Seven Godly and Fruitful Sermons, Sermon 7
THE SEAVENTH SERMON.
ISAIAH 30. Verſ. 19.
Verſ. 19 Thou ſhalt weepe no more: hee will certainely hauehave mercy vponupon thee at the voice of thy cry: when he heareth thee, he will anſwere thee.
THe purpoſe of theſe words is, to comfort the elect Iewes againſt thoſe ſorrowes and miſeries that ſhould fall vponupon the Church, and Common-wealth. Wherein is declared,
1. Firſt, what fauour the Lord would ſhew them, viz.
1. That albeit they ſhould taſt of the common diſtreſſes which befell the reſt, and ſo be in heauineſſe for a time, yet at length they ſhould be comforted and refreſhed; Thou ſhalt weepe no more.
2. More generally the Prophet affirmeth, that hee will hauehave mercy vponupon them: not naming the particulars, becauſe he intended to inrich them with eueryevery good bleſſing needfull for their ſoules or bodies.
2. Secondly, what duty they were to performe, namely, to craue this fauour at the Lords hands, and that not coldly and ſleightly, but vehemently and earneſtly: and then at the voice of their cry God promiſeth to heare them; yea ſo to heare them, as to anſwere them, in granting that which they ſhould deſire of him: hee could no ſooner heare their crying voice, but they ſhould feele his helping hand.
Verſ. 19. Thou ſhalt weepe no more.] Whence obſerue this doctrine, that
All the ſorrowes and teares of Gods Children ſhall end in ioy. Doct. 5All the afflictions of the Saints ſhall end in conſolations. Iſa. 30.20.29. Pſal. 30.5.
As they hauehave their times of feeding vponupon the bread of aduerſity, and the water of affliction, ſo hauehave they alſo ſeaſons of reioycing, and of ſinging Pſalmes of praiſe for their happie deliuerance out of troubles and miſeries. Heauineſſe may abide at euening, but ioy commeth in the morning. They may ſow in teares for a time, but they ſhall reape in ioy. Eccleſ. 2. vlt.This is the very patrimonie and inheritance of the Saints, as the Wiſe man ſaith, Surely to a man that is good in his ſight, to wit, through Chriſt, God giueth wiſdome, and knowledge, and ioy: this he may build on, and make full account of, euen in the middeſt of all his ſorrow and anguiſh. And there is good reaſon why it muſt needs be thus.
Firſt, Reaſons. 1 becauſe the afflictions of the Saints do exceedingly humble them: for they looke vpward in their diſtreſſes, and behold Gods righteous hand ſmiting them, and thereupon deſcend vntounto themſelues, and diue deepe into their hearts, to ſearch what corruptions doe lurke there, whereby the Lord is incenſed againſt them, that ſo thoſe being remoued by ſound repentance, his heauie diſpleaſure may bee turned away from them, and his louing countenance may ſhine vponupon them. This is it that Gods children will ſooner, or later come vntounto, albeit for a fit they bee paſſionate and diſcontented: they will at length turne their eies from looking vponupon their croſſes, to ſee the true cauſe thereof, and ſo be grieued for their offences againſt God, Ier. 31.19.and ſmite vponupon their thighs in a holy indignation againſt themſelues, in regard of their pride and vnbeleefe and vnthankfulneſſe, and other the like corruptions. They then leaue off muſing on other mens iniuries, and begin to bethinke themſelues of their owne tranſgreſſions, that ſo caſting downe themſelues by godly ſorrow, 1 Pet. 5.6.the Lord may raiſe them vp to pure and holy ioy, which he will certainly doe in due ſeaſon; neither ſhall all their ſinnes and ſorrowes bee able to keepe them downe, when once they are thoroughly humbled vnderunder the holy hand of God. It is his promiſe then to lift them vp, and Chriſt his office to comfort them that mourne: Iſa. 61.and therfore as thoſe that in their miſeries are paſſionate, and deſperate, full of murmuring againſt God, and of fretting againſt men, cannot expect any ioyfull iſſue out of their troubles: ſo on the other ſide, they that are lowly and broken harted, much deiected and abaſed in the preſence of the Lord, and milde and peaceable in their carriage before men, they may be aſſured that all their ſighs ſhall end in ſongs, that all teares ſhall bee wiped away from their eyes, and that in ſtead of the ſpirit of heauineſſe, they ſhall in due time be clad with the garments of gladneſſe.
Secondly, Gods ſeruants doe pray in their afflictions, which is the very high way vntounto ſound comfort: Pſal. 50.Call vponupon me in the time of trouble (ſaith God) and I will deliuer thee, and thou ſhalt glorifie me. This Aſa and Iehoſhaphat had good experience of: for when they being in a great ſtraite, 2. Chron. 14. & 20.had humbled themſelues by faſting and prayer, their hearts were full of ioy, and their mouthes full of the praiſes of the Lord for their wonderfull deliuerance from their enemies. And the like may be ſaid of Heſter and Mordecai, Heſtor.and the reſt of the Iewes in his time. Iohn 16.20.And our Sauiour telleth his Diſciples, Verily, verily I ſay vntounto you, that yee ſhall weepe and lament, but your ſorrow ſhal bee turned into ioy. But by what meanes ſhould they attaine vntounto this? the words following doe make it manifeſt, Ask (ſaith he) and ye ſhall receiue, Verſ. 24.that your ioy may bee full. When Chriſtians doe enioy wealth, and credit, and eaſe, they are oftentimes made ſo dull and ſecure therby, that they hauehave little mind to powre out their ſoules before God in prayer: but when once they are throughly pinched and preſſed with miſeries and calamities, then they begin to renue their acquaintance with God, and ſo bringing before him abundance of holy and heauenly prayers, hee repleniſheth them with ſtore of ſweet and celeſtiall comforts.
A third reaſon hereof may bee taken from the end of Gods afflictions, which is (as hee himſelfe teſtifieth in the booke of Deuteronomie) that hee may doe his children good in the latter end, that hee may make them partakers of his holineſſe, Heb. 12.10.and ſo by conſequent of the conſolations of his ſpirit. Whē God will doe his enemies a notable diſpleaſure, hee ſetteth them aloft in ſlippery places, Pſal. 73.that ſo their fall may bee more fearefull and vnrecouerable: euen ſo on the contrary, when hee purpoſeth ſome extraordinarie benefits vntounto his ſeruants, hee will lay them full low, and afflict them full ſore, (as he did Ioſeph and Dauid) that ſo they may bee more capable of his fauours.
Here commeth to be reproued that faint-heartedneſſe that is in many of Gods children in the daies of their affliction: Vſe 1 who ſeeing that they hauehave many, and great and ſtrange croſſes lying vponupon them, begin to be cleane out of heart, and out of hope, and to make theſe or the like deſperate concluſions; Surely I ſhall neuer winde out of theſe diſtreſſes; my ſtate is paſt recouerie, I neuer looke to ſee ioyfull day more. Theſe are baſe and naughtie, and vnbeleeuing ſpeeches, which doe diſmay the ſoule, and cauſe the parties that vſe them to deſiſt from ſeeking vntounto the Lord for helpe and reliefe: and wretched is that ſorrow that driueth vsus from hope and from prayer. What? can the Lord wound, and can hee not heale? can hee caſt downe, and can he not raiſe vp? can hee kill, and not make aliue? ſhall our faults bee more forcible to procure his diſpleaſure, then Chriſt his merits to recouer his fauour? Away with theſe vnbeleeuing conceits, and diſtruſtfull thoughts and ſpeeches: for he that ſaith hee ſhall neuer liue a comfortable life more, doth in effect ſay thus much, that either he is no true Chriſtian, or the Lord no true God of his word, who hath ſaid, Pſal. 97.11.that light is ſowne for the righteous, and ioy for all that are vpright in heart. Why then ſhould wee not ſuſtaine our ſelues with the expectation of deliuerance to come? and why ſhould we not ſweeten our preſent teares, with the hope of future comforts? The Apoſtle Iames preſſeth the example of the husbandman, who though his barne bee emptie, and his ſeede that he hath caſt into the earrh, not yet appearing aboue ground, Iam. 5.7.8.yet he waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, vntill he receiue the former, and the latter raine. And what of this? Be ye alſo patient therefore (ſaith hee) and ſettle your hearts, &c. And indeed all Chriſtians hauehave reaſon ſo to doe: for they are good ſeedſmen, that are euermore ſowing prayers and teares in the boſome of Ieſus Chriſt: and therefore they hauehave a crop growing, that cannot poſſibly miſcarrie; howſoeuer it fall out vntounto others, they ſhall be ſure to ſpeed well, and to hauehave an happie iſſue out of all their temptations.
Oh but my croſſes and trials are ſtrange and extraordinarie. Obiect.
What of that? were not Iobs ſo, Anſw. in ſo much that no inſtance could bee giuen by him of any of the Saints that had endured the like? yet the Lord made a good and happie end of all his diſtreſſes and miſeries, and ſo will he doe of yours, if in faith and patience you can waite vponupon him. And in truth it is a great diſhonour and indignity that we offer vntounto the Lord, when wee imagine that hee can doe ſomewhat for vsus in ſmall and light afflictions; but if our caſe bee any thing extraordinarie, that then there is no hope of helpe and ſuccour from him: for thereby wee make the Lord ſuch a Pilot as can doe ſomewhat vponupon a ſhallow riuer, where there is little or no danger: but vponupon the maine Ocean, eſpecially if the Sea begin to ſwell and rage, wee dare not truſt vntounto his skill. what vile and baſe vnbeleefe is this? The Prophet Dauid was otherwiſe affected when hee ſaith, Pſal. 46.1.2.3.God is our hope, and ſtrength, a helpe in troubles ready to bee found. Therefore will we not feare, though the earth be moued, and though the mountaines fall into the middeſt of the Sea. Though the waters thereof rage, and the mountaines ſhake at the ſurges of the ſame. And therefore let vsus be aſhamed and grieued that wee hauehave been ſo heartleſſe and hopeleſſe in great extremities.
Secondly, is it ſo, that all the perplexities and anguiſhes of the righteous ſhall end in ioy? Is this a priuiledge and prerogatiue peculiar vntounto them? then how wretched and wofull is the condition of al the vngodly ones of the world, whoſe ſorrow ſhall end in ſorrow, and who ſhall goe from their preſent paine and griefe vntounto perpetuall tortures and torments in hell fire? let them make merrie, and bee as iocund as they will for a time, and ſeeke to put away melancholie fits, as they tearme them; they hauehave a crop growing, as well as Gods children: but what is that? euen a crop of ſhame, and horrour, and anguiſh, which ſhall ſeize vponupon their ſoules at vnawares, and that to their euerlaſting ruine, and the vtter deſtruction of their bodies and ſoules for euermore. And therefore as the godly are to bee exhorted not to enuie the proſperity of the wicked, though they flouriſh for a ſeaſon; ſo are the vngodly to bee admoniſhed that they doe not eſteeme Gods Children to be miſerable, albeit they be in heauineſſe for a time: 2. Cor. 4.for their light and momentanie afflictions ſhall be recompenſed with a farre moſt excellent and eternall weight of ioy and of glory: whereas the ſhort and vaine delights of wicked ſinners ſhall bee infinitely ouerpeiſed and weighed downe with the vnſupportable miſeries, which, if not in this world, yet in that which is to come, they ſhall moſt certainely meete withall.
Thirdly, heere is matter of very great conſolation to all ſuch as are mourners in Sion, though they be weeping when others are reioycing, and faſting, when others are feaſting; yet a time ſhall come, when ſorrow and trouble ſhall flie away, and comfort and peace ſhall ſucceed in the roome thereof: God hath ſaid it, and they ſhall finde it, that it ſhall goe well with the righteous, Iſaiah 4. Pſal. 37.and that the end of ſuch men ſhall be peace.
But if we would be aſſured of this good effect of our afflictions, wee muſt practiſe theſe two rules:
The firſt is, to ſearch, whether the croſſes that lie vponupon vsus, doe come for any ſpeciall ſin of omiſſion, or commiſſion, whereof we are guilty: and if wee vponupon examination finde it to bee ſo, let vsus with all ſpeede remoue that from before Gods eyes: otherwiſe we may be ſure, that the more he loues vsus, the more hee will afflict vsus. If wee bee men or women after Cods owne heart, yet if we liue in ſuch iniquities as are condemned by his word, he will ſtill purſue vsus as hee did Dauid, till hee hauehave reclaimed vsus, and healed our ſinfull ſoules of thoſe wounds that Satan hath giuen them.
The ſecond rule is, that if vponupon triall made wee can ſee no ſpeciall ſin which hath procured Gods correcting hand vponupon vsus, or at leaſt hauehave truly repented for the ſame, if there hauehave been any ſuch committed by vsus, then we ſhould take the affliction to be ſent of God, to try our faith, & to perfect our patience, and other vertues of the ſpirit in vsus: and therefore we muſt poſſeſſe our ſoules in quietneſſe, and labour to ſow plentifully vntounto the Spirit, that ſo at length we may reape abundantly of thoſe comforts which the Lord hath treaſured vp for vsus.
He will certainly hauehave mercy vponupon thee [at the voice of thy cry] Whence this doctrine may bee gathered, that, The way to hauehave mercy from God, is to cry vntounto God. But this point hath been handled elſe where. See the ſecond Sermon on Lament. 3. Doct. 6.
When he heareth thee, he will anſwere thee.] Hence note, that wee are not more ready to aske then God is to grant our requeſts. See booke of the tenne Sermons, the fourth Doct. of the 4. Sermon, where this point is handled.
FINIS.