be glorious with him? Question. I answer, this is clear: partly because it Answer. john 17. is Christ's will, in john 17. Father I will that where I am they may be also. It is Christ's last Testament that we should be where he is, and be glorious with him, and Christ's will must be fulfilled. Again, consider what we are to Christ, how near we are brought to him, and then this will be clear, that when Christ shall appear in glory, we must appear with him: for Christ is our Husband, and we are his Spouse, when Christ comes to be glorious, therefore his Spouse must be glorious; now is but the time of contract, the time of the marriage, solemnity shall be at the appearing of Christ: therefore when he shall appear, we shall appear with him in glory. Christ in his own person, distinct from his Church, is now glorious as a head, but Christ mystical is not glorious, Christ mystical suffers: there are many members that are not yet called. Some are abased, & some are not brought to the fold: And Christ hath a care of his mystical body, as of his natural body; and as that is glorious in heaven, so he will bring all his members to be one glorious body. He gave his natural body to redeem his mystical body, therefore as he is glorious in that in heaven, so he will be glorious in his mystical body, in every believing soul at the last, when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints, as the Apostle saith, 2 Thess. 1. He is 2 Thess. 1. 10. glorious in himself now: then he will be glorious in his Spouse. And then from the ground of predestination, Rom. 8. We are predestinate to be conformed Rom. 8. to Christ, that he might be the first borne among many brethren. Now Christ being glorious, and we being predestinate before the world was to be like unto Christ; first in abasement, to be abased for him that was abased for us, to suffer for him that suffered for us, and to be conformed to him in grace; there must be a time to be conformed to him in glory? From the ground of Election, there must be a state of glory, our glory must be revealed when Christ shall come and appear. I will press no more reasons that we must be glorious at the second coming of Christ as well as himself. Wherein stands this glory? Quest. To clear this point a little, I will not be Answer. long in it; because indeed this glory is such, as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath entered into the heart of man. The Apostles speak not much of it, they speak of it in negative terms, by denying imperfections: It is an inheritance incorruptible, immortal, etc. And when it is resembled to earthly things, it is compared to a banquet, to a marriage, etc. But this glory, it shall be in body, in soul in the whole man. In soul, there shall be the knowledge of those mysteries of salvation, that now we are ignorant of. Now we are in the Grammar school, but that shall be as the University. Then we shall know things more clearly, we shall see God face to face; and then our souls shall be raised to be capable of more knowledge and grace. Now the vessel of our soul is not capable to know that that we shall then, they are not capable as they shall be in heaven. Saint Paul himself was not capable, therefore when he was taken up into the third heavens, lest he should be proud of his revelations, he was fain to be abased. We are not capable, we cannot know the glory of heaven in a full measure now: but then, God shall enlarge the heart, and sanctify it, that we shall have strong spirits, and holy understandings, and affections to understand holy things, we shall know God face to face. There shall be a proportion between the glorious things in heaven, and our soul there shall be a heavenly soul for a heavenly place, where as yet it is not so. I forbear to show the particulars of the glory of the body: the Apostle Paul sets it down, 1 Cor. 15. It shall be a spiritual body: it 1 Cor. 15. shall be guided by the Spirit, and the body, it shall not then need meats and drinks, but God shall be all in all. Now, our life at the best is fed and clothed by the creatures, then, all shall be taken out of God himself, God himself shall be All in all. The presence of God, and of Christ our Saviour shall supply all that we have now other ways. Now, comfort is conveyed from this creature, and from that; but whatsoever comfort we have now dropped by the creatures, we shall then have all in him, and in fullness, and for evermore. So we shall be glorious in soul and body. And in our whole man, the Image of God and Christ shall be perfectly restored, we shall be like Christ, reserving the difference between the head, and the members, reserving the difference of a natural Son, and of sons adopted; he shall be more glorious than we; we shall be glorious as much as we are capable off, in all fullness of joy, and grace, and dominion over the creature, in freedom from ill, and readiness to good, we shall be glorious sons of God. I need not to be long in unfolding these things. When shall this be? Quest. When he shall appear, saith the Apostle, Answer. we shall also appear with him in glory. It is carried indefinitely to stop curiosity, there is no time set down: but when he shall appear, etc. In a word, when all the Elect shall be gathered together. It is not meet that our bodies and souls should be glorified, till all God's people be gathered together. As in a Simile. family they do not sit down till all the servants be come in, and then they sit down together: so in this great family of God; the Saints in heaven and earth, there shall not be perfect glory, till all be gathered, and saved. And then what a blessed time will that be, when every one shall be glorious himself, and shall put down the Sun in glory in his body, and soul? and when there shall be such a world of them so glorious. If every Star be beautiful, how beautiful are all in their lustre? when so many Saints shall be gathered together they shall be far more glorious than the Sun in his Majesty; and this glory is reserved till all be gathered together. God said of the creatures severally they were good, but when he looked on them together, they were exceeding good: so the several souls of Christians are glorious: but at the day of Judgement when all shall be gathered together, there shall be an exceeding glory. It is reserved I say for the gathering together of the Saints: when Christ, who is the head shall have gathered all by his word, and ministry out of this sinful world (which are scattered here and there) than they shall come to perfect glory. Then there shall be perfect union between the body and soul; then there shall be a perfect union between us, and all that are dead together; then there shall be a perfect union between us, and Christ, than we shall have the perfect fruition of God, of Angels, of all the blessed company in heaven. Oh! what a blessed time will this be? and this shall be at the glorious appearing of Christ. Christ shall appear in glory himself, as verily as he appeared in his first coming, and we shall appear with him in glory. Why should we doubt of it? is not that which is greater done already? hath not God himself become man? hath not God died? and God been abased in his first coming? Is not that more wonder, than that man should become like God in his second coming? whether is greater for God to become man, or for men to be raised out of their graves, and become glorious? certainly this is the lesser, why should we doubt of it? Let us raise our hearts with this, that as verily as he came in abasement to work our salvation, so verily he shall come, and raise us to glory, and this is a lesser work than the former. But to come nearer, to make some further use of this, surely these are main points, and should be oft thought on. O! that the hearts of Christians were exercised with them. Could we be dead either for grace or comfort, if we did oft think of this with application? Let us oft warm ourselves with these things: let us bring ourselves to the light, let us think of the blessed times to come: could we be unfruitful? This made Saint Paul adjure Timothy, and the Thessalonians, I beseech you by the coming of our Lord jesus Christ, etc. I shall need no greater argument to press you, then as verily as Christ shall come in glory, and as you shall be gathered to him: so hear what I say. So Saint Paul chargeth Timothy, 1 Tim. 6. 13. 1 Tim. 6. 13. I charge thee before Christ, who at his coming, etc. Keep this Commandment. This will move a man's conscience, and carry him to duty, if nothing else will. Let us think seriously Christ will come with thousands of his Angels in glory and majesty, and all shall be glory then, there shall be nothing but glory; glorious in his company, glorious in himself, glorious in his enemies, he shall trample them under his feet, by a glorious confusion, there shall be nothing but glory in heaven and earth then. And we shall come to the same glory; the Spouse shall partake of the glory of her husband. Let us think of this, it will quicken, and inspire all our courses with a spiritual kind of light to all actions, it will enliven, and quicken them. And it will put a kind of manner upon all our actions, that they shall be acceptable to God. For how should we perform all that comes from us? All should be done in sincerity, and constantly, and abundantly, & cheerfully, readily, and willingly, for God requires these qualifications in what we do; now what stirs us up to do all in this manner, acceptably to God, but this consideration? What stirs us up to do things sincerely to Christ? He will appear in glory, therefore let us do things that may stand with his judgement. It is no matter what the reprobates of the world judge, let us do things so as we may stand before Christ at that day. A Christian studies to arraign himself before Christ, that he may do that that may approve him to him that shall be his judge ere long. And so let us hold out, we shall receive a reward, what will make us constant but this? what makes a man sow his seed, that he scarcely can spare, but the hope of a harvest? what makes a man run, but the victory, and the Crown? so what makes a man work, but the hope of reward? be constant, for in him ye shall receive the reward if ye faint not. And so for abounding in good works, your labour is not in vain in the Lord: what made Saint Paul press the abounding in good works? Finally my brethren, be steadfast and unmooveable, al●…y abounding in the work of the Lord, why? for your labour is not in vain in the Lord: your bodies shall rise again ere long in glory, when Christ shall appear you shall appear, and be glorious with him. Therefore abound in the work of the Lord; sow to the Spirit, and you shall reap glory; they that sow sparingly shall reap sparingly. What mkes men abound in works of mercy and love, but this appearing of Christ? If their love be perfect, they have comfort in this appearing, and if they abound in mercy, Christ will appear in mercy to them. And so for cheerfulness: that God also requires in every action, what enlargeth the heart of a man in God's work? what puts fire into his affections but this, that Christ will come and appear in glory ere long? that he will come, and crown every good work, that we shall not lose a good word that hath been spoken in a good cause, not the least good action, not a cup of cold water, but all shall stand on our reckoning at that day when Christ shall come to be 〈◊〉 in his Saints. This makes us do things sincerely, constantly, abundantly, and cheerfully. I beseech you consider from what ground these things come: for these are principles that should be grounds of faith: they are pregnant, and spread themselves through the whole course of a Christians life, and therefore are worthy to be thought often on. Again, why doth God reveal these things before hands, that we shall appear in glory in our body and soul, in our whole man? As it shows us our duty, and the manner ofit, so it is a ground of comfort in all estates; A Christian may think: Now my life is a hidden, secret life. I pass under censures, it is thus in the world, and thus with me; well there will a time come, the time of Resurrection that will make amends for all; for this sickness of body, and disquiet of mind, and all annoyance, 2 and adversity; and it is revealed before hand for our comfort that there shall be such a time that we may make use of it, that we may ground our patience upon it. When Saint Paul exhorts to patience, saith he, The Lord is at hand, and Saint james saith, The judge standeth at the door. Let us be patient in infamies, and sufferings, it will be otherwise ere long, Christ is at hand. Again, that we might continually be breathing out thankfulness to God. Our whole life should be spent in thankfulness to God. Even as the Angels in heaven that stand in the presence of God, and the blessed spirits in heaven, they spend that vigour that is in them: they spend all that is in them, in praising God, in thanks and laud to God, and sing, Glory, glory: so beforehand knowing that ere long we shall appear with Christ, and appear in glory, let us thank him before hand. As Saint Peter saith, Blessed be God that hath begotten 1 Pet. 1. us again to an inheritance, immortal, undefiled, etc. reserved in heaven for us. Let us bless God beforehand, as if we were in heaven already. Certainly if we hope to be with those that shall sit in heavenly places in heaven to praise God, we will begin it on earth: for the life of heaven is begun on earth, we are Kings now, we are Priests now, we are conquerors now, we are new creatures now: we must praise God, and begin the employment of heaven now for what they do perfectly, that we begin to do. In heaven we know there is no ill company, we will abstain from it now; there is no defilement of sin, we will conform ourselves to that estate we hope for: There is nothing but praising of God; as much as may be we will warm our hearts with the moditation of what God hath done, what he doth, and what he hath reserved for the time to come, with that we have in hope. The best things of a Christian especially are in hope: for that which we have by Christ, principally is not in this world: therefore considering that the best things that Christ died for are in hope, let us rejoice in hope, and in rejoicing have our hearts enlarged with praising of God, for that we hope for. And be comforted in all the changes of this life, all the changes for the time to come, and in death itself, which is the last change: are not all degrees to make way for that glorious appearing with Christ? for the soul at death goes to heaven, and the body shall come after: why should we be loath to die, when death is nothing but a change from misery to happiness? a change from the danger of sinning, to an impossibility of sinning, from a vale of misery to a place of happiness, from men to God, from sinful persons that trouble our peace and quiet, to better company in heaven, from actions that are sinful, to actions altogether free from sin. It is a glorious and blessed change every way; we shall have better company, better place, better employment, all glorious then, till the time come that all the Elect be gathered together, and then body and soul shall be for ever with the Lord, 1 Thess. 4. Why then should we 1 Thess. 4. fear changes, when all changes shall end in that that is better? Is a labouring man loath to have his hire, or a weary man loath to have rest? is a King loath to be crowned? is a party contracted loath to have the marriage consummate? why should we be loath to die? We should be ashamed of ourselves, that we have been so long in the School of Christ, and yet have not learned to unloose our affections from earth, to better things, that we stand in fear of death, that makes way to the glory of the soul now; and the eternal glory of body, and soul after. In a word, we are exhorted in the beginning of the Chapter, to have our minds in heaven, where Christ is, and we are exhorted after the text to mortify our earthly members: two necessary duties, to have our conversation in heaven, before we be there, and to mortify our earthly members, to die in our affections to earthly things, before we die indeed; would we have strength put into our souls to perform both these? Let us oft meditate of the things that are between these verses. Let us consider that we are dead, so we should be more lively to God. Consider that our life is hid with Christ, that Christ shall appear ere long, and we with him in glory. We should raise our thoughts to be with Christ, and draw our souls up to Heavenly things, for the more our affections are upwards, the less they will be below: our affections are finice, the more we spend them on heavenly things, the less they will run on earthly. As a man in a trance, his thoughts are taken up with one matter, that he is dead to Simile. other things, so the soul which is taken up with the glory to come, and with Christ, it is dead to earthly things, only it takes them for necessary use, as having use of them in our travel, but it useth the world as if it used it not. And this issues from this principle, that we shall ere long appear with Christ in Glory. There is no man but will drown himself too much with the things of the world, that hath not this to raise up his soul, I shall appear ere long with Christ in glory, and then these things will be consumed. The last point is, how these depend one upon another, that because Christ shall appear in Glory, therefore we. I will touch it a little, because it is a point of faith, that helps our judgement a little. It is a ground of Divinity, that whatsoever is in us that are members, it is in our head first, for God is first, and then Christ mediator, and then we, whatsoever is good is in us, or shall be to us, it is in Christ first. He is justified from our sins, for he was our surety for sin, he was abased for them first: therefore he shall appear then without sin to Glory. Our sin was but imputed to Christ, he became our surety for sin, and he must be abased, therefore we cannot be glorious here, because of our corruptions. Christ was surety for our sins in his first coming: now his resurrection showed, that he had satisfied for our sins; the second time he shall appear in glory: why are we justified from our sins? because Christ, our surety, was acquitted. We ascend glorious●… to heaven, where is the ground of it? he ascended first, and we ascend for him and in him. We sit in heavenly places, why? because he is in heaven before hand: as the Husband takes up a place for his wife: why doth she go into the country, and take it up after? because her husband hath gone before and taken it. Our ascension riseth from his, and our sitting at the right hand of God, from his. And so at the day of judgement, our being glorious, it comes from his. He then shall appear in glory, as the head, and husband of his Church, and shall shine upon all his members. He, as the Sun, shall cast a lustre and beauty, and glory, upon all that are his, and then they shall reflect that glory they have from him, upon him again, and he upon them again, so he shall be glorious in them, and they in him, but the ground of all is, he is first in glory, he shall appear in glory, and then we in him. I speak this the rather, because I would have humble consciences to make use of it in times of desertion, when God seems to be a God that hides himself, when they find no life nor comfort, yet if they have but grace to believe, they may comfort themselves in this: well, I have it but from Christ, and he is perfect in glory, he is ascended, and I shall ascend, and rise, and be glorious, because he is so: Put case now I feel no such matter: it is no matter, I live by faith in Christ, that hath all in fullness, and what he hath done for me, he will do in me, if I believe in him. Let a troubled soul comfort itself with this, it is as impossible that he should be damned, that believes in Christ, as that Christ should be damned, because he believing in Christ, is one with him, and as verlly as Christ is in heaven, he shall be there; for Christ rose for all his. The little finger lives the same life, as the Simile. hand or the foot doth; so a weak christian that hath little grace, he lives by the same faith in Christ that is in glory, as well as they that are stronger. Let us strive and fight with this encouragement, as S. Paul saith, fight the good fight of Faith. Oh! but shall we be always fight and striving? No saith he, lay hold of eternal Life, and then we may well fight against doubts and despair. Let us therefore labour to fight so, that we may lay hold on eternal life, which Christ keeps for us, and keeps us for it, and ere long we shall partake of that we hope for. FINIS. THE REDEMPTION OF BODIES, In one Funeral Sermon upon PHIL. 3. 2●…. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS: Doctor in Divinity, Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. 1 COR. 15: 44. It is sown a natural Body, it is raised a spiritual body. LONDON, Printed by E. Purslow, for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queen's head Alley, in Pater-Noster-Row. 1639. THE REDEMPTION OF BODIES. PHIL. 3. 21. Who shall change our vile Body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious Body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. THE Apostle was now in prison, yet he had a spirit of glory, resting upon him: for he speaks as if he were entered into Heaven, as if he were there before his time; and therefore in Chap. 1. saith he, I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, which is best of all. And I account all dung in comparison of Christ, as he saith in this Chap. and here in the former verse, Our conversation is in Heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, jesus Christ, who shall change our vile bodies, etc. God reserves abundance of comforts to the fittest times, as we see here in Saint Paul in this place. Now he brings in his own example to good purpose, as opposite to false Christians, and false ●…eachers, that he had mentioned before. There are many walk, of whom I have told you oft, etc. they are enemies to the cross of Christ, that mind earthly things, etc. verse 18. But saith he, our conversation is in heaven, he regards not which way they went, he took an opposite course to the world, and swims against the stream: As we see the stars, they have a motion of their own, opposite to the motion that they are carried with. So S. Paul had a motion of his own, opposite to the course of the world, their end is damnation, but our conversation is in Heaven. A christian hath his conversation in Heaven, while he is on earth, he rules his life by the laws of heaven. There are always in the visible Church, some that walk contrary ways, who make their Belly their God, whose end is 〈◊〉. There were some that were christians, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…achers of Christians many of them, yet he saith, their end is damnation, their God is their belly: carnal Christians say, we have all 〈◊〉 the sacrament, etc. Alas we may all partake of this common privilege, and yet our end may be damnation. St. Paul looked on them with a a spirit of compassion, I tell you weeping. So it may be with us, in our Goshe●… here, there may be a spirit of castaways in many, and in the abundance of means there may be many dead souls. But S. Paul regards not what their course was, for saith he, our conversation is in Heaven. From whence we look for the Saviour, etc. That shows why his conversation was in heaven, because his Saviour was in heaven, and therefore his hope was in heaven, Where the treasure is, the heart will be. Having entered into this blessed discourse, he goes on still, who shall change our vile bodies, and fashion them like his glorious body. He brings it in by way of answering an objection. If our conversation be in heaven, why are our bodies yet subject to such afflictions and baseness in this world? It is true they are; but the time shall come that Christ shall change these vile bodies of ours, and fashion them like to his glorious body. ay, but this requires a great deal of power and strength, and we see not how it may be. Therefore saith he, he shall do it by that almighty power, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself, therefore he shall subdue death, the last enemy; he will not do it perhaps according to thy fancy and conceit, but according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself: we must not regard our weak conceits in great matters, but God's power; ye err (saith Christ to the Pharisees) not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. Saint Paul then in these words, and in the verse before, sets down three reasons why his course is opposite to the course of wicked men in his time. First, my City is in heaven, and my conversation is answerable, I take a contrary course, for I am a citizen of another City. And then another reason is, his hope and expectation of a Saviour from heaven, the Lord jesus. Hope & faith, which is the ground of hope, carry up the soul where the thing hoped for is, Our conversation is in heaven, we hope for a Saviour from thence. The third reason is, from the condition of the body, how ever it was now for the present, He shall change our vile body, that it may be like his glorious body. Who shall change our vile body. You see here the Apostle having set himself upon a holy and heavenly meditation, he could not satisfy himself, but goes from point to point, setting down his present holy conversation, grounded upon his future hope of a blessed state to come. Christ shall change our vile body. Our bodies are vile, and our bodies, here is the point then that, The best men's bodies in this world are vile. Vile in regard of the matter whence they are taken, the earth, from the dust; the fairest body is but well coloured dust; base and vile from the beginning, from the womb, base in the whole life, base in death; most base after death. They are base I say in the beginning. But especially, base in our life; our bodies are base in regard of labour; Man is borne to labour (in this world) as the sparks fly upward. God would humble the body of every man with labour, or else those that have not the labour of men here, shall have the labour of devils hereafter. The best body of the best Saints, are condemned to labour. Vile, likewise in regard of sickness, and diseases, which grow out of the body, so that be it kept never so warm and tenderly, yet as the worms grow out of the very wood, and Simile. consumes the wood that breeds it: so diseases grow out of, and come from the body. There is a fight, and conflict between moisture and heat, till the one prey upon the other, and consume it. In regard of sickness therefore they are vile bodies. In regard likewise of disposing the soul the worst way: for take all tempers of the body, they incline the soul to some sin or other, to some ill disposition or other. Choler, inclines it to intemperate anger. Melancholy, to distrust, and darkness of spirit. The Sanguine, inclines it to liberty and looseness, etc. Phlegm, to deadness, and dulness of spirit. So our base bodies make the soul dull, it becomes an unfit instrument, whereby the soul cannot work as it would; an unfit house; the body is oft times a dark house: sometimes a house that drops in with moist diseases, a house that lets in water, and so consumes it to rottenness; sometimes, it is a house fired by hot diseases, it is thus indisposed, and therefore a vile body. A vile body likewise, that when it is thus indisposed, there is no comfort in the earth that can comfort it: for all the foundation of comfort in this world, is the health of this poor body. A Kingdom, nay all the Kingdoms in the world will not comfort a man, if his body be not in tune, and alas, how soon is this body out of tune? An instrument that hath many strings, is soon subject to be out of tune, and there are many strings in the body: how many turnings? how many instruments doth the soul use? if any be out of tune, the music is hindered, it becomes an unfit instrument, in this regard it is a vile body. In regard likewise of the necessities of nature this body is vile in this world. I speak not of what comes from the body, in which respect it is base and vile: but how many things doth this vile body stand in need of? man in that respect, is the basest creature in the world; he is b-holding to the worms, he is beholding to nature to feed him in health, & in sickness the body needs patching up, and piecing by this creature, and by that; so it is a vile body, in regard of the necessities of it, in health, in sickness, in youth, in age. It is vile in life. I need not stand on this. It is more vile in death, in the hour of death, than it is base and vile indeed; can we endure the sight of our dearest friends? how noisome is their presence after death? and the most exquisite temper, is the most vile, and noisome of all; those that are most delicately fed, and most beautifully faced, are most offensive, and this is the condition of all. That head that wore a Crown, those hands that swayed a Sceptre; those brains, and that understanding that ruled many Kingdoms, all are subject to death, yea, and to baseness after death, as well as those that are poorer. And then they are vile bodies, because they are subject to all manner of deaths: the bodies of God's Saints have been cast out to the fowls of the Air; the poor Martyrs, how many ways have they tasted of death? These bodies are subject to all manner of deaths, to variety of deaths, therefore they are vile bodies. And then they are vile after death; as we were taken out of dust at the first, so we return to dust again; and if these bodies be not transformed to be like the glorious body of Christ, they are most vile of all. The spirit of despair, the spirit of anger that, is in reprobate persons, how doth it disfigure their faces? one may see their shame, their grief, their despair in their very looks; so their bodies are most vile, and dishonourable: but I speak of God's Children. I say here in this world, in regard that they come of parents that are miserable and sinful, Man that is borne of a woman, hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery, job 14. 1. Man that is borne of a woman, of a weak, miserable, sinful woman, john 14. 1. in this respect it is a vile body. And in all the passages of our life, in respect of labour and pain, and sicknesses, and diseases; and likewise for indisposing the soul, that it is an instrument to ill: and in death itself, more vile then in life, and after death most of all vile. So you see they are vile bodies every way. To make some use of this. If this be so, considering what the condition of our body is here; let this abate the pride of the greatest: let them consider, when they look upon their gay apparel, what doth these garments hide? when great Magistrates, and others have their purple on, let them consider, what doth this glorious garment cover? nothing but dust, a vile body, why should we be proud then of our bodies, or of any ornament of our body, seeing it is a vile body? Again, if our bodies be vile and base, why should we spend the strength of our souls in searching to satisfy the lusts of so vile a body? and so make our souls nothing else almost, but stewards to proule how to content, how to clothe and how to feed this body? as it is the study of many idle, vain persons, almost all the day long, to give contentment to the craving lusts of this vile body, they make even an idol of this poor, base piece of flesh, and sacrifice the best of their thoughts, and the best of their studies, and endeavours, and labours to the contentment of it: certainly this is forgotten, which the Apostle saith here, It is a vile and base body. Again, is our body a vile body, a base body, as we have it here? then let us not make it more vile by intemperate courses, as wicked persons do, they dishonour their bodies. They are vile indeed, make the best of them we can, and they will end in dust; but we ought not sinfully to make them more vile and base, as many wretched persons do by their loose and licentious courses of life. Again, if our bodies be vile base bodies, while we live here, let us not offend God for any thing to gratify our vile bodies, let us do as joseph did, when his mistress tempted him, he left his garment behind him rather: so when we are tempted to any sin, let us rather leave our garments behind us, let us leave our bodies, they are but vile bodies, let us be stripped of them, rather than offend God. It is pitiful to consider how this vile body, as vile as it is, and shall be in death, how it tyrannizeth over the poor soul, and how men wound their souls for their bodies. How many are there that justify errors that they condemn in their hearts, to live a lazy, idle, a full, a plentiful life? and how many do condemn those things, those courses, and those truths, (to please others, and to live a large, and idle life) which they justify in their very souls? and all to please the flesh. It is but a bad counsellor, a bad solicitor, I say it tyrannizeth over the poor soul. Let us not offend God or conscience, to break the peace of it for any thing, to gratify this vile flesh. This I thought good to touch concerning that. Who shall change our vile bodies. Change. The action that Christ shall exercise about them is Change. Christ will Change our vile bodies. They are vile now, they shall not be always so, but Christ will Change our vile bodies. He will not give us other bodies for them: but he will change them in regard of quality. For even as the great world was the same after the flood, as it was before the flood, and shall be when it is consumed by fire, it shall be a new world for quality, but the same for substance: so this body of ours, it shall be the same after the resurrection for substance, that it is now: it shall be altered for quality, it shall not be changed for substance. Therefore he shall change, he shall not abolish our vile bodies. This is the action that our blessed Saviour will exercise upon these vile bodies, they shall be changed. Man is the most changeable creature in the world, for soul and for body too. Take him in his soul, how many states is he in? There is first the state of nature in perfection; and then the state of corruption in original sin; and then the state of grace in the new creature, and then the state of glory. So likewise he is changeable in his body, he was first taken out of the dust, out of the dust God made this glorious creature of man's body; he is a painful creature, in labour, in sickness, and then from strength he is changed to old age, and from thence to death, and dust, and from dust than he is changed again to a more glorious estate then ever he was in: the body is made like the glorious body of Christ, he is changeable in soul and in body. But this is our comfort, we shall change for the best, all the changes of our bodies serve for the last change, after which, there shall never be any more change, when they are changed once to be glorious, they shall be for ever glorious: a blessed change, a blessed estate of a christian, all his changes tend to a state that shall never change: for after these bodies are once changed from base, to be glorious, they shall be for ever glorious, Who The person that shall change them is Christ, ●…ho, who shall change our vile bodies. In the person, we may consider the object and the action: Christ shall change our vile bodies, he that made us will make us again, he that is the Image of God will refine us, he will renew us in body and soul to be like God, to be like himself, and he that changeth our souls in this world, will change our bodies in the world to come. His first coming was to change our souls, to deliver them from the bondage of Satan; his second coming shall be to deliver our bodies from the bondage of Corruption, that is, the day of the Redemption of our bodies, as the Apostle calls it, Rom. 8. So it is he that shall change, but of this I shall speak more afterward. What is the pattern, according to which this body shall be changed, by this author of it, Christ Jesus? His own body; he shall change our vile bodies. That it may be made like, or fashioned 〈◊〉 his glorious body. He is both the c●…se and the pa●…e the efficient, and the exemp●… cause. He is the pattern, our bodies shall be like his glorious body, even as our ●…oules are like Christ's 〈◊〉 for this is certain, we are renewed in grace, not to the Image of the first Adam, but to the Image of the second Adam, we are conformed in soul to the Image of Christ in ●…nesse, and righteousness: so likewise in the body, we shall be conformable to the body of Christ, the second Adam: As we bore the Image of the first Adam in our first creation; so we must bear the Image of the second in our 〈◊〉tion, at the day of the resurrection. The glorious body of Christ is the pattern of this transmutation and change. But we most understand this, as I said, 〈◊〉 regard of quality, and not in regard of equality: our body shall be like his glorious body, not equal to his glorious body. There must be a reservation therefore of difference in heaven, between the head and the members, the husband and the spouse, our bodies shall be like his glorious body, not equal to it. To our capacity we shall have full satisfaction, and contentment for body and soul too, and they shall have security to be in that estate for ever, therefore, though there be a difference of glory, yet that difference is no prejudice to the glory we shall have, we shall have that that is fit for us, Our body shall be made like unto his glorious body. Christ is our pattern. Whence we see this point of Divinity clear to us, that Whatsoever is in us, both for soul and body, (but here we speak of the body) whatsoever excellency is in us, it is at the second hand. It is first in our head, first in Christ, and then in us, He is first the Son of God by nature, we are the Sons of God by Adoption: he is the predestinated Son of God to save us, to be our head, we are predestinate to be his members; he is the son of God's love, we are beloved in him, he is full of grace, of his fullness we receive grace for grace; he rose, and we shall rise, because he rose first: He ascended into Heaven, by virtue of his ascension, we shall ascend into heaven too. He sits at the right hand of God inglory, and by virtue of his sitting, we sit there together with him in heavenly places. Whatsoever is graciously, or gloriously good that is in us, it is first in our blessed and glorious Saviour. Therefore let us look to him, and be thankful to God for him: when we thank God for ourselves, let us thank God first for giving Christ who is the pattern to whom we are conformed. Let us give thanks for him, as S. Peter doth, Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord jesus Christ: if he had not been his Father, he had not been ours. We cannot stand before God of ourselves, but in one that is perfect in himself, God-Man. Therefore when we bless God for grace, and glory that belongs to us, let us bless him for giving Christ, that in him we are happy, he conforms us in grace here, and in glory hereafter, in body and soul to our glorious Saviour. And as it is a ground of thankfulness to God for Christ, so it yields us a rule for meditation: when we would think of any thing in ourselves, let us go to our head, to Christ, in whom we have all we have, and that we hope to have: of his fullness we receive, not only grace for grace, but glory for glory: of all the glory he hath, we have answerable to him; and surely it is a transforming meditation, to think of Christ's glory, and to see ourselves in him, to think of grace in Christ, and of our interest in grace in him, we must not think of him as an abstracted head, severed from us, but think of his glory, and our glory in him and by him, he is glorious, and we shall be glorious likewise. Again you see here, that how soever our bodies are vile for the present, yet they shall not be so for ever, they shall be glorious bodies, like to CHRIST'S Body; the point than is that, As Christ is the pattern of the glory of our body, so our body undoubtedly shall be glorious as his body is. This vile body shall be glorious, even like Christ's glorious Body. I need not stand to proveit, I proved it before. What should this afford us? Then ●…let us use them to a glorious end, let us not use these base bodies to base purposes. Let every member of this vile body, while we live here, be a weapon of a sanctified soul, a weapon of righteousness, ready to do good. Let us put honour upon these bodies, that shall be thus honoured, let us use them for honourable purposes. Let us lift up our eyes to Heaven, let us reach forth our hands to good works: let our feet that have carried us to ill heretofore, carry us to the service of God; for these very vile Bodies, shall be glorious bodies. The very same eyes that have been lift up to God in prayer, those very hands that now are instruments of good works, those very knees that are humbled to God in prayer, and those feet that have carried us to holy exercises, and those spirits that are wasted and spent in holy meditation, even these, this vile body, that is thus holily used, shall be a glorious body, therefore let us use it answerably. And labour to lay it down with honour in the dust, to leave it with a good report to the world, considering it shall be so glorious afterward. Do those think of this, that use their bodies for base purposes? whose eyes are full of Adultery, whose hands are full of rapine, whose feet carry them to base places, where they defile themselves, whose bodies, every member is a weapon and instrument of sinning against God? How can these dare to think of that glorious day, wherein our vile bodies shall be made like the glorious body of Christ, can they hope that those hands, and those feet of that body, shall be made glorious, that have been defiled? that have been instruments to make others likewise sin? can such a body look for glory? let us not deceive ourselves; this vile body indeed shall be a glorious body. I but it must be used accordingly, unless we have a presumptuous hope. This body shall be glorious, this very vile body, this corruptible shall put on incorruption, the same body, as the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 15. I believe the resurrection of this body, as we say in the Creed. S. Paul pointed to his own body, this body, this mortal shall put on immortality. If this body shall be glorious, how base soever it be in this world, than again let us honour poor Christians, though we see them vile and base; and honour aged Christians, and deformed: alas, look not on them as they are, but as they shall be, as they are in the decree of Christ, and as they shall be ere long by the power of Christ, he will make them like his glorious body. Let us not despise weak, or old, or deformed persons, these vile bodies shall be glorious: those that died in martyrdom, whose bodies were cast into the fire, and cast to wild beasts, etc. they shall be glorious bodies. The Emperor Constantine would kiss the very holes of the eyes of those that had their eyes pulled out, that had been martyred: So even our vile bodies, when they are used in the service of God, in suffering, they shall be glorious bodies, let us honour our bodies, or theirs that suffer for Christ. S. Paul made it his plea, and a ground of his confidence, because his body was vile for Christ. I Paul a prisoner of jesus Christ, and I carry in my body the marks of the Lord jesus. The dying of Christ, that the life of Christ might be manifest. He carried Christ's marks in his body: making this an argument of respect, that he was a prisoner: so when any are abased for Christ's sake, let us think these are such as shall have glorious bodies, how ere they are esteemed of the world. But to enlarge the point a little further, these bodies shall be made like the body of Christ. Wherein shall this Glory of our bodies Quest. consist? Especially in these six endowments, our bodies Answer. be now vile, and perhaps imperfect, they want a member, a sense or a limb, our bodies then shall be perfect, even as Christ's body is. Those martyrs that have been dismembered, shall then have perfect bodies. Let us not be asrayd to lose a limb, or a joint, for Christ, or a good cause, if our bodies be made vile for Christ, they shall be made perfect afterward. Then again, our Bodies then shall be beautiful Adam in his innocency had such a beauty in his body, that the very creatures reverenced him, he was awful to the very creatures: so the body of our blessed Saviour, now in heaven, is wondrous beautiful, and so shall our bodies be, how deformed soever they be now. Let us not stand therefore upon any present deformity of our bodies now, with years▪ or sickness, or other means, they shall not always be so, we shall have beautiful bodies. Nay more than so, the third endowment is, we shall have glorious bodies: as we see Christ in the mount, when he was transfigured, and Moses, and Elias were with him, his body was glorious, they could hardly behold him. And Christ, in Revel. 1. he appears, as the Sun in his Revel. 1. full strength, his body is wondrous glorious now in Heaven, and so he is represented there: If the very representation of him while he was upon earth, was so glorious in the mount, what is it in Heaven? S. Paul could not endure the light that shined to him. Act. 9 So shall our Act. 9 Bodies be, like the glorious Body of Christ. What a glorious time will it be, when the glorious body of Christ shall appear, and all the Saints shall appear in glory? what a reflection of beauty and glory will there be, one shining upon another, when Christ shall come to be glorious in his Saints? Oh! the glory of the body of God's children, it shall put down all created glory, all the glory of the Sun, and Moon, and all the glory of these inferior bodies are nothing to the glory of the body of a Christian, that doth abase his body here for Christ, and the Church's sake. You see then these bodies shall be perfect, and beautiful, and glorious bodies in regard of the Iust●…e of them. And likewise in the fourth place, they shall be immortal bodies, bodies that shall never die, unchangeable bodies; there shall be no altoration, no death, no sickness, all tears shall be wiped from our eyes, they shall be immortal bodies that shall never die, as Saint Peter saith, We shall have an inheritance undefiled, immortal, etc. This is clear, therefore I will not stand in the enlarging of it. In the next place, our bodies shall be powerful and vigorous: now they are weak, as Saint Paul saith, 1 Cor. 15. Our bodies are 1 Cor. 15. ●…wen in weakness, but then they shall be able to ascend and descend; they shall be strong, even as the body of Christ: we shall have strong bodies, as all imperfection, so all weakness shall be taken away. In the sixth place they shall be spiritual bodies, that is, they shall not stand in need of meat, and drink, and sleep, and refresh, as now they do, but Christ will be all in all to them, he will be instead of meat and drink, & clothes: yea, and in stead of the Ordinances that we stand in need of here, the Word, and Sacraments, he will be all in all. And our bodies shall be spiritual in another regard, because they shall be subject to the spirit; whereas now our very spirits are flesh, because the flesh rules and tyrannizeth over them: so our souls follow our bodies, the soul of a carnal man is flesh; but then out flesh, our bodies shall be spiritual, not that they shall be turned into spirits, that is not the meaning, but spiritual bodies; obedient and obsequious to the very guidance of the soul, to a sanctified and glorious soul: these shall be the endowments of our bodies. They shall be perfect bodies, beautiful, glorious, shining bodies, immortal, unchangeable bodies, powerful, strong, and vigorous bodies, ready to move from place to place, and spiritual bodies, they shall stand in need of no other help; and they shall be obedient altogether to the spirit. You see now, how these vile bodies draw away our souls; then all imperfections shall be taken away, we shall have purged bodies, and purged souls. Thus you see wherein the glory of the body shall consist. Let us therefore often seriously think of these things: and let me renew my former exhortation: let us be content to make our bodies here vile for Christ's sake, that they may be thus glorious. Let us abase them in labour and pains in our calling, in suffering, we do no more than he did for us first. Was not his body first vile, and then glorious? and do we think that our bodies must not be vile before they be glorious? not only vile whether we will or no; but we must willingly make them vile, we must be willing to be disgraced for Christ's sake, to carry his death about us, to die daily, in the resolution of our souls. How was he abased before he was glorious? he took on him our bodies at the worst, not in the perfection as it was created: but he took the body of man now fallen. Again, what pains did he take in this body? and how was he disgraced in this body? that sacred face was spit upon, those blessed hands and feet, were nailed to the Cross, that blessed head, that is revere●…ced of the Angels, it was crowned with thorns. How was his body every way, in all the parts of it, abased and made vile for us? he neglected his refresh for us: it was meat and drink to him to do good. If he became vile for us, if he abased his body for us, certainly we should be ashamed, if we be not content that our bodies should be made vile for him, that afterwards they may be made like his glorious body. Away with these nice Christians, that are afraid of the wind blowing on them, or the Sun shining upon them, that are afraid to do any thing, or to suffer any thing, and so in sparing their bodies, destroy both body and soul. Consider, whoever thou art, this is not a life for thy body, this present life is a life for the soul: we come now to have the Image of God in our souls in this life especially, and to have in our souls the life of grace here; but the life and happiness of our body, is for this second coming of Christ, the glory of the body, this life is not a time for the body; do what we can it will be a vile body; cherish it, set it out how thou canst, those painted sepulchers that would outface age, and outface death, and by colours and complexion, etc. hide those furrows that age makes in the face, they are but vile, and age, and death will be too good for them, to dust they will. Why should we regard our bodies? this life is not for them, though we 〈◊〉 dainty of them. Let us use this body here so, as it may be glorious in the world to come: we should suffer our souls to rule our bodies, and to do all here, that both body and soul may be glorious after. For indeed all that the body hath here, it is beholding to the soul for, why therefore should it not be an instrument for the soul in holy things? doth not the soul quicken it? hath it not its beauty from the soul? when the soul is gone out of the body, where is the life? where is the beauty, where is any thing? the body is a loathsome carcase. Now therefore while the soul is in this body, look to the soul especially, that when the soul shall go to heaven, the soul be mindful of, and speak a good word for the body; as Pharaohs Butler did for joseph, that the soul there may think of the body, that it may think of the pains, of the suffering; as the soul doth, it hath an appetite in heaven, a desire to be joined again to the body, which it useth to labour in, to pray to God in, which it used to fast in, which it used as an instrument to good actions. Let us use it so here; that the soul may desire to meet it again, that Christ at that day may bring body and soul together to be glorious for ever. That it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. We see here then, that the best is to come; the best change, after which there shall be no change, is to come. The weakest is the first, and the second is better, the second Adam is better than the first, and the second life shall be better than the first; our bodies as they shall be glorious, shall be better than they were in the first creation: they shall be glorious bodies, like unto Christ's. Oh! the comfort of a Christian, there is nothing that is behind, nothing to come, but it is for the better; there shall be a change, but it shall be a change for the better. A Christian is a person full of hope, he is under a glorious hope, under a hope of glory of soul and body, he is always under hope, the hope of glory; therefore he joys under this hope, Rom. 5. 1. That it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. Rom. 5. 1. But how shall any Christian know, that his Quest. body shall be like to the glorious body of Christ? I answer, he may know it from this. The change of a Christian begins in his Answer. soul: Christ begins the change of our souls to be like his, full of love, and obedience to God, full of pity, and compassion to men, full of industry to do good; our souls will be like Christ's soul: first look to thy soul, what stamp that bears, is there the Image of Christ on thy soul? certainly he that hath transformed this soul to be gracious, he will transform the body to be glorious, like his glorious body. Look to thy soul then; if thou art the child of God by adoption, if thou hast the spirit of adoption and grace, and findest peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy-Ghost; thou mayst know thou shalt have the adoption of thy body, thou hast the first adoption, in thy soul, thou art the child of God; know that thou shalt have the second adoption spoken of, Rom. 8. We wait for the adoption of our bodies. If thou partake of the Rom. 8. first resurrection, that thy soul is raised from sin; thou shalt partake of the second resurrection, at the day of Judgement. For Christ is a perfect Saviour, he saves not only the soul, but the body, though he begin with the soul, he ends with the body. He took our bodies as well as our souls, and he will glorify our bodies, as well as our souls; and if we find the work of grace, a Spirit of glory in our souls, undoubtedly we may know that our bodies shall be glorious. Again, thou mayst know that thou shalt partake of this glorious estate, that thy body shall be like the glorious body of Christ, by the use that this body is put to; how dost thou use this vile body for the time thou livest now? dost thou use it to the base services of sin? dost 〈◊〉 beat thy brain, and thy breast, and thy spirits, dost thou take up thy time, and all to provide for the flesh? whither doth thy feet carry thee? what dost thou ●…eddle with in the world? are all thy members weapons of an unsanctified soul, to offend God, and to fight against thy soul? to cherish lusts that fight against thy soul, and against thy Maker and Redeemer? then know this, that thou hast no hope of glory, He that hath this hope, purgeth himself, and is pure as he is pure. This hope, where it is found, it is a purging, a cleansing hope, and all the members of the body will be used to a sanctified purpose: a man will not sacrilegiously use those members that are dedicated to Christ, that are Temples of the Holy-Ghost, that are fellow heirs, as Saint Peter saith, concerning the wife, and the husband; the body is a fellow-heire with the soul of glory, he will not use it to the base services of sin. He that shall have a glorious body, will esteem so of it here. What, shall I use the Temple of the Holy-Ghost, that, that is a fellow-heire of heaven with my soul, that is the Spouse of Christ, a member of Christ, as well as my soul, shall I use it to these, and these base services? It cannot be, if a man have the new nature in him, he cannot, it will not suffer him to sin in this manner, he cannot prostitute his body to base services, those that do so, how can they hope that their bodies should be glorious like unto Christ's. Saint Paul gives three Evidences in one place, to know our interest in this glory 2 Cor. 5. 1. of our bodies, in 2 Cor. 5. 1. saith he, we know that when this earthly house, or Tabernacle shall be dissolved, we have a building, etc. We know we have a glorious building, a double building, heaven and our bodies, we have two glorious houses, heaven, and these bodies shall be a glorious house, But how do we know this? Saith he, in the second verse, we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon: there is a wondrous desire after this clothing, Rom. 8. The creature groaneth, much more we that have the first fruits of the Spirit. There will be a sighing for this glory, awaiting for the blessed coming of Christ; for Christ to redeem soul and body perfectly, that is the first sign, a desire and groaning earnestly. In the fourth verse there is another evidence, He that hath wrought us for the same things i●… God. He that hath wrought us for the blessed estate to come, is God: so, whosoever hopes for a house in heaven, when this Tabernacle is dissolved, he is wrought for it, that is, he is a new creature for it; God hath wrought his soul and body for it. God fits our souls here, to possess a glorious body after, and he will fit the body for a glorious soul, so both shall be glorious, a glorious soul, and a glorious body, he hath wrought us for the same. If a man therefore find the beginning of the new creature, that it is begun to be wrought in him, he may know that he shall partake of this glory of the body, because He is wrought for it. The third is, Who hath also given us the earnest of the Spirit, whosoever finds in them the Spirit of God, sanctifying their souls and bodies, stirring them up to holy duties, guiding, and leading, and moving them to holy actions; they may from the sanctifying Spirit, that is an earnest to them, know what shall become of their bodies, He hath given us the earnest of the Spirit. To confirm this, there is an excellent place in Ro. 8. 10: If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. If Christ be in you the body is dead, etc. It is a vile body, it as good as dead, it hath the sentence of death already, it is dead, in regard it is sentenced to death for sin, as a malefactor that hath his sentence: But the Spirit is life in regard of righteousness. What then? if the sanctifying Spirit of Christ dwell in you, He that raised jesus from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies. The same Spirit that sanctifies these souls of ours, our bodies, and quickens them to holy duties, the same Spirit shall raise our bodies. As the same Spirit that sanctified the blessed mass of the body of Christ, that he carried, and raised his body, the same Spirit that sanctifies our souls, shall raise our bodies. The Spirit of God when he hath begun to sanctify us, he never leaves us, he goes along in all changes, in life, in death, to the grave, (as God said to jacob, I will be with thee there.) The Spirit of God, he will mould our dead bodies, and make them like the glorious body of Christ; the Spirit of God never leaves our souls or bodies. Therefore if we find the earnest of the Spirit, if we find the work of the Spirit, or the comfort of the Spirit, (which is the term the Scripture gives) joy in the Holy-Ghost and peace of conscience; together with the Spirit sanctifying us, especially in the time of trouble, when God sees his Children have most need, they have the earnest of the Spirit, the beginnings of grace and joy, the beginnings of heaven upon earth; by this they may know, as the first fruit is, so likewise is the harvest; as the earnest is, even so is the bargain; as we have it now in our souls, so we shall also have it in our bodies, and souls hereafter. These three grounds Saint Paul hath, why his hope of heaven was a good hope, we groan for it, and we are wrought for it; we are fitted for it. There is no man can hope to be glorious in his body, but his soul must be fitted for it, it must be a fit jewel for so glorious a casket, a fit inhabitant for so glorious a Temple, as the body shall be, the body shall be fitted for the soul, and the soul for the body, they are wrought for it. And then he hath given us the earnest of the Spirit. What need I quote further evidences the, Scripture being thus pregnant? I beseech you often consider your desires, whether you be content to live here always or no, to satisfy the vile lusts of your body, or whether you desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, when you have done the work that God sent you for into the world: if we be content to abase ourselves for God here, who hath provided so much glory for us hereafter, and when the time comes, we can desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, it is a good sign, (if we have the beginnings of the new creature, ye are wrought for it) that our souls are fitted for a glorious body, we have the earnest of the Spirit: the same Spirit that sanctifieth our souls, and that quickens our souls with joy and peace, the same Spirit shall raise our bodies. Comfort yourselves you that are christian's (though you be weak) with this, that if you have but the earnest of the Spirit, undoubtedly you shall have a glorious house instead of this tabernacle of dust. Christ will change these vile bodies, that they shall be fashioned like his glorious body. I beseech you therefore oft think of this, think of the time to come, comfort yourselves with▪ things to come. In 1 Thess. 4. Saint 1 Thess. 4. Paul would have us talk one to another often of this, this should be the matter of our conference, not only the state of the Church and our own estate here, but how it shall be with us when we are gone hence, how it shall be with us world without end hereafter, we should confer, and speak, and oft meditate and think of these things. What can be grievous? what can be over burdensome to that soul that knows it hath the pledge, and earnest of glory hereafter? How doth it quicken the soul to any endeavour, when once we know, that how soever we abase ourselves here, yet we shall have glorious bodies hereafter. It will quicken us to any endeavour, to any thing for Christ: therefore let us oft think of our estate to come, let us set our thoughts forward to the time to come: Let faith make the times to come present, and that will make us heavenly minded. What made Saint Paul converse as if he were in heaven? faith made the estate to come present, and hope, which is grounded on faith, it looks to Christ's coming, to change our vile bodies, so faith and hope, they make the soul look upward, they make it heavenly minded. Our souls are dull, and our bodies are dull in this world; but as Iron if it be touched with a Load stone, up it will; so if we get faith, and hope to look forward, what shall be done to us for the time to come? the spirit of faith and hope if it touch the soul, will carry our dull bodies, and our dead souls upward. Therefore let us cherish our faith and hope, by often meditation of the blessed estate to come, and think of these two things, of the excellent estate of our bodies and souls then: for if our bodies shall then be glorious like the body of Christ, our souls much more; the inhabitant, which is the special part, the soul shall be much more glorious. Let us think oft of this glory as it is described in the Word; it transcends our thoughts: we cannot think high enough of it, and our interest, and assurance of it. And daily search ourselves, whether our hope be good or no, that we have sound evidence, that our title is good to glory. Let us examine ourselves by those signs I named before. Where are our desires? what work hath the Spirit of God in us? how do we use these bodies of ours? As we use them now, we must look they shall be used hereafter. Let our tongues be our glory now, and they shall be glor●…ous tongues afterward to praise God in heaven: their bodies that have been glorious here, shall be glorious in heaven. We may read our estate to come, by that we are here: those that carry themselves basely, and filthily, and dishonourably here, we may know what will become of them hereafter. Let us oft think of the estate to come, and of our interest in it; and both these together, the excellency of the estate, and our interest in it without deceiving of our souls, what life will it put into all our carriage? what will be grievous to us in this world, when our souls are thus settled? Oh, let us spend a few days fruitfully and painfully here amongst men, and do all the good we can, and use these bodies of ours to all the happy, and blessed services we can; why? we shall have glory more than we can imagine. Let it comfort us in the hour of death, what death soever we die, or are designed to. Now you know the sickness is abroad, and alas those bodies especially are vile bodies that are under the visitation; so then, that their dearest friends, dare not come near them: yet let this comfort us; they are vile bodies for a time, put case we die the death that may hinder the comforts of this life. Those that die in much honour and pomp, and have their bodies imbalmed, do all what they can with the body, it will come to dust and rottenness; it will be vile in death, or after death, at one time or other, and those that die never so vile and violent a death for God's sake; those that die of this base death, that they are deprived of much comfort; yet let it comfort them, Christ will transform their vile bodies to be glorious. They talk much of the Philosopher's stone, that it will change metals into gold, here is the true Stone, that will change our vile bodies to be glorious. Let us die never so base or violent a death, let us comfort ourselves in our own death, if it be thus with us, and in the death of our friends, these vile bodies, when they are most vile in death, they shall be made like the glorious body of Christ. Let us oft think of these things. FINIS. BALAAMS' WISH. In one Funeral Sermon upon NUMB. 23. 10. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS: Doctor in Divinity, Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. PRO. 13. 4. The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing. LONDON, Printed by E. Purslow, for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queen's head Alley, in Pater-Noster-Row. 1639. BALAAMS' WISH. NUMB. 23. 10. Let me die the death of the Righteous, and let my last end be like his. THe false Prophet Balaam goes about to curse, where God had blessed: but God reveals his wonders in his Saints, by delivering of them, and keeping them from dangers, when they never think of them, they never thought they had such an enemy as Balaam. The Church of God is a glorious company, and the great God doth great things for it: so long as they keep close to him, their state is impregnable, as we may read here, neither Balak nor Balaam, that was nired to curse them, could prevail, but the curse returns upon their own head. These words I have read to you, they are Balaams' desire, Balaams' acclamation. Divers questions might be moved concerning Balaam, which I will not stand upon, but come directly to the words, wherein are considerable these things. First that the righteous men die, and have an end as well as others. Secondly, that the state of the soul continues after death, it was in vain for him to desire to die the death of the righteous, but in regard of the subsistence of the soul. Thirdly that the estate of righteous men in their end, is a blessed estate, because here it was the desire of Balaam: oh that I might die the death of the righteous! Fourthly, there is an excellent estate of God's people, and they desire that portion: oh let me die the death of the righteous. These are the four things I shall unfold, which discover the intendment of Balaam, in these words. For the first I will touch it briefly, & so go on. The righteous dye, and in the same manner outwardly Observ. 1. The righteous die, as well as the wicked. as the wicked do. For Christ in his first coming came not to redeem our bodies from death, but our souls from damnation, his second coming shall be to redeem our bodies from corruption, into a glorious liberty. Therefore wise men die as well as fools: those whose eyes and hands have been lift up to God in prayer, and whose feet have carried them to the holy place, as well as those whose eyes are full of adultery, and whose hands are full of blood, they die all alike, in manner alike; ofttimes it is the same in the eye of the world; Death comes upon good and bad, but to the good for their greater glory, for the shell must be broken, before they come to the pearl; death it fits them for the blessed life after, the body lying a while in the grave, the soul being in the hands of God: and death now it makes an end of sin that brought in death: and it makes us conformable to the son of God, our elder brother that died for us. The point is pregnant, and full of gracious and serious meditations. It should enforce this excellent duty, that Use. 1. To improove●… the short time of life. considering we have no long continuance here, therefore while we are here, to do that, wherefore we come into the world. As a factor that is sent into a place, to provide such goods before hand: let us consider that here we are sent to get into a state of Salvation, to get out of the state of nature, into the state of grace, to furnish our souls with grace; to fit us for our dissolution to come: let us not forget the main end of our living here, considering we cannot be here long, let us do the work that God hath put into our hands, quickly and faithfully with all our might. And let it enforce moderation to all earthly Use 2. To use the world moderately. things, the time is short, therefore let those that use the world, be as if they used it not, etc. Those friends that have been joined together will part, therefore let us use our bodies and souls so, that we may present them both comfortably to God: Let us beg of God to make a right use of this fading condition. But I hasten. The second point is this; that, Observ. 2. The soul continues after death. The estate of the soul continues after death. For here he wisheth to die the death of the righteous, not for any excellency in death, but in regard of the subsistence and continuance of the soul after death. Scripture, and reason, and nature, enforceth this, that the soul hath a subsistence of itself, distinct from the life it communicates to the body. There is a double life, a life proper to the soul, and the life it communicates to the Life of the soul double. body: now when the life it communicates to the body is gone to dissolution, itself hath a life in heaven. And indeed it is in a manner the whole man: for Abraham, was Abraham when he was dead, when his soul was in heaven, and his body in the grave, it is the whole man. And it discovers indeed that it hath a distinct life, and excellency in itself, by reason 1 Reason. It crosses the desires of the body. that it thwarts the desires of the body when it is in the body. Reason, if there be no grace in the soul, that crosseth the inclination of the body; grace much more. And we see ofttimes when the outward man is weak, as in sickness, 2 Reason. It operates most in the body's weakness. etc. then the Understanding, Will, and affections, the inward man is most sublime, and rapt unto heaven, and is most wise. Take a man that hath been besotted all his life time, that hath been drunk with the pleasures of a carnal life, that hath been a covetous wretch, an earthworm, that enjoys not heaven, but lives as his wealth, and lusts carry him in slavery; yet at the hour of death, when he considers that he hath scraped together, and considers the way that his lusts have lead him, and that all must leave him; now he begins to be wi●…e, and speaks more discreetly, he can speak of the vanity of these things, and how little good they can do. Indeed many, way, the most men are not wise until that time: therefore the soul of itself hath a distinct being, because when the body is lowest, it is most refined, and strong in its operations. Likewise it appears by the projects that it 3 Reason. It projects for the time to come. hath of the time to come: the soul especially of men, that are of more elevated and refined spirits; it projects for the time to come, what shall become of the Church and Commonwealth, what shall become of posterity, and of reputation and credit in the world. Certainly, unless there were a subsistence of itself, it would never look so much before hand, and lay the grounds of the prosperity of the Church and Commonwealth, for the time to come: I will not stand further on it, but rather make some use of it. Use. To use our souls to the end they were given. Let us know which is our best part, namely the soul, that hath a being after death, that we do not employ it to base uses, for which it was not made nor given us: do we think that these souls of ours were made, and given us to scrape wealth? to travel in our affections to base things worse than our souls? are they not capable of supernatural and excellent things? are they not capable of grace and glory? of communion with God, of the blessed stamp of the Image of God? Let us use them therefore, to the end that God gave them. And let us not deserve so ill of our souls, as to betray them, to cast them in the dirt, to lay our Crown in the dust. This is our excellency, what can keep our bodies from being a deformed loathsome thing, if the soul be taken away? yet so we abase this excellent part; oft times we abase it to serve the base lusts of the body, which is condemned to rottenness. What is the life of most men, but a purveying and prouling for the body? The lusts of the body set the wit, and affections on work to proule for itself, what a base thing is this? Were our souls given us for this end? and especially considering this, that our souls are immortal, that they shall never die, but be for ever: let us not altogether spend this precious time that is given us to save our souls, and to get the Image of God stamped upon them, I say, let us not spend this precious time in things that will leave us when our souls shall live still: let us not carry the matter so, that our souls shall outlive our happiness. All worldlings, Worldly men out live their happiness. and base creatures, they outlive their happiness; for where do they plant it? in the base things of this life: all their life long they are prouling for those things that they must leave when they die: whereas their souls shall not die, but everlastingly subsist. What a misery is this, that these souls of ours shall have a being, when the things wherein we placed our happiness, and abused our souls to gain them, they shall have an end? The souls of such men that seek the things of this life, shall have a being in eternal misery. Indeed so it is; for these souls of ours, the same degree they have in excellency, if they be used as they should, if we do not abase them; the same degree they shall have in baseness. and misery, if we abuse them, and make them slaves to earthly things. For as the Devils the same degree they had of excellency when they were Angels; the same degree they have in misery, now they be Devils. The more excellent the creature is when it keeps its excellency; the more vile it is when it degenerates: so these souls of ours that next to Angels are the most excellent creatures of God; the more excellent it is, if it get the Image of God stamped upon it, and the new creature, and have the life of grace: the more cursed is the state of the soul, if it subsist to everlasting misery. It were happy if the souls of such creatures were mortal, that labour for a happiness in this life. Oh! that we would think of this. Most men in the bosom of the Church (which is lamentable to think) they live as if they had no souls: They overturn the order, that God hath set, that hath given us our bodies to serve our souls; they use all the strength, and marrow of their wits; all the excellencies in their souls, for the base satisfaction of the lusts of the body, so much for that point. The third is, that, There is a wide, broad difference between the Observ. 3. Great difference between the death of the godly, and the wicked. death of the godly and of the wicked. The godly are happy in their death; for here we see it is a matter desirable. This caitiff, this wretched man Balaam, Oh! (saith he) Let me die the death of the righteaus, and let my last end be like his. It being the object of his desire, it is therefore certainly precious, the death of the righteous. And indeed so it is; 1 The godly happy in life. holy and gracious men, they are happy in their life; while they live they are the sons of God, the heirs of heaven, they are set at liberty, all things are theirs, they have access to the Throne of grace, all things work for their good, they are the care of Angels, the Temples of the Holy-Ghost. Glorious things are spoken of these glorious creatures even while they live. But they are more happy in their death, and most happy, and blessed after death. In their death they are happy in their disposition, 2 In death. and happy, in condition. Happy in their disposition; what is the disposition 1 In disposition. of a holy, and blessed man at his end? His disposition is by faith to give himself to God, by which faith he dies in obedience: he carries himself fruitfully, and comfortably in his end. And oft times the nearer he is to happiness, the more he lays about him to be fruitful. Besides his disposition, he is happy in condition: 2 In condition. for death is a sweet close: God, and he meet; grace, and glory meet: he is in heaven (as it were) before his time. What is death to him? The end of all misery, of all sin, of body and soul, it is the beginning of all true happiness in both. This I might show at large, but I have spoken somewhat of this point out of another Text. * See the Sermons on Philip. 3. 21. They are happy in their death, for their death is precious in God's sight: the Angels are ready to do their attendance, to carry their souls to the place of happiness. They are happy in their death, because they are in the Lord: when death severs soul and body, yet notwithstanding, neither soul nor body are severed from Christ, They die in the Lord, therefore still they are happy. Much might be said to this purpose, and to good purpose, but that the point is ordinary, and I hasten to press things that I think will a little more confirm it. They are blessed in death. And blessed after death especially: for than 3 After death: we know they are in heaven, waiting for the resurrection of the body. There is a blessed change of all; for after death we have a better place, better company, better employment, all is for the better. There are three degrees of life. Three degrees of life. The life in the womb. this world. heaven. The life in the womb is a kind of imprisonment; there the child lives for a time. The life in this world, it is a kind of enlargement; but alas, it is as much inferior to the blessed, and glorious life in heaven, as the life in the womb is narrower, and straiter, and and more base than this life wherein we behold the blessed light, and enjoy all the sweet comforts of this life. They are happy after death, than the Image of God is perfect in the soul, all graces are perfected, all wants supplied, all corruptions wrought out, all enemies subdued, all promises accomplished, waiting their time for the resurrection of the body, and then body and soul shall sit as Judges, upon the wretches that have judged them on earth, and they shall be both together for ever with the Lord. I might enlarge the point much; it is a comfortable meditation. And before I pass it, let us make some use of it. If godly men be blessed, and happy, not only before death, in the right, and title they have to heaven; but in death, because then the●… are invested into possession, of that, that makes them every way happy. Therefore this may teach us who are truly wise. A wise man is he that hath a better end Use. Who truly wise. than another, and works to that end. A true Christian man, he hath a better end than any worldling, his end is to be safe in another world, and he works and carries his forces to that end. Let my last end be like his, saith Balaam: insinuating that there was a better end, inregard of condition, and state, than he had aimed at. A gracious man, his end is not to Godly man's end, what. be happy here; his end is to enjoy everlasting communion with God in the heavens, and he frames all his courses in this world, to accomplish that end, and he is never satisfied in the things that make to that end. A worldling he hath no such end; he hath a natural desire to be saved (as we shall see afterwards) but a man may know that it is not his end: for he works not to it. He is not satisfied in prouling for this world, he is not weary of getting wealth, he is not satisfied with pleasure: so that his end is the things of this life. Therefore let him be never so wise, he is but a fool: for he hath not the true end, nor works to it. Wicked men are very fools, in the manner of their reasoning: for they will grant, that there is a happy estate of godly men in death, and after death better: if it be so, why do they not work, and frame their lives to it? Herein they are fools, because they grant one thing, and not another which must needs follow: they do believe there is such a happiness to God's children, and yet seek not after it. If there be such a blessed estate of God's children in death, and after death; I beseech Use 2. To labour to partake of this happiness. you let us carry ourselves so, as that we may be partakers of that happiness; let us labour to be righteous men, labour to be in Christ, to have the righteousness of Christ to be ours, to be out of ourselves in Christ, in Christ in life, in Christ in death, and at the day of Judgement in Christ, not having our own righteousness, (as the Apostle saith) but his righteousness, and then the righteousness of grace, and of a good conscience will always go with the other. For this makes a righteous man to be in Christ, and to have his righteousness, and Righteous man, who. to have his spirit, and the beginnings of the new creature in us. Let us labour to be such as may live and die happily, and blessedly, and be for ever happy. So much for that third point. That which I intent mainly to dwell on is the last, and that is this, that, Even a wicked man, a wretched worldling may see this, he may know this happiness of God's A wicked man may know the happy estate of God's children. people, in death, and for ever, and yet notwithstanding may continue a cursed wretch. Balaam here wishes, Oh that I might die the death of the righteous, and that my last end might be like his. It was a strange speech of such a man as this was, that his soul should be rapt up in this manner: but indeed Balaam was scarce himself, he scarce understood what he said, no more than the beast that carried him. But God will sometimes, even stir up the hearts of wicked men, to a sight and admiration of the excellent estate of God's children; why? For divers reasons; Among the rest for this: that he may convince them the more of their own rebellion, when they see Reason 1. To justify God in their condemnation. a more excellent estate than they are in, if they will not take the course to partake of it: Therefore at the day of Judgement it will justify the sentence of damnation upon such wretches, and they may pronounce self condemnation upon themselves. Oh! what a terror will it be when they shall think, I had a better estate discovered, I heard of it in the ministry of the Word, and God's Spirit revealed an excellent estate, and I might have gotten it, if I had improved the blessed means that God made me partaker of; and now I am shut out for ever, and ever from communion in that estate? To convince wretched men (I say) and to justify the just sentence of damnation upon them, that their hearts may go with the sentence at the day of Judgement, God thus enlightens them oftentimes, that they see better courses, if they had grace to take them. What a thing is this, that a wicked man should see such an estate, and not take it? And what serves that knowledge for, but to damn them, the more? This is the estate of many men that live in the bosom of the Church, and partake of the means of salvation, and yet live in sins against conscience; they get knowledge by the Ministry, and by good books, and acquaintance, and such like; they have a savour in the use of good things, something they have, some little apprehension of the estate of a better life. Again, for another end, God reveals to Reason 2. To restrain their malice. them the excellent estate of his children sometimes, to keep them in better order, to awe them, that they be not open enemies to the Church, but may do good service; for conceiting that there is such a happiness, and that perhaps they may partake of it, they will not carry themselves malignantly against those that are true professors. There are several degrees of wicked men, Degrees of wicked men. some are well-willers to good things, though they never come far enough. Some are open malicious persecutors. Some again are better than so, they have a hatred to goodness, but they do not openly show themselves as hypocrites, etc. God reveals these good things to wicked men, to keep them in awe. The net draws bad fish as well as good: so the net of the Word, it draws wicked men, it keeps them from violence, and open malice: besides, even the Majesty of the word, and the convinction of that excellent state that belongs to God's Children, it keeps them from open malice and persecution. This is another end that God aims at: what may we learn hence? Use. Not to refuse all that ill men say. Seeing this is so; it should teach us that we refuse not all that ill men say, they may have good aprehensions, & give good counsel. It had been good for josiah to have followed the counsel of wicked Pharaoh a heathen. God oft enlightens men, that otherwise are reprobates: refuse not Gold from a dirty hand, do not refuse directions from wicked men, because they are soandso, refuse not a pardon from man, a base reature. We ought not therefore to have such respect of persons, as to refuse excellent things because the person is wicked. But that which I Use 2. To go beyond wicked men in our desires. intent to press is this. If this be so, that wicked men may have illumination, whereby they discover an excellency, and likewise may have desires raised up, to wish and desire that excellency. It should stir us up to go beyond wicked men, shall we not go so far as those go that shall never come to heaven? we see here Balaam pronounceth the end of the righteous to be happy. This should therefore stir us up to labour to be in a different estate from wicked men. Let us therefore consider a little wherein the difference of these desires is, the desires that a Balaam may have, and the desires of a Difference of desires in true Christians, & others. sound Christian; wherein the desires of a wicked man are failing. These desires first of all, they were but flashes: for we never read that he had them long, they 1 They are not●… constant. were mere flashes; as a sudden light, that rather blinds a man then shows him the way: so these enlightenings they are not constant. Wicked men oft times have sudden motions, and flashes, and desires, oh! that I might die the death of the righteous, oh! that I were in such man's estate: but it is but a sudden flash, and lightning. They are like a torrent, a strong sudden stream, that comes suddenly and makes a noise, but it hath no spring to feed it. The desires of God's Children they are fed with a spring, they are constant; they are streams, and not flashes. Again this desire of this wretched man, it 2 They are not from an inward principle. was not from an inward principle, an inward taste that he had of the good estate of God's Children: but from an obiective delight, and admiration of somewhat that was offered to his conceit by the holy-ghost at this time. It was not from any inward taste, and relish in himself that he speaks, but from somewhat outward, as a man that saw, and heard excellent things, that ravished him with admiration, though he had not interest in them himself. Again in the third place, this desire of the happiness of the estate of God's children, it was not working and operative, but an uneffectuall desire, it had only a complacency, and pleasing in the thing desired: but there was not a desire to work any thing to that end. This wretch therefore would be at his journey's end, before he had set one step forward to the journey. It was a desire of the end without the means: It was not an operative effectual, but a weak transient desire. Where true desires are, they are not only constant, and proceed from an inward interest, & tastof the thing desired: but they are effectual and operative, they set the soul and body, the whole man on work, partly to use the means to attain the thing desired, and partly to remove the impediments: for where desire is, there will be a removing of the impediments to the thing desired: as he that intends a journey, he will consider what may hinder him, and what may help him in it; he that sets not about these things, he never means it; for a man cannot come to his journeys end with wishing: we can attain nothing in this life with wishing. There is a working (I say) that tends to remove impediments as far as we may, and tending to use all means to effect and bring the thing to pass. We see then there is a main difference between the desires of this wretched man Balaam, and the desires of the true Church of God. To go on and follow the point a little further. Where desires are in truth, the party that cherisheth those desires, will be willing to have all help from others to have his desire accomplished. If a man desire to demolish a place, if any will come and help him down with it, or if any man desire to weed his ground he that will help him, he will thank him for his pains. Where there is a true desire, there is a willing closing with all that offer themselves, that the thing desired may be brought to pass. Where there is a desire of the happy estate of God's children, there will be a willing entertainment of any help. Let a man come to a man that desires grace, and glory, and discover his especial sins that hinder him, you must weed out this, and you must pull down this, he will thankfully embrace all admonitions, because he truly desires the end, therefore he desires the means that tend to the end, he desires the removing of the hindrances, he will be thankful therefore for any help that he may have, and especially that of the ministry, that it may powerfully enter into his soul, and rip him up, why? because he desires to please God in all things, and he would not cherish a motion, or desire, contrary to the spirit of God: therefore the more corruption is presented, and made odious to him: the more the inward man is discovered, the more he blesseth God, and blesseth the blessed instrument, and of all means he is willing to attend upon such▪ Where there is swelling, and rising against the blessed means, either in private admonitions, or public teaching, let men pretend what they will, there is no true desire of grace, and to be in the estate of God's people, for than they would not be contrary to the means. This wretched man Balaam when the Angel stood in his way, with his sword drawn, to stop his way: yet notwithstanding he goes on still, he was so carried with covetousness, and so blinded, that neither the miracle of the beast speaking, nor of the Angel in his way, nor God in the way could stop him; alas, where was this desire then? No, no, the glory of earthly things dazzled the glory of the estate of God's people; therefore we see he goes against all means that was used to stop him in his journey. If a man desire to be good, and to leave his sins, he will not stand against the means. Have we not many that stand against the Ministry of God's Ministers, are God's Angels, they stand in the way, and tell people, if you live in this course you shall not inherit heaven; if you live in oppression, and base lusts, unless you be changed, you shall all perish. They come to particular reproofs, and hold forth the sword of God's Spirit; yet men break through all and wreak their malice upon God's Messengers. Is here a true desire when they are not willing to have the hindrances removed? when there is not respect of the means that should be used? Again true desires of grace, they are growing desires: though they be little in the beginning 5 They are not growing desires. as springs are, yet as the springs grow, so do the waters that come from them: so these desires, they grow more and more still: They grow sometimes in God's children, that they will have no stop, till they come to have their full desire, to have perfect union and communion with God in heaven. The desires of a blessed soul, they are never satisfied, till it come to heaven. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, saith the Church: oh, let me Cant. 1. have nearer communion with Christ. It desires in the word and sacraments to come nearer and closer to God, and in death then, Come Lord jesus, come quickly. And when the soul is in heaven, there is yet nearer union, a desire of the body's resurrection that both may be for ever with the Lord. Till a Christian be perfect in body and soul, there is desire upon desire, till all desires be accomplished: they are growing desires, as S. Peter saith, As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. It is a desire that is never satisfied, because there is always somewhat to be desired till we be perfectly happy. And then they are desires that will not be stilled. A child, if it have not strong desires, it 6 They are not strong: will be stilled with an apple: but if the desires be strong, nothing will still it but the dug: so God's Children, if their desires be strong, it is no bauble they desire, nothing but grace and inward comfort will quiet the inward man. It is a desire that is growing, and strong, it will not be stayed with any thing in this world, but will break through all impediments, as a strong stream, it will never rest, till it have communion with God. And therefore the desires that men think are good, and earnest enough, that go on plodding in a constant course, and never labour to grow, they are no desires at all, no sanctified desires from a supernatural principle of grace. The desires of a Christian grow, and are never satisfied till he have perfect happiness. The three worthies of David broke through the host, and got the water of Bethel for David, oh that I had of the water of Bethel. So where there are strong desires, they are like David's worthies, they carry the soul through all impediments, they grow stronger and stronger, and are never satisfied till they come to the water of life. Let us consider these things, whether we have this desire or no: if we have but sometimes flashes, inconstant, ineffectual desires, desires that grow not, that are soon satisfied, and are stilled with any thing, alas, these desires the spirit of God never kindled, and bred in the heart, they are ordinary flashes, that shall serve for our deeper damnation. Therefore let us take heed, and not rest in a castaways estate, let us not rest in Balaams' state, but labour that the desires of our souls may be as they should. Desires (I confess) are the best character to know a Christian: for works may be hypocritical, desires are natural. Therefore we Desires, the best character of a christian. ought to consider our desires, what they are, whether true or no: for the first thing that issues from the soul are desires & thoughts, thoughts stir up desires. This inward immediate stirring of of the soul, discovers the truth of the soul, better than outward things. Let us oft therefore examine our desires: And let me add this one thing to the other: let us examine our desires 7 They desire happiness, not holiness. by this, besides the rest, whether we desire holiness, and the restauration of the Image of God, the new creature, and to have victory against our corruptions, to be in a state that we may not sin against God, to have the spirit, to be new born, as well as we desire happiness, and exemption from misery. Balaam desired happiness, but he desired not the Image of God upon his Soul, for than he would not have been carried with a covetous devil against all means. No, his desire was after a glimpse of God's children's glory only. A wicked man can never desire to be in heaven as he should be: for how should we desire to Wicked men desire not heaven aright. be in heaven? to be freed from sin, that we may praise God, and love God, that there may be no combat between the flesh and the spirit. Can he wish this? No, his happiness is as a swine to wallow in the mire, and he desires to enjoy sensible delights: as for spiritual things, especially the Image of God, and the vision of God, they are not fit objects for him, as far as it is a freedom from sin, but as he hath a conceit, oh, there are goodly things to be seen, etc. So it corresponds with his disposition, but to be free from Sin, and from the conflict of the flesh and spirit, and to be set at liberty to serve God always, he cannot desire it so. Tell him of heaven, he loves it not, there is no gold, there is not that, that he affects, therefore he cares not for it, he cannot relish it, he is not changed. Therefore it is a notable Character of a true Christian to desire heaven, to be freed from sin, to have communion with God in holiness, other prerogatives will follow this. Let us therefore consider what our desires are, how they are carried: for desires discover what the soul is. As a spring is discovered by Simile. the vapours that are about it; so is this hidden state of the soul, discovered by the breaking out of desires. They are the breath, and vapour of the soul. Let us consider what is set highest in our souls, what we desire most of all. Oh! a Christian soul that hath tasted of the loving kindness of the Lord, accounts it better than life itself. It is not Corn, and wine, and oil he desires, but Lord show me the light of thy countenance. The desires of his heart are large to serve God, and to do good, more than for the things of the world. He desires earthly things, but as instruments for better things; and this is the desire of every sanctified soul in some measure. Let us hence make a use of convinction of Conviction of such as come short of Balaam. the folly of base men, that live in the Church, and yet come not so far as Balaam, that come not so far as those that shall go to hell. They turn over all Religion, to a Lord have mercy upon us, and Christ died for us, and we hope we have souls to God ward, as good as the best, and to a few short broken things. They turn Religion to compendiums, to a narrow compass, and make the way to it wide, and broad, and complain of Preachers, that they straiten the way to heaven. This is the disposition of worldlings; whereas alas, there must be a righteousness that must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and pharisees: there must be a righteousness from an inward principle, there must be a strong, constant desire of righteousness more than of any thing in the world, before we can be assured of our interest, and part with God's people. Let us take heed, that we delude not ourselves this way. But to come to an use of direction. How Directionshow to have holy desires, may we so carry ourselves, as we may have a spring of blessed desires, a spring of holy desires, that may comfort us, that we may have our interest, and portion in the state of God's people? 1 Beg the spirit▪ of revelation. That we may have these desires, let us desire of God the spirit of revelation; desires follow discovery: for desires are the vent of the soul upon the discovery of some excellency it believes. Therefore let us beg of God, the spirit of revelation, to discover the excellent estate of God's people. And because this is given in the use of means; let us present ourselves with all diligence under such means, as where we may have somewhat of the Kingdom of God, that the riches of Christ being unfolded; our desires may be carried to such things; for there is never any discovery of holy, and good, and gracious things to a Christian soul, but there are new desires stirred up. Our souls are like a mill that grinds Simile. what is put into it: so the soul it works upon the things that are put into it, if it have good desires, and good thoughts put into it by good means used, and by prayer, it feeds upon them: let us always therefore be under some good means, that good thoughts may be ministered unto us, that may stir up gracious desires for the soul to work upon. Let us be in good company. Saul among the Prophets we see he prophesied: and the heart is kindled and inflamed, when we are among those that are better than ourselves, especially if their hearts be enlarged to speak of good things: but to come nearer. That we may have holy, and gracious, and See what hinders good desires. constant desires, let us take notice and make trial continually of the state and frame of our souls, which way for the present they are carried, in what current our desires run. If they run the right way, to heavenly things, it is well, if not, take notice what draws, and diverts, and turns the streams of our desires the false way: let us think what the things be, and the condition of those things that draws our desires down, and make us earthly and worldly, whether the pleasures, or profits or honours of this life. The way to have better desires is, to wean ourselves from these things, by a constant, holy meditation of the vanity of these things, that the soul is carried after. Solomon to wean his heart from these desires, from placing too much happiness in these things, he sets them before him, and saith, they were vanity, and vexation of spirit. Let us set them before us, as nothing, as they will be ere long, Heaven and earth will pass away, the world will pass away, and the concupiscence, and lust of it. Let us consider the baseness, fickleness and uncertainty of things that our souls are carried after, and this will be a means to wean them from them. And the soul being weaned from earthly things, it will run amain another way. Let us study therefore to mortify our base affections, and study it to purpose, to cut off the right hand, and to pull out the right eye, spare nothing, that God may spare all; that God may have mercy upon us, and spare us, let us spare nothing. These lusts they fight against our souls. And as I said before, feed our souls, minister unto them better thoughts continually. Those that are governor's of those that are young, season them while they be young with good things; for while the soul is not filled with the world, and while covetousness and ill lusts have not wrought themselves into the soul, good things, and good desires, are easily rooted, and planted, and grow up in the soul. As letters graven in the body of a tree, they grow up with the tree; and the fruit of the tree grows up with the tree, and therefore the twigs break not with the greatness of the weight of it, because they grow up together: so plant good things in those that are young, inure them to know good things, to hate ill ways; plant in them blessed desires, and inure them to holy exercises and good duties, that good exercises may grow up with them, as the fruit with the tree. We see what 〈◊〉 hard matter it is to convert an old man, to draw the desires of a carnal worldly man to heaven: when we speak of good things to him, his soul is full of the world: what is in his brain? the world: what is in his heart? the world. So he is dry and exhausted of all good things, and that that is in him, is eaten up with the world. It is a great improvidence in those that govern youth, that they labour not, that their desires may be strong to the best things. And let us all, both young and old, labour To ●…cherish good motions. for heavenly wisdom, that when good things are ministered to us from without, or good motions stirred up by the Spirit of God, to close with them, and not to quench those motions, and resist the Spirit, but to embrace those motions, and cherish them, till they come to resolutions, and purposes, and actions. If we have a motion stirring us up to repentance, let us ripen it till it come to perfect repentance, till we repent indeed, and have turned from all our evil ways, and turn to God, with full purpose of heart, that it may be a motion to purpose. If it be a motion to faith, let us never leave cherishing of it by the promise, till our hearts be rooted in faith. If it be a motion to any other good thing, let us cherish and follow them to purpose. And embrace every motion, as an Angel sent from heaven, from God to a good end, to put us in mind, to invite us to good, and to drive us from ill. And because desires are fickle and fading of themselves, unless there be some art in helping of them: therefore let us add to these things a daily course of renewing of our covenants To renew our covenants. with God, that this day as God shall enable, me, I have a constant purpose against all sin; I will regard no iniquity in my heart, I will have respect to all good ways discovered. Renew our covenants, and resolutions of old, saith David, I have sw●…rne, and will perform it, that I will keep thy statutes. And as we determine and resolve, so make particular vows sometimes against particular hindrances to abstain from such things. What needs all this ado saith the wicked atheist, will not less serve the turn, but there Question. must be these vows, and purposes, and resolutions? No, God values us by our resolutions and Answer. purposes, and not by uneffectuall glances, and wishes, will wishing help us take a journey, or to do any thing in this world? and can we not do any thing in this world with wishing, and can we for heaven? No, certainly there must be resolutions, and covenants, and purposes, etc. What is the difference between a Christian and another man? A Christian unlooseth his heart from base desires, nothing shall tie him to the base world; but his conscience tells him, that he is free from living in sins against conscience, and as for infirmities, he labours, and resolves against them: therefore he is fit to die, and to resign his soul. Whensoever God shall take him, he is in a good way, in good purposes, and resolutions. God values us according to our purposes, and resolutions. David did not build the Temple; Abraham did not offer Isaac, but they resolved upon it, and it was accounted as done. This is our comfort, that God takes the resolution for the deed, and the perfection of a Christian is, that God accepts of these resolutions, when he determines on the best things, till he bring his heart in some measure to that estate. What is the reason that many men at the Quest. hour of death will admit no comfort? The reason is, their hearts were naught, they Answer. Why men want comfort in death. respected some iniquity in their hearts, they were in bad ways, and allowed some reigning sin, and till these be mortified we can minister no comfort. It is only the resolved Christian that is a fi●… subject for comfort. But to answer an ordinary let, or two, that the Devil casts in men's ways, in these things: But doth not God accept the will for the deed? Objection. put the case I have a good will to do a thing, though I do it not God accepts that. I answer, Gods accepts the will for the Answer. When God accepts the will for the deed. deed, only where the impediments, and hindrances are impossi●…le to be removed: as, put the case a poor man would be liberal if he had it, God accepts the will for the deed, because he wants opportunity. But it never holds when a man can do it, God accepts not the will for the deed, when a man hath a price in his hand to get wisdom, and yet is a barren plant, and not a tree of righteousness; it is a sign of a naughty heart. Oh! saith another, God quencheth not the smoking Objection. flax, therefore though I have weak desires, all shall be well. It is true, God doth not quench the smoking Answer. God leaves not good desires. flax, but he doth not leave it smoking, but blows the spark that in time it comes to a flame: where there are beginnings of goodness embraced, it will grow from smoking flax to a flame: they are growing desires as I said before. Therefore flatter not thyself, that Christ will not quench the smoking flax. It is true, if there be a desire of growth: for than I must speak comfort to a poor Christian, that cannot be so good as he would, but desires it, and complains, oh, that my ways were so direct, that I might keep thy statutes! with his desires, he complains that he cannot do it, and useth the means to grow, it is a good sign God will not quench the smoking Flax, till he have brought corruption into subjection in us. Let every good soul comfort itself with this, if thou have these blessed desires, God meets with thee: for he desires thy salvation, and Christ desires thy reconciliation, and it is the desire of thy heart, and thou usest the means, thou wilt not live in sins against conscience, be of good comfort, we that are the ministers of God, and I at this time bring the news of pardon, Christ's desire and thine meet in one. Let us enlarge these things in our own deep and serious meditation. Alas, for want of serious meditation in our hearts of such like truths as these, men perish, and sink suddenly to hell. There is but a step between ordinary profane persons, and hell, and yet they never think of renewing their covenants with God, and entering into the state of grace, but content themselves with that, which comes short of thousands that are now in hell, that have had more wishes and desires. Men put all upon empty things, God is merciful, etc. No, God will not be merciful to such as bless themselves in ill courses, his wrath shall smoak against such, as I said, for in thus reasoning, they make a covenant with hell and death, as much as they can. They that do thus, forget God and good courses, and God will forget them, they treasure up wrath, and God treasures up wrath against them. Let us take heed of Balaams' wishing, and labour to have such desires, as may be accepted of God, and comfortable to us. FINIS. THE FAITHFUL COVENANTER. In two Sermons upon GEN. 17. 7. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS: Doctor in Divinity, Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. NEHE. 1. 5. O Lord God of Heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth Covenant and mercy for them that Love him. LONDON, Printed by E. Purslow, for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queen's head Alley, in Pater-Noster-Row. 1639. THE FAITHFUL COVENANTER. GEN. 17. 7. I will establish my Covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting Covenant, to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee. GOD having framed man an understanding creature, hath made him fit to have communion and intercourse with himself, because he can by his understanding discern, that there is a better good out of himself, in communion and fellowship with which, happiness consists: other creatures, wanting understanding to discern a better good out of, then in themselves, their life being their good, desire only the continuance of their own being, without society and fellowship with others. But man, having the knowledge of God, the Creator of heaven and earth, but especially of God the Redeemer, providing for him a second being, better than his first; understandeth that his best and chiefest good dependeth more in him, then in himself, and because his happiness standeth in acquaintance and fellowship with this God, which is the chief good, he desireth a communion with him, that he may partake of his good. This communion and fellowship of man with God, was first founded on a Covenant of works made with Adam in Paradise, if he did obey, and did not eat of the forbidden fruit, he should have life, both for himself and his posterity; the which Covenant, because God would not have forgotten, he afterward renewed in the delivery of the ten Commandments, requiring from man obedience to them in his own person, exactly at all times, perpetually, promising life on the obedience, and threatening death, and cursing, if he continued not in every thing the law required to do: But this fellowship being placed in man's own freedom, and having so weak a foundation, he lost both himself and it, so that now by the first Covenant of works, Adam and all his posterity are under a curse, for we cannot fulfil the law, that requireth personal obedience, perfect obedience, and exact obedience, he that continueth not in all is cursed. The Law than findeth us dead, and killeth us, it findeth us dead before, and not only leaves us dead still, but makes us more dead. Now after this fall, man's happiness was, to recover again his communion and fellowship with God, and therefore we must have a new Covenant, before we can have life and comfort, God must enter into new conditions with us before we can have any communion with him. God therefore, loving man, doth after the breach of the first agreement and Covenant, when Adam had lost himself by his sin, and was in a most miserable plight as ever creature was in the world, falling from so great a happiness into wondrous misery: he raised him up, and comforted him, by establishing a second, a new and better Covenant, laying the foundation of it, in the blessed seed of the woman, Christ, the Messiah, who is the ground of this new Covenant, and so of our communion and fellowship with God, without whom there can be no intercourse between God and us in love; and because this Covenant was almost forgotten, therefore now in Abraham's time God renewed it to Abraham in this place, I will be thy God, and the God of thy seed after thee, etc. There are four periods of time, of renevying this Covenant: first, from Adam to Abraham, and in those first times of the world, those that were under the Covenant, were called the sons and daughters of God, the children of the promise, and the covenant of grace was called a promise of the blessed seed. Secondly, from Abraham to Moses, and then it was called a covenant, and they the children of the covenant: I will establish my Covenant. A covenant is more than a promise, and a more solemn thing, because there be Ceremonies. The third period of renewing the covenant of grace was from Moses to Christ, and then it was more clear, when as to the covenant made with Abraham, who was sealed with the Sacrament of Circumcision, the Sacrament of the Pascall Lamb was added, and all the Sacrifices levitical, and then it was called a Testament; that differeth a little from a Covenant: for a Testament is established by blood, it is established by death: so was that, but it was only with the blood and death of Cattle sacrificed as a Type. But now to Christ's time to the end of the world, the covenant of grace is most clear of all, and it is now usually called the new Testament, being established by the death of Christ himself: and it differs from a Covenant in these respects. First, a Testament indeed is a covenant, but something more, it is a covenant sealed by death, the Testator must die before it can be of force: so all the good that is conveyed to us by the Testament, it is by the death of the Testator Christ: God's covenant with us now, is such a covenant as is a Testament, sealed with the death of the testator Christ, for without blood there is no redemption, without the death of Christ there could be no satisfaction, and without satisfaction there could be no peace with God. Secondly, a Testament bequeatheth good things merely of love, it giveth gifts freely. A covenant requireth some thing to be done, in a Testament there is nothing but receiving the Legacies given. In covenants ofttimes, it is for the mutual good one of another, but a Testament is merely for their good, for whom the Testament is made, to whom the Legacies are bequeathed, for when they are dead, what can they receive from them? God's Covenant now is such a Testament, sealed with the death of Christ, made out of love, merely for our good, for what can God receive of us? all is legacies from him, and though he requireth conditions, requireth faith and obedience, yet he himself fulfilleth what he asketh, giveth what he requireth, giveth it as a Legacy, as we shall see afterward. Thus you see that the communion and fellowship of man with God, must either be by a covenant of works, or by a covenant of grace. And we must distinguish exactly between these two covenants, and the periods of them. When the covenant of works was disanuled by ours sins, because we could not fulfil the Law exactly, and perpetually, God will have a new Covenant, if we believe in Christ, we shall have everlasting life. Now if we stick to the one, we must renounce the other, if it be of faith, it is not of works, and if it be of works, it is not of faith. This was excellently signified by joshua and Moses. joshua bringeth the people to Canaan and not Moses, Moses doth not bring any to heaven, it must be joshua, the Type of the true Jesus, that must bring them through jordan to Canaan. This was typified also in the Ark: there was the Law, the Covenant of works in the Ark, but the propitiatory, the Mercy-seat was above the Ark, above the Law, and from thence, God made all his Answers, to signify to us, that we can have nothing to do with the Law without the Propitiatory: Christ is the Propitiatory, the Mercy-seat; in Christ God heareth us, he makes all his Answers in the Propitiatory, Christ. Therefore when the question is of salvation, how we have title to heaven; Not by the merit of works, for than we reverse the Covenant of grace, but our title is merely by God's mercy in Christ apprehended by faith. The evidence indeed to prove our faith to be a true faith, is from works, but the title we have is only by Christ, only by grace. Here we must appeal from Sinai to Zion: from the Law to the Gospel, from Moses to Christ; we must fly with joab to the homes of the Altar, that must be our refuge; fly to Christ in the Covenant of grace, and we shall not be pulled from thence as joab was from the Altar, there let us live and die. Remember (I say) that the Covenant of grace is distinct in the whole kind, from the Covenant of works, yet this; They are both in the Church, and both taught one subordinate to the other: As thus. The Covenant of works is taught to show us our failing, that seeing our own disability to perform what the Law requireth we may be forced to the new Covenant of grace: And therefore saith Gal. 2. Paul, By the Law I am dead to the Law. It is an excellent speech, by the Law I am dead to the Law, by the Covenant of works I am dead to the Covenant of works: that is by the Laws ●…acting of me exact and perpetual obedience, in thought word and deed, I come to see that I cannot fulfil it, and therefore am dead to the Law, that is, I look for no salvation, for no title to heaven by that, and therefore he saith, the Law was added for transgression: why was the Law added to the promise of salvation by Christ made here to Abraham, why was the Covenant of works added in the wilderness afterwards? it was for transgression, to increase the sense of transgression: that we by the Law might see what we should do, and what we have not done, and that we are by that come under a curse, and so might fly to the promise of grace in Christ. I have stood the longer in the clearing of this, because it is a main point. But to come to that which I specially intent, the words (as I said before) contain therenewing of this blessed and gracious agreement, between God and man, to Abraham the father of the faithful. I will establish my Covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their Generations, for an everlasting Covenant, to be thy God, and the God of thy seed after thee. The words (you see) contain a Covenant: and here are all things, all the Articles and circumstances that agree to any Covenant whatsoever. Here are the parties, both that makes the Covenant, and that are covenanted with. Here is the substance of the Covenant, and the qualities of the Covenant, and the condition of the Covenant. The party making the Covenant, is God; I will be thy God. God is the party covenanting: God indeed is both the party covenanting, and the substance of the Covenant, I will be a God to thee, they fall both together in one. It is a most sweet sign of God's great love, that he will stoop so low, as to make a Covenant with us, to be our God, to be himself all in all to us. For consider but both these parties, God and we, the Creator and the creature, the immortal God and mortal man, the glorious God, and dust and afhes, the holy God, and sinfullman, the great King of heaven and earth, and Rebels and traitors as we are. For him to condescend so low, as to make a Covenant with us, to enter into Terms and Articles of agreement with us, it is a wondrous sign of his gracious mercy and love; what can we but hope for from so gracious a God? But I shall have occasion to touch that afterward. The parties covenanted with, are Abraham●…d ●…d his seed, his seed by promise. The substance of the Covenant is, I will be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee. The qualities of the Covenant are, first, it is a sure Covenant, I will establish my Covenant. Secondly, it is an everlasting Covenant, I will establish my Covenant for an everlasting Covenant. Thirdly, it is a peculiar Covenant, I will establish my Covenant between me and thee, and thy seed: that is, only between me and thee and thy seed, not with the refuse of the world, but only with thy seed by promise, only believers, whether jews or Gentiles. Fourthly, it is a most free Covenant: it was made to Abraham, whom God called out of Vr, of the Chaldees, out of an idolatrous nation, out of an idolatrous family. Even as it was at the first most freely made to Adam in Paradise, when he was in a most desperate estate, when he was as low as hell in a manner, ready to sink into the spare, than the Seed of the woman was promised; so here it was freely made to good Abraham. First, the love of God was free to him, when he called him being an idolator, and then it was freely renewed afterward when he was good, as we shall see anon. And lastly, It is a Covenant consisting most of spiritual things, it is a spiritual covenant, I mean especially, promising spiritual favours, although the other things as appendices of the maine are likewise meant: For after that the covenant was made to Abraham and his posterity, they endured many afflictions: after the promise was renewed to jacob, we know he fled from his brother Esau to whom the Covenant of grace was not made, and yet of Esau presently came Duke such a one, and Duke such a one, and poor jacob was fain to fly for his life in regard of the promise. So that I say, it must be specially of spiritual blessings. These are the qualities of the Covenant, It is a sure, an everlasting, a peculiar, and a most free Covenant, aiming specially at spiritual things. And then lastly, you have the condition of the Covenant, and that, though it is not expressed, yet it is employed: I will be thy God, and the God of thy seed, therefore thou shalt take me for thy God, carry thyself to me as to thy God, etc. It is usual in other places of Scripture, where mention is made of this Covenant, to imply the condition required on our parts, sometimes both the Covenant and condition are mentioned together, as in Zach. 13. Zach. 13. last: I will say (saith God) It is my people, and they shall say, the Lord is my God, the one springeth from the other; when God is a God to any, he makes the heart to answer; thou shalt be my God, and I will be thine always. This is the condition on our part, that we make with God in this Covenant, to take him for our God, to be his people, and his pecuilar ones. I will be thy God, and the God of thy seed. Though these words, I will be a God to thee, and to thy seed, be the last words of the Text, yet being the substance of the Covenant, I think it shall be best to speak of that before I speak of the qualities of the Covenant, or any thing else. I will be thy God. This is the Covenant in the Messiah: but first, what is it to be a God? I answer: To be a God, take it in the general, is to give being to the creature that had no being of itself, and to protect and preserve the creature in its being, in a word, to be a Creator; for providence is the perpetuity and continuance of creation; this is to be a God. The office of God, as God, is a most glorious function: to be a King is a great matter, but to be a God, to give being to the creature, to support it when it hath a being, to do all that God should do, this is a most glorious work: but this is but creation, this is not intended especially here, for thus he is the God of all his works; thus by creation and preservation, he is the God of all the men in the world out of the Church. What is then to be thy God? I will be thy God. I Answer, to be a God in a more peculiar manner, is to be a God in Covenant, that is, not only to be a God to preserve and continue this being of ours in a civil life, but it is to be a God in a higher relation to us, to be a God in a reference to an eternal, supernatural estate in heaven, to be a God here in grace, and hereafter in glory: and thus God is a God in a gracious covenant only by jesus Christ, and to those that believe in him. I will be thy God: that is, I will be thy God in Christ, to give thee a better being then this world can aford, to free thee from the cursed estate thou art in by nature, to deliver thee from all ill, spiritually and eternally, especially to bestow on thee all good, spiritually, and eternally, especially as we have it in the words of the Covenant Gen. 15. 1. I will be thy shield and thy Gen 15. 1. exceeding great reward, a shield to keep off all ill, and a reward for all good. So in the 84. God will be a Sun and a shield, etc. a Sun Psal. Psal. 84. for all sweet comfort and good, and a shield, in regard of defence from ill; a Sun and a shield, till we come to the possession of eternal happiness. This is to be a God in a peculiar manner, to give all things necessary for grace and life too, for this life and for a better; to do all things requisite to bring us to heaven and happiness through Christ, in whom all the promises are, yea and Amen, to be all in all, to direct the protections and provions of this life, of our estate here to a supernatural happiness hereafter, to a state beyond nature: for God directs the favours of this life, so that he takes them away or he giveth them, as he seeth them advantageous or hindrances to a better estate. So is God a God to those that are in convenant with him, to do all this, and to do all this in opposition of all enemies whatsoever, to do all this in weakness and in the impotency of the creature, to do all this when all second causes are contrary as it were, to bring a man to heaven in spite of the Devil, & of our own corruptions, or all oppositions whatsoever. This is to be a God indeed. But why doth he say only, I will be thy God; why doth he not say, I will give thee grace and protection, I will give thee heaven and life everlasting? Because all is one: for all things in the world are in this one promise I will be thy God. See the wisdom of heaven, how much he speaks in how little, there cannot be more spoken than thus, I will be thy God, for in saying, I will be thy God, he implies that, whatsoever he is, or hath, or can do, shall be thine too, I will be thy God, that is, my wisdom shall be thine to watch over thee, to find out ways to do thee good, my power shall be thine to keep thee from danger, to defend and rescue thee from all enemies, and to subdue them by degrees unto thee: my providence shall be thine to turn all things to thy good: my mercy shall be thine, to forgive thy sins: my love shall be thine, to bestow on thee all necessary comforts; there is no phrase in the Scripture that hath so much in so little as this here, I will be thy God, if we could unfold and lay open this excellent promise, all other particular promises in the covenant of grace are members of this: what is the reason (as Saint Paul saith) all things are yours, because you are Christ's, and Christ is Gods, God is the God of Christ and our God, we are in covenant with the God of Christ, Christ is the heir of all, and we are members of Christ: God who is the God of all things is ours. It is a wondrous comprehensive promise. I will be thy God, and the God of thy seed. The substance of thy Covenant then is, that God will be a God to us; the point to be observed is this, That God graciously in the blessed seed, the Messiah, Christ jesus, he takes ●…pon him to be a God to all those that are in Covenant with him; that is, to be All-sufficient to bring us to happiness, All-sufficient in this world, and in the world to come, to be our portion, to be all in all. This is the first and fundamental promise of all other, indeed it is the life and soul of all the promises, and it is the life and soul of all comfort whatsoever: for all other relations spoken of God tend to this, that he is our God, this is before to be a Father, before to be any thing. God first is a God, and then a Father, and then all in all to us. As he is first, the God of Christ, and then the Father of Christ, as you have it usually in the beginnings of the Epistles, God the Father of our Lord jesus Christ, first the God, and then the Father: to be a God then, is the fundamental and principal favour, from thence cometh our Election, his choosing of us to eternal salvation before all time, his protection and preservation of us in time, unto heaven. I shall not need to speak more of this, having unfolded it before. But you will say, how shall we know, that this Covenant belongeth to us, that we are such as we may say, God is our God? I answer, first, to lay this for a ground, you must know, that to be a God, is a relation: whosoever God is a God to, he persuadeth them by his Spirit, that he is a God to: the same Spirit that persuadeth them, that there is a God, that Spirit telleth them that, God is their God, and works a qualification and disposition in them, as that they may know, that they are in covenant with such a gracious God, the Spirit as it revealeth to them the love of God, and that he is theirs, so the Spirit enableth them to claim him for their God, to give up themselves to him, as to their God. And the Spirit doth this, because friends cannot be in convenant and confederate without there be a likeness, or an agreement: there must be more word: then on to a Covenant, though God's grace do all, yet we must give our consent, and therefore the Covenat is expressed under the title of marriage, in marriage there must be a consent of both parties: In reconciliation between a King and subjects, that are fallen out when they are Rebels, there must be an accepting of the pardon, and a promise of new subjection. So than if God be our God, there will be grace given to take him for our God, to give him homage as a King, to give him our consent as to our Spouse; thou shalt be my God and I will cleave to thee, as to my Lord and Husband: Can two walk together (saith the Prophet) and not be friends? there can be no friendship with God, except there be somewhat wrought in us by his Spirit, to make us fit for friendship, that we may look on him as an object of love and delight: if we look on him as an object of hatred, what terms of friendship can there be? Now, that we may look on him as an object of love, fit for converse with him, he must make us such by consent, and yielding to him, by framing the inward man to his, likeness that so there may a peace be maintained with him: you see the ground of it, of necessity it must be so. Well, to come to the trials, but let me first add this to the former; whomsoever God is a God to, it is known, specially by spiritual and eternal favours: a man cannot know certainly that God is his God by outward and common things, that castaways may have; for a castaway may have Ishmaels' blessing, and Esau's portion, blessings of the left hand, common graces. To know undoubtedly therefore, that God is our God, must be by peculiar matters; for those whose God, God is, are a peculiar people, a holy nation, severed from others. First of all than know, what the Spirit of God saith to thy soul, for they that are Gods have his Spirit, to reveal to their spirits, the secret and hidden love of God; but if the voice of the Spirit be silent in regard of testimony, go to the work of the Spirit, but go to the peculiar work of the Spirit. For though the Spirit may be silent in regard of his testimony, yet there are some works or other of the Spirit in a man, whereby he may know that God is his God. As the Spirit of God works in some sort, a proportion in him unto God; and none can know better what God is to him, then by searching of his own heart, what he is back again to God; for as God saith to him by his Spirit, thou art mine, so they say to God, thou art mine. Let us then come to the trial, by our carrying ourselves too God. Can we say with David, Whom have I in heaven but thee, or what is there in earth in comparison of thee? when the conscience can tell us, that we make God our treasure and our portion above all earthly things, than we make him our God. A Christian singleth our God, above all things in the world, for his happiness. Lord, thou art mine, whatsoever wealth is mine, or riches mine, or friends mine, I stand not upon that, but thou art mine. A rich man runneth to his wealth, and make flesh his arm, he runneth to friends, to bear him out in ill causes, but a true Christian that hath God for his God, he may know it by this, he singleth out God for his portion, runs to him in all extremities; Lord, thou art mine: this is a sign that God hath said to his soul, first, I am thy salvation. How can the soul appropriate God to himself? how can he say as Thomas did, My Lord and my God? except the Lord have spoken peace to the soul before, and have said, I am thy salvation? It is a sign we have made God our God, when we prise him and value him above all the world, and when with Saint Paul, Phil. 3. we count all things dung and dross, in comparison of Jesus Christ our Lord: what we will do most for, that is our God; if we will do most for God, he is our God; if we do most for pleasures, they are our God, if we do most for riches, break o●…r rests and crack our consciences for them, that is our God. In a word, whatsoever we value highest, that is our God. Examine what affections we have to God: (for it is affection, that makes a Christian) single out some few that we are most offending in. As first, for fear, it may shame us all, (indeed a Christian upon his best resolutions is better) but the ordinary carriage of men is, they fear men more than God, they fear every thing more than him that they should fear above all. For instance, is the retired carriage of men to God, such as their carriage is to the eye of the world? will not they do that in secret ofttimes, that they will not do openly? in secret they will commit this or that sin, and think, who seeth? there are secret abominations in the closet of their hearts, they will not fear to do that in the eye of God, that they fear to do in the eye of a child of six years old, that is of any discretion: Is this to make God our God, when we fear the eye of a silly mortal creature more than the eye of God, that is ten thousand times brighter than the Sun, that is our Judge, is God our God the while? undoubtedly, when God is made our God, there is an awe of the eye of heaven upon a man in all places, therefore this is the condition of the Covenant, Walk before me, or walk as in my sight; how do we walk before God as in his sight, when there is such a great deal of difference in our carriage secretly, and before the eyes of men? when we labour more to approve our carriage to men, than we make conscience of our spirits to God? This may shame us, even the best of us who are in Covenant with God, and have made God our God, we have cause to be abased for this: and surely one of the best ways to make God's children abased and humbled, is to compare the different proportion of their carriage, how they carry themselves to men, whom they respect, and to outward things in the world, and how they carry themselves to God: if God be our God, there will be an universal fear and care to please God in all times and in all places, because he is everywhere, darkness and light are all one to him. Try yourselves therefore by this affection: if we make God our God, we will fear him above all; for there being such a distance between God and us, He the mighty God, and we creatures whose breath is in our nostrils, there can no other way be a Covenant of peace betwixt us, but with much reverence: therefore all Christians are reverend creatures, they do all in fear, they pass the whole time of their conversation here in fear, they make an end of their salvation with fear●… and trembling, they enjoy their liberties in fear. Saint jude makes mention of a number of wretched people in his time, that eat without fear: you may know a man that hath not this grace of God in his heart, by his unreverent carriage, he never thinks of the presence and Allseeing eye of God. A Christian that hath God to his God, knows that wheresoever he is, he is in the eye of heaven, therefore he is jealous, even of his own most secret corruptions, he knows that they are lawless of themselves, and therefore he always sets himself in the presence of God, he is full of reverence, full of fear, even in the enjoying of his Christian liberties. So likewise for the affection of love: if God be thy God, thou hast grace given thee to love him above all things; with whom God is graciously reconciled, he giveth them his Spirit to be reconciled back again to him, He loveth us, and we love him again: for we are by nature enemies to God, as he is to us, there is no wicked man in the world can love God; indeed as God is a God, that promiseth salvation he loveth him, he would fain have that, and therefore would fain be in his favour, but he cannot love God as he is in all respects, but he hateth him, and he hateth his children, he trifleth with his name by oaths and blasphemy, and the like, he scorned God, he wisheth that there were no God; can this man say, that God is his God, when he doth not carry himself back again to him in his affection as his God? no such matter, he is God's enemy, and God is his enemy. So if God be our God, if he have set his love upon us, we cannot but love him again, if he be reconciled to us, we are reconciled to him. This is a sure sign that God is our God, if we love him above all. Now, that may be known, if we be zealous, when God is dishonoured any way, for whatsoever we make our God, we will not endure to have touched; if a man make his lust his God, if that be touched, he is all in a chafe, when that which a man loveth is touched) experience shows it) he is presently all on a fire. And here the best Christians have cause to be abased; hath God their love, when they can hear him disgraced, and his name abused, without being greatly moved, and yet notwithstanding in the mean time, will not endure their own credit to be touched? but they are (as I said) all on a fire: where there is no zeal, there is no love: certainly when we can hear God's children misused, and Religion endangered, and profession scoffed at, etc. and yet not be affected, nor cannot take God's cause to heart, this is great fault in our love. And so for joy and delight, we make God our God, when we joy in him above all things in the world, when we make him our boast all the day long, as it is, Psalm. 44. 8. when we make him our glory, as he is called our Glory in jerem. 2. 11. They changed their glory: God is our glory if he be our God, we count it our chiefest glory, that we are his, & that he is ours: whatsoever our estates be, we glory in God, and not in ourselves: a Christian when he would joy and glory, he goeth out of himself to God, He is his joy. But do not men joy in the creature and delight in it ofttimes more than in God? It is a great shame for us, and that for which even the best of us all may be abased, to consider what a deal of delight and comfort we take in the creature more than in God. We see jonah, a good man, when his Gourd was taken from him that God raised up to be a shelter for him; a poor simple defence it was, and yet we see how pettish the good man was, all the comfort he had, could not keep him from anger and fretting when the Gourd was gone, and yet God was his God. So many men, whereas they should joy in God above all things, yet if God take outward comforts from them, they are as if there were no God in heaven, no comfort there, as if there were no providence to rule theworld, as if they ●…ad no Father in covenant with them. I say this is a great shame for us. Again, if God be our God, we will trust in him, rely and depend upon him above all things; for whatsoever our trust is most in, that is our God: now if our conscience tell us, that we trust most in God, more than in wealth, or friends, and will not to displease God please any man, it is a sign that we have make God our God, because we trust in him. And surely, if we would examine ourselves, the best of us all, it would bring us on our knees, & make our faces be confounded, to consider what a deal of Atheism there is in our hearts (though we are not altogether Atheists, yet what a deal there is) that must be mortified and subdued. For if an honest man, and that we know is faithful, should say to us, I will be yours, I will take upon me to provide for you, to defend you, to protect you, to stand by you against all adversaries, we believe and hope that he will do it, but do we so to God? hath he our trust and affiance? Alas no; so far forth, I mean, as we are not subdued to God: a Christian indeed, in some measure is enabled to make God his trust and confidence, but there remains abundance of Atheism, even in the best of us. If God be our God, why do we not trust in him, depend upon him for all things, depend upon him for protection, and deliverance from all ill (spiritual ill specially) from sin, Satan, hell, and wrath, depend upon him for all good (the good of grace specially) for the change of our nature, and the forgiveness of our sins; for spiritual privileges, adoption and sonship, for the inheritance of heaven, etc. It is a sign I say, that God is our God, when we trust in him above all the world, and trust other things only from him and for him, I will trust man, but man may deceive me, I will not trust him therefore with an absolute confidence, no, that were to make a God of him. What is the reason that God confoundeth proud men at last? David shows the reason, this man he took not the Lord for his God: when men will in contempt of Religion, set up themselves, and somewhat else to rely on besides God, God at the last brings it to pass, that the world shall note them out, this man trusted in his greatness, he trusted in his policy, in his wit, in his friends, this man took not the Lord for his God. Again, if we make God our God, we may know it by our obedience, especially by the obedience of the inward man; when the inward man is vowed to God, when a man yieldeth inward obedience to God, it is a sign that God is his God; when a man can arraign his thoughts and desires before God, & when lusts rise in his heart contrary to the Spirit, he checks them presently, this becometh not those that are Gods, it beseemeth not those that walk after God, that have God's Spirit for their leader, therefore he is ashamed presently of base tentations. A Christian can perform the first and last Commandments, which are the most spiritual Commandments, he can make God his God in his affections, his affections are placed upon him alone, (as I have showed before) he can yield up all his inward affections of fear and love and joy, and such like unto God, which is the sum of the first Commandment, and he can be content not to have his lust's rage and range, suppresses his very thoughts and desires, will not suffer any thing to rise in his heart unchecked and uncountrouled, which is the sum of the tenth Commandment, I mean he can do it in some measure. And there is a inward passive obedience too: It is God (as David and other Saints said) It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good in his own eyes. I am Gods and he shall dispose of me; the soul that knoweth God to be his God, hath an inward obedience of contentation with his estate: God is my portion, and it is large enough, the earth is his and the fullness thereof, therefore I will be content to be at his disposing whether it be more or less, and if any murmuring arise in his heart against God, in respect of his estate or otherwise, he presently suppresseth it, as being contrary to the blessed government that a Christian is under, that should resign his whole soul unto God. Thus by our affections, by the trial of them, we may know whether God be our God; if we give him the affections of the heart, which Religion most stands in, when we make the whole inward man stoop and bow, and bend unto him, when we make him our King, and give him the supremacy, when we set the Crown upon his head, when he hath our fear, our joy and delight, our love, our trust, I mean, when he hath the supreme of all, for we may love man, as God deriveth good to us by him, and so for the rest, but God must be supreme, others must be loved and feared, etc. in him and for him, but he chiefly, when we depend upon him for all deliverance out of ill and for all good, and show our dependence on him, by our subjection to him in all his ways, by our yielding to him obedience answerable to all this, and especially when we shall show it by performing inward worship to him, when we walk before him pefectly & sincerely, as it is in the beginning of this Chapter, I am God All-sufficient, walk before me and be perfect: By this we may know, that God is our God. I need not enlarge it, the practice of the first Commandment will teach us what is our God, whatsoever we give the supremacy of the inward man to, whatsoever we love most, whatsoever we trust most, whatsoever we fear most, whatsoever we joy and delight most, whatsoever we obey most, that is our God. I am the Lord thy God, (in the first Commandment) there is the ground, what follows? Thou shalt have no other Gods but me, that is, thou shalt love nothing in the world, nor fear nothing, nor trust in nothing, nor joy in nothing more than me, no, nor with me, but all things else thou shalt trust them, and fear them, etc. in me and for me: otherwise what is our love is our God, what is our trust is our God, what is our greatest fear is our God: if we fear man, fear him to do ill, man is our God; if we love the creature, or sin, that is our God; if we crack our consciences for wealth, the covetous man's wealth is his God; if we crack our consciences for pleasures, or for our bellies, our pleasures and our bellies, and our lusts are our God: we make not God our God except we give him the supremacy of the inward man. But to proceed, and to come to some few familiar signs more that will try us, though these may try us, in the intercourse that is between God and us. Whosoever hath God for their God, they have the spirit of supplication & prayer, to cry unto God, to run unto him, specially in extremity, all God's children have the spirit of adoption to cry, Abba Father; they have the spirit to give them boldness to God, when otherwise their nature, and likewise trouble joining with nature, and tentations would make them run from God, yet the Spirit of God in them makes them bold to go to God in Jesus Christ; God's children that are in Covenant with him, can at all times pray to God; if they cannot pray, they can chatter and sigh to God: there is somewhat they can do, there is a spirit in them that groaneth and sigheth, as Rom. 8. and God heareth the voice of his own Spirit, they are cries in his ears: My groans and sighs are not hid from thee, saith the Psalmist. The spirit of supplication will show God to be our God, because if he were not ours, we could not be bold to go to him, in the time of extremity especially; this sign you have in the 13. Zach. last, They shall call upon my name, and I will hear them; they shall be my people, and I will be their God: Invocation & prayer is a sign that God is our God, when we go to God presently in all our wants and necessities by prayer. Pharaoh and reprobate spirits, say to Moses, pray you for me; but as for a spirit of supplication in themselves they have not; they may speak of prayer, but they cannot pray, whosoever is Gods, he can cry to God; a child we know the first voice it uttereth as soon as it is borne, it cries, so Gods new borne children they can cry unto God. Paul in the 9 Acts, you shall find him praying as soon as ever he was coverted; and certainly those that use not to pray morning and evening, and upon all occasions, that acquaint not themselves with God, God is not their God; if he were their God, they would seek to him, and be acquainted with him, the Spirit will teach them to go unto God as to a Father. Again, we may know that God is our God by this, by our separating from all others, in ourselves, and out of ourselves, there is a separation in ourselves, for there is the first separation. God whose God he is, he giveth them his Spirit, and that like fire severeth the dross, and gathered the sold together, and as heat in the body, that severeth good nourishment, and separateth that which doth not nourish the body, sowhere the Spirit of God is, he works a separation between the flesh and the spirit, the spirit will know what is spiritual, and will discern what is in us that is fleshly, and will join to spiritual things, and the spirit will be one as it were, there will be a sweet agreement in the word, in the Sacraments, in good company, in holy meditation and the like, and a separation from the flesh. A Christian knows, that he is redeemed from himself, (as far as he is naught) we are redeemed from ourselves and our own base nature, as well as from hell and damnation, therefore there is first a separation in ourselves from ourselves, it begins there, we have nothing to do with our corruptions, we will not own them. And where this sweet Covenant is, that God is our God, as there is a separation from ourselves and our corruptions, so there is a separation from all that joineth with our corruption, a separation in affection, from delighting in all that is not God, from all such occasions and company, as strengtheneth our corruption. A Christian knows what he hath of Gods in him, and what he hath of Satan, and that he must weaken, therefore he severeth himself from that which strengtheneth the one, and weakeneth the other: this trial is expressed in 2. Cor. 6. last, Comeout from amongst them, separate yourselves, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; (he speaks for direction, especially in our society and acquaintance, for that is the thing he aimeth at) how shall we know that God will be our God? we must separate ourselves, and touch no unclean thing, nothing that will help rebellion: therefore those that have an indifferent disposition to all companies, and can so●…ace themselves in any society, though never so corrupt, that bear themselves plausible to all, and would be thought well of all, and so will venture upon all occasions, it is an ill sign that they are carnal people, when in the nearest league in friendship or amity, or in intimate familiarity, they will join with any, all are alike, it is a sign they have not God for their God, for than they would have common enemies and common friends with God: common enemies with God, whom God hated, they would hate: as God in Covenant blessed them that bless us, and curseth them that curse us; so they that are in Covenant and friendship with God, will hate with a perfect hatred whatsoever it is that hateth God, they will have nothing to do in intimate familiarity further than their callings press upon them, they will give them their due in humanity and courtesy, but no more; their love and delight will be in God, and those that are his, that represent him, that have his Spirit and Image. How oft is this, I am the Lord your God, repeated by Moses as a ground of separation from Idolatry? it is expressed almost every where, and indeed if the Lord be our God, there is ground enough of separation from all that is not God, it cannot be otherwise. Another sign and evidence that God is our God, is victory over our base corruptions in some measure: this you have in Rev. 21. 7. He that overcometh shall inherit all things, I will be his God, and he shall be my son: how shall I know that God is my God, and that I am his son? if by the power of his Spirit, I am able to overcome and conquer in some comfortable measure, base tentations, and my base corruptions and lusts, when I lie not as a beast, or as a carnal man under sin, but God hath given me in some measure spiritual strength over sin. Undoubtedly these and such like works of the Spirit together with the testimony of the Spirit will be wheresoever God is our God. In a word, to name no more trials but this, whosoever God is a God to, there will be a transforming unto God, a trans●…orming unto Christ, in whom God is our God: for we must know that we are renewed according to the Image of the second Adam, our comfort is by God revealed in Christ: If God be our God in Christ, we will be like to God, and that will be known that we are like to God, if we be like to God in the flesh, God incarnate: for we are predestinated to be like God incarnate, God first he is Christ's God before he is ours, and as Christ carried himself to God, so if we be Gods, we must carry ourselves like Christ, be transformed unto him: how did Christ carry himself to God? God was his God, My God, my God, saith Christ upon the Crosse. Now the Gospel showeth that be obeyed his Father in all things, in doing and suffering, Not my will, but thy will be done. You know how full of mercy and compassion he was, how he prayed all night sometimes, though he knew God would bestow things on him without prayer, yet he would pray in order to God's appointment, you know how full of goodness he was, going about continually doing good, and that in obedience and conscier ceto Gods command: in a word, look how Christ made God his God, and carried himself to God, so must we, for we are predestinated to be transformed to the Image of the second Adam, Christ. Especially observe one thing, (I touched it before) whom we run to and trust to in extremity, is our God: Christ in extremity, when he felt the anger, and endured the wrath of God being a surety for our sins, yet My God, my God still, so if we make God our God, chiefly in the greatest extremity, in the time of desertion as Christ did, it is a good sign. I do but touch these things, the point you see is large, I only give you matter of meditation, you may enlarge them yourselves in your own thoughts. These I think sufficient trials, whereby you may know whether God be your God. Having now thus unfolded these Terms, let us see what we may draw from thence for our use and comfort. First then, if by these trials we find that God be not, or have not been our God: Alas, let us never rest, till we make it good, that God is our God: For what if we have all things, if we have not God with all things? all other things are but streams, God is the Fountain; if we have not the Spring, what will become of us at last? Achitophel had much wit and policy, but he had not God for his God, Ahab had power and strength, but he had not God for his God: Saul had a Kingdom, but he had not God for his God: Herod had eloquence, but he had not God for his God: judas was an Apostle, a great professor, but he had not God for his God; what became of all these? wit they had, strength they had, honour they had, friends they had, but they had not God, and therefore a miserable end they made: what miserable creatures are all such, when they shall say, friends have forsaken me, wealth hath forsaken me, and health hath forsaken me; terrors lay hold upon me, the wrath of God hath over-taken me, but they cannot say, God is my God; oh such are in a miserable case, in a fearful estate indeed: nay suppose they have all these, suppose they could say, they have a world of riches, they have inheritances, they have friends, etc. yet if they cannot say, God is my God, all is vanity: the whole man is this, to have God to be our God: this is the whole man, to fear God & keep his Commandments, Eccles. 1●…. l●…st, If a man have all the world, and have not God for his God, all is but vanity and vexation of spirit: never rest therefore till we can prove ourselves to be in the Covenant of grace, till we can say, God is my God. But secondly, when we have found God to be our God, then make this use of it, a use of resolution: is God my God? then I will resolve to please him, though all creatures be against me; this was their resolution in the 4. Micah, Every Nation walketh in the name of his God, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever: resolve with joshuah and others to please God, whosoever saith the contrary, to walk after the Commandments of God, whatsoever others do or say. In all discouragements from men or Devils, let us set this as a buckler, God is my God. Arm ourselves with resolution against all fears and threatenings of men, of men of terror, against the Arm of flesh, they say they will do this, and this; I but God is my God, all that they do they must do in his strength: Arm ourselves with this, against the power and gates of hell: fear not the Devil, if we fear man or Devil more than God, fear them so, as to do any thing to displease God, we make them God: If our conscience rightly tells us, that what is to be done by us, is the will and command of God, and that herein I serve God, we need not fear any opposer, but oppose this as an Armour of proof against all creatures, against all discouragements whatsoever: And certainly experience telleth us, and approoveth it to be true, that nothing can dismay a man that doth things in conscience to God, and knows God will bear him out in it, though not from danger in this world, (and yet for the most part he doth that too, those that are the stoutest men for God, are oftentimes most safe, always freed from inward dejection) yet God disposeth of it so, as that he that keeps a good conscience, shall always be a King and rule over the world, and therein he performs his promise, whatsoever discouragements he endureth outwardly, yet no discouragement can cast down that soul that looks to God; In his conscience he knows that he takes God to be his, that he serveth him, and that it shall go well with him at last, that God will be Alsufficient to him, and this raiseth him above all, makes him rule and reign over his enemies, and be a terror to those that do him hurt. Again, if God be our God, then let this stop all base and covetous desires after earthly things, if God be our portion, why should we grapple too much after the world then? what need we crack our consciences and break our peace for the muck of the world? is not God our portion? is he not rich enough? is not he Lord of heaven and earth? hath not he promised that he will not fail us nor forsake us? I am thy exceeding great reward, saith God to Abraham, is not this enough? what doth Satan for us when he getteth us to crack our consciences by griplenesse after earthly things? he promiseth, thou shalt have this and that, but I will take God from thee, as he did Adam in Paradise, thou shalt have an Apple, but thou shalt lose thy God: All his solicitations to base and earthly courses tend to nothing else but to take God from us: Now when God is our God, and he hath promised to be our portion, let it be sufficient for us, let us not for the displeasing of him, take any condition from Satan or the world upon any terms. Again, if so be we know this for a truth that God is our God, then let it be a use of exhortation, to stir us up to keep and maintain and cherish acquaintance and familiarity with him; as it is in job. 22. Acquaint thyself with God, if we be acquainted with him now, he will be acquainted with us in time of sorrow, in the hour of death, therefore cherish acquaintance with him, wheresoever we may meet with God be there much, be much in aring, inreceiving the Sacrament, in praying to him and making our suits known to him in all our necessities, be much in the society of Saints, God hath promised to be there, therefore cherish the society of all that are good: what a friendly course doth God take with us? he seeks for our acquaintance, and therefore giveth us his Ordinances, the Word and Sacraments, sendeth his messengers, the good motions of his Spirit to our hearts, to leave the world and vanities of it, to make us out of love with bad courses, and join with him in friendship and familiarity, oh let us make use of these blessed means, check not these good motions, but yield unto them and obey them, grieve them not, the Spirit is sent to make God and us friends, who were enemies, grieve not the Spirit, entertain his motions, that we may be acquainted with God. But do we do so? truly no, indeed if God will be our God to save us, and let us live in our swearing and lying, and deceiving, and in other base courses, we would be content with him upon these terms, but to be our God so that we must serve him and love him, and fear him, and joy in him above all, and have nothing in the world without his favour, then let him take his favour to himself, we will have none of it: though men speak it not with their mouths to the world, yet the inward speech of their hearts, is to this purpose, if we must be the people of God, upon these terms, to renounce our pleasures and profits, let him be a God to whom he will for us, if he will save us, then welcome his favour, we will be glad of his acquaintance, otherwise we will have none of it, what is the speech of the world but this? these men when they shall at the day of judgement claim acquaintance with God, and say, Lord, Lord open to us, we have known thee in the streets etc. what will God say? depart from me, you workers of iniquity, I know you not, you were acquainted with me indeed outwardly in the ministry of my word, but you kept not an inward and spiritual familiarity with me in my ordinances, you used not the society of the saints, you entertained not the motions of my spirit which I sent to you, to leave your ill courses, I know you not, this shall be the answer to such wretched persons. Lastly, if by these comfortable signs we find God to be our God, then here is a spring of comfort opened to a Christian: if God be mine, than all that he hath is mine, he is my Father, he is my husband, he is my rock, his goodness, his wisdom, his providence, his mercy, whatsoever he hath is mine: If we had any man in the world that had all wisdom in him, and all the strength of the world, and all goodness, and all love in him, and all this for us, what an excellent creature were this? God hath all this, and a Christian that hath God for his God hath all this and much more, for whatsoever is in the creator, is much more in him. Hereupon cometh all those styles, and sweet names, that God hath taken upon him in the scripture, because he would have us to know that all comforts are together in him, the names of all the creatures that are comfortable, God hath been pleased to take upon him, to show us what a God he is, he is water to refresh us, a sun to comfort us, a shield to keep evil from us, a rock to support us, chambers to cover us in the time of danger, and such like, and in every creature God hath left foot steps and beams of himself, that man being an understanding creature, might find out God in them: In water there is a beam of his refreshing power, in the sun, a beam of his cherishing power, and the like, and when we receive comfort from the creature, which hath but a drop, a beam of his goodness, we should consider how good God himself is, if this be so comfortable, what is God that is my God, here we use the creatures to refresh us, and God deriveth his goodness usually to us by them, what will he be to us in heaven, when he will be all in all: and whatsoever comfort God hath, Christ hath, because God and Christ join together for our good, for God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and if God be ours, Christ is ours, and if God and Christ be ours, all things are ours, because all things are Gods, Angels are ours, Cherubins are ours, because God is ours. It is a point of wondrous comfort, a poor christian when he hath nothing to trust to, he may perhaps say sometime, that he hath no friend in the world, and he hath many enemies: I but he hath a God to go to, if he have not the beam, yet he hath the Sun, if he have not the stream, yet he hath the fountain, if we have not particular benefits that others have, yet he hath better, whatsoever portion he have in the world, he hath a rich portion, for God is his portion: God is my portion saith the Church, in the 3. Lumenta. therefore will I hope in him: The poor Church had nothing else in the world to comfort it, for it was in captivity, in the midst of enemies, had no wealth nor friends, nor any thing, yea but God is my portion saith my soul, and therefore God being mine, in him I have friends, and wealth, and pleasure, and all whatsoever, and so hath every Christian soul, and never more than when the creature and the comfort of it is taken away: he never finds God more his God, then when he is deprived of those means that usually derive comfort to him, for then God immediately cometh to the soul, and comforteth it, and the disposition of a true Christian is at those times to take advantage by grace to get nearer to God, to cling faster to him, to solaaes himself more in him as his portion. What a spring of comfort is here arising to a Christian in all estates? If God be his God, than he may claim him upon all occasions, and at all times, as the saints in the Scripture have done. David, jehosaphat, and all the saints what do they allege in their prayers to God? thou art our God, we are thy people, the sheep of thy pasture, the vine that thy right hand hath planted, the Lord is my shepherd etc. What made the disciples when they were ready to be drowned to cry out, Master save us? but because they knew that they were servants in Covenant, that he was their Master, we should use this as a plea to God in all the Calamities of the Church, we are thine, thou art ours: doubtless thou art our God (saith the Church) though Abraham have forgotten, and Israel be ignorant of us. It is a point of spiritual wisdom, when we know we are in Covenant with God, to improve it as an argument to persuade God to help us in any straight: I am thine, Lord save me saith David, Psal. 119. Thou art my God, Lord look to me, protect me, direct me, ease me, receive my soul, this is a plea that obtaineth any thing of God in all extremities whatsoever. I will establish my Covenant between me and he, and thy seed after thee, etc. I come now to the qualities of this covenant, and before I speak in particular of them, I beseech you observe one thing (which I will but touch, to make an entrance to that which follows) from the manner of setting down the Covenant: it is not here set down as it is in other places of Scripture, I will be thy God, and thou shalt be my people, but here is only the first part, the main of the covenant of grace recited, I will be thy God, why doth he not say too, thou shalt take me for thy God, because where the first is, he ever works the second, our part depends upon his: all our grace that we have to answer the Covenant is by reflection from God, he chooseth us, and then we choose him: he knoweth us, and therefore we come to know him, he loveth us first, and then we love him, he singleth us out to be a peculiar people, and we single out him above all things to be our portion, whom have I in heaven but thee? It is therefore (to come to the first quality) called a free Covenant, it cometh from God, merely of grace, it is of grace, that he would enter into any terms of agreement with us; it is of grace that he would send Christ to die, to be the foundation of the covenant; it is of grace that he giveth us hearts to take him for our God, to depend upon him, to love him, to serve him, etc. All is of grace, and all cometh from him. So you see, that it is a free Covenant, that's the first quality. Again, secondly it is a sure, a certain Covenant. I will establish my covenant. But in whom it is established, how cometh it to be sure? It is established in Christ, the Mediator of the covenant, in the Messiah: for in thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed. That's the fundamental promise, all other promises, the promise, of the Land of Canaan, the promise of the multiplying his seed, as the stars of Heaven, they were all but accessary, this is the grand promise, in thy seed, in Christ, shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed. So it is a sure Covenant, because it is established in the Messiah, Christ, God-man. And Christ being God and man, is fit to be the foundation of the Covenant, between God and man, for he is a friend to both parties: as man, he will do all that is helpful for man, and as God, he will do nothing that may derogate from God; and so being God, and being God and man, he brings God and man together comfortably, and sweetly, and keepeth them together in a sure and firm agreement. For first of all he takes away the cause of division that was between God and us, because by his sacrifice and obedience, he did satisfy God's wrath, and that being satisfied, God and us are at peace, and friendship: for God till then, though he be a fountain of goodness, yet he was a fountain sealed, the fountain was stopped by sin, but when there is a satisfaction made by Christ, and we believing on him, the satisfaction of Christ is made ours, it is a sure Covenant, because it is established in Christ, the blessed seed. And as it is a sure Covenant, so thirdly it is an everlasting Covenant, I will make an everlasting Covenant with thee, so it is set down here. Everlasting in these respects. For when we are in Christ, and made one with him by faith, he having satisfied God's wrath for us, and made him peaceable, then God is become our father, and he is an everlasting father, his love to us in Christ is like himself, immutable. For even as Christ, when he took upon him our nature, he made an everlasting Covenant with our nature, married our nature to himself for ever, and never layeth aside his human nature, so he will never lay aside his mystical body, his Church. As Christ is God-man for ever, so mystical Christ, the Church, is his body for ever. As Christ will not lose his natural, so he will not lose his mystical body, I will marry thee to myself for ever (saith God in the Prophet) so than it is everlasting in respect of God, he being Immutable, I am God saith he, Mal. 3. 6.) and I change not, and Christ, the foundation of the covenant, is everlasting. And then again it is everlasting, in regard of us, because, if we be not wanting to ourselves, we shall be for evermore, in Grace here, and in Glory for ever: the fruits of Grace in us, that is, the work of the Spirit, it is everlasting, for howsoever the graces we have, be but the first fruits of the spirit, yet our inward man grows more and more, till grace end in glory, till the first fruits end in a harvest, till the foundation be accomplished in the building, God never takes away his hand from his own work. Everlasting also in regard of the body of Christians, God makes a covenant with one, and when they are gone, with others, always God will have some in Covenant with him, he will have some, to be a God to, when we are gone, so long as the world continueth. So that we see it is in every respect an everlasting covenant, God is everlasting, Christ is everlasting, the graces of the spirit are everlasting. When we are dead, he will be a God unto us, as it is said, I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of jacob, their God when they were dead: he is the God of our dust, of our dead bodies; he will raise them up, for they are bodies in Covenant with him, I am the God of whole Abraham, and not of a piece, therefore his body shall rise again. It is an everlasting Covenant. That is the third quality. Lastly, it is a peculiar Covenant. I will be thy God, and the God of thy seed. All are not the children of Abraham, but they that are of the faith of Abraham, God is in Covenant only with those that answer him, that take him for their God, that are a peculiar people: It is not glorying in the flesh, but there must be somewhat wrought that is peculiar, before we can be assured we are of Abraham's seed, and in Covenant with God. And we may know that we are Gods peculiar by some peculiar thing that we can do: what peculiar thing canst thou do? (to speak a little of that by the way) thou lovest, and art kind, but saith Christ, what peculiar thing canst thou do? A heathen man may be kind and loving, but canst thou overcome revenge, canst thou spare, and do good to thine enemies? canst thou trust in God when all means fail? what is the power of the spirit in thee? doth it triumph in thee over thy natural corruption? canst thou do as abram's did? he left all at God's command, canst thou do that if need should be? canst thou leave children, and wife, and life, and all at God's command? Canst thou sacrifice Isaac as he did? canst thou more trust in the promise of God, then in the dearest thing in the world, yea, then in thy own feeling of grace? whatsoever is not God, canst thou be content to be without? canst thou rely upon God, when he appeareth to be an angry God? Abraham knew that there was more comfort in the promise, than in Isaac, if thou have comfort in the promise more than in any thing else, than thou art one of Abraham's seed, thou hast sacrificed thy Isaac, never talk of Abraham else, never think that thy portion is great in God, be what thou wilt by profession, if there be no particular thing in thee which is not in a natural man, if thou art covetous, as gripple for the world, as very a drudge in thy calling; as licentious in thy course as carnal men are, thou art none of God's peculiar ones, thou art none of Abraham's seed. God's people have somewhat peculiar that the world hath not. It is a peculiar Covenant. Thus you see the qualities of this Covenant, it is a free Covenant, a sure Covenant established in the blessed seed, the Messiah, it is an Everlasting Covenant, and it is a peculiar Covenant. To make some use of this in a word. here than you see is another Spring of blessed comfort opened to a Christian. If he findeth God (though this assurance be little) to be his God in regard of peculiar favours, let him remember it is an everlasting favour, his love is everlasting, the foundation is everlasting, the graces of the spirit are an everlasting spring, always issuing from Christ our head, grace is never drawn dry in him. God is our God to death, and in death, and for ever: all things in the world will fail us, friends will fail us, all comforts will fail us, life will fail us ere long, but this is an everlasting covenant which will not fail. It is a point of comfort in the loss of friends, in the loss of estate in this world: If I lose friends, yet I cannot lose God, if he be mine, he is mine for ever, a friend now, and a friend ever, my portion now, and my portion for ever, whatsoever God takes away, he never takes away himself, and in him I have all that is taken away, all the comfort that he doth still derive to me by friends, he resumeih to himself, it is not perished with the party, he can immediately by himself convey whatsoever comfort was derived to me by others: he is God all-sufficient, that is, put the case all the world were taken away, not only friends, but the sun, the light, the earth, food and raiment, all, as it shall be at the day of judgement, if all be taken away, yet I have him, yet I have him that made all, that supporteth all, cannot he do all in a more excellent manner, is not he all-sufficient, though I lose all things else? It is a point of wondrous comfort, God knew it well enough, therefore he laboureth to establish the heart of the father of the faithful, good Abraham, here with this instead of all. I am God Alsufficient, and I will be thy God. Again, if this be so, that God will be a God to us for ever, let us comfort ourselves hence in all the unfaithful dealings of men, they are friends to day, and enemies to morrow, but God is my God, and whom he loveth, he loveth to the end. An ingenuous spirit certainly esteemeth it the greatest cross in the world, and if any thing will whet a man to heaven, this is one, that those whom he trusteth will prove false, and at length deceive him: Man is but man, in the balance he is lighter than vanity, but he that is in Covenant with God, his promise and love, and faithfulness never faileth: A Christian in all the breaches of this world, hath this comfort, that he hath a sure God to trust to, he that hath not God to trust to, and is unfaithfully dealt withal in the world, what a wretched man is he? this was David's comfort, when he was beset with calamities, and miseries, all took from him, and the people were ready to stone him, he trusted in the Lord his God. I come to the extent of it. To thee and to thy seed after thee. Why doth he make the Covenant with his seed, as well as with himself? I answer, we apprehend favours and curses more in our seed ofttimes, then in ourselves; and it will humble a man to see calamities on his posterity, more than on himself, and a man more rejoiceth to see the flourishing of his seed, them of himself. It is said that josiah did die in peace, though he died a bloody death, because he saw not the ruin of his house and family, which was worse than death. God saw how Abraham apprehended and valued seed, when he said, what wilt thou give me, since I am childless? therefore God intending a comfortable enlargement of the covenant of Grace to Abraham, extends it to his seed. I will be the God of thy seed. It is a great blessing for God to be the God of our seed: it is alluded to by S. Peter in the new Testament, The promise is made to you and to your Children. But what if they have not Baptism, the seal of the Covenant? That doth not prejudice their salvation, God hath appointed the sacraments to be seals for us, not for himself, he himself keepeth his Covenant, whether we have the seal or no, so long as we neglect it not, therefore we must not think if a child die before the sacrament of baptism, that God will not keep his Covenant, they have the sanctity, the holiness of the Covenant. You know what David said of his child, I shall go to it, but it shall not return to me, and yet it died before it was circumcised. You know they were 40 years in the wilderness and were not circumcised, therefore the sacrament is not of absolute necessity to salvation. So, he is the God of our children, from the conception and birth. But how can God be the God of our children, when they are borne in corruption, Children of wrath? Can they be Children of wrath, and the Children of God both at one time? I answer yes, both as one time, for even as in civil matters, in our city here, a man may be a freeman of the city, and yet be borne lame or leprous, or with some contageous disease, this hindereth not his freedom: so the children of a believing father and mother, may be freemen of the city of God, and in the covenant of grace, and yet be tainted with original sin, that overspreadeth the powers of the soul notwithstanding. Whence we see a ground of baptising infants, because they are in the Covenant. To whom the Covenant belongs: the seal of it belongs, but to infants the Covenant belongs, therefore the seal of it, Baptism, belongeth to them: If circumcision belonged to them, than Baptism doth, but circumcision belonged to them: for the eighth day they were circumcised, therefore Baptism belongeth to them. anabaptistical spirits would not have children baptised, if they believe not: why then were the Children of the jews circumcised? They were circumcised, because they were in Covenant: and is not the Covenant of grace enlarged? wherein doth the new Covenant differ from the old, but (among many other things) in the enlargement of it? there is now a new people, the Gentiles in Covenant, that were not before, new Priests, new sacrifices, new sacraments, all is new in the covenant of grace: if all be enlarged in the covenant, why should we deny the seal of the covenant to them in the new, that had it in the old, even children? It is senseless. The Scripture to meet with such, applieth baptism to them, and circumcision to us, to show, that in the covenant of grace, they are all one in effect, 1 Cor. 10. All they were baptised under the cloud, and S. Paul saith, 1 Colos. We are circumcised with circumcision, without hands. We are circumcised, and they were baptised: to show I say that all are one in Christ. Christ is all one, yesterday, to day, and the same for ever, yesterday to them that were under the law, and to day to us under the Gospel, and for ever to posterity; and therefore if Children had interest in Christ then, so they have now. This is clear, and undeniable, God is the God of our Children. This should be an encouragement to parents, to be good, if not for love of themselves, and their own souls, yet for their Children and posterity sake, that God may do good to their children for them, they cannot deserve worse of their children, then to be naught themselves. How many examples are there in Scripture that God plagued and punished the children for the father's sins? though in the main matter he will not do it sometimes, because he is gracious and good, he will be good to the children, though their parents be naught, as joshua, and Caleb came into Canaan, though their parents were rebels, and died in the wilderness. Yet it is a uncomfortable thing, when parents are naught, they may look that God should punish their sin in their Children. There is a great deal of care taken by carnal parents, here in the City, (and every where too; but in the City especially) by covetousness, a reigning sin: they will not make God their God, but the wedge of Gold to be their God. They labour to make their children great, if they can leave them rich men, great men in a parish, to bear office, to come to honour, that is their main endeavour, for this they drudge and neglect heaven and happiness. But, alas, what is this? Thou mayst leave them much goods; and the vengeance of God with them, thou mayst leave them much wealth, and it may be a snare to them, it were better thou hadst left them nothing. Look into the state of the City, those that are best able in the City, do they not rise of nothing? and they that have been the greatest labourers for these outward things, that they may call their lands after their own names, God hath blown upon them, and all hath come to nought in a short time, because they have not made God their portion. Of all things parents should labour to leave them God for their God: to leave them in Covenant with him, lay up prayers in heaven for them, lay the foundation there, sow prayers there, that may be effectual for them when you are gone. And this likewise should be a comfort to poor Christians, that have not much to leave their children. I can leave my child nothing, but I shall leave him in Covenant with God: for God is my God, and always hath been, and ever will be, he will be the God of my seed. I shall leave him God's blessing, and a little well gotten goods that the righteous hath, is better than a great deal ill gotten, God addeth no sorrow with that. There is no fearful expectation another day, as there is, of that which is ill gotten, when the father and child shall meet in hell, and curse one another, when the son shall say to the father, you ensnared yourself to make me happy, and that turned to my ruin: this shall make wicked wretches curse one another one day. A poor Christian that cannot say he hath riches to leave his children, yet he can say, God is my God, and I am sure he will be their God, though I have but little to leave them else, I shall leave them Gods blessing. Good parents may hope for a blessing upon their children, because God is their God, and the God of their seed. For the sacrament, a word. The Sacrament is a seal of this Covenant, that God is our God in Christ, and we are his people. God to his word addeth seals, to help our faith: what a good God is this? how willing is he to have us believe him? one would think that a word from him, a promise, were enough, but to his promise he addeth a covenant: one would think a covenant were enough, but to that he addeth seals, and to them an oath too. I have sworn to David my servant. Thus he stoops to all conditions of men, he condescendeth so far, to use all these means, that he may secure us. You know that a promise secures us, if it be from one that is an honest man, we say that we are sure to have it because of his promise: but when we have his Covenant, than we are assured more because there is somewhat drawn. Now we have God's covenant, and his seal, the sacrament, and then his oath. If we will take him for our God, and renounce our wicked courses, we shall lose nothing by it, we shall part with nothing for God, but we shall have it supplied in him. If we lose honour, wealth, or pleasure, we shall have it abundantly in him▪ What do we hear in the sacrament? do we come only to receive his love to us? No, we make a covenant with God in the Sacrament, that he shall be our God, and we promise by his grace to lead new lives hence forth, we have made a Covenant with God at first in Baptism, now we renew it in taking the Sacrament, and it is fit, for if he renew his covenant oft to us in love to be ours, we should renew ours oft with him, to take him to be our God. Seven times in Gen. he renewed his covenant to Abraham, because he would have him trust what he said; then we should seven times, that is oft, come to the Sacrament, and renew our Covenant with him, to take him for our God: and remember what ti●… to sin after the receiving the sacramē●…. Sins against conscience break off a covenant renewed, sin hath an aggravation now, you that mean to receive, if you sin willingly after, 'twere better you had not received: what makes adultery worse them fornication? saith Mal: 'twas the wife of thy covenant: adultery breaks the covenant of marriage, it is worse than fornication where there is not a covenant. So you have made á covenant with God in your Baptism, and now you come to renew it; if you sin now, it is an aggravation of the sin, it is adultery, it is disloyalty against God. Remember therefore, that we do not only take here God's kindness sealed in the Sacrament, but we repromise back again to lead new lives. All must resolve by his grace to obey him henceforward; and to take him for our God. The way therefore will be to put this into the condition of your promise now, and prayer after: Lord, I have promised this, but thou knowest I cannot perform the promise I have made, and the condition thou requirest, of myself: but in the Covenant of grace, thou hast said that thou wilt make good the condition: thou hast promised to give the spirit to them that ask him; thou hast promised to Circumcise my heart, thou hast promised to teach me, thou hast promised to delight over me for good, thou hast promised to Wash me with clean water, thou hast promised to put thy fear in my heart, thou hast promised to write thy Law in the affections; I would fear thee, and love thee, and trust in thee, and delight in thee: thou knowest I cannot fulfil the conditions, thou art able and willing; thou art as able to make me do these things as to command me to do them▪ Thus we should desire God to give the grace that he requires in the use of the means; for that must not be neglected, we must attend upon the Ordinances, use the parts that are given us, and in that, to him that hath, shall be given: thou shalt not need any necessary good to bring thee to heaven, if thou wilt claim the promise of the covenant in the use of means: we shall want degrees perhaps, but in the covenant of grace, it is not degrees that brings us to heaven, but truth. Now in our renewing the Covenant with God, let us not despair of his performance, let not that hinder us from coming to the Sacrament, but come cheerfully, and know, that he that hath made the Covenant with thee to be thy God, and to give thee all particular grace (in the use of all good means) will perform it: He will perform it, if we come in sincerity of heart. If we come to daub with God, and after to follow our sinful courses, this is to mock God. This made David take it to heart so much, that his familiar friend that eat at his table, lift up his heel against me. May not God complain of us, that we come to the communion, to his table, with false judas hearts, and afterwards betray him? he may say, my familiar friends they came, and eat with me, yet they have lift up the heel against me, they are rebellious, they will leave no fin, that before they were enthralled to, so instead of a blessing, we bring a curse upon us, a just reward of our disloyalty. Oh remember that it is a great aggravation of sin, after the Sacrament. I speak not this to discourage any, but to encourage us rather, if we come with sincere hearts, and with resolution to please God, we may look for all the promises from God, all that he hath promised, he is ready to perform, if we in faith can allege the promise. Lord remember thy promise, wherein thou hast caused thy servant to put his trust. FINIS. THE DEMAND OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE. In one Sermon upon 1 PET. 3. 21. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS: Doctor in Divinity, Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. 2 COR. 1. 12. For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our Conscience, etc. LONDON, Printed by E. Purslow, for N. Bourne, at the Royal Exchange, and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queen's head Alley, in Pater-Noster-Row. 1639. THE DEMAND OF A good Conscience. 1. PET. 3. 21. The like figure whereunto, even Baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good Conscience toward God) by the resurrection of jesus Christ. THe dependence of these words upon the former is this. The blessed Apostle had spoken before of those that were before the flood, and of Noah's saving in the Ark: whereupon he mentions Baptism. The like figure whereunto is Baptism which also saveth us. Christ was Yesterday, to day, and the same for ever. He was the same unto them before his Incarnation; and the same to them that lived in his time, and to us that shall be for ever. All were saved by Christ, and all had several sacrifices that were types of Christ. As there were two Cities of the world, from the beginning of the world, figured out in Cain and Abel the beginners of both, so God hath carried himself differently to the Citizens of both: he always had a care to save his Noah's in the midst of destruction, he had an Ark always for his Noah's. God knoweth how to deliver his, saith the Apostle Peter. It is a work that he hath practised a long time since the beginning of the world: and for the other that are not his, that are of Cain's posterity, God carries himself in a contrary way to them, he destroys them. But to come to the words. The like figure whereunto even Baptism doth now save us, etc. The saving of Noah in the Ark was a correspondent, answerable type to Baptism: for as Baptism figures Christ, so did the saving of Noah in the Ark: they are correspondent in many things. As all that were without the Ark perished, 1. The Ark, a figure of Baptism, in divers respects. so all that are without Christ, that are not engrafted into Christ by faith, (whereof Baptism was a seal) they perish. And as the same water in the flood, preserved 2. Noah in the Ark; and destroyed all the old world: so the same blood, and death of Christ, and his sufferings, it kills all our spiritual enemies: (they are all drowned in the red Sea of Christ's blood,) but preserves his Children. There were three main waters, and deluges which did all typify out Christ. The flood that drowned the old world, the passing through the red Sea, and the waters of jordan, in all these God's people were saved, and the ene●…ies of God's Church destroyed, whereunto Micah the prophet alludes when he saith, he s●…al dro●…ne ●…r sins in the botto●…, of the Sea, he alludes to Pharaoh, and his host drowned in the bottom of the Sea, they ●…unck as lead, so all our sins, (which are our enemie●…) if we be in Christ they sink as lead. As Noah when he went to make the Ark and to get into it, was mocked of the wretched world, so all that labout to get into Christ, and to be saved, they are derided. Yet notwithstanding Noah was thought a wise man when the flood came: so when destruction comes, than they are wise that get into the Ark that get into Christ before; many such resemblances there be, I name but a few, because I go on. The like figure whereunto, baptism also saveth us, etc. Here first of all in a word, is a description of Parts of the Text. the means of salvation, how we are saved, Baptism saveth us. Then there is a prevention of an objection; not the putting away of the filth of the flesh: the outward part of Baptism. Then he sets down how Baptism saves us: But the answer of a good Conscience. And then the ground of it, by the resurrection of jesus Christ. The former I pass over, that I may come to that which I specially intent. I come therefore to the prevention of the objection, which I will not speak much of, but somewhat, because it is a useful point. When he said that Baptism saves us, he saith, not that Baptism which is a putting away the filth of the flesh, insinuating this, 2. Parts of Baptism. that Baptism hath two parts: there is a double Baptism; the outward, which is the washing of the body; the inward, which is the washing of the soul: the outward doth not save without the inward. Therefore he prevents them, lest they should think that all are saved by Christ, that are Baptised, that have their bodies washed outwardly with water. The Apostle knew this, that people are naturally prone to give too much to outward things. The Devil in people is in extremes, he labours to bring people to The Devil carries to extremes. extremes, to make the Sacraments Idols, or Idle: to make the outward Sacrament a mere Idol, to give all to that, or to make them Idle signs, the Devil hath what he would in both. The Apostle knew the disease of the times, especially Men prone to give too much to outward▪ worship. in his time, they attributed too much to outward things. Saint Paul writing to the Galathians, he is fain twice to repeat it, Neither Circumcision availeth any thing, or uncircumcision, but a new creature: you stand too much on outward things; that that God requires especially, is the new creature. So in the old Testament, when God prescribed both outward and inward worship; they attributed too much to the outward, and let the inward alone. As in Psal. 50. God complains Psal. 50. how they served him, therefore saith he, what hast thou to do to take my Covenant into thy mouth, and hatest to be reform? And so in Isay 1. and Isay Isay 1. Isay ult. the last, we see Gods peremptory dealing with them: I will none of your new Moons, I abhor your offerings. And in Isay ult. It was as the cutting off of a Dog's neck, the offering of sacrifice and yet they were sacrifices appointed by God himself. What was the reason of this? They played the hypocrites with God, and gave him only the shell: they brought him outward performances, they attributed too much to that, and left the spiritual part, that God most esteems. So our Saviour Christ to the pharisees, we see how he takes them up, say not with yourselves, we have Abraham to our Father. They boasted too much of their outward privileges: You see through the current of the Scriptures, those especially that belong not to God, they are apt to attribute too much to outward things; It were well if they would join the inward too, which they neglect. There are 2 parts of God's service, outward & inward, that is harsh to flesh and blood. As in Baptism there are 2 parts, outward and inward washing; and in hearing the Word, is the outward man & inward soul, when it bows to hear what God saith: so in the Lord's Supper, there is outward receiving of Bread and Wine, and inward making of a Covenant with God. Now people give too much to the outward, and think that God is beholding to them for it: but now for the inward; because they are conscious of their lusts, they care not for that. But more particularly, the reason is in corrupt nature. First, because the outward part is easy, and glorious to the eye of the world: every one can Reason, outward performances easy and glorious. see the Sacrament administered, every one can see when one comes, and attends, and hears the word of God, they are easy, and glorious in the eye of the world. And then again, people rest in them, because 2. They daub Conscience. somewhat is done by it to daub conscience, that would c●…mour if they should do nothing, if they were direct Atheists, therefore say they, we will hear the word, and perform outward things; and being loath to search into the bottom of their conscience rest in outward things, and satisfy conscience by it: these and the like reasons there are: Let us take notice of it, and take heed of the Use. To perform inward service. corruption of nature in it: Let us know that God regards not the outward, without the inward, nay he abhors it, he abhors his own worship that he hath appointed himself, if the inward be not there: much more devises, and ceremonies of men's owne devising. Popery is but an outside of Religion, they labour to put off God with the work done: they have an opinion fit to corrupt nature: that is, that the Sacrament administered confersgrace, without any disposing of the party. One of the Chief of them, a great Scholar, he will have the water itself to be elevated above its own nature to confer grace, as if grace had any communion with a dead element. And thus they speak, to make people dote too much upon outward things. I will not stand to confute this opinion: this very text showeth, that the outward part of Baptism, without the inward, is nothing, not the washing of the body, but the answer of a good Conscience, saith S. Peter. Let us labour therefore in all our services of God, to bring especially the spiritual part: The Prophet Hosea finds fault with Ephraim, They loved to tread out the Corn, but not to wear the Yoke. Now the Ox that wears no yoke, it is no trouble to tread out the Corn, they fed upon the corn as they trod it, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the Corn: So Christians are like Ephraim, they are content to take the easy part of Religion: but to take the yoke, that which is hard, that they love not: now we must labour tob ear the yoke of Religion: What the heart doth is done in Religion, what the heart doth not, is not done, and there is a kind of Divinity, a Divine power in all the parts of God's worship that is requisite, besides the bringing of the outward man: As in hearing, there is required a divine power to make a man hear as he ought to do, to bow the neck of the inward man of the soul: & so to receive the Sacrament, more is required then the outward man. There is a form and power in all the parts of Religion. Let us not rest in the form, but labour for the power: there is a power in hearing of the Word, to transform us into the obedience of it, and a power in the Sacrament to renew our Covenants with God for a new life, and to cast ourselves altogether upon God's Mercy in Jesus Christ (besides the outward elements, to have further Communion with Christ. We see what kind of persons those were in 1 Tim. 3. That practised a form of Religion without 2 Tim. 3. the power, he names a Catalogue of sins there, They were Lovers of pleasures, more than Lovers of God: yet these people will have a form of Religion notwithstanding, but they deny the power of it. But I hasten to that that I will more dwell on. The Ministers likewise are to learn their Use 2. Minister's duty. duty hence, to observe the dispositions of people, and what bars they lay to their own salvation: if we see them superstitious, that they swell in outward performances, and so are deluded by Satan in an ill state, and feed themselves with husks, than we are to take away such objections as much as we can, as S. Peter here, when he had said that Baptism answers to the Flood, both show the deliverance of God's people by the blood of Christ, I saith he, not the outward Baptism, the washing of the Body, but the answer of a good Conscience. So Christ takes away a secret objection, say not with yourselves, we have Abraham to our Father. And to feed people in their ill humours, this is not the way: but to labour to make them spiritual: for God is a spirit, and he loves that part of his worship that is spiritual and inward. We shall have no man damned in the Church, if there were not an inward spiritual part of God's worship: for the worst men of all will be busiest in outward performances, and glory most in it of any other. It is a delusion that brings thousands to hell, and that made me a little dwell upon it. But I go on. Not the washing away the filth of the body, But the answer of a good Conscience. Upon the preventing of an objection, and removing their false confidence, he positively sets down what that is that doth save in Baptism, saith he, it is the answer of a good Conscience. The Scope of the words should have moved the holy Apostle to have said thus, not the putting off the filth of the Body, but the putting off the filth of the soul: but instead of that he sets down the act of the soul, which is an answer of a good Conscience to God, by the Resurrection of jesus Christ. Where first of all, you must know this for a ground (indeed it is a hard place of Scripture, I will only take that that I think fittest, and raise what observations I think fit for you, that out of that; you must know for a ground) that There is a Covenant of Grace. Since God and Man broke in the Creation, there is a Covenant which we call a Covenant of Grace. God hath stooped so low, he hath condescended to enter into terms of Covenant with us: Now the foundation of this Covenant is, that God will be our God, and give us grace and glory, and all good in Christ the Mediator of the new Covenant. Christ is the Christ the foundation of the Covenant of Grace. foundation of the Covenant, the Mediator of the Covenant, a friend to both: to God as God, to man as man, God and man in himself, and by office; such is his office, as to procure love and agreement between God and man. He being the foundation of the Covenant, there must be agreement in him. Now Christ is the foundation of the Covenant, by satisfying God's justice: else God and we could never have come to good terms, nor conscience could ever have been satisfied. For God must be satisfied before conscience be satisfied: Conscience else would think God is angry, and he hath not received full satisfaction; and conscience will never be satisfied but with that that God is satisfied with. God is satisfied with the Death of the Mediator: so conscience being sprinkled with the blood of Christ, applying the death of Christ, conscience is satisfied too. Now what doth show, that the death of the Mediator is a sufficient sacrifice, and Satisfaction? The Resurrection of Christ: for Christ our surety should have lain in the grave to this day, if our sins had not been fully satisfied for. Christ is the foundation of the Covenant of grace, by his humiliation, and by his exaltation, whereof the resurrection was the first degree. Now in this as in other covenants, there is the party promising, making the Covenant; and the parties that answer in the Covenant. God promises life everlasting, forgiveness of sins through the death of Christ, the Mediator; we answer by faith, that we rely upon God's mercy in Christ, this is the answer of conscience. Now this sound answer of conscience, it doth save us, because it doth lay hold on Christ, that doth save us, Christ properly saveth us, by his death, and passion. An argument of the sufficiency of his salvation, was his resurrection, he is now in Heaven triumphing, but because there is somewhat in us that must lay hold of this salvation, it is attributed to that that is the instrument of salvation, that is, to the answer of a good conscience. Now this answer of a good conscience, doth afford us this observation, that There must be something in us before we can Observ. There must be somewhat in us, to make use of that is in Christ. make use of what good is in God, or Christ. In a Covenant, both parties must agree, there must be somewhat wrought in us that must answer, or else we cannot claim any good by the promises in Christ, or by any good that Christ hath wrought: that is the answer of a good conscience. Or else Christ should save all, if there were not the answer of a good conscience required, that only Gods elect children have. But to show the reasons of this, that there must on our part be this answer. The reason is partly from the nature of the Reas. 1. From the nature of the Covenant. Covenant, there must be consent on both sides, or else the Covenant cannot hold, there are Indentures drawn between God and us, God promiseth all good, if we believe and rest on Christ: we again rest upon Christ, and so have interest in all that is good. There is a mutual engagement then in the Covenant. God engageth himself to us, and we engage our solves to God in Christ, and where this mutual engagement is, there the Covenant is perfect, as here, there is the answer of a good conscience. That is the first reason then, from the nature of the Covenant, there must be this answer. The second reason that there must be somewhat in us, is, because when two agree there Reas. 2. Where agreement is, there is a like disposition. must be a like disposition. Now there must be a sanctifying of our Nature (from whence this blessed answer comes, before that God and we can agree: There must be a correspondency of disposition of necessity, this must be: for we enter into terms of friendship with God, in the Covenant of Grace. Now friends must have the same mind, there must be an answering. Now this answer is especially faith, when we believe, and from Faith, sanctified obedience, that is called the resti pulation, or engagement of a good conscience to God, when the promise is made, we engage ourselves to believe, and to live as christians. Now from this that there must be an answer Use. To search our hearts for the evidence of our estate. in us, an engagement on our part; I beseech you let us in general therefore know, that we must search our own hearts, for the evidence of our good estate in Religion: let us not so much search what Christ hath done, but search our own hearts how we have engaged ourselves to God in Christ, that we believe and witness our believing, that we lead a life answerable to our Faith: renounce all but Christ. This mutual engagement is in the form in Baptism, that was used by the Apostles, and by the ancient Church: for we know that in the ancient Church, that they that were Baptised, they were questioned, do you believe? I do believe. Do you renounce the Flesh, and the World, and the Devil? I do renounce them: These two questions were made, now when they answered this question from a good conscience, truly, faithfully, and sincerely, than they had right in all the good things by Christ. Something always therefore in the Church was required on our part. Not that we answer by our own strength, for it is the Covenant of grace: why is it a Covenant of grace? not only because the things promised Covenant of grace why so called. are promised of grace: but because our part is of grace likewise, we believe of grace, and live holily of grace: every good thought is from grace, it is by grace that we are that we are. All is of grace in the new Covenant, merely of grace, God requires not any answering by our strength: for than he should require light of darkness, and life of death. There is nothing good in us; he requires obedience that he may work it when he requires it. For his commands in the Covenant of grace, they are operative, and working, when he commands us to believe, and obey, he gives us grace to believe, and obey. It is ourselves that answer, but not from ourselves, but from grace; yet notwithstanding, let us make this use of it, letus search ourselves, though it be not from ourselves: that we answer God's promise by faith, and his command by obedience, yet we must have this obedience, (though from him) before we can challenge any thing at God's hands. It is arrogant presumption, to hope for Heaven and Salvation: before we have grace to answer all God's promises and commands, by a good conscience. To come more particularly to the words: some will have it, the Questioning, the Demand of conscience proceeds from the answer of it. Demand of a good Conscience: but that follows the other. For when we answer truly the interrogatories in Baptism, when we believe and renounce, than we may from a good conscience demand of God, all the good in Christ: we may call upon him, & pray unto him, hath not Christ died, and made peace between thee, and us? And may we not triumph against all enemies when there is the answer of a good Conscience? If Satan lay any thing to our charge, Christ died, and rose, and sits at the right hand of God. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's people? We may (with a heart sprinkled with the blood of Christ now ascended into heaven) answer all objections; and triumph against all enemies, we may go boldly to God; and demand the performance of his promises. Hence comes all the spirit of boldness, in prayer, from the answer of a good Conscience: for that draws all other after it. Now to come more particularly to the words, The answer of a good Conscience: It would take up all the time to speak of Conscience in general, and it were not to much purpose. I will Good conscience what. take it as it serves my purpose at this time. A good conscience in this place, is a Conscience peaceable and gracious, peace and purity make up a good Conscience. To make this clearer, there be three degrees of a good Conscience, (though the last be here meant especially) There is first a good Conscience that is troubled, a troubled good Conscience, and then Three degrees of a good conscience. a pacified good Conscience, and then a gracious good Conscience. A troubled good Conscience is, when the A troubled good Conscience. spirit by conviction opens to us what we are in ourselves, he opens our sins, and the danger, and soulness of our sins: whereupon our Conscience is terrified, and affrighted. Therefore this good Conscience, whereby we are convinced of our estate by nature, in itself it is a good Conscience, and tends to good; for it tends to drive us to Christ. There is a good Conscience therefore that hath terror with it. The second degree of a good conscience is that that comes from the other, when we are 2. A peaceable good Conscience. convinced of sin, and of the Misery that comes by sin, than that good conscience speaks peace to us: when God shines upon the conscience by his spirit (from whence there is peace) that is a peaceable good conscience. For God takes this course, after he hath terrified conscience by his spirit and word, than he offers in the Gospel, (and not only offers but) commands us to believe; he offers all good in Christ, and commands us, & not only so, but invites us: Come unto me all ye that are weary, etc. Nay, he beseecheth us: We beseech you to be reconciled; he takes all courses. Now his spirit going with these entreaties, he persuades the soul that he is our gracious Father in Christ jesus. Christ hath suffered such great things, and he is God, and man, he is willing, and able to save us. Considering, he is anointed of God for this purpose: hereupon conscience is satisfied, and doth willingly yield to these gracious promises, it yields to this command of believing, to these sweet invitings. This is a peaceable good Conscience. Hereupon comes (in the third place) a gracious good conscience, which is a conscience 3. A gracious good Conscience. after we have believed, that resolves to please God in all things, as the Apostle saith Heb. 13. We have a good Conscience studying to please God in Heb. 13. all things: we have a good conscience toward God, and toward men. When the conscience is appeased, and quieted, than it is fit to serve God, as an instrument that is in tune. An instrument out of tune, yields nothing but harsh Music; so when the soul and conscience is distempered, and not set at peace, it is not gracious. So now you see the order, there is a troubled good conscience, and a peaceable good conscience, and then a gracious heart: forwhile conscience is not at peace, by the blood, and resurrection of jesus Christ, by considering him, and by application of him, there is no grace nor service of God with that heart: but the heart shuns God, it hates God, and murmurs against God; men think why should they do good deeds when they believe not? when they cast not themselves upon Christ, and when conscience is not sprinkled with the blood of Christ; they are able to do nothing out of the love of God, and whatsoever is not of faith and love, it is sin. The heart cannot but be afraid of God, and wish there were no God, and murmur, and repine till it be pacified. That is the reason why the Apostles in the latter part of their Epistles, they press conscience of good duties, when they had taught Christians before, and established them in Christ, because all duties issue from faith, if they come not thence they are nothing: if there be first faith in Christ; then there will be a good conscience in our lives and conversations. And from the gracious conscience comes the increase of a peaceable conscience: there must be peace, before we can graciously renew our Covenants to please God: but when we have both these, faith in Christ, and a resolution to please God in all things, there comes an increase of peace: for then there is an argument to satisfy conscience, when first of all conscience goes to Christ, to the foundation. I have answered God's command, I have believed, and cast myself upon Christ; I have answered God's promise, he hath promised, if I do so; he will give me Christ with all his Benefits; I have yielded the obedience of faith: hereupon comes some comfort, here is the foundation of this obedience: But then when Conscience likewise from this resolves to please God in all things, in the duties to God, and man, hereupon comes another increase of peace, when I look to the life of grace in my own heart. For a working, careful Christian hath a double Double ground of comfort. ground of comfort. One in the command to believe and in the promise, whether he hath evidences of grace or no; but when he hath power by the spirit to lead a godly life, and to keep a good conscience in all things, than he hath comfort from the evidence of grace in his own heart, from whence an increase of peace comes. You see what a good conscience is here in this place, the answer of a good conscience, I will not speak largely of it. To come a little further to the point. How know we that a man Quest. hath a good conscience, a peaceable good conscience, when it is troubled? For here is the difficulty, a conscience is never so peaceable, and gracious, but there is a principle of rebellion in us, the flesh that casts in doubtings, and stirs up objections: as indeed our flesh is full of objections against Gods divine truth, there be seeds of infidelity to every promise, and of rebellion to every command in the word. How shall a man know that he hath a peaceable good Conscience in the midst of this rebellion? Ans. How to know a good Conscience though troubled. Let him look if the conscience answer God in the midst of opposition, and rebellion: my flesh and blood saith thus, my sins are great, and Satan lays it hard to my charge: yet 1. If it answer God in trouble. notwithstanding, because God hath promised, and commanded, I cast myself upon God. Let us ask our own hearts and consciences what they say to God, what is the answer to God. We see what job saith, Though he kill me, yet I will trust in him: flesh and blood would have showed its part in job, as if God had neither respected nor loved him: yet when job recovered himself; Though he kill me, I will trust in him. So a man may know, though conscience be somewhat troubled, yet it is a gracious peaceable conscience, if peace get the upper hand, and grace subdue corruption, when the conscience so far as it is enlarged by God's spirit, can check itself. Why art thou disquieted oh my soul? why art thou troubled? trust in God, trust in God reconciled now in Christ, when conscience can lay a charge upon itself, and check itself thus, it is a sign that conscience hath made this gracious answer. Again, one may know, though conscience 2. By allowing God's truth. be troubled somewhat, yet it is a gracious peaceable conscience, when it always allows of the truth of God in the inward man. Whatsoever the flesh say, the word is good, the commandment is good, the promise is good; as St. Paul saith, I allow the law of God in my inward man, by this a man may know, (though his peace be somewhat troubled, that yet notwithstanding) there is the answer of a good conscience. Again, when a man can break out of trouble, 3. By acknowledging God's goodness: and such an estate, as the Devil weakens our faith by, (for he useth the troubles of the Church, and our own troubles, to shake our faith, as if God did not regard us: now) when conscience can rise out of this, as in Psal. 73. Psal. 73. Yet God is good to Israel; yet my soul keep silence to the Lord: though things seem to go contrary to a man, as if God were not reconciled, as if he had not part in Christ, Yet my soul keep silence, and God is good to Israel. This conflict shows that there is a gracious part in the soul, and that conscience is a gracious conscience, It is said here, it is the answer of a good conscience Towards God. For conscience indeed hath reference to God, and that will answer another question: (for conscience as it performs holy duties, as it is a gracious conscience, it looks to God) whether Quest. may a man know, or how shall he know that he doth things of conscience? whether he be in the state of grace and doth things graciously? He may, for why, is conscience set in Ans. A man may know when he doth things graciously. man, but to tell him, what he doth, with what mind he doth it, in what state he is; this is a power of the soul, which conscience shows. A man may know what estate he is in, and whether he perform things graciously or no: Now how shall a man know whether he doth things Ans. How to know what we do from a good Conscience. of conscience or no? First whatsoever the answer of conscience is, it is towards God: if a man do things from reasons of Religion; if a man be charitable to his neighbour, if he be just, and good, if it be 1. It answers towards God. from reasons of Religion, because God commands him, this is a good conscience. A good conscience respects God, and his command. What we do for company or for custom, is not from a good conscience: A good conscience doth things from God, with reasons from God, because he commands it, it is God's deputy in our hearts. Again, what we do from a good conscience, we do from the inward man, from an inward principle, from the inward judgement, because 2. From an inward principle. we think it is so, and from an inward affection. When we have not a right judgement of what we do, and do it not out of love, and from the inward man, we do it not out of a good conscience: what is done out of conscience, is done from the inner man. Therefore in all our performances let us examine ourselves, not what we do, but upon what ground we do it, in conscience to God, to obey him in all things. I cannot dwell upon these things. The answer of a good conscience that saves us, together with Baptism, when there is the answer of a good conscience, than Baptism seals salvation. To come more near to the answer of a good conscience in Baptism. You will object, if the answer of a good conscience, Object. in Baptism do all, and not the outward washing of the body, why are Children Baptised then, they cannot make the answer of a good conscience? I answer, the place must be understood of Ans. Why Children are Baptised. those of years of discretion; For infants that die in their infancy, we have a double ground of comfort concerning them. First they are within the Covenant, have they not received the seal of the Covenant, which is Baptism? And however, they actually answer not the Covenant of grace, by actual believing: yet they have the seed of believing, the spirit of God in them, and God doth comprehend them by his mercy being not able to comprehend him, nay we that are at years of discretion are saved by Gods comprehending, and embracing us; we are comprehended of him, as the Child is of the nurse, or of the Mother. The Child holds Simile. the nurse, and the nurse the Child, the Child is more safe from falling by the nurse, and the Mother's holding of it, then by its holding of them. Those that are at years must clasp and grasp about Christ, but Christ holds and comprehends them; much more doth God comprehend those that are Children, that are not able to comprehend him. For those that live to years of discretion, their Baptism is Baptism binds when we come to years. anngagement, and obligation to them to believe: because they have undertaken by those that answered for them to believe when they come to years: and if when they come to years, they answer not the Covenant of grace, and the answer of a good conscience, if they do not believe, and renounce Satan, all is frustrate: their Baptism doth them no good, if they make not good their Covenant by believing and renouncing. It is spoken therefore of those that are of years of discretion: we leave infants to the mercy of God. Those therefore that are at years of discretion, must have grace to answer the Covenant of grace by believing, and renouncing. To come therefore to ourselves. We that will answer to the Covenant made in baptism, must perform it, especially that that we then Covenanted, what was that? we answered that we would believe, dost thou believe? I Covenant in Baptism. believe every Article of the faith: and do you renounce the Devil, and all his works? I do. Therefore unless now we believe in Christ, and renounce the Devil, we renounce our Baptism, it doth us no good. There are divers kinds of people that overthrow their own Baptism. Those that live in sins against conscience they do renounce their baptism (in some sort) Those that live in sins against Conscience, renounce their Baptism. those that feed their corruptions: for in baptism we are consecrated in soul and body to God, we are given up to him, we are not our own, his name is called on us, we are called Christians, therefore our eyes are not our own, our hands are not our own, our thoughts and affections are not our own: there must be a renouncing, and a denial of all sin: as far as it is contrary to Christ's spirit. Those therefore that labour to feed their corruptions, what do they else so far but renounce their baptism, and under the Livery of Christ serve the enemy of Christ; the Devil, that they should renounce? Those that feed their eyes with seeing of vanity, and their ●…ares with filthy discourse: those that suffer their feet to carry them to places where they infect their souls; those that instead of renouncing their corruptions feed them, and their hearts tell them they cherish those corruptions they should renounce by baptism, what shall we think of these? and yet they think to be saved by Christ. God is merciful, and Christ died, when they live in a continual renouncing of baptism. For a use therefore of exhortation, if so be that this be the effectual baptism, the chief Exhortation to get this answer of a good Conscience. thing that we ought to stand on, this answer of a good conscience; then I beseech you let us all labour for this echo, for this answer, when God saith, seek ye my face, to answer, thy face Lord will I seek. When he saith, I will be your God, to answer, we will be thy people, when he saith, in the Ministry believe, to answer, Lord I believe, help Mark 9 my unbelief; let us labour to echo, this holy echo is the answer in the Covenant of grace. This answer of our faith, is set down in Scripture, always when it speaks of the estate of those that are in the Covenant of grace, it is mentioned on our part, that we take God for our God, and Christ for our Christ; My beloved is Cant. 6. mine, and I am my beloved's, there is a mutual owning of both sides. Therefore if we would answer the Covenant of grace, let us work our hearts to answer, when we hear in the Ministry, and in the Covenant of grace answer, Lord I desire to believe this. And when there is any thing commanded, let our hearts answer; and desire God to bow our inward man to obedience, that we may be pliable. Let us labour to have that free spirit, that holy David prays for, Psal. 51. That was stopped by reason of his sin: Psal. 51. for when we renew sins against conscience, we stop the mouth of our prayers, that we cannot go to God, we stop the mouth of conscience that we cannot go boldly to God: therefore he had then lost that freedom of spirit. Let us labour to be pliable to the spirit, ready to answer God, in all that we are exhorted to, and to yield the obedience of Faith to all the Promises; that is the state of those that are in the Covenant of Grace, there is the answer of a good Conscience. Therefore let us resolve to take this course, if How to get the answer of a good Conscience. we would attain the answer of a good Conscience. First of all labour, that our consciences may be convinced of the ill that is in us, that we may have a good troubled conscience; first, that we may know thoroughly what our estate by nature is. And then labour (in the second place) to have prace, and then raise, and renew our purpose to serve God in all things; and to try the truth of this, let us put interrogatories to ourselves, let us ask ourselves, do I believe? do I not daub with my heart? do I obey? do I willingly cast myself into the mould of God's word? and willingly obey all that I hear? do I not deceive myself? let us propound these interrogatories. God is greater than our conscience, if we answer God with reservations, I will answer God in this, and not in this, I will yield to religion as far as it may stand with my own lusts, and advantage: this is not the answer of a good conscience. What is done to God, must be done all, what is done zealously and religiously hath respect to all God's Commandments, and promises to one thing as well as an another. If our hearts tell us, there are reservations from false grounds, here is not the answer of a good conscience. Therefore let us search ourselves, and propound questions to ourselves, whether we believe, and obey or no, and from what ground we do it. To make use of our Baptism And let us make use of our Baptism upon all occasions, as thus, Satan hath two ways of tempting; One is, he tempts to sin, and then 1. Against temptations to sin. he tempts for sin, to accuse our consciences to make a breach between God, and us, that we dare not look upon God: when he tempts us, or our corruptions move us, or the world by allurements would draw us to any sin, let us think of our Baptism, and the answer we have made there, and make use of it, is this agreeable to the promise I made? surely I have renounced this, shall I overthrow my own promise? I make conscience to make good my promise to men, and shall I break with God? I have promised to God to renounce the flesh, the world, and the Devil; to renounce all these corruptions. Let us have these thoughts when we are solicited to sin, when proud nature would have us set up the banner of pride. I have renounced these proud affections: I shall overthrow my baptism if I yield. And so for the enlarging of our estates, or for getting up to honour to please men's humours, to break the peace of my conscience: these things we have renounced, the world, and the vanities of it in our Baptism. The life of many, is nothing but a breach of their vow, and Covenant in Baptism. How will they look at the hour of death, and the day of judgement, that God should keep his promise with them to give them life everlasting, when they never had grace to keep touch with him; notwithstanding, their engagements in Baptism and their so often repeating it at the Communion, and their renewing of their vows when they have been sick? How can we look for performance on God's part, when we have not had grace to perform our part, but our whole life, hath been a satisfying of our base lusts? Let us make that use in temptations to sin, let us fetch arguments against sin from our Baptism, from the answer that we made then: for we must make good now that that was made then, or else it is in vain. Again, when we are solicited by Satan to 2. In temptations to discouragement. be discouraged, let us consider that we are baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy-Ghost; and consider, that the promise is made whensoever we repent, without any expection of time, nay though we have broke with God: (for Satan will use that as a chief weapon, thou hast fallen, thou hast fallen) yet as it is jeremiah, 3. Though a man will not jer. 3. take his wife after a breach; yet God transcends us, he is God, and not man: therefore after breaches if we yet answer his command and his promise: (for the command of believing is upon us while we live,) if we believe, and confess our sins we shall have mercy, if we come, & cast ourselves upon Christ. Therefore after relapses, let not Satan abuse them to make us despair. Baptism is a seal of our faith, and faith is enjoined us all the days of our life, all this time of life, is a time of grace, and we are commanded to repent, and believe. Let not Satan therefore discourage us after sin; let us go to our Baptism, it is a seal to us of faith, and repentance, whensoever we believe, and repent. When we are solicited to distrust in God 2. To distrust. for the things of this life any way, as if God cared not for us, let us consider, that we have answered, that we believe in God the Father Almighty, therefore he is our Father, he knows what is good for us, and he loves us: he is an Almighty God, it is an article of our faith that we have answered to, let us make it good upon all temptations in that kind. Dothnot God care for us? he had an Ark for Noah in the worst times, when the flood overwhelmed the whole World: So if there be the answer of a good Conscience, he will have an Ark for his Noah's, to save, and protect, and defend us, he is a Father Almighty. Let us know the grounds of our Religion, the Articles of our Faith, the grounds and foundation of our Faith: let us consider the good things promised there; and consider withal, that we have all engaged ourselves to believe those things, and to make use of our faith upon all occasions. Those that cannot read, if they have no other, let them look on these two Books, the Book of their Baptism, and the Book of conscience, they would be sufficient to instruct them: some people pretend Ignorance; consider what thou art Baptised to, the grounds of Religion: consider there what thou hast renounced, consider in particular whether this thing that thou art moved to, be Gods, or the Devil's command, and answer Satan, and thy lusts by not answering of them: give them their answer, and tell them, a good conscience must answer God's command, and promise: but they must have their answer by denial, by this answer of a good conscience. Those that cannot read, and are not learned, let them make use of the learning of their Baptism. There is a world of instruction, and comfort, a treasury of it in Baptism. I dare be bold to say, if any Christian when he is tempted to any sin, to despair or discouragement, if he consider what a solemn promise he hath made to God in Baptism, it would be a means to strengthen his Faith, and to arm him against all temptations. There is no man sins, but there is a breach with God first in wronging the promise he hath engaged himself to in Baptism. We all that are here have been Baptised, let us learn to make more Conscience of this Blessed Sacrament than we have done, and let us labour to have the answer of a good conscience at all times. What a comfort is it when our hearts and Consciences makes a gracious answer to God, Comfort from the answer of a good Conscience. in believing and obeying? and in renouncing all Gods and our enemies? What a comfort is such a Conscience? It will uphold us in sickness, in death, and at the day of judgement, in all ill times in this life. A Conscience that hath answered God by believing his promises and hath renewed the Covenant to obey God in all things, what a wondrous peace hath it? Let the Devil object what he can, let our unbelieving hearts object what they can, yet notwithstanding if it be a renewed sanctified Conscience, it can; out of the privity of its own act, say, I have believed, I have cast myself upon God's mercy in Christ, I have renounced these motions and suggestions, and courses: and though I be overcome with temptations, yet I heartily hate them. What a comfort is this? Conscience; it is either the greatest friend, or the greatest enemy in the world. It is the chiefest friend when it is privy to itself of this resolute answer: that it hath obeyed God in all things; then Conscience is our friend, it speaks to God for us at all times. Then again at the hour of death, what a comfort it is, that we have this answer of a good conscience, especially at the day of judgement, when we can look God in the face: a sincere heart, a Conscience that hath laboured to obey the Gospel, and to keep Covenant with God, it can look God in the face: for what in the covenant of grace goes for perfect obedience, but sincerity, and truth? God requires that: when the heart can say with Hezekias, Lord thou knowest that I have walked perfectly before thee. Lord I have believed, and laboured to express it in my life and conversation, though with much weakness, yet in truth. This sincerity will make us look God in the face, in the hour of death, and at the day of judgement, and in all troubles in this life. A Christian that hath the answer of a good Conscience, he hath Christ to be his Ark in all deluges. Christ saves us not only from hell, and damnation, but in all the miseries of this life. If any thing come upon us for the breach of God's Covenant: as God threateneth, Levit. 26, to send war and famine etc. For the breach of his Covenant: what a comfort is it then for Levit. 26. such as have kept the Covenant? For then God hath an ark for such in ill times: for every deliverance in evil times, it comes from the same ground as the deliverance from hell doth: why doth God deliver me from hell and damnation? because he loves me in Christ, and that moves him to deliver me in evil times, if I keep a good Conscience: and that love that gives me Heaven, gives me the comforts of this life, if I labour to have this answer the Apostle speaks of, what a comfort is this in the worst times? Those that live in Rebellion, and make no Conscience of their vows and covenants to God (that they have made and repeated ofttimes, and renewed in taking of the Lords Supper) but go on still in their sins; alas, what comfort can such as these have? how can they look for an answer from God: if any promise that he hath made, when their lives are rebellious, their conscience tells them that their lives do not witness for God, in keeping covenant with him, but they rebel against him? their hearts tell them they cannot look to heaven for comfort; they carry a hell in their bosom, a guilty Conscience, they do not labour to be purged by the blood of Christ, nor labour for the spirit of God to sanctify them, in renewing them to holy obedience to God. Those that have their conscience thus stained, especially that purpose to live in sin, they can look for nothing but vengeance from God. It is not known now, who are the wisest people: In the times of trouble, and at the hour of death, at such times it will be known that they are the wisest people that have made Conscience of keeping their Covenant with God: of renewing their Covenant with God, first, in all things that they would serve him better, and then, when they have renewed their Covenants with God, (as we have cause now indeed, if ever, to renew them, when we are warned by public dangers, or when we have cause to take occasion to renew our Covenants that we made with God in Baptism, to bind our Consciences to closer obedience, and those that have renewed their Covenant, and have grace to keep it, those are wise people. We see in the current of Scripture, in dangerous times there was still renewing of their Covenants with God. And those that God delights in, he puts his spirit into them, that they shall be able by the help of his spirit, to keep their Covenant in some comfortable measure, and those God will choose and mark out in the worst times. FINIS. THE SWORD OF THE WICKED. In two SERMONS. Being the leading Sermons to that Treatise called, The SOULS Conflict. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS: Doctor in Divinity, Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN. PSAL. 57 4. Their Tongue is a sharp Sword. LONDON, Printed by E. P. for N. B. and R. H. 1639. THE SWORD OF THE WICKED. PSAL. 42. 10. As with a Sword in my bones, mine enemy's reproach me: while they say unto me daily, where is thy GOD? THE Psalms are (as it were) the Anatomy of a holy man: they lay the inside of a true devout man outward, even to the view of others. If the Scripture be compared to a body, the Psalms may well be the heart, they are so full of sweet and holy affections, and passions. In other portions of Scripture, God speaks to us in the Psalms, holy men, especially David (who was the penman of most of them) speaks to God, wherein we have the passages of a broken humble soul to God. Among the rest, in this Psalm, David lays open variety of passions. His condition at this time was such, as that he was an exiled man, from his own house, and his own friends, and which grieved him worst of all, from the Tabernacle, the house of God. It was upon the occasion of Saules persecution, or of Absaloms' his son: but I take it rather of Saul's that hunted him as a partridge in the wilderness. Hereupon you have a discovery, how this holy man of God stood affected with this case and condition of his. First he lays open his grief, his grief ariseth from his desire: he that loves most, and desireth most, he always grieves most: and all other affections have their scantling from love, which is the first borne affection of the soul. Therefore before he lays, out his grief, he sets out his desire to the house of God: the want whereof grieved him most of all. As the Hart panteth after the water brooks; so panteth my soul after thee Oh God. As the chased Hart panteth after water, so the soul thirsteth for God, for the living God, ●…h when shall I come and appear before God. Then after his desire, he lays forth his grief, My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, where is thy God? Grievances never come alone, but as jobs Messengers, they come one after another, even to God's Children, when he is disposed to correct them, they are multiplied: therefore here is not only a grief of want, that he was debarred of those sweet comforts which he had before in the Tabernacle, but here is likewise a grief from the reproach of his enemies, that took occasion from his disconsolate estate, to upbraid him, Where is thy God? My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, where is thy God? He dissolves the cloud of his grief, into the shower of tears: my tears have been my meat. They were so plentiful, that they did feed his soul as it were. Then he sets down another ground of his grief, from the remembrance of his former happiness: as usually that doth make the grief raw, and more sensible: for f●…ix miser, maxim miser, he that hath been happy in former time, and now is miserable, is most miserable of all, because his former happiness makes him most sensible: therefore of all men in hell, the torment of great men is most, because they had most sense of comfort in this world: mighty men shall be mightily tormented, that is all the privilege they shall have in hell. Therefore to aggravate his grief, oh (saith he) when I remember what comfort I had formerly in the house of God, I pour out my soul. It was not enough that he poured out his tears, or words, but I po●…re out my soul, for in former times, I went with the multitude to the house of God, and lead a goodly train to the house of God. The picture of a good Magistrate, and a good master of a family, he goes not alone to the house of God, but he leads his train, he is attended on by his servants. David went not alone into the house of God, but with the multitude, with the voice of them that kept holiday. Well, he had grief enough, his heart was full of grief. Now in the next verse he takes Verse 5. up his soul, and expostulates with himself, why are thou so sad oh my soul, and why are thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. So you see here, he is not so flat in his grief, that he gives overlong way to it, but he even falls a chiding of his soul: why art thou cast down oh my soul, why art thou disquieted within me? oh! but yet grief will not be so stilled: affliction is not quelled at the first, nor grief stilled and stayed at the first, therefore it gathers upon him again in the next verse, Oh my God, my soul is cast down within me, when I remember thee from the Land of jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Missar: When I remember thee from these places, my soul is cast down again, and my afflictions are multiplied. Though he had fallenout with his soul, before, for his impatience. One deep calls to another, deep calls upon deep at the noise of the water-spouts. He compares afflictions to water spouts, as it is in scripture, All thy waves and billows have gone over me; even as one deep calls to another, so one affliction calls to another. Then when he had given a little way again to his grief, and complained to God, he takes up his soul another time: yet (saith he) the Lord will command his loving kindness in the day time, and in the night, his song shall be with me, and I will pray to the God of my life. He presents to himself the goodness of God, to comfort his soul. And he presents to him in the next verse, his own resolution. I will say to God (for the time to come) my rock, why hast thou forgotten me? and why go I mourning, for the oppression of the enemy? So here he stays his soul once again: he presents to his soul the loving kindness of God, with renewing his resolution to seek God: an effectual way to stay the soul, by considering God's love, and mercy, and by renewing our resolutions and purposes, to cleave to God. I will say to God, my rock, why hast thou forgotten me? I but here is a third assault of grief again: for there is a spring of corruption in us, and such a principle in us, as will yield murmurings, and discontent again and again: therefore in the verse I have read to you, he comes again to complain, As with a sword in my bones mine enemies reproach me, while they say unto me daily, where is thy God. He had complained once of this before, but it had a fresh working with his thoughts again. As with a sword in my bones etc. Hereupon, he is forced the third time to expostulate, and to fall out with his soul: Why art thou cast down oh my soul, and why are thou disquieted? hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. He comes to his former remedy, he had stilled his grief once before with the same meditation, and upbraiding of his own soul, and chiding himself: but he comes to it here as a probatum est, as a tried remedy, he takes up his soul very short, Why art thou so cast down oh my soul, Why art thou disquieted within me? You see how David's passions here are interlaced with comforts, and his comforts with passions, till at last he gets the victory of his own heart. Beloved, neither sin, nor grief for sin are stilled, and quieted at the first. You have some short spirited Christians, if all be not quiet at the first, all is lost with them: but it is not so with a true Christian soul, with the best soul living; it was not so with David, when he was in distemper, he checks himself: the distemper was not yet stilled, he checks himself again, than the distemper breaks out again, than he checks himself again, and all little enough to bring his soul to a holy, blessed, quiet temper, to that blessed tranquillity & rest that the soul should be in, before it can enjoy its own happiness, and enjoy sweet communion with God. As you see in Physic; perhaps one Purge will not carry away the peccant humour, than a second must be added; perhaps that will not do it, than there must be a third: so when the soul hath been once checked, perhaps it will not do, we must fall to it again, go to God again: And then it may be there will be breaking out of the grief and malady again; we must to it again, and never give over; that is the right temper of a Christian. Before I come to the words, observe in general this; That a living soul, the soul that is alive in grace, that hath the life of grace quickening it, is most sensible of all, in the want of spiritual means: As here, the grief of griefs was (which he begins with) that he was banished from the Tabernacle. What shall we think therefore of those that excommunicate themselves from God's assembly, where there is the Father, Son, and Holy-Ghost, all the Trinity dispensing their bounty, and where the prayers of God's people meet together in one (as it were) and bind God? What shall we think of them that prefer their private devotions (as they say) before God's assemblies? Surely, they are not of David's mind; and it is a shrewd argument, that they never had the life of grace in them yet: for where life is, there will be hunger and thirst; Acrius urgent quae ad naturam. It is a true Aphorism, Those things press upon Nature hardest, that touch upon the necessities of Nature, rather than those that touch upon delight, We can want delights, but necessities of Nature we cannot; therefore hunger and thirst they are such passions as will not be quiet: delicacies and novelties the soul of a hungry man can be content to want, but not spiritual food for the soul. We see how famine wrought upon the Patriarches, it made them go down into Egypt for food. I note it only by the way, that men may know how to judge of themselves, when they can very well be content, without a blessed supply of holy means. Holy David, when the means was but dark and obscure, when the Canon was not enlarged, when all was in types and clouds; yet he felt that comfort in the Tabernacle, and in the Ordinances of God, that he could not endure the want of them: but as the Hart brayeth after the Water-brookes, so his soul panted after God. But to come to the words themselves. As with a sword in my bones, mine enemy's reproach me, when they say unto me daily, Where is thy God? Here are two things considerable in the words. The carriage, and disposition, and expression of others to David. And David's affection towards it, how he was disposed towards it, how he did bear it. For their disposition, they were enemies, mine enemies, etc. The expression of it, They reproach me. The specialty of that expression, how they reproached him, they said unto him, Where is thy God? They do reproach him in his religion. The aggravation of that specialty is, they say, openly to his face, they go not behind my back, they esteem so slightly of me, they say it to my face. And continually too, they are never weary, they say daily, where is thy God? They are enemies, they reproach, they reproach in this, where is thy God? and they do it impudently, and daily. How doth David entertain this usage? how doth he carry himself all this while? he must needs be sensible of it, and therefore he expresseth it in most significant words. Oh saith he, these things were as a sword in my bones. There be divers readings of the words: but we will take them as they are laid down, being very well, as with a sword in my bones, (or as it is in the margin, As killing in my bones) mine enemy's reproach me. It was as killing to him, it did go to his heart, it cut him to the quick. As a sword is to the body, and bones, so are their words to my soul: I cannot endure it, it is death to me. It is a most emphatical manner of expressing, the enemy's disposition and carriage. Thus you have the words unfolded. I will but touch some particulars, those that I think most needful for us to take notice of, I will dwell more upon. Mine enemies (saith he) reproach me. Mine enemies. There hath been contrary seeds from the beginning of the World; and will be while Satan is in the world, till he be cast into the burning Lake, and be there in perpetual Chains adjudged to torment, he will ray see up men always that shall be of his side. And as long as that grand enemy is, and as long as men are that will be subject to his government (as always there will be) he will have a great faction in the world. And by reason that he hath a party in us, the flesh, he will have the greatest party in the world: the most go the broad way: so that, God's children (even David himself) shall not want enemies. Mine enemies. It is strange that he should have enemies, that was so harmless a man; that when they were sick, and distressed, he prayed for them, and put on sackcloth for them, as it is Psal. 41. This compassionate sweet natured Psal. 41. man, yet notwithstanding you see he had enemies: and enemies that would discover themselves to reproach him, and that bitterly, in the bitterest manner, they reproach him in his religion. It is a large point, if I should give myself liberty in it: I do but touch it. That we may be armed by this observation, against the scandal of opposition, that if we meet with enemies in the world, we should not be much offended at it: grieve we may; but wonder we need not. Was there ever any that did more good than our Saviour Christ? He went about doing good: He did never a miracle that was harmful, but only of the Swine that were drowned in the Sea, and that was their own fault; but he went about doing all the good he could: yet notwithstanding we see what malicious opposites he had, that that is true of the head must be true in the members. Therefore we should rejoice in our conformity to Christ: if it be in a good cause that we find enemies, and opposition, O, imperator etc. Saith he, O, the Emperor is become a Christian; is was a blessed time: oh! but the Devil is not made a Christian yet, and he will never be made good: for he is in termino (as we say) he is in his bounds, his nature is immovable; he is in Hell in regard of his estate, though he be loose to do mischief: now until the Devil be good; God's Children shall never want enemies; and he will never be good. Therefore, though there were good Kings, and good Governors, over all the world: yet good men shall never want enemies as long as the Devil is alive, as long as he hath any thing to dye in the world. Enemy's therefore we must look for, and such enemies as will not conceal their malice neither: for that were something, if they would suffer their malice to boil, and concoct in their own hearts, but that will not be, but out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak: where there is a bad treasury, there will be a bad vent: therefore we see here, they reproach him; mine enemies. Reproach me. It is the proper expression of malice, reproach; and it is that that the nature of man can least endure of all. The nature of man can endure an outward wrong, a loss or a cross, but a reproach, especially if it be a scornful reproach, the nature of man is most impatient of. For, there is no man, but he thinks himself worthy of some respect: Now a reproachful scorn shows a disrespect, and when the nature of man sees itself disrespected it grows to terms of impatience. There is not the meanest man living but he thinks himself worthy of some regard. Therefore I cannot blame David, even out of the principle of nature, to be affected here when they reproached him, and gave him vile terms: Mine enemy's reproach me. Their tongues were tipped from Hell, and they did but utter that that was in their hearts. If the tongues of wicked men, as St. james saith, be a a world of mischief, what is the whole man? What is the heart, and tongue, and life, and all of wicked men? Now this reproach of wicked men, it is a grievous persecution: as Ishmael persecuted Isaak in that manner, as it is Gal. 4. taken out of the Gal. 4. story in Genesis. I will not enter into the common place of reproach; it is but taken by the by here. Only by the way, let it be a support to us: if we be reproachfully used in the world; let us not be much cast down: it is no credit for a man to do that that the Devil and his instruments do; nor it is no discredit for us to suffer that that David suffered. Let this satisfy thee, there is not the vilest man living but hath this weapon to serve the Devil with, a reproachful tongue: he that sits upon the Ale bench, that ●…akes in the Channel, the basest wretch in the world hath a tongue to serve the Devil with in reproaches. It is no credit for them to do that that the vilest person in the world can do; ●…and it is no shame for thee to suffer, that that the best man that ever lived did suffer. So much for that; mine enemy's reproach me. But what is the speciality of this reproach? (to come to that more particularly) They say unto me? Where is thy God? They touch him in his Religion. They saw him persecuted by Saul, scorned by Saul's courtiers; they see him driven up and down, as a Partridge in the Wilderness: they saw him banished from the Sanctuary, destitute of friends; they saw him in this disconsolate estate, and they judge by sense and appearance, that they thought he was a man that God regarded not at all, therefore say they, where is thy God? God's children are impatient as far as they are men, of reproaches, but so far as they are Christian men, they are impatient of reproaches in Religion, where is now thy God? They were not such desperate Atheists as to think there was no God, to call in question whether there were a God or no, (though indeed they were little better:) but they rather reproach, and upbraid him with his singularity; where is thy God? You are one of God's darlings, you are one that thought no body served God but you, you are one that will go alone, your God. So this is an ordinary reproach, an ordinary part for wicked men, to cast at the best people, especially when they are in misery: what is become of your profession now? what is become of your forwardness, and strictness now? what is become of your much reading, and hearing now? and your doing such things now? what is become of your God that you bragged so of, and thought yourselves so happy in, as if he had been no bodies God but yours? We may learn hence the disposition of wicked men; it is a character of a poisonful cursed disposition to upbraid a man with his Religion. But what is the scope? The scope is worse than the words, where is thy God? The scope is to shake his faith, and his confidence in God: and this is that that touched him so nearly, while they upbraided him, where is thy God? Indeed they had some probability and show of truth; for now God seemed opposite to him, when he was banished from his house, from that blessed communion with him that he had. Their purpose was therefore to shake his faith, and affiance in God, and herein they showed themselves right the Children of the Devil, whose scope is to shake the faith, and affiance of God's people, in all his temptations, and by his instruments. For the Devil knows well enough, that as long as God, and the soul join together, it is in vain to trouble any man? therefore he labours to put jealousies to accuse God to man, and man to God. He knows there is nothing in the world can stand against God; as long as we make God our confidence, all his enterprises are in vain, his scope is therefore to shake our affiance in God, where is thy God? So he dealt with the head of the Church, our blessed Saviour himself, when he came to tempt him, If thou be the Son of God, command these stones to be made bread; he comes with an If, he laboured to shake him in his Sonship. The Devil since he was divided from God himself eternally, is become a spirit of division, he labours to divide the Son from the Father, he labours to divide even God the Father from his own Son: If thou be the Son of God. So he labours to sever Christians from their head Christ, subjects from their Princes, and Princes from their subjects, friends from friends, and one from another: he is a spirit of division, where is thy God? There was his scope, to breed division, if he could, between his heart and God, that he might call God into jealousy, as if he had not regarded him: thou hast taken a great deal of pains in serving thy God, thou seest how he regards thee now, where is thy God? We should labour to make this use of it, to counterworke Satan; to strengthen that most of all, that the Devil labours to shake most of all: shall the Devil labour to shake our faith, and affiance in God above all other things, and shall we not labour to strengthen that? Above all things, let us look to our head; as the Serpent winds about, and keeps his head. Keep faith, and keep all: if faith be safe, all is safe, let us strengthen that, and strengthen all; weaken that, and we weaken all. What cares Satan for other sins that we fall into? he aims at our assurance, that we may doubt of God's love, whom we have been so bold as to sin against: that is it he aims at, to make weak faith in the particular acts of sin we commit. He knows that sin naturally breeds doubts, as flesh breed worms: where sin is, if it be in never such a little degree, he knows it will breed doubt●…, and perplexities, and where they are, he hath that he would have; he labours to hinder that sweet communion that should be between the soul, and God: where is now thy God? You see wicked men, are the children of the Devil right in this. Again, they instance here in matter of Religion against him. You see how ready wicked, and devilish minded men are, to tread over the hedge where it is lowest; as the proverb is, to add affliction to affliction, especially in that that may touch a man nearest: they could not touch him nearer than in this, Where is thy God. They knew it well enough, where is now your Religion: this they thought would anger him to the heart: here is a devilish disposition: you have a terrible Psalm for it, Psalm 109. of those that add affliction to the afflicted, Psal. 109. They are cursed persons. This is the disposition of wicked men, they have nomercy, malice we say is unsatiable. One would think that our Saviour Christ, when he was upon the Cross, racked there in all his parts, a man exposed to so much misery and scorn as he was, that they should have had pity upon him; but upon the Cross, they reproached him, Aha, he saved others, himself be cannot save; let him come from the Cross, and we will believe in him. What abitter Sarchasme was this, that came from hekl itself. Nay when he was dead, one would have thought their maliee should have been buried with his body. Malice is ordinarily among men living, not the dead, but when he was dead, This Impostor said etc. They laboured to bury his good name, that nothing tending to his honour might remain of him. Indeed it is the nature of malice to wish the not being of the thing it maliceth; no, not the name. Let his name perish from the earth. It was extremity of malice to work upon this disadvantage: when they see him thus afflicted, to vex him with that he was most affected with, where is thy God. Therefore let those that feel, and feed that devilish disposition in themselves, to insult over God's people, especially in matters of Religion to vex them; and when there is a wound already, to make the affliction greater, to add affliction to affliction, let them judge of what disposition they are. They say unto me. You see here another circumstance, They say unto me. They are so impudent, that they are not afraid to reproach him to his face, they say to him, as if they would stand to their reproach. This is one circumstance of aggravation: indeed malice is very impudent, when it is come to the extremity, I only observe it, that if we meet with such insolency of malice, not to be discouraged, it hath been thus before, and thus it will be to the end of the world. And then they are not wearied, their malice is unwearied; they say to me. Daily. Day by day, their malice is fed with a spring, with a malicious heart. A malicious heart, and a slanderous tongue always go well together. The Devil that was the first grand slanderer, hath communion with a malicious heart, and he foments' malice, and cherisheth that malicious poisonful disposition: and a malicious disposition, never wants malicious words. As one saith, of anger, and fury, it ministereth weapons; so we may say of malice, and hatred, it ministereth words always, a malicious heart will never want words. They say to me, daily, these are but circumstances, but yet they are somewhat considerable: for they tend to the aggravation of the disconsolate estate of this holy man; that he should meet with such wretched men, that had no pity at all on him, but say to him daily, Where is now thy God? You see then from hence, that God is a God (as the Prophet saith) oft times hiding himself, that God vails himself oft times to his children. Not only from the eyes of wicked men, that they think godly men deserted of God: but sometimes from the very sense, and feeling of God's children themselves, they are in such desertions, that they are fain to complain that God hath hid himself, and is as a stranger to them. This is the state of God's children in this world; though God love them dear, as the apple of his eye, and as the signet on his hand: yet notwithstanding his carriage to them is oft times so strange, that those that look upon their estate in this world, think they are men (as it were) for lost, and destitute of God. And this estate must needs be. Because of necessity, there must be a conformity between us, and our Saviour, it was so with our Saviour, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? God was never nearer him in all his life then then; and yet he cries out; my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And as he spoke, so the rest thought of him, as if he had been a man forsaken; and so here they say to this holy man, where is thy God? Therefore let us lay up this likewise for the strengthening of our faith in the like case, that we be not overmuch discouraged, if God hide himself: if others think our estates miserable, and ourselves think ourselves so, it is no strange matter; it was thus with David, he was so neglected of God, that they thought God had clean forsaken him, where is thy God? Our life is now hid with Christ, as the Apostle saith, Colos. 3. We have a blessed, and glorious life, but it is hid in our head. Even as in winter Colos. 3. time, the trees have a life, but it is hid in the Simile. root; so a Christian hath a blessed condition at all times, but his glory and happiness is hid in his head; and there is a cloud between him, and his happiness: Therefore let us support ourselves with this in all times: was God gone from David indeed, when they said, Where is thy God? Oh, no, God was as near David now as ever he was, nay rather nearer. God was never nearer Moses than when he was sprawling upon the water in that Ark they had made for him. He was never nearer Daniel, then when he was in the Lion's Den; God came between the Lion's teeth, and Daniel; and as I said, he was never nearer our Saviour then when he was on the Crosse. And he was never nearer to David, then when they said, where is thy God? When trouble is near, God is never far off; that is an argument to make God near, Lord be not far off, for trouble is near. And extremity, and danger, and trouble, it is God's best opportunity to be with his children, how ever he do not help for the present oft times. Where is thy God? David might rather have said to them, where are your eyes? where is your sight? for God is not only in heaven, but in me. Though David was shut from the Sanctuary; yet David's soul was a sanctuary for God: for God is not tied to a sanctuary made with hands. God hath two Sanctuaries, he hath two heavens: the heaven of heavens, and a broken spirit, God dwelled in David as in his Temple. God was with David and in him; and he was never more with him, nor never more in him, then in his greatest afflictions: they wanted eyes, he wanted not God. Though sometimes God hide himself, not only from the world, but from his own children, yet he is there, howsoever their sorrow is such, that it dims their sight, as we see in Hagar, so that they cannot see him for the present: he sometimes looks in their face, as we see Mary, she could not see Christ distinctly, but thought him to be the Gardener. There is a kind of concealment a while in heavenly wisdom, yet notwithstanding, God is with his children always, and they know it by faith, though not by feeling always. As we know what jacoh said, God was in this place, and I was not aware; when he slept upon the stone, and had that heavenly vision. So it is with God's people in their trouble, God is with his Church, and children, and wicked men are not aware of it: Christ is in them, and they are not aware of it. Christ was in the Saints, when Saul persecuted them, and Paul was not aware of it: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? who art thou Lord? saith he; alas, he dreamt not of Christ. How ever wicked men of the world think, yet God is near his own children, in the most disconsolate condition that can be. It is (when they say, where is thy God?) as if a man should ask what is become of the Moon, between the old, and the new, when the dark side is towards us? when we see no Moon at all for a time, till the new come: The Moon is near, and more enlightened with the Sun then, then at other times, and is nearer to him. So in afflictions, how ever, the dark side of God's children be toward the world that they cannot see them: yet their light side is towards God, God shines upon them, and enlightens them more then, at that time with solid comfort that keeps them from sinking, then at other times: therefore it was an ignorant question of them to ask, where is thy God? It showed they were Ignorant of the passages of Gods dealing with his children, as indeed none are greater Atheists than your scoffers. Where is thy God? As if God had been only a God of observation, to be observed outwardly in all his passages toward his children, whereas, as I said, he is a God hiding himself oft times; and he shows himself in contrary conditions most of all, most comfortably: his work is by contraries. But these carnal men were Ignorant of the mysteries of Religion, and the mysteries of Divine providence towards God's children: therefore their question savours of their disposition, where is now thy God? Thus briefly I have gone over their disposition, and carriage towards the holy man David. That they were enemies, of hostile nature, and disposition, & they reproached him, and daily, and that in his Religion, where is thy God? I beseech you let us look to it in time, that it may not be truly said to us, by way of upbraiding, where is now thy God? God may be strange to us indeed, let us so carry ourselves, as that God may own us in the worst times. If they had said this truly: how grievous had it been to David? but it was more malice than truth. For David found experience of God; he might rather have upbraided them, where is your God? and there is no wicked man, but a man may in h●…s greatest extremity upbraid him, and that in truth, where is your God? your riches, honour, and estate? where is all this that you supproted yourself with, and bore yourself so big on, that you despised all others? what is become of all now? A man cannot stand in a thing that stands not itself. A man cannot build upon that that hath no good foundation: Now all men that are not truly religious, they have some Idol or other that will deceive them: therefore a man may truly say to them, that which they falsely, and maliciously say to God's people, where is your God? So much for their disposition, and carriage. Now how stands David affected with this? that is the second part. At with a sword in my bones. It was as a sword to his bones. Now that that toucheth the bones is the most exquisite grief. That that we call the grief of the teeth, you see what an exquisite grief, it is, in that little member; when the bones are cut or touched, it is a most exquisite grief: As with a sword in my bones, my enemy's reproach me. What was the matter that this reproach, where is thy God? touched him so to the quick? what was the cause! The causes were divers? First of all concerning God: for when they said to him, Where is thy God? First, it tended to the reproach of God, as if God were so fickle a friend, as to desert his best friends in the time of misery; this touched upon God, by way of disparagement, therefore it must needs touch David, who was God's friend. Then again it touched God in another thing, in his manner of providence; as if he had been a God of the Hills, and not of the Valleys, as if he had been a God for one time, and not for another, where is now thy God? what is become of him? Again in the third place, it touched upon him in this, as if he had favoured them (being cursed form all hypocrites) more than David: as if he had favoured their form all, hypocritical, base, dead courses, that were most abominable to God●… for these persecutors were Saul's courtiers, and other enemies; wicked men, they thought to justify their own ways by this reproach. You see we are as good as you: God respects us, we fall not into such miseries, we have recourse to Saul, though he have cast out you, and others etc. So it tended to God's reproach in that; as if God had justified their course: as if they had been dearer to him, that were most abominable. And this is to make an Idol of God, to make God justify those courses that he most abhors; as it is in Psal. 50. Thou thoughtest I was like unto thee. Because God lets a wicked man alone, thou thoughtest that I was a companion for thee, and would take thee by the hand, whereas God will not do so. In these three respects especially, God was wronged, when they said, where is thy God? As if thee had n●… been a true and faithful friend to his Children. And besides, as if he had not a providence over his children in the worst condition. As if he had allowed, and liked of the base carriage and condition, and profession of these wretched men, as well as of David's: where is now thy God? you see God respects us, as well as you; but there was no such matter, he respected David more than a thousand of them. Again, this touched upon religion itself, this reproach, where is now thy God? where is your goodly profession? as if it were in vain to serve God; a horrible reproach to religion. It is not in vain altogether to serve the Devil, he bestows somewhat upon his servants: this was a base thought, to think that God would do no good to them that serve him, that is the fountain of all good, that doth good to his enemies, that suffers his Sun to shine upon his enemies: for him to desert his friends, for a man to be truly religious, and to get nothing by it; this tended to the reproach of religion, and through David's sides they strike at God, and religion, as if it were in vain to serve God, as they said in Malachies' time. And indeed this is in the hearts of men now a days, if they see a man that makes care and conscience of his ways under a cloud, or that he doth not so prosper in the world as others do: they begin to have weak concei●…s of the profession of religion, as if that were the cause, as if there were nothing gotten by serving of God: but we may be loose professors, and go in ●…bertine course and please God as well as others. This is a great grief to God's children; they know well enough it is not invain to serve God, God is not a barren wilderness to those that serve him: they are not barren ground that are careful in his service: so you see upon what ground he was thus affected, because God and Religion was touched in it. Take away a godly man's religion, and his God whom he serves in Religion, you take away his life: touch him in that, you touch him in his best freehold: Therefore when these malicious enemies say, Where is thy God? they could not more touch David then so. Profane men of the world, come and tell them of Religion, and such things, alas they turn it off with scorn; for they would have the world know, that they are not very religious: they never speak of God and of religion, but in scorn, or by way of discourse: but a man that is religious to purpose, and makes it his trade, makes it that whereby he hopes to be saved; he takes to heart any thing that is spoken against Religion: their words are as a sword in his bones, while they say unto him, where is thy God? It is better to be distempered, than not to be moved, when God and Religion are touched. The Holy-Ghost that appeared in the shape of a Dove, appeared at another time in fiery tongues, to show that the meek spirit of God, is zealous other while in his children. This was another reason he was thus affected. And thirdly in this reproach of theirs, thus violent, Where is now thy God? here was a damping of the spirits of all good men in those times, that should hear of this reproach. Words affect strangely; they have a strange force with men, especially in weak fancies, that are not grounded in their judgement and faith. The spies made a shrewd oration, and brought an ill report on the Land: oh! it is a land that devours the inhabitants. It was a speech uncomfortable, and it wrought so, that it made them all murmur, and be discouraged. It is not to be thought what mischief comes from speech, cunningly handled. This malicious speech, Where is thy God? and what is become of all thy devotion at the Tabernacle, that thou didst frequent so, and drewest others, a great train with thee, what is become of all now? When weak men, that had the beginnings of goodness in them, should see a man reproached for this: questionless it would damp the beginnings of goodness: oh would not this go to the heart of David, to see insolent men to quench good things in good men with reproaches. Well, we see what reason the holy man David had to be so sensible of this reproach, for they said unto him daily, where is thy God? Now therefore to make some use of it to ourselves: let us enter into our own souls, and examine with what spirits, and feeling we hear God reproached, and religion reproached and hindered, and disgraced any kind of way: if we be not sensible of this, and sensible to the quick, we may suspect we are not of David's spirit, that was a man after Gods own heart: It was a cutting of his bones, when they came to disparage his Religion, and profession, and to touch him in that. Shall a man see men forsake Religion, and go backward, and desert the cause of God, and see it oppressed, and not be affected with all thi●… certainly he hath a dead soul. That which hath no grief, when there is cause of grief, certainly it is to be accounted but as dead flesh. That heart is but dead flesh, that is not touched with the sense of religion. And to come a little nearer to our times, when we can hear of the estate of the Church abroad, the poor Church in the Palatinate, in Bohemia, and those places: you see how like a canker, superstition is grown up amongst them: when we hear of these things, and are not affected, and do not send up a fie to God, it is a sign we have hollow and dead hearts. No question but if we were there among those malignant spirits that are there, their speeches are daily such, as these wicked men's were to David, what is become of your reformation? what is become of your new Religion? where is that now I pray? You that do upbraid us with Idolatry, what is become of your Religion? no question but they have these ●…casmes and 〈◊〉 speeches daily, and those that have the spirit of God, they are grieved to the heart. If we have the spirit of God and of Christ in our breasts, and any thing of the spirit of David, and of holy men, we will grieve at this. The Apostle St. Paul, when Ely●…as laboured to stop, when one was to be converted, he breaks out, Then child of the Devil, and enemy of all good, why dost thou not cease to pervert the right ways of God? A man that is not fired in this case, hath nothing at all in him, when we see-wicked men go about to pervert Religion, and overturn all, and we are not stirred at it, it is an ill sign. Let us therefore take a trial of ourselves, how we stand affected in case of Religion: He that hath no zeal in him, hath no love: by an Antiperistasis, a opposition of the contrary, increaseth the contrary: if a man have any goodness, if it be environed with opposition, it will intend the goodness and increase it. Lot showed his goodness in Sodom the more, because of the wickedness of the Sodomites, when a man is in vile company, and hears Religion disgraced, and good persons scoffed at, and will not have a word to justify good causes, and good persons, he hath no life at all of Religion; for if he had, he would then have more Religion then ordinary, the contrary would then intend, and increase the contrary. There was a blessed mixture of many affections in this grief of the holy man David, when he said, their words were as a sword in his bones. There was great grief, not only for himself, as a man being sensible of reproaches: for men are men, and not out of corrupt nature, but out of the principles of nature, they are sensible of reproaches: here was grief in respect of God, and in respect of himself: and here was the love of God, and the love of Religion in this grief. Here was zeal in this, and a sweet mixture of blessed affections, a sweet temper in this, when he saith, their words were as a sword in my bones. Let us make a use of trial; bring ourselves to this pattern, and think if we do come short of this, than we come short of that that should be in us. But especially let us consider with what hearts we entertain those doleful and sad reports of foreign Churches, and with what consideration, and view, we look upon the present estate of the Church, whether we be glad or no. There are many false spirits, that either are not affected at all, or else they are inwardly glad of it: they are of the same disposition, that those cursed Edomites were of, Psalm 137. Down with it, down with it, even unto the ground: I hope that there are but few such amongst us here, therefore I will not press that: But if we be dead-hearted, and are not affected with the cause of the Church, let us suspect ourselves, and think all is not well; The fire from Heaven is not kindled in our hearts, our hearts are not yet the Altar, where God hath kindled that heavenly fire, if we can hear Religion disgraced, and good causes go backward, and not be affected. Curse ye Meroz: why? because they went not out to help the Lord. If those be cursed that do not help, as they can by their prayers, then surely they are cursed that are dead-hearted, that are not affected at all; that join with the persecutors,, that cry down with it even to the ground, & say Aha, so we would have it. If those be cursed that help not forward the cause of the Church, at least by their prayers, and strive and contend for the faith once given, what shall we think of those that are not affected at all, nay which is worse of all, that hinder good causes, that are scorners of Religion, and good causes, what shall we think of those wretched spirits? how opposite are they to the spirit of David? To add one thing more, we may learn hence, the extent of the commandments, how to enlarge the commandments. Our Saviour Christ, when he came to preach the Gospel, he began with the enlargement of the commandments, showing the spiritual meaning, and extent of the law: he that calleth his Brother Racha, or fool, is in danger of hell fire: and he that looks on a woman, to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her in his heart. You see here the Prophet David, when he speaks of their reproach, he speaks of it as if they had a murderous intention; and in the event and issue, it is a kind of murder. As with a sword in my bones my enemies reproach me, etc. This sword were but words, he is a murderer in God's esteem, (and so it will prove if he repent not) that wounds another man with his tongue: for what doth the Holy Ghost here in David? doth he not set out words by swords? Is it not oft in the Psalms, Their words are as swords; the poison of Asps is under their lips? There is an excellent place you have for this in Prov. 12. 18. Prov. 12. 18. There is that speaks like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise is health. A good man hath a healing tongue, he hath a medicinal salving tongue, but a wicked man, his words are as swords; and as he ●…aith here, their speaking is as the piercing of a sword. Therefore, hence let us learn, not to think ourselves free from murder, when we have killed no body, or free from adultery, when we are free from the gross act: this is but a pharisaical gloss upon the commandments, but if we will understand the commandments of God, as they are to be understood, we must enlarge them as the Scripture enlargeth them: he that prejudiceth the life, and comfort of any man, hec is a murderer of him in God's esteem: and he that labours to cut another man to the heart, with sharp piercing words, in Gods esteem he is a murderer. Those that, though among men, they cannot say black is their eye, and pride themselves, as if they were very religious men, yet notwithstanding they are men that are not wanting of their tongues, men that care not to speak bitterly and sharply of others: if they did consider of this, it would take them down, and make them think a little meaner of themselves, when indeed in God's construction they are little better their murderers. As with a sword in my bones mine enemies reproach me, while they say to me daily, where is thy God? So much for these words. FINIS. The TABLE. A Acquaintance. ACquaintance with God to be maintained. part 2 p. 143 Affection. Affections try our estates 1 264 Affections wanting show want of faith. 1 269 To shame ourselves in want of Affections. 1 271 To pray for Affections. 1 272 Affections to be kept tender. 1 278 Affections why sometimes dead. 1 285 See Hatred. Answer see Conscience. Appearing. Two appearings of Christ. 2 18 Application. Application the ground of obedience 1 149 Necessity of Application 1 151 Principle of Application. 1 153 To beg the spirit of Application 1 154 Danger in want of Application. 1 156 Ark, 〈◊〉 Baptism. Assurance. How to know our estate in want of Assurance. 1 240 B Baptism. Want of baptism no prejudice to salvation; p. a. pag. 157 Ground of baptising Infants. 2 158 Aggravation of sins after Baptism. 2 162 The Ark a figure of Baptism. 2 170 Parts of Baptism. 2 172 Children why Baptised. 2 190 Baptism binds. 2 191 Covenant in Baptism. 2 192 What sins renounce baptism Ibid. How to make use of our baptism. 2 195 Beast. The Beast who. 1 7 The Beast and Dragon resembled. 1 10 State of Rome the Beast, why. 1 13 Beasts ill carriage towards Kings. 1 40 To further the destruction of the Beast. 1 49 The Beast shall fall. 1 51 See Hatred. Body. Not to satisfy the lusts of the body. 2 44 Our bodies shall be glorious. 2 51 How to use our bodies. 2 52 Glory of the body in six things. 2 53 To abase our bodies for Christ. 2 57 How to know our bodies shall be glorious. 2 60 See Vile. God to be sought betimes. 1 187 Blessing, see Ministers. C Man a changeable creature. 2 46 God punisheth parents in their children. 1 110 God the God of our children. 2 157 Parents to be good for their children's sake. 2 159 Comfort to those that leave little to their children. 2 160 All our good first in Christ. 2 32, 49 To be thankful for Christ. 2 50 To make use of what is in Christ. 2 179 To think of God's love in Christ. 1 278 See covenant. Difference between Christians and others. 1 92 Come. To think oft of the times to come. 2 66 Comfort. Double ground of comfort. 2 186 See Death, Children. Communion. Man's happiness in communion with God. 2 108 Communicative. God's goodness communicative. 1 142 Confidence. Issue of false confidence dangerous. 1 63 False confidence overturned. 1 66 Conscience. Demand of conscience whence. 2 182 Good conscience what. 2 183 3. Degrees of a good conscience. 2 184 Conscience good that is troubled. 2 187 How to know we do things from a good conscience. 2 189 To get the answer of a good conscience. 2 193 Comfort from the answer of a good conscience. 2 199 Conviction. Conviction double. 1 236 Corruption. How to set against our corruptions. 1 8●… Corruption why not subdued at once. Ibid. To strengthen faith in the fall of our corruptions. 1 89 Sight of corruptions help faith. 〈◊〉 230 Victory over corruptions. 2 138 How to know nature is corrupted. 1 270 See jericho. Country, See Heaven. Covenant. Covenants to be renewed. 2 ●…00 Covenant of works. 2 108 Covenant of grace. 2 109 Covenant of grace qualities of it 2 115 Covenant of grace, conditions of it 2 116 Comfort from the covenant of grace. 2 254 God gives us grace to perform our covenants. 2 164 Christ the foundation of the covenant of grace. 2 178 Nature of the Covenant. 2 180 Covenant of grace, why so called. 2 182 See Testament, works. Creature insufficient to teach the knowledge of God. 1 139 Not to curse particular persons. 1 105 D Death, Die. Death terrible. 1 205 Men die as they live. 1 208 A Christian how dead. 2 2 Comfort in Death. 2 66 Righteous, and wicked die. 2 74 Difference in their death. 2 80 Why men want comfort in death. 2 101 See firstborn, faith. Demand, see conscience. Dependence. Dependence upon God. 1 27 Desire. To outstrip the wicked in our desires. 2 87 Difference of desires in men, Ibid. Desires the best character of a Christian. 2 93 Wicked men desire not heaven aright. 2 94 Directions for holy desires. 2 96 God leaves not good desires. 2 102 Desire of earthly things how abated. 2 143 Destruction. How to prevent our own destruction. 1 86 Dragon, see Beast. Distemper. Distemper hinders not Christians dying in faith. 1 206 E Enemies. GOD meets with his Enemies. 1 45 GOD'S Children have Enemies. 1 214 Envy. No Envy in God, 1 144 Everlasting, Covenant of grace everlasting. 2 251 Evil. How GOD hath a hand in evil. 1 16 God's providence in evil. 1 19 God keeps us from doing of evil. 1 25 Extremity. God to be sought in extremity. 1 184 Difference of men in extremity, Ibid. Eye. To desire God to open our eyes. 1 229 See Faith. F Face. Seeking Gods face, what. 1 174 Directions to seek God's face. 1 179 Encouragements to seek God's face. 1 189 Faith. Faith in the use of means. 1 70 Faith said to do that God doth. 1 71 Faith enlivens all graces. 1 72 Faith strengthened by experience. 1 90 Faith to be laboured for. 1 94 Faith one from the beginning. 1 196 Perseverance in Faith. 1 197 Faith carries a Christian through all passages. 1 198 To die in faith what. 1 199 Faith over comes all that is terrible in death. 1 201 Faith the eye of it. 1 218 Faith seeth afar off how. 1 219 Sight of faith, how to help it. 1 228 Two branches of faith. 1 262 Faith●…w ●…w cherished. 2 65 Faith of Christians how shaken. 2 218 Faith to be strengthened. 2 220 far see Faith. Favour. Favour of God to be sought first. 1 181 Fear. How to know God is ours by fear. 2 125 Feeling. Christian's may want feeling. 1 207 Firstborn. Death of the firstborn, a great judgement. 1 110 Free. Freedom in sin a judgement. 1 22 Covenant of grace free. 2 249 See Will. G Glory Glorious. God gets glory by weak means. 1 68 Why we shall be glorious with Christ. 2 19 Wherein that glory shall be 2 21 When the Saints shall be glorified. 2 23 To think of the glory to come. 2 25 Glory why revealed beforehand. 〈◊〉 28 See Body. God. Two things wherein we are like God. 1 144 What it is for God to be our God. 2 117 God ours in the covenant of grace, 2 120 How to know God is our God. 2 121 To labour that God may be our God 2 140 To make use of all in God as ours. 2 143 Goodness. God is willing to bestow his goodness. 1 143 See Communicative. Gospel. Punishment of slighting the Gospel. 1. 43 Grace, see Covenant. Guidance. Guidance of God to be prayed for. 1 24 H Happiness. Wicked men outlive their happiness, 2 78 Happiness of the godly. 2 80 Wicked men may know the happiness of God's children. 2 84 Hatred. Affection of hatred due to the beast. 1 47 Heaven. Heaven the country of a Christian. 1 292 See desire. Hid, hidden. The life of a Christian hidden. 2 4 God sometimes hides himself. 2 223 Hope, see Faith. I Satan's kingdom like the walls of jericho. 1 73 Our corruptions like the walls of jericho. 1 74 Antichrists kingdom like the walls of jericho. 1 75 Means to east down mystical jericho. 1 78 How to prevent the building of spiritual jericho. 1 80, 120 jericho why not to be built again. 1 106 How men build jericho again. 1 114, 118 Embrace. Faith embraceth what it hath. 1 259 Embracing followeth persuasion. 1 260 What affections embrace good things. 1 272 Embracing how wrought. 1 274 joy.. Knowing God ours is our joy. 2 129 judgement see spiritual. K Kings. The ten Kings wherein sinful. 1. 28 Known, knowledge. God, willing to be known. 1 141 Knowledge of our estate sometime suspended. 1 238 L Life. Christ our life how. 2 11 To improve the time of life. 2 75 Life 3. degrees of it. 2 82 See die, hidden, soul. Love. God known to be ours by our Love 2 127 M Malice, see reproach. False confidence over-turned by weak means. 1 67 See Faith. Blessing of Ministers to be regarded. 1 103 Ministers duty. 2 176 God the only Monarch. 1 26 Good Motions to be cherished. 2 99 N 3. Things in man by Nature. 1 64 O Quality of obedience. 1 160 Obedience suitable to the command 1 164 To know God is ours by our obedience. 2 131 God to be sought in his Ordinances 1 186 Men give too much to Outward worship. 2 172 Why men are prone to Outward performances. 2 174 Papists work their own overthrow. 1 53 How to set against Popery. 1 87 Popery how it sprung up. 1 117 Covenant of grace Peculiar. 2 252 Persuasion follows sight. 121 Persuasion what. 1 233 Persuasion degrees of it. 1 235 Persuasion spiritual necessary. 1 236 Persuasion particular sometimes weak. 1 237 Persuasion how to know it is not supernatural. 2 242 Persuasion wrought by the spirit. 1 247 How the spirit doth persuade. 1 248 The manner of working persuasion. 1 250 A strong work to persuade the soul. 1 251 To labour for spiritual persuasion. 1 253 To desire God to persuade us. 1 256 Evidences that we are persuaded. 1 257 Persons, see Curse. Pilgrims. Difference between Pilgrims and strangers. 1 289 To resolve to please God. 2 141 Power, see Truth. To know God is ours by our prayer. 2 134 Preaching the force of it. 1 78 Presence of God how considered. 1 171 Things as present affect us. 1 218 Promises to allege them to God. 1 167 God deals with men by promises. 1 210 Faith looks to God by the Promises. 1 211 Promises oft to be thought on. 2 13 Proportion, see Punishment. Providence see Evil. Punishment proportionable to sin. 1 109 R Religion disgraced how it affects us. 2 132 Reproach the expression of malice. 2 216 Not to be cast down for reproach. Ibid. David sensible of reproach. 2 228 God doth not reveal all things at all times. 1 215 Righteous man who. 2 84 S See Sight. Things requisite to sight. 1 222 Sight of faith necessary. 1 223 3. Things in strong sight. 1 224 See Faith, persuasion. Mercies and judgements apprehended in our seed. 2 156 To seek GOD by his strength. 1 158 Seeking what it doth imply. 1 170 Ground of seeking of God. 1 171 See Strength, betimes, face. Sensible, see reproach. Sentence of Christ unavoidable. 1 132 Men must not appoint how to serve God. 1 138 Sin considered in three times. 1 17 Soul made for heavenly things. 1 267 Love of earthly things abase the Soul. 1 268 Soul how quieted. Ibid. Soul continues after death. 2 74 Life of the Soul double. Ibid. How to use our Souls. 2 75 Spirit, Spiritual. Spiritual judgements greatest. 1 22 Order of the Spirits working. 1 217 To beg the Spirit to persuade us. 1 254 Stranger. God's people strangers here. 1 290 CHRIST a stranger on earth. 1 294 To have the affections of strangers 1 295 Wicked men, how strangers here. 1 297 Carriage of a stranger. 1 300 See Pilgrim. Strike, see threaten. The covenant of grace sure. 2 250 T Covenant of grace a Testament. 2 110 Difference of a covenant and Testament. Ibid. To be thankful for that we have 1 215 God threatens●…re ●…re he strike. 1 108 Wickedness shall nos always thrive. 1 47 To tremble at God's word. 1 133 Men naturally trust so●…what 1 62 Try all of our trust. 1 65 How to know GOD ours by trust. 2 129 Truth of God. 1 150 Faith looks to God's power & truth 1 224 V The best men's bodies vile in this world. 2 40 God revealed to man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 understanding creature. 2 107 Our nature prone to unthankefulnes. 2 116 W To go to Christ in all wants. 2 15 Degrees of wicked men. 2 86 Will of man free in sin. 1 20 To be left to our ow●… will, a great judgement. 1 21 Will, when accepted for the deed. 2 102 Who are truly wise. 2 83 Word, s●… Tremble. Christian's course opposite to the world. 2 39 World how to be used. 2 75 Works see covenant. Z How to know God is our God by our Zeal. 2 128 FINIS.