this willingness is the immediate succession of a more excellent and glorious life 'T is but wink and you shall see God your happiness shall not be deferred till the Resurrection but as soon as the body is dead the gracious soul is swallowed up in Life Rom. 8. 10 11. When once you have loosed from this shore in a few moments your souls will be wafted over upon the wings of Angels to the other shore of a glorious eternity Phil. 1. 23. I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Did the Soul and body dye together as Beryllus taught or did they sleep till the resurrection as others have groundlessly fancied it had been a madness for Paul to desire a dissolution for the injoyment of Châ—ist For if this were so he injoyed more of Christ whilst his Soul dwelt in its flâ—shly Tabernacle then he should out of it There are but two waies of the Souls living known in Scripture viz. the life of faith and the life of vision 1 Cor. 5. 5. those two divide all time both present and future betwixt them 1 Cor 13. 12. If when faith fails Sight should not immediately succeed what should become of the unbodied Soul but blessed be God this great heart-establishing truth is evidently revealed in Scripture Luke 23. 43. â—ou have Christs promise Iohn 14. 3. I will come and receive you to my self O what a change will a few moments make upon your condition rouse up dying Saint when thy Soul is come out a little farther when it shall stand like Abraham in its tent door the Angels of God shall soon be with it the Souls of the elect are as it were put out to the Angels to nurse and when they dye these Angels carry them home again to their fathers house if an Angel were caused to fly swiftly to bring a Saint the answer of his prayer Dan. 9. 21. How much more will the Angels come post from Heaven to receive and transfer the praying Soul it self 4. Arg. Farther It may much conduce to thy willingness to dye to consider that by death God oft times hides his people out of the way of all temptations and troubles upon earth Rev. 14. 13. Write from henceforth blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord. T is Gods usual way when some extraordinary calamities are coming upon the world to set his people out of harms way before hand Isai. 57. 1. Merciful men are taken away from the evil to come So Mich. 7. 1 2. When such an evil time comes as is there described That they all lye in wait for blood and every man hunts his brother with a net before that God by an act of favour houses his people before hand dost thou know what evil may be in the earth which thou art so loath to leave thy God removes thee for thy great advantage thou art disbanded by death and called off the field other poor Saints must stand to it and endure a great fight of afflictions T is observed that Methusala dyed the very year before the flood Augustin a little before the sacking of Hippo. Paereus just before the taking of Heidelberg Luther observes that all the Apostles dyed before the destruction of Ierusalem and Luther himself before the wars brake out in Germany it may be the Lord sees thy tender heart cannot endure to see the misery or bear the temptations that are coming and therefore will now gather thee to thy 〈◊〉 in peace and yet wilt thou cry O spare me a little longer 5. Arg. If yet thy heart hang back consider the great advantage you will have by death above all that ever you enjoyed on earth And that 1 As to your communion with God 2 As to your communion with Saints 1. For your communion with God the time of perfecting that is now come thy Soul shall shortly stand before the face of God and have the immediate emanations and beamings forth of his glory upon it here thy Soul is remote from God the beams of his glory strike it but obliquely and feebly but shortly it will be under the line and there the sun shall stand still as it did in Gibeon there shall be no cloudings nor declineings of it O how should this wrap thy Soul with desires of being uncloathed 2. As for the injoyment of Saints here indeed we have fellowship with them of the lower form but that fellowship is so dissweetened by remaining corruptions that there is no satisfaction in it as it is the greatest plague that can befall an hypocrite to live in a pure Church so t is the greatest vexation to the Spirit of a Saint to live in a corrupt and disordered Church But when death hath admitted you into that glorious assembly of the Spirits of just men made perfect you shall have the desire of your hearts here you cannot fully close one with another yea you cannot fully close with your own Souls O what discords jarrings censurings are here what perfect blessed harmony there in Heaven each Saint loves another as himself thâ—y are altogether lovely O my Soul hast thee away from the Lyons dens from the mountains of Bether from divided Saints to those mountains of Myrhe and hill of Frankinsense thou art now going to thine own people as the Apostles phrase imports 2. Cor. 5 8. 6. Arg. If all this will not doe Consider what heavy burdens death will ease thy shoulders of In this Tabernacle we groan being burdened 1 With bodily distempers how true do we find that of Theophrastue the Soul pays a dear rent for the tenement it now lives in but glorified bodies are clogged with no indispositions death is the best Physician it will cure thee of all diseases at once 2 With the indwelling of sin this makes us groan from the very bowels Rom. 7. 24. But he that is dead is free from sin Rom. 6. 7. Hath justification destroyed its damning power and sanctification its Raigning power so glorification destroyes its very being and existence 3 We groan under temptations here but as soon as we are out of the body we are out of the reach of temptation when once thou art got into Heaven thou mayest say now Sathan I am there where thou canst not come for as the damned in Hell are malo obfirmati so fixed in sin and misery that their condition cannot be altered so glorified Saints are bonâ— confirmati so fixed in holiness and glory that they cannot be 〈◊〉 4 Here we groan under varioâ—â— trâ—ubles and afflictions but then the days of our mourning are ended God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes O then let us hast away that we may be at rest 7. Arg. If still thou linger like Lot in Sodom then lastly examine all the pleas and pretences for a longer time on earth Why art thou unwilling to dye 1. Object O I have many relations in the World I know not what will become of them when I am gone Sol. 1. If
grace are planted in the heart and the deeper they are radicated there the more thriving and flâ—urishing grace is in Eph. 3. 17. we read of being rooted in Grace Grace in the heart is the root of every gracious word in the mouth and of every holy work in the hand Psal. 116. 10. 2 Cor. 4. 13. 't is true Christ is the root of a Christian but Christ is Origo originans the originating root and grace Origo originata a root originated planted and influenced by Christ according as this thrives under divine influences so the acts of grace are more or less fruitful and vigorous Now in a heart not kept with care and diligence these fructifyâ—ng influences are stopt and cut off multitudes of vanities break in upon it and devour its strength the heart is as it were the pasture in which multitudes of thoughts are fed every day a gracious heart diligently kept feeds many precious thoughts of God in a day Psal. â—39 17. How precious are thy thoughts to me O God! how great is the sum of them if I should count them they are more in number than the sand and when I awake I am still with thee And as the gracious heart seeds and nourishes them so they refresh and feast the heart Psal. 63. 5 6. My soul is filled as with marrow and fatness whilest I think upon thee c. But in the dis-regarded heart swarms of vain and foolish thoughts are perpetually working and justle out those spiritual Idea's and thoughts of God by which the Soul should be refreshed Besides the careless heart makes nothing out of any Duty or Ordinance it performs or attends on and yet these are the Conduits of Heaven from whence Grace is watred and made fruitful a man may go with an heedless spirit from Ordinance to Ordinance abide all his dayes under the choicest teachings and yet never be improved by them for heart neglect is a leak in the bottom no heavenly influences how rich soever abide in that Soul Matth. 13. 3 4. The heart that lies open and common like the high-way free for all passengers when the Seed fell on it the fowls came and devoured it Alas it is not enough to hear unless we take heed how we hear a man may pray and never the better unless he watch unto prayer In a word all Ordinances Means and Duties are blessed unto the improvement of Grace according to the care and strictness we use in keeping our hearts in them 6. Lastly The stability of our Souls in the hour of temptation will be much according to the care and Conscience we have of keeping our hearts the careless heart is an easy prey to Satan in the hour of temptation his main Batteries are raised against that Fort-royal the Heart if he win that he wins all for it commands the whole man and alas how easy a Conquest is a neglected heart 't is no more difficult to surprise it than for an enemy to enter that City whose Gates are open and unguarded 't is the watchful heart that discovers and suppresses the temptation before it come to its strength Divines observe this to be the method in which temptations are ripened and brought to their full strength there is 1 The irritation of the Object or that power it hath to work upon and provoke our corrupt nature which is either done by the real presence of the object or else by Speculation when the object though absent is held out by the phantasy before the Soul 2 Then follows the motion of the sensitive appetite which is stirred and provoked by the phantasy representing it as a sensual good as having profit or pleasure in it 3 Then there is a consultation in the mind about it deliberating about the likeliest means of accomplishing it 4 Next follows the election or choice of the Will 5 And lastly The desire or full engagement of the Will to it all this may be done in a few moments for the debates of the Soul are quick and soon ended when it comes thus far then the heart is won Satan hath entred victoriously and displayed his Colours upon the Walls of that Royal Fort but had the Heart been well guarded at first it had never come to this height the temptation had been stopt in the first or second act and indeed there it 's stopt easily for it is in the motions of a tempted Soul to sin as in the motion of a stone falling from the brow of an Hill it 's easily stopt at first but when once it 's set a going Vires acquirit eundo and therefore it 's the greatest wisdom in the world to observe the first motions of the heart to check and stop sin there the motions of sin are weakest at first a little care and watchfulness may prevent much mischief now which the careless heart not heeding is brought within the power of temptation as the Syrians were brought blindfold into the midst of Samaria before they knew where they were By this time Reader I hope thou art fully satisfied how consequential and necessary a work the keeping of thy heart is it being a duty that wraps up so many dear interests of the Soul in it 3. Next according to the method propounded I proceed to point out those special Seasons in the life of a Christian which require and call for our utmost diligence in keeping the heart for though as was observed before the Duty binds ad semper and there be no time or condition of life in which we may be excused from this work yet there are some signal seasons critical hours requiring more than a common vigilance over the heart And the first 1. Season Is the time of prosperity when Providence smiles upon us and dandles us upon her knee Now Christian keep thy heart with all diligence for now 't will be exceeding apt to grow secure proud and earthly Rara virtus est humilitas honorata saith Bernard to see a man humble under prosperity is one of the greatest rarities in the World Even a good Hezekiah could not hide a vain glorious temper under this temptation and hence that Caution to Israel Deut. 6. 10 11 12. and it shall be when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware to thy fathers to Abraham Isaac and Jacob to give thee great and goodly Cities which thou buâ—ldest not and houses full of all good things which thou filledst not c. Then beware lest thou forget the Lord and indeed so it fell out for Iesurun waxed fat and kicked Deuâ— 32. 15. Now thâ—n the first case will be this viz. 1. Case How a Christian may keep his heart from pride and carnal security under the smiles of providence and confluence of Creature comforts There are seven choice helps to secure the heart from the dangerous snares of prosperity the first is this 1. To consider the dangerous insnaring temptations attending a
in times of danger distracts weakens and unfits the heart for duty drives men upon unlawful means and brings a snare with it Well then the fourth Case will be this 4. Case How a Christian may keep his heart from distracting and tormenting fears in times of great and threatning dangers Now there are fourteen excellent Rules or helps for the keeping of the heart from sinful fear when eminent dangers threaten us and the first is this 1. Rule Look upon all the Creatures as in the hand of God who manages them in all their motions limiting restraining and determining them all at his pleasure Get this great truth well seâ—led by faith in your hearts it will marvellously guâ—rd them against slavish fears the I. of Ezek. contains an admirable scheam or draught of Providence there you may see the living Creatures who move the wheels viz. the great Affairs and turnings of things here below coming unto Christ who sits upon the throne to receive new orders and instructions from him v. 24. 25 26. and in Rev. 6. you read of white black and red Horses which are nothing else but the Instruments which God employs in executing his judgments in the World as Wars Pestilence and Death but when these Horses are praâ—sing and trampling up and down the World here is that may quiet our hearts that God hath the reins in his hand Wicked men are sometimes like mad Horses they would stamp the people of God under their feet but that the bridle of Providence is in their lips Iohn 19 11 12. A Lion at liberty is terrible to meet but who is afraid of the Lion in the Keepers hand 2. Rule Remember that this God in whose hand all the Creatures are is your Father and is much more tender over you than you are or can be over your selves He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye Zech. 2. 8. Let me ask the most timerous woman whether there be not a vast difference betwixt the sight of a drawn sword in the hand of a bloudy Russian and the same sword in the hand of her own tender Husband as great a difference there is in looking upon Creatures by an eye of sense and looking on them as in the hand of your God by an eye of Faith that is a sweet Scripture to this purpose Isa. 54. 5. The Maker is thine Husband the Lord of Hosts is His Name He is Lord of all the Hosts of Creatures in the world who would be afraid to pass through an Army though all the Souldiers should turn their Swords and Guns towards him if the General of that Army were his friend or Father I have met with an excellent Story of a religious young man who being at Sea with many other Passengers in a great storm and they being half dead with fear he only was observed to be very chearful as if he had been but little concerned in that danger one of them demanding a reason of his chearfulness Oh said he 't is because the Pilot of the ship is my Father Consider Christ first as the King and Supream Lord over the Providential Kingdome and then as your Head Husband and Friend and thou wilt quickly say Return unto thy rest O my soul. This truth will make you cease trembling and fall a singing in the midst of dangers Psalm 47. 7. The Lord is King of all the earth sing ye praise with understanding or as the Hebrew word is every one that hath understanding viz. of this heart reviving and establishing Doctrine of the Dominion of our Father over all the Creatures 3. Rule Urge upon your hearts the express prohibitions of Christ in this Case and let your hearts stand in awe of the violations of them He hath charged you not to fear Luke 21. 9. When ye shall hear of Wars and commotions see that ye be not terrified And Pâ—il 1. 28. In nothing be terrified by your adversaries yea in Matth. 10. 26. 28 31. and within the compass of six verses our Saviour commands us thrice not to fear men Doth every big word of proud dust and ashes make thee afraid doth the voice of a man make thee tremble and shall not the voice of God If thou art of such a fearful and timerous spirit how is it that thou fearest not to disobey the flat commands of Jâ—sus Christ Methinks the command of Christ should have as much power to calm as the voice of a poor worm to terrify thy heart Isa. 51. 12 13. I even I am â—e that comforteth you who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall dye and of the son of man that shall be made as the grass and forgettest the Lord thy maker We cannot fear Creatures sinfully till we have forgotten God did we remember what he is and what he hath said we should not be of such feeble spirits bring thy heart then to this Dilemma in timfs of danger if I let into my heart the slavish fear of man I must let out the reverential awe and fear of God and dare I cast off the fear of the Almighty for the â—rowns of a man Shall I lift up proud dust above the great God Shall I run upon a certain sin to shun a probable danger Oh keep thy heart by that Consideration 4. Rule Remember how much needless trouble your vain fears have brought upon you formerly and how you have disquieted your selves to no purpose Isa. 51. 13. And hast feared continually because of the oppressor as if he were ready to devour and where is the fury of the Oppressor He seem'd ready to devour but yet you are not devoured I have not brought upon you the thing that ye feared You have wasted your spirits disordered your souls and weakened your hands and all this to no purpose You might have all this while enjoyed your peace and possessed your souls in patience And here I cannot but observe a very deep policy of Satan managing a design against the soul by these vain fears I call them vain in regard of the frustration of them by Providence but certainly they are not in vain as to the end Satan aims at in raâ—sing them for herein he acts as Souldiers use to do in the Siege of a Garrison who on purpose to wear out the besieged by constant watchings and thereby unfit them to make resistance when they storm it in earnest do every night give them false Allarms which though they come to nothing yet do notably serve this further design of the enemy O when will you beware of Sathans devices 5. Rule Consider solemnly That though the things you fear should really fall out yet there is more evil in your own fear than in the thing feared And that not only as the least evil of sin is worse than the greatest evil of suffering but as this sinful fear hath really more torment and trouble in it than is in that condition you are so much afraid of fear
might have denyed thee Christ peace and pardon also and then thy case had been â—oful indeed You know God hath done so to millions in the World how many such wretched objects may your eyes behold every day that have no comfort in hand nor yet in hope are miserable here and will be so to eternity that have a bitter cup and nothing to sweeten it no not so much as any hope that it will be better But it is not so with you though you be poor in this World yet rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom which God hath promised Iam. 2. 5. O learn to set spiritual riches over against temporal poverty Ballance all your present troubles with your spiritual priviledges Indeed if God had denied your souls the Robes of Righteousness to cloath them the hidden Manna to feed them the heavenly Mansions to receive them if your souls were left destitute as well as your bodies you might well be peâ—sive but this consideration hath enough to bring the considering soul to rest under any outward strait 'T was bravely said by Luther when waâ—t began to pinch him let us be contented with our hard fare said he for do we not feast wiâ—h Angels upon Christ the bread of Life And blessed be God saith Paul who haâ—h abounded unto us in all spiritual blessings Eph. 1. 3. 4. Consid. This afliction though great is not such an affliction but God hath far greater with which he chastises the dearly beloved of his soul in this World and should â—e remove this and inflict those you would account your present state a very comfortable state and blesse God to be as now you are What think ye Sirs should God remove your present troubles supply all your outward wants give you the desire of your hearts in Creature-comforts but hide his face from you shoot his arrows into your souls and cause the venom of them to drink up your spirits Should he leave you but a few dayes to the buffeâ—ing of Satan and his blasphemous injections should he â—old your eyes but a few nights waking with horrors of Conscience tâ—ssing to and fro till the dawning of the day should he lead you through the Chambers of death Shew you the visions of darkness and make his terrors set themselves in array against you then tell me if you would not count it a choice mercy to be back again in your former necessitous condition with peace of Conscience and count bread and water with Gods favour a happy state O then take heed of repining Say not God deals hardly with you least you provoke him to convince you by your own sence and feeling that he hath worse Rods than these for unsubmissive and forward Children 5. Consid. If it be bad now it will be better shortly O keep thy heart by that Consideration the Meal in the Barrel is almost spent well be it so why should that trouble me If I am almost beyond the need and use of all these things The Traveller hath spent almost all his money but a shilling or two left Well saith he though my money be almost spent yet my journey is almost finisht too I am near home and then shall be fully supplied If there be no Candles in the house yet 't is a comfort to think that it s almost day and then there will be no need of Candles I am afraid Christian thou mis-reckonest thy self when thou thinkest my provision is almost spent and I have a great way to travel many years to live and nothing to live upon it may be not half so many as thou supposest in this be confident if thy provision be spent either fresh supplies are coming though thou seest not from whence or thou art nearer thy journeys end than thou reckonest thy self to be Desponding soul doth it become a man or woman travelling upon the Road to that heavenly City and almost arrived there within a few days journey of his Fathers house where all his wants shall be supplyed to take on thus about a little meat drink or cloaths which he fears he shal want by the way It was a noble saying of the 40 Martyrs famous in the Ecclesiastical Story when turned out naked in a frosty night to be starved to death with these words they comforted one another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the winter indeed is sharp and cold but Heaven is warm and comfortable here we shiver for cold but Abrahams bosome will make amends for all Obj. I. But I may dye for want Sol. 1 Who ever did so where were the Righteous forsaken 2 If so your journey is ended and you fully supplied Obj. 2. But I am not sure of that were I sure of Heaven it were another matter Sol. Are you not sure of that then you have other matters to trouble your selves about than these Methinks this should be the least of all your cares I do not find that souls perplexed and troubled about the want of Christ pardon of sin c. are usually very anxious or sollicitous about these things He that seriously puts such questions as these what shall I do to be saved how shall I know my sin is pardoned doth not usually trouble himself with what shall I eat what shall I drink or wherewithall shall I be cloathed 6. Consid. Doth it become the children of such a Father to distrust his all-sufficiency or repine against any of his Dispensations Do you well to question his care and love upon every new exigence say have you not been ashamed of this formerly hath not your Fathers seasonable provisions for you in former straits put you to the blush and made you resolve never to question his love and care any more and yet will you renew your unworthy suspicions of him again Dis-ingenious Childe reason thus with thy self if I perish for want of what is good and needful for me it must either be because my Father knows not my wants or hath not wherewith to supply them or else regards not what becomes of me Which of these shall I charge upon him not the first for Mark 6. 32. My Father knows what I have need of my condition is not hid from him Nor the second for the earth is the Lords and the fulness of it Psalm 24. 1. His Name is God All-sufficient Gen. 17. 1 Not the last for as a father pities his children so the Lord pities them that fear him Psalm 103. 13. The Lord is exceeding pitiful and of tender mercy James 5. 11. He â—ears the young Ravens when they cry Job 38. 41. and will he not hear me Consider saith Christ the fowls of the ayr Matth. 6. 26. Not the fowls at the door that are every day fed by hand but the fowles of the ayr that have none to provide for them Doth he feed and clothe his enemies and will he forget his children He heard the very cry of Ishmael in distress Gen. 21. 17. O my unbelieving heart dost
heart and is not this a more glorious conquest if by revenge thou overcome thine enemy yet as Bernard saith inselix victoria ubi superans virum succumbit vitio unhappy victory when by overcoming another man thou art overcome by thine own corruption but this way you may obtain a glorious conquest indeed What an honourable and dry victory did David this way obtain over Saul 1 Sam. 24. 16 17. And it came to pass whon David had made an end of speaking these words that Saul lift up his voice and wept and he said to David thou art more righteous than I. It must be a very diâ—-ingenious nature indeed upon which meekness and forgiveness will not work a stony heart which this fire will not melt To this sense is that Prov. 25. 21. If thine enemy hunger feed him if he thirst give him drink for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head Some will have it a sin punishing fire but others an heart melting fire to be sure t will either melt his heart or aggravate his misery Augustin thinks that Stevens prayer for his enemies was the great means of Pauls conversion 5. Rem Seriously propound this question to thy own heart have I got any good by the wrong and injuries received or have I not It they have done you no good turn the reveng upon your selves O that I should have such a bad heart that can get no good out of such troubles O that my Spirit should be so unlike to Christs the patience and meekness of other Christians have turnâ—d all the injuries thrown at them into precious stones the Spirits of others have been raised in blessing God when they have been loaded with reproaches by the world they have bound them as an ornament to their necks Superbus fio said Luther quod video nomen pessimum mihi crescere I could even be proud upon it that I have a bad name among wicked men to the same purpose Ierome sweetly Gratias ago Deo meo quod dignus sum quem mundus oderit I thanke my God that I am worthy to be hated of the world thus their hearts were provoked by injuries to magnifie God and bless him for them if it work contrary with me I have cause enough to be filled with self displacency If you have got any good by them if the reproaches and wrongs you have received have mâ—de you search your hearts the more waâ—ch your ways the more narrowly if thâ—â—r wâ—onging you have made you see how you have wronged God then let me say for them as Paul did for himself pray fâ—rgive them this wrong What can you not find an â—eart to forgive one that hath 〈◊〉 instrumental of so much good to you thaâ—â—s strange what though they meant it for evil yâ—t if God have turned it to good you have no more reason to rage against the instrument then he had who received a wound from his enemy which only brake and let out that impostume which otherwise had been his death 6. Râ—m 'T is of excellent use to keep the heart from revenge to look up and eye the first cause by which all our troubles are ordered This will calm and meeken our Spirits quickly never did a wicked tongue try the patience of a Saint more than Davids was tryed by that railing Shimei yet the Spirit of this good man was not at all poiâ—oned with revenge though he goes along cursing and casting stones at him all the way yea though Abishai offered David if he pleased the head of that enemy but the King said What have I to doe with you ye sons of Zerviah So let him curse because the Lord hath said unto him curse David Who shall then say wherefore hast thou done so it may be God uses him as his rod to lash me because I by my sin made his enemies to blaspheme him and shall I be angry with the rod how irrational were that this also was it that quieted Iob he doth not rail and vow revenge upon the Caldeans and Sabeans but eyes God as the orderer of those troubles and is quiet The Lord hath taken away blessed be his name Job 1. 21. Object But you will say To turn aside the right of a man to subvert a man in his cause the Lord approveth not Lam. 3. 36. Ans. True but though it fall not under his approving yet it doth under his permitting will and there is a great argument for quiet submission in that nay he hath not only the permitting but the ordering of all those troubles did we see more of an holy God we should shew less of a corrupt nature in such tryals 7. Rem Consider how you daily wrong God and you will not be so easily inflamed with revenge against others that have wronged you You are daily grieving and wronging God and yet he bears forgives and will not take vengeance upon you and will you be so quick in avenging your selves upon others O what a sharp and terrible rebuke is that Matth. 18. 32 33. O thou wicked and slothful servant I forgave thee all that debt because thou deâ—iredst me shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant even as I had pity upon thee None should be filled with bowels of pity forbearance and mercy to such as wrong them as those should be that have experienced the riches of mercy themselves methinks the mercy of God to us should melt our very bowels into mercy over others 't is impossible we can be cruel to others except we forget how kind Christ hath been to us those that have â—ound mercy should shew mercy if kindness cannot work methinks fear should If ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses Matth. 6. 15. 8. Rem Lastly let the Consideration of the day of the Lord which draweth nigh withhold your hearts from anticipating it by acts of revenge Why are ye so quick is not the Lord at hand to aveng all his abused servants Be patient therefore my brethren unto the coming of the Lord Behold the husbandman waiteth c. Be ye also patient for the coming of the Lord draws nigh grudg not one against another brethren least ye be condemned Behold the judge standeth at the door Iam. 5. 7 8 9. This text affords three arguments against reveng 1 The Lords near approach 2 The example of the husbandmans patience 3 The danger we draw upon our selves by anticipating Gods judgment vengeance is mine saith the Lord he will distribute justice more equally and impartially than you can they that believe they have a God to right them will not so much wrong themselves as to avenge their own wrongs 1. Ob. But flesh and bloud is not able to bear such abuses Sol. If you resolve to consult flesh and blood in such cases and do no more but what that will enable you to do never pretend to Religion Christians must do singular and
which the grounds of doubting our sincerity may be reduced 1 Gods carriage towards the Soul either in the time of some extraordinary affliction or of some long and sad desertion Or 2 The souls carriage towards God And here it usually argues against the truth of its own graces either 1 From its relapses into the same sins from which it hath formerly risen with shame and sorrow Or 2 From the sensible declining of its affections from God Or 3 From the excess of the affections towards creature-comforts and enjoyments Or 4 From its enlargements in publick and often straitnings in private Duties Or 5 From some horrid injections of Satan with which the soul is greatly perplexed Or Lastly From Gods silence and seeming denial of its long depending Suits and Prayers These are the common grounds of those sad conclusions Now in order to the establishment and support of the heart in this condition it will be necessary 1. That you be acquainted with some general Truths which have a tendency to the settlement of a trembling and doubting Soul 2. That you be rightly instructed about the forementioned Particulars which are the grounds of your doubting The general truths requisite for poor doubting souls to be acquainted with are these 1. That every working and appearance of hypocrisie doth not presently prove the person in whom it is to be an hypocrite You must carefully distinguish between the presence and predominancy of hypocrisie there are remains of deceitfulness in the best hearts David and Peter had sad experience of it yet the standing frame and general bent of the heart being upright it did not denominate them hypocrites 2. That we ought as well to hear what can be said for us as against us It is the sin of upright hearts sometimes to use an over rigid and merciless severity against themselves they do not indifferently consider the case of their own souls it is in this case as Solomon speaks in another Prov. 13. 7. There is that maketh himself rich and yet hath nothing and there is that maketh himself poor and yet hath great riches 'T is the damning sin of the self flattering hypocrite to make his condition better then 't is and it is the sin and folly of some upright ones to make their condition worse then indeed it is Why should you be such enemies to your own peace to read over the evidences of Gods love to your Souls as a man doth a book which he intends to confute why doe you study to find evasions to turn off those comforts which are due to you 't is said of Ioseph that he was minded to put away his espoused Mary not knowing that that holy thing which was conceived in her was by the holy ghost and this may be your case A third truth is this 3. That many a Saint hath charged and condemned himself for that which God will never charge him with nor condemn him for Why hast thou hardned our heart from thy fear saith the Church Isai. 63. 17. and yet the verse before manifests that their hearts were not so hardned godly Bradford wrote himself an hypocrite a painted sepulchre yet doubtless God acquitted him of that charge 4. Every thing which is a ground of grief to the people of God is not a sufficient ground of questioning their sincerity There are many more things to trouble you then there are to stumble you if upon every slip and failing through infirmity you should question all that ever was wrought upon you your life must be made up of doubtings and fears you can never attain a setled peace nor live that life of praise and thankfulness the gospel calls for 5. The Soul is not at all times fit to pass judgment upon its own condition To be sure in the dark day of desertion when the Soul is benighted and in the stormy day of temptation when the Soul is in a hurry 't is utterly unfit to judge its estate examine your hearts upon your beds and be still Psal. 4. This is rather a season for watching and resisting then for judging and determining 6. That every breach of peace with God is not a breach of Covenant with God The wife hath many weaknesses and failings often grieves and displeases her husband yet in the main is faithful and truly loves him these failings may cause him to alter his carriage but not to withdraw his love or deny his relation Return O back-sliding Israel for I am married unto you 7. Lastly what ever our sin or trouble be it should rather drive us to God then from God Pardon my sin for it is great Psal. 25. 11. Suppose it be true that thou hast â—o and so sinned that thou art thus long and sadly deserted yet 't is a false inference that therefore thou shouldest be discouraged as if there were no help for thee in thy God When you have well digested these seven establishing truths if still the doubt remain then consider what may be replyed to the particular grounds of those doubts As 1. You doubt and are ready to conclude the Lord hath no regard or love for your Souls because of some extraordinary affliction which is come upon you but I would not have thy Soul so to conclude till thou be able satisfactorily to answer those three questions 1. Quest. If great troubles and afflictions be marks of Gods hatred why should not impunity and constant prosperity be tokens of his love for contrariorum contraria est ratio consequentia of contrary things there is a contrary reason and consequence but is this so indeed or saith not the scripture quite otherwise Prov. 1. 32. The prosperity of fools destroy them So Psal. 73. â— 2. Quest. Dare I draw the same conclusion upon all others that have been as much yea more afflicted then my self if this argument conclude against thee then so it doth against every one in thy condition yea the greater the affliction of any Child of God hath been the more strongly the argument still concludes and then wo to David Iob Heman Paul and all that have been afflicted as they were 3. Quest. Had God exempted you only from those troubles which all other his people â—eel would not that have been a greater ground of doubting to you then this especially since the scripture saith Heb. 12. 8. If ye be without chastnings whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not sons O how is our Father put to it by froward Children if he afflicts then one crys he loves me not if he exempt from affliction others question his love upon that ground Surely you have other work to do under the rod then thiâ— 2. Or do you rashly infer the Lord hath no love for you because he hides his face from you that your condition is miserable because dark and uncomfortable before you draw such rash conclusions see what answer you can give to these 4. following queries 1. Quer. If any action of God