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<DATE>2009-03-02</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
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<P>GODS GRACIOUS THOUGHTS TOVVARDS GREAT <HI>SINNERS.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>JER. 29.11.</HI></BIBL>
<P>But I know the thoughts I thinke towards you, &s;aith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evill, to give you an expected end.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>EPHES. 3.19.</HI></BIBL>
<P>The love of Chri&s;t pa&s;&s;eth knowledge.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON;</HI> Printed by <HI>Matthew Simmons,</HI> dwelling in <HI>Alder&s;|gate</HI>-&s;treet. 1647.</P>
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<HEAD>NATHANAEL HOMES, TO THE CHURCH IN FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM.</HEAD>
<P>_DEare Brethren and Si&s;ters, as my compa&s;sions to &s;ome bleeding hearts among you, did put me upon this di&s;cour&s;e, in our more pri|vate weekly meeting; &s;o their unexpe|cted importunitie, for Copies, have ne|ce&s;sitated me to print it, &s;o as it was, &s;ud|dainly compiled, and ruggedly delive|red, unpoli&s;hed, and untrimmed for pub|like view of all abroad. But being wil|ling you &s;hould have it, I would rather deny mine own honour, then you of any &s;pirituall comfort I might hold forth to you, who am yours in the Lord by many &s;trong obligations.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>N. H.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>From my &s;tudy in</HI> Mary Staynings.
<DATE><HI>Decem. 2. 1646.</HI></DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
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<HEAD>GODS GRACIOUS THOUGHTS TOWARDS GREAT SINNERS.</HEAD>
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<Q><BIBL><HI>ISAIAH 55.8, 9.</HI></BIBL>
<P>For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your wayes my wayes, &s;aith the Lord.</P>
<P>For as the heavens are higher then the earth, &s;o are my wayes higher then your wayes, and my thoughts then your thoughts.</P></Q>
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<P>_THe former part of this Chapter is a mo&s;t glorious invitation of poore &s;inners to free mercy, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 1. to the end of the 7^t^h ver&s;e, in which 7^t^h ver&s;e the Lord tells all <HI>commers</HI> to him, that he hath mercy for them, and mer|cy with eminency; namely, that <HI>He will have mercy on them: And he will abundantly pardon.</HI> Or, as it is neerer to the Hebrew, and is &s;o expre&s;&s;ed in the Margin of your Bibles; <HI>He will multiply to pardon,</HI> or, <HI>Multiply pardons.</HI> The freene&s;&s;e, fulne&s;&s;e, and faithfulne&s;&s;e of this glorious grace and favour, the Lord mo&s;t &s;trongly demon&s;trates, to confute all doubtings, and cha&s;e away all feares that are in the hearts of drooping &s;inners, in the ver&s;es of the Text. The <HI>Cata|&s;trophe</HI> and up&s;hot of all is this; That the Lord having removed their &s;innes, he will remove their judgements, and change their &s;or|rowes into joyes, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 12, 13. The &s;ub&s;tance of the ver&s;es of the Text in the &s;en&s;e of them, are the <HI>matter</HI> of the <HI>Demon&s;tration;</HI> The coherence or inference of them in the &s;everall <HI>FORS,</HI> are the <HI>forme,</HI> that forme them into arguments, to remove their doubts and feare<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.
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As if the Lord &s;hould &s;ay; <Q>When I &s;ay, I will have mercy, and abounding, or multiplyed pardoning mercy; you ought not to doubt of it, or feare; <HI>FOR my thoughts are not your thoughts,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>FOR as the heavens are higher then the earth, &s;o are my thoughts higher then your thoughts. FOR as the raine comes down from heaven,</HI> &amp;c. So that one <HI>FOR</HI> backs another.</Q> And then &s;aith the Lord, Your &s;ins being done away, your judgements &s;hall be removed. <HI>Ver.</HI> 12, 13. <HI>FOR you &s;hall goe out with joy,</HI> &amp;c. You &s;hall by the effect of remo|ving of your &s;orrowes, di&s;cerne the cau&s;e, <HI>viz.</HI> the pardoning of your &s;innes.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctrine.</NOTE>Out of all, for the de&s;igne in hand, I picke and cull this one Do|ctrine; That the incomparablene&s;&s;e of Gods gracious thoughts to|wards poore &s;inners, above and beyond their thoughts, is &s;ufficient to &s;top the mouth of all objections, and &s;till the cryes of all de|jections in all their mi&s;eries.</P>
<P N="1">1. Note (for explanation of this rich Doctrine) that our mi&s;e|ries are twofold. Afflictions; Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions. Tho&s;e the threed, the&s;e the needle. For the&s;e are they that prick and &s;ting to the quick. The&s;e the &s;ting in the mouth or tayle of afflictions. <HI>The &s;ting of death is &s;inne,</HI> 1 Cor. 15. A confluence of all afflictions of them|&s;elves cannot &s;ting &s;o, as the &s;ingle e&s;&s;ence of the &s;inne when God will &s;et it on the con&s;cience. <HI>Pauls concupi&s;cence</HI> &s;tings him more, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7. then his <HI>being killed all the day long,</HI> Rom. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. Afflictions whip the body, &s;inne the &s;oule. <HI>The &s;pirit of a man</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Solomon) may &s;u&s;taine his infirmities; But a wounded &s;pirit who can heare?</HI> That is, of him&s;elfe without Gods grace.</P>
<P>Now &s;econdly ob&s;erve, that in all the&s;e afflictions and &s;innes, Gods thoughts towards us poore &s;inners, are &s;uch as are incom|parable and tran&s;cendent, above and beyond that wee can thinke: 1. Father with <HI>&s;imple cogitation;</HI> That is, we cannot thinke towards others in the like ca&s;e of mi&s;ery, as God thinkes towards us in the &s;ame ca&s;e. 2. Or with <HI>reflexive comprehen&s;ion,</HI> or <HI>apprehen&s;ion,</HI> that in, to conceive what tho&s;e thoughts of God are towards us in our mi&s;ery, ju&s;t as he thinkes them. Both the&s;e &s;eeme to be cleerly, in the Text. For the fir&s;t, <Q>I can, &s;aith the Lord; <HI>&s;hew mercy</HI> where|&s;oever there is a &s;ence of mi&s;ery, though that mi&s;ery did as well provoke me by the &s;in of it, as it did grieve man with the afflicti|on of it.</Q></P>
<P><HI><PB N="3" REF="4">For my thoughts are not your thoughts.</HI></P>
<P>For the &s;econd. If there be abundance of &s;innes bringing abun|dance "of iudgements, <Q>I can (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>abundantly</HI> pardon; <HI>For my thoughts are above your thoughts.</HI></Q> As if the Lord &s;hould &s;ay of the fir&s;t, thus; <Q>Can you have &s;uch thoughts of mercy on mi&s;ery as I can? e&s;pecially where you are provoked? Doe not you u&s;u|ally repell violence with violence? Doe you not u&s;e to render evill for evill? Are you not u&s;ually for the punitive way? Or if you pa&s;&s;e by a few wrongs, can you pa&s;&s;e by <HI>abundance?</HI> Doe you not cry again&s;t multiplying of offences, <HI>Immedicabile vulnus,</HI> &amp;c. cut the putrifying limbe off? Doe you not after once or twice warning, fall to harming? Do not your Magi&s;trates burne in the hand, then hang up the neck?</Q> And you admoni&s;h, then puni&s;h. But I can thinke thoughts of mercy, contrary to all the&s;e, as hath been &s;hewed in the Text.</P>
<P>For the &s;econd.</P>
<Q><P>You (as if the Lord &s;hould &s;ay) can hardly thinke that I can thus thinke, but I can. <HI>For my thoughts are above yours;</HI> You are men, I a God; you corrupt, I pure, I prove it thus: Doe you &s;ee the di&s;proportion of creatures, of the Heavens above the earth? Much more between an infinit Creator &amp; the creature. Can you take the ju&s;t altitude of the Heavens above the Earth? Then note how high my thoughts are above yours. Therefore the&s;e my thoughts I propound and pre&s;&s;e to hu&s;h and &s;top the mouth of all objections, and &s;till your &s;orrowing, fearing, com|plaining-dejections.</P>
<P>If you object any crooked unworthy thing to di&s;parage my thoughts, and &s;o to prejudice your &s;elves in laying hold on my thoughts, let the an&s;wer be, my <HI>thoughts not as yours.</HI> Mine in &s;ub|&s;tance are all good, right, &amp;c. As my <HI>words</HI> are, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 19. &s;o are my <HI>thoughts.</HI> No evill, no iniquitie, no crueltie in my thoughts. If you thinke any, you bring it with you, you can finde none in me: you goe about to pervert the &s;traight wayes and thoughts of the Lord, <HI>Act.</HI> 13.10. But the Lords thoughts are like him|&s;elfe; The Lords thoughts and wayes are equall, they are yours that are unequall, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18.25. As if the Lord &s;hould &s;ay, take it for a generall rule, <HI>What ever your thoughts are, if they be not mo&s;t ju&s;t, good, holy,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>they are not mine.</HI> But you may object, you think your thoughts are &s;o; Therefore take this for another gene|rall
<PB N="4" REF="5">
rule; <HI>That what&s;oever thoughts doe not tend to your &s;alvation,</HI> tend to bring you towards mee, according to the de&s;igne of this Text, and <HI>word of mine, tho&s;e thoughts are not my thoughts,</HI> Ezek. 18. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 33. If you object, &s;econdly, that yee cannot imagine how I can have &s;uch thoughts of mercy to &s;uch &s;inners as you are; The an&s;wer is, As the Heavens are di&s;tant and different from the Earth, &s;o are my thoughts above yours. The Heavens are &s;o a|bove the Earth, that the Earth with all its Cedars, mi&s;ts, clouds, fiery meteors, cannot reach it; &s;o nor can your thoughts in a rationall way reach mine. And as the Heavens are greater, &s;o my thoughts, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 3.17. And as the Heavens are bigger then the Earth, &s;o my thoughts are like my &s;elfe, infinite. And as the Hea|vens are more glorious then the Earth; &s;o are my thoughts then yours: And as the Heavens give light, &s;o doe my thoughts to yours. And as the Heavens &s;hine on the bad as well as good, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.45. &s;o doe my thoughts on &s;inners as well as on Saints. If you object, thirdly, that though the&s;e are effectuall expre&s;&s;ions in them&s;elves, able to doe much, yet they do not take, affect your &s;oules. The an&s;wer is, that as the operations of the Heavens, in drawing up mi&s;ts, and powring them downe in raine, doe the worke, the raine returnes not in vaine; &s;o &s;hall my word be, that expre&s;&s;eth my thoughts; If the heavens do not &s;hine, raine, rowle, rai&s;e the Sunne, &amp;c. in vaine, but cau&s;e &s;pring, harve&s;t, &amp;c. then &s;ure my thoughts &s;hining and dropping in my words, &s;hall not be in vaine. If as the earth waites on the heavens; &s;o you waite, &s;eed-time, &s;pring-time, harve&s;t-time will come. My thoughts &s;hall take hold of your thoughts, and overcome them, and transforme them into mine: your thoughts &s;hall tru&s;t in my thoughts of truth: your thoughts &s;hall hope in my thoughts of mercy; your thoughts &s;hall rejoyce in my thoughts of love; your thoughts &s;hall re&s;t quiet|ly in my thoughts of peace; that all your &s;ins are pardoned, and &s;o your judgements &s;hall be done away, at lea&s;t as judgements.</P></Q>
<P><HI>&V;&s;efull is this,</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. To put us upon the con&s;ideration of Gods thoughts, &s;o farre as we are able by enlightened rea&s;on: 1. How different in kinde our thoughts are from Gods thoughts. 2. How di&s;tant and &s;hort in degree our thoughts are below Gods thoughts, when we &s;et about to apprehend them. Both the&s;e are in the Text, and Doctrine, as we &s;aid; compare <HI>Jerem.</HI> 29.11.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="5" REF="5">1. For the difference in kinde.</P>
<P N="1">1. Our thoughts cannot be <HI>fir&s;t</HI> towards God, in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of our &s;alvation, our thoughts cannot be the fir&s;t-mover. For na|turally, <HI>our thoughts and imaginations are onely evill continually,</HI> Gen. 6.5. Wee are borne wild A&s;&s;es Colis, <HI>Job</HI> 11.12. <HI>Wee goe a&s;tray as &s;oone as wee are borne:</HI> but Gods thoughts are <HI>fir&s;t</HI> in our &s;alvation; <HI>He</HI> (&s;aith the P&s;almi&s;t) <HI>under&s;tandeth our thoughts afarre off,</HI> or <HI>long before.</HI> Therefore his thoughts are precedent to ours. He here in the 6, and 7^t^h ver&s;es before the Text, makes the fir&s;t motion about our &s;alvation; and as it is in 1 <HI>Job.</HI> 4.19. <HI>We love him, becau&s;e he lo|ved us fir&s;t;</HI> and therefore his thoughts fir&s;t move ours. His love fir&s;t &s;ounds forth; then our love is as the Eccho. He fir&s;t allureth, then we are drawn. A mighty Comfort; that his thoughts being fir&s;t towards us; their graciou&s;ne&s;&s;e mu&s;t needs be free. Though wee cannot glory in our thoughts, as preventing, or per&s;wa&s;ive of Gods thoughts, yet we may glory in this greater thing, that Gods thoughts anticipate, prevent, and per&s;wade our thoughts. <HI>Acti agi|mus,</HI> wee in every thought and deed act not, but as we are acted by God. Gods thoughts are the Originall, ours but the Copy.</P>
<P N="2">2. Our thoughts are not kinde thoughts, &s;weet thoughts to o|thers; we are &s;elfe-lovers: the originall &s;in of the world. See <HI>Adam.</HI> Doe wee thinke thoughts of love to our enemies? E&s;pecially un|&s;ought unto? Much le&s;&s;e would we prompt them to &s;eeke unto us, that we might &s;hew them kindne&s;&s;e. Would their mi&s;ery be our pitie? Would it not be our joy rather? So uncharitable is nature, <HI>that we rejoyce in iniquitie.</HI> But God hath all the contrary thoughts to the&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">3. Our thoughts are limited thoughts, we cannot pitie or par|don (if we doe either) much or many. Wee &s;ay, <HI>how oft,</HI> Mat. 18.21. Wee are ready to &s;tudy an end, afore wee begin. But Gods thoughts of mercy, are <HI>abounding</HI> thoughts, and <HI>multiplying</HI> thoughts; thoughts of <HI>abounding mercy,</HI> and <HI>multiplying mercies and pardons.</HI> He &s;hews mercy to thou&s;ands of generations, <HI>Exod.</HI> 20. and therefore to thou&s;ands of &s;innes of one &s;oule. <HI>He heales back&s;lidings,</HI> Ho&s;. 14. Ob&s;erve the indefinite expre&s;&s;ion. And the P&s;almi&s;t &s;peaks of <HI>a multitude of mercies,</HI> P&s;al. 5.7. P&s;al. 100.7. <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;peakes of <HI>multi|tudes of loving kindne&s;&s;es,</HI> I&s;a. 63.7. And <HI>Jeremy</HI> &s;aith, <HI>There is no fai|ling of his mercy, &s;o we are not confirmed.</HI> How much and how many
<PB N="6" REF="6">
evills did he pardon in <HI>Mana&s;&s;eh, Magdalen, Saul?</HI> How many back&s;lidings in <HI>Peter,</HI> and much more in <HI>Solomon?</HI> I may &s;ay to a true beleever, as he doth not make an end of &s;inning, &s;o God can|not make an end of pardoning. But then as his pardoning takes off our feare of &s;inne; &s;o it takes off our love of &s;inne. His good will takes off our ill wills, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.</P>
<P N="4">4. Our thoughts at be&s;t have much reluctation again&s;t good, and ordinarily much evill in them, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7. But Gods thoughts are all good, altogether good, purely and perfectly good, and con|cerning our good, to cure us of our evill, and to fill us with good, <HI>Jer.</HI> 29.11. So it is &s;aid, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. <HI>God is good,</HI> and doth good.</P>
<P N="5">5. Our thoughts, when not vile, are vaine, <HI>Jer.</HI> 4.14. But Gods thoughts are great and maine thoughts, touching the great things of our &s;alvation.</P>
<P N="6">6. Our thoughts are of contentions with men, and of tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ion again&s;t God, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 55.7. But Gods are of peace and reconcilia|tion. So argued in Text, and <HI>Jer.</HI> 29.11. He is the God of all peace, and &s;utable are his thoughts.</P>
<P N="7">7. Our thoughts are craving begging thoughts, we are all up|on the getting hand, of man by intreating, of God by praying; wee are more in prayer then in prai&s;e. But Gods thoughts are giving thoughts, bountifull thoughts, thoughts of giving afore our asking, and more then many times we dare aske; &s;o before and in the Text. And <HI>Jer.</HI> 29.11. when they are de&s;pairing, he would be giving. <HI>I am found of them that &s;ought me not,</HI> I&s;ai. 65.1. God gave more to <HI>Paul</HI> then he thought on, <HI>Acts</HI> 9. and compare 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. Yea <HI>Solo|mon</HI> had more then he asked. So the promi&s;e is, <HI>Seeke fir&s;t the king|dome of God.</HI> We aske oft to <HI>beleeve,</HI> he gives more, <HI>Phil.</HI> 1.29. We aske oft to <HI>overcome</HI> &s;uch or &s;uch a thing, &s;uch a &s;inne; but in that God gives us to overcome many other &s;innes. Thus is it mo&s;t true, that <HI>it is a more ble&s;&s;ed thing to give then to receive.</HI> God ble&s;&s;ed for evermore gives. And we could not be ever asking, but that God is never weary of giving. Many more particulars might be given of the different kinds of our thoughts from Gods, but the&s;e are e|nough to enlarge our meditation.</P>
<P N="8">8. When we turne about our thoughts to under&s;tand the in|comparable thoughts of God towards us, our thoughts are at a di&s;tance, fall infinitely &s;hort of comprehending them as we &s;hould.
<PB N="7" REF="6">
Therefore God &s;aith in the Text, <HI>My thoughts are above your thoughts.</HI> And <HI>Jerem.</HI> 29.11. <HI>I know my own thoughts,</HI> though you doe not as you ought, I doe, <HI>that they are thoughts of peace.</HI></P>
<P>As Gods thoughts are in regard of <HI>matter,</HI> namely, mercy, good|ne&s;&s;e, pardonings, &s;o in <HI>mea&s;ure.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Infinite.</HI> P&s;al. 92.5. <HI>O Lord, how great are thy workes, thy thoughts are very deepe.</HI> An&s;werable to 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.10. <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>The deep things of God;</HI> whereby to &s;helter us from the <HI>depths of Sa|tan,</HI> Revel. 2.24. that is, &s;inne, &s;infull temptations, &s;tratagems, &amp;c. <HI>Gods under&s;tanding is infinite,</HI> P&s;al. 147.5. The Apo&s;tle makes an heavenly exclamation, <HI>Rom.</HI> 11.33. <HI>O the depth of the riches both of the wi&s;dome and knowledge of God, how un&s;earchable are his judgements,</HI> di&s;cernings or determinations, <HI>and his wayes pa&s;t finding out!</HI> God hath thoughts of mercy for millions of &s;inners, therefore &s;ure enough for all the &s;innes of one &s;inner.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Continuall;</HI> continued without interruption, &s;o that as they have no beginning, nor ending, &s;o no breakings off in the middle, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 89.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Certaine,</HI> firme, e&s;tabli&s;hed; &s;o before the Text; <HI>The &s;ure mer|cies of David;</HI> That is, promi&s;ed to <HI>David;</HI> that is made over to us in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> the &s;onne of <HI>David.</HI> That as &s;ure as <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is in our na|ture, &s;o wee are one with him by faith. Chri&s;t is the great <HI>pledge,</HI> or <HI>witne&s;&s;e,</HI> in ver&s;e 4^t^h before the Text, of Gods mercifull thoughts towards us poore &s;inners. So that if we be unlovely in our &s;elves, yet we are <HI>acceptable</HI> and <HI>well-plea&s;ing</HI> to <HI>God</HI> in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> Mat. 3. la&s;t, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.3.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Immutable,</HI> both in kinde and degree. They cannot be other|wi&s;e, or le&s;&s;e then ever they have been, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.19. And <HI>James</HI> &s;aith, <HI>With him is no &s;hadow of change.</HI> Yea God in Chri&s;t the &s;ame for ever, <HI>Heb.</HI> 13.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Intuitive.</HI> God thinks all his thoughts at once. As a mans eye &s;ees all it &s;ees at that looke, in one twinkling of an eye, &s;o God &s;ees all ab&s;olutely that ever were, are, or &s;hall be at once. He needs not any rationall intellectuall di&s;cour&s;e to goe from one thing to another in his thoughts, but he can &amp; doth comprehend all at once.</P>
<P>Now upon the&s;e and the like properties of Gods thoughts, wee fall very &s;hort of and below a due apprehen&s;ion of Gods thoughts; and fall to doubting, becau&s;e in oppo&s;ition,</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="8" REF="7">1. To the <HI>infinitne&s;&s;e</HI> of God thoughts, our thoughts are <HI>finite;</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> eye, nor the Sonne it &s;elfe can behold all the world in its com|pleat roundne&s;&s;e; much le&s;&s;e can our finite thoughts reach Gods infinite thoughts.</P>
<P N="2">2. To the <HI>continuitie</HI> of Gods thoughts, ours are <HI>interrupted,</HI> broken off oft-times in the middle. Many by-thoughts intervene between our mo&s;t &s;erious thoughts, whiles they are ri&s;ing up to any con&s;iderable height of apprehen&s;ion of Gods thoughts, or of any thing that is good; and &s;o they di&s;turbe and di&s;&s;ipate our con|ceipts of minde.</P>
<P N="3">3. To the <HI>certainty</HI> of his thoughts, our thoughts are mo&s;t <HI>un|certain</HI> thoughts. Sometimes they are rather conjectures then re|&s;olves, rather opinions then judgements, rather di&s;putings then de|terminations. And &s;o (as the weakne&s;&s;e of our eye to behold the fixed &s;tarres at &s;uch a di&s;tance, makes us thinke they twinckle, when as it is the quavering of our weake eye) our <HI>uncertainty</HI> in thinking makes us think Gods thoughts are <HI>uncertaine,</HI> when as it is the uncertaintie and variablene&s;&s;e of our thoughts.</P>
<P N="4">4. To the <HI>immutabilitie</HI> of Gods thoughts, &s;tands in oppo&s;ition the <HI>mutabilitie</HI> of our thoughts. Sometimes they are on God, &s;ometimes off, and on the creature. And when on God, &s;ometimes &s;tronger, &s;ometimes weaker, &s;ometimes almo&s;t nothing. Some|times they catch one thing, and let that goe, and then catch ano|ther, and &s;o lo&s;e the &s;eries, method, and dependance of things, to finde out the excellency of Gods thoughts.</P>
<P N="5">5. To the <HI>intuitivene&s;&s;e</HI> of Gods thoughts, &s;tands oppo&s;it the <HI>di&s;cur&s;ivene&s;&s;e</HI> of our thoughts. For being we are faine to know by di&s;cour&s;e from one thing to another, in a rationall way, as from the effect to the cau&s;e, &amp;c. And our rea&s;on is imperfect, and our <HI>knowledge is but in part;</HI> wee mu&s;t needs oft-times fall very low in apprehending ordinary things, much more in diving into extraor|dinary things. Wee cannot alwayes by the utmo&s;t compa&s;&s;e of rea|&s;on, reach to the formes of &s;ome naturall things; how then can our di&s;curive, reach Gods intuitive thoughts?</P>
<P>Now therefore &s;aith the Lord in the Text, when yee heare mee &s;peake of &s;uch high things as are here mentioned; <Q>As, <HI>I will abun|dantly pardon,</HI> &amp;c. you wonder at them, but doe not notwith|&s;tanding doubt of them, or di&s;pute again&s;t them; For my
<PB N="9" REF="7">
thoughts are known to mee, (<HI>Jer.</HI> 29.11.) they are not &s;o meane and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ow as yours, but <HI>farre above,</HI> (as in this 55. of <HI>I&s;aiah</HI>) and therefore admire, but not de&s;paire. <HI>They are above your thoughts or high as the Heavens are above the Earth.</HI> But I can tell the alti|tude of mine own thoughts, I think of <HI>mercy,</HI> and of <HI>multiplying pardons.</HI></Q></P>
<P>The&s;e two places, the Text, and <HI>Jer.</HI> 29.11. hold forth the&s;e particulars.</P>
<P N="1"><Q>1. (As if the Lord &s;hould &s;ay) nor you nor any man el&s;e, no nor Angels (which are enquirers into the Go&s;pel, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.12.) can tell my thoughts &s;o well as I my &s;elfe. <HI>Fle&s;h and bloud</HI> could not <HI>reveale</HI> to <HI>Peter</HI> the things of Chri&s;t, <HI>Mat.</HI> 16.17. And in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. The <HI>naturall man receiveth not the things of God, becau&s;e &s;piritually di&s;cerned.</HI> No nor can your &s;pirituall minds compre|hend the full of things, for yee <HI>know in part,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. As the <HI>Na|tions (Mich.</HI> 4.12.) <HI>know not my thoughts, nor under&s;tand my coun|&s;ell</HI> concerning you, &s;o you may labour to know them, but &s;till they will <HI>pa&s;&s;e your knowledge,</HI> Ephe&s;. 3.19. The loving thoughts of my heart are rather <HI>felt,</HI> then <HI>under&s;tood,</HI> Rom. 5. <HI>I &s;hed my love into your hearts.</HI></Q></P>
<P N="2"><Q>2. That I, even I my &s;elfe doe know all mine own thoughts per|fectly, how high &s;oever they be, I comprehend them all. They are all di&s;tinctly and fairly written in my heart, and I can read and compute, and &s;can every one of them to a tittle, and &s;ettle them in an unalterable way, by an unchangeable decree.</Q></P>
<P N="3"><Q>3. That I acknowledge my thoughts, to be high thoughts of love, mercy, &amp;c. &s;o as I cannot keepe them to my &s;elfe, but doe ut|ter them, and in order of times, and of your nece&s;&s;ities do explaine them to you, though you cannot reach to the utmo&s;t height of them. I make them legible to your eyes in my booke; and I make them frequently to &s;ound in your eares in the mini&s;trie of my Word; and I give you a repre&s;entation of them in the Sacra|ments, to many of your &s;en&s;es; But though you cannot compre|hend them fully as they are in their infinitene&s;&s;e every way; yet by that you apprehend, yee may admire the re&s;t, as perfectly in|finite, and incomprehen&s;ible. As the Heavens and Earth will be &s;eene of us but in the Hemi&s;phere, yet you conclude they are round.</Q></P>
<P N="4"><PB N="10" REF="8"><Q>4. That though your thoughts have many objections again&s;t my thoughts, yet I know my thoughts will an&s;wer all the ob|jections of your thoughts. Di&s;pute and try.</Q></P>
<P N="1"><Q>1. It may be you poore &s;inners will &s;ay, you have had &s;uch deep apprehen&s;ions of your &s;innes, and &s;uch long inward conflicts a|bout them, that you &s;ay in your hearts, and thinke you &s;hall ne|&s;ee good day more.</Q></P>
<P>But my thoughts an&s;wer you out of the&s;e Texts, that <Q><HI>my thoughts are thoughts of mercy, of multiplying pardons, and that above your com|prehen&s;ion. Thoughts of peace,</HI> I think peace towards you, as I am the God of peace. And I have many thoughts about it, and great thoughts like my &s;elfe. For they are <HI>my thoughts.</HI> And though little man doth a&s;&s;ay to imagine great things, yet your thoughts are not like my thoughts.</Q></P>
<P N="2">2. It may be, you will object againe, <Q>That your thoughts thinke my thoughts are not &s;uch thoughts of mercy, &amp;c; Becau&s;e my hand hath been upon you to afflict you;</Q> and perhaps the af|fliction, or its &s;mart is not yet off from you; and therefore that I &s;till intend to have &s;evere thoughts towards you. But my thoughts are as in the&s;e Texts, and the Contexts that lead to and follow them, that is; <Q>That whereas you can be alwayes angry, and irre|concileably angry with men; fle&s;h and bloud is prone to be <HI>un|mercifull</HI> and <HI>implacable;</HI></Q> my thoughts are not &s;uch; for my thoughts cannot be like yours, they mu&s;t be <HI>better,</HI> and <HI>above</HI> yours, or they cannot be my thoughts; I tell you plainly in the&s;e Texts, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 55. <HI>Let him that hath nothing come and buy,</HI> ver. 1. That <HI>there is a time when I will be found,</HI> ver. 6. And the <HI>pre&s;ent time</HI> when I offer grace and favour, is the accepted time, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.2. Even as he did heare Chri&s;t Je&s;us, that was made &s;inne for us; &s;o he heares &s;inners. And as there is a time when I &s;pake to thee &s;inner, to cau&s;e thee to leave &s;in; &s;o then do I intend to lay a&s;ide my wrath, <HI>ver.</HI> 7. before the Text. So that my thoughts of anger are <HI>but for a time,</HI> but my thoughts of mercy are everla&s;ting, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 30.5. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 89.28. &amp;c. He hath regard to his <HI>Oath</HI> there. He hath not &s;worn to be angry with &s;inners for ever, but hath &s;worn to have mercy. And accordingly he doth affirme, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 54.7. the next Chapter afore the Text. You the &s;onnes of men cannot tell when to lay a&s;ide your thoughts of an|ger, till they degenerate into malice; but I can &s;ee my time. Yea
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though I afflict my people &s;o yours, yet I can have thoughts of peace to them at la&s;t, <HI>Jer.</HI> 29.11. Yea all that while re&s;olve on them. Yea whiles I am afflicting, I have thoughts of love, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. And therefore &s;aith the Lord, <HI>My &s;onne be not weary of the Lords cha&s;ti&s;e|ment,</HI> Pro. 3.11, 12. But doe as <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 8.17.</P>
<P N="3">3. It may be you poore &s;inners will object, that your thoughts are not able to beare the lying upon you of your &s;orrowes of &s;innes and afflictions. Therefore you would have them removed. There|fore al&s;o my thoughts an&s;wer you thus: I have, as in this Text, all manner and mea&s;ure of mercies, to take away the perplexity of your &s;pirits. And be&s;ides I have entailed on my pardoning mercy, afflicti|on removing mercy. So <HI>ver.</HI> 12. after the Text.</P>
<P N="4">4. It may be, your thoughts will object; But our perplexities and mi&s;eries have been &s;o many and long, that wee are exceeding thir&s;ty, our appetites are enlarged, wee thinke wee can have never enough of God, and his pre&s;ence, and comfort. My thoughts ex|pre&s;t in the Text, and el&s;where, an&s;wer this &s;ufficiently, that I have <HI>abundance of mercy for you, multiplyed mercy;</HI> Yea &s;o much as your thoughts cannot reach unto. And it &s;hall &s;atiate you, as the raine doth the earth; and not onely you &s;hall joy, but the world &s;hall &s;eeme before you to &s;ing, and to be full of joy; &s;o from the Text to <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 13.</P>
<P N="5">5. But yet may be your thoughts object, that &s;ome of you have waited a long while for a good houre, and have not yet attained it. The Lords thoughts an&s;wer this too. His thoughts are not as our thoughts, that is, they &s;hall not &s;tay too long as we think, ere they &s;end comfort. But as the Heavens are above the Earth, yet in due time water it. So &amp;c. And <HI>Jer.</HI> 29.11. you &s;hall have your expecta|tion. <HI>Rom.</HI> 5. Hope is not a&s;hamed at la&s;t, yea not a&s;hamed whiles it waites, becau&s;e <HI>the love of God is &s;hed abroad in our hearts,</HI> Hab. 2 3, 4.</P>
<P>Thus farre of the fir&s;t u&s;e, of putting us upon the con&s;ideration of Gods incomparable thoughts, to &s;ee how farre they prevent all objections.</P>
<P N="2">2. Is to put us upon the exerci&s;e of our faith, about the unparal|leld thoughts of God; That where our be&s;t thoughts fall &s;hort, there the faith that Chri&s;t hath given us may a&s;cend. And indeed if Gods thoughts are farre above our thoughts, then it is the pro|per
<PB N="12" REF="9">
worke of faith to take the tran&s;cendency of them into the view of it: As thus.</P>
<P N="1">1. To beleeve the originall and inuate conception of the&s;e thoughts of grace and favour to poore &s;inners. They &s;pring meer|ly from the &s;weet, good, and un&s;peakable excellency of Gods na|ture: de&s;cribed <HI>Exod.</HI> 34. Compare <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 43.25. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. Thou art good, and thou doe&s;t good. Therefore it &s;uppo&s;eth, he is good, and thinketh good. So notably <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.5. His thoughts doe ari&s;e from his <GAP DESC="foreign">, his mo&s;t gracious di&s;po&s;ition. As out of the evill nature of man, proceeds all evill thoughts, Adulteries, murthers, thefts, &amp;c. So contrary. This well applyed by faith an&s;wers the objection of our unworthine&s;&s;e. For as there was no good in us when God fir&s;t thought of us to move him to thinke on us; for ei|ther he looked on us as <HI>nothing,</HI> or as a mo&s;t <HI>&s;infull &s;omething;</HI> to no unworthine&s;&s;e, either of our <HI>nothingne&s;&s;e,</HI> or <HI>&s;infulne&s;&s;e,</HI> could hin|der him from his gracious thoughts towards us. As it is &s;aid, <HI>He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy;</HI> &s;o he will <HI>thinke what be will thinke of grace and favour</HI> to poore &s;inners, nothing can helpe, nothing &s;hall hinder him. As God cannot be otherwi&s;e in his na|ture then he is, &s;o he cannot be otherwi&s;e in his gracious thoughts, then what he will thinke.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But God hath a pure nature, and a ju&s;t nature, &amp;c. And therefore from thence by the &s;ame proportion mu&s;t ari&s;e thoughts of hating impure &s;inne, and of puni&s;hing unrighteous &s;inne; with which by nature we abound.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. This doth not contradict Gods thoughts of grace and favour to grievous &s;inners, becau&s;e God was pure and ju&s;t, when from all eternitie, fore&s;eeing all things, he had tho&s;e thoughts of grace and favour.</P>
<P N="2">2. God is plea&s;ed to propo&s;e to us his Ju&s;tice, <HI>conditionally,</HI> upon our ob&s;tinacy again&s;t mercy. So all along the Scripture. But holds forth his offer of mercy <HI>ab&s;olutely,</HI> without any condition of ours, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 55.1. <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 43.25. <HI>Revel.</HI> 22.17. If at any time there be any &s;ound of a condition, it is one of his own making, and in-making in us, &s;ubordinate, not oppo&s;it to free grace, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 2.8. And he that thinks to &s;ave, thinks to give faith.</P>
<P N="3">3. God is plea&s;ed to &s;ignifie to us, that he loves to have his <HI>mer|cy rejoyce over his ju&s;tice,</HI> Jam. 2.13. Grace <HI>glorieth.</HI> It is the glory of Gods mercy, that it preventeth judgement.</P>
<P N="4"><PB N="13" REF="9">4. In that God hates &s;inne, and hath ju&s;tice to puni&s;h it, he hath provided a Saviour to remove the guilt and filth of &s;inne, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. la&s;t &s;ave one. <HI>&amp;</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. la&s;t. He made Chri&s;t (taking our nature upon him, and &s;anctifying it, and making atonement in it) <HI>to be &s;in for us, that we might be made the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God.</HI> On him <HI>he laid the iniquities of us all,</HI> I&s;ai. 53. And on us <HI>he laid the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God,</HI> 2 Cor. 5. la&s;t. The righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God, therefore good e|nough, to be acceptable to him&s;elfe, and great enough, being infi|nite, to appea&s;e him for the finite unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of man.</P>
<P N="5">5. And la&s;tly, God doth love to dignifie the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> above the fir&s;t, yea to make Chri&s;t the plai&s;ter more &s;overaigne then <HI>Adam</HI> the &s;oare can be malignant, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15. It's the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of tho&s;e two Chapters. The up&s;hot of all is &s;et down in golden Let|ters, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5. Two la&s;t ver&s;es; <HI>Where &s;inne abounded, grace did much more abound. That as &s;inne hath reigned unto death, &s;o might grace REIGNE</HI> (mark the phra&s;e) <HI>through righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e unto eternall life by Je&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord.</HI> By which it appeares, that as heretofore &s;in did <HI>reigne over us,</HI> &s;o now Gods gracious favour through Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hould <HI>reigne</HI> over our &s;innes. And that the benefit might be imparted to poore &s;inners abounding with &s;inne, God would make his grace of favour much more to abound. Of which &s;ee more in that glorious Scripture, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.14.</P>
<P N="2">2. Exerci&s;e faith upon the birth of the&s;e thoughts of mercy; Namely, that as they are conceived from Gods mo&s;t excellent &s;weet nature; &s;o they are brought to the birth of a gracious prede&s;tinatio~, appointment, purpo&s;e, or choo&s;ing. <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.29. <HI>Whom he did fore|know</HI> (out of tho&s;e thoughts of mercy that were conceived in his &s;weet nature) <HI>he did prede&s;tinate and appoint.</HI> What to doe, or be? <HI>To be made conformable to his Sonne Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</HI> They &s;hould be ac|cording to their capacitie, in no wor&s;e condition then his Sonne Je&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.3, 4, 5. <HI>Hath ble&s;&s;ed us with all &s;pirituall ble&s;&s;ings in heavenly places, or things, in Chri&s;t. According as he hath cho&s;en us in him before the foundation of the world, having prede&s;tinated us unto the Adoption of children by Je&s;us Chri&s;t to him&s;elfe, according to the good plea&s;ure of his will.</HI> See here the good will of God is the ri&s;e of prede&s;tination; and prede&s;tination is the ri&s;e of choo&s;ing: of purpo&s;e, &s;ee pre&s;ently. Tho&s;e purpo&s;es of God are free, uncon&s;trai|ned, unnece&s;&s;itated, they ari&s;e out of his own free nature and good
<PB N="14" REF="10">
will, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.11. <HI>In whom</HI> (that is in Chri&s;t) <HI>wee have obtained an inheritance, being predetion did according to the purpo&s;e of him that worketh all things according to the Coun&s;ell of his own will.</HI> Ob&s;erve, he &s;aith not, <HI>according to the Coun&s;ell of his under&s;tanding.</HI> As if he would know, find, and con&s;ider &s;omething in us. But <HI>according to the Coun|&s;ell of his own will.</HI> His good will and &s;weet inclination to poore &s;inners, is that which puts forth the&s;e thoughts of grace, and fa|vour. So that as in <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 43.25. He a&s;&s;ures us that as he can love him|&s;elfe; &s;o he <HI>can blot out &s;innes;</HI> So here he doth warrant us, that as he cannot be of another nature, but (as the Angel &s;ang) <HI>Good will to men;</HI> he is of a &s;weet and mercifull di&s;po&s;ition; &s;o he purpo&s;eth &s;alvation to poore &s;inners.</P>
<P N="2">2. The&s;e purpo&s;es of favour are unmoveable, and unchangeable, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.19. <HI>Neverthele&s;&s;e</HI> (though fal&s;e-hearted <HI>Hymeneus</HI> and <HI>Philetus</HI> fall off) <HI>the foundation of God &s;tandeth &s;ure, having this &s;eale, The Lord knoweth who are his.</HI> So that again&s;t all feares of change, this becomes an a&s;&s;urance; that <HI>whom he loves, he loves to the end, Joh.</HI> 13.1. <HI>With him</HI> (&s;aith <HI>James) is no &s;hadow of changeing.</HI> And this &s;econd particular, (the birth of Gods gracious thoughts, with the properties) an&s;wers many objections that might ari&s;e. For God is not unre&s;olved to &s;ave them whom he loves in his everla&s;t|ing thoughts; as a man is unre&s;olved oft times whether to have her whom he loves. God is unmoveable from his purpo&s;es of mercy by any thing that is in us or from us.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But in Gods purpo&s;e and prede&s;tination lyes al&s;o his re|probation: and that breeds doubts and feares in us.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. It is true, that when God electeth &s;ome, con&s;equently he pa&s;&s;eth by others. But this preterition, pa&s;&s;ing by, or non-electi|on, doth onely leave men to &s;hift for them&s;elves; it doth not pa&s;&s;e any condemnation upon them that are omitted. For it were un|ju&s;t with God, to our under&s;tanding, to purpo&s;e to condemne his creature, without an eye, and relation to &s;ome wrong the creature &s;hould doe him. So that it is &s;ome other thought beyond that of <HI>pa&s;&s;ing</HI> by, that reprobates, which wee call <HI>predamnation,</HI> or <HI>fore-condemning.</HI> Which is, that God fore&s;eeing any man to &s;inne ob|&s;tinately and perpetually again&s;t the means of grace offered to him, on him God puts forth a purpo&s;e of condemning him. God doth elect freely, becau&s;e we cannot doe the lea&s;t imperfect good, as all is
<PB N="15" REF="10">
imperfect, but from the gift and power of Gods goodne&s;&s;e. But reprobation is for the de&s;ert of &s;inne, becau&s;e wee can (as <HI>Adam</HI> did) mo&s;t freely and fully &s;inne of our &s;elves. A Magi&s;trate rewards &s;ome &s;ubjects <HI>freely,</HI> though they have done &s;ome good. For they had their life, livelihood, education, &amp;c. under their good govern|ment to doe that good. And the good it &s;elfe is a &s;ufficient <HI>allure|ment;</HI> vertue being lovely enough in it &s;elfe; and a &s;ufficient <HI>reward</HI> of it &s;elfe, every vertue yeelding at lea&s;t a certain Inward <HI>quietation of minde</HI> (as the Heathen Philo&s;opher confe&s;&s;eth) as al&s;o an <HI>out|ward honour</HI> among Civill hone&s;t men; and therefore <HI>Honor dicitur ab hone&s;tate.</HI> Honour hath its derivation, of name, and thing, from hone&s;ty. But the Magi&s;trate cannot with any ju&s;tice condemne or puni&s;h any Subject, nor have a purpo&s;e &s;o to doe, but as he hath an eye upon, and evidence of that mans tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing. By the &s;ame pro|portion, with infinite more exactne&s;&s;e, God doth purpo&s;e, and elect to &s;alvation freely, but cannot purpo&s;e to reprobate any to con|demnation, but upon &s;ure evidence that &s;uch will &s;inne impenitent|ly, again&s;t the meanes of grace, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 36.11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. <HI>Pro.</HI> 29.1. But you will &s;ay, that Gods <HI>pa&s;&s;ing by</HI> tho&s;e that are not elected, doth put a nece&s;&s;itie that they cannot be &s;aved. We an&s;wer, it puts a nece&s;&s;itie in God of <HI>infallibilitie,</HI> that he cannot be decei|ved; but not a nece&s;&s;itie of <HI>con&s;traint</HI> on men to force them to &s;inne. As the Angels full of glory, did mo&s;t voluntarily &s;in in Heaven, &s;o did <HI>Adam</HI> full of goodne&s;&s;e, mo&s;t freely &s;in in Paradi&s;e; and &s;o doe wee now in the world. God doth not reprobate, becau&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ee may be &s;ure to &s;inne; but becau&s;e he &s;ees we are &s;ure to &s;inne, therefore he doth reprobate with <HI>predamnation.</HI> And therefore notwith&s;tand|ing his eternall thoughts of <HI>predamnation,</HI> he allowes every man &s;uf|ficient outward meanes &amp; inward light to under&s;tand tho&s;e means before he doth actually damne them in hell. So in the &s;aid 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 36. <HI>Pro.</HI> 29.</P>
<P>Our &s;econd an&s;wer is this; That prede&s;tination is a long golden chaine, impregnable, in&s;eparable, that not the lea&s;t linck can be bro|ken off. So <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.29, 30. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.3, 4, 5, 6. to the end of 12. <HI>per. &amp;</HI> 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.19. So that if we &s;ee but the lea&s;t and la&s;t linck fa&s;tened to our hearts, as to <HI>&s;anctifie</HI> us, or to make us <HI>unfeignedly call in his Name,</HI> or &s;incerely de&s;ire and endeavour <HI>to depart from iniquitie;</HI> you may be &s;ure that the other end of the chaine is fa&s;tened to God, heart, by eternall election.</P>
<P><PB N="16" REF="11">Third an&s;wer, Con&s;ider in tho&s;e places of <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1. Gods de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">ee relates fir&s;t in order to Chri&s;t, and as it were pa&s;&s;eth through him; &s;o that as we looke on Chri&s;t, and behave out &s;elves towards Chri&s;t, to receive him, or refu&s;e him; &s;o wee may conclude of our prede&s;tination. Thus of the birth of Gods thoughts.</P>
<P N="3">3. The life and actings of tho&s;e thoughts, how they move, how they forme them&s;elves, and put forth them&s;elves towards us, and the manife&s;tation of them to us.</P>
<P N="1">1. They are thoughts that delightfully reflect on them&s;elves; God takes a great deale of plea&s;ure in his own gracious thoughts to poore &s;inners. <HI>Deut.</HI> 30.9. God is &s;aid there <HI>to delight to doe us good.</HI> And <HI>Micah</HI> 7.18. <HI>Who is a God like thee, that pardoneth ini|quitie, and pa&s;&s;eth by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion? he keepeth not anger for ever, be|cau&s;e he delighteth in mercy.</HI> Though mercy &s;eemes mo&s;t to concerne us, yet God is joyed in his own thoughts of mercy. Wee may be &s;ad at &s;omething in the be&s;t thoughts we thinke, for &s;ome mixture of &s;in or vanitie in them: but Gods thoughts are &s;o excellent like him&s;elfe, that he rejoyceth in them as in him&s;elfe.</P>
<P N="2">2. The&s;e thoughts delight in minding the good of poore &s;in|ners, and &s;o con&s;equently take delight that poore &s;inners &s;hould be the better for them. So in the &s;aid two places of <HI>Deut.</HI> 30.9. <HI>Mi|cah</HI> 7.18. The precious &s;tones, with the names of the Tribes in them on <HI>Aarons</HI> brea&s;t, &s;ignifie how Chri&s;t carries &s;inners in the thoughts, and affections of his heart.</P>
<P N="3">3. They are compa&s;&s;ionate-relenting thoughts (if I may &s;o &s;ay) over a poore &s;inner that God hath wounded in the heart for &s;inne, and is now complaining of his &s;inne. <HI>Jer.</HI> 31.18. <HI>I have &s;urely heard</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>Ephraim bemoaning him&s;elfe thus: [Thou ha&s;t cha|&s;ti&s;ed mee, and I was cha&s;ti&s;ed</HI> (that is, I felt it) <HI>Turne thou mee, and I &s;hall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was in&s;tructed, I &s;mote upon my thigh; I was a&s;hamed, even confounded, becau&s;e I did beare the reproach of my youth.]</HI> Thus <HI>Ephraim:</HI> Now heare the Lords compa&s;&s;ionate re|lentings over the&s;e broken, repenting, praying hearts, <HI>ver.</HI> 20. [<HI>Is Ephraim</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>my deare &s;onne? Is he a plea&s;ant childe? For &s;ince I &s;pake again&s;t him, I doe earne&s;tly remember him &s;till. There|fore my bowels are troubled for him.</HI> I <HI>will &s;urely have mercy upon him, &s;aith the Lord.</HI>] O admirable &s;oule comforting place! God fir&s;t
<PB N="17" REF="11">
puts the&s;e repenting thoughts into a poore &s;inner, and then how doth his heart melt with compa&s;&s;ionating thoughts of mercy, re|&s;olving to &s;hew kindne&s;&s;e unto him?</P>
<P N="4">4. They are patient opportunitie waiting thoughts, to doe a poore di&s;tre&s;&s;ed &s;oule good. <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 30.18. <HI>And therefore will the Lord waite that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted to have mercy on you.</HI> (So in the <HI>Hebrew) For the Lord is a God of judge|ment or equitie, and uprightne&s;&s;e, ble&s;&s;ed are all they that wait for him.</HI> See, the Lord &s;ets him&s;elfe forth as &s;ome good man, that is full of thoughts to doe &s;ome worthy worke, to &s;hew &s;ome notable kind|ne&s;&s;e, who &s;tands ob&s;erving, and meditating, when and how he may take the be&s;t opportunitie to doe it. He &s;ets him&s;elfe like &s;ome Generall, in &s;ome high eminent place, to view when he may &s;tep in to re&s;cue and relieve tho&s;e that are in danger and di&s;tre&s;&s;e. By which is held forth to us, that God is thinking kinde thoughts to us when he is not acting. And that he will not deferre a minute to &s;hew us mercy, when his time is come.</P>
<P N="5">5. Tender caring thoughts, for and to the meeke and broken heart. <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 66.2. <HI>But to this man will I looke,</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>even to him that is of a poore and a contrite heart, and trembleth at my Word.</HI> God will not onely <HI>look on</HI> &s;uch a one to have thoughts of pitie; but he will <HI>look to him,</HI> have a care to bind up his wounds. The <HI>poore</HI> that is de&s;pi&s;ed of the world, God will look to, and &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed in his thoughts, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. The <HI>contrite</HI> he will heale, <HI>Luk.</HI> 4.18. Tho&s;e that mourne for want of a &s;acrifice (as they thinke) they bring a thing more acceptable then a &s;acrifice unto God, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 51. They that are affraid becau&s;e of the Word, they have here a&s;&s;u|rance that they are high in Gods thoughts.</P>
<P N="6">6. To prevent any objection, that &s;inne might hinder good things from us, he tells us that his thoughts are &s;inne-&s;urpa&s;&s;ing thoughts; &s;uper-abounding above all &s;innes. And indeed this &s;eems &s;ometimes in &s;ome to &s;uper-abound the Text, that &s;aith, <HI>My thoughts are above your thoughts.</HI> For many times &s;ome poore &s;inners cannot get their thoughts above their &s;innes, but their &s;innes doe ma&s;ter their thoughts; &s;o that they cannot thinke but that their &s;innes &s;urmount all that they can thinke. But now in this particu|lar is &s;hewed that Gods thoughts &s;uper-abound all our &s;innes, and unworthine&s;&s;e, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.20. <HI>Where &s;inne did abound, grace did much
<PB N="18" REF="12">
more abound.</HI> And 1 <HI>T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">.</HI> 1.14. <HI>And the grace of our Lord was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">|ing abundant;</HI> or as it is in the Greeke, <HI>did &s;uper-abound.</HI></P>
<P N="7">7. And la&s;tly, to number no more particulars; The thoughts of God are all <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> thoughts for them that love him. <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.28. <HI>And <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> know that all things worke together for good to them that love him.</HI> How doth the Apo&s;tle prove this? This he proves from Gods thoughts, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 29. &amp;c. <HI>Whom he foreknew, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> prede&s;tinated to be confirmed to the image of his Sonne.</HI> Gods plot is no other then this, That <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> poore &s;inner that loves him, &s;hall fare no wor&s;e (according to his mea&s;ure) then his Sonne Chri&s;t Je&s;us. Wee are apt to thinke we &s;hall be made thus and thus mi&s;e|rable; but Chri&s;t is de&s;igned in Gods thoughts to be the platforme of our condition. Wee are apt to thinke, that the Devill, &s;inne, world, and our own hearts con&s;pire our ruine. But Gods though<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> are that <HI>all,</HI> even <HI>all</HI> &s;hall <HI>work together,</HI> &s;hall cooperate, and com|bine together, <HI>to worke for our good.</HI> What&s;oever the evills of hell, and heart, and world may intend, yet Gods thoughts have plotted to bend all to this, and to further this method and event; <HI>That whom God did foreknow, them he prede&s;tinated, whom he prede&s;tinated, them he called, whom he called, them he ju&s;tified, whom he ju&s;tifies, than be glorifies.</HI> Nothing mu&s;t intervene, invert, or &s;ubvert this order.</P>
<P>Third u&s;e is to performe our dutie to this mercy.</P>
<P N="1">1. To for&s;ake our own thoughts, <HI>ver.</HI> 7. before the Text. That is, not to believe our own thoughts, oppo&s;ing in the lea&s;t Gods thoughts.</P>
<P N="2">2. To be &s;ure to thinke high enough, large enough of Gods thoughts of favour. If thou can&s;t tell, or can&s;t not tell what thy &s;innes are; be &s;ure to thinke that thy &s;innes are but finite, Gods thoughts of mercy infinite. So in the Text.</P>
<P N="3">3. To draw neere to, to invocate and &s;eek to the God of mer+cy, in the time of his offer of mercy, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 6. Compare 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.2.</P>
<P N="4">4. To waite for the di&s;pen&s;ations and manife&s;tations of the acts of Gods thought of mercy, &s;o as the earth <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> on the hea|vens for raine, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 10.</P>
<P N="5">5. To look to God to make the expre&s;&s;ions of the thoughts <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> take your hearts, and make impre&s;&s;ions upon them; as God <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> makes the raine <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> to the earth. In this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> 10. <HI>ver&s;.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. And la&s;tly, to take heed the mean while of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> again&s;t and abu&s;ing mercy, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 7.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="19" REF="12">
<HEAD>GODS GRACIOUS EXPRESSIONS, Engaging him&s;elfe to them that accept of his GRACE.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>2 COR. 1.3, 4.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Ble&s;&s;ed be God, even the Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the Father of mercies, and the God of all Comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that wee may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we our &s;elves are comforted of God.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THe&s;e words were &s;poken to them that not long before had been bad enough;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6.9, 10, 11.</NOTE> <HI>Know YEE not</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle to <HI>the&s;e) that the unrighteous &s;hall not inherit the kingdome of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abu&s;ers of them&s;elves with mankinde, nor theeves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revi|les, nor extortioners &s;hall inherit the kingdome of God. AND S&V;CH WERE SOME OF YO&V;.</HI> But &s;ince they were wa&s;hed. They <HI>are</HI> SUCH; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ee</HI> are <HI>WASHED.</HI> They were &s;uch as had accepted of Gods gracious favor offered in Chri&s;t (though many of them very weakly, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.) and &s;o now the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks to them as to <HI>Saints,</HI> and <HI>members of the Church</HI> at <HI>Corinth,</HI> ver. 1. And the Apo&s;tle includes him&s;elfe, as <HI>ver.</HI> 3. <HI>Peace from God O&V;R Father.</HI> And in the Text, <HI>O&V;R Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. The God of all comfort, who comforteth &V;S&punc;</HI> to the end to advance th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters"> converted <HI>Corinthians</HI> up into the &s;ame predicament and de|gree
<PB N="20" REF="13">
with him and <HI>Timothy.</HI> Though <HI>Paul</HI> &amp; <HI>Timothy</HI> be the <HI>primipi|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">es,</HI> the Captains and chief &s;harers in that of the Text, and laid as a pattern afore the <HI>Corinthians.</HI> So that the Apo&s;tle means by <HI>&V;S</HI> in the Text, at lea&s;t &s;uch as had received <HI>grace</HI> and favour, <HI>v.</HI> 2. were <HI>true</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">ints, <HI>ver.</HI> 1. And &s;utable he cuts out &s;uch large portions, as were <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> for Kings children, <HI>viz. peace,</HI> flowing from <HI>grace.</HI> And doth not onely bequeath great things to them there: But here in the Text, &s;hews them a large firme deed of gift, of what God through Chri&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">d be&s;towed upon them. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be God, even the Father of our Lord <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Who comforteth us,</HI> &amp;c. as it is in the Text.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct.</NOTE><HI>God is here ingaged to his people by many engagements, to be unto them all comfort.</HI></P>
<P>Here are two generalls to be explained.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The comfort that God is to his.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The engagements upon God, to be this comfort.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Two things mu&s;t be explained to open the fir&s;t.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>That</HI> comfort is of God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>What</HI> that comfort is, from God.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That</HI> comfort is from God. He is &s;aid in the Text to be the <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">d of Comfort.</HI> As <HI>Satan</HI> is &s;aid to be the <HI>God of this world;</HI> And <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">he <HI>Prince of the power of the ayre,</HI> and the <HI>Prince of darkne&s;&s;e;</HI> And is called <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>THE Accu&s;er; <GAP DESC="foreign">, THE Temptor; <GAP DESC="foreign">, THE Wicked One;</HI> As being the cau&s;e at lea&s;t in part of all mi&s;chiefe and mi&s;ery; So in a way of contrarietie and remedy, God is &s;aid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ere to be <HI>The God of comfort.</HI> Againe as the world is &s;aid by <HI>John</HI> to be <HI>a world of wickedne&s;&s;e;</HI> and by <HI>Solomons</HI> to be <HI>vanitie and vexation of &s;pirit;</HI> And by the Saints <HI>a wilderne&s;&s;e, (Cant.</HI> 3.6.) in which is nothing but want, and de&s;olatene&s;&s;e, and di&s;con&s;olatene&s;&s;e; &s;o in contrarietie and for remedy again&s;t all this, God is &s;aid here, to be the <HI>God of comfort.</HI> Againe as death is &s;aid to be (<HI>Job</HI> 18.14.) <HI>The King of Terrours,</HI> which is that which oft ca&s;ts a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">ddain &s;hadow, a thick darkne&s;&s;e upon all the glory of meer-mens worldly injoy|ments: &s;o in contrarietie, and for remedy of all, it is &s;aid here, <HI>God is the God of comfort.</HI> On the other &s;ide, As a King is called by great titles, is inve&s;ted with great power, clothed with great ho|nour, compa&s;&s;ed with great wealth, and all manner of pro&s;peritie, in importing how able he is to make his Queene, Children, Allies, favourites, &amp;c. outwardly happie; So in oppo&s;ition to, and tran&s;|cendencie
<PB N="21" REF="13">
above all, God is here &s;aid to be <HI>the God of comfort,</HI> who (el&s;ewhere) is called <HI>the King of Kings.</HI> And becau&s;e Dan. 2.37. Ho&s;. 10, 8. &s;ome earthly kings have proudly taken or received that title of <HI>King of kings:</HI> therefore God in Chri&s;t is &s;aid to be the <HI>King of kings, and Lord of lords, the onely Potentate.</HI> Importing, that what ever comforts Kings and Princes may &s;eem to have, or hold forth to men, they had them from this <HI>King of kings,</HI> who hath in|finite more to be&s;tow, then all the kings of the earth put together; and to give them more effectually and ble&s;&s;edly. For God is not onely the Admini&s;terer and Di&s;pencer of comfort, but the Author and maker of comfort. He <HI>creates peace,</HI> He <HI>creates joy.</HI> Yea le&s;s the matter of our comfort. Yea &s;o, that a glymp&s;e of his face, one beam of his Countenance is for the time, heaven upon earth; even as his pre&s;ence is the form of the glory of heaven.</P>
<P>Secondly, To tell you <HI>what</HI> comfort is of God, two things mu&s;t be explained.</P>
<P N="1">1. The <HI>Quantitie.</HI> 2. The <HI>Quality</HI> of that comfort that is from God.</P>
<P N="1">1. The <HI>Quantity</HI> of this comfort. 1. In <HI>number,</HI> the comforts from God are plural, many. It is not &s;aid onely in the Text, <HI>mercie</HI> in the <HI>ab&s;tract</HI> (whereas Exod. 34. it is in the <HI>concrete</HI> God is <HI>mer|cifull</HI>) but mercy is in the <HI>plurall,</HI> and not in the &s;ingular. So al&s;o Rom. 12.1. God knowing we have many mi&s;eries, he counter|poi&s;eth, ballanceth all with this, that he hath many mercies. As I&s;a. 55. He &s;peaks of <HI>multiplying pardons,</HI> becau&s;e of our many &s;in|ning; and of <HI>loving kindne&s;&s;es</HI> oft in the P&s;almes, becau&s;e of our many <HI>wants;</HI> &s;o here of <HI>mercies,</HI> becau&s;e of our many mi&s;eries, many exigencies to need pity.</P>
<P N="2">2. In <HI>kind,</HI> great in the <HI>quantity</HI> of comfort from God. It is &s;aid here, God is <HI>the God of all comfort;</HI> therefore of all <HI>kindes</HI> of com|fort that can truly be &s;aid to be comfort. If there be any comfort in husband, wife, friend, c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ild, it is becau&s;e there is the image or impre&s;&s;e of God there. If there be any comfort in an ordinance, it is becau&s;e God comes in. If any comfort in creatures, it is as it is looked upon as coming from God, and leading us to God. That as we ob&s;erve God to &s;erve our turnes in them, we likewi&s;e by them &s;erve him As the Sun quickening and warming the Plants, it makes them &s;hoot up towards it &s;elf. As there is more comfort in a
<PB N="22" REF="14">
friend oft-times then in his gift, and we delight more in &s;erving our friend with a comodity, then in keeping of it: &s;o there is more joy in God, and in &s;erving him, then in all we receive, or doe, or can keep. And in a word, as the Sun is the Original of all light; &s;o God that Sun, P&s;al. 84. ver&s;. <HI>ult.</HI> is the original of all comfort.</P>
<P N="3">3. In <HI>degrees</HI> great is the quantity of comfort that is from God. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> he be, as it is in the Text, <HI>The God of all comfort,</HI> then of all de|grees of any comforts what&s;oever, that are or may be communica|ted from him to his people. And for in&s;tance, we have a glorious <HI>Gradual</HI> of Gods comforting in the Text.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t and lowe&s;t degree that the comfort that is from God is <HI>efficacious</HI> and effectual comfort. Though we are in <HI>tribulation,</HI> yet (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>God comforteth us in all.</HI> Tribulation is a &s;oarer degree of affliction, &s;ignifying <HI>thre&s;hing,</HI> yet God comforts us in this, yea in the <HI>all of this.</HI> All the thre&s;hing doth but beate the wheat out of the chaffe, and after by &s;trokes, or the flooring, makes it more bright. God makes his to <HI>glory in Tribulation,</HI> Rom. 5. And it follows at the heels of the Text, ver&s;. 5. <HI>As the &s;ufferings of Christ abound in us, &s;o our con&s;olation al&s;o aboundeth by Christ.</HI> And the P&s;almi&s;t &s;aith, P&s;al. 94.19. <HI>In the multitude of my thoughts (that is of &s;orrow) within me, thy comforts delight my &s;oul.</HI> Afflictions &s;om|times are the very matter of rejoycing, Matth. 10. <HI>When they per|&s;ecute you for my Names &s;ake, rejoyce and be exceeding glad, for great is your revvard.</HI> And the Apo&s;tles in the Acts, <HI>went avvay rejoycing from the Councel, that they vvere counted vvorthie to &s;uffer for the name of Christ.</HI> Sometimes afflictions drive us more and more neere to God in prayer; And generally God is much with his Saints in the ordinance of cha&s;ti&s;ement. Therefore it is &s;aid, P&s;. 94.12. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is the man vvhom thou do&s;t afflict, and teach out of thy Lavv.</HI> And Jam. 1. <HI>Count it all joy vvhen ye fall into diver&s;e temptations.</HI> This is no &s;mall comfort, who&s;e beams &s;hall pierce through the thick dark cloud of our &s;orrows; and who&s;e influence &s;hall &s;oake through a world of trouble, to beget comfort in the mid&s;t of the heart of this little earth, joy in &s;orrows, and life in death: Our <HI>comforts</HI> &s;hall more abound <HI>by</HI> Chri&s;t, then our <HI>&s;ufferings for</HI> Chri&s;t; be&s;ides all that is to come. 2 Cor. 4. God is &s;o effectual in his comforting, that he will comfort whom he will comfort. If the world count
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it a reproach to be afflicted and per&s;ecuted; yet <HI>the &s;pirit of glorie</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Peter) &s;hall rest upon us the mean vvhile.</HI> And thus effectuall &s;hall Gods comfort be in all tribulation. God doth not onely com|fort on the mount of temptation, but in the valley of inward de|jections; not onely under the rod as <HI>Paul,</HI> and the Apo&s;tles, but in the &s;tocks, in the Lyons denne, in the fiery oven, &amp;c. Hebr. 11. As God gives us a &s;tock, a &s;oul of graces, again&s;t the body of &s;in, &s;o an army of comforts again&s;t all other di&s;comforts. God will appear to be omnipotent in comforting, as well as in creating and pre&s;erving.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, and higher. This comfort from God is an <HI>appre|hended comfort.</HI> We &s;hall not onely have comfort at a time, and not know it, (as P&s;al. 22. The P&s;almi&s;t is de&s;&s;ertion yet cryed <HI>my God</HI>) but we &s;hall be comforted, and know we are comforted. So the Text, <HI>Chri&s;t will give us of his Spirit, that we may knovv the things that are given us of God.</HI> 1 Cor. 2.12. <HI>If his love pa&s;&s;eth knovvledge,</HI> Eph. 3. yet he will cau&s;e us to <HI>feel it.</HI> Rom. 5. he will <HI>&s;hed it into our hearts.</HI> As we feel the comfort of the Sun oft-times, when we cannot behold the brightne&s;&s;e of it, &s;o it is in the apprehen&s;ion of Gods love.</P>
<P>Thirdly, yet higher. It is oft-times <HI>redundant comfort,</HI> &s;uper|abounding comfort; it &s;hall be not onely <HI>good mea&s;ure pre&s;&s;ed dovvn,</HI> for our u&s;e, but running over for others refre&s;hment. So in the Text. <HI>We &s;hall be able to comfort others,</HI> our comfort &s;hall not on|ly fill our banks of de&s;ires, but float the valley of &s;aints round about us. As the Widdows oyle and meal, &s;eeming but a little, fed her, and the Prophet too. As God comforted Chri&s;t in his &s;ufferings, &s;o he us, (both Heb. 5.7.9.) So we from Chri&s;ts comfort to us, comfort one another. We &s;hall light one anothers candle, and mean while have never the le&s;&s;e our &s;elves. The parent comforts the elder children, and they &s;hall &s;till the younger.</P>
<P>Fourthly, yet higher: It is <HI>experimental</HI> comfort. We &s;hall not onely communicate our comforts to others, but we &s;hall be able to tell the Saints that this and this is comfort. That this and that comfort hath wrought effectually upon us, and hath done the deed, in a time of di&s;tre&s;&s;e hath &s;upported; We have not onely heard the receipt read to us, but we took it downe, and it wrought kindly. It cordialized the heart to purpo&s;e. They that know not the con|&s;olations
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of God, &s;light them as nothing (as it is in Job. 15.11.) but we know what they are by inward feeling.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Higher. It is <HI>&s;trong la&s;ting</HI> comfort. It keeps oft-times long at an high pitch, at lea&s;t on its, or in communication to o|thers: When the medicine is made, it doth not evaporate its &s;pirits, and grow weak. It is not deadned by pouring it out of one ve&s;&s;el, one heart into another. But the &s;ame comfort that comforted us, comforts others. The &s;ame plai&s;ter heals many &s;ores. The rever&s;ion of heavenly comfort is as good at la&s;t, as at fir&s;t.</P>
<P>The &s;ame word, &s;pirit, and ordinances; have comforted thou|&s;ands above the&s;e 4000. years.</P>
<P>Sixtly, Higher yet. God oft-times &s;ends in &s;o much comfort as to make a &s;oul to be in <HI>the high key of Hallelujahs:</HI> to make it mag|nifie and ble&s;&s;e God for his comfort. So in the Text, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be God</HI> &amp;c. <HI>that hath comforted us,</HI> &amp;c. God will not onely give us com|fort to live, but to joy in him. As the Sun gives forth not onely to make the plants grow, but to blo&s;&s;ome. So God hatcheth up comfort unto the blo&s;&s;oming of joy, (<HI>Flores plantarum gaudia,</HI> Plin. Nat. Hi&s;t.) As flowers are the joy of Plants, &s;o Joy the flower or blo&s;&s;omes of our graces, as de&s;ires are the root. <HI>In God</HI> (faith the P&s;almi&s;t) <HI>we make our boast all the day long.</HI> God will &s;weetly touch the heart-&s;trings with the finger of his Spirit, not onely to make them &s;ound with comfort, but to re&s;ound and eccho prai&s;e, and make it become a P&s;almi&s;t. The world &s;hall ring of the com|fort <HI>Mo&s;es, Deborah, Hannah, David, Elizabeth, Marie, Paul, Si|las,</HI> &amp;c. had received. This heavenly &s;ire will break forth. God will delight his owne eare with his owne mu&s;ick. He will put joy and gladne&s;&s;e into the heart till it prai&s;e him.</P>
<P>Thus the <HI>quantitie</HI> of comfort &s;hall be like the <HI>manna. He that gathered little had no want, he that gathered much had no overplus,</HI> more then was u&s;efull.</P>
<P>Secondly, For the <HI>qualitie</HI> of comfort, it is the <HI>comfort that is of God.</HI> And Gods comfort is like him&s;elf. The <HI>Worlds</HI> comfort is a <HI>lying</HI> comfort. The <HI>Divels</HI> comfort is a <HI>damnable flattering</HI> com|fort. Yea the be&s;t comfort from things below are <HI>mixed,</HI> if not <HI>mudded.</HI> But the comfort that is from God, is in this like God, that as it is <HI>much,</HI> (as we have heard) &s;o <HI>pure,</HI> and <HI>&s;piritual,</HI> it
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reacheth to the &s;oul and &s;pirit of a man. A dram of this powder of pearle, <HI>aurum pota bile,</HI> this <HI>aqua Coele&s;tis,</HI> this Chri&s;t communica+ted comfort, is more worth then an hundred weight of gro&s;&s;e &s;ub|lunary comforts. A look of Chri&s;t on <HI>Peter,</HI> makes him mourne that he loved Chri&s;t no more. One glymp&s;e of the transfigurati|on of Chri&s;t, wrapps up the three di&s;ciples as into the third hea|ven. A touch of this load&s;tone makes the heart forget all, and to move towards it. Forgeth all lines but that which immediat|ly tends to it. This comfort makes <HI>Dauid</HI> to de&s;pi&s;e come, and wine in compari&s;on, <HI>P&s;al</HI> 4. This makes the Di&s;ciples to de&s;pi&s;e all, with <HI>It is good to be here.</HI> A word of this from Chri&s;t to buffe|ted <HI>Paul</HI> &s;tilled him. A glance of God on <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> makes him glo|rious. In other comforts, <HI>in the mid&s;t of laughter the heart is &s;ad,</HI> But this comfort makes glad, and addes no &s;orrow. Thus of com|fort.</P>
<P>Next of <HI>Gods engagement of him&s;elf to comfort his.</HI></P>
<P>Wee will note both the <HI>matter,</HI> and the <HI>method,</HI> of &s;etting down the&s;e engagements here.</P>
<P N="1">1. For the engagement con&s;idered in the <HI>matter,</HI> to take them in order of the Text; 1. He is <HI>God,</HI> as much as to &s;ay, he is <HI>good,</HI> He is the chief good; the more good in any thing, the more com|municative it is of it &s;elfe. God cannot be God but he mu&s;t be <HI>good.</HI> He cannot be mo&s;t good, but he mu&s;t be mo&s;t communicative of his goodne&s;&s;e; &s;o that as &s;oone as God was God, which was from all eternity, God laid up the <HI>Idea</HI> or plat-form of us in his thoughts to do us good: He conceived in him&s;elfe the model of our being, and well being; de&s;igned for us two worlds below, one naturall for our bodies, another &s;pirituall for our &s;oules, and one of Glory in the world to come, for &s;oule and body joyntly: In this world to enjoy him mediately, by communication of him&s;elfe: in that to come, by beatificall vi&s;ions. This communication of him&s;elfe as he is <HI>good,</HI> is delicately touched by the P&s;almi&s;t, P&s;al. 119. <HI>Thou art good, and do&s;t good:</HI> It is the impre&s;&s;ion of Gods goodne&s;&s;e upon all the creation; <HI>Sun, Sea, Elements</HI> &amp;c. that makes them commu|nicative of comfort to man, How much more is God, infinitely good, communicative of his comfort. Therefore, 1. It is &s;aid in the Text, <HI>He is the God of comfort,</HI> which &s;ets forth his goodne&s;&s;e. 2. That he comforteth us: Here is his communicativene&s;&s;e; the
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re&s;ult of all is this. Then God will cea&s;e to be communicative of comfort to his, when he can cea&s;e to be God, and not afore, <HI>He cau&s;|eth his Sunne to &s;hine upon the good and the bad,</HI> therefore he will ray forth beams of comfort on his Saints. But are not the Saints in want of comfort, when they oft and much cry for comfort? We an&s;wer, They want &s;o much comfort as they de&s;ire to have, but even then they have a &s;aving degree of comfort, el&s;e they would de&s;pair, not poure out prayers: I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> is &s;ome &s;tock of comfort they turne and winde in prayer, to get more, as P&s;al. 22.1. whiles hee cryed for Gods pre&s;ence, he had this comfort, Hee was his God: and vvhiles the Spou&s;e &s;eems to have lo&s;t Chri&s;t, &s;he enquires after him, calls him <HI>her reloved,</HI> Cant. 5. Thus of the fir&s;t engagement.</P>
<P N="2">2. He is the <HI>Father of our Lord Ie&s;us Christ:</HI> Here comes in the kin: And relations, though of the lea&s;t entitie, are of the greate&s;t ef|ficacy: As Chri&s;t is the <HI>last man,</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle calls him, 1 Cor. 15.) The &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> is the <HI>everla&s;ting Father</HI> to all beleevers, I&s;ai. 9. &s;o God is his Father, &s;o in the text, yea as Chri&s;t is the repre&s;entative of us all that beleeve, &s;o God is our Father in, and through Chri&s;t, being Chri&s;ts Father: Therefore it is &s;aid, <HI>Reckon your &s;elves as you are in him,</HI> Rom. 6.11. And we are <HI>accepted in him,</HI> Ephe&s;. 1.6. And <HI>Co-heirs with him,</HI> Rom. 8. So as that God comforts Chri&s;t as he is the Father of Chri&s;t, Heb. 5. <HI>He heard him in that he feared,</HI> &s;o God com|forts us in text, as younger brethren, Heb. 2. as his members, Eph. 4. Yea this union betweene Chri&s;t and us, is &s;et forth, to bee &s;o clo&s;e, and intimate, (Ioh. 14.20. Ioh. 17.22.) That we may boldly &s;ay, as long as God comforts Chri&s;t, he mu&s;t needs comfort us that be|leeve in Chri&s;t. If God will maintain his &s;onnes titles, <HI>Lord, Ie&s;us, Christ,</HI> then he mu&s;t comfort us, through him, hee mu&s;t defend and &s;uccour us under his <HI>Lord&s;hip,</HI> &s;ave us under his <HI>Ie&s;us&s;hip,</HI> and an|noint us &s;piritually with the &s;pirit, by his <HI>Chri&s;t&s;hip:</HI> Yea, Chri&s;ts body now in heaven is an earne&s;t that we &s;hall be there too, Ioh. 14.2.3. Can any relation be tenderer then that of a Father? Can any &s;on be dearer to God then Chri&s;t? Can any bee nearer to Chri&s;t than we that beleeve, that are &s;aid, We are &s;o joyned to the Lord, that we are one &s;pirit? How then can it be po&s;&s;ible but that God &s;hould have infinite bowels of love to Chri&s;t, and &s;o to us in him? He hath no other to love as children, he hath none el&s;e to be|&s;tow all his great e&s;tate upon.</P>
<P N="3"><PB N="27" REF="16">3. Engagement. God is the <HI>Father of mercies,</HI> or as it is in the Greek, He is the Father of bowells of mercies: Not only the <HI>Au|thour</HI> of mercies, but the <HI>Father</HI> of mercies; he gives all his gifts with a paternall affection. None of his gifts to any of his, are giftle&s;&s;e gifts.</P>
<P>And <HI>Father of bowels,</HI> doth import that as a father is not a naturall father, if he loo&s;e his bowels, &s;o God mu&s;t keep his bowells of mer|cie, as he will keep his relation of Father to his: And as a fathers bowells of mercies de&s;cend to the children of his Naturall bowells, &s;o Gods compa&s;&s;ion is to his: You &s;ee by how many titles our te|nure of mercies hold good: One while as we are &s;ervants to God or Chri&s;t our ma&s;ter, <HI>Truly I am thy &s;ervant,</HI> (&s;aith <HI>David) I am thine, &s;ave me.</HI> Another while as a <HI>Wife</HI> to Chri&s;t Ho&s;. 2. Another while as <HI>Children</HI> to God, and brethren to Chri&s;t: and &s;o this Text, And adde to all, that if we &s;hould faile, &s;o as to unde&s;erve that God &s;hould be called the Father of us as his children, yet this mu&s;t &s;tand firme, <HI>God is the Father of mercies,</HI> Namely, to pitty us as a Father doth the childe as it is P&s;al. 103. And to &s;pare us, and beare with us, as a <HI>Father doth a weak childe that &s;erveth him</HI> as he can, though as a weak childe, as <HI>Malachy</HI> &s;peaks, chap. 3. ver&s;. 18. And he is the Fa|ther of Mercies, in the plurall, <HI>Numero&s;a proles,</HI> Store of mercies. As God cannot be the Father of Chri&s;t (as Chri&s;t) alone, All be|leevers are included in him, and &s;o is well plea&s;ed. It is not &s;aid, <HI>with,</HI> but <HI>in him,</HI> Matth. 3. So he cannot be the Father of one mercy only, but of many, to have &s;ome for all, yea, many for every One, yet he that is rich in mercies cannot leave his children poor.</P>
<P N="4">4. Engagement, It is his &s;tile, title, de&s;cription, that hee is <HI>The God of all comfort:</HI> It is here &s;poken, as the definition of what hee is to us, therefore as e&s;&s;entiall to him. And the like is &s;aid of him, Exod, 34. by way of a Royall Title, or Kingly &s;tile, <HI>The Lord, the Lord God Iehovah, mercifull, gracious, long &s;uffering, aboundant in goodne&s;&s;e,</HI> &amp;c. So that this of Gods comforting us, is one of the flowers in his crowne, and God mu&s;t maintaine his &s;overaigne &s;tile. How &s;hall he be &s;aid to be God, that is (as we &s;hewed afore) infinite good, if not full with comfort, abounding towards us. And how a God of all comfort, if his people &s;hall have none?</P>
<P N="2">2. For the <HI>method</HI> of the&s;e engagements, in a word; The God of this comfort, 1. removes impediments that might hinder us
<GAP DESC="missing" EXTENT="2 pages">
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their minds from God, are not contented with glory. And the <HI>Saints beleeving in Chri&s;t,</HI> whiles they have &s;ought what was in the creature, and not God through the creature, have found nothing in any thing, or all things <HI>conjunctim</HI> or <HI>di|vi&s;im,</HI> &s;everally or conjunctively. Eccle&s;. 2.1. to the 12. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> King <HI>Solomon</HI> the <HI>great,</HI> in making the utmo&s;t of all creature comforts, could find nothing but <HI>vanitie, and vexation. Read|ing</HI> is an high and intellectuall delight, is, a while, a plea&s;ure to the mind; but unle&s;&s;e God comes in, it furfets the under|&s;tanding, and is a wearine&s;&s;e to the fle&s;h. Eccle&s;. 12.12. Mu&s;ick is plea&s;ant to the eare, but unle&s;&s;e God comes in to cheere the heart it is nau&s;eous to a man P&s;al. 137. And as experience tels us, being too long in the hearing may &s;urfet the phanta&s;ie with too oft playing the &s;ame le&s;&s;on. <HI>Odours</HI> are plea&s;ant to the &s;mell, and &s;ome &s;ay the food of the Spirits of the Braine; but unle&s;&s;e God come in with health they &s;uffocate that &s;ence, and cau&s;e faintings, and &s;wownings. <HI>Food</HI> is plea&s;ant to the ta&s;t; but un|le&s;&s;e God give in his ble&s;&s;ing, it &s;urfeits the &s;tomacke.</P>
<P><HI>In the mid&s;t of laughter</HI> in all creature injoyments (&s;aith <HI>So|lomon) the heart is &s;ad.</HI> Yea creature-joyes with out God are mi&s;chiefes. <HI>Apparrel</HI> makes more proud then warme. <HI>Autho|rity</HI> brings forth more tyrannicalne&s;&s;e than reformation. <HI>Ho|nour</HI> becomes more arrogant then u&s;efull, <HI>Wine</HI> more making mad than merry. The <HI>table</HI> is become a &s;nare. As it is &s;aid of wi&s;dome that all the creatures were inquired of; a generall coun&s;ell of all the world was called; the creation met in con&s;ul|tation, to give in their an&s;wer every creature for him&s;elfe, whither wi&s;dome was in this, or that, or the other: they all an&s;wered no. Job 28.12. &amp;c. And &s;o it may be &s;aid of com|fort; if all the world be called to its An&s;wer, it cannot &s;ay con|junctively or divi&s;ively that comfort is there, without God. The <HI>Sea</HI> an&s;wers, that it is not in mee, I am a devourer, and doe make many a Merchant &s;ad. The heavens an&s;wer it is not in mee. For unle&s;&s;e God helpe mee, I cau&s;e barrenne&s;&s;e, (<HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 2.). And the <HI>&s;onnes of men</HI> confe&s;&s;e (if they will &s;peake the truth) that they are as Jobs friends, without God, mi&s;erable comforters. They can &s;ee one mi&s;erable, and &s;ay this and that, but without the incomes of God cannot comfort. One man
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is contented with a little. why? God is there. Another is not contented with much. Why? God is not there. A little that a righteous man hath (&s;aith <HI>Solomon</HI>) is better than great revenues of the wicked. For God is the comfort in every creature com|fort, and God makes every creature to give down his comfort.</P>
<P N="1">1. God <HI>is the comfort</HI> in every creature. It is the word, com|mand, or in&s;titution of God, that makes bread to be meanes of life to us, <HI>Mat.</HI> 4.</P>
<P N="2">2. Hee makes the <HI>creature to give downe</HI> his comfort that is in him: <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 2.21. &amp;c. <HI>I will (&s;aith the Lord) in that day heare the heavens, and they &s;hall heare the earth, and earth &s;hall heare the corne and the wine, and the oyle, and they &s;hall hear Jezreel.</HI> And all this God will do for his, becau&s;e <HI>hee will make a covenant with them, and betreth them to him&s;elfe.</HI> ver. 18. All &s;hall be paid downe as part of their dowrie as part of that all which is theirs in Chri&s;t Je&s;us 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.21. Therefore why doe we travell over creature comforts without God our convoy? Yea why do wee travell to creature comforts to find them without God? Can the Bee finde any thing in the flower without beames and drops of heaven fir&s;t fall upon them. So vaine is our endea|vour to pre&s;&s;e out and di&s;till any &s;pirits of comfort out of crea|tures, without Gods influence or impre&s;&s;ions fir&s;t falling upon them. We thinke becau&s;e God comming in with creatures they &s;ometime comfort, that therefore the creatures them&s;elves do comfort. But if a divine ordinance doth not alwayes quic|ken, but onely when God comes in, as experience tells us, much le&s;&s;e can earthly creatures comfort without God giving in him|&s;elfe, in, and through them.</P>
<P>Againe, we lament the lo&s;&s;e of &s;uch, and &s;uch a creature, as conceiving, that we have much lo&s;&s;e of comfort thereby. But I &s;hould rather thinke that God taking them away, that if they were pre&s;ent they &s;hould not comfort, nor would God come in through them to make them comfort, but that God is now upon another de&s;igne; namely, to give in more comfort &s;ome o|ther way, as either by and in providentiall di&s;pen&s;ations of affli|ctions, or in in&s;tituted ordinances of Word and Sacraments, or immediately by him&s;elfe in communication of his Spirit. Ju&s;t as when an earthquake &s;tops the &s;prings on this &s;ide the moun|taine,
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yee may expect them to breake out in &s;ome other place.</P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> If creatures of them&s;elves cannot comfort without God comming in; how doe carnall men that have no intere&s;t in God rejoyce in them?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> 1. Some flatter them&s;elves that they have God; and argue <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> from their having worldly comforts, that therefore God loves them.</P>
<P N="2">2. Others feare they have not God, and &s;o in the mid&s;t of <HI>laughter their heart is &s;ad.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Others have neither of tho&s;e apprehen&s;ions, but are Athei&s;ticall, and &s;o their joy is but fla&s;hes, <HI>as the crackling of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">ornes under the pot.</HI> (As <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;peaks.)</P>
<P>Therefore &s;till the truth &s;tands firme, without God no com|fort in creatures. And therefore our &s;ure&s;t way is to cro&s;&s;e our common cour&s;e; namely, in&s;tead of going to creatures to finde God, to goe to God fir&s;t, to have the creatures, and to finde comfort in it. To fetch every mercy warmed from the hand of God.</P>
<P N="4">4. That though the Saints may need comfort, yea, and from creatures too, yet God hath re&s;erved to him&s;elfe to be the foun|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">ine and di&s;pen&s;er of all comfort to them through every thing to keepe them in a dependance upon them. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be God</HI> (&s;aith the text) <HI>the God of all comfort, that hath comforted us in all our <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">ibulations,</HI> that he may comfort us, and comfort us, that wee may owne him the author of comfort, in ble&s;&s;ing him for it; and &s;o all our dependence on him. God keeps the locke and key of all comforts, we mu&s;t be beholding to him for all. <HI>Elijah</HI> mu&s;t pray to God to unlock the <HI>clouds</HI> that it raine. The Church <HI>Act.</HI> 12. pray to God to unlock the <HI>pri&s;on</HI> doores to let out <HI>Pe|ter.</HI> The Spou&s;e prayes <HI>Cant.</HI> 1.4. that God would unlock her <HI>heart,</HI> that it might be unchained and forced to run after him. Therefore it is a maine &s;pirituall duty in all our injoyments, more to con&s;ider the <HI>motions of our hearts towards God,</HI> through all comforts, then to looke upon the <HI>movings of comforts towards us.</HI> It is good to &s;ee the beames of divine favour to &s;hine a glo|ry upon all the flouds of our comforts; but better to &s;ee the &s;treames of them to carry us afloat to the ocean of all, God him|&s;elfe.
<PB N="33" REF="18">
This the maine of all on our part, and this the great thing God lookes after; as a father more looks at the childs affections towards him, then upon what he layes out upon him. Therefore let us aime at that mo&s;t, that God mo&s;t looks at. We &s;ee all the creation of plants manife&s;t their dependence on the drops and beams of heaven by &s;hooting up towards heaven. Grace the active&s;t thing under God, mu&s;t needs have a &s;tronger in&s;tinct to a&s;cend to that from whence it came. A &s;ure &s;igne mercyes come from heaven, by &s;peciall di&s;pen&s;ations of favour when they exhale and draw us up to a tendency thitherward, when wee imbrace the creatures, though as God in them, we imbrace but the <HI>hand</HI> of God, wee ki&s;&s;e his hand; but when by them wee a&s;cend up to con&s;ider God as better then all, wee &s;troke his <HI>face,</HI> and <HI>ki&s;&s;e his mouth</HI> that bids the creatures go &s;erve us, &amp; &s;miled upon us the while. And farre greater is our &s;weet <HI>communion with the giver,</HI> then our <HI>po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the gift,</HI> wee forget our letters and tokens while wee imbrace our divine husband him&s;elfe. An&s;wer wee then to Gods de&s;igne. Hee hath &s;et all in a dependance on him, as the lines and circle to a Center. Therefore for all wee <HI>would</HI> have, yea for all that <HI>al|ready wee now</HI> have, to be comforts to us: go to god for them, and &s;o <HI>accepta referre,</HI> to render back all to God againe, in away of pray&s;e. Ble&s;&s;e him for all, as it is in the Text. Let a prayer and a prai&s;e as it were hemme and compa&s;&s;e in God, given in through the particular mercy. Take in all our mercyes as ac|comodations to further us in our journy homewards towards God. Let us delight more in <HI>parting</HI> with mercyes to <HI>&s;erve God,</HI> our freind, then in <HI>keeping</HI> them to <HI>&s;erve our &s;elves,</HI> we can doe &s;o for men, much more then let us doe &s;o for God.</P>
<P>In every thing give thankes <HI>Phil.</HI> 4.6. Let God have an <HI>exci&s;e</HI> out of all. About all things wee injoy, fetch as many errands to Court as you can, two at lea&s;t <HI>Viz,</HI> of prayer and pray&s;e con|cerning every particular. Mind this &s;till, that all that God doth is to mind thee of thy dependance. When <HI>Adam</HI> wanted nothing, God gave him a command and a <HI>threat</HI> to mind him of his de|pendence. When he left his dependence on God in Paradi&s;e, he lo&s;t all. So did the very <HI>Angells</HI> in the heaven of glory. As &s;oone as they &s;lacked their dependence on God, there they
<PB N="34" REF="19">
fell. How much more &s;hould wee mind our dependence, which is hourly and minutely. And therefore let us conclude that when God, upon &s;ight of our too fond &s;etting our hearts upon creature-comforts withdrawes them from us, it is that wee might &s;ue them out upon our dependence: that wee might take a new &s;tate from the <HI>chiefe Lord:</HI> and not gather them up as from the earth, as taking our tenour from the <HI>meane Lord</HI> yea when God afflicts it is that wee &s;hould goe to him to bee <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">ruted with comfort.</P>
<P N="3">3. That comfort is given to us beleevers, that wee might with that, comfort others. So the text and wee mu&s;t be like God, that communicates that comfort that is in him. Thus at once we can have comfort, and tell where we had it, to draw others to goe immediately to God. This doth nothing dimini&s;h our own comfort. But as a candle lighting many, &s;hines rather more then le&s;&s;e it &s;elfe the meane while, our comfort if truely <HI>good,</HI> is, will be communicative of it &s;elfe. It is a muddie-poole, not a quick &s;pring, that runnes not over, wee are a my&s;ticall bo|dy, therefore our &s;pirituall blood and &s;pirits, and warmth mu&s;t be in common.</P>
<P>We talke oft of the &s;weet of communion of Saints. Fea&s;t take, fea&s;t make, and wee get by this fea&s;ting others &s;oules with our &s;pirituall comforts. The very telling of the &s;tory of the manner how wee were comforted, is a chewing the cud and brings up the &s;weet of our comfort upon our palates afre&s;h. But in the application, and pre&s;&s;ing of it upon the hearts of others, wee heate and warme our owne hearts and &s;pirits. Wee rubbe the &s;pices and make them &s;mell more fragrant. Yea God is as well &s;een in his &s;treames of comfort running through the ground of our hearts, to anothers heart, as in running into our hearts at fir&s;t. Therefore we having the fir&s;t hand&s;ale, the fir&s;t fruits, let us communicate. The wicked compa&s;&s;e Sea and Land to make pro&s;elytes for the Devill, therfore let us much more for God: e&s;pecially con&s;idering Gods end, he gave thee comfort for that end. Every thing is mo&s;t eminent in its operations when it is applyed to its end, and utmo&s;t end. As the &s;un in its fulle&s;t &s;hi|ning, the in&s;trument for the fulle&s;t mu&s;ick. Our comfort is mo&s;t glorious, and God is mo&s;t glorified, the more it comforts o|thers
<PB N="35" REF="19">
as well as our &s;elves. Its the fame of a river that it a|ri&s;eth at &s;uch a fountaine, &amp; runs &s;o many hundred miles fructi|fies the vallies, and adornes the country as it goes, and then at length falls into the Ocean. As of <HI>Iordan,</HI> And <HI>Danube.</HI> So it is the honour of &s;pirituall comforts to doe likewi&s;e in mens hearts.</P>
<P N="4">4 That the excellente&s;t comfort, and way of comforting is to comfort from experience, God comforts with the comfort he hath him&s;elfe, but of him&s;elfe, therefore &s;o &s;hould we, others from that we have from him, &s;o the Text. Therefore the A|po&s;tle commends <HI>experience, Rom.</HI> 5 Experimentall comfort is like a medicine with a <HI>probatum e&s;t,</HI> that hath been proved to be effectuall. Experimentall comfort is like the Nur&s;e warming the milke or pappe in her owne mouth, before &s;he puts it into the childs.</P>
<P>This layes a great ingagement upon a di&s;con&s;olate &s;oule, to argue thus with him&s;elf, when he heares anothers experimentall comforts: <Q>It is in the &s;ame God, the &s;ame word, the &s;ame Spirit, the &s;ame con&s;iderations that comforted him that now &s;peakes to me and he was the &s;ame in every re&s;pect as I was <HI>(aut &s;umus aut fuimus, vel po&s;&s;umus e&s;&s;e quod hic e&s;t)</HI> why there|fore &s;hould it not comfort me al&s;o?</Q> why &s;hould not I tru&s;t God as well as another? where or when hath God excluded me from comfort more then him? Therefore oh yee comfor|ted Chri&s;tians draw forth your experimentall comforts, and &s;erve them in to others. It is excellent to be an <HI>Empirick</HI> in &s;pirituall <HI>phy&s;icking,</HI> as <HI>David</HI> &s;peakes, <HI>Come I will tell you what the Lord hath done for my &s;oule.</HI> Waters running through mine|ralls as Brim&s;tone. Alum, &amp;c. have more &s;trength in them for a phy&s;icall u&s;e: &s;o comfort is more fitted for men of like frailty with us, and takes more with them when they have fir&s;t runne thorow our hearts, and have beene &s;oaked in our experience, and &s;o communicated with a &s;trong &s;treame of compa&s;&s;ions, &s;upplications and &s;ympatheticall con&s;ent of &s;pirits. Something for this lyes in our likene&s;&s;e with them: &s;omething in our &s;en|&s;es and &s;o are more feelingly wrought upon, when &s;piritu|alls are communicated in a &s;en&s;ible way. Therefore <HI>examples</HI> oft worke more upon us then rules, but the maine thing for it lyes in Gods <HI>In&s;titution, and appointment,</HI> and therefore a divine
<PB N="36" REF="20">
ble&s;&s;ing goes along with it. God will al&s;o have the elder Chri&s;tian to be an executor of Chri&s;ts te&s;tament of comfort to the younger: to exerci&s;e his graces and to keepe us all inu|nion one with another. <HI>Thus of in&s;tructions.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5 See wee be Gods people, &s;et wee be his, that we may freely take this comfort to our &s;elves.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle de&s;cribes the&s;e to whom he writes, 1 Cor. 1.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. to be &s;uch as are <HI>called to be &s;aints,</HI> and <HI>&s;anctified in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us.</HI> The&s;e import three things. 1 The <HI>Qualifica|tion</HI> of them that are Gods people, namely they are <HI>Saints,</HI> they are holy; they are of unholy made holy, holy in <HI>con|ver&s;ation,</HI> thats their common rode, and cour&s;e of life. <HI>Titus</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.12. And holy in <HI>heart:</HI> that the <HI>complexion</HI> and temper of their hearts. Their hearts <HI>are purified by faith.</HI> Act. 15.9.2. The in&s;trumentall meanes: <HI>called to be Saints.</HI> As the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>yee are not called to uncleanne&s;&s;e, but to holine&s;&s;e.</HI> They have heard a voyce in the <HI>eare,</HI> and a voyce at <HI>heart</HI> that have called them away from their former corrupt conver&s;ation, yea called them from their corrupt &s;elves, from their corrupt condition, into that which is holy; from the world, to looke towards hea|ven; from &s;in, to Chri&s;t. So that they leave all rather then Chri&s;t, as the Apo&s;tles did, at Chri&s;ts call. That is by the call of the word and holy Spirit, they could be ready to part with all ra|ther then to part with Chri&s;t, and &s;o we fall upon the third thing the <HI>principall meanes</HI> of their Saint-&s;hip; namely &s;ancti|fied in <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us:</HI> not &s;anctified or made pure only <HI>by Chri&s;t Ie&s;us,</HI> by his word and Spirit, but in <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us.</HI> They are u|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">ed to Chri&s;t, looke upon them&s;elves in <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> They reckon them&s;elves (as Rom. 6.11.) dead to &s;inne in Chri&s;t, and alive to God in Chri&s;t. All their con&s;ideration is to be <HI>found in him not having their owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, but the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, which is th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ough faith of Chri&s;t.</HI> They behold Chri&s;t making a glorious change, I&s;a. 53, 2 Cor. 5. <HI>ult. He was made &s;inne for us, upon him the iniquities of us all were layd,</HI> that we might be <HI>made the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God:</HI> So that tho&s;e that are thus Gods people, they live as none of their owne, but as Gods for the generall of their lives. 1 Cor. 6.19, 20. 2 Cor. 5.15. Now tho&s;e that can with a good con&s;cience plead their <HI>&s;incerity</HI> in the&s;e things;
<PB N="37" REF="20">
though not their <HI>integrity</HI> or perfection take yee the &s;weet com|forts of this doctrine to your &s;elves. God is the fountaine: &s;o the text. <HI>The father of mercyes,</HI> Chri&s;t the Channel, &s;o the text, the <HI>father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> Say not who &s;hall a&s;|cend up to heaven, to bring God or Chri&s;t downe thence; God is with thee, united to thee, in Chri&s;t Je&s;us. Be not as <HI>Hagar</HI> to pine for thir&s;t for want of &s;ight of a well at hand. Be not as under <HI>Hagar,</HI> that is the Law, <HI>Gal.</HI> 4. <HI>thou art not under the Law, but under grace:</HI> Rom. 6. Thou ha&s;t the <HI>God of all comfort</HI> to be thine, by many engagements as hath beene clear|ed to thee out of the text, and doctrine. Hee is the <HI>God of all comfort,</HI> it is his nature. He is the <HI>father of Chri&s;t,</HI> who is thy &s;aviour, redeemer, and thine husband. He is the <HI>father of mercyes</HI> therefore of pitie to thee, that art one of the mi&s;erable ones: <HI>He comforteth in all tribulation;</HI> therefore he is wonted to com|fort: yea till thou ha&s;t enough to overflow to others, <HI>to com|fort them.</HI> Of all which wee &s;pake in the explication; now rubbe and cha&s;e this &s;uppling Oyle of gladne&s;&s;e upon thy &s;oare &s;oule.</P>
<P>Hee is <HI>God;</HI> therefore good. Fully good; infinite in good|ne&s;&s;e. Freely good becau&s;e the fir&s;t good. Therfore exceed|ingly communicative of goodne&s;&s;e; as in the creation &s;o in re|generation.</P>
<P>Hee creates <HI>peace,</HI> he creates <HI>a clean heart.</HI> He is a &s;unne. P&s;al. 84. Therefore mu&s;t communicate him&s;elfe by beames.</P>
<P>He is the <HI>Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> As God is the father of man-kind in the fir&s;t <HI>Adam,</HI> in a naturall way. <HI>Luk.</HI> 3. <HI>ult.</HI> So he is the father of beleevers, in and through Chri&s;t the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> in a <HI>&s;pirituall</HI> way, &s;o the text. The meaning is this: As &s;ure as God is united to Chri&s;t, &s;o hee is to beleevers <HI>Joh.</HI> 14 20. <HI>Joh.</HI> 17.22. As &s;ure as God loves Chri&s;t. <HI>Mat.</HI> 3. <HI>ult.</HI> So &s;ure God loves tho&s;e in him. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.6. As &s;ure as God loves Chri&s;t as his &s;unne; So Chri&s;t loves beleevers, called his children. <HI>Heb.</HI> 2. <HI>Joh.</HI> 15.9.</P>
<P>Hee is the <HI>father of mercies</HI> wee are not &s;o prone to bee fa|thers of Children, as God is to be father of mercyes. Hee had not &s;uffered his to have been mi&s;erable, but to the intent to bee more glorious in his mercy. <HI>Hee concluded all</HI> (&s;aith the A|po&s;tle)
<PB N="38" REF="21">
<HI>in unbeleife that he might have mercy upon all.</HI> And then its pre&s;ently added, <HI>O the depth of the riches both of the wi&s;dome, and knowledg of God!</HI> Rom. 11.32.33.</P>
<P>And hee is the God of <HI>all</HI> con&s;olation, therefore of <HI>&s;ome</HI> to &s;ome.</P>
<P>And he <HI>comforteth us.</HI> It is his antient wont to comfort, and hee will not loo&s;e his wont. With God is no &s;hadow of change, no eclip&s;ing of his beames, and he &s;o inlightens be|leevers as &s;tarres, that they &s;hine upon things below. He will give comfort to them, and for a witne&s;&s;e of it they &s;hall be able to comfort others. They &s;hall &s;ee their own comfort was good, in that it takes with others. Yea, &s;o comforted, that they &s;hall indite a prai&s;e to God for it. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be God that comforteth us.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore, O ye that have &s;een your claime to this comfort, take it to you, gra&s;p it; doe not let every di&s;temper, melan|choly &amp;c. baffle you of your comfort. Doe as <HI>David, P&s;al.</HI> 42. <HI>ult.</HI> &amp; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 43. <HI>ult. Why</HI> the &s;oule, and <HI>Wherefore</HI> the &s;oule, examine it upon interrogatories, convince it with Quaeries, <HI>Why art thou ca&s;t down O my &s;oule? and why art thou di&s;quieted within me? Hope thou in God, for I &s;hall yet prai&s;e him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.</HI> As long as we have God, the God of all comfort to be ours, by as good intere&s;t as others had him on earth, that are now in heaven, why &s;hould we be ca&s;t down? What can ill us, wherein God cannot, or will not com|fort us, who is the God of all comfort, that comforteth in all tribulation? The con&s;ideration of this Text, and Doctrine, and our intere&s;t in it, is enough to re&s;olve, and cleare all doubts. As whether we may cry to him in prayer in times of mi&s;ery?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w. He is the Father of mercies.</HI></P>
<P>Whether we may approach near him after reciduations, and back&s;lidings into &s;in? <HI>An&s;w. He is the Father of mercies.</HI></P>
<P>Whether we &s;hall not &s;inck in any condition, for want of comfort enough? <HI>An&s;w. He is the God of all comfort, that com|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">orteth in all tribulation.</HI></P>
<P>If we fear this affliction, or that affliction; as one cryes, O I do not know how I &s;hould indure poverty: another moanes, O how &s;hall I encounter with the <HI>feare of death?</HI> The an&s;wer here is full to all ca&s;es. <HI>God is the God of all comfort, Father of mer|cies,</HI>
<PB N="39" REF="21">
in the plurall, <HI>and comforteth his in all tribulation.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> But God is <HI>ju&s;t</HI> too?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> And this is a comfort to a beleever, that layes hold on his free mercy, 1. <HI>Joh.</HI> 1.9. <HI>If we confe&s;&s;e our &s;ins, he is faithfull, and</HI> JUST <HI>to forgive us our &s;ins, and to clean&s;e us from all unrighteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e.</HI> And 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 1.6. <HI>It is a</HI> RIGHTEOUS, <HI>or ju&s;t thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you, and to you who are troubled, re&s;t with us, &amp;c.</HI> So that Gods <HI>Ju&s;tice</HI> is a friend to beleevers, again&s;t <HI>&s;ins</HI> and <HI>afflictions.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> But God is a God of purity, that cannot indure iniquity, and of power to cru&s;h us for it in our afflictions?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Gods goodne&s;&s;e is the <HI>Complexion</HI> of his nature, and the perfection of all his Attributes: and therefore as he is prone to comfort, &s;o by rea&s;on of his <HI>purity,</HI> he is <HI>pure</HI> in his comfort: and by rea&s;on of his <HI>power,</HI> he is <HI>powerfull</HI> in his comforts. Yea, and he hints to us, that it is more &s;utable to his nature, and more an&s;werable to his direct de&s;igne, <HI>to &s;ave and comfort,</HI> then to <HI>condemn</HI> and de&s;troy his creature, <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.16, 17. <HI>God &s;o loved the world, that he gave his onely begotten &s;on, that who&s;oever belee|veth in him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life. For God &s;ent not his &s;on into the world, to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be &s;aved.</HI> And <HI>Jam.</HI> 2.13. <HI>Mercy re|joyceth again&s;t judgement.</HI> Say thou then as <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 77.16. <HI>My fle&s;h faileth, and my heart faileth, but God is the &s;trength of my heart, and my portion for ever.</HI> For &s;urely Gods de&s;ign is to make his child like him&s;elf, (in as much as he is willing to communicate him|&s;elfe) to make him full of comfort, <HI>Joh.</HI> 15.11. Therefore he bids us &s;o oft to rejoyce, <HI>Phil.</HI> 4 4. 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 5. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Therefore whereas we cry out for want of comfort, we have ju&s;t cau&s;e rather to cry out again&s;t our &s;elves, that wee receive not in that comfort God holds out unto us. For what by pa&s;&s;ion, and what by indi&s;cretion wee are like <HI>Rachel that wept and would not be comforted. In quietne&s;&s;e and confidence is our ve&s;t and &s;afety. And the joy of the Lord &s;hall be our &s;trength.</HI> If our faith of adherence doth but work kindly in cleaving to Chri&s;t, that's comfort. Every thing is in a good e&s;tate in its own center. If the Lord keeps us from de&s;paire, and puts us in hope of comfort, that is al&s;o a comfort.</P>
<P><PB REF="22"><HI>Ob.</HI> We &s;ay we have no comfort, becau&s;e we feele it not within, &s;ee it not work outwardly.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> But we may be rich, though wee doe not alwayes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ight or poy&s;e the bagges, or make them jingle, or &s;ee the mo|ney powred forth. To have them in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion is the richne&s;&s;e of our condition. We have life and rea&s;on when we are (as we lay) dead a&s;leep. To mi&s;&s;e comfort is a &s;ign we had comfort. And Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>our joy &s;hall remain,</HI> Joh. 15.11. though our &s;ight and &s;en&s;e of it doth not alwaies appeare. It is a &s;igne there <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;ome water of joy in the pumpe of our de&s;ires, while wee <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">mpe for more.</P>
<P><HI>Ob:</HI> But you will &s;ay you have no joy, and therefore you doubt whether you have Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> But we &s;ay, a wife is a wife by vertue of her Cove|nant in marriage, even then when &s;he is melancholy. And joy may glorifie and beautifie our &s;pirits more; but to beleeve in God through Chri&s;t, when we have no actuall joy, doth more glorifie and honour God. This &s;hews more pure faith, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word">.10. to tru&s;t God without the <HI>pawne</HI> of &s;en&s;e and feeling.</P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> Thou &s;aye&s;t thou goe&s;t mourning from day to day for comfort, and can&s;t not attain unto it.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Wee tell thee, &s;uch de&s;ires of comfort, they argue grace, as my&s;ts doe quick fountaines where they are thicke&s;t, <HI>Matth.</HI> 5. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they that mourn, ble&s;&s;ed are they that hun|ger and thir&s;t for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> It's more actuall comfort to be de&s;irous of a mercy and think we have it not, then to know we have it, and to be glutted with it, or carele&s;&s;e of it.</P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> But thou wilt &s;ay thou ha&s;t waited long for comfort, and yet ha&s;t it not to thy content.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> We tell thee, it will be double in mea&s;ure and &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e when it comes, <HI>A de&s;ire fulfilled after a long deferring, is</HI> (&s;aith Solomon) <HI>a tree of life.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Qu.</HI> But thou querie&s;t what &s;halt thou doe the while?</P>
<P><HI>An.</HI> Wee tell thee, 1 God &s;upports thee the while: and that is great comfort. 2 Thou &s;halt have communion with God in &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">king and waiting; and that al&s;o is a great comfort. 3 Thou &s;halt <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ave &s;o much of the oyle of gladne&s;&s;e, as to glib the wheels of thy &s;oule to carry thee on to any heavenly journey till thou ar|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters"> at glory. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="22">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
