THE Lord telleth us in his Word, Heb. 12.26. of a time when as he will not onely shal [...]e the Earth, but the Heavens also: Shake all that may be shaken, so as that which cannot be shaken may remaine and ap­peare, this is his faithfull Word; and truly his great and glorious workinge in these our dayes doth seem to point out that time to be neere at hand; when God himselfe doth shake the whole Earth and heavens, though they be vast bodies, yet they must fall before the breath of the Almighty power which made them by a word; this shaking truth, and times, hath with more solicitousnesse drawne forth my heart to seeke after esta­blishment: I found incouragement to this worke in that very text which holdeth forth the shaking both of Earth and Heavens also, for it seemeth to hold out thus much, that the end of Gods so shaking is to manifest that which cannot be shaken by its re­maining, in which God taught me this truth, that the establish­ment of his people lay in that which should remaine stedfast to eternity, even when himselfe should shake not onely the earth, but the heavens also; by Earth here I understand the whole Earth, in its frame and fashion, beauty, and glory, power, and government, the time is comming when God will shake all this into its first nothing, so that the establishment of an eternall being lyeth not in this: By Heavens I understand, not onely the materiall Heavens, as Sonne, Moone, Starres, and Firmament; but also the Law of Heaven and earth; namely, the Ordinances [Page 2]and worship of God here, the Churches, and government of Christ on earth; truly these are very glorious as they are in God, and God in them, so that they may well bee called the heavens, but even these as they come from God have their time and their end; these are the top and exceeding glory of all one wildernesse mercies, but all these are to be shaken, their end will cease, and so must they too, these are as the pillars of cloude by day, and of fire by night, to the body of Christ whilst it, or any member of it remaines in the Wildernesse, but Christ our head is ascended whom will draw his whole body after him, and then the end of this will cease, and their shaking time will be accomplished to the full, so that though this be the glory of the World, yet they cannot make up establishment to eternall soules, because they are to be shaken.

Now by this I am further taught where to begin in seeking establishment, namely, not in the whole Earth; no not in any part or appearance of Heaven that may be shaken, not in the or­dinances or worship of God, but in God himselfe: not in the Churches or government of Christ, but in Christ himselfe. So that good King Jehoshaphats counsell to his people in their day of straights and shakings, will leade mee and all the people of God to a sure center of establishment: Beleeve in the Lord your God, so shall you be established.

These are the words of Jehoshaphat the King, to Judah and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem, at that time when they were un­der much feare, and doubts concerning their condition, by reason of a numerous and potent enemy which was come up a­gainst them; to an eye of fleshly reason they were a lost people and nation, but this good man had a better and more seeing eye to behold withall, namely the eye of faith; for in the 14, 15, 16, 17, verses of this Chapter we shall finde that Jahaziel the Prophet, having the spirit of the Lord come upon him in the middest of the Congregation, when all the people were ga­thered together to seeke the Lord, did Prophecy and told the King, and all Judah, and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem, that they should not bee afraid nor dismayed by reason of the great a multitude which come against them, for the battell, saith he, is not yours, but Gods: He gives further direction when to goe downe against them, and what to doe; he tels them they shall not needs to [Page 3]fight, onely to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord; he bids them againe not to feare, for the Lord would be with them.

Now upon this was Jehoshaphats eye of faith, he did beleeve in the Lord, and his word declared by his Prophet, and in this twentieth verse, telleth the people where his establishment was; namely, in God; and if they also should beleeve in God as their God, and in his Word declared by his Prophet, that they should thereby be established; Beleeve in the Lord your God, so shall you be established.

My intentions are to take this Scripture in the largest sense, and to make use of it in the carrying on a Treatise of Faith, as faith, and beliefe in God doth settle and establish beleevers.

The plaine and visible truth which lyes in this Scripture, and upon which I shall carry on what followeth, is this; That Saints are established, by beleeving in God, as their God.

This is the sense, and almost the very words of the Scripture; and for its proofe, it hath the concurrance of the scope, if not the letter of the whole Word of God, the Prophet Isaiah in his seaventh Chapter, and ninth verse, prooves this by its contrary, when in the former verses he had told them what God would doe for them, he telleth them in this verse, If you will not beleeve surely yee shall not bee established: As if hee had sayd, it is not my bare narrative, or the history of God in his power, greatnesse, and goodnesse, that will establish you, if you doe not beleeve; it is faith, trust, and beliefe in God, as your God which is onely able to establish you, if you beleeve not, your foundation will alwayes bee tottering, so that surely you will not bee established; where beliefe is not, establishment cannot be; the reason is ob­vious and plaine, for it is God alone that can and doth establish the hearts of his people: now faith and beleeving in God, is the onely discovery of union with God, in which soules come to be established, the soule by faith receiveth in God to it selfe, and involveth it selfe into God, and God in the soule makes it an established soule: 2 Ephes. 17. Christ dwels in the heart of be­leevers by faith: This was Abrahams condition, who is called the Father of the faithfull; the Text saies, Rom. 3.19, 20. when God made him the promise of an heire out of his owne loyner, that he was not weake in faith, nor did he stagger at the promise through unbe­liefe, notwithstanding his owne great age, and the deadnesse [Page 4]of Sarahs wombe, yet he beleeved the word and promise of the Lord and was established; by beleeving this Father of the faith­full gave himselfe up to God, he lost his owne fleshly reasoning, in beleeving the faithfull word of God; God had said, that he should have a Childe of Sarahs wombe, he giveth himselfe over to God by beleeving, so that there is no staggering, saith takes in the promise and the soule is established, but where there is not faith to take in the promise of God, or rather God in the promise, there the soule is not nor cannot be established; staggering is as properly the fruit of unbeliefe, as stability is of faith; and they demonstrate each other as white doth black, and black white; that Scripture which sayeth, If you beleeve not you shall not be e­stablished, doth give proofe to that Text which sayes, Beleeve in the Lord your God, so shall you bee established: So likewise on the contrary, our Saviour gives in ample proofe to this truth, that Saints are established by beleeving in God as their God; in that John 6.47. Verily, verily I say unto you, hee that beleeveth in mee, hath everlasting life. To beleeve in Christ, is to beleeve in God as our God, and the effects of this is eternall life, here is full establishment indeed, here is life for ever; eternity cannot shake this beleeving soule, it is so established by beleeving in God as its God in Christ.

I intend to take this fundamentall establishing truth into par­ticulars; the which will give further light into what I aime at, and clearer testimony to the generall truth, That Saints are esta­blished by beleeving in God as their God; I meane an applica­tory, apropriating faith and beliefe in God.

By beleeving in God, as our God, by which we come to bee established, I meane this:

First, To beleeve in God in what he is in himselfe.

Secondly, To beleeve God in what he doth; namely in all his workes.

Thirdly, To beleeve God in what hee saith, in his whole Word.

And in all these so farre as God is communicable to beleeve him to be our God.

Beleeving thus in the Lord our God we shall certainely be esta­blished.

First, To believe in God in what he is in himselfe. God in [Page 5]his Essence is incomprehensible, and inexpressible; so Exod. 3.14. When Moses asked God what hee should tell the Children of Israel his Name was if they asked him; Gods answer to Moses is, I am that I am, and so tell the children of Israel, I am hath sen [...] me unto you, that is, I am so what I am; that I cannot be fully ex­pressed, I am God, Jehovah, I am all God, and nothing but God: but this pure and eternall Essence is pleased so farre as is either fit or needfull for his people to know him, to make known himselfe by his Attributes: and in his word, workes and miracles, for the strengthening of his peoples faith, and establishing them in himselfe. And in this worke I shall take up Gods method, and first looke into the Attributes of God, for some discoveries of his Essence, wherein hee doth make knowne himselfe to his people, that they may believe in him, in what he is in himselfe; you must not expect I should be so large in this as to expresse all the Attri­butes of God, that is a worke too large for a dying life, or a dy­ing man, the fulnesse of that will fill eternity; all that may be at­tributed to God, which can be attributed to none but God, and that all is exceeding large, I shall onely mention some precious corner-stones, for believers to build upon, so that they may cer­tainly bee established.

As first, God is the only, true, and perfect God, true, Attribute of God. so as there is no true God besides him: and perfect, so that all perfe­ction is in him, and nothing but perfection in him, so in God as in none but God, and therefore onely to be attributed to God. I shall in this and all I write of God, produce his word for my authority, Isa. 46.9. I am God, and there is none else, I am God, Isa. 46.9.and there is none like me. God in this Scripture speaks positively; in the verse before this, the people worshipped and bowed downe to false Gods, to images of God; the Lord complaines of this in vers. 5. To whom will yee liken me, and make me equall, Verse 5.and compare me, that we may be like. As if God had said, you can liken me to nothing; for there is nothing like me, I am God, and there is none else (the true God) your false Gods cannot be like me. So in Isa. Isa. 45.33. 45.22. Looke unto me, and be yee saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else. Marke the Scripture, salvation in in me, saith God, I am the God of salvation. If the ends of the Earth be saved, they must looke unto me, for I am God, and there is none else; That is, there is no other true God, no God that can [Page 6]save but me. God proves himselfe to be the only true God, by being the only saving God; God in truth is the God of salvation: That God which can save must needs be the true God, and so there is no other God but our God, hee is the true God, and a God of truth, all God, and all truth; this is a proper attribute of God, for it can be attributed to none but God.

Againe, God is perfect, he is a perfect God, he is all perfe­ction in himselfe, and all that is perfect is from him, hee is that perfection to which there can be no addition, hee giveth life and breath to all things, Acts 17.25. Acts 17.25. Neither is worshipped with mens hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing hee giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. God is perfect, hee needeth nothing, hee knowes no want; hee is the fulnesse of all things, and filleth all with himselfe; he is the fountaine and giver of all life, and breath, and all things. All that makes up perfection is alwayes in God, and goeth forth from God into all things, life and breath, which comprehends the whole; they are in the whole creation the breath­ings forth of Gods perfection; God bounds all, but none can bound him. Perfection only lives in God: he giveth bounds to all things else, but can receive bounds from none: to the creature God saith, what have you that you have not received. But as for God himselfe, he is simply and absolutely perfect, simply purely per­fect; 1 John 1.5. nothing but perfection, altogether perfect, 1 John 1.5. God is light, and in him is no darkenesse at all: So perfectly light, that there is not the least shadow of darkenesse in him; what is God, is perfectly light, or the light of God is perfect; for God is alto­gether perfect, nothing can be said to be perfect but God, and God cannot be said to be any thing but perfection; light, and to darknesse at all, is perfect light, and this is God, for GOD is perfect.

Another attribute of GOD, Attribute. 2 God the first, without all cause. which proveth the former, is this;

That God is the first being without all cause, this is truly an attribute of God, which can be attributed to none but God, for he is the first, the only, and without cause, and the only cause of all things else; not any thing gave God a being, but God giveth being to all things, Revel. 1.8. Rev. 1.8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Marke it, I am the first, you cannot produce any thing as the cause of my being; for a cause must be before an effect, and if [...] be the effect of any cause, then I cannot be Alpha, the begin­ning, but the proceed of some other first: but this I am not, for I am Alpha and Omega, both first and lust; I am first in my selfe, without all cause, and I am the first of all causes, for I cause all to be. I am the Almighty which gives first being, and all beings to all things, saith the Lord. The Apostle Paul doth acknowledge this truth in Rom. 11.36. For of him, and through him, Rom. 11.36.and to him, are all things. All things are of God, as God is the first cause of all: all things are through God, as they proceed of his will, power, and Majestie: all things are to him, to the glory of God, that is in himselfe without cause, Isa. 41.4. and the cause of all as hee is God, Isa. 41.4. Who hath wrought and done it, calling the gene­rations from the beginning, I the Lord the first, and with the last, I am he. It is frequent in Scripture with God when he mentions a­ny workes or beings, and the beginning of any thing, to declare himselfe to be the first, that hee might be knowne to be in him­selfe without all cause, and the cause of all things else. Isa. 43.10. I the Lord am he that is the first. So in Isa. 43.10. Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I am so the first in my selfe, that I am the first of all, and nothing shall be after mee. God in himselfe is without cause and end, Isa. 44.6. Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his Redeemer the Lord of Hosts, Isa. 44.6.I am the first, and I am the last, and besides me there is no God. I am the first, and besides me there is no God; that is, there is no God besides mee, for I am the onely one, that is first without all cause of being: For were there a first cause of my being, then I could not be God; but I am God, and therefore there can be no first cause of my being. So the Lord Christ according to his God-head is said to be the beginning of the Creation of God, Rev. 3.14. Rev. 3.14. The faithfull and true witnesses the beginning of the Creati­on of God. The God-head is the first of all beings, and the be­ginning of the whole Creation. Many more Scriptures joyne in this truth, as Isa. 48.12. Rev. 1.17. Rev. 22.13. But I leave them to the Reader.

A third Attribute of God is his immutability; Attribute. 3 this is an attri­bute of God, that he is an immutable, unchangeable God, for this can be said of none but God; God hath made the whole [Page 8]Creation mutable and changeable, which doth demonstrate that himselfe is only God, Num. 23.19. who is unchangeable. Numb. 23.19. God is not a man, that he should lye, neither the sonne of man that he should repent? Hath he said, and shall he not doe it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? What God saith, that he will doe, and what he hath spoken, he will make good; for he is an unchange­able God, hee is not like man to lye, or repent as the sonnes of men: but he is God immutable, and unchangeable in all hee is, not one tittle shall faile of all that the Lord hath spoken: For I am the Lord, I change not, Mal. 3.6. God makes this an argu­ment to prove himselfe God, that he changeth not: As if hee had said, there is change and alteration in all but my selfe, and I am the unchangeable God; I am the Lord, I change not. As if hee should say, if I were changeable, I were not God: but being God, I am unchangeable. If mutability dwelt in me, I could not be the foundation and fulnesse of all things both in Heaven and Earth: James 1.17. but so I am, therefore I am the unchangeable, im­mutable God. This is fully proved in James 1.17. Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and commeth downe from the Father of lights, with whom is no variablenesse, neither shadow of turning. This is a full description of, and testimony to an im­mutable God, in him sayes the Text, there is no variablenesse nor shadow of turning. Not the least shadow of change in God, the perfect God is an immutable God, and his immutability is per­fect, for he is God in both; there can be no change in God, be­cause there is no imperfection in him: where there is change and mutability, there must be the annihilating of something. Now it is impossible this should be in God, for hee is an entire Essence, which can admit of no annihilating, therefore not any shadow of change. God is purely and simply what hee is, without all compounds; he is one most pure and intire Essence, nothing in him but God: God is a Spirit, John 4.24.

A fourth Attribute of God is this; Attribute. 4 God is infinitely great in Majesty and works, or the infinite greatnesse of our God doth appeare in the greatnesse of his Majestie and workes; God is so infinitely God, Isa. 465. that nothing can be like him, Isa. 46.5. To whom will yee liken me, and make me equall, and compare me, that we may bee like. As if God had said, doe you creatures thinke you have a­ny thing amongst you that is infinite, that you goe about to [Page 9]make the likenesse of me, I am an infinite God, finite creatures cannot be compared to me; or if you doe, there will be no more likenesse and similitude then between finite & infinite. So Isa. 40.15, 16, 17. Behold, the Nations are as a drop of a bucket, Isa. 40.15, 16, 17.and are counted as the small dust of the ballance. Lebanon and the beasts there­of, are not sufficient for a burnt-offering. All Nations before God are nothing, compared to him lesse then nothing, and vanity. This pro­veth the infinitenesse of God, that all besides him cannot be compared to him, because God is infinite, and so is none but God, and it is the infinitenesse of God that makes all things be­fore him, and compared to him, to be so empty a vanity. This infinitenesse of God doth further appeare in the greatnesse and Majestie of his workes. The Prophet David had great experience of God in his great and glorious workings, and we shall see what ample testimony he gives to it, in Psalm 86.8. Psalm 86.8. Among the Gods there is none like unto thee (O Lord) neither are there any workes like unto thy workes. As if the Prophet had said, there is no infinite God besides thy selfe; and it appeares in thy workings, for there is no workes full of Majesty and power like thine: Psalm 135.5. So in Psalm 135.5. For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is a­bove all Gods. The Prophet makes this an argument to stir them up to praise God: the declaring of his greatnesse, hee is great a­bove all Gods: He is infinite in power and Majestie, and this makes him in his workes great above all Gods. The Prophet is in the same frame of spirit in Psalm 145.3. Great is the Lord, Psalm 145.3.and great­ly to be praised: & his greatnesse is unsearchable. Mark the Scripture, his greatnesse is unsearchable: As if hee had said, God is infinitely great, and none is infinite but God, so that his greatnesse is un­searchable; for finite creatures can never search or finde out the infinitenesse of an it finite God. So in Psalm 147.5. Psalm 147.5. Great is our Lord, and of great power, and his understanding is infinite. God is infinitely great, he is so in power, in understanding, in work­ing, in all he is: that is, God is infinitely what he is, he is finite in nothing, nor can he be confined by any thing, because Lee is the infinite God, of whom all things are; his infinite power gives bounds to all things, but can be bounded by nothing, Jer. 23.24. Jer. 23.24. Can any hide himselfe in secret places, that I shall not see him, saith the Lord? Doe not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord? God is infinitely great in knowledge as well as power; what can be [Page 10]hid from the al-seeing eye of an infinite God. Our God is infi­nitely full, he filleth heaven and earth, he filleth all with his in­finite power and greatnesse. The vastnesse of Heaven and Earth can make no dimention to the infinite fulnesse and greatnesse of God: Heaven is his Throne, and the Earth his Foote-stoole, and all filled with the infinite fulnesse of his power and greatnesse.

Fifthly, Attribute. 5 God is an eternall God. Eternity is properly and truly the Attribute of God, and of none but God: God is from everlasting, before every thing, and on whom all things depends, he is to all eternity, without beginning or end, and therefore must needs be an eternall God, Isa. 41.4. Isa. 41.4. Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning, I the Lord the first, and with the last, I am he. The Lord himselfe telleth us, that he called the generations, that he was first, before all begin­ning of beings, and that he abides for ever, and is with the last: that is, Isa. 43.10. as if God had said, I am the eternal God. So in Isa. 43.10. God calleth the people to be his witnesses, that before him there was no God formed, nor shall there be any after him. Yee are my witnesses saith the Lord, and my servants whom I have chosen, that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

God confirmes the former Scripture by this, that he is first and last; that is, he is eternall, hee is before all beings, and all o­ther beings depends on him, so that nothing can be after him; If he should cease to be, there could be no beings, because all have their beings from him, therefore God must needs be eternall, that is the first and preserver of all beings: Isa. 44.6 So likewise in Isa. 44.6. Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer the Lord of Hosts, I am the first, and I am the last, and besides me there is no God, As if the Lord had said, there is none that is first and last but me, and therefore no God, but I: it is onely the attribute of God to be eternall, and that am I. I am first and last, I am eternall; that is, I am God, there is no God besides me, therefore none eternall, none is first and last besides mee, I am onely the e­ternall God, and I am truly so, for I am the first and last: God only is that high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, Isa. 57.15. There is no everlasting but God, and he is the everlasting God: Moses doth acknowledge God to be so, Psal. 90. beg. in Psalm 90. beg. Before the mountaines were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth, [Page 11]and the world; even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God: That is, thou art the everlasting God, that wert before the World was, thou didst bring forth the mountaines, thou hast formed the earth, and the whole World: Thou wert everlast­ing before the World was, and it was thy everlasting power that made the World, and thou art the same God still, and remain­est what thou art; From everlasting to everlasting thou art God. So the Prophet in the 102 Psalm. 12, 27. But thou O Lord, Psa. 102.12, 27shalt en­dure for ever, and they remembrance unto all generations, but thou art the same and thy yeares shall have no end; thou art the everla­sting Lord, the same for ever, thou art what thou art without end, there is no end of thy being God; for thou art the everla­sting God; Of old hath God layd the foundation of the earth, Psal. 102.25, 26.and the heavens are the worke of his hand, and though they perish and wax old as a garment, yet the Lord he endureth for ever: he is from everla­sting; for he must needs be before that which is made by him, and he is to everlasting, for he indureth when the heavens & the earth wax old, as God had nothing to make him God, so there can be nothing to ungod him, he is the same yesterday, to day, and for ever, he is the eternall God, he made all things of nothing, but not any thing can make him nothing, or lesse then he is, for he is the eternall God; and so the Apostle Paul sets him forth in the 1 Tim. 1.17. Now unto the King eternall, immortall, invisible, the onely wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amongst o­ther Attributes the Apostle gives God this, the King or God e­ternall, to whom is glory due for ever and ever; as he is the e­verlasting and eternall God, for this is an Attribute and a glory onely due to God.

Sixtly, God is an omnipotent, Almighty, alsufficient God, Attribute. 6 he doth what he will, his word is a Law, he maketh all things with a word; God said, Let there bee light and there was light; Gen. 1.3. the whole creation hath its forme, light, and being from the will and word of this Almighty, Omnipotent, and alsufficient God, there needs no more then a word from God to make day, and night, heaven and firmament, morning and evening, to gather the waters together, and to make dry land, to cause the earth to bring forth after its kinde, to make Sunne, Moone, and Starres, to rule in the Heavens, and to give light in their courses, to cause the waters to bring forth abundantly of moving creatures after [Page 12]their kinde, and the earth to bring forth living creatures after his kinde; Cattell and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, I, the powerfull word of this omnipotent God made man after his owne Image, and gave him dominion over the fish of the Sea, the fowles of the ayre, over the Cattell, over the earth, and over every thing that creepeth upon the earth; all this power flowes from the Word of an omnipotent God: God said, let it be so, and it was so to all this: 1 Gen. In this faith Isaac blesseth Ja­cob, in the 28 Gen. 3. And God Almighty blesse thee, and make thee fruitfull: As if he should say, if the Almighty God say but the word, thou art blessed, for he is the Almighty God, his Word is a Law, where hee blesseth none can hinder blessing, all things are at his command, they were so in their first being, and they have their being to be what he will have them, there is nothing hard or impossible with God, so our Saviour telleth his Disci­ples in the 19. Matthew 26. But Jesus beheld them and said un­to them,Mat. 19.26.with men this is impossible, but with God all things are pos­sible. It is a full Scripture to what I bring it, the omnipotency of God, al things are possible to him, it is not possible that any thing should be impossible to the almighty, omnipotent God. When the Angell in the 1. Luke 36. Luke 1.36, 37. brings tydings to the Virgin Mary of her cozen Elizabeth being with Childe in her old age, and that it was then the sixth moneth with her, giveth this for the reason in the 3 [...]. verse: For with God nothing shall be impossible: That is to say, God is Omnipotent, Almighty, nothing can be hard to him, he doth what he will doe, nothing is impossible to him, nor can any thing hinder what hee will have done: In the 11. Numbers 21. Num. 11.21, 23. Moses questions with God about making good his word to give flesh to all the people: the footmen amongst them be­ing six hundred thousand; in the 23. verse God answere Moses: And the Lord said unto Moses is the Lords hand waxed short: As if the Lord had said, this I have spoken seemes impossible to thee, but I will doe it my selfe; I will make it good, and I am the Almighty omnipotent God, thinke you that my hand waxeth short, no it is an omnipotent, almighty hand, for I am such a God, can the Lords hand waxe short; can alsufficiency, almigh­tinesse, and omnipotency be lessened, no it cannot, and the A­postle Paul blesseth God upon this very consideration; in the 3. Ephes. Ephe. 3.20, 21. 20. Now unto him that is able to doe exceeding abundantly a­bove [Page 13]all that we can aske or thinke, unto him be glory 21. verse: that is, the Apostle glories in God as an an omnipotent God, hee is able to doe exceeding abundantly above all that we can aske or thinke: the vastnesse of our thoughts or wants, are too short to measure out the omnipotency of God, he is exceedingly more then wee can aske, want, or thinke, for he is Almighty, to him be glory whom is thus glorious, almighty, alsufficient, and omnipotent God, this is the glory of God, for God is onely this, and none but God.

This, all this, and infinitely more then this, is God in himselfe, and such souls as be established by beleeving in God as their God, doe beleeve God to be this in himselfe.

But I shall mention some few Attributes more of God, in which he makes himselfe more visably knowne to his people.

As first, God is a God of free grace; we may call our God the gracious God, or the God of mercy and grace, wee may safely looke upon God thus, for God lookes upon us in his free grace; witnesse his Covenant of free grace: Jer. 31.31. so for­ward, God doth there ingage himselfe to put his Law in our in­ward parts, and to write it in the bearts of his people, that hee will be our God, and that wee shall be his people, that his people shall all know him from the least to the greatest of them; that he will for­give all our iniquity, and remember our sinne no more; God in this Covenant doth clearely speake himselfe to be a God of free grace, for the Covenant is all grace, it is pardoning and purging grace, justifying and sanctifying grace, and as it is all grace, so it in all God; for God onely ingageth himselfe, and this makes it to be all free grace: As God is gracious in his Covenant that it is a Covenant of free grace, so he is in his workes to his people; they are all workes of grace, and he is a God of free grace in all.

As in his first worke of choosing and electing his people: 1. Ephes. begin­ning. E­phes. beginning, Chosen and predestinated us in Christ, unto the a­doption of children, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace. God is free, hee chooseth according to his owne will, and that any are chosen and predestinated in Christ, it is the glorious workings of his free grace, he chooseth according to his owne good pleasure, and to the glory of his grace; God is ingaged to none, he is free in his choice, nay all [Page 14]have sinned and come short of the glory of God; and therefore wh [...] ever God chooseth he taketh into grace, for it is free grace tha [...] chooseth, it is onely of grace, saith the Apostle, that I am what I am as I am an electe vessell, that is of grace, God hath chosen [...] in Christ to the glory of his grace, so that God in his electing worke is a God of free grace.

Secondly, in his worke of Salvation he is altogether 2 God of free grace, 2. Ephes. 4, 5. But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith bee loved us, even when we were dead in sinnes, hath quickned us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved.) The Apo­stle here telleth us positively that salvation is the worke of grace, I, and proveth it; for sayes he, God who is rich in mercy, loved [...] even when wee were dead in sinnes, and hath quickened us together with Christ, so that it must needs be by grace that we are saved; i [...] can be nothing but free grace in a holy God that can love soules dead in sinne, and the salvation and quickening of such soules in Christ, must needes be the work of his rich love, and free grace, so in the 8. verse, For by grace are ye saved through faith, though faith be the hand to receive the salvation of God; yet it is free gr [...] in God, that giveth this salvation; free grace giveth both salva­tion, and the hand to receive it withall, all the workes of God to poore sinners is the workings of his free grace, the whole work of Salvation, and redemption in God, must needs be the work­ings of his grace, both by reason of the subject and the time, he saves sinners, the worst of sinners; and then even when we are dead in sinnes and trespasses: Ephes. 2.1. This rich love of God breakes forth to us even when we lye in our blood and no eye to pitty us; what but free grace would choose such a subject to pitch eternall unchangable love upon, and such a time when no eye b [...] ­sides could so much as pitty; the reason is plaine, none hath an eye of free grace but God, and no other eye besides that could pitty, and pardon poore sinners when they lye in their blood, in their filth and pollution of sinne; now for soules to bee justified and acquitted of all polution in the eyes of a holy pure God, what can this be but free grace: Rom. 3.23, 24. For all have sin­ned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace: As if the holy Ghost should say, You justified soules, you have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It is not your owne justification which you stand before God in; but the justificati­on [Page 15]of his free grace, it is the free grace of God that doth acquit you, and make you righteous in his owne presence, God gives the beauty he delights in, his free grace gives a compleat righte­ousnesse to poore sinners, and justifieth them in the righteous­nesse of his owne free grace, thus is God a God of free grace; yea, in all his gifts he is the same, a God of free grace; it is his free grace that giveth Christ, in whom, and with whom, hee giveth all things to his people as a God of grace in his rich love; it is of Gods grace that Christ is made, wisedome, and righteousnes, and sanctification and redemption to his people, 1. Cor. 1.30, We did not purchase Christ, but Christ did purchase us, and redeemed us, and to this worke he is the gift of Gods free grace, and all that more exceeding and eternall weight of glory that our poore soules have with, and by Christ; all is the gift of Gods free grace, the Lord proclaimes his free grace by his Prophet, in the 55. Isa. 55. x. of Isa. Ho, every one that this steth, come ye to the water [...], he that hath no money shall have Wine and Milke without money, and without price. Here the Lord proclaimes to wanting, thirsting soules, that hee is a God of free grace, in all his gifts; as if the Lord had said, though you be full of wants and unworthinesses, yet let not this hinder your comming to me, for I am a God of free grace; all my gifts are free, I give my Wine and Milke without money and without price, I never turned any back which came to satisfie their thirst in me, because they had no money to buy; I satisfie all that comes to me, I am free and full in my grace, and with that I satisfie all soules that thirst after me: God is a giving God, not a selling God; it is his free grace that gives all things out of himselfe needfull to his people, for life and godlinesse, for grace and glory: So in the 7, Matth. 7. our Saviour bids us to Aske and it shall bee given to us: He doth not bid us to buy, but to beg; he knew God to be a God of free grace, and therefore puts [...] upon the grace of God, for God is the God of free grace in all his workes, and in all his gifts to his owne people, he elects and chooseth to salvation in his free grace, and saveth all his Elect by his free grace; God giveth Christ as the great gift of his grace, and in Christ he giveth the fulnesse and f [...]e [...]nesse of his grace to his people; so that it is truely the Attribute of God to call him the God of free grace, in this Attribute God makes knowne himselfe to his people; and in this a beleeving soule looks up to [Page 16]God, and is established by beleeving in God, as a God of free grace to be his God.

Another Attribute of God in which he makes himselfe known to his people is this; Namely,

That God is a faithfull God.

Not a tittle which he hath spoken to his people shall falle, what God speaks to his people he would have them beleeve, now he never did nor will faile his people that beleeve his word, Num. 23.19. God is not a man that he should lye, neither the sonne of man that he should repent; Num. 23.19.hath hee said and shall be not doe it, or both hee spoken and shall he not make it good, what, can there be falshood or failing in God? shall he repent, and not make good what hee hath spoken? no hee is a faithfull God, Heaven and Earth may passe away, but not one tittle of his Word shall fayle: Yea, though the making good of his word desolve Heaven and Earth; both shall consume, Num. 11.23. but not a tittle of his word shall faile; for hee i [...] the faithfull God, Numb. 11.23. Thou shalt see whether my word shall come to passe unto thee or not. Moses made a question how all that people should eate flesh which the Lord had said should eat [...] flesh; well, sayes God, I am God still, my arme is not shortned, nor doth my faithfulnesse faile, for thou shalt surely see my word come to passe, it is my word Moses, and I am the faithfull God; though thy faith be weake, yet my faithfulnesse is strong and sure; it is the Word of God and it shall not faile, thou shalt sure­ly see it come to passe: The Psalmist doth acknowledge the te­stimonies of God to be very sure; in the 93 Psalm. 5. Hee had found that what ever God promised he made it good, and all­wayes proved himselfe a faithfull God, His testimonies were ever sure; so the 119 Psalm. 65. Thou hast dealt well with thy Servant, O Lord, according to thy Word: Thou hast not deceived them, but thou hast made good all thy word and promises to them: As if he had said, Thou art a faithfull God, thou makest good all thy word; so in the 89 and 90 verses of that Psalme, For ever, O Lord, thy word is setled in Heaven. Thy faithfulnesse is unto all Ge­nerations: That is, thou art for ever a faithfull God, thy word is as fixed and sure as Heaven, there can nothing faile of all that the Lord hath spoken: Take some few instances of Gods fulfil­ing his word to his people as a faithfull God, consider the first promise God made of Christ in the flesh, Gen. 3.15. That the seed [Page 17]of the Woman should breake the head of the Serpent: And how faith­full God hath beene in making good his word, Christ in the flesh, and Christ Crucified, the whole currant of Scripture is proofe [...]o it.

When God promiseth Abraham that he shall have a Son from Sarahs wombe, though the wombe be dead, yet the promise lives, it is the word of a faithfull God, and must be made good; now Isaac the Child of promise comes from this dead wombe to ma­nifest God to be a faithfull God. God sends Moses to Pharoah and telleth him that he shall leade the Children of Israel out of E­gypt and from under their bondage and slavery to serve the Lord their God in the Wildernesse; Moses goes upon the word of God: Now notwithstanding the hardnesse of Pharoahs heart, and the power of his hand, yet God makes good every tittle of his word to them, though he make their way thorough the deep waters, yet all must obey to fulfill the faithfull word of God, and in that Divine story we may see with how many miracles and wonders God makes good all his faithfull word to them. God is a faith­full God, he could not else be God, and I may truly say all these Scriptures which proves him God, doe prove him to be the faith­full God, for unfaithfulnesse and God are inconfistant; they can no more be together then light and darknesse, in truth, there is no comparison to be made of the vastnesse of their disagreement; God and truth are one, for God is the God of truth, hee is a faith­full God: There is exceedingly more of the glorious Attributes of God which would abundantly take up the Meditation of a spi­ritual soul, but I intended only a short touch of some of them, w^ch might leade to, and carry on the designe I drive at, which is the establishment of soules by beleeving in God; in this God assisting, you may have some small helpe to the understanding of what God is in himselfe, the improvement of it for establishment, I in­tend in the conclusion; this for the opening part of it shall bee all to the first of the three things I proposed in the beginning of the Booke: namely, To beleeve in God in what hee is in him­selfe.

For the other two: To beleeve in what God doth, and in what God saith, as the word and workes of God wraps up the salvation of his people in them, I shall here put them both together, under this consideration.

Namely, a briefe collection with its proofes, of the whole de­signe and worke of God in the salvation of his people. And it is this;

To manifest the glory of his free-grace in the full redemption of his people through Christ, and in their receiving and applying it to them­selves by believing.

First, The great designe of God in his saving worke to his people, is to glorifie, or to manifest and declare the glory of his owne eternall, originall free-grace and rich love.

The free-grace and rich love of God is God himselfe, that God which is an incomprehensible and inexpressible Essence, the true and perfect God, who is first without all cause of being, an immutable God, and of infinite great Majesty; an Eternall, Omnipotent, and Almighty God: This is the God of Free-grace; now the designe of this God in the salvation of sinners, which is the worst and most miserablest piece of the whole creati­on in it selfe to all eternity, is to glorifie, or to manifest the glo­ry of his owne free-grace. For this, take the testimony of the holy Ghost by the Apostle Paul, in Rom. 3.23. That hee might make known the riches of his glory, on the vessels of mereie. The holy Ghost in the former part of that Chapter, pleadeth the sove­raignty of God; not any piece of clay could finde fault with the Potter what ever hee made it, nor any creature with God. Now in this verse hee telleth us, if any be made vessels of honour, and heires of glory, it is that God might make knowne the riches of his glory its his mercy and free-grace. As if the holy Ghost had said, God accounts of his grace and mercy to be the riches and excel­lency of his glory: Now to make it knowne that this is his great designe, God silleth heaven and earth with this his glory, the redeemed in Heaven, and the redeemed in Earth shall be one in Heaven at last, and therein ages to come, even to all eternity, be swallowed up into the exceeding riches and glory of his grace, Ephes. 2.7. And the holy Ghost in this, and the verse before it, telleth us, that is Gods end and designe, in raising us up together, and making us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the Ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindnesse towards us through Christ Jesus. If wee observe this Scripture, it holds forth this; that all the kindnesse wee receive from God, it is his grace in Christ, and Gods designe in the [Page 19]manifesting of this his free-grace in Christ, is to shew forth the exceeding riches and glory of it; the whole worke of salvation will cleare up this truth; for if we consider all the subjects of sal­vation, we shall finde no object for any thing of God but his free grace and rich love, the pollution of faine man in his naturall condition could not be an object of preservation to the holy, just, and pure eyes of an omnipotent God, nothing but free-grace and rich love in God could looke the lookes of life to souls dead in sinnes and trespasses: And if thus, then it plainely ap­peares, that Gods great design in the salvation of sinners is name­ly to glorifie, or to manifest the glory of his owne eternall rich love and free-grace. God will have soules live by his grace, that hee might manifest the life and glory of his grace; that grace which giveth life, appeares in the life it giveth, so that every sa­ved soule is a monument of the riches and glory of the love and grace of God, and the wise God layde his designe sure when hee made choise of the salvation of sinners, to manifest the glory of his free-grace by.

In the next place, I shall hold forth how God doth accomplish this great end and design of his: Namely, by making the whole frame and worke of salvation to flow from, and to depend upon his owne free-grace, so as there is nothing in the whole worke of salvation from first to last, but the free-grace of God, Ephes. 2.5.8. Even when we were dead in sinnes, bath quickened us together with Christ. (By grace are yee saved.) The time speaks grace, when dead in sinnes; this is a season only for grace, and that the grace of God too, appearing, when not only in sinne, but dead in sin, past all recovery, as from selfe, if doing could prevaile; yet here is no life to doe withall; this is onely a time for a living love in God to act free-grace in: If ever salvation comes to soules dead in sinne, it must be by grace, the grace of God saves of it selfe, without any cause out of it selfe, and this is the true salvation of soules dead in sin, (by grace yee are saved) to be saved by grace, that is, to be saved in the salvation of God, the whole worke to be of his free-grace, not any tittle of it of our salves, Rom. 3.23, 24. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God: Being justified freely by his grace. Marke it, there is all selfe under sin: but saved, justified, and acquitted soules from sin, are the fruits of Gods free-grace; though selfe come short of the glory of God, [Page 20]yet free-grace makes perfection that justifies, this is the salvation of God, to justifie freely by his grace, Rom. 5.21. That as sinne hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reigne through righteous­nesse unto eternall life by Jesus Christ. Here sinne and selfe hath its reign, but it is to death: but all the parts of salvation is the work of Gods free-grace: grace reignes through righteousnesse in Jesus Christ. The righteousnesse of Christ to saved soules, or Christ made righteousness to such souls, what is it but the reign of Gods free-grace; that is, grace is supreame, the grace is all in the whole worke of salvation; this truth will be made more cleare in pro­ving the parts of this great worke the salvation of GODS free-grace.

But now consider that God layes this worke, the salvation of his free-grace sure, in the full satisfaction of his owne divine ju­stice, that so the saved of his grace might stand spotlesse before him to all eternity.

And herein is the mistery of salvation, that Gods justice is ful­ly satisfied, and yet that his grace in saving his people should be perfectly free: but both these doth plainly appeare in the salvati­on of God to his people; the work of his free grace.

Now the way of grace in God to satisfie Divine justice to the full, and yet to keepe it selfe entire free grace to all that are sa­ved, is this:

Namely, to chuse out, appoint, and to send Christ in the flesh (God-man) to satisfie the Divine justice of God for man, in whom the wisedome of God giveth full satisfaction to his owne Justice, and perfect salvation to his people all of free grace: In this glorious mistery, free grace in God is the fountaine, full sa­tisfaction to Divine Justice the way, but perfect salvation and rdemption to all his elect body in Christ the end.

I shall now come more particularly to the parts of this great worke of God, the salvation of his owne free grace.

And first of Gods electing grace.

That it is free grace in God which elects to salvation; that I shall first prove by the subjects of Gods salvation, which is fallen sinners, Ephes. 2.1. Dead in trespasses and sinnes. A lump of fin­ners dead in trespasses and sinnes, hath God to choose out as sub­jects for his love, vessels of honour, and heirs of glory. If grace in God make not the choise, surely the whole lump of fallen [Page 21]sinners would be left to remaine dead in sinnes and trespasses: but the Apostle in Rom. 9.18, 23. telleth us that God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy: That is, God is full of mercy: but he is free in it, his mercy lyes in his owne will, he chooseth his own vessels of mercy, That he might make knowne the riches of his owne glory. He chooseth where he pleaseth, that it might appeare he chooseth according to his owne will and pleasure; that is, that all his mercy and grace is free, and that the first worke, or part of the worke of salvation, his Election, is of and from his owne free grace: So Ephes. 1.4, 5. According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and with­out blame before him. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himselfe, according to the good pleasure of his will. That is, God chooseth from all eternity, such as he wil make his children, and heirs of glory by Christ, and this hee doth according to the good pleasure of his own will: all fell alike in the first Adam, nothing in one more then in another to move God to love, for all were dead in sinnes: but the whole work in God, is the worke of his grace, it is all begun and finished accor­ding to the good pleasure of his owne will, all is the worke of his free grace.

But secondly, whom God thus chooseth by his grace, he chooseth in Christ, Ephes. 1.4. According as hee hath choosen us in him (that is in Christ) so that all along grace is free in God, and the whole worke of salvation only of his free grace, Rom. 5.15. What ever is in Christ is the gift of grace: so that Christ being the way by which God workes satisfaction to his own justice, and salvation to his people, it is all of grace; the reign of life in Saints by Christ, is the reigne of grace in God to Saints through Christ, vers. 17. Shall reigne in life by one Christ. God in Christ doth reigne over soules in righteousnesse, as the God of life and salva­tion; it is God in Christ, a God of free grace.

But in the carrying on this worke of Gods grace, in the salva­tion of his people through Christ, it is needfull that Christ take flesh, according to that promise in Gen. 3.15. The seede of the woman shall bruise the head of the Serpent. And this is accomplished in the fulnesse of Gods time, Isa. 9.6. For unto us a childe is born, unto us a sonne is given. The childe which is borne, is the sonne which is given, Christ in the flesh; the sonne of God is the gift [Page 22]of his free grace, this child Jesus is the gift of Gods grace, [...] Covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles: To open the blinde eyes, to bring the prisoners from the prison, and them that fit in dark­nesse out of the prison-house, Isa. 42.6, 7. So that as grace giveth him, so his worke in the flesh, is that worke of grace in all the parts of it: Thus farre we have Saints in Christ, and Christ in the flesh, and the free grace of God in all.

This which followeth will appeare to be as purely grace in God as what hath gone before, though now God comes to have actuall and full satisfaction to his justice.

Now the elect are in Christ, and Christ for us in the flesh; now the holy law, and Divine Justice of God comes for fulfilling and satisfaction.

But to whom? why to Christ, so that when justice is fully sa­tisfied, yet that the whole of salvation might be a work of Gods free-grace.

Quest. But why should Justice come to Christ for satisfaction? had he sinned?

Answ. I answer, no: but in the great designe of Gods grace, to redeeme his people in Christ, Christ was willingly made sinne for us, and tooke our nature that hee might stand before Gods Justice in our roome as the sinner. The holy Ghost cleares this truth in that 2 Cor. 5. last. For hee hath made him to be sinne for us who knew no sinne. The verse before cleares up this (hee) in the Text to be meant of God. Be yee reconciled to God; for (hee) hath made him sinne: and this (him) in the Text must needes be meant of Christ, for it is said of this (him) that he knew no sinne; that is, he had no sin of his owne; he was that spotlesse lamb with­out sinne, so was never any in flesh, since the fall from innocency but Christ: so that the Scripture is plaine, That God made Christ is be sinne for his elect body; that is, not to be guilty of any finne in himselfe, but to be the surety, the debtor, and paymaster to the justice of God for all the sins past, present, & to come, of all his elect body, so that divine justice goes only to Christ for satisfacti­on, and in Christ divine justice hath full satisfaction, so that ju­stice and grace in God, are both pure in the salvation of sinners through Christ that is thus made sin for us. Here wee have Christ made both sinne and flesh by God, and now in the flesh wee shall sinde Christ making full satisfaction to the justice of God; for all [Page 23]those whom he is made sinne for; as Christ came in the flesh to take up the debt of sinne for his people, and to lye under the wa­ges of sinne, which is death; so in the flesh and in his death hee giveth such full satisfaction to Almighty God, that God doth acknowledge himselfe fully pleased in the travell of his soule, Isa. 53.11. Hee shall see of the travell of his soule, and shall be satisfied: That is, God doth behold that satisfaction which Christ hath made to his justice for the sinnes of his people, and in it doth acknowledge himselfe fully satisfied, and for ever well pleased with his Elect in him; that whole Chapter is a proving of Christ in the flesh, being made by God an offering for sinne, verse 10. to be wounded for the transgression of his people, and bruised for our ini­quities, having the chastisement of our peace put upon him, so that by his stripes we are healed, it having pleased the Lord to lay on him the iniquities of us all, 5, 6. verses.

So that here is not onely Christ in the flesh, but Christ made sinne for his people; that is, hath all the iniquities of his people layd on him by God, with all the wounds, bruises, and chastisements due to them; that is, all the punishment due to sinne from Gods justice; and this Christ undergoeth to the utmost, so that by his stripes we are heoled: that is, by his suffering and satisfaction, his Elect are in the justice of God, wholy acquitted and discharged, for God chose Christ to fatisfie his justice for sinne, and having laide the debt with all the weight of it upon him, and Christ having discharged this debt to the full, Gods justice cannot but discharge it where ever it was due; otherwise as one Text speaks, Christ had dyed in vaine, and the designe of Gods free grace to poore sioners could never be accomplished: So the Apostle in the 3. Gal. 13. telleth us, that Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us.

Christ as our suerty and publique Redeemer, tooke sinne with all its weight and curse upon himselfe, and what he hath taken from us, he hath fully delivered us from; so that in his satisfa­ction he doth fully acquit his elect body; the first debtor, from the whole debt and danger of sin, either in curse or punishment: And the Apostle Paul argueth out his tryumph in the 8. Rom. latter end, upon this very consideration, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect, it is God that justifieth, who is bee that condemneth; it is Christ that dyed, yea rather that is risen againe: [Page 24]As if the Apostle had saide; God doth justifie his elect body as he is a just God: For Christ hath dyed and is risen againe: That is, Christ is risen as the satisfier of Gods justice in his death, for had not Christs death satisfied Gods justice when as the sinnes, curse, and punishment of sinne, for all his Elect body was layd on him, he could never have risen again, but now his is risen, and risen as the justifier of his people, and the satisfier of Gods justice: Now if any shall charge the Elect of God with what Christ hath borne and satisfied for them; Even the justice of God, or the just God will acquit them, and if God acquit who can condemne, and therefore hee glorieth: So the same Apostle in the 4. Rom. 25 speaking of Christ as being risen from the dead, sayes thus, Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised againe for our justifica­tion: That is, it was the sinnes of his Elect that crucifyed him, and it is the justification of his Elect for whom he dyed, that he is risen; and as nothing could have crucified him but our sins, so now nothing can condemne those for whom he dyed, he being risen, his resurrection pleades to all justice, satisfaction in his death: And Christ was therefore delivered up to death for our offences, that in his resurrection we might be justified from all offences, Gods great aime and designe of grace: Run thorough the former to the latter of these: Rom. 10.4. the holy Ghost telleth us there, That Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth: As if he had said, The beleeving soule shall finde that Christ hath fulfilled, and doth fully keepe the whole Law for him, and so is an end to it for righteousnesse; that is, Christ is now the soules righteousnesse not the Law; the Law is kept and fulfilled by Christ for a beleever, so that it can­not charge any soule in Christ to condemnation, but the righ­teousnesse and justification of the soule in the sight of God is Christ, not the Law; if any soule could keepe the whole Law in it selfe, the Law might have been for righteousnesse to that soule, but all having sinned and come short; now the Law is an accuser not a justifier, but Christ for his people, hee fully satisfies and keepes the Law; so that Christ is the righteousnesse of his people and an end to the Law for righteousnesse: This is a faithfull say­ing,1 Th [...]. X. 15:and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ came into the World to save sinners: 1 Tim. 1.15. It was the end of Gods giving Christ, and of Christ comming to save sinners from sinne, Law, death, [Page 25]Hell, and what ever would destroy them, and this end is effected, for Christ did not onely dye but is risen, did not onely take sin but hath satisfyed for sinne, and all this is the worke of grace, which appeares in this, it is the worke of God in Christ; the Apostle Paul doth acknowledge and confirme this truth in Rom. 3.24, Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. The Apostle here sayes it is redemption through Christ, but that doth not hinder our being justified by free grace in God; though God workes through Christ, yet it is all the worke of his free grace, it is through Christ, and Christ is through grace, there is not any tittle of redemption, or justifica­tion through selfe, it is all through Christ and by grace, which is no more but grace working through Christ; the great gift of Gods free grace, what ever God doth in Christ can no wayes de­minish his free grace, for Christ is the Mediator or middle per­son betweene God and Man; in whom God magnifies his grace to Man, and giveth to his people the riches and greatnesse of his love wherewith he loveth them through him: This indeed doth manifest the wisedome and justice of God to redeeme his people through Christ, but it no wayes lesseneth the freenesse of his grace, nay it makes it more glorious grace, for that justice is ful­ly satisfied, makes mercy the greater mercy, and the justified is nothing in himselfe all this while but a sinner; now that God should make Christ his way to satisfie his Divine justice by, and to save sinners; this must needes magnifie the grace of God, be­cause the saved and the justified are nothing in the worke them­selves, onely sinners and the worst of sinners, saved onely of grace by grace, it is grace in God and grace in Christ, the grace of God through Christ, that makes such as are dead in sins to be quick­ned together with Christ; and from this the holy Ghost telleth us, that (by grace wee are saved:) Ephes. 2.5. Christ came from Heaven to doe his Fathers will; that was, to save all which his Fa­ther had given him, not to loose any but to raise them up at the last day, John 6.38, 39. God chooseth Christ a body, John 6.38, 39 of which h [...] ma­keth him head and Saviour, and send him into the World that he might rederme his body by satisfying justice, so that he might save the whole, and raise them up at the last day at his redeemed body; and all this the worke of Gods free grace through Christ, for Christ doth acknowledge that his worke of redemp­tion [Page 26]was his Fathers will, and his word was to perfect the de­signe of his Fathers grace, that all God had given him might be redeemed through him, and justified by his Fathers grace; in the death of Christ God commendeth his love and grace to [...]e, Rom. 5.8. But God commendeth his love to us in that whilst wee were sinners Christ dyed for us: Marke it, the satisfaction that Christ gave to the justice of God for sinners, was so farre from being any diminution to Gods grace, that it is a commendation of it, or an exaltation and glory of it, for it exceedingly commends the glory of Gods love and grace, that Christ should dye be­cause we were sinners; there lyes the emminency of Gods love, it is Christ the gift of his grace dying for sinners, this makes all the worke grace, grace in God sends Christ to dye for sinners, whom otherwise must dye eternally in sinne; can there bee any thing but grace in this; in the Apostles account Christs dying for us when when we were sinners, doth much demonstrate the love and grace of God, and surely so it doth. Thus doth God save his people by grace, and satisfie his justice in Christ: Now Christ having satisfied his Fathers justice, fulfilled and kept the Law to the utmost for all his elect body, he bringeth them to the throne of his fathers justice, as well as the throne of his grace, and there God as a just God doth justifie head and members, Col. 2.9, 10. For in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the God-head bodily: And yet are compleate in him. As if God should say, Christ hath satisfied my justice as God, Man, and though my justice were the justice of a God; yet him in whom the fulnesse of the God head dwelleth bodily, hath fully satisfied it, and all his members are compleate in him, I have received full satisfaction for them in him, and in him doe sully acquit and discharge them of all guilt and unrighteousnesse, before me to all eternity, for yee are compleate in him: That i [...], compleate in his compleatnesse, For he was made sinne for you which knew no sinne, 2 Cor. 5. last.that you might be made the righteousnesse of God in him. Marke it, the end of Christ being made sinne was, that in him his elect body might bee made the righteousnesse of God; that is, that Christ might bee our righteousnesse as the gift of God, so that Christ being our righteousnesse wee might bee righteous in the righteousnesse of God, and so compleate in him, namely Christ, as Christ is the righteousnesse of God to his peo­ple. So are they all compleate in him; and in this the righteous­nesse [Page 27]of God, Saints are justified at the throne of Gods justice, and taken up into his bosome of grace, for in union with Christ there can be no condemnation, Rom. 8. Thus doth free grace in God accomplish and finish its worke of salvation for all his elect through Christ, God doth this worke in Christ that it might be all free grace, and that he might take off all boasting in the creature by the Law of faith, Rom. 3.27. whom hee chooseth from all eternity to be heires of glory; hee chooseth them in Christ, Ephes. 1.4. whom he calleth out of nature into his grace he calleth in Christ, Rom. 8. latter end: Such as he redeemeth he redeemeth through Christ, and makes him to bee redemption to them: 1 Cor. 1.30. Rom. 3.24. Them which God justifies and makes righteous, he justifieth and maketh righteous in Christ, Rom. 4.25. 1 Cor. 1.30. Rom. 10.3, 4. Rom. 4.25. Gal. 5.4. So Christ he is made sanctification to his people, 1 Cor. 1.30. Rom. 1 Cor. 1.30. Rom. 8.10. 8.10. And when Saints are taken up into their fulnesse of glory, then they reape the fulnesse of their union with Christ, John 17. latter end, John 14.19. Rom. 8.17. So that this whole salva­tion is the worke and gift, of Gods free grace wrought in Christ.

Now that it might be free grace in God, and onely free grace, which begins, carries on, and perfects this worke of Salvation in all the parts and degrees of it; this is the will of God, That the hand which taketh, receiveth, applyeth, and oppropriateth thi [...] free gift of Gods grace to the soules of his Elect body, should bee the hand fo saith; so that as it reignes in the soules of beleevers, Rom. 3, 24, 37. 1 John 3.23. it might appeare to be of grace and not of workes, Rom. 3. [...] [...] 27. 1 John. 3.23, And this is his Commandement, that [...] should beleeve on the name of his Sonne Jesus Christ: The will of God appeares in his Commandement, and that is to beleeve in the name of his Sonne Jesus Christ, to beleeve in Jesus as a Saviour and a Redeemer, to save and redeeme his people from their sins: Matthew 1.21. And she shall bring forth a Sonne, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for hee shall save his people from their sinnes. This is to beleeve in the name of Jesus, to beleeve in Jesus, as the Saviour of his people from their sinnes; this is the will and comman­dement of God; in this sense in Scripture, Rom. 3.1. we are often said to be justified by faith, Rom. 5.1. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: That is, not [Page 26] [...] [Page 27] [...] [Page 28]by faith as a meritorious grace to merit justification, for then it were of works which would destroy the nature of faith, and the designe of Gods free grace, but by faith as an appropriating and applying hand to lay hold on the salvation of Gods free grace through Christ, in beleeving of Gods Word and worke of Salva­tion, by his free grace through Christ, so as to cast the salvation of our eternall soules, Rom. 5.1. upon Gods free grace, in the satisfaction and redemption of Christ; therefore Justified by faith, wee have [...] with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: That is, by faith laying hold on Jesus Christ as our Lord Jesus Christ, so the soule comes to be at peace with God, and to finde God to be reconciled to it, and is thus justified in its owne bosome by beleeving in Christ, that is, the soule doth now beleeve all that God hath said con­cerning Christ, and what Christ hath done and suffered for fin­ners, 2 Cor. 5. last. and doth by faith apply, and appropriate this to it selfe, my Lord Jesus Christ, saith a beleeving soule, whom God made to his sinne for mee, Isa. 53.that I might be the righteousnesse of God in him, upon whom God hath layd all my iniquities, and the chastisements due to my sinnes, Col. 2.19.and by whose stripes my soule is bealed; So that now I stand compleate before God in him: Thus by beleeving and appropriating Christ to our owne soules, wee come to be justified in our owne spirits, and to be at peace with God, in beleeving God to bee as peace with us, we come to be at peace with him; that is, all hard thoughts of God they are gone with unbeliefe, now the soule beleeveth in God through Christ, it findeth God to be a gracious loving, reconciled Father, and is now at peace with God, or at peace in God, full of peace by beleeving in God through Christ, this is the justification that faith giveth the soule, it lives upon the peace of God in Jesus Christ, and quiets the soule in this, that God is at peace with it through Jesus Christ, and in this sense through the whole Booke of God, wee must understand those Scriptures wherein it is said we are justified by faith, Gal. 2.16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the workes of the Law, Gal. 2.16.but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even wee have beleeved in Jesus Christ: That is, knowing that God doth justifie all through Christ by his free grace in beleeving, and not any by workes; we doe be­leeve in his free grace through Christ, and are thereby justified, not of workes; no, not by faith as a grace, for then by workes, but of his grace through Christ, laid hold on and apply by faith; [Page 29]the Apostle Paul in Rom. 3.22. Even the righteousnesse of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all that beleeve, the righteous­nesse of God is the grace of God in Christ, or the grace of God making Christ our righteousnesse, which righteousnesse of God by Jesus Christ we apply to our selves by beleeving in the grace of God which hath made Christ our righteousnesse, and in Christ as hee is made righteousnesse to us, righteousnesse is the gift of grace, but if faith as an act in us could justifie us, then righteousnesse and justification would not be of grace, but as faith is onely a hand to lay hold on Christ the righteousnesse of Gods free grace, and this faith the gift of God, not of our selves, Ephes. 2.8. So it hath its place and worke in the great designe of God, the Salva­tion of his free grace: So in Rom. 10.4. For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth. Rom. 10.4. The holy Ghost doth not there say, that by beleeving which is a worke of grace in the soule, the soule doth put an end to the Law; that is, sa­tisfie it, and make it selfe righteous; no, for then righteousnesse would be of the Law, but Christ he hath put an end to the Law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth; that is, by beleeving in Christ as our righteousnesse, there is an end put to the Law, the Law is no righteousnesse, but Christ is righteousnesse, and the fulfiller of the Law for all that thus beleeve on him; faith is on­ly the hand to lay hold of, and to appropriate and apply Christ to the soule whom is Gods righteousnesse, and the sulfiller of this Law for all that so beleeve on him: Beleevers should be ex­ceeding tender of preserving the glory of Gods grace, for it is by grace that wee are saved, and onely of grace that we are what we are; and for this very cause was faith made the hand to lay hold on grace; grace in God hath not made a hand to destroy it selfe, we must be very watchfull in this thing, and make the grace of God to bee the tryall of faith, for that faith cannot bee true which doth not advance the free grace of God; the highest pitch of faith in which it is very glorious, is to apply the grace of God to the soule, and to cast the soule upon the free grace of God, to unselfe the creature, to trample its best workes under feet as drosse and dung, and resting full in the grace of God through Christ, desiring onely to be found in him, Not having our owne righteous­nesse which is of the Law;Phil. 3.8, 9.but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousnesse which is of God by faith, Phil. 3.8, 9. True [Page 30]faith, it lifts up free grace in God, by seeking his righteousnesse by faith; it aimes no higher but to be a hand to receive the gift of grace (Gods righteousnesse, the Lord Jesus Christ.)

The true worke of faith in the soule is to bring in Christ, and cast out the Law as that Schoole-Master which keep [...] the soule under feares till Christ came, and to acquaint the soule that it is a Childe of God through Christ Jesus, Gal. 3.25, 26. John 6.40, 47 Gal. 3.25, 26. and that in Christ it hath everlasting life, John 6.40.47. Thus beleeving in Christ the soule is strengthened in the inward man, Christ dwelling in the heart by faith, Eph. 3.16, 17. Ephes. 3.16, 17. and establishing the soule in its union with Christ, that soule which beleeveth in Christ as the gift of Gods free grace, in whom God giveth eter­nall life, 1 John 5.10, 11. hath the witnesse in himselfe; 1 John. 5.10, 11. Hee is sealed up to the love of God, in beleeving the record of God, that saith he loveth it freely and hath given Christ for it, now the soule beleeves this word of God, and rests upon it, take Gods word for its eternall salvation; this is the true office of faith in the foule to lay hold of the Salvation of Gods free grace in Christ, declared by his word, and to apply and appropriate [...] to it selfe, so as to rest and depend wholy upon it for Saivation, and herein the soule comes to have the witnesse within its selfe, by beleeving thus on the Sonne of God: That it might appear [...] to be the will of God, that all which are saved of his free grace by Christ, should be made partakers of this Salvation in themselves by beleeving in him, and the salvation of his grace. I shall of at two things to consideration:

First, The Covenant of Gods free grace.

And secondly, The promulgation and spreading abroad of the Gospell.

First, Gods Covenant of free grace in Jer. 31.31, 32, 33, 34. and Heb. 8.8, 9, 10, 11, 12. In which God doth freely ingage him­selfe, To be our God, and that wee shall be his people, to put his Low in our inward parts, and write it in our hearts, that all his people shall know him from the least to the greatest, and that hee will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sinnes no more: In this Covenant God wraps up all the parts of the salvation of his free grace, and doth fully oblige himselfe to them all: Now what is the reason that God doth thus oblige himselfe by Covenant, is it because of himselfe, that he might not goe back from his designe of grace to his people?

No, he is God that changes not, an immutable God, Numb. Num. 23.19. Psal. 90.2. 23.19. God from everlasting to everlasting, Psal. 90.2. But God makes this Covenant for our sake, that we might beleeve in him as a God of grace, and a faithfull God; the holy Ghost argues thus, he telleth us that a faithfull man will keepe his Covenant, much more God; as if hee had said, The faithfull God hath made his Covenant of grace, that you might beleeve he will make good his Covenant, as he is a faithfull God; God obligeth his owne faithfulnesse in a Covenant of grace, that his people might have both his grace and his faithfulnesse for a foundation of their faith, God will be beleeved by his people, and therefore hee in­gageth himselfe as a faithfull gracious God: to the faith of his people, sayes God, I will pardon your sinnes and remember them no more, I will put my Law in your hearts, the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; beleeve all this, for I will doe it saith God, I the faithfull, the gracious and omnipotent God; I that am omnipotent, who can hinder me, I that am gracious, so that your sinnes can be no barre; nay, I that am faithfull and cannot lye nor repent, I have spoken it and I will make it good, what is the meaning of all this? but that we should beleeve the faith­full word of our faithfull and gracious God; he will oblige his owne faithfulnesse by way of Covenant, that wee might beleeve in the free salvation of his owne grace made out in that Cove­nant.

Secondly, Consider what is Gods end in the promulgation, and spreading abroad of the Gospell.

It is not that his people should beleeve in the salvation of his owne grace, why is Christ pleased to be the way of Gods salva­tion to his people of his owne free grace, so that whom ever be­leeveth thus on him, hath everlasting life, John 6.47. But that they might beleeve and bee saved by him, 29. verse, This is the worke of God that yee beleeve on him that hee hath sent: This is the end of the Gospell, for it is the effect of it, where it workes sa­vingly, this is Gods worke, or the worke of his spirit in the Gospell, to make soules beleeve in Jesus Christ whom hee hath sent; when Christ sent forth his Disciples to preach the Gos­pell, he directs them to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel, and biddeth them to Preach this, Mat. 10.6, 7. that the Kingdome of Heaven was at [Page 32]hand,Mat. 10.6, 7.Matth. 10.6, 7. That is, goe to poore lost soules in them­selves, and tell them that the Salvation of Gods free grace i [...] at hand, it is neere to them, it seekes them, and saveth them freely; but what is the end of this, onely that the history of Christ might come to these lost soules; no sure, that is not enough for lost sheepe, but that they might beleeve in the salvation of Gods free grace and bee saved, and for this end hath God preserved his Gospell in the World, and made it to prosper, against all the power and malice of Satan and his instruments, that thereby his people might heare the glad tydings of salvation by free grace in Christ, and in the beleeving of it be saved and established, John 6.40. This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which s [...]tt [...] the Sonne and beleeveth on him may have everlasting life: It is not onely a bare hearing or seeing of Christ in the flesh, but beleeving on him, that makes Christ to bee everlasting life to the soule; and this is the end of God in the Gospell, that soules might haw everlasting life, through beleeving in Christ; it is faith in the soules of his people that God intends both by giving the Gospel to the World, and preserving it in the World: So that for these two reasons, which might have bin exceedingly more inlarged, is doth appeare, That this is the will of God in keeping his salva­tion to bee wholy the worke of his grece; that the hand which received and applyeth it should be a hand of faith, which is the worke of his owne free grace in the soule.

Thus farre I have held forth matter for faith in the soules of beleevers to rest on for establishment in the poynt of salvation, by shewing, in some of Gods Attributes what hee is in himselfe, and what the designe of his free grace is, in the salvation of sin­ners.

My intention is to hold out more matter for faith to take in, before I give the arguments for Faith, or motives to Faith.

Now I finde this by my selfe, and others; that feares and doubtings in the soule, next to its owne salvation, is about the Church and people of God on earth, how it will fare with them, and therefore I shall in the next place take that into con­sideration.

You shall heare poore soules that love Christ and his people, b [...]t are weake in faith, make these sad complaints; O the poore Church and people of Christ, what will become of them; the [Page 33]multitudes of the World they hate them, so that they use all their power and policy to ruine and destroy them; Princes off the Earth joyne themselves together and take counsell against them, if any in power own them, it is but a little number, and they but for a little time, we finde them men subject to temptations, many times when as by faire promises and some sinall beginnings men in power beget a confidence in Gods people concerning them, till fairer advantages are offered by Satan in a temptation to their flesh, and then they prove false to former promises and undoe all their beginnings of good, by setting open the Flood-gates of evill and tyranny upon the Church and people of God; Satan sheweth them the World, they are taken with the tempta­tion, fall downe and worship him; and if Gods people will not doe so too, then the furnace must bee hear seaven times hotter then before; and if they desire to go into the Wildernesse to wor­ship the Lord their God, then they are idle, the Task-masters must increase their worke; so that truly sayes this poore bleed­ing heart, if a man have any thing more then a naked profession of Religion, in such a forme that will be turned by every blaft of power from men, he is then taken for a Sectary, an Heritique, and an enemy to Caesar; So that not onely the ignorant multi­tude, but even Authority it selfe, which should protect them, is set against them: Now helpe Lord, sayes these afflicted Spirits, Psal. 12. good and goodly men they cease, for the faithfull fall among the children of men: They speake vanity every one with his neighbour; with flatter­ing lips and with a double heart doe they speake: So that all world­ly men, who are much the greater number, are either open or private enemies to the Church and people of God; therefore words are but the fleshly policy of their false hearts, the mischiefe lyes at the root; so that what ever the Serpent brew'd, prove [...], their businesle is to bruise the heele of the Woman, Christ in his Church and people; So that indeede, the condition of Gods Church and people in the World is very sadd, they are a Lilly amongst Thornes, enemyes either open or private round about them.

Is it so poore heart? Why then looke up with an eye of faith, are all men false, yet God is true; will not the powers on earth bea kinde to Zion, doe they neglect their duty to protect the praise-worthy; Yet feare not, God will he kinds and faithfull [Page 34]too, he is Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, all the powers is Heaven and Earth must obey him, for thy incouragement, and matter for thy faith to build on to the establishments of thy [...] ­rit, take into thy bosome, and seriously consider what fol­lowes.

First, Isa. 43.1. confider Gods interest in his people; Isa. 43.1. [...] now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and hee that [...] ­med thee O Israel; feare not, for I have redeemed thee, I have [...] ­led thee by my Name, thou art mine. Observe the end of God is this Scripture is to keepe up his peoples hearts above feare, and the way God taketh is this, to let them know his interests is them; why sayes God, I have not onely created thes, but I have redeemed thee also, thou hast not onely my first but also my se­cond creation upon thee, the new creature; thou are my re­deemed one, my image, so that thou bearest my name, thy [...] myee looke upon thee as the redeemed of the Lord, thou beare [...] my Name, and thou art mine, my interest, thou art Jacob my ser­vant,Isa. 44. [...].and Israel whom I have chosen: Marke the Scriptures, Th [...] art my chosen interest, my redeemed interest, my new crea [...] interest, my servant whom I have chosen to beare my names the [...] are thou mine, Now why shouldest thou feare? Doest thou think I will let my name be blotted out? I am God not Men, I cannot Iyes I cannot hee changable; if I choose thee to love thee, to make thee my redeemed one, upon whom I will ingrave my Nature, as a holy God in the new creature, and so proclaim thee to the World to be mine; I will never cast thee off againe, nor out of my love and care; thou art mine, and I am thine, my love thine, I am thine as I am a God of free grace in Christ, I am thine, my power is thine; that is, it is all for thee, as I am [...] Omnipotent, Almighty, alsufficient, and Eternall God, so [...] I thy God, therefore feare not; none can pluck the [...] out of my hande: Z [...]h. 2.12. Gods Church and people are his inheritance, Zach. 2.12. And the Lord shall inherite Judah his portion in the holy L [...] Gods people are his inheritance in that Land where they are, God so accounte of them, that is, though Heaven and Earth be the Lorde, yes he counts his people his inheritance, that which he most loves and priseth; so that hee will never cast them off nor destroy them: God useth these tearmes mee [...]ely to speake [...]o our capacity, that he might tell us we are to him, that which [...] [Page 35]count most deare to us, so as never to part with them, but to use our utmost power to preserve and keepe them, as our Name, and our Inheritance, we are exceeding tender of these, and doe our utmost to preserve them; so sayes God, my Church and people are to mee exceeding deare, as tender as the apple of my eye, all my power shall preserve them, they are my Name and my Heritage; nay the Church and people of God is Gods habi­tation and his dwelling place, not as a confined God, but as a glo­rious God and loving Father, Ezekiel 37.26, 27, 28. Ezek. 37.26, 27, 28. God Co­venants to set his Sanctuary and his Tabernacle in the midst of his people for evermore: That is, I will dwell amongst you for ever, you shall be my delight, and my habitation for evermore. I will walke among you, sayes God, and will be your God, and you shall bee my people, Levit. 26.12. I am your God you are my interest, Lev. 26.12. I will live in you and walke amongst you, as in my Heritage, and the people which I have chosen to beare my Name; so the Apo­stle Paul writing to the Church of God at Corinth, 2 Cor. 6.16. 2 Cor. 6.16. telleth them that they are the Temple of the living God, the people whom God had chosen to dwell in, and to walke in them as their God, and they as his people: Wee see then this is the Churches interest in God, they are his people whom he ownes for his, dwelleth in them, sets his Sanctuary and his Tabernacle in the midst of them, walkes with them, puts his Name upon them, makes them his owne Inheritance, and is as tender of them as of the apple of his eye; and this God declares to his Church and people that they should not feare, for hee hath power enough to preserve his owne interest, and love enough to answer all their wants; Gods people they are the sheep of his pasture, Psalm. 100. Psal. 100. Hee feedes and keepes them, as his owne peculier interest, the children of Zion finde bread enough in their Fathera house, Psalm. 134. last. Psal. 134. last. The Lord that made Heaven and Eerth blesse thee out of Zion: As if the Psalmist had sayd, God as a God of blessngs dwelleth in Zion, that is his heritage, his throne where he sits and blesseth; So in the 146 Psalm. last. The Lord that reignes for ever, Psal. 146. last.even the God of Zion: and the 147 Psalm. 12. Praise thy God O Zion: Psal. 147.12. The Lord is for ever thy God: O Zion, therefore praise him; this i [...] Gods interest, he is the God of Zion, and so he re [...]gties forever, there he wraps up the glory of [...] grace, and there he right in his power and greatnesse for over: This doubtlesse is ground of [Page 36]great establishment to our souls concerning the Church and peo­ple of God though in the wildernesse, amongst ravenous beasts, and subtle foxes that seekes to destroy the tender vines; ye [...] eve [...] here they are Gods interest, his inheritance, his chosen and re­deemed ones, in whom he dwelleth, and amongst these golden Candlesticks he walkes, so that his Church and people are cer­tainly safe as they are thus his interest.

But as if this were not enough to our doubting unbelieving hearts, see how God hath engaged his faithfulnesse to his Church and people by way of Covenant, besides the first making of his Covenant of grace in the 31. Jer. 31. Hebr. 8. Isa. 59.20, 21. Jer. and Hebr. 8. Observe how hee followeth it, Isa. 59.20, 21. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turne from transgression in Jacob saith the Lord. As for me this is my Covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seede, nor out of the mouth of thy seedes seede, saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever. This is Gods Covenant of giving Christ and his Spirit to his Church and people, that so hee might preserve his interest in them for ever; he makes his Covenant in Christ, that it might be an everlasting Covenant, Fsahn 89.34, 35, 36. and that believers might plead his owne Covenant before him in Christ. So in Psalm 89.34, 35, 36. My Covenant will I not breake, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworne by my holinesse that I will not lye unto Da­vid. His seede shall endure for ever, and his Throne as the Sunne be­fore me. By David here is meant Christ; God makes a Cove­nant and an Oath in Christ, that his seede, his Elect, Gods Interest, his Church and people, shall endure and stand before him for ever: God makes his Covenant to strengthen faith in his Church and people, that we might argue thus, God is an infi­nite, pure, faithfull, and unchangeable God: so that what her covenants and sweares to, must certainly be, not one tittle of his word can faile, because he is a faithfull God, and his faith­fulnesse he hath freely engaged to his Church and people by Co­venant, for the establishment of their soules.

In the next place, consider Gods care of his Church and peo­ple, and his promises to them, in which he declares his interest in them. Isa. 43.2, 3. In Isa. 43.2, 3. When thou passest through the waters, I wil be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not everflow thee. [Page 37]When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, for I am the Lord thy God, the holy one of Israel, they Saviour.

Observe Gods care of his Church, they shall not goe without him: and then the effect of his presence, though they go through dangers, yet in Gods care and presence they shall be preserved from all danger and ruine: God preferveth them as his owne interest; though they goe through deep waters, even rivers, yet they shall not overflow them; God keepes their heads above wa­ter, he will not let his owne interest sincke; though they walk through the fire; yet God preserveth his interest from burning and consuming: This care over his Church and people God doth engage himselfe to by promise; thus God engageth his faithful­nesse, that he will preserve his owne interest in the World, his Church and faithfull people; both which, his interest, and his faithfulnesse are strong arguments to faith, and God maketh this use of them. Feare not (sayes God) I am with thee, vers. 5. So in the next Chapter, beg. Feare not O Jacob my servant, Isa. 44. beg.and Jesu­run whom I have chosen, for I will give you water when you thirst, and poure my Spirit upon your seede. And so goes on, making promises to his people and comforting them in their interest in him; I am your God, and your Redeemer, the holy one of Israel, besides me there is no God. If I say I will preserve you, none can hurt you, for besides me there is no God: I that am your God, am the only God, & I that am this will preserve you in all dangers as my owne interest, I will not leave you in fire or water; that is, not in any danger: so God speaks comfortably to Zion, in Isa. 51.3. He saith, Isa. 51.3. hee will comfort all her wast places, and hee will make her wildernesse like Eden, and her desart like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladnesse shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voyce of melody. God for his Churches comfort doth engage himself to make her fruit­full in her most bar [...]en places, and it shall be the fruit of joy and gladnesse: She shall be fruitfull as the garden of the Lord, and in the Spirit of the Lord, and the fruits of that Spirit shall be thankefulnesse and a voyce of melody to the Lord. Here is God still maintaining his owne interest in his people, in all his care o­ver his Church and people, & in his promises to them, therefore feare not, for the interest of God hath God for its interest. So in Ezek. 34.20. to the end; Ezek. 34.20. to the end. there God makes many a precious [Page 38]promise to his people, and expresseth much of his care over them, and what a defence he will be to them: Sayes God, I will be judg betweene Cattle and Cattle, I will save my owne flocke, they shall us more be a prey to those proud cattell which thrust with the side & shoul­der: But sayes God, I will set a shepheard over them, my servant D [...] ­vid (which is Christ) and he shall feede them, hee shall be their shap­heard, and I will be their God; yea, Christ shall be a Prince among them, I the Lord have spoken it. And I will make a Covenant of peace with the beasts of the field, so that they shall dwell safely in the wildernesse, and sleepe in the woods, and all about them shall be a blessing to them; Thus shall they know that I am with them, and that they are my people and the flocke of my pasture saith the Lord God.

Here is a bundle of promises, all full of mercies, goodnesse, care, and providence from God; what is the reason of all this? why sayes God, they are my people: My interest is in them, they are the sheepe of my pasture, therefore Christ shall be their sh [...]p­heard and their Prince, he shall take care of them, and rule over them with righteousnesse: Doe you thinke that I am carelesse of my people, my interest in the world, for I have given them a Prince of power and righteousnesse to rule over them, and to take care of them, even Jesus Christ, who shall feed them and pre­serve them as the sheepe of my pasture. Isa: 4.5, 6. So likewise in Isa. 4.5.6. God promises to be a defence about all the glory of Zion, to be to them as a pillar of cloud by day, and of fire by night; to be a tabernacle, a refuge, and a covering to them from heate and stormes. This is the fruits of the Kingdome of Christ, it was Gods care in making him King over his Church; that they might not only be gover­ned in righteousnesse, but also preserved by his power, and in him have a defence about all their glory, Hosea 14.4. God promi­seth to heale the backe-sliding of his people, and to love them freely. This is a precious promise indeed, that Gods free love will heale the backe slidings of his people; it is a signe he will keepe his interest in them, if he loveth them freely, and that free love doth san­ctifie them, and heale their back-slidings; nay God doth pro­mise to doe it, so the this people may plead his promise to them when they finde their owne wants. See what care God takes of his Church and people whom he loveth freely, Isai 27.3. Isa. 27.3. I the Lord doe keepe it, I will water it every moment lest any hurt it, I will keepe it day and night. See what care God take [...] of his Vineyard, [Page 39]to keepe it day and night, so that none can hurt it, and to wa­ter it every moment, that it may be very fruitfull in the spirit: God will make his Vinyard holy, it is his owne, he will mani­fest his interest in making it like him, and then hee will preserve it as his owne, never leave nor forsake them, keepe them day and night safe in his free love and protection, so that not any shall have power to hurt them. Wicked men, though very indu­strious, cannot be so watchfull to harme the people of God, as God is to keepe them from harm; he is a God that neither slum­bers nor sleeps, he takes care of his people day and night, yea, every moment; there is no feare that he will loose his interest for want of care, nor can he loose them for want of power, for he is an infinite omnipotent God, and there is no God besides him, therefore care and power in God is sure defence to all his peoples glory, who are his interest, Isa. 30.18. The Lord waites to be gra­clous to his people. As if he had said, God stayes for opportunities to doe his people good in, his heart and hand is full of mercies, and hee waites to shew forth the riches of his grace to them: God there exalts himselfe to shew mercy to his people: And the Pro­phet David makes this ground to exhort Princes to give glory to God, by reason of his power and protection to his people, in Ps. Psalm 29.10.11. 29.10, 11. The Lord sitteth upon the flood (saith he) yea, the Lord set­teth King for ever, the Lord will give strength to his people, the Lord will blesse his people with peace. It is the Lord that is King, it is he that reignes, and only can blesse with peace: and whom will he thus blesse, why, his people, his inheritance in the world, there­fore Princes and earthly powers commit folly to thinke they can curse where he will blesse; for the Lord sitteth King for ever, and all earthly powers are made by him, and for to be his fo [...]tstoole, so that hee can kicke them downe when he pleaseth: and if they meddle with his annointed chosen heritage, hee will reprove Kings for their sakes; That is, as they are his foote-stool, so hee will trample them to dust, if they touch the apple of his eye, God will preserve his interest, his people, when as he shall turne the world to its first lump of darknesse, and were it not for this his interest that is in the world, the world would soon have a pe­riod. And in Psal. 112.6. Psalus 112.6. Surely (sayes David) a good man hee shall not be moved for ever, the righteous shall be had in everlasting remem­brance. It is the righteous man that is Gods interest, whom he hath [Page 40]in everlasting remembrance of mercy. Psalm 125.1. So in Psalm 125.1. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abideth for ever. Mount Zion, that is, the Church and people of God, which is Gods interest, it cannot be moved; this moun­taine can never be overturned, it is fixed in God, hee takes care of it as that whereon he hath placed his Name, to abide for ever. So in Psal. 133. last. Ʋpon the mountaines of Zion, there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. Zion is the place where God commands his blessings & life for evermore to dwell; God dwels in Zion as a God of blessings, & the life of his Church and people for evermore, Psalm 147.2, 3. Psalm 147.2, 3. The Lord doth build up Jerusalem, he gathereth together the out-casts of Israel. Hee healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. This is Gods care over his inheritance in the World, his chosen people, hee buildeth them up, and gathereth them together, hee healeth the broken-hearted, and bindeth up the wounded; that is, he ma­keth them what they are, and supplyeth all their wants, he makes them his people, and takes care of them as his people: and upon this his interest hee doth expostulate the case with his people, how they should thinke that he should forget them, Isa. 49.14, 15, 16. But Zion saith the Lord, hath forsaken mee, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Why sayes God, can my people argue this thing with me? Can a mother forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the sonne of her wombe? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold I have graven thee upon the palmes of my hands, thy walls are continually before me. Mark it, God puts the case as home as possible creature-affections could carry it; can a tender mother forget the sonne of her womb, and the child of her breast? yea it is possible, for she is a creature: but what then, I am God, I will not forget my people; why sayes God, you are my people, my interest, I cannot forget you, I have gra­ven you upon the palmes of my hands: you are continually before me, you are engraven in my hands, and my heart too, my eternall love hath done it, and eternity cannot wipe it out; you are e­ver before me as my interest, I can never forget you, my thoughts are ever upon you for good, and my care is ever over you for protection; my right hand is over you, and my left hand is under you, my loving kindnesse doth embrace you for ever, you are the jewels I have chosen to glorifie my free grace on to all eterni­ty; [Page 41]you perhappes have found man false, what i [...] that to me; though they seek to serve their corrupt ends on you, yet my end is pure, to preserve my glory in you as my interest, you must not judge me by men, the World is their interest, but you are mine: And when they sleight and trample you under foote to close with the World, then wil I sleight and trample them under soot in the preservation of you that are my peculiar interest, I will not give up my people whilst I keep my being; and I am God from everlasting to everlasting, and there is no God besides me: I will keep my people as my being, for it is the designe of my eternall love and free grace that my people shall have their being in me and with me for ever, you are graven upon the palmes of my hands for evermore; you are my people in Co­venant, the elect and chosen of my grace, to be my inheritance and dwelling place for ever, I cannot forget you, you are ever before me, you lye in the wounds of my Sonne Jesus Christ, and you are righteous in my owne righteousnesse; so that to forget you, were to forget my selfe and Jesus Christ; I am a full trea­sury of mercy and grace, and you are the onely vessels whom I have chosen to fill with my mercy and grace to all eternity, think you that I can forget you, as you are my inheritance; so I have made my selfe your inheritance, Rom. 8.17. and you are fellow heyres with Christ, is it possible I can forget you to whom I have given my selfe for an inheritance; no, I have you in remembrance as my beloved ones for ever, my owne grace hath begotten you, my heart of love is to you, and my outstretched arme of power and Majesty is for you, you shall knowe I have not forgotten you.

I, and so shall your enemies too, they shall know that you are my interest, and my care is over you as my chosen Inheritance, whom I will preserve; in the utter ruine and destruction of your enemyes. Bloody hard-hearted Pharoah and all his Host overthrowne in the Red Sea, doth proclaym [...] this to the World; so those that cast the three emminent Children of God into the fiery Furnace, they were consumed with the blast of the Furnace, when the Saints of God walked harmelesse in the fire; in the 33 Isa. beginning, Isa. 33. beg. there is a w [...] pronounced against those that made waste and spoils of Gods people, and dealt trea­cherously with them; the righteous God will be sure to spoyle [Page 42]all treacherous wretches which deale treacherously with his peo­ple: I, sayes God, doe you thinke that I have forgotten my people, and that you shall prosper in your treachery? Surely to, I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion, Psal. 2. and hee shall breake the enemies of my Inheritance, my Church and people, with an Iron Rod, he shall dash them in pieces like a porters ves­sell: Observe the Scripture, it is the power of Christ that is the defence of his Church, and the ruining of their enemies, and he doth it with an Iron Rod; Christ reignes over them in his in­dignation, he dasheth them in pieces very easily, as a Potter doth a brickle piece of clay, and when they are thus broken they are quite destroyed, never to be made whole againe, no more th [...]n a broken Pot; the enemies of Christ and his people, they rage, take counsell together, and set themselves against the Lord Christ and his annoynted people, but the Lord he fitteth in Heaven and laugheth them to scorne; what sayes God, you thinke to bring your ends about, and your designes to passe, you thinke your counsels very deepe they cannot be found out, and your power so great that it cannot be shaken; and nothing will satisfie your lusts but to destroy my interest from off the face of the Earth; I tell you sayes God, you imagine a vaine thing, and you are all this while inventing your owne ruines, you ingage your selves to certaine destruction when you set your selves against my people, be you what you will, Kings or Counsels, you shall surely be crushed to pieces in the undermining my interest, it is your folly to looke upon them in themselves, so they seeme a poore despisa­ble people which doth harden your hearts, but did you see them as they are in me, my interest, you would then see your folly; what are you, or all the Nations of the Earth to me, no more then the drop of a bucket, or the small dust of the ballance, I will speake to you in my wrath, and vexe you in my sore displeasure, if once you touch my people the apple of myne eye; therefore sayes he, be wise O yee Kings, and be instructed you Judges of the Earth, you that make Lawes, and you that rule and reigne, take heed, be wise, meddle not with my Inheritance, I am onely King and Law-maker there, i [...] will be your wisedome to kisse the Sonne, and to serve him with feare and trembling; but if you intrench upon his Kingdome and offend one of his little ones, I assure you he will be angry, he is zealous over them and his owne glory, he [Page 43]will have no sharere in his Kingdome, nor will he suffer any to rend his Flock, but he will be angry, and then O Kings and Counsellors, you shall all perish from the way, you shall never bring your designes to effect, God will bring his designe to per­fection, which is your ruine and your end, when Christ is in­trenched upon in his glory and his jewells, then is his wrath kindled very hot, and then he shewes himselfe what he is in his victory over his enemies; in the 63. of Isa. Then he commeth from Edom with dyed garments, stained all over in the blood of his enemies, this is the day of his vengeance, now he treads downe his ene­mies in his anger, makes them drunke in his fury, and brings downe their strength to the earth, thus doth Christ destroy the enemies of his people, For he hath an interest in them as God hath: in this 2 Psalme 6. Christ is King of his Church, Psal. 2. Isa. 9.6. Cant. 4.8, 1. Reve. 19.7. Eph. 1.22, 23. Mat. 12.49, 50 the govern­ment is upon his shoulder, Isaiah 9.6. The Church is Christe Spouse, Cant. 4.8. his Love, 1. Shee is the Lambes Wife, Rev. 19.7. The body of which Christ is the head, Ephes. 1.22, 23. And Christ owneth his Saints and people to be his Brethren, and Sisters, Mat. 12.49, 50.

Now what doe all these relations speake, but union with Christ: Cant. 2.16. My beloved is mine and I am his, Cant. 2, 16. and Christs interest in his people, which he will preserve as his glory and delight; he will not spoyle his Kingdome, nor suffer others to doe it, he rules in the middest of his Kingdome, in the hearts of his people with a golden Septre, even his owne spirit, he binds them to his commands by his words of love, and he protecte them from ruining by their enemies with his Rod of Iron, he will be sure to preserve his Kingdome at his glory, this his glory he will not give to another; and his Spouse he will keep as his delight, she is the Wife of his bosome, his love, his faire one, one whom he hath made faire by his love, and lovely in his loveli­nesse, compleate in him, he hath washed her cleane in his owne blood, and hath made it life blood to her, so that she liveth to the glory of his grace, that streames in his blood; Christ hath made his Church so cleane in his blood, that it becomes his owne body, and he the head of it; Christ having purified a body for himselfe, will never be a head without a body; for he is [...] head as can both purifie and preserve his body; yea, he is such a head as is sensible of the sufferings of his body, as Christ hath [Page 44]taken his people into all the relations of love, so they shall surely finde the fulnesse of his love in all those relations; Christ will be a King of love to his Kingdome, a Husband of love to his Spouse, a loving head to his body; and all his Brethren and Si­sters shall finde him a Brother of love; Nay he is a loving Re­deemer, so full of love that he became sinne for us to make us righteous, so full of love that he would beare all the stripes due to our sinnes, so that we might be healed in his stripes: What doe you argue from hence?

Why that he will never cease to love his people, nor will he ever lose his interest in them, or be failing of his love in any re­lation to them: he will certainely preserve them alive for whom he hath dyed, to give live: Because I live, sayes Christ, you live also, John 14.19.John 14.19. You are my body I am your head, I have life in my selfe and give life to my body; for I cannot be a head to a dead body, what life is in me is your life, for that is your interest in me, and this is my glory and the glory of my Fathers grace through me, That whom ever beleeveth in mee hath everlasting life, John 6.47. John 6.47. John 14.1. Now sayes Christ, let not your hearts bee troubled, you beleeve in God, beleeve also in mee, John 14.1. Beleeve in God through me, I have an interest in you as God hath, and I will be very tender of it, for I dyed to purchase it, and I live to main­taine and preserve it, and assure your selves as certaine as I live you live, I live that in me you might have eternall life, and that God in me may fulfill all those promises which he hath made unto you of my peacefull Kingdome, and of the righteousnesse of my reigne in you and over you; therefore consider them, they are Gods promises made in me, not one tittle of them shall faile, they are your portion, your peculiar interest; take them and live upon God in them, for he will make them all good in me; you are Gods interest and mine, and these are your interest in God through me, Feare not little flock it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdome, the Kingdome of grace and of glory, of righteousnesse and peace, where none shall be able to disturbe or distroy you.

I intend here to gather up some Scriptures together which holdeth forth this righteous and peacefull, Kingdome of Christ in the Earth.

A [...] first, Jer. 23.5, 6. Jer. 23.5, 6. Behold, the day is come saith the Lord, that [Page 45]I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a King shall reigne and prosper, and shall execute judgement and justice in the Earth.

In his dayes Judah shall bee saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, and this is his Name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OƲR RIGHTEOƲSNESSE.

This is a promise of the righteous and peaceable Kingdome of Christ, this righteous branch and King in the Text is meant of Christ, for this is his Name, The Lord our Righteousnesse, which is Christ, whom is a God made righteousnesse to us; now behold Christ our King and righteousnesse, his day is come saith the Lord, when he shall reigne in righteousnesse amongst his people, and shall execute judgement and justice in the Earth, and in his dayes Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely, it shall be a Kingdome of peace and safety, for the Lord our righteousnesse shall reigne; a righteous reigne must needs produce a peacefull Kingdome, therefore Christ the righteous is called the Prince of peace, when he shall execute his judgement then will justice be done in the Earth; then Judah shall be saved from the hands of the spoyler, and Israel shall be kept in safety: I, this will make a Kingdome of peace indeed, and this is the peace that Christ our righteousnesse will bring in the dayes of his glorious reigne a­mongst his people in the Earth; so in the 11. of Isaiah, Isa. 11.1. to the 10. from the 1. to the 10. verse: There is a Prophesie of the peaceable Kingdome, of the Branch out of the Root of Jesse, which branch is Christ; it is said the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, and it shall be a spirit of Counsell, and might, and knowledge, and the feare of the Lord; so that he shall judge the poore with righ­teousnesse, and reprove with equity, for the meek of the Earth: That righteousnesse shall be his girdle, and faithfulnesse the gir­dle of his reynes: Now observe what is the fruite of the reigne of this righteous King, why it is peace in all the holy Mountaine, neither Wolfe nor Leopard, Lyon or Beare, Aspe nor Cocka­trice, shall hurt or destroy in any part of it, but this King of righteousnesse will make the Wolfe and the Lambe dwell toge­ther, the Leopard to lye downe with the Kid, and the Calfe and young Lyon together, and a little child to lead them; the Cow and the Beare with their young ones to feed and lye downs together, and the sucking child to play at the hole of the Aspe, and the weaned child to put his hand into the Cockatrices Den. [Page 46]What is the meaning of all this? Why it is a description of that glorious change which the righteousnesse of Christ in his reigne over the Earth, shall have upon the natures of his and his peoples Enemies those Beasts of prey; though they remaine Wolfe [...] and Leopards, Lyons and Beares, Aspe [...] and Cockatrices, yet the righteousnesse of his reigne shall be so glorious that it shall chiane up their devouring nature and take off their strength to mischief, his righteous government shall over awe them, and be as a hooke in their nostrills, so that a young childe, a little strength shall lead them, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea; God shall be knowns to reigne over all the Earth; it shall be covered with the brightnesse of his glory, his enemies shall know and tremble, and his peo­ple shall know and rejoyce: Isa. 42. beg. So the same Prophet in the 42. Isa. beginning, speaking of Christ, sayes of him, A bruised reede shall be not breake, and smoaking Flax shall he not quench: for hee shall bring forth judgement unto truth, he shall judge and give judgement in truth, hee shall set judgement in the Earth, and the Isles shall waite for his Law.

He shall reigne and command the whole earth, they shall all waite for his Law, and then shall the whole Earth be filled with judgement when the righteous childe Jesus shall reigne: So the Prophet David speaking of the reigne of Christ, under Solom [...]n his Type, in the 72. Psalme 7. so on: In his dayes shall the righ­teous flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth; he shall have dominion from Sea to Sea, un­to the ends of the Earth, those that dwell in the Wildernesse, the Beasts of prey, shall bow downe to him, and his enemies shall licke the dust; Kings shall come in with their presents, and offer gifts to him; yea all Kings shall fall downe before him, all Na­tions shall serve him, and he shall deliver the needy and poore, he shall redeeme their soules from deceite, his Name shall endure for ever; men shall be blessed in him, and all Nations shall call him blessed, the whole earth shall be filled with his glory.

Thus will Christ reigne in righteousnesse, and all the Kings of the Earth shall tremble for their unrighteous reignes, they shall all come in and offer up their Crownes and Sceptres to this King of righteousnesse, bow downe before him and lay all their power at his feet, and waite upon him for his Law, then shall [Page 47]the Earth rejoyce that the Lord reignes, and then shall the righ­teous be glad that the King of Zion rule [...] in the whole Earth, then shall the Land be a Land of peace; when righteousnesse reignes then will peace flourish like the Tree planted by the river side, that is alwayes green and flourisheth: When Christ comes to reigne thus in the Earth, it must needs be peace, for then all his people will be one, they will all have but one Name, the Lords people and his name written upon them; Zachariah 14.9. And the Lord shall bee King over all the Earth: in that day shall there bee one Lord, and his Name one. When the Lord thus reignes over the whole Earth, his people will be one, then Names shall not di­vide his people, for they shall all be knowne by his Name, and he their King; a holy King and a holy People, he shall be known by his holinesse and righteousnesse, so shall his people; his holy Name shall be written upon them, and that shall be a defence a­bout all their glory: Take one Scripture more which is exceed­ing full to this purpose, in the 2. Isaiah beginning: Isa. [...]. beg. Micha 4. beg. And it shall come to passe in the last dayes, that the Mountaine of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the Mountaines, and shall bee exalted above the Hils: and all Nations shall flow into it, and many people shall goe and say, Come yee and let us goe to the Mountaine of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob, and hee will teach us of his wayes, and wee will walke in his pathes: For out of Zion shall goe forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem; and hee shall judge among the Nations, and shall rebuke my people; and they shall beate their Swords into Plow-shares, and their Speares into Pruning-hookes; Nation shall not lift up Sword against Nation, nei­ther shall they learne War any more.

First, this Scripture telleth us the time of Christs reigning thus in righteousnesse, it shall be in the last dayes the latter end of the World.

Secondly, How this thing shall be, that Christ shall be lifted up above all Hils and Mountaines, above all powers and great­nesse in the World; he shall then take all power and govern­ment into his owne hands, all the Mountaines shall flow into him; the Mountaine of the Lord shall swallow them all up, there shall in those dayes goe forth no Law but what goeth forth of Zion, Christ shall reigne amongst his people, and the Earth shall be filled with the peace of his reigning in righteousnesse, [Page 48]when the Law goeth forth of Zion, then the spirit for War shall be rebuked, and the Sword of Gods spirit shall turne the Sword of the flesh into Plow-shares, and the Speares into Pruning­hooks, so that Nation shall never war against Nation more, all Wars shall be hush't and gone, righteousnesse shall reigne, and peace which is the fruits thereof; for Warre is the fruit of un­righteous reigning and governing, nothing but righteousnesse, justice, and judgement, can bring lasting peace into the World, or any part of it, and I wish all that love peace did love righte­ousnesse as well, and imbrace peace for righteousnesse sake; all such as doe so, Christ will satisfie them, for behold he comes with healing under his winges, he brings righteousnesse and peace with him, his righteousnesse brings peace; he is the righteous King and the Prince of peace, and he that shall come will come and will not tarry.

But if any shall aske what I intend in all this:

My answer is, To gather up matter for faith to live upon, to the establishment of my owne soule and others, By beleeving in the Lord our God: And I trust I shall not lose my end; it appeares to me to be precious matter, for Faith to live upon God, and Christ, to the establishment of soules: That the Church and people of God on Earth, are Gods interest and Christs interest, Gods Inheritance and Christs Kingdome, over whom he doth reigne in righteousnesse; his jewels, the purchase of his blood, and the throne of his glory; those whom God hath chosen from all eternity to be the redeemed of his free grace, to unbo­some his love, and reveale his glory too, to all eternity; those to whom he hath given Christ and in him all things, to whom God is a God in Covenant, and that of free grace, for whom God hath satisfied his owne justice through his grace in Christ, and made them compleate, even his owne righteousnesse in him; for whose sake God reproves Kings, overthrowes unrighteous powers, dashing them in pieces like a Potters vessell with his I­ron Rod, and amongst whom Christ shall reigne King for ever, in peace and righteousnesse.

This is to me abundant ground of faith, to believe in, and to cast my precious eternal soul with al my comforts and concernments, upon Gods eternall love and free grace in Christ, salvation in all the parts of it to Gods Elect in Christ, is the fruits of eter­nall [Page 49]love and free grace in God; this is a sure foundation to build on, it beares a great weight its true, but it will never shrinke or faile, it hath been tryed from eternity; free grace is the foundation, and Christ the corner stone of this eternal buil­ding, so that it will abide to eternity.

Upon these very considerations we shall finde the Church of God in the 46, 47, and 48. Psalmes living upon God by faith, 46, 47 and 48. Psalmes. and praising him through beleeving.

God is our refuge and strength: a very present helpe in time of trou­ble, sayes the Church: That is, God is our God, and we are his interest, so that he is presently at our helpe, he waites to be gra­dous to us, he cannot forget us we are so deare to him; well, what use doth the Church make of this; why to establish her selfe upon God by beleeving; Therefore will not wee feare though the earth be removed, and though the Mountaines be carryed into the midst of the Sea; and so goes on in her confidence in God, what is it makes the Church so confident? Why this, that shee was Gods interest in the World, and therefore though he should con­found the whole frame and power and glory of the earth, carry all the mountaines into the middest of the Sea, as Pharoah and his Host; yet that he will preserve his Church and people, as his owne interest: There is a River of Free grace in God, Psal. 46.4.that streames for ever to make glad the City of God; his people are the Children of his infinite wombe of love, and the preservation of these, is the proper act of his Almighty power; this City of God is Gods interest, and inheritance, his dwelling place: Psal 46.6. God is in the middest of her, shee shall not be moved, he uttered his voice, the earth melted; but this City remaines, for it is his interest, and God is her refuge.

Therefore sayes God to the Church, live upon me as your Re­fuge, and your present helpe in time of need, doe not doubt or feare, but be still and quiet in your spirits: Be still, Psal. 46, 8, 9, 10.and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the Heathens, I will be exalted in the Earth, I will cease Warres, I will breake Bow and Speare, and burne the Chariots with fire: I will doe all this for you that are my interest; I will make good all my promises to you, of the peacefull and righteous reigne of my Son Christ over you; I will be exalted in the Earth. The Church beleeves God in this and shee is at rest, shee is still and quiet knowing that God is God, and [Page 50]that shee is his interest; The Church answers th [...] in verse 11. The Lord of Host is with us, Psal. 46.11.the God of Jacob is our God. Therefore will we not feare, but rejoyce in God as our God, our strength and our refuge, and we his interest: O clap your hands (all yee peo­ple) and rejoyce in God with tryumph, for God is King of all the Earth.Psal. 47.1, 7.God reignes over the Heathens: God sitteth upon the throne of his bolinesse: then sets forth his judgements on his peoples ene­mies, and the feare that comes upon the Kings of the Earth; Ac­cording to thy Name O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the Earth, thy right hand is full of righteousnesse: Psal. 48.10. Marke the Scripture, Ac­cording to thy Name thou art righteous and that is thy praise; thou art called a God of righteousnesse and we so trust in thee, and thou art according to thy Name; this is thy praise, thou art [...] righteous God; Psal. 48.11. observe the conclusion that is made of these promises: Let Mount Sion rejoyce, let the Daughters of Judah [...] glad, because of thy judgements: That is, let them that have an in­terest in thee, and who is thy interest in the World, rejoyce and be glad that thou art according to thy Name, a God of judgement and righteousnes, for this makes it certain that thou wilt preserve thine owne interest, & them that thou causest to trust in thy name as a righteous God; come, sayes the Church, see what God hath done for us, and then you will say as well as we, that God is according to his Name a righteous God.

Walke about Sion, Psal. 48.12, 13.and goe round about her; tell the Towers there­of: Marke yee well her Bulwarkes, consider her Palaces, that you may tell is to the Generations following: Marke well and consider how the righteous God defends his interest in the World, those that trust in his Name, his mercy, his providence, his Almighty pow­er, greatnesse, and majesty; these be the Towers and Bulwarks of Sion, his b [...]some of love, and his Temple of holinesse, that is her Palace of delight, shee hath her delight in God, and her defence in God; Marke and consider it well, that you may tell is the Generations following, that they may fall downe at the feet of this righteous God, which will ever be according to his Name, and not dare to grieve a member of Sion, or to wound the inte­rest of God; For, sayes the Church, this God is our God for ever and ever, Psal. 4 [...].14.he will is our guide even unto death: He in our God, and he is ever so; we are his interest and he will preserve us so for ever, he will guide us to death, carry us safe through all the Wilder­nesse, [Page 51]till we come into Heaven. Thus is the Church of God e­stablished by beleeving in God as her God, and a God that will ever be according to his Name, a faithfull, righteous, gracious, and glorious God to all that trust in him: Thus also doe the Saints of God tryumph in God as their God, and as they are his interest in the World: So the Prophet David, Psal. 92.4. Psal 92.4. Thou Lord hast made me glad, I will tryumph in thee: Thou art my joy and thou shalt be my glory, this is my joy that thou art mine, Psal. 95.3, 4. and I will glory as I am thy interest; So in Psalm. 95.3, 4. He glories in the greatnesse, power and majesty of God, because he did beleeve that God was his God, and that he was part of Gods interest in the World; and in Psal. 96.10. Psal. 96.10. Psal. 97.1. I sayd among the Hea­thens that the Lord reigneth: And Psal. 97.1. The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoyce: Psal. 98.8, 9. Let there be joy, sayes he, Psal. 98.8, 9. for the Lord commeth to judge the Earth, with righteousnesse shall bee judge the World, and his people with equity: So Psal. 99.1, 2. Psal. 99, 1, 2. The Lord reigneth, let the people tremble: The Lord is great in Zion hee is bigh above all people. What doth the Prophet meane by all this? Why he telleth us in the 121. Psalme, I will fix my eye upon God, sayes he, my helpe commeth from the Lord, the Lord is my keeper and shield: And so goes on to declare his faith in God, that God which he had before so extolled: why sayes he, this is the God I will live upon, it is faith in God that makes my heart glad: I beleeve he reigneth over all the Earth in his power and great­nesse, he is my God, I am his interest, and he reignes over me in righteousnesse; by all this it doth appeare that the Church and people of God, have beene and are established by beleeving in God as their God, taking his Word of truth for truth, and be­leeving God in it, resting upon God according to his Name, be­leeving in him as the God of free grace; taking the counsell of good King Jehoshaphat, Beleeve in the Lord your God, so shall you bee established.

But me thinkes I heare some ready to Object, Objection. Is it no more but beleeve? doe you make so easie a thing of beleeving? why doe you tell us of beleeving? is that in our power? is it not the gift of God? is it not above the reach of humane reason and un­derstanding? is it a worke of nature or grace?

To this I answer, Answer. and acknowledge that Faith is the gift of God, Ephes. 2.8. But take this with it, this God is a God of free [Page 52]grace, which giveth Salvation to his people, and the hand of faith to lay hold on his salvation, all in his owne grace; and therefore I tell my owne soule and others of beleeving in God, because he is a God of free grace, I know faith is the worke of Divine power, it is not of our selves; therefore I say againe God is a God of free grace; stay not in selfe, lye at the throne of grace as that poore man in the Gospell: Lord I beleeve, helpe thou my unbeliefe: Me-thinkes he speakes thus, Lord I beleeve that thou canst helpe me against my unbeliefe; that thou canst destroy the unbeliefe that is in me, and make me to beleeve upon thee, to establishment; and I thinke this is the language of the Objecti­on, which saith, Faith is the gift of God; is it not the same with this? Lord thou canst make me beleeve in thee, it is thy worke to destroy my unbeliefe, and to helpe my soule against it.

This is all I say, God is a God of free grace, and faith is the gift of his grace; he waites to be gracious to give his free grace and all the gifts of it freely to those that need it, nothing in crea­ture but want, makes it an object for Gods grace; for he gives all freely without price, and without money: Now if faith be the gift of God, as thou doest acknowledge, then lye at the throne of his grace, if thou wantest, know all he hath is for those that want; waite on him, and tell him he can helpe thee against thy unbeliefe.

But you demand whether faith were not above the reach of humane reason and understanding?

I acknowledge, Yes; when it is under its naturall darknesse; so that the soule it lives in nothing but nature as it fell from the first Adam: So The naturall Man descernes not the things of God, neither can be, because they are spiritually discerned. But when God comes to worke the worke of his grace in any soule, he doth not destroy his owne first and pure worke of nature in the man, the fall from grace corrupted the reason and understanding of man, as it did the whole man; so the restoration to grace doth restore the first image of God in the reason and understanding of men; though faith as it leads to God, and pitcheth the soule upon God, be above the light or reach of reason in it selfe, yet when God workes faith in the soule, and so takes the soule up to himselfe, to live in him and to rest on him, God doth not thereby [Page 53]destroy reason and understanding in the man, that were to make him a Beast: No God doth inlighten and convince the soul in its reason and judgement, though when it was in its corrupted na­ture, it could not discerne the things of God, nor understand the worke of his salvation of free grace in Christ through be­leeving, so as to choose God for a portion, and to rest on the salvation of his free grace; yet when God shall inlighten the reason and judgement of a man by his owne spirit, so that now it is spirituall reason and judgement, then by the spirit of God in it, it comes to apprehend and to close with the salvation of Gods free grace in Christ through beleeving; it is now reason and judgement sanctified, and made light in the Lord: so that now it seeth a beauty in the grace of God, and Christ the gift of his grace; now it is no more its owne under its corruption, but Gods in his renuing grace, by which in Christ he hath redeem­ed it, out of the power of Satan and the region of darknesse into his owne marvelous light, though [...]t first it may onely fee men walke as trees, yet God will not leave it, till he makes it see plainely, God is light, and in him is no darknesse at all.

So that as God commeth into the reason and judgements of his people, they have light in the Lord, the worke is neverthe­lesse but the more a worke of grace in God, that he doth thus sanctifie and inlighten the reason and judgements of his people, carrying on the worke of his salvation in the soule; God is not bound to worke thus, for the whole worke of his salvation is free, but that hee chooseth to worke thus, I thinke is the experience of all Saints that ever had reason and judgement, in which Saints have much joy, and by which doubtlesse the glory of Gods free grace is much manifested and declared; and there­fore I shall in the next place hold forth some grounds and rea­sons, to the sanctified reason and judgements of Saints why to beleeve in God, why to take his word, and to rest upon the salva­tion of his free grace.

Grounds for faith from reason.

First, Because there is truth in none but God and his Word; by God here I meane Father, Sonne, and Spirit; all truth is in this Fountaine, and what ever truth is in the creature, it is a streame from this fountaine: so much of truth, so much a beama of God in any soule; It is one of Gods Attributes which we have [Page 54]mentioned to be a God of truth, which is the true God: I shall adde little to the proofe of it, only a Scripture or two, Psal. 18.30. As for God, Psalm 18.30.his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tryed, be is a buckler to all those that trust in him. As if the Prophet had said, I have tryed God, by trusting him, and I find him true and per­fect in all his words and wayes, his word is perfectly true; if her say he will be a buckler to you, you may trust him, he is a tryed God of truth, he never deceived any foule that trusted in him, his truth reacheth to the clouds, Psalm 57.10. sayes the Prophet, Psalm 57.10. It is boundlesse truth, it is the truth of God, whom is all truth. So Psalm 117.2. The truth of the Lord endureth for ever. That is, God is for ever a God of truth, hee is nothing but truth, not doth he speake any thing but truth; not any soule can be decal­ved by believing what he sayes, he meanes what hee sayes, for he is the God of truth.

Now I would argue with reason, and aske it whether it would choose truth or untruth to believe in: Doubtlesse this will be the answer of a rationall man, I doe choose truth; for this it my misery, I know not what to believe, there is so much untruth is the world, nor can I finde any man, or sort of men to trust, all men are so false: If mens words, promises, or engagements were any safety, wee have had enough of them: but men forget their words as winde, there is no truth in them, so that as a reasona­ble creature I am at a losse what to believe, of when to believe any thing that man shall say; Is it so Reason? Would you believe truth if you could find it? why then looke up to God, ponder his word; if you find any promise that answers your wants, be­lieve in him, he will make all good that he hath said, you dare not trust men, because they have so often deceived you; let me re­turne the argument backe upon you, therefore trust God because he never deceived you, nor any that ever trusted in him; take his word into thy armes of faith as fulfilled already, for not a tittle of all that he hath spoken shall fail; what God promiseth to give his people, is as really theirs, as though they had it in possession, and they may build upon it, he will not deceive them; nay he can­not, for he is God, and cannot lye; this is one argument to rea­son; the truth of God, because it is an act of reason to put trust in truth, and to choose truth to trust in.

A second argument to reason, is the Almighty, omnipotent, [Page 55]and infinite power of God; and me thinks this should be a strong argument with reason, because reason is so apt and prone to trust in power: Darke and corrupted reason makes the powers of the world to be an argument against faith, when faith would have the soule trust upon God, and to walke in the wayes of ho­linesse and righteousnesse. Why sayes this sinfull reason, all the powers of the earth will be against us, and come as a flood upon us and devoure us if we should doe so. Well, if power bear so much sway in reason, then to sanctified reason it will be a good argument to beget trust in God, to plead the power of God, Isa. 40.15. and so on, Isa. 40.15. so on. there you may read of the power of God, That it is so full and great, that all the Nations of the earth are but as the drop of a bucket, and the small dust of the ballance: all power compared to God is vanity, and lesse then nothing.

Now sanctified reason, here is power for thee to trust in, that power which is all power, and commande all powers; that foun­taine which giveth forth all power, and can draw all into him­selfe againe when hee pleaseth; that power that doth in heaven and earth what ever pleaseth him; That power with whom all things are possible, Matth. 19.26. It is not possible for thee to trust in this power for any thing which is, or can be impossible to him: could corrupted reason but find a glimpse of this amongst men, it would adore it, and make a god of it; Oh then let san­ctified reason admire this God and rest upon him, who is really that power with whom all things are possible. God hath an in­finite power, he can doe for us exceeding abundantly above all that we can aske or thinke, Ephes. 3.20. What thinke you of this, Ephes. 3.20. Rea­son? you thinke your thoughts are very vast, and that you can aske very much; yet in all this you are exceeding abundantly be­low, what the Almighty, Omnipotent, and Infinite power of God can doe: We can want but as finite creatures, but hee can give as an infinite God; the flesh we feare, is finite flesh, the God we trust is an infinite God. If power can sinck [...] the scale with reason then when God appeares to it, all flesh will prove ligh­ter then vanity, lesse then nothing. Job mentions some of the acts of Gods power, in Job 12.7. so on, and 26.5. so on. Job 12.7. so on. Job 26.5. so on. How he rules in his whole creation, the Beasts, the Earth, the Foules; that in his hands is the soule of every living thing, and the breath of all man­kinde. That with him is strength and wisdome, that hee looseth the [Page 56]bond of Kings, he leadeth Princes away spoyled. Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering: The pillars of heaven trouble, and are astonished at his reproofe. So goes on to set forth Gods power and greatnesse: and in the last verse of Chap. 26. L [...] these are parts of his wayes: but how little a portion is heard of him: but the thunder of his power who can understand. When he had spoken all what he said before, these, sayes he, are but part of the ways of the insinite great God, and a very little part of that omnipotent power that is in him, it is but a very little that wee can conceive of God, the great thunder of his power cannot be understood by us, it is too great for us; hee is the great God, and infinitely great in power. Psal. 24.8, 10. So the Prophet David in Psalm 24.8, 10. Who i [...] the King of glory, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. The Lord of Hosts is the King of glory. This is his glory, he is Lord of Host, the strong and mighty God, infinite in power. And in Psalm 29.4, 8, Psal. 29.4, 8, 9, 10. 9, 10. He shewes what power God hath in his voyce, how full of Majesty it is, That it shakes the Wildernesse; that is, the Whole world, and that he is King for ever. This is the King of glory, this is our God of power: Now here is pow­er for sanctified reason to live upon, and it is the power of the God of truth, which will for ever be as truly power, as hee is truly God: so that if either truth or power may be arguments with Reason, here is both in God, which if believed on, will for ever prove powerfull truth, and truth in power, because it is God in both.

The third argument for faith which I shall offer to sanctified Reason, is the eternity and immutability of God; That his truth is eternall truth, and his power is unchangeable and immutable power, you shall never finde him lesse then God, and that is in­sinite all, more then can be conceived or expressed. Reason will choose a tocke to build upon, because it is a sure foundation, and will abide; why now let me tel the best of reason that this is God, he is the eternall Rocke of Ages from everlasting, and will abide to everlasting; there is no shaking this foundation, nor destroy­ing what is built upon it: time did not make it, nor can time make it lesse then it is. Reason, what can you aske for perpetuity that is beyond eternity: Eternity is God, and what God is, is e­ternall, every thing besides God changes, but nothing can change God, Psal. 41.13. he is the God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting, Psalm 41.13. [Page 57]Israel's God is an eternall God, alwayes God, Psalm. 48.14. Psal. 48.14. For this God is our God for ever and ever. There it no end of [...] being God, and that his people sindes and confesseth, Psal. 93.1, 2. Psal. 102.12. and so shall every soule that trusteth in him. The Prophet Isaiah in his 26. Chap. ver. 4. cals upon Gods people to trust in him upon this very consideration: Trust in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jebovah is everlasting strength. As if hee had said, when you trust in God, trust in him as an everlasting God: Doe not doubt the Lord Jeh [...]vah, as though hee should faile you at any time, for he is everlasting strength, and everlasting God, he is Jehovah, so that he can never saile, and therefore trust in him. So Job says of God in his 23^d Ch. ver. 13. Job 23.13. Mal. 3.6. That he is of one minde, and who can turne him. And God sayes of himselfe in Mal. 3.6. I am the Lord, I change not, therefore yee formes of Jacob are not consumed. God is unchangeable in his eternall purposes of love and free grace to his people, therefore they are not confir­med; therefore trust in him, because his love is unchangeable. Let me aske sanctified Reason now, if it have any thing to object against trusting soule and body, and all that is, or can be deare upon the eternall love and free grace of the eternall, immuta­ble, and unchangeable God: Nay, doth it not come with autho­rity upon Reason, that eternall free grace should be trusted with eternall lost soules, which have nothing to plead for their salvation but his everlasting grace. If my eternall grace be your argument for salvation, sayes God, then let it be your rest, rest upon it, it shall be your salvation, you shall finde it so to all e­ternity: As I am eternally God, and God from everlasting to everlasting, unchangeable in my love, so shall the salvation be of all such soules as thus rest upon me for salvation, for I can no more change in my love, then cease to be God: Soules that rest on my love for their salvation, shall find me eternally God, and my love their eternall salvation.

The 4^th consideration w^ch I shall offer to sanctified Reason as an argument why to live fingly upon God by faith, is our own, & other Saints experiences of God in his grace and goodnesse, in his power and faithfulnesse, and the glorious workings of that fulnes that is in himself for the good of his people; this is a large field I have to walke in, it is a most glorious subject, more fit for a large treatise then an argument: but I shal in this only use [Page 58]it as an argument, and in it confine my selfe to as [...] a com­passe as possible I can in so large a subject; I shall first gather from holy writ such experiences, as Saint of old have reco [...] which they did doubelesse to manifest Gods glory, and to esta­blish the hearts of Saints in after Ages, and then I shall wish a remembrance of those many wonderfull miraculous experience that this present age hath had of the glorious workings of God in his power, wisdome, Majesty, and mercy, to and for his poore hated and desplied people that rust in him.

First, the experiences o [...] Saints in former ages; I shall beg [...] with that of Mordecai, Queene Esther, and the whole Nation of the Jewer [...]; the Booke of Esther doth at large set forth the wicked and bloody designe of proud and wicked Ha [...]an against all these, and to what ripenesse he had brought his worke, [...] to the Kings feale and authority, for him to let forth the flood gates of his malice and mischiefe up in them, and how ready thi [...] wretch was to put in execution the power hee had obtai­ned, for he had prepared a gallows for Merdecai: [...] reading that History, we sha [...] finde how in every part of the designe of that bloody man he is disappointed, how he fals himselfe into the pit which he had digged for others, and is hanged himselfe upon that gallows which he in the pride and malice of his [...] did prepare for Mordecai: I sh [...]l leave the Readers to that Histo­ry in Scripture for further light, and onely make refiral of the close of it in Esther 8.15, Esther 8, 15, 16. 16. And Mordecai went out from the presence of the King in royall apparell, of blew and white, and with a great crowne of gold, and with a garment of fine linnen, and people, and the City of Shushan rejoyced and was glad. The Jewes had light and gladnesse, and Joy, and honour.

Observe the experience that these poore hearts had of the power, the mercy, and the wisdome of God, that when H [...] ­mans malice had conjoyned it selfe with the Kings power, so th [...] all things were ready, and the time oppointed to make a find end at once of Gods interest amongst them; the whole Nation of the Jonas must be sacrificed to Haman's lust: Then God appear, and [...] knowne his designe, and changes the whole faced things as they did then appeare; the Kings heart, that is cha [...] ­ged, and Merdecel, whom represented the whole Nation of the Jones, [...] must be by the same hand that decreed him, [Page 59]recalled from the gallowes, to be honoured in wearing before the people the Kings royall apparell, and a crowns of gold; That is, Mordecai and the whole Nation of the Jewes, which to all hu­mane understanding, were past all hopes of being any thing but [...] and undone people, and now made a people of safety, honour, and glory in the Land: This is an experience of God, that his workes of mercy and grace for his people, they are sure and secret; though God hides his workings for his people from the world till his owne time of ruling comes, yet these workes of God are sure, though secret; the workes of God are like E­zekiel's vision of the wheele within the wheeles, he workes his owne ends in giving a long life to wicked men to runne in after their ends, and makes the wicked doe his worke, when as they thinke they are doing their owne; it was Gods designe that Ha­man should prepare his owne gallowes, which he did, when he thought he had been working his own ends in making it for Mor­decai, so God made Haman to dictate to the King what Mor­decai's honour should be, when as he thought he had been pre­paring honours for himselfe: the wayes of God are past finding on [...]: but doubtlesse such experiences as these cals very loud for tru­sting in him, and depending on him, this is one great experi­ence of God. The Prophet David in a day of calamity cals to mind the experiences that our Fathers of old had of God, Psol. 22.4, 5. Our fathers trusted in thee, and thou didst deliver them, Psal. 22.4, 5.they cryed unto thee, and were not confounded. That is, they had experience of thee to be a gracious, faithfull, powerfull God; and upon this account he blesseth God, in Psal. 18. to last. Psa. 18. to last. as ha­ving had experience of him in his great workings for his people, in setting up the Throne of Christ, and preserving his seede for evermore. And in Psalm 23. the Prophet makes mention of the experiences that he had of God, as a ground of his resting on him, and assurance that God would never faile him, he makes this declaration of his faith in the first verse, I shall not want; this is strong faith. What is the reasen of this [...] in the [...]? why hee telleth us it is his interestion [...] that he had of him: my reason, say [...], is this; [...] my Shepheard, therefore I shall not want. But why are [...] fident? may not you want though the Lord be [...] why sayes the Prophet, I am confident up [...] [Page 58] [...] [Page 59] [...] [Page 60] maketh me to lye downe in greene pastures, hee leadeth me b [...]side the stil waters, he restoreth my soule, he leadeth me in the paths of right [...]s­nesse for his Names sake. These are the experiences that I have had of God, and doe you aske mee now why I am so confide [...]t? Why sayes he, I have not only received all this mercy and gr [...]ce from God, but God hee is the fountaine of all the mercies I re­ceive, and it is his owne bowels that moves him, he doth a this to me for his owne Name sake, not because of any worthinesse in me; I could not then be confident, but he leadeth me into, and cloatheth me with his owne righeousnesse, and all for his name sake, to the glory of his grace: This is the experience that I have of the Lord who is my Shepheard, and upon this I am so esta­blished i [...] God, that though I walk through the valley of the shad [...] of death, I will feare no evill, for thou art with me: And I have had such often and ample experiences of thy mercy, power, faithfulnesse, and goodnesse, that though the way I walke in be as dark as death, that my flesh can see no way out of it, yet I will trust in thy power and mercy to deliver me, upon the for­mer experiences I have had of thee. This I know, it is thy free grace that hath chosen me to be an heire of glory from all eter­nity, and all the experiences I have had of thee, hath proved thee to be a God of free grace, and that this love and grace shall, as it is thy selfe, abide for ever; so that this is a ground of assurance to me, my experience of thee, that I shall be for e­ver with thee; for so he sayes, that hee shall dwell with the Lord for ever. This Prophet had a great stocke of experience in God, and in this place he makes the right use of them, that for which I shall here gather them up together; the Prophet David he acts for his owne soule, and doth counsell other souls upon the experiences he had of God, in Psalm 31.5. He commits his spirit into Gods hand: That is, casts himselfe wholly upon God, and in vers. 7. giveth the reason of it, because hee had experimented God in his adversities, that God had not shut him up in the hands of his enemies, but set his feete in a large roome. This ex­perience of God make [...] him commit his spirit to God, thus hee acts for his owne soule upon experiences of God: and in the 2. last verses of that Psalm he counsels Saints to love God, and to trust in him, upon this consideration, the experiences that hee had of him as a faithfull God, who preserveth his faithfull ones, and [Page 61]plentifully rewardeth the proud do [...]r: Therefore sayes he, be of good courage, fear not, trust in God, he shall strengthen your hearts, all ye that hope in him; as if he should say, I have had such experience of God, that I dare assure you if you trust in him he will not faile you: So in Psalm. 32.10. Many sorrowes shall be to the wicked, Psal. 32.10.but be that trusteth in the Lord, mercyshall compasse him about: I speake this sayes the Prophet upon experience that I have of God, and when you know God experimentally as I doe, you will say as I say: Therefore in the 34. Psal. 8. he cals upon Saints to taste, and then they should experimentally know that God is good; so good, so kinde, so gracious, so faithfull, and so omnipotent, that the man is certainely blessed that trusteth in him; he cannot but be a blessed man for he trusteth in God, whom can never faile him; God i [...] an experimented God for truth and faithful­nesse by all his people, as in the 19. verse, Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of all, and so goes on, shewing the goodnesse and faithfulnesse of God to his people; I, sayes he, upon the experiences that I have had of God, I can boldly affirme that they are blessed that trust in him; Therefore he giveth this counsell in Psalme 55.22. Psal. 55.22. Cast thy burthen upon the Lord, and be shall sustaine thee: be shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

The Prophet giveth this counsell to his owne soule and to o­ther soules, why sayes he, we have had expecience of God, how faithfull he is in preserving his righteous one, those that put their trust in him, they shall never bee moved: Therefore why should we distrust, and through unbeliefe take the burthen up­on our selves; as we have experimented God so let us trust him, and he doth so indeed, for in Psalm. 61.3. he flyeth to God upon his former experience that he had of him, For thou hast beene a shelter for me, and a strang towre from the enemy. I have had this experience of thee, therefore in all streights and in all con­ditions, I will trust in the covert of thy wings; and in the next Psalm. 7, 8. verses, he professeth that all the resuge he had was in God; and saith he, I have experimented God, he is a sure re­suge to his people, He is my salvation, my glory, and the reck of my strength; the Prophet tells us what God is from the experience that he had of him, Psalm. 145.17, 18. The Lord is righteout in all his wayes and holy in all his workes: The Lord is nigh to all them [Page 62]that call upon him in truth: This is God upon experience, and abundantly more then this d [...]th that Man of much experience in God set him forth to be.

Againe, consider the most glorious experiences of God, th [...] those three emminent servants of his, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had, which is recorded in the third of Daniel, wee may read in that Scripture upon what consideration the Fun [...]ac [...] was heat seaven times hotter then before, for these three faith­full ones to be cast into it; and in the 17. verse, how they cast themselves upon God for their deliverance: Our God, say they, is able to deliver us from thy burning firy Furnace, and hee will deli­ver us out of thy hands O King: Well, marke the issue, they deny Nehuchadnez [...]ar and trust in God; this inrages the Kings fury, and into the sire they are cast bound hand and foot: Now God giveth them to know by experience what it is to trust in him for deliverance, Hee maketh them to walke in the fire, loosed from their bonds, without the least harme, and a fourth to bee with them, whose forme wat like the Sonne of God; This presence and appearance of God did astonish the King, so that he called them to come forth, and when they came out of the firy Furnace, they were so farre from any harme, That a haire of their heads was not singed, mither had the smell of fire passed on them: What a most glorious experi­ence of the power, faithfulnesse, and goodnesse of God is here, the Kings fury was so hot, that the Furnace must be heat seaven times hotter then before; and it was made furious in heat in­deed, for the flames which came forth from it, slue them which cast in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to the firy Furnace; but notwithstanding all his fury, God preserveth those that trust in him, he is with them according to his promise, when as they passe through the fire; and as the Winds and Seas, so the flames of fire obey him, for they finge not so much as the cloathes of these faithfull ones, nor leave so much as the smell of fire upon their Garments: O the infinite power and faithfulnesse of God; fire shall lose its nature and cease to burne, rather then such as trust in him shall be consumed by it; God hath power enough to preserve his owne interest those that trust in him, even in the eag­ing flames of consuming fire, no flames nor fury can destroy that which the power and mercy of God will preserve, and now here is a full experience of God, he will preserve that which his [Page 63]people commits to him, and trusts to him for the preservation of it; these precious soules God had brought to this glorious pitch, that they sleighted the Kings power and fury, by belee [...]ing in the power and faithfulnesse of himself; And now, sayes God, it shall he knowne what I am, and what it is to trust in me; God could either have turned the heart of Nebuchadnezzar, or have crushed his power that he should never have been able to have cast them into the firy Fumace, but in this also God workes as the wheele within the wheeles, he lete the furious man go on, that he might have the fitter opportunity to manifest the glory of his grace, power, and faithfulnesse in their deliverance, and that his people might have greater experience of their safety in trusting him, God lets them goe into the fire that they might have experience of his love in going with them, and of his power in preserving them, and bringing them forth againe to the astonishment of all be­holders, and that it might remaine on Record to after Ages, that Generations to come might say this is God, and this will God be for ever to his people.

Should I inlarge according to the matter and worth of these experiences, I should swell into a great bulke which I se [...]ke to a­voide, and therefore shall upon the matter onely make resitall [...], and leave inlargements to the Spirit of God upon the hearts of the Readers.

We shall finde in this Booke, another glorious experience of God which the Prophet Daniel himselfe had; in the sixth of Daniel we shall finde a decree to cast the Prophet into the Den of Lyons was deceitfully gotten, and the cause was his making of petitions to God; the Prophet knew of the decree which wa [...], as of the Meades and Per [...]ans not to be altered, and yet he al­ters not his course of calling upon God by Prayer, he opens his mouth to God, and trusts God to stop the Lyons mouthes, he lifts up his hands and heart to God, and trust [...] God to ke [...]pe downe the Lyons pawes; well, God will not deceive his trust, but yet he will let him be cast into the Lyons Den, Daniel 6.16. Though the King was sorry, yet he commanded Daniel to be cast into the Lyons Den; and there Daniel is as safe as amongst Lambes, the Angell of God had shut the Lyons mouthes, that though they remained Lyons still, yet to Daniel they had no more harme in them then so many quiet Lambet, and when the King comen [Page 64]early in the morning with dread in his spirit lest the Lyons should have feasted themselves upon that precious piece; Hecryes out, O Daniel servant of the living God, is thy God whom thou ser­vest continually able to deliver thee from the Lyons,Vers. 20.vers. 20. In the 22. vers. Daniel answers him, My God hath sent his Angell and shut the Lyons mouthes, that they have not burt mee: In the 23. vers. Then was the King exceeding glad, and commanded to take Daniel out of the Den; so he was, and not any manner of [...] found upon him: But in the 24. vers. when his accusers were cast into the Lyons, They brake their bones before ever they came to the bottome of the Den.

The Lyons were raging Lyons in themselves, though their mouthes were stopped by God in the preserving of Daniel, that put his trust in him; O the power of God, fire cannot burne, nor Lyons bite where God forbids, he that made all for his own glory, can change the nature of what he hath made, when in so doing he may magnifie the glory of his grace and faithfulnesse to his people; doth not these experiences say that God is onely to be trusted and feared; he shuts where no man opens, and o­pens where no man shuts; Daniel had experience of Gods love and power in this; that those very Lyons that lay like Lambes by him, should devoure his enemies before his face; none can bound the holy one of Israel, but he can lock up the Lions mouths and open them at his pleasure; sure it is good to trust in so good a gracious and powerfull God, one that giveth such full experi­ence to his people that trust in him of what he is; a God infinite in power, mercy, and goodnesse; there is a spirituallity in all these experiences of God, which if God give in, in the reading it will make them exceeding sweet, and apt to that end I quote them for; namely, to beget faith in God, and a holy dependency on him.

Amongst these holy witnesses, let the Prophet Jonah be admit­ted to bring in his experiences of God, and we shall finde them to be very glorious; the Prophet doth at large declare how he came to be cast into the Sea in a great tempest; here is nothing appeares to fleshly reason but destruction, and doubtlesse those that cast him out of the Ship expected nothing else, but that the Sea should be a grave to his dead body, therefore they prayed that God would not lay his blood to their charge, in the 14. verse: [Page 65]But in the 17. verse. Now the Lord prepared a great Fish to swallow up Jonah; Jonah 1.17.and Jonah was in the belly of the Fish three dayes and three nights: Well, and is this a likely way of preservation; is there not as much death in the belly of the Fish, as in the belly of the Sea: Lay aside fleshly reasonings for a little, and observe the end of Gods worke: In the 2. Chap. vers. 10. And the Lord spake un­to the Fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Now comes in the experience, God intended to preserve Jo­nah, and though he chooseth an unlikely place to reason to keep him alive in, yet all persons and places shall serve his end how unlikely soever it may seeme to reason, the fish which naturally opens its mouth to take in its nourishment, and to live upon what it takes in, shall now open his mouth to take in Jonah that he might be kept alive in the chest of that body; that power which preserves Daniel by shutting the Lyons mouthes, doth preserve Jonah by opening the fishes mouth; his power fille Hea­ven and Earth, the Sea and all that therein is; if God will pr [...] ­serve Jonah, he shall go from death to death, and all that is but Gods way of life, from deaths in the Sea, to deaths in the fish; and all this is that God might experiment himselfe to him, in making this Fish to bring him from the raging Sea, and set him upon dry Land; there is much spirituality in this dealing of God with Jonah, he is a Type of Christ in the grave; very much might be observed from it to a spirituall use, but I shall here one­ly use it as a very great experience which the Prophet had of the power and wisedome of God; the power of God made the Ly­ons to be as Lambes to Daniel, and here it makes very death to be life to Jonah, the Sea shall cover and not kill when God com­mands it so to doe, and the Fish take into its belly but not de­stroy, if God appoint that a place for Jonahs safety, it shall be so, and in Gods time as a Vessell unload himselfe of the Prophet and set him upon dry land; thus we see neither fire nor water, beasts on earth, nor fish by Sea, can destroy what God will pre­serve; nay, the wisedome of God to magnifie the glory of his owne grace, and the infinitenesse of his power, chooseth these wayes to preserve his Children by, which are most certaine wayes of ruine to an eye of reason, that so his people may upon en­perience of what he is learne to trust in him, and to know that his power did make, and doth command all other powers, he [Page 66]that inhabits eternity rules, in Heaven and Earth; Jonah which disturbed the Ship hath safety in the fishes belly.

Againe, faithfull Noah and his whole Family had great exp [...] ­rience of the faithfulnesse of God, and what safety there is in be­leeving the Word of God, and obeying his will: The frath and seventh Chapters of Genesis doth at large set forth Gods com­mand to him to make an Arke for himselfe and his Family, with two of each kinde of all the creatures of the Earth, that they might be preserved alive, for the Lord toulde him hee would drowne the whole World; Noah beleeved God in all that he had saide, Gen. 6.22. which appeares by his obedience, Gen. 6, 22. Thus did N [...] ­ah according to all that God had commanded him, so did hee: Well, and what is the effect of it? Why Noah and his whole Family, with all in the Arke are preserved alive in all that deluge of wa­ter which destroyes the whole World besides; Gen. 7.23. Gen. 7.23. Neah onely remained alive, and they that were with him in the Arke. N [...]ak prepared the Arke in faith beleeving God, but now he hath ex­perimented the power and faithfulnesse of that God which hee beleeved in, for now he found by experience that God could make his word good, both in drowning the whole World, be­sides them in the Arke, and in saving alive all those in the Arke according to his promise; this is a living experience indeed, that he and his Family should bee the onely living upon the whole Earth; Noah can say upon experience, that it is not in vaine to trust the Lord, his power can kill and keep alive; the faithful­nesse of God was Noahs Arke, otherwise he had beene drowned with the rest of the World: Notwithstanding his floating hous [...] he made the Arke in obedience to God, but God was his safety, not the Arke, and he found him so by experience, thus God [...] one experience to another that his people might learne to trust in him as an experimented God, as the insinite power and faith­fulnesse which hath been found to be so upon great and often ex­periences.

So Joseph he had many and great experiences of God, as we may reade in the latter Chapters of the Booke of Genesis; As when his brethren did unnaturally, first cast into a Pit to murther him, and as last sould him into Aegypt, thinking to bereave him of all his Friends; yet God was a father to him, when he was from his Fathers house, and when his owne brethren proved [Page 67]cruell and unnaturall to him, yea God gave him favour with a stranger even Potiphar, there Josaph began to experiment God in a strange Land; but God had a great worke to doe, in which he would yet give him greater experiments of himself, so through the wickednesse and foolishnesse of his Mistres, Joseph loseth his favour with Potiphar, and hee is cast into the Prison; all this serves to carry on Gods designe, and to bring in more experi­ments of God to Joseph; for here God gave Joseph favour with the Keeper of the Prison, that in stead of being a Prisoner, a suspected person, hee had all trust committed to him: Well, through many more experiences of the power and goodnesse of God, Joseph is at last brought to Pharoahs, made the second per­son in the Land, and hath all trust and power committed to him; his brethren that sell him, God brings to him to buy corne to keep them alive, though they thought to have put an end to his life, yet God preserves him that he might, as God [...] instru­ment, to preserve their lives; his Father that mourned for him as dead, lives to see Joseph alive, and sent to Aegypt before to pre­serve the lives of his kinde Father, and un [...]inde Brethren; here is a rich treasury of experiences, most glorious manifestations of the wisedome and power of God, here is the wheele within the wheeles:

Againe, God working his owne ends by letting men perfect those workes which they intend to an end contrary to God, by the issue we see which was Gods end in letting Joseph be sold to Egypt, and there cast in prison, it was every step of it in his way to that advancement by Pharoah, which he came to in the end; his Brethrens end was to muther him, or at least never to heare more of him; his Mistres her end was to dishonour him, it is no matter what they intend, God will accomplish his ende by their workes, though in them they have a contrary end; God will let his Children experiment this of him, that he workes his owne glory and his peoples good, even through the evill worken that are in the hearts and hands of his, and his peoples [...]emies▪ God can bring meat for his Children out of the Eater, he in all good, and doth bring good to his people out of the evill that i [...] in the hearts of their enemies; Josephs experien [...]es of God, [...] ­sides many Saints more doth declare this upon the house top, and telleth the ages to come so long as the Sunne and Mo [...] end [...] ­reth [Page 68]that God is a faithfull, gracious, and omnipotent God, up­on experience had of him.

For the next witnesse to this, let us call in Moses, and consi­der that progresse of experiences which he had of God from his Cradle to his grave; I, from his birth we shall finde in the be­ginning of his Booke of Exodus, that there was a Decree passed for his death before he had life, in that command that the Mid­wives had from Pharoah to murther every male Childe of the Is­raelites in the birth, of which Moses was one, but God tyed up their hands and gave him favour in their sight, that they obeyed not the command of Pharoah; there is his first experience of God, and when he could be hid no longer in his Mothers house, then God taught her as he did Noah, to make an Arke to preserve her Sonne Moses from drowning, and that Arke or Cradle of Bul­rushes doth preserve this precious Infant till God brings other hands to take care of him, in which worke of God there is much experience of his power, and wisedome, that Pharoahs Daugh­ter should preserve tht a which her Father had appointed to dye, and that his Mother which brought him forth should be the Pape which doth give him suck, this act of Gods providence brings double mercy with it, both to Mother and Babe, it joyes her heart to have her Childe in her armes; shee sayes as Jacob, my sonne Moses yet lives; God had speciall worke for him to doe, therefore he commits him to speciall care in bringing him up, e­ven the bosome of his tender Mother; truely these are very great experiences of God, yet he had more then these, God doth not leave him that he had thus preserved, but takes care of him in his Mothers house, and in Pharoahs Court, and when God comes to use him in that worke for which he had preserved him, hee then findes God to be all in him; he went to the people of Israel up­on Gods message, and in the name of God to leade them out of Egypt into the Wildernesse to serve him, and as he went in Gods name, so all along he had great experiences of God.

God made Moses his messenger to Pharoah, and in this also he had great experience of God, in his judgements upon Pharoah his houshold and the whole Land, you may reade them at large; but when God had by Moses brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt, then Pharoah in the hardnesse and malice of his heart with a potent Army followeth them to the Red Sea, then the [Page 69]people murmured against Moses, he goes to God and opens their condition before him, and comes backe to the people upon the experiences he had of God, and bids them from God, to stand still and be quiet, they should see his Salvation, and how full salva­tion that was, they all had experience of, it was wonderfull sal­vation wrought in wonders, which doth upon experience de­clare God to be a God of salvations, and a wonder-working God, a faithfull God; that made every tittle good which he had promised, they had full deliverance, and did see their enemies no more alive.

Here Moses had exceeding full experience of God in his power and faithfulnesse, that as God did imploy him, so he went along with him and made the Sea dry land for him and the people he led, to passe through death from death, into the Wildernesse, where God gave him and his company many and great experi­ences of himselfe.

Now I shall joyne Moses and the Children of Israel together in their experiences, and here they had a Pillar of cloud by day, and of fire by night, in which they did experiment God to be a safe guide though in a Wildernesse, and an untrodden path, they thirst, I, and murmure too for water, God by Moses giveth them water from the Rook, Exod. 17.6. here they experiment that the bar­ren Wildernesse, Exod. 16.4. and the stony Rock doth bring forth water at the command of God, nothing can be too hard for the omnipo­tent power of God to melt into his owne will: Well, Exod. 15.25. they want food, Moses cryes to God, he giveth them Quailes and Manna, by which they have further experience that no place can straiten God in giving to his people what he pleaseth, and for Shooe [...], and cloathing, though their Journey last forty yeares, yet these ware not out, but last as long; by which they doe againe experi­ment, that the eternall God doth give continuance to what he pleaseth, and as long as he pleaseth: Thus I have pointed at some of those many yeares experiences that Moses and the Children of Israel had of God, from which we may gather thus much tha [...] God is an experimented God by his people of Olde, to bee aglorious, gracious, wise, faithfull, omnipotent, and wonder­working God.

Againe, Joshuah which succeeded Moses in this worke of God, had great experience of God going along with him in [Page 70]the worke; I shall mention only in one particular, that is in Iosh. 6.20. In the besieging of Jericho, when the Priests blew the Trompets, and the people shouted, the Text sayes the wall fell downe flat, so that the people went up into the Citie, every man str [...]ight before him, and they tooke the City. This is such an experiment of the power of God, as for clay to open the blinde mans eyes, the one as likely meanes as the other, but GOD was all in both.

Like unto this was Gideons experience of God, when as with three hundred men he overthrew the whole host of the Midia­nites,Judges 7.Judges 7. We shall finde in this Chapter, that God com­manded Gideon to lessen his Army of two and thirty thousand, to bring them to three hundred; God assures him victory with these few, and giveth him this reason why hee would have no more men, that the victory might appeare to be hie; Gideon o­beyes Gods will, and God makes good his word; Gideon did believe God could save as well by few, as by many, that the vi­ctory would be Gods, not mans: and God makes him to expe­riment that of him which he did believe: Here is an experience of a full God amongst empty creatures, when they engage against full creatures empty of God. God makes the victory his owne, and the slaughter of his enemies, for they kill one another; it is all one to God how weake soever the meanes be hee useth, whe­ther his Army be Flies, as in Aegypt, or three hundred men, as here, the strength is his owne, and that will certainly occom­plish what it intends to doe, all these experiences doe plainly speak it.

So that widow in 2 Kings 4. in that great increase of her cruse of oyle, had ample experience of the fulnesse of God, there is nothing too little for God to make enough; that is plain in this experience, this little oyle God makes it enough to pay all her debts, and answer all her wants; God is all himselfe, therefore it is no streight to him to make the lesse to be enough, his own experience doth the worke, because he is all in himselfe; what God appoints to give out satisfaction to his people by, shall never cease to give forth, till his people confesse they have e­nough: This fountaine of life giveth living streames which al­wayes flow and refresh the City of God, this is God upon ex­perience.

Our Saviour Christ in Matth. 8.26. shewes his power as hee was God, in rebuking the windes and the Sea, when there was a great tempest, so that his Disciples in the ship with him were greatly affraid: Christ there checkes their unbeliefe, and giveth them an experience of his power by stilling the winds and Sea at his rebuke, so that the Text sayes, there was a great calme. The calme was an act of Christs power, as the feare was of the Dis­ciples flesh, so that in this they had double experience of their owne fleshly feare, and Christs almighty power.

The Apostle Paul, both when he was Saul and Paul, had great experiences of God; as first, in his conversion, when hee was Saul, and breathed out threatnings and slaughter against the Disci­ples of the Lord, Acts 9. beg. How wonderfull was his conversi­on, what glorious experiences of Gods free grace and his pow­er is there in that worke; they were so great, that the Apostle doth acknowledge them all his life following, when hee is brought before Judges & Councels for preaching of Christ cru­cified, and salvation by free grace through Christ: hee telleth them of Gods wonderfull worke in his conversion, what ex­perience he had of his grace and power, and mayes his experi­ences of God as a grou [...]d of resting o [...] him for strength to carry on the worke of his Apostleship, which God so in raculously had called him too. We may finde all the w [...]i [...]ings of this holy man spread with his experiences of God, as in his voyage where the ship was cast away, and yet n [...]t the life of one man lost: in that venomous beast upon his hand, which did him no hurt: in his often bonds and stripes, and his comfortable going t [...]rough all conditions with joy and establishment in God, 1 Cor. 6. as having no­thing, and yet possessing all things. Here was very great experi­ence of God, what ever he had, God was the all of that, and what ever he wanted of the creature, yet God was all to him, to that he wanted nothing, but in God possessed full satisfaction; God was strength to him in all his sufferings; through Christ that strengthned him he could doe all things. God was safety to him from all perils, and upon this experience hee was true to the service of God, not fearing any danger that should befall him.

So in Acts 5. There we may read of the same experiences that Peter and the rest of the Apostles had of God, when as they were brought before the Councell, and imprisoned for preaching in [Page 72]the name of Christ, how they were delivered out of prison, and yet the prison doores all fast shut; they had a man set over them to keepe them, and an Angel sent to deliver them; they had full experience of the power of God, that no power on earth, or watchfulnes of men, could imprison them that God would set free.

There is another experience of this nature of the power and glory of God, Acts 16. lat. end. in Acts 16. latt. end. where by an earth-quake God opened all the doores of the prison, with the bonds that were up­on Paul and the rest of the prisoners; yea, and the hard heart of the Jaylor too, for he comes trembling now to enquire after sal­vation: This Earth-quake God useth to shake the Jaylor and his Family out of their earthly condition into a heavenly; he and his Family were hereby taught to believe in God, then followeth the kinde usage of the Apostles, and their deliverance out of pri­son; this affords great experience of the powerfull and glorious workings of God: God doth not onely shake the earth and the heavens also, but by shaking the earth, he shakes into heaven, he shakes the earth of unbeliefe out of this family, and filleth them with heaven through believing; doubtlesse it is glorious power that shakes earth out of soules, and those soules into heaven, this is the work of God upon experience.

I shall now in some few particulars mention the experiences of Gods power and justice in his righteous judgements: I shall mind you of Gods judgements upon Pharoah and all his host in the red Sea: but no more then mention it, because I have used that Scrip­ture already.

But in the next place consider Gods dealing with Herod, Acts 2.22, 23, 24. in Act. 12.22, 23, 24. The proud wretch tooke Gods glory to himselfe. Now see how God doth vindicate his owne glory, he is immedi­ately smitten by the Angel of God, & eaten up with worm [...]. God is zealous of his glory, he will not give that to any other, nor suf­fer him to live long that takes it to himselfe; the people made a god of this proud man, and he was content to be accounted so: but God will let him and them know, that he is but sinfull man, for he dyeth immediately like man, and under a fearfull judge­ment, as the just recompence of that pride, which would have been taken for God: Here is a glorious experience of Gods pow­er, and his zeale for his owne glory, which should make all flesh tremble, and be carefull that they cloath not their pride with that glory which is only due to God.

We have another experience of God in his righteous judgement upon the Sodomites, being strucke with blindnesse in their bo­dies, when in the blindnesse and wickednesse of their souls, Gen. 19.11. they would have abused the Angel of God that came to Lots house, ac­cording to the lust of their owne hearts; the Scripture sayes, Verse 4. there came all the men of the City, olde and young, and all the people from eve­ry quarter. A tumult of wretches full fraught with the sinne of Sodome, and yet behold the experimented power of God, that preserves his few faithfull ones from this multitude of Sodomites, and judgeth their first kindnesse with a second, so that they were weary in their pursuite after wickednesse. I should be glad if this example might teach all blind wretches to be carefull how they meddle with the servants of the most high God, for hee is upon experience a God that revengeth the wrongs done or intended to his people.

Lastly, Gods fearfull judgement upon Korah and all his com­pany; you may read the story in Numbers 16. and in vers. 31. how the ground opened and swallowed them up alive, they lived in death, and were buried alive, they murmured against Moses, and believed not God; these were dead souls in living bodies, and God throws in his displeasure, their living bodies into the graves of death. Thus we see the Scripture is ful of proof in this, that God is an experimented God; these are the experiments that Saints of old have had of God, and left them upon record for the use of after ages: It is a great mercy that wee have these experiments of God, but I doe believe no age that ever lived were without parti­culer experiences of God, I am sure this present age is not with­out wonderful, many, and great experiences of God in his good­nesse, faithfulnesse, power, mercy, and grace to his poore, hated, and despised people.

I shall not here mention any particulers, I trust providence hath a faithfull store-house for them, and a time to bring them forth entire to the glory of God, who is the living and eternall fountaine of all mercy.

Yet let me desire Saints for their establishment in God, to look backe upon the foote-steps of his power and providence, his faithfulnesse and righteousnesse, in ordering of battles, and dis­posing of victories, even amongst the sonnes of men. If you can­not looke many yeares, yet looke but some mone [...] [...] [Page 74]which you may see such glorious experiences of God, that if you understand them they will fill your hearts with admiring God; and the language of your lips will be as the servants of God in former ages, to be telling forth the experiences of God wheree­ver you come. God giveth to his children some more, and to some lesse experiences of himselfe: but in these latter dayes, God hath given such great experience of himselfe to the whole body of Saints, that I trust he wil thereby establish his people through believing in himselfe as an experimented God; this is the thing [...] drive at in my selfe and other Saints, and therefore have I made so large a recitall of these experiences of God to the sanctified rea­son of precious soules.

And give me leave now to argue the case a little with sanctified Reason, and to tell you that God is no new-found fancy or ap­pearance, which may prove good or evill to the soule upon try­all, but God is the ancient of dayes from everlasting, and a try­ed God, such a one whom Saints in all ages have tryed and found to be a faithfull, gracious, just, righteous, glorious, and omnipotent God.

Now tell me the best of reason, that which is most sanctified; if God be not the best, nay the only foundation to build our saith upon: and if one so much experiment doth not captivate thy reason to himselfe, I know it is a principle of right reason to trust that most which hath been most tryed, and always found faithfull; therefore have I been the more large to hold out God to sanctified reason as a faithfull God upon experience. Now rea­son must either deny it selfe in its owne right principles, or else choose God as the only object of faith: If so, then I may cease to argue, for I have my end: if otherwise it cannot be argued with as reason, for it ceases so to be, in denying its owne right and true principle.

But if any soule full of sanctified reason shall speake like it selfe, and say, I will trust my selfe where I find by experience; there is most grace, and goodnesse; faithfulnesse and righteousnesse, most power to preserve me, and most fulnesse to supply all my wants, then I say to such a soule all this is God, and none of this is any where else but in God, and that God is an experimented God in all this; if thou knewest his dealings with thy own soule, thou wils confesse him to be so; his Saint [...] of olde have recorded [Page 75]some of those many and great experiences which they had of him. Now here is that thou lookest for, experimented goodnesse and faithfulnesse in God, and that which God lookes for, is that: Now thou shouldst trust him upon all that experience which thy owne soule, and other of his Saints have had of him: If thou hast any thing to object, make thy objection, there is fulnesse enough in God to answer all that thou canst desire; if all be answered, then trust him that is all, and doth satisfie all that trust in him with his owne fulnesse.

The fifth argument that I shall offer to sanctified Reason why to believe in God, is this; That God counts his faithfulnesse his glory, and was never stained in it, nor can ever be, because he is the faithfull God, a God that never failed any that trusted in him: so sayes the Prophet David, Psal. 18.30. Psal. 18.30. As for God his way is perfect, his word is tryed, bee is a buckler to all those that trust in him. God is perfectly faithfull in all his words, his workes, and his wayes; hee cannot deny himselfe to be God, therefore can never be unfaithfull. From hence the Psalmist in Psalm 33.21. Psal. 33.21. saith, that the righteous doe reigne in the Lord, when he makes them to trust in him. For they then joy in their desires as fulfilled; for if God make them trust in him for it, he will certainely accom­plish it, he will never be stained in his faithfulnesse. Mal. 37.40. So in Psalm 37.40. God will save his people from the wicked because they trust in him: That is, God will preserve his owne faithfulnesse, not any soule shall trust on him in vaine, much lesse be deceived by rely­ing on him. So Psalm 48.10. This it the praise of God unto the ends of the earth, that he is faithfull and righteous according to his Name, he will never loose nor staine the name of a faithfull God: So he sayes himselfe in Psalm 89.34, 35. My Covenant will I not breake, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Psal. 89.34, 35.Once have I sworn by my holinesse that I will not lye unto David. That is, I will make good what ever I have said, my Covenant and promises shall all be performed, for I have sworn by my holinesse, I have engaged that which is most deare to me, and I will not for [...]ei [...]it. And in Psalm 105.8. Psal. 105.8. His Saint [...] beare witnesse to him that thee remembreth his Covenant for ever. So in Psalm 119.89. For ever O Lord thy word is setled in beaven. It is as sure as heaven, thou [...] so faithfull a God: And in vers. 90. Thy faithfulnesse is unto all Gene­rations. It never weares out, or becomes unfaithfull; it is the [Page 76]faithfulnesse of God that is eternall like himselfe, Psal. 119.160. Psal. 119.160. Thy word is true from the beginning, and every one of thy righteous judgements endureth for ever. That is, God is true to his word from everlasting, and his truth and righteousnesse abideth for ever, not any that can challenge him with unfaithfulnesse; his robe of righteousnesse is spotlesse; this is his glory, and so he values it. And the Prophet Isaiah bears witnesse to it, in Isa. 34.16. Seeke yet out of the book of the Lord, Isa. 34.16.and read, no one of these shall faile. That i [...], looke into Gods word, and what ever you finde hee hath said, he will make it good, not any tittle of his word shall faile, you shall never blemish him in his faithfulnesse, for it is his glory.

Now sanctified Reason let mee aske you if this be not a good reason why you should trust in God, because it is his glory to be faithfull, and that glory which hee hath unspottedly preserved from everlasting. Fleshly judgements sees reason in this; for when they commit businesse and trust to men, they will choose as they thinke the most faithfull to the worke: and when men do otherwise, we count they have lost their common reason, and when we choose men to fight our Battles, in whom we commit much trust; Doe we not choose such men who make it their glo­ry to be gallant; and will rather choose to dye, then staine their fidelity and their valour? Why, upon this account sanctified rea­son may safely commit all trust to God, it is his glory to be saithfull: Sinne and all the other enemies of God and his people shall perish in the maintaining of the glory of Gods faithfulnesse: I am to seeke of all reason if this doe not answer the best of rea­son, to trust that God who makes it his glory to be faithful, and that faithfulnesse which never was stained.

A sixth reason that I shal offer, is this: That God is an inexhau­sted fountaine and treasury of all grace and goodnesse, that either the soules or bodies of his people can stand in need of, he can ne­ver promise more then he can perform, nor can any of his people want that good which is not in him; hee is not onely all good in himselfe, but also the fountain of all that which fils heaven and earth: good is originall in God, and in every thing else, as it is derived from God, or received of God; what ever of mercy and grace, either externall or internall, it is received, and God is the fountaine.

The Prophet David doth acknowledge God to be the fountain [Page 77]and giver of all the good he enjoyed, Psalm 23. It was God that made him lye down in green pastures, that lead him by still waters, that restored his soule, and lead him in the paths of righteousnesse; that prepared a table before him in the middest of his enemies; that annoynted his head with oyle, and made his cup to run over.

He found God so full of all good, that he filled him, till his cup run over, and that in the middest of his enemies, a place more apt to streights then fulnesse; yet this was Davids condition, be­cause God was his shepheard, he received from an inexhausted fountaine, therefore his cup runs over: God is so full, that if he [...] doe but drop of his owne fulnese, the narrow vessel of the creature runs over, he is the fountaine of life, and the God of salvation, Psal. 68, 19, 20. He daily loadeth his people with benefits, for he is the God of salvation. The sull fountaine of all blessings, there is fulness of grace in him to kil sinne, and to save the sinner; there is ful­nesse of love in him to pardon the greatest evill, and to love the least good in his children; there is fulnesse of power in him to crush and destroy a world of Enemies, and to preserve his owne little Flocke; there is riches of goodnesse and mercy in him to supply all the wants of his people: In a word there is all good in God that wee can either aske or need; to read his Attributes, will discover his fulnesse. And now me-thinkes sanctified Rea­son should answer as Simon-Peter did our Saviour in the 6^th of John, verse 68. When Christ asked his Disciples if they would leave him also, his answer is, Lord to whom shall wee goe, thou hast the words of eternall life. So should Saints fil­led with sanctified Reason say to GOD, thou art an inex­hausted fountaine of grace and goodnessee, wee can go no whither but to thee for Eternall life, for thou art to thy people the fountain of life; That is, life from all Eternity. To my understanding this should bee a prevailing argument, with the purest and rightest reason to cast all upon him that is all, and to trust in the fountaine of life, for life, that can give most which is most, and nothing can give all, but GOD that is all in himselfe. Eternity cannot wast [...] nor consume the least of GODS fulnesse, therefore is GOD a suitable fulnesse for Eternall soules, and him on­ly to be rested upon that can never fail to be what our souls stand in need of to all eternity: Reason carries men from one thing to [Page 78]another, because they conceive a greater good in the last then in the first, how should it teach men then to goe from all to God, because in him is all good, and to rest in nothing but in him, because there is good in nothing out of him, and for over to depend on him; because he is not onely good, but the fountaine of all good.

The seventh and last argument that I shall give to sanctified Reason, is this: That what ever any soule beleeveth and trusteth in besides God, it must and will deceive the soule, there is no rock of ages besides him, nor is there any Almighty power ou [...] of him, vanity is at the root of every created being, and doth as the worme to Jonahs Gourd, bring them to nothing; that which cannot preserve its owne being, cannot of it selfe preserve any other being, though committed to it; but no created being can preserve or continue it selfe by its owne strength; therefore not able to preserve any thing committed to them; borrowed strength, and received abilities will not be trusted by right san­ctified Reason; because the lender may call back his owne, and then the receiver is empty of any ability to answer trust, and must of necessity faile the expectation of the Trustee: Now this is all that can be thought of besides God, by nature empty Ves­sel [...], meer Ciphers, have nothing originall that is worthy; eve­ry dram of excellency and good is received, now such a subject is altogether unsutable to make a God of; that is, to commit the trust of eternall soules, or any thing that is precious too, but if trusted, it must needs deceive, because that which is no­thing in it selfe, cannot add any thing to another, that which is vanity in it selfe cannot give better to any, nor make a better re­turne to any that trust in it; and the Wise man sayes of all things under the Sunne that they are vanity, Eccles. 1.14.and vexation of spirit, Eccles. 1.14. At they are vanity, so they deceive all that trust in them, and in the deceiving of trust, and great expectations, so they be­come vexation of spirit: So the Prophet David, in Psalm. 62.9. Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lye: That is, men of all degrees have so much vanity in them, that they are not simply in themselves to be rested upon; the highest degree of men, are but men; (so vanity [...]) and must p rove a lye, to that flesh which trusts in them: The Psalmist in Psal. 103.15, 16. shewes the vanity of all flesh in man, the top of the whole [Page 79]creation, As for man his dayes are as grasse: as a flower of the field so he flourisheth. For the winde passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more: This makes good the Wise mans truth that all things under the Sun [...]re vanity: For if man the chiefest piece of the whole creation, be so light as a flow­er of grasse, which is withered, dead, and dry, by a puffe of winde, so made nothing that the place it was in shall know it no more, then surely vanity is a girdle about the loynes of all crea­ted beings, then of necessity they must crack under any weight that is laid upon them, and prove a lye to all those hoped for contentments that flesh lookes for from them, they must prove like Jonahs Gourd, because of that worme of vanity that is at the root, and they will leave the soule as the Gourd did Jonah, ar­guing for its peevish folly, saying it doth well to be angry; though it hath committed a double evill; First, in trusting to vanity, and then to be angry that it appeares vanity.

In the 46. Isay beginning, there the Prophet shewes how the Idols of Babylon could not save themselves, but they and them which trusted in them, were led into captivity together: I shall offer but one Scripture more to this truth, and that is in the 17. Jer. 5, 6. Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arme, and whose heart departeth from the Lord, for he shall be like the Heath in the desart, and shall not see when God commeth: Here we see is the curse of God upon trust­ing that in flesh which is onely proper to God; this is his glory which he will not give to another, and the curse of God will soone blast all flesh that is but grasse; so that it shall prove vani­ty and deceive all that trust in it; thus I hope the truth of the argument appeares by Scripture, and sure I am, the experience that every soul hath had of the vanity of all things besides God, doth add much testimony to this truth; and if thus, give me leave to aske sanctified Reason, if it can justifie it selfe to be rea­son, in choosing vanity to put trust in, and laying the weight of eternity upon that which hath not a moment of its owne, or a dram of sufficiency to answer that weight; if not, then to this sanctified Reason I dare affirme, that God is the onely object for a soules bellese, and that there is no other eternall and sure foun­dation to build upon; and this is the maine scope that I have in all the arguments, to hold this forth to sanctified Reason, that [Page 80]God who is the onely true, Almighty, Omnipotent, infinit [...], e­ternall, faithfull, experimented God, and an inexhausted foun­taine and treasury of mercy and grace, is the onely foundation of trust and confidence, and that all things besides God will prove vanity under such a weight, so that the light of God in the reason of his people; that which sanctifies reason, might from these arguments that suites with right reason, leade the soules of Saints out of their owne flesh and all other vanity, to cast themselves onely and eternally upon the free grace of God in Christ, by beleeving in God to the establishment of soules, is my end in all this; and I trust thus dealing with sanctified rea­son, will appear to be in the way to that precious end: I have done with the Arguments, I trust the Lord will make them his, and blesse them to the end they are intended.

In the next place I shall offer by a few particulers, in some measure a discovery of the evill of unbeliefe, of not trusting of God, and in God, of not trusting all upon God, and making him our all in all; and this discovery hath one and the same end with the former arguments.

The first evill which I shall hold forth of unbeliefe, is this:

That it doth as much as in us lyeth, make God a lyer: For proofe, consider that full Scripture to this purpose, in the first E­pistle of John 5.10. He that beleeveth not God, maketh him a lyer, because hee beleeveth not the Record that God giveth of his Sonne: This Scripture holds forth plainely this, that not to beleeve the Record of God, is to say in the unbeleife of our [...]earts, that God is a lyer, truly unbeliefe can speake no other language, nor give no better title to God, for not beleeving the Record of God, is a denyall of the truth of that Record, and so consequently the truth of God; for the Record of God cannot bee false so long as God is true, and that unbeliefe which sayes the Record of God is not true, doth in the same breath say, that God is not true; now not to beleeve the Record of God, is to say it is not true, for this carryes the strength and basses of all reason along with it, to beleeve that which we judge to be true, and to deny beliefe where we judge untruth: The old Serpent the Devill be­gan in Paradise with this temptation, to perswade our first Pa­rents, that what God had said was not true, that they might [Page 81]eate of the forbidden fruite, that death was not in the act, as God had said, But the knowledge of good and evill; It was unbe­liefe of God in their hearts that made them call God the lyer, and what the Serpent said to be truth; therefore chose to eate, not beleeving they had eate to death, as God told them, and so in their hearts making God a lyer; this is properly the fruit of unbeliefe, to count Gods record untrue, and so to act contrary to the recorded and revealed truths of God: This is a horred evill, that which Saints in truth cannot but tremble to thinke of, to put the lye upon God, reproach upon his perfection, to trample his truthes under our feet as untruthes, and to question the righteousnesse of the ever righteous God; this is the spring­head of all evill, the onely safe and retyring place for Satan, he reignes no where so securely as in the unbeleeving heart, where God is made a lyer, that darknesse makes the Devill to be count­ed as truth, so that there his lawes prevaile, and he reignes as supreame.

Secondly, Second evill of unbeliefe. Unbeliefe makes men to deny and forsake their fairest professions of Christ and holinesse, rather then to suffer for them; and this is the true reason why so many Professours of Christ and holinesse in times of prosperity and publike owning of godlinesse, doe forsake both Christ and holinesse in times of suffering for God and his wayes, because these withering bran­ches were onely in Christ by profession, not by faith; these profess Christ for the gaine of an outward reputation, but do not live in Christ by faith, and in times of suffering, the beauty of Christ is lost to such an eye; and for want of an eye of faith by which the fulnesse, glory and excellency of Christ is discerned, these unbeleeving professors, deny their profession, and their Ma­ster too, if it comes to suffering with Christ, if on him, they will sweare with Peter, they never knew him, and though they sweare yet they doe not lye; for such as leave their profession of Christ and holinesse through unbeliefe, and become unholy, they may truely say they never knew him, for whom ever truly knows Christ in the spirit will never leave him; an eye of faith sees so much beauty, faithfulnesse, power, grace, and goodnesse in God and Christ, that though sufferings comes as waves of the Sea, yet will not leave God and Christ, but cleave closer to him, beleeving in his grace and goodnesse for support and deliverance, [Page 82]but that soule which beleeves not in God, and doth not by an eye of faith see fulnesse in him of power, grace, and goodnesse, to support and deliver, will never trust in him; but with De [...], imbrace the present World; such as follow Christ onely for the Loaves, will leave him at the appearance of his Crosse: That forward Professor in the 18. of Luke 18. so on, which justified himselfe in keeping all the Commandements from his youth, yet could not part with his worldly riches and make Christ his por­tion, much lesse take up sufferings, because of unbeliefe; he would leave his good Master, as he called Christ, rather then his goods, which were indeed his Master through the unbeliefe of his heart, all his faire profession and offers after Christ, comes to nothing, because of unbeliefe; this Christ knew, therefore makes discovery of the man by trying his faith, or by manifest­ing his unbeliefe; it is the beleeving soule that followes the Lamb wheresoever he goes, it is onely faith by which the soule is able to take up the Crosse of Christ and follow him, but unbeliefe leaveth Christ and his Crosse together, though it have professed not to leave Christ though it should dye with him; yet in the appearance of such a tryall the unbeleever denies his profession to save his outside from suffering; this is the constant associate of unbeliefe; and therefore God is pleased in his wisedome to let sufferings be the attendance to the profession of his name in truth, that thereby he might discover even to the World, the precious from the vile, who live in him by faith, and whom onely by profession; thus doth God discover the evill of unbe­liefe, of which argument this present age hath not been wan­ting.

A third evill of unbeliefe, Third evill of [...]beliefe. is this, unbeliefe it questions with distrust the very power of God, it doubts whether God be God, or his power Almighty and Omnipotent; can God give bread in the Wildernesse, and can God bring water out of the Rock, is there fulnesse enough in God to make a barren Wildrnesse fruitfull, and to give food where there is no appearance of food, nay can God make a hard, dry, and stony Rock to bring forth water; can God worke both without meanes, and against meanes, is this power in God; thus doth unbeliefe question, and distrust the power of God: So that proude unbeleeving wr [...]tch, King Nebuchadnezzar, in the 3. Dan. 15. Who is that [Page 83]God that shall deliver you out of my hands: As if he had said, is there any God hath power greater then I, is there any God or any power in God, that can deliver out of my hands; when I have heat the Furance seven times hotter then before, what power can preserve you from the fire of my fury, and my Fur­nace.

We may finde unbeliefe in Sarah putting this very question, in Gen. 18.12. Therefore Sarah laughed within her selfe, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also: If we observe the Scripture it amounts to this, What now I and my Lord am old, now all hopes in nature is gone, can God now make good his word to me in giving me a Childe, now we are both old; this is the true question that unbelief makes, can God doe this great thing? Shee laughed in way of sleighting the ty­dings, through unbeliefe, concerning the power which should effect it: So when Elisha the Prophet did Prophesie of that sud­daine and great plenty in Samaria, when they were at that time strongly besieged and in great wants, 2 Kings 7.1, 2. the Text sayes, That a Lord on whose hands the King leaned, answered the man of God and sayd, Behold if the Lord would make windowes in Heaven, might this thing be; This is the proper language of un­beliefe, thou talkest of too great things for God to doe, are not we straitly besieged, and all our provisions gone, and doest thou speake of so great a plenty in so short a time, which way should God doe this; what shall he make windowes in Heaven, and raine downe this plenty, it can come no other way; thus we see the great evill of unbeliefe, how it questions the power of God, and as it were ungods him, for to make his deficient, is to make him no God.

A fourth evill is this; Unbeliefe is the seale of damnation, he that beleeveth not is condemned in himselfe; we have a full Scripture to this purpose, in John 3.18. But hee that beleeveth not is condemned already, because hee hath not believed in the Name of the onely begotten Sonne of God. Unbeliefe it seales up to con­demnation, because it casts off the salvation of Gods free grace; now that which denies the one, seales up the other; not to be­leeve in Christ is to put from us all possibility of salvation, and to seale the soule up to a certainty of damnation; reade the last verse of that third of John, He that beleeveth on the Bon hath ever­lasting [Page 84]life, and hee that beleeveth not the Sonne, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth in him: Whom ever beleeveth not in Christ, the salvation of God, shall never see life, shall never live in the beholding of God reconciled to him, but hath the wrath of God, the seale of damnation abiding on him, Heb. 11.6. Without faith it is impossible to please God; As unbeliefe keeps the soule from God, so it makes the soule unpleasing to God, that there is no intercourse betweene God and an unbe­leeving soule; now what can be a more visible seale of damna­tion then this? Separation of the soule from God which unbe­liefe makes, unbeliefe biddeth defiance to God and his salvation, and so seales up the soule unto condemnation, unbeliefe is so truly the seale of damnation, that no sinne nor sinnes can damne any soule without, for where faith in Christ liveth, there Christ is the death of all sinne, satisfaction for all sinne, and the life of soules, though all sinne be damnable, yet no sinne nor sinnes can damne without unbeliefe: John 3.15. Whosoever beleeveth in him (which is Christ) shall not perish but have everlasting life. Ob­serve the Text, and you shall finde this in it, that nothing but unbeliefe can hinder the soule of eternall life; for whosoever, the greatest and vilest of sinners, that shall beleeve in Christ, shall certainely be saved; whosoever sinnes and beleeves not in Christ hath damnation in every sinne, and his unbeliefe is the seale of his damnation, but whosoever beleeveth in Christ, though the greatest of sinners, shall not perish, but have everlasting life; damnation is sealed in unbeliefe, and unbeliefe seales up dam­nation; the Devill delights in all sinne, but he lives in no sinne so contented and secure, as in unbeliefe; it is the great seale of his Kingdome, that which holds fast all his interest in the soule, unbeliefe it maintaines the Devils interest most of all sinnes in the soule, therefore his indeavour most of all is to maintaine unbeliefe in the soule; it was want of faith in the Apostles when at they could not cast out Devils; Satan is never deposed of his interest in any soule or body but by faith; if he maintaines un­beliefe he maintaines his interest, the seale of his Kingdome of darknesse.

A fifth evill of unbeliefe is this, It makes men vile in secret, though openly they make a profession of godlinesse, he that professeth holinesse with his outside, and indeavours onely to [Page 85]keep that faire which comes to the view of the World; but im­braceth secret opportunities to be evill, and to doe evill, must needs doe it from a principle of unbeliefe; for did they beleeve the al-seeing eye of God, and see God with an eye of faith, they would be more carefull of committing evill in his sight, then in the sight of men; an unbelieving soule, may upon some considerations of repute, and esteeme with the World, endea­vour to avoide open sinnes which makes open scandall, and so brings open shame, but for secret sinnes it is ready to serve Satan when he pleaseth, because it seeth not God, nor doth indeed beleeve that God seeth him, and therefore Satan doth never di­sturb nor discourage that outward profession of holinesse, which giveth obedience to his commands in secret, he is content the outside should seeme to be Gods, so that the inside be his, his chiefe businesse and endeavour is to hinder true faith in the soul, he cares not, let profession be at what height it will, if he can but keep a foot unbeliefe in the soule, he knowes in secret that soule will obey him what ever profession it makes of God and godlinesse to the World; the Devill loves to be in Gods room in the heart, and if he can but by unbeliefe maintaine his interest there, he hath his ends; and a profession of holinesse in hypo­crisie, makes the soule seven times more his, then before; and this advantage he makes to himselfe and his Kingdome, by keep­ing unbeliefe alive in the heart, for thereby he keeps the heart intire to himselfe, and can make such a soule sinne in secret at his pleasure.

Sixtly, Men will through unbeliefe be false to their vowes, promises, and ingagements, both to God and his people; when as their corrupted reason telleth them that they may be gainers by it, or their carnall hearts conceive a necessity of it: Such as live not truely on God by faith, they never ingage to God or his people but for their owne ends; it is selfe-love that inga­geth them, they neither love nor would they trust either God or his people, could they effect their owne ends, but many times God casteth them into such streights, that their fleshly reason tel­eth them there is no way out, but by the assistance of Gods peo­ple; at such a time these unbelieving hearts will not stick at the making of any vow to God, or promises to his people; but if once they come as it were to see shoare againe, or but to have [Page 86]one foote upon the Land that the danger and bitternesse of d [...]th is over, then they thinke there is no such need of the assistance either of God or his people, and then all former vowes and pro­mises are forgotten: and it may be in this very nicke of time flesh­ly powers presse upon them to be faithlesse to God and his people, declaring themselves to be enemies to all that shall be friends to God and his people: Now the unbelieving soule calls this a neces­sity to him of being false to God and his people, in all its former vowes and promises; such soules will argue thus, what should we doe? the multitude call vpon us, and are restlesse with us, so that they will give us no rest till we satisfie them in that which makes us false to God and man in our former vowes and promi­ses. If we were not so pressed, we should not doe as we doe; we should in some measure make good what wee have formerly said.

This answer is made upon a mistake: It is not the pressing of the multitude, but the unbeliefe of the heart that makes such prove false in their engagements and promises to God and his people; were there faith to trust God, that would keep the soul close to God; believing soules make God their refuge in all streights, and counteth nothing to be so great an evill as to be false to God, or to distrust his faithfulnesse: but unbelieving souls they owne, and deny God, they promise, and prove false to God, as their fleshly reason presents God to them, and their owne advantage in what they doe; this pretending to truth and reality in falsenesse, is the naturall proceed of unbeliefe in the heart. Gen. 40.23. We may read a discovery of this in Gen. 40.23. The chiefe Butler forgot both Joseph and his promises to him in the prison, when as himselfe was in those enjoyments that his heart thirsted after; when soules live upon God by faith, such faith maketh them faithfull to God and his people; but where selfe is the high­est life, there it is the highest end: and thus it is with unbelie­ving soules, they prize nothing above selfe, therefore can be false to all, when as their fleshly reason telleth them, that there­by they may preserve and advance selfe. This is another great and certain evill of unbeliefe.

Seventhly, Unbeliefe it damps the glory of God, and lessens the grace of God to the soule: A distrust of the truth and reality of any thing takes away from such an eye all the beauty and glo­ry [Page 87]of it, so puts a damp both upon the beauty of the thing, and the affection of the soule.

If a man be shewed a rich Diamond, and he believeth it to be but some piece of glasse, or at best but a crystall; this his beliefe doth to himselfe much take off the beauty and value of the Dia­mond, so that the affections are little or nothing answerable to the esteeme, and this ariseth from his unbeliefe: So is it with the unbelieving soule, say what you can of the riches, the glory, and excellency of Gods free grace, of Jesus Christ, and the re­demption of his grace; yet he believeth not any thing; If this unbelieving soule should heare the Spouse in the Canticles say, that Jesus Christ her Beloved is fairer and fuller of beauty then all the belo­veds in the world. Hee would not believe, but thinke that the world is a more beautifull Beloved then Jesus Christ, and upon this consideration, unbelievers choose the world for their Belo­ved, as by faith soules close with, and center in Christ: so by unbeliefe soules leave Christ to embrace this present evill World. The reason is this; faith sees the beauty, and believes the reality of Christ, and the free grace of God, so rests and centers there: but unbeliefe that sayes there is no such grace in God, nor any such riches of glory in grace, no such beauty in Christ, nor such necessity of being saved onely through his blood, and therefore rests and centers their eternall soules in something below God and Christ; this is another true property and perfect evill of un­belife in the soule.

Another evill of unbeliefe in the soule, is this; It makes men inordinate in their pursuites after the World, and so likewise in their sorrow upon their disappointments or losses of the World; it makes men seeke their heaven here, and looke upon nothing in God as enough to repaire the losse of the World: An unbelie­ving soule cannot live upon God day by day for its daily bread; if the barns be not full, it believeth it shall starve; the fulnesse of God cannot satisfie it; If the heart be empty of faith, the hand must be full of the World, or there will be no quiet in the bo­some, and therefore unbelieving soules will in their inordinate pursuite after the World, venture soule and all upon this foun­dation of unbeliefe; men create their owne happinesse in them­selves, and shape their owne felicity in their owne braines, and pursue their owne fancies with a violent zeale of spirit. Now if [Page 88]God disappoint them, if hee cracke their foundation, throw downe that building which they have raised in their owne fan­cies as a habitation for themselves to rest in, then they are as in­ordinate in their griefe, as they were before in their pursuite, and both these the fruit of unbeliefe; unbeliefe makes them seek felici­ty out of God, and the same frame of spirit makes them to be as men without hope, when as the world proves empty, though God be everlasting fulnesse: Unbelieving soules have no eye to see that more exceeding and eternall weight of glory which is in God, in Christ, in heaven for Saints, and therefore they so ea­gerly pursue a dying glory, and are such livelesse, hopelesse, undone soules when that sailes them; If there be no heaven in the world, such soules thinks there is no heaven at all; if their owne heaven faile them, then there is not heaven enough in God to satisfie them. It is worthy the observing, how unbeliefe in Job did make him break out into passion upon this very conside­ration, Job 3. beg. Job 6.8. How he quarrels with the day of his birth, and makes it his request to God that he would cut him off: What is the matter with Job now? this language had not hee heard to fall from his lips formerly? why now Job is stripped of the worlds riches, hee would be cut off from the world; if the comforts of the world dyes, then he would have no longer being in the world: If it be thus with Job when the sunne of unbeliefe which is dying in him doth but appeare, how is it then with those that live in unbeliefe, and have no acquaintance with God at all, their disappointments is their hell; and they say of God as those evill spirits did of Christ, That he is come to torment them before their time. Thus we see that unbeliefe is so potent an evill in the soule, that it unjoynts the whole frame of the soule, leaves it so loose, that every blast shakes it, and overturnes all the joyes and comforts of it; that which is not fixed in God, is apt to change with all that is changeable, and living only in changea­ble vanity, is alwayes in a troubled sea, where it can finde no place to cast the anchor of hope on, because it sees not God: This is another certain evill of unbeliefe.

The last evill which I shall mention of unbeliefe, is this; It is a sinne which hath all other sinnes in it, and keepes the soul in a readinesse to answer all the temptations of Satan with obedi­ence. It was unbeliefe that made the children of Israel to mur­mure [Page 89]against Moses, and to doubt of Gods making good his word to them, Exod. 14.10, 11. And they said unto Moses, Exod. 16.2. Exod. 17.2. be­cause there were not graves in Aegypt, hast thou taken us away to dye in the Wildernesse? They distrusted God as well as Moses, and therefore they murmure at the worke of God by Moses. It is un­beliefe makes the anger, so that it is a teeming sinne, it brings forth more sinnes then it selfe, and keeps the soule in a readinesse to entertaine all sinne; the unbelieving heart it is a treasury of o­bedience to the Devill, hee is sure never to faile of service from that soule which doth not believe in God; nay the Davill can have no service from any soule, 1 Chron. 21. beg. but so far as unbeliefe lives in the soule. Had not the Devill found unbeliefe in David, he had ne­ver prevailed with him to number the People; when his heart be­gan to doubt the strength of God, then was a time for the De­vill to tempt him to try his owne, therefore sayes he, number the people: Know how strong the arme of flesh is, that thou maist have something to trust too; this is as true a touch-stone of unbeliefe in the heart as any liveth; when the soule by faith sees enough in God, it is not solicitous to have an account of the fulnesse of flesh: but distrust in the former, puts the soule upon enquiry after the latter for satisfaction, and thus unbeliefe keeps open house for Satan at all times; it is the chiefe engine by which he upholds his kingdome and his credite; no sinne so neare and deare to him as this, it is his second selfe, where ever it beares sway, it maintaines his lawes, and his Image. See an emminent example of this in Judas, Matth. 27. Matth. 27.4, 5. Who when he had betrayed his Master, went and hanged himselfe. Satan by his Engine of unbe­liefe drew him through the one sin to the other, he did not believe in Christ, therefore he betrayed him; nor did he believe there was grace enough in God to pardon the worst of sinners, & there­fore hangs himselfe. So the Devill first perswaded Eve in Gen. 3.4, Gen. 3.4, 5. 5. Not to believe what God had said, and then he knew hee was able to effect his owne ends, to make her disobey God, and obey him, in eating the forbidden fruit; he useth hsi grand pick­lock, unbeliefe, to open the doore, to let him in, and so soon as ever hee gets entrance in at that doore, his commands become lawes: Unbeliefe is the owner and power of darknesse in the soul, by which Satan reignes as supreame. This is the strongest hold of Satan in any soule; and if once that stronger man, the Lord [Page 90]Jesus Christ cast him out of this hold, hee loses his whole late­rest in, and command over the soule; but so long as he can keep this Garrison, the soule shall surely be kept in a warfare against Christ. Want of faith in God must needs make want of love, service, child-like fear, and obedience, and where these are not, all manner of evill must needs be. I hope by these particulers I have given some little light into this Kingdome of darknesse: it is a large field, the dimensions of it can be taken by no hand, but such an one as can compasse the whole earth, and all the but it; for all the evill of the world will come within this circle of un­beliefe. I intend here no farther a travell upon this discovery then I have gone; to a spirituall heart I am sure every one of these par­ticulers will appeare to be very great evils, then the fountaine of them must needs be exceedingly great in evil; All I aim tis this, that as unbeliefe is the greatest evill in, and the greatest enemie to the soule, so that the Readers would thus looke upon unbe­liefe, and as soules fore-warned, to be fore-armed. Secret ene­mies are the worst of enemies; I have therefore pointed at this great enemy that it might not be greater then it is in it selfe, by its secret lurking undiscovered in the soule.

I shall in the next place in some particulers as before, hold forth the benefits of faith in God, in Christ, and his word, in the soules of believers.