jacob's SEED: Or The Generation of Seekers. And DAVID'S DELIGHT: Or The excellent on earth. By The late reverend preacher of the Gospel JEREMIAH BURROUGH. Psal. 27.8. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face: my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. Prov. 12.26. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour. Printed by Roger Daniel Printer to the University of Cambridge. 1643. To the Reader. Christian Reader, THou art presented here with a small Treatise of this reverend author, deceased; who by his worthy works (as Abel by his faith) being dead yet speaketh, Heb. 11.4. The work is but of small bulk, yet hath many excellent truths contained in it, concerning two of as necessary duties as fall within the compass of a Christians course. The seeking of God's face, a thing so needful in these troublesome days, and yet so generally neglected. As also concerning the excellency in, and the high esteem that true saints have of their fellow-saints, which is so rare to find in these disjointed and divided times. The work had come abroad ere this, had not the private ends of some been an obstacle in the way. I am confident that of all the works of this worthy author that have been published since his death, there is none can so justly challenge him for the father as this, both for matter, and form, as any one that used to hear him may perceive. The former part of this work was delivered by him in two several Sermons (though now thought convenient to be joined as one) The former before the Right Honourable the Earl of Warwick, in his own house. The latter at Cree-church in London, upon Novemb. 5. the annual commemoration of our deliverance from the Gunpowder-plot, it happening also to be a day of public humiliation. The last was preached in another church in London. Accept the work then with the same candour as it is intended there, and that thou mayest be furthered in holy walking by it is the desire of Thy Christian friend. ¶ The contents of the ensuing Treatise. The first part on ISAIAH 65.19. THe scope of the words page 1 Why the people of God are called the seed of Jacob page 2 The words opened page 5 Doctrine. When God requires a people to seek him, he will make it good to them, that it shall not be in vain page 7 I. Evidences that it is not in vain to seek God. 1. The great things recorded of prayer page 10 2. What the Saints have gotten by prayer page 11 3. No faithful seeker of God will leave off ibid. 4. Wicked men seek him not in vain page 12 5. Godly men have given up themselves to it page 14 6. Godly men prise the prayers of others page 15 7. God is found of them that sought him not ibid. 8. God forbids prayer when he will show no mercy page 16 9 Else a praying heart were not always a mercy ibid. TWO What great things prayer doth. 1. It is the right exercise of our faculties and graces page 17 2. It is the performance of our duty is creatures page 17 3. It is a tendering of homage and worship to God page 18 4. It shows we are on God's side ibid. 5. God accepts every faithful prayer ibid. 6. God grants every faithful petition page 21 III. Wherein the efficacy of prayer lieth. 1. God takes pleasure in doing good page 25 2. God hath made a covenant with his page 26 3. Prayer is Gods own work page 32 4. Right prayer seeks God for God page 33 5. It is part of Christ's purchase page 34 6. Christ tenders them up to his Father page 35 7. God is a God hearing prayer page 36 8. It is a pouring out the spirit to God ibid. 9 The seed of Jacob are dear to God page 37 10. It is for God's honour to hear his people page 38 IV. Objections against prayer answered. Object. 1. We have prayed, and find not the issue page 39 Answ. 1. Remember the times of old ibid. 2. God makes good his promise on believing page 43 3. God is great, and we must wait page 44 4. We must seek God in prayer page 46 5. God answereth not vain prayers page 47 What makes prayers vain page 50 Object. 2. It is in vain to pray page 54 Ans. God heareth the seed of Jacob ibid. 1. Jacob was mighty in prayer page 56 2. He feared God ibid. 3. His heart was lose from the creature page 57 4. He was of a tender spirit page 58 5. He repaired to the covenant in his straits page 59 6. He was of an humble spirit page 60 7. He looked to his former condition ibid. 8. He was content with God alone page 61 9 jacob's posterity were all of the Church page 63 10. Those of jacob's seed have his inheritance page 68 11. Those of jacob's seed are faithful in their place page 70 12. They are taught of God page 71 13. They are careful of their families ibid. 14. They are careful of the Churches good when they be gone page 72 Object. 3. I am a poor wretched creature page 73 Ans. God hears the prayer of the destitute ibid. Object. 4. The things we need are great page 74 Ans. Not to great for God to give ibid. Object. 5. But I pray in the time of affliction page 75 Ans. Yet God will hear prayer ibid. Object. 6. But my afflictions are for sin page 76 Ans. Yet God will hear prayer ibid. Object. 7. But God hath determined what he will do page 77 Ans. Yet God must be sought by prayer ibid. It is not in vain to pray; 1. Because we have had many mercies already page 79 2. God denies in granting, & grants in denying page 80 3. God delights in a praying as a praising voice page 81 4. God stays to bring a great deal together page 82 5. Our vessels are not sometimes capable page 83 Application. 1. There are great things that God will do for the Church in these latter day's page 84 2. The honour of those that are the seed of Jacob ib. 3. It is a great privilege to have a praying friend page 86 4. To set the crown on prayers head in the mercies we have from God page 88 5. Reproof to those that begin to seek God, and continue not page 92 What God hath done of late, and the use of it page 93 1. To be humbled page 95 1. For our unbelief ibid. 2. For our murmuring ibid. 3. For being discouraged in God's ways page 96 2. To love prayer page 97 3. To be resolute in God's cause page 99 4. To give God real praise page 100 5. Not to let God call on us in vain. page 102 The second part on PSAL. 16.3. The scope and dependence of the words page 105 Doctrine 1. The saints of God are the excellent in earth page 108 The doctrine opened page 109 They are excellent, 1. Because they have holiness, the image of God page 111 Grace expressed in Scripture by four things. The image of God page 114 The life of God page 114 The glory of God page 114 The divine nature page 114 2. In regard of separating them for God page 118 3. In regard of their near relation to God page 121 4. In regard of their great privileges page 122 5. In regard of the actions that come from them page 126 6. In regard of their usefulness in the world page 129 Use. 1. To show the vast difference between the godly and the wicked page 131 There will be a time when God will appear for his saints page 132 Doctrine 2. A gracious heart takes great delight in the saints on earth. page 142 1. Jointly page 143 Because their communion is most comfortable page 144 1. In regard of the beauty of grace ibid. 2. In regard of the fragrancy of grace page 145 3. In regard of their nearness one to another page 146 2. When the saints are jointly together God hath the solemnest worship page 149 3. God delights in the saints jointly page 152 God present with his people 1. Because he makes himself known to them page 158 2. He communicates himself among them ibid. 1. He communicates more choice mercies to them page 159. 2. He communicates his mercies more fully page 160 3. More powerfully page 161 4. More universally ibid. 4. There is cause to delight in them jointly in regard of their privileges page 162 5. They are those we shall live with for ever page 165 Use. To have a high esteem of the saints page 164 What delight there will be in the saints in heaven page 173 FINIS. Febr. 27. 1646. I have perused these excellent Sermons on Isa. 45.19. and Psal. 16.3. and judging them to be very pious and profitable, I approve them well worthy to be printed and published. John Downame. jacob's SEED, OR, The Generation of Seekers Isaiah lxv. 19 I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me, in vain. AS Christ formerly having the book of this Prophecy given him when he came into the congregation, read a part of it, than shut the book, and began his sermon unto the people; This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears, Luk. 4.21. So may I say of this that we have in this prophecy read unto you. Behold, this day hath the Lord fulfilled this word of his in our ears, before our eyes. And therefore is it that we are all here met this day before the Lord, that we may witness unto this good word o● h●s, that he hath not said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me, in vain. In this Chapter the Lord promiseth to raise up a great deliverer for his people, and tells them, that they shall find him otherwise then those that worshipped Idols, found their gods towards them. That which he saith to his people, he speaks it plainly and openly, I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth. The heathen gods did speak darkly and ambiguously to their worshippers, that they knew not what to make of their words; but I have not done so to you, saith God. They would have you worship them, but they cannot help you when you have so done; it is not so with me, I said not to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me, in vain. To the seed of Jacob, that is, to the Church of God, to the Saints. You will say, Why are the people of God called the seed of Jacob, rather than the seed of Abraham, or the seed of Isaac? Abraham is our father; he is the father of the faithful; but here it is, the seed of Jacob, not, of Abraham, nor Isaac. The reasons may be these two. First, because that all jacob's posterity were the Church of God; all jacob's children the Patriarches, were every one of the Church; All that came from Abraham were not so, Ishmael was not so; All that came from Isaac were not so, Esau was not; But all jacob's children were: therefore speaking of the people of God, of the Church that should be to the end of the world, they are said here to be the seed of Jacob, rather than the seed of Abraham, or of Isaac, Then secondly, the seed of Jacob, because the Lord is here speaking of the blessing of his seed, namely in the hearing of their prayers. Now because Jacob was the most eminent in prayer, (though Abraham and Isaac no question were mighty with God in prayer yet,) the Scripture doth not put such an eminency either upon Abraham or Isaac for prayer as upon Jacob. You have the most eminent expression for prayer that ever was spoken of any man, never the like, Gen. 32.28. And he said, thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a Prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. O how eminent was he in prayer. Therefore it is rather said, the seed of Jacob, then of Abraham or Isaac. But you will say, than they should rather have been called the seed of Israel: for his name of Israel was given him upon his prevailing with God. We must not be too inquisitive. These names are used promiscuously. But, this is one reason that is given, and it seemeth to have probability: In Scripture when God speaks of the Church in a low condition, he puts the name of Jacob on them rather than Israel: Fear not, thou worm Jacob: and it follows, ye men of Israel, Isa. 41.14. He puts them in mind of their low condition by this name rather than Israel; Fear not thou worm Jacob: For before jacob's name was changed, ye know what a low condition, and what straits he was in. So here, the Lord speaking of his Church's deliverance out of distress, he calls them the seed of Jacob, that they might see how by their prayers they were brought from their straits, as Jacob was brought from his straits by prayer. When he was Jacob before he was Israel, he was in great straits: so shall the Church be till they seek God. I said not to the Seed of Jacob, seek ye me, in vain. That is, first, (as some would carry it) I did require is of them, and my requiring did prevail with them: I did not exhort them to it, or require it, and my words fell to the ground and they did not seek me; but what I required of them was effected in them. When God speaks to a people, and they do not what he requires, his word may seem to be in vain, there being no efficacy in his words to prevail. But saith God, I did not say unto them seek ye me in vain. that is, I called not on my people to seek me and they went their own way; but what I spoke to them prevailed with them, and in them, and they did that which I required. This is a blessed thing when that which God saith is not in vain, but we do that which the Lord requires of us. That is the first. Secondly, I said not to them, Seek ye me, in vain: that is, I did not only tell them that they should seek me, but I shown by what way and means they ought to seek me in a right manner, that my speaking to them might not be in vain. For if a Minister come in God's name to put you upon any duty, and exhort you to do such and such a thing, and barely tell you what you should do without showing how you should do it, where you shall have strength, and in what manner you should do it, he shall speak in vain. There are abundance of Sermons in vain, when only good things are commended to people, and they are taught what they should do, but not the way how, and the manner, and where they should have strength to do it: then the word is in vain. But saith God, I said not unto you in vain, that is, I did not only bid you seek me, but I taught you the way how, and in what manner you should seek me. Thirdly and lastly, I suppose that the principal scope of the holy Ghost is that which the words plainly present to our view; I required not the seed of Jacob to seek me to no purpose, that nothing should come of it; but I required that they should seek me, and they have found abundance of good by seeking of me. So then this point ariseth plainly out of the words, When God requires a people to seek him, he will make it good to them that it shall not be in vain. Before I open this point I will give you a Scripture or two, one in the old Testament, and another in the new, Deut. 4.7. For what Nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? Here is an experiment of the fruit of seeking God; and it is spoken to show the honour of God's people, the privilege of the seed of Jacob, and the eminent condition they were in. God is nigh to them in all things they call upon him for: therefore they are not required to seek God in vain. So Matth. 21.22. And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. A very strange expression: Here might seem to be a tautology. One would think that it had been large enough to have said, Whatsoever ye shall ask, ye shall receive: but here is, all things, whatsoever. We would not speak so in ordinary language. I will give you all things whatsoever. Yet it may be this may be intended, and I believe it is; And all things, here is the general promise, that all things that ye ask ye shall receive: and whatsoever, may refer to particulars, every particular thing that ye ask ye shall receive. You will say, Any one that understands reason or Logic knoweth that particulars are included in the general. But there is this illogicall reasoning of unbelief; that though we agree to the premises in general, yet when we come to particulars, we think they will not be made good to us. I suppose you find your unbelieving hearts so irrational, that though they believe the general promise, yet when it comes to particulars, and you cannot but say that such a particular is in the general, yet your hearts will not come up to it. Therefore our Saviour saith not only, all things in general, but also, whatsoever, in particular. So, Jam. 5.16. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. There is but one word in the original, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the working prayer; but it is translated by two, effectual, fervent. Surely then prayer and seeking of God is the ordinance which he hath appointed for the turning about of the great affairs of the world. This is the engine that doth it inwardly: There are indeed a great many outward wheels used, but the spring of all is within, prayer turns all about. God never made use of any created power so much as of this. He never did such great things by any created power as by the ordinance of prayer. The Word is appointed for the converting of souls, but a great part of the blessing of the Word dependeth on prayer. In the opening of this point I will First give you some evidences of it; Secondly, show you what great things prayer will do. Thirdly, wherein the efficacy and power of it lieth. Fourthly, the objections of troubled unbelieving spirits against it. And then come to apply all. The evidences hereof are first the many famous records in Scripture of the noble and glorious exploits of prayer. If any of you should come to me to ask, as that King did of the prophet's servant, 2. Kings 8.4. What great things hath thy master done? so what great things hath prayer done in the world? truly we might spend hours and days in returning you an answer, a great part of holy Scripture being spent in this very argument. And it is a very good exercise for you in the night, when you cannot sleep, or at other times when you are troubled, to do as that King did, Esther 6.1. call for the book of the Records of prayer. You that read the Scriptures, mark what you read. The word of God will tell you how prayer hath stopped the Sun in the firmament, opened heaven, and shut it again, raised from death to life, opened the prison doors, and what not? Secondly, all God's people are able to tell you great stories of what they have gotten by prayer. This poor man cried, saith David of himself, Psalm 34.6. and the Lord heard him. Who is it that cannot tell histories of Gods gracious dealing with him upon his seeking of him? To be sure, our Nation hath many things to say this way; and every particular godly soul hath many things to say: they would not lose their income of prayer for all the world. Thirdly, surely it is not in vain to seek God: for there was never any faithful seeker of him that ever would leave off, but would continue as long as he lived seeking him: he would seek his face evermore; if it had been in vain, he would have left off. When we see a Bee stick on a Flower, and will not be driven off, or if she be driven off, she will come again, we conclude certainly it finds honey there. So all the Saints of God that have ever sought God truly, they would never be beaten off this way. Let the world do what it will, persecute them, set spies to watch them in their meetings of prayer, let it punish and imprison them, let all the malice and rage of men be against them, yet they cannot hinder them either from praying in their closerts, or from enjoying the benefit of the communion of Saints in prayer. Daniel had rather lose his life then be kept from his prayers, though but for a day: but pray he would, and that openly, yea three times a day, as he was wont; he would not forbear one time. He did stick to prayer finding honey and sweetness in it. Oh how unlike are we to Daniel, though the performance of this duty was exceeding hazzardable to Daniel, yet he would not be deterred from it; but every light trifle taketh off our hearts. Again, it is not in vain for the seed of Jacob to seek the Lord, for it is not in vain for wicked men to seek him, though they are not able to seek God as they aught. The prayer of the wicked is abominable, Prov. 15.8. That is not to be understood of the prayer of every man that is unregenerate, wickedness is not so to be taken in that place. For we know that God hath regarded the prayers of men unregenerate. The prayers and fasting of Niniveh were regarded of God: the prayer and fasting of Ahab was regarded of God. God hath granted the wicked some mercies, he hath looked on them as his creatures. Though God seethe enough in their prayers to cast them off, yet God hath manifested his regard to them. Therefore if it be not in vain for the wicked to seek the Lord, much less is it in vain for the seed of Jacob to seek him. Yea, the Lord heareth the cry of the very Ravens and the beasts, Psalm 147.9. and Psalm 104.21, 27, 28. Therefore the people of Niniveh would have the beasts eat nothing, that they might cry unto God, Jonah 3.7, 8. Surely if the brute beasts and the fouls be heard when they cry, it is not in vain for the Seed of Jacob to seek God. Again, it is evident that it is not in vain, because the people of God that have been wise and have conversed with God, and have known much of the mind of God, have given up themselves and all their strength to this duty. Now it were a weak part and an idle thing for any one to give up his strength and all his might to that which were vanity, and whereby there is no great thing to be obtained. It is said of Jehoshaphat 2. Chron. 20.3. that he feared, and set himself to seek the Lord. It is translated composuit faciem suam, he set his face, he gave himself up fully to seek the Lord. They know what they do that give up themselves wholly to seek God. Indeed carnal hearts condemn the people of God because they see them so earnest in those things that they think to be vain: For it argueth weakness in any man to give up himself with all his strength to things that are vanity, and have no strength in them. Therefore because carnal men look upon the way of Religion, as a thing that hath no end, they think it foolish for men to be so earnest to give up their strength and their whole souls for it: But the Saints of God know what they do when they give themselves up to seek the Lord, they know it is not in vain. Again, this is an evidence that there is much advantage by prayer, because men that were wise and holy have so prized the prayers of the Saints, and made such high account of them. Mark the expression of the Apostle, writing to the Saints for their prayers. Rom. 15.30. Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that you strive together in prayer with me in your hearts to God for me. The Apostle Paul, so great a man, and one that had a mighty spirit in prayer, writing to private Christians in the Church of Rome, he beseecheth them for the Lords sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that they strive in prayer for him: He knew that there was much to be had this way. Yea further, God is found of them that sought him not, Isaiah 65.1. then surely it is not in vain for the seed of Jacob to seek him. yea yet further, God when he intends to show no mercy, giveth a straight charge to his people not to pray, or he shutteth up their hearts that they are not able to pray. This is an argument that prayer is prevalent, because when God will not show mercy, he would not have such a precious thing lost and spent in vain. Lastly, it is not in vain, because if it should, than a praying heart were not always a mercy from God: but certainly it is. Therefore though perhaps you cannot find the thing granted that you pray for, yet to have a continual praying heart, know that it is a great mercy from God. And those that are spiritual prize more the continuance of a praying heart many times, than the granting of the thing they pray for. All these put together are full evidences, that it is not in vain to seek the Lord. There be many other evidences which I pass by on purpose, that I may have as much time as may be for application. But now, wherein doth it appear that it is not in vain to seek the Lord? what doth prayer do? First, it is not in vain to seek God, if there were nothing else in prayer but the right exercise of the faculties of our souls and of our graces; this alone were worth our time. The graces of our souls must be exercised about somewhat: Now prayer serveth for the exercise of all graces. Secondly, it is not in vain if it were nothing but the performance of our duty as creatures to God. There are many people that are weary of prayer, because they have not that by it that they expect: But know that there are two arguments to prayer; the performance of duty, and the obtaining of mercy: If there were but only the former, that alone should suffice to keep thee praying as long as thou livest. Thirdly, it were not in vain if it were nothing but the tendering that homage and worship that we owe to God. Prayer is not only a duty, but a great part of the worship that God hath in the world. While we are worshipping of God it is worth the time. Again, it is not in vain, if there were nothing but this, that we come and show what side we are of, that we join and side with God against his adversaries and for his people. But these are not the things here intended. Further, it is not in vain, because there is no faithful prayer that ever was made but God accepts of it in heaven. There was never one of the seed of Jacob, that ever put up a faithful petition to God, but God took it in his hand and read it. A King or any superior, when you come with a petition may refuse to take it, but God never refuseth to take any petition from a faithful soul. Therefore saith the Psalmist, Psal. 6.9. The Lord hath heard my supplication, the Lord will receive my prayer. He will take it, and look on it, and read it; & not only so, but he will also accept it, and take pleasure in it: A Prince may take a petition, and look on it, and after frown and show anger in his countenance; but God doth not so with the prayers of his people: The prayer of the upright is his delight, Prov. 15.8. he never reads a petition that his people ●enders, but with a smiling countenance. If it be a faithful petition, he accepts it of them and receives it graciously. It is an expression of Luther speaking of the prayer of a contrite heart, The least sigh of a contrite heart so fills heaven with noise, that there is no noise of any thing in heaven or earth heard at that time, but only the noise of prayer. Certainly a faithful prayer taketh the heart of God very much, yea every faithful prayer is recorded in heaven. You keep your letters upon the file, that you may readily find them, when you have occasion to look on such a letter sent from such a country; so God hath his file in heaven where all faithful prayers are kept upon record. As Princes have their paper offices, where transactions between one State & another are kept, so the Lord hath his prayer-office, where he keeps all the prayers of his Saints that ever were put up to him. Revel. 8.3. Another Angel came and stood at the Altar, having a golden censer, and there was given him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints. Where were those prayers of all the Saints that he must take a censer and offer incense with? God had them recorded with him, and now they were to be offered to him. And see what great things follow upon the offering of the prayers of the Saints, vers. 4. The smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the Saints, ascended up before God out of the Angel's hand. And the Angel took the censer, etc. and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. These followed upon the prayers of the Saints. It signified the time wherein all should come in remembrance before the Lord▪ as if an Angel were offering, yea, Christ the Angel of the Covenant, hath a time to take the prayers presented long ago, and to offer them to God with his own incense. They are all recorded in heaven, therefore they are not in vain. When a petition is taken and put upon record, the petitioner petitioneth not in vain, his petitionis not thrown out. If a petition be presented to the Parliament, and they take it, and tell you it shall be kept on record, and charge the Clerk to keep it there, and say they will take due time to consider of it, you will not say such a petition is in vain. God doth so to all his people; he takes their petitions and recordeth them; they are all filled in heaven. Yet further, there is no faithful petition but God puts his fiat to the bottom of it, at the instant that it is put up to him. There is a decree in heaven issued out for mercy, at the very instant that the petition is put up, God dealeth not with us in this kind, as men do who are counted very gracious, if they please to tell us they will consider of our petition: no; but your petition is presently gtanted. A petitioner when there is time taken to consider of his petition, trembles and shakes for fear it should not be granted: but the petitions of the seed of Jacob are granted presently. When Daniel had been seeking God at the evening sacrifice, an Angel comes to him, & tells him, that at the beginning of his prayer there was a decree to grant it, and that he was sent to him at the beginning of his prayer, Dan. 9.23. & Psa. 56.9. When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know, for God is for me. Did not David cry oft, and yet his enemies did not turn their backs when he cried? He cried oft when his enemies prevailed: yet he saith, When I cried, than mine enemies turned back: and This I know, why? for God is for me. The meaning must be this, that at that instant that he cried, there was a decree in heaven; the thing was done. He looked on it as done, even as certainly as if he had seen it with his eyes. This is the reason that the Saints after they have prayed, though the thing be not actually done, fall to praising and blessing of God. We have a notable example in Jehoshaphat, of whom we read 2. Chron. 20.3. that being in a great fear had set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. He did not seek God slightly, but set himself to seek the Lord. And what his prayer was, ye may see from vers. 6. to 12. And Jehoshaphat said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven, and rulest over all Kingdoms? Mark how he pleadeth with God for the Covenant he had made, vers. 8. Speaking of the Sanctuary they had built for his name's sake; If when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgement, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house) and cry unto thee in our affliction, than thou wilt hear and help. He urgeth the promise made to Solomon at the dedication of the Temple. For that prayer of Faith which Solomon made, and God accepted, hath the strength of a promise in it. O our God, saith he, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon thee. Though he professed that his enemies were so many, that he knew not what to do, and that they had no might to resist them, yet after his prayer was done, and before the battle began, when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise for the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the Army, and to say, Praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever, vers. 21. Mark: he had not yet gotten the victory, the battle was not fought, yet as soon as he had ended his prayer, he praised the Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever. He made account that the thing was done: It was decreed in heaven. Therefore surely the people of God do not seek him in vain. Nay, it is not only decreed, but ere long God will satisfy his people, and fill their longing souls with goodness, Psal. 107.9. A time shall come when they shall say their prayers are heard, and that they have enough. Yea the Lord giveth more sometimes than his people mention in their prayer, they ask temporal blessings, and he bestoweth spiritual; yea he giveth them himself, and that is all in all. Surely then the prayers of the Saints are not in vain. But wherein lieth the efficacy of prayer? What makes prayer so powerful and present with God? One thing is, because God delighteth in mercy, and in communicating himself to the children of men. He taketh more pleasure in doing good, than any can in seeking it; yea, than any can in enjoying it from him. Our hearts cannot be so strongly set to seek for any mercy from God, as he is to communicate mercy to us. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy, Mic. 7.18. Another thing that rendereth prayer so effectual, is God's Covenant and promise to his people. It was the speech of Archimedes, Give me a place te set my Engine in, and I will shake the whole earth. Let prayer have a sure foundation to set foot on, and it will do mighty things. Now the promises are the foundation of prayer, whereof we have great abundance, Numb. 23. you shall find abundance of promises to the seed of Jacob, under the name of Jacob, when Balaam was brought to curse the people. But in Deut. 33.26. etc. there are admirable promises to Jacob. There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and on the sky in his excellency. The eternal God is his refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone, the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of Corn and Wine, also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou O Israel, who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is that sword of thy excellency, and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places. Here is the promise to the seed of Jacob the fountain of Israel, so he is called, he shall have all things that are good, and God will manifest himself, especially against his enemies, Let any of the seed of Jacob go and plead this with God, and it cannot be in vain, there must be a mighty efficacy in such a plea, when there are such large promises. So in Isaiah 14.1. there are divers promises to the seed of Jacob. For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel and set them in their own land, and the stranger shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob, And the people shall take them and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the Land of the Lord for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass that in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, etc. I make no question but some of the seed of Jacob, have been pleading this promise in prayer where the Lord hath promised to have mercy on Israel, and to give him rescue from his sorrows, and fears, and hard bondage. It was hard bondage that we were made to serve in not long ago; here is a promise that God will give us rest from it; & upon the pleading of this promise God hath made it good to the seed of Jacob. And in Isa, 41.8. there are large promises in that Chapter to the seed of Jacob. But thou Israel my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend, Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth. It is no matter though they be a poor despicable people of themselves: it is but a few of the poor people do thus, the Gentry and Nobility go another way. Vers. 10. I have called thee from the chief men of the earth, I left them, and called thee, and said unto thee, thou art my servant. I have chosen thee and not cast thee away. Vers. 10. Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea I will help thee, yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Here are five things five times, I, I will strengthen thee, I will uphold thee, I, I, I, I, I, look up to those five ls together, and there are several expressions of help, and strength, and upholding. How with my hand; with my right hand; that is, with my right hand I am engaged; I have given thee my hand to help thee; and that shall be the hand of my righteousness. Some men give their hand to their friends when they make promises; but the hand that they give it doth not always prove a hand of righteousness, but many times a hand of deceit: but when God gives his hand to his people it is a hand of righteousness. I will uphold thee with the hand of my righteousness. And what follows Vers. 11. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed, and confounded. O God make this good this day; our enemies are incensed, they are mad, and rage, and swear, and blaspheme, and stamp, and fret, and would have their will, and they would do such things, All that are incensed against thee shall be confounded. Some of the seed of Jacob have been with God, and have pleaded this promise, and that is the efficacy of their prayer, that the enemy is confounded. They shall be as nothing, and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou thinkest they are a great army, and have great strength: they shall be as nothing. v. 12 Thou shalt seek them, & shalt not find them. Where is the army now? it is so scattered that you cannot tell, if you seek it you cannot find it, even them that contend with thee, they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nothing. Inquire where the Army is now, you shall not find them. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand saying unto thee, Fear not I will help thee, v. 13. O, but we are weak and poor: Fear not thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel, I will help thee, saith the Lord, v. 14. & thy redeemer the holy one of Israel. v. 15. Behold I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth, thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff, v. 16. Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the wherlwind shall scatter them, and this we should labour to make good. Thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the holy one of Israel, when I have done all this, here is the fruit, not to rejoice in our Armies, or in outward strength, but to rejoice in the Lord and to glory in the holy one of Israel. Here are promises for prayer to set foot upon, no marvel it hath so much power and efficacy. There are divers others, and many things behind of the efficacy of prayer, as it depends upon the promise and covenant that God hath made with his people: for every promise is but a several branch and expression of the covenant of God: therefore we are to refer them all to the Covenant. I will give you but one Scripture, Jer. 30.10, 11. Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jaoob, neither be dismayed O Israel: for lo, I will save thee from a far, and thy seed from the land of their captivity, and Jacob shall return and be in rest and quiet, and none shall make him, afraid. For I am with thee saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations, whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, & will not leave thee altogether unpunished. There is somewhat that God doth, but yet still he remembers his promise in the midst of affliction, that he will leave nothing of that undone: therefore though his people be under great afflictions, the Lord will be good to them according to his promise. Now again the Lord will regard the prayers of the seed of Jacob; the efficacy of their prayers depends upon this, because it is Gods own work. That which is the work of God is not in vain: God made none of his works in vain. Now all their seeking of God, It is from God; it is Gods own work, and a most glorious piece of the work of God. Every prayer that comes from the poorest of the seed of Jacob; every gracious, and faithful prayer it is a glorious piece God's work; It is a work of the holy Ghost, and therefore it is not in vain. Again, as their prayers come from God, they seek God from God; so they seek God for God, they seek the Lord for himself. If the seed of Jacob did seek God only for Corn, and Wine, and Oil; if they did seek him only for their own ease, and outward liberties, and accommodations, and for the lives of their enemies, perhaps they might seek in vain. No, but when they seek God, they seek God for God, and thence they prevail so much with God, Ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it on your lusts. James 4.3. You pray to God oft to be delivered from enemies, and you think your prayers (if it be in such a time as this) they come in vain: No marvel if so you pray that you may have liberty to trade, and deliverance from taxations; (these may be sought, but) the house of Jacob seeks God for his name, that that may not be dishonoured, and for his Gospel, that that be not taken away, and the power of godliness trodden as dirt in the street, when they seek God for God, no marvel if it be not in vain. But the great efficacy of prayer is this, it is part of the purchase of the blood of Christ: that God might hear the prayers of the Saints, it comes from the merits of Christ, it is a part of his purchase that God should regard them, it is in his name that we pray, so we are taught. It is by Christ that we have access to the throne of grace our privilege of seeking God is that which Christ hath purchased by his blood. So that our seeking of God is not only a duty, and beneficial to us, but it is a high privilege purchased by the blood of Christ; by him we have access with boldness, the word is, with liberty of speech: liberty of speech is by the blood of Christ, that we may come before the Lord, and open our minds fully, certainly there is a great deal of efficacy in prayer. Whatsoever our prayers are, as they are from us, though they be vain, as they are from us, yet take them as Christ's purchase, here lies the great efficacy of prayer. Think not that the efficacy of prayer lies in earnestness, or enlargement: though it be a comfort, and an evidence that God enlargeth us by his Spirit, (it is not parts that enlarge, but the Spirit) but the virtue of prayer lies not here: the strength whereby prayer doth great things, it lies in the engine lower in secret, in the purchase of Christ. Again, Christ takes all the prayers of the seed of Jacob, and renders them up to his Father for acceptance. We have a more glorious way of coming to God then Adam had in innocency, yea in some respects then the Angels themselves, by having such an Intercessor that takes all our prayers and carries them to his father. Yea, not only so, but he joins with us to the Father. There is a place in the Hebrews quoted out of the Psalms, that shows that Christ praiseth God in the congregation; it is not only the Saints that praise God but Christ himself. Heb. 2.12. I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the Church will I sing praises unto thee. Christ in the midst of the Church sings praise to God. When people meet to praise God, Christ praiseth him. It is a mighty encouragement in praising God. So in prayer, when we meet to seek God Christ seeks him: for he is at the right hand of the Father, making continual intercession for the Saints; Christ himself joins with them in the work that they seek not in vain. Again, it is the stile and title that God glories in, to be a God hearing prayer, therefore he will not let it be in vain, Again, prayer is the pouring forth of the spirit to God, the spirit that is so beautified with the graces of his own spirit; now the pouring forth of such a precious spirit to God so beautified, and principled with the graces of the holy Ghost, certainly this cannot be in vain. Indeed, the Scripture saith, of the heart of the wicked that it is little worth: Let their heart be poured fourth God doth little mind, or regard it: but the heart of the righteous is much worth, it is very precious before God: therefore when their hearts are poured out, and God sees the beauty and glory of his graces on them, it is exceeding delightful to him, and such pouring out of their hearts, cannot be in vain. If God have a bottle for all their tears, he hath a bottle also for all their expressions, and pouring out of their hearts in prayer. Further, the exceeding delight that God hath in the seed of Jacob, must needs cause God to regard their seeking that it be not in vain. They are his darlings: now there is no man that loves to deny a suit to any that he delights in. We have a notable expression concerning the seed of Jacob when they pray, Thou art my King, O God, command deliverance for Jacob. Psal. 44. There comes a commanding power from God for the deliverance of Jacob, when Jacob comes to sue to God. Lastly, it were not for the honour of God to send away his people empty, that they should seek him in vain. It is reported of Titus, though he were a heathen Emperor, yet he would not that any man should go sad out of the presence of the Prince. God accounts it an honour that none should go sad out of his presence. Therefore those are called on to rejoice that seek the lord Let the hearts of them rejoice that seek the Lord, Psalm. 105.3. not only let the heart of them rejoice that find the Lord, that obtain that they seek, but those that seek the Lord, while they are seeking should rejoice in seeking him. Well, because I would said get to the application of the point, I pass by other things, and will only take away that great objection, and reasoning, that is in the hearts of men against this point. You tell us that the prayers of God's people are not in vain, and by God's mercy now and then, we have found some comfortable hearing from heaven: but ordinarily we find it otherwise. How many prayers have we put up to God, and find not the issue? we pray, and pray, and the enemies prevail, though now and then God give us help. Now for the taking away of all unbelieving reasonings against the point, I will not go from the text at this time. Therefore the first answer is this: You say you have sought God, and have not what you would have, and therefore it is in vain: (though perhaps this that you now say is vain) yet it makes not the text void. Remember what hath been before: heretofore you have sought God, and that was not in vain, remember the times of old, let that for the present a little stay you. It was that that stayed the Psalmist, he began to reason as you do, that he had sought God in vain, Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? etc. Psalm 7, 8. here seems to be as much unbelief as is in your reasoning: but mark what follows. v. 10. And I said this is my death: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high. O, it is my sin, and weakness that I should reason thus, I consider not what I do when I reason thus: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high, vers. 11. I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember the wonders of old. v. 12. I will meditate also of all thy works, and talk of thy do. Thy way O God is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God that dost wonders, thou hast declared thy strength among the people, v. 14. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob & Joseph. v. 15. Mark, at length he recovers himself with this, though present things seem to go hard, yet he remembered what God had done, so do thou in this case. In Isaiah, you have a complaint of unbelieving hearts, as if God had been sought in vain. Isa. 40.27. Why sayest thou O Jacob, and speakest O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, & my judgement is passed over from my God Art thou one of the seed of Jacob, & hast sought God, and sayest it is in vain? God reasons the case, and will confute their unbelief. Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint & be weary, & the young men shall utterly fall. v. 28, 29, 30, 31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as Eagles; they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint. Hath not God done great things heretofore, in 88 and in the powder plot and at other times? and though we be in some straits, remember what God did before. This should appease your hearts, what though thou have not present audience for the thing thou seekest: yet think, I deal with a God that hath an understanding that I cannot search. God it may be lets the adversary prevail sometimes, I cannot tell what glory God may get by it, I cannot conceive how God can bring his own glory about when Israel flees before the Philistines, But why sayest thou so O Jacob? there is no searching of God's understanding, God sees further than thou canst see: that thing that thou thinkest will make against his name may make for it: therefore lay thine hand upon thine heart. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might. God stays till men have no might, till they faint, and are ready to sail, and then he comes and helps them. That is the meaning of that Scripture in Luke, where Christ saith, God will avenge his elect that cry night and day to him, though he tarry, he will avenge them, he will hear their prayers: it is not in vain: But it follows upon it, notwithstanding when the Son of man comes shall he find faith on earrh? I verily think that that want of faith, hath reference to that very promise specially, that God will hear his elect that cry: but God may stay so long, as that the very time when God shall come to perform it, & shall intent to do it, it may be a time when their faith is overcome, and fails in the promise, that they begin to give over, and think they have sought in vain. And usually the time when God comes to fulfil his promise, and to answer the prayers of his people, it is that very time when they fail and are ready to sink. Therefore that may be another argument, it may be thou hast not believed this promise. Thou sayest thou hast prayed, and thou thinkest it is in vain: hast thou believed this promise in the text? hast thou relied on it? God hath not said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain. The word of God shall be made good, but how? upon our faith: it shall be made good to us upon our believing: though we be never so godly, and pray never so well, yet if we will have the promises made good, it must be upon believing. If thou hast not laid the weight of thy soul on the promise, thou hast no cause to say that God hath not made his word good; it may be thou hast not faith: learn to believe the word, and then thou shalt have it fulfilled. Thou wouldst have it made good, and then thou wouldst believe it; no, thou must first believe the word and then expect that God should fulfil his promise. Again, God is a great God that we seek to, and it is fit for us to wait, and to wait long. He is great, & we seek great things, and we are poor, mean, vile wretches. God hath his prerogative sometimes to answer presently, sometimes not so. Elias was a great praying man, he is set for an example of prayer; he prays at one time for fire to come on the sacrifice, and fire came down presently; another time he prayed for rain, and then he prayed 7. times, and bowed his head between his knees, and sent his servant, and sent him again and again. At one time God comes in at the first, at another time, not till seven times: it is God's prerogative. And take this note; it is a true sign of a gracious spirit, though God defer, yet still for the soul to cling to God, to think well of God, and of the ways of God, & of the duty of prayer; it is an excellent sign, & the ready way to find favour with God. You have sometimes two beggars follow you for alms; one perhaps hath true need, pure need, and is of a soft tender spirit, the other is a sturdy rugged beggar, you deny them both; he that hath pure need, & hath a soft tender spirit, he thinks he is unworthy that the other man should be bountiful to him and he falls a weeping: yet he thinks well of the man, & will be ready to beg of him upon another occasion, he hath good thoughts of him. But the sturdy beggar rails, & breaks into an angry passionate mood, & he will ask no more; who of them is like to prevail, the soft spirit that hath an ingenious disposition, or the sturdy spirit that soon breaks off? Thus there are many passionate hearts, that are not froward with men, but with God, they come, & ask mercy of God, but their hearts are stiff, and froward & sturdy, if they have not that they would, they presently break off, & say, why should we wait on God, and cry, it is in vain to seek the Lord. But now a gracious, tender, ingenious disposition, though the thing come not that he prays for, he justifies God in all, and speaks well of God, and well of prayer, and loves that still, and waits on God in that way: this is the soul that is likely to prevail. But further, (to answer from the text) it may be thou hast not sought God, Seek ye me, saith God. It may be it is somewhat else that thou hast sought in prayer than God: though thou name God in thy prayer, it may be thy heart hath been after creature-helps, and thou hast made more account of the help of the creature, of Armies, and strength, thou hast made account that they would do it rather than prayer; and if there be no help but prayer, thou thinkest it but a dry business. A carnal hearted man when he hears of an army of twenty thousand men well clothed and the like, he thinks much may be done, but for the prayers of God's people they think they be nothing. Now if thou have sought help by creatures, rather than by God, thou hast not sought God all the while, Or if it have been but outward safety, that thou hast sought and not the face of God, thou hast not sought God, Seek my face, saith God, Psalm 27. This is the generation of them that seek thy face, O Jacob. Psalm 24. Thou seekest not God, without thou seek God's face, without thou seek God for himself. And ordinarily, God is not sought, but thy estate is sought; and thou criest out for the danger thou art in. Therefore thou hast no cause to say, it is in vain, look to thy prayers, take up thy prayers again. Do as the fishermen do; if they find that there comes nothing up, that they do not catch, they take up their net, it may be there is a hole, a rent in the net. And so the Angler, if the fish do not by't he takes up the bait, it may be there is somewhat wanting on the hook. So look to thy prayers, it may be it is not God that thou hast sought, take them up and see what is amiss in them. Another answer is this, it may be thy prayers 〈…〉 fore no marvel if nothing but vain come of them. Surely, God will not hear vanity, Job 35.13. If there be nothing but vanity, how canst thou expect that God should hear them? The word here, in vain, it is the same word in Genesis 1. At the first all was without form and void; a confused chaos. So ordinarily our prayers are without form, and void, that is, there is nothing but vanity, a confused lump, a chaos. Not that God regards so much the setting of a man's words in form handsomely: for the groans and sighs of the spirit of God are accepted, though they be not methodical, as the making of a speech to men; God looks not to that. But they are without form, and void, that is, that is a vain thing that hath no end or not a good end. Many pray, and they know not why, but because others do; but they propound not the true end of prayer. I appeal to thy conscience; when thou hast gone to pray to God, hast thou propounded this end? I am going to tender up that worship and homage, that I a poor creature, owe to the infinite glorious first being of all things, you call your families sometimes to come to prayer, & never think what you do, what you aim at. I and my family are now going to seek the great God in prayer, I am now going to join with my father or my master, now that we are altogether in this family to tender up that worship and homage that we poor creatures owe to that infinite glorious first being of all things whereby to testify our high respect, and esteem of him. Now if thy prayer be a customary way of prayer it is vanity, it hath not a right end. It may be thou goest to prayer merely to satisfy conscience. Or some have this by end in prayer, a wicked end, that is, they think to satisfy God for their former sinful wicked ways. They take liberty in company to drink and please the flesh, and as they served themselves then, so now they will serve God, and set one against another. Sometimes they will give liberty to the flesh to take contentment that way, but they will not always do so, sometime they will be devout and serve God. There is no man so wicked as to be always in the acts of wickedness, but they think God must have his turn, and they must have their turn sometimes. And this is the prayer of many people, to put their sins in one scale, and so many devout prayers in the other scale, and the one shall poise the other. This is vanity, this is not the end of prayer. Then a thing is vain, when it is empty, when there is not substance in it: Now when the heart is empty in prayer, there are words, and they are wind, the Lord sees not the strength of thy spirit, thou dost not set thyself before the Lord in prayer, thy expressions are merely empty: God doth not see thy expressions filled with the graces of the Spirit: this is vanity: Take heed of vain expressions, when there is nothing but nature in prayer; though there be never so much earnestness in prayer, if there be but a natural spirit it is vanity, we must pray in the spirit as the Scripture speaks. And take heed of sluggishness in prayer, that makes it vanity. The breath that comes from life in man's body is warm, but the breath that comes from bellows is artificial and cold, some men's breath in prayer is artificial and cold, but the prayer that comes from life, is warm breath that comes up to God. Again, vanity is this, when all is eaten out with vain thoughts, thy heart roves in prayer, thou knowest not where thou art, thou canst not call that which thou makest a prayer. A prayer with vain thoughts is like bear, or wine that is dead, and hath lost the spirits. Vain thoughts are worms that eat out the strength of a duty: would you present a dish to your superior that were wormeaten, or that were gnawn on before? when we let out our thoughts in duties, and present them to God, they are wormeaten, and torn, the strength of them is quite gone. And after you have prayed, take heed that you make not your prayers vain, by not looking after them, for the accomplishment of them; or by being proud of your prayers and gifts, by resting in them. And it is vanity when thou undost all as soon as thou hast done, by going contrary to thy prayer in thy life, not adding watchfulness to prayer. If a man take pains to wove a web, and spend so many hours in it, and then ravell it out, this man spends his time in vain. So do most people with their prayers, they pray for mercy, and grace, and as soon as they have done they go quite contrary and ravel and undo all; is not this vanity? No marvel if thou think it in vain, when there is nothing but vanity in thy prayers. And take heed that you make not the prayers of others vain. Luther writes to Melancthon angrily, in regard of his fear of the power of his adversaries, saith he, You make our prayers void. So it may be said of many that are cold, and lukewarm, and dead-hearted, and do not take to heart the cause of God; that fear the displeasure of this body, and that body; you make our prayers void. You that have praying friends, it may be fathers, and mothers that are dead whose prayers are put up in heaven, take heed that you make not their prayers void; that you give them not cause if they should come to live again from the dead to weep and cry out, O how are our prayers made void by the prayers of such and such. But you will say, Lord, what will become of us? we have abundance of vanity in our prayers. Therefore, that you may not be discouraged, know, that though there be many vain thoughts in prayer, yet if there be sighing and mourning, and humbling of the soul, and panting of the heart after God in groaning, and sighing, and though there be a mixture of vanity, yet there is a working of the Spirit of God, and of grace in the heart after God; know that the Lord will not charge this vanity on thee, the Lord will do away thy sin, therefore let not that discourage thee. The efficacy lies not in the excellency of thy prayer, but in the merits of Christ, and his mediation: Only Christ will have somewhat of thyself in thy prayer, he will have thy heart pant, and work after him: but there may be abundance of vanity, thou drawest a line, and makest a blot, and another line. and another blot, Christ draws all fair again, and presents it to his Father. But another question is this, you say it is in vain to pray. Can you make good that you are one of the seed of Jacob? this privilege belongs to them, it may be you are of the seed of Esau. The seed of Esau, what is that? The Apostle speaks of Esau what his guise was. Heb. 12.6. and saith, Take heed that none of you be such as Esau, lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Now if thou prove a fornicator thou art of the seed of Esau, or a profane person; what is that? for one morsel of meat he sold his birthright, that is, to please, and satisfy and consent the flesh he sold his birthright, that was the land of Canaan, and so typified the privileges of the Church of Gods, and even a type of heaven it was. His birthright had a spiritual meaning, is had reference to the spiritual privileges, that the Saints of God have to this day in all the ordinances of God. That man or woman that prizeth any carnal contentment before spiritual privileges, they are of the seed of Esau, and not of Jacob. Thou thinkest there is some favour in money, and in a good trade, and in good cheer, and such a day as this November 5. is better than a fastday, because of the good cheer: but for the spiritual duties of this day, to come and magnify God, and to attend upon his word, thou thinkest they are circumstances, and by-matters, and thou art troubled if the Sermon be too long to hinder thee of thy dinner; thou art a profane Esau, all that I have said belongs not to thee, thou dost not belong to Jacob but to Esau, that preferrest carnal things for the flesh before the spiritual privileges of the Saints. But how shall I know that I am one of the seed of Jacob? How do you know such an one's child, but by his likeness to his father? One that hath the spirit of Jacob is of the seed of Jacob. There are many things that the Scripture speaks concerning Jacob, and see if you do answer them. First, Jacob was a mighty man in prayer, he was a wrestler with God, and he wrestled till the day broke, and was as strong at the last as at the first: hast thou the spirit of thy father Jacob? art thou not discouraged in prayer? though mercy come, not presently yet dost thou wrestle all night, and resolve whatsoever come if thou die, thou wilt die wrestling; here is a child like the father, therefore thou art of the seed of Jacob. Secondly, Jacob was one that feared God, when God appeared to him he looked on the presence of God as dreadful, How dreadful is this place? Genesis 28. because God was there. So dost thou look on the presence of God as dreadful, that thou canst say the fear of the great God is on thy soul: when thou comest into his presence? mark, for this is that expression in the Psalm, Ye that fear the Lord praise him, all the seed of Jacob glorify him, and fear him all ye seed of Israel, Psalm. 22.23. If you will be sure not to seek God in vain, but that you may praise him in seeking him, fear the Lord all the seed of Jacob. Hence we read that when there was an oath between Laban and him, the oath that he took was, he swore by the fear of his father Isaac. God was the fear of Isaac, and Isaac so feared God, that he had his denomination from his fear: Now Jacob swearing by the fear of his father Isaac, that notes that the fear of God was upon Jacob, as it was upon his father. And dost thou walk in the fear of God? Hast thou not a bold spirit that goes in slight, presumptuous, bold base ways? This is not like Jacob, he looked on God's presence as terrible. Thirdly, jacob's heart was disengaged from the creature, a little of the creature would serve his turn, Goe 28. Lord, saith he, if thou wilt give me meat to eat and raiment to put on. He looked no further, he minded no great matters. Therefore in Psalm. 24. there the generation of Jacob is set out, and one thing is, he that hath not lift up his soul to vanity. The men of the world have great things in their eyes, they are vanity in God's eye, though they be great in theirs, and they lift up their hearts to them. Now the sons of Jacob do not lift up their hearts to vanity, though the things of the world be present, their hearts stir not, they rise not; but if God and Christ, and heavenly things be presented, their hearts are lifted up. If thy heart be lifted up to vanity, if thy heart be as iron and the vanities of the world come and draw it up, thou art not a son of Jacob: a little would serve Jacob though he were a great heir, He was a plain man and dwelled in tents, Gen. 25. and had a plain spirit, he did not look after great things; whereas Esau looked after great things abroad. Again, he was one of a tender spirit: therefore where it is said he prevailed with the Angel, it is said he wept, and made supplication unto him, he found him in Bethel, and there he spoke with us. That story of Jacob concerns us how God dealt with our Father. If now thou have a tender spirit as he had; if when thou goest into the presence of God thou find thy spirit yield and melt, and relent, thou art one like thy father Jacob. Again further, Jacob did in the time of his straits repair to the covenant, that was a great satisfaction to his heart; he looked to the covenant, he fastened on that, and there he held as the main support of his spirit. Gen. 32.9. And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee etc. He heard that Esau was coming against him with a great many; and what doth Jacob? he gets him to God, O God of my father Abraham, and of my father Isaac, the Lord which said unto me return into thy country, etc. He repairs to the Covenant: Remember thy Covenant with Abraham and Isaac, and with me too, I went on thy word. Here was the guise of Jacob: canst thou in a strait get thee too a word, and a promise, and brood thy soul over it, and clasp it close, & say this is the promise that must, and will do me good? Again, Jacob was of an humble spirit, I am not worthy of the least of thy mercies. He admired at the mercy of God that he had any thing, and Gods mercies made him more humble; this is an excellent disposition, we are many times humble and lowly when we are under the hand of God in affliction: but when mercies make us humble, that the more God is gracious the more vile we are in our own eyes, this is excellent. And he looked back to his former condition, he looked upon his poor beginning and gives God the glory: I passed over this Jordan with my staff; Many of you came with your staff, and God hath given you two bands, you are grown great, are you willing to think of it, and to acknowledge the poor estate that once you were in, and to give God the glory, I was thus, and thus, of poor parentage, and see how God hath dealt with me. Another thing remarkable is, that Jacob contented himself with God alone, he accounted that he had enough in God alone, though all were taken from him, he did not look upon himself as undone, but he had that that might make him for ever. In Gen. 33. compare the 9 and 11. verses, you shall find a notable difference between Esau and Jacob, yet the word in our books is the same, but this Scripture is much wronged by the translation. In v. 8. Esau when he comes to Jacob, when Jacob would have given him his present, saith he, what meanest thou by all these droves which I met? he said, these are to find grace in the sight of my lord: and Esau said, I have enough my brother, It was a strange speech of Esau: A covetous wretch that is always pining and murmuring for having no more, and thinks he shall want before he die, he doth not come so fare as Esau, and Esau could say, I have enough, are there not many of you that never say you have enough? I pray thee take my present saith Jacob, for I have all things, nay saith Esau, I have enough. The one saith I have enough, the other saith I have all things, for so the word is Col; Esau had enough, he did not want, he had meat and drink, and he saw none to interrupt him, he was satisfied with his estate, as his portion; he had enough, he cared for nothing more, they might talk of other things, but that was enough to him. Jacob comes, and saith I have enough; but this was another manner of enough: Esau's enough is his estate, but jacob's enough is God, for he saith, I have all, Jacob was meaner for his outward condition than Esau, for he had nothing but what he had gotten in hard servitude. Now Esau saith, I have enough, Jacob saith, I have all: that is, God is enough in the want of all, if Esau should strip him of all he had, yet he had all in God. Now one that is of the seed of Jacob, in the time of want (as some of you may be plundered, and then all is gone you say; no, if thou be of the seed of Jacob) if thou have God thou hast all. There is such a promise, He that overcometh, shall inherit all things. How is that? and I will be his God. Revel. 21.7. Therefore whatsoever thou wantest if God be thine, if thou be God's child, thou hast all. Further, one of the seed of Jacob is one of the Church of God: for all jacob's posterity was so: therefore the blessing in Ruth is, The Lord bless thee like Rachel and Leah, which two did build up the house of Israel. Why is it not, the Lord bless thee as Rebeccah, or Sarah, but as Rachel and Leah. (It was a blessing upon a marriage condition) the reason is, because from Rachel and Leah, came only those that were of the Church, that were members of the Church of God; but there came others from Rebeccah, and of Sarah came only Isaac, but Abraham's posterity was otherwise. And that Church that was then was but a type of that which should be after; that is of a company of people elected, and called out from the world to be partakers of the Privileges of Jesus Christ. The people of the Jews, the seed of Jacob were the Church of God, as the seed of such an one. And this typified the Church that should be after; a company that are taken out of the world, to partake of the privileges of Jesus Christ. Canst thou say that thou art of the Church? The word that we translate Church is a company that is called out from the world. Canst thou ever tell of a work of God separating thee from the world, that when thou goest according to the world, God gave thee a mighty call that made a separation between thee and the world? For it is said so of the seed of Jacob, Numb. 23.9. From the tops of the rocks I saw him, and beheld him, lo, the people shall dwell alone, they shall not be reckoned among the Nations, they shall be separated from the nations. All the seed of Jacob are called out of the world, they are separated from them by a mighty work of God to partake of Christ, and be a member of him. And upon this, such an one mightily longs after all the outward privileges of the Church, to enjoy all the outward ordinances of Christ after his way, those that are of the seed of Jacob, they prise the excellency of Jacob as the greatest excellency, their hearts are towards it, and they rejoice in that above all the excellency in the world. If you ask what this excellency of Jacob is? It is the joining of God's people in the way of ordinances, and duties of God's worship in the purity of them. This in Scripture is called the excellency of Jacob, Psal. 47.4. He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. It is an excellent Scripture. O, it is a blessed thing to give all to God, to let God choose our inheritance. What is our inheritance? The excellency of Jacob whom he loved. What was that? The worship of God, and his ordinances, joining with the people of God in the way of his ordinances, in his temple, those were the things that were the ordinances of God in those times; those are called the excellency of Jacob; and so it is now the excellency of a people to enjoy God's ordinancies. You have another expression to the same purpose. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountain, and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. Isaiah 65.9. What is the mountain of God? God's Ordinances in his Church, I will bring a seed out of Jacob, and Judah, and they shall inherit my moantain. So that the greatest inheritance of the seed of Jacob is the mountain of the Lord: communion with the Church of God, and his ordinances: if you be of the seed of Jacob, your heart's prize, and rejoice in this, and that you have in Psal. 24. vers. 3, 4, 5. you shall find how the seed of Jacob prise the enjoyment of God in his Ordinances, Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lift up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him: that seek thy face O Jacob. It is so in the book: but the particle O, is not in the original: and therefore it may be read thus, That seek the face of Jacob; it may be read in the Genitive case, as well as in the Vocative. This is the generation of them that seek him, even of Jacob, and then he turns to God, that seek thy face: but because his heart was full of this, of seeking God's face, (though he intent to mention what generation it was, the generation of Jacob) he puts in that before, the generation of Jacob that seek thy face: that is, this is the generation that so prize God in his ordinances, and account it such a blessing of God; that join themselves to the Church of God, and set up his ordinances and ways; this is the blessed generation, these are those that seek God truly. We seek not God truly unless we seek him in his own ways, unless we seek him in all his ordinances, we cannot comfort our souls that we seek him in truth. For as in the way of obedience, we cannot have comfort in our obedience that it is true, except it be universal to all God's commandments, so we cannot have comfort in our seeking that it is true, except it be in all his ordinances, and ways: therefore we must be of the generation of them that seek the face of the Church, that seek thy face O Jacob. So it follows in that place, lift up your heads O ye gates, and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in. Where should the King of glory come but into his Church? Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and almighty: still the Church is called on to entertain Christ in his glory, so this is spoken of the Church. Thus you may know, whether you be of the seed of Jacob. Again, if you be the seed of Jacob you have the inheritance of Jacob, and account it your inheritance. What was jacob's inheritance? Deuter. 33.2. The Lord came from Sinai and from his right hand came a fiery law. The law of God is a fiery law; yet in verse 4. Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. So that though the law be a fiery law, a strict law, a severe law, yet it is the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. If you be of the congregation of Jacob you account the law of God to be part of your inheritance: not only to be that which you are bound to, that you must obey whether you will or no, but you rejoice in the law of God as your inheritance. For my part I know not a more sure note of a gracious heart than this; one that rejoiceth in God's law as his inheritance: as you know what expressions David hath, he rejoiced in it more than in Gold and Silver, more than in the honey, and the honeycomb. It is one thing to obey God's Law, and another to rejoice in it as an inheritance. If thou be of the seed of Jacob, thou hast the inheritance of the seed of Jacob. Another is, he that is of the seed of Jacob is faithful in the place that God hath set him. Jacob in serving of Laban, Gen. 31.6. though he were churlish, he professeth that withal his power he served his father. It is an excellent text for servants; you would fain have time to seek God, and God forbidden but there should be some time allowed the poorest and meanest servant to seek God alone. But art thou of the seed of Jacob? then be like him in this, to serve with all thy power, though thou have a froward master or mistress, as Laban was, though they use you hardly, yet show godliness in that relation. And for servants to seem godly, he must go hear, this Sermon, this man, and the other man, and be very earnest: (I blame them not for loving the word and desiring it: but for servants to be earnest in hearing the word, and enjoying the ordinances, and crying out against superstition, and Antichristianisme, and yet be sluggish, and unfaithful in their service, and so as to give just offence to their governor's, it is a dishonour. Show your godliness in your relation: certainly there is no man or woman godly, but those that are so in the relations and places that they are set in: therefore manifest yourselves thus to be the seed of Jacob. Again, the seed of Jacob is a taught seed. God teacheth them, Psal, 147.19. He hath not dealt so with other nations, he gave his law to Jacob, and his word to Israel. So in Deut. 33.10 Levi is appointed to teach Jacob. There is never a one of the seed of Jacob that is ignorant, that is a fool in matters of religion, he is taught. And then, one of the seed of Jacob, is one that hath a care of his family: so we read of Jacob, Gen. 35.1. God said to Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar unto God that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then said Jacob to his household and to all that were with him, put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, etc. When he was to go into God's presence, he laboured to reform his family. When God calls you to fast days, and to the Sacrament, do you cleanse your families, do you look what evils are in your families, and put out your power to cleanse them? But there is one more that I may not omit, that is, Jacob, when he was to die, though he himself was to go the way of all flesh, yet this was his great comfort and the comfort of those that he left behind, that God would make good his word to his Church and people, Gen. 48.21. and Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I die, but God will visit you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers. Behold I die, but I die in faith of the promise: because I am taken away shall I think the promise shall be of no effect? no; God shall bring you to the land of your fathers. Now when God shall cast you on your sick beds can you say, Behold I die; but go you on, God will make good his word, I die in faith that it shall go well with the Churches of God: there will be a time when they shall get the victory, when Christ shall reign, and the Saints shall be delivered from their oppressors? Here was the spirit of Jacob: if you be such a seed of Jacob you shall not seek God's face in vain. But you will say, it is not in vain for some men to seek God, but I am a poor wretched creature, and it may be in vain for me to seek the Lord. That place in the Psalm fully answers any objection against our poverty, or the poverty of our prayers, Psalm. 102.17. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their prayers. The prayer of the destitute, the word signifies a poor shrub in the wilderness, a contemptible shrub, that is trodden on by the feet of beasts, and none regards it; God regards such prayers. If I could make an excellent prayer it were somewhat: No, he doth not despise thy prayer. It may be thy prayer is such as thou despisest, and that others would despise, but God will not despise it. But this was spoken perhaps to some in those times. Mark what follows; This shall be written for the generations to come. This Scripture, this promise of God, it is written for the generations to come. And the people that shall he created shall praise the Lord. We that were not made them, but were created since, let us praise the Lord for this Scripture, that God will regard the prayers of poor shrubs, and not despise them. But they are great things that I stand in need of, and it may be in vain for me to seek such great things at God's hands; perhaps if I did seek for ordinary things there might be hope, but I am to seek great things, mercies for the Church and for the Kingdom, and people of God; is it not in vain for such a poor wretch as I to seek such great things? We may think that the things we seek at God's hands are too great for us to beg, but they are not too great for God to give. It is observed of Perilla, when Alexander would have him ask a dowry for his daughter; Alexander presently promised him 50. talents; it is too much saith he, 10. talents are sufficient; Alexander answered him, if it be too great for you to ask, it is not too great for me to give. God loves that his people should ask great things of him: yea he loves that the poorest, and meanest of his people should ask him great things; and there is a gracious promise for that, Jer. 33.3. Call unto me and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things that thou knowest not. This is a promise to every one of the seed of Jacob. But when I pray in the time of affliction, and God's hand is on me, will it not be in vain to seek him then? It is true; to neglect God in former times, and then to pray only in affliction, it is a dangerous condition: but this temptation comes upon such as have sought God before. I now you seek God, but this is in your affliction, and will God regard you now? I speak it only to comfort such as are careful to seek God in the time of their health: yet if thou have been negligent, it is possible that God should regard thee in the time of affliction. Jonah prayed, and said, I prayed and cried by reason of mine affliction to the Lord, and he heard me, Jonah 2.2. But suppose it be affliction for sin: for so the objection may arise. It is true, if I did seek God in the time of affliction that God did send for trial, it may be God would hear me: but suppose God's hand be on me for sin, will God hear my prayers? That one notable example of David may help the people of God against such a temptation: God's hand was on him for his sin, when he fled before Absolom, God threatened that war should not departed from his house: yet David then prayed against that wicked politition, and counsellor, that the Lord would turn his counsel to folly; and God heard David's prayer in his affliction that was for sin, And the Lord turned the counsel of Achitophel to folly. Let us not be discouraged though politicians work never so craftily; though God's hand be on us, and we have conscience accusing us, and say, I this is for your sins that God leaves you thus in the hands of your enemies, that God gives them such power; that they find such favour with the Prince as they do, though this be for our sins, yet let us seek to God to turn the counsel of Achitophel to folly. It shall not be, nor hath not been in vain, we have found it so, that in our affliction, and affliction for sin, yet crying to God to turn the counsel of Achitophel to folly, God hath done so graciously, and hath encouraged us more and more to cry unto him for that end. But what need I seek to God, God hath decreed and determined what he will do, what God intends to do, he hath decreed from eternity, therefore whether we pray or not it shall come to pass, if we do not pray it shall come to pass. If God have intended to deliver me out of a sickness, it shall be done whether I pray or no; and when any one's time is come they shall die; and so when the time of a Kingdom is come it shall be destroyed, and not till then; therefore what good can prayer do? Though I suppose you cannot but be satisfied, and think that this objection hath little weight, yet for answer, I will give you a Scripture or two, Psalm. 2. I will declare the decree, The decree of God concerning the advancement of Christ in his resurrection, and so of the success of the work of Christ's mediation. I will declare the decree, the Lord hath said thou art my son this day have I begotten thee: Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession. God's giving of Christ the heathen for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession; it was decreed of God, yet Christ must ask it of his Father notwithstanding God's decree. And another text remarkable is in the prophecy of Daniel, where the text saith Dan. 9.2. In the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by books, the number of the years whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the Prophet, that he would accomplish 70. years in the desolation of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplications. Mark, Daniel understood by books what God had determined, concerning Jerusalem; what need Daniel go further, he knew God's mind what he would do whether he did pray or no? but mark, vers. 3. I set my face to seek the Lord. After he knew what God had decreed, and what he would do, and what he had promised. Now we know not God's decree: but if we did certainly know the decree of God in showing mercy to the Land, yet it could no way hinder us but encourage us to set our faces to seek the Lord, and to seek him more earnestly: therefore that is a vain objection. Again, it is not in vain to seek the Lord, if we examine all we have had already: though we have not all we would have, yet if we consider the supporting mercies, the preventing mercies, and the guiding mercies that God hath granted us, we shall find that it is not in vain that we have sought him. There are abundance of mercies that thou hast had already. It is an evil thing to complain of God's grace, when God hath bestowed such mercies. thou thinkest thou hast nothing, because thou hast not all thou wouldst have; as a froward child because it hath not every thing to its mind casts away all. God hath been exceeding gracious to us; other souls would have adored God, and have blessed him with their faces to the ground, if they had had but the hundreth part of those mercies that we have; yet because we have not all we desire we are ready to think it is in vain. O let us take heed of dishonouring the grace of God. Again, further thou thinkest it is in vain, because God sometimes denies in granting, and grants in denying. Many times God grants that we pray for in denying it, and denies that we pray for in granting it: our denials are grants to us. woe to us, if all were granted to us that we pray for. Much good may be gotten out of God's denials: and God denies us to do us good, and to prepare us for mercies: therefore it is not in vain that thou hast sought God, because it is not in vain that thou art denied. But further, it may be God delights more in thy praying, then in thy praising voice, therefore though thou have not that thou hast sought for, give leave to God to delight in thee which way he pleaseth. There is the praying, and the praising voice of God's people, thou delightest that God should hear thy praising voice, it may be God delights to hear thy praying voice, and is may he should not if thou hadst what thou wouldst have. Saith God to the Church, Let me hear thy voice, for it is sweet. There is no man that will think the King denies his petition, as long as th● King loves to read it. If one present a petition to the King, he doth not say he will presently do it: but if he read it, and when he hath read it, calls for it again, and again, will any man think it in vain that he hath put up that petition? as long as the King hears it, and delights to read it, it is not in vain. So, as long as God loves to hear thy voice, and to read thy petition it is not in vain. As for thy praising voice, God shall have enough of that in heaven, but he shall have none of thy praying voice: therefore why shouldest thou not be willing that God should have more of thy praying voice here? All that ever God shall have of thy praying voice it is in this world, and after a little time God shall never hear us pray more. Therefore let us be willing to go on, and continue in prayer, and not to wonder why God keeps us on in a way of praying, because all the time that ever God shall have to delight himself in the praying voice of his people it is in this world: and for our praising voice, we would fain spend all our days in praising God for his mercies, but that is reserved for another world. Further, it may be God's way to stay till he bring a great deal of mercy together, and not by bits, and drops. As when men deal with great merchants, they expect not to have payments, by six pences or shillings or Crowns at once: but though there be two or three or ten pounds due, they stand not on that but stay for a greater sum. Now little traders that deal by retail, they take it in by pence, and little sums, Christians that are to deal with God, they deal for great things, and there are great transactions between God and a gracious heart: therefore think not much that God stays with a greater sum. For as God deals with the wicked in the way of justice, so he deals with godly men in a way of mercy. He lets wicked men go on a great while, he comes not to judgement for sin, but stays till all come together, till a great sum of wrath and judgement come together. So he deals with the saints he comes not with less mercies, but he stays till abundance come, and when God's time is come mercies will come to the full indeed. Further, it may be God hath so much mercy that thou hast not a vessel capable of it. Only know that heaven, and earth and all are working for thee. Is the ploughing, and the sowing of the husbandman, and all the showers in vain; because the corn is not in the barn? we account it not so: so we must not account our prayers in vain, because the thing is not attained we pray for. There are many other answers: but the time is so much gone, I come briefly to the application. First, if it be so, that God saith not to the seed of Jacob seek my face in vain: certainly there are great things for the Church, that we may build on God is to do in these latter days, Why? because all the seed of Jacob ever since jacob's time, have been seeking God, not only for their own times but for the Church, to the end of the world; all their prayers are upon the file, and must be answered one day. O what a glorious harvest will it be! blessed are they that shall live to partake of it. We have a little, but certainly, there are glorious things for the Church; because every prayer shall be answered. Secondly, you that are of the seed of Jacob know your honour, though you be never so poor otherwise, God hath given you that which makes you rich: you have the key of heaven, you may open the treasures in heaven, and it shall never be in vain. God's people are such as are exceeding honourable in the eyes of God, and in this regard that they have credit in heaven, that they shall never seek God in vain. Bathsheba saith to Solomon, 1 King. 2.20. I desire one petition of thee, I pray thee, say me not nay, It is translated by some, Ne confundas faciam, confound not my face. Indeed, the denying of a petition, it is a dishonour, and a confounding of the face: but God will not confound the faces of his people, he never saith to them, seek ye me in vain: they are honourable ones. Now as it is said of their father Jacob, he prevailed as a prince with God: so it may be said of the seed of Jacob, they prevail as Princes with God, they can do great things with God; it may be they cannot do other things that vain spirits can do, but they can do much with God in prevailing. O, here see your privilege, and your riches, all the prayers that you have made in your life time they are all trading in heaven, they are not lost. If a man have ventured a stock abroad to the Indies, and do not hear of it in a great while, he thinks it is lost and gone: but if he hear certain news that all his stock is safe, and in the place where he would have it, and those that are there faithfully improve his stock, he is revived by this, it rejoiceth his spirit, and he can say blessed be God, I hope to be a rich man for all this. I say to thee be of good comfort thy stock is not lost, it is trading in heaven, and every prayer that thou hast put up is there. We should account our prayers as riches, as adventures sent to heaven, and not as children that shoot arrows and do not mind them. And then learn this, it is a great privilege to have a praying friend, a praying companion. Many of you love friends that are delightful, of a cheerly nature, and merry; but are they praying one's: praying friends are the special friends: because prayer can prevail with God. To have a friend in the Court, that can obtain any petition, we think it a privilege; to have one great friend in heaven is a great privilege. Many people when they lie on their sick beds, they send to such and such to pray for them: why do they not send to their companions, that they did drink with, and swear with, to pray for them? O, they dare not. Here is enough to convince any man's conscience, who are the best men, whatsoever they say. Suppose thy condition were thus, that thou didst lie on thy deathbed, and thy life did depend upon the prayers of four or five men. If God should speak thus from heaven, thou art at the brink of destruction, only this favour thou shalt find; thou shalt have leave to choose where thou will't four or five men to pray for thee, and according as they pray so it shall be with thee; thou hast liberty to choose through the world whom thou wilt. I appeal, would a drunkard choose four or five drunkards, or a swearer choose swearers, or unclean ones that they most delighted in all their life time? If all should depend upon it thou wouldst not choose such; therefore thou art convinced in thy conscience, tho● knowest that those are not precious in God's eyes, (however thy lust have prevailed) but that the other are better men, that are gracious and have more credit in heaven. Learn to prize praying friends, that can prevail with God. And let us set the crown upon prayers head, in the mercies we have from God, in public mercies, and private deliverances of friends; attribute it not to second means, to fortune and chance, take heed of denying God his glory. It is a sign of a carnal spirit, when God hath glorified himself in answering the prayers of his people, to attribute it to any other means. As I remember, I read of the Porphirian atheists, that followed the atheism of Porphirie, they darkened the work of God in delivering the children of Israel out of Egypt through the red sea. They say that Moses had learned of the Egyptians, and they were great Astronomers: and Moses knew when it would be a low tide, and what constellations there would be at that time, and that the tide would prove low then, more than ever in the age of man, and Moses took the nick of time, and lead them through the sea. Thus atheists would darken the works of God, and put them of to natural causes. So I find it related of the old Prophet in Jeroboams time; Josephus hath it related of him, he sent to Jeroboam to stretch out his hand he tells us that this was by accident, he was wearied all the day long, and now he had the Palsy, and after it was restored again; that which was done by prayer, he would have it by natural means. Just thus it is, when God hath so magnified his mercy to England, and wrought such wonders yet many carnal atheistical spirits, say this was an accidental thing, and the policy of such men brought it to pass, they attribute all to natural causes, it is a sign of a wretched profane heart: For if God ever magnified prayer he hath done it in these days. There are 2 or 3 Scriptures that since the world began were never more magnified, then by Gods working at this day. One is in Exodus 13. In the thing wherein they dealt proudly, God was above them. Never since the world began was that more fulfilled. A second is that in the 10. Psalm, The wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. If ever there were a fulfilling of that Scripture since the beginning of the world, it is at this day. A third is this in the text. I said not to the seed of Jacob; seek ye my face in vain. God (as I said) hath raised a spirit of prayer among the seed of Jacob more than ever any in the world knew; there was never the like spirit of prayer raised, nor never the like things done for prayer. And the Lord the rather honoured the ordinance of prayer now, because men so dishonoured it before and persecuted it, that the people of God could not meet and assemble to fast and pray, but presently it was a conventicle, and they were persecuted as factious people. Because God saw this way despised, he hath honoured it, and the former, and the latter mercies that we have received, we are to attribute to the goodness of God by prayer, they were obtained by prayer. Let us still be encouraged to seek God for what we would have: for God hath said, it is not in vain to seek his face. There are many of us now that can do little else: if God have delivered you from sickness, and other evils, know that God hath delivered you to pray, the less you can do otherwise, the more you should do in prayer. I have read of a heathen, Numa Pompylius, that he would never go about any thing but he would go to the temple and pray: you that are instruments entrusted with our lives, and liberties, you had need to pray much, go into your closerts and sanctify all your thoughts and resolutions by prayer, that your help and assistance may not be in vain to us. And all others had nee● to assist you in seeking God in prayer. This encouragement we have, that there is not any of us that seek God alone, but we join with thousands: why should our place be found empty? why should not our prayers join with the rest? We shall meet many prayers in heaven; the prayers of our forefathers; the prayers of those that are dead and gone that did not live to enjoy the fruit of their prayers, yet when we pray for mercies our prayers meet with theirs in heaven: therefore let us be encouraged to seek the Lord. And if mercies should come, what a daunting would this be to our hearts, that mercies are come, but we have not sought them? and if mercies come not, conscience will fly in our face that we have been sensual, carnal creatures, & it is for our neglect of seeking God, that God hath denied us the mercies that we expected. And then it should be a use of rebuke to those that begin to seek God, and continue not. O wretch, why hast thou left? whether wilt thou go? Is it in vain to seeve the Lord? certainly thou wert never acquainted with God and his ways; thou wilt find it a dreadful change, when it shall appear that thou hast left God the fountain of living water, and hast sought after vanity, & forsaken thine own mercy. But the main of all should have been for the applying of it to the present occasion. The Lord hath made good his word this day, that he hath not said, seek ye me in vain. This day testifies it to be true that they are great things that prayer hath done. I have heard many years ago by credible testimony, that on this fifth of November, when we had such a great mercy so many years ago, that very day it was known, that a great many godly people in the city kept it in fasting and prayer, so as it was eminently known and delivered from hand to hand of them in the city at that time, and you know what God did. But what hath he done of late? If our fathers should rise out of their graves, and we should tell them that now the high commission (that they were so troubled with) is down; that there shall be no more star-chamber, that cutting off of ears is gone, they would wonder how this should come to pass. And whereas Parliaments were wont to be snapped in sunder, that this Parliament is to continue by as firm an Act as any thing in the land is made by. And for oppressors, all the Courts and Bishops Chanceries, they are down, and gone, God hath extirpated them: they were first cast out of the house, and now out of the kingdom. And though an army did rise and seek to bring us into slavery, yet God hath given us victory (though some have suffered hardly) and brought the adversaries very low to surrender their towns, and castles and arms. And here we are to rejoice in God, and to bless him for all. If many of our ancestors should rise, and hear what we speak, how we hold up our hands and bless God, with what hearts would they join in the praising of God, and wonder that ever such things should be done! Let not the grace of God be in vain, as God hath not said to us, seek my face in vain. What use shall we make of it? Let us give him real praise, and not only come to repeat it, and tell God of it, but make his praise glorious, put a glory on it; and then we do it, when we make a right use of his mercies, when we receive not his mercies in vain. What is it to make use of the memorial we celebrate? First, the remembrance of these mercies must humble us; that is a sweet humbling; it is better to be melted by the beams of the Sun, then by the scorching of the fire. You will say, humbled, for what? There are three things that we have cause to be humbled for, upon the consideration of the mercy of God towards us, First, the sin of unbelief, consider, when we were straitened at any time, when we heard ill news, that our armies fled, and came to danger, how our spirits were down as if all were gone. Let us check our hearts, God rebuked us in a kindly manner, we might have had a furious rebuke. Secondly, be humbled for all our murmuring and repining, and discontent, O we did not think that the wars would have held so long, and O what taxations are upon us, and all our estates are rend away! And how many are there that had rather that all the good that God hath done for his people since these times should never have been done, then that they should suffer in their outward estates. Be rebuked for all your murmuring and repining at such difficulties as you have met with in the great cause of God. The third thing that this mercy should make us humbled for, and look back to, is that if ever there have risen this thought in any of our hearts, that it had been better for me if I had never appeared so much. I see how things are like to be, the enemy prevails and is like to overrun all: had it not been better that I had not engaged myself so much? that I had not appeared so much? are they not wiser men that have kept themselves quiet and silent, and done as little as they could, nothing but what they have been forced to? And when the King's party come, if they tax us, they can do no more than force us. If thou have such a thought, pray to God to forgive that thought: Let this that God hath done rebuke thee. Art thou sorry for what thou hast done? thou seest God will do it without thee. If thou have been a public instrument, and hast done good and yet if in fear of success thou hast repent; God rebukes thee this day. Then labour to love prayer as long as you live, as David saith, I will call upon God as long as ever I live. Prayer casts the scals, and hath the advantage. First, the other side they feared not to suffer much if they were overcome; they think they have a head and they would be where he was, and he would countenance them, and make good their condition for them, but this side if they had been overcome, they had been men utterly undone: what a mighty advantage was there one way more than another? Then the King's side if he had prevailed he had places of dignity to bestow; if the Parliaments side prevail, we are but where we were, we do but maintain our own, we cannot expect to raise our condition. But how many broken Gentry expected to raise their condition on the other side? As it is said concerning the Pope, and the general Counsel; the Pope prevailed, notwithstanding the general Council, though that were above him, why? the Pope had Cardinallships, and Deaneries to bestow but the Council had none; they had the advantage that way. Again, those that appeared on the one side how were they discouraged extraordinarily? on the other side they were encouraged to the utmost. On the one side how unfaithful have they been? on the other side they have kept to their principles, because their principles are suitable to the flesh: but there are many on this side that have not gracious principles and had a public cause, therefore they have been unfaithful. We have use of men that have not principles to act by, but all the other go according to their own principles. The one part acts that they may gratify men's lusts; now the generality of the world love it; they know if the one party prevail they shall have liberty, and live lycensciously, but if the other prevail they shall live under laws. Now men would have their lusts; therefore when they see on the one side they shall have their lusts, and on the other side they shall be more kerbed, they strive hard for their lusts. At the first I wondered that men should be so vile to fight to make themselves slaves: but when I considered, they shall have slaves under them, and have their lusts, and the other side be more kerbed, than I was satisfied, and wondered that God should cast the scales the other way, they having all the advantages in a carnal way more than the other. Only here it is, we have people that have prayed, and this hath cast the scale. Love prayer, and praying people, and join with them, be on their side, for God is with them, and will not suffer them to pray in vain: a praying Christian is a useful Christian in the world. Again, make this use of all that hath been done. Look how far thou thinkest the adversaries would have been hardened if they had prevailed against the cause of God, be thou so much the more resolute in the cause of God. If they had prevailed how would they have blasphemed? and many thousands of Atheists would have been made more than there was before: what a mighty offence, and stumbling block would this have been? Now since God hath turned it the other way, justify God and his cause; settle your hearts in the love of God, and his cause, and settle yourselves more strongly in the reformation in hand. Further, let us give him real praise, that we may not receive the grace of God in vain. By this grace we hope that he hath given us our estates that we were afraid would have been rend from us; we have the continuance of our liberties, and of the Gospel. Let our hearts be engaged to God to give up our estates this day; let us renew our engagements to God in secret, between God and our souls. Lord thou mightest have taken away my estate by the spoilers, it was near it; and thou hast done it to other of my brethren, and is mine continued! that estate that should have been spent for their lusts, I am resolved to spend it in thy service that hast preserved it; and I account it a great mercy that I have an estate to honour thy name, I feared I should not. God expects, that ever henceforward you make a more holy use of your estates then before. And call your hearts to question, what do I do with my estate for God? what honour hath God from my estate more than before? God expects more, or else God may justly say, in vain have I preserved this wretch's estate: there are many of my servants, if I had preserved their estates, they would have improved them in the towns and places they lived in, and here is a wretch I have preserved his estate, and he is more greedy and scrapes up for himself, and all his thought is, how to repair what he hath lost by taxations, etc. The Lord may repent of what he hath done, and the curse of God may follow such a man's estate. Take heed, know that there is an engagement after this time. And so for the liberty of the Gospel, God expects that you should prise the Gospel more than ever. Lord, we were afraid the Gospel would have been gone if thou hadst given us up into the hands of our enemies, and our eyes should not have seen their teachers; we should not have heard things that refresh our hearts; shall we have the Gospel, and hope that our posterity shall have it? we hope that we shall never provoke thee as we have done heretofore to take it away. A man that hath been in danger to lose his estate, and hath recovered it will be careful after. Our slighting of the Gospel because we had it so ordinary might have caused God to take it from us; and hath God restored it? let us take heed we provoke not God now, but attend upon the word more than ever we did. Lastly, doth God say to us we shall not seek him in vain? Let not God call to us in vain. If when we seek God, our seeking is not in vain, then when God seeks us, let it not be in vain. There is all the reason for it in the world. If God be so gracious to poor base worms, sinful creatures, that if we do but chatter, our prayers are not in vain: is it not reason when God calls, that he should not call in vain? When God calls out of his word to perform such, and such duties, God seeks thee, then make use of this text, I have called upon God, and I never called in vain; and now I go to hear the word, and out of the word he calls me, and seeks me, let him not seek in vain, but say, Lord what sayest thou to thy servant? The Lord is ready to hear your cry, be you ready to hear his, and go on, go on with encouragement, the Lord hath encouraged us this day. And let all your prayers and endeavours break through all difficulties, and the Lords mercy shall break through all oppositions: for he hath not said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain. Psalm 16.3. But to the Saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent in whom is all my delight. IN the beginning of this Psalm David prays to God for preservation, and for deliverancc out of some great evil, that it seems was upon him, or that he was in danger of. The argument that he useth, is, First his trust in God, In thee do I put my trust. And it was not an ungrounded and unwarranted trust, but that which proceeded from his interest he had in God, O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, thou art my Lord: thou art mine. But what if David should now perish in his distress, should God be any loser by it? David seems to acknowledge this, that though he should not be preserved, yet God was bound to preserve his own name, and his own cause; my goodness extendeth not to thee. Though I should live, yet it is little that I could do for thee. But to the saints that are in the earth. Though my goodness extend not to thee, yet I may be useful to thy people, unto thy Saints while I live, it extends to them, and they are they that my soul closeth with. O, I desire to live, and to be preserved that I may be of use to them. It is a great argument to prevail with God, when any of you are in danger, and seek for preservation, if your hearts work thus to God, that the desire you have to be preserved is, that whatever you are, and what ever you can do may extend to the Saints, that you may live to be of use and service in the world to God's people. Many of you when you apprehend yourselves to be in danger, you cry to God to be preserved: but to what end? wherefore would you be preserved? wherefore would you live? If we may judge of your ends according to your practice you would live that you may have more time to satisfy your lusts, that you may have more time to dishonour God, that you may have more time to do mischief in the places where you live. There is this in the heart, and God sees it: God sees whatsoever will be after in your lives; God sees before what was in your hearts when you cried to be preserved. But now one that is gracious he desires therefore to be preserved, O that I might live to be of use in the place where God hath set me. If God should take me away now my conscience tells me that it is little service that I have done for him. I have been of little use in the place where God hath set me, O that I might be preserved for this end, that what I am, or have, might extend to the Saints in earth, even the excellent in whom is all my delight. Thus you have the scope of the words, and the dependence of them. And in them there are these two things. First, the high esteem of the Saints, they are the excellent of the earth. And secondly, the sweet delight that David's heart had in them, in whom is all my delight. For the first, the high esteem that David had of the Saints, and that Saints that were on earth, the excellent. The point is this, that The Saints of God, those that are godly, are the excellent in the earth. Then secondly, from this that he saith, in whom is all my delight. Observe this that, A gracious heart takes the most contentment in the Saints of God; he is much delighted in them. The first is but a preparation to the second: therefore I shall pass it over briefly. They are the excellent in the earth▪ therefore my delight is in them. They are the excellent in the earth. Let them be what they will in regard of their outward meanness, yet there is an excellency in them. Job scraping upon the dunghill; and Jeremy sticking in the mire in the dungeon, yet they had more glory and beauty upon them, than the great ones of the earth when they sat upon their thrones. Though they lie among the pots (as the Psalmist saith) yet are they as Doves, their wings are the wings of Doves, whose feathers are of gold, and silver; Psal. 77.13. beautiful and glorious. You know the judgement that the holy Ghost passeth upon the Saints in old time, that were outwardly mean enough▪ there was as much meanness on them as the malice of the world could put: the text saith, they had trials of mockings, of scourge, of bonds, and imprisonments, they were sawen asunder, they were tempted, they wandered in sheepskin, and goat's skins: destitute, afflicted, tormented. What kind of creatures were these, surely they were some wretched men, and women that were thus hunted up and down to wander in sheepskins and goats-skins, destitute afflicted and tormented? No such matter, they were s●ch of whom the world was not worthy: v. 38. that is the judgement of the holy Ghost upon such, the world was not worthy of them. The men of the world would have thought, & did think that they were such as were not worthy to live in the world: but the judgement of the holy Ghost was such, that the world was not worthy of them. I remember chrysostom hath this interpretation of the phrase, they are such as are worth more than all the world, more than many thousands of the world; one of them is worth more than all the men of the world besides. It is a truth so; one Saint of God, though never so mean, one poor youth, one servant that is truly gracious, is worth more than all the men of the world besides that are not so. All the Monarches and Princes on earth, have not that excellency in them that one poor child or servant hath that is gracious. But the ordinary interpretation is thus, they are such as have that excellency, as that the world is not worthy to enjoy them, they are not worthy of their presence, that they should so much as live among them; they are rather fit to be set as stars in heaven, and be before the Lord in his glory: the world is not worthy of them. But what is there in the Saints that makes them the excellent in the earth? The Saints that are the excellent. The word in the original signifies the magnificent ones; those that have magnificent spirits, and are exceeding glorious. There is this in them (that I may briefly pass over this first.) They have the image of God upon, them, and therefore they must needs be the excellent on earth. The image of God makes them to resemble God in that which the creature is able to conceive of; That which is the height of God's excellency: though it be true, whatsoever is in God is God himself: yet we conceiving of God according to our manner, there is something of God that appears most excellent, and glorious. And it must needs be in regard of that expression, because grace is called the image of God. Now when we draw the image of a thing, we draw it as near as we can according to that which is the most proper excellency of that thing. If I would draw the image of a man I do not draw the likeness of a piece of flesh, a beast hath that as well as a man, or I do not draw feet or legs or the back parts of a man: but when the image of a man is drawn, there is his face drawn that is the excellentest part, and there we endeavour to express his life, and spirit as much as can be: that is the most excellent part; and though the spirit cannot be drawn, there can be no picture of it; yet because it is shown most in the face, that is as near as we can go that is drawn there. So the image of God, is that wherein the creature resembles God in height of excellency, and glory. It is not every resemblance of God that is God's image: there are some things that set out some of the glory of God, and they are but called Gods footsteps, or his backparts. All the resemblance of God in his creatures; and the expressions of the power, and wisdom; the invisible things of God that we see in the creature, they are all but his footsteps, and backparts; they are not his image, Why? because they do not resemble God in that which he hath set out to us to be the height of his glory. What is that? The holiness of God that is the height of his excellency. Therefore it is said of God himself, holy and reverend is his name. God's name comes to be reverend, by holiness: were it not for his holiness, notwithstanding all the rest, (if it were possible to separate them) his name would not be reverend. Therefore when the saints in heaven glorify God for his chiefest excellency it is thus holy, holy, holy. We find not in Scripture any of God's Attributes thrice repeated, Wise, Wise, Wise, or Almighty, Almighty, Almighty, but holy, holy, holy, because the excellency of God consists chief in that. Now because where grace is in the creature, resembling this holiness of God, there is that principle whereby the creature is able to act as God himself acts: for that is holiness, the working of God to his own end in all things suitable to his nature: so when the creature works to God as his last end, and in some measure is suitable to that God with which the creature hath to do, here is the Image of God. Therefore the scripture expresseth grace by these 4. things, as The image of God, The life of God, The glory of God, and The Divine nature. There are these 4. expressions for the work of grace. The image of God, it resembles God in his excellency. The life of God himself, Ephes. 4: alienated from the life of God, that notes acting like God himself. And then it is the glory of God himself; and the divine nature, Rom. 3.23. 2. Pet. 1.3. So that there must needs be excellency in the Saints that have grace that is of this nature. Certainly, there is more of God in the meanest Saint, in the meanest gracious man or woman; there is more of the glory of God then in all the world besides▪ then in heaven and earth. Take all the creatures▪ all the glory of God in the heavens in the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and put all into one. Take all the glory of God the seas, those vast oceans, and put that into one; take all the glory of God that appears in the earth, all the riches of the earth, and all arts and sciences, and what you will; put all into one and the meanest youth or servant that hath the least degree of grace, hath more of the glory of God than all this is. There is more of the shining of God in the least degree of grace in the poorest Christian in the world, than there is in all these creatures. If there were a quintessence of all the excellency, and glory, extracted, and drawn, and put into one, yet there were not so much of God, God could not see so much of himself in that one creature that should have the excellency of all creatures put together, as he sees in the meanest Saint that hath the work of grace. And surely then they are the are the excellent of the earth if there be so much of God in them. The work of grace it is that which hath most of God; and wheresoever it is, it is that which is the proper work of God's eternal love, it is a beam of it, therefore there is a great deal of excellency in it. Take all other creatures, and it is possible to enjoy all the good that is in all the creatures in heaven and earth (excepting this only, the grace of God) through the bounty of God, and the pleasure of God. There is nothing that the creature hath, but may be communicated as a fruit of God's general bounty except spiritual blessings in Christ: but where ever this is, though in the least degree, it is of that nature, that it cannot come but only from the eternal election of God. It is that which is the principle of Eternal life, wheresoever it is, it is that which will grow up to eternal glory. All common gifts will never grow up to glory, though they grow up to the height of glory, but the grace of God, true grace, it is of the same nature with eternal glory. Therefore for the kind of it, it is the greatest good that ever God did, or that ever he will communicate to any creature for all eternity. I say, wherever God hath municated any dram of grace, that is the greatest good that ever God did, or ever will communicate to all eternity, to any of his creatures, therefore it is exceeding excellent. Only excepting the work of God in the hypostatical union of the two natures, wherein he joined the humane, and the divine nature together in one person; excepting that, the work of grace in any soul is the greatest work that ever God did from all eternity, or that ever he will do, for the kind of it. Now that which hath so much of God in it, and comes from the eternal election and love of God; and is the greatest work that ever was done, or ever shall be done; and the greatest good that ever was, or shall be communicated to any creature for ever, truly this must needs be the greatest excellency. For God made the world for that end, that he might communicate his excellency, and glory to the world, to the creature. Now that which was the greatest thing that God intended from all eternity; for the communicating of all his glory, it must needs make the creature excellent. That is the first thing, they are the excellent on earth in regard of the image of God upon them, the work of grace. But secondly, tkey are the excellent of the earth, in regard of the separating of them for God: they are those that God set his thoughts upon from all eternity, that they might enjoy him. The great counsels that God wrought from all eternity, especially were set on work upon this great thing of separating of certain creatures for himself from the rest of the world. Now when God shall set as it were (to speak after the manner of men) his thoughts and counsels on work from all eternity to set apart a few creatures for himself; if there can be known who they are certainly, we cannot but look on them as the excellent on earth: Now wheresoever we see the work of grace in any, we may by that know that these God hath separated for himself, as setting his infinite wisdom on work from all eternity above that. That was the thing he was most exercised in before the world, about the work of separating such and such for himself. The Psalmist saith, Psalm. 4.3. that God hath set apart the godly for himself, they are those that are dedicated, and consecrated to God; therefore there is a wonderful excellency put upon them. As you know any thing that is dedicated and consecrated, though it be never so mean in itself, yet being once dedicated, being once made a consecrated thing, there is a great deal of excellency put upon that thing. As in the law, if it were but a piece of wood in the Tabernacle, if it were but a Badgers skin; if it were but brass or Goat's hair or any such thing that were meant in itself, yet if it were once consecrated and made holy to God, they looked upon it as having a great deal of excellency on it. Now I reason thus; if a piece of wood, or a little hair, or leather consecrated to God had an excellency: what then hath an immortal soul that hath the graces of the spirit, as so many pearls in it, when that is consecrated and set apart to God to the glory and praise of his grace to all eternity; here must needs be much excellency. When a thing is consecrated we look on it no more according to the quality of the thing, but to the consecration. As I remember I read of some people in India, that when they have but lost an Ape's tooth that was consecrated to their god, they will give an unspeakable sum of money for the redemption of it again, because it was a thing that was consecrated to their god. So I read of another that being raised from a mean birth, he took this way to make himself to be highly esteemed of the people, he had a golden basin that he used to wash his feet in, he took that and made an idol of it, and consecrated it, and then every one fell down, and worshipped it when it was consecrated. Nay, saith he, if this which was mean before it was set apart to this use, comes so to be honoured, than I that am mean by birth, being set apart to the government, may as well be honoured by you. Thus than if the superstition, and will of man having consecrated a thing, thinks he puts so much excellency on it, how much more when God himself, and the great and special work of the holy Ghost that he is designed to, it is a special work of his office to consecrate souls to God, and to set them apart to himself, what an excellency must this needs be that is put upon them? They are the excellent of the earth. That is the second. Thirdly, if we consider that relation that the saints have to God; they are the nearest relations that can be expressed. Of children to parents, they are the children of God. Of a spouse to her husband, they are the spouse of Jesus Christ, the second person in Trinity; and in that regard they are more nearly united to God than the Angels themselves are, in being the spouse of the Son of God; yea the very members of his body, they have a nearer relation in that respect to the divine nature, to the second person in Trinity then the Angels themselves: for they have not such a relation as this, therefore they are the excellent of the earth. Again, fourthly, if we consider the great privileges that the saints have, we shall see them the excellent of the earth. Not to speak of their deliverance from sin and guiltiness, and those immunities that they have from others. But consider they have this privilege, that God in all his attributes and works, he is continually working for their good. There is this excellent prerogative of the saints, there is no attribute of God but it is continually working good to every saint of God. There is no work of God's providence, but it works always, continually for their good. It would be a mighty excellent honour put upon any man, if but such an honourable assembly as the Parliament, should take thought for such an one, and all their purposes and plots, and counsel all the time they are sitting should tend to the good of such an one in particular, taking notice in particular of him. It is that which I said, all your wisdom, and power and mercy, and faithfulness, and the infinite alsufficiency of God is continually every moment working, not only for the good of those that love God in general, but for every particular saint of God. God takes special notice of them, and sets all his attributes continually on work for their good. And the heavens continually work for them. They have this privilege, that the whole world is made for them, God hath given them the world, they are the heirs of the world; as it is said of Abraham, he was the heir of the world, Rom. 4.14. Abraham had little himself, yet he had the world. Now the children inherit their father's estate; if the world were Abraham's inheritance, than it is the inheritance of every child of Abraham: for so the children of Abraham are heirs to all that Abraham had, that is, as far as concerns them, therefore they that are his heirs are heirs likewise of the world, So the Apostle saith, 2 Cor. 3.18. All are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is Gods. So that God, and the creatures are theirs, here is a mighty privilege. Again, the privileges that they have in all the good of the Covenant of grace. Whatsoever good there is in the Covenant of grace, all the rich promises in the Covenant of grace are the privileges of the godly. It is admirable privileges that the precious promises in Scripture speak of to have interest in them all. Besides, not only the promises, btu the immunities that come from the Covenant of grace, as this; that they are not to stand or fall for their eternal estate, by any thing that they are able to do themselves, they are freed from this, their eternal estate hangs not on that which they can do. Whereas others, that are not saints, that are not in the Covenant of grace, their eternal estate hangs on their endeavours, and actions, God dealing with them according to the Covenant of works, being in that condition: though they may be such as may after come to be saints, and as God hath elected, and in love may look on them as he intends towards them: but for the present they are in such a condition, as that they know not, but that their eternal estate depends on that which they do themselves. Now to be delivered from this, to have this immunity that such a thing of such a consequence, as our eternal estate should depend upon a sure foundation, upon that which is done by Christ, and done already; it is an infinite privilege. Others cannot challenge to themselves this privilege, that God will accept of their endeavours; do what they can, yet not being in the Covenant of grace, those endeavours are not accepted. That it pleaseth God to accept the will for the deed; it is one of the privileges of the saints, that comes by the Covenant of grace: but it belongs not to others, they have not to do with this immunity and privilege. So I might name divers others, but then I should go out too far. Again, this is a glorious privilege of access to the throne of grace, to come to God in prayer. God gives them the key of all his treasures to come, and open them, and take what they will; it is a glorious privilege that belongs to the saints in any condition. God gives them a gracious praying heart, and that is the key of all the treasures of God, of all the excellencies of God, that they have liberty to come and take out what they will, be it unto thee as thou wilt. These are the excellent of the earth, that have these privileges. Again, they are the excellent in earth in regard of that which comes from them. As the work of grace is so excellent as hath been spoken of: so every gracious action that comes from a gracious heart there is a wondrous excellency in it. There is not any one gracious action, but it hath more excellency than heaven and earth. Not only grace itself, but any action that comes from grace, hath more of God in it, and God more delights in it then in all other things in heaven or earth. It is an expression of Luther, (though he were a great advancer of faith, yet he was also of holiness as well as of faith, therefore) speaking of any gracious work of a godly man or woman, saith he, preciosa etc. it is more precious than heaven and earth. And then he goes on with another expression I had rather be able to perform any one gracious act, of the poorest woman, or maid; of the poorest Christian that is, then to be able to do all that ever Alexander, or Julius Caesar had done. The least act that comes from faith, from a sanctified heart, he had rather be able to do it, then to get all the victories of Julius Caesar and Alexander: all their triumphs and trophies were nothing to the least breathing of the work of grace in those that are godly, that which comes from them are exceeding excellent. Now I reason they must needs be excellent, that have such excellent things come from them. As when there were such excellent things came from the body of Paul, that had such virtue in them, that noted that there was a great deal of excellency that God conferred upon that Apostle, and a gread deal of honour that was put upon him: So when there comes flowing such precious liquor, such precious things from the saints, as any holy action is, it shows that there is a great deal of excellency in them. Which (by the way) should teach us to abound in holy duties; though our actions as they are from us corrupted, we look on them as despicable, yet know that God looks on them as the most glorious things in the world, any breathing of a gracious heart, therefore he despiseth not the broken heart, nor the sighing of a contrite spirit. Psalm. 51. God can despise Monarches, and Princes of the world: but God cannot despise a broken heart, nor any breathe from ti. Though thou mayest despise it thyself, and look on it as despicable, the Lord cannot despise it: he sees so much excellency in it, though it be mixed with thy corruptions; yet there is that remainder of excellency in it, if there be but so much as may denominate it a gracious act, it is a glorious thing in the eye of God. Lastly, (to name no more) the excellency of the saints appears in this, the great use that they are of in the world. As especially this is one thing that God attains in them his great aim and end in creating the whole world. Were it not for a few gracious men, and women, what glory should God have in all the world? They are those that hold up the glory of God in the world, by which God hath his glory actively; for that is it that God aims at. It is true God can force glory in spite of men's hearts, he will be glorified in spite of Devils: but God hath no active glory, but from gracious, godly people (I speak of the inferior world) it is only the godly that God hath glory from. Therefore were it not for them God (in some kind) had made all the world for nothing. Now those that are employed in such a great work, and are of this great use in the world, as to bring to God that which he made the world for, the main, and great end that he made heaven and earth for; certainly these are principal in God's esteem, and excellent. God can say I have my end in these: Take any town where there are but two or three that are godly, what glory hath God but of these? So for other places where hath God glory but for a few contemptible ones? They are these that God glorifies in high and great services: these are the lights of the world, the salt of the earth: they are these that are the blessings of the world wheresoever they are; they are these for whom the world continueth so as it doth. There is a notable expression in Isaiah, In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt, and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the Land, Isaiah 19.24. Wheresoever they are in a Kingdom, or a family, or a town, they are a blessing in that Kingdom, in that town, and in that family, Israel shall be a blessing in the midst of the Land. These are they that are the excellent of the earth. I would now willingly be over this that I may come to the other, but only there is a word or two of application. And that is First, to show what a vast difference there is between those that are godly, and those that are wicked. Many things I might show that the Scripture expresseth of wicked ones in all their glory: let all the glory of the world be put upon them, yet the Scripture speaks exceedingly contemptuously of them. I must not not spend time in those expressions, only one, and that is in Daniel. In that day a vile person shall arise. Daniel 11.21. It is spoken (as most Interpreters carry it) of Antiochus Epiphanes, yet he is called a vile person, as the Psalmist saith, In whose eyes a vile person is contemned, Psalm. 15. Antiochus, there are three things observed of him, yet he is called a vile person. First, he was a great enemy to many sins. Secondly, when the Jews wrote to him, because they feared his wrath, he being a persecutor of the Jews; there were some that lived in Samaria that were Samaritans that wrote to him to desire his favour, that were not their own selves Jews, but Samaritans: and Josephus saith, they wrote to him, Antiochus the mighty God; they gave him this title of honour. He was a great man on earth accounted where he lived; among the Samaritans, a mighty god; yet the Scripture calls him a vile person. And then his name Epiphanes, which is as much as illustrious or glorious. He had that title of almighty God, and illustrious, and glorious, and yet he was a vile person. Thus it is, where God sees not the work of grace. The consideration of this might give us some hope that there will be a time wherein God will appear for his saints. It is not probable that God will always suffer his Jewels to be trodden under feet in the world; that God will always look upon such as are excellent on earth, and see them so abused in the world, and so contemptible as they are; surely this will not be always. God hath his time to make it manifest to the world, that they are the excellent of the earth. They are now Jewels, yet they are such as are in the dirt, and so are despised and contemned: but there is a promise that they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up, as an ensign upon the Land. Zach. 9.16. As the stones of a Crown, God will lift them up and make them honourable. And there is another text which is very observable; for every one to take notice of God's intention to make these excellent ones famous on earth. The governor's of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength. Zach. 12.5. There was a time when the governor's of Judah despised those that were gracious and godly; but God hath promised that the governor's of Judah shall be convinced of their error, and shall say in their hearts the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God. However now through the calumnies of the world; however now through the reproaches that are cast upon the saints of God, it falls out many time, that even the governor's of Judah despise and contemn them, and say they are seduced people, that they are factious and turbulent, and so their hearts are against them, and hate, and abhor them, and look upon them with such an evil eye, as those that they name puritans: yet there is a time promised when the governor's of Judah shall say in their hearts the inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts. O ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, God's Church and people, his sanctified ones (for Jerusalem typified the estate of God's people under the Gospel; Gods sanctified one's under the Gospel) shall be such as the governor's of Judah in their hearts shall say, My strength is in them. I see they are my best subjects my chief strength is in them, and they are of principal use for me, and my kingdom is upheld in peace for them, and there is the blessing of God on them, they shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God. Now I see God is their God, God hears their prayers, and hath done much for them, we are convinced of it. O this will be a blessed time, when it shall be that the governor's of Judah shall say so. Blessed be God that they do say so in any measure, that the governors of Judah say at all of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, of the godly, that their strength is in them: that they may see those that are the excellent of the earth, in any measure to be truly the excellent of the earth. It were a rueful spectacle, and would draw tears of blood, to see the excellent ones to have that usage that they have had. But now to see those excellent ones countenanced in a public way, especially in public courts of Justice, it is glorious, when the governor's of Judah shall do it: and thus we are to pray for that it may be more and more. And to say no more, let us learn to honour them that God hath honoured: since they are excellent ones, and God hath put excellency upon them, do you so too, look on them according as God esteems them. It is observed, that God in the time of the law did not require them to offer in sacrifice, Lions and Eagles, those brave creatures; but Lambs and Doves, mean creatures, he would have offered in sacrifice. So God doth not regard the brave spirits of the world that strut it out, but if there be any that be gracious and godly though they be never so poor, and mean, as Lambs and Doves, God honours, and respects them, they are a sacrifice to him; the broken heart is a sacrifice to God. Therefore when God would lift up himself in glory, he saith, He that dwells in the high and lofty place. What of him? he looks to those that are of humble, and contrite hearts, As if there were no other object in the world worth looking upon, he looks only to them. As a thing that is before ones eye that he prizeth, his eye is fastened on that: so God looks on them as if they were the only object to be looked at; therefore let them be looked at by us with reverence in our hearts: it is fit that we should honour those that God honours. Therefore it is observed in the message of the king of Babylon to Hezekiah, 2 Chron. 32.31. When Hezekiah was sick, and God had given him a sign of his recovery that the sun did go backward: It was a wondrous honour that God put on him that the sun should go backward. The ambassadors of the king of Babylon came to congratulate with Hezekiah after his recovery: but what was the business? not only to congratulate with him for his recovery; but to inquire of the great miracle, so the text saith, the ambassadors of the prince of Babylon were sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land; Why did they inquire of this wonder? there were many wonders done, but they were not sent to inquire of others but of this. Because they worshipped the sun for their god and because their god had put such an honour upon Hezekiah; they perceived the altering of the sun that it went backward, and they enquired of the matter, concerning the alteration in the sun, and after enquiry there was news that it was for the sake of Hezekiah. Now because they worshipped, the Sun as their god, and so apprehended that their god had put such an honour upon Hezekiah, they honoured him too. Though Hezekiah were king of the Jews, and they were enemies one to another, Jerusalem, and Babylon, yet when God had honoured him, they sent to congratulate one another, than they put hohour and respect one upon another upon that occasion. That should teach us, if the heathens when they see their God put honour on any, they honour such as God honours, than when you see or hear that God honours gracious and godly men, and women do you so too; prise them, let them have high esteem in your hearts. You have heard this day what honour God puts upon his saints, therefore learn you to honour them. And much might be said, to draw the hearts of all people to the love of the people of God. Somewhat for the people of God; to walk as excellent ones, not to defile one another. And for others, if they would be those here in the world that be excellent and glorious; it is the outward things that you hang on you, clothes, and riches that make you excellent ones in the eye of God, but it is grace, and godliness, by faith the fathers obtained good report. Some think there is no way to get esteem but outward bravery, great live, fine clothes and the like, and men esteem that the way to be accounted eminent more than others. So there are many ministers that think to get esteem if they be honoured before great ones, and go brave. But you know by experience, that a faithful godly minister, that walks faithfully, and conscionably, he gets more esteem in the hearts and consciences not only of those that are godly, but of those that have enlightened consciences then a hundred of those; and they vex at it that they should do so; Why? they go a way to work to get more esteem, but they are deceived; they look at excellency where it is not. It is not such things, but in the work of grace, that prevails with the consciences of men. Boniface the martyr when he was asked the question, if he might have the sacrament, if he would drink it in a wooden chalice? saith he, the time was that there were wooden cups and golden priests, but now there are golden cups and wooden priests. There was a time in the primitive times, they were very mean, they were content with wooden vessels; but the men were gold in regard of grace, and godliness, and so they were highly esteemed; but now they have golden cups, that is a great deal of bravery and glory; but they have wooden priests, those that have no true excellency in them. The heart of the wicked is little worth. It may be his estate, his houses, his lands may be somewhat worth, but what is his heart worth? he hath nothing in himself to commend himself. But now the excellency of God's people is in that, it is in the soul and heart. It were an uncomfortable thing to any of you, if suppose you have a servant along with you where you go, and all the respect you have is for your servants sake; if any entertain you into their house, it is not out of respect to you, but respect to your man; they love your man, and for his sake they entertain you; this would deject your hearts if you should know that you have no respect for any good in yourselves, but for your servants sake. So the men of the world, they have respect, but what is it for? for their riches, for their honour, for their brave clothes, for their money; all servants under them, they have no respect for any thing in themselves, they have no spiritual excellency; especially when they are to deal with God, and the consciences of men they have no respect. But godly men have not so many servants to gain respect by outward things: but that respect they have of God's saints, and in the consciences of men they have it from an internal excellency. But we let this go. It follows the second point, The excellent of the earth. In whom is all my delight. It is but little that can be done I see, though it were the point I intended most. That that hath been said already makes way abundantly into the heart, that if they be the excellent of the earth, there is cause that we should delight in them. That is the point, that A gracious heart takes great delight in the saints on earth. First in their persons, Or else in their society, and communion with them. Or rather thus; they take delight in them, severally or jointly. If they look upon any one saint of God, they have delight in him, but they have more to look on all together jointly; so they can say their souls delight in them there is a sweet complacency take them jointly. And that is that which I shall speak to at this time, the delight that is to be taken in the saints, took jointly together. The delight in the saints in regard of the sweetness of their society and communion with them: for so this delight of David is to be taken in a large sense, not only in one particular, because of the good that he saw in their persons: but in regard of all the good he saw in them, and by them in joining with them take them altogether jointly. All the good that came from them, so he delighted in them. There is a great deal of delight and contentment to be had in the saints of God, especially jointly. If you look at one sometimes (though in never so mean a condition) there is a great deal of delight there. As Doctor Tayler the Martyr, that we read of in the book of Martyrs coming to Bradford, he professed that it countervailed all his trouble in prison, that he was acquainted with that Angel of God John Bradford meaning him in particular. And another that professed that he had rather be with Cato, (a heathen) for his moral excellencies, in prison then with Cesar in the Senate in all his pomp. To be shut up with one godly man is a great deal of delight and contentment what a great deal of delight is there then in their being together, and in that way wherein most of their excellencies appear? such delight is in them jointly. First, because the most comfortable communion that possible can be is enjoyed with them, and in them: for First, is it not a most delightful thing to see a company of godly people together to behold the resplendent beauty, and glory of the graces of God's spirit? If there were nothing else, what a delightful thing is it saith the heart? The very sight of good men it is pleasing and delightful, to those that look upon their faces, wisdom makes their faces shine. The seeing of the resplendent grace of God in them is very delightful. What is the delight of God, but the seeing of the shining of his glory in his works? especially when God sees that which is the shining of his highest glory, as his own grace and holiness, that God delights in most. So when a gracious heart sees his own image, and that grace that God hath wrought in him, he sees it resplendently in others, it is a delightful object. Again, there is a comfortable communion with them in regard of the fragrancy of grace. The beauty of grace is delightful, but the fragrancy, the breathe of grace, are sweet in the heart. The beholding of it is delightful to the eye, but the workings of their grace is exceeding sweet, and comfortable to the heart: Therefore saith the Church, Let my beloved go down into the gardens, among the beds of spices. Cant. 6.2. All the Churches of God in the world are as the garden of Christ; and every particular Church in that garden is as a bed of spices; and every particular saint is as the several parts of that bed especially the fragrant smell is very sweet. It is said of Alexander, his very body was of such a constitution, that where ever he went there was a sweet savour came from his body. Certainly, where there is but one of God's Children, there it sweetness from him; but where there is a company jointly, there is a wonderful unspeakaable sweetness comes from them; it is exceeding comfortable to a gracious hear. Again, their communion is comfortable and delightful jointly, in regard of the nearness, there being no communion under heaven wherein there is that nearness one to another, as of the saints. Observe, (that you may see how near they come together, and are made one, and so are exceeding delightful one to another) any thing the more spiritual they are, the more they are united; the more corporal they are, the less union. A heap of stones are not united, as the several beams of the sun, a thousand of them are united in one point, because they are of a spiritual nature. So it is with the spirits of men, the more carnal any men, and any society is, the less union: therefore the reason why the people of God many times are divided, and not united is, because they are carnal. Are ye not carnal, saith the Apostle, when there were divisions? were you spiritual you would be more united one to another. It is with spiritual society in regard of spiritual union, as it is with the society of wickedness. There is bodily, fleshly wickedness, and there is spiritual wickedness. Now those that joys together in gross, bodily wickedness, they are not so closely united as those that join in spiritual wickedness. A companion of drunkards or whoremongers, they take delight in one another, and join in wickedness, but it is corporal, therefore they soon fall out, and fly in the faces one of another: but those that join in spiritual wickedness as politic ambitious men men that join in mischief in a spiritual way, they keep mighty close, and you cannot break their bond of union; they will suffer much before they will discover one another, and break union one with another, because their union is in a way of spiritual wickedness. So on the contrary, when any are united in the spirit of holiness, they are mightily united, there is no such union under heaven is that. We read of the curtains of the Tabernacle, Exod. 26. there were some of them that were made of purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and their taches that held them together were pure gold. There were others of goat's hair, and their buckles were brass. So it may set our the different condition of men in the Church. There are some in the Church that are truly gracious and godly, that excel in grace, and they are united by tacks of gold, their union is mighty strong and glorious in their hearts. There are others in the Church, outward professors that are carnal, that are goats hair goats in the Church; and they maintain a union too, but it is but brass, the ground and bottom of the union is but mean, it is not such a golden union, as the union of the hearts of God's people; there are no people under heaven so united as they. It is true, through their corruption there is a great deal of dissension (as there is corruption in the best) but that is as fare as they are carnal; the more spiritual they grow, the more near is their union one to another, and the more entire is their love, My beloved is one, saith Christ to his Church, and the daughters saw her and blessed her. There is an oneness, and entireness in the hearts of the saints, and this makes them to be blessed by those that behold them, and makes their communion very delightful: That is the first particular, their communion is most delightful of all other communions: therefore David saith, all my delight is in them, taking them together. But then in the second place, a gracious heart must needs delight in the saints, if you take them jointly; because that when they are together, there God is worshipped: the solemnest worship that God hath is from the faints joined together. As I told you before that the glory that God had in the world was from them all: but the solemnity of God's worship cannot be but from them jointly together. Therefore the great delight of a gracious heart is to be with the saints when they are jointly together: because there the name of God is honoured, and they worship God in a solemn way; God is honoured among them. Christ himself much delights in the Saints when they are joined together in in the duties of holy worship, do but compare two texts of Scripture, that will both make us in love with the saints, and delight in joint communion with them▪ Compare Psalm, 22.22. with Heb. 2.12. The Psalm is a prophecy of Christ; and generally all interpreters go this way, that it is so, it appears by the Psalm that Christ especially is meant: the text saith I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. It is the promise of Christ to declare the name of his father to his Church and people, and in the midst of the congregation he shall praise God. Mark it, in Heb. 2.12. the Apostle applies it to the saints joined together, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the Church, will I sing praise unto thee. This was after Christ had been in the flesh, yet the Apostle applies this to the Church, in the midst of the Church, will I sing praise unto thee. This they gather hence, that Christ he delights in being with his people when they are jointly together, because of the solemn worship of God, that is tendered to God by them, and he joins with them in it as a delightful work: as they are together to praise God, Christ is praising him; as they worship, Christ is worshipping. Now every saint of God hath the spirit of Christ in him, and so he delights in the society of the saints on this ground, because there is worshipping of God, and God is praised solemnly among them. If there be any in the world, wherein God hath solemn worship, it cannot but grieve a gracious heart, that he is not with them, his heart is with them, he delights to be with them, especially in such a work as that, it grieves him that he cannot be there. It is a note of an Interpreter that I have met with upon Isaiah 6. where the Angles cry Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Hosts, the Prophet cries, Woe unto me for I am undone, etc. saith he, upon this ground, because he could not join with those blessed creatures, and so magnify, and praise, and worship God; that he through his sinfulness was not able to join with them, he cries, Woe is me, I am undone. So when any gracious heart doth but hear, that there is a people in the world that are precious ones, the excellent on earth, that join in the worship of God, and honour God in his own way, and enjoy communion with God, and I cannot join with them, woe to me that there should be any let or hindrance that I cannot come and join with them: for my heart is there, my delight is in the saints when they are jointly together: because God's solemn worship is there. But thirdly, my delight is in the saints jointly, in regard of the wonderful delight God hath in them. A gracious heart must needs delight in them, because God himself takes so much delight in them: but especially when they are jointly together. There are special expressions in Scripture of Gods taking delight in the sains jointly, as in Zephany, Zeph. 3.17. the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty: he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy: he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. What expressions are here of Gods delighting in his people! The Lord thy God will rejoice, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will love, he will rest in his love, and joy, and joy over thee with singing. And in Isaiah, you shall find that the Church is called Hephzebah, God's delight: it is a wondrous delight that God hath in his saints. There are wonderful expressions in Scripture for the manifesting of God's delight, even to admiration, especially in the Church jointly together. They are such expressions as we could not think or invent: as namely, that he calls his people his portion, his pleasant portion, Deut. 32.9. God calls them his inheritance, the lot of his inheritance: Jer. 12.7. he calls them the dearly beloved of his soul; Exod. 19.5. he calls them his peculiar treasure: God hath treasures in the world; the creatures that are called the good treasures of the Lord: Deut. 28. but this people are called his peculiar treasure, there is a particularity: There is another kind of excellency in the people of God's delight, then in all other creatures; they are his common treasure, but his people are his peculiar treasure. God calls them his glory, The house of his glory, Isa. 46.13. The crown of his glory, Isa. 60.7. he calls them the Throne of his glory, Isa. 62.3. in several places that I cannot stand on. His glory, the House of his glory, the Crown of his glory, the Throne of his glory. He calls them the royal Diadem, he calls them his ornament, an ornament set in Majesty and glory. There are these expressions, and more I might name of Gods delighting in his people. Therefore if God delight in them and find satisfaction, much more ' should we. Christ speaks of his Church, O my sister, my spouse, my heart is ravished with thee. It is a strange expression, for Christ himself to be ravished with his people. It is an expression beseeming the Church, to have said so to Christ, but for Christ to say so to the Church, it is wonderful. And again, My love, my dove, my undefiled one, Cant. 2. and at that very time when the Church was in a state of security, that Christ should call her his love, his dove, his undefiled; all to express the abundance of delight in his people. Well, if God have such delight in them, much more should the saints. Again, if we consider further, the presence of God among his people, it is another argument why the saints of God should take so much delight in other saints, especially when they are joined together, because God is present there. The Lord is here, is the name of all their assemblies, The Lord dwells, and hath his tabernacle in Zion. It is a strange expression concerning the presence of God, in that he makes his people his habitation. As the people of God call God their habitation: so God calls his Church his habitation. God dwells in Zion. Ps. 90. Would you not delight to keep house with God? Where God's people are, God keeps house; and we should long to have it our own house, and not come as strangers. A man may come as a stranger, and take a bit, and be refreshed in a family; but it is not his house. But now God's people when they go tootthers of the saints they see God there, and they have that house for their house. It is called (as I told you) the house of his glory; that house that God desires to dwell in; he hath a mighty love to that house, to dwell among his people. In Psal. 132. there are many great and excellent expressions. For the Lord hath chosen Zion, he hath desired it for his habitation, Psal. 132.13, 14. God desires Zion; what is Zion, but only his saints and people joined together? Zion was a type of the Church: so now all the saints of God together are Zion. Now God hath a desire to this habitation. God dwells in the high and holy place, the highest heaven is God's habitation; but though God have such a house in heaven, yet he is not (as it were) contented with that house, but he desires another house; he hath a desire to Zion to be his habitation, and the house where his honour dwelleth. You know a Prince may have some houses of meaner regard, when he goes to his sport, he may have a mean house to lodge in for a while: but his palace where he shows his Majesty, and honour, that is more glorious. So the people of God, and the Church, is called the house of God's honour, it is not a mean house, but a house of honour. Further, it is that house that he means to dwell in for ever, he loves it so well. This is my house, I will dwell in it for ever. I am so well pleased with it, I will rest in it for ever. Surely, we have cause to rest our hearts in God's people, when God finds rest there, and for ever. It may be some of you are sometimes acquainted with the people of God, and at the first delight in them: but your hearts being carnal you soon grow weary of them. It is not so with God, he delights in his people, and rests there, and rests there for ever, But you will say, how is God present with his saints more than in other places; why is God said to dwell among his people, his Saints? I answer, in two regards God is said to dwell among his people in a special manner. First, because he makes himself known to his people, more than to all the world besides. There are none that know the counsel and mind of God, so as his saints do. God is known in Judah. Psalm. 29.9. There God opens himself, In his Temple every man speaks of his glory. Secondly, because God communicates himself most among his people. God is said to be in heaven. Why? but because there he manifests his glory more than in other places; therefore heaven is his habitation. If that be his habitation where he manifests himself more, than his people are his habitation, because he manifests himself most there. Secondly, heaven is the place of God's residence▪ because he communicates himself most there: then also God's people are his residence, he communicates himself there. And he communicates himself to them in a special manner in four regards. 1. He communicates more choice mercies. 2. He communicates mercies more fully. 3, He communicates mercies more powerfully. 4. More universally, then to others. 1. He communicates goodness among his people and saints more choicely, more choice mercies of God. There is a remarkable place in the Psalms, The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion. Psal. 143. ult. He saith not the Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee, either out of heaven or earth, but out of Zion, as noting that the choice mercies that God hath to communicate are out of Zion; among his people joined together in the way of worship. Would you desire that God should bless you with the chief mercies that he hath? look upon God as blessing out of Zion; out of Zion God communicates his choicest mercies: therefore it concerns all to be in Zion, that they may have God to bless them out of Zion; there runs the sweetest of God's mercies indeed in Zion. Again, God communicates his mercies more fully among his people then any other way. Psalm. 36.7, 8. How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures. They shall be abundantly satisfied; how? not with the creatures, but with the fatness of thy house. Neither with thy communication to them alone. God hath abundance of mercies for his saints alone: but when they are among the saints jointly together, than they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of his house, and he shall make them drink of his rivers of pleasures. While they are alone in corners, they may have many sweet drops of pleasure from God, but when they are joined with the saints, there are rivers of pleasure, and delight that come to their hearts: therefore there is great delight to be had in the saints of God when they are joined together. Thirdly, he communicates them more powerfully, mark, in Psalm. 13●. 3. As the dew that descended upon the mountain of Zion; for there the Lord commanded a blessing, even life for evermore. There was blessing, and the Lord commanded it▪ there went a powerful work of God's grace upon the hearts of people there▪ when they were joined together in Zion: there God commanded the blessing. If you would have God speaking powerfully to command a blessing on your souls you must be among his people, you must join in a holy fellowship with his people; there God commands it. In the last place, more universally all the goodness of God is communicated among his people, therefore the Church is called the perfection of beauty; Psalm. 50. that some translate, the universality of excellency and beauty. There is a universality of all among the Church and people of God. And in another place, All my springs are in thee. Psa. 87. speaking of joining with the people of God, that is, all my springs of truth that are revealed to me; all the springs of comfort that I have communicated to my soul, all the springs of grace that I have, to quicken me, they are all in thee in the joint society and communion with God's people, I find all. Thus we see the presence of God among his people in regard of the communication of himself to them, and therefore what a great deal of cause there is to joy, and delight in the saints jointly together. Again further, there is abundance of cause to delight in them joined together, in regard of their admirable privileges as they are joined together. They have privileges as they are alone, but as they are joined they have committed to them the oracles of God, Rom. 3.2. all the ordinances by which God conveys himself. To them are committed the seal of the covenant, you cannot singly have the seal of the covenant, but joined with the people of God, closing with them. To them is committed the very power of Jesus Christ: saith the Apostle, When ye are together with the power of Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. 5.4. a glorious privilege. Yea, further, take this one thing they are inheritors to all the promises that ever God made to the Church from the beginning of the world. There is no society of saints that join in Christian fellowship, but they are so. See a remarkable place for that in Isa. 54.17. No weapon that is form against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn: this is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord. That promise that God made to the Churches before, this is their heritage. And conceive of this one now that is of great use, that all that is said in Scripture concerning God's delight to be among his people, and in Zion, all were but to type out the excellent condition of God's Church in the times of the Gospel. The most of the expressions are of God's delight among his people in the time of he law: but know that all those expressions were but mere types, and there is a great deal more in the Antitype there in the type: therefore the saints of God joined under the Gospel have abundance more of the glory of God, of the presence of God, and of privileges, than Zion had, or Jerusalem could have; because that was but a type of their happy condition under the time of the Gospel. It is an observable place that we have in the Hebrews, it is said concerning the state of the Church, that the law had but a shadow of good things to come. Heb. 10.1 and not the very image of the things. It was not so much as an image: observe, a shadow is not so much as an image; but an image is not so much as the thing itself: but that was not an image, but a shadow. As a Painter that takes an image, he draws first the dark shadow with a coal, there is a great deal of difference between that shadow, and the image in beauty: so much difference there is between all the glory of God in the Church in the time of the law, and that glory of God that is among his people in the time of the Gospel. We may safely say, there is the like difference between Gods manifesting of himself to his people then, and now; as between a dark shadow drawn with a coal in comparison of an image. But mark, it was but a shadow of the image; that which we have now is but an image. As there is not so much in a shadow as in the image, so there is not so much in the image as in the thing itself. The presence of God and all his goodness to his people, and his glory to his people now, it is but an image to that which shall be; there shall be another presence of God, another communication, and revelation of God hereafter, in another kind then there is now; all that we have now is but an image of that which shall be; all that was in the law was but a shadow of that image: therefore we should have a great deal of delight in the saints. Much might be said further, for delighting in them now, because they are those that we shall live for ever with in heaven. Look to the saints especially together, they are those that we shall live eternally together with in heaven, therefore they are those that we should deligh in. They are those that we shall be joined with for ever in everlasting hallelujahs, before him that sits upon the throne, and the Lamb. Look upon any saint, though he be never so mean in gifts and abilities, thou and he shall always joy in the presence of God in glory. Yea to be among God's people is heaven itself; they are not only those that we shall be with in heaven, but it is heaven. Behold, saith the Lord, I create a new heaven and a new earth. Isa. 65.17. The state of the Church is called heaven, For what is there in heaven but is here? I might show the resemblance of heaven, and that which that is in heaven is here among us, and therefore if heaven be a place to be delighted in, the saints are. Therefore have a high esteem of the saints, close with them, and come into as near communion as is possible. If they be so excellent, and to be delighted in then especially when they are joined together labour all to come in, and join with the saints in the nearest union that is possible, in that fellowship wherein you may (as near as can be) have fellowship only with them, especially that have the appearance of such. The mixture of our communion doth much hinder our delight. Cast dirt into the fire, and it will damp it: so the mixture of ungodly ones, their spots and blemishes hinder the delight of God's people one in another. But now to come among those that your hearts may close with, that you have comfortable evidence, that they are not mere talkers of religion and professors at large, but that the image of God is on them, O what closing is there with their hearts, and what admirable good might we enjoy in the communion and society of them. Therefore know that it is one of the greatest blessings that you are capable of in this world to have the nearest communion with the saints next to your immediate communion with God himself, it is that which you should so esteem; and your hearts should work after. Mark that text Psalm 36. what is said dour joining with the people of God, how excellent is thy loving kindness, wherein appears the excellency? They shall be satisfied with the fatness of thy house. It is a fruit of the excellency of the loving kindness of God for people to be of God's house, and to partake of the fatness of it. To have abundance of God's creatures, and to have an estate, and friends, it is a fruit of God's kindness, but to join with God's people in a way of worship and in the nearest union it is a fruit of the excellent loving kindness of God to admiration. How excellent is thy loving kindness? it was so excellent that he was not able to express the excellency of it. It is made in Scripture to be the proper inheritance even of the elect of God; to enjoy communion with the people of God, in the type, it is a fruit of the very inheritance of the elect of God; so as it is opposed to all the vanities of the world. Mark what God saith by Isaiah, Vanity shall take them away, but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain. Now the mountain of God was but a type of God's Church under the Gospel, and what God intended to do to the Church. Now saith he, vanity shall take them away, they seek vain things, and they must have estates, and houses and trading, and they will suffer nothing for the enjoying of such privileges: but for those that be my own people, they shall be in my holy mountain. So in divers places the holy mountain of God is called the inheritance of the saints; as the proper enjoying of it is the benefit of them; those that enjoy it are the right heirs of God. That was a special part of wisdom of the wise merchant, when he had found the pearl, to go and buy the field, he was not content with the pearl, but he buys the field: now the field is the communion of saints, the Church of God: the saints joined content themselves merely with the knowing of Christ, and hope you have part in Christ, but buy the field, and labour to enjoy Christ with his people. Think it not enough to go up and down, and now and then get a good sermon, and snatch in one place, and in another: but you dishonour God, and are unthankful to the grace of God, if you do not what you can to join with the saints of God in the nearest communion you can: so that you may not only come to be partakers of the gifts of men; but to look on men as the officers of God set over by Christ to watch over your souls. This was the intent of Christ when he ascended, he gave gifts, some Prophets, some Apostles, some teachers. The gifts of Christ in his Church to show his magnificence to appoint ordinances to build up the body that there might be relation between people and pastor. So you are bound to look, not only to hear now and then, but to join with the saints in a way of ordinances in the strictest communion, that the worship of God may be set in a solemn way according to all his ordinances; that you may look on men as pastors set over you by Christ to watch over your souls; and herein the body of Christ must be built up. The exercise of gifts this way or that way, though they be useful to do good, it is not the special ordinance; the benefit that chief you have is to receive good by men deputed as officers, and appointed by Christ though they be men of meaner gifts, than you may expect to be built up. Therefore let it be your care to come to the people of God in the nearest relation that may be. It is an expression of Calvin concerning that text seek my face, Psalm. 27. he interprets seeking of God's face to seek God among his people in his ordinances, there is God's face, saith he, though there were no way for me to get my living but by scratching in the ground with my nails, I would seek to get my living that way, rather than not be where the face of God is; I would be among the people of God in the way of worship, in the way of his ordinances. Therefore plead not, it is difficult, and hard. You must be willing to suffer for this: the people of God formerly were willing to suffer. It is observable concerning those godly people among the Jews, when the ten Tribes were divided from the rest: there were many of the godly whose hearts the Lord stirred, and they would not be content to be at Samaria, or where J●reboams false worship of the Calves was set up but they would needs go to Jerusalem, they would obey there, though they suffered much before they came thither. You shall find an expression in Hosea, that shows, that there was watching of those that did go to Jerusalem to entrap them, and catch them, and inflict punishments upon them. Hear ye this O Priests and hearken ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the King; for judgement is toward you, because ye have been a snare in Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor. Hos. 5.1. Mizpah and Tabor were two places, between the places of Idolatry and Jerusalem, that as they went from Samaria, they were fain to go that way, now they were a snare on Mizpah, that is, they watched who did go from Samaria to worship at Jerusalem; yet many went as the story saith, though it were as much as their lives was worth, yet they would go the way to Zion through the valley of tears; and they were contented though they suffered much to go through the valley of Bacah that they might come at length to Zion. There were many difficulties in the way, and many objections against them: but certainly those whose hearts the Lord hath touched, they will not be quiet, if there be any nearer union to be enjoyed in the world with the saints they will never rest till they come to it. And God will make the way plain to those that have upright hearts, he will take the stumbling blocks out of their way and show them the way that meets God in uprightness. And though there be many stumbling blocks, yet God will be at the same time in the way, and will take the stumbling blocks out of the way. Psalm. 84. Blessed is he (saith the Psalmist) in whose heart are thy ways. If there be any man or woman, though they have not gotten to God's people in the nearest communion, yet if the way to Zion be in their hearts, blessed are they. And there is a promise too of strength for them; though you find difficulties, God will grant his strength, as Moses saith, that God in his strength would lead them to his holy habitation. Exod. 15.13. Indeed it requires the strength of God to lead men to his holy habitation, there are so many troubles that lie in their way. There is a prophecy that men should bring to Zion men and women, in Chariots, and Litters. Now Litters are instruments to convey weak ones in; so that there is no excuse for those that are old and weak; what shall we do? Where God stirs the heart, though they be carried in Litters, though they be never so weak if it be possible, they will go thorough. That which we delight in we are never quiet till we enjoy it; and every one of God's people can say, those that are excellent in earth are all my delight. I find sweetness, when I find but one or two of them; O if there were more of them, what delight should I have! To conclude, if there be so much delight in the saints, in this world, what will there be in the saints in heaven! If it be worth the greatest labour and pains to join with them here, what will it be worth to have everlasting communion with them! For than we shall not only have communion with a few, but with all the Patriarches, Prophets and Apostles and Martyrs, and all the worthies of God. If there be delight in one; what will there be when there shall be all, and we shall delight in all, when they shall be spotless! Now it damps our joy the weakness that we see in the saints that are sincere; we see many froward passions in them, many passionate fits that makes their communion uncomfortable many times: but then there shall be no more sullenness, or passion, there shall be no more indiscretion or weoknesse as there is now. Now to come to join with any, if there be a little grace to sanctify them, there is abundance of weakness: but then we shall come to have communion with saints that shall be all filled with God; there shall be nothing but God in them. Men now have excellent gifts, but their corruptions so darken the communion, that it is not delightful. But then all shall be in holiness, there shall be nothing but God in them. And they shall be always exercised in praising God: it is comfortable to be with the saints in civil affairs, in eating and drinking, but it is more delightful to pray, and to have the Sacrament, and to confer graciously with them: But then hereafter we shall be in heaven with them, and shall never do any thing but always worship, and praise God night and day together. One day with God's people what is it worth? when it is graciously spent in holy exercises, how delightful is it, if it were not for the weariness of the flesh: but then we shall never departed, nor never be weary. Now when we come to God's people, to be with them an hour, or a day or two, it is delightful, but this doth not last long: but we shall be so with them then as never to part how delightful will that be? And all this in our father's house, in the presence of God, where there shall be no enemy to hurt us, and before our father's children and friends delight in one another in a strange place: but in their father's house, in the presence of their father they have more delight, we shall then all come before God our father. To be the children of God in a dungeon, as the Saints and Martyrs, they found it delightful: but then we shall be ever in the palace of our Father, before the King even in his Majesty and glory. It were worth our labour to get heaven, if it were but for this, to be with Paul that gracious spirit: if it were but to be with one or two of the worthies of God; but then we shall come to heaven to all the Saints, Saith Sizillanum, speaking of death, O famous day, I shall be delivered from this world, to Cato, and to such wise men, my soul shall go to them, and shall converse no more with these people in the world, a heathen had so much in his moral virtues. But now the children 〈…〉 of God how comfortable may they die, how famous a day will it be to them? Here through God's mercy I had much sweetness in the saints of God, I delighted in them in the world, now I go to change my place but not my company, it was the dying speech of Doctor Preston, I go where I shall converse with those that I lived with here. He meant especially, God and Christ. We change our place and our individual company for a while, but we go to a place where we shall meet with them again. As it is a commendation of the Church, we are come to an innumerable number of the souls of saints made perfect, etc. It shall be fulfiled in heaven, we are to go to an innumerable company of angels, & to all the souls of the excellent on earth, that are made perfect. Therefore, as ever you would have communion with them hereafter, delight yourselves in their communion here, the more comfortable delight you have in them here, the more comfortable assurance you shall have of communion with them hereafter. FINIS.