be great Mifery: Satan hath spoiled us | fince it loft the very Proportion and Vifage of it, that is, God's Image? Let us confider this Doctrine, that we may know from whence we have fallen, and into what a Gulf of Sin and Mifery we have of our rich Treasure, that glorious Image of Holiness. And hath drawn upon our Souls the very Vifage of Hell, the Linea ments of this hellish Countenance, but the moft Part of Men ly ftupid, infen-fallen, that the new News of Jesus Christ. sible of any Thing, as Beafts that are felled with their Fall, that can neither find Pain nor rife; if we could but return and con fider what are all those fad and woful Confequences of Sin in the World, what a ftrange Diftemper it hath put in the What Miferies that one Fall hath brought on all Mankind? I am fure by thefe Bruises we might conjecture what a ftrange Fall it hath been. Sin did interpofe between God and us, and this darkned our Souls, and killed them, the Light of Knowledge was put out, and the Life of Holiness extinguished, and now there remains nothing of all that stately Building, but fome Ruines of common Principles of Reason, and Honefty engraven on all Mens Confciences, which may fhew unto us what the Building hath been; we have fallen from Holinefs, and fo from Happiness, our Souls are deformed and defiled; you see what an ill favoured Thing it is, to fee a Child wanting any Members. O if Sin were visible, how ug ly would the Shape of the Soul be to us, a Mediator and Redeemer of fallen Man, may be sweet unto us. Thus it pleased the Lord to let his Image be marred and quite fpoyled in us, for he had this Defign to repair it, and renew it better than of Old, and for this End he hath created Chrift according to his Image, he hath stamped that Image of Holiness upon his Flesh, to be a Pattern, and not only fo, but a Pledge alfo, of reftoring fuch Souls as flee unto him for Refuge, unto that primitive Glory and Excellency: Know then that he hath made his Son like unto us, that we might again be made like unto him; he said, let one of us be made Man, in the Counsel of Redemption, that fo it might again be faid, let Man be made like unto us, in our Image: It is a second Creation muft do it, and O that you would look upon your Hearts to enquire if it be framed in you: Certainly you muft again be created into that Image if you belong to Chrift. To him be Praise and Glory. Rom. xi. 36. For of him, and through him, and to him are all Things; to whom be Glory for ever. A .Pfal. ciii. 19. The Lord bath prepared bis Throne in the Heavens: And bis Kingdom ruleth over all. Mat. x. 29. Are not two Sparrow's fold for a Farthing? And one of them ball not fall on the Ground without your Father. nothing above their Senfes which is the in Scripture. The general Providence of Subject of their Meditations: And for God and the fpecial Administration of the Children of God, I fear many do Chrift the Saviour, thefe are common, give fuch Truths of God too common and these are effential to our happiness ; and coarfe Entertainment in their Minds, therefore the Meditation of Chriftians ⚫ through a Conceit of the Commonnefs of fhould run most upon them, and not althem. I know not what we are taken up ways about fome particular Questions or with in this Age, with fome particular Debates of the Time. It is a strange Truths more remote from the Know- Thing how People fhould be more at· · ledge of others in former Times, or fome fected with a Difcourfe on the Affairs of particular Cafes concerning our felves: the Time, or on fome inward Thoughts You will find the most Part of Chriftians of their own Hearts, than if one thould 'ftretch not their Thoughts beyond their fpeak of God's univerfal Kingdom over own Conditions or Interefts, or fome all Men and Nations; that is accounted particular Questions, about Faith and Re- a general and ordinary Difcourfe; even, pentance, &c. And in the mean Time as if Men would fet at nought the Sun's the most weighty Points of Religion, Light, because it fhines to all, and every which have been the Subject of the Me- Day; or would defpife the Water, beditation and Admiration of Saints in all caufe it may be found every where: Let Ages, are wholly laid afide through a the Sun be removed for fome few Days, Mifapprehenfion of their Commonnefs, as and O what would the World account of if a Man would despise the Sun and the it beyond all your curious Devices or Air, and prefer fome rare Piece of Stone rare Enjoyments. This is it which would or Timber to them. Certainly, as in the increase to more true Godliness, if rightly Difpofal of the World, the Lord hath in believed, than many other Things ye are great Wisdom and Goodness made the moft bufied withall. It's our general View of needful and useful Thing most common; them makes them but general. I spoke shofe, without which Man cannot live, once upon this Word, Rom. xi. 36. but are always obvious to us, fo that if any only in reference to the End of Man, Thing be more rare, it is not neceffary: which is God's Glory; but the Words So in this Universe of Religion, he in do extend further, and we must now conMercy and Wisdom hath fo framed all, fider what further they hold forth. The that thofe Points of Truth and Belief, Apoftle hath been speaking of the Lord's which are most near the Substance of Sal- unfearchable Ways and Judgments towards vation, and neceffary to it, and moft fit to Men in the Difpenfation of Grace and Salexercise us in true Godliness, these are arion, how free and how abfolute he is every where to be found, partly en-in that: And this he ftrengthens by the graven on Mens Hearts, partly fet down moft clearly and often in Scripture, that a believing Soul can look no where but it muft breathe in that Air of the Gospel, and look upon that common Sun of Righteoulnefs, God the Creator, and the healing Sun, Chrift the Redeemer, fhining every where a fupreme Wifdom of God,Who did direct him; Why doft thou, Man, take upon thee to direct him now? For, where was there any Counfellor when he alone contrived all the Frame of this World, and then by fovereign Highnefs and Supre macy over the Creatures difpofed of them? For For he is Debitor to none, therefore none can quarrel him for giving or not giving, for who was it that gave him firft, for which he should give a Recompence? Was there any could prevent him with a Gift? Nay, none could, faith he, for of Him, and through Him, and for Him are all Things: And therefore he muft Men. For from whence fhould prevent that Gift of the Creature, which could oblige him, have its Rife? It must be of God if it be a Creature, and therefore he is in no Man's Common, He muft give it ere we have it to give him again. The Words are moft comprehenfive, they comprehend all Things, and that is very large: There is nothing without this Compass, and they comprehend all the Dependance of Things. Things depend upon that which made them, that which preferves them, and that for which they are made. All Things depend on him as their producing Caufe, that firft gives them a Being: For of Him are all Things; they alfo depend on him as their conferving Caufe, who continues their Being by that felf-fame Influence wherewith he gave it, for through bim are all Things: And then they depend on him as their final Caufe, for whofe Glory they are, and are continued, for, for Him are all Things. Thus you have the Beginning, the Continuance, and the End of the whole Creation: This Word may lead us through all: From God as the Beginning, the Alpha and Original of their Being: Through God as the only Supporter, Confirmer, and Upholder of their Being: And unto God as the very End for which they have their Being. Now, to travel within this Compass, to walk continually within this Circle, and to go along this bleffed Round; to be gin at God, and to go along all our Way with him, till we arrive and end at God; and thus to do continually in the Journey of Meditation, when it furveys any of his Works, this were, indeed, the very proper Work, and the fpecial Happinefs Man was created for ; And, I may fay, a great Part of that for which a Chriftian is created for Again, there would be nothing more powerful to the comforming of a Soul to God, and to his Obedience and Fear, than this, to have that Perfwafion firmly rooted in the Heart, That of God are all Things: That whatever it be, Good or Evil, that befalls us, or others; whatever we obferve in the World, that is the Subject of the Thoughts and Difcourfes of Men, and turns Mens Eyes after them, that all that is of God; that is, it is in the World, it's started out of nothing at his Command; it is, because his Power gave it a Being: And in this Confideration to overlook, and, in a manner, forget all fecond Caufes; to have fuch affecting and uptaking Thoughts of the first Principle of all these Motions, as to regard the lower Wheels, that are next us, no more than the Hand or the Sword that a Man ftrikes. us with; as if thefe fecond Caufes had no Influence of their own, but were merely acted and moved by this fupream Power, as if God did nothing by them, but only at their Prefence. We should fo labour to look on thofe Things he doth by Creatures, as if he did them alone without the. Creatures, as if he were this Day creating a World: Certainly, the folid Faith of God's Providence will draw off the Covering of the Creature, and efpy the fecret Almighty Power which acts in every Thing to bring forth his good Pleasure concerning them: And then to confider, with that fame Serioufnefs of Meditation, that fame everlafting Arm which made them. but an uninterrupted, and conftant Flux and Emanation of thefe Things from God, as of Light from the Body of the Sun. And then to meditate how all these Things are for him, and his Glory, though we know no Ufe nor End of them, yet that his Majefty hath appointed them to thew forth, one way or other, the Glory of his Name in them; and thefe Things which to our first and foolish Apprehen it were, to spread a Cloud of Darkness over his glorious Name, the Sins and preverfe Doings of Men and Angels,the many Disorders and Confufions in the World, which feem to reflect fome way upon him; that yet he hath holy and glorious Ends in them all, yea, that himself is the End of all: I fay, to meditate on these Things till our Soul received the Stamp of Reverence, and Fear, and Faith in God, this would certainly be the most becoming Exercife of a Chriftian, to bring all Things down from God, that we might return and afcend with all Things again unto God. them, is under them to fupport them; that the most noble and excellent Creatures are but Streams, Rays, Images, and Shadows of God's Majesty, which as they have their Being by Derivation, fo they have their Continuance by that fame continued Influence; fo that if he would interpofe between himself and them, or withdraw his Countenance, or ftop his Influence, the moft fufficient of them all fhould evanih, asfions feem moft contrary to him, and, as the Sun-beams dry up the Streams of a Fountain, and difappear as the Image of the Glafs, Pfal. cii. 29, 30. O that Place were a pertinent Object of a Chriftian's Meditation: How much of God is to be preft out of it by ferious pondering of it? Thou bideft thy Face and they are troubled, thou takest away thy Breath and they die, thou fendeft out thy Spirit, and they are created. It is even with the very Being and Faculties of the Creature as with the Image in the Glafs, which when the Face removes, it's feen no more; the Lord, as it were, breathes into them a Being, and when he takes in his Breath_they perish, and when This is the moft suitable Employment he fends it out again they are renewed; of a Man, as reasonable, much more as we do not wonder at the standing of the Chriftian, that very Duty he was created World, but think, if we had been Wit-for. This People bave I formed for neffes of the making of it, we would have my felf, they fball fhew forth my Praife. been filled with Admiration; but certain-Ifa, xliii. 21. And this is the fhewing ly, it's only our Stupidity that doth not behold that fame Wonder continued, for what is the upholding of this by his Power, but a very continued and repeated Creation? Which Influence were able to bring a World out of nothing. If this had not been before the Vertue and Power he imploys now in making them fubfift, that Fame alone without any Addition of Power would have in the Beginning made all this to be of nothing; fo that the Continuance of the World is nothing elle forth of his Praife, to follow forth the Footsteps of God in the Word, and in the World, and to ponder thefe Paths of divine Power, and Goodness, and Wisdom, and to acknowledge him with our Heart in all thefe. He made many Creatures on which his Glory and Praife is fhewed forth, and he made this Creature Man to fhew forth that Praife, and that Glory which is fhewed forth in other Creatures. O, but this is a divine Office; it is strange how our Hearts are carried forth towards bafe bafe Things, and bufied in many vain, impertinent, and bafe Employments, and fcarce ever mind this great one we were created for. Yet Heaven and Earth obeys. Can a King Certainly, this is the Employment we were made for, to deduce all Things from God till we can again reduce all to him with Glory; to bring all down from his everlasting Counfels, until we fend all up to his eternal Glory, together with the Sacrifice of our Hearts; to behold all Things to be of Him, that is, of his eternal Counsel and Decree, to have their Rife in the Bofom of that; and then through Him, to proceed out of the Bofom of his Decree and Purpofe by his Power, quafi obftetricante potentia, and then to return with all the Praife and Glory to his ever glorious Name, for whom are all Things. There is none but they will allow God fome Government in the World; fome would have him as a King, commanding and doing all by Deputies, and Subfti tutes; fome would have his Influence ge neral, like the Sun's upon fublunary Things; but how shallow are Mens Thoughts in re-O, what would the Belief of this do to gard of that which is? God has prepared, raise our Hearts to fuitable Thoughts of indeed, his Throne in the Heaven; God above the Creatures, to encrease the that is true, that his Glory doth manifeft Fear, Faith, and Love of God, and to it felf in fome ftrange and majeftick abate from our Fear of Men, and our Manner above, but the whole Tenour vain and unprofitable Cares and Perplexiof Scripture fhews, that he is not fhut ties? How would you look upon the up in Heaven, but that he immediately Affairs of Men, the Counfels, Contrivancares for, governs, and difpofes all Things ces, Endeavours, and Succeffes of Men, in the World, for His Kingdom is over when they are turning Things upfide all: It is the Weakness of Kings, not down, and plotting the Ruin of his People, their Glory, that they have need of Depu- and establishing themselves alone in the ties; it is his Glory, not Bafenefs, to Earth? What would you think of all look to the meanest of his Creatures; it thefe Revolutions as this Time? Many is a poor Refemblance and empty Shadow Souls are aftonished at them, and ftand that Kings have of him; He rules in gazing at what is done and to be done ; the Kingdoms of Men, and to him be- and this is the very Language of your Spilongs the Dominion and the Glory; herits and Ways, The Lord bath forfaken deferves the Name of a King, whofe Beck the Earth, the Lord feeth not: This is R the |