IT is a Smart Question! And it is a Matter of no Small Sor­row, no Small Horror, that we generally afford so Great Rea­son, to be rebuked with such a Question. The Rebuke may be more justly given to us, than it was to Job, the Upright and Patient Servant of the Lord. A man enough to have made any Arabia the Happy, by his Illuminating of it; and yet a Man greatly Misconstrued, Censured, Reproached. We have the Story of him in a Poem, which had an Historical Foundation; whe­ther Moses wrote the Poem or no, for the comfort of his Country­men, while he was yet among the Midianites, cannot be deter­mined. It may, that Senault sayes true, No Book in the World, is nobler in Expressions, richer in Descriptions, more generous in Concep­tions, or more natural in Comparisons. The Friends of this rare man, too Angry & Froward ones! had been counselling of him, to Turn from the Impiety and Hypocrisy, whereof they would needs, upon cause little enough, suspect him to be Guilty. They had been comfor­ting of him also with Hopes to find Favour with God upon his Turn. He endeavours his own Vindication from the Suspicion of his [Page 2] Friends: His just Vindication, does but add unto the Irritation. So tis, when men Resolve, that nothing shall satisfy them! They misinterpret him, as if he had Rejected the Encouragements of Re­turning to GOD, which they had set before him. The Expostula­tion on this occasion (made, as Mercer thinks, with State enough!) is this; Are the Consolations of God Small with thee? The Inten­tion of it, is well expressed by the Incomparable Calvin; Si quid tale aliquis committerit, merito haberetur superbus, et Dei Gratiae contemptor non ferendus. In short, Intolerable the Pride and Ingra­titude of doing so. Whatever mistake there might be in their Ap­plication to the censured Servant of God, I will see, that there shall be no mistake in my Application of the Words, unto the purpose of the DOCTRINE, which I am going to take into my Hands.

Tis this, ‘Very Great are the Provocations of Men unto GOD, when the Consolations of GOD are but Small unto them.’

If the Consolations of GOD appear Little to us, our Indiscretion is more than a Little; our Iniquity more than a Little. When the Consolations of GOD are of Small Account with men, or make Little Impression on them, have Little Efficacy on them, tis a Sign and a Cause of no Small Evil in them; of more than a Little Folly and Evil in them.

There are Three Assertions to be advanced and maintained. When we have Established our Three Assertions, we shall be ready to bring on a very forcible Expostulation, with some Right words, wherein it will be well, if we don't find our selves all concerned.

I. There are Consolations of GOD, belonging unto all the People of God; offered unto all the Children of Men. Comfortable things are to be Enjoy'd by all Good Men; The Enjoyment of those Com­fortable Things is tendered unto all men.

I will presently tell you What these Consolations are. But I can­not well come to thee until we first of all take Notice Whose they are.

Take Notice then, in the first Place, That all True Consolations [Page 3] are the Consolations of GOD. We read, 2 Cor. I. 3. He is the God of all Comfort. There are Comfortable Creatures; Comforts in Crea­tures: But they are no further so, than GOD shall please to make them so. All Creatures otherwise at the best, are but Miserable Comforters. The Great GOD has more Sublime, Celestial, Rap­turous Consolations for us, than any of this World; Consolations of a Finer Composition, than any this World can afford Matter for. Indeed some Interpreters as old as the Vulgar Latin, thus carry the Sense of the clause, I am now Preaching upon; q. d. Is it not an easy thing with God to Comfort thee? And if we do find any Con­solations in any Entertainments, which this World may afford unto us, they still are Gifts of GOD; the Things which GOD has graci­ously given to His Servant! They are Consolations, which GOD has provided; and they would not have the least Relish of Consolati­ons in them, if GOD should not enable us to relish them. We read, Job XXXIV. 29. When He gives Quietness, who then can make Trou­ble? And when He hides His Face, who then can behold Him? I will say, If GOD withold Consolations, who is there that can Pretend to Comfort? Indeed the Best Things in the World, without GOD, are but as Luther Elegantly called them, Consolatiunculae creaturulae: Very Diminutive Consolations! Abundance of Duty, will imme­diately arise unto us from this Acknowledgment.

Would we be made Partakers of any Consolations? Go to GOD for them. Trust in GOD for them. Keep in Good Terms with GOD. O all you, who Desire Comfort; Do not Offend GOD, if you would have Him to Comfort you. All Comfort is lost and gone and Confiscated, when we ly under the Anger of GOD. Are we made Partakers of any Consolations? O Comforted Ones; Own them to be the Consolations of GOD. Give GOD the Glory of them; Glorify GOD, as the Author and Giver of them.

I am now ready to Proceed on my Essay, to declare, What are the Consolations of GOD?

Inexpressible Consolations! All that we can Express of them, is only in some General Heads, whereof we have been advised from the Lively Oracles.

[Page 4]First; There are Consolations of GOD, in the PROMISES, which the Covenant of GOD, has made unto the Godly. The Lord gave that order of old; Comfort ye, comfort ye my People, saith your God; Speak ye comfortably to them! Ah, Lord, Thou hast thy self in thy Word, most graciously, and marvellously done so! The Covenant of GOD & of Grace, is made up of Consolations. The Words of GOD in this Covenant, are those whereof we may say, as in Zech. I. 13. They are good Words, and comfortable Words. It is in the Sacred Scriptures, that we have this comfortable Covenant; and we are in­formed, Rom. XV. 4. Of, The comfort of the Scriptures. There are Very Great and Precious Promises in the Word of GOD. The Fear of GOD gives a Man, a claim to these Promises; Promises both for the Life that now is, and for the Life that is to come. These Promises are so many Breasts of Consolation. Can it be any other than a Con­solation, to understand, That we have an Alsufficient CHRIST, for our Healer, and Helper and Refuge? This Consolation of GOD is given unto them that have the Fear of GOD. We read, Mal. IV. 2. Unto you that fear my Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with Healing in His Wings. What a Consolation must it be to un­derstand, That the ANGELS of Heaven, shall alwayes be Watching and Working for our Good? The Fear of God will Entitle us to this Consolation of GOD. We read; Psal. XXXIV. 7. The An­gel of the Lord Encampeth round about them that fear Him, to deliver them. Is it not a Consolation, to understand, That we shall want no Good Thing? They that Fear God have this Consolation of GOD. We read; Psal. XXXIV. 9, 10. O Fear the Lord, Ye His Saints, for there is no want to them that fear Him. — They that Seek the Lord, shall not want any Good Thing. — But, what shall we say? The Promises of GOD, are Big with all the Consolations Imagi­nable; with Consolations beyond all Imagination. They that are the Heirs of the Promises, Verily, they are the Heirs of Consolations. Take the Sum of the Consolations; the Sum of all Consolations; Psal. LXXXIV. 11. The Lord God is a Sun and a Shield; the Lord will give Grace & Glory; no Good thing will He withold from them that walk uprightly. O COVENANT of GOD! What an Inexhausti­ble Mine of Consolations art thou!

[Page 5]Secondly. There are Consolations of GOD, in the PLEASURES of PIETY; the Comforts which naturally result from a Pious Life. We read concerning the Wisdom of Piety, Prov. III. 17. Her wayes are wayes of Pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. It is most certain; The wayes of Piety, are ways of Pleasancy. Ah, my Young People; when you have thought, that the ways of Religion, were Severe, Austere, Morose, and Melancholy wayes; That you must never See a cheerful Minute more, after you become Seriously Religious; It was a Lying Devil which told you so: Believe him not; His lyes are full of Abominations. True PIETY, I tell you truly, tis attended with the most Enviable Consolations! We read; Psal. CXXXVIII. 5. They shall Sing in the wayes of the Lord. If we might envy the Consolations of any man Living, it should be the man who Exercises himself to keep a Conscience void of offence to­wards God, and towards Man. There is a Continual Feast in such a Conscience. No wicked man ever knows any Delights comparable to those, wherein that man is continually bathing himself, who daily Delights himself in God. Innocency is accompanied with Sere­nity. Sirs, would you arrive to matchless Consolations? Hate all Sin; Shun all Sin; Mourn for it, when overtaken with it; Con­verse with GOD; Be full of Zeal to improve in the Knowledge of God, and the Image of God; and be alwayes at Work for God. Be fill'd with Benevolence, and Beneficence towards MEN: Have compassion on all the Afflicted; Scatter your Alms like the Showres of Heaven; Be Serviceable to every one on all occasions; with unspeakable Raptures of Goodness, watch for all occasions. This Walk with God, will be a Pleasant Walk; No Eden has any that e­quals it. There is a certain Symphony and Harmony with Heaven in such a Walk. The Consolations of it, are Wonderful! Wonder­ful! They that keep close to the ways of God, are Children of Light. There is a Light of God shining upon their ways, and into their Minds. No words can paint out the Consolations of this Light! Blind Sinner, I cannot make thee apprehend this Light. Oh! That thou wouldest Come and See!

[Page 6]Thirdly. There are Consolations of GOD, in the ASSURAN­CES, with which the Sealed Souls of Believers are sometimes Com­forted of God. I know, this will be derided as Enthusiasm, with the Sons of Profaneness▪ But it is very sure; The SPIRIT of GOD is the COMFORTER of them who belong unto Him. There is upon the Hearts of the Faithful a Work of that Holy Spirit, which is called, A Sealing Work. Of that work we read; Eph. IV. 30. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are Sealed unto the Day of Redemption. Oh! the Refined Consolations of a Soul Sealed by the Holy Spirit of God! The Spirit of God first imprints upon the Mind of a Christian, the infallible Marks, of Regeneration, and Re­conciliation, and of an Heirship to a Crown of Life. He then gives the Believer a Sight of these Marks; and fills him with the Conso­lations which belong to a Regenerate and Reconciled State; fills him with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory. No Tongue is able to utter the Consolations of a Mind, whom the Holy Spirit of GOD Irradiates with a Perswasion and Assurance, of an Interest in the Special Fa­vour of God. The Holy SPIRIT of God, often assures the Peni­tent Sinner of His Mercy to him; and sayes, as in Math. IX. 2. Child, Be of Good cheer, thy Sins be forgiven thee. Oh! the Conso­lations of a Pardoned Penitent! The Electing, the Redeeming, the Pardoning Love of God, is often Powerfully brought home, unto those who are Watchful, Fruitful, Holy in all manner of Conversation. The Holy SPIRIT, with a Powerful Satisfaction tells him, Thou art a Child of God! God has loved thee with an Everlasting love; and as a Token of it, He has enkindled in thy Heart a vehement Flame of Love to Him. He tells him; Thou hast made choice of God for thy Portion; But God first chose thee for One of His People. He tells him; Thou hast given thy self unto thy Redeemer; But God the Father first gave thee unto Him. He tells him; Thy Sins are all become lothesome to thee; The Death of thy Sins, is to thy Soul, a Blessing bet­ter than Life it self. Tis a Token from God, that thy Sins are all For­given thee. Can any Consolations be equal unto these? Methinks, one so Comforted of God, cannot but fall into Extasies! The Con­solations of God, will make him to sing; Isa. XII. 1. O Lord, I will [Page 7] Praise thee; Tho' thou wast Angry with me, thine Anger is turned a­way, and thou dost comfort me. One over-powered, and even over­whelmed with such Consolations, must be dissolved into Tears of Joy, and cry out, ‘Oh! What will my Glorious Father Please to do with me! Lord, I am Thine! Lord, Thou art Mine! My Father will never leave off to do me Good: He will guide me by Counsil, and bring me to Glory. Oh! my Father, and my Saviour; what shall I render to thee?’

There is one Remark to be made on the Special Season in which there uses to be a Grant of such Consolations. The Sovereign Lord of all, dispenses the Consolations when He Pleases. But yet; Are we Raised unto some Exercise of Grace, in an uncommon Ele­vation? A Victory over Hideous Temptations? A Forgiveness unto cruel Enemies? A Resignation to the will of God in Grievous Events? Are we Patient under heavy Trials? Are we Pleased with Sufferings for the Cause, the Word, the Day of God? Are we Glad, Glad of any Conformity to our Saviour, tho' in the most Abasing Circum­stances? NOW is a Special Season; for the SPIRIT of the Holy One, to come in upon His Faithful Servants, with more than ordi­nary Consolations. Now, Rejoyce & be Exceeding Glad, sayes our Saviour. This has been in all Ages, the Experience of the Faithful; 2 Cor. I. 5. As the Sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our Consolation also aboundeth by Christ. Hence, The Consolations of the Martyrs, these are become a Proverb in Israel!

Is it possible to ascend any Higher, in the Consolations of GOD? Yes; From an Earnest and Foretaste of Heaven, we may ascend in­to Heaven it self. Wherefore,

Fourthly, and Lastly; There are Consolations of GOD, most Blessed Consolations, reserved for us in the Heavenly BLESSED­NESS. HEAVEN, tis Consolation in the Consummation of it. The Departed Spirit of a Good Man, is transported into the Para­dise of GOD. When he is in that Paradise, we read; Luk. 16.25. He is Comforted. Ere long the Dead Children of God, arrive to a Resurrection from the Dead. The Resurrection was, in the ancient Language of the Orient, called, The Consolation. In the Resurrecti­on [Page 8] we are furnished with Consolations; we are advised; 1. Thes. IV. 18. Comfort one another with these Words. But, Oh! what Consolations of God shall we receive, when we Enter into the Holy City, the Heaven of Heavens! In that City, there is Fulness of Joy. The Joy of a full Harvest, of all our Tears, all our Devotions, all our Bounties, and all our Troubles! The Consolations of having a Sight of GOD in His CHRIST, and of being made like unto Him! The Consolations of a Society, with the Innumerable Company of Ho­ly Angels, and the Spirits of Just men made Perfect! The Consola­tions of that CITY! I remember what we read, 1. Cor. II. 9. It hath not Gone up, [ [...]] in the Heart of man to conceive. The word is Emphatical; to intimate, that they who have the most Lofty Conceptions, the most Raised Affections, yet cannot comprehend in their Thoughts, their Wishes, their Desires, the Consolations which God has prepared for them that Love Him!

There are provided such Consolations to Encourage us in the Service of God.

II. The Consolations of the Great GOD, Really are no Small Consolations. No; as we read; Psal. XXXI. 19. O how Great is thy Goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee! So we may say; O how Great are the Consolations, which the Great Good­ness of God has laid up, to Invite and Reward our Fear of His Name! They must be Great Consolations, that such a Great GOD, has to bestow upon those whom He will have to be Comforted. None teaches like Him; and none Comforts like Him! Indeed, the Put­ting of the Name of GOD upon them, (as upon Men, upon Trees, upon Hills, and the like, in the Scripture often,) may do the part of an Hebraism, to signify the Greatness of them.

First. The Consolations of GOD are GREAT for the NUMBER of them. Truly, in the Consolations of God, we have a Remedy for every Malady. We read, Psal. XCIV. 19 In the multitude of my Thoughts within me, thy Comforts delight my Soul. Tho' we have a Multitude of Griefs, a Multitude of Cares, a Multitude of Wants; God hath suited them all, with a Multitude of Consolations; Adapted Consolations for every One of them all. There are the [Page 9] Consolations of God agreeable to all our Conditions; Consolations in Temporals, and Consolations in Spirituals; Consolations from the Dew of Heaven, and Consolations from the Fat of the Earth. I must say, as the Apostle in another case, The Time would fail me to mention them. I call to mind, how Jerom of old Essay'd the Sum of them; Paupertatem times; sed Bonos Pauperes Christus appellat. Labore terreris; Nemo Athleta sine sudoribus coronatur. De cibo cogitas; sed Fides Famem non timet. Deus ipse omnium Rector ac Dominus, cum omni Angelorum militia certamen tuum expectat; Tibi contra Diabolum dimicanti parat aeternitatis coronam. — Say, That Christ Calls the Poor happy; Say, That all our Labours will have Rewards agreeable; Say, That Faith, fears no Famine? Say, That the Angels of God are our Guardians; and that our Warfare is their pleasant Spectacle; and our Conflict will issue in a Crown of Glory. Still, The One half has not been told unto us. ‘How Precious are thy Consolations, O God; How Great is the Sum of them, if I should count them, they are more in Number than the Sand.’ At last, the Consolation amounts unto that Computation; Rev. XXI. 7. He that over-cometh, shall Inherit all things.

I will now deal with my Hearers, as Abraham was dealt withal; Gen. XV. 5. And He brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward Heaven, and tell the Stars, if thou be Able to Number them. And He said, so shall thy Seed be. [I will not stand now to Enquire, how far this Passage might contribute unto the ancient and famous Tradition which the Pagans had, of our Patriarchs being an Astro­nomer; but,] I will say, even so; O Child of God; canst thou tell the Number of the Stars? The Stars visible to the unassisted Eye in­deed, we may tell the Number of them; No man ever yet saw with­out Glasses Two Thousand of them; The latest & largest Globes have but Nineteen Hundred. There are many, many more, which are not commonly seen; The Number of them was never yet known to men upon Earth. It shall not be said, So shall thy Consolations be! No, but greater, still greater, much greater, is the Number of thy Consolations: Innumerable Consolations!

Secondly. The Consolations of God are GREAT for the NATURE [Page 10] of them. Consolations, the Quality whereof is Excellent, & Exqui­site; the Excellency Invaluable, Incomprehensible. We have a Notable Term for them; Heb. VI. 18. Strong Consolations. The Consolations of the Faithful, they have sometimes been such, that they have been too Strong for them; they have not been able to bear them; they have been forced to cry out; Lord, stay thy Hand; thy frail Servant can bear no more. Yea, the Consolations of the Faithful, what are they less than Infinite? It is the Infinite GOD Himself, in whom they have their Consolations. They are Conso­lations of GOD, and they are Consolations IN God. The Infinite GOD, said unto the Father of the Faithful; Gen. XV. 1. I am thy Exceeding Great Reward. The same GOD, the same Infinite and Almighty GOD, sayes unto all the Faithful; I am thy Exceeding Great Comfort. Great, Great must it indeed be, if THOU, O Lord, art It! The Great GOD Himself, is the Joy of His People; How can it be any other than a very Great JOY; we read, Psal. XLIII. 4. I will go unto GOD, my Exceeding Joy. The Consolations of the Faithful, are of no lower a strain than this; ‘The Great GOD is my God, and He will surely do me Good: He will never leave me nor forsake me. The Power of God will ever supply my wants; the Wisdom of God will ever Direct my ways; the Good­ness of God will open the Treasures of Mercy for me. God the Father is my Father; God the Son is my Saviour; God the Spi­rit is my Leader.’ O Peerless Consolations! Boundless Consola­tions! Immortal Soul, what canst thou in thy most Extended and Insatiable Appetites, desire beyond these Consolations!

I now wonder no longer, at the words of that Renowned (and then Retired) States-man, Count Oxistern, to the Excellent Lord Whitlock. I do assure you I have found more comfort in my Retreat, than in all my Greatness. I recommend unto you, the Holy Scripture without you, and the Holy Spirit within you; which will be sure to En­tertain you with the most Solid Consolations, and bring you an Everlast­ing Felicity. I wonder not at the words of that Illustrious Empe­rour, Charles V. after his Abdication of the Empire; True Piety has those admirable Consolations, which the Courts of Princes are Strangers to!

[Page 11]Thirdly. The Consolations of God are GREAT for the DURATI­ON of them. Eternal Consolations, and, Pleasures for evermore. The Consolations profered by Satan to us, as they can be all shown in a Moment of Time, they were so to our Saviour; so they will hold but a Moment of Time. O Sin, what are thy Consolations? They are Pleasures but for a Season; and a very, very short Season too. They are but as the Crackling of Thorns under a Pot; A short Noise, a short Blaze, and they are Gone. But now, the Consolations of God, these are Durable Riches. We read, 2 Thes. II. 16. God hath given us Everlasting Consolation. The Consolations of God, they will Stay with us; They are a Joy that none can take from us; They are an Eternal Glory. The Heavens as well as the Earth, shall Perish; But, O Heavenly Consolations; You shall Endure. They shall wax old like a Garment, and they shall be changed; But you are the same, and your Years will have no End! Endless Consolations; and there­fore no Little Consolations!

III Every one will now grant me a Third Assertion. The Great Consolations of GOD, if they are SMALL with us, Great is our Ig­norance, Great is our Corruption; we are Greatly to be blamed for it. It cannot but be a Great Error, a Great Evil, in men, to set but a Lit­tle Esteem, on the Great Consolations of GOD.

This is now so plain, it calls for no further Demonstration. Per­haps it will do well to Enquire, When may it be said of a Man, That the Consolations of God are Small unto him? The Enquiry, shall be answered at once. The Consolations of God, are Small with a Man, when the man who has no Title to them, can do well Enough without it, or does not think it worth his while to Look after it. And, The Consolations of God are Small with a man, when a man, who has a Title to them, is not Contented with it, or thinks it not Enough to yield Contentment unto him.

I am now fairly arrived unto the Expostulation, in which these Assertions are to terminate.

But how many, how many, are to be now address'd with a most Pungent Expostulation! Certainly, There are very many among us, of whom it may be fear'd, The Consolations of God are Small unto [Page 12] them. Their Transgression sayes within my Heart, that the Consolations of God are but Little in their Eyes. To be more particular.

First. How SMALL are the Consolations of God, with such as are the Despisers of a Glorious CHRIST, who is, The Consolation of Isra­el! The Name of the Messiah of old, was, The Consolation. Be­cause the Messiah did not yet appear to Save His People; there were those Lamentations; Lam. I. 16. Mine Eye runs down with Tears, be­cause the Comforter that should Relieve my Soul, is far from me. The Jewish Rabbi's, putting that Question, What shall be the Name of the Messiah? do cite this very Text, for to prove, that His Name shall be, Menachem, or, The Comforter. But are there no Christless ones, of whom it may be said; The Comforter that should Relieve their Souls, is far from them; The Saviour, & His Great Salvation, is far from the wicked ones; They have no Acquaintance with a Glorious CHRIST, no Union with Him, no Fellowship with Him; And yet their Eye never dropt so much as one Tear, on this deplorable occasion! Ah, Christless Unbeliever! The Consolations of God are Small with thee. If there be any Consolations, they are such as an Interest in a Glorious CHRIST is accompanied withal. We read, Phil. II. 1. Of, Consolation in Christ. Our CHRIST, our CHRIST is the true Noah, of whom we may say, This same shall comfort us. O under-valuer of the most Glorious Comforter, If thou hast any Regard unto the Greatest of Consolations, come to the CHRIST, who calls thee to come unto Him. Come, and put thy self into His Hands; cast thy self upon His Mediation; Sit down under the shadow of the Tree of Life with Delight. It is Good Tidings of Great Joy, That we may have a Glorious CHRIST for our Saviour: What would it be, if He should say, I will be thy Saviour! If once the CHRIST of GOD become thy CHRIST, thou shalt find Wisdom, and Righteous­ness, and Holiness, and Redemption laid up in Him for thee. Oh! The Consolations to be found in such Benefits of such a Saviour, and a Great One! How Comfortable, how Comfortable, must it be, to think; ‘My Sin is all Pardoned thro' the Blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God, which cleanses from all Sin! I stand before God in a Righteousness better & brighter, than what the brightest [Page 13] Angels in Heaven could have help'd me to! My JESUS is my Advocate, and Pleads continually that I may not miss of Hap­piness! He will most certainly shew me the Path of Life; He will most certainly Save me from every Path of the Destroyer: He will most certainly bestow upon me an Eternal Mansion in His Fathers House.’ His Father is my Father; His God is my God. O Consolations that Surpass all Contemplations! My Friend, All these Consolations will be thine, upon thy falling down before a Glorious CHRIST, and sincerely saying; Lord, I am Thine, Save me! Consent, Comply, Be willing to be the Lords. Then thou hast all His Consolations. Why, why are the Consolations of God so Small with thee, that a Glorious CHRIST with His Consolations, it seems, are not worth Acceptance with thee? O Sinner, Foolish & Unwise! Thy madness is not Small; else these Consolations of God, would not be so Small.

Secondly. How SMALL are the Consolations of God, with such as Delay their CONVERSION to God, and will not be moved by all the Consolations, which will undoubtedly follow upon Obedience to Him? Upon Conversion to GOD, the Sinner comes to vast Con­solations. We are so called upon; Act. III. 19. Repent and be Con­verted, that so the Times of Refreshing may come. Indeed, the He­brew word, Nacham, the Root of our word here for, Consolations; it signifies, first of all to Repent, and then to Comfort; Because to the Penitent there belongs Consolation. But then, how surprisingly must the Consolations go on, and Increase & Multiply! Oh! the Blessednesses and the Consolations of the man, whose Transgression is Forgiven! The man who is become an Heir of God, and a Joint-Heir with the Son of God! The man, whom the Spirit of God, makes a Temple of God, and chuses to Dwell there for ever as a Comforter! No Boethius is Master of a Pen, that can Soar high enough, to describe the Consolations. We are told, There is Joy in Heaven, it gives a Consolation unto the Angels in Heaven, when a Sinner is brought unto Repentance. O Repenting Sinner, certainly then thy Soul, has a claim to a most Heavenly Consolation! As it was of old said, Seemeth it a light matter unto you, to be the Son in Law of a [Page 14] King! I will say, O Sinner loth to turn unto God; Seemeth it a light matter unto thee, to become a Child of God! A Light matter, to be a Favourite of Heaven! A Light matter, to be a Candidate of a Crown that Fadeth not away! What? Such Consolations of God, are they so Small with thee, that the filthy and fulsome Grati­fications of the Flesh, are to be preferred before them! Has the Devil more Desireable Things for thee, than these Consolations of God? This, This indeed is the cursed Language of thy continu­ance in thy Sins. Oh! Talk no more so exceeding Vainly, so ex­ceeding Vilely; and let such Blasphemy be no more uttered in thy Unconverted Procrastinations. With a Subdued Soul, from this Time, Oh! Fall down before the Lord, and say, O Great GOD, Thou shalt be my Father, and the Guide of my Life!

Thirdly. Sinner, Despairing of Mercy & Pardon, Thy DESPAIR does declare, That the Consolations of God are too SMALL with thee, to conquer it. There are Sinners who See themselves, and perhaps have cause to own themselves, The chief of Sinners. The sight of their Sins exceedingly Terrifies them. And indeed they are a very Terrible sight! But yet, Oh, Despair not. Before the Awakened Sinner, I will now set the Consolations of God. Ah, Dis­couraged Soul, Be thy Sins never so Many, never so Heinous, there is a Pardon to be had! I bring to the most criminal among you all, that Advice from Heaven: Isa. LV. 7. Let him return unto the Lord, and He will have Mercy upon him; and unto our God, for He will a­bundantly Pardon. I bring you that Advice; Matth. XII. 31. All manner of Sin shall be Forgiven unto men. I bring you that Advice; 1. Joh. I. 7. The Blood of JESUS CHRIST, the Son of God, cleanses from all Sin. O Lively Consolations! O Wondrous Consolations! O Consolations of God! The Day of Grace is not yet over with you. Behold, O Sinners, willing to Confess and Bewayl and Abhor all your Sins; O Sinners, willing to have all your Sins Forgiven and your Lusts Mortified, thro' the Sacrifice of the most Holy JESUS; The Servants of God have a Commission to stand among you, and make this Proclamation; A Pardon! A Pardon! O Perishing Souls, A Pardon is Ready for you. Do but Humble your selves before [Page 15] the Glorious GOD, and humbly plead the Blood of your Saviour, that God may Forgive your Sins, and cleanse you from all Unrighteous­ness; and you shall find Him, Ready to Pardon. Let Rebels, let the most monstrous Giants in Rebellion, know, That a Sin-Pardoning Lord, even Waits to be Gracious unto them. To You, even to You, there is now made, the astonishing offer of a Pardon after all. To them that have been the Greatest Monsters of Sin, there is now Proclamed this Consolation of God! What an Heart-melting word is that? Mic. VII. 19. He will Subdue our Iniquities. Man, There stands a mighty Army of Iniquities in the way of thy Happiness. How must thy Heart fail thee, when the Holy God Sets them in Or­der before thine Eyes! But now, Be sorry for thy Iniquities; with Remorse lay down the Arms of thy Rebellion; lay Hold on the Tenders, and Merits of thy Saviour: Then the Pardoning Mercy of God, will Subdue this mighty Army of Iniquities. None of them shall hinder His Favour to thee; They shall be Cast into the depths of the Sea; the Red-Sea of thy Saviours Blood shall drown this Ar­my. The Number or the Blackness of thy Sins must not be thy Discouragement. There is a Fountain Set Open for the most Unclean Sinner among us all to repair unto! And upon thy Washing in that Fountain, O Sinner, All thy Sin will be, as if it had never been at all. Thy past Scarlet and Crimson Abominations will not hinder a bright Complexion of Snow and Wooll from Succeeding in thy Pu­rified Soul. Is any of you distressed with an Apprehension of ha­ving Sinned Unpardonably; of having fallen into the Unpardonable Sin? To that Soul, I must bring this Consolation of God; Soul, Thy Distressing Fear of that, is a Proof that there is no Cause to Fear it. I will add; Art thou Desirous of a Pardon? Would a Pardon be to thee a Pearl of Great Price? Hast thou any value for the Blood of thy Saviour, which is the Price of thy Pardon? Tis very certain, Thou hast never yet fallen into the Sin that cannot be Pardoned. Oh! Let this Consolation of God mightily Quicken you, to Repent, and Believe, and make sure of the Attainable Pardon!

Fourthly. And, I Pray, What are the Consolations of God; How SMALL! unto them who are unconcerned about Preparing for, [Page 16] and Approaching to, the SPECIAL ORDINANCES, where those Consolations are to be met withal? Concerning the Ordinances of the Gospel, we read, Isa. XII. 3. With Joy shall ye Draw Water out of the Wells of Salvation. Of one who had been Baptised, we read, He went on his way Rejoycing. By Reflecting on, and Improving of our Baptism, we may come to the Still Waters, where we shall find Rivers of Consolation. Alas, what a Rarity is this in the Christian World! How do we Forget our Baptism, and Remember it as waters that pass away! We read again, that there was Great Joy in Jerusa­lem of old, at the celebration of the Passover. Oh! the Great Joy, of the Consolation, which we might find in celebrating the Gospel-Passover at the Table of the Lord! Yet, alas, how do the Ways of Zion Mourn, because there is no more careful walking in them! In the Ordinances of our Saviour, we may look for the Consolations of God. They are the Statutes of the Lord, which Rejoyce the Heart. I shall be sorry, if none of my Hearers are able to testify so much, from what they have this very Day met withal. But more especi­ally, in Special Ordinances. What less to be look'd for, in the House of God, at the Gate of Heaven!

Oh! why no more Sollicitous to come with Ready Souls, unto the most Comfortable Ordinances of the Lord! Ah, Slothful Soul! Tis a Sad thing, that the Consolations of God are so Small with thee! What some have done thro' Pettishness, may be said to be done by those thro' Slothfulness; Psal. LXXVII. 2. My Soul refused to be comforted.

Fifthly. Methinks, The Consolations of God are too SMALL unto the People of God themselves, when under their AFFLICTI­ONS, they take not up with those Consolations, but their Souls Re­fuse to be Comforted. There are some, who have a part in the Con­solations of God; And yet, when they are Afflicted, when in their Afflictions they are bereaved of some Earthly Consolations, they are like her, of whom we read, Mat. II. 18. She would not be Comforted. Length of Time, alas, is the only Solace known by many Afflicted People, who would yet be Esteemed the People of God. When they are Afflicted, nothing will compose them; They will continue [Page 17] to Rage, or to Pine, until — Longa Dies sedavit Vulnera mentis. But, O Disconsolate People of God, Hearken a little to me. What a vast Bundle of Consolations have you, in that One word! Rom. VIII. 28. We know, all things work together for Good, unto them that Love God. Oh! Let it not be Small with you! One thing more: You lose Earth, but you have Heaven left you. And is this a Small thing in your Eyes?

I will first Speak a very awful Word. It is this; If the Conso­lations of God are so Small with you, that they will do nothing to Quiet you, When you meet with Losses and Crosses in an Evil World, it may be question'd, Whether you have a part in those Consolations. I will add this; You will anon find, That nothing else will do to Quiet you; you will find a Wretched Vanity & Vexation, in all other Consolations: The Consolations of This World will fail your Expectations, and be Physicians of no value.

It was a Sweet Passage of the Poet;

I must English it.

You shall allow me to Propose one thing more, in Pursuance of the Design I am going upon. It was an Excellent Proposal made in the Church of God Eleven Hundred years ago; Facilius erit Con­solatio, si inter Flagella quae Patimur, quae fecimus ad memoriam De­licta revocamus. Let us in all our Afflictions, be Mindful of our Miscarriages, be Mournful for our Iniquities; Humbly Adore the Justice of God in all our Afflictive Cases: We are by such Humilia­tions prepared for the Consolations of God. Now we may go on.

I will now make the Experiment, what the Consolations of God will Signify, in Two or three Cases, that are of a frequent Occur­rence among us. The Ancient has taught me, Dolentem non Potest Consolari, qui non concordat Dolori.

First. There are Some who are grievously annoyed, fearfully disturbed, with the FIERY DARTS which the Wicked One Shoots [Page 18] into their Minds. They cry out of the Injections, wherewith Satan troubles them; and affrights them: Suggestions full of Atheism, full of Blasphemy, full of Hellish Malignity, are injected by Satan into their Souls. The vexation is insupportable; it renders them even weary of their Lives. Hideous Thoughts are thrown into them, and such as make them afraid the dreadful Wrath of God must overtake them Immediately, Irremediably. A very Pityable case! But can there be any Consolations of God for One so horribly Tempted of the Devil? Yes; And very Great Ones. There is that Consolation; 1 Cor. X. 13. There has no Temptation taken you, but such as is Common to Man; Yea, Common to Good Men. Tis rather a Good, than a Bad, Sign to be thus Buffeted by the Devil. O Soul Mourning because of the Oppression of the Enemy; If the Devil did not Look upon thee, as upon one who made Conscience of Sin­ning in thy Thoughts, it is probable, he would not chuse to persecute thee with such Sinful Thoughts. Take this Consolation also; Go on to Bewayl these Thoughts, to Abhor these Thoughts, to Renounce these Thoughts, and God will never lay them to thy Charge; No, they shall be charged upon thy Adversary, who Provokes thee sore; tis he that is the Father of them. And, then take likewise this Consolation. By an unwearied Contradiction of these Thoughts, or making these Thoughts an Incentive as often as they recur, to raise Thoughts that shall be directly contradictory to them, and fill'd with devout Acknowledgments of God and His Christ; this will soon weary out thy Adversary; Tis but Resisting the Devil thus a little while, and he will flee from thee!

Secondly. Are there any STRAITS upon us? Perhaps, we are Straitned with Poor and Low Circumstances; The Times grow hard; we are afraid we shall be hardly or but meanly provided for.

In this case, there are some Great Consolations of God which I can Lead you to. There is that Consolation; Jam. II 5. Hath not God chosen the Poor of this World, Rich in Faith, and Heirs of the King­dom? There is that Consolation; Psal. XXXVII. 3. Trust in the Lord, and do Good, and verily thou shalt be fed. My Friend, Hast thou not a CHRIST? In Him thou hast Unsearchable Riches. In [Page 19] Him will thy God Supply all thy Wants from His Glorious Riches. And if HE be thine, He will help thee, to all that can be Needful for thee. Thou hast a Father and a Feeder, that Knows all that thou Needest. I must say, Have ye forgotten the Consolation, that that Speaks to you, as unto Children?

If any of you meet with Impoverishing Disasters, what will you say to that Word? 2 Chron. XXV. 9 The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. Truly, Sir, If God gives you more Grace, than you had before; If you are made more Prayerful, more Watchful, more Weaned from this World; Or, if God have given you the Grace to bear your Impoverishments with Resignation; He has given you much more than all that has been taken from you. Is there nothing in these Consolations?

Lastly. Have we our Desirable RELATIVES taken from us? But in this case also, we have at hand, the Great Consolations of God.

Are the Relatives at a Distance from us in other Countries? Be Comforted; God Knows where they are. His Kind Eye is upon them there; His Kind Hand can reach them. If they are in Cap­tivity, yet, Jer. XXXI. 16. Thus saith the Lord, Refrain thy Voice from Weeping, and thine Eyes from Tears; for thy Work shall be Re­warded, and they shall come again from the Land of the Enemy.

Has DEATH taken away the Relatives? Be Comforted; God Lives. And if a CHRIST be yours, you have the Good Part that can't be taken away. Should not that Widow be Comforted, who can say, My Maker is my Husband? Or, that Widower; who can say, God has Meant all unto Good?

But the PARENTS who have buried their Children, have they no Consolations of God? We read of such a thing as that, at the Funerals of old; Jer. XVI. 7. The Cup of Consolations. Tis there provided for the Funerals of Parents. Parents also have it provided for the Funerals of their Children. Parents, I have one of Gods providing for you. O Drink of the wine, which I have mingled for you, saith the Lord. The Consolations of Men, such as Horace offers to his Friend Valgius on the Death of his dear Mysta; and such as you have in the Writings of Seneca, and the other Stoick Philoso­phers, [Page 20] or the rest, are very Small Ones: very mean truly. Yea, They Themselves upon great occasions do confess them so. Such was that famous One, in Stobaeus, to one who had Buried his Child; Before that Child came into the World, thou hadst no Grief about it. Why shouldest thou grieve, now tis gone out of the World? Have we no Higher Notes? Yes; If the Parents are themselves the Chil­dren of God, then they have a Name far better than that of Sons and of Daughters. If the Son of God be theirs, then they have One, who should be Better to them than Ten Sons or Daughters.

It may be, the Children had Comfortable Symptoms upon them, in their Sober, Modest, Vertuous Behaviour. To hope, that it is well with them, is an unspeakable Consolation. Then, as it was said unto the Ruler, on the Death of his Daughter; She is not Dead, but Sleepeth. Even the Pagan could give it as a Direction; Be not Sorrowful for the Dead; since there is a Necessity of dying; But spend thy Sorrow, [...], upon such as Dy wretchedly, and wofully.

Luther, when his Daughter Magdalene was Expiring, he read unto her, from the XXVI. Chapter of Isaiah; and concluded thus; My Daughter, Enter thou into thy Chamber, with Peace, I shall ere long be with thee. On this, he wept Plentifully; but in Publick attend­ed the Horse without a Tear.

Diverse of the old Poets observed, That if Tears would fetch back the Dead, [...]. We would gladly change Gold for Tears; Tears would be better than Gold. But since Tears are of so little use, we need go no further, in filling our Lacrymato­ries, for our Dead Children. We are in the midst of the Consolations which may be most Reasonable Spunges to the Eyes that are a Foun­tain of Tears. Grotius did well to deride it as a foolish saying of Solon, I weep the more, because I can do no Good by Weeping.

It may be, they were Children who have left Children, and have Enlarged the Kingdom of Heaven.

It may be, what is buried in One Child, may be richly made up in Another; in the more than Doubled Comfort from the hopeful Character and Carriage of Another.

[Page 21]And, what a World, what a Troublesome, what a Dangerous what an Horrible World, are your Children taken from? O Saint of God, I know, thou saist, This is none of my World? The Great Baxter, in a Noble Treatise, Of Obedient Patience in particular Cases, has a Passage, which I cannot help taking some Notice of. Sayes he; When I see, what a miserable World it is, that we are in, even like the Suburbs of Hell, I have never grieved, that I never had a Child; And why then should I mourn, if I had One, and God had quickly taken him away!

After all; If God will not have your House to grow, yet you have a Standing in His House. You have also a Title to a Cove­nant full of Sure Mercies; a Covenant Ordered for all things & Sure; a Covenant whereof you joyfully say, This is all my Salvation and all my Desire.

And truly, Sir, if GOD call you to Sacrifices, even to Successive Sacrifices; to Sacrifice One Lamb after another: Now, to go on after an Holy manner with them, it is an Evidence of your Share in an Holy Priesthood. It is an Argument and an Evidence, that after you have pass'd thro' all your Tribulation, you shall appear in your Wash'd Robes among the Priests of God, and receive the Accomplishment of that Word; Rev. VII. 15, 17. They are before the Throne of God, and Serve Him day and night in His Temple, and God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes.

I Leave with you these Consolations of God; I beseech you to take them; to Feed and Live upon them.

My NEHEMIAH, [for since you know that Name Signi­fies, The Consolation of the Lord, you will give my Sermon leave to Wear that Name:] has not yet, as I find upon a Review, dispensed all the Consolations that yet may be comprised within the Limits of my Designed Brevity.

There is a SPECTACLE, that is Extremely uneasy to us; a very Mournful and Frightful Spectacle! The Spectacle of, A whole World Lying in Wickedness; and by the just wrath of GOD rendred therefore an Entire Aceldama; Wickedness raging and [Page 22] reigning at a Strange rate; The Sons of Wickedness carrying all before them; Good Men Oppressed; and the more Good they do, the more Exposed unto Oppression; unto the Contradiction of Sin­ners, and all the Persecution which the Tongue, or Pen, or Fist of Wickedness, can assault them withal; The VIALS of the Divine Indignation, Pouring out, under a THIRD WO begun upon a Wicked and Woful World; The Curse devouring the Earth, with Numberless and Horrible Desolations.

But have we any Consolations under so grievous a Spectacle? Yes, and very Great Ones too. Very particularly That; 2 Pet. III. 13. According to His Promise, we Look for New Heavens and a New Earth, wherein dwelleth Righteousness. In the mean time, That; 2 Pet. II. 9. The Lord knows how to deliver the Godly out of Tempta­tions. Briefly, Another and a better State of the World, is coming on. It was a Remarkable Passage, which lately fell from the very Learned, and Holy, and Famous Dr. Spener: That brave Man, when he lay a dying, Ordered that when he was Dead, there should not be so much as one Threed of Black used about his Coffin; for, said he, ‘I have been a Sorrowful Mourner for the Afflictions and Corruptions of the Church Militant all my days; but I am now Entring into the Joy of the Church Triumphant; and therefore I will not now have the Least Mark of Sorrow upon me. And Let this Desire of Mine, be a Token to you, of my Faith, O my Friends, that our Great Saviour has Glorious Things to do short­ly for His Church upon that Earth, where I leave my Ashes a­mong you.’

I will bestow a Little Illustration upon this Matter, and so Conclude it.

There was a very Surprising Tradition among the ancient Pa­gans, recited by Plutarch, in his Treatise of Isis, and Osiris. About the Origin of Evil, [...], there was much Enquiry among the Ancients. They conceived, that there were Two Gods; One the Original of Good; the other, of Evil. According to Zoroaster, the Name of the former was Oromazes, the Name of the latter, Arimanius. Oromazes was resembled unto Light, Arimanius unto [Page 23] Darkness. There is a War between Oromazes, and Arimanius Oromazes Lodg'd the World in an Egg; but Arimanius Perforated it. Hence there is every where a Perpetual Mixture of Good and Evil, And from the Enmity between them, what Works are done by One, are Spoilt by the other. But a Time Decreed by Fate will come, when Arimanius must be totally destroy'd by Oromazes, Then the Earth being brought into an admirably Smooth Conditi­on, men shall all be Universally Blessed, and Inhabit as it were One City, and have One way of Living, and Speak One Language; and enjoy a Wonderful Happiness Plutarch says, This was [...], A very Ancient Opinion, and that it had obtained a Firm and Indelible Belief. Now, this Marvellous Tradition, contains in it, no con­temptible Reliques of Glorious Truth; GOD, the Maker of the World; whose Name is Light; And, Satan, the Fountain of Evil; whose Name is, The Prince of Darkness. It is indeed a Broken Re­membrance of our Protevangeleum, in the Third Chapter of Genesis.

And what I go on to Remark, is, That altho' the Sacred Ora­cles, every where Conspire to advise us, of a Day at hand, in which the Creation shall be Delivered from the Vanity which it is now Groaning under, and an Holy and Righteous and Peaceable Kingdom of God, shall take Place in the World, yet they are all but Com­mentaries upon that Protevangelium; we have in That, the Origi­nal Text, as I may call it, and a Sure Foundation for our Hopes, That the World will not always be so bad as now it is. Maresius, having written a Disputation full of Bitter Zeal against the Chiliasts; the incomparable Comenius, when he was about Fourscore years of Age, wrote a Treatise on that occasion, with all the Learning, and Vigour and Style, which could have been Expected from a Literator, in the very Meridian of all his Glory. The Begin­ning of his Treatise runs upon this Argument. The Birth of Chi­liasm was in Paradise. It was born to us in the Protevangelium given there. There we find foretold, a Perpetual War between the Serpent and our Saviour. There is foretold, the final Issue [Page 24] of the War, in the Destruction of the Serpent, and an Illustrious and Everlasting Victory of our Saviour. Well; But where is the Field of these Transactions? This is Evidently the EARTH. All the World Knows and Feels, that this our Earth, is the Field of the War. We desire then to Know, Whether after all, the Conqueror must Leave the Field unto his vanquished Enemy? Whether the Conqueror do not always Chase the Enemy out of the Field, and he himself keep the Possession of it. Pelli Solet Hostis in ultima usque antra Sua, Captivusque in Carcerem mitti. So then, there is a Day at hand, when Satan, with all his Power and Party must be Chased off the Face of the Earth; and the Earth be Entirely in the Possession of our Admirable Saviour. Let this be our Conclusion; This our Consolation. — But, How Long, O Lord, Holy and True; How Long, How Long!