That which we finde written by David, long after Iacobs time, did Iacob finde and feele, long before Davids dayes, to wit, [that, Psal. 58, 11. Verily there is reward for the righteous, and that, vndoubtedly there is a God that judgeth the world] never man might speake this more experimētally, and hap­pily, then hee, who found the Lord most gracious to re­ward his vprightnes, and most righteous to reveng his jnjuries. We read but of few, that haue mett with har­der measure at the hands of men, and scarce of any who haue reaped more favour from the hands of God, then this blessed Patriarch did. Touching whome, many things are spoken, & he take's vp much roome in this holy history; some part wherof is spent in the discovery of such passages, as fell out betweene him and Laban, since they came first together. And in their procedings, one the one part, we haue recorded, what conscionable carriage there was in Iacob, whose rare, [Page 2]and matchlesse fidelity, was made apparant, and did shew it self, in all the service he did him, it being per­formed (during so many yeares) with extraordinary honesty, and endeavour. On the other, there is disco­vered, the monstrous vnkindnes, grosse jnjustice, and many other the vnsavory fruits of a currish nature, and covetous hart, in Laban, whose eye was ever evill, vpon all Iacobs good, insomuch that he did daily vexe himself, with perpetuall repining at his wealth, welfa­re, and, prosperity.

The just Lord seeing this in Laban, looketh downe from heaven, with gracious regard vpon Iacob, and re­solveth to recompence his righteousnes vnto him se­ing he had done soe much, and endured so much, from such a churlish kinsman, and vnworthy master as La­ban had shewed himself to be. He shall reape the fruit of his paines and piety. Gods hand shalbe liberall, though Labā be close-sisted: Iacob shall wel know, that he hath a master in heaven, who will make him a full mend's for all his integrity to his master on earth. And to the end he may as fully enjoy it, as God is mynded freely to bestow it, he is warned of God to goe for his contrey, and leaue Laban, with whome he could ne­ver comfortably posesse the sweetnes of any of those many good things, the Lord did soe kindely cast vpon him.

Iacob taking knowledge of his heavenly calling, and commission to be gone, doth instanly resolue on his departure dispatcheth his busines, setteth things in order, & disposeth himself, & all his, to remoue with all possible expedition, according to the commande­ment of God warranting him (forh with) soe to doe.

Being thus, soe suddanily gone, as Laban tooke noe [Page 3]notice of it till one tolde him of it, three dayes after: [such being the diligence, and conscience of a good servant, that the hart of his master may haue confidence in him, and not neede to care for, or looke after him, or his busines, for di­vers dayes together] assoone as he did know it, he hast­eth, and poasteth after him, with all speede, to over­take him, if he can, and at mount Gilead he doth. And there (his hart being big swollen, and ready too burst with choller and discontentment) he meane's to haue a saying to him; Iacob shall know a peice of his minde ere they part, if once hee can come to the speech of him.

But before Laban may speake with Iacob, God must speake with Laban & (jntending to overule his wrath­full minde, and outragious mouth) the Lord doth so schoole him, that hee cannot giue him an vnkinde word, but is become as coole, and as calme, as a man may be, he speake's most familiarly to him, make's a most freindly league with him, & take's his leaue most lovingly of him, and soe they part exceeding pea­ceably one from the other.

This being done, and Laban being gone, Iacob jour­nieth homeward, and because the Lord did forsee, he should [...]coūter many extreamityes, e're he came to his waies end, he sent his host, (euen an host of Angells) to him, that by them hee might bee hartened, against all those hart-breakings, which he might meete withall, as he went forward in his journey. And it was but neede, he should haue some cordialls, considering what cala­mities [...]ee was to wade through as hee went. For no sooner hath Gods host left him, but, he heare's of ano­ther host coming of purpose to surprize him, and that from his Brother, which makes the mischeife so much [Page 4]the more eminent and bitter. One woe is past, but a­nother cometh; (and a farre worse then the former) hee hath done with Laban, and is well quit of him, but he is now to begin with Esaw. And indeede, this second distresse did every way exceede the first, for, wheras (before) he had to doe but with a covetous, and vnkinde master; now, he is to deale with a cruell and bloody-minded brother; nothing was in question with Laban but matter of commodity, the worst that could come, was but a litle losse of some goods, and cattell, that Laban thought too much for him: but the least of this, is for his life and state too, himself and all that he hath, are like to miscarry in this combate, his brother having vowed his death, that he would kill him whe­resoever he met him. Iacob foreseeing this exigent, be­cause of his vnavoydable necessity to passe by his brother Esawes territoryes, in his travell, (whose olde grudge against himself, he could not but remember,) hee doth his best to obtayne a pacification, sendeth ambassadours to him to treat of a truce, and to parley with him about conditions of peace, if vpon any tear­mes he will accept it. But Esaw will none of that, he is bitterly enraged, the messegers returne, and signify how resolute hee is for revenge, hee will heare of no league, but hath levied an army of foure hūdreth men against him, comming himself in person with them, in­tending to make havock of his brother, and all that he had.

Iacob is not a litle troubled at this tydings, but much appaled and perplexed, and now hee bestirrs himself & deviseth what to doe in this time of his extraordi­nary terror, and danger. The meanes he makes vse of are two.

• [Page 5]partly, Civill, and Politike.
• partly, Spiritull, and religious.

He begins first with the former, & fall's to deviding of his family, and his flocks, that all might not be sei­zed at once, but that if the one part were surprized, the other might shift for themselues, and not become a pray to Esawes incompassionate hart, and cruell hand. Having soe done, now in the second place, he is a suiter to god for his safety, a duty that should be first done [but we se how (sometimes) frailty works before faith even in the most faithfull; nature gets the vpper hand of grace, & disorder's our actions, making them so grossly praepost­erous, that policie, takes precedence of piety, & the god of heaven is put behinde].

This prayer of his, for protection, and ayde against this present perill, begin's at the words of our text, and is continued from this nynth verse, to the end of the twelfth.

And thus wee are come by an orderly and direct course to the wodrs of our text, withstand in cleare cohaerence with the rest of this holy history, thus. Ia­cob being to go for his contrey, by order from God, and as hee goeth, seing hee cannot avoyde it, but hee must passe by his brother Esaw, hee vseth double en­deavour to appease his anger, and prevent the perill, that hee and his, might sustaine by it. One of these courses is the dividing of his people and cattell; the other is the prayer he make's to his god, to saue him harmlesse in this distresse, and deliver him from this his brother who was so barbarously bent against him.

In which prayer (that we may proceede from the dependance of these words to their, division) we haue [Page 6]these particulers apparantly considerable before vs.

• First, the Praeface or introduction to the prayer. vers. 9.
• Secondly, the Prayer it self. ver. 10.11.12.

The first particuler, to wit, the Praeface, is all wher­with wee haue to doe at this time, and in it wee may further obserue.

• First, who it is that prayeth: Iacob, [And Ia­cob sayd]
• Secondly, who it is that is prayed vnto, God: [O Lord God]
• Thirdly, the encouragements hee hath to pray vnto God, and they are such, as by faith he apprehendeth, and his faith (being well employed) fasteneth in a two-folde man­ner vpon God, and layeth double holde vpon him.
  • First, in regard of the couenant, God made with his progenitors: [God of my father Abraham & God of my father Isac]
  • Secondly, in regard of the jmmediate warrant, given him of God for the vn­dertaking of this busines & this is also double.
    • First, the precept which the lord layd vpon him to goe the voyage [Thou Lord that sayd'st vnto me: Returne into thy countrey, & to thy kindred]
    • Secondly, the promise made vnto him if he did obey, according to the precept imposed [And I will deale well with thee.]

And this is the resolution of the words, and their distribution, into their severall branches, or members.

From which (in due order), we should descend to their interpretation, if there were any necessity soe to doe, but they are easy, and open, to the simplest ap­prehension, there is nothing doubtfull, or difficult at all, the weakest vnderstanding may well know what to make of every word. We will therefore overpasse this, and put on to the severall instructions contayned in them, as they lye in their order.

And First, for the party praying, & the party prayed vnto, we wilbe willingly silent, inasmuch as all men know, that, [All prayers are to be made to God only, whosoe­ver make's them]. In this particuler, there is a vniversall accord, among all that soundly acknowledg a diety, whosoever rightly knowe's there is a God, cannot but know withall, that none can be prayed vnto but he that is acknowledged to be God; there being none but he alone, that is

• gracious enough, to heare our petitions.
• wise enough, to know our wants.
• able enough, to supply them.

where suitors be innumerable, & the wants of every sui­tor innumerable also, & no suitor able (as he ought) to discover his owne necessityes, had there not neede be

• an infinite eye, to see them.
• an insinite eare, to heare them.
• an infinite hand, to helpe them?

especially considering, that at one & the same time (nay, in the same momēt, or instant of time) many thou­sands may be petitioners, and every one of these for many severall things?

And can any creature haue to doe in this infinite [Page 8]court of request wherin the clyents are thousands, and the causes millions? may it be possible that Peter, or Paul, (suppose them to be employed in heaven as me­diators of intercession) should heare & intreate, for multitudes of men, every man having a multitude of ne­cessityes, & they all praying at once? if they can heare & helpe, wherin are their eyes and eares lesse then Gods? why are they not honoured as more then infe­riour mediators? if not; why are thy esteemed soe much? either then they must be diefyed, and made equall with God, or discarded from having any thing to doe in this busines, wherin, it is Gods only honor, to be the only doer, because he alone is perfectly able to heare in all places, to help in all cases.

But we leave this, & passe on to that which hartened Iacob to pray: the encouragments that quickened him, were two-folde (as we tolde you before).

The first of these comforts is, the consideration of the couenāt of God made, both with his progenitors, & with himself also, and he pleade's this interest in both respects, as we see. [God of my father &c:] and againe, [thou Lord that sayd'stvnto me]: because if he should be overcome of any evill in this his journey, soe, that he could not come to the place whither he was commā ­ded to goe, & whervnto God had engaged himself for his safe conduct, then were Gods honor gone, who promised both his praedicessors & himself, that he should come well home. From which practise of Ia­cobs, pleading thus with God, we are to learne thus much for our instruction.

That whosoever would goe to God with any comfort by prayer, Doct. 1 must be sure that he hath some interest in God, that he is Gods, and God is his.

No mans prayer can be accepted, no man praying, can be hartened with any hope of a happy successe in his suite, if he cannot entitle God to himself, and himself to God: & he that can call him [my God] can­not come in vaine, or goe away vn-regarded.

The evidence of this truth is very abundant in the booke of God, but we will abridge our selues, and be content with a few confirmations, it were needeles to multiply many in a point soe playne.

David was a great man with God, few men had more suites in heaven then he, we can scarce finde such another clyent in Gods court of requests as he was, none more ordinary, none more earnest: his miseries & discomforts were wonderfull many & exceeding hea­vy, & therfore he had neede goe the neerest & surest way, he could for comfort when he prayed, & aboue all other, he tooke this; whensoever he made any re­quest, he made sure of his right, & pleaded that, in all his petitions, as it may be obserued every where, but because it would be tadious to particulate every inst­ance, we may take a taste in two or three, that are pregnant to this purpose.

In the. 16. Psal. 16 1.2. Psalme he begin's with prayer for his pre­servation, now because he knew Gods promise per­tayned to none but his owne, therfore in the next verse, he addeth his interest, saying [thou hast sayd vnto the Lord, thou art my God] & this he brings to joy & cheere himself with hope of being heard; suitable to that which in another Psalme he saith to the same end: [I am thyne, oh saue me]. Psal. 119.94.

Againe, in the 18 Psalme, he intending soe to speake that he might speed, he laye's hold on the Lord in all respects, and entitle's himself to him every way: [Page 10][my strength, ver. 1.2. my rock, my fortresse, my deliuerer, my God, vers. 3. my buckler, &c.] & having thus made sure worke, that God is his, in all these regards; in the next verse, he resolue's to make his suite, & assure's himself of being answered; ver. 6. nay; he avoucheth plainely (a litle after) that he was heard; [In my distresse I called vpon the Lord; I cryed vnto my god & he heard my voice] &c.

The like we might note out of the 22 Psalme, which he begin's thus [my God, my God,]. And the same is to be seene in more, then twenty psalmes more, if we should vrge all particulers; none was more feruent in prayer with God, nothing was more frequent in all the prayers he made to God, then this very thing. And haue ye ever heard of any petitioner that sped bet­ter, or that prevayled more, then he did? nay, may we not think that he was a great gayner by this course, when (herevpon) he exhorteth others out of his owne abundant & happy experience in this particuler, to powre out & emity their harts, & wholy to vnlade & lay them opē before the Lord, which no man (you know) will doe, but to him, in whome he hath more then or­dinary interest, and with whome he is exceeding inti­mate & familiar. Thus you see the point is most plaine in his practise, who is a singuler praesidēt vnto vs herin, no man ever layd more clayme to god, in prayer, no man ever obtayned more comfort from god by prayer; & doth not this assure vs thē, that it is most true that he that goeth to the Lord with most right, shall come from him with most rejoycing.

I did the rather chuse Dauid to giue evidence in this matter, because he was a man so inward with god, & so excelling in this practise, that we cannot finde many to match him: yet if we should take notice of [Page 11]other holy men of god, we should soone discerne the same carriage in them: but we will spare to multiply any, or to nottfy more examples, let vs come to consi­der the reasons of the point: and they are these that follow. Reason 1

First, the ground and evidence of our consolation in any thing, is our right we haue in the same, wherwith may we bolde, but with our owne? what is any thing, (nay, every thing) to vs, if it be not ours? our right, is our rejoycing: our cōfort in all things, come's from the clayme we can lay to them. The dimme light of nature and reason, saw this, where no illumination of grace or religion did shyne as yet, Jonah. 1. in those poore perplexed Pagans, whose course in their owne persons, and who­se counsell to the Prophet, proues this point, ver. 5. for them­selues, the text tels vs [they cryea euery one to his owne God] and when the Prophet (being found a sleepe in this distresse) is awaked and exhorted to pray, he is willed to pray to his owne God, [cal vpon thy God]: ver. 6. and doe not both these make it most manifest, that a man can haue no hart to pray, noe hope to speede, vn­lesse he haue interest in that God to whome he pray­eth. These silly men could see that it was booteles for them to pray to his God, or he to theirs, if any benefit may be expected, it must be from our owne, and none els. And this is our first reason. Reason 2

Secondly, God himself doth comfort & cheere vp men vpon this ground, that he wilbe theirs, and they shalbe his. So we finde once, Gen. 15.1. and againe in his appea­rance to Abraham, when he will harten him against all harmes he saith thus [Feare not Abraham, for I am thy Buckler, and thyne exceeding great reward], it had beene [Page 12]small happines to him to know that god had beene a buckler or any thing els, Gen. 17.1.2.4.7. but to be his, is the thing wherwith the Lord joye's his very soule. So againe, at another time, God will binde him to proceed, & per­severe in his vprightnes, now because that exact car­riage of-times bring's men into calamity, the Lord to quicken him, doth not only tell him how able & all­sufficient he is to doe him good, but that he wil enter into covenant with him, & become his God, and this covenant of God, is that, which hath comfort enough in it to carry him currantly, through all discomforts whatsoever. And intruth, he that hath the Lord to be his, may wel account himself a most happy man, be­cause then, all the infinite and vnspeakable perfect­ions of God, are ours and we may goe with boldnes & freedome to beg

• that mercy, which is aboue the heavens:
• that wisdome, which is vnsearchable.
• that providence, which is vnvtterable
• that Power, which is vnresistable

and all that goodnes, and kindnes, and those compassions which are inconceivable: that we may haue the bene­fit of these excellencies for our best good, is not this a comfort? when a man may know that all that heauen hath, nay, all that the God of heauē hath, is ours, & a man may goe to both, as to his owne. Assuredly if we can but beleue, that god is wise enough to giue vs a suffici­ent reason of soūd consolation, & able enough to make that good which he giue's as a reason to vs, to wit, the interest of himself, then haue wee reason to ac­knowledg that he may pray comfortably, that hath power to make this clayme, to him, & all that is in him. And this is our second reason.

Thirdly; Reason 3 in that excellent prayer of our Lord Iesus Christ, cōtayned in the 17 of Ioh, Joh. 17. & cōtinued through the whole chapter, let vs consider, that when he powre's out those his most sweet suplications for vs, he doeth, (as it were) presse, and vrge his father with argumēts, to heare him for vs, and to accept vs in him, & among many other jnducements of that kinde, he doth prin­cipally pleade this which we haue now in hand, even, the interest his father had in vs, and this he doth once and againe; ver. 6. ver. 6. [I haue manifested thy name vnto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: ver. 9. thine they were, and thou gavest them me]. Againe, ver. 9. [I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine]. And a­gaine, ver. 10. [All mine are thine, and, thine are mine; Holy father, keepe them in thy name, even them, whome hast given me, that they may be one, as we are one]. In all these, we se how he is instant with God his father for vs, on this ground that we are his, & he ours; which title, & right, when he hath so earnestly insisted vpon, thē he come's to the requests he make's for vs, which are very many, and most heauenly, both touching our present state of grace during the dayes of our being here, and our eternall state of happines when we goe hence.

During the dayes of our abode on earth, ver. 13.1 [...].17.19.21.23. he praieth

• that, his joy might be fulfilled in vs.
• that, we might be kept from euill.
• that, we might be sanctified in the truth.
• that, we might be one with himself & his father.
• that, not only we our selues, but also the world, may know that the Lord doth loue vs, euen as he loueth Christ himself.

And, as if all this were not enough, that we should enjoy so much good, & be free from all evill for the present, he is yet a further suitor to his father for vs, that when the time of our pilgrimage is out here, we may posesse the glory of heaven, ver. 22. which glory, (even the same that he had with his father before all worlds) he professeth he hath given to vs, ver. 24. and prayeth, that his father would invest vs into it, and give vs posession of it.

Thus doth the Lord Iesus abound in these most blessed desires of our best good, & provoketh, (yea, & prevaileth with) his father, to bestow them all vpon vs because, both he hath interest in vs, and we in him. If this could not haue beene avouched, it had beene to litle purpose that Christ himself had prayed, nay, it is certaine he would not at all haue made any re­quest to God his father for vs, for we se expressely, that he will not open his mouth for others, but exclu­deth them: ver. 6. [I pray not for the world].

Now then, if this were that which did jnduce our Lord Iesus Christ, in his prayer to be soe myndfull of vs, if because we were his, he doth soe prosecute his fa­ther to be mercifull to vs, let vs thinke whether our interest in the Lord be not an excellent encouragmēt for vs to goe to our God. Christ himself went not without it, every true christian may goe freely with it. He that knew best, what would most moue his fathers affection, made vse of this for our jmitation And this is our third reason.

Fourthly, Reason 4 they, and they only, can goe with com­fort to call cheerfully vpon God, that can carry with them his owne loue-tokens with he hath given them, even those saving graces which they haue recei­ved [Page 15]from him, by which they are knowen to be his, & to haue interest in him, because they are never given to any that are none of his, they only doe partake of them, that are deare & precious to him. Now whosoe­ver can come to him & shew him his owne, which he hath left with them, they cannot but speede, they shall surely prevayle, Gen. 38.18.25.26. as (yov know) Thamar did vpon Iudah when she had his owne signet, and braceletts, and staffe, and brought them forth before him, he could not chuse but owne them, and acknowledg her, & favour her. Even soe, if we can bring that before the Lord which he hath givē vs, & lay his owne graces in his sight, when we pray, we shall not speake to him in vayne, he love's to heare the voice of his owne spirit in vs, for when he heare's that, he knowe's one of his owne saints is the suitor, Cant. 5.2. and that [it is the voyce of his beloued] for none can pray by the power of grace but they that haue it, and it is jmpossible any should haue it, but those only to whome he giue's it, and that is, only to such as he hath selected to himself, from the rest of the sinfull world. Hence it is, that the apostle tell's vs that this spirit of grace doth both assure vs that [we are the sons of god], Rom. 8.15 16 and (being soe) it doth also cheere vs with, boldnes to [cry Abba, father]. And this is our fourth reason. Reason 5

Fiftly, we are not, nor cannot be throughly armed against the noysome temptations of Satan, if we haue not this assurance that God is ours. Of all dutyes the divell is most jmpatient of Prayer, he cannot brooke, or abide that by any meanes, and therfore he bend's all his infernall forces against vs in that service. Now if we be not rightly assured, and resolutely setled, in the perswasion of our soules, that the Lord is ours, & that [Page 16]we are the Lords, he will haue mighty & heauy advātage vpon vs, and still lye tempting, and teazing of vs, with hideous affrightments; saying, or suggesting; what hast thou to doe to goe to God, seing thou art none of his, he, none of thine? darest thou draw neere to him, not knowing thy self to be his childe, he will sooner punish thy presumption, then heare thy petition; he call's none, but his owne to come to him, & seing thou intrudest thy self thou may'st rather feare his curse, then hope of any comfort. These, and the like misera­ble objections, or vpbraydings, can none claw off, but they that can lay, good clayme to the living God. And whosoever are soundly assured that they can, shall either not feele these things, or, if they doe, they neede not feare them, their interest will jnable them against all, that hell can suggest against them. Reason 6 And this is our fift reason.

Sixtly, & lastly, the truth we teach may most plain­ly appeare by our consideration of their estate, who haue no interest in the Lord, and are none of his; what are such in the Lords account and construction, and whether doe they pray or noe? and if they doe, with what good affection, or assurance of gracious answer? Doth not God repute them strangers, and enemies to him, such as he doth not know, nor they him, nay more, such as because they are not knowne of him, nor he of them, are (therfore) hated as aduersaries to him. Ignorance of God make's a man a stranger and an aduersary to God. All that haue not interest in him, are not only straugers but enemyes also. It is Gods owne assertion, there is no meane betweene a stranger and an enemy, he that is one, is both; God couple's them to­gether, Col. 1.21. who can part them a sunder? [you (saith the [Page 17]apostle) which were strangers and enemies] so that if a man have not interest in God, he is at emnity with him, he who knowe's not God for his father, must know God for his foe; if thou art not his childe, thou canst not but be his enemy. Ponder this well, and see what will follow herevpon; to wit, that whosoever prayeth without right and interest in the Lord, may hope for no more happines, then he that is a suitor to one that is both a meere stranger, and a manifest enemy to him, and that (you know) can be but a poore issue, a pittifull successe. And I doe appeale to the soule of any vngodly person, with what affection, or consola­tion he had prayed, with what favour and compassion he hath beene answered. Let him speake without flat­tery of his owne hart, and I feare not to be judged by himself. But if he should flatter himself, and others, and affirme he hath prayed comfortably, and beene answered graciously, it is apparant that he hath lyed both to God, and men, for the Lord protesteth his deepest detestation both of their persons, and suppli­cations, and procliameth to all men, that, either they are not heard at all, or, if in any kinde they obtaine any thing, it is nothing but a curse, Mal. 2.2, or a [blessing acursed] to them. Now then if such be the misery, and vnhap­pines of those that haue no interest in the Lord, their mercy and comfort must be much, that haue it, and can goe to God with sounde assurance of it. Looke what odds there is betweene a father and an aduersary, be­tweene one that is dearely beloued, & deepely abhorred, such must be the difference of their suites, and the successe of them, that can clayme a title in the Lord, and that cannot. And this is our last reason.

And now (I hope) the point is plentifully & plain­ely [Page 18]proved, and that you are all perswaded, that he may goe to God with joy, that hath God for his God.

From the prooffe of which truth, let vs now proceed to the application of the same, and that to all sorts of menwhome it doth, or may concerne and they are both,

• the children of God, for consolation.
• vngodly men, for reprehension.
• all men, for instruction.

And first to begin with the saints of God, Vse. 1 I meane his sons & daughters, consolation. who haue this propriety in God, and can truly entitle themselues vnto him, they are to know, that the truth and the true comfort, of this we teach, hath vnto them, neither end nor measure; a be­gining indeed it hath, and it breede's, and growe's, by degre'es in them, but end or measure, it knoweth none. It is both an infinite, and eternall joy vnto them, to know themselues to be the Lords, and the Lord to be theirs.

The holy apostle intending to teach all men, the meane's of true rejoycing in the Lord, laye's his ground herin, (shewing thereby, that the ground of all sound happines, [...]. Cor. 1. [...]0. is in this particuler) to wit, that [Christ is of God, made vnto vs, wisdome, righteousnes, sanctification, & redemption] note; that he saith not Christ to be in him­self all, or any of these, but that the joy, & advantage of each of them, is in this, that he is made vnto vs, that is, made of God,

• our wisdome:
• our righteousnes.
• our sanctification.
• our redemption.

And hence he inferreth that which followeth [that, [Page 19]as it is written, if any man glory, let him glory in the Lord], ver. 31. as if he should say; many joy and boast in the Lord Iesus, but it is according to their owne vayne conceit, but the mā that will rejoyce warrātably, & as it is writ­ten, let him make this sure; that, what Christ is, he is vn to him, his, wisdome, his righteousnes &c. all other is but fonde, but this is souna, rejoycing; Satans abetts vs to the former, but God will beare vs out in this latter.

And the comfort, benefit, joy, and advantage herof will appeare to be more then we can speake, 1. Pet. 1. [...]. [euen, ioy vnspeakable and glorious] if we shall but speake of some few, of those infinite perticulers, wherin the happines of this our tnterest doth appeare; our inst­ances shall not be many, but those we take, shalbe manifest to our purpose; and we will make choise of such especially, as may most despight the diuell, who in nothing more, doth shew himself to be indeed a diuell & an aduersary to vs, then in this our interest & right, which he endeavour's to nullify, and make voyd, as in all passages betwixt God and vs, soe most especially in these wherof we are now to treat, which are evident to every sincere christians experience in himself, and observation in others

The first, is in the very point we haue in hand, 1 to wit, in prayer, wherin he never spare's to vexe, Consola­tion in Prayer. & tor­ture our soules, with our alienation from God, vp­brayding vs that we are none of his, nor he any of ours; and therfore what make we to call vpon him, to whome we can make no claime? and soe doth all he can, either to discourage vs from prayer, if it may be; or if not, to discomfort vs in prayer. But we haue (notwit­standing) wherin to rejoyce with God, & (as we sayd) our right in him, is our rejoycing before him, and that [Page 20]in this perticuler of our prayers: For why? from hence, that he is ours, and we his, we haue

• both, free accesse vnto him.
• and, gracious acceptance with him.

a man may goe freely to his owne, and be sure to be accepted when he come's, where he hath right.

Who ever went to God with this claime, that came without this comfort? Looke vpon some of the saints of God and see how they haue done, and goe and doe likewise, when good king Asa came to God in the great distresse, and extraordinary danger, wherin he was, by reason of his many and mighty enemyes; note, how he fall's vpon God and faste'ns with his interest vrged once, 2. Chron. 14.11. ver. 12.13.14.15. jtterated againe, and againe [and Asa cryed vnto the Lord his God] & againe, [Helpe vs o Lord our God] & yet againe. [O Lord thou art our God]. Thus freely he went, & thus freely he spake to God, and the successe did well shew, that such a prayer may doe more then an army of men with great power. The Lord can wit­holde no comfort from thē, that thus lay holde on him.

The like may be noted in worthy Nehemiah, who besought the Lord for the Iewes of the captivity, he that readeth, let him consider how abūdantly he doth presse the Lord with his right in them, & theirs in him, nothing is more ordinary in all his requests then this particuler [heare the prayer of thy servant, Neh. 1.6.which I pray before thee for the children of Israel thy seruants: and a­gaine [Now these are thy people and thy servants and yet againe, ver. 10. ver. 11. [let thine eare be open to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, wich desire to feare thy name. Thus you see how he insisteth herevpon, as, vpon that which he did apprehend & perswade him­self might be a maine motive with God to obtaine [Page 21]what he asked. And the sequell did well shew, that this supplication was of force with the Lord, to doe them good for whome he prayed.

It were most easy to produce the practise of many more, even of all the saints of God, who haue received the earnest of the spirit, and are sealed to be his, but we will let goe all other, and take knowledge of one, for all, euen of Iesus Christ, who is Lord over all, & ought to be all in all, vnto vs. Mat. 26.

Let vs goe into the garden, and heare him pray there, loe, he besought the Lord three times, and in every request this shalbe added, ver. 39. and not omitted in any one, [O my father if it be possible let this cup passe] and the second time, ver. 42. ver. 44.[O my father if this cup may not pas­se] &c. and yet againe, the third time [the same words] saith the Evagelist, that is to say, words to the same purpose and of the same sence, note. though not of the same syllables, for we finde them something varied, by the other Evāgelists Marke, & Luke, as touching the letter.

From thence let vs follow him to his crosse, and there we shall finde him in the same kinde calling vpon his father, [my God my God]; mat 27.64. and this he did in his vtmost extreamity, when he was vnder the full weight of his fathers infinite indignation, and at such a time, and in such a straight, every one will endea­vour, to vtter that which may be most effectuall to moue them to whome we make our suites, and our saviour thus using this, doth therby make it evident to be of excellent, and singuler jmportance, to prevaile with the Lord, in the heaviest estate wherin we can be, vnder heaven.

Nay, let vs not looke only on what he did in his owne practise, but what he doth comād vs to doe in ours, [Page 22]when he would teach his disciples (and with them all christians) so to pray that they might be happy after they had prayed, he will haue them begin with their interest, mat. 6.9. & say [Our father] &c: this must stand in the forefront, as the first, & most forcible thing, to set vpon God withall; shewing clearely, that he can haue no comfort to pray, who cannot thus begin his prayer, if a man cannot make his title good in the first place, all wilbe but vaine and jdle that follewe's, it is but folly to seeke the face of God, if we doe not know him to be our father, & cannot boldely soe call him, when we call vpon him.

And it is well to be noted, Rom. 8. that the apostle tell's vs that the same spirit that assure's vs we are the childrē of God, doth not only embolden vs (as was remem­bred before) to cry [Abba father] but in case it stand soe wit vs, ver. 15. that (through any extreamity of body, or impotency & distresse of minde) we cannot pray (which was once Dauids case, Psa. 77.3.4. & may be the condition, of any true, & tender harted christian,) I say, this spirit doth pray, and preferre, our requests for vs, our very assu­rance it self, will speake for vs, through we could not speake for our selues. Even this, that we are Gods, is (if we could vtter no more,) enough to harten vs, in the hope of being heard, as we finde by him, who sayd this and no more, Psal. 146.6.7. [I sayd vnto the Lord thou art my God; heare my prayer o Lord] and further, [O Lord God of my saluation] &c.

Nay not only in prayer, but in the whole worship of God are we cheered, by this same reason; soe saith the spirit of God. Psa. 95.6. [Come let vs worship &c, for he is the Lord our God, we are the people of his pasture and the sheept of his hands], so that, if vpon any tearmes, a man will [Page 23]come to the Lord, this must be one, & one of the mayne things, he must mention before the Lord.

Thus our consolation come's vpon vs in regard of our prayers, when we can goe to God as to our owne, it matters not, how Satan may otherwise entwitte vs, as long he cannot overturne our title.

And the joy, and comfort of this consideration, will yet shyne more clearely vpon vs, if we marke well how wicked men, when they come to speake to God doe not once offer to vtter one word of interest, but still come, with generall appellation, without any speci­all, or particuler impropriation of God to themselfs, mat. 25.11. or of themselues to him: all that they say is [Lord, Lord, open vnto vs] it may be, to blinde vs withall, they dare, (be­ing themselues blinded by the God of this world] pre­sume, and be jmpudently overbolde, with the Lord, 2. Cor. 4.4 & call (or rather miscall) him theirs, but when the great day shall come, wherin they shalbe detected and dis­cerne their owne estates, standing before their judge, the mighty God, & speaking immediately to him, they shall feare, and not once dare, to offer the pleading of any interest, they shall stand without, & cry, & houle, to him, who being none of their Lord, doth condemne and cast them, into internall, & infinite damnation of soule and body.

Oh, that their soules could consider this, who thus forget both God, and themselues, Psal. 50.22. and now (before men) fawne vpon him with prophane tongues and hy­pocriticall harts, speaking of him as of their sweete Ie­sus, and their deare sauior, whenas, (before his owne face) they dare not at all entitle him soe: who seeth not but that their former prayers were vile, (being hypo­critically presumptuous,) and these latter vayne, and [Page 24]themselues reprobated of God, for pretending a title before men, and wanting it, when they appeare before himself. But of this, we shall haue better occasion, to speake more in our next vse.

In the meane time, this want of interest in them, is that which debarre's them of all present comfort, and brings them vnder Gods eternall curse, all their supli­cations be cast away first, and themselues also, at last, because they haue it not. And what can be the conse­quence herof to the saints of God, but this, that they by vertue of this their right, in, & through Christ, shall haue both their persons and petitions accepted of God, to whome they may goe with all solace and rejoycing of soule and spirit, notwithstanding many other mise­rable faylings, because all the infinite compassions of God, Psal. 103.13. are to be exercised only vpon his owne, whome he hath promised to spare, & forbeare, as a man doth his son whome he loueth.

And this is the first comfort that flow'es from our interest, Psa. 34.15 that our prayers shall haue happy issue with him, who is our God, and whose we are, [For his eyes are vpon the righteous, and his cares are open to their cry] our clayme doth out-cry our corruption, as the apostle a­voucheth of Elias his prayer; Jam 5. & least any man should say, I, Elias, oh, he was a rare, and extraordinary man, of singuler graces, and more admirable piety, then is now to be found, alas, what are we to Elias? the holy ghost answer's, that he was a man, and a corrupt man, as we are, ver. 17. [subiect to the like passions] as the story of his life doth shew, yet being a righteous man, and having right in the Lord, Judg. 15.18.16. his prayer was powerfull, and pre­vailing. And soe was Samsons also, who went much out of the way, in many things, yet being the Lords, one [Page 25]that he had set apart to himself, and appropriated to his service, it was the good pleasure of his will to heare his desires, and help him in all his distresses. And the same might we say of many more, vpon whome we cannot now insist, because it is time we set forward toward one second consolation. 2

And that is touching our afflictions, and miseries, Consola­tion in Afflicti­on. in the mid'st wherof, (seeme they never soe insuf­ferable) our interest in the Lord, will ease our soules, and joy our spirits within vs.

And herof we haue abundant witnes, in the booke of God, taken both from God himself, and from his saints, yea, and from sinfull and vngodly men, too.

If we will hearken what the Lord God doth say in this case, beholde he vtter's his minde most freely, that wee may be free from all feare, in respect of any pe­rills. I will not cloy you with a multitude of witnesses. See what he saith by his prophet Isaiah, who heard it once, yea twise from God, that such as are his shall not sinke, in theit deepest sorrowes.

Looke cap. 41. where he cheere's his people, and giue's them words of wonderfull hartening, saying, Jsa. 41. [Feare not, be not dismaied,] but vpon what ground? why even vpon this, ver. 10. which will beare them vp in all bitternes, [for I am with thee, for I am thy God, I will helpe thee, I will strēgthē, I will vpholde thee, with theright hād of my righteousnes] & againe [feare not, for I the Lord thy God whill helpe thee] and yet againe, [feare not, ver. 13.thou worme (that is, were thy state never soe weake, & des­picable) I will helpe thee saith the Lord & thy redeemer.] ver. 14. Againe, the 43. chapter begins with the same words of encouragement, [feare not,] but why? Jsa. 43. Ʋer. 1. [for I haue called & redeemed thee, thou art mine.] oh, but we haue many [Page 26]& mighty miseries to passe through, well, saye's God, let the worst come that can come, if it be as extreame as fire and water (and they we say haue no mercy,) yet saith the Lord, feare not, I will goe with thee, when thou wadest through the greatest woes, that the world can yeelde: and least any should doubt, or demaund, what might make the Lord, or moue him, to be soe vnspeakably kinde, and gracious, he answers by re­peating the same reason againe, that he had given be­fore, [for I am the Lord thy God, thy holy one of Israell thy Saviour] &c: Loe here, how the Lord doth dwell vpon this argument to perfwade their perplexed spi­rits, how well it shalbe with them, even at the worst that can come vnto them.

And herevnto, would all the Prophets giue witnes, if we should summon them one by one, for the Lord speakes much to this purpose in every of them, but one word of God, were enough to satisfy the whole worlde, if there were no more, and therefore it shalbe needles for vs to quoate more in this matter.

Let vs heare his children speake, (whose language we shall sinde to be like their fathers) and assoone as they tell vs their mindes herin, it will most readily ap­peare, that they apprehēded, the most speciall reason of their comfort and releife, to consist in the right, & clayme, which (in their miserablest condition) they could make vnto God.

Aske David, Psa. 23.1. he will tell vs, that seing [the Lord is his shepheard] he shall not want any good thing, even then when things goe never soe ill with him; in his sorrowes he shall haue consolation; ver. 4. in his dangers, preservation; supply, in his wants; safety, in his waies; and whatsoever may be meete for him, in any estate [Page 27]which may befall him.

The same he speakes againe elswhere, and double's the declaration of his interest in God saying, Psal. 116.16. [Behold Lord, for I am thy servant, I am thy servant] &c. And this he doth there, where he hath discourced of the heaviest afflictions, that ever befell him, shewing evi­dently, that if he had not beene soe neere, and deare, to the Lord as he was, he had sunke & perished, in those calamities which had now seized on him, but seing he could (with good assurance) say he was Gods, that estate was to him recouerable, which to another (for wāt of this worthy comfort) had beene desperate & incu­rable.

Nay, let vs enquire of more then one, aske all the Iewes, either in Isatahs time, or in leremiahs. Beholde, in both prophets, how they plead, & proue their comfort in the middest of their calamities. Jsa. 63.16. [Doubtlesse (say they) thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of vs, and Israel know vs not, thou o Lord art our father, and our redeemer &c.] and againe [we are thine] &c. ver. 19.

And if we looke into their state in Ieremiahs time, when the hand of God was greivous vpon them, as both the title, and the whole tennor of the booke doth relate, (it being called [the Lamentations] from their lamentable condition therin described) we shall see them plunged, into the deepest, and deadlyest di­stresses, that it was possible for people to endure, how­beit, they could yet holde vp their heads and cheere vp their harts, with their title to the Lord, Lam. 3.24 saying [the Lord is my portion saith my soule, therefore I will hope in him]. Even that estate which was soe wofull, vnhappy, and hopelesse, yet is conceived to be curable, and (vn­der the heaviest, burden, and bitternes, therof) they [Page 28]are hopefull, harty, & cōfortable, because they can boldly say, that god is their portiō, & they are his people: nothing was left but this, this alone was enough, to lift them out of the desperate conceit of their owne estate. All externall, and visible signes, & tokens of Gods favour were gone, both temporall in regard of their land & the happines they had, in all the good things thereof & spiri­tuall in regard of the temple & the holines of the things of God therin, but this inward & invisible assurāce & seale of Gods interest in thē, & theirs in him, that remaineth, & by it, they are revived, & kept in such hart, & hope, that they can comfort, and joy themselves therin, as in that which will holde out, & holde them vp, when all other consolations fayle. And soe we see Gods people doe say the same herin, that God himself doth.

But let vs enquire of vngodly men &, we shall per­ceive the power of this truth to be such, that they who haue not, any part, or portion in it thēselves, are copelled to confesse the comfort of it for others. Such is the cle­are light & the quickening life of it, that even these, are dazeled with it, & can doe no lesse, but freely acknow ledge the same, through that strong conuiction which doth enforce thē to beleeue it, & yet afford's thē no true comfort by it. Many a wicked man standes convinced of much truth, Note. who can be comforted by none, nay the truth they know, is so farre from making them any way confortable, that it make's them more inexcusable. So was it in this point, with those two pagan kings Ne­buchadnezzar, & Darius. Nebuchadnezzar had tyrānically throwne the three children into the fiery fornace, Dan. 3. for refusing to worship his false God. The true God was re­solved to rescue them, seing he saw their faith, and affiāce in him to be so sound, & vnmoveable, (& note, [Page 29]that this their resolution of spirituall loyallty, was grounded on their interest they had in God), as they tell the king to his teeth [our God is able to deliuer vs] &c. & being freed from the fury of the king, ver. 17. & feirce­nes of the fire, he who cast thē in (evē this heathē tyrant) whē he saw their miraculous deliverāce by the mighty hand of God, cānot containe himself, but must magnify both this their God, and those his seruāts, & that not only by words, but by a law and statute, made to that end, saing [Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, ver 28. ver. 29.& Abedne­go, who hath sent his Angell & deliuered his servants] &c. [Therefore I make a decree] &c.

The like to this is seene in the 6. Dan. 6 chapter in Daniels case, against whome an vnjust & cruell act was got, that for his piety to the Lord, he must now be made a pray to the lions: well, the decree is grāted & irrevocably sealed, according to the māner of the Medes, & Persiās. The king assoone as he came to know how it was, was exceeding sorry for what he had done, & doth what he can to free Daniell, but whē he see's that it cānot be, he labour's to comfort him against that distresse, from which he could not deliver him, & what is it where with he doth endeavour to cheere him? a man would thinke it must (sure) be some extraordinary argument, that must encourage a man in this case: why it is even this, [Thy God, whome thou servest, ver. 16. ver. 20. ver. 22.he will deliver thee] and againe, [O Daniell the seruant of the liuing God, thy God] & withall note Daniells answer [my God, hath sent his Angell] &c. Thus this godles man, must give wit­nes to this gratious truth, & confesse that a mans right in the Lord, is able to beare him out against the grea­test cruelty, that can be excercised vpon him. Nay, the Lord did not only make this man, but those beasts [Page 30]also, Psal. 105.15. (the lyons) after a sort, to know, that they had a servant of his among them, whome they might not touch, a prophet to whome they must doe no harme.

Thus we have abundant evidence hervnto, and we see this our second consolation is most cleare, that a man who hath the Lord to his freind, and is interessed into him, 1. Pet. 1.8. hath wherin to joy, [though for a season he may be in heavines through many afflictions,] as the apostle Pe­ter speaketh: and well may he rejoice in this truth that hath these three, to beare record to it; when God speaketh it, and Godly men acknowledg it, and vngodly men cannot deny it, it must needes be a truth past all controlement, and of singuler good consequent, to the marvelous comfort of so many as have part in it. For this is a sure thing; Note. that, whensoever the Lord smites any of his owne, in what measure soever it be, the mercy is infinite, which doth accompany their least visitation; but as for wicked men (being none of his) some measure there may be (in their present calamities) but no mercy at all, in any of them. And this is the second consolation.

The third follow'es, 3 and that farre exceed'es the two former, Consola­tion aga­inst Cor­ruption. by how much the vertue of it, doth extēd it self to helpe vs against the venyme of our corrup­tion. A true christian is much more tender and sen­sible, of sin, then of sorrow, of transgression, then afflictiō, of any thing that dishonour's God, then of all things, that doe, or can, distresse himselfe. Noe darts of the divell, can so much dismay the minde of a childe of God, and make him feare he is none of Gods, as those which Satan shoote's at vs, in this respect. He knowe's too well, that the offences of the faithfull will pinch, & wring them, and therefore he is ever arguing from [Page 31]them, against vs, to anihilate our interest in our God, and labour's ever to proue, that we can haue no good title, being guilty of such great, and grosse transgression, as he vsually (by infernall aggrauation) suggesteth the sins of Gods saints, to be. It is his manner to make the most, and the worst, of all their faylings, and to gall, and sting their consciences, with the greatnes of them. When he tempteth vs to them, Note. they are but naturall infirmities, but when he accuseth vs for them, they are notorious impieties, now we are foule, where before we were but frayle. And such evills as he can prevaile with vs to commit, he vrgeth against the comfort of our interect in him, against whome they are commited; and thinks he hath enough against vs, to proue vs none of Gods, because (since our calling) we have so sinned against him.

But our God whose children we are, (and he our Fa­ther) will have vs to know, & vnderstand better, both in respect of our sins, and in respect of our selues.

Touching our sins, that it is too true, that (after true grace receiued) we transgresse too groffly, & we are no way to deny it, but by all meanes to be throughly humbled for it, and to greive in our soules that we should liue, to greive him (by sin) who hath taken vs on, to be his owne.

But touching our selues, no such consequence can follow, as Satan would inferre, to wit, that because we are sinners, therefore we are not saints; we are offendors, therefore not faithfull; we haue such, and such euills in vs, therefore we haue no interest in God; this argu­mentation is Satanicall, God never disputed soe, against any of his.

Nay, Gods reasoning is quite contrary, for wheras [Page 32]the divell doth vrge our offences to frustrate our right in the Lord: the Lord doth vrge our interest in him, to confirme his loue and favour to vs, and to nullify our sins in his sight. And this we will not only say, but shew, to be a truth both from that euidence of Gods word, (against which Satan may cauill, but the truth therof he shall never cancell), and from that happy ex­perience, in such of his holy ones, as haue found that from his hand, which (to comfort our harts) they haue left vpon sacred record for ever.

Let vs take some taste of both, that we may see how good the Lord is to his owne, though they be euill before him; yet ever with this caution; that what we shall speake, doe harten no man to commit the least sin, but to encounter Satan when he would haue vs adde infidelity, to our jmpiety; and make our state desperate now, which was but distressed before. Nothing is more sure then this, that God never gaue any man any as­surance of this good who doth therby abett himself in any euill: A cauti­on. it is to arme vs against temptation, not to en­crease corruption, that the Lord reavealeth this truth. He that soe peruert's it, hath no propriety in God at all.

But let vs come to the point, our interest in our God, is good armour of prooffe, against the feircest as­saults of Satan when he vpbraideth our sin against God, to oppose our consolation in God.

To doe thus, is the fruit of his mallice, but many a saint of God hath made better vse of their right and haue relieued their consciences, with that which hath beene wrested against them; to rob them of their best comfort.

When David had fallen fouly in the matter of Vriah, [Page 33]multiplying one fearfull sin vpon another, soe, as that a man would wonder whith what face, he should offer, or dare, to looke the Lord in the face, we finde nothing more encouraged him to goe, nothing car­ryed him but this, that yet the Lord was his; soe we perceiue by his owne words [Deliuer me from blood &c O God, Ps. 51.14.who art the God of my salvation] God was yet, his God, and that hartened him to seeke his par­don.

The same was the prophet Ionahs course, he was in as bad a case as a good man might be, standing guilty of grosse rebellion, against the Lords expresse comaund given vnto him, and for the same persued, apprehen­ded, and punished strangly, by that hand of God that would haue protected and rewarded him in his obe­dience. Now being in such a close prison, as wherinto never man came but he. & that for such an egregious fact, what hope can he haue of ever coming neere God againe, or if he haue any hope, wheron is, or may, it be grounded? why even hervpon that, yet, at the worst he is the Lords, and can soe assure himself, (as we see he doth, once and againe,) in that prayer that he make's, where we are certified by the holy Ghost, that [Ionah prayed vnto the Lord his God, Jonah. 2.1 ver. 6. out of the fishes belly] and further, [thou hast brought my life from the pit, o Lord my God.] Beholde, though he had miserably fayled before God, yet his right in God fayled not, God doth acknowledg himselfe to be his; Ionah can challeng this interest, and pray therevpon and soe pray that the Lord is pleased both to heare, and to helpe, as we see he did, both in releasing him from his present affliction, and in receiving him into his former favour, and entrusting him (the [Page 34]second time) in that service, about which he had em­ployed him, (and wherin the prophet had so wret­chedly rebelled) before.

The same may we see in the poore prodigall in the gospell, Luk 15.18. who is the image, and representation of vs all (euen of all the faith full that offende) what had he to pleade, or to put him into any hope, that he might re­turne, and be received againe into that house, from whence, he had (of his owne accorde) so foolishly departed; and that, he who had given him a childes portion already, would ever know him for his childe more, seing he had run through all, and spent it so ryotously, and lewdly, in such base, and rebellions courses as he had followed? why this he had, and this was all, and fully enough, to give him hopefull assu­rance, of happy entertainment; that, yet for all this, he from whome he feed, and against whome he did offend, was his father. This was that which cheered him against all his misery, and impiety, and that ena­bled him first to purpose his returne home, and after­ward to practise the same, he is my father; therefore I will goe to him, though I have fayled against him.

But what should we stand vpon particuler persons? let vs see what comfort the Lord hath promised to all his owne, 1 King. 8.46. in this case. When Salomon dedicated the temple, and prayed most divinely therin, he presup­posing (as well he might, for it was too sure,) that Gods people might, and would ceartainly sin against him, and (by sin) so farre provoke him against them, that they might either be cast out of their land into captivity, or have some other heavy judgment inflicted vpon them; herevpon, he is a suitor to God for them, that he would (even in this their sinfull estate) be gracious [Page 35]to them; and what saith he, that might moue the Lord to commiserate them in this their calami­tous condition? even this very thing, [for they are thy people, and thine inheritance &c:] ver. 50.51 & if any man would know what God sayd to this request of his, he may read it in the next chapter [I haue heard thy prayer, and thy supplication &c. cap. 9. [...].

Now this being vniuersall, for all the people of God it giueth assurance from God to every one, who hath any assurance in God, that (notwithstanding their miscarriages) they are capable of his kindnes and favour.

And herof Nehemiah tooke good notice, whenas, Neh. 1. (many a day after this) he living to see that fullfilled, which Salomon foresaw, and feared, betooke himself to God on the behalfe of the Jewes now having offended, and being captivated, ver. 5. and he remember's God of this prayer of Salomon, and this promise of his, and repeateth the covenant, wherin was contayned, and enclosed the interest betweene God and them, vrging him with his owne truth [thou that keepest covenant and mer­cy] &c. and with the peoples interest [Now these are thy seruants, and thy people] &c. ver. 5. ver. 10. and having thus faith fully dealt with God, God could not but deale most graciou­sly with him, and them, as the sequell shewed.

Nay, shall we see what God proffers (in this case) of his owne free accord, and out of infinite and most gracious favour, to all his offending saints, surely, if we coulde see it as we ought, it would even swallow vs up into admiration and amazement; for such, and soe incon­ceivable is his kindnes to his owne herin, that he doth not only encourage them to pray (for all their impie­ty) but doth also teach them how to entreat him, and [Page 36]put's words into their mouthes that may prevayle v­pon himself, telling them what they shall say when they come to supplicate before him, in this their sin­full state. Ps. 89.26. ver. 30.31 &c. So we finde in the Psalme, [He shall cry vn­to me, thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my sal­vation] and then God shewe's what shall follow, to wit, that they shalbe partakers of all his mercy, though they have comitted much impiety, no evill that they have done against him, shall deprive them of any good, he intendeth to them.

Doth not the Lord (herevpon) invite the back­sliding I sraell, to returne and be received into grace a­gaine? and doe not they come with these comfortable words [Behold we come vnto thee, Ier. 3.22.for thou art the Lord our God.]

Is not Israell (and that when it was every way, Hos. 14.1 an ill time with thē) hence hartened, to come home to God? [O Israell returne vnto the Lord thy God] are they not taught of God how to make their supplications before him, soe, as he may shew thē mercy? [Take unto you words, & say, take a way all iniquity, & receiue vs graciously &c.]

Oh, deare bretheren, that we could spend more then a few thoughts vpon this infinite mercy of our heaven­ly father, and well bethink vs of their blessednes that be his, even at their worst. What happines is it to be once his? when as we see, no sin, no punishment (after that) can make vs truly vnhappy any more?

Let vs take some time to take these things into our consideration the true meditation wherof would melt and dissolue the soule of any that is not hell-harde­ned, & seared vp to eternal wrath; that the Lord should make soe much of such as be his owne, that his interest in them, (& theirs in him) should soe overstand all their [Page 37]iniquity, that all his goodnes should euer stand with them.

And fully to fortify and secure, the soules of all the elect in this comfort soe, as that they may ever rest vn­removably therin, and be firmly fenced, against the strength of the most infernall temptations in this perti­culer: let vs call to minde and remember, and ponder well, that the Lord Iesus Christ, (our deare redeemer) layd claime to his father in the midst of his suffrings, when he stood in the steed, and state, of all elect sinners, and was now soe heavily crush't with his fathers jndi­gnation, and the lawes curse and maleaiction the full weight (that is, the infinite fullnes) therof, lying v­pon his righteous soule and body, that he could not containe, but must cry out (in our nature) as a forsa­ken creature, yet he know'es both what he saye's, and whose he is, [my God, my God.] Beholde, the sins of all the saints of God, and all the justice due vnto them, cannot cancell this claime betweene Christ and his father, it is still my God, my God, in the midst of inconceivable calamity: the curse of the law, cannot cut off this loue betweene God and him.

And what can followe from hence to vs? but many most heavenly consolations; to wit that, if all the sins of all the elect could not part God and him, much lesse can, all the sins of any one of the elect, doe it in themselues; if the guilt of millions of men, (and every man having many millions of sin,) did not vndoe this knot of loue, betweene the Lord and his Christ, how can it be conceiued that the sins of any one can dissolue it, though they be excee­ding many: considering that he was now vnder the law, and we (through his subjection there-vnto,) [Page 38]are free from the law, and vnder grace, as also, that his father frowned vpon him for our sake's, but for his, the lorde shynes vpon vs, as being satisfyed for those offen­ces of ours, the deadly poyson, & dreadfull sling wherof, he felt on our behalf, that soe we might escape the same.

Now is Gods law satisfyed, and his loue purchased, and we redeemed from the one, and restored to the other: how then can we feare any such force in our iniquities as to sever betwene the Lord and vs? seing now (notwitstanding our sins) we appeare [spotles and blameles before him in loue], Eph. 1.4. and are as fully re­conciled, as if we had never once offended.

Small matters will not part great freinds; our sins are not great, when Gods grace come's to measure them, or, when we compare them there with. Men doe not (much lesse doth God,) make the most, and speake the worst, of their freinds faylings, we take litle notice of their offences that are greatly in our favour, the Lord doth likewise, who promiseth to put away the sins of his saints as the windes doe a cloud or a fog, be­cause they are his seruants, and that, he will's them in any wise to remember [Remember these, for thou art my servant, Is. 44.21. O Iacob and I sraell, for thou art my servant, thou shalt not be forgotten of me,] [I haue put away thy sins as a mist &c. ver. 22.]

There is no possibility, that any impiety of ours, should either make vs none of Gods, Note. or God (none of ours. None of Gods elect can commit that sin which should make them none of his. [They that are borne of God (saith saint Iohn) doe not, 1. Ioh. 3.9.nor cannot comitt sin] that is to say, they cannot sin soe, as by their sin commited, the Lord, and they should be parted, and all interest, fall [Page 39]betweene them.

If we looke how the Lord accounts of his childrens corruptions (after their calling) we shall see, Numb. 23.21. that he doth beholde thē with a most mercifull eye, or rather not at all beholde thē, but in his loue overlooke's them, & looke's vpon vs, as if we were without them, as if we were just, & righteous persons, for soe are the saints often cal­led, in opposition to sinners and vngodly men. Loe, Ioh 9.31. 1 Tim. 1.6. our iniquities cannot blemish our name before God, how shall they be able to blott out our right?

Our Lord Iesus Christ, who (as we heard even now) made his owne claime good, when he did beare all our evill, did also make it well to appeare, that the vertue therof is become ours, inasmuch, as immediate­ly after his resurrection, he send's Mary to his disci­ples, to certify them that he was risen, and giue's his message to her in these words, Ioh. 20.17. [Goe say to my brethe­ren: Behold I ascend to my father, and to your father, to my God and to your God] these were the first fruits of his favour, wherin (you see) they are called bre­theren, of whome the last newes we heard, was [that they all forsooke him and fled] yet doth Christ lesus entitle himself to them, (being not ashamed to call them (and vs all) bretheren) and them, with himself to God calling him, my father your father, my God your God. Nay, even Peter is included in this number, Mar. 16.7. and goe's for a brother, he is put in by name, by one Euan­gelest, least any man should imagine that his foule de­nyall should haue thrust him out.

Who is he then that dreame's? (or if any doe) when­ce is it that he is deluded? once to conceit, that there can be any such poysonfull power in the euills of Gods elect, as may eate out, either his precious respect to [Page 40]them, or their deare, and vndoubted right in him: no, no, his kindnes is soe incomparably beyond any cor­ruption in vs, that a foolish man might with as good reason feare, that

• one drop of water, were able to quench the whole element of fire,
• or, one sparke of fire, might dry, and drinke vp the whole Ocean of water,

as that any transgression of ours, could cancell that in­comprehensible compassion of his, by vertue wherof, we are (for ever) most firmly vnited to him.

For this cause appeared the son of God (saith Iohn) that he might loose the works of the diuell,] 1. Ioh. 3.8. and tye vs to our God againe, whose, we were once before, (but mu­tably) in our creation, that henceforth we might ever be his, (and that vmmoueably) by redemption. And did Iesus Christ doe, and endure soe much, both in his life and death, and all to make vs fast to our best father by this blessed interest? and shall it now enter into any mans hart, that the perfection, power, and meritt of all this, shall perish, and be of none effect, through our cor­ruption? Farre be it from any soule, to offer such indignity, to Christs meritts, and Gods loue to him, and mercy to vs in him. I say not but our sins may provoke him to chastise vs sharply, but to reiect vs vt­terly, Psal. 89.33.34. [...]5. that cannot be: and that we may beleeue it, the Lord our God, hath both sayd and sworne it.

The child of a naturall father cannot doe any thing, that can disanull that band of blood which is be­tweene them; he may doe much, (yea too much) to provoke his father against him, but it is not possible, he should doe that which should make him none of his father, or himself, no childe to his father. He may most [Page 41]truly say [he is my father, and I am his childe] when he hath transgressed deepely.

How much more impossible is it then, that our heavenly father should giue vs over, or that we should soe transgresse, as to take away that farre neerer, and supernaturall conjunction, which is sealed by the blood of Christ, which blood of his, hath not only a reconciling vertue for our rebellions past, but also a purging, and a preserving vertue for time to come, to cleare vs of the guilt of those evills we doe commit, and to keepe vs from committing such as might any way impaire our interest.

Here is then, a great calme of comfort, for every soule that is afflicted, and tossed with tem­pests; that is, with violent and vile temptations, which (in this kinde) Satan doth cast vpon them: here may the soules of Gods saints ankor safely, and returne to their rest, as into that haven, wherin they shall neede to feare no wrack, or ruine in the least, but may expect most hopefull, and happy successe of all their heavy conflicts with, Ro. 16.20. the divell, that Iesus Christ shall [trample him vnder their feete shortly] (as he doeth pro­mise) and, raise vp them, to those heavenly advantages, Micah. 7.19. which they shall enjoy with him their head; [casting their sins into the bottome of the sea,] that they may never reviue, or be recovered againe, to rise against vs; Ezek. 18.22. nay not so much as once [men­tioning them unto vs] in way of reproach, but re­mooving them as farre from himself, as they would have removed vs from him; that soe we might ever be joyned to the Lord, yea so inseparablie joynted in­to him, that we may be for ever and ever one with [Page 42]him, and soe be assured that we are his, and he ours, for ever and ever, in that vnrepealable covenant of life & peace, which he hath more deepely sealed in the blood of his son, then any guilt of our sin can cancell.

Wherof to secure our soules let vs once for all (er'e we couclude this comfort) take good knowledge that such is his goodnes that rather thē our sins, shall make vs none of his, Ps. 61. 2. Cor. 5.21. he hath made our sins, none of ours, laying them vpon [that rock that is higher then we] even vpon Christ [who was made sin for vs & whose righteousnes is made ours, rather then (for want therof,) we should not be his. So that now Christ is our sin, we are Gods righteousnes, how then can it be, God should not be our father? can those sins hinder whose property is alte­red, and they layd vpon another? No, no, it is enough for the sins of wicked men (whose sins are their owne, and themselues none of Christ's) to barre them, from clayming any confortable interest in the Lord, Rom. 7.17 the fay­lings of the saithfull are of no such force. [It is no more I (saye's Paul) but sin that dwelleth in me] and if our sins may be sayd to be rone of ours, it is absolutely impos­sible but we should be Gods: and so to be, how often doth the Lord in infinite mercy acknowledg vs, and shall not we in duty acknowledg him? shall we dare to neglect his loue, and deny his grace, soe freely and fre­quently offred unto vs. Farre be this fearfull evill, from all the faithfull.

And now (in consideration of the premisses) let all the faithfull draw necre vnto him in faith, and he will draw neere vnto them in favour, & they shalbe his sons and daughters, and he their God, and father for ever. And this is our third consolation.

The fourth and las [...] followe's, and that is not the [Page 43] least, but indeed the greatest, 4 Consola­tion. comprehending the best benefit of this our interest in our God: to wit, all the good which we can receive either here, while we are vnder vanity and corruption, or that which the Lord doth further reserve for our possession in the glory of his owne kingdome, when mortality shalbe swallowed vp of life.

All the promises of this life, and of that which is to come, are wrapped vp, in this our title vnto God. He that hath God to be his, hath them all for his owne, & may safely claime them, and shall assuredly come to enjoy them, in due time.

It is a remarkeable thing, that throughout all Gods booke (which is the storehouse of his blessed promises vn­to vs) all the mercy promised, and every promise wherin any happines is contayned, hath this seale: [And I wilbe their God, and they shalbe my people.] Moses and the Prophets are full, and doe abound with this comfortable close of Gods covenant, of which covenant whatsoever the contents be, this is still the conclusion, and ratification; [I wilbe theirs, they shalbe myne] and that includeth the full confirmation of every favour, of what rate, or sort, soever it be.

It would not be meete to vrge any particulers now, because we have much to say touching the pro­mises in our next point; yet thus much I must say, (and it concerne's every sincere christian to consent vnto it with his hart,) that if we have any assurance

• either, of grace, or any other good thing, in pre­sent possession on earth.
• or, of glory and all eternall good, in future expec­tation in heaven.

the assurance we have, flowe's from the interest we ha­ve, [Page 44]none but they that are the Lords, shall partake of either, Psal. 84.11. and they that are his, shall have both: soe saith David sweetly, [The Lord will giue grace and glory, and no good thing will he witholde from them that walke vp­rightly:1. Cor. 3.21.] and the apostle sumne's vp all within this circuit [All things are yours,] and that not only in generall, or in the grosse, but more particulerly, he co­me's to a distribution, ver. 22. [whether Paul, or Apollo, or Ce­phas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come,ver. 23.all are yours,] and whence is it, that all is soe surely ours? even hence [and yee are Christ's] this clause confirme's all that went before; and is the reason that ratifyeth the same fally.

So then if a man would now sit him downe, and set himselfe to thinke of all the infinite fullnes, and vnspeakable plenty, and variety, of those good things which the Lord doth either giue on earth, or reserue in heaven, and having enlarged his hart, to compre­hend as many of them as he could thinke might make him truly and fully happy, to the absolute joy, and contentment of his very soule, he should now further think, why? these things are to be had, ma­ny haue them already, many more shall haue them heareafter, how may I also come by them, and be sure to enjoy them. The holy ghost doth readily tell vs the way and meanes, which is, to become Christs, be you sure of that one thing, and all these things are sure to you. They that are his, shall have all these, and more, then their owne, or mans imagination can comprehend; heavens fullnes cannot be concei­ved of any creature; Angells are not able to expresse, what Gods saints shall inherit and posesse, when they come to the consummation of that their happi­nes, [Page 45]which is prepared of God, purchased by Christ; reserued for them, and they preserued vnto it; by the power, and through the fauour of that God in Christ who at the last day shall call all his owne, with those sweete words [Come ye [...] blessed (children) of my father, receiue the kingdome prepared for you &c.] It was ordained, and intended only to these, and all they are as sure to haue it, as Christ himself who doth now sit at the right hand of his father.

And thus we have (in some measure) opened some of those consolations vnto you which this our interest doth yeeld vnto vs; I say some, and in some measure, because an absolute manifestation of them all, cannot be vndertaken by vs, or entertayned by you. Our assu­rance is euident, and we can declare it, but our inheritan­ce is infinite, and none can vtter it. Howbeit I hope we have sayd enough, to make the comfort of this point cleare, that it is a most happy thing to have right in the Lord, & to know him to be ours, & our selues his. The which, seing none but the saints of God candoe, the be­nefit and joy herof remayneth only & wholy to them, and that in all, and every of the particulers aforesaid, which if we shall breifly summe vp together, & recall the particulers, it will presently & most plainely appea­re, that they are indeed happy by this heavenly truth.

In a word then, is it not matter of much happines?

• that, we may goe to God and pray boldely.
• that, we be enabled to beare affliction cherefully.
• that, we be armed against sin throughly.
• that, we may be assured of all good absolutely.

These (as, we have heard) are the sweete consolations of this sauing truth, and in them, all and in euery of them, may the saints of God solace their soules, and [Page 47]refresh their spirtis to know themselues capable of such advantages, by the interest they have in the Lord their God, who hath founded his favours vpon this truth, and it is not more ceartaine, and vndoubted, that [the foundation of God abideth sure, 1. Tim. 2.16.and that the Lord doth know who are his,] then that, they who are his, may know all these good things to be theirs.

And thus much for the first use of this point, vnto the saints of God.

Now we will set forward to the second, Vse. 2 Repre­hension and that concerne's wicked and vngodly men: whose impu­dency & presumption in entitleing themselues to God, is equall, (if not beyond) the infidelity, and feare, of the faithfull, who are so backward herin. It hath ever beene the practise of that olde serpent the aiuell, to withdraw Gods people from all their priueledges, that they might not clayme them, & to encourage vngodly persons (to whome they pertaine not) to challeng them: that soe he might draw them both, vnder heauy jmpiety, the one to rob themselues in refusing their right, the other to rob God, and his children in seizing vpon that which the Lord intended only to his owne.

The divell knowe's too well what he does, The hay­nous euill of vngod­ly men, in making claime to God.(oh, that themselues did know it well,) when he abetts jmpious persons either to conceit that God is theirs, or, to call him soe, it being such an jmpiety as scarce any is more insufferable or provoking, and because he foresee's how it will anger, and incense the Lord, therfore is he so busy to set sinfull men about it. Satan vnderstand's what damage it is to God; what dāger to vngodly men; and what advantage to himself. And to the end they may also vnderstand it, let vs ponder and particulate the evill of it so plainly, as they may see it, and (seing it) [Page 46]either shan and surcease it, or make their sin (by occasion of this discouery) out of measure sinfull if, they continue to commit it,

And this we will the rather endeauour, because I am perswaded many a wicked man, never jmagine's it sinfull, but think's he may safely (yea, that it is duty to) call God his father, and therfore in commiseration of their estate, and desire of their information and refor­mation, we will doe our best to make declaration of the monstrous impiety herof.

And first, Euill. 1 it is an vnspeakable indignity & jnjury to the Lord, a greater dishonor, cannot be done against him; for why? it is a plaine putting of God into the di­uells place For wheras he is avouched to be [the God of this world] (that is, 2. Cor. 4.4 of all those that are of the world) and by Christ he is called the [father of all prophane & impious persons; these vngodly wretches, Job. 8.44. doe father them­selues vpon God, and make the world beleeue that he is their father, & their God, who are wicked, wheras, he hath revealed his wrath from heavē against them, and doth from his very soule abhorre them, as the base brood of Belzeebub, and the loathsome spawne of Satan by reason of their sin. Thus is the Lord thrust from his throne of glory, and his honour layd in the dust: and what an egregious abuse and abasement this is, we may measure by our owne, if the like to it were offered to any of vs.

Suppose some base varlet, the knowne bastard of some notorious strumpet, should thus fawne vpon a man of approved honesty and honour (admit, he were a Prince) and wheresoever he came, be still calling him his father, and laying challeng, and clayme vnto him, were it not an infamy and an iniury not to be borne? [Page 48]would any man endure it that had power to punish it? were it not such a wound in a Princes good name, as might enrage him to send such a villane to the execu­tioner, rather then to suffer him to live, daily to disgra­ce him in calling him his father.

Surely the greatest patience vnder heaven, would be overcharged with this reproach, we cannot dreame that ever this fellow should be endured to make any request, or if he did, that he might hope of any accep­tation, but instead of being graciously answered, he might expect to be fearfully punished, for abusing him, whome he did soe beare himself vpon. For what would the world thinke of him that should let such a fellow alone, but that (sure) he is foule and hath lived basely, seing such a base companion is suffred to challeng him as his father.

And (beloued) if such a thing would thus iniure, and anger us, let vs thinke, how it will affect the Lord, who is so jealous, of his honour, and sensible of his dishonour, as he hath revealed himself to be, and whose glory, and fame, is soe infinitely aboue ours, he being the king of glory, and king of saints, & the father (only) of his na­turall son Christ, and of so many as in him, he adopteth to be his children by grace: let vs (I say) bethinke our selves, how this wilbe taken, that our father which is in heaven, should by Satans suggestion, and these mens appellation, become the father of all those infernall hel­hounds, and lyms of Satan, whome he (for the honour of his justice) hath cast into hell, to their perpetuall shame and contempt.

The divell, can tell, (though he will not tell it you: yee wicked one's) that this is a ready way to enreage the Lord against you, and to provoke him to powre out [Page 49]the feircenes of his greatest fury vpon you; there cannot be a quicker course, to fill Satans kingdome, and cast men into hell fire, then by suborning vngodly men to call God father, for in setting them on (in this manner), to call God theirs, he make's them thereby seaven times more his owne, then they were before.

Now is it not bydeous, (I had almost sayd, vn­pardonable) jmpiety, to vnthrone the Lord of hea­ven, and thrust him into the base condition of his cursed vassall, to rob him of this honour, to be the God of all his elect, and holy ones, and become the father of all prophane person? Thus doth every godles man, when he call's God father, for if he may be (in any sence) a father to such, he can in no sence, be sayd to be the same to his owne.

Secondly, Euill. 2 this evill doth not end (though it be­gin) here: for as the Lord is abased, soe is the di­uell exalted, and put into the place of the most high. For if God be the God of vngodly men, to whose right must Gods people belong? It is impos­sible that both should appertaine to one party, if therefore the wicked have God to be theirs, the interest of the saints, must needes be in Satan: and soe he is set vp, and the most high made vile. The Diuell himself (and all that tooke part with him in that accursed practise) was banished heaven (as it is supposed) for aspiring into Gods place, but this is to giue away the glory of the euer-liuing, God, & put his most professed adversary into the actuall possession of the same. And if heauens infinite justice were so excee­ding neauy vpon him only for the attempt, what will it be vpon these for the act? Oh, that their soules could [Page 50] throughly consider this, who thus speake; ah, they litle dreame what high treason it is against the majesty of God, to utter that which at once dishonour's the Lord, and advanceth the divell. But I leave them to the Lord, by whome I desire they may be awaked, that they sleepe not (in this sin) to death, yea to damna­tion.

Thirdly, Euill. 3 this is a wonderfull, and a wofull hardening of wicked men in their evill wayes, and an vtter dis­hartening of such as would vndertake the things that be good. What jmpious person, or vngodly miscreant will take his sin to hart, or thinke it worth any such sorrow as is required to repentance, if in this his sin­full estate he may beare himself vpon God? who would come out of that condition, wherin he may clayme God to be his owne.

Againe, what comfort can he have that is now com­ming on to religion, to goe on, and make a proceeding in piety, a progresse in grace, and holines, to strayne towards a more holy, exact, pure, and precise estate, wherin he may more sanctify the Lord, and subdue himselfe; when he shall observe such sinfull persons as savour of noe grace, to make as bolde with the Lord as the best of his owne saints.

So that this divelish jmpudency of vngodly per­sons, doth cause them to comit two cutlls at once, to wit, to appale all piety, and applaud all prophanes, hin­dering some from entring on the former, and hartening many to run on in the latter, till they be past all reco­very. This is to make sad the hart of the righteous, and to make glad the soule of the sinner, and both the­se, the Lord doth deepely abhorre.

Fourthly and lastly, to make vp the measure of this [Page 51]euill, or rather, to make it out of measure euill, Euill. 4 let vs know that the Diuell himself, was never soe vile, as in this particuler to dare to entitle himself to God, or once (in any place) to call the Lord his. Where doth, or may it appeare in all Gods booke that ever he offred it. Others interest he hath indeede acknowledged, as when he confessed Christ to be the son of God [I know who thou art, Mar. 5.7.thou art Iesus the son of the liuing God] and when he gave testimony to the Apostles [these are the seruants of the most high God &c.] Act. 16.17. but where did he ever challeng any right or make any claime of his owne, to call God his? is any man able to shew it? no sure; why then for a wicked man thus to doe, is an offence more foule▪ then the divell will be founde guilty off.

And who can conceive the extent of that mans sin, Note. or the damnation due to him for the same, whome the divell can draw to doe worse then he himself dare's doe. We may well thinke there is something in it, that Sa­tan will not doe as you sinners doe, in this kinde. What may we thinke of it? or what may an jmpious wretch think of himself in it? when he shall see himself (in some sort) more sinfull then the authour of sin. It may be the divell do's not claime any right, because he knowe's he hath none, and that it is but vayne, the sin will increase his confusion, and no way advantage him. Would to God wicked men were herin, as wise as the diuell, and knew also that it were vaine for them to doe thus, and that it would make their state more vile, encreasing their sin to make it more haynous, and adding to their punishment, to make it more heavy; seing that (in their present estate of vngodlines) they are no more capable of this comfort then Satan is.

Cease then (O yee sifnull men) to doe that indignity [Page 52]to the Lord which the diuell dare's not offer, will yee be more sinfull, more shamelesse then he; nay then, many a divelish wretch, who having had occasion to speake of God, yet have had more modesty, and not soe much jmpiety, as you herin. Pharaoh might be instanced for one, when he soe often called for Moses and Aron, to pray to the Lord for his deliverance from divers plagues, you never heare him say (no not once) pray to the Lord my God, Exo 8 25. but either [to the Lord] or [to the Lord your God.] Ieroboam may be brought for ano­ther, who (as at other times, soe) in that one, wherin he intended violence to the man of God, and God executed justice vpon him for the same, by the drying vp of that cruell hand, which was stretched out to smite him whome the Lord sent to warne him of his sin: jmmediately vpon the manifestation of that strange vengance vpon him, the godles wretch is enforced to intreat the man of God to be a suitor for him, that his hand might be restored vnto him, and in vttering his minde to him herin, what saie's he? why, even that which may shame, and confound, the prophane o'nes of our dayes, 1. Kin. 13.6. [intreat now, the Lord thy God for me &c.] he doe's not, he dare's not call him his God, yet you know he is branded of God for much jmpiety, but not to be blamed for this. Beholde, these imps, of hell, (with many more, that it were most easy to multi­ply,) though in many things they were most abbomina­ble, yet in this one they would not be soe execrable, as the audacious sinners of our daies are.

And will yee out-goe the diuell himself, and such of his as are marked of the Lord for monstrous rebells, and for miserable reprobates. Surely it shalbe easier for these in the day of judgment, then for you. But, if you [Page 53]will (in the meane time) be exhorted and instructed, know, that it is now easier to see this sin, and to shun both it, and the vengeance due vnto it, and to seeke the face of the Lord vnfaynedly, that you may come out of this sin of calling him yours, and by grace be called effectually to become his. This may be done, while the day of grace yet shyneth, endeavour to it, before that day of the Lord come, (which is darknes and not light,) wherin they only shall finde grace with the Lord, who (before hand) can finde that grace in themselves, wherby they are made like vnto him, and by the evidence of this consimilitude, can claime their interest in him. And this is our second vse, vnto wicked men.

The third followeth, Vse. 3 Infor­mation. and that concerneth all men for information in a point exceeding needfull and im­portant, whereof it is now time that we take some good notice, considering what hath beene sayd of the happines of such as have it, and their misery that are without it. And that is, the way and meanes to come to a true tryall of our selves herin, whether the Lord be our God or not, and how we may assuredly know and discerne the same.

There are ceartaine infaillible marks whereby this interest is made manifest, and he that is without them is vndoubtedly (as yet) without any interest in the Lord.

Let vs endeavour to make enquiry after them, that soe if we haue them we may joy, if not, yet (knowing what they are) we may seeke them where they are.

Well then, would any mā be throughly resolved how to determine this case of conscience & to know (without [Page 54]controversy) how he may know, whether the Lord be his, and he the Lords or noe? let him then vnderstand, that where any such propriety is betweene God and man, the same cannot be hyd, but will breake out vpon him, in whome it is, and that by such apparant signes, as will shew themselues to be vndenyable evidences therof. It is no close, or concealed matter, it is not nice or abstruse to discover this right, where it is; it will re­veale it self, by such operations of God in vs, as doe ar­gue the same effectually.

For of this one thing we may not be ignorant, that the interest betweene God & his children, is not mee­rely tituler, as if to entitle him ours, were all: no, it is a true, reall, and powerfull interest, arising (touching the declaration therof) out of those things which he hath so wrought in vs, as by them we may well know he hath wrought vs into himself. It is his worke in vs wher­by (alone) we are warranted to be his. But come we to vnderstand the particulers, what workes these are, that soe, by a wise discerning of them, we may not be deceiued in our owne estate and right. For it doth manifestly appeare, that the want of this search, hath occasioned much mistaking on either side, making both some of Gods saints (who haue this right) not to thinke soe, and others (who where never posest of it,) to pre­sume vpon it. To the end therefore that neither may at any time heareafter be misconceiued of their owne condition, but both may know themselves as they are, we will now begin to make plaine declaration of the particulers which will put this point out of question. The cear­taine sig­nes of our interest in God. Yet before we enter vpon any one of them, we are to know that they are all consisting of such things as he hath given vs. Whosoever is the Lords, hath so­mething [Page 55] of his to shew, even some such things as are not given to any but his owne, noe common kindnes­ses, or generall mercies, but such peculiar previledges as are preper to the elect alone, and (being see,) doe argue infaillibly that they are elected of the Lord, to be his precious and beloved ones. And now to come vnto them they are these that follow.

First, whosoever may make any clayme to the Lord, Signe. 1 must disclaime all sin, and separate himself from it, vt­terly in affection, and in action as much as is possible. Our owne corruption must be loathsome to vs, and so must the contagious fellowship of such as liue in sin. We cannot cleaue to our God till we leaue the society of sin and sinners, and make an entyre separation from both. And vpon such a disunion with both these; we are joyned to the Lord, and have heavenly communion with him, and marveylous comfort in him. The Lord himself proclaime's this to be a proper note and cog­nisance, of such as he will call his owne. So we finde by the apostle [what communion hath light with darknes &c.] that is to say, it hath none, 2. Cor. 6. ver. 14. neither indeede can have, and therevpon, he presseth further vpon them this duty, to the due performance wherof, he an­nexeth this happy propriety of being interessed into God saying [wherefore come out from among them, ver. 17.and separate your selues] (that is, from them only in their sin, and such sin alone as will pollute you and become yours by participation with them: for all sins are not catching, or of a polluting nature to another, though some are; every sicknes is not a pestilence, nor every sin in another man contagious to me) and then being thus separated, ver. 18 [I will recetue you and you shalbe my sons and daughters saith the Lord God almighty] your sincere [Page 56]and wise separation from the sins of these, that would make you guilty with themselves, shalbe vnto you an assured euidence, a ceartaine assurance, of your holy con­junction to me, if you will deny their sinfull commu­nion, I will acknowledg you for my children, if you be none of theirs, you are mine.

This (you see) is Gods cuidence, & the truth of this is very evident to every mans experience, no man can be ignorant of himself herin, which way his affection goe's, (and that way, sure, his actions will after) whe­ther he doe like, and can brooke the corrupt company of vngodly persons, if he doe, he is yet none of Gods, let him not dare, but feare, to call God father, being one of the infernall fraternity of those vassalls of sin, who are sworne brothers in drunkenes, or any other jmpiety. He that loue's these, is loathed and abhorred of the Lord. But the soule that hates the society of such persons, is beloved of him, & precious to him, no son or daughter more deare, (nay nothing soe deare) to a naturall father, or mother, as these are to the Lord, who doth (vpon this condition) adopt them for his dearest children.

By this segregation are Gods saints, knowne from the rest of the wofull world, who are suffred (& that in much justice) to lye in wickednes. The Apostle conclu­ded this most clearely where he saith, 1. Ioh. 5.19. [we knew that we are of God. & the whole world lyeth in wickednes] note that he saith it is a knowne difference betweene those that are Gods, and those that are the worlds, that the one are called out, the other are let alone, to lye still in their wickednes.

Hence it is, that those whome God accounts to be of the charch, I meane of the true body of Christ, he cal­leth [Page 57]them a people called out, that is, put a part from all others to have fellowship with him, and such as are soe, are his, the rest (not thus selected) remayne in their wretched & sinfull state. It was our communion with sin, that made vs none of Gods, when (in our crea­ted state) we fell from him; it must therefore be our separation from sin, that must bring vs into communion with God againe, if ever hope to have fellowship with him. And that we are to know this, the holy Ghost tells vs plainly saying [But know yee, that the Lord hath set a­part, or (as it were) choisely culled, and pick't out a godly man for himself if we will know our selves to pertaine to God, we must see our selves thus severed from the world, being weaned from wicked persons & practises, wōne in affection, & conversation, to live with the Lord in the sociiety of his saints. If our harts be estran­ged from the former and united to these latter, we are in happy case. The Lord delighteth in that man, Psa. 16. [...]. Whe­se delight is in his saints, and whose detestation of sin and sinners, doth shew it self. He is affected of the Lord, who affect's no evill in himself, or others. And this is the first signe of our assured right in the Lord.

Secondly, if together with this separation from evill, Signe. 2 we joyne a reformation of evill, we have yet further as­surance of this our right in our God. For the Lord ne­ver worketh any one of these alone, and leave's vs soe, but addeth one singuler worke of his grace to ano­ther, reformation to separation; and this must needes be soe, because we are not sincerely separted, till we be soundly reformed. Herevpon the Lord put's this as a principall condition of the ensealing of his covenant of life and peace with vs, that we both refrayne from euill, and reforme it also, manifesting the former, by [Page 58]the latter.

Let vs looke what (in one place of a multitude we might alledge) the Lord saith to this purpose, by the prophet Ieremiah. Jer 32.38 ver. 39. ver. 40.[And I wilbe their God, and they shalbe my people; And I will giue them one hart and one way that they may feare me for euer, &c: And I will ma­ke an euer lasting couenant with them that I will not turne a way from them to doe them good, but I will put my feare into their harts, and they shall neuer depart from me &c. Beholde here is the summe and abridgment, of Gods gracious covenant, with a mutuall (and most merci­full) offer of himself to be theirs, and acceptation of them to be his; but vpon what tearmes? even vpon those aforesayd, to wit, that they be posest with the feare of his majesty (and, the feare of the Lord is to hate euill, Pro.and to depart from it, as Salomon saith) and walke before him soe, as that they never turne back from him, but goe on, constantly, and conscionably in a holy course of heavenly conversation before his majesty, in which reformed carriage of theirs he hath most lo­vingly promised, not only that he will not depart from them, but that they shall not depart from him; note: [they shall neuer depart from me] that is, they shalbe soe preserved by the power, and through the favour, of God, that though Satan, and their sin, doe their worst, yet they shall not leave the Lord, or fall from him; noe though (through the extreame violence, of some extraordinary, and execrable temptation) they should desire, endeavour, or striue to goe from God, yet (saith God) they shall not, doe they, or their sin, or the divell what they can. And this is a most confortable cordaill against those faint hart quaumes, which oftimes doe fill the harts of the saints with miserables feares: they [Page 59]are afrayd they shall fall from God, and are in great doubt they shall proue hypocrites, and apostates, when all is done, and the divell takes pleasure to affright them thus with such fearfull & perplexing thoughts: why but doe if you can, the Lord sayes you shall not depart from him; you are like a foolish childe in the armes of his father, carrying him over a riuer, who looke's downe and seing the water, crye's out, Oh I shall fall, I shall fall, whenas his father holde's him so fast, that he shall not fall though he should strive therevnto, there being more strength in the father to support, and care to keepe the childe, then there is ability in the childe to doe himself this evill. Thus is it betweene God and some of his children, who are excercised with these noysome doubtings; but we see, & heare, what the Lord saith, he is more powerfull, and more carefull over vs, then to suffer vs to doe our sel­ves this evill, though we should be soe overcome of the divell that we should offer it. Looke you to your reformation, let the Lord alone with your protection, if you be his, you neede not feare falling from him, and if he have given you conscience to amend your evill wayes ands works, and to make them good, his goodnes shall dwell with you, and you are within the compasse of that kinde interest which is peculiar to all his saints. I shall not neede to call other prophets to give attestation to this truth, it is the generall voyce of them all, that as Israell had fallen from God by their rebellion, soe they should now be fully joyned to him by reformation. And all reason assents her vnto, inasmuch as we know till Adam (and we in him) was deformed, he was Gods, and being soe his title ceased, and he became Satans: our reformed state then, must be [Page 60]the evidence of our restored estate to God againe, as our corrupted estate was, of our alienation from him.

Looke we after this, and labour for it; seing it ar­gueth that we are fast to God if we be reformed; and let them tremble to entitle themselues to the Lord, whose evill doth yet cleaue vnto them, and continue in them, without that due reformation which the Lord doth require, and for which, he doth condition with soe many as he accepteth. Noe vnreformed person hath any right in God. If any of them dreame they have, let them know the Lord doth directy disclaime them, and can­not endure they should come soe neere him, as to medle with any thing of his, (to wit, as with their owne,) till they shew forth the fruits of a reformed life. So we read [what hast thou to doe to take my couenant in thy mouth, Psal. 50.19.17.seing thou hatest to be reformed?] loe, the Lord saith they have nothing to doe with any holy thing (by right) who are not reformed. And herevpon Iohn Babtist forbade the boasting Iewes to cracke of their kindred with Abrahā, Mat. 3.7. seing they were not yet purged of their impiety, nay he tell's them they are so farre from having any title in him to be reputed the genera­tiō of the righteous, that he call's them (to their faces) a generatiō of vipers, such (as in their present estate) were vnder no posstbility of mercy, nor could be delivered from the wrath of God. The Lord proues the Jewes to be none of his, because they had not put away their iniquities, soe saith he by his prophet [Plead with your mother, Hos. 2.2.3plead, for she is not my wife, neither am I her hus­band &c.] So then, till we haue put away our evill, we cannot hope to be posest of any good: but amende­ment of our wayes, is the only way to our best welfare. And this is the second signe of our interest in God.

Thirdly, as our reformation, Signe. 3 soe our affection to God is a singuler evidence of our interest, we cannot be af­fectionate to any, but our owne and not to affect our owne, were monstrous. Nothing sooner bewraie's inte­rest then affection. All men think we have part, in that which we take to hart.

Nature without grace, reason without religion, can conclude this; nay we may se reason for this, in beasts that want reason, who cannot containe themselves, but doe expresse this power of meere nature to be in thē.

And he who hath given it to every creature in some measure, hath retayned the insinitenes of it in himself beyond measure, and also communicated something of it, vnto such as he hath sealed to be his owne.

If we looke vpon the Lord himself herin, how vn­speakablie doth his affection abounde to his beloved ones, when he powres it out in such plentifull māner as is manifest in these & many such patheticall speeches. Psal. 81.13. Hos. 6.4. micah. 6.3 Mat. 23 37.

• Oh, that my people would haue hearkened &c.
• O, Jsraell what shall I say vnto thee, &c:
• O my people testify against me. &c.
• O Ierusalem, Ierusalem, &c:

By all which, he labours even to breake into their harts with the abundance of his affection, yea (indeed) to breake their harts, and even to melt them with the manifestation her of, and it is all built, vpon this interest betweene God and them.

Now the safest way for vs to shew our title in him, is the same wherby his appeareth vnto vs, if we can now reflect our affections vpon him againe, the evi­dence of our right cannot fayle,

Nature can doe it, why should not grace? nay cear­tainly where the true nature and power of grace is, it [Page 62]cannot but be done. If we take notice of natures course, the current is most violent, and it ouerflowe's all banks, and bounds exceedingly, as might be shewed in infinite examples of all sorts.

How did Ioseph breake out vpon his bretherē, when his hart soe burned within him, that he could not holde longer, but he must needes now let them know who he is, and that in these words [I am Ioseph your brother]. How did Elisha declare his interest in his master Eliah but in these words, [my father, my father]. And Da­vid overfondely to Absolom, [O my son Absolom, O Ab­solom my son, my son &c]. To a stranger we cannot doe thus, it must be to a neere, freind, a childe, or brother.

Now can nature be so sensible and tender where it hath an interest, and shall grace be sensles and silent? no, it is not possible that the Lord should be ours, & we not loue him in our very soule, & that our bowells should not earne, yea burne in our bodies, to thinke of his blessed goodnes to vs. It is an absolute impos­sibility, to have no joyfull sence of his glory, and that his dishonor should not be greivous and bitter to vs. Had we the lively operation of his grace within vs, we could not heare his name blasphemed, his worship de­rided, his servants (our bretheren and fellow saints) abused, and sit still, and say nothing. Noe we would speake or breake, we must have vent; for our spirits would (as it were) rise, and swell within vs: we shall so travell inwardly with indignation and anguish, that till we be disburdened, our extreamity wilbe more then can be endured; the zeale of God will fire vs, and cast vs into a holy fury against these prophane wretches, & enforce vs with a discrete violence to set vpon them (in due time & place) & to let them know, [Page 63]that he was somebody to us, whome they soe injured; a freind, a father, yea a God of ours, the honor of whose name, and ordinances, & seruants, we will redeeme with the losse of all our dearest advantages.

And soe soone as this affectionate feeling doth appea­re in vs, soe soone doth out interell shew it self; and they that can be basely muzled and sit as if their mou­thes were bung'd vp, at the blasphemies of these cur­sed miscreants, doe shew what strangers they are to God, how litle they haue to doe with him, how farre they are from any right in him. We see among men how easy a thing it is, to digest a discourse of the losses or miseryes of strangers, but if one come to tell vs of our owne, or any neare freindes of ours, that are vnder them, we instantly shew it by our greiuing, as we should also doe, by our gladnes, if any report of their good come vnto vs. And every man that see's vs either way moved, can quickly imagine there is something betweene vs and them, for whose sakes we are thus affected.

So then they that want affection doe confute them­selves, when they call God theirs, and are apparantly convinced to be voyd of true loue to his holy majesty, having only abundance of self-loue to themselves: in­asmuch as they never clayme any intrest in him but when they want some good they would faine have from him, then can they come and faynedly speake to him and call him father, but when he wants his glory and is vilefyed, they are mute and speechlesse to men, What is this, but to fawne vpon God, as our dogs doe vpon vs, only to get something for themselues, as being altogether sensible of their owne necessityes, but not at all of our injuryes.

Shame and blush (thou sinfull wretch) soe much as once to surmize, that thou hast any part or portion in him, of whose glory thou art soe sencelesse; know thy self to be none of his, seing thou canst digest his indi­gnity with silence. Were it thy naturall father, or, but some base ale-bench brother; words would be too lit­le to shew thy dislike, thy knife in his belly, or dag­ger in his bowells, or some such hellish outrage as were inhumane, would be his reward, and thy revenge of such abuse. But against him whome thou (sinfully) callest thy God, shall all violence, yea villanie, be offred by him, and endured by thee, without the least appea­rance of any detestation or distaste. What patience is that, which can seeme to be in a dead sleepe when the Lord of heaven is wounded, and yet grow mad, with over-abundance of, distemper when our selves, or ours are wronged?

That wicked high preist shall condemne thee, who rent his cloathes when he heard blasphemy as he con­ceited it: beholde a Iew is sensible of supposed blasphe­my; can any man imagine thee to be a christian or have any part in Christ, who canst heare that which is reall and re-itterated blasphemy and take no notice of it? What sayd the sons of Jacob in defence of their carriage toward the Sichemites [should they abuse our sister as a whoore? they thought nothing too much, to be done to them, who had soe shamefully handled their sister. And shall they abuse God thy father, and Christ thy sauiour, and pollute and prostitute their sacred ho­nours, & thou make shew of no indignation? who can conceive thee to be any thing a kyn to them in any respect, that shall observe this? Noe it cannot be there should more interest, then there is affection, and [Page 65]that in such sencelesse sott's is none at all.

Againe, as when others speake of God, soe when we our selves speake to God, we would be affectionate if we had any interest, or right in him. Our prayers would be very patheticall, and our mindes and mou­thes would speake to gether, and as feelingly would we speake to him, as an infant cryeth after his mo­ther. We know there is more then a litle differen­ce betweene our speech to a meere stranger, and a most loving father, soe much there is, (or should be) as every man can quickly and easily perceive it by vs,, when we are to vtter our mindes vpon any occasion whether civill or naturall to the one and the other.

But with what colde, and frozen affections doe men come to seeke the face of the Lord, and to speake vnto him, is too apparant, when as in the ser­vice they performe vnto him, there is not the least appearance of any right they have in him, men bring him (even millions of those men who call him theirs) such leane, thinne, and withered sacrifises, consisting of nothing but bare words, and soe barren of any one propriety, either of a true prayer, or a true suiter, that (if themselves were the judges, and bound to judge with a righteous judgment, according to the rules of his word, or of their owne workes in other kindes) they must needes sentence themselves to be such, as are knowne of the Lord, (and should be knowne to themselves) to be noen of his, for want of this true affection, wherof we have now spoken' and whervpon we can stand no longer, be­cause it is time that we hasten forward, to the things that follow. Know therefore (in a word) that as the [Page 66] Apostle saith of words, soe we may say of affection in this particuler, by our affection we shalbe justified to be the Lords, (if we have it towards God,) and by our affection we shalbe condemned, if we have it not, to be none of his. And this is our third signe.

Fourthly, Signe. 4 our consimilitude and likenes vnto God doth also assuredly conclude, we have right in him. If we beare his image we are his. Children are vsually soe like their parents, that when we take notice of the semblance betweene them, we vse to say, sure this childe must needes be such a mans, or womans, because he is soe like him, or her. See, he hath his fa­thers face, countenance, feature, &c: he cannot be but his, he may safely sweare the childe is his owne, for he is the very picture of him. Thus, when we see such like­nes, we suppose that it is more then likely, that they are neere one to another.

The argument is more vndoubted, and demonstra­tive, betweene God and his children, then betweene men and theirs, for in nature it is not vniuersally and infaillibly true, that consimilitude doth argue consan­guinity, strangers may be exceeding like one another. But in grace, betweene God and his, it is an absolute, and vncontroelable evidence of interest. Never any did beare his image, but the same was his owne. It is not more assured that a man-childe is the son of a man, then that a holy man, or woman, is the childe of God: all his children are like himself, he hath power to make them soe, and it is his revealed resolution that soe it shalbe, and therefore it must follow, that if we carry not the image of God, we can clayme no interest in him.

Adam, (I meane the first Adam) was the son of [Page 67]God by creation, and how like himself the Lord made him, may be collected both out of his resolution befo­re his creation [let vs make man in our image] and by the act it self, when he endowed him with such singuler excellency of grace, as wherin he carryed the admira­ble impressions of his most glorious maker, in such ho­lines, knowledge, and righteousnes, as in a creatures perfection might be a representation of the infini­tenes of them all, in God himself the creator, And while (but alas it was but a litle while) that Adam stood in these perfections of created grace, the Lord acknow­ledged him for his owne. But assoone as he lost these, his title was gone, he was now no more the Lords, but Satans that misled him.

Christ Iesus (the second Adam) was the son of God by an eternall, and inconceivable kinde of generation, and how did his sonship (when in times fullnes he was incarnate) shew it self? wherby was he knowne to be the true naturall son of the most high? why even by this, that he was so like his father, that, as himself saith, [he that hath seene me hath seene my father] and as the Apostle saith, Joh. 14.9. Heb. 1.3. he was [the bright and expresse image of his person. By this lively similitude, was he knowne to be the son of the living God. And as he never had any naturall son but he, soe never was any soe like him as this son was, for he was the same with him, even one with him, in all those supernaturall excellencyes which might expresse the nature of God.

And as it was with these two, wherof the one was his son by creation, the other by generation, soe must, and will it be (in their measure) with all his sons and daughters by grace and regeneration. They must also be like vnto him, who (in his loue) hath begotten [Page 68]them anew, Ezeh. 6.3.26. and to the end they may be soe, the holy ghost tell's vs we must have, now harts, new spirits, new affections, new mindes and dispositions, all new; accor­ding to that of the Apostle, 2. Co. 5.17. [If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, or, (as the word importeth) a new creation, made all new, beholde J make all things a-new] and againe, Gal 6.15. [For in Christ Jesus neither circum­cision avayleth any thing, nor vncircumcision, but a new creature (or creation)] and thus new we must be, that we may be like to Iesus Christ who in opposition to the old Adam, is called the [new man] by whome we must be cast into a new moulde to be made confor­mable to him. And therefore the apostle vrgeth our consimilitude to Christ, and newnes of life together, and inferreth them one vpon another, that wheresoever newnes of life is, Ro 6.4.5. there is a cleare conformity to Christ Iesus.

And this jmage or similitude vnto our saviour is abundantly pressed vpon vs, and made knowne to be the minde of God, and a manifest evidence of our interst in many particulers. Nothing is more fre­quently called for at our hands, then that we should be holy as he is holy, mercifull as be is mercifull, perfect as he is perfect, followers or imitators of Christ, lyke myn­ded to him, & learning of him all patience, kindnes, hu­mility meekenes, and every saving grace, whereby it may appeare that [we are made partakers of the divine na­ture] in the cōmunicable qualities therof, 2. Pet. 1.4. & soe assured­ly interessed into him of whose nature we doe partake.

That soe, as we have borne the image of the earthly Adam in sin and corruption, (and thereby made it too evident, that we are his children and heires of con­demnation) soe also we should beare the image of the [Page 91]heavenly Adam, in holines & sanctification, & ther­by be sealed to be his sons and daughters, yea his members, reserved to the glory of Gods kingdome. And that this image of his (to wit, our conformity to Christ) is an evidence infallible & vndoubted herof, is most cleare by that which the Apostle directly layeth downe and avoucheth when he telleth vs, that [those whome the Lord did fore-know (to be his elect) them, Ro. 8.26.he did predestinate to be like the image of his sonne] soe that we see how the depth of this profound doc­trine of praedestination may be sounded, and soundly dis­cerned (as touching the evidence of the same) by every man in himself, and one may ceartainly know himself to be predestinated of God to live for ever with him in life and glory, if he be cast into a new moulde & made a new lumpe like to Iesus Christ. Most true it is, that Gods praedestination is touching the doctrine therof in the causes and reasons of the same, (why some, and so few, should be ordayneth to happines, & others, and so many, to hell torments) may be matter of amezement vnto vs, but the discerning of the same in our owne particuler, is nothing difficult, but most easy and manifest. For if a man doe carry the image of the Lord Iesus in grace and holines, he is (without controversy) appointed to be glorifyed with him, but while he continueth in a cursed conformity to sin and corruption, and beares the likenes of the old Adam, or rather of the olde serpent, he may know he belong's not to Gods decree of election, because all such as appertaine therevnto, are as well predesti­nated to be gracious on earth, as to be glorious in heaven. These two were never parted yet, in any person whatsoever: Gods predestination of grace is as [Page 70]absolute as of glory, and the former must be the fore­runner of the latter. But we will not digresse into any further discourse of this matter. The point we have in hand is vndeniably true, and cannot be doubted off, that if we be like him, we are his: and he that is not, the same is none of his.

Now then, let every man search himself, and endea­vour to apprehend aright how it is with him herin, that he may well vnderstand, whether he hath belyed the Lord or noe, when he hath called him his. For he that doth soe, and is not like him, hath lyed vnto God fo oft, as he hath layd clayme to him. Enquire then and see, what piety, what zeale, what humility, patience, holines, purity, and vprightnes is in thee; looke well vpon thy self, nay, into thy self, and let others looke vpon thee, what characters and impressions of God are to be seene, whose image and superscription thou carryest, in thy conscience before God, in thy conversation before men; if Christs, thou art a currant christian, and an heyre apparant of heaven, thou mayest as boldly say thou art the Lords, as any man childe may say he is the son of a man. But if those monstruous and diabolicall parts of impiety & prophanes appeare in thee, which are founde in swearers, drunkards, sabbath-breakers, co­uetous, idolatrous, vnjust or vncleane persons: know, thou art as ceartainly the divells, Ioh. 8.44. as thou art conceitedly Gods Christ himself tell's thee soe, [Yee are of your father the diuell] there is no more reason such a one should call God his, then that a beast should be accounted the childe of a man. Every thing begett's, and bring's forth his like: all creatures that propagate, and pro­create, produce evermore of their owne kinde, all plants that have life, and no sence; all beasts, that have [Page 71] life, and sence and no reason; all men which have both life, sence, and reason, this is the vniversall order, and perpetuall ordinance of God for nature. And shall the almighty, (who hath all these perfections infinitely, and infinite more besides these) shall he only breede, and bring forth divelish monsters, children that heare no representation of him, but are branded withall the hellish parts and lym's, wherof reprobates are compo­sed.

Who can beleeue a blasphemer, (or any of the for­named offendors) when they say [Our father] nay it is wonder how they can beleeue themselues, 2. Thes. 2.11. were they not [giuen ouer to strong delusions to beleeue lyes that they might be damned] it were impossible they should not see how hydeously they did slander and vilefy him, who is God to be blessed for ever; and who will one day be infinitly avenged vpon them, as for all other their damnable impietyes among men, soe especially for this dishonor done to himself, whome they have abused by innumerable falshoods in their oftē calling of him father. Goe now (yee wicked wretches) and weepe, & mourne, for this, that being the base broode of Satan, and the hellish monsters of sin, yee have fa­thered your selves vpon him, whose soule doth loath you, because you are not like vnto him. It is double blindnes you are given over vnto in this point; who having the whole schoole of nature in all the works of God, and the vniversall and cleare current of his word to teach you this one lesson: That nothing produceth any thing, but that which is like it self: and yet you cannot learne to leave lying against the Lord, in laying a false claime vnto him, having nothing in you like vnto him. Pray for eye-salue to discerne this evill, and [Page 72] wayle before him whome you have soe wickedly abu­sed; there is yet a possibility that you may become his, & be made like vnto him, for he hath power to chan­ge you from what you are, to what you should be, he can make [a thistle to become a myrrhe tree, Isa. 55.12. Mat. 3.9.and the bryar a fyrre tree,] he can [raise vp children to Abraham of these stones] nothing is, or can be so evill, and vnlike him, which he cannot alter into his owne image.

And they that are thus changed already, are hap­py, and have the Lord for their God, to whome they may boldely, and freely goe as to their father, who hath graciously begotten them, whenas they can car­ry with them the evidences of his holy image in them, in any measure of that true grace they have recei­ved from him.

For this one thing we must carefully consider, Note. (that we may not discomfort our owne soules) that it is not the likenes of quantity, or equality, but of quality only, that we urge vpon you, and that God expecteth in you. When he sayth, and we teach, that men must be holy as he is holy, mercifull as he is mercifull, &c: we doe not (neither doth God) meane, there should be soe much of these in you as in himself: Noe such matter: but only that there should be some measure of them, (& any mea­sure doth argue the nature of a thing) the truth wher­of, is also further discerned by the growth of the same. Now then if you can goe to God & shew him some beginnings of his owne graces, you are his. An infant the members and parts of whole body are exceeding litle and of no strength in respect of one that is a gro­wne man, yet is knowne by those feeble hands, and other weake lineaments to be the child of his father. Their likenes doth argue it, though they want greatnes [Page 73]And so is a childe of God approved to be his, by tho­se graces that be in him, though yet they be infirme, and infinitely short of that they should be. We may not then dismay our selves, and make voyde the evi­dences of our consolation in the Lord our God, be­cause we have not much but litle, (yea very much too litle) grace and piety in vs, that which we haue must joy vs, that which we want should humble vs, we may make our claime by the very least graine of true grace we have gotten, but our clayme is confirmed by our encreasing therin and gayning of more.

He hath tolde vs that [he will not despise the small things,] Zach. 4.10. Mat. 12.20.nor [quench (but kindle) the smoa­king flaxe, nor breake (but binde vp) the bruised reede,] and why should we despaire of our estate, in that which he doth not despise? no, let vs vn­fainedly blesse him for the first friuts of our inte­rest in him, and beseech him to stampe and jmprint his jmage more deeply in vs, that not only our sel­ves may perceive it, but men may see it, and soe he that hath given it, may be glorifyed of vs in it, and by the cleare and comfortable assurance of our childe-hood (by this our consimilitude,) Satans as­saults may be resisted, and himself constantly honou­red of vs all our dayes. And this is the fourth signe of our right in our God.

The sift and last, Signe. 5 (wherof we will treate at this time) is the Spirit of God. And this is the absolute assurance of our being his. Whosoever hath received the spirit of God, God hath received that man for his owne. This is affirmed fully by Iohn: 1. Joh. 3.24. who assureth vs that we are, nay [that we may know we are [Page 74]his, by the spirit which he hath giuen vs] and hervnto the Apostle attesteth, Rom 8.6. when he telleth vs that [if any man haue not the spirit of Christ, the same is none of his.] This is further evident by such particulers as whervn­to this spirit (thus given) is compared, to wit, to [a scale, Ephe. 1.14.15. and an earnest penny], and both these (as all men know) doe assure men of their right in any thing that is conditioned for, betweene man and man. And the Lord in discovering his spirit vnto vs vnder these tearmes, doth thereby giue vs to vnderstand that it hath a conveying power and an assuring property to giue vs reall and vndoubted interest in himself, & all such good things as from him, are to be given to vs. Hence it is also that this spirit is sayd to enable vs by vncontroleable testimony to avouch, Ro. [...].15. Gal 4.6. that we are the sons of God, and he our father, and therevpon we are bidden by vertue therof to cry boldely Abba father that is to clayme him as our father.

But here it may be some will say vnto me, Obiectiō. it is past all question, and without controversy, that they that haue the spirit are the Lords, none doubt's of that, but all the matter is to know who hath it, and how any man may know whether he haue it or noe.

I answer it is true, Solution. this case of conscience is worth scanning, and debating at large, but it is not our pur­pose now to doe it further then appertaineth to the present point we haue in hand, Assuran­ces of Gods spirit in vs and such evidences of the spirit in vs, as are also evidences of our interest in God, we will giue you, or some few of them.

First therfore, Assuran∣ce. 1 the spirit of God where it is effectually received soe, as that by it we may know that we are Gods, is, that by it we are asisted to offer vp spirituall sa­crifices to God, to pray in the spirit, or by the power [Page 75]therof speaking in vs, vnto him, who gaue this his spirit to vs. These prayers (that they may be knowne to be spirituall) most consist of such matter as this spirit (by the light therof shyning in vs) doth suggest and for their manner, they must be vttered (whether by voyce, or other wayes) with such feeling of our wants, & such affectiō to him, who can supply vs, as floweth from the life of the same spirit: and concluded with such assu­rance of successe by faith, as the joy of the same spirit doth minister to vs, & that whether we be heard or noe. For that spirit will assure, and convince every one who hath it, that the euent of all our pe­titions is good because every answer given vnto vs, is evermore the fruit of the infinite wisdome, and loue of God vnto vs both which being (as they are) combyned in all the issues of our supplications, we cannot con­ceive (by any thing that this spirit begetteth in vs) but that it is best for vs, which way soeever it be, if we speed it is good, if we speed not, it is as good, saith the spirit in vs, (though our foolish flesh doth not think soe) because God jmployeth the same wisdome and loue to deny vs now, as he did at other times to give vs our desi­res. And they that have thus received the spirit in this duty of prayer, may by the presence, and power of it workeing in this manner in them, be assured they have right in God, who himself is a spirit, & doth thus send his spirit into the harts of all his elect.

Secondly, the same spirit which doth thus furnish vs to pray for any good, doth also minister to vs, re­solution and endeavour to doe all the good we are re-required vnto, by God. I say resolution, to be throughly perswaded that we ought, and endeavour to strive to the vtmost, that we may doe as much as is possible to [Page 76]be done.

The spirit of God never work's desire of having good from God, without desire of doing good before God. It teacheth men how to practise, as well as how to pray: and make's men as willing to obey Gods precepts, as they are, that the Lord should answer ther prayers. And when once a man ha's gotten a hart thus resol­ved, vpon vniuersall and constant obedience to the Lord, and that he had (of the two) rather doe the will of God, then have his owne will accomplished, he may assuredly know, he hath right in the Lord. And herof is the spirit of God a witnesse where it saith. Rev. 22.14. [Blessed are they that doe his commandements, that they may haue right to, (or that their right may be in) the tree of life &c.] which tree of life, is Iesus Christ, the Lord of life. Is it not plaine here, that they who doe the commandements (that is, doe their vtmost to doe them) have right in Iesus Christ, and may truly say he is theirs, and that they are his, by right. And this may yet more clearly appeare, if we consider that the Lord doth often vse this argument of his in­terest in his people as a principall instigation to per­swade them to obedience. In the praeface to the com­mandements, this is praemized to provoke their sub­jection to the whole law, Exod. 20. Levi. 18.4.5. [I am the Lord thy God] and againe, [I am the Lord your God, yee shall (therefore) doe my judgments and keepe my ordinances] and this was the reason of the peoples resolution in Ioshuas time [For the Lord is our God &c: Josh. 24.17.18. therefore will we also serue the Lord, for he is our God] Now would God vrge it to his people, or his people alledge it to the Lord, in this par­ticuler of their incitation to all conscionable walking before the Lord, if it were not the bande of his spirit to [Page 77] bynde them thervnto. He then, that hath received in himself a setled resolution, that he ought, and a sincere desire, joyned with endeavour, that he might, walke in all the commandements of God, the same is the Lords; God will graciously acknowledg him, he may comforta­bly lay clayme to God.

Thirdly, as to doe all good, Assuran∣ce. 3 soe to suffer all evill of punishment or persecution and to resist all evill of sin, and corruption, is a sure signe of the spirits residence in vs, and of our interest in God by it. Reu. 21.7. He that can coura­giously endure the one, & conscionably doe the other, he is one of Gods owne deare one's. God himself hath spo­ken it. [He that ouercometh, shall inherit all things, & I wil­be his God, & he shalbe my sonne.] The spirit of God doth not only subdue us to it self in all good, but it also sub­dueth all euill to us, Ro 8.37. & make's vs more then cōquerours in both, as the holy ghost telleth vs. To withstand jm­piety resolutely, & to vndergoe persecution valiantly, is a property of one of Gods owne. When neither tempta­tions to sin, nor tiranny of men, can draw a man from God, it's a sure signe such a one is fastned to God, and sealed as one of his. Neither of these was ever given to any vngodly person, no lym of Satan hath any power in either. And nothing but the spirit of God can give this power to any man. He that hath it then, hath the spirit & he who hath the spirit of God, the same is Gods, as we heard before. Every one will judg that ceartainly he must be very neere to a man, who can neither be entised by any alurement, nor constrayned by any enforcement, to displease him, but that scornes all aduantages, & beare's all jnjuries, rather then he will doe any thing that may­be greivous to him, who would not say; were he not his neere freind, or his father he would never refuse such [Page 78] offers, suffer such oppressions as he doth, for his sake. By the same reason is our nearenes vnto God conclu­ded. And this conquering power of his spirit, wherby we prevayle against all things in this kinde, is not com­municable to any, but such who have received the same as their earnest penny and seale that they are the Lords. And these three (among many others which we might speake of) are sufficient assurances vnto vs, that we have received this spirit, which spirit doth assure vs that we are the children of God.

And thus we see the signes of our interect in the Lord our God, whervpon we have the more largely, and somewhat the longer insisted because it is much materiall to every man to know well and be stedfastly setled, in the assured evidence, and true tryall of this point, wherin soe many wicked men doe deceive them­selues by secure presumption; and soe many of Gods owne children are deceived in themselues (through their owne ignorance weaknes) for want of due information.

We have now no more to say touching this vse of the point but (by these aforesayd signes) to set every one a worke, even a searching of himself whether he can finde them within him or noe. And therin let every one in the feare of God (and as he tender's the fa­vour of God) deale soundely, and vnpartially with his owne soule &, sift himself as in the sight of God, before whome, he must appeare one day, and be judged acording to this word which hath (from him) beene spoken herin. He that cannot discerne them in himself, let him haste to the Lord, of whome they may be had, & cease clayming any right in the Lord, till he have ob­tayned them, and begin to greiue in his owne soule, for [Page 79]that he hath beene soe seduced all this while, thus bol­dely to abuse the Lord, being none of his, not thinking themselves a litle judebted to his patience, who hath rejourned that justice (which even for this sin) might long since have seized vpon them and sent them to Satan whose vassalls all such are, as by him are set on thus blindely to challeng the Lord to be theirs, without any sight, or sounde assurance of these signes in them­selves,

And to them that have obtained & received them, who doe see them in themselues, and can shew them to others; wherevnto come's all this that we have sayd, but vnto their wonderfull consolation, the confirma­tion wherof, flowe's naturally from the possession of these peculiar loue-tokens, which the Lord giveth to none, but to such, as to whome he giveth himself, that they that have them, might also know, that they have him. And what a happines that is, who can imagine? for what can a man have more, to make him most hap­py? he that rightly knowe's what God is, may give some guesse at the absolute, and vnspeakable advantages of that man, who hath right in the Lord, and from the glimpse of them (for that is all that can be gotten in this life, their infinite fulnes is reserved till we co­me to glory) may learne to give some prayse (even with his soule) vnto him, for the most gracious recovery of this interest vnto vs, which once we razed out by our owne rebellion, & he hath raised vs into it againe, out of the riches of his grace. Who shall not laude him, and loue him for this? that when we were soe wicked that we would not be his, but gaue, or solde our selves to Satan, he will, yet, be soe loving that he will give himself to be ours, and redeeme and purchase vs [Page 80]againe (though it cost deare) to become his. Oh, that we could magnify him according to this mercy, but it being beyond measure, we are not able to attaine to such a strayne of thankfullnes, yet let vs (dearely beloued) straine the utmost we can, and doe our best to breath out his honour, who hath made vs soe jnestimably happy.

The saints of God haue abounded in times past, and both blessed God because he is the God of his peo­ple & blessed those people who are the people of God. Moses thus blessed Israell: Deut. 33.29. 1. King. 8.55.56. &c. Psa. 33.12. Psa. 144.15. & soe did Solomon too David exceedes all other in this subject, and is soe oft vpon it, both for himself and for the people, as if he could ne­ver say enough to the point. Soe we finde [Blessed is that nation whose] God is the Lord, and the people that he hath chosen for his inheritance; and the same in another psalme (yea in many other psalmes) is repeated, And in the name of all the saints he speake's [all thy workes shall praise thee o Lord, Psa. 118.28.and thy Saints shall blesse thee]. And for his owne part, [Thou art my god and J will praise thee, thou art my God and I will exalt thee]. And last of all, Psa. 100.4. on the behalf of all lands, [Enter into his ga­tes with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise, be thankefull unto him and speake good of his name] and why? even for this, that [we are his people, and the sheepe of his tasture. Now goe we and endeavour to doe like­wise, seing he hath shewed the like loue vnto vs, that our whole man soule and body, may blesse him all our dayes.

As also seing it is such a marueillous mercy to be the Lords, let vs by all meanes make our vse and benefit therof; so often as we goe to him by supplication, and soe often as Satan sett's vpon us by temptation, let vs [Page 81]help our selves herewith, for it is both a singuler jn­ducement to moue the Lord to shew vs mercy, and it is also an excellent sheild against Satans fury. The Lord cannot witholde his favours from his owne, neither can the Divell fasten his fiery darts vpon them. To proue our selves Gods, is armour of proffe against him, he cannot peirce it, or wounde vs, soe long as we have it well gyrt about vs. But if we leave it off, or let it hang loose, we may soone be hurt. Let vs looke to it then, and be carefull herin that we damage not our sel­ves, and give our enemy aduantage against vs. If herin we acquite our selves well, and can follow the Lord with this fruit of his loue, his hart is open to vs for good, if not, Satan will follow vs, & we lye opē to him for evill. It is good then to make our best of this our in­terest, and to plead it vncessantly before the God of heaven, from whome we have it. Whensoever we speak to him, let him heare of vs, as of those that have right in him. Whatsoever we beg, let this be remem­bred, [I am thine] for this hath beene vrged by all the people of God, when they have prayed for any thing.

• for illumination: I am thine, oh give me vn­derstanding
• for preservation; I am thine oh saue me:
• for confirmation, or compassion, I am the son of thy handmayd &c.

And soe for all other comforts of any kinde what­soever, this was ever vrged, as we might abundantly instance in Moyses, in Dauid, in Eliah: Iehosophat: Heze­kiah, and many more, who many a time pressed God with it. Yea (which is well worth our nothing) God him­self hath often rendered this, as that which hath (as it [Page 82]were) wrought vpon himself to respect them in his grace, as it were easy to alledge out of many scriptures. That one may serve for all, which we finde by the pro­phet [But thou Israell art my seruant, Is. 41.8. ver. 9.Iacob whome I haue chosen, the seede of Abraham my freind &c. Thou art my seruant, I haue chosen thee and not cast thee away.] And if the Lord himself doe make this vse of it to magnify his owne grace to vs, we may cōfortably plead it befo­re him to prevaile with him therewith; we may be well assured that, that which he makes an argument of magnifying his mercy on vs, would be of excellent vse and force, to pleade before him to moue him to mani­fest the same mercy to vs. Let vs not then in any wise be sparing herin, we cannot be too bolde, nor too abundant, the Lord like's that prayer, and loue's that sui­tor the better, that is most full of it. And the divell will have least to doe with those which are neerest, and fastest to God. And therefore (to conclude and shut vp this point) be it now our perpetuall care and endeavour to doe according to the tennor of that truth we have heard in this our first instruction arising from this interest so stissly pleaded by this blessed Pa­triarch, in that he enter's thus into his petition, with these words [O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac: &c. Shewing clearely that he that would have his prayers enter into heaven, and be enter­tayned with God, must goe in this way, with them. And soe much for our first lesson laide downe in the­se words.

Having done with his first encouragmēt, we pro­ceede to the consideration of his secōd, as it lieth in the text following [Thou Lord which saidest vn­to me; Returne into thy countrey &c.] wher in he (now) plea­deth his warrant he had from God, as (before) he did his interest he had in God. And herein we have two things to thinke off, the first, is the warrāt it self, the second, his assuming, & application therof home to himself.

The former to wit, his warrant he divides into two particulers:

• 1. a precept: Returne into thy countrey &c
• 2. a promise and I will deale well with thee.

From both which, we might well note vnto you (in the next place) this worthy lesson, that VVhatsoever we doe without warrant from God, is wickedly done. So much warrant as any man hath to doe any thing, soe much comfort shall he haue in the doing of it.

If this were not an absolute, and an vndenyable truth, why did the Lord giue Jacob this comission for his journey, or why should Jacob take it, and make this vse of it to God himself, as he doth: it were no favour or mercy to haue it, no point of faith, no part of our duty to vse, or to vrge it, if we might be justifyed in any thing we vndertake without it. But wee purpose not to prosecute this point, at this presēt, but to take ano­ther occasion (if the Lord please) to handle it at large. Doctrine 2

The thing we ayme at, is not soe much the matter of the warrant it self, as Iacobs taking of it home & ap­plying of it to himself, in that he saith [Thou Lord who saydest vnto me] From which practise of his, we may obserue, and you must learne thus much. That it is the duty of every chirstian to carry the word of God home to his owne hart, and to apply it particulerly to himself.

Looke what sacred truth the Lord hath left recorded for vs, and either in any generall speciall, or particuler rule of his word revealed to vs, as tending to our par­ticuler estate, the same soe farre as it toucheth vs in any thing that doth, or may concerne vs, the Lord looke's we should lay it to our harts, and appropriate it to our selves as our owne. Every true christian is bounde to apply every part of Gods truth to him­self evermore making that his owne, which is mean't to him.

The instance of our text, contayneth so cleare an evidence and confirmation of this doctrine, and this holy Patriarchs practise is so pregnant for the point that we shall not neede to seeke farre for more witnes, to enforce the truth of it. Let vs a litle consider his car­riage herin.

We heard before, how God had spoken vnto him, about this busines of his removall into his countrey, here now, we have himself not only relating what God said to him herin, but also applying the same to his owne hart, and state: now that he is to goe to heaven for direction and comfort in the same, in speaking to God, he speakes that which God spake to him [thou Lord who sayd vnto me &c.] he cleave's fast vnto that which he heard from God, and let's God heare of it from him againe, he claymes Gods kindnes, builde's vpon his precept and promise as vpon a foundation of direction, consolation and assurance, sufficiently able to beare him out against all opposition what-soever. The precept leade's him to begin his journey, the promise hartens him to goe on, hoth are good to him in the duty he had to doe. And (we see) that as Iacob is faithfull in applying all this, so is the Lord carefull [Page 85]in reporting this his practise vnto vs, and make's Moses (many yeares after it was performed) to re­ceive it from his spirit by inspiration, and to register it in this his blessed booke, that it may remayne written for all ages to come for his approbation, for our imi­tation, that we might follow him who hath gone befo­re vs herin, and not only know, what Iacob hath done but what the God of Iacob require's of vs from this light of his truth, both to know & to doe, in any such cases as may ever become ours, in any passage betwee­ne the Lord and vs.

In a word, what he here did, is therefore written and related, that we might goe and doe likewise, wal­king in the same path which this true survant of God hath troden out before vs, which if we shall endea­vour conscionably to doe, and to be vpright with the Lord in the same, what our benefit and advantage shalbe, the sequell will shew, and we shall ever finde it our happines to lay Gods truth to hart. Thus we see the case is cleare in the particuler of our text.

If we shall looke further abroade, for our more assurance in the truth of this instruction, and take vp such testimonyes as we might soone finde, & fasten vpon to this present purpose, multitudes would flow apace vpon vs, and it would be much more easy to ouer-abounde, then want any, evi­dence. But we will not cloy your memories with a multiplicity.

Shall we enquire at the Law, according to the holy Prophets counsell? why, it is cleare for this point. It is a ruled case with, the great law-giver, even the, Lord who is [that one law-giuer, which is [Page 86]able to saue and destroy] hath given it once, and againe, and many times in expresse charge to his people. Con­sider seriously what he saith by Moses [And these words which I commandeth thee shalbe in thy hart] And thou shalt teach them to thy children &c. Dent. 6.6. ver. 7.8.And thou shalt binde them for a signe vpon thy hand, and they shalbe as frontlets betweene thine eyes.] Now what meanes all this? what may all these injunctions intend which are set downe here, and itterated elswhere? Surely there is something in it, that we must have them so engrauen, that our min­des may posesse them, our mouthes may publish them, at home and abroade, by day, and by night, at bed and borde, to our posterity daily, to others occasionally, can all this be for formall discourse, or supersiciall accquaintan­ce with the word of God? no sure, there is more meant then this, come's to (which alone is nothing) the Lords minde is, that we should have speciall familarity with his word, and be in continuall meditation, and practise therof, (signified by the binding of it on our hands and eyes) all these particulers that are named here, are to perswade vs to that one principall truth, that we teach, to wit, that we must take home all the holy truth of God into our soules.

From the law we may passe to the Prophets, but as we goe we will see what Solomon saith to it, which if we doe, we shall heare of many heavenly sayings to this purpose both in his Proverbs, and his booke called the Preacher.

In the former, we have many consells to this practise with comforts belonging to them. As first, where he exhorteth men to [receiue Gods words, and to hide his commandements, Pro. 2.1. ver. 2.to encline their eare, & apply their harts to knowledg and vnderstanding.] And againe, that men [Page 87]should [not forget the Law of God, cap. 3 1.but let their harts keepe his commandements] and yet againe, that we ought to endeavour that [our harts doe retaine God words,] cap. 4.4. and that [we embrace them, and in noe wise, ver. 8.let them goe] he is much vpon this matter, as vpon a thing of much con­sequence, and mighty importance, often advising all men hervnto. And in his latter booke, Eccles, 12.11. he tell's vs that [the words of the wise, should be vnto us as goades, and as nailes, fastned vpon us, yea, into us] sticking close to vs, and keeping fast within vs.

Thus we see Solomons minde, and know well what it is, and now let vs aske the Prophets, and they wil soone tell vs theirs, (for Moses and the Prophets, and all the men of God, are all in one tune for this truth) it hath beene evermore their manner to come to men with Gods message, and to tell them their owne from him, not going behinde the dore, or speaking behinde their backs, but personally, and to their heads, delivering the minde of God to the mightiest of them, as it were easy to instance in innumerable examples, not only of these more generall prophecies, that concerne peoples and na­tions, but in those most speciall which were indiuidually directed against Princes, Potentates, & the great one's of the earth, as the king of Iudah, Israell, Babell, Egipt, Ni­neveh, &c. & the like, every of which with many more, were spoken too, to their faces, in those particulers wherin the Lord did intend they should know his minde.

Soe we see we have the Law and the Prophets sure to vs in this particuler, if now we shall also give eare to the Gospell, it will also give abundant evidence hervnto both from Christ himself, & also from his Apostles in this point: Christ sometimes spake plainely and spake [Page 88]noe parable, as where he saith [Blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it] sometimes (and more then once) in divers parables he is againe vpon it as in the parable of the seede, which must be layd deepe, and covered close in the grounde, and not supersi­cially sowed, for every foule to carry away: in the par­rable of the leauen, which must be raked vp into the midst of the meale, and be mixed soe with it, that it may never be severed from it againe, but leaven every part of the lumpe. And for the apostles they are of the same minde with Christ their master, and speake to the same purpose. Peter would haue vs [receive the word as new borne babes receiue milke] which is not only eaten & swallowed, 1. Pet. 2.2. but concocted and digested and becometh nutrimentall, and is con­verted into the substance of their bodies. col. 3.16. Paul, would haue it dwell in us richly] that our harts might be a ha­bitation, Jam. 1.21. or house to receive and harbour the same. Iames he would haue it [engrassted in us]. and soe incorpo­rated that it might (as it were) become one with vs, and being soe, he assures vs of the saving power therof, saying it wilbe able to saue our soules].

And now having all these witnesses, what can we have more, or what neede we soe much, to confirme a truth so cleare? here (you see) is the vniver sall assent, and concurrence of all Gods servants, yea, and of his sonne too every one that spake by his spirits inspratiō, spake more or lesse, to this truthes confirmation. But it would be needelesse to adde more testimony.

Let vs come to consider of such reasons, as may further leade vs into the light, and perswsiaon herof; that we may see as well, why we must thus take home Gods truth, as only to know that soe we must doe. It [Page 89]is a wise mans part, not only to know what he must doe, but also to vnderstand why, that the reason of his duty may be discerned of him, as well as the jnjunc­tion.

And if we apply our selves to consider, wherefore we must apply Gods truth in this manner, we shall soone perceive, that it is a thing consorting with cleare, and apparant reason and that, in divers res­pects some few wherof, we will lay downe before you.

First, our application of Gods worde, Reason. 1 was (in regarde of vs) the mayne end of his publishing the same vnto vs, he reuealed it that we might recetue it, it was left written to us, that it should be written in vs.

Doth not God himself give vs this as a reason in plaine tearmes, and that by more then one or two, of those whome he sent to deliver his minde.

VVhat saith Moses to all Israell, Deut. 27.29. and (in them) to all the Israell of God. [Things reuealed belong to us, and to our children] what God hath revealed, is revealed to vs, and for vs, and appertaineth (by his appointment) to vs. VVhat saith Paul, to the Romans, and (in them) to all Christians, Ro. 15.4.[Whatsoeuer is written is written for our in­struction, that we through patience and comfort of the scrip­tures might haue hope.] And the same is sayd of more, whome we name not now. Now if soe it be, that this was a principall parte of the Lords minde and meaninge, to leaue his word with vs that it might cleaue to us, and we lay it close to hart, then it must follow, that either we must faithfully endeavour to doe according hervnto, or prophanely neglect the same, and soe (as much as in vs lyeth) jmpiously [Page 90] frustrate, the gracious intendemēt of our most loving God, which if wilfully we shall doe, what can be a more wicked act? what can bring a more wo full effect? may we not most justly expect that the punishment of such an jmpiety wil be vnspeakable to vtter, insuffe­rable to endure. So then, seing this is Gods end in re­cording his word that we might receiue the same, let vs (by all meanes) attend ther-vnto, and doe our best that he may attaine his owne end which he hath ma­de knowne vnto vs.

Our second reason may be taken from such simulitu­des and semblances, Reason. 2 vnder which, the word of God is represented to vs.

And in the survey of them, we shall soore appre­hend reason to beleeue this point. Gods word (in re­gard of our receiving of it) is compared to many things but these are the most pregnant among others. Some times it is likened

• to raine,
  Jsa 55.10.11. mat. 4. Psal. 107.20.
  As the raine that falleth on the earth, so shall my word be]
• to foode, man lineth not by bread only, but by every word of God]
• to physike: he sent forth his word and healed them
• to armour: Take vnto you the whole armor of God: the sword of the spirit: the gospell of peace: &c.

And to a multitude more of such things as these are, all which, are nothing but only in their application, all the vse and benefit of each of these consisteth wholy therin: common sence will say so much to vs. For, what is rayne, soe long as it hangs in the cloudes, and fal'ls not into the dry & thirsty earth, which many times yawnes and gapes for it beforeit come? what is foode, while it is in the bakers shop, or butchers shambles, or in our [Page 91] kitchin, or on our table, or in our mouthes, if we receive it not into our bodyes? what is physike to vs, while it remayneth only described in the physitians bill, or en­closed in the apothecaryes boxe, or in our owne hande or any where els vnapplyed, if it be owtward; or vnrecei­ued if it be inward? what is armour or munition, while it is in the armorers shop, or in our owne sheath, or taken into our owne hand & not drawne out for our defence.

We all know, that all these excellent things are anihilated, and made vterly vnproffitable to vs, having noe power to doe vs any good, vnlesse we take them to vs. Noe raine, can make the earth fruit-full: noe foode or physike can make the body healthfull; noe weapons can defend vs, nothing can pleasure vs; without applica­tion. The earth must drinke in the raine, the foode and physike must be taken in, the armour must be gyrt on, and then shall we be bettered by it, wheras, if these things be not soe applyed they perish.

Now the Lord in his wisdome, suiting his word vnto these resemblances, which are such as we (euen in our weaknes) may easily vnderstand to be wholy lost, in case we lay them not home, doth therin by plaine reason teach vs this point of religion, that as these earth­ly and naturall creatures and comforts, soe also his owne eternall and heavenly word, will not, nor cannot doe vs any good, vnlesse we make the same vse of it to our soules as we would doe of these things for our bodies. And it is not to be acknowledged as a meane favour to vs, considering our wonderfull incapacity of vn­derstanding, that it pleaseth him thus in pitty our frailty, to cloath these divine and celestiall things in such temporall comparatiues as are familiar with vs, and wherin we may soonest, and easiest apprehend them. [Page 92]For we can sooner ken a holy thing in a sensible habite borrowed from art, or nature, then in his owne. This the Lord saw in us, and therefore he put's his owne spirituall things into such similitudes as wherin we can best see them. And this is our second Reason.

Now seing we see so cleare a light of reason shy­ning to vs, both from Gods end in revealing his word: and from the end of all other things he hath given vs for our good, and that from the consideration of both these sorts of things, it is now very apparant, that nothing is, or can be further good to vs, (how good soe­uer it be, in it self) then we take it to our selves; we cannot but assent to this truth, as to that for which, we see founde reason to beleeve and em­brace it.

And these two shall suffice for reasons of this in­struction, not that we could not vrge, or alledge more, (which were most easy to doe) but because we shall haue fitter occasion to make use of them in one of the uses of the point, whervnto we will now come and lay them in the same order that the vses of the former point did, towit,

• 1. to Gods people.
• 2. to wicked men.
• 3. to all men.

And first, 1. Vse. to the saints. 2. folde. for the people of God, we must from this point of doctrine send them a double portion: na­mely, one of singuler consolation, with (I am sure) they desire; and another of just reprehension, which they doe (as assuredly) deserue. And the worst, they shall have first, that soe when they have beene well chidden, for their aversnes, we may afterwards cheere and joy them, in their piety and holines. All physitians of the [Page 93]body, doe first purge the peccant humors, and then give cordialls; in like manner must we doe with our spiri­tuall patients in this particuler, for I know not in what one point of heavenly truth, the people of God are more peeuish, froward, and aduerse then in this, and the­refore we must endeavour to deale the more throughly, that we may make them most healthy, wherin (by too much experience) we finde them soe exceeding foule and faulty.

Wee wil begin then, with their just reproffe, Reprehē∣sion. 1 & if that worke kindely with them, the consolation following wilbe more seasonable to them. And how farre even the faithfull may be deservedly and, tartely spoken to, will evidently appeare to him that observeth their grosse irregularity in this sweete point of Gods saving truth, wherin it is heavy to see, how greivous they are to God, who in the tendering of this truth, is most gra­cious to them: His offer is a wonderfull mercy, their re­fusall is a wofull jmpiety.

Whether it be their gnorance, or diffidence, feare or faint-hartednes, one or other, any, or all these, or any thing els, it is to me vncertaine; but sure it is, that the Diuell it is, that make's them soe froward and aff­rightfull, that they doe not, (and they pleade they dare not) take home Gods holy truth to their harts, but forbeare it as forbidden fruit, fearing to taste, touch, or handle any of that which the Lord in infinite favour jntendeth to them, being that which doth clearly concerne their states, and would, (would they be so wise as to apply it,) assuredly comfort their harts.

Nay, Satan is so mighty in them herin, and doth soe strongly posesse, and strangly perswade them, that [Page 94]they doe not only not accept, or entertaine, but doe shun, decline, and auoyde, the words of grace, and fly from every precious promise as from some deadly poyson, or stinging serpent, and when we have vrged, and pressed all that we can conceive to be of any power to per­swade men to participate of the sweete sayings of God, they put of all from themselves, and send vs away with sensles exemption, and alienation of all that the Lord meaneth in mercy to them, saying of them­selves as Iehu to wicked Iehoram, 2 king 9.22.[what hast thou to doe with peace] or as the wicked Iewes to Iudas [what is that to vs?] mat. 27. Thus are we put off, and thy put out, of the possibility of any of this comfort when we (or rather the Lord by vs) speake's peace vnto them, what have I to doe with peace? if we open Gods good treasure vnto them, and endeavour to convay the riches of Gods truth vnto their poore distressed harts, then, what is that to me? They will graunt all we say to be true in it self, as it is Gods word and give full, and free assent to the same, but if you offer to bring it home to them, it is none of theirs, not true of them, they have a supersea­deas for it from Satan, to make it all voide, and of none effect in their particuler, the property is altered if it come to be their case, that which we speake is all true but it is much mistaken if it be brought home to their harts and states, as if all that God spake were true, but all he spake to them, were false; then which conceit, what can be either, more vnreasonable or more abho­minable.

Thus doth Satan labour to pervert and frustrate the faithfull word of God, which he hath left to prop vp, and sustaine the soules of his saints in their distresses. In which attempt of his, Eph. 4 27. who have [giuen more place to [Page 95]the diuell] then the children of God who are expressly forbidden to doe it; and who have not knowne their heavēly father soe well as to trust him in the truth of his blessed promises, but have an eare open to every in­fernall suggestion, and shut against Gods owne sure con­solations: refusing those sweetest words of grace which might (if they did receive them) make them truly happy.

A practise, of such peevishnes and jmpiety, as must needes be very hatefull and displeasing to God, very hurtfull and pernicious to those that are faulty in it, because it is most apparantly repugnant.

• to the nature of God.
• to all his precepts.
• to all his childrens practise.

It is every way against the nature of God, as doing in­finite jnjury, disgrace, and indignity; To that wisdome that revealed these his promises, and sorted them out according to our afflicted state: To that truth that con­fime's and seal'es them to vs, and vs to them: To that loue wherby we are accepted into the number of those who are capable of them, which is not the case of every one, (no, it is noe common thing) but proper to the Lords owne sheepe to feede here, and to them alone are the comforts of his blessed promises enclo­sed.

And as against his nature, in his wisdome, truth, and loue, soe further is this practise against his law coman­ding vs to doe otherwise, for are we not enjoyned (as we were before informed) to lay them to our harts; to binde them on our hands; to hyde them within vs; to have them still about vs, as the ornaments we weare to adorne vs, or the weapons that defend vs? is it not the [Page 96]minde of God (doe not we know it to be soe?) that he would have the soules of his saints to be the harbour receptacle, & storehouse of all commodity and advanta­ge spirituall, that comes from heaven?

And as it opposeth both his love, and his law, (two wofull things to be withstood) soe also, goe's it against the holy practise of all those his most beloved one's, who­se examples ought to have beene our instructions & en­couragments herein, whose faith we should have follo­wed, considering what was the end of their conversa­tiō; their forwardnes (in this particuler) shame's your sloath, their holy violēce your base cowardice, & grosse negligence, Doe but looke vpon some few practices & set them before you for your further conviction; Exod. 31.10.11. O yee of litle faith. Moses was (after a sort) forbidden to fa­sten vpon God & his promises, & promised fayre too, if he would let the Lord alone, & not presse him on Israells behalfe with his words of truth, yet he will not cease or be set downe, ver. 13.14 or sayd nay, but come's vpon God with many a strong argument drawne from his owne evidence, and doth not leave him, till he hath prevayled with him. And if he did this for others, (and that when God did seeme to diswade him) what would he have done for himself, where God did command him?

Nehemiah, Neh. 1.5.10. (whome we named in the former point) doth also most eagerly entitle himself, and the people to the ancient promises of God made long before, & is an earnest suitor to the Lord, to make that good vpon them, which in his goodnes he had many yeares agone promised to them.

But of all other, and aboue all other, Dauid doth exceede in this one thing, and may be the speciall pat­terne of all Gods people in this practise, he was good [Page 97]at it indeede, as we might see in many Psalmes, Psal. 119. but if we survey but some particulers of that one, wherin he aboundeth, we shall see cause of wonder and admira­tion to see the odds betweene his faith, and the infi­delity of Gods people now adayes. Let vs see how he behave's himself. Sometimes, ver. 49. he putts God in minde of his promises, [Remember thy promise made to thy ser­uants wherin thou hast caused me to trust. Sometimes, he reveale's the comforting, ver. 50. yea the quickening power of them, [it is my comfort in my trouble, for thy promise hath quickned me.] Sometimes he prayes for them, and rests vpon them, and doth (after a sort) challenge God of his promise. ver. 76. [Let thy mercifull kindnes be for my com­fort, according to thy promise.] Sometimes, he proclai­mes the sweetnes of them to his taste (and that he could not if he had not taken them neere) [oh how sweete vnto me are thy words &c.] And lastly, ver. 103. (not to be too tedious in instancing) he doth lay a downeright clayme vnto them, as his owne land intayled to him, and never to be taken from him [Thy testimonies haue I claymed as myne heritage for euer, ver. 111.for thy are the joy of my hart.] Thus doth good Dauid bestirre him herin, and goe's before all Gods people, whose commenda­tion, and comfort it would assuredly be, to trace him in these steps.

But we neede not stand on particuler persons, for we finde that whole churches have done the same, in the dayes of their sorrowes. So we reade of the church [Haue respect to thy covenant] and againe [The Lord will not cast of his people, Psal. 74.20. Psal. 94.14. micah. 7.20.nor forsake his inheritance] and yet againe [Thou wilt performe thy truth to Iacob, and thy mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworne to our fore-fa­thers of olde.] In all these (and many the like, which [Page 98]we spare to vrge), we see the saints carriage, and practise, whether we cōsider them apart or combined together into one body.

And now is it a small thing that this threefolde corde should be soe lightly broken, wherwith the Lord would binde his people to this practise? shall himself, his law, and his holy ones, be all so slighted of vs? Have we soe many worthy jnducement to draw vs on, and soe many worthies that have gone before us, and shall we lye behinde, and not once striue or stirre that way, nay (which is yet worse) run a cleane contrary course, and fly from our owne comforts, to the fearfull ais­honour of God, and danger of our owne soules through this desperate infidelity?

Oh deare Christians, whervnto will this come? what shall we say vnto you? [...]. Cor. 4.21. how shall we intreat you? let vs demaund the apostles question, [shall we come among you with a rod or with the spirit of meeknes] when we have to doe with you for this fault? well, I know we must be wonderfull wary, when we have to doe with wounded consciences, we will not be too tart with the Lords tender lambes, but endeavour (since reprooffe must have place here) to mixe reprehension and com­miseration together, inasmuch as we have to doe with afflicted soules, and humbled spirits which speake not ac­cording to the truth, in a setled resolution, but accor­ding to the distraction and terror of some present temptation, wherwith their adversary the divell doth so feircely assault, and soe furiously fight against them that they are not able to stand vnder his stroakes, but faint and sinke, because he is so violent and they soe impotent; fayne they would be better perswaded, and beleeve, & professe otherwise, if they could; but their [Page 99]enemy aboundes with outrage, and they are voyd of courage, and hence it is he overules them, and having captivated the power of Gods spirit in them (for the present) he make's them speake according to his owne; & the truth is, that the people of God (in their per­plexity) are the divels parhots and by him made to vtter that evill, which (many times) he knowe's not well, how to vent otherwise.

Oh, that these poore soules (the true & most proper subiects of all good mens pitty, and prayers) did but well know, and were throughly convinced, that it is not they that doe it, but sin, yea Satan dwelling in them, & that the Lord will of his especiall grace discharge them of it, and charge it (as well he may) vpon him, who is both his adversary, and theirs.

But the divell is so subtile in dealing with Gods sor­rowfull saints, that he will be exceeding loth to be see­ne in this, or knowne of it, but rather layes it vpon God, and provokes many a distracted saint (that is not himself), to surmize, that it is no small jmpiety against God to appropriate the promises. And the better to seduce them therin, he puts such pretences into their mindes, and mouthes, as they dreame and jmagine to be of God; against whome they thinke they should fear­fully offend, if they should clayme these heavenly com­forts to thēselves. Which pretences of his, seing they are the maine impediments which hynder the happines of Gods people, let vs take such knowledge of them, as may make them apparantly knowne to be infernall, & therefore in no wise to be beleeved but alwayes ab­borted. Among many other, two (to my obseruation) are most vsuall, & doe prevaile vpō the faithfull & soe af­right them that they dare not meddle, but doe (in so­me [Page 100]sort forsake their owne mercy. He suggesteth into the dejected soules of these afflicted saints to make their harts the more fearfull

• 1. that the promises of God are not assigned to them by name, how then can they have any interest in them?
• 2. that they are soe vnworthy of them, in regard of their wickednes, that they dare not owne them or have any thing to doe with them.

These are the sear-crewes, the bug-beares, wherwith he make's them to forbeare, and put off all.

But you that thus speake, according to temptation now speake according to truth, and shame the divell the father of lyes, who suborne's these fruitles things against you, to rob you of the riches of Gods vnspea­kable grace: Iob. 28.2. Spake out I say, and tell me: Is not this to darken the truth of God by words without knowledge, which no man ought to doe?]

Is not this to disparage his truth and faithfullnes, who is [Amen, Reu 1.2. Cor. 1.20.the true & faithfull witnes]: & that faith that [all his promises are yea and Amen vnto us] that we might be rooted in the assurance of them?

Is not this to be beyond all Gods boundes & to be besides ones self, in our spirituall estate, & being over­come of a mysticall frenzy, to cast of all affiance in the Lord, Iob. 9.16. [...]7. speaking strōgly in this distemper as Iob did, if I had called vnto him, and he had answered me, yet would J not beleeve that he had hearkened to my voyce.]

And shall we stand on that which (we see) will not beare vs, but let vs fall, nay, throw vs downe and make vs fall? for soe will these aforesayd pretences doe.

No, be it farre from vs to doe soe. And that it may be soe, let vs come neerer, to a more straight and nar­row [Page 101]inquisition touching them: which that we may the better doe, we will set vpon them seuerally, and soe set them out before you, that we may shew them, and you may see them, to be the base subornations of Satan, and by him bent to abuse God, and beguile you of your blessednes; and these two are all his only ends.

For the first, which sti [...]ks so much with many, 1 Preten­ce. and wherat they stumble; to wit, that because they are not named they dare not intermedle; they know not that they are mean't, or may make bolae with that which is written, and wherin others are by name interessed: You tell vs that you finde these good words in Gods booke and doe nothing doubt of the truth of them, no question but the Lords minde was, that Abraham, David, and those other whose names are recorded with these comfortable sayings, should rejoice in them (and if their harts did not leape at them they were too blame) seing these consolations were directed personally to them: had they beene soe to vs, we could have beene happy, had we beene the men, it had beene our consolation also: but alas who are we to them? where are our name's to be founde?

But what a poore, and pittifull plea, this is, Evinde­ces against it. how idle and empty of all good evidence to proue any thing either directly or by consequence (to this present point, or any other good purpose) will quickly ap­peare, if we once come to looke into it, and as we disco­ver it, we shall see, there is nothing worth looking vpon, in it.

Only, here by the way, (before we set vpon it) we may discerne a subtilty of Satan wherby he doth notoriously abuse you, as once in another case (he did) divers others. For when as there was some question [Page 102]made of Pauls doctrine; Act. 18.14. Gallio told the Iewes that if their motion were a matter of weight and substance he would have hearkened to them, but being but of words and names (as he thought) it was not worth the hearing. The truth was, that that matter was of more then words or names or such triviall stuffe, even of the foundation Iesus Christ, and the truth of the Gospel, but the divell deluded that Gallio, (as now he doth many a man) to thinke slightly of the great things of God: but here he doth contrary, for this which we haue in hand, is but a question of wordes and names, and no more, and he strikes this jmpression deepely, as if all the happines of a christian, and all the hope of hea­ven, lay vpon it. Thus doubly deales the diuell: to a wicked man the mayne truth of God shalbe a matter of no weight, and to a childe of God that which hath no weight at all in it, shall overbeare the mayne truth of God,

But this by the way, to shew how Satā befoole's both sorts. I would all Gods people were as wise in this, which is of no moment, as wicked Gallio was, in that which he thought to be soe. And that they may be soe we will now lay open the nakednes of this matter of names in particuler, and that so clearely (I hope), that hereafter it shall not be soe much as once named among christiās, when they shall once see, the notable vanityes, nay the notorious jmpieties, that will follow vpon the pressing of it, to this purpose. And that they may be seene how sinfull they are, we will set some of them downe in order before you, wherof you shall doe well seriously to consider, for you shall finde them exceeding grosse. 1. Eui­dence cō ­futed.

First, it thwarteth, & manifestly overturneth Gods [Page 103]most wise and gracious manner of speaking by his spi­rit throught out the scriptures in this point of the ap­plication of his heavenly truth. His course and order of speaking is this.

VVhen any diuine truth of his is reuealed, it is soe vttered, as it may most plainely appeare, that he did intende and meane the application of the matter and substance therof (except in some personall circumstance) as well to every true Christian not named, as vnto any to whome it was di­rectly spoken, and particulerly directed.

And that this is an vndeniable truth, may be made very evident, by many allegations both out of the olde testament, and the new. In the olde testament, such as speake by Gods spirit spake thus. David for one, ap­plyeth to himself, that which is common to all Chri­stians, [It is written of me, Psal. 40.7.that I should doe thy will O God] where is this written more of David then of any other man? many things were spoken to him by name from God, but this was no more to him then to vs, yet (you see) he assumeth and applyeth it to himself as written to him, because he could not but know, that obedience to the will of God, did as directly appertai­ne to him, and would be as exactly required of him, as of any other man. If this had beene sent by name to him from God, he could have sayd no more then he doth, and thus much (you see) he saith, though no mans name be mentioned, because he knew that euery man was meant.

The people of God in another Psalme doe the same as we may read (and it very good for vs to note; Psal. 66.6.) He turned the sea to dry land, they passed through the riuer on foote, th [...]re did we rejoyce in him] marke, how the people of God speake here of a thing long since past, a mercy [Page 104]shewed to their fore-fathers yet the benefit and fa­vour is acknowledged to God and he magnified for it as if it had bene done to them selues; the change of the person is worth observation; [they passed through &c: there did we rejoyce]. Another like vnto this we finde in the prophet Hosea where that which is intreated off, is spoken personally of Iacob (to wit, of his wrestling with God) but the people of God in that time, take it home and apply it vnto themselves, soe the words in­ferre. Hos. 12.4. [He had power over the Angell and prevailed, he wept and prayed: he founde him in Bethel, there he spake with vs. The gracious, & consolatory words, given by Christ (called here the angel as being the angel, of the co­venant) to Iacob touching his prevailing with God, and Gods benediction of him, are here said to be spoken to them, [there he spake with vs] they claime them, as if the Lord had blessed them, as he did him. Thus haue Gods people in the olde testament done.

And they in the new haue done likewise, if we con­sider a few examples it will easily appeare.

Our Lord Iesus Christ is cleare in this case, when he doth apply those very words of God as spoken to the Iewes that then were, which were vttered to their progenitors many a yeare before [Haue yee not read that which was spoken to you by God, mat. 22.31.32.I am the God of Abra­h [...]m, &c] see, he aske's them why they did not make vse of this as spoken to themselues, Exod. which yet by voice from God was sayd to Moses out of the middest of the bush that burned but consumed not. Haue yee not read saith Christ)? as of he should say; it is your neg­ligence that you have not, & if you haue read, it is your ignorance that you know not, that thus you ought to apply the words of God, if you have read what was [Page 105]spoken to Moses (in this matter) and imagine that God meant it to no more but him, you erre, it is an erroneous reading of Gods word, and argue's we want knowledge when wee make that peculiar, to anyone, which the Lord meant to all his owne.

And as Christ began, so have his Apostles followed in the same course: witnes that we sinde by Paul in those two places which (among many others) are excellent and very remarkeable to this purpose, in his epistle to the Hebrewes. First, in the twelft chapter [have yea forgotten the consolation, or exhortation, that speakch vnto you as vnto sones: my son despise not &c this exhortation, or consolation (call it whether you will) was given by Solomon, or by God to Solomon, in his time, as is to be sene in his Proverbes; Pro. 3.11 yet by the Apostle you may see it is sayd to be spoken to those Hebrewes to whome he wrought at this time, which was not a few yeares after Solomons dayes. As if the apostle should haue sayd; though God might speake to Solomon as to his son, or Solomon from God in the singuler number [my son] yet know, he meant this saying to more then Solomon or those that lived in Solomons time; God in­tended to counsell and to comfort all his sons and daughters indefinitely to the end of the wordle, in whose dayes, or in what time or age soeuer, they should liue.

Secondly, in the next chapter (to wit the thirteenth) he hath another admirable application of a saying very sweete and exceeding comfortable, which was long before Solomons dayes spoken to Ioshua, to harten and encourage him to goe about that great busines of bringing the people of God into Cannaan (the land which was promised to them) & their for fathers which [Page 106]being a worke very difficult and full of danger, the Lord to cheere him vp, Iosh. 1.5. and set him on, tell's him [he withe with him, & that he will not fatle nor forsake him,] but goe with him, and stand by him. This very speach the Apostle would haue these Hebrewes to beleeue, as if it had beene spoken to every one of them as par­ticulerly, Heb 13.5 as it was to Ioshua, and therefore saith [Let your conversation be without covetousnes for it is written J will not faile thee nor forsake thee] and inferreth herevpon to them with himself. [So that we may bold­ly say &c] you as boldly as I, [...]ep. 6. and I and you as boldely as Ioshua, may say, that the Lord is our helper, and that he will not faile us, nor forsake us, it is as true to all Chri­stians as ever it was to him; we, as well as he, may build our comfort vpon it, & be bolde to clayme our com­fort from it.

Nay, if we looke vpon the wicked & sinfull Saddu­ces who were a most wicked and insolent sect, and did many times oppose Christ himself, and his Apostles after him, yet they had learned this truth (though it may be, but to serue their owne turne, and to cavill withall) for when they came to wrangle with Christ about the resurrection, they could alledge and pretend a law of Moses, written to the Iewes of olde time, before ever the world saw any Sadduces, and this law is vrged by them, as written to them; their words doe shew it [master Moses wrote vnto us] what Moses wrote to the Iewes in generall, Mark. 12.19. can these hereticall, and degenera­ted Iewes extende to themselves in perticuler. And this was not only done by them, but by the Pharises also, as appeareth in the many boastes they make, when the bragge of their being of Abrahams linage, and also of those many great previledges comming vnto them [Page 107]thereby.

Now seing we have so many to witnes this vnto vs, both out of the olde testament, & out of the new, & not only the good, but the bad also, can doe thus, and not stand vpon any matter of being named, or not named; if Gods manner of speaking be thus true, & as truly com­fortable, to the successors of those saints to whome he spake, as to themselues: why should not we giue creddit to God, & take comfort to our selves in these promises of his (seing we see by these testimonies) that we are as much interessed into them, as any that were ever named. Jt is nothing to be named or not named, in Gods booke to be intended by God himself, is all in all; and soe are all saints I am sure: for in Christ neither Iew nor Gentile, one nor other of the faithfull is differenced, but what I say vnto you (saith Christ) [I say vnto all]. Mar. 13.37. Mat. 8.11.

And aganie [many shall come from the east, and west, &c and sit downe with Abraham, Jsaac, & Jacob, in the king­dome]: beholde few are nominated many are meant, and they that are not nominated, are as sure of heaven as Abraham or Isaac, or Iacob. Gal. 3.14. And yet againe That the blessing of Abraham might come vpon the Gentiles &c] loe, the Gentiles who are intended are sure of as good a ble­ssing as Abraham who is named, you could haue beene no happier, if God had appeared to you as he did to Abraham, and blessed you as he did him, for his blessing shalbe yours. Oh that they which are soe name-sick, could consider this, when they often sigh, & say within themselues, had I beene in Abrahams state, had the Lord spoken to me, and blessed me, as he did him, I had beene happy: why; you are as happy now (but for your conceit); God who tell's you the blessing of A­braham shall come on the Gentiles, doth therein assure [Page 108]you of as much happines as ever he had, or you could have had, if you your self had beene Abraham.

Now then, seing this pretence doth peruert Gods course of convaying comforts to his saints, and nulli­fyes his manner of speaking, to this purpose, let such as have desire of comfort, cease to pleade it any more. And this is the first cuill of this pretence.

Secondly, Eviden∣ce. 2 it overturneth the gracious extent of Gods blessed truth, and argueth that the Lord did meane, no more then he did name.

A thing that never came into his hart, as being vtterly false, and manifestly contrary to our owne reason, and to the courses of common equity among men, in all civill passages whatsoever, as it were easy to instance in multitudes.

Looke we vpon our owne legall proceedings and conveyances. In a bande or obligation, some one party is named who owes the debt, and some one to whome it must be payd.

In a mans last will and testament, legacies are be­queathed to some one, or few by name; but we all know that more are meant in both: the damage of the one if it be not payd, the advantage of the other if it be received, doth extende and redounde to the heires, excecutors, administrators, and the successors of these, to all generations, the childrens children, and their chil­drens children may rue the non-payment of a bande, and a mans posterity through many ages, may rejoice in the possession of such a portion of land or mo­ney, as may be bequeathed to them. Thousands may feele the good or evill fruit of that which some one or two are named vnto: and the right of those who surviue and succeede as heires &c. to the parties [Page 109]who are either debtors or legaters, is every way the same, as theirs is, who were personally interessed there into.

And the law of nations is as open, and the equity therof as apparant, & justice may be claymed (in any case of cleare equity) as well by any mans successors, as by a mans self, it being intended to all the subjects of a kingdome, and their posterity for ever.

Now if this be the benefit of that right, which is comming vnto vs, and may be challenged by vs, from the lawes of men; let vs consider wisely, what may accrew vnto vs by the law of the everliving God, who being justice it self, cannot make a law, which should be either at all vnjust, or in the least, lesse just then ours, nay we may conceive, yea we must beleeve, that his is jncomparebly beyond ours in all points of justice, as being the foundation of all true equity vnder heaven.

And if we will but call this into carefull considera­tion; it wilbe most easy to vs to apprehend that our right is vndeniable and vndoubted, and that by this law of God we may recover our comforts abundantly in Iesus Christ, in whome all the faithfull are made by grace, such as may boldely appropriate the truth of all Gods goodnes to themselues.

Are not all the people of God heires, evē heires of all his most precious promises? I am sure they are soe cal­led more then once, or twise by the apostle in divers of his epistles. To the Romans. Ro. 9.8.[the children of Promise are counted for the seede,] to the Galathians [now we are chil­dren of promise,Gal. 4.28. Gal. 3.29.as Isaac was] and againe in the same Epist­le yee are Abrahams seede & heires according to promise] & in his epistle to the Hebrewes he doth both affirme it, [Page 110]and itterate it [God being willing to shew more abundant­ly to the heires of promise] And in another chapter they are so called againe. Meb. 6.17 Cap. 11.9.

Are not the promises of God the inheritance (as was noted before) of his people. Psal. 119.111. Dauid did soe ac­count them [Thy promises haue I claymed as myne heri­tage for euer, for they are the joy of my hart.] And God by his prophet would have all his people to repute them soe, for in the conclusion of that chapter which is a very treasury of most sweete consolations, this is added as the seale of them all, to all that are the Lords [This is the heritage of the Lords seruants &c.] Thus it is cleare that we are heires of the promises, and that the promises are our inheritance. Note. And by the way, this one thing we may note as a most comfortable diffe­rence betweene God and men in this case, that whereas some one childe, (the eldest) is the heire, and carrye's away the inheritance, & the rest have but petty portions; we are to know for our joy, that all the Lords children are heires, yea coheires and that not only with one another, but with Iesus Christ, and that not alone of the promises, Ro. 8.17. but of the glory promised? Soe saith the holy Ghost. [If we be children we are heires, euen coheires with Iesus Christ &c.]

Againe as the scripture doth call vs heires, soe, doth it also account vs as the executors, Ioh. 17.10.successors, and assignes of the promises aforesaid: what saith Christ? [I pray not for these alone, but for all that shall beleeue.] What saith Peter? Act. 2.39.[For the promises are made to you and to your seede, and to as many as God shall call.] Are not these (and many more such sayings in the scriptures) sufficient assignements to secure and satisfy the soules of Gods saints in the sweetnes of this truth? to say [Page 111]they be not, is to blame God; and if they be, how much too blame are we, not to make our vse of them?

Were it not a silly and a shamefull thing for any to come in opē court, (being summoned thither to recei­ve his debt, or his legacy) and to refuse to have any thing to doe with either, vpon this jdle allegation; saying, my name is not in this band, or in this will, I know not whether I may safely medle with this money or noe. Surely if any one should be founde that were thus simple and absurd, every one would passe sentence on him, and say he were worthy to be beg'd, for a foole, that would thus foolishly refuse his owne right, and benefit, which is as absolutely his, who is an heire, excecutor, or assigne of him who is named, as if himself were also named.

Now if in mans court this were a ridiculous plea and such as was hardly ever heard off, how may we thinke God wil take it at our hands, when we thus weakely take part with Satan, against his glory and our owne good, & cast off our propriety in the things pertainig to both, vpon this simple, and sinfull shift, which he sugesteth, whereby he cuningly mak'es vs rob both God and our owne soules; God of the honor of his loue & favour; our owne soules of the most worthy comforts and advantages, & those most gracious legacyes which are given and assigned to vs, by the last will and testa­ment of the Lord Iesus.

Nay, let this spirituall sillynes be soe farre from vs, that we rather doe as wordly men doe in these cases; who when they haue hope of any such temporall ad­vantage, doe all they can to proue themselves to be the partyes to whome it appertaineth, labouring by all might and mayne to make it appeare, that they are the heires [Page 112]or legators in such a case, that soe the comodity may come to them: sparing no paines, no expence, to search the kings roles, the church regiesters, and all kinde of written evidences, by any of which, it may in the least appeare, that they are the men who must enjoy this money, or legacy.

This should be our course, it would become vs well to doe thus, why should not we in this manner bestir­re our selues to make good these good things to vs? es­pecially whenas it is a matter soe easy for a man to proue himself the heire of promise, the son or daugh­ter of Abraham, and that as truly (in regard of all good things from God) as Isaac was, as was noted even now to wit, Gal. 3.9. by our faith [So then they which be of the Faith of Abraham are blessed with faithful Abraham] and blessed as children of Abraham as is plainely avouched and notifyed before, ver. 7. [know yee that they that are of Faith are the children of Abraham]. Know yee, or be it knowne to you (saith the holy Ghoste) that thus it is. Goe then, and enquire after this one evidence, (which being received in any true measure from God) gives you as absolute assurance of all good, as ever Abraham had. If you haue his faith you haue his right, to all comforts both here, and in heaven. I say if you have his Faith, I say not so much faith, but such faith, as he had; a man is sufficiently proved to be the lawfull heire of his father though he come short of the extent, and measu­re of many things his father had. Our faith, (even the least measure given vs in the soundnes and truth therof), doth avouch vs not only the children of Abraham but of God too, Gael. 3.19. as the apostle addeth [we are all the sons of God by faith in Iesus Christ].

Let vs not then thus fondely pretend any thing [Page 113]against our selves, but give our harts soundly to con­tende for that which may bring true benefit vnto vs. To be the successors of the saints in grace and holines, is as good as to be named. Christ argue's the Iewes (because they granted themselves the children of them that slew the Prophets) to be guilty of the blood of the Prophets, and laye's it vpon them in the­se tearmes [That vpon you may come all the blood which was shed from the blood of righteous Abell, to the blood of Zacharias &c. whome yee slew &c.] Now the same evi­dence that may convince a wicked man, may comfort a childe of God, to wit, that he is a childe, a successor in grace to the saints, as they were in sin to those bloo­dy persecutors. And this is our second evidence a­gainst this pretence.

Thirdly, this pretence of being named, Eviden∣ce. 3 overturneth all truth of scripture now, and tyeth it wholy, and on­ly, to the persons then liuing, and there named, as if it were then true to them, but neither now, nor then, to any body els.

If this point of being named be soe materiall as these who thus vrge it doe make it, then it was good scripture, and Gods truth to them, but it must needes dye with them, & become a dead letter to vs that now live.

And would not this inference be mōstrous, & vnspea­kably blasphemous that we (that are Gods childrē) should devise argumēts against Gods word, the jmmutability whereof is so oftē avouched every where, that heauen & earth must passe before one jot or title may fall therof: & yet with one breath we will make it all voyde as a thing of naught, & (by our argumentation) conclude that now it standes for a cypher, rather them for any scripture.

what neede the divell more advantage, he hath now enough to worke the vtter subversion of all religion, seing (out of the mouthes of religions persons) he can gather conclusiōs to proue the scripture (which is the ground of religion) not to be (as once it was) of any power authority, force, and vertue but rather like some ban [...] that is cācelled, some lease or deede expired, making Gods truth as momentany, fading and mortall, as the men were to whome it was spoken, wheras we are to know, that God speakes contrarily, that albeit, [all flest be grasse, yet the word of the Lord endureth for ever as being like the Lord himself who spake it, eternall and vnchangeable.

If we shut not this out, all atheisme wilbe let in, this is an open gap to all vngodlynes, for, if none haue right in the scriptures but they that are named, there is now no booke of God, no revealed will of his, no scripture, no rules of any religion extant: the life of all is tyed to the length of their dayes to whome it was spoken, and soe they being dead his truth is deceased with them and hath no more power to helpe vs then a dead man hath to helpe himself. And thus every godles wretch may now lift vp his head & tryumph, that there is no curbe for his corruption, no bridle for his rebellion, he hath what he would haue; seing these precise fooles which make such a doe, about religion, haue (now when they haue done all) vndone all religion, and taught them a trick to cast off all that is revealed against their jmpie­tyes: because they are not named, they neede neither feare nor care for any thing, that is either forbidden or commanded.

Nay, (which is yet more; and more hellish) by this reason of those that in this particuler are thus vnrea­sonable, [Page 115]the Lord must make as many Bibles as there be ages and generations of men, and put in all the na­mes of all men both good and bad too, if he make ac­count to be beleeved or obeyed. We must expect new editions of the scripture daily, wherin every one may read his owne part and know it to be his owne by his proper name annexed thervnto. Yea long be­fore our dayes, even in all the ages of the olde and new testament, should many Bibles have beene extant, besides that one, which concerned but a few Patriarcks Prophets, and Apostles, whereas the multitude of be­leevers was very great besides these, we may safely thinke the Lord had many people, beside these prin­cipall and extraordinary persons, who were especially spoken to.

Now then, seing the Lord in his wisdome never saw it meete to pen, and publish more then one Bible, & that noe people of God, in any time or state of the church did, or could ever challēg more, how grosse & egregiously sinfull, & sencelesse are these, who vtter that, which if (in this perticuler of names wherof we now speake) it might be justified, must condemne all Gods people of folly, and God himself of injury. God must be vnjust to witholde his will, they must be vn­wise, not to call for that which they might as well know, did concerne themselves as Abraham, Dauid, or any other, whose name is soe often mentioned and recorded in this. Inasmuch then, as God himself re­mayne's only wise without doing this, and his people of all ages were wise in not desiring any such thing: cease we from this infernall infatuation, which proclai­mes our folly, and infidelity to be of a deeper strayne, then any age hath ever seene. Let vs be sorrowfull for [Page 116]what is past, and silent for heareafter, and know that the truth of the scripture standes not vpon mens na­mes, but vpon Gods owne nature, who for his owne na­mes sake, (though our names be not there) will fulfill it vnto vs in every tittle of that saving truth, which by faith we can apprehend. And this is our third eviden­ce against this pretence.

Fourthly: Eviden∣ce. 4 this conceit of names concludes all the comfort of a Christian to depend vpon his nameing wheras (intruth) that of it self can evince no comfort at all: and therof we may be soone perswaded, if we con­sider these two things.

• 1. that, many are named, who are never comforted in Gods booke.
• 2. that, the only comfort of a childe of God is to haue his name written in another booke to wit, that booke of life.

For the first, he knowe's nothing as he ought to know, who knoweth not, that many are named in the bible for evill, not for good, nay it had beene good for them (in some sort) that they had, had no names re­corded there. As Cain, Saul, Ahitophell, Iudas, with many others who are so farre from being comforted by their names registred, that they are shamed, bran­ded, & haue their names left for everlasting reproach and infamy, that all ages and generations of men to the worlds end, might know what monstrous hypocrttes they were on earth, what miserable reprobates they are in hell.

For the second, who knoweth not; that the true joy & comfort of a christian cannot consist at all in being named in Gods booke, for even many of his holy ones are also markt with a black coale for some say­lings [Page 117]wherby they are blemished to this day: but that which may joy them indeede, is the assurance of their names being written in the booke of life, many may have names in the Bible, who have none in that booke, but whosoever hath his name written there, is sure of all comforts that are revealed and promised here. Hence it was that our sauiour gave that Item to his disciples who returning from the excecution of their commission, were almost ouerjoyed with the happy suc­cesse they founde, and came to Christ with most glad harts, [Master, Luk 10 9.even the divells are subdued to us] well sayes he, that is some matter to joy in, you may be glad of that, but if you would joy in that which is in­deede a sound cause of rejoycing, as being such wherin none but Gods elect have any part, ver. 20. [Rejoyce (saith he) in this, that your names are written in the booke of life] in the other, reprobates may rejoyce as well as you, but in this they have no portion, it is your only, and your all-sufficient cause of rejoycing. And the consolation of being written in this celestiall register, is both pecu­liar only to true christians, and common to all; none but the faithfull can have it, and none of the faithfull but have it.

So saith the spirit, [they that overcome, Ren. 3.5.their names are written, and shall not be blotted out of the lambes booke of life,] cap. 20.15. and [every one wohse name was not founde written in the booke of life, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone] but [they whose names were found there, might enter into that holy, cap. 21.27.and most glorious ci­ty.]

So then we see plainly, by these particulers, that these two things will follow, to wit, 1. that a mā may have his name writtē in the Bible, & yet not in heauen, as many [Page 118]hypocrits and reprobates haue; and. 2. that a man may not haue his name here, yet written in heaven as mil­lions of the elect haue. And if these two propositions be true and vnreproueable (as we see they are) what vali­dity can be founde in these fonde conceites of ours? what consequence of comfort or discomfort is is to any man whether he be named in this booke of God or noe? Let vs surcease to mention this which cannot profsit vs, and make sure of the other, which is such a sure evidence of our salvation. And this is our fourth evidence against this pretence.

Fiftly, Eviden∣ce. 5 this allegation of names is popish, & doth con­firme the papists in their error of denying the cear­tainety of the salvation of the elect; and when they argue against the truth of God herin, they vrge this very thing; where (say they) is it written that I such a one, or such a one by name John, Thomas, Mary, Martha, or any man or woman, shalbe saved. This is their lan­guage vp and downe, and shall the people of God spea­ke it? shal Satan make christians to speake as anti­christ doth? God for bid.

It were a most easy matter to make them a full an­swer & quitt them with like questions in other cases: where is it written that any man by name hall rise at the last day; is it not therefore sure that they shall, because they are not named? by this reason all papists must be notorious heretikes as some of their holy fa­thers have beene, who have shewed thēselves damned hell hounds in denying as evident truth as this. Againe I would fayne know of any papists whether no more shalbe beleeved of any man then that which is writ­ten of him by name; if not, then no man hath any thing at all to beleeve now, because no man that now lives [Page 119]hath his name in the scripture; if yea, then why may not this truth of the assurance of salvation be belee­ved of the faithfull, as well as any other wherin they are no more named then in this?

But our purpose is not to refute them now, but to reprove you, who confirme and harden them in this their falshood & heresy by the like allegations of the same things for your selves. The divell is equal­ly subtile to seduce you both, to witholde the truth of God in vnrighteousnes, and to turne it into a lye, by suggesting this pretence of names into your myn­des and mouthes. Doe but thinke what dishonour the Lord hath, what disadvantage his truth hath he­reby, that his aduersarys who speake soe blasphe­mously, can alledge, that they speake no other then his owne children doe (even the sincerest of them) who live, and looke to their wayes most exactly.

Thus Satan make's you ignorant papists vnawares, and make's them jmpudent papists through your ig­norance herin. And shall we support that (popery) which we hate? And this is our fifth Evidence against this pretence.

The sixt and last is, Eviden∣ce. 6 that this allegation doth also abett prophanes as well as popery. It is the manner of the most impious and ignorant persons that live, to throw out these or the like interrogatoryes vnto vs, and that in a scornefull and vnsavory manner. When we have convinced them of their sin, and Gods curse due thervnto, and that soe plainely by the power and evidence of the scripture, that there is noe denyall or evasion to be made, but that such a sin, and such a sin­ner must be accursed; then as their last refuse, in de­fence of the sin, & defiance of the reprooffe due vnto [Page 120]it, they fly to this [where is this or that written of you or of me, or of any man particulerly?] shew vs that by all your divinity if you can, & soe with this accursed en­quiry they insult against God, his truth, his ministers, and make themselues wholy incapable of reformation going on, in all vngodlines with a high hand, and a hellish hart, because (forsooth) we cannot shew their names entituled to the justice of God, and that the arrowes of his vengeance are shott at them personally.

And this, they either doe, or may say, they haue lear­ned of these pure and scrupulous persons, who made a marveilous shew they would (in no wise) sin against God, yet are too well knowne to alledge the same sin­full excuse for themselues. And hath any christian a hart to vtter that, which hath soe much evill in it, and no good at all? shall any who feare the Lord vnfaynedly, harten proqhane persons, and strengthen their handes against him, and his word, who cast of the care of both soe desperately? And this is our sixt and last evidence against this first pretence.

I might prosecute this particuler much more plentifully, but I will not, hopeing that, that which is sayd will hunt it out of their harts, who see the sin and jmpiety of it, which thus farre we haue endeavoured to discover, that we might once learne, for ever to abandon and abhorre to speake after Satan. If in the laying out of this, any haue thought me too long, let him know, that the evill is exceeding grosse, and hath (you see) soe much jmpiety in it, that too much cannot be spoken against it. The Lord and his sacred truth, and his poore saints are the loosers by it; the divell, the pope and the prophane, they gaine abundantly, al take their advantage [...] against God, from the mouthes of his owne [Page 121]people, the inferences and consequences of whose pretence in this thing doe produce in finite euills, as you have heard in the particulers aboue mentioned, wherevnto we will adde no more now, but proceede to the examination of that which they further pretend, in the second place.

And that is their vnworthines of the promises, Preten∣ce. 2 and favours of God promised. Oh, say they (whē we presse them to apply the good words of God) we are no way worthy of these comforts and kindnesses and there­fore may not imagine them to be ours.

Well, be it graunted, we will most willingly yeelde it, that you are not (nor cannot be in your self) worthy, nothing is more true, it were extreame pride, and vnspeakeable presumption for any man to conceit, there were any worth in him at all, by which he might merit, or make clayme to the least comfort he can receive. But what of all this? what followes hence? or what is it you would couclude here vpon? Is this it, that you have no worthines, therefore you can have no comfort, you have no desert, therefore you have no right, to the favours of God? Know then, that these inferences are as injurious to God, & as offensiue before him, as the former were in your first pretence, which we have fully frustrated.

That you are not worthy is vndeniable, but that therefore you may not medle is damnable: Eviden­ces against it. the antece­dent is Gods, the consequent is the divells, who drawes evill out of good, as God doth good out of evill. And dare you yoake Gods true propositions, & the diuells false conclusions, together? It seemes you dare, because you doe; but because we are perswaded that your dar [...]ing and doing (& the impiety of both) doe proceede from [Page 122] Satans vehement temptation, working (as in the for­mer) vpon your ignorance; infidenlity, and want of infor­matten; we will therefore doe our best to instruct you herin, and vnsolde the fearfull consequences of this corrupt conceit, that you may see, and resist them, for if you well advise concerning them, it will manise­stly appeare, that the evill of this second pretence is no whit inferiour, to that which we haue detected in the first.

To begin then, Eviden∣ce. 1 our first evidence against this second pretence is, the contradiction it hath with the other, for if there be any strength in this, there is none in that which went before, and if that be sounde, this is sight. For why? what auaileth it for one to haue his name in Gods booke, and himself to be directly spoken too, if he be not worthy of any thing promised to him; and if a man be worthy, then (by this reasoning) his nameing, or not nameing, is a matter of nothing. Thus these two Satanticall conceits doe cut one anothers throates, any man may jmagine they are not of God, I ceause they agree not with one another, it is for the father of lyes thus to confute, yea confounde himself in that which he suggesteth. The God of truth never spea­ke's any thing which will not well consert with it self, there is a heavenly harmony in all that the God of hea­ven saye's: But the divell (being himself a destroyer) suborne's that wich will both destroy it self, and vs, & yet we are soe vnwise as not to know it.

But let vs note it more narrowly now, & take good notice of in this pretence compared with the former.

That which was vrged before did (as we haue she­wed) nullify Gods truth to all except such as were na­med, this which is pretended now, doth make their title [Page 123]voyd too; before you thought Abraham, David, &c. happy men, for being named they might apply the promises; now vnlesse they were worthy their nameing doth not helpe; soe that, what the first pretence did leaue but to few, this second doth take from all, and now no Patriarch, Prophet, or Apostle, is in better case (by this allegation) then one of vs; for vnlesse they have worth in them, they can have no warrant to apply the comforts of God soe that now (even these holy men) are as sarre to seeke of their consolation (for want of worthines) as wee weere for want of names.

That the best of them was not worthy, I thinke you beleeve, & it is evident they were not, by their owne acknowledgment, they that have had most grace from God have beene most abased in their owne eyes, and have ever disclaymed with all deadly detestation and defiance, the entertaynement of any such proud conceits.

The man we have soe often named, and of whome our text doth intreat, even Iacob who here doth (as you see) soe comfortably entitle himself vnto these promises of God, and so powerfully apply them; he in the next verse to our text renounceth all worthines and freely confesseth, he is lesse (in worthynes) then the least of all Gods mercyes, not worthy of any one, noe not of the least of any of them; and surely all the servants of Jacobs God are of the same minde. Yet you see, he (& many more whome we have notifyed) did take home the truth of God with warrāt enough from God though they founde no worthines therof in themselves.

Now then, seing (you see) whervnto this come's that what is pleaded in this, doth devoure and make [Page 124] voyde what was vrged in the other, and that these two cannot by any meanes agree with one another, you haue good reason to agree to neither, but notwithstan­ding we haue neither names in Gods booke, nor worthynes in our selves, let vs apply the promises of Gods loue & savour to our soules; for they doe not depend vpon any such things as these: Noe childe of God ever had any worthynes, yet every one hath had the interest and benefit of his blessed promises. This is our first evi­dence against this second pretence.

Secondly, Eviden∣ce. 2 it doth set vp and advaunce our owne thou­ghts of our selves, aboue and beyond Gods thoughts of vs, as if what we apprehended of our selves were all in all, & what the Lord thought of vs were nothing at all: whereas the truth is, that it must goe with vs, and be with vs, according as our God is minded towards vs. All the hope and happines, and all the seare and mise­ry of a man, doth wholy consist in that which God con­ceiveth of him. His good opinion of vs, doth assure vs to be in a good (nay a most excellent) condition; but it is wofull with the man of whome the Lord thinks ill: he is indeede in a hard case, of whome he hath a hard conceit.

If our owne conceites of our owne estates might rule the roaste, and beare all before it, what sure grounde of any safety could we have in any thing, being subject to such grosse aberration in all our ap­prehensions; for, through the force of temptation we are diuersly (and for the must part erroneously) opinio­nated of our selves, sometimes too presumptuously, as Dauid [when he thought he should neuer have beene moo­ued:] Psal. 3 v. 6 Ion. 2.4. sometimes to dejectedly, as Ionas [when he gave himselfe quite ouer for a cast away] our ignorance and [Page 125] Satans mallice, working with it, make's vs many times proud and praeposterous, many times slavish & [...]-base, ever amisse, never in the right, for our owne estates: therefore there is nothing to be gathered from this false ground of what we imagine, seing the Lord (who knowes our thoughts long before they come into our harts) hath tolde vs that the imaginations of our harts are evill continually. Gen. 6.5.

Nay, (which is yet more) we may not measure our future estate, (in this manner) vpon those good and warrantable thoughts we have of our selves; as when God commandeth, and his spirit enlighteneth vs to see our vnworthines, and to thinke meanely of our selves as we ought to doe in regard of our sins desert, we may not hence collect any such conclusion as we would here inferre.

For the divell doth abuse vs by double pollieye, both in causing vs (many times) to misse the true appre­hension of our estate, and if at any time the spirit of God lead vs into a true vnderstanding of the same, he perverts the consequence therof, and make's that false. We being then so subject to this twofolde mis­carriage, either of false opinion, or false conclusion (by him suggested (vpon our true perswasion,) let it be farre from vs, to frame or enforce any thing concer­ning our finall condition, vpon what we thinke for the present. God never built any thing at all that belonges either to our present state of grace, or our eternall state of glory vpon this hay, stubble, & chaffe of our apprehensions.

It is the Lords, approbation, or disallowance which all the world must stick to; for by it, all men either stand or fall, sinke or swimme, liue or [Page 126] dye are condemed or justified for ever. Our right and part in himself and all his promises lyes herevpon. He cannot erre or be misguided touching vs, being the most righteous judge both of Angells and men, the elect and reprobate of both, as he sayes all is, and soe it must be for ever and ever. Isa. 55.8.

Hence it is that the Lord sendes the Iewes word that [his thoughts are not as their thoughts] as if he should say, it matters not what you thinke; what I thinke, is the thing you must depend vpon: ver. 9. and that he explanes vnto them in the very next verse, where he affirmeth his thoughts to exceede theirs [as farre as the heavens sur passe the carth,] which are every way much more high and excellent.

What then, though you thinke your selfe vnwor­thy? if the Lord thinke you worthy it is well enough, you are bounde to the one, he is free to the other, though it be your duty to account meanely of your self, yet it is his mercy to accept you as worthy of his best favours, and your estate must be conceived of, according to his, not your owne estimate. So God relleth his people by his prophet Ieremiah. Ier. 29.11[I know the thoughts that I have thought concerning you (saith the Lord) thoughts of peace and not of evill to give you and expected end] Ioe ac­cording to his thoughts soe is it vnto vs, by his thin­king thus of vs, we attaine an expected end. Indeede to be but meanely conceited of our selves, is no other then we ought to be, and if we could thinke ill of our selves without any further such ill consequen­ce concluded thervpon, it were well with vs, and a sure signe that God thought well of us, as we might in­stance in many particulers vpon whome it hath well appeared, that Gods thoughts of them have not [Page 127]beene as their owne have beene. Iob 40.4. cap. 42.6.7.8. Jer. 31.18.19.20. Iob thought him­self vile, but God accounted preciously of him as he that readeth may see. [...]phraim blamed himself excee­dingly, and layd much to his owne charge; God ac­quited him, yea commended, and comforted him abundantly.

And the same might we say of many more but one shall serve for all, and that is Paul, who laye's out him­self at large in regard of that wickednes which made him vtterly vnworthy of any mercy, but most worthy of Gods greatest vengeance and sury. He doth freely confesse his foule offences past, his blasphemy against God, his tyranny against his saints, &c. And in regard of these we may conceive that he thought himself for ever vtterly vnworthy to intermedle in that holy mi­nistration of the Apostleship, and much lesse worthy of any interest in Gods kingdome of glory, but did he thence (as you doe) conclude that he should never re­ceive any consolation because he was vnworthy; Noe, but the cleare contrary, he measured his estate not by his owne estimation of himself, but by the Lords approbation of him: 1. Tim. 1.12.13. marke his words [And I thanke our Lord Iesus Christ who enabled me; for he counted me faithfull, and put me into his service.]

Consider well the power of this truth in this holy Apostle, there was good reason he should judge himself vnworthy, yet no reason, that he should (therefore) esteeme himself incapable of Gods favour, he settle's his soule and rests his hart as vpon a rock, on that which the God of heaven did conceive of him, and as God did account of him so was he comforted in him­self.

All the thoughts of his owne worthlessnes could not [Page 128]debarre his blessednes, but Gods accounting of him worthy, made him blessed. And this is our second evi­dence against this pretence.

Thirdly, Eviden∣ce. 3 this pretence intimates that our vnworthy­nes is the only barre of our interest and benefit in Gods promises, and soe consequently that our worthynes is our evidence to clayme them by; and neither of these, have either any truth, or true comfort in them, but much presumption is in the one, and foule falshood in both.

For why? it is more then manifest that the Lord never meant to founde his favours vpon any such ground in vs, but only and meerely, vpon his owne free grace, loue, and faithfullnes, that in these he might be magnisied of vs.

Doe we not vnderstand thus much plainely, by that which the Lord saith, when he putts the case with Da­uid and his posterity (including & intending all his chil­dren with them in their generations) that suppose, Psal, 89. or ad­mit that on their part, all might be ill, in regard of their rebellion and vnfaithfullnes against him, and that he, or his, should breake his law, neglect his loue, for­get his statutes, faile in much good, fall into much euill, yet for all this, (saith the Lord) I will not faile or forget, or neglect him, or them, well I may scourge them, and make them smart for their desobedience, but my faithfullnes shall remayne, my covenant shall not be broken, I will not alter the word that is gone out of my lips &c. with very much more there added and enlarged by the Lord, of purpose to confirme this truth, that he wilbe glorifyed in the fruit of his owne grace, without any worth of ours at all, that he may be honoured of vs in his most worthy excellency, [Page 129]of compassion and favour so freely, and so fully cast vpon vs. But this we spake of before.

And soe we did of the poore prodigall too, who could not discerne any worth in himself, but saw and was convinced of his base and most vnworthy estate, yet resolues not to let goe, or give over, but to rise and goe to his father with all expedition, in hope to finde some favour and compassion and to say to him, [I am not worthy to be called thy son] Loe, he was so farre from building any thing vpon his worthynes, or to cast him­self downe by want therof, that he will plead he is not worthy, even then, when he hopes of acceptation and entertainement. And of this we also spake in our former point, & therefore spare to vrge it more largely now.

It is the faith fullnes of God, not the worthines of man, that is the evidence of any good vnto vs, and that is every where pressed by the Apostle vpon Gods peo­ple He is faithfull who hath promised] God is faith full who will stablieh you] and the like in many places; but one, aboue all I commed vnto your consideration, 2. Tim. 2.13. to wit that, to Timothy [Though we beleeue not, yet he abideth faith full, he cannot deny himself] note here, how the A­postle pleadeth Gods faithfullnes, against our fayling and vnfaithfullnes, and would haue vs know, that though on our part there should be want of faith, yet on his there neither is, nor can be any want of faithfullnes, [Though we beleeve not] that is, not as we would, not as we should, though our graces want weight and measu­re, yet his grace is the same, to wit, infinite and aboue measure: the meaning is not though we had no faith at all, or did not at all beleeve, for then might pagās & in­fidells flesh themselves, and gather hart here; noe the [Page 130]Lord never made them any such promise, nor spake any word (in his whole booke) to joy them in the least, but only to his owne, who having got a graine of faith doe beleeve, yet wanting much more then they hauc, doe not beleeve as they would or should, and to those the Apostle saith, let them be of good cheere, and know, that though much want be in them, there is infinite fullnes in God, he abideth faithfull, he aboundeth in faithfullnes, and it is as sure that his children shall finde and acknowledge it, to their comfort, as it is ceartaine; that God [cannot deny himself] which clause as it confirmeth his favour fully to his owne, soe doth it clearely exclude all jmpious persons who beleeve not at all, for vnto these cannot God deny himself (in this sence) because he never acknowledged them, or ma­de any promise of grace vnto them. Soe that (we now see) our want, wil not make God wanting to vs, he props vp our harts, and applyes our happines from the faithfullnes he hath, not from the worthynes we haue.

Besides, we may further see, what a silly plea this matter of vnworthynes is, whenas they who alledge it to this ende, doe make the favour and loue of God farre inferiour to mans. It is not ordinary with men that die, to bequeath money, to give legacyes, and to cast kindnesses vpon very abject, and vnworthy persons, nay, not only vpon the poore who have no worth in them to challeng it by, but it may be, vpon malefactors in goales and prisons, who have much wickednes, and vilenes in them, and are so farre from being worthy of any thing, that they are most vnworthy of every thing, and deserve punishment rather then releife, justice ra­ther then kindnes. Yet is it vsuall with men to consi­der the state, and supply the want, even of these [Page 131]persons

And were any of them, or any other, soe simple in this (as you are sinfull in the other) to cast off, refuse, and reject all, because they were not worthy of that which was given, and to deny the receit because they had no desert? sure I thinke no age can yeeld an in­stance of any such egregious folly: that any one of these was ever heard to say, I am not worthy of this le­gacy, therefore I dare have nothing to doe with it.

And shall we (as by this our allegation we doe) make our God lesse loving, lesse liberall then man? shall they give to infants, who could deserue nothing, to poore men, who have deserved nothing, to vile persons who haue deserved no such thing? and shall the Lords hand be shorter then ours? Againe shall all these ac­cept and take home what is given them, and not vrge any thing of their owne to depriue themselves of it? & shall we offer that to God which was never offered by any to men? and be more fooles and jdiotts for our soules then ever any were for their bodyes? what sha­me, what sin, were this to vs before God, and men? How jdely doe wee extoll the loue of God to be in conceivably infinite in words, whenas in deedes we de­ny it, and make the world thinke, it comes short of that which may be found in men, yea in such men, (it may be) as were never beloved of God, for even many wic­ked men are (in their generation) thus kinde, to those in whome no worthines can be found. The jujury and dishonour of God is not a litle herin, the Lord will looke you should doe him right (as you haue thus hay­nously wronged him) by repentance for what is past, and reformation hearafter, that now you leave vrging your owne vnworthynes (to any such end as this) and never [Page 132]leave lauding his goodnes, and proclayming his fa­vour all your dayes. If you will (as indeed you ought) to discover your owne want of worth to the full, doe it but beware of eclypsing his worthynes by it. Nay you must be soe farre from that, that you must endeavour rather that his worthynes may shyne more clearely, through your basenes. Throughout the scriptures the greatest glasse and glory, of Gods infinite goodnes to vs, hath beene our want of worth to receive it from him. Let this then, carry vs to him whose bounty is soe great to those, that haue not any thing of their owne to clayme it by. Poore, and vnworthy persons doe flock to the dores and swarme about the habi­tations of those that are knowne to be open-harted, and of a liberall minde and hand. Let vs doe in like manner: Goe we also to our God, whose hart is loving and whose hand is free, giving the best things in most abundant manner and vpbrayding no man with any thing. Jam. 1.5. And as these poore and needy people, doe not question, what is, or what is not, in themselves, neither let vs, but run we to him, and receive we of him, what he of his owne grace shall please to cast vpon vs, without any consideration of any thing at all in vs.

As for the consiquence of this our vnworthynes which doth (as it is thus pleaded) vnavoydably imply that our worthynes is the thing by which we may chal­leng the application, & posession, of Gods faithfull pro­mises; I say nothing but this one thing, (which I which all that feare the Lord wisely to consider) namely, that as I know from their soules they hate to thinke of any merit of their owne, knowing it to be a thing the Lord doth abhorre; so withall that they would se­riously take notice of this notortus subtilty in Satan, and [Page 133] simplicity in themselves, that he can, and doth abuse them with such suggestions as doe necessarily draw in those conclusions, which are loathed of God, and detes­ted by them. In time of temptation they are not their owne men, but easily deluded with such conceits, as see­me to savour of marveillous humility, whervnto when they give place they stand (by direct and vndenia­ble consequence) guilty of monstrous spirituall pride and much other jmptety.

These snares of the divell they are taken in, before they be aware, or know where they are, and being once toyled and entangled in them, it is no small trouble to themselves, and to the messengers of God to get them out, because this their adversary loue's to holde his advantage, and to grate vpon them with that im­piety in the consequent, wherof they never once drea­med in the antecedent, as (I dare say) in this particu­ler, that will follow from that their tongue utters, which their hart abhorr's: let vs not follow our enemy then, who is soe mischeivous, but run, vncessantly after our good God, for he is abundantly gracious. And this is our 3. Evidence against this second pre­tence.

Fourthly, Eviden∣ce. 4 let vs proceede one step further to see how wide of all good, this way will leade vs if we trace and follow the temptor herin.

If we may not apply or partake of that wherof we are not worthy, but shun, and decline the same, how wofull and vnhappy had we all beene, if he should have pleaded this for himself, who was the vndertaker with God, for all the euill due to the elect.

If our Lord Iesus Christ had vrged his father [Page 134]with this, when he was to vndergoe all evill for vs, as now we doe, when we are to taste of the goodnes of God for our selves, where had we beene? what had beene our case? no man can deny but he might as justly, and truly, have avouched that he was vnworthy of any euill, as the worst of vs is of any good; he did no more deserue his fathers indignation which he had through vs, then we can the multitude of those compassions, which we have through him.

Now if he should have cast off all vpon this plea, and vrged God his father with his innocenty, holines, and all those other excellencyes which did abound in him; and further, that as he did abound in all good, soe he did never offend his father in any evill, and that (in both regards) he was vnworthily afflicted: Ezek. 28.4. and so claymed the equity of the law, that [the soule that sin­ned should die,] and he being no way worthy of any evill should escape all. Where should we have appeared? had we beene ever able to stand before the face of God? or to holde vp our heads, with any hope of a hap­py estate?

But we see our saviour, (notwithstanding he might well say, he was worthy of none of all that evill which was inflicted vpon him,) yet he applyeth and taketh home to himself, all that truth of God which (to this end) the prophetts had so plentifully fore-tolde of him. Among many other evidences herof, we may take notice of that one, which is related to be done by himself to those two who went to Emaus, [...]. 24.27. [he be­gan at Moses, and all the Prophets and expounded vnto them, in all the scriptures, the things that did concerne him­self,ver. 44.] and againe [These are the words which I sayd vnto you &c, that all things must be fulfilled which were [Page 135]written of me, in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalmes.] Was not here a worthy patterne of application of all that God had reveiled of him, who (in himself) was vtterly vnworthy to taste one drop of that bit­ter cup, the whole wherof, in all the venyme dregs, & lees, he drunke vp for vs. Now if the Lord Iesus would, and did apply (though he deserued none) all the euill that was foretolde cōcerning him throughout the scriptures, should not we doe the like for all our good? shall we (who would be christiās) so grosly degenerate from Iesus Christ? Nay rather let vs goe search the scriptures too, and diligently persuse, the law, the prophets, and the gospell also, and whatsoever is written in any of them for our comfort and peace, let vs apply it.

If Christ had not done it in his particuler, it had beene woe with us: if we doe it in our owne, it cannot but be well with us, for why? Note. (as we are in Christ) there is nothing written but it is happy to vs, wherof we may be soone perswaded if we remenber, that all the evill was (on our behalfe) applyed to him, all the good remaynes (for his sake) to be made good to us; besides the holy ghost assures vs that [whatsoeuer is written, Ro. 15.4.is written that we through patience, &c might haue comfort and hope in the seriptures] whatsoever is not comfortable Christ hath taken it, whatsoever is, he hath left for vs to take to our selues. And this is our. 4. and last evidence against this second pretence,

And thus we have encountered these two princi­pall jmpediments, which hinder the application of Gods most heavenly promises vnto vs; not, that there are noe more to be spoken against, or that, we could speake no more against these: but we intended the dis­covery of these only as being the mayne; and thus [Page 136]much only against them, as the most notorious things wherin they offend against God that make any vse, or allegation of them.

What remayneth now, but that all that loue the Lord, & desire to be beloved of him, should put on all constant resolution, & contend stoutly aginst all temp­tation, giving no place to the divell or any instigation of his, touching the application of the truth of God.

Let it not greiue vs a litle, that we have given see much eare to him already, and that the Lord hath beene soe slenderly beleeved of vs. Our insidelity hath done the Lord wōderfull dishonour, we haue ill shewed our selves children of such a father, whenas like fro­ward infants we haue refused the sweetnes he hath provided for vs, and even put into our mouthes.

We must soundly repent of this refractary carriage, or els we may live, to cry for that which now we will not have. It were our part and duty rather to pant af­ter the truth of God, and to faint for want of it, then thus frowardly to put it from vs, when it is so lovingly proffered to vs.

We litle know, what we doe, in refusing to receive his gracious truth; he never spake that, which was not worthy that we should heare it conscionably, and lay it vp carefully. Let vs resolve to doe soe heareafter, and thinke him worthy of all prayse from vs, who hath re­vealed his truth soe clearely, as it may be entertay­ned of vs comfortably.

And if we will thus doe, and endeavour hervnto, we shall soone see what inconceivable consolations the Lord hath reserued for vs in those promises, he hath revealed to vs. If this reproffe worke kindely, to pur­ge out this evill, we may then give you some taste of [Page 137]the good the Lord hath in store for you.

Shall we speake euill to our selves, where God speake's good, or turne his goodnes into our owne euill? this is for Satan, not for saints, to doe. Strive we to doe as the Lord would have vs, and if we will now cease to lend an care to the divell, and further, & for ever, hearken to our God, we shall see what more he hath to say to his people in the second place from the truth of the doctrine which we have propounded.

And all that is sayd by God touching his people is only good, Consola∣tion. 2 for if it be an absolute and infaillible truth that every one ought to apply that truth of God which God speaketh to him, then may all the Lords saints know for a surety, that all the sacred, blessed, and sweete sayings of God contayned in his booke, are now become their owne, the Lord intende's they should apply, and enjoy them. Not a good word is fallen any where from the mouth of God, but the same is who­ly, and solely, meant to the soules of his children, he sptake it of purpose that they might take it, it was reuealed by him, that it might be receiued by them. Noe heavenly tydings of gladnes and great joy, no speech of life and peace, either for present, or eternall hap­pines, but it is meant, and sent by God to them, and from him, they have it, sometimes immediately from his owne mouth [I will hearken what the Lord God will say for he will speake peace to his people & to his saints &c. Psal. 83.8. Luk. 2.10.] sometimes by the ministrey of Angells [Beholde we bring you glad tydings of great joy &c.] The Lord hath nothing to say on his churches, & childrens behalf, but (when thy speake to him) to [answer them with good words, & comfortable words, Zach. 1.13.] as the prophet Zachariah tell's vs. Whatsoever is found any where, that savours [Page 138]of any saving efficacy, or excellency, it is appropriated to them by the Lord himself who is the sole authour, and the allsufficient founder of the same. He sets o­pen the fountaine of grace and compassion to the house of David his servants, Zach. 13.1. and to their only vse, be­nesit and behooffe is it reserved, such only may drinke of the water therof, as he hath of his grace put apart to partake of himself, it is noe open place for all per­sons, or any ordinary, for all commers, but enclosed, and jmpaled to the Lords people alone.

All the consolations of God are theirs, Isa. 52.12, God himself sayes it both by his prophet. I, euen I, am he that comfor­teth] and by his apostle [blessed be God the father of all mercy, and God of all consolation who comforteth us in all our tribulation &c] nay, he gives so much that if they will receive it, their consolations may abounde, not on­ly in themselves, but towards others they may have comfort to spare [that we may comfort others with the same comforts wherewith we were comforted of God.]

Comfort yee comfort yee my people will your God say, Isa. 30.1.speake comfortably to Ierusalem, cry unto her that her jni­quity is pardoned, her warfare is accomplished &c] Behold how freely, & how fully the Lord speake's, how he dou­bles his comforts, [Comfort yee, comfort yee] and jttera­tes his words, [Speake comfortably, cry vnto their] and this (saith the prophet) [will your God say:] it may be (nay it is sure) the divell [...], and the world will say other­wise to you, & thus to others, it is their manner miserably to misapply all that God saith; they vse (having their heads, yea their harts; full of ydle proclamations) to promise peace to themselues, and their fellowes in jm­piety and prophanes, and out of their owne spirits to blesse themselves, and discomfort the saints of the li­ving [Page 139]God; but if the Lord once open his mouth and come to speake his minde, we are to know, that his words, which are simply good in themselves, and himself absolutely able to make them good to vs, are to be vt­tered only to his owne, none but they are spoken too, when he speakes good. He drawes out the breasts of his consolations to them, but shuts vp his bosome to all others, not a drop of this milke is for any mans mouth but his owne babes, and to them both breasts are tendered, that they might drinke freely and have thier full draught. Soe saith the Lord by his prophet. Isa. 66.10 [Rejoyce with Ierusalem all ye that loue her &c: that yee may sucke the breasts of her consolations and be satiffyed that yee may milke out and be satiffyed with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the Lord, ver. 11. ver. 12.I will extend peace like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing streame; then shall yee sucke, and be borne upon her sides, and be dandeled upon her knees.

As one whome his mother comforteth, ver. 13.soe will I comfort you and yee shalbe comforted in Jerusalem. And when yee shall see this, your hart shall rejoyce, and your bones shall flourish & the hand of the Lord shalbe knowne towards his servants &c.] Thus, in this most comfortable metaphor doth the Lord make knowne his mercy and favour, and we all know, the most that can be manifested in nature is betweene the tender babe and the loving mother, and this similitude the Lord assumeth, to re­semble his vnto vs, the nature wherof cannot be fully shaddowed by any thing vnder heaven, but is most neerely layd out in this representation.

To the Lords people the streame runs full, but there is nothing for strangers, no current come's to them, the Lord opens it only to his beloved, to all [Page 140]others it is shut up, and they shut out from having any thing to doe with any drop of it: he wil nurse & nou­rish none but his owne tender ones, and they shall haue all that his breasts, yee that his bowells can yeelde.

They shalbe [filled as with marrow & fatnes, Psal. 63. [...].] and shall drinke of the rivers of his house, (and they you know) containe nothing but water of life.

It would be endles to enter vpon all particulers, it is enough that the apostle saith, that [all the promises, are yea, & Amen] and againe, that [all is yours.] If any thing be good, we may engrosse it without sin, for it is all our owne. If any thing sweete, yea more sweete then the hony and the hony combe we may feede freely vpon it, without surfet, for it was all ordayned for vs. If any thing may be more advantage then the most fine golde, and more enrich vs then all spoyles, we may get and compasse all that we can of it, it is no impiety, but our duty, to covet in this case. In a word, the best of every good thing is ours.

What should I say more? yet who can say enough of this particuler? seing the Lord himself hath sayd mo­re then all the world can vtter touching this matter, to the end that his saints might have abundāt cōsola­tiōs measured vnto them, filled vp to the brym, pres­sed downe & runing over; Ioh. 16.24 & [these things saith Christ, (& the same say I) haue I spokē that your joyes maybe full.]

I doe most vndoubtedly assure my self, and durst vndertake to avouch that there are in Gods booke more then a million, of celestiall beatitudes, either lite­rally expressed, or inclusively contayned, and all, and every one of them are only and wholy for the saints to feede, and fasten vpon, that their soules might speake as comfortably, and as considently, to, and of [Page 141]themselves, from God, Gen. 27.33. as Isaac sayd to Esaw (when he cryed out for a blessing and could not catch it) [I ha­ve blessed him, and he shalbe blessed.] If the Lord have a mynt, nay he hath more, for his word is like a most rich myne, of the best mettall, all the treasure therof, with the feild wherin it is hid, is ours, the purchase is made, the price is payd; beholde it is bought (with all the ad­mirable advantages therof) for those that are the be­loved of God, to whome it is see simple for ever, in a most cleare, and more vndoubted title, then any mans inheritance vnder heaven can be holden by, in the legall tenure of any temporall estate. And this being our owne ground, why should we not reape all the commodity of it, and carry the fruit home to our sel­ves? shall we suffer others to encroach and gather it from vs? or let it lye there vngathered at all? if we doe either of these, we cannot answer our grosse ingra­titude to God, our egregious injury to our selves, seing we willfully deprive, & rob our soules of those hap­py benefits which we refuse.

All the precious words of God are yours to apply; his sure mercies are yours to receive, they were once vttered by God himself and by his holy secretaryes recorded for ever, for their sakes which shalbe heires of salvation. I hope then seing these things are soe, (and more then these too, are, not only so, as we say, but better then we can speake) there is peace and con­solation to the saints, and they have wherin to joy and solace themselves in the Lord their God, and that love of his, soe liberally layd out vnto them. What is written and expressed in the scriptures for good in regard of their state of grace that shall they have (so farre as they can be any way capable therof) [Page 132]in present posession: And what is further written, to give vs some glimpse, and guesse, of that blessednes which is infinitely aboue all that can be written or spoken, that shall you be sure to receive at the hands of God when you come to heaven. Only all this must be first beleeved by faith, and when once our faith hath fastened vpon it, we shall then experimentally finde & feele it. Note. It is Gods order of working and his manner of conveying, first to reveale a thing to our faith, and afterwards to let vs feele it. Abraham must first be­leeve he shall have a son, and afterwards receive him. And all they whose faith was famous, and their names are left vpon that recorde which can never be razed in that 11. to the Hebrewes did beleeve the promises before they received them.

It is hard to say whether any thing can be commu­nicated to vs as a favour which we receive not in faith, and whervpon faith never fastened.

I am sure no spirituall advantages can come any other way, and he that hath temporall favours without faith, hath them without comfort.

But to returne, and to come to the close of this vse of the saints comfort, why should not they sing for joy, for whome all these songs of joy, are endyted of God and by him (as it were tuned) of purpose with won­derfull variety, and pleasure, to prevent (if it be pos­sible) if not, to abate, alay, and qualify, those our sor­rowes, discomforts, and calamityes spirituall, wher­with Satan doth so annoy and perplexe vs, And shall all this be in vayne vnto vs? what? shall the voyce of God be in vayne? the voyce of God I say, who is such a father, such a mother to vs, as we have heard? shall we frustrate that word of his, which was never [Page 143] fruiltles to any? which made the world, and doth to this day manage the same? shall we give our God cause to complaine against vs, and to say to vs, as (in the gospell) he did to others, [I have piped vnto you, & yee have not daunced?] shall we be so stupid, and sensles, dead, and blockish to the true God, as those jdole false Gods are to such as serve them, [who have eyes & see not, eares & heare not, hands & handle not, feete & walke not,] but remayne altogether incapable of sence and motion? shall the singuler loue of our God finde such a sinfull issue in vs?

O let these devises of the divell be as farre from vs, as we would be from him, and as deepely hated of vs, as they would make vs hated of God. Give a liste­ning eare, and lay vp that most loving speech of God [Are not my words good to him that walketh vprightly?] mica. 2.7 [...] Yea ceartainly, all the words of God are good, to all that are good in his reputation and acceptance.

Come neere then, yee blessed and beloved of the Lord, come neere I say, and fall to freely, and take your fill of this cup of your Gods consolation: this his wine and oyle, is good to glad your harts, and to make you to have a cheerefull countenance nay (which is an invalable benefit) a cheerefull conscience. Open your mouthes wyde yea, as wyde as you can, and he will fill them; extende, dilate, enlarge your hart to the vttermost, there can be no just feare of want of grace in him, all the doubt is, that you will want place to re­ceive it; make as much roome as is possible, and the Lord will powre it in freely, even till it overflow, as David tell's vs he did vnto him, when he confessed that [his cup did run did over,] and the apostle, Psal. 23. when he also acknowledgeth further, that the Lord [can doe [Page 144]unto us exceeding abundantly aboue all that we can aske, or thinke;] Eph 3.20. and both these sayings doe shew appa­rantly, that the Lord hath more to giue, them we can either aske, or receive. We cannot want so much as he can spare, nor beg soe much as we may have.

Well, Psal. 115.15. and worthily might the Psalmist say [yee are the blessed of the Lord] who can deeme you lesse, that see's all the blessednes that is written in Gods booke, and reserved with God in the highst heavens, to be intended and appropriated to you, by the Lord him­self?

Now then inasmuch as you see Gods favour, let him see your faith, set that grace a worke on this goodnes of his.

Doe not suffer your selves to be deluded any mo­re by him, who in all his endeavours meane's no glory to God, no good to you, but mischiefe to both, by la­bouring to cancel his truth to you, and to make voyde your faith towards him.

Grace him not soe much, as to give him the hea­ring of any thing he offreth to whisper into your harts. Cast off all his suggestions with contempt and scorne, let him see himself despised, and his sabttityes abhorred; Jam. 4.7. that is the next way to be rid of him, if we resolutely resist him.

And let vs strive now and ever to cleaue to our God, who can comfort, and doe vs good: his voyce hath sweetnes and vertue in it, as well to worke good in us, as to speake good to us, it is all one to him, to give vs good things, as to give vs good words. If he say it, it is done; why then doe we not as he saith, and lende our best attention to his consolatios. Craue we pardon for our perversnes past, and power against it for­time [Page 145]to come, that nothing may for ever heareafter hinder the sounde application of Gods saving truth vnto vs.

And thus we have now at length finished our first vse, which concerneth both the righteous repre­hension, and the gracious consolation of the saints of God, who have now had the double portion we pro­mised them.

We are now to put on to the second use of the same, Vse. 2 to wit, that, which cometh to wicked men, from the consideration of this instruction, to wic­ked men reprehē ­sion. of the application of Gods truth. Which being a duty wherevnto all men are bounde, they also are enwrapped within the cordes of this doctrine, and tyed to take home that part of Gods holy truth which doth concerne themselves.

And if thus they doe, as it is their duty, (and their not doing of it, wil draw downe heavy vengeance vpon them) then, will their misery and feare, flow apace vpon them, even so fast, that they shall not be able, either to escape the swiftnes of it, but it will come to them; nor, to withstand the rage and violence therof but it will seize them, in spight of all their cursed se­curity and presumption, whereby they often put their evill farre from them. Nay whether they doe take it home or noe, it will take, yea overtake, yea and overturne them too, according to Gods owne fearfull threatning by Moses [All these curses shall come vpon thee, and overtake thee, Deut. 28.15.till thou be des­troyed.]

So that a wicked mans evill is every way, open be­fore him, assured to him, let him turne himself which way he will, he is in an ill case, if he apply not Gods truth, he incurres double danger, for the Lord will [Page 146]both plague him for disobedience to this doctrine, and the truth of God in the terror therof, wil apply it self, and fasten vpon him whether he will or noe: and if he doe according as God hath sayd in the lesson before named, then must he also know, that there is no good at all appertayning to him, but all the evill thath Gods booke reveale's. Nothing is more plaine, then that the Lord never meant any good to any vngodly man: any good did I say? oh it were well with them if that were all; but to speake as the truth is, and as they shall feele from God in case they continue in their jm­piety and prophanes, he doth not only intend them no good, but he intendes them nothing but evill, and all evill of every kinde, which is writtē, all the curses, com­minations, heavy sentences, wofull sayings, all miserable & misceivous messages, either of present justice, or future vengeance; whatsoever it be that the wisdome of God hath revealed from heaven, or the justice of God hath reserved to be executed, either here on earth in part of payment, in temporall curses, or fully, and finally in hell in that infinite vengeance, which is jmmeasura­ble and everlasting; all this, in every jot and tittle the­rof, is theirs, and they must drinke off this whole cup, of the Lords wrath and enraged jndignation, to the bottome, in all the bitternes of the same.

Goe ye sinners and vngodly persons of all sorts, reade over & pervse, every part, every page of Gods sacred booke, and in what leafe or line soever ye mee­te with any thing that favours of confusion, or soun­de's like a curse, or sentence of comdemnation, say to your selues, as our Jacob doth here, [Thou Lord saist this to me] this part of Gods truth is my portion, and belongeth to me, my jmpiety applei's this to me, my [Page 147]wickednes doth draw me vnder this wofull cen­sure.

But because Gods booke is so laden & fraught with dreadfull threatnings, hence (now I thinke of it) may a man give a great guesse at the cause & reason, why vn­godly persons have no delight or pleasure to reade the scriptures, but preferre every vaine pāphlet before tho­se divine words which were inspired by Gods spirit; a fil­thy play booke invented by the divell, and by him prompted and put into the brayine of some base impi­ont varlet, whose hellish tongue, and, hand he doth imploy, to pronounce, and pen it, hath more readers, more acceptance, and attention, then those blessed words which God hath breathed into those holy men, who spake from himself vnto vs; and why is this? why is it thus? surely a more eminent reason of this jmpiety cannot be rendred then this, that, the Lords booke boade's them no good, every word is a woe vnto them; & therefore they take no more pleasure therin, then a fellon, traytor, murtherer or some other malefactor doth, to reade those lawes or statutes which declare the sentence due to such offences, as he stands guilty off, in his owne knowledge.

But to returne to the terror of transgressors; you are to know, that whatsoever is spoken for evill, it is spokē to you, any potion that is terrible, or dreadfull is prepared of the Lord and full mixed for you, and by you it must be drunke out, to the very dregs, that you in this kinde of application of it, may either be purged to your true and timely reformation, or poysoned to your eternall destruction.

Never once dreame of thrusting off these things from your selves, you cannot shift off that which the [Page 148]Lord will fasten vpon you what he sett's on, none can shake off: beleeve it, beleeve it, there's noe shunning of that which the Lord saye's, you must either heare it, or beare it, or both. God will not be set soe light by, of any flesh, as to have his words goe wholy vn­regarded.

He that will heare his owne, may soe be wrought vpon, as that he shall not beare it, it may worke vpon him that repentance to salvation which is never to be repented off. But he that doth either refuse to heare, or heareth without fruit, let him know, that he is the man that must beare, those curses, which he either hea­reth not at all, or not as he ought; as it were most easy to manifest in the most miserable experience of many a wretch, who turning away his eare from the Lords message, the Lord hath turned the heavy contents of the same loose vpon himself; and made him to cry out wofully in the eares of God and men, vnder the insuf­ferable sence and terror of that, vnto the tydings wherof their eare was contemptuous, and would not take seaso­nable notice.

It hath too palpably appeared to be the manner of the most wicked men (and I know not whether any thing may be a more manifest eare-marke of an jm­pious and vngodly person) to be extreamely jmpa­tient when the truth of God hath beene plainely tolde them; these are of the number of those wretches which were foretolde by the Apostle, that [endure not whole­some doctrine,] that which soundes not sweetely, and is not melodious, is no meate or musike for them, they are so farre from application, that they will not give God audience, but either wilfully withdraw themselves from the house of God where it is spoken, or being [Page 149]present, bewray that damned humor of hellish perversnes and impatience against the Lord and his messenger, which hath beene found in that godles Ieroboam, and divers such branded rebells: and for which (amonge other their impietyes) the Lord hath left them re­corded vnto vs as the fearefull and rejected objects, of his justice and fury.

It's a heavy signe men meane to live and dye in their sinnes, when once they refuse application of the word, inasmuch as even the application of Gods truth, is the life of all instruction, the death of all corruption; I know not a more apparant token of a man whome the Lord is resolved everlastingly to reject, then when he hath given him over to a wrangling disposition, and quarrelling spirit against the faithfull ministey of the word, if that will chafe him, and make him fret and fume it is past question, that he hath a hart both hating God and hated of God, hardened and enraged by the divell, and with him to be plagued for ever.

Oh, that you could consider this, who goe out of Gods house with that hellish resolution that (in ano­ther case) Dagons preists did, not to tread vpon the threshold therof any more in haste, noe you will not come to church to be soe bayted, and yet who can doe lesse then bayte you, that come to the temple of the Lord, as Beares to the stake, as beggars to the stocks. But consider I pray you, you that soe abhorre appli­cation, how wofull your estate is, that must be bayted if you come, and reprobated if you come not to heare the Lord speake vnto you. If the first be soe bitter, what is the latter? while thou art a wicked person thou canst avoyd neither.

Looke throughout the history of Gods booke, and [Page 150]take notice who have beene the most notorious miscre­ants, whome the Lord hath noted, as [vessels of wrath prepared to destructiō,] & you shall soone finde those to be the principall castawayes, vpon whome the word of God hath beene castaway, who have either not heard it, or with no proffit, or patience, but with murmuration and resistance. I could instance Cain, to whome God spake himself, and Ieroboam before named, and Ahab, and Ihojakim, and Elyes sons, and a multitude more of most wofull and accursed miscreants, whose want of appli­cation of the word of God vnto them, was one emi­nent evidence of their just perdition.

Remember what God saith to you by his prophet [woe be to him that striveth with his maker] woe, I say to him that spurnes against the needefull manifesta­tion of that misery whervnto his sin hath made him subject before his maker. Can any thing be of worse consequence to vs, or heape more vengeance vpon vs then this?

Among men, you know what a haynous matter it is, for any offendor or malefactor, having deserved imprisonement, to offer to breake out, and run away, or if he cannot doe soe, to grow stuburne, headdy, and vn­ruly in the prison, and if the king send any to examine his fault, and to arraigne him for his offence, to give them surly answers, vnseemely, reproachfull and reviling speeches, to such a one the jaylor is more straight, and layes more jrons vpon him; the judge is more severe, and gives him the heavier censure which shalbe excecuted to the vttmost extreamity, without any mitigation or favour.

And can any man jmagine that that is not hydeous in Gods eyes, which is haynous in mans? Is it not his course [Page 151]to double his curses vpon such as struggle to avoyde and decline the declaration and application of them? shall they not suffer for their obstiancy & impatiency as well as for other any impiety? yea assuredly they shall and let them know, that where they adde one evill to another, the Lord wil adde to their, punishment and multiply it out of measure, as they doe their sin.

If therefore, either by infernall flattery, and mysticall collusion of your owne soules in secret, Iob. 31. which was a thing that Iob execrated; or by open refusall and jmpi­ous renuntiation of what the Lord speaketh, a thing wherof the Iewes were most grosly guilty, Ier. 44.16. and for which, they were abhorred of God; or by both these, or any other wicked way or meanes, you seeke cunningly to worke, & wynde out your selfe, from taking such particuler notice of Gods threatnings against your sin, and your selfe, as he requireth and your iniquity deserveth; be you well assured, and know ceartainely, that by such corrupt and vngodly carriage, you shall at once, encrease the Lords provocation against you, and your owne confusion before him, Ro. 2.5. and so [store vp wrath against the day of wrath, and the iust declaration (and ex­cecution) of his iudgement] vpon your soule and body for ever.

And that you may see I speake not this without boo­ke, I pray you looke what God saith in his booke to this purpose, how read you in the sift booke of Moses called Deuteronomie; read there, & striue to understand what you reade, and out of your vnderstanding of it ponder that saying and lay it vp in your harts: There you shall heare God speaking thus touching the point we haue now in hand: Dent. 29.18. ver. 19. [Least there should be among you any roote that beareth gall and worme wood; and it come to [Page 152]passe that when he heareth the words of this curse, that he blesse himself in his hart and say, I shall haue peace though I walke in the imagination of my owne hart,ver. 20.to adde drunke­nesse to thirst; The Lord will not spare that man, but the an­ger of the Lord, and his iealousy shall smoake against him & all the curses that are written in this booke shall lye vpon him,ver. 21.& the Lord shall blot out his name from vnder heaven. And the Lord shall separate him vnto evill out of all the tribes of Israell according to all the curses of the covenant &c. ver. 21.So that the generation to come shall say when they see these plagues &c.

Thus you see the Lord doth manifest, (and that in many words) his minde concerning this matter, and that we may the better discerne his meaning, we may bretfely abridge all that these words doe im­port, into two particulers.

• 1. how haynous a thing it is in Gods sight sinfully to shift off the saving truth of God from our selves.
• 2. how heavy the hand of God wilbe in the ex­treame & extraordinary punishment of him that doth soe.

The act is exceedingly amplified, and aggravated, if we doe well consider the particulers of the text, wherin we finde it branched and blazed out, to be an evill consisting of many evills, a very composition of many impietyes, and much corruption.

First, it is an impious thwarting of God, a crossing of him; even a giving him, the lye to his face, when any man shall dare to say [I shall have peace though &c.] Is not this extreame impudency, thus to out face the Lord of heaven in his owne truth? to tell him (as it were) to his teeth, that we shall have peace, whē he saith resolu­tely [Page 153]we shall have none in any vngodly way are we nor vndertakers against the wisdome power, and justice, of God, by all which, that which he hath here vttered against this sin, shalbe assuredly executed vpon the sinner? shall we offer to say [I shall have peace] when the Lord, who is only wise, allmighty, and most just, saith we shall not? is not this to make the world beleeve, that we thinke our selves able well enough, to secu­re our selves against him, and know a way how to a­voyd, that which he saith he will inflict? as if we could goe beyond God, and overeach him, by some policie or power of our owne.

Secondly, it is a proude exalting of our selves aboue the Lord & a trusting vpon our owne vayne lying and blasphemous words [blessing our selves] and giving no creddit to his most stable and immutable words of truth; as if our blessing of our selves, had farre more efficacy to save and comfort vs, then his words of cursing have to cast vs downe, and terre­fy vs.

Thirdly, it is an encreasing of sin, we adde one evill to another, and soe lade our soules with more and more impiety, augmenting our evill before the Lord, and encouraging our selves in the same, by this blessing of our selues in our sinfull courses, and casting aside Gods righteous and heavy curses.

All these three amplifications of this impious and hellish act, are apparant in the text and thus much sin doth he commit, that applyeth not, but put­teth off the sacred word, and truth of God from himself.

The punishmet due to this threefolde act of impiety, followe's in the text too, & it is layd out both negatiue [Page 154]and affirmatiuely.

Negatiuely in that one wofull sentence [The Lord will not spare,] or, [the Lord will not be mercifull to that man] a truth clearely contradictory to the conceit of these accursed miscreants, who are soe be sotted, that they can beleeve nor apprehend, nothing in the Lord but mercy, and soe make him a notorious monster therin, as if he had nothing els in him.

Affirmatiuely, and that many wayes, in such misera­ble sayings as follow; & every one worse then other, if we note them; Such a sinner shall feele;

• 1. the anger of God, and to put him out of hope of appeasing it, it is added that,
• 2. the jealousy of the Lord shall breake out, and smoake against him, and jealousy is jmplaca­ple rage, such as will heape vpon an of­fendor
• 3. [all the curses written in Gods booke] none, no not one, to be avoyded or escaped: among the rest. 3. notorious curses are named to wit, 1. that [his name shalbe blotted out from vnder heaven.] 2. that [the Lord shall sepa­rate him unto euill.] 3. that [the ages to come] shall fall into admiration of that mans fearefull condition.

Loe, thus shall it be done to the man that the Lord will avēge himself vpon, for this one sin of shifting off the sacred truth of God from himself. He shall have no mercy from God, but all the misery that may be, he shalbe the vnhappy object of Gods heavy anger, of his fearfull jealousy, of all his curses, vnto which the Lord shall soe set him apart and pick him out, that he shalbe the wonderment of all succeeding times. This [Page 155]is the Lord doome vpō him, who fawneth vpō himself in his prophanes, and flyeth (as much as in him lyeth) and wil not heare of the justice of God, revealed in his word, against his wickednes,

Let vs then (deare christians) take heede, and be­ware of a stubborne hart, a stiffe necke, an jmpious spirit, to throw away what the Lord saith to vs, Doe not provoke him to jealousy, we are not able to dea­le with him, he is stronger then we; know we that nothing well more vexe, or sooner prouoke him here­vnto, then this jmpiety, of refusing to apply his wor­de to our selves. He is heavily jealous (as well he may be) of that mans estate, that will not endure his truth.

For why? consider I pray you, what good can be in him, what evill can be out of him, who rejecteth what God saith? it is not possible he should haue any good, who will none of that word, which is the only ground of all good to vs, and the only guide of vs vnto it: neither is any euill jmpossible, but all most easy to be fastened vpon the man, who forsaketh the sole and soueraigne meanes of his good. That man must needes heare Satan, that heareth not God, and if once the divell be master of our eare, and haue it at command, what can be soe corrupt or accursed, which he will not convay into vs?

How much better, and more happy were it for vs, to hearken to the heauenly voyce of God, though that he saith, should seeme heauy to vs. The worst he spea­keth is to make vs good, and to further our best estate. He doth wish us well in the most wofull sentences he vtters against vs. Let him that hath an eare to heare, heare what the Lord saith, which if we will doe, we [Page 156]shall many time heare him complaine against his peo­ple, and giving this one jmpiety as a principall cause of thier wonder ful misery [But they would not encline their eare.]

And when he wished, and meant them all good, he saith [Oh that my people would haue heard] then (saith he) I would haue comforted them, and crush't their enemyes; but he complayneth mournefully aga­inst them [but my people would not heart &c, therefore I gaue them up to the hardnes of their owne harts,] that they might be perverted by their owne counsells, and soe come to sinall confusion through this perversenes. Seing then this sin makes the Lord to giue ouer men, now let every man that woull not be giuen ouer of God, giue ouer this sin, and for ever resolve to lay home the Lords truth to himself, that it may liue in us, and we may liue in it, and by it, before the Lord: Put we on that resolution vnfaynedly, Ier. 42.5. which the Iewes in Jeremies time did dissemblingly professe when they sayd [The Lord be a true and faithfull witnes betweene thee and us if we doe not according to all things for which the Lord shall send thee to us, ver. 6.VVhether it be good or evill, we will obey the voyce of the Lord th [...]y Good &c.] Let our deedes be as good, as their words were here, and it shalbe wel with vs. Take the truth the Lord intends thee, and it shall assuredly be well with thee. And this is our second use of this point to sinfull men. Vse, 3

We goe on now to the third and last use, and that concerneth all men, infor­mation. both saints and sinners, holy and prophane, one or others, it is matter of information to them all, and to every of them, to betake themsel­ves forthwith to doe, according to this truth of God, which now we have made manifest vnto [Page 157]you to know.

You see it is Gods minde that all men should apply his word, Motiues. you see also how farre it concerneth both Gods owne, and all others soe to doe; Let vs now endeavour to conforme both of some of those many good motives and considerations that may the better carry the ony, and the other, to the practise of this doctrine of application.

Gods people had neede of some provocations, 1 and vngodly persons had neede of some spurres herevn­to, To the godly. both are too backward (as we haue largely heard) let vs doe our best to further them both herevnto. We will begin with the best first, and let the saints see, what a multitude of mighty inducements they have to draw them thus to doe. A few we will presse in particuler, by which it will appeare (vpon seri­ous consideration) how it stants them vpon to apply that now, which till now, they haue soe groyssly neglected and let alone.

First therefore, Motiues. 1 I pray you consider and vnder­stand that if you doe not apply the promises of God, you nullify and frustrate them, you make them vtter­ly voyde of all truth and vertue.

Thinke throughly of it, for it is thus and no bet­ter, you doe thus and no otherwise.

And that you may see that soe it is, remember and call to minde thus much; God never meant his promises to any but to his owne people, for their sakes alone himself did reveale, and his pen-men did write them: it never came into his hart that any man else, shoull meddle with them: he call's them precious promises because it should be know­ne, they are not commen meate for every man but [Page 158]foode only for the faithfull whome he hath chosen to be a precious and peculiar people to himself. Now if this were his minde and meaning, whervnto shall the­se promises serue if you receive them not? to whome shall they goe, if you take them not home? if thus the case stand, that wicked men must not haue them, and you will not, what shall become of them? to whome, or to what shall they appertaine? what may be the vse or benefit of them? It is not Gods minde to give them to sinners, it is not yours to take them to your selves, what shall they doe? when they are vsefull to neither, are they not voyde to both? and soe become as a cancell'd writing; wherin no man hath right, wherof no man can have good. Oh that you could lay this to hart, and well ponder this evill of yours; is it a small thing to anihiliate the greatest part of that, wherof rather then one whitt shall perish, Reu. 22.19. heaven and earth shall fayle, and from which whosever doth detract, or diminish in the least, the Lord will diminish of his happines (that is, abolish him from all hope of being happy) and en­crease his curses vpon him? This is the first evill of your refusall; and it is fearefull, and the manifestation of it should move you more then a litle, to feare that practise which may, and will pull you into such horri­ble impiety, and also pull such heavy plagues vpon you, But, this is not all, it is but the first, and not the worst, of some other, that follow as infailliblely vpon this practise, as this doth.

Secondly then, Motive. 2 consider that your refusall to take the promises of God vnto you doth not only actually make them voyd to you (being a great part of Gods gracious truth) but, (which is yet more sinfull and [...]full) it doth occasionally make all the rest of the [Page 159]scripture voyde which concerneth wicked men, and soe the whole truth of God (a thing which I tremble to vtter,) I say, the whole truth of God, is frustrate and through vs become nothing, or as a thing of nought, by our sinfull refusall of our part. And this wilbe as pal­pably evident as the former, if you take knowledge that the divell who drawe's you to deny your portion, doth (by you) draw others to doe the same, & make your refusall the occasion of theirs. Let any childe of God who digesteth not Gods promises, speake to a wicked man in case of any impiety or rebellion against God, and bestow a reprooffe vpon him, out of Gods word, in vttering some curse and commination against his swea­ring, drunkenes, or any other evill; the divell doth prompt him presently, and put into his head what to reply, and stop your mouth withall; why (saith the godles wretch) should I tremble or trouble my self with these words of God that concerne me, when you are not conforted at all, with those that belong to you? what, are his threatnings more true to me, then his promises are to you? must I yeelde to the one, and you resist the other? Goe first & learne your owne lesson by hart, and when I see that you take your portion to hart, I will thinke the more of mine; till then, I haue as litle reason to be disquieted, as you haue to be com­forted: I will never beleeve that one peice of Gods word is truer then another, or that any part of it, is mo­re true to me, then some part of it is to you. And there­fore till I see you affected with that which is spoken to you, I neither care nor feare what you can say to me. What wofull worke is here? what heavy disadvan­tage is taken against you? what hellish damage is done to the living God in his eternall truth? Before you [Page 160]made voyd the promises; now wicked men (by you) doe make voyde the threatnings, and soe betweene both, no part of scripture hath any power in it. The wicked caitisse that thus cast's off admonition, and reprehen­sion shall haue his reward for his offence; but woe to them by whome the offence come's. Shall the divell and his lyms thus trample vpon, and abuse Gods booke and will you be their leaders thervnto? shall your evill practise be pleaded to justify theirs? shall the Lord speake in vaine to them, because you will not belee­ve him? Can you thinke this to be a smal offence, nay rather can you conceive how great it is? you shall doe well to deliberate vpon it, that you may discer­ne and detest it.

See, how it disables you to speake a word in season to any, either good or bad you must bunge vp your mouth in silence, or speake with shame to others till the Lord open your hart to beleeve him your self.

If you shall offer either to comfort a weake brother, or to condemne a wicked transgresser, both may, and will fall vpon you, with your owne infidelity, and how justly they may vp brayd you, and regect what you speake, is easy to vnderstand out of that which we haue sayd. And this is the second sin of your not ap­plying Gods promises, which you see doth disable the word of God to doe others good, as well as your self, and vtterly disable you to doe that duty you owe to others, in any christian counsell or other vse of the scripture what soever: so you are bound from all aledging of it to any till you can assent to it in your owne hart. And what a world of wickednes is here? O yee that are the saints of the living God see to it, see I say wherto your perversues come's, that it hath neit­ther [Page 161] end nor measure either in your selves, or any ot­hers. If you haue a God, beleeve in him; if he be your father trust him; if he haue any truth rest vpon it; doe not expose or prostitute his truth to the comtempt of Satan, and wicked persons. Let this move and make you to take home yours, that you may be the fitter and better able to give others theirs, or at the least, it may be their owne sin alone, and no way yours, if they doe it not. If this may not prevayle what can? yet this is not all, let vs put on to more, if soe any thing may stirre vs.

Thirdly then, Motiue. 3 remember that your refusall of Gods truth in his promises, may provoke the Lord against you yet further in another respect, and that is this: that the Lord in his justice and wrath will suffer those that will not have his promises and the comfort of them now, shall live to finde a wofull want of them; and in that heavy estate, as now they have beene offred in vayne by the Lord to them; soe shall they (in the time of that extreamity) seeke them in vayne of him.

Now their hart is shut against his hand, then shall his hand be shut vp against their harts. No counsell, command, precept, or perswasion of God, would prevaile with them to receive them; and it is come to passe, that no prayer, cry, or supplication, will prevaile with God to give them. They shall smart throughly for this sin, and then know what it was to cast of a comfort, when they cry, sigh, and groane for it, and goe without it. We deale thus with our froward and foolish chil­dren, and we thinke it a just course of punishing their perversnes. Thus doth the Lord: the soules of many of his sons & daughters can say it with much sorrow [Page 162]and more shame. Shame because they might haue bee­ne happier and would not sorrow because now they would be happier then they are and cannot.

I shall not neede to produce perticuler examples of any in Gods booke, Iob, and David and others, who in this particuler being somwhat pettish, & much out of the way sometimes, could tell vs the truth of this by deare experience; time was when they loathed this celestiall manna, and their soules refused comfort, and they were deadly sick of this spirituall frett; But not long after, they longed for that which they would not meddle withall before. I know there are more then a good many, (even of those that be good) that haue failed in this sin, and felt the like punishment from that just hand of our God who will not suffer such an evill to goe vnavenged in his owne. The many and mournefull teares of more then a few, have tolde vs, how they have wept much, for those favours which in time past they, esteemed nothing.

How righteous a thing is it with the Lord to with holde that from us, which we would not take from him? As then any christian desire's to avoyd this fearfull sin, and wofull punishment, so let him take Gods truth to himself while he may have it; least his wrath breake out, and that to the breaking of your harts, both for the giult of your sin in refusing, and the greife of your soule in wanting that consolation which might have abounded in you, What ingratitude can be grosser then this, that Gods kindnes should not be re­garded, or received of vs, when as it is for our grea­test good, and the least of it wholy vndeserved of vs. His grace and mercy in tendering is vnspeakable, by that we may measure the greatnes of our sin in rejec­ting, [Page 163]The truth is, that as his goodnes is beyond measure in the one, soe is our evill in the other. Let vs feare then to be thus foule, in a fault so ill taken at our hands, and let vs even force our harts to entertaine what the Lord in infinite favour & loue doth so gra­ciously cast vpon vs. Remember we that this our sin doth keepe many a soule long without comfort, and might keepe them ever, empty of it. But the grace of God in giving it at last, doth not take away, or exten­vate our egregious impiety in refusing it at first. But let vs yet proceede to a fourth motive.

Fourthly then, let it be further considered, Motiue. 4 how notably the divell doth abuse us, and how notoriously we (being thus abused by him) doe dishonor & greiue God. Both these doe appeare in this one thing, wherin he prevailes with vs, namely, to make many a childe of God to misapply the curses, terrors, & threa­tings of God against themselves, which God himself never intended should trouble them, or in the least belong vnto them. If you reade or heare, from any preacher in publike, any person in private, any thing that soundes heavily, and tendes to the terresying of the soule, or to the discovery of the damnation due to some jmpious and impenitent wretch, that can you snatch to your selves, and lay it vpon your poore harts, though the Lord that revealed it, and the party that spake it, never had any meaning it should ever come there; such a sentence as appertaine's only to a casta­way, is catcht after as eagerly, and applyed as closely, as if God himself had set it on. This can the divell ma­ke vs doe. But doe we know, what we doe in thus doing? Doe but marke, and we shall see a multiplication of sin in this very thing; you would litle thinke what a [Page 164] bundle of impiety is here lapt vp together and how many offences lye within this one, when herein weare ruled by Satan.

Is not this to be ruled by Satan in that which is evil, and to rebell against God in that which is good? Is not this, not only not to apply the scripture which belongs to vs, but also to pervert that which belongs not to vs, in misapplying of it? Is not this to let all the world see that the God of this world, can doe more with vs, and in vs, then the God of heaven? Is not this to curse where the Lord curseth not (whe­rin we are worse then Balaam) and to make sad that hart, which the Lord would not haue made sad? Is not this to be open enemyes to our owne soules, when we will none of that which is good, to edify vs, but eate that poyson which may destroy vs, and soe bring our selves (as much as in vs lyeth) to eternall consu­sion? In a word, is not this to greive the Lord to grati­fy the divell, and wilfully to wound our selves? I won­der what evill it is which might not be brought wit­hin the compasse of this practise. This that we see in it, and say vnto you, is apparant, but it is the least part of that which the God of heaven could aggravate against vs if he should come to scan the length and breadth, and height of this offence, it would exceede all dimension, and draw vs (in the severity of di­vine justice) vnder everlasting damnation.

And will we thus sin when we haue received knowledge of this truth? and heape so many jn­pietyes one vpon another in this miserable manner? will the Lord endure it, or can he suffer this jn­iury from his owne? or shall any that are his offer it when once they vnderstand the evill of it? I [Page 165]hope not; think, think I say, that it was not a litle patience in the Lord that hath borne it thus long, and that it is not a litle kindnes that we are borne with, in an evill of this extent and quality; well let vs thinke it enough, nay too much, that we have bee­ne faulty, and seing such a masse of jnquity in it, let vs meete the Lord with vnfayned repentance for it, and smite our owne blinde and rebellious harts, who have beene lead into, and made to lye downe vnder such a heavy, (yea hellish) loade of transgression without any vnderstanding of the state of the sin, or our owne soules by the guilt therof. This is our fourth motive, let vs goe forward to a fift.

Fiftly then, Motive. 5 be it alsoo further remembred and well marked of vs, that our adversary the divell doth vs yet more mischeife then this, by making vs to put away Gods precious promises from vs; and the mischeife that herin may be noted is dou­ble, to wit, in regard of wicked men, and also in regard of himself.

First in regard of wicked men, VVicked men apply scripture. in drawing vs to doe thus he make's vs worse then many of the most vngodly that Gods booke doth mention, who­me we finde to have applyed, and taken home to themselves what the Lord said to them by himself; or sent to them by others. It were easy to abound in naming persons of both sorts, but we will con­tent our selves with a few. Cursed Cain, (the first castaway of all mankinde, the prime reprobate of the world,) the Lord spake much to him touching his sin and punishment; did he refuse to apply any of those perticulers which were spokē to him, either before his sin comitted or after? did he not give God the hearing [Page 166]of all that he sayd, (though it is too true that much of it never did him any good), nay did he not vnderstād all those fearfull comminations of himself which the Lord breathed out against his barbarous fact? and soe take them as intended to himself, as that his hart was wounded with them, and he cryed out des­perately because of the doome which was passed vpon him? The whole current of the story shewe's he acknowledged all to be his, that was sayd to him, yea even that which was harshest, and hardest of di­gestion. Wretched and reiected Saul, did not he soe too, when Samuel told him his owne from God, in re­gard of his state temporall and eternal, and gaue him to vnderstand that God had cast him away from his owne kingdome on earth, and from the kingdome of heaven too; doth it appeare that he cast off any thing spoken by Gods prophet to this purpose? nay the contrary is cleare, that he did conceiue God meant all to him and soe he tooke it as the sequell shewe's. Impious Ahab, that vngodly person who was soe fou­le both injdolatry, jniustice, and cruelty, who was no­ted for a slaue of Satan [one that had solde himself to worke wickednes] when he was to receiue his sentence for these sins from Eliah, (howsoever before he had storm'd and raged in his madd sit) yet now he hearkeneth to the message of God, and that in such manner, that he makes a sorry shift to be humbled after a sort, and cryes and is something deiected, the speech of the man of God sticks by him, he cannot, he doth not shun it.

How many more of this rout, might I reckō vp who with Foelix have trembled at some divine doctrines, and have not attayned such a straine of sin as to be­take [Page 167]themselves to a vniversall and perpetuall de­nyall of all that the Lord hath spoken to them? and shall we be worse then these wicked ones? shall Sa­tan leade vs to more jmpiety (in this particuler) then he brought them who were his vassals? shall they be honester men herein then we? who would not blush and be abasht, to see such prophane and forlorne ser­vants of sin, to overgoe the saints and servants of the living God, in this one point of goodnes. Shall a Cain quake and carry himself as a man soe deeply affected with the word of God? and shall an Ahab, and a Saul, and such others (as are sealed vp to eternall shame and contempt) doe the same? And shall Saints be behinde these Sinners, and refuse to apply their part of the Lords truth, when such infernall vassalls have done it? shall the divell bring these before the Lord to vpbrayd him to his face, that he ha's some reprobates who will doe more in this point of duty, then some that goe for his children, and are accounted holy and religions? and that he can prevaile with some of his lym's to give creddit to Gods divine truth even for their evill, when many of his owne holy ones, doe refuse to entertaine the truth therof some for their good?

Oh, what shall our God loose, and what shall Satan gaine, when it shall come herevnto, that the divell shall plead this advantage too truly? what may we expect who put weapons into his hands to fight against the Lord, whose honor (herin) he will not spare to his vtmost, to endamage & abuse, that he may enfor­ce him (in just reveng of this insufferable indignity done thervnto) to fight against vs, with the sharpest engine's of his justice.

Thus in regard of wicked men doth he wound vs, (and these wounds are deadly, if the Lords hand doe not heale our harts of them;) but this is not all, nor indeede the worst of the two respects which we men­tioned before. And that we may well beleeve, be­cause the next micheife is in regard of Satan himself, & we know him to be worse then all the wicked men in the world.

Secondly then, Note. The di­well appli­eth scrip ture. in regard of himself, we are to know (for our further reproach herin, and our more forci­ble provocation hervnto) that the divell himself hath behaved himself better in this point of application of Gods truth, then many of Gods owne have done; and that; whether we consider his application of it, either to others or to himself.

To others, To others. how readily (though abusively) did he ap­ply those words of the holy ghost in the Psalme to our our Lord Iesus Christ [it is written, Mat. 4.6.he shall give his Angells charge over thee, and in their bands they shall beare thee vp &c:] which words (in their true sence) were as true of Christ as of any other in the world. 1. Sam. 28.1 [...].

The like herevnto he did also apply vnto Saul, when he tolde him that [the Lord hath done even as he spake by my hand] when he counterfeited the person of Samuell, and did his best, to transforme himself into a true Prophet; perswading Saul that the word was now fulfilled vpon him, which God had formerly threat­ned to him, 1. Sam. 15 28. to wit, that [the Lord had rent the kingdo­me from him and given it to one better then himself.] Di­vers more such instances might be produced, to shew how forward Satan is to apply the truth of God to others. To him­self.

Neither indeede (to doe him right, and to give [Page 169]him his due, though he be a divell) hath he beene back­ward to take home Gods truth to himself, as it were most easy to make apparent in many perticulers. That one may be in stead of all, which we finde vttered by himself, when Christ came to disposesse him of the man who was so extraordinarily vexed by him [why art thou come to torment me before the time?]

Beholde how he, even the divell, who delude's and hinder's you from appropriating the Lords truth to yours soules, can, and doth apply the same both to others, and to himself and that (as we see) in the worst sence, to wit, of that torment wherevnto he is reserved at the last day, which he beleeveth, and knoweth to be most true of himself, that he shall feele it for ever and ever.

Now (beloved) let vs consider this motive well and throughly, and sit downe, and seriously surmize with our selves what the Lord will say to our soules (and what we shall answer to him) on this consideration that the very divell himself, and divelish men have done him that honour in his truth, which we have denyed vnto him. How, or with what faces shall we stand be­fore him, when he shall vpbrayd vs with both these? shall we not see cause to fall grovelong on our faces before him, and to lye downe in our confusion, co­vering our selves with shame to see Satan and his sla­ves layd in ballance against vs, and our selves found lighter then they before the Lord, in this thing? what soule would not blush, what conscience would not bleede, to beholde this thing? yea but to present it be­fore it self in imagination, or meditation, which thing I advise every Christian (culpable herof) advisely to doe, that the same may never be actually presented by [Page 170]the Lord before them. If any thing may take place vpon vs, let this (aboue all) provoke vs. Say with your selves (when the temptor come's to carry your harts from receiving the truth of God) now thou co­mest to abuse me infinitely, to make me worse then thy self to bring me vnder the guilt of that, wherin thou wilt plead that thou art more righteous then I, and wilt also produce thy infernall vassalls to have beene more faithfull, then thou wouldst haue me to be, in this practise. Away feinde my God shall neuer haue thus much against me, he hath too much already, shall I adde this vnto all, and dishonour him (herin) more then thou hast done? Such soliloqnies, or speeches within our owne harts would well beseeme vs, & (I thinke) if we vsed them at every temptati­on, they would set Satan further from vs, and soone make him weary of vs, and vs, of this our fearefull jmpiety, against which we have vrged thus many mo­tives, and pressed each motive soe largely, to the end, that (if Lord might please) we might see an end of this heavy euill in the holy ones of God, which is a thing to be prayed for vncessantly of all saints, that soe the Lord might once have the glory, and we the good of his truth, and Satan the shame of all his suggestions to the contrary.

Thus having done with the saints of God for this matter, 2 To the vngodly. we are now to see if we can move, vngodly men, to doe their duty to God in this point of appli­cation. And soe much the rather doe we endeavour this. by how much it may be noted that they seldome or never come to Gods house as clients to a court, to heare their owne cause pleaded, but ever as attorneyes, to heare and speake for other men: they come not as guests to this spirituall feast, but as caruers; not as mer­chants [Page 171]to this this most rich and beneficiall mart, but as broakers; they are evermore wholy for other men, no body for themselues in this blessed busines. They know where to bostow every lesson the preacher de­livers, they can finde a fit party for each reproffe he vtters; here were for such a one, and such a one (say they in their vaine thoughts) when they heare the mi­nister lay it on, vpon such sins, as they surmize's them to be guilty off.

Thus they can soone dispose of all that is delivered and finde roome for it in other mens consciences, and conversations, as for themselves, they conceive no­thing to concerne them, vnlesse now and then Satan prompt them to put vp something which they imagine may harten them in their prophanes, or to lay theevish hands vpon some of Gods sacred promises wherby they may be (in the divells, and their construction therof, abetted in some sinfull course.

Now to touch these, and to teach them better what they have to doe, (as their duty) in this particuler, we neede not say much, because much of that which hath beene spoken to Gods people (in this case) doth concerne wicked men also, and doth equally presse both, to doe that which the Lord requireth. How­beit we must breifely give these vngodly ones some­thing to vnderstand from God for their owne parts, in this point, that (if it may be) they may also be brought to better practise.

First then, let them know, Motiue. 1 that not to apply any thing at all to themselves is a most wofull thing and an evill of strang extent, both in regard of injury to God, and jmpiety in themselves. The Lords injury is not litle, when what he speaketh from his owne most [Page 172]sacred mouth, and breathed into man by his owne celestiall spirit, shalbe all in vayne, when such holy and powerfull words as his are, full of divine vertue and heavenly influence, shalbe frustrate, voyd and of none effect, but goe vnregarded (as some idle tale) all the dayes of a wretched mans life.

And thine jmpiety is not lesse, who as an adder goest and comest dease, from the glorious voyce of the God of heaven, and by applying nothing, makest it to ap­peare that thy vngodly hart doth thinke, that either the Lord hath nothing to say that is worth thy hea­ring, or good for condition, or that thou hast no neede of any, of all that vnspeakable good, which is spoken from him by his messengers. Now how these two, or either of them wilbe answered to the Lord, let it be well considered by every sinfull man.

Secondly, Motive. 2 it is a most apparant signe of God rejection of a man, and of a mans damnation before God, when he shutts vp the soule of a man that none of his word can enter, and soe close's vp his eyes that he cannot see any of his truth to concerne himself. This is most manifest by the expresse words of the Apostle. 2. Cor. 4. [...].4. [If our gospell be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whome the God of this world hath blinded their mindes &c, least they light of the glorious gospell should shine vnto them] see here, they that lay not Gods truth to hart, are only such as are lost, that is, cast away & let goe of God into the jawes of Satan, as Iudas is sayd to be the lost child of perdition. Joh. 17.12 Isa. 6. Mat. 13.14.15. And to the same purpose long since spake the Prophet Isaiah; & Christ after him, where he saith that mens harts are hardened, and their vnderstandings darkened, that hearing they may heare and not perceiue (any of Gods truth to be good for themselves,) and [Page 173]this spirituall obstruction in the judgment, is an infailli­ble argument of Gods purpose to confound the sou­le and body of a man for ever and ever; for soe it is added, least they should convert and J should heale them.

And if we should goe to examples, who but reproba­tes have heard Gods word and not applyed it to the bettering of themselves. Nay, which is more, Note. (and I desire may be well marked) it is impossible that any but reprobates should heare Gods word without all application. For why? if the Lord give not a man a hart to receiue the word of his grace, it is most ceartaine that the Lord hath not a hart to receiue that man into gra­ce. Were it not easy to instance Elyes sons whose not taking home to hart their fathers counsell from God is sayd to be the evidence of their destruction; note the words of the text well [Notwithstanding they obeyed not the voyce of their father, 1. Sam. [...].25.because the Lord would destroy them:] this was the signe of their destruction from God, because his word did them no good. Vnto the­se I could adde others more, but wee neede not. If then this be soe, that we see what their state is that ap­ply not Gods truth, even a state of perdition, & that this not application is a most evident signe of this con­dition: I hope it will cause any that shall consider it, to cast about, and to take better notice of himself in this thing.

Thirdly, let all vngodly men know, Motiue. 3 that in that which they doe apply now and then, to wit, such pro­mises as sometimes they snatch at, when they heare any thing that doth (as they corruptly conceive) humor and please them, I say let them know that herin, they wrong both

• the Lord
• [Page 174]his children.
• and themselues.

The Lord, in medling with that which he never meant them, for his promises (as we have heard) are the proper inheritance of his owne people: now to be too bolde with that which is the Lords, and to vse it amisse, is an abuse offered to him. His children are injured, in that their bread is taken from them by the­se dogs. The blessed promises are their bread, and no meate for any that are vngodly; and therefore for a wicked men to seize on them, is but but the part of an vnmannerly curr who catche's that from his masters hand for himself which he meant his childe should ha­ve. But the most and worst evill is their owne, and that appeareth in this, that these promises of God thus vsurped by them, are (in Gods justice) poysoned to them, and doe become occasions of their wofull hardening in their wicked courses. The Lord doth curse this misapplication of his truth, and make's his word (thus abused) the savour of death unto death. And soe they goe on in vngodlines, being smothered by the prince of darknes, and see not their way to lead vnto death.

Fourthly, Motive. 4 and lastly, in not applying the threatnings which the Lord hath appointed as their due portion, what doe they, but in like manner (as before) injure the Lord who hath assigned them to their soules? re­fusing to receive what he offer's to them, and making vtterly voyd (to their vtmost power) all that part of the holy booke of God, which doth consist of curses, ter­rors, and comminations; for seing (as was sayd before of the promises, in reprooffe of the people of God) that Gods meane's not his children should have them, [Page 175]and vngodly men (to whome they are meant by God) doe not meane to take them; are they not left voyd, as serving for none, as good for nothing; Besides how many sins are wrapped vp in thy refusall of these threatnings (O thou wicked man;) consider & soe is there not infidelity, Joh. that thou belevest not they belong to thee? and he that beleeveth not is condemned already. Is there not pride of hart that stoope's not to that which may humble thee? Pro. & all that are proud in hart are abho­mination to the Lord. Is their not grosse ignorance, that thou knowest not the state of thy hart to require this physike? and hath not God sworne, that ignorant per­sons shall never come to heaven? Psal. 95.10.11. [They have not knowne my wayes, therefore I sware in my wrath they shall never enter into my rest.] Nay what impiety is there not, in this neglect to take notice of that which, the Lord would fasten vpon you for your humilitation, and soe (consequently) for your saluation, if you would re­ceive the same. And doe you not (in thus doing) forsake your owne mercy, and force Gods justice vpon your owne soules? How happy were it, you could see your vnhappines herin. But because you will not con­scionably looke after it, the Lord will not shew it, and soe you sinke and perish in the indignation of God for want of due consideration of it.

Thus you have your motives (such as we can give vnto you) to perswade your better care, and circum­spection touching your selves and your soules estate before the great God of heaven by whome you must be adjudged at the last and great day of his glorious ap­pearance.

You see, that, as yet, you condition is miserable and accursed, for, either you apply none of his truth at all, [Page 176]or you misapply all you meddle with, and his majesty cannot beare either of these, both being dishonorable to him, and damnable to you.

Gather these few motives into your myndes, and ponder well and throughly vpon them, thinke how it is in each perticuler, and in them all together; let them take place vpon you, give no more place to the divell, that Gods heavenly word should have no place in you. Desire to open your harts to his voyce, but first desire him to open them to himself; he never opened heaven to any whose hart he did not open to heare and apply his word aright. If therefore (after all that is sayd) you remaine (as before) closed, & stopt up; that the truth of God cannot enter, know for a surety from the God of truth that heauen is shut against you, hell only is open to you, and thither must you goe to him, even Satan, that would not suffer you to come to God, whose suggestiōs as you obayed, soe now shall you receive of the Lord the just recompence of reward due therevnto from his infinite wrath and vengeance for ever and ever.

But if you will returne and repent he will leave a blessing behinde him, [...]ocl. 2. there is mercy with him for you here, there is glory with him for you in heaven.

And thus much for those motiues that may incite all sorts of men to apply the truth of God.

Now if any childe of God, or any other, would know vpon what tearmes they might be bold to ap­ply the promises of grace, let them looke back into the signes of their interest into Christ layd open in the former point pag. 55. &c. and they will also serve for sound warrant herevnto; for whatsoever doth interest vs into him, doth together with him give vs right to all other things.

NOw from the application of the things God spake vnto Iacob wee are by due order to pro­ceede to the things that were spoken to him which he doth apply vnto himself, and they are lying in these latter words of the verse. Returne into thy coun­try, & to thy kindred, & I will deale well with thee: which words doe containe in them these two particulers.

• 1. a precept. Returne into thy country, & to thy kindred.
• 2. a promise. And J will deale well with thee.

I might take them a sunder and handle them seve­rally (and I did intende it) but because time will not suffer me to doe soe, I will gripe them togeather, and intreat of them both at once, in one generall instruc­tion: and that is this. That, Doct. 3 whosoever wilbe willing to doe as God will haue him, shalbe sure to fare well.

The onely way to be well dealt withall, is to resol­ue to be ruled by the Lord, to be ordered by him, to be at his finding, & disposing for all our wayes, of set­ling or remooving, going or abiding to, or from, any place, to set vpon, or let alone any practise.

This is the high way to be truely happy: the onely course that can be, to be in a state assuredly comfor­table, that a man will cast himself and his affaires vpon the Lord, and doe in all things as he will have him.

God himself shall tell vs the truth of this point from heaven, and avouch and seale it vnto vs by his owne most sacred word to Iacob: which words (we see) Iacob doth plead before the Lord, and fathers them vpon him, and vrgeth them to him and the Lord doth graciously acknowledge them as his owne, and doth actually accomplish them vpon him (as in all other cases he had done before) soe in this particuler now [Page 178]in hande, wherin though he feared nothing more then hard, and rigourous dealing, cruell, and tyran­nicall carriage, yet being willing to doe as God bade him, he sounde nothing lesse, but in stead therof, he had all loving intreatie, and most kinde & brotherly entertainement that might be. Now then seing God first spake it to Iacob, Iacob doth now vrge it to God; God in this & ever after, made it good to him, it is a truth past controversy, an vndoubted truth that may passe without all colour of doubt or question. It may well goe for a rule. That he that wilbe ruled by God shall ceartainely fare well.

Neither did this begin to be a truth now at this ti­me, as if it had never beene soe before, but it was thus from the beginning, and began to be experimentally true, as the first man that ever God made & gave a law vnto for doing his will, can well and soundly certify vs, that well doing, & well-being went ever togeather.

How much present happines, comfort, & welfare was provided for Adam, in the state of his innocency and obedience? it had beene happy for him, and vs, had he continued in his subjection to the law of his maker, [doe this & liue.] How well was he in his pa­radice; wherin, what he was in his person by created na­ture and grace, what he had for his portion, in things naturall and spirituall, wee can give some guesse out of the records of sacred writtings, but what he should have beene (had he continued his obedience without transgression) when from earth he should have bee­ne translated to heavens happines, that we cannot once conceave, neither can the infinite immeasura­blenes of it, enter our harts in any measure.

But in what he was, and should further have beene [Page 179]in what he had, and should further have enjoyed, we see enough to assure vs of this truth sufficiently.

And as true as it was to him he being the roote of all mankinde, and in the steade of vs all, so true had it beene to vs all, had he, and we, stood in that state of integrity and incorruption, wherin he was created.

Nay, that we may yet see the vnmoveable goodnes of God, that he is still of the same minde, though we are not the same men, & though we fayle in our obediēce, he faile's not in his kindnes. Beholde he is God, & changeth not, immutable in favour, constant in his compassions, a sure freinde to a faithfull man, a well-willer to a well-doer, still and ever: that howsoever we have offended against him provoked & greived him, & enforced him to deprive vs of our happy estate; yet, hath he raysed vs againe, & brought vs into such a blessed condition, as wherin, yet we may be made most happy parta­kers of the truth of this instruction.

Passe we from Adam to Abraham: and we shall soone see it to be still true: The Lord bidd's him goe out of his countrey and leaue all behinde him (as now he will have Iacob returne into his, and take all with him) and now let vs looke vpon the condition and tearmes of his obedience, Gen. 12.1.2. cap. 35.1.2. what is promised to him in the text, why even this [I will blesse thee, & thou shalt be a blessing] and againe, [I am the buckler, & thine exceeding great reward] & was not all this performed to him in truth? was not God as good as his word with advantage? yes, that he was, as we all know. True it is, never any was put to greater matter of obe­dience, and it is as true, that never any was crowned with more precious favours and abundant mercyes from God: his name is as famous for Gods kindnes to [Page 180]him, as his is for obedience to God. We reade of the faith of Abraham wherin he was so famous that he is enstyled [the father of the faithfull] and Abraham is honoured not onely in his graces, before men, but also in his extraordinary prerogatives receaved from God, he being called the freinde of God (which honourable appellation was not (by name) given to any in all the olde testament, but, yet it is vouchsafed to all the faithfull by Christ in the new [I call you no more seruants but freinds] and againe, Joh. 15.14. Gal. 3.14. [yee are me freinds if yee doe whatsoever I command you]) and the blessednes we ha­ve by Christ, is entituled the blessing of Abraham, that the blessing of Abraham might come vpon the Genti­les &c.

Now what happines Abraham found, in yeelding himself to God, to doe as he would have him in all things, the same founde his posterity also: and gene­rally (not to insist vpon any more particular instan­ces) the Lord hath entailed our welfare to all his pre­cepts, as we may finde in all and every of them, that nothing is more frequent then the promises of his gra­ce annexed to the promise of our obedience; still the Lord fasten's and tye's the one too the other every where.

Moses is most abundant in many places in this par­ticuler, Deut. 5.29.33. cap. 6.18.24. cap. 10.13 cap. 12.28 cap. 16.13 almost in every chapter of Deuteronomie, no one thing is so often itterated as this, Take heede & doe according to all that I command you, that it may be well with you, & with your children for ever. It is ordinary (almost) in all chapters, and often found in divers verses of some one.

And to the end we might be sure of all absolute as­surance of all this good, in thus doing the Lord doth (as it were) put vs into possession of the same saing [Page 181] [And all these blessings shall come vpon thee, cap. 28.2.& shall ouer­take thee] first all in generall: [all these blessings shall overtake you] secondly every one in particuler, as it is in the verses following where thy are particulated at large.

Neither is Moses the only man that thus speake's, but the Prophets also vtter the same words very oftē, speake the same language every where, as it were most easy to instance in more places, then time will permitt vs now to quoate.

Say yee it shalbe well with the righteous saith Isaiah. Isa. 3.10. Jer. 32, 29 I wil doe thus, and thus (saith God by Ieremiah) for the wealth of them and their children, speaking of his co­venant of grace.

Testimonies (you see) would abound if we should muster vp all that we coulde finde in the scriptures, but we will spare them and enquire after some rea­sons of the point, and they are these that follow.

First, if this were not a truth, that, Reason. 1 they that wilbe ruled by God shall fare well, then there were not, nor could be, any encouragement at all to any good; for, what hart can any man have to be obedient to the Lord, and to submit to his law, if soe be, we might not be sure of something for soe doing.

All these good words of God, were worth litle, and men should have small mynde, to bende themselves to the best obedience of their harts, and lives, to please the Lord in all things, if it were not for the hope her­of, and that they might build vpon this blessednes wherof we speake.

But we must know that nothing of all this that the Lord saith, is any whitt in vaine, neither can be, but that every jott and tittle of it was, and is, truly inten­ded [Page 182]vnto the faithfull by him, who never spake any thing but seriously, as he did indeede mynde, and in­tende the same.

Secondly, Reason. 2 if this were not so, the divell would prove (at least semingly) to the world, a better pay-master then God, for why? he promise's, and makes proffers to such as he can bewitch to doe his will, of great things. Mat. 4.9. Job. 21. Psal. 73. So he did to Christ [All these things I will giue thee;] So the Saints complaine in Jobs and Davids dayes, how well wicked men fared (in all respects) being the servants of sin and Satan, wondering excee­dingly how and why it should be, or could be soe.

And good Ieremiah he was even at his witts end, Ier. 12.1.2.3. & stumbled soe shrewdly at this, that he was almost clea­ne downe, and even driven to a non-plus when he saw how well it went with wicked men.

Now because the Divell (who although in no sen­se indeede he can be; and yet, to the blinded sence of sinfull men, he seeme's to be) a better master then the Lord; and also to the end that no enlightened min­de should once imagine any such thing; God himself will have vs know that his promises, (and his payment too) are such, and soe royall, that as we say in our pro­verbe, there is [no seruice to a King] so we might well take vp this for a more true, even for a most true pro­verbe, yea principle [no service to the King of Kings,] which thing he wil soe evidence and make good, that not only his owne shall see it, but wicked men shall assent to it, Psal 58.11.12. and be forced to say verily there is a reward for the righteous.

Thirdly, Reason. 3 the Apostle tell's vs that [piety hath the pro­mise both of this lyfe, & the lyfe to come;] of things pre­sent, and future: now how can this be true, in case our [Page 183]doctrine were false? & if it have the promise of both, sure it shalbe well with them indeede, and they cannot but be well dealt with all, who wilbe ordered by God.

The Lord cannot frustrate, neither will make voide, any whitt of that worde of truth he hath spo­ken; but justify, and verify every jott in his worke vpon his faithfull one's.

But if he should not deale well with his owne, he should nullify, and anihilate

• all his truth, and faithfullnes.
• all his mercie, and kindnes.
• all his love, and goodnes.

The glory of his righteousnes, and honour of his ho­lynes were gone, his owne saints had nothing to settle and rest their soules and harts vpon, nothing at all to trust to: Besides what occasion would the slaves of Sa­tan, and vassalls of sin take, to vpbrayde vs that we serve a master that will doe vs good, as farre as good wordes will goe, and no further. I might adde as many manifest reasons as testimonies herof, it were as easy to abound in the one, as in the other, but what needeth it?

The good pleasure of his will that thus it shalbe, is infinitely aboue, and beyonde all allegations which he, or any lym's of his, have, or can have, to contradict it, in the least; the divell and wicked men, are to wea­ke to wage evidence or arguments with God, in the prooffe of the truth of any point of divinity.

And seing this his gracious pleasure is to this pur­pose so apparently revealed, let us rest and trust ther­in, & resolve our selves as fully satiffied for the truth herof. I but, that the divell will not let vs doe, if he [Page 184]can chuse, and therfore he bend's his greatest forces against this blessed instruction, and doth besiege, and lay battery to the soules of Gods saints, to see if he can enforce them from the truth herof, and on the other side he fortifyes the prophane spirit of impious persons in the contrary perswasion.

Two things are principally obiected, A double Objectiō. first the hard measure, and vnhappy condition of Gods saints. Se­condly the wellfare, & prosperity of vngodly persons. The one being rebells to the Lord are raysed on high, and have what they will, yea more then their hart can wish as the Psalm saith. Psal. 73.7. The other being Loyall, and obedient subjects, ever ready to doe his will to the vtmost, are in the worst case of any other mē, none so perplexed within, none so persecuted without, as they: scarce any are in so bad a case, none in worse.

These are the two hornes (like those of Hananiah) that he doth runne at men with, with all might, and maine, endeavoring the overturning both of this sa­cred truth, and the true comfort of it, & the setting vp of a godles liberty of sinning to all men.

But wee, that wee may save harmeles the honor of our God, and the glory of this his holy truth, and (at once) confute, yea confounde; every such absurd, and infernall argumentation, as may make any insurecti­on against the maiestie of the most high, to abate any mans hart or heate in goodnes, or to C [...]ette any soule in any sinfullnes; it shall become vs well, to answer these cavills, and to quitt the Lord in his truth, and to comfort his servants in the same, notwithstanding this diabolicall opposition.

Know wee therfore, and beleeue, that what soever seemeth to bee true, either in the one allegation, or [Page 185]the other, either for the ill vsage of Gods chosen or for the peace, and contentment of sinfull persons, yet neither jndeede is any thing against the truth wee ha­ve spoken, which shall remaine infallible vndoubted, and vndeniable, so longe as the heaven and earth shall have a being.

Touching the ill vsage of Gods children consider I pray you these things.

First, that the world may deale ill with men, 1 when that the lord deales well with them. Answer to the 1 branch. Joseph found it so in his particular. Christ tolde his disciples soe [in the world yee shall haue troubles; but be of good comfort.] Though therfore, the world doe offer vs hard measure yet it noe way hindereth the heavenly truth of what we speake. Secondly, 2 the worse the world deal's with the Lords people, the better will the Lord be to them. Ro. 8.28. So saith the Apostle [for the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glorie which shalbe revealed in vs]. So againe, 2. Cor. 1.5. [as our sufferings abound for Christ, so shall our consolations abound much more by Christ] And yet againe, the Apostle saith, that the saints [rejoice with joy vnspeakeable & glorious, though they be in heavines through many afflictions] And yet once more Saint Iohn in his relevation tell's vs, Reu. 7. what Gods Angel tolde him, therfore they are in the presence of God, day & night &c.

And the reason hereof is because by the worlds bad vsage, their graces by tryed more throughly, and soe themsclues are crowned more gloriously.

Thirdly, 3 that all this evill which Gods saints finde here, is not indeede evill, but the outside of it, the onely appearance therof, not the substance; so sayth the Apo­stle, when he tell's them, that he was [as anknowne, as [Page 186]dying, as sorrowing, as poore, as hauing nothing, &c.] yet though it seemed thus, it was not soe indeede but far­re otherwise as the text avoucheth. Nay (which is yet more) we may be assured that all those things that be accounted soe evill by men, are in Gods intention truly good; and soe shalbe to vs in the issue, and conse­quence of them, if with the eye of faith we endea­vour to looke vpon them. So Dauid sayd of Shemeis rayling: God will doe me good &c. & againe, it is good for me that I was afflicted.

Fourthly, 4 though the Lord say as in this our text, that he will deale well with all his children: yet he doth not tye himself evermore to make it true, in exter­nall, and temporall things, but will giue it vs (it may be even in these two sometimes) but howsoeuer in things spirituall, and eternall, and these are the things wherin he deals well with vs indeede; other favors are both too common, and too meane, to be the reputed either the best fruits of his favor, or the only reward of his churches faithfulnes.

Fiftly, 5 nothing could ever be infallibly concluded from the externall state (only) of a christian. How God dealeth with many of his owne, is not to be discer­ned by any of these things alone, neither can be. You see how the son of his loue, our Lord Christ fared in these owtward & earthly respects, should any thing be concluded against him vppon this grounde

• and if not against Christ
• why, against Christians?

Besides, what should I tell you of the sanctification, and sweetening, of the worst that the world can doe to the Lords beloued ones, how the Lord doth invert their courses, & deceave the world miserably, in their [Page 187]expectation that way; how the Divell by Adam in intending to doe all the elect much evill, God by Christ hath done them infinitely much more good, then the evill could amount vnto, when Satan had done his worst. Thus wee see that every way wee are satisfyed in this branch of the obiection: And it mat­ters nothing now, what construction men make of any thing done (by men) to the Saints of God, the question is only of that which God himself doth, and of that good which he produceth out of that evill which men doe vnto vs, and let vs looke well vpon either, or both of these, and wee shall finde our text and the doctrine therof most true.

Now touching the other branch of wicked mens prosperity, it is a thing to be much pittied not to be at all envyed, and that wee may not either jdlely, or ignorantly wonder at it, let vs wisely consider these ensuing particulers.

First, Answer to the 2 branch. that the happy estate of wicked men here on earth, is all the heavē, the poore soules are ever like to have, and therefore who can grudge them any good they can catch here? 1 or thinke much at any temporall contentments they attaine? considering, that after they are gone hence, they must never ho­pe or looke for more, no not for on drop, or dram of any delight, but endles, easeles, and remediles misery for ever and ever. Did not Abraham tell the rich man soe in the parable [Sonne, rememler that thou in thy life time ha [...]st they pleasure, and Lazarus payne, but now, he is comforted and thou art tormented.] This world is all the heil Gods people shall have, here they meete with all the miseryes they shall ever feele, all their weeping & wayling is in this earth: And the same is the heaven of [Page 188]vngodly persons, all whose joyes and comforts, as they may much abounde here, soe here they must have an end also.

Secondly, 2 whatsoever they have, or can have here, (admit it be as much) or more (then their harts could wish, and desire) all, and every whitt of it, is throwne vpon them by the Lord, in his justice and indignation, and they have it and keepe it meerly as a mischeife vnto them, to further their fearfull and finall confu­sion. Pro. 1.32. All their contentments doe but helpe to kill them. Soe saith Solomon [ease slayeth the foolish and the prosperity of fooles destroyeth them.] Give an vngodly man, what he would haue or craue, I thinke it would be ease and prosperity, that he would seeke after, why evē this kills, and destroye's him saith God. And the same saith the prophet Isajah (as we heard before) when he tell's vs, that the Lord would have them made fatt, it is only for slaughter, that they might not be saued, but cast away, and comdemned for ever.

Thirdly, 3 no good thing any wicked enjoye's in this world (be it, he had never 3 such abundance of all good things) can truly, & properly be called good to him, but all such particulers as he doth posesse, (though they may be good blessings in themselves) yet to them, they are no better nor no other, then so many curses cast vpon them by the Lord for evill.

This doth Moses most manifestly witnes and declare when he tell's all the world from God, that all rebel­lious and disobedient persons, who are not ruled by the law of the Lord shalbe accursed in every respect

• both in what they are:
  Deut. 28.15.16. &c
  cursed shalt thou be in thy body:
• and in what they haue; cursed shalt thou be in thy [Page 189]cattell corne, and all encrease.
• and in what they doe: cursed shalt thou be in all that thou puttest thy hand vnto.

Note well, they are not cursed, in the want of these things, (every body would thinke it a curse to be deprived of them, and to have, no children, cattell, friut, or encrease) but they haue them, yet are accursed in them, and with them, even while they doe enjoy them: as Malachie once tolde the wicked preists that God would [curse their blessings] nay, that he had done it already: that albeit they had blessings, yet as blessings they had them not, but in the nature and state of curses. And is it not a most hydeous and heavy judgment, that a man should have blessings and be without the blessednes of them, and not only soe, but to be baned, poysoned, and vtterly overthrowne by them? Thus bad, and no better, is a wicked mans state, when it is at the best, in all the benefits this world can bestow vpon them.

Fourthly, and lastly, 4 whatsoever happines doth befall wicked persons here; it is only to harden their sinfull harts, and to multiply their sins against the Lorde. It was ever the vse (or rather the abu­se) that prophane men made of Gods mercies, to flesh and harten themselves (by them) in their wret­ched courses.

For thus they (by the divells asistance) doe dis­course and argue within themselves. God doth thus and thus blesse me, with such and such abundance; I haue soe much, & soe much of this and of that; why shoulde I not think my estate such as he is pleased withall? and soe good as content's him: I heare these hott preachers take on against such and such sins, I cannot tell, but I see [Page 190]those sinners (as they call, and account them) thriue bet­ter then themselves, or any of their disciples, that are soe ea­ger after other religious matters. And wherefore should I not beleeue that God think's well of vs, when he deale's so well with vs?

Thus, on goe they (by occasion of the good things they have) to be well conceited of their evill state, and soe gather conclusions to continue in the same, & that must needes adde to the number, and measure of their sins, and make the weight of them absolutely in supportable, and the vengance of God, due vnto them infinitely insufferable. This is all (when it is wel summ'd vp) that a wicked mans blessings come to, to harden his harte, to heape to his sin, to helpe on Gods speedy indignation, and his owne swift damnation.

Thus we have proved the truth of the point, and freed it from falshood; and it being fully confirmed, & cleared, we are now to passe vnto the vses of the same which are such as concerne all sorts of persons, good and bad, holy and prophane joyntely and severally.

And first, it is exceeding comfortable to all Gods saintes, vse. 1 that have receaued such harts from God that they doe and can submitt themselves freely to the Lords wisdome, and guidance in every thing. Never any lost by this master, that ever did any of his worke, and was ruled by him therin, noe he hath ever she­wed himselfe

• to be the best master
• to appoint the best worke.
• to allow the best wages.

For why? such as have beene the servants of this Lord, have ever had good pay for the performance of any thing, where about they have beene employed [Page 191]for him. Good pay did I say? nay that worde is not great enough, it ha's beene more then good, evē the best that this world could yeelde, and better then the best that vnder heaven is to be had; many of them (I am sure) have sped better then ever they made any account off, and have had more happines then their harts could desire, or ever thought off, witnes Abraham both in his posession, and posterity; he that call's him out of his owne land, gaue him both much more land, and (which was more) heyers to enjoy it after him, and both these were more then he made account off, or could reckō vpon. Ioseph whose rare fidelity, and piety, patience, hu­mility, and honesty, was recompenced with wonder­full, and (I dare say, on his parte vnexpected) prospe­rity, doubtles he never once did dreame to be the second in the kingdome, the greatest Peere and next in place to the King himself, assuredly he looked for no such issue of exaltation, yet the Lord gaue it him as the reward of his obedience to him, and being ru­led by him.

Iacob here, who when he fled to this Laban (as him­selfe saith) was in meane condition, & poore state, as verse 12. but now is opulent, rich, & exceeding abun­dant in all kinde of stocke and store.

How many more witnesses, were it most easy to produce to the attestation of this consolation? Dauid who met with a kingdome, and being faithfull in that which was lesse, was put in trust over that which was greater, even the greatest power vnder heaven, to be the soveraine prince of Gods owne people.

Mary who abiding, and mourning at the sepulcher, and desiring but to finde the dead body of Christ, there founde him aliue, & speaking most graciously to her, [Page 192]soe that she was made the first happy messenger, of his most glorious and triumphant resurrection.

The saints Heb. 13. who got Angels to be their guests, in being harborours to the poore members of Christ. Multitudes more might be multiplied, to make good the joy of this truth, to every soule, that is sub­dued vnto it, & resolued to doe as the Lord will haue it. Eph. 3.20. The Apostle saith enough, that [he is able to doe excee­ding abuntdantly, beyond all that we can aske or thinke. Even in this lyfe, so graciously doth he deale with vs, and doth thus vnto vs. But in that which is to come, he infinitly exceedes this, & doth assure vs thoroughly, that to him that worketh shalbe given reward, bey­ond all, not only more then can be desired, but more then can be imagined, mans hart cannot conceiue how happy he shalbe in this matter, that the doth sincer­ly serue his God: what sweete sentēces doe we finde? [Enter into thy masters joy]; Ro. 2.7.[Receaue the kingdome prepa­red for you.] [To them that by continuance in well doing, seeke (and they shalbe sure to finde) honour & glory, & jmmortality, & eternall life,] note, no lesse then all this, and [I will deale wel with thee], and is not this good dealing for wel-doing? If it be not, what is, or can be? if it be, who can but be comforted and cheered that hath got a hart to doe well, according to Gods will, seing such a hart is attended with such happines as wee haue seene.

In the next place, our second vse meeteth with all such whome the Lord ruleth not, vse. 2 but in whome the God of this world, even the divell, is praedominant, & powerfull, to carrie them to every corrupt and fin­full practise against his law, his loue, his whole reuea­led will, such (I meane) as not being subdued vnto him, [Page 193] rebells against him, and therfore reserved to his wrath and iustice to be punished by him. Those (I meane) whome the world may rule, the divell may rule, who to each other in any vanity or jmpiety, are at as much command as the Centurions servants were to him, (as he tolde Christ) to come and goe and doe, they being ready to come, to goe, to doe, or not doe, this or that; or any thing, at his pleasure. These men neede no more miserie then the priuation of the joy wee haue spoken off; howbeit the losse of that is not all their sorrow, but the least part of that heavy condition which shall ceartainly befall them noe, noe, over & aboue, the ab­sence of the sweete joy and consolation of the saints, they have assurance of miserie and vengeance, com­pleatly opposite to our happines, and that being vn­speakable, their mischeife must needes be insuffera­ble. A man is in dreadfull state, when he cannot be sure God will deale well with him, nay when he can­not but, be sure he will deale

• not gratiously, but righteously,
• not mercifully, but miserably

with vs, according to the strict, and exquisite tearmes of absolute justice, and exasperated wrath, Oh, who is able to abide it, when God wilbe exact? or can any possbility be conceaued, that any flesh may either stand it out, or shun it? no, no, it is an absolute impossi­bility to conceit either. He that will not be ruled by God must, and shall rue it, when the time is come of the Lords visitation, and recompence to be rende­red to every rebellious person. So saith our Lord Christ, [The wrath of God abideth on him]. Joh. 5.2. The. 1.7.8.6. So the Apostle [when the Lord Iesus shall appeare in flaming fire rende­ring vengeance to them &c. which shalbe punished with [Page 194]everlasting perdition. And doth not the same Apostle conclude the quite cōtrary to vngodly one's, Ro. 2.9. to that which wee noted out of the same chap. saying [Tri­bulation & anguish shalbe vpon every soule that doth evill]

Now if vnto these scriptures we shoulde enquire after instāces, we might soone furnish our selves with more then a few. Sodome & Gomorah would not by ru­led by God, & when the Lord saw that he coulde not prevaile with them, how dealt he with them? fire and brimstone came from heauen vpon ther bodies, & their soules were cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, that burneth for ever in hell. The olde worlde was also most wicked and rebellious against the Lord, Noah coulde haue no audience from God among them; how dealt the Lord with them? why he drowned their bodies, be­sides what may be conceiued of their soules, though I will not affirme they were all eternally rejected. And what should I neede to produce particular per­sons, when wee have the whole worlde to witnesse it? I could name, Pharaoh, Saul, Ahab, and many other accursed caytiffes, and most miserable miscreants, who would not doe as the Lord would have them, but followed the prophanes and stubbornes of their owne vile spirits, and the Lord measured vnto them in instice, as he did to his owne in mercy, even strange and vnexpected justice, such (I assure my self) as they never look't for, or once conceited could haue be­fallen them. And let vs know, that he is still the same God in seuerity, and indignation, if wee be the same men, in impiety and rebellion; if he finde vs out in the one, assuredlie wee shall feele him in the other; and that to our eternall horror of hart before his face, when his hand shalbe heavy vpon vs, as our [Page 195] harts have beene hellish before him.

A third vse of this point enforceth the truth of the same vpon vs, vse. 3 that we should now learne to be re­solute in our judgments, and powerfull in our practise herein, that both may fully accord in vs, and wee be faithfull, and not faint, before the Lord in both, and either. Faithfull (I say) and not faint, for in holy writte these two are opposed to each other, for neither the faint are reputed faithfull, nor the faithfull, faint. Reu. 2.10. Hence the holy ghoste exhorteth [Feare none of those things which thou shalt suffer, beholde the diuell shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tryed & you shall haue tribulation tenne dayes; be thou faithfull vnto death and I will give thee the crowne of lyfe. Hence the Apostle vseth the phrase oppositiuely saying, of himselfe, & his fellow-labourers, we are bolde, and faint not. Hence his counsell to the Ephesians was, that they should not faint at his tribulations &c.

And much neede there is that, this should be po­werfully prest vpon vs, that wee may be throughly po­sest of it, for God doth know, that no thing is perfor­med more feebly, & more faintely, with more jmbeci­lity, and jmpotency, then his busines; men are not more fearfull and hartles in any thing, then in the things of God, especially if they have not a safe out­side, that the world cā fancy. In matter of holines, men are miserably timerous. In matter of sin, desperatly timerarious. There must be such a rule made, and such adoe, before a man can be gotten to goe Gods way, especially if it seeme rough, it is so long er'e one can bring his hart to be ruled by him, as it is both wonder­full it should be soe, and wofull that it is soe.

But our owne wisdome (though deceivable, is easily [Page 196]followed: our owne way (though damnable) is lightly trod by our selves, and others are quickly led into it. The mischeife is this, that all the difficulty is to bring vs into the way of God, and to make vs resolute to follow the same, being once in it. How well were it, had we got this measure of abnegation of our selves; that once we could be setled in this minde, that the Lord should have vs at his beck, and but say the worde, and we would doe the deede, without all dispute, or any delay; yea we would set vpon it (if the Lord will have it) whatsoever it cost, or whatsoever come of it, yea that nothing should soe much as once seeme, or be conceited to be evill that he commands; and that not the least of our jmaginatiōs should dare to stirre, or offer to make any insurrection, against the high pleasure of his most holy majesty.

Paul was excellēt at this in his perticuler as we reade in his story therof. Agabus had foretolde his martyr­dome, and shewed it by a signe himself with Pauls girdle, both before Pauls face, and (as it seemeth by the sequell) in the sight of many other of the saints; who being wonderfully affected at it, doe earnestly entreat him (seing he had this fayre warning) to doe his best to escape, and shun it. But what was the ans­wer of Paul to them? Act. 10.22.23.24 why (in summe) this, that seing he saw it was the minde of God, that thus it should be, he was ready, and resolute, to vndergoe it, no feares of his owne, no teares of others, (who loved him enty­rely) could doe any thing; God should rule him to the losse of his dearest life. This was a minde truly christian and couragious. This was a man rightly re­solute and magnanimous.

Here was a spirit subdued to Gods spirit, worthy [Page 197] approbation in him, worthy jmitation in vs.

Pray we for the like it will come well to passe with vs if we can (as by prayer we may) obtaine it, if we have not harts, that the Lord may command to the death, it wilbe heavy with vs, his justice will abandon vs to death eternall, if for the honour of his truth, we will not vndergoe a temporall. Let vs then (in no wise) forget our part, to doe well, and the Lord will not (nay he can­not) forget his promise, to deale well, if nothing doe hinder vs in the one, nothing shall hinder him in the other.

And to animate and harten vs herevnto, that with cheerfulnes (and without fearfullnes) we may willingly vndergoe the hardest taske, that the Lord shall please to set vs about: let vs but cast our thoughts a litle, vpō the oddes and advantage, accrewing vnto vs by this course, The difference is not small, betweene our doing well before God, and Gods dealing well, with vs. Alas, what are our deedes at the best but poore, weake, maymed, and corupted obedience, it bring's no good to God, to whome it is done. And what is his dealing well to vs at the least, is it not all true & absolute good, both for present, and for future time, yea to all eternity, beyond time? It were very easy to amplify this od­des abundantly, for the one (to wit) Gods part toward vs, is incomparably beyond ours. But what neede we many words about it, when it may be all sayd in one.

Looke what difference there is betweene God & vs, in all goodnes and excellency, wherin we cannot but confesse, he doth (every way) infinitely, and jm­measurably exceede vs; so much more (as he is more then wee) is his well dealing beyond, & better then our well-doing. And have we not sounde reason then to goe [Page 198]through stitch, with the worke of God, and to resolue to be ruled by him whatsoever seeming reason, in the world, may stand vp, and offer to rise against it. The very oddes and advantage, is able to overturne all op­position; and interruption, in every hart that the Lord hath subdued to himself, and sanctified with the true savour, Conclusion. and power, of sauing grace.

And now (my dearely beloued in the Lord Iesus) in the truth of this point, as in the last lesson (which from me, you must take forth) I must leaue you, but my trust is, that neither you, nor I, shall ever take leaue of it, or it of vs, but that this truth of God, shall dwell in all our harts, all our dayes. It is a lesson, as well becom­ming me to learne, as to teach. It is a lesson, I have beene, and (I hope) ever shalbe, learning better by hart, every day, that I may expresse it in life more and more, to my last day. It is a lesson which I may (in good sence) entitle, the summe and abridgment, of all the lessons, and truthes of God, I have taught you from time to time, every of which, wherto have they tended, but to informe you in the point of obediēce to the Lord, vpon the blessed hope of his heavenly promises of your best welfare, to be accomplished vpon you. It is the lesson wherin the Lord himself instructed Adam, as being the abridged modell of his whole minde, [Doe this and liue] and thence the Apostle call's our obe­dience to God, Micah. 6.8. [obedience to life]. The prophet Micah taught it, in his time [he hath shewed thee O man what is good, & what the Lord requireth of thee &c]. And if the Lord have shewed vs what is good, let vs shew our selves vnto him, in all good carriage conformable thervnto, for what he require's is not only good in act before him, but better in issue for vs.

[VVe were created to good works that we should walke in them] saith the holy ghoste. Nay, doe we not daily pray that his will may be done of vs, [Thy will be done &c]? And if to be ruled by God, were the end of our crea­tion, and the ayme of our petitions; as also considering (as we have seene) that in thus doing we shall receiue endles felicity and consolation: O deare christians; let vs (even in our soules) endeavour our vtmost here­vnto, let the almighty evermore master and manage, our harts and liues, to rule, and overule both, according to the good pleasure of his will, that we may ap­proove our selues to be vpright practitioners of the power of this truth: Soe shall we be sure to have the Lord to freind, & to liue in his favour here, and after­ward be as sure to liue with him, and see his face, for ever and ever; for himself hath assured vs that [they that haue done good, shall goe into life everlasting.]

And vnto the building of you all vp in the assurance of this most blessed condition, both my preaching vnto you, and my practise before you, & my prayers for you, have all jointely, and severally, done their best, from time to time, (as the Lord hath enabled me) since I first came among you, and you soe lovingly cast your early, and vnexpected kindnes vpon me.

Since which time (that I may with your patience, & pardon, tune this my last string to that sweetest straine, both touching you, and my self) and make cleare de­claration, before God, and Angells, and men.

• how, I haue beene with you; and
• how, you haue beene with me; and
• we both, with each other,

and soe (while I can) begin to sing to my beloved, a song of my beloved, because when I come to speake [Page 200]of our parting, I can be no more musicall, but mournefull and (not my harpe-but) even my hart-strings will faile: Suffer me I beseech you, to open my selfe vnto you, and to rip vp, and relate, the manner both of my En­trance amonge you, and of my Continuance with you, and how our God hath dealt with vs both, in both these. My en­trance. Vthes. 2.1

Touching the former, I presume I may make vse of the Apostles words, and appeale vnto them, and apply them to my particuler, on your behalfe [. Bre­theren you your selues know, that our entrance in vnto you was not in vayne.] Reu. 3.7. You well know, that he that hath the key of David, who shutteth and no man openeth, and ope­neth and no man shutteth; you know I say, and soe doe I, that it was he, that vnlock't your loving harts, and set open the dore of your christian desires, to my first entertainement and employment, soone after my ar­rivall in this place, whenas (I being a meere stranger among you) I might not (with reason) have any such hope or expectation; yet beyond both, I found your abundant favour. Strange loue, among strangers, much like that which hath beene spoken off, but most like that which God (who is loue) hath freely shewed to vs, (without merit) when we were strangers (and enemies also) to him. But they that are most like him in mercy, shalbe most like him in glory.

Touching the latter, My cō ­tinuāce Act. 20.18. to wit, my Continuance with you (since this my Entrance) I will also take vp the same Apostles words [you know from the first day that I came, after what manner J haue beene with you at all seasons] you have not beene strangers, either to my publike ministration, or to my private conversation, in both and either of which, I have desired to lead you towards [Page 201]heaven, with light of truth, and life according to the truth I taught, so farre as frailty might permit. I am not willing to speake much of either, yet something I must say of both, but all I speake shalbe [vere, and vere­cunde,] with modesty, and truth.

For my personall carriage and demeanor, I have ever aymed at such a course, in the whole passage therof, as might be safely jmitable to you all, that you might follow me with a right foote, in that happy way, wherin the holy Ghost doth advise vs to [make straight pathes vnto our feete,] Heb. 12.13. that we might run the way of Gods commandements.

This I say was my ayme, (and that I dare boldely say) and I have gone as neere it as I could, but through weaknes, or want of due watchfullnes, I know I have er­red, & trodden a-wry, being sometimes wyde, & some­times short, of that, we should striue vnto. I hope you all acknowledge, that all flesh and blood may, & doth miscary, and if we be any thing more, through the grace given vs of God, yet have we soe much more of that worser, then of this better part; that there can be no possibility of our perpetuall vprightnes, before men, (who are our fellow offendors,) how much lesse before the Lord, whose eyes are soe peircing, and soe pure? To arrogate Papall jmmunity, of being infallible in judgment, or vnblameable in life, & to affirme a possi­bility of not erring in either, is blasphemously to dero­gate from the Lords owne excellency, who alone is able to challenge the whole world, to taxe, or attaint him, in any (yea the least appearance) of any evill whatsoever.

For my speech, when God hath given vs occasion of private discource, as, by your most kinde and ordi­nary [Page 202]invitations of me to your ordinaryes, we found many opportunityes when we [did eate our bread to­gether with cheerefullnes] you are my witnesses, that I have tempered my talke to the time, to the persons pre­sent, and matter presented.

If it were diuine, (as many a time, it was, & we have, had heavenly sawce, to our earthly foode) you know I had ever laboured your edification, and building vp to God, in the saving knowledge of his sacred will, in all points & passages incident to every kinde of divi­nity, and according to the quality and nature of the question, propunded, we have accordingly given such sa­tisfaction, as we have received from God: whether in positiue diuinity, to explane and confirme a proposition: or in textuall, to interpret words or phrases: or in pole­micall, to decide a controversy: or in scholasticall, to vnsolde a nice distinction: or in case-divinity to releive a conscience; or lastly, in that which is mysticall, to vnty knotts, and reveale obscurities: In each of these some­thing we have had (sometimes) to doe, and as the Lord enabled me, I have endeavoured (to the best of my weake vnderstanding) to informe and satiffy you.

If our discourse were humane, then as (for your edi­fication before) soe for your delight now, you will beare me recorde, that I have done my best to speake to your contentment, in any kinde of learning, where­with I have beene accquainted, whether in any of the arts, or in history, or in poesy, or in mythologie, in every of which (especially in the last) I have taken many occasions to report vnto you, such things as I have ta­ken notice off, out of the Iewish Rabbines, and Thalmud, and out of the Popes legend, wherin are contayned mil­lions of matters, wherof, many are blasphemous, many [Page 203] ridiculous, many monstrous, many frivolous, & almost all, so foulely fabulous, and incapable of truth, or creddit, that the bookes might well be entituled a very fardle of fables, and falshoodes (taking their denomination from the farre greater part) inasmuch as they swarme with such incedible narrations, as no man can judge them, to be other then notorious lyes. These I have frequently, and abundantly related in your hearing, not that you should beleue, but abhorre, the storyes and thinke with commiseration of those miserable soules, both Iewes and Papists, who are led, and fed, with this froth and filthy scumme, of infernall inventions, and have them read, instead of the Gospell, to giude them. As also that we might (hence) be the more moved, to magnify the great name of our good God, who hath not dealt soe with vs, that we should beleeue lyes, but be nourished with his owne word of truth, which is his power to our salvation,

If any were soe weake as once to conceit, these things (or any the like, reported out of other wri­ters) were spoken for truth, he or they, must ever know, that what we relate out of our reading, must evermore carry creddit, according to the authors, not the relators creddit. It would much disharten schollers and kill the proffit, of much pleasant discourse, if we should be so grossly mistaken. Nay, it become's vs to make vse of all kinde of learning, as any occasion is of­fred to vs, to vent what we know in any particulers. It was a good rule and well given to all men by one, [bene loquuta, quae sapienter audita] those things are well spoken, which are wisely taken. Discretion in hea­ring, doth minister much delight to vs in speaking. Not only what we speake but from whome, must be [Page 204]well heeded, when we have any opportunity to disco­ver things of this nature.

And as thus it hath beene in our table talke, when we have had much sweete society, and conference to­gether, soe when the Lord hath givē me any occasion of private and secret passage with any of you, by way of counsell or admonitton, in any case of conscience, I cannot say, but my (or rather, Gods) words, have found such entertainement and acceptance, as I can safely & truly report, and leave vpon perpetuall recorde, to the praise of this place, the peace and happines of those persons, the commendation of your society, the consola­tion of all that may succeede me in this ministery, who may hereby conceive comfortably, how hopefully they may sowe, how happily they may reape, and that their labours shall not be in vaine in the Lord.

Concerninge my publike ministration; it pleased you first, to chuse me as an assistant to your Pastor, in your weekely lecture, & some seruice of the sabbath: your favour in this was much, but it was much more, when (not long after) vpon his departure, you tooke me totally into your service, and (by a lawfull & free election, put me into the Pastorall charge and functiō and (vnder God) committed your soules to my mini­strey. A greater trust cannot be cast vpon a creature. And how I would have watched over you, the [watchman of Israel] doth well know; and how farre I have actu­ally endeavoured it, this publike place, (I hope) doth witnes in part, out of which, I have not failed to teach you, all that I could (in my best vnderstanding) judge profitable for you; I have shewed the whole counsell of God, so farre as it pleased him to send it to my knowled­ge; I have not (willingly) purloyned, or witholden, any [Page 105]part of his truth that might concerne either.