towards it the heart lyes gaping and is dead Let any lust or sin come any temptation though it be never so poor and feeble there is no resistance there is an inrode into the soul without any opposition let pride or frowardness or filthiness or covetousness and worldliness come there is nothing to resist it because the life of the soul is away which is the spirit of God And is not this an excellent thing then for a man to have the spirit of God dwelling in him that when good is proposed to him the spirit may as it were switch him It is a homely expression but I have found it by experience As a jade with a good switch is set on to the journey or to his businesse so when the soul of a man hath somewhat within to switch him to cause him to close with good things to lay hold on them to attempt them at least Whereas when the spirit is away there is no stirring the soul is as flat and as dead as water in a stinking ditch This is the excellency of the spirit Therefore you that have it prize it There are some that if they had it again as once they had they would prize it and praise God for it and would now give a world for it Therefore you that have these stirrings of the spirit in you to make you close with good and to resist evil in some measure bless God and praise his name for it That is the thing I drive at that you may see the use and worth and excellency of the Spirit of God in your souls When the Spirit of God is away from the soul all the seals of Gods Love and the signs of his Favor they are cut off at one dash as it were I mean thus when the Spirit of God dwels in the soul you could read the love of God in every Ordinance you could see it in every Grace and in every Promise in the Word of God in every thing and you could see one while your election with joy and another while Gods everlasting love with joy and another while the death of Christ and another while your union with him another while your Redemption and Reconciliation and Gods Love sealed in all these Nay in every creature you could taste the Love of God in your cloathes and your meat and every thing But let the Spirit of God be gone and all these are gone Take all Promises and Mercies and Sacraments they seal not one spark of the Love of God but they are all dead speechless things that signifie and speak no comfort at the best and it may be horror that a man may read I had almost said his Reprobation in that which a few hours before he could have read his election in and those Scriptures all along that he could sweetly have seen the Will of God in and could say that which neither eye hath seen nor ear hath heard nor hath entred into the hart of man that I have seen he can shut his Bible and say and almost swear that he understands not one tittle in it That soul that when he had the Spirit could spring with joy unspeakable and full of glory when he came before the Lord to call upon him either in publick or in private and could pour his soul into his fathers bosom that could have prayed a whole year if he had had time and strength to continue he is not able now to speak one word to the Lord. And more then so he is not now deprived only of all light of all Knowledg of all assurance of all comfort of all strength either to do good or to resist evil but there is positive horror in the heart positive fear and terror and darkness a bondage to unbelief seizing upon him That as our Lord saith The Spirit is like winde that no man knows whence it comes or whither it goes So he feels a misery in his soul that he knows not whence it comes or where it will end As it was said of the Powder plot the Powder Treason that there should be a blow given that none should know whence it was so he sees a blow given to his soul and the life of it and all that is good and excellent in it and he knows not whence it is he can say that his soul is no other then a plain hell for there is no positive evil in hell but it is there and there is no privative evil no evil of deprivation of any thing that is good but he feels it there so that in all our Religion our Graces and Duties and Assurances and Evidences the Spirit of Iesus Christ is the life of all Therefore no wonder that David who was a Type of a Gospel Christian should say Create in me O Lord a new heart andrenew and restore thy holy Spirit as if he had said since thy holy Spirit went away there is an annihilation all that is in me is annihilated He doth not say mend and repair but create I see not so much as a stump of Grace a root or a habit or any thing but all is pulled up and thou must create in me a right spirit Therefore learn that the life of all your Comfort and Assurance and Profession and Graces and Duties and all is the Spirit of God It is but the turning of Gods hand to say Come back my holy Spirit from such a soul leave him but one three hours and then he will be according as I have told you therefore saith the Apostle we are not debtors to the flesh but to the Spirit If ever you finde comfort in an Ordinance you owe thanks to the Spirit if ever you have a little assurance of Gods love whom will ye thank for it Ye are no debtors to the flesh he doth not mean you are not debtors to sin there is no man but he knows that he owes nothing to sin but saith he not to the flesh that is principally to any thing that is not the Spirit to fleshly wisdom to natural parts to our best abilities and endeavours If ever you have gotten any thing by Sabbaths or Sermons or the company of the Saints it was not from your own wisdom or pains but you are debtors to the Spirit of God it is the Spirit that wrought it therefore prize the Spirit of God you that have it O if you could but borrow the eyes of poor souls that had it once and have it not O how happy creatures would you think you are notwithstanding all outward miseries because Jesus Christ by his holy Spirit dwels in your hearts but we know not the worth of it till we want it and then we can prize it and would give a world for it And then labor to please the blessed Spirit take heed of provoking and grieving of him the Spirit is a more dainty Spirit then you are aware of you may easily vex and grieve and fret it do not dally with sin Christians
and plagued and punished them and sent the Pestilence into their Cities and families they will not learn but there are other people that will worship Iehovah that will fear the Lord by seeing his judgements on others As David saith When the wicked are taken away as drosse my flesh trembleth for fear of thee I am afraid of thy judgements When he saw the wicked took away as drosse with the fire of Gods judgements he feared Therefore learn not to desire their death onely to pray for them and to believe that all their plottings against the Saints will be as stubble and as chaff they will come to nothing And if the wicked will not learn by seeing God to crosse them as he hath crossed all their designes in our age blessed be his name yet do thou take notice how God went against such people and such a Nation that rose against God God crost and blasted them and be sure that God will do so to the end to all that rise against him and his people Only take notice of Gods ways in the world to fear him and trust in him and to wait for him to come and do what thy soul desireth Expositions and Observations on PSALM 116. I love the Lord because he hath heard my prayer and my supplications Because he hath enclined his ear unto me therefore will I call upon him as long as I live The sorrows of death compassed me c. I Promised if the Lord would give me strength to speak a word unto you this afternoone concerning the mercies of God unto us in the victories of Scotland but especially of Bristoll because we have more knowledg of it and more relation to it the most of us And therefore I would briefly from this Psalm take occasion or ground of what I have to speak to you Two things briefly I see here laid down in this Psalm The first is the Psalmist doth expresse the great mercie of God to him in some speciall deliverance And that he doth illustrate by the misery he was in for he was in a very low condition full of tears and prayers and sorrows and his feet were ready to fall so the Lord heard his prayer and delivered him out of his troubles whatsoever they were That is one thing he takes notice of the great mercie of God to him The second is he doth consider what he should do to God now God having delivered him what is his duty For it is a known lesson among us that the mercies of God require somewhat from us though all be by his grace And those are here laid down in the Psalm they are various I will love the Lord I will call upon him while I live I will walk before him in the land of the living and diverse such duties he lays upon himself in consideration of Gods great mercy to him Now I have not time and strength to go over all which are many in the Psalm and therefore I will onely tell you a few thoughts that I have concerning Gods mercie in bestowing Bristoll upon us again and that according to Davids method here which is the most naturall and the most usuall by the Saints First to take notice of Gods goodness in that mercy And secondly to consider what is our duty Concerning the first there are abundance of mercies and kindnesses couched and wrapped up together in that It was not only the taking of a Garrison but there are abundance of mercies in it and mingled with it you Gods mercy in the taking in of Bristoll considered in five respects 1. In regard of the potent opposition especially that are concerned in it and are godly you know but in my eye these are the chiefe that I see and am affected with The first is I look upon the greatnesse of the mercie I see that all were great things in and about it there was no meane inconsiderable thing in it I know it is a great City the second in the Kingdom and I know also there were great works to keep it I know there were great and strong and numerous souldiers in it There were great resolutions in those souldiers And I am sure too there was great miserie in the City among the poor people and round about the City hath been these two yeers the plague scarsity of provision and other things And no man doubts but it is of great consequence if the Lord make it a blessing to us if the Lord sanctifie it it will be of great consequence not only to those parts being the chiefe City in that part of the Kingdom but to this City and to the whole State and Kingdom I see nothing in it but great things And therefore me thinks that he that should do this for us surely he must needs be a great God that pulled down the great pride of that City and the garison in it that must throw down those Bulwarks as it were And therefore let us exalt God let us conceive of God according to his greatnesse for surely he that did that work there no man will doubt or deny that it was God and that God that did it any man that will seriously consider of the work will say he is a great God therefore let us glorifie him in his greatnesse Another thing very observable that we should take 2. In regard of the hazard in storming notice of is that the Lord hath there preserved our friends preserved our Army in such a wonderfull manner in storming that City I have no skill in war but I think there are no people that go about storming but they resolve to lose many a man therefore they will do any thing rather then storme if it may be gotten otherwise and to storme such a City such Forts such strength such a Castle double lined in some parts and to do it by no very great Army neither and that the Lord should please to preserve them that so few should be slaine or wounded it is a wonderfull mercy For truly beloved when there were but a few in the City when the other side sought it they had it not so cheap it cost them the lives of many hundreds of them but this was the Lords goodnesse to his poor people and truly we may say as David doth here he hath inclined his ear to us and heard our prayer Then a third blessing that I take notice of in it is 3. In preserving it from the Pestilence that God should preserve our friends from the pestilence We alway conceived that if they had that City they knew not what to do with it because of the pestilence that might ruine and destroy the Army after they had took it and as we hear though they be in the same houses and quarter where the sicknesse was and have lain in the beds where men have been sick yet we hear little or nothing of the infection coming among them Surely this can be no other but the finger
Gods love in Christ in the free Covenant which Covenant consists in such promises which promises speak to me by such ordinances as this and the Lords Supper c. This is a third way Fourthly and lastly the Saints live by faith that is in all afflictions they do bear up their spirits and are supported 4. It is their support in afflictions by the power of faith upon the word though there be nothing seen and appear A naturall man cannot hold up but sink further then there is some sensible visible thing to hold him up but the just those that are Saints they have an art a mysticall art whereby when they see nothing but have a word wherein God hath promised to do this or that for them they can bear up themselves and so go on as chearfully as if they did enjoy or as if they did see their deliverance Thus Habakkuk we read this proverb verse 1 2 3. The vision is for an appointed time in the end it will speak and not lie though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tary Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith There was a vision that did promise good to this people but this vision must tarry a little it must not be performed presently but they might say how shall we do in the mean while The just shall live by his faith Though there be nothing seen yet notwithstanding they shall bear themselves and carry themselves chearfully and comfortably and contentedly by beholding the truth of the busines and the sweet expectation they have of it as if it were come already You have the proverb repeated by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews in this sense yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry You have need of patience saith the Apostle They were in great afflictions there was a promise that God would help them but what shall we do in the meane while while the grasse grows In the meane while the just shall live by his faith he shall drive on and carry on the work and bear up himself and his spirit and his comfort and all on the word of the Lord and he shall do all this by his faith So that this being the lesson shortly though I be not able yet to clear this fully to you for truly this is a lesson wherein we still shall want light we are not able to see it perfectly it is from faith to faith saith the Apostle That is we come from one degree of faith to another to live by faith there are many kinds many degrees of living by faith Now this is it that I would commend to you and exhort you to that you would seek the Lord and study the Scriptures that you might come to this that you may live by faith First of all in the grosser part of it concerning sanctification that is an easie thing to be understood that you would not regard or weigh any thing in all your profession but what doth come from Iesus Christ by faith Truly much of our Religion is a naturall kinde of Religion and much of that which is like good in us doth not spring from Iesus Christ and whatsoever is not from him will never be accepted by him We have many morall vertues from old Adam that we gild over and account them graces but God loaths them We have many duties that we have taken up in the imitation of others by good education or the power of the letter Preached to us and yet this is not the life of faith it is not holinesse by faith And therefore let us not like many professors study the muchnesse of Religion or the plausiblenesse of it without as that I am able to preach as other preachers do and you are able to pray in a day of humiliation as other professors do this is nothing but let us labour that that little holinesse that is in us may clearly proceed from the Lord Iesus Christ One had better have a Garden of a few true and pleasant Flowers though there be but a few then to have a Garden with some Flowers and a world of trash like Flowers there is no pleasure in it Now I fear that much of thy best duties spring from old Adam much of thy best prayers and much it may be of that Religion whereby thou art accounted a professor much of it I fear is nothing but old Adam and his ruines screwed up and varnished or gilded and not from the Lord Iesus Christ And therefore remember this that as drunkennesse and whoredom and those grosse and scandalous works of darknesse are called dead works so every graine every stamp of good in thee if it be not from the new Adam it is but a dead work I could shew you how you shall know the one from the other but that the time is short and I must not hinder other occasions Therefore I leave that upon your thoughts that you may pray to the Lord Lord I do not care how men conceive of me I care not though I be among the least of all Saints as Paul saith if I be reckoned the least of all Saints so that that little Saint-ship and holinesse that is in me flow from Christ that it be a grace from his grace and light from his light But the other truth is wondrous hard to expresse that we should in respect of justification and assurance learn the Art of living by faith that when the Lord shall take away all comfortable objects of sight and sense that we can see nothing we cannot pray at all we see corruption upon corruption and waves of temptations one upon another and no working within to relieve us that I am able then to live by faith that is to see a righteousnesse in Iesus Christ and to build upon his word and Covenant to hold my self and my assurance still I am a son still everlasting life belongs to me still though I feele and see nothing but hell and something worse if it may be yet notwithstanding I am a Saint and I am righteous and just and the Lord is my father and hath reserved everlasting life for me Beloved the life that Christians ordinarily do live it is a life mingled with faith and sense for if God give me free grace why should not I rejoyce in it If I clearly see the first fruits of the Kingdom of heaven why should I exclude my reason not to conclude that there is more grace behind But there are other Saints that have a mixture of faith and sense that take away sense and their faith is gone their faith is grounded upon sense And I have oft times looked in to my soul and thought why the Lord suffered me to be carryed away with corruptions and to be overwhelmed with temptations whereas he hates these things and I hate them and I weary
them one by one by degrees He hath brought us from repetition of the word and from singing of Psalms and many from baptizing of the infants of the godly and divers from the supper of the Lord and from hearing the word of God preached and now he comes and begins to bring people from praying or calling upon the name of the Lord therefore let us do as Rehoboam did when he had lost Ten Tribes he went and strengthened the two that remained Beloved there are but a few ordinances that remaine and they are almost gone too therefore let us do our best to keep those One is praying or calling upon God which our Lord Christ divers ways by precept and example and parables c. doth exhort his Disciples to to pray alway and not to faint So that this is it that you should do well to consider that Prayer or calling upon the name of God in Christ is an ordinance and a perpetuall ordinance of God And though it may be many of you do not doubt of it and therefore you think why should I speak of it Truly no more did not I doubt of it yet I have had many thoughts of it and though we doubt not of it yet the considering of it out of the word may stir us up to do it more then we do for I am afraid though many of you doubt not of it yet many of you are slack and though you believe not what the others say yet you hearken so much to them as to slacken of what the old Saints did and of what your selves did before you do not set your selves so earnestly and so frequently and follow God so hard in prayer as you have done this I greatly fear For I find many times that the devill plays a double game that when he comes to take away an ordinance from people to cheat them of it he knowes that some are so giddy that he can gull and cheat them clearly and he knows this that those that he cannot cheat yet he can cast them into a kinde of remisnesse As for instance he hath taken away from many singing of Psalms prasing God according to that manner that the Saints have had for divers ages whereas there is no particular manner in the scriptures for the outward thing now as he hath brought many that they will not sing at all so there are many that are indifferent and so for baptising the infants of the godly and so for hearing the Word and so for praying The devil hath a dilemma if you will do so so it is or else do this so I say while some giddy heads or hearts are throwing away the Ordinance of prayer I am afraid there is a general remisness or carelesness growing upon your hearts therefore I shall shew these two things concerning prayer First I shall shew you that it is an Ordinance of God Prayer an Ordinance of God Prayer a perpetual duty that it is a duty that it is the duty of a Saint Secondly I shall shew you that it is a lasting duty a duty to be performed in all ages untill the coming of Christ and that briefly and plainly For the first That it is a duty consider any duty in the world and whatsoever you would have to prove it a duty I dare say it is clear in the Word concerning this duty of Prayer that and much more you cannot name any duty in the Book of God any external duty that is underpropped that hath such foundations such clear ground-works for it as the duty of Prayer There are four main grounds of duty and one of Four main grounds of dutie them many times is a sufficient ground for any one as First that it is a thing that the law of Nature hath 1. The 〈◊〉 of Nature written in the heart of man to call upon God it was written in the Creation There are many duties among us that are not so under the Gospel especially Now that you see in all ages all kinde of people call upon the name of their God As in the ship where Jonah was the Heathens by the dictates of Nature they awake Ionah to call on his God and they were calling on their god it is a thing in the law of Nature And by the By that is the reason why we may pray with carnal men though we may not receive the Lords Supper because the Supper of the Lord is an Ordinance by institution the other is a natural Ordinance or duty Now when a man doth a Natural duty it is supposed that it is in the heart of a wicked man and he doth but what he ought when he doth it A carnal man when he prays he sins not in that he prays much less do I sin in doing the duty with him in doing what he ought But wherein doth he sin In the maner that he prays without faith it is his fault and not mine and so an hypocrite that prayeth without faith when I do the duty I look that the thing be good but for the maner of his heart and spirit that is for him to look to So a man may pray with carnal people though he may not receive the Supper of the Lord because that is an Ordinance by institution and is onely for the Saints That by the by Secondly There is this ground for it for prayer 2. Command of the Word we have more precepts then for any other dutie Christ Jesus saith here Pray always And the Apostle 1 Thes 5. he bids us pray evermore pray alway I need not stand to prove this Then you have also presidents for it almost in every 3. President and Example Saint in the Book of God you seldom hear of a Saint but he was a praying Saint And let me tell you this that Saints and Churches or Assemblies for so the Greek word is indifferently and people that call on God with a pure heart they are Synonomies Sometimes Paul saith Grace mercy and peace to the Saints sometimes to the Churches and sometimes to those that pray and call on the name of the Lord Iesus 1 Cor. 1. 1. It is a thing so proper to a Saint that it is usually taken for the description of a Saint Therefore in Zech. 12. where there is a Prophesie concerning the conversion of the Iews saith God I will poure on them the Spirit of Grace and Supplication What is that That is they shall be converted To have a spirit of Supplication a praying heart is the same as conversion to convert the Iews is to give them a spirit of Grace and Supplication As soon as Paul was converted Act. 9. when Ananias inquired of him he was praying therefore you have examples enow 4. Promises entailed on it Psalm 50. And then you have Precepts for it and Promises to it all along in the Book of God Call upon me in the time of trouble and I will deliver thee So in the new Testament
old but the way to Heaven is so narrow that in the profession of Religion abundance of them do fall away And few men fall away at the first but when the tryall comes when the Sun ariseth as our Lord saith So a learned expositer upon it saith that it may be thirty or fourty or fifty or sixty yeers among professors there may be many hypocrites and there are more that have but a common work of the spirit of God thereupon our Lord speaking onely to professors such as they were Matt. 13. where he saith three of the four were rotten and come to nothing and the fourth only hold out Some mens sins are open before saith Paul and some follow after We see it by some men setting out in Religion they never come to any thing but some mens sins follow after Some men go far and walk gloriously and afterward are discovered And truly it is a rule among the best of our ministers that seldome or never hypocrites go out of this world undiscovered And hence it comes to passe by the falls of hypocrites and those that have not a saving work of grace that great ones fall away and little low ones outstrip them Secondly it comes to passe that the first are last and the last first because the Lord for reasons best known to himself for the most part so casts it that even among true professors true Saints the most part of them when they grow ancient in Religion especially they take a napp before they go hence They go as travellers in the way that go out betime in the morning but take a baite of two or three hours in the way and so slow travellers get before them There is not one in ten ordinarily but hath a shrewd napp when he is ancient in Religion before he go hence Thereupon we see the ten Virgins Matt. 25. The wise Virgins slept as well as the foolish they all slept but the wise Virgins awaked in time and got up again and the foolish slept it out And while they are napping and sleeping the first becomes last and the last first For we may not think that all such ancient professors that they have no grace We see now are there not some Magistrates and many Ministers old non-conformists that are now generally napping and sleeping that you would think there were nothing of God in them we may not think that they belong not to the Lord and that they have no grace This is the time when many simple souls get into Christ and the knowledg of Christ and have further enjoyments of spirit and communion of spirit with him then those grave Ministers and Common-wealths men that before held out Religion more then others yet we are not to think that they have no grace Therefore of this briefly there are these four or five practicall lessons that we should learn The first is that all you that are ancient Christians 1. Vse to avoid security ancient professors if ye stand to take heed least ye fall How should this me thinks make an ancient Saint watch how should he avoid security when it is ordinary for old Christians to take a napp and so not to be higher in Heaven they lose much of their glory in Heaven nay they lose their honour here ye some men think them to be hypocrites Therefore stand on your guard say not we have been professors twenty or thirty or fourty yeers as ordinary professors bragg of their standing in Religion No but remember this lesson there are many first that shall be last therefore walk watchfully and circumspectly Think with your selves and O that the Lord would open the eyes of ancient Christians in this City to see poor souls of a yeer or half a yeers standing start up that have more of Christ in them and more clear knowledge of the Gospell and love him more and his Saints and do more for him then they do O look about thee and consider with thy self that though thou be ancient and before that man or woman in Christ yet thou mayst come a great while after him to heaven for all that Therefore saith Paul I press hard to that which is before It is a comparrison from men that run in a race As the heathen Poet saith when a man runs in a race he never looks on the horses that are behind him but if there be one before him he looks to that Beloved look that if thou be before others take heed that thou come not to the goale after them Secondly let ancient professors ancient Christians 2. Not to contemn others learn not to despise and contemn weak Saints young beginners nay not sinners themselves I have observed it to the grief of my soul with the bleeding of my heart a great deal of contempt and disdaine in the brows of some ancient Christians against some weak Saints take heed of it for though thou be first and great now thou art honoured now as an excellent Prayer in London as one excellent in a day of humiliation who knows whether thou that art first mayst not be last Therefore contemn not weak Saints No nor sinners there is many a man that may be in the Ale-house a drinking and swearing and whoring and his quean with him that may be in heaven before thee therefore be tender to sinners especially if it be a Saint that hath any thing of God in him consider he that is first may be last and the last may be first Thirdly let weak Saints and young beginners learn 3. Weak ones not to bear themselves unreverently hence also as on the one side that I may put in that caveat not to behave themselves unreverently toward the ancient I would not have old Saints to crow over the young muchlesse the young over the ancient Saith Paul rebuke not an elder but rather exhort him If we in preaching must not speak so sharply to ancient Christians whether elders in Office or rather in Religion as I believe it is we must not rebuke him but speak with reverence so much more young Christians must speak reverently of ancient Christians and not say there goes such an old professor and such a one saith the first shall be last and so despise him No but as God hath put the law of nature that the young shall observe the elder and the junior shall respect the senior so in grace and Religion people must observe their duty Therefore young women must learn of the old and old women should be teachers of good things to young women not given to wine c. beware of petulant wanton carriage towards old professors So on the other side be not discouraged by seeing the Neither to be discouraged graces in ancient strong Christians It is an ordinary thing for weak Saints to be more discouraged at the graces of strong Saints then at any thing else As a weak eye that looks on the Sun can see just nothing so many a
Iohn 14. And in the Epistles of Iohn If we call upon God he will hear our prayers and grant our petitions and if you ask any thing in the name of Christ you shall have it You know these things onely I minde you as Peter and the rest of the Apostles often minded them of what they knew already least they should be carried away with the error of the wicked That is one thing it is an Ordinance you see four great pillars under it it hath the Law of Nature there are Precepts and Examples and Promises to perform what we pray for And there are threatnings to those that do it not Curse the Families that call not on thy Name Secondly I said it was an everlasting Ordinance or duty and you may see that three ways First If you look upon the old Testament you shall see there all the people of God they practised it I need not instance in any one place And secondly you will easily grant that if you look upon the times of the new Testament the dawning of it in Christs time for that was the dawning of the new Testament there you see Christ prayed whole nights and before day he was on the mountain seeking God and there are many Parables one in Luke 11. and another here wherein he exhorts his disciples to be earnest with God and though God as it were seem as if he had no minde otherwise to do it yet by the very importunity of prayer for that is the drift of that Parable in Luke 11. and of this the Lord will be intreated Then come after to the times that the new Testament was fully set up you see when Christ was gone to the Holy of Holies there they prayed and called on God continually all those Churches did call upon God there is nothing more clear Nay thirdly for there is the main hint of it in the last times in these times and in later times then these though these be called the last times the glorious times that shall be just at the end of the world the people of God will be a praying people in those days I will give you but one place Zach. 12. that is clear concerning the conversion of the Iews in the last times that they shall look on him whom they have pierced and shall mourn every family apart Now the Iews are not yet come in neither are those glorious times yet come to the Iews and Gentiles that shall follow upon their coming yet it is said when they shall come in praying shall be in such request in those days that even the conversation of the Iews is called a pouring on them the spirit of grace and supplication Therefore say not now the last times are come and these are glorious times and we can live immediatly upon God without Ordinances c. No those times are not come and yet when that time is come they shall have a spirit of grace and supplication to call upon God And therefore I beseech you let not the devil steal away any of your Ordinances for I tell you again and again he drives on a wonderful design among you in that respect And of all Ordinances labour to keep Prayer for cast off Prayer and cast off Saintship for to be a Saint and to call on the name of the Lord with a true heart are the same I will call thee no longer a Saint then thou callest on God Therefore notwithstanding all pretences look to that Some object God knows our wants and what need we pray Saith our Saviour Mat. 5. Your heavenly Father knows what you have need of and yet Christ taught them to pray We must manifest our obedience notwithstanding that God will do one thing when we pray for another that is a foolish objection because we know not what is good for us neither how to pray according to the minde of God but if it be according to his minde and for our good God will not deny it to us But the maine Engin that the devil hath to cheat us of this Ordinance is that there were times when there was neede of Ordinances and these beggerly rudiments this is the language of some these carnall Ordinances it is true they were good in the times of the Apostles and those former times but now glorious times are come for Saints to live immediately on God and therefore there is no need of them I told you that when the Iews shall be called there will be need of these Ordinances and though as we grow more perfect in glory so we have less need of them therefore as we are more glorious and have more of the Spirit of Glory in the new Testament then they had in the old so we have fewer Ordinances then they and when we shall come to heaven when she shall be full of glory we shall have no Ordinances for ought I know but yet we have infirmities and the Lord knows what is best for us and we have a great deal of flesh and carnalness and we shall have in a great measure till we be in heaven therefore God in mercy affords us these Ordinances and helps to deal with him and to keep our Communion with him and to live in and from him Therefore I pray you without partiality and prejudice weigh the Word of God whether this be not the Will of God and then take heed how the Devil cheat you of this blessed Ordinance for truly I may say as Christ said Now is the Ax laid to the root to the root of Prayer and if the Devil take away that thou art no more a Saint my life for thine if thou once throw away calling on God Therefore learn that word and endeavor to keep up the Ordinances of God and you that do not but are grown into remisness by the Opinions that are abroad concerning this duty I beseech you renew your care and diligence every one of you in publick and private to seek the Lord. And consider with your selves whether there be not a greater remisness on your spirits then before did you not set your selves oftner and more earnestly apart to seek God before then you do now If it be so in the name of God say as David O how sweet is thy Word by it thy servant is warned Now this is the goodness of God the sweetness of his Word that hath warned thee when thou wert going to undo thy self and to throw thy self away Therefore set thy self to it and let not the sin of others in throwing away of Ordinances make you remiss in using them either throw them away quite or use them as the Ordinances of God for the careless use of Ordinances is abominable to God Expositions and Observations on ROM 6. 14. For ye are not under the law but under Grace FOr ye are not under the Law There are three things in which a Christian is subject to be under the law and so to be scourged by it and if he
more and more for we are setling like the Jews in an outward formal Reformation without heart Now it would be terrible if the Lord should chuse our own administration and give us according to our own heart I hope he will not But this lay heavy upon my spirit to tell you of therefore the Lord direct you to make the best use you can that if it be his blessed will this place that is the honor and glory of the Kingdom and the refuge of the Saints that the Lord would not come against it FINIS THE TABLE  Page A  Abiding  ABiding with God in evil times 72 Actions  Saints not under the Law in their actions 157 Afflictions  Afflictions of godly and wicked how different 31 Afflictions turn to the good of Saints 119 The life of Faith in afflictions 130 Saints not under the Law in regard of afflictions 150 Afflictions not to be fainted in 194 Amend  All should amend when the wicked are punished 104 Angels  Angels pry into Gospel mysterie 201 Angels good and bad do it ibid. Apostacy  Apostacy a provoking sin 11 Assurance  Life of Faith in Assurance 130 Awake  Christians duty to awake God 86 B.  Betray  Not to betray Gods cause 88 Blasphemy  Blasphemy a provoking sin 9 Blessing see latter  Bristol  Gods mercy in recovering Bristol 107 C  Christ See cleaving  Christ makes all things amiable 192 Cleaving  Blessedness of cleaving to the Lord 70 Honor of cleaving to Christ in ill times 73 Special times of cleaving to God 77 Comfort  What should help Christians comfort 175 Conceits  Vain conceits of wicked men 33 Confidence  Ground of a Christians confidence 27 Consolation  Consolation a duty 40 Four things that hinder consolation ibid. Covenant  Spiritual understanding of the New Covenant effects of it 66 Covetousness  Covetousness a provoking sin 237 Creature  The vanity of the Creature why discovered 61 Conjunction  Conjunction of those that cleave to God 70 D.  Difference  Difference of Gods dealing with Saints 36 Difference between Saints and sinners 208 Discouraged  Weak Saints not to be discouraged 143 Distrust  Distrust in times of danger to be avoided 87 Division  Division among Saints a provoking sin 9 Duty See Consolation  Four grounds of Duty 149 E.  Enemies  Assurance of victory over enemies the effects of it 64 How God destroyes his enemies 85 Equality  Equality that should be between Saints 144 Evil see good  Example  Example of Saints a ground of prayer 150 F.  Faith  Faith the want of it what it doth 40 Faith the life of it 44 Faith how God tries it 83 Faith how the just live by it 128 See Affliction Assurance Sanctification  False  False dealing 237 Fondness  Holy fondness between God and the Saints 54 Holy fondness in five things 55 Fondness wrought four ways 61 Formality  Formality in duties a provoking sin 4 See Reformation  G.  Garison see Minde  God see Hypocrisie Persecutors  Good  To call evil good a provoking sin 11 See Afflictions Work  Gospel  Gospel precepts highest 162 Gospel Mysteries to be attended 202 Gospel riches to be admired 204 Gospels simplicity 225 Government  Government how to be affected 204 Greater  How to argue from less mercies to greater 120 Grace  Grace weak how to comfort it 45 Grace what meant by it 160 Of those that are under Grace 162 Power in Grace more then the Law 164 H.  Heart  Heart hardened 8 Hidden  Saints Gods hidden ones 90 Holiness  Holiness desired on wrong grounds 41 Right laboring for holiness 198 See Comfort  Hypocrisie  Hypocrisie hateful to God 48 Hipocrites honor creatures above God 50 Hypocrisie dishonors God ibid. I.  Judg.  Saints not to judg one another 143 Judgments  Maner of Gods proceeding to judgment 2 Cause of judgments what 3 Judgments why sent 103 Ingenuity  Ingenuity of right Saints 163 Justification  How to live by Faith in Justification 128 133 K.  Kiss  Holy Kiss what 145 L.  Latter Last  Blessing of the latter times 122 First shall be last how 138 Law  Saints under the Law how 156 See Persons Actions Afflictions Gospel  Learning  Learning humane wherein useful 211 Life see Faith Sanctification  Lord see cleaving  Love  Love of God what it works 62 To love though we be not loved 181 Mutual love how attained 184 M.  Minde  Garison of the minde what 16 Mingled  The life of a Christian mingled 133 Ministers  Ministers sins provoke God 149 N.  Nature  Duties grounded in nature 6 O.  Officers  Officers sins provoke God 8 Oppression  Sin of oppression 236 Ordinance  Prayer an Ordinance of God 149 Ordinances not to be neglected 152 Ordinances needful 153 P.  Patience see waiting  Peace  Peace to be studied by Saints 196 Perpetual see Prayer Persecutors Persecution  To cleave to God in persecution 78 Persecutors design 91 God persecuted in the Saints 93 Children of the godly may prove fierce persecutors 99 Persons  Persons of Saints how under the Law 156 Power  Power that Saints have 166 The Spirit called power how 173 See Grace  Prayer  Prayer a perpetual duty 151 Prayer whence it proceeds 169 Wants of prayer how supplied 170 See Ordinance Nature Precept Example Promise  Precept  Precepts ground of prayer 150 See Gospel  Promises  Promises ground of prayer 151 Protection  Protection of God who have right to it 21 Pride  Pride how discovered 185 R.  Reflect  Reflect acts hard to man 177 Saints to reflect on their estate 178 Reformation  Formal Reformation a provoking sin 5 Refuge  God a refuge 14 To repair to God as a refuge 17 Religion  Religion wherein it consists 211 Riches see Gospel  Revolting  Revolting a provoking sin 239 S.  Saints see Weak Sanctification  Life of Faith in Sanctification 129 131 Saintship to be prized 194 Satan  Grounds of Caution against Satan 202 Security  Security why to avoyd it 140 Self-love  Self-love a provoking sin 10 Shame  Iudgments sent to shame men 103 Simplicity  Simplicity of Religion 212 Simplicity of the Gospel 223 Sin  What sins provoke judgments 3 Carriage of Saints faln into sin 43 Saints carriage in a deluge of sin 77 Aggravations of sin 240 Silent  God silent in danger why 83 Soul  The soul of God departs from incorrigible sinners 244 Spirit  Spirit powerful in Saints 166 Spirit undervalued how 167 Spirit wherein powerful 169 Spirit differs Saints and Sinners 208 Spirit how known 210 Spirit to be labored for 213 Spirits excellency 215 Spirits grieving dangerous 220 Spirit to be prized 221 See Word Teaching Work Power  T.  Teaching  Teaching of the Spirit 170 Testament  Testaments compared 188 Trouble  Trouble in Saints whence 190 V.  Vengeance  Vengeance of God against the wicked 27 Union  Union between Christ and Christians 229 Upright  Uprightness ground of it 22 Uprightness how tried 84 W.  Waiting  Ground of waiting on God 112 Weak  Weak Saints not to be contemned 141 Weak Saints their carriage to stronger 142 Weak Saints to be encouraged 196 Word  Spirit to be advanced as speaking in the Word 168 Work  Who works in and for us 172 To be ready to every good work 206 FINIS