under the light of the Gospel It is agreed upon all sides that this is damning Hee that beleeves shall bee saved but hee that beleeves not shall bee damned Mercy it self saith so Hee that you look to bee saved by saith it Mark 16.16 Nay not only damned but the sorest damnation of all the deepest Cellars of Hell the lowest Vaults of Hell are reserved for such who are Unbeleevers now under the Gospel This is condemnation that is the sorest condemnation That Light is come into the VVorld that a Christ is tendred to you a Christ is offered to you and men love darkness rather than light yet men will not beleeve John 3.19 There is no fall into Hell like such an one as is taken at a stumble at Christ No damnation like that which is pronounced in the Court of Mercy An Unbeleever is condemned in the Court of Mercy And when Mercy it self condemns as it shews the offence to bee hainous so it makes the condemnation the more heavy As the sowrest Vineger comes from the sweetest VVine so out of the sweetest Mercy the sorest condemnation It will bee ten thousand times easier for those who are condemned under the Law their torments will not bee so heavy Hell will not bee so hot to them as to such who are now condemned under the Gospel It had been better for you that you had been born Turks and Heathens such as never heard of Christ than Christians if you live and dye in an unbeleeving condition Thus you see Unbelief is a remediless sin Such a sin as there is no remedy for it no plaister for it All other sins have a Remedy and Christ is the Remedy But unbelief denies the Remedy There is a plaister for Drunkenness for Swearing for Murder c. All other sins have a Plaister and Christ is that Plaister But Unbelief denies the Plaister God gives the Mercy of the Book to all other sins if sinned against the Law and condemned by the Law yet hee tenders the Mercy of the Book Hee that beleeveth shall bee saved But Unbelief rejects this Mercy It will not read If the Law condemn us wee are suffered to appeal to the Gospel If Justice condemn us wee are suffered to appeal to Mercy As you see the Publican who was arraigned sentenced and condemned by the Law But hee appeals to the Court of Mercy God bee merciful to mee a sinner And you see the Sentence took no hold on him But now If Mercy condemn us if the Gospel condemn us whither shall wee appeal whither shall wee go Now it is Mercy that condemns unbeleeving men they are condemned in the Court of Mercy Hence one There is no sin that doth peremptorily Non filios Diaboli faciunt quaecunque peccata Filios Diaboli infidelitas facit and Quoad eventum damn us but unbeleeving There is no sin that doth de facto bring death but unbeleeving Other sins do create a merit of death but unbelief doth actually bring death upon the soul While a man beleeves not hee is under the Covenant of Works and there sin doth de facto bring death it bindes all sin upon the conscience makes a man to stand out to answer for his own guilt bear his own curse and therefore it is said Joh. 3.18 Hee that beleeves not is condemned already Hee is condemned in all Courts 1. In the Court of Justice The Law condemns him Cursed is every man that continues not in every thing that is written in the Law to do the same Gal. 3.10 2. In the Court of Mercy That condemns him This is the sentence there Hee that beleeveth not shall bee damned Mark 16.16 3. In the Court of Conscience Hee is self-condemned and hath a beginning of the execution Thus then you see of what a fearful nature is this sin of unbelief It is the greatest damning sin now under the Gospel 2 Motives from the necessity of Faith 1. In respect of our Persons 2. In respect of our Performances 1. Faith is needful in respect of our Persons Our Persons are 1. Under the guilt of sin of many thousand sins And without Faith there is no Justification 2. Under the power of sin of lust And without Faith no subduing 3. Under the pollution and filth of sin And wee had need of Faith for the purifying of our hearts So that Faith is needful for the justifying of our Persons the subduing of our lusts the purifying of our hearts 2. Faith is needful in respect of our Performances Faith is necessary to every work of a Christian needful to every Ordinance Wee must pray in Faith hear in Faith receive in Faith do all things in Faith Faith must incorporate it self with every duty Whatever is not of Faith is sin Rom. 14.23 Whatever is before Faith is only the issue of a corrupt nature and of a corrupt conscience and therefore it cannot please God Tit. 1.15 Rom. 10.14 Faith is the salt which seasons and sweetens every duty It is the life and soul of every performance without which all are but dead and stinking works and cannot please God Faith is to duty as the Soul is to the Body When you go to Prayer you had need of Faith whereby you may Cry Abba Father without which Prayer is but the complaint of Nature or the cry of a hopeless and desperate heart When you go to hear you had need of Faith to incorporate it self with the word heard without which the word will not profit us nor the word Promising nor the word threatning the one to humble us the other to raise us and comfort us When you go to receive you had need of Faith Hee goes to work without tooles that goes to any Ordinance without Faith You have need of Faith to give you admission into Gods Presence Draw neer with a true heart in assurance of Faith Heb. 10.22 You have need of Faith to give you acceptance in the work You have need of Faith to procure a blessing when all is done Faith is the great Grace that is to bee imployed in all the Ordinances of God This must run through every Ordinance if you would profit by them The word must bee mingled with Faith Prayer with Faith c. Unbelief makes every Ordinance of God unprofitable to us What is the reason that men hear the Word and get no more benefit but because they beleeve not Heb. 4.2 The Word preached did not profit them because it was not mingled with Faith in them that heard it Do you think the word of Threatning could bee heard and you not bee humbled if you did beleeve the Truth of all who were able to lift up his head nay to stand under the threats of the great God of Heaven and Earth if hee did beleeve It is said The Devils beleeve and tremble Jam. 2. And had you but as much Faith as they to beleeve the truth of what God threatens against sin it would make the stoutest sinner of
it is sufficient to evidence a mans sincerity Indeed if a man had a Male in his flock and should offer to the Lord a female If â—â—ee had a better and should give God a worse If hee had strength and yet served the Lord with weakness this would declare the heart to bee unsound But when a mans strength is in the work though that strength bee but weakness yet it will evidence the sincerity of the heart And there is no reason that you should look upon those Prayers as cast as lost Prayers where your strength is in them When thou hast been with God and performed a duty although but weakly many imperfections in it much unbeleef much hardness much deadness and coldness yet if your strength have been in the duty you may rise up without confusion and shame upon this ground your strength hath been in it your heart doth not condemn you you are able to clear this to your spirit your strength hath been in the work But now such are here condemned and cast who have a Male in their flock and offer to the Lord a Female God curseth such Cursed c. Mal. 1.14 When you have strength and serve God with weakness when you will turn off God with your cold your lazy sleepy and formal devotions and will not take any pains with your own hearts in these holy works This discovers your spirits to bee unsound and false to God 2. Character Where the heart is sincere in Prayer there is no rest or content to the soul till the heart bee wrought into the work A sincere heart in Prayer is an heart-sincerity in Prayer not a tongue in Prayer not an head in Prayer but an heart in Prayer Prayer is not lip-work or head work but heart work And where the heart is sincere hee is not content till the heart bee in the work Hee is not content to bee down on his knees if his heart bee not up To have an hand in the work if his heart bee not also in it A sincere heart labours to get his heart into the work Hee prayes in prayer Jam. 5.17 There is an affective collation with the duty If hee confesseth sins hee desireth to get affections sutable to the confession of sin An heart wounded and broken under the sight and sense of sin If hee prayes for pardon hee labours to get an heart apprehensive of the want and also of the worth of mercy and seeks a mercy as a condemned man a pardon If hee pray for Grace or the subduing of lusts still hee labours to get an heart sutable to the things hee wants and that which hee doth desire It was the speech of Bradford that hee would never leave a duty till hee had brought his heart into the frame of the duty Hee would not leave confession of sin till his heart was broken for sin Hee would not leave petitioning for Grace till his heart was quickened in desire He would not leave gratulation till his heart was inlarged with the sense of the mercies he enjoyed and quickned in the return of praise But now an unsound heart if hee can but post over a duty If but say his prayers though hee have never laboured to get his heart into them yet he is well enough This is to draw neer with our lips when yet our hearts are far from God This is to offer God a bulk and carkass of duty without the life and spirit of duty and so it is abominable to God A body without a soul stinks so here your Confessions of sins are Commissions of sins Iterations of sins when your hearts are not sensible and affected with sinnes you confesse Hee that remembers sinne with delight doth commit the sinne again He that remembers sin without sorrow doth but revive his former guilt hee removes it not A man may displease a man as much with the Confession of a fault as in the Commission of the fault If a man had offended you and should come in a sleight way to confess his fault you would be more offended at him for his confession than for his fault So when you shall come before God and confess your sins without any compunction for your sinnes without any sense of sin or sorrow for it you do aggravate your sins and increase guilt instead of removing guilt from your souls An hard heart and a dry eye in the confession of sin is an aggravation of your sins 3. Character An heart sincere in Prayer doth thirst after Communion with God in Prayer If a duty leaves the soul on this side God unlesse it have carried the soul over to God and brought a man to some further Communion with him with his mercy his love his grace his Spirit the soul is not content with duty Others they make duty the end of duty prayer the end of prayer And therefore if they can but rid their hands of a duty though they had no communion with God in it yet they are well enough But now a sincere heart hee looks above a duty hee looks upon duty but as a bridge to convey him over to God as a means to bring God and his soul into neerer communion and if yee have not seen God and found God in a duty if his spirit hath not conversed with God as a Father as a friend as a child with his father as a man with his friend he hath no content in duty Obj. But you will say how shall a man know when he hath Communion with God in duty Answ For the answer of this I must first tell you that there is a great mistake among men and women of a tender spirit about this point that they think they have no communion with God unles they have met with God in an heart-chearing and an heart-comforting way when God comes in with joy with comfort with chearings and inlargements Then they are willing to grant you they have had communion with God But if God have come in in an heart breaking humbling and casting down their souls in the sight and sence of their sinnes and imperfections They do not think they have Communion with God And therefore I must tell you first in the general That you may have Communion with God as well in an heart humbling as an heart reviving an heart Comforting way In the life to come in heaven all our Communion with God is with Comfort with fulness of joy At his right hand is fulnesse c. Psal 16.11 with thee there is a fountain of joy Then all tears shall bee wiped away from our eyes But in this life on earth we have mixed communion and have communion with God as well in humblings as in comfortings You go upon a duty and you think to meet God one way and hee comes in another way Sometimes you expect God in a comforting and God comes in in a quickning way Sometimes thou expects God in an heart breaking way and God comes in in a comforting
his heart on us but though hee saw what wee would bee yet hee loved us How then shall it bee able to over-turn the thoughts of his heart when once they are fixed on us Men indeed are not able to see to the utmost of things they are not able to discover and fore-see all the inconveniences and evils that may arise and therefore that being discovered after which was not fore seen before may bee a ground to alter their affections and change their thoughts when fixed The less Judgement and fore-sight in men the more fickleness and changeableness in men But now God hee fore-saw all Hee fore-saw all that which thou now thinkest is a ground for him to alter his mind to thee And if all that fore-seen could not hinder him from fixing his love on thee neither shall it bee able to move him to take off his heart when once his heart is taken with thee Hence hee is said to make an everlasting Covenant with us and hee will never depart from us Nay Hee will put his fear into our hearts that wee shall never depart from him Jer. 32.40 And Isa 54.9 10. saith the Lord speaking of the Covenant of Grace which hee will make with his people It shall bee as the Waters of Noah unto mee for as I have sworn that the Waters of Noah should no more go over the Earth so have I sworn that I will not bee wroth with thee nor rebuke thee As if hee had said this is as sure as the other the one as firm as the other You have experience of the one beleeve the other I give you the same pawn the same seal of Heaven to confirm it If Men were as bad as Devils they should never bring a second flood upon the World because God hath sworn never to destroy it And as hee hath sworn to that and is therefore stedfast and immutable So hee hath sworn to the other that hee will never leave you nor forsake you and therefore God will not Object But alas Do wee not see that God doth sometimes forsake his Church and People Answ Now for the answer of this wee will premise these three Distinctions 1. There is a seeming and there is a real forsaking 2. There is a Temporary and an eternal forsaking 3. There is a partial and a total forsaking From these wee will lay down three Conclusions in answer to the Objection 1. Conclusion God doth sometimes Seemingly Deus bonos non negligit cum negligit when hee doth not really forsake his people God doth not really neglect his People when hee seems to neglect them Hee seemed to neglect and forsake Job Heman David Christ himself when hee cryes My God! My God! why hast thou forsaken mee It was Dissimulatio non indignatio as one speaks Hee feigned himself to bee gone but was not gone The Cloud may take the Sun from our sight but not rent it from the Skie God may seemingly bee gone when hee is really there Hee seemed to bee gone from Job but hee was really there Otherwise Job could not have trusted in him in that great difficulty The same I may say of Heman of David Though God seemed to bee gone yet hee was really there Otherwise they could not have prayed exercised their Faith and sought after God as they did So also was it with the Church in the Canticles cap. 3.1 cap. 5. beg And that is the first Conclusion God may seemingly when not really forsake his People 2. Conclusion God may partially forsake his People but hee doth never totally forsake them I say God may in part forsake his People which may bee occasioned on their part by some fresh and new-acted sin As you see it was with David Psal 51.1 David had sinned God had withdrawn himself God was gone comfort was gone light was gone for a time Works of Darkness and walking in Darkness went together Hee did not follow the Direction and therefore wanted the Consolation of the Spirit But though hee doth partially sometimes yet hee doth never totally forsake his people For the clearer understanding of this Conclusion you must know there is a threefold Presence of God 1. Quickening 1. Comforting 3. Supporting 1. God may forsake a man in part in respect of his Quickening presence and leave a man to the barrenness flatness deadness of his own spirit for a time that the soul cannot pray hear meditate do any thing as formerly it hath done As it was with Sampson when his locks were cut his strength was gone and therefore though hee thought to go out and do as hee did in former times yet hee found there was no such matter hee was become even as another man so it is here our strength lyes not in our hair but in our head When God is gone our Locks are cut our strength is gone And though wee may think to go upon duties as at other times and meet with those lively and vigorous workings of spirit in duty yet wee shall finde no such matter wee are even become as other men Indeed so much of his Quickening Spirit God leaves in the worst of times as usually to keep up the heart to duty The soul will pray will read c. but hee gives not so much as to carry the soul through the duty with that life and vigour of affection which formerly it had Time was that the soul never came to prayer without an inflamed heart never upon the duty without a quick and inlarged soul But now the spirit is dead in duty cold in duty heartless in the performance of those things wherein the heart was so much taken 2. God may forsake a man in respect of his Comforting presence Though man is not able to rob us of our comforts and take away our joyes they are such as the armes of men are not long enough to reach yet God hee can Hee may eclipse our joyes and damp our comforts and withdraw the beams of his Countenance from us and leave us in darkness and trouble I say hee may turn our Day into Night our Light into Darkness our Comforts into Discomforts Thus you see it was with Job with David with Heman Psal 88. who although they had the Quickening-presence of God yet they wanted his Comforting-presence And indeed of the two it is better to want the Comforting than the Quickening-presence Better to want Comfort than Life Joies than Graces or the lively exercise of them The one is the Esse the other but the Bene Esse of a Christian A man may live and serve God and obey him and yet want his Comforting-presence as you see Isa 50.10 But hee cannot live without his Quickenning-presence 3. God may forsake a man in part in respect of his Quickening-presence and hee may more forsake a man in respect of his Comforting-presence But God doth never forsake us in respect of his Supporting-presence In the saddest condition in the darkest night in the stormiest day the soul
his spirit his soul was heavy to death Mat. 26.38 when hee sweat drops of blood c. Luk. 22.44 7. Doth hee say thou art still full of corruptions Why but thou mayest say Christ is full of holiness and by him though I bee black yet I am comely As I look not to be justified by mine own inherent righteousness so I shall not bee condemned for this remaining corruption so long as it is not reigning so long as seen and sorrowed for Though I desire to bee acceptable to him in holiness yet I do not desire that my holiness should bee the ground of my acceptance Thus may a soul which hath closed with Christ bee able to weild this to set Christ against whatever Justice Law Sin Satan brings Oh! then let us bee stirred up you that are slow of heart to beleeve to come over thou seest thou canst do him no greater pleasure Thou thinkest thou dost well in doubting but thou dost exceedingly offend God thou canst not do him a greater discourtesy c. Object But doth God command every one to beleeve pardon Ans God commands every one to do the act of Faith but not to beleeve a pardon till hee have done that If any shall get hold of the horns of the Altar and yet rest in sin God will deal with him as Joab c. 1 King 2.28 29. c. God commands thee not to beleeve a pardon so long as thou purposest to go on in sin but yet hee alwayes commands thee to beleeve him so as to give up thy self to Christ c. that thereby thou mayest have pardon and assurance and salvation A TREATISE OF THE Miserable Condition OF UNBELEEVERS BY SAMVEL BOLTON D. D. And MASTER of C.C.C. LONDON Printed by Robert Ibbitson for Thomas Parkhurst and are to be sold at his Shop over against the Great Conduit in Cheapside 1656. A TREATISE OF HYPOCRISY BY SAMVEL BOLTON D. D. And MASTER of C.C.C. LONDON Printed by Robert Ibbitson for Thomas Parkhurst and are to be sold at his Shop over against the Great Conduit in Cheapside 1656. A TREATISE OF HYPOCRISY ISAIAH 58.2 Yet they seek mee daily and delight to know my wayes as a Nation that did Righteousness and forsook not the ordinance of their God They ask of mee the Ordinances of Justice they delight in approaching to God A TEXT which I may tremble to read and you to hear Well may wee ask that question Lord who is it then that shall bee saved Is it possible to do thus much and yet miss of Heaven Lord who is it then that shall bee saved The whole World may bee divided into four ranks of men 1. Some that are in the Church visible but not of the Church invisible 2. Some that are of the Church but not in the Church 3. Some that are both in the Church and of the Church 4. Some neither in nor of the Church Some that have both right to and possession of this great priviledge Some that have possession but not right Some that have right but not possession Some neither possession nor right But yet to come nearer Those that are within the pale of the Church and so within the bounds of Gods call wee may rank into these three orders of men 1. Some who are Atheistical and prophane Such as will do nothing for Heaven as Gallio They care for none of these things Act. 18.17 2. Some who are Hypocritical and unsound That will do something but as good as nothing 3. Some who are sincere and upright Who will come up to Gods price and walk throughly in all the wayes of God But wee shall yet draw them into a narrower compass viz. Those who are pretenders to Heaven Of which there are but two sorts of people in the World For wee will cast out the Atheist the Worldling the prophane Person the Drunkard the Swearer These are men upon whose forehead you may read They are going to Hell There are then but two sorts which are pretenders for Heaven 1. The first is the Formal Christian 2. The second is the Upright and Sincere 1. The first Hee will do something for Heaven hee will bid much for Heaven hee will walk in the round of duty hee looks to the matter but neglects the manner 2. The second hee will come up to the price hee will do all Gods commands looking to the Manner as well as to the Matter The one hee will give God the carkass and body of duty The other hee will give God the life and spirit of duty Of the first sort wee have some in the Text who went high to fall short of Heaven at last Surely if wee but read the words and if God had not said they had been unsound wee should have judged them of the best of men Do but cast your eyes upon the Text and read over the particulars 1. They seek God and not for a time only in a storm in trouble as many will do Beleeve mee they go further They seek mee daily They had their morning and evening Prayers 2. They delight to know my wayes 1. They knew the wayes of God 2. They delighted to know his wayes which is equivalent to this they did not only know the wayes of God but desired to know the wayes of God and for ought I know might have some kinde of delight in the knowledge of his wayes 3. As a Nation that did Righteousness and forsook not the Ordinances of their God That is if you looked upon them they would seem to bee as holy a people as any I have in the World There is none who would judge otherwise of them by any outward appearance but that they were as holy as sincere as any in the World Though they were not a Nation that did Righteousness yet they appeared to bee so They were as a Nation that did Righteousness not only as a Nation who heard who knew who spake Righteousness but as a Nation that did Righteousness They appeared to the judgement of the World to bee as exact as the choicest Saints which God had in the World 4. They ask of God the Ordinances of Justice They desire and pray that God would inform them in the wayes of Justice how they should bee governed and ruled in the World a people which hath respect to their civil Laws and Government pretending to desire Gods Warrant Gods Direction Gods Rule in all things As if they would do nothing even in their civil Affairs without Gods special Warrant and Direction 5. They take delight in approaching to God Than which how can wee have an higher expression What do they approach to God and daily approach to God as you see in the beginning And do they delight in approaching to God do they delight in hearing do they delight in praying do they delight in approaching to God in his Ordinances Here was a stupendious height What can wee say more how can wee go any higher Here wee may stand and
another use and conclude Use of Exhortation Which hath four Branches 1. Branch 1. Get a sincere heart Otherwise all you do is worth nothing I speak unto you who do abound most in duties in performances you who pray who hear Oh! do you labour to get a sincere heart in the midst of your performances When you do any publick work look to your hearts beware of base ends base aims least they creep in and poison all your works Beware of a double eye an eye towards God and an eye toward your selves when in opposition Let it bee said of all you who put your hand to any publick works in these publick times as it was said of a Royal Commander that in all his actions hee placed ostentation behinde and conscience before him and sought not the reward of a good deed from fame but thought the deed it self done a sufficient reward Oh so do you And when you have to do with more private duties look to your hearts let your tongue and heart answer one another beware least your heart give your tongue the lye in speaking that your heart doth not desire I have shewed this may bee done Do you go labour that your heart may go with your tongue your affections may go hand in hand with all your expressions Nay rather let your expressions bee but as so many breathings from the like affections within so many streams issuing from a fountain and spring of affections within My Brethren this is the great thing I would press upon you The power of his Word and light of his Truth hath brought you I suppose to a form I hope few are among you but will seem to carry the outward face of Religion Few but will pray will hear will do duty Many favour Religion who have no savour of it It is my desire to exhort you who do much that you would not lose what you do do much and yet perish at last I tell thee if thou couldest heap up mountains of prayers if weep a Sea of tears if thou couldest macerate thy self with fasting and humbling thy self as many thousand years as the World hath stood minutes from the Creation yet without sincerity all this is nothing What the Apostle saith of charity I may say of sincerity if I speak with the tongues c. Wee read there shall many come to Christ at the last day and say have not wee preached have not wee prayed and prophesied fasted c They thought they had great wrong done them why should not Christ save them as well as any others why not accept of their works as well as of others and meaner than these too Why here was the ground and reason there was a want of sincerity they had but served themselves in serving him and therefore hee doth not own them Oh! then let mee exhort you all who are much in duties labour to get sincerity to accompany all You hear you pray c. get sincere hearts in hearing in praying c. The rather 1. Motive 1. Because sincerity sets a value and price upon the meanest work it makes the meanest action acceptable unto God Wee read Cant. 5.1 Christ is said to drink of the Milk as well as the Wine to eat of the Honey c. That is to accept of the meanest work and performance when there is sincerity to accompany it Milk c. A sigh a groan a tear a breathing of the spirit shall finde acceptance where the heart is upright which I told you cannot bee if there bee the love and liking of the least sin God delights more in the imperfect breathings of a sincere heart when there is not strength to bring forth an expression than hee doth in all the flourishes and glorious expressions of an unsound heart Sincerity makes the meanest works mighty with God it puts weight and value to all A work doth not make up the want of sincerity but sincerity vvill make up the want in a work as in Asah 1 King 15.14 hee vvill ovvn the vveakest duty if sincerity bee in it Hee vvill not refuse our vvorks as vvee do gold not because it vvants goodness but greatness hee vvill not reject them for vvant of grains if the gold bee good Hee hath a merciful allovvance for such vvorks vvhere the heart is sincere in the doing of them though the things done bee attended vvith many imperfections And that 's the first Motive 2. Motive 2. Because sincerity distinguisheth all our works from the works of others The day is comming vvhen the persons and vvorks of men shall bee distinguished one from another And as you vvould have your persons distinguished from others at the great day vvhen Christ shall come to separate the precious and the vile the Sheep from the Goats the good from the bad you vvould then bee glad to have your vvorks distinguished vvhen all the vvorks of men are to bee tryed and burned vvith fire to see whether they will indure tryal yea or no you would bee glad then to have something in your works to distinguish them from others that are to perish Why then if ever you would have that labour now to get Sincerity Sincerity will do this it will set such a stamp such a Character upon them as no false coin no work of any Hypocrite can have and therefore labour for it 3. Motive 3. Because otherwise all thy prayers thy tears thy duties all is lost and that is a sad case If a man had laid out much pains and cost about a work hee would bee sorry to lose all hee had done for want of a little more You have done much it may bee suffered much in the wayes of God would you not now lose all your former labours all your prayers all your tears your many sad hours spent in the wayes of godlinesse would you not lose all in conclusion Oh! labour to get a sincere heart if not you will assuredly lose the things you have wrought God will never own them Though the things bee materially good in themselves as what better than praying hearing c. yet if the heart bee not sincere in them God will never own them You see it in the first of Isaiah the works were good and such as God had commanded such as his soul delighted in yet wanting this sincerity all was nothing c. 4. Motive 4. Because sincerity is the chiefest thing God eyes in men the main thing which God now desires under the Gospel God looks not for a legal perfection from you in respect of legal actual universal personal Obedience hee desires sincerity and that under the Gospel is perfection 5. Motive 5. Sincerity will afford us comfort in the saddest times of our soul or body in our spiritual and temporal sorrows c. when other things cannot minister comfort when duties and prayers must stand afar off and are not able to reach forth any comfort to us yet sincerity can In the greatest darknesse of the soul
evidences p. 293 1 Because evidences of this kinde are obscure full of ambiguity ibid. 2 Because they are unconstant and instable p. 294 Fetch your evidences from your Justification your interest in Christ in the Covenant These are 1 The clearest ibid. p. 295 2 The purest ibid. 3 The most satisfying p. 296 4 The most constant evidences p. 297 Third Use If it bee possible to do thus much and bee unsound then what care ought there to bee to clear the soundnesse of our spirits in our performances p. 298 First Clear the sincerity of your hearts in your performances in particular and that in three things 1 In your hearing p. 299 2 In your praying ibid. 3 In your mourning for sin ibid. First A sincere heart desires sincere preaching ibid. As 1 Hee desires to receive the truth of God p. 301 2 Hee is willing to receive every truth of God ibid. 3 Hee is willing to receive it as the truth of God ibid. But now an unsound spirit 1 Hee is not willing to receive the truth 2 Not every truth 3 Not as truth As not 1 For it self ibid. p. 302 2 Not to bee a King over them ibid. Thirdly Now an honest heart in hearing is such as 1 Hears the word as Gods word 2 Hee sides with the word of God against himself 3 Hee desires to profit by the word ibid. 4 Hee hears the word with reflection p. 303 Secondly To clear the sincerity of your hearts in matter of Prayer First Character First Where the heart is sincere in prayer there is a doing of the duty with all our strength ibid. Second Character There is no rest nor content to the soul till the heart bee wrought to the work p. 304 Third Character A heart sincere in Prayer doth thirst after communion with God in Prayer ibid. Object How shall a man know when hee hath communion with God in duty ibid. Answered p. 306 1 In general Thou meetest and hast communion with God in duty when God hath inabled thee to act grace in a duty ibid. 2 When the performance of a duty doth lead the soul into better freedome p. 307 Fourth Character A heart sincere in prayer doth rise up praying from prayer hee goes away with affection of and to prayer after the prayer is done ibid. p. 308 Fifth Character A heart sincere in prayer doth eye it self in prayer It is a heart that diligently observes it self in duty views all the workings of the soul and takes notice of all the imperfections of the soul in duty p. 308 309 Sixth Character A heart sincere in prayer is a praying heart p. 310 Object But you will say Then all our hearts are sincere for who is it that doth not desire the thing hee prayeth for Answered p. 310 1 Thou prayest for grace but thou dost not desire grace in the beauty and extent of it ibid. 2 Thou prayest for the subduing of thy lust but dost thou desire what thou prayest for p. 311 3 You pray for Heaven and one would think you did desire this but dost thou know what Heaven is when thou prayest for Heaven p. 312 Heaven not desirable to corrupt hearts in several particulars p. 313 Seventh Character A sincere heart in prayer doth not only desire but truly indeavour the thing prayed for p. 314 3 Part clears sincerity in matter of mourning ibid. Several Characters of true mourning p. 315 First Character A sincere mourning is a deep mourning ibid. Second Character A sincere mourning is an universal mourning ibid. Third Character A sincere mourning is a mourning for sin p. 317 Fourth Character Sincere mourning is proportionable and that in two things 1 Of the measure of sin ibid. 2 Of the merit of sin p. 318 Fifth Character Sincere mourning is a faithful mourning And that in three particulars p. 319 Sixth Character Sincere mourning is a filial mourning ibid. Which comes 1 From Gods love to the soul ibid. 2 From the love of the soul to God p. 321 Seventh Character Sincere mourning is a fruitful mourning and that in four particulars It is ibid. 1 Heart-humbling sorrow p. 322 2 Heart-fatning sorrow ibid. 3 Grace-strengthening sorrow ibid. 4 A divorcing sorrow ibid. Hypocrites mourning for sin in seven particulars p. 323 Clear sincerity in obedience in general illustrated in several Characters First Character Sincere obedience is universal obedience And that p. 324 1 In suffering as doing ibid. 2 In Relative commands as well as Absolute 3 In Affirmative as well as Negative p. 325 4 In the Spirit as well as in the Letter p. 326 Second Character Sincere obedience is such an obedience which doth 1 Come from a right spring p. 327 2 Is wrought by a right rule ibid. 3 In a right manner p. 328 4 To a right end ibid. Object It is also requisite to aime at Gods glory in every action Answered p. 329 Third Character Sincere obedience is fruitful obedience p. 330 Fourth Character Sincere obedience is filial obedience p. 331 In seven cases Children of God may bee cold in them p. 332 Second Use is an Use of Exhortation and that in four Branches First Branch Get a sincere heart p. 332 1 Motives 1 Because it sets a value on them p. 333 2 Distinguisheth our works from others Ibid. 3 Otherwise all are lost p. 334. 4 Sincerity is the chiefest thing God eyes in men Ibid. 5 Sincerity affords most comfort Ibid. 6 Sincerity fences the heart against Apostacy p. 335. Cure of Hypocrisy is 1 A difficult cure p. 336. 2 A painful cure p. 337 Means of cure 1 Convince thy heart of the evill of an unsound heart p. 338. 2 Consider there is a God p. 339 3 Thou must be new made p. 340. 4 Use Prayer Ibid. Rules for Preservatives Ibid. Uses that may be made of these Rules p. 341 Rules for clearing sincerity Ibid. 1 Make a through search Ibid. 2 Acquaint thy self with the most clear evidences p. 342 Objection But how shall I know what are those heart clearing evidences Answered p. 343 344. Second Rule is Take not up your evidences from the carriage of your spirits either when at best or at worst Ibid. and p. 445. 4 Rule Judge not thy sincerity by some particular acts p. 346 5. Rule Be careful to read your spirits p. 346. Five several times to read your spirits 1 In times of Darknesse p. 347 2 In times of Manifestation p. 348 3 In times of outward Distresse Ibid. 4 In times of Prosperity p. 349 5 In times of Danger Ibid. 4 Branch of Exhortation To declare the sincerity of the heart on all occasions p. 350 351. We are called to it 1 By God p. 352. 2 By our distressed brethren Ibid. 3 Our own Church and Nation Ibid. 4 Our Consciences Ibid. THE CONTENTS OF The wonderful workings of God FOR his Church and People EXOD. 15.11 Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the Gods Who is like thee glorious in holinesse
shall bee of Christ of his beauties his love c. because Christ is in thy heart What the heart is taken withall the Tongue will discourse on 1. And indeed wee cannot have a fuller Subject to discourse on Other Subjects they are empty subjects quickly barren Talk of what you will you will bee quickly at an end The bottome of other things are quickly sounded But Christ is a full Subject Whatever you fall upon is fulness in Christ An everlasting spring which affordeth fresh supplies of matter New and unconceiveable discoveries do arise afresh to bee matter of supply to all eternity 2. You cannot have a sweeter subject Christ is All-sweet A Rose without prickles A Rose for sweetness without prickles for content And nothing is so but Christ All the things of the world since the fall have been Roses beset with thorns Though there bee many sweets in the World yet they are not all-sweet they are beset with thorns crosses with comforts and afflictions with affections Christ is All-sweet and nothing but sweet Tota pulchra as hee said of his Spouse Thou art all-fair Beauty without spot Sweet without prickles Hee is a Garden full of flowers full of sweets You can light of none but you may lade your thighs and go home satisfied 3. You cannot have a more delightfull subject Christ is the delight of all both in Heaven and Earth Hee is Gods delight his heart is taken with him hee lies in his bosome And his Son in whom hee is wel pleased hee is the delight of the Angels whose delight it is to study Christ and desire to learn and hear further discoveries of Christ by his Church as Peter hath it 1 Pet. 1.12 4. You cannot have a more profitable subject A subject which in conversing upon wee are transformed into his Glory 2 Cor. 3.18 into the glory of him who is the subject of the discourse Have you not been kindled with heavenly fire have not your hearts burned in the converses of him as well as in the converses with him Indeed wee cannot converse of him aright but in some measure wee converse with him Doth it not sometimes fetch up your souls to glory and leave you in Heaven Do you not finde it profitable to quicken you to raise you to comfort you to inflame you to humble you to melt you to transform you Doth not a discourse of his love quicken you when you are dead comfort you when you are dejected raise you when faln humble you when proud inflame you when cold Inlarge you when straitned and pent within your selves Oh! That such worthless subjects should so often take up our Tongues and Thoughts And Christ so full so sweet so delightfull so profitable a subject which shall bee matter for our souls discourse to all Eternity shall bee thrown aside as if not worth taking up You whose hearts are taken with Christ declare it to your own comfort and the good of others In this let your thoughts bee taken up with him let your discourses bee more of him shew your selves to love him by thinking Christ speaking Christ living Christ more 6. Sign An heart taken with Christ thirsts after communion with and nearer conjunction to Christ You know whatever your hearts are taken withall you desire and thirst after communion and converses withall So it is here betwixt Christ and the soul The soul taken with Christ longs to bee with him and thirsts after communion with him 1. In Grace here 2. In Glory hereafter 1. In Grace here Oh! How the soul once taken with Christ desires converses with him in prayer in hearing in meditation Isa 26.8 9. The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee With my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within mee will I seek thee early And this is the Genius of a soul taken with Christ that duty doth not content him if hee finde not Christ in duty If the end of a duty have left him on this side Christ it hath left him so far short of comfort Others indeed though they do a duty yet as their hearts seek not Christ in the duty so their souls can rest content without him when the duty is done but it is otherwise with a right-born-right-born-soul 'T was the speech of Bradford that hee could never leave a duty till hee had found communion with Christ in the duty till hee had brought his heart into a duty-frame Hee could not leave confession till hee had found his heart touched broken and humbled for sin nor Petition till hee had found his heart taken with the beauties of the things desired and carried out after them nor could hee leave thanksgiving till hee had found his spirit inlarged and his soul quickened in the return of praises And it was the happiness of Bernard a Heaven upon Earth that hee saith of himself I never went from thee without thee Nunquam abs te absque te recedo Coelum extra Coelum Hee found God in every duty hee had communion with God in every prayer which indeed is Heaven on this side Heaven Thus hee whose heart is taken with Christ thirsts after communion with him and no duty contents him wherein hee hath not found either his quickening or his comforting-presence either communion with his Grace or communion with his comfort 2. As hee thirsts after communion with him here in Grace so doth hee desire communion with him in Glory To bee with the Lord as the Apostle Whiles the soul is here it sees the distance too great betwixt Christ and it that shee cannot injoy that sweet communion with him As the Apostle saith Whiles wee are present in the flesh wee are absent from the Lord. And therefore the soul breaths after him desires to bee with him Cupio dissolvi saith the Apostle I desire to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ The like of David Psal 42.1 2. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God My soul thirsteth for God for the living God When shall I come and appear before God! Hee had tasted the sweetness of Christ and did not fear the bitterness of death Vitam in Patientia mortem in Desiderio Hee had Life in Patience Death in Desire because by death hee should bee carried to more sweet and intimate conjunction with Christ It was the speech of Augustine Lord I will dye that I may injoy thee Eja Domine mortar ut te videam nolo vivere Volo mori I will not live but I will dye I desire to dye that I may see Christ and refuse to live that I may live with Christ And this disposition you see in the Spouse here Her heart being taken with Christ shee could not brook the distance betwixt Christ and her and therefore cryes out Cant. 8.1 Make haste make haste my beloved Though in one sense it is true hee that beleeves makes not haste
yet here hee that beleeves most and loves most makes most haste The more the soul beleeves and the more the heart is taken with Christ the greater are the desires to bee with him Till Simeon had gotten Christ into his armes hee was unwilling to dye but after hee had Christ in his armes Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation Indeed here are but the Espousals between Christ and the soul Some Broken-Rings Contracts Espousals betwixt Christ and us But then is the great Marriage-day the Solemnization of our Nuptials to all eternity Here wee do see him but dimly and darkly at the best and there are oftentimes clouds come in and interpose themselves between Christ and us but then wee shall see him face to face and never shall there cloud come between Christ and us to all eternity There wee shall see him in his Glory his full discoveries Here wee injoy him but in part The distance is great betwixt him and us All which distance doth arise from that within us Were it not for sin wee might bee in Glory even in Grace But then wee shall injoy him in fulness Heaven is the place which God hath intended to set forth himself to his People in his Glory to all eternity Where there shall bee no fears no sin never smoak of distrustfull thoughts shall arise more Where there shall bee no sorrow no tears All sighing and sobbing shall pass away and nothing but joy shall keep the house Wee are now the Sons of God But it doth not yet appear what wee shall bee for wee shall see him as hee is 7. Sign A heart taken with Christ thinks nothing too much to do nothing â—â—o much to suffer for Christ You know Love cannot bee posed Wee say there is no difficultie in Love Things impossible to others are easie to them who love And things burthensome to others delightfull to them who love If once thy heart bee taken with Christ thou wilt think nothing too much to do nothing too much to suffer for him As Christ thought nothing too much for us because his heart was taken with us neither shall wee think any thing too much for Christ Wee read how prodigal the Saints have been of their Riches their Blood their Lives for Christ because they loved him 1. They have not accounted their estates too dear for him Heb. 10.34 They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods 2. They have not accounted their lives too dear Rev. 12.11 They loved not their lives to death for him If they must dig in Mines or be cast to bee devoured by Wild-Beasts for Christ as it was the usual sentence of Christians Christiani ad nâ— talla ad Ecstias in the primitive times they were willing to do and suffer it See this in the Virgin of whom Basil speaks who was condemned to death because shee would not worship Idols And the like of old Polycarp and others This is certain A soul taken with Christ knows no difficulty in its love It loves him with an unlimited an uncircumscribed love which no duty no difficulty can pose 8. Sign A heart taken with Christ is exceedingly cast down with the withdrawings and absence of Christ The comforts of the soul are laid up in Christ and when hee is gone all is gone Comfort gone Joy gone the Heart gone with him As Mephibosheth said Take all now my Lord is come back so the soul saith Take all take the World take Riches take Heaven and Glory so far as Heaven and thou are two things That my Lord may return with my soul Datkness is terrible to the soul and this is thick darkness and therefore saith with Absolom let mee see his face mea non prosunt sine te nothing besides thee can either satisfie or profit mee 9. Sign A heart taken with Christ is fully content and satisfied with the injoyments and possession of Christ The possession of the thing beloved doth content the soul so far as there is satisfaction and contentment with it The reason why wee do not meet with full contentments and satisfactions here in the possession or our loves is because they want of fulness But now it is not so with Christ Hee is able to brim the soul to satisfie the spirit to answer all the desires of the heart and therefore the heart taken with him needs must rest satisfied and contented with him Such a gulf of desire is in the soul of men that if God should cast in a thousand worlds there would bee no contentment except Christ bee cast in And Christ is so full contentment that if God bestow him they will neither need nor desire any more And thus much shall serve for the use of tryal wee will now come to an use of Exhortation and conclude this Use of Exhortation 1. To them of his Church 2. To them who are not of the Church 1. To them of his Church Is it so that the heart of Christ is so much taken with his Church and People 1. Direction to them of the Church 1. Walk suitably to this love Dignities and suitable walkings to dignities must go together Now this suitable walking wee will express in these five things 1. Walk chearfully 2. Walk thankfully 3. Walk humbly 4. Walk watchfully 5. Walk obediently 1. Walk chearfully Walk as Heirs of such a Mercy Here is a truth speaks comfort when all the world speaks nothing but terrour 2. Direction to them of the Church 2. Beware of abusing this love Precious things are committed to us by a word of Caution This is a precious Truth and therefore let mee adde to it this word of Caution Beware of abusing this Love of Christ Christs Love are his bowels and hee will never indure to have his bowels injured his love abused You know a man will not have his Love injured the abuse of his power of his wisdome greatness doth not touch a man so nearly as the abuse of his Love This is an injury men cannot indure So to speak after the manner of men Christ can least indure his Love should bee abused There is no abuse like it Therefore beware of it Now this Love of Christ is injured these wayes and beware 1. When wee slight the intreaties reject the tenders cast aside the offers and beseeches of his Love When love stoops to you when the mercy and goodness of Christ doth as it were come on its knees to you and intreats you to do this or not to do that And yet you will stop your ears pull back your shoulder slight the intreaties This is an abuse 2. When the Love of Christ doth slacken our hearts to duty loosen our ingagements makes us more remiss to or in service This is to abuse his Love Wee should reason from Mercy to Duty and not from Mercy to Liberty Abundance of Grace calls in for abundance of Duty The Love of Christ should constrain us as
Person 2. The Conveniency This is fully made out in the necessity of it and that with an advantage there is such a conveniency as that it riseth up to a necessity in all the former particulars so that to an holy heart there is a moral impossibility of the contrary How can I do this great wickednesse and sin against God said Joseph Gen. 39.9 This is the first way of Faiths purifying the Heart Argumentativè or by way of Argument 2. Operativè As Faith doth operate and work for the cleansing of our nature making use of Christ who is called A Fountain Zach. 13.1 A Refiner Mal. 3.3 A Purger Joh. 15.2 Hee is said to come with Refiners fire with Fullers Sope to purge and purifie us And thus Faith makes use of Christ by the least touch of whom the sinfull flux of sin is dryed up and staid And Faith makes use 1. Of the Merit of Christ the Blood of Christ which is apt to purge us and cleanse us from sin And for this end was his Blood shed even to cleanse us from sin Tit. 2.14 Hee gave himself not only to bee a Redeemer to redeem us from Hell and the guilt of sin but to purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Ephes 5.26 27. Hee gave himself for us that hee might sanctifie us and cleanse us by the washing of Water through the Word So Faith makes use of this Fountain to wash and cleanse the soul it opens this Fountain to the washing of the soul 2. It makes use of the Prayer of Christ John 17.17 Sanctifie them through the Truth thy Word is Truth 3. Faith makes use of the Promise of Christ wherein his Fidelity and Truth is ingaged for our Purification Jer. 33.8 I will cleanse them from all their iniquities whereby they have sinned against mee Ezek. 33.25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall bee clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you Isa 4.4 The Lord shall wash away the filth of the Daughter of Zion and purge away the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof Hence they are called Purging-Promises Thus Faith makes use of Christ of the Merit of Christ of the Blood of Christ of the Prayer and Promise of Christ whereby it sets on the work of Self-cleansing whereby it purifies the soul By vertue of which it washes the soul from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 Third Royalty Faith is a Heart-commanding Grace Christs Vice-Roy here in the Soul which Governs Rules Third Royalty Faith It s an Heart-commanding-Grace and bears sway in the soul by vertue of the power and Scepter of Christ Christ hath made Faith his Deputy here in the Soul and not any other Grace but Faith Hee knows Faith will rule by Christ by his power not its own So Rule as not to wrest the Scepter out of Christs hand It will rule for Christ and to Christ for his Glory and to his Glory not its own and therefore hee hath given Faith jurisdiction in the Soul So that it is a Soul-commanding Grace It is the Taskmaster of the Soul puts every Grace upon its work and burden It will not suffer any Grace to bee idle but puts every Grace to its work Nay it inableth the Soul to Doe what it Commands the Soul to Doe To every Precept wee have still a Promise Nay every Precept is a Promise Where God Commands us to Repent and Beleeve to make our selves new hearts to wash and cleanse our selves to circumcise our hearts Hee hath promised in his new Covenant to do what hee hath commanded to give us Faith to work Repentance in us to make us new hearts to circumcise the heart to wash and cleanse us from our filthiness And Faith urging the Precepts of God makes use of the Promises of God sues out the Promise and fetches strength from the Promise to perform the Precept Lord thou hast commanded mee to make mee a new heart and thou hast promised to take this stony heart from mee and to give mee an heart of Flesh Lord performe thy Promise to thy Servant in which thou madest mee put my trust Thou commandest mee to bee Holy and thou hast promised to make mee holy Thou art the Lord that Sanctifies Lord make mee Holy Da quod jubes jube quod vis sic enim implebitur voluntas tua obedientia nostra give what thou commandest and command what thou wilt and so both our obedience and thy Will shall bee fulfilled Thus you see as God so Faith ruling by God from God doth not only authoritatively impose commands and lay duties upon the soul but mercifully and friendly helps and inables the soul to do what is commanded It is not a Rigid-Master Reaping where it sows not commanding fruit from that ground whereon it sows no seed but sows strength to reap Obedience inables to do what is commanded to do It is said by Faith Abraham obeyed Faith did inable him to obey and made his obedience fruitfull and acceptable Faith inabled him to obey even in that great act of Obedience when his Son his only Son the Son of his Love the Son of the Promise the Son of his Old Age c. was to bee taken away by death killed murdered and that by his own hands c. And yet Faith inabled him hereunto Fourth Royalty Faith is an Heart-quieting Grace an Heart-calming and stilling-Grace It is a Grace thay layes all the tumults in the Soul all the insurrections in the Soul Fourth Royalty of Faith It s an Heart-quieting-Grace When Passions are up and unruly Affections do stir Faith doth allay and hush them When Passions of Fear are up Faith laies them will not suffer unruly fears to come into the Throne to command the Soul When Passions of Anger are up Faith doth quench their heat when Grief stirs Faith doth bridle and moderate this when Discontent is up and the Soul is ready to murmur and quarrel against God and his dealings Faith doth lay all these risings Faith hath a special art to still the Soul to strike it dumb in these cases Hence you see David I was dumb and opened not my mouth because it was thy doing Faith struck him dumb Wee read indeed Zacharie was dumb but Infidelity struck him dumb David saith here hee was dumb but Faith struck him dumb The former was a Penal-dumbness God silenced his Tongue because hee suspended his Faith But this latter was a dutiful-Dumbness such a Dumbness as Faith hath caused in the Soul which shut up his lips from murmuring not from praying Psal 39.9 hee praies there I was dumb and opened not my mouth and yet Take thy Plague from mee I am consumed by the stroke of thy hand c. The like power of Faith you see in the case of Aaron when it silenced his Soul in such a sad condition Levit. 10.3 4. And Moses said unto him This
there is stability Faith doth establish the heart from falling 1. Faith sets a man upon a Soul-establishing-bottome upon a sure Foundation upon Christ and hee is sure who is built there as the house on the Rock so the soul on Christ is safe Time was a man was his own Foundation but it was a sandy one but now his Foundation is Christ a Rock of ages 2. Faith doth interest a man in a Soul-establishing-Covenant not a Covenant of Works but of Grace Jer. 32.40 I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will never turn from them to do them good But I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from mee Isa 54.9 10. This is as the Waters of Noah unto mee for as I have sworn that the Waters of Noah shall no more go over the Earth so have I sworn that I will not bee angry with thee nor rebuke thee 3. Faith doth beget in a man Soul-establishing-Principles The Principles of Grace and Holiness The Graces of God which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Without Repentance i. e. God doth never behave himself to those upon whom hee hath bestowed these Graces Sine mutatione stabiliter fixa So Aug. renders it and hence he saith on that place Nec quae illuminavit obcaecat nec quae aedificavit destruit nec quae plantavit avellit as though hee repented of the bestowing of them Whom hee hath inlightened hee doth not blinde whom hee builds hee doth not destroy and whom hee plants hee doth not pull up And Faith hath a great influence into this to preserve and establish the heart from falling It is said Wee are kept by the Power of God through Faith to Salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 1. Faith doth ingraft us and unite us to Christ makes us Members of Christ the Spouse of Christ and Christ will not lose either his Spouse or the least of his Members 2. Faith doth keep out the grand Enemy to this standing thus stedfastly and that 's Hypocrisie If a mans heart bee unsound let his shew and appearance be what it will bee all will come to nought as in Herod Judas c. If an Apple bee corrupt and rotten at heart though the rind and outside bee never so lovely and specious 't will not long last the corrupt inside will mar the fine outside in the end An Hypocrite is but an Apostata cased and an Apostata is but an Hypocrite uncased 3. Faith establishes the heart against fears of men the frowns and menaces of men 4. Faith will keep the heart constant to duty to the use of the Ordinances which are strong means to hold up the soul in Gods way 5. Faith makes a man jealous and watchful over his own heart of Declinings either in Action or in Affection It will not suffer a man to give way to the least coldness in love lukewarmnesse in zeal remisness in duty If any steal upon his heart hee is never quiet till hee have recovered his former heat 6. Faith doth maintain in the heart an holy fear of falling which is a great means to preserve from falling Jer. 32. I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from mee Such a Fear it keeps as may curb and keep under the flesh but not discourage and weaken the Spirit An industrious fear not a discouraging fear a faithful fear not a despairing fear A fear joyned with Faith and a Faith mingled with fear A man may bee fearful and faithful Fearful in himself faithful in Christ weak in himself strong in Christ There are four fears which Faith casts out 1. A servile and legal Fear 2. A distrustful Fear 3. A despairing and discouraging Fear 4. A careless Fear As security is fearless so sometimes Fear is careless if it bee excessive There are also four Fears which Faith retains 1. An aweful Fear Such a Fear as restrains from adventuring on occasions of sinning It is as bad Divinity to grant the occasion and deny the sin as it is Logick to grant the Premises and deny the conclusion The Nazarite was forbidden Wine and withal that hee must not taste the Kernel of the Grape least that might bee an occasion to draw on the other Wee have a sad example in Monicha Augustines Mother Shee looked on the Wine in the Cup from looking shee fell to liking from liking to tasting from tasting to sipping from that to drinking and so to Excesse Sins in Divinity are like absurdities in Philosophy Uno absurdo dato multa sequuntur One absurdity granted multitudes follow 2. Such a Fear as makes us to go out of our selves and lean and rely wholly on Christ A Fear of our selves of our own strength c. Alas What are wee to Adam to David to Solomon to Hezekiah Peter men of sweet and familiar acquaintance with God Yet see what Testimonies of mens frailties they left behind them And all this to teach us to maintain an holy Fear and Jelousy over our own selves that wee might go out of our selves and lean all upon Christ without whom wee cannot bee sure 3. An Industrious Fear Such a Fear as puts us upon all holy duties and means for our establishment to preserve us God promised to adde fifteen years to Hezekiahs life yet hee was to preserve this life and uphold it with food and dyet and other necessaries for life so God promised wee shall not fall yet wee must bee conscionable in the use of all good means whereby wee may stand otherwise wee tempt God and just it is with God to let us fall if wee neglect Prayer and the rest of his Ordinances appointed by him for our perseverane 4. A Jealous Fear over our own hearts They are deceitful and wee had need to bee jealous over them and watch Think not thy self so far at distance from any sin but thou mayest fall into it if God keep thee not Who could bee further from Drunkenness than Noah who was the only sober man in the drunken old World Who from Incest than Lot the only chaste man in Sodom Who from Murder than David Whose heart smote him for but cutting off the lap of Sauls garment Who from denying of Christ than was Peter who had rather dye with him than forsake him And therefore wee had need to bee jealous and watch over our own hearts There is no place so good but wee may offend in it As the Angels in Heaven Adam in Paradise There is no company so good but wee may sin in it As did Sarah in the Angels company Judas in Christs Thus let us maintain these holy Fears in our hearts and by that bee kept from falling Use of Examination Let this then put us upon the Tryal whether or no wee have Faith You see the Necessity of Faith in respect Of Justification Of Sanctification Of Salvation I have shewed you it was the great thing which God required to Justification and Salvation of a
Such a one cares but to have a pardon from him but not purging Glory but not Grace Such a one can say with David thus far Hide thy face from my sins But Create in mee a clean heart There hee leaves him Hee desires the end of a Christian but not his beginnings Extremâ— Christianorum desiderat non exordia 2. The desires of a wicked man of an Unbeleeving man after Christ they are transient not permanent desires which may bee in times of trouble in a storm cares not if hee have him as a shelter under some rack of conscience when hee lies on his sick-bed But these continue not No sooner the storm is blown over but the desire is gone Or in a passion when hee is in a good mood as Balaam desired to dye the death of the Righteous so hee after a Sermon c. 3 The desires of an Unbeleeving man are faint not strong and earnest desires They are but slight and superficial desires such as are put off with every thing They are not vehement and strong desires such as will not bee put off with any thing but with the thing desired like the desires of David after the Wells of Bethlehem Oh! That some would give mee to drink of the Waters of Bethlehem c. Like the desires of Christ Luk. 22.15 With desire have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer That is with strong desires not a single but a double Desire a desiring Desire Such may have some slight and superficial Desires but they are put off with every thing As the Mother puts a toy into the Childs hand and the desire to the breast is gone So here The Devil hee puts a matter of profit or pleasure into their hands and then all their desire is lost True Desire is strong Desire that will not bee satisfied but with the thing desired as Rachel for Children Give mee Children or else I dye so here Give mee Christ or else I dye The soul is ready to faint and mis-carry with the longings it hath after Christ 4. They are idle not industrious Desires The Desires of the sluggard who will not put his hand to the use of the means for obtaining of his Desire who will not Hear Read Pray c. Where on the contrary a vehement intention after Christ is joyned with a vehement intention after the use of means for the getting of Christ True Desires after Christ are ever joyned with honest indeavours for Christ Hee who desires with an honest heart will labour with an industrious spirit 2. Weak Faith though it cannot close with the Promise yet will it close with the Precept Though not with the Priviledges of a Christian yet with the services of a Christian Though it cannot share in the Comforts yet it will side with the Duties of a Christian Though it cannot clear it whether God hath given Christ to him yet it will yeeld up the soul to him Though it know not whether hee will receive it when it commeth yet it will come Though with Mary it cannot say My Saviour yet with Thomas it will say My Lord. It wants strength to throw it self into the arms of Christ to save it Oh! but yet it will cast it self at the feet of Christ to serve him Though it want the Light of Comfort and Consolation yet it will walk in the Light of command and Direction There 's not one duty through the latitude and extent of a Christians walking but the soul desires and indeavours to walk in it 3 Weak Faith is joyned with mourning and sorrow for the weakness of it What it wants in Apprehension it makes up in Humiliation There is want of Sense but not of Sighs like the man in the Gospel It 's said Hee spake with tears Lord I beleeve Help my unbelief Lord I cannot lay hold on thee Oh! That thou wouldest lay hold on mee I cannot apprehend thee do thou apprehend mee Fold mee up in the arms of that mercy that never unfolds close mee up in the armes of that love that shall never unclose An humble wanter is better than a proud injoyer An humble craver than a proud haver 4. Weak Faith is an unfeigned Faith 1 Tim. 1.5 Not a Counterfeit and Hypocritical Faith Such an one as never comes to God for Love but in a Storm for shelter Psal 78.34 35 36 37. When hee slew them then they sought him and inquired early after God They remembred God was their strength and the most High God their Redeemer But they flattered him with their mouth and d ssembled with him with their Tongue for their heart was not upright with him nor were they stedfast in his Covenant But such a one as comes to him out of Love desires nothing more than to injoy him to injoy Him rather than His. 5. Weak Faith is an holy Faith Jude vers 20. Build up one another in your holy Faith c. Such a Faith as is accompanied 1. With Holiness of Heart 2. With Holiness in Life 1. With Holiness of the Heart The soul is universally sanctified Quantum credimus Tantum amamus Tantum speramus There 's a Treasury of Grace There are all Graces though as yet in weakness So much Faith as there is so much Love so much Hope so much sorrow for sin They are like the Fountain and the Flood whereof the one ariseth no higher than the other Thus where there is Faith there is Sanctification Though Sanctification bee no Ingredient to Justification yet Faith and Sanctification Faith and the new Creature never went asunder There is a new Judgement of things a new Will to things New Desires and Affections New Principles New Purposes New Practices Old things are past away behold All things are become new 2. With Holiness in Life Though it cannot bring forth as strong fruits of Holiness yet it will bring forth fruits according to its strength A little Tree a young Tree may bring forth some good fruits though not in equal quantity to another of greater growth So hee that hath the meanest Faith hee lives an holy Life brings forth some good fruits though not so plentiful in good works as they whose Faith is come to a more perfect growth 6. Weak Faith doth not rest in weaknesse but labours after strength Weak Faith is a growing Faith Though it begins in weakness yet it grows to strength which growth is a character of all true Grace And therefore doth it thirst after the Ordinances as a new born Babe that it may grow thereby As the Word was the Breeder of it so it thirsteth after it to bee the Feeder As it was the Begetter of it for true Faith is the Daughter of the Ministry Faith comes by hearing Rom. 10. so it thirsts after it for nourishment 7. Weak Faith will cleave to Christ will not forgo nor forsake Christ for any thing What it wants in Apprehension it hath in Adhesion what it wants in Evidence
and thereupon have gotten some peace and quiet in your souls and you seek no further This is to lick your selves whole And how often how ordinarily doth these things stand between us and Christ between us and the Promise if wee found no peace nor satisfaction in these then wee should go over to Christ but finding this on this side Christ therefore are wee slow of heart to beleeve Now to take away this you must know that that peace which is not setled upon the heart by a promise by beleeving that peace will never do you good a true trouble were better It is not works but Christ not praying but beleeving not the Law but the Gospel Christ the Promise that brings true peace into the soul Indeed the other may give a man some ease for the time but this will never work a sound and substantial peace You read in the Wilderness there was no plaister for the stung Israelite but looking up to the brazen Serpent So there is no remedy for a stung sinner of which the former was a type both in the malady and in the remedy but looking up unto Christ beleeving in him And you see how Christ doth parallel them in Joh. 3.14 15. As Moses lift up the Serpent in the Wilderness c. If the stung Israelite had made a confection of the best herbs in the Wilderness a plaister of all the soveraign ingredients in the World and applied with it Mountains of Prayers Seas of tears yet this would not have helped him if with all he had not looked upon the brazen Serpent God had set up that way and nothing else should do the cure So let the stung sinner make what plaister hee will of duty of prayers for the salving of conscience the healing of the wound yet if hee do not look up beleeve never healed never I grant it to prevent an objection that these duties may do something for the stay of a mans spirit and the quieting of conscience for a time because being such things as God hath commanded and in Gods way they may have some influence into a mans conscience for the quieting and stilling of it for present But these are all too short to bring a sound and substantial peace into the soul it is not working but beleeving not duty but Christ that must do that If God had intended this for thy cure if these had been sufficient what need had hee to have sent Christ into the World what need had Christ to have dyed and shed his bloud God might have given man ability to have performed duty and all had then been done But the sending of Christ into the World and the shedding of his bloud shews it was a greater work to redeem souls Indeed these things are subservient to the plaister to the cure but these things are not the plaister not the cure By Prayer wee seek and beg for a plaister in a wounded condition and by Prayer wee praise God when the plaister hath been applied but this is not the cure this is not the plaister God never intended that So by hearing wee have discovered to us where the plaister is to bee had and by hearing afterward wee do but discover our willingness to know more of Gods will that wee might obey him but this is not the plaister So by works and obedience before healing wee do but carry our selves in such a deportment and demeanure as they should do who wait for such a mercy from God and by works and obedience afterwards wee do but declare our thankfulness to God when the cure is wrought but this is not the cure being justified wee work wee do not work that wee may bee justified And therefore though you should get some obvious refreshment by the performance of duties in the pursuit of Christ yet let not this slacken but quicken you in your way bee thankfull for it quickened by it and still remember to arise this is not your rest Hee who rests on this side Christ will rest on this side Heaven All your duties will bee but ropes of sand like chains of glass too brickle to draw your souls to Heaven Though naturall conscience may get some satisfaction from these springs the performance of duties yet these are too shallow to satisfie the thirst of a gracious heart They are neither full nor are they pure nor are they permanent and lasting springs As I might shew you not full because wrought out of our selves not pure because mingled with our imperfections muddy springs our justifying righteousness is perfect but our sanctifying righteousness is imperfect nor are they constant Drought will come the time will come when these will bee too short to reach comfort into thy soul that if God lead thee not to a spring at last thou art undone The Brook Cherith did supply Elijah for a time but at last it dryed up and could afford him no Water and had not God brought him then unto a spring hee had perished So there are many who lye a long time by the springs of duty the streams of performances and they get some refreshment there which keep them off from going to Christ but the time will come that these waters will fail and if then thou hast not a fountain a Christ to go to thou wilt perish for all this Where on the contrary here in the greatest drought thou shalt finde waters enough Jer. 17.7 8. Blessed is the man who trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is for hee shall bee as a tree planted by waters and shall not see when drought commeth his leaf shall bee green and hee shall not bee carefull in the years of drought Years of drought hee shall never see never bee sensible when heat commeth his leaf shall bee green And thus much for the second ground why wee are so slow of heart to beleeve 3. Ground why wee are so slow of heart to beleeve is taken from others 1. Their heights 2. Their depths 1. We look upon the heights of others We see others of the Saintâ— eminent in Grace shining with holiness adorned with gifts and gracious indowments they can pray they can command their passions And then reflecting upon our selves and seeing our own imperfections our frowardness of spirit our untowardness of heart our weakness and deadness wee are thereupon discouraged and kept off from the Promise of life c. I told you the last day that wee look upon the best of others and the worst of our selves upon the best not the worst of others You look upon their inlargements not their straits their graces not their corruptions their heights not their depths their comforts not their troubles their victories not their foils This is the difference between you and wicked men they look upâ—n the worst of the Saints and by that draw incouragements to sin or if not yet make use of their imperfections to countenance their deadness but you look upon the best of others and
c. for the supply of strength 3. You make your selves every way unserviceable to God as I shewed you you make your selves unable to do unable to suffer for him You make your selves good for nothing unserviceable to God to the Church to his cause to your selves too c. Many there are that think they can do God better service in standing off than in comming in by Fear than by Faith They think that in nourishing their doubts and their fears they do cherish their care watchfulness humility And on the contrary they think that if once they should come to beleeve then they should bee more loose and careless and take more liberty to themselves Indeed you would have more liberty to service not to sin You would not bee tyed to service with coards of fear but with bands of love your principle of service and your manner of service would bee changed where now you serve nim out of fear then out of love now out of convictions of conscience then out of propensions of a divine nature now you serve him as slaves involuntarily then as sons with willingness and delight c. Now you do duty as a task then as your trade And you will walk in the wayes of duty though you see no commings in As a man that loves his trade that loves his calling hee will hold it up and follow it though hee get nothing by it though no gain or comming in by it So the soul which hath a Principle bred in him suitable to the things of God which is wrought by Faith hee will hold up to pray and to do duty though hee finde not commings in there is a natural agreeableness between him and duty between his spirit and the work and though hee never get good by it yet hee will hold up his spirit to the doing of it As it is with a man whose nature is sensualized that hath sinned away the very common Principles pluckt up the very senses of nature hee will drink and bee drunk though hee undo himself by it though hee hurt his body impoverish his estate yet hee will drink c. As Solomon saith a Whore will bring a man to a morsel of bread will undo a man yet hee will go on in sin hee will not leave his sin though undone by it hee will sin not only though hee get nothing but though hee get hurt though hee undo himself thereby yet hee will go on in sin and the reason is that universal sutableness that is between his soul and sin So on the other side a godly man hee will serve God hee will hold on in duty in obedience though hee finde no comming in by it There is such a sutableness between the spirit of a beleever and the work that though there is no commings in though hee finde no peace no comfort in the wayes of God yet hee will hold up to the work Where now an unbeleever if hee do not by these things get peace which is all hee looks after in the doing of it if he do not get comfort at last hee throws off all because there was no Principle of sutableness to hold him to the duty Therefore you see how Satan deludes you Faith alone is the spring of action that which sets us a work and quicken us in working if Faith bee up all his Graces will bee so too and if that bee down all other Graces are weak and down with it As Parisiensis saith it is the vertue of a Christal when the vertues of other precious stones are extinct to raise them and revive them again So doth Faith with our Graces when Davids heart was down in Psal 43.5 you see hee recovers himself by his Faith no sooner did hee exercise his Faith but his heart is raised That which quickeneth you to service and inables you in service is Faith and that which deads your spirit and makes you unserviceable is unbeleef and therefore bee convinced of your sin 2. Bee humbled for it this is the great sin the womb of sin the Mother and Nurse of sin as I have shewed That which holds up Satans Kingdome in you is your unbeleef if this fort were once taken all the rest would quickly yeeld up You see when Christ would conquer covetousness hee labours to conquer unbeleeving as you see Mat. 6.25 to the end That being overcome all the rest yeeld up and are vanquisht Nay it is a sin which doth not only uphold particular sins but the state of sin It is called a state of unbeleef wee do not say a state of drunkennesse a state of swearing c. but a state of unbeleef others are but particular this an universal sin And is there not then cause to bee humbled for it you see what a sin it is how you wrong God how you gratifie Satan how you injure your selves and is there not cause then to bee humbled for it Men are hard to bee humbled for this sin because hard to bee convinced either that they are guilty of it or that it is a sin Prophane and wicked men worldly men they will not bee convinced that they do not beleeve Though there bee nothing more plain if the Devil did not delude them for Faith and sin cannot stand together you can no more separate Holiness and Faith than Light and the Sun And humbled men they are hard to bee convinced that it is a sin Though it is easy to convince them that they do not beleeve they are sensible enough of that yet it is hard to perswade them that it is a sin not to beleeve that it is their duty to beleeve they think they do well in keeping off from the Promise they express their tenderness of Gods justice and holiness and judge it a great wrong to both that God should bee merciful to such sinners as they But I must tell thee it is a greater sin than all thy sins a killing a murthering an undoing sin It is a finishing sin that seals thee up in a state of sin and therefore you had need to bee convinced of it and humbled for it 3. Bee yee quickned to beleeve What shall I do now to perswade with you who are slow of heart to beleeve to come in and beleeve Alas all that I can say is nothing if God do not mightily work upon your hearts and perswade with you Shall I tell you there is an inexhaustible fulness of mercy in God and merit in Christ for the greatest sinner among you and this is something Shall I say that God is willing to forgive the greatest sinner of you if you will now come in and beleeve If you will go by Gods revealed will and thou hast no other rule to go by nor to bee judged by there God tells thee that hee keeps open house hee invites hee excites hee intreats hee beseeches to come these were something to perswade with our hearts But I shall pass them I will only name these two
as well as sound Gospellers in the Church of God 7. Nay A man may not only do but suffer too and yet bee unsound Hee may suffer in his Goods Hee may suffer in his Good-name Hee may bee nicknamed as others are hee may suffer in his Body An evil heart may suffer in a good cause Every one that beareth Christs Cross upon his shoulders doth not consequently bear him in his heart Wolves may suffer in Sheeps-cloathing Sufferings may overtake them that have nothing but the cloak of profession As Jehoshaphat was taken for Ahab So may an Ahab bee taken for a Jehoshaphat Times may come that it may cost a man as dearly for wearing the Livery of Christ as for wearing Christ himself for unsound profession of Christ as for the sincere To summe up all Though an unsound spirit bee not able to do any thing which is essential to a Christian as a Christian Though hee cannot do any of those works which are good propter fieri in regard of the act the goodness whereof doth adhere intrinsecally and cleave to the thing done as to Love God fear God trust in God Yet all these works the goodness whereof doth more consist in the Manner than in the Matter or thing done viz. to pray read hear c. In all these they may abound And this seems to bee implied in the Apostles phrase 2 Tim. 3.5 Having a form of godliness yet denying the power From such turn away Where by the form of godliness which the Apostle grants they may have there are two things which are implied 1. That no unsound spirit hath any thing in it which is essential to a Christian as a Christian or which makes a Christian a Christian. As a Form and Picture hath nothing in it which is de Essentiâ Hominis nothing which is essential to a man There is no Reason no Understanding no Life in it So an Hypocrite hee hath nothing that is Essential to a Christian as a Christian Hee hath nothing which doth constitute and make a Christian a Christian As wee say of God Hee hath his communicable and incommunicable Attributes something which is in himself only as his Infinitness his Omnipresence c. and something whereof there is a Resemblance some footsteps in the Creatures so the Saints they have something which is communicable something whereof there is some resemblance in others and which others do as well as they though not in the same Manner And there is something incommunicable to any but to Saints such things as are proper and Peculiar to the Saints only And they are such things as are Essential to a Christian as a Christian And that is the first thing implied in the word Form 2. A second thing which is implied in it is That a false Professor may have a compleat Resemblance of a Christian in all those things which are not essential to a Christian as a Christian Hee may have a form of godliness that is all the outward lineaments of godliness Hee may bee a compleat Picture of a Christian from top to toe in every member every limb every duty for the outwards of it This is implied in the word Form As a Picture if it were not perfect in every limb if there wanted any member as an Hand an Eye nay but a Finger it could not bee said to bee a compleat Picture so is it here If there bee a want in any thing even in the least duty for the outward part of Religion if hee do not all for the Externals which a Christian doth hee cannot bee said to bee a compleat Form a compleat Picture of a godly man And therefore these two things are implied in the word Form 1. That no Hypocrite hath any thing in him essential to a Christian no more than a Picture that which is essential to a man 2. That there is a compleat Resemblance of a Christian in all the outward lineaments of Godliness Hee may bee able to do all the outwards every duty for the externals which lies within the latitude and compass of a Christians walking with God Thus the first thing is cleared to you Now wee come to the second thing propounded 2. How it may stand with 1. Gods ends 2. Satans ends 3. A mans own ends to abound in duty and yet not bee sincere 1. It may stand with Gods ends both 1. Towards the Good and they are merciful ends 2. Towards the Bad and they are partly merciful and partly judicial 1. It may stand with Gods ends towards the good and those are merciful ends That God may serve his own Glory by them for the bringing in and building up of the godly God makes use of the parts and abilities of some whose persons hee will not own for the advancement of the work of grace in the hearts of his people The Raven was an unclean Creature under the Law yet God made use of the Raven to bring flesh and food to Elijah Though the Raven was not good meat yet it was good meat which the Raven brought So God doth oftentimes make use of such who are in themselves unclean for the feeding and nourishing of his people The food may bee good though the person that brings it may bee naught This is that Christ told the people Matth. 23.2 3. The Scribes and Pharisees they sit in Moses chair and therefore whatever they bid you observe that observe and do but do yee not after their works for they say but do not As if Christ had said They are set up and furnished with abilities to do you good though they are naught themselves Therefore let their Doctrin build you up for it is of God and let not their practice throw you down for that is of the Devil and themselves The Pearl in the Toads head may bee useful and good though the Body bee poison And the abilities of such men may bee serviceable to you though their persons bee unclean Thus may it stand with Gods ends toward the good that corrupt hearts should abound in all the wayes of duty And this is one end for the advancement of the work of Grace in the hearts of his people Though this bee not their aim though it bee not their end yet it is Gods end They have theirs and God hath his end As it is said of the King of Assyria Isa 10.5 6 7. God used him for a rod and scourge to punish his people God had his end and hee had his It was Gods end that hee should spoil and punish them for their sin but his to inrich himself by the spoil as the Text tells us Howbeit Though I send him to punish them for their sins saith God yet hee the King of Assyria meaneth not so nor doth his heart think so it is in his heart to cut off and destroy Nations not a few Though hee served his own ends yet Gods end went forward also The like of Jehu hee served his own ends in the
destruction of Ahabs house Though hee cryes out Come see my Zeal for the Lord. However Gods ends were brought about also in the ruine of Ahabs posterity as hee had threatned So here Though it bee not the end of corrupt hearts in the doing of holy actions Prayer Preaching Exhortation c. to bring God any Glory to do good to others they have their own ends Yet still Gods work goes forward in it God hath his ends as well as they theirs God gets Glory as well as they credit God makes sin the Devil himself to serve his Glory Otherwise hee would not suffer nor Devil nor Sin to bee in the World So that hee makes them in aiming at themselves to bring about his Glory As an unsound spirit doth serve his turn of God so God again serves his turn of them hee is even with them God oftentimes useth such to bee instruments to do others good who are bad themselves to work upon others though they themselves remain unwrought upon to bee a Bridge to help others over To hold out the Lanthorne to others and go in the dark themselves As it often fareth with them who hold the Lanthorne they go most in the dark themselves they serve others direct and guide others in the night with their light not themselves So if God do not bring light into their hearts there are none who are more in darkness than such as hold out the light to others yet Another may receive good by that Sermon which the Preacher himself is never the better for another warmth by that prayer whereby hee himself that prayes is never the hotter And so in the rest And therefore it may stand with Gods ends that corrupt hearts should abound in duties 2. God suffers corrupt hearts to abound in duties to maintain an holy jealousy and watchfulness in the hearts of his own people Why will they reason if men may do thus much and yet bee unsound what need have wee then to bee jealous over our own hearts watchful over our spirits in the midst of our performances Oh! this will make a man jealous of himself with a godly jealousie not to trust too much to himself when hee 's at best when hee doth most abound in duties And this holy jealousie is of special use to keep us humble to make us watchful exact in our wayes to fense our hearts against Hypocrisie It was never known that a jealous heart was a false heart An holy jealousie over a mans spirit was never accompanied with an unsound spirit 3. A third End It is to make us see there is something in duty more than duty which sets a value upon duty and makes it of worth If all were sound who did duty wee should then think duty it self to bee all whereas now it makes us look after something else above duty This will make a man look to the Manner as well as to the Matter when wee see the Matter is nothing worth without the right Manner do accompany it This will force a mans heart above duty God never made Duty the end of Duty If all were sound that did Duty wee should rest upon a bare performance of Duty and look no higher But now seeing it is possible for a man to abound in Duty and yet bee unsound this will force a mans heart above the Duty 4. To tell us that there are other things to bee done of a Christian than meerly to pray hear c. If a man may do all and sink into Hell when hee hath done then sure there is more required of those that must bee saved All Religion doth not lye in a few Prayers Hearing of Sermons Though this must bee done they have not so much as a shew of goodness who neglect these yet there are other things to bee done too if ever wee would come to Heaven 5. God suffers corrupt hearts to abound in duty to make his people more sollicitous after surer more stable and proving evidences than these are If these anchors should alwayes hold men would never labour to cast out better If all that did dutie nay that did abound in duty had been sound wee should never have sought out for better evidences than these are Whereas this being discovered that a man may abound in duty and yet for all this bee unsound this will make a man to look out for better evidences A man that is bent for Heaven indeed will never suffer his soul to rest till hee hath gotten some such evidences as are incompatible to a man out of Christ Why will hee say May a man hear and go to Hell pray and perish do duty and yet bee damned at last Then these are not sufficient bottomes for mee to build the weight of my everlasting soul upon I must either get a better bottome surer evidences than these or both I and my prayers may sink together at last Whatever another man may do or have and yet bee unsound will not bee sufficient to him to clear that hee doing or having that is sound And this now fires them out of their formalities makes them look out for such evidences as do accompany salvation As the Apostle saith Heb. 6.9 2. As it may stand with Gods ends to the good so it may stand with Gods ends to the bad 1. His Merciful ends 2. His Judicial ends His Merciful ends to bring in those who belong to the Election of Grace making them often serviceable to these purposes His Judicial ends towards such as are Cast-awayes and that for the further strengthening of the prejudice and rooted dislike that wicked men have against the wayes of God Why will wicked men say others who have been as forward in profession as great Prayers and as great Hearers as you are they have proved unsound discovered themselves to bee Hypocrites and so are you and all the rest of you And thus you see it turns to them as an occasion of offence and further strengthening of their dislike of the wayes and people of God Men whose hearts are set against the wayes of God shall bee furnisht with matter enough to bring them into further dislike daily If you desire to have arguments against Gods wayes you shall have enough of them to your cost You shall bee furnisht with them but to your further hardening If you will keep a rooted dislike of the wayes of God you shall finde enough in the World to nourish it If you bee willing to bee offended you shall have offences enough to your further hardening If you bee willing to stumble at the wayes of God you shall have stumbling stones enough Christ himself who was the Corner stone Elect Precious yet to the Disobedient hee was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence A stone as well for the Fall as for the rising of many in Israel 1 Pet. 2.8 Isa 8.14 Rom. 9.33 Luk. 2.34 Men that are willing to take offences shall have them Those who will bee blinde shall
themselves to some general and common duties of a Christian And there are many men who are mended thus They will hear a Sermon and do some outward duties But they are not new made And this is but like the putting of a new peece of cloath into an old garment the rent will bee made worse Christ sets this down in the parable The unclean spirit is cast out for a time but afterward returneth with seven spirits worse than himself and so his last end proves worse than his beginning Mat. 12.43 c. 3. There is a Formal Change when men in outward appearance do seem to walk in all duties of holiness and to forbear the commission of any gross sin And yet never had their hearts wrought upon All this while it is but their practises not their Principles that are truly changed And these are the men that do so much Of these St. Paul speaks 2 Tim. 3.5 Having a form of godliness yet denying the Power From such turn away By which phrase I told you was implied that though an Hypocrite hath nothing in him which is essential to a Christian as a Christian yet may hee bee the compleat Resemblance of a Christian in all those things which are not essential to him Hee may bee the compleat picture of a godly man from top to toe in every member every limb every duty for the externals of it 4. There is a Spiritual Change wherein the frame and constitution of the inward man is changed and all is made new 1. Not new for substance of soul and body 2. Not new for faculties of soul and body As new understanding new will c. Here a mans new Practises flow from new Principles Here are not only new Wayes but here is a new Heart Hee hath a new Life in him a new Spirit in him by which hee is moved And the want of this is the great Crack the great Fault the Ground why a man may do much in the wayes of God and yet miscarry at last But there will bee one great Objection which seems to throw down all this The Objection is this Object Nature cannot act ultra Sphaeram above it self Nature cannot go any further than Nature As wee say of the Water Quantum descendit tantum ascendit Water can rise no higher than it falls So may it bee said of Nature Nature cannot act above Nature cannot act above her Principle But to do these things is above the power of Nature Therefore hee who doth these duties is above a state of Nature Answ For answer of this Wee say it is true in the Main A man that hath no more than meer Nature in him cannot act above meer Nature But Nature may bee strengthened from above There may bee higher Principles set in Nature which may inable a man to go higher than common Nature though not yet above one in state of Nature A man may bee inabled to act above Nature yet the Principle is not so high as to inable a man to act above a man in the State of Nature For the better clearing of this Wee may consider Nature in diverse forms or ranks 1. There is meer Nature with those reliques as some say But rather I say restored Principles which God gave to man after hee had lost all that hee might bee a Man not a Devil For when by sin wee had lost all if God had not out of pitty to mankinde restored something wee should have been as bad as Devils in the world one devoure murther commit all outrage upon another Now in this state something may bee done not much 2. There is nature civilized and moralized Nature refined by moral Principles which whether they bee in nature before and so but husbanded and improved or whether they were some common gifts of the Spirit wee will not now dispute but conclude this latter Now by these a man may bee inabled to do above the common sort of men hee having higher Principles than meer nature fallen and therefore is able to do more in all the works of morality works of Justice Righteousness Charity c. This you see in the Heathens who far excelled the common sort of men their Principles being far higher 3. There is Nature sublimated and raised yet higher by implantation of higher Principles than these are by the help of which a man may bee inabled to do above the purest natures of the Heathens and yet but Nature The knowledge of God of Christ of Sin of Grace Heaven Hell together with the implantation of some general Principles common gifts and graces of the Spirit may so sublimate a man that by the help of these a man may not only bee wrought up to do more than meer Nature fallen but more than Nature strengthened with moral Principles is able to do You see this in Judas Demas Herod c. whose actions were above meer Nature as comming from higher Principles but yet not above men in the state of Nature This work upon men though not so much as spiritual yet it is more than meer Moral Though hee have not so high a Principle as a spiritual man yet is his Principle higher than a meer moral mans And by the help of that common Illumination general workings of the Spirit broken workings of humiliation hee may bee inabled to pray hear read confer fast profess and what not for all outwards and yet want the Sanctifying Spirit of Christ There may bee a supernatural work of the Spirit upon some men whereby nature may bee strengthened from above and yet they may want the saving work of the Spirit You see then distinguished Heb. 6.4 There were some who were inlightened and had tasted of the Heavenly gift This was a Supernatural work but yet this was not a Saving work vers 9. I am perswaded better things of you and such as accompany salvation though I thus speak Thus you see the Objection cleared And the fourth thing laid open viz. Where the fault is that a man may do thus much and yet bee unsound I adde but thus much to it more 1. Hee is a man who was never humbled for sins And this is a sure Rule The heart never broken was yet never sound 2. Hee is a man that was never truly cast out of himself and therefore can go no higher than himself in all hee doth 3. Hee is a man was never fully changed hee walks in new wayes with an old heart 4. Hee is a man who is carryed upon holy works with a slavish spirit Hee would sin but dares not Hee doth Duty but hath no minde to do it What the Apostle saith of himself the good I would do I do not and the evil I would not do that do I Hee on the contrary must say if hee speak truth The good I would not do I do and the evil I would do that I do not I dare not Hee is a man who hath no principle of spiritual life in him Hee
is moved but doth not move hee is carried about with weights as a Clock or Watch hee hath no inward Principle of life to move him A Clock you know doth move or rather is moved but it is not from any Principle of Life It is the weights which carry it about Take off them and the Clock stands still so here They are moved but not by any Principle of Life within There are two great weights which carry him about 1. Fear of Hell 2. A Hope of Heaven Which weights if you take off then hee stands still Thus I have at last done with the Doctrinal part That it is possible for a man to do much in the wayes of God and yet have an unsound spirit and fall short of Heaven at last I come now to Application 1. Use If a man may do thus much and yet fall short of Heaven What then shall become of them who do nothing If a man may pray and perish hear and go to Hell do duty and bee damned then what shall become of them who swear and blaspheme I know it is the ordinary vaunt of carnal and unregenerate men who have no taste nor savour of the things of God They will say I thank God though I pray not so many Prayers nor hear so many Sermons as others do yet my heart is as sincere as the best of them all Alas poor man Though it bee possible for a man to do all this and yet not bee sincere yet it is impossible a man should bee sincere if hee do them not These things may bee done without sincerity but sincerity cannot bee without these Sincerity lies in labouring not in loitering in working not in lazying Where the heart is sincere it will put a man upon working and will make a man to work with all his strength to abound in the work of the Lord to eye the Manner as well as the Matter the Circumstance as well as the Substance It will put a man upon Prayer and make a man pray fervently faithfully humbly It will put a man upon hearing c. And therefore thou art mistaken Though a man may do these duties and not bee sincere yet thou canst not bee sincere if thou dost them not Though hee may do these things and perish yet thou must pray hear do duty Otherwise thou shalt perish These things are Necessary 1. Necessitate Praecepti God hath commanded them 2. Necessitate Medii they are the way to life You must not look to come to the end if you do not walk in the way Object But you will say This discourageth us If a man may do thus much and yet fall short of Heaven then it is as good to sit still and do nothing Ans I must tell you this is a sign of a low spirit to argue after this manner Wee should argue thus Because I may do all this and yet not bee sincere Therefore I will labour to bee sincere in the doing of them These things must bee done though all that did them fell short of Heaven God commands these things to bee done and his will must stand out against all If all that hear read pray c. do fall short of Heaven yet thou must hear read pray upon account of obedience to God The fault it lies in the Persons not in the Duties in the Workmen not in the Work The fault is not in the Matter but in the Men and the Manner of performance And mans fault must not cause us to neglect our duty Wee have an expression Micah 1.7 Is the Spirit of the Lord streightened do not my words do good to them who walk uprightly As if the Prophet had said The fault is not in the Word but in you who are the hearers of it You hear and hear and yet get no good by hearing And will you charge God with that will you blame the Word Others get good and Gods Spirit is not streightned to you more than to others You would finde good as well as others if you came with honest hearts Do not my words do good to them who walk uprightly And what wee say of this wee say of other Ordinances The fault is not in Prayer nor in Fasting but it is in you You walk with corrupt hearts in Gods wayes And therefore you get no good by them You have a sad place but full for this purpose Hos 14. verse last the last words of the book hee shuts up the Prophesy with it Whoso is wise shall know these things for the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them but the transgressors shall fall therein A good heart shall stand and walk in holy wayes but a bad heart a corrupt heart shall fall and perish in them An unsound spirit shall fall in the wayes of duty in the wayes of prayer in the wayes of profession 2. Use If it bee possible for a man to do much in the wayes of God and yet bee unsound yet miss of Heaven Then this may discover to us the sandiness and unsafeness of these bottomes to rest a mans soul upon How many thousands who have no better evidences for Heaven than the bare performance of duties They come to Church they hear the Word they pray c. And therefore they hope all is well My Brethren It is true If the bare performance of duties were sufficient evidences to conclude our good condition then whoever did abound most in these things they had the surest bottomes to rest upon But alas You see it is possible for a man to abound in duty and yet his heart bee unsound And therefore the doing of these things will not bee sufficient to evidence to your selves that your condition is good If these Anchors should ever hold you need not to beat out any better Anchors for your souls But seeing these do not hold out ever you had need seek out for better Else you may miscarry at last These may hold in a Calm when they are put to no stress but will bee sure to break in a storm You see the house built upon the Sand it stood well enough and the structure was fair the sandiness of the foundation was not discovered whiles there was a Calm But saith Christ When the Rain fell and the Winds blew and the Waves did beat when the Storm arose then was the sandiness of the foundation discovered the house fell for it was built upon the Sand. So here While you have a Calm while you are in health injoy peace c. These bottomes seem firm enough you do not discover the sandiness of these foundations But a Storm doth arise when you come upon your sick-beds when you come to the day of death then you shall see the unsoundness of your bottomes All your buildings your fair structures all your works and walkings upon this foundation will bee surely blown down they will never abide the tryal And therefore let mee stir you up you who are
of the spirit 2. Or are they taken from hearing and that at the best your own hearts can tell There is much mixture in that Duty Oh! what abundance of the Week is in the Sabbath how much of the Shop in the Church what distractions in your best attentions what carnal hearts in your spiritual imployments what Pride what Prejudice what Infidelity what Dulness doth attend all your hearing 3. Nay yet further Are your evidences taken from Graces themselves yet these are not pure There is much mixture in them Our Graces themselves are full of Imperfections You know there is much blindeness with your Light much enmity with your Love much hardness of heart with your mourning for sin yea and much mud much worldly sorrow in your purest tears much Pride with your humility much murmuring with your patience As wee might show at large if need were But now these Evidences which are taken from our Justification they are pure without mixture Though the Faith which justifies us is imperfect yet the Grace which justifies us is perfect I say these Evidences are pure without mixture because they are such as have nothing of our own in them had they any thing of ours they would bee imperfect and impure but having nothing of ours but all Christs they are altogether perfect and pure Christ is all fair all perfect all pure Our sanctifying Righteousness is stained imperfect impure but our justifying Righteousness is pure and perfect If there were any stain or any imperfection in that it could not justifie it could not save us wee should bee undone for ever But that is pure that is perfect and wee in it As the Apostle saith Col. 2.10 In him wee are compleat Compleat in him though imperfect in our selves 3. These are the most satisfying Evidences Other Evidences admit of much questionings Though taken from Duties yea Graces themselves yet they admit of long disputes sharp incounters and assaults And when all is done yet they bring not such fulness of satisfaction to the soul But now Evidences taken from our Justification these are soul satisfying Evidences because the satisfaction of Christ is in them These Evidences are not fetcht from any thing in us or any thing done by us but from the satisfaction which Christ himself hath wrought for us And if there bee any dispute against this then may wee much more dispute against the other If Christ bee not a compleat Satisfier of Gods Wrath and Justice for our sins then these Evidences from the Satisfaction of Christ would do mee no good As the Apostle said of the Resurrection of Christ which was the declaration of that full satisfaction Christ had wrought If Christ bee not risen then our faith is in vain our hope in vain so here If Christ have not fully satisfied Gods Justice if hee hath not paid all the Debt answered all bils of Inditements against mee then my Faith is in vain then these Evidences can do my soul no good But if Christ hath fully satisfied Gods Justice then am I sure for this satisfaction is mine So that you see these are such Evidences as do not only quiet but satisfie conscience to the full Such as silence all doubts answer all scruples and objections that do arise Other Evidences they are not so full not so satisfactory They may afford a man some obvious Refreshment for a time to hold up the head from sinking but they bring not fulness of satisfaction into the soul But now this doth because you see it is taken from such things wherein God himself is satisfied and therefore no reason but wee should bee satisfied If the Creditor say enough shall not the Debtor bee satisfied 4. These are the most constant Evidences Floods and Rivers may fail but Springs are constant Such Evidences as are taken from any thing within us or any thing done by us may at least as to evidence fail us But such Evidences as are taken from without us as c. These are permanent and constant In the greatest drought here will bee Water enough Jer. 17.7 8. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is for hee shall bee as a Tree planted by the Rivers of Waters and that spreadeth out her roots and shall not see when heat commeth but her leaf shall bee green and shall not be carefull in the year of drought neither shall cease from yeelding fruit Other Evidences are unconstant they may bee clear to day and bee clouded to morrow the heart is not ever in the same frame But now these are permanent abiding Evidences they are as sure as the Oathes Promise Covenant of God though not ever to sense yet they are ever sure to Faith though not ever to apprehension yet ever in truth Wee may ever conclude them though wee cannot ever clear them Conclude them wee may by Faith though wee cannot clear them to sense I might inlarge my self and go yet further to tell you these are the sweetest the most refreshing and comforting evidences But to conclude this use If ever you would have strong consolation if ever you would have a full and setled peace and comfort then hence draw your Evidences fetch your Evidences from Justification I know that which keeps you upon the racks of fears that which continues you in doubts and jealousies is this You take your Evidences too low either from something in you or something done by you and so you are forced to answer a multitude of Objections and reasons before ever you can finde a bottome to rest upon That which doth raise up new doubts and objections in your spirits and which causeth a fresh return of fears upon you is because you do not take your Evidences high enough You take them from Duties Prayers Dispositions present Affections And so upon every failing you are cast and all thrown down again new fears arise as if you never had any Evidence Were an Evidence sealed in the higher Court what Court shall dispute against it what can overthrow it But now if all this will not perswade you to fetch your Evidences higher but that you will still lye by these waters for comfort you will still fetch your Comforts and Evidences from Duties yet let mee thus far perswade with you that you would labour to clear the sincerity of your heart in these duties Otherwise all this something will bee nothing to you no bottome of Comfort They are but uncertain bottomes at the best but without sincerity to accompany them they will bee no bottomes an house not built on the Sand but built in the Air no foundation And this is the next use wee will come unto 3. Use If it bee possible for a man to do thus much and yet bee unsound Then what care ought there to bee to clear the soundness of our spirits in our performances You pray you hear you do much but ask the question to your selves Is my heart sound in all
Hee is willing to receive truth as the truth that is in the Power Majesty and Authority of Truth And sets it up as King in his spirit To which hee desires to yeeld subjection and obedience in all Hee lets it come in in its inlightening in its convincing power in its humbling and awakening power as well as in its quickening and comforting power Every truth shall bee received as the truth of God But now an unsound spirit Hee is not willing to receive the truth some truth hee dare not own least they should disturb him in a way of sin As the Apostle 2 Pet. 3.5 Of this they are willingly ignorant they have no desire to know this They desire to shut out the light that their corruptions may not bee disquieted Mat. 13.15 They wink with their eyes that they might not understand 2. They receive not every Truth It may bee such as are notional they will or such as may stand with their lusts and present advantages not such as are practical and cross them in their corrupt ends and practises They look upon some truthes as an ignis fatuus that if they should entertain them and follow them they would lead them into danger It was the speech of a King of France that hee would lanch no further into the deep than hee might come safely to shore That is hee would follow Truth no further than hee may preserve himself and his own If those bee hazarded hee will forsake the Truth 3. They receive it not as Truth 1. Not for it self 2. Not to bee King over them 1. Not for it self but for other private and personal respects Either for their gain their advantage or for fear and danger or out of respects to the greatness or quality of the persons who do entertain a Truth Whereas a godly man doth love the person for the Truths sake As St. John writing to the Elect Lady whom hee said hee loved for the Truths sake 2 Joh. 1.2 They that love the Truth for the persons sake may say they love the Truth for the Ladies sake The one the person for the Truths sake the other the truth for the persons sake So you see they receive it not as Truth for it self 2. They receive it not as Truth to bee Lord and King over them To which they yeeld obedience and subjection in all things Many men would govern Truth but they will not suffer Truth to govern them They would keep Truth though but in prison for all their keeping is but imprisoning but they will not suffer Truth to keep them though the Truth would make them free Corrupt spirits they receive Truth as a Servant not as a King And before they receive it they will ask what it can do for them what service what advantage can it bring them If none Truth shall not bee entertained of them 3. A sincere heart in hearing the Word is an honest heart and there is the summe of all This Christ expresseth in the Parable of the Sower and the Seed Luk. 8.15 the sincere spirit received the Word with an honest and good heart Now the honesty of a mans spirit in hearing or an honest heart in hearing is such as 1. Hears the Word as Gods Word bee the instrument never so weak and despicable yet it shall prevail with an honest heart because it is Gods Word You have an expression in Isa 11.6 A little Childe shall lead him Whoever comes with a message from God whoever brings a word hee shall prevail and perswade with him An honest servant will take notice of his Masters mind though a Child bee the messenger hee looks not on the person that brings it but on the message brought So though the person bee never so weak if hee bring a word from God an honest heart will vail to it 2. An honest heart sides with the Word of God against himself hee takes part with a truth against himself Whereas an unsound heart sides with his corruption against the Word fights against that which fights against it but an honest heart sides with the Word against his corruption 3. An honest heart desires to profit by the Word 1 Pet. 2.2 As new born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word that they may grow thereby Hee is a man that is resolved to practise whatever God reveals Hee hath no exceptions or reservations to himself but is bent to practise every Truth God reveals to him Hee asketh the way to Sion with his face thitherward as one resolved to go the way that God shall reveal This was that which Paul said Lord what wilt thou have mee to do They were not verba expostulantis but verba submittentis Hee was not only desirous to know but resolved to do whatever God did reveale to him An honest heart desires every Truth to bee made his own And that there may bee Principles bred in the spirit sutable to the Truthes revealed to him Hee is desirous that every degree of illumination may bee a further degree of sanctification That his heart may bee transformed into the nature of truthes revealed It doth not content him to have truthes in the head and a lye in the heart Truth in the head and error in the spirit Light in the head and darkness in the heart but hee desires the whole man may bee digested into the nature of truthes Truth formed in his soul 4. An honest heart hee hears the word with reflection As in reading the word hee reads himself with it So in hearing the word hee doth peruse himself with it Hee hears with reflection hee hears with application charging and clearing his heart according to the evidence which conscience gives in upon hearing of the Word 2. Clear the sincerity of your hearts in matter of praying I told you in the beginning that it was possible for a man to pray nay and make many prayers to abound in praying hee may pray in publick pray in private pray in the Church and pray in his closet hee may multiply to pray as the word importeth Isa 1.15 And yet his heart bee unsound And therefore you who do abound much in prayer labour to clear the sincerity of your hearts in this duty Wee will give you these Characters of an heart sincere in Prayer 1. Character Where the heart is sincere in Prayer there is a doing of the duty with all our strength There will bee a laying out of all the strength and powers within us The strength of our Judgement the strength of our will and our affections the strength of the whole soul in the work Prayer when sincere is a wrestling work Jacob wrestled with God that is hee wept and prayed Hos 12.4 Prayer is the souls contention the souls strugling with God It is a sweating work It is the sweat and blood of the soul A sincere heart layes out its strength in prayer Though a mans strength bee but weakness yet if a mans strength bee in the work
way As the wind sometimes it blows up rain sometimes it blows away rain So the Spirit of God which bloweth where and when and how it listeth sometimes blows up rain comes into the soul in an heart humbling and breaking way And sometimes it blows away rain and comes into the soul in a cheering and heart comforting way In both these the soul hath communion with God in joys and tears in mournings as well as comfortings And that in the general to answer the mistake of weaker Christians Quest And now to the answer of the question How a man shall know when he hath had communion with God in a duty 1 I Answer 1 In general then thou meetest with God and hast communion with God in duty when God hath inabled thee to act grace in a duty An unregenerate man may act parts and gifts in a duty but he cannot act grace hee hath none to act If then God do inable thee to act grace in a duty to act thy faith to close with promises to act thy repentance for sinne to act love to God All or any of these graces thy soul hath then communion with God in duty 2 Again When the performance of a duty doth lead the soul in better frame a more humble frame or in a more watchful frame when the heart is more quickned or more broken When the heart is farther set against sin more resolved to walk with God and obey him when the frame of a mans spirit is changed or bettered in any of these ways it is a sign that thou hast had communion with God in duty though God hath not come in with fulness of comfort with chearings or joys In this life most of our communion lyes in quickning grace In the life to come our communion is risen up to full comfort our life then is all joy And so much shall serve for the third Character and the answer to the Objection 4. Character A heart sincere in Prayer doth rise up praying from Prayer hee goes away with the affections of and affections to prayer after the Prayer is done The Duties of an unsound heart they come but from a cistern his devotion is a stinted devotion When the Prayer is done his affections are done also the water is all run out his affections are then done also perhaps before But the Duties of a godly man they arise from a spring a fountain and his heart is not runne out with his Prayer hee hath affections of Prayer when the Prayer is done hee riseth up praying from Prayer The much hee hath done is but a little of that which his soul desires to do An unsound mans actions are as big as his heart perhaps larger but for a sincere spirit the heart is still bigger then the action all he doth is but a little of that hee desires to do I say where there is sincerity there is a desire of more all is but a little of that abundance that is in his heart When hee hath mourned for sinne hee wisheth still he could mourn more Hee hath an affection of sorrow within him larger than any expression of sorrow hee can shew So you see David Rivers of tears runne down mine eyes because men keep not thy law Not that David had so much moisture within him as to swell a river poor man hee had not so much moisture in him but he had such an affection of sorrow that if hee had had as many tears as would have swelled a River made a Sea they should all have been laid out for sin And indeed if a man had wept a sea of tears and his affections of mourning did end with his expressions of sorrow hee had not yet wept at all nor shed one true tear of godly sorrow for sin So again when hee hath prayed still his heart is above his action and hee riseth up praying from prayer with a praying spirit affections when the Prayer is done This was that which made Christ commend the poor Widdows charity shee gave but two mites and yet hee saith shee had given more than all the rest Her heart was bigger than her action her affections than her expressions of charity Others they gave but their purses were larger than their hearts they emptied their hearts but not their purses Shee her heart was bigger than her purse shee emptied her purse but not her heart thus shee gave more So this is the fourth a sincere heart is larger than his duty hee riseth up praying from Prayer all hee doth is but a little of that hee desires to do but a little of that abundance that is in his heart Others their actions are as large nay larger than their hearts they have little heart to the duty and their heart is gone hath done before the duty bee done A wicked man doth sin out of the abundance of his heart as Christ saith out of the abundance of the heart come c. Mat. 12.34 Hee is never weary of sinning hee hath a fountain for that but though hee sin out of the abundance of his heart yet hee doth not pray out of the abundance of his heart his heart â—s done before his Prayer is done if not they end together Well think of it hee who yet hath not this Principle which I speak of hath not yet a Gospel Principle though hee do neveâ— so much hee is not yet under the conditions of Grace and Mercy These are the lowest terms of the Gospel 5. Character A heart sincere in Prayer doth eye it self in Prayer it is a heart that diligently observes it self in the duty views all the workings of the soul and takes notice of all the imperfections of the spirit in duty As to gather comfort and praise God if right so to bee humbled and afflicted if amiss And indeed our sincerity is as much discovered in lamenting the imperfections of a work as in the most perfect performance of it Where then the heart is sincere the soul takes notice of the imperfections that do accompany it and when the duty is done falls a lamenting the imperfections of its Faith of its sorrows the deadness of its desires Ah! it now laments that hee hath beheld so much sin with no more sorrow looked upon so many abominations with no more mourning That hee hath had no more Faith to close with the Promises of pardon of Grace of purging That hee hath had so barren so shallow so sleight thoughts of Gods love That hee hath been so cold in his affections again towards God That he hath had so sleight conceptions of sin and no more sorrow for it That his heart hath been no more affected with the miseries of others nor no more inlarged to seek God for them That there hath been so much earth in Heaven so many carnal thoughts so much distractions in his spiritual imploiment Ah! my Brethren a good heart sits down when duty is done and goes and mourns over all his Prayers weeps over all
his tears confesseth all his confessions and prayes over all his Prayers And hee makes up the want of a duty with sighs the imperfection of a duty with tears Assure you selves God is as much honoured in your mourning for imperfections of a duty as hee is by your most perfect performance of it Blushing in Gods account is perfect beauty When a soul can blush and bee ashamed for the blemishes which are in its spiritual beauty God looks upon this soul as beautiful This is all wee can do to desire and mourn to aime at the highest in our desires and to mourn when wee fall short of what wee desire A Christian is made up of these two things desires and mournings Desires Oh that my heart were directed Oh that I could beleeve more love more prize more Oh that I were more agreeable to Gods Nature and Will c. and then comes in mournings O miserable man that I am c. Oh that my heart should bee so hard my spirit so dead my soul so cold in holy exercises And here is sincerity yea and here is the utmost wee can reach when wee come unto the utmost wee can attain in this life Vintores non Comprehensores here wee are but travailers towards our home not yet at home in our way not come to our rest And wee may well say it with our fellow travellers while Augustine cryes out I hate that which I am Odi quod sum non sum quod amo c. and love and desire that which I am not Oh wretched man that I am in whom the Cross of Christ hath not yet eaten out the poisonous and bitâ—â—â— taste of the first tree Another hee saith Lord I see and yet am blinde I will and yet rebel I hate and yet I love I follow and yet I fall I press forward yet I faint I wrestle yet I halt Well then let us make up the want of our beauty with a blush the imperfections of our duties with sighs and tears and then cast them all into the arms of Christ for acceptance If you convey a duty to him with tears hee will present it to his Father with blood hee will sprinkle it with his own blood mingle it with his own merits perfume it with his own odors as you read Revel 8.4 Whatever is offered by the spirit of Christ shall bee presented with the merits of Christ and though never so weak in him it shall finde acceptance hee hath made us accepted in the beloved Hee hath life enough to mingle with a dead Prayer hee hath warmth enough to adde to a cold Prayer hee hath holiness sufficient to adde to a duty full of sin Though as they come from us our duties smell rank of the flesh of sin and corruption yet being mingled with his odours with his incense they shall smell sweet in the nostrils of God This is one part of Christs mediation to put life to dead Prayers to purchase acceptance for performances which are but mean If wee and our duties were perfect wee did not stand in need of a Mediator Christ would lose one part of his office And therefore when the duty is done shew the sincerity of your hearts in mourning for the imperfections and cast all into the arms of Christ and live by Faith in confidence of acceptance Who hath made us accepted in the beloved not our persons only but our Prayers too 6. Character A heart sincere in Prayer is a praying heart That is a heart carried out with desire of the thing it prayes for Prayer is nothing else but an exposition of the soul or the soul in paraphrase the soul expressed the inside of the soul turned outward It is said of Hanna's Prayer 1 Sam. 1.15 that shee poured forth her soul shee expressed what her soul desired shewed the desires of her soul True Prayer is an earnest and inlarged desire for the obtaining and injoying of the things wee pray for Object But you will say then all our hearts are sincere for who is it that doth not desire the things hee prayes for Answ But my Brethren give mee leave a liâ—tle and I shall shew you this is not so strange a thing as you seem to make it I shall shew you that it is possible for a man to pray and not desire the things hee prayes for I will evidence this unto you in these three great Requests 1. In the desire of Grace 2. In the desire of subduing lusts 3. In the desire of Heaven 1. Grace 1. Thou prayest for Grace but thou dost not desire Grace in the beauty and extent of it Thou mayest desire common Graces as many Parents for their Children God give them Grace say thâ—â— but by that they mean no more than common graces that they may bee honest no Whores no Theeves c. for if once God change them and work Grace indeed in them there is none more hatefull to them of all their Children than such are I have heard of a desperate wretch that when hee came to dye hee gave good portions to all his Children save one and to him hee would give no more but twelve pence and being demanded what was the reason hee made answer hee was a Puritan I have heard him say saith this wretch that hee had a Promise to live on let us now see whether a Promise will maintain him Thus you may desire Grace common and general grace as many desire for their Children but spiritual and saving grace thou canst not desire thou hast no heart to that You shall hear what St. Augustine said of himself in his confessions after his conversion I prayed saith hee in my unregeneracy that God would give mee grace Da mihi continentiam Noli mudo Lord saith hee give mee chastity but saith hee my heart said not yet Lord not yet For I feared lest God would too quickly hear mee and cure mee of my incontinency which I would rather have fulfilled than extinguished And by this you may take the measure of your own spirits try your selves read your own hearts Grace in the. the next time you go to prayer You Pray for grace but see if you bee willing to have grace first in the extent of Grace all grace 1 Extent would the covetous man bee liberal would the Drunkard bee sober would the unclean person bee chast would the Proud man bee humble the Contentious man bee peaceable otherwise thou desires not grace in the extent 2 Power 2 Would you have grace 1 In the power of grace to live precisely and exactly before God What not to yeild to a word to a thought of sinne alas this they account damnable preciseness this they cannot close withall Go thy way Pray as often as thou wilt for grace assure thy self thou dost not desire grace in the extent and power of it if thou favourest any one corruption if thou wilt not live exactly and precisely in
the top of all hee looks at the work it self hee propounds not to himself a shorter end than God would have him reach unto Gods end is his and that 's perfection hee desires conformity to the pattern in the mount to bee holy as God is holy perfect as c. An unsound heart hee bounds and stints himself at these and these measures and desires to go no further fulnesse of holinesse and perfection of grace is not his aim nor desire Hee may desire so much as may serve his own turns and ends no more so much as may serve his own advantages hee desires but cares for no more than hee can make use of in the way As the Physician who doth not desire excellency in the Science yet he will take in so much skill as may serve his turn and practice but hee cares not for more The like I might say of any other Artist whose spirit is not taken with the beauty of the things themselves yet he desires so much as may serve ends Even so an unsound spirit whose heart is nothing taken with the beauties of holinesse yet hee may desire so much as may serve his turns his secular advantages but hee will have no more A Trades-man will take in somewhat it may bee hee will not swear bloody oathes in the face of his customers this were to drive men away this could not stand with his ends if hee were such a one men would avoid him and therefore hee will take in so much as will serve his trade and no more these men desire the Talent not for the masters use but for their own use So in any other But now it is otherwise with a sincere heart his desire is to abound in holiness he sees so much beauty in God that he cannot be at rest till hee bee swallowed up with God made all like him hee sees so much excellency in Grace that nothing but perfection will satisfy him Nay and he doth not only make perfection his utmost end but hee labours after perfection with his utmost strength and endeavours And the ground of all this is because a sincere heart looks singly to God and therefore serves him with all his might while a mans heart is divided his strength is also divided That mans strength is not whole for God whose heart is not so But when God is made the one of a mans desires the one of a mans affections the one of a mans life and comfort then will hee bee the one of a mans endeavours too and a man desires to serve God with all his might Such men again give up themselves to the service of God Lord I am thine saith David and therefore will do his work with all their strength As there are none more strong in the Devils work than such as have sold themselves to it as it was said of Ahab hee sold himself hee gave over his whole heart to sin so there is none more industrious in Gods work than such as give themselves up to God such as pass over themselves by deed of gift to him When a man can once say truly with them in Isa 44.5 One shall say I am the Lords c. Then is his whole might laid out in the service of God Thus a sincere Obedience is a fruitful Obedience an abounding Obedience as God doth not stint his mercy to him so hee doth not his service to God If indeed mercy had been bounded to us wee had been undone if hee had said I will pardon some sins but not all or if hee had said I will pardon all I will justifie but not sanctifie or if hee had said I will do this c. but not c. Well there is the third Character 4. Character A sincere Obedience is a filial Obedience it is the Obedience of a son not of a slave it is voluntary evangelical free willing Obedience not a legal servile and forced Obedience It is set down as the Character in Psal 110.3 Thy people are a willing people devoted to his laws and service they are willing to hear Speak Lord for thy Sevant heareth they are willing to do Lord what wilt thou have mee to do Hence those breathings and aspirations of soul Oh! that my wayes c. There is no task too hard no imploiment too great They are willing to suffer too to go through good reports and bad reports through a Sea and through a Wilderness through the hottest services and strongest oppositions for Christ it is a chearful Obedience hee delights in the Law of God As it was said of Christ so it may bee said of him in some measure It was meat and drink to him to do his Fathers will duties they are medicines to unsound spirits but meat to him Hence David sets down this for a Character of a godly man Psal 1.2 His delight is in the Law of God and Paul speaks of himself that his delight was in the Law of God as concerning the inner man And David hath it up and down Psal 119. Lord how I love thy Law eccho like in Psal 40.8 I delight to do thy will thy Law is in my heart There was a Principle within him agreeable to the Precept without him As the eye delights in seeing the ear in hearing so the heart in obeying Actions of nature you know they are actions of delight So of the new nature But this must bee understood when the Principle within which should yeeld Obedience is not disturbed for as it is in nature though it bee a natural act and full of delight for the eye to see yet if the eye bee offended or hurt it will breed a tediousness in the eye to do its natural act and that in which formerly it did take so much delight So here though to obey and walk in Gods wayes bee acts most sutable to the new nature yet if the spiritual Principles within bee wounded and hurt it may breed some kinde of wearisomeness and unwillingness in the soul to obey for the time which may befal the dearest of Gods Children in diverse cases in these 7. 1. They may bee damped with carnal affections 2. They may bee tyred with the difficulty of the work 3. They may bee pulled back with the prevails of corruption 4. They may drive heavily under some vexing and lastâ—ng temptation 5. In case of the spirits withdrawment of himself which is either probational or penal 6. Or in the case of neglects of duty and communion with God 7. In case of some dangerous relapse into former sins Any of which may breed a kinde of weariness and unwillingness upon the soul yet at that time there is some willingness of the spirit when there is a reluctance of the flesh And the soul will do its former works though not with so much chearfulness as formerly yet with as much Obedience and serves God when hee hides himself And thus much shall now serve for this use of Tryal Wee will adde
give away to jealous mis-giving and mistrusting thoughts of God or of themselves Some there are who do nothing but make objections against themselves and Gods dealings with them And a quarrelsome heart is for the most part a troublesome heart You shall see some to whom God hath given evidences of their estate and condition and such as might content them such as they might have Peace in But they will quarrel against them Either their evidences are not so clear as others are not written in so fair and legible characters as others are Or else they want sealing And therefore they will take no comfort in them Thus do many forsake their own mercies breed their own disquiet and are injurious to their own peace When God hath spoken Peace and Peace to their Souls yet they return back again to folly to the folly of Unbeleeving Doubting Questioning of Gods love And no marvel if such do want Peace Men that will forgoe their evidences give up their claim and title to Christ Men whom Satan can make unsay what they know God hath said to their hearts may soon sit down in dumb silence and discouragement If when God hath manifested himself to you hath come and supped with you hath given you the white stone of absolution the Hidden Manna of comfort and consolation those manifest experiments of his love and yet you will joyn Issue with Satan give way to doubts No marvel if you disturb your peace bring insufferable fears and disquiets upon your selves And it were just with God to leave you to the doubts and mis-givings of your own hearts and never to give you a word of Peace more but suffer you to bring your gray hairs with sorrow to the Grave seeing nothing will satisfie you 6. The Reason why Beleevers have no more Peace is Because they seek Peace no more in a way of beleeving They seek it more in the Law than in the Gospel more in Sanctification than in Justification more in the Precept than in the Promise more in working than in beleeving more in their Obedience than in Christ. And therefore no marvel seeing all this is imperfect that they have no more perfection of peace So long as you make the grounds of your peace any thing within your selves or any thing wrought by your selves you will never have fulness of peace There may bee some peace for a time in these things but it is not a full and satisfying peace nor yet a permanent and constant peace It may be gotton to day lost or incumbred to morrow Every imperfection will disturb your peace Every failing will raise up a new and fresh storm breed a new quarrel in the soul Hee that would have peace must seek it in the God of Peace in the Prince of Peace in Christ himself in whom hee said Joh. 16.33 Wee should have Peace When there 's a storm in your selves there 's peace in him when there 's no peace in you in regard of your imperfections and failings there 's yet peace in Christ who is a perfect Saviour The Sacrifice is imperfect but the Priest is perfect Tenth Royalty 10 Faith is an Heart-inabling-Grace 10. Royalty of Faith It s an Heart-inabling-Grace It is such a Grace as inables a man 1. To do 2. To suffer A Beleeving Christian is a strong Christian He is strong for any service It is said By Faith Abraham obeyed God Faith did inable him to obey And it was a great act of Obedience as you may read scil The offering of his Son his only Son the Son of his love If it had been an adopted Son only and not his Natural or if his Natural and but one among many the trial had not been so great But hee was his own and only Son and the Son of his old age and therefore like to have no more the Son of the promise not an Ismael but an Isaac a Son long expected now exceedingly rejoyced in hee was the Son of his Love Now to part with such a Son was a great tryal But here was not all the tryal If hee had but parted with him in the way of Nature by a natural death this had not been so much but to part with him in way of Sacrifice wherein hee was to bee cut in peeces nay and hee himself must bee the Butcher of this Son of his Love must imbrue his own hands in the blood of this Son This was a great tryal yet here was seen the power of Faith tht it inabled him to obey Hee did not consult with Flesh and Blood did not dispute but obey By Faith hee obeyed Faith it is an Heart-inabling-Grace It will inable you to pray yea and to pray to purpose to wrestle with God Beleeving-prayers are wrestling prayers wherein the Soul wrestles with God by strength of his Promise his Covenant his Truth his Christ It inables you to hear and to hear with profit when Faith doth incorporate it self with the Word it will be profitable Faithful hearing is ever fruitful hearing It will inable you to receive the Sacrament and to receive with comfort Faith is the Organ whereby wee feed on Christ receive Christ Faith is the instrument that conveyes Christ the Conduit-pipe A beleeving Receiver is a blessed Receiver It will inable you to bring forth much fruit To bee fruitful in Obedience It plants us into a fruitfull stock and how can wee bee barren Plants It draws life and nourishment from Christ A faithfull Christian is a fruitfull Christian Men of a good Beleef are men of a good Life That soul that hath yeelded obedience to the Promise in a way of beleeving is ready to subject it self to every Precept in a way of Obedience Faith doth inable a man to contend with lusts with the strongest corruptions The sons of Zerviah which else would bee too hard for us It inables us to combate with Satan It is our shield whereby wee resist it is our weapon whereby wee conquer It sets Christ against Satan by whom wee over-overcome as the word is Wee are more than Conquerors It inables us to overcome the World This is our Victory whereby wee overcome the World even our Faith Whereas unbeleef doth slay and disable the heart both from doing and suffering An unbeleeving heart is an impotent heart The state of unbeleef is a state of impotency and disability to the performance of any thing that is good There is a total and universal impotency in an unbeleeving heart Hee cannot pray hear receive Faith on the contrary doth inable and strengthen the soul to all Obedience It inables a man to yeeld A willing Obedience cheerfull Obedience voluntary Obedience a constant a fruitful an universal Obedience It will inable a man to do his duty Towards God Towards others Towards himself It inables a man to walk through the duties of all relations faithfully The Husband to the Wife the Wife to the Husband The Parents to the Childe The Child to the
Parent The Master to the Servant The Servant to the Master c. Faith is the great Task-Master of the Soul But it is not like Pharaohs Task-Master to command burdens and afford no help To require the Tale of Brick and give no Straw This indeed the Law doth It is an hard Task-Master It commands but gives no ability Jubet fed non juvat Efficit quod imperat Jubet juvat But not so Faith It commands and laies in strength to do It gives what it commands by going over to Christ and fetching strength from him whereby the soul is inabled to obey what it is commanded It is said of Christ That His Government shall bee upon his shoulders Not only in his hand having a Scepter only to command but upon his shoulders wherein there is support to obey commands So it may bee said of Faith which governeth from Christ and by Christ Its Government is upon its shoulder inabling the soul to do what it commands 1. Faith begets Soul-inabling-Principles Principles in the soul suitable to the things commanded whereby a man is inabled to obey All strength for new Obedience ariseth from a new Nature And this new Nature is nothing else but that conformity to the Law of God whereby a man is not only able to obey but willing to obey when Principles are wrought in our hearts suitable to the Precepts when there is a Law within us answering to the Law without us It will be meat and drink it will be natural to obey it is not now hard to pray to clear The yoak is easy the burden is light These things are not tasks but delights not medicines but meat not physick but food Psal 40. I delight to do thy Will saith David and what was the ground Thy Law is in my heart There were Principles agreeable to the Precepts and that made him not only to obey but to obey with delight 2. Faith supplies a man with Soul-inabling-Strength from without Wee have need not only of preventing but assisting Grace not only of operative but cooperative strength not only of inherent but of assistant the continual succours aids and supplies of the Spirit of Christ And Faith doth supply the soul with strength from him without whom wee can do nothing and through whose might wee are inabled to do all things Faith laies in supplies of strength from Christ wherewith wee are inabled for any service It calls in for all the strength of Christ the aids of the Spirit whereby wee are strengthened 2. Faith doth furnish a man with Soul-inabling-considerations 1. From God the mercies of God the goodness and sweetness of God All which do incourage and inable the soul to obey A loving Master makes a diligent Servant A mercifull God a working Christian Nothing doth so prevail with the heart as love The Love of Christ constrains us When Faith shall discover to the heart what we were what we are what God might what God hath done with us it will break out with David with a Quid Retribuam c. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits I will take the cup of Salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows c. Psal 116.12 This overcomes the Soul with Love That heart that is overcome with the sweetness of mercy is prepared to overcome any difficulty of service My heart is prepared my heart is prepared 2. From the work Faith furnishes a man with soul-inabling-considerations from the excellency of the imployments hee sees a peece of Heaven in tem hee sees these services full of beauty sweetness desireableness No service to the service of the King Oh! what then is the service of the King of Kings 3. From the rewards which God hath promised to obedience And these rewards Faith makes use of to quicken and stir up the soul to Obedience to bee spurs and incentives to us as they were to Moses who had an eye to the recompence of the Reward as they were to Christ himself who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross and despised the shame Heb. 12.2 and Heb. 11.26 All which have a mighty influence into the soul to inable and quicken it to Obedience 2. Faith inables the Soul to suffer Yea and to suffer the sufferings of the greatest magnitude You see Heb. 11. Through Faith they were stoned they were sawn asunder were slain with the sword 1. It puts the soul into a suffering frame It deadens a mans heart to the world mortifies a man to to the world and makes a man alive to God A man dead to the world doth not much care either to leave the world or any thing in the world now Faith deadens a mans heart to the World 1. Faith puts the Judgement into a right frame It makes the Judgement lightly to esteem of earthly and highly to esteem of Heavenly things lightly to esteem the favours and frowns of men highly to value the favour and fear the frowns of God 2. Faith prevails with the Will to chuse God above all and to part with all the leave all if they come in competition with God This Faith doth habitually in habituall preparations in the work of Grace when first the Will chuseth with Christ Thus Faith inables the soul to do actually when ever it is brought to tryall 3. Faith works upon the Affections to love God above all to delight in God to fear him c. A man who loues any thing chuseth any thing prizeth any thing above God is a man unfit for sufferings hee is not in a sufering frame If God and these things come in competition they with Demas will forsake God and cleave to the present world Men whose hearts are too much ingaged to the World whose affections are too much set upon the Creature men whose wills chuse any thing more than God whose Judgements do prize and esteem of any thing more than God to whom God is little and the world is great these men are unfit for tryals And therefore this is the first way whereby Faith doth inable the Soul by putting it into a suffering frame 2. Faith doth furnish the soul with suffering Resolutions A beleeving heart is a resolved heart Nothing causeth a suspension in the Will more than Unbeleef Hee that doubteth is like a wave of the Sea sometimes going this way and sometimes carried back again Whereas Faith doth resolve the heart makes the soul resolve as Peter but in a better strength I will dye rather than deny thee Faith doth cloathe the soul with suffering resolutions to go through a Sea through a Wilderness through the hottest Skirmishes the hardest Tryals for Christ You see it every where in Scripture In Michaiah in Jeremiah in the three Children in Daniel in the Apostles And to these I might adde many more As that of old Polycarp when hee was perswaded to deny Christ rather than to dye for Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉