From the Lord.

YE have heard the first part of this doctrine con­cerning (on [...] thing) followeth the second concer­ning the authour of happinesse, God the foun­tain of happi­nesse. and this is the Lord Jehovah. One thing have I sought of the Lord. This is clear, both by the properties of a fountain, and some instances. The properties of the fountain of happines are three: That it be happy it self; that it impart happinesse to other without diminishing it self; and that it preserve that happines it imparteth. These three are proper to God alone, for he is theCant. 5. 4. 16. fountain of the gardens, and well of living waters: [Page 14] Psal. 36. 9. With him is the fountain of life, and in his light we see light: Jam. 1. 17. And he is the father of lights, from whom every good gift and donation cometh down. 1 A commu­nicating good. Next, though he impart happines to all,2 Not decay­ing. yet his fulnesse is never diminished. Though all the vessels of the world were set at the sea shore and filled, the sea would not be known to be lesse. If this be in the creature, how much more in the Creatour? And therefore the apostle crieth out,Rom. 11. 33. O the deepnesse of the riches. It is a deep richnesse that cannot be sounded, and a rich deepnesse that can neither be lessened nor exhausted. All the happines of men and angels do not impare it, but it abideth ever the same fulnes. Before it imparted it self it was full, and by that imparting it hath a greater manifestation without either diminishing or augmenting.

Thirdly,3 Preserving what he giveth. he preserveth the happines that he giveth, for none can Joh. 10. 28. pull his sheep out of his hand: Joh. 6. 37. and all that the Father giveth me, saith Christ, they come to me; and these that come to me, I cast not away, but shall present them at the last day. In Adam we were bles­sed, but left to our own free-will, and that free-will overthrew us: we were like a fair lock without the backsprint, and therefore Sathan like a jugler shot the lock with the first temptation. But now renewed in Christ, our will hath the backsprint of a confirming grace.Jer. 32. 40. I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

Three instances prove the same: The first is from reasonlesse creatures,Three instan­ces. the lion roareth for meat, the dog howleth, the ox loweth for fodder, &c. these creatures have no sense of God, but of their own ne­cessitie, and nature directeth them that way to im­plore [Page 15] the authour of nature for help.Psa. 145. 15 The eyes of all things wait on thee. The second is in children, who being either afraid suddenly or provoked, cry on God. Though then they be neither sensible of the work of reason nor of grace, yet God giveth them these beginnings of amore resolute seeking to him, while they call to him as the fountain of their safety. The third instance is of men come to age, and these either hypocrites or atheists, for I need not speak of the godly who openly professe him the fountain of their happines. The fashioned prayers of the hypocrite, though they be without his heart, proves God to be this fountain: and the forced prayers of the atheist in his necessitie, telleth likewise that he is the fountain of happines.

From this ground we have first some errours to re­fute, and then our dutie to learn. The errours about the fountain of happines are dangerous.

First,Pagans sought happines of themselves. the Pagans made themselves the authours of it in thinking they had a sufficiencie by nature to de­serve and work their own happinesse. They knew not that man was made good in Adam, that he fell, and is now corrupt, and hath need of regeneration: But they thought he was never better than he is now, and that he may be better by the right use of his natu­rall sufficiencie. This was Sathans craft, for he knew that man had a naturall notion of happines, and a care to finde it, therefore he set both these wrong, and made man think he needed not go out of himself for happines. This was not in the grosser sort only, who placed happines in pleasure and bodily things, but even in these Philosophers who placed it in the gifts of the minde and vertuous actions, they were [Page 16] puffed up with pride of their own strength both to work these actions, and to ingage their gods to give them happines, as the just fruit and consequent of their vertue: So they ascribed not things to their au­thour, but to nature, Non authori attribuebant, sed naturae, autsuae industriae. Ber. Cant. 6. & 22. or their own industrie and ver­tue. And yet in vain they either disputed or con­ceited of vertues which they had not without him: So they could finde no true happinesse, because they sought their own happinesse, and they had no true ver­tues who had not the Lord of vertues.

They con­temned their gods. But Sathan led them on farther to contemne their gods in the matter of happinesse: Non invene­runt felicita­tem veram, quia suam vo­luerunt felici­tatem. Aug. epist. 48. for they sought it not from any of them; and it was long ere felici­tie was made a goddesse, and being made, the Ro­manes assigned her a place without the ports. If they had worshipped her according to her name, they might have neglected all other gods beside her. It is a wonder how godlesse they were about the multi­tude of their gods; for they imployed their select gods in base offices, for begetting, bringing forth, and nourishing of children, for their food and trifling bu­sines, whereas they neglected Mens (of whom they held the soundnes and goodnes of their minde) in re­spect of Venus, Ceres and Bacohus; in all which they testified they were more brutish than reasonable. And lastly to tell the conceit they had of their own felicitie, they gave to their greatest gods (Jupiter and Juno) their names from helping only, as though they had power to do their own turn, and lacked nothing but some small and accessorie help of the gods. They took the greatest part of the work to them­selves, and the greatest praise, and so made them­selves their own gods, and gave no other respect to [Page 17] the gods but of servants without any relation to hap­pines. They sought trifles from their greatest gods, and greatest things from their triviall and basest gods, but sought happinesse from none of them.

The same errour Sathan brought in the church by Pelagius, he is the father of that spirituall pride,Pelagius the father of that pride. that naturall man is able to purchase happines, and need­eth not grace for efficacie, but for facilitie of work­ing. And that he is so sufficiently disposed to receive grace, that he needeth no more but a generall offer. After that Sathan for three ages had laboured to make the Godhead contemptible by innumerable er­rours he turned him to exalt and deifie humane na­ture by Pelagianisme, and put such a trick upon the church, that he turned mans free-will in a seat of war against the grace of Christ, and theRadix pec­cati libertas. Basil, 128. root of all our miserie in the root of merit, and the cause of our first and perpetuall falling in the cause of happinesse. He was craftie in his choice, for it is the strongest power of the soul, and hath a naturall indifferencie to di­verse things, and a libertie in working, and therefore the most fit power either to present as a counterfeit of grace, or to imploy as opposite to grace.

The papists have followed both:Popish pride. They are busie with many gods, and though they seem to imploy them about happines, yet they take more of the work to themselves, and do share salvation with God, as to make him only a common helper, turning our Ie­hovah in the Pagan Iupiter. Non intelli­git divina be­neficia qui se tantummodo [...] Deo juvari putat Lactant. 1. 11. This was justly taxed of one who said that this name of helper did not expresse a divine power, but an humane, and that Iupiter and Iuno had their name from helping, which do not agree to God, because it is mans work to help:—And again, [Page 18] he understandeth not divine blessings, who thinketh that he is only helped of God.

It is more dangerousPericulosius erratur de Deo quàm homini­bus. Aug. Lib. Arb. 3. 21. to erre about God than a­bout man, but they erre about both, for they make God but a cypher by their morall swasion, only offer­ing grace, and not conferring it, and ascribe to him but a help without a principall and effectuall work­ing. But they make their own will mistresse of her actions, and not subordinate to the will of God, nor taking influxe nor determination from grace, but de­termining it self as a naturall principle which they have of Adam: And whereas sometime they were content to call the will a power partly passive, part­ly active, now since they are Jesuited they will have it with Pelagius a meere active power as another principle, beside God which properly is a pure act. Herein they usurpe upon the grace of God, even as the Pope did upon principalitie; for as he (void of civil power in himself) begged some of it from Prin­ces, and in end overthrew them: So they who craved at the beginning some power to free-will, make it now an usurper against grace. They are ingrate to grace, giving it no thanks for its work, and exalt their own nature as sufficient of it self without grace to salvation; They take the glory of the work to themselves, and are not content with the glory that God worketh. They make him only a witnesse to their work, and ingage him to recompense their pride with salvation, which deserveth to be con­demned. This of old was justly called anEst av [...]rsio à Deo, cùmille, cui bonum est Deus, vult ip­se sibi bonum. esse. Aug. Lib. 3. [...]4, 25. aversion from God, when he, to whom God is happinesse, will be his own happinesse, as he is his own God. But man is better, when he forgetteth himself for the love of the un­changeable [Page 19] God, or when he altogether contemneth himself in comparison of God. But if he please him­self to the perverse imitation of God while he will enjoy his own power, then he is so much the lesse as he desires to be great. For while the will turneth from the common good to the particular, it is sepa­rate from it, when it will be of its own power.

This is pride, the beginning of all sin,Aug. Lib. Arb. 2. 19. Happinesse is Gods gift. and the begin­ning of mans pride is to fall from God. For malitious envie, joyned to Sathans pride, made him to intise and perswade man to that same pride, whereby he found himself damned. He would be equall with God, and free from his dominion. This is the mother of the Frank-arbitrians pride. I touch this not for any de­light in controversies, but to shew that their question of free-will is of no lesse moment that Whether God in Christ, or we be the causes of our happinesse; or whe­ther we are saved by the good will of God or our own free-will. Therefore God in wisedome made Luther to clear these two joyntly. Our happinesse in the grace of Christ, and our miserie in our naturall will, which justly according to scripture and pure anti­quitie he called it slavish-will, and affirmed that the proud exalting of nature by her patrons, was the cutting of the throat of grace. If in a Qui puer [...]li animositate gratis servari nolunt, meritò non servantur. Bernard. The multitude uncertain in their search. childish pride we will not be freely saved, justly we are not saved at all. The dissembling of our miserie is the excluding of Gods mercy.

Another errour about the fountain of happinesse is in the multitude: They seek it by ghesse, Psal. 4. 6. Who will let us see good? All is here uncertain, an unknown happines, wished with a wandring desire from an un­known authour. If Sathan came in their way who of­fered [Page 20] all the kingdomes of the earth to Christ, they would soon agree with him: And some go so far on as to covenant with him expresly for to satisfie their wicked desires of riches, honour, revenge, pleasure, &c. They are the shame of men and Sathans mocking­stocks, who first inflaming them with excessive de­sire, blindeth them both with imaginary satisfaction, and the price of it: they value a shadow at no lesse price than the losse of soul and body eternally. There be also many who seek happinesse of him, though not in so expresse a bargain, they care not to loose their credit, honestie, and conscience to come to their desire, and to oppresse or deceive their neigh­bour to make themselves great. They bargain with Satan as well as the other, and there is no difference between them, but that the first expresly covenanteth with him, and the second serveth him without a cove­nant. Both seek happines by the meanes of sin, & shall have the same punishment in hell, except they repent.

Others again as the Mathematicians, make the fountain of their happinesse neither God nor their own will, Mathemacians are fatuous. but a fatall necessitie, which they fetch from the stars: They deny Mathematici providentiam tollunt. Naz. Monod. 772. Aug. Psal. 51. providence, they are de­ceived, and deceive others, and speak many lies against God: They say (Not unlike to our Libertines who lay all their sins on God) that mans own will committeth not murther, but Mars; and that mans will committeth not adulterie, but Venus. This is to turn men Atheists to­wards God, and brutish towards themselves, that they shall neither thank God for blessings, nor blame themselves for sin, and so to turn themselves from God and themselves and from religion the bond betwixt both.

[Page 21] Followeth our dutie to hold God for the only foun­tain of our happinesse: God the foun­tain of happi­nesse. We got it first of him in crea­tion, and cannot finde it of another, though we lost it in our fall, yet it ever abideth in him, and is reco­verable when we return. We have right to it by our election, it is offered to us in the promise, and confer­red upon us in our conversion, and shall be perfected in glory. Let us therefore Revertamur­ne evertamur. Aug. Conf. 4. 16. return, lest we be over­turned. In our creation our soul was set towards God alone, and by our fall we turn back on him: it is now only the right set of our soul to look to him again for happinesse: This should not be by occa­sion only, but we should adhere to him continually and dwell at this fountain: Peter said, Whither shall we John 6. 68. go? Thou hast the words of eternall life: and it was Maries praise that as she choosed thisLuke 10. 42. one necessary thing, so she set her self down at the feet of Christ where she might finde it: The happie man is as the tree that groweth by the rivers of waters. Psalme 1. 3. When frost hath bound up the face of the flouds, birds and beasts do haunt living springs, so should all that care for true happinesse dwell continually at this fountain of living waters.

God is not a sealed up fountain reserving his good­nesse to himself, but runneth over continually:He communi­cateth it freely to us. He was ever happinesse it self, and yet by creation would bo [...]h reveal and communicate that happinesse to us: And though we lost it, yet still he runneth over more abundantly to us in Christ, and a part of this over­running is his grace, making us to seek happines: We have a confused notion of it by nature, but he clear­eth it by his word and spirit, and it is the work of his speciall grace, that maketh us both seek and finde it [Page 22] in him alone.Admonitio ab ipso fonte emanat. Aug. Vit. Beat The instruction wherewith he dealeth with us to seek God, floweth from the fountain it self. But this is an unspeakable goodnes, that rather than we receive not grace, he will send his own Son in our nature, and turn that our nature, which he assumed to a personall union with the word, in a conduit to convey grace unto us: The humane nature of Christ is as a chanell between this fountain and the faithfull for the influence of grace. It is sayd to the Godhead by a personall union, & to the heart of every beleever by a spiritual union. God and we were more distant than heaven and hell: and how should that fountain communicate its goodnes to us, but by that chanell of our own nature? in Christ we receive it both kind­ly and largely: He is the fountain of grace, as God one with his Father: he hath deserved it by his obe­dience, and dispenseth it to us asEst Deus quò itur, est ho­mo quà itur. Au. Civ. 11. 1. Gen. 29. 2, 20. God-man. So we re­ceive grace by a kindly convoy. This is better than Labans Well, for none could drink of that till the stone was rolled off. But this fountain is alway open to the house of David: Zach. 13. 1. And the first shot of these over­running waters roll this stone of hardnes from our heart, when his grace softneth our heart to receive more grace.John 4. 11. And though Jacobs Wel had water, yet they who came to it had need of a bucket, and coard to draw: but this fountain furnisheth both the bucket of an earnest desire, and the coard of a strong faith: Even he who saith,Psal. 81. 10. Act. 16. 14. Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it, doth open our heart with Lidia's, and maketh us to receive his grace largely.

This is the sweet respect that this fountain of hap­pinesse hath to our miserie, to prevent us with exci­ting grace, to draw us with effectuall grace, and to [Page 23] communicate this happinesse to us, that our miserie may be happie in him. Before we loved Non dilectus fecit nos, &c. Aug. Lib. Arb. 3. 20. him, he made us, when he kythed his love to us, he renewed us, and be­ing beloved of us, he shall perfect us. I close this point with Solomon, O fountain of the gardens, O Well of living waters. Arìse, O north, Cant. 4. 16. and come O south, and blow on my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out: Let my welbeloved come to his garden, and eat his pleasant fruit.

I have sought, that I will inquire.

THe first section of this doctrine hath told us that there is a happines (one thing) The second, that God is the fountain of it.The search of happinesse. Now followeth the third, how to seek it. And this is set down in two words, of Praying and Inquiring; and offereth to us two kinds of seeking: The first is the Inquirie of happinesse a­mong many things: The second is the suiting of it from God by prayer after we have found it.

In this inquirie we shall consider the necessitie, dif­ficulty, and the form. 1▪ The neces­sitie of it. The necessity is great, because it is about this greatest necessar one thing. We have it not by nature, but must get it by grace, so we are not born happy but made happy. We are miserable in our selves, and must be changed by happines, and this change is furthered by inquirie: Our life is short, our death uncertain; and when it approacheth, if it finde us unprovided, our misery shall be three­fold: What then should we do in a short life; Dimittamus haec inania, & conferamus nos ad sola [...] inqui­sitionem veri­tatis. Aug. but cast [Page 24] off vanity, and set us for the search of the truth? Be­sides, it is the main end wherefore we are brought in­to the world, and if a new born childe could speak and were asked, wherefore he is born? He should an­swer: To seek the happines that he lost in Adam. We are not born to buy, and build, and heap riches, and honour together, but to enquire for salvation, as a childe is not formed in the belly to bide there, but to come forth, and to be a perfect man in the free light: It is a great Magnum bo­num est quae­rere summum bonum. Ber. The diffi­cultie. 1. Cor. 2. 9. Colos. 3. 3. Primis pul­chris inhiamus, & amplexa­mur nostra phàntasmata. Aug. ver. Rel. 49. good to seek the chief good.

The difficulty of this inquiry is first from the nature of happinesse: It is hid manna, the eye hath not seen it, nor the eare heard it, &c. And this our life is hid with Christ in God. Next from the multitude of false happinesses that deceive us: For Satan hath filled the way of our inquiry with sundry baits to divert us from the right, that on them we may stick as up­on the chief good, and embrace our own fancies. Thirdly from our own disposition we are all born with a desire of happines, and every life in it own kinde desires to be better. If we ask any man though he were a fool, would you be happy? He would answer I would: For every being is desirous of Ipsa est vi­ta beata quam omnes volunt, & omnino qui nolit eam nemo est. Aug. Conf. 10. 20. goodnesse or well being: The desire of meat, drink, raiment are no more rooted in us than that desire of happines, and these smallest desires serve the greatest: The appetite of the wills sacietie (which the schools call happines) is common, but few know the reason of that saciety, so that many labouring to choose a particular hap­pines which their common appetite desired, have chosen misery for happines: It is as hard to finde out true happines as it is easie to have the common desire of it the one hath need of a supernaturall grace, as the [Page 25] other floweth from a naturall power. Fourthly, the practice of all ages proveth this difficultie: for of the many millions that sought out happines, none did finde it out except those whom God assisted by a speciall grace. The Philosophers travelled painful­ly, but brought out the winde; they were confident that they had found it, and yet found it not: But that confidence was double miserie, both in missing true happines, and then in resting upon their own deceit. They neither agreed with the truth, nor among themselves, nor any one of them with himself. If we look to the universall desire, rising from the com­mon notion, we shal be forced to say, There is a hap­pines: if we look on their diversitie, and contrarie­tie, we shall wonder at Sathans craft, abusing mans wit to erre so fouly about happines. And Solomon himself thought this task both worthy of him, and hard for him to finde out, what was that good or hap­pinesse of the sons of men? Eccles. 2. 3. Wee must think it an hard task, whereon so many Philosophers have lost their labour, their time, and themselves.

The search it self goeth in two: the refusing of ill, and choosing of good.3. The forme of the search. The ill of sin must simply be refused, whether it be originall or actuall, inherent or adherent guiltinesse. It is the cause of our misery, and contrarie to good; it cannot enter in happines, but stayes it in us. Our miserie began at it, and our happines beginneth in turning from it. Adam was tried by the tree of knowledge of good and ill, which told him that so long as hee stood, hee had a known good, and was free from an unknown ill: But when he fell, he [...]o und experimentall knowledge of a lost good and purchased ill: That tree is yet our triall, if [Page 26] we will eschew the ill of sin, and follow the good of happines. There can be no happines in ill, neither can any man desire or love ill as ill, and sathan (whose malice is fed with it) doth not love it as ill, but as a good, as a satisfaction of his malitious will; And those men are most like to him, who seek their happines in ill. They make it their happines when they boast of it, as Lamech of his tyrannie, and Doeg of his ca­lumnies, and politicks, that they can plot mischief, and bring it to passe. Who ever glorieth in sin, pro­fesseth that he counteth it his happines.

It may here be demanded:Afflicton stayeth not happinesse. If affliction can stand with happines? The name of it is miserable to the worldly; but that name hurteth not, where miserie is absent Non obest nomen, cum ab­est miseria. Aug. Mor. Ecc. 27.. I answer, it can: for it is not the ill of sin, or of the fault, but the ill of punishment; and there is more miserie in the least sin than in the greatest crosse:2 Cor. 12. 10. and the Apostle called not himselfe misera­ble for his great affliction, but glorieth in it, I will glorie in my infirmities. But when he found the re­bellion of his will against the law of his spirit,Rom. 7. 24. hee cryes out, Miserable man that I am. Gods love is the ground of our happines,Heb. 12. and affliction can stand well with it, for whom he loveth, he chasteneth. Sin wound­eth the soul and bodie, and wasteth the conscience, but affliction purgeth all, and maketh Gods grace more sharp, and lively. Sin can admit no qualifica­tion, but must either be simply pardoned or punish­ed, but affliction is qualified with grace to the god­ly, and furthereth them to happines; so that the spi­rit pronounceth them happie that are chastened of the Lord: Our happines is in no externall good, but in Gods favour, and the state of our person qualified [Page 27] with his grace and image in us: But affliction, though it spill externall blessings, yet it neither sepa­rateth us from his favour, neither destroyeth his grace, but augmenteth it. It can make us no more miserable, than prosperitie maketh the wicked hap­py. We need not now compare Lazarus in heaven with the rich man in hell:Luke [...] Even in this life, Lazarus in his rags and sores was more happy than the rich man in his costly apparell and daintie fair. Affliction is a medicine, and keepeth grace fresh in us,Pro. 1. 32. while ease and prosperitie slayeth the foolish. It is both the oc­casion, and whetstone of vertue; for God exerciseth them most whom he loveth and imployeth most. The best souldiers are set on hardest service, and none of them going out exponeth it as their Generals base account of them; but rather, that he esteemeth highly of their valour. God keepeth us from more miserie in making us repent former sin, and keeping us from sin that we might commit, than all the ill that affliction bringeth on us. Our daily crosses chase us daily to God who is our happines: and the godly count more of grace than of goods.Job 1. 21. Job, after he had lost all, kept his soul so fixt on God, that he made it manifest that they they were Non illas sibi magnas, sed se illis, sibi autem Deum. Aug. de Mor. Ecc. 23. not given to him, but that he was more than they, and God was more to him than they and himself.

The second respect is to good,Choise of the best good. that we choose it; and that not every good, but the best: for wee are not now inquiring everie good, but the chief. Herein we must climb in two ascensions, the one in our self, the other in goods. For our self, we must not bide in our bodily senses, which are evill Judges of happi­nes: but we must ascend from our body to our spirit, [Page 28] from our affections and will to our reason, and from that to the eternall law the rule of reason, and from that to eternall veritie the informer of reason in that law: So we must rise to the inlightned minde in Jesus Christ, that we may be inabled to make this search aright.

Next we must ascend by the degrees of goodnesse in the things themselves;And that by degrees. for every creature of God is good, but not the chief good: Though we may re­spect it as good in the own kinde and degree, yet we may not rest on it for happinesse. As a man that seeketh a lost jewell in a house, casteth by all that cometh to hand till he finde it: Or as one in a well furnished shop seeking rare stuffe, though the mer­chant put many in his hand after other, yet he layeth them all by, till he finde that he desires: So in this search of happinesse, what ever good come in our way, we must shift it till we come to the chief good. If we ascend to the height of a minde inlightned by God, nothing will content us till we come to himself: As his own light discovereth him, so his own love shed abroad in our heart cannot rest on any good till it come to him. The dove sent out by Noah Genes. 8. 9. found no rest till she returned to the ark, so the inquiring minde findeth no rest in the creature till it come to God in the covenant of grace. Spirituall things are better then temporall, and heavenly things better then earth­ly, and in spirituall things we must ascend from gifts to grace, and in grace from a common to a speciall grace, and in the speciall grace from a preveening to an exciting grace, from that to the operating and co­operating graces, and from those to preserving and persevering grace. From given grace, we ascend to [Page 29] giving grace, that maketh us acceptable: And from all graces inhering in us, and qualifying us, as faith, hope, holinesse, &c. we rise to the fountain-grace in God, even his free favour, whereby he hathEphes. 1. 3, 8. & ver. 2. 8. chosen and blessed us in spirituall things in Christ: This is the grace whereby we are saved, our chief good and true happinesse. The Prophet professeth this his search through heaven and earth, ending in this choice of God alone.Psal. 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee, and in the earth I have desired none with thee? And the A­postle,Philip. 3. 8, 9. I count all things but dung for the excellencie of the knowledge of Christ, and that I may know him, and be found in him. This is our highest ascent.

Reason it self craveth this,God is the best good. for we ought to seek the best good; and if these things be good, God is bet­ter who made them: They have their goodnesse of him, which is infinitely lesse then his goodnesse, as a drop of water compared to the sea: They are both better and greater in him then in themselves, and more truly also, as the originall is better then the ex­tract. All goodnesse is both originally and eminent­ly in him, and more perfect then in creatures, because what is in them a shadow, in him is truth: If we love riches, true riches is in his favour; If we love honour, true honour is in his testimonie; If we love true plea­sure, it is in his peace. The authour of things is better then the things themselves, and he who made all, is to us for all things: He who made all is better then all, and that is our God, he departeth not because none suc­ceedeth to him Sed longe his melior qui secit omnia, & non discedit quia ei non succedi­tur. Aug. Con­fess. 4. 11..

This is the right sett of our two chief affections,Hatred and love well se [...]. hatred and love: Of hatred, that we hate all ill abso­lutely. There are degrees of ill, some lesse and some [Page 30] greater, and answerably we should hate them all, but we may not love any degree of ill: this is our separa­tion from it; for though it subsist in our substance & flesh, yet if it be not in our affection, but we abhor it, then God will assist us against it. It may lessen the degrees of our happinesse, but cannot destroy it: In like manner, there are degrees of good, and we should love every good according to the degree, till we a­scend to the chief good, and love him with all our heart, and all our soul. These affections qualifie our person, for the hatred of ill divideth us from that ill we hate, and the love of good maketh us like that good we love; And our love to the degrees of good, maketh us grow in goodnesse and grace. The wicked keep neither this order nor aseending: They pervert all, and chuse for their happinesse a lesser good then they refuse, as worldly goods in place of heavenly. That is both a transposing of their heart and a des­cending, and so they prove the sons of Belial, accor­ding to the Hebrew, because they neither ascend in the Lords mountaine, but are unthrifts; neither take on them the Lords yoak, and it is their naughtinesse or knaverie, according to the Latines, that they turn themselves to nothing; for knaverie is the death of the life, so called because it turneth to nothing Mors vitae nequitia est, quia ab eo quod necquicquam est dicitur. Aug. ver. Rel. Their degrees must be keept..

But we must further distinguish these affections, for though we should hate all sinfull ill, yet we may not hate any good: We may wisely neglect lesser goods for the chief, but not hate them: Though we count lesse of a lesser good then of a greater, and compara­tively neglect all in respect of God, yet we should abhor none.Quicquid vituperatur in melioris com­paratione re­spuitur. Ibid. ver. Rel. 41. What ever is neglected is in comparison of a better. It is not only sin to turn from good to ill, [Page 31] but even among goods to decline from eternall to temporall things, from visible to invisible, from the creatour to the creature, yeaEst igitur quoddam bo­num quod si di­ligat anima peccat quia in­fra cam ordi­nat [...]m est. Ibid. 29. and to love any good too much that is lesse then our selves, because it is orde­red under us. And that due love we give them is not to hold us on them, but to send us away to the chief good; for if these small goods be love-worthy, with what a love should we adhere to the fountain-good?

The most part of men run on riches, The worlds choice. honour, fame, power, and pleasure Thom. 1. 2 ae. and yet true happinesse is not in any of them, nor in all together.1. Happinesse is not in riches, Riches, whether naturall, in food and raiment; or artificiall, in money, are but earth in their substance, and worthlesse in themselves: Though the wretch count greatly of them, they are only for use wherein they perish.2. Not in honour, Ho­nour is not happinesse (though the ambitious man count it so) but a consequent of it, neither hath it true worth, but is a signe of it, and that discerned and proclaimed by the multitude a blinde judge of wor­thinesse: And though the supposed worth be in him that is honoured, yet the offered honour is more in the honourer; and at the best it is but a vanishing smoak. Fame, is happinesse to the vain-glorious man,3. Nor i [...] fame, but at the best it is a fruit, and not a cause there­of: It is oftner false then true, and can proclaim lowd where no happinesse is: Sathan useth it as a misera­ble subsidie to the dead, whom he hath killed with the hunger of vain-glorie, and as a bait to their con­sorts to devoure that same angle.4. Nor in power, Power seemeth happinesse to the stirring man, that he may perform his own purposes, and oppresse his enemies; but it is rather an instrument then happinesse, and more hurtfull to the abuser then to others; and the abufe [Page 32] of it maketh more miserable, then the possession of it can blesse.

As for pleasure, 5. Nor in plea­sure. the happinesse of beasts, it is to be left to Epicures; for though some of them pretended a pleasure of the minde, yet when all is searched, that is but a pretence to colour their beastly opinion of bodily pleasure. They strove to purifie it with ab­stract explications, but their life refuted their dis­course, and their grosse practice overthrew their subtill disputes.Est hominis optimum quod animam opti­mam facit. Aug. de Mor. Ecc. cap. 6. Pleasure is the bodies happines, but not the souls; and if we speak properly, the soul is rather the best thing of the body, then any bodily thing.

Moreover all these idols of the world are cut off from happinesse, because they are common as well to the wicked as to the godly, which cannot fall in true happinesse, the patrimonie of the saints. Next, happinesse bringeth contentment; but the more we have of these the more we thirst. Thirdly, true hap­pinesse is not in externall things; but all these are ex­ternall.

The cause why so many seek these things for hap­pinesse is,The worlds errour. they love them better then God, and from their own fancie do conceit a worth which is not in them, and alleadge a promise on them which they make not. It is truly said that they who love, fain dreams to themselves; The wretch thinketh that riches cry on him, saying, Come to me, I shall make thee happy: The ambitious man thinketh honour cryes so to him, so the epicure dreameth of pleasure, &c. But falshood riseth not of the things themselves, but of our own deceiving and deceived hearts Falsitas ori­tur non ex rebus ipsis fallenti­bus. Aug. ver. Rel. 36.. These things neither promise happinesse, neither can per­forme; [Page 33] the errour of their fansie turned into a strong desire, maketh them father such promises on these things: even as fools and babes do imagine, that rin­ging bels do speak the thing that they think. And it is our reproch that we beleeve things that neither promise nor can perform, and hazzard our eternall happinesse on that credulitie: But when God pro­miseth who is both truth and omnipotencie, wee meet his word with infidelitie: If these things could speake, they would chide their lovers as the angels did the woman seeking Christ in the grave, Why seek yee the living among the dead? Why seek ye happinesse in us who have it not, but are worse then your selves?

Some again who seem more perfect,Happinesse is not in the gifts of the minde. seek happi­nesse in the gifts of the minde, as learning, vertue, wisedome, &c. These are better than the former, and yet come not to true happinsse; for these gifts are common, and many wicked men have excelled in them, and yet perished. They are as the light to the eye without seeing, a furnishing to seek it without fruit: The Philosophers who excelled most in these things were most miserable: The fleshly villanies of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle equalled and exceeded their morall vertues. Solomon found not happinesse in these morall vertues, but in the fear and obedience of God.

All these erred foully in their search,The godly surpasse the world. yet not alike. The world is as a great mans house, to whom many resort: Some stay in the lower roomes with their companions; but some go to the hall, and yet stand there gazing on pictures, or rich hangings, but the wiser sort passe all these, and stay not till they finde him in his cabinet. So all men are busie for happi­nesse, [Page 34] but the most part remain below on riches and pleasure: Other that seem of greater spirits, climb up to honour, and are bewitched with the painted hang­ings of worldly glorie, or adore the gifts of their own minde: But the godly pittie these men in their errours, who are intised with such trifles. They know that they are not called to a worldly felicitie, but to a heavenly; they passe from one good to an­other, and urge pensively their inquirie, till they come to God himself. So the church in her search could not stay, till she found him whom her soul loved. God is above all, whom if we follow we learn well; if we apprehend, we learn both well and blessedly: his follow­ing is our appetite of happinesse, his apprehending is happinesse it self Aug. Mor. Eccl. 6. & 11. It is to be sought in God alone..

Let us therefore in this inquirie lift our mindes above all things, visible or created, and seek true happinesse in God alone; for none can make man blessed, but God that made man: Non facit ho­minem [...]eatum, nisi qui fecit hominem Deus. Aug. Epist. 52. Seek the thing that you seek, sayeth one, but not where you seek it. You seek a blessed life in the region of death, it is not there. For how can there be a blessed life, where there is no life? And we may say: Woe to that bold soul, which hopeth, if it depart from God, that it can finde any thing better than God. For the soul goes into fornication when it de­parteth from, and seeketh not out of him these things pure and clean, which it will never finde till it returne unto himQuomodo enim beata vi­ta ubi nec vi­ta? Aug. Con­fess. 4. 11. Ibid. 6. 16. Ibid. 2. 6. Id. Psal. 62. Id. de Mor. Ecc. 6. & 11..

The choice it self.

WE have heard of the search of happinesse,The choice it self. fol­loweth the choice it self: I know school-divi­nitie [Page 35] speaketh otherwise, and thinketh (some of them at least) with the Philosopher, that election is not of the end, but of the midst to it: But I am content to speak rather with Christ, than the Philosopher, who commended Marie for chusing that one thing that was necessarie: and Divines speak roundly, What shall we chuse to love but that, than which we finde nothing bet­ter Quid autem eligamus, quod diligamus nist quo melius nihil inveni­mus? Aug. Epist. 52.. There is formally a choice of the end. This choice is the act of the will, and goeth in foure spe­ciall works, Inclination, Apprehension, Retention, and Rest.

Inclination, [...] By inclina­tion. when the will inclineth and applieth it self to the sought and found happinesse. Es. 26. 8. The desire of our heart is unto the [...]. We have naturally a desire of happinesse; but when the truth hath particularly re­vealed it, then we desire it more firmely. And this hath not only the last judgement of the practicall un­derstanding (as some speak,) but more, the finger of Gods spirit bowing the will to it; for many in their reason do apprehend things to be good, and yet their will followeth not. The Creator of the will doeth bow it to good, else that pointing of the minde were not sufficient: All the time of our search the will stood in suspense, but now being informed by the minde of the nature of happinesse, and bowed by the spirit, it inclineth to it willingly: Our first sin began at a declining from God, and our first good disposi­tion beginneth at the inclining of our will to him againe.

2. Apprehension is,2. Apprehen­sion. when the will embraceth that greatest good with greatest power.Cant. 3. 4. I layed hold on him, whom my soul loved: In griping other goods, it abideth in it self, and gripeth them slenderly, as [Page 36] inferiour goods, but it goeth out of it self gladly to this chief good, and quitting that proud title of mi­stresse of her own actions, is glad to go out of her self, and to be taken up in that chief good. For the pure and perfect soul, subjecteth it self unto happinesse Summo bono anima pura & persecta sub­jungitur. Aug. Mor. cap. 1..

3.By retention. Tene tenentem. Bernard. Retention is our firme keeping of happinesse. Cant. 3. 4. I would not let him go, till I brought him in the house of my mother. This keeping is his keeping of us; for as inclination is by his power, our apprehension by his griping of us, so this retention is by his holding of us:Rom. 11. 18. The stock beareth us, and not we the stock.

4. A sweet rest on this good followeth,A Rest. which is the sweeter, the greater our search hath been: As Scripture hath some mysteries, otherwise men would neither seriously search, nor sweetly finde out the truth: Aug. ver. Rel. 17. So in the search of happinesse, the more labour the sweeter rest: If Adam had painfully laboured for his happinesse, he had kept it better than he did: Easie finding, maketh slack keeping, but a painfull con­quest is carefully preserved: It is but the continu­ance of one care, and that with more joy in the pre­servation, than was in the purchase.

This choice is accompanied with a conscience of it self; We are consci­ous of this choice. for our conscience goeth along all this work, and maketh us conscious, both of our seeking and finding: God hath joyned it to the reasonable soul, as a witnesse of all actions, yea even of the least mo­tion of our affections:1. Joh. 2. 3. We both know that they are, and we know that we know: The conscience making us sensible of the own consciousnesse: So that it is a comfortlesse religion, that involveth men in the con­fusions of an implicite faith towards God, and hol­deth them in senselesnesse of their own estate, as not [Page 37] being conscious of that they do. They destroy the image of the Trinity in us, which is knowen by con­science:Aug. Civ. 11. 27. Our being; to know that our being; and to love both: Our being in him hath no death, our knowledge hath no ignorance, and our love no of­fence; but they confound all. He is senselesse, who feeleth not the work of his own affections, when he hateth, or feareth, or rejoyceth; so here if we love God, we need no more doubt that we are beloved of him, than that we love him. By this I know that it is true that is said Per hanc in­telligo vera que dicta sunt & haec me in­telligere per hanc rursus in­telligo. Aug. ver. Rel. 49.. And again, I know that I know these things: and when I love God, I can no more doubt that I am beloved than that I love Ego verò amans amari me dubitare non possum non plus quam amare. Ber­nard. Cant. 84. Solomons experience..

But the experience of the Saints, will clear this practick point of the search, and finding of happi­nesse: And first in Solomon: He wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, than which the world hath nothing more perfect of this purpose Vnus Eccle­siastes copiosis­simè mundana in contemptum adducit. Aug. Mor. 21. Eccles. 2. 3.: Therein he expresseth his consultations ending in just sentences: His coun­sell-house for this inquirie was his heart, I said in my heart: where gathering all his thoughts in the pre­sence of God, he pondered things deeply. Next he proponeth the purpose for consultation, that he might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do uuder the heaven all the dayes of their life. Thereafter he bringeth in all these common places of worldly happinesse, as riches, honours, wise­dome, possessions, &c. and sentenceth every one of them: This also is vanitie and vexation of spirit. Moreover in the beginning of the sixt Chapter he gathereth Paradoxes, adjudging rather happinesse to the contrary of these things, than to themselves.Eccles. 6. 4. & 10. That it is better to be in the house of mourning, than [Page 38] of laughing. That the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. And in the end he closeth with the sum of all,Eccl. 12. 13. that to fear God and keep his commandments, is the duty of man: If we look to the beginning of his discourse,Eccles. 1. Vanitie of vanities, all is vanitie, it is like a program affixed on the entrie of a citie, to tell that all things in the world are but vanitie: vanitie in their being, because they are but shadowes of true goods; vanitie in their work, because they work not that good we expect; and vanitie in their durance, be­cause they perish in using: The first is a vacuitie; the second is a weaknesse; and the third an evanishing. And his conclusion is to set us upon that chief good, to wit God, and his worship.

The second practice is in the Apostle,S. Pauls expe­rience. who had many priviledges; he was a JewAct. 22., brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, profited greatly in learning, and so zealous of the law, that heAct. 9. 2. sought commissions to persecute the Gospell: But when he compareth all these things with the excellent knowledge of Christ, he counteth them butPhilip. 3. 8. losse and doung, and setteth down his choice of true happinesse in termes, that after long inquirie,1. Cor. 2. 2. he had judged and decreed to know nothing but Christ and him crucified.

Two errours in the inquirie of happinesse are here to be condemned:Not to search is brutish. The first seeketh not at all; they think happinesse is easily found, and will fall to them as rype fruit: And because they look easily up to heaven, they think it as easie to go up thither; But they should remember, that though naturally the way be broader, because it is from the center to the circle, yet spiritually it is straiter, because God is our center, and we upon the earth are in the circum­ference; [Page 39] They are as grosse as beasts, who have nei­ther foresight, consultation, nor election, and are car­ried only with the sway of appetite, which is not much different from the weight of a stone: These men say in their heart,Psal. 14. 1. that there is not a God; and though the common notions of nature tell them there is one,Rom. 1. 18. they hold that righteousnesse of God in unrighteousnesse; but in the matter of happinesse, though they have a naturall appetite of it, yet they take no paines to seek it out. Herein they carrie their conviction in their bosome: for in all other matters they use consultation, as in contracts of marriage, plees for their inheritance: But in the matter of hap­pinesse, how few dare say, that in all their life time they have taken one houre to advise ripely, how to come to it? We have all time and leisure enough for other matters, but little or none for happinesse. I know that every one cannot make that painfull inquirie like Solomon and Paul. God was to imploy them to teach others, and therefore tooke more paines on them; yet every one in some measure should make this search, and bring their souls to this question, How shall I finde and obtain true happinesse? If it be not in a question, it will never come to a consulta­tion, nor a sentence, nor a search.

The second errour is worse in a bad consulting Fleshly searching. TheyEsay 30. 1. take counsell, but not of God, and advising with flesh and bloud, call in three dangerous counsel­lours: Their bodily sense, their predominant lusts, and the custome of the world. Their bodily sense goes no further than things present: Their predominant lusts leadeth them on their own delight. Avarice coun­selleth the greedy man to seek riches: Pride biddeth [Page 40] the ambitious man seek honour, &c. And the cu­stome of the world adviseth them to conforme them to it, lest they incur the anger of the world, and be persecuted for crossing its choice. These are like Rehoboams young Counsellors, brought up with himself: The first is bruitish, and biddeth satis­fie the body: The second is violent, and biddeth please the predominant lusts; The third is politick, to do as others do, and to hazzard on a common er­rour, rather than on an happinesse uncertaine, and unseen to them. But they shall at last seriously (though too late) repent their foolish choice Fatuam ele­ctionem serò, sed seriò do­lent. Basil. 212.: They serve these creatures which they chuse, and lose both their happi­nesse and themselves, whereas by the choice of God, they might both be free, and served of these creatures, which now they make their masters His rebus qui­cunque beatus esse vult ser­viat necesse est, velit nolit. Aug. ver. Rel. 38. God directeth us in this search. 1 By his word,.

But God saveth his own from these errours, and leadeth them in a wise search and chusing, by his word, his example, and work. By his word, general­ly bidding us,Coloss. 3. 1. Seek the things above, and not the things beneath, Joh. 2. 15. and forbidding us to love the world and the things of it: And specially,Matth. 6. 19. forbidding the rich to lay up their treasures in earth, but in heaven: He sayeth to the leacherous,Galat. 6. 8. He that soweth to the flesh, shall reape of the flesh: He sayeth to the proud,Luk. 18. 14. That he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted: He sayeth to the revengefull man,Matth. 5. 39. & 44. Aug. ver. Rel. 3. If any smite thee on the one cheek, hold up the other also: And to the con­tentious, love your enemies. We must not looke what man sayeth, or what our owne fleshly minde sug­gesteth, but what his oracles sayeth, And subject our weak reasons to his divine speeches Nostrasque ratiunculas di­vinis subjicia­mus affatibus. Aug. Tom. 1. 168. d. By his exam­ple,.

Next by example: Because when Christ took our [Page 41] nature he walked in the best way to happinesse, and that in two: In contemning those things that the world loveth, and induring those things which it fleeth: He saw men love riches, but he chose pover­tie: They thirsted for honour,Joh. 6. 15. but he refused to be a King: They abhorred contempt and contumelies, but he indured them patiently: They counted inju­ries intolerable, but he was scourged and tormen­ted. There is no greater sin, than to covet those things which he contemned, and to abhor those things which he indured: All his life on earth was a discipline and paterne of Christian manners Omnia que habere cup e­bam us, vilia fe­cit—tota ejus vita disciplina morum fuit. Ver. Rel. 16..

Thirdly by his worke, 3 By his work. and that in Correction and Direction: In Correction, because he maketh us to forsake other small goods, which otherwise wee would keep as happinesse: For when we finde them but weak, and not able to be our constant content­ment; and when in their losse, we finde our comfort in spirituall things, we forsake the weaker, and take us to spirituall graces. In direction, when he leadeth us in this search, and in place of the three bad coun­sellours, the bodily sense, predominant humour, and custome of the world, he giveth us other three, a sanctified minde, a pure conscience, and his word as a threed, to lead us through the labyrinth of the worlds errours: The light of that truth directeth us, and the worke of his spirit guideth us in that dire­ction:Psal. 73. 24. He guideth us by his counsell, that he may bring us to glorie.

But let none think,This search is a work of grace. that this search and choice com­meth of himselfe, as many who turne great blessings into curses, when being made great of God, they use not his gifts as given to glorifie him, but take the glorie [Page 42] of them to themselves: But he that taketh glorie of Gods gift, is a theef and brigand: The Schoole sayes, That to will, to love, &c. are elicite acts of the will, and flow from her inward power: If they mean of morall and naturall things, we dispute not with them, but if of supernaturall and spirituall things, it is a proud peece of divinitie, for Scripture saith,Philip. 3. 13. That God worketh in us, both to will and to do: Magnum do­num quaerere Deum. Bern. Gant. 84. It is a great gift of God to seek God; It is second to no gift, because it is the first; It succeedeth no grace, which hath no precedent, and cedeth to none that hath the perfe­ction of all. Let no soul seeking God turne that great good into a great ill, by ascribing it to it self, but let it know, that it is preveened and sought by him, before it seeke him. The church sought Christ in the night, but was first sought of him: And David confessing hisPs. 119. 176. wandering like a sheep, prayeth to God, seek thy servant. If it had been in his owne power, he needed not to pray for it; he would, but he could not, and that his will was of Gods effectuall grace: There­fore let every soul that seeketh God confesse, that it is sought before it seek, and is beloved before it love him.Non est inve­nire Domino sed praevenire, & inventio­nem praeventio excludit. Bern. fol. 18 1. Col. 3. Our invention then is Gods prevention, and that prevention excludeth invention; Quae sivisti non quaerentes [...]e, & quaesivi­sti ut quaere­rent. Aug. Con­fess. 11. 2. hee sought us who sought him not, that we might seek him: He preveeneth us with two blessings, of Love and Seek­ing; Love, the cause of seeking, and seeking the fruit of his love: And hereof commeth our seeking, be­cause he seeketh and findeth us; If wee were not sought we could not seeke him, and being sought we cannot but seeke him: Neither can we seeke before we be sought:Nec non quae­sita quaerere potes, nec non quaerere quaesi­ta nunc potes. Bernard. fol. 185. 3. 4. Neither can we but seek when God hath sought us. Suasio est quaesitio, & persuasio est inuentio. Ibid. col. 4. Quaeri­mus votis, fide invenimus. Ibid. Gods suasion is his seeking of us, and his per­suasion [Page 43] is his finding. Our desire of him is our seeking of him, and our faith and delight is our finding of him. We seek him by desire, and finde him by faith.

Of all that is spoken of this search,The godly are happie in their search. we gather three things: The happinesse of the godly man in his search; The distinction of mankind; And our duty. The happinesse of the godly, in that they are not left to themselves, but are guided therein by a divine wise­dome and justice: In wisedome, because they passe by all other things, till they come to God: They count of other goods as becommeth, but not as the chief good, they are lesser goods, but not prime, they follow happinesse, but lead not to it Subdita de­bent esse non praedita; se­quentia, non du­centia. Aug. Epist. 52.:Amant quod sibi eripi no [...] potest. Aug. ver. Rel. 45. Deum nemo potest eripere. Ibid. 47. They love that, that cannot be taken from them: none can take God from them. Many of the Ancients make these three equi­valent, Wisedome, Veritie, and Happinesse, because it is truth that directeth to happinesse, and wisedome that findeth it out, and this is true wisedome to chuse the best, and the thing that will not be taken from us. It was Maries wisedome, that she chused the thing that would not be taken from her.

Next they are guided by divine Iustice, Their righte­ousnes therein. to give every thing the owne due; To God their greatest love, and to his gifts they measure according to their kinde, and degree of goodnesse: They seek God for their happines, and leave the world unto world­lings:Perfecta est justitia quae po­tius potiora & minus minima diligit. Ibid. 48. That is perfect justice, that loveth best things greatly, and meane things meanly: None have the ballance of the sanctuarie in their heart, but the san­ctified ones; their mindes inlightned of God value things rightly, and their pure affections follow ac­cordingly, and therefore they are only the right esteemers of things; but the worldling is a blinde [Page 44] judge, he neither knowes the excellencie of things spirituall, neither the basenesse of worldly things, but as a sow, embraceth the dongue-hill of wordly contentments, and contemneth the heaven, yea they are the serpents brood, because theyGen. 3. 14. eat the dust of earthly trifles, and are the more sweet morsell to him againe.

Secondly,This choice divideth man­kinde. this distinguisheth mankinde in it selfe. —Mankind hath many divisions, but this is a spe­ciall one from the choice of happinesse, and so goeth in two parts: One thePsal. 24. 6. Generation of those that seeke the Lord, the other of them that seek him not.Psal. 4. 6. Many say who will let us see good things? But Lord lift up above me the light of thy countenance. This is not like Martha and Marie:Aug. de Verb. Dom. serm. 26. 27. These two sisters choice were both good, for Marthaes businesse was commenda­ble, but Maries was better: The one was busie in the workes of Charitie, doing good to the bodie of Christ; the other in the workes of Pietie, about his Godhead:Martha and Marie. The one to feed his body: The other to be fed of his spirit: and yet he counteth more of Marie, who neglected his body, to feed her owne soul, than of Martha, who neglected her owne soul, to feed his bodie: He was fed in spirit by her, whose spirit he did feed: This was a work of the same love, that made him neglect himself to save us; he came to do divine things, and to suffer humane miseries for us, and so to be hungrie and eat: He subjected him­selfe to be a guest in mans houses, who is preparing mansions in heaven for men, and yet in this volunta­ry necessitie, giveth more than he taketh, and is glad­der to feed us,The godly erre sometimes in their choice. than be fed.

Iacob and Esau do more represent these parties, the [Page 45] one in pietie waiting on God, and injoying the bles­sing: The other profanely contemning the blessing, and following his fleshly delights. Sometimes the godly will follow the common errour, and chuse the world, asGen. 13. 11. Lot inticed with the fatnesse of the val­lies, chused to dwell in Sodome; but that folly cost him deare, for beside the societie of Abraham, he lost his wife, and all his goods: There is no other cure of their folly, but the losse of that their choice.

Herein the godly and the wicked,The godly and the wicked have concord and discord. have both a con­cord, and discord in their choices: They agree in the matter, in that they chuse contrary things, the godly chuse God for their happinesse, and the wicked, the trifles of the world: They cannot encroach one on another, for the choice of the one is the refuse of the other, and the refuse of the one, is the choice of the other: And yet they discord, because these contrary courses flow from contrary dispositions, which breaketh out in enmity in the wicked; for though they be content, that the godlies choice leave the trifles of the world to them, yet they are angrie at it, because it proveth them fools, who chuse that which the godly refuse: And Sathan augmenteth this discord, to avenge his double quarrell upon the godly: The one, in disdaining his baits, whereby he allureth the wicked, the other, for loving of God, whom he abhorreth: Yea the wicked mocke the godly as fools, for their refusing of the world, and chusing of God Aug. lib. Arb. 3. 5.. But it is like Ismaels mocking of Isaac, Gen. 21. 9., or ra­ther as foolish children, mocking the prudence of the ancient, which they can neither chuse nor fol­low. But the godly indure that ignorant censure pa­tiently, as wise men do either contemne or neglect [Page 46] the ignorance of babes, or else bear with them, till they come to riper judgement.

This expresseth that which God did by chusing his owne out of the corrupt masse: Eternall sepa­ration, and temporall. Albeit they were borne twins as Jacob and Esau, yet they are divided at their birth, and setting their backs to other, the one runneth to God, the other to the world: The one as right-handed men follow good: The other as left-handed men follow ill: This is that Solomon telleth us,Eccles. 10. 2. That the heart of a wise man is at his right hand, but the heart of a foole is at his left hand, that is, not in situation, but in use: For God hath given our soul many strong and sweet powers toward good, as love, to love it; to desire it; to hope before we get it; and rejoyce, when we have found it: These are as the souls right hand, which in their worke to good, carrieth her self dexterously. But ill is set at our left hand, and God hath armed us against it, with Ha­tred, Feare ere it come, and Sorrow when it is come; which serve to rebate and keep us in separation from it: Therefore when the wicked set their soul for the seeking and embracing of ill, they turne left-handed like the Benjamites, who with their left-handed skill,Judg. 20. 16. were foreward and able to defend a villanie;Psal. 144. 7. Their right hand is a right hand of iniquitie, because they prefer the things that should be postponed, as the right hand is to be preferred to the left Dextra eo­rum dextraini­quitatis, quia haec praeposue­runt, quae [...]ue­rant post ponen­da. Aug. Ep. 52.. But the godly are contrarie, theyPsal. 16. 8. 1 It is a resolu­tion of ele­ction. set God before them, and finde him at their right hand, and all the dexteritie they have is for good.

This furnisheth also to the godly a resolution, for three things: The first, of their election before time: For no soul can chuse God for its portion, but that soul [Page 47] that is chosen of God, and our chusing of him is his work in us, meeting that his eternall election in the own kinde. Next our present estate: 2 Of our pr [...] ­sent state. For if wee love God sincerely, wee may be sure wee are beloved of him, if we seek him: we are first sought of him; if we finde him, we are first found of him in mercie: If we desire him, we are the men of his desire, asDan. 10. 11. Daniel was: If we delight in him, we are the children of his delight, &c. For all these works of the soul neither breed in us, neither begin at us, but he preveeneth us in them all, and worketh that meeting to himselfe. Thirdly,3 Of our fu­ture state. of our estate to come; For if wee be right­handed men in God, in chusing and seeking true hap­pinesse, then at the last day,Mat. 25. 32. he shall set us at his right hand, and keepe us in an eternall separation from the wicked, when he shall say,Ibid. 25. 34. Come ye blessed of my Fa­ther, inherite the kingdome prepared for you Omnes cupi­unt felicitatem, & boni & mali, sed nulli inveniunt nisi boni. Aug. Ep. 121. c. 4. We should seek the Lord.. Now wee are not distinguished in our wishes, but in our courses, for both good and ill desire happinesse, but none obtaine it but the good, and that by a separation from the wicked, before time, in time, and after it.

Lastly our dutie is, to be ofPsal. 24. 6. that generation that seek the Lord. Some are neither sought of him, nor seek him, as they who lie hardened in their sinnes: Others are sought of him, but seeke him not as yet, as the elect in Baptisme whom he inquireth, and acquireth Quae [...]ivit & acquisivit. Bern. sol. 97. in that second generation, though they know it not. But the third sort are best, who are so sought of him, that he maketh them seeke him againe. This is the generation of them that have him, and seeke him, for if they had him not they could not seeke him:Testimonium gustatae gratiae est esuries ve­hemens. Ibid. And a cleare testimonie that we have tasted grace, is this ve­hement hunger of grace. God is most simple, and wee [Page 48] should seeke him in simplicitie. And let us seeke him truly, that hath not another like him, nor another be­side him, nor another above him: If wee seeke himDeuter. 4. 29. with all our heart, wee shall finde him, for he cannot withdraw himselfe from those that love him. Love maketh up all the parts of this inquirie, for he is sought by love, and found and kept by love:Imus ad eum non ambulando, sed amando, non pedibus, sed mo­ribus, amores nostri sunt mo­res nostri. Bernard. We go to him not by walking, but by loving, and we have him so far present as wee love him, wee go to him not on our feet, but on our manners, and our love is our manners.

Happinesse is to be sought by prayer.
Have I desired.

THis is the other part of the seeking: By prayer: The first was a seeking out of the thing it selfe, and now when he findeth it in God, he seeketh it of him by prayer.

In the order it is to be marked,Prayer and practice should be joyned. that seeking of hap­pinesse, and praying for it, are well joyned together: for if they be separate they are unprofitable. Some pray only without labour, as the old Euchites. But they should remember, that God who giveth us a heart, and a tongue to pray, giveth us also hands and feet to worke and walk. This wasNum. 23. 10. Balaams warsh wishing, his desires were so weak, that they pearced not his heart, how could they pearce the heaven? He put not his hand to labour, how should God open his hand to blesse? They had no strength to banish or mitigate his avarice or pride: The fleshly heart cannot conceave the birth of true happinesse, nor admit the love of it, and these weake wishes are more forced on it from outward occassions, than [Page 49] bred in it, at least they are soon strangled by the pre­dominant love of some vanitie.

Others take great paines to finde out happinesse, but pray not to God for it, so the Philosophers thought by their labour, and good use of naturall abili­ties, to attaine it, and would not pray for it Philosophi felicitatem sibi parandam pu­tarunt, non im­petrandam. Aug. Epist. 52.. And in­deed upon their grounds of a self-sufficiencie, they needed not pray to him. Therefore we must joyne them together. Labouring in faith is Gods presence with us as his instruments, working that in us that wee pray for: In prayer, wee crave that he would worke happinesse in us: In labour, we strive that he would worke with us: The successe of our labours dependeth1. Cor. 3. 6. on his blessing, and that blessing is obtai­ned by prayer. This is a compleat seeking of happi­nesse, when both go together: There is no happinesse without fruition, and no fruition without Vnion, and no union without endevouring for obtaining: Di­vine light discovereth it, faith apprehendeth it, and love feeleth it. Therefore we must labour diligently for the increase of discovering light, of apprehen­ding faith, and feeling love, that wee may grow in that fruition, and rejoyce in the conscience of that growth.

In the word of his prayer,Prayer hath 1 A conscience of want. we shall first consider the prayer it selfe, and then the properties of it inclo­sed therein. In the prayer it selfe three things are offered: The conscience of want going before; The desire to have; And the hope of obtaining. The con­science preceding is of a double want, both of hap­pinesse it selfe, and of merite or worth to purchase it. If we had it in our selves, we needed not seeke it, and if we had merite to deserve it, we needed not suit it [Page 50] of God: But wee have none of those, and therefore wee must aske it. Wee have set times to pray, both publick and privat; but are often coldrife therein, and doe it more of custome than conscience. There­fore God sharpneth our conscience with a felt ne­cessitie and want, as a whetstone, to make our prayers fervent. When Seth called his sonGen. 4. 26. Enosh, that is, miserable or calamitous, then men began to call upon the name of the Lord: So that name expressed that they were sensible of their miserie, and that felt miserie maketh men religious.

Next commeth the desire to have that thing which we want,2 A desire to obtaine it. and that is the prayer it self: For a ground, we looke to Gods mercie; and for price, we looke to Christs merite. Herein is the worke of faith, to make the prayer faithfull, as the preceding conscience maketh it fervent: It specifieth our desire, and ma­keth it supernaturall; for it is the hand of our soul, meeting Gods hand, who offereth his blessings to us in the promise: as a lively childe, taketh the pap of his mother greedily, and sucketh milk out of it largely: So the faithfull soul opening wide the mouth of the desire taketh in the promise, and suck­eth the blessing of God out of it. We present his pro­mises, as his owne handwrit and obligation: And he deigneth by his promises to be debter to us, to whom he forgiveth all debt Tanquam Chirographa—dignaris enim quibus omnia debita dimittis, etiam promissionibus tuis debitor fie­ [...]t. Aug. Con­fess. 5. 9. True prayer is a heart-prayer..

True prayer is not so much in our words, as our heart: Words in publick prayer are necessary for others to heare and follow us: And in privat prayers they serve to hold our mindes constant; but the life of prayer standeth in faithfull desires: For long speech is one thing, and a strong affection is another, and [Page 51] the worke of prayer is done more by groans, than by words, and by tears more than talk Hoc negotium plus gemitibus quàm sermoni­bus agitur, plus fletu. quàm af­fatu. Aug. Ep. 121. c. 10.: And the Lord careth not much for the cry of our flesh, but for the crie of our heart; For his eares are in our heart, and he hea­reth us say nothing to him, but what he hath first spoken to us Quia aures tuae in corde meo, & nihil audis à me quod non mihi tu prius dixe­ris. Aug. Con­fess. 10. 2.. Moses was silent at the red sea, and yet God said to him,Exod. 14. 15. why cryest thou? His mouth was close, but his heart was crying to the Lord, he was grieved to see the peoples danger, and yet beleeved God, who promised to deliver them, and was challenging God in his heart to keepe his promise: Therefore one saith, That the people cried, but God heard them not: Moses cried not, and yet the Lord answered him. Clamavit po­pulus & non audivit Deus: Silebat Moses & audivit. Aug. serm.. And the reason is cleare, because the crie of the peo­ple was in murmuring and fleshly reason, which God misregardeth, but the secret and heart-cries of Moses, were the language of the holy Spirit: And the Apostle seemeth to point at this, when he telleth the worke of the spirit helping us to pray, bringeth forthRom. 8. 26. sighes and groans, which cannot be uttered. We call him then into our selves, when we call upon him In meipsum eum vocabo cum invocabo eum. Confess. 1. 2..

Light cares can speake,Groanes are good prayers. but great cares doe stupifie with silence: Weak desires are easily expressed, but excessive desires cannot be equalled by speech. A rod serveth a man in a small worke, but in a greater he casteth it away, and taketh him to stronger instru­ments: So the tongue is a sufficient interpreter in other things; but here wee leave it, and take us to groans and sighs, the best language of the heart. Men may be neere and not heare us, and yet our groans be heard in the heaven of heavens: We can­not bide in our selves, but would be at God, and yet cannot win to him as we would, therefore we groan [Page 52] under that restraint. Gods suggestion to our heart is by inspiration of heavenly power, making us cap­able of grace: And by infusion, powring in that grace he offereth. So our best speach to him is by aspiring, not of ambition, but of affection, in breath­ing to him as thePsal. 42. 1. chased hart doeth to the waters. The kisses of Christ on our soul, are better impressed and stamped by him, than can be expressed by us Osculum Christi melius impressum quam expres­sum. Bern.. So the best expressing of our soul to him, is better by thru­sting it on him, than by uttering of words.

This excessive desire of God is wrought in the heart by himself,God maketh us desire him. he filleth it both with him [...]elf, and a desire of him, that he may make it sensible of both: The more it is full of him, it desireth him the more, and the more it powreth out it selfe in that desire, it is satiat the more, and the more the desire increaseth: And in this heavenly inebriation, satiety provoketh our thirst. The more we have of God, we thirst him the more, and are inflamed with new desires. Su­perstitious worshippers thinke by their prayers, as charmes, to devocat and draw God out of heaven. And the Idolater thinketh to command him, but both separate themselves from him: But the godly seek him in their heart, and thrust their heart on him. It is also a touch of thatCant. 2. 5. sicknesse of love, when the soul burneth in a desire of God, and that sicknesse is the health of the soul, and God sensibly filling the heart, is the cure of that sicknesse. This prayer then is nothing else, but a laying of his desirous heart, open to the fountaine to drinke in happinesse. Who so hath receaved this affectuous devotion, and devout affection to God, hath already conceaved the birth of happinesse, and shall travell therewith now painfully, [Page 53] now joyfully, till he be delivered of it in his full delive­rie from all miserie Cum accepit sponsa hoc oscu­lum concepit. Bern. Cant. 4. 3 Hope of ob­taining..

Thirdly, hope of obtaining happinesse followeth our faithfull prayers, for what faith beleeveth, that hope expecteth: It is as soone in our hope, as it is in our faithfull desire, and long before it be in our hand; and yet as sure as it were in our hand, though sometime interveen; forHeb. 10. 37. he that is to come, will come, and not delay; Rev. 22. 12. And behold I come, and my reward is with me; Psal. 9. 18. And the hope of the godly shall not perish. Our hope is greatly confirmed, by the tastes of hap­pinesse we finde in prayer: We may more firmely expect that, that we finde begun already, and these first fruits assure us of the fulnesse in due time: Such faithfull desires powred out with a delightfull free­dome, are not only the Lords harbengers in our heart, to tell that he is comming, but the ushers of his entrie, and tokens that he is already come. He is in that heart that earnestly desireth him, and with li­bertie powreth it selfe out on him.

Moreover this word containeth three properties of his prayer:Prayer should be, 1 In humi­litie. Humilitie, Absolutenesse, and Constan­cie. Humilitie, because it is an humble asking, and not a proud exacting, and so excludeth mans merite, which cannot stand with the humilitie of prayer: If he had merit for happinesse, he would not beg it as a gift, but exact it as a debt. The Apostle cleareth this, for when he hath said,Rom. 6. 23. The wages of sinne is death, if he had followed the rules of Logick, he would have said, that the reward of righteousnesse is life eternall: But he knew that could not stand with Gods mercie, and Christs merite, therefore he cal­leth life eternall, the free gift of God. And to this [Page 54] truth God provided himselfe a witnesse even among the Cardinals: The Apostle (saith he) saith not that the wages of righteousnesse are life eternall, but the gift of God is life eternall: That we may understand, that we obtaine eternall life, not by our merits, but by the free gift of God. Therefore he subjoynes (In Christ Iesus our Lord.) Behold the merit, behold the righteousnesse, whose wages life eternall is: But to us it is a free gift through Iesus Christ Ecce meri­tum, ecce justi­tiam [...]ujus sti­pendium est vita aeterna. Nobis autem est donum. Ca­jetan. Rom. 6. We cannot de­serve happi­nesse..

Reason also proveth this: For all the good wee have, whether naturall or spirituall is his gift. Natu­rall goodnesse commeth by his providence, both in it selfe, and the right use. And though they were both of our selves, they have no proportion to de­serve any grace: No good deserveth another, but farre lesse doeth naturall good deserve happinesse: And all supernaturall goodnesse is his gift also, and every degree of it is a native growth of his dona­tion, without the respects of merit or reward; for that same mercie that giveth the beginning, giveth also the increase and perfection of grace. Our state also goes in two; first we are miserable in our selves, and then happy in God; and what good can be in mi­serie to deserve the least happinesse? While we are in miserie, we can deserve no happinesse, and when God beginneth happinesse in us, that beginning is neither a reward of any preceding merit, neither a merit of any following goodnesse: But all is the worke and gift of grace. Againe, both the name and nature of grace excludeth merit, forPsal. 36. 7. grace properly cannot be valued at any price, neither hath misera­ble man any price to give for it: Therefore the great­nesse of the giver, the excellencie of the gift, and po­vertie [Page 55] of the receaver make it to come freely.Esay 55. 1. Ho, every one that is a thirst, come to the waters, come and buy without money, without merit. Apoc. 22. 17. And he that is a thirst let him come, and drinke of the water of the well of life freely.

That pride of the Pelagians is grounded upon the indifferencie of the will to ill and good, Free-will de­stroyeth her Adorers. and on a like furniture for both, which deny flatly mans miserie, and the grace of God: In such a pride they cannot pray, because they neither feel their miserie, nor seek to mercie. They are like the Pharisee thatL [...]k. 18. 11. counted with God, and put him in his debt, and like sturdy beggars, who boast of their birth, and doe rather threaten than beg, and deserve more to be thrust to a house of correction, than to be helped with almes: So God plagueth these proud Justitiaries with a ju­diciall pride, that notRom. 10. 3. subjecting themselves to the righteousnesse of God, but seeking to establish their owne righteousnesse, they cut themselves off from Christ and his grace.

It were better to them with theLuk. 18. 13. Public an humbly to beg mercie, and with the blinde manMarc. 10. 47. at Jericho, to cast away the menstruous clouts of their suppo­sed righteousnesse, that they may be cloathed with the righteousnesse of Christ. They are like the old Giants, whom the fables said, would take the hea­vens by force, and for that end heaped mountains upon mountains. So doe they adde Condignitie to congruitie, and dignitie to condignitie, Supereroga­tion to dignitie, and confidence in them all: This is nothing but the old blinde cyclopick superarrogan­cie, and will have the like successe with these Giants:Socrates lib. 3 For we may say of them as Jovian said to Acesilas a [Page 56] Novatian, disputing of the perfection of his fol­lowers. Go to Acesila, set that ladder to heaven, and thou wilt finde it too short to carry thee thither. Gen. 28. 12. They cast aside Jesus Christ the ladder of Jacob, and make to them a ladder of pride to their owne ruine.

Heaven hath no open doore to the prayer of a proud Pharisee,Proud prayers enter not heaven. but all the gates of it are cast open to an humble supplicant, David disclaimed merit. Psal. 143. 2. Enter not into judgement with thy servant, & appea­led only to mercie,Psal. 51. 1. Have mercie upon me according to the multitude of thy compassions. And the faithfull venture on that humilitie: What I have (saith one) I have taken it of God, and not presumed it of my selfe, —for what I am commendably, it is not of my ingine, neither of my merit, but of his free gift: And what me­rit can be in man, whom the deliverer from sinne Iesus Christ himselfe found altogether a sinner? Or how shall a man trust in himselfe to be happy, who cannot guide his minde (his best part) from errour Si quid habeo à Deo sumpsi, non à me prae­sumpsi—non enim meo vel ingenio vel me­rito, sed ejus do­no sum, fi quid laudabiliter sum. Aug. Epist. 52.? And if the Prophet saith truly,Jer. 17. 5. Cursed is he who putteth his trust in man, much more is he accursed, who trusteth in himselfe for happinesse.

Next this prayer for happinesse must be absolute, 2 It is abso­lute. and not conditionall, and that because happinesse is absolutely necessary.Non oramus ut divitiae & honores adve­niant, sed ut ea quae bonos & beatos efficiunt. Aug. Ord. 2. 20. We crave common blessings with this condition, if God thinke it expedient, as health, libertie, wealth, &c. But when we pray for remission of sins, life eternall, and happinesse, we seeke them absolutely. All things that we aske go in three ranks. The first are good in themselves, and yet bet­ter us not, as riches and honour, &c. because they qualifie not our person with any good change: The second are god in themselves, and make us better, but [Page 57] cannot beatifie us; as learning, wisedome, prudence, &c. The third is both good, maketh us better, and beatifieth us, and therefore is simply to bee craved of God: This distinction setleth the godly in a great doubt, they pray oft and earnestly for some things, and yet are not heard, and therefore thinke that God hath cast them off. But here is a resolu­tion, for God neglecteth not their prayers, but hath them written before they utter them. And his refuse is not in anger, but because he thinketh it not expe­dient: and though he refuse one thing, it is to give us a better; as he refused to stay Sathans buffering to the Apostle,2. Cor. 12. 9. yet gave him sufficient grace to indure it. Besides, we may plainly say, that God heareth ever his owne, although not to their will, yet to their weale Deus non semper ad v [...] ­luntatem, sed ad utilitatem ex [...]udit. Aug..

Our will that leadeth us in rebellion against his Commandments,We should not stick to our owne will. should not rule his hearing of our prayers. For oftentimes God giveth us blessings that wee never sought, and holdeth from us in that same mercie, many things that we seeke:Bernard. de Quadr. ser. 6. As a wise father giveth his sonne nourishment, though he seek it not; but if that same childe cry and weepe for a knife, he will refuse him, because he foreseeth he may hurt him with it. It had beene good forPs. 78. 29. Israel that God had refused to give them flesh in the wil­dernesse; and for Balaam, that God had stayed him as well in his second as in his first desire.Item in 1. Ioh. Tract. 6. But happi­nesse hath a more absolute course;Aug. in hunc locum. for God hath pur­posed it absolutely for his owne: he hath promised it absolutely, and what ever condition is required of faith or repentance, he worketh it in us. Christ hath purchased it, and prayed for it absolutely, and upon [Page 58] these grounds absolutely we seeke it of God; Rachel said to JacobGen. 30. 1. Give me children, or else I die. How much more reason have we to crave of God, that he would give us happinesse to conceave Jesus Christ by faith, or else we perish?

The third propertie of this prayer is Constancie: 3 It is con­stant. For faithfull prayer knowes no end but obtaining of that it seeketh, and this is both in constant love of the chiefe good, and constant seeking of it:1 In love to the chief good. The love we have to chiefe good changeth not, but increaseth daily: Worldly happinesse giveth not this constan­cie; Men seek one thing to day, and another to mor­row, they burne even now in a desire of honour, and at once in greed of riches, as occasion offereth, or possibilitie of obtaining appeareth, they change both their object and course: But the godly who chuse true happinesse, neither repent their choice, nor change their course, but grow in the like of their choice and love of happinesse: They can change the place of their dwelling, their complexion, their diet and contentment in common goods, but not in the chiefe good: These things are but for the way, and for a short time, but the other for eternitie, and in the current of changes upon other things, he holdeth ever fast his love to happinesse: The more he know­eth it, the more he loveth it, and blesseth God who hath directed him in that choice. Herein he is not so much active as passive, and that both willingly, & in a sort of sweet violence, captivated with the delights of his most beloved and desired good. It possesseth him rather, than he doeth it, and he is more in it, than in himselfe: The sweetnesse he findeth in it, suffereth him not to change for any other: God may blesse [Page 59] him with many other goods, and Sathan may turne them as baites to withdraw, or divert him from the chief good, but he never changeth his first love: The first impression of the joyes of happinesse are so deepe in his heart, that no contentment of lesser goods can either divert it by change, or diminish it by equalitie. And though God from heaven would bid him make a new search of happinesse, he would still fall upon his first choice.

The other is in his prayer,2 In his prayer. he will not leave seek­ing, till he obtaine happinesse: It is not at our hand, nor found at the first, but we must pray often for it: We faint if we be not heard at the first, but that is our fleshlinesse, who would have God subject to us: The gift is his owne, and he knoweth his time, and it is our part patiently to wait on: So David,Psal. 40. 1. I waited patiently on the Lord: And Jeremie,Lam. 3. 24. 26. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in him: It is good that a man should both hope, and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. And Christ giveth us the parable of theLuk. 18. 1. poore widow, who importuned the judge, till she was heard: It is counted a courtesie among men, to take with the first refuse, but with God, it is no courtesie, but infidelitie; and we can­not give him greater rest, than to importune him with our desires of happinesse: And theMat. 25. 28. Canaani­tish woman is commended for it, that shee cried out, till she was heard. So should wee doe in praying for happinesse: and that the more, because we get it not here in the fulnesse, but in the degrees, which should strengthen our patience, because they are oblige­ments on Gods part. His purpose is in himselfe, and his promise is knowen and beleeved of us, and if pro­vidence [Page 60] begin to performe them both, it is a sort of engaging of him who is libertie, (if wee may [...]o speake) to performe that he hath begun. Gods delay is in respect of us, but not of himselfe: It is the triall of our faith, the proofe of our hope, the opening of our heart in large desires, and a way to sweeten our delights, when our desire is filled. For the more and longer we have thirsted, the sweeter shall our satietie be; and our prayers are not so much in particular times, as the constant opening of our desires to God, when our hearts, like emptie vessels, lie at the foun­taine, and like theJoh. 5. 5. man at the poole of Bethesda, wee wait on till God heale us. He will have us exercised in prayer, that wee may receive that, that he prepareth to give us Vult exerceri orationibus de­siderium ut possimus capere quod praeparat dare. Aug. Ep. 122..

This answereth a question which some move,Devout men want never matter of prayer. when they heare of some who are oft and long at their private devotion: They aske, what purpose they had to be so oft, and long with God? But if we be sen­sible of our miserie, wee will never want purpose to pray to God, though it were to crave againe, and againe this true happinesse; we get it not at the first, nor at once, but by degrees: and though the matter were one, yet we have need of a new affection of that same matter; and when that affection decayes, wee have need to have it repeated. The Apostle biddeth us1. Thess. 5. 17. pray continually: which is not so to be taken, as though we should ever be on our knees, in the action of prayer, because he hath commanded us to labour in our particular callings; but of our constant affe­ction, our habituall desire, and continuall disposition, for seeking of God, which most shew themselves in the frequent action of prayer, though not in the con­tinuall.

[Page 61] Out of this I raise three things: First our dutie: Happinesse is not our desert. That if we would obtaine true happinesse, wee aske it of God by prayer. Wee are every way craving and begging creatures, because wee are ever necessi­tous. Though our grave have the name from cra­ving, yet from our conception to our grave, wee are craving continually. In the womb wee crave nou­rishment, and then libertie by birth; and at our birth, our weeping is a craving, to testifie, that a mi­serable and indigent creature is come into the world. Though there be some reason of the first weeping, because we are come from a warme lodg­ing to a colder, yet the maine reason of it is, because we are entring into the valley of miserie, & the fittest saluting of it, is by teares: And all our time in this life is nothing but a world of necessities, after other, of rayment, food, physick, &c. But among all, wee care least for this one thing. Our body is sensible of the owne wants, and seeketh for them, but our soule is senselesse, and in the multitude of prayers, scarcely have we one about true happinesse: But wee owe to that chiefe good our greatest love, the greatest care to obtaine, and so the most frequent and fervent prayers. Christ taught us this by expresse com­mand; Matth. 6. 33. Seeke first the kingdome of God, and these things shall be cast to you: So that comparatively other things are scarce to be sought; but a promise made, that theyMatth. 6. 33. shall be cast to us. And in his prayer he perswadeth the same order: First, to pray, that God may be glorified in the hallowing of his name, and so our glorification will follow his glorie. Next, that his kingdome may come, both insubduing his enemies, and ruling us by his grace, to our happi­nesse. [Page 62] Thirdly, that as his revealed will directing us, should be done by us, so the secret will of his pur­pose, may be performed on us, in our happinesse. Likewise the petition for remission of sinnes commit­ted, and the other for escaping tentation to sinnes, that might be committed: Of all these petitions on­ly one is for daily bread, or temporall things, and that cast in the mids, where is least, either attention or intention. So Christ hath put the matter of hap­pinesse in that prayer, that wee may daily aske this one necessarie thing of God, though the most part rehearse the words, without thinking on that matter.

Next we may inferre, that our praying for happi­nesse is a worke of happinesse in us: Prayer for happinesse is happinesse. That chiefe good communicateth it selfe to us diversly, according to our necessities: As sinne originall is not a single sin, but a multitude and masse of corruptions, defiling all our powers, like a pulpous or chairie root, which in one containeth many severall roots, as in garlick, or such like: So that naturall vitiousnesse containeth ignorance, senselesnesse, infidelitie, pride, and all other corruptions in us: Even so the chiefe good hath all goods in it, and sendeth out it selfe to men to cure these miseries: It is light, to inlighten our ignorance; It is life, to quicken our senselesnesse; It is mercie, to pardon our sinne, and strength, to keepe us from fal­ling; It is good, to allure us, and a prevening power, to stirre us up to pray for it, so that our very praying for it, is its prevening worke. This is all of God, who worketh powerfully, and abundantly in us;Psal. 81. 10. He bidd [...]th us open our mouth wide, and promiseth to fill it. And he himselfe openeth the mouth in moving our desire. As Physitians force up the mouths of some [Page 63] patients, under their convulsions, and then powre in some cordials to refresh them: So God, by the con­victions of our conscience, openeth our hearts to de­sire, and then giveth us the happinesse that we desire. Thus the chiefe good giveth it selfe to us in this life, by parts and degrees, but in heaven1. Cor. 15. 28. Go [...] shall be all in all, and we shall possesse our chiefe good once, at once, and eternally.

Lastly,Sure grounds of obtaining our prayer. we have here sure grounds of hope to be heard in this prayer, for we pray not alone, but have moe intercessors than we know of: We feele when we pray our selves, and are sensible of the assistance of Gods spirit, whenRom. 8. 26. he helpeth our infirmities, with groans, that cannot be expressed: Esay 65. 24. But our necessitie cryes also to God, and he heareth it, though wee know it not; Yea before wee were, and before our necessitie was in us, it cryed to his commiseration from eternall, and his bowels were moved toward us:Joh. 1 [...]. Christ also prayeth for us, that the fruit of his obedience may be applied to us: The covenant also supplicateth for us, and casteth it selfe open before him, intreating him, to accomplish all that he hath promised to us: And his owne name and glorie plea­deth for us,Ezek. 36. 22. For my owne names sake I will doe this. Besides these, his justice intercedeth for us:1. Joh. 1. 9. If wee confesse our sinne, he is faithfull and just to forgive us. It is as native to justice to absolve the innocent, as to punish the guiltie; And wee are cleane before him, when we are clad with ChristJer. 23. 6. the Lord our righte­ousnesse. It is as just to pardon the faithfull penitent, as to punish the faithlesse impenitent: So when Christ hath applied to us the fruit of his obedience, Gods justice pleadeth for happinesse to us. It is [Page 64] mercie enough in God to heare us when we call, but this is more,Isay 65. 24. before they call I will answer. These things may assure us, we shall be heard. All this is bred in the bowels of Gods commiseration, and the brood of so tender mercies must be acceptable to him, and so our happinesse sure withall. Where his will, and our weale, and so many intercessours con­cur, who can stay our happinesse?

That I may dwell.

WE have heard the first three parts of this do­ctrine:And 1. Of our dwelling with God. That one thing; The Authour of it, Jehovah; The way to finde it, by prayer, and search­ing: Followeth the fourth, to wit, happinesse it selfe, expressed in a dwelling, or remaining, and that not every where, but in Gods house: Not for a short time, but all the dayes of his life: And for this end, to see the beautie of the Lord, and partake that happinesse, that God there offereth to the Saints: And because of our imperfection here, to be still inquiring more and more for happinesse.

The notion of dwelling or mansion, Happinesse is in our dwel­ling with God. expresseth happinesse well; because it is the end of the inclina­tions, intentions, and worke of all creatures: For the senselesse creatures incline to a rest in their places; the reasonable intend and labour for it, Christ cal­leth it the place ofJoh. 14. 2. our Mansions, the Apostle our Heb. 13. 14. biding Citie, and S. JohnRevel. 14. 13. A rest from our labours. [Page 65] God provided the earth, a dwelling place for the creatures; and a paradise in the midst of it, a dwelling place for man, and it was Cains punishment,Gen. 4. 12. that he found no rest, but was a vagabond. This dwelling we consider in peace and rest.

Peace with God, Peace with God is a great part of it. is the speciall part of our happi­nesse, and the first whereof we are sensible: For al­beit we be in God from eternall, and his mercie se­cretly, (yet strongly) doth follow us from the womb in our adoption, baptismall regeneration, &c. yet we are never sensible of that happinesse, till our effectuall calling; wherein repenting our sinnes, we finde remission, and so peace with God:Rom. 5. 1. Being ju­stified by faith, we have peace with God; he is our chief good, and our union with him, maketh us happy. Psal. 30. 5. In his favour is life, Psal. 63. 3. yea it is better than life; and a separation from him, is our miserie; wee may flee from the anger of men,Phil. 4. 7. but whither can we flee from the anger of God?1. King. 19. 12. This is the peace that passeth all understanding, for even the mindes that have it, can­not expresse the sweetnesse of it: And God hath wisely so provided, that he shaketh the conscience with some feare and terrour, ere he powre this peace into it, and that not only as a fruit of our sin, but for two other ends: The one, to make the change more sensible to us: For if we be translated from nature to grace, without any griefe for sin, or feare of wrath, wee could not so well know our translating; but when wee are even now swallowed up in sorrow and feare: and repenting, and beleeving in Christ, feele our selves perswaded of remission: and the tormenting conscience turning a comforter, and the joyes of the spirit filling the heart in the sense of that [Page 66] peace, then wee are sensible of a change. The next cause is for proportion, that as the measure of our griefe is, so shall the measure of our peace and joy be; so that they who are most grieved at their con­version, afterward are usually acquainted with grea­test joyes. What ever our condition be in the world, wee are but miserable without this peace, but what ever be our condition, wee are happie with it, and may say;Psal. 32. 1. Blessed is the man, whose sinnes are forgi­ven him.

This peace of God hath two fruits: Peace with our selves,Peace with our selves. and with the creatures: Peace with our selves floweth from Gods peace. So soone as God is of­fended with our sinnes, and setteth us against him, as marks of his wrath:Postquam po­suisti me con­trarium tibi, factus sum con­trarius mihi. Bernard. 130. 2. Col. 2. Then wee are contrary to our selves, and revenge his quarell on us.

This is that holy2. Cor. 7. 11. indignation, arising of the sor­row, according to God; when we seeke a sithment and revenge on our selves for angring him we take Gods part against our selfe, and eat up our owne heart, and make our flesh to pine away for his displeasure, and ourPsal. 39. 12. beautie to consume like a moth: But when he par­doneth us, and sealeth that pardon with his peace, then wee turne to peace with our selves: So long as we feele sinne, wee are as an house on fire;Heb. 12. 29. God is a consuming fire: Esay 33. 14. and who can dwell with devouring fire, and who can abide with everlasting burnings? The conscience terrified of God, doth terrifie us, and all the powers of the soul are in confusion: The spirit so wounded, woundeth the body in all the na­turall powers; weake appetite, worse digestion, trou­bled sleepe, and an universall ineptnesse, both in soul and bodie to any good office: The flesh evanishing, the [Page 67] bones consuming, and the moisture turning in the drought of summer,Psal. 32. 4. Charbone Kaïtz siccita­tes aestatu. wherein the Prophet possibly al­ludeth to mount Horeb, which had the name from burning; the Law was given on it in fire and thun­der, and every heart in some measure, must be shaken with the terrours of the Lord, that it may come to the peace of God. But the sight of a reconciled God in Christ, changeth all to the contrary; the te­stimonie of conscience is stronger in her judiciall acts, than in other: For when God is directing, in­forming, and simply proponing things, she hath but a weake testimonie, but when God judicially dealeth with us, accusing, reproving, and terrifying, her te­stimonie is strong; because the hand of God is powerfull in it; and therefore, there is no denying of her accusation, no shifting of her torture: On the other part, her comforting is as certaine, when shee assureth us of Gods pardon, because the hand of God is in her to comfort us, and in us, to be as sweet­ly comforted, as we were formerly grievously tor­mented.

The combat betwixt the flesh and the spirit see­meth to trouble this peace,The spirituall combat trou­bleth not our peace. and consequently our happinesse; but it doeth rather confirme, and in­crease it: For it is not a power of God pursuing us, but our owne corruption molesting us. The parties are flesh and spirit, nature and grace, the new and the old man: And though it be grievous that we have corruption either passively, to receave Sathans temptations by consent: or actively, of it selfe to breed the worke of sinne: Yet this is joyfull, that we have a partie within us against Sathan: And that not only a conscience or reason, or care of publick ho­nestie, [Page 68] &c. which are in the wicked, but the new man, and the new spirit, assisted by the holy spirit. The Apostle finding that combat, cried out;Rom. 7. 24. mise­rable man that I am, yet feeling the spirit a contrary party making resistance, thanked God in Christ for his deliverie; and though Rebecca was grieved,Gen. 25. 22. to finde the two children strive in her belly; yet she was glad for having children. This spirituall combat, is a seal that we are at peace with God, and our selves, so long as wee abhorre our flesh, strive against, and Habac. 1. 2. complaine to God of violence, and implore his helpe to his owne spirit against it.

Our peace with the creatures commeth not so neere to our happinesse:Peace with the creatures. God hath the fabrick of the world in his hand, as a mounter; so long as we please him, he maketh all creatures go in their order; but when wee offend him, he distempereth it that nothing goe right, till we returne to him by repentance, and then Job 5. 23. he maketh the stone of the field at covenant with us. But we are to inquire of the peace of the reasonable creature. The good angels are ever at peace with us, for though sometimes God giveth them hard com­missions of punishment against us, yet they love us still: The evill angels will never be at peace with us, but their warre is our peace: Better to have Sathan without us, than within us; and to have him tempting us to sinne, rather than tormenting us for sinne. If we wereLuc. 11. 21. his possession, he would not trouble us; but his tentation argueth that God hathJob 1. 10. hedged us about, and we are free of his tyrannie: He troubleth none of his owne, but keepeth them in peace: A mastive dog barketh at none of the houshold, but at strangers; and Sathans tentations are not against his owne, but the Saints.

[Page 69] As for men,Peace with men. their peace is various: We should not looke for peace at the hand of the wicked, for wee are called out of the world, therefore theJoh. 15. 19. world ha­teth us; Gen. 3. 19. and the old denounced warre betwixt the woman and the serpent, hath neither truce nor peace; therefore their injuries are our peace. But the wrongs wee receave from the godly are more grievous, for Gods grace in them coloureth their cause, and per­plexeth our minde more, than the wrongs of the wicked: And Sathan craftily setteth the godly against the godly,Gen. 37. 4. as Jacobs sonnes against Joseph, and Davids brethren against him, &c.1. Sam. 17. 28. But though these things may trouble the peace of our body, yet they should not trouble the peace of our breast. The equitie of our cause; Our patience in suffering; No desire of revenge, but seeking occasions to do good to our injurers, and that neither of hypocrisie, nor policie, nor a naturall softnesse, but a conscience, and that be­cause God commandeth it: Christ hath done so, and commandeth us to follow him. These worke grea­ter peace than injuries can make trouble:Gen. 50. 19. Joseph re­joyced more in Gods grace, making him meek and beneficiall to his brethren, than in the outward power he had so to doe: In the second, he overcame them, but in the first, he overcame himselfe.

The second part of this habitation is Rest, Spirituall Rest, a part of hap­pinesse. 1. Rest of Re­solution. the most desireable end of our appetites, and that of resolution, refreshment, and securitie. The rest of Resolution, keepeth us at home with God: For when wee are searching what is happinesse, where, and how it is to be found, perplexitie holdeth us from home; but be­ing resolved that all is in God, that asJoh. 1. 41. Andrew said to Peter, We have found the Messias, so that we may [Page 70] say, We have found happinesse in God, we rest from these first perplexities. Our labours after that (though painfull) are sweet and pleasant, because they are about the chiefe good; yea we have not such rest in any thing, as when we are most busied about happinesse: These very labours are our rest, and we goe to bed most contentedly that night, when wee have spent the day most painfully with God about happinesse.

Next the Rest of refreshment, 2. Rest of re­freshment. when God refresheth with his grace in that habitation. So the Church calleth to Christ;Cant. 1. 7. Tell me where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noone. And David pro­fesseth; Psal. 23. 2. 3. That God led him by the still waters, and made him lie downe in greene pastures. God hath provided convenient meanes for every life, and the spirituall as excellent in the actions, as in the kinde, is ever set on the grace of Christ, as the only conveni­ent food. The body turneth food to the owne sub­stance, but the food of our soule turneth us to its own nature. When the heat of the holy spirit boyleth and burneth up our earthly thoughts, and turneth them into heavenly. There is no dwelling like this, and it hath the owne convenient diet; the house of God hath its owne fat things, wherewith the godly are fed abundantly.

The third is the Rest of securitie: 3. Rest of secu­ritie. For what avai­leth quiet and refreshment, if the next houre wee might lose them? This securitie is seene in Gods protection, and our conscience of it. God is like that loving sheepheard,Ezech. 34. 16. guarding his sheepe from their owne wandrings, and the violence of the wolfe: And like theMat. 23. 37. Hen warming the birds shee hath brought [Page 71] forth: whom ever he loveth, he hath them all in his heart, and preserveth them 1. Pet. 1. 4. by his power to that im­mortall kingdome. He giveth us also the conscience of this securitie, when as wee know the certaintie of the matter in him, so wee finde the confidence of it in our selves. He hath promised to preserveJohn 13. 1. us to the end; and when wee feele our selves to beleeve that promise, our confidence of security riseth. So the faithfull soule concludeth the owne securitie for­mally; Ps. 91. 1, 2, 3. Who so dwelleth in the secret of the most high, shall abide in the shadow of the Almightie. Then from the conscience of faith it assumeth; I will say unto the Lord, O my hope, and my fortresse, he is my God, in him will I trust. Lastly, from both it inferreth that God would preserve it; Surely he will deliver thee, &c. But the committing of our selves to him cleareth it most,2. Tim. 1. 12. I know whom I have beleeved, and am perswa­ded, that he will render to me, that I have committed to him. This is not so much life eternall, as our soule and body, which are every houre in hazard. There­fore when in the conscience of our weaknesse, and malice of our enemies, we take our soule and body, as things, which we can neither preserve from igno­rance, nor rebellion, from sinne and fearefull acci­dents, &c. and lay them over in his hand to bee preserved to the last day, with expresse indenting for restitution; we cannot but be sensible of such a work, and confident both of his taking us in keeping, and of his restoring of us in the last day:Arrhae perditae damnum pate­retur. Chrysost. hom. 1. 2. Col. If God brought us not to the possession of the inheritance, he would suffer the losse of the earnest.

This then is the power of true happinesse, that maugre all the miseries of this life, it provideth a [Page 72] peaceable habitation to us. Christ reigneth in the midst of his enemies Psal. 110. 2.: and maketh all his owne to pos­sesse happinesse in the mids of miseries. This is our heaven on earth, without which, it were better to dwell in hell, than in the world.

False religions know no settled dwelling,False religions teach no hap­pinesse. but are ever restlesse: restlesse in intending, restlesse in work­ing; and most in their fruitlesse end.Vera religio est via ad faelici­tatem. Aug. ver. Rel. 1. The Pagans do­ctrine in this point may be found in three of their sentences. The first was, that in any miserie they should returne to the beginnings of nature. Fessa laborat. Aug. Mor. Ecc, cap. 7. This tel­leth they acknowledge no miserie in nature, but like the declining of a common-wealth,Ad prima na­turae redeun­dum. for which there was sufficient remedy in nature to returne to the be­ginnings, as politicks doe in reforming their repub­licks: Our first naturals, are our worst naturals: Prima naturae pessima naturae. wee are conceavedPsal. 51. 5. and borne in sinne, and except wee be borne againe Joh. 3. 3. wee cannot enter into the kingdome of God.

Their next sentence was:Debet homo sibi reconcilia­ri. That a man should be care­full to bee reconciled to himselfe: They acknowled­ged a discord, but placed it wrong: They knew no other, but the discord betweene their will and the conscience: Of their minde and heart: Of their rea­son and passion: Of their contrary affections, And extreames of vice; And most of their predominant sinne against all the rest. These vexed them some­times with such anxietie, that it cut their life. But they knew nothing of theRom. 7. 23. Combat betwixt the flesh and the spirit, nor of the offence of God, in breaking his Law: And therefore they neither knew peace with God,Naturae con­venienter vi­vere. nor themselves.

Thirdly, they affirmed, that it was mans happinesse, [Page 73] to live agreeably to nature: This was nothing, but to loose the raines to their fleshly lusts, that they might sinne with greedinesse, they found the check of conscience mar the pleasure of their sin, and where they should have reduced their humour to reason, they threw reason to humour, and of a grave coun­sellour, they turned it into a base flatterer, to applaud their greatest villanies. So their pretended conve­niencie with nature was not only a discord with grace, but with nature it selfe, and that dedolencie or senselesnesse, whereof the Apostle speaketh,Ephes. 4. 19. That they were past feeling.

Papists also prejudge themselves greatly of this dwelling,Papists will not reconcile with God. and that both in generall and particular. In generall: Their Church will not reconcile with God: When they were first challenged, they past two parts of their owne penance, contrition, and confes­sion. For Hadrian. 6. professed his griefe for the abuses of the Church: And he confessed they be­gan at Rome. He promised also reformation, (the third part of their penance,) but the world hath not seene it as yet: But contrary, that whorish Church in the councell of Trent hath damned divine truths with Anathems, and bound her selfe by oath to be­leeve and maintaine their greatest heresies, and so hath sent word to God, that she will not returne to the husband of her youth.Jer. 3. 4. It is time for us to speake for reconciling with Rome, when Rome hath reconciled her selfe to God.

In the particular they cut off their reconciliation,They stay this peace. for Scripture placeth it in theRom. 3. 25. bloud of Christ, but they take in the merits and satisfactions of men and Angels, which rather separateth, than reconcileth [Page 74] them to God. And this habitation, or rest of securi­tie, they know not, but chuse rather to dwell in the doubtings of their owne heart, than with God, in the assurance of his protection. Albeit they confesse that it isTutissimum tamen est, &c. Bellar. surest to put all their trust in the mercie of God, and merit of Christ, and that because of the uncer­taintie of their owne merit, and perill of vaine glorie; yet they will forsake that, that is most sure, and be tossed in their owne uncertainties, God raised up in the Councell of Trent one to plead openly for this truth, who affirmed,Hoc est since­rae pietatis—si homo ab inani propriae digni­tatis confiden­tia abhorrens, omnino à Dei misericordia pendeat—nec unquam patia­tur ex animo suo persu fio­nem illam ex­cuti, &c. Ant. Marin. Concil. Trident. We should dwell in God. That this is sincere pietie, yea the ground of absolute obedience, if a man, abhorring from all vaine confidence of his owne worthinesse, depend wholly on the mercie of God,—And if he be perswa­ded that God is with him, as a mercifull Father, —and never suffer that perswasion to be shaken out of his minde.

Our dutie then is, to seeke this habitation in God, what ever be our lot in the world; forNihil potest quietare vo­luntatem homi­nis nisi solus Deus. Th [...]m. 1. 2ae. 8. 12. 4. 3. nothing can quiet the will of man but God. He hath prepared us Joh. 14. 2. Aug. de Ord. 1. Mansions: and to assure us thereof, hath promised to make us his mansions. If he dwell in us, assuredly wee dwell in him. One made frequent meditation in the night, a token of this dwelling, but Christ giveth us a surer: If any man love mee, Joh. 14. 23. and keepe my Com­mandements, the Father and I will come and dwell with him. It is not his shadow will content us, nor his wings, nor his bosome, but his heart, where all our happinesse was bred: Wee will not be content with the dove, to be taken in the arke Gen. 8. 9. August. Tract. 76., except he take us in the affection that bred the covenant: Our superfi­ciall thoughts of his love suffer not our hearts to warme in it; it is neither the garment nor the skirt, [Page 75] but the heart that was pierced for us, that we should touch. When God made the world, he stayed not till he came to man, and then came the sabbath, after which no day is numbred, Genes. 2. 2. to tell that man is for eter­nitie. This dwelling in God is our spirituall sabba­thizing, the type of the eternall: wee prescribe no measure to God, but thirst the fulnesse; but with the casting in of the bucket of our desires, let us cast in our heart also in the fountaine. The outbreaking of the fountaine is according to our straitnesse, and not according to the fulnesse it selfe. God hath made us to himselfe, and our heart is restlesse, till it rest on him: For if wee shall go through the world, wee shall not finde a sure place to our soule but in him: Things naturall are carried to their place by their weight: Fecisti nos ad te, & inquie­tum est cor no­strum donec re­quiescat in te. Confess. 1. 1. And the weight of our soule, is our love Pondus meum, amor meus. Confess. 13. 9.: Thereby we are carried whithersoever we go. And by the grace of God it is kindled in us, and carrieth us upward. This is our rest and life, that cannot be troubled: For who so entereth in God, entreth in his masters joy, Et habebit se optimè in opti­mo. Conf. 2. 10. and shall be most happy in him, who is most happy. Therefore O the vertue of our soule; enter in her, and fit her to thy selfe, that thou mayest possesse her. Da mihi qui huc pervenerit & fateor qui­escentem. Bern. Can. 52. He who is come to this, is in his rest, and may justly say: Returne my soule to thy rest.Psal. 116. 7.

In the house of the Lord.
Gods house is the schoole of happinesse.

WE have heard of the happie mans habitation.Churches the Lords houses. Followeth the place, and it is Gods house. Not that he needeth a house, who is All, and filleth all, for the heaven is his throne, Esay 66. 1. and the earth is his footstoole, what house can we build unto him? But he hath chosen Churches for his houses, that therein hee may deale with us in the matter of happinesse, and they are so called from his presence and delight. His presence, because as his providence is manifest eve­ry where in ruling the World in temporall things, he would also have some houses set apart for happi­nesse, and eternall salvation: So that albeit he be in every house, yet that his being in them may be cal­led an absence, comparatively to his presence in the Church. His delight also is great in Churches:Psal. 232. 14. This is my rest, here I delight to dwell. And to make it prove his house, he decoreth it with greater beautie than all the houses in the world: which made David to choose the house of the Lord, though he had stately and royall palaces to dwell in, as we shal heare (God willing) hereafter; for this cause one calleth him,Aug. tract. 3. an aspiring Lover of life eternall, who sought that one thing to dwell in the house of God. There are also o­ther considerations of the Church mysticall, and in­dividuall. Mysticall, is the Church of the Elect, to whom he imparteth this happinesse: Individuall, to [Page 77] speak so, is every elect person, a lively member of the Church of the Elect, because they are the Temples of the holy Spirit.

Hereof three things arise: First, Gods great mer­cie, who notwithstanding our grievous sinnes,They are to­kens of Gods mercy to man. hath erected his houses every where in the world for our happinesse. Man could not ascend to God, therefore God came down to man, to deale with him openly in the matter of happinesse. When wee were cast out of Paradise, Sathan thought we should never be taken in favour againe, but now he hath appointed millions of houses for reconciliation. And he hath appointed his houses eminently for Sathans more eminent confusion. So Porphyre confessed it as from Apollo,Idque maxime in templis, quia Deus hos ibi ludibrio ex­ponit. Aug. Ci­vit. 19. 23. & 22. 3. that the divels abhorred the chief God, and that most in Churches, because there hee exposed them to mockerie. For his house is his trysting place, wherein we deale with him about happinesse: It is also as a richly furnished shop, offered to those that have no money Isay 55. 1.. It is like unto these wine-cellars Cant. 2. 4., whereunto Christ taketh his spouse to fill her with spirituall consolations.

Lastly, it is his open Schoole,Churches are schooles for happinesse. wherein the do­ctrine of happinesse is plainly taught. He saw man­kinde lye flat on the earth; and though the Greci­ans seemed to lift mens minds to heavenly things, yet they erred worse than the former, in so far as er­rour is worse than simple ignorance, and made peo­ple erre by authority, who before erred only in sim­plicitie: for among them all, there was neither truth nor concord. For this cause, sometimes Gods house is put for Christ, as he is opposed to the Philo­sophers, Aug. Confess. 7. 18. & 20. because in him only is happines to be found. [Page 78] Therefore God pitying man, opened his schooles of the Church in the doctrine of happinesse: and there is more of it in this one sentence, This is life eternall Joh. 17. 3. to know thee to be the only God, and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ; than in all the writs of Philoso­phers from the beginning. And God doth this in the sight of the World, because his works are good, and seeke the light. Sathan stealeth away man in his works of darknesse; but he will have them publick­ly returning to honour him, and shame Sathan.

Secondly,And the hap­pinesse of a Nation. the happinesse of a Nation where God hath houses,Psal. 50. 2. Sion the perfection of beautie. And more,Psal. 48. 2. Sion the joy of the whole earth, and the Citie of the great King. Many count his house a burden, and wrangle miserably in the provision of pastors, like the Gadarens, Luk. 8. 37. who thrust Christ away for their swine: or like the Polonians, who having embraced Christianitie, and finding the maintenance of it hea­vier than Paganisme, resolved to turne to Paganism again. However, it bideth sure, that Gods presence in a Land is their happinesse and glorie. The world thinketh, that Monarchies are the glorie of a nation, but God gave more to the Jewes in the Temple and Synagogues, than to the Assyrians, Persians, Greci­ans, Romans in their flourishing Monarchies. He gi­veth to other nations without the Church, great naturall and politick gifts, but they are nothing to the sanctuarie. Albeit they excell the Sain [...]s in these common gifts, yet the spirituall gifts are infinitely better. For as the waxing power is stronger in plants than in beasts. because in them it is eminent, but in the other subject to the sensitive power: and in beasts the sensitive power is stronger than in man, in whom [Page 79] it is subject to reason; so among men, they who have nothing but Nature, it is eminent in them, as in the own sphere. Without the Church many have ex­celled in common gifts for mankinds civill perfecti­on, and because they had no other purpose to exer­cise their spirit. But the Saints are taken up in things supernaturall, and so are weaker in the naturall. And this is a fruit of Gods dwelling among them, when their soules runne out on things supernaturall, rather than naturall.

Thirdly, our duty in two things: First, that wee frequent the house of God in reverence:Churches are to be frequen­ted for happi­nesse. for God is there in a singular maner, and our salvation and hap­pinesse is proponed there. Therefore since he keepeth both time and place of trysting, let us not be so in­grate as not to meet with him. Many in opinion of greater spirituall profit in private, abstain from tem­ples: but let them remember, that David was a Pro­phet, and laden with revelations: yet in the statute times of worship, hee chose to bee in the Sanctuarie rather than in private. For albeit God bid us wor­ship him privately, lest we be found hypocrites; yet he wil have us honour the publike meetings, because larger grace descendeth from God, and more groans ascend to him. Moreover, when we come to the san­ctuarie, let us remember, that we are come to get happinesse, which is proponed there. For, to passe by humanitie and ph [...]losophie (which treat not of happinesse) and come to the schooles of divinitie, Happinesse is not there so clearly proponed as in Churches. For there truth is almost lost by jangling: Happinesse is rather obscured than cleared, new questions augmented, and all more for the glorie of [Page 80] the disputer, than edification of the hearer, but no­thing of heart or conscience. But in the Churches, happines is clearly proponed.Aug. Tract. 28. fol. 177. 1, 2. Here a man shall bee convinced of his own miserie, he shall heare many are blessed whom the world count miserable for their cros­ses, and that many are miserable, whom they count hap­pie for their prosperitie. And that the best have need to look to the deceit of their heart, that they steale not Gods glorie, ascribing his gifts to them. Churches are types of heaven, Factus sum ad coelum. Aug. Tom. 9. fol. 27. [...]ol. 1. and of these two great places, God hath set the earth under our feet, and the heaven above our head; and given our bodie a straight stature,Prosper. 4. 6. 8. to tell we should tread on the earth, and aspire to heaven.

Next,We should be the temples of the holy Spirit. that we try if we be the Temples of the holy Spirit: if we have the altar of a cleane heart, daily warmed with fire from above: The daily offering of Repentance: Bernard. 632. The shining Candlestick of a pure con­science: The Shew-bread of sinceritie and truth, in obedience: The altar of Incense, to praise God for his blessings we receive daily. God sought not sa­crifices under the Law for themselves, but for the thing signified: They represented Christ to us, and that wee should sacrifice our selves upon that great altar. If we be so, that unction 1 Joh. 2. 27. dwelleth in us, he will reveale to us the chiefe good, and apply our hearts to the love of it, that we may enjoy it: Hee maketh us also conscious and sensible of this work, for he is an unction teaching, and a seale confirming our union with the chiefe good. This is a great happinesse, when the temples of the holy Ghost, and living members of Jesus Christ, come to the house of God, to seeke true happinesse, and ob­taine [Page 81] it.Deus & home vicissim se ha­bitant. Aug. Tom. 9. fol. 109. Here is also a mutuall dwelling, when God & man dwelleth mutually in other. He prepareth us Mansions, when he prepareth us for these mansions: His house is the godly, and then the place is prepa­red, when we live by Faith;Mansionibus parando man­sores. by beleaving wee desire him, that by our desire we may have him. The de­sire of our love to him,Aug. Johan. 14. is the preparing of our Man­sion. So Lord prepare what thou preparest! thou pre­parest us to thee, and thee to us, because thou makest a place in us to thee, and thee to us, for thou hast said Joh. 15. 4. Abide in me, and I will abide in you.

All the dayes of my life.

FOlloweth the Time, Churches fre­quently should be haunted. which is not a Day, nor a yeare, but all the Time of our life. This may seem too much: for neither God in the fourth Command­ment craveth it, neither his royall affaires could per­mit it: But this must bee exponed by the Prophets desire, flowing from his delight in the house of God, which was so great, that gladly he would have spent all his life in it. And this desire is acceptable to God: for, as the wicked are punished eternally albeit they sinne but temporally,Peccant in suo aeterno. Greg. because they sinne in their e­ternall, and because they never repent, nor change, nor diminish their desire nor delight of sinning: Yea if they lived eternally here, they would sinne eternally: So God respecteth the holy desires of the faithfull, for albeit they cannot bide continually in the tem­ple, [Page 82] neither be ever exercised in holy things, yet God accepteth their desire so, as though they remained in the Temple.

Hereof we may gather the Saints Kalendar.The godly mans Kalen­dar. We number times from the course of the Sunne, and thereby measure naturall and civill actions. But the godly reckon their Kalendar from the Sun of righ­teousnesse his aspect, and influence: this reckoning is for the new man, for he hath his spirituall being in Christ.Phil. 3. 9. That I may be found in him. And his spi­rituall life; Gal. 2. 20. Henceforth I live not, but Christ liveth in me, and the life that I live, I live by the faith of the sonne of God; so he hath his Sunne that measureth his time and seasons. For, the Lord Psal. 84. 11. is a Sunne and Shield. Yea, hee counteth these daies shorter than they are, and no time runneth to him so swiftly, as the time of Gods worship; for he is so affected with the sweetnesse of God, that hee is grieved that such sweet time doth so soone end. The Sabbath is both the sweetest and shortest day to him, so among hours is the houre of divine service; but the profane count that a long time, Gods house is a prison to them, and his worship a torture.

This cleareth the contrary disposition of the god­ly and the wicked;The wicked wearie of Churches. while they are in that same Church, in that same work of Gods worship, in that same houre. The godly rejoyce as in their own ele­ment worshipping God, and enjoying his pre­sence Senec.. Some mocked the Jews for keeping the Sab­bath, calling it a loss of the seventh part of their time: But it was their best spent time, & sanctified all their other daies. Then their new man dealeth freely with God, and all the gifts of the spirit poure themselves [Page 83] out on him. Then they feele the beginnings of life eternall, which maketh the time seeme shorter than it is indeed. For the more wee enjoy a desired good, the more time we crave for that enjoying; so that a long time seemeth short. And againe, when an hate­full ill sticketh to us, a short time seemeth long; hours are as dayes, dayes as moneths, and moneths as years. Hereof commeth the wearinesse of the profane, for the shortest houre of worship tormen­teth them: Their fleshly passions are bound in stocks, they know not God, and the signes of his presence are terrible to them. And yet these same men count whole daies but short for their drunkennesse in ta­vernes; and in brothels they joyne nights to daies, and daies to nights, as though all time were too short to measure out their vanitie. But this will bee the end of all, when at death wee looke backe to our time, wee shall have most comfort of these dayes wee have spent in the Sanctuarie, in seeking happi­nesse, and shall put these chiefly in our Almanack: for one day in thy house Psal. 84. 10. is better than a thousand elsewhere.

That I may see the beautie of the Lord.

THis is the end why hee desireth to dwell in the Sanctuarie, and that is two-fold, in the fruition of Gods goodnesse, and continuance in that fruition; wherein consisteth the happinesse he desireth. This [Page 84] fruition is to behold the beauty of the Lord: wherein are two things, the beautie it selfe, and beholding. For the knowledge of this beautie, we shall first remove two false Glosses, and then follow the truth.

The first is of some Papists,The beautie of the Sanctuarie is not in build­ing. who place this beautie in the stately and costly building of their Temple. Herein they follow the Jewes, devoted to the exter­nall showes, their religion is all for them; and see­ing they cannot fill the hearts of people with the power of doctrine, they will fill their eyes with stately buildings,Concilium Cardinalium. and pompous ceremonies. So their Cardinals advised Paul 3. that in the decay of their authoritie they would make the world admire them, by building and busking stately temples. The stateli­nesse of the temple of Jerusalem was extraordinary, both because it was in the time of a carnall service, and a type of the Church under Christ, the beautie whereof was not in gold and silver (as Malachie ex­presseth) but in that the desire Hag. 2. 7. of all nations came therein. But some faile on the other extreme, and have no more care to the houses of God, than to common houses; yea, it may be seene, that many barns and stables are more stately in the Parish, than Gods house. This argueth a brutish mis-regard of God, and of his worship, which is justly fruitlesse in them. Churches ought indeed to bee comely, as houses set apart to God. But that necessarie come­linesse is not this beautie of the Lord,Putchritudo domus non est in marmore. Jerom. that wee re­quire, the beautie of houses is not in marble.

The second is worse, and placeth this beautie in Images:Neither in i­magerie. So the Fathers of the second Nicene Coun­cell (such a Councel, & such Fathers) thought them the beautie of the Sanctuarie. But the Scripture cal­leth [Page 85] images abominations, and the shame of the San­ctuarie: And when the Jewes brought the Idols of Israel, Ezech. 8. 14. and Thammuz, or Osiris the God of Egypt, in their temple. God departed from them. When the Pagans charged the Christians of the first ages, that their Oratories had no images; Origen, and other Apologists, tooke with the challenge, and gave the reason, that God whom they worshipped, was invi­sible and infinite, and therefore, neither could nor would be represented by images. From the Apo­stles time till images were brought in the Church, there was a sufficient body of doctrine, though with some declination, but after that, the Cleargy turned more blockish and ignorant than images. Let them be called the bookes of the Laicks, but such as turne the Laicks in stockes and stones, because they are the teachers of lies and vanities Habac. 2. 18., for they leave their mindes in as base estimation of the thing they represent,Jer. 10. 8. as of themselves.

The beautie of the Lord in the Sanctuarie,1. The prime beautie is God himselfe. is to be taken first, of God himselfe, and then of his worke with his people. God is the beautie of beauties, and all these things, which we call beautifull, excellent, glorious, perfect, &c. in the creatures are but names and shadowes of the truth of these things that are in him. He alone is being without beginning, and giveth being to all, and sustaineth them in that being: He is life it selfe without inliving, and yet quicke­ning and inliving all: What ever wee consider to be excellent, as wisedome, puritie, goodnesse, power, &c. are all in him primely, perfectly, and unitely, howsoever to our mindes and experience, they be diverse: He is great without quantitie, good with­out [Page 86] qualitie▪ Every where, but included in no place, without localitie, and yet excluded no place. A fountaine without a veine, but running out in a con­tinuall source; communicating substance, life, indue­ments, of both to all creatures, in such plenty, as proveth his riches; and in such diversitie, to make up the beautie of the creature, that hee the Authour thereof may be seene most bountifull: How beauti­full is that Unitie in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity! The Father begetting, the Sonne begotten, and the holy Spirit proceeding from both; the Father the beginning, working all in the Sonne, and that by the holy Spirit: a mysterie to be adored, but not sear­ched; beleeved by faith, but not discussed by reason.

Herein Christ Jesus the fairest among men, Gods beautie is seene in Christ. is to be considered; in whom the Church taketh boldnesse to seeke her happinesse with God: he is that eternall Sonne, of the eternall Father, Joh. 1. 14. and came downe full of grace and truth to save us: As God he is equall with the Father and the Spirit; As man he is most beau­tifull of all creatures.Coloss. 2. 9. In him dwelleth all fulnesse, even the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily: and because of the personall union, his humane nature exalted above all principalities and powers, is adored by them.Bern. Cant. 22. He is most beautifull, because of wisedome in prea­ching: righteousnesse in remission of sinnes: Sanctifi­cation in conversing with sinners: Heb. 4. 16. Redemption in suf­fering for sinners. And because through him only we take boldnesse to approch to God: for who durst commit himselfe to so great a Majestie without his mediation?Cum de Chri­sto loquimur deficimus non sufficimus. Aug. Ioh. tract. 3. But while we speake of him we faile; and suffice not. But most of all he is the beautie of beauties, if wee consider him in his passion: For though the [Page 87] world contemne him in that state, yet he is our de­light, because he suffered these things for us. This then is the first thing that we should doe, when wee enter into the Sanctuarie, to take up with the light of a purified minde this glorious God, as the prime beautie of the Sanctuarie, and the only object of our religious worship, wherein true Christians excell all other people, who worship not this true God.

Religious worship in the Sanctuarie,Of religious worship. is the greatest worke we act in this life, because we seeke happinesse in the union with that we worship; For therein three things go together: First our highest estimation of it, as chiefe good in it selfe, and so communicative of that goodnesse to our happinesse. Next our highest affection, loving it above all: And these are the two maine parts of inward worship. The third is a religious reverence, arising of them, manifesting it selfe in the acts of outward worship, to pray to him, and praise him. According to the object wee worship, so is our fruit: For if wee worship the true God alone, then wee come to happinesse, both be­cause our estimation, affection, and reverence are right placed. And more, because thereby he com­municateth himselfe to us, even to our conformitie with him: for our due estimation of him is our ex­cellencie, that makethPhilip. 3. 8. us misprise all things beside, and seeke him alone. Our due affection to him, is our union with him, and a partaking of his divine nature; in that we loath all things beside, and adhere to him as our only happinesse. Thirdly, our religious reve­rence holdeth him ever in our eye, as the paterne, to the which wee conforme our selves. So thereby un­doubtedly wee attaine true happinesse: But if wee [Page 88] worship any thing beside, we make our selves more and more miserable; Though wee should worship Angels and Martyrs, neither can they communicate goodnesse to make us happy; and their worship is impious, and idolatrous, and separateth us from God.

The pretended cause, why Julian forbad Christi­ans children the use of secular learning,Socrates lib. 3. c. 10. was, lest they being armed therewith, might more dextrously refute the Pagans: But the secret cause was, lest by reading the fables and histories of the Gods, they should finde just matter of mocking and insulting over them;Aug. Civit. 7. 34. As the old Senat burnt Numaes books, because they expressed the secrets of their religion. For their owne histories maketh them the worst men of their time, yea monsters rather than men, and yet after their death, the world seeking a colour to their owne wickednesse, made them gods; And the devils (the promoters of their worship, for their owne behoofe) made the world thinke that adulte­rie, murther, drunkennesse, and such were good ser­vice to them. If Iupiter, Mars, Apollo, Bacchus, were now living, as they were at their best in their life time, they would be abhorred as pests, and cast out of the common-wealth. This then is our happi­nesse, that wee worship that God alone who made the heaven and the earth; and finding him, that all the parts of religious worship begin in him, conti­nue, and abide in him.

Secondly,2. This beautie is in Gods worke. the beautie of God in the Sanctuarie is in his working with his people for happinesse; which wee consider in three: First, as it proceedeth from him. Secondly, the worke of his grace in the people [Page 89] meeting him. Thirdly, the worke of pastours be­twixt both. Gods worke toward his people, goeth in foure: First, his offering of happinesse. Secondly, his exacting of service. Thirdly, his conferring, or giving the grace, that he offereth to them. Fourthly, his accepting of his worke in them, as if it were theirs only.

The first is his offer of salvation and happinesse:1. His offering of happinesse. At the first it is thought, that wee come to offer to him, but indeed he bringeth us to his house to offer to us: Here a great change; God whome wee have made our enemie, is our best friend: Our Iudge, who may plague us for our sinne, turneth our repledger, by his mercy rescuing us from Justice. Our Credi­tour turneth our Pardoner; and while hee might powre out all his wrath upon us, he is to reconcile us to him: And under this name our reconciliation goeth, because he worketh the worke, whereof wee are at first both ignorant and uncapable: So in Scripture every where he calleth on us:Isai. 1. 18. Come let us count together. Mat. 11. 28. Come to mee yee that are wearie, and laden, and I will ease you.

Next in the Sanctuarie he exacteth service of us,2. Exacting of our service. and that for our owne good only; that seeing he is applying to us his happinesse purchased by his Son, he craved of us preparations and dispositions to re­ceive it. So he craveth that wee lay up his word in our heart; That wee repent our sinne unfainedly; that we beleeve in him; that wee love him with all our heart, and all our soule, and that we honour him in keeping his Commandements: for even while he promiseth to ease us of our owne yoake, he biddeth us take his yoake upon us; That we pray to him for [Page 90] blessings wee have need of, and that wee praise him for every blessing we receive.Nihil enim Deus jubet quod sibi profit, sed illi cui ju­bet. Aug. Ep. 5. For God commandeth no man any thing for his owne profit, but for his profit whom he commandeth: And all the businesse of our sacrifice under the Gospell is not for him, but for our more profitable exercise in piety.

Thirdly,3. He giveth what he offe­reth. he conferreth upon us, and giveth the things that he both offereth and exacteth; so hee worketh faith in us, opening our hearts, as hee did Act. 16. 14. the heart of Lydia: and while he biddeth us, Come to his Sonne, he draweth us to him, both by alluring us with his excellencie, and bowing of our wils to him: He craveth of us, that we understand his word, and giveth us hearts to understand it, whenDeuter. 30. 6. he circum­ciseth our eare and heart, Jer. 31. 33. and writeth his Law there­in. As he commandeth, that we love him with all our heart; so he sheddeth abroad his love in our heart, making all our heart powre it selfe out on him. As he craveth obedience of us, so he giveth the spirit of obedience,Jer. 32. 40. putting his feare in our heart, and causing us to walke in his Law. His craving or exacting is not Legall, but Evangelick; for the legall is, Doe, and thou shalt live; and yet gave no helpe to doe the thing that was commanded; but the Evan­gelick exacting giveth us power to doe the thing that it commandeth, giving us to know, to will, and to doe. And their obedience differeth as well as the exaction; for the legall obedience was to righteous­nesse and salvation, (if they could attaine it,) but the Evangelick obedience is for gratitude and thankful­nesse to God, for that happinesse, which hee hath both purchased, and applies to them freely.

Fourthly,4. Accepteth our service. as a gracious Acceptor, of that wee are [Page 91] able to doe by his grace; which goeth in two: First, though it be his, he counteth it ours; for wee are not able of our 2. Cor. 3. 5. selves, as of our selves to thinke any good, but all our sufficiencie is of him. He giveth us the ha­bite of faith, of repentance, and bringeth their acts out of them. And though formally, beleeving, re­penting, &c. be our worke, because our wils, moved by grace, doe move themselves, and so specifieth the acts of these habits, yet the power and furniture whereby wee beleeve is of God. Next, these spiri­tuall acts being pure as they come of him, yet they have some blemish in them, because of our corrup­tion: as water from a pure fountaine doeth taste of the brasen or myrie channell, through which it run­neth; For our very righteousnesse is as a filthy clout Isay 64. 6.: For woe to the life (otherwise commendable) if it be judged without mercie Et vae vitae, alioqui lauda­bili si remota misericordia judicetur. Aug. Confess.: Yet he winketh at these ble­mishes, and taketh our service as perfect. He taketh a weake faith, like aLuk. 17. 6. Graine of mustard-seed, as though it were a Cedar: Our will for deed; Our pur­poses for performances; Our very desires of grace for grace, and for a sufficient preparation to fill us with grace; yea, and the desire of a desire is as welcome to him, as though it were a greater degree: We would not take so little of our neighbour, no not of our selves, as he taketh of us: yea, ofttimes we are most acceptable to him, when wee are least content with our selves.

The people a part of this beautie.

SEcondly,How people in themselves are this beautie. this beautie is in respect of the people; and that either in themselves, or in their worke. In themselves they are the Lords choice and portion: [Page 92] They have a spirituall and inward beautie in the image of God by regeneration; and their love to God maketh them beautifull. The love of no other beautifull thing can change us into it; but the love of God maketh us beautifull like him: Diligendo pulchri effici­mur—Ipsa charitas est animae pulchri­tudo. Aug. Ep. Iob. tract. 9. And in their worke. For by loving him, who is ever beautifull, we become beautifull; and how much that love groweth in us, so much groweth that beautie, because that love is the beautie of the soule.

The people in their work are beautifull, when they flow to the Sanctuarie:Psal. 122. 1. I rejoyced when they said, Wee will go unto the house of the Lord: They are like the chickens gathered under the hens wings: in that dispensation of grace to be warmed with the heat of that same love of God, that hath elected them. It is like the AngelsJoh. 5. 4. moving of the waters of that poole; but with this difference, that there only one was healed; but here all are healed who can by faith but touch the hem of his garment. Or it is rather like the spirit movingGen. 1. 2. upon the waters in the creation: Be­cause the holy Spirit, working mightily upon the hearts of the godly, produceth such motions and af­fections, as he thinketh good. And in a word, it is like innumerable empty vessels, set about an over­running fountaine; so godly soules compassing God in the Sanctuarie, are sensible of their owne wants, and desirous of God his supply: And he in the riches of his grace, furnisheth to every one as they have need. In the Gospell sometimes aMatth. 8. 2. leper, craved to be cleansed: Sometimes aMarc. 10. 46. blind man, to receave his sight: Sometimes a deaf man, to get his hearing, &c. But in the sanctuarie all these are spiritually;Marc. 7. 32. for therein some are blinde in ignorance; some are le­pers in naturall corruption; others are deaf, and can­not [Page 93] heare God: Others are lame, and cannot walk in the wayes of God: yea and more, there is not one soule, who hath not all these spirituall diseases by nature, and Christ in his owne time healeth them by parts.

In this beautie, the diversitie of peoples disposition, Their diversity of disposition. and God his operation are to be considered: For as many men and women, as many severall dispositi­ons,And Gods di­verse working on it. and God answerably worketh on them all: His word is the extract of his infinit wisedome, so ac­commodat to man, that it both informeth his minde with light, and stampeth his heart with a divine power; So it hath a varietie of that stamping, accor­ding to the disposition of the hearer: Some that are guilty of great sinnes, and yet senselesse, it will waken and pierce them, and make them cry,Act. [...]. 37. Men and bre­thren what shall we doe? Some againe are wounded with conscience of sinne, and feare of Gods wrath, but they shall heare:Ezech. 18. 21. At what time ever a sinner re­penteth, I will pardon him, and the conscience of his faith beleeving in Christ, and repenting sinne, shall be followed with this sweet whispering of his spi­rit, Marc. 2. 7. Sonne be of good comfort, thy sinnes are forgiven thee. A contrite heart is a pleasant spectacle to God, when it is brayed in the mortar of conscience. Some againe borne downe with heavie affliction, and in feare that they be rejected of God, because they are daily afflicted; their wearie hearts shall heare this word in due season,Apoc. 3. 19. That whom I love I chasten, and the only way to Luc. 9. 23. follow him, is to take up our crosse daily, and that affliction is our best lot, because it telleth us we are not bastards Heb. 12. 8., but children, and that it is a part of our Rom. 8. 18. conformity with Christ here, and a pledge that we shall be like him in glorie.

[Page 94] Moreover that same variety will be found in one godly soule at one time;Diversitie in one. for being in the hand of God, it is like soft waxe for the stamp, and as the points of doctrine go along is answerably moved, so that in one Sermon it will finde downe-cast and rai­sing up, griefe and comfort, and be sensible of all these changes of operation.Modestie in ut­tering our dis­position.

ThisPsal. 45. 13. beautie is inward, seene of God, and felt of them that have it; yet so, that outwardly it will ap­peare: For there is such harmonie betweene the heart and face, as scarcely can any affection be in the heart, that appeareth not some way in the counte­nance; which as it ought to be expressed with mo­destie, so should it be exponed of other in charitie. Sometimes the heart will be so moved when Gods hand toucheth it, that it cannot containe it selfe, but will breake forth into teares of sorrow and joy; but prudence commandeth us to convoy these things in publick, as modestly as we can: Our chambers, or the fields, are more convenient places for the full ut­tering of these affections; for there we may use ge­stures of body, speeches, &c. which we cannot be­fore man: for even the most sincere affection any wayes uttered, will finde such uncharitable censure, as1. Sam. 14. Hannahs teares found at the hand of Eli. There­fore in publicke, the expressions of our affections must be moderat; our teares that would burst out, must be turned into groanes; and these groanes must be suppressed, and turned into ejaculations; and these brought to a soul-speech with God, admiring our vilenesse, and his goodnesse, that taketh such paines on us: Praising him where we finde his grace hath kept us in obedience, resolving, promising, and [Page 95] vowing better obedience in time to come: That is the joy of our heart, when as it can poure out it selfe wholly on God in spirituall affections. Affection hath the own voice, whereby it is known of God: Sometimes it requireth no other expression, but is content with sighs; and these sighs will breake out, not only when we will, but also when we know not.

What more pleasant thing than to see Gods peo­ple taught of him:Gods teaching. All hearers areJoh. 6. 45. not taught of God, but only such as the unction teacheth. He speak­eth to the renewed eare and heart Purus puris loquitur., and the soft heart is only sensible of his working, and giveth him the Echo of his voice. When thou saidst,Psal. 27. 8. Seek ye my face, my heart answered, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. If he speak of sinne, it groaneth under guilti­nesse, or praiseth him, if it be free. If hee speake of wrath, it trembleth, and prayeth for averting. If hee command, it prayeth for grace to obey. And as clean paper taketh the stamp of everie type, so the soft heart is stamped with all his word,Jer. 31. 33. this is the wri­ting of the Law in our heart. The pen is his effectuall power; the ink his unction; the letters are Gods pro­perties, stamped on the powers of our soule; the words are infused habits; the lines are the lineaments of his image in righteousnesse and holinesse.Et audivi sicut auditur in corde, nec erat unde dubita­rem. Aug. Confess. 7. 10. This is to heare to our happinesse▪ when we heare in our heart, and there remaineth no more doubting. But oft times we know not what Christ speaketh, because we feele not what he feeleth.

If any thinke this beauty to bee marred,Hypocrites and Atheists marre not this beauty. because therein possibly are Hypocrites and Atheists, &c. I answer, that as there is a beautie of the universe which is not destroyed, but decored by some naughtie [Page 96] things: Aug. de lib. arb. 3. 13. 14. 15. for ill vices argue a good nature wherin they are, & manifest good things to be better by their comparison. Quibusdam perfectis, qui­husdam imper­fectis, tota per­fecta est. Aug. Gen. 2. cap. nlt. Ibid. 152. 154. By some things per­fect, and some things imperfect, the universe is perfect. God seeth them as blots in the Sanctuarie, without prejudice of the godly, who are his delight.

How Pastors are this beautie.

THe beautie of the sanctuarie in respect of Pastors is,Pastors a part of this beauty. in their calling and work. Their calling is to stand betwixt God and man: They are Gods mouth to the people in doctrine, and the peoples mouth to him in prayer and praise. This is the onely calling that teacheth man true happinesse, that openeth the heaven, and leadeth him to it. All the body of the heavens is pure, yet the stars are most pure parts, re­ceiving light from the sunne, and rendring it to the world:Mat. 5. 14. So are Pastors among men, the light of the world, starres receiving light from God, and ren­dring it to others: They areJob 33. 23. as one of a thousand, to declare to man the righteousnes of God; and Isay 52. 7. their very feet are beautifull, because they bring good ti­dings to the world: God sendeth them not of indi­gence, but indulgence Non est in­digentiae, sed indulgentiae. Bernard., as a more fit way to teach man, than either by himselfe, or by Angels: for man can peaceably receive instruction of man, but the glorie of God, or of Angels, would overwhelme us. It is likewise mans triall, and the commendation of his Faith; for if we were taught onely by God im­mediately, and not of man, there were no proofe of our obedience to Gods ordinance. Pastors then are a part of this beautie, when they stand between God, Psal. 22. 3. & 65. 2. Isay 62. 6. who heareth the prayer, and inhabiteth the praise of [Page 97] Israel, and are remembrancers to both.

The beautie in respect of their work,2 In their work. is as the mouth of God to the people, and their mouth to him: They are Gods mouth in preaching, the beautie whereof standeth in the matter, & form, the diversitie, & effi­cacie. 1 The sound matter of their doctrine. The matter, that they preach1 Cor. 2. 2. Christ crucified, and happines in him: That it be sound without error or heresie; and divine, according to Scripture. Mans minde enquireth a reason of all humane veri­ties; but when it heareth divine veritie, it neither en­quireth, nor examineth, but at the first resteth upon it with a divine faith. Therefore the Ancients in their sermons were exceeding sparing of humane testimonies, and contented them with Scripture, be­cause they knew, to doe otherwise was to confound divine and humane faith in the hearer: As now the Papists, who have equalled traditions with Scrip­tures, have brought their people, that they know no difference betweene divine and humane truth, or be­twixt divine and humane faith, respecting both. When any thing is spoken beside Scripture, the minde of the hearer will vage, Hieron. but when God speaketh, all doubting ceaseth.

The second beautie of their doctrine is in the form, 2 In the spiri­tuall forme. that holy things be delivered holily. As every science hath the owne proper matter, so hath it the owne proper forme; and Gods word which is holy hath the owne2 Tim. 1. 13 paterne of wholesome words, wherein it should be delivered. If therefore we propone it as Oratours in the schoole, or Lawyers, wee spill the native beautie of the word. And this is it which the Apostle calleth, the1 Cor. 2. 4. demonstration of spirit and power: which is not so much to be expounded of an [Page 98] exact forme of reasoning, as with a manifesting▪ and kything of a spirituall power in doctrine. Doctrine commeth of foure speciall grounds: 1 Naturall quicknesse: 2. Art and learning: 3. Diligence in in­dustrie, hearing, reading, collecting: and by grace in the inward teaching and inspiration of the Spirit. Now publick doctrine is a kything how many of these, or what of them are in us. For a judicious hearer can well discerne from which of these, one, or moe, or all, it floweth. And though we could rub the itching eare wonderfully, with the first, or the se­cond, or the third, or all three of them together, yet if the fourth be lacking, it is not the Apostles de­monstration of the spirit and power, but of nature and industrie. This commeth of the concurrence of the spirit, who is first effectuall in them by sancti­fication, and then effectuall by them in a heavenly doctrine in the hearts of people.Psal. 132. 19 Then his Priests are clothed with salvation, and his Saints shout for joy.

Thirdly, the beautie of Pastors doctrine is in the diversitie of their gifts: Gods house hath people of all complexions, and his word hath a sufficiencie to every mans condition. So wife Pastors propone it as 1. Cor. 3. 2. milk for the weaker, and as strong food for the perfect: For they studie not to their owne vain honour and praise, but to the profit of their hearers. Non enim honoribus suis vanis consu­lunt, sed utili­tati auditorum. Aug. Ver. rel. 28.. God is not like IsaacGen. 27. 38. that hath but one blessing, but out of his fulnesse, to some hee giveth the1 Cor. 12. 28 gift of know­ledge, to some the gift ofEphes. 4. 02. wisedome; he hath given some to be Apostles, some Pastors, some Doctors, &c. and all to the edifying of the Church: but these two are most eminent and ordinarie gifts, Know­ledge [Page 99] and Wisedome. The first is doctrinall know­ledge, preserving the puritie of doctrine in the Church▪ The other is pastorall wisedome, dividing the bread of life aright, and applying it to the hearts of people; which Saint Austine preferreth to the other, as farre as the Sunne is above the moone.

This commeth not only by ordinarie teaching of men,Affliction schooleth Pa­stors. and that measure of Instruction which the spi­rit giveth to every one, but likewise by exercise of the crosse and experience. For God schooleth some Pa­stors greatly in affliction, and that not only for their personall sinnes; (which they have as great as any) but also to make them fitter instruments to instruct and comfort others. For this cause Luther said, That a Theologue of affliction was a Theologue of light: and though it be no part of our Church trials of intrant Pastors, yet the consideration were profitable.2 Cor. 1. 6. For whether we be afflicted, it is for you, &c. For when, be­side all humane means without, or labour within, they are taught of God to know the vilenesse of their own sinne, the deceit of their owne heart, the weight of Gods wrath for both, the terrours of an accusing conscience in all three, the horrours of spi­rituall desertion, the desolation and widowhood of the soule in such a case, &c. And on the other part, the freenesse of Gods mercie pardoning sinne, the sweetnesse of the peace of conscience under that as­surance, and joyes of the holy Ghost, the sense of Gods favour shed abroad in our heartsPsal. 63. 3. better than life, and the complete happinesse of the soule, under sense of the presence of a reconciled God. With this furniture they are made the more sufficient in those practick points (wherein the life of Christia­anitie [Page 100] standeth) to speake as men, who have learned by exercise and experience.

This experience bringeth three things:Pastors should communicate their expe­rience. First, a sort of obligement to communicate it according to our calling. Secondly, a lively speech. Thirdly, authori­tie in both. Obligement, because wee get not expe­rience for our own private use, but to make others better thereby.Psal. 34. 11. Come children, I will teach you the feare of the Lord: Psal. 66. 16. And, Come, I will tell you what God hath done to my soule. Let menPsal. 107. 8. confesse before men the goodnesse of the Lord: And he glorieth in it, that hePsal. 40. 10. hid not Gods goodnesse from the great congre­gation. Such communication of experienced men is profitable, for thereby people come easily to the knowledge of that which otherwise they could not learn without great exercise Ab expertis pastoribus dis­cit populus fa­cilè, quod ipsi periculosè ex­periri volunt. Aug. Epist. 5.. And among other causes why God afflicteth Pastors grievously, this is one, both to furnish them with a body of experimentall doctrine, and to bring the people easily to it by their communication.

Next,2 Their speech powerfull. it furnisheth them with a powerfull speech. Our language is the daughter of our reason, and our stile floweth from our complexion, education, and gift: and the gift is laboured by experience. The spirit createth the species in us, the species give the notion, the notion gives the stile to expresse it selfAug. de Ma­gistro.. Every science hath the own matter and termes; so hath Divinitie. The spirit, who giveth the matter, giveth also the stile of language, and the Col. 4. 3. doore of utterance, comparing things1 Cor. 2. 13. spirituall with spiri­tuall; and fitly to expresse divine matters in a divine stile, is his gift. If we conceive things only by the minde, we may speake properly, but not affectuously, [Page 101] nor effectually: But if we take them in our affection, our stile will be emphatick. No purpose hath need to be more pertinently expressed than happinesse; if it be coldly and warshly proponed, it wakeneth not the affection: But if they speak who have found the sweetnesse of it, their words are vive lineaments, both of their affection, and the thing that hath af­fected them; so that the common saying is true, As is the knowledge, so is the expression. Qualis cogni­tio, talis ex­pressio.

The Apostle condemneth humane eloquence, and not divine; and there is none comparable to Isay in eloquence; and the Scripture hath the own pithie phrase, without the flowers of humane orato­rie. Mens words testifie their gift, and the mea­sure of Gods working in them. Nazianzens em­phatick words are sentences, and therefore is called the Theologue. Augustine in many places hath a pathetick stile; and Bernards stile is full of affection and sense: and Calvin among the late Divines, like another Nazianzen, expresseth his deep concepti­ons in a pithie stile. This is not only theIsay 19. 18. language of Canaan, but also the masculousJudg. 12. 6. Schiboleth: their words have weight, and are asEccles. 12. 11 goads piercing the hearts of the hearers, and fastening them to God in the Sanctuarie. This is the tongue of the learned Isay 50. 4. (not of man, but of God) to speake a word in due season.

Thirdly,3 Pastors au­thoritie. experience maketh them speak with au­thoritie. Mat. 7. 29. Christ spake with authoritie, and not as the Scribes. For the Scribes spake warshly, as men doing some other businesse; or as Boyes in the schoole, re­hearsing other mens inventions. But a faithfull Pa­stor speaketh with authoritie. And that commeth of [Page 102] Conscience and Confidence: Conscience of their calling from God; of some competent furniture for the worke, and of his presence with them in doing the worke. Confidence of the warrant of their word from Scripture, and from experience that they finde the power of it in their souls in private:Psal. 116. 10 We beleeve, and therefore we speak. This maketh them speak af­fectuously, uttering their very heart in their speech. Their heart is in their words, which go out with the weight of affection: They are moved themselves with that they say, when they feele the power of it renewed in them in publicke, which they felt in se­cret. But when a purpose (though both sound and divine) is rehearsed either from reading, hearing, or superficiall thinking, there is not such union of the heart with the tongue, or the word with the affecti­on; and so oft times as little union betwixt the word spoken, and the heart of the hearer. If any man would move his hearer, he must be moved him­selfe; otherwise, how can they think that hee belee­veth the thing he speaketh. Preachers are lights, and fires: they must have light and heat, if they would warme and lighten others: So then this experience of Gods working, is his speech to their heart; and when he maketh them expresse it powerfully, they speak to the hearts of the hearers. When they speake to hearers that have experience, they are heard ear­nestly, but others judge of them according to their own disposition Puto hoc ip­sum vestra vo­bis experientia intus respon­det, quod ego foris loquor. Bernard. Can. 21. Da sitientem & scit quid dico. Aug. tract. 26.. This made the Ancients in their ser­mons to cry out, Give me one that thirsteth, and he knoweth what I say, &c. Want of experience maketh uncharitable carping.

Fourthly,4 Divine as­sistance of Pastors. the divine assistance is the beautie of [Page 103] their worke:Exod. 4. 12. I shall be with thy mouth. If we consi­der only how so fraile men, in so eminent a place, in the hearing possibly of some thousands, can deduce heavenly matters without kything infirmitie, speak­ing to God and man in such sort, as the judicious hearer doeth confesse.1. Cor. 14. 25. That God speaketh in them. For God hath chosen the most part of Preachers of the meanest sort of people, who possibly in common purposes can speake but little: But so soone as they stand up in the chaire of truth, they are oversha­dowed with a wonderfull presence of God, that maketh them speake with authoritie. But his assi­sting them to worke the worke of the Gospell, is far more, when they1. Cor. 3. are workers with him, to beget children to God, to turne soulsAct. 26. 18. to him, to cast down in the conscience of sinne, and raise up in the confi­dence of mercie: And though the fruit of the worke dependeth not on them, for God hath put these trea­sures in earthen vessels, 2. Cor. 4. 7. that the excellencie of the power may be seene to be of God, and not of man: Yet it is their glorie and happinesse, to be Gods instru­ments in bringing others to happinesse. They have his assistance first, because of their calling; for God is never lacking to his owne ordinance: Next, be­cause of their gifts, which are a greater token of his presence, than their simple calling: Thirdly, and most by sanctification, when they sanctifie their per­sons and gifts for the worke, and remove all things from them, that may either offend God or his peo­ple; and this is it, that disposeth them for the mani­festation of spirit and power.The Sacra­ments are a part of this beautie.

The ministration of Sacraments, is a part of this beautie: The first giveth us the life of God, the se­cond [Page 104] nourisheth that life in us: The first meeteth us with provision at our entrie in the valley of teares: The second strengtheneth us for temptations in it. Baptisme is our first Sacrament,1. Of Bap­tisme. and scarcely are we borne naturally, when we are borne againe spiritual­ly: Gods grace prevening our wit, our will, and our worth, and sealing us before wee be sensible. It is a prevening of sathans malice, to marke us with the seale of the covenant, ere he can abuse us to any actuall sinne. Therein great workes are acted with little shew; the death, buriall, aud resurrection of Christ, is there represented: Our Iustification, death, buriall, and resurrection with him, are there acted. Therein the sonnes of Adam are made the sonnes of God: The children of wrath are made heires of the kingdome of heaven. What grace from eternall or­dained us, prevening grace as a midwife bringeth out. By our first birth we increase the number of mankinde: By our second birth wee increase the Church. The grace of election griped us in eterni­tie; the grace of Baptisme gripeth us in time, by the beginnings, and the grace of effectuall calling, pul­leth us fully to God. As elect children receive the seeds of grace in Baptisme, so in time they break out fully in them. In our election, though wee were in God, yet we were neither in our selves, nor sensible of that his choising grip: In our Baptisme we are in our selves, but not sensible of his working. In our calling both wee are, and are sensible of the worke of his grace in us.

The Sacrament of the Lords supper is another part of this beautie:2. Of the Lords supper. He gave us life in Baptisme, and fee­deth it conveniently in the Supper, as a life for eter­nitie. [Page 105] He is both our life and the food of it: Neither can that life live without him, neither can any thing beside him nourish it. It is a precious food, and dearely prepared. He prepared it on the crosse, when he suffered the punishment for our sinnes, and giveth it to us in that Sacrament, as that Manna that tasteth to every man, according to his desire. He is with these mysteries, both sacramentally and spiritually, and with us spiritually, to make us one with him; not by mixture of substances, but by union of spirits; for our eating of him is our biding in him Manducatio nostra est man­sio in eo. Cypr. de Caena.. To eat his flesh, and drinke his bloud, is not horrour, but honour Non horroris sed honoris est, Cypr, 503. August. Tract. 26.. Be­cause wee eat him spiritually, we need not prepare our teeth, but our minde, for it is not the food of the bel­ly, but of the minde, and our beleeving is our eating: He both feedeth us with himselfe, and is fed by our pro­fit and increase in his grace, refreshing us with his spi­rituall joy, and rejoycing for our spirituall profit Pascitur & pascit. Aug. tract. Iohan. 26.. Our repentance, our love, and amendment, are his meat. We are eaten, when we are reproved: set over, when we are instructed: Wee are concocted, when wee are chan­ged: We are digested, when we are transformed, and united, when we are conformed to him Transforma­mur cum con­formamur, non in majestatis gloria, sed in voluntatis mo­destia. Bern. Cant. 62.. Then wee eat him, when we dissolve in the sense of his love: When his heart sendeth out that love that pierced it before the souldiers speare: Then our heart is drawen to his, and sucketh his heart in us, we thrust the tongue of our desire into his wounds, & drinke largely out of them: The mother suffereth not her deare babe more lovingly to lay the mouth to her pap, than he suffereth us to lay our heart to his: We see his heart more gladned for the glorie of God in our salvation, than grieved for the wounds, and therein the love [Page 106] of God, who from eternall loved us in Christ to such a happinesse. This is a drunkennesse without sinne,Bernard. an excesse without fault. He thinketh strange things, and seeth wonderfull things, and speaketh un­heard things, who is full of this Paschall Lamb, and of this beautie of the house of God.

Thus much for Pastours worke,Prayer a glori­ous worke. as they are Gods mouth to his people. They are the peoples mouth to God in prayer and praise, the two tables of Gods immediat worship, and a great part of this beautie. In prayer all adore God as the fountaine of happi­nesse: Therein we acknowledge our miserie in sinne and punishment, and send up our faithfull desire for pardon: Againe, the good that wee want, as holi­nesse, righteousnesse, and happinesse it selfe we crave in confidence. There is no part of Gods worship, wherein wee be more sensible of the Trinitie: The Father as the fountaine, the Sonne as Mediatour, in whose hand wee put up our prayers, and the holy Spirit helping our infirmities, and making us pray with groanes that cannot be expressed. Rom. 8. 26. It is the swee­test exoneration of our heart, for when it is oppres­sed with griefe, or bound up in the owne hardnesse of senselesnesse; if we get libertie to powre it out be­fore the Lord, wee finde a wonderfull release, and God powring in joy for the griefe we powred out: Psal. 94. 20. In the multitude of the thoughts of my heart, thy com­forts sustained me. It is a worke of Gods grace in us, for those whom he hath chosen, to them he hath ap­pointed all the blessings that follow election, and so among the rest, he giveth them the spirit of prayer, to crave the performance of his promise:Heb. 4. 16. By his grace they draw neere to that throne of grace, Heb. 10. [...]0. by the [Page 107] way that Christ hath made new by his bloud; and Christ who purchaseth accesse, provideth also a suc­cesse,Quantâ fidu­cia ut tantae me audeam credere Majestati, nisi mediatori Christo. Bern. 123. 3. to receave grace for help in time of need. The more wee grow in grace, the more wee are inlarged with confidence: Thereof it is, that wee both love more ardently, and pray more confidently for that we want.

Privat prayers have greater libertie to feele and expresse these divine operations,Privat prayers are more free. and is the diet that most nourisheth us, but the prayers in the sanctuarie have their great fruit: Therein all the prayers of the Saints are joyned with us,Tertull. Apolo­getic. to make an onset on God: This is an holy violence, wherin he delighteth. It was not a reproofe of Moses,Exod. 32. 10. Suffer mee to destroy this people; but a commendation of his zeale for Gods glorie in the salvation of Israel, and a professing; that he cannot resist the earnest prayers of his owne. He is liberty it selfe,Semper orans: tanquam Chi­rographa tua ingeram. Dig­naris enim qui­bus omnia debi­ta dimittis, etiam promis­sionibus tuis de­bitor fieri. Con­fess. 5. 9. The profite of prayers. and yet willingly is bound by the bonds of his owne making. For what is our faith challenging him of his promise, but his owne grace in us, telling he is minded to yeeld, because he wor­keth in us that strength to wreastle with him, like Ja­cob, till wee prevaile: His Fatherly love that preve­neth us with that disposition, meeteth us with the desire to answer.

It is most profitable even in this; that by our prayers we partake of all the prayers of the godly, that have beene made from the beginning: God hath them all in register, and they are a treasure of the Church; but above all, the prayerJoh. 17. of Christ, that gives life unto them: If therefore we put in our mite in this treasure, we have a right to the whole. Some have questioned of what thing men made most [Page 108] gaine, as twentie, fourtie, fiftie in the hundreth, but prayer exceedeth all, for we gaine a million for one: Neither let us be discouraged if sometimes we finde our prayers but faint, few words, no order, weake desires, and no satisfying of our selves therein. For as a mother will sooner heare her sicke babe in the cradle, and run to him if he begin to weepe, than a stronger boy that cryes strongly; so God is more neere and ready to helpe, when we can scarcely cry, than when wee finde greater freedome. Wee please God best, when wee please our selves least, and we please him worst, when wee please our selves best: our cutted and broken desires are our voice Desiderium est vox. Bern. 172. 2. 3. 147. 1. 2., and these desires are as acceptable to him, as our long prayers. Oftentimes wee come to prayer with a trembling and withered heart, but continuing therein, some­times grace is suddenly infused, the heart is filled with joy, and we finde the libertie we crave.

Praise is the other part of this beautie:Praise our joy­full returning to God. The floods returne to the sea, so should we give thankes to God, our Maker in creation, our Benefactour in providence, our Redeemer in Christ, our Rewarder in crowning his owne mercies in us. That affection is dead that powreth not out it selfe wholly in thanksgiving: Therein peo­ple with heart and voice render him thanks: And with prayer it maketh up the sweet respect betwixt God and man; for in the first wee pull downe grace for grace, in the second we send up praise for prayers. In the first the sense of our miserie filling the heart with griefe, openeth it with a desire of reliefe; In the second the sense of mercie, filling the heart with joy, maketh it with an unspeakable delight, to thrust it selfe upon God. That heavenly thanksgiving, that [Page 109] closeth Gods service, is some token, that people have gotten what they sought, and that God sen­deth them away in peace with his blessing, pronoun­ced upon them, as a seale thereof: It is the peoples triumph over sathan, who is more grieved with the Saints praising, than with all the charmes of his con­federats.

Some have thought strange,How we should pray and praise con­tinually. why wee are com­manded by the Apostle both to pray and praise con­tinually 1. Thess. 5. 16. 17.: But that continuall is not, as though we should be ever in the action of prayer, or praise, which is impossible, but of our disposition and af­fection rising therefrom: That as we have rooted in us the affections of griefe and joy, so when God sen­deth grievous things, wee should pray, and when he sendeth joyfull things, we should praise. They stand well with our mixed state here, for there is no man who wanteth his owne daily miseries, and so hath need to pray continually; and none wanteth his owne daily blessings, and so hath cause to praise continually. Even our affliction is a secret cause of praise, for as it telleth Gods love, and foretelleth the happie fruit, so God leaveth ever better behind him, than he taketh from us: For if he take away our health, or fame, &c. yet if he leave remission of sins, peace of conscience, &c. they are better than the blessings removed. Lastly, these two are mutuall causes to other, for when our heart is soaped with sorrow, and teares run downe our face, wee have cause to rejoyce in that disposition, as a speciall worke of grace so bruising our heart. And in our greatest joy wee have cause of sorrow: For while God is filling our heart with joy, yet at that time [Page 110] we will be grieved, because that joy will bide but shortly, and that on our default. For we can no more keepe it, than a riven lanterne can keepe a candle in a storme, or a cold hearth a sparkle of fire.

This is the sett debt which the Church acknow­ledgeth,Praise a sweet de [...]t. different from all other: Civill debts op­presse men, but this relieveth them: And the debt of sinne maketh us wearie and laden, but this easeth us. We owe a heavie debt to Gods justice: It is first directing, & when we obey it not, turneth into a vin­dictive justice to punish us, and we lye under a dou­ble burthen of sinne and punishment, whereof Christ biddeth us pray for pardon: Forgive us our debts. But this is a debt to Gods mercie, because it ingageth us by blessings, so with new grace it helpeth us to pay that contracted debt: In other debts, the more wee pay, the lesse is to pay; but in this, the more wee pay, the more we owe, because the thing that we pay is a new gift of God. Thankfulnesse receiveth continual­ly greater blessings, and the opened thankfull heart keepeth Gods hand and treasure open Gratitude majora accipit. Bern. 93. 4. Item. 163. 4.. We crave not to be freed of this debt, but to be drowned in it; so that we be not able to pay, till we be in heaven eter­nally. This life is too short a time, and our soules and bodies now, are ill tuned instruments to praise him:Bern. 128. 2. Here we have but beginnings and preparati­ons of praise, for griefe the basse-string of our harp soundeth now highest, but in heaven God shall take away that basse, and tune our harps like the harps of the Angels,Revel. 7. 19. when he hath wiped all teares from our eyes. Now Christ giveth us a prayer for the way, but then he shall putPsal. 40. 3. a new song in our mouth: New for matter, because Evangelicall, not Legall: New [Page 111] for the forme, because all joy without mixture of griefe:Congregations are most beau­tifull meetings. And new for Indurance, because eternall.

Of this beautie of the sanctuarie we may gather: First, that when the Saints are met with God in the sanctuarie, they are the most beautifull congregati­ons of mankinde: Other meetings, as triumphs, co­ronations, &c. have their owne shew and glorie, but nothing to this: Their expectation is more than their being, and their being evanisheth at the height. God is also in other meetings, but not so as in the sanctuarie. For there he is as Creatour ruling all things for this present life: But here he is as Redee­mer, working true happinesse in his children, that we may justly say, That his presence elsewhere, compa­ratively is a desertion to his presence in the sanctuarie. His worke in the sanctuarie is the kernell, and his providence in all things is the husk and the shell. He hath more delight to see a penitent sinner mourne for sinne, than to looke upon all the glorious shewes in the world. The good Angels frequent these mee­tings with joy, as the pleasantest sight they see among men: And the grieves they haveLuk. 15. 7. to see the godly offend God, are mitigate, when they see these same saints in the worke of repentance, and recon­ciliation with God. And the evill angels who com­passe theJob 1. 7. earth continually, make a pause, when they come to these congregations, as at their most dolefull object: For then they see their labours de­stroyed in an houre, when God openeth the eyes which they have blinded, softneth the heart which they have hardened, and delivereth them whom they have kept long in the bands of sinne.But not idola­trous congre­gations.

But all meetings may not claime this, but such only [Page 112] as have Gods Word and Worship in puritie, accor­ding to which this beautie is to be exponed. Let Pa­pists therefore consider how far they are from this beautie. Gods word is corrupted among them in such sort, that it cannot have that efficacie which natu­rally accompanieth it. They serve God in an un­known language, and know neither what God saith to them, nor they to him, so that they cut them­selves off from the sweet intercourse of grace be­twixt God and the godly soule, wherein reformed Churches abound. Their idolatrie in praying to Saints as helpers, and intercessors, and praising of them (as their guardians and deliverers) defile the sanctuarie.

Thirdly,The duty of Pastors. Congregations that seeme reformed may prejudge themselves of this beautie, if they be not spiritually disposed; so that both Pastors and people may learne their lesson,1 In their pre­paration. to keep their part of this beautie. Pastours, that they strive to be Pastors whom God hath sanctified: Hierarcha pius, quem De­us sanctificat. Cypr. p. 503. Bernard. fol. 123. col. 3. That ere they come to the publick, they bee with God upon the mountaine to get their commission of him, what to speake, and how to speake in his name.2 King. 4. 31 Eliseus sent his ser­vant with his rod to the Shunamites sonne, but there was neither life, nor moving, wrought, till the Pro­phet came himselfe. We carrie the rod of the word, but there will be no quickning, except God himselfe be with us. That they deale expresly with God, Who am I to carrie thy message to thy people? for Jer. 1. 6. I am a childe that cannot speak: Except thou goe with me I cannot goe. That they bring downe from the mountaine the written tables, and a shining face, and the testimonies of their conversing with God. That [Page 113] comming to the publick Act. 7. 33. they cast their shoes off their feet, 2 In the Church. because the place where they stand is holy ground. That they come in much feare and trembling, under conscience of the burden of the word of God.Zech. 9. 2. That they have their secret ejaculations to God, when they fall upon hard points. Tell me, Lord God, what I shall say to thy servants Aug. tract. 69. That in all things they depend upon the divine assistance, for it is God a­lone that entreth in the heart Solus Deus illabitur in corda. Ber. Cant. 5.: and he speaketh better that dwelleth within, than he that cryes without Melius dicit qui intus habi­tat quàm qui foras clamat. Aug. tract. 3.. That they carry Aarons garment, bearing their people on the breast-plate of their heart in love, and on their shoulders, in the care of their salvation. That they be taken up with the desire of Gods glorie, and their peoples happinesse, so that they care not what come of themselves,Exod. 28. 12 if they obtaine those ends.

That they count their peoples teares their glorie, 3 After their labours. and seek more their mourning, than their applauseAmo vocem illius Pastoris, qui non sibi plausum, sed mihi planctum, &c. Bernard.; and whatever blessing follows their labours in wor­king grace in the people, that they take no part of it to themselves, but ascribe it wholly to God. So the1 Cor. 15. 10 Apostle, I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which is with me. John the Baptist rejoyced in Christ, and not in himselfe: He made difference betwixt him and man-man, and betwixt his master, who was Man-God: Aug. tract. 14. He knew that who will rejoyce in himselfe shall be grieved: and therefore he took no more to himself, lest he should lose that that he received. So ought Preachers to doe lest they glory in the Lords gifts; and not in the Lord. Bernard. Cant. 14. But if they neglect the rule, and propone novelties beside, or contrary to Scripture, taking libertie to preach in publick their private new opinions: if they [Page 114] preach themselves to shew their quicknesse, their reading, their memorie, and that only for a popular applause; they are not beautie, but blots of the san­ctuarie, and abominations before God. And though they be free of these things, they may fal in a worse, if seeing their labours fruitfull in people, they take the glorie of it to themselves in any part: then they steale the glorie of God, procure his desertion to their future labors, and prejudge themselves of their owne happinesse. Besides, passionate Pastours are worse in the sanctuarie than Hophni and Phinehas, 1 Sam. 2. 29. they have no end but revenge, no rule, but splene, and neither regard GOD, nor reverence man: There cannot bee a greater blot in the sanctuarie; thereby God is angred, people are offended, the sa­crifice of the Lord is made to stink.

Next,The dutie of people. the peoples duetie is, to keepe their part of this beautie:1 In prepara­tion. That they count it Gods great mercie who speaketh to them by Pastors,Bernard. not for the helpe of any Creature (because he is omnipotent) but for ac­commodation to their weaknesse: Cant. 5. And it is their great good, that without their owne labour they are brought to happinesse by the labour of Pastours. In their preparation, to be purified according to the puri­fications of the Sanctuarie Exod. 16. 22.. The measures of the san­ctuarie were the double of the common measure, therfore the disposition for private worship must be doubled for the Church, and the weeke dayes mea­sure must bee doubled for the Sabbath. Our Sab­bath hath the Manna doubled, and is not like the Jews Sabbath in the wildernesse, theirs was a type that in heaven wee should need no preaching nor prayer,2 In the Church. but ours is of perfect glorie in heaven. Peo­ple [Page 115] then ought to be affected according to the parts of Gods worship: In prayer, that the minde in faith and zeale, follow the thing that is spoken: In praise, to be sensible of the Psalme they sing; for praying or praysing with a wandring heart is a mocking of God in his face: In doctrine, that they have their cjaculations for the worke of the spirit, and their earnest intention for themselves and the PastorsIntentio au­ditoris, est ora­tio pro ipsis & Pastore. Bern. fol. 104.: That they mixe Heb. 4. 2. faith with their hearing, and bee as content to be rebuked of their sinne, as to be com­forted in their crosse; if they suffer not themselves first to Hos. 6. 5. be hewen and wounded with the word of reproofe, God will not poure in the balme of Gilead: And above all, let them bee earnest with God, that his spirit may teach them inwardly: For many hear, but all are not perswaded, save those only to whom God speaketh inwardly Aug. in 1. ep. Iohan. tract. 4.: Lastly, that they take heede how they end that Treatie with God;3 In the end. for it were a blockish thing for a man who is in danger of his life, or state, if his partie call him to a frindly Treatie, and he be so senselesse that he knew neither if he met with his partie, or know not how they began, pro­ceeded, and closed their Treatie: So are the most part of us, wee come to the Sanctuarie, the Lords trysting place, and when wee come home, if any would ask us, Did you meet with God in his house? Was your treatie in the termes of peace? And was it closed with this, Sonne, bee of good comfort, thy sins Mar. 2. 7. are forgiven thee? We would answer with the Dis­ciplesActs 19. 2. at Ephesus, We know not if there be such things or no.

Lastly, Nations or Cities who have this beautie of the sanctuarie,Scotlands dutie in keeping this beautie. should keepe it carefully, for it is [Page 116] their glorie. And this is our advertisement, that we keep this pretious thing, that God 2 Tim. 1. 14 hath committed to us: For we may affirme, that God hath blessed us with a bodie of as sound and wholesome divinitie, as any age or nation since the Apostles time. No Church is absolutely perfect, yet in this point, wee may contest with the best. For in former times Sa­than busied the Church with heresies, as the Ebio­nites, Marcionits, Sabellians, Arians, Pelagians, &c. And when these were damned, Antichrist amassed them all in one under other terms, and making ther­of the body of his Apostasie, obtruded them to the Church, under the colours of his authoritie and in­fallibilitie. And when God led his Church by his Worthies, the Reformers, hee blessed this Nation with a body of most refined Doctrine. If we keepe this in puritie, it shall be our happinesse: But if liber­tie of private opinions, turn in a libertie of publick venting these opinions, and to turne us to Rome a­gaine, then altar against altar will deface this beau­tie of the sanctuarie. Hold fast that thou hast till I come, that no man take thy crown Apoc. 3. 11. from thee. Politicks (like Gallio) care not for these things,Acts 18. 17. but the safety of the common-wealth consisteth in happinesse Salus Rei­pub. in summo bono. Aug. Ep. 3, and that same that maketh a particular man happie, ma­keth a Citie happy also. The last day wil prove this, when the sheep on Christs Matth. 25. 32 right hand shal be gathe­red out of Nations and Cities, who had the beautie of the sanctuarie in the doctrine of happines in the Gospel: But all other shall be ranked with the goats.

That I may see.

WEe have heard of the beautie of the Lord in the Sanctuarie,Seeing for all senses. wherein happinesse is offered to us: followeth the application, whereby wee ap­ply it to our selves, set down in this word (to see) which hath a generall and speciall consideration.Aug. Epist. 3. In the generall it signifies with the Hebrews all sensing, Item Epist. 12. because it is the most excellent sense.Basil. p. 101. in fine. So it is put for hearing:Rev. 1. 22. I turned to see the voyce, that is, to heare the voyce. God hath boared through our bodies with five senses, that our soules might have intercourse with the qualities of his creatures, in their colour, juice, smell, &c. And spiritually for our fuller joy, offereth himselfe to be the object of our five spiri­tuall senses. So we see him in his works, we heare him in his wordPsal. 34. 8., wee taste him in his goodnesse: Wee smell the fragrancie of the grace of the Gospel: We touch him, to draw vertue Luk. 8. 44. out of him with the di­seased woman, and withJoh. 20. 28. Thomas to call him our Lord, and our God. Therefore hearing is not here excluded, but included as the fittest sense for spi­rituall thingsRom. 10. 17., for faith comes by hearing, and it is a preparation to the spirituall sight Psal. 45. 10.: Hearken Daug­ter, and behold: Psal. 48. 8. As we have heard, so have we seen. It supplieth the weakenesse of our sight in Gods works. In them we see his power, his wisedome, &c. But in the Word, wee heare of Christ his com­ming in the flesh, our redemption and reconciliation [Page 118] in him: It is also a more common way to learne, for mo can heare than can read, and the most fit way to receive heavenly things, which are revealed in the audible word. It is also surest, to keep us from idola­trie, for though spirituall things cannot bee repre­sented; yet some have attempted to do so in images, but when they are explaned by words, there is no such dangerDeut. 4. 12.: We only heare the voice, but see no­thing. Lastly, wee wereGen. 3. lost by Eva's hearing of the Serpent, therefore God will wound Sathan with his own rod, and save us by that sense whereby wee were lost; we are saved by faith Ephes. 2. 8., and faith commeth by hearing Rom. 10. 17..

The speciall consideration goeth in seeing and frui­tion. How we see God here. Aug. epist. 6. & epist. 112. This seeing is not bodily, but spirituall: For as the object is, so must the sense bee. There have been great disputes concerning the seeing of God with our eyes: but let us stand to Scripture, That 1 Tim. 6. 16. God dwelleth in the light inaccessible, whom none hath seene nor can see in their mortalitie 1 Cor. 13. 12, yet after­ward, we shall see him face to face, and shall know him as we are known. But for this life, though none have seene him, yet his only begotten Sonne Joh. 1. 18. who came out of his bosome hath revealed him to us, and that both in himself who is his eternall and substantial wordHeb. 1. 2., and the ingraven forme of his petson; and likewise by the word that hee gave to his Apostles. In like manner our happinesse in the owne fulnesse, the eye hath not seene 1 Cor. 2. 9, 10., nor hath the eare heard, nor hath it en­tred into the heart of man to think upon; yet God by his Spirit revealeth to his own in the first fruits, and earnest. God hath created the new man in his own, and furnished him with spirituall senses: His [Page 119] sight is the minde inlightned with heavenly light, when God, who commanded light to shine 2 Cor. 4. 6. out of darknesse, shineth in our soul by the Gospel of grace: When he hath created this light in us, then in his light we see light Psal. 36. 9.. This illumination of the mind turneth in faith, when the things wee simply see by light, wee assent unto and apply them to us as our own, and so go forward in the application of happi­nesse to our selves.

No light discovereth the Sunne,Faith seeth God. but the light that commeth from it, and no light discovereth God, but the light that commeth from him, and that so cleer­ly, that it pulleth the heart to him, and true happi­nesse in him. Our happinesse is in union with God, and the maine bands thereof are the spirit on his part, and faith on our part. Faith standeth not at sight, but goeth on to apprehension: our assent tyeth us to him by the mediation of his truth, but our ap­prehension gripeth himselfe immediately, as one who is truth it self, and in whom all things are good truly and infinitely, so that our trust in God may be called a thrusting of our soules on him. The dis­eased womanMar. 5. 27. was not content to look upon Christ, but would likewise have vertue out of him by tou­ching. What is this, said one which shineth within me, and smiteth my heart without hurt; so that I both tremble and burne? I tremble, in so farre I am unlike him; I burne, in so farre I am like unto him Percutit cor sine laesione. Bernard.: This sight terrifieth not, but comforteth Visio haec non terret, sed mul­cet. Bernard. Cant. 23.. It is the sight of a reconciled God by a reconciled man, the matter of his presence here, and of our heaven on earth. There is no light clearer than this, when truth shineth in the minde, and the minde in truth seeth God and it sel [...]e Quando ve­ritas splendet in mente, & mens in veri­tate, & Deum & se vider. Bern. 186. 3..

[Page 120] Herein appeareth the Prophets happinesse,Happinesse must be ap­plied. that seeking out happinesse, and knowing what it is, and where it is to be found, he resteth not there, till hee apply it to himselfe. Happinesse may ever bee hap­pinesse, and wee remaine miserable, if wee have no part in it. God is happinesse in himselfe without us, and wee are miserie in our selves without him: therefore we must be in him, that we may be happie. And this is by application, when as wee know hee is chiefe good, so wee are perswaded that hee is our chiefe good and happinesse. This is the proper worke of faith in her double perswasion. The one direct, and outgoing to the truth and things them­selves: The other reflecting and turning home to us by the work of our conscience, in the assurance that wee beleeve, and that these things are ours by faith.

Papists are here blame-worthie, who cut the throate of the sweetest Christian consolation:Papists apply not happines. for what availeth it to hear that God is good, that hap­pinesse is in him, if wee dare not, and may not apply it to our selves? And this is the end of Gods dispen­sation of the Gospel; for he revealeth to us that we may know, and the first end of knowledge is appli­cation: It is also the end of the efficacie of the Spirit, joyned with the word, not to open our minds onely to know, but also to apply to us. And shall we think that the blessings of the Gospel are set before us on­ly to looke to without application? It is the food of our soule, and must be eaten: The cloathes of our soule, and must be put on: The physick of our soul, and must be applied: So is Christ to us. The Apo­stle is not content to say, that1 Tim. 1. 15. Christ came in the world to save sinners, but subjoyneth of whom I am [Page 121] the chief: And more clearly,Gal. 2. 20. Henceforth I live not, but Christ liveth in me, and the life that I live, I live by the faith of the Sonne of God who loved mee, and gave himselfe for me. Ancient Creeds content them­selves more to expresse things to be beleeved, (be­cause of the debates of hereticks in the matter of doctrine) than to declare the way how to beleeve, and yet this particular application may be found in them: for as we beleeve the spirituall patrimonie of the Church in the remission of sinnes, the glorious resurrection of the body, and life eternall, is it onely to know that there is such a treasure in the Church without application to our selves? Or is an heire so simple, as to content himself to know, that his father hath an heritage, and is not at all perswaded that it pertaineth to him?

Faith acteth a personall act, Faith is for application. and as the root of it is personall in the habit, so the fruit of it must be per­sonall in the application of consolation. Gods work is particular to his own, he chooseth them by name, he calleth them by name, as he called,Luke 19. 5. Come down Zacheus: Hee casteth them down by the law perso­nally; why should not the application of the grace of the Gospel bee personall also? The nature and work of conscience proveth the same; for it is a with­knowledge in our breast, and all the actions of it are particular, ending in our person: And it contenteth not it self generally to say, We are sinners, but chop­peth us in a particular branch of a particular Law; and that in a particular kinde of sinne, in a particular degree. So it maketh us as particularly to apply the promise of the Gospel under conscience of repen­tance, as it applieth wrath under conscience of sinne. [Page 122] And Christ commendeth the wiseman, not for fin­ding Mat. 13. 44. of the pearle, but for buying of it; nor for knowing of the field where the treasure was, but for the possession of the treasure. Where this applica­tion is not, there is nothing but doubting concerning the promise: Probably they hold them as generall in the conscience of sinne, as they are in the promises of grace; and content themselves slenderly to thinke they are sinners, without any feeling of particular sinnes. Thus they delight to shuff [...]e themselves up in generall, both in miserie and happinesse, and not to come to particular application of either: Gods children call him Abba Father, for the divine nature in them, the sense of their filiation,Rom. 8. 15. and the testimonie of the Spirit of adoption maketh them to doe so, but the want of these things, make bastards and slaves to stand aloofe from him, and not to thinke or speake warmely of him, whom they know not to be their Father.

None hath this sight in the sanctuarie but the spi­rituall man: For he only hath the heavenly light in­fused in him, which is as necessary, as the externall light in the eye for bodily things. For the minde, and not the eye, is created to behold that greatest beautie of God: And they live the better and more highly, the more perfectly they behold him Ad contem­plandam sum­mam pulchri­tudinem mens non oculus fa­ctus est. Aug. ver. Rel, 33, Aug. de Ord. 8.. The naturall man percieveth it not, but thinketh it a phantasie that is spoken of it: They see not God but men, and the actions they see, are both base and a burthen to them: The Philosophers called Paul aAct. 17. 18. Babler, be­cause his doctrine was not in a Philosophick forme; and Festus said, that much learning made him mad Act. 26. 24.; so the naturall 1. Cor. 2. 14. man conceiveth not the things of God, [Page 123] because they are spiritually discerned: None concei­veth these things, but he that is wise spiritually; for the world cannot receive Joh. 14. 17. Ibid. 2. 15. the Spirit, because it seeth him not Quis haec ca­pit, nisi qui spi­ritualiter sa­pit? Aug. Tract. 69▪. But the spirituall man discerneth all, he seeth the glorie of God in his sanctuarie, discerneth the spiritualitie of doctrine, feeleth the power of the spirit,Luk. 7. 35. and so wisedome contemned of fooles is justi­fied of her owne children. Hee who feeleth not the sweet smell of the spouse, and runneth not, is either dead or rotten Aut mortum est aut putri­dus. Bernard..

Let us then strive to see God.Strive to see God. This sight shall be our happinesse in heaven, and the godly are desirous of it in this life, for they will see nothing more desire­able, and can see nothing more dilectable Nihil videre volunt deside­rabilius nil pos­sunt dilectabi­lius. Bernard. 146. col. 4. Bern. 147. 1.: Moses de­sired to see his glory, but was refused, and saw only his way. Esay saw him symbolically, or significative­ly: And though he datted the Patriarchs by the fa­miliaritie of his divine presence, yet they saw not himselfe, but some thing of him De ipso vi­demus, sed non ipsum. Bern. Ib.. For these Fathers saw him not as he was: And that because to see him as he is, is to be as he is; Videre sicut est, est esse sicut est. Bernard. ubi supra. but wee have that much sight of him in Christ as to save us, for heJoh. 14. 9. that seeth me, seeth the Father also. To have this sight we must be pureMatth. 5. 3. in heart, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God: Impuris se non ostendit veritas. Bern. 169. 1. For God sheweth not himselfe to the uncleane: We get this puritie by renovation, and being defiled by sinne, we purge our hearts from every evillHeb. 10. 22. con­science by repentance: thereby wee both may, and dare draw neere to the throneHeb. 4. 16. of grace in Christ, and looke on God, without whom he is a Heb. 12. 29. consuming fire. The wicked never have this sight, they shall see him in theAug. Epist. 112.signe of his power, but never in his glorious [Page 124] forme: Neither have all the godly it alike: Nei­ther any one godly man hath it alike at all times.

Of fruition of God.

THe second thing is Fruition; Of fruition. the fruit of the for­mer sight,Note: 1. Of the love of God. and the reall possession of the chiefe good, and so our happinesse in it: This no tongue can teach but grace Hanc non do­cet lingua, sed gratia. Bern. 166. col. 4. Ibid. 180. 7., and they who have it, cannot satis­fie themselves in explication of it, for it is better felt than described: Yet we may call it with some a pos­sessing of God, or to have him readie at hand Habere Deum est Deo frui, vel Deum praesto habere. Aug. Tom. 1. fol. 115.. But we shall consider in it two affections especially, Love and joy: The first is our inloving, the other our in­joying of him, and they go together, and carrie our soules with them on a good present and possessed. Love uniteth us to God, and turneth all our affections to it Caeteros in se traducit affe­ctus. Bern. 185. col. 1., and with it to him: It is both the contract and embracements of Christ, it is our worthinesse, Praemium & meritum. Ibid, and our reward: Our merit, because he loveth that his owne gift in us, and our reward, because so he followeth his former mercies in us. It is most pleasant to our selves, because it maketh the soule to rest sweetly on a present and eternall good: Even the desire of a good to come, hath the anxietie of delay, but love hath it present. It layeth not a part of the heart on God, but all; for that is his due,Mat. 22. 37. Love the Lord with all thy heart: neither will the heart rightly affected with him divide it selfe, but seeing and feeling his goodnesse as he draweth, so it yeeldeth wholly to him, and desireth to be out of it selfe, that it may be in him. Love is that only motion or affection, whereby we dare give God a meeting: If hee be angrie, wee [Page 125] dare not be angrie at him, but tremble and repent: If he rebuke, we dare not rebuke him, but deprecat his wrath: If he judge us, wee dare not judge him, but justifie him in his judgements. If he command, we dare not command him, but in all humilitie obey him. But it is contrary in love, for when God loveth us, Bernard. he seeketh that meeting to be loved againe, for he lo­veth us, that we may love him.

The second part of this fruition is joy,2. Of joy in God. when the soule overjoyed with God rejoyceth in him. It floweth from love; for when God hath filled our heart with the infusion of his love, and made it to powre it selfe on him, by loving him with all our heart; Of the sense of these two loves, followeth a new infusion of joy, whereby it rejoyceth, that it is beloved of God, and bestoweth it selfe in loving him. Love is the worke of our soule, in our dearest chiefe good about happinesse, and joy is the fruit of that worke, and the rest of our soule resting sweetly in the possession of him whom it loveth: and they are both mutuall causes and equall. Mutuall, because the more we love God, the more we rejoyce in him; and the more wee rejoyce in him, the more wee love him, as the matter of our joy: And they are equall, because in that same measure we rejoyce in him, in that same we love him. This is a joy1. Pet. 1. 8. unspeakeable and glorious: Unspeakable, even of those that have it, for if they presse to expresse it, their words are lesse than their thoughts, and their thoughts lesse than the sense of it, and their sense lesse than it selfe: And therefore their usuall expression is in secret with God, to powre out their heart in that joy, which they cannot expresse to man. When God in­fuseth [Page 126] it, the heart cannot comprehend it fully, but is like a small vessell, filled and overturned with a greater measure of liquor than it can containe; but it turneth that overrunning on God, and findeth that the best containing both of it, and that joy, is to be contained of God. It is also a glorious joy, or glorified, because it is the first fruits and earnest of the joyes of heaven, and all worldly joyes are as short of it, as the smoak of flax to a great fire.

Hereby are cleared both the spirituall [...]atietie and excesse. Spirituall sa­tietie. Spirituall satietie is that heavenly drunken­nesse, or inebriation of grace, wherewith God filleth his owne.Psal. 36. 8. They shall be satiat (or made drunke) with the fatnesse of thy house. This is not of wine, as the Iewes blamed the Apostles Ebrii Sp. San­cto, non musto. Bern. Cant. 49., neither of malice that Sa­than powreth into the heart, neither of worldly cares, which come of the wilde grapes of humane condi­tion, but it is of drunkennesse of the wine of grace, which floweth from the fulnesse of Christ, and is putLuk. 5. 38. in new vessels. This S. Peter granted for himself and the rest, we are not drunk with wine as ye thinke Act. 2. 15., but with a better liquor, the graces of the Spirit, that came downe abundantly on them: AndEphes. 5. 18. be not drunken with wine wherein is excesse, but be fulfil­led with the Spirit. This is that satietie, that com­meth of the fat things of the ho [...]se of God, and of the rivers of his pleasures or Paradise: what are these fat things, but theLuk. 15. 27. fatted calfe Jesus Christ, who is dai­lyGal. 3. 1. crucified in the sanctuarie in the Gospell, and that for Raritie, Excellence, and Sweetnesse? Raritie, because none but he: Excellencie, because none like him: And Sweetnesse, because he fully delighteth the soule, which by the faith of his incarnation and [Page 127] passion, &c. applieth him to it selfe: Here is Sam­sons riddle:Judg. 14. 14. Out of the labourer came meat, and out of the strong came sweetnesse. Who laboured more than he, whoIsay 63. 3. trode the winepresse of the Lord alone? And who strongerRevel. 5. 5. than the Lion of the tribe of Judah? And what sweeter than that hony­combe sticking in his bowels, that is the fruit of his obedience for us, springing of his incomparable love? This made the Greek Church to call it a monster of love [...] Portentum amoris. The wicked go by, and search not his bowels for this honie, but the godly take it out and eat it, yea the wicked can lick the dew off the rock, but cannot sucke the honie out of it Aquam lam­bunt de Petra, sed non sugunt mel ex Petra. Cyprian.; but the godly by the mounds of the rock, thrust their beleeving and lo­ving hearts into his heart, and are satiat with that love of the Father, the Sonne, and the Spirit, which they finde there. This is to be filled with Psal. 63. 5. marrow and fatnesse, who receive largely of that unction, to make us Psal. 92. 14. fat and flourishing in the body of Christ.

Spirituall Excesse is,Spirituall ex­cesse. when God so communicateth himselfe to the soule, that it exceedeth the wonted disposition, and is carried out of it selfe to him: The excellencie of the object, and singular sort of work­ing, maketh this unaccustomed sweetnesse; for or­dinarily wee can comprehend our disposition, but when he transcendeth our ordinary diet, wee must gather our wits afterward to consider the matter: In our wonted diet the spirit can bide in it selfe, though with reference to God, and by the way can move our body in naturall and civill actions: But when this excesse commeth, the spirit is pulled out of it selfe, and the body feebled: So the Apostle knew not whether in the body, 2. Cor. 12. 2. or out of the body, because of the [Page 128] excellencie of revelation; Dan. 10. 8. so Daniels body was feebled, because of the separation of the spirit taken up only with heavenly things: For the soule in any degree of that excesse, doeth not furnish power to the body, but turneth it in halfe a carcase. It is good that the bo­dy finde sometimes this feebling by the vigorous worke of the spirit, because the vigour of the body, often feebleth the spirit. Though they both make up one person, yet they have but a discording con­cord, and doe not ay agree upon a common joy and griefe. By this feebling, the body resents its owne mortalitie, and findeth that verified, That noExod. 33. 20. mor­tall man can see God and live; and therefore is mo­ved to long for2. Cor. 5. 4. immortalitie, that it may joyfully brooke the fulnesse of that joy, whose first fruits doe so affect us.

But this is not oft to be found, no not in the best:Fruition is here but in tastes. It is but as a sunne-blink in the mids of stormes,Sed heu hora rara! & mora parva! Bern. Cant. ult. that commeth rarely, and bideth shortly. God offereth it but rarely as a delicate, lest we should thinke, that it came of our owne deserving or working; or lest the frequence of it should take away the sweetnesse or accompt of it. And he giveth it for two speciall ends: The one, to refresh us after great afflictions or desertions, when we have beene striving with hard­nesse and witherednesse of heart: But so soone as his spirit rusheth on us, with that holy and heavenly sa­tietie, like the woman delivered of a sonne, we forget our former sorrowes, because we have found him whom our soule loveth. The other is, to strengthen us for some great temptation, like1. King. 19. 2. Eliahs double supper: But come what tentation may, better to find that furnishing, than to want it.

[Page 129] It hath also a further reach than for the present time,But the fruits of it are many. for it leadeth us back to eternitie, and maketh us feele our selves in Gods electing love, whose in­fallible fruit wee finde in so full infusion of his love. Next, it leadeth us foreward to glorification, and these joyes assure us, that as now we have these first fruits,Rom. 8. 23. so eternally we shall rejoyce with God, for it is not as the small and warsh taste of the tempora­rie Christian, as a drop; but the full measure of Gods children, as the outbreaking of a fountaine. It rea­cheth also to a higher place than the sanctuarie, for under this satietie we are in heaven with God: For as he boweth downe and kisseth us with the kisses of inspiration,Cant. 1. Bernard. infusion, and delight, so wee ascend to him in heaven, and the soule is more there busied, than the body in the sanctuarie. This is also to as­sure us of life eternall, for God never bringeth any to heaven, but sometimes in this life he giveth them a taste of it by some transfiguration Luk. 9. 28. on the moun­taine: He hath promised it, and Sathan would make us thinke his promise but winde, therefore he giveth us such reall beginnings, to assure us of the truth, and to perswade us of the fulnesse of it in heaven. For it is not a divided, but a continuat thing, like a chaine that cannot be broken, so that he which getteth such beginnings, shall also get the perfection. Lastly, it is to destroy the love of the world, for the world will never be great in his eyes, who hath seene God; but the loathing of the world, and the love of God will grow in his soule by equall degrees.

The soule thus filled with love and joy,To be full of God. is full of God, and under that disposition cannot be wrong charged to any doing or suffering for him: For the [Page 130] sense of Christs love maketh his yoak easie Mat. 11. 29., & his bur­den light. That love2. Cor. 5. 14. constrained the Apostle to dili­gence, and the nativenes of it seeketh out wayes to ho­nour God. The Martyrs were thereby moved to mis­regard their torments: For as a drunken man neither heareth nor seeth what is done beside him, so when their wives and children wept on them, that they would pitie themselves; they neither heard that diver­sion, neither the paine of the torments. And the Apo­stle met teares, withAct. 21. 13. What do yee weeping and brea­king my heart? I am not only content to be bound at Ie­rusalem, but also to die for the name of the Lord Iesus. On this excesse MosesExod. 32. 32. desired to be cut off, and the ApostleRom. 9. 2. to be accursed for his brethren. The love of God made them forget themselves with an holy oblivion: But it was their best remembring of themselves; to hold them fast in straitest union with God.

Hereof foure things arise: 1. The agreement of sight and fruition.Sight and frui­tion go toge­ther. 2. The compleatnesse of Gods beautie in the sanctuarie. 3. The difference of reli­gions; 4. And of worshippers in the true religion. 1. Sight and fruition goe well together, as the double spirit of Eliseus, for the illumination of the minde; and the purging of the affections compleat the man: for the minde knoweth, and the affections will. Sight or light without fruition is fruitlesse; and frui­tion or affection without light is rash: Light first wakeneth, and then directeth the affection, to affect things in that order▪ and measure as it directeth: And the affection followeth to justifie the trueth of that light. Sight apprehendeth God as distant, but frui­tion injoyeth him within, and our selves in that [Page 131] union: the minde is more easily inlightned, than the affection bowed.Joh. 14. 1. The Disciples knew Christ was to depart from them, yet they were sorie for it, their will crossing their minde.

But fruition is better than sight, Fruition better than sight. asGen. 48. 19. Ephraim the younger brother was more fruitfull and mightie than Manasseh. When God craveth the best of man, he biddeth him love him with all his heart: And the image of GodEphes. 4. 24. consisteth most in righteousnesse and holinesse, which are most in the heart: Know­ledge maketh a sort of mentall union, Naked know­ledge is fruit­lesse. and yet the heart may hate that same thing it is so united to; but affection maketh a heartie and strong union, which cannot be broken. Knowledge is a great gift of God, but if men stand at it as their happinesse, and advance not to fruition, they may be as hard in heart, and profane in life, as the ignorant. Sathan hath his nameLuk. 8. 27. Daemon from knowledge, because being a com­pleat spirit, he hath both great knowledge by crea­tion, and daily augmented by experience: but his af­fection is contrary to his knowledge, for he neither loveth the good, nor hateth the evill, he knoweth. We partake more of God by fruition, than by sight. To dispute of happinesse with a frosen and cold heart, is great miserie. Goodnesse is a speciall attri­bute of God, expressing that fountaine; and he re­vealeth it, to make us good and happie in his good­nesse: and that is more in the conformitie of our will and affections to him, than of knowledge alone. If it be true, that wee know no more of God, than wee affect him, then fruition is better than knowledge, which it both limiteth and exceedeth.Bern. 97. col. 4. Instruction maketh men learned, but affection maketh them wise. [Page 132] It is one thing to know, and another to possesse: It is not the knowledge of riches, but the possession that maketh men rich: It is one thing to see God, and another to feare and love him. They may justly glorie of their power in being the sonnesJoh. 1. 12. of God, in whom this sonly love burneth, and this affection liveth.

Secondly, the compleat beautie of the sanctuary is Gods presence, Gods presence the beautie of the Sanctuarie. which maketh up all the parts of it. It is knowne in his working, wherein wee consider foure things:1 The efficacie of it. First, the efficacie: Secondly, the se­crecie: Thirdly, the sensiblenesse: Fourthly, the dis­cerning. His working in the Saints, is the work of his omnipotencie, whereby hee raised Ephes. 1. 19. Christ from the dead; for it is called a2 Cor. 5. 17. new Creation, aTit. 3. 5. rege­neration, and the Hebrewes call comfort theLam. 1. 16. re­turning of the soule, as though griefe had thrust it out of the bodie, but God by comfort brought it back againe, as a sort of resurrection. And this is the power that goeth out with the word to make it conquering.Esay 55. 11. for it returneth not in vain, but worketh the work wherefore it is sent.

Secondly,2 The secrecie of it. the secrecie of his worke, which is hid oft-times to those who have it: The spirit Joh. 3. 8. bloweth where it listeth: yea, oft times we apprehend the con­trarie; for his diet with the godly is to lead them to heaven by the gates of hell. For many a time hee plungeth us in fearefull terrors, but his work endeth in joyfull comforts. So David is mourning in the beginning of many Psalmes, the 6^th. 32. 51. &c. but in the end, hee is rejoycing, and of a poore sup­plicant for himselfe, is turned an Intercessour for the Church. The childe in the belly feeleth not his growing, yet he groweth, and the hand of the horo­logue [Page 133] is not seene in the moving, yet when it com­meth to an houre, it is manifest that it hath moved. So the worke of grace hath a growing in us though hid, and is manifest in some great degree of joy, or great griefe.

Thirdly,3 The sensi­blenesse of it. the sensiblenesse of it, for wee are both the object of his work, and reasonable and conscio­nable workers with him: Sometimes wee feele the work, but know not the Author, as the disciples go­ing to Luc. 24. 32. Emaus felt their hearts burning: but knew not it came of Christ. Sometimes we know the au­thor,Luc. 1. 41. as Elizabeth knew the presence of Christ to be the cause of her joy at the blessed Virgins saluta­tion. And the fore-runner springing in her belly, te­stified that he was spiritually sensible of his masters presence, before he had the use of any bodily sense: So the new man in us, when he is not oppressed with senselesnesse, leapeth for joy at the voyce of Christ.

Fourthly, the discerning of it goeth in three: First,4 The discer­ning of it. for originall: That it is a divine power; though it specifie it selfe in our disposition which is hu­mane, yet it selfe is meerly divine: Secondly, in the force, for it worketh infallibly in the Elect. Omni­potencie admitteth no resistance, and mans will hath no losse, when the Creator of it maketh it free from sinne: no, it is both the glorie and libertie of our will, that God takes it in his hand, & boweth it what way he pleaseth. And Gods best children endeavour to this as a perfection, who have their wils altogether conformed to the will of God; and that they can quite their owne will, when they see his will revea­led in his providence: so farre are they from think­ing their wils to be harmed, when they are determi­ned [Page 134] of God. They strive to be like Gods who stand out in the question of free-will against God, and are blasphemous while they affirm, That God worketh no more mightily in the elect, than Sathan doth in the reprobate. But when wee finde his power to bee such, that neither nature can imitate nor resist, then we acknowledge it is the finger of God in us. Third­ly, the fruits are a change and calmenes: The change is so sensible, that it argueth a divine power. For it goeth eyther from contrary to contrary, as from joy to griefe, or from griefe to joy; or if it abide in either of them it commeth in a greater degree than was immediately before. Yea, all in us feeleth that working; the old man to his wounding, and the new man to his strengthning. Calmenesse of spirit is the other fruit, whereby with some sweet astonishment, we rest in his bosome whom our soule loveth: Then we break out with this, or the like ejaculation,Psa. 106. 4, 5. Who am I that thou remembrest me with the favour of thy people, and visitest me with thy salvation! that thou makest me see the felicitie of thy chosen, and rejoyce with the joy of thy people, and glorie with thine inheritance! Who am I that thou discernest mee, making me both see and enjoy thee in the sanctuarie, and so to be a part of the beautie of it! Who can con­taine himselfe for joy, when he findeth that divine ma­jestie incline himselfe to his weaknesse, and co [...] down to so familiar and sweetest societie Non me capio prae laetitia, quod illa maje­stas tam fami­liari, dulcique consortio. Ber-Can. 52.?

Hereof commeth the Christian true contentment. Of true con­tentment. The world hath almost talked as much of content­ment (the marrow of happinesse) as of happinesse it selfe, on these same grounds, in these same errors, & with the like fruit. For they sought it never in God, [Page 135] but in his gifts: They fastened not their soules up­on the chiefe good, but loosed their desires upon every occasionall good, and so they neither contai­ned their lot, nor were contained of it. But increase of their lot inflamed their desire, and augmented their miscontentment: But true contentment is, when the soule findeth it selfe embraced of God, yea, and possessed of him; that it may say, The Psal. 16. 5. Lord is the portion of my inheritance; for it findeth it selfe con­tained of God, & is content to be so contained, which is properly contentment. As in it selfe it is so contained, so in all the desires, which runne no wayes out to o­ther things; for it hath a spirituall delicacie, that be­ing full of God, it counteth not greatly of other things beside. Therefore when the Prophet hath called God his portion, hee said, his inheritance was pleasant to him: he found such contentment in God, that hee saw nothing beside, that could so much as draw his vaging desire to it. Hee contemneth other things, August. and that not onely which hee might have, but what he would have, because these things doe more hurt being obtained, than desired.

Thirdly,Difference of true and false religions. here is a difference betwixt the true and false religion. True religion presenteth the true God as an object of worship; an author of working, an o­pener of his peoples eyes to see, a mover of their hearts to love him, and rejoyce in him: So that both the union is sensible▪ and the communion flowing from it. False religion hath none of these: for ido­latrie hath no true God for the object, neither su­perstition (the false worship of the true God.) Let them pretend affection and zeale even to extasie, it is no better than the furie of the Baalites1 Kin. 18. 28. The new [Page 136] Pelagians also deny any other working of God in the Elect than in the Reprobate, and grant no more than a morall suasion generally offering, but never moving the heart to receive: They hold God and man ever asunder; for they give man a beginning of good which he hath not of Christ. In the work, they make him his owne discerner, and in the end exactour of his own due glorie. But wee should consider the Elect, as they are the lively members of Christ, and have right to the fulnes of grace that is in that head, so that when God commeth downe to work in the Sanctuarie, hee looketh not to the Elect as strangers, but as to the living members abiding in his Sonne, and therefore his Spirit communicateth to them both easily and powerfully, the grace that is in that foun­tain. This reall union with Christ is better than their division: and they who will ever be divided from the chiefe good cannot intend to have happinesse in him.

Fourthly,All worship­pers are not alike. this putteth a difference among them, who are exercised in a true religion. They are not all alike disposed: some receive happinesse with joy by that effectuall working: others remaine senselesse in the hardnesse of their heart, which they have drawn on with the deceit of sinne Heb. 3. 13.: Some again contemne the holy disposition of the godly:1 Sam. 1. 14. So Eli (albeit o­therwise a good man) expounded Hannahs devotion at the first uncharitably: But though Eli mock Han­nahs devotion, and the proud Pharisee disdaine the teares of the penitent WomanLuc. 7. 44., yet Christ both ac­cepteth and defendeth herBernard. Cant. 12.. No wonder, for this work is personall, and known only to them in whom it is. That white stone Apoc. 2. 17. hath the name of Elect writ­ten [Page 137] on it, and none can reade it but he that hath it; none is conscious of his estate in grace, but himselfe: Others, who have the like, can judge charitably, while they, who have not such experience doe carpe and censure. This vilifying of the grace of God, is a policie of Sathan; thereby hee hardeneth naturall men, and presseth to dash Gods children from seek­ing, or uttering of that, which is so uncharitably censured. But grace guardeth them sufficiently, it recompenseth them largely, for that suffering dou­bleth their joy; and the conscience of it sharpneth them to seek it the moreLuk. 7. 36.. When wisedome is justified of her children, she justifies them the more: for their justifying of others, and erecting the throne of God in the soule by his approbation, contemneth the un­charitablenesse of man. Naturall men will neither mourne at Christ Mat. 11. 17., not dance at his pyping, yet they can mock such as sympathize with them both. They are like that Prince2 Kin. 7. 19. of Samaria, who saw the plenty, but tasted not of it, but was trod down by the presse of those who desired that, that he distrusted.

Lastly,Fruition to be sought. it is our dutie to seeke this fruition, and it is proper to man: for though other things be possessed of God, yet they possesse not God, and this is our posses­sion of him to enjoy it August. vit. beat. cap. ult.. And for this cause, beside the work in the sanctuarie, in private sometimes to steale our selves from our selves, that wee may be found in GodMens se sibi furatur, ut ver­bo fruatur. Ber­nard. Cant. 82. 86.. This selfe-stealth is our preservation, for we finde our selves more in him, than when wee are in our selves. This is a commendable theft, God com­mandeth it, and wee glorie in it. That that is stollen is safer than that which remaineth, and nothing is lost, but that which is not stollen. For, knowing of [Page 138] ourselves, wee have need of a great custome and taske to depart from our senses, and to gather our spirit in i [...] selfe August. de Ord. cap. 1.. For if we exceede not visible things, wee have not the eye of our minde fitted to behold things e­ternall: But when the soule hath gathered it selfe in it selfe it dare looke to God Aug. de Ord. 2. 19.. It is our griefe to come backe from such a disposition, as a man delighted with a palace desires not to come to the cottage where he was borne.

This is the presence of God with his Saints, where­by they solace their absence 2 Cor. 5. 6. from him dwelling in the bodie. God commandeth it, Seek ye my face: The godly desire it, Thy face, Psal. 27. 8. Lord, will I seek; hee pro­miseth it,Psal. 91. 15. I will bee with him in trouble; and they boast of it,Psal. 23. 4. I will not be affraid, because thou art with me: They take the measure from some excesse of spirituall fruition, and according thereto, rule their spirituall state: As a Man that hath leapen far, tryeth his strength by equalling that leap; there­by they judge of their lot, which is the prosperitie of their prosperitie, the comfort of their adversitie, their walking with Phil. 3. 20. God like Enoch, and their Gen. 5. 24. con­version in heaven, the awband of our corruption, and the spurre of Gods grace in us. For no law, reward, or punishment, can so eyther hold us from sinne, or draw us to God, as the conscience of Gods pre­sence. It is Gods dwelling in us, and our dwelling in him, and our happinesse and heaven on earth.

But let us not deceive our selves in the conceit of this vision or fruition,Obedience the seale of frui­tion. except our lives answer to both. For this vision is true wisedome, which wee both have and kythe, by theJoh. 14. 15. obedience of the commandements: And it is the law of God writ­ten [Page 139] in wise soules, that they live so much the better, when they behold him by understanding, and keep him by a godly life Aug. Ord. 2. 8.. Therefore let none boast of vision and fruition, who liveth not godly. All men would come to Christ, but few will follow him: All would en­joy, but few will imitate him Omnes te frui volunt, sed non imitari. Bern. Cant. 21..

And to enquire in his Temple.

THis is the last point of the Text,Enquirie fol­loweth sight. concerning our greatest care about happinesse, to bee searching continually, that we may persevere and grow there­in. The first enquirie was to finde out what happi­nesse was, and where to finde it. The second is, after we have obtained it, to goe forward in the degrees till perfection. For,Confess. 12. 1. inquirie importeth more than finding: and prayer is farther off than obtaining. The order telleth us, that enquiring followeth behold­ing, and none doe more seeke God, and happinesse in him, than they that see him. Desire of grace groweth with the growth of it. As the wretch wretcheth the more he is enriched, so the increase of grace augmenteth the desire of it. GodsCant. 3. 1. Church is busie, running to and fro seeking her beloved, when other companies seeke their vanities. That heavenly affection setteth her on work, and the want of it made them idle. Peter and JohnJoh. 20. 4. were most forward in running to the sepulchre, because they loved him most; and SimeonLuc. 2. 27. came oftner to the [Page 140] temple, than others in Jerusalem, because he longed more to see Christ in the flesh. And it is ever seene, that they who have most knowledge with holinesse, are busiest to seek the Lord. God is so glorious, and happinesse is so sweet, that the more wee see them, the more wee seeke them. And the nature of true grace is to be so allured; neither is there a better to­ken of the livelinesse of the new man, than to be set continually toEccles. 12. 1. seek his Creatour.

The word (enquire) in the originall pointeth also at the morning, Tymely searching. because the Soule is then most fit for enquiring; and the Sun rising, rayseth all things up with him with their first and best actions, which at Even in his falling are not so. Wisedome also promiseth, that they that seeke her in the morning Pro. 8. 17., shall finde her; and the light of the Spirit in the faith­full is compared to theEsay 8. 20. morning light, because Je­sus Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse hath brought a new light into the world after the Evening of A­dams fall. Therfore in seeking happinesse, we would be tymous in the morning of our age, and vigour of our soule, and not cast off that greatest worke to old age. God biddeth us haste in the morning, but Sa­than biddeth us delay till the evening of our time: And he who doth so, what knoweth he, if he shal live so long? Or, if he doe, he knoweth not, if God will continue the occasions of happinesse with him: Or, if they abide, what knoweth hee, if God will blesse them? No, it is just with God to neglect them in their old age, who neglected him in their youth.Pro. 1. 24, 25 Because I cryed, and ye would not answer, therefore ye shall cry, and I will not answer, but laugh at your destruction. Hee who spendeth the morning of his [Page 141] age dissolutely, hath never earnestly thought of true happinesse.

This word offereth three things to our considera­tion:The best is here imperfect. 1. Our imperfection. 2. Our changeable state. 3. And the remedy of both, in a diligent inquirie. 1. Imperfection is in the best, for we are here not cap­able of perfection, because wee have fleshGal. 5. 17. mixed with the spirit, and are layed open to the continuall tentations of Sathan: This cannot stand with hap­pinesse; for in heaven neither can the sinne of ill or tentation be admitted, neither can the chiefe good be lost Ibi nec ad­mittitur ma­lum, nec amit­titur summum bonum. Aug. Epist. 42.. The most perfectPhilip. 3. 12. after Christ confessed his imperfection; Not that I have alreadie attained, or am already perfect, and that to the astonishment of the best Quid dicit Apostole? non apprehendi, di­cis, & mira­mur. August. de verb. Apost. serm. 15.. And here we 1. Cor. 13. 12. know but in part, for where wee know one thing, millions are hid from us; and that same that we know is more hid than knowne; and all our knowledge is but some thing of all, but nothing of all, but nothing of the whole: And the undoubted te­stimonie of greatest knowledge, is the greatest con­science of ignorance: Take the knowledge of the best, it is but ignorance, confusion, and full of uncer­taintie. Therefore one crieth out justly, Woe to our straight knowledge, woe to the povertie of our under­standing Vae augustae cognitioni, vae paupertati sci­entiae nostrae. Bernard. de Ascens. serm. 4.. If wee looke to God, how small is our knowledge; and though modestly wee may search his will, but not curiously his Majestie, lest we be oppressed, we come but short. And in the search of his will, if we should study from 16. to an 100. yeere old, we would daily finde matter of a new searching Tanta est profunditas Scripturarum, &c. Aug. Epist. 3., albeit there is as much plaine, as to suffice people to salvation.

The conceit of perfection is the greatest imper­fection,Conceit of perfection dangerous. [Page 142] and the greatest stay of proceeding: When men set up these two mountaines in their way, of presumption, and vaine glorie, they leave off to go forward: For whither shall they go, who thinke themselves already perfect? The Jewes had this, and would not submit them to the righteousnesse of GodRom. 10. 3.. The Papists have it, in their perfection obtai­ned, or to be obtained, their merit, supererogation: and all vented in the confidence they put in their me­rits. They who will not trust in God, will trust in themselves, and in their righteousnesse; which is a non ens, or rather their greatest sinne. Pelagius had this pride, when he boasted, that there lacked not one to doe the things commanded, but one to command more: But God hath dauntoned that pride by the Law: And one hath answered them in the person of the Jewes: Behold, fulfill the Law, there lacketh not one to command, but there lacketh one to obey Ecce implete: Ne putetis de­esse jubentem, non deest qui jubeat, sed de­est qui im­pleat. Aug. tract. 3. in Ioh..

Secondly, the imperfect measure we have is sub­ject to change; and that because of the spirituall combat, of decay, defection, and desertion. 1. The spi­rituall combat proveth our weaknesse, the flesh con­tinually rebelling against the spirit, so that the good we would doe, we cannot doe it, and the evill we would not doe, we are forced to doe: For though wee were even now in some good disposition, yet the flesh, yeelding to some tentation, casteth us downe further, than we can arise in many dayes.

Decay falleth in the best and most wakrife Chri­stian: For the knowledge that the minde hath layed up,1. Decay fal­leth in the best. the memorie forgetteth; and the softnes and ten­dernes of heart decayeth even in them, who labour on their heart continually: and that not so much by [Page 143] outward provocations, as by the inward deceit, and native backslyding of the heart it selfe. When a workman leaveth his worke at evening, he findeth it in the morning in that same case, wherein he left it: But if we lye downe, with an heart softned with the sense of Gods mercies, in the morning wee finde it oftentimes like a stone; grace is a stranger to us, and our nature at the best, giveth it but a step-mothers intreatie: it findeth opposition of our corruption, and therefore is subject to hourely decayes.

Defection stayeth our proceeding in happinesse. Every sinne is a defection,2. Defection stayeth us. and a falling from a better to a worsePeccare est deficere, & mi­nus esse. Qui peccant, minus sunt quàm erant. Aug. ver. Rel. c. 11. & 14.; for it hath not only the double guilti­nesse of the blemish, and lyablenesse to punishment, but likewise crosseth the grace of God in us, as one contrary doeth another: And as in our youth, our food hath two workes: One of sustentation, the other of adding a new substance; so when happinesse is begun in us, we have need of double labour to in­tertaine it. Sathan rageth, and the flesh fretteth the more, therefore wee have need of more diligence to resist them.

Desertion is most fearfull, when we finde not God as wee were wont,3. Desertions fearefull. and under that dreariesome wi­dowhood of our soule, are put to that grievous task to seek him againe, and to greatest necessitie to finde him. Sometime it is procured by great sinnes, as in David under his murther and adulterie; sometimes by our negligence, as when we waxe coldri [...]e in our devotion, and in well-doing in our calling: Some­times it is supposed, as when a mother hiding her face with a cloth, the loving childe thinketh her ab­sent, and hath no rest till he see her face againe. So [Page 144] is it in our supposed desertions: And according to the degree of Gods presence, is the griefe that wee conceive of his desertion, which admitteth no com­fort, but the sense of his presence againe. The more gratious presence we have found, his absence after­ward is the more grievous; for the withdrawing of the thing that we love, is the increase of our desire: And the thing that wee most desire, wee want it with greatest griefe: But many of our desertions are more supposed than reall:Joh. 20. 14. Marie Magdalen wept, be­cause they had taken away the Lord, and yet he was beside her, and by his vertue made her to seeke him, till she found him: So many a time we mourne for the want of God when he is with us, yea, it is his pre­sence, that maketh us feele his absence: For we should not thinke our selves without God, when wee finde him dwelling in our heart by faith: For he commeth when he is manifest in his working, and he departeth when he is hid in his working Venit cum manifestatur, & cum occul­tatur abscedit. Aug. Epist. 3..

The best remedy then of these impediments of our happinesse is, continually to inquire it,3. The reme­dies. which standeth in three things: The fixing of the end;1. Fixing of the end. The forgetting of things behind; And advancing fore­ward.Philip. 3. 13. One thing I doe, forgetting things behind, I endeavour my selfe to that which is before. The end is God himselfe, and our happinesse as the praise of our high calling in his hand; Not that wee love him for that reward, but he himselfe is our reward Noli diligere Deum propter praemium, ipse fit tibi praemi­um. Aug. tract. 3. Iohan.. This must be so fixed, as wee neither change with any other, neither joyne any other to it; but as a marke we must direct all our thoughts, words, and deeds, respecting or using things only, as they can further us:1. Cor. 20. 31. Whe­ther yee eat, or yee drinke, doe all to the glorie of God. [Page 145] We must intend no other, nor no lesse, than this end, like the spouseCantic. 1. 1. who craved not to be admitted to the kisse of Christs feet, or of his hands, but of his mouth. Travellers are knowne by their journying, and the Jewes knew that ChristLuc. 9. 53. was going toward Jerusa­lem, because his face was that way. So if we minde to­ward heaven, wee must walk through the world as strangers1. Pet. 12. 11., not resting upon the things of the way. God in heaven, with the prise of our high calling, must be so in our eye, and in our heart, as to draw the course of our conversation toward them, so that all that looke upon us may say: That they see our minde is toward Sion. Cain built a Citie, because he sought his happinesse on earth, but Abel builded none, because he looked for a biding Citie in heaven. The vessels of wrath, and citizens of the earthly citie sticking in that corrupt masse abide on the earth; But they that are separate are burgesses in the citie of God: And though Cain called his citie Enochia, as though he had found rest;Aug. Civit. 15. 1. 2. 8. yet he was but a vagabond: For strong walls are but weake defences against an evill conscience.

Secondly, a holy forgetfulnesse of by-gone degrees of happinesse;Forgetfulnesse of by-gones. yea, though they were excesses or sa­tieties, we must passe them as degrees, and not stand upon them as perfections: For so long as we seeke, not being satiat with the fulnesse of the fountaine, Aug. Epist. 52. wee are not come to our full measure: God giveth us divine vertues, that here we may live a godly life, Aug. Vit. beat. cap. ult. and after­ward receive full happinesse. While we are procee­ding in the way, we count these degrees perfection before we come to them; but having attained them, and comparing them to perfection it selfe, we finde [Page 146] them as far lesse than it, as they are greater than our beginnings. A weake spirit sitteth downe upon some taste of grace with admiration, and thinketh that there is no greater degree, and that none hath the like: But a masculous spirit, while it is advancing in greater degrees, is mourning for the weaknesse of grace. This breedeth in the best an earnest desire of more Ut ipsam plenitudinem desiderare no­verimus. Aug. Epist. 6., which is both a seale of the spirit, when wee can desire fulnesse; and a token of a growing happi­nesse, because the hunger of grace is a testimonie of ta­sted grace Testimonium gustatae gratiae est esuries. Bern. fol. 97., and God respecteth our desire, so that he ac­cepteth the very desire of a desire Paulin. apud Aug. Ep. 32..

Thirdly, advancing in grace to the end:3. Advancing in grace. For wee get not perfection in an instant, as Adam in creation, and the theefe at Christs right hand in regeneration,Luc. 23. 43. but wee must come to it by degrees: both that Gods worke and ours may be the better discerned; and that wee may count the better of any degree of hap­pinesse when wee finde it. Yea happinesse it selfe drawing, and the new man in us thrusting, maketh us advance: For the greatest satiety of grace bringeth not a loathing, but sharpeneth the desire the more. And such is this delight that we have in this beauty, that it is ever present, and yet never satiateth, yea it will ever satiat thee, though thou be never satiat Ut semper [...]bi praesens sit & nunquam satieris, imò semper satieris & nunquam satieris. Aug. tract. 3. in Ioh.: As in naturall motions, the neerer to the end the faster; so here in this native motion of grace, the neerer to perfection, with greater desire and zeale, we are car­ried toward it. Christianitie knoweth no motion, but foreward or backward, and no standing still. We are like men rowing up against a strong river, if they slack their oares for a moment, they are carried more downe, than they can ascend for a long space: [Page 147] S. Peter upon the mountaine thought he craved per­fection,Luc. 9. 33. but it was his imperfection; for if Christ had bidden on the mountaine with him, beside the fru­strating of Gods purpose, and the salvation of the Saints in his death, S. Peter himselfe could not have beene saved. The more wee inquire, the more wee shall know God; The more we know him, the more we receive him: The more wee receive him, the more he seemeth to grow in us, but he groweth not in himself, for he is perfect. If thou knew a little yesterday, thou shalt know more to day, and much more to morrow: For all the life of a good Christian is an holy desire. Aug. tractar. in Iohan. 14. But we see not as yet the thing we desire, but yet by desiring thou art made capable of it, that when that thing com­meth which thou desirest, thou mayst be perfected. Aug. Epist. Ioh. tract. 4. For as a man inlargeth the lap of his garment, that would receive some great thing: So God by delay­ing inlargeth our desire; and by desiring enlargeth our soule; and by enlarging maketh it capable to re­ceive our perfect happinesse.

This is a ground for the perseverance of the Saints, because God hath entred them in happinesse;The Saints perseverance. and by his Spirit leadeth them on by degrees,Philip. 2. 12. to worke out their salvation in feare and trembling. They may fall into great sinnes, but neither fully nor finally: Not fully, because in their greatest fall they have both the Spirit, and the seedJoh. 3. 9. of God in the habits of faith, love, &c. albeit the worke of the Spirit, and of these habits doe cease, during the time of their impenitencie. SoPsal. 51. 12. David desireth the re­storing of the joyes of salvation, while in the meane time, he craveth a retaining of the spirit. That retai­ning imported that the spirit was still with him, and [Page 148] that restoring, imported his wonted joyes wer [...] stayed.Psal. 37. 24. Neither can they fall finally, because th [...] Lord in his owne time raiseth them by repentance, as Peter and David, &c. But Scripture and reason prove the same clearely. I will make an everlasting covenant with them, Jer. 32. 40. that I will never turne away from them to doe them good, but I will put my feare in their hearts, that they shall not depart from mee: So Christ telleth,Mat. 24. 25. It is impossible that the elect can be seduced: and the Apostle Peter telleth,1. Pet. 1. 4. That we are preserved by the power of God, to that heavenly inheri­tance; so that God his preserving power maketh our perseverance. And no man Joh. 10. 28. (saith Christ) shall pull my sheepe out of my hand. And because they ex­cept slyly: It is true that none can pull his sheep out of his hand, yet, what if the sheep depart from him of their owne will? The Apostle meeteth,Rom. 8. 38. That nei­ther life nor death, nor any creature shall separate us from his love; If no creature, then not we our selves, since we are a creatureNon igitur separat nos alia creatura, siquidem & nos ipsi creatu­ra sumus. Aug. Mor. Ecc. c. 12.: And the new heart, and the new spirit doe promise the contrarie: If God be for us, who is against us? For none can hurt us, but he that over commeth God, and who can overcome the Al­mightie August. de verb. Apost. serm. 16.?

Reasons also taken from the persons of the God­head prove the same.Reasons taken from the God­head. For the FatherJoh. 6. 40. delivereth us to the Sonne to be kept, and presented blamelesse at the last day: The Sonne committeth us to the Father, and prayedJoh. 17. 11. for us that we perish not: The Father and Sonne commit us to the Spirit, to be led in our wayes, who dwelleth in us, and in our seale, 2. Cor. 1. 22. which cannot be broken. But in our time, God gave a feare­full document in this question: For when one [Page 149] pressed to destroy the grace of perseverance, God let him fall from such grace as he had,P. Bertius de Apostasia Sanctorum. to turne Pa­pist, and of a professour of divinitie, to become a le­cturer of humanitie.

Our late Libertines mock this doctrine.Libertines are licentious. They professe a perfection in this life, and so deny the ne­cessitie of a graduall increase. They affirme, that the justified man cannot sinne, and that God neither seeth nor hateth sinne in them; That they need not repent nor mourne for sinne, nor incite themselves to the obe­dience of God; That they need not pray, but praise con­tinually. This is a refined extract of Sathan, who as by the Pelagians he oppugneth grace by nature, so in them he destroyeth it in the name of grace; And under a conceit of singular grace, maketh them sin­gularly gracelesse. They have carved to themselves an easie way to heaven by laughing and mirth, whereas Gods best children find it a valley of teares. But their pretended perfection is found to be a pre­sumptuous colour of libertie to their flesh; for they are knowne to be more licentious in their wayes, than they who groan under the sense of their imper­fections.

The last degree commeth at death:Happinesse be­ginneth before death. Not that our happinesse is suspended till then, for we are here pre­paring happines,August.though we cannot possesse it till death. Solons speach cannot abide an exact triall, for wee are called to happinesse even in this life: It is called a valley of miserie, and craveth some solace by a be­gun happinesse: And the scripture pronounceth in the present some men happie.Psal. 32. 1. Blessed is he whose sinnes are forgiven: And happinesse is here begun in us; faith gripeth it in the promise, hope waiteth [Page 150] on it in the fulnesse, our desire longeth for it, and the beginnings of it selfe begin our profession. But af­ter death all shall be perfected. This was the weak­nesse of the wisest Pagans, when they had pleased themselves with their discourses of happinesse, they could not indure the thoughts of death, but called it of fearfull things the most fearefull. Aristot. They trembled at that, where they should finde most comfort; and their thoughts of eternitie were as confused, as their doctrine of happinesse was false: And therefore could finde no comfort in their evanishing. But the truth telleth us, that at death we end the valley of miserie, and enter in everlasting happinesse.

At death then our perfect happinesse beginneth,1. It shall be a consump­tion of all ill. and that in two: First, in removing all miserie, or what ever imperfection; The other in compleating happinesse in it selfe. Our first miserie is sinne origi­nall, which God cutteth off by perfect sanctifica­tion. In our effectuall calling, that cutting off be­ginneth and goeth on by degrees till death, when our last breath hath the last act of mortifying grace in the full abolishing of sinne. Secondly, the aboli­shing of all guiltinesse whatsoever, that wee may be presented pure and blamelesse to him. Thirdly, wee shall be freed from all tempters and tentations: Sa­than shall molest us no more: There shall be no need of an hedge to Job, neither shall wicked men by their example pervert us, or by their violence injure us, neither shall a deceitfull heart deceive us any more. Fourthly, we shall be freed of all affliction; we shall not desert God in sinne; and he shall not desert us in his anger to punish us for sinne:Rev. 21. 4. There shall be no more sorrow, nor feare, nor crying out, because these first [Page 151] things shall be ended, and God shall wipe away all teares from our eyes. Lastly, the mortalitie of this bodie shall end: It is so fraile now, that hardly can we fit it to serve us in actions naturall or spirituall, and is a daily burthen to us, to keepe it from sickenesse and inconvenients. And when it is under them, a greater burthen to make it free: But when it shall be made a spirituall bodie, these things shall cease: Christs death hath killed death, and his life is our life.

This is the consumption of the ills of our miserie:2. The con­summation of all good. Followeth the consummation of good things, that perfecteth our happinesse: and these are first the cea­sing of the meanes of grace, which are now necessa­ry for the way; then they shall end, as having neither further worke, nor use in us. So prophesying shall cease, and praying shall turne in praise: On our part faith shall end in sight; hope in fruition; desire in de­light; and the beginnings themselves in their due perfection. 2. All goodnes shall be perfected in us, ac­cording to our measure: our light perfect without ignorance or error; our love perfect without slacking; our will obsequious without rebellion; our affections straight without perversenes; and righteousnes & ho­lines in our last breath shal be accomplished: and that last act of our regeneration shall bring forth the new man, and send him in a glorious libertie to God. And when our bodies have rested a while in the grave, till our brethren be perfected, they shal rise glorious, like the body of Christ. Our souls shal see God, as they are seene, and know him as they are knowne;Rev 21. 5, 6. Then we shall see his face,Nec aliud quàm ipsum exspectamus ab ipso. Bern. Qui habit. serm. 14. and his name shall be on our fore­heads. The full happinesse that wee expect from God, is of God: neither expect wee any other thing [Page 152] from him but himselfe. God shall fully possesse us; wee shall be perfect in God; and God shall be all in all: he shall delight to looke on us his creatures, whom he hath glorified in mercie, and wee shall de­light in him eternally.

Therefore let true religion binde us to the blessed God,3. Happinesse commeth by true religion. who is happinesse it selfe, and giveth happi­nesse to others, betwixt whom and our mind (where­by wee know him to be happinesse and truth,) no creature interveneth; and who hath given to some creatures so much happines as they desire; to others as much as they can containe: He is that only God, of whom wee are, from whom wee departed, and to whom wee were made unlike by our fall, and yet of his mercie he suffered us not to perish: the beginning, to the which we returne; the forme that we follow, the grace whereby wee are reconciled; by whom as creatour we live, and by whom being reformed, we live wisely; and by loving and injoying of whom we live happily: even that true God, of whom are all, to whom are all; to him be praise and honour for ever.