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28. To conclude, wt we have heard at present may serve to direct us in our Duty with respect to the approaching* Solemnity.
NB. *The Publick [?] which was the Thursday after this Sermon was preached, viz, on March 20. 1729. Thursday
Past day. Cambridge March 20th. A.M. 1729. 27. By Mr. Flynt from 5 Isaiah. 3-4-&5 verses
And now, O, inhabitants of Jerusalem & men of Judah, judge, & pray you, between me & my vineyard. Wt. could have been done, more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it? wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes; brough it forth wild grapes. And now go to, I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard; I will take away the * hedge there of, & it shall be eaten up; & break down the wall, 1. The Church of God is here in Several other places of Scripture compared to a Vineyard. 2. God hath done all that is requisite for for his Church & people all that is requisite for him to do for their Eternal Salvation. 3. God's people many times abuse his grace & frustrate his expectations, & by their corrupt practices provoke him & stir up his Anger against them. 14. Hos. 1. 4. When a people abuse the mercy of God, & frustrate his expectations, & by corrupting their ways & sinning against him provoke him to Anger against them, they may expect God's Anger & his judgements upon the [?] therefor, which he will certainly bring them upon'em. 5. God appeals to his people themSelves, to judge & the goodness & righteousness of his proceeding, & of the unreasonableness, ingratitude & wickedness of their own.
Improvement. *thereof, & it shall be holden down
29. 1. Hence we learn, that this Land at this day, stands exposed to the judgement of God. Dent. 32. 18. 34. 35. 2. God is righteous in all that judgement & affliction that hath or shall come upon us. E ek. 18. 24. Dan. g. 4. 3. We have no other way left to prevent the strokes of divine justice, but by reformation, & bringing forth fruits meet for repentance. Isaiah. 3.4. 3. Mal. 16.
Fast-day Cambridge March 20th P.M. 1728. 28. By Mr. Appleton from 6. Amos. 1. Wo to them that are at ease in Zion. Doct. It is a sad & woful thing for a Sinful people that are under divine threatnings to be at ease & Secure, in their own minds. Pro. 1. A Sinful people that are under Divine threatnings are Sometimes at ease & Secure. 1.2. Wt. is for a people to be at ease & Secure? 1.A. When they are not under any fearful Apprehensions of the divine judgements coming upon them. 2. When they go out in their [?] courses of Sin, as courageously & as chearfully as ever, without ever taking care to reform, & thereby to divert the judgements of Heaven. 2.2. How does it appear that a Sinful people under the divine threatnings are ever thus at ease & Secure? 1.A. The old World was a remarkable Instance of this. 2. The Case was the Same with Sodom & Gomorrha. 3. This was the Case of Babylon. 4. They were also at ease & Secure in Zion. 1.12. Zeph
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30. 5. It appears also that [?] tribes were at ease & Secure, & trusting to the mountains of Samaria. 6. Amos. 1. 3. Whence is it that a Sinful people under the Divine threatnings are at east & Secure? 1. It is sometimes from their ignorance of themselves, & not being Sensible of their Sins. 2. It sometimes arises from their not realizing the Certainity of Divine threatnings. 3. It is Sometimes from their vain apprehensions of the divine Patience. 4. Some remain easy & Secure because God does still delay, & they cannot realize that there will be any remarkable change. 5. A people are often at ease & Secure upon the account of their profession, & their covenant relation to God. 6. A people are often at ease, from their vainly apprehending themselves well fortified against any impending Danger. 7. They are oftentimes easy & Secure from the vain apprehensions that they shall escape in the day of the Lord's Vengeance. Pro. It is a Sad & woful thing for a Sinful people under the Divine judgements to be at ease & Secure. 1. As it argues the [sottishness ?] & Stupidity of such a people. 2. As it is a sign that such a people are very much left of God. 3. Because they are in no way to be reform & so are not like to be [?] the divine Judgements.
31 4. As it is a sign that the Judgements of God are very near to Such a people.
Improvement. 1. A person or people being at ease & Secure, is no sign that they are in a state of Safety. 2. Here we see something of the State and Condition of the people in this Land. 1. Let all this people in general consider how sad it is to be at ease & Secure & endeavour to rouse themselves out of it. 1. Consider God has many times & in many ways been threatning of us. 2. Consider our profession & priviledges will be no security to us, unless we walk agree-alby ably thereto. 3. Consider God's former Savour is no foundation for us to depon upon. 4. Consider our present comfortable Circumstances are no foundation to depend upon. 5. Consider God has begun to bring the Same judgements upon us, as he threatned & did bring upon his people of old. 6. Consider that our ease & Security is a very
| sad Sign & Symptom. Matt. 24. | 28 ad finem. |
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32. 1. God's pouring out a Spirit of Supplication on any is a sign that he has a favour for them. 2. Where God pours down a Spirit of prayer, he prepares us to receive, Blessings. 3. God's pouring out a Spirit of Supplication, is a Sign that he intends to hear & answer the prayers of Such. 4. According to the word & promis of God, Such as, have the Spirit of prayer poured out upon them, Shall be heard & answered. 5. This has been God's way & manner with us, that when he has enabled us by a Spirit of prayer to pray aright, then to hear & answer us. 6. The honour of God requires, that he should hear & answer the prayers of those, on whom he pours the Spirit of prayer.
Improvement. 1. Here we see the wonderful wisdom of God, in the manner of his conveying his Divine mercies & blessings to us. 2. The blessing that we should desire in the 1st place, & the foundation of our hopes for other blessings, is this Spirit of prayer. 3. We learn the reason why so many prayers go unanswered, because the Spirit of prayer is not poured out on them who pray. 4. Here we learn, when to expect the Answer of our prayers, viz.
39 When we find that the Spirit of prayer poured out upon us. 2. How shall we know when the Spirit of prayer has been poured out on us? A. When we find a Spirit of grace working in us at the Same time.
3a. Cambridge March 23rd. P.M. 1729. By Mr. Wigglesworth from Dan. 9.7. O. Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee. & Doct. Justice or righteousness is a perfection or attribute of the Divine Nature. 1. I shall explain the Nature of Justice as it is a perfection of ye Divine Nature. Justice is divided into three Parts, Commutative, Emendative, & distributive 2. Commutative Justice cannot belong to God, because it Supposeth Something received as well as restored. 2. Emendative Justice strictly considered is but a meer Humane Virtue. 3. To bring Some hidden grace or Virtue into View. 3. To exercise & increase their Grace. 3. I am to Speak of Justice under that Notion in which it is commonly called Distributive. & it consists in a Constant Disposition to render to every one their [due?] & in distributing rewards or punishments accordingly.
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34 Sabbath day. Cambridge April 6th. A.M. 1729.
31. By Mr. Greenleaf from 12 Luke 6 & 7 vr. Are not 5 sparrows sold for 2 farthings & not of ym. is forgotten before God, & even the very hairs of [yr.?] head are all [numbred?]. Doct. That God in his Providence takes care of all things, yea of the Smallest things that be. 1. God in his holy & allwise Providence preserves his creatures. He does so1. By continuing & upholding their beings. 2. He preserves ym. also by making such provision for ym. as yy. need. To present [discussions ?] 1. Let us consider yt. it is God that maintains our Life, & that we necessarily depend upon him therefor. 2. Let us consider the Vanity of too much Carefullness & that by taking tho't we cannot add our [?] to our Stature 3. Let us consider that is the practice of the Heather so to do, who set their minds only on the things of ys. O. 4. Let us consider our relation to God as a Father, & that he knows all our Wants, & can Supply them 2. As God preserves his Creatures, so does he also in his holy & allwise providence does he govern them. 1. God in his providence is not only to to be seen in being kind to his
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Creatures, but also in chastizing them, & bringing afflictions on them. 2. God in his providence orders all casual things. 3. By God's Providence both good & evil are governed. 1. God is said to have the ordering of Sinful actions in as much as he leaves Sinners them to themselves, or withdraws or with holds his restraining grace from 'em 2. In as much as he letteth Satan loose on them to be by him blinded or misled. 1. One things that accompanys Sin is impurity & Corruption. 2. Another thing is an evil End or Aim. 1. God oftentimes makes use of Second Causes to bring about his purposes. 2. God sometimes works contrary to Nature. 32 Afternoon 3. God most frequently makes use of Means. I. God delivered Israel when under afflication by the hand of [Jerocoam ?] 1. The holy Angels are God's Messengers ready to do him Service. 2. God has the hearts of all men in his hand. 3. Even the Devils in Hell are forced to do him Serivce. 4. The Brute Creatures are also at his Command. 5. God many times Impowers the Winds, & Storms, Fire, Ice, & [hail ?] to
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36 do his Will. 1. God does not at all will Sin, as it is said 2. Altho' in regard of God's Counsel the Sin must be committed, yet the Sin is voluntary in the Sinner. 33 Wednesday. Cambridge April 9th 1729. By Mr. Appleton from Luke 22.1. Now the Feast of the unleavened bread was nigh, which is called the Passover. Doc. That when holy Ordinances draw nigh it is highly requisite & necessary that we should take notice of them. 2. What notice are we to take of the drawing near of Divine Ordinances? A.1. At least so far as to think of it, and bear it in our minds. 2. The drawing near of Diving Ordinances should be taken notice of with Thankfulness & Pleasure. 3. It Should so far be taken notice of by us as to make us prepare therefor. 1. We should so think of the Approaches of Divine Ordinance as to Set ourselves upon some devout Meditations. 2. as to Set ourselves upon a Serious Examination therefor. 3. -- as may Serve to put us upon great watchfulness against Sin. 4. -- as to be much in prayer to be prepared therefor.
37 To Conclude, Conc. The Feast of the {Christian} passover draws nigh. Let us all be persuaded to think of it so as to get prepared for it.
Sacrament-day Cambridge April 13th. A.M. 1729. 34. By Mr. Appleton from 2. Cor. 3.18. But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the Glory of the Lord, are changed into the Same Image from Glory to Glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2. O.C. Altho' True believers do with open face behold the Glory of the Lord, yet it is as in a glass. 1. True Believers or {Christians} do behold in a Glass the Glory of Christ. 1. In the Glass of the Gospel. 2. Believers behold the Glory of {Christ} in the Glass of Ordinances. 1. It is an Ordinance of the Gospel, that we present all our prayers & [?] in the name of Christ, & this is an Ordinance that will help to set forth very much of the Glory of {Christ}, as a glass. 2. If we consider the Ordinance of baptism, we shall see it to be a glass. Wherein the much of the Glory of {Christ} is represented. 3. The Ordinance of preaching serves as a glass to Show much of the glory of {Christ} to us. 4. The Ordinance of the Lord's Supper is a glass wherein much of the glory of {Christ} may be Seen.