Commentary on 2 Corinthians 1, Commentary · Commentary on verse 8, 9

Commentary on 2 Corinthians 1 · Commentary · Commentary on verse 8, 9

p. 123VERS. 8, 9.

For we would not, Brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble, which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life.

But we had the sentence of death in our selves, that we should not trust in our selves, but in God which raiseth the dead.

HEre Saint Paul comes to the particular explication of what he had generally spoken before: he had generally said before, that he had both comfort and affliction; but now he specifies what afflictions they were. I would not have you ignorant of the troubles which came to us in Asia, &c.

I would not have you ignorant of.] He knew it was behofull for them to know: therefore to insinuate into their respect the more, he tells them of it. Indeed, to know both together is very sweet and comfortable, to know both the afflictions of Gods people and their comforts, as here, he tells them what ill he indured in Asia, and how God delivered him: to see how these are linked together in Gods people, is very comfortable, therefore I would not have you ignorant.

Now, that they might not be ignorant, he sets before their eyes the particular grievance that he suffered in Asia. And see how he doth raise himself by degrees, and represent it to them most lively.

First of all, saith he [We were pressed out of measure.] There is one degree, we were pressed: It is a metaphor, we were pressed, as a Cart is pressed under sheaves, as a man is pressed under a burden: as a Ship that is over-laden, is pressed deep down with too much burden: so it was with us, we were pressed with afflictions; afflictions are of a depressing nature, they draw down the soule, as comfort raiseth it up.

[Out of measure.] There is the second degree, they were not onelyonly pressed, but pressed out of measure.

[Above strength] Above my strength, above ordinary strength. And he riseth p. 124higher still, the waters rise higher (insomuch that we despaired of life,) we despaired of any escaping out of trouble at the present encounter, nay, we did not see how we should escape for the time to come.

Nay, it was so great (in the first place,) that we passed (the sentence of death upon our selves.) It is a speech taken from malefactors that are condemned: for even as they having the sentence pronounced upon them, we account them dead men, they esteem themselves so, and so do others esteem them; the sentence being passed upon them: so I even passed the sentence on my self, seeing no evasion or escape out of the troubles I was in, the sentence of death passed upon me. We had the sentence of death in our selves. It was not passed by God, nor by the World: for they had not decreed to kill him, but he passed it upon himself when he saw no way to escape. He was deceived though (as oft-times Gods Children are) for he died not at that time.

And then afterwards he sets down the end why all this was, a sweet end, a double end, (That we should not trust in our selves:) what should we trust in then? (But in God that raiseth the dead.)

First to speake of his grievance, and then of the reason why God did thus follow him.

We would not have you ignorant.

He prevents all scandal by this, I would not have you ignorant, I am so far from caring, or fearing, or being ashamed, that you should know of any affliction that I suffer, that I would not have you ignorant of it: for know this, that when you know my afflictions you shall know my deliverance also. St. Paul was wondrous scrupulous at this, left they should take any offence at his sufferings: indeed it is the state of Gods Children, their worst Good men in affliction censured.crosse: sometimes are censures upon them for the crosse, the harsh censures of others in their troubles; It was the last, and the greatest of Job's troubles, that, and his wife together, when his house was overthrown, his Children killed, his goods taken away, himsef stricken with boiles: then for his indiscreet friends, to become miserable comforters: those that should have comforted him, to become censurers and judges of him, as if he had been a man deserted, and forsaken of God, as if all had been from God as a punishment for his sins: this was his grearest crosse, as it was his last, when his wife in his bosom, she that should have comforted him most, should solicit him to ill, and his friends by their rash and vile censures to make his crosse heavier: So it is with Gods Children in the world, they cannot endure hardnesse in the World, they cannot be used otherwise then their cause deserves: but they must also undergo hard censures, that grieves them more then the crosse it self. It was the case of this blessed Apostle, the Spirit of God in him therefore sets him to mention his affliction with boldnesse and confidence, yea, with comfort and joy, I would not have you ignorant, I am not of the mind of carnal men, that would have it concealed, nay, I would not have you ignorant, I pray understand it: he laies it open to their view, that they might be affected with it, as he was: for those things that we are affected with, we are large in the discourse of them: he shewes that the misery though it were past, and were off, yet he was affected with it: We were pressed out of measure above strength. This seems Object.to thwart another place of scripture in 1. Cor 10. 13. God is faithful, and will 1. Cor 10, 13.1 Cor 10:13lay no more upon you then you shall be able to bear: and yet here he saith, we were afflicted above strength, how can these hang together?

p. 125I answer, God will not suffer his Children to indure any thing above strength, above that they are able to bear, especially in spirituall evils, but for sickness and persecution or such, sometimes he may lay more upon them then they have present strength to beare.

But, put the case that St. Paul speaks of inward grievance, and outward afflictions too, as both usually accompany one another: St. Paul's meaning is here undoubtedly, We were pressed above strength; that is, above ordinary naturall strength, that unless God had made a supply by a new supernaturall strength, we had never been able to indure it: therefore take it so, above ordinary naturall strength: for extraordinary crosses, must have extraordinary strength, and crosses with grievance of spirit must have more then naturall strength to beare them.

Again, Where it is said, Insomuch that we despaired of life, as if he had cared much for his life, this seemeth to cross another place, Phil. 1. I Object.desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, and here he seems to be very carefull in a strait, lest he should die.

I answer, We must take St. Paul in diverse considerations and respects: As St. Paul hath finished his course, and done his work, so, Henceforth is Answ.laid up for me the crown of righteousness: so he thinks of nothing but life and glory; he cares not for his life: but take Saint Paul in the midst of his course. and so he had a care to his charge. Take Saint Paul as he looked to glory, so he desired to be dissolved: take him as he was affected to edifie the Church, so he laboured to live by all meanes, and so he saith he despaired of life, as desiring to live to do good to the Church.

Again, It may be Objected against the last, We received the sentence of death in our selves. St. Paul dyed not now, and he had the Spirit of God in Object.him, to know what he spake; how doth this agree then that he had the sentence of death passed?

I answer, St. Paul spake according to the probability of second causes, Answ.according to the appearance of things, and so he might pronounce of himself, without danger, (as being no sinfull errour) that indeed I am a dead man, I see no hope of escaping, if I look to the probabilitie of second causes all my enemies are about me, I am in the Lyons mouth, there is but a step between me and death. He doth not look here to the decree of God, but he looks to the disposing of present causes: So Gods' children are often deceived in themselves in that respect, it is no great errour; for it is true what they speake in regard of second causes, though it be not true in regard of Gods decree.

The Objections being satisfied, we may observe some points of doctrine.

And out of the first part of St. Paul's tryall, which some take it to be that in Acts 19. At Ephesus Dimetrins the Smith raised up a trouble against him, when they cryed out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians: but those are but conjectures. It may be it was some great sickness, it may be some other affliction: the Scripture is silent in the particular what it was. To come then to the points themselves. In the first part, this is considerable in the first place, that

God suffers his Children to fall into extream perils and dangers.

And then secondly, that They are sensible of it.

For the first,

God suffers his children to fall into great extremities. This is clear here, p. 126we see how he riseth by degrees, We were pressed above measure, above Doct. God suffers his Children to fall into great extremity.strength, that we even despaired of life, we received the sentence of death in our selves. He riseth by five steps, to shew the extremity that he was in. This is no new thing, that God should suffer his Children thus to be exercised.

It is true in the head, it is true in the body, and it is true of every particular member of the body.

It is true of our head Christ Jesus himself: we see to what exigences he was brought, in what danger of his life oft-times he was, as when they would have cast him down from the mount, Luke 4. and when in apprehension of his Fathers wrath, he sweat water and blood in the garden, and on the Crosse cryed out, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? none was ever so abased as he was, he humbled himself to the death of the Crosse, nay, lower then the Crosse, he was in captivity in the grave three dayes. They thought they had had their will on him there: they thought they might have trampled on Christ: and no doubt but the Divel triumphed over the grave, and thought he had had him where he would: but we see afterward God raised him again gloriously.

Now as the head was abased even unto extremity: So it is true of the whole body of the Church from the beginning of the world. The Church in Egypt was in extremity before Moses came: therefore a learned Hebrician Capne (that brought Hebrew into these western parts) was wont to say, When the tale of brick was doubled, then comes Moses: that is, in extremity, when there was no remedy, then God sent them deliverance. In what a pittiful case was the poor Church and people of God in Hesters time? there was but a haires breadth between them and destruction, it was decreed by Haman, and they had gotten the Kings decree too, they were as it were between the hammer and the anvil, ready to be crushed in pieces presently, had not God come between. And so in Babylon the Church was in extremity, insomuch as that when deliverance was told them, they were as men that dream, as if there had been no such matter, they wondred at it. And so in the times of persecution God hath suffered his Church to fall into extream danger, as now at this time the Church is in other parts. I might draw this truth along through all Ages. It is true of the whole body of the Church. It is true likewise of the particular members. Take the principall members of it: you see Abraham, before God made good his promise, he was brought to a dry body, and Sarah to a dead womb, that they despaired of all second causes. And David, though God promised him a Kingdom, yet he was so straitned that he thought many times he should have died, I said in my haste, All men are liars; they tell me this and that, but there is nothing so, he was hunted as a Partridge in the wildernesse.

It was true of St. Paul, we see what extremity he was brought unto; as the Psalmist saith, Psal. 118. I was afflicted sore, but I was not delivered to death: Even as we say, only not killed. It is and hath been so, with all the members of the Church from Abel to this day: sometime or other, if they live any long time, they shall be like Moses at the Red-Sea; we see in what a strait he and his company was there, there was the Egyptians behind them, the Mountaines on each side of them, the Red-Sea before them, what escaping was here for Moses? so it is with the poore Church and Children of God oft-times: there are dangers behind them, and perils before p. 127them, and troubles on all fides. God brings them so low as deaths doore; sometimes by sickness, as there is an instance in Psal. 107. of those that go down to the sea in ships, He brings them to deaths door, saith the Psalmist.

What is the reason, that by persecution and afflictions, by one grievance or another, God brings his Children to such a low ebb?

The reasons are many.

The first may be, he will thus trie what mettle they are made of, light Reas. 1.afflictions, light crosses will not trie them throughly, great ones will. Jonas that slept in the Ship, he fals a praying in the Whales belly; he that was pettish out of trouble, and fals a quarrelling with God himself, in trouble he fals to praying; when he was in the bottom of hell, as he saith himself. Little afflictions may stand with murmuring, and repining: but great ones trie indeed what we are; what we are in great afflictions, he are indeed.

Againe, To trie the sincerity of our estate, to make us to know our selves; to make us known to the world, and known to our selves, what Reas. 2.good we have, and what ill we have. A man knows not what a deal of loosness he hath in his heart, & what a deal of falseness, till we come to the cross, & to extremity: Whereas before, I thought I had had a great deal of patience, a great deal of faith, and a great deal of heavenly mindedness: now I see I have not that store laid up as I thought I had. And somtime a man is deceived on the contrary: I thought I had had no goodness in me, and yet in extremity, such a one goes to prayer, he goes to the Word of God, to the communion of Saints, he delights in good things, and onelyonly in those: extremity makes him discern and know himself for ill, and for good, and makes others to know him too, that is another end.

Again, God suffers us to fall into extremity, to set an edge upon our desires, and our prayers, to make us crie to him, Out of the deep I have cryed Reas. 3.unto thee, O Lord. When a man is in the deep, it is not an ordinary prayer will serve, but he must crie: God loves to heare his Children speak to him; he loves the voice of his children, it is the best musick that he delights in: therefore he will take a course, that he will be sure to hear from them; and rather then they shall neglect prayer, he will suffer them to fall into some rousing sinne, into such a state and condition, that they may dart up prayers, that they may force prayers out of the anguish of spirit, that their prayers may be violent, that will take no denyal, that they may be strivings with God, that they may wrastle with God as we see in Jacob and the woman of Canaan, that they may be importunate, and never leave him nor take any denyall.

Again, God suffers his Children to fall into this extream perill and danger, not onelyonly to trie them, what good they have in them; but when he Reas. 4.hath tried it to exercise it, to exercise their faith, and their patience. St. Paul had a great deale of grace in him, and God would be sure to have a great deale of tryall, and exercise of it; and therefore he suffered him to fall into extream dangers, that so all the patience, and all the …aith he had might be set on work. And so it was in Job, God had furnished his Champion with a great measure of patience, and then he singles him out to the combat; he brings him into the lists to encounter with Satan and … triumph over Satan, and all the evils he suffered whatsoever.

Again, it is to perfect the work of mortification, to let patience have her Reas. 5.perfect worke, and …aith, and prayer to have their p…ect work, to perfect p. 128all graces, and so to perfect the work of mortification: for in extream dangers, he weanes us perfectly from the world, as much as may be, nothing will doe it if these will not. St. Paul came to many Cities, and there he thought oft-times to have great matter of entertainment, and instead of that he was whipped and misused: God used the matter so, to mortifie pride and self-confidence in St. Paul; he scoured him so from pride, that he should not goe out of the Citie, but he should be well scoured first by misusage. So rather then God will suffer his Children to go to hell, and rather then he will suffer them to live in the world here, without glory to their profession, without manifesting of grace, to mortifie and subdue their base earthly affections, he will scoure them, to subdue their pride, and to subdue their earthly mindednesse; we might prevent the bitterness of the Cross, if we would: we might prevent his mortifying of us by afflictions, by the mortification of the spirit: but because we are negligent in that work, to perfect the work of mortification, he is forced to lay here any crosses and extream dangers upon us.

Lastly, God doth this for another end, that he might be sure by this meanes to prepare us for greater blessings: for in what deep measure we Reas. 6.are humbled by any deep afflction, in that measure we are prepared for some blessing. Humility doth empty the soule, and crosses do breed humilitie: the emptiness of the soule fits it for receipt: God therefore doth emptie us by crosses, that we may be fit vessels to receive some larger measure of grace and comfort. For as it is said before, As our tribulations increase, so our comforts increase: therefore it is a good signe, that God intends much spirituall good to any man, when he laies some heavie load upon him in this world: all is to prepare for some greater comfort, and some greater measure of grace.

Why doth the Husbandman fall upon his ground, and teare and rend it up with the Plow, and the better the ground is, the more he labours to kill weeds, is it because he hath an ill mind to the ground? No, he meanes to sowe good seed there, and he will not plow a whit longer, then may serve to prepare the ground. It is the Holy Ghosts comparison, Isa. 28. So likewise the Gold-Smith, the best mettall that he hath, he tempers it, he labours to consume the dross of it, and the longer it is in the fire, the more pure it comes forth: so God keeps his Children under crosses, and doth plow them, they neglect to plow themselves, and he is faine to set plowers that will doe it indeed, some ill minded men, or some cross: if they would plow themselves, and examine themselves, they might spare God the labour: but when they are negligent, God takes the labour into his own hand, and sets others on worke, that will doe it to purpose, but all is to prepare them for heavenly seed, for grace and comfort, that in what measure we have been depressed (as he saith here, we were pressed above measure,) in that measure he meanes to lift us up by heavenly comfort.

And (which is a clause of that) that we might set a price upon the comforts, when they come: for when he hath so prepared us for it, and then we receive it, then comfort is comfort indeed. Comfort in it self is all one, and glory in it self is all one, first and last: but it is not all one to the person; comfott is indeared to a person that hath been kept under and been dieted before: then when it comes, he sets a great value upon it, when he hath been without it so long.

Our nature is so, that we value things by the want of them, rather p. 129then by the present enjoying of them, after we have wanted it, and have been long time prepared for it, then when it comes, it is welcome indeed. For these, and many such like ends, we must be willing to approve of Gods holy and wise dispensation in this, in ordering matters so with his children, in bringing them to great dangers of bodie, in danger of life, sometimes to spirituall desertions, leaving them to themselves, as if he had no care of them. But St. Paul speaks especially here, of outward crosses; you see the reasons of it.

The Use of it, is first, that we should not passe a harsh, unadvised, rigid censure upon our selves, or others, for these respects; for any great affliction Use 1▪ Not to censure those that suffer.or abasement in this world. The world is ready to passe their verdict presently upon a man: Oh, such a one, you see what a kinde of man he was, you see how God follows him with crosses: so uncharitable men judge amiss of the generation of the righteous. Whereas they should set the Court in their own hearts, and begin to censure there, and to examine themselves, they goe out and keep their Court abroad: but I say, passe not a harsh censure upon others, or on thy selfe, no, not for extream dangers: for God now is making way for great comfort, let God go on his way, without thy censuring of him.

Again, This should teach us, that we should not build overmuch confidence Use 2. Not to be confident of earthly things.on earthly things, on the things of this world, neither on health of body, or on friends, or on continuance of life: alas! it is Gods ordinary course, to strip us of all in this world: we think of great reputation: but saith God, I will take that from you, you shall learn to trust in me. You think you have strong, and vigorous bodies, and you shall live long, and therefore you will venture upon such and such courses. I but God suffers his children to come to extream dangers and hazards, that they think the sentence of death is passed upon them.

And since this is Gods course with the body, and with the Members, and with our head Christ himself, shall we think to have immunitie, and to escape, and not looke to Gods order?

The Church is in great miserie, and we are negligent in prayer, we think there are many good people, and there is strong munition, &c. As if when Gods people are in security, and forget him and his blessings, it were not his course to strip them of all, to suffer them to fal into extream dangers: have we not the Church before our eyes to teach us? Let us trust therefore in nothing in this world.

So much for that point.

The second thing in the first part is this, that

As Gods Children are brought to this estate, so they are sensible of it.

They are flesh and not steele, they have not the strength of steele, as Job Doct. Gods children sensible of afflictions.saith, they are men, they are not stones: they are Christians, they are not Stoicks. Therefore St. Paul as he was in extremity, so he apprehended his extremity: and with all his heart, he would have escaped if he could: he looked about to all evasions how he might escape death. Gods children are sensible of their crosses; especially they are sensible of death, as he speaks here of himself, We despaired even of life it self. The word is very significant in the originall, we were in such a strait that we knew not how to escape with life, so that we despaired of life: we would have escaped p. 130with our lives; but we saw no way to escape. To make this clear, there are 3. things in Gods Children.

There is

Grace.

Nature.

Corrupt nature, nature with the tang

of Corruption.

Grace that looks upward, to glorie and comfort. Nature looks to the present grievance, nature looks not to things to come, to matters revealed in the Word, to supernatural comforts: nature looks to the present crosse, even nature without sin. Corrupt nature feeles, and feeles with a secret murmuring and repining, and heavinesse and dulnesse: as indeed corrupt nature will alway have a bout in crosses, it will alway play its part, first or last. There are alway these three works in the Children of God, in all extremities. Grace works, and that carries up, up still, trust in God, it looks to heaven, it looks to the end and issue, that all is for good. Nature it fills full of sense and pain, and makes a man desire remedy and ease. Corrupt nature stirs a man up to fret, and say, what doth God mean to do thus? it stirs a man oft-times to use ill meanes, indirect courses.

St. Paul was sensible, from a right principle of nature: and no doubt here was some tang of corruption with it, he was sensible of the fear of death. Adam in innocencie would have been affected, and exquisitly sensible (no doubt) if his body had been wronged: for the more pure the complexion, the more sensible of solution (as Physicians say) when that which should be knit together: if any thing be loosed by sicknesse, or by wounds, that should by nature not be hurt, but continue together, it breeds exquisite pain. As to cut that which should not be cut, to disjoyn that which should be together, this is in nature.

The Schoolemen say, (and the reason is good) that Christs paines were the greatest paines, because his senses were not dulled and stupified with sensuality, or indirect courses: he had a body of an excellent temper, and he was in the perfection of his years when he died; therefore he received such an impression of grief in his whipping: and when he was crowned with thornes, that was it that made him so sensible of grief, that when he sweat, he sweat drops of blood, and upon the crosse it made him cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Gods Children out of a principle of nature, are sensible of any grievance to this outward man of theirs, to the body, especially in death, as we see here St. Paul. And there is most patience where there is most sense, it is stupidity and blockishnesse else.

Why are Gods Children so sensible in grief, especially in death?Quest.

Oh there is a great cause: indeed in some regards they are not afraid of it: Ans.for death is an enemy to nature, it is none to Grace; but when I speake Reas. 1. Death anenemy to nature, and to natural comforts.not of Grace and Glory, but of nature: hath not nature great cause to tremble at death, when it is an enemy to nature, even to right nature? It is the King of fears, as Job saith: it is that Tyrant that makes all the Kings of the earth to tremble at him: when death comes, it is terrible, why? because it strips us of all the contentments of this life, of all comforts whatsoever we have here. Nature without …n is sensible of earthly comforts that God hath appointed for nature: and when nature sees an end of them, nature begins to give in, and to grieve.

p. 131Again, death parts the best friends we have in this world, the body and Reas. 2. It parts the best friends.the soul, two old friends, and they cannot be parted without exquisite grief. If two friends that take contentment in each other, common friends cannot part without grief, how shall these bosom-friends, these united friends, body and soul, part without grief? This marriage between the soul and the body cannot be disunited without exquisite pain, being old acquaintance.

Again, nature abhors death, it hinders us of all imployment, it hinders of all service of God in Church and Common-wealth. And so grace which Reas. 3. Itcuts off all imployment.is beyond nature, doth a little desire the continuance of life.

But nature, even out of no sinful principle, it sees that now I can serve God no longer, I can do God no more service, I can do good no longer in this World: and therefore it takes it to heart. Our Savour saith, While you have light, walke: the night cometh: when no man is able to work, the night of sicknesse and death. So it breeds discomfort, and is terrible that way.

Again, in death we leave those that cast their care upon us, we leave Reas. 4. We leave those we had care of.oft times Wives and Children, without Husband or Father: those that had dependance upon us: and this must needs work upon nature, upon a right principle of nature: indeed the excesse of it is with corruption alway.

Again, in death there is great pain. They say, Births are with great Reas. 5. Pain in death.pangs (and so they are.) Now death is a birth, the birth of immortality, no wonder then if it have great pangs: therefore nature fears it even for the pangs, the concomitants that are joyned with it.

And then in death, nature considers the state of the body presently after Reas. 6. The horror of the grave.death, that, that goodly body, that strength, and vigour I enjoyed before, must now be wormes-meat, I must say to the worm, Thou art my brother, and to corruption, Thou art my mother, and the like, as it is in Job. That head, that perhaps hath ruled the Common-wealth, the place where I lived, it must lie level with others: and that body that others were inamoured with, it must now be so forlorn, that the sight of it will not be indured of our best friends. Nature considers what the estate will be there, that it shall turn to rottenesse ere long: that the goodliest persons shall be turned to dust, and lie rotting there till the day of the Resurrection.

Faith, and Grace looks higher: but because, we have nature, as long as we are men, these and such like respects work upon nature, and make death grievous.

But besides the glasse of nature, and these things here in the World, look upon it in the Law of God, in that glasse, and so nature trembles, and Reas. 7. Death the wages of sin.quarrels at death. Death what is it? It is the wages of sin, it is the end of all comfort, and nature cannot see any comfort after that, it is beyond nature. Nature teacheth us not that there will be a Resurrection of the body, nature teacheth not that the soul goes to God: here must be a great deal of Grace, and a great deal of Faith, to convince the soul of this: nature teacheth it not.

Now when besides this, the Law of God comes, and faith. Death came in by sin, and sin is the sting of death: death is armed with sin, and sin comes in with the evidences of Gods anger: here, unlesse there be Faith and Grace, a man is either as Nabal, a stone and a fot in death, or as Judas, and Cain, swallowed up with despaire. It is impossible for a man that is not a p. 132true Christian, that is not a good man, but that either he shouldbe as a stone, or desperate in sicknesse and Death; without Grace, he must be one of them. If he be a wise man, he cannot but despair in the hour of Death: For is it a matter to be dallied with, or to be carried bravely out, as your Roman spirits, and Atheists think? they account it a Glory to die bravely, in a stout manner. Is it the terrible of terribles so to be put off? when all the comforts in this world shall end, and all imployments cease, when, there is eternity before a man, and after death, hell, and eternall damnation of body and soul? Are these matters to be slighted? it would make a man look about him: if a man have not faith and Grace, he must eitherr despaire or die like a stone: none but a good Christian can carrie himself well in the hour of death: nay, a good Christian is sensible of death: and till he see Gods time is come, he labours to avoid it by all meanes, as St. Paul doth here.

But St. Paul had another ground beyond nature to avoid Death. He Reas 8. St. Paul desired life to serve the Church.knew himself ordained for the service of the Church: therefore he desired to escape that he might serve God a longer time for the good of his Church.

Are Gods Children sensible of Death, and the danger of it, and out of a principle of nature, and Grace too? How then should carnall wretched Use 1. Terrour to wicked men.men look about them, that have not made their accounts even with God? the report of Death to them should be like the hand-writing upon the wall to Belteshazer, it should make their knees beat together, and make their countenance pale, it should strike them with terrour, and like Nabal make their hearts to die as a stone within them.

But it is a Use of comfort to poore deluded Christians: they think, alas, Vse. Comfort to Christians.can my estate be good, I am afraid of Death? I tremble and quake at the name of Death, I cannot endure to hear of it, but it most of all affects me to see it: therefore I fear I have no Grace in me, I fear I have no faith in me.

Be not discomforted whosoever thou art, that sayest so, (if thou labour to strengthen thy faith, and to keep a good conscience) for thou mayest do thus out of a principle of nature: nature trembles at Death.

A man may do two things from diverse principles, from diverse respects, & both without sin For example, in fasting, nature without sin desireth meat, or else fasting were not an afflicting of a mans body: but Grace that hath another principle, and that desires to hold out without sustenance, to be afflicted: so here is both a desire, and not a desire, and both good in their kind. So a man in the time of sicknesse, and death, he may by all meanes desire to escape it, and tremble at it out of a principle of nature: but out of a higher principle he may triumph: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory: and they that believe in Christ, shall never die. We are in heavenly places together with Christ, we are as sure of heaven as if we were there. So out of such kind of principles we may triumph over Death by Faith and Grace.

So let none be discouraged, nature goes one way, and faith and grace another: a man may know when it is nature, and when it is grace; when grace subdues nature, and subordinates it to a higher principle; a man need not be much troubled.

Christ himself our head, he was afraid of death when he looked on death as death: but when he looked upon death as a service, as a redemption, p. 133as a sweet sacrifice to God, so with a thirsting I have thirsted; saith he, he thirsted after death in that respect: looking to his humane nature, to the truth of his manhood, then saith he, Oh that this cup might passe from me, but in another consideration, he willingly gave his soul a sacrifice for sin to God.

The desire is as the objects are presented, let heaven and happinesse be presented, so death is a passage to it, so death is the end of misery, and the beginning of happinesse, so Gods Children desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, as St. Paul did. But look upon death otherwise as it is an enemy to nature; as it is a stop of all imployment in this world, and of all service to the Church, that we can do God no longer service, and so a man may desire to live still, and be afraid of death if he look upon death in the glasse of nature, and in the glasse of the Law, likewise that it comes in as a punishment, of sin so indeed it is terrible, it is the King of fears. But look upon it in another glass, in the glass of the Gospel, as it is sweetned, and as it is disarmed by Christ, and so it is comfortable, Better is the day of death; then the day of birth: for in our birth we come into miserie, in death we go from it. So upon diverse considerations we may be diversly affected, and have diverse rspects to things: for the soul of man is framed, so to be carried to the present object, and therefore to a good man in some respects, at sometime death is terrible, he trembles at it, which upon higher considerations and respects he imbraceth willingly.

Indeed it is a signe of a wise man to value life, it is the opportunitie and advantage to honour God. After death we are receivers and not doers, then we receive our wages: but while we are here, we should desire even for the glory that is reserved for us, to do all the good we can, because the time of life is that blessed advantage of doing good and of taking good. It is to be in heaven before our time, to do others good, and to get evidence of heaven for our selves. This is the second thing, that as Gods children are suffered to fall into extream dangers; so they are very sensible of them, especially in matter of death which is the last enemie, there the Devil sets upon them indeed: he knows that that is the last enemy, and that there he must get all, or lose all: and he labours to make death more terrible then it is or should be. The way not to fear death, and not to let nature have over-much scope, is to disarm death before hand, to pluck out the sting of it by repentance; weaken it before hand, that it may not get the better. Even as we doe with our The way not to fear death.enemies, the way to overcome them is to weaken them, to weaken their Forces, to starve them if we can, to intercept all their provision. What makes death terrible and strong? we put stings into it our sins, our sins against conscience, the time will come when conscience will awaken, and it will be then, if ever to our comfort, and then our former sins will stare in our faces, the sins of our youth, the sins that we have before neglected soundly to repent for, therefore let us labour this way to make death less terrible.

Again, That we may not fear it over-much, let us look upon it in the glasse of the Gospel, as it is now in Christ, as it is turned cleane another way. Now, it hath sweet names, it is called a dissolution, a departure, a sleeping, a going to our Fathers, and such like. God doth sweeten a bitter thing, that it may enter into us with lesse terrour: so it must be our wisdom to sweeten the meditation of it, by Evangelicall considerations, what it is now by Christ.

p. 134And withall to meditate the two termes, from whence, and whither, what a blessed change it is if we be in Christ, it is a change for the better, better company, better imployment, a better place, all better. Who would be grieved at, and afraid of death? Let us recal the promise of the presence of God, he wil be with us to death, and in death: Blessed are those that die in the Lord. And especially faith in Christ wil make us that we shal not fear death, when we shall see him our head in heaven before us, ready to receive us when we come there; and to see our selves in heaven already in him: as verily in faith, and in the promise, as if we were there, We are set in heavenly places with Christ already. Let us have these and such like considerations, to sweeten the thought of death.

But to touch this, which is an Appendix to that formerly mentioned, that

Gods children are deceived concerning their death oft-times.

The time of death is uncertain; St. Paul thought he should have dyed Observ. Gods children are deceived in their death.when he did not, he was deceived. There is a double errour about death: sometimes we think we shall not dye, when indeed we are dead men: sometimes we receive the sentence of death, we passe a censure upon our selves, that we cannot live, when God intends our escape: so it is uncertain to us, the houre of death: sometime we are uncertain, when it is certain, sometime we think it certain, when it falls not out so: both wayes we are deceived.

Because God will have us while we live here to be at an uncertaintie for the very moment of death, Our times are in his hand. Our time of life is in his hand, we came into the world when he thought good: our time of living here, is in his hands, we live just as long as he will have us: our time of death is in his hand. The Prophet saith not only, my time is in thy hands, but my times, my time of comming into the world, my time of living in the world, and my time of going out of the world shall be when thou shalt appoint me; therefore he will have us uncertain of it our selves, till the moment of death come. St. Paul was deceived, He received the sentence of death in himself, but he dyed not at that time.

So that the manner, and circumstances of death are uncertain, whether it shall be violent, or faire death it shall beby diseases or by casualties, whether at home or abroad: all the circumstances of death are hidden from us, as well as death it selfe and the time of it.

And this is out of heavenly wisdome, and love of God to us: that we should at all times be provided, and prepared for our dissolution, & change. It is left at this uncertainty, that we might make our estate certaine, to be fitted to die at all times. Let us make that use of it, to provide every day: oh, it were a happy thing if we could make every day (as it were) another life, a severall life, and passe sentence upon our selves, a possible, and probable sentence: it may be this day may be the last day. And let us end every day, as we would end our lives, how would we end our lives? we would end them with repentance for our sins past, with commending our souls into the hands of God, with resolution & purpose to please God in all things, with disposing all things wisely in this world: Let us end our daies, every day so as much as possible may be: let us set every thing right; let us set the state of our souls in order, set all in order as much as may be every day; it were a blessed course if we could do so.

And this is one part, one main branch of our corruption, wherein it shews it self strongly, that we live in an estate, that we are ashamed p. 135to die in. Come to some men, and aske them, how it is with you? have you repented of your sins past? have you renewed your purposes for the time to come? Yes, we doe it solemnly at the Communion: but we should renew our repentance, and renew our Covenants every day, to please God that day. Do you do so now? If God should seize upon you now, are you in the exercise of faith? in the exercise of repentance? in the exercise of holy purposes, to please God? are you in Gods wayes? do you live as you would be content to dye? But Satan and our own corruption bewitcheth us with a vaine hope of long life, we promise our selves that that God doth not promise us; we make that certain, that God doth not make certain: indeed we are certain of death, but for the time, and manner, and circumstances we know them not, sometimes we think we shall dye when we doe not, and sometimes we dye when we think we shall not.

Oh will some say, If I knew when I should dye, I would be a prepared man, I would be exact in my preparation. Wouldest thou so? thou art deceived; Saul knew exactly he should die, he took it for exact, when the Witch in the shape of Samuel, told him that he should dye by to morrow this time, and yet he dyed desperately upon the swords point for all that, he did not prepare himself. It must be the Spirit of God that must prepare us for this: if we knew never so much, that we should die never so soon, we cannot prepare our selves, our preparation must be by the Spirit of God: let us labour continually to be prepared for it.

And let no man resolve to take liberty a moment, a minute of an houre to sinne; God hath left it uncertain the day of death; what if that moment and minute wherein thou resolvest to sin, should be the moment of thy death and departure hence? for it is but a minutes work to end thy dayes; what if God should end thy dayes in that minute? Let no man take liberty and time to sin, when God gives him no liberty in sin. If God should strike thee thou goest to Hell quick, thou must sink from sin to Hell: It is a pittifull case, when as eternity depends upon our watchfulness in this world. But to come to the end and issue, why he was thus dealt with by God, carrying him through these extremities.

That we might not trust in our selves, but in God that raiseth the dead.

Here is the end specified that God intended, in suffering him to be brought so low, even to deaths door, that there was but a step between him and Gods end in St. Pauls sufferings.death; the end is double, That we should not trust in our selves, but in God that raiseth the dead. It is set down negatively and positively. First, That we should not trust in our selves, and then that we should trust in God: And the method is excellent: for we can never trust in God, till we distrust our selves, till our hearts be taken off from all confidence in our selves, and in the creature, and then when our hearts are taken off from false confidence; they must have somewhat to relie on, and that is God or nothing: for else we shall fall into despaire. The end of all this was, that We might not trust in our selves, but in God that raiseth the dead.

The wisdom of heaven doth nothing without an end proportionable to that heavenly wisdom: so all this sore affliction of the blessed Apostle, what aimed it at? To pull downe, and to build up; to pull downe selfe-confidence, That we might not trust in our selves: and to build up confidence and affiance in God: but in God that raiseth the dead.

We being in a contrary state to grace, and communion with God, p. 136this order is necessary, that God must use some way, that we shall not trust in our selves; and then to bring us to trust in him: so these two are subordinate ends one to another: We received the sentence of death, that we might not trust in our selves.

From the dependance this may be observed, that

The certain account of death, is a meanes to weane us from our selves, Doct. Certaintie of death helps against self-confidence.and to make us trust in God.

The sentence of death, the assured knowledge that we must dye, the certain expectation, and looking for death, is the way to wean us from the world and to fit us for God, to prepare us for a better life: you see it follows of necessity, We received the sentence of death, that we should not trust in our selves, &c.

The looking for of death therefore takes away confidence in our selves and the creature. Alas! in death, what can all the creatures help? what can friends, or physick, or money help? then honours, and pleasures, and all leave us then.

This the rather to note a corrupt Atheisticall course in those that are to Physitian fault to flatter the sick.deale with sick folk, that are extreame sick, that conceale their estate from them, and feed them with false hopes of long life, they deserve ill of persons in extremity, to put them in hope of recoverie. Physitians that are not Divines in some measure, what doe they? against their conscience, and against their experience, and against sense: Oh, I hope you shall doe well, &c. Alas! what do they? they hurt their souls they breed a false confidence: it is a dangerous thing to trust upon long life, when perhaps they are snatched suddenly away, before they have made their accompts even with God, before they have set their souls in that state they should doe.

Therefore the best way is to doe as good Isay did with Hezekiah, set thy house in order for thou must dye, that is, in the disposition of second causes, thou shalt have a disease that will bring thee to death, and God had said so: God had a reservation, but it was more then Isay knew at that time: Set thy house in order, for thou must dye. So they should begin with God, to tell them (as we say) the worst first: It is a pittifull thing that death should be accounted the worst, but so it is, by reason of our fearfulness: deal plainly with them, let them receive the sentence of death, that so they may be driven out of themselves and the creature altogether, and be driven to trust in God that raiseth the dead. Put thy soul in order, you are no man of this world: lest they betray their souls for a little self-respect perhaps, because they would not displease them.

It may be in some cases discreet to yield to make the means to work the better, but where there is nothing but evident signs of death they ought to deale directly with them, that they may receive the sentence of death. It wrought with St. Paul this good effect: I received the sentence of death, that we might not trust in our selves, but in God that raiseth the dead.

It is Gods just judgment upon Hypocrites, and upon many carnall wretched persons, that are led with a false confidence all their life, that trust in the creature, trust in friends, and riches, that will not trust in God, and will not be taught to number their dayes in their life time: it is just with God to their very death with false confidence, when they come to death, to suffer them to perish in their false confidence, p. 137and so to sink into hell. It is just with God to suffer them to have Atheists about them, or weak persons that shall say, Oh, you shall do well enough, and then even out of a very desire to live, they are willing to believe all, and so they dy without all shew of change: and as they live, so they dy, and are wretched in both. The life of a wicked man is ill, his death worse, his estate after death worst of all: and this is one way whereby God suffers men to fall into the snare of the Devill, when he suffers not those that are about them to deale faithfully. St. Paul received the sentence of death, that it might force him not to trust in himself, but in God that raiseth the dead.

The second thing that is observable hence out of this first part, which is the negative part, is this, that,

Gods children are prone to trust in themselves.

The hearts even of Gods deare children, are prone in themselves (if they be left to their own bent, and weight) to self-confidence, and will Doct. Gods children are prone to self-confidence.not hold up in faith and affiance in God, further then they are lifted, and kept up by a Spirit of faith, which God puts into them. It was not in vain that God used this course with blessed St. Paul, here is an end set downe, that he might not trust in himself. What, was he in peril to trust in himself? Alas! St Paul, though he were a holy excellent man, yet he was a man, and in the best man there is a double principle, a principle of nature, of corrupt nature, and a principle of grace, and he works according to both principles: there is an intermixture of both in all his actions, and in all his passions too, in his sufferings. Corruption shews it self in his best deeds, and his best sufferings, in every thing. That we should not trust in our selves, that is, in any thing in our selves, or out of our selves, in the creature, it is all one. We see by the example of S. Paul that the best are prone to trust in themselvs. All this hard usage of S. Paul that he received the sentence of death, it was that he should not trust in himself. What was there danger in St. Paul, to trust in himself? a man that had been so excercised with crosses and afflictions as he had been, (no man more:) one would think that he had been scoured enough of pride, and self-confidence; the whippings and misusings, the stocks, the dungeons, &c. would not all this work pride, and self-confidence out of the Apostle? No, so deeply it is invested into our base nature, our trusting to present things, that we cannot live the life of faith, we cannot depend upon God whom we cannot see, but withother eyes then nature …h: it is so deeply rooted in our nature, that the blessed Apostle himself must have this great help, to be taught to go out of himself, and to depend upon God; we see in what danger he was (in another place) to be lifted up with the revelations he was fain to have a prick in the flesh, a Messenger of Satan to buffet him.

Hezekias his heart was lifted up (as the Scripture speaks) in his treasures, that he shewed to the King of Babylons Ambassadours; as if he were such a rich Prince. And so holy David in numbring the people, to shew what a mighty Prince he was; it was his vaine confidence, therefore God put him to a strange cure, he punished him in that that he gloried in, he took away so many of his people And so Hezekias was punished in that he sinned in, he was fain to have a purge for it, his treasure was taken away and carried to Babylon. I said in my prosperity (saith holy David) I shall never be moved. The best are Subject to false confidence, to trust in themselves.

p. 138One reason partly, because there is a mixture of corruption in us while we live here: and corruption looks to this false principle in us, that will never be wrought out with all the afflictions in the world: till death make an end of corruption, there will be a false trust in our selves, and in the creature, we cannot trust God perfectly as we should doe.

Again, The reason is, because the things of this life are usefull, and Reas. 1. The things of this life are useful.commodious unto us, and we are nouzelled up in the use of them; and when Satan doth amplifie them in our fancie, to be greater in goodness then they are, & opinion sets a greater worth on them, if there were no Devill: but he presenting these things in all the lusture he can, he helps the imagination, which he hath more to doe with then with all the parts of the soul: and the soul looks in the glass of opinion upon these things, and thinks they are goodly, great matters, learning and wisdom, honour and riches; looking upon them as they are amplified by the false fancie of others and the competition of the world wherein we live; every man is greedy, and hastie of these things: All men have not faith for better things, therefore they are mad of these. So the competition of others, and the inlarging our conceits upon them, above their worth, these make us put greater confidence in them, and then we come to trust in our selves, and in them, and not in God.

Naturally we cannot see the nothingness of the creature, that as it came out of nothing, so it will turn to nothing: but because it is sensible, these good things are sensible, and present, and necessarie, and usefull: and naturally we live by our senses, therefore we place our delight in them, that when they are taken away, all the soul goes with them. As he that leans upon a crutch, or any thing, when that is taken away, down he fals: so it is with a man by nature, he trusts to these things, & when they go, his soul sinks together with the things. Even as it is with those that are in a stream, when they are in a running stream, they are carried with the stream; so all these things go away, they are of a fleeting condition, we see them not in their passage, when they are gone we see them past: we see not our selves vanish by little and little out of this life, we see not the creatures present, we see not death, and other things beyond death, as we should by the eye of faith: so things passe, and we passe with them, the stream and we run together, it must be a great measure of faith that must help this. We are prone to trust to sensible things naturally we know what it is to live by sense: but to live by faith it is a remote thing, to lead our lives by reasons drawn from things that are not seen: to live by promises it is a hard thing, when things …at are sensible cannot work upon us. When we see men dye, and see the vanitie of things sensible, it will not work upon us: how then doe we think that things that are supernaturall (which are remote farre above sense) should work on us: it is a hard thing not to trust to our selves, we are so adicted to live by sense: and there is some corruption in St. Paul, in the best men, to trust to present things.

Who doth not think, but he shall live one day longer? and so trusts to life. As the Heathen man could say, There is not the oldest man but he thinks he may live a little longer, one day longer: who makes that use of mortality, and the uncertain fading condition of this life, as he should? and all because of a false trust: as in other things, so in the continuance of life, we see we are prone to trust, to put base false confidence in somewhat or other while we live in this world.

p. 139Again, our nature being prone to outward things, and sunk deeply into Reas. 3. Sensuality bes…ts nature.them, it can hardly be recovered, it cannot be sober without much ado, and brought from trusting of present things. You have some men that have things at will in this world: they never know what faith means, all their life they live by sense, their conscience is not awaked, and outward afflictions seize not on them, and supply of earthly things they have: what Religion means, and what God, and Heaven means, they have heard of them perhaps, but throughly, and inwardly what it means they never came to know in this world without there be some alteration and changes: they must have some changes, The wicked have no changes, saith the Prophet: but while they be as they are they know not God, nor themselves, nor the vanity of earthly things. We speak the truth of God to a company ofttimes, that are besotted with sensuality, and that have perpetual supply of earthly things: speak to them of faith, and of things that are remote from sence &c. they hear them as if they were in a dream; Nature is prone to trust in present things, even in the best, in St. Paul himself.

Now our pronenesse to it doth justifie Gods dealing in many things. As why doth God humble great ones with great afflictions? why doth he Use To justifie God▪ dealing.humble great men, great and excellent Christians with great falls? that they might not trust in themselves; no, not in their own present graces. 1. In the falls of great ChristiansGod will not bring a man to salvation now, by grace in himself to give him title to heaven; his graces must onelyonly be to help his evidence that he is not an hypocrite, and to give evidence to others, that others may see his good works &c. but if he come to trust in them once, to set them in Christs stead, God will abase his pride by suffering him to fall, that he may go out of himself to be saved by Christ, and to seek for mercy in Christ.

And this is the reason why God in his providence doth great things by 2. Doing great things by weak means.small means, without means, and against means sometimes, when he crosses and curses great means, it is that we might not trust in our selves, we are prone to self-confidence; and because God will cure it: for we must not carry it to heaven with us, therefore he is forced to take this kind of dispensation.

Proud flesh will alway devise something but that which it should do to uphold it self withall; it will not be driven from all its holds, God hath much ado to work it out from all its holds; if it have not wealth, it will have wit, and policy; or if it have not that, it will have Civil life, and outward works to trust to, and to swell it with: but to come and give God the glory of Salvation onelyonly by mercy, and to depend onelyonly on God, and to see an insufficiency in any thing we do, it can hardly be brought to passe. Insomuch that that Article of Justification by the obedience of Christ onelyonly, it is meerly a spiritual thing, altogether transcending nature.

No marvel if we find such opposition from the Church of Rome, and all, unlesse it be the true Church, they understand not the main Article of salvation onelyonly by mercy, because nature is so desperatly prone to self confidence.

Let us take heed of false confidence in the things of this life, of confidence Use. To take heed of false confidence. Signs of false confidence.in any thing but in God.

But to come to some tryals. You will say, how shall we know whether we put over-much confidence in them or no?

It is an easie matter to know it: We trust them too much when we 1 When we are proud of these things.grow proud upon any thing, when our spirits are lifted up. Charge rich p. 140men that they be not high-minded, insinuating that they are in danger to be high-minded: If riches increase set not your hearts upon them, saith the Psalmist; there is great danger when the heart is set on them, and lifted up, when men think themselves so much the better as they are greater. Indeed if they weigh themselves in a Civil balance it is so, but the corrupt nature of man goes further, and thinks a man intrinsically better, and more beloved of God for these things. It is a dangerous sign that we trust too much to them.

Again, over-much grief if they be taken away any of them, or if we be crossed in them: the grief in wanting betrayes the love in enjoying. It is 2. Too much grief in their losse.a sign that Job had gotten a great measure of self-denial, not to trust in himself or his riches, (though he were a rich man:) because when they were taken away, Blessed be God, saith he, thou gavest them, and thou hast taken them away. He that can stand when his stay is taken from him, it is a sign he trusts not too much to his stay: he that is so weak that when his stay is taken away down he falls, it is a sign he leans hard. Those that when these things are taken from them, when their friends are taken away, or their honours, or riches are taken away, yet they can support themselves out of diviner grounds, it is a sign they did not overmuch trust these things (nature will work something but) over-much grief betrayes over-much love alwaies.

Again, (which is but a branch of the other) we may know that we over-much set by them, by fretting to be crossed in any of these things. A man Fretting at crosses.may know Achitophel trusted too much to his policie and wit, when he was crossed he could not indure it, we see he made away himself for very shame. When a man is crossed in his wit and policy, when he is crossed in those projects he hath laid: when he is crossed in his preferment, or riches, or friends then he is all amort he frets, which is more then grieving; when he not onelyonly greives, but with Achitophel he goes to ill courses, it is a sign he trusted too much, and too basely to them before.

Again, when the enjoying of these things is joyned with contempt and base esteem of others it is a sign that we rest too much in them, there is 3. When we contemn others that want them.more trust put to them then they should bear, we should not in the enjoying of honour, or riches, or pleasures, or any thing, think the meaner of others.

Especially security shewes that we trust too much in them, when we bless our selves, I shall do well, Soul, soul, thou hast goods laid up for many years, 4. Security.saith the foole, and he was but a foole for it, to promise certainty for uncertainty. A man cannot stand in that which cannot stand it self: to promise life in a dying condition, to promise any thing in this world when the very nature of them is uncertain. Thou foole, saith the Scripture. If his soul had been so full of faith, as his Barnes were of Corn, he would never have said, Soul, soul, take thy rest, for these things; but he would have trusted in God. It is a sign we trust too much to these things, when we secure our selves, all will be well, and blesse our selves, as the Scripture speaks.

Again, it is a sign we trust too much to these things, when upon confidence of these things we go to ill, and unwarrantable courses, and think to be born out by these things. As when the younger sort shall pour forth themselves to vanity, and are carelesse of swearing, and licentiousnesse, that they care not what to do, they shall live long enough to repent, &c. This p. 141is a diabolicall trust, that God will give them no security in. So when men that have riches will venture on bad causes, and think to carrie it out with their purse: they trust in matter of oppression, and think to bear out the matter with their friends, or with their place, or with their wits, this is false trust. Thy wisdom, hath caused thee to rebell, as the Prophet saith concerning Babylon: they thought they had reaching heads, and so ventured upon rebellious courses. When any of these outward things draw us to unwarrantable, unjustifiable courses, it is a sign we plant too much confidence in them: and it is a sign if we belong to God that he intends to crosse us in them. The very confidence in these things, hath drawn many to ill courses, to do that that they should not do, as good Josias, Hezechias, David and the rest.

Thus we see how we should examine our selves, whether we trust too much in these things or no.

Now, since we are thus prone to this false confidence, and since we may thus discern it: if we discerne it in our selves, how shall we cure it? That in the next doctrine. That we might not trust in our selves. From whence observe,

It is a dangerous state to trust in our selves.

This ill disposition, to trust in our selves, or any thing out of our selves, Doc. It is a dangerous estate to trust in our selves.but onelyonly in God (in whom we should trust) it is dangerous. For a man may reason thus from the text: That which God is forced to take such desparate courses for, as to bring such an excellent man as St. Paul to such extremity, and all that he should not trust in himself, that he was not onelyonly prone to, but it was a dangerous estate for him: but God brings him to deaths doore, that he received the sentence of death, that he might not trust in himself, that he might see the nothingnesse of all things else, therefore it was a dangerous estate for him to trust in himself.1. In respect of God.

It is ill in respect of

God.

Our selves.

In respect of God: to trust to our selves, or the creature, is to Idolize 1. It is Idolatry.our selves, or the creature: we make an Idol of the thing we trust in, we put God out of his place, and set up that we trust in, in Gods roome, and so provoke God to jealousie. VVhen men shall trust their wits in matters of Religion, (as in Popery they do, they serve God after their own inventions) what a dishonour is it to God? as if he were not wise enough to prescribe how he will be worshipped. Go after me, Satan, saith Christ to Peter, he calls him Divell, why, what hurt was it, he came with a good intention? That which Popery think they please God most in, they are Divells in, and these things that they teach are the doctrines of Divells. But the wisdom of the flesh is death, it is not subject to the law of God nor can be subject, saith the Apostle, Rom. 8. So it is dangerous, because it is offensive to God. There is a way that seemeth right in a mans own eyes: the issues whereof are the issues of Death. It is Idolatry in regard of God.

And it is spirituall Adultery: for what should take up our affections? 2. It is Adulteryshould we not place our joy, our delight, (which follows our trust alway: for trust carries the whole soul with it:) what should take up our joy, and delight? should not God, and Heaven, and Heavenly things? should not these things have place in our hearts, as they have in their own worth? when we take these affections from God, and place them upon the creature, they are Adulterous affections: when we love riches, or pleasures p. 142better then God that gave us all, it is an Adulterous whorish Love, Oh ye Adulterer s, and Adulteresses, saith blessed St. James, know ye not that the love of this world is enmity with God?

It is likewise falshood: for it makes the creature to be that, that it is not, and it makes God that which he is not: we despise him, and set up 3. It is falshood.the creature in his roome. There is a false witnesse alway in false confidence: indeed there are many sins in it.

There is Ignorance, not knowing the creature to be so vain as it is: there is Ignorance of God, not knowing him to be All in all, as he 4. Ignorance.is.

And there is rebellion, to trust in the Creature when God will not 5. Rebellion.have it trusted in. And there is impatience, when these supports are taken 6. Impatience.away then men grow to murmuring. There is almost all sins hidden in self-confidence, and self-sufficiencie: you see the danger of it to God.

Besides that it is dangerous to our selves, it brings us under a curse, 2. To our selves. It brings us under a curse Jer. 71.Cursed is the man that maketh flesh his armes, Jer. 17. that trusts in any thing but God. It brings us under a curse, as I said, because it is Idolatry, and spiritual Adultery. And then again, because leaning to a false prop, that being taken away that shored us up before, down we fall with that we leaned on.

Now all things but God being vanity, we relying upon that which is vain, our trust is vain, as the thing is vain: we can hope for no better condition then the things we trust to, they are vain, and we are vain: so there is a curse upon them.

Therefore we have great cause to hate that upstart Religion, that hath been devised for their own ends, for their own profit, because it would bring us under a curse. They would have us to trust to our own works in matter of salvation, to trust to our own satisfaction to be freed from Purgatorie, &c. They would have us to trust to creatures, to something besides God; to trust in the mediation of Saints, to be our intercessors, &c. And what doth this false trust? it breeds despair at length.

What is the reason, that a well advised Papist, (that knowes what he False trust breeds despairs.doth) cannot but despair, or else renounce Popery? Because Popery carries the soul to false props in matter of Justification: they renounce their own Religion at the hour of death, as Bellarmine did: they live by one Religion and die by another, which would not be if their Religion were good. For their hearts tell them that they have not done so many works that they may trust in them, and they have not been so well done that they may trust in them. It is a dangerous thing. Cursed is he that trusts in man, or in any thing in man.

Nay, we must not trust our own graces, as they are in our selves, not by We must not trust our own graces.way of merit, no, not by way of strength, we must not trust our present graces, to carrie us out, without new supply to further us. It was Peters fault, Though all men deny thee, yet will not I: he trusted to his present strength, he forgot that if he had not a new supply from the spring of grace, that he should miserably miscarry, and so he died. All our righteousnesse to trust to it, it is a broken reed. It is somewhat, if we place it in the due place, to give us evidence that we are true Christians: but to trust in it by way of merit, the Divell will pick so many holes in that kind of title, and conscience will see so many flawes in it, if we bring no better title, then either p. 143the holinesse in us, or the works from us; the Divell and our own conscience will spie so many flawes and cracks in it at the time of Death, that we shall not dare to trust in it, but we must run out of our selves to Christ, or else we die in desperation. Let us know these things: all things but God, the more we know them, the lesse we trust in them: but it is clean contrary of God, the more we know him, the more we shall trust in hm: the more we meditate, and enlarge our hearts in the consideration of his divine essence every way, the more we shall trust in him, They that know thy Name, will trust in thee, Psal. 9. Let us trust in no outward thing.

No, not in the humanity of Christ (I add that further:) we are very prone to trust in things sensible: and the Apostles, because Christ was Not in the humanity of Christ.present with them, and comfortable among them: (as indeed he was sweet, and loving; bearing with their infirmities, and incouraging them upon all occasions) O they were loath to part with him; he tells them that he must leave them, but they should not fare the worse, he would send them the Comforter. The flesh it self profits nothing without the Godhead saith he.

Trust not in the Sacraments above their place. It is a dangerous thing Not in the Saements.to put too much in any creature, (God is extreamly offended at it) as not onelyonly our adversaries the Papists, but proud persons among us, that are weary of the doctrine of the Church, and will not submit (in their pride) to riper judgments: they attribute too much to the Sacraments, as some others do too little: they attribute a presence there, they make it an Idol, they give it such reverence as they will not do to God himself: and from a false conceit. Oh, there is I know not what presence. Therefore the Lutherans must needs in a great degree be Idolaters, by their Consubstantiation: and the Papists by their Transubstantiation, by their reall presence. Coster saith, and saith truly, If Christ be not there, we are the greatest Idolaters in the world.

But there is a more subtile kind of attributing to the Sacraments, that alway God gives grace with the Sacraments, the Sacraments convey grace alway; as a plaister it hath a kind of power to eat out the dead flesh, and as Physick hath a power to carry away the ill humours: so the conveying of Grace is included in the Sacraments: so they tie Gods Grace to these things.

Indeed, there is grace by them, though not in them. God gives grace to the humble receiver: but otherwise, to him that comes not with an humble, believing heart, they are seals to a blanck, there is no validity in them. All the good use they have is to strengthen faith: and if there be not something before, to be strengthened, and confirmed, and assured, they are but seals to a blanck. It is in these things according to our faith, and according to our preparation, and then God in the holy, and humble, and faithful use of them blesseth his own ordinance, for the increase, and confirming of our faith, and for the increase and strengthening of all grace.

So that there is not any thing in the Church, but the proud, naughty heart of man, will take hurt by it rather then submit to the pure, and powerful truth of God: it will have by-wayes to have Confidence in the flesh one way or other.

And many men rather then they will trust to sound repentance, and humiliation for sin, they will trust to the words of absolution without it, and when are they said, go to hell with a pardon about their necks. The false p. 144heart will trust to outward things though it be damned for it; In their place they are good, if they be used onelyonly as helps in their kind. We lay more weight upon outward things, upon the Sacraments, and upon the words of the Minister then they will bear, and never care for the inward powerful work of grace. Everything of God is excellent in their order and kind, but our corrupt hearts bring an ill report upon the things.

You see then, it is a dangerous disposition to trust any too much; it is to Idolize them, and to wrong God, to take the honour from God; it is to hurt our selves, and bring our selves under a curse; and to wrong the things themselves, to bring an evil report upon the things. It is universally true, you shall never see a false, bitter heart, that will not stoop to Gods plain truth, (they will have by-wayes of their own) but in some measure or other they are barren of greater matters, and given up to some sensible bitternesse, to self-conceitednesse, and self-confidence; they are alway punished in that kind with a spiritual kind of punishment.

We must take heed therefore of trusting too much eo any thing, but God himself: God is jealous of our trust, he will have us trust in nothing but himself in matters of salvation; no not in matters of common life, not in matters Politick and Civil: we must not build our trust in any creature so much as to think our selves happy by them, or to think they connot deceive us: they are creatures, of nothing, therefore they are prone to deceive, they are prone to turn to nothing: therefore we must not build upon them over-much, no not in civil matters.

Indeed if we see the Image of God in any man, we may trust him; if we see him faithful, and loving, and good, yet trust him as a man alway, that is, Creatures may be trusted subordinately.as such a one as may deceive, and yet he may be a man, and a good man. So in other creatures, in the use of Physick, and Wars, and Armes, &c. in danger we may in some subordinate consideration trust to them; but we must use them as means, that is, as such as God hath free liberty to use to good, to help us, and free liberty not to use: we must use them but not trust to them: Some trust in Chariots, and some in horses, but our trust is in the Lord. And, Trust not in Princes, as the Psalmist saith, trust not in any thing.

If we trust in any thing, it mst be subordinate to our trust in God, it must not be coordinate (as we say) that is not in the same ranke, much Worldlings trust creatures above God.lesse above God: as worldlings trust in their wealth, they trust in their friends above God: they trust not so much in heaven and happinesse there, they think not themselves so happie for that, as they do for earthly things. Nay, they trust against God in confidence of their friends and of their purse. Against God.A carnal man makes riches his strong hold: he trusts them above God, and against God. We must neither trust them with God, in a coordinate proportion with him: nor above God, much lesse against God. What makes base flesh and blood divellish in that respect, to attempt cursed means, against the truth, and against good causes?

They bear themselves out with these things: perhaps the truth crosses them in their designs, and shames them, and frets them. What makes them undermine good causes, and go desperately to kick against the pricks, to dash themselves against wrath which is stronger then they? They think to bear themselves out with their greatnesse, with their friends, with some carnal support or other. This is to trust against God, which is worst of all.

p. 145And this makes that Harlot of Rome so confident against the Church of God, I sit as a Queen, saith Babylon: not onelyonly outward Babylon, that was the type; but spirituall Babylon, I sit as a Queen. I shall be hereafter as I am now: therefore saith God, Thy destruction shall come in one day: Thy destruction shall come unrecoverably, and suddenly, because she blest her self in an ill course; as now at this day, they think all is sure.

If we trust any thing but God, we must trust them, as instruments, as helps in their rank, and place which God hath set them: so much and no more; Let a man esteem of us, as Ministers of Christ, saith St. Paul: if they esteem of us more, it is too much; if lesse, it is too little, just so much; as Ministers, but as Ministers of Christ. So there is a due to every thing; no more, for then you wrong God; no lesse, for then you wrong the thing, and God too, just so much as God would have it, and then we shall have just the grace that God intends.

Seeing there is such a danger in false confidence, let us take heed of it by all meanes.How to cure false confidence.

That we may not trust in our selves, (that is, in any earthly thing in our selves, or out of our selves, wit, honour, riches, learning, or whatsoever, but God and his truth and promises.)

Let us labour to have a sanctified judgement in every thing; to judge of things in their nature, and order, and rank as we should do, and be not carried with opinion of things. Judge of them as the Creator of things judgeth of them, as God judgeth, and the Scripture judgeth.

Now of all outward things (that we are prone to trust in) how doth the Scripture judge of them? how doth God judge of them? They are uncertain riches: Riches they have wings, They are nothing, as the Prophet saith, Wilt thou set thy heart upon that which is nothing? They are vanity; they are of nothing, and they tend to nothing.

When the houre of death comes, what will all these doe good.? they are uncertain, and weak, and inefficacious for that for which we trust them; they will not make us happy, they commend us not a whit to God, he hates us no more if we want them; he loves us no more if we have them. They make us not the better in our selves, but the worse, they make us more indisposed to good things.

We say of those that are intoxicate with any kind of phrenzie, or lunacie, twice as much Physick will not serve their turn, as will serve another; because of the distemper of their brain, and the inflammation of their blood and spirits: certainly, it is true of those that are spiritually drunk with the conceit of the creature, with honour, with riches, &c. three times, many times so much meanes will not serve the turn to bring them to goodness, as will serve meaner men.

What is the reason the poore receive the Gospel?

Because there is a lesser distance between them and the blessed truths of God then in others (though perhaps they belong to God too,) for the things of this life will work a little.

We say of weak braines, that strong drink doth much weaken them, and so weak stomacks, hard meate will not digest in them, it will overcome them. And weake braines, though strong water overcome them not, yet it will weaken them: so in these things, great p. 146parts, and great place, set a man further off from the Gospel. A great deale of coruption cannot be overcome and digested without a great measure of grace: the proportion of grace it must be great, it must be treble to men that have great matters in this world, it must be greater then to poorer men, who in a lesse distance from heaven.

Hence, we may see the reasons of Gods dispensation, why God doth Why God seldom works by great meanes.seldome work by great meanes (I say seldome, sometimes he doth, to shew that they are good means.) As it is said and observed by an ancient Father, that seldom he saw any good come by generall counsels: why? they are good in themselves, but men trust too much upon them, and therefore God disappoints them of that they trust to. Because the naughty nature of man puts too much trust in these things, therefore God will not give that issue that we look for, but on the contrary a curse.

Why doth not God blesse great preparations (many times) to war, &c? because we put too much trust in them: here are too many, saith God to Gideon; take away some, here are too many to go to war. What is the reason that God where the greatest excellencies are, adds some imperfection to balance them? Because they should not trust in themselves.

What is the reason that in the Church, God chooseth men of meaner parts, and sufficiencies, the Disciples, Fisher-men? If they had been great men, men would have said, place had carried it, if they had been Scholars, men would have said, that their learning had carried it: if they had been witty men, they would have said, their wit had carried it: it had been no marvell, if they should win the world: but when they saw they were mean men, fisher-men, sitters at the receit of custome (and perhaps their parts were not great, then they might attribute it to the divinenesse of the Gospel, to the divinenesse of Gods truth, and to Gods blessing upon it.

What is the reason that God suffers excellent men to fall foully sometimes? St. Peter himself, and David, &c. because they should not trust in themselves, not trust in their grace, not trust in any thing, no not in the best things in themselves.

What is the reason that God goes by contraries in all the carriage of our salvation? That we should not trust in our selves. In our calling, he calls Why God carries our salvation by contraries.men out of nothing, He calls things that are not as if they were. In Justification, he justifies a sinner, he that despaires of his own righteousness; that no man should trust in any thing he hath, or despaire if he want any perfection: God justifies a sinner that despairs of himself. In sanctification, God sanctifies a man when he sees no goodness in himself: most of all then he is a vessell fit to receive grace: And he doth sanctifie him sometimes by his falls; he makes him good by his slips, which is a strange course to make a man better by: Saith St. Austin, I dare say and stand to it, that it is profitable for some men to fall, they grow more holy by their slips. As Peter, he grew stronger by his infirmitie: this strange course God takes. Why so? That we should not trust in our selves: In our calling, in our justification from our sins, that we should not trust in our selves, nor despaire.

In Sanctification: nay, he takes a course that we shall grow better by our falls: that we may be ashamed of them, and be more cautelous, and humble, and more watchful for the time to come. In glorification he will glorifie us p. 147but it shall be when we have been rotten in our graves before, we must come to nothing. So in every passage of salvation, he goes by contraries, and all to beate down confidence in our selves, and that we should not distrust him in any extremity: for then is the time for God to work his work most of all.

That we might not trust in our selves.

To help us further against this self-confidence, let us labour to know Learn to know our selves.our selves well, what we are distinct from the new creature, distinct from grace and glory. Indeed in that respect we are something in God. If we go out of our selves, and see what we are in Christ we are some body: for we are heires of heaven, we are Kings and Rulers over all, all things are subject to us, hell, and sinne, and death, we are some body there. But in that wherein our nature is prone to put overmuch confidence, what are we? what are we as we are strong, as we are rich, as we are noble, as we are in favour with great ones? alas, all is nothing, because ere long it will be nothing. What will all be in the houre of death, when we must receive the sentence of death? what will all favours do us good? they will be gone. What will all relations, that we are stiled by this, and that title, what good will it do? alas! these end in death, all earthly relations shall be laid in the dust. All the honours in the earth, all riches, and contentments, all the friends that we have, what can they do? nothing, all shall leave us there. And for us to trust in that which will faile us ere long, and which being taken away, we receive a great foile, (for he that leans to a thing, if that be taken away, down he falls) what a shame will it be?

As the Heathen man said, that great Emperour, I have been all things, and nothing doth me good now, when he was to die, indeed nothing could do him good. Let not the rich man glorie in his riches, nor the wise man glorie in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, saith the Prophet, Jer. 9. 22. but let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord.

Consider what the best thing is that we have of inward things, our wisdom; wisdom if it be not spirituall, it is onelyonly a thing for the things of this life, and we are oft times deceived in it. It makes God to disappont us oft times, to make us go out of our selves; an excellent place for this we have in Isa. 50. the last verse, Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, and compasse your selves about with sparkes, walk in the light of your own fire, &c. (It is a kind of Ironia) and the sparks that you have kindled; this you shall have of my hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow. Walk in the light of your own fire, walk according to your own devises, and projects, this ye shall have at my hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow. God catcheth the wise in the imagination of their own hearts, he disappoints the counsel and the projects of Achitophel. God takes a glory in it, to shame the policies and projects of those, that will be wittie in a distinct way against God, the best policie is to serve God, and to walk uprightly; That we should not trust in our selves.

But in God who raiseth the dead.

This is the other branch, what we should trust in, In God, all this humbling of the blessed Apostle even to deaths door, that he received the sentence of death; it was first to subdue carnall confidence in himself, he was prone to think himself stronger then he was, or that he should be upheld, that something or other should keep him from death, that he might subdue p. 148carnal confidence, and then that he might trust in God, it was all for these two ends: That we might not trust in our selves, (or in any means) but in God that raiseth the dead.

VVas St. Paul to learn to trust in God, that had been so long a Scholar in Christs School, nay, a Master in Israel, was he to learn to trust in God?St. Paul to learn to trust in God.

Yes, doubtlesse he was: it is a lesson that is hardly learned: and it is a lesson that we shall be learning all our life, to go out of our selves, and out of the creature, and to go further into God, to relie more and more upon him; it is a lesson that we can never learn as we ought. Therefore weak Comfort for weak ChristiansChristians ought not to be discouraged, when they find defects, and weaknesse in their trust: (our hearts are false and prone to trust outward things) but do they groan under their corruptions? do they complain of themselves? do they go out of themselves? their estate is good. The estate of a Christian it is a growing, it is a conflicting estate: he comes not to full trust and confidence in God, till he have gathered many experiments, till God have exercised him to the proof throughly: therefore let them not be discouraged. A Christian is not alway like himself, he is in a growing estate. There is a weak faith, and a strong faith, Oh ye of little faith. The Disciples had a little faith, as well as Abraham, that was strong in faith. As long as we are on the complaining hand, and on thestriving hand, and growing hand, all is hopeful. St. Paul himself still strived against self-confidence, and still learned to trust in God more and more.

But mark the order; first, God doth all this, that we should not trust in our selves: but that is not the thing he doth mainly aime at, but another thing, that we should trust in God who raiseth the dead: whence we may observe, that

God to make us trust in himself, is faine to cast us out of our selves.

His proper work is not to drive us out of our selves, that is a work subordinate Doct. God to make us trust in him casts us out of our selves.to a higher; but the furthest and last work is, that we should trust in him, as the Prophet saith, God doeth a strange work, he doth a work strange to himselfe, that he may do his own work: he doth a work that doth not concern him so properly, that he may do his own work, as he is God, that is, to confirm and settle us upon himself. But that he may do this, he must set us out of our selves by crosses and afflictions; that is not his own proper work, to afflict us, and to bring us low: for he is the Father of mercies; but that he may do his own work, to bring us to him, and then do good to us, he must take this in his way, and do this first. To make it cleare. A Carpenter, Simile.he pulls down a house; he takes it in pieces, his Art is not to pull down houses, but to build them up: but he doth that which doth not belong to him properly, that he may do that which doth belong to him: for he will not build upon a rotten foundation. So neither will God build upon a rotten foundation, he will not build upon carnall confidence, upon carnall trust, upon pride, and covetousnesse, but he will demolish that rotten foundation with afflictions and crosses; he will use such meanes that we shall have small joy to trust in sin, he will by crosses and afflictions force us to go from our sins, he will demolish that rotten foundation, that he may raise up an excellent edifice, and frame of the new creature, that shall indure to everlasting; the work of a Physitian is to cure nature, and not to weaken it, it is not his work to make people sick, but to make them sound, if the body be distempered, it must be weakned, he must carrie the burden of ill, and noysom humours, before it be strengthened; to make people sound, he must p. 149give them strong purgations, that shall afflict them, and affect them, as much as the disease for a while, but all is to make them lighter and stronger after, when they are eased of the burthen of noysome humours: and so it is in every other trade. So God shews his skill in this great matter in bringing us to Heaven this way; he doth that work which doth not properly concern him, to worke at last his own blessed good work: he afflicts us to drive us out of our selves, that we may come at last to trust in him, in whom is all our happiness and good.

The reason of it is cleare; for in a succession of contraries, there must be a removing of one contrary, before another can be brought in. If a vessel be to be filled with a contrary liquor, the first must have a vent, it must be emptied of the worse that the better may come. So it is with us, Reas. One contrary must be removed to make way for another.we are full of self-confidence, as a vessel of naughty liquor, out must that go, that better things may come in. So it is in plowing and in every thing else, this is taken as a principle in nature; the order generally is this: that we should not trust in our selves, that we might be brought to trust in God; he brings us low, to receive the sentence of death, to drive us out of our selves, that he may bring us to relie on him

The Use we should make of it, among many others is this, That we should not take offence at God, when he is about his strange work (as we think) when he is making us sick with Physick, with afflictions, and troubles. Let Use. Not to murmure at Gods work.us not think that he hates us; doth the Physician hate the Patient when he makes him sick? perhaps he stayes a good while from him, till his Physick have wrought throughly, but he doth not hate him, but gives it time, and suffers it to have its worke, that so he may recover himself. Doth the gold-smith hate his precious mettall, when he puts it into the fire, and suffers the fire to work upon it? what is lost? nothing but the drosse: What is lost in the body by sickness? the ill humours that load the body, and distemper the actions, and functions of it, that it cannot work as it should, there is nothing lost, but that that may well be spared: so when God goes about his worke, he afflicts thee, and follows thee with losses and crosses, he takes away friends and credit, this outward thing, and that: all this is to give thee a purge, he works a strange work, that he may worke his own work, that he may bring thee to himself.

Therefore let us be far from murmuring at this blessed work of God: let us rather blesse God for his care this way, that he will not suffer us to perish with the world God might have suffered us to rot upon our dregs, that we should have no changes, as the world hath not: but he hath more care of us then so. The Husband-man will not plow in the Wilderness, the heathy ground shall go unplowed long enough, he loves it not so well, as to sowe good seed there: so when God takes paines, & is at cost with any man, when he purgeth him, and plows him, and hammers him, all this is to consume that which is naught, to plow up the weeds, to fit him for the blessed seed of grace, to fit him for comfort here, and glorie in another world: why then should we murmur against God? let us rather be thankfull, especially when we see the blessed issue of this, when we see our earthly mindedness abated, when we see our selves more heavenly-minded, when we see our selves weaned from the world, when we see our selves take more delight in communion with God: then, Blessed be God for crosses and afflictions, that he hath taken the paines, and would be at the cost with us to exercise us. It is a ground not onelyonly of patience, but of thankfulnesse, p. 150when God humbles us: be not discontent man, grudge not, murmur not, God doth a work that seems strange to thee, and which is not his own proper work, that he may do his own work; that he may bring thee nearer to himself, why dost thou murmur at thy own good?

The Patient cries out of the Physitian, that he torments him, he hears him well enough, but he will not be advised by his patient, he means to advise him, and to rule him: he would faine have comfort, he is in pain, and cries for ease: but his time is not yet come. So let us wait, and not murmur under crosses, God is doing one work, to bring to passe another: he brings us out of our selves, that he may bring us nearer to himself.

And another Use that we may make of it, let us examine our selves, whether our afflictions and crosses have had this effect in us, to bring us to trust Use 2. To examine what effect afflictions work.in him more; if they have, all is well: but if they make us worse, that we fret and murmur, and feel no good by them, it is an ill sign: for God doth bring us low that we may not trust in our selves, but in him; Quem praesentia mala non corrigunt, &c. Whom the presence of ill, and grievance amends not, they bring to eternal grievance. This is Ahaz, saith the Scripture: a strange man, a wicked King, that notwithstanding God followed him with judgements, yet he grew worse, and worse: This is Ahaz, he might well be branded. When a man belongs to God, every thing brings him nearer to God: when a man is brought to be more humble, and more careful, and more watchful every way, to be more zealous, more heavenly minded: it is a blessed sign that God then is working a blessed work, to force him out of himself, and to bring him nearer himself, to trust in him. This we cannot too much consider of.

It should teach us likewise this, that we judge not amisse of the generation of the righteous, when we see God much humbling them, when we see Use 3. Not to judge amisse of the afflicted.him follow them with sicknesse, with troubles and disgraces in the world, perhaps with terrour of consience, with descertions, be not discouraged: if he be thy friend censure him not, add not affliction to his affliction; is not his affliction enough? thou needest not to add thy unjust censure, as Job said to his friends. The more we are afflicted of God, the more good he intends to work to us, the end is to bring us from our selves to trust in him.

It is a wicked disposition in men that know not the wayes of God, they are ignorant of the wayes that he takes with his children: when they see men that are Christians, that they are humbled and cast down and troubled, they think they are men forsaken of God, &c. alas, they do not know Gods manner of dealing, he casts them down that he may raise them up: they receive the sentence of death against themselves that he may comfort them after, that he may do them good in their latter end. Let this therefore keep us from censuring of other men in our thoughts, for this hard course which God seems to take with them.

And let us make this Use of it, when we are in any grievance, and God followes us still, let us mourn and lament the stubbornsse of our hearts, Vse 4. To lament our stubbornnesse of heart.that will not yeeld. God intends to draw us near to him, to trust in him: if we would do this, the affliction would cease, except it be for tryall, and for the exercise of Grace, and for witnesse to the truth. When God afflicts sometime for tryall, and for witnesse, there is a spirit of Glory in such a case, that a man is never afflicted in mind: but, I say, when God followes us with sicknesse, with crosses, with loss of friends, and we are p. 151not wrought upon, let us censure our hard hearts that force God to take this course.

And justice God in all this, Lord thou knowest I could not be good without this, thou knowest I would not be drawn without this: bring me near to thy self that thou mayest take away this heavy hand from me. The intemperate man that is sick makes the Physitian seeme cruel. It is because I set my affections too much on earthly things, that thou followest me with these troubles: we force God to do this. A Physitian is forced to bring his Patient even to skin and bone; an intemperate Patienr sometimes, that hath surfetted upon a long distemper, he must bring him to Deaths doore, even almost to death, because his distemper is so setled upon him, that he cannot otherwise cure him: So it is with God the Physitian of our souls, he must bring us wondrous low, we are so prone, so desperately addicted to present things, to trust to them, and to be proud of them, and confident in them, that God must deal as a sharp Physitian: he must bring us so low, or else we should never be recovered of our perfect health again, and all is that we might trust in God.

Observe we from hence another point, that

God in all outward things that are ill, intends the good of the Doct. God in all outward things that are ill in tends the good of the soul.soul.

He takes liberty to take away health, and liberty, and friends, to take away comforts: but whatsoever he takes away, he intends the good of the soul in the first place. And all the ills that he inflicts upon us they are to cure a worse ill, the ill of the soul, to cure an unbelieving heart, a worldly, proud, carnal heart, which is too much addicted to earthly things. We see here how God dealt with St, Paul: all was to build up his soul in trust and confidence in God, all was for the soul.

The reason is, other things are vanishing, the soul is the better part, the eternal part: if all be well with the soul, all shall be Reas. The soule the better part.well otherwise at last. If it be well with the soul, the body shall do well: though God take liberty to humble us with sicknesse, and with death it self: yet God will riase the body and make it glorious: a good soul will draw it after it at last, and move God to make the body glorious. But if the soul be naught, let us cherish and do what we will with the body, both will be naught at last.

This life is not a life to regard the body: we are dead in that while we live, the sentence of death is passed, we must die, we are dying every day, The body is dead because of sin, we are going to our grave; every day takes away a part of our life.

This is not a life for this body of ours, it is a respite to get assurance of an eternal estate in heaven. God takes our wealth, and liberty, and strength, &c. That he may help our souls, that he may work his own blessed work in our souls, that he may lay a foundation of eternall happinesse in our souls.

Therefore hence we should learn to resign our bodies, and estates to God, Lord, do with me what thou wilt, onelyonly cure my soul, onelyonly strengthen my faith, I give thee liberty with all my heart to take what thou wilt, so thou save my soul, give me not up to an unbelieving heart, to an hypocritical, false heart, to false confidence, to trust in false grounds, and to perish eternally: for my estate and body, do what thou wilt. VVe should be brought to this, why? because indeed the state of the soul is the p. 152true state either in good or ill, if all be naught with that, all will be naught at last, we shall trie it to our cost.

And therefore let us even rather thank God, and desire God to go on with his work; Lord, rather then thou shouldest give me up to a hard heart, to a stubborn heart, and perish and have no sound change, rather then suffer me to perish thus, use me as thou wilt.

And thank him when we find any degree of goodness or faith. Lord, thou mightest have followed me with outward blessings, and so have given me up in my soul to hypocrisie, and to pride, that I should never have felt the power of grace, that I should never have known thee, or my self throughly, or the vanity of outward things: but this thou hast not done, thou hast not given me liberty in outward things, that thou mightest doe good to my soule, blessed be thy Name: Let us not onelyonly take it well, but thankfully at Gods hands. To proceed,

That we might trust in God that raiseth the dead.

The soul must have somewhat to trust to.Obser. The soul must have somewhat to trust to.

The foundation must be laid: for the soul is a creature, and a dependant creature, somewhat it must have to rely on: as all weak dependant things have somewhat to depend on. The Vine is a weak plant, it must have the Elme or somewhat to rely on, it will sink else, it will become unfruitful, and unprofitable. All things that are weak, are supported by somewhat that is stronger. It is an inclination, and instinct in things that are weak to look for supply from things that are stronger then themselves to support them: and it is their happinesse to be so. The creatures that are unreasonable are guided by those that have reason, by men; and the creatures that are reasonable are guided by Superiours, by God, and by Angels that are above them, and have the care and charge over them. It is the happinesse of weaker things to be under the supportation of that which is stronger. And some support it will have, good or bad.

The soul, if it have not God, it will have pleasures, it will have profit. The worst of men that think there is little for them in heaven, by reason of their blasphemy, and filthy courses, they will have base pleasures to go to, that they will trust to, and carnall acquaintance to solace themselves withal. The worst of men will have some dirty thing or other, to give their souls to, to support themselves withal, something the soul will have.

God loves the soul, and hath made it for himself, and as he hath made The soul made for God.it for himself, to joyn with himself, to solace himself in it (My son, give me thy heart:) so when he takes it from outward things, he will not have it empty, to rely upon nothing, but he takes it to himself. All this is to take our hearts from our selves, and from felfconfidence, that we may trust in him. God is for the heart, and that is for him, as I said, he calls for it, My son, give me thy heart, give me thy affection of trust, of joy, of delight; all the affections they are made for God, and for heaven, and heavenly things. Our affections that we have, they are not made for riches. Our Souls are not made for them; the soul is larger then they, they will not content the soul. The soul is a spirituall substance, and they are outward things: the soul is large, they are scanty in their extent: they are uncertain, and momentanie, the soul is an eternal thing, it out-lives those things: and thereupon the soul is not made for them, and they are not made for the soul.

They are to give contentment to the outward man for a while here, p. 153they are made for our pilgrimage, to comfort us in the way to heaven: but the soul is not for them.

The soul is the Chamber, and the Bed, and as it were the Cabinet for God himself, and Christ to rest in onelyonly.

All outward things must be kept out of the heart: we may use them: but we must keep them out of the heart, it is not for them. We must not joy in them, and solace our selves, and delight in them over-much, further then we seek God in them, and enjoy God in them: but as they are sensible things, the heart is not for them: therefore God takes the heart from self-confidence, and from other things: he suffers it not to wander, but he takes it to himself, that we may trust in him.

The next thing then that we may observe is, that when we go out of our selves, we must have somewhat to rely on, which is better then all things else; we lose not by the change, but when we are stripped of our selves, and of all earthly things we have God to go to.

God is the object of trust.

God is the proper object of trust of the Christian soul: he is the object Doct. God is the object of trust.of trust as well as the author of it, he is the cause and worker of it by his Spirit, and he is the object of it. If we trust to other things, it must be as they are Gods Instruments, as they are Gods meanes: but if we trust any thing, either wealth, or friends, or any thing, to neglect the worship of God or to please our selves in it, to put our hands to ill courses in confidence of the creature, in confidence of men, or any thing else, to take any false cause in hand, this is to trust them above their respect. We must trust to them as Instruments, as voluntary Instruments which God may use when he pleaseth, or not use when he pleaseth. When we use them otherwise, we forget their nature, then we use them not as Instruments, but as the chief, we forget the order.

God is the object of trust, we must rest on him for Grace, and glory: for the best things, and for the things of this life as far as they are good.

So far as we trust to any thing else, to move us to security, to rest in them, or to sin for them, it is a sinful trust. Other things we may trust: but in the nature of vain Instruments, changeable Instruments, that God may alter and change: he that is rich to day, may be poore to morrow: he that hath a friend to day, may have him taken away to morrow: and so all outward things, they are changeable and mutable: but we may trust God all times alike, he is eternal, he is infinitely able, and infinitely wise to know all our grievances. We may trust him with our Souls, with our Hearts, he is faithfull, and loving, and eter nall as our souls are. He gives eternity to the soul: Therefore at all times we may trust in him, in all places, every where, he knowes our hearts, he knowes our grievance every where, he hath all grounds of one that may be trusted to, he hath power, and goodness, and mercy, and wisdom, he is the object of trust.

But how considered is he the object of trust, God out of Christ Mediator?God in Christ the object of trust.

Oh no, God in covenant with us in Christ, he is the object of trust: or else there is such a distance, and contrariety between mans nature, & God, that he'is a consuming fire. Since the fall from the covenant of works, we cannot be saved by that, but he hath vouchsafed to be ours in a better covenant in Christ, in whom all the promises are Yea, and Amen. This good p. 154comes from God to us by Christ, Christ first receives it, and he derives it to us, as our elder brother, and as our head. All the promises are made in him, and through him: he receives it for us, we receive it at the second hand. God hath filled him first, And of his fulnesse we receive Grace for Grace.

Without him we can do nothing: with him we can do all things. So we trust in God reconciled, God made ours in the Covenant of Grace in Jesus Christ, who hath made our peace. Else God is a sealed fountain: he is a fountain of good, but a sealed fountaine. Christ hath opened this fountain, his love is open to Christ, and derived to Christ, in whom our flesh is, he is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, that we might be bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh by being united with him. So now we trust in him, as God the Father of Christ, reconciled. I believe in God the Father Almighty, as it is in the Creed, God thus considered is the object of trust. There are two objects of trust; God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and Christ Mediator.

If this be so that God reconciled now is the object of trust, for all things Use. To see the vanity of all other confidence.that are good, not only for salvation, but for Grace, and for all comforts, to bring us to heaven, then we see the vanity of all other confidence whatsoever, as I touched before.

And is it not a blessed thing that God will be trusted, that he hath made A great favour that God will be trusted by us.himself such a one as we may trust him? Now blessed be God for Christ, that he having received satisfaction to his justice by him he may be trusted, and desires that we should trust him: that now in Christ he hath made himself a Father, that we shoud not fear him, nor run away from him: It is a great favour that God will be trusted of us, that he will honour us so much.

He accounts it an honour when we trust him, but indeed it is an honour to us that we have a throne of grace through Christ to go to, that he hath devised a way that we might trust him, and not run from him: that we may go to him in Christ, who sits at his right hand, who is our intercessor, who hath redeemed us with his precious Blood. It is our happinesse that he hath made himself a gracious, and loving Father, that he calls us to him, and thinks himself honoured by our trusting in him.

Again, we see here that,Doct. Trust in God is a main duty.

Trust in God is a main duty.

He is the object of trust, and it is a main duty, it is a spring of duty out of which all comes: for we see here, all doth aim at this: afflictions they come to mortifie our self-confidence: self-confidence is subdued that we may trust in God: our trust must be carried to him, he is the object of it: and this trust in God is a main duty which in this world we ought to labour for. It is that that God doth aim at, and it is that that we should aim at. God doth aim at it in exercising of us; and we should aime at it on our part, in our hearing, in our receiving the Sacrament, in every thing, that our trust and affiance and confidence may be in God, and that we may grow more and more in it.

Well, since God is the object of trust, and trust is such a necessary grace, that God doth all to bring us to trust in him: Let us come to search our selves, how shall we know whether we trust in God, or no. And then to direct us, how to come to trust in him, to give some meanes and helps.

p. 155He trusts in God reconciled in Jesus Christ that flies to him in extremity: Tryals of trust in God.that a man trusts unto, that when he is pinched he flies unto. How shall a man know that he is a covetous worldling? if he be in extremity, he 1. Seeking to him in extremity.goes to his purse, he makes a friend of that. How shall a man know that he trusts to the arme of flesh, that he trusts his friend too much? in extremity he runs to him, presently he goes to a friend he hath: what we run to, that our trust is in. A Christian he runs to his God: and happie is that Christian that is in Covenant, that he hath a God to run to in all extremities, in sicknesse, in death, at all times: he is happie that he hath a God when all failes to trust in.

Wilt thou know therefore whether thou trustest in God or no? whither goest thou? A carnall man he goes to one earthly prop or other: if God answer him not presently, then he goes with Saul to the witch, to the Divell himself perhaps: if God do not send him present help, he goes to one carnall help or other, to fetches of his wit, to policy, to crack his Conscience, to bear out things with Impudence: he hath not learned to trust in God, and he runs not to him, but to some wicked course or other.

All that go not to God in the use of good meanes (for we must put that in, we must go to God in the use of his meanes, in the use of good meanes only) they trust not God; for God will not be tempted, but trusted, we must go to him by prayer, and in the use of lawful meanes, and onelyonly of lawful meanes; or else if we trust him and do not use the meanes, we tempt him: we must serve Gods providence in using the meanes.

Therefore secondly, he that trusts in God useth his meanes, he that trusts 2. To use the meanes.God for a harvest must plow, and sowe, and do all that belongs to the providence of God.

So a Merchant that will increase hisestate, he must get a ship, and other provision to do it with: for we must serve Gods providence as well as trust Gods providence. When we neglect good and lawful meanes, and run into ill courses, and use ill meanes, we serve not God, nor trust him. Those that grow rich by calling Evill good, and good Evill, they have not learned to trust in God. Those that think except they leave their posterity great they shall not be happie, and therefore they will neglect the Sabbath, and neglect all to scrape an estate. Is this to trust in God? have they learned to trust in God, when sacrilegiously they take away the time dedicated for the salvation of their souls, and the service of God? Is this one meanes that God hath ordained to trust him in? They that flatter, and serve mens humours when they know them to be in a naughty and ill way, is this to trust God, when they go out of his meanes and way, and make an Idol of flesh and blood to serve their own turn?

Alas! we need not name these things, if men had learned what it is to trust in God, and depend upon him in the use of lawful meanes, and would rather be content to want in this world then to have any thing with a crackt conscience.

I befeech you, let us examine our own hearts in this; there are many that think they trust in God when they do not: they trust their policy, they trust flesh and blood, and by consequence they trust the Divell, if they trust not in God.3. To be quiet upon use of mea…s.

In the next place he that trusts in God, his mind will be quieted in some comfortable measure when he hath used the meanes that are lawful, and p. 156cast himself upon God, he will be quiet, and let God work then. When he hath taken paines in his calling, lawfully, and desired Gods blessing, if God send wealth, so it is: if not, he is not much troubled, he knowes that all shall be for the best to them that trust in God; when he cannot have it in the use of lawful meanes, he is quiet. He that trusts a Physitian, when he hath used the direction of the Physitian he is quiet, he thinks he is a wise man, an experienced Physitian, and now he will not trouble his mind any longer: if a man vex himself, and think all will not be well, he doth not trust his Physitian. And so in other professions we trust to a mans Counsel, if we think him wise, and honest, we follow his direction, and then we will be quiet.

Now God is infinitely wise: when we have used lawfull meanes, and commended the meanes to God (for as he will be trusted in, so he will be sought unto. I will be sought to by the house of Israel for this: for except we pray to him, he is not trusted: but when we have prayed to him, in the use of lawful meanes, let us be quiet, let us not be distracted with dividing cares obout this and that, as if there were not a God in heaven that had care of us, that had a providence over things below; certainly he hath, do thou do thy work, and let him alone with his work. The care of duty belongs to thee; when thou hast done thy duty, rest thou quiet, or else thou honourest him not as a God, thou trustest him not, thou dost not make a God of him: it is a great dishonour to God.

A man thinks himself dishonoured, when he is not trusted, when we see he hath alway been faithful to us, and is so reputed, and yet we call his credit in question, and will not be quiet. We should do as Children do, they follow their books, and let their Father take care for all provision, for meat and drink, and cloaths and such things: they beat not their heads about it, they know they have a Father that will take care for that. If we were true Children of God, and have the disposition of heavenly Children, we will do so; if we trouble our selves, and beat our heads, it is a sign, that we fear that God is not our Father: therefore I add that to other signs, a resting of ourselves quiet. When we are quiet, God will do more, then when we vex our selves. Be still, and see the salvation of the Lord, saith Moses at the Red-Sea: so let us be still, and quiet, and see the Salvation of God: he will work wonders.

Again, it is a sign that we trust in God, when there are no meanes: yet 4. Not to despair in want of meanes.notwithstanding we will not despair: but hope and trust in God: when we see nothing in the eye of flesh and blood, no meanes of recovery: yet we trust in God: he can work his way though we see not how, he can make a passage for us. When God is thus honoured, he works wonders. This is to make a God of him, when there is no meanes, to believe that he can work against meanes. If my life shall be for his glory and my good, he can recover my life, though the Physitian say I am a dead man: if he have imployment for me in this world, he can do it: he can work with means, or against meanes, or without meanes. And so in desperate troubles: if God see it good for me, he can deliver me though there be no meanes: he is the Creator of meanes, do not tye him to his own creature; if all be taken away, he can make new.

Again, he trusts in God that labours to make God his friend continually: 5. To keep God our friend.for he whom we trust unto we will not provoke: certainly we will not provoke a man whom we mean to make our friend. Those that p. 157live in swearing, in defiled courses, in contempt of God, and of holy things, of the ordinances of God, of the day appointed to holy and religious uses, those that wax stubborn against God, as the Scripture speaks; do we trust him against whom we walk stubbornly? VVill a man trust him that he makes his enemy by wicked courses? Thou makest God thy enemy, and provokest him to his face, to trie whether he will pour vengeance upon this or no. He tells thee thou shalt not be upunished if thou take his Name in vain; yet thou wilt be stubborn, and not make conscience of these things. Dost thou trust him? No, thou provokest him; thou mayest trust him, but it must be to damn thee, to give thee thy reward with rebells, thou mayest trust him for that: but for good things thou doest not, thou canst not trust him in wicked courses.

VVho will trust his enemy, especially he that he hath made his enemy by his ill course of life? A man that goes on in an evill course, he cannot, he doth not trust in God.

He that trusts in Gods promise, will trust in his threatning: where there is an Evangelical faith, there is a legall faith alway. He that believes 6. To trust threatnings as well as promises.that God will save him if he trust in Christ, he believes that if he doe not believe in Christ he will damn him, if he live in his naturall course without repentance.

There is a legall faith of the curse as well as an Evangelical of the promise, they are both together: if thou do not believe Gods curse in wicked courses, thou wilt never believe him for the other. Therefore I will add this to make up the evidences of trust in God: True trust lookes to Gods truth, and promise, and Word in one part of it as well as another. Thou trusts God for thy salvation, and the promises of that: but thou must trust him for the direction of thy life too. Faith doth not single out some objects, I will believe this, and not that: faith is carried to all the objects, it believes all Gods truths: therefo if I believe not the threatnings, and the directions, to be ruled by them, I believe not the promises: in what measure thou believest the promise of mercy to save thy soul, in that measure thou believest the directions of Gods Word to guide thy soul. He that receives Christ as a Priest to save him, he must receive him as a King to rule him.

All the directions, and all the threatnings, and all the promises must be received and believed.

A man hath no more faith, and trust in God then he hath care to follow Gods direction: for faith is carried to all divine truthes, all come from the same God. Thousands go to hell, and think, O, God is a mercifull God, and I will trust in him, but how is thy life, is it carried by Gods directions? thou art a rebel, thou livest in sins against conscience: thou wilt trust in God in one part of his Word, and not in another, thou must not be a chooser.

Again, the last that I will name at this time, if thou trust God for one 7. To trust God for all things.thing, undoubtedly thou wilt trust him for all: if thou trust him with thy Soul, certainly thou wilt trust him with thy Children. Some men hope to be saved by Christ: O, he will be mercifull to their souls, and yet even to their Death they use corrupt courses, to get an estate, and to make their Children rich, and except they have so much, they will not trust in God. If they have nothing to leave them, they think not that there is a God in heaven who is a better Father then they. Put cafe thou hast nothing, hast thou not Gods blessing? canst thou trust thy p. 158soul with God, and canst thou not trust him with thy family? Is he not the God of thy seed? hath he not made the promise to thy posterity, as well as to thy self? If thou trust him for one thing thou wilt trust him for all. Wilt thou trust him for Heaven, and wilt thou not trust him for provision, for daily bread? Wilt thou not trust him for this or that: but thou must use unlawfull meanes? He that trusts God, he trusts him for all truths, and for all things needfull, with his Family, with his Body, with his Soul, with all. And so much for the tryalls, whether we trust in God or no.

Let us not deceive our selves, it is a point of infinite consequence, as much as the salvation of our souls. What brings men to hell, in the Church? false confidence: they trust to false things, or they think they trust in God when indeed they do not.

The fault of a ship is seen in a tempest: and the fault of a house is seen when winter comes. Thy trust that is thy house that thou goest to, and restest in, the fault of that will be seen when thou comest to extremity; in the hour of death, then thou hast not a God to go to, then thy conscience upbraids thee, thou hast lived by thy shifts in carnall confidence, and rebellion against God, and how canst thou then willingly trust God whom thou hast made thine enemy all thy life-time?

To go then to some helps. If upon search we find that we do not so trust in God as we should: Let us lament our unbelieving hearts, complain Helpes to trust in God.to God of it: desire God, whatsoever he doth, that he would honour us so much as that we may honour him by trusting in him: for it is his glory, and our salvation.

But, because (I will not go out of the text;) the best way is (that which followes) to know God as he is.

How come we to trust a man? When we know his Honesty, his Fidelity, his Wisdom, and his sufficiencie, then we trust him: therefore St. Paul adds here, that we should Trust in God that raiseth the dead, that is, in God Almighty. From whence I raise this general, that

The best way to trust in God is to know him as he is.

We know his attributes by his principall works, we know his nature by his works, as here is one of the principall set down, he is God that raiseth the dead. A sound sanctified trust in God is by knowing of him, They that know thy Name, will trust in thee, Psal, 9.

There are three waies of the knowledge of God.

His

Nature.

Promises.

Works.

To know what he hath engaged himself in, in all the promises that concern us: and then to know his strength, how able he is to make good them promises

And then to know his works, how his nature hath inabled him to make good those promises: Especially his nature, as to consider his goodnesse, and his wisdom: every attribute indeed doth inforce trust: for he is good freely, he is good to us, of his own bowels. VVe may trust him that hath made himself a Father, out of hiw own mercy in Christ when we were enemies. His goodnesse and wisdom is infinite as himself, and his power and his truth. As the scripture saith oft-times, Faithful is God that hath promised,

p. 159St. Bernard a good man in Evill times, saith he, I consider three things in which I pitch my hope and trust, Charitatem adoptionis, the love of God in making me his Child: and Veritatem promissionis, the truth of God in performing his promise: his Love is such to make me his Child: his truth is such to perform his promise.

Thirdly, I consider his power that is able to make good that, that he hath promised. This threefold cable is a strong one: his love in adoption, his truth in performing his promise, and his power in making good all this. This threefold cable will not easily be broken. Let my Sottish flesh murmur against me as long as it will: as the flesh will murmur, who art thou that thou darest trust in God? What is thy merit that thou hopest for such great glory? No, no, saith he, I know whom I have believed, as Saint Paul saith. I answer with great confidence against my Sottish murmuring flesh, I know whom I have trusted. He is able, he is good, he is true. This that Holy man had to exercise his faith.

I name it, because it is the temper, of all believing souls that are so in truth. The believing heart considers the nature of God, the promise of God, and though the murmuring rebellious flesh say, what art thou? how darest thou that art flesh and blood look to God? O, he is faithful he is good, and gracious in Christ, he hath made himself a Father, I know whom I have believed, God is al-sufficient.

Trust and confidence doth grow in the soul, in what measure and proportion the knowledge of him whom we trust in growes, and as his strength growes: the more rich and strong a man growes in whom I trust, and the more gracious and good he growes, and the more my knowledge of him is increased with it too, that I see he is so able, so true, so loving a man, a man so affected to me: the more he growes, and my knowledge of him, the more my trust is carried to him. So a Christian the more he considers the infinitenesse of Gods love, of his wisdom and goodnesse, the more he is carried in trust, and confidence to it.

Not to trouble you with many places, the 62. Psal. is an excellent Psal. for trust and confidence in God; the whole Psal. is to that purpose, to stir up himself to trust in God: for that followes knowledge, when upon knowledge we rouze up our hearts, God is my rock, and my salvation, and defence. Is he so? then, my soul, trust in God: he chargeth it upon his soul, Therefore I will trust in God. And then he blames his soul, Is God so? Why art thou so disquieted, O my soul?

This is the exercise of a Christian heart, when upon sound knowledge he can charge his soul to trust in God, and check his soul, Why art thou cast down? still trust in God. Why dost thou not trust in him? Is he not true? Is he not wise? He is The God of my salvation. And in verse 8. Trust in God at all times, in prosperity, in adversity: why? God is my refuge.

There he sets forth his nature. If our troubles be never so many, there is somewhat in God that is answerable: as in Psal. 18. He is a rock, and a shield: he hath somewhat in him that is opposite to every ill.

And withall, Pour out thy heart to God: for where there is trust, there is prayer. Trust in God at all times, and pour out thy heart before him; for he is our refuge.

And so, Trust not in oppresion, and Robbery: If-riches increase, set not p. 160your hearts upon them: for God hath spoken once, and twice, that power belongs to God. Trust not any other thing but God. Power and Mercy belong to him. This is a notable way to trust in God, to know that power and mercy belong to him. If another man love me, hath not God another mans heart in his hand? The Kings heart is in his hand: therefore trust in God for the favour of men. Hath he not all the power? that that another man hath that affects me, it is but a derived power from him: he hath inclined him to do good to me. All Mercy, and Love, it is from God, and he turnes and disposeth it as it pleaseth him; as it is the Scripture-phrase, the language of Canaan, the heart is in Gods hands, he inclined the heart of such a man. The knowledge of God, with prayer, and stirring up our selves to trust in God, and checking our souls for the contrary, it is a notable meanes to trust in God.

And though we feel no present comfort from God, trust him for his word, trust him for his promise; though he seeme now to be a God hidden. As a Child in the dark he holds his Father fast by the hand, he sees not his Father, but he knowes his Fathers hand is strong: and though he see him not, yet he believes it is his Father, and holds him though it be in the dark.

Men they cast anchor in the dark, at midnight, though they cannot see, yet they know that the anchor will hold fast. Cast anchor upon God, in darknesse and temptation, hold God fast in the dark night, although we see nothing: we shall alway find this, that he is a God able to fulfill his promise, that he is a true, and faithfull, and able God; cast anchor in him therefore, though thou feele, or see nothing, be sure in all extremities to trust in God.

Besides other things, trust in God is properly, and primarily wrought 3. The promises of God.by the promises; trust in God so far as he hath discovered himself to be trusted. I can trust a man no further then I have a writing or a word of mouth from him, or a message from him.

Now what have we from God to trust him for? we have his Word written, and that is sealed by the Sacrament. The way to trust in God therefore is to know the promises.

The general promises that doe concern all Christians, and all conditions, and estates of men. God will be a Sun and a Shield: a Sun for all 1. Generall.good, and a Shield to keep away all evill: and no good thing shall be wanting to him that lives a godly life. Again, general promises for issue, All things shall work for good to them that love God, Romans 8. 28. And, he will give his Spirit to them that ask him. It is a generall promise to all askers whatsoever, that they shall have the Spirit of God, which is a promise that hath all particular graces in it: for the Spirit is the Fountain of all grace, it is the Spirit of Love, of Faith, of Hope, all are in the promise of the Spirit, and God hath promised this. Let us trust in God for these generall things.

And for particular promises, he hath made a promise to be a Husband to 2. Particular.the Widow, and a Father to the Fatherlesse. He will regard the cause of the Widow, and he is a God that comforteth he Abject. He hath made promises to those that are afflicted, to all estates, and conditions of men; trust in God for these.Outward things promised with condition.

But how? he hath made these with conditions in regard of outward things: Let us trust him so farre forth as he hath promised, that is, he will either protect us from dangers or give us patience in dangers: he will p. 161give us all outward things, or else contentment which is better: take him in that latitude: trust in him as he will be trusted to: for outward things' he will either give the things, or give the grace which is better; he will either remove the grievance, or he will plant the grace which is better. If he remove not the evill he will give patience to bear it, and what do I lose if he give me not the good thing; if he give me contentment? I have grace to supply it which makes me a better man.

If he give me the thing without the Grace what am I the better? a carnal Reprobate may have that.

So let us trust him, as he will be trusted: for Grace and spiritual things, all shall be for our good without fail; but for the things of this life, either he will give them, or else graces.

Let us trust God therefore, as he will be trusted in his word and promises.

Now this trusting of God, (to speak a little to the present purpose, because Saint Paul was now in great affliction, when he learned to trust Trust how exercised in great afflictions.in God: he was in fear of Death.) Let us see how we are to exercise this trust in great crosses, and in the hour of Death. St. Paul was in these two.

The point is very large, and I will take it onelyonly according to the present scope.

How doth a Christian exercise trust in extremity, in extream crosses? for then he must go to God, he hath none else to go to: he is beaten, from We are beaten from all other help.the creature, and as I said before, the soul will have somewhat to go to. The poor creatures, the silly conies they have the rocks to go to, as Solomon saith: the Soul that hath greater understanding, it is necessitated to trust in God in afflictions. Then the soul must say to God, Lord, if thou help not, none can: as Jehosaphat said in 2. Chron. 20. We know not what to do, but our eyes are to thee. In great afflictions we exercise trust, because we are forced.

And because then we are put to this, we put the promises in suit, the promises 2. Put the promises in suit.made to us for extremity. In Isay 43. 2. he hath promised to be with us in the fire, and in the water. There is a promise of Gods presence: 1. The promises of presence.and the soul improves that: Lord, thou hast promised to be present in great perills and dangers, as there are two of the greatest specified, fire, and water. Thou hast promised thou wilt be present, with us in the fire, and in the water: now, Lord, make good thy promise, be thou present. And when God makes good this promise of presence, then the Soul triumphs, as in Psal. 23. Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear, because thou art with me, Lord. So in Psal, 27. he begins triumphantly: The Lord is my shield, whom shall I fear? of whom shall I be afraid. Let us exercise our trust this way in extremity. God is with us, and who can be against us, saith the Apostle? Thus the Christian soul lives by trusting in God, in all extremity of crosses whatsoever: the soul is forced to God, and claimes the promises of presence.

And not onelyonly the promise of his presence, but the promise of support and comfort, and of mitigation. There is a promise in 1. Cor. 2. Of mitigotion.10. 13. God is faithfull, and will not suffer us to be tempted above our strength. Here faith is exercised, Lord, I am in a great crosse now, I am in afflictions, thou hast promised that thou wilt not suffer me to be tempted above that I am able to bear.

p. 162Now make good this promise of thine, be present, and be present by way of mitigation, either pull down the crosse, and make it lesse: or raise up my strength, and make that greater: for thou hast promised that thou wilt not suffer us to be tempted above our strength.

And then the soul lives by faith of the issue in great extremities; I am in great extremity, but I know all shall end well, Thus we trust in God in all extremity of afflictions whatsoever: in the houre of Death, when we receive the Sentence of Death, how do we then exercise trust in God?

In Psal, 16. My flesh shall rest in hope: because thou wilt not suffer thy Holy one to see corruption: Because God did nor suffer Christ to see corruption Trust how exercised in the hour of death.(who is our head) therefore my flesh likewise shall rest in hope, when I die. Our head triumphed over Death, and is in Heaven, and I die in Faith, I trust in God that raised him from the Dead, who was my surety. I know my debts are paid, my surety is out of prison; Christ, who took upon him to discharge my debts, he is out of the prison of the grave, he is in heaven: therefore my flesh shall rest in hope.

If it were not for this, that Christ were risen: when we have the sentence of Death, we over-look the grave, we see our selves in Heaven: as David saith, I should utterly have failed, but that I looked to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living. Then faith lookes beyond Death, and beyond the grave, it looks up, and with Stephen it sees Christ at the right hand of God: we see Christ ready to receive our souls.

Then we trust in God that raiseth the dead: nay, we see our selves as it were raised already.

Thus we see how we should trust in God, in great crosses, and in the sentence of Death. This in a word should be another ground of Patience, Use. Ground of patience and content.& not only of patience, but of contentment, in extrream crosses, in the hour of Death, that all that God doth is for this, that we may exercise trust in him. And if the Soul clasp to him, who is the Fountain of life, the chief good, it cannot be miserable: but this it doth by trust; our trust makes us one with him, it is that which brings us to God: and afflictions, and Death it self force us to exercise faith in the promises, and drive us to him. So God hath overpowered all crosses, extream crosses, even Death it self, that he hath sanctified them to fit us to trust in him, and who can be miserable that trusts in God?

What construction should we make of crosses, and afflictions? Surely, this is to take away false confidence: this is to drive me to God: shall I be impatient and murmur at that which God hath ordained to bring me nearer to himself, to trust in him, to take away all false confidence in the creature?

No, this should cut the sinewes of all carnall confidence, and make us patient, and thankful in all crosses: Because God now is seeking our good, he is drawing good out of these crosses: he labours by this to bring us nearer to himself. Blessed is that crosse, blessed is that sicknesse, or losse of friends whatsoever, that brings us nearer to God. Why doth God take away our dear friends? that we might clinge nearer to him: because he will have us to see that he is al-sufficient.

VVhat doth a man lose when he trusts in God, though he lose all the world? hath he not him that made the world at the first, and can make another if he please? If a man lose all, and have God (as he hath that trusts p. 155in him, and in his Word, for God will not deny his Word and truth: he that trusts in God, hath him, and if he have him) what if he be stripped of all? he can make another world with a Word of his mouth. Other things are but a beame to him: what need a man care for a beame that hath the Sunne?

All the afflictions of this world are to draw or to drive us to God, whether Effect of afflictions. To Gods children. To the wicked.we will or no. As the Messengers in the Gospel, to force the guests to the banquet with violence: so afflictions they are to force us to God, this blessed effect they have in all Gods Children.

But those that do not belong to God, what do they in the hour of death, and in extremity? they are either blocks, as Nabal was, senslesse creatures; or raging, as Cain, Achitophel, and Judas, either sots or desperate in extremity. Saul in extremity goes to the Witch, to ill meanes: David in all extremity he goes to prayer, he goes to his rock and shield; to God who was his all in all. He knew all this was done, to drive him to trust in God. Why art thou disquieted, O my soule? why art thou vexed in me? trust in God; all this is to make thee trust in God, he checks, and chides his own soul. A Child of God doth check himselfe, when his base heart would have him sink and fall down, and go to false means, then he raiseth himself up, trust in God, O my soule.

But such as Saul, proud confident hypocrites, when all outward things are taken away, they go to the Witch, to the Devill, to one unlawfull meanes or other, and at the last to desperate conclusions, to the sword it self.

As we desire to have evidence of a good estate in grace, that we belong To desire God to draw us neer him by crosses.to God: so let us desire God that we may find him drawing us so neare to him by all crosses whatsoever, that we may see in him a supply of whatsoever is taken from us. If we lose our friends, that we may trust God the more. As St. Paul speaks of the widow, 1 Tim. 5. when her Husband was alive, she trusted to him: but now she wants her former help to goe to, she gives her self to prayer, she goes to God, she trusts in God. So it should be with all, when friends are taken away, we should go to God, he will supply that which is wanting. Those that are berest of any comfort, now they should go to God. What do we lose by that? we had the stream before, now we have the fountain, we shall have it in a more excellent manner in God then we had before.

And that makes a Christian at a point in this world, he is not much discouraged, whatsoever he lose, if he lose all to his life, he knowes he shall have a better supply from God then he can lose in the world: therefore he is never much cast down, he knowes that all shall drive him nearer to God, to trust in God. As St. Paul saith here, We received the sentence of Death, that we might not trust in our selves, but in God that raiseth the dead.

One meanes to settle our trust the better in God reconciled to us in the Covenant of grace through Christ, his beloved, and our beloved, is the blessed Sacrament: and therefore come to it as to a seal sanctified by God for that very purpose, to strengthen our trust in God. How many wayes doth God condescend to strengthen our trust? because it is such an honour to him: for by trusting in him, we give him the honour of all his attributes, we make him a God, we set him in his throne, which we doe not when we trust not in him: how many waies doth he condescend to strengthen our trust?

p. 164We have his promise, If we believe in him, we shall not perish, but have God to strengthen our trust hath given us.everlasting life. We have a seale of that promise, the Sacrament: and is not a broad seale a great confirmation? If a man have a grant from the 1. His promise.King; if he have his broad seal, it is a great confirmation: though the other were good, yet the seale is stronger. So we have Gods promise, and 2. His seale.in regard of our weakness, there is a seale added to it.

If that be not enough we have more, we have his oath; he hath pawned his life, As I live, saith the Lord, &c. he hath pawned his being, as he 3. His oath.is God, he will forgive us if we repent. We have his promise, seale, and oath; whatsoever among men may strengthen trust, and faith; God condescends unto, to strengthen our faith, because he would not have us perish in unbeliefe.

Besides that, he hath given us earnest: a mans trust is strengthened when he hath earnest. Every true Christian hath a blessed earnest, that is, 4. Earnest.the Comforter; he hath the Spirit in him, the first fruits; where God gives and an earnest, he will make good the bargain at the last; where he gives the first fruits, he will add the harvest. God never repents of his earnest, where he hath begun a good work, he will finish it to the day of the Lord. An earnest is not taken away, but the rest is added.

And the same Spirit that is an earnest, is also a pawn and pledge: we will trust any runnagate, if we have a pawn sufficient; now God hath given 5. A pawne.us this pawn of his Spirit. Christ hath given us his Spirit, and hath taken our flesh to heaven; our flesh is there, and his Spirit is in our hearts; besides many evidences that we have in this life as pawns.

Indeed in extremity sometimes we must trust God without a pawne, upon his bare word, Though he kill me, yet will I trust in him, saith Job; but God ordinarily gives us many pawns of his love.

The Sacrament is not onelyonly a Seal of the promise, but likewise it hath another relation to strengthen our faith; it is a seizon, as a piece of earth 6. Seizon.that is given to assure possession of the whole: as a man saith, Take, here is a piece of earth, here is my land: here are the keyes of my house: so in the promises sealed by the Sacrament, here is life, here is favour, here is forgiveness of sins, here is life everlasting: what can we have more to strengthen our faith? God hath condescended every way to strengthen us, if we will come in, and honour him so much as to trust him with our souls, and our salvation. Therefor let us come to the Sacrament with undoubted confidence, God will keep his credit, he will not deceive his credit, he will never forsake those that trust in him, Psal. 9. But to answer an Objection.

Oh! all these are confirmations indeed, if I did believe and trust in God, Object.but my heart is full of unbelief: Indeed all these are made to some that believe already in some measure, they have this seale, and oath, and earnest, and pawnes, and first fruits, and all, if they believe, but I cannot bring my heart to trust in God.

What hinders thee?

I am a wretched creature, a sinfull creature.Answ.

Doest thou mean to be so still? It is no matter what thou hast been, but what thou wilt be. The greater the sickness, the more is the honour of the Physitian in curing it: the greater thy sins, the more honour to God in forgiving such sins. Retort the temptation thus upon Satan: God works by contraries, and whom he will make righteous, he will make them to see their sins; and before he will raise us up, he will make us rotten in our p. 165graves; before he will make us glorious, he will make us miserable. I know that God by this intends that I should despaire in my self: God intends that I should despaire indeed, but it is that I should despair in my self, as the text saith here, that we should not trust in our selves, when we have a sight of the vilenesse of our sins: but in God that raiseth the dead, that raiseth the dead soul, the despairing soul, that it should trust in him. Therefore retort the temptation upon Satan, because I see my sins, and despaire in my self, therefore I trust in God. He that is in darknesse and sees no light, let him trust in the Lord his God.

Mark for thy comfort, the Gospel calls men who in their own sense, and feeling think themselves furthest off: he that is poore, and sees his want, Blessed are the poore in Spirit. But I have no Grace, Oh that I had grace Blessed are they that hunger and thirst. If thou mourn for thy sins, Blessed are they that mourn.

Thou findest a heavy load of thy sins, Come unto me all ye that are weary, and heavy laden, and I will ease you. The Gospel takes away all the objections and misdoubtings of the unbelieving heart, God is so willing to come to him. Therefore stand not cavilling, interpret all to the best. God will have us to despair in our selves, that we may trust in him; and then we are fittest to trust in God, when we despaire in our selves, then we make God all in all; he hath righteousnesse enough, holinesse enough, satisfaction enough, he hath all enough for thee.

And for men that are not yet believers, how wondrously doth God labour to bring such men to a good hope? If they yield themselves and come in, Meanes of trust to unbelievers.there is an offer to every one that will come in and take the water of life.

There is a command: he that hath commanded, Thou shalt not murder, Thou shalt not steal: he layes a charge on thee that thou believe, 1 John 3. This is his c…mmand, that we believe in the Son of God. And think with thy self, thou committest a sin against the Gospel, which is worse then a sin against the law: for if a man sin against the law, he may have help in the Gospel: but if he sin against the Gospel, there is not another Gospel to help him. God offers thee comfor, the commands thee to trust in him, and thou rebellest, thou offendest him, if thou do not believe.

Is not here incouragement, if thou be not more wedded to thy sinfull course, then to the good of thy soule? If thou wilt still live in thy sins, and wilt not trust in God, then thou shalt be damned, there is no help for thee if thou believe not, the wrath of God hangs over thy head. Thou art condemned already by nature: if thou believe not, thou needest no further condemnation, but only the execution of Gods justice.

Naturally thou art born the Child of wrath, and God threateneth thee to stir thee up, and to make thee come in: he useth sweet allurements, (besides the commands and threatnings) Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will ease you. And, Why will ye perish, O house of Israel? And, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft, &c? God complaines of thee, he allures thee, he sends his Embassadours. We are Ministers in Christs Name to beseech you to be reconciled: to come in to cast down your weapons, your sins, to believe in God, and trust in his mercy, and to hope for all good from him. What should keep thee off, he is willing to have thee believe?

Oh, if I were elected, &c.Object…

p. 166Trouble not thy self with dark scruples of his eternall decree, obey the command, obey the threaning, and put that out of doubt: if thou yield to the command, if thou obey the threatning, if thou be drawn by that, undoubtedly thou art the child of God. Put not in these doubts and janglings, things that are too high for thee till thou believe. Indeed when thou believest, then thou mayst comfort thy self, I believe, therefore I know I shall be saved: Whom he hath chosen, them he calls, and whom he calls, hè justifies. I find my self freed from the sentence of condemnation in my heart, therefore I know I am called, I know I am elected: then with comfort thou mayest go to those disputes. But not before a man obeys: put those cavils out, and obey the Gospel, (when salvation is offered, when Satan puts these things to thee) when thou art threatned, and commanded.

How shall this justifie God at the day of judgment against damned wretches, that have lived in the bosom of the Church, and yet would not believe? They will believe after their own fashion, if God will save them, and let them live in their sinful courses: but they will rather be damned then they will part with them. Are they not worthy to be damned? (judge thy self) that rather then they will alter their course, and receive mercy with it, rather then they will receive Christ, whole Christ, as a King and a Priest, to rule them as well as to satisfie for them: they will gild over their wicked courses and will have none of him at all: they will rather be damned then take another course, their damnation is just.

If thou take whole Christ, and yield to his government, he useth all meanes to strengthen thy faith after thou believest, and he useth all means to allure thee to believe. It is a point of much consequence, and all depends upon it, it is the summe of the Gospel, to trust in God, in Christ (therefore I have been a little the longer in it,) till we can bring our hearts to this we have nothing.

When we have this, then when all shall be taken from us, as it will ere long, all the friends we have, and all our comforts: yet our trust shall not be taken from us, nor our God in whom we trust shall be taken from us: we shall have God left, and a heart to trust in God that will stand us in stead when all other things shall fail. That we might not trust in our selves, but in God

Which raiseth the dead.

These words have a double force in this place.

First, St. Paul might reason thus, I am brought to death, as low as I can be, even to receive the sentence of death, but I trust in God who will raise me when I am dead: therefote he can raise me out of sicknesse, though there be no means, no physick, he can do it himself. Or if it were persecution, he might reason, I am now persecuted: but God will raise me out of the grave: therefore he can raise me out of this trouble if it be for my good: It hath the force of a strong argument that way.

And it hath another force, that is, put case the worst, I received the sentence of death, that is, if I die, as I look for no other, yet I trust that God that raiseth the dead, he will raise me: the confidence of the resurrection makes Prayer to God.me die comfortably. As we sleep quietly, because we hope to rise again, and we put our seed into the ground, with comfort, why? we hope to receive it in a more glorious manner in the harvest: so though my body be p. 167sowen in the earth, it shall rise a glorious body; I trust in God, though I receive the sentence of death, yet I shall sleep in the Lord, as when I goe to sleep, I hope to rise again: so I trust when the resurrection shall come, that my body shall waken, and arise. I trust in God that raiseth the dead; because he raiseth the dead, he can recover me if he will: if not, he will make this body, a glorious body afterward: so every way it was a strong argument with Saint Paul, I trust in God that raiseth the dead.

The Apostle draws an argument of comfort from Gods power in raising the dead. And it is a true reason, a good argument: he that will raise the dead body out of the grave, he can raise out of miserie, out of captivity: the argument is strong. Thus God comforts his people in Ezek. 37. in that parable of the drie bones, that he put life in. So the blessed Apostle St. Paul, he speaks of Abraham, Rom. 4. 17. He looked to God who quickneth the dead, who calleth things that are not, as though they were. What made Abraham to trust in God, that he would give him Isaac again? he considered if God can raise Isaac from the dead, if he please he can give me Isaac back again: and though Isaac were the sonne of promise, yet he trusted Gods Word, more then Isaac the sonne of his love. Why? he knew that God could raise him from the dead, though he had sacrificed him: he trusted in God, who quickneth the dead.Doct. The resurrection an argument to strengthen faith.

The resurrection (then) is an argument to stengthen our faith in all miseries whatsoever.

It strengthens our faith before death, and in death. I will not enter into the common place of that point concerning the resurrection, it would be tedious and unjust, beause it is not intended here, but onelyonly it is used as a special argument. Therefore I will but touch that point.Doct. God will raise from the dead.

God will raise us from the dead.

Nature is more offended at this, then any other thing: But St. Paul makes it cleare, that it is not against nature, that God should raise the dead, 1 Cor. 15. To speake a little of it, and then to speake of the use the Apostle made of it, and of the use that we may make of it. Saith the Apostle in that place, speaking to witty Atheists that thought to have cavilled out the resurrection from the dead: Thou fool, thou speakest against nature, if thou think it altogether impossible.

Look to the seed, do we not see that God every spring raiseth things that were dead? We see in the silk-worm, what an alteration there is from a flie to a worm, &c? We see what men can doe by Art, they make glasses, of what? of Ashes. We see what nature can doe, which is the ordinary providence of God, we see what it can do in the bowels of the earth: What is gold, and silver, and pearle? is it not water and earth, excellently digested, exquisitely concocted and digested? That there should be such excellent things of so base a creature. We see what Art and nature can do. If Art, and nature can do so great things, why do we call in question the power of God? if God have revealed his Will to do so, why do we doubt of this great point of Gods raising the dead?

The Ancients had much adoe with the Pagans about this point, they handled it excellently, as they were excellent in those points which they were forced to by the adversaries, and indeed they were especially sound in those points. I say they were excellent and large in the handling of this: but I will not stand upon that; it is an Article of our Creed, I believe the resurrection of the body: Indeed, he that believeth the first Article of the p. 168Creed, he will easily believe the last: he that believes in God the Father Almighty maker of heaven and earth, he will easily believe the resurrection of the body.

But, I will rather come to shew the Use of it. God will raise the dead; Therefore Gods manner of working is, when there is no hope, in extremity, Gods manner to work when there is no hope.(as I touched before;) he raiseth us, but it is when we are dead: he doth his greatest works when there is least hope. So it is in the resurrection out of troubles, as in the resurrection of the body, when there is no hope at all, no ground in nature, but it must be his power altogether that must do it, then he falls to work to raise the dead.

Therefore our faith must follow his working, he raiseth the dead; he Use. To answer Gods worke with our faith.justifies a sinner: but it is when he is furthest from grace, a sinner despairing of all merciemercy: then he hath the most need of justification. He raiseth the dead, but it is then when they are nothing but dust, then it is time for him to work to raise the dead. He restores, but it is that which is lost. God never forgets his old work, this was his old manner of working at the first, (& still every day he useth it) he made all of nothing, order out of confusion, light out of darkness: This was in the creation, and the like he doth still, he never forgets his old work. This St. Paul being acquainted with he fastneth his hope, and trust upon such a God as will raise the dead. Therefore make that use of it that the Apostle doth, when the Church is in any calamity, which is as it were a death, when it is as in that 37. of Ezekiel, drie bones, Comfort your selves: God comforted the Church there, that he would raise the Church out of Babylon, as he raised those dead bones, the one is as easie as the other. So in the government of the Church continually he brings order out of confusion, light out of darkness, and life out of death, that is, out of extream troubles, when men think themselves dead, when they think the Church dead, past all hope, then he will quicken, and raise it: so that he will never forget this course, till he have raised our dead bodies, and then he will finish that manner of dispensation. This is Gods manner of working.

We must answer it with our faith, that is, in the greatest dejection that can be, to trust in God that raiseth the dead: Faith if it be true, it will answer the ground of it; but when it is carried to God, it is carried to him that raiseth the dead: therefore though it be desperate every way, yet notwithstanding I hope above hope, I hope in him whose course is to raise the dead; who at the last will raise the dead, and still delights in a proportion to raise men from death, out of all troubles and miseries.

Well, this God doth, and therefore carrie it along in all miseries whatsoever, in soul, in body, or estate, or in the Church, &c.

God raiseth from the dead, therefore we must feel our selves dead before we can be raised by his grace. What is the reason that a Papist cannot be a good Christian? he opposeth his own conversion; what is conversion? It is the first resurrection, the resurrection of the soul: but that which is raised must be dead first: they account not themselves dead, and therefore oppose this resurrection. And so when we are dead in grace, or comfort, let us trust in God that raiseth the dead; And so for outward condition in this life, and the estate of the Church.

The conversion of the Jewes, which seems a thing so strange: when a man thinks how they are dispersed, and thinks of their poverty and disgrace, he thinks, Is this a likely matter? Remember what God hath said, p. 169he will raise the dead. And because this is a work that seems as hard as the raysing of the dead, therefore their calling and conversion is called a kind of resurrection, Rom. 11. Let us hope for that: He that raiseth the body, will raise that people, (as despicable as they are,) to be a glorious people, and Church.

And so for the confusion of the man of sin, The revelation of the Gospel, when it came out of the grave of darknesse, out of the Egyptian darknesse of Popery, was it not a raising of the dead?

When Luther arose for the defence of the truth, a man might have said Luther.to him, What? doest thou set thy self against the whole World? go to thy cloyster and say, Lord, have mercy upon us. Doest thou hope to reform the World against all the World? Alas, he trusted in God that raiseth the dead, that raiseth men to conversion when he pleaseth, and that raiseth the Church when he pleaseth, even from death. He raised the Church out of Babylon, And he will raise the Jewes that now are in a dead state: why should we doubt of these things, when we believe, or professe to believe the main, the resurrection from the dead?

And every day in the Church, God is raising the dead spiritually: the dead hear the voyce of Christ every day, when the Ministery is in power, when there is a blessing upon it, conveying it to the heart, then he is raising the dead. So, Wisdom is justified of her children; the Gospel is justified to be a powerful doctrine, having the Spirit of God clothing it, to raise people from the dead, those that are dead in sin.

There are none that ever are spiritually raised, but those that see themselves dead. And that is the reason why we are to abhor Popery, because it teacheth us that we are not dead in our selves, and then there can be no resurrection to grace; for the resurrection is of the dead: the more we see a contrarietie in Nature to Grace, the more fit objects we are for the divine power of God to raise, He raiseth the dead.

Thus we see how to go along with this, in all troubles, God will raise How to argue in extremity.the dead, therefore he will bring me out of this trouble, if he see it good: Therefore in extremity, let us thus reason with our selves: Now I know not which way to turn me; there is but a step between me and death: if God have any purpose to use my service furthet, he that raiseth the dead, will raise me from the grave, to him belong the issues of death, Psal. 67. he can give an evasion and escape if he will: if not if he will not deliver me, then I die in this faith that he will raise me from the dead.

This is that that upholds a Christian in extremity: This made the Martyrs so confident: this made those three young men so resolute that were cast into the fiery Furnace: what was their comfort? Surely this, God can deliver us if he will (say they) he is able to deliver us now: but if he will not do this for us, he will raise our bodies, if he will not deliver them here, there will be a final deliverance at the resurrection.

So in Heb. 11. those blessed men, they hoped for a better resurrection, and this made them confident.

This makes us confident to stand out against all the threatnings and all the crosses of the world, that we may hold our peace with God notwithstanding all the inticements, and allurements to the contrary, because we trust in God that raiseth the dead.

p. 170Again, let us learn to extract contrary principles to Satan, out of Gods To extract contrary principles to Satan.proceedings. What doth he reason, when we are dead, either in sin, or in misery? What hast thou to do with God? God hath forsaken thee: No, saith faith, God is a God raising the dead; the more dead I am in the eye of the world, and in my own sense, the nearer I am to Gods help. I am a despairing sinner, a great sinner: but the more God will magnifie his merey, that where sin hath abounded, grace may abound much more. Retort home the argument, draw contrary principles to him, this is a divine Art which faith hath.

Oh, but then you may presume, and do what you list.

Not so, (retort the argument again upon him) if I do so, God will bring me to death, he will bring me to despair; and who is it that delights to have that course taken with him, to be brought so low? So every way we may retort temptations from this dealing of God. If I be carelesse, he will bring me as low as hell, I shall have little joy to try conclusions with him.

And if thou be low, despair not, thou art the fitter object, God raiseth the dead, therefore I will not add to my sins legal, I will not add this Evangelical sin, this destroying sin of despair, and unbelief; but I will cast my self upon the mercy of God, and believe in him that raiseth the dead; and desire him to speak to my dead soul, which is as rotten as Lazaru's body which had been so long in the grave; that he would say to it, Come forth of that cursed estate; it is but for him to speak the word, to blesse his word, and then it will come out by faith. It is the Art of faith to draw contrary arguments to Satan, and those that belong to God do so in all temptations: but those that do not, they sink lower and lower, having nothing to uphold their souls: they have not learned to trust in God that raiseth the dead.

God is the God that raiseth the dead: Therefore let us oft think of this, To carry our selves as expecting the resurrection.think what God means to do with us, that we may carry out selves answerably, I trust in God that raiseth the dead: Therefore let us honour God while we live, with that body that he will raise: let us be fruitful in our place. Saint Paul drawes this conclusion, 1 Cor. 15. from the resurrection, Finally, my brethren, be constant, unmoveable, alway abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Especially considering that he will raise the dead bodies after a more glorious manner then they are now, he will make a more glorious body. For alway Gods second works are better then his first: he raiseth the dead, and will make our bodies, like the glorious body of Christ.

But the point of the resurrection is very large, and perhaps I shall have better occasion to speak of it afterward. I onelyonly apply it to the present purpose, how it strengthens faith in misery, and in the houre of death.

A man is strengthened in his faith when he thinks, now I am going the way of all flesh, I am to yield my soul to God, and death is to close up mine eyes: yet I have trusted in God, and do trust in God that will raise my body from the grave. This comforts the soul against the horrour of the grave, against that confusion and darknesse that is after death.

Faith seeth things to come as present, it sees the body (after it hath a long time been in the dust) clothed with flesh, and made like the glorious bodie of Christ: faith sees this, p. 171and so a Christian soule dies in faith, and sowes the body as good seed in the ground in hope of a glorious resurrection.

And that comforts a Christian soule, in the losse of children, of wife, of friends, that have been dearest, and nearest to me, I trust in God that raiseth the dead, that he will raise them again, and then we shall all be for ever with the Lord: it is a point of singular comfort: for the maine Articles of our faith, they have a wondrous working upon us, in all the passages of our lives; it is good to think often upon the pillars of our faith, as this is one, That God will raise us from the dead. But I go on to the next verse.