Rejoicing in the Lord Jesus in All Cases and Conditions, Sermon 12 – Title page
SERMON XII.
Habakkuk 3.18.
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will Joy in the God of my Salvation.
VVE are upon the Directions.
10. In the tenth place, if you would live by faith upon Jeſus Chriſt, ſo as to fetch joy and comfort from him under the ſaddeſt providences of your ſtate, then conſider the unchangeable love of Jeſus Chriſt that meteth out, and manageth unto bleſſed ends all the loſſes, croſſes, trials and tribulations of your ſtate.
The hard thoughts that we have of our troubles, and the hard thoughts that we have of the Lord when we are troubled, do drive us off from him, and lay our Spirits under great diſcouragements; O ſaies the Soul, live upon Jeſus Chriſt, and rejoice in him! How can I do that, when he comes out againſt me as mine enemy? he writes bitter things againſt me, he is undoing of me, he is breaking and ſpoyling of me; and what! can I rejoice in him? The hard thoughts that the Church had of the Lord was that that did ſo much overwhelm her Spirit, when ſhe came into a low condition, his mercy is clean gone, and he hath forgotten to be gracious, he will be merciful to me no more, his mercies are ſhut up, and fail for evermore, and ſuch bitter expreſſions as theſe are; and how can we now rejoice in this Lord; and all this while you underſtand not the Lord, nor the deſign of the Lord, and by your ignorance you come to wrong your own Spirits in your preſent condition, by overcharging them with a diſcouragement that the providence rightly conſidered as ſtated by the Lord, adminiſters not; for do but conſider, that there is unchangeable love engaged in, and mixed with every adverſe providence; the Lord he ſtrikes, and he wounds in a way of love, he breaks in upon this comfort and the other, and makes breaches in your condition, in a way of love and grace; the Lord he takes away a creature comfort from a Chriſtian to make more room in his heart for Chriſt. The Lord he puts him into the furnace, that he may purify him from his droſs; the Lord he purgeth him to make him partaker of his holineſs. The Lord he ſhakes him, and ſhakes his creature ſtanding, and his relative ſtanding under a creature conſideration and condition, that he might take faſter hold upon Chriſt Jeſus; he ſends out every tribulation upon you, with a charge to do you good, and to uſe you kindly; as David when he ſent out his Army, gave them a charge, deal gently for my ſake with the young man Abſolom: So ſaies Jeſus Chriſt unto every Croſs that befals you, uſe my Servant kindly for my ſake, treat him well; ſaies the Lord, unto a loſs, work for the gain of ſuch a Servant of mine; ſaies the Lord, unto ſuch a Croſs, do you try, and do you refine, and do you purge, and do you better my Servant; he ſaith unto ſuch a tribulation; go, and do ſuch Servants of mine good; there is unchangeable love and grace that meteth out, and manageth unto bleſſed ends all the croſſes of your condition, Job 5.17. Behold happy is the man whom God correcteth, therefore deſpiſe not thou the chaſtening of the Almighty. We ſay croſt is the man, and broken is the man, and undone is the man, that is ſo and ſo dealt withal; ay; but ſaies God, happy is the man, there is a bleſſing under the croſs, there is love and grace in the trial, that thou doſt not conſider (Chriſtian) and this will be more advantage to thee then all the diſadvantages that the Croſs can bring in upon thee, in its ſelf conſidered, Proverbs 3.12. For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a Father the Son in whom he delighteth; So as there is love in all the Lords corrections, and Iſaiah 48.10. Behold I have refined thee, but not with Silver, I have choſen thee in the furnace of affliction; I have put thee into the furnace, ſaies the Lord, there is my love working towards thee, there is my love ſpeaking to thee, there have I been refining, and purging, and purifying of thee, to make thee more excellent gold for my uſe; this is the deſign of the Lord, Heb. 12.5, 6. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which ſpeaketh unto you, as unto Children; My Son deſpiſe not thou the Chaſtening of the Lord, neither faint when thou art rebuked of him, for whom the Lord loveth, he chaſteneth, and ſcourgeth every Son whom he receiveth; and Rev. 3.19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chaſten; and Rom. 8.35, 36, &c. Who ſhall ſeparate us from the love of Chriſt? ſhall tribulation, or diſtreſs, or perſecution, or famine, or nakedneſs, or peril, or ſword? None of theſe things ſhall do it, ſaies he. So as if you would come to a rejoycing in the Lord in a trying hour, then conſider the unchangeable love of Jeſus Chriſt that doth mete out and manage the Croſſes that you are called to bear. It was good for me, ſaies David, that I was afflicted; and again, ſaies he, Pſal. 116.10. I believed, therefore have I ſpoken, I was greatly afflicted; I ſaid in my haſt all men are lyars, what ſhall I render to the Lord, for all his benefits? Surely the Prophet had not only the remove of the affliction in his Eye, but alſo the deſign of God in the affliction, that he ſaith, what ſhall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits? I will take up the cup of Salvation, and bleſs his name; he hath greatly afflicted me, and ſorely diſtreſſed me. I will take up the cup of Salvation; and bleſs his name; here doubtleſs was an eye upon the deſign; well then, if you would come to live rejoycingly in the Lord in all conditions; conſider his unchangeable love that doth order and diſpoſe the trials that you are exerciſed with.
11. In the eleventh place; Conſider the auxiliary relations that Chriſt ſtands in to your Souls, and the grace that is diſpenſed upon them. You look Chriſtians in an evil day, below the comforts of your ſtate, and that is the reaſon you are ſo hurried in your own Spirits; you pore upon an emptying providence, and don't conſider the filling relations that Chriſt is unchangeably enterered into with your Souls: relations of grace that are alwaies comforting, and alwaies relieving, and that have new ſupplies of grace alwaies ſpringing up in them for your aſſiſtance. I will give you a touch of ſome of them. The Lord Jeſus Chriſt is called the Father of believers, he was promiſed under that name, in Iſa. 9.6. Ʋnto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and his name ſhall be called Wonderful, Counſeller, the mighty God, the everlaſting Father. So Iſaiah 8.18. Behold I and the Children whom the Lord hath given me, are for ſigns and for wonders in Iſrael; behold I and the Children, we are the Lords Children. And Iſaiah 63.16. Doubtleſs thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Iſrael acknowledgeth us not; O Lord thou art our Father, our Redeemer, thy name is from everlaſting; this is ſpoken of Chriſt Jeſus. Now the relation of a Father, it is a relation of pity; it is a relation of love, it is a relation of tenderneſs; when the Lord tells us he ſtands in this relation unto us, he tells us that he will exerciſe the tenderneſs, the pity, and the kindneſs of a Father unto his Child. Now a Father, a tender-hearted Father, he will conſider his Child in all conditions, in all his ſtreights, and though it be a rebellious Child, yet ſtill he will conſider it, and he will exerciſe the pity and the tenderneſs of a Father to it; this you may ſee in David to Abſolom; Abſolom was a rebellious Son that proclaimed war againſt his Father, and would have cut off his Father; and yet ſee how Davids bowels did work towards his rebellious Son when he heard he was dead; O Abſolom, my Son, my Son, would to God I had died for thee, O Abſolom, my Son, my Son; theſe were the workings of his heart towards rebellious Abſolom; now if there be ſo much tenderneſs in a Father in the fleſh towards his Children, much more in Chriſt to his Children. Saies Chriſt, Luke 11.13. If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your Children, how much more ſhall your Heavenly Father give his holy Spirit to them that ask him? Why, the Fathers in the fleſh cannot out-love Jeſus Chriſt, they have not a larger heart for their Children then Chriſt hath for his; (again) Jeſus Chriſt he is ſtiled the Husband of Believers; now that is a relation of great care and tenderneſs; the faithful, wiſe, able, loving Husband, how will he defend his Wife, and how will he provide for his Wife, and how will he ſafeguard his Wife, and how will he pity his Wife, in all her exigencies, ſhe ſhall be as his own Soul, Eph. 5.28, 29, 30. So ought men to love their Wives, even as their own bodies, he that loveth his Wife, loveth himſelf, and no man ever yet hated his own fleſh; this is a great myſtery, but I ſpeak concerning Chriſt and the Church. So as all believers they are betrothed and married unto Jeſus Chriſt, and Jeſus Chriſt as a loving, able, wiſe, tender-hearted Husband, will ſecure, and defend, and provide for thoſe that are married to him, much more then the Husbands in the fleſh can do for their Wives.
Again; Jeſus Chriſt he is our Brother, our elder Brother; Now a Brother under the law, was not to ſee any of his younger Brethren under decay, and in a low condition, but he was to relieve him; if thy Brother be waxen poor, and fall into decay, then thou ſhalt relieve him, was a Scripture law; now ſaies Chriſt, I am not aſhamed to call th…m Brethren; and he will be a moſt loving, tender-hearted, faithful Brother unto all his Brethren, whatſoever their ſtreights and their trials are. Chriſtians, do but propoſe thoſe aiding, relieving, auxiliary relations of grace, that Chriſt ſtands in to your Souls, and exerciſe faith upon them, propoſe them I ſay to your faith, and exerciſe faith upon them; do you conſider in your own imaginations; what if you had ſuch a Father, ſo wiſe, ſo able, ſo loving, ſo tender hearted, how ſhould your heart rejoice in him! why Chriſtian, you have all that you can imagine in Chriſt, as a Father to you! O you would think, if you had ſuch a tender Husband, ſuch a kind hearted Husband, how would you take comfort in him. Chriſtian, thou haſt all in Chriſt Jeſus, that thou canſt imagine, and much more abundantly, imagine the lovingeſt, faithfulleſt Brother, that ever was upon earth, and thou haſt more in Chriſt Jeſus, then can be imagined; Chriſt ſtands in all theſe relations to thee, and theſe relations are obligations unto him; according to the relation will he act and diſpenſe, and according to the obligation of every relation ſhall the diſpenſe be, ſo as he is not only a Husband, but you may believe that he will do all for you (being betrothed to him) that the relation of a Husband obligeth him to, and he will do all as a Father for you, that the relation obligeth him to, & he will do all as a Brother, that the relation binds him to. And know Chriſtians, that you can never out-live the love and the grace of the relations of Chriſt, neither can you ever burthen the love of any of his relations, you can never overcharge his love; there is a natural love ariſing in the heart of a Father towards his Children, a growing, ſpringing love every day, that notwithſtanding many provocations, ſtill the Father keeps his heart upon his Child; ſo though there are provocations in your way unto your heavenly Father, yet his heart is kept towards you, and his heart is the heart of a Father; and his heart is the heart of a Husband, and his heart is the heart of a Brother, and you can never burthen his love, nor out-live his grace, nor over-believe the fulneſs of theſe relations of grace that he ſtands in to your Souls. Now then, if you would come to an exerciſe of faith upon the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, then conſider the auxiliary relations of grace that he ſtands in to your Souls, and what is diſpenſible upon thoſe relations, and wait upon him for the fulfilment of all.
12. Again; If you would come to live a life of faith upon Chriſt Jeſus, rejoycing in him under a ſtrait and trial of providence, then take up a promiſe, and believe it upon the bare faithfulneſs of God, and never diſpute with the difficulty, or apprehended impoſſibility of it. There are ſometimes great mountains of difficulty that lye before the promiſe, you muſt not conſult with theſe, Chriſtians, but conſult with the promiſes as they are in the hands of the faithfulneſs of God, and believe the truth of every promiſe, becauſe God hath ſpoken it; how unlikely and improbable ſoever unto ſenſe and reaſon the accompliſhment of it is, don't ſay how can this be? how can ſuch a promiſe be fulfilled? It is not likely it ſhould be fulfilled to me, ſo unſuitable and ſo unanſwerable; but eye the faithfulneſs of God that made the promiſe, and believe it upon Gods bare truth, becauſe he hath ſpoken it, when you have nothing elſe to encourage you to take it up: Thus it was with Abraham, the Father of believers, Rom. 4.18, 19, 20, 21. Who againſt hope believed in hope, and being not weak in faith, he conſidered not his own body, now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadneſs of Sarahs Womb. There were unlikelyhoods of this promiſe ever being fulfilled, and if Abraham would have reaſoned according to ſenſe, why ſenſe would have ſuggeſted to him that this promiſe was a meer fallacy, a meer romance, that there was no truth, no certainty in it, what! he a hundred years old now, a dead man, almoſt his nature quite decayed, and Sarah e'en going into the grave, almoſt a dead Woman, nature quite decayed in her, and what, ſhall Sarah conceive, and have a Son? 'tis not likely, nor probable. Nay, ſaies reaſon, 'tis an impoſſible thing: now here had been a diſcouragement to his Spirit, if he had called in ſenſe and reaſon, and conſidered and debated the matter therewith, but he takes up the promiſe, and believes it upon the bare Word of God, upon his bare faithfulneſs; well ſaies Abraham, I am indeed an old Man, and Sarah my Wife is an old woman, but God hath ſaid I ſhall have a Child, and I believe it; here is no hope in nature, but I will believe it againſt hope, againſt all diſcouragement to my hope; I will believe God that hath ſpoken it is able to perform it, ſurely it ſhall be ſo; thus Chriſtians, when difficulties and diſcouragements incompaſs the promiſe, don't diſpute with the difficulties that lye in the way, but keep your eye upon the faithfulneſs of God, and believe the promiſe upon Gods bare word alone.
13. Again; Sute the promiſe to your preſent ſtate, whatever it be, and ſet it at the head of your trial, and then wait for an accompliſhment. I ſay ſingle out a promiſe ſutable to your ſtate, and ſet it at the head of your trial, at the mouth of your trouble or temptation, and then wait upon the Lord for the accompliſhment of the promiſe. Thou canſt (Chriſtian) be brought into no condition, but there is ſome promiſe in the new Covenant that doth ſute thy tryal, whatever it be; there is no burthen laid upon thy back, but ſome promiſe ſutes the burthen; now you muſt ſingle out a promiſe ſutable to your preſent ſtate, and ſet that at the head of your tryal, & keep your eye there, waiting for the accompliſhment of the promiſe, and hereby your hearts will be raiſed up to glory, & rejoyce in the Lord alone. Suppoſe that you were in ſome conſiderable danger, ſingle out ſome Goſpel delivering promiſe, and ſet that at the head of your danger. Suppoſe Chriſtian that thou haſt ſome great burthen upon thy Spirit, ſingle out ſome Soul reviving promiſe, and ſet it at the head of thy burthen. Suppoſe that you have met with ſome extraordinary loſs, ſingle out ſome comforting, reviving promiſe, ſome promiſe of ſupplies that Jeſus Chriſt hath made, and ſet that at the door where your comfort went out; and keep your eye upon the promiſe of your ſtate, and the promiſe of your preſent condition, and wait upon the Lord for its accompliſhment, and by this means your hearts will in a little time come to be raiſed, and you will ſee a new ſupply ready to come in upon your empty condition.
14. Again; Propoſe the communicable Attributes of Chriſt to your view, as under an unchangeable reconciliation and obligation unto you. My friends, if Chriſt be yours, then all Chriſt is yours; when Chriſt gave you an intereſt in himſelf, he made over all himſelf to you; all the Attributes of his eternal glorious nature, they are engaged to you, they are reconciled to you, and they are under an expreſs Goſpel Covenant obligation for you. Now, propoſe theſe, and keep them in your view. Conſider, the Power of Jeſus Chriſt is under engagement for you. Conſider, the Wiſdom of Chriſt Jeſus is engaged to you; I ſpeak to every Believer in particular; for Chriſt makes over himſelf as fully to one Believer, as if he had but one Believer to make over himſelf unto. The Faithfulneſs of Chriſt Jeſus is engaged to you; the Love and the Grace of Chriſt Jeſus is engaged to you. Now Chriſtians, if you would come to rejoyce in Chriſt, then often conſider of theſe; propoſe theſe Attributes as under a ſpecial unchangeable Covenant-reconciliation and obligation to you; and conſider alſo how much there is in every property of his Nature; do but conſider how much there is in the Power of Chriſt, how much there is in the Love of Chriſt, how much there is in the Grace of Chriſt, how much there is in the Wiſdom of Chriſt. Chriſtians, there is a fountain in every Attribute of Chriſt; there is a fountain of Power in Chriſt's Attribute of Power; and there is a fountain of Love in Chriſt's Attribute of Love; and there is a fountain of Grace in Chriſt's Attribute of Grace, and theſe fountains they are ſet open for you, Chriſtians; do but ſee then, how many fountains you have to go unto; you complain of want and emptineſs, that you have nothing; why here are full fountains to go unto; all theſe ſet open at all times for your relief; do but propoſe theſe (Chriſtians) to your conſideration, and your hearts will ſoon ſally out to rejoyce in the Lord.
15. In the laſt place; If you would come to live by Faith upon the Lord Jeſus in all conditions, then reckon that your All is in Chriſt, and is alwaies ſure in Chriſt, though ſome outward comforts of your condition are coming and going. Jeſus Chriſt is the poſſeſſor of your bleſſedneſs; your bleſſedneſs is not in your own hand, nor in the hands of a ſtranger, but in the hands of Chriſt; and the outward comforts of your condition are not your portion, (Chriſtians) they are not your All, but your All it lies in Chriſt, and when you have loſt an Eſtate, your All is ſtill ſure in the hands of Chriſt: When you have loſt a friend, and loſt a relation, your All is ſtill in the hands of Chriſt untouched; there 'tis, and 'tis alwaies ſure in the hand where 'tis lodged. Now, do but reckon that your comforts lye here, and that the Lord is the keeper and poſſeſſor of all your hopes, of all your bleſſings and bleſſedneſſes, of all your comforts and conſolations, of your whole treaſure, and your Souls will come to be drawn out after Chriſt to a rejoycing in him. Says the Apoſtle in Col. 3.11. But Chriſt is All, and in All. He ſums up all in a few words; all is in Chriſt; why then, you that have an intereſt in Chriſt, reckon that your All lies there, and then will your Souls be enlarged to look towards him.
And I might add unto this for a cloſe, That you ſhould look up unto the Lord the Father, in the ſenſe of your weakneſs in Faith, or want of Faith to encreaſe your Faith, or to give you Faith. The Diſciples they went unto Chriſt, Luke 17.5. and ſaid, Lord encreaſe our Faith. So Chriſtians, you ſhould do; 'tis an evil day, a trying day; 'tis by Faith only that you will come to ſtand; and 'tis Faith that will keep up your ſpirits: O pray unto the Lord that he would encreaſe your Faith! Pray for the encreaſe of this grace above all, and be earneſt with him, that he who hath been the Author, would be the promoter of your Faith. And for your encouragement, Chriſtians, let me tell you, that the more you believe in Chriſt Jeſus, the more,
1. In the firſt place you will glorifie Chriſt; every act of Faith glorifies Chriſt Jeſus; it doth glorifie his Fulneſs, it glorifies his Alſufficiency, it glorifies his Advancement and Enthronement at the right hand of the Father; it glorifies him in his Goſpel-Offices, as he is intruſted with the Fulneſs of all grace for you. Nay,
2. Believing in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt doth engage Jeſus Chriſt to come in for your help. Every act of Faith doth not only glorifie him, but engage him; it will awaken his Power, and cauſe him to ariſe and open his hand, and give out more liberally and freely: He ſays therefore unto his Servants many times, According to your Faith be it unto you. Nay,
3. This living upon Jeſus Chriſt is the only way to make your lives comfortable in this world. What had this Prophet to comfort his heart with, but only this, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, reſting upon him alone? The Figg-tree, that was withered, and his creature-comforts were gone; emptineſs and nothingneſs was before him; well, ſays he, I will rejoyce in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my Salvation. Behold, this it was that made his condition comfortable; why Chriſtians, you will never have comfort in your own ſpirits under a loſs, under a croſs, and in a time of temptation, if you have not Faith upon Chriſt Jeſus, and there fix your Souls. Nay, let me add,
4. In the fourth and laſt place; That hereby you ſhall have confirmation, and eſtabliſhment, and ſettlement, in the greateſt ſhakings of providence that may be brought upon your condition. And therefore O Chriſtians! let me in the winding up of all once more call upon you to live upon, and to glory in Chriſt Jeſus alone: As to all your comforts in this world, you cannot promiſe your ſelves they ſhall abide with you; God may empty you from veſſel to veſſel, till he have taken all theſe away; but now there is enough in a naked Jeſus to take comfort in; there is enough in Jeſus Chriſt alone for you to glory in. O come and draw your comforts from Chriſt, and do not draw them from the creature; do not draw them from ſecondary helps, but draw them from the fountain; do not ſit down at the ſtreams, but away to the fountain, to the Ocean that is alwaies full. In every ſtrait have your eye upon Jeſus; in every croſs keep your eye upon Jeſus; in every loſs keep your eye upon Jeſus; under every ſtrait and trial have recourſe to Jeſus, and acquaint your ſelves more with him, that you may be in the Prophets frame here, To rejoyce in the Lord, and to joy in the God of your Salvation.
THE SAINTS Hope in Heaven: In one Sermon.
Together with Freedom from Condemnation in Chriſt Jeſus.
Diſcovered in Two Sermons, Preached Octob. 2. 1681. being the laſt that were Preached.
By Robert Aſty, late Miniſter of Jeſus Chriſt in Norwi…h.
Rom. 8.33. It is God that juſtifieth.
V. 34 Who is he that condemneth?
LONDON, Printed by Tho. Snowden for Edward Giles, Bookſeller in Norwich, near the Market-place. 1683.