SERMON I.

THere are two things may com­prehend all Religion, the know­ledge of God and of our selves: these are the principles of Reli­gion, and are so nearly con­joyned together, that the one cannot be truely without the other, much lesse savingly; It is no wonder that Moses crave attention, and to the end he may attain it from an hard hearted deaf People, that he turns to the Heavens and to the Earth, as it were to make them the more inexcuseable. The matter of his Song is both divine and neces­sary, throughout it all he insists upon these two, to discover what they were to themselves, and what God was to them; he paralels their way with his way, that they finding the infinite di­stance, might have other thoughts of themselves and of him both. It is a Song it is true, but a sad Song: The people of Gods mourning should be of this nature, mixed, not pure sor­row. [Page 2] Its hard to determine, whither there be more matter of Consolation or Lamentation, when such a comparison is made to the life: when God's goodness and our evils are set be­fore our eyes, which may most work the heart to such affections. Nay, I think it is possible they may both contribute to both these. Is there any more abasing and humbling principle then Love? How shall the sinner loath it self in his glorious presence? will not so much kind­nesse and mercy so often repeated, as oft as it is mentioned, wound the heart in which there is any tendernesse? And again, when a soul be­holds its own ingratitude and evil requital of the Lords kindness, how vile and how perverse it is, how must it loath it self in dust and ashes? yet is not all ground of hope removed, such a sad fight may make mixed affections: if we be so per­verse and evil, then he is infinitely good, and his mercy and goodnesse is above our evils; if we have dealt so with him, yet is he the Rock that changes not, he is a God of Truth and will not fail in his Promise. Nay, though it be sad to be so evil, void of all goodness, yet may the soul blesse him for evermore, that hath chosen this way to glorifie his Name, to build up his praise upon our ruine; May not a soul thus glory in sad infirmities, because his strength is perfected i [...] them and made manifest? May not a sou [...] choose emptinesse in it self, that it may be behold en to his Fulnesse? How refreshing a view might the sadest look on our misery and emptiness be, if we did behold his purpose of manifest­ing his Glory in it? Ye see here a comparis [...] instituted between two very unequal partie [...] [Page 3] God and Man, there is no likenesse, let be equality in it, yet there is almost an equality in unliknesse. The one is infinitely good and perfect; well, what shall we compare to him, who is like thee O God among the gods? Angels goodnesse, their perfection and innocency, hath not such a name and appearance in his sight; so then, there can be no comparison made this way, let no flesh glory in his sight in any thing, but, let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord, for in the sight of the glo­rious Lord, all things do disappear and evanish. But surely nothing, though most perfect, can once come within termes of reckoning beside him for any worth: Moses sees nothing to set beside God, that will appear in its own great­nesse and native colours, but the Creatures evil and sin, and if this be not infinite absolutely, or equal to his goodnesse, yet it comes nearest the borders of infinitenesse: so then, is God most perfect? is he infinite in Goodness, in Truth, in Righteousnesse, &c? And so infinite, that before him nothing appeares good? none good save one, that is God. Yet we may find another infinite, and it is in evil sinful man; and these two contraries set beside other, do much illu­strate each other. Its true that his Grace super-abounds, and his goodnesse is more then the crea­tures sinfulness; yet I say you shall not find any thing that cometh nearer the infinitnesse and de­grees of his goodnesse, then the sinfulness of men; How much the more glorious he appeares, so much the more vile and base doth it appear.

If ye did indeed ponder and weigh these two Verses in the ballance of the Sanctuary, would not your heart secretly ask this question within [Page 4] you, do I thus require the Lord, O foolish and unwise? yea, would ye not account your selves mad to forsake the fountain of living waters and dig broken cisternes to your selves. O! of how great moment were this to humble your souls to day? This day ye are called to mourning and affli­cting your souls. Now I know not a more su­table exercise for a day of humiliation, or a prin­ciple that may more humble and abase your souls, then the serious and deep consideration of these two, what God is, and hath been to us, and what we are and have proved to him; what hath made so many formal humiliations that have provoked him to anger? certainly we do not ei­ther seriously think on any of these, or if on one of them, yet not on both; the most part of you know no more in such a day, but a name and ceremony of a little abstinence. Is this to sancti­fie a day to the Lord? when ye do not so much as the people, who bowed down rheir head for a day and spread sackloth under them. I wonder how ye think to pacifie his Wrath, and are not rather afraid of adding fewel and oyl to the flame of his indignation. Ye come here and sit as in former times, and what do ye more either here or at home? There is no soul-affliction, no not for a day; the most part of you are no more affected with your sins and his judgements, then if none of these things were. Now I pray you, what shall the Lord say to us, when he speaks to the Jews in such termes Isai. 58. 5. Is it such a fast that I have chosen, a man for a day to afflict his soul? And do ye so much as afflict it for a day, or at all? Is this then the Fast tha [...] he will chose, to abstain from your breakfast i [...] [Page 5] the morning, and at night to compense the want of it and no more? Is this an acceptable day to the Lord? the Lord upbraides the Jews, will thou call this a fast? and what reason have we to ask you, is it possible ye think ye do indeed fast to the Lord? I cannot think that the most part of you dare say, that ever ye fasted or afflicted your souls.

Always here is the way, if we consider it, to spend a day acceptably to the Lord, enter in a serious consideration of his Majesty, and your selves; study on these two, till ye find your hearts bear the stamp of them, enlarge your hearts in the thoughts of them; both are infinite, his good­nesse and power and mercy, and your sin and misery, no end of them; what ever ye find good in God, write up answerably to it, so much evil and sin in your selves and the land: and what evil ye find in your selves and the land, write up so much goodnesse and mercy in his account. All the names of his praise would be so many grounds of your confusion in your selves, and would imprint so many notes of reproach and disgrace upon the Creature, found so contrary to Him. This is even the exercise God calls us to this day, to consider his wayes to us, and our wayes to him, how he hath walked, and how we have walked; because ye lose the sight of these two, he sends affliction, because in our prosperi­ty and peace we forget God, and so our selves; as ye find this people did, when ihey waxed fat they kicked against him, and forgat that he was their rock; we are so much taken up with our own ease and peace, that we do not observe him in his deal­ings; therefore doth the Lord trouble our Peace, [Page 6] removes these things we are taken up with, makes a publick proclamation of affliction, and blessed be his Name whose end is gracious, he means this, it is the proclamation of all his Judg­ments, turn your eyes off your present ease here, consider what I am, and what your selves are. No Nation so soon buries the memory of his Mercies, O how soon are they drowned in ob­livion, and we forget our own provocations, as suddenly, therefore must he write our iniqui­ties upon a rod, that we may read them in great Letters, and he writes his former goodness in the change of his Dispensations, when his way to us changes, that we may know what is past. This is the great design that God hath in the World, to declare himself and his own Name, that it may be wondered and admired at by men, and this cannot be but by our ruine, a basing us in the dust; He therefore uses to stain the pride of all glory, that his alone may appear without spot. This is then the great controversie of God with men and nations in all generations, they will not see him alone exalted, and will not bow before him, and see their own vilenesse. Why doth he overturn Kingdomes and Thrones? why doth he shake Nationes so often? here it is, Gods controversie will never cease, till all men acknowledge him in his highnesse and holinesse, as the sole Fountain of all Life, and find them­selves vile, lesse then nothing, nay worse then nothing and emptinesse. If ye would then have God at peace with the land and your selves; here is the compendious way, set him up a Throne of eminency in your hearts, and put your selves in the dust, take with your own guiltiness [Page 7] and naughtinesse, and impossibility to help your selves, in your selves; hold these two still in your eyes, that he may be alone exalted.

Look how unequal a match, Ver. 4. 5. He is the Rock, a Rock indeed, if we speak of strength, lo, he is strong; if of stability, he is the Lord and changes not, the ancient of dayes. Hath not thou heard and considered this, that the Almighty faints not, and wearies not. He holds forth himself in such a name to his people, a ready, all-suffi­cient, perpetual and enduring refuge to all that trust in him, and flie unto him as a Rock high­er then they; and this is the foundation that the Church is builded on, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail. Gods Omnipotency for de­fence, his eternity, faithfulnesse and unchange­ablenesse to make that sure, his mercy and good­nesse makes a hole in that Rock to enter in, a rea­dy accesse for poor shipwrakt and broken men, who have no other refuge. This is our Rock on which the Church is builded, Jesus Christ, I Cor. 10. 4. Matth. 16. 18. God were inaccessible in himself, an impregnable Rock; how would sin­ners overcome him, and enter into him, to be saved from Wrath? Nay, but Jesus Christ hath made a plain way and path, out of the waves of sin and misery, into this Rock higher then we; and so the poor soul that is lost in its own eyes, and sees no refuge, is forced to quite the broken ship of created confidence, for fear of perishing; how doth it find a door in this Rock to enter? and there is water to drink of, a fountain of living waters comes out of it, and that is Christ.

Now all these Names of his praise rub so ma­ny marks of shame on his people; O how sad is [Page 8] the secret reproof and expostulation contained in this commendation of God, he hath been a Rock to us, our refuge that we fled unto, and found sure; for as in our straits, we mounted upon his power and were supported, when the floods lifted up their waves, yet have we left our Rock, gone out from our strength; He offers himself a Rock unto us, his fulness and all sufficiency for us, and yet we leave the fountain of living wa­ters and digs broken Cisterns, had rather choose our own broken ship to toss up and down into. He abides for ever the same; though we change, he changes not. How may it reprove our back-slidings, that we depart from our Rock, and where shall we find a refuge in the day of indig­nation? Is there any created mountain but some floods of the time will cover; therefore it is fol­ly and madness to forsake this Rock that is still above the floods, be is mightier then the noise of many waters. It may reprove our unbelief, we change our Faith according to his Dispensati­on, our Faith ebbs and flows as the Tide of his Providence, and thus we are as sticks fleet­ing in the water, tossed up and down; but would ye be established as Mount Sion? would ye be unmoveable in the midst of great waters, that they shall not come near unto you? then by all means get upon this Rock, that abides unmov­ed in the midst of the waves, though they should beat on it, and the wind blow, yet it is proof of all tempest; all things might be driven up and down about you with the Lords dispensation, but ye should abide the same, and might look round about you on the troubled sea of mens minds, of lands and estates. If you come here, [Page 9] ye may make ship-wrack, but ye shall not drown, though ye loss the creatures comfort and defence, yet ye are on your Rock, which is esta­blished before the rocks and mountains: you may be sure of salvation, he that made the rocks and winds and seas, is your Rock.

His VVork is perfect] As he doth not trouble himself when all is troubled about him; so he keeps him also in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him, so also what he doth among men, though it cannot pass without mans censure, yet it is in it self perfect, compleat, without spot or defect. What is the subject of all mens questions, doubts, complaints, censures, expostulations and such like, of which the World is full? Its some one Work of God or other; there is no Work of his Providence, but some man finds a fault in it, and would be at the mending of it. ne (que) Deus cum pluit, omnibus placet, if he give rain he displeases many, if he withhold it again, we are as little pleased. The reason of all this miscon­struction is, we look on his Work by parcels, and takes it not whole and intire, so it is perfect and cannot be made better. His VVorks are per­fect in relation to the beginning and original of them, his own everlasting purpose; men often bring forth works by guesse, by their purpose, so no wonder it answer not their desire; but known to him are all his works from the beginning, and so he doth nothing in time, but what was his ever­lasting pleasure; often we purpose well, and re­solve perfectly, but our practice is a criple, ex­ecution of it is maimed and imperfect; but all his Works are carved out, and done just as he designed them, without the least alteration; and [Page 10] if it had not been well, would he have thought on it so, and resolved it before hand? His Works are perfect in relation to the end to which he appointed them. It may be it is not perfect in it self, a blind eye is not so perfect as a seing eye, nay, but in relation to the glory of his Name, who hath a purpose to declare his pow­er by restoring that sight, it is as perfect. And in this sense, all the imperfection of the Crea­tures and Creation, all of them are perfect Works, for they accomplish the end wherefore they were sent; and so the night declares his Name and utters a speech as well as the day, the winter as the summer, the wilderness as the fruitful field, for what is the perfection of the Creature, but in as far as it accomplishes his purpose and end, as the maker of it serves him­self with it, and therefore all his Work is per­fect, for it is all framed in Wisdome, to his own ends, in number, measure and weight; it is so exactly agreeing to that, that you could not imagine it better. Again, his Work is perfect, if we take it all together, and do not cut it in parcels, and look on it so. Is there any work­manship beautiful, if ye look upon it in the do­ing, while the Timber lies in one part, and the Stones in another? is that a perfect building when ye see one arm here, another there, & a leg scattered beside them? hath that image any com­liness? certainly no; but look upon these un­ited, and then they are perfect; Letters and syl­lables make no sense, till ye conjoyn them in words, and words in sentences. Even so is it here, if ye look on the day alone; the light of it being perpetual would weary us, the night [Page 11] alone would be more so; but the interchange of them is pleasant, day and night together make a distinct language of Gods praise; So God hath set prosperity and adversity the one over a­gainst the other, one of them it may be, seems im­perfect, nay, but it is a perfect Work that is made up of both; Spots in the face commend the beauty of the rest of it.

If ye would then look upon Gods Work a­right, look one it in the Sanctuaries Light, and ye shall say, He hath done all well. Joyn the end with the beginning, and behold, they agree very well; Many things among us seem out of order, many things uncompleat; The re­formation of England, how great obstruction was in the way of it? Is that now a perfect work? Yes certainly; for if we knew his end and purpose, it is very well, and could not be bettered by the Art of all men; His thoughts are far above our thoughts. The prosperous and un­interrupted successe of that party in England, is it a perfect work? yes certainly, for if ye could behold their end ye would say so, they are set in slippery places, their foot shall slide in due time.

Entertain in this thought in your heart, that he hath done all well, let not your secret thoughts so much as call them in question, if once ye question, ye will quickly censure them; hold this perswasion, that nothing can be better then what he doth, nothing can be added and no­thing diminished from them, he doth all in number, weight and measure, its so exactly cor­respondent to his purpose and designe, as if [Page 12] it were weighed out and measured out for that end.

Let this secretly reprove your hearts, the per­fection of his Works stains our works, O how imperfect are they? And which is worse, how impudent and bold are we to censure his, and absolve our own? If he have a hand in our work, yet these imperfect works, are perfect in regard of him, as we have a hand in his per­fect Works, yet his perfect Works are imper­fect in regard of us.

SERMON II.

THere are none can behold their own vilenesse, as it is, but in the sight of Gods glorious holinesse: Sin is darknesse, and neither sees it self, nor any thing else, therefore must his light shine to discover this darknesse. If we abide within our selves, and men like our selves, we cannot wisely judge our selves; our dim sparkle will not make all the imperfections and spots appear; but if men would come forth in the presence of his Majesty, who turns darkness into light, and before whom hell is naked, O how base and vile [Page 13] would they appear in their own eyes? Is it any wonder that the multitude of you see not your selves, when holy Esay and Job, had this lesson to learn? Esay gets a discovery of his own un­cleannesse in the sight of Gods glorious holinesse, Ch. 6. 5. which I think made all his former light darknesse; He cryes out unclean as if he had never known it before; And so Job, since I saw thee I abhored my self in dust and ashes; Ye hear much of him, and it doeth not abase you, but if ye saw him, ye would not abide your selves; you would prefer the dust you trade on to your selves. Ye who know most, there is a mystery of iniquity in your hearts, that is not yet discerned, ye are but yet in the coast of that bottomlesse Sea of abo­mination and vilenesse. Among all the aggra­vations of sin, nothing doth so demonstrate the folly, yea, the madnesse of it, as the perfection, goodnesse, and absolute unspottednesse of God. Its this that takes away all pretence of excuse and leaves the famine nothing, no place to hide its confusion and nakednesse and shame into. And therefore is it that Moses, when he would con­vince this people of their ways and make them inexcusable, he draws the paralel of Gods ways and their ways, declares what God is, how ab­solutly perfect in himself and in his works, had given no cause of provocation to them to depart from him; And then how odious must their de­parting be? When both are painted on a brod before their eyes; it makes sin become exceeding sinful, When the Lord would pierce the hearts of his people, and ingrave a challenge with the point of an Diamond he uses this as his pen, Have I been a wilderness to Israel, a Land of darkness, why [Page 14] say my people, we are Lords we will come no more to thee, Jer. 2. 31. What iniquity have your Fathers found in me, that they are gone from me and walked after vanity, Jer. 2. 5.

There are two things in sin that exceedingly abuse the creature, the iniquity of it, and folly and madness of it: Its contrare to all equity and reason to depart from him that hath made us, and given us a Law, to whom we are by so ma­ny obligations tyed. But what is the folly and madness of it? to depart from the fountain of living waters, and dig broken Cisterns that can hold none. Ver. 13. This is a thing that the heavens may be astonished at, and if the earth had sense to understand such a thing, the whole fabrick of it would tremble for horrour at such a madnesse and folly of reasonable souls: And this evil hath two evils in it, we forsake life, and love death, go from him, and choose vanity. It's great ini­quity to depart without an offence on his part; He may appeal all our consciences and let them sit down and examine his way most narrowly, what iniquity have ye found in me? what cause have ye to leave me? But when withall he is a living fountain, he is our glory, he is a fruitful land, a land of light, our ornament and attire, in a word, our life and our consolation, our happi­ness and our beauty; what word shall be found, to express the extream madness of men to depart from such an one? & change their glory into that which doth not profit? If either he were not a foun­tain of living waters, or if there were any foun­tain beside, that could yield water to satisfie the unsatiabledesires of men, it were more excusable, but what shadow shall be found, to cover such [Page 15] an iniquity, that is both infinite sin and incom­parable loss? Its the Scriptures stile given to na­tural men, fools and simple, all sin hath folly in it, but the people of Gods departing from him hath extremity of folly in it, beside iniquity, be­cause they do embrace a dung-hill in instead of a Throne, they make the madest exchange that can be imagined, glory for shame, life for death, at least consolation and peace, for vanity and vexation and anguish of spirit.

If ye would be duely affected with the sight of your own evils, look upon them in this con­sideration, and in the view of God your large portion, ye will be forced to confess your selves beasts in his sight, Psal. 73. 22. Oh that men would consider how good and blessed the Lord is, how he is alone, and nothing beside him in heaven and earth, all broken cisterns, all dung and unprofitable, all vanity and vexation, he only self-sufficient, all others insufficient, and therefore a proportioned good for our necessity & desires, and I am sure ye would be constrained to cry out with David, Whom have I in heaven with thee, or in earth beside thee? It is good for me to draw near to God. Ye would look on drawing near, and walking with him, and before him, not on­ly as the most reasonable thing, but the best thing, most beautiful for you, most profitable for you, and all other wayes would be looked on as the wayes of death.

His work is perfect] The Lord looked and be­hold all was good that was made; so it was at first, the fabrick of this world was an exquisite and perfect work, a suitable demonstration of his infinite wisdom, wonderful in all the parts [Page 16] of it, and in the unity and harmony of the whole: But so also his work of providence is perfect. Divine wisdom hath framed and contrived all, and it cannot be better. If any thing seem im­perfect in it self, yet it is perfect, in relation to his glorious ends he directs it unto; and so would we look on all the works among us; [...]f any thing seemed a spot and disgrace of the crea­tion, certainly the sin of men and Angels; Nay, but even that is so ordered by his holy sove­raignty, that in relation to his Majesty, it may be called a perfect work. If ye do but consider what a glorious high Throne he hath erected to himself for justice and judgement to be the habi­tation of it, and mercy and truth to go before it, upon the ruins of defaced man, what a Theater of Justice he hath erected upon the Angels falls, ye would call it as perfect a work as is in the world. His work is one in the world, subor­dinate to one great design of manifesting his own glorious justice and mercy, omnipotency and wisdom. Now what do ye see of it, but par­cels, though ye comprehend all your time in one thought, yet certainly ye cannot judge it aright, for it is but one work that all the several buil­dings and castings down, all the several dispen­sations of his providence from the beginning to the end make up; and when we think upon these disjoyned, limit our consideration with­in the bounds of our own time; can we rightly apprehend it? Nay, which is worse, we use to have no more within the compasse of our thought, but some present thing, and how much more do we err then? What beauty, what per­fection, can such a small part have? But its pre­sent [Page 17] to him, who beholds with a glance all these parts, though succeeding in many generations, he sees it altogether, joyns the end with the be­ginning, sees the first mould, the first foundati­on-stone, and the last compleating, all flowing from himself, and returning thither, and ending in himself: He hath made an interchange in na­ture, which might teach us; the night alone hath no beauty, nay, but it beautifies the day; Your darkest hours and tempests, publick and personal, are they perfect works? Yes certain­ly, if ye compound them with your Sun-shines, and calms; several colours make Pictures beau­tiful: the one is as needful as the other. And if ye did consider your profit more then your honour and pleasure, ye would say so. He doth not model his works according to our fancy to please us, but our good to profit us, and he is wiser then we, and so then it is the most perfect work in it self, that possibly displeaseth us most. Therefore ye would judge of his dealing by ano­ther rule, nor your satisfaction; for please you and perish you. If he spared the rod, he should hate us indeed; fond love is real hatred. Chri­stians, if ye would judge his works by his word, and not by your sense, by your well, and not by your will, certainly ye would say as the men did of Christ, he hath done all well, the world would discover to you a perfection, even in im­perfection, a perfection in infirmities, that ye should not only rejoyce in them, but glory in them: most gladly therefore will I glory, &c. saith Paul. Are infirmities a perfect work? Or is the suffering of Paul to be buffetted and tempted a perfect work? What comfort is in it? Yes much, [Page 18] infirmities alone are infirmities indeed; nay, bu [...] infirmities in me, and strength in Jesus, weak­nesse in me, and strength dwelling in me, these make up one perfect work; that could as little want the infirmities as the strength; the glory of God and our well and consolation require the one, as well as the other; it could not be compleat without any of them. What do ye think of the times now, are Englands apostacy and Irelands desolation perfect works? That great work of Reformation, that seemed to be above our shoulders, it's now razed to the ground, and the very foundations removed. I [...] deformation a perfect work? Certainly, if w [...] look on these things in the Scriptures light, and consider them in relation to him who is the chief builder, and doth in heaven and earth what he pleaseth, that deformation is a perfec [...] work, though not a perfect reformation, thoug [...] we could not inform you of the perfection of it yet the general might silence us, all this shall be no misse, no marr in the end. His work at the end of accompts shall appear so compleat, as i [...] it had never had interruption. He is wise, an [...] knows what he doth, if this were not for his glory and his peoples good, certainly it should no [...] be. Was not the peoples wandering in th [...] wildernesse 40. years a most strange work? [...] longer interruption of the expected and begu [...] voyage out of Egypt? What humane reaso [...] would have styled this work with perfection [...] Did they not often murmure against it? yet Moses calls this a perfect work also. What if th [...] Lord be diging the ground deeper in England, that the foundation may be the surer? What i [...] [Page 19] he be on a work of judgement, filling the cup of many deluded blasphemers, that he may have another cup of wrath prepared? What if this be his great purpose, to execute vengeance upon a prophane generation, that will not abide the very name and form of godlinesse, by these who pretend to the name of it as their honour? What if the Lord hath defaced all that this Kingdom was instrumental in building of in England, that he alone may have the glory in a second Temple more glorious? Many things there may be in his mind, and he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doth; and this may be enough to satisfie us: He sees and knows all his works from the beginning, and without all controversie he hath provided it so, that the reproach of his Name shall be made up with the more shining of his glory, and the afflictions of his people shall be compensed with songs of deliverance. May ye not give him so much credit as ye would give to a skilful man in his own Trade? Ye know it is his Name, Excel­lent in counsel, and wonderful in working; then take his work, expound it according to his Word, and not your apprehension. It may be his vvork appears not excellent, nay, but if ye knevv his counsel, ye vvould think it so. His vvonderful counsel makes all his vvorks excellent, and there­fore do not take upon you to judge his vvorks, unlesse ye could vvade the depth of his counsels, else ye declare your selves to be both ignorant and presumptuous. There is a time to build, and a time to cast down, a time for every thing, saith the vvise man; novv I say, he knovvs the time and season, he does every thing in his time. If ye [Page 20] come by a Work-man that is casting dovvn a house that in your appearance seems good, vvould ye condemn him presently? No, but stay till ye see vvhat he vvill do next, vvait till the due time, and vvhen ye see a better piece of workmanship, on that ground ye shall absolve him. Though God often change his work, do not think he changes his Counsel and Purposes as men do. No, he is in one mind and who can turn him, therefore he had that change in his mind when he made the work, when he erected such a throne, he had this in his mind to cast it down within such a space, and so his change, his throwing down, is as perfect in his mind as his building up. Ye have large and big apprehen­sions of temporal Kingdoms and Crowns of Go­vernment and such like as if they were great yea only things: but they are not so to him: all this world and its standing, all the Kingdoms and their affairs are not his great work and bu­sinesse; he hath an great work, the bringing of many sons to Glory, and compleating of Jesus Christ, building of that glorious mystical buil­ding, the holy Temple made up of living stones, of which Christ is the foundation and chief cor­ner stone both; and its this that he attends to most; other works among men though they have more noise, they are lesse concerned; all these are but in the by, and subservient to his great designe, and like the Scaffolds of a buil­ding, that are, it may be, sometime very needful, Nay, but when the building is compleated, he shall remove all these, he hath no more use of them; Kings shall he thy nurse-fathers, Kings shall bow to thee. He is not much concerned in go­vernment [Page 21] nor in Governours; but for his little flocks sake; and if these were gathered, all these shall have an end, and the flock alone abide for ever.

And all his ways are Judgement This is to the same purpose, his ways and his works are one, and this is the perfection of his work, that it is all right and equal, whether they be in Justice or mercy, they are all righteous and holy, no ini­quity in them, his ways are straight and equal, exact as if they were measured by an exact even rule; but because we make application of a crooked rule to them, we do imagine that they are crooked; as the blind man judges no light to be, because he sees it not. How may the Lord contend and plead with us as with that people. Ezek. 18. 25. Is it possible that any can challe [...]ge him and clear themselves, Who will be Justified of all when he is judged, and before whom no flesh can be Justified? and yet behold the ini­quity of mens hearts, there is a secret reflection of our spirits upon his majesty, as if his ways were not equal; when ever we repine against them; and when we do not take with our iniquity, and stop our mouth with dust. Behold, the Lord will assert his own wayes, and plead with all flesh this controversie, that all his proceedings are full of equity, he walks according to a rule though he be not tyed to a rule, he walks accor­ding to the rules of Wisdom, Justice and Mercy, though his illimited soveraignty might be a suf­ficient ground of clearing of all his proceedings. But we walk not according to a rule, though we be bound to a rule and a rule full of equity.

Here is the equity and justnesse of his ways, the Gospel holds it forth in a twofold considera­tion, First, If any man turn from his iniquity, and flie unto my Son as the City of refuge, he shall live, he hath eternal life, iniquity shall not be his ruine, although he hath done iniquity; O who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity? Is not this compleat mercy? whatever iniquity hath been, aggravat it as ye can, though it could have ruined a world, yet it could not have rui­ned thee, that turns in to Jesus Christ from ini­quity. What exception can all the world have against this, or his walking according to it. And on the other hand whosoever continueth in sin, though he appear to himself and others never so righteous, if he entertain and love any known sin, and will not part with it for Jesus Christ, shall not he dye in his iniquity? Is there any iniquity in this, that he receive the wages of his works his re­ward? that he eat of the fruit of his own wayes? and drink of his own devices? But how many hearts censure this way as a rigid and strick se­vere dealing: the multitude think it cruelty to condemne any Christened soul, to put so ma­ny in hell; the civil man will think it's too hard measure that he should be ranked in hell with the prophane. But certainly, all mouths shall be stopped one day, and he shall be justified when he judg­es; Ye that will not justifie him in his sayings and set to your seal to the truth of the word, you shall be constrained to justify him, when he exe­cuts that sentence, ye shall precipitat your own sentence and rather wonder at his clemency in suffering you so long.

This way of the Lord is equal and right in it self, but it is not so to every one, the just man shall [Page 23] walk in it and not stumble, as in an even way, no­thing shall offend him. Hosea 14. last V. Yet for as equal and straight as it is, many other trans­gressors shall fall therein; they stumble even in the noon day, and high way where no offence is, It's true often his own people stumble in it as Da­vid, Psal. 73. and 94. Davids foot was slipping, yet a secret hold was by mercy. It often requires a wise and prudent man to understand it, because his footsteps are in the deep waters. Psa. 77. 19. his way is in the depths of the sea, his paths in great waters, so that men must wait till the Lord ex­pound his own wayes, till he come out of the waters and make them a dry plain, and this is our advantage, the word sayes he is near thee in thy mouth, and neither above nor beneath in the depths that thou needs neither descend nor ascend to know it, Deut. 30. 11, 12, 13, 14. But his way is in the depths, and his footsteps are not known, so that we ought to hold us by the word till he expound his vvork, his vvord vvill teach us our duty and vve may commit unto him his ovvn vvay, the vvord is a commentary to expound his vvays. David lost the sight of Gods footsteps and vvas like to wander, till he came to the Sanctuary, and this shined as a Candle in a dark place, he learned there to know the unknown footsteps and to follow them. By all means embrace the Word and be satisfied with it, when ye do not comprehend his Work, it teaches as much in general, as may put us to quietnesse, all his wayes are Judgement, Just and True in all his Wayes is the King of Saints. If I do not com­prehend how it is, no wonder, for he makes darknesse his covering, he spreads over his most curious Engines and Pieces of Workmanship, [Page 24] a vail of darknesse for a season, and who can be­hold him when he hides himself sayes Job, and though he withdraw the Covering, yet what am I; Who can by searching find out God? If I shall examine his way, what rule shall I take to try it by? If I measure by my shallow capa­city, or by my crooked way, shall I have any just account of it? will my Arm measure the Heavens as his doth? If I examine it, or try it by himself, He is high as Heaven and un­searchable. Therefore it becomes us to heark­en to his Word, and believe its sentence of his Work, when reason cannot comprehend it.

One thing (if it were deeply engraven on our hearts) would be a principle of setling our spi­rits, in all the mysteries and riddles of provi­dence, the knowledge and faith of his Sove­raignty, of his Highnesse and of his Wisdome; should he give account of his Matters to us? He is wise and knowes his Works, but is he bound to make us know them? His wayes are above our thoughts and wayes, as Heaven above the Earth, Is. 55. And therefore O Grashopper in the Earth, that dwells in Tabernacles of Clay, do not pre­sume to model his ways according to thy con­ceptions. One thing is certain, this is enough for Faith, all his wayes are mercy and truth to these that keep his Covenant and his Testimonies, Psal, 25. 10. And there is no Way or Path of God so far above our reach, and unsearchable as his Mercy in pardoning sin, and this is only the sa­tisfying answer to all your objections and scru­ples, in these ye do but vent your own thoughts but sayes the Lord, my thoughts are above you [...] [Page 25] thoughts, as Heaven above Earth. Ye but speak of your own wayes, but my wayes are far above yours, they are not measured by your iniquity; and therefore, David subjoyns, Psal. 25. Verse 11. pardon my iniquity for it is great.

SERMON III.

ALL his wayes are Judgement, both the wayes of his Commandments and the ways of his Providence, both his Word which he hath given as a Lanthorn to mens paths, and his Works among men. And this were the blessednesse of men, to be found both walk­ing in his wayes, and waiting on him in his wayes, having respect to all his Command­ments, and respect to himself in all his Works: We all know in general that he doth all well, [...]nd that all his Comandments are Holy and Just; [...]ay, but our practice and affections belie our [Page 26] knowledge, and for the most part, we stand crosse in our humours and affections, and con­versation both to his Word and Providence, and this is our misery; Great peace have they that love thy Law. VVhat peace then can keep that heart and mind, that is dayly at variance with his Statuts and Judgements? when the heart would wish such a Command were not, when it is an eye sore to look upon it. Blessed are the meek, it is good for a man, both quietly to wait and hope and keep silence. How then must that spi­rit be miserable, that stands crosse unto Gods Dispensations, and would limit the Holy One? Do not often our hearts say, I do well to be an­gry, why is it thus with me? But, who hath hardened himself against him and prospered? his counsel must stand; and you may vex your self, and disquiet your soul in the mean time by im­patience, but you cannot by your thought add one cubit to your stature, you may make your case worse nor Providence hath made it, but you cannot make it better by so doing; so that at length, you must bow to him or be broken; Oh then that this were engraven on our hearts with the point of a Diamond! All his wayes are Judgement, that ye might be overcome with the equity of his Command and Dispensation, and your heart and tongue might not move a­gainst them. It was enough of old with the Saints, It is the Lord, let him do what seems good in h [...]s eyes, Gods Soveraignty alone pondered, may stop our mouth, but if ye withal consider, it is perfect Equity that rules all, it is Divin [...] Wisdome tha [...] is the square of his Works, the [...] how ought we to stoop chearfully unto them [Page 27] One thing ye would remember, his wayes and paths are Judgement, and if ye judge aright of him, ye must judge his Way and not his single Footsteps; ye will not discern Equity and Judgement in one step or two, but consider his Way, joyn adversity with prosperity, humble­ing with exalting, take along the Threed of his Providence, and one part shall help you to un­derstand another. There is reason in all, but the reason is not visible to us in so small parts of his Way and Work:

A God of Truth] Strange it is that his Maje­sty is pleased to cloath himself with so many Titles and Names for us. He considers what our necessity is, and accordingly expresses his own Name. I think nothing doth more hold forth the unbelief of men and Atheism of our hearts, nor the many several Titles God takes in Scripture; There is a necessity of a multitude of them to make us take up God, because we staying upon a general notion of God, rather frame in our imaginations an Idol then the true God. As there is nothing doth more lively re­present the unbelief of our hearts, then the mul­titude of Promises: Men that consider such frequent repetitions of one thing in Scripture, so many diverse expressions of one God, may retire into their own hearts, and find the cause of it, even the necessity of it; But while we look so slightly on these, we must judge it superfluous and vain. Needed there any more to be said, but I am your God, I am God, if our spirits were not so far degenerated unto Atheism and unbe­lief. Certainly that word Jehovah holds forth more to Angels then all the inculcated Names [Page 28] and Titles of God to us; because we are dull and slow of heart. Therefore wonder at these two when ye read the Scriptures; Gods Con­descendency to us, and our Atheism and Un­belief of him; they are both mysteries and ex­ceeding broad. There is not a Name of God but it gives us a Name, and that of reproach and dishonour; so that for every one, some evil may be written down; and it is to this purpose, Moses draws them out in length, that in the Glasse of his glorious Name, the people might behold their own ugly face. This Name is clear, He is a God of Truth, not only a true God, but Truth it self; to note his Ex­cellency and Eminency in it. It is Christs Name, I am the Truth, the substantial Truth, in whom all the Promises are Truth, are Yea and A­men. His Truth is his Faithfulnesse in perform­ing his Promises, and doing what his Mouth hath spoken: And this is established in the very Heavens, Psal. 89. 2. His everlasting purpose is in Heaven where he dwells; And if any man can ascend up to Heaven, if any creature can break through the Clouds, then may his Truth be shaken. His Word comes down a­mong men; Nay, but the foundation of it is in Heaven, and there is his Purpose establish­ed; and therefore, there is nothing done in time can impare or hinder it. Ye think this World very sure, the Earth hangs unmoveable, though it hang upon nothing; All the tumults, confusions and reels hath been in the World, have never moved it to the one side. Heaven goeth about in one Tenure perpetually, keep­ing still the same distance. Nay, but his Truth [Page 29] is more established then so. Heaven and Earth depends but upon a word of Command, he hath said, let it be so, and so it is. Nay, but his Word is more established. of it saith Christ One jot or title of it cannot fail, though Heaven and earth should fail. He may change his Commands as he pleases, but he may not change his Promise, this puts an obligation on him, as he is Faith­ful and true to perform it; and when an Oath is superadded, O! how immutable are these two? When he promises in his Truth and swears in his Holinesse. Is there any power in Heaven and Earth can break that double cord? Matth. 5. 18. Heb. 6, 18. There is no name of God but it is comfortable to some, and as ter­rible to others. What comfort is it to a godly man that trusts in his Word, He is a God of truth? An honest mans word is much, his oath is more. What shall his Word be who is a God of Truth? Who, though all men should be liars, yet God is true. Ye who have ven­tured your Souls on his Word, ye have an un­speakable advantage, his truth endures for ever, and it is established in the Heavens, the ground of it is without beginning, the end of it without end. Ye are more sure then the frame of Hea­ven and Earth, for all these shall wax old as a gar­ment. We speak of a naked word of truth; Indeed it is no naked word that is Gods Word; His Works of Providence, and his Dispensati­on to yow, is a naked and bare foundation, nay, a sandy foundation, and ye who lean so much to them, is it any wonder, ye so often shak and waver? All other grounds beside the Word, are uncertain, unstable, this only endures for [Page 30] ever; The creatures goodnesse and perfection is but as the Grasse and the Flour of the Field; Venture not much on your dispositions and frames, thou knows not what a day may bring forth, but his Truth is to all generations, and it is well tryed, as Gold seven times; all gene­rations have tryed it and found it better then pure Gold. His Dispensations are arbitrary, no rule to you; he loveth to declare his Sove­raignty here, and to expatiat in the creatures sight, beyond its conceiving; but he hath limit­ed himself in his Word, and come down to us, and laid bonds on himself. Will he then unty them for us? Give him liberty where he loves it; take him bound where he binds himself. How may God expostulate with this generati­on, as these of little faith? How long shall I be with you saith Christ? How long will Chri­stians tempt the Lord in seeking signs? And will not rest upon his only Word and Promises? O Adulterous generation, how long shall I be with you and ye will not believe? Is it not righteousnesse in him, either to give you no signe at all, or to give you a signe darker then the thing it self, as he did to the Pharisees. Ye will give credit to a mans word, and will ye not believe Gods? An honest man will get more trust of us, then the True and Living God; Shall he not be offended with this? We de­clare it unto you that he is Truth it self, and will not fail in his promise; let that be your Castle and Refuge to enter into. Mercy and Truth are two sweet companions to go along with you in your pilgrimage, David prayed for them, Psal. 61. 7. O prepare thy mercy and truth to [Page 31] preserve me; Who will not ly safe within these everlasting Arms? what power can break through? And this he promised to himself, Psal. 57. 3. God shall send them out, &c. Mercy made so many precious Promises, and Truth keeps them. Mercy is the Fountain and Sourse of all our Consolation, and Truth and Faith­fulnesse conveighs it to us, and keeps it for us; It is these two that go before his Face, when he sits on a Throne of Majesty and makes himself accessible to sinners, Psal. 89. 14. and so they are the path way he walks in towards those who seek him, Psal. 25. 10.

But this sweet and Precious Name, that is as Oyntment poured forth to these who love him; how doth it smell of death to those who walk contrair to him? He is a God of Truth, to exe­cute his Threatnings on those who dispise his Commands, and though ye flatter your selves in your own eyes, and cry peace peace, even though ye walk in the imagination [...] your heart; yet cer­tainly he is a God of Truth. I pray you read that sad and weighty word, that will be like a Mil­stone about many mens necks, to sink them in Hell, Deut. 29. 20, 21: Ye who add drunkenness to thrist; whose rule of walking is your own lust, and whatsoever pleaseth you without re­spect of his Commands, and yet flatter your selves with a dream of peace, know this for a truth, the Lord will not spare thee, he that made thee will not have mercy on thee, his jealousie will smoak against thee, and all the eurses written in this Book shall ly upon thee, and thy name shall be blotted out from under Heaven. It was un­belief of Gods Threatning, that first ruined man, [Page 32] [...] is this still that keeps so many from the reme­dy, and makes their misery irrecoverable. The Serpent brought them to this question, Hath God said ye shall die? And then presently the question intertained becometh a conclusion, ye shall not surely die. Thus ye see how the lyar, from the beginning, was contrair to the God of Truth: And he murdered us by lying of that God of Truth: And it is the same that shuts out all hope of remedy. Ye do not as yet be­lieve and consider that curse that was pronounc­ed against Adam, but is now also inflicted upon us; Therefore there is no solid belief can be of the promises of the Gospel: And ye who think ye believe the Gospel, do but indeed fan­cy it, except ye have considered the true curse of God on all flesh. But if any man have set to his seal that God is true in his Threatning, and subscribed unto the Law; Then I beseech you add not the unbelief of the Gospel unto your for­mer disobedience. He is a God of truth, in Pro­mises and Threatnings. It is strange how un­toward and froward we are, a perverse genera­tion, we do not believe his Threatnings, but fancie we receive his Promises, or else believe­ing his Threatnings, we question his Promis­es. But know this for a truth, his last Word is more weighty, and the unbelief of it is most dangerous. Ye have not keeped his Com­mands, and so the curse is come upon you, do ye believe that? If ye do, then the Gospel speakes unto you, The God of Truth hath one word more, He that believes shall be saved, notwithstanding of all his breaking of the Law; if ye do not set your Seal to this also, then ye [Page 33] say he is not a God of Truth, ye say he is a liar. And as for you who have committed your Souls to him, as to a faithful keeper, and ac­quiesced unto his Word of Promise for Salva­tion, think how unsutable it is, for you to distrust him in other lesser things. Ye have the pro­mise of this life, whoever hath the Promises of the life to come. Therefore do not make him a liar in these, He is a God of Truth, and will let you want no good thing. Say to the righteous it shall he well with him, what ever be; Let Heaven and Earth mix through other, yet ye may be as Mount Sion unmov­ed in the midst of many floods, because of the Promises.

Without iniquity: who doubts of that, say ye? What needs this be added, who charges him with iniquity or sin? Nay, but stay and consider, and you shall find great weight in this. It is true none dare charge him openly, or speak in expresse terms against his Holinesse, yet if we judge of our own and others practices and dispositions, as the Lord useth to construct of them; if we resolve our murmurings, impatience, self-absolutions and excuses to hold off con­victions, into plain language, if we would tran­slate them into a Scripture-style, certainly it will be found, that the most part of men, if not all, use to impute iniquity to God, and accuse him rather, then take with accusations laid a­gainst themselves. And therefore the Lord useth to go to Law with his people, he who is the Judge of the world, that cannot do unrighteous­ly, he who is the potter, and we all the clay, yet he so far condescends to us for convincing us, as [Page 34] sometimes to refer the controversie between him and his people, to other creatures, as Micah 6. 12. He calls the mountains and the foundations of the earth to judge between him and his people, and sometimes he appeals unto their own consci­ences and is content though judge, to stand and be judged by these who were guilty, as vers. 3, and Jer. 2. vers. 5, and 31. All this supposes that when the Lord would endeavour to convince them of iniquity, they did rather recriminat and took not with their own faults. This is a truth generally acknowledged by all. He who is the judge of the world doth no iniquity, But O! that ye considered it, till the meditation of it were engra­ven on your Spirits, the seal of Gods holinesse, that ye might fear before him, and never call him to accompt for his matters. Who can say I have purged my heart from iniquity? Among men the holiest are defiled with it, and so are all their actions. But here is one that ye may give him an implicit faith (so to speak) he is a God of truth, and can speak no lie, be does no iniqui­ty, and cannot do wrong to any man. Would there be so much impatience amongst you, and fretting against his dispensations, if ye believed this solidly? Would ye repine against his holy and just wayes, were it not to charge God with iniquity? Your murmuring and grudging at his dispensations is with child of blasphemies, and he who can search the reins sees it▪ and constructs so of it: You say by interpretation, that if ye had the government of your own matters, or of Kingdoms, ye would order them better then he doth; how difficult a thing is it to perswade men to take with their own iniquity? O how many [Page 35] excuses and pretences, how many extenuations are used that this conviction may not pierce deeply? But all this speaks so much blasphemy, that iniquity is in God. Ye cannot take with your own iniquities, but ye charge his Majesty with iniquity.

Just and right is he:] Is this any new thing, was it not said already, that he is without iniquity, and his wayes judgement? But alas, how igno­rant are we of God, and slow of heart to con­ceive him as he is, therefore is there line upon line, and precept upon precept, and name upon name, if it be possible that at length we may ap­prehend God as he is: Alas, our knowledge is but ignorance, our light darknesse, while it is shut up in the corner of our mind, and shines not into the heart, and hath no influence on our practice. And the truth is, the belief of divine truths is almost no more but a not contradicting them, we do not seriously think of them as ei­ther to consent to them, or deny them. Is there any consideration amongst us now of Gods ju­stice and righteousnesse, though it be frequently spoken of? And what advantage shall ye have if ye do not consider them? O how hard is it to perswade mens hearts of this, that God is just, and will by no means acquit the guilty, there are so many delusions drunk in in mens hearts, contrary to his truth; Let no man deceive you, be not deceived with vain words, know ye not, saith our Apostle, these are strange pre­faces, would ye not think the point of truth sub­tile, that there needed so much prefacing unto, and yet what is it? even that which all men grant, Gods wrath comes on the children of dis­obedience, [Page 36] but alas, few men consider but de­ceive themselves with dreams of escaping it, though men know it, yet they know it not, for they walk as if they knew no such thing.

Alwayes however this is of little moment to affect our spirits now, yet in the day that God shall set your iniquities before your face, and set his justice also before your eyes, O how sad and serious a thing will it be then? If these two verses were ingraven on our hearts, Gods justice and holinesse, our corruption and vilenesse, I think there would be other thoughts among us then there are.

SERMON IV.

WE doubt this people would take well with such a description of themselves, as Moses gives: It might seem strange to us, that God should have chosen such a people out of all the nations of the earth, and they to be so rebel­lious and perverse, if our own experience did not teach us, how free his choise is, and how long-suffering he is, and constant in his choise. His people are called to a conformity with him­self. Be ye holy, for I am holy. Lev. ch. 19. and 20. and to a difformity and separation from the rest of the world in their conversation from whom [Page 37] God had separated them in profession and privi­ledges: Lev. 18. 24 But behold what unlikenesse there is between God and his people. If ye were to paint out to the life a heathen people, you needed no other image or patern to coppy at but this same description of this people. It is this that makes Moses in the preface turn to the hea­vens and earth, and call them to hear his song: And Isaiah beginneth his Preaching thus, Hear O Heavens, and give ear, O Earth &c. A strange thing it must be, that senselesse creatures are cal­led to wonder at. It must surpasse all the won­ders and prodigies of nature and art: And what is that? I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me, &c. If we consi­der what this people seemed once to be, and thought themselves to be, we may easily know how they corrupted themselves. If ye look on them at one time. Exod. 19. 8. and Deut. 5. 27. Ye would call them Children. There was never a fairer undertaking of obedience then this, All that the Lord hath spoken, we will do. So that the Lord commends them for speaking well. v. 28. They have well said all that they have spoken. v. 29. O that there were such an heart in them. But compare all this peoples practice with this pro­fession, and you shall find it exceeding contrary; they indeed corrupted themselves, though they got warning to take heed of it: Take ye therefore good heed unto your selves lest ye corrupt your selves, Deut. 4. 15. 16. But alas, it was within them that destroyed them; there was not such a heart in them, as to hear & obey; but they undertake, being ignorant of their own deceitful hearts, which were desperatly wicked. And therefore [Page 38] behold what corruption ensued and followed upon such a professed resolution, They never sooner promised obedience, but they disobeyed, they did abominable works, and did no good, and this is to corrupt their way, Psa. 14. 1, &c. we need not instance this longer in this people, we our selves are a sufficient proof of it. We may make this song our own, we have corrup­ted our selves. Once we had a fair shew of zeal for God, of love and desire of reformation of life, many solemn undertakings were that we should amend our wayes and doings. But what is the fruit of all? Alas, we have corrupted our selves more nor they. Israel promised, but we vowed and swore to the most high, Reformation and a­mendment of life in our conversations and cal­lings. Lay this Rule to our practises, and are we not a perverse and crooked generation. Oh that we were more affected with our corrupti­ons, and were more sensible of them, then we could not choose out mourn for our own and the lands departing from God. Did not every man vow and swear to the most high God to en­deavour reformation of his life, even a personal reformation? But alas, where is it? He that is filthy is filthy still, nay, which is worse, the evil man waxeth worse and worse; There is a great noise of a publick reformation of ordinances and worship, but alas, the deformation of life and practice outcryes all that noise. Nay, certainly all that is don [...] in the publick, must come to no accomp [...] before God, since our practices outcry it. Publick reformation is abomination where pe [...]onal [...]orruptions do not cease: This made the Je [...]s so [...]emn dayes hateful, their hands were [Page 39] full of blood. Isai. 1. all that ye have spent on the publick will never be reckoned, since ye will not consecrat your lives to God, will not give your lusts up to him. Ye are his enemies in the mean time, though you accompt your selves Religions friends. I beseech you consider your wayes; would any of us have thought to have seen such prosanity, mocking of Godliness and igno­rance in Scotland in so short a time; Nay, it is to be feared that the day is not far off, when ye will corrupt your selves and do abominable things, yea, defile your selves as ill as the nations that know not God.

Every man useth to impute his faults to some­thing beside himself; ere men take with their own iniquity, they will charge God that gave no more grace: But if men knew them­selves, they would deduce their corruption and destruction both, from one fountain, that is from themselves. Ignorance of our selves maketh us oft undertake fair, and promise so well on our own head. What was the fountain of this peo­ples corruption, and apostarizing from their professions? The Lord hints at it, Deut. 5. 25, &c. Oh that they bad such a heart. Alas, poor people, ye know not your selves, that speak so well, I know thee better then thou doest thy self; I will declare unto thee thy own thought, thou hast not such a heart as to do what thou sayest, there is a desperat wicked heart within thee, that will de­stroy thee by lying unto thee. If thou knewest this fountain of orig [...]al corruption, thou would despair of doing, and say, I cannot serve the Lord. Now here is the fountain of the Lands corruption this day: why is our way corrupted? [Page 40] because our hearts within were not cleansed, and because they were not known. If we had dryed up the fountain, the streams had ceased: but we did only damn it up, and cut off some streams for a season: we set up our resolutions and purpose [...] as an hedge to hold it in; but the sea of the heart [...] iniquity, that is above all things, hath over­flowed it, and defiled our way more then in for­mer times. Ye thought upon no other thing but that presently ye would be all changed peo­ple, and would reform without more adoe. And thus it is with you in all your publick repentan­ces. But alas, you know not your selves; it i [...] still within you, which will yet corrupt you▪ and it was within us that hath undone us. W [...] were too confident of our selves, and it is n [...] wonder that the Lord suffer us to prove our selves that we may know what is in our heart Now therefore since ye have so often tryed it, I beseech you, follow not such a way again. Ye are called to deny your selves, and to follow Christ; and this is a great part of it, that ye may never expect for any good within your selves, or the helping of any evil. In me is thy help found. Look to the fountain of Life Jesus Christ, and despair of your own hearts, for they are desperatly wicked, so wicked, that if ye knew them, ye would despair of them, and give them over to another hand, who can crea [...] a new heart within you. Ye use to impute you [...] back-slidings to the times, to temptations, t [...] company and such like. This is the way tha [...] men shift the challenges of sin: The drunkar [...] puts it on his companion, the servant on his ma­ster that led him wrong, ye people put Rulers in [Page 41] the fault, and absolve themselves, and Rulers put one another in the wrong, and absolve them­selves. But alas! all of us are ignorant of our selves: It is not times nor temptations that cor­rupt us, but our selves. No man is tempted (say­eth James) of God, but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed, James. 1. 14. Temptation were no temptation, if our hearts were not wicked hearts. Nay, ma­ny of us are ready to tempt temptations, to pro­voke the devil to temptations: we cast our selves open to temptations. Temptation finds lust within, and lust within is the Mother to conceive sin, if temptation be the father. Times do not bring evils along with them, they do but disco­ver what was hid before: all the evils and cor­ruptions you see now among us, where were they in the day of our first love, when we were as a loving and beloved child? have all these risen up of late. No certainly, all that you have seen and found were before, though they did not appear: before they were in the root, now you see the fruit. All the Apostacy, and profani­ty that hath been vented in these dayes, it was all shut up within the corners of mens hearts at the beginning: time and temptation hath but unco­vered the heart and made the inside out; hath but opened a sluce to let out this sea of corrupti­on, Its not bred since, but seen since.

Now so it is with us, we have corrupted our selves, and so we corrupt our selves still more. Backsliding cometh on as gray hairs, here and there, and is not perceived by beholders. Nemo repente fit turpissimus. No man becometh worst at first; There are many steps between that [Page 42] and good. Corruption comes on men [...] way as in fruits, some one part begin­neth to alter, and then it groweth worse, and putrifieth, and corrupteth the rest of the parts. An Apple rotes not all at once, so it is with us; men begin at leisure, but they run post or all be done. In some one step of our way we take liberty, and think to keep the rest clean: But when that part is corrupted, a little leaven leaveneth the wholl lump, and all follow­eth; And then he that corrupted himself, is ready to corrupt others. Children that are cor­rupters, Isa. 1. 4. Every one by his example corrupts another; and by corrupting others, they again corrupt themselves more. O! how infectious an evil is sin, of a pestilentious na­ture; And truely our hearts are more ready to receive such impressions, then either a World, or a Devil is to make them.

Their spot is not] Why doth the Lord take pleasure to reckon their sins, to describe so abo­minable a People. Is not this Jacob in whom he saw no iniquity? Is not this Israel, whose trans­gressions are not known? Certainly if this people would have charged themselves so, he would not have done it. He loves to forget, when we remember our sins; But he must remember them, when we forget them. What is the Lords great controversie with men, here it is, how can ye say or think that ye are not polluted? Or if ye take with such a General; Yet, why is not the conviction of your sin and misery so deeply engraven, as to pursue you out of all hope of remedy in your selves, Jer. 2. 22, 23. And therefore is thine iniquity marked before me, [Page 43] saith the Lord. God hath determined not to wrong his Justice. If men should go away unpunished and unjudged both, where were his Righteousnes? If there were no record of mens transgressions, were he a righteous Judge? Therefore, those who do not judge themselves, must leave judgement to him; For once the mouth of all flesh must be stoped, and all become guilty before God. Why pleads the Lord with man? Because man sayes I am innocent, I have not sinned, his anger will turn away, Jer. 2. 35. Will any speak so in termes? No in­deed, but the Lord constructs so of the most part; because they do more consider the wrongs done to them, nor their own wrongs done to God: All men confesse the general; that they are sinners; but who searches and tryes his way to find out particulares, and in as far as ye do not charge your selves with particular guil­tinesse, until ye be afraid of his anger, as long as the consideration of your sins is so superficial and shallow, that ye apprehend no danger of wrath, or immunity from it, certainly God will plead with you. Justice must so far be glo­rified, as once to conclude you under the sen­tence of death; If ye do it not now, then ye leave God to be your Judge and Party. But if any man shall take with his guiltinesse, till his mouth be stopped, and condemne himself in Gods sight; I say Mercy and Grace in God must not be wronged, he that judges him­self, shall not be judged of the Lord. VVhat a fair offer is this to you all? The Lord offers to you, if ye will in time be your own judges, I will resigne my judgement to you; If ye will [Page 44] but in earnest passe the sentence, I will nathe [...] passe it nor execute it. If ye come to the Me­diator Christ Jesus, to escape from the wrath o [...] a Judge, you shall meet with a reconciled Fa­ther, and with such love in him, as shall hide a multitude of offences. O! the depth and height, and breadth of that Love! VVell then, it shall be a Sea to cast your offences into, that shall drown them. Had not his people many spots? Is there any man can say, I have cleans­ed my heart from iniquity? No, not one. Ye [...] behold, he sees no spots in his people: He doth not make them his people because spotlesse, but he seeth them spotlesse, because he makes them his people▪ There is no covering that can hide mens uncleannesse from his piercing eye, but one, even Jesus Christ his Righteousnesse; And blest is he whose sins are covered: If this covering were spread over the mouth of all Hell, then Hell should have a covering from his Eyes. If ye therefore strip your selves naked of your own pretences and leaves, and think not your self secure under any created shelter; if ye hide not your iniquity, then it shall be hid indeed; Here is a covering that shall hide it from his Eyes. There is no spot so heinous, none so in­grained, but the Blood of Jesus can wash it as perfectly out, as if it had never been, Isai. 16. 17. Though your spots were such as are not in­cident to his Children, yet this Blood cleanses from one and all, it is of an infinite nature. But though it be so, that the Blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin, that there is a fountain opened in the house of David for sin and for uncleanness, for sin and separation, for such hainous offences as may [Page 45] separat people, even from the Congregation of the Lords people. Yet there are some sins, some spots that ordinarly his people are not defiled with, and in this respect they may be called holy and undefiled in the way. There are some Ma [...]ks and Characters of unrege­nerated men, so legible and expresse, that we may even read [...]rom mens Conversation, that they are not the Children of God. Though the blood of Christ wash from all, yet the child of God ordinarily is kept from some kind of spots, so that if a man shall be spotted with them, its no marvel he question if he be a child or not. There are two, which I think so gross and unclean spots, that I cannot con­ceive how a soul washen by Jesus Christ, can be defiled with them; one is, a course of profani­ty; the common walk of the multitude is so grosse and profane, so void of God and godli­nesse, that it witnesseth to their face that they are not the sons of God: He that is born of God sin­neth not; he maketh not sin his way and trade to walk into, and please himself into. What are the most part of you, I pray you? Is your spot like the spot of his children? Do not ye declare your sin as Sodom, ye drunkards, who wallow in it daily, and though ye professe repentance, yet never amend? Ye who have a custome of swearing and blasph [...]ming his holy Name, do not ye carry in your fore-head a spot that is not like his children? The child of God may fall in many particulars, but it is not the spot of a child to continue in them, to add drunkennesse to [...]hirst, and yet to dream of escaping wrath. I pray you consider it; for it is of great moment. [Page 46] Do ye carry such a black mark, the devils mark? O! do not think your selves safe. May not this perswade you? Do but compare your selve [...] in your converse and walk with an heathen without the Church, set aside your publick pro­fession of coming to the Church and hearing th [...] word and Church priviledges: And is there diffe­rence visible between you and them? Many o [...] you pray no more in secret, or in your familie [...] nor they; ye curse and swear as they, ye are cove­tous and worldly as they; And if ye can, do b [...] draw a line of difference? and if ye cannot then I ask what are ye? Is not this the spot o [...] Bastards? Another spot is, hatred of Godlines [...] and the Godly, this is indeed the most livel [...] image of the Devil; who hates his brother is of th [...] Devil. He that hats the Son can he love the Father He that hats him that is begotten, hats also him that begat him: And he that loves him that be­gat, loves him that is begotten. Now hovv ca [...] he be begotten of God, who hates that nature h [...] is said to partake of, who hats him that is begot­ten? I wonder that many of your conscience are not touched vvith this? how can ye ima­gine ye are children of God, when there is non [...] of your neighbours that your heart riseth mo [...] against, that ye can least abide, nor those wh [...] seek God most diligently, whose conversation different from the worlds. Do not flatter you selves, as if it vvere Hypocrisie ye hated? No no, ye can agree vvith profanity, and hovv ca [...] ye hate Hypocrisie? ye can agree vvith a pr [...] ­fane hypocrite, vvith a profane man, th [...] feigns and dissembles repentance, but if once were so throughly changed, as to hate his fo [...] mer [Page 47] way and forsake it, then your antipathy be­ginneth. What a ridiculous thing is it, for pro­fanity to take upon it to censure hypocrisie? Certainly if profanity cast out with hypocrisie, it must be because it hath a form of godlinesse, which it so much detesteth. It is a strange hatred at godlinesse that a profane man hath, that he cannot abide the very shadow of it. I beseech you who love not holinesse in your own persons, who hate to be reformed your selves, do not add this hight of sin to it, as to hate it in others also. If ye be not godly your selves, do not add this declared manifest character of a child of the de­vil to it, to hate godlinesse in others. There were some hope of you, if ye held it in reverence and estimation where ye saw it. There are ma­ny other spots not incident to his children, as this, that men will not take with their sin and the curse; it is a great difficulty to convince the most part of men how miserable they are, how void of God: all the world will not put them out of a good opinion of themselves: And I think this hath been the spot of this people; they would not take with their guiltinesse, a stub­born-hearted people, whole-hearted. There needs no more to declare a number of you not to be Gods children, but this, ye have lived all your time in the opinion and belief that ye were Gods children, that ye believed in him; ye ne­ver saw your selves lost and miserable. This was the spot of this people, that they esteemed themselves children, though they had many spots that testified to their face that they were no children; they waxed worse and worse, neither mercies nor judgements amended them: when [Page 48] be slew them, it may be, they sought him, and flat­tered him with their mouth, but their hearts were no [...] right with him, neither were they stedfast in his Cove­nant, Psal. 78, 34. Ye would have thought them a godly people while under the rod for a season, but all that was but extorted and pressed out by violence of affliction, as the groans of a beast under a burden; but a little time declared that i [...] was but flattery, though they thought themselve [...] ingenuous, and therefore they returned to thei [...] old provocations, as a sow to the puddle, or [...] dog to his vomit. And is not this our spot, eve [...] the spot of great and small; If any would loo [...] upon us in our ingadgements and vows unde [...] trouble, we appear like his people, a praying repenting, and believing people. But how quick­ly doth all this prove flattery? Do we not still return to our old wayes, that we have been ex­amplarly punished for, and which we so solemn­ly ingaged against. The [...]eat of the furnace dieth out, and they waxe colder and harder, a little time wears away all their tendernesse: every man to his own things, and no man seeks the things of Jesus Christ. This was this peoples sin and spot. Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked, and light­ly esteemed the Rock of their Salvation. VVhe [...] their heads were lifted up to Government, whe [...] they were raised out of the waters of afflictio [...] and poverty; Then they forgat God, they op­pressed the poor and needy, eat up his people a bread, and could not abide to have their faul [...] told them, they said to the Seers, see not, and [...] the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things, &c Isai. 30. 10. I think likewise, that oppressio [...] is not the spot of his Children, whoever use it [Page 49] And covetousn [...]sse presses men to it, when pow­er is in their hand to compasse it: This is a vile spot, unworthy of any Ruler, let be a Chri­stian: It was abhored among Pagans. O! but it cries to heaven, (sayeth the Scripture) it hath a double cry when other sins cry once. The heinousnesse of it cryeth once, and the poor people cry again, and both these come up to the Ears of the Lord of Hosts; Nay, it hath the cry of Murther and another beside. He that is greedy of gain, is said to take away the life of the owners thereof, Pro. 1. 19. So he is a Murther­er before God, and the poor mans blood crieth for vengeance, and then himself seconds it ei­ther by prayer, or crying out for misery, Job. 35. 9. All mens prayers and professions will not outcry these two. The peoples many prayers could not be heard, Isai. 1. 15. because their hands were full of blood, which had a louder cry then their prayers. The poor also oppressing the poor, is like a sweeping rain that leaves nothing behind it.

It is read in the Margin, that they are not his Children, this is their blot. And indeed it is so; It is a great blot and stain in the face of any man whoever he be, that he is not born of God, that he can reckon kindred to none but Adam; But what indignity is it and disgrace for a people [...]rofessing his Name, yet to have no other Ge­ [...]eration, to reckon no higher then the Earth [...]d the Earthly. What is now the great blot [...] our visible Church? Here it is, the most [...]rt are not Gods Children, but called so; And is the greater blot that they are called so, and [...]e not. O poor Saints esteem your ho­nour [Page 50] and high priviledge, ye have received this to be the sons of God. It is no blot to you, that ye are poor and despised in the World: But it is and shall be an eternal blot, to the great and rich and wise in the World, that they are not the Children of God. Christianity is no [...] blot, though it be in reproach among men, bu [...] it is really the glory and excellency of a man but the want of it, alas, how doth it abase many high and noble, empoverish many rich, an [...] infatuat many wise? Ye think all of you a [...] the Children of God, because ye are in th [...] Church, and partake of the Ordinances and Sacraments: and so did this people. But Moses did not flatter these Jews, but told bo [...] Princes and People in their face, that they we [...] not Children of God, because only Israel in th [...] letter, they had not childrens manners. Oh that it might not be said of the most part of yo [...] that ye are not children of God, and that that your blot and shame. It is the shame of Ru [...] ers, not to be the Children of God. They a [...] Wise, they are Active, they are Noble, b [...] one Spot disgraceth all, one fly maketh the Oyntment stink, they are not gracious, ma [...] of them but sons of men at the farthest recko [...] ing, are not begotten again to a lively Hop [...] Not many Wise, not many Noble, not many Ri [...] The scantnesse of gracious men, is the Spot [...] Judicatories, that there are many Children the World, but few Children of Light in the [...] O! how beautiful and glorious would Judi [...] tories be, if all the Members were Children Light? What glory would there be, if all them did shine and enlightened one anothe [...] [Page 51] But what beauty or comelinesse, what Maje­sty can be in Rulers, or Judicatories, when the Image of God is not in them? This is also the Spot of Assemblies, Synods, Presbytries, that there are few godly Ministers. Alas that this complaint should be, even among those, whose Office it is to beget many Children to God, how few of them are begotten, or hath the Image of their Father? And thus Church-Assemblies have no beauty, such as the Courts of Jesus Christ should have. O! that we were in love with Christianity and Grace, that it were our grand question, how shall I be put among the Children? The Lord seems to wonder at it and make a question of it, How can such as we be put among the Children? Jer. 3. 19. But he answers it himself, thou shalt call me, my Father, and shalt not turn away from me. There is no more, but take with your wander­ings, and wrongs done to God; Imbrace him in Jesus Christ, and he becomes your Fa­ther, and if ye be Children, sure ye will re­solve to abide in your Fathers house, and turn no more to a present world, or your former lusts.

They are a perverse and crooked generation] What pleasure hath the Lord in speaking thus, when he upbraids none? Certainly, in a manner it is drawn out of him. Would he ob­ [...]ect our faults, if we did not defend them by obstinacy. Perversnesse and crookednesse is obstinacy and incorrigiblenesse against Mercies [...]nd Judgements. That which is crooked, cannot [...]e made straight, saith Solomon. Then doth the Lord take notice of sins, when men refuse to [Page 52] return, and so maintain their sins. It is thi [...] which hightens provocations and makes ou [...] the controversy, perversnesse in sin. It is no [...] ordinary common infirmities that the Lord pu­nisheth, either in a Land or Person; bu [...] when infirmities are discovered by the Light o [...] the Word, when the Lord useth means to re­claim men in his Providence, and yet no mean [...] prevail; then are they reckoned perverse Now perversnesse is not the spot of his Chil­dren: The Child of God daily bowes, an [...] folds to him, receives challenges from him taks with iniquity, and yields unto God. O [...] that this Title might not be written above th [...] head of this generation deservedly. This is perverse and crooked generation.

SERMON V.

AFter mans first transgression he was shut o [...] from the Tree of Life, and cast out of t [...] Garden, by which was signified, his seclu [...] on and sequestration from the presence of Go [...] and communion with him: And this was a manner the extermination of all mankind one, when Adam was driven out of Parad [...] [Page 53] Now this had been an eternal separation for any thing that we could do (for we can do no­thing, but depart by a perpetual backsliding, and make the distance every day wider) except it had pleased the Lord of his infinite Grace, to condescend to draw near to us in gracious Promises and offers of a Redeemer. If he had not made the first journey from Heaven to Earth, by sending his only Son, we should have given over the hope of returning from Earth to Heaven. But he hath taken away the great­est part of that distance, in drawing near to our Nature; yea, in assuming our Flesh into the fellowship of his glorious Divinity. He hath stooped so low to meet with us, and offered himself the trysting place between God and us, a fit meeting place, where there is an conjuncti­on of the interests of both Parties. And now there is no more to do, but to draw near to God in Jesus Christ, since he hath made the great journey to come down to us. We have not that infinite gulfe of satisfaction to Justice to passe over, we have not the height of Divine Majesty, as he is infinitely above us, and of­fended with us, to climb up unto. Certainly we could not but fall into the Lake that is below us, if we were to aim so high. But the Lord hath been pleased to descend to us, in our mean capacity in the Flesh, and fill up that immen­surable gulfe of Justice, by the infinite merits and sufferrings of his Son in our Flesh. And now he invites us, be requests us to come to him in his Son and have life. VVe are not come to Mount Sinai, that might not be touched, that burnt with Fire and Tempest, where there were [Page 54] terrible sights and intollerable noises. I say, such a God we might have had to do with, [...] consuming fire, instead of instructing light; A devouring fire, instead of a healing Sun of Righ­teousnesse, considering that there is nothing in us, which is not fit and prepared fuel for ever­lasting burnings. But we are come (and that is the eternal wonder of Angels) unto Moun [...] Sion, to be Citizens in the City of God, and fellow citizens with blessed Angels and glori­fied Spirits, to Peace and Reconciliation with him who was our Judge. And if you ask how this may be? I answer, because we have one Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant t [...] come to, whose Blood cryeth louder for par­don of sinners, then all mens transgression can cry for punishment of sinners, Heb. 12. 18, 19. 20. &c.

Let us then Consider the first step and deare [...] of Union with God, it consists in Faith in Je­sus Christ. This is the first motion of the Sou [...] in drawing near to God; For, as there is n [...] remission without Blood; So no accesse to Go [...] without a Mediator. For if you consider wha [...] is in Jesus Christ, you will find that which wil [...] engage the desire of the heart; as also, tha [...] which will give boldnesse and confidence to ac [...] that desire. Eternal Life is promised and proposed in him, he offers rest to weary souls, an [...] hath it to give. That which we ignorantly an [...] vainly seek elswhere, here it is to be found For Personal Excellencies, he is the chief infinitely beyond comparison; And for Sutablenesse to us and our necessities, all the Gospel an expression of it: So that he is presented [Page 55] the most attractive drawing manner that can be imagined. And then when the desires are in­flamed, yet if there be no Oyl of hope to feed it, it will soon cool again. Therefore take a view again, and you may have boldnesse to enter in­to the Holiest, by the Blood of Jesus. There was some kind of distance kept in the Old Te­stament, none but the High Priest might enter into the Holiest Place; But the entry of our High Priest into it, that is into Heaven, hath made it patent to all that come to him and ap­ply his Blood. There is a new and living way by the holy flesh of Christ, consecrated and made of infinite value and use, by the Divini­ty of his Person: And therefore, having such a one of our kindred so great with God, we may draw near with a true heart, and full assurance of faith, having our consciences sprinkled, &c. Heb. 10: 18. 19, 20. &c. Now, since the way is made plain to you, and the entry is opened up in the Gospel; Do you not find your hearts stir with in you to draw near to him? Do you not find a necessity of making peace by such a Mediator? O! that you knew the great di­stance between God and your Natures, and what the hazard is: Loe, they that are far from thee shall perish: Then certainly, you would take hold of this invitation, and be easily drawn unto Jesus Christ. But unto you who have adventured to draw near for pardon of sin in Christ; I would recommend unto you, that you would draw yet nearer to God. After that the partition wall of wrath and condemnation is removed; yet there is much darknesse in your minds, and corruption in our natures that sepa­rats [Page 56] from him. I mean intercepts and disturbs that blessed communion you are called unto. Therefore I would exhort you, as James, draw near to God, and he will draw near to you, ch. 4. 8. And that, wherein this most consists, is in studying that purification of our natures, that cleansing of our hearts from guile, and our hands from offences, by which our Souls may draw towards a resemblance of God. This ac­cesse and drawing near to God in assimilation, and conformity of nature, is the great designe of the Gospel, Be ye holy, for I am holy. Now ye are agreed, walk with him, Amos 3. 3. As Enoch walked with God, Gen. 5. 24. That is, labour in all your conversation, to set him be­fore your eyes, and to study to be well pleased with him in all things, and to please him in all; to conform your selves to his pleasure in every thing. And this Communion in walking, espe­cially consists, in that Communication of the Spirit with God in prayer: This is the near­est and sweatest approach, when the Soul is lifted up to God, and is almost out of it self in him: And this being the ordinary exercise and motion of the Soul, it exceedingly advances in the first point of nearnesse, that is, in confor­mity with God. Drawing often near in Com­munion with him in prayer, makes the Soul­draw towards his likenesse, even as much con­verse of men together, will make them like one another.

Now for the commendation of this, It is good; What greater evil can be imagined then separa­tion from the greatest Good? And what great­er good, then accession to the greatest Good [Page 57] Every thing is in so far happy and well, as it is joyned with and enjoyeth that which is conve­nient for it. Light is the perfection of the Earth, remove it, and what a disconsolat and unpleasant thing is it? Now truely there is nothing suitable to the immortal Spirit of man, but God; And therefore, all its happinesse or misery must be measured by the accesse or re­cesse, Nearnesse or distance of that infinite Goodnesse. Therefore, is it any wonder, that all they that go a whoring from him, perish, as eve­ry mans heart doeth: For we are infinitly bound by Creation, by many other bonds stronger then wedlock, to consecrat and devote our selves wholly to God, but this is treacher­ously broken: Every man turns aside to vani­ty and lies, and is guilty of heart whoredome from God and spiritual idolatry, because the Affection that should be preserved chast for him, is prostitute to every base object: So then, this divorcement of the Soul from God, cannot but follow thereupon, even an eternal ecclipse of true and real life and comfort. And whoever draw back from the Fountain of Life and Salvation, cannot but find elsewhere per­dition and destruction. Heb. 10. ult. My be­loved, let us set this aside all other things which are the pursuites and endeavours of the most part of men. Mens natural desires are carried towards Health, Food, Raiment, Life and Li­berty, Peace and such like. But the more ra­tional sort of men, seek after some shadow of Wisdom and Virtue. Yet the generality of men, both high and low, have extravagant, il­limited desires toward Riches, Pleasure, Pre­ferment; [Page 58] And all that we have spoken, is inclosed within the narrow compasse of mens abode here, which is but for a moment; so that if it were possible, that all these foremention­ed desires and delights of men, could attend any man for the space of an hundreth years, though he had the concurrance of the streames of the Creatures to bring him in satisfaction, though all the world should bow to him and be subject to the beck of his authority, without stroak of Sword, though all the Creatures should spend their strength and wit upon his satisfaction; yet do but consider what that shall be within some few years, when he shall be spoiled of all that attendance, denuded of all external comforts, when the fatal period must close his life, peace, health and all; and his poor Soul also, that was drowned in that guif of pleasure, shall then find it self robbed of its precious Treasure, that is, Gods favour, and so remain in everlasting banishment from his presence. Do ye think, I say, that man were happy. Nay! O happy Lazarus who is now blessed in Abrahams bosom, who enjoyes an eternity of happinesse, for a mo­ments misery. But my beloved, you know that it is not possible, even to attain to that imagined happinesse here. All the gain that is found, is not able to quit the cost and expense of grief, vexation, care, toyling and sweating that is about them.

But if you would be perswaded, there is that to be found easily, which you trouble your selves seeking elsewhere: And believe me, though the general apprehension of men be, that peace, plenty, preferment and satisfaction in [Page 59] this life, to compense their pains, is more ea­sily attainable then fellowship and communion with God; Yet I am perswaded that there is nothing more practicable then the life of Reli­gion. God hath condemned the World under vanity and a curse, and that which is crooked, can by no art or strength be made straight; But he hath made this attainable, by his gracious Promises, even a blessed life, in approaching near to himself the Fountain of all Life. And this is a certain Good, an universal Good, and an eternal Good. It will not disapoint you as other things do, of which, you have no assu­rance for all your toylings. This is made more infallible to a soul that truely seeks it in God. It is als certain, that they cannot be ashamed through frustration, as that he is faithful. And then it is an universal Good, one comprehen­sive of all, one eminently and virtually all things created, to be joyned to the infinite all-fulnesse of God: This advanceth the Soul to a parti­cipation of all that is in him. This is health, Psal. 42. last, Prov. 3. 8. This is light, Jo. 8. 12. It is life, Jo. 11. 25. Liberty, Job. 8. 36. Food and Raiment, Isai. 61. 10. And Jo. 4. 14. And what not? It is profit, pleasure, prefer­ment in the superlative degree, and not scatter­ed in so many various streames, which divide and distract the heart, but all conbined in one. It is the true Good of both Soul and Body, and so the only Good of man. And lastly it is eter­nal, to be coaetaneous with thy Soul: Of all other things it may be said, I have seen an end of them, they were and are not: but this will sur­vive time, and all the changes of it, and then it [Page 60] will begin to be perfect, when all perfection is at an end. Now from all this, I would exhort you in Jesus Christ, to ponder those things in your hearts, and consider them in reference to your own Souls, that ye may say with David, It is good for me to draw near to God.

That which all men seek after, is happinesse and well being. Men pursue nothing but un­der the notion of Good; And to compleat that which may be called Good, there is requir­ed some excellency in the thing it self, and then a conveniency and sutablenesse to us; And these joyntly draw the heart of man. But the great misery is, that there is so much ignorance and misapprehension of that which is truely Good; And then when any thing of it is known, there is so little serious consideration and appli­cation of it to our selves; And this makes the most part of men wander up and down in the pursuit of divers things, which are not that true Good of the Soul, and set their hearts on that which is not, until they find their hearts fall down, as wanting a foundation, and then they turn about again to some other vanity. And so the wanderings and strayings of men are infi­nite, because the by-wayes are innumerable, though the true way be but one: Yea, the turnings, and toylings of one man are various and manifold, because, he quickly losses the sent of happinesse in every way he falls into, and therefore must turn to another. And thus men are never at any solid setting about this great bu­sinesse; never resolute wherein this happinesse consists, nor perremptor to follow it; But [Page 61] they fluctuat upon uncertain apprehensions, and divers affections, until the time and date of Sal­vation expire, and then they must know cer­tainly and surely, the inevitable danger and ir­recoverable losse they have brought themselves to, who would not take notice of the sure way, of escaping both wrath, and attaining happinesse while it was to be found.

Well then, this is the great businesse we have here to do; yea, to make the circle the larg­er, it is that great businesse we have to do in this world, to know wherein the true well be­ing and eternal wellfare of our Souls consists, and by any means to apply unto that, as the on­ly thing necessary, in regard of which, all other things are Ceremonies, Circumstances and in­different things. And to guide us in this Exa­mination and Application, here is one man who having almost made shipwrack upon the Rocks which men commonly dash upon, and being by the Lord led safely by, and almost ar­rived at the Coast of true Felicity, he sets out a Beacon, and lights a Candle to all who shall follow him, to direct them which way they shall stirre their course. Examples teach more effe­ctually then Rules; It is easie for every man to speak well upon this Point in general, and readily all will acknowledge, that here it is, and no where else: But yet all this is outcry­ed by the contrary noise of every mans practice. These general grants of Truth, are recalled in the conversations of men; Therefore they can­not have much influence upon any man: But when we hear one speak, and see him walk so too; when we have the example of a most [Page 62] wise man, who wanted not these worldly ex­pectations, which other men have; So that he not only propones it to us, but after much serious advisement, after mature consideration of all that can be said, of the wickeds best estate and the godlies worst, setting down resolute conclusions for himself. It is good for me to draw near to God; Yea, so determinate into it, tha [...] if none of the world should be of that mind, he would not change it; Though all should walk in other ways, he would choose to be rather alone in this, then in the greatest croud of company in any other. Now, I say, when we have such a Coppy cast us, a man of excellen [...] parts in sobriety and sadnesse, choosing that way, which all in words confesse to be the best, should not this awake us out of our dreams, and raise us up to some more attention and conside­ration of what we are doing? The words you see, are the holy resolution of a holy heart, con­cerning that which is the chiefest Good. You see the way to happinesse, and you find the par­ticular application of that to Davids Soul, or of his Soul to it. We shall speak a word of the thing it self, then of the commendation of it, then of the application of it.

For the thing it self, drawing near to God, it gives us some ground to take a view of the po­sture in which men are found by nature, far off from God. Our condition by nature, I cannot so fitly expresse, as in the Apostles words, Ep [...]. 2. 12. Without Christ, Aliens from the commo [...] wealth of Israel, strangers from the Covenant of Promise, having no hope, and without God in the World. A deplorable estate indeed, hopeless [...] [Page 63] and helplesse: No hope in it, that is the ex­tremity of misery, the refuse of all conditions. Without Christ, and without God. O! these are words of infinite weight: Without those, without whom i [...] is simply impossible to be happy: and without whom it is not possible but to be miserable, without the Fountain of Light, Life and Consolation, without which, there is nothing but pure darknesse, without a­ny beam of light; Nothing but death, with­out the least breathing of life; Nothing but vexation, without the least drop of consolati­on. In a word, without these, and wanting these, whom if you want, it were good to be spoyled of all beeing, to be nothing, if that could be, or never to have been any thing. Men will seek death, and cannot find it. O! what a losse and deprivement is the losse of God, which makes death more desireable then life; and not to be at all, infinitly preferable to any beeing. Now it is true, that the bring­ing in of multitudes within the pale of the Vi­sible Church, is some degree of accesse and near­nesse to God; for then they b [...]come Citizens (as to external right) in the Common-wealth of the Church, and have the offers of the Pro­mises made to them, in respect of which visible standing, the Apostle speaks of the whole Church of Ephesus. But now ye are made near who were far off, v. 13. notwithstanding, that many of them were found afterwards, to have left their first Love, Rev. 2. But yet, Belov­ed, to speak more inwardly, and as your Souls stand in the sight of God. The generality of those who are near hand in outward Ordinanc­es, [Page 64] are yet far off from God in reality, without God and without Christ, as really as touching a­ny Soul feeling, as those who are altogether without. The bond of Peace and Union was broken in Paradise, sin dissolved it, and broke off that nearnesse and friendship with God, and from that day to this day, there hath been an infinite distance and separation betwixt Man and God: The steps and degrees of it are ma­ny; There is darknesse and blindnesse in mens minds: Such ignorance naturally possesseth the multitude, so that it wholly Alienats them from the Life of God, Eph. 4. 18. For what fellow­ship can Light, that pure Light, have with such grosse Darknesse as is among us? This certainly, is the removal of that Sun of Righte­ousnesse from our Souls, or the imposition of the Clouds of transgression, that makes it so dark a night in the Souls of Men. And then there is nothing but enmity and desperate wickednesse in the heart of man, and this keeps the strong hold of the Affections, Rom. 8. Jer. 17. There cannot be a further elongation or separation of the Soul from God, then to turn so opposite in all inclinations and dispositions to his Holy Will: For the distance between God and us, is not local in the point of place; For whither shall we go from him who is every where? And thus he is near hand every one of us; but it is also real in the difformity and repugnancy of our Natures to his Holy Will. But add unto this, that being thus separated in Affecti­on, and disjoyned as it were, in natural Dis­positions, we cannot draw near to God in any Ordinance, as the Word, Prayer, &c, Though [Page 65] we may, as that People, draw near with out lips, and ask of him our duty, and seem to de­light to know him; Yet there is this natural incapacity and crookednesse in the heart of man, that it cannot truely approach unto the Father of Spirits, with any Soul desire and delight. But their hearts are removed far from me, Isa. 6. 9. Mat. 4. 12. I think men might observe, that their Souls act not in Religious businesse as they should; but that they remove their Souls ma­ny Myles distant from their Bodies, and they cannot keep any constancy in this approach of Prayer to God, cannot walk with him in their Conversation, or carry him along in their Me­ditation. But there is one point of estrange­ment and separation superadded to all, that there is no man can come near to God, without an Oblation and Offering of Peace; That there is no approaching to him, but as to a consum­ing Fire, except we can bring a Sacrifice to ap­pease, and a Present to please him for our infi­nite offences: There the difference stands, we cannot draw near to walk together, till we be agreed. And truely, this unto man is impos­sible, for we have nothing so precious as the Redemption of our Souls, nothing can com­pense infinite Wrongs, or satisfie infinite Ju­stice. Now this seems to make our nearnesse a­gain desperate, and to put men furthest off from Hope.

Notwithstanding, this is the very purpose of the Gospel, Preached from the beginning of the World, to remove that distance, and to take impediments of meeting out of the way; For that great obstruction, the want of a Sacrifice, [Page 66] and Ransome, the Lord hath supplied it, he himself hath furnished it: And it was the great designe carried on from the beginning of the World: But as the Sun, the nearer he is, the more the Earth is Enlightened, so here, first some dawning of Light appears, as a Mes­senger of Hope, to tell that the Redeemer shall come, that the True Sacrifice shall be slain; then still the nearer his own appearing, the clear­er are the Manifestations of him, and the great designe is more opened up, till at length he breaks out in Glory, from under a Cloud, and shews himself to the World, to be that Lamb of God that should take away the sins of the World. And now as the Apostle to the Hebrewes speaks, Chap. 7. 19. The Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the which we draw nigh to God. All the Sacrifices and Shadows that were under the Law, did but point at this perfect Ransom, and the way of accesse to God through a Mediator was not so clear, but now the matter is made as hopeful as is possible, the partition wall of the Lawes curses, the hand-writting against us is remov­ed one the Crosse, the enmity slain, the distance removed by the Blood of the Crosse, being part­ly filled up by his descent into our Nature, part­ly by his lower descent in our Nature to suffer Death. And this is the savoury Oblation that we have to present to God, and may have bold­ness to come nigh because of it. And when once our accesse is made by the Blood of Jesus Christ, then we are called and allowed to come still nigher, to cleave and adhere to him as our Father, to pray unto him, to walk with him; [Page 67] Then we should converse as Friends and Fami­liars together, then draw nigh to his Light for Illumination, and to him as the Fountain of Life, for quickening, to place our delight and desire in him, to forsake all other things, even our Wills and Pleasures, and to lose them, that they may be found in his, to converse much in his Company, and be often in Communicati­on with him, and Meditation upon him. This is the very designe and substance of the Gospel, it holds forth the way of making up the breach between Man and God, of bringing you nigh who are yet afar off, and nearer who are near hand. Oh let us hearken to it.

SERMON VI.

THere are some peculiar Gifts that God hath given to man in his first Creation, and en­dued his N [...]ture with, beyond other living Creatures, which being rightly ordered and improved towards the right Objects, do ad­vance the Soul of man to a wonderful height of Happinesse, that no other sublunary Creature is capable of. But by reason of mans fall into sin, these are quite disordered, and turned out of the right Channel; And therefore as the right improvement of them would make man happy: so the wrong imployment of them, loadens him with more real misery, then any other creature: I mean, God hath given to man two notable Capacities, beyond other things, one is; to know and reflect upon him­self, and to consider what conveniency is in any thing towards himself, what goodnesse or ad­vantage redounds to himself from them, and in that reflection and comparison to enjoy what he hath. Another is to look forward, beyond the present time, and as it were, to anticipat and prevent the slow motions of time, by a kind of foresight and providence. In a word, he is a Creature framed unto more understanding [Page 69] then others, and so capable of more joy in pre­sent things, and more foresight of the time to come; He is made mortal, yet with an im­mortal Spirit, of an immortal capacity, that hath its eye upon the morrow, upon eterni­ty. Now herein consists either mans Happi­nesse or Misery, how he refl [...]cts upon himself, and what he chooseth f [...]r the matter of his Joy and Gloriation, and what providence he hath for the time to come. If those be rightly or­dered, all is well; but if not, then woe un­to him, there is more hope of a beast then of him.

Mans Nature inclines to boasting, to glo­rying in something, and this ariseth from some apprehended excellency or advantage, and so is originated in the understanding power of man, which is far above beasts: Beasts find the things themselves, but they do not, they cannot reflect upon their own enjoyment of them; And therefore they are not capable of such pleasure: for the more distinct knowledge of things in relation to our selves, the more de­light ensueth upon it. Many Creatures have singular qualities and vertues, but they are no­thing the happier; For they know them not, and have no use of them, but are wholly desti­nated to the use of man, who therefore is only said to enjoy them, because he only is capable of joy from them. And this, I suppose, may give us a hint, at the absolute incomprehensible Blessedness, self-complacency and delight of God; It cannot but be immeasurably great, seing the knowledge of himself and all crea­tures is infinite, he comprehends all his own [Page 70] Power and Vertue and Goodness; And there­fore his Delight and Rejoycing is answerable. There is a glorying and boasting then that is good, which man is naturally framed unto: And this is that which David expresses, Psa. 34. 2. My Soul shall make her boast in God; And Psal. 44. 8. In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. When the Soul appre­hends that All-sufficiency, and self-sufficient fulnesse of God; What infinite Treasures of Goodnesse, and Wisdom and Power are in him, and so how sutable and covenient he is to the condition of the Soul; What a sweet correspondence there is between his fulnesse and our emptinesse; His Mercy and our Misery; His Infinitenesse and our unsutablenesse, that there is in him to fill and overflow the Soul. The apprehension of this, cannot but in a manner perfume the Soul with delight. You find how the senses are refreshed, when they meet with their sutable Object; How a pleasant smell refresheth the [...]ent; How lively and beauti­full colours are delightful to the eye. But much more here, God is the proportioned Ob­ject of the immortal Spirit, he corresponds to all its capacities, and fills it with unconceivable sweetness. But, my beloved, boasting and glorying in him, ariseth not only from the pro­portionableness and conveniency of him to our Spirits: but this must be superadded, proprie­ty in him. Things are loved, because excel­lent in themselves, or because they are our own. But we boast in nothing, we glory in nothing but because it is both excellent in it self, and ours besides. It is the apprehended interest in any [Page 71] thing, makes the Soul rise and lift up it self after this manner, to have such a one to be ours, such a Lord to be our God, one so high and sublime, one so universally full to be made over to thee; Here is the immediate rise of the Souls Gloria­tion. And truely as there is nothing can be so sutable a portion, so there is nothing that can be so truely made ours as God; Of all things a believer hath, there is nothing so much his own as God, nothing so indissolubly tyed unto him, nothing so inseparably joyned. See Pauls Triumph upon that account, Rom. 8. No­thing can truely be said to be the Souls own, but that which is not only Coaetaneous with it, that survives mortality, and the changes of the Body; But likewise is inseparable from it. What a poor empty sound, is all that can be spoken of him, till your Souls be once possessed of him? It cannot make your hearts leap within you, but it can­not but excite and stirre up a Believers heart.

Now there may be a lawful kind of Gloria­tion Rejoycing in the Works of God, conse­quent to the first, which is a little stream from that greater River which runs out from it, and flows in to it again. A Soul that truely appre­hends God, will take delight to view the Works of God, which make such an expression of him, and are a part of the magnificence of our Hea­venly Father: But this is all in reference to him and not to our selves, for then it degene­rats and loseth its sweetnesse, when once it turns the Channel towards the adorning of the Creature. True boasting in God hath neces­sarly [Page 72] conjoyned with it, an humble and low esteem of a mans self, Psal. 34. 2. The humble shall hear thereof, and be glade. As humility and self-emptiness made David go out of him­self, to seek satisfaction in God, and having found it, he boasts and triumphs, so there were none capable of understanding his tri­umph, or partaking with him in his delights, but the humble Souls. Now you may per­ceive, how far this boasting here spoken of, is degenerated from that, and so how far man [...] nature is spoiled. Boast not thy self, &c. The tru [...] boasting we were created unto, hath [...] sufficient foundation, even such as will bea [...] the weight of triumph, but that which men [...] spirits are now naturally set upon, cannot ca­ry, cannot sound such Gloriation; And there­fore this boasting makes men ridiculous. If you saw a man glorying in rags, setting forth himself to be admired in them, or boasting in some vain despicable and base thing, you would pity him, or laugh at him as one distemper­ed. The truth is, Natural man is mad, hath lost his Judgement, and is under the greatest distraction imaginable since the fall: That fall hath troubled his brains, and they are never setled, till the new Creation come to put all right again, and compose the heart of man. I say, all other distractions are but particular, in respect to particular things: But there is a generall distraction over all mankind, in refe­rence to things of most general and most eter­nal concernment. Now fools and mad per­sons, they retain the same affections and passi­ons [Page 73] that are in men, as anger, love, hatred, grief, joy, &c. but it is so much the worse, since the judgement, which is the only di­rective and guide of them is troubled: Now they are set on wrong Objects, they run at random, and are under no kind of Rule, and so they hurry the poor man, and put him in a pitiful case. Now indeed so it is with us, since sin entered, the Soul is wholly turned off God, the only true Object of de­light, in which only there can be solid glori­ation. The mind of man is blinded, and his passions are strong, and so they are now spent upon empty vanities, and carried head­long without judgement. Oftentimes he glo­ries in that which is his shame, and boasts in that which is his sin, and which will cause nothing but shame, the more weight be laid upon it. There is in man an Oblivi­on and forgetfulnesse of God, and in this darknesse of the ignorance of God, every thing is apprehended or misapprehended as present sense suggests, and as it fancies a con­veniency or excellency, thither the Soul is carried as if it were something, and then it is but the east Wind; There is nothing be­side God that is a fit matter of boasting, be­cause it laikes one of the Essential Ingredi­ents; Either it is not suitable to the Soul, or it is not truely our own; There wants either proportion to the vast capacity and void of our desires, and so cannot fill up that really, but only in a deluding dream or imaginati­on, and therefore will certainly make the issue rather vexation then gloriation; Or [Page 74] there wants property and interest in them; For they are changeable and perishing in their own nature and by Divine appointment, that they cannot be conceived to be the proper Good of the immortal Soul; They cannot be true­ly our own, because they will shortly cease to be, and before they cease to be, they may in a moment cease to be ours; Tha [...] tye of Interest is a draw-knot, what­soever catcheth hold of the end of it, loos­eth it.

The Object of degenerat and vitious boast­ing is here held out; Boast not thy self, o [...] of thy self. Whatsoever be the immediat mat­ter of it, this is alwayes the ultimat and prin­cipal Object. Since man fell from God, se [...] is the center of all his affections and moti­ons: This is the great Idol, the Diana, tha [...] the heart worships, and all the contention labour, clamour, and care that is amon [...] men, is about her Silver Shrines, so to speak something relating to the adorning or setting forth of this Idol. It is true, since the Hear [...] is turned from that direct subordination to God, the Affections are scattered and parted into infinite Channels, and run toward innumerable Objects; for the want of that Origi­nal Unity, which comprehends in its bos [...] universal plenty, must needs breed infinite variety, to supply the insatiable appetite of th [...] Soul. And this might be enough to convince you, that your Souls are quite out [...] course, and altogether wandered from the wa [...] of Happinesse, because they are poured out o [...] such a multiplicity of unsufficient, unsatisf [...] ing [Page 75] things, every one of which is narrow, limited and empty, and the combination and concurrance of all, being a thing either im­possible or improbable to be attained. But we may conceive, that mens Affections part them­selves into three great heads of created things: One of which, runs towards the Goods or Per­fections of the Mind; Another towards the Goods or advantages of the Body; And a third towards those things that are without us, hona fortunae, Riches and Honour, &c. Now each of these send out many Streams, and Ri­vulets as so many Branches from it; But all of them, though they seem to have a direct course towards other things, yet they wind a­bout and make a circular progresse to the great Ocean of self estimation, whence they issued at first. You may find all of those, Jer. 9. 23. falling under a Divine Interdiction and Curse, as being opposite to glorying in God. While men reflect within themselves, and behold some Endowments and Abilities in their minds be­yond other men, of which, Wisdom [...] the Principal, and here stands for all inward ad­vantages or qualifications of the Soul; In that secret reflection and comparison, there is a tacite Gloriation, which yet is a loud blas­phemy in Gods Eares. It is impossible al­most for a man to recognosce and review his own Parts, such as Ingine, Memory, Under­standing, Sharpnesse of Wit, Readinesse of Expression, Goodnesse and Gentlenesse of Na­ture; But that in such a review, the Soul must be puft up, apprehending some excellency be­yond other men, and taking complacency in it, [Page 76] which are the two Acts of Robery, that are in gloriation and boasting: Commonly this arise [...] from unequal comparisons, we please our selve [...] that we are deterio [...]ibus meliores, better then the worst, and builds self-estimation upon the ru­ines of other mens disadvantages, as if it were any point of praise in us, that they are worse like men that stand upon a height, and measure their own Altitude, not from their just intrin­sick quantity, but taking the advantage of the bottom, whereby we deceive our own selve [...] I remember a word of Solomons, that impo [...] how dangerous a thing it is for a man to refle [...] upon, or search into his own Glory, Prov. 2 [...] 27. It is not good to eat much honey: So for me to search their own glory, is not glory. To su [...] ­fet in the excesse of Honey or Sweet thing [...] drives to vomite and cloyes the Stomach, ver [...] 16. Though it be sweet, there is great need yea, the more need of Caution and Moderation about it; So for a man, either to searc [...] into his own breast, and reflect upon hi [...] ow [...] excellencies to find matter of Gloriation, or studiously to affect it among other and enquire into other mens accompt, and steem of him, it is no Glory, it is a dang [...] rous and shamful Folly. Now this is not only incident to Natural Spirits upon their co [...] siderations of their own advantages; but [...] ­ven to the most gracious, upon the review [...] Spirituall Endowments and Prerogatives. It is such a subtil and insinuating Poyson, th [...] it spreads universally, and infects the mo [...] Precious Oyntments of the Soul, and as were Poysons the very Antidot and Cou [...] terpoyson; [Page 77] So forcible is this that was first dropped into mans Nature by Satans envy, that it diffuses it self even into Humility and Humiliation it self, and makes a man proud, because of Humility. The Apostle found need to caveat this, Rom. 11. 18, 19, 20. Boast not, be not high minded, but fear, thou standest by faith. And Chap. 12. 16. Mind not high things, Be not wise in your own conceits. And 1. Cor. 8. 2. If any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing as he ought to know. All which, gives us a plain demonstration of this, that self gloria­tion and complacency in reflection upon our selves, is both the greatest Ignorance, and the worst Sacriledge. It is an Argument of greater ignorance for a man to think he knows, then not to know indeed; It is the worst and most dangerous Ignorance, to have such an o­pinion of our Knowledge, Gifts and Grac­es; For that puffes up, swells with empty Wind, and makes a vain tumor: And then it is great Sacriledge, a robbing of the Honour that is due to God. For what hast thou that thou hast not received. That appropriating of these things to our selves as ours, is an impro­priating of them from their right Owner, that is God, 1 Cor. 4. 7. For if thou did appre­hend that thou receivedst it, where then is glo­rying? I would desire then, that whenever you happen to reflect upon your selves, and observe any advantage either natural or spiri­tual in your selves, that you may think this word sounds from Heaven, Let him that glori­eth, glory in the Lord. Let not the wise man [Page 78] glory in his wisdom; And so not the Learned man in his Learning, nor the Eloquent man in his Speaking, nor the Ingenious man in his Quicknesse, nor the Good man in his Goodnesse: All these things though sweet, yet will surfeit; Gloriation in them is nei­ther Glory, nor Gain, neither Honourable nor Profitable.

Then the Stream of Gloriation flows in the Channel of Bodily Gifts, as Might, Strength of Body, Beauty and Comlinesse of Parts, and other such Endowments; which besides that it is as Irrational as the former, in Sa­crilegious Impropriation of the most free and Arbitrary Gifts of God to our selves; It is with all absurd, in that it is not so truely our selves: These bodily Ornaments and Indow­ments do not perfite or better a man as a man. They are but the alterable qualities of the Ves­sel or Tabernacle of a man, in which other-baser Creatures may far excell him. How many comely and beautiful Souls, are lodg­ed within obscure and ugly Cottages of Bo­dies of Clay, which will be taken down: And the great advantage is, that the Soul of a man, which is a man, cannot be defil­ed from without, that is, from the Body though never so loathsome or deformed: The vilest Body cannot marre the Soules beau­ty; But then on the other hand, the most beautiful Body is defiled and deformed, by the filthinesse of sin in the Soul: And O! how many deformed and ugly Souls dwell into beautiful and comely Bodies, which truely is no other thing, then a Divel in an [Page 79] Image well carved and painted. Christians, you had need to correct this within you, e­ven a self-complacency, joyned with despise­ing of others in the consideration of these ex­ternal Gifts God hath given you. What an abominable thing is it to cast up in reproach, or in your hearts to despise any other for na­tural Imperfections? Such as Blindnesse, Lamenesse, Deformity, or such like. Let that word sound alwayes in your Eares, Who made thee to differ from another? Boast not thy self, &c. But there is as strong a Stream runs in the third Channel, as in any; Glo­riation arising from these outward and extrin­sick differences, that the Providence of God makes among men, such as Riches, Honour, Gain, &c. You find such men, Psal. 49. 6. Prov. 18. 11. And 10. 15. That which a godly man makes the Name of the Lord, that is, the ground and foundation of his confi­dence for present and future times, that, the most part of men make their Riches; That is their strong City, and their high Wall, their Hope and Expectation is reposed within it. This is the Tower, or Wall of Defence against the Injuries and Calamities of the Times, which most part of men are build­ing, and if it go up quickly, if they can get these several Stones or peeces of gain scraped together into a heap, they straight way ima­gine themselves safe, as under a high Wall; But there is no truth in it, it is all but in their imagination, and therefore it comes often down about their Eares, and offends them in­stead of being a Defence. Let a man c [...]eep, as [Page 80] it were, from of the ground where the poor lie, and get some advantage of ground above them, or be exalted to some Dignity or Of­fice, and so set by the shoulders higher then the rest of the People, or [...]et grow in some more a­boundance of the things of this life, and strange it is, what a vanity or tumour of mind in­stantly follows: He presently thinks himself some body, and forgeting either who is a­bove him, to whom all are Worms creeping and crauling on the Foot-stool; Or what a sandy Foundation he stands upon himself, He begins to take some secret complacency in him­self, and to look down upon others below him; He applauds, as it were, unto him­self, and takes it in evil part to want the ap­probation and plaudite of others; Then he cannot so well endure effronts and injuries as be­fore; He is not so Meek and condescending to his Equals or Inferiours: While he was poor, he used intreaties, but now he answers roughly, Pro. 18. 23. As Solomon gives the Character of him. How many vain and em­pty Gloriations are there about the point of Birth and Place, and what foolish contenti­ons about those, as if it were Children strug­ling among themselves, about the order and rank; There is no worth in these things, but what fancy and custom impose upon them, and yet poor Creatures boast in these empty things. The Gentle Men despise Citizens, the Citizens contemn the poor Countrey Men, and yet their Bloods in a Bason have no diffe­rent Colours; For all this hot contention a­bout Blood and Birth. Boast not of thy self. [Page 81] Nay; to speak properly, this is not thy self. Qui genus laudat suum, aliena jactat. Such Pa­rents, and such a House is nothing of thy own, these are meer extrinsick things, which neither be a honour to unworthy men, nor a disgrace to one who is worthy.

You see, Beloved in the Lord, what is now the natural posture or inclination of our Souls in this degenerat and fallen Estate, as the Rivers of Paradise have changed their Channels and Course since the fall, so hath mans Affections, and so hath his Gloriation, so that it may be truely said, that our Glory is our Shame, and not our Glory. Many glory in Iniquity and Sin, Psal. [...]0 3. And 94 4. But that shall undoubtedly be their shame, and confusion be­fore Men and Angels. How many godless persons will Glory in swearing heinous and deep Oaths, and some have contended about the victory in it, you accompt it a point of gallen­try, but this Triumph is like the Devils in Hell upon the devouring of Souls. Some boast of drinking, and being able to drink others un­der the Table: But we should be humbled and mourn for such Abominations. Certain I am, that many boast of wicked designs, and mal [...]tious projects against their Neighbours; If they can accomplish them; They accompt their Glory, not to take a wrong without giv­ing a greater; Nor to suffer an evil word, with­out twenty worse in recompense. Alas, this Boasting will one day be turned into gnashing of Teeth, and this Gloriation into that gnaw­ing and ever-tormenting Worm of Conscience. And what will ye do in the day of that visitation, [Page 82] and where shall be your glory? But the most part Glory and boast in things that profit not, and will become their shame, because they glory in them, that is, these Gifts of God, outward or inward, Temporal or Spiritual, wherein there is any advancement above others; Unto whom, I would seriously commend this Sentence to be pondered duely, Boast not of thy self. Whatso­ever thou art, or whatsoever thou hast, boast not of thy self for it, think not much of thy self because of it: Though there be a difference in Gods Donation, yet let there be none in thy self-estimation: Hath thou more Wisdome and Pregnancy of Wit, or more Learning then another; Think not more of thy self for that, then thou thinkest of the Ignorant and Unlearn­ed who want it: Have that same reflection u­pon thine own unworthinesse, that thou would think reasonable another that wants these En­dowments should have: Is there a greater measure of Grace in thee, boast not, reckon of thy self as abstracted and denuded of that: And let it not add to thy value or accompt it thy self, put not add to thy value or accompt it thy self, put not in that to make it down-weight, and to make thee prefer thy self secretly to ano­ther. Whither it be some larger Fortune in the World, or some higher Place and Station a­mong Men, or some Abilities and Perfections of Body or Mind, which may intice the secret­ly to kisse thy [...]and, and bow down to thy self, yet remember that thou boast not, glory not in any thing but in the Lord: Let nothing of that kind conciliat more affection to thy self, or more contempt towards others. Let not any thing of that kind be the rule of thy self-judge­ing, [Page 83] but rather intertain the view of the other side of thy self, that is the worst, and keep that most in thy Eye, that thou may only glory in God. If thou be a Gentl [...] Man, labour to be als humble in Heart, as thou thinkest a Coun­trey Man or poor Tenant should be; If thou be a Scholar, be als low in thy own sight, as the unlearned should be; If Rich, count not thy self any whit better then the poor. Yea, the higher God set the in place or parts, the low­er thou ought to set thy self: Boast not of thy self, for any thing in thy self, or belonging to thy self, for the property of all Good is taken from us since the fall, and it is fallen in Gods Hand, since we forefeited it, and there is no­thing now properly ours, but evil, that is our self.

SERMON VII.

AS man is naturally given to Boasting and Gloriation in something (for the Heart cannot want some Object to rest upon and take complacency into, it is framed with such a capacity of employing other things) so there is a strong inclination in man towards the time to come, he hath an Immortal appetite, and an appetite of Immortality; and therefore his desires usually stretch farther then the present Ho [...]. And the more Knowledge he hath a­bove other Creatures, the more Providence he hath and foresight of the time to come. And so he often anticipats future things, by present Joy and Rejoycing in them, as he accelerats in a manner by his earnest desires and endeavours after them: Now if the Soul of man were in the Primitive Integrity, and had as clear and pearcing an Eye of Understanding as once it had, this Providence of the Soul would reach to the furthest period in Time; that is, to E­ternity, which is the only just measure of the endurance of any Immortal Spirit. But since the Eye of mans Understanding is darknesse, and his Soul disordered, he cannot see afar [Page 85] off, nor so clearly, by far: He is now as you say Sand-blind, can see nothing at such a di­stance, as beyond the bounds of Time, can see nothing but at hand, to morrow, this is the nar­row Sphere of poor mans comprehension; All he can attain unto, is to be provident for the present Time: I call it all present, even that which is to come of our Time; because in re­gard of Eternity it hath no part, it hath no flux or succession, it is so soon cut off as a moment, as the twinckling of an Eye: And so though a man could see the end of it, it is but a short and dim sight, it is as if a man could only be­hold that which is almost contiguous with his Eye. These then are the two great ruines and decayes of the Nature of man; He is degene­rated from God to created things, and seeks his Joy and Rest in them, in which there is nothing but the contrair; that is, vexation. And then he is fallen from apprehension of Eternity, and the poor Soul is confined within the narrow bounds of time; So that now all his Provi­dence, is to lay up some perishing things for some few revolutions of the Sun, for some few morrows, after which, though an endlesse mor­row ensue, yet he perceives it not, and provides not for it; And all his Glorying and Boast­ing is only upon some presumptuous confidence, and ungrounded assurance of the stability of these things for the time to come; which the Wise Man finding much folly in, he leaves us this Counsel, Boast not thy self of to morrow, with a most pungent reason, taken partly from the instability and inconstancy of all these outward [Page 86] things, in which men fancy an Eternity of Joy, and partly from the Ignorance we have of the fu­ture events, For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

This Boasting is an evil so predominant a­mong men, that I know not any more univer­sal in its Dominion, or more hurtful to us, or displeasing to God. If it could be so embowel­ed unto you, as that you might truely discern the many monstrous conceptions of Atheism and Irreligion that are in it, it were worth the while. But I shall not digresse upon the gene­ral head, I had rather keep within the limits of the Text. Self-boasting you see, is that which is here condemned, and the very Name is al­most enough to condemn the Nature of it. But there is another particular added to restrict that, Of to morrow. Of all Boastings the most irrational and groundlesse is that which arises from presumption of future things, which are so uncertain both in themselves and to us.

It is worth the observation, that whatever be the immediat and particular matter and oc­casion of mens Gloriation, yet Self is the great and ultimat Object of it: It is Self that men Glory into, whatsoever created thing be the reason or occasion of it. Boast not thy self of to-morrow. Here we might stand and take a look of the crookednesse and perversnesse of mans Spirit, since his departure from God; Self-love and Pride were the first poyson that the malice of Satan dropped into mans Nature, and this is so strong and pestilent, that it hath spread through the whole of mankind, and the whole [Page 87] in every man. Every one is infected, and all in every one. What are all the disordered affe­ctions in men, but so many Streams from this Fountain? And from these do mens Affecti­ons flow next: So that there is nothing left uncorrupted, and free of this abominable and vile ingredient; All flowing from Self and re­turning to it again, which is both sacrilegious and unnatural. There is heinous Sacriledge in it, the spoyling of the Glorious Divine Ma­jesty, of his Indubitable Prerogative and In­communicable Right of all the Glory and Ho­nour of his Creature: There is no usurpati­on like this, for the Worm that crawls on the Footstool, to creep up to the Throne, and as it were to King it there, to Deifie and Adore it self, and gather in all the Tribute of Praise and Glory and Love, that is only due to the Lord God Almighty, and invert and unpro­priat these to our selves; which is, as if the Axe should boast it self, as if it were no Iron, or the Staff, as if it were no Timber. Hence it is, that of all evils in mans Nature, God hath the most perfect Antipathy, and direct Opposition against Pride and Self-love, be­cause it is Sacriledge and Idolatry in the high­est manner, it striks at the Soveraignty and Honour of Gods Name▪ which is dear to him as himself, it sets up a vile Idol in the choicest Temple of God, that is in the Heart: And this is the Abomination of Desolation: O­ther evils strike against his Holy Will: But this peculiarly points at the very Nature and Beeing of the most High God, and so it is with Child of Blasphemy, Atheism is the ve­ry [Page 88] heart and life of it. And then it is most un­natural, and so monstrous and deformed. For, consider all the Creation, though every one of them have particular Inclinations towards their own proper ends, and so a Happinesse suitable to their own Nature; yet how diverse, how contrary soever they be, there is no selfishnesse in them; They all concurre and conspire to the good of the whole, and the mutual help of each other. If once that Poyson should infect the Material World, which hath spoyled the Spiritual, let once such a selfish disposition or inclination possesse any part of the World, and presently the Order, Harmony, Beauty, Plea­sure and Profite of the whole World should be Interrupted, Defaced and Destroyed. Let the Sun be supposed to boast it self of its Light and Influence, and so disdain to impart it to the lower World, and all would run into con­fusion. Again I desire you but to take a view of this Humour in anothers Person; (For we are more ready to see others evils then our own) and how deformed is it? So vile is self-seeking and self-boasting, that all men loath it in others, and hide it from others: It disgraces all Actions, how beautiful soe­ver; It is the very bane of Humane Socie­ty, that which looses all the Linkes of it, and makes them crosse and thwart one another.

But, alas, how much more easie is it, to paint out such an evil in a deformed Visage, then to discern it in our selves? And how many will hate it in the Picture, who love [Page 89] and entertain it in their own persons, such de­ceitfulnesse is intermingled with most desperat wickednesse. I verily believe that is the pre­dominant of every man good and bad, ex­cept in as far as it is mortified by Grace. O! the turnings and windings of the Heart upon it self, in all the most apparently direct Mo­tions towards God and the good of men? What serpentine and crooked Circumgyrati­ons, and reflections are there in the Soul of man, when the outward Action and Expres­sion seems most regular, and directed towards Gods Glory and others Edification? Who­ever of you have any acquaintance with your own Spirits, cannot but know this, and be ashamed and confounded at the very thought of it. Self-boasting; Self-complacency, self­seeking, all those being of Kin one to another, are insinuated into your best Notions, and in fect them with more Atheism before God, then the strongest pious Affection can instill of goodnesse into them. How often will mens Actions and Expressions be outwa [...]ly cloath­ed with a habit of Condescendency and Self-denyal? And many may declaim with such Zeal and Vehemency against this evil, and yet Latet anguis: The Serpent is in the bo­some, and his venome may be diffused into the Heart, and the poyson of Self-seeking and Self-boasting, may run thorow the Veines of humble like Carriage and Passionate Discours­es for Self-denyal. Oh that we could above all things, establish that Fundamental Prin­ciple of Christianity in our Hearts, even as we would be his Disciples, truely and sincere­ly, [Page 90] and not in outward resemblance, to deny our selves, to renounce our selves and our lusts, to make a whole Resignation of our Love, Will, Glory and all to him, in whom to be lost, it is only truely to find our selves.

But though man have this strange Self-ido­lizing Humour, and a Self-glorying Disposi­tion, yet he is so poor and beggarly a Crea­ture, that he hath not sufficient matter within himself, to give complacency to his Heart; therefore he must borrow from all external things; And when there is any kind of Pro­priety in, or Title to them, then he Glories in himself for them, as if they were truely in himself. We are Creatures by Nature most indigent, yet most proud, which is unnatu­ral. No man is satisfied within himself (ex­cept the Good man, Prov. 14. 14.) but he goes abroad to seek it at the Door of every Creature; And when there are some Plumes or Feathers borrowed from other Birds, like that foolish Bird in the Fable, we begin to raise our Crists and boast our selves, as if we had all these of our own, and were be­holden to none. But as things that are truely our own, will not be sufficient to feed this Flame of Gloriation, without the accession of outward things: So present things and the present time will not afford Aliment enough or Fewel for this Humour, without the addition of the morrow.

Boast not thy self of to morrow. No mans present possession satisfies him, without the addition of hope and expectation for the fu­ture. [Page 91] And herein the poverty of mans Spirit appears, and the emptinesse of all things we enjoy here, that our present Revenue, as it were, will not content the Heart: The pre­sent Possession fills not up the Vacuities of the Heart, without the supply of our imaginati­ons, by taking so much in upon the head of the morrow, to speak so: As one Prodi­gal and Riotous Waster, who cannot be serv­ed with his yearly incomes, but takes so much on upon his Estate, upon the next years in­come, before it come, begines to spend upon it, before it come it self, and then when it comes it cannot suffice it self; So the insa­tiable and indigent Heart of man cannot sub­sist and feed its Joy in Complacency upon the whole World, it it were presently in its pos­session, without some accession of hopes and expectations for the time to come. Therefore the Soul, as it were, Anticipats and Forestals the morrow, and borrows so much present Joy and Boasting upon the head of it, which when it comes it self, perhaps it will not fill the hand of the Reaper, let be pay for that Debt of Gloriation that was taken on upon its name, or compense the expectation was in it. See Job. 11. 18, 20. and 8. 13. Hope is like a mans house to him, but to many it is no better then a Spidders Web, We have then a clear Demon­stration of the madnesse and folly of men, who hang so much upon things without, and suffer themselves to be Moulded and Modelled in their Affections, according to the variety of external Accidents; Frst of all, consider the indepen­dence of all things upon us and our choice, there [Page 92] is nothing more unreasonable, then to stirre our passions upon that which falls not under our deliberation, as the most part of things to come are: What shall be to morrow, what shall come of my Estate, of my places, what event my Projects and Designes shall have, this is not in my hand; These depends upon other mens Wills, Purposes and Actions, which are not in my power; And therefore, either to Boast or Glory upon that which depends upon the concurrance of so many Causes Unsubordi­nat to me, or to be vexed and disquieted upon the fore Apprehension of that which is not in my hand to prevent, it is not only Irreligious, as contrary to our Saviouts Command, Matth. 6. But unreasonable also, as that which even Nature condemns: Take not thought for to mor­row, and so by consequent, Boast not of to mor­row. And there's one Argument from the va­nity of such Affections, Thou canst not make one hair black, nor add one cubit to thy stature, &c. To what purpose then, are either these Vexati­ons or Gloriations, which cannot prevent evil, nor procure good? Why should our Affecti­ons depend upon others Motions? This makes a man the greatest Slave and Captive, so that he hath not the Dominion and Power of him­self. But the vanity of such. Affections is the more increased, if we consider that Supreme Eternal Will, by which all these things are De­termined; And therefore, it is in vain for Creatures to make themselves more miserable, or put themselves in a Fools Paradise, which will produce more misery after wards, and that [Page 93] for these things, which are bound up in that fa­tal Chain of his eternal purpose. Then in the next place, the folly of men appears from the inconstancy of these things; there is such an infinite variety of the Accidents of Providence, that it is folly for a man to presume to boast of any thing, or take Complacency in it, because many things fall between the Cup and the Lip, the Chalice and the Chin as the proverb is. There is nothing certain, but that all things are uncertain, that all things are sub­ject to perpetual Motion, Revolution and Change; To day a City; to morrow a Heap. And there is nothing between a great City and a Heap but one day; Nothing be­tween a Man and no Man but one hour: Our Life is subject to infinite Casualities: It may receive the Fatal Stroak from the meanest thing, and most unexpected; it is a Buble flotting upon the Water; For this World is a wattery Element, in continual Motion with Storms, and in these, so many poor dying Creatures rise up, and swime and float a while, and are tossed up and down by the Wind and Vave, and the least puff of Wind, or drop of Rain sends it back to its own Element: We are a Vapour appearing for a very little time, a Creature of no solidity, a Dream, a Shadow and appearance of something; And this Dream, or Apparition is but for a little t [...]me, and then it evanisheth, not so much in­to nothing, for it was little distant from no­thing before, but it disappears rather. All humane Affairs are like the Spaiks of a Wheel, [Page 94] in such a continual Circumgyration, as a Cap­tive King who was drawing Sesostris Chariot, said, when he was looking often behind him, the King of Aegypt Sesostris demanded, for what end did he look so often about him; Sayes he, I am looking to the Wheel, musing upon the Vicissitudes and Permutations of it, how the highest parts are instantly lowest; And this word repressed the Kings vain Glory. Now in this constant Wheeling of outward things, which is the Soul, that enjoyes true quiet and peace? Even that Soul, that is fixed, as it were in the Center, upon God, that hath its abode in him: Though the parts without be in a continual violent Motion, yet the Center of the Wheel is at much peace, is not vioient­ly turned, but gently complyes to the changes of the other. And then consider the madnesse of this, Thou knowest not, &c. There are two Reasons in the things themselves, Inconstan­cy, and Independency on us; But this is al [...] pressing as any, our ignorance of them: They are wholly in the dark to us, as it were, in the lower parts of the Earth. As there is no more in our power, but the present hour, for to ye­ster-day we are dead already, for it is past and cannot return, it is as it were buried in the Grave of Oblivion: And to morrow, we are not yet born, for it is not come to the Light, and we know not if ever it will come; So there is no more in our knowledge, but the present hour. The time past, though we re­member it, yet it is without our practical know­ledge, it admits of no Reformation by it: And [Page 95] the time to come, it is not born to us, and its all one as if we were not born to it. And in­deed in the Lords disposing of all Affairs under the Sun, after this Method, there is infinite Wisdom and Goodnesse both, though at the first view, men would think it better, that all things went on after an uniform manner; And that men knew what were to befal them; Yet I say, God hath herein provided for his own Glory and the Good of men: His own Glo­ry, while he hath reserved to himself, the ab­solute Dominion, and perfect knowledge of his Works, and exercises them in so great varie­ty, that they may be seen to proceed from him; And for our good, for what place were there for the exercise of many Christian Vertues and Graces, if it were not so? What place for Patience, if there were no crosse Dispensati­ons? what place for Moderation, if there were no Prosperity? I [...] there were not such Variety and Vicissitude, how should the even­nesse and constancy of the Spirit be known? Where should Contentment and Tranquillity of Mind have place? For it is a Calme in a Storm properly, not a Calm in a Calm, that is no Vertue. If the several Accidents of Provi­dence were foreseen by us, what a marvelous Perturbation and disorder would it make in our Duty? Who would do his Duty out of Con­science to Gods Command, to commit Events to him? Now there is the tryal of Obedi­ence, to make us go by a way we know not, and Resigne our selves to All-seeing Providence, whose Eyes run too and fro throughout the earth. There­fore, [Page 96] that no Grace may want matter and oc­casion of exercise, that no Vertue may die out, for want of Fewel, or rust for lack of Exer­cise, God hath thus Ordered and Disposed the World. There is no Condition, no Posture of Affairs, in which he hath not left a fair Op­portunity, for the exercising of some Grace: Hath he shut up and precluded the Acting of one or many through Affliction, then surely he hath opened a wide Door, and given large matter for Self denyal, Humility, Patience, Moderation; And these are als precious, as any that look fairest. In a word, I think the very Frame and Method of the disposing of this Material World, speaks aloud to this pur­pose. You see, when you look below, there is nothing seen but the outside of the Earth, the very Surface of it only appears, and there your sight is terminated; But look above, and there is no termination, no bounding of the Sight, there are infinite spaces, all are Transparant and Clear without and within. Now what may this represent unto us: One sayes, it shews us that our Affections should be set upon things above, and not on things below, seeing below there is nothing but an outward appear­ance and Surface of things, the Glory and Beauty of the Earth is but skin deep; But Heavenly things are alike throughout, all Trans­parent, nothing to set bounds to the Affecti­ons, they are infinite, and you may enlarge in­finitly towards them. I add this other Con­sideration, that God hath made all things in Time, Dark and Opake, like the Earth: look [Page 97] to them, you see only the outside of them, the present hour, and what is beyond it, you know no more then you see, the Bowels of the Earth. But Eternity is both Transparent and Conspicuous throughout, and infinite too. Therefore God hath made us blind to the one, that we should not set our heart, nor ter­minat our eyes upon any thing here; But he hath opened and spread Eternity before us in the Scriptures, so that you may read and un­derstand your Fortune, your everlasting Estate in it. He hath shut up Temporal things and Sealed them, and wills us to live implicitly, and give him the Trust of them without anxi­ous foresight; But Eternity he hath unvail­ed and opened unto us. Certain it is, that no man till he be fully possessed of God, who is an All-sufficient Good, Psal. 4. Can find any satisfaction, in any present Enjoyment with­out the addition of some hope for the fu­ture. Great things without it will not con­tent; for what is it all to a man, if he have no assurance for the time to come, and mean things with it, will content: Great things with little hope and expectation, fill with more Vexation instead of Joy, and the greater they be, this is the more increased. Again, mean and low things, with great hopes and large expe­ctations will give more satisfaction. There­fore, all mankind have a look toward the mor­row, and labour to supply their present defects and wants with hope or confidence of that. I would exhort you who would indeed have so­lid matter of Gloriation, and would not be be­fooled [Page 98] into a golden Dream of vain expectati­ons of vain things, that ye would labour to fill up the Vacuities of present things, with that great Hope, the Hope of Salvation, which will be as an Helmet to keep your head safe in all difficulties, 1 Pet. 1. 3. Heb. 6. 18, 19. Rom. 5. 5. It is true, other mens expectations of Gain and Credit, and such things; Do in some measure, abait the torment and pain of present wants and indigencies: But certain it is, that such hope is not so Soveraign a Cordial to the heart, as to expell all grief, but leaves much vexation within: But then also, the frequent disappointment of such projects and de­signs of Gain, Honour and Pleasure, and the extreme unanswerablenesse of these to the De­sires and Hopes of the Soul, even when attain­ed, musts needs breed infinite more anxiety and vexation in the Spirit, then the hope of them could give of satisfaction; Yea, the more the expectation was, it cannot choose, but the greater shame and confusion must be. There­fore, if you would have your Souls truely esta­blished, and not hanging upon the morrow un­certainly, as the most part of men are, get a look beyond the morrow, unto that everlasting Day of Eternity, that hath no morrow after it; And see what foundation you can lay up for that time to come, as Paul bids Timothy counsel the Rich Men in the World, who thought their Riches and Revenues, their Offices and Digni­ties, a Foundation and VVell-spring of Con­tentment to them and their Children, and are ready to say with that man in the Parable, Soul [Page 99] take thy rest, thou hast enough laid up for many years. Charge them, (sayes he,) &c. 1 Tim. 6. 16, 17, 18, 19. O! a Charge worthy to be en­graven on the Tables of our hearts; worthy to be written on the Ports of all Cities, and the Gates of all Palaces. You would all have a Foundation of lasting Joy, sayes he; But why seek you lasting Joy in fadeing things? And certain Joy in uncertain Riches, and so­lid Contentment in empty things, and not ra­ther in the Living God, who is the inexhaust­ed Spring of all Good things? Therefore, if you would truely boast of to Morrow, or sing a solide Requiem to your own hearts; There is another Treasure to be laid up in store against the time to come; The Time only worthy to be called Time, that is Eternity; And that is, study to do good, and be rich in good Works, in VVorks of Piety, of Mercy, of E­quity, of Sobriety. This is a better Foundati­on for the Time to come; Or rather receive and embrace the Promise of eternal Life, made to such, that free and gracious promise of Life in the Gospel; And so you may supply all the wants and indigencies of your present en­joyments, with the precious hope of eternal Life which cannot make ashamed. But what is the way that the most part of men take to mitigate and sweeten their present hard­ships? Even like that of the fools in the Pa­rable, Luke 12. They either have something laid up for many years, or else their projects and designes reach to many years: The truth is, they have more pleasure in the expectation [Page 100] of such things, nor in the real possession, but that pleasure is but imaginary either. How many thoughts and designes are continually turning in the heart of man, how to be rich, how to get greater gain, or more credit: Men build Castles in the Air, and fancy to them­selves, as it were, new VVorlds of meer pos­sible beings, and in such an imployment of the heart, there is some poor deceiving of present sorrows, but at length they recurre with great­er violence. Every man makes Romanses for himself, pretty fancies of his own Fortune, as if he had the disposing of it himself; He sits down, as it were, and writes an Almanack and Prognostication in his own secret thoughts, and designes his own Prosperity, Gain and Ad­vantage, and Pleasures or Joyes; And when we have thus ranked our Hopes and Expecta­tions, then we begin to take complacency in them, and boast our selves in the confi­dence of them, as if there were not a Su­pream Lord who gives a Law to our Af­fairs, als immediatly, as to the VVinds and Raines.

Now that you may know the folly of this, Consider the Reason which is subjoyned, For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. There is a concurrence of inconstancy in all things, and ignorance in us, which might be sufficient to check our folly of confident and presumptuous expectation from them, and glo­riation in them: So that whether we look about us to the things themselves, or within us to our selves, all things proclaim the folly and mad­nesse [Page 101] of that which the heart of man is set u­pon. And this double consideration the A­postle James opposes to the vain hopes and con­fident undertakings of men, Chap. 4. 13. &c, Which place is a perfect Commentary upon this Text: He brings in an instance of the re­solutions and purposes of rich men, for the compassing of Gain by Merchandise, whereby you may understand all the several designes and plots of men, that are contrived and ordered, and laid down in the hearts of men, either for more Gain, or more Glory, or more Pleasure and Ease. Now the Grand Evil that is here reproved, is not simply mens Care and Dili­gence in useing Lawful means for their acco­modation in this life, or yet their Wise and Pru­dent foresight in ordering of their Affairs for at­taining that end, for both these are frequently recommended and commended by the VVise Man, Prov. 6. 6. and 24. 27. But here is the great Iniquity, that men in all these contrivings and actings, carry themselves as if they were absolute Independents, without considerati­on of the Soveraign Universal Dominion of God. No man almost reflects upon that Glo­rious Being, which alone hath the Negative and Definitive Sentence in all the Motions and Affairs of the sons of men, or considers, that it is not in man that walks, to direct his paths, that when all our thoughts and designs are Mar­shalled and Ordered, and the compleatest pre­paration made for reaching our intended ends, that yet the way of man is not in himself; That all these things are under a higher and [Page 102] more absolute Dominion of the most High God. VVhose heart doth that often sound un­to? A mans heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directs his steps: And so is not bound by any rule to conform his Executions to our Intenti­ons; For he works all according to the Coun­sel of his own VVill and not ours; And there­fore no wonder that the product of our Actions do not answer our intentions and devices, be­cause the Supream Rule and Measure of them is above our Power and without our Know­ledge. And therefore, though there were ne­ver so many devices in the heart of man, never so wisely or lawfully Contrived and Order­ed; Though the Mine be never so well pre­pared, and all ready for the fireing of it: Yet the Counsel of the Lord, that shall stand, Prov. 19. 21. & 16, 9. That higher determination may blow up our best consultations or drown them, for mans goings is of the Lord, how then can a man understand his Paths, Prov. 20. 24. And yet the most part of men in all these things losse the remembrance of this fatal and invincible Subordination to God, and propose their own Affairs and Actions, as if themselves were to dispose of them; And when their own resoluti­ons and projects seem probable, they begin to please themselves in them, in the fore-thought of what they will do, or what they may have or enjoy to morrow afterward: There is a present secret Complacency and Gloriation, without any serious reminding the absolute de­pendence of all things upon the VVill of God, and their independence upon our Counsels, [Page 103] without fore-casting and often ruminating up­on the perpetual fluctuation and constant in­constancy of humane Affairs, but as if we were the Supream Moderators in Heaven and Earth, so we Act and Transact our own businesse in a deep forgetfulnesse of him who sits in Heaven and laughs at all our Projects and Practic­es. And therefore, the Holy Ghost would have this secret but serious thought to season all our other Purposes and Consultations, If the Lord will, &c. Whereas we ought to say and think this, it is scarce minded: And then we know not what shal be to Morrow, for our Life it self is a Vapour. Herein is a strong Argu­ment, you lay your designes for to Morrow, for a Year, for many Years, and yet ye know not, if ye shall be to Morrow. How many mens Projects are cast beyond that time that is measured out in Gods Counsel: And what a ridiculous thing must that be to him, if it be not done with submissive and humble dependence on him. In a word, Time is with Child of in­numerable things, conceived by the Eternal Counsel of God; Infinite and inconceiveably Various are these Conceptions which the Womb of Time shall at length bring forth to Light; Every Day, every Hour, every Minute is tra­velling in pain, as it were, and is delivered of some one Birth or another, and no Creature can open its Womb sooner, or shut it longer then the appointed and prefixed Season; There is no miscarying as to him whose Decrees do pro­perly conceive them, t [...]ough to us they seem often Abortive. Now joyn unto this to make [Page 104] the Allusion full, as long as they are carried in the Womb of Time, they are hid from all the World; The Womb is a dark Lodging, and no Understanding nor Eye can pierce in­to it, to tell what is in it, till it break forth; And therefore, Children born are said to come to the Light: for till then, they are to us in a Cloud of darknesse, that we cannot tell what they are; So then; every Day, eve­ry Hour, every Moment is about to bring forth that which all the World is ignorant of, till they see it; And Oh that then they understood it. We know not whether the Morrows or next Hours Birth may be a proportioned Child, or a Monster, whe­ther it will answer the Figure and Mould that is in our mind, or be mishapen and deformed to our Sense. Mans desires and designes may be said to conceive, for they form an inward Image and Idea within them­selves, to which they labour to make the Product and Birth of Time conformable; And when it answers our preconceived form, then we rejoyce as for a Man-child. But for the most part it is a Monster as to our Conception, it is an Aberration from our Rule; It is either mutilate and defective of what we desire, or superfluous or deform­ed, which turns our expectation into vexati­on, and our boasting into lamentation. But the truth is, Time brings forth no Monsters as to the Lords Decrees, which are the on­ly just measures of all things: It may be said of every thing under the Sun, as Da­vid [Page 105] speaks of himself in the Womb; My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret and curiously formed in the low­est parts of the Earth, &c. Psal. 139. 15. His Eyes see all their substance: Yet being imperfect and in his everlasting Book all their Members are written; The Portraicture of every thing is drawn there to the Life, and these in continuance are fashioned, just as they were written and drawn, and so they ex­actly correspond to his pre-conception of them, whatever deformity they may have as to us, yet they are perfect Works and beau­tiful to him.

SERMON VIII.

IT is strange to think what Mercy is mixed with the most Wrath-like Stroaks and Threat­nings; There is no Prophet whose Office and Commission is only for Judgment: Nay to speak the truth, it is Mercy that premises Threatnings. The entering of the Law both in the Commands and Curses, is to make sin a­bound that Grace may superabound; So that both Rods and Threatnings are the Messengers of Jesus Christ to bring sinners to him for Sal­vation: Every thing should be measured and named by its end; So, call Threatnings Pro­mises, call Rods and Judgements Mercies; Name all good, and good to you, if so be ye understand the purpose of God in these. The shortest Preaching in the Bible useth to expresse it self what it means, though it be never so ter­rible. This is a sad and lamentable beginning of a Prophets Ministery; The first word is to the Heavens and to the Earth. A weighty and horrible regrate of this People, as if none of them were to hear, as if the Earth could be [Page 107] more easily affected then they. The Creatures are taken witnesses by God of their ingratitude, and then who shall speak for them: If Hea­ven and Earth be against them, who shall speak good of them? Will their own Con­science? No certainly, it will in the day of Witnessing and Judging precipitate its sentence, and spare the Judge the labour of probation; A mans enemy shall be within his own house, though now your Consciences agree with you: Nay, why doth the Lord speak to them? Be­cause the People consider not, because Consci­ences have given over speaking to them; There­fore the Lord directs his Word to the dumb Earth: Yet how gracious is he, as to direct a second word even to the People, though a sad word. I [...] is a complaint of iniquity and backsliding, and such as cannot be utter­ed: Yet it is Mercy to challenge them, yea, to chasten them. If the Lord would threaten a man with pure and unmixed Judgements, if he would frame a threatning of a Rod of pure Justice, I think it should be this, I will no more reprove thee, nor chasten thee; And he is not far from it, when he sayes, why shall ye be stricken any more, &c. vers. 5. As if he would say, it is in vain now to send a Rod, ye receive no correction; I sent the Rod that it might o­pen your hearts and eares to the Word, and seal your instruction, but to what purpose is it? Ye grow worse and worse: Well, the Prophet campares here Sin and Judgement, and the one far surmounts the other. Ye would think a desolate Countrey, burnt Cities, Deso­lation made by Strangers, a sufficient recom­pense [Page 108] of their corruption and misorders, of their forsaking and backsliding. Ye would think now, if your present condition and the Lands pressed you to utter Jeremiahs Lamentation, a sadder then which is not almost imaginable, ye would think I say, that you had received double for all your sins: And yet alas, how are your iniquities of infinite more desert: All that were Mercy, which is behind infinite and eter­nal punishment: that there is room left for complaint, it is Mercy: that there is a remnant left, it is Mercy.

Now to proclaim unto this People and to convince them that their Judgement was not se­vere; He gives them one word from God. And indeed it is strange, that when the Rod is sent, because of the despising of the Word, that after the despising of both Word and Rod, ano­ther word should come. Alwayes this word is a Convincing Word, a Directing Word, and a Comforting Word; These use to be con­joyned, and if they be not alwayes expressed, we may lawfully understand them: We may joyn a Consolation to a Conviction, and close a Threatning with a Promise, if we take with a Threatning: Jonahs Preaching expressed no more but a Threatning and Denounciation of Judgement, but the people unde [...]stood it ac­cording to Gods meaning, and made it a Rule of Direction, and so a ground of Consolati­on. How inexcuseable are we who have all these expressed unto us and often inculcated, line upon line, and precept upon precept, and yet so of­ten divides the Word of Truth, or neglects it [...]together. Most part fancy a belief of the [Page 109] Promises, and neither consider Threatnings nor Commands: Some believing the Threat­nings, are not so wise for their own Salvati­on, as to consider what God sayes more, but takes it for his last word. Shall not Niniveh rise up in Judgement against this Generati­on; They repented at one Preaching, and that a short one, and in appearance very defe­ctive: And yet we have many Preachings of the Son of God, and his Apostles in this Bible, both Law and Gospel holden forth distinctly, and these spoken dayly in our audience, and yet we repent not.

This is a strange Preface going before this Preaching, and more strange in that it is before the first Preaching of a young Prophet, He speakes both to Rulers and People, but he gives them a name, such as certainly they would not take to themselves, but seing he is to speak the Word of the Lord, he must not flatter them, as they did themselves. Is not this the Lords peo­ple, his Portion and Inheritance which he chose out of the Nations? Are not these Rulers the Princes of Judah and the Lords Anoynt­ed? Were they not both in Covenant with God, and separated from the Nations both in Priviledges and Profession? How then are they Rulers of Sodom, and People of Gomorrah? Likned to the worst of the Nations; And not likened to them, but spoken off, as if they were indeed all one. When ye hear the Preface, ye would think that the Prophet were about to di­rect his speech to Sodom and Gomorrah: But when ye look upon the Preaching, ye find he means by Judah and Jerusalem, and these are [Page 110] the Rulers and People he speaks of. Certain­ly according as men walk, so shall they be nam­ed and ranked; External priviledges and profession may give a Name before men, and separate men from men before the World: But they give no Name, make no difference before God, if all other things be not suitable to these. He is not a Jew, (saith Paul) who is not one inwardly, but be who hath that Circumcision in the heart in the Spi [...]it and not in the Letter. Out­ward profession and signs may have praise of men, but it is this that hath praise of God, Rom. 2. 28, 29. Circumcision and uncercumcision, bap­tisme or unbaptisme availeth nothing but a new crea­ture. A baptiz [...]d Christian and an unbaptiz­ed Turk are alike before God, if their hearts and wayes be one, Gal. 6. 15. All Christi­ans professe Faith, and glory in Baptisme, but it avails nothing except it work by love; Gal. 5. 6.

Now what Name shall we give you? How shall our Rulers be called? How shall ye the People be called? If we shall speak the truth, we feat it instruct you not, but irritate you; Yet the truth we must speak, whether ye chuse, or whether ye refuse. Ye would all be called Christians, the people of God: But we may not call you so, except we would flat­ter you, and deceive you by flattering, and murder you by deceiving. We would glad­ly Name you Christians in the Spirit, Saints chosen and precious. Oh that we might speak so to Rulers and people: But alas, we may not call you so, except ye were so indeed: We may not call you Christians, least ye believe [Page 111] your selves to be so: And yet alas, ye will think your selves such, speak what we can: Would ye know your Name then? I perceive you listen to heat what it is. But understand that it is your Name before God, which bears his accompt of you: What matter of a Name among men? It is often a shadow without substance, a Name without the thing. If God Name you other wayes, you shall have little ei­ther Honour or Comfort in it: When men blesse you and praise you, if the Lord reckon the among the beasts that perish, are ye honour­ed indeed? Well then, hear your Name be­fore God, what accompt hath he of you? Ye Rulers, are Rulers of Sodom, and ye people, are people of Gomo [...]rah. And if ye think this a hard saying, I desire you will notice the way that the Prophet Isaiah takes to prove his challenge against them and the same may be all [...]dged against Rul­ers and people now. VVe need no proof but one of both. See Vers. 23. Thy Princes are rebel­lious, because, though they hear much against their sins, yet they never amend them, they pull away the shoulder: If they hear, yet they harden their heart. Is there any of them hath set too to pray in their Families, though earn­estly pressed? VVell, what follows? Every one loves Gifts. Covetousnesse then and Op­pression proves Rulers to be Rulers of Sodom. Shall their houses stand, Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thy self with cedar, Jer. 22. 15. No certainly, men shall one day take up a proverb against them, woe to him that encreafes that which is not his, and loadeth himself with thick clay, they shall be for booties to the Lords [Page 112] spoylers, Hab. 2. 6. VVoe to them, for they have consulted shame to their houses, and sin­ned against their own Soul. Their designe is to establish their House, and make it Eminent, but they take a compendious way to shame and ruine it. Alas it is too publick that Rulers seek their own things, for themselves and their freinds: And for Jesus and his Interests, they are not concerned? But are ye the people any whit better? Oh that it were so. But alas, when ye are involved in the same guiltinesse, I fear ye partake of their plagues. VVhat are ye then? People of Gomorrab. Is not the Name of God blasphemed dayly because of you? Are not the abominations of the Gentiles the common disease of the multitude, and the very reproach of Christianity. Set apart your publick services and professions, and is there a­ny thing behind in your Conversation, but Drunkenesse, Lying, Swearing, Contention, Envy, Deceit, VVrath, Covetousnesse, and such like? Have not the multitude of them been als civil, and carried themselves als blame­lesly, and without Offence, as the throng of our Visible Church? What have ye more then they? It is true, ye are caled Christi­ans and ye boast in it. Ye know his will, and can speak of points of Religion, can Teach and Instruct others, and so hath, as it were, in your minds a form and method of Knowledge, the best of you are but such: But I ask, as Paul did the Jews in such a case, Thou that teachest another teachest thou not thy self, thou that mak­est a boast of the Law; throw breaking of it, disho­nourest thou God, Rom. 2. 17. &c. 23. Why [Page 113] then, certainly all thy profession and baptism avails nothing, and will never extract the from the Pagans, with whom thou art one in Con­versation; Thy profession is so far from help­ing thee in such a case, that it shall be the most bitter ingredient in thy Cup of Judgment, for it is the greatest Aggravation of thy sin, for through it, Gods Name is Blasphemed; If they had not known, they had not had sin. Pagans sin is no sin in respect of Christians: If ye con­sider Christs Sermon, Matth. 11. Ye will say, Isaiah is a meak and moderate man in regard of him; Isaiah calls them people of Gomorrah, but Christ will have them worse, and their Judgment more intolerable then theirs. And that not only the profane of them, but the ci­vil and Religious like, who believed not in him: VVell then, here is the advantage ye get of your Name of Christianity, of your pri­viledge of hearing his VVord dayly; Ye who never ponder it, to tremble at it, or to re­joyce in it, who cannot be moved either to joy or grief for Spiritual things; Neither Law nor Gospel moves the most part of you; I say here is all your gain, ye shall receive a reward with Gentiles and Pagans; Yea, ye shall be in a worse case nor they in the Day of the Lord. The civil Christian shall be worse then the profane Turke, and ye shall not then boast that ye were Christians, but shall desire that ye had dwelt in the place where the Gospel had never been preached: It is a Character of the Nations, that they call not on God, and of Heathen Families, that they pray not to him, Jer. [Page 114] 10. 25. And wrath must be poured on them. VVhat then are the most part of you? Ye nei­ther bow a Knee in secret, nor in your Fami­lies to God, your time is otherwayes employ­ed, ye have no leisure to pray twice or thrice a day alone, except when ye put on your Cloathes ye utter some ordinary b [...]blings; Ye cannot be driven to Family worship, shall not God rank you in Judgement with these Hea­then Families? Or shall it not be more tole­rable for them nor for you? And are not the most part of you, every one given to Cove­tousnesse, your heart and eye after it, seeking Gain and Advantage more then the Kingdome of Heaven? Doth not every one of you, as you have power in your hand, oppresse one another? wrong one another? Now our end in speaking thus to you, is not to drive you to desparation: No indeed, but as there was a word of the Lord sent to such by Isaiah, so we bring a word unto you. That which ruines you, is your carnal confidence; Ye are presumptuous as this people, and cryes, the Temple of the Lord, the VVork of the Lord, &c. as if these would save you: Know there­fore that all these will never cover you in the day of wrath; Know there is a necessity to make peace with God, and your righteousnesse must exceed the righteousnesse of a profession and external priviledges and duties, or else ye shall be as far from the Kingdome of Heaven as Sodom and Gomorrah. VVe speak of Rulers sins, that ye may mourn for them, lest ye be Judged with them; If ye do not [Page 115] mourn for them in secret, know that they are your sins; Ye are Companions with them: Many fret, grudge, and cry out against Oppression, but who weeps in se­cret? Who prayes and deprecats Gods wrath, least it come upon them? And while it is so: The Oppression of Rule­lers, becomes the sin of the oppressed them­selves.

Hear the Word of the Lord] It were a suitable preparation for any Word that is spoken, to make it take impr [...]ssion, if it were looked on as the Word of the Lord and Law of our God. And truely no man can h [...]ar aright, unlesse he hear it so. Why doth not this Word of the Lord return with more Fruit? Why doth not men tremble or rejoyce at it? Certainly because it is not received as Gods Word: There is a practical Heresie in our hearts, which ra­ther may be called Atheism, VVe do not believe the Scriptures. I do not say, men call it in question, but I say, ye believe them not. It is one thing to believe with the heart, another thing not to doubt of it: Ye doubt not of it, not because ye do indeed believe it, but because ye do not at all consider it. It is one thing to confesse with the Mouth, and another thing to be­lieve with the Heart; For ye confesse the Scriptures to be Gods VVord, not because ye believe them, but because ye have receiv­ed such a Tradition from your Fathers, have heard it from the womb unquestioned. Oh [Page 116] that this were engraven on your Heart, tha [...] these Commands, these Curses, these Promises are Divine Truthes, the VVords and th [...] Oath of the Holy One. If every word o [...] Truth came stamped with his Authority, and were received in the Name of God himself what influence would it have on the Spi­rits and the practices of men; This would be a great Reformer, would Reform more in a Moneth, then Church and Sta [...]e hath done these many Years. VVhy are Rulers and People not Converted and Healed for all that is spoken? Here it is, Who be­lieves our report; VVho believes that our report is thy own Testimony, O Lord? When Ministers threaten you in Gods Name, if his Authority were stamped on the Threat­ning, if men did seriously apprehend it were Gods own Voice, would they not tremble? When the Gospel and the joy­ful Sound comes forth, if ye apprehended that same Authority upon it, which ye who are Convinced, believes in the Law, would ye not be comforted? Finally, I may fay, it is this point of Atheisme, of Inconsi­deration and Brutishnesse that destroys the multitude, makes all Means Ineffectual to them, and retards the progresse of Christi­ans. Men do not consider that this word is the word of the Eternal and True and Faithful God, and that not one Jot of it will faill. Here is a Poynt of Reforma­tion I would put you to; If ye mind in­deed to Reform, let this enter into your [Page 117] Hearts and sink down, that the Law and Gospel is the Word of God, and resolve to come and hear Preachings so, as the Voice of Jesus Christ the true and faithful wit­nesse: If ye do not take it so now, yet God will Judge you so at the end. He that despiseth you, despiseth me, and he that hears not you, heares not me. If ye thought ye had to do with God every Sabbath, would ye come so carelesly, and be so stupid and inconsiderate before the Judge of all the Earth: But ye will find in the end, that it was God whom ye knew not.

SERMON IX.

THis is the Word he calls them to hear, and a strange Word. Isaiah asks, what means your sacrifices? God will not have them. I think the people would say in their own hearts, what means the Prophet? What would the Lord be at? Do we any thing but what he Commanded us? Is he angry at us for Obey­ing him? What means this Word? Is he not repealing the Statute and Ordinance he had made in Israel? If he had reproved us for breach of Commands, for Omission and Neglect of Sacrifices, we would have taken with it; But what means this reproof for well doing? The Lord is a hard Master, if we neglect Sacrifices and offer up the worst of the Flock, he is an­gry; If we have a care of them, and offer them punctually, and keep appoynted days precise­ly, he is angry: what shall we do to please him? I think many of you are put to as great a Non-plus., when your prayers and repen­tance and fasting is quarreled: Do ye not say in your hearts, we know not what to do, Mi­nisters are angry at us if we pray not and ou [...] [Page 119] praying they cry out against; They command us to Repent and Fast, and yet say, that God will abhore both these. This is a Mystery, and we shall endeavour to unfold it to you from the World. It concerns us to know how God is pleased with our publick Services and Fast­ings: For the most part of people have no more Religion. Ye all, I know, desire to know what True Religion is: Consult the Scrip­tures and search them, for there ye shall find E­ternal Life. We frame to our self a wrong Pa­tern and Coppy of it, and so we judge our selves wrong. Our narrow Spirits do not take in the Latitude of the Scriptures Religion, but taking in one part, it excludes another, and thinks God rigid if it be not taken of our hand so. But I pray consider these three things, which seem to make up the good Old Way, the Religion of the Old and New Testament. First, Religion takes in all the Commands, it is universal, hath respect to all the Commandments, Psal. 119. 6. It carries the two Tables in both-hands, the first Table in the right hand, and the second in the left. These are so intirely conjoyned, that if ye receive not both, ye cannot receive any true­ly. Secondly, it takes in all the man, his Soul and Spirit als well as his Body: Nay, it principally includes that which is principal in the man, his Soul and Spirit, his Mind and Affe­ctions. If ye divide these, ye have not a man present but a body: And what fellowship can bodies have with him who in a Spirit: If ye divide these among themselves, ye have not a Spirit indeed present; If the mind be not pre­sent, [Page 120] surely the heart cannot, but if the mind be, and the heart away, Religion is not Religion, but some empty Speculation; The mind can­not serve but by the heart: Where the heart is, there a man is reckoned to be. Thirdly, it takes in Jesus Christ as all, and excludes alto­gether a mans self. He worships God in the Spirit, but he rejoyces not in himself and in his spirit, but in Jesus Christ, and hath no confidence in him­self or the flesh phil. 3. 3, 8. It includes the Soul and Spirit, and all the Commands, but it de­nyes them all, and embraces Jesus Christ by Faith, as the only Object of glorying into, and trusting into. All a mans self becomes dross in this Consideration. Now the first of these is drawn from the last, therefore it appears first; I say, an indeavour in walking in every thing Commanded, of conforming our way to the present rule and patern, is a stream flowing from the pure heart within: A mans Soul and Af­fections must once be purified, or it send out such Streams in Conversation. And from whence doth that pure heart come? Is it the Fountain and Original? No certainly; The heart is desperately wicked above all things, and how will it cleanse it self? But this purity pro­ceeds from another Fountain, from Faith in Je­sus Christ: And it is this, that lies nearest the uncreated Fountain Christ himself, it is the most immediat Conduit, the Mouth of the Fountain, or the Bucket to draw out of the deep Wells of Salvation: All these are conjoyned in this or­der, 1 Tim. 1. 5. The end of the Command is love. Ye know Love is said elsewhere to be the fulfil­ling [Page 121] of the Law: And when we say Love, we mean all Duties to God and man, which Love ought immediately to principle. Now this Love proceeds from a pure Heart, cleansed and sanctified, which pure heart proceeds from Faith unfeigned. So then, we must go up in our searching from external obedience all a­longs, till we arrive at the inward Fountain of Christ dwelling in us by Faith: And then have ye found true Religion indeed. Now ye may think possibly, we have used too much cir­cumlocution; What is all this to the present purpose? Yes very much. Ye shall find the Lord rejecting this peoples publick Worship and solemn Ordinances, upon these three grounds, either they did not joyn with them the observation of weightier Commands, or they did not worship him in them with their Spirits, had not Souls present, or they knew not the end and use for which God had appoynt­ed these Sacrifices and Ceremonies, they did not see to the end of all, which was Jesus Christ.

First then, I say, the people was much in ex­ [...]ernal Sacrifices and Ceremonies, Command­ed of God, but they were ignorant of the end of [...]is Commands and of the use of them: Ye now in themselves they had no goodness, but [...]nly in relation to such an end as he pleased they [...]ould lead to: But they stayed upon the Ce­ [...]emony and shadow, and were not led to use it [...]s a means for such an end; And so though [...]ey fancied that they obeyed, and pleased God, [...]et really they wholly perverted his meaning [Page 122] and intention in the Command: Therefore doth the Lord plead w [...]th them in this place for their Sacrificeing, as if it had been Murther. They used to object his Commands. What, sayes the Lord, did I command these things? Who required them? Meaning eertainly, who required them for such an end, to take away your sin; who required them but as a shadow of the substance to come? Who required them but as signes of that Lamb and Sacrifice to be offered up in the fullnesse of time? And for as­much as ye passe over all these, and think to please me with the external Ceremony, was that ever my intent or meaning? Certainly ye have fancied a new Law of your own, I never gave such a Law. Therefore it is said, Psal. 50. 13. God pleads just after this manner, Will I eat the flesh of Bulls, or drink the blood of Goats? &c. And Micah 6. 7. Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rammes, or with ten thousands of ri­vers of oyl? He who hath no pleasure in sinful men, what pleasure can he have in beasts? Therefore, it was to signify to them (who thought God would be pleased with them for their offering,) that he could not endure them, it was worse to him to offer him such a recom­pense, then if they had done none at all; H [...] is only well pleased in his well beloved Son And when they separat a Lamb or a Bulloc [...] from the well b [...]loved, what was it to him mor [...] nor a dogs neck or swines flesh? It was his Crea­ture as these are, and no more, Isai. 66. 3. No [...] that they looked never beyond the Ceremonies it is evident, because they boasted in them, the [...] [Page 123] used to find out these as a remedy of their sins, and a mean to pacifie Gods Wrath, Micah 6. 6. Paul bears witnesse of it, 2 Cor. 13. 14. Mo­ses had a Vail of Ceremonies over his Face, and the Children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that Mystery Christ Jesus, but their minds were blinded, and is so to this day in the reading of the Scriptures: And this Vail of hardness of heart shall be done away when Christ returnes them again. Now I say it is just so with us, there was never a people liker other, nor we are like the Jews: We have many external Ordinances, Preaching, Hear­ing, Baptism, Communion, Reading, Sing­ing, Praying in publick, Extraordinary Solem­nities of Fasting and Thanksgiving, Works of Discipline and Government, publick Reproof to sinners, Confessions and Absolutions. What would ye think if we should change the terms of Sacrifices and new Moons, and speak all this to you? To what purpose is the multitude of your Fasts and Feasts, of your Preachings and Communions, of your Praying in secret, and in your Families, of Conference and Prayer with others, of running to and fro to hear Preaching, [...]o partake of the Lords Table? I am full of them, [...] delight not in them; When ye come here on [...]he Sabbath, who required at your hand to read my Courts? Come no more to hear the Word, run no more after Communions, seek [...]o more Baptism to your Children, call no [...]ore Solemn Assemblies, it is all iniquity. Oh [...]ay ye, that is a strange Preaching indeed, must [...]e Pray no more? Hear no more? Sing no [Page 124] more? Did not God command these; Why do ye discharge them? We do not mean so, that these should not be, but they should be in another way: All these want the Soul and Life of them, which is Jesus Christ in them. Do ye not think your selves religious, because ye frequent these? The multitude of the people think that these please God and pacifie his Wrath: Ye have no other thing in your mind but these. If ye can attain any sorrow or grief for sin, or any tears to signify it, presently you absolve your selves for your repentance; The scandalous who appear in publick, thinks the paying of a penalty to the Judge, and bowing the knee before the Congregation, satisfies God. Ye miss nothing when ye have these: I speak to the professors of Religion also, who pretend to more knowledge then others, when ye have gone about so many Duties, ye are well satisfied, if ye get liberty in them; If ye can satisfy your self, ye doubt not of Gods satisfa­ction; And if ye do not satisfy your selves in your Duties, ye cannot believe his satisfacti­on; Ye get the Ordinance, and misses no­thing. Now, I say, in all this ye do not reac [...] to the end of this Ministry Jes [...]s Christ, ye d [...] not stedfastly behold him, to empty your selve [...] in his bosom, to turn over all the unrighteous­ness of your holy things upon him who bear [...] it; That which pleaseth you, is not he in whom the Father is well pleased, but the measure o [...] your own Duty. O! the Establishing of ou [...] own Righteousness is the ruine of the Visibl [...] Church: This is the grand Idol, and all Sa­crifice [Page 125] to it. Know therefore, that the most part of your performances are abomination and iniquity, because ye have so much confidence in them, and puts them not upon Christ as fil­thy raggs, or do not cover them with his Righ­teousness, as well as your wickedness. I know ye will say, that ye are not satisfied with them, and that is still the matter of your Exercise. Well, I affirm in the Lords Name from that ground, that ye have confidence in them, for if your diffidence and disquietness arise from it, your confidence and peace must come from it al­so. Is there any almost that maintains Faith, except when their own conditions please them well; And that Faith I may call no Faith, at least not pure and cleanly entire Faith. As for the multitude of you, you must know this, that God is not pleased with your prayers and fast­ing and hearing, &c. Because ye have such an esteem of them, because ye can settle your selves against all Threatnings, and never once remem­ber of Jesus Christ, or consider the end of his coming into the world: Because ye find no necessity of pardon for your prayers and righte­ousness, but stretches the garment of these over the uncleanness of your practices; What de­light hath the Lord in them, when they are put in his Sons place? Will he not be jea­lous that his Sons Glory be not given to ano­ther?

In the second place, the Lord rejects their performances, because there was nothing but a meer shadow of service, and no worshipping of God in the Spirit. Ye know what Christ [Page 126] saith; God is a Spirit, and he that worships him must do it in spirit and truth Jo. 4. 24. It is th [...] Heart and Soul that God delights into; M [...] son give me thy heart, for if thou give not hy heart, I care for nothing else: The heart i [...] the whole man; What a mans Affection is, that he is. Light is not so, it brings not th [...] man alongs with it: Christ Jesus hath give [...] himself for us, and he requires that we offer ou [...] selves to him; If we offer a Body to frequen [...] his House, our Feet to tread in his Courts, ou [...] Ears to hear his Word, what cares he for it, a [...] long as the Soul doth not offer it self up in Prayer or Hearing. And this was the sin of thi [...] people, Isai. 29. 13. They draw near with th [...] lips, and their heart is far from the Lord. Now are not we their Children, and have succeeded to this. Is there any thing almost in our pub­lick Services, but what is publick? Is ther [...] any thing but what is seen of men? Ye com [...] to hear, ye sit and hear, and is there any more? The most part have their minds wan­dering, no thoughts present: for your thought [...] are removed about your Barns and Corns, o [...] some business in your head; And if any hav [...] their Thoughts present, yet where are Affecti­ons? Which are the Soul and Spirit of Religi­on, without which, it is no true fire but wild [...] fire, if it be not both burning and shinning Are ye serious in these Ordinances? Or rathe [...] are ye not more serious in any thing beside: And now especially when Gods Providenc [...] calls you to earnest thoughts, when it crys to al [...] men to enter into consideration of their ow [...] [Page 127] ways. I pray you, is there any Soul-afflicti­on in your Fasts even for a day? Is there any real grief or token of it? Not a Fast in Scrip­ture without weeping; We have kept many, and have never advanced so far. Shall the Lord then be pacified? Will not his Soul ab­hore them? How shall they appease him for your other provocations, when they are as Oyl to the Flame, to increase his Indignation? The most part of Christians are guilty here: We come to the Ordinances, as it were to dis­charge a Custome, and perform a Ceremony, that we may have it to say to our Conscience, that it is done, and there is no more intent and purpose. We do not seek to have Soul com­munion with God: We come to Sermon to hear some new thing, or new truth, or new fa­shion of it. To learn a Notional Experience of Cases; But alas, this is not the great pur­pose and use of these things; It is to have some new sense of these things we know: We know already, but we should come to get the Truth m [...]re received in our Love, to serve God in our Spirits, and to return to him our selves in a Sa­crifice acceptable. This is the greater half, if not the whole of Religion, Love to Jesus Christ who loved us, and living to him, because he died for us, and livihg to him, because we love him. Now all our Ordinances and Du­ties, should be Channels to cary our Love to him, and occasions of venting our Affecti­ons.

Thirdly, the Lord rejected this peoples ser­vices, because they were exact and punctual in [Page 128] them, and neglected other parts of his Com­mandments; And this is clearly expressed here. I will not hear your prayers, though there be many of them: Why? Your hands are full of blood. Ye come to worship me, and pray to me; and yet there are many Abominations in your Conversation, which you continue in, and do not challenge in your selves. Ye have unclean hands, and shall your prayer be ac­cepted, which should come up with pure Hands? They took his Covenant in their mouth, and offered many Sacrifices, but what have ye to do with these things (sayeth the Lord) since ye hate to be reformed, since ye hate personal Reformation of your Lives, and in your Families? what have ye to do to pro­fess to be my people, Psal. 50, 19, 17? The Lord requires an universality, if ye would prove sincerity: If ye have respect to any of his Commands, as his Commands, then will ye re­spect all. If ye be partial, and choose one Du­ty that is easy and refuse another harder; ye will come to the Church and hear, but ye will not pray at home; Ye will fast in publck, but not in private: Then (sayes the Lord) ye do not at all obey me, but your own humour; ye do not at all fast unto me, but unto your selves; As much as your interest lyes in a Du­ty, so much are ye carried to it: And I take this to be the reason, why many are so Eager in pursuing publick Ordinances, following Communions, and Conferences with Gods people, ready to Pray in publick rather then a­lone: If ye would follow them into their se­cret [Page 129] Chamber, how much indifferency is there? how great infrequency, how little fervency? VVell (sayes the Lord) did ye pray to me when ye prayed among others? No, ye prayed ei­ther to your selves, or the company, or both. Did ye seek me in a Communion? No, (say­eth the Lord) ye sought not me, but your selves: If ye sought me indeed with others, ye would be als earnest if not more, to seek me alone, Zech. 7. 6. And again, the Lord especially re­quires the weightier matters of the Law to be considered; As it was among the Jews, their Ceremonies were commanded, and so good, but they were not so much good in themselves, as because they were means appointed for another end and use. But the Moral Law was binding in it self, and good in it self, without relation to another thing. And therefore Christ lays this heavy Charge to the Pharisees; Ye tithe mint and anise, Mat. 23. 23. Woe unto you, for ye neglect the weightier matters of the Law, Judge­ment, Mercy and Faith, these ye ought to have done, and not left the other undone. Are there not many who would think it a great fault, to stay away from the Church on the Sabbath or Week day, and yet will not stick to swear, to drink often; VVoe unto you, for ye strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. Therefore are the Prophets full of these Expostulations: The people seemed to make Conscience of Ceremonies and External Ordi­nances, but they did not order their Conversa­tion aright; They did not execute Judgment and relieve the oppressed, did not walk sober­ly, did not mortify sinful lusts, &c. Alas, we [Page 130] deceive our selves with the noise of a Covenant, and a Cause of God, we cry it up, as an Anti­dot against all evils, use it as a charm, even as the Jews did their Temple; and in the mean time, we do not care how we walk before God, or with our Neighbours: Well, (thus saith the Lord) Trust ye not in lying words, Jer. 7. 4, 5, 6. If drunkenness reign among you, if fil­thiness, swearing, oppression, cruelty reign among you, your Covenant is but a ly, all your professions are but lying words, and shall ne­ver keep you in your Inheritances and Dwel­lings. The Lord tells you what he requires of you, Is it not to do justly, and walk humbly with God? Mic. 6. 7. This is that which the grace of God teaches, To deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godly to­wards your God, your neighbour and your self, Tit. 2. 11, 12. And this he prefers to your publick Ordinances, your Fasting, Covenanting, Preaching and such like. Is not this to know me (saith the Lord) Jer. 22. 15. 16. You think you know God, when you can discourse well of Religion, and intertain conferences of pra­ctical Cases; You think it is knowledge to understand Preachings and Scripture. But thus saith the Lord, To do justly to all men, to walk humbly towards God, to walk soberly in your selves, is more real knowledge of God, then all the Volumes of Doctors contain, or the heads of Professors. Is this knowledge of God, to have a long flowrishing discourse, containing much Religion in it? Alas no; to do justly, to oppress none, to pray more in secret, to walk [Page 131] humbly and soberly, this is to know the Lord; practice is real knowledge indeed, it argues, that what a man knows, he receives in love, that the Truth hath a deep impression on the heart, that the Light shines into the heart, to inflame it. What is knowledge before God? As much as principles Affection and Acti­on, as much as hath Influence on your Conver­sations: If you do not, and love not what you know, is that to know the Lord? Shall not your knowledge be a Testimony against your practice, and no more?

SERMON X.

IF we would have a sum of pure and undefil­ed Religion, here it is set down in oppositi­on to this people [...] shadow of Religion, that con­sisted in External Ordinances and Rites. We think that God should be als well pleased with our service as we our selves; therefore, we choose his commands, which our humour hath no particular antipathy against, and refuse others. But the Lord will not be so served; As he will not share with the world and divide the Soul and service of man with Creatures, so as M [...]mmon should get part, and he his part. No, if we choose the one, we must refuse the other, for so will he not suffer his Word and Commands to be divided; There must be some universality in respect of the Gospel and the Law, and a conjunction of these two, or we cannot please him.

If Religion do not include the Gospel, we are yet upon the old Covenant of Works, according to which, none can be justified; If it do not include the Law in the Hands of a Mediator, then we turn the Grace of god unto wantonness, If [Page 133] it shut out Jesus Christ and have no use of him, how can either we or our performances stand or be accepted before his holy eyes. If it exclude the Law that Christ came to establish, how can he be pleased with our religion: Both of these of­fer an indignity to the Son of God. The Sum then of Christian Religion is Believing and Sanctifi­cation of the spirit unto obedience, that is the root and fountain; this is the fruit and stream: Justification of our persons, and sanctification of our lives and hearts. This is pure Religion and undefiled. And therefore Isaiah sayes, Wash you, make you clean, Cleanse in the only true fountain of Christs blood. It is not your purifications of the Law, your many washings with water, and hysope, It is not the blood of buls and goats can purge your consciences from dead works: they do but purify your flesh, but cannot wash your souls worse defiled. This blood of J [...]sus Christ is that clean water that he must sprinkle on you; if you would be clean. If you take any other water, any other righteousness but his, and wash thy self there­with, suppose it be snow water that washeth cleanest, thy most exact conversation, yet he will plunge thee in the mire, till thy own cloaths abhore thee Job 9. 30, 31. Now when ye have washed your persons, ye need not save to wash your feet, (sayes Christ) your dayly conversation, reform it in the vertue of that blood, for we are not called to uncleanness but unto holiness. And therefore, Put away the evil of yoor doings, &c. God hath put away the guilt of your doings by Justification; now put ye away the evil of your doings by [Page 134] Sanctification, &c. And if ye would know what Sanctification is? Cease to do evil; do not return to the old puddle to wallow in it. Ye that are cleansed by this blood, O! think how unbeseeming it is to you, to defile your selves again with these things ye are cleansed from: But now, learn to do well: ye are given up to Christ, ye must be his Disciples, and he will teach you: Learn of me (sayes Christ) you need no other law almost but his example; he is a visible and speaking law, yet seek Judgement, As ye ought to look on my example; so especi­ally ponder that word and rule of practice and behaviour that I have left behind me and given out as the law-giver of the redeemed: have I redeemed you? And should not I be the redeem­med and ransomed ones King? Is there any soci­ety in the world wants a law, order and govern­ment? neither must ye who are delivered from bondage, enfranchised, and made free indeed. Now ye should of all men most live by a law. And when ye know that rule, then apply it to your several vocations and callings: let the Ma­gistrat act according to it, and every man accor­ding to it: Religion consists not in a general notion, but condescends to our particular pra­ctice, to reform it. You see then what we would presse upon your Consciences. It is true religi­on that we would have you perswaded unto. All men have some kind of Religion, even Hea­thens who worship Idols; but the true religion respects the true and living God. Now what is it to worship the true and living God? what is the service of him, that may be called Religi­on [Page 135] indeed? Should we be the prescrivers of it? No certainly, he must carve solely in that or else it cannot please him. Therefore To the Law and to the Testemony: if ye speak not according to this, and worship not according to this word of God, it is because there is no light into you. Ye may have a religion before men pure and unde­filed, but if it be not so before God and the father, I pray you to what purpose is it? I am sure it is all lost labour, nay it is labour with loss, instead of gain. O that ye were perswaded to look and search the Scriptures: Think ye to have eternal life out of them? and think ye to have eternal life by them, who do not labour to know the way of it set down there? Every on of you have a different model of religion according to your fancies and breedings, according as your lusts will suffer you: The rule that the most part walk by is the course and example of the world. Is not this darknesse, and grosse darkness? Others model their duties according to their ability, they will do all they can do with ease, and without trou­bling themselves, and they think God may be well pleased with that. I pray you consider and hear the word of the Lord, and Law of your God; hath he set down here the rule and per­fect patern of true Religion, and will ye never so much own it, as to examine yours according to it? the scriptures are the touch-stone; If you would not have a counterfeit Religion deceiving you in the end when ye have trusted to it, I pray you try it by the word of God. Oh that this principle were once sunk into your hearts, I may not walk at randome, if I please my self, and [Page 136] satisfy my own will, if that be not also Gods will, I shall have neither gain nor comfort of it, his will is manifested in his word, I will search and find what God hath required of me, for if I be not certain of his will, I may be doing all my dayes, and sweating out my life, and yet losse my pains and oyl. I say this word of the Lord that Isaiah calls to the people to hear V. 10. will at length judge you. Your Religion will be tryed in the day of accompts according to it, not according to your rules and methods ye have prescribed unto your selves. Now if ye in the mean time shall judge your selves according to another rule, and ab [...]olve your selves, and in the end God shall judge you according to this word and condemn you, were ye not fools in neglect­ing this word.

The whole will of God concerning your duty may be summed up in two; John hath one of them, 1 Jo. 3. 23. And this is his Commandment, that we shoud believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us Command­ment. And Paul hath another to the Thessalo­nians. 1 Thes. 4. 3. This is the wiil of God, even your sanctification. And these two make up this text, so that it units both Gospel and Law. The Commandment of the Law comes forth, and it is found that we have broken, and are guilty, that we cannot answer for one of a thou­sand; the Law entring makes sin abound, our inability, yea impossibility of obedience is more discovered: well then, the Gospel proclames the Lord Jesus Christ for the Saviour of sinners, and commands us [Page 137] under pain of damnation to believe in him, to cast our souls on him, as one able to save, as one who hath obeyed the Law for us; so that this command of believing in Christ is answerable to all the breaches of the Law, and tends to make them up in Christ. When he proclaim­ed the Law on Mount Sinai with terrour, that which ye hear exprest is not his first Comand­ment, which ye are in the first instance to obey, for all these we have broken; but it hath a Go­spel-command in its bosome, it leads to Jesus Christ: and if ye could read the mind of God in it, ye would resolve all these commands which condemn you and curse you, into one command of believing in the Son, that ye may be saved from that condemnation: And if ye obey this command, which is his last command, and most perremptory, then are the breaches of all the rest made up, the intent of all the rest is fulfilled, though not in your obedience, yet in Christs, which is better then ours. Believing in Christ presents God with a perfect righteousness, with an obedience even to the death of the Cross. When a sinner hears the holy and spiritual sense of the Law, and sees it in the light of Gods ho­liness, O how vile must he appear to himself, and how must he abhor himself? What origi­nal pollution, what actual pollution, what a fountain within, what uncleanness in streams without will discover it self? Now when the most part of men get any sight of this, presently they fall a washing and cleansing themselves, or hiding their filthiness. And what water take they? Their own tears or sorrows, their own [Page 138] resolutions, their own reformations. But alas, we are still more plunged in our own filthiness, that is still marked before him, because all that is als foul as that we would have washen away. What garment do men take to hide themselves ordinarily? Is it not their own righteousness? Is it not a shirt of some duty that is spread over transgressions? Do not men think their sins hid, if they can mourn and pray for a time? Their con­sciences are eased by reflection upon this. But alas, thine iniquity is still marked; Shall fil­thiness hide filthiness? Thy righteousness is as a vile garment, as a menstruous cloth, Isa. 64. 6. as well as thine unrighteousness, how then shall it cover thy nakedness? Seing it is so then, what is the Lords mind concerning our cleansing: seing stretched out hands, and many prayers will not do it, what shall I do? The Lord hath shewed thee what thou shalt do, and that is, that thou do nothing in relation to that end, that thou shouldst undertake to wash away the least spot by all thy repentance; yet must thou wash and make clean, and the water is brought new unto you, even the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanseth from all sin: wash in this blood, and ye shall be clean. And what is it to wash in this blood? It is to believe in Christ Jesus, to lay hold on the all-sufficient vertue of it, to trust our souls to it, as a sufficient ransome for all our sins; to spread the covering of Christ his righteousness over all our righteousneses and unrighteousness, as hav­ing both alike need to be hid from his holy eys. Jesus Christ came by water and by blood. 1 Jo. 5. 6. by water to Sanctifie, and by blood to Justifie; [Page 139] by the power and cleansing vertue of the Holy Ghost to take away sin in the beeing of it, and by the vertue of his blood to take away sin in the guilt and condemnation of it.

Now I conceive he presses a twofold exercise upon them in this washing, and both have re­lation to the blood of Jesus Christ, to wit, re­pentance and faith. If they be not all one, yet they are in this point inseparably conjoyned. Repentance waters and saps the roots of believ­ing, which otherwise would dry up. There­fore in stead of outward forms and ceremonies of Religion, he presseth them to inward sorrow and contrition of heart for sin, that they might present an acceptable sacrifice to God, a contrite heart. This is more pleasing then many speci­ous duties of men without, Psal. 50. 7 &c. But when I press upon you repentance, do not con­ceive that we would have it preparatory to faith, that ye should sit down and mourn for your sins for a time, till your hearts be so far hum­bled, and then ye might come as prepared and fitted to Jesus Christ. This is the mistake of many Christians, which keeps them from solid settling. We find it ordinary, souls making scruples and objections against coming to Jesus Christ because of want of such preparations, of measures of humiliation and contrition, which they prescribe to themselves, or do behold in others: and so they sit down and apply them­selves to such a work, applyes their consciences to the Law and curse; and they find in stead of softning, hardness, in stead of contrition of spi­rit, more dulness and security; At least they [Page 140] cannot get satisfaction to themselves in that they seek, and thus they hang their head over their impenitent hearts, and lament not so much that repentance is not, as that they cannot find it in themselves. Alas there are many diseases in this one malady. If it were imbowelled unto you, ye would not believe that such a way were so contradictory to the Gospel: For first, ye who are so, have this principle in your hearts which is the foundation of it. I cannot come to Christ so unclean, I must be a little washen, ere I come, the most gross uncleanness and hard­ness of my heart must be taken away, and so I shall be accepted: Alas, what derogation is this to the blessed Saviour? What absurdity is it, I am too unclean to come to the fountain, I must be a little purged before I come to this fountain that cleanseth from all Sin. I pray you, why was the fountain opened, was it not for sin and uncleanness▪ And this thou sayes by inter­pretation, If I were so and so humbled, then I might come and be worthy to come; when the want of such a measure debars thee as unwor­thy, Doth not the having of it in thy estimation make the worthy? And so ye come with a pre­sent in your hand to Jesus Christ, with a price and reward to him who gives freely. Again thou denyest Christ to be the only fountain of all Grace, and so it is most dishonourable to him. If thou would have repentance before thou come to him, where shall thou have it? will thou find it in thy heart, which is desperatly wicked? will thou seek it of God and not seek it in the Mediator Jesus Christ? God out of a Mediator [Page 141] will not hear thee. In a word there is both ex­tream sin, and extream folly in this way: great sin because it contradicts the tenure of the Gospel, it dishonours the Lord Jesus, the exalted Prince, as if he were not the fountain of all grace, it is contrary both to the freedom of his grace, and to the fulness of it also. it is great folly, for thou leaves the living fountain, and goes seeking water in a wilderness; thou leaves the Garden, where all herbs grow, and wanders abroad to the wild Mountains; And because thou canst not find what thou seeks, thou sits down and weeps beside it. Repentance is in Christ, and no repentance so pleasing to God as the mournings and relentings of a pardoned sinner: but thou seeks it far from him, yea, refuseth him for want of that which thou may have by choos­ing him. Therefore we declare this unto you, that whatever ye be, whatever ye want, if ye think ye stand in need of Jesus Christ, embrace him: If ye be exceeding vile in your own eyes, and cannot get repentance as ye would, to cleanse your selves, here is the fountain opened, and ready to wash into. Yet this we must tell you, that no sinner can believe but he that repents, not because repentance is required as a prepara­tion to give a man a warrand and right to be­lieve; I know no ground of faith but our ne­cessity, and the Lords promise and command unto us, but because no soul can truly flie in to Jesus Christ to escape sins guilt, but he that de­sites to be delivered from sin it self: And there­fore the most part of you fancy a faith which you have not, because there is no possibility [Page 142] that men will come out of themselves, till they be pressed out by discovered sin and misery with­in: your woulds and wishes after Christ and salvation, that many of you have, are not the real exercises of your souls flying unto him for salvation. If ye did indeed turn in to Jesus Christ, your hearts would turn the back upon sin, and these sins ye seek remission of. Now all the de­fire that many men have of Christ, is this, I would fain have his salvation, if I might keep my Sin: I would gladly be delivered from the guilt of sin, if he would let me keep still the sin. But will Christ make any such bargain?

I [...] this blood only wash from sin, oh, how many ly in their sins, and wallow in their fil­thiness. There is a generation clean in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness. Prov. 30. 12. Oh that ye believed this: If ye be not now washed, eternity shall find you un­clean; And woe to the Soul that enters eterni­ty with all the pollution of its sins: Can such a soul enter into the high and Holy place, the clean City? No certainly, it must be without a­mong the Dogs and Swine, it must be kept in darkness for ever. It is then of great impor­tance that ye be washen from your filthiness. Now I ask you. Is it so or not? are ye made clean and washen from the guilt of your sins? every one of your almost will say so, and think so, and yet sayes the Scripture, There is a genera­tion pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed. Is there a generation such? Is there any such? Oh then, think its possible you may be mistaken in the opinion of your own cleanness: do any [Page 143] conceive themselves pardoned, and yet are not so, think it is possible you may have deceived your selves, espccially since ye have never exa­mined it: but are there so many so, a whole ge­neration, the most part of m [...]n, then as you love your souls, try; for it is certain that most part of you must be deceived. Is there a generation in the visible Church not washen, and yet every one thinks himself clean, then certainly the most part are in a great delusion, will ye then once examine whether or not ye be deluded with them. It shall be your peace to know it, while it may be amended. But how comes it to pass that so many hearing of the Gospel, and lying near this fountain, are not cleansed? I think ccrtainly, because they will not have a through cleansing, they get none at all: All men would love Christs blood well to pardon sin, but who will accept of the water to san­ctifie them from sin, but Christ came with both. Shall this Blood be spent upon numbers of you who have no respect to it; but would still wal­low in your filthiness? Would ye have God pardoning these sins, ye never throughly resolve to quite? But how is it that so many men are clean in their own eyes, and yet not wash­ed? I think indeed, the reason of it is, they make a kind of washing, which they appre­hend sufficient, and yet knows not the true Foun­tain. We find men taking much Sope and Nitre, when convinced of sin, or charged with it, and thereupon, soon absolving themselves. If ye ask their grounds, they will tell you, they [...]epent and are sorry for it, they purpose to make [Page 144] a mends, and they think amendment a goo [...] compensation for the past wrong; They wil [...] it may be, vow to drink no more for a year afte [...] they have been drunk; They will confess thei [...] sin in publick, and all this they do without having any thought of Jesus Christ, or the end o [...] his coming, and can absolve themselves fro [...] such grounds, though in the mean time, Chris [...] come not so much as in their mind. And therefore, are they not really washed; All thy righteousness is unclean before God, and thy repentances defile thee, and yet because of some suc [...] Duties thou deceivest thy self, and art clean i [...] thine own eyes: These have some beauty in th [...] eyes, and thou puts them between thy filthines [...] and thy eye, and so conceives that thou a [...] clean. I think a reason also why many me [...] are clean in their own eyes, and conceive tha [...] God hath pardoned their sin, is because they have forgotten it; It is not recent in their me­mory, and makes no present wound in their Conscience. And therefore, they apprehend God such as themselves, they think he hath for­gotten it also. But Oh! how terrible shall it be, when God brings to remembrance, and sets our sins in order before us: Ye think God cares not for your sins, that he forgives them be­cause he is silent at them, Psal. 50. 21. But the Lord shall one day set them before thee, and thou shalt know they were still marked befor [...] him.

Ye who have washen in this Blood, ye may rejoyce▪ for it shall make you clean every whit. Your iniquities that so defiled you, shall [Page 145] not be found. O! the precious vertue of that Blood that can purge away a souls spots: All the Art of Men and Angels could not reach this. This Redemption and Cleansing was precious, and would have ceased for ever. But this Blood is the Ransome, this Blood cleanseth, and so perfectly, that it shall not appear, not only to mens eyes, but also Gods peircing Eye. Sin­ners quite your own righteousness, why defile ye your selves more? When your eyes are open­ed, ye will find it so, here is washing, apply your selves to this Fountain; And if ye do in­deed so, if ye expect cleansing from Jesus Christ, I pray you return not to the puddle. Ye are not washen from sin, to sin more, and defile your self more: If ye think ye have liberty to do so, ye have no part in this Blood.

SERMON XI.

THere are two evils in sin, one is the Nature of it, another the Fruit and sad Effect of it. In it self it is filthiness, and contrair to Gods Holiness, and abasing of the immortal soul, a spot in the face of the Lord of the Creatures, that hath far debased him under them all: Though it be so unnatural to us, yet it is now in our fal­len estate become as it were natural, so that men agree with it, as if it were sunk and drunk into the very soul of man. The other is the guilt and desert of punishment and obligation to it. All man hate this, but they cannot hold it off: They eat the Tree and Fruit of Death, they must eat Death also: They must have the wages of sin, who have wrought for it. Now the Gospel hath found a remedy for lost man in Jesus Christ; He comes in the Gospel with a twofold blessing, a twofold vertue, a pardon­ing vertue and a sanctifying vertue, VVater and Blood, 1 Jo. 5. 6. He comes to forgive sin, and to subdue sin; To remove the guilt of it, and then the self of it. Gods appointment had inse­parably [Page 147] joyned them; And Christ came not to dissolve the Law, but to establish it. If he had ta­ken away the punishment, and left the sin in its being, he had weakened the Law and the Pro­phets. That conjunction of sin and wrath, which is both by divine appointment, and sui­table also unto their own natures must stand, that Divine Justice may be intire. And there­fore, he that comes to redeem us from the curse of the Law, hath also this Commission, to re­deem from sin and all transgressions of the Law, Rom. 11. 26. and Gal. 3. 13. He that turns a­way the wrath of God from men, turns also un­godliness from them which provoked his wrath; And so he is a compleat Redeemer, and a com­pleat Redeemer he had not been otherwayes. If he had removed Wrath only, and left us un­der the bondage of sin, it had not been half re­demption, he that commits sin, is the servant of sin. But this is perfect freedom and liberty, to be made free from sin, for it was sin that sub­jected us to wrath, and so was the first Tyrant and the greatest. The Gospel then comes with a joyful sound unto you, but many of you mis­take it, and apprehends it to be a Doctrine of Liberty and Peace, and that unto sin; But if it were so, it were no joyful sound. If there were proclaimed a liberty to all men to do as they list, no punishment, no wrath to be fear­ed, I would think that Doctrine no glade news, it were but the perpetuating of the bondage of a reasonable soul. But this is glade news, a delivery and freedom proclaimed in the Gospel, but what? Not unto sin, but from sin, and [Page 148] this is to be free indeed. We ought more to Jesus Christ for this, then for redemption from Wrath, because sin is a greater evil then wrath; Yea, wrath were not so, if sin were not. There­fore he exhorts to wash, and wash so, that they may make clean: Take Jesus Christ for Ju­stification and Sanctification, imploy both the Water and the Blood, that he hath come with. But, because all men pretend a willing­ness to have Christ their Saviour, and their sins pardoned through his Blood, who, notwith­standing hate to be reformed, and would seek no more of Christ: Therefore, he branches out that part of the Exhortation, in several par­ticulars: All men have a general likeing of re­mission of sins, but renouncing of it, is to many a hard Doctrine, they would be glade that God put their evils out of his sight, by passing them by, and forgetting them; But they will not be at the pains of putting away their evils from his sight: And therefore, the Gospel which comprehends these two united, is not really re­ceived by many, who pretend to be followers of it. This is his Command, that ye believe. Some pretend to obey this, and yet hath no re­gard of that other part of his Will, even their Sanctification. And therefore, their Faith is dead, it is a fancy. If ye did indeed believe and receive Christ for pardon of sin, it were no [...] possible, but your Souls would be ingaged and constrained, to indeavour to walk in all well-pleasing: But it is an evident token of one that is not washed from his sin, and believes not in Christ, if he conceive within his heart, a great­er [Page 149] latitude and liberty, to walk after the flesh, and be imboldened to continue in sin, because of his Grace and Mercy. And yet such are the most part of you. Upon what ground do ye de­lay repentance? Upon what presumption do ye continue in your sins, and puts over the seri­ous study of holiness, till a more fit time? Is it not from an apprehension of the Grace and Mercy of God, that ye think, ye may return a­ny time, and be accepted, and so ye may in the mean time, take as much pleasure in sin as ye can, seing ye may get leave also for Gods Mer­cy; I pray you consider, that you have never apprehended Gods Mercy aright, ye are yet in your sins, and certainly as yet, are not washed from them.

Put away the evil, &c.] When the Spirit convinces a Soul, he convinces a man, not only of evil doings, but of the evil of his doings; Not only of sin, but of the sinfulness of sin; And not only of those actions which are in them­selves sinful, but also of the iniquity of Holy things. I think no man will come to wash in Christs Blood, till this be discovered. If he see much wickedness, many evil doings, yet he will labour to wash away these by his own tears and repentance and well doing. As long as he hath any good Actions, as Prayers, Fast­ing and such like, he will cover his evil doings by them; He will spread the skirts of such righteousness over his uncleannesse: and when he hath hid it from his own eyes, he apprehends that he hath hid it from Gods also: He will wash his bloody hands with many Prayers, and [Page 150] thinks they may be clean enough: We see blasphemers of Gods Name, use to joyn a pray­er for forgivenesse with their oath and curse, and they never trouble themselves more: Oh what mocking of God is this? Now als long as it is thus, there is no imployment for the Son of Gods Blood, they can do their own turn: Men will not come to Christ, because it is the best way, if they see any else beside. None will come till he see it is the only way. None can wash in Christ except they wash all. If ye have any thing that needs not washing, his Blood is not for you: his righteousnesse is not known, when ye establish all, or a part of your own. I fear the most part of you have no im­ployment for Christ; Ye have extream need of him, but ye know it not; For there are many things which ye will not number among your sins, your Prayers, your Hearing, Read­ing, Singing, publick and private Worship, giving Alms, &c. How many of you were ne­ver convinced of any sin in these; Do ye not conceive God is well pleased with you for them. Your Conscience hath convinced you, it may be of grosse sins, as drunkennesse, filthi­nesse, swearing, &c. But ye are not convinc­ed for your well doing; Ye find not a necessi­ty of a Mediator for these: I think many of you never confessed any such thing, except in a general notion. Alas, how ignorant are men of themselves? We are unclean, how can any thing we do cleanse us? Are not we unclean, and do not our hands touch our own works? Shall not then our own uncleannesse defile [Page 151] our good Actions, more then they can cleanse us? Hag. 2. 13. The ignorance of this, makes men go about to build up their old ruined righ­teousnesse, and still seek something in them­selves, to make up wants in themselves. Al­ways, when the Light of God hath discover­ed you to your selves, so that ye can turn your eye no where, but uncleannesse fills it, though your Conversation be blamelesse in the world, so as men can challenge nothing, yet ye have found within and without, nothing but mat­ter of mourning; I say, this is an evidence that the Spirit hath shined and inlightened thy darknesse. Now when thou hath fled unto Je­sus Christ for a covering to thy righteousnesse, als well as unrighteousnesse, it remains that thou now put away the evil of thy doings; Put not away thy doings, but the evil of them. We challenge your Prayers, Services, and publick Duties, even as the Prophet did; We declare unto you, that God is as evil pleased with them, as your drunkennesse, whoreing, intempe­rance, &c. The most part of you, are no more acceptable when ye come to the Church, then when ye go to the Tavern, your praying and cursing is almost all one. What shall we do then, say ye? Shall we pray no more, and hear no more? No, say I, put not away your Prayers and Ordinances, but put away the evil of them, from before his sight. Rather multiplie your doings, but destroy the evil and iniquity of your doings. And there is one evil or two above all, that makes them hateful to him; Ye trust to much in them: Here is the iniquitie, [Page 152] ye idol of jealousie set up, ye make your doings your righteousnesse, and in that notion, they are abomination. There is nothing makes your worship of God so hateful, as this, ye think so much of it, and justifies your self by it: And then God knows what it is, that ye so magnifie, and makes the ground of your claim to Salvation; it is even an empty cere­mony, a shadow without substance; a body without a Soul; You speak and look and hear, you exercise some outward Senses, but no inward Affections: And what should that be to him, who is a Spirit?

They did not observe the Iniquity of their Ho­ly things: and therefore are they marked by him, they are in his sight: They did not see so many faults in their Prayers and Services; They wondered why God did chide them so much; But God marks what we misse, he remembers when we forget: We cover our selves with a Vail of External Duties, and think to hide all the Rottennesse of our Hearts, but it will not be hid from him, before whom, Hell hath no covering, all hearts are open and naked before him. Your secret sins are in the sight of his Countenance. Men hear you Pray, see you present at Worship, they know no more, at least they see no more. Nay, but the form [...] ­lity of thy Worship, the wanderings of thy Mind are in his sight. And O! how excellent a Rule of walking were this, to do all in his sight and presence. Oh that ye were perswad­ed in your hearts of his All-seing, All-search­ing Eye, and All-knowing Mind. VVould [Page 153] ye not be more sollicitous and anxious anent the frame of your hearts then the liberty of your speech, or External gesture? Oh how would men retire within themselves, to fashi­on their Spirits before this All-searching, and All-knowing Spirit. If ye do not observe the evils of your hearts and ways, they are in his sight, and this will spoil all acceptance of the good of them: If ye observe the evils of your well doing, and bring these also to the Foun­tain, to wash them, and be about this earnest indeavour of perfecting Holinesse, of perfect­ing well-doings in the Power and Fear of God; then certainly, he will not set your sins in the Light of his Countenance, the good of your way shall come before him, and the evil of it Christ shall take away.

Cease to do evil, &c. These are the two Leggs a Christian walks on; if he want any of them, he is lame and cannot go equally, ceas­ing from evil, and doing good. Nay, they are so united, that the one cannot subsist without the other. If a man do not cease from evil and his former lusts, he cannot do well, or perfite Holiness. There are many different Dispositi­ons, and Conditions of men; There are ge­nerally one of two. Some have a kind of ab­stinence from many grosse sins, and are called civil honest men, they can abide an in­quest and censure of all their Neighbours, they can say no ill of them; But alas, there is als little good to be said: He drinks not, swears not, whores not, steals not. Nay, but what doth he well? Alas, the World cannot tell [Page 154] what he doth, for he prays not in secret, nor in his family, he is void of some offences towards men, but there are many duties called to, to­wards both God and men, he is a stranger to. He oppresses not the poor, nay, but he is not charitable either, to give to them; He de­frauds no man, but whom helps he by his means? Again, there are others, they will boast of some things done; they pray, they keep the Church well, they do many good turns, and yet for all that, they do not cease to do evil; They were drunkards, so they are; They can swear for all their prayers, are given to contention, to lying, to filthiness, &c. Now I say, neither of these Religions is pure and un­defiled. Religion is a through and intire change; It is like a new Creation, that must destroy the first Subject, to get place for that which is to come; It is a putting off old Gar­ments, to put one new; The putting off an old form and engraven Image, to make place for a new engraving. Men do not put a Seal above a Seal, but deface the old, and so put on the new; Men do not put new Cloaths upon the old, but put the old off, and so they have place for the new: Religion must have a na­ked man; Godlinesse is a new Suit, that will not go on upon so many Lusts; No, no, it is more meet and more conformed unto the in­wards of the Soul then so: The cold must go out as the heat comes in: Many men do not change their Garments, but mends them, puts some new pieces into them; They retain their old lusts, their heart idols, and they will add [Page 155] unto these a patch of some External Obedience; But alas, is this godlinesse? Hypocrisie will be content of a mixture, sin is the harlot, whose heart could endure to see the Child parted, It can give God a part, to get leave to brook the most part; Sin will give God liberty to take some of the outward man, if it keep the heart and soul. But God will not reckon on these terms, he will have all the man or nothing, for he is the Righteous Owner. True godlinesse cannot mix so, but false and counterfeit may do it well. Other men again, possibly un­cloaths themselves of some practices, but they put on no new cloathing; They reform some passages for fear of censure, or shame, or such like; They are found, it may be, blamelesse, either because so Educated, or their Disposition is against particular grosse sins. But they are not cloathed upon with Holinesse and well do­ing, and so they are but naked and bare in Gods sight, not beautiful; They have sweept their house, and some Devil put out or kept out, but because the good Spirit enters not, ordinarily seven worse enter again into-such men.

There is a great moment of perswasion in this order of the Exhortation, Wash you, and then, put away the evil of your doings, and cease to do e­vil. Do not continue in your former customs. It is strange, how contrary our hearts are to God; We use to turn Grace unto wanton­nesse; We use to take more liberty to sin, when we conceive we are pardoned: But I do not know any more strong and constraining per­swasion [Page 156] to forsake sin, then the consideration of the forgiving of it might yeild. Oh what an inducement and grand Argument, to renounc­ing of evils, is the consideration of the remissi­on of them. This is even that ye are now cal­led unto, who have fled to Jesus to escape Wrath: What should ye be taken up with, in all the World but this, to live to him hence­forth, who died for us? To forsake our own old way, and that from the constraining prin­ciple of Love to him, 2 Cor. 5. 14, 15. Oh, that ye would enforce your own hearts with such a thought, when there are any solicitati­ons to sin, to former lusts. Should I that am dead to sin, l [...]ve any longer therein? Rom. 6. Should I who am washed from such pollutions, return again to the pollutions of the World? Should I again defile my self, who am cleansed by so precious Blood? And forget him that washed me? Should I return with the dog to the vomit, and with the sow to the puddle? God for­bid. I pray you consider, if you be Christians indeed, give a proof of it. What hath Jesus Christ done for you? He hath given himself, his own precious Blood a Ransom for us, will ye not give up your selves to him? Will not ye give him your sins and lusts, which are not your self, but enemies to your self? Will not ye put away these ills, that he came in this world to destroy? Art thou a Christian, and are there yet so many sins, and works of the Devil raigning in thee, and set up in Gods sight? VVhat an inconsistency is this? If thou be his follower, thou must put these a­way. [Page 157] Give them a bill of divorcement, never to turn again. Many a man parts with his sin, because it leaves him, he puts it not away; Temptation goes, and occasion goes away, but the root of it abids within him. Many men have particular jarrs with their corruptions, but they reconcile again, as differences between married persons; They do not arise to hate their sin in its sinful Nature. But if thou hate, it then put it away. And who would not hate it, that Christ so hated, that he came to destroy it? 1 Jo. 3. 5. What a great indignity must it be to the Gospel, to make that the ground of living in sin, which is pressed in it, as the grand perswasion to forsake it? Seing we are washed from the guilt of it, Oh let us not love to keep the stain and filth of it. Why are we washen? Was it not Christs great intendment and purpose, to purifie to himself a Holy People? We are washen from the guilt of our sins, and is it to defile again? Is it not rather to keep our selves henceforth clean, that we may be presented holy and unblameable in his sight? That we may seek to be als like Heaven as may be, But who ceases to do these evils, that he says are pardoned? Who puts away the evils of these doings, the guilt whereof, he thinks God hath put away? Could ye find in your hearts to in­tertain those evils so familiarly, to pour out your Souls unto them, if that Peace of God were indeed spoken unto you? Would not he reflex of his Love prove more constraining on your hears? Were it possible, that if ye did indeed consider, that your lusts cost Christ a [Page 158] dear price, to shed his Blood, that your plea­sures made his Soul heavy to death, and that he hath laid down his Life to Ransom you from Hell; were it possible, I say, that ye would live still in these lusts, and choose these pleasurs of sin, which were so bitter to our Lord Jesus? I beseech you be not deceived, if ye love the puddle still, that ye cannot live out of it, do not say that ye are washed? Ye may have wash­en your selves with Sope and Nitre, but the Blood of Christ hath not cleansed: For if that Blood sprinkled your Conscience once, to give you an answer to all challenges, it could not but send forth Streams to purifie the heart, and so the whole man. The Blood and VVater might be joyned, the Justifying Saviour, and the Sanctifying Spirit; For both these are in this Gospel washing. 1 Cor. 6. 11. 1 Jo 5. 6. This is be that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood. Not by water only, but by blood also, and I say, not by blood only, but by water also. The very purpose of forgivenesse, is not to lay a foundation for more sin, but that men may sin no more, but break off their sins. It is indeed impossible for a man to amend his ways, till he be pardoned, for his sin stands betwixt him and God, God is a consuming fire, the guilt of it hinders all meeting of the Soul with God, at least, all influence from him; But when an open Door is made in Christ, that men may come and Treat with God, notwithstanding of rebellions, and have the Curse relaxed: O now he may go about his Duty comfortably. [Page 159] Am I escaped from Hell, why should I any more walk in the way to it? And now he hath the Spiri [...] given for the asking. There are some Cessations from sin, that are not real forsakings of it, and ceasings from it: You know men will abstain from Eating for a season, that they may be made ripe for it another time: Some do not cease from sin, but delayes it only, they put it not away, but put it off only for another time, till a fitter occasion and opportunity. And this is so far from ceasing from it, that it is ra­ther an deliberat choice of it, and Election of conveniency for it: There may be some pure and simple ceasings from sin, meer abstinence, or rather meer absence of sin for a season, that is not ceasing from doing evil. The Christians ceasing hath much Action in it: It is such a ceasing from doing evil, that it is a putting away of evil; It hath the Soul and Spirit joyned in that Cessation. Sin requires violence to put it out, where it hath haunted, it is an intruding Guest, and an usurping Guest: It comes in first as a supplicant and beggar, prays for a little lodging for a night, and promises to be gone, the temptation speaks but for a little time, even the present time, for a little one, it seeks but litle at first, least it be denyed; but if once it be received into the Soul, it presently becomes Ma­ster, and can command its own time, and its abode: Then ye will not so easily put it out, as ye could hold it out, for it is now joyned with that wicked, desperat party within you, the heart, and these united Forces are too strong for you. According as a lust is one with a mans [Page 160] heart, or hath nearer connexion with his heart and Soul, it is the worse to put away: for will ye drive a man from himself, it is the cuting off an right hand, or plucking out of an right eye. To make a man cease from such evils, it requirs that a stronger power be within him, then is in the world. Men may cease for a time, for want of occasions or temptations to sin; when there is no active principle in them, restraining or keeping their Soul from such sins as appears af­ter, when no sonner occasion is offered, but they run as the Horse to his course, or the Stone fal­leth downward, they conceive Fire as easily as dry Stubble: That is not Christian ceasing, which is that which the Soul argues it self to, from grounds of the Gospel. Should I who am dead to sin, live any longer therein? This is a principle of Cessation, and this is true liberty, when the Soul can abstain from present tempta­tions, upon such grounds and perswasions of the Gospel, then it is really above it self, and above the world, then hath it that true victory. Ma­ny men cease only from sin, because sin ceases from them, they have not left it, but it hath left them. The old man thinks himself a changed man, because he wallows not in the lusts of the flesh, as in his youth. But alas, no thanks to him, for that he hath not ceased from his lusts: but temptations to him, or power and ability in him to follow them hath ceased, there is no change in his Spirit within, for he can talk of his former sins with pleasure, he continues in other evils as bad, but more suitable to his age. In a word, he is so inwardly, that if he were in [Page 161] his body, and occasions offering as before, he would be just the same. Some again cease from some evils, from some principles, but a­las, they are no Christian principles: VVhat restrains the multitude of Civilians from grosse scandals? Is it any thing but affectation of a good Name and report in the world? Is it not fear of reproach or censure? Is it not because pos­sibly they have no particular inclination to sueh evils? And yet there are many other evils of the heart als evil, though more subtill, that they please themselves in, as Pride, Covetousnesse, Malice, Envie, Ambition, &c. VVhat shall all your abstinence be accompted of, when it is not love to Jesus Christ, or hatred of sin that principles it? It is not the outward abstinence that will commend you. Such it is, as the prin­ciples of it are. And these only are the true Christian principles of Mortification, love of Jesus Christ, which constrains men to live no more to themselves, but to be new Creatures, 1 Cor. 5. 14, 15. And hatred of sin in its Nature as sin: A Christian should have a mortal hatred at it, as his mortal enemy. It is not Christianity, to abstain from some fleshly lusts, if ye consider them no [...] as your Souls enemies, 1 Pet. 2. 11. Ye that love the Lord, hate evil, Psal. 97. 10. These are chained together: Davids hatred was a Soul hatred, an abhorency, Psal. 119. 163. I hate and abhore lying, it is like the natural Anti­pathies, that are among Creatures. The Soul hates not only the person of it, but the nature of it also. Men often hate sin, only as it is circum­stantiate, but Christian hatred is a hatred of the [Page 162] Nature, like the deadly feuds, which are eni­mities against the kind and name. I will put eni­mity between thy seed, &c. It is a perfect hatred, Psal. 139. 22. And so it cannot endure any sin because all is contrary to Gods Holinesse, and offensive to his Spirit. I would think it easier to forsake all evil, and cease from doing any evil I mean presumptuously, with a willing min [...] and endeavour, then indeed to forsake one; for as long as ye entertain so many lusts like it, they shall make way for it. It were easier to keep the whole Commandments in an Evangelical sense, then indeed to keep any one, for all of the [...] help another, and subsist they cannot one with out another, so that ye take a foolish course, wh [...] go about particular reformations. Ye scanda­lous sinners professe that ye will amend the par­ticular fault ye are guilty of, and in the mea [...] time, ye take no head to your Souls and Lives; Therefore it shall be either in vain, or not ac­ceptable: How pleasant a life would Chri­stians have, if they would indeed be perswad­ed to be altogether Christians; The halfing of it neither pleaseth God nor delights you; I [...] keeps you but in continual torment between God and Baal: your own lusts usurpe over you; and that of Christ in you challenges the Supremacy so ye are as-men under two Masters. each striving for the place, and were it not better to be under one settled Government. If there be any tendernesse of God in your hearts, or light it your Consciences, they cannot but testifie agains [...] your lusts, these strange Lords; Your lusts a­gain, they drive you on against your Consci­ence; [Page 163] Thus ye are divided and tormented be­twixt two, your own Conscience and Affecti­ons. You have thus the pain of Religion, and know not the true pleasure of it: You are mar­red in the pleasures of sin, Conscience and the love of God is a worm to eat that Gourd, it is Gall and Vinegar mixed in with them. Were it not more wisdom, to be either one thing or a­nother. If ye will have the pleasures of sin for a season, take them wholly, and renounce God, and see if your heart can endure that. If your heart cannot condescend to that, I pray you re­nounce them wholly, and ye shall find more exquisit and sure pleasures in godlinesse, at his Right Hand: O what a noble entertainment hath the Soul in God; The Peace and Joy of the Holy Ghost is a Kingdom indeed.

SERMON XII.

ALL men love to have priviledges above o­thers. Every one is upon the designe and search after some well-being, since Adam lost that which was true happinesse: We all agree upon the general notion of it, but presently men divide in the following of particulars. Here all men united in seeking after some good, some­thing to satisfie their Souls, and satiat their de­sires. Nay, but they scatter presently in the prosecution of it, because, according to every mans fancy and corrupt humour, they attribute that good unto diverse things; And when they meet with disappointment, they change their opinion of that, but are made no wiser, for they turn from one to another of that same kind, in which their imagination hath supposed blessed­nesse to be: And therefore, they will return to that which they first loathed and rejected. Is there then no such thing in the world as blessed­nesse? Is it not to be found among men? Are all mens unsatiable desires in vain? Is a Creature made up and composed of desires, to [Page 165] keep it in continuall torment and vexation of spirit? No certainly, it is, and it is found by some; All the world strive about it, but the man only who trusts and believs in God, he it is who carries it away from them, who hath this priviledge beyond the world. And why do so many misse it? Because they do not see nor suspect that it is blessednesse indeed which he injoyes: But on the contrair, their corrup­ted imaginations represent godlinesse, and a godly mans self-indigency and dependance on God, as the greatest misery and shame. The godly man hids not his blessednesse from the world. No, he proclaimes it when he hath found it; He would that all enjoyed it with him. And if there were no more to declare, that it doth not consist in worldly things, this might suffice; they are not communicable to many, without the prejudice and losse of every one. But none will believe his report, of his own Estate.

If ye would consider, here is that which men toyl for, compasse Sea and Land for, here it is, near thee, in thy mouth: It is not in Hea­ven, that thou should say, How shall I ascend to it? It is not in Hell below, that thou should­est say, Who shall descend? It is not in the ends of the Earth; No, it is near thee, in thy mouth: It is not beyond the Sea, but it is near, in thy mouth, even the word of faith, which Christ preached, Rom. 10. 6, 7, 8. And what sayes that word? Believe with thy heart and thou shalt be saved; Trust in God and depend on him, and ye shall have peace, and that perfect peace: and [Page 166] this peace shall be kept by God himself. Bles­sed then is the man that trusts in the Lord, Psal. 40. 4. Ye make a long journey in vain, ye spend your Labour and Money in vain, all the pains might be saved, it is not where ye seek it; ye travel about many creatures, ye go to many doors, and enquire for Happinesse and Peace, but ye go too far off, ye need not search so ma­ny Coasts, it is nearer hand, in this word of the Gospel, the joyful sound; It is this that pro­claimes peace. Peace is a comprehensive word, especially in Scripture. It was the Jews salu­tation, Peace be to you, meaning happinesse and all good things: It is Christs salutation, Grace and Peace. Grace is Holinesse, Peace is Happinesse, and these are either one, or in­separably conjoyned as one. This was the An­gels Song, Glory to God, peace on earth, Luk. 2. 14. Bleslednesse was restored, or brought near to be restored, to miserable man by Jesus Christ, and upon the apprehension of this, Angels Sing. It was this, Christ came in the world with, and when he went away, he left this Le­gacy to his Children, My peace I leave you, Jo. 14 27. We lost happinesse, and all men are on a vain pursuit of it since, but it is found, and found by one of our Kin, our Lord Jesus, our Elder Brother, he hath found it, or made it, and brought it near us in the Gospel, for the re­ceiving, and who so receives him by Faith, and trusting in him, receives that priviledge, that peace. He endured much trouble to gain our peace, he behoved to undergo misery, [Page 167] to purchase our Blessednesse, and so it is his own, and who so receives him, receives it also.

The newes of such a peace might be season­able in the time of warr and trouble, if we ap­prehended our need of it. It is not a peace from warr and trouble, but a peace in warr and trouble. My peace I leave you, in the world ye shall have trouble, Jo. 14. 27. and 16. at the end. What a blessed Message is it, that there is a peace, and a perfect peace, attainable in the midst of warrs, confusions and calamities of the times publick and personal, a perfect peace, a compleat peace, even compleat without the accession of outward and worldly peace, that needs it not, nay, appears most perfect and in­tire in it self, when it is striped naked of them all. Behold what a priviledge the Gospel of­fers unto you; Ye need not be made mise­rable but if you please. This is more then all the world can afford you, there is no man can promise to himself immunity from publick dan­gers, or personal, from many griefs and disap­pointments: But the Gospel bids you reckon up all your troubles and miseries that ye can meet with in the world, and yet in such a case, if ye hearken to wisdom, there is a peace that will make you forget that trouble; Her wayes are wayes of pleasantness, and all her pathes are peace, Pro. 3. 17. I will undertake to make thee blessed, says Wisdom, the Fathers Wisdom. When all the world hath given thee over for miserable, when thou hast spent thy substance on the Physicians, and in vain, come to me, I [Page 168] can heal that desperate Disease by a word, I create peace, when natural Causes have given it over, I create it of nothing, I will keep you in per­fect peace.

You have then here, three things of special concernment, in these times and all times, [...] blessednesse, a perfect peace attainable, the way of it, and the Fountain of it: The Fountai [...] of it, the preserver of it, is God himself; Th [...] way to attain it, is trusting in God, and stayin [...] on him. This sweetnesse of peace, is in Go [...] the Tree of Life, Faith puts to its hand, an [...] plucks the Fruit of the Tree; Hope and De­pendance on God, is a kind of tasting of tha [...] Fruit and eating of it, and then followeth thi [...] perfect peace, as the delightful relish and sweet­nesse that the Soul finds in God, upon tastin [...] how gracious he is. God himself is the life o [...] our souls, the fountain of living waters, the life an [...] light of men. Faith and trusting in God, draw [...] out of this Fountain, out of this deep well o [...] Salvation, and staying on God drinks of it, til [...] the soul be refreshed with peace and tranquili­ty, such as passeth Natural Understanding▪ Christ Jesus is the Tree of Life, that grows i [...] the Ga [...]den of God, trusting in him by Faith implants a Soul in him, roots a Soul in him, b [...] vertue of which Union it springs up and grow into a living Branch, by staying and depend­ing upon him, we live by him, and hence spring this blessed and sweet Fruit of peace of soul an [...] conseience, which grows upon the confidenc [...] of the soul placed in God, as the stalk by whic [...] it is united to the Tree. Trusting and stayin [...] [Page 169] upon God, is the souls casting its Anchor upon him, in the midst of the waves and storms of sin, wrath and trouble. The poor beaten sin­ner casts an Anchor within the Vail, on that sure ground of immutable Promises in Jesus Christ. And then it rests and quiets it self at that Anchor, enjoyes peace in the midst of the storm, there is a great calm, it is not moved, or not greatly moved, as if it were a fair day: David flieth unto God as his refuge, Anchor's upon the Name of the Lord, Psal. 62. 1, 2. And so he enjoys a perfect calm and tranquilli­ty, I shall not be moved, because he is united to the Rock, he is tyed to the firm Foundation Je­sus Christ, and no storm can dissolve this Uni­on; not because of the strength of that Rope of Faith, it is but a weak Cord, if Omnipotency did not compasse it about also: And so we are kept by the power of God, through faith unto sal­vation. The poor wearied Traveller, the Pil­grime sits down under the shadow of a Rock, and this peace is his rest under it. Faith lays him down, and peace is his rest and sleep. Faith in Jesus Christ is a motion towards him, as the soul [...] proper place and center; and there­fore it is called a coming to him, flying to him as the City of refuge: It is the Souls flight out of it self, and misery and sin within, to appre­hended Mercy and Grace, and happinesse in Christ. Now Hope is the Conjunction or Uni­on of the Soul with him, the Soul then staying and resting on him, as in its proper place; And so it enjoys perfect peace and rest in its place: [Page 170] so that if ye remove it thence, then ye offer vio­lence to it.

These two things are of greatest importance to you to know: What this perfect Peace is, and what is the way to attain it? The one is the Priviledge and Dignity, the other is the Duty of a Christian, and these two make him up what he is.

I would think that man perfectly blessed, who is at peace with two things, God and him­self. If a man be at peace with Creatures with­out him, and be not at peace with himself, but have warr within his own Mind, that mans Peace is no Peace, let be perfect peace. A mans greatest enemy is within his own house. And with­in indeed, when it is in his bosome and soul; When a mans Conscience is against him, it is worse then a world beside. Conscientia mille tes­tes, so, I say, it is mille hostes. It is a thousand witnesses, and a thousand enemies. It were bet­ter to endure condemnation of any Judge, of many Judges in the world, then to sustain the conviction of a mans own Conscience: When it accuseth, who shall excuse? Joh. 8. 9. Rom 2. 15. A merry spirit (saith Solomon) is a continu­al feast, Prov. 15. 15. And what must a heart be, which hath such a gnawing worm within it, as an accusing Conscience, to eat it out? This is the worm of Hell that dies not out, which makes H [...]ll, Hell indeed. This indeed will be a painful Consumption, a broken spirit dryeth up the bones, it will eat up the marrow of the spirit and body, Pro. 17. 22. What infir­mity is there which a man cannot bear? Po­verty, [Page 171] Famine, Warr, Pestilence, Sickness, name what you will, but a wounded Spirit who can bear? Prov. 18. 14. And there is reason for it, for there is none to bear it: A sound and whole Spirit can sustain infirmities, but when that is wounded, which should bear all the rest, what is behind to bear it? It is a bur­den to it self: If a man have trouble and warr in this world, yet there is often escaping from it; A man may fly from his enemy, but when thy enemy is within thee, whither shall thou fly? Thou cannot go from thy self, thou carries about thee thy enemy, thy tor­menter.

But suppose a man were at peace within him­self, and cryed peace, peace to himself, yet if he be not at peace with God, shall his peace be called peace? Shall it not rather be named su­pine security? If a man be at variance with himself, and his Soul disquieted within, there is more fear then danger, if he be at peace with God; It is but a false Alarme, that shall end well: But if he have peace in his ow [...] bosom, and y [...]t no agreement with God; then destru­ctions are certainly coming, his dream of peace will have a terrible wak [...]ning. A man may sleep soundly, and his enemies round about him, because he knoweth no [...] of it; but he is in a worse estate▪ [...]or he that is in great fear, and his enemies either none, or far distant: The one hath present dang [...]r, [...]d no [...] the other present fear▪ and no da [...]ge [...], and which of these think ye b [...]st? Sudden destruction a­wakes the one from sleep, Ez [...]k. 7 25. Their [Page 172] fear and destruction come both at once, when it is now in vain to fear, because it is past Hope, Prov. 1. 27. Therefore the Lord swears, tha [...] there is no peace to the wicked, Isai. 48. 22. What? Do not they often cry peace to themselves, and put the evil day far off? No men are so with­out Bands in life and death as they, they have made ag [...]eement with Hell and Death and their own Consciences; Yet for all that, Thus sait [...] the Lord, there is no peace to the wicked. If God be against us, what is the matter who be with us; For he can make a mans friends his ene­mies, and he can make a mans enemies to be at peace with him: He makes peace and create trouble, Isai. 45. 7. Men can but destroy th [...] body, but he can destroy both body and soul for ever. O what a Potent and Everlasting Ene­my is he? There is no escaping from his All-seeing Eye, and powerful Hand, Psal. 139 7, 8. A man may fly from men, but whithe [...] shall he fly from his Presence? To Heaven▪ He is there: To Hell? He is there. The darknesse of the night hath been a covering un­der which many have escaped, and been save [...] in Armies, but darknesss is no covering to him it is all one with Light; He is near hand eve­ry one of us: The Conscience is within us, bu [...] he is within the Conscience; And how muc [...] God is above the Creature, so great and dread­ful a party is he above any enemy imaginable Therefore I conclude, that that man only hath perfect peace who is at peace with God, and with his own Conscience. If a man be at peac [...] with God, and not with himself, he wants bu [...] [Page 173] a moments time of perfect peace; for, or it be long, the God of it will speak Peace unto him. But if he be at peace with God and himself, I know not what he wants of the perfect peace, of the Peace, Peace: For it is a mans Mind that makes peace or warr, it is not outward things; but in the midst of peace, he may be in trouble, and in the midst of trouble, in peace, according as he hath satisfaction and content­ment in his own breast: For what is all the Grace of a Christian? It is Godlinesse with Contentment: It is not Godliness and Riches, Godliness and Honour, or Pleasure, Godliness and outward Peace. No, no, Contentment compenseth all these, and hath in it eminently, all the gain and advantage of these. A man in Honour, a Rich man, having no contentment in it, is really als poor, als ignominious, as the poor and despised man. If Contentment then be without these things, certainly they cannot be missed; For where Contentment is not with them, it only is missed, and they not con­sidered. Contentment is all the Gain that men seek in Riches and Honour and Pleasure; If a Godly man have that same without them, he then hath all the Gain and Advantage, and wants nothing, but some trouble that ordinar­ly attends them: Outward Peace cannot add to inward peace, and so the want of it, cannot diminish.

We must begin at the Original, if we would know rightly this peace that passeth know­ledge. The Fountain head is peace with God; a stream of this, is peace of Conscience, [Page 174] and peace with the Creatures. There is a peace of friendship, when persons were never ene­mies, and there is a peace of Reconciliation, when parties at variance are made one. Inno­cent Adam had peace once with God as a friend, Angels continue so to this day; but now there is no such peace between men and God, for all are become enemies to God, and aliens from the com­mon wealth of Israel. That peace was broke [...] by rebellion against God his Maker, and all the posterity are born with the same enimity against God: On our part are hearts desperatly wick­ed, whose imagination is only evil continually: One Gods part is holy and spotless Justice, that is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity, and therefore, must destroy it or the sinner. On our part are so many rebellions, Adams actual transgressi­on, and all our own sins and breaches of the holy Law, as so many breaches of peace. On Gods part, are so many Curses answerable to the breaches of the Law: Cursed is every one that abideth not in every thing▪ &c. This Curse is even the proclamation of men to be traitors, and an intimation of the righteous Judgment which will come upon them. Adam was in a Covenant of peace with God. Do, and thou shal [...] live, if not thou shal [...] die. Adam brake this Co­venant, so the peace is dissolved, and God is no more oblidged to give Life, but to execute the pain contained in the Covenant: And in signe and token of this, look how Adam fled from Gods presence, to hide himself when he heard his Voice, it was a poor shift, for whither should be go from his presence? But alas, seeking more [Page 175] Wisdom, he lost that he had, seeking Divine Wisdom, he lost Humane. Now there is no more making up this peace on such termes a­gain: We have no capacity to treat with God any more. But blessed be his Majesty, who hath found out the way of Agreement and Re­conciliation. Oh that ye were once perswad­ed of your enimity against God: Ye are not born friends, though ye be born within the Vi­sible Church. How dreadful a thing is it, to have the most High and Terrible God against you, to do to you according to your deserv­ings. Ye all know this, we are enemies to God by Nature, I pray you, is it but a name? Is it not worthy deep consideration? But who con­sidereth this matter? If ye loss a friend, ye will be troubled, and the more behoveful your friend was, the more troubled you will be. If a great and potent Nation proclaimed Warr against us, we cannot but be sensible of it: But alas, who considereth the great breach that is between God and all Men, occasioned by the first mans trans­gression and rebellion. It is one of the degrees of health, to know the disease, and I may call it a degree of peace, a kind of preparation to peace, to know the enimity, and not generally to know it, but to ponder it till the heart be af­fected with it; To call a Council of all the Fa­culties and Affections of the Soul, to consider the great imminent danger of mans common­wealth. What is it, I pray you, that is the greatest obstruction of mens making peace with God, that makes the breach irreparable, and the wound incurable? It is this, certainly; [Page 176] No man apprehendeth it aright; We intertain good thoughts of our friendship with God, or that it is easy to be reconciled. Who seeth such a wide breach between God and man, that all the Merits of Angels and Men could not make it up? Who seeth the pr [...]ce of Redemption so precious, as it must cease for ever, for all that Men and Angels can do? Is not every man offering God satisfaction, either his Tears, or sorrow, or amendment in time coming, or all of them? Do not men undertake to pacify God with External Ordinances, and think it may suffice for their sins? Certainly ye are ignorant, of the infinite separation between God and man, that imagines a Treaty with him your self, or that ever ye can come in speaking termes. And therefore is this Warr and Enimi­ty perpetual; therefore, there is no peace, when ye cry peace, peace. When ye have peace with­in you, and say that ye have peace with God; Yet certainly, the Lord thy God is against thee, and will not spare thee, Deut. 29. 19. Many of you blesse your selves in your own hearts; when ye hear the Curse and Threatning of the Law, ye say, God forbid, or all that were true. Well, thus saith the Lord, all these Curses that are written in this book, shall ly upon thee, and the Lord shall separate thee unto evil, because ye take not with your enimity, there can be no trea­ty, a Mediator can have no imployment from you:

How shall the breach of peace be made up? Since the first Covenant cannot be made up again where shall the remedy be found? God is just [Page 177] and righteous, Men are rebellious and sinful; Can these meet, and the one not be consum­ed? Will not God be a consuming Fire, and men as Stubble before the Lords presence? Therefore, there must be a Mediator between them, a Peace-maker, to make of two, one, to take up the difference. And this Mediator must be like both, and yet neither wholly the one, nor the other. He must therefore be God and Man, that he may be a fit Days man, betwixt God and man. And this is our Lord Jesus Christ. In his Divinity, he comes near to God, in his Hu­manity he comes near to man; In his Person, he is between both, and he is fit to make peace; And therefore, he is a Prince of Peace, Isa, 9. 6. And that he may be a Prince of Peace, he must be both An Everlasting Father like God, and a young Child like unto man: God to prevail with God, and a man to engage for man; And therefore he is called our Peace, Eph. 2. 14. Our Lord Jesus Christ enters in a Covenant with the Father, wherein he undertakes to bear our Curse, and the chastisement of our Peace; he is content to be dealt with as the Rebel, upon me, upon me be the iniquity, and so there comes an in­terruption, as it were; of that blessed peace he had with the Father, he is content that there should be a Covering of Wrath, spread over the Fathers Love, that he should handle the Son as an Enemy; And therefore it is, that sin­ners are admitted as Friends, his Obedience takes away our Rebellion; The Cloud of the Lords Displeasure powers down upon him, that it might be fair weather to us: The Armies [Page 178] of Curses that were against us, Encounter him, and he by being overcome, overcometh; By being slain by Justice, Satan and Sin, over­cometh all those, and killeth the enmity on the cross, making peace by his Blood, Col. 2. 14, 15. Eph. 2 15. And it is this Sacrifice that hath pacified Heaven, the sweet smell of it hath gone above, and made peace in the High places.

Here then is the priviledge of a Believer, to be at peace with God, to be one with him: And this indeed is Life Eternal, to be united un­to the Fountain of Life, in whose favour is Life, and whose loving kindnesse is better then Life: Is not this a blessed Estate? Whatever a man hath done against God, it is all forgiven and for­gotten, shall never come in remembrance. Are not Angels blessed who are friends with God? Such is the Soul whose sins are pardoned through Christ, their sins are as if they never had been; The Soul is not only escaped that terrible wrath of God, but being at peace with God, all the goodnesse that is communicable to Creatures, it shall partake of. That they may be one, as we are one, that they may be perfect in one, Joh. 17. This Christ prayed for, and this was the end of his Death, to make of two, one; So then, the Glory that Christ is partaker of with the Father, we must be partakers of with him, and all this, by vertue of that peace with God by him. Oh if ye knew what enimity with God is, how would it indear and make preci­ous peace with him? The one engageth all that is in God, to be against a man: the other [Page 179] engageth all that is in him, to be for a man. And is not he then a great One, whither he be a Friend or an Enemy? Is he not the best Friend and worst Enemy? Who hath most power, yea, all power to employ for whom he will, and against whom he will. What a blessed change is it, to have God, of a consuming Fire, made a Sun, with Healing and Consolati­on? That the Righteous, Holy and Just God, before whom, no flesh can stand, should ac­cept so rebellious sinners, and dwell among them. He had not only power to destroy, but Law against us also: What a perfect peace is it then, that the Judge becometh a merciful Father, and the Law of Ordinances is cancel­led, and that power imployed to keep Salva­tion to us, and us to Salvation. Ye who have made Peace and Atonement through Christs Blood, rejoyce in the Hope of the Glory of God; There wants nothing to make you compleatly blessed, but the clear and per­fect sight, and knowledge of your Estate before God.

Now when this peace, which is made up in Heaven is intimated unto the Conscience, then all the Tempests and Clouds of it evanish, and this is the peace of believing, which is the Souls resting and quieting it self upon the believed fa­vour of God. There may be a great Calm a­bove, goodwill in God tomards men, and yet great Tempests in this lower Region, no peace on earth. There is a peace of Conscience, which is a disease of Conscience, a benumed­nesse of Conscience, or a sleep of Conscience, [Page 180] when men walk in the imagination of their own hearts, and flatter themselves in their own eyes, will not trouble themselves with the ap­prehension of the wrath of God, when Souls will not suffer their sin, or the curse to enter in. This is that no peace, which the Lord speaks often of, it is but a dream, and when a man awaketh, alas, what a dreadful sight meets he with first, sudden destruction; Sin enters in the Conscience, and the Law, the strength of sin, and so that peace endeth in an eternal dis­quietnesse. But what is the reason, that not­withstanding of Gods Justice and mens Sins, so many are not affraid of him, so many passe the time, without fear of Wrath and Hell? Is it not because they have taken hold of his Strength and made peace with him? No indeed, but because they know not the power of his Anger, to fear him according to his Wrath: Who will spend one hour in the examination of his own ways, in searching out sins, in counting his debt, till he find it past pay­ment? No, men intertain the thoughts of sin, and hell and wrath, as if it were coals in their bosom, they shake them out, they like and love any diversion from them. Oh, ignorance maketh much peace, I would say, security, which is so much worse then fear, because it is so far from the remedy, that it knoweth not the evil and danger. It is not the rising of the Sun of Righteousnesse, shining into the Soul, that hath cleared them: but their perpetual darknesse that blindeth them. I say then, in the Name of Jesus Christ, that ye never knew [Page 181] the peace of God, who knew not warr with God: Ye know not love, who have not known anger. But this is the Souls true peace and tranquillity, when it is once awakened to see its misery and danger; How many Clouds overspread it, what Tempests blow, what Waves of Displeasure go over its head? But when that peace, which is made in the High Places, breaketh thorow the Cloud with a Voice, Son, be of good comfort, thy sins be forgiv­en thee, when that Voice of the Spirit is utter­ed, presently at its command the Wind and Waves obey; the Soul is calmed as the Sea af­ter a Storm; It is not only untroubled, but it is peaceable upon solid grounds, because of the word which speaks peace in Christ. The peace of the most of you, is such as ye were born and Educated withal: It is not a crea­ted peace, a spoken peace, the fruit of the lips, and so no true peace. Ye had not your peace from the word, but ye brought it to the word; Y [...] have no peace after trouble, and so it is not the Lords peace.

The Christian may have peace, in regard of his own Salvation and eternal things, and in regard of all things that befalleth in [...]ime: The first is, when the Conscience is sprinkled with the Blood of Jesus Christ, and getteth a good answer to all the challenges and accusati­ons of Conscience, and of the Law and Justice, 1 Pet. 3. 21. when the Spirit of God shines in­to the Soul, with a new Light to discover these things that are freely given, 1 Cor. 2. 12. And this is the Sealing of the Spirit, after believing, [Page 182] Eph. 1. 13. When a Soul hath put to its Seal by believing Gods word, and hath acknow­ledged Gods Truth and Faithfulnesse in his word, the Spirit Sealeth mutually the Believ­ers Faith, both by more Holinesse, and the knowledge of it. And how great peace is this, when a Soul can look upon all its iniquities, when they compasse about a man, and outward trouble sharpeneth and setteth on edge inward challenges, and yet the Soul will not fear, it hath answers to them all in Christs Blood, Psal. 49. 5. This is a greater word then all the world can say. Many mens fearlesnesse proceedeth from ignorance of sin, their iniquities were ne­ver set in order before them, but if once they compassed them about, and wrath like a fiery wall compasse them about also, so that there were no escaping: Oh it would be more ter­rible, then all the Armies of the world; Ye would account little of a Kingdom, ye would exchange it for such a word as David hath upon good grounds.

Now I say again, the Soul that hath thus committed it self to him as a faithful keeper, may have peace in all Estates and Conditi­ons: And this peace floweth from that other peace. There is a peace which guards the heart and mind, Phil. 4. 6, 7. Opposed to careful­nesse and anxiety, and this Paul is Examplar for, I have learned in every estate, therewith to be content, to want and abound, &c. vers. 11. The Soul of a Believer, may be in an equal even Tenur and Disposition in all conditions; It may possesse it self in patience; Impatience [Page 183] and Anxiety, makes a man not his own man, he is not himself, he injoys not himself, he is a burden to himself, and is his own tormen­ter. But if Souls were stayed upon God, cer­tainly they would possesse themselves, dwell se­curely within their own breasts. We may find that the most part of men, are exposed to all the floods and waves of the times: They move inwardly, as things are troubled outwardly: Every thing addeth moment to their grief, or joy: Any Dispensation casteth the Ballance, and either weights them down with discou­ragement, or lifteth them up with vanity and lightnesse of mind. But the Believers privi­ledge is to be unmoved in the midst of all the Tossings and Confusions of the times, Psal. 128. 1, 2. Ye would be as Mount Zion, if ye trusted in God; No Dispensation should enter into the Soul, to cast the Ballance upon you; Ye might stand upon your Rock Jesus Christ, and look about the Estates, Persons, Affairs and Minds of men, as a troubled Sea, fleeting, tos­sed up and down, and ye stand and not be mov­ed, or not greatly moved, Ps. 62. 2. And this is to be wise indeed. If I would describe a wise man, I would say, he is one man, beside him, no man is one with himself, but various incon­stant, changeable. He is unwise, who is un­like himself, who changeth Persons according to Dispensations: Wisdom is the stability of thy times, and Faith is Wisdom, it Establisheth as Mount Zion, so as a man cometh out still one, in prosperity not exalted, in adversity not cast down, in every Estate content: and this [Page 184] is the man who is blessed indeed. This wer [...] wisdom, to will the same thing, and nill the same thing, Semper idem velle, atque idem nol­le. I need not (saith Seneca) add that excep­tion, that it be right which you desire, for no one thing can universally and always please, if it be not good and right. So I say, he were both wise and happy, who had but one grief, and one joy. Should not a Believers mind be calm and [...]erene, seing the true Light hath shin­ed, it should be as the upper world, where no blasts, no storms or clouds are to ecclips the Sun, or cloud it. while our peace and tran­quillity is borrowed from outward things, cer­tainly it must change; But a Bel [...]evers peace and tranquillity of mind having its rise from a­bove, from the unchangeable word of the Lord, it needeth not to change according to the vicis­situdes of Providence. He needeth not to care before hand, because there is one who careth for him; And what needeth both to care? He needeth not be disquieted, or troubled after, because it shall turn about to his good; All things shall do so, Rom. 8. 28. He needeth not be Anxious about future Events, because he hath all his burden cast upon another, by pray­er and supplication; VVhat needeth he then take a needlesse burden? Prayer will do that, which Care pretends and cannot do, and that without trouble. He needeth not be troubled when things are present, for he cannot by his thought, either add or diminish, take away or prevent. There is one good and necessary thing, that his heart is upon, and that cannot [Page 185] be taken from him; And therefore, all things else are indifferent, and of small concernment to him.

Now what wanteth such a man of perfect peace, who is reconciled to God, and at peace within himself? VVhen peace guardeth the Heart and Mind within, compasseth it as a Castle or Garison, to hold out all the vain A­larms of External things. May not all the world be troubled about him; VVhat though the Floods lift up their Voice, if they come not into the Soul? If he be one and the same in Peace and Trouble, Prosperity and Adversity, do not lament him in the one more then the o­ther. It is the Mind that maketh your Condi­tion good or bad. But yet, I say, the Beleev­er hath likewise peace with all the Creatures, which the world hath not, and even in this he is a priviledged man. He is in league with the stones of the field, and in peace in his tabernacle, Job. 5. 23. All things are his, because he is Christs, and all are Christs, who is the possessor of Hea­ven and Earth, at least the Righteous Heir of both, 1 Cor. 3. 21. The Unbeliever hath no right to the Creature; Though there be a Cessation for a time, between them and him, yet that is no peace, for they will at length be armed against him, they are witnesses already against him, and groan to God for the corrup­tion, that mans sin hath subjected them un­to. His Table is, it may be, full, yet it is a snare unto him: He getteth ease and quietnesse outwardly: Nay, but it slayeth the fool [Page 186] and destroyeth him. But the godly man is at peace thorow Christs Blood, with all Crosses and Comforts; The Sting and E­nimity of all evils is taken away by Christ. Poverty is made a friend, because Chris [...] was poor. Hunger and Thirst is become a friend, because Christ was hungry and thir­sty: Reproach and Contempt is at peace with him, because Christ was despised: Af­flictions and Sorrows are reconciled to him, because Christ was a man of sorrows and ac­quainted with griefs: In a word, Death it self is become a friend, since Christ subdu­ed it, by tasting of it. I may say, the worst things to a Natural man, are b [...]come best friends to the Believer; The Grave keep­eth his Body and dust in Hope: Death is a better friend then Life, for it ministers an en­try into Glory: It is the Door of Eter­nall Life, it taketh down the Tabernacle of Mortality, that we may be Cloathed upon with immortality. In Summe, what­ever it be, Christ hath stamped a new quality on it, it cometh through his hand, and so, if it be not good in it self, yet it is good in the use, and in his appoint­ment, Rom. 8. 21. If it be not good, yet it worketh together for our good: It contributeth to our good, because it is in his Skilfull Hand, who can bring good out of evill, peace out of trouble. Oh that ye were perswaded to be Christians indeed, to love his Law, and trust in him, [...]reat [Page 187] peace have all such: This were more to you, nor peace in the world: Your peace should be as a River, for abundance and perpetuity, no drought could dry it up; it should run in time as a large River, and when time is done, it would embosome it self in Eternity, in that Ocean of eternall peace, and joy which the Saints are drown­ed in above: Other mens peace is but like a Brook that dries up in Summer.

SERMON XIII.

CHrist hath left us his peace, as the great a [...] comprehensive Legacy, My peace I lea [...] you, Joh. 14. 27. And this was not peace in th [...] world that he injoyed, you know what his li [...] was, a continual warfare; but a peace above the world, that passeth understanding In the world you shall have trouble, but in me y [...] shall have peace, saith Christ, a peace that sha [...] make trouble no trouble: You must lay you accompts to have such a life, as the Forerun­ner had; But withall, as he hath left us hi [...] trouble, so hath he left us his peace; Th [...] trouble will have an end, but the joy can n [...] man take from you: We have this sure Promise to rest upon, in behalf of the Church, pea [...] shall be on Israel; A peace that the worl [...] knoweth not, and so cannot assault it, or tak [...] it away. Oh that you would hearken to thi [...] word, That you would trust in the Lord, and sta [...] upon your God, then should your peace be as a Ri­ver, Isai. 48. 18. There is nothing more desir­ed in time of trouble, then peace; but all peac [...] [Page 189] is not better then warr: Some necessary warr is better, then evil grounded peace. The King­domes have been long in pain, labouring to bring forth a safe and well-grounded peace. But alas, we have been in pain and brought forth wind, when we looked for peace, no good came; and for healing, behold trouble. But how shall we arrive at our desired Haven? Certainly, if peace be well grounded, it must have Truth for its Foundation, and Righteous­nesse for its Companion; Truth must spring out of the earth, and righteousness look down from heaven. This were the compendious way for publick peace, if every man would make his own peace with God: There are controver­sies with God, between King, Nobles and People, and therefore, God Fomenteth the warrs in the Kingdoms; If you would have these ended, make peace with God in Christ, by flying in unto him, and resting on him; more trusting in God would dispatch our warrs; Trusting in the arm of flesh continu­eth them. Allways what ever be, peace or warr, here is the businesse that more concerns you, your eternal peace and safty; And if ye were more careful of this, to save your own Souls, you would help the publick more. If you could be once perswaded to be Christians indeed, we needed not presse many duties in re­ference to the publick, and untill you be once perswaded to save your selves, by flying from the wrath to come, it is in vain to speak of pub,lick Duties to you. We do therefore, declare unto you the way of obtaining perfect peace, [Page 190] peace as a River, if you will quite all self-con­fidences, fly from your selves as your greatest enemies, and trust your Souls unto the Promise in Jesus Christ, and lean all your weight on him, we assure you, your peace shall run a­bundantly and perpetually. Whoever trusteth in Creatures, in uncertain Riches, in worldly peace, in whatsoever thing, beside the only liv­ing and glorious Lord, we perswade him, that his peace shall fail as a Brook: All things in this world shall deal deceitfully with you, as a Brook which is blackish, by reason of Ice, what time it waxeth warm, it shall evanish; you [...]hat looked and waited for water in it, shall be confounded, because you hoped and are a­shamed because of your expectation, Job 6. 15. &c. The Summer shall dry up your peace, and what will you do? But if you pour ou [...] your Souls on him, and trust in the Fountain of Living Waters, you shall not be ashamed, for your peace shall be as a River. The Ele­phant is said to trust, that he can drink out a River, but he is deceived, for he may drink a­gain, it runs, and shall run for ever. If any thing would essay to take your peace from you, it is a vain attempt, for it runs like a River; it may be shallower and deeper, but it cannot run dry, because o [...] the Living Fountain it proceed­eth from. There is no other thing can be made sure, all besides this, is uncertain, and this on­ly is worthy to be made sure; Nothing besides this, can give you satisfaction.

Are your hearts asking within you, how shall this peace be attained? If you desire to [Page 191] know it, consider these words, whose heart is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee. It con­cerneth you much to know well, what this is, that your eternal peace depends on.

Trusting in God, is the leaning of the Souls weight on God, the Soul hath a burden above it, heavy and unsupportable, and this the trust­er casteth upon God; And so he is a loadened and weary man, whom Christ exhorteth to come to him, and he shall find ease for his Soul, Matth. 11. 28. Prov. 3. 5. Leaning to our self, and trusting in God are opposed▪ Psal. 22. 10. Tru­sting is exponed, to be a casting upon God, Psal. 25. 1. It is called, a lifting up the Soul to him. This one thing is included, in the bosome of Trusting and Believing, that a man hath many burdens, too heavy for him, which would sink him down: The Believer is such a one as Jehosaphat. 2 Chron. 20. 12. O Lord we have no might against this great company, neither know we what to do. O Lord, I have an Army of iniquities against me, a great compa­ny compasseth me about; An Army of Curs­ [...]s, als numerous as mine iniquities, both are innumerable as the Sand of the Sea, I have no might against them, neither know I what to do: Nay, the Lord is against me, his wrath is like the roaring of a Lyon, what can I do a­gai [...]st him? The first beginning of trusting in God, is distrusting our s [...]lves: And untill a man see his duty and burden beyond his strength, his burden greater then he can bear, you will never perswade him to come to Jesus [Page 192] Christ, and lean on him. We will not preac [...] any such Doctrine, as to discharge any to co [...] to Christ, till they be wearied and loaden For, when a man conceiveth that he wante [...] that weariednesse, whither shall he go to fi [...] it? Is there any Fountain, but one Jes [...] Christ, both of Grace and preparations to it, any such be? But this we preach unto yo [...] that un [...]l you be wearied and loaden, you wi [...] not cast your burden on Jesus. We need n [...] discharge you to come till you be such, for ce [...] tainly you will not come. This is the desper [...] wickednesse of our hearts, that we will neve [...] forsake our selves, till we can do no better: Utill men be as David, I looked on the right han [...] and there was none would know me, refuge fail [...] me, certainly they will not cry to God: M [...] will look round about them, before they wi [...] look up above them, they will cast the burde [...] of their Souls upon any thing, upon their ow [...] sorrow and contrition, upon their resolution [...] amend, upon external Duties and Priviledge upon civil Honesty, until all these succumb under the weight of their Salvation, and then, i [...] may be, they will ask after him who bare o [...] griefs. I would not willingly speak of preparations to Faith, because it putteth men upo [...] searching something in themselves, upon fashioning their own hearts, and trimming them t [...] come to Christ; wheras there is nothing ca [...] be acceptable to him, but what cometh fro [...] him. But I think all that men intend, wh [...] speak of preparations, may be gained this wa [...] by holding out unto men, the impossibility o [...] [Page 193] [...]oming to Christ, till they be emptied of them­selves; Not that the one is a thing going be­fore, to be done by us, but because they are all [...]ne, it is one motion of the Soul to come out of [...]t self, and in to Jesus: It is one thing really to [...]istrust our selves, and to trust in him; And by this means, when the true Nature of Faith it [...]elf is holden out, men might examine themselves [...]ather by it, whither they have it, nor by the pre­parations of it.

But to come to our purpose, when the Soul is pressed under burdens of sin and misery, of du­ty, and insufficiency, and inability to do it, then [...]he Gospel discovereth unto the wearied Soul, a place of reposing and rest. The Lord hath esta­blished Christ Jesus an ensigne to the people, these who seek unto him shall find his rest glorious, Isa. 11. 10. When there is discovered in us, all [...]mptinesse and inability, yea impossibility to save our selves or perform any duty, then are we led to Jesus Christ, as one who is come with grace and truth, in whom it hath pleased the father all ful­ness should dwell; And the turning of the Soul over upon him, is trusting in him. You would not mistake this, trusting in the Lord in its first and most native acting, is not always perswasi­on of his good-will and love in particular; No, the Soul meets first with a general promise, hold­ing out his good-will in general, and the Soul closeth with this, a thing both good and true, as faithful in it self, and worthy of all acceptati­ [...]n. This is it that we must first meet with, an [...]ll-sufficient Saviour able to save to the u [...] ­ [...]ost all that come to him, and the Souls ac­ [...]epting of that blessed Saviour on the termes [Page 194] he is offered, this is believing in him and trusting to him, as a compleat Saviour.

Now when the Soul hath disburdened it se [...] upon God, and set to it [...] seal to the truth o [...] t [...] promises in the Gospel for Salvation; If t [...] Light of the Spirit shine to discover this un [...] it, that it hath laid hold on his strength, who [...] able to save to the utmost, then it becometh pe [...] swaded of his love in particular, and this is r [...] ther the Sealing after believing, then believing [...] self.

When once men have hazarded their So [...] upon his word, and trusted in him, then th [...] may trust in him for all particulars: He th [...] hath given his Son for us, will be not with him g [...] all things: This therefore, is the continual [...] course of a Believer, from discovered emptine [...] and insufficiency in himself, to travel unto t [...] fulnesse and strength of Jesus Christ, that h [...] strength may be perfected in weaknesse: Y [...] when all things seem contrary, and his dispe [...] sation writes bitter things against us, yet ou [...] we to trust in him, Job 13. 15. There is a pe [...] of wilfulness and violence in Faith, that will lo [...] allways towards his word, whatever be thre [...] ned to the contrary.

Now from this Faith in God, floweth a c [...] stant dependance and stayedness on him, T [...] are stayed on him, because they trusted in him: [...] Faith discovereth in God, such grounds, t [...] it may lean its weight upon him without w [...] vering and changing. It considereth his po [...] er, his good-will and his faithfulness; H [...] [Page 195] able to perform, he is willing to do it, and he is faithful, because he hath promised. His great­ness and power is a high Rock, higher then we, that Faith leadeth us unto: His love and good will in Jesus Christ, maketh an open entry, and ready access to that Rock; And faithfulness ingageth both to give a shelter and refuge to the poor sinner. Would a Soul be any more toss­ed, would there be any place for wavering and doubting, if Souls considered his excellent love­ing kindness and great goodness laid up and treasured with him, for these that trust in him? Psal. 36. 7. Who would not put their trust un­der the shadow of his wings, and think them­selves safe? Again, if his eternal power were pondered, how he is able to effectuat whatever he pleaseth, what everlasting Armes he hath, that by a word supports the frame of the world, what he can do, if he stretch out his Arm: And then, if these two immutable things, Heb. 6. 18. His Promise and his Oath were looked u­pon, how he hath ingaged himself in his Truth, and sworn in his Holiness; Would not a Soul ly safely between these three? what strong consolation would such a threefold considera­tion yield? Would any wind or tempest blow within these Walls mounted up to Hea­ven?

Stayedness on God is nothing else, but the fixedness of believing and trusting, Psal. 112. 7, 8. His heart is fixed, trusting in God, hi [...] [...]eart is established. It is even the mature and ripe age of Faith: F [...]ith while it is yet in infancy, in its tender years, it neither can endure storms, nor [Page 196] can it confirm us in them; But when it hath sprung up and grown in that root of Jesse, whe [...] it is rooted and established in Jesus Christ, then it establisheth the Soul: Faith abiding in him and taking root groweth confirmed, as a Tree that cannot easily be moved, and if you establish Faith, you shall be establish­ed.

There are two particulars which I conceive the trusting Soul is stayed on, First, in the meditation of God, Secondly, in expectati­on from him of all good things. When I say the Meditation of God. I take in both Con­templation and Affection. The most part of men have but few thoughts of God at all, even those who trust in him, do not consider suffi­ciently, what a One he is in whom they be­lieve. If Faith were vigorous and lively, it would put men to often thinking on him, seek­ing to know him in his glorious Names, the mind would be stayed upon this glorious ob­ject, as the most Mysterious and Wonderful One. How throng are mens minds with their vanities? When they awake, they are not still with God; The Meditation of him is a bur­den to them; Any other thing geteth more time and thoughts. But Meditation addeth Af­fection to Contemplation; Men may think long upon the Heavens and their Course, but their Affections are not ravished with them: But this is the Soul stayed on God, when the Souls desires are towards the remembrance of his Name, then Affection stayeth the mind u­pon what it pitcheth one: And certainly, [Page 197] the mind giveth but passing looks, constrain­ed thoughts where the heart is not: Here is Davids Meditation, Psal. 1. My delight is in the law of the Lord. The Soul of a Believer should be constant and fixed in the consideration of God, till he be wholly ingaged to admirati­on and wondering. O Lord how excellent is thy Name, Ps. 8. 1. And who is like unto thee? You all say that you believe in God, and know his Power, you know he is Good, he is Mer­ciful, Just, Long suffering, Faithful, &c. But what is all this knowledge but ignorance, and your light darkness, when it doth not press you to put your trust in his Name? You know; Nay, but you consider not what you know: This is trusting, when the mind is stayed on what it knoweth, when all the scattered thoughts and affections are called home, and united in one, to be exercised about this comprehensive Object, The Lord our God. It is not want of knowledge destroyeth you, but want of conside­ration of what you know, and this is brutish­ness. Mens hearts do not carry Seal and Stamp of their knowledge, because thoughts of God and his word are but as passengers that go tho­row a Land, as lightning going thorow the mind, but warms it not: And so their pra­ctice carrieth no impression of it either. How base is it for those who have God for their God, to be so ignorant of him. Would not any man willingly travel about his own possessions Have you such a large portion Believers, and should you be taken up with other vanities? Should your hearts & minds be stayed on them more then [Page 198] the living God? There is a great vanity and levity in mens minds. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men that they are vanity. There is a [...] unsetledness of Spirit, we cannot pitch upon that on which we may be stayed: And so all the spi­rits of men are in a continual motion from one thing to another, for nothing giveth compleat satisfaction, and therefore it must go and try one after another, to see if it can find in it, what i [...] found not in the former: And such is the incon­stancy of the Spirit, that it licketh up its vomit and what thing it refused, it eateth it up as it [...] meat: The time is spent in choosing and refu­sing, rejecting one thing, and taking another and again returning to what you have rejected Thus are men tossed up and down, and unstabl [...] in all their ways, as a Ship without ballasting. Now Faith and trusting in God is the ballas [...] and weight of this inconstant Ship: It is the An­chor to stay it from being driven to and fro. once men would pitch upon this one Lord, wi [...] hath in himself eminently all the scattered per­fections of Creatures, and infinitely more if you would consider him, and meditate on him, till your Souls loved him, would you not be ravish­ed with him? Would you not build your house beside him, and dwell in the meditation of his Name? This would fix and establish you in du­ties, when I awake, I am still with thee. A little searching and experience discovereth emptiness in all beside, and therefore is it, that the Soul re­moveth sooner from such a particular Creature, then it expected; but here is one that is past find­ing out; The more I search and find, I find him [Page 199] the more above what I can search and find. The Creatures are but painted and fair in mens ap­prehension and at a distance, but the near injoy­ment of them discovereth the delusion, and send­eth a man away ashamed, because he trusted. But the Lord God is, and there is no other, he is not as waters that fail no liar, he is an everlast­ing Fountain, the more you dig and draw, it runs the faster, he will never send any away a­shamed that trust in him, because they shall find more then they expected.

Therefore the Soul that is stayed on meditati­on of God, and knoweth him certainly, will be fixed in expectation from him. Our expectati­on from the Creatures changeth, because it is oft frustrat, disappoyntment meets it, it is above what is in the Creature, and so it must meet with disappoyntment; But as he is above our me­ditation, so is he far above our expectation: And if a mans experience answer his hope, he hath no reason to change his hope. The Lord hath often done things we looked not for, but we never looked for any thing according to the grounds of the word, but it was done, or a better then it. He doth not always answer our limitations, but if he give Gold, when we sought Silver, are we not answered? Are we disappoynted? There are three things that use most to disquiet and toss mens spirits, sin and wrath, future events, and present calamities: Faith establisheth the Soul on God in all these, and suffereth it not to be driven to and fro, with these winds; It finds a harbour and refuge in God from all these. If he be pursued by the avenger of blood, Gods [Page 200] Wrath and Justice, here is an open City of Re­fuge that he may run to, and be safe. If iniqui­ties compass me about, yet I will not fear, but oppose unto that great company, the many suf­ferings and obedience of Jesus Christ. My co [...] ­science challengeth and writteth bitter things a­gainst me, yet I have an answer in that blood that speaketh better things nor Abels. If sinns prevail, he will purge them away: His Mercy is above all my [...]n, and his Vertue and Power is above my sin, He hath promised and will he not do it? Oftimes mens Souls are perplexed and tossed a­bout future Events, careful for to morrow; this is a great torment of spirit, it cutteth and divideth it, putteth a man to his own providence as if there were no God. But he that trusteth in God, is established in this, his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord, he hath commited his Soul to him, and why may he not his body? He hath nothing but his promise for eternal Salvation, and may not that same suffice for temporal? He careth for me (saith Faith) why then should we both care about one thing? He hath given his Son for me, the most precious gift, which the world cannot match, and will he not with him give all these lesser things? And thus the Believer incloseth him­self within the fathers love and providence, and i [...] fixed, not fearing evil tidings: For what ty­dings can be evil, seing our Father hath the So­veraign disposing of all Affairs, and knoweth what is best for us? Present dispensations often shake men and driveth them to and fro: their feet slip, and are not established, thou bid thy face, and I was troubled. But if you trusted in [Page 201] God, and considered what is in him to oppose to all difficulties and calamities, you would say, I shall not be moved, though the floods lift up their voice. If you believed his love, would not this sweetten all his dealing? He maketh all work to­gether for good. Soveraignty, Righteousness and Mercy, are sure and firm ground to stand upon in all storms. You may cast Anchor at any of those, and ly secure. It is the Lord, let him do what be pleaseth. This was enough to quiet the saints in old times. Should he give account of his mat­ters to us? Sball the clay say to the potter, why is it thus? His absolute right by Creation, maketh him beyond all exception, do what he please. But beside this, he is pleased and condescendeth to reason with us, and give account of his mat­ters, to testify to our Conscience, that he is righ­teous in all his ways. It was the ground of Je­remiahs setling. Lam. 3. It is of the Lords mercy that we are not consumed: It should have allayed and stayed Job, know this, thou art punished lesse then thy iniquities deserve, who will set a time to plead with him? Shall any be found righteous before him? And this might stop all mens mouths, and put them in the dust to keep silence, seing he hath Law to do infinitely more then he doth, why should not we rather proclaim his Clemency, then argue him so very hard? If to both those, you shall add the consideration of his Mercy, that all his path [...] are Mercy and Truth unto you, even when he correcteth most severely, so that you may blesse him as well for Rods, as for Meat and Cloathing, and count your self blessed when you are taught by the Rod [Page 202] and the Word the one speaking to the other, a [...] the other sealing its instruction: If you believ [...] that it were a fruit of his Love, He chasteneth [...] very son whom he loveth, that because he will n [...] let you depart from him, will not let you sett [...] upon a present world, and forget your Countre [...] above; therefore he compasseth you about wit [...] Hedges of Thorns to keep in your way: And therefore he maketh this world bitter and un­pleasant, that you may have no continuing Ci­ty; If all this were believed, would not the soul triumph with Paul, What can separat me from th [...] love of God, not past things, for all my sins are blotted out, and shall be remembered no more: not present things, for they work to good, and are a fruit of his Love: not things to come, for that is to come which shall more declare his love then what is past. Would not a Soul sleep se­curely within the compass of this Power, this Love, and Faithfulness of God, without fear of dashing or sinking.

Now judge whither a perfect peace may not flow from all this, may it not be a perfect calm, when the Mountains that inviron, go up to Hea­ven? Not only doth the Soul trust in God, but God keepeth the trusting Soul in peace. He is the creator of peace, and the preservator of it, I creat peace, I keep him in peace: The same power and vertue is required to the preserving of a thing, and the first beeing of it. Our Faith and Hope in God, is too weak an Anchor to abide all storms: Our cords would break, our hands faint and weary, but he is the everlasting God who fail­ [...] not, and [...]arieth not, he holdeth an invisible [Page 203] grip of us, we are kept by his power to salvation, and we are kept by his power in peace: Thy right band holdeth me, saith David, and this helpeth me to pursue thee. What maketh believers in­expugnable, impregnable, is it their strength? No indeed, but salvation will God appoynt for walls and bulwarks: Almighty Power is a strong wall though invisible, this power worketh in us and about us.

Now Believers, pity the world about you, that knoweth not this peace: when they ly se­cure, and cry peace, peace; Alas, they are a Ci­ty open without walls as the plain field, there is no keeper there, nothing to hold off destruction. Entertain your own peace, do not grieve the Spirit who hath sealed it: If you return to folly after he hath spoken peace to you, I perswade you, you shall not maintain this peace, there may be peace with God, but no peace in thy Conscience, as long as the whoredoms of thy heart are to the fore: Thou may be secure, but security is worse then fear. Know this, that con­tinuing in a course of sin, entertaining any known sin, shall trouble thy peace. If God have spo­ken peace to thee, thou shalt not lodge that ene­my in peace, great peace have they that love thy law. Obedience and delight in it doth not make peace, but it is the way of peace, and much me­ditation in the blessed word of God, is the most excellent mean to preserve this peace, if it be se­cured with much correspondence with Heaven by prayer, Phil. 4. 6, 7. If you would disbur­den your hearts dayly at the Throne of Grace, peace should guard and keep your heart, and [Page 204] then your peace would be perfect indeed. But because your Faith is here imperfect, your re­quests few and infervent, your follies and ini­quities many, therefore is this promised perfe­ction a stranger to the most part of Christians. Always what we want here, we must expect to have made up shortly: Heaven is a Land of peace and all things are there in full age: Here all are in minority, it is but yet night, but when the day shall break up, and the shadows fly away, and the Prince of Peace shall appear and be re­vealed, he shall bring Peace and Grace both with him, and both perfect. To him be praise and glory.

SERMON XIV.

DOctrines, As things have their Seasons and Times, every thing is beautiful in its Sea­son; So there is no word of Truth, but it hath a Season and Time in which it is beautiful: And indeed that is a great part of Wisdom, to bring forth every thing in its Season, to discern when and where, and to whom it is pertinent, and edifying, to speak such and such Truths. But there is one Doctrine that is never out of Season; And therefore, it may be preached in season and out of season as the Apostle commandeth. In­deed to many hearts it is always out of season, and especially in times of Trouble and Anguish, when it should be most seasonable, when the opportunity may commend the beauty of it; But in it self and to as many as have ever found the power of it on their hearts, it is always the most seasonable and pertinent Doctrine, I mean the very subject matter of this Text; The news of a Redeemer to Captive sinners, it is in it self such glad tidings and shines with so much beau­ty and splendor to troubled sinners, that it cast­eth abroad a luster and beauty on the feet of the [Page 206] Messengers that carry it, Isai. 40. It is a Cor­dial in Affliction, whither outward or inward, and it is withall the only true comfort of prospe­rity, it allayeth the bitterness of things that cross us, and filleth up the emptinesse of things that pretend to please us. It giveth sweetnesse to the one, and true sweetnesse to the other. Reason then, that should always be welcome to us, which we stand always in need of, that it should always be new and fresh in our Affection, which is always recent and new in its Operati­on and Efficacy toward us. Other news, how great or good soever, suppose they were able to fill the hearts of all in a Nation with Joy, yet they grow stale, they lose their vertue within few days. What footsteps or remainder is of all the Triumphs and Trophies of Nations, of all their Solemnities for their victorious successe at home and abroad. [...]hese great news, which once were the subject of the discourse of, and delight of many thousands, who report them now with delight; So these things that may cause Joy and Triumph to some at this time, as they cannot choose but make more hearts sad then glad, so they will quickly lose even that Efficacy they have, and become tasteless as the white of an Egg to them that are most ravished with them. But my Beloved, here is glade ty­dings of a Redeemer come to Sion, to save sin­ners, which have no occasion of sadness in them to any, but to them who are not so happy as to consider them or believe them, and they are this day after many hundred, I may say thousand years since they were first published, as green [Page 207] and recent, as refreshing to wearied Souls as e­ver they were; Yea such is the Nature of them, and such an everlasting spring of Consolation is in them, that the oftner they be told and the more they be considered the sweeter they are, rhey grow green in old age, and bring forth fruit, and are fat and flowrishing, and indeed it is the never dying vertue, and everlasting sape of this word of life, that maketh the righteous so, Psal. 92. 14. This word of a Redeemer at the first publ [...]shing, and for a long time, was but like waters issuing out from under the thre­shold, and then they came to the Ankles when it was published to a whole Nation, but still the longer it swells the higher above Knees and Loyns, till it be a great inexhausted River, and thus it runs at this day through the world, and hath a Healing Vertue and a Quickning Vertue, Ezek. 47. And a Sanctifying Vertue, vers. 9. 12. Now this is our errand to you, to invite you to come to these Waters; If ye thirst, come to be quenched, if ye thirst not, ye have so much the more need to come, because your thirst after things that will not profit you, will destroy you; and your unsensibleness of your need of this is your greatest misery.

That the words may be more lively unto us, we may call to mind the greatest and deepest de­signe that hath been carried on in the world, by the Maker and Ruler of the world, is the Mar­riage of Christ his Son with the Church: This was primely intended when he made the world, as a Palace to Celebrat it into; This was e­specially aimed at, when he joyned Adam and [Page 208] Eva, in the beginning of time together in Para­dise, that the second Adam should be more so­lemnly joyned to the Church at the end of time, in the Paradise of Heaven. And this the A­postle draws out as the Samplar and Arch-cop­py of all Mariages and Conjunctions in the Creatures, Eph. 5. Now this being the great designe of God, of which, all other things done in time, are but the footsteps and low represen­tations. But the great Question is, how this shall be brought about, because of the great di­stance and huge disproportion of the Parties. He being the brightness of the Fathers glory, and we being wholly ecclipsed and darkned since our fall; He higher then the heaven of heavens, and we fallen as low as Hell into a dungeon of darkness and misery, led away by sin and Sa­tan, lying in that abominable posture, repre­sented in Ezek. 16. Not only unsuitable to en­gage his Love, but fit to procure even the loath­ing of all that pass by.

Now it being thus, the words do furnish us with the noble resolution of the Son, about the taking away of the distance, and the royal offer of the Father, to make the Match hold the bet­ter, both flowing from infinit Love, in the most free and ablolute manner can be imagined. The Sons Resolution, which is withal the Fathers Promise, is to come into the world first, to Re­deem his Spouse, and so to Marry her, And the Redeemer shall come unto Sion, &c. The Fathers Offer (that he might not be wanting to help it forward) is to Dispone by an irrevocable Co­venant, having the force of an absolute Donati­on; [Page 209] His Word and Spirit to Christ and his Seed, to the Church even to the end of the world, vers. 21.. As for me, this is my Cove­nant. The Son hath done his part, and is to express his infinit Love, infinit Condescenden­cy, and stooping below his Majesty: Now as for me, I will shew my good will to it, in my infinit Bounty and Riches of Grace to the Church, he hath given himself for her, I will give my Spirit, and thus it cannot but hold.

We shall speak a word then of these three; First, what Estate and Condition Christ find­eth his Church into, out of which, she must be taken to be his Spouse; Then what way and course is laid down by the Counsel of Heaven, to fill up the infinit distance between Christ and sinners; and to close all, we shall shew you the suitableness of these Promises, and the wonder­ful fitness of this Doctrine, to the Church at this time Isaiah Preached it, and at all times.

The first is supposed in the words, Redempti­on supponeth Captivity or Slavery, Redemption of persons importeth Captivity and Slavery of these persons, and Redemption of other things that belong to persons, importeth Sale, or Alie­nation of our right to them. Of both, Perso­nall Redemption is the greatest and most diffi­cult; Yet both we have need of, for our E­state and Fortune (so to speak) is lost, For all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Rom. 3. 23. That inheritance of eternal Life, we have morgaged it, and given away our [Page 210] right to it; the favour of God and the blessed­ness of Communion with him, was Adams Birth [...] right, and by a free Donation was made hi [...] proper Inheritance and poss [...]ssion, to be trans­mitted to his Posterity. But O how, for how small a thing did he give it away, for a little tast of an Aple, he sold his Estate; And both he and we may lament over it, as the King that was constrained to render himself and all his Army for want of Water, when he tasted it, for how small a thing (saith he) have I lost my Kingdom? Then our persons are in a state of Bondage, in Captivity and Slavery. Captives under the Wrath of God, and Slaves or Ser­vants to sin. There needed no greater diffe­rence and difformity between Christ and us, then this, our servitude and bondage to sin, which truely is the basest and most abominable Vassallage in the World. The abasement of the Highest Prince, to the vilest servitude under the basest Creature [...] in his Dominion, is but a sha­dow of that loathsome and ugly posture of our Souls. This servitude doth in a manner un­man us, and transform us into Beasts. Cer­tainly it is that, which in the Holy Eyes of God, is more loathsome then any thing be­side; He seeth not that deformity in Poverty, Nakednesse, Sicknesse, Slavery, let a man be as miserable as Job on his Dung hill, it is not so much that, as the unseen and undiscerned Posture and Habit of their Souls, that he abo­minateth. Now what a Match is this, for the Highest and Holiest Prince, the Son of the greatest King and Heir of all things? But if [Page 211] you add to this Slavery, that Captivity under the Curse and Wrath of God, that all men are shut up and inclosed in the prison of Gods faith­ful and irrevocable Sentence of Condemnation, and given over by the righteous Judgement of God, to be kept by Satan in everlasting Chains of Darkness: He keepeth men now, by the invisible Cords of their own sins, but these Chains of Darkness are reserved for both him and men. Now indeed, this supperaddeth a great difficulty to the business, the other may be a difficulty to his Mind and Affection, be­cause there is nothing to procure Love, but all that may enforce Hatred and Loathing: But suppose his infinit Love could come over this stay, could leap over this Mountain by the free­dom of it; Yet there is a greater impediment in the way, that may seem difficult to his Pow­er, and it is the Justice and Power of God, en­closing sinners and shutting them up for eter­nal Wrath, till a due satisfaction be had from, or for them. You see then, how infinit the distance is betwixt him and us, and how great the difficulty is, to bring about this intended Union. Angels were sent with flamming Swords to encompass the Tree of Life, and keep it from man, but man is environed by the Curse of the Almighty God, the Justice, the Faithfulness, and the Power of God do Guard or set a watch about him, that there is no access to him to save him, but by undergo­ing the greatest danger, and undertaking the greatest Party that ever was dealt withal, and the strictest and severest too.

This being the case then, the distance bei [...] so vast, and the difficulty so great, the d [...] stance being twofold, between his Nature a [...] ours, and between our quality and his: an i [...] finit distance between his Divine Nature a [...] our flesh, and besides an extream contrarie [...] between the Holiness of his Nature, and th [...] finfulness of ours; Such a repugnancy, as the [...] is no reconciliation of them. You know wha [...] Paul speaketh of the Marriage of Christia [...] with Idolaters: How much more will it hol [...] here? What communion can be between ligh [...] and darkness, between God and Belial? I [...] it possible these can be Reduced to Ami­ty, and brought to so near an Union▪ Yet for all this it is possible; But Lo [...] and Wisdom must find out the way. In­finit Love, and infinit Wisdom consult­ing together, What distance can they no [...] swallow up? What difficulty can they no [...] overcome?

And here you have it, the distance under­taken to be removed, both by the Father an [...] the Son, (for all this while we can do no­thing to help it forward; Whill the blessed Plot is going on, we are posting the faster to ou [...] own destruction) and this is the way con­descended upon. First, to fill up that wide gap between his Divine Spiritual Nature, and our Mortall fleshly Nature, it is agree [...] upon, that the Son shall come in our Flesh, and be made partaker of Flesh and Blood with the Children. And this is meaned by this Pro­mise; Tbe Redeemer shall come to Sion. Which [Page 213] is plainly expressed by his own Mouth, Joh. 16. 28. I come forth from the father, and come into the world. There being such a distance between his Majesty and our baseness, Love maketh him stoop down and humble himself to the very state of a [...]ervant, Phil. 2. 7, 8. And thus the Humiliation of Christ filleth up the first distance, for Love and Majesty cannot long dwell together, Nec in una sede morantur, Maje­stas & amor: But Love will draw Majesty down below it self, to meet with the Object of it. This was the great Journey Christ took to meet with us, and it is downward below him­self, but his Love hath chosen it, to be like us, though he should be unlike himself. How Di­vinely doth the Divine Apostle speak of it, and the word was made fl [...]sh, and he dwelt among us. Jo. 1. 14. And therefore the Children of A­dam, may in verity say of him what the Holy Trinity, in a Holy Irony spake of man, Lo he is become as one of us. It was a singular and eminent Priviledge conferred upon man in his first Creation, that the Trinity in a manner consulted about him, let us make man after our image; But now when man hath lost that I­mage, to have such a result of the Counsel of the Trinity about it, let one of us be made Man, to make up the distance between man and us; O what Soul can rightly conceive it without Ravishment and Wonder, without an Extasy of Admiration and Affection, that the Lord should become a Servant; The Heir of all Things, be stript naked of all; The Bright­nesse of the Fathers Glory, be thus Ecclipsed [Page 114] and Darkened: And in a word, that whi [...] comprehendeth all Wonders in the Creatio [...] who made all things, he himself made of Woman. And God became a man, and a [...] this out of his Infinite Love, to give a D [...] monstration of Love to the world; So hig [...] a Person abased, to exalt so base and low [...] we are; There is a Mystery in this, a gre [...] Mystery, a Mystery of Wisdom, to swallo [...] up the Understanding with Wonder; And Mystery of Love, to ravish the hearts of me [...] with Affection, Depths of both, in the Empt [...] ­ness of the Son of God. The Prophet doub [...] ­ing what was commanded, to seek a Sig [...] whither in Heaven above, or in the Depth be­neath, but what he would not ask, Go [...] gave in his great Mercy; Behold a Virg [...] shall conceive a son, and they shall call his na [...] Immanuel: A sign indeed from Heaven, at the height of Heaven, because he is God, and sign from the Depth beneath too, because he [...] man, God with us, and so composed to u [...] Heaven and Earth together: God with us, th [...] he might at length bring us to be with God. He became Immanuel, that he might mak us Im­melanu. If that was given as Tidings of gre [...] Joy, and as the highest and deepest sign of Lov [...] and Favour, at that time to uphold the faint­ing Church, O how much more may it now comfort us, when it is not a Virgin shall con­ceive, but a Virgin hath conceived; Ma [...] not the Joy be increased, that the Redeemer not to come, but come already, and hath made up that wide separation, which was between [Page 215] us and him, by his low condescendency to his Union with our Nature. This is one step of Advancement towards that happy Marriage, that the whole creation seems to groan and travel for, Rom. 8. 22. But yet there is a great Dif­ficulty in the way. We are in a state of Cap­tivity, we are prisoners of Justice, have sold our selves and our happiness; And now our Natural Inh [...]itance lies in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, heirs of Wrath, concluded under the Curse of God. And indeed this was insu­perable to all flesh; Neather Men nor Angels could ransom us from this: The Redemption of the Soul of man is so precious, and the Re­demption of the Inheritance of man, (that is Heaven;) is so precious too, that none in Hea­ven or Earth can be found, that can pay the price of them, so that it would have ceased for ever; And here the great Design of Christs Union with sinners, would have marred and miscaried, if himself had not undertaken to o­vercome this too: And indeed, as there could none be found to open the Seals of the Book of Gods Decrees concerning his Church, none worthy in Heaven or Earth, but the Lamb, the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah: He prevail­ed to open it, and loose the Seals thereof, Rev. 5. 3, 4, 5. So there could none be found in Heaven or Earth, neither under the Earth, wor­thy to undertake or accomplish this work, or able to open the Seals of the Book of Gods Curses, or to blot out the hand-writting of Ordinances that was against us, or to open the prison of Death, into which-man was shut [Page 216] up. None I say, hath been found worthy, [...] prevailed, but the Lamb of God and Lyon [...] the Tribe of Judah: And therefore, the fo [...] and twenty Elders that sit round about t [...] Throne, and the four Beasts, or innumerab [...] company of Angels, and Spirits of just m [...] made perfect, fell down before the Lamb, ev [...] ry one of them with Harps, and they sung new Song, worthy is the Lamb that was slain receive power and riches and wisdom and streng [...] and honour and glory and blessing; For thou h [...] redeemed us to God by thy blood. And every Cre [...] ture says Amen to this, and consents to this, [...] do him homage: To him who alone w [...] worthy, and als willing to it, as worthy so it. I think the 16. Vers. of this Chapter giv [...] us a sensible representation of this. The pr [...] ceeding Discourse from the beginning, holdin [...] out the sinful and deplorable condition of th [...] people, and in them as a Type of the desper [...] wickednesse of all mankind, and withal their d [...] sperat misery, for Paul Rom. 3. maketh the Application for us; and from this, concludeth a [...] under sin, and so all under wrath, all guilt [...] that every mouth may be stopt: Men wai [...] ing for Light, and behold Obscurity, for Brigh [...] nesse, but walking in Darknesse, groping fo [...] the Wall, like the blind stumbling at noon day, as in the night, and in desolate places as dead men, all roaring like Beasts, and mourni [...] like Doves, when ever the apprehension of th [...] Terror of God entereth. Now it is subjoyne [...] Vers. 16 And he saw that there was no man, &c▪ as if he had waited and looked through all th [...] [Page 217] world, if any would appear, either to speak or [...]o for man, if any would offer themselves, and [...]nterpose themselves for his Salvation. There­fore his own arm brought Salvation, and his righte­ousness it sustained him. Therefore, the Son of God steps in and offers himself, as if God had first assayed all others, and when Heaven is full of wonder and silence, he breaks out in this, [...]o, I come to do thy will, Psa. 40. Since I have gotten a Body to be like sinners, I will also come in their place, and I will give my Life a Ransome for them. And therefore it is sub­ [...]oyned, The Redeemer shall come to Sion. He [...]hall come Cloathed with Vengeance and In­dignation as a Garment, against the enemies of his Church, Sin and Satan, in Zeall and burn­ [...]ng Love to his designed Spouse; He shall strengthen himself, and stirr up his Might and Fury, against all that detain her Cap­ [...]ive.

Now indeed, he is the only fittest Person for [...]his Businesse in Heaven or Earth, for he hath [...]oth right to do it, and he hath only Might and Power to accomplish it. He hath right to the Redemption of sinners, because he is our kins­man, nearest of blood to us. Now you know [...]he right of Redemption belonged to the kins­ [...]an, Lev. 25. 25.

And therefore, when the nearest kinsman [...]ould not redeem Naomi and Ruths parcel of [...]and, Booz he did it as being next: And [...]uitable to this, our Lord Jesus when others as [...]ear could not, and were not able: He hath [...]one it and taken Men and Angels to witnesse, [Page 218] that he hath first Redeemed us, that he mi [...] Marry us, as Eph. 5. That he hath purch [...] ed us to be his Wife; And indeed the v [...] word imports this. Goel a Redeemer [...] Kinsman, passing under one word: So I [...] I know that my redeemer, or my kins-man live And because our Kins-man, therefore n [...] interested in our Redemption; For, for end he became partaker of flash and blood with children, that be might destroy our greatest en [...] Satan, and redeem us, Heb. 2. 14. And besi [...] he hath right to Redemption, as the Churc [...] Husband, because he must mediat between and all others, none can reach her, except please, or prosecure a plea against her, as in case of the Wifes making a vow, if her [...] band consented not, it was void, Num. [...] But if he heard of it and held his peace, it [...] confirmed. Now the Lord Jesus hath kn [...] this Deplorable Estate we are Captives i [...] And he hath testified his utter dislike, of binding over our selves to Death, and re [...] ing our selves to Satan: And therefore, [...] bondage in which we are detained, is not, [...] firmed and ratified, but he hath right rem [...] ing to Redeem us from the hand of all our [...] mies. But then, he alone hath Might [...] Power to do it, for God hath laid help on [...] and made him able and mighty, to save [...] the uttermost. It was not Gold or Silver, [...] Corruptible things; Suppose the whole [...] were turned into Gold or precious Stones [...] must give person for person, and one perso [...] quivalent to all, his own Life, his own Bl [...] [Page 219] for us; And the value of this was infinitely raised by th [...] stamp of his Divinity put upon it: the King for the Servant, one that knew no sin for sinners, yea God for man; This superads infinit Worth, and makes it an over-ransom, and over-purchase, a ransom to buy our persons from Hell, a purchase to re­deem us to our Inheritance, Heaven that we had lost, and these two stiles it gets; [...].

Now you see the great Difficulty is overcome and taken out of the way, Christ being made a Curse, hath purchased a redemption from the Curse of the Law, Gal. 4. 13. But yet, there is another poynt of vast distance, I may say, con: trariety and enmity between us and him; he is Holy and undefiled, all fair and no spot in him; We are wholly defiled and depraved by sin, our Souls are become the habitation of Devils, and a Cage of every unclean and hateful Bird; In a word, he hath not only our Enemies to over­come, but our own hearts to conquer, and our Enmity to take away. This makes the widest separation from him. Now he filled up much of the Distance, with his taking our flesh, and he removed the great Difficulty, by dying in our flesh, his Humiliation to be a Man brought him nearer us: And his further Humiliation, to be a Dying, Crucified and Buried Man, brought him yet a step nearer us. But nearer he cannot come, for lower he cannot be, except he were a sinner, which would marr the whole design, and take away all the Comfort of his liknesse to us; Therefore, since he hath come so low [Page 220] down to us, it is suitable we be raised up one step to meet him: And so the Exaltation of sinners shall make up all the Distance, and bring the two parties to that long since design­ed, and long desired meeting. Now for this end and purpose, the Son undertakes the Re­demption of his Church, from sin and ungodli­ness als well as wrath; And therefore you have that, which is expressed as the Character of the redeemed in this Vers. It is exponed as the great point or part of the Redemption it self, by the Apostle, Rom. 11. The Redeemer shall come to Sion, to turn all ungodliness from Jacob. And so his end was not only to be partaker of our Na­ture, but to make us partakers of the Divine Na­ture; And therefore the Father out of his Love to this businesse, he promiseth to send his Spi­rit to dwell in our hearts, to make the Word sound in our Mouths and Ears, and the Spirit to work in our hearts, and this Exaltation of sinners to the participation of the Holy Spirit, together with Christs Humiliation, to partake of our Flesh makes up the full Distance, and bringeth Christ and his Church to that holy pa­tient Impatience, and longing for the day when it shall be Solemnized in Heaven. The Spirit within us, sayes come, and the bride sayes come, e­ven so come Lord Jesus. And he waits for no­thing, but the Compleating and Adorning of all the rest, that there may be one Jubilee for all and for ever. Now I wish we could under­stand the Absolute and free Tenor of Gods Co­venant: There is much controversy specula­tive about the Condition of the Covenant, about [Page 221] the Promises, whither Absolute, or Conditional; And there is too much practical Debate in per­plexed Consciences about this, how to find something in themselvs to fit and fashion them for the Redemption. But truely if we would not disjoyn and dismember the Truth of God, but take it all intirely as one great design of Love and Metcy revealed to sinners, and so conjoyn the Promises of the Covenant into one bundle, we would certainly find that it hath the Voice of Jacob, though it seem to have the Hand of Esau; we find an absolute, most free and incondition­ed sense, when there is a conditional strain and shadow of words in some places. The truth is, the turning of souls from ungodliness, is not pro­perly a Condition exacted from us, as a Promise to be performed in us, and the chiefest part of Christs Redemption. And though some abuse the grace of God, and turn it into wantonness and liberty: Yet certainly, this Doctrine that makes the greatest part of the glad news of the Gospel, to be Redemption from sin and the pour­ing out of the Spirit, is the greatest perswasive to a godly Conversation, and the most deadly ene­my to all ungodliness.

I thought to have spoken more of that third thing I proponed, but take it in a word. This was always proponed to the Church, as the strongest Cordial, it was given here as the great­est Consolation in all their long Captivity, that this Redeemer was after wards to come, whose Vertue was then living, and present to the quick­ning and comforting of souls. It was thought enough to uphold in a most desperat strait. To [Page 222] us a child is born, Isai. 8. I wish we could take it so; Certainly it was the Character of a Believ­er before Christs coming, that he was one that was looking and waiting for the Salvation of Is­rael, by this Redeemer. But now we are sur­rounded with Consolation before and behind, Christ already come, so that we may in joy say, lo this is our God, we have waited for him; o­thers waited and longed, and we see him: and Christ shortly to come again without sin, to our Salvation. And what could be able to take our Joy from us, if we had one Eye always back to his first coming, and another always forward to his comeing again?

SERMON XV.

THis peoples condition aggreeth well with ours, though the Lords dealing be very different. The Confessory part of this Prayer belongeth to us now; And strange it is, that there is such odds of the Lords Dispensations, when there is no difference in our Cohditi­ons: Always, we know not how soon the complaint may be ours also. This Prayer was prayed long before the Judgment and Capti­vity came one, so that it had a Prophesy in the bosome of it: Nay, it was the most kindly and affectionat way of warning, the people could get, for Isaiah to pour forth such a pray­er, as if he beheld with his Eyes the Calami­ty, as already come: And indeed it becom­eth us so to look on the Word, as if it gave a present beeing to things als certain and sensible, as if they were really. What strange stupidi­ty must be in us, when present things, inflict­ed Judgments, committed sins, do not so much affect us, as the forefight of them did move Isaiah. Always, as this was registrat for the [Page 224] peoples use, to cause them still look on Judge­ments threatned, as performed and present, and anticipat the day of Affliction by repentance: and also to be a Patern to them, how to deal with God, and plead with him from such grounds of Mercy and Covenant Interest; So it may be to us a warning, especially when sin is come to the Maturity, and our secure back­sliding Condition is with Child of sad Judge­ments, when the harvest seemeth ripe to put the sickle in to it.

There is in these two Verses, a confession of their own sinfulness, from which grounds they justify Gods proceeding with them; They take the cause upon themselves, and justify him in his Judging, whither Temporal or Spiritu­al Plagues were inflicted. In this Verse, they take a general survey of their sinful Estate, con­cluding themselves unclean, and all their per­formances and commanded Duties, which they counted once their righteousness: And from this ground, they clear Gods dealing with them, and put their mouth in the Dust, and so from the Lords Judgment they are forc­ed to enter into a search of the Cause, so much sin, and from discovered sin, they pronounce God righteous in his Judgment: perceiving a great difference in the Lords manner of deal­ing with them and their fathers, they do not re­found it upon God who is righteous in all his ways, but retort it upon themselves, and find a vast discrepance between themselves and their fathers, Verse 5. And so it was no wonder that Gods Dispensation changed upon them; [Page 225] God was wont to meet others, to shew him­self gracious even to prevent stroaks; But now he was wroth with them, Nay, but there is good cause for it, They rejoyced and wrought righteousness, but we have sinned. And this may be said in the general, never one needeth to quarrel God for severe dealing. If he deal worse with one then with another, let every man look into his own bosome, and see reason sufficient, yea, more provocation in themselves then others. Always in this Verse, they come to a more distinct veiw of their loathsome con­dition. Any body may wrap up their repen­tance in a general notion of sin, but they de­clare themselves to be more touched with it, and condescend on particulars, yet such par­ticulars as comprehend many others. And in this Confession, you may look on the Spirits work, having some Characters of the spirit in it. First, they take a general view of their un­cleannesse and loathsome Estate by sin: Not only do they see sin, but sin in the sinfulnesse of it and uncleannesse of it. Secondly, They not only conclude so of the Natural Estate they were born into, and the loathsomnesse of their many foul scandals among them: But they go a further length, to passe als severe a sen­tence on their Duties and Ordinances, as God hath done, Isai. 1. and 66. The spirit con­vinceth according to Scriptures Light, and not according to the dark spark of Natures Light; and so that which Nature would have busked it self with as its Ornament, that which they had covered themselves with as their Garment, [Page 226] had spread their Duties as robs of Righteous­nesse over their sins to hide them, all this now goeth under the name of filthinesse and sin; They see themselves wrapt up in as vile raggs as they covered and hid; Commanded Du­ties and manifest Breaches come in one Catego­ry: And not only is it some of them which their own Conscience could challenge in the time, but all of them and all kinds of them, Moral and Ceremohial, Duties that were most sincere, had most Affection in them, all of them are filthy raggs now, which but of late were their righteousnesle. Thirdly, there is an universality; not only of the Actions, but of Persons, not only all the Peoples or Multi­tudes performances are abomination, but all of them, Isaiah and one and other, the holiest of them come in, in this Category and Rank: we are all unclean, &c. Though the people, it may be, could not joyn Holy Isaiah with them­selves, yet humble Isaiah will joyn himself with the people, and come in in one prayer: And no doubt, he was als sensible of sin now, as when he began to prophecy; and growing in holinesse, he must grow also in sense of sinful­nesse: Seing at the first sight of Gods Holi­nesse and Glory, he cryed unclean, &c. Isai. 6. 5. Certainly he doth so now, from such a principle of accesse to Gods Holinesse, which maketh him abhore himself in Dust and Ash­es. Fourthly, They are not content with such a general; but condescend to two special things, two spiritual sins, to wit, Omission, or shifting of spiritual Duties, which contained [Page 227] the substance of Worship: None calleth one thee, few or none, none to count upon, cal­leth on thee, that is, careth for immediat ac­cesse and approaching unto God in prayer, and meditation, &c. Albeit External and Temple Duties be frequent, yet who prayeth in secret; or if any pray, that cannot come in compt, the Lord knoweth them not, because they want the Spirits stamp on them. This must be some other thing, nor the general conviction of sin which the world hath, who think they pray all their days; Here people who though they make many prayers, Isai. 1. Yet they see them no prayers; and no calling on Gods Name now. But Fifthly, to make the challenge the more, and the confession more spiritual and compleat, there is discovered unto them this ground of their slacknesse and negligence in all spiritual Duties, None stirreth up himself to take bold one thee. Here is the want of the exercise of Faith: Faith is the Souls hand and grip, Jo. 1. 12. Heb. 6. 18. 1 Tim. 6. 12. Isai. 27. 5. No body a waketh themselves out of their deadnesse and security, to lay hold on thee: Lord thou art going away, and taking goodnight of the Land, and no body is like to hold thee by the Garment: No Jacobs here, who will not let thee go, till thou bless them; None to prevail with thy Majesty, every one is like to give Christ a free Pasport and Testi­monial to go abroad, and are almost Gada­rens, to pray him to depart out of their Coasts. There is a strange lousnesse and indifferency in mens spirits concerning the one thing necessa­ry: [Page 228] Men ly by and dream over their days, and never putteth the Souls Estate out of questi­on: None will give so much pains, as to clear their interest in thee, to lay hold on thee, so as they may make peace with thee. Now can there be a more ample and lively Descripti­on of our Estate, both of the Land and of par­ticular persons of it. Since this must not be limited to the Nation of the Jews, though the Prophet spake of the generality of them: Yet no doubt, all mankind is included in the first six-Verses; And any secure people may be in­cluded in the seventh Verse, for Paul applyeth even-such like speeches, (Rom. 13.) that were spoken, as you would think, of Davids ene­mies only; Yet the Spirit of God knowing the mind of the Spirit, maketh a more gene­ral use of their condition, to hold out the Natural Estate of all men out of Christ Je­sus.

But there are in these two Verses, other two things, beside the acknowledgment of sin: First, the acknowledgment of Gods Righte­ousness in punishing them, for now they need not quarrel God, they find the cause of their sading in their own bosome, they now joyn sin and punishment together, wheras in the time of their prosperity, they separated punishment from sin, and in the time of their security in ad­versity, they separated sin from punishment; at one time making bare confession of sin, with­out fear of Gods Justice, at another time, fret­ting and murmuring at his Judgments, without the sense of their sin; But now they joyn both [Page 229] these, and the sight and sense of Gods displea­sure maketh sin more bitter, and to abound more, and to appear in the loathsome and pro­vocking nature of it, so that their acknowledge­ment hath an edge upon it. And again, the sight and sense of sin maketh the Judgment ap­pear most righteous, and stoppeth their mouth from murmuring. In the time of their impeni­tency under the Rod, their language was ve­ry indifferent, Ezek. 18. 2. The fathers have eaten sour graps, and the childrens teeth are set on edge. They have sinned and we suffer; they have done the wrong and we pay for it: But it is not so now, verse 5. The Fathers have done righteousness in respect of us, and thou was good unto them, but we are all unclean, and have sinned, and so we are punished. Se­condly, they find some cause and ground in God of their general defection, not that he is the cause of their sin, but in a righteous way he punished sin with sin. God hid his Face, denyed special Grace and Influence; and so they ly still in their security, and their sin be­came a spiritual plague. Or this may be so read, none calleth on thy Name, when thou hid thy Face from us, and when thou consum­ed us because of our iniquities; And so it serveth to aggravat their deep security, that though the Lord was departing from them, yet none would keep him and hold him; Though he did strike, yet they prayed not, Afflicti­on did not awake them out of security, and so the last words, Thou hast consumed us, &c. Are differently exponed and read; Some make it [Page 230] thus, as it is in the Translation, Thou hast hid thy face, and left us in a spiritual deadness, that so there might be no impediment to bring on deserved Judgment; If we had called on thee, and laid hold on thee, it might have been prevent­ed, we might have prevailed with God, but now our defence is removed, thou hast given us up to a spirit of slumber, and so we have no shield to hold of the stroak, thou hast now good leave to consume us for our sins: Ano­ther sense may be (Thou hast suffered us to consume in our iniquity, thou hast given us up to the hand of our sins:) And this is also a consequent of his hiding his Face, because thou hid thy Face, thou letteth us perish in our sins; There needeth no more for our Con­sumption, but only help us not out of them, for we can soon destroy our selves.

First, sin is in its own nature Ioathsome and maketh one unclean before God: Sins nature is filthiness, vileness, so doth Isaiah speak of himself, Chap. 6. 5. when he saw Gods Holi­ness; So doth Job abhore himself, which is the Affection which turneth a mans face off [...] loathsome object, when he saw God, Job 40. 4. and 42, 6. Look how loathsome our natural condition is holden out by God himself, Ezek. 16. You cannot imagine any deformity in the Creature, any filthiness, but it is there. The filthiness and vileness of sin shall appear, if we consider first: Sin is a transgression of the ho­ly and spiritual Command, and so a vile thing; The Command is holy and good, Rom. 7. And sin violateth and goeth flat contrary [Page 231] to the Command, 1 Job. 3: When so just and so equitable a Law is given, God might have exacted other rigorous duties from us, but when it is so framed, that the Conscience must cry out, all is equity, all is righteous and more then righteous, thou might command more and reward none: It is Justice to Command, but it is Mercy to Promise Life to obedience, which I owe: What then must the offence be, a­gainst such a Just Command and so Holy. If Holiness be the Beauty of the Creation, sin must be the Deformity of it, the only spot in its Face.

Secondly, look upon sin in the sight of Gods Holiness and Infinit Majesty, and O how hai­nous will it appear; And therefore no man hath seen sin in the vileness of it, but in the Light of Gods Countenance. As Isai. 6. 5. Job 40. and 42. God is of purer eyes then to be­hold iniquity, he cannot look on it, Hab. 1. 13. All other things beside sin, God looketh on them as bearing some mark of his own Image, all was very good, and God saw it, Gen. 1. and 2. Even the basest Creatures God looketh on them, and seeth himself in them: But sin is only Gods Eye-sore, that his Holiness cannot away with it is most contrary unto him. And as to his Soveraignty, it is an high con­tempt and rebellion done to Gods Majesty, it putteth God off the Throne, will take no Law from him, will not acknowledge his Law, but (as it were) spitteth in his Face, and establisheth another God. There is no punish­ment so evil, that God will not own as his [Page 232] work, and declare himself to be the Author of it, but only sin; his Soul abhorreth it, his Holy Will is against it, he will have no fel­lowship with it: It is so contrary to him, contradicteth his Will, debaseth his Authori­ty, despiseth his Soveraignty, vilipendeth his Truth. There is a kind of infinitness in it: Nothing can express it, but it self, no name worse then it self to set it out; The Apostle can get no other Epithet to it, Rom. 17. 13. Sinful sin, so that it cometh in most direct op­position unto God. All that is in God, is God himself, and there is no Name can express him sufficiently; If you say God, you say more then can be exprest by many thousand other words; So is it here, sin is purely sin. God is purely Good and Holy, without mixture, Holiness it self: Sin is simply evil, without mixture, unholiness it self; What­ever is in it, is sin, is uncleanness: Sin is an infinit wrong, and an infinit and boundless fil­thiness, because of the infinit Person wrong­ed, it is an Offence of infinit Majesty: and the Person wronged aggravateth the Offence; If it be simply contrary to infinit Holiness, it must be in that respect, infinit unholinesse and un­cleannesse.

Thirdly, look upon the sad Effects and Consequences of sin, how Miserable, how Ruinous it hath made man, and all the Creati­on, and how vile must it be? First, Look on mans Native Beauty and Excellency, how Beautiful a Creature? But sin hath cast him down from the top of his Excellency: Sin [Page 233] made Adam of a Friend an Enemy, of a Cour­tier with God, an open Rebel: was not mans Soul of more price, nor all the world, so that nothing can exchange it? Yet hath sin de bas­ed it, and prostitute it, to all vile filthy plea­sures, hath made the Immortal Spirit dwell on the Dunghil, feed on Ashes, catch vanities, ly­ing vanities, pour out it self to them, serve all the Creatures, where as it should have made them servants, yea a slave to his own greatest enemy, to the ground he treadeth upon: O what a degenerat Plant! It was a noble Vine once in Paradise, but sin hath made it a wild one, to bring forth sour Graps. What is there in all the world could defile a man? Mat. 15. 20. Nothing that goeth out or cometh in, but sin that proceedeth out of the heart. Man was all Light, his Judgment shined in to his Affections, and thorow all the Man: But sin hath made all Darknesse, closed up the poor captive Understanding, hath built up a thick Wall of grosse corrupted Affections a­bout it, so that Light can neither get in nor out. The Soul was like a clear running Foun­tain, which yielded fresh clear streams of ho­ly Inclinations, Desires, Affections, Acti­ons, and emptied it self in the Sea of Immense Majesty, from which, these Streams first flow­ed. But now it is a standing putrified Puddle, that casteth a vile stinck round about, and hath no issue towards God. Man was a Glorious Creature, fit to be Lord over the work of Gods own Hands, and therefore had Gods Image in a special manner, Holinesse and Righteous­nesse; [Page 234] Gods Nature, a peece of Divinity was stamped on man, which outshined all Created Perfections; The Sun might blush when it looked on him; For what was ma­terial Glory, to the Glory of Holinesse and Beauty of Gods Image? But sin hath robbed poor man of this Glorious Image, hath de­faced man, marred all his Glory, put on an hellish likenesse on him: Holinesse only putteth the differenc between Angels in Heaven and Devils in Hell: And sin only hath made the difference, between Adam in Para­dise, and sinners on the cursed ground, Rom. 3. 23.

Secondly, sin hath so redounded through man unto all the Creation, that it hath defil­ed it, and made it corruptible and subject to vanity, Rom. 8. 20. &c. So that this is a spot in all the Creatures Face, that man hath sin­ned, and used all as weapons of unrighteous­nesse, so that now the Creature groaneth to be delivered.

Thirdly, It hath brought on all the Mise­ry that is come on man; or that is to come; It hath brought on Death and Damnation as its wages, and the Curse of the Eternal God, Gal. 3. 13. Rom. 6. 23. How odious then an evil must it be, that hath so much evil in it, yea all evil in the bosome of it: Hell is not evil in re­spect of sin, for sin deserveth Hell: it hath ruin­ed man, and made all the beautiful order of the Creation to change.

Fourthly, It separateth man from God, which is worst of all; And this is included in [Page 235] the Text, We are all as an unclean thing, or man, as a leprous man set apart, because of polluti­on, that may not come to the Temple, or wor­ship God, so hath iniquity separated between God and us, Isai. 59. 2. And O how sad a Divorcement is this, it maketh men without God in the world, in whom we live and move and have our beeing, in whose favour is life, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore. Now poor man is made Miserable, deprived of his Felicity, which only consisted in enjoyment of God: Sin as a thick partition Wall is come in between; Enimity also is come in, and di­videth old friends, Eph. 2. 14, 15, 16, 17. And now no heavenly, or comfortable Influ­ence can break thorow: The Night of Dark­nesse is begun, which must prove everlast­ing, except the partition Wall be remov­ed, all must wither and decay as without the Sun.

Fifthly, Look on the Price paid for sin, on the cleansing that washeth it away, and you may see unspeakeable deformity and vilenesse in it: The Redemption of the Soul is preci­ous, Silver and Gold and precious Stones will not do it, that would be utterly contemn­ed: What (saith God) presumptuous sin­ner, will thou give me a farthimg in payment of a summ, which all the world sold at the dearest, would not discharge, Psal. 49 7, 8. 1 Pet. 1. 18. It is no corruptible thing, but the blood of the son of God. O what must the Debt be, when the price is so infinit? The Son of God must dy; Nay, It is not sacrifice or offe­ring, [Page 236] lo, I come to do thy will, it is Christ him­self that is the Ransom, Psal. 40. 6, 7. And it is not much Sope or Nitre, it is not much repentance and tears that will wash away this filthinesse, No; it is of a deeper dy, it is crim­son ingrained filthiness, Jer. 2. 22. And Isai. 1. 6. Blood of bulls and goats cannot do it, but only the blood of the immaculat Lamb, offered up by himself, Heb. 10. 4, 5. the blood of him who, by the eternal Spirit offered up himself without spot un­to God, Heb. 9. 14. What must sin be, that must have such a Fountain opened for it? It must be strange uncleannesse, when the Blood of Christ only can cleanse it, Zech. 13. 1.

We all, &c.] Mark, Secondly, sin hath gone over us all, and made all mankind un­clean, Rom. 3. 22. and 10. Every one of A­dams posterity is born unclean, For who can bring an clean thing out of an unclean, Job 14. 4: Consider first, how sin defaced innocent Adam, how one sin made him so vile, and spoyled him of the Divine Nature, and so the root was made unclean, and the branches must follow the root, and so are we all born and conceived in sin, Plal. 51. 5. We carry in us Original Corruption, flowing from the first actual sin of Adam, and this maketh poor Chil­dren before they do good or evil, to be abomi­nably vile in Gods sight, even as the Child is set out, Ezek. 16. Every one cometh of evil Parents, all come of Adam the Rebel: What a loathsome sight would a Child be to us so de­scribed, cast out in the open field to the loathing of [Page 237] its person in the day it is born: And what must it all be before God, who is of purer eyes then to behold sin? Secondly, Unto all this we have added innum [...]rable actual transgressions, as so many filthy streams flowing out at the menbers, from the inward puddle of Original Corrupti­on; And so how much more vile are we all, nor infants can be, or Adam was in the day he was cast out of Paradise? And thus Rom. 3. from vers. 10. are the Branches set down, in Word, Thought and Deed, so that all the In­cli [...]ations and Motions and Actions of the man are only evil continually. Every man shall find his Compt past counting: One days faults would weary you, but what will your whole life do? Known sins are innumerable, what must unknown be? Every mans heart is like the troubled Sea, that casteth up mire and dirt dayly, and cannot be at rest. The heart is dayly flowing and ebbing in this Cor­ruption, it cometh out dayly to the borders of all the Members; And there are some high spring Tides, when sin aboundeth more. When in one Member of the Tongue a world of evil is, What can be in all the Members? And what in the Soul, that is more capable then all the world? Well then, every man hath sin­ned in Adam, and hath sinned also in his own person, and sealed Adams first rebellion, by so many thousand Actions like it: Every man hath approven the sin that first ruined man, and made himself much more loathsome nor Adam was: Therefore all mankind may say, we all are as an unclean thing. Now from all this, we [Page 238] we would gladly discover unto you, what yo [...] condition is by sin; If the Lord would shin [...] how vile would you be? Always we m [...]st declare this unto you in the Lords name, you a [...] all unclean, not only born in sin and iniquit [...] not only have you a body of Death Within you [...] that hath all the Members, but all these Members have one time or other acted and broug [...] forth fruit unto Death: How vile then mu [...] you be in Gods sight? It is a strange love th [...] you have to your selves, that you cannot apprehend how God can hate you? But if h [...] find sin in you, wonder rather how he can loo [...] upon you: We would then have you to kno [...] this, that there can be no fellowship betwee [...] God and you in your Natural Esta [...]e: Amen cannot inhabit a vile persons house, [...] more can God enter in your Souls. There is a [...] absolute necessity of washing, before you can [...] his House and Temple. Hath that one sin o [...] Adam made that Glorious Person so deform­ed, that he could not look on himself, bu [...] cover himself; And hath it been of so defil­ing a Nature, that it hath redounded in all th [...] Posterity: And as unclean things under th [...] Law, defiled all they touched, so hath tha [...] sin subjected all the Creatures to Corruption? O then imagine what an unspeakeabl [...] defilement must be on us all, who are no [...] only guilty of Adams sin, but of many thou­sands beside. If one sin have so much loath­somnese in it▪ what must so many out [...] number, united in one person, even as in u [...] [Page 239] all? No unclean thing can enter in Heaven a­bove: Know this for a truth, you cannot see God [...] Face in the case you are born in­to. You know nothing of sin, who won­der that any should go to Hell. No, if you knew any thing of sin, you would won­der that ever God should look on such cast out in the open Field, in their blood.

Next, You must know the insufficiency of all things imaginable, to wash away sins fil­thinesse, except the Blood of Christ. Since you are unclean, do you not ask, how shall we be washed? Indeed many have an ea­sy answer, and passe it lighty. The multi­tude know no way to cleanse in, but the Tears of Repentance and Mourning; And so, many think themselves clean, when they run and pour out a Tear as Esaw did for the blessing. But what saith the Lord? Though thou wash the with Nitre, and take thee much Sope, yet thine iniquity is marked. Can such an ingrained uncleannesse, can such an infi­nite spot in the immortal Soul, be so light­ly dashed out? Many think Baptism cleans­eth them, but was not this people Circum­cised, as ye are baptized? And Peter tells us, it is not the washing of Water, 1 Pet. 3: 21. Sacrifice and Offering will not do it: This people thought sure they had sa­tisfied God, when they brought a Lamb, &c. but all this is abomination. Would not many of you think your selves cleansed [Page 240] from sin, if you offered all your Substance and the Fruit of your Body for the sin of your Soul? Nay, but you must see an abso­lute necessity of the opened Fountain, of Christs Blood, that cleanseth from all sin.

Then we would have you abhorre you [...] selves in Dust and Ashes, see nothing in all the Creation so vile, as you; Look o [...] sin in the sight of Gods Face, and how un­holy will it appear? There are many sins, little ones, that in our practice passe for ve­nial and uncontrolled: But look on the fil­thy loathsome Nature of all sin, and hate the least offence, for it hath a kind of infi­nitnesse in it, and blotteth the Soul, defil­eth the person. How great a necessity is there of continual application to the Fountain, of dwelling beside it, that you may wash day­ly. Davids so often repeated, and incul­cated prayer, Wash me, cleanse me, &c. Psal. 51. Declareth that he hath apprehended much uncleannesse in sin, that it needeth so many applications of the precious Blood. And you who have come to Jesus and are clean, O how much owe you to free Grace, that past by you in your blood, and said, Live, it is a time of love. How strange is it, that Glorious Majesty cometh to own De­formity, and cometh to cloath it with his own Garments: Praise the vertue of that Blood, that is more precious nor the Blood of Bulls and Goats, that can so through­ly [Page 241] purge, as you shall have no more Con­science of sin.

Unclean sinners wash you, make you clean, there is a Fountain opened, though sin were as Scarlet, it can perfectly change the colour of it. If you wash not while the Fountain is o­pen, it will quickly be sealed on you, and then it shall be said, when the Angel sweareth by him that liveth for ever, that time shall be no more, then shall it be said, let him that is unclean, be unclean still. Now cleansing is offered in the Gospel, if you will love your loathsomnesse so well, as not to dip your selves in this Fountain, then let the unclean be so still: Your repentance will never change your colour, though you should melt in sorrow: And therefore you who have found a way to be saved otherways nor by Je­sus Christ, you shall be deceived; Your Tears and Mourning that you might have had, though Christ had never come in the world, is all you use to speak of, and build your hope on: and if you speak of Christ, it is in such terms as to buy him by such repentance, so that the truth is, you use but Christs Name as a shadow, you make no use of him: He needed not to have come in the world, for many of you could have done als well without him. But as many of you as cannot find cleansing, who see filth in­crease by washing, come to Christ Jesus, and say, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean, Math. 8. 2. Nothing beside Jesus can do it, believe his sufficiency; nothing beside him Will do, be­lieve his willingnesse; for, for this cause he is an opened Fountain that all may come and draw.

SERMON XVI.

NOt only are the direct breaches of the Com­mand uncleannesle, and men originally and actually unclean, but even our holy Acti­ons, our commanded Duties: Take a mans ci­vility, religion and all, his universal inherent Righteousnesse, all are filthy raggs: And here the Church confesseth nothing, but what God accuseth her of, Isai, 66. 3. and Chap. 1. Vers. 11, 12, 13. &c. This people was much in Ce­remonial and External Duties, and therefore they cryed, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, as if this would have outcryed all their o­ther sins: therefore were they proud, and lords in their ōwn estimation and innocent, Jer. 2. 31, 35. They thought the many good services they did to God, might compense all their wrongs Mic. 6. 6, 7. They gave a price to Justice for their sins, even a confeslion of it by offering a Lamb, &c. and a purpose to amend. But lo, what sense the Prophet hath of all this, Lord all our righteousnesse is filthy likewise; Albeit we [Page 243] have paid the Debt of sins with Duties, yet now we see all these are sins themselves, and must have another sacrifice, so that all matter of boasting is now removed, and we are stript na­ked of all righteousnesse; We covered our fil­thinesse before, with Duties, now both the one and the other is filthy. We would look upon two sorts of righteousnesses, the natural mans and the converted mans, upon the ones Civili­ty and fair Profession, and upon the others real or true Grace in discharge of Duties, and we shall find good reason to conclude both the one and the other under filthinesse, so that there is no ground of boasting, no inherent righteousnesse can make us accepted before God.

First then, whatever men can do from Natu­ral Principles, all the flower and perfection of mens Actions, both civil and religious, is but abominable before God, as long as their persons are unjustified. Every performance is defiled by the uncleannesse of the person. And therefore God heareth not sinners, Joh. 8. That is unjustified sinners, though they pray much, yet God heareth them not. And this is lively expressed by Hag. 2. 12, 13, 14. As the Priests Holy Garments and Flesh could not make Bread or Pottage holy, but the unclean body could make these unclean; So this Nations and Peoples performances and Holy Duties, could not make them Holy, and their Persons clean; But their unclean persons and actions made all their performances unclean: The solemn meet­ing and sacrifice, &c. could not make them ac­cepted, but their unclean persons, made their [Page 244] solemn meetings and religious Duties vile and abominable in Gods sight: And thus to the unclean all things are unclean, even their mind and conscience, Tit. 1. 15. The unbelieving man who is born unclean, and defiled with so much original corruption, and so many actual transgressions, defileth all things he toucheth; As a dead body, or a leprous garment under the Law, made all unclean it touched, and nothing could make it holy by touching of it. So all your Civility, all your Profession will never contribute to the cleansing of your Person; And your persons shall defile all your most clean actions. God loveth not that stock of Adam, and all that groweth on it, must be hateful; He is only well pleased in Jesus Christ, and with those who are transplanted out of rotten Adam, into the true Vine Jesus, it is such fruit only that can be acceptable: Therefore until you be sprinkled with clean water, and made clean ac­cording to the new Covenant way, you cannot please God. Believe this, your sins and your duties are one, your Oaths and your Prayers are in the same account with God. What have you then to build upon, when all this is remov­ed? You must once be stript naked of all co­verings; and will not your nakedness then be great: The Pharisee went away unjustified, and the poor repenting sinner justified. What was the reason? There are not many of you have such a fair venture for Heaven as he had, so many Prayers, Fastings, Alms, to ground your Hope on. Nay, but all this would never ju­stify his person, because once he was unclean, [Page 245] come of Adam, and had contracted more un­cleannesse, and all that is like the leprous Gar­ment defiling all that cometh near it; So that whatever hath any dependence on a son of A­dam, must contract filthinesse. Now I ask your Consciences, have you so many specious cove­rings to adorn your self with? Is not your out­side spotted, and not so clean, as the young ci­vil Man and the religious Pharisee? Certain­ly, no, and yet you have no other ground to plead the acceptation of your persons upon, but only this, your Prayers and Tears, or some such Duty performed by you. Well, all is unclean­nesse, since your persons were once unclean, no Sope nor Nitre can wash it, no holy flesh make it holy, no good wishes nor duties can make it acceptable. Did not this people think of their Duties as much as you do? And had more rea­son so to do; for our Congregations have not so much form of godlinesse as they had, and yet God solemnly protesteth to them, that all their works were defiled, even these which they took to wash themselves with, so your repentance and tears must be als filthy, as the [...]n you would wash by it.

Secondly, the uncleannesse of mens practice maketh unclean performances, unclean hands make unclean prayers, Isai. 1. 15. When men go on in sin, and use their members as instruments of unrighteousnesse against God, and guiltinesse is above their head unrepented of, and unpar­doned, then whatever the members act for God in religious Duties, it must be also abominable, for will God take prayers from such a mouth, [Page 246] tha [...] cursing cometh out of? Isai. 3. 10, 11, 12 Shall sweet water come out of one Fountain with bitter? Or can a Fig Tree bear both Thistles and Graps: Certainly, profane Con­versation must make unclean profession. And therefore your coming to the Church and Ordi­nances, your praying in your Families or such like, must of necessity be defiled, since out of the same mouth cometh cursing, railing, lying filthy speeches: Your tongues are so often im­ployed in Gods dishonour, to blaspheme his Name; to slander your Neighbours, to reproach the Saints, that all your prayers must be of the same stamp, and als bitter as the other stream of your actions: When you stretch forth your hands to make many prayers, to take the Bread and Wine, shall not God hide his Face from such hands, as are unclean with many abomi­nations, some murdering, some abusing their Neighbours, some Sabbath-breaking, some filthinesse, how oft have your hands and feet served you to evil turns; And therefore your good turns will never come in remembrance. Nay, believe it, you cannot be heard of God while you cover any offence. And this I may say in general, even to the Saints; any known sin given way to, and intertained without con­trolment, without wrestling against it, hinder­eth the acceptation of your solemn approaches. If your heart regard iniquity, shall God hear? Ps. 66. 18. No, believe it, the least sin that you may judge at first venial, and then give it tole­ration and indulgence, shall separat between Gods Face and you: Your prayers are abo­mination, [Page 247] because of such an idol perked up in the heart beside God, that getteth the Honour and Worship due to him, and God must an­swer you according to it, Ezek. 19. 1, 3, 4. God will not be enquired of such as give allowance to sin, Ezek. 14. 2, 3, 4. And on the other hand, no sin how great and hainous soever can hinder Gods gracious acceptation, when Souls fly unto Jesus and turn their back upon sin, or giveth it no heart allowance: And to the mul­titude I say, all that you do or touch in a Duty must be defiled, because your whole way is un­clean, Hag. 2. 12, 13, 14. Think you to sin all the week thorow, and worship God on the Sab­bath, will you lie, swear, commit adultery, rail and curse, and come and stand before me, saith the Lord? No certainly, you cannot be accepted; And will you hate reformation in your lives, and yet take his Covenant in your mouth, and call your selves by his Name, Chri­stians? And shall not God challenge you for that als much, as for your swearing, and cur­sing, and lying, &c. Indeed the Lord putteth all in one Roll, and you need not please your selves in such things, Psal. 50. 16. Jer. 7. 9, 10. For it is all one to you to go to Tavern to drink, and come to the Sermon, to blaspheme Gods Name, and call on it, because the pro­fanity of the one defileth the other, and the ho­liness of the other, cannot make you holy.

Thirdly, the natural mans performances want the uprightness, reality and sincerity that is required, it is but a painted Tomb, full of rottenness within, it is but a shadow without [Page 248] substance, for he wanteth the spiritual part of worship, which God careth for, who will be wor­shiped in spirit and truth, Joh. 4. 23. Now what is it that the most part of you can speak of, but an outside of some few duties, soon numbered. You hear the preaching, and your hearts wan­der about your business: You hear, and are not so much affected, as you would be to hear some old story, or fable told you: A stage play acted before this generation, would move them more then the Gospel doth: So that Christ may take up this Lamentation; We have piped to you, and you have not dan [...]ed, lamented to you, and you have not mourned. You use to tell over some words in your prayers, and are not so se­rious in any approach to God, as in twenty o­ther things of the world. Whatever you plead of your hearts rightness, and have recourse to it, when your conversation cannot defend you, yet your hearts are the worst of all, and have no up­rightness towards God, for you know that what Duties you go about, it is not from an in­ward principle, but from Education or Custome, or constraint. Are you upright, when you are forced for fear of censure to come here, or to pray at home? Is that sincerity and spiritual wor­ship? And for the more polished and refined professors, you have this moth in your perfor­mances, and this flea to make your Oyntment to stink, that you do much, to be seen of men, therefore what little fervour of spirit is in secret Duties; There you may measure your alti­tude and your life. And O how wearisome, how lifeless are secret approaches, you would [Page 249] not have many errands to God, if you thought no body looked upon you. And for spirituali­ty, it is a Mystery in all mens practice: Who directeth his Duty to Gods Glory? If you get some flash of liberty, you have your desire; But who misseth Gods presence in Duties, which a world will approve? Who go mourning as without the Sun, even when you have the Sun­shine of Ordinances and walketh in the light of them?

And fourthly, though your performances had uprightness of heart going alongs, and much af­fection in them, yet all are filthy, because of want of Faith in Jesus Christ. When you make your Duties a covering of your sins, and think to satisfy Gods Justice for the rest of your faults, by doing some point of your Duty, then it can­not choose but be polluted in his sight. And this very thing was the cause of Gods rejecting the Jews righteousness, even because they did not look to the end of the Mystery, Christ Jesus: Did not pull by the vail of Ceremonies, to see the Immaculat Lamb of God slain for sin. And therefore doth the Lord so quarrel with them, as if he had never commanded them to do such things, Isai. 1. 12, 13. Who hath required these things at your hands? bring no more vain oblations, all is Abomination. Even as God should say to you, when you come to the Church; who required you to come? Who commanded you to come to hear the Preaching? What have you to do to pray? What warrand have you to communicat? All your Praying, Hearing, Communicating, is Abomination; who com­manded [Page 250] you to do these things? Would you not think it a foolish Question? You would soon answer, that God himself commanded you, and will he not let us do his bidding. Indeed this people, (no doubt) have said so in their heart, and wondered what it meant. Nay, but here is the Mystery, you go about these com­manded Duties not in a commanded way, and so the Obedience is but Rebellion: You bring Offerings and Incense, and think that I am pa­cified when you bring Alms, you judge you have given me a recompense, wheras, all that is mine, and what pleasure have I in these things? I never appointed you Sacrifices for this end, but to lead you in to the knowledge of my Son, which is to be slain in the fulness of time, and by one offering to perfect all. I commanded you to look on Jesus Christ slain, in the slain Lamb, and so to expect Remission and Salvation in him; But you never looked to more nor the Ceremo­ny, and made that your Saviour and Mediator: And therefore it is all Abomination: When you slay a Lamb, and offer Incense, it is all one thing, as to cut off a Dogs neck, or kill a Man; So may the Lord say to this Generation, I com­mand you to pray, to repent and mourn for sin; to come and hear the Word, but withal you must deny all these, and count your selves un­profitable servants, you must singly cast your Souls burthen on Christ Jesus. But now, (saith the Lord) who commanded your repentance, for when you sit down to pray, or come in pub­lick to confesse sin before the Congregation, you think you are washen; When you have said, [Page 251] you have sinned, and if you come to the length of Tears and Sorrow, Oh then sure you are par­doned, though in the mean time you have no thought of Jesus Christ, and knoweth no use of him. Therefore, faith the Lord, who com­manded you to do these things? You think you have satisfied for your sin, when you pay a pe­nalty, but who requireth this? I will reckon with you for these, als well as the sins you pray and mourn for, because you do not singly look to Christ Jesus, Now, if he had never come to the world, your ground of confidence would not fail you; For you might have prayed als much, mourned and confessed, and promised amendment, and so you past by the Son of God, in whom only the Father is well pleased. Think then upon this, whatever you make your righ­teousnesse, there needeth no other thing to make it filthy, but to make it your righteousnesse: Your confidence in your good heart to God, prayer day and night, and such like, is the most loathsome thing in Gods Eyes: Except you come to this, to count your prayers, as God doth, among your oaths, to count your solemn Duties, among profane scandalous Actions, as the Lord doeth, Isai. 1. and 66. 3. Then cer­tainly, you do adorn your selves with them, and cover your nakednesse of other faults, with such leaves as Adam did, but you shall be more discovered; Your Garment is als filthy, as that it hideth, even because you make that use of it to hide your sin, and cover it.

Next, The Lords Children have no ground of boasting either, from their own righteousnesse; [Page 252] The holiest Saint on Earth must abhore himself in Dust and Ashes, and holy Isaiab joyneth him­self in with a p [...]ofane people: When he com­eth to God to be justified, he cometh among the ungodly, he bringeth no righteousnesse with him, he cometh in among them that work not. Now you shall find good ground why it must be so. First, There are ordinarly many ble­mishes in our holiest Actions▪ spots on our clean­est Garment, often formality eateth up the life of Duties, and presenteth a Body without a Soul in it: You sit down to pray out of custome, morning and evening: And if there were no more to prove it, this may suffice: When pray you but at such times? You have an ordinar, and goeth no [...] by it, no advantage is taken of Providence, no nec [...]ssity constraineth when oc­casion offereth; and so it is like the worlds ap­pointed houres. How great deadnesse and in­disposition creepeth in, so that it is the ordinary complaint, yea, all prayers filled with it, scarce­ly any room for other petitions, because of the want of frame for prayer it self: The word is heard as a discourse, and on whom hath it ope­ration to stirr up Affections, either of joy or of trembling? Christians, you come not to hear God speak, and so you meet with empty Ordinances, God is not in them. How often do crooked and sinister ends creep in, and byass the Spirit; Men ask to spend on their lusts, and to satisfy their own ambition; Some would have more Grace to be more Eminent; or to have a more pleasant Life; And this is but the seeking to spend on your lusts. If Affection [Page 253] run in the Channel of a Duty, it is often muddy, and runneth thorow our Corruptions: Liber­ty in Duties is principled with carnal Affecti­on and Self-love. Will not often the Wind of Applause in company, fill the sails, and make your course swifter and freer, nor when you are alone. And often much love to a part [...]cular, maketh more in seeking it. And that which is a Moth to eat up and consume all our Duties, is conceit and self confidence in going about them, and attributing to our self after them. It is but very rare, that any man both Acteth from Je­sus Christ as the principle, and also putteth over his work on Christ singly as the end. Alas too often do men draw out of Christs Fulnesse and raise up their own glory upon it, and adorn themselves with the spoyls of his honour; For we use to pray from a habit of it, and go to as men acquainted with it, and when we get any satisfaction to our own minds, O how doth the Soul return on it self, and goeth not forward as it goeth; It is so well pleased with it self, when it getteth liberty to approach, that it doth not put all over on Jesus, and take shame to it self. As long as there is a body of Death within, ho­linesse cannot be pure and unmixed; Our Du­ties run thorow a dirty Channel, and cannot choose but contract filth; While sin lodgeth under one roof so near Grace, Grace must be in its exercise marred, and therefore the holy A­postle must cry, Rom. 7. 19. The good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do. And Verse 24. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Secondly, Though there were not such ble­mishes, and spots in the face of our righteous­nesse, yet it is here in a state of imperfection, and but in its minority, and so must be filthy in the Lords sight. It was perfect Hol [...]nesse according to the perfect Rule of Gods Law, that Adam was to be justified by, according to the Covenant of works, exact obedience, not one wanting, or else all that can be done, came short of righteous­ness: One breach bringeth the curse on. All obe­dience (if there be a failing in a little) will not bring the blessing on; He that doth all, liveth; and he that doth not all, is cursed. And there­fore Christians, all you do cannot commend your persons to God, for if he examine you by the rule of the Law, O how shor [...] will the holi­est come? Paul and Isaiah dare not come in such a reckoning: Neither is all obeyed, nor any in the measure and manner commande [...]. And therefore, you might cry down all your perfor­mances, when you could challenge them with no particular blot, with this, All is short of the command, and infinitly short. I have been aiming at holiness so long, I have stretched out my strength, and what have I attained? It may be, I have outstriped equals, and there seem­eth to be some distance between me and others; Nay, but the command is unspeakably more before me, nor I am before others. I have reach­ed but a span of that boundless perfection of ho­liness; It is but a grain weight of the eternal weight of grace, and I must forget it, and stand before God, as if I had Iost mind of duties, ap­pear in his presence, as if I had attained nothing; [Page 255] for the length that is before my hand, drowneth up all attainments.

Thirdly, Nay, but put the case man were perfect, yet should he not know his soul, but despise his life; The Lord putteth no trust in his servants, and his Angels he chargeth with folly, and the Hea­vens are not clean in his sight, how then must man be abominable, that hath his foundation in the dust, and drinketh in iniquity like water? How should God magnifie him? or he be righteous that is born of a woman? Job 25. 4, 6. and 15. 14, 15. and 4. 18, 19. Job was a great length in the sight of his own vileness, and Gods holiness, when he saw this, Though I were perfect, yet I would not know it, but despise it, I would not answer him, though I were righteous, Chap. 9. 14, 15, 21. So unspeakably pure and clean is his Holiness, that all created holiness hath a spot in it before his, and evanish­eth, as the Stars disappear when the Sun riseth, which seem something in the darkness. The Angels holiness, the Heavens glory, is nothing to him, before whom the Nations are as nothing, so that it is all the wonder of the world, that ever God stooped so far below himself, even to righ­teous Adam, as to make such a Covenant with him, to account him righteous in obedience. What is man that thou should magnifie him? When I look to the Heavens, and the Sun, the work of thine hands, Lord, what is man? What is innocent man in his integrity, that thou should magnifie him, to give him a place to stand before thee, magni­fie him to be a party-contracter with thy glori­ous Maj [...]sty? Psal. 8. 4, 5, 6. But now when this Covenant is broken, it is become impossible [Page 256] to a son of Adam, ever to stand before God in his perfection, for how should man be righteous that is born of a woman? Job 14. 15. Since we once sin­ned, how should our righteousness ever come in remembrance? Therefore hath God chosen ano­ther way to cover mans wickedness and righte­ousness both, with his own righteousness, his Sons Divine-humane righteousness, which is so suited in his infinit wisdom for us: It is a mans righteousnesse, that it may agree with men, and be a fit garment to cover them; It is Gods righ­teousnesse, that it may be beautiful in Gods eyes, for he seeth his own image in it. And it is not the cr [...]ated inherent righteousnesse of Saints glo­rified, that shall be their upper garment, that shall be their Heaven and glory-suit, (so to speak,) they will not glory in this, but only in the Lambs righteousnesse for evermore. Saint-holinesse must have a covering above, for it can­not cover our nakednesse: And all the songs of them that follow the Lamb, make mention of his righteousnesse, even of his only. The Lamb is the light and Sun of the City, the Lamb is the Temple of it, in a word, he is all that is beauti­ful and glorious: Every Saint hath put on the Lord Jesus, and is perfect thorow his comeli­nesse: At least, if the holinesse of spirits of just men made perfect, be the glorious habit above; yet all the beauty and glory of it is from Christ Jesus whose image it is, and the Spirit whose work it is. It shall be still true, All our righ­teousnesse, as ours, is filthy, and all holinesse, as it hath a relation to us, cannot please God, it must be spotted before his pure eyes, but only it [Page 257] is accepted and clean, as it is Christs and the Spirits, as it is his own garment put upon us, and his own comlinesse making us perfect. It is not so much the inherent cleanness of the Saints robs that maketh them beautiful in his eyes, as this, That they are washed in the blood of the Lamb, Rev. 7. 14.

Now from all this we would speak a word to two sorts of you: There is one great point of Religion that is the principal and foundation of all other, even free Justification by Faith in Je­sus, without our own righteousness. And the most part stumble here in the entry: It is the greatest obstruction of souls coming to Christ Jesus, even the ignorant and blind conceit and fancy that almost every man hath of himself, and his own performances: The world will not make many believe the half of the evil of them­selves, that is spoken in the Word. If you have a general conviction of sinfulnesse and misery, yet you think to help it. If you sin, you use to make an amends, run to your prayers, and re­pentance, to give God a recompence, and sa­tisfie your own Consciences: Speak now, is not this the way you think to be saved? I shall do what I can, pray and mourn for sin, and what I am not able to do, God must forgive, you will do all you are able, or can, and Gods mercy must come in to supply the want of your righte­ousness; But this is to put a new piece of cloath in an old garment, to make the rent worse: Ma­ny of you have no other ground of confidence in the world, nothing to answer the challenge of Conscience, or satisfie Justice but this, I repent, [Page 258] I am sorry, I mourn, I shall amend, I resolve never to do the like again. Now then from this ground we would declare unto you in the Lords Name, you are yet unclean, both in persons and actions unjustified, because you have no other covering but your own duties and performances: And let these be examined, and weighed in the ballance of the Sanctuary, and they will be found light. All your righteousnesse (saith the Lord) is filthinesse: You are unclean, you can­not deny, both by birth and education, you have often defiled your selves with sins, you must con­fesse: Now I ask you, How will you cover that uncleannesse and nakednesse? How will you hide it from Gods eyes, and your own Con­science? You know no way but this, I will pray, I will repent, and amend. So then you cover your self with prayer, with sorrow and tears, and a resolution of amending, this then is all your covering and ornament, something done by you; as many will make the wings of two good works stretch themselves out so far, as to cover and hide a multitude of offences be­tween them. Therefore I declare in the Lord Jesus his Name unto you, whose Conscience must go alongs in the acknowledgment and owning of your case, that you have covered your selves with your own righteousnesse, that you have taken as filthy rags to cover your na­kednesse and sin with, as your sins are, and so, you have made an addition to your uncleanness, you are more unclean by your prayers and re­pentance then before: And so God is of more pure eyes, then to look graciously on such as you [Page 259] are. You have gone about to establish your own righteousnesse, and hath not known the righte­ousnesse of God, and so you have come short of it; you are yet persons in a state of enmity, God is your Judge, you are rebels: It concerns you much to heed this well, to judge of your own actions and persons as God judgeth of them, for if God shall judge one way, and you judge ano­ther way, you may be far mistaken in the end. If you have so good an opinion of your selves and your duties, that you can plead interest in God for them, and absolve your selves from such grounds: And if God have not the same judgement, but rather think as evil of your pray­ers, as of your cursing, and abhor the thing that satisfieth you, will it not be dreadful in the end? For his judgement shall stand, and you will suc­cumb in judgement, since you crossed Gods mind. Therefore we would have you solidly drink in this principle of Religion, That man is so unclean, and God so abhorreth him, that whatever he doth, or can do, it cannot make him righteous, that no good action can make him acceptable, and take away the uncleanness of the evil actions; and that any sinful action taketh away all the cleanness of the good acti­ons. Once believe this, If I should sweat out my life in serving God, and never rise off my knees, If I should give my body to the fire for the truth, If I should melt away in tears for sin, all this is but filthy raggs, and I can never be ac­cepted of God for all that, but the matter of my condemnation groweth: If I justifie my self, my own mouth proves me perverse: God needeth [Page 260] no more but my good deeds to condemn me for, in all justice: And therefore it is a thing impos­sible, I will never put forth a hand, or open a mouth upon that account any more. I will serve God, because it is my duty, but life I will not expect by my service, when I have done all, it is wholly mercy that I am accepted; my good works shall never come in remembrance, I re­solve to be found, not having my own righte­ousnesse, I will appear among the ungodly sin­ners, as one that hath no righteousnesse, that I may be justified only by faith in Jesus Christ. I say, drink in this truth, and let it settle in your hearts, and then we would hear numbers cry, O what shall I do to be saved?

Now as for you who have fled unto Christs righteousnesse only, & have cast away your own as dung and dross, as filthy raggs, as you have done right in the point of Justification, judge so likewise after it. We would exhort you to judge so of your best actions that are the fruits of the Spi­rit, judge so of them as you have a hand in them.

All our righteousness: Mark, Isaiah a holy Prophet joyneth himself in with the multitude. And the truth is, the more holi­ness the more humility and self-abasing; for what is holiness, I pray you, but self-denial, the abasing of the creature, and exalting of Christ Jesus. This is the Cross that the Saints must all bear, Deny your self, and follow me. Grace doth not swell men above others, it is gifts, such as Knowledge that puffeth up; Charity or Love puffeth not up. Men are naturally high-mind­ed, for pride was the first sin of Adam, and grace [Page 261] cometh to level men, to make the high moun­tains valleys for Christs Chariot; It maketh men stoop low to enter the door of the Kingdome. Therefore if you have attained any measure be­yond others, if you would prove it real grace and holinesse, do not exalt your selves above others, be not high minded, come down and sit among the ungodly, among the unclean, and let not grace given diminish the low estimation of your self in your self: There is a growing that is but a fancy, and mens conceit, when men grow above Ordinances, above other Christians, and can see none or few Christians but themselves, such a growth is not real, its but fancy, its but swel­ling and wind, and must be pricked to let it out. A holy Prophet came in among an unclean peo­ple, he did not say, Stand by, I am bolier then thou. Such a man as can find no Christian about him, even though to the judgement of all others, they seek God more then he, such a man hath not re­al solid grace, his holiness is profane holiness, and proud holiness; for true holiness is humble holiness, and in honour pr [...]ferreth others.

There is a great fault among those who have fled to Christs righteousness in Justification, that they use to come full from duties, as a stomach from a honey comb. Oft times we make our liberty and access to God, the ground of our ac­ceptation, and according to the ebbings and flowings of our inherent righteousness, so doth the faith and confidence of Justification ebb and flow. Christians, this ought not to be. In so doing, you make your own righteousness your righteousness before God: for when the un­satisfaction [Page 262] in the point of duty, maketh you question your interest so often, is not the satisfa­ction of your minds in duties, made the ground of your pleading interest. Give you liberty and access, you can believe any thing, remove it, and you can believe nothing. Certainly this is a sandy foundation, you ought to build nothing on performances, you should be as vile in your own eyes, and think your nakedness as open, when you come nearest God, when you have most liveliness, as when he hideth his face & du­ty withereth; will filthy raggs be your ornament? No Christians, be more acquaint with the un­spotted righteousness of the Immaculat Lamb of God, and find as great necessity of covering your cleanest duties with it, as your foulest faults, and thus shall you be kept still humble and vile in your own eyes, and have continual imploy­ment for Christ Jesus: your best estate should not puff you up, and your worst estate should not cast you down. Therefore be much in the search of the filthiness of your holy actions; This were a spiritual study, a noble discovery to unbowel your duties, to divide them, and give unto God what is Gods, and take unto your selves what is your own: The discovery of fil­thiness in them, needeth not hinder his praise; And the discovery of grace in them, needeth not marr your sham [...]. God hath most glory when we have most shame, these two grow in just proportion, so much is taken from God, as is given to the creature.

Thirdly, we would also press you from this ground to long much to be clothed upon with [Page 263] immortality, to put off the filthy raggs of time, and earth-righteousness, and to be clothed upon with the white robs of the righteousness of the Saints. As you would dwell near the fountain here, and be still washing your garments, and offering all your sacrifices in him who sanctifi­eth all, so would you pant and thirst for this spotless garme [...]t of glory: Glory is nothing but perfect holiness, holiness washen and made clean in the Lambs blood: your rags are for the prison and for so journing: when you come to your fathers house, your raiment shall be chang­ed. Therefore Christians, every one of you aspire higher, sit not down in attainments, for­get what is behind, and presse forward: let per­fect holinesse be in your eye and purpose, sit not behind it: All our time-duties have much fil­thinesse; long for the pure stream that waters the City above: Grace is not in its native place, it is corrupted and mixed here: Heaven is the own Element of it, and there is grace without mix­ture. Undervalue all your performances, till you be above, where that which is in part, shall be done away, where no unclean thing enter­eth.

Fourthly, This likewise holdeth out to you a continual necessity of washing. You must take up house beside the fountain opened in the house of David; and never look on any piece of inhe­rent righteousnesse, but see a necessity of dipping it in the Lambs blood. And therefore should you pray alwayes in Christs Name, that the prayer which of it self, would be cast as dung on [Page 264] our face, may have a sweet favour from hi [...] Cover your holinesse with Christs righteousne [...] and make mention of it only.

SERMON XVII.

HEre they joyn the punishment with the de­serving cause, their uncleanness and their iniquities, and so take it upon them, and sub­scribeth to the righteousnesse of Gods dealing.

We would say this much in general, First, No body needeth to quarrel God for his dealing he will alwayes be justified when he is judged. If the Lord deal more sharply with you then with o­thers, you may judge, there is a difference be­tween your condition and theirs, as well as in the Lords dispensation, even as this people do, vers. 5. 6. It is a strange saying, Lam. 3. 31. The Lord doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. That is, (as we conceive,) the Lord hath not such pleasure in trampling on men, as he might do on the dust of his feet: Though he be absolute soveraign Lord of the Creature, and men be but as the dust of his feet, and he may do with his own what he pleaseth, and none ask, What dost thou? Yet the Lord [Page 265] useth not to walk according to his own abso­luteness, he hath another ordinary rule whereby he worketh, a rule of justice and equity; espe­cially in the punishing of men; he useth not to [...]fflict men for his pleasure, as tyrants use to de­stroy their people. The Lord exerceth his sove­raignty another way, and if he be absolute and illimited in any thing, it is in shewing mercy o [...] men: But in judgement there may be still some reason gotten for it in the creature beside the will of God; So that (to speak with reverence of his Majesty) stroaks are often drawn out of his hands, he getteth so much provocation ere he strike, and holdeth off so long, threatneth, and giveth warning thus before stroaks, as if it were against his will to lay on, as if his heart wer [...] broken with us.

Secondly, if men knew themselves and their own sinfulness, they would not challenge God with unrighteousness, but put their mouth i [...] the dust and keep silence. And it is from thi [...] ground, that this people do not charge God. Sin is of such infinit desert and merit, because a­gainst infinite Majesty; that God cannot go be­yond it in punishment: And therefore Jeremiah when he is wading out of the deep waters of sore temptation and sad discouragement, he pitcheth and casteth Anchor at this solid ground, It is of the Lords mercy that we are not consumed Lam. 3. 22. What do I mean, thus to charge God, as if he dealt rigorously? No, no, It is his mercy that a remnant is left, our stroaks are not pure justice, our cup is mixed, mercy is the greatest part: what ever is behind utter destruction, whatever [Page 266] is below the desert of sin, which is hell and damnation, all this must be reckoned up to mercy That I am yet alive, and so may have hope this is mercy, For why should a living man complain, vers. 39, That a rod is come to awake [...] out of security, this is mercy, for we might ha [...] slept to death. And this wholsome counsel g [...] Job of his friends to stay his murmuring an grudging at Gods dispensations, Job. 11. 6. Wh [...] dost thou complain Job? Know but thy sins, an there shall be no room for complaint; look b [...] unto Gods secrets of wisdom, and his Law, a [...] see it is double to what you have known, yo [...] obligation is infinit more then you thoug [...] upon, and then how great and numberless mu [...] iniquities be? Know therefore, saith Zoph [...] God exacteth of thee less then thine iniquiti [...] deserve, God exacteth not according to Law he craveth not according to the obligation, b [...] bids write down fifty in his bill of affliction when an hundred are written in our bill of deserving. So then complain not, it is mer [...] that life is saved. Are you men, and livi [...] men? wonder at this, and wonder not th [...] you are not wealthy, are not honourable, sein [...] you are sinners: All that came on Jerusale [...] maketh not Ezra think God out of bound [...] Chap. 9. 13. As we are less then the least o [...] Gods mercies, and all our goodness deserveth none of them, so is the least sin greater then the greatest of all his judgements, and deserveth still more: Nay, if there were no more but origi­nal corruption common to men, and the filthi­ness that accompanieth mens good actions, ye [...] [Page 267] is God righteous in punishing severely, and this people acknowledge it so. You use to enquire what sin hath such a man done, when so ter­rible judgements come on? Nay, enquire no more, he is a sinner, and it is mercy, there is not more, and it is strange mercy that it is not so with you also. You use to speak foolishly when Gods hand is upon you, I hope I have my punishment here, I hope to suffer here for my sins: Poor souls, if God make you suffer for sins, it will be another matter, though now your punishment be above your strength and patience, yet it is below your sin: As sin hath all evil in it, so must hell have all punish­ment in it: The torment of a Gravel, racking with the Stone, and such like, are but play to Hell, these are but drops of that Ocean, that you must drink out, and you shall go out of one Hell into a worse; eternity is the measure of its continuance, and the degrees of it self are an­swerable to its duration. There is much impa­tience even among Gods children under the rod: you vex and torment your selves, and doth well to be angry. Any piece of thwarting dispensa­tion, that goeth cross to your humor and incli­nation, embi [...]ters your spirit against God, and maketh you go cross to his providence: How often do your hearts say, Why am I thus? What aileth the Lord at me? But Christians, learn to study your own deservings, and stop your mouth with that, that you may not speak against Heaven. If you knew sin well, you would not wonder at judgements, you would rather wonder that you are out of hell: know [Page 268] what right God hath over you, and how li [...] use he maketh of it against you: when you [...] pine at a little, shall it not be righteousness wi [...] God to exact more, and let you know your d [...] serving better. He that thinketh it rigor in Go to exact fifty, it is justice that God crave [...] hundred. If the Law require fourty stripe and he give but one, will you not rather co [...] mend and proclaim his clemency, then speak [...] his cruelty? Wonder that God hath spared [...] so long. Sin is come to great maturity, as pri [...] is said to blossome and bud into a rod, so all s [...] are blossomed and budded into the very harvest that the sickle may be put in. If we shou [...] have Citie, desolate, and our Land consume [...] if we should take up Jeremiahs lamentation, an our case be made paralel to theirs, we ha [...] then been punished less then our iniquities deserved.

There are some godless people so black mouthed, as to speak against Heaven whe [...] God correcteth them, they follow the counse of Jobs wise, Curse God and die, if God but tou [...] them a little in that which is dearest unto the [...] they kick against the pricks, and run hard-head with God. As we have known some-foolish women when their only child hath been removed, blaspeeme, saying, What can God d [...] more to me, let him do what he can? O madness and wickedness of men! Cannot God do more, when he casteth them in hell? Thou shalt acknowledge that it is more. Some have left off to seek God and turned profane because of the Lords correction. But you would know [Page 269] [...]at all that is here is but Arles. If God had done his worst, you might think your selves out of his common, nay, but he hath yet more to do, the full summ is to be payed. It were therefore wisdome yet to make supplication to thy Judge.

But thirdly, Sins and iniquities have a great influence in the decay of Nations and Persons, and change of their outward condition, when it is joyned with the wind of Gods displeasure. The calamity of this people is set down in excel­lent terms, alluding to a tree in the fall of the leaf: We (saith he,) were once in our Land as a green tree busked round about with leaves and fruit: our Church and State was in a flourishing condition, at least, nothing was want­ing to make outward s [...]lendor and glory, we were immoveable in our own Land, as David said in his prosperity, I shall never be moved, so did we dream of eternity in earthly Canaan▪ But now Lord, we are like a tree in the fall of the leaf: sin hath obstructed the influence of Hea­ven, hath drawn away the sap of thy presence from among us, so that we did fade as a leaf be­fore its fall: we were prepared so by our sin [...] for judgement, visible draughts and progno­sticks of it were to be read upon the condition and frame of all spirits and people: And then did our iniquities raise the storm of thy indigna­tion, and that like a whirle-wind hath blown the withering leaves off the tree, hath driven us out of our own Land, and scattered us among strangers. Sin and uncleanness and the filthi­ness of our righteousness prepared us for the [Page 270] storm, made us light matter that could resist no judgement, made us matter combustible; And then iniquities, and sin rising up to iniquities, [...]oming to such a degree, hath accomplished the judgement, put fire among us, made us as the Birk in Yule-even.

First, It is familiar in the Scripture, that people in a prosperous condition are compared unto a green tree flourishing, Psal. 37. 35. The wickeds prospeting is like a green Bay tree spreading himself in power, spreading out his arms, as it were, over moe Lands to conquer them, over moe people to subject them. And this is often the temptation of the godly, and so doth the Lord himself witness of this people. Jer. 11. 16. I have called thy name a green Olive tree, fair and of goodly fruit. This was once their name, though it be now changed. Now they are called a fading withering tree without both leaves and fruit. Now their place doth not so much as know them, they are removed as in a moment, Psal. 37. 36. And this comparison giveth us to understand something of the nature of humane glory and pomp. The fair­est and most beautiful excellency in the world, the prosperity of nations and people is but like the glory of a tree in the spring or summer: yea, the Scripture useth to undervalue it more then so, and the voice commandeth to cry, Isa. 40, 6. 7, 8. All flesh is grass, and the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field, the one withereth, and the other fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. A tree hath some stability in it, but the flower of the field is but of a moneth or a weeks [Page 271] standing; Nay, of one days standing, for in the morning the grass is green, and the Sun scorcheth it ere night, so that one Sun's course shall see it both growing green and fadeing: So is the goodliness, the very perfection, the quin­tessence (so to speak) and the abstract of crea­tures perfections: Outward accommodation in a world is as fading a thing as the flower is, as smoak is, it is so vanishing that it bides but a puft of his breath to blow i [...] to nothing. Job hath a strange expression, Thou looketh upon me, and I am not, Job 7. 8. The Lord needeth no more but stare on the most durable creature, and look it not only out of countenance, but also look it into its first nothing, look it out of glo­ry, out of beeing. And therefore you would not trust in these uncertain things, that can take wings and leave you. When you have accom­modation outwardly to your mind, do not build your nest in it: these leaves of prosperity will not cover you alwayes, there is a time when they will fall. Nations have their winter and their summer, persons have them likewise, as these must change in nature, so must they do in their lot. Heaven only is one day, one Spring perpetually blossoming and bringing forth fruit: There is the Tree of Life that bringeth forth fruit every moneth, that hath both Spring and Harvest all the year over. Christians, sit not down under the green tree of worldly prosperity: If you do, the leaves will come down about you; The Gourd you trust in, may be eaten up in [...] night: your Winter will come on, so as you shall forget the former days, as if they had ne­ver [Page 272] been. We desire you to be armed for changes: Are not matters in the Kingdome still going a­bout? All things are subject to revolution and change, and every year hath its own Summer and Winter, so hath it pleased the Lord to set the one over against the other, that man might find no­thing after him, Eccles. 7. 14. Therefore we would have you cast your accompts so, as the former dayes of darkness may return, and the Land be covered with mourning cloaths.

But would you know what is the original of the creatures vanity, what is the moth that eats up the glory and goodliness of creatures enjoy­ments? Here it is, Sin and iniquities. It was sin that first subjected the Creation to vanity, Rom. 8. 19, 20. This inferior world was to have been a durable house for an immortal soul, but sin made man mortal, and the world corrup­tible: And from this proceed all the tempests and disorders that seem to be in the Creation. It is this still: It is sin that raiseth the storm of the Lords wrath, which bloweth away the wither­ed leaves of mens enjoyments. Sin drieth up all the sap and sweetness of the creature com­forts, it maketh the leaves of the tree wither, drives the sap away to the root, hindereth the influence of Gods blessing to come thorow the veins of worldly prosperity: For what is the vertue and sap of Creatures? It is even Gods blessing, and therefore the bread nourisheth not, but the Word and Command of God, Matth. 3. 4. That is a right unto the Creatures by Je­sus Christ, when possession of them is entered into by prayer and thanksigiving, for all rightis [Page 273] sanctified by these, and it is the iniquities of men, that separateth between God and them, Isa. 59. 2. And when God is separated and divided from enjoyments, they must needs be empty shells and husks, no kernel in them, for God filleth all in all, is all in all; And remove him, and you have nothing; your meat and drink is no bles­sing, your table is a snare, your pleasures and laughter have sadness in them, at least they are like the vanishing blaze of thorns under a pot. And therefore when God is angry for sin, mens beau­ty consumeth as before the moth, Psal. 39. 11. When God beginneth to shew himself terrible, because of sin, poor man, though of late spreading his boughs out, yet all falleth, and like Ice melt­eth as before the Sun, which just now seemed as solid as stone. O but David was sensible of this, and could speak from much experience, Psal. 32. 3, 4. The anger of the Lord did eat him up, and dryed his moisture; It might be read in his countenance, all the world could not con­tent him, all the showres of creatures dropping fatness could not keep sap in him, Gods displea­sure scorcheth so, nay, is within him, that no hiding place is to be found in the world, no sha­dow of a rock among all the Creatures in such a weary Land. Moses and the people knew this well, Psal. 90. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The Lords dis­pleasure carried them away, as a floud coming down carrieth all headlong with it, it scorched them, and made them wither as grass. When God setteth iniquities before him, that which is the souls secret, beginneth to imprint it in vi­sible characters on the rod, and writeth his sin [Page 274] on his punishment, then no wonder that daye [...] be spent in vanity and grief, since they are past over in his wrath, Job 13. 25. Then doth a soul loath its dainty meat, and then doth the Ox lowe over his fodder, meat is laid before, and he cannot touch it, because of the terrours of the Almighty; And that which before he would not once touch, would not enter in terms of communing with, as the Lords threatnings, he must now sit down, and eat them up as his meat; how sorrowful soever, Job 6. 5, 6, 7.

But Secondly, when sin hath prepared a man for judgement, then if iniquity be added to sin, this raiseth the storm, and kindleth the fire to consume the combustible matter: when sin hath given many blowes by preparatory cor­rections at the root of a mans pleasure and cre­dit, it will at length bring on a fatal stroak that shall drive the tree to the ground. There are some preparatory judgements and some con­summatory; some withers the leaf, and some bloweth it quite off. some make men like the Harvest, ripe to put the sickle of judgement into it. The Corrruption of a land, the uni­versality of it, and formality in worshiping of God, ripeneth a land for t [...]e harvest of judge­ment, exposeth it to any storm, leaveth it open to the Lords wrath, so that there is nothing to hold his hand and keep off the stroak. But when the wind ariseth, and iniquities have made it tempe­stuous, then who may stand, it will sweep away Nations and people as a flood and make their place not to know them, so that there shall be neither leaf nor branch left. There is often a [Page 275] great calm with great provocations, and iniqui­ties cry, Peace, peace. But when once the cry of it is gone up to heaven, and hath engaged Gods anger against a people or person, then it raiseth a whilr-wind that taketh all away. Now all this belongeth to you, we told you the ac­knowledgement of sin was yours already, and a wonder it is that the complaint is not ours al­so: Alwayes this ought to be an admonition and example to us on whom the ends of the world are fallen. Therefore we would declare this unto you, that sin and iniquities have judg­ment in the taile. Now you sit at peace, every one in his own dwelling, and spread forth your branches. But is there not much uncleanness among you? We would have you trouble your carnal peace and security, trouble your ease with thoughts of this. And we have ground to give this warning, because if there were no more but the iniquity of our holy things, the for­mality of our service, the commonness of Spi­rit in worship, this might be enough to raise the storm. You know not for what reasons to be afraid of judgement, look but on original cor­ruption, look on the defilement of your religi­ous actions, and then find ground sufficient of fading away. Though now you sit still and seem to be so setled, as you would never be mo­ved: you dream of an eternity here, you cleave in your hearts to your houses and lands: you stick as fast to the world, and will not part with it, as a leaf to a tree: yet behold, the wind of the Lord may arise, that shall drive you a­way, take your soul from these things and then [Page 276] whose shall they be? If you will not fear tem­poral judgements, yet I pray you fear eternal, fear hell. May not the Lord shake you off this tree of time, and take you out of the land of the living, to receive your portion. There is not on­ly an universal deadness of spirit on the land, but a prophane spirit, Iniquities, abominable sins abound. Every Congregation is overgrown with scandals; and for you, None may more justly complain: we are all unclean, sin is not in corners, but men declare their sin as Sodom, sin is come to the Maturity, Defection and A­postacy is the temper of all Spirits, and above all the general contempt and slighting of this glorious gospel, is the iniquity of Scotland, so that we wonder that the withered leaves yet stick to, that the storm is not yet raised, and we blown away. Now you are like stones, your hearts as Adamants and cannot be moved with his threatnings, the voice of the Lords word doth not once move you: you sin and are not afraid; Nay, but when Gods anger shall joyn with iniquity, and the voice of his rod and dis­pleasure roar, this shall make the mountains to tremble, the rocks to move, and how much more shall it drive away a leaf. You seem now mountains, but when God shall plead, you shall be like the chaff driven too and fro. O how easy a matter shall it be to God to blow a man out of his dwelling place: sin hath prepa­red you for it, he needeth no more but blow by his Spirit, or look upon you, and you will not be. You who now are lofty and proud, and maintain your self against the word, when you [Page 277] come to reckon with God, and he entereth in judgement, you shall not stand: you will con­sume as before the moth: your hearts will fail you, Who may abide the day of his coming? It will be so terrible, and so much the more terri­ble, that you never dreamed of it. If the ex­ample of this people will not move you, do but cast your eyes on Ireland, who all do fade as a leaf, and their iniquities have taken them away out of their own Land. Shall not the seeing of the eye, nor the hearing of the ear teach you? What security do you promise to your selves? Have not we sinned as much as they? Were not they his people as we? Certainly since God waiteth longer on you, the stroak must be the greater: provoked patience must turn fury. If you would then prevent this peoples com­plaint, go about such a serious acknowledge­ment of your sins, search your wayes and turn a­gain to the Lord. And let not every man sit down in a general notion of sin, but unbowel it until you see uncleanness, go up to the fountain head, Original corruption, go down to all the streams, even the iniquity of holy things: let every man be particular in the search of his own provocations personal, and every one be pub­lick in the general sins of the Land, that you may confesse out of knowledge and sense, we are all unclean, &c.

SERMON XVIII.

THey go on in the Confession of their sins: Many a man hath soon done with that: A general notion of sin, is the highest advancement in repentance that many attain to. You may see here, Sin and Judgement mixed in thorow o­ther in their complaint: They do not so fix their eyes upon their desolat estate of captivity, as to forget their provocations. Many a man would spend more affection, and be more pa­thetick in the expression of his misery when it is pungent, nor he can do when he speaketh of his sins. We would observe from the nature of this confession something to be a patern of your re­pentance. And it is this. When the spirit con­vinceth, and men are serious in repentance, then the soul is more searching, more universal, more particular in acknowledgement of sins. These are characters of the Spirits work. First, The Spirit discovereth unto men, not only sin but the loathsomeness of sin, its hainous nature, how offensive it is to Gods holy eye; Many of you know abundance of evil deeds, and call them [Page 279] sins, but you have never taken up sins ugly face, never seen it in the glasse of the holy Law, un­cleannesse it self, because you do not abhore your selves; poor and low thoughts of God maketh mean and shallow thoughts of sin. You would be as Job vile ch. 40. 4. And abhore your selves in dust and ashes, ch. 42. 6. As Gods holiness grew great in your eyes, Sins uncleanness would grow proportionably Is. 6. 3. 5. And here your repentance halteth in the very entry.

But Secondly, The Spirit discovereth not on­ly the uncleanness of mens natures, and leadeth them up to original corruption, but the Spirit also leadeth men alongs all the streams, not only these that break out, but those who go under ground, and have a more secret and subtil con­veyance: It concludeth not only open breach­es of the command under filthiness, but also all a mans own righteousness, though never so refi­ned, it concludeth it also a defiled garment, so that the Soul can look no where but see sin, and uncleanness in its ornaments and duties. And thus it appeareth before God without such a co­vering, openeth up its Soul, hideth not sin with the covering of duties, but seeth a necessity of a­nother covering for all. Now therefore let the most part of you conclude that you have never yet gotteh your eyes open to see sin or confesse it, because when you sit down to compt your sins, there are many things that you call not sin, you use not to reckon your praying and repentance among sins: Nay, because you have so much confidence in your repentance and confession, you have never repented: you must see a ne­cessity [Page 280] of a covering of Christs righteousness a­bove all; Faith in Jesus must cover repentance and it self both, with the glorious object of it. But alas how soon are many at an end of confes­sion; some particular grosse actions may come in remembrance, but no more. Sum up al your confessions, they have never yet pitched on the thousand part of your guiltiness, no not in kinds, let be in number.

But thirdly, The Spirit convinceth spiritual­ly and particularly both, it convinceth of Spiri­tual sins, as we said last, of the iniquity of holy things, and especially of the most substantial duties faith and prayer. John 16. 8, 9. there are not many of you have come this length to see your want of prayer. No, your own words do witness against you, for you use to say, I pray day and night, I believe in God with all my heart. Now therefore out of your own mouth shall you be condemned, when the spirit con­vinceth you of Sin, you will see no faith, no prayer at the first opening of the eyes. But I add, there is no true confession but it is particu­lar, the Spirit useth not to be wilder mens spirits in a general notion only, and a wild field of un­known sins: And such are many of your con­victions: You mourn for sin (as you say) and yet you cannot condescend on a particular that burdeneth your conscience; you grant you have many sins, but sit down to compt them, and there is a short compt of them, Now do you not reflect back upon former humiliations in publick, and former acknowledgements of sins in private? do you not yet return upon your [Page 281] own hearts to lay home this sad challenge. I have never repented, I do not yet repent: must not all your solemn approaches be iniquity, and abomination, while your souls are not afflicted for sin, while you can see so few sins &c. The fasting dayes of Scotland will be numbered in the roll of greatest provocations, because there is no real and spiritual conviction of sin among us: Custom now hath taken away the solem­nity, and there remaineth nothing but the very name. Is this the fast that the Lord chooseth? No, believe it, this shall add to your provocati­on, and rather hasten lingering judgement, then keep it off, we would beseech you this day, pray for pardon of former abused fasts. If you had no more to mourn for, this might spend the day and our spirits both, and exhaust all our present supplications, even the wall of partition that stands between God and Scotland, which all our former solemn humiliations hath built up, a great deal higher then other sins could reach.

There is none that calleth upon thy Name,] Did not this people make many prayers, Isai. 1. 15. before the captivity? And did they not cry, which noteth some fervency in it? And fast a little before it in Jeremiahs time, Chap. 11. 11. and 14. 12. in the time of it, Ezek. 8. 18. Mic. 3. 4. Zech 7. 3. How then is it that the Pro­phet now on the watch-tower looking round a­bout him to take up the peoples condition, and being led by the Spirit so far as to the case of the captives in Babel, can find no prayer, no cal­ling? And was not Daniel so too, Dan. 9. 13. Lo, then here is the construction that the Spirit [Page 282] of God putteth on many prayers and fastings in a Land, There is none calleth on thy Name; there is none that prayeth faithfully and fervently, few to count upon that prayeth any. It may be there are many publick prayers, but who prayeth in secret, and mourneth to God alone? There are many prayers, but the inscription is, To the unknown God, to a nameless God, your praying is not a calling on his Name as a known God and revealed in the Word.

This then we would say unto you, that there may be many prayers in your account▪ and none in Gods. There are many prayers of men that God counteth no more of, then the howling of a dog. First, The cry of mens practices is of­ten louder then their prayers, and goeth up to Heaven, that the cry of prayer cannot be heard. When mens conversation is flat contrary to their supplications, supplication is no calling on his Name, but charming rather. Sodoms abomi­nations had a cry up to God, Gen. 18. 21. So Ahels blood had a cry for vengeance, which Cains prayers could not out-cry. Thus the Lord would not hear many prayers Isa. 1. 15. because hands and practices were polluted: you that know no worship of God, but in such a solemn duty; your religion is summed up and confined, within the limits of Temple-worship, Family exercise and prayer; Certainly the rest of your conversation must speak more: God will not heat but such as worship him and do his will. Joh. 4. 31. Your prayer is a dark parable, if your conversation expone it not. This I speak for this end, to put many of you out of your [Page 283] false ground of Confidence: you have nothing but your prayers to trust unto, And for your conversation, you never go about it effectually to reform it but goeth on in that which you pray against: we declare unto you the truth your prayers are Abomination Pro. 28. 9. The wicked may have prayers, And therefore think not to please God and flatter him with your mouths, when your conversation is rebellion: since you hear not him in his commands, God will not hear you in your petitions Pro. 1. 24. 28. You stopped your ear at his reproof, God will stop his ear at your request. If you will go to heaven by your own righteousness, I pray you, follow more after it, make the garment more to cover your nakedness: the skirt of a duty is not sufficient.

Secondly, When iniquity is regarded in the heart, (and idols set up in Gods place,) God will not own such a worship, but sendeth a man to the Idols he serveth Psa. 66. 18. Ezek. 14. 3. 4. Do you not often pray to God against a corrup­tion, when your heart cleaveth unto it, and what your mouth saith, your heart contra­dicteth? Light and Conscience often extort a confession of beloved sins, while the tem­per of the heart hath this language, Lord grant not my request. And therefore if there be a prayer for pardon of guilt, yet there is no through resolution to quite the sin; And as long [...] a soul is not resolved to quite the sin, there can be no ingenuous confession of it, and no prayer for removing the guilt can be heard, You cannot imploy Christ in his office of Medi­atorship [Page 284] as a Priest to interceed and offer sacri­fice for sin, unlesse you as sincerely imploy him as a sanctifier and Redeemer. And therefore prayer that separateth Christs offices, and cal­leth not on whole Christ calleth not on his name, for his name is Lord Jesus Christ. How can the Lord be inquired of by such a one who cometh to mock him, puteth up an Idol in the heart, and yet prayeth against it, or some other sin, while he is not resolved to quite it. Shall God be resolute to help, when we are no [...] earnest in seeking it. No wonder God answer you ac­cording to the Idol: No wonder you be given up to serve Idols, and your sin grow upon you as a plague for your hypocrisy, when you ingadge your heart too much to any creature and comes to pray and inquire of the Lord in your necessi­ty, shall it not be righteousness with him, to send you to your God when thou cryest let thy companies deliver thee, Isa. 57. 13. O man cry unto thy bo­some idol, and let it help thee, since thou trustest to it and spendeth thy heart on it, Deut. 32. 37, 38. Where is the God that drunk the Wine of your offerings, and eat the fat of your sacrifices? where is the creature that you have made your heart an altar to, to send up the flames of your choicest thoughts and affections to it? let this rise up, and help you now, saith the Lord. Therefore we exhort you, if you would have your prayers a delight, be upright in the thing you seek, and see that you intertain no known sin, give it no heart allowance.

Thirdly, There are many prayers not heard, not known, because the mouth outcryeth the [Page 285] heart. It is the sacrifice of the contrite heart that God despiseth not. The prayers of this people were such, Isai. 29. 13. They drew near with the mouth, but the hea [...]t was far away. It is worship in spirit and truth that God loveth, Joh 4. 23. Since Prayer is a communion of God with the Creature, a meeting of one with God, and speaking face to face; God who is a Spirit and immortal, must have a spirit to meet with, a soul to speak to him. Now do you not find your hearts gading abroad even in duty? Is it not most about your Corns and Lands in the time of solemn worship? Therefore God getteth no more but a carcasse to keep communion with; He may have as much fellowship with the stones of the wall, and timber of the house, as he can have with your ears and mouths, while you re­move your hearts to attend other things. And I would say more, if your mind be present, yet your heart is gone, sometimes, yea often, both are gone abroad: Sometimes the mind and thought stayeth, but the affection and heart is not with it, and so the minds residence is not constant: Your thought may come in as a way­faring man, but tarrieth not all night, dwelleth not. Now speak to it, even Christians, may not your Prayers often have a contrary interpre­tation to what they pretend? You pray so coldrifely and formally, as God will interpret, you have no mind to it: we ask as we seemed indifferent whether our petition be granted or not. Should the Lord be affected with your petitions, when you your selves are not affected much? Should his bowels of zeal sound with­in [Page 286] him, when yours are silent? It is fervent prayer availeth much, Isai. 5. 16. A heart sent out with the petition, and gone up to Heaven, cannot but bring back an answer. If Prayer carry not the seal of the heart and soul in it, God cannot own it, or send it back with his seal of acceptation.

Fourthly, Many Prayers are not calling on Gods Name: And no wonder that when people pray, yet the Spirit say, None calleth on thy Name, for Prayer is made, as to an unknown God, and God is not taken up according to his Name, which are his glorious Attributes, where­by he manifesteth himself in his Word. To call on Gods Name, is so to pray to God, as to take him up, as he hath revealed himself. And what is the Lords Name? Hear himself speak to Moses, Exod. 33. 19. and 34. 6, 7. The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty. Now to call on this Name, is for the soul in Prayer, to have a suitable stamp on it: every Attribute of God taking deep impression in the heart. And so Gods Name to be written on the very petitions: And shortly, we may say, the Spirit should have the impression of Gods great­nesse and Majesty, of his goodnesse and mercy, of his terriblenesse and justice. This is the or­der that God proclaimeth his Name into. In the entry the supplicant should behold the glori­ous Soveraignty and infinite distance between God and the Creature, that he may have the [Page 287] stamp of reverence and abasement upon his spi­rit, and may speak out of the dust, as it becom­eth the dust of the ballance and footstool to do to him, who sitteth on the circle of the Heaven as his Throne. And this I must say, there is little Religion and Godlinesse among us, be­cause every man is ignorant of God. Even Gods children do more study themselves, and their condition, then Gods greatnesse and absolute­nesse. Who searches Gods infinitnesse in his Word and Works till he behold a wonder, and be drowned in a mystery? O but the Saints of old did take up God at a greater distance from the Creatures, they waded far into this bound­lesse Ocean of Gods Majesty, till they were o­ver head and ears, and wer [...] forced to cry out, Who can find out the Almighty to perfection? All these are but parts of him, his back-parts. There is more real Divinity and knowledge of God in one of Jobs friends discourses, one of Davids prayer [...], then now in twenty Sermons of graci­ous men, or many prayers or conferences of Saints. But withal you must study his good­nesse and mercy, and this maketh up the most part of his Name; The definition of God hath most of this, so that it may be said truly, that mercy is his delight, mercy as it were, swelleth over the rest: God were not accessible, unlesse mercy did temper it. Behold then greatnesse to humble, and goodness to make bold, that you may have accesse. As greatness should leave the stamp of reverence on your petitions, so should mercy and goodnesse imprint them with faith and confidence; And that the rather because [Page 288] as Christ is said to be the Fathers Face, and t [...] image of his Person, 2 Cor. 4. 6. and Heb. 1. [...] So may he be called the Fathers Name, and [...] doth God himself call him, Exod. 23. 20, 21. T [...] Angel that went before them in the wilderness, w [...] voice they ought to obey, his Name is in him, a [...] this Angel is Christ Jesus, Acts 7. 37, 38. [...] then Christ Jesus is Gods Name: God as [...] revealeth himself in the Word, is God in Ch [...] reconciling the world unto himself, 2 Cor. 5. [...] And therefore Christians, you ought to pr [...] alwayes in Christs Name, and this is to call [...] his Name. Not only encourage your selves [...] come to God, because of a Mediator, beca [...] he is God in Christ, but also offer up all yo [...] prayers in Jesus his Name, that his Name ca [...] led on them may sanctifie them, otherwise yo [...] affection at prayers cannot be acceptable [...] God, for he loveth nothing but what com [...] thorow the Son; Prayer must have an evil s [...] vour, when it is not put in the Golden Cens [...] that this Angel hath to off [...]r up incense with t [...] prayers of the Saints. And likewise you wo [...] know Gods justice and wrath, that you m [...] serve in fear and trembling: And when tre [...] bling is joyned with the rejoycing of faith, th [...] is acceptable service. You ought to fear to [...] fend his holiness, while you are before him. L [...] Gods terribleness have a deep impression [...] your spirit, both to make sin bitter, and to ma [...] mercy more sweet. Thus should Prayer asce [...] with the seal of Gods Attributes, and then is a calling on his Name. Now is there any c [...] ling on his Name among us? Who maketh [Page 289] [...]udy to take up God in his glorious Names? [...]herefore you call not on a known God, and [...]nnot name him. Now all of you take this [...]le to judge your prayers by. Think you not [...]at you make many prayers? You both think and say it, as you use to say, I pray both day [...]d night. Nay, but count after this rule, and [...]ere will be found few prayers in Scotland, al­ [...]it you reckon up both privat and publick. [...]nce scrape out of the compt the prayers of the [...]ophane and scandalous, whose practice de­ [...]eth their prayers; And again, blot out the [...]ayers of mens tongues and mouths when [...]arts are absent: And again, set aside the [...]ormal, dwyning, coldrife, indifferent suppli­ [...]tions of Saints, and the prayers that carry no [...]eal of Gods Name and Attributes on them, [...]rayers made to an unknown God, And will [...]ou find many behind? No certainly any of [...]ou may take up the complaint in behalf of the [...]and, There is none that calleth on thy Name, or [...]ew to count upon. You may say so of your [...]elves if you judge thus, I have almost never [...]rayed, God hath never heard my voice, and [...]ou may say so of the Land. This would be a [...]ell spent day, if this were but our exercise, to [...]nd out the sins of our duties in former humilia­ [...]ions: If the Spirit did so convince you, as to [...]ot out of the roll of Fasts all the former. If [...]ou come this length as to be convinced solidly [...]at you have never yet prayed and mourned for [...]. I have lived this long, and been babling [...]ll this while, I have never once spoken to God, [...]ut worshipped I knew not what, fancied a [Page 290] God like my self, that would be as soon please [...] with me, as I was with my self. If the Lor [...] wrought thus on your hearts, to put you [...] your own righteousness, you should have mo [...] advantage in this then in all your Sabbaths an [...] Fasts hitherto.

Secondly, Although the Lords hand be upo [...] them, and they fade as a leaf, and are drive [...] into another Land, yet none calleth on his Name▪ This maketh the complaint more lamentabl [...] and no doubt is looked upon as a dreadful sig [...] and token of Gods displeasure, and of sor [...] stroaks. Daniel an eye-witnesse confirmeth th [...] foretold truth, Chap. 9. 13. All this is come upon us, yet have we not made our prayer to the Lord o [...] God. Well may the Lord make a supposition and doubt of it, Lev. 26. 40, 41. After so many plagues are come on, seven added to seven, and again seven times more, and yet they will not be humbled. And when it is even at the door ne [...] to utter destruction and consumption, he addeth▪ If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they take with the punishment of sin, &c. We need ask no reason of this, for bray a fool in a morte [...] his folly will not depart from him, Prov. 27. 22: Poor foolish man is a foolish man, folly is born with him, folly is his name, and so is he. He hath not so much wisdom as to hear the voice o [...] the rod, and him that appointeth it. Poor Ephra­im is an undaunted heifer. Nature is a bullock un­accustomed with the yoke, and so it is chastised more and more, Jer. 31. 18. Man is like a [...] untamed beast, as the horse, or as the mul [...] Threatnings will not do it, God speaketh once, ye [...]: [Page 291] twice, and man perceiveth it not; Job 33. 14. God instructeth by the Word, and men receive no instruction: All the warnings to flee from the wrath to come, are as so many tales to make chil­dren afraid. He saith in his heart, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my own heart. Since therefore he will not incline his ear to the Word, God sendeth his rod to seal the Word, and yet men are so wilde that they sight with Gods rods, and will not submit to him: A yoke must be put on Ephraim, a bridle in mens mouths, Psal. 32. 9. They will put God to more pains then speaking, and it shall cost them more pain: For he that will not be drawn with the cords of a man, love and intreaties, must be drawn with the cords of a beast, and yoked in a heavy yoke. Yet men are unruly, and the yoke groweth the heavier, and sorer, that they strive to shake it off. An uncircumcised heart cannot be humbled, How can the Leopard change his spots, no more can my people return to me, Jer. 13. 23. It is strange that a people so afflicted, will not take with the punishment of their iniquity, but will say in their heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? But here it is, how can an uncircumcised heart be humbled? God may beat on men with rods as on a dog, but he will run away from him still the more Isai. 9. 13. Nay, it may be, there will be more stirring after God, and more awaking by the first stroak of afflicti­on, then when they are continued and multi­plied: The uncouthness of rods may affect people something but when his hand lyeth on [Page 292] but a little, custome breedeth hardness, a [...] more and more alienateth spirits from him.

Now we need no more to seal this truth, [...] our own experience. I think never peop [...] might speak more sensibly of it. It hath be [...] the manner of the Lords dealing with us, to [...] fair means to gain us, to threaten before he la [...] on, to give a proclamation before his stroak [...] And yet it hath been our manner from o [...] youth up to harden our selves against him, an [...] go on in our own way. Therefore hath th [...] Lord after long patience laid on sad stroaks, an [...] smitten us, yet have we not turned to him. [...] may be when the chastisement was fresh a [...] green, some poured out a prayer, and in trouble vi­sited God, Isai. 26. 18. but the body of the La [...] hath not known him that smote them, and n [...] ver ran into their hiding place, but the tempt [...] tion of the time like a flood hath carried them aw [...] with it. And for the Lords children, how so [...] doth the custome of a rod, eat out the sense [...] it, and prayer doth not grow proportionably [...] the Lords rods. The Lord hath expected th [...] some might stand in the gap and interceed, yet f [...] or none called on his Name. General correction of the Land have made general apostacy fro [...] God, not a turning in to God; So that we ma [...] say, we never entered a furnace, but we hav [...] come out with more dross, contracted dross i [...] the fire. Mens zeal and tenderness hath bee [...] burnt up, reprobate silver may God call us: We have had so much experience of the unprofitableness of former afflictions, that we kno [...] not what the Lord shall do with us. We thin [...] [Page 293] it may be the Lords complaint of Scotland, Why should you be afflicted any more? you will revolt more and more, Isai. 1. 5. What needeth ano­ther ro [...]? You are now all secure, it is true, be­cause you are not stricken; Nay, but what needeth a rod? for it cannot awake you, all the fruit of it would be not to purge away sin, but to increase it: General judgements will prove general tentations, and will alienate you more from me, and make you curse God and the Covenant. And indeed the truth is, we know not, what outward Dispensation can fall on that can affect this generation; We know not what the Lord can have behind, that can work on us: Judgement hath had as much terror, Mercies as much sweetness, and as much of God in the one and the other, as rea­dily hath been since the beginning of the world. Only this we know, all things are possible to him, which are impossible to us; And if the Spirit work to sanctifie the Rod, a more gentle Rod shall work more effectually; his Word shall do as much as his Rod.

The case we are now into, is just this; None calleth on thee. It is a terrible one, whither our condition be good or bad outwardly, our peace hath put us asleep, and the Word cannot put men to prayers: Now the Lord hath begun to threaten, as you have been still in fear of new troubles, and a revolution of affairs again, yet I challenge your own Consciences and appeal to them, whom hath the Word prevailed with, to put to prayer? Whom hath the rumour of approaching trouble, put to their prayers? [Page 294] Whose spirit hath been affected with Go [...] f [...]ouning on the Land? And this yet more a [...] gravateth your laziness; In the time that Go [...] doth shew terrible things to his people in Irela [...] giveth them a cup of wormwood, and to drink [...] wine of astonishment: Are not you yet at e [...] when your brethren and fellow saints are sca [...] tered among you as strangers? yet your hea [...] bleed not. Well, behold the end of it, you case is a sad prognostick of the Lords hideing hi [...] Face and consuming us. Nay, it is a sure token that his Face is hid already. When J [...] friends would aggravate his misery, they sum [...] it up in this, thou restrainest prayer from God. I [...] is more wrath to be kept from much praying nor to be scattered from your own house Therefore, if you would have the cloud of God [...] anger that covereth the Land with blackne [...] go over you, and pour out it self on others, you would prevent the Rod, hearken to th [...] Word and stirr up your selves to much praye [...] that you may be called his remembrancers? O [...] how long shall prayer be banished this Kingdom? The Lords controversie must be grea [...] with us, for since the days of our first love, ther [...] hath been great decay of the spirit of prayer The Children of God should be so much in it as they might be one with it. David was so much in prayer, as he in a manner defined him­self by it, Psal. 109. 4. I gave my self unto pray­er. In the original, there is no more, but, [...] prayer. I was all prayer. It was my Work, my Element, my Affection, my Action. Nay, to speak the truth, it is the decay of prayer that [Page 295] hath made all this defection in the Land. Would you know the original of many a publick mans Apostacy and backsliding in the cause of God, what maketh them so soon forget their solemn ingagements, and grow particular, seeking their own things, untender in seeking the things of God? Would you trace back the Desertion up to the Fountain head? Then come and see. Look upon such a mans walking with God in private, such a mans praying, and you shall find matters have been first wrong there. Alie­nation and estrangement from God himself in immediat Duties, and secret approaches, hath made m [...]ns Affections cooll to his interest in publick Duties. And believe it, the reason why so few great men, or none are so cordial, constant and through in Gods Matters, is this, they pray not in secret; They come to Parlia­ment or Council, where publick Matters, con­cerning the Honour of God, are to be debated, as any Stas-man of Venice, would come to the Senate. They have no dependence on God to be guided in these Matters; They are much in publick Duties, but little in secret with God. Believe it, any mans private walking with God, shall be read upon his publick carriage, whither he be Minister or Ruler.

There is yet another thing we would have you consider, to endear this Duty unto you, and bind upon your Consciences, an absolute neces­sity of being much in it, and it is this. Prayer and calling on his Name is often put for all im­mediat Worship of God, especially, the more substantial and moral part of Service. This [Page 296] people was much in Ceremonials, and they made these their righteousness. Nay, but there was little secret conversing with God, walking humbly with him, loving him, believing in him. Well then, prayer is, as it were, a com­pend and summ of all Duties. It contains in it, Faith, Love, Repentance, all these should breath out in prayer. In a word, if we say to you, be much in prayer, we have said all, and it is more then all the rest, because it is a more near and immediat approach to God; having more solid Religion in it. If you be lively in this, you are thriving Christians; if you wither here, all must decay, for prayer sappeth and watereth all othes Duties with the influence of Heaven.

That stirreth up himself to take hold on thee] This expresseth more of their condition under the Rod, and while God was threatning to depart and leave them, none took so much notice of it, as to awake out of his dream, to take a fast hold of God. It was but like the grip a man taketh in his slumbering, that he soon quiteth in his sleep. None awaketh himself, as a bird stirreth up it self with its wings to flight: None do so spread out their sails to meet the wind: This importeth a great security and negligence, a careless stupidity. To take hold, to grip strong­ly and violently, importeth both Faith acted on God, and Communion with God, so that the sense is, no body careth, whither thou go, there is none that stirreth up himself to take violent hold of thee; Men ly louse in their interest, and indifferent in the one thing necessary, do not strongly grip to it. No body keepeth thee by [Page 297] prayer and intercession, so that there is no dili­gence added to diligence, there is no stirring up of our selves in security.

First, when the Lord seemeth to withdraw, and when he is angry, it is our duty, to take hold the more on him, and not only to act Faith, and call on him by prayer, but to add to ordi­nary diligence, it should be extraordinary. First then, I say, when the Lord is withdrawing and seemeth angry, we ought not to withdraw from him by unbelief, but to draw near, and take hold on him. And the Lord giveth a rea­son of this himself, Isai. 26. 4▪ 5. because fury is not in me. It is but a moments anger, it is not hatred of your persons but sins, it is not fury that hath no discretion in it, to difference between a friend and an enemy: It is but at least a fathers anger, that is not for destruction, but correcti­on. The Lord is not implacable, come to him and win him, let bim take hold of me, and let him make peace with me, if he will make peace. He is a God whose compassions fail not; and so he is never so angry, but there is room left for mani­festation of Mercy on those that come to him. Gods anger is not an humor and passion as ours is, he can take the poor Child in his Armes, ad­mit it into his bosome, when outward Dispen­sations frown. Mens anger is like the sons of Belial, Briers and Thornes that none may come near to, lest they be hurt, but God angry is accessible, because his anger is still tempered and mixed with Clemency and Mercy, and that mixture of Mercy is so great, and so predomi­nant in all his Dispensations here, that they be­ing [Page 298] rightly understood, might rather invite to come, then scarre from it, there is more Mercy to welcome, then Anger to drive away.

Secondly, Look upon the very end and pur­pose of Gods hiding himself, and withdrawing, it is this; that we may come and seek him ear­ly, Hos. 5. 15 When God is angry, Mercy and Compassion principleth it, for anger is sent out to bring in wanderers: His anger is not humor, but resolute and deliberate, walketh u­pon good grounds. Because David in his prospe­rity missed not God. When all things went according to his minde, then he let God go where he will. Therefore, the Lord in mercy must hide his own Heart with a frowning coun­tenance, and cover himself with a Cloud, that David may be troubled, and so take hold on God, Psal. 31. 7, 8. Since then, this is Gods purpose, that you may come nearer to him, and since he goeth away that you may pursue, cer­tainly, he will never so run away as you may not find him out, nor will he run further, nor he strengtheneth thee to pursue him; Thus, Ps. 63. 8. God was flying, and David pursuing; Nay, but the flyer giveth leggs to the pursuer, he upholdeth him, as it were against himself. So did the Angel strengthen Jacob to overcome himself. Now shall it not be pleasant to God, that you lay hold on him as your own, even when he seemeth to be cloathed with venge­ance, seing he changeth his outward Counte­nance for this very end, he seemeth to go, that you may hold, because when you think he stay­eth, you hold not, as the Child, while the nurse [Page 299] is near, will look about it, and take hold of any thing, but when she withdraweth, the Child cleaveth the faster to her.

But Secondly, we ought to stirre up our selves more now, then any other time: Times of Gods withdrawing, calleth for extraordinary and doubled approaches. So Hab. 5. 15. they will seek me early. And therefore the Lords Chil­dren in Scripture, have made great advantage of such Dispensations. The truth is, as long as we are well dealt with, security creepeth on, and Religion is but in a decaying condition: Duties are done through our sleep: We are not as men awaking and knowing what we do, and whither we go. But when the Lord be­ginneth to trouble us, and hides his Face, then it is a time to awake out of sleep, before all be gone: And there ought to be first, more dili­gence in Duties and approaching to God; be­cause your case furnisheth more matter of sup­plication; And as matter of supplication grow­eth, prayer should grow. If necessity grow, and the cry be not according to necessity, it is ominous. And therefore David useth to make his cry go up according to his trouble. In a prosperous Condition, though every thing might call a tender hearted loving Christian to some nearness to God; yet ordinarly, if ne­cessity presse not, prayer languisheth, and grow­eth formal. Sense of need putteth an edge on supplication, wheras prosperity blunteth it. The heart missing nothing, cannot go above sublunary things; but let it not have its will here, and the need of Heaven will be the great­er. [Page 300] Now I say, if you sit so many calls, both from a Command, and from your own necessi­ties, you do so much the more sin. Affliction will make even a hypocrite seek him, and pour out [...] prayer and visit him, Psal. 78. And Isai. 26. And if you do not take advantage of all these pressures, you must be so much the more guil­ty: And therefore, God as it were, wonder­eth at their obstinacy, They return not to him that smiteth them: All this is come upon us, yet have we not prayed. And secondly, it is sent for that end, that you may be more serious, and therefore you ought so much the more to awake, to lay hold on him. This is the way the Lord useth with his secure and wandering Children, Psal. 119. 67. For the Lord findeth us often gripping too strongly to a present world; and taking it in our armes, as if we were never to part with it: Mens souls cleave to outward accomodations. Therefore the Lord useth to part us and our idol, that we may take hold of him the faster. It is Union with himself, that is our felicity, and it is that which God most endeavoureth. When he removeth beloved Jewels, it is because they were a stumbling block, and divorced the Soul from God: When he seemeth to withdraw himself, his going pro­claimeth so much, Oh follow or perish.

Thirdly, it is a very dangerous thing, when he withdraweth and you follow not, when he is angry, and you care not, doth not fly in to make peace with him, certainly his anger must wax hotter, and desertion will become a spiri­tual plague, Rods must be tempered with much [Page 301] bitterness. What mixture of Mercy can be in such a Dispensation, where the fruit of it is to harden. But if the Lords hardest dealing wrought you to more nearness and Communi­on with himself, then certainly you have a fair advantage against the present trouble, and you have your Cup mixed. You shall at length blesse God for such Dispensations, they may be reckoned for good to you. Next, there ought to be more exercise of Faith, and laying hold on the grounds of Consolation in God, in such a time. 1. For as difficulties grow, Faith should fortify it self against them so much the more. The greater the storm be, it should fly the more into the Chalmbers. Faith in the time of a calme day getteth no tryal; Faith bulketh much, because it hath not much to do. But except there be some fresh and new supplies, it cannot hold out in a temptation: But it is a singular proof of a Noble and Divine Faith, that can lay hold on him, and keep him, when he would go, that can challenge kindness on a miskening Jesus, that can stand on the ground of the Promises, when there is not a foot breadth of a Dispensation to build on: While all things go with you, ye have no difficulty to maintain your Faith; Nay, but when the Lord seem­eth to look angry, then awake and gather strength, take hold on his strength; Look what is in your Condition, or his Dispensation, what is good or omnious, then take hold on the other hand on him, and look what is in him to an­swer it, and swallow it up: Ye ought to be well acquaint with the grounds of Consolation [Page 302] that are in God, in the worst case, and then ye might lay hold on him, though he seemed a con­suming fire. It is then a time that calleth most for secureing your interest in him, a time when there is no external advantage to beguile you, a time when the only happiness is to be one with God. Therefore, the man who in such Cala­mities and Judgements, is not a waked to put his eternal Estate out of question, he is in a dan­gerous case: For do not most part drive o­ver their dayes, and have no assurance of Sal­vation, they dare not say, either pro, or con­tra. It may be, and it may not be. And this is the length that the most part come, a nega­tive Peace; No positive Confidence. No clear concluding on sure grounds an Inte­rest. Alwayes ye are most called to this, when God afflicteth the Land, or you: If ye do not then make Peace, it is most dangerous. 3. The Lord loveth Faith in a difficulty best, it is the singlest and the cleanliest, it is that which most honoureth him, and glorifieth his Truth and Faithfulnesse, and Sufficiency and Mercy; for then it is most purely Elevat­ed above Creatures, and pitcheth most on God; And therefore bringeth men to this, No help for my soul, but thou art my porti­on. And this commendeth God most; when he is set alone. Prosperity bringeth him down among Creatures, and secure Faith, maketh little distinction; But awakening Faith grippeth strongly and singly, puteth God alone:

Secondly, Oftentimes, when God is depart­ing, none stirreth up himself to lay hold on him: Although there may be praying and doing of many duties, yet there is nothing beyond ordi­nary. The varieties and accessions of new grounds of supplications doth neither make greater frequency, nor more fervency. This our experience may clear unto us both in duties and faith. First, There is very little diligence in seeking of God in the way and means appoint­ed, even when God seemeth to bid farewel to the Land and go away: No body cometh in as an intercessor. Men keep on their old way of praying, and never addeth to it, come what like. Who is it that riseth above his ordinary as the Tide of Gods dispensation is? There ought to be such an impression made by the changes of Gods countenance, as might be read on the du­ties of his people. There should be such a di­stance between your ordinary and such times, as between a sleeping man and a waking man, that whatever your attainment of access to God be, ye might stir up and go beyond it, according as matters call. Will God count your publick Fasts a performance of this duty? Alas, we fast sleeping, and none stirreth up himself to these things. Is there any difference betwixt your solemn Humiliation and another Sabbath? And is there any difference between a Sabbath and a week day, save the external duty? Is not this palpably our case? Is there any wa­kening among us? No, security is both the universal disease and complaint; And it is be­come an incurable disease, since it became a [Page 304] complaint. Doth any of you pray more in pri­vate then ye used? Or what edge is on your prayers? Alas, the Lord will get good leave to go from us; It feareth me, that we would give Christ a Testimonial to go over Seas. Hold him, hold him. Nay, the multitude would be gladly quite of him, they cannot abide his yoke, his work is a burden, his word is a torment, his discipline is bands and cords; And what heart can ye then have to keep Christ? What vio­lence can ye offer to him to hold him still? All your intreaties may be fair complements, but they would never rent his garment. Secondly, There is no up-stirring to faith among us, and laying hold on Jesus Christ, albeit all his dispen­sations warn us that it is now high time. There are not many who are about this point effectu­ally, to stir up their faith, or to secure their in­terest. Think ye that conjectures will carry you thorow difficulties. The multitude think they believe much, but any temptation proveth their mistake. The most part of Scotland would de­ny God and his Son Jesus Christ, if they were put to it. Alwayes it is a time ye would not ly out from your strong hold faith only uniteth you to Christ, and if ye would be kept in any trial stir up fait [...].

Thirdly, Prayer and Faith, diligence and lay­ing hold on God must go together, and help one another. Not calling on his Name, and not laying hold on him go together, and have influence o [...]e upon another. First, Faith hath influence on Prayer. Laying hold on God in Christ, will make right calling on his Name, [Page 305] it learneth men how to call God, to call him Abba, Father. Faith useth to vent i [...] self in Pray­er; I say, much consideration of God, and claiming in to him, and to the grounds of con­fidence in him, must both make Prayer accep­table, and carry the stamp and impression of Gods Name, or Christ [...] N [...]m [...] o [...] it, and also make much prayer: for when a soul hath pitch­ed on God, as its only felicity, and thus made choice of him, it findeth in him all-sufficiency, all things for all things; There is no necessi [...]y, but it findeth a supply in his fulness for it; And therefore it applyeth a man to the fountain, to draw out of the wells of salvation. There is nothing can be so sweet and refreshing, as for such a soul to pour out it s [...]lf every day in him, to talk with him face to face. Faith ingageth the heart to come to God with all things; whereas many difficulties would have been, and the secure or unsettled heart would have gone as many diffe­rent wayes to help them: Faith laying hold on God, knoweth but one, and bringeth all here. And therefore access to God is a fruit of it, ac­cess unto the grace wherein we stand by faith, And again, how can Prayer be acceptable, as long as Faith doth not principle it; It is but like a beasts groaning under a burden. Laying hold on God himself makes a mans duties acceptable, because he speaks and asks, believing that he shall receive, he trusteth God, and doth not tempt him. Where lively faith is not intertain­ed, there cannot be much affection, which is the oyl of the wheels. There may be in some bitterness of spirit much vehemency, but that is [Page 306] not a pure flame of divine love that burneth up­ward to him, and it is soon extinguished, and lasteth no longer nor present sense, and then the soul groweth harder, as iron that had been in the fire. Secondly, when there is not much prayer and calling, faith cannot be strong and violent; for prayer is even the exercise of faith, if you wear out of that, faith rusteth. There may be much quietness with little prayer, but there cannot be much and strong and lively faith; for where it getteth not continual imploy­ment it faggs. And indeed prayer is a special point of holding God fast, and keeping him, Therefore joyn these, if ye would thrive in any one of them. Your unbelieving complaints are not prayers and calling on his Name, because they are not mixed with faith. As the Apostle said of the Word, so may it be said of Prayer, your prayers are not profitable, are not heard [...] because not mixed with faith. Ye use to doubt that ye may be fervent, to question your interest, that ye may stir up your spirits to prayer: But alas, what a simple grosse mistake is that? Poor soul, though thou get more liberty, shall it be counted access to God? Though you have more grief, and your bitterness doth indite more eloquence, shall God be moved with it? Know ye not that you should ask without wavering, and lift up pure hands without wrath and doubting? and yet both are there.

Fourthly, The duty we are called to in such a time when God is angry, is to lay hold on him. We would speak a word more of it: And first, we ought to hold a departing Lord, by wrest­ling [Page 307] with him in supplication, not to let bim de­part till he bless, Hos. 12. 3, 4. The applicati­on of Jacobs victory over the Angel is thus, Turn ye to the Lord, and wait on him, &c. How had Jacob power over the Angel? By suppli­cation and weeping. So that prayer is a victo­ry over God, even the Lord God of Hosts. We ought (as it were) to strive against outward dispensation; when it saith, He is gone, when our condition saith, He is gone, or going, we ought to wrestle with it: No submission to such a de­parting, I mean, no submission that sitteth down with it, and is not careful how it be. Now this time calleth you to such an exercise. The Lord seemeth to be angry with us, there is a strong cloud over the Land, and like to pour down upon us, the Lord is drawing a sword a­gain, and beginning now to lay on: Many threatnings would not put us to supplication; Now what will the laying on of the rod do? If the former dayes be returning wherein ye saw much sorrow, Is it not then high time for the Lords remembrancers, and for the Lords chil­dren to wrestle with God. As Esau was com­ing on Jacob, so hath God armed men, and such desperate men, as he hath made a rod to us be­fore. If we be twice beaten with it, it is very just, for before we did not seek in to him who smote us. You would know this, that the Lord is but seeking imployment, and if ye would deal with him, ye may make advantage of the pre­sent and future calamities. And look to this laying hold on him: This is the chief thing ye should now heed. It is God himself that should [Page 308] be your principal object. Praying should be a laying hold on God, it should meet with him­self. For the most part in the time of prosperi­ty, we cannot meet with God singlely, we have so much to do with creatures, we keep trysts so punctually with them, so that we cannot keep with God:: We have so many things in our affections and thoughts, that God cannot get place, he cannot get us at leisure for the throng of our business: we loss God by catch­ing at shadows. Well then, we are called in such a time of difficulty to come in to God him­self. to draw by the vail of Ordinances, that we may have Communion with God himself. And this is right praying when the soul getteth such immediate access to God, as it were, to handle him, and see him, and taste him, to exercise its senses on him. Ordinances have been of a long time a covering of his face, and he useth not now to unvail himself in the Sanctuary, and let us see his glory: God is departed from preaching and praying, and the solemn meeting, so that we meet not with God, we lay hold on a sha­dow of an outward Ordinance but not on God himself. Therefore Christians make advantage of this time, you may be brought to want Or­dinances, then lay hold on himself, who is the substance and marrow of them: you may be denuded of outward comforts and accommoda­tion here, then lay hold on himself in much prayer. If affliction would blow away the cloud on his face, or would scatter our idols from us, and make us single alone with God, as Jacob was, it were well sent.

Secondly, Your exercise should be to take hold on God by faith. And first ye would make peace with God, be much in direct acts of apprehending God himself in Jesus Christ. And this is according as ye take up your selves in your own misery and n [...]c [...]ssity. Do but tra­vel continually between your own misery and something answerable in God.

The first thing we would have you do now when God frowns upon us, find out your own lost condition, and how great strangers you have be [...]n to him, even when ye have app [...]oached in many O [...]dinances: And find a necessity of mak­ing peace with God and atonement. Now from this, lay hold on Christ as the hope set before you, look upon that in him which will answer all your nec [...]ssities, and be suitable to them. It is not matters of outward lot that should go near­est your heart: Let the world go where it will, that which concerneth you most in such a time, is the securing your soul: for if ye loss it what gain you? What keep you? Your houses and lands and lives may be in hazard: Nay, but one thing is more worth then all these, and in more hazard. Begin at spiritual things, and ask how matters stand between God and thee.

Secondly, Not only would ye be much in im­mediat application unto Jesus Christ, but ye would so take hold of him, as ye may be sure ye have him. Make peace, and know that ye have made it, and then shall ye be kept in per­fect peace. You would never rest until you can on solid grounds answer the question. And this duty is called for from you at such a time, [Page 310] for the just shall live by faith, in a troublesome time, Hab. 2. 4. And as ye ought to keep and hold fast confidence, and not cast it away in such a time, so should ye all seek after it: Do not only rest in this, I know not but I may be­long to Christ, I dar not say against it. O no Christians, you should have positive clear grounds of assurance. I am his, and he is mine. I know that my Redeemer liveth. God is my por­tion. And if ye conclude this solidly, I defy all the world to shake and trouble your peace: this is perfect peace, peace, peace, double peace. How can you choose but be shaken at every blast of temptation, when you are not thus so­lidly grounded, when you hold not at your Anchor.

And Thirdly, Having thus laid hold on Christ, as your own, lay hold on all in him as yours, and for your use. Whatever difficul­ty the present time, or your own condition af­ford, search but as much in God, as may coun­terballance it. Answer all objections, from his Mercy, Goodnesse, Power, Wisdom, Un­changableness: And this shall be more nor the trouble: God himself laid hold upon, and made ours, is more nor removing a temporal Calamitv. It is an eternal weight, to weigh down all Crosses and Disapointments. For what can present things be? Is there not in the favour of his countenance, that which may drown them in Oblivion? Are ye like to sink here? Is not God a sure Anchor to hold by? And if you do not this, your trouble is nothing in respect of the danger of your Soul, Secure [Page 311] and loose lying out of God, not putting this matter to a full poynt, is worse nor all your out­ward fading. Therefore we exhort you in the Lords Name, to fly in to this Name of the Lord, as a strong tower to run to and be safe. When the Lord seemeth now to be angry with us, run not away from him, though he should yet cloath himself with vengeance as a Garment.

But First, O ye poor people who have never asked this Question, whether have I any Inte­rest in Jesus? Ask it now, and resolve it in time. If trouble come on, if scattering and de­solation come on, and our Land fade as a Leaf, certainly the Lords anger will drive you away. What will ye do in the time of his Indignati­on? All of you put this to the tryal, how mat­ters stand between God and you?

And Secondly, if ye find all wrong, do not sink in discouragement; All may be amend­ed, while it is seen wrong in time. Nay, God taketh away outward Accomodation, to make you more serious in this. And it is the very voice of Rods, every one fly in to your hold, every one make peace with me. You may take hold and do it feckfully.

Thirdly, You who have fled to Jesus, take more hold of him, you are called also to renew your Faith, and begin again: Make peace with God, let your confidence be kept fast, and thus shall ye be immoveable, because he chang­eth not. God will not go from you if ye be­lieve, hold him by Faith. Christ could not do great things in Galilee, because of their unbelief, and so be departed from them. As unbelief mak­eth [Page 312] an evil heart, to depart from the God of all Life and Consolation: So doth it make Go [...] depart from us. But Faith casteth a knot upo [...] him (to speak with reverence) it fasteneth hi [...] by his own Word and Promise, and he can­not go by it. It is a violent hand laid o [...] God. I will not let thee go till thou bles [...] me.

Fourthly, Faith and Prayer, or holding o [...] God, by believing in him, and much imploy­ing him, needeth much stirring up unto, and a­waking. That stirreth up himself to take hold o [...] thee. Security is the moth of both these, and eateth out the life of Faith and Supplication: It maketh Prayer so coldrife, that it it canno [...] prevail, and Faith so weake, that it cannot us [...] violence. F [...]st, security apprehendeth no evil no need. A secure condition is a dream, that one is eating, and yet his Soul is empty. Loo [...] how the people of Laish were quiet and secure apprehending no evil; Destruction cometh then on as an armed man. Always, it is much necessity that administers fewel to a mans Faith, and Supplication. David, Psal. 30. 7. I sai [...] in my prosperity, I shall not be moved. Nay, but many say in adversity, and cry peace, peace, where no peace is. Security pleadeth innocen­cy, and then believeth immunity. I am inno­cent, therefore shall his anger turn away, Jer. 2. 35. Security applyeth not sin, and so refus­eth the curse of sin, and wages of it. And thus is a man in his own eyes, a lord, and then he will come no more to God, Jer. 2. 31. It is almost impossible to awake men by general Judgments, [Page 313] [...]o apprehend personal danger, and men ne­ver stirr out of their nest, till it be on fire. We can behold, or hear of our neighbours spoyling, and violence done to them, but till the voice of a cry be heard in our own Streets and Fields, no body will take the Judge­ment to themselves. It is well said, that which is spoken to all, is spoken to none, so what is done to all in generall, is done to hone. The voice of a general Rod, speak­eth not particularly, and maketh not men ap­prehensive of sad things, and thus men are not pressed unto prayer, are not put out of themselves; It is onely necessity that sapps the roots of it, and makes it green. Se­condly, Security is lazy and not active, put­teth not forth its hand to work, and so dieth a beggar, for, onely the hand of the diligent maketh rich. Laying hold on God is a duty that requireth much spirit in it: Men do not grip things well in their slumbering. There is no Duty that needeth so spiritual and lively Principles. If a man do not put on such a peece of resolution and edge upon him, he cannot come to the wrestling of Prayer, and violence of Faith. Although the exercise and acting of Grace dependeth more upon the Spirit of God, his present In­fluence, then upon the Soul of man, yet this is the way the Lord communicateth his In­fluence, by stirring up and exciting the Crea­ture to its duty, as if it could do it alone. Grace is one thing, and the stirring up of it is another thing: For when we ly by and [Page 314] sleep over our time, and go not about t [...] matter so seriously, as it were life a [...] death, it is but a weak hold we can take [...] God. According to the measure of a m [...] apprehending necessity, and according the measure of his seriousness in these thin [...] so will the hand of Faith grip, and lay ho [...] with more or lesse violence. As a m [...] drowning, will be put from sleeping, a [...] when one is in extreem hazard, all his streng [...] will unite together in one, to do that whi [...] at any ordinary time it could not do, so oug [...] it to be here. A Christian assaulted wi [...] many temptations, should unite his streng [...] and try the yondmost. O but your who [...] spirits would run together, to the saving [...] your self, if ye were very apprehensive of ne­cessity. The exercise of Faith is a dead gri [...] that cannot part with what it grippet [...] Therefore first, we must say to you, it is [...] so easy a thing as you believe, to lay hold [...] God, there must be stirring up to it. A [...] when the Lord speaketh of our stirring our selves, certainly he meaneth this like waye [...] that he must stirr us, ere we stirr our selve [...]. Secondly, above all be afraid of a secure con­dition: It is the enemy of Communio [...] with God and spiritual Life; therefore look about you, and apprehend more your necessity, and then give no rest and quietness to your self, till you have imployed and en­gaged him; Be as men flying, to lay hold on the refuge set before you. Thirdly, It must be a time of little accesse to God, and [Page 315] little Faith, when we are all secure, and no body goeth about Religion as their work and business. We allow our self in it. There­fore we do exhort you first, to purpose this as your end to aim at, and purpose by Gods Grace to take more hold of God. There is little minding of Duty, and that maketh little doing of it: Once ingage your hearts to a love and desire of more of this, come to a point of resolution. I must know him more, and trust more in him, be more acquant with him. And Secondly, Put your self in the way of Duty. It is God that only can stirr you up, or apply your hearts to the using of violence to God: But ye would be found in the outward means much, and in these ways God will meet with you, if you wait on him in them.

For thou hast bid thy face from us] Here is the greatest plague, a spiritual plague. The last Verse was but the beginning of sorrows, We all do fade, &c. But lo, here the ac­complishnent of Misery, God hiding his face, and consuming them in the hand of their sins. First, The Lords hiding of his Face, and giving up a people to melt away in their sins, punishing with judicial blindness and security, is the worst Judgment, it filleth the Cup full. This complaint goeth on still worse. And certainly, it is worse, nor their fading as a leaf, and exile out of their Land. It is not without reason, that great troubles and afflictions are so expressed, thou hid thy face. As David said, thou hidst thy face [Page 316] and I was troubled; importing as much, as it [...] not trouble that doth trouble, but Gods hideing of his Face that maketh trouble troubl [...] It is in so far trouble, as it is a sign of his displeasure, and as the frowns of his Countenance are upon it. Therefore, the Sain [...] aggravating their Affliction say, thou hide [...] thy face. You know the face is the plac [...] wherinto either kindness, or unkindness ap­peareth. The Lords Countenance, or Face is a refreshful sweet manifestation of himself to a Soul; It is the Lord using familiari­ty with a spirit, and this made David more glad nor Corn and Wine. Now the hide­ing of the Face, the withdrawing of his Countenance is, when the Lord in his Dis­pensation and dealing doth withhold the ma­nifestation of himself, either in life or conso­lation: When he covereth himself with Clouds round about, that neither can a soul see in to the backside of it, into his own warm heart, nor can the Sun-beames shine thorow, to quicken and refresh the soul. The Lord draweth over his Face, a Vail of a crossing dispensation or such like.

There is a desertion of the soul in the point of life and spiritual action, and there is a de­sertion in regard of consolation. The varie­ties of the Lords desertions run upon these two. As a Christians life is action or con­solation, and the Lords influence is either quickening or comforting, so his withdraw­ing is either a prejudice to the one or the o­ther. Sometimes he goeth mourning all the [Page 317] day, nay, but he is sick of love: Sometime he is a bottle dryed in the smoak, and his moi­sture dried up. The Christians consolation may be substracted, and his life abide, but he cannot have spiritual consolation, if he be not lively. This life is more substantial, comfort is more refreshful; life is more solid, comfort sweet, that is true growing [...]olid meat, [...]his but sawce to eat it with.

The hiding here meant is certainly a spiri­tual punishment. The Lord denying unto this people grace to understand the voice of the rod, he appearing as a party against them, leaving them to their own carnal and lazie temper, and thus they lay still under Gods displeasure. Now there is nothing like this, first, because it is a spiritual punishment, and estates are not to be valued and laid in the bal­lance with the soul. Albeit men are become so brutish as to abase their souls, and prosti­tute them to any thing, yet all a man hath, is not considerable to it. Secondly, It is a more excellent thing is removed by it, In his favour is life: all felicity and happiness is in Gods countenance. If a man have not this, what hath he else? Losses are according as the thing is. Nay, but here is more, My Lord is taken from me, my God hath forgotten me. And indeed, if mans true happiness be in com­munion with God, certainly, any interrup­tion coming in must be sad, and make a man more miserable then the world knoweth. There is a greater emphasis in that word. Thou hast bid thy face, then if he had said, All the [Page 318] world hideth their face and maketh a scorn o [...] us:

Therefore first, know, what is the wors [...] thing of the times. Many of you think sword and pestilence, and the burdens of the time, the worst things, and if you were now to complain, the saddest complaint would be, Affliction is laid on our loins. But know this, if your Cities were desolate, if your Land were made a wilderness, and we cap­tives in another Land, there is yet a worse thing then all these, and think you not this strange? Nay, I say, there is something worse already in us, that we know not of, and it is this, Make the hearts of this people hard, A spirit of slumber and deadness from the Lord upon the Land: There are multitudes he will never shew his face unto; it is still vailed from them, and they know him not. Ye that think all were well, if ye had peace and prosperity, and know no hiding of Gods countenance, no anger but when he striketh, certainly you know not what his countenance is, by all these things men neither know love nor hatred. Secondly, Whatever calamity come upon you outwardly, depre­cat most spiritual plagues, and Gods desert­ing. If you have Gods countenance, it may make you glad in much sadness. You would be most careful lest any partition-wall come in, lest his countenance change on you, if you grieve his spirit and break his heart. Seek to have his face to shine, and this shall be a Sun with healing under his wings. O but Christs

countenance is comely, when it is seen with­out clouds; but ofte [...] it is overclouded with much provocation.

Secondly, The Lords hiding of his face hath influence on the temper of spirits, and disposition in duties. The truth is in gene­ral, In him we live, and move, and [...]ave our bee­ing: And more especially, in many things that is spiritual▪ we are of our selves able to do nothing. The creatures holiness, and especially our life, is but as the rayes that the Sun of Righteousness sendeth forth round a­bout him, and if any thing come between, it evanisheth: As the Marigold that openeth it [...] leaves when the Sun riseth, and closeth when it goeth down again, so exactly doth our spiritual constitution follow the motions of his countenance, and depend wholly on them, Thou hides thy face, and they are troubled, Psal. 104. 9. The Lord needeth no more but discountenance us, and we are gone.

Alwayes first, be more dependent creatures; we use to act as from habits within, without any subordination to the Lords grace with­out us, but we find that our sufficiency is not of our self. How often doth your spiritual condition change on you in an hour? You cannot command one thought of God, or act from any habit of grace even then when you can bring forth other gifts in exercise. Ye find that grace findeth more difficulties, moe interruptions, therefore learn to attend the changes and motions of his countenance.

Secondly, When you find your heart dead, [Page] [Page 320] and you concluded under an impossibility of taking hold on God in a lively manner, then I pray you, look unto the Lords suspending of his influence, and let your whole endea­vours be at the Throne of Grace to help it: It will not be vour own provoking of your self to your duty, but you must put your self upon God, that he may cause his face to shine.

Thirdly, Though the Lords hiding his face be often a cause of our deadness, and his desertion maketh all to wither, yet we have often a culpable hand in it: And he hides his [...]ce, being provoked so to do. One thing we may mention; Grieving of the Holy Ghost whereby we are sealed, quenching the motions of the Spirit, maketh the Spirit co­ver his face with a vail, and hide it. There is here ordinarily a reciprocal or mutual in­fluence. Our grieving him, makes him with­draw his countenance, and his withdrawing his countenance, maketh us to wither and grow barren.

Fourthly, The most sure and infallible to­ken of the Lords hiding his face, is security, and a spirit of deadness and laziness; when folk go about duties dreaming, and do all, as it were, thorow their sleep. Therefore we may conclude sad things on this Land, that the Lord hideth his face from us. And there­fore arise and do not settle and quiet your selves in such a condition: The Lord is angry, needeth any more be said? No more needeth to kind children: but the rod must follow this to make anger sensible.