honour God rest not in this that you dare not basely pride your selves in any of your parts above God but beware of a finer spun selfe then this deny your selves even the second time as I may say lest otherwise you fall in love so farre with your service that you grow to thinke God cannot want you Perhaps God may try you in your onely sonne Ishac Gen. 22.2 whether you can be content to want him or no for God as well as to enjoy him in God The onely tryall of the denying of your owne parts for God is if when God calls for them in sacrifice you be as willing to make shipwracke of them as to improve them Be not more anxious for God then he is for himselfe for he can make the stones cry although you should hold your peace To serve God so with your gifts as to be loth upon any need to forgoe your selves distrusting God in case of losing them fearing the reproach of men or what domage hurt and dishonour may accrue to you in your private despised conditions I say this is to serve your selves and not the Lord. Enquire closely as well upon what termes your very gifts themselves may prove dishonourable to God as the case may stand as your forfet of them yea much more if God call for them Note well To despise to stoope to the enquiry after the least evill which may defile your consciences in the improveing of your gifts or to live ignorant of any such duty as might honour God as much or more then your gifts To conceale and hide from your owne eyes any part of Gods will under pretence of the best service done by your gifts To distrust God in supporting you for a good conscience in the forfeit of your gifts and lastly to rest in this that seeing God may use your sinne to his owne glory therefore your sinne may seeme lesse in your owne sight What are all these save unseasonably to pin your service upon Gods sleeve and to serve under a false banner to lose more in the hundred then you gaine in the shire and in a word Vzza like out of your heat and resolution to serve not to care upon what dishonourable and unseemly conditions you goe to worke I judge no particular person I leave you to the judgement of your owne conscience I doe not accuse you as if ye sought to winne the spurres by your parts or could not take it well of God if sometime he held you short in gifts and performances I presse yet another thing Bee your service never so allowable yet fall not in love so with it pittie not others so farre in the want thereof that you should be unwilling to come under the command of God as well in suffering as in obeying 1 Cor. 14.32 The spirit of Prophets must bee subject to the Prophets be it never so good how much more to God himselfe And it is as good sometime to take counsell as to give it and as good to looke so to some one thing which wee desire and finde our selves enabled by God unto as yet not to blindfold our other eye to over see some other duty lying before us which although perhaps it be unwelcomely sudden to us and speake in our cast yet is such an one as God calls for at our hands to a further honouring of him So shall wee doe greater things when God abases us in our selves and hath us at his becke then when all our best gifts are improved without such a command so also shall we proportion our selves in some beautifull sort to walke with God and trust his Alsufficiencie both in our sufferings and our doings and God shall honour himselfe in both and us for both we doing both in selfe-denyall and faith Luke 17.10 Although poore wretches when wee have done all wee shall be but unprofitable servants Fourthly this is terror and conviction to all Papists and formall worshippers Vse 4 Papists first Popish statelinesse of devotion is odious to God for their scorning the simplicity of Christ and his Ministery and ordinances and counting the meane things thereof a derogation to their Religion and an occasion to make the worship of God vile and contemptible to the people And therefore instead of meane and foolish things they stablish pompous great and wise waies and devices of their owne glorious Images Roods Crucifixes reliques donaries of gold silver and jewels They fill their Churches with paintings and curious pictures and strive who shall outstrip the other in the beauty of buildings the curiosity of carvings of imbellishings of Idols who shall have the richest copes and canopies and the most sumptuous Altars chalices pixes and other complements belonging when their Masse is most gorgeously set forth to the sense and when the Ministery of Christ is thereby eaten up as the fat kine by the lean when all spirituall means of mortification are turned to carnall and outward such as the flesh delights in but the lazy and base heart of man abhorres then do they think the service of God best dispatched Oh ye hypocrites who doe oppose God point blanke in his purpose and turne the conversion of soules into perdition of them how will ye answer God in his day of account ye pretend that hereby ye grace Gods service but the truth is ye overthrow it embondaging the senses and enthralling the consciences of men to a worship pleasing and possessing the carnall part but leaving their soules leane and sterved for lack of spirituall instruction God requires that his spirit in the ordinances 1 Cor. 2.1.2 should quash and controll all the excellency of man and you strive by amusing and detaining the eies and eares and senses of the body with pompe and state to quash the power of preaching and the efficacy of the spirit But there shall come forth a fire out of the breath of his mouth one day and consume all these inventions of yours and carry both you and them to the place whence they came The misery is that in the meane time you do snare and lead innumerable soules to hell and leave them at last either to senslesnes or despaire and none may say what doe you Proud hypocrites disdaine to be taught by mean persons The like I may say of all formall hypocrites who disdaine the sillines of Gods Ministers preaching and sacraments they forsooth scorn that every base fellow should have the credit of converting them they could be content to heare Christ preach or Paul or some of the Apostles who yet if they were among them should be as base with them as the basest they must either heare some great learned Doctor or schollar of renowne speake to them or else they will not lend their eare others say that their Jesuits are the only men of learning now a daies as for our English Preachers alas they are but silly fellowes to build a mans faith upon In a word either
like may be said of duties It was the great boast of that Pharisee and of all his tribe that he fasted twice a week 2. Religious duties gave almes paid tithes of all even to mint and cummin he was not as the publican no extortioner no briber no usurer and this made him crow upon his dunghill exceedingly and swell in his law righteousnesse that Christ never came in his minde Luke 18.11.12 Those Pharisees in the Gospel upon whom so many woes are pronounced how full of their duties were they Christ himselfe was a libertine to them and their strictnesse a companion of Publicans and sinners a glutton and winebibber in comparison of their abstinence and sobriety How dangerous he could not keepe a Sabbath strictly enough for them nor walke closely enough to please them Phil. 3.7 8 9. And Paul who had beene one of them and after his conversion bewrayed their secrets confessed that as he trusted to his priviledges of a Jew of circumcision of his sect so especially that hee walked to the uttermost in the most precise strictnesse of his profession making conscience of being a Pharisee and throughout all his Epistles what doth he cry out of so much as his and their law righteousnesse that is that exact and strict walking in all the duties of the morall law and ceremonies Oh! how this conceit of their owne vertues and moralities stiffened swelled and puffed up all this bastardly brood not onely to disdaine prophane ones but also to abhorre the spiritualnesse of the Lord Jesus and to contemne the offer of his grace as base and superfluous And what was the chiefe object of our Saviours outcries Matth. 23. woes and curses save this rabble of Pharisees one whole Chapter being spent therein yea his bitter and irreconciliable antipathy and enmity of spirit against them above all other either heathens or prophane ones Surely because he saw that above all other opposition to himself this was the most deadly and damnable to set up a god against a Christ an Altar against an Altar a righteousnesse comming from a meere selfe-loving and selfe seeking principle from a carnall bottome to a carnall end against the eternall spirituall pure righteousnesse of the Lord Jesus who came to discover not onely all grosse unrighteousnesse and make it odious but also all righteousnesse of flesh and all the obedience of hypocrites and to cast it as unsavory salt dung and dogsmeate upon the dunghill And to be briefe what else is the religion of our daies and times both among Popish and carnall Protestant worshippers save their duties devotions The one boasting of his masses sacrifices almes penances empty fastings building of Hospitalls doing of good workes and all to establish their owne Corban and Kingdome through the merit of their owne congruities and condignities the other their serving of God hearing his word receiving his sacraments abstaining from the sinnes of usury drunkennesse uncleannesse and doing the duties of the Sabbath of mercy and charity of righteousnesse and equity But to be sure both of them swelling in the opinion of themselves both abhorring to feele any pinching need of the Lord Jesus and his sufficiency to pardon both their unrightousnesse and also their counterfeit righteousnesse being both equally damnable But the third branch viz. Religion in point of degrees and measures The 3. Branch Degrees of Religion is of all the most dangerous peece of Selfe and swelleth the unsound and hollow heart of man in the opinion of himselfe Some boasting of their knowledge of Gods will in generall others of some degrees of legall humiliation a third sort of a wonderfull sweetnes they have tasted in hearing the Gospel and the glad tidings of life salvation thereby a fourth shewing how they are awed by the knowledge of the word from their former courses what degrees of grace have been wrought in them how long they have been hearers What degrees of Religion a man may attaine unto and held out in their profession longer then many revolters what zeal they have shewed in setting up the Ministery in their Townes praier in their families care and conscience and good example in their lives how many sins they have laid aside what good they have done in their repeating of Sermons calling upon their kindred and neighbours what services they have done for the Church runne ridden written bestowed paines and travell to settle order and government in their places how they have honored graced and maintained the Minister invited entertained him to their houses how they have stood out and suffered for the Gospel Others go further instance in the power of the promise of Christ in their soules what ravishing passions of joy admiration and thankes that sweet doctrine hath wrought in them what pangs of deepe love and affection it hath raised in them how it hath bred in them abundant weeping and sorrow for their sinnes humiliation and feare under the hand of God how they have stood upon thornes till the Sabbath or lecture day came what ardent desires after the word what longings what frequent use of meanes it hath wrought in them and how they have denied both lust and liberties for Christ and could be content for the time to beg to goe to prison and suffer for him Besides many effects which this hath wrought in them the curbing in of their tongues their passions and their lives which were wont to be full of lying deceit rage revenge unmercifulnesse unrighteousnesse but now they are become true of their word quiet moderate curteous gentle and mercifull All these thinges laid together cause them to thinke no lesse then that their state is good and sound to God-ward for why the hearsay of Christ wrought all these things in them And yet not to condemne any particular person for these seeing God only knowes the hearts of the sonnes of men how many have we knowne by wofull experience who have attained some of these or all these degrees And to how small purpose who yet in a short time have bewraied themselves to bee time-fervers and wanzed away to nothing as fast as ever they seemed to come forward Alas they never called themselves to question never tried their estate by the rules of the word nor came to put difference betweene a conscience proceeding from supernaturall revealing and betweene divine and spirituall perswasion The Apostle hath a strange speech 1 Cor. 15.19 1 Cor. 15.19 If our hope were in this life onely in Christ wee were of all men most miserable whereby we see that many seeke their Christ onely for this life that is how they may make use of Christ here below for a while to get themselves some inward truce with an accusing conscience or to get themselves credit ease and welfare here among men with whom they see Christ and Religion are in request But as for a Christ to save to sanctifie and glorifie them for ever they
of difficulty to obey he is much more ready to obey in easier and lesser because else he should justly question his sincerity in the greater The same generall tye lying upon the soule in both great and small the soule dares not offend in the small lest it should seeme to obey the greater for some ends of it owne to avoid the shame which the neglect of the greater might rather cause then the violation of the smaller Reason 3 Thirdly faithfulnesse in the greater takes away that barre of falshood which might hinder the performance of the smaller Perhaps a false heart might possibly buckle to a greater worke of Piety or Charity then to a smaller because it sees more carnall content accruing to it selfe by the greater then by the smaller But a sincere heart that abhorres falshood is carried by another instinct and cares not so much what men thinke as what God thinkes remembring that speech Not he who men praiseth is a true Jew or Christian but whom God praiseth The argument in sundry respects prevailes with a Christian from the lesser to the greater Rom. 2. ult as well from the greater to the lesser When great duties lye upon him to be done he argues thus Shall I make conscience of smaller secreter offences and shall I not much more abhor the grosser Doe I provide for my owne peace in the smaller so that the least gnat makes me straine and doe I not make much more conscience of greater which would more waste and weaken my peace So in good things Doe I make conscience of smaller duties as to give an almes to rule my tongue or a passion wherein God is lesser honoured and doe I not much more regard the maine duties of faith and the purging of my heart and inner man from hypocrisie in which I should honour him much more Again when the question is of lesser sinnes avoiding or duties doing then it disputes another way Have I found the yoke of God light unto me in those things which I feared my base heart would never be drawne too because of their difficulty and danger and shall I draw backe in smaller wherein no such hurt or hardnesse is to be feared Surely this were to requite God evill for good and to bewray my lewdnesse that I seeke starting holes and excuses to shake off the yoke when I see the least crevis of liberty to the flesh afforded so that I will serve God no more then needs must and would shift my hands of the greatest much more if the necessity thereof and the expectation of others did not compell me So then the point is cleer He that is faithfull in a greater will be so much more in the lesser Howbeit the point must be understood aright Explanation of the point and according to the naturall meaning and intent of it we must therefore qualifie Greatnesse and Smalnesse in their due measure or else the point will not hold First we must qualifie men aright in their opinion for to some men that may seem greatest which to another is smallest and another may judge that least which another thinks greatest When that young man came to our Saviour and told him He had kept all the Commands from his youth our Saviour answered him Goe sell all The scope of Christ was to confute his presumption in keeping all by laying open his inability to keepe one and that lesser then any of the morall ones For to obey one command in the manner and due measure thereof is that which never yet flesh could do But to sell all hath beene done by many who never obeyed one command of the morall Law in his extent and fulnesse Now yet marke this young man tooke it otherwise for hee thought to sell all to be harder then all the other in which respect our Saviour searcht him to the quicke but in the thing it selfe it was not so Againe in this case circumstances prove essentialls sometimes as of time for at some time a man may be fit for a greater who at another is not fit for a smaller As to give ten pound at his death for religious uses who perhaps while hee lived could not so well spare tenne shillings Also the preparation of the heart must be considered In the generall David may be thought to be readier to pardon Mephibosheth then Shemei the one failing by error the other substantially but he was armed in the case of the one but naked in the other Besides he beheld Shemei under a true colour as set on by God to try him but the other in a false as suspecting that a favorite should be treacherous which was nothing so So a generall custome of corrupt nature may fasten greater degree upon a lesser thing and a lesser upon a greater Act. 14. Those people of Lycaonia might have thought it a greater humility for men to abase themselves to men then to God But Idolatry and corrupt custome caused even their proud hearts to proffer worship to Paul and Barnabas as agreeing with a fleshly heart rather then God himself whom when they were urged to worship they tooke up stones to kill the Apostles And endlesse it were to shew the variety of respects wherein this rule may faile But this I say if the true natures of things and the judgements of men about them be reconciled taking things in their due extent without error then the point alway holds true He that is faithfull in the greater is so much more in the smaller For why A Christian is acted by such a spirit as teaches him to doe all things with sincerity equality and proportion both great and small one and another lest if any flaw appeare it should breed a disproportion in the eye of God or of man and cause an ey-sore to both As when wee see a comely face joyned to a crooked body or a deformed and crooked back and shoulders to a good countenance presently there appeares an indignation in us at the eye-sore Vse 1 The first Use is for Instruction It informes us of the reason why many men who seem forward in some greater acts of religion especially for the bulke thereof yet faile most grossely in the smaller Iâ—struction It s a shrewd marke of unfaiâ—hfulnesse to be forward in great duties and backward in small Surely it is an argument of great unfaithfulnesse and impurity of spirit For if there were soundnesse there would bee much more forwardnesse in lesser then in greater as being joyned with lesse damage and difficulty But when the heart is impure there is no sure rule in a man to keep him in he may bee franke in greater acts and very defective in smaller What was the cause that moved our Saviour to magnifie the woman that cast in two farthings into the treasury above them that cast in handfulls of silver Mark 12.43 Not for the summe but the different spirit of both She cast in out of devotion and would have
such selfe-deniall or try us with hard duties we rather would hang downe the head with that young man and goe away sorrowfull So that he might say of us I have tried thee now and found that thy wealth thy liberty wife children are dearer to thee then my selfe I will trust thee no more Oh how should we tremble at this How should our base penurious scanty hearts even stinke in our nostrills and shame us Act. 3.3 when that creeple looked stedfastly upon Peter and Iohn all he gaped after was a penny or two of almes but they bestowed more then he desired and healed his lamenesse How thinke wee was hee astonished 1 King 3.15 And how was Salomon ravished when he had Gods answer Even so which of us brethren that belong to God can deny but that he hath given us more then ever we could aske or thinke But what have we done for him Have we found out singular things for him Deniall of our selves forgoing of our wills lusts pleasures for him Nay have we not taken our uttermost liberty in them A good wife husband child recovery out of sicknesse have deserved more from us then ever we rendred But what can we say when his Christ is yet unpaid for 1631. Now this deare yeare which of us makes it our season to doe great things for God We know that we doe for his members wee doe for him Where is the man who fellow-feeles this hard pinching yeare and these prises of corne and victualls If you of the poorer sort would doe great things for God even live by faith and set up the promise and alsufficiency of God above your hungry bellies and empty purses hee would doe great things for you But brethren let the sinnes of the poore goe looke we to our owne and amend them Be wee really pinched in the feare of God with their present miseries Say not with that churle shall I take my flesh and bread and give it these beggars 1 Sam. 25. No give a portion to six and to seven the necessity of the time craves some singular thing Common service stinkes in Gods nostrills in a season of speciall duty If now we come in with our common stuffe our sinne shall be as great as our denying them altogether at another time Oh! it were a great thing if we would even feele a pinch in our owne selves while this pinch lasts and abridge our diet our apparrell much more our feasts and excesse in an holy sympathy of their pinch and let our pinching and sparing from our selves become a reliefe of theirs and a bound to their refreshing Else wee shall pay full dearly for our basenes Sell a groat a test on yea two if need be cheaper then every churle Pinch your selves in your prises sell your corne eat your meat and put up gaines with lesse sweetnesse more pinching of sorrow then at other times If it were not Lord thou knowest for this pinching time I would not be so scanty to my selfe as I am but seeing I cannot abound my selfe Satan who seeks thy bloud can prevaile for more then Christ who shed his bloud for thee but I am prone to be scanty to others therefore I will chuse to scant my selfe that I may bee enlarged to others Let his good brethren be that singular thing wherein we declare our selves to God And if we do this in love and be sutable in other the like we shall have the reward of such as doe great things for God when as others doe little or nothing at all Remember Satan himselfe requires it and obtaines it at the hands of his servants So much for the ground of this second Argument Now I come to the inference upon it The which is The second branch of this Argument the application and urging of this truth upon their Master If thou wilt do such great things out of thy love to the Prophet then shew it by reall obeying his counsell q. d. else all thy shews are naught worth The point is True love and honour to a Prophet Doctrine True love and honour of Gods Prophets appears in our obeying them stands in obeying his voice We see in common experience if a man have a friend whom he seems to thinke highly of yet if that friend perceive that in any case of importance and weight his friend will sooner hearken to any stranger then to him and that he shall be of his court but others of his counsell What will he doe thinke himselfe regarded No he will conclude surely this man slights my counsell and followes his owne wayes whatsoever I say therefore for my part I leave him to them who can sway him more with their counsell then I can How much more then is it thus with the Minister If he see his people court him in their carriage complement with him in speech and curtesies but still abide the old men reforme nothing amisse goe on still in their course what shall he conclude Surely this I see this people loves me not for I can prevaile with them in nothing their owne waies they will take though I teare my tongue to the stumps therefore surely they love me little or not at all But let us see first some Reasons then some Scriptures to prove the point and so come to some use First they who love from the heart will obey from the heart because Reason 1 there is a reciprocall affection of people to Minister as well as of Minister to God and Christ Now the Minister out of a loyall heart of love to God and Christ doth as he is bidden God saith If thou love me feed my lambes and my sheep else pretend no love to colour thy sloth and negligence Even so should the Minister of God say to the people If you love me obey my counsell and do as I teach else colour not over your falshood with pretences As the Minister is to carry himselfe to God so are they under God to carry themselves to him It will bee smally to their comfort if all the obedience lye upon his shouldiers for although he hath saved his owne soule yet no thanke to them Ezek. 18. But when there is a reciprocation of affection with the fruit of obedience then shall neither grudge at other Both stand in equall obligation to obey if both performe it there is mutuall cause of joy and love but if one be faithfull to God and the other unfaithfull to him there will be unequall drawing in the yoake and great cause of complaint Secondly there is an holy judiciousnesse and wisdome in love compelling Reason 2 the people to consider that the Minister presseth that he doth upon them not as from himselfe but as from God it s nothing to him what they doe or doe not he is but a servant he is set over them for good and to give an account to God for them hee shall have his recompence for his worke
for the deed 2. Looke upon thine owne grace and hide my defects 3. Betrust me with the principles of sincerity and faith working by love which will make a little goe a great way 4. Make my lusts to be my clogs as Sauls armour to David 5. Make the yoke of hard dangerous disgraced solemne duties and crosses to be tollerable pag. 374 People exhorted to love honour and support their Ministers How that may bee pag. 392 People that will seeme to love their Minister that so they may snort in their sinnes odious pag. 400 Popish Martyrs against the Scriptures not to be regarded notwithstanding their pretended selfe-deniall 415. Popish falshood in all their wayes pag. 415 People must be sincere and open to receive good counsell pag. 425 Poore men have a priviledge above the rich in this That they may bee reproved pag. 425 Proud harts terrified by Gods resisting pag. 468 Plead hard for faith if once wee bee under the condition pag. 481 Promise must be pleaded for sanctification as well as pardon pag. 511 Perseverance in beleeving breeds assurance pag. 513 Promises must bee beleeved according to their nature and kinde 567. Reasons of it Popish abusers of promises terrified pag. 579 Preposterous appliers of promises reproved pag. 582 Promises must be beleeved according to the utmost extent of them wherin it stands in three things 1. A promise must bee sounded to the bottome 2. Wee must draw out of the wells of salvation 3. The promise must not bee given over though wee be long held off pag. 583. 584 Physitians must know themselves to be only instruments of providence for such as God will have to recover pag. 588 People are very fond in magnifying the outward instrument neglecting God ibid. Popish Miracles and Cures what they are to be thought of pag. 590 Pelagian spirits which cavill at the freedome of the grace of God far from the true spirit of cure and conversion 869. So are Popish spirits likewise pag. 870 Prayer for healing the numb palsie of the spirit of our times necessary pag. 886 Q. Quarrellers against the Minister for not comforting the distressed sinfull pag. 456 R. Rebellion in all whom God meanes to save shall worke greater humiliation in them pag. 60 Repentance goes not before faith pag. 103 Religious Selfe how dangerous Vide Selfe Rationall carriage not simply to bee condemned pag. 209 Religion stands more in wanting somewhat then in having pag. 237 Religion is like an harmony pag. 250 Religion grounded upon most sound foundations pag. 253 Religious servants yet failing in faithfulnesse are to bee blamed 306. Their trickes and qualities ibid. Resigning up of the soule to God is one chiefe work of faith pag. 500 Revolters from their first zeale and grace of conversion are in a sad case pag. 871 S. Scriptures filled by the holy Ghost with rarities and wonders and why Two causes pag. 2. 3 Sensible and outward objects the meanes by which God workes upon us ibid. Scriptures bark and outside not to be rested in but the scope and sense pag. 6 Soveraignty of Gods will and pleasure must cause us first to confesse it 14. 2. To lye humbly and quietly under the conviction of it 15. in sundry particulars 1. By considering the root of this soveraignty ib. 2. Bee content that God dspence his grace according to his owne measures 16. 3. Iudge not God in the effects of soveraignty as in the sinnes penalties or snares of the wicked ibid. 6. Nor for punishing the sinnes of parents upon their posterity 17. 7. Doe the uttermost that lies in thee to obey ibid. 8 Be charitable to others a farre off ibid. 9. Break thy hard hart hereby lay down thy pride and rebellion 18. Then the â—â—use soveraignty is free to save as well as destroy 19. Look not at election but at the tree offer ibid. Assay to beleeve and that upon sound warrant by venturing upon the promise 20. 21. Lastly know this is the greatest honour which thou canst doe to God pag. 22 Straits and extremities are Gods season to pull downe a proud heart 29. In how many respects See the reasons ibid. Straits both publick and personall do but little humble men in these times pag. 36. 37 Straits doe make hypocrites onely to counterfeit 33. Not to be trusted ibid. Straits are very unpleasing to flesh we are lâ—â—th to heare of them lest wee shouâ—d humble our selves and profit bâ— them pag. 38 Shun not straâ—ts for first it is bootlesse and then they câ—nnot bee mâ—ssed 39. Pray for â—n holy use of them not to awe thee violently but change thy heart pag. 40 Signes and Sacraments why used by the Lord in effecting spirituall things pag. 85 Sacraments differ from common signes ibid. And why 1. To stop mans bold inventions 2. To assure weake faith of his sincerity ibid. Suspect trials bee comming upon us when our state is calmest pag. 96 The manifold snares in the way of Gods people should make them watch and bee armed ibid. Selfe the main enemy to rob the soule of grace when all is done 98. and why because most inward and immediate pag. 101 Selfe in the root of it is nothing but the instinct of old Adam and the frame or vent of a corrupt heart ibid. Selfe of two sorts either opposite Selfe to Christ or mixing Selfe with Christ ibid. Selfe opposite what ibid. Of how many sorts it is ibid. Five named Prophane selfe Naturall selfe Carnall selfe Creature selfe Religious selfe ibid. Selfe prophanenesse described ibid. Self natural or civill described pag. 164 Carnall selfe or savour of the flesh what The sorts of it many ibid. Selfe sensuality or in the Creature what pag. 111 Selfe-religion what The branches of it three pag. 115 Mixt selfe in what particulars it discovers her selfe 121. Ten or twelve mentioned Nature of mixt selfe discerned in foure things 1. Familiarnesse 2. Generalnesse 3. Violence 4. Tenaciousnesse pag. 127 Selfe supports her selfe by false comparisons pag. 128 Satan imbarkes himselfe more deeply in Selfe then in other corruption pag. 129 Self deludes by Gods just giving her over to her selfe pag. 129 Selfe may be discerned by three degrees or properties ibid. Passages of Selfe may bee conceived three wayes 1. By the ground 2. The carriage 3. The scope pag. 131 Selfe is but flesh in all the worke of Law and Gospel and how pag. 132 Carriage of Selfe is sutable to her ground which appeares in foure things 1. Her instinct 2. Her eagernesse 3. Her endeavour 4. Her disappointment ibid. The ends of Selfe and her scope is sutable to the ground and carriage pag. 138 All seekers of salvation must abhorre Selfe and how 1. In discerning her trickes divers of them mentioned 139. Shee will deny herselfe in somewhat to satisfie herselfe in other things 2. To mask sin under holinesse 3. To defile it selfe in that it knoweth 4. Pretence to seeke God but intending it selfe 5. To offer God more service then he
all those objections and cavills whereby Selfe labours to rivet her selfe in the soule shee passes sentence against Selfe 5. Marke It answers all objections of Selfe and when Selfe hath spent her selfe in all she can say to hold the soule in her chaines yet the Spirit of Grace is stronger for Grace then Selfe for corruption Notwithstanding all her ease loathnesse to part advantage to the flesh difficulty of beleeving pretences and colours yet so it is Grace will beare the sway and perswades the soule to cast her out She is as those men of Juda whose words were stronger for David 2 Sam. 19 43. then the words of the men of Israel So that let Selfe dispute what she can against mercy yet mercy is that which at last the poore soule must betake her selfe to sooner or later and better at first while the heart is tender and willing to take paines then at last when she is sapped and soked in Selfe Grace is the thing she aimes at and although she have had many turnagaines and discouragements yet till she rests there and sets downe her stafe upon the promise shee shall have no rest or peace in her spirit and therefore bearing downe all difficulties cavills and pulbacks she resolves upon Grace and the freedome of mercy This cannot an hypocrite reach unto for either he is resolved to be as he is or else proceeds on in a continuall staggering If the former then he is hardened and will be as he is if he be in an error he will live and dye in it he will not change his estate for any mans hee desires to be in no better case then he is If the latter then he is alway devising of one shift or other to delude his owne conscience when it checks him for unsoundnesse making it his trade to daube it with untempered morter Contrary to both the Spirit of Grace causes the soule to bee informed of her owne danger to be content to heare of the hardest to amend any errors which have misled her though with much paine searing or lancing medicines or plasters she is willing to undergoe any hardship for a cure and will refuse nothing so she may be rid of an unsafe condition and although shee knows this divell will not out without foming and raging and much opposition yet she doth as the husbandman doth Eccles 11 4. who knowes if hee should observe winde and raine he should neither sow nor reape So the Spirit of Grace waites not while the coast bee cleare and all objections of Self be answered for she holds her own and will not be answered but breakes through the hoast of all cavills to come to the bare promise and when she cannot untie each knot by picking it shee takes her sword and cuts them in two at once that the soule may be at liberty Zachar. 5.11 And as the Prophet speakes of carrying the Ephah into the land of Shinar so doth the Spirit of Grace carry this resistance of Selfe farre away from the soule whence it may never returne any more to pester her in the maine point of resolving to cast her selfe nakedly upon Grace and Christ Sixtly Grace opposes Selfe by setting Selfe against Selfe 6. Marke It sets Selfe against Selfe and thereby wearing her in her owne way that shee may forsake it and take a better Hence it comes to passe that when the soule hath long traded with her owne affections devotions and duties satisfying her selfe with the warmth of her owne feathers the Lord sets another Selfe against them that is suffers some morall distempers to rise up in them as peevishnesse wandring after fond frothy vanities an inconstancy of spirit to unsettle them contenting themselves with the creature any shred of it eating and drinking padling in the world or about carnall objects which formerly they despised and why these Surely that they might be gastered by the worse from the better and being beaten from Self in both kindes might resolve to fasten upon that which might bottome them upon Christ I have observed it in sundry even of tender and good affections that through feare and weaknesse could not bee perswaded to cast themselves upon the onely free and unchangeable truth of the promise there to settle and to rest in Christs bosome without strugglings or distempers of their owne base distrust therefore the Lord hath suffered them to be exceedingly disguised and burdensome to themselves by the contrary qualities of sloth ease wearisomenesse deadnesse formality wrath and other baser evills Their former love of the word hath turned to indifferency whether they heare or no their painfull hearings meditatings with some life and savor praying with devout hearts and fervency with like care and jealousie in their other course hath wanzed and waxed wearisome and those evills which I named have come in their roome and when they have felt these pricks in their flesh to buffet them Oh! how sad and unsettled have they beene As a bone out of joint fit for nothing Yea how sullen with God quarrelling as if they never had any good wrought in them and sometimes ready to give over all in a tech and mood Why I pray you doth the Lord leave such painfull soules to such disguisements Hath hee delight to crosse them to breake the brused reed or to quench the smoking flax No doubtlesse Try your selves good brethren whether or no this hath beene your condition And if it have know that the Lord is just to deale thus with you although ye have not perhaps provoked him by an ill conscience by running to evill or wilfull rejecting of the meanes even because you still rest upon your owne bottomes and ascribe to your duties and affections he would pull ye off from these and draw you to set your soules upon better objects I know what objection you will make by and by That you have also as much as in you hath lyen strove against all resting in any affections of your owne Object laboured to deny your selves and to settle upon the promise Answ But I demand why then have you not obtained a bottome to rest upon You will secretly mutter and say the Lord hath not beene pleased to let out any saving and effectuall goodnesse out of his promise to prevent you in your endeavours and to sweeten you with the comfort of his Grace that so your labours might not be in vaine Doth hee not let out such sweetnesse as yee would Where then is the fault Could you lay the fault upon God Or thinke you that the error lies within your owne bosome What way hath God I pray you save the way of his promise inseperably attended by his Spirit to let in and convey himselfe into the soules of his poore servants Surely if you have closed with his promise for the assistance of the Spirit to convey his good things upon your soules then may and ought you to waite his leasure for the answering of your
heare that cleaving to a promise should be of greater account with God or the deniall of our owne best duties and devotions then outward reall forbearances of sin abstinence from liberties or services of Religion carnall reason saith so much as thou esteemest thy selfe others will Seventhly let us see what carnall liberty judges of lawfull liberties Instance 7 Surely thus She puts no difference betweene the one and the other Lawfull liberties thinking all to be lawfull to them at all times in any measure with any circumstances without respect of offence or expediency nay rather such liberties games pastimes they count lawfull as their carnall sway leads them to except some great let hinder them they looke neither at rules nor ends but thinke all serve for mans content and can goe as well from one as other to their devotions sobriety and mediocrity they regard not And lastly for their common converse with men in buying selling Instance 8 Conversation with men eating drinking and other passages of life and conversation carnall reason either thinkes them quite besides the bounds of Religion at all or else goeth to worke by no rule in them but conceives in these each man left to himselfe without any controll their tongues their passions their trades and all their civill dealings they count arbitrary matters and so that they be not debauched in any notorious kinde as in oppressing wronging or foule excesses they suppose it is free for every man to get what he can to shift for himselfe and to seeke for the best gaine who shall be jolliest bravest and live at the best tearmes for the flesh This be spoken for the first generall to shew what this taint of carnall reason is how bad and incompetent a judge it is in Gods matters forestalling the soule from cleaving to his truthes As the oile in the hand cannot be hidden so it is easie to discover the nature and behaviour of this humor as she told Peter so I may say to every rationall and carnall man thy very speech thy garbe and outside bewray thee what thou art Matth 26.73 for thou wilt have one finger in each of Gods dishes his word sacraments or whatsover I come now to the second generall Proofes of the doctrine to prove the point by some texts both of truth and examples and then by reasons For the former note that 1 Cor. 2.14 The carnall man savors not the things of God for they are spiritually discerned Such as the man is such is his reason And againe The wisdome of the flesh is enmity with God It is not subject to Gods matters neither indeed can bee They that are after the flesh minde the things of it And to be carnally minded is death and so many more might be added So for examples the Scripture is full of them both of grosser and finer spunne stuffe in this kinde When our Saviour Ioh. 3.5 â— discoursed to Nicodemus of being borne againe what said he Shall a man then goe againe into his mothers wombe and be born a second time And yet what a great Doctor of Israel was he His great Mastership could read no lecture against carnall reason So againe read the example of the people which came to chuse Saul King 1 Sam. 10.27 when they saw what he was for meane breed and parentage the text tells us they despised him Shall such an one reigne over us Can hee save us So the Prince whose arme the King leaned on when he heard the promise of God that within one day the famine should be turned to plenty made this answer If there were windowes made in heaven could this be 2 King 7.3.4 I will never beleeve it It repugnes to sense and the present state of things So those Jewes who saw and heard our Saviour preach and doe miracles despised him Shall this man save us When the Messia comes no man shall know whence he is But as for this man we know him and whence he is Joh. 7.27 a poore man Ioseph and Maries sonne of no breed training or outward glee to the world-ward So those false teachers of whom Paul writes in all his Epistles were carnall ones and led by the reason of the flesh despised Paul for his meane preaching without eloquence 2 Cor. 4. 5 chap. and for his meane presence and person being as it seemes to outward appearance of no great stature nor glorious utterance And those Corinthians although not so deeply tainted yet had a dregge of this poyson when they esteemed of Preachers according to the fancie of the man 1. Cor. 3.4 some would cleave to Paul some to Cephas some to Apollo some to others as their humour led them Who cannot by these examples perceive what an ill judge carnall reason is in cleaving to the truths of the word As Naaman here was held from Gods purpose to heale him by his Abana and Pharfar so each of these examples were hindred from embracing one truth or other by the obstacle of their owne reason Nay the Scripture rests not here alone but brings in the Saints themselves with infamy for their being fore-stalled against the truth hereby Moses is taxed for distrusting God at the waters of Meriba See Texts before Gideon for cavilling against the Angels message Samuel for inclining to Eliab Sara for laughing which I named before all of them being letted by this enemy from cleaving to the truth because they felt nothing within to favour it carnall reason foisting in this cavill Tush What likelihood or proportion is there between this truth and thee Thou give sucke and bee a Nurse at ninety yeares old and so of the rest So much for proofes Reason 1 Reasons follow First the soul is stript and bereft by the sin of Adam from that holy purity of Reason Soule bereft of the puritie of reason in her first creation whereby it could conceive digest and understand the matters of God as their proper object without mistake or errours as the eye or eare can discerne colours or sounds This holy power of created nature is now turned to a meere privation sinking paper being as able to containe the distinct impression of the letters written thereon as corrupt reason can distinguish or discerne the stampe or notions of holy things It cannot reach them for it faileth as the short arme of an infant cannot reach a thing above it it cannot retain them for it vanisheth in them as sense doth in dreaming They are above the capacity of the soule as she is even as Hebrew is above the reach of an ideot no man wonders that he rejects it with indignation as exceeding his faculty Gods matters are reached by a superiour power to that which a naturall man hath as a tale told is reacht by a faculty above that which the beast hath The substance of the understanding is as it was but the excellencie of her faculty is lost Reason 2 Reas 2.
exempt a man from pride and disdaine None is so low but he loves to be Master of something Yee shall not see three or foure cattell together but one will be Master There is a wofull pride of spirit in man disdaining to bee under any As those base Jewes Joh. 8.33 in their greatest slavery yet vaunted they were free men and never served any And hence it is that we call the meere underling the dogge as of a Schoole of a family c. So loathsome a thing is subjection But marke let conscience of love and sense of divinenesse in an ordinance possesse the spirit of a man and this sinkes his spirit by and by As it is said 1 King 10.5 the Queen of Sheba came to Salomon with an equall and high spirit to dispute but seeing more then a man in him lo her spirit fayled her What is that She felt an infinite inequality in her selfe to Salomon thought it no disparagement to her selfe to be inferiour to so wise a man as he and therefore set her heart at rest from any more bubbling thoughts and calmed herselfe to a most meeke selfe-deniall If meere gifts will doe so what will grace doe Surely much more For as it will cause the inferiour to sinke and beat downe his spirit under the authority of a well ably qualified governour as I grant God requires all to be so yet it will discover a divine power even in the weake and unqualified by vertue whereof it will deny it selfe and say I quash my proud and base heart which would easily disdaine to submit better parts of wit skill Religion to one that wants all to God in man although I see nothing in him that should deserve it And this true selfe-deniall is the roote of all faithfulnesse in a servant For pride and stoutnesse in an inferiour will alway be slipping necke out of the collar Shall such an one as I of such breed worth abilities stoop to obey and serve especially such an unworthy one No I scorne it Oh! but this scorne marres the servant because it destroyes the ordinance God must levell thy heart and fill thy valley and cast downe thine hill that thou maiest say downe stout heart God lookes not at what thou seemest otherwise but at thy inferiority and in that respect commands thee not to looke at what thy proud heart would but at what his ordinance hath thought wisest Better thou lose thy proud heart which shall be thy gaine then God lose his honour the ordinance her due regard and so both Kingdome Church and family the good which thy subjection procures By this meane the stoutnesse of the heart stoops and is convinced that is but an equall thing it should be subject And secondly the barre being so removed the heart is let out to the fruits of humblenesse that is to serviceablenesse For what should I refuse to doe for or under such a governour as I see by the wisdome of God set over me for both mine owne and for a generall good and the ends of providence If once I see how wofull a confusion it were to pervert an ordinance how can I chuse but also deeme it a strange unrighteousnesse for one under the ordinance to withdraw service What is selfe-deniall but a letting out and taking downe of a base heart thinking it self too good to serve to a willingnesse in undertaking what service soever the rules of honest government can impose without grudging or contradiction So that as a proud heart is bound up soule and body so an humble spirit is enlarged unto every such service as reason guided by Religion can impose Nothing can come amisse to an humble heart selfe-deniall of her owne accord falls to serviceablenesse And what wonder When once the spirit of an inferiour hath no drift will way of his owne besides his Masters but is wholly his and for him how can it chuse but utter it in doing as it is bidden Goe come doe this and he doth it This for the Third Fourthly hence comes faith to fall to her worke For as a Christian in his generall worke of Religion 4. Grace in inferiors sets faith on work 1. Purgeth the soule of speciall distempers so a servant in his speciall relation of service lives by faith And how In these three respects First faith clenses out of the soule all those distempers which usually possesse the spirit of servants It is not enough for faith to purifie the conscience in generall from all dead works But in speciall it descends deeply and searcheth the corruption which creepes into duties into the graces of the soule into the use of meanes into the particular relations wherein the soule stands to God whether directly or indirectly Else what were a generall purging of evill which comes not into act But it purgeth each privy corner of the heart and brings the heart thus purged before God in the severall occasions which are offered Nothing comes between the cup the lip in this case All particular falshood will be hunted out of a servant whose heart is clensed by faith from all dead workes all basenesse and distempers will give place There is not one base quality of the heart but if nourished will corrupt faithfulnesse if any one string bee out of tune this harmony will vanish any case or sloth of heart will make a man unsaithfull in point of diligence an angry froward heart will make a man unfaithfull in point of answering againe and cavilling any falshood and hollownesse will cause unfaithfulnesse in point of doing the service which it promises as he who said hee would goe into his Masters vineyard Matth. 21.30 yet went not In a word a corrupt heart will be unfaithfull to the marriage bed of his Master defile his children with cursed examples filch away his commodities report wickedly of him as an hard Master who reapes where he sowed not corrupt the rest of the fellow servants and what not Onely faith clenses the heart of these evills and justles them out of place for how can Christ agree with Belial or these with faithfulnesse 2. Furnishes the heart with good qualities Secondly faith frames the image of God in the soule as in generall so in the particular relations of life that furnisheth the heart with sweet qualities with promote faithfulnesse What trouble is to an heart which is diligent to take any paines To an heart that loves the Masters good and is upright to seeke the credit welfare of the Master To an heart that is well grounded what base commands of an ungodly governour will prevaile against faithfulnesse to God To an heart well seasoned with grace for the right manner due measure and the right ends of obeying what service will be difficult Now faith it is which onely can make faithfull And thirdly faith having thus qualified the heart 3. It puts it it into actuall exercise doth also put it into service causeth this habit
and his labour is with God if then for conscience he seekes their welfare and counts it his crowne if they obey Esay 49.4 its equall and righteous that they requite love for love duty for duty That they set his crowne upon his head by their faithfull obedience The businesse concernes themselves very sadly for the Minister preaches not comforts not exhorts not for his owne ends but for theirs If then he be for them and not himselfe shall they be able to answer it if they be not for their owne soules Alas what shall the discouragement they afford to the Minister hurt him Shall it not redound to them See Heb. 13.17 That were smally to their comfort He is from God and as in the stead of Christ doing his Embassage As Ieremy speakes to those rebells Chap. 44. Lo I am before you you may answer me as you will But know that he who sent me will not be so easily answered 2 Pet. 1.16 he will pay ye home for your rebellion If the Minister be bound to follow God and not cunning devises and fables of his own head and must give a strict account thereof to his Master Woe be to them that perceive not nor lay to heart What a solemne account will lye upon them if they dispise that message which he delivers upon such tearmes He hath saved his soule but thy bloud shall be upon thine owne head True love then is judicious see 2 Cor. 5.14 and as in all other things so in this she is loath to offer any measure to the Minister which she is loath God should offer herselfe Reason 3 Thirdly love is marveilous tender He then that loves his Minister is very sensible of that griefe and discontent which must needs smites his heart when he sees his labours slighted 1 Cor. 13. especially if he be a man wholly set to seek Gods ends in preaching A good heart will say I warrant you it stings the heart of him who teaches us soundly to behold in us slight acceptance Oh this will breed bad bloud This will load him with sorrow and he hath no whither to goe for ease but to him who set him on worke And the Lord will take his wrongs to heart and count them his owne and that will prove sad for us Oh! let us not provide so ill let us not cut downe the onely prop we stand on let us condole him in his heavinesse and remove the cause of it that so his heart being joyed may procure a good errand to heaven in our behalfe and bring downe a blessed answer from God unto us Reason 4 Fourthly love is given to esteem highly of that which it loves unites it and strengthens it selfe in the object delighted in she sets it up in her heart exceedingly and good cause why for love proceeds from some convinced amiablenesse and worth in the thing loved and that reflects backe honour and esteeme Now if it be so then love of a Minister will breed honour to him under God neither under his worth nor above it but sutable to it contrariwise if there be small or no love what will the answer be Tush what is he He is but a man as others yea and perhaps a weake one a man of passions and frailties So then marke A lovelesse heart despiseth a Minister shames him is as rottennesse to his bones thwarts the doctrine makes all that behold him in the mirror of such people to thinke they have a Minister of like disposition to themselves else for shame they would not be so base I conclude then true love will devise with her selfe what will grace and magnifie the Minister and his labours and finding that nothing will do it so much as the obeying of his voice they will force and compell themselves out of the meer nature of their love to obey him to the uttermost cost it them never so much the setting on as face answers face in water Proverb so doth the life of an hearer who loves his Minister answer his labours Love must needs destroy it selfe if it should disesteem her object therefore she honoureth that as she would support herselfe So much for Reasons This point first affords Terror to all basely minded men who live Vse 1 in the utter hatred and scorne of their Ministers thwarting Terror Two or three Branches vexing and crossing them to the uttermost in stead of obeying Such as Jer. 44.16 openly tell him The word of God which thou spakest unto us we will not heare it Such as live at open defiance with the Minister asking Shall this fellow reigne over us No Shall we be tyed to his girdle We scorne it Let us cast his cords from us Psal 2.12 What Lord shall controll us Our tongues our spirits and wayes are our owne Shall he teach us to marry to buy sell keep company use our liberties Shall he come among us to forestall our pleasures our wills and lusts They that live at open defiance with their Ministers are odious Cannot wee tell as well as he what is good for us He serves us and lives upon us and shall we maintaine our servant to be in our tops Oh base wretch He is thy servant for thy good but made so by God not a slave but a free honourable Minister of reconciliation not to serve thy humours but to controll them And as I said before then they will runne and ride and lay their purses together nay set on all the mastives of the Country against them to worry them out But oh wofull creatures Reproach of Ministers shame and spots of assemblies you need not to hunt them out Read but that in Mica 2.6.7 and there you shall finde God himself will doe it for you You say prophesie not But I say Ezek. 3.26 they shall not prophesie unto such lest they take shame I will not suffer their faces to be covered with such confusion as to be plagued with such I will rid them from among such and carry them to a people that love them As for these haters of them when as once their shepheards are gone I will come in among them and worry them that worried these And I will let in a flood upon them of woe when my Noa's are taken into mine Arke That which they sought for revenge of my Minister I will inflict as a revenge upon them and when they see themselves left to be consumed by those lusts of theirs which they scorned to be rooted out by him then they shall roare for very anguish some here under penury rags shame diseases and impenitency some in hell but then one houre of a faithfull Minister shall not be given them if they had the world to give for it Beware lest seeing the fearefull examples of vengeance in Scripture for contempt of the Minister besides daily experience of the sudden end of scorners and persecutors will not draw you from your trade God make you examples for
a Warriour should now bee subdued by a few followers who had so stouted it out with the Prophet himselfe But as the Lord used this course to abase his pride so hee effected that which hee sought and now makes him a tame Captive to meane Conquerours The poynt then is An humble heart will not scorne the counsell and help of the meanest The proud give great words and scorne meane ones thinking it a disgrace to be dealt with by such But it must be a poore thing indeed which an humble soule will despise in the way of God Rom. 12.13 and his souls welfare This is that which Paul Rom. 12. urgeth at the hands of Christians That they condiscend to them low degree and thinke themselves equall unto them And yet see how Apollo that learned and eloquent man Acts 18.26 disdain'd not to learne the way of God more perfectly even from Aquila and Priscilla Tent-makers See how Paul consorts himselfe with young Timothy 1 Thess 1.1 and calles him his fellow-labourer how honourably hee speakes of private men and craves the prayers of poore Christians Our Lord Jesus how did hee in his agony Matth. 26.37 seek the help and prayers of poore sleepy Disciples But I will adde a few reasons Reason 1 First it must be so because humblenes is a reall grace and discerns between shadowes and substance and esteemes it selfe not by the latter but the former A fooles eyes are bleared with any thing that hee is better bred hath more money in his purse hath a braver stomacke then his fellow nay if he have a little more gold in his Hat-band or a longer lock of haire at his eares then another But he that hath grace is purged from such scurfe of vanity hee knowes that God esteemes no such stuffe but judges by the inner man and the vertues of the soule which if an inferiour doe excell him in he neither despises him for his meannesse nor exalts himselfe for his complements Both are of one seed one flesh from one maker Acts 17.26 tending to the same death and dust Counters in a summe differ not save in opinion although the one stand for an hundred pound the other but an half-peny Secondly by this equalling himselfe to a lower degree an humble Reason 2 man shewes the soundnesse of his humility Many will seem humble enough among their Peeres and equals though their hearts be proud because all colours of pride are removed But hee who is humble to the meane hath cast off all covers of shame and pretexts of pride and shewes himself to be truly humble indeed because he might be proud under a defence Each grace of God covets to expresse it selfe in her naked hue without hypocrisie and so humility abhorres all contrariety to her selfe not onely open scorne and blustering but even that secret queasinesse and coynesse of heart which is as I may say the relique and staine of corruption in this kinde Thirdly by this meanes it concurres with Gods wisedome and Reason 3 stoops to his Arguments For the Lord himselfe to humble proud man sends him to the most base and contemptible creature and doth oftentimes arme it to foyle mans pride Now then to disdain a meane one being in the image of God as wel as thy self how insolent a pride were it both against Man and God himselfe But to hearken to the meanest is to learne humblenesse of our Father who sends us to that Schoole for the purpose that he might tame us Prov. 6.6 Goe thou sluggard to the Pismire Fourthly by this meanes we imitate the Lord himselfe who hath Reason 4 abased himselfe even to the lowest degree of basenesse in this kinde Philip. 2 8. emptying hiâ—self that hee might bee equall to them of greatest basenesse nay more might be baser then thousands of them who yet had been extreamly base if he had been the sonne of an Empresse So the Lord himselfe Esay 57.17 though that holy one and inhabiting eternity yet lookes downe upon the poore and lowly that he might dwell with them and be strong with them The use to be briefe is first to all inferiours either Ministers or others Vse 1 in inferiour place Inferiors must not pull backe their service from their betters if God call them not to withdraw their service in this kind from their superiours I say when God calles them to advise rebuke exhort not to pull back their neck out of the Collar through indirect and sinister conceits It is the sinne of the inferiour and the misery of the superiour to be so handled I ascribe the horrible debauchednes of great ones at this day and their sinfull unlimited courses next to their owne natures to the desperate basenesse of such as being set in place of Ministery or attendance neglect their duty toward such being eye-witnesse of their sinne What saith one shall I one of the puny Chaplaines speake to my Patrone or great Lord of his uncleane courses then hee might cast my boldnesse in my teeth when ancienter learneder wiser and more experienced feare his displeasure distrust their owne strength shall I begin Truly the very servants of Heathen great ones shall rise up against such as stay not their Masters in their riots but connive and correspond with them Alexander himself had one lover of Alexander though most were lovers of the King And are we onely lovers of mens greatnesse for our owne ends and not of their soules So men that have others but a little above them in place Ministers having Gentlemen in their Townes dare not speake for feare of them I shall doe them no good and my selfe much hurt Perswasions to it say they by speaking and so for lack of the service they shall rot in their sinne For why First why shouldst thou distrust God If thy heart be not false cannot that God who hath given thee a wise and loving tongue to reproove give him also a wise and inclining eare to heare When Moses answeâ—ed the Lord Send whom thou shouldst to Pharaoh Exod. 4.12 for I am a man of a stammering tongue doth not God answer him Who made the tongue or ear have not I Cannot I give thee gifts for mine owne worke and him the grace of hearkning But put case wee prevaile not No more did Ieremy Jerem. 1.18 whose face yet God made as brasse to speake to a rebellious house But then saith God thou hast saved thy soule their bloud shall rest upon their owne head So then to end this doe thou thy duty O inferiour and trust God for successe If Naamans servants had now neglected their duâ—y what had become of their Master Be encouraged by their successe Vse 2 Secondly this is admonition Admonition to all sorts to lay aside that pride and prejudice that coynesse and statelinesse of spirit which fore-stalles it from learning of the meane and inferours It is the phrase of proud Ajax in the Poet He that
wife good ministery when bad times examples of debauchednesse malitious foes treacherous friends when all these or any would make us thinke our faith was but a fancy and we cast our selves upon a promise in vaine Then looke about thee here and never till now is the triall whether thou hast cast thy selfe upon God or no upon his wisdome to reach thee a way of escape upon his power his truth love and constancy that he can and will free thee Is this faith to pretend casting thy selfe upon God once for all and when trialls come Joh. 11.27.39 to warpe and to say with Martha Now hee stincketh To fling up and downe and say How shall I beare this losse Endure such affront Get out of this poverty Avoid this enemy Cease all other tricks and learne one better then all As the Cat once being challenged by the Fox in point of wit when the Dogs came upon them the Fox with all his wit was torne in peeces the Cat had but one way but it was worth all she got up an high tree and secured herselfe Read Ezra 8.22 He would not dishonour God but fell to the worke of fasting and beleeving and so prevailed Give not thy right in one promise for a world It s a fountaine better then all dry pits A wise man will not sell his possibility of a great inheritance for a trifle assure thy self there is a promise in the word belonging to every duty and every part of a Christians course which who so can beleeve shall go through it whether doing or suffering with sweet ease in respect of him who goeth to work of his owne head He that casts himselfe upon the word cuts off many troubles which others meet with because his heart being well appaid in Gods love is not easily unsettled and as for such as must pinch yet there hee is upheld knowing they come from God in love are no greater then mercy sees meet are such as Christ himselfe is a party in and affords to his members his owne courage meeknesse power and victory to sustaine them in and in his due time will give a redemption from to all who wait for it in well doing and faint not Plead therefore the promise and trust God in all The third Branch of Exhortation concernes those who have cast Branch 3 themselves upon the promise both for pardon Persevering in beleeving procures assurance also for all other support here To such I say give not God over here neither but still presse him for assurance fulnesse of perswasion touching both The faithfull improvement of the promise in respect of the truth of the promiser is often requited by the Lord with such a gratious strength and full faile of the Spirit of the promise as makes God and the soule to grow into close communion and holy familiarity and carries the soule above her doubts feares and complaints because the Spirit of God witnesseth unto our spirits both that we are his and hee ours Nothing shall separate us from his love nor it from us All things pertaining to life and godlinesse shall be ministred This is that which Paul speakes of Ephes 1.13 By which Spirit after you had beleeved you were sealed and by it the Lord makes the soule so interessed in him that as he knowes who are his 1 Tim. 3.1 So they who are his know themselves so reflecting this assurance to their owne consciences so that they walke as enlarged ones because perfect love expells feare I will not say that their joy doth alway equall their peace But their peace equalls their assurance Hence it is that commonly such finde hard duties easie crosses welcome feares vanisht Lesser light in Faith may goe with greater assurance God present in ordinary so that their falls are few and their peace is constant according to that knowledge which they have Which I adde because I doubt not but many an upright Christian may in some cases exceed him in some acts of closenesse and obedience both in doing and suffering who yet goes beyond him in assurance the reason is plaine because assurance followeth not alway upon the greatnesse of light but the constant living by faith in that light which a man hath so that for lacke of light greater faith may come short of that measure of obedience which lesser faith may have To returne let none be wanting to himselfe in seeking the greatest degree but beware of resting upon this that his faith is unfeigned and the faith of the Elect and so never seeke further This is the generall disease of most Christians at this day wherein I am perswaded few attaine that degree which formerly in times of smaller light but more tendernesse conscience watchfulnesse and sincerity with diligence they attained unto Oh thou shalt one day finde the fruit hereof Note this when that broad doore of entrance into the Kingdome shall not be granted thee If any aske by what markes the Spirit of sealing is discerned I answer First by more then ordinary selfe-deniall humility Markes of assurance Luke 5.8 spiritualnesse The nearer the soule comes to God the more it abhorres it selfe Secondly such an one hath much inured herselfe to weigh the promise as that scholler soonest growes to bee above his rules who hath got most exactnesse in his rules Thirdly he is ordinarily free from doubts Rom. 8. ult I am perswaded that neither life nor death c. Fourthly death is welcome to him as it was to Simeon Lord let thy servant depart in peace because mine eyes have seen thy salvation Fifthly such an one is above carnall respects or owne ends for he knowes his requitall is not daunted with trouble hard duties losses for Gods cause for hee understands his hundred fold And so I might adde more which the examples of David and Paul in Scripture will affoord One more I adde If God visit them with any spirituall desertion as he may in extraordinary yet the experience of former mercy at the lowest point keepes them so that the grace of God shall ever be sufficient and therefore they shall bee content for the time of their eclipse to be under infirmity seeing hereby God is most glorified Luke 22.42 and their grace approved Thus it was with our head Christ himselfe and with Paul 2 Cor. 12.9 So much for this third and last Branch and so for the whole use of exhortation Vse 6 Lastly this is use of Comfort and Encouragement to all Gods weake Consolation Weake beleevers must not quaile and give over though sound and faithfull ones who though in much poverty and infirmity of spirit have desired to cast themselves upon the promise when yet their light is divine and their setling and comfort but small Say thine owne heart oft misgives thee saying I have long heard and received the Sacraments with other helps but I cannot put on the Lord Jesus I cannot in particular fasten upon each part of
not obeyed the commands which the Lord thy God commanded thee So much for Proofes Reason 1 For Reasons of this point they are many First the manner wherein the commands were given by God argued of what nature they were Their first making was solemne all that terror and awfulnesse which he cast upon the camp arraigning six hundred thousand men besides women children at his tribunall and not admitting them to come within the lists set at the foote of the mount besides those fearefull earthquakes thunders lightnings darkenesse and smoke which scared the beholders and made Moses himselfe to quake and rottennesse to enter into the bones of men shewed sufficiently that Gods commands were no nose of wax to be turned which way we list nor trifles to be dallied with but stedfast weighty and solemne things to be observed with sad and serious care of heart with great closenesse and narrownesse And surely if the Lord Jesus in his commands was so full of authority when hee was at such distance and so farre off how much more authority is he of in those commands of his published in the Gospell I meane the command of Faith and those morall commands of the Law which himselfe hath distinctly established and interpreted as we see it was his scope in those Sermons upon the Mount pressing that he came not to breake Matth. 5.17 but to strengthen them If a Princes Lawes made only by lawfully deputed Officers were so great what are they which in person and with his owne mouth he hath uttered And how great is the disobedience of them that resist Heb. 2.3.4 So much for the first Reason 2 Secondly the commands of God borrow their weight from his owne nature whence they proceed The will of God is the Idea of them They borrow their sadnesse from the nature of the Commander and they doe but argue and witnesse what that is Now we know the will of God is most soveraigne powerfull indispencible whether we speake of it as his nature and being or as the effect thereof in that transcendent and secret way and purpose thereof whereby he hath determined of the ends states of all men Now then are not those expressions of his will in his commands answerable thereto And are they not as closely to be observed as the other to be deeply adored Yes surely Men will bow to the chaire of Estate when the King is out of it for neare resemblance How much more shall we fall under the authority of commands wherein the Lord is so present as that he can never be separated And whereunto he hath annexed such sad penalties as no mortall creature can either avoid or undergoe So much for the second Reason 3 Thirdly this appeares by due proportion It is for the honour and Majesty of God to tye the conscience and inner man of his creature with as strong ties and to as narrow obedience as any mortall Prince can tye the outward man to closenesse and punctualnesse of duty The proportion of the lawes of earthly Princes doth prove it But we see Princes count it their chiefe honour to plant themselves in their subjects hearts in the uttermost and deepest awe of soveraigntie Although they be never so distant from their subjects yet they look that the influence of their Royall pleasure shall goe through their whole Kingdome That none should be so daring and presumptuous as once to mute or quetch if they once proclaime their will That must stand for a Law if any man enquire or dispute their prerogative they esteeme them Traytors so sacred and inviolable they looke that their Persons and Edicts should be that they will have them indisputable and unimpeached See it in Saul 1 Sam. 14.24 when it pleased him to enact a Law for the time of battell that no man should touch a bit or taste a drop of meat or drinke till the Philistines were overthrowne how did that Proclamation of his force the wils of his subjects to obey when as yet they were strongly provoked to break it Could an Edict of such rigor scarce just so prevaile and that in secret and shall not the Lords most righteous will much more Is it for the Kings honour to presse the subject not onely for civill homage but for conscience sake to obey him and is it not much more for the glory of our King invisible and immortall Yes sure it makes much for his renowne that all his people doe without all questioning and difficulty freely and nakedly close with his commands for that soveraignty and authority sake which himselfe hath conveyed into them Else we should make the Lord a weake King Fourthly wee must know that the Lord hath marvellous rewards Reason 4 for obeyers of his commands God hath great rewards for obeyers Psal 19.10.11 1 Sam. 22.7 and therefore well may hee require at our hands excellent obedience his pay is not common ordinary slight and generall but close and bountifull In obeying his Commands there is great reward Saul lookt that his servants should bee very close and faithfull to him in a sinfull case because of his rewards Can the sonne of Ishai give you Olives and Vineyards If a Master allow a speciall servant double wages he looks that his service should bee very close and his eye in every corner for his Masters advantage So here None give such wages as he therefore no worke should be done like his no commands ought to be so punctuall as his If a Master should make his servant his childe and give him his lands he gives him no more then he may lose nay then he must forgoe Princes allow some subjects rewards reaching to the halfe of their Kingdome But the Lord makes every servant of his a free borne childe and gives him a never fading inheritance of glory yea a whole an eternall kingdome for the least obedience they performe even for a Cup of cold water yea for every command they obey Matth. 10.42 And shall not they then bee punctuall close and serious in their obeying Fifthly whatsoever is in God is eminently so not onely in respect Reason 5 of influence and causing but of perfection and integrity Whatsoever is in God is eminent Psal 19. Now Gods will is himselfe and his Commands as I have said are the ingraven forme thereof Therefore they must bee eminently such as they are Are they righteous close sound pure Then must they also bee eminently so exceeding pure righteous soveraigne and solemne Nothing in God is common or vulgar therefore nothing of God or comming from such eminency Psal 19. can be otherwise And if the commands of God which are as the Seale are such then ought the stamp in the conscience spirit and practice of men be such which ought to be as the wax to the seale Reason 6 Sixthly if the Lord had not Law and Soveraignty sufficient in his owne hands to rule his subjects and
of Ivory or Gold But the Lord onely exalts himselfe in the spirit and conscience there he sits as Soveraigne and causes it to become his owne Recorder witnesse and Judge against the person himselfe so that the greatest selfe-love in the world cannot bribe the conscience to side with the sinner against him who is the Lord of conscience and can condemne both the one the other 1 John 3.20 Matth. 10.28 Feare not him who can kill the body onely but him who can cast body and soule into hell fire I say unto you feare him So then the Soveraignty of the commands of God stands much in the intents of God and that meaning of his to rule the spirits of his subjects and in all their obedience either negative or affirmative either in doing or suffering to cast a secret chaine upon the conscience to obey cheerfully equally uprightly wisely constantly For instance in the worship of a Sabbath the abhorring of oppression the suffering for the cause and truth of God the Lord lookes not at the externall act but the intent of the soule and the pure carriage of the heart towards himselfe as with what delight it keepes a Sabbath how cordially it preserves the spirit chaste and cleane for what ends it suffers the crosse whether for Gods or it owne Thus much for the former Quest 2. What is meant by the extent of a command The latter is what is meant by the extent of a command I answer The full reach of the command As for instance First the unlimitednesse of the command The Lord makes not some Lawes for great ones and some for small ones as if the great flye might get through the cobweb but the little ones must be taken but his nets as they are small enough to catch the small fish so they are strong enough to hold Whales and the mightest They reach to all sorts without limit rich and poore noble and simple high and low one and another Secondly their extent stands in their influence to all The Princes law reaches to all his Subjects as well as to his Chamber of London but yet the law-giver reacheth no further then his presence in absence and behinde his backe his Lawes are slighted But this Law-giver is omnipresent and assists his Lawes with immediate influence causing them to convince in secret as well as in publicke and is able to execute his owne Lawes to the uttermost so that for lacke of strength and reach of arme no sinner can goe unpunished Thirdly this breadth reaches in the affirmative command to the negative and in the negative to the affirmative as directly as if they had both been expressed In the narrow Lawes of men the sense and scope of the Law must bee limited to the words of the Statute which as the common speech is have no meaning in them beyond the tearmes thereof But the power of Gods commands stands in their insinuations and imply somewhat by necessity which they expresse not Fourthly their extent stands in the coherence thereof to wit that whatsoever maine good or evill the Lord commands or forbids by the same power hee forbids or commands whatsoever concernes that command the means tending thereto the occasions leading all circumstances attending whatsoever possibly the soule of man can apprehend directly or indirectly to make for that Law or to thwart or crosse that Law Fifthly it reaches to the quantity and measure of the duty urging not only sin to be shunned in the greatest degree but also in the smallest and so duty to be done not only in the main peeces but in the pettiest all proceeding from the same goodnesse and justice Sixthly it reaches to the measure of the principle of obeying urging it to obey not coldly deadly slackly formally but to put forth the uttermost affection strength wisdome will courage zeale reach and largenesse fruitfulnesse and extension of the inward and outward man to concurre with the meaning of the Commander which the Holy Ghost calls all welpleasing Col. 1.7 Seventhly it reacheth to an universality of time place occasions not to be limited straitened and circumscribed at our narrow will and pleasure but tyes us alway yesterday to day and ever to one obedience Heb. 13.8 not to vary with the time with the multitude by occasion of dangers feares losses enmity power of man not to be cast off in private in secret but to be enlarged according to it selfe generally to all circumstances This is a field of matter but I have already elsewhere walked in it in some sort as the reader hereof may perceive by that I have written in my practicall Catechisme part 3. in the article of the directive rule of our obedience the Law of God where I treat fully of the point So much for this second To these two questions a third may be added Object and answered ere we goe any further and that is that it may seem harsh to presse this point under the Gospell since that the liberty thereof takes off this strictnesse and limits commands from the old extent of them to the ease of the Gospell To the which I answer That the Gospell is so farre from that loosenesse that rather it establishes Answ extends and corroborates them then otherwise A great part of our Saviours Sermon upon the Mount is spent in confuting this conceit Matth. 5.6.7 not onely of Pharisaicall but of Antinomian abuse and dissolutenesse Paul also tells us Ro. 2. ult that faith setles the Law stronger upon her bottome then ever So that he is as well accursed now as ever who shall adde or detract Rev. 22. True it is that the terror rigor and the impossiblenesse of the Law is removed by our Lord Jesus The Law how far it s strengthened or weakned by the Gospell 1 Tim. 1.5.6 but looke what is taken off in that kinde is supplied in another for the spiritualnesse and purity of obeying is enlarged now rather then diminished only it is true that even in this enlargement the Lord Jesus hath made his yoke most sweet and easie to them who out of faith love and a good conscience seeke the end of the commandement as Paul speakes of which more shall be occasioned to speake after if God will in the use of Exhortation It s enough here to say That as the Lord Jesus hath removed that burdensomenesse tyranny and irkesome rigor of Lawes which was intollerable so he hath put another yoke upon the soule instead thereof which although love make sweet yet justice will not abate nor cut off Love made Iacobs labour welcome but still the frost was tedious and the heat wearisome Gen. 29.20 and the conditions hard enough to flesh and bloud So much for this and for the ground of the point Now in the third place I come to the use of the Doctrine And Vse 1 first let it be Instruction and Caveat to all superiours and men in dignity and authority as to acknowledge
Rom. 1 3. Eph. 1.20.21.22 that he might make himselfe a full witnesse of a perfect redemption And shall not this eight dayes rest of his cause a rest to us A rest of peace through pardon the peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost Should these things bee so darke unto us or so uselesse that we should question it whether they are worth a Sabbath or no Farre bee it from us But rather let the corruption of men provoke us to keep an holier closer and not ceremoniously to observe a more spirituall Sabbath then ever wee â—ave done Vse 2 Secondly this point is terror to all hypocrites who being pinched with the authority of the Word according to it that is the closenesse of commands Terror to all that cast off the yoke of Gods commands doe kick and spurne at it and rather then they will be subject to it they cast it off and lay it in the dirt Perhaps so far as it will goe in their own stream they will allow it but let it pinch them and wring them as a straight shooe wrings the foot then they cast off Psal 2.7 and will no longer endure it Thus those Psal 2. are said to cast off the cords of Christ he means the Jewes and Pharisees when they felt the spiritualnesse of his kingdome For the opening of this Use Foure Branches first let us see the truth of the point in the grounds that hypocrites goe upon Secondly the wayes of hypocrites in balking them Thirdly the shifts they have to shift off the dint of pinching Commands And fourthly 1. Branch Hypocrites their false grounds 1. In breaking Commands apply the terrour home unto them For the first lest any should thinke there are none so vile know it that they cannot be other all things considered For first their heart is uncleane and rotten at the core although they seeme in their owne sight and in the sight of others to be never so pure They love evill therefore they breake commands naturally but they keep commands and doe good onely so farre as it agreeth with their owne ends and purposes Secondly because they are held in and detained violently from that which they aime at therefore as a prisoner in his chaines alway lies at the catch and opportunity to seeke his escape so doe these whensoever any colour or evasion any shift or trick is offered they cleanly and slily winde themselves out of the authority of God Thirdly because there is a strugling in all such hypocrites to be better thought of then they deserve therefore their occupation is perpetually to bribe their owne conscience and to delude themselves with some shewes of duty religion pangs of devotion passions and affections vows purposes of good and to keep up the damme of their own consciences from breaking in upon them and yet all this while they have no power to lay hold upon any solid bottomes of truth either threats promises or commands Fourthly its certaine that every hollow heart doth seeke finally her owne ease and quiet of carnall liberty and to be rid of the dint and power of commands from molesting her that so by her cunning tricks and distinctions she might at last scrue herselfe into a content of the flesh and to stop the mouth of conscience from any more accusation And although this cannot at the first be attained while there remaines any sparke of truth in the soule yet by degrees and by oft declinnig the dint of solemne commands it comes to passe that a base heart winnes a presumptuous habit to herselfe and finding a corrupt ease therein resolves to hold it as strongly as an honest heart would preserve sound peace and ease of conscience by the promise And so being resolved to hold whatsoever false peace she gets and to lose it upon no tearmes of a better condition she outgrowes all former tendernesse of heart which was wont to attend her and nouzells herselfe in that which she feeles as if it were a sure bottome easily beleeving that to be which she would have And this for the first ground of Terror Now to apply it Application of this first ground Consider what a fearfull state and condition this is what wofull rotten grounds these are of peace Who is there so vile and lewd except inchanted by the Divell and held in the snares of his owne lusts who durst commit himselfe to the sea of a religious course in so broken a Barke Take but one example hereof recorded I thinke for the nonce to scare all eluders and shifters with Gods Commands And that is Balaam who having his charge given him solemnly by the Lord not to goe with those messengers of Balac Num. 22.19 who came with bribes and presents in their hands to procure the service of his Sorcery and witch craft to curse Israel feeling himselfe sore pinched with this command and yet having no rest in his owne covetous heart to forgoe the wages of iniquity studies how he might reconcile Gods ends and his owne And seeing that could not bee compassed by a direct refusall to goe therefore first he bids the men stay till the morning and in the meane while he so blind-folds his own eyes as to dreame that if God would give him leave to goe he might goe But what a deluding thought was that when as his conscience told him God had denied it before Well by going to God to blanch over the matter viz. That if he would give him leave to goe he would doe no otherwise then he was bidden the Lord connives at his going And what doth he He takes it very gladly Verse 20.21 and makes use of it but from whence is it that he doth so Surely from no other bottome save this that by his going hee hoped one way or other to attaine those ends which else hee knew he should not whereas if hee had meant truely he would have abhorred such an occasion as laid a blocke in his way to fall at And how did he goe forward Surely with a foole-hardy courage and a peevish resolution to get his booty for when Gods Angell crossed him Ibid. opened his Asses mouth to convince him so blinded he was that he despised it and smote her whereas he should have returned home and abhorred his blanching with Gods command And was he sensible of himselfe in all this his race No but still impudently tels God when he saw there was no remedy he would goe backe if he might not go What was that but to upbraid God for resisting him having before given him leave And so he proceeded in his journey and sought divinations that is cast about with himselfe how he might curse the people and get his ends And when the Lord crossed him still yet to shew what mettall he was made of rather then he would lose his booty he advises Baalac how to procure God to curse them by provoking them to Idolatry and uncleannesse
faithfull will withdraw himselfe for feare as loth to be noted afraid of his betters willing to sleep in a whole skin Try our selves by this If wee obey closely wee will not strive to quench but to quicken up our selves to pick out the best services we can for God in our places As a good Justice will straine his authority and improve the Statute to the uttermost against Sabbath-breakers drunkards and glad that hee can thus expresse his heart Another will bite it in and conceale himselfe So Parents so Officers so rich ones doe that which others cannot not else alas what singular thing doe you Triall 15 To conclude an honest heart will not weare the Divels Irons nor bee dispensed with It is well principled shee hath a sound principle and is not like to hypocrites I may compare these to Children set to Schoole some onely to read write and cast account so farre onely as will serve them to keep their Shop-booke or make their reckonings straight Others to be Grammarians and so University Scholers to learne the Arts and Tongues that afterward their learning may principle and furnish them for all studies So is it with these The formall Professor if he can pray and tip his tongue with generall religion is at a point and lookes no further hee hath enough for the attaining of his owne ends and is never troubled about his course But the sound hearted Christian who strives to bring his whole heart and life under the Rule hath never done with himselfe but workes his generall principles into an infinite bredth of particulars How shall I delight in the Sabbath How shall I hold in my heart from giddinesse and loosnesse How shall I watch to God in my thoughts affections and conscience How shall I get strength against this secret lust and that defect in duty praying hearing How shall I use the world as if not or deny my selfe God sees these errours although man doth not Oh! the principle of grace exceeds the shifting skill of an hypocrite as much as heaven doth earth These are some among many others which may serve to try our hearts brethren about this waighty businesse Set we upon this work therefore and cease not till by all or by some of these trials thou canst although but weakly yet soundly judge thy selfe to be one that endeavours closely to obey And as thou shalt by these markes discover thy selfe to be so either bee comforted or admonished To the which ends the two uses following shall pertaine Thus much for the use of Examination Vse 4 Fourthly then let all such as can prove that they receive the word of Commands according thereto with all closenesse and faithfulnesse comfort Comfort themselves in their condition I have pressed the use in part before to wit in one of the Reasons To apply my selfe more particularly this I adde That thou who closest with Gods Commands maist be doubly encouraged In 2 respects The first First in respect of thy speciall serving of thy time Thou bearest witnesse to God and to his truths when thou seest the power of godlinesse borne downe in this base world know it that as the Lord will be slight with the slight so he will bee close with the close 1 Sam. 3. It is his promise That who honour him he will honour those that esteeme preciously of Commands and walke narrowly with him in their obedience he will esteem preciously of them they shall be of his Cabinet counsell they shall be privy to his secrets he will make knowne to them his waies Joh. 7.17 So that when he is aloofe to others they shall have familiar accesse yea if he give an account to any of his administrations they shall be sure to understand it Abraham was for no other cause called the friend of God If ye doe my will you shall be my friends more then my servants for friends know secrets Gen. 18.17.18 Read that Ezek 9. Where the Lord causes them that obeyed him but in one of his charges to mourne for the iniquity of the age to be marked with a penne and inke that he might know them for his jewells for his beloved ones And againe he tells that Church in Rev. 3.19 because she had kept the word of his patience that is clave to his truths in the times of danger Therefore he would save her from the temptation which should come upon the whole earth Close obeyers of God in loose times shall have close comfort in trouble They that stand out for God and will not oppose his glory to publicke sale and reproach hee will shrowd them in the day of trouble when others shall goe from chamber to chamber with terror to cover their heads from wrath A strange promise which we can hardly see how God should performe but yet God will doe it for such as preserve themselves unspotted in conscience and cleane from the infection of others In the meane time he will be found of them in their prayers close walkers with God shall have close audience close peace close comfort inward refreshings as Esay cap. 50. speakes read the 10. vers Who is he that feareth the Lord and obeyeth his voice Let him stay himself upon his God And therefore fearing God feare nothing else Although thou be scorned and pursued for this thy closenesse as a vile person yet let not this dismay thee for thou sufferest for God and as Saint Peter saith if for a good cause and cleaving to a word 1 Pet. 3.14 thou art faine to suffer take no thought in that behalfe let them who suffer for their misdeeds looke about them but as for thy part the Spirit of glory rests upon thee and although thy face shine not as an Angells like Stephens yet thou shalt as much convince thine enemies Act. 6. ult as hee did the same Spirit of courage and patience which upheld him shall sustaine thee till thou be redeemed fully from all adversity Heb. 10.37 Beare a while and he that commeth will come not tarry in the meane time side not with them who breake Commands and would have thee follow their examples But rather if this be to be vile be thou yet more vile and the more thou avilest thy selfe for God the more honourable he shall esteeme thee The like I may say of thy obeying commands in the generall practice of Christianity take comfort in this also Canst thou say The second Branch Rom. 7.22 that thou delightest in the law of God in thy spirit and inner man I tell thee thy estate is better then to be a Prince without it The Lord hath done great things for thee if it be thus and as Paul speakes even made thee for the very nonce 2 Cor. 5. Consider the dayes past Hath it alway beene thus with thee Couldest thou alway desire to be unclothed and clothed upon Couldest thou alway desire to dye daily through the rejoycing
Oh! these and all other scurfe of this kinde as Antinomian liberty under the Gospell erroneous thinking our obedience to be closer then it is because in some duties which please us we are close whereas in others wee are loose as when God requires us whether alone to be alway well seasoned and least alone or if with others to curbe our vanity and vagaries and either to doe good or take it I say These for it were infinite to say all the Lord will have us cut off by the same sword of his Spirit even by his Commands alway watching a base heart alway armed against Devill and world her threats or her baites and when they have gainâ—â—nd God all they can yet to conclude for God and to determine and resolve all our resistances and demurres by his bare truth saying All these have their colours but against them all is one truth one eternall righteous unchangeable word of God which must carry them all and my soule downe the streame Be warned then brethren by this caveat Doe as the Saints have done before us Rom. 4.18.19 Abraham had a world of exceptions to snare him he foresaw that the killing of Isaac implyed not onely a contradiction to the promise but also infinite many absurdities as to breake a morall law to make himselfe a man execrable an abhorred person therefore forbidding his thoughts to plod any longer hee drownes all in the command God saith he who gave him requires him why should I then deny him Absurd contrary impossible charges to flesh imply that God will ayd the soule of the obeyer with the more singular grace and crowne it with greater rewards and therefore hee resolves to goe downeright with the command Gen. 39.8 Ioseph had his thoughts no doubt stirring when he was tempted by his lewd mistresse perhaps if I doe it honour gaine preferment may ensue But to be sure on the other side it will be most wofull for me to fall into the pit of an whore Prov. 6.26 to be snared for ever with a cursed conscience oh saith he shall I doe this and sinne against God Here beloved lyes the maine triall of a Christian if when all is said that can be against the charge either of beleeving or obeying the soule shall devoure all her objections as Peter when after his idle fishing all the night hee was bidden to cast his net on the right side of the ship Lord Luke 5.7 at thy command I will cast in So doe thou and prosper And so much also may serve for this use of Admonition Vse 6 Now I conclude with two other uses of Reproofe Reproofe and Exhortation For the former thus Are Gods charges so close so spirituall so binding Surely then the course of this world is very blame-worthy for that loves nothing save liberty and dispensations It was wont to be said in the times of those heretiques All the world is become Arrian but now we may say It is all turned libertine Antinomists and Libertines who under the colour of ascribing to the excellency and extent of faith and imputation which they never well understood maintaine a licentiousnesse of practice have filled the world at this day The course of such among us as have written or preached some abatements to our former Tenets and Articles of Doctrine allaying and corrupting our principles of justification free grace and other the like hath brought forth this bastard fruit and Papists dare publiquely write books in the reconciling of our Doctrine in this Church of England with their owne Tenets And as some Separatists from the writings of some of our Worthies have falsely extracted a necessity of our departing from the Church of England so would these impudent Cassanders force us to come in and joyne our selves with their Popish Synagogue What true and Christian spirit should not mourne to see our old pure wine thus to be mixed with water and our old coin so embased with copper For practice much more apparant it is how men make dispensations for liberty in all the chiefe points of Christianity What one act or duty savouring of sincerity or the power of Christ is not catcht at curtolled diminished and dispensed with Dispensations against the power of truths is a great sinne of our times When were the lascivious wits of men more busied or their prophane hearts more bold in fleecing away the extents of the truths of God as they are in Jesus And why Surely because whensoever power of truth decayes there the tenets of truth must also be limited restrained and circumscribed Yea and men would seeme to be mad with reason Sundry instances named and to maintaine That those former times wherein Doctrines and Practices of men were more close and strict were times of lesse light and judgement but now say they we are growne to be more skilfull and able to discerne and therefore may take more liberty Who ever heard that ignorance bred closenesse or that light bred liberty True it is that as truth so the power of truth lies low in the earth and is hidden deep and requires a long time to dig it out But to affirme that the truth was more strict in the beginning of time then after and that it is the honour of time to broach liberty loosnesse how unreasonable it is No rather we have by our base deserting of truth or detaining the same in unrighteousnesse brought upon our selves a revolt from both truth and the power thereof in great measure and made our ends worse then our beginnings except the Lord mercifully doe set our Sunne ten degrees back and reduce us againe to our first temper Let us not think those dayes which God honoured with so much blood of our Martyrs and that in the infancy of our Church were further off the power and savour of godlinesse then we are Rather it might become us even now in our Laodicean self-sufficiency to learn of them and not to pretend our own liberty and breadth as an argument of greater perfection The truth of it is looke wee into all estates and conditions of life Amplification of this reproof great small or middle into all actions behaviours of men morall spirituall into all their wayes either of worship and ordinances or of life and conversation and wee shall finde not one of these to have escaped the taint of carnall liberty and dispensations Our fore-fathers zeale could outbid all feares persecutions and dangers for the maintenance of commands But we degenerate creatures are all for abatements and how we may reconcile Gods and our owne ends together If men could refine the Bible and make an Index Expurgatorius for the dashing out of the most close powerfull Truths as too hot and heavie for the times of loosnesse wherein we live how welcome would they be As Papists have done with the second Command and with other writings of men which favour not their proceedings so doe we now goe
about by our practice to traduce those grounds of Religion formerly received and call them into question Who is he that seeing our Sabbath prophanations our pride in apparrell our garish fashions disguised cuts of haire and attires both in men and women the height at which the most live how the Peasant affects the habit of a Yeoman hee of a Gentleman hee of a Knight hee of a Lord and so forth would not say The whole world runnes riot and is mad of liberty Who can endure a Minister who like Micaja will speake nothing for feare or flattery but the naked truth How are Gods commands in short time like to bee turned into mens carnall dispensations 2 Kings 22.16 So that their looke and habit will scarce bee discerned Marks of dispensers Some branches of reproofe 1. Number 1 King 22. 1 King 18.22 And this may appeare by these particulars First compare but the number of closers with Gods Commands with the multitude of dispensers and we shall see in Scripture how many false Prophets Ahab had to one Micaja how many Baals Priests Iezabel had to one Elija how many thousands of staggering Israelites to one Iosua Eleven Tribes Exod. 32. fell to set up the golden Calfe to one Tribe of Levi which detested it And the like proportion was in our Saviour and his eleven Apostles and a few others to the swarme of Pharisees and dispensing hypocrites 2. Cunning. Secondly what cunning doe such as are loose in obeying Gods commands use to hooke in them that are better minded to sort and side with them and how happy doe they think themselves if they can make to themselves one Proselyte How eager was Ahabs messenger to seduce poore Micaja 1 King 22. And how safe are they when they can pervert such When Boner could draw in some of the weaker sort to the persecuted Christians to side and league with him against their brethren what a May-game was it Therefore Salomon wishes us to put our knife to our throat Prov. 23.2 and not to venture upon the dainties for they have a hooke underneath And how eager are such people as doe themselves breake the Lords day rest against them who dance not after their pipe How greedily doe they snatch any occasion which they can finde from the errours of the better sort for the establishing of their owne Yea and that from those whom otherwise they hate and abhorre Mr. Beza and Mr. Calvin are men whom many doe not allow in all things yet how doe they magnifie their opinion about the unmoralnesse of the Sabbath And thus doe they delight to dis-joynt the good that in their divisions they may reigne If they can picke out any who have learnedly written about games and pastimes Cards or Dice how doe they applaud such and scorne the learning of such who are otherwise minded As the Fox whose taile was cut off was glad to have all other beasts to cut off theirs 3. Counsell carnall Thirdly their counsell is sutable Oh! say they yee shall doe well to moderate your zeale and severity to bee more calme and temperate It were not your wisedome to goe so fast on but yee may know how to come backe with safety It is good policie for every man to secure his own Retreat When young and hot blood is spent you will bee wiser and when you have seene more into the world you will bee cooler and repent of your strictnesse 4. Questions Fourthly how earnest are they in all their questions to finde out the least degree which an obeyer of commands can possibly reach unto May not such a measure of beleeving humility and self-deniall serve the turn Must I of necessity either lend my money without usurious contracts or keep it still How should a Common-wealth want such as take use Must I needs pray so and so usually in family Needs be subject to my husband for conscience being a man meanliter parted Me thinkes men are too scrupulous in these cases Can yeâ— not limit us a little for the keeping of the whole Lords day May not the publicke duties serve And may wee not bee dispenced with for private serving of God apart if we worship him in family Is it so materiall of what fashions our apparrell be so our mindes be modest Or what companies we come into so we be our selves religious chaste and sober Is it of such necessity to prepare our selves so strictly for the Sacrament Or to examine others of their fitnesse Is it not enough that the Minister doth it Is it required of us to abide in our places to doe good to governe others by our example and not to run up to the Citie there to spare and rake together for our backes pride of life and procuring of great matches for our children 1 Cor. 7.20 Must a man abide in the vocation wherein God hath set him without picking quarrels with it wearinesse of it and changing it at our pleasure for advantage May we not sometimes straine a joynt to please wife husband friend great ones And so by a little yeelding keep off the dint of that which would else light sorâ— upon us Mee thinkes these things might admit more limitations then so The world was never so mischievously set to use Aarons words Exod. 32.22 for their wills and liberties as now And to this market every man makes haste and the question still is What is the lowest price Fifthly what are the wits of most men spent about 5. Wits save the devising of trickes and distinctions to weaken and loosen the chaines of Commands What arguments doth their carnall braine suggest partly from probabilities to flesh partly from the prejudice of men against the persons of the strict and partly from the multitude of the looser sort or such absurdities as seeme in sense to flow from the closenesse of commands Some alledging it wearies them to heare a Sermon above an houre long Others that they can heare more in an houre then they can practise in a weeke Others that it confounds memory Others that now men have knowledge enough And as in this so is it in all other respects and one or other cavill arises against every Command Sixthly 6. Malice how opposite are men in the pursuit of such as seeme not to like of such Coleworts as themselves feed upon Judg. 17. Wee read how clamorous that Idolater Mica was when the Danites had stollen away his Idols How mad Laban was with Iacob for his Gods Gen. 31.30 And so are men in these dayes against any Ministers who convince them of their bredths and loose liberties Men chuse rather to lose their blood then their ease and forme in Religion Surely the people are growne so deep in love with this trash of slight serving God that they could scratch out his eyes who should pluck them off from their Idols And as she spake in another kinde that the custome of women was