though he damn'd the whole world and cast off Cain for ever Ninthly God makes some sharers in the same deliverance who share not in the same grace as the ten Lepers he gave them the same cure not the same grace he gave them all a cure only to one grace Were there not ten cleansed where are Luk. 17. 17. the nine There are not found that return'd to give glory to God save this stranger So the Sons of Noah were all saved in the same Ark and yet not all made partakers of the same Faith We shall now give you the Application of this Point And first Vse 1. See by what tenure the Saints hold and receive all their grace By gift 1. The first work of grace in the soul is a gift No man can come to me saith Christ except it were given him from John 6. 65. Rom. 5. 5. above and Romans 5. 5 All is given It is grace that we have grace the grace of God that we have grace from God 2. The addition and increase of grace is a gift every little degree of grace is a gift and when he gives more still it is more gift 3. Heaven it self is a gift The gift of God is eternal life Rom. 6. 27. mark the whole verse The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life Eternal death is a wages eternal life is a gift men deserve it when they are damn'd but they deserve it not when they are saved their sins are worthy of Death but their graces are not worthy of Life And the reason is 1. Because mens sins are their own and therefore deserve death As Christ speaking of the Devil saith When he speaketh a John 8. 44. lye he speaketh of his own Our lyes and our sins are our own works but our graces are not our own we are beholden to God in that we have grace when we serve him with our graces we serve him but with his own 2. Because our sins being perfectly sinful are worthy of death but our graces being not perfectly gracious are not worthy of life Vse 2. Is grace a free gift then serve God freely We cannot be too free in serving him from whom every thing is a free-gift I may rightly apply that Text to the Saints Freely ye Math. 10. 8. have received freely give I am sure you have freely received grace serve him freely with your grace And therefore a Servant is in Greek called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 15. 17. a reward because servants serve not their Master freely as his Sons do meerly because he is their Father but for reward What is it to serve God freely 1. To count it a greater good to serve God than to be saved not as if a man should not serve God with an eye to his salvation for 't were a sin if he should not because the recompence of reward is the great Promise and 't were a sin not to prize and eye and look up to any promise of God I say we are bound to serve God with an eye to the recompence of reward because it is the Promise of God now we are to make the best of every promise to improve the promise and to make the best advantage of it for the quickning of our graces and the cheering up of our spirits The promises are helps and we are bound to use all Gods Helps And therefore Heb. 12. 2. we may set our salvation befor us and aim at it But yet still this we should do and if we serve God freely will do it count it a greater good to serve God than to be saved to glorifie God than to be glorified Indeed the Lord saith Them that honour me I will honour This is his goodness yet Gods Honour is a greater good than our honour It is a greater good that God be glorified than that we should be glorified because the Glory of God is the good of the Creator but our glory is but the good of the Creature 2. To serve God freely is to serve him willingly As we say of a man that doth a thing willingly he doth it freely for that is the very essence of the Will that which is not done freely is not done with the Will Oh observe thy self Thou Professor it may be prayest in thy closet but if thou durst omit it thou wouldest not pray thou art not drunk but if thou durst for shame thou wouldest not be so temperate now thou dost not pray nor abstain from sin willingly and freely 3. To serve God freely is to serve him abundantly to be liberal in his service He that is no niggard but is liberal in his gifts we call him free So he that serves God freely is no niggard of his service he is very liberal of his service to God As we say of a man that 's liberal of his Fare and liberal in his House he is free he cares not what he spends upon his friends he provides bountifully for them he calls for his Wines and Sweet-meats about him and thinks nothing too much for them we say this man hath a free and noble spirit so the Saints that serve God freely think they can never do enough for him he makes abundant Provision to entertain Christ and sets a long Table full of Services like so many dishes before him When Christ said to Zachaeus To day I must abide at thy Luk. 19. 5. house How did Zachaeus entertain him Wondrous liberally saith he Behold Lord half of my goods I give to the poor Verse 8. and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation I restore him four-fold Zachaeus was wondrous free Christ Jesus might have any thing of him without speaking A Saint cares not what he spends upon Christ wilt thou have me give away one lust yea saith Christ there it is another saith Christ there it is Lord another yet saith Christ there 't is Lord nay all saith Christ take all then Veniat veniat Verbum Domini saith one Et submittemus ei sexcenta si nobis essent Colla Let the Word of the Lord come let it come and wee 'l submit six hundred necks to it if we had them Nay but not thy lusts only but thy life too saith Christ take it then saith St. Paul I am ready not to be bound only Acts 21. 13. but also to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus Vse 3. Is grace a gift then count thy work a gift not a burden but a gift not a toyle but a gift look upon every labour and every service and obedience for God as a gift As a Woman though she travel in pain yet counts her Child a gift from God As the Text saith Lo Children are an heritage Psal 127. 3. of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward The mother counts her child a gift for who
temptations there 's never a temptation but it is from Divine ordination and therefore is managed by the reins of Divine moderation so that as the expert Rider rules the horse and the skilful Coach-man by his dexterity guides the Coach so the wise and merciful God governs the temptation he holds the temptation in his hand with Curb and Bridle he allots it its bounds and graciously prescribes its measure so that it shall not be upon you out of measure Oh! what a rare comfort is this to a poor soul that a God so good circumscribes temptation within limits it may flow in upon you but shall not over-flow you I say it shall not overflow the banks God himself will keep and bound it within its channel its Waves may drench you but they shall not drown you The Great God that saith to the Sea Hitherto shall thy proud waves go and no farther the same God sits upon the waters of every temptation 5. In all your trials and temptations act your faith upon this principle that God will extract good out of them this is the Royal prerogative of God to do so it is his peculiar and he will do so it is spoken of him as one of his incommunicable excellencies that God commanded light to shine out of darkness It is the property of the Devil to draw evil out of good and darkness out of light but it is the sweet property of a gracious God to draw good out of evil and light out of darkness he will turn the shadow of death into the morning tempted souls the Lord who tries you will extract good out of your trials and temptations Vse 3. Expect a perpetual succession of temptations Tota fidelium vita tentatio est all the life of Believers is a temptation When one leaves you look certainly for another In your new birth you are born to temptations this life is but a long chain of successive and continued temptations The temptations of Abraham were many some casting up the accounts of his temptations that are recorded reckon them to be ten it may be I may find more concerning his habitations he was to change them thrice 1. He left his own Native Country at Gods Command and quit all his kindred and dwelt in Charran Act. 7. 3 4. 2. From thence he went at the same command into Canaan whither must he go to a place he knew not to men that knew not him 3. And there God gave him no inheritance in it no not so Act. 7. 5. much as to set his foot on which seems to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a gift and no gift to promise to give him a land and then to give him not a foot of land in it a shrewd temptation 4. Then there was a famine in the land of Canaan and Abraham Gen. 12. 10. was fain to go down to Egypt Canaan doth not afford him bread which yet he must believe shall flow with milk and honey to his seed 5. In Egypt he was tempted about Sarah his wife and he said Gen. 12. 11. to 17. she was his sister And Pharaoh took her into his house he was under danger of his life and which was worse his wife was under danger of her chastity 6. Then when he came into Canaan again Lots Herdsmen Gen. 13. and his fell out where they should feed their cattel and they did separate from one another and Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan he had brought Lot along with him and nourished him as his child in his bosom and now to be used so unkindly by Lot here 's another temptation 7. Then Lot his kinsman is taken prisoner and Abraham is Gen. 14. fain to engage himself in a War against four Kings for the rescue of Lot taken Captive 8. Then he was afflicted for want of an heir and complains to God What wilt thou give me since I go childless Gen. 15. 2. 9. Then again as he is offering sacrifice and the Sun was going down an horrour of great darkness fell upon him and he Gen. 15. 12 13. received sad news from God that his seed should be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them four hundred years 10. Then he is tempted with the delay of performance God Gen. 16. 1. promised him a Son but tries him sorely with delay of performance the execution of performance is put off And Sarai Abrahams wife bare him no children Abraham was old ere he had the promise and hope of a Son and still the older the more uncapable yet God makes him wait five and twenty years for performance 11. Then at his wifes perswasion he goes in to Hagar her Gen. 16. 5. maid and she brings him a Son called Ishmael and there falls out discord and contention between Sarai and Hagar and Sarai chides Abraham for it and lays the blame upon him 12. Then God commands him to be circumcised and to circumcise all his seed and all that were in his house And Gen. 17. 24. Abraham was ninety years old and nine when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin Indeed circumcision was the sign of the Covenant and Abraham was not only content to wait for God but also to smart for him God bids him cut his own flesh and he is willing to carry this painful mark of the love of his Creator not regarding the soreness of his body for the confirmation of his soul 13. Then he is tempted again by Abimelech and saith that Gen. 20. 2. Sarai his wife was his sister and Abimelech takes Sarai his wife from him 14. Then he is sorely tempted again by the ejection of his Son Ishmael for Sarah said unto Abraham Cast out the bond-woman Gen. 21. 10 11. and her son for the son of this bond-woman shall not be heir with my son even with Isaac And the thing was very grievous in Abrahams sight because of his son 15. Then he is tempted here God commanded him to kill and sacrifice his Son all the former were but easie tasks of faith to this all ages have stood amazed at this to sacrifice his Son All the other were but mole-hills to this great Mountain Dost thou take pleasure in humane sacrifice or if thou wilt have it must I be the Monster of all parents to do it must my hands destroy the fruit of mine own loins If thou wilt have him must I my self do it what none else but I my self must do it A temptation most transcendent and yet this follows after all the rest Sirs What say you Do you think to live quiet you have been tempted and now you hope to be quiet mistake not look for more still and more yet and more continually Do you think at the end of a temptation there 's an end of temptations No no they must begin again God hath more work for you to do God will
which are wonderful Thy testimonies are wonderful therefore doth my soul Psal 119. 129. keep them There is peace that passeth all understanding joy unspeakable and full of glory There we have the ways of his Wisdom and his dealings with the Saints which are wonderful as Job saith Things too Job 42. 3. wonderful for me which I knew not To bring us to life by death to glory by shame to perfect his work in abasement to bring it low that he may raise after But how may we know these Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven 1. You must use all means you must read and hear and discourse you must study the things of God and converse with the Saints to whom God hath revealed these Mysteries The Ministry of the Word is the golden pipe through which these Divine Mysteries flow down into your Knowledg And then meditate of these things till the heart be warmed fasten your thoughts on them every day It is your Wisdom to spend consideration on them Oh that my people were wise that they would consider their latter end I say it is your wisdom to consider the Excellency of these Mysteries of Religion the Beauty of them in themselves the fruit and sweetness of them in this world and in the world to come An ingredient in the use of means after this Knowledg is that you must search for it The promise of finding Knowledg is only to such as search for Knowledg It is such a precious treasure that it lyeth deep in the bowels of Scripture Thou Prov. 2. 4. shalt find wisdom if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures There are two places two veins especially where wisdom is to be found there is the Book of Gods Word and the Book of Gods Works the Book of Scripture and the Book of Providence In these two Books we are to search and study out the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven The Word reveals them the hand of Providence doth dispense them The Word unfolds them Providence makes all things to further them in the soul And let me tell you One great means to irradiate your Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is to know that Mystery of sinfulness that is in you and that Mystery of misery that lieth upon you It is not to be conceived as Jeremy saith How deceitful the heart is and how desperately wickea what a depth of corruption lyeth there The cursed and woful state we are in by nature is not to be conceived Man's apprehension is too little to take in all the Dimensions of it to lye under the eternal wrath of God what head can comprehend it VVhat created soul can fathom in her widest thoughts the wrath of an infinite God Who can tell what Hell is And how hot the fire is which Gods Almighty wrath hath kindled to all eternity As eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for those that love him so neither hath eye seen nor ear heard nor can the heart of man conceive those depths and treasures of misery that men are in by nature Here we may cry out Oh the depths Therefore the more transparent Knowledg we have of the Mystery of Corruption and of the dreadful misery we are in by sin the more we shall wonder at the unparalell'd goodness of God in the Mystery of our salvation the one will sharpen the appetite of the other Truly Sirs if you are yet in the state of sin consider how little there is between you and eternal Death you are ready to drop into Hell immediately and irrecoverably Did these things sit sadly and seriously upon your spirits how would it advance the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven 2. That you may know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven bring Humility and self-denial Humble reason and make her give place to Faith for the humility we here speak of is a Denial of our own Parts and Wits though they be never so capacious In this case the Intellectus must be rasa tabula I say the understanding must be as a Table scraped all the Writings and Notions of humane Wit and Reason must be scraped out It must be like the Wax that hath no Character that it may receive the Impression of the Seal That which reason should do in supernatural things is to stoop to Faith to believe the things of God upon the sole Authority of God Here it is the greatest reason to yield to Faith In Divine Mysteries Faith is the reason of reason and the highest reason is to yield to God that hath revealed them And therefore Faith stands with the greatest reason that can be for is it not the greatest reason in the world to believe him that is Truth it self Reason it self saith It is the greatest reason to believe God who is the first Truth 3. Wait upon the spirit Give the spirit that Honour to reveal these Mysteries to you For your eyes are blind you have an inward darkness upon you the Gospel takes away the Vail from the things but the spirit takes away the Vail from our souls The Jews had a Vail of types and shadows thrown over the things themselves now I say Our Gospel takes away the Vail from the things but the spirit must take away the Vail from our hearts In Nature there is need of a double light that we may behold Objects 1. A light someness upon the Object it self through the Medium and therefore men cannot see in the night because the air which is the Medium is dark 2. A light besides in the Organ that is the eye and therefore blind men cannot see in the day because though the Sun shines and things may be seen in themselves yet they want a light in the eye So though the former darkness which lay upon the Mysseries of Heaven be taken away those legal shadows and curtains are removed and the Sun of the Gospel shines full upon our faces yet we are blind within there lyeth an inward darkness upon our faculty and the spirit must open our eyes and give us a vital light to joyn with the outward light 4. Send up your prayers to Heaven The holy Vapours of Prayer ascending the spirit comes down in showres upon the soul The earth must send up Vapours before the Clouds can give down rain And therefore Paul prays for the Ephesians That God would give them the spirit of Wisdom and Revelation Eph. 1. 17 18. that the eyes of their understanding being enlightned they might know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints 5. He that would find the knowledg of Divine Mysteries must seek it with a sanctified mind That which enables us to know and understand aright the things of God must be a living principle of Holiness in us As Plotinus saith The eye cannot behold
of life or spirit of lives 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 2. 7. and man became a living soul So when thou lyest dead before the Lord without any life or breath of Prayer in thee thou canst not so much as breathe before him he 'l breathe a Soul of Prayer into thee he 'l put breath into thee as he did into Acts 9. 11. Saul Behold he prayeth saith God 2. Sometimes a man sends a gift to one that never asked him for it so doth God sometimes send his gifts of grace to them that never ask for it he gives them before they ask it Opposers and Persecutors are said to be the greatest Sinners yet saith Christ upon the Cross Father forgive them they know not what they do he spake it of those that put him to Death Some might have said Lord they are opposers of thee even to the Death be it so saith Christ I have mercy for opposers too and for persecutors too Father forgive them they know not what they do But Lord they do not beg for pardon wilt thou give such a kindness to them that ask not for it They do not acknowledg their fault if thou wilt shew mercy to them stay till they acknowledg their fault and be humbled and ask pardon nay saith Christ I will prevent poor sinners with my love Though they do not ask forgiveness yet I beg forgiveness Father forgive them But Lord these are great sinners and less mercy would serve the turn forgiveness is a great mercy no saith Christ no mercy less than forgiveness will serve the turn they 'l be never the better for any mercy without forgiveness therefore they shall have it Father forgive them but forgiveness is a great mercy be it so saith Christ I know what I do I have great mercy the greatest mercy for the greatest sinners and because they cannot ask it I will ask it for them Father forgive them Vse 6. Wo to you Professors that have not true grace from Matth 13. 12. Luk. 8. 18. them shall be taken away even that which they have Luke saith From them shall be taken that which they seem to have For if we speak of true grace they have not grace only seem to have it They seem to be holy and their seeming holiness shall be taken from them They seem to believe and their seeming Faith shall be taken from them They seem to repent and their seeming Repentance shall be taken from them They Matth. 13. 20. seem to joy in Christ and in Mercy and the Promises but their seeming joy shall be taken from them The spirit doth but assume them he doth not inform them nor enliven them As the dead bodies which Angels assume for a time they seem to live and talk and eat and drink but when the Angel leaves them because they were not the Angels proper bodies they vanish away and lose that life they did seem to have So the Spirit of God doth assume and act the souls of many men in the Church for a time to do service for God by them and all that while they pray and preach and hear and walk up and down in Duty out of one Duty into another and the Spirit leaves them because he did but assume them and then they drop down dead as indeed they are and always were Thus the Spirit did assume Judas for a time Judas was but a dead man in soul all the time he was with Christ only the Spirit of God assumed him and acted him and he followed Christ and went about Preaching the Gospel with the other Disciples but when the Spirit left him he betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver that was his proper work and despaired and dyed Vse 7. This should put the Saints upon a serious Tryal of their graces The Point tells you that where there are beginnings of true grace God will make rich Additions of more grace Oh then try what grace yours is if it be true grace God will give more grace As the Apostle saith He that hath begun a good work in you will perfect it If it be a good work God will perfect it he will cherish his own work Sirs God will not nurse up a spurious seed Bastard grace whereof he is not the Father Oh! then all you that would taste comfort from this Point try your graces The Evangelical Hypocrite is he I aim at There is Gospel-Hypocrisie so I call it for where the Gospel comes there are two sorts of Persons that walk beside it 1. Some directly oppose the Doctrine of it and those are Justitiaries that set up their own Righteousness as the Jews Rom. 9. 31 32. did And therefore it is said That Christ came to his own and his John 1. 11. own received him not And such are the Papists at this day who are justly by our Divines said to answer to the Jewish Pharisees These are Christian Pharisees they receive Christ in Name but set up their own Righteousness and will be justified by their own Works and saved by their own Merits 2. Others there are that receive the Gospel and so decry all their own Righteousness and cry up Christ they see nothing in themselves and look for all from Christ renouncing their own Righteousness and resting upon Christ alone for salvation These are of divers sorts 1. Some receive Christ with an Historical lifeless Faith they believe in Christ but will not part with their sins they gladly embrace Christ as a Saviour but oppose Holiness and will not change their lives and because Christ came into the World to save sinners they take liberty to sin and hope to be saved as well as any These are those we call our large Protestants who are as great Enemies to Christ as Papists are The Papists persecute the true Christians in the Point of Doctrine and these Enemies within us persecute the true Christians in Point of Holiness The Papists they will be saved by works without Faith these will be saved by Faith without works These are spots in our feasts The Epistles of James and John were written as Antidotes against this kind of poyson And Jude writes against these men ungodly men turning the Vers 4. grace of God into lasciviousness Arguing from mercy to liberty which is the Divils Logick Continuing in sin that grace may abound And my Beloved in this lyeth the very form of an Evangelical Hypocrite in denying his own Righteousness to establish his sin he will advance Christ to advance his lust Dub. But how can open sinners keep their lusts live in visible prophaneness and yet believe in Christ Sol. Because the Gospel brings the sweetest and highest Consolations along with it And therefore every man under sense of sin will fly thither for Sanctuary and hide himself under the Canopy of the Gospels mercy A man that travels under the fiery Beams of the Sun in an hot day the cool shadow of a Tree is very
Saints that they may be more serious in their duties 2. The other evil in a slight and formal Communion with God in Duties is unthankfulness Duties of godliness are not only a debt to God but a reward to us Therefore in slightness there is not only unfaithfulness but unthankfulness Both the Majesty and Mercy of God is despised and can God be well pleased with such things 3. There is a third evil in a slight Communion with God in Duties and that is unfruitfulness we get nothing from God in duties we pray slightly and therefore get nothing by Prayer we hear the word slightly and therefore profit not by it Now that the Lord may cure his people of this slightness of heart and make their graces grow he useth this dispensation to leave them in want of assurance 6. God increaseth his Saints graces by terrors within he not only suspends their comforts but afflicts their souls he writes bitter things against them 1. These rowse them up to seek God They that see themselves lost will find a way to God They that have Hell-fire burning in them will value Heaven and pardon and the least drop of Gods love Oh! now promises are precious and Gods love neglected is now sweeter than the honey and the honey-comb Now they cry Come Lord Jesus come quickly 2. These fright them out of their dreams and carnal slumbers as the cry made at midnight that the Bridegroom cometh awoke the virgins out of their sleep Among the other diseases of the soul Divine desertions cure deadness and dulness of heart Sometimes living men are in a lifeless state their hearts are so benummed that they seem to lye among the dead They can hear the word carelesly and sleep out whole Sermons there is no vigour nor activity in their graces at home and therefore the Lord hangs their souls over the mouth of Hell and makes them drink of that red wine the dregs whereof the wicked of the earth shall Psal 75. 8. wring out and drink them that by this strong potion he may rowse them up and quicken their dull and drowsy spirits 3. These terrors work them more closely to Christ And for this cause God gives his People sad visions of sin and wrath he shakes the soul with Earth-quakes that she may stand faster upon her true Basis and Foundation These storms make their hearts gather in to Christ That I may be found in him saith Paul The soul must have some dry land to stand upon and when the flood of Gods terrors overflow the soul then she flyeth to Christ as Noah's Dove to the ark 7thly The Lord increaseth grace in his Saints by afflictions he makes them by marring them Divine Wisdom works by contraries he makes them shine brighter by their Eclipses and clears up their light by darkness Schola crucis Schola lucis And truly It is the property of true-born grace to grow the greater by the cross As the laurel tree is not smitten Plin. Nat. Hist l. 2. c. 55. nor blasted with lightning no more is heaven-born grace hurt by any afflictions but much bettered by them 1. God increaseth his Saints graces by sharp sicknesses by diseases unto death i. e. this startles mightily Oh Lord thou didst surprize me unprovided and if thy hand had cut me off with that disease my soul had been cut off from heaven for ever This enters deep upon the soul and strikes terrour upon the heart the Lord I hope shall never find me so again This stirs up thankfulness to the Lord that hath not only in this tryal saved me from the grave but also from Hell 2. Sicknesses deaden the Saints to the world They that in sicknesses are always leaving the world learn to dye unto the world They have death always in their eye They see themselves still upon the borders of the grave They are ever and anon lanching in eternity and this makes grace grow 3. Sicknesses are searchers Thou enquirest after mine iniquity Job 10. 6. saith Job and searchest after my sin When God smites our bodies he searcheth our hearts and makes enquiry in our lives and now saith the soul Let us search and try Lam. 3. 40. our ways When God is searching VS it is high time for VS to search our selves and this also makes grace to grow 4. Sicknesses dig Wells of godly sorrows in the heart They are as it were Gods Mattocks and Spades whereby he delves deep into the center of the heart and digs Wells of repentance which send forth streams of confession of sin which before would not run because they had no vent being covered and stopt with the earth of lust and hardness and worldliness upon them but now they find a passage When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the Psal 32. 3. 4. 5. day long for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me and my moysture is turned into the drought of summer I acknowledged my sin unto thee and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin 2. By poverty and narrowness of estate Many men must Aquilone maxime gaudent densiores ab afflatucjus laetioresque materiae firmioris Plin. Nat. Hist l. 17. c. 2. Jer. 6. 22. be kept short and bare that they may thrive in grace Pliny saith That trees generally like best that stand to the North-wind It causeth them to spread thick and more flourishing and makes the Timber more strong and solid The Lord threatneth the Jews with a people from the North-Countrey the Chaldean Army which should carry them captive into Babylon The North wind winnowed them and fanned all their Idolatry They flourished gallantly in Religion after the North wind had blown upon them 1. The cold blasts of poverty correct pride and moderate high thoughts Make a man poor and you make him humble Pride is an absolute enemy to grace and prosperity is the seminary of pride The North-wind of poverty cools the courage and tames the spirits of men and now they know God and themselves Their Plumes fall and now they will digest a reproof and sit upon even ground with the lower Saints When the world frowns upon them they seek the smiles of God before they were too high for him 2. Poverty teacheth them to pray they can now fall upon their knees those that never called upon God learn now to visit the Throne of grace and cry Lord Give us this day our daily bread Nay they long for the spirit of Adoption crying Abba Father Nay those that have prayed in their fulness now pray feelingly They can go to God in sense of wants before they did not hear nor feel their own Prayers In their prosperity they did not care what Prayers they put off God with Now they set the highest rate upon Prayer for they are fain to live upon Prayer An hungry belly makes a Saint hungry after Ordinances and after Gods Presence When a mans debts and poverty make
to go to the Sacrament unsanctified and unprepared as he tempted the Israelites to long for flesh when it was death to long for it While the flesh was yet between their teeth ere it was chewed Numb 11. 33. the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague 4. Satan tempts from duty by plausable reasonings Thus Satan tempts a soul to leave duty and bid farewel to Prayer and Sacraments and Sermons Why so I am not the better by Prayer nor Hearing nor Reading nay methinks I am far the worse and therefore I 'le never hear more nor attend Sacraments more for my condemnation will be the greater To this I answer and observe arm your self thus Answ 1. It is better to perish in duty than out of duty Whatever comes on thee let God find thee doing his will be the event what it will Let death take thee praying and hearing let death take thee waiting upon God for Faith and Grace It is better for thee it should be so because thou art doing thy Masters will And therefore say I 'le pray and dye praying though I be never heard because praying is my duty and for Gods Glory Let me dye in a duty that glorifieth him 2. Thou canst never perish in duties if thou art found in them in Obedience to God thou mayst be like to perish in thy own sense but thou shalt never perish I say if thou art found in them in Obedience to God Obedience never went without success God will lose himself as soon as he will let obedience lose it self Duty may lose a soul but Obedience to God in duty never yet lost a soul to this day 3. It is but a may be if thou perish in duty and in ordinances It is a shall be unto thee to perish out of duty for duty is thy food thou must live by duty If a man eat food it may be he may perish though he doth eat but if he will not take food at all he shall perish so it may be thou mayst perish in praying and hearing and receiving Sacraments but thou shalt certainly perish in the neglect of these 4. God will at last speak to thee in duty for it is his way wherein he will be found God speaks not at first 1. To shew us the worth of the mercy As when a man is hardly intreated to part with a thing it is because it is a thing of some value a mean gift he will part with at the first word or it may be without asking So God gives mean things as riches and honours in this life to men without asking to them that never call upon his name But spiritual mercies as peace of soul joy and assurance of his love these he doth not give suddenly and casily not because he is hard to be intreated for he doth purpose to give them before we ask him but to shew us the worth of those rare and matchless mercies of what value they are of 2. To strengthen and breathe our faith As wrestling doth add strength to arms and body so praying and praying again doth strengthen faith as use and exercise in running strengthens the lungs and lengthens the breath so by much praying faith is well breathed Jacob by wrestling all night is stronger to wrestle in the morning the Angel said Let me go for the Gen. 32. 26. day breaketh and he said I will not let thee go till thou bless me He grew stronger and stronger I will not let thee go he was stronger at last than at the first 3. To keep us in the exercise of some other graces He doth not at first give us assurance of his love to keep us in the exercise of Prayer and longing after his loving-kindness He doth not presently as soon as we ask him Crown us with victory over a temptation that he might keep us in the exercise of humility and self-loathing he denieth us for a while some one comfort or grace for the exercise of another For this thing saith Paul I be sought the Lord thrice that it might 2 Cor. 12. 8 9. depart from me And he said unto me My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness 4. To let us know that the grace or comfort we ask is his gift of grace of free grace not a debt unto our persons or our prayers that when we have prayed never so long yet he gives freely 5. To discipline us in humble obedience and waiting on him to teach us our place that we may know our selves that it is our duty to wait upon him as long as he pleases and that we may understand his greatness and distance above us God will keep up his place in the hearts of his people and therefore will make them wait long before he gives in the things they pray for Yet I say for all this God will at last speak unto thee in duty for it is his way wherein he will be found He bids thee pray therefore thou shalt speed in Prayer He bids thee hear therefore thou shall meet him one time or other in hearing his word When God seeth a Saint resolves to pray for a mercy promised as soon as ever he begins to pray for it God resolves to bestow it though he doth not manifest it to thee after many a prayer that he will give it See Dan. 9. 23 At the beginning of thy supplications the Commandment came forth that is God hath revealed to us Angels and to me especially the secret of his Counsel concerning the Restauration of Jerusalem Isa 65. 24. and the Duration thereof even to the Messiah 6. Sometimes such is Satans depth a Saint doth sin out of love to Christ You would think this very strange yet it is very true a Saint I say doth commit some sins out of love to Christ Thus Peter sinned fearfully when Christ told them that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things of the Matth. 16. 21 22. elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed Peter took him and began to rebuke him saying Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee Peter took him that is took him by the hand and led him aside as they use to do who would talk familiarly with a friend or took him that is embraced him be it far from thee that is thou hast deserved no such shameful death this shall not be unto thee that is we will not suffer thee to go to Jerusalem to be slain or let not this be Peter did all this out of his love to Jesus Christ yet Christ called him Vers 23. Satan So again when Christ washed his Disciples feet Peter would John 13 8. not let Christ wash his feet Thou shalt never wash my feet This was out of love and respect to Christ Peter thought Christ too good to wash his feet and therefore put
he poor soul is as brag and brisk of his little Tenement as he that hath his hundreds and indeed a little grace is a great deal in respect of nothing There 's a vast difference between the least entity and nothing Contradiction which is between ens and nonens is the greatest opposition There is a far greater difference between little and nothing than between little and great for there is some proportion between a little and great but there is no proportion at all between nothing and little between no being and little being because in that which is not there is nothing to answer the Being of that which is though it be never so little 3. Because a new unexperienced Convert thinks he can do a great deal with what he hath As a man that 's in health seeing a log or a burden lying before him thinks that he can easily lift it till he comes to try and a young spark that feels some blood in his veins and vigour in his sinews thinks that he is able to beat or cope with a man of great stature So a young Saint thinks that he is able to do great matters Matth. 20. 22. When Christ asked the Sons of Zebedee Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with They say unto him we are able 4. Because their graces are fresh and lively and active therefore they think they are strong and great 5. The young Convert is unexperienced 1. He knows not what a great measure of grace is required to grapple with a little corruption A sin that is but little in compass hath a great deal of weight in it as a Bullet of Lead that is but little in circumference yet weighs heavy and weighty 2. Satan tempts young Converts by laying burdens upon them 1. To make the way of grace unpleasant to them 2. By laying burdens on them greater than their graces too heavy for their young graces to bear Grace at the first birth is but weak and tender a soul newly sanctified is like a glass you know a fly may walk upon a glass you have oftentimes seen a fly to go up and down being a light body whereas a great weight put upon it would break it and shatter it all to pieces So a light affliction may walk up and down upon a new Convert but a heavy one would break him Now Satan would lay heavy afflictions upon young Saints great burdens upon little Christians 2. He tempts the Saints a while after their Conversion to security lukewarmness and worldliness You seldom see a new convert troubled with these sins for then they are altogether upon the wing they are newly awakened out of sleep and therefore as a man that hath slept a long time and is awakened cannot suddenly fall asleep again so they having slept so long in the bed of nature and being awakened cannot in the morning of their conversion fall asleep presently again and they mind not the world they can do nothing but pray and hear and read and meditate for a while the business of the new life takes them up But I say Satan observes his time and when they have been up and spent a good part of the day then he tempts them to take a nap and after much exercise and glorious duties they fall asleep and grow secure Thus the Angel of the Church of Ephesus he left his first love And the Angel of the Church of Rev. 2. 4. Rev. 3. 15. Laodicea he became luke-warm and was neither hot nor cold 3. Satan tempts them into sin to the worst of sins that 's Satans delight to make the Saints sin as David to adultery 1. Satan brings a Saint into sin by making him confide in his habitual graces as if his inward grace were enough to carry him out against a temptation whereas hadst thou Adams grace without effectual assistance from God it could not uphold thee against one assault Thus he brought Peter upon the stage by making him presume upon his inherent love to Christ and so he fell and lost the day 2. Satan brings a Saint into sin by making him confide in his former experiences Because he hath overcome such a temptation and baffled such a lust therefore he thinks he can do it again or bear the shock of another temptation as strong But though former experience may be our comfort yet it is not our present support Our standing for the future depends not on the former experience but on renewing and corroborating grace from God 3. Satan tempts men into sin by representing the world to them in glory as Satan took Christ into an exceeding high Matth 4. 8. mountain and shewed him all the Kingdoms of the world and the Glory of them Satan can set a curious paint upon foul faces he sets a gloss upon the world and so men become covetous and self-seekers 4. By blowing up old lusts to sparkle afresh as fire almost out may be blown into a flame Like David was blown up 1 Sam. 25. 22. into a wild fire of Revenge that none of Nabals house should live 5. Satan tempts men into sin by perswading them it is for God by making you intend it for the Lord Thus when Israel made the golden calf and committed idolatry Aaron made Exod. 32. 5. proclamation and said To morrow is a feast to the Lord unto whom a feast should have been kept and to him they intended this their service see Satans depth they commit idolatry and pretend it for service to the Lord. Fourthly Satan tempts to duty You will think this a strange phrase that Satan should drive you to duty to pray or hear and that I should call doing duty a temptation 1. Thus Satan tempted Saul to duty to offer sacrifice he should not have offered sacrifice till Samuel came and Satan 1 Sam. 13. 8 9. tempted him to offer sacrifice before Samuel came Satan will tempt us to duty when it is not our duty when duty is a sin he will tempt us to it as sometimes Satan tempts to prayer when we should not neglect our calling sometimes Satan tempts to fasting when we should not neglect our bodies 2. So he will tempt us to duty so as to make duty a cloak for sin As the Israelites thought they might take liberty to sin as long as they served God in his new moons and sabbaths and sacrifices and thus it is with many amongst us they presume the rather to sin because they think to make amends for it afterwards by duty or by some good deeds as Prayer Confession Alms c. an horrible thing to think that God will be thus corrupted and made to wink at our sin But the greatest service will not excuse the least sin 3. He will tempt us to duty when it is death to do the duty Thus he tempts men to the sacrament when it is death