JACOBS' STAFF TO BEAR UP THE Faithful. AND TO BEAT DOWN, THE Profane.  
Touching the one's assured, and the others conceited title, unto God himself, and all his precious promises.  
WHEREIN. The Saint's interest is justified, to be absolutely infaillible, the Sinners claim detected, to be apparently deceivable, notwithstanding all infernal suggestions of fear, and infidelity in the one, or of presumption, and security in the other.  
Formerly preached at Hamburgh by JOHN WING late Pastor to the English Church there, as his farewell to the famous followship of Merchant Adventurers of England resident in that City.  
And now published, and dedicated, to the honour and use, of that most worthy Society, there, or wheresoever being.  All things are yours: you are Christ's. 1. Cor. 1. ●●, ●●. 
AT FLUSHING. Printed by Martin Abraham vander Nolck, dwelling at the sign of the Printing house. 1621.   

SOCIETAS ADVENTURARIA (Ana-gramma.) RE-RATA VIVIS DEO SANCTA.  
REDDITE QVOD SWM EST CVIQVE.  blazon or coat of arms  

What ere can be concluded from a NAME  
Yours doth include: all happiness and fame.  
Thus speled, thus anagramed, it boade's your Fate,  
Than which, there cannot be, a happier State  
With MEN, t'enjoy your reconfirmed GLORY;  
And with your GOD to be reputed HOLY.  
What can I wish, but THESE with all increase?  
And after THESE, those joys that never cease.    

TO THE Right Worshipful, & my worthy friends Master RICHARD GORE, Deputy, the Asistants, and Generality, of the famous fellowship of Merchant Adventurers of England, resident in Hamburgh, JOHN WING wisheth all present prosperity on earth, and all perfect happiness in heaven.  
AS I have sometimes read, & oftentimes ruminated, the kind question of that Pagan Prince, concerning the honourable reward of his faithful servant; So have I been abashed in myself, that I have not enquired so carefully, what was due to you for your love, as he did to him for his loyalty. [What honour (said he) hath been done to Mordocay for this?] should I not have asketd myself the same long since, for your kindness, not much inferior to his service? And now that (of late) I have begun this inquisition, my conscience answers with shame: [There hath nothing been done] with shame (I say) & blushing, that a heathen shall thus remember an inferior, and a christian should thus forget such friends, as I have found you all to be: whose favour & kindness though it be not upon record in chronicle, yet doth it well deserve so to be. And now to do you the best honour, that can come within my power; I do here present unto you, and to all men, this true commemoration, and thankful acknowledgement of these your favours, which were so abundantly bestowed on your part, although so undeserved on mine. We Scholars, have nothing but papers to honour our best friends withal, our most, and best is done, when we have put their good names in print, and by public jmpression, given the world notice of the precious respects, their good nature hath cast upon us.  
And if this my endeavour, may be accounted but your least honour, I have what I desire, as one aim of this publication. The matter published, intendeth an honour jnfinitely higher, even of God, who once enabled me to speak it, and hath now encouraged me to divulge it, principally for the glory of his name, & next, for the renown, and fame of yours, whose rare liberality, it were most jnjurious to bury in these days, wherein so little of the like is alive. I beseech you take in good part, what I present unto you from a good heart. I was once hopeful to have been more happy in my residence with you, than I can be in writing to you. But the almighty meant it otherwise, on him I cast all my cares, and strive daily for contentment, and comfort, in a state (in many regards) much more mean. I hope nothing shallbe offensive to you, of that I have written, it being all grateful, when it was spoken. If in the latter end I seem more plain, and downright, in diverse passages both concerning you, and myself. I pray you pardon me, it was to sustain my own uprightness, and to wipe away those foul and unworthy jmputations, wherewith some malignant minds and mouths did as falsely, as basely, reproach and traduce me, (and that to my face) for such gross miscarriage among you, as made me incapable of so good a condition & service as yours was. God for bid I should justify them till I die (said job, and so say I) and give away my jnnocency. I had rather dye blameless, then live blemished. And to bung up, & make mute for ever, these evil tongues, I could not but relate, that truth, which is able to remove their slanders, and reveal my integrity, to all persons, that shall please to peruse these particulars. The Lord of his infinite goodness, make good this poor attempt of mine to you all, and to all others, into whose hands & hearts, I desire it may come. The same God, be ever your God, and shine upon you in the pure light of his sweet countenance, that all things may be fully discovered unto you, which may further you to him, where you may shine with him, in that glorious and inaccessible light, which no corruption can inherit, or attain. To his grace and blessing, in uncessant desire of your temporal prosperity in your Society, and spiritual and eternal prosperity, of soul & body; I commend every one of you, with my own soul, and so rest.  
Your late Pastor, and unfeigned well-willer for ever JOHN WING. From my house in Flushing September 12. 1621.,   

TO THE READER:  
Reader look for no apology, or excuse for this work of mine, I make no question but the matter contained in it will plead a necessity of making it public. Read and peruse that throughly. The second part of my former labour, thou shalt look for (if the Lord will, and I live) e'er long, but not presently, for I have something to do before I can finish it. Pray for me that I may be furnished with grace, to write for thy good. Faerwell in the Lord.  
JOHN WING   

Pag. Lin. Error. Correction. 5. 20. with stand which stand 8. 6. at once at once. 20. 6. hath right hath right. 22. 17. wit us with us. 45. 5. yet blessed. ye blessed 94. 12. thy put out they put out 99 31. abborted abhorred. 109. 31. and agine and again. 119. 32. last refuse. last refuge 125. 2. and oeur-base and overbase. 137. 20. he speak it. he speak it 138. 24. cry to their. cry to her. 139. 13. such the breasts. suck the breasts. 156. 23. they Good thy God 157. 7. the  the one 162. 2. not sorrow not. Sorrow 175. 5. consider and so consider and see 175. 32. you condition your condition 181. 4. thy are they are 184. 27. to a bette to abet. 195. 28, timerarious temerarious 2●5. 3. or thee or thee Words to be put in. Pag. Lin.   11. 1. we bold, we be bold. 57 8. ever hope. ever we hope. 78. 19, weakness. and weakness. 97. 16. not if. not do if. 170. 19 if Lord, if the Lord. Words to be put out. Pag. Lin.   143, 32. put out did.  171. 1. put out this  174. 11. put out but.  186. 18. put out the.   
In many places and pages herein, is set for herein   

jacob's STAFF. OR, A declaration, and confirmation, of the most comfortable interest, which all the faithful have, in the Lord, and all his Promises.  
AS ALSO, A detection and confutation, of that false and jdle claim, which  persons vainly pretend unto both Discovered in certain Sermons on Gen. 32.9. And jacob said: O God of my Father Abraham, and God of my Father Isaac, thou Lord that saidst unto me; Return unto thy country and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee.  
That which we find written by David, long after jacobs' time, did jacob find and feel, long before David's days, to wit, [that, 
Psal. 58, 11.  Verily there is reward for the righteous, and that, undoubtedly there is a God that judgeth the world] never man might speak this more experimentally, and happily, than he, who found the Lord most gracious to reward his uprightness, and most righteous to revenge his jnjuries. We read but of few, that have met with harder measure at the hands of men, and scarce of any who have reaped more favour from the hands of God, than this blessed Patriarch did. Touching whom, many things are spoken, & he takes up much room in this holy history; some part whereof is spent in the discovery of such passages, as fell out between him and Laban, since they came first together. And in their proceedings, one the one part, we have recorded, what conscionable carriage there was in jacob, whose rare, and matchless fidelity, was made apparent, and did show itself, in all the service he did him, it being performed (during so many years) with extraordinary honesty, and endeavour. On the other, there is discovered, the monstrous unkindness, gross jnjustice, and many other the unsavoury fruits of a currish nature, and covetous heart, in Laban, whose eye was ever evil, upon all jacobs' good, insomuch that he did daily vex himself, with perpetual repining at his wealth, welfare, and, prosperity.  
The just Lord seeing this in Laban, looketh down from heaven, with gracious regard upon jacob, and resolveth to recompense his righteousness unto him seeing he had done so much, and endured so much, from such a churlish kinsman, and unworthy master as Laban had showed himself to be. He shall reap the fruit of his pains and piety. God's hand shallbe liberal, though Laban be close-sisted: jacob shall well know, that he hath a master in heaven, who will make him a full mend's for all his integrity to his master on earth. And to the end he may as fully enjoy it, as God is minded freely to bestow it, he is warned of God to go for his country, and leave Laban, with whom he could never comfortably posesse the sweetness of any of those many good things, the Lord did so kindly cast upon him.  
jacob taking knowledge of his heavenly calling, and commission to be gone, doth instanly resolve on his departure dispatcheth his business, setteth things in order, & disposeth himself, & all his, to remove with all possible expedition, according to the commandment of God warranting him (forh with) so to do.  
Being thus, so suddanily gone, as Laban took no notice of it till one told him of it, three days after: [such being the diligence, and conscience of a good servant, that the heart of his master may have confidence in him, and not need to care for, or look after him, or his business, for diverse days together] as soon as he did know it, he hasteth, and posteth after him, with all speed, to overtake him, if he can, and at mount Gilead he doth. And there (his heart being big swollen, and ready too burst with choler and discontentment) he meane's to have a saying to him; jacob shall know a piece of his mind ere they part, if once he can come to the speech of him.  
But before Laban may speak with jacob, God must speak with Laban & (jntending to overule his wrathful mind, and outrageous mouth) the Lord doth so school him, that he cannot give him an unkind word, but is become as cool, and as calm, as a man may be, he speaks most familiarly to him, makes a most friendly league with him, & takes his leave most lovingly of him, and so they part exceeding peaceably one from the other.  
This being done, and Laban being gone, jacob journieth homeward, and because the Lord did foresee, he should ●●counter many extreamityes,  he came to his ways end, he sent his host, (even an host of Angels) to him, that by them he might be heartened, against all those hart-breaking, which he might meet withal, as he went forward in his journey. And it was but need, he should have some cordials, considering what calamities ●ee was to wade through as he went. For no sooner hath God's host left him, but, he here's of another host coming of purpose to surprise him, and that from his Brother, which makes the mischief so much the more eminent and bitter. One woe is past, but another cometh; (and a fare worse than the former) he hath done with Laban, and is well quit of him, but he is now to begin with Esaw. And indeed, this second distress did every way exceed the first, for, whereas (before) he had to do but with a covetous, and unkind master; now, he is to deal with a cruel and bloody-minded brother; nothing was in question with Laban but matter of commodity, the worst that could come, was but a little loss of some goods, and cattles, that Laban thought too much for him: but the least of this, is for his life and state too, himself and all that he hath, are like to miscarry in this combat, his brother having vowed his death, that he would kill him wheresoever he met him. jacob foreseeing this exigent, because of his unavoidable necessity to pass by his brother Esawes territoryes, in his travel, (whose old grudge against himself, he could not but remember,) he doth his best to obtain a pacification, sendeth ambassadors to him to treat of a truce, and to parley with him about conditions of peace, if upon any terms he will accept it. But Esaw will none of that, he is bitterly enraged, the messegers return, and signify how resolute he is for revenge, he will hear of no league, but hath levied an army of four hundreth men against him, coming himself in person with them, intending to make havoc of his brother, and all that he had.  
jacob is not a little troubled at this tidings, but much appalled and perplexed, and now he bestirrs himself & deviseth what to do in this time of his extraordinary terror, and danger. The means he makes use of are two.  

partly, Civil, and Politic.  
partly, Spiritull, and religious.   
He gins first with the former, & falls to deviding of his family, and his flocks, that all might not be seized at once, but that if the one part were surprised, the other might shift for themselves, and not become a prey to Esawes incompassionate heart, and cruel hand. Having so done, now in the second place, he is a suitor to god for his safety, a duty that should be first done [but we see how (sometimes) frailty works before faith even in the most faithful; nature gets the upper hand of grace, & disorders our actions, making them so grossly preposterous, that policy, takes precedence of piety, & the god of heaven is put behind].  
This prayer of his, for protection, and aid against this present peril, begins at the words of our text, and is continued from this nynth verse, to the end of the twelfth.  
And thus we are come by an orderly and direct course to the wonders of our text, withstand in clear cohaerence with the rest of this holy history, thus. jacob being to go for his country, by order from God, and as he goeth, seeing he cannot avoid it, but he must pass by his brother Esaw, he useth double endeavour to appease his anger, and prevent the peril, that he and his, might sustain by it. One of these courses is the dividing of his people and cattles; the other is the prayer he makes to his god, to save him harmless in this distress, and deliver him from this his brother who was so barbarously bend against him.  
In which prayer (that we may proceed from the dependence of these words to their, division) we have these particulars apparently considerable before us.  

First, the preface or introduction to the prayer. vers. 9  
Secondly, the Prayer itself. ver. 10.11.12.   
The first particular, to wit, the preface, is all wherewith we have to do at this time, and in it we may further observe.  

First, who it is that prayeth: jacob, [And jacob said]  
Secondly, who it is that is prayed unto, God: [O Lord God]  
Thirdly, the encouragements he hath to pray unto God, and they are such, as by faith he apprehendeth, and his faith (being well employed) fasteneth in a twofold manner upon God, and layeth double hold upon him. 

First, in regard of the covenant, God made with his progenitors: [God of my father Abraham & God of my father Isac]  
Secondly, in regard of the jmmediate warrant, given him of God for the undertaking of this business & this is also double. 

First, the precept which the lord laid upon him to go the voyage [Thou Lord that saidst unto me: Return into thy country, & to thy kindred]  
Secondly, the promise made unto him if he did obey, according to the precept imposed [And I will deal well with thee.]       
And this is the resolution of the words, and their distribution, into their several branches, or members.  
From which (in due order), we should descend to their interpretation, if there were any necessity so to do, but they are easy, and open, to the simplest apprehension, there is nothing doubtful, or difficult at all, the weakest understanding may well know what to make of every word. We will therefore overpasse this, and put on to the several instructions contained in them, as they lie in their order.  
And First, for the party praying, & the party prayed unto, we willbe willingly silent, inasmuch as all men know, that, [All prayers are to be made to God only, whosoever makes them]. In this particular, there is a universal accord, among all that sound acknowledge a deity, whosoever rightly knows there is a God, cannot but know withal, that none can be prayed unto but he that is acknowledged to be God; there being none but he alone, that is 

gracious enough, to hear our petitions.  
wise enough, to know our wants.  
able enough, to supply them.   where suitors be innumerable, & the wants of every suitor innumerable also, & no suitor able (as he ought) to discover his own necessities, had there not need be 

an infinite eye, to see them.  
an infinite ear, to hear them.  
an infinite hand, to help them?   especially considering, that at one & the same time (nay, in the same moment, or instant of time) many thousands may be petitioners, and every one of these for many several things?  
And can any creature have to do in this infinite court of request wherein the clients are thousands, and the causes millions? may it be possible that Peter, or Paul, (suppose them to be employed in heaven as mediators of intercession) should hear & entreat, for multitudes of men, every man having a multitude of necessities, & they all praying at once? if they can hear & help, wherein are their eyes and ears less than Gods? why are they not honoured as more than inferior mediators? if not; why are thy esteemed so much? either than they must be diefyed, and made equal with God, or discarded from having any thing to do in this business, wherein, it is Gods only honour, to be the only doer, because he alone is perfectly able to hear in all places, to help in all cases.  
But we leave this, & pass on to that which hartened jacob to pray: the encouragments that quickened him, were twofold (as we told you before).  
The first of these comforts is, the consideration of the covenant of God made, both with his progenitors, & with himself also, and he pleade's this interest in both respects, as we see. [God of my father &c:] and again, [thou Lord that sayd'stvnto me]: because if he should be overcome of any evil in this his journey, so, that he could not come to the place whither he was commanded to go, & whereunto God had engaged himself for his safe conduct, than were God's honour gone, who promised both his praedicessors & himself, that he should come well home. From which practice of jacobs', pleading thus with God, we are to learn thus much for our instruction.  
That whosoever would go to God with any comfort by prayer, Doct. 1 must be sure that he hath some interest in God, that he is Gods, and God is his.  
No man's prayer can be accepted, no man praying, can be heartened with any hope of a happy success in his suit, if he cannot entitle God to himself, and himself to God: & he that can call him [my God] cannot come in vain, or go away un-regarded.  
The evidence of this truth is very abundant in the book of God, but we will abridge ourselves, and be content with a few confirmations, it were needless to multiply many in a point so plain.  
David was a great man with God, few men had more suits in heaven then he, we can scarce find such another client in God's court of requests as he was, none more ordinary, none more earnest: his miseries & discomforts were wonderful many & exceeding heavy, & therefore he had need go the nearest & surest way, he could for comfort when he prayed, & above all other, he took this; whensoever he made any request, he made sure of his right, & pleaded that, in all his petitions, as it may be observed every where, but because it would be tadious to particulate every instance, we may take a taste in two or three, that are pregnant to this purpose.  
In the. 16. 
Psal. 16 1.2.  Psalm he begins with prayer for his preservation, now because he knew God's promise pertained to none but his own, therefore in the next verse, he addeth his interest, saying [thou hast said unto the Lord, thou art my God] & this he brings to joy & cheer himself with hope of being heard; suitable to that which in another Psalm he saith to the same end: [I am thine, oh save me]. 
Psal. 119.94.   
Again, in the 18 Psalm, he intending so to speak that he might speed, he laye's hold on the Lord in all respects, and entitles himself to him every way: [my strength, 
ver. 1.2.  my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, 
vers. 3.  my buckler, etc.] & having thus made sure work, that God is his, in all these regards; in the next verse, he resolue's to make his suit, & assure's himself of being answered; 
ver. 6.  nay; he avoucheth plainly (a little after) that he was heard; [In my distress I called upon the Lord; I cried unto my god & he heard my voice] etc.  
The like we might note out of the 22 Psalm, which he begins thus [my God, my God,]. And the same is to be seen in more, than twenty psalms more, if we should urge all particulars; none was more fervent in prayer with God, nothing was more frequent in all the prayers he made to God, than this very thing. And have ye ever heard of any petitioner that sped better, or that prevailed more, than he did? nay, may we not think that he was a great gainer by this course, when (hereupon) he exhorteth others out of his own abundant & happy experience in this particular, to pour out & emity their hearts, & wholly to unlade & lay them open before the Lord, which no man (you know) will do, but to him, in whom he hath more than ordinary interest, and with whom he is exceeding intimate & familiar. Thus you see the point is most plain in his practice, who is a singular president unto us herein, no man ever laid more claim to god, in prayer, no man ever obtained more comfort from god by prayer; & doth not this assure us then, that it is most true that he that goeth to the Lord with most right, shall come from him with most rejoicing.  
I did the rather choose David to give evidence in this matter, because he was a man so inward with god, & so excelling in this practice, that we cannot find many to match him: yet if we should take notice of other holy men of god, we should soon discern the same carriage in them: but we will spare to multiply any, or to nottfy more examples, let us come to consider the reasons of the point: and they are these that follow. Reason 1  
First, the ground and evidence of our consolation in any thing, is our right we have in the same, wherewith may we bold, but with our own? what is any thing, (nay, every thing) to us, if it be not ours? our right, is our rejoicing: our comfort in all things, comes from the claim we can lay to them. The dim light of nature and reason, saw this, where no illumination of grace or religion did shine as yet, 
Jonah. 1.  in those poor perplexed Pagans, whose course in their own persons, and whose counsel to the Prophet, proves this point, 
ver. 5.  for themselves, the text tells us [they cryea every one to his own God] and when the Prophet (being found a sleep in this distress) is awaked and exhorted to pray, he is willed to pray to his own God, [call upon thy God]: 
ver. 6.  and do not both these make it most manifest, that a man can have no heart to pray, no hope to speed, unless he have interest in that God to whom he prayeth. These silly men could see that it was bootless for them to pray to his God, or he to theirs, if any benefit may be expected, it must be from our own, and none else. And this is our first reason. Reason 2  
Secondly, God himself doth comfort & cheer up men upon this ground, that he willbe theirs, and they shallbe his. So we find once, 
Gen. 15.1.  and again in his appearance to Abraham, when he will hearten him against all harms he saith thus [Fear not Abraham, for I am thy Buckler, and thine exceeding great reward], it had been small happiness to him to know that god had been a buckler or any thing else, 
Gen. 17.1.2.4.7.  but to be his, is the thing wherewith the Lord joye's his very soul. So again, at another time, God will bind him to proceed, & persevere in his uprightness, now because that exact carriage of-times bring's men into calamity, the Lord to quicken him, doth not only tell him how able & all-sufficient he is to do him good, but that he will enter into covenant with him, & become his God, and this covenant of God, is that, which hath comfort enough in it to carry him currently, through all discomforts whatsoever. And intruth, he that hath the Lord to be his, may well account himself a most happy man, because then, all the infinite and unspeakable perfections of God, are ours and we may go with boldness & freedom to beg 

that mercy, which is above the heavens:  
that wisdom, which is unsearchable.  
that providence, which is unutterable  
that Power, which is unresistable   and all that goodness, and kindness, and those compassions which are inconceivable: that we may have the benefit of these excellencies for our best good, is not this a comfort? when a man may know that all that heaven hath, nay, all that the God of heaven hath, is ours, & a man may go to both, as to his own. Assuredly if we can but believe, that god is wise enough to give us a sufficient reason of sound consolation, & able enough to make that good which he give's as a reason to us, to wit, the interest of himself, then have we reason to acknowledge that he may pray comfortably, that hath power to make this claim, to him, & all that is in him. And this is our second reason.  
Thirdly; Reason 3 in that excellent prayer of our Lord jesus Christ, contained in the 17 of joh, 
Joh. 17.  & continued through the whole chapter, let us consider, that when he powre's out those his most sweet supplications for us, he doth, (as it were) press, and urge his father with arguments, to hear him for us, and to accept us in him, & among many other jnducements of that kind, he doth principally plead this which we have now in hand, even, the interest his father had in us, and this he doth once and again; ver. 6. 
ver. 6.  [I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: 
ver. 9  thine they were, and thou gavest them me]. Again, ver. 9 [I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine]. And again, ver. 10. [All mine are thine, and, thine are mine; Holy father, keep them in thy name, even them, whom hast given me, that they may be one, as we are one]. In all these, we see how he is instant with God his father for us, on this ground that we are his, & he ours; which title, & right, when he hath so earnestly insisted upon, them he comes to the requests he makes for us, which are very many, and most heavenly, both touching our present state of grace during the days of our being here, and our eternal state of happiness when we go hence.  
During the days of our abode on earth, 
ver. 13. 1●.17.19.21.23.  he prayeth 

that, his joy might be fulfilled in us.  
that, we might be kept from evil.  
that, we might be sanctified in the truth.  
that, we might be one with himself & his father.  
that, not only we ourselves, but also the world, may know that the Lord doth love us, even as he loveth Christ himself.    
And, as if all this were not enough, that we should enjoy so much good, & be free from all evil for the present, he is yet a further suitor to his father for us, that when the time of our pilgrimage is out here, we may posesse the glory of heaven, 
ver. 22.  which glory, (even the same that he had with his father before all worlds) he professeth he hath given to us, 
ver. 24.  and prayeth, that his father would invest us into it, and give us possession of it.  
Thus doth the Lord jesus abound in these most blessed desires of our best good, & provoketh, (yea, & prevaileth with) his father, to bestow them all upon us because, both he hath interest in us, and we in him. If this could not have been avouched, it had been to little purpose that Christ himself had prayed, nay, it is certain he would not at all have made any request to God his father for us, for we see expressly, that he will not open his mouth for others, but excludeth them: 
ver. 6.  [I pray not for the world].  
Now then, if this were that which did jnduce our Lord jesus Christ, in his prayer to be so mindful of us, if because we were his, he doth so prosecute his father to be merciful to us, let us think whether our interest in the Lord be not an excellent encouragement for us to go to our God. Christ himself went not without it, every true christian may go freely with it. He that knew best, what would most move his father's affection, made use of this for our jmitation And this is our third reason.  
Fourthly, Reason 4 they, and they only, can go with comfort to call cheerfully upon God, that can carry with them his own love-tokens with he hath given them, even those saving graces which they have received from him, by which they are known to be his, & to have interest in him, because they are never given to any that are none of his, they only do partake of them, that are dear & precious to him. Now whosoever can come to him & show him his own, which he hath left with them, they cannot but speed, they shall surely prevail, 
Gen. 38.18.25.26.  as (you know) Thamar did upon judah when she had his own signet, and bracelets, and staff, and brought them forth before him, he could not choose but own them, and acknowledge her, & favour her. Even so, if we can bring that before the Lord which he hath given us, & lay his own graces in his sight, when we pray, we shall not speak to him in vain, he love's to hear the voice of his own spirit in us, for when he here's that, he knows one of his own saints is the suitor, 
Cant. 5.2.  and that [it is the voice of his beloved] for none can pray by the power of grace but they that have it, and it is jmpossible any should have it, but those only to whom he give's it, and that is, only to such as he hath selected to himself, from the rest of the sinful world. Hence it is, that the apostle tell's us that this spirit of grace doth both assure us that [we are the sons of god], 
Rom. 8.15 16  and (being so) it doth also cheer us with, boldness to [cry Abba, father]. And this is our fourth reason. Reason 5  
Fiftly, we are not, nor cannot be throughly armed against the noisome temptations of Satan, if we have not this assurance that God is ours. Of all duties the devil is most jmpatient of Prayer, he cannot brook, or abide that by any means, and therefore he bend's all his infernal forces against us in that service. Now if we be not rightly assured, and resolutely settled, in the persuasion of our souls, that the Lord is ours, & that we are the Lords, he will have mighty & heavy advantage upon us, and still lie tempting, and teazing of us, with hideous affrightments; saying, or suggesting; what hast thou to do to go to God, seeing thou art none of his, he, none of thine? darest thou draw near to him, not knowing thyself to be his child, he will sooner punish thy presumption, then hear thy petition; he calls none, but his own to come to him, & seeing thou intrudest thyself thou may'st rather fear his curse, then hope of any comfort. These, and the like miserable objections, or upbraid, can none claw off, but they that can lay, good claim to the living God. And whosoever are sound assured that they can, shall either not feel these things, or, if they do, they need not fear them, their interest will jnable them against all, that hell can suggest against them. Reason 6 And this is our fift reason.  
Sixtly, & lastly, the truth we teach may most plainly appear by our consideration of their estate, who have no interest in the Lord, and are none of his; what are such in the Lords account and construction, and whether do they pray or no? and if they do, with what good affection, or assurance of gracious answer? Doth not God repute them strangers, and enemies to him, such as he doth not know, nor they him, nay more, such as because they are not known of him, nor he of them, are (therefore) hated as adversaries to him. Ignorance of God makes a man a stranger and an adversary to God. All that have not interest in him, are not only straugers but enemies also. It is Gods own assertion, there is no mean between a stranger and an enemy, he that is one, is both; God couple's them together, 
Col. 1.21.  who can part them a sunder? [you (saith the apostle) which were strangers and enemies] so that if a man have not interest in God, he is at enmity with him, he who knows not God for his father, must know God for his foe; if thou art not his child, thou canst not but be his enemy. Ponder this well, and see what will follow hereupon; to wit, that whosoever prayeth without right and interest in the Lord, may hope for no more happiness, than he that is a suitor to one that is both a mere stranger, and a manifest enemy to him, and that (you know) can be but a poor issue, a pitiful success. And I do appeal to the soul of any  person, with what affection, or consolation he had prayed, with what favour and compassion he hath been answered. Let him speak without flattery of his own heart, and I fear not to be judged by himself. But if he should flatter himself, and others, and affirm he hath prayed comfortably, and been answered graciously, it is apparent that he hath lied both to God, and men, for the Lord protesteth his deepest detestation both of their persons, and supplications, and procliameth to all men, that, either they are not heard at all, or, if in any kind they obtain any thing, it is nothing but a curse, 
Mal. 2.2,  or a [blessing acursed] to them. Now than if such be the misery, and unhappiness of those that have no interest in the Lord, their mercy and comfort must be much, that have it, and can go to God with sound assurance of it. Look what odds there is between a father and an adversary, between one that is dear beloved, & deeply abhorred, such must be the difference of their suits, and the success of them, that can claim a title in the Lord, and that cannot. And this is our last reason.  
And now (I hope) the point is plentifully & plainly proved, and that you are all persuaded, that he may go to God with joy, that hath God for his God.  
From the proof of which truth, let us now proceed to the application of the same, and that to all sorts of menwhome it doth, or may concern and they are both, 

the children of God, for consolation.  
 men, for reprehension.  
all men, for instruction.    
And first to begin with the saints of God, Use. 1 I mean his sons & daughters, 
consolation.  who have this propriety in God, and can truly entitle themselves unto him, they are to know, that the truth and the true comfort, of this we teach, hath unto them, neither end nor measure; a beginning indeed it hath, and it breede's, and grows, by degre'es in them, but end or measure, it knoweth none. It is both an infinite, and eternal joy unto them, to know themselves to be the Lords, and the Lord to be theirs.  
The holy apostle intending to teach all men, the meane's of true rejoicing in the Lord, laye's his ground herein, (showing thereby, that the ground of all sound happiness, 
●. Cor. 1. ●0.  is in this particular) to wit, that [Christ is of God, made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, & redemption] note; that he saith not Christ to be in himself all, or any of these, but that the joy, & advantage of each of them, is in this, that he is made unto us, that is, made of God, 

our wisdom:  
our righteousness.  
our sanctification.  
our redemption.    
And hence he inferreth that which followeth [that, as it is written, if any man glory, let him glory in the Lord], 
ver. 31.  as if he should say; many joy and boast in the Lord jesus, but it is according to their own vain conceit, but the man that will rejoice warrantably, & as it is written, let him make this sure; that, what Christ is, he is vn to him, his, wisdom, his righteousness etc. all other is but fond, but this is souna, rejoicing; Satan's abetts us to the former, but God will bear us out in this latter.  
And the comfort, benefit, joy, and advantage hereof will appear to be more than we can speak, 
1. Pet. 1. ●.  [even, joy unspeakable and glorious] if we shall but speak of some few, of those infinite particulars, wherein the happiness of this our tnterest doth appear; our instances shall not be many, but those we take, shallbe manifest to our purpose; and we will make choice of such especially, as may most despite the devil, who in nothing more, doth show himself to be indeed a devil & an adversary to us, then in this our interest & right, which he endeavor's to nullify, and make void, as in all passages betwixt God and us, so most especially in these whereof we are now to treat, which are evident to every sincere christians experience in himself, and observation in others  
The first, is in the very point we have in hand, to wit, in prayer, wherein he never spare's to vex, 
Consolation in Prayer.  & torture our souls, with our alienation from God, upbraiding us that we are none of his, nor he any of ours; and therefore what make we to call upon him, to whom we can make no claim? and so doth all he can, either to discourage us from prayer, if it may be; or if not, to discomfort us in prayer. But we have (notwithstanding) wherein to rejoice with God, & (as we said) our right in him, is our rejoicing before him, and that in this particular of our prayers: For why? from hence, that he is ours, and we his, we have 

both, free access unto him.  
and, gracious acceptance with him.   a man may go freely to his own, and be sure to be accepted when he comes, where he hath right.  
Who ever went to God with this claim, that came without this comfort? Look upon some of the saints of God and see how they have done, and go and do likewise, when good king Asa came to God in the great distress, and extraordinary danger, wherein he was, by reason of his many and mighty enemies; note, how he falls upon God and faste'ns with his interest urged once, 
2. Chron. 14.11. ver. 12.13.14.15.  jtterated again, and again [and Asa cried unto the Lord his God] & again, [Help us o Lord our God] & yet again. [O Lord thou art our God]. Thus freely he went, & thus freely he spoke to God, and the success did well show, that such a prayer may do more than an army of men with great power. The Lord can withhold no comfort from them, that thus lay hold on him.  
The like may be noted in worthy Nehemiah, who besought the Lord for the jews of the captivity, he that readeth, let him consider how abundantly he doth press the Lord with his right in them, & theirs in him, nothing is more ordinary in all his requests then this particular [hear the prayer of thy servant, 
Neh. 1.6.  which I pray before thee for the children of Israel thy servants: and again [Now these are thy people and thy servants and yet again, 
ver. 10. ver. 11.  [let thine ear be open to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, which desire to fear thy name. Thus you see how he insisteth hereupon, as, upon that which he did apprehend & persuade himself might be a main motive with God to obtain what he asked. And the sequel did well show, that this supplication was of force with the Lord, to do them good for whom he prayed.  
It were most easy to produce the practice of many more, even of all the saints of God, who have received the earnest of the spirit, and are sealed to be his, but we will let go all other, and take knowledge of one, for all, even of jesus Christ, who is Lord over all, & aught to be all in all, unto us. 
Mat. 26.   
Let us go into the garden, and hear him pray there, lo, he besought the Lord three times, and in every request this shallbe added, 
ver. 39  and not omitted in any one, [O my father if it be possible let this cup pass] and the second time, 
ver. 42. ver. 44.  [O my father if this cup may not pass] etc. and yet again, the third time [the same words] saith the Evagelist, that is to say, words to the same purpose and of the same sense, 
note.  though not of the same syllables, for we find them something varied, by the other Evangelists Mark, & Luke, as touching the letter.  
From thence let us follow him to his cross, and there we shall find him in the same kind calling upon his father, [my God my God]; 
mat 27.64.  and this he did in his utmost extremity, when he was under the full weight of his father's infinite indignation, and at such a time, and in such a strait, every one will endeavour, to utter that which may be most effectual to move them to whom we make our suits, and our saviour thus using this, doth thereby make it evident to be of excellent, and singular jmportance, to prevail with the Lord, in the heaviest estate wherein we can be, under heaven.  
Nay, let us not look only on what he did in his own practice, but what he doth comand us to do in ours, when he would teach his disciples (and with them all christians) so to pray that they might be happy after they had prayed, he will have them begin with their interest, 
mat. 6.9.  & say [Our father] &c: this must stand in the forefront, as the first, & most forcible thing, to set upon God withal; showing clearly, that he can have no comfort to pray, who cannot thus begin his prayer, if a man cannot make his title good in the first place, all willbe but vain and jdle that follewe's, it is but folly to seek the face of God, if we do not know him to be our father, & cannot boldly so call him, when we call upon him.  
And it is well to be noted, 
Rom. 8.  that the apostle tell's us that the same spirit that assure's us we are the children of God, doth not only embolden us (as was remembered before) to cry [Abba father] but in case it stand so wit us, 
ver. 15.  that (through any extremity of body, or impotency & distress of mind) we cannot pray (which was once David's case, 
Psa. 77.3.4.  & may be the condition, of any true, & tender hearted christian,) I say, this spirit doth pray, and prefer, our requests for us, our very assurance itself, will speak for us, through we could not speak for ourselves. Even this, that we are Gods, is (if we could utter no more,) enough to hearten us, in the hope of being heard, as we find by him, who said this and no more, 
Psal. 146.6.7.  [I said unto the Lord thou art my God; hear my prayer o Lord] and further, [O Lord God of my salvation] etc.  
Nay not only in prayer, but in the whole worship of God are we cheered, by this same reason; so saith the spirit of God. 
Psa. 95.6.  [Come let us worship &c, for he is the Lord our God, we are the people of his pasture and the sheept of his hands], so that, if upon any terms, a man will come to the Lord, this must be one, & one of the main things, he must mention before the Lord.  
Thus our consolation comes upon us in regard of our prayers, when we can go to God as to our own, it matters not, how Satan may otherwise entwitte us, as long he cannot overturn our title.  
And the joy, and comfort of this consideration, will yet shine more clearly upon us, if we mark well how wicked men, when they come to speak to God do not once offer to utter one word of interest, but still come, with general appellation, without any special, or particular impropriation of God to themselves, 
mat. 25.11.  or of themselves to him: all that they say is [Lord, Lord, open unto us] it may be, to blind us withal, they dare, (being themselves blinded by the God of this world] presume, and be jmpudently overbold, with the Lord, 
2. Cor. 4.4  & call (or rather miscall) him theirs, but when the great day shall come, wherein they shallbe detected and discern their own estates, standing before their judge, the mighty God, & speaking immediately to him, they shall fear, and not once dare, to offer the pleading of any interest, they shall stand without, & cry, & howl, to him, who being none of their Lord, doth condemn and cast them, into internal, & infinite damnation of soul and body.  
Oh, that their souls could consider this, who thus forget both God, and themselves, 
Psal. 50.22.  and now (before men) fawn upon him with profane tongues and hypocritical hearts, speaking of him as of their sweet jesus, and their dear saviour, whenas, (before his own face) they dare not at all entitle him so: who seethe not but that their former prayers were vile, (being hypocritically presumptuous,) and these latter vain, and themselves reprobated of God, for pretending a title before men, and wanting it, when they appear before himself. But of this, we shall have better occasion, to speak more in our next use.  
In the mean time, this want of interest in them, is that which debarres them of all present comfort, and brings them under God's eternal curse, all their supplications be cast away first, and themselves also, at last, because they have it not. And what can be the consequence hereof to the saints of God, but this, that they by virtue of this their right, in, & through Christ, shall have both their persons and petitions accepted of God, to whom they may go with all solace and rejoicing of soul and spirit, notwithstanding many other miserable failings, because all the infinite compassions of God, 
Psal. 103.13.  are to be exercised only upon his own, whom he hath promised to spare, & forbear, as a man doth his son whom he loveth.  
And this is the first comfort that flow'es from our interest, 
Psa. 34.15  that our prayers shall have happy issue with him, who is our God, and whose we are, [For his eyes are upon the righteous, and his cares are open to their cry] our claim doth outcry our corruption, as the apostle avoucheth of Elias his prayer; 
Jam 5.  & lest any man should say, I, Elias, oh, he was a rare, and extraordinary man, of singular graces, and more admirable piety, then is now to be found, alas, what are we to Elias? the holy ghost answers, that he was a man, and a corrupt man, as we are, 
ver. 17.  [subject to the like passions] as the story of his life doth show, yet being a righteous man, and having right in the Lord, 
Judg. 15.18.16.  his prayer was powerful, and prevailing. And so was Samsons also, who went much out of the way, in many things, yet being the Lords, one that he had set apart to himself, and appropriated to his service, it was the good pleasure of his will to hear his desires, and help him in all his distresses. And the same might we say of many more, upon whom we cannot now insist, because it is time we set forward toward one second consolation.  
And that is touching our afflictions, and miseries, 
Consolation in Affliction.  in the midst whereof, (seem they never so insufferable) our interest in the Lord, will ease our souls, and joy our spirits within us.  
And hereof we have abundant witness, in the book of God, taken both from God himself, and from his saints, yea, and from sinful and  men, too.  
If we will hearken what the Lord God doth say in this case, behold he vtter's his mind most freely, that we may be free from all fear, in respect of any perils. I will not cloy you with a multitude of witnesses. See what he saith by his prophet Isaiah, who heard it once, yea twice from God, that such as are his shall not sink, in their deepest sorrows.  
Look cap. 41. where he cheer's his people, and give's them words of wonderful heartening, saying, 
Jsa. 41.  [Fear not, be not dismayed,] but upon what ground? why even upon this, 
ver. 10.  which will bear them up in all bitterness, [for I am with thee, for I am thy God, I will help thee, I will strengthen, I will uphold thee, with theright hand of my righteousness] & again [fear not, for I the Lord thy God while help thee] and yet again, [fear not, 
ver. 13.  thou worm (that is, were thy state never so weak, & despicable) I will help thee saith the Lord & thy redeemer.] 
ver. 14.  Again, the 43. chapter gins with the same words of encouragement, [fear not,] but why? 
Jsa. 43. Ver. 1.  [for I have called & redeemed thee, thou art mine.] oh, but we have many & mighty miseries to pass through, well, says God, let the worst come that can come, if it be as extreme as fire and water (and they we say have no mercy,) yet saith the Lord, fear not, I will go with thee, when thou wadest through the greatest woes, that the world can yield: and lest any should doubt, or demand, what might make the Lord, or move him, to be so unspeakably kind, and gracious, he answers by repeating the same reason again, that he had given before, [for I am the Lord thy God, thy holy one of Israel thy Saviour] &c: Lo here, how the Lord doth dwell upon this argument to perfwade their perplexed spirits, how well it shallbe with them, even at the worst that can come unto them.  
And hereunto, would all the Prophets give witness, if we should summon them one by one, for the Lord speaks much to this purpose in every of them, but one word of God, were enough to satisfy the whole world, if there were no more, and therefore it shallbe needles for us to quoate more in this matter.  
Let us hear his children speak, (whose language we shall finde to be like their fathers) and as soon as they tell us their minds herein, it will most readily appear, that they apprehended, the most special reason of their comfort and relief, to consist in the right, & claim, which (in their miserablest condition) they could make unto God.  
Ask David, 
Psa. 23.1.  he will tell us, that seeing [the Lord is his shepherd] he shall not want any good thing, even then when things go never so ill with him; in his sorrows he shall have consolation; 
ver. 4.  in his dangers, preservation; supply, in his wants; safety, in his ways; and whatsoever may be meet for him, in any estate which may befall him.  
The same he speaks again elsewhere, and double's the declaration of his interest in God saying, 
Psal. 116.16.  [Behold Lord, for I am thy servant, I am thy servant] etc. And this he doth there, where he hath discourced of the heaviest afflictions, that ever befell him, showing evidently, that if he had not been so near, and dear, to the Lord as he was, he had sunk & perished, in those calamities which had now seized on him, but seeing he could (with good assurance) say he was Gods, that estate was to him recoverable, which to another (for want of this worthy comfort) had been desperate & incurable.  
Nay, let us inquire of more than one, ask all the jews, either in Isatahs' time, or in leremiahs. Behold, in both prophets, how they plead, & prove their comfort in the midst of their calamities. 
Jsa. 63.16.  [Doubtless (say they) thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel know us not, thou o Lord art our father, and our redeemer etc.] and again [we are thine] etc. 
ver. 19   
And if we look into their state in jeremiahs' time, when the hand of God was grievous upon them, as both the title, and the whole tenor of the book doth relate, (it being called [the Lamentations] from their lamentable condition therein described) we shall see them plunged, into the deepest, and deadlyest distresses, that it was possible for people to endure, howbeit, they could yet hold up their heads and cheer up their hearts, with their title to the Lord, 
Lam. 3.24  saying [the Lord is my portion saith my soul, therefore I will hope in him]. Even that estate which was so woeful, unhappy, and hopeless, yet is conceived to be curable, and (under the heaviest, burden, and bitterness, thereof) they are hopeful, hearty, & comfortable, because they can boldly say, that god is their portion, & they are his people: nothing was left but this, this alone was enough, to lift them out of the desperate conceit of their own estate. All external, and visible signs, & tokens of God's favour were gone, both temporal in regard of their land & the happiness they had, in all the good things thereof & spiritual in regard of the temple & the holiness of the things of God therein, but this inward & invisible assurance & seal of God's interest in them, & theirs in him, that remaineth, & by it, they are revived, & kept in such heart, & hope, that they can comfort, and joy themselves therein, as in that which will hold out, & hold them up, when all other consolations fail. And so we see God's people do say the same herein, that God himself doth.  
But let us inquire of  men &, we shall perceive the power of this truth to be such, that they who have not, any part, or portion in it themselves, are copelled to confess the comfort of it for others. Such is the clear light & the quickening life of it, that even these, are dazzled with it, & can do no less, but freely acknow ledge the same, through that strong conviction which doth enforce them to believe it, & yet affords then no true comfort by it. Many a wicked man stands convinced of much truth, Note. who can be comforted by none, nay the truth they know, is so fare from making them any way comfortable, that it makes them more inexcusable. So was it in this point, with those two pagan kings Nabuchadnezzar, & Darius. Nabuchadnezzar had tyramnically thrown the three children into the fiery furnace, 
Dan. 3.  for refusing to worship his false God. The true God was resolved to rescue them, seeing he saw their faith, and affiance in him to be so sound, & unmoveable, (& note, that this their resolution of spiritual loyalty, was grounded on their interest they had in God), as they tell the king to his teeth [our God is able to deliver us] etc. & being freed from the fury of the king, 
ver. 17.  & fierceness of the fire, he who cast them in (even this heathen tyrant) when he saw their miraculous deliverance by the mighty hand of God, cannot contain himself, but must magnify both this their God, and those his servants, & that not only by words, but by a law and statute, made to that end, saying [Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, 
ver 28. ver. 29.  & Abednego, who hath sent his Angel & delivered his servants] etc. [Therefore I make a decree] etc.  
The like to this is seen in the 6. 
Dan. 6  chapter in daniel's case, against whom an  & cruel act was got, that for his piety to the Lord, he must now be made a prey to the lions: well, the decree is granted & irrevocably sealed, according to the manner of the Medes, & Persians'. The king as soon as he came to know how it was, was exceeding sorry for what he had done, & doth what he can to free Daniel, but when he see's that it cannot be, he labours to comfort him against that distress, from which he could not deliver him, & what is it where with he doth endeavour to cheer him? a man would think it must (sure) be some extraordinary argument, that must encourage a man in this case: why it is even this, [Thy God, whom thou servest, 
ver. 16. ver. 20. ver. 22.  he will deliver thee] and again, [O Daniel the servant of the living God, thy God] & withal note daniel's answer [my God, hath sent his Angel] etc. Thus this godless man, must give witness to this gracious truth, & confess that a man's right in the Lord, is able to bear him out against the greatest cruelty, that can be exercised upon him. Nay, the Lord did not only make this man, but those beasts also, 
Psal. 105.15.  (the lions) after a sort, to know, that they had a servant of his among them, whom they might not touch, a prophet to whom they must do no harm.  
Thus we have abundant evidence herunto, and we see this our second consolation is most clear, that a man who hath the Lord to his friend, and is interessed into him, 
1. Pet. 1.8.  hath wherein to joy, [though for a season he may be in heaviness through many afflictions,] as the apostle Peter speaketh: and well may he rejoice in this truth that hath these three, to bear record to it; when God speaketh it, and Godly men acknowledge it, and  men cannot deny it, it must needs be a truth past all controlment, and of singular good consequent, to the marvellous comfort of so many as have part in it. For this is a sure thing; Note. that, whensoever the Lord smites any of his own, in what measure soever it be, the mercy is infinite, which doth accompany their least visitation; but as for wicked men (being none of his) some measure there may be (in their present calamities) but no mercy at all, in any of them. And this is the second consolation.  
The third follow'es, and that fare exceed'es the two former, 
Consolation against Corruption.  by how much the virtue of it, doth extend itself to help us against the venom of our corruption. A true christian is much more tender and sensible, of sin, then of sorrow, of transgression, than affliction, of any thing that dishonour's God, then of all things, that do, or can, distress himself. No darts of the devil, can so much dismay the mind of a child of God, and make him fear he is none of Gods, as those which Satan shootes at us, in this respect. He knows too well, that the offences of the faithful will pinch, & wring them, and therefore he is ever arguing from them, against us, to annihilate our interest in our God, and labour's ever to prove, that we can have no good title, being guilty of such great, and gross transgression, as he usually (by infernal aggravation) suggesteth the sins of God's saints, to be. It is his manner to make the most, and the worst, of all their failings, and to gall, and sting their consciences, with the greatness of them. When he tempteth us to them, Note. they are but natural infirmities, but when he accuseth us for them, they are notorious impieties, now we are foul, where before we were but frail. And such evils as he can prevail with us to commit, he urgeth against the comfort of our interect in him, against whom they are committed; and thinks he hath enough against us, to prove us none of Gods, because (since our calling) we have so sinned against him.  
But our God whose children we are, (and he our Father) will have us to know, & understand better, both in respect of our sins, and in respect of ourselves.  
Touching our sins, that it is too true, that (after true grace received) we transgress too groffly, & we are no way to deny it, but by all means to be throughly humbled for it, and to grieve in our souls that we should live, to grieve him (by sin) who hath taken us on, to be his own.  
But touching ourselves, no such consequence can follow, as Satan would infer, to wit, that because we are sinners, therefore we are not saints; we are offenders, therefore not faithful; we have such, and such evils in us, therefore we have no interest in God; this argumentation is Satanical, God never disputed so, against any of his.  
Nay, Gods reasoning is quite contrary, for whereas the devil doth urge our offences to frustrate our right in the Lord: the Lord doth urge our interest in him, to confirm his love and favour to us, and to nullify our sins in his sight. And this we will not only say, but show, to be a truth both from that evidence of God's word, (against which Satan may cavil, but the truth thereof he shall never cancel), and from that happy experience, in such of his holy ones, as have found that from his hand, which (to comfort our hearts) they have left upon sacred record for ever.  
Let us take some taste of both, that we may see how good the Lord is to his own, though they be evil before him; yet ever with this caution; that what we shall speak, do hearten no man to commit the least sin, but to encounter Satan when he would have us add infidelity, to our jmpiety; and make our state desperate now, which was but distressed before. Nothing is more sure than this, that God never gave any man any assurance of this good who doth thereby abett himself in any evil: 
A caution.  it is to arm us against temptation, not to increase corruption, that the Lord reavealeth this truth. He that so peruerts it, hath no propriety in God at all.  
But let us come to the point, our interest in our God, is good armour of proof, against the feircest assaults of Satan when he upbraideth our sin against God, to oppose our consolation in God.  
To do thus, is the fruit of his malice, but many a saint of God hath made better use of their right and have relieved their consciences, with that which hath been wrested against them; to rob them of their best comfort.  
When David had fallen foully in the matter of Vriah, multiplying one fearful sin upon another, so, as that a man would wonder  what face, he should offer, or dare, to look the Lord in the face, we find nothing more encouraged him to go, nothing carried him but this, that yet the Lord was his; so we perceive by his own words [Deliver me from blood &c O God, 
Ps. 51.14.  who art the God of my salvation] God was yet, his God, and that hartened him to seek his pardon.  
The same was the prophet jonahs' course, he was in as bad a case as a good man might be, standing guilty of gross rebellion, against the Lords express command given unto him, and for the same pursued, apprehended, and punished strangely, by that hand of God that would have protected and rewarded him in his obedience. Now being in such a close prison, as wherinto never man came but he. & that for such an egregious fact, what hope can he have of ever coming near God again, or if he have any hope, whereon is, or may, it be grounded? why even herupon that, yet, at the worst he is the Lords, and can so assure himself, (as we see he doth, once and again,) in that prayer that he makes, where we are certified by the holy Ghost, that [jonah prayed unto the Lord his God, 
Jonah. 2.1 ver. 6.  out of the fishes belly] and further, [thou hast brought my life from the pit, o Lord my God.] Behold, though he had miserably failed before God, yet his right in God failed not, God doth acknowledge himself to be his; jonah can challenge this interest, and pray thereupon and so pray that the Lord is pleased both to hear, and to help, as we see he did, both in releasing him from his present affliction, and in receiving him into his former favour, and entrusting him (the second time) in that service, about which he had employed him, (and wherein the prophet had so wretchedly rebelled) before.  
The same may we see in the poor prodigal in the gospel, 
Luk 15.18.  who is the image, and representation of us all (even of all the faith full that offend) what had he to plead, or to put him into any hope, that he might return, and be received again into that house, from whence, he had (of his own accord) so foolishly departed; and that, he who had given him a child's portion already, would ever know him for his child more, seeing he had run through all, and spent it so riotously, and lewdly, in such base, and rebellions courses as he had followed? why this he had, and this was all, and fully enough, to give him hopeful assurance, of happy entertainment; that, yet for all this, he from whom he feed, and against whom he did offend, was his father. This was that which cheered him against all his misery, and impiety, and that enabled him first to purpose his return home, and afterward to practise the same, he is my father; therefore I will go to him, though I have failed against him.  
But what should we stand upon particular persons? let us see what comfort the Lord hath promised to all his own, 
1 King. 8.46.  in this case. When Solomon dedicated the temple, and prayed most divinely therein, he presupposing (as well he might, for it was too sure,) that God's people might, and would ceartainly sin against him, and (by sin) so fare provoke him against them, that they might either be cast out of their land into captivity, or have some other heavy judgement inflicted upon them; hereupon, he is a suitor to God for them, that he would (even in this their sinful estate) be gracious to them; and what saith he, that might move the Lord to commiserate them in this their calamitous condition? even this very thing, [for they are thy people, and thine inheritance &c:] 
ver. 50.51  & if any man would know what God said to this request of his, he may read it in the next chapter [I have heard thy prayer, and thy supplication etc. 
cap. 9 ●.   
Now this being universal, for all the people of God it giveth assurance from God to every one, who hath any assurance in God, that (notwithstanding their miscarriages) they are capable of his kindness and favour.  
And hereof Nehemiah took good notice, whenas, 
Neh. 1.  (many a day after this) he living to see that fulfiled, which Solomon foresaw, and feared, betook himself to God on the behalf of the Jews now having offended, and being captivated, 
ver. 5.  and he remember's God of this prayer of Solomon, and this promise of his, and repeateth the covenant, wherein was contained, and enclosed the interest between God and them, urging him with his own truth [thou that keepest covenant and mercy] etc. and with the people's interest [Now these are thy servants, and thy people] etc. 
ver. 5.  
ver. 10.  and having thus faith fully dealt with God, God could not but deal most graciously with him, and them, as the sequel shown.  
Nay, shall we see what God proffers (in this case) of his own free accord, and out of infinite and most gracious favour, to all his offending saints, surely, if we could see it as we ought, it would even swallow us up into admiration and amazement; for such, and so inconceivable is his kindness to his own herein, that he doth not only encourage them to pray (for all their impiety) but doth also teach them how to entreat him, and put's words into their mouths that may prevail upon himself, telling them what they shall say when they come to supplicate before him, in this their sinful state. 
Ps. 89.26. ver. 30.31 etc.  So we find in the Psalm, [He shall cry unto me, thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation] and then God shows what shall follow, to wit, that they shallbe partakers of all his mercy, though they have commited much impiety, no evil that they have done against him, shall deprive them of any good, he intendeth to them.  
Doth not the Lord (hereupon) invite the backsliding I sraell, to return and be received into grace again? and do not they come with these comfortable words [Behold we come unto thee, 
jer. 3.22.  for thou art the Lord our God.]  
Is not Israel (and that when it was every way, 
Hos. 14.1  an ill time with them) hence heartened, to come home to God? [O Israel return unto the Lord thy God] are they not taught of God how to make their supplications before him, so, as he may show them mercy? [Take unto you words, & say, take a way all iniquity, & receive us graciously etc.]  
Oh, dear brethren, that we could spend more than a few thoughts upon this infinite mercy of our heavenly father, and well bethink us of their blessedness that be his, even at their worst. What happiness is it to be once his? when as we see, no sin, no punishment (after that) can make us truly unhappy any more?  
Let us take some time to take these things into our consideration the true meditation whereof would melt and dissolve the soul of any that is not hell-hardened, & seared up to eternal wrath; that the Lord should make so much of such as be his own, that his interest in them, (& theirs in him) should so overstand all their iniquity, that all his goodness should ever stand with them.  
And fully to fortify and secure, the souls of all the elect in this comfort so, as that they may ever rest unremovably therein, and be firmly fenced, against the strength of the most infernal temptations in this particular: let us call to mind and remember, and ponder well, that the Lord jesus Christ, (our dear redeemer) laid claim to his father in the midst of his sufferings, when he stood in the steed, and state, of all elect sinners, and was now so heavily crushed with his father's jndignation, and the laws curse and maleaiction the full weight (that is, the infinite fullness) thereof, lying upon his righteous soul and body, that he could not contain, but must cry out (in our nature) as a forsaken creature, yet he know'es both what he says, and whose he is, [my God, my God.] Behold, the sins of all the saints of God, and all the justice due unto them, cannot cancel this claim between Christ and his father, it is still my God, my God, in the midst of inconceivable calamity: the curse of the law, cannot cut off this love between God and him.  
And what can follow from hence to us? but many most heavenly consolations; to wit that, if all the sins of all the elect could not part God and him, much less can, all the sins of any one of the elect, do it in themselves; if the guilt of millions of men, (and every man having many millions of sin,) did not undo this knot of love, between the Lord and his Christ, how can it be conceived that the sins of any one can dissolve it, though they be exceeding many: considering that he was now under the law, and we (through his subjection thereunto,) are free from the law, and under grace, as also, that his father frowned upon him for our sake's, but for his, the lord shines upon us, as being satisfied for those offences of ours, the deadly poison, & dreadful sling whereof, he felt on our behalf, that so we might escape the same.  
Now is God's law satisfied, and his love purchased, and we redeemed from the one, and restored to the other: how then can we fear any such force in our iniquities as to sever between the Lord and us? seeing now (notwitstanding our sins) we appear [spotless and blameless before him in love], 
Eph. 1.4.  and are as fully reconciled, as if we had never once offended.  
Small matters will not part great friends; our sins are not great, when God's grace comes to measure them, or, when we compare them there with. Men do not (much less doth God,) make the most, and speak the worst, of their friends failings, we take little notice of their offences that are greatly in our favour, the Lord doth likewise, who promiseth to put away the sins of his saints as the winds do a cloud or a fog, because they are his servants, and that, he will's them in any wise to remember [Remember these, for thou art my servant, 
Is. 44.21.  O jacob and I sraell, for thou art my servant, thou shalt not be forgotten of me,] [I have put away thy sins as a mist etc. 
ver. 22. ]  
There is no possibility, that any impiety of ours, should either make us none of Gods, Note. or God (none of ours. None of God's elect can commit that sin which should make them none of his. [They that are borne of God (saith saint john) do not, 
1. joh. 3.9.  nor cannot commit sin] that is to say, they cannot sin so, as by their sin committed, the Lord, and they should be parted, and all interest, fall between them.  
If we look how the Lord accounts of his children's corruptions (after their calling) we shall see, 
Numb. 23.21.  that he doth behold them with a most merciful eye, or rather not at all behold them, but in his love overlooke's them, & looks upon us, as if we were without them, as if we were just, & righteous persons, for so are the saints often called, in opposition to sinners and  men. Lo, 
joh 9.31. 1 Tim. 1.6.  our iniquities cannot blemish our name before God, how shall they be able to blot out our right?  
Our Lord jesus Christ, who (as we heard even now) made his own claim good, when he did bear all our evil, did also make it well to appear, that the virtue thereof is become ours, inasmuch, as immediately after his resurrection, he send's Mary to his disciples, to certify them that he was risen, and give's his message to her in these words, 
joh. 20.17.  [Go say to my brethren: Behold I ascend to my father, and to your father, to my God and to your God] these were the first fruits of his favour, wherein (you see) they are called brethren, of whom the last news we heard, was [that they all forsook him and fled] yet doth Christ lesus entitle himself to them, (being not ashamed to call them (and us all) brethren) and them, with himself to God calling him, my father your father, my God your God. Nay, even Peter is included in this number, 
Mar. 16.7.  and goes for a brother, he is put in by name, by one Euangelest, least any man should imagine that his foul denial should have thrust him out.  
Who is he then that dream's? (or if any do) whence is it that he is deluded? once to conceit, that there can be any such poisonful power in the evils of Gods elect, as may eat out, either his precious respect to them, or their dear, and undoubted right in him: no, no, his kindness is so incomparably beyond any corruption in us, that a foolish man might with as good reason fear, that 

one drop of water, were able to quench the whole element of fire,  
or, one spark of fire, might dry, and drink up the whole Ocean of water,   as that any transgression of ours, could cancel that incomprehensible compassion of his, by virtue whereof, we are (for ever) most firmly united to him.  
For this cause appeared the son of God (saith john) that he might lose the works of the devil,] 
1. joh. 3.8.  and tie us to our God again, whose, we were once before, (but mutably) in our creation, that henceforth we might ever be his, (and that ummoveably) by redemption. And did jesus Christ do, and endure so much, both in his life and death, and all to make us fast to our best father by this blessed interest? and shall it now enter into any man's heart, that the perfection, power, and merit of all this, shall perish, and be of none effect, through our corruption? Fare be it from any soul, to offer such indignity, to Christ's merits, and God's love to him, and mercy to us in him. I say not but our sins may provoke him to chastise us sharply, but to reject us utterly, 
Psal. 89.33.34. ●5.  that cannot be: and that we may believe it, the Lord our God, hath both said and sworn it.  
The child of a natural father cannot do any thing, that can disannul that band of blood which is between them; he may do much, (yea too much) to provoke his father against him, but it is not possible, he should do that which should make him none of his father, or himself, no child to his father. He may most truly say [he is my father, and I am his child] when he hath transgressed deeply.  
How much more impossible is it then, that our heavenly father should give us over, or that we should so transgress, as to take away that fare nearer, and supernatural conjunction, which is sealed by the blood of Christ, which blood of his, hath not only a reconciling virtue for our rebellions past, but also a purging, and a preserving virtue for time to come, to clear us of the guilt of those evils we do commit, and to keep us from committing such as might any way impair our interest.  
Here is then, a great calm of comfort, for every soul that is afflicted, and tossed with tempests; that is, with violent and vile temptations, which (in this kind) Satan doth cast upon them: here may the souls of God's saints anchor safely, and return to their rest, as into that haven, wherein they shall need to fear no wrack, or ruin in the least, but may expect most hopeful, and happy success of all their heavy conflicts with, 
Ro. 16.20.  the devil, that jesus Christ shall [trample him under their feet shortly] (as he doth promise) and, raise up them, to those heavenly advantages, 
Micah. 7.19.  which they shall enjoy with him their head; [casting their sins into the bottom of the sea,] that they may never revive, or be recovered again, to rise against us; 
Ezek. 18.22.  nay not so much as once [mentioning them unto us] in way of reproach, but removing them as fare from himself, as they would have removed us from him; that so we might ever be joined to the Lord, yea so inseparably jointed into him, that we may be for ever and ever one with him, and so be assured that we are his, and he ours, for ever and ever, in that unrepealable covenant of life & peace, which he hath more deeply sealed in the blood of his son, than any guilt of our sin can cancel.  
Whereof to secure our souls let us once for all (ere we conclude this comfort) take good knowledge that such is his goodness that rather than our sins, shall make us none of his, 
Ps. 61. 2. Cor. 5.21.  he hath made our sins, none of ours, laying them upon [that rock that is higher than we] even upon Christ [who was made sin for us & whose righteousness is made ours, rather than (for want thereof,) we should not be his. So that now Christ is our sin, we are God's righteousness, how then can it be, God should not be our father? can those sins hinder whose property is altered, and they laid upon another? No, no, it is enough for the sins of wicked men (whose sins are their own, and themselves none of Christ's) to bar them, from claiming any comfortable interest in the Lord, 
Rom. 7.17  the failings of the saithful are of no such force. [It is no more I (says Paul) but sin that dwelleth in me] and if our sins may be said to be rone of ours, it is absolutely impossible but we should be Gods: and so to be, how often doth the Lord in infinite mercy acknowledge us, and shall not we in duty acknowledge him? shall we dare to neglect his love, and deny his grace, so freely and frequently offered unto us. Fare be this fearful evil, from all the faithful.  
And now (in consideration of the premises) let all the faithful draw necre unto him in faith, and he will draw near unto them in favour, & they shallbe his sons and daughters, and he their God, and father for ever. And this is our third consolation.  
The fourth and las● follows, and that is not the least, but indeed the greatest, 
Consolation.  comprehending the best benefit of this our interest in our God: to wit, all the good which we can receive either here, while we are under vanity and corruption, or that which the Lord doth further reserve for our possession in the glory of his own kingdom, when mortality shallbe swallowed up of life.  
All the promises of this life, and of that which is to come, are wrapped up, in this our title unto God. He that hath God to be his, hath them all for his own, & may safely claim them, and shall assuredly come to enjoy them, in due time.  
It is a remarkable thing, that throughout all God's book (which is the storehouse of his blessed promises unto us) all the mercy promised, and every promise wherein any happiness is contained, hath this seal: [And I willbe their God, and they shallbe my people.] Moses and the Prophets are full, and do abound with this comfortable close of God's covenant, of which covenant whatsoever the contents be, this is still the conclusion, and ratification; [I willbe theirs, they shallbe mine] and that includeth the full confirmation of every favour, of what rate, or sort, soever it be.  
It would not be meet to urge any particulars now, because we have much to say touching the promises in our next point; yet thus much I must say, (and it concerns every sincere christian to consent unto it with his heart,) that if we have any assurance 

either, of grace, or any other good thing, in present possession on earth.  
or, of glory and all eternal good, in future expectation in heaven.   the assurance we have, flowe's from the interest we have, none but they that are the Lords, shall partake of either, 
Psal. 84.11.  and they that are his, shall have both: so saith David sweetly, [The Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly: 
1. Cor. 3.21. ] and the apostle sumne's up all within this circuit [All things are yours,] and that not only in general, or in the gross, but more particularly, he comes to a distribution, 
ver. 22.  [whether Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, 
ver. 23.  all are yours,] and whence is it, that all is so surely ours? even hence [and ye are Christ's] this clause confirmes all that went before; and is the reason that ratifyeth the same sally.  
So than if a man would now sit him down, and set himself to think of all the infinite fullness, and unspeakable plenty, and variety, of those good things which the Lord doth either give on earth, or reserve in heaven, and having enlarged his heart, to comprehend as many of them as he could think might make him truly and fully happy, to the absolute joy, and contentment of his very soul, he should now further think, why? these things are to be had, many have them already, many more shall have them hereafter, how may I also come by them, and be sure to enjoy them. The holy ghost doth readily tell us the way and means, which is, to become Christ's, be you sure of that one thing, and all these things are sure to you. They that are his, shall have all these, and more, than their own, or man's imagination can comprehend; heavens fullness cannot be conceived of any creature; Angels are not able to express, what Gods saints shall inherit and posesse, when they come to the consummation of that their happiness, which is prepared of God, purchased by Christ; reserved for them, and they preserved unto it; by the power, and through the favour of that God in Christ who at the last day shall call all his own, with those sweet words [Come ye● blessed (children) of my father, receive the kingdom prepared for you etc.] It was ordained, and intended only to these, and all they are as sure to have it, as Christ himself who doth now sit at the right hand of his father.  
And thus we have (in some measure) opened some of those consolations unto you which this our interest doth yield unto us; I say some, and in some measure, because an absolute manifestation of them all, cannot be undertaken by us, or entertained by you. Our assurance is evident, and we can declare it, but our inheritance is infinite, and none can utter it. Howbeit I hope we have said enough, to make the comfort of this point clear, that it is a most happy thing to have right in the Lord, & to know him to be ours, & our selves his. The which, seeing none but the saints of God candoe, the benefit and joy hereof remaineth only & wholly to them, and that in all, and every of the particulars aforesaid, which if we shall briefly sum up together, & recall the particulars, it will presently & most plainly appear, that they are indeed happy by this heavenly truth.  
In a word then, is it not matter of much happiness? 

that, we may go to God and pray boldly.  
that, we be enabled to bear affliction cheerfully.  
that, we be armed against sin throughly.  
that, we may be assured of all good absolutely.    
These (as, we have heard) are the sweet consolations of this saving truth, and in them, all and in every of them, may the saints of God solace their souls, and refresh their spirtis to know themselves capable of such advantages, by the interest they have in the Lord their God, who hath founded his favours upon this truth, and it is not more ceartaine, and undoubted, that [the foundation of God abideth sure, 
1. Tim. 2.16.  and that the Lord doth know who are his,] then that, they who are his, may know all these good things to be theirs.  
And thus much for the first use of this point, unto the saints of God.  
Now we will set forward to the second, Use. 2 
Reprehension  and that concerns wicked and  men: whose impudence & presumption in entitleing themselves to God, is equal, (if not beyond) the infidelity, and fear, of the faithful, who are so backward herein. It hath ever been the practice of that old serpent the aivell, to withdraw God's people from all their privileges, that they might not claim them, & to encourage  persons (to whom they pertain not) to challenge them: that so he might draw them both, under heavy jmpiety, the one to rob themselves in refusing their right, the other to rob God, and his children in seizing upon that which the Lord intended only to his own.  
The devil knows too well what he does, 
The heinous evil of  men, in making claim to God.  (oh, that themselves did know it well,) when he abetts jmpious persons either to conceit that God is theirs, or, to call him so, it being such an jmpiety as scarce any is more insufferable or provoking, and because he foresees how it will anger, and incense the Lord, therefore is he so busy to set sinful men about it. Satan understands what damage it is to God; what danger to  men; and what advantage to himself. And to the end they may also understand it, let us ponder and particulate the evil of it so plainly, as they may see it, and (seeing it) either shan and surcease it, or make their sin (by occasion of this discovery) out of measure sinful if, they continue to commit it,  
And this we will the rather endeavour, because I am persuaded many a wicked man, never jmagines it sinful, but think's he may safely (yea, that it is duty to) call God his father, and therefore in commiseration of their estate, and desire of their information and reformation, we will do our best to make declaration of the monstrous impiety hereof.  
And first, Evil. 1 it is an unspeakable indignity & jnjury to the Lord, a greater dishonour, cannot be done against him; for why? it is a plain putting of God into the devil's place For whereas he is avouched to be [the God of this world] (that is, 
2. Cor. 4.4  of all those that are of the world) and by Christ he is called the [father of all profane & impious persons; these  wretches, 
Job. 8.44.  do father themselves upon God, and make the world believe that he is their father, & their God, who are wicked, whereas, he hath revealed his wrath from heaven against them, and doth from his very soul abhor them, as the base brood of Belzeebub, and the loathsome spawn of Satan by reason of their sin. Thus is the Lord thrust from his throne of glory, and his honour laid in the dust: and what an egregious abuse and abasement this is, we may measure by our own, if the like to it were offered to any of us.  
Suppose some base varlet, the known bastard of some notorious strumpet, should thus fawn upon a man of approved honesty and honour (admit, he were a Prince) and wheresoever he came, be still calling him his father, and laying challenge, and claim unto him, were it not an infamy and an injury not to be borne? would any man endure it that had power to punish it? were it not such a wound in a Prince's good name, as might enrage him to send such a villain to the executioner, rather than to suffer him to live, daily to disgrace him in calling him his father.  
Surely the greatest patience under heaven, would be overcharged with this reproach, we cannot dream that ever this fellow should be endured to make any request, or if he did, that he might hope of any acceptation, but instead of being graciously answered, he might expect to be fearfully punished, for abusing him, whom he did so bear himself upon. For what would the world think of him that should let such a fellow alone, but that (sure) he is foul and hath lived basely, seeing such a base companion is suffered to challenge him as his father.  
And (beloved) if such a thing would thus injure, and anger us, let us think, how it will affect the Lord, who is so jealous, of his honour, and sensible of his dishonour, as he hath revealed himself to be, and whose glory, and fame, is so infinitely above ours, he being the king of glory, and king of saints, & the father (only) of his natural son Christ, and of so many as in him, he adopteth to be his children by grace: let us (I say) bethink ourselves, how this willbe taken, that our father which is in heaven, should by Satan's suggestion, and these men's appellation, become the father of all those infernal hellhounds, and limbs of Satan, whom he (for the honour of his justice) hath cast into hell, to their perpetual shame and contempt.  
The devil, can tell, (though he will not tell it you: ye wicked one's) that this is a ready way to enreage the Lord against you, and to provoke him to pour out the fierceness of his greatest fury upon you; there cannot be a quicker course, to fill Satan's kingdom, and cast men into hell fire, then by suborning  men to call God father, for in setting them on (in this manner), to call God theirs, he makes them thereby seven times more his own, than they were before.  
Now is it not bydeous, (I had almost said, unpardonable) jmpiety, to unthrone the Lord of heaven, and thrust him into the base condition of his cursed vassal, to rob him of this honour, to be the God of all his elect, and holy ones, and become the father of all profane person? Thus doth every godless man, when he calls God father, for if he may be (in any sense) a father to such, he can in no sense, be said to be the same to his own.  
Secondly, Evil. 2 this evil doth not end (though it begin) hear: for as the Lord is abased, so is the devil exalted, and put into the place of the most high. For if God be the God of  men, to whose right must God's people belong? It is impossible that both should appertain to one party, if therefore the wicked have God to be theirs, the interest of the saints, must needs be in Satan: and so he is set up, and the most high made vile. The Devil himself (and all that took part with him in that accursed practice) was banished heaven (as it is supposed) for aspiring into God's place, but this is to give away the glory of the everliving, God, & put his most professed adversary into the actual possession of the same. And if heaven's infinite justice were so exceeding neavy upon him only for the attempt, what will it be upon these for the act? Oh, that their souls could throughly consider this, who thus speak; ah, they little dream what high treason it is against the majesty of God, to utter that which at once dishonour's the Lord, and advanceth the devil. But I leave them to the Lord, by whom I desire they may be awaked, that they sleep not (in this sin) to death, yea to damnation.  
Thirdly, Evil. 3 this is a wonderful, and a woeful hardening of wicked men in their evil ways, and an utter dishartening of such as would undertake the things that be good. What jmpious person, or  miscreant will take his sin to heart, or think it worth any such sorrow as is required to repentance, if in this his sinful estate he may bear himself upon God? who would come out of that condition, wherein he may claim God to be his own.  
Again, what comfort can he have that is now coming on to religion, to go on, and make a proceeding in piety, a progress in grace, and holiness, to strain towards a more holy, exact, pure, and precise estate, wherein he may more sanctify the Lord, and subdue himself; when he shall observe such sinful persons as savour of no grace, to make as bold with the Lord as the best of his own saints.  
So that this devilish jmpudency of  persons, doth cause them to commit two cutlls at once, to wit, to appall all piety, and applaud all profanes, hindering some from entering on the former, and heartening many to run on in the latter, till they be passed all recovery. This is to make sad the heart of the righteous, and to make glad the soul of the sinner, and both these, the Lord doth deeply abhor.  
Fourthly and lastly, to make up the measure of this evil, or rather, to make it out of measure evil, Evil. 4 let us know that the Devil himself, was never so vile, as in this particular to dare to entitle himself to God, or once (in any place) to call the Lord his. Where doth, or may it appear in all God's book that ever he offered it. Others interest he hath indeed acknowledged, as when he confessed Christ to be the son of God [I know who thou art, 
Mar. 5.7.  thou art jesus the son of the living God] and when he gave testimony to the Apostles [these are the servants of the most high God etc.] 
Act. 16.17.  but where did he ever challenge any right or make any claim of his own, to call God his? is any man able to show it? no sure; why then for a wicked man thus to do, is an offence more foul▪ then the devil will be found guilty off.  
And who can conceive the extent of that man's sin, 
Note.  or the damnation due to him for the same, whom the devil can draw to do worse than he himself dares do. We may well think there is something in it, that Satan will not do as you sinners do, in this kind. What may we think of it? or what may an jmpious wretch think of himself in it? when he shall see himself (in some sort) more sinful than the author of sin. It may be the devil does not claim any right, because he knows he hath none, and that it is but vain, the sin will increase his confusion, and no way advantage him. Would to God wicked men were herein, as wise as the devil, and knew also that it were vain for them to do thus, and that it would make their state more vile, increasing their sin to make it more heinous, and adding to their punishment, to make it more heavy; seeing that (in their present estate of ungodliness) they are no more capable of this comfort then Satan is.  
Cease then (O ye sifnull men) to do that indignity to the Lord which the devil dares not offer, will ye be more sinful, more shameless than he; nay then, many a devilish wretch, who having had occasion to speak of God, yet have had more modesty, and not so much jmpiety, as you herein. Pharaoh might be instanced for one, when he so often called for Moses and Aron, to pray to the Lord for his deliverance from diverse plagues, you never hear him say (no not once) pray to the Lord my God, 
Exo 8 25.  but either [to the Lord] or [to the Lord your God.] jeroboam may be brought for another, who (as at other times, so) in that one, wherein he intended violence to the man of God, and God executed justice upon him for the same, by the drying up of that cruel hand, which was stretched out to smite him whom the Lord sent to warn him of his sin: jmmediately upon the manifestation of that strange vengeance upon him, the godless wretch is enforced to entreat the man of God to be a suitor for him, that his hand might be restored unto him, and in uttering his mind to him herein, what says he? why, even that which may shame, and confound, the profane o'nes of our days, 
1. Kin. 13.6.  [entreat now, the Lord thy God for me etc.] he does not, he dares not call him his God, yet you know he is branded of God for much jmpiety, but not to be blamed for this. Behold, these imps, of hell, (with many more, that it were most easy to multiply,) though in many things they were most abominable, yet in this one they would not be so execrable, as the audacious sinners of our days are.  
And will ye outgo the devil himself, and such of his as are marked of the Lord for monstrous rebels, and for miserable reprobates. Surely it shallbe easier for these in the day of judgement, then for you. But, if you will (in the mean time) be exhorted and instructed, know, that it is now easier to see this sin, and to shun both it, and the vengeance due unto it, and to seek the face of the Lord unfeignedly, that you may come out of this sin of calling him yours, and by grace be called effectually to become his. This may be done, while the day of grace yet shineth, endeavour to it, before that day of the Lord come, (which is darkness and not light,) wherein they only shall find grace with the Lord, who (before hand) can find that grace in themselves, whereby they are made like unto him, and by the evidence of this consimilitude, can claim their interest in him. And this is our second use, unto wicked men.  
The third followeth, Use. 3 
Information.  and that concerneth all men for information in a point exceeding needful and important, whereof it is now time that we take some good notice, considering what hath been said of the happiness of such as have it, and their misery that are without it. And that is, the way and means to come to a true trial of ourselves herein, whether the Lord be our God or not, and how we may assuredly know and discern the same.  
There are ceartaine infaillible marks whereby this interest is made manifest, and he that is without them is undoubtedly (as yet) without any interest in the Lord.  
Let us endeavour to make enquiry after them, that so if we have them we may joy, if not, yet (knowing what they are) we may seek them where they are.  
Well then, would any man be throughly resolved how to determine this case of conscience & to know (without controversy) how he may know, whether the Lord be his, and he the Lords or no? let him then understand, that where any such propriety is between God and man, the same cannot be hid, but will break out upon him, in whom it is, and that by such apparent signs, as will show themselves to be undeniable evidences thereof. It is no close, or concealed matter, it is not nice or abstruse to discover this right, where it is; it will reveal itself, by such operations of God in us, as do argue the same effectually.  
For of this one thing we may not be ignorant, that the interest between God & his children, is not merely tituler, as if to entitle him ours, were all: no, it is a true, real, and powerful interest, arising (touching the declaration thereof) out of those things which he hath so wrought in us, as by them we may well know he hath wrought us into himself. It is his work in us whereby (alone) we are warranted to be his. But come we to understand the particulars, what works these are, that so, by a wise discerning of them, we may not be deceived in our own estate and right. For it doth manifestly appear, that the want of this search, hath occasioned much mistaking on either side, making both some of God's saints (who have this right) not to think so, and others (who where never posest of it,) to presume upon it. To the end therefore that neither may at any time hereafter be misconceived of their own condition, but both may know themselves as they are, we will now begin to make plain declaration of the particulars which will put this point out of question. 
The ceartaine signs of our interest in God.  Yet before we enter upon any one of them, we are to know that they are all consisting of such things as he hath given us. Whosoever is the Lords, hath something of his to show, even some such things as are not given to any but his own, no common kindnesses, or general mercies, but such peculiar previledges as are preper to the elect alone, and (being see,) do argue infaillibly that they are elected of the Lord, to be his precious and beloved ones. And now to come unto them they are these that follow.  
First, whosoever may make any claim to the Lord, Sign. 1 must disclaim all sin, and separate himself from it, utterly in affection, and in action as much as is possible. Our own corruption must be loathsome to us, and so must the contagious fellowship of such as live in sin. We cannot cleave to our God till we leave the society of sin and sinners, and make an entire separation from both. And upon such a disunion with both these; we are joined to the Lord, and have heavenly communion with him, and marveylous comfort in him. The Lord himself proclaime's this to be a proper note and cognisance, of such as he will call his own. So we find by the apostle [what communion hath light with darkness etc.] that is to say, it hath none, 
2. Cor. 6. ver. 14.  neither indeed can have, and thereupon, he presseth further upon them this duty, to the due performance whereof, he annexeth this happy propriety of being interessed into God saying [wherefore come out from among them, 
ver. 17.  and separate yourselves] (that is, from them only in their sin, and such sin alone as will pollute you and become yours by participation with them: for all sins are not catching, or of a polluting nature to another, though some are; every sickness is not a pestilence, nor every sin in another man contagious to me) and then being thus separated, 
ver. 18  [I will recetue you and you shallbe my sons and daughters saith the Lord God almighty] your sincere and wise separation from the sins of these, that would make you guilty with themselves, shallbe unto you an assured evidence, a ceartaine assurance, of your holy conjunction to me, if you will deny their sinful communion, I will acknowledge you for my children, if you be none of theirs, you are mine.  
This (you see) is God's cuidence, & the truth of this is very evident to every man's experience, no man can be ignorant of himself herein, which way his affection goes, (and that way, sure, his actions will after) whether he do like, and can brook the corrupt company of  persons, if he do, he is yet none of Gods, let him not dare, but fear, to call God father, being one of the infernal fraternity of those vassals of sin, who are sworn brothers in drunkenness, or any other jmpiety. He that love's these, is loathed and abhorred of the Lord. But the soul that hates the society of such persons, is beloved of him, & precious to him, no son or daughter more dear, (nay nothing so dear) to a natural father, or mother, as these are to the Lord, who doth (upon this condition) adopt them for his dearest children.  
By this segregation are God's saints, known from the rest of the woeful world, who are suffered (& that in much justice) to lie in wickedness. The Apostle concluded this most clearly where he saith, 
1. joh. 5.19.  [we knew that we are of God. & the whole world lieth in wickedness] note that he saith it is a known difference between those that are Gods, and those that are the worlds, that the one are called out, the other are let alone, to lie still in their wickedness.  
Hence it is, that those whom God accounts to be of the charch, I mean of the true body of Christ, he calleth them a people called out, that is, put a part from all others to have fellowship with him, and such as are so, are his, the rest (not thus selected) remain in their wretched & sinful state. It was our communion with sin, that made us none of Gods, when (in our created state) we fell from him; it must therefore be our separation from sin, that must bring us into communion with God again, if ever hope to have fellowship with him. And that we are to know this, the holy Ghost tells us plainly saying [But know ye, that the Lord hath set apart, or (as it were) choicely culled, and picked out a godly man for himself if we will know ourselves to pertain to God, we must see ourselves thus severed from the world, being weaned from wicked persons & practices, won in affection, & conversation, to live with the Lord in the sociiety of his saints. If our hearts be estranged from the former and united to these latter, we are in happy case. The Lord delighteth in that man, 
Psa. 16. ●.  Whese delight is in his saints, and whose detestation of sin and sinners, doth show itself. He is affected of the Lord, who affects no evil in himself, or others. And this is the first sign of our assured right in the Lord.  
Secondly, if together with this separation from evil, Sign. 2 we join a reformation of evil, we have yet further assurance of this our right in our God. For the Lord never worketh any one of these alone, and leave's us so, but addeth one singular work of his grace to another, reformation to separation; and this must needs be so, because we are not sincerely separted, till we be sound reform. Hereupon the Lord put's this as a principal condition of the ensealing of his covenant of life and peace with us, that we both refrain from evil, and reform it also, manifesting the former, by the latter.  
Let us look what (in one place of a multitude we might allege) the Lord saith to this purpose, by the prophet jeremiah. 
Jer 32.38 ver. 39 ver. 40.  [And I willbe their God, and they shallbe my people; And I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever, &c: And I will make an ever lasting covenant with them that I will not turn a way from them to do them good, but I will put my fear into their hearts, and they shall never departed from me etc. Behold here is the sum and abridgement, of God's gracious covenant, with a mutual (and most merciful) offer of himself to be theirs, and acceptation of them to be his; but upon what terms? even upon those aforesaid, to wit, that they be posest with the fear of his majesty (and, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, 
Pro.  and to departed from it, as Solomon saith) and walk before him so, as that they never turn back from him, but go on, constantly, and conscionably in a holy course of heavenly conversation before his majesty, in which reformed carriage of theirs he hath most lovingly promised, not only that he will not departed from them, but that they shall not departed from him; note: [they shall never departed from me] that is, they shallbe so preserved by the power, and through the favour, of God, that though Satan, and their sin, do their worst, yet they shall not leave the Lord, or fall from him; Noah though (through the extreme violence, of some extraordinary, and execrable temptation) they should desire, endeavour, or strive to go from God, yet (saith God) they shall not, do they, or their sin, or the devil what they can. And this is a most comfortable cordaill against those faint heart quaumes, which oftimes do fill the hearts of the saints with miserables fears: they are afraid they shall fall from God, and are in great doubt they shall prove hypocrites, and apostates, when all is done, and the devil takes pleasure to affright them thus with such fearful & perplexing thoughts: why but do if you can, the Lord says you shall not departed from him; you are like a foolish child in the arms of his father, carrying him over a river, who looks down and seeing the water, crye's out, Oh I shall fall, I shall fall, whenas his father holde's him so fast, that he shall not fall though he should strive thereunto, there being more strength in the father to support, and care to keep the child, than there is ability in the child to do himself this evil. Thus is it between God and some of his children, who are exercised with these noisome doubtings; but we see, & hear, what the Lord saith, he is more powerful, and more careful over us, then to suffer us to do our selves this evil, though we should be so overcome of the devil that we should offer it. Look you to your reformation, let the Lord alone with your protection, if you be his, you need not fear falling from him, and if he have given you conscience to amend your evil ways and's works, and to make them good, his goodness shall dwell with you, and you are within the compass of that kind interest which is peculiar to all his saints. I shall not need to call other prophets to give attestation to this truth, it is the general voice of them all, that as Israel had fallen from God by their rebellion, so they should now be fully joined to him by reformation. And all reason assents her unto, inasmuch as we know till Adam (and we in him) was deformed, he was Gods, and being so his title ceased, and he became Satan's: our reformed state then, must be the evidence of our restored estate to God again, as our corrupted estate was, of our alienation from him.  
Look we after this, and labour for it; seeing it argueth that we are fast to God if we be reform; and let them tremble to entitle themselves to the Lord, whose evil doth yet cleave unto them, and continue in them, without that due reformation which the Lord doth require, and for which, he doth condition with so many as he accepteth. No vnreformed person hath any right in God. If any of them dream they have, let them know the Lord doth directy disclaim them, and cannot endure they should come so near him, as to meddle with any thing of his, (to wit, as with their own,) till they show forth the fruits of a reformed life. So we read [what hast thou to do to take my covenant in thy mouth, 
Psal. 50.19.17.  seeing thou hatest to be reform?] lo, the Lord saith they have nothing to do with any holy thing (by right) who are not reform. And hereupon john Babtist forbade the boasting jews to crack of their kindred with Abraham, 
Mat. 3.7.  seeing they were not yet purged of their impiety, nay he tell's them they are so fare from having any title in him to be reputed the generation of the righteous, that he calls them (to their faces) a generation of vipers, such (as in their present estate) were under no posstbility of mercy, nor could be delivered from the wrath of God. The Lord proves the Jews to be none of his, because they had not put away their iniquities, so saith he by his prophet [Plead with your mother, 
Hos. 2.2.3  plead, for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband etc.] So then, till we have put away our evil, we cannot hope to be posest of any good: but amendment of our ways, is the only way to our best welfare. And this is the second sign of our interest in God.  
Thirdly, as our reformation, Sign. 3 so our affection to God is a singular evidence of our interest, we cannot be affectionate to any, but our own and not to affect our own, were monstrous. Nothing sooner bewraie's interest then affection. All men think we have part, in that which we take to heart.  
Nature without grace, reason without religion, can conclude this; nay we may see reason for this, in beasts that want reason, who cannot contain themselves, but do express this power of mere nature to be in them.  
And he who hath given it to every creature in some measure, hath retained the insinitenes of it in himself beyond measure, and also communicated something of it, unto such as he hath sealed to be his own.  
If we look upon the Lord himself herein, how unspeakably doth his affection abound to his beloved ones, when he pours it out in such plentiful manner as is manifest in these & many such pathetical speeches. 
Psal. 81.13. Hos. 6.4. micah. 6.3 Mat. 23 37.   

Oh, that my people would have harkened etc.  
O, Jsraell what shall I say unto thee, &c:  
O my people testify against me. etc.  
O jerusalem, jerusalem, &c:   
By all which, he labours even to break into their hearts with the abundance of his affection, yea (indeed) to break their hearts, and even to melt them with the manifestation her of, and it is all built, upon this interest between God and them.  
Now the safest way for us to show our title in him, is the same whereby his appeareth unto us, if we can now reflect our affections upon him again, the evidence of our right cannot fail,  
Nature can do it, why should not grace? nay ceartainly where the true nature and power of grace is, it cannot but be done. If we take notice of nature's course, the current is most violent, and it ouerflowe's all banks, and bounds exceedingly, as might be showed in infinite examples of all sorts.  
How did joseph break out upon his brothers, when his heart so burned within him, that he could not hold longer, but he must needs now let them know who he is, and that in these words [I am joseph your brother]. How did Elisha declare his interest in his master Eliah but in these words, [my father, my father]. And David overfondely to Absolom, [O my son Absolom, O Absolom my son, my son &c]. To a stranger we cannot do thus, it must be to a near, friend, a child, or brother.  
Now can nature be so sensible and tender where it hath an interest, and shall grace be senseless and silent? no, it is not possible that the Lord should be ours, & we not love him in our very soul, & that our bowels should not earn, yea burn in our bodies, to think of his blessed goodness to us. It is an absolute impossibility, to have no joyful sense of his glory, and that his dishonour should not be grievous and bitter to us. Had we the lively operation of his grace within us, we could not hear his name blasphemed, his worship derided, his servants (our brethren and fellow saints) abused, and sit still, and say nothing. No we would speak or break, we must have vent; for our spirits would (as it were) rise, and swell within us: we shall so travel inwardly with indignation and anguish, that till we be disburdened, our extremity willbe more then can be endured; the zeal of God will fire us, and cast us into a holy fury against these profane wretches, & enforce us with a discrete violence to set upon them (in due time & place) & to let them know, that he was somebody to us, whom they so injured; a friend, a father, yea a God of ours, the honour of whose name, and ordinances, & servants, we will redeem with the loss of all our dearest advantages.  
And so soon as this affectionate feeling doth appear in us, so soon doth out interell show itself; and they that can be basely muzzled and sit as if their mouths were bunged up, at the blasphemies of these cursed miscreants, do show what strangers they are to God, how little they have to do with him, how fare they are from any right in him. We see among men how easy a thing it is, to digest a discourse of the losses or miseries of strangers, but if one come to tell us of our own, or any near friends of ours, that are under them, we instantly show it by our grieving, as we should also do, by our gladness, if any report of their good come unto us. And every man that see's us either way moved, can quickly imagine there is something between us and them, for whose sakes we are thus affected.  
So then they that want affection do confute themselves, when they call God theirs, and are apparently convinced to be void of true love to his holy majesty, having only abundance of self-love to themselves: inasmuch as they never claim any interest in him but when they want some good they would fain have from him, then can they come and feignedly speak to him and call him father, but when he wants his glory and is vilefyed, they are mute and speechless to men, What is this, but to fawn upon God, as our dogs do upon us, only to get something for themselves, as being altogether sensible of their own necessities, but not at all of our injuries.  
Shame and blush (thou sinful wretch) so much as once to surmise, that thou hast any part or portion in him, of whose glory thou art so senseless; know thyself to be none of his, seeing thou canst digest his indignity with silence. Were it thy natural father, or, but some base alebench brother; words would be too little to show thy dislike, thy knife in his belly, or dagger in his bowels, or some such hellish outrage as were inhuman, would be his reward, and thy revenge of such abuse. But against him whom thou (sinfully) callest thy God, shall all violence, yea villainy, be offered by him, and endured by thee, without the least appearance of any detestation or distaste. What patience is that, which can seem to be in a dead sleep when the Lord of heaven is wounded, and yet grow mad, with overabundance of, distemper when ourselves, or ours are wronged?  
That wicked high priest shall condemn thee, who rend his  when he heard blasphemy as he conceited it: behold a jew is sensible of supposed blasphemy; can any man imagine thee to be a christian or have any part in Christ, who canst hear that which is real and reitterated blasphemy and take no notice of it? What said the sons of Jacob in defence of their carriage toward the Sichemites [should they abuse our sister as a whore? they thought nothing too much, to be done to them, who had so shamefully handled their sister. And shall they abuse God thy father, and Christ thy saviour, and pollute and prostitute their sacred honours, & thou make show of no indignation? who can conceive thee to be any thing a kin to them in any respect, that shall observe this? No it cannot be there should more interest, than there is affection, and that in such senseless sott's is none at all.  
Again, as when others speak of God, so when we ourselves speak to God, we would be affectionate if we had any interest, or right in him. Our prayers would be very pathetical, and our minds and mouths would speak together, and as feelingly would we speak to him, as an infant cryeth after his mother. We know there is more than a little difference between our speech to a mere stranger, and a most loving father, so much there is, (or should be) as every man can quickly and easily perceive it by us,, when we are to utter our minds upon any occasion whether civil or natural to the one and the other.  
But with what cold, and frozen affections do men come to seek the face of the Lord, and to speak unto him, is too apparent, when as in the service they perform unto him, there is not the least appearance of any right they have in him, men bring him (even millions of those men who call him theirs) such lean, thin, and withered sacrifices, consisting of nothing but bare words, and so barren of any one propriety, either of a true prayer, or a true suitor, that (if themselves were the judges, and bound to judge with a righteous judgement, according to the rules of his word, or of their own works in other kinds) they must needs sentence themselves to be such, as are known of the Lord, (and should be known to themselves) to be noen of his, for want of this true affection, whereof we have now spoken ' and whereupon we can stand no longer, because it is time that we hasten forward, to the things that follow. Know therefore (in a word) that as the Apostle saith of words, so we may say of affection in this particular, by our affection we shallbe justified to be the Lords, (if we have it towards God,) and by our affection we shallbe condemned, if we have it not, to be none of his. And this is our third sign.  
Fourthly, Sign. 4 our consimilitude and likeness unto God doth also assuredly conclude, we have right in him. If we bear his image we are his. Children are usually so like their parents, that when we take notice of the semblance between them, we use to say, sure this child must needs be such a man's, or woman's, because he is so like him, or her. See, he hath his father's face, countenance, feature, &c: he cannot be but his, he may safely swear the child is his own, for he is the very picture of him. Thus, when we see such likeness, we suppose that it is more than likely, that they are near one to another.  
The argument is more undoubted, and demonstrative, between God and his children, then between men and theirs, for in nature it is not universally and infaillibly true, that consimilitude doth argue consanguinity, strangers may be exceeding like one another. But in grace, between God and his, it is an absolute, and uncontroelable evidence of interest. Never any did bear his image, but the same was his own. It is not more assured that a man-child is the son of a man, then that a holy man, or woman, is the child of God: all his children are like himself, he hath power to make them so, and it is his revealed resolution that so it shallbe, and therefore it must follow, that if we carry not the image of God, we can claim no interest in him.  
Adam, (I mean the first Adam) was the son of God by creation, and how like himself the Lord made him, may be collected both out of his resolution before his creation [let us make man in our image] and by the act itself, when he endowed him with such singular excellency of grace, as wherein he carried the admirable impressions of his most glorious maker, in such holiness, knowledge, and righteousness, as in a creatures perfection might be a representation of the infiniteness of them all, in God himself the creator, And while (but alas it was but a little while) that Adam stood in these perfections of created grace, the Lord acknowledged him for his own. But as soon as he lost these, his title was gone, he was now no more the Lords, but Satan's that misled him.  
Christ jesus (the second Adam) was the son of God by an eternal, and inconceivable kind of generation, and how did his sonship (when in times fullness he was incarnate) show itself? whereby was he known to be the true natural son of the most high? why even by this, that he was so like his father, that, as himself saith, [he that hath seen me hath seen my father] and as the Apostle saith, 
Joh. 14.9. Heb. 1.3.  he was [the bright and express image of his person. By this lively similitude, was he known to be the son of the living God. And as he never had any natural son but he, so never was any so like him as this son was, for he was the same with him, even one with him, in all those supernatural excellencyes which might express the nature of God.  
And as it was with these two, whereof the one was his son by creation, the other by generation, so must, and will it be (in their measure) with all his sons and daughters by grace and regeneration. They must also be like unto him, who (in his love) hath begotten them anew, 
Ezeh. 6.3.26.  and to the end they may be so, the holy ghost tell's us we must have, now hearts, new spirits, new affections, new minds and dispositions, all new; according to that of the Apostle, 
2. Co. 5.17.  [If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, or, (as the word importeth) a new creation, made all new, behold I make all things anew] and again, 
Gal 6.15.  [For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature (or creation)] and thus new we must be, that we may be like to jesus Christ who in opposition to the old Adam, is called the [new man] by whom we must be cast into a new mould to be made conformable to him. And therefore the apostle urgeth our consimilitude to Christ, and newness of life together, and inferreth them one upon another, that wheresoever newness of life is, 
Ro 6.4.5.  there is a clear conformity to Christ jesus.  
And this image or similitude unto our saviour is abundantly pressed upon us, and made known to be the mind of God, and a manifest evidence of our interst in many particulars. Nothing is more frequently called for at our hands, then that we should be holy as he is holy, merciful as be is merciful, perfect as he is perfect, followers or imitators of Christ, like minded to him, & learning of him all patience, kindness, humility meekness, and every saving grace, whereby it may appear that [we are made partakers of the divine nature] in the communicable qualities thereof, 
2. Pet. 1.4.  & so assuredly interessed into him of whose nature we do partake.  
That so, as we have borne the image of the earthly Adam in sin and corruption, (and thereby made it too evident, that we are his children and heirs of condemnation) so also we should bear the image of the heavenly Adam, in holiness & sanctification, & thereby be sealed to be his sons and daughters, yea his members, reserved to the glory of God's kingdom. And that this image of his (to wit, our conformity to Christ) is an evidence infallible & undoubted hereof, is most clear by that which the Apostle directly layeth down and avoucheth when he telleth us, that [those whom the Lord did foreknow (to be his elect) them, 
Ro. 8.26.  he did predestinate to be like the image of his son] so that we see how the depth of this profound doctrine of praedestination may be sounded, and sound discerned (as touching the evidence of the same) by every man in himself, and one may ceartainly know himself to be predestinated of God to live for ever with him in life and glory, if he be cast into a new mould & made a new lump like to jesus Christ. Most true it is, that God's praedestination is touching the doctrine thereof in the causes and reasons of the same, (why some, and so few, should be ordaineth to happiness, & others, and so many, to hell torments) may be matter of amezement unto us, but the discerning of the same in our own particular, is nothing difficult, but most easy and manifest. For if a man do carry the image of the Lord jesus in grace and holiness, he is (without controversy) appointed to be glorified with him, but while he continueth in a cursed conformity to sin and corruption, and bears the likeness of the old Adam, or rather of the old serpent, he may know he belongs not to God's decree of election, because all such as appertain thereunto, are as well predestinated to be gracious on earth, as to be glorious in heaven. These two were never parted yet, in any person whatsoever: Gods predestination of grace is as absolute as of glory, and the former must be the forerunner of the latter. But we will not digress into any further discourse of this matter. The point we have in hand is undeniably true, and cannot be doubted off, that if we be like him, we are his: and he that is not, the same is none of his.  
Now then, let every man search himself, and endeavour to apprehend aright how it is with him herein, that he may well understand, whether he hath belied the Lord or Noah, when he hath called him his. For he that doth so, and is not like him, hath lied unto God so oft, as he hath laid claim to him. Inquire then and see, what piety, what zeal, what humility, patience, holiness, purity, and uprightness is in thee; look well upon thyself, nay, into thyself, and let others look upon thee, what characters and impressions of God are to be seen, whose image and superscription thou carriest, in thy conscience before God, in thy conversation before men; if Christ's, thou art a currant christian, and an heir apparent of heaven, thou mayest as boldly say thou art the Lords, as any man child may say he is the son of a man. But if those monstruous and diabolical parts of impiety & profanes appear in thee, which are found in swearers, drunkards, sabbath-breakers, covetous, idolatrous,  or unclean persons: know, thou art as ceartainly the devils, 
joh. 8.44.  as thou art conceitedly Gods Christ himself tell's thee so, [Ye are of your father the devil] there is no more reason such a one should call God his, then that a beast should be accounted the child of a man. Every thing begett's, and bring's forth his like: all creatures that propagate, and procreate, produce evermore of their own kind, all plants that have life, and no sense; all beasts, that have life, and sense and no reason; all men which have both life, sense, and reason, this is the universal order, and perpetual ordinance of God for nature. And shall the almighty, (who hath all these perfections infinitely, and infinite more besides these) shall he only breed, and bring forth devilish monsters, children that hear no representation of him, but are branded withal the hellish parts and lyms, whereof reprobates are composed.  
Who can believe a blasphemer, (or any of the fornamed offenders) when they say [Our father] nay it is wonder how they can believe themselves, 
2. Thes. 2.11.  were they not [given over to strong delusions to believe lies that they might be damned] it were impossible they should not see how hydeously they did slander and vilefy him, who is God to be blessed for ever; and who will one day be infinitely avenged upon them, as for all other their damnable impietyes among men, so especially for this dishonour done to himself, whom they have abused by innumerable falsehoods in their often calling of him father. Go now (ye wicked wretches) and weep, & mourn, for this, that being the base brood of Satan, and the hellish monsters of sin, ye have fathered yourselves upon him, whose soul doth loath you, because you are not like unto him. It is double blindness you are given over unto in this point; who having the whole school of nature in all the works of God, and the universal and clear current of his word to teach you this one lesson: That nothing produceth any thing, but that which is like itself: and yet you cannot learn to leave lying against the Lord, in laying a false claim unto him, having nothing in you like unto him. Pray for eye-salue to discern this evil, and wail before him whom you have so wickedly abused; there is yet a possibility that you may become his, & be made like unto him, for he hath power to change you from what you are, to what you should be, he can make [a thistle to become a myrrh tree, 
Isa. 55.12. Mat. 3.9.  and the briar a fir tree,] he can [raise up children to Abraham of these stones] nothing is, or can be so evil, and unlike him, which he cannot alter into his own image.  
And they that are thus changed already, are happy, and have the Lord for their God, to whom they may boldly, and freely go as to their father, who hath graciously begotten them, whenas they can carry with them the evidences of his holy image in them, in any measure of that true grace they have received from him.  
For this one thing we must carefully consider, 
Note.  (that we may not discomfort our own souls) that it is not the likeness of quantity, or equality, but of quality only, that we urge upon you, and that God expecteth in you. When he saith, and we teach, that men must be holy as he is holy, merciful as he is merciful, &c: we do not (neither doth God) mean, there should be so much of these in you as in himself: No such matter: but only that there should be some measure of them, (& any measure doth argue the nature of a thing) the truth whereof, is also further discerned by the growth of the same. Now than if you can go to God & show him some beginnings of his own graces, you are his. An infant the members and parts of whole body are exceeding little and of no strength in respect of one that is a grown man, yet is known by those feeble hands, and other weak lineaments to be the child of his father. Their likeness doth argue it, though they want greatness And so is a child of God approved to be his, by those graces that be in him, though yet they be infirm, and infinitely short of that they should be. We may not then dismay ourselves, and make void the evidences of our consolation in the Lord our God, because we have not much but little, (yea very much too little) grace and piety in us, that which we have must joy us, that which we want should humble us, we may make our claim by the very lest grain of true grace we have gotten, but our claim is confirmed by our increasing therein and gaining of more.  
He hath told us that [he will not despise the small things,] 
Zach. 4.10. Mat. 12.20.  nor [quench (but kindle) the smoking flax, nor break (but bind up) the bruised reed,] and why should we despair of our estate, in that which he doth not despise? no, let us unfeignedly bless him for the first friuts of our interest in him, and beseech him to stamp and jmprint his image more deeply in us, that not only our selves may perceive it, but men may see it, and so he that hath given it, may be glorified of us in it, and by the clear and comfortable assurance of our childhood (by this our consimilitude,) Satan's assaults may be resisted, and himself constantly honoured of us all our days. And this is the fourth sign of our right in our God.  
The sift and last, Sign. 5 (whereof we will treat at this time) is the Spirit of God. And this is the absolute assurance of our being his. Whosoever hath received the spirit of God, God hath received that man for his own. This is affirmed fully by john: 
1. Joh. 3.24.  who assureth us that we are, nay [that we may know we are his, by the spirit which he hath given us] and herunto the Apostle attesteth, 
Rom 8.6.  when he telleth us that [if any man have not the spirit of Christ, the same is none of his.] This is further evident by such particulars as whereunto this spirit (thus given) is compared, to wit, to [a scale, 
Ephe. 1.14.15.  and an earnest penny], and both these (as all men know) do assure men of their right in any thing that is conditioned for, between man and man. And the Lord in discovering his spirit unto us under these terms, doth thereby give us to understand that it hath a conveying power and an assuring property to give us real and undoubted interest in himself, & all such good things as from him, are to be given to us. Hence it is also that this spirit is said to enable us by uncontroleable testimony to avouch, 
Ro. ●. 15. Gal 4.6.  that we are the sons of God, and he our father, and thereupon we are bidden by virtue thereof to cry boldly Abba father that is to claim him as our father.  
But here it may be some will say unto me, Objection. it is passed all question, and without controversy, that they that have the spirit are the Lords, none doubts of that, but all the matter is to know who hath it, and how any man may know whether he have it or Noah.  
I answer it is true, Solution. this case of conscience is worth scanning, and debating at large, but it is not our purpose now to do it further than appertaineth to the present point we have in hand, 
Assurances of God's spirit in us  and such evidences of the spirit in us, as are also evidences of our interest in God, we will give you, or some few of them.  
First therefore, Assurance. 1 the spirit of God where it is effectually received so, as that by it we may know that we are Gods, is, that by it we are assisted to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God, to pray in the spirit, or by the power thereof speaking in us, unto him, who gave this his spirit to us. These prayers (that they may be known to be spiritual) most consist of such matter as this spirit (by the light thereof shining in us) doth suggest and for their manner, they must be uttered (whether by voice, or other ways) with such feeling of our wants, & such affection to him, who can supply us, as floweth from the life of the same spirit: and concluded with such assurance of success by faith, as the joy of the same spirit doth minister to us, & that whether we be heard or Noah. For that spirit will assure, and convince every one who hath it, that the event of all our petitions is good because every answer given unto us, is evermore the fruit of the infinite wisdom, and love of God unto us both which being (as they are) combined in all the issues of our supplications, we cannot conceive (by any thing that this spirit begetteth in us) but that it is best for us, which way soeever it be, if we speed it is good, if we speed not, it is as good, saith the spirit in us, (though our foolish flesh doth not think so) because God jmployeth the same wisdom and love to deny us now, as he did at other times to give us our desires. And they that have thus received the spirit in this duty of prayer, may by the presence, and power of it working in this manner in them, be assured they have right in God, who himself is a spirit, & doth thus send his spirit into the hearts of all his elect.  
Secondly, the same spirit which doth thus furnish us to pray for any good, doth also minister to us, resolution and endeavour to do all the good we are re-required unto, by God. I say resolution, to be throughly persuaded that we ought, and endeavour to strive to the utmost, that we may do as much as is possible to be done.  
The spirit of God never work's desire of having good from God, without desire of doing good before God. It teacheth men how to practise, as well as how to pray: and makes men as willing to obey God's precepts, as they are, that the Lord should answer their prayers. And when once a man has gotten a heart thus resolved, upon universal and constant obedience to the Lord, and that he had (of the two) rather do the will of God, then have his own will accomplished, he may assuredly know, he hath right in the Lord. And hereof is the spirit of God a witness where it saith. 
Rev. 22.14.  [Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to, (or that their right may be in) the tree of life etc.] which tree of life, is jesus Christ, the Lord of life. Is it not plain here, that they who do the commandments (that is, do their utmost to do them) have right in jesus Christ, and may truly say he is theirs, and that they are his, by right. And this may yet more clearly appear, if we consider that the Lord doth often use this argument of his interest in his people as a principal instigation to persuade them to obedience. In the preface to the commandments, this is praemized to provoke their subjection to the whole law, 
Exod. 20. Levi. 18.4.5.  [I am the Lord thy God] and again, [I am the Lord your God, ye shall (therefore) do my judgements and keep my ordinances] and this was the reason of the people's resolution in joshuas' time [For the Lord is our God &c: 
Josh. 24.17.18.  therefore will we also serve the Lord, for he is our God] Now would God urge it to his people, or his people allege it to the Lord, in this particular of their incitation to all conscionable walking before the Lord, if it were not the band of his spirit to bind them thereunto. He then, that hath received in himself a settled resolution, that he ought, and a sincere desire, joined with endeavour, that he might, walk in all the commandments of God, the same is the Lords; God will graciously acknowledge him, he may comfortably lay claim to God.  
Thirdly, as to do all good, Assurance. 3 so to suffer all evil of punishment or persecution and to resist all evil of sin, and corruption, is a sure sign of the spirits residence in us, and of our interest in God by it. 
Reu. 21.7.  He that can courageously endure the one, & conscionably do the other, he is one of Gods own dear one's. God himself hath spoken it. [He that overcometh, shall inherit all things, & I willbe his God, & he shallbe my son.] The spirit of God doth not only subdue us to itself in all good, but it also subdueth all evil to us, 
Ro 8.37.  & makes us more than conquerors in both, as the holy ghost telleth us. To withstand jmpiety resolutely, & to undergo persecution valiantly, is a property of one of Gods own. When neither temptations to sin, nor tyranny of men, can draw a man from God, it's a sure sign such a one is fastened to God, and sealed as one of his. Neither of these was ever given to any  person, no limb of Satan hath any power in either. And nothing but the spirit of God can give this power to any man. He that hath it then, hath the spirit & he who hath the spirit of God, the same is Gods, as we heard before. Every one will judge that ceartainly he must be very near to a man, who can neither be enticed by any allurement, nor constrained by any enforcement, to displease him, but that scorns all advantages, & bear's all jnjuries, rather than he will do any thing that maybe grievous to him, who would not say; were he not his near friend, or his father he would never refuse such offers, suffer such oppressions as he doth, for his sake. By the same reason is our nearness unto God concluded. And this conquering power of his spirit, whereby we prevail against all things in this kind, is not communicable to any, but such who have received the same as their earnest penny and seal that they are the Lords. And these three (among many others which we might speak of) are sufficient assurances unto us, that we have received this spirit, which spirit doth assure us that we are the children of God.  
And thus we see the signs of our interect in the Lord our God, whereupon we have the more largely, and somewhat the longer insisted because it is much material to every man to know well and be steadfastly settled, in the assured evidence, and true trial of this point, wherein so many wicked men do deceive themselves by secure presumption; and so many of Gods own children are deceived in themselves (through their own ignorance weakness) for want of due information.  
We have now no more to say touching this use of the point but (by these aforesaid signs) to set every one a work, even a searching of himself whether he can find them within him or Noah. And therein let every one in the fear of God (and as he tender's the favour of God) deal soundly, and unpartially with his own soul &, sift himself as in the sight of God, before whom, he must appear one day, and be judged  to this word which hath (from him) been spoken herein. He that cannot discern them in himself, let him haste to the Lord, of whom they may be had, & cease claiming any right in the Lord, till he have obtained them, and begin to grieve in his own soul, for that he hath been so seduced all this while, thus boldly to abuse the Lord, being none of his, not thinking themselves a little judebted to his patience, who hath rejourned that justice (which even for this sin) might long since have seized upon them and sent them to Satan whose vassals all such are, as by him are set on thus blindly to challenge the Lord to be theirs, without any sight, or sound assurance of these signs in themselves,  
And to them that have obtained & received them, who do see them in themselves, and can show them to others; whereunto comes all this that we have said, but unto their wonderful consolation, the confirmation whereof, flowe's naturally from the possession of these peculiar love-tokens, which the Lord giveth to none, but to such, as to whom he giveth himself, that they that have them, might also know, that they have him. And what a happiness that is, who can imagine? for what can a man have more, to make him most happy? he that rightly knows what God is, may give some guess at the absolute, and unspeakable advantages of that man, who hath right in the Lord, and from the glimpse of them (for that is all that can be gotten in this life, their infinite fullness is reserved till we come to glory) may learn to give some praise (even with his soul) unto him, for the most gracious recovery of this interest unto us, which once we razed out by our own rebellion, & he hath raised us into it again, out of the riches of his grace. Who shall not laud him, and love him for this? that when we were so wicked that we would not be his, but gave, or sold ourselves to Satan, he will, yet, be so loving that he will give himself to be ours, and redeem and purchase us again (though it cost dear) to become his. Oh, that we could magnify him according to this mercy, but it being beyond measure, we are not able to attain to such a strain of thankfulness, yet let us (dear beloved) strain the utmost we can, and do our best to breathe out his honour, who hath made us so jnestimably happy.  
The saints of God have abounded in times past, and both blessed God because he is the God of his people & blessed those people who are the people of God. Moses thus blessed Israel: 
Deut. 33.29. 1. King. 8.55.56. etc. Psa. 33.12. Psa. 144.15.  & so did Solomon too David exceeds all other in this subject, and is so oft upon it, both for himself and for the people, as if he could never say enough to the point. So we find [Blessed is that nation whose] God is the Lord, and the people that he hath chosen for his inheritance; and the same in another psalm (yea in many other psalms) is repeated, And in the name of all the saints he speaks [all thy works shall praise thee o Lord, 
Psa. 118.28.  and thy Saints shall bless thee]. And for his own part, [Thou art my god and I will praise thee, thou art my God and I will exalt thee]. And last of all, 
Psa. 100.4.  on the behalf of all lands, [Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise, be thankful unto him and speak good of his name] and why? even for this, that [we are his people, and the sheep of his tasture. Now go we and endeavour to do likewise, seeing he hath showed the like love unto us, that our whole man soul and body, may bless him all our days.  
As also seeing it is such a marvelous mercy to be the Lords, let us by all means make our use and benefit thereof; so often as we go to him by supplication, and so often as Satan sets upon us by temptation, let us help ourselves herewith, for it is both a singular jnducement to move the Lord to show us mercy, and it is also an excellent shield against Satan's fury. The Lord cannot withhold his favours from his own, neither can the Devil fasten his fiery darts upon them. To prove ourselves Gods, is armour of proof against him, he cannot pierce it, or wound us, so long as we have it well girt about us. But if we leave it off, or let it hang lose, we may soon be hurt. Let us look to it then, and be careful herein that we damage not our selves, and give our enemy advantage against us. If herein we acquit ourselves well, and can follow the Lord with this fruit of his love, his heart is open to us for good, if not, Satan will follow us, & we lie open to him for evil. It is good then to make our best of this our interest, and to plead it uncessantly before the God of heaven, from whom we have it. Whensoever we speak to him, let him hear of us, as of those that have right in him. Whatsoever we beg, let this be remembered, [I am thine] for this hath been urged by all the people of God, when they have prayed for any thing.  

for illumination: I am thine, oh give me understanding  
for preservation; I am thine oh save me:  
for confirmation, or compassion, I am the son of thy handmaid etc.   
And so for all other comforts of any kind whatsoever, this was ever urged, as we might abundantly instance in Moses, in David, in Eliah: jehosophat: Hezekiah, and many more, who many a time pressed God with it. Yea (which is well worth our nothing) God himself hath often rendered this, as that which hath (as it were) wrought upon himself to respect them in his grace, as it were easy to allege out of many scriptures. That one may serve for all, which we find by the prophet [But thou Israel art my servant, 
Is. 41.8. ver. 9  jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend etc. Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away.] And if the Lord himself do make this use of it to magnify his own grace to us, we may comfortably plead it before him to prevail with him therewith; we may be well assured that, that which he makes an argument of magnifying his mercy on us, would be of excellent use and force, to plead before him to move him to manifest the same mercy to us. Let us not then in any wise be sparing herein, we cannot be too bold, nor too abundant, the Lord like's that prayer, and love's that suitor the better, that is most full of it. And the devil will have least to do with those which are nearest, and fastest to God. And therefore (to conclude and shut up this point) be it now our perpetual care and endeavour to do according to the tenor of that truth we have heard in this our first instruction arising from this interest so stissly pleaded by this blessed Patriarch, in that he enters thus into his petition, with these words [O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac: etc. Showing clearly that he that would have his prayers enter into heaven, and be entertained with God, must go in this way, with them. And so much for our first lesson laid down in these words.  
The end of the first Sermon.   

Having done with his first encouragement, we proceed to the consideration of his second, as it lieth in the text following [Thou Lord which saidst unto me; Return into thy country etc.] where in he (now) pleadeth his warrant he had from God, as (before) he did his interest he had in God. And herein we have two things to think off, the first, is the warrant itself, the second, his assuming, & application thereof home to himself.  
The former to wit, his warrant he divides into two particulars: 

1. a precept: Return into thy country &c  
2. a promise and I will deal well with thee.   From both which, we might well note unto you (in the next place) this worthy lesson, that Whatsoever we do without warrant from God, is wickedly done. So much warrant as any man hath to do any thing, so much comfort shall he have in the doing of it.  
If this were not an absolute, and an undeniable truth, why did the Lord give Jacob this commission for his journey, or why should Jacob take it, and make this use of it to God himself, as he doth: it were no favour or mercy to have it, no point of faith, no part of our duty to use, or to urge it, if we might be justified in any thing we undertake without it. But we purpose not to prosecute this point, at this present, but to take another occasion (if the Lord please) to handle it at large. Doctrine 2  
The thing we aim at, is not so much the matter of the warrant itself, as jacobs' taking of it home & applying of it to himself, in that he saith [Thou Lord who saidst unto me] From which practice of his, we may observe, and you must learn thus much. That it is the duty of every chirstian to carry the word of God home to his own heart, and to apply it particularly to himself.  
Look what sacred truth the Lord hath left recorded for us, and either in any general special, or particular rule of his word revealed to us, as tending to our particular estate, the same so fare as it toucheth us in any thing that doth, or may concern us, the Lord looks we should lay it to our hearts, and appropriate it to ourselves as our own. Every true christian is bound to apply every part of God's truth to himself evermore making that his own, which is meant to him.  
The instance of our text, containeth so clear an evidence and confirmation of this doctrine, and this holy Patriarches practice is so pregnant for the point that we shall not need to seek fare for more witness, to enforce the truth of it. Let us a little consider his carriage herein.  
We heard before, how God had spoken unto him, about this business of his removal into his country, here now, we have himself not only relating what God said to him herein, but also applying the same to his own heart, and state: now that he is to go to heaven for direction and comfort in the same, in speaking to God, he speaks that which God spoke to him [thou Lord who said unto me etc.] he cleave's fast unto that which he heard from God, and let's God hear of it from him again, he claims God's kindness, builde's upon his precept and promise as upon a foundation of direction, consolation and assurance, sufficiently able to bear him out against all opposition whatsoever. The precept leade's him to begin his journey, the promise heartens him to go on, hoth are good to him in the duty he had to do. And (we see) that as jacob is faithful in applying all this, so is the Lord careful in reporting this his practice unto us, and makes Moses (many years after it was performed) to receive it from his spirit by inspiration, and to register it in this his blessed book, that it may remain written for all ages to come for his approbation, for our imitation, that we might follow him who hath gone before us herein, and not only know, what jacob hath done but what the God of jacob require's of us from this light of his truth, both to know & to do, in any such cases as may ever become ours, in any passage between the Lord and us.  
In a word, what he here did, is therefore written and related, that we might go and do likewise, walking in the same path which this true survant of God hath trodden out before us, which if we shall endeavour conscionably to do, and to be upright with the Lord in the same, what our benefit and advantage shallbe, the sequel will show, and we shall ever find it our happiness to lay God's truth to heart. Thus we see the case is clear in the particular of our text.  
If we shall look further abroad, for our more assurance in the truth of this instruction, and take up such testimonies as we might soon find, & fasten upon to this present purpose, multitudes would flow apace upon us, and it would be much more easy to overabounde, then want any, evidence. But we will not cloy your memories with a multiplicity.  
Shall we inquire at the Law, according to the holy Prophet's counsel? why, it is clear for this point. It is a ruled case with, the great lawgiver, even the, Lord who is [that one lawgiver, which is able to save and destroy] hath given it once, and again, and many times in express charge to his people. Consider seriously what he saith by Moses [And these words which I commandeth thee shallbe in thy heart] And thou shalt teach them to thy children etc. 
Dent. 6.6. ver. 7.8.  And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shallbe as frontlets between thine eyes.] Now what means all this? what may all these injunctions intent which are set down here, and itterated elsewhere? Surely there is something in it, that we must have them so engraven, that our minds may posesse them, our mouths may publish them, at home and abroad, by day, and by night, at bed and board, to our posterity daily, to others occasionally, can all this be for formal discourse, or superficial accquaintance with the word of God? no sure, there is more meant than this, comes to (which alone is nothing) the Lord's mind is, that we should have special familiarity with his word, and be in continual meditation, and practise thereof, (signified by the binding of it on our hands and eyes) all these particulars that are named here, are to persuade us to that one principal truth, that we teach, to wit, that we must take home all the holy truth of God into our souls.  
From the law we may pass to the Prophets, but as we go we will see what Solomon saith to it, which if we do, we shall hear of many heavenly sayings to this purpose both in his Proverbs, and his book called the Preacher.  
In the former, we have many consells to this practice with comforts belonging to them. As first, where he exhorteth men to [receive God's words, and to hide his commandments, 
Pro. 2.1. ver. 2.  to incline their ear, & apply their hearts to knowledge and understanding.] And again, that men should [not forget the Law of God, 
cap. 3 1.  but let their hearts keep his commandments] and yet again, that we ought to endeavour that [our hearts do retain God words,] 
cap. 4.4.  and that [we embrace them, and in no wise, 
ver. 8.  let them go] he is much upon this matter, as upon a thing of much consequence, and mighty importance, often advising all men herunto. And in his latter book, 
Eccles, 12.11.  he tell's us that [the words of the wise, should be unto us as goads, and as nails, fastened upon us, yea, into us] sticking close to us, and keeping fast within us.  
Thus we see Solomon's mind, and know well what it is, and now let us ask the Prophets, and they will soon tell us theirs, (for Moses and the Prophets, and all the men of God, are all in one tune for this truth) it hath been evermore their manner to come to men with God's message, and to tell them their own from him, not going behind the door, or speaking behind their backs, but personally, and to their heads, delivering the mind of God to the mightiest of them, as it were easy to instance in innumerable examples, not only of these more general prophecies, that concern peoples and nations, but in those most special which were individually directed against Princes, Potentates, & the great one's of the earth, as the king of judah, Israel, Babel, Egypt, Nineveh, etc. & the like, every of which with many more, were spoken too, to their faces, in those particulars wherein the Lord did intent they should know his mind.  
So we see we have the Law and the Prophet's sure to us in this particular, if now we shall also give ear to the Gospel, it will also give abundant evidence herunto both from Christ himself, & also from his Apostles in this point: Christ sometimes spoke plainly and spoke no parable, as where he saith [Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it] sometimes (and more than once) in diverse parables he is again upon it as in the parable of the seed, which must be laid deep, and covered close in the ground, and not supersicially sowed, for every foul to carry away: in the parrable of the leaven, which must be raked up into the midst of the meal, and be mixed so with it, that it may never be severed from it again, but leaven every part of the lump. And for the apostles they are of the same mind with Christ their master, and speak to the same purpose. Peter would have us [receive the word as new borne babes receive milk] which is not only eaten & swallowed, 
1. Pet. 2.2.  but concocted and digested and becometh nutrimental, and is converted into the substance of their bodies. 
col. 3.16.  Paul, would have it dwell in us richly] that our hearts might be a habitation, 
Jam. 1.21.  or house to receive and harbour the same. james he would have it [engrassted in us]. and so incorporated that it might (as it were) become one with us, and being so, he assures us of the saving power thereof, saying it willbe able to save our souls].  
And now having all these witnesses, what can we have more, or what need we so much, to confirm a truth so clear? here (you see) is the vniversall assent, and concurrence of all God's servants, yea, and of his son too every one that spoke by his spirits inspration, spoke more or less, to this truth's confirmation. But it would be needless to add more testimony.  
Let us come to consider of such reasons, as may further lead us into the light, and perswsiaon hereof; that we may see as well, why we must thus take home God's truth, as only to know that so we must do. It is a wise man's part, not only to know what he must do, but also to understand why, that the reason of his duty may be discerned of him, as well as the jnjunction.  
And if we apply ourselves to consider, wherefore we must apply God's truth in this manner, we shall soon perceive, that it is a thing consorting with clear, and apparent reason and that, in diverse respects some few whereof, we will lay down before you.  
First, our application of God's word, Reason. 1 was (in regard of us) the main end of his publishing the same unto us, he revealed it that we might recetue it, it was left written to us, that it should be written in us.  
Doth not God himself give us this as a reason in plain terms, and that by more than one or two, of those whom he sent to deliver his mind.  
What saith Moses to all Israel, 
Deut. 27.29.  and (in them) to all the Israel of God. [Things revealed belong to us, and to our children] what God hath revealed, is revealed to us, and for us, and appertaineth (by his appointment) to us. What saith Paul, to the Romans, and (in them) to all Christians, 
Ro. 15.4.  [Whatsoever is written is written for our instruction, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.] And the same is said of more, whom we name not now. Now if so it be, that this was a principal part of the Lords mind and meaning, to leave his word with us that it might cleave to us, and we lay it close to heart, than it must follow, that either we must faithfully endeavour to do according herunto, or profanely neglect the same, and so (as much as in us lieth) jmpiously frustrate, the gracious intendement of our most loving God, which if wilfully we shall do, what can be a more wicked act? what can bring a more woe full effect? may we not most justly expect that the punishment of such an jmpiety will be unspeakable to utter, insufferable to endure. So then, seeing this is God's end in recording his word that we might receive the same, let us (by all means) attend thereunto, and do our best that he may attain his own end which he hath made known unto us.  
Our second reason may be taken from such simulitudes and semblances, Reason. 2 under which, the word of God is represented to us.  
And in the survey of them, we shall sore apprehend reason to believe this point. God's word (in regard of our receiving of it) is compared to many things but these are the most pregnant among others. Some times it is likened 

to rain, 
Jsa 55.10.11. mat. 4. Psal. 107.20.  As the rain that falleth on the earth, so shall my word be]  
to food, man lineth not by bread only, but by every word of God]  
to physic: he sent forth his word and healed them  
to armour: Take unto you the whole armour of God: the sword of the spirit: the gospel of peace: etc.   And to a multitude more of such things as these are, all which, are nothing but only in their application, all the use and benefit of each of these consisteth wholly therein: common sense will say so much to us. For, what is rain, so long as it hangs in the clouds, and fal'ls not into the dry & thirsty earth, which many times yawns and gapes for it beforeit come? what is food, while it is in the bakers shop, or butcher's shambles, or in our kitchen, or on our table, or in our mouths, if we receive it not into our bodies? what is physic to us, while it remaineth only described in the physicians bill, or enclosed in the apothecaryes' box, or in our own hand or any where else unapplyed, if it be outward; or unreceived if it be inward? what is armour or munition, while it is in the armourers shop, or in our own sheath, or taken into our own hand & not drawn out for our defence.  
We all know, that all these excellent things are annihilated, and made utterly unprofitable to us, having no power to do us any good, unless we take them to us. No rain, can make the earth fruitful: no food or physic can make the body healthful; no weapons can defend us, nothing can pleasure us; without application. The earth must drink in the rain, the food and physic must be taken in, the armour must be girt on, and then shall we be bettered by it, whereas, if these things be not so applied they perish.  
Now the Lord in his wisdom, suiting his word unto these resemblances, which are such as we (even in our weakness) may easily understand to be wholly lost, in case we lay them not home, doth therein by plain reason teach us this point of religion, that as these earthly and natural creatures and comforts, so also his own eternal and heavenly word, will not, nor cannot do us any good, unless we make the same use of it to our souls as we would do of these things for our bodies. And it is not to be acknowledged as a mean favour to us, considering our wonderful incapacity of understanding, that it pleaseth him thus in pity our frailty, to  these divine and celestial things in such temporal comparatives as are familiar with us, and wherein we may soon, and easiest apprehend them. For we can sooner ken a holy thing in a sensible habit borrowed from art, or nature, then in his own. This the Lord saw in us, and therefore he put's his own spiritual things into such similitudes as wherein we can best see them. And this is our second Reason.  
Now seeing we see so clear a light of reason shining to us, both from God's end in revealing his word: and from the end of all other things he hath given us for our good, and that from the consideration of both these sorts of things, it is now very apparent, that nothing is, or can be further good to us, (how good soever it be, in itself) than we take it to ourselves; we cannot but assent to this truth, as to that for which, we see found reason to believe and embrace it.  
And these two shall suffice for reasons of this instruction, not that we could not urge, or allege more, (which were most easy to do) but because we shall have fit occasion to make use of them in one of the uses of the point, whereunto we will now come and lay them in the same order that the uses of the former point did, towit, 

1. to God's people.  
2. to wicked men.  
3. to all men.    
And first, 
1. Use. to the saints. 2. fold.  for the people of God, we must from this point of doctrine send them a double portion: namely, one of singular consolation, with (I am sure) they desire; and another of just reprehension, which they do (as assuredly) deserve. And the worst, they shall have first, that so when they have been well chidden, for their averseness, we may afterwards cheer and joy them, in their piety and holiness. All physicians of the body, do first purge the peccant humours, and then give cordials; in like manner must we do with our spiritual patients in this particular, for I know not in what one point of heavenly truth, the people of God are more peevish, froward, and adverse then in this, and therefore we must endeavour to deal the more throughly, that we may make them most healthy, wherein (by too much experience) we find them so exceeding foul and faulty.  
We will begin then, with their just reproof, Reprehen. 1 & if that work kindly with them, the consolation following willbe more seasonable to them. And how fare even the faithful may be deservedly and, tartely spoken to, will evidently appear to him that observeth their gross irregularity in this sweet point of Gods saving truth, wherein it is heavy to see, how grievous they are to God, who in the tendering of this truth, is most gracious to them: His offer is a wonderful mercy, their refusal is a woeful jmpiety.  
Whether it be their gnorance, or diffidence, fear or faintheartedness, one or other, any, or all these, or any thing else, it is to me uncertain; but sure it is, that the Devil it is, that makes them so froward and affrightful, that they do not, (and they plead they dare not) take home God's holy truth to their hearts, but forbear it as forbidden fruit, fearing to taste, touch, or handle any of that which the Lord in infinite favour jntendeth to them, being that which doth clearly concern their states, and would, (would they be so wise as to apply it,) assuredly comfort their hearts.  
Nay, Satan is so mighty in them herein, and doth so strongly posesse, and strangely persuade them, that they do not only not accept, or entertain, but do shun, decline, and avoid, the words of grace, and fly from every precious promise as from some deadly poison, or stinging serpent, and when we have urged, and pressed all that we can conceive to be of any power to persuade men to participate of the sweet sayings of God, they put of all from themselves, and send us away with senseless exemption, and alienation of all that the Lord meaneth in mercy to them, saying of themselves as jehu to wicked jehoram, 
2 king 9.22.  [what hast thou to do with peace] or as the wicked jews to judas [what is that to us?] 
mat. 27.  Thus are we put off, and thy put out, of the possibility of any of this comfort when we (or rather the Lord by us) speaks peace unto them, what have I to do with peace? if we open Gods good treasure unto them, and endeavour to convey the riches of God's truth unto their poor distressed hearts, then, what is that to me? They will grant all we say to be true in itself, as it is God's word and give full, and free assent to the same, but if you offer to bring it home to them, it is none of theirs, not true of them, they have a superseadeas for it from Satan, to make it all void, and of none effect in their particular, the property is altered if it come to be their case, that which we speak is all true but it is much mistaken if it be brought home to their hearts and states, as if all that God spoke were true, but all he spoke to them, were false; than which conceit, what can be either, more unreasonable or more abominable.  
Thus doth Satan labour to pervert and frustrate the faithful word of God, which he hath left to prop up, and sustain the souls of his saints in their distresses. In which attempt of his, 
Eph. 4 27.  who have [given more place to the devil] then the children of God who are expressly forbidden to do it; and who have not known their heavenly father so well as to trust him in the truth of his blessed promises, but have an ear open to every infernal suggestion, and shut against Gods own sure consolations: refusing those sweetest words of grace which might (if they did receive them) make them truly happy.  
A practice, of such peevishness and jmpiety, as must needs be very hateful and displeasing to God, very hurtful and pernicious to those that are faulty in it, because it is most apparently repugnant.  

to the nature of God.  
to all his precepts.  
to all his children's practice.   
It is every way against the nature of God, as doing infinite jnjury, disgrace, and indignity; To that wisdom that revealed these his promises, and sorted them out according to our afflicted state: To that truth that confime's and seal'es them to us, and us to them: To that love whereby we are accepted into the number of those who are capable of them, which is not the case of every one, (no, it is no common thing) but proper to the Lords own sheep to feed here, and to them alone are the comforts of his blessed promises enclosed.  
And as against his nature, in his wisdom, truth, and love, so further is this practice against his law commanding us to do otherwise, for are we not enjoined (as we were before informed) to lay them to our hearts; to bind them on our hands; to hide them within us; to have them still about us, as the ornaments we wear to adorn us, or the weapons that defend us? is it not the mind of God (do not we know it to be so?) that he would have the souls of his saints to be the harbour receptacle, & storehouse of all commodity and advantage spiritual, that comes from heaven?  
And as it opposeth both his love, and his law, (two woeful things to be withstood) so also, goes it against the holy practice of all those his most beloved one's, whose examples ought to have been our instructions & encouragments herein, whose faith we should have followed, considering what was the end of their conversation; their forwardness (in this particular) shames your sloth, their holy violence your base cowardice, & gross negligence, Do but look upon some few practices & set them before you for your further conviction; 
Exod. 31.10.11.  O ye of little faith. Moses was (after a sort) forbidden to fasten upon God & his promises, & promised fair too, if he would let the Lord alone, & not press him on Israells' behalf with his words of truth, yet he will not cease or be set down, 
ver. 13.14  or said nay, but comes upon God with many a strong argument drawn from his own evidence, and doth not leave him, till he hath prevailed with him. And if he did this for others, (and that when God did seem to dissuade him) what would he have done for himself, where God did command him?  
Nehemiah, 
Neh. 1.5.10.  (whom we named in the former point) doth also most eagerly entitle himself, and the people to the ancient promises of God made long before, & is an earnest suitor to the Lord, to make that good upon them, which in his goodness he had many years agone promised to them.  
But of all other, and above all other, David doth exceed in this one thing, and may be the special pattern of all God's people in this practice, he was good at it indeed, as we might see in many Psalms, 
Psal. 119.  but if we survey but some particulars of that one, wherein he aboundeth, we shall see cause of wonder and admiration to see the odds between his faith, and the infidelity of God's people now adays. Let us see how he behave's himself. Sometimes, 
ver. 49.  he puts God in mind of his promises, [Remember thy promise made to thy servants wherein thou hast caused me to trust. Sometimes, he reveale's the comforting, 
ver. 50.  yea the quickening power of them, [it is my comfort in my trouble, for thy promise hath quickened me.] Sometimes he prays for them, and rests upon them, and doth (after a sort) challenge God of his promise. 
ver. 76.  [Let thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy promise.] Sometimes, he proclaims the sweetness of them to his taste (and that he could not if he had not taken them near) [oh how sweet unto me are thy words etc.] And lastly, 
ver. 103.  (not to be too tedious in instancing) he doth lay a downright claim unto them, as his own land entailed to him, and never to be taken from him [Thy testimonies have I claimed as mine heritage for ever, 
ver. 111.  for thy are the joy of my heart.] Thus doth good David bestir him herein, and goes before all God's people, whose commendation, and comfort it would assuredly be, to trace him in these steps.  
But we need not stand on particular persons, for we find that whole churches have done the same, in the days of their sorrows. So we read of the church [Have respect to thy covenant] and again [The Lord will not cast of his people, 
Psal. 74.20. Psal. 94.14. micah. 7.20.  nor forsake his inheritance] and yet again [Thou wilt perform thy truth to jacob, and thy mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworn to our forefathers of old.] In all these (and many the like, which we spare to urge), we see the saints carriage, and practise, whether we consider them apart or combined together into one body.  
And now is it a small thing that this threefold cord should be so lightly broken, wherewith the Lord would bind his people to this practice? shall himself, his law, and his holy ones, be all so slighted of us? Have we so many worthy jnducement to draw us on, and so many worthies that have gone before us, and shall we lie behind, and not once strive or stir that way, nay (which is yet worse) run a clean contrary course, and fly from our own comforts, to the fearful aishonour of God, and danger of our own souls through this desperate infidelity?  
Oh dear Christians, whereunto will this come? what shall we say unto you? 
●. Cor. 4.21.  how shall we entreat you? let us demand the apostles question, [shall we come among you with a rod or with the spirit of meekness] when we have to do with you for this fault? well, I know we must be wonderful wary, when we have to do with wounded consciences, we will not be too tart with the Lords tender lambs, but endeavour (since reprooffe must have place here) to mix reprehension and commiseration together, inasmuch as we have to do with afflicted souls, and humbled spirits which speak not according to the truth, in a settled resolution, but according to the distraction and terror of some present temptation, wherewith their adversary the devil doth so fiercely assault, and so furiously fight against them that they are not able to stand under his strokes, but faint and sink, because he is so violent and they so impotent; fain they would be better persuaded, and believe, & profess otherwise, if they could; but their enemy abounds with outrage, and they are void of courage, and hence it is he overules them, and having captivated the power of God's spirit in them (for the present) he makes them speak according to his own; & the truth is, that the people of God (in their perplexity) are the devil's parhots and by him made to utter that evil, which (many times) he knows not well, how to vent otherwise.  
Oh, that these poor souls (the true & most proper subjects of all good men's pity, and prayers) did but well know, and were throughly convinced, that it is not they that do it, but sin, yea Satan dwelling in them, & that the Lord will of his especial grace discharge them of it, and charge it (as well he may) upon him, who is both his adversary, and theirs.  
But the devil is so subtle in dealing with God's sorrowful saints, that he will be exceeding loath to be seen in this, or known of it, but rather lays it upon God, and provokes many a distracted saint (that is not himself), to surmise, that it is no small jmpiety against God to appropriate the promises. And the better to seduce them therein, he puts such pretences into their minds, and mouths, as they dream and jmagine to be of God; against whom they think they should fearfully offend, if they should claim these heavenly comforts to themselves. Which pretences of his, seeing they are the main impediments which hinder the happiness of God's people, let us take such knowledge of them, as may make them apparently known to be infernal, & therefore in no wise to be believed but always abborted. Among many other, two (to my observation) are most usual, & do prevail upon the faithful & so affright them that they dare not meddle, but do (in some sort forsake their own mercy. He suggesteth into the dejected souls of these afflicted saints to make their hearts the more fearful 

1. that the promises of God are not assigned to them by name, how then can they have any interest in them?  
2. that they are so unworthy of them, in regard of their wickedness, that they dare not own them or have any thing to do with them.    
These are the sear-crewes, the bugbears, wherewith he makes them to forbear, and put off all.  
But you that thus speak, according to temptation now speak according to truth, and shame the devil the father of lies, who suborne's these fruitless things against you, to rob you of the riches of Gods unspeakable grace: 
job. 28.2.  Spoke out I say, and tell me: Is not this to darken the truth of God by words without knowledge, which no man ought to do?]  
Is not this to disparage his truth and faithfulness, who is [Amen, 
Reu 1.2. Cor. 1.20.  the true & faithful witness]: & that faith that [all his promises are yea and Amen unto us] that we might be rooted in the assurance of them?  
Is not this to be beyond all God's bounds & to be besides ones self, in our spiritual estate, & being overcome of a mystical frenzy, to cast of all affiance in the Lord, 
job. 9.16. ●7.  speaking strongly in this distemper as job did, if I had called unto him, and he had answered me, yet would I not believe that he had harkened to my voice.]  
And shall we stand on that which (we see) will not bear us, but let us fall, nay, throw us down and make us fall? for so will these aforesaid pretences do.  
No, be it fare from us to do so. And that it may be so, let us come nearer, to a more strait and narrow inquisition touching them: which that we may the better do, we will set upon them severally, and so set them out before you, that we may show them, and you may see them, to be the base subornations of Satan, and by him bend to abuse God, and beguile you of your blessedness; and these two are all his only ends.  
For the first, which sti●ks so much with many, 
Pretence.  and whereat they stumble; to wit, that because they are not named they dare not intermeddle; they know not that they are meant, or may make bolae with that which is written, and wherein others are by name interessed: You tell us that you find these good words in God's book and do nothing doubt of the truth of them, no question but the Lord's mind was, that Abraham, David, and those other whose names are recorded with these comfortable sayings, should rejoice in them (and if their hearts did not leap at them they were too blame) seeing these consolations were directed personally to them: had they been so to us, we could have been happy, had we been the men, it had been our consolation also: but alas who are we to them? where are our name's to be found?  
But what a poor, and pitiful plea, this is, 
Evindeces against it.  how idle and empty of all good evidence to prove any thing either directly or by consequence (to this present point, or any other good purpose) will quickly appear, if we once come to look into it, and as we discover it, we shall see, there is nothing worth looking upon, in it.  
Only, here by the way, (before we set upon it) we may discern a subtlety of Satan whereby he doth notoriously abuse you, as once in another case (he did) diverse others. For when as there was some question made of Paul's doctrine; 
Act. 18.14.  Gallio told the jews that if their motion were a matter of weight and substance he would have harkened to them, but being but of words and names (as he thought) it was not worth the hearing. The truth was, that that matter was of more than words or names or such trivial stuff, even of the foundation jesus Christ, and the truth of the Gospel, but the devil deluded that Gallio, (as now he doth many a man) to think slightly of the great things of God: but here he doth contrary, for this which we have in hand, is but a question of words and names, and no more, and he strikes this jmpression deeply, as if all the happiness of a christian, and all the hope of heaven, lay upon it. Thus doubly deals the devil: to a wicked man the main truth of God shallbe a matter of no weight, and to a child of God that which hath no weight at all in it, shall overbear the main truth of God,  
But this by the way, to show how Satan befooles both sorts. I would all God's people were as wise in this, which is of no moment, as wicked Gallio was, in that which he thought to be so. And that they may be so we will now lay open the nakedness of this matter of names in particular, and that so clearly (I hope), that hereafter it shall not be so much as once named among christians, when they shall once see, the notable vanities, nay the notorious jmpieties, that will follow upon the pressing of it, to this purpose. And that they may be seen how sinful they are, we will set some of them down in order before you, whereof you shall do well seriously to consider, for you shall find them exceeding gross. 
1. Evidence confuted.   
First, it thwarteth, & manifestly overturneth Gods most wise and gracious manner of speaking by his spirit through out the scriptures in this point of the application of his heavenly truth. His course and order of speaking is this.  
When any divine truth of his is revealed, it is so uttered, as it may most plainly appear, that he did intend and mean the application of the matter and substance thereof (except in some personal circumstance) as well to every true Christian not named, as unto any to whom it was directly spoken, and particularly directed.  
And that this is an undeniable truth, may be made very evident, by many allegations both out of the old testament, and the new. In the old testament, such as speak by God's spirit spoke thus. David for one, applieth to himself, that which is common to all Christians, [It is written of me, 
Psal. 40.7.  that I should do thy will O God] where is this written more of David then of any other man? many things were spoken to him by name from God, but this was no more to him then to us, yet (you see) he assumeth and applieth it to himself as written to him, because he could not but know, that obedience to the will of God, did as directly appertain to him, and would be as exactly required of him, as of any other man. If this had been sent by name to him from God, he could have said no more than he doth, and thus much (you see) he saith, though no man's name be mentioned, because he knew that every man was meant.  
The people of God in another Psalm do the same as we may read (and it very good for us to note; 
Psal. 66.6. ) He turned the sea to dry land, they passed through the river on foot, th●re did we rejoice in him] mark, how the people of God speak here of a thing long since past, a mercy showed to their forefathers yet the benefit and favour is acknowledged to God and he magnified for it as if it had been done to themselves; the change of the person is worth observation; [they passed through &c: there did we rejoice]. Another like unto this we find in the prophet Hosea where that which is entreated off, is spoken personally of jacob (to wit, of his wrestling with God) but the people of God in that time, take it home and apply it unto themselves, so the words infer. 
Hos. 12.4.  [He had power over the Angel and prevailed, he wept and prayed: he found him in Bethel, there he spoke with us. The gracious, & consolatory words, given by Christ (called here the angel as being the angel, of the covenant) to jacob touching his prevailing with God, and God's benediction of him, are here said to be spoken to them, [there he spoke with us] they claim them, as if the Lord had blessed them, as he did him. Thus have God's people in the old testament done.  
And they in the new have done likewise, if we consider a few examples it will easily appear.  
Our Lord jesus Christ is clear in this case, when he doth apply those very words of God as spoken to the jews that then were, which were uttered to their progenitors many a year before [Have ye not read that which was spoken to you by God, 
mat. 22.31.32.  I am the God of Abrah●m, &c] see, he aske's them why they did not make use of this as spoken to themselves, 
Exod.  which yet by voice from God was said to Moses out of the midst of the bush that burned but consumed not. Have ye not read saith Christ)? as of he should say; it is your negligence that you have not, & if you have read, it is your ignorance that you know not, that thus you ought to apply the words of God, if you have read what was spoken to Moses (in this matter) and imagine that God meant it to no more but him, you err, it is an erroneous reading of God's word, and argue's we want knowledge when we make that peculiar, to anyone, which the Lord meant to all his own.  
And as Christ began, so have his Apostles followed in the same course: witness that we finde by Paul in those two places which (among many others) are excellent and very remarkable to this purpose, in his epistle to the Hebrews. First, in the twelft chapter [have yea forgotten the consolation, or exhortation, that speakch unto you as unto sons: my son despise not &c this exhortation, or consolation (call it whether you will) was given by Solomon, or by God to Solomon, in his time, as is to be seen in his Proverbes; 
Pro. 3.11  yet by the Apostle you may see it is said to be spoken to those Hebrews to whom he wrought at this time, which was not a few years after Solomon's days. As if the apostle should have said; though God might speak to Solomon as to his son, or Solomon from God in the singular number [my son] yet know, he meant this saying to more than Solomon or those that lived in Solomon's time; God intended to counsel and to comfort all his sons and daughters indefinitely to the end of the world, in whose days, or in what time or age soever, they should live.  
Secondly, in the next chapter (to wit the thirteenth) he hath another admirable application of a saying very sweet and exceeding comfortable, which was long before Solomon's days spoken to joshua, to hearten and encourage him to go about that great business of bringing the people of God into Cannaan (the land which was promised to them) & their for fathers which being a work very difficult and full of danger, the Lord to cheer him up, 
Iosh. 1.5.  and set him on, tell's him [he with with him, & that he will not faile nor forsake him,] but go with him, and stand by him. This very speech the Apostle would have these Hebrews to believe, as if it had been spoken to every one of them as particularly, 
Heb 13.5  as it was to joshua, and therefore saith [Let your conversation be without covetousness for it is written I will not fail thee nor forsake thee] and inferreth hereupon to them with himself. [So that we may boldly say &c] you as boldly as I, 
●ep. 6.  and I and you as boldly as joshua, may say, that the Lord is our helper, and that he will not fail us, nor forsake us, it is as true to all Christians as ever it was to him; we, as well as he, may build our comfort upon it, & be bold to claim our comfort from it.  
Nay, if we look upon the wicked & sinful Sadduces who were a most wicked and insolent sect, and did many times oppose Christ himself, and his Apostles after him, yet they had learned this truth (though it may be, but to serve their own turn, and to cavil withal) for when they came to wrangle with Christ about the resurrection, they could allege and pretend a law of Moses, written to the jews of old time, before ever the world saw any Sadduces, and this law is urged by them, as written to them; their words do show it [master Moses wrote unto us] what Moses wrote to the jews in general, 
Mark. 12.19.  can these heretical, and degenerated jews extend to themselves in particular. And this was not only done by them, but by the Pharises also, as appeareth in the many boasts they make, when the brag of their being of Abraham's lineage, and also of those many great previledges coming unto them thereby.  
Now seeing we have so many to witness this unto us, both out of the old testament, & out of the new, & not only the good, but the bad also, can do thus, and not stand upon any matter of being named, or not named; if God's manner of speaking be thus true, & as truly comfortable, to the successors of those saints to whom he spoke, as to themselves: why should not we give credit to God, & take comfort to ourselves in these promises of his (seeing we see by these testimonies) that we are as much interessed into them, as any that were ever named. It is nothing to be named or not named, in God's book to be intended by God himself, is all in all; and so are all saints I am sure: for in Christ neither jew nor Gentile, one nor other of the faithful is differenced, but what I say unto you (saith Christ) [I say unto all]. 
Mar. 13.37. Mat. 8.11.   
And aganie [many shall come from the east, and west, &c and sit down with Abraham, Jsaac, & Jacob, in the kingdom]: behold few are nominated many are meant, and they that are not nominated, are as sure of heaven as Abraham or Isaac, or jacob. 
Gal. 3.14.  And yet again That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles &c] lo, the Gentiles who are intended are sure of as good a blessing as Abraham who is named, you could have been no happier, if God had appeared to you as he did to Abraham, and blessed you as he did him, for his blessing shallbe yours. Oh that they which are so name-sick, could consider this, when they often sigh, & say within themselves, had I been in Abraham's state, had the Lord spoken to me, and blessed me, as he did him, I had been happy: why; you are as happy now (but for your conceit); God who tell's you the blessing of Abraham shall come on the Gentiles, doth therein assure you of as much happiness as ever he had, or you could have had, if you yourself had been Abraham.  
Now then, seeing this pretence doth pervert God's course of conveying comforts to his saints, and nullifyes his manner of speaking, to this purpose, let such as have desire of comfort, cease to plead it any more. And this is the first evil of this pretence.  
Secondly, Evidence. 2 it overturneth the gracious extent of God's blessed truth, and argueth that the Lord did mean, no more than he did name.  
A thing that never came into his heart, as being utterly false, and manifestly contrary to our own reason, and to the courses of common equity among men, in all civil passages whatsoever, as it were easy to instance in multitudes.  
Look we upon our own legal proceed and conveyances. In a band or obligation, some one party is named who owes the debt, and some one to whom it must be paid.  
In a man's last will and testament, legacies are bequeathed to some one, or few by name; but we all know that more are meant in both: the damage of the one if it be not paid, the advantage of the other if it be received, doth extend and redound to the heirs, excecutors, administrators, and the successors of these, to all generations, the children's children, and their children's children may rue the nonpayment of a band, and a man's posterity through many ages, may rejoice in the possession of such a portion of land or money, as may be bequeathed to them. Thousands may feel the good or evil fruit of that which some one or two are named unto: and the right of those who survive and succeed as heirs etc. to the parties who are either debtors or legaters, is every way the same, as theirs is, who were personally interessed there into.  
And the law of nations is as open, and the equity thereof as apparent, & justice may be claimed (in any case of clear equity) as well by any man's successors, as by a man's self, it being intended to all the subjects of a kingdom, and their posterity for ever.  
Now if this be the benefit of that right, which is coming unto us, and may be challenged by us, from the laws of men; let us consider wisely, what may accrue unto us by the law of the everliving God, who being justice itself, cannot make a law, which should be either at all , or in the least, less just than ours, nay we may conceive, yea we must believe, that his is jncomparebly beyond ours in all points of justice, as being the foundation of all true equity under heaven.  
And if we will but call this into careful consideration; it willbe most easy to us to apprehend that our right is undeniable and undoubted, and that by this law of God we may recover our comforts abundantly in jesus Christ, in whom all the faithful are made by grace, such as may boldly appropriate the truth of all God's goodness to themselves.  
Are not all the people of God heirs, even heirs of all his most precious promises? I am sure they are so called more than once, or twice by the apostle in diverse of his epistles. To the Romans. 
Ro. 9.8.  [the children of Promise are counted for the seed,] to the Galathians [now we are children of promise, 
Gal. 4.28. Gal. 3.29.  as Isaac was] and again in the same Epistle ye are Abraham's seed & heirs according to promise] & in his epistle to the Hebrews he doth both affirm it, and itterate it [God being willing to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise] And in another chapter they are so called again. 
Meb. 6.17 Cap. 11.9.   
Are not the promises of God the inheritance (as was noted before) of his people. 
Psal. 119.111.  David did so account them [Thy promises have I claimed as mine heritage for ever, for they are the joy of my heart.] And God by his prophet would have all his people to repute them so, for in the conclusion of that chapter which is a very treasury of most sweet consolations, this is added as the seal of them all, to all that are the Lords [This is the heritage of the Lords servants etc.] Thus it is clear that we are heirs of the promises, and that the promises are our inheritance. 
Note.  And by the way, this one thing we may note as a most comfortable difference between God and men in this case, that whereas some one child, (the eldest) is the heir, and carrye's away the inheritance, & the rest have but petty portions; we are to know for our joy, that all the Lords children are heirs, yea coheirs and that not only with one another, but with jesus Christ, and that not alone of the promises, 
Ro. 8.17.  but of the glory promised? So saith the holy Ghost. [If we be children we are heirs, even coheirs with jesus Christ etc.]  
Again as the scripture doth call us heirs, so, doth it also account us as the executors, 
joh. 17.10  successors,. and assigns of the promises aforesaid: what saith Christ? [I pray not for these alone, but for all that shall believe.] What saith Peter? 
Act. 2.39.  [For the promises are made to you and to your seed, and to as many as God shall call.] Are not these (and many more such sayings in the scriptures) sufficient assignments to secure and satisfy the souls of God's saints in the sweetness of this truth? to say they be not, is to blame God; and if they be, how much too blame are we, not to make our use of them?  
Were it not a silly and a shameful thing for any to come in open court, (being summoned thither to receive his debt, or his legacy) and to refuse to have any thing to do with either, upon this jdle allegation; saying, my name is not in this band, or in this will, I know not whether I may safely meddle with this money or Noah. Surely if any one should be found that were thus simple and absurd, every one would pass sentence on him, and say he were worthy to be begged, for a fool, that would thus foolishly refuse his own right, and benefit, which is as absolutely his, who is an heir, excecutor, or assign of him who is named, as if himself were also named.  
Now if in man's court this were a ridiculous plea and such as was hardly ever heard off, how may we think God will take it at our hands, when we thus weakly take part with Satan, against his glory and our own good, & cast off our propriety in the things pertainig to both, upon this simple, and sinful shift, which he sugesteth, whereby he cunningly mak'es us rob both God and our own souls; God of the honour of his love & favour; our own souls of the most worthy comforts and advantages, & those most gracious legacies which are given and assigned to us, by the last will and testament of the Lord jesus.  
Nay, let this spiritual sillynes be so fare from us, that we rather do as worldly men do in these cases; who when they have hope of any such temporal advantage, do all they can to prove themselves to be the parties to whom it appertaineth, labouring by all might and main to make it appear, that they are the heirs or legators in such a case, that so the commodity may come to them: sparing no pains, no expense, to search the king's rolls, the church regiesters, and all kind of written evidences, by any of which, it may in the least appear, that they are the men who must enjoy this money, or legacy.  
This should be our course, it would become us well to do thus, why should not we in this manner bestir ourselves to make good these good things to us? especially whenas it is a matter so easy for a man to prove himself the heir of promise, the son or daughter of Abraham, and that as truly (in regard of all good things from God) as Isaac was, as was noted even now to wit, 
Gal. 3.9.  by our faith [So than they which be of the Faith of Abraham are blessed with faithful Abraham] and blessed as children of Abraham as is plainly avouched and notified before, 
ver. 7.  [know ye that they that are of Faith are the children of Abraham]. Know ye, or be it known to you (saith the holy Ghost) that thus it is. Go then, and inquire after this one evidence, (which being received in any true measure from God) gives you as absolute assurance of all good, as ever Abraham had. If you have his faith you have his right, to all comforts both here, and in heaven. I say if you have his Faith, I say not so much faith, but such faith, as he had; a man is sufficiently proved to be the lawful heir of his father though he come short of the extent, and measure of many things his father had. Our faith, (even the least measure given us in the soundness and truth thereof), doth avouch us not only the children of Abraham but of God too, 
Gael. 3.19.  as the apostle addeth [we are all the sons of God by faith in jesus Christ].  
Let us not then thus fondly pretend any thing against ourselves, but give our hearts sound to contend for that which may bring true benefit unto us. To be the successors of the saints in grace and holiness, is as good as to be named. Christ argue's the jews (because they granted themselves the children of them that slew the Prophets) to be guilty of the blood of the Prophets, and laye's it upon them in these terms [That upon you may come all the blood which was shed from the blood of righteous Abel, to the blood of Zacharias etc. whom ye slew etc.] Now the same evidence that may convince a wicked man, may comfort a child of God, to wit, that he is a child, a successor in grace to the saints, as they were in sin to those bloody persecutors. And this is our second evidence against this pretence.  
Thirdly, this pretence of being named, Evidence. 3 overturneth all truth of scripture now, and tieth it wholly, and only, to the persons then living, and there named, as if it were then true to them, but neither now, nor then, to any body else.  
If this point of being named be so material as these who thus urge it do make it, than it was good scripture, and God's truth to them, but it must needs dye with them, & become a dead letter to us that now live.  
And would not this inference be monstrous, & unspeakably blasphemous that we (that are Gods children) should devise arguments against God's word, the jmmutability whereof is so often avouched every where, that heaven & earth must pass before one jot or title may fall thereof: & yet with one breath we will make it all void as a thing of naught, & (by our argumentation) conclude that now it stands for a cipher, rather them for any scripture.  
what need the devil more advantage, he hath now enough to work the utter subversion of all religion, seeing (out of the mouths of religions persons) he can gather conclusions to prove the scripture (which is the ground of religion) not to be (as once it was) of any power authority, force, and virtue but rather like some ban● that is canceled, some lease or deed expired, making God's truth as momentany, fading and mortal, as the men were to whom it was spoken, whereas we are to know, that God speaks contrarily, that albeit, [all flest be grass, yet the word of the Lord endureth for ever as being like the Lord himself who spoke it, eternal and unchangeable.  
If we shut not this out, all atheism willbe let in, this is an open gap to all ungodliness, for, if none have right in the scriptures but they that are named, there is now no book of God, no revealed will of his, no scripture, no rules of any religion extant: the life of all is tied to the length of their days to whom it was spoken, and so they being dead his truth is deceased with them and hath no more power to help us then a dead man hath to help himself. And thus every godless wretch may now lift up his head & triumph, that there is no curb for his corruption, no bridle for his rebellion, he hath what he would have; seeing these precise fools which make such a do, about religion, have (now when they have done all) undone all religion, and taught them a trick to cast off all that is revealed against their jmpietyes: because they are not named, they need neither fear nor care for any thing, that is either forbidden or commanded.  
Nay, (which is yet more; and more hellish) by this reason of those that in this particular are thus unreasonable, the Lord must make as many Bibles as there be ages and generations of men, and put in all the names of all men both good and bad too, if he make account to be believed or obeyed. We must expect new editions of the scripture daily, wherein every one may read his own part and know it to be his own by his proper name annexed thereunto. Yea long before our days, even in all the ages of the old and new testament, should many Bible's have been extant, besides that one, which concerned but a few Patriarcks' Prophets, and Apostles, whereas the multitude of believers was very great besides these, we may safely think the Lord had many people, beside these principal and extraordinary persons, who were especially spoken to.  
Now then, seeing the Lord in his wisdom never saw it meet to pen, and publish more than one Bible, & that no people of God, in any time or state of the church did, or could ever challenge more, how gross & egregiously sinful, & senseless are these, who utter that, which if (in this particular of names whereof we now speak) it might be justified, must condemn all God's people of folly, and God himself of injury. God must be  to withhold his will, they must be unwise, not to call for that which they might as well know, did concern themselves as Abraham, David, or any other, whose name is so often mentioned and recorded in this. Inasmuch then, as God himself remayne's only wise without doing this, and his people of all ages were wise in not desiring any such thing: cease we from this infernal infatuation, which proclaims our folly, and infidelity to be of a deeper strain, than any age hath ever seen. Let us be sorrowful for what is past, and silent for hereafter, and know that the truth of the scripture stands not upon men's names, but upon Gods own nature, who for his own names sake, (though our names be not there) will fulfil it unto us in every tittle of that saving truth, which by faith we can apprehend. And this is our third evidence against this pretence.  
Fourthly: Evidence. 4 this conceit of names concludes all the comfort of a Christian to depend upon his nameing whereas (intruth) that of itself can evince no comfort at all: and thereof we may be soon persuaded, if we consider these two things.  

1. that, many are named, who are never comforted in God's book.  
2. that, the only comfort of a child of God is to have his name written in another book to wit, that book of life.   
For the first, he knows nothing as he ought to know, who knoweth not, that many are named in the bible for evil, not for good, nay it had been good for them (in some sort) that they had, had no names recorded there. As Cain, Saul, Ahitophell, judas, with many others who are so fare from being comforted by their names registered, that they are shamed, branded, & have their names left for everlasting reproach and infamy, that all ages and generations of men to the world's end, might know what monstrous hypocrttes they were on earth, what miserable reprobates they are in hell.  
For the second, who knoweth not; that the true joy & comfort of a christian cannot consist at all in being named in God's book, for even many of his holy ones are also marked with a black coal for some sailings whereby they are blemished to this day: but that which may joy them indeed, is the assurance of their names being written in the book of life, many may have names in the Bible, who have none in that book, but whosoever hath his name written there, is sure of all comforts that are revealed and promised here. Hence it was that our saviour gave that Item to his disciples who returning from the excecution of their commission, were almost overjoyed with the happy success they found, and came to Christ with most glad hearts, [Master, 
Luk 10 9  even the devils are subdued to us] well says he, that is some matter to joy in, you may be glad of that, but if you would joy in that which is indeed a sound cause of rejoicing, as being such wherein none but Gods elect have any part, 
ver. 20.  [Rejoice (saith he) in this, that your names are written in the book of life] in the other, reprobates may rejoice as well as you, but in this they have no portion, it is your only, and your all-sufficient cause of rejoicing. And the consolation of being written in this celestial register, is both peculiar only to true christians, and common to all; none but the faithful can have it, and none of the faithful but have it.  
So saith the spirit, [they that overcome, 
Ren. 3.5.  their names are written, and shall not be blotted out of the lambs book of life,] 
cap. 20.15.  and [every one wohse name was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone] but [they whose names were found there, might enter into that holy, 
cap. 21.27.  and most glorious city.]  
So then we see plainly, by these particulars, that these two things will follow, to wit, 1. that a man may have his name written in the Bible, & yet not in heaven, as many hypocrites and reprobates have; and. 2. that a man may not have his name here, yet written in heaven as millions of the elect have. And if these two propositions be true and unreprovable (as we see they are) what validity can be found in these fond conceits of ours? what consequence of comfort or discomfort is is to any man whether he be named in this book of God or no? Let us surcease to mention this which cannot profsit us, and make sure of the other, which is such a sure evidence of our salvation. And this is our fourth evidence against this pretence.  
Fiftly, Evidence. 5 this allegation of names is popish, & doth confirm the papists in their error of denying the ceartainety of the salvation of the elect; and when they argue against the truth of God herein, they urge this very thing; where (say they) is it written that I such a one, or such a one by name John, Thomas, Mary, Martha, or any man or woman, shallbe saved. This is their language up and down, and shall the people of God speak it? shall Satan make christians to speak as antichrist doth? God for bid.  
It were a most easy matter to make them a full answer & quit them with like questions in other cases: where is it written that any man by name hall rise at the last day; is it not therefore sure that they shall, because they are not named? by this reason all papists must be notorious heretics as some of their holy fathers have been, who have showed themselves damned hell hounds in denying as evident truth as this. Again I would fain know of any papists whether no more shallbe believed of any man than that which is written of him by name; if not, than no man hath any thing at all to believe now, because no man that now lives hath his name in the scripture; if yea, then why may not this truth of the assurance of salvation be believed of the faithful, as well as any other wherein they are no more named then in this?  
But our purpose is not to refute them now, but to reprove you, who confirm and harden them in this their falsehood & heresy by the like allegations of the same things for yourselves. The devil is equally subtle to seduce you both, to withhold the truth of God in unrighteousness, and to turn it into a lie, by suggesting this pretence of names into your minds and mouths. Do but think what dishonour the Lord hath, what disadvantage his truth hath hereby, that his adversaries who speak so blasphemously, can allege, that they speak no other than his own children do (even the sincerest of them) who live, and look to their ways most exactly.  
Thus Satan makes you ignorant papists unawares, and makes them jmpudent papists through your ignorance herein. And shall we support that (popery) which we hate? And this is our fifth Evidence against this pretence.  
The sixth and last is, Evidence. 6 that this allegation doth also abett profanes as well as popery. It is the manner of the most impious and ignorant persons that live, to throw out these or the like interrogatoryes unto us, and that in a scornful and unsavoury manner. When we have convinced them of their sin, and Gods curse due thereunto, and that so plainly by the power and evidence of the scripture, that there is no denial or evasion to be made, but that such a sin, and such a sinner must be accursed; then as their last refuse, in defence of the sin, & defiance of the reprooffe due unto it, they fly to this [where is this or that written of you or of me, or of any man particularly?] show us that by all your divinity if you can, & so with this accursed enquiry they insult against God, his truth, his ministers, and make themselves wholly incapable of reformation going on, in all ungodliness with a high hand, and a hellish heart, because (forsooth) we cannot show their names entitled to the justice of God, and that the arrows of his vengeance are shot at them personally.  
And this, they either do, or may say, they have learned of these pure and scrupulous persons, who made a marvellous show they would (in no wise) sin against God, yet are too well known to allege the same sinful excuse for themselves. And hath any christian a heart to utter that, which hath so much evil in it, and no good at all? shall any who fear the Lord unfeignedly, hearten proqhane persons, and strengthen their hands against him, and his word, who cast of the care of both so desperately? And this is our sixth and last evidence against this first pretence.  
I might prosecute this particular much more plentifully, but I will not, hoping that, that which is said will hunt it out of their hearts, who see the sin and jmpiety of it, which thus fare we have endeavoured to discover, that we might once learn, for ever to abandon and abhor to speak after Satan. If in the laying out of this, any have thought me too long, let him know, that the evil is exceeding gross, and hath (you see) so much jmpiety in it, that too much cannot be spoken against it. The Lord and his sacred truth, and his poor saints are the loser's by it; the devil, the pope and the profane, they gain abundantly, all take their advantage● against God, from the mouths of his own people, the inferences and consequences of whose pretence in this thing do produce in finite evils, as you have heard in the particulars above mentioned, whereunto we will add no more now, but proceed to the examination of that which they further pretend, in the second place.  
And that is their unworthiness of the promises, Pretence. 2 and favours of God promised. Oh, say they (when we press them to apply the good words of God) we are no way worthy of these comforts and kindnesses and therefore may not imagine them to be ours.  
Well, be it granted, we will most willingly yield it, that you are not (nor cannot be in yourself) worthy, nothing is more true, it were extreme pride, and unspeakable presumption for any man to conceit, there were any worth in him at all, by which he might merit, or make claim to the least comfort he can receive. But what of all this? what follows hence? or what is it you would conclude here upon? Is this it, that you have no worthiness, therefore you can have no comfort, you have no desert, therefore you have no right, to the favours of God? Know then, that these inferences are as injurious to God, & as offensive before him, as the former were in your first pretence, which we have fully frustrated.  
That you are not worthy is undeniable, but that therefore you may not meddle is damnable: 
Evidences against it.  the antecedent is Gods, the consequent is the devils, who draws evil out of good, as God doth good out of evil. And dare you yoke God's true propositions, & the devil's false conclusions, together? It seems you dare, because you do; but because we are persuaded that your dar●ing and doing (& the impiety of both) do proceed from Satan's vehement temptation, working (as in the former) upon your ignorance; infidenlity, and want of informatten; we will therefore do our best to instruct you herein, and unsolde the fearful consequences of this corrupt conceit, that you may see, and resist them, for if you well advise concerning them, it will manisestly appear, that the evil of this second pretence is no whit inferior, to that which we have detected in the first.  
To begin then, Evidence. 1 our first evidence against this second pretence is, the contradiction it hath with the other, for if there be any strength in this, there is none in that which went before, and if that be sound, this is sight. For why? what availeth it for one to have his name in God's book, and himself to be directly spoken too, if he be not worthy of any thing promised to him; and if a man be worthy, then (by this reasoning) his nameing, or not nameing, is a matter of nothing. Thus these two Satanical conceits do cut one another's throats, any man may jmagine they are not of God, I ceause they agree not with one another, it is for the father of lies thus to confute, yea confounded himself in that which he suggesteth. The God of truth never speaks any thing which will not well consert with itself, there is a heavenly harmony in all that the God of heaven says: But the devil (being himself a destroyer) suborne's that which will both destroy itself, and us, & yet we are so unwise as not to know it.  
But let us note it more narrowly now, & take good notice of in this pretence compared with the former.  
That which was urged before did (as we have showed) nullify God's truth to all except such as were named, this which is pretended now, doth make their title void too; before you thought Abraham, David, etc. happy men, for being named they might apply the promises; now unless they were worthy their nameing doth not help; so that, what the first pretence did leave but to few, this second doth take from all, and now no Patriarch, Prophet, or Apostle, is in better case (by this allegation) than one of us; for unless they have worth in them, they can have no warrant to apply the comforts of God so that now (even these holy men) are as far to seek of their consolation (for want of worthiness) as we were for want of names.  
That the best of them was not worthy, I think you believe, & it is evident they were not, by their own acknowledgement, they that have had most grace from God have been most abased in their own eyes, and have ever disclaimed with all deadly detestation and defiance, the entertainment of any such proud conceits.  
The man we have so often named, and of whom our text doth entreat, even jacob who here doth (as you see) so comfortably entitle himself unto these promises of God, and so powerfully apply them; he in the next verse to our text renounceth all worthiness and freely confesseth, he is less (in worthiness) than the least of all God's mercies, not worthy of any one, Noah not of the least of any of them; and surely all the servants of jacob's God are of the same mind. Yet you see, he (& many more whom we have notified) did take home the truth of God with warrant enough from God though they found no worthiness thereof in themselves.  
Now then, seeing (you see) whereunto this comes that what is pleaded in this, doth devour and make void what was urged in the other, and that these two cannot by any means agree with one another, you have good reason to agree to neither, but notwithstanding we have neither names in God's book, nor worthiness in ourselves, let us apply the promises of God's love & savour to our souls; for they do not depend upon any such things as these: No child of God ever had any worthiness, yet every one hath had the interest and benefit of his blessed promises. This is our first evidence against this second pretence.  
Secondly, Evidence. 2 it doth set up and advance our own thoughts of ourselves, above and beyond God's thoughts of us, as if what we apprehended of ourselves were all in all, & what the Lord thought of us were nothing at all: whereas the truth is, that it must go with us, and be with us, according as our God is minded towards us. All the hope and happiness, and all the sear and misery of a man, doth wholly consist in that which God conceiveth of him. His good opinion of us, doth assure us to be in a good (nay a most excellent) condition; but it is woeful with the man of whom the Lord thinks ill: he is indeed in a hard case, of whom he hath a hard conceit.  
If our own conceits of our own estates might rule the roost, and bear all before it, what sure ground of any safety could we have in any thing, being subject to such gross aberration in all our apprehensions; for, through the force of temptation we are diversely (and for the must part erroneously) opinionated of ourselves, sometimes too presumptuously, as David [when he thought he should never have been moved:] 
Psal. 3 v. 6 jon. 2.4.  sometimes to dejectedly, as jonas [when he gave himself quite over for a cast away] our ignorance and Satan's malice, working with it, makes us many times proud and preposterous, many times slavish & 〈◊〉- base, ever amiss, never in the right, for our own estates: therefore there is nothing to be gathered from this false ground of what we imagine, seeing the Lord (who knows our thoughts long before they come into our hearts) hath told us that the imaginations of our hearts are evil continually. 
Gen. 6.5.   
Nay, (which is yet more) we may not measure our future estate, (in this manner) upon those good and warrantable thoughts we have of ourselves; as when God commandeth, and his spirit enlighteneth us to see our unworthiness, and to think meanly of ourselves as we ought to do in regard of our sins desert, we may not hence collect any such conclusion as we would here infer.  
For the devil doth abuse us by double pollieye, both in causing us (many times) to miss the true apprehension of our estate, and if at any time the spirit of God lead us into a true understanding of the same, he perverts the consequence thereof, and makes that false. We being then so subject to this twofold miscarriage, either of false opinion, or false conclusion (by him suggested (upon our true persuasion,) let it be fare from us, to frame or enforce any thing concerning our final condition, upon what we think for the present. God never built any thing at all that belongs either to our present state of grace, or our eternal state of glory upon this hay, stubble, & chaff of our apprehensions.  
It is the Lords, approbation, or disallowance which all the world must stick to; for by it, all men either stand or fall, sink or swim, live or dye are condemned or justified for ever. Our right and part in himself and all his promises lies hereupon. He cannot err or be misguided touching us, being the most righteous judge both of Angels and men, the elect and reprobate of both, as he says all is, and so it must be for ever and ever. 
Isa. 55.8.   
Hence it is that the Lord sends the jews word that [his thoughts are not as their thoughts] as if he should say, it matters not what you think; what I think, is the thing you must depend upon: 
ver. 9  and that he explanes unto them in the very next verse, where he affirmeth his thoughts to exceed theirs [as fare as the heavens sur pass the earth,] which are every way much more high and excellent.  
What then, though you think yourself unworthy? if the Lord think you worthy it is well enough, you are bound to the one, he is free to the other, though it be your duty to account meanly of yourself, yet it is his mercy to accept you as worthy of his best favours, and your estate must be conceived of, according to his, not your own estimate. So God relleth his people by his prophet jeremiah. 
jer. 29.11  [I know the thoughts that I have thought concerning you (saith the Lord) thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you and expected end] joe according to his thoughts so is it unto us, by his thinking thus of us, we attain an expected end. Indeed to be but meanly conceited of ourselves, is no other than we ought to be, and if we could think ill of ourselves without any further such ill consequence concluded thereupon, it were well with us, and a sure sign that God thought well of us, as we might instance in many particulars upon whom it hath well appeared, that God's thoughts of them have not been as their own have been. 
job 40.4. cap. 42.6.7.8. Jer. 31.18.19.20.  job thought himself vile, but God accounted preciously of him as he that readeth may see. ephraim blamed himself exceedingly, and laid much to his own charge; God acquitted him, yea commended, and comforted him abundantly.  
And the same might we say of many more but one shall serve for all, and that is Paul, who laye's out himself at large in regard of that wickedness which made him utterly unworthy of any mercy, but most worthy of God's greatest vengeance and sury. He doth freely confess his foul offences passed, his blasphemy against God, his tyranny against his saints, etc. And in regard of these we may conceive that he thought himself for ever utterly unworthy to intermeddle in that holy ministration of the Apostleship, and much less worthy of any interest in God's kingdom of glory, but did he thence (as you do) conclude that he should never receive any consolation because he was unworthy; No, but the clear contrary, he measured his estate not by his own estimation of himself, but by the Lord's approbation of him: 
1. Tim. 1.12.13.  mark his words [And I thank our Lord jesus Christ who enabled me; for he counted me faithful, and put me into his service.]  
Consider well the power of this truth in this holy Apostle, there was good reason he should judge himself unworthy, yet no reason, that he should (therefore) esteem himself incapable of God's favour, he settle's his soul and rests his heart as upon a rock, on that which the God of heaven did conceive of him, and as God did account of him so was he comforted in himself.  
All the thoughts of his own worthlessnes could not debar his blessedness, but Gods accounting of him worthy, made him blessed. And this is our second evidence against this pretence.  
Thirdly, Evidence. 3 this pretence intimates that our unworthiness is the only bar of our interest and benefit in God's promises, and so consequently that our worthiness is our evidence to claim them by; and neither of these, have either any truth, or true comfort in them, but much presumption is in the one, and foul falsehood in both.  
For why? it is more than manifest that the Lord never meant to found his favours upon any such ground in us, but only and merely, upon his own free grace, love, and faithfulness, that in these he might be magnisied of us.  
Do we not understand thus much plainly, by that which the Lord saith, when he puts the case with David and his posterity (including & intending all his children with them in their generations) that suppose, 
Psal, 89.  or admit that on their part, all might be ill, in regard of their rebellion and unfaithfulness against him, and that he, or his, should break his law, neglect his love, forget his statutes, fail in much good, fall into much evil, &c. yet for all this, (saith the Lord) I will not fail or forget, or neglect him, or them, well I may scourge them, and make them smart for their desobedience, but my faithfulness shall remain, my covenant shall not be broken, I will not alter the word that is gone out of my lips etc. with very much more there added and enlarged by the Lord, of purpose to confirm this truth, that he willbe glorified in the fruit of his own grace, without any worth of ours at all, that he may be honoured of us in his most worthy excellency, of compassion and favour so freely, and so fully cast upon us. But this we spoke of before.  
And so we did of the poor prodigal too, who could not discern any worth in himself, but saw and was convinced of his base and most unworthy estate, yet resolves not to let go, or give over, but to rise and go to his father with all expedition, in hope to find some favour and compassion and to say to him, [I am not worthy to be called thy son] Loe, he was so fare from building any thing upon his worthiness, or to cast himself down by want thereof, that he will plead he is not worthy, even then, when he hopes of acceptation and entertainment. And of this we also spoke in our former point, & therefore spare to urge it more largely now.  
It is the faith fullness of God, not the worthiness of man, that is the evidence of any good unto us, and that is every where pressed by the Apostle upon God's people He is faithful who hath promised] God is faith full who will stablieh you] and the like in many places; but one, above all I com unto your consideration, 
2. Tim. 2.13.  to wit that, to Timothy [Though we believe not, yet he abideth faith full, he cannot deny himself] note hear, how the Apostle pleadeth God's faithfulness, against our failing and unfaithfulness, and would have us know, that though on our part there should be want of faith, yet on his there neither is, nor can be any want of faithfulness, [Though we believe not] that is, not as we would, not as we should, though our graces want weight and measure, yet his grace is the same, to wit, infinite and above measure: the meaning is not though we had no faith at all, or did not at all believe, for than might pagans' & infidels flesh themselves, and gather heart here; no the Lord never made them any such promise, nor spoke any word (in his whole book) to joy them in the least, but only to his own, who having got a grain of faith do believe, yet wanting much more than they have, do not believe as they would or should, and to those the Apostle saith, let them be of good cheer, and know, that though much want be in them, there is infinite fullness in God, he abideth faithful, he aboundeth in faithfulness, and it is as sure that his children shall find and acknowledge it, to their comfort, as it is ceartaine; that God [cannot deny himself] which clause as it confirmeth his favour fully to his own, so doth it clearly exclude all jmpious persons who believe not at all, for unto these cannot God deny himself (in this sense) because he never acknowledged them, or made any promise of grace unto them. So that (we now see) our want, will not make God wanting to us, he props up our hearts, and applies our happiness from the faithfulness he hath, not from the worthiness we have.  
Besides, we may further see, what a silly plea this matter of unworthiness is, whenas they who allege it to this end, do make the favour and love of God fare inferior to man's. It is not ordinary with men that die, to bequeath money, to give legacies, and to cast kindnesses upon very abject, and unworthy persons, nay, not only upon the poor who have no worth in them to challenge it by, but it may be, upon malefactors in goals and prisons, who have much wickedness, and vileness in them, and are so fare from being worthy of any thing, that they are most unworthy of every thing, and deserve punishment rather than relief, justice rather than kindness. Yet is it usual with men to consider the state, and supply the want, even of these persons  
And were any of them, or any other, so simple in this (as you are sinful in the other) to cast off, refuse, and reject all, because they were not worthy of that which was given, and to deny the receipt because they had no desert? sure I think no age can yield an instance of any such egregious folly: that any one of these was ever heard to say, I am not worthy of this legacy, therefore I dare have nothing to do with it.  
And shall we (as by this our allegation we do) make our God less loving, less liberal than man? shall they give to infants, who could deserve nothing, to poor men, who have deserved nothing, to vile persons who have deserved no such thing? and shall the Lords hand be shorter than ours? Again shall all these accept and take home what is given them, and not urge any thing of their own to deprive themselves of it? & shall we offer that to God which was never offered by any to men? and be more fools and jdiotts for our souls then ever any were for their bodies? what shame, what sin, were this to us before God, and men? How jdely do we extol the love of God to be in conceivably infinite in words, whenas in deeds we deny it, and make the world think, it comes short of that which may be found in men, yea in such men, (it may be) as were never beloved of God, for even many wicked men are (in their generation) thus kind, to those in whom no worthiness can be found. The jujury and dishonour of God is not a little herein, the Lord will look you should do him right (as you have thus heinous wronged him) by repentance for what is past, and reformation hearafter, that now you leave urging your own unworthiness (to any such end as this) and never leave lauding his goodness, and proclaiming his favour all your days. If you will (as indeed you ought) to discover your own want of worth to the full, do it but beware of eclypsing his worthiness by it. Nay you must be so fare from that, that you must endeavour rather that his worthiness may shine more clearly, through your baseness. Throughout the scriptures the greatest glass and glory, of God's infinite goodness to us, hath been our want of worth to receive it from him. Let this then, carry us to him whose bounty is so great to those, that have not any thing of their own to claim it by. Poor, and unworthy persons do flock to the doors and swarm about the habitations of those that are known to be open-harted, and of a liberal mind and hand. Let us do in like manner: Go we also to our God, whose heart is loving and whose hand is free, giving the best things in most abundant manner and upbraiding no man with any thing. 
Jam. 1.5.  And as these poor and needy people, do not question, what is, or what is not, in themselves, neither let us, but run we to him, and receive we of him, what he of his own grace shall please to cast upon us, without any consideration of any thing at all in us.  
As for the consiquence of this our unworthiness which doth (as it is thus pleaded) avoidable imply that our worthiness is the thing by which we may challenge the application, & possession, of God's faithful promises; I say nothing but this one thing, (which I which all that fear the Lord wisely to consider) namely, that as I know from their souls they hate to think of any merit of their own, knowing it to be a thing the Lord doth abhor; so withal that they would seriously take notice of this notortus subtlety in Satan, and simplicity in themselves, that he can, and doth abuse them with such suggestions as do necessarily draw in those conclusions, which are loathed of God, and detested by them. In time of temptation they are not their own men, but easily deluded with such conceits, as seem to savour of marveilous humility, whereunto when they give place they stand (by direct and undeniable consequence) guilty of monstrous spiritual pride and much other jmptety.  
These snares of the devil they are taken in, before they be ware, or know where they are, and being once toiled and entangled in them, it is no small trouble to themselves, and to the messengers of God to get them out, because this their adversary love's to hold his advantage, and to grate upon them with that impiety in the consequent, whereof they never once dreamt in the antecedent, as (I dare say) in this particular, that will follow from that their tongue utters, which their heart abhors: let us not follow our enemy then, who is so mischievous, but run, uncessantly after our good God, for he is abundantly gracious. And this is our 3. Evidence against this second pretence.  
Fourthly, Evidence. 4 let us proceed one step further to see how wide of all good, this way will lead us if we trace and follow the temptor herein.  
If we may not apply or partake of that whereof we are not worthy, but shun, and decline the same, how woeful and unhappy had we all been, if he should have pleaded this for himself, who was the undertaker with God, for all the evil due to the elect.  
If our Lord jesus Christ had urged his father with this, when he was to undergo all evil for us, as now we do, when we are to taste of the goodness of God for ourselves, where had we been? what had been our case? no man can deny but he might as justly, and truly, have avouched that he was unworthy of any evil, as the worst of us is of any good; he did no more deserve his father's indignation which he had through us, than we can the multitude of those compassions, which we have through him.  
Now if he should have cast off all upon this plea, and urged God his father with his innocenty, holiness, and all those other excellencyes which did abound in him; and further, that as he did abound in all good, so he did never offend his father in any evil, and that (in both regards) he was unworthily afflicted: 
Ezek. 28.4.  and so claimed the equity of the law, that [the soul that sinned should die,] and he being no way worthy of any evil should escape all. Where should we have appeared? had we been ever able to stand before the face of God? or to hold up our heads, with any hope of a happy estate?  
But we see our saviour, (notwithstanding he might well say, he was worthy of none of all that evil which was inflicted upon him,) yet he applieth and taketh home to himself, all that truth of God which (to this end) the prophetts had so plentifully foretold of him. Among many other evidences hereof, we may take notice of that one, which is related to be done by himself to those two who went to Emaus, 
〈◊〉. 24.27.  [he began at Moses, and all the Prophets and expounded unto them, in all the scriptures, the things that did concern himself, 
ver. 44. ] and again [These are the words which I said unto you &c, that all things must be fulfilled which were written of me, in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms.] Was not here a worthy pattern of application of all that God had reveiled of him, who (in himself) was utterly unworthy to taste one drop of that bitter cup, the whole whereof, in all the venom dregs, & lees, he drunk up for us. Now if the Lord jesus would, and did apply (though he deserved none) all the evil that was foretold concerning him throughout the scriptures, should not we do the like for all our good? shall we (who would be christians) so grossly degenerate from jesus Christ? Nay rather let us go search the scriptures too, and diligently persuse, the law, the prophets, and the gospel also, and whatsoever is written in any of them for our comfort and peace, let us apply it.  
If Christ had not done it in his particular, it had been woe with us: if we do it in our own, it cannot but be well with us, for why? Note. (as we are in Christ) there is nothing written but it is happy to us, whereof we may be soon persuaded if we remember, that all the evil was (on our behalf) applied to him, all the good remains (for his sake) to be made good to us; besides the holy ghost assures us that [whatsoever is written, 
Ro. 15.4.  is written that we through patience, &c might have comfort and hope in the seriptures] whatsoever is not comfortable Christ hath taken it, whatsoever is, he hath left for us to take to ourselves. And this is our. 4. and last evidence against this second pretence,  
And thus we have encountered these two principal jmpediments, which hinder the application of Gods most heavenly promises unto us; not, that there are no more to be spoken against, or that, we could speak no more against these: but we intended the discovery of these only as being the main; and thus much only against them, as the most notorious things wherein they offend against God that make any use, or allegation of them.  
What remaineth now, but that all that love the Lord, & desire to be beloved of him, should put on all constant resolution, & contend stoutly against all temptation, giving no place to the devil or any instigation of his, touching the application of the truth of God.  
Let it not grieve us a little, that we have given see much ear to him already, and that the Lord hath been so slenderly believed of us. Our infidelity hath done the Lord wonderful dishonour, we have ill showed ourselves children of such a father, whenas like froward infants we have refused the sweetness he hath provided for us, and even put into our mouths.  
We must sound repent of this refractory carriage, or else we may live, to cry for that which now we will not have. It were our part and duty rather to pant after the truth of God, and to faint for want of it, than thus frowardly to put it from us, when it is so lovingly proffered to us.  
We little know, what we do, in refusing to receive his gracious truth; he never spoke that, which was not worthy that we should hear it conscionably, and lay it up carefully. Let us resolve to do so hereafter, and think him worthy of all praise from us, who hath revealed his truth so clearly, as it may be entertained of us comfortably.  
And if we will thus do, and endeavour herunto, we shall soon see what inconceivable consolations the Lord hath reserved for us in those promises, he hath revealed to us. If this reproof work kindly, to purge out this evil, we may then give you some taste of the good the Lord hath in store for you.  
Shall we speak evil to ourselves, where God speaks good, or turn his goodness into our own evil? this is for Satan, not for saints, to do. Strive we to do as the Lord would have us, and if we will now cease to lend an care to the devil, and further, & for ever, harken to our God, we shall see what more he hath to say to his people in the second place from the truth of the doctrine which we have propounded.  
And all that is said by God touching his people is only good, Consolation. 2 for if it be an absolute and infaillible truth that every one ought to apply that truth of God which God speaketh to him, then may all the Lords saints know for a surety, that all the sacred, blessed, and sweet sayings of God contained in his book, are now become their own, the Lord intende's they should apply, and enjoy them. Not a good word is fallen any where from the mouth of God, but the same is wholly, and solely, meant to the souls of his children, he sptake it of purpose that they might take it, it was revealed by him, that it might be received by them. No heavenly tidings of gladness and great joy, no speech of life and peace, either for present, or eternal happiness, but it is meant, and sent by God to them, and from him, they have it, sometimes immediately from his own mouth [I will hearken what the Lord God will say for he will speak peace to his people & to his saints etc. 
Psal. 83.8. Luk. 2.10. ] sometimes by the ministrey of Angels [Behold we bring you glad tidings of great joy etc.] The Lord hath nothing to say on his churches, & children's behalf, but (when thy speak to him) to [answer them with good words, & comfortable words, 
Zach. 1.13. ] as the prophet Zachariah tell's us. Whatsoever is found any where, that savours of any saving efficacy, or excellency, it is appropriated to them by the Lord himself who is the sole author, and the all-sufficient founder of the same. He sets open the fountain of grace and compassion to the house of David his servants, 
Zach. 13.1.  and to their only use, benesit and behooffe is it reserved, such only may drink of the water thereof, as he hath of his grace put apart to partake of himself, it is no open place for all persons, or any ordinary, for all comers, but enclosed, and jmpaled to the Lords people alone.  
All the consolations of God are theirs, 
Isa. 52.12,  God himself says it both by his prophet. I, even I, am he that comforteth] and by his apostle [blessed be God the father of all mercy, and God of all consolation who comforteth us in all our tribulation &c] nay, he gives so much that if they will receive it, their consolations may abound, not only in themselves, but towards others they may have comfort to spare [that we may comfort others with the same comforts wherewith we were comforted of God.]  
Comfort ye comfort ye my people will your God say, 
Isa. 30.1.  speak comfortably to jerusalem, cry unto her that her jniquity is pardoned, her warfare is accomplished &c] Behold how freely, & how fully the Lord speaks, how he doubles his comforts, [Comfort ye, comfort ye] and jtterates his words, [Speak comfortably, cry unto their] and this (saith the prophet) [will your God say:] it may be (nay it is sure) the devils, and the world will say otherwise to you, & thus to others, it is their manner miserably to misapply all that God saith; they use (having their heads, yea their hearts; full of idle proclamations) to promise peace to themselves, and their fellows in jmpiety and profanes, and out of their own spirits to bless themselves, and discomfort the saints of the living God; but if the Lord once open his mouth and come to speak his mind, we are to know, that his words, which are simply good in themselves, and himself absolutely able to make them good to us, are to be uttered only to his own, none but they are spoken too, when he speaks good. He draws out the breasts of his consolations to them, but shuts up his bosom to all others, not a drop of this milk is for any man's mouth but his own babes, and to them both breasts are tendered, that they might drink freely and have their full draught. So saith the Lord by his prophet. 
Isa. 66.10  [Rejoice with jerusalem all ye that love her &c: that ye may suck the breasts of her consolations and be satiffyed that ye may milk out and be satiffyed with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the Lord, 
ver. 11.  
ver. 12.  I will extend peace like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream; then shall ye suck, and be borne upon her sides, and be dandeled upon her knees.  
As one whom his mother comforteth, 
ver. 13.  so will I comfort you and ye shallbe comforted in Jerusalem. And when ye shall see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish & the hand of the Lord shallbe known towards his servants etc.] Thus, in this most comfortable metaphor doth the Lord make known his mercy and favour, and we all know, the most that can be manifested in nature is between the tender babe and the loving mother, and this similitude the Lord assumeth, to resemble his unto us, the nature whereof cannot be fully shadowed by any thing under heaven, but is most nearly laid out in this representation.  
To the Lords people the stream runs full, but there is nothing for strangers, no current comes to them, the Lord opens it only to his beloved, to all others it is shut up, and they shut out from having any thing to do with any drop of it: he will nurse & nourish none but his own tender ones, and they shall have all that his breasts, ye that his bowels can yield.  
They shallbe [filled as with marrow & fatness, 
Psal. 63. ●. ] and shall drink of the rivers of his house, (and they you know) contain nothing but water of life.  
It would be endless to enter upon all particulars, it is enough that the apostle saith, that [all the promises, are yea, & Amen] and again, that [all is yours.] If any thing be good, we may engross it without sin, for it is all our own. If any thing sweet, yea more sweet than the honey and the honey comb we may feed freely upon it, without surfeit, for it was all ordained for us. If any thing may be more advantage than the most fine gold, and more enrich us then all spoils, we may get and compass all that we can of it, it is no impiety, but our duty, to covet in this case. In a word, the best of every good thing is ours.  
What should I say more? yet who can say enough of this particular? seeing the Lord himself hath said more than all the world can utter touching this matter, to the end that his saints might have abundant consolations measured unto them, filled up to the brim, pressed down & running over; 
joh. 16.24  & [these things saith Christ, (& the same say I) have I spoken that your joys maybe full.]  
I do most undoubtedly assure myself, and durst undertake to avouch that there are in God's book more than a million, of celestial beatitudes, either literally expressed, or inclusively contained, and all, and every one of them are only and wholly for the saints to feed, and fasten upon, that their souls might speak as comfortably, and as confidently, to, and of themselves, from God, 
Gen. 27.33.  as Isaac said to Esaw (when he cried out for a blessing and could not catch it) [I have blessed him, and he shallbe blessed.] If the Lord have a mint, nay he hath more, for his word is like a most rich mine, of the best mettle, all the treasure thereof, with the field wherein it is hid, is ours, the purchase is made, the price is paid; behold it is bought (with all the admirable advantages thereof) for those that are the beloved of God, to whom it is see simple for ever, in a most clear, and more undoubted title, than any man's inheritance under heaven can be holden by, in the legal tenure of any temporal estate. And this being our own ground, why should we not reap all the commodity of it, and carry the fruit home to our selves? shall we suffer others to encroach and gather it from us? or let it lie there ungathered at all? if we do either of these, we cannot answer our gross ingratitude to God, our egregious injury to ourselves, seeing we wilfully deprive, & rob our souls of those happy benefits which we refuse.  
All the precious words of God are yours to apply; his sure mercies are yours to receive, they were once uttered by God himself and by his holy secretaryes recorded for ever, for their sakes which shallbe heirs of salvation. I hope then seeing these things are so, (and more than these too, are, not only so, as we say, but better than we can speak) there is peace and consolation to the saints, and they have wherein to joy and solace themselves in the Lord their God, and that love of his, so liberally laid out unto them. What is written and expressed in the scriptures for good in regard of their state of grace that shall they have (so fare as they can be any way capable thereof) in present possession: And what is further written, to give us some glimpse, and guess, of that blessedness which is infinitely above all that can be written or spoken, that shall you be sure to receive at the hands of God when you come to heaven. Only all this must be first believed by faith, and when once our faith hath fastened upon it, we shall then experimentally find & feel it. 
Note.  It is God's order of working and his manner of conveying, first to reveal a thing to our faith, and afterwards to let us feel it. Abraham must first believe he shall have a son, and afterwards receive him. And all they whose faith was famous, and their names are left upon that record which can never be razed in that 11. to the Hebrews did believe the promises before they received them.  
It is hard to say whether any thing can be communicated to us as a favour which we receive not in faith, and whereupon faith never fastened.  
I am sure no spiritual advantages can come any other way, and he that hath temporal favours without faith, hath them without comfort.  
But to return, and to come to the close of this use of the saints comfort, why should not they sing for joy, for whom all these songs of joy, are endited of God and by him (as it were tuned) of purpose with wonderful variety, and pleasure, to prevent (if it be possible) if not, to abate, allay, and qualify, those our sorrows, discomforts, and calamities spiritual, wherewith Satan doth so annoy and perplex us, And shall all this be in vain unto us? what? shall the voice of God be in vain? the voice of God I say, who is such a father, such a mother to us, as we have heard? shall we frustrate that word of his, which was never fruiltles to any? which made the world, and doth to this day manage the same? shall we give our God cause to complain against us, and to say to us, as (in the gospel) he did to others, [I have piped unto you, & ye have not danced?] shall we be so stupid, and senseless, dead, and blockish to the true God, as those jdole false Gods are to such as serve them, [who have eyes & see not, ears & hear not, hands & handle not, feet & walk not,] but remain altogether incapable of sense and motion? shall the singular love of our God find such a sinful issue in us?  
O let these devises of the devil be as fare from us, as we would be from him, and as deeply hated of us, as they would make us hated of God. Give a listening ear, and lay up that most loving speech of God [Are not my words good to him that walketh uprightly?] 
mica. 2. 7●  Yea ceartainly, all the words of God are good, to all that are good in his reputation and acceptance.  
Come near then, ye blessed and beloved of the Lord, come near I say, and fall to freely, and take your fill of this cup of your God's consolation: this his wine and oil, is good to glad your hearts, and to make you to have a cheerful countenance nay (which is an invalable benefit) a cheerful conscience. Open your mouths wide yea, as wide as you can, and he will fill them; extend, dilate, enlarge your heart to the uttermost, there can be no just fear of want of grace in him, all the doubt is, that you will want place to receive it; make as much room as is possible, and the Lord will pour it in freely, even till it overflow, as David tell's us he did unto him, when he confessed that [his cup did run did over,] and the apostle, 
Psal. 23.  when he also acknowledgeth further, that the Lord [can do unto us exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask, or think;] 
Eph 3.20.  and both these sayings do show apparently, that the Lord hath more to give, them we can either ask, or receive. We cannot want so much as he can spare, nor beg so much as we may have.  
Well, 
Psal. 115.15.  and worthily might the Psalmist say [ye are the blessed of the Lord] who can deem you less, that see's all the blessedness that is written in God's book, and reserved with God in the highst heavens, to be intended and appropriated to you, by the Lord himself?  
Now then inasmuch as you see God's favour, let him see your faith, set that grace a work on this goodness of his.  
Do not suffer yourselves to be deluded any more by him, who in all his endeavours meane's no glory to God, no good to you, but mischief to both, by labouring to cancel his truth to you, and to make void your faith towards him.  
Grace him not so much, as to give him the hearing of any thing he offereth to whisper into your hearts. Cast off all his suggestions with contempt and scorn, let him see himself despised, and his sabttityes abhorred; 
Jam. 4.7.  that is the next way to be rid of him, if we resolutely resist him.  
And let us strive now and ever to cleave to our God, who can comfort, and do us good: his voice hath sweetness and virtue in it, as well to work good in us, as to speak good to us, it is all one to him, to give us good things, as to give us good words. If he say it, it is done; why then do we not as he saith, and lend our best attention to his consolatios. Crave we pardon for our perverseness past, and power against it fortime to come, that nothing may for ever hereafter hinder the sound application of Gods saving truth unto us.  
And thus we have now at length finished our first use, which concerneth both the righteous reprehension, and the gracious consolation of the saints of God, who have now had the double portion we promised them.  
We are now to put on to the second use of the same, Use. 2 to wit, that, which cometh to wicked men, from the consideration of this instruction, 
to wicked men reprehension.  of the application of God's truth. Which being a duty whereunto all men are bound, they also are enwrapped within the cords of this doctrine, and tied to take home that part of God's holy truth which doth concern themselves.  
And if thus they do, as it is their duty, (and their not doing of it, will draw down heavy vengeance upon them) then, will their misery and fear, flow apace upon them, even so fast, that they shall not be able, either to escape the swiftness of it, but it will come to them; nor, to withstand the rage and violence thereof but it will seize them, in spite of all their cursed security and presumption, whereby they often put their evil fare from them. Nay whether they do take it home or Noah, it will take, yea overtake, yea and overturn them too, according to Gods own fearful threatening by Moses [All these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, 
Deut. 28.15.  till thou be destroyed.]  
So that a wicked man's evil is every way, open before him, assured to him, let him turn himself which way he will, he is in an ill case, if he apply not God's truth, he incurs double danger, for the Lord will both plague him for disobedience to this doctrine, and the truth of God in the terror thereof, will apply itself, and fasten upon him whether he will or Noah: and if he do according as God hath said in the lesson before named, then must he also know, that there is no good at all appertaining to him, but all the evil thath Gods book reveale's. Nothing is more plain, then that the Lord never meant any good to any  man: any good did I say? oh it were well with them if that were all; but to speak as the truth is, and as they shall feel from God in case they continue in their jmpiety and profanes, he doth not only intent them no good, but he intends them nothing but evil, and all evil of every kind, which is written, all the curses, comminations, heavy sentences, woeful sayings, all miserable & mischievous messages, either of present justice, or future vengeance; whatsoever it be that the wisdom of God hath revealed from heaven, or the justice of God hath reserved to be executed, either here on earth in part of payment, in temporal curses, or fully, and finally in hell in that infinite vengeance, which is jmmeasurable and everlasting; all this, in every jot and tittle thereof, is theirs, and they must drink off this whole cup, of the Lords wrath and enraged jndignation, to the bottom, in all the bitterness of the same.  
Go ye sinners and  persons of all sorts, read over & peruse, every part, every page of God's sacred book, and in what leaf or line soever ye meet with any thing that favours of confusion, or sounde's like a curse, or sentence of comdemnation, say to yourselves, as our Jacob doth here, [Thou Lord sayest this to me] this part of God's truth is my portion, and belongeth to me, my jmpiety applei's this to me, my wickedness doth draw me under this woeful censure.  
But because God's book is so laden & fraught with dreadful threatenings, hence (now I think of it) may a man give a great guess at the cause & reason, why  persons have no delight or pleasure to read the scriptures, but prefer every vain pamphlet before those divine words which were inspired by God's spirit; a filthy play book invented by the devil, and by him prompted and put into the brayine of some base impiont varlet, whose hellish tongue, and, hand he doth employ, to pronounce, and pen it, hath more readers, more acceptance, and attention, than those blessed words which God hath breathed into those holy men, who spoke from himself unto us; and why is this? why is it thus? surely a more eminent reason of this jmpiety cannot be rendered then this, that, the Lords book boade's them no good, every word is a woe unto them; & therefore they take no more pleasure therein, than a felon, traitor, murderer or some other malefactor doth, to read those laws or statutes which declare the sentence due to such offences, as he stands guilty off, in his own knowledge.  
But to return to the terror of transgressors; you are to know, that whatsoever is spoken for evil, it is spoken to you, any potion that is terrible, or dreadful is prepared of the Lord and full mixed for you, and by you it must be drunk out, to the very dregs, that you in this kind of application of it, may either be purged to your true and timely reformation, or poisoned to your eternal destruction.  
Never once dream of thrusting off these things from yourselves, you cannot shift off that which the Lord will fasten upon you what he sets on, none can shake off: believe it, believe it, there's no shunning of that which the Lord says, you must either hear it, or bear it, or both. God will not be set so light by, of any flesh, as to have his words go wholly unregarded.  
He that will hear his own, may so be wrought upon, as that he shall not bear it, it may work upon him that repentance to salvation which is never to be repent off. But he that doth either refuse to hear, or heareth without fruit, let him know, that he is the man that must bear, those curses, which he either heareth not at all, or not as he ought; as it were most easy to manifest in the most miserable experience of many a wretch, who turning away his ear from the Lords message, the Lord hath turned the heavy contents of the same lose upon himself; and made him to cry out woefully in the ears of God and men, under the insufferable sense and terror of that, unto the tidings whereof their ear was contemptuous, and would not take seasonable notice.  
It hath too palpably appeared to be the manner of the most wicked men (and I know not whether any thing may be a more manifest eare-marke of an jmpious and  person) to be extremely jmpatient when the truth of God hath been plainly told them; these are of the number of those wretches which were foretold by the Apostle, that [endure not wholesome doctrine,] that which sounds not sweetly, and is not melodious, is no meat or music for them, they are so fare from application, that they will not give God audience, but either wilfully withdraw themselves from the house of God where it is spoken, or being present, bewray that damned humour of hellish perverseness and impatience against the Lord and his messenger, which hath been found in that godless jeroboam, and diverse such branded rebels: and for which (among other their impietyes) the Lord hath left them recorded unto us as the fearful and rejected objects, of his justice and fury.  
It's a heavy sign men mean to live and dye in their sins, when once they refuse application of the word, inasmuch as even the application of God's truth, is the life of all instruction, the death of all corruption; I know not a more apparent token of a man whom the Lord is resolved everlastingly to reject, then when he hath given him over to a wrangling disposition, and quarrelling spirit against the faithful ministey of the word, if that will chafe him, and make him fret and fume it is past question, that he hath a heart both hating God and hated of God, hardened and enraged by the devil, and with him to be plagued for ever.  
Oh, that you could consider this, who go out of God's house with that hellish resolution that (in another case) Dagons' priests did, not to tread upon the threshold thereof any more in haste, Noah you will not come to church to be so baited, and yet who can do less than bait you, that come to the temple of the Lord, as Bears to the stake, as beggars to the stocks. But consider I pray you, you that so abhor application, how woeful your estate is, that must be baited if you come, and reprobated if you come not to hear the Lord speak unto you. If the first be so bitter, what is the latter? while thou art a wicked person thou canst avoid neither.  
Look throughout the history of God's book, and take notice who have been the most notorious miscreants, whom the Lord hath noted, as [vessels of wrath prepared to destruction,] & you shall soon find those to be the principal castawayes, upon whom the word of God hath been castaway, who have either not heard it, or with no profit, or patience, but with murmuration and resistance. I could instance Cain, to whom God spoke himself, and jeroboam before named, and Ahab, and Ihojakim, and Elyes sons, and a multitude more of most woeful and accursed miscreants, whose want of application of the word of God unto them, was one eminent evidence of their just perdition.  
Remember what God saith to you by his prophet [woe be to him that striveth with his maker] woo, I say to him that spurns against the needful manifestation of that misery whereunto his sin hath made him subject before his maker. Can any thing be of worse consequence to us, or heap more vengeance upon us then this?  
Among men, you know what a heinous matter it is, for any offendor or malefactor, having deserved imprisonment, to offer to break out, and run away, or if he cannot do so, to grow stuburne, heady, and unruly in the prison, and if the king send any to examine his fault, and to arraign him for his offence, to give them surly answers, unseemly, reproachful and reviling speeches, to such a one the jailor is more strait, and lays more jrons upon him; the judge is more severe, and gives him the heavier censure which shallbe excecuted to the uttmost extremity, without any mitigation or favour.  
And can any man jmagine that that is not hideous in God's eyes, which is heinous in man's? Is it not his course to double his curses upon such as struggle to avoid and decline the declaration and application of them? shall they not suffer for their obstiancy & impatiency as well as for other any impiety? yea assuredly they shall and let them know, that where they add one evil to another, the Lord will add to their, punishment and multiply it out of measure, as they do their sin.  
If therefore, either by infernal flattery, and mystical collusion of your own souls in secret, 
job. 31.  which was a thing that job execrated; or by open refusal and jmpious renuntiation of what the Lord speaketh, a thing whereof the jews were most grossly guilty, 
jer. 44.16.  and for which, they were abhorred of God; or by both these, or any other wicked way or means, you seek cunningly to work, & wound out yourself, from taking such particular notice of God's threatenings against your sin, and yourself, as he requireth and your iniquity deserveth; be you well assured, and know ceartainely, that by such corrupt and  carriage, you shall at once, increase the Lords provocation against you, and your own confusion before him, 
Ro. 2.5.  and so [store up wrath against the day of wrath, and the just declaration (and excecution) of his judgement] upon your soul and body for ever.  
And that you may see I speak not this without book, I pray you look what God saith in his book to this purpose, how read you in the sift book of Moses called Deuteronomie; read there, & strive to understand what you read, and out of your understanding of it ponder that saying and lay it up in your hearts: There you shall hear God speaking thus touching the point we have now in hand: 
Dent. 29.18. ver. 19  [Least there should be among you any root that beareth gall and worm wood; and it come to pass that when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart and say, I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my own heart, 
ver. 20.  to add drunkenness to thirst; The Lord will not spare that man, but the anger of the Lord, and his jealousy shall smoke against him & all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, 
ver. 21.  & the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the covenant etc. 
ver. 21.  So that the generation to come shall say when they see these plagues etc.  
Thus you see the Lord doth manifest, (and that in many words) his mind concerning this matter, and that we may the better discern his meaning, we may bretfely abridge all that these words do import, into two particulars.  

1. how heinous a thing it is in God's sight sinfully to shift off the saving truth of God from ourselves.  
2. how heavy the hand of God willbe in the extreme & extraordinary punishment of him that doth so.   
The act is exceedingly amplified, and aggravated, if we do well consider the particulars of the text, wherein we find it branched and blazed out, to be an evil consisting of many evils, a very composition of many impietyes, and much corruption.  
First, it is an impious thwarting of God, a crossing of him; even a giving him, the lie to his face, when any man shall dare to say [I shall have peace though etc.] Is not this extreme impudence, thus to out face the Lord of heaven in his own truth? to tell him (as it were) to his teeth, that we shall have peace, when he saith resolutely we shall have none in any  way are we nor undertakers against the wisdom power, and justice, of God, by all which, that which he hath here uttered against this sin, shallbe assuredly executed upon the sinner? shall we offer to say [I shall have peace] when the Lord, who is only wise, almighty, and most just, saith we shall not? is not this to make the world believe, that we think ourselves able well enough, to secure ourselves against him, and know a way how to avoid, that which he saith he will inflict? as if we could go beyond God, and overeach him, by some policy or power of our own.  
Secondly, it is a proud exalting of ourselves above the Lord & a trusting upon our own vain lying and blasphemous words [blessing ourselves] and giving no credit to his most stable and immutable words of truth; as if our blessing of ourselves, had fare more efficacy to save and comfort us, than his words of cursing have to cast us down, and terrify us.  
Thirdly, it is an increasing of sin, we add one evil to another, and so lad our souls with more and more impiety, augmenting our evil before the Lord, and encouraging ourselves in the same, by this blessing of ourselves in our sinful courses, and casting aside God's righteous and heavy curses.  
All these three amplifications of this impious and hellish act, are apparent in the text and thus much sin doth he commit, that applieth not, but putteth off the sacred word, and truth of God from himself.  
The punishmet due to this threefold act of impiety, follows in the text too, & it is laid out both negative and affirmatively.  
Negatively in that one woeful sentence [The Lord will not spare,] or, [the Lord will not be merciful to that man] a truth clearly contradictory to the conceit of these accursed miscreants, who are so be sotted, that they can believe nor apprehend, nothing in the Lord but mercy, and so make him a notorious monster therein, as if he had nothing else in him.  
Affirmatively, and that many ways, in such miserable sayings as follow; & every one worse than other, if we note them; Such a sinner shall feel; 

1. the anger of God, and to put him out of hope of appeasing it, it is added that,  
2. the jealousy of the Lord shall break out, and smoke against him, and jealousy is jmplacaple rage, such as will heap upon an offendor  
3. [all the curses written in God's book] none, no not one, to be avoided or escaped: among the rest. 3. notorious curses are named to wit, 1. that [his name shallbe blotted out from under heaven.] 2. that [the Lord shall separate him unto evil.] 3. that [the ages to come] shall fall into admiration of that man's fearful condition.    
Lo, thus shall it be done to the man that the Lord will avenge himself upon, for this one sin of shifting off the sacred truth of God from himself. He shall have no mercy from God, but all the misery that may be, he shallbe the unhappy object of God's heavy anger, of his fearful jealousy, of all his curses, unto which the Lord shall so set him apart and pick him out, that he shallbe the wonderment of all succeeding times. This is the Lord doom upon him, who fawneth upon himself in his profanes, and flieth (as much as in him lieth) and will not hear of the justice of God, revealed in his word, against his wickedness,  
Let us then (dear christians) take heed, and beware of a stubborn heart, a stiff neck, an jmpious spirit, to throw away what the Lord saith to us, Do not provoke him to jealousy, we are not able to deal with him, he is stronger than we; know we that nothing well more vex, or sooner provoke him hereunto, than this jmpiety, of refusing to apply his word to ourselves. He is heavily jealous (as well he may be) of that man's estate, that will not endure his truth.  
For why? consider I pray you, what good can be in him, what evil can be out of him, who rejecteth what God saith? it is not possible he should have any good, who will none of that word, which is the only ground of all good to us, and the only guide of us unto it: neither is any evil jmpossible, but all most easy to be fastened upon the man, who forsaketh the sole and sovereign means of his good. That man must needs hear Satan, that heareth not God, and if once the devil be master of our ear, and have it at command, what can be so corrupt or accursed, which he will not convey into us?  
How much better, and more happy were it for us, to hearken to the heavenly voice of God, though that he saith, should seem heavy to us. The worst he speaketh is to make us good, and to further our best estate. He doth wish us well in the most woeful sentences he utters against us. Let him that hath an ear to hear, hear what the Lord saith, which if we will do, we shall many time hear him complain against his people, and giving this one jmpiety as a principal cause of their wonder full misery [But they would not incline their ear.]  
And when he wished, and meant them all good, he saith [Oh that my people would have heard] then (saith he) I would have comforted them, and crushed their enemies; but he complaineth mournefully against them [but my people would not heart &c, therefore I gave them up to the hardness of their own hearts,] that they might be perverted by their own counsels, and so come to sinal confusion through this perverseness. Seeing then this sin makes the Lord to give over men, now let every man that woull not be given over of God, give over this sin, and for ever resolve to lay home the Lords truth to himself, that it may live in us, and we may live in it, and by it, before the Lord: Put we on that resolution unfeignedly, 
jer. 42.5.  which the jews in Jeremy's time did dissemblingly profess when they said [The Lord be a true and faithful witness between thee and us if we do not according to all things for which the Lord shall send thee to us, 
ver. 6.  Whether it be good or evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord th●y Good etc.] Let our deeds be as good, as their words were here, and it shallbe well with us. Take the truth the Lord intends thee, and it shall assuredly be well with thee. And this is our second use of this point to sinful men. Use, 3  
We go on now to the third and last use, and that concerneth all men, 
information.  both saints and sinners, holy and profane, one or others, it is matter of information to them all, and to every of them, to betake themselves forthwith to do, according to this truth of God, which now we have made manifest unto you to know.  
You see it is God's mind that all men should apply his word, Motives. you see also how fare it concerneth both Gods own, and all others so to do; Let us now endeavour to conform both of some of those many good motives and considerations that may the better carry the , and the other, to the practice of this doctrine of application.  
God's people had need of some provocations, and  persons had need of some spurs hereunto, 
To the godly.  both are too backward (as we have largely heard) let us do our best to further them both hereunto. We will begin with the best first, and let the saints see, what a multitude of mighty inducements they have to draw them thus to do. A few we will press in particular, by which it will appear (upon serious consideration) how it stants them upon to apply that now, which till now, they have so groyssly neglected and let alone.  
First therefore, Motives. 1 I pray you consider and understand that if you do not apply the promises of God, you nullify and frustrate them, you make them utterly void of all truth and virtue.  
Think throughly of it, for it is thus and no better, you do thus and no otherwise.  
And that you may see that so it is, remember and call to mind thus much; God never meant his promises to any but to his own people, for their sakes alone himself did reveal, and his penmen did write them: it never came into his heart that any man else, shoull meddle with them: he calls them precious promises because it should be known, they are not comen meat for every man but food only for the faithful whom he hath chosen to be a precious and peculiar people to himself. Now if this were his mind and meaning, whereunto shall these promises serve if you receive them not? to whom shall they go, if you take them not home? if thus the case stand, that wicked men must not have them, and you will not, what shall become of them? to whom, or to what shall they appertain? what may be the use or benefit of them? It is not God's mind to give them to sinners, it is not yours to take them to yourselves, what shall they do? when they are useful to neither, are they not void to both? and so become as a cancelled writing; wherein no man hath right, whereof no man can have good. Oh that you could lay this to heart, and well ponder this evil of yours; is it a small thing to anihiliate the greatest part of that, whereof rather then one whitt shall perish, 
Reu. 22.19.  heaven and earth shall fail, and from which whosever doth detract, or diminish in the least, the Lord will diminish of his happiness (that is, abolish him from all hope of being happy) and increase his curses upon him? This is the first evil of your refusal; and it is fearful, and the manifestation of it should move you more than a little, to fear that practice which may, and will pull you into such horrible impiety, and also pull such heavy plagues upon you, But, this is not all, it is but the first, and not the worst, of some other, that follow as infailliblely upon this practice, as this doth.  
Secondly then, Motive. 2 consider that your refusal to take the promises of God unto you doth not only actually make them void to you (being a great part of God's gracious truth) but, (which is yet more sinful and ●●●●●full) it doth occasionally make all the rest of the scripture void which concerneth wicked men, and so the whole truth of God (a thing which I tremble to utter,) I say, the whole truth of God, is frustrate and through us become nothing, or as a thing of nought, by our sinful refusal of our part. And this willbe as palpably evident as the former, if you take knowledge that the devil who drawe's you to deny your portion, doth (by you) draw others to do the same, & make your refusal the occasion of theirs. Let any child of God who digesteth not God's promises, speak to a wicked man in case of any impiety or rebellion against God, and bestow a reprooffe upon him, out of God's word, in uttering some curse and commination against his swearing, drunkenness, or any other evil; the devil doth prompt him presently, and put into his head what to reply, and stop your mouth withal; why (saith the godless wretch) should I tremble or trouble myself with these words of God that concern me, when you are not comforted at all, with those that belong to you? what, are his threatenings more true to me, than his promises are to you? must I yield to the one, and you resist the other? Go first & learn your own lesson by heart, and when I see that you take your portion to heart, I will think the more of mine; till then, I have as little reason to be disquieted, as you have to be comforted: I will never believe that one piece of God's word is truer than another, or that any part of it, is more true to me, than some part of it is to you. And therefore till I see you affected with that which is spoken to you, I neither care nor fear what you can say to me. What woeful work is here? what heavy disadvantage is taken against you? what hellish damage is done to the living God in his eternal truth? Before you made void the promises; now wicked men (by you) do make void the threatenings, and so between both, no part of scripture hath any power in it. The wicked caitisse that thus casts off admonition, and reprehension shall have his reward for his offence; but woe to them by whom the offence comes. Shall the devil and his limbs thus trample upon, and abuse God's book and will you be their leaders thereunto? shall your evil practice be pleaded to justify theirs? shall the Lord speak in vain to them, because you will not believe him? Can you think this to be a small offence, nay rather can you conceive how great it is? you shall do well to deliberate upon it, that you may discern and detest it.  
See, how it disables you to speak a word in season to any, either good or bad you must bung up your mouth in silence, or speak with shame to others till the Lord open your heart to believe him yourself.  
If you shall offer either to comfort a weak brother, or to condemn a wicked transgresser, both may, and will fall upon you, with your own infidelity, and how justly they may up brayed you, and regect what you speak, is easy to understand out of that which we have said. And this is the second sin of your not applying God's promises, which you see doth disable the word of God to do others good, as well as your self, and utterly disable you to do that duty you own to others, in any christian counsel or other use of the scripture what soever: so you are bound from all aledging of it to any till you can assent to it in your own heart. And what a world of wickedness is here? O ye that are the saints of the living God see to it, see I say whereto your perversues comes, that it hath neitther end nor measure either in yourselves, or any others. If you have a God, believe in him; if he be your father trust him; if he have any truth rest upon it; do not expose or prostitute his truth to the comtempt of Satan, and wicked persons. Let this move and make you to take home yours, that you may be the fit and better able to give others theirs, or at the least, it may be their own sin alone, and no way yours, if they do it not. If this may not prevail what can? yet this is not all, let us put on to more, if so any thing may stir us.  
Thirdly then, Motive. 3 remember that your refusal of God's truth in his promises, may provoke the Lord against you yet further in another respect, and that is this: that the Lord in his justice and wrath will suffer those that will not have his promises and the comfort of them now, shall live to find a woeful want of them; and in that heavy estate, as now they have been offered in vain by the Lord to them; so shall they (in the time of that extremity) seek them in vain of him.  
Now their heart is shut against his hand, then shall his hand be shut up against their hearts. No counsel, command, precept, or persuasion of God, would prevail with them to receive them; and it is come to pass, that no prayer, cry, or supplication, will prevail with God to give them. They shall smart throughly for this sin, and then know what it was to cast of a comfort, when they cry, sigh, and groan for it, and go without it. We deal thus with our froward and foolish children, and we think it a just course of punishing their perverseness. Thus doth the Lord: the souls of many of his sons & daughters can say it with much sorrow and more shame. Shame because they might have been happier and would not sorrow because now they would be happier than they are and cannot.  
I shall not need to produce particular examples of any in God's book, job, and David and others, who in this particular being somewhat pettish, & much out of the way sometimes, could tell us the truth of this by dear experience; time was when they loathed this celestial manna, and their souls refused comfort, and they were deadly sick of this spiritual fret; But not long after, they longed for that which they would not meddle withal before. I know there are more than a good many, (even of those that be good) that have failed in this sin, and felt the like punishment from that just hand of our God who will not suffer such an evil to go unavenged in his own. The many and mournful tears of more than a few, have told us, how they have wept much, for those favours which in time passed they, esteemed nothing.  
How righteous a thing is it with the Lord to with hold that from us, which we would not take from him? As then any christian desire's to avoid this fearful sin, and woeful punishment, so let him take God's truth to himself while he may have it; lest his wrath break out, and that to the breaking of your hearts, both for the guilt of your sin in refusing, and the grief of your soul in wanting that consolation which might have abounded in you, What ingratitude can be grosser than this, that God's kindness should not be regarded, or received of us, when as it is for our greatest good, and the least of it wholly undeserved of us. His grace and mercy in tendering is unspeakable, by that we may measure the greatness of our sin in rejecting, The truth is, that as his goodness is beyond measure in the one, so is our evil in the other. Let us fear then to be thus foul, in a fault so ill taken at our hands, and let us even force our hearts to entertain what the Lord in infinite favour & love doth so graciously cast upon us. Remember we that this our sin doth keep many a soul long without comfort, and might keep them ever, empty of it. But the grace of God in giving it at last, doth not take away, or extenvate our egregious impiety in refusing it at first. But let us yet proceed to a fourth motive.  
Fourthly then, let it be further considered, Motive. 4 how notably the devil doth abuse us, and how notoriously we (being thus abused by him) do dishonour & grieve God. Both these do appear in this one thing, wherein he prevails with us, namely, to make many a child of God to misapply the curses, terrors, & threatings of God against themselves, which God himself never intended should trouble them, or in the least belong unto them. If you read or hear, from any preacher in public, any person in private, any thing that sounds heavily, and tends to the terresying of the soul, or to the discovery of the damnation due to some jmpious and impenitent wretch, that can you snatch to yourselves, and lay it upon your poor hearts, though the Lord that revealed it, and the party that spoke it, never had any meaning it should ever come there; such a sentence as appertaines only to a castaway, is catcht after as eagerly, and applied as closely, as if God himself had set it on. This can the devil make us do. But do we know, what we do in thus doing? Do but mark, and we shall see a multiplication of sin in this very thing; you would little think what a bundle of impiety is here leapt up together and how many offences lie within this one, when herein wear ruled by Satan.  
Is not this to be ruled by Satan in that which is evil, and to rebel against God in that which is good? Is not this, not only not to apply the scripture which belongs to us, but also to pervert that which belongs not to us, in misapplying of it? Is not this to let all the world see that the God of this world, can do more with us, and in us, than the God of heaven? Is not this to curse where the Lord curseth not (wherein we are worse than Balaam) and to make sad that heart, which the Lord would not have made sad? Is not this to be open enemies to our own souls, when we will none of that which is good, to edify us, but eat that poison which may destroy us, and so bring ourselves (as much as in us lieth) to eternal consusion? In a word, is not this to grieve the Lord to gratify the devil, and wilfully to wound ourselves? I wonder what evil it is which might not be brought within the compass of this practice. This that we see in it, and say unto you, is apparent, but it is the least part of that which the God of heaven could aggravate against us if he should come to scan the length and breadth, and height of this offence, it would exceed all dimension, and draw us (in the severity of divine justice) under everlasting damnation.  
And will we thus sin when we have received knowledge of this truth? and heap so many jnpietyes one upon another in this miserable manner? will the Lord endure it, or can he suffer this jniury from his own? or shall any that are his offer it when once they understand the evil of it? I hope not; think, think I say, that it was not a little patience in the Lord that hath borne it thus long, and that it is not a little kindness that we are borne with, in an evil of this extent and quality; well let us think it enough, nay too much, that we have been faulty, and seeing such a mass of jnquity in it, let us meet the Lord with unfeigned repentance for it, and smite our own blind and rebellious hearts, who have been lead into, and made to lie down under such a heavy, (yea hellish) load of transgression without any understanding of the state of the sin, or our own souls by the guilt thereof. This is our fourth motive, let us go forward to a fift.  
Fiftly then, Motive. 5 be it also further remembered and well marked of us, that our adversary the devil doth us yet more mischief than this, by making us to put away God's precious promises from us; and the mischief that herein may be noted is double, to wit, in regard of wicked men, and also in regard of himself.  
First in regard of wicked men, 
Wicked men apply scripture.  in drawing us to do thus he makes us worse than many of the most  that God's book doth mention, whom we find to have applied, and taken home to themselves what the Lord said to them by himself; or sent to them by others. It were easy to abound in naming persons of both sorts, but we will content ourselves with a few. Cursed Cain, (the first castaway of all mankind, the prime reprobate of the world,) the Lord spoke much to him touching his sin and punishment; did he refuse to apply any of those particulars which were spoken to him, either before his sin commited or after? did he not give God the hearing of all that he said, (though it is too true that much of it never did him any good), nay did he not understand all those fearful comminations of himself which the Lord breathed out against his barbarous fact? and so take them as intended to himself, as that his heart was wounded with them, and he cried out desperately because of the doom which was passed upon him? The whole current of the story shows he acknowledged all to be his, that was said to him, yea even that which was harshest, and hardest of digestion. Wretched and rejected Saul, did not he so too, when Samuel told him his own from God, in regard of his state temporal and eternal, and gave him to understand that God had cast him away from his own kingdom on earth, and from the kingdom of heaven too; doth it appear that he cast off any thing spoken by God's prophet to this purpose? nay the contrary is clear, that he did conceive God meant all to him and so he took it as the sequel shows. Impious Ahab, that  person who was so foul both injdolatry, jniustice, and cruelty, who was noted for a slave of Satan [one that had sold himself to work wickedness] when he was to receive his sentence for these sins from Eliah, (howsoever before he had stormed and raged in his mad sit) yet now he hearkeneth to the message of God, and that in such manner, that he makes a sorry shift to be humbled after a sort, and cries and is something dejected, the speech of the man of God sticks by him, he cannot, he doth not shun it.  
How many more of this rout, might I reckon up who with Foelix have trembled at some divine doctrines, and have not attained such a strain of sin as to betake themselves to a universal and perpetual denial of all that the Lord hath spoken to them? and shall we be worse than these wicked ones? shall Satan lead us to more jmpiety (in this particular) than he brought them who were his vassals? shall they be honester men herein then we? who would not blush and be abashed, to see such profane and forlorn servants of sin, to overgo the saints and servants of the living God, in this one point of goodness. Shall a Cain quake and carry himself as a man so deeply affected with the word of God? and shall an Ahab, and a Saul, and such others (as are sealed up to eternal shame and contempt) do the same? And shall Saints be behind these Sinners, and refuse to apply their part of the Lords truth, when such infernal vassals have done it? shall the devil bring these before the Lord to upbraid him to his face, that he has some reprobates who will do more in this point of duty, than some that go for his children, and are accounted holy and religions? and that he can prevail with some of his lyms to give credit to God's divine truth even for their evil, when many of his own holy ones, do refuse to entertain the truth thereof some for their good?  
Oh, what shall our God lose, and what shall Satan gain, when it shall come hereunto, that the devil shall plead this advantage too truly? what may we expect who put weapons into his hands to fight against the Lord, whose honour (herein) he will not spare to his utmost, to endamage & abuse, that he may enforce him (in just revenge of this insufferable indignity done thereunto) to fight against us, with the sharpest engine's of his justice.  
Thus in regard of wicked men doth he wound us, (and these wounds are deadly, if the Lords hand do not heal our hearts of them;) but this is not all, nor indeed the worst of the two respects which we mentioned before. And that we may well believe, because the next micheife is in regard of Satan himself, & we know him to be worse than all the wicked men in the world.  
Secondly then, Note. 
The diwell applieth scripture.  in regard of himself, we are to know (for our further reproach herein, and our more forcible provocation herunto) that the devil himself hath behaved himself better in this point of application of God's truth, than many of Gods own have done; and that; whether we consider his application of it, either to others or to himself.  
To others, 
To others.  how readily (though abusively) did he apply those words of the holy ghost in the Psalm to our our Lord jesus Christ [it is written, 
Mat. 4.6.  he shall give his Angels charge over thee, and in their bands they shall bear thee up &c:] which words (in their true sense) were as true of Christ as of any other in the world. 
1. Sam. 28. 1●.   
The like hereunto he did also apply unto Saul, when he told him that [the Lord hath done even as he spoke by my hand] when he counterfeited the person of Samuel, and did his best, to transform himself into a true Prophet; persuading Saul that the word was now fulfilled upon him, which God had formerly threatened to him, 
1. Sam. 15 28.  to wit, that [the Lord had rend the kingdom from him and given it to one better than himself.] Divers more such instances might be produced, to show how forward Satan is to apply the truth of God to others. 
To himself.   
Neither indeed (to do him right, and to give him his due, though he be a devil) hath he been backward to take home Gods truth to himself, as it were most easy to make apparent in many particulars. That one may be in stead of all, which we find uttered by himself, when Christ came to dispossess him of the man who was so extraordinarily vexed by him [why art thou come to torment me before the time?]  
Behold how he, even the devil, who deludes and hinders you from appropriating the Lords truth to yours souls, can, and doth apply the same both to others, and to himself and that (as we see) in the worst sense, to wit, of that torment whereunto he is reserved at the last day, which he believeth, and knoweth to be most true of himself, that he shall feel it for ever and ever.  
Now (beloved) let us consider this motive well and throughly, and sit down, and seriously surmise with ourselves what the Lord will say to our souls (and what we shall answer to him) on this consideration that the very devil himself, and devilish men have done him that honour in his truth, which we have denied unto him. How, or with what faces shall we stand before him, when he shall upbraid us with both these? shall we not see cause to fall grovelong on our faces before him, and to lie down in our confusion, covering ourselves with shame to see Satan and his slaves laid in balance against us, and ourselves found lighter than they before the Lord, in this thing? what soul would not blush, what conscience would not bleed, to behold this thing? yea but to present it before itself in imagination, or meditation, which thing I advise every Christian (culpable hereof) advisely to do, that the same may never be actually presented by the Lord before them. If any thing may take place upon us, let this (above all) provoke us. Say with yourselves (when the temptor comes to carry your hearts from receiving the truth of God) now thou comest to abuse me infinitely, to make me worse than thyself to bring me under the guilt of that, wherein thou wilt plead that thou art more righteous than I, and wilt also produce thy infernal vassals to have been more faithful, than thou wouldst have me to be, in this practice. Away feinde my God shall never have thus much against me, he hath too much already, shall I add this unto all, and dishonour him (herein) more than thou hast done? Such soliloqnies, or speeches within our own hearts would well beseem us, & (I think) if we used them at every temptation, they would set Satan further from us, and soon make him weary of us, and us, of this our fearful jmpiety, against which we have urged thus many motives, and pressed each motive so largely, to the end, that (if Lord might please) we might see an end of this heavy evil in the holy ones of God, which is a thing to be prayed for uncessantly of all saints, that so the Lord might once have the glory, and we the good of his truth, and Satan the shame of all his suggestions to the contrary.  
Thus having done with the saints of God for this matter, 
To the .  we are now to see if we can move,  men, to do their duty to God in this point of application. And so much the rather do we endeavour this. by how much it may be noted that they seldom or never come to God's house as clients to a court, to hear their own cause pleaded, but ever as attorneyes, to hear and speak for other men: they come not as guests to this spiritual feast, but as carvers; not as merchants to this this most rich and beneficial mart, but as brokers; they are evermore wholly for other men, no body for themselves in this blessed business. They know where to bostow every lesson the preacher delivers, they can find a fit party for each reproof he utters; here were for such a one, and such a one (say they in their vain thoughts) when they hear the minister lay it on, upon such sins, as they surmize's them to be guilty off.  
Thus they can soon dispose of all that is delivered and find room for it in other men's consciences, and conversations, as for themselves, they conceive nothing to concern them, unless now and then Satan prompt them to put up something which they imagine may hearten them in their profanes, or to lay thievish hands upon some of God's sacred promises whereby they may be (in the devils, and their construction thereof, abetted in some sinful course.  
Now to touch these, and to teach them better what they have to do, (as their duty) in this particular, we need not say much, because much of that which hath been spoken to God's people (in this case) doth concern wicked men also, and doth equally press both, to do that which the Lord requireth. Howbeit we must briefly give these  ones something to understand from God for their own parts, in this point, that (if it may be) they may also be brought to better practice.  
First then, let them know, Motive. 1 that not to apply any thing at all to themselves is a most woeful thing and an evil of strange extent, both in regard of injury to God, and jmpiety in themselves. The Lord's injury is not little, when what he speaketh from his own most sacred mouth, and breathed into man by his own celestial spirit, shallbe all in vain, when such holy and powerful words as his are, full of divine virtue and heavenly influence, shallbe frustrate, void and of none effect, but go unregarded (as some idle tale) all the days of a wretched man's life.  
And thine jmpiety is not less, who as an adder goest and comest dease, from the glorious voice of the God of heaven, and by applying nothing, makest it to appear that thy  heart doth think, that either the Lord hath nothing to say that is worth thy hearing, or good for condition, or that thou hast no need of any, of all that unspeakable good, which is spoken from him by his messengers. Now how these two, or either of them willbe answered to the Lord, let it be well considered by every sinful man.  
Secondly, Motive. 2 it is a most apparent sign of God rejection of a man, and of a man's damnation before God, when he shuts up the soul of a man that none of his word can enter, and so close's up his eyes that he cannot see any of his truth to concern himself. This is most manifest by the express words of the Apostle. 
2. Cor. 4. ●. 4.  [If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded their minds &c, lest they light of the glorious gospel should shine unto them] see here, they that lay not God's truth to heart, are only such as are lost, that is, cast away & let go of God into the jaws of Satan, as judas is said to be the lost child of perdition. 
Joh. 17.12 Isa. 6. Mat. 13.14.15.  And to the same purpose long since spoke the Prophet Isaiah; & Christ after him, where he saith that men's hearts are hardened, and their understandings darkened, that hearing they may hear and not perceive (any of God's truth to be good for themselves,) and this spiritual obstruction in the judgement, is an infaillible argument of God's purpose to confound the soul and body of a man for ever and ever; for so it is added, lest they should convert and I should heal them.  
And if we should go to examples, who but reprobates have heard God's word and not applied it to the bettering of themselves. Nay, which is more, Note. (and I desire may be well marked) it is impossible that any but reprobates should hear God's word without all application. For why? if the Lord give not a man a heart to receive the word of his grace, it is most ceartaine that the Lord hath not a heart to receive that man into grace. Were it not easy to instance Elyes sons whose not taking home to heart their father's counsel from God is said to be the evidence of their destruction; note the words of the text well [Notwithstanding they obeyed not the voice of their father, 
1. Sam. ●. 25.  because the Lord would destroy them:] this was the sign of their destruction from God, because his word did them no good. Unto these I could add others more, but we need not. If then this be so, that we see what their state is that apply not God's truth, even a state of perdition, & that this not application is a most evident sign of this condition: I hope it will cause any that shall consider it, to cast about, and to take better notice of himself in this thing.  
Thirdly, let all  men know, Motive. 3 that in that which they do apply now and then, to wit, such promises as sometimes they snatch at, when they hear any thing that doth (as they corruptly conceive) humour and please them, I say let them know that herein, they wrong both 

the Lord  
his children.  
and themselves.    
The Lord, in meddling with that which he never meant them, for his promises (as we have heard) are the proper inheritance of his own people: now to be too bold with that which is the Lords, and to use it amiss, is an abuse offered to him. His children are injured, in that their bread is taken from them by these dogs. The blessed promises are their bread, and no meat for any that are ; and therefore for a wicked men to seize on them, is but but the part of an unmannerly cur who catche's that from his master's hand for himself which he meant his child should have. But the most and worst evil is their own, and that appeareth in this, that these promises of God thus usurped by them, are (in God's justice) poisoned to them, and do become occasions of their woeful hardening in their wicked courses. The Lord doth curse this misapplication of his truth, and makes his word (thus abused) the savour of death unto death. And so they go on in ungodliness, being smothered by the prince of darkness, and see not their way to lead unto death.  
Fourthly, Motive. 4 and lastly, in not applying the threatenings which the Lord hath appointed as their due portion, what do they, but in like manner (as before) injure the Lord who hath assigned them to their souls? refusing to receive what he offer's to them, and making utterly void (to their utmost power) all that part of the holy book of God, which doth consist of curses, terrors, and comminations; for seeing (as was said before of the promises, in reprooffe of the people of God) that God's meane's not his children should have them, and  men (to whom they are meant by God) do not mean to take them; are they not left void, as serving for none, as good for nothing; Besides how many sins are wrapped up in thy refusal of these threatenings (O thou wicked man;) consider & so is there not infidelity, 
Joh.  that thou belevest not they belong to thee? and he that believeth not is condemned already. Is there not pride of heart that stoopes not to that which may humble thee? 
Pro.  & all that are proud in heart are abomination to the Lord. Is their not gross ignorance, that thou knowest not the state of thy heart to require this physic? and hath not God sworn, that ignorant persons shall never come to heaven? 
Psal. 95.10.11.  [They have not known my ways, therefore I swore in my wrath they shall never enter into my rest.] Nay what impiety is there not, in this neglect to take notice of that which, the Lord would fasten upon you for your humiliation, and so (consequently) for your salvation, if you would receive the same. And do you not (in thus doing) forsake your own mercy, and force God's justice upon your own souls? How happy were it, you could see your unhappiness herein. But because you will not conscionably look after it, the Lord will not show it, and so you sink and perish in the indignation of God for want of due consideration of it.  
Thus you have your motives (such as we can give unto you) to persuade your better care, and circumspection touching yourselves and your soul's estate before the great God of heaven by whom you must be adjudged at the last and great day of his glorious appearance.  
You see, that, as yet, you condition is miserable and accursed, for, either you apply none of his truth at all, or you misapply all you meddle with, and his majesty cannot bear either of these, both being dishonourable to him, and damnable to you.  
Gather these few motives into your minds, and ponder well and throughly upon them, think how it is in each particular, and in them all together; let them take place upon you, give no more place to the devil, that God's heavenly word should have no place in you. Desire to open your hearts to his voice, but first desire him to open them to himself; he never opened heaven to any whose heart he did not open to hear and apply his word aright. If therefore (after all that is said) you remain (as before) closed, & stopped up; that the truth of God cannot enter, know for a surety from the God of truth that heaven is shut against you, hell only is open to you, and thither must you go to him, even Satan, that would not suffer you to come to God, whose suggestions as you obeyed, so now shall you receive of the Lord the just recompense of reward due thereunto from his infinite wrath and vengeance for ever and ever.  
But if you will return and repent he will leave a blessing behind him, 
●ocl. 2.  there is mercy with him for you here, there is glory with him for you in heaven.  
And thus much for those motives that may incite all sorts of men to apply the truth of God.  
Now if any child of God, or any other, would know upon what terms they might be bold to apply the promises of grace, let them look back into the signs of their interest into Christ laid open in the former point pag. 55. etc. and they will also serve for sound warrant hereunto; for whatsoever doth interest us into him, doth together with him give us right to all other things.  
The end of the second sermon.   

NOw from the application of the things God spoke unto jacob we are by due order to proceed to the things that were spoken to him which he doth apply unto himself, and they are lying in these latter words of the verse. Return into thy country, & to thy kindred, & I will deal well with thee: which words do contain in them these two particulars.  

1. a precept. Return into thy country, & to thy kindred.  
2. a promise. And I will deal well with thee.   
I might take them a sunder and handle them severally (and I did intend it) but because time will not suffer me to do so, I will gripe them together, and entreat of them both at once, in one general instruction: and that is this. That, Doct. 3 whosoever willbe willing to do as God will have him, shallbe sure to far well.  
The only way to be well dealt withal, is to resolve to be ruled by the Lord, to be ordered by him, to be at his finding, & disposing for all our ways, of settling or removing, going or abiding to, or from, any place, to set upon, or let alone any practice.  
This is the high way to be truly happy: the only course that can be, to be in a state assuredly comfortable, that a man will cast himself and his affairs upon the Lord, and do in all things as he will have him.  
God himself shall tell us the truth of this point from heaven, and avouch and seal it unto us by his own most sacred word to jacob: which words (we see) jacob doth plead before the Lord, and fathers them upon him, and urgeth them to him and the Lord doth graciously acknowledge them as his own, and doth actually accomplish them upon him (as in all other cases he had done before) so in this particular now in hand, wherein though he feared nothing more than hard, and rigorous dealing, cruel, and tyrannical carriage, yet being willing to do as God bade him, he sound nothing less, but in stead thereof, he had all loving entreaty, and most kind & brotherly entertainment that might be. Now then seeing God first spoke it to jacob, jacob doth now urge it to God; God in this & ever after, made it good to him, it is a truth past controversy, an undoubted truth that may pass without all colour of doubt or question. It may well go for a rule. That he that willbe ruled by God shall ceartainely far well.  
Neither did this begin to be a truth now at this time, as if it had never been so before, but it was thus from the beginning, and began to be experimentally true, as the first man that ever God made & gave a law unto for doing his will, can well and sound certify us, that well doing, & well-being went ever together.  
How much present happiness, comfort, & welfare was provided for Adam, in the state of his innocency and obedience? it had been happy for him, and us, had he continued in his subjection to the law of his maker, [do this & live.] How well was he in his paradise; wherein, what he was in his person by created nature and grace, what he had for his portion, in things natural and spiritual, we can give some guess out of the records of sacred writings, but what he should have been (had he continued his obedience without transgression) when from earth he should have been translated to heaven's happiness, that we cannot once conceive, neither can the infinite immeasurablenes of it, enter our hearts in any measure.  
But in what he was, and should further have been in what he had, and should further have enjoyed, we see enough to assure us of this truth sufficiently.  
And as true as it was to him he being the root of all mankind, and in the stead of us all, so true had it been to us all, had he, and we, stood in that state of integrity and incorruption, wherein he was created.  
Nay, that we may yet see the unmoveable goodness of God, that he is still of the same mind, though we are not the same men, & though we fail in our obedience, he failes not in his kindness. Behold he is God, & changeth not, immutable in favour, constant in his compassions, a sure friend to a faithful man, a well-willer to a well-doer, still and ever: that howsoever we have offended against him provoked & grieved him, & enforced him to deprive us of our happy estate; yet, hath he raised us again, & brought us into such a blessed condition, as wherein, yet we may be made most happy partakers of the truth of this instruction.  
Pass we from Adam to Abraham: and we shall soon see it to be still true: The Lord bids him go out of his country and leave all behind him (as now he will have jacob return into his, and take all with him) and now let us look upon the condition and terms of his obedience, 
Gen. 12.1.2. cap. 35.1.2.  what is promised to him in the text, why even this [I will bless thee, & thou shalt be a blessing] and again, [I am the buckler, & thine exceeding great reward] & was not all this performed to him in truth? was not God as good as his word with advantage? yes, that he was, as we all know. True it is, never any was put to greater matter of obedience, and it is as true, that never any was crowned with more precious favours and abundant mercies from God: his name is as famous for God's kindness to him, as his is for obedience to God. We read of the faith of Abraham wherein he was so famous that he is enstyled [the father of the faithful] and Abraham is honoured not only in his graces, before men, but also in his extraordinary prerogatives received from God, he being called the friend of God (which honourable appellation was not (by name) given to any in all the old testament, but, yet it is vouchsafed to all the faithful by Christ in the new [I call you no more servants but friends] and again, 
Joh. 15.14. Gal. 3.14.  [ye are me friends if ye do whatsoever I command you]) and the blessedness we have by Christ, is entitled the blessing of Abraham, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles etc.  
Now what happiness Abraham found, in yielding himself to God, to do as he would have him in all things, the same found his posterity also: and generally (not to insist upon any more particular instances) the Lord hath entailed our welfare to all his precepts, as we may find in all and every of them, that nothing is more frequent than the promises of his grace annexed to the promise of our obedience; still the Lord fasten's and tye's the one too the other every where.  
Moses is most abundant in many places in this particular, 
Deut. 5.29.33. cap. 6.18.24. cap. 10.13 cap. 12.28 cap. 16.13  almost in every chapter of Deuteronomie, no one thing is so often itterated as this, Take heed & do according to all that I command you, that it may be well with you, & with your children for ever. It is ordinary (almost) in all chapters, and often found in diverse verses of some one.  
And to the end we might be sure of all absolute assurance of all this good, in thus doing the Lord doth (as it were) put us into possession of the same saying [And all these blessings shall come upon thee, 
cap. 28.2.  & shall overtake thee] first all in general: [all these blessings shall overtake you] secondly every one in particular, as it is in the verses following where thy are particulated at large.  
Neither is Moses the only man that thus speaks, but the Prophets also utter the same words very often, speak the same language every where, as it were most easy to instance in more places, than time will permit us now to quoate.  
Say ye it shallbe well with the righteous saith Isaiah. 
Isa. 3.10. Jer. 32, 29  I will do thus, and thus (saith God by jeremiah) for the wealth of them and their children, speaking of his covenant of grace.  
Testimonies (you see) would abound if we should muster up all that we could find in the scriptures, but we will spare them and inquire after some reasons of the point, and they are these that follow.  
First, if this were not a truth, that, Reason. 1 they that willbe ruled by God shall far well, then there were not, nor could be, any encouragement at all to any good; for, what heart can any man have to be obedient to the Lord, and to submit to his law, if so be, we might not be sure of something for so doing.  
All these good words of God, were worth little, and men should have small mind, to bend themselves to the best obedience of their hearts, and lives, to please the Lord in all things, if it were not for the hope hereof, and that they might build upon this blessedness whereof we speak.  
But we must know that nothing of all this that the Lord saith, is any whitt in vain, neither can be, but that every jott and tittle of it was, and is, truly intended unto the faithful by him, who never spoke any thing but seriously, as he did indeed mind, and intend the same.  
Secondly, Reason. 2 if this were not so, the devil would prove (at least semingly) to the world, a better paymaster than God, for why? he promise's, and makes proffers to such as he can bewitch to do his will, of great things. 
Mat. 4.9. Job. 21. Psal. 73.  So he did to Christ [All these things I will give thee;] So the Saints complain in Jobs and David's days, how well wicked men fared (in all respects) being the servants of sin and Satan, wondering exceedingly how and why it should be, or could be so.  
And good jeremiah he was even at his wit's end, 
jer. 12.1.2.3.  & stumbled so shrewdly at this, that he was almost clean down, and even driven to a nonplus when he saw how well it went with wicked men.  
Now because the Devil (who although in no sense indeed he can be; and yet, to the blinded sense of sinful men, he seems to be) a better master than the Lord; and also to the end that no enlightened mind should once imagine any such thing; God himself will have us know that his promises, (and his payment too) are such, and so royal, that as we say in our proverb, there is [no service to a King] so we might well take up this for a more true, even for a most true proverb, yea principle [no service to the King of Kings,] which thing he will so evidence and make good, that not only his own shall see it, but wicked men shall assent to it, 
Psal 58.11.12.  and be forced to say verily there is a reward for the righteous.  
Thirdly, Reason. 3 the Apostle tell's us that [piety hath the promise both of this life, & the life to come;] of things present, and future: now how can this be true, in case our doctrine were false? & if it have the promise of both, sure it shallbe well with them indeed, and they cannot but be well dealt with all, who willbe ordered by God.  
The Lord cannot frustrate, neither will make void, any whitt of that word of truth he hath spoken; but justify, and verify every jott in his work upon his faithful one's.  
But if he should not deal well with his own, he should nullify, and annihilate 

all his truth, and faithfulness.  
all his mercy, and kindness.  
all his love, and goodness.    
The glory of his righteousness, and honour of his holiness were gone, his own saints had nothing to settle and rest their souls and hearts upon, nothing at all to trust to: Besides what occasion would the slaves of Satan, and vassals of sin take, to upbraid us that we serve a master that will do us good, as fare as good words will go, and no further. I might add as many manifest reasons as testimonies hereof, it were as easy to abound in the one, as in the other, but what needeth it?  
The good pleasure of his will that thus it shallbe, is infinitely above, and beyond all allegations which he, or any lyms of his, have, or can have, to contradict it, in the least; the devil and wicked men, are to weak to wage evidence or arguments with God, in the proof of the truth of any point of divinity.  
And seeing this his gracious pleasure is to this purpose so apparently revealed, let us rest and trust therein, & resolve ourselves as fully satisfied for the truth hereof. I but, that the devil will not let us do, if he can choose, and therefore he bend's his greatest forces against this blessed instruction, and doth besiege, and lay battery to the souls of God's saints, to see if he can enforce them from the truth hereof, and on the other side he fortifyes the profane spirit of impious persons in the contrary persuasion.  
Two things are principally objected, 
A double Objection.  first the hard measure, and unhappy condition of God's saints. Secondly the welfare, & prosperity of  persons. The one being rebels to the Lord are raised on high, and have what they will, yea more than their heart can wish as the Psalm saith. 
Psal. 73.7.  The other being Loyal, and obedient subjects, ever ready to do his will to the utmost, are in the worst case of any other men, none so perplexed within, none so persecuted without, as they: scarce any are in so bad a case, none in worse.  
These are the two horns (like those of Hananiah) that he doth run at men with, with all might, and main, endeavouring the overturning both of this sacred truth, and the true comfort of it, & the setting up of a godless liberty of sinning to all men.  
But we, that we may save harmless the honour of our God, and the glory of this his holy truth, and (at once) confute, yea confounded; every such absurd, and infernal argumentation, as may make any insurection against the majesty of the most high, to abate any man's heart or heat in goodness, or to C●ette any soul in any sinfulness; it shall become us well, to answer these cavils, and to quit the Lord in his truth, and to comfort his servants in the same, notwithstanding this diabolical opposition.  
Know we therefore, and believe, that what soever seemeth to be true, either in the one allegation, or the other, either for the ill usage of Gods chosen or for the peace, and contentment of sinful persons, yet neither indeed is any thing against the truth we have spoken, which shall remain infallible undoubted, and undeniable, so long as the heaven and earth shall have a being.  
Touching the ill usage of God's children consider I pray you these things.  
First, that the world may deal ill with men, when that the lord deals well with them. 
Answer to the 1 branch.  Joseph found it so in his particular. Christ told his disciples so [in the world ye shall have troubles; but be of good comfort.] Though therefore, the world do offer us hard measure yet it no way hindereth the heavenly truth of what we speak. Secondly, the worse the world deal's with the Lords people, the better will the Lord be to them. 
Ro. 8.28.  So saith the Apostle [for the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shallbe revealed in us]. So again, 
2. Cor. 1.5.  [as our sufferings abound for Christ, so shall our consolations abound much more by Christ] And yet again, the Apostle saith, that the saints [rejoice with joy unspeakable & glorious, though they be in heaviness through many afflictions] And yet once more Saint john in his relevation tell's us, 
Reu. 7.  what Gods Angel told him, therefore they are in the presence of God, day & night etc.  
And the reason hereof is because by the world's bad usage, their graces by tried more throughly, and so themselves are crowned more gloriously.  
Thirdly, that all this evil which God's saints find here, is not indeed evil, but the outside of it, the only appearance thereof, not the substance; so saith the Apostle, when he tell's them, that he was [as anknowne, as dying, as sorrowing, as poor, as having nothing, etc.] yet though it seemed thus, it was not so indeed but fare otherwise as the text avoucheth. Nay (which is yet more) we may be assured that all those things that be accounted so evil by men, are in God's intention truly good; and so shallbe to us in the issue, and consequence of them, if with the eye of faith we endeavour to look upon them. So David said of Shemeis railing: God will do me good etc. & again, it is good for me that I was afflicted.  
Fourthly, though the Lord say as in this our text, that he will deal well with all his children: yet he doth not tie himself evermore to make it true, in external, and temporal things, but will give it us (it may be even in these two sometimes) but howsoever in things spiritual, and eternal, and these are the things wherein he deals well with us indeed; other favours are both too common, and too mean, to be the reputed either the best fruits of his favour, or the only reward of his church's faithfulness.  
Fiftly, nothing could ever be infallibly concluded from the external state (only) of a christian. How God dealeth with many of his own, is not to be discerned by any of these things alone, neither can be. You see how the son of his love, our Lord Christ fared in these outward & earthly respects, should any thing be concluded against him upon this ground 

and if not against Christ  
why, against Christians?    
Besides, what should I tell you of the sanctification, and sweetening, of the worst that the world can do to the Lords beloved ones, how the Lord doth invert their courses, & deceive the world miserably, in their expectation that way; how the Devil by Adam in intending to do all the elect much evil, God by Christ hath done them infinitely much more good, than the evil could amount unto, when Satan had done his worst. Thus we see that every way we are satisfied in this branch of the objection: And it matters nothing now, what construction men make of any thing done (by men) to the Saints of God, the question is only of that which God himself doth, and of that good which he produceth out of that evil which men do unto us, and let us look well upon either, or both of these, and we shall find our text and the doctrine thereof most true.  
Now touching the other branch of wicked men's prosperity, it is a thing to be much pitied not to be at all envied, and that we may not either jdlely, or ignorantly wonder at it, let us wisely consider these ensuing particulars.  
First, 
Answer to the 2 branch.  that the happy estate of wicked men here on earth, is all the heaven, the poor souls are ever like to have, and therefore who can grudge them any good they can catch here? or think much at any temporal contentments they attain? considering, that after they are gone hence, they must never hope or look for more, no not for on drop, or dram of any delight, but endless, easeles, and remediless misery for ever and ever. Did not Abraham tell the rich man so in the parable [Son, rememler that thou in thy life time ha●st they pleasure, and Lazarus pain, but now, he is comforted and thou art tormented.] This world is all the heil God's people shall have, here they meet with all the miseries they shall ever feel, all their weeping & wailing is in this earth: And the same is the heaven of  persons, all whose joys and comforts, as they may much abound here, so here they must have an end also.  
Secondly, whatsoever they have, or can have here, (admit it be as much) or more (than their hearts could wish, and desire) all, and every whitt of it, is thrown upon them by the Lord, in his justice and indignation, and they have it and keep it merely as a mischief unto them, to further their fearful and final confusion. 
Pro. 1.32.  All their contentments do but help to kill them. So saith Solomon [ease slayeth the foolish and the prosperity of fools destroyeth them.] Give an  man, what he would have or crave, I think it would be ease and prosperity, that he would seek after, why even this kills, and destroye's him saith God. And the same saith the prophet Isajah (as we heard before) when he tell's us, that the Lord would have them made fat, it is only for slaughter, that they might not be saved, but cast away, and condemned for ever.  
Thirdly, no good thing any wicked enjoye's in this world (be it, he had never such abundance of all good things) can truly, & properly be called good to him, but all such particulars as he doth posesse, (though they may be good blessings in themselves) yet to them, they are no better nor no other, then so many curses cast upon them by the Lord for evil.  
This doth Moses most manifestly witness and declare when he tell's all the world from God, that all rebellious and disobedient persons, who are not ruled by the law of the Lord shallbe accursed in every respect 

both in what they are: 
Deut. 28.15.16. &c  cursed shalt thou be in thy body:  
and in what they have; cursed shalt thou be in thy cattles corn, and all increase.  
and in what they do: cursed shalt thou be in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.    
Note well, they are not cursed, in the want of these things, (every body would think it a curse to be deprived of them, and to have, no children, cattles, friut, or increase) but they have them, yet are accursed in them, and with them, even while they do enjoy them: as Malachi once told the wicked priests that God would [curse their blessings] nay, that he had done it already: that albeit they had blessings, yet as blessings they had them not, but in the nature and state of curses. And is it not a most hideous and heavy judgement, that a man should have blessings and be without the blessedness of them, and not only so, but to be baned, poisoned, and utterly overthrown by them? Thus bad, and no better, is a wicked man's state, when it is at the best, in all the benefits this world can bestow upon them.  
Fourthly, and lastly, whatsoever happiness doth befall wicked persons here; it is only to harden their sinful hearts, and to multiply their sins against the Lord. It was ever the use (or rather the abuse) that profane men made of God's mercies, to flesh and hearten themselves (by them) in their wretched courses.  
For thus they (by the devil's assistance) do discourse and argue within themselves. God doth thus and thus bless me, with such and such abundance; I have so much, & so much of this and of that; why should I not think my estate such as he is pleased withal? and so good as contents him: I hear these hit preachers take on against such and such sins, I cannot tell, but I see those sinners (as they call, and account them) thrive better than themselves, or any of their disciples, that are so eager after other religious matters. And wherefore should I not believe that God think's well of us, when he deale's so well with us?  
Thus, on go they (by occasion of the good things they have) to be well conceited of their evil state, and so gather conclusions to continue in the same, & that must needs add to the number, and measure of their sins, and make the weight of them absolutely in supportable, and the vengeance of God, due unto them infinitely insufferable. This is all (when it is well summed up) that a wicked man's blessings come to, to harden his heart, to heap to his sin, to help on God's speedy indignation, and his own swift damnation.  
Thus we have proved the truth of the point, and freed it from falsehood; and it being fully confirmed, & cleared, we are now to pass unto the uses of the same which are such as concern all sorts of persons, good and bad, holy and profane joyntely and severally.  
And first, it is exceeding comfortable to all God's saints, use. 1 that have received such hearts from God that they do and can submit themselves freely to the Lords wisdom, and guidance in every thing. Never any lost by this master, that ever did any of his work, and was ruled by him therein, Noah he hath ever showed himself 

to be the best master  
to appoint the best work.  
to allow the best wages.    
For why? such as have been the servants of this Lord, have ever had good pay for the performance of any thing, where about they have been employed for him. Good pay did I say? nay that word is not great enough, it has been more than good, even the best that this world could yield, and better than the best that under heaven is to be had; many of them (I am sure) have sped better than ever they made any account off, and have had more happiness than their hearts could desire, or ever thought off, witness Abraham both in his possession, and posterity; he that calls him out of his own land, gave him both much more land, and (which was more) heyers to enjoy it after him, and both these were more than he made account off, or could reckon upon. joseph whose rare fidelity, and piety, patience, humility, and honesty, was recompensed with wonderful, and (I dare say, on his part unexpected) prosperity, doubtless he never once did dream to be the second in the kingdom, the greatest Peer and next in place to the King himself, assuredly he looked for no such issue of exaltation, yet the Lord gave it him as the reward of his obedience to him, and being ruled by him.  
jacob here, who when he fled to this Laban (as himself saith) was in mean condition, & poor state, as verse 12. but now is opulent, rich, & exceeding abundant in all kind of stock and store.  
How many more witnesses, were it most easy to produce to the attestation of this consolation? David who met with a kingdom, and being faithful in that which was less, was put in trust over that which was greater, even the greatest power under heaven, to be the sovereign prince of Gods own people.  
Marry who abiding, and mourning at the sepulchre, and desiring but to find the dead body of Christ, there found him alive, & speaking most graciously to her, so that she was made the first happy messenger, of his most glorious and triumphant resurrection.  
The saints Heb. 13. who got Angels to be their guests, in being harborours' to the poor members of Christ. Multitudes more might be multiplied, to make good the joy of this truth, to every soul, that is subdued unto it, & resolved to do as the Lord will have it. 
Eph. 3.20.  The Apostle saith enough, that [he is able to do exceeding abuntdantly, beyond all that we can ask or think. Even in this life, so graciously doth he deal with us, and doth thus unto us. But in that which is to come, he infinitely exceeds this, & doth assure us thoroughly, that to him that worketh shallbe given reward, beyond all, not only more than can be desired, but more than can be imagined, man's heart cannot conceive how happy he shallbe in this matter, that the doth sincerely serve his God: what sweet sentences do we find? [Enter into thy master's joy]; 
Ro. 2.7.  [Receive the kingdom prepared for you.] [To them that by continuance in well doing, seek (and they shallbe sure to find) honour & glory, & jmmortality, & eternal life,] note, no less than all this, and [I will deal well with thee], and is not this good dealing for welldoing? If it be not, what is, or can be? if it be, who can but be comforted and cheered that hath got a heart to do well, according to Gods will, seeing such a heart is attended with such happiness as we have seen.  
In the next place, our second use meeteth with all such whom the Lord ruleth not, use. 2 but in whom the God of this world, even the devil, is predominant, & powerful, to carry them to every corrupt and finfull practice against his law, his love, his whole revealed will, such (I mean) as not being subdued unto him, rebels against him, and therefore reserved to his wrath and justice to be punished by him. Those (I mean) whom the world may rule, the devil may rule, who to each other in any vanity or jmpiety, are at as much command as the Centurion's servants were to him, (as he told Christ) to come and go and do, they being ready to come, to go, to do, or not do, this or that; or any thing, at his pleasure. These men need no more misery than the privation of the joy we have spoken off; howbeit the loss of that is not all their sorrow, but the least part of that heavy condition which shall ceartainly befall them Noah, Noah, over & above, the absence of the sweet joy and consolation of the saints, they have assurance of misery and vengeance, completely opposite to our happiness, and that being unspeakable, their mischief must needs be insufferable. A man is in dreadful state, when he cannot be sure God will deal well with him, nay when he cannot but, be sure he will deal 

not graciously, but righteously,  
not mercifully, but miserably   with us, according to the strict, and exquisite terms of absolute justice, and exasperated wrath, Oh, who is able to abide it, when God willbe exact? or can any possbility be conceived, that any flesh may either stand it out, or shun it? no, no, it is an absolute impossibility to conceit either. He that will not be ruled by God must, and shall rue it, when the time is come of the Lords visitation, and recompense to be rendered to every rebellious person. So saith our Lord Christ, [The wrath of God abideth on him]. 
Joh. 5.2. The. 1.7.8.6.  So the Apostle [when the Lord jesus shall appear in flaming fire rendering vengeance to them etc. which shallbe punished with everlasting perdition. And doth not the same Apostle conclude the quite contrary to  one's, 
Ro. 2.9.  to that which we noted out of the same chap. saying [Tribulation & anguish shallbe upon every soul that doth evil]  
Now if unto these scriptures we should inquire after instances, we might soon furnish ourselves with more than a few. Sodom & Gomorah would not by ruled by God, & when the Lord saw that he could not prevail with them, how dealt he with them? fire and brimstone came from heaven upon their bodies, & their souls were cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, that burneth for ever in hell. The old world was also most wicked and rebellious against the Lord, Noah could have no audience from God among them; how dealt the Lord with them? why he drowned their bodies, besides what may be conceived of their souls, though I will not affirm they were all eternally rejected. And what should I need to produce particular persons, when we have the whole world to witness it? I could name, Pharaoh, Saul, Ahab, and many other accursed caitiffs, and most miserable miscreants, who would not do as the Lord would have them, but followed the profanes and stubbornness of their own vile spirits, and the Lord measured unto them in justice, as he did to his own in mercy, even strange and unexpected justice, such (I assure myself) as they never looked for, or once conceited could have befallen them. And let us know, that he is still the same God in severity, and indignation, if we be the same men, in impiety and rebellion; if he find us out in the one, assuredly we shall feel him in the other; and that to our eternal horror of heart before his face, when his hand shallbe heavy upon us, as our hearts have been hellish before him.  
A third use of this point enforceth the truth of the same upon us, use. 3 that we should now learn to be resolute in our judgements, and powerful in our practice herein, that both may fully accord in us, and we be faithful, and not faint, before the Lord in both, and either. Faithful (I say) and not faint, for in holy written these two are opposed to each other, for neither the faint are reputed faithful, nor the faithful, faint. 
Reu. 2.10.  Hence the holy ghost exhorteth [Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer, behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried & you shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee the crown of life. Hence the Apostle useth the phrase oppositively saying, of himself, & his fellowlabourers, we are bold, and faint not. Hence his counsel to the Ephesians was, that they should not faint at his tribulations etc.  
And much need there is that, this should be powerfully pressed upon us, that we may be throughly posest of it, for God doth know, that no thing is performed more feebly, & more faintly, with more jmbecility, and jmpotency, than his business; men are not more fearful and heartless in any thing, then in the things of God, especially if they have not a safe outside, that the world can fancy. In matter of holiness, men are miserably timorous. In matter of sin, desperately timerarious. There must be such a rule made, and such ado, before a man can be gotten to go God's way, especially if it seem rough, it is so long ere one can bring his heart to be ruled by him, as it is both wonderful it should be so, and woeful that it is so.  
But our own wisdom (though deceivable, is easily followed: our own way (though damnable) is lightly trod by ourselves, and others are quickly led into it. The mischief is this, that all the difficulty is to bring us into the way of God, and to make us resolute to follow the same, being once in it. How well were it, had we got this measure of abnegation of ourselves; that once we could be settled in this mind, that the Lord should have us at his beck, and but say the word, and we would do the deed, without all dispute, or any delay; yea we would set upon it (if the Lord will have it) whatsoever it cost, or whatsoever come of it, yea that nothing should so much as once seem, or be conceited to be evil that he commands; and that not the least of our jmaginations should dare to stir, or offer to make any insurrection, against the high pleasure of his most holy majesty.  
Paul was excellent at this in his particular as we read in his story thereof. Agabus had foretold his martyrdom, and shown it by a sign himself with Paul's girdle, both before Paul's face, and (as it seemeth by the sequel) in the sight of many other of the saints; who being wonderfully affected at it, do earnestly entreat him (seeing he had this fair warning) to do his best to escape, and shun it. But what was the answer of Paul to them? 
Act. 10.22.23.24  why (in sum) this, that seeing he saw it was the mind of God, that thus it should be, he was ready, and resolute, to undergo it, no fears of his own, no tears of others, (who loved him entirely) could do any thing; God should rule him to the loss of his dearest life. This was a mind truly christian and courageous. This was a man rightly resolute and magnanimous.  
Here was a spirit subdued to God's spirit, worthy approbation in him, worthy jmitation in us.  
Pray we for the like it will come well to pass with us if we can (as by prayer we may) obtain it, if we have not hearts, that the Lord may command to the death, it willbe heavy with us, his justice will abandon us to death eternal, if for the honour of his truth, we will not undergo a temporal. Let us then (in no wise) forget our part, to do well, and the Lord will not (nay he cannot) forget his promise, to deal well, if nothing do hinder us in the one, nothing shall hinder him in the other.  
And to animate and hearten us hereunto, that with cheerfulness (and without fearfulness) we may willingly undergo the hardest task, that the Lord shall please to set us about: let us but cast our thoughts a little, upon the odds and advantage, accrueing unto us by this course, The difference is not small, between our doing well before God, and Gods dealing well, with us. Alas, what are our deeds at the best but poor, weak, maimed, and corrupted obedience, it bring's no good to God, to whom it is done. And what is his dealing well to us at the least, is it not all true & absolute good, both for present, and for future time, yea to all eternity, beyond time? It were very easy to amplify this odds abundantly, for the one (to wit) God's part toward us, is incomparably beyond ours. But what need we many words about it, when it may be all said in one.  
Look what difference there is between God & us, in all goodness and excellency, wherein we cannot but confess, he doth (every way) infinitely, and jmmeasurably exceed us; so much more (as he is more than we) is his well dealing beyond, & better than our well-doing. And have we not sound reason then to go through stitch, with the work of God, and to resolve to be ruled by him whatsoever seeming reason, in the world, may stand up, and offer to rise against it. The very odds and advantage, is able to overturn all opposition; and interruption, in every heart that the Lord hath subdued to himself, and sanctified with the true savour, 
Conclusion.  and power, of saving grace.  
And now (my dear beloved in the Lord jesus) in the truth of this point, as in the last lesson (which from me, you must take forth) I must leave you, but my trust is, that neither you, nor I, shall ever take leave of it, or it of us, but that this truth of God, shall dwell in all our hearts, all our days. It is a lesson, as well becoming me to learn, as to teach. It is a lesson, I have been, and (I hope) ever shallbe, learning better by heart, every day, that I may express it in life more and more, to my last day. It is a lesson which I may (in good sense) entitle, the sum and abridgement, of all the lessons, and truths of God, I have taught you from time to time, every of which, whereto have they tended, but to inform you in the point of obedience to the Lord, upon the blessed hope of his heavenly promises of your best welfare, to be accomplished upon you. It is the lesson wherein the Lord himself instructed Adam, as being the abridged model of his whole mind, [Do this and live] and thence the Apostle calls our obedience to God, 
Micah. 6.8.  [obedience to life]. The prophet Micah taught it, in his time [he hath showed thee O man what is good, & what the Lord requireth of thee &c]. And if the Lord have showed us what is good, let us show ourselves unto him, in all good carriage conformable thereunto, for what he require's is not only good in act before him, but better in issue for us.  
[We were created to good works that we should walk in them] saith the holy ghost. Nay, do we not daily pray that his will may be done of us, [Thy will be done &c]? And if to be ruled by God, were the end of our creation, and the aim of our petitions; as also considering (as we have seen) that in thus doing we shall receive endless felicity and consolation: O dear christians; let us (even in our souls) endeavour our utmost hereunto, let the almighty evermore master and manage, our hearts and lives, to rule, and overule both, according to the good pleasure of his will, that we may approve ourselves to be upright practitioners of the power of this truth: So shall we be sure to have the Lord to friend, & to live in his favour here, and afterward be as sure to live with him, and see his face, for ever and ever; for himself hath assured us that [they that have done good, shall go into life everlasting.]  
And unto the building of you all up in the assurance of this most blessed condition, both my preaching unto you, and my practice before you, & my prayers for you, have all jointely, and severally, done their best, from time to time, (as the Lord hath enabled me) since I first came among you, and you so lovingly cast your early, and unexpected kindness upon me.  
Since which time (that I may with your patience, & pardon, tune this my last string to that sweetest strain, both touching you, and myself) and make clear declaration, before God, and Angels, and men. 

how, I have been with you; and  
how, you have been with me; and  
we both, with each other,   and so (while I can) begin to sing to my beloved, a song of my beloved, because when I come to speak of our parting, I can be no more musical, but mournful and (not my harpe-but) even my heartstrings will fail: Suffer me I beseech you, to open myself unto you, and to rip up, and relate, the manner both of my Entrance among you, and of my Continuance with you, and how our God hath dealt with us both, in both these. 
My entrance. Vthes. 2.1   
Touching the former, I presume I may make use of the Apostles words, and appeal unto them, and apply them to my particular, on your behalf [. Brothers you yourselves know, that our entrance in unto you was not in vain.] 
Reu. 3.7.  You well know, that he that hath the key of David, who shutteth and no man openeth, and openeth and no man shutteth; you know I say, and so do I, that it was he, that unlocked your loving hearts, and set open the door of your christian desires, to my first entertainment and employment, soon after my arrival in this place, whenas (I being a mere stranger among you) I might not (with reason) have any such hope or expectation; yet beyond both, I found your abundant favour. Strange love, among strangers, much like that which hath been spoken off, but most like that which God (who is love) hath freely showed to us, (without merit) when we were strangers (and enemies also) to him. But they that are most like him in mercy, shallbe most like him in glory.  
Touching the latter, 
My continuance Act. 20.18.  to wit, my Continuance with you (since this my Entrance) I will also take up the same Apostles words [you know from the first day that I came, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons] you have not been strangers, either to my public ministration, or to my private conversation, in both and either of which, I have desired to lead you towards heaven, with light of truth, and life according to the truth I taught, so fare as frailty might permit. I am not willing to speak much of either, yet something I must say of both, but all I speak shallbe [vere, and verecunde,] with modesty, and truth.  
For my personal carriage and demeanour, I have ever aimed at such a course, in the whole passage thereof, as might be safely jmitable to you all, that you might follow me with a right foot, in that happy way, wherein the holy Ghost doth advise us to [make strait paths unto our feet,] 
Heb. 12.13.  that we might run the way of God's commandments.  
This I say was my aim, (and that I dare boldly say) and I have gone as near it as I could, but through weakness, or want of due watchfulness, I know I have erred, & trodden a-wry, being sometimes wide, & sometimes short, of that, we should strive unto. I hope you all acknowledge, that all flesh and blood may, & doth miscarry, and if we be any thing more, through the grace given us of God, yet have we so much more of that worse, then of this better part; that there can be no possibility of our perpetual uprightness, before men, (who are our fellow offenders,) how much less before the Lord, whose eyes are so piercing, and so pure? To arrogate Papal jmmunity, of being infallible in judgement, or unblameable in life, & to affirm a possibility of not erring in either, is blasphemously to derogate from the Lords own excellency, who alone is able to challenge the whole world, to tax, or attaint him, in any (yea the least appearance) of any evil whatsoever.  
For my speech, when God hath given us occasion of private discourse, as, by your most kind and ordinary invitations of me to your ordinaries, we found many opportunityes when we [did eat our bread together with cheerfulness] you are my witnesses, that I have tempered my talk to the time, to the persons present, and matter presented.  
If it were divine, (as many a time, it was, & we have, had heavenly sauce, to our earthly food) you know I had ever laboured your edification, and building up to God, in the saving knowledge of his sacred will, in all points & passages incident to every kind of divinity, and according to the quality and nature of the question, propunded, we have accordingly given such satisfaction, as we have received from God: whether in positive divinity, to explain and confirm a proposition: or in textual, to interpret words or phrases: or in polemical, to decide a controversy: or in scholastical, to unsolde a nice distinction: or in case-divinity to relieve a conscience; or lastly, in that which is mystical, to untie knots, and reveal obscurities: In each of these something we have had (sometimes) to do, and as the Lord enabled me, I have endeavoured (to the best of my weak understanding) to inform and satiffy you.  
If our discourse were humane, then as (for your edification before) so for your delight now, you will bear me record, that I have done my best to speak to your contentment, in any kind of learning, wherewith I have been acquainted, whether in any of the arts, or in history, or in poesy, or in mythology, in every of which (especially in the last) I have taken many occasions to report unto you, such things as I have taken notice off, out of the jewish Rabbins, and Thalmud, and out of the Pope's legend, wherein are contained millions of matters, whereof, many are blasphemous, many ridiculous, many monstrous, many frivolous, & almost all, so foully fabulous, and incapable of truth, or credit, that the books might well be entitled a very fardel of fables, and falshoodes (taking their denomination from the fare greater part) inasmuch as they swarm with such incedible narrations, as no man can judge them, to be other then notorious lies. These I have frequently, and abundantly related in your hearing, not that you should believe, but abhor, the stories and think with commiseration of those miserable souls, both jews and Papists, who are led, and fed, with this froth and filthy scum, of infernal inventions, and have them read, instead of the Gospel, to giude them. As also that we might (hence) be the more moved, to magnify the great name of our good God, who hath not dealt so with us, that we should believe lies, but be nourished with his own word of truth, which is his power to our salvation,  
If any were so weak as once to conceit, these things (or any the like, reported out of other writers) were spoken for truth, he or they, must ever know, that what we relate out of our reading, must evermore carry credit, according to the authors, not the relators credit. It would much dishearten scholars and kill the profit, of much pleasant discourse, if we should be so grossly mistaken. Nay, it becomes us to make use of all kind of learning, as any occasion is offered to us, to vent what we know in any particulars. It was a good rule and well given to all men by one, [bene locuta, quae sapienter audita] those things are well spoken, which are wisely taken. Discretion in hearing, doth minister much delight to us in speaking. Not only what we speak but from whom, must be well heeded, when we have any opportunity to discover things of this nature.  
And as thus it hath been in our table talk, when we have had much sweet society, and conference together, so when the Lord hath given me any occasion of private and secret passage with any of you, by way of counsel or admonitton, in any case of conscience, I cannot say, but my (or rather, Gods) words, have found such entertainment and acceptance, as I can safely & truly report, and leave upon perpetual record, to the praise of this place, the peace and happiness of those persons, the commendation of your society, the consolation of all that may succeed me in this ministry, who may hereby conceive comfortably, how hopefully they may sow, how happily they may reap, and that their labours shall not be in vain in the Lord.  
Concerning my public ministration; it pleased you first, to choose me as an assistant to your Pastor, in your weekly lecture, & some service of the sabbath: your favour in this was much, but it was much more, when (not long after) upon his departure, you took me totally into your service, and (by a lawful & free election, put me into the Pastoral charge and function and (under God) committed your souls to my ministrey. A greater trust cannot be cast upon a creature. And how I would have watched over you, the [watchman of Israel] doth well know; and how fare I have actually endeavoured it, this public place, (I hope) doth witness in part, out of which, I have not failed to teach you, all that I could (in my best understanding) judge profitable for you; I have showed the whole counsel of God, so fare as it pleased him to send it to my knowledge; I have not (willingly) purloined, or witholden, any part of his truth that might concern either.  

the, reprehension of your sins  
or thee in formation of your judgements  
or the reformation of your lives.  
or, the consolation, and salvation of your souls.   
And all this in singleness of heart, in sincerity, (howbeit in much infirmity) without partiality, & flattery (which may be called high treason, in a Preacher), because it betrayeth, both the honour of God, and the souls of men, into the hands of Satan.  
Besides, that private inspection, which (as I was able) I carried with a wakeful eye upon you, in particular, that not one of you might wander, or be lost, for want of looking to.  
And how you have received, and embraced, these my ministerial endeavours, my conscience, & your carriage do both most comfortably witness, inasmuch, as thus much I may truly avouch before the Lord, to his praise, & your approbation, that I have never undertaken to lay siege to any jmpiety, which had overun all, or the most part, as a common enemy, but the Lord was the conqueror, and you yielded yourselves to be subdued to him, & ordered by his holy word & will.  
It were easy for me (if it were expedient for you) to instance some few particulars, which as the first fruits of my labours, I saw reform among you, but I spare to nominate any, but cannot spare to notify thus much, that all men may see, what glory to himself, & what good to your selves, & me, the Lord meant us in his mercy.  
This beginning of good, made my service, my happiness, & this place began to be like a little heaven to me; yea (to speak the truth from my heart, as before the Lord) I much doubt whether, (out of heaven) I shall ever be so happy again, as I did apprehend myself to be, when you (like the Apostles hearers) began thus, to crown my labours, with the timely earnest, of such an amendment; my hope was I should have been longer happy with you, but it faileth me; howbeit my souls uncessant desire is and shallbe, that the hope of your happiness, may never fail you, in any that shall come after me.  
Thus were we both entered into a blessed race, to the end whereof, I know the Lord can bring us, though we may not go both together, as my soul desired, yet (if we fail not to meet the Lord) we cannot (by his grace) but meet together, in the glory of that kingdom, which he hath promised, to all that persevere in uprightness before him.  
The God of heaven knoweth, that I did so prise your worthy society (in these spiritual respects) that I could have abundantly joyed to have been [your servant for jesus sake,] all my days; I did prefer it to all other, as most dear and precious to me under heaven. Had I not reason, when I see the Lord himself, assimulating us to each other, under those representations, wherein the parties are in dearest relation to one another: as of father and child, mother & infant? whence we are sometimes said to beget men to God, and sometimes, to travel in our birth, till Christ be form in our people.  
Who can be insensible of the separation of these, between whom, the conjunction is so near? surely none but he alone, can support me against the sorrow thereof, who hath promised to gather all his own, in such an inconceivable kind of conjunction as shall make us everlastingly one, both with one another, and with himself, and our saviour, where he willbe our father and our king, & we (through his Christ) shallbe his children, and kings too, to reign with him to all eternity,  
Thus, have I been with you, in my poor duties: but in all that I have said, you (and all men) must ever except my infirmities, which are not few, and my manifold frailtyes; which (as I am sinful flesh and blood), could not be wholly hid, or unobserued. We are men, (said Paul, & Barnabas, when the sottish people would have worshipped them as Gods) subject to the same passions that you are. [Elias (a man of admired graces) was a man subject to the same passions that we are], said the Apostle james. Behold neither Prophets, nor Apostles, but have weaknesses, with their graces, and do express their inperfections, with their best actions. How much less may we hope, or you expect, we should be free: free? nay how can you wonder at our fare greater failings, when as you know us to be of fare lesser graces; if their extraordinary measure and power of God's spirit, were accompanied with ordinary corruption, should our extraordinary miscarriages seem strange, whenas ordinary grace, is the most, and best, we can attain?  
Be not offended then at us, or at religion for our sakes, because you see our evil, with our good; be humbled (rather) in yourselves, & fear your one greater danger, and think with yourselves; if these men who draw so near unto God, who spend their lives (as it were) in heaven, whose lives are, (or aught to be) nothing but a continual conference, and familiarity with the Lord, cannot yet be free of frailty, & offence; sure I may doubt my estate, lest that which appeareth in them, will usurp over my, if they feel so much, I may fear, lest it will overflow, and sink me. Thus meditating, you shallbe kept, from being at all offended at us, & the more from offending God yourselves: you willbe the more compassionate over us, the more circumspect over your own ways, & so the Lord shall have honour in us both, & you will learn to do to us, as he doth to all his, [accept us according to that which we have, not according to that we have not] not despising our ministrey, because of our infirmity, but rather, seeing the Lord doth entrust us over you, you should yield yourselves unto us, as to God's guides. I beseech you again, that you will neither be offended at our failings, nor draw them into example, to cause you to offend, we never desire further jmitation from Christians, than we take from Christ. It is the grief, and greatest wound of our souls, that we can be no more like our Lord, & master, who hath entrusted us, nor more sit for the performance of his pleasure: O let no man be the worse, for our weakness.  
All the joy we have is herein, that (notwithstanding our evil) the Lord hath judged us faithful, and put us into his service, and given us the seal of our ministrey, in causing his work to prosper in our hand. It is his will to put this treasure into earthen vessels, that the glory might be his, not ours. Respect, and consider of us as we are; take your part of the treasure which is heavenly, take pity on the vessel, which is earthly; & the father of mercies shall measure mercy to you, as you shall do to us, whose spirits (indeed) are willing but our flesh is weak; if we can be upright, we are accepted with God; perfect we cannot be.  
Thus now in all respects, I have been with you.  
Now how you have been with me, I wish I had ability to declare according to mine own desire, and your desert. The forenamed favours of my first and second election; your christian defence of mine jnnocency against those  calminations which were cast upon me: the many sweet encouragements I had from you in my ministration, that I might cheerfully serve the Lord in the gospel of his son, during the time I was to abide among you: your gladness of my continuance thus long, and the desires you have showed of my longer abode, had it been the Lords pleasure, (or in your power) that so it should have been: and besides all these, a multitude more of kindnesses, in one kind or another, continually cast upon me.  
Know, I pray you, that all these favours are engraven, upon a most grateful heart; and that, as the Lord will not be unrighteous to forget your labour of love to recompense it: so neither can I be so barbarously oblivious, as not to remember both you, & them, to the Lord, yea and unto men, that they may see your good works, and glorify him, who hath given you hearts to do good, and to distribute so abundantly.  
I must say of you in the time past, as jacob said in my text for the future, and I cannot but acknowledge and avow, that you have performed that to me, which was promised to him: you have dealt well with me every way. The world I have found like a churlish Laban, both unkind, &  towards me: but you have I found like the Lord, who giveth over-measure of kidneys, beyond justice, & merit. And this hath abundantly appeared above all, in that double, yea triple, testimony of your respect to me; to wit, in that honour you vouch safed me, to become an unworthy member, of your most worthy body; as also in that liberal support you gave me, at my departure, which was such as I found no mean prop to my poor estate, which was then falling into a consumption, and is not ●●ed to this day; and lapay, in that honourable attestation you gave me, with untue s●ll consent, under your seal. In all these, your love did superabound, towards me: yet, I do here before the Lord and you, truly witness and testify, that I do not nor dare not nor cannot, so over love, either my self, or all the wealth under heaven, but that I could have accounted my heart, and state, incomparably more comfortable in your service, then in your kinanes, in your spiritual, then in mine own temporal advantage: and might I have still enjoyed my liberty among you to have honoured God, and done you good, I had been in full contentment, to my heart's desire.  
But I see it may not be, I must out of my paradise; I will not say the devil either entices, or enforces me out; I desire to look only, upon the hand of God in all things, (as I taught you all to do do, not long since) & the greatest heaviness of my heart is this, that he seethe me not worthy, or fit to abide in it, because I have honoured him so little, during the time I enjoyed it.  
And so at his pleasure, that shuts and no man opens I now pass away; as I came in, when he did open and no man did shut: my soul's desire is, and hath been, that the Lord might have his will, above mine, and that his good pleasure, might ever be predominant, and overule all my desires. Let us all labour to believe that, that is (and must be) our best estate, which comes upon us from him [who is God to be blessed for ever,] who manifesteth, and magnifieth himself to be only wise, and infinitely gracious, in all things that come to pass upon his children. Faith will thus judge, and determine, though our flesh, would fasten other persuasions upon us. And (thus considered) I dare not but conceit my remoovall to be better than my resting here, howbeit nature doth distaste it, as a thing exceeding bitter. Grace can make that truly good, which corruption apprehendeth to be a heavy evil. And when once sanctification both conquered corruption, and got the upper hand, and that the Lord hath taken the scales of ignorrant, and erroneous judgement, from mine eyes, that I may see himself clearly in this thing, I know I cannot but be comforted, with joy unspeakable & glorious.  
In the mean time, I now behold you with heaviness whom I must behold no more, in this heavenly duty and ministration; my soul overflowe's with sorrow, & I am unspeakeably affucted in my spirit, that I shall not (thus) see your faces any more, nor you mine again in this place, and service. But our God shall behold us both, and all of us, in the brightness of the face of his son jesus Christ, and (if we will strive to look unto him as we ought) the lustre and beams, of his most blessed countenance, will break through all these fogs and mist of our natural perturbations, which appear abundantly in the mournful tears, wherewith now we do so sorrowfully salute one another, which, whether they do more break, or solace my heart, is hard to say: I cannot but deeply symphathize with your sorrow, yet can I not but joy again, to behold your dear regard of me, expressed in these affectionate significations. Thus these two do fight an eager combat within me, but grief prevails (I see) both in you, & my se●f, for this our unseasonable separation.  
But now it is see that I must go, and according to the good pleasure of his will, who here spoke unto jacob, as soon as I hear, I desire to obey, and [to return into my country]; and I desire nothing (seeing I must be gone) but to departed in true peace, as I signified to you all, the last Lord's day, when we did all feast with the Prince of peace, that it might appear, we parted as the children of peace, in his blessing and love, whose bread & wine of blessing, we did lovingly eat & drink together. I must leave you, but know, he will not leave you, nor me, nor any of his, how soever it be so, that we must live a sunder in this world.  
Stay you here in this land of Laban's, who receive you, to enrich themselves, and affect you little further, than they find that you are beneficial to them. Be faithful in your employments, the Lord can send you home with his blessing in abundance, though you might at first come over this Iorden, but with your staff, or but some slender support, & portion, in external things.  
My soul doth wish every one of you jacobs' wealth, but with jacobs' faith, his prosperity, with his piety, the Lord make you equal to him in greatness, & goodness also. Yea the God of, Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob dye you all good, & bestow his best benedictions upon your Society, that the body thereof, may ever inherit her ancient honours and advantages, and the members may share, not only these common comforts, but every one in particular, his own welfare and benefit beside. Of this one thing you must ever be ceartainly assured, and persuaded, that you cannot be more happy than Pagans may be, but in the prosperity of soul & body together, if the Lord divide these, and do give abundance, only to the outward man, this is his heavy justice, these are your unhappy riches.  
Therefore am I (and ever shallbe) a hearty well-willer, to the wellbeing of both; Gods law doth command, & your love hath bound me, to be an uncessant suitor for this double mercy, & if (accordingly) I be not, so fare as I may, or can, let me find no favour in earth, no felicity in heaven.  

And so I leave you to the love of God, whose 

power, guard you against all evil.  
grace, guide you unto all good.  
peace, rule in your hearts.  
mercy, compass you about in all estates.    
As the church of Christ, I leave you, to him that is head of the church, and saviour of his body.  
As my late flock, I leave you, to the great shepherd of your souls.  
As my loving friends, I leave you, to him that is the helper of the freindles.  
As christians, I leave you to jesus Christ both your Lord, and mine, he abide with you, his graces abound in you, his holy spirit be your comforter on earth, your conductor to heaven.   
I cannot make an end, or give over the multiplication of my soul's wishes, of your souls and bodies good; I am full of matter, and my spirit within me constrains me to go on; but dolour can keep no decorum, it is an ill orator, and (you see) affection drowne's both matter and method; yet I must conquer my self and end unwillingly, and so I endeavour (spite of my longing heart, to wish longer) desiring only this one thing that, 

what good, this time will not permit me to utter,  
the Lord of his goodness may please to express upon you all, for ever.    
That so it may come to pass, that in all respects & states what soever, wherein you are, or may be considered, you may in every of them be truly blessed; that 

as men, you may be, faithful.  
as merchants, you may be famous.  
as christ●aens, you may be gracious.  
as saints, you may be glorious.    
More than these, I cannot pray for, and I do and will pray, that you may never enjoy less, from the hands of the living God, who giveth abundantly, and upraydeth no man, who sincerely, seeketh his face, for any present, or future favour.  
And so, 
Jamt. 5.  now (dear Christians (fathers, brethren, sisters, from the greatest to the meanest, my faithful & affectionate hort, bids you all farewell: you are all beloved of me, and my love desireth, you may every one be blessed of God with me. That as, while I was present with you, I did my best to help you forward towards Christ's kingdom, so absent, I may meet you there, when once the time is come, and the date out, that we must depose this earthly tabernacle; O let our cheise care be that we may be sure (beforehand) that we shall change it for a heavenly: I say beforehand, because the Lord makes few comfortable exchanges with man, at the last day or hour of his dissolution, or ot last day of the world's consummation. We never read but of one (the good thief) that sped well at such a time. I am sure there is none that ought to suppose, or once sarmize, that himself shallbe the second man, that shall reap the like measure of extraordinary favour.  
You see how I am suddenly slipped into discourse again, and forgotten my ending, let your love pardon, this excess of mine. Might my speech be as long, as my heart is large, or could it possibly be so, when should I surcease, these my heartiest benedictions, these my kindest valedictions? which I neither know, how to express as I would, or to end when I should. But I am now resolved to master myself wholly, and to end instantly, & (not to detain you longer) my last salutations shallbe in the gracious words of the holy Ghost, inspired, into Paul, when he was to take his leave 

of the Ephesians: 
Act. 20.33.  [Now brethren I commend you to God, & the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, & to give you an inheritance, among them that are sanstified.]  
of the Thessalonians: 
1. The. 5.23.  [Now the very Ged peace sanctify you through, and I pray God that your whole spirit, & soul, & body, may be preserved blameless, unto the appearance of our Lord jesus Christ]  
of the Hebrews: [Now the God of peace &c. 
Heb. 13.20.21.  make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through jesus Christ, to whom (by us all) be glory, & honour, for ever & ever.    
Finally, I end in all the divine and heavenly deprecations, and blessings of all Patriarches, Prophets, and Apostles, yea of jesus Christ himself (uttered in the days of his flesh, while he dwelled among us) which I wish the Lord may assign, and make over to you, that you may feel them, in the full fruit and consolation, of every particular petition, contained in them all, and your souls be filled with the sweetness of them, [as with marrow and fatness], and in their fullness, you may rejoice with joy unspeakable & glorious.  
And now I will constrain myself silence, and muzzle my overflowing mind and mouth, shutting up all, with sincere supplication of all good, to you all, from our God, who is all in all.  
And to glorify and honour this God, let us for ever join our endeovours, & at present join our prayers to him, because we know he [is able to do unto us, exceeding abundantly above all, that we can ask or think] All ye that love the Lord do this, all true hearts, all upright spirits, confoederate, combine, conjoin herein, that with one mind, and one mouth, we may bless God, even our Father. Do the same all ye that desire to be beloved of the Lord, and (through his love) to live with him for ever,  
So shall it assuredly come to pass, that God, who is love, and who is life itself, shall turn all. 

our heaviness, into Hallelujahs.  
our mortality, into life.  
our misery, into glory.   [Faith full is he which hath promised, who will also do it] in his due time: To him be praise & glory, in all his whole family, the Church tryumphant in heaven, the churshes militant on earth, and in all saints apart, both now, & for ever and ever: Amen, Amen, and let all, that love 

the Son of God.  
the Zion of God.  
their own souls.  
and the souls of all true christians   say again, and evermore Amen: Amen, even so be it saith my sorrowful soul, once more, and evermore; breathing out her last, and best desires, that the Lord may seal all these supplications, with an answer and issue, gracious to us, and glorious to himself, according to the most wise counsel, of his sacred will.  
Glory be to God on high.