A Christian Directory
Here also consider what God is for your future good, as well as what he hath been hitherto: How all sufficient, how powerful, merciful and good: But of this more anon.
§. 24. Direct. 7. Improve the vanity and vexation of the Creature, and all thy disappointments, and injuries, and afflictions, to the promoting of thy Love to God. And this by a double advantage: First, By observing that there is nothing meet to divert thy Love, or rob God of it; unless thou wilt Love thy trouble and distress! Secondly, That thy Love to God is the comfort by which thou must be supported under the injuries and troubles which thou meetest with in the world: And therefore to neglect it, is but to give up thyself to misery. [
§. 25. Direct. 8. Labor for the truest and fullest conceptions of the Goodness and excellencies of God, which are his Amiableness; and abhor all misrepresentations of him as unlovely. That which is apprehended as unlovely cannot be loved: And that which is apprehended as evil is apprehended as unlovely. Therefore it is the grand design of Satan to hide God's Goodness, and misrepresent him as evil: Not to deny him to be Good in himself (for in that he hath no hope to be believed); but to persuade men that he is not Good to them▪ or to make them forget or overlook his goodness. Not to persuade them that God is Evil in himself; but that he is evil to them, by restraining them from their beloved sins, and hating them as sinners, and resolving to damn them if they go on impenitently. This which is part of the Goodness of God, he maketh them believe is evil, by engaging them in a way and interest, which he knoweth that God is engaged against, and enticing them under the strokes of his Justice: And he tempteth believers themselves to poor diminutive unworthy thoughts of the Goodness and Mercifulness of God, and to continual apprehensions of his wrath and terrors: And if he can make them believe that God is their enemy, and think of him only as a consuming fire, how little are they like to Love him? If Christians knew how much of the Devils malice against God and them, doth exercise itself in this, to make God appear to man unlovely, they would more studiously watch against such misrepresentations, and fly from them with greater hatred. Not that we must first by the advice of arrogant Reason and self-love, as some do, draw a false description of Goodness and Amiableness in our minds, and make that the measure of our judgment of God, his nature, attributes and decrees; nor take his Goodness to be only his suitableness to our opinions, wills and interest: But we must take out from the word and works of God that true description of his Goodness which he hath given of himself, and expunge out of our conceits whatsoever is contrary to it. Think of God's Goodness in proportion with his other attributes. [O my soul, how unequally hast thou thought of God?
§. 26. Direct. 9. The great Means of promoting Love to God, is duly to behold him in his appearances to man, in the ways of NATURE, GRACE and GLORY: First therefore learn to understand and improve his appearances in NATURE, and to see the Creator in all his works, and by the Knowledge and Love of them to be raised to the Knowledge and Love of him: Though sin hath so disabled us to the due improvement of these Appearances of God in nature, that Grace must restore us, before we can do it effectually and acceptably; yet Objectively Nature is still the same in substance, and affordeth us much help to the Knowledge and Love of God. He knoweth nothing of the world aright, that knoweth not God in it, and by it. Some note that the greatest students in Nature are not usually the best proficience in grace; and that Philosophers and Physicians are seldom great admirers of piety: But this is to judge of the wise by the foolish, and to impute the ignorance and impiety of some, to others that abhor it. Doubtless he is no Philosopher but a fool, that seeth not and admireth not the Creator in his works. Indeed if a man do wholly give himself to know the shape and form of Letters, and to write them curiously, or cut them in brass or stone, or to print them, and not to understand their significations or use, no wonder if he be ignorant of the arts and sciences, which those Letters well understood would teach him: Such a man may be called an Engraver a S • rivener, a Printer but not a Scholar: And no better can the Atheist be call • d a Philosopher or a learned man, that denieth the most wise Almighty author, while he beholdeth his works: When the Nature and Name of God is so plainly • ngraven upon them all. It is a great part of a Christians daily busyness, to see and admire God in his works, and to use them as steps to ascend by to himself Psal 111. 2, 3, 4. The works of the •• rd •• e great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein: His work is hon • urable and gl •• i • us; and his righteousness endureth forever: He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered —Psal. 143. 5▪ I meditate on all thy works: I muse on the works of thy hands. [Psal. 77. 12. I will meditate also of all thy works, and talk of thy d • ings. Psal. 92. 4, 5, 6. For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work; I will triumph in the works of thy hands. A brutish man knoweth not, neither doth a f • ol understand this: As the praising of God's works, so the observing of God in his works, is much of the work of a holy soul. Psal. 145. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: And his greatness is unsearchable: One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts: I will speak of the glorious honor of his Magisty, and of thy wondr • us works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts; and I will declare thy greatness: They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great Goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness:—All thy works shall praise thee O Lord, and thy Saints shall bless thee—The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. Rom. 1. 19, 20. That which may be known of God is manifest to them: For God hath shown it to them: For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made: Even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. ] If we converse in the world as believers or rational creatures ought, we should as oft as David repeat these words. Psal. 107. O that men would praise the Lord for his Goodness! and for his wondr • us works to the Children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare his works with rejoy • ing: They that go down to the sea in ships, that do busyness in great waters: these see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep. verse 21, 22, 23, 24. But this is a subject • itter for a Volume (of Physicks Theologically handled), than for so short a touch. What an excellent Book is the visible world for the daily studies of a holy soul? Light is not more visible to the eye in the Sun, than the Goodness of God is in it and all the creatures to the mind. If I Love not God, when all the word revealeth his Loveliness, and every creature telleth me that he is Good, what a blind and wicked heart have I? O wonderful Wisdom, and Goodness, and Power which appeareth in everything we see? In every Tree, and Plant, and Flower: In every Bird, and Beast, and Fish: In every Worm, and Fly, and creeping thing: In every part of the Body of Man or Beast: Much more in the admirable composure of the whole: In the Sun, and Moon, and Starrs, and Meteors: In the Lightning and Thunder; the Air and Winds; the Rain and Waters; the Heat and Cold; the Fire, and the Earth; Especially in the composed frame of all, so far as we can see them set together: In the admirable order and cooperation of all things: In their times and seasons; and the wonderful usefullness of all for man: O how Glorious is the Power, and Wisdom, and Goodness of God in all the frame of nature! Every creature silently speaks his Praise, declaring Him to Man whose office is, as the worlds High▪Priest, to stand between them and the Great Creator, and expressly offer him the praise of all. Psal. 8. 3, 4, 5, 6, 9. When I consider the Heavens the work of thy fingers, the Moon, and the Starrs which thou hast ordained: What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels; and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands: thou hast put all things under his feet: O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy Name in all the earth? O that men would praise the Lord for his Goodness, and declare his wondrous works to the children of men! The earth is full of the Goodness of the Lord: Psal. 33. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Read Psalm 65. Thus Love God as appearing in the works of Nature.
§. 27. Direct. 10. Study to know God, as he appeareth more clearly to sinners in his Goodness in the works of GRACE; especially in his Son, his Covenant, and his Saints, and there to Love him, in the admiration of his Love. Here Love hath made itself an advantage of our sin, and unworthiness, of our necessities and miseries, of the Law and justice, and the flames of Hell: The abounding of sin and misery hath glorified abounding Grace: That Grace which fetcheth sons for God from among the voluntary vassals of the Devil: Which fetcheth Children of Light out of darkness; and Living souls from among the dead; and heirs for Heaven from the gates of Hell; and brings us as from the Gallows to the Throne. 1. A believing view of the Nature, Undertaking, Love, Obedience, Doctrine, Example, Sufferings, Intercession and Kingdom of JESUS CHRIST, must needs inflame the believers hearts with an answerable degree of the Love of God. To look on a Christ and not Love God, is to have eyes and not to see, and to overlook him while we seem to look on him. He is the liveliest Image of Infinite Goodness, and the messenger of the most unsearchable astonishing Love, and the purchaser of the most invaluable benefits, that ever were revealed to the sons of men. Our greatest Love must be kindled by the Greatest revelations and communications of the Love of God. And Greater Love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends, John 15. 13. that is, Men have no dearer and clearer a way to express their Love to their friends: But that Love is aggravated indeed which will express itself as far for enemies. But God commendeth his Love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. And if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life: Rom. 5. 8, 9, 10. Steep then that stiff and hardened heart in the blood of Christ, and it will melt: Come near with Thomas, and by the passage of his wounds, get near unto his heart, and it will change thy unkind unthankful heart into the very nature of Love. Christ is the best Teacher of the lesson of Love, that ever the world had: who taught it not only by his words, but by his blood: by his life and by his death▪ If thou canst not learn it of him, thou canst never learn it. Love is the greatest commander of Love; and the most effectual argument that can insuperably constrain us to it. And none ever loved at the measure and rates that Christ hath loved. To stand by such a fire, is the way for a congealed heart to melt, and the coldest affections to grow warm. A lively faith still holding Christ, the Glass of infinite Love and Goodness, before our faces, is the greatest Lesson in the Art of Love.
§. 28. 2. Behold God also in his Covenant of Grace, which he hath made in Christ. In that you may see suc • s • r • , such great and wonderful mercies, freely given out to a world of sinners, and to yourselves among the rest, as may afford abundant matter for Love and Thankfulness to feed on while you live. There you may see how loath God is that sinners should perish: How he delighteth in mercy: And how great and unspeakable that mercy is. There you may s • e an Act of Pardon and Oblivion granted upon the reasonable condition of Believing, Penitent Acceptance, to all mankind: The sins that men have been committing many years together, their will • ul h • ynous aggravated sins, you may there see pardoned by more aggravated Mercy: and the enemies of God reconciled to him, and condemned rebels saved from Hell, and brought into his family, and made his sons. [O what an Image of the Goodness of God is apparent in the tenor of his word and Covenant? H • liness and Mercy make up the whole: They are expressed in every leaf and line. The precepts which seem too strict to sinners, are but the perfect Rules of Holiness and Love, for the health and happiness of man. What Loveliness did David find in the Law itself? And so should we, if we read it with his eyes and heart: It was sweeter to him than honey: he loved it above gold, Psalm 119. 127, and 97. he crieth out O how I love thy Law! it is my meditation all the day And must not the Law-giver then be much more lovely, whose Goodness here appeareth to us? Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way: Psalm 25. 8. I will delight myself in thy Commandments which I have loved: My hands also will I lift up to thy Commandments which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes. Psalm 119. 47, 48. How delightfully then should I love and meditate on the Blessed Author of this holy Law? But how can I read the history of Love, the strange design of Grace in Christ, the mystery which the Angels desirously pry into, the p • omises of life to lost and miserable sinners, and not feel the power of Love transform me? Behold with what Love the Father hath Loved us, that we sh • uld be called the sons of God? 1 John 3. 1. How doth God shed abroad his Love upon our hearts, but by opening to us the superabundance of it in his word, and opening our hearts by his spirit to perceive it? O when a poor sinner that first had felt the load of sin, and the wrath of God, shall feelingly read or hear what mercy is rendered to him in the Covenant of Grace, and hear Christ's messengers tell him from God, that All things are now ready, and therefore invite him to the heavenly feast, and even compel him to come in, what melting Love must this affect a sinners heart with? When we see the Grant of Life eternal sealed to us by the blood of Christ, and a pardoning, justifying saving Covenant, so freely made, and surely confirmed to us, by that God whom we had so much offended, O what an incentive is here for Love?
§. 29. When I mention the Covenant, I imply the Sacraments which are but its appendants or confirming seals, and the investing the believer solemnly with its benefits. But in these God is pleased to condescend to the most familiar communion with his Church, that Love and Thankfulness might want no helps. There it is that the Love of God in Christ, applieth itself most closely to particular sinners; And the meat or drink will be sweet in the mouth, which was not sweet to us on the table at all. O how many a Heart hath this affected? How many have felt the stirrings of that Love, which before they felt not, when they have seen Christ crucified before their eyes, and have heard the Minister, in his name and at his command, bid them Take, and Eat, and Drink; commanding them not to refuse their Savior, but Take him, and the benefits of his blood as their own; assuring them of his good will and readiness to forgive and save them?
§. 30. 3. Behold also the Loveliness of God in his Holy ones, who bear his Image, and are advanced by his Love and Mercy: If you are Christians indeed you are taught of God to Love his servants and to see an excellency in the Saints on earth, and make them the people of your delight: Psalm 16. 1, 2. 1 Thes. 4. 9. And this must needs acquaint you with the greater Amiableness, in the most Holy God that made them Holy. O how oft have the feeling and heavenly prayers of lively believers, excited those affections in me, which before I felt not? How oft have I been warmed with their Heavenly discourse? How amiable is that Holy Heavenly disposition and conversation which appeareth in them? Their faith, their Love, their trust in God, their cheerful obedience, their hatred of sin, their desire of the good of all, their meekness and patience: how much do these advance them above the ignorant, sensual, proud, malignant and ungodly world? How Good then is that God that makes men Good? And how little is the Goodness of the best of men, compared to his unmeasurable Goodness? Whenever your converse with holy men, stirs up your Love to them, rise by it presently to the God of Saints, and let all be turned to him that giveth all, to them and you.
§. 31. And as the excellency of the saints, so their privilege and great advancement, should show you the Goodness of God that doth advance them. As oft as thou seest a saint, how poor and mean in the world soever, thou seest a living monument of the abundant kindness of the Lord: Thou seest a child of God, a member of Christ, an heir of Heaven: Thou seest one that hath all his sins forgiven him, and is snatched as a brand out of the fire, and delivered from the power of Satan, and translated into the Kigdom of Christ: Thou seest one for whom Christ hath conquered the powers of Hell; and one that is freed from the bondage of the flesh; and one that of the Devils slave, is made a Priest to offer up the sacrifices of Praise to God. Thou seest one that hath the spirit of God within him; and one that hath daily intercourse with Heaven, and audience with God, and is dearly beloved by him in Christ. Thou seest in flesh a companion of Angels, and one that hath the Divine Nature, and must shortly be above the Stars in glory, and must be with Christ, and must love and magnify God forever. And is not the amiableness of God apparent in such mercy, bestowed upon sinful man? And should we not now begin to admire him in his Saints, and glorify him in believers, who will c • me with thousands of his Angels, to be glorified and admired in them at the last? 2 Thess. 1. 10. O the abundant deliverances, preservations, provisions, encouragements, which all his servants receive •••• God! Who ever saw the just forsak • n, even while they think themselves forsaken? For the L • rd 〈…〉 h jud •• meant▪ and forsaketh not his Saints: they are preserved f • r ever: The Law of his God is in •• s heart: none of his steps shall slide: Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end •• that man is peace: Psal. 37. 25▪ 28, 31, 37. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints: Ps • lm 116. 15. Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his Saints; be delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked: Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upri • ht in heart, Psal. 97. 10, 11. O love the Lord all his Saints! for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the pr • ud doer: Psal. 31. 23.
§. 32. Direct. 11. Insist not so much on your desires after vision, as to undervalue the lower apprehensions of Faith: but love God by the way of Faith, as in order to the Love of Intuition.
We are exceeding • pt to be over-desirous of sight; and to take nothing as an object fit to affect us, which sense perceiveth not. When we have the surest evidence of the truth of things unseen, it hardly satisfieth us, unless we may see or feel. And hereupon our Love to God is hindered; while we think of him as if he were not, or take the apprehensions of faith, as if they were uncertain, and little differed from a dream. Yea, it proveth the ground of most dangerous temptations to Infidelity itself: While we take that knowl • dge which we have of God, in the way of Faith, the Love and Communion which is exercised thereby, to be as nothing; we are next tempted to think, that there is no true knowledge of God, and communion with him to be attained: And when we have been searching and striving long▪ and find that we can reach no more, we are tempted to think that the soul o • man is made but as the beasts, for present things, and is uncapable of those higher things which are revealed in the Gospel, and that if there were indeed a life to come, and man were made to enjoy his God, we should get nearer to him than we are, and know him more, and love him better.
§. 33. Direct. 12. It is a powerful means to kindle the Love of God in a believer, to foresee by faith the glory of Heaven, and what God will be there to his Saints forever. And thus to behold God in his GLORY, is the use of GRACE. Though the manner of knowing him thus by faith, be far short of what we there expect, yet it is the same God, and glory that now we believe, which then we must more openly behold. And therefore as that Apprehension of Love will inconceivably excel the highest which can be here attained; so the fore-thoughts of that doth excel all other arguments and means to affect us here; and will raise us as high as means can raise us. The greatest things, and greatest interest of our souls being there, will greatly raise us to the Love of God, if anything will do it: To foresee how near him we shall be ere long, and what a glorious proof we shall have of his good will! and how our souls will be ravished everlastingly with his Love! To think what hearts the blessed have that see his glory, and live with Christ! How full of love they are? and what a delight it is to them thus to love! must needs affect the heart of a Believer. [
§. 34. Direct. 13. Exercise your souls so frequently and diligently in this way of Love, that the Method of it may be familiar to you, and the means and motives still at hand, and you may presently be able to fall into the way, as one that is well acquainted with it, and may not be distracted and l • st in generals, as not knowing where to fix your thoughts. I know no Methods alone will serve to raise the dead, and cause a carnal senseless heart to love the Lord: But I know that many honest hearts, that have the Spirit of Love within them, have great need to be warned, that they quench not the Spirit, and great need to be directed how to stir up the grace which is given them: and that many live a more dull, or distracted, uncomfortable life, than they would do, if they wanted not Skill and Diligence. The soul is most backward to this highest work; and therefore hath the greater need of helps: And the best have so much need, as that it is well if all will serve to keep up Loving and Grateful thoughts of God upon their minds. And when every Trade, and Art, and Science, requireth diligence, exercise and experience, and all are Bunglers at it at the first, can we reasonably think that we are like to attain any high degrees, with sleight, and short, and seldom thoughts?
§. 35. Direct. 14. Yet let not weak-headed or mel • ncholly persons, set themselves on those Methods or lengths of Meditation, which their heads cannot bear, lest the Tempter get advantage of them, and abate their Love, by making Religion seem a torment to them: but let such take up with shorter obvious Meditations, and exercise their Love in an active obediential way of living. That is the best Physic that is fitted to the Patients strength and case: And thats the best Shoo that is meetest for the foot, and not that which is the biggest, or the finest. It is a great design of Satan to make all duties grievous and burdensome to us; and thereby to cast us into continual pain, and fear, and trouble, and so destroy our delight in God, and consequently our Love. Therefore pretend not to disability for carnal unwillingness and laziness of mind: but yet mar not all by grasping at more than you are able to bear: Take on as you are able, and increase your work, if God increase your strength. If a melancholy person crack his brain with immoderate, unseasonable endeavors, he will but disable himself for all.
§. 36. Direct. 15. Keep clear, and hold fast the Evidences of thy Sincerity, that thou mayest perceive thy interest in the Love of God; and resist the temptations which would hide his Love to thee, and cause thee to doubt of it, or deny it. Satan hath not his end when he hath troubled thee, and robbed thee of thy peace and comfort: It is worse that he is seeking to effect by this: His malice is more against God, than against thee: and more against God and thee in this point of Love, than in any other grace or duty. He knoweth that God esteemeth this most: And he knoweth if he could kill thy love, he kills thy soul. And he knoweth how natural it is to man to love those that love him, and hate those that hate him, be they never so excellent in themselves. And therefore if he can persuade thee into despair, and to think that God hateth thee, and is resolved to damn thee, he will not despair of drawing thee to hate God. Or if he do but bring thee to fear that he loveth thee not, he will think accordingly to abate thy love. I know that a truly gracious soul keepeth up its love, when it loseth its assurance, and mourneth, and longeth, and seeketh in love, when it cannot triumph and rejoice in love: But yet there are some prints left on the heart, of its former apprehensions of the love of God: And such souls exceedingly disadvantage themselves as to the exercises of love, and make it a work of wondrous difficulty. O it will exceedingly kindle love, when we can see God's surest Love-tokens in our hearts, and look to the promises, and say, They are all mine; and think of Heaven, as that which shall certainly be our own: and can say with Thomas, My Lord, and my God: and with Paul, that The life which I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, that loved me, and gave himself for me. Denyal of our grace may seem to be humility, but it tendeth to extinguish Love and Gratitude.
§. 57. But, you will say, I must avoid soul-delusion and Pharisaical ostentation on the other side; and few reach assurance: how then should we keep up the Love of God?
Answ. 1. Though I am not come to the point of Trying and Discerning Grace, I shall give you this much help in the way, because it is so useful to the exercises of Love. 1. If you have not Enjoying delighting Love, yet try whether you have not Desiring seeking Love. Love appeareth as truly in de • i •• ng and seeking Good as in delighting in it. Poor men show their Love of the world, by Desiring and seeking it, as much as rich men do in delighting in it. What is it that you most desire and seek? 2. Or if this be so weak that you scarce discern it, do you not find a mourning and lamenting Love? You show that you loved your money, by mourning when you lose it; and that you loved your friend by grieving for his death, as well as by delighting in him while he lived. If you heartily lament it as your greatest unhappiness and loss, when you think that God doth cast you off, and that you are void of Grac • , and cannot serve and honor him as you would, this shows you are not void of Love. 3. If you feel not that you Love him, do you feel that you would fain Love him, and that you Love to Love him? If you do so, it is a sign that you do Love him? When you do not only desire to find such an Evidence of salvation in you, but when you desire Love itself, and Love to Love God. Had you not rather have a heart to Love him perfectly, than to have all the riches in the world? Had you not rather live in the Love of God, if you could reach it, than to live in any earthly pleasure? If so, be sure he hath your hearts. The Will is the Love, and the Heart; If God have your Will he hath your Heart and Love. 4. What hath your Hearts if he have them not? Is there anything that you prefer and seek before him, and that you had rather have than him? Can you be content without him, and let him go, in exchange for any earthly pleasure? If not, it is a sign he hath your Hearts. You love him sa • ingly if you set more by nothing else than by him. 5. Do you love his holy Image in his word? Do you delight and meditate in his Law, Psalm 1. 2. Is it in your hearts? Psalm 40. 8. Or do you pray, Incline my heart unto thy Testimonies? Psalm 119. 36. If you love God's Image in his word, (the wisdom and holiness of it) you love God. 6. Do you love his Image on his Children? If you Love them for their heavenly wisdom and holiness, you so far Love God. He that loveth the Candle for its light, doth love the light itself and the sun: He that loveth the wise and holy for their wisdom and holiness, doth love wisdom and holiness itself. The word and the saints being more in the reach of our sensible apprehensions, than God himself is, we ordinarily feel our Love to them, more sensibly than our Love to God; when indeed it is God in his word and servants that we love: 1 John 3. 14. Psalm 15. 4. 7. Though for want of Assurance you feel not the delights of Love, have you not a heart that would delight in it more than in all the riches of the world, if you could but get assurance of your interest? Would it not comfort you more than anything if you could be sure he Loveth you, and could perfectly Love him and obey him? If so, it is not for want of Love that you delight not in him, but for want of Assurance. So that if God have thy heart, either in a delighting Love, or a seeking and desiring, or a lamenting mourning Love, he will not despise it or reject it. He is • igh to them that be of a broken heart, Psalm 34. 18. A broken and contrite heart is his sacrifice, which he will not despise, Psalm 51. 17. The good Lord will have mercy on everyone that prepareth their hearts to seek him, though they do it not according to the preparation of the sanctuary. 2 Cor. 30. 18, 19. By these Evidences you may discern the sincerity of Love in small degrees; and so you may make Love the occasion of more Love, by discerning that Goodness of God which is manifested to you in the least.
§. 38. 2. But suppose you cannot yet attain assurance: Neglect not to improve that Goodness and Mercy of God which he revealeth to you in the state that you are in? Love him but as Infinite Goodness should be loved, who so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life, John 3. 16. Love him as the most blessed merciful God, who made you and all things, and hath given to the world an universal pardon, on condition of their penitent acceptance, and offereth them everlasting life, and all this purchased by the blood of Christ: Love him as one that offereth you reconciliation, and entreateth you to be saved; and as one that delighteth not in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn and live, and as one that would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, though he will save none but the penitent, that do acknowledge the truth. And when you love him sincerely on these accounts, you will have the evidence of his special Love to you.
§. 39. Direct. 16. Improve thy sense of natural and friendly love, to raise thee to the Love of God. When thou seest or feelest what Love a parent hath to children, and a Husband to a wife, or a Wife to a Husband, or faithful friends to one another, think then [What Love do I owe to God?
§. 40. Direct. 17. Think oft how delightful a life it would be to thee, if thou couldst but live in the Love of God: And then the complacency will provoke desire, and desire will turn thy face towards God till thou feel that thou lovest him. The Love of a friend hath its sweetness and delight: and when we Love them we feel such pleasure in our Love that we Love to Love them. How pleasant then would it be to Love thy God?
§. 41. Direct. 18. In thy Meditations upon all these incentives of Love, preach them over earnestly to thy Heart, and expostulate and plead with it by way of soliloquy, till thou feel the fire begin to burn. Do not only Think on the Arguments of Love, but dispute it out with thy Conscience, and by expostulating earnest reasonings with thy heart, endeavor to affect it. There is much more moving force in this earnest talking to ourselves, than in bare cogitation, that breaks not out into mental words. Imitate the most powerful Preacher that ever thou wast acquainted with: And just as he pleadeth the case with his hearers, and urgeth the truth and duty on them, by reason and importunity, so do thou in secret with thyself. There is more in this than most Christians are aware of, or use to practice. It is a great part of a Christians skill and duty to be a good preacher to himself. This is a lawful and a gainful way of preaching. No body here can make question of thy call, nor deny thee a License, nor silence thee, if thou silence not thyself. Two or three sermons a week from others, is a fair proportion: but two or three sermons a day from thyself, is ordinarily too little. Therefore I have added soliloquies to many of these Directions for Love, to show you how by such pleadings with yourselves, to affect your hearts and kindle Love.
§. 42. And O that this might be the happy fruit of these Directions with thee that art now reading or hearing them! That thou wouldst but offer up thy flaming Heart, to Jesus Christ our Great High Priest, to be presented an acceptable sacrifice to God! Or if it flame not in Love as thou desirest, yet give it up to the Holy Spirit to increase the flames. Thou little knowest how much God setteth by a Heart. He calleth to thee himself, My son, give me thy heart. Prov. 23. 26. Without it, he cares not for anything that thou canst give him: He cares not for thy fairest words without it: He cares not for thy loudest prayers without it: He cares not for thy costliest alms or sacrifices, if he have not thy heart. If thou give all thy goods to feed the poor, and give thy body to be burnt, and have not Love, it will profit thee nothing: If thou speak with the tongue of Men and Angels, and hast not Love, thou art but as sounding brass or a tinkling Cymbal: If thou canst prophecy, and preach to admiration, and understand all mysteries and knowledge, and hadst faith to do miracles, and have not Love, thou art Nothing: 1 Cor. 13. 1, 2, 3. Thou hast but a shadow, and wantest that which is the substance and life of all. Come then and make an agreement with God, and resolve now to Offer him thy Heart: He asketh thee for nothing which thou hast not: It is not for riches and lands that he seeketh to thee; for then the poor might say as Peter, silver and gold have I none: Give him but such as thou hast, and it sufficeth. He knoweth that it is a polluted sinful heart: but give it him, and he will make it clean: He knoweth that it is an unkind heart, that hath stood out too long: but give it him yet, and he will pardon and accept it. He knoweth that it is an unworthy heart: but give it him, and he will be its worth. Only see that you give it him entirely and unreservedly; for he will not bargain with the Devil or the world, for the dividing of thy heart between them. A half heart and a hollow heart, that is but lent him till fleshly interest or necessity shall call for it again, he will not accept. Only resign it to him, and do but Consent that thy Heart be his, and entirely and absolutely his, and he will take it and use it as his own. It is his own by title; Let it be also so by thy Consent. If God have it not, who shall have it? Shall the world, or pride, or fleshly lust? Did they make it? or did they purchase it? Will they be better to thee in the time of thy extremity? Do they bid more for thy heart than God will give thee? He will give thee his Son; and his Spirit, and Image, and the forgiveness of all thy sins: If the greatest gain, or honor, or pleasure will win it and purchase it, he will have it: If Heaven will buy it he will not break with thee for the price. Hath the world and sin a greater price than this to give thee? And what dost thou think that he will do with thy Heart? and how will he use it, that thou art loath to give it him? Will he blind it, and deceive it, and corrupt it, and abuse it, and at last torment it, as Satan will do? No; he will more illuminate it, and cleanse it, and quicken it, Psalm 51. 10. Ephes. 2. 1. Ier. 24. 7. He will make it new, and heal and save it: Ezek. 36. 26. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Tit. 3. 3. 5. and 2. 14. He will advance and honor it, with the highest relations, employments and delights: For Christ hath said, John 12. 26. [ If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: If any man serve me, him will my Father honor ] He will Love it, and govern it, and comfort it, and the Heart that is delivered to him shall be kept • ear unto his own: John. 26. 27. For the Father himself loveth you (saith Christ) because you have loved me. —Whereas if thou deliver not thy heart to him, it will feed on the poison of Iuscious vanity, which will gripe and tear it when it is down: it will be like a house that nothing dwelleth in, but Dogs, and Flies, and Worms, and Snakes: it will be like one that is lost in the Wilderness, or in the night, that tireth himself in seeking the way home, and the longer the worse: Despair and Restlesness will be its companions forever. Let me now once more in the name of God bespeak thy Heart? I will not use his commands or threatenings to thee now, (though these as seconds must be used) because that Love must have attractive arguments, and is not raised by mere authority or fear: If there be not Love and Goodness enough in God, to deserve the highest affections of every reasonable creature, then let him go, and give thy Heart to one that's better. Hear how God pleadeth his own cause with an unkind unthankful people, Mic. 6. 2, 3. Hear O ye mountains the Lord's controversy—O my people what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. What is there in him to turn away thy heart? Let malice itself say the worst without notorious impudence▪ against him: What hath he ever done that deserveth thy disaffection and neglect? What wouldst thou have to win a heart that is not in him? For which of his mercies or excellencies is it, that thou thus contemnest and abusest him? What dost thou want that he cannot, yea or will not give thee? Doth not thy tongue speak honourably of his Goodness, while thy heart contradicteth it, and denieth all? What hast thou found that will prove better to thee? Is it sin or God that must be thy glory, rest and joy, if thou wilt not be a firebrand of restlessness and misery forever? What sayest thou yet sinner? Shall God, or the world and fleshly pleasures have thy Heart? Art thou not yet convinced which best deserveth it, and which will be best to it? Canst thou be a loser by him? Will he make it worse, and sin make it better? Or wilt thou ever have cause to repent of giving it up to God, as thou hast of giving it to the world and sin? I tell thee, if God have not thy Heart, it were well for thee if thou hadst no Heart—I had a thousand times rather have the Heart of a dog or the basest creature, than that man's heart that followeth his fleshly lusts, and is not unfeignedly delivered up to God through Christ.
If I have not prevailed with your hearts for God, by all that I have said, your Consciences shall yet bear me witness, that I shown you God's title, and love, and goodness, and said that which ought to have prevailed: and you shall find ere long, who it is that will have the worst of it: But if you resolve and Give them presently to God, he will entertain them, and sanctify and save them: And this happy day and work will be the Angels joy, Luke 15. 7, 10. and it will be my joy, and especially your own everlasting joy.
DIRECT. XII. Trust God with that soul and body which thou hast delivered up and dedicated to him; and quiet thy mind in his Love and faithfulness, whatever shall appear to thee, or befall thee in the world.
§. 1. I Shall here briefly show you; 1. What is the Nature of this Trust in God: 2. What are the contraries to it: 3. What are the Counterfeits of it: 4. The Usefulness of it: And then 5. I shall give you some Directions how to attain and exercise it.
I. To Trust in God is, upon the apprehension of the All-sufficiency, Goodness and faithfulness of God, to quiet our hearts in the expectation of the safety or benefits from him which we d • sire, rejecting the cares, and fears, and griefs that would disquiet them, if they had not the refuge of these hopes. It containeth in it a crediting the Word or Nature of God, or judging it to be a sufficient ground of our security and expectation: And then security and expectation built upon that ground make up the rest of the nature of trust. Looking for the benefit, and finding a complacency and quietness of mind, in the ground discovered, and ceasing all other cares and fears which would else disquiet us. Aquinas and other School-men often call Affiance, spes roborata, a confirmed hope. There is a twofold Trust in God • One is for that which he hath not promised to do: but yet we think that we find reason sufficient from his Nature itself, and relations, to expect: This may be more or less certain and strong, as our collection of the Will of God from his Nature, is more or less sure and clear. The other is, when we have not only God's Nature, but his Promise also to trust upon: And this giveth us a certainty (it we certainly understand his promise.) To the last sort I may reduce that trust in God for particular benefits, when we have only a promise in General, which maketh not the particulars known and c • rtain to us: As the promise that all shall work together for our good, doth give us but a probability of health or outward protection and deliverances, because we are uncertain how far they are for our good. All that is promised is sure: But whether this or that be good for us, must be otherwise known. But those general promises which contain particulars as surely known as the promise itself, do make everyone of the particular benefits as sure by promise as the general: As the promise of the pardon of all our sins, ascertaineth us of the pardon of every sin in particular. Where there is a promise, we Trust God's faithfulness as well as his Nature; but where there is none, we Trust his Nature only. As a Child doth quietly trust his Parents, without a promise, that they will not kill, or torment, or forsake him. But because man is apt to make false collections of God's will from his Nature, he hath given us such clear expressions of it in his word, as may bring us above uncertain probabilities, and are sufficient for faith to ground upon (supposing God's properties) for our Government and peace. And it is certain that all Collections of God's will which are contrary to his Word, are the errors of the Collector.
§. 2. In what I have said in this Direction, I desire you chiefly to observe these three things: 1. That God's Nature, and Love are the sufficient general security to the soul: 2. That his Promise is the sufficient particular security: 3. And that our unfeigned self-dedication to him, is our sufficient evidence of our interest in his Love and Covenant, which may warrant our special Trust and expectations.
§. 3. II. The contraries to Trust in God are 1. Privative: not trusting him: not seeing the ground of just security in his Love and Promise: not crediting what is seen: not ceasing disquietness and distrustful cares and fears. 2. Positive distrust: supposing the All-sufficiency, Goodness and Promises of God, are not sufficient grounds of our expectation and security: and thereupon disquieting our minds with sinful fears, and griefs, and cares, and shifting endeavors for ourselves some other way: And this hath various degrees: In some it is predominant; in others not. 3. Opposite or adverse: When we Trust ourselves, or friends, or wealth, or something else instead of God, either against him, without him, or in co-ordination with him.
§. 4. III. The Counterfeits of this Trust are these: 1. When indeed we trust in our wit, or power, or shifts, or friends, or in some means or creatures only, or in co-ordination with God, but pretend and think that we do it but in subordination to him, and that our primary trust is in him alone. The detection of this is by trying how we can trust God alone, when he giveth us a promise and no probable means. 2. Pretending to trust God alone in the neglect of those means which he hath appointed us to use; and in the neglect of those duties which he hath made the condition of his promises: And this Trust is but a self-deceiving cover for sin and sloth. 3. Pretending to Trust God in the use of self-devised sinful means; when he hath promised a blessing to no such means, but threatened them with a curse. 4. Thinking we Trust God, when it is some false revelation of the Devil, or some d • lution of deceivers, or some dream, or fancy, or brain-sick proud conceit of our own, which indeed we believe, and ground our Trust upon: as those do that are deluded by false Prophets and false Teachers, and phantastical fancies of their corrupted imaginations. 6. When men in presumption and carnal security will rashly venture their souls in the darkness of uncertainty (as well as in the neglect of a holy life) and cast away all the sense of their miserable state, and all the necessary fear and care that tendeth to their recovery, and persuade themselves that they are in no great danger, or that their care will do no good, and call all this, A trusting God with their salvation. 7. A pretending to trust God for that which is contrary to his Nature: as to love the wicked with compl • c • n • y; or to take them into Heaven. 8. A pretending to trust God for that which is contrary to his W •• d: as to save the unregenerate and unholy: And so [ not-believing him ] itself, is taken for a believing in him, or trusting him. 9. Pretending to believe and trust him for that which neither his Nature or his Word did ever declare to be his will: in matters which he hath kept secret, or never gave us any revelation of: such is that which some call A particular faith: As to believe in prayer that some particular never promised shall be granted, because we ask it, o • because we feel a strong persuasion that it will be so.
§. 5. Qu. But is not such a particular faith and trust Divine and solid? Answ. To expect any particular mercy which God's Nature, or Word, or Works do tell us that he will give, is sound and warrantable: And to expect any particular thing which by inspiration, prophecy, or true extraordinary revelation shall be made known to us: For this is a word of God: But all other belief and expectation is but self-promising and self-deceiving. And wise men will not easily take themselves for Prophets, nor take anything for an inspiration, or divine extraordinary revelation, which bringeth not the testimony of cogent evidence.
§. 6. IV. There are three Great Uses and benefits of this Trust in God, which highly commend it to us, and make it necessary. 1. It is necessary to our Acknowledgement and Honouring of God. It is a cordial practical confession of his Power, and Wisdom and Goodness and Truth: For where any one of these are wanting, there is no ground of rational Trust. And the greater the danger or assault against us is, the more God is acknowledged and honored by our Trust: For then we declare, that no creature, or impediment can disappoint his will, but that his Power is above all Power, and his Wisdom above all Wisdom, and his goodness and fidelity constant and invincible. Whereas Distrust is a denying of God in some of his attributes, or a suspecting of him. 2. It is necessary to ourselves, for the quiet, and peace and comfort of our minds, which else will be left unavoidably to continual disquietness and pain, by vexatious fears, and griefs, and cares, unless stupidity or deceit should ease them. 3. It is necessary to prevent the errors and sinful miscarriage of our lives. For if we Trust not in God, we shall spend all our thoughts and labors in the use of sinful means: we shall be trusting idolatrously to the creature, and we shall be shifting for ourselves by lies or any unlawful means, and lose ourselves by saving ourselves, as from God, or without God.
§. 7. Hence it is that Trust in God is so frequently and earnestly commanded in the Scriptures, and such blessings promised to it, as if it were the sum of Godliness and Religion, Jer. 17. 5. 7. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord—Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. Prov. 16. 20. Who so trusteth in the Lord, happy is he. Psalm 2. 12. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. So Psal. 84. 12. & 34. 8. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psal. 32. 10. & 57. 1. & 86. 2. & 22. 4, 5, 8. Safety, stability, comfort, salvation, all mercies are promised to them that trust in God. Psal. 34. 22. & 37. 3, 5. 40. & 91. 2, 4. & 125. 1. Isa. 50. 10. So faith in Christ is called Trust: Matth. 12. 21. Ephes. 1. 12, 13. And Idolaters and worldlings are described by Trusting in their Idols, and their Wealth, Psalm 115. 8. & 135. 18. Amos 6. 1. Mar. 10. 24. Prov. 11. 28. & 28. 26.
§. 7. Directions for a quieting and comforting Trust in God.
Direct. 1. Let thy soul retain the deepest impressions of the Allmightiness, Wisdom Goodness, and faithfulness of God, and how certainly all persons, things and events are in his power, and how impotent all the world is to resist him, and that nothing can hurt thee, but by his consent. The principal means for a confirmed confidence in God, is to know him, and to know that all things that we can fear, are nothing, and can do nothing, but by his command, and motion, or permission. I am not afraid of a Bird or a Worm, because I know it is too weak for me: And if I rightly apprehend how much all creatures are too weak for God, and how sufficient God is to deliver me, his Trust would quiet me: Isa. 41. 10. Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee —So v. 13, 14. & 43. 1. & 44. 2. 8. Psal. 9. 10. They that know thy name, will put their trust in thee: Isa. 51. 7, 8. H • arken unto me ye that know righteousness, the people in wh • se heart is my Law: Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be afraid of their revilings, for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, the Worm shall eat them like Wooll.
§. 9. Direct. 2. Labor for a sound and clear understanding of the promises of God, that thou mayest know how far he calleth thee to trust him. For to think that he promiseth what he doth not, is not to trust him, but to deceive thyself: And to think that he doth not promise what indeed he doth, is to cast away the Ground of trust.
§. 10. Direct. 3. Yield not to the Tempter, who would either enti • e thee into terrifying guilt, and blot thine evidences, or else hide them from thee, and keep thee doubtful and suspicious of the Love of God. For almost all that the distrustful soul hath to say for itself, to justify its distrust is, I am not sure that the promises are mine. Remember still, that a Heart dedicated to God, or consenting to his Covenant, is your fullest Evidence: And suffer not this to be hid or blotted. Wilful sin and guiltiness breeds fears, and will interrupt your trust and quiet till it be forsaken.
§. 11. Direct. 4. Remember the Grounds of confidence and quietness which God hath given you in his Son, his Covenant, his Spirit, his Sacraments, and your own and others manifold experiences. I name them all together, because I would have you set them all together before your eyes. Will he not give you all things with him, that hath given you his Son? Rom. 8 32. Is not Christ a sufficient undertaker and encourager? Is not his Covenant, Promise and Oath sufficient security for you? Wherein God willing more abundantly to show to the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an Oath, that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation —Heb. 6. 17, 18. And is not the Heavenly seal and earnest of his Spirit, sufficient to confirm us? 2 Cor. 1. 22. & 5. 5. Ephes. 1. 13, 14. & 4. 30. And have you tried God so oft, and yet cannot you trust him? Our frequent experiences, though the least of all these helps of Trust, are very powerful, because they are near us, and almost satisfy sense itself? When all our bones say, Lord who is like unto thee, who deliverest the poor, &c. Psal. 35. 10.
§. 12. Direct. 5. Consider of the greatness of the sin of distrust; how it denieth God in his Attributes, and usually supposeth the creature to be above him. Either thou doubtest of, or deniest his Power to help thee, or his Wisdom as deficient in making his promises, or finding out the means of thy deliverance, or his Goodness and Love, as if he would deceive thee; and so his Truth and faithfulness in his promises. And if thou fear a man, how great soever, when God calleth thee to Trust him for thy help, what dost thou but say, This man is more powerful than God? Or God cannot deliver me out of his hands. If it be want, or sickness, or death which thou fearest, what dost thou but say in thy heart, that God either knoweth not what is best for thee, so well as thou knowest thyself, or else is not Powerful or Gracious enough to give it? nor true enough to keep his promise. He that believeth not, makes God a liar, 1 John 5. 10, 11.
§. 13. Direct. 6. Remember that Trusting God doth as it were oblige him, and distrusting him doth greatly disoblige him: especially when anything else is trusted before him. If any man trust you upon any encouragement given him by you, you will take yourselves obliged to be trusty to him; and not to fail any honest trust. But if he trust you not, or trust another, you will turn him off to those that he hath trusted. God may say to thee, Let them help thee whom thou hast trusted: Thou trustedst not in me; and therefore I fail not thy trust when I forsake thee.
§. 14. Direct. 7. Remember that thou must trust in God or in nothing. For nothing is more sure, nor more frequently experienced, than that all things else are utterly insufficient to be our help. Shall we choose a broken reed, that we know before hand will both deceive and pierce us? Woe to the man that hath no surer a foundation for his Trust than Creatures? The greatest of them are unable: and the Best of them are untrusty and deceitful. How sad is thy case, if God turn thee off to these for help in the hour of thy extremity? Then wilt thou perceive, that it is better to trust in the Lord, than to put any confidence in Princes: Psal. 118. 8, 9. The righteous shall see, and fear, and laugh at him: Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness: Psal. 52. 6, 7. But they that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, that cannot be removed, but abideth forever, Psal. 125. 1. Creatures will certainly deceive thy trust; but so will not God.
§. 15. Direct. 8. Believe and remember the particular providence of God, which regardeth the falling of a Sparrow on the ground, and numbereth the very hairs of your heads. Matth. 10. 30. And can you distrust him that is so punctually regardful of your least concernments? that is always present, and watcheth over you? You need not fear his absence, disregard, forgetfulness or insufficiency. Doth he number your hairs, and doth he not number your groans, and prayers, and tears? How then doth he wipe away your tears, and put them all as in his bottle? Psal. 56. 8. Rev. 7. 17.
§. 16. Direct. 9. Compare God with thy dearest and most faithful friend, and then think how boldly thou caust trust that friend if thy life or welfare were wholly in his hand; and how much more boldly thou shouldst trust in God, who is more wise, and kind, and merciful, and trusty, than any mortal man can be. When thou art in want, in prison, in sickness and in pain, expecting death; think now if my life, or health, or liberty were absolutely in the power of my surest friend, how quietly could I wait? and how confidently could I cast away my fears, though I had no promise what he would do with me: For I know he would do nothing but what is for my good: And is not God to be trusted in much more? Indeed a friend would ease my pain, or supply my wants, or save my life, when God will not: But that is not because God is less kind, but because he is more wise, and better knoweth what tendeth to my hurt or good? My friend would pull off the Plaister as soon as 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 I complain of smart, but God will stay till it have done the cure. But sure God is more to be trusted for my real final good, though my friend be forwarder to give me ease. All friends may fail, but G • d 〈◊〉 faileth.
§. 17. Direct. 10. Make use of the natural Love of quietness, and thy natural weariness of tormenting c • res, and fea •• , and s • rrows, to move thee to cast thyself on God, and quiet thy soul in trusting on him. For God hath purposely made thyself and all things else insufficient, unsatisfactory and v • xatious to the • , that thou mightest be driven to rest on him alone, when nothing else affords the • •• st. Cares, and fears, and unquietness of mind are such Thorns and Briars as nature cannot love •• be content with: And you may be sure that you can no way be delivered from them, but by trusting upon God. And will you choose care and torment, when so sure and cheap a way of case, is s • t before you? Who can endure to have fears torment him, and cares feed daily upon his heart, that may safely be delivered from it? An ulcerated, f • stered, pained mind, is a greater cala • ity, than any bodily distress alone. And if you be cast upon your own care, or committed to the trust of any creature, you can never rationally have peace. For your own ease and comfort then betake yourselves to God, and cast all your care and burden on him, who careth for you, and knoweth perfectly what you want, 1 Pet. 5. 7. Matth 6. 32. Read often Matth. 6. from • . 2 • . How sweet an • ase and quietness is it, to the mind that can confidently trust in God? How quiet is he from the storms of trouble, and the sickness of mind which others are distressed with? Is • . 26. 3, 4. Thou will • keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in th • e; Trust •• in the Lord forever: for in the Lord J • hovah is everlasting strength, Psal. 112. 7, 8. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord: His heart is established, • e shall not be afraid —Psal. 31. 19, 20. O how great is thy goodness which thou hast l • id up for them that fear thee? which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee, before the Sons of men? Th • u shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in thy p • vili • n from the strife of tongues. 24. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, •• ye that hope in the Lord, Psal. 56. 3, 4. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee: In God I will pr • ise his word: In God have I put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. How easy and sweet a life is this?
§. 18. Direct. 11. Remember that Distrust is a pregnant multiplying sin, and will carry thee to all iniquity and mise • y, if thou suffer it to prevail. Distrusting God is but our entrance upon a life of error, sin and woe: It presently sets us on idolatrous confidence on flesh, and sinful shifts, and stretching conscience; It deludeth our judgments, and maketh everything seem Lawful, which seems necessary to our safety and welfare; and everything seem necessary, without which man cannot accomplish it. All sinful complyances, and temporizings, and man-pleasing, and believing sinful means to be no sin, proceed from this Distrust of God.
§. 19. Direct. 12. Suffer not distrustful thoughts and reasonings in thy mind, but cast them out, and command them to be gone. Cogitations are the instruments of good and evil in the mind of man: They cannot be acted but by Thoughts: And the will hath more command of the Thoughts, than it hath immediately of the passions themselves. If you cannot Trust God so quietly as you would, no • keep under every fearful apprehension, yet keep out, or cast out the Thoughts which exercise your sin; and turn your thoughts to something else. If thoughts do not actuate it, your distrustful fears and cares will vanish. What are your cares, but the turmoiling of your thoughts? continually feeding upon difficulties and trouble, and tiring themselves with hunting about for help? Cast away the thoughts, and the cares are gone. You may do much in this, if you will, though it be difficult. Matth. 6. 25. Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your b • dies, what ye shall put on —27, 28. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? —
§. 20. Direct. 13. When commands will not prevail, rebuke and chide thy unbelieving heart, and reason it out of its. distrustful cares, and fears, and sorrows. Say to it as David oft, Psal. 42. & 43. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art th • u so disquieted within me? Trust in God, for I shall yet give him thanks, who is the health of my coun • enance, and my God. O foolish soul! Hast thou yet learned no better to know thy God? Doth he support the Heavens and the Earth, and the whole Creation? and yet canst not thou rely upon him? Is he not wise enough to be trusted with the conduct and disposal of thee? Is he not good and gracious enough to be trusted, with thy life, estate, and name, and welfare? Is he not great and powerful enough to be trusted, against the greatest danger, or difficulties, or opposition that ever can befall thee? Is • e not true and faithful enough to be trusted, whatever improbabilities may arise before thee? Where dwelt the man, and what was his name, that ever trusted him in vain, or was ever failed or deceived by him? Are not his Son, and Spirit, and Covenant, and Oath, sufficient pledges of his love for thy security? How oft hath he performed his promises to thee? and heard thy cries? and helped and saved thee in thy distress? How oft hath he confuted thine unbelief? and shamed thy distrustful fears and cares? And then thou couldst resolve to trust him better in the next distress. And shall all his wonders of mercy be forgotten? and all thy contessions, thanksgivings and promises be now repented of, contradicted or recanted, by thy renewed distrust and unbelief? Is he not the same God, that hath so frequently and abundantly had mercy on thee? Is he not the same God, that hath saved all that trusted in him, and wrought such wonders for his servants in the earth, and brought so many safe to Heaven? Our Fathers trusted in him: they trusted and he delivered them: they cried to him, and were delivered: they trusted in him, and were not confounded, Psal. 22. 4, 5. And is he not sufficient for thee, that is sufficient for all the world? Who ever sped ill that trusted in him? or who hath prospered by trusting in themselves or any other, without him, or against him? Unworthy soul! Wilt thou Atheistically deny the sufficiency, or truth, or goodness of thy God? Shall thy distrust deny him, or blaspheme him? Wilt thou Idolatrously set up a Worm above him? Is there more in man, or anything else, to hurt or ruin thee, than in God to save thee? Whom wilt thou trust, if thou trust not God? Darest thou think that any other is fitter for thy confidence? Thou wouldst be quiet and confident if thy dearest friend, had thy life or welfare in his hands? and art thou troubled now it is in the hands of God? Is he enough to be our endless happiness in Heaven, and not to be thy confidence on earth? Canst thou trust him to raise thy body from the dust, and not raise thy state, or name, or troubled mind? Either take him for thy Rock and hope, or never pretend to take him for thy God. If thou trust not in him, thou must despair, or trust against him? And who wilt thou trust to save thee from him? Hadst thou no more encouragement to trust him, but this, that he hath bid thee trust him, thou mightest be sure he never would deceive thee. Lament therefore thy disquietment and self-tormenting fears: Lament thy injurious distrust of thy most dear All-mighty Father. Choose not vexation, when the harbor of his Love is open to secure thee. If men or Devils are against thee, say as those believers, Dan. 3. 16, 17. We are not careful to answer thee in this matter: our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us —Go on with Daniel (6.) in praying to thy God, and trust him with the Lions Jaws. Commit thy way unto the Lord: Trust in him and he shall bring it to pass. Psal. 37. 5. Some trust in Chariots, and some in Horses, but I will remember the name of the Lord our God. Psal. 20. 7. Trust in him, for he is thy Help and Shield, Psal. 115. 9, 10, 11.
§. 21. Direct. 14. Take not the sayings of the Tempter or thy own distrustful heart, for the sayings of God, or for any reason against thy confidence in him. Some take all the malicious suggestions of the Devil, for reasons of their disquietness and fears, as if it were the Spirit of God, that raised all the terrors and molestations in them, which are raised by the enemy of God and them: And they fear when Satan bids them, thinking it is the Spirit of God; and they dare not Trust God when he commandeth them, for fear le • t it be the will of Satan. Some are so strongly affected with their own conceits and fancies, that they think God saith all that their hearts or fancies say; and make one fear the reason of another. Thy Heart is not so wise or good, as that thou shouldst take all its words, for the words of God. Thy flesh and thy heart may fail thee, when God who is the Rock of thy heart, and thy portion, will never fail. Psal. 73. 26. Thy heart may say, I have no grace, no help, no hope, when God never said so, Psal. 77. 7, 8, 9, 10. Thy heart may say, I am a reprobate, forsaken of God, he will not hear me, the time of grace is past, when God never said so: Thy heart may say, I am undone, I can find no comfort in any friend, no evidence of grace within me, no comfort in God, in Christ, or in the promises, no comfort in my life, which is but a burden to me; I cannot pray, I cannot believe; I cannot answer the Objections of Satan, I can strive no longer against my fears; I cannot bear my wounded conscience: All this is the failing of the Heart; but proveth not any failing of God, whose grace is sufficient for thee, and his strength is manifested perfect in thy weakness. The heart hath a thousand sayings and conceits, which God is utterly against.
§. 22. Direct. 15. When you cannot exercise a Trust of Assurance, exercise the Trust of general faith, and hope, and the quiet submission of thyself to the holy Will of God. The common pretence of distrust is, I know not that I am a Child of God: and it beseems the ungodly to fear his wrath: But as the Gospel is tidings of great joy to any people where it cometh; so is it a word of hope and trust. At least trust God so far as Infinite Goodness should be trusted, who will damn none but the finally obstinate refusers of his saving grace. And with Aaron, Lev. 10. 3. hold your peace, when he is glorifying himself in his corrections: Remember that the will of God is never mis-guided; that it is the Beginning and End of all things, Rev. 4. 11. Rom. 11. 36. that it never willeth anything but good: that it is the Center and End of all our wills: There is no rest or quietness for our wills, but in the will of God: And his will is always for the good of them that truly desire to be conformed to it, by obedience to his commands, and submission to his disposals. Say therefore with your Savior; Father, if it be thy will, let this cup pass from me: but not as I will, but as thou wilt. There is nothing got by struggling against the will of God; nor nothing lost by a quiet submission to it: And if thou love it, and desire to obey and please it, Trust in it, for it will surely save thee.
DIRECT. XIII. Diligently labor that God and Holiness may be thy chief DELIGHT: and this holy DELIGHT may be the ordinary temperament of thy Religion.
Directions for DELIGHTING ourselves in God.
§. 1. Direct. 1. RIghtly understand what Delight in God it is, that you must seek and exercise. It is not a mere sensitive Delight, which is exercised about the objects of sense or ph • ntasie, and is common to beasts with men: Nor is it the delights of immediate intuition of God, such as the blessed have in Heaven; nor is it an Enthusiastic delight, consisting in irrational raptures, and joys which we can give no account of the Reason of them. Nor is it a Delight inconsistent with sorrow and fear, when they are duties: But it is the solid rational complacency of the soul in God and Holiness, arising from the apprehensions of that in him, which is justly delectable to us: And it is such as in estimation of its object, and inward complacency and gladness, though not in passionate joy or mirth, must excel our delight in temporal pleasure; and must be the end of all our humiliations and other inferior duties.
§. 2. Direct. 2. Understand how much of this holy Delight may be hoped for on earth. Though too many Christians feel much more fear and sorrow in their Religion than Delight: yet every true Christian doth esteem God more Detectable, or fit, and worthy of his Delights, if he could enjoy him▪ whereas to the carnal, fleshly things do seem more fit to be their Delights. And though most Christians reach not very high in their Delights in God, yet God hath prescribed us such means in which, if we faithfully used them we might reach much higher: And this much we might well expect: 1. So much as might make our lives incomparably more quiet, contented and pleasant to us, than are the lives of the greatest or happiest worldlings. 2. So much as might make our thoughts of God and the life to come to be ready, welcome, pleasant thoughts to us. 3. So much as might greatly prevail against our inordinate griefs and fears▪ and our backwardness to duties, and weariness in them; and might make Religion an ordinary Pleasure. 4. So much as might take off our hankering desire after unnecessary recreations and unlawful pleasures of the flesh. 5. So much as might sweeten all our mercies to us, with a spiritual perfume or relish. 6. So much as might make some sufferings joyful, and the rest more easy to us. 7. And so much as might make the thoughts of death less terrible to us, and make us desire to be with Christ.
§. 3. Direct. 3. Understand what there is in God and H • liness which is fit to be the souls Delight. As 1. Behold him in the infinite perfections of his Being; his Omnipotence, Omniscience, and his Goodness, his Holiness, Eternity, Immutability, &c. And as your eye delighteth in an excellent picture, or a comely building, or fields, or gardens, not because they are yours, but because they are a delectable object to the eye; so let your minds delight themselves in God considered in himself, as the only object of highest delight. 2. Delight yourselves also in his Relative Attributes, in which is expressed his Goodness to his Creatures: As his All sufficiency, and faithfulness or truth, his benignity, his mercy, and compassion, and patience to sinners; and his justice unto all. 3. Delight yourselves in him as his Glory appeareth in his wondrous works, of Creation and daily Providence. 4. Delight yourselves in him as he is Related to you as your God and Father, and as all your interest, hope and happiness is in him alone. 5. Delight yourselves in him as his excellencies shine forth in his blessed Son. 6. And as they appear in the wisdom and goodness of his Word, in all the precepts and promises of the Gospel. Psalm. 119. 162. Ier. 15. 16. 7. Delight thyself in his Image though but imperfectly printed on thy soul; and also on his holy servants. Gal. 2. 20. 1 Cor. 15. 10. 2 Cor. 7 18. 8. Delight yourselves in the consideration of the Glory which he hath from all his creatures, and the universal fullfiling of his will: As the prosperity and happiness of your friend delighteth you, and the success of any excellent enterprises, and the praise of excellent things and persons, and as you have a special delight in the success of truth, and the flourishing order, and unity, and peace, and prosperity of Kingdoms, especially of the Church, much more than in your personal prosperity (unless you have selfish, private, base unmanly dispositions); so much more should you delight in the Glory and Happiness of God. 9. Delight yourselves in the safety which you have in his favor and defense. and the treasury which you have in his All sufficiency and Love, for your continual supplies in every want and deliverance in every danger; and the ground of quiet contentedness and confidence which is offered to fearful souls in him. 10. Delight yourselves in the particular discoveries of his common mercies to the world, and his special mercies to his saints; and his personal mercies to yourselves, from your birth to this moment; both upon your souls, and bodies, and friends, and names, and estates, and affairs in all relations. 11. Delight yourselves in the Privilege you enjoy of speaking to him, and of him, and hearing from him, and adoring and worshipping him, and singing, and publishing his Praise, and in the communion which your souls may have with him through Christ, on his Days, and at all times, in his sacraments and in all your lives. And say as Solomon, 1 King. 8. 27. And will God indeed dwell on earth? will he dwell and walk with sinful men? When the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him: Psalm 40. 16. Let those that seek him Rejoice and be glad in him: and 122. 1. Let us be glad to go up to the house of the Lord, and join with his holy Assemblies in his worship: Psalm 46. 4. The streams of his Grace make glad the City of God, the holy Tabernacles of the most high: God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: 12. Delight yourselves above all in the forethoughts and hope of the Glory which you shall see and enjoy forever. I do but name all these for your memory, because they are before spoken of in the Directions for Love.
§. 4. Direct. 4. Understand how much these holy Delights, are pleasing unto God, and how much he is for his people's pleasure. For it much hindereth the Joy of many Christians, that they think it is against the will of God, that such as they should so much Rejoice; Or at least that they apprehend not how much he hath commanded it, and how great a duty it is, and how much pleasing to their God. Consider, 1. It is not for nothing that the nature of man is made capable of higher and larger delights, than the brutish sensual nature is: And that in this we are made little lower than Angels. 2. Nor is it for nothing that God hath made Delight and Complacency the most powerful commanding affection, and the end of all the other passions, which they pro • essedly subserve and seek: and the most natural inseparable affection of the soul; there being none that desireth not delight. 3. Nor is it in vain that God hath provided and offered such plenty of most excellent objects for our Delight especially himself, in his attributes, Love, Mercy, Son, Spirit and Kingdom: which Bruits were not made to know or to enjoy. 4. Nor hath he given us in vain such excellent, convenient and various helps, and inferior preparations which tend to our delight; even for body and mind, to further our Delight in God. 5. Nor is it in vain that he maketh us yet more nearly capable by his Spirit; even by affecting humiliations and mortifying, cleansing, illuminating and quickening works: And that the Kingdom of God consisteth in Righteousness, Peace and joy in the Holy Ghost: And that the spirit hath undertaken to be the comforter of Believers, who is sent upon no low or needless work. 6. Nor did Christ purchase his people's Joys in vain, by the price of his grievous sufferings and sorrows. Having b • rn our griefs, and being made a man of sorrows, that we that see him not might rejoice in believing, with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 7. Nor is it in vain that he hath filled his word with such matter of Delight and Comfort, in the gladdest tidings that could come to man, and in such free, and full, and faithful promises. 8. Nor hath he multiplied his commands for his Rejoicing and delight in vain: again and again commanding us to Rejoice▪ and always to Rejoice. 9. Nor is it insignificant that he hath forbidden those worldly cares, and fears, and griefs which would devour their joys. Nor that he hath so clearly shown them the way to Joy, and blameth them if they walk not in it. 10. He filleth up their lives with mercies and matter of delight, by his direction, support, provisions, and disposals: And all this in their way of trial, and in the valley of tears. 11. How tender is he of their sufferings and sorrows; not afflicting willingly, nor delighting to grieve the sons of men? 12. He taketh not away their delight and comfort, till they cast it away themselves, by sinning, or self-afflicting, or neglecting his proposed pleasures. 13. He never faileth to meet them with his delights while they walk in the way prescribed to that end: unless when it tendeth to their greater pleasure, to have some present interruption of the pleasure. 14. In their greatest needs, when themselves and other helps must fail, he giveth them ofttimes the greatest joys. 15. And he takes their delights and sorrows as if they were his own. In all their afflictions he is afflicted, and he delighteth in their welfare, and rejoiceth over them to do them good. Cannot you see the will of your Father in all this? 16. If you cannot, yet lift up your heads, and foresee the eternal Delights which he hath prepared for you, when you shall enter into your Masters Joy: And then judge whether God be for your Delight?
§. 5. Direct. 5. Take special notice of the Reasons why God commandeth you to Delight in him, and consequently how much of Religion consisteth in these Delights. 1. Thou vilifiest and dishonorest him, if thou judge him not the worthiest for thy Delights. 2. If thou Delight not in him, thy Thoughts of God will be seldom or unwelcome and unpleasant Thoughts. 3. And thy speeches of him will be seldom, or heartless, forced speeches. Who knoweth not how readily our thoughts and tongues do follow our Delight? Be it House, or Land, or Books, or Friends, or Actions which are our delight, we need no force to bring our thoughts to them. The worldling thinks and tasteth of his wealth and business; the proud man of his dignities and honor, the voluptuous beast of his lusts and sports, and meats and drinks; because they most delight in these. And so must the Christian of his God, and Hopes, and Holy business, as being his Delight. 4. It will keep you away from Holy duties, in which you should have communion with God, if you have no Delight in God and them. This makes so many neglect both public and secret worship, because they have no delight in it; when those that Delight in it are ready in taking all opportunities. 5. It will corrupt your judgments, and draw you to think that a little is enough, and that serious diligence is unnecessary preciseness, and that one quarter of your duty is an excess. A man that hath no Delight in God and Godliness, is easily drawn to think that little, and seldom, and cold, and formal, and heartless, lifeless Preaching and Praying may serve the turn; and any lip-service is acceptable to God; and that more is more ado than needs: And hence he will be further drawn to reproach those that go beyond him, to quiet his own Conscience, and save his own reputation; and at last to be a forlo • n satanical reviler, hater and persecutor of the serious holy worshippers of God. J • r, 6. 10. Behold the word of the Lord, is a reproach to them: thy have no delight in it: Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord —6. If you Delight not in it, you will do that which you do without a heart, with backwardness and weariness: as your Ox draweth unwillingly in the yoke, and is glad when you unyoak him, and as your horse that goeth against his will, and will go no longer than he feels the spu • : when Delight would cause alacrity and unweariedness. 7. It makes men apt to quarrel with the word, and every weakness in the Minister offendeth them, as sick stomachs that have some fault or other still to find with their meat. 8. It greatly inclineth men to carnal and fobidden pleasures, because they taste not the higher and more excellent delights. Taverns▪ and Ale houses, Plays, and Whores, Cards and Dice, and excess of recreation must be sought out for them, as Saul sought a Witch and a Musician instead of God. It would be the most effectual Answer to all the silly reasonings of the Voluptuous, when they are pleading for the lawfullness of their unnecessary, foolish, time-wasting sports, if we could but help them to the Heavenly nature, and Hearts that more delight in God. This better pleasure is an Argument that would do more to confute and banish their sinful pleasure, than a twelve-months disputing or preaching will do with them; while they are strangers to the souls Delight in God. Then they would rather say to their companions; O come and taste those high delights, which we have found in God! 9. The want of a Delight in God and Holiness, doth leave the soul as a prey to sorrows: Every affliction that assaulteth it may do its worst, and hath its full blow at the naked unfortified heart: For creature delights will prove but a poor preservative to it. 10. This want of a Delight in God and Holiness, is the way to Apostasy itself. Few men will hold on in a way that they have no delight in, when all other delights must be forsaken for it. The caged Hypocrite while he is coopt up to a stricter life than he himself desires, even while he seemeth to serve him, is lothsom to God: For the Body without the Will is but a carcass or carrion in his eyes: If you had rather not serve God, you do not serve him while you seem to serve him: If you had rather live in sin, you do live in sin, reputatively, while you forbear the outward act: For in God's account the Heart, or Will is the man; and what a man had rather be (habitually) that he is indeed. And yet this Hypocrite will be still looking for a hole to get out of his cage, and forsake his unbeloved outside of Religion: Like a beast that is driven in a way that he is loath to go, and will be turning out at every gap. All these mischiefs follow the want of Delight in God.
§. 6. On the contrary, the Benefits which follow our Delight in God, (besides the sweetness of it) are unspeakable: Those which are contrary to the forementioned hurts, I leave to your own consideration. 1. Delight in God will prove that thou Knowest him, and lovest him, and that thou art prepared for his Kingdom: For all that truly Delight in him shall enjoy him. 2. Prosperity, which is but the small addition, of earthly things, will not easily corrupt thee or transport thee. 3. Adversity, which is the withholding of earthly delights, will not much grieve thee, or easily deject thee. 4. Thou wilt receive more profit by a sermon or good book or conference which thou Delightest in, than others that delight not in them will do in many. 5. All thy service will be sweet to thyself, and acceptable to God: If thou Delight in him, he doth certainly delight in thee. Psalm 149. 4. and 147. 11. 1 Chron. 29. 17. 6. Thou hast a continual feast with thee, which may sweeten all the crosses of thy life, and afford thee greater joy than thy sorrow is, in thy saddest case. 7. When you Delight in God, your creature-delight will be sanctified to you, and warrantable in its proper place; which in others is idolatrous, or corrupt. These with many other are the benefits of Delight in God.
§. 7. Direct. 6. Consider how suitable God and Holiness are to be the matter of thy Delight, and take heed of all temptations which would represent him as unsuitable to you. He is, 1. Most perfect and Blessed in himself, 2. And full of all that thou canst need; 3. He hath all the world at his command for thy relief. 4. He is nearest to thee in presence and relation in the world: 5. He hath fitted all things in Religion to thy Delight, for matter variety and benefit. 6. He will be a certain and constant Delight to thee: and a durable delight when all others fail. Thy soul came from him, and therefore naturally should tend to him: It is from him and for him, and therefore must Rest in him, or have no Rest. We delight in the house where we were born, and in our Native country, and in our parents; and everything inclineth to its own Original: And so should the soul to its Creator.
§. 8. Direct. 7. Corrupt not your Minds and appetites with contrary delights: Addict not yourselves to fleshly pleasures: Taste nothing that is forbidden. Sorrow itself is not such an enemy to spiritual Delights, as sensual sinful pleasures are. O leave your beastly and your childish pleasures, and come and feast your souls on God. Isa. 55. 1, 2, 3. Away with the Delights of lust, and prid • , and covetousness, and vain sports, and gluttony, and drunkenness, if ever you would have the solid and durable Delights! Think not of joining both together. Bethink yourselves; Can it be anything but the disease and wickedness of thy heart, that can make a play, or a feast, or drunken wanton company, more pleasant to thee than God? What a heart is that which thinketh it a toil to meditate on God, and Heaven, and thinks it a pleasure to think of the baits of pride and covetousness? What a heart is that which thinks that sensuality, wantonness and vanity are the pleasure of their families, which must not be turned out; and that Godliness and Heavenly discourse and exercises would be the sadness and trouble of their families, which must not be brought in lest it ma • r their mirth? That think it an intolerable toil and slavery to Love God, and Holiness, and Heaven, and to be employed for them, and thinks it a delightful thing to Love a whore, or excess of meat or drink or sports? Can you say anything of a man that is more disgraceful, unless you say he is a Devil? It were not so vile for a child to Delight more in a Dog than in his Parents, or a Husband to delight more in the ugliest Harlot than in his Wife, as it is for a man to delight more in fleshly vanities than in God. Will you be licking up this dung, when you should be solacing your souls in Angelical pleasures, and foretasting the delights of Heaven? O how justly will God thrust away such wretches from his everlasting presence, who so abhor his ways and him? Can they blame him for denying them, the things which they hate, or set so light by, as to prefer a lust before it? If they were not haters of God and Holiness, they would never be so averse even to the Delights which they should have with him.
§. 9. Direct. 8. Take heed of a Melancholy habit of body: For Melancholy people can scarce delight in anything at all, and therefore not in God. Delight is as hard to them, as it is to a pained member to find pleasure, or a sick stomach to delight in the food which it loathes. They can think of God with trouble, and fear, and horror, and despair; but not with delight.
§. 10. Direct. 9. Take heed of an impatient peevish self-tormenting mind, that can bear no cross; and of overvaluing earthly things, which causeth impatience in the want of them. Make not too great a matter of fleshly pain or pleasure; Otherwise your minds will be called to a continual attendance on the flesh, and taken up with continual desires, or cares, or fears, or griefs, or pleasures; and will not be permitted to solace themselves with God. The soul that would have pure and high Delights, must abstract itself from the concernments of the flesh, and look on your body as if it were the body of another, whose pain or pleasure you can choose whether you will feel: when Paul was wrapped up into the third Heaven, and saw the things unutterable, he was so far freed from the prison of sense, that he knew not whether he was in the Body, or out of it. As the separated souls that see the face of God and the Redeemer, do leave the Body to be buried and to rot in darkness, and feel not all this to the interrupting of their joys; so faith can imitate such a Death to the world, and such a neglect of the flesh, and some kind of elevating separation of the mind, to the things above. If in this near conjunction you cannot leave the Body to rejoice or suffer alone, yet, as itself is but a servant to the soul, so let not its pain or pleasure be predominant, and control the high operations of the soul. A manly valiant believing soul, though it cannot abate the pain at all, nor reconcile the flesh to its calamity, yet it can do more, notwithstanding the pain, to its own delight, than strangers will believe.
§. 11. Some women and passionate weak-spirited men; especially in sickness, are so peevish and of such impatient minds, that their daily work is to disquiet and torment themselves. One can scarce tell how to speak to them, or look at them but it offendeth them. And the world is so full of occasions of provocation, that such persons are like to have little quietness. It is unlike that these should delight in God, who keep their minds in a continual ulcerated galled state, uncapable of any delights at all, and cease not their self-tormenting.
§. 12. Direct. 10. It is only a life of faith, that will be a life of holy heavenly Delight: Exercise your selves therefore in believing contemplations of the things unseen. It must not be now and then a glance of the eye of the soul towards God, or a seldom salutation which you would give a stranger; but a walking with him, and frequent addresses of the soul unto him, which must help you to the Delights which Believers find in their communion with him.
§. 13. Direct. 11. Especially let faith go frequently to Heaven for renewed matter of delight, and frequently think what God will be to you there forever, and with what full everlasting delight he will satiate your souls. As Heaven is the place of our full delight, so the foresight and foretaste of it is the highest delight, which on earth is to be attained. And a soul that is strange to the foresight of Heaven, will be as strange to the true Delights of faith.
§. 14. Direct. 12. It is a great advantage to Holy Delight, to be much in the most Delightful parts of worship; as in Thanksgiving and Praise, and a due celebration of the Sacrament of the Body and blood of Christ: Of which I have spoken in the foregoing Directions.
§. 15. Direct. 13. A skillful experienced Pastor, who is able to open the treasury of the Gospel, and publicly and privately to direct his flock in the work of self-examination and the heavenly exercises of faith, is a great help to Christians spiritual delight. The experiences of believers teach them this: How oft do they go away refreshed and revived, who came to the assembly or to their pastors in great distress, and almost in despair. See Job 33. 23. 2 Cor. 1. 3, 4. It is the office and delight of the Ministers of Christ, to be helpers of his people's faith and joy. 2 Cor. 1. 24. Phil. 1. 4, 25. 1 Thes. 2. 20.
§. 16. Direct. 14. Make use of all that Prosperity and lawful pleasure, which God giveth you in outward things, for the increase and advantage of your Delight in God. Though corrupted nature is apter to abuse Prosperity and earthly delights, than any other state, to the diverting of the heart from God; and almost all the Devils poison is given in sugered or guilded allectives; yet the primitive natural use of prosperity, of health, and plenty, and honor, and peace, is to lead up the mind to God, and give us a taste of his spiritual delights! That the neighbourhood of the Body might be the souls advantage; and that God, who in this life will be seen by us but in a glass, and will give out his comforts by his appointed means, might make advantage of sensitive delights, for his own reception, and the communications of his Love and pleasure unto man: That as soon as the eye or ear or taste perceiveth the delightfulness of their several objects, the holy soul might presently take the hint and motion, and be carried up to delightful thoughts of him that giveth us all these delights. And doubtless so far as we can make use of a Delight in friends, or food, or health, or habitations or any accommodations of our Bodies, to further our Delight in God, or to remove those melancholy fears or sorrows, which would hinder this spiritual Delight, it is not only Lawful, but our duty to use them, with that moderation as tendeth to this end.
§. 17. Direct. 15. Make use of affliction as a great advantage for your purest and unmixed delight in God. The servants of Christ have usually never so much of the joy in the Holy Ghost, as in their greatest sufferings: especially if they be for his sake. The soul never retireth so readily and delightfully to God, as when it hath no one else that will receive it, or that it can take any comfort from. God comforteth us most, when he hath made us see that none else can or will relieve us. When all friends have forsaken us save only one, that one is sweeter to us then than ever. When all our house is •• red down except one room, that room is pleasanter to us than it was before. He that hath lost one eye, will love the other better than before. In prosperity our Delights in God are too often corrupted by a mixture of sensual delight: But all that remaineth when the creature is gone is purely Divine.
§. 18. Direct. 16. Labor by self-examination, deliberately managed under the direction of an able spiritual Guide, to settle your souls in the well-grounded persuasion of your special interest in God and Heaven: And then suffer not Satan by his troublesome importunity, to renew your doubts, or molest your peace. An Orderly well-guided diligent self-examination, may quickly do much to show you your condition: And if you are convinced that the truth of Grace is in you, let not fears and suspicion go for reason, and cause you to deny that which you cannot without the gainsaying of your Consciences deny. You see not the design of the Devil in all this: His business is by making you fear that you have no interest in God, to destroy your Delight in him and in his service: And next that, to make you through weariness forsake him; and either despair or turn to sensual delights. Foresee and prevent these designs of Satan, and suffer him not at his pleasure to raise new storms of fears and troubles, and draw you to deny your Fathers mercies, or to suspect his proved love.
§. 19. Direct. 17. Damp not your Delights by willful sin. If you grieve your Comforter he will grieve you, or leave you to grieve yourselves: In that measure that any known sin is cherished, Delight in God will certainly decay.
§. 20. Direct. 18. Improve your observation of wicked men's sensual delights, to provoke your souls to delight in God. Think with yourselves: shall hawks, and hounds, and pride, and filthiness, and cards, and dice, and plays, and sports, and luxury, and idleness, and foolish talk, or worldly honors be so delightful to these deluded sinners? and shall not my God and Savior, his Love and promises, and the hopes of Heaven, be more delightful to me? Is there any comparison between the matter of my delights and theirs?
§. 21. Direct. 19. Labor to overcome those fears of Death, which would damp your I • ys in the foresight of Everlasting joys. As nothing more feedeth Holy delights than the fore-thoughts of Heaven; so there is scarce anything that more hindereth our delight in those forethoughts, than the fear of interposing death. See what I have written against this fear, in my Treatise of Self-denial, and Saints Rest, and in my Treatise of Death, as the last enemy, and in my Last work of a Believer.
§. 22. Direct. 20. Pretend not any other Religious duties against your Delight in God and Holiness; but use them all in their proper subserviencie to this. Penitent sorrow is only a purge to cast out those corruptions which hinder you from relishing your spiritual delights. Use it therefore as Physic, only when there is need; and not for itself, but only to this end; and turn it not into your ordinary food. Delight in God is the Health of your souls: Say not you cannot have while to be heathful, because you must take physic, or that you take Physic against Health, or instead of health, but for your health. So take up no sorrow against your Delight in God, or instead of it, but for it, and so much as promoteth it. See the Directions for Love beforegoing.
§. 23. By this time you may see, that Holy Delight adjoined to Love, is the principal part of our Religion, and that they mistake it which place it in anything else. And therefore how inexcusable are all the ungodly enemies or neglect • rs of a holy life. If it had been a life of grief and toil they had had some pretense: But to fly from pleasure, and refuse delight, and such delight, is inexcusable. Be it known to you sinners, God calleth you not to forsake Delight, but to accept it: To change your Delight in sin and vanity for Delight in him: you dare not say but this is better: you cannot have your houses and lands forever, nor your lust and luxury forever▪ but you may have God forever? And do you hope to live forever with him, and have you no Delight in him? Men deal with Christ as the Papists with the Reformed Churches: Because we reject their formalities and ceremonious toys, they say we take down all Religion: so because we would call men from their brutish pleasures, they say we would let them have no pleasure: For the Epicure thinks when his luxury, lust and sport is gone, all is gone: Call a sluggard from his bed, or a glutton from his feast, to receive a Kingdom, and he will grudge; if he observe only what you would take from him, and not what you give him in its stead: When earthly pleasures end in misery, then who would not wish they had preferred the Holy durable Delights?
DIRECT. XIV. Let Thankfulness to God thy Creator, Redeemer and Regenerater, be the very temperament of thy soul, and faithfully expressed by thy Tongue and Life.
§. 1. THough our Thankfulness is no benefit to God, yet he is pleased with it, as that which is suitable to our condition, and showeth the ingenuity and honesty of the Heart. An unthankful person is but a devourer of mercies, and a grave to bury them in, and one that hath not the wit and honesty to know and acknowledge the hand that giveth them: But the Thankful looketh above himself, and returneth all, as he is able, to him from whom they flow.
§. 2. True Thankfulness to God is discerned from Counterfeit, by these qualifications: 1. True Thankfulness having a just estimate of mercies comparatively, preferreth spiritual and everlasting mercies, before those that are merely corporal and transitory. But carnal Thankfulness chiefly valueth carnal Mercies, though notionally it may confess that the spiritual are the greater. 2. True Thankfulness inclineth the soul to a spiritual rejoicing in God, and to a desire after more of his spiritual mercies: But carnal thankfulness is only a delight in the prosperity of the flesh, or the delusion and carnal security of the mind, inclining men to carnal empty mirth, and to a desire of more such fleshly pleasure, plenty or content: As a Beast that is full fed will skip, and play, and show that he is pleased with his state: or if he have ease, he would not be molested. 3. True thankfulness kindleth in the heart a love to the Giver above the Gift, or at least a Love to God above our Carnal prosperity and pleasure, and bringeth the heart still nearer unto God, by all his mercies. But carnal thankfulness doth spring from Carnal self-love, or love of fleshly prosperity; and is moved by it, and is subservient to it, and Loveth God and Thanketh him but so far as he gratifieth or satisfieth the flesh. A childlike Thankfulness maketh us love our Father more than his gift, and desire to be with him, in his arms: But a Dog doth love you and is thankful to you, but for feeding him: He loveth you in subordination to his appetite and his bones. 4. True Thankfulness inclineth us to obey and please him that obligeth us by his benefits. But carnal thankfulness puts God off with the hypocritical complemental thanks of the lips, and spends the mercy in the pleasing of the flesh, and makes it but the fuel of lust and sin. 5. True thankfulness to God is necessarily transcendent, as his mercies are transcendent: The saving of our souls from Hell, and promising us eternal life, besides the giving us our very beings and all that we have, do oblige us to be totally and obsolutely his, that is so transcendent a Benefactor to us, and causeth the thankful person to devote and resign himself, and all that he hath to God, to answer so great an obligation: But carnal thankfulness falls short of this absolute and total dedication, and still leaveth the sinner in the power of self-love, devoting himself (really) to himself, and using all that he is, or hath, to the pleasing of his fleshly mind, and giving God only the tithes or leavings of the flesh, or so much as it can spare, lest he should stop the streams of his benignity, and bereave the flesh of its prosperity and contents.
§. 3. Directions for Thankfulness to God our Benefactor.
Direct. 1. Understand well how great this duty is, in the nature of the thing, but especially how the very design and tenor of the Gospel, and the way of our salvation by a Redeemer, bespeaketh it as the very complexion of the soul, and of every duty. A creature that is wholly his Creators, and is preserved every moment by him, and daily fed and maintained by his bounty, and is put into a capacity of life eternal, must needs be obliged to uncessant Gratitude. And Unthankfulness among men is justly taken for an unnatural monstrous vice; which forfeiteth the benefits of friendship and society, 2 Tim. 3. 2. The unthankful are numbered with the unholy, &c. as part of the monsters which should come in the last times, (and which we have lived to see, exactly answering that large description of them): But the Design of God in the work of Redemption, is purposely laid for the raising of the highest Thankfulness in man: and the Covenant of Grace containeth such abundant wondrous Mercies, as might compel the souls of men to Gratitude, or leave them utterly without excuse. It is a great truth, and much to be considered; that Gratitude is that general duty of the Gospel, which containeth and animateth all the rest, as being Essential to all that is properly Evangelical. A Law as a Law requireth Obedience as the general duty: and this Obedience is to be exercised and found in every particular duty which it requireth: And the Covenant with the Jews was called, The Law, because the Regulating part was most eminent: and so obedience was the thing that was eminently required by the Law (though their measure of mercy obliged them also to thankfulness ): But the Gospel or New Covenant is most eminently a history of Mercy, and a tender and promise of the most unmatchable benefits, that ever were heard of by the ears of man: so that the Gift of Mercy is the predominant or eminent part in the Gospel or New Covenant; and though still God be our Governor, and the New Covenant also hath its Precepts, and is a Law, yet that is in a sort but the subservient part: And what obedience is to a Law, that Thankfulness is to a Benefit; even the formal answering of its obligation: so that though we are called to as exact obedience as ever, yet it is now only a Thankful Obedience that we are called to: And just as Law and Promises or Gifts are conjoined in the New Covenant, just so should Obedience and Thankfulness be conjoined in our hearts and lives; one to God as our Ruler, and the other to him as our Benefactor: And th • se two must animate every act of heart and life. We must Repent of sin: but it must be a Thankful Repenting, as becometh those that have a free pardon of all their sins procured by the blood of Christ, and offered them in the Gospel: Leave out this Gratitude, and it is no Evangelical Repentance. And what is our saving faith in Christ, but the Assent to the truth of the Gospel, with a Thankful Acceptance of the good which it offereth us, even Christ as our Savior with the Benefits of his Redemption. The Love to God that is there required, is the Thankful Love of his Redeemed ones: And the Love to our very enemies, and the forgiving of wrongs, and all the Love to one another, and all the works of Charity there required, are the exercises of Gratitude, and are all to be done, on this account, because Christ hath loved us, and forgiven us, and that we may show our thankful Love to him. Preaching, and Praying, and Sacraments, and public praises, and communion of Saints, and obedience, are all to be animated with Gratitude, and they are no further Evangelically performed, than Thankfulness is the very life and complexion of them all. The dark and defective opening of this by Preachers, gave occasion to the Antinomians to run into the contrary extreme, and to derogate too much from God's Law and our Obedience: But if we obscure the doctrine of Evangelical Gratitude, we do as bad or worse than they. Obedience to our Ruler, and Thankfulness to our Benefactor, conjoined and co-operating as the Head and Heart in the Natural body, do make a Christian indeed. Understand this well, and it will much incline your hearts to Thankfulness.
§. 4. Direct. 2. Let the greatness of the manifold mercies of God, be continually before your eyes. Thankfulness is caused by the due apprehension of the greatness of mercies. If you either know them not to be mercies, or know not that they are mercies to you, or believe not what is said and promised in the Gospel, or forget them, or think not of them, or make light of them through the corruption of your minds, you cannot be thankful for them. I have before spoken of Mercy in order to the kindling of Love, and therefore shall now only recite these following to be always in your memories. 1. The Love of God in giving you a Redeemer, and the Love of Christ in giving his life for us, and in all the parts of our Redemption. 2. The Covenant of Grace, the pardon of all our sins: the justification of our persons; our adoption, and title to eternal life. 3. The aptness of means for calling us to Christ: The gracious and wise disposals of providence to that end: the gifts and compassion of our instructors: the care of Parents; and the helps and examples of the servants of Christ. 4. The efficacy of all these means: • he giving us to will and to do, and opening of our hearts, and giving us repentance unto life, and the Spirit of Christ to mortify our sins, and purify our nature, and dwell within us. 5. A standing in his Church, under the care of faithful Pastors: the liberty, comfort, and frequent benefit of his Word and Sacraments, and the public communion of his Saints. 6. The company of those that fear the Lord, and their faithful admonitions, reproofs, and encouragements; the kindness they have shown us for body, or for soul. 7. The mercies of our Relations, or habitations, our estates, and the notable alterations and passages of our lives. 8. The manifold preservations and deliverances of our souls, from errors and seducers, from terrors and distress; from dangerous temptations, and many a soul-wounding sin; and that we are not le • t to the errors and desires of our hearts, to seared Consciences, as forsaken of God. 9. The manifold deliverances of our bodies, from enemies, hurts, distresses, sicknesses and death. 10. The mercies of adversity, in wholesome, necessary chastisements, or honorable sufferings for his sake and support or comfort under all. 11. The communion which our souls have had with God, in the course of our private and public duties, in Prayer, Sacraments and Meditation. 12. The use which he hath made of us for the good of others; that our time hath not been wholly lost, and we have not lived as burdens of the world. 13. The mercies of all our friends and his servants, which were to us as our own; and our interest in the mercies and public welfare of his Church, which are more than our own. 14. His patience and forbearance with us under our constant unprofitableness and provocations, and his renewed mercies notwithstanding our abuse; our perseverance until now. 15. Our hopes of everlasting Rest and Glory, when this sinsul life is at an end. Aggravate these mercies in your more enlarged meditations, and they will sure constrain you to cry out [ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name; bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies, Psal. 102. 1, 2, 3, 4. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his Courts with praise; be thankful to him, and bless his name: For the Lord is good; his Mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations. Psal. 100. 4, 5. The Lord is merciful and gracious; slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy—For as the Heaven is high above the Earth, so great is his mercy to them that fear him, Psal. 103. 8, 11. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever, Psal. 136. 1, &c. O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the people: sing ye unto him; sing Psalms unto him; talk ye of all his wondrous works: glory ye in his holy name: Let the heart of them rejoice that seek him, Psal. 105. 1, 2, 3.]
§. 5. Direct. 3. Be well acquainted with the greatness of your sins, and sensible of them as they are the aggravation of God's Mercies to you. This is the main end why God will humble those that he will save: Not to drive them to despair of mercy, nor that he taketh pleasure in their sorrows for themselves: But to work the heart to a due esteem of saving mercy, and to a serious desire after it, that they may thankfully receive it, and carefully retain it, and faithfully use it. An unhumbled soul sets light by Christ, and Grace, and Glory: It relisheth no spiritual mercy: It cannot be thankful for that which it findeth no great need of. But true humiliation recovereth our appetite, and teacheth us to value mercy as it is. Think therefore what sin is (as I have opened to you Dir. 8.) and think of your manifold aggravated sins: and then think how great those mercies are that are bestowed on so great unworthy sinners! Then mercy will melt your humbled hearts, when you confess that you are unworthy to be called Sons, Luke 15. and that you are not worthy to look up to Heaven, Luke 18. 13. and that you are not worthy of the least of all the mercies of God, Gen. 32. 10. The humble soul is the thankful soul, and therefore so greatly valued by the Lord.
§. 6. Direct. 4. Understand what Misery you were delivered from; and estimate the greatness of the mercy, by the greatness of the punishment which you had deserved. Misery as well as sin must tell us the greatness of our mercies. This is before opened, Chap. 1. Dir. 9. pag. 21.
§. 7. Direct. 5. Suppose you saw the damned souls, or suppose you had been one day in Hell yourselves: bethink you then how thankful you would have been for Christ and Mercy. And you were condemned to it by the Law of God, and if death had brought you to execution you had been there; and then Mercy would have been more esteemed. If a Preacher were sent to those miserable souls to offer them a pardon and eternal life on the terms as they are offered to us, do you think they would make as light of it as we do.
§. 8. Direct. 6. Neglect not to keep clear the Evidences of thy title to those special Mercies for which thou shouldst be most thankful: And hearken not to Satan when he would tempt thee to think that they are none of thine, that so he might make thee deny God the Thanks for them, which he expecteth. Of this I have spoken in the Directions for Love.
§. 9. Direct. 7. Think much of those personal mercies which God hath shown thee from thy youth up until now, by which he hath manifested his care of thee, and particular kindness to thee. Though the common mercies of God's servants be the greatest, which all other Christians share in with each one; yet personal favors peculiar to ourselves, are apt much to affect us, as being near our apprehension, and expressing a peculiar care and love of us. Therefore Christians should mark God's dealings with them, and write down the great and notable mercies of their lives, (which are not unfit for others to know, if they should see it.)
§. 10. Direct. 8. Compare thy proportion of Mercies with the rest of the people's in the world. And thou wilt find that it is not one of many thousands that hath thy proportion. It is so small a part of the world that are Christians, and of those so few that are Orthodox Reformed Christians; and of those so few that are seriously godly as devoted to God; and of those so few that fall not into some perplexities, errors, scandals, or great afflictions and distress, that those few that are in none of these ranks have cause of wondrous thankfulness to God: Yea, the most afflicted Christians in the world▪ Suppose God had divided his mercies equally to all men in the world, as health, and wealth, and honor, and grace, and the Gospel, &c. How little of them would have come to thy share in comparison of what thou now possessest? How many have less wealth or honor than thou? How many thousands have less of the Gospel and of Grace? In reason therefore thy thankfulness should be proportionable and extraordinary.
§. 11. Direct. 9. Compare the Mercies which thou wantest, with those which thou possessest, and observe how much thy receivings are greater than thy sufferings. Thou hast many meals plenty, for one day of scarcity or pinching hunger: Thou hast many days Health, for one days sickness: and if one part be ill, there are more that are not: If one Cross befall thee, thou escapest many more that might befall thee, and which thou deservest.
§. 12. Direct. 10. Bethink thee how thou wouldst value thy mercies, if thou wert deprived of them. The want of them usually teacheth us most effectually to esteem them. Think how thou shouldst value Christ and hope, if thou wert in Despair? And how thou wouldst value the mercies of Earth, if thou wert in Hell? And the Mercies of England, if thou were among bloody Inquisitors and persecutors, and wicked cruel Heathens or Mohammedans, or brutish savage Americans: Think how good sleep would seem to thee, if thou couldst not sleep for pains? Or how good thy meat, or drink, or clothes, or house, or maintenance, or friends, would all seem to thee, if they were taken from thee: And how great a mercy health would seem, if thou were under some tormenting sickness; and what a mercy Time would seem, if Death were at hand, and Time were ending: And what a mercy thy least sincere desires, or measure of grace is in comparison of their case that are the haters, despisers and persecutors of holiness; These thoughts if followed home, may shame thee into thankfulness.
§. 13. Direct. 11. Let Heaven be ever in thine eye, and still think of the endless joy which thou shalt have with Christ. For that is the mercy of all mercies: and he that hath not that in hope to be thankful for, will never be thankful aright for anything: and he that hath Heaven in pr •• is • to be thankful for, hath still reason for the highest joyful Thanks, whatever worldly thing he want▪ or though he were sure never more to have comfort in any creature upon earth. He is unthankful indeed, that will not be thankful for Heaven: But that is a mercy which will constrain to Thankfulness so far as our title is discerned. The more believing and heavenly the mind is, the more thankful.
§. 14. Direct. 12. Look on earthly and present Mercies in connection with Heaven which is their End, and as sweetened by our interest in God that giveth them. You leave out all the life and sweetness, which must cause your, thankfulness, if you leave out God and overlook him. A dead cark • ss hath not the Loveliness or Usefulness as a living man: You mortify your mercies, when you separate them from God and Heaven, and then their beauty, and sweetness, and excellercy is gone: And how can you be thankful for the husks and shells when you foolishly neglect the kernel? Take every bit as from thy Fathers hands: Remember that he feedeth, and clotheth, and protecteth thee, as his Child: It is to Our Father which is in Heaven, that we must go every day for our daily bread. Taste his Love in it, and thou wilt say, that It is sweet. Remember whither all his Mercies tend, and where they will leave thee, even in the bosom of Eternal Love. Think with thyself, How good is this with the Love of God? This and Heaven are full enough for me. Course fare, and course clothing, and course usage in the world, and hard labor, and a poor habitation, with Heaven after all, is Mercy beyond all human estimation or conceiving. Nothing can be little, which is a token of the love of God, and leadeth to Eternal Glory. The Relation to Heaven, is the life and glory of every mercy.
§. 15. Direct. 13. Think oft how great a mercy it is that Thankfulness for mercy is made so great a part of thy duty. Is it not the sweetest employment in the world, to be always thinking on so sweet a thing as the mercies of God, and to be mentioning them with glad and thankful hearts? Is not this a sweeter kind of work, than to be abusing mercy, and casting it away upon fleshly lusts, and sinning it away, and turning it against us? Yea, is it not a sweeter work, than to be groaning under sin and misery? If God had as much fixed your thoughts upon saddening heart-breaking objects, as he hath (by his commands) upon reviving and delighting objects, you might have thought Religion a melancholy life. But when sorrow is required but as preparatory to delight, and cheerful Thanksgiving is made the life and sum of your Religion, who but a Monster will think it grievous, to live in Thankfulness to our great Benefactor? To think thus of the sweetness of it, will do much to incline us to it, and make it easy to us.
§. 16. Direct. 14. Make conscience ordinarily of allowing God's mercies as great a room in thy Thoughts and Prayers, as thou allowest to thy sins, and wants and troubles. In a day of humiliation, or after some notable fall into sin, or in some special cases of distress, I confess sin and danger may have the greater share. But ordinarily mercy should take up more time in our remembrance and confession than our sins. Let the Reasons of it first convince you, that this is your duty: And when you are convinced, hold yourselves to the performance of it. If you cannot be so Thankful as you desire, yet spend as much time in the confessing of God's Mercy to you, as in confessing your sins, and mentioning your wants. Thanksgiving is an effectual petitioning for more. It showeth that the soul is not drowned in selfishness; but would carry the fruit of all his mercies back to God. If you cannot think on mercy so thankfully as you would, yet see that it have a due proportion of your thoughts. This course (of allowing mercy its due time in our Thoughts and Prayers ) would work the soul to greater thankfulness by degrees. Whereas on the contrary, when men accustom themselves to have ten words or twenty of Confession and Petition, for one of thanksgiving, and ten thoughts of sins, and wants, and troubles, for one of mercies, this starveth thankfulness, and turneth it out of doors. You can command your words and thoughts if you will: Resolve therefore on this duty.
§. 17. Direct. 15. Take heed of a proud, a covetous, a fleshly, or a discontented mind: for all these are enemies to Thankfulness. A proud heart thinks itself the worthiest for more, and thinks diminutively of all. A covetous heart is still gaping after more, and never returning the fruit of what it hath received. A fleshly mind is an insatiable gulf of corporal mercies, like a greedy Dog that is gaping for another bone when he hath devoured one, and sacrificeth all to his belly, which is his God, Phil. 3. 18. A discontented mind is always murmuring, and never pleased, but findeth something still to quarrel at; and taketh more notice of the denying of its unjust desires, than of the giving of many undeserved mercies: Thankfulness prospereth not, where these vices prosper.
§. 18. Direct. 16. Avoid as much as may be a Melancholy and over-fearful temper: for that will not suffer you to see or taste your greatest mereits, nor to be glad or thankful for anything you have, but is still representing all things to you in a terrible or lamentable shape. The Grace of Thankfulness may be habitually in a timorous melancholy mind: And that appeareth in their valuation of the Mercy: How glad and thankful would they be, if they were assured that the Love of God is towards them? But it is next to impossible for them ordinarily, to exercise thankfulness, because they cannot believe anything of themselves that is good and comfortable: It is as natural for them to be still fearing and despairing, and complaining, and troubling themselves, as for froward children to be crying, or sick men to groan. Befriend not therefore this miserable disease, but resist it by all due remedies.
§. 19. Direct. 17. Take heed of all unthankful doctrines, which teacheth you to deny or undervalue mercy. Such is 1. The Doctrine of the Pelagians (whom Prosper calleth the Ungratefull ) that denied faith and special grace to be any special gift of God: and that teach you that Peter is no more beholden to God, than Judas, for his differencing grace. 2. The Doctrine which denieth general grace (which is presupposed unto special ), and tells the world, that Christ died only for the Elect, and that all the mercy of the Gospel is confined to them alone; and teacheth all men to deny God any thanks for Christ or any Gospel mercy, till they know that they are elect, and justified: and would teach the wicked (on Earth and in Hell) that they ought not to accuse themselves for sinning against any Gospel mercy, or for rejecting a Christ that died for them. 3. All Doctrine which makes God the physical, efficient predeterminer of every act of the creature considered in all its circumstances; and so tells you, that saving grace is no more, nor no otherwise caused of God, than sin and every natural act is; and our thanks that we owe him for keeping us from sin, is but for not irresistible pre-moving us to it. Such Doctrines cut the veins of thankfulness; and being not doctrines according to godliness, the life of grace, and spiritual sense of believers is against them.
§. 20. Direct. 18. Put not God off with verbal Thanks, but give him thyself and all thou hast. Thankfulness causeth the soul to inquire, What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me? Psal. 116. 12. And it is no less than thyself, and all thou hast that thou must render: that is, thou must give God not only thy Tythes, and the Sacrifice of Cain, but thyself to be entirely his servant, and all that thou hast to be at his command, and used in the order that he would have thee use it. A thankful soul devoteth itself to God: This is the living acceptable Sacrifice, Rom. 12. 1. It studieth how to do him service, and how to do good with all his mercies. Thankfulness is a powerful spring of obedience, and makes men long to be fruitful and profitable, and glad of opportunities to be serviceable to God. Thus Law, and Gospel, Obedience and Gratitude concur. A thankful obedience, and an obedient thankfulness are a Christians life, Psal. 50. 14, 15, 23. Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy Vows to the Most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me—Who so offereth praise, glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, I will show the salvation of God.
§. 21. I beseech thee now that readest these Lines, be so true to God, be so ingenuous; be so much a friend to the comfort of thy soul, and so much love a life of pleasure, as to set thyself for the time to come, to a more conscionable performance of this noble work: and steep thy thoughts in the abundant mercies of thy God, and express them more in all thy speech to God and man. Say as David, [Psal. 116. 16, 17. O Lord, truly I am thy servant—thou hast loosed my bonds. I will offer to thee the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord. Psal. 30. 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12. I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing unto the Lord, O ye Saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness—Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent: O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee forever. Psal. 69. 30. I will praise the name of God with a Song, and magnify him with thanksgiving: This also shall please the Lord better than an Ox —Psal. 92. 1, 2. It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing unto thy Name, O Most High: To show forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Psal. 119. 62. At midnight will I rise to give thanks unto thee, because of thy righteous judgments, Psal. 140. 13. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy Name; the upright shall dwell in thy presence. ] Remember that you are commanded, in everything to give thanks. 1 Thess. 5. 18. When God is scant in mercy to thee, then be thou scant in thankfulness to him; and not when the Devil and a forgetful, or unbelieving, or discontented heart, would hide his greatest mercies from thee. It is just with God to give up that person to sadness of heart, and to uncomfortable self-tormenting melancholy, that will not be persuaded by the greatness and multitude of mercies, to be frequent in the sweet returns of Thanks.
DIRECT. XV. Let thy very heart be set to GLORIFIE GOD, thy Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier, both with the Estimation of thy Mind, the Praises of thy Mouth, and the Holiness of thy Life.
§. 1. THe GLORIFYING of GOD being the End of man, and the whole Creation, must be the highest duty of our lives; and therefore deserveth our distinct consideration. 1 Cor. 10. 31. Whether ye eat or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Pet. 4. 11. That God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen. I shall therefore first show you what it is to glorify God, and then give Directions how to do it.
§. 2. To glorify God, is not to add to his essential perfections, or felicity, or real glory: The glory of God is a word, that is taken in these various senses: 1. Sometime it signifieth the essential transcendent Excellencies of God, in himself considered. So Rom. 6. 4. Psal. 19. 2. 2. Sometime it signifieth that glory which the Angels and Saints behold in Heaven: What this is, a soul in flesh cannot formally conceive or comprehend: It seemeth not to be the Essence of God, because that is everywhere, and so is not that glory: Or if any think that his Essence is that glory, and is everywhere alike, and that the creatures capacity is all the difference betwixt Heaven and Earth, he seems confuted in that the glory of Heaven will be seen by the glorified Body itself, which its thought cannot see the Essence of God. Whether then that Glory be the Essence of God, or any immediate Emanation from his Excellency, as the beams and light that are sent forth by the Sun, or a created glory for the felicity of his Servants, we shall know when with the blessed we enjoy it. 3. Sometime it is taken for the appearance of God's perfections in his creatures, either natural or free agents, as discerned by man, and for his Honor in the esteem of man. John 11. 4. 40. 1 Cor. 11. 7. 2 Cor. 4. 15. Phil. 1. 11. & 2. 11. Isa. 35. 2. & 40. 5, &c. And so to glorify God, is 1. Objectively to represent his Excellencies or Glory: 2. Mentally to conceive of them: 3. And Verbally to declare them. I shall therefore distinctly Direct you, 1. How to glorify God in your Minds: 2. By your Tongues: 3. By your Lives.
Directions for Glorifying God with the Heart.
§. 3. Direct. 1. Abhor all Blasphemous representations and thoughts of God, and think not of him lamely, unequally, or diminutively, nor as under any corporeal shape; nor think not to comprehend him, but reverently admire him. Conceive of him as Incomprehensible and Infinite: And if Satan would tempt thee to think meanly of anything in God, or to think highly of one of his Perfections, and meanly of another, abhor such temptations; And think of his Power, Knowledge and Goodness equally as the Infinite perfections of God.
§. 4. Direct. 2. Behold his glory in the glory of his works of Nature and of Grace, and see him in all as the soul, the Glory, the All of the whole Creation. What a Power is that which made and preserveth all the world? What a Wisdom is that which set in joint the Universal frame of Heaven and Earth, and keepeth all things in their Order: How good is he that made all good, and gave the creatures all their goodness, both natural and spiritual, by Creation and Renewing grace. Thus [ The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the Firmament showeth his handy work, Psal. 19. 1. His glory covereth the Heavens, and the earth is full of his praise, Hab. 3. 3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth, Psal. 29. 3. Psal. 145.]
§. 5. Direct. 3. Behold him in the Person, Miracles, Resurrection, Dominion and Glory of his blessed Son. Who is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, upholding all things by the word of his power, and having by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, being made better than the Angels, &c. Heb. 1. 3, 4. By him it is that glory is given to God in the Church, Eph. 3. 21. God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth, and that every tongue should confess, that Jesus is Christ to the glory of God the Father, Phil. 2. 9, 10, 11. Pray therefore that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the acknowledgement of him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints; and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe; according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his right hand in the coelestials; f • r above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world; but in that which is to come; and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be Head over all things to his Church, Eph. 1. 17, &c. The Father hath glorified his name in his Son. John 12. 28. & 13. 31, 32. & 14. 13. & 17. 1.
§. 6. Direct. 4. Behold God as the End of the whole Creation, and intend him as the End of all the actions of thy life. You honor him not as God, if you practically esteem him not as your ultimate end; even the Pleasing of his will, and the honoring him in the world. If anything else be made your chiefest end, you honor it before him, and make a God of it.
§. 7. Direct. 5. Answer all his blessed attributes with suitable affections, (as I have directed in my Treatise of the Knowledge of God, and here briefly Dir. 4.) and his Relations to us with the duty which they command (subjection, Love, &c.) as I have opened in the foregoing Directions. We glorify him in our hearts, when the Image of his Attributes is there received.
§. 8. Direct. 6. Behold him by faith as always present with you. And then every Attribute will the more affect you, and you will not admit dishonorable thoughts of him: Pray to him as if you saw him, and you will speak to him with reverence. Speak of him, as if you saw him, and you dare not take his name in vain, nor talk of God with a common frame of mind, nor in a common manner, as of common things. By faith Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the King: for he endured as seeing him that is invisible. Heb. 11. 27. God is contemned by them that think they are behind his back.
§. 9. Direct. 7. Think of him as in Heaven▪ where he is revealed in Glory to the blessed, and magnified by their high—everlasting Praise. Nothing so much helpeth us to Glorify God in our minds, as by faith to behold him where he is most Glorious. The very reading over the description of the Glory of the New Jerusalem, Rev. 21. & 22. will much affect a believing mind, with a sense of the Gloriousness of God. Suppose with Stephen we saw Heaven opened, and the ancient of days, the Great Jehovah Gloriously illustrating the City of God, and Jesus in Glory at his right hand, and the innumerable army of Glorifyed Spirits before his throne, Praising and magnifying him with the highest admirations, and joyfullest acclamations, that creatures are capable of; would it not raise us to some of the same admirations? The soul that by faith is much above, doth most Glorify God, as being nearest to his Glory.
§. 10. Direct. 8. Foresee by faith the coming of Christ and the day of the universal Judgment, when Christ shall come in flaming fire with thousands of his holy Angels, to be Glorified in his Saints, and admired in all them that do believe. 2 Thes. 1. 10.
§. 11. Direct. 9. Abhor all Doctrines, which blaspheme or dishonor the name of God, and would blemish and hide the Glory of his Majesty. I give you this rule for your own preservation, and not in imitation of uncharitable firebrands and dividers of the Church, to exercise your pride and imperious humor, in condemning all men, to whose opinions you can maliciously affix a blasphemous consequence, which either followeth but in your own imagination, or is not acknowledged but hated by those on whom you do affix it. Let it suffice you to detest false doctrines, without detesting the persons that you imagine guilty of them, who profess to believe the contrary truth as steadfastly as you yourselves,
§. 12. Direct. 10. Take heed of sinking into flesh and earth, and being diverted by things sensible from the daily contemplation of the Glory of God. If your belly become your God, and you mind earthly things, and are set upon the honors, or profits or pleasures of the world, when your conversation should be in Heaven, you will be glorying in your shame, when you should be admiring the Glory of your Maker, Phil. 3. 18, 19, 20. and you will have so much to do on earth, that you will find no leisure (because you have no hearts) to look up seriously to God.
Directions for Glorifying God with our tongues, in his Praises.
§. 13. Direct. 1. Conceive of this duty of Praising God according to its superlative excellencies, as being the highest service that the tongue of men or Angels can perform. To Bless, or Praise, or Magnifie God, is not to make him Greater or better, or happier than he is; but to declare and extol his Greatness, Goodness and felicity. And that your hearts may be inflamed to this excellent work, I will here show you how great and necessary, how high and acceptable a work it is.
§. 14. 1. It is the giving to God his chiefest due: A speaking of him as he is: And when we have spoken the highest, how far fall we short, of the due expression of his glorious perfections. O how great Praise doth that Allmightiness deserve, which created and conserveth all the world, and overruleth all the sons of men, and is able to do whatsoever he will? Great is the Lord and Greatly to be praised: and his Greatness is unsearchable. One Generation shall praise his works to another and declare his mighty acts: I will speak of the glorious honor of thy Majesty, and of thy wondrous works: And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts, and I will declare thy Greatness, Psalm 145. 3, 4, 5. What Praise doth that knowledge deserve which extendeth to all things that are, or were, or ever shall be? and that wisdom which ordereth all the world? He knoweth every thought of man, and all the secrets of the heart. Psalm 44. 21. & 94. 11. Known unto God are all his works, from the beginning of the world; Acts 15. 18. His understanding is infinite Psalm 147. 5. What praise doth that Goodness and Mercy deserve, which is diffused throughout all the world, and is the life and hope and happiness of men and Angels? His Mercy is Great unto the Heavens, and his Truth unto the Clouds: Psalm 57. 10. O how great is his Goodness to them that fear him? Psalm. 31. 10. and therefore how great should be his Praise. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? and who can show forth all his Praise, Psalm 106. 2. For great is the Glory of the Lord, Psalm 138. 5.
§. 15. 2. It is the end of all God's wondrous works, and especially the end which man was made for, that all things else might Praise him Objectively, and men (and Angels) in estimation and expression. that his Glorious excellency might be visible in his works, and be admired and extolled by the rational creature: For this all things were created and are continued: For this we have our understanding and our speech: This is the fruit that God expecteth from all his works. Deny him this and you are guilty of frustrating the whole creation, as much as in you lieth. You would have the Sun to shine in vain, and the Heavens and Earth to stand in vain, and man and all things to live in vain, if you would not have God have the pray • e and Glory of his works. Therefore Sun, and Moon, and Starrs, and Firmament are called on to Praise the Lord, Psalm 148. 2, 3, 4. as they are the matter for which he must by us be praised. O praise him therefore for his mighty acts: Praise him according to his excellent greatness. Psalm 150. 2. O that men would praise the Lord for his Goodness, and declare his wondrous works for the children of men: Psalm 107. 8, &c. Yea it is the end of Christ in the Redemption of the world, and in saving his elect, that God might in the Church in Earth and Heaven have the praise and glory of his grace. Ephes. 1. 6, 12, 14. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that i • , the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name Heb. 13. 15. And let the redeemed of the Lord say that his mercy endureth forever: Psalm 107. 2. For this all his Saints are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that they should show forth the praises of him that hath called them out of darkness into his marvelous light, 1 Pet. 2. 5, 9.
§. 16. 3. The Praise of God is the highest and noblest work in itself: 1. It hath the highest object: even the glorious excellencies of God. Thanksgiving is somewhat lower as having more respect to ourselves and the Benefits received: But Praise is terminated directly on the perfections of God himself. 2. It is that work that is most immediately nearest on God as he is Our end: And as the end as such is better than all the means set together (as such): so are the final duties about the end greater than all the mediate duties. 3. It is the work of the most excellent creatures of God, the holy Angels: They proclaimed the coming of Christ, by way of Praise, Luke 2. 13, 14. Glory to God in the highest: on earth peace: Good-will towards men. Psalm 103. 20. & 148. 2. And as we must be equal to the Angels, it must be in equal Praising God, or else it will not be in equality of Glory. 4. It is the work of Heaven, the place and state of all perfection: And that is best and highest which is nearest Heaven: Where they rest not day nor night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is and is to come—Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created, Rev. 4. 8. 10. Rev. 19. 5. A voice came out of the throne saying, Praise our God all ye his servants, and ye that fear him both small and great. verse 6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Allelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth; Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
§. 17. 4. It beseemeth us and much concerneth us to learn and exercise that work which in Heaven we must do forever: and that is, to Love and joyfully Praise the Lord. For earth is but the place of our apprenticeship for Heaven. The preparing works of mortifying repentance must in their place be done: but only as subservient to these which we must ever do: When we shall sing the new song before the Lamb, Thou art worthy—For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us Kings and Priests unto our God, Rev. 5. 9, 10. Therefore the Primitive Church of believers is described as most like to Heaven, Luke 24. 53. with great joy they were continually in the Temple Praising and blessing God. O Praise the Lord therefore in the congregations of the Saints: Let Israel rejoice in him that made him Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Psalm 149. 1, 2. Let the Saints be joyful in glory: Let the high praises of God be in their mouths, verse 5, 6.
§. 18. 5. Though we are yet diseased sinners, and in our warfare, among enemies, dangers and perplexities, yet Praise is seasonable and suitable to our condition here, as the greatest part of our duty, which all the rest must but promote. Pretend not that it is not fit for you because you are sinners, and that humiliation only is suitable to your state. For the design of your redemption, the tenor of the Gospel, and your own condition, engage you to it. Are they not engaged to Praise the Lord, that are brought so near him to that end? 1 Pet. 2, 5. 9. that are reconciled to him? To whom he hath given and forgiven so much. 1 Tim. 1. 15. Tit. 3. 3, 5. Psalm 103. 1, 2, 3. that have so many great and precious promises? 2 Pet. 1. 4. that are the Temples of the Holy Ghost, who dwelleth in them, and sanctifieth them to God? That have a Christ inter •• ding for them in the highest? Rom. 8. 33, 34. That are always safe in the arms of Christ; that are guarded by Angels; and Devils, and enemies forbidden to touch them, further than their father s • eth necessary for their good? That have the Lord for their God, Psalm 33. 12. & 4. 8. That have his Saints for their companions and helpers? That have so many ordinances to help their souls? And so many creatures and comforts for their bodies? That live continually upon the plenty of his Love? That have received so much, and are still receiving? Should we not bless him every day with Praise, that blesseth us every day with benefits? Should we not praise the bridge that we go over? The friend that we have tried so oft? And resolve as Psalm 145. 2. Every day will I bless thee: I will praise thy name forever and ever: Psalm 63. 3, 4. Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee: Thus will I bless thee while I l •• e: I will lift up my hands in thy name. Are they not bound to praise him on earth, that must reign with Christ forever in Heaven? Rom. 8. 17, 33. Rev. 1. 5, 6. Col. 1. 12. 1 Pet. 1. 4.
6. The Praises of God do exercise our highest Graces: Praise is the very breath of Love, and Joy, and Gratitude: It tendeth to raise us above ourselves, and make our hearts to burn within us, while the glorious name of God is magnified: It hath the most pure and spiritual and elevating effect upon the soul; and therefore tendeth most effectually to make us more holy, by the increase of these graces.
§. 19. 7. To be much employed in the Praise of God, doth tend exceedingly to the vanquishing of all hurtful doubts, and fears, and sorrows. Joy and Praise promote each other: And this it doth 1. By keeping the soul near to God, and within the warmth of his love and goodness, Psal. 140. 13. 2. By the exercise of Love and Joy, which are the cordial, reviving, strengthening graces, Psal. 94. 19. & 116. 1. 3. By dissipating distrustful vexing thoughts, and diverting the mind to sweeter things, Psal. 104. 34. 4. By keeping off the Tempter; who usually is least able to follow us with his molestations, when we are highest in the praises of our God. 5. By bringing out the Evidences of our sincerity into the light, while the chiefest graces are in exercise, 2 Cor. 3 18. 6. And by way of Reward from God that loveth the Praises of his meanest servants. And here I would comm • nd this experiment to uncomfortable troubled souls, that have not found comfort by long searching after evidence in themselves. Exercise yourselves much in the Praises of God: This is a duty that you have no pretence against. Against Thanksgiving for his grace, you pretend that you know not that you have received his grace: But to praise him in the excellency of his perfections, his power, and wisdom, and goodness, and mercy, and truth, is the duty of all men in the world. While you are doing this, you will feel your graces stir, and feel that comfort from the face of God, which you are not like to meet with in any other way whatsoever. Evidences are exceeding useful to our ordinary stated peace and comfort: But it is oft long before we confidently discern them: and they are oft discerned when yet the soul is not excited to much sense of comfort and delight: and we quickly lose the sight of evidences, if we be not very wise and careful: But a life of praise bringeth comfort to the soul, as standing in the Sunshine bringeth light and warmth: Or as laboring doth warm the body: or as the sight and converse of our dearest friend, or the hearing of glad tidings doth rejoice the heart; without any great reasoning or arguing the case. This is the way to have comfort by feeling, to be much in the hearty praises of the Lord: When we come to Heaven we shall have our Joy, by immediate Vision, and the delightful exercise of Love and Praise: And if you would taste the Heavenly Joyes on earth, you must imitate them in Heaven as near as possibly you can: And this is your work of nearest imitation.
§. 20. 8. To live a life of praising God will make Religion sweet and easy to us, and take off the wearisomeness of it, and make the work of God a pleasure to us. Whereas they that set themselves only to the works of humiliation, and leave out these soul-delighting exercises, do cast themselves into exceeding danger, by making Religion seem to them a grievous and undesirable life. This makes men backward to every duty, and do it heartlessly, and easily yield to temptations of omission and neglect, if not at last fall off through weariness: whereas the soul that is daily employed in the high and holy Prayses of his God, is still drawn on by encouraging experience, and doth all with a willing ready mind.