these Verses First they subdued Kingdoms verse 33. who through Faith subdued Kingdoms so the Judges did and so David also And 2. They wrought Righteousness so Samuel did Whose Ox have I taken and so David did When he spared Saul And 3. They obtained Promises Promises that is the thing promised God is so Faithful saith Beza in fulfilling his Promises that the Promise is put for the thing promised they obtained the Promises that is the thing promised Now the Promise they obtained it was not the great Promise of the Messias for so at verse 39. They received not the Promise that is the great Promise of the Messias but the Promises they obtained were particular Promises of deliverance Victories and Kingdoms so they obtained Promises and so Gideon and Barak David and others did And then they stopped the mouths of Lyons so David and Daniel did And they quenched the violence of Fire so the three Children did And escaped the edg or mouth of the Sword so Elijah and Elisha did And out of weakness were made strong so Heâ—ekiah was And they waxed valiant in Fight and turned to flight the Armies of the Aliens so the Judges and David did And Women received their dead raised to Life again so the Woman of Sareptha and the Shunaâ—â—te did So that now here you may see what great things the Beleevers of the old Testament did by Faith And so the Doctrine that I shal pitch upon at this time riseth from al the words and not from any particular Clause or passage but from the whol Doct. That true saving faith will do very great things It is true Faith that the Apostle here speaks of as appears by the whol Chapter and these things that they did as appears to the Reader at first view were great things So that I shal not need to spend any time for cleering of the Doctrine from the words that it doth arise from and al these Verses and words they are witnesses to it they cry out this Doctrine with one Voyce True saving Faith will do very great things For the opening and cleering whereof I shal labor to shew 1. That true saving Faith is a doing working stirring Grace 2. That true saving Faith will do great things And 3. How Faith comes to do such great things First True saving Faith is a doing Grace an active working doing operative Grace the more Spirits any thing hath the more active it is Faith true saving Faith hath the Spirit of the Gospel in it the Gospel is the Ministration of the Spirit and true saving Faith it hath the Spirit of this Spiritful Dispensation and therfore it must needs be a very spiritual and a working Grace It is called a work it self in 1 Thes 1.3 Remembring without ceasing your work Faith and in 2 Thes 1.11 The work of Faith with power Our Lord and Savior Christ saith it is the Work of God This is the Work of God that ye beleeve it is in it self a work And Secondly It is a friend to work true saving Faith it is a Work and it is a great Friend to work it is not an idle Houswife What is our Sanctification but our Faith incarnate it works Love and it works by Love and Love is very inventive active and expensive it is a friend to work a work in it self and a friend to work And Thirdly It is also the first worker in the Soul Trust in the Lord and do good not first do good and then trust in the Lord trust in the Lord first trust in the Lord and do good it is the work that sets other works on work the wheel that sets al other wheels a going without which a man is idle though he be at work As a Child may be very busie at his play yet but play and a Servant may be very busie about his own imployment and yet his Master counts it an idleness because he is not about his work appointed him So now a man may be very busie in regard of the world and yet he may be idle God-ward Nisi a Deo agendo nil ages Faith must be the first Worker and if Faith be not the first al other works are as nothing Yea Fourthly As Faith is a Work and a Friend of Work and a first Worker so it is an Universal Work Faith is that Grace that can turn its hand to every Work some can work exactly at one thing but they are bunglers at another but Faith true saving Faith can turn its hand to every business Possibly a man may be sick and he cannot pray himself but yet he may beleeve though Prayer cannot turn its hand to this Condition yet Faith can Possibly a man may be very poor and is not able to help another Liberality cannot turn its hand to this Condition but Faith can work in it Fiftly And not only so but Faith works best when it works alone when it works al alone If Comfort come and sence and feeling come Faith knows how to use these but though a man have no Sence and no Comfort yet Faith can work and Faith works best when it works alone when it workâ— al alone without these auxiliaries Sixtly Yea Faith works best somtimes when it works in the dark as it works best when it works alone so somtimes it works best in the dark Men can work wel in the light but not in the dark but though a mans condition be very dark yet Faith can work then Faith works best when it works in the dark Faith loves to work like Christ and Christs greatest action of Obedience was in the darkest time when he was on the Cross I remember a Speech of that good old man Mr. Dod when a man that was troubled in his mind lay a dying he said to him Sir what wil you say to Christ when he was dying did he not say My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And was not Christs highest piece of Obedience upon the Cross in the dark in a dark condition Faith works best somtimes in the dark Seventhly Yet further Faith it works best at the last and the longer it works the better for Faith grows by experience and the longer that Faith works the more experience it gets and the more experience Faith gets the stronger it is and therefore Faith works best at the last Now put al these together Faith is a Work and Faith is a Friend to Work and Faith is the first Worker and Faith is an Universal Worker and Faith works best when it works al alone and Faith works best somtimes in the dark and Faith works best at the last and certainly you have the first namely this That true saving Faith is a doing Grace it is a working Grace But Secondly You wil say What are those great things that Faith will do for we have heard that Faith is a doing Grace that is the Doctrine Faith will do and do great things but what are those great
coming from the root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to run up and down to and fro with solicitude and carefulness as the Wife doth run up and down looking to and caring for her sick Husband being afflicted with him in al his afflictions So Christ doth carefully tender and is solicitous for the Saints good his heart as it were running up and down for them and being afflicted with them in al their afflictions she saith here and his desire or his running up and down affection is towards me Now what greater argument of delight and contentment can there be Is it not an high expression of his delight and satisfaction in them to spend and lay out his time and eternity for them and on them Thus it is before he came into the World he saith Prov. 8.31 I was by him rejoycing in the Habitable Parts of his Earth and my delights were with the Sons of Men When he came into the World he came to and for them Isa 9. For unto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given while he lived here he lived for them Behold thy King comes to thee meekly riding on an Ass when he died he died for them The Just for the unjust he died for our sins and when he rose again he rose for them who died for our sins saith the Apostle and rose again for our Justification when he went to Heaven he went for them I go to prepare a place for you saith he John 14. when he ascended he did ascend for them that he might give Gifts unto men and when he appeared before the Father he did appear for them Heb. 9.24 and now he continues in Heaven for them Seeing he ever liveth saith the Apostle to make Intercession for us Heb. 7 there he negotiates for them stil and doth transact al their business why should not we negotiate for him on Earth who doth negotiate for us in Heaven why should not we spend of al our time for him who hath and doth spend of the daies of his Eternity for us But if Christ do thus spend and lay out himself and day and time and eternity for his Seed then surely he doth and must needs take much contentment and satisfaction in them Is it not a great Argument of his delight and satisfaction in his Seed that he wil not suffer a cold wind to blow upon them to hurt them When a Mother is so render of her Child that she wil not suffer a cold wind to blow upon it you say see how she loves and delights in that Child Now Christ hath said concerning his People He that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of mine Eye Zach. 2. The Eye of man is the most tender part you know and men are the most tender of that but I pray observe what kind of men they were that Christ was thus tender of in Deut. 32.10 it 's said that God kept the People of Israel in the Wilderness as the Apple of his Eye There they were in a low and sad condition yet there was the Love of their youth expressed in following God but now these men were in Babylon and they were that part of the People of the Jews which did stay behind when others were gone to re-build the Temple and through Unbelief did this part stay behind therefore saith the Prophet verse 6. Come forth and flee from the Land of the North yet concerning these even these rebellious and unbeleeving Residue doth the Lord say He that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of mine Eye verse 8. Surely then if Christ had â—uch tender care of theâ—e in reference to al that might touch or hurt them I may truly say in regard of his Seed he wil not suffer a cold wind for to blow upon them herein is his delight and love manifested The neglect of himself whilst he lived in reference unto their good and Salvation speaks thus much also If a Child be fallen into the fire or water the Mother laies by al other business to pul it out she laies by her very Meat and Drink and dressing forgets and neglects her self til she have obtained the safety of her Child and this argues her delight in it So it was with Christ in the daies of his flesh he forgâ—t and neglected himself altogether til he had setled the great business of Mans Salvation I have Meat to eat that ye know not of saith he he had not whereon to lay his Head and did not mind himself but was restless til he had set al things in safety in reference to the Salvation of his Seed why but because of that great delight and satisfaction which he took in his work and their good And when he went away and could no longer stay here on Earth he left his Seed a blessed Token of Love which he would have them wear in their Bosoms til he comes again I mean the Lords Supper Do this as oft as ye do it saith he in remembrance of me When a Man goes from a place and doth leave his Friends he bestows some token of Love upon his best Friends or if he die he gives his choyce and beloved Friend a Token of Remembrance he doth not so by those whom he loves not but by such as he loves much and delights in Thus did our Savior Christ when he went away and died he left a Crucifix as I may so cal it this Ordinance of the Supper to be worn in the Bosom of al the Churches as a Memorial or Remembrance of him The Socinians who are Enemies to the Cross of Christ Ex istis Pauli verbis apparet graviter errasse illos qui existimarunt verbum ut vulgata et Erasmi interpretatio habet commemorationem quod in Graeco est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mutari debere in recordationem neque enim dicit Paulus mortem Domini recordamini c. Non est igitur quod quis ex verbo illo colligat ernam Domini in eum finem institutum fuisse ut nobis suggerat et in memoriam revocet mortem ipsius Domini id quod nulla alioqui sacratum litterarum authoritate nullave ratione probari potest Faust Socinus de usu et fine â—â—nae Domini tel us that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Remembrance should rather be translated Celebration do this in the Celebration of me and that the word doth signifie Celebration and not Remembrance but if ye look into Heb. 10.3 ye shal find it 's said But in those Sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sin every year it is the same word that is used for the Lords Supper and should it be translated a Celebration there should the words be read thus but in these Sacrifices there is a Celebration of sin every year surely no wel then is the word translated in the Institution of the Lords Supper do this in remembrance of me and in that Christ hath left such a remembrance for his Seed
the Lord doth not onely give forth encouragement in time of discouragement and proportion his encouragements unto our discouragements but he doth make your discouragements occasional rises and bottoms unto your incouragements and comforts The Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon Adam and then he took a Rib from his side wherewith he made a help for him so doth God cause a deep sleep to come upon you in your discouragements out of which he taks a Rib and â—uilds up a help for you making the discouragements of the Saints to contribute to their very incouragements Hosea 2.14 Behold saith the Lord I wil allure her that is the Church his people and bring her into the wilderness and speak comfortably to her and I wil give her her vineyards from thence and the valley of Achor for a door of hope But a wildernessed condition is a lost condition and what comfort can one have in a lost condition True saith God ye cannot in and by your selves but there I wil speak friendly and comfortably to her and of al the times that I chuse to preach Gospel to a poor soul I chuse to do it in a wildernessed and lost condition But though the Lord do speak comfortably to us if we be in a wilderness a dry barren place where no food nor comfort is how can we be but discouraged Nay saith the Lord but I wil give her her vinyards from thence But if we sin murmur in the wilderness as the Israelites did the Lord wil cut us off as he did them a wilderness is a place of trouble wherein we are apt to murmur be discouraged Nay saith the Lord but I wil give her her vinyards from thence and the vally of Achor for a door of hope The valley of Achor was the valley of Perturbation trouble and of great discouragement when the men of Israel sled and fel before the men of Ai for the sin of Achan Joshua 7. vers the last yet it was an in-let to the Land of Canaan to the Land of rest Now saith the Lord look as it was with them though the Valley of Achor was a Valley of Trouble and Perturbation yet it was the door by which the Israelites came into the Land of Rest So shall it be with you I will make your Troubles and Discouragements the very door of your Hope the Valley of your Discouragements shall be the door and an in-let unto all your Rest and Comfort God takes the same way with the Members as he went with the Head Christs Cross an in-let of Glory his suffering time was the Valley of Achor to his Disciples and was it not a door of Hope unto them and unto all the Saints This is Gods way Discouragements bring Encouragements and the more Discouragements the Saints have the more Encouragements they shall have yea their Discouragements shall contribute to their Encouragements and be a door of Hope to them Now if the Valley of Achor shall by Promise be a door of Hope why should we be discouraged whatsoever the Valley of Achor be whatever our condition be Answ 5 A praying man can never be very miserable whatever his condition be for he hath the Ear of God the Spirit within to indite a friend in Heaven to present and God himself to receive his desires as a Father 't is a mercy to pray though I never have the mercy prayed for thereby God doth come down to us and we go up to God It is the souls Converse with God on Earth and a great ease to a burdened troubled Spirit for thereby he may go and empty all his heart into the bosom of his best friend Now every godly gracious man is a praying man more or less he prayeth It 's spoken as an Argument of Pauls â—onverâ—ion Behold he prayeth as Speech is common unto all men so Prayer unto all Christians God hath none of his Children born dumb as soon as one of your children is born it cries and it sucks and it â—lâ—eps So with every man that is born of God as sooâ—â—s â—e is both he cries unto God in Prayer he sucks the breast of â—he Promi e and he sleeps in the bosom of God by Divine Contentmentâ— beiâ—g dead unto all the world it may be he cannot pray as 〈◊〉 would but though he cannot pray as he would not hear as hâ—â—â—uld nor perform any duty as he would yet he prayeth it may be said of him behold he prayeth turn him where you will and behold he prayeth sick yet behold he prayeth tempâ—ed yet behold he prayeth at home or abroad yet behold he prayetâ— and can he be miserable while he prayeth Surely no why then should he be discouraged whatever his condition be Answ 6 If the matter of the Saints discouragements be but a cloud that wil blow over and melt away then no reason for their Discouragements whatsoever their condition be Now thus it is with the People of God though they be in a dark and very dark condition yet their darkness is but the darkness oâ— a cloud and as he said Nichecula est cito transibit it is but a cloud it wil soon over So may they say concerning every matter of their discouragement it is dark indeed but this darkness will over there is a storm comes down upon us but we shall see Land again the Shore again it is but a cloud but a cloud And upon this account David comforted his own heart here and checkt his soul for his immoderate dejection Why aâ—t thou cast down c. Hope in God For I shall yet praise him I shal be delivered this cloud will oveâ— it will not last it is but the darkness of a cloud Quest But how shall it appear that it is â—ut a cloud and the darkness of a cloud I think it is night and dark night with my soul yea such a night as shall never know morning indeed if I did know that the matter of my discouragement were but a cloudy darkness then I would conclude and say there is no reason for this discouragement but how shall I know whether this darkness be the darkness of a cloud or of the night Answ 1 First If the darkness be such as comes immediately after the rising and shining forth of the Promise then it is but the darkness of a cloud not of the night the Sun doth not rise to set immediately and therefore if darkness comes immediately after Sun-rising it is certainly the darkness of an Eclipse or of a Cloud not of the night There was a fair Promise rose and shined upon Joseph when the Lord said That his Sheaf should be higher than all the Sheaves of his Bâ—â—thren yet presently after that there arose a darkness upon him but iâ— was the darkness of a cloud and not of the â—igh 〈◊〉 why so Because he had a Promise first which did shâ—◠〈◊〉 â—â—m So David had a fair Promise of the Kingdom whâ—â—
by feeling but by faith it is the Duty of a Christian to begin with Faith and so to riâ—e up to feeling you would begin with feeling and so come down to faith but you must begin with faith and so rise up to feeling And I pray tell me Is it not sufficient to be as our Master was Did not Christ want the sence of Gods Love when he said My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Yea had not Christ the sence of Gods Anger upon him when he did perform the greatest act of Obedience that ever the Sun saw yet did he then say I am not the Child of God because I want the sence of Gods Love because I am under the sence of Gods Anger No but with the same breath that he said he was forsaken he said My God my God and at the same time he called God Father Father forgive them c. So may you do though God hath forsaken you though you want the sence of his Love yea and are under the sence of Gods Anger yet at the same time you may say the Lord is my Father and you may go to him as your Father and if ye can say God is my Father have ye any reason for your Discouragements Yet how often are Gods own People discouraged and cast down O! you that are the Disciples of Christ labor more and more to follow your Master and as David here so do you often say Why art thou cast down O my soul Answ 2 Secondly What a mighty vast difference is there between a Godly man and a wicked upon this account A godly gracious man hath no reason for his discouragements whatever his Condition be a wicked man hath no reason for his encouragement whatever his Condition be A gracious man is apt to be much discouraged but he hath no true reason for it a wicked man is apt to be much encouraged but he hath no true reason for it It 's said of the wicked Psalm 7. God is angry with the wicked every day whatever the day be God is angry with them though it be a day of Fasting and Prayer yet then is God angry with them though it be a day of Praises and of Thanksgiving then is God angry with them when he sins most and when he sins least God is angry with him not one day goes over his head but God is angry with him and one blow or another that Gods Anger reacheth forth to him every day he doth not alwaies feel those blows but God is smiting of him and is angry with hâ—â—â— every day and therefore whatever his condition be there is no reason for his encouragement Suppose a man were in Priâ—on committed for some great Offence and condemned to die under the diâ—pleasure of his Prince or State and his Servant should come unto him saying Sir Be of good Comfort your Wife is well at home you have very sweet children an excellent Crop of Corn your Neighbors love you deerly your Sheep and Cattel thrive and al your Houses are in good repair and order would he not answer that Servant and say What 's all this so long as I am condemned to die Thus it is with every wicked man he is under the displeasure of the great God a condemned man and God is angry with him every day and if his heart were open to be sensible of it he would say you tell me of my Friends and Goods and Name and Trade but what is al this so long as I am a condemned person and God is angry with me every day I rise but for the present he feeleth not his displeasure is not sensible of it yet let him know that there is a day a coming when he will find the Truth of this matter no reason for his encouragement whatever his condition be And as Saul once cryed out saying God hath forsaken me and the Philistins are upon me so shal he cry out and say God hath forsaken my soul temptations are now upon me my sins and guilt are upon me God hath forsaken me and the Devils are now upon me But now as for a godly gracious man though his condition be never so sad and his soul never so much cast down yet he hath no reason to be discouraged I say whatever his condition be what a glorious condition are the Saints in who would not be in love with this condition who would not be in Christ who would not leave the waies of the wicked who would not be Godly O! you that are ungodly labor to become Godly Answ 3 Thirdly The exhortation is specially directed to the Saints and with you I must leave a word of exhortation Take heed and beware of discouragements of being cast down you have no reason for it much reason against it Thereby You rejoyce the heart of Satan he claps his hands and laughs to see you cast down now O now faith he this man is like to me I am a despairing spirit and so is he I am discouraged and cast down and so is he he stands triumphing over you to see you under these discouragements when you are sad he is glad And as you rejoyce the heart of Satan so you grieve the heart of God one friend is grieved at the grief sorrow and discouragement of another and the more real friendship the greater is the affliction and trouble of the one if the other be grieved now God is the friend of the faithful Abraham the friend of God actively passively God was a friend to him and he a friend to God So with al beleevers Christ is their friend Hence-forth cal I you no more Servants but friends saith Christ and the Holy Ghost is their friend for it is the Spirit that comes and dwels in them and manifests himself to them and we are said to grieve the spirit As God is the worst enemy so he is the best friend the truest friend the most real friend in al the world therefore when you are cast down and discouraged ye grieve him you grieve the Father you grieve the Son you grieve the Spirit and do you know what you do when you grieve the Lord is it nothing to grieve such a friend Thereby you do in some measure yea in a great measure make void and frustrate the end of Christs coming who came not onely to free us from hell but from our present fears That being delivered out of the hands of our enemies we might serve him without fear Luke 1. And wil you then go drooping discouraged bowed down under your fears al your dayes Thereby you unfit your selves for the service of Christ the Passover of old was not to be eaten with any old leaven the old leaven was to be purged our and none that were sad and sorrowful were to eat of the holy things Now saith the Apostle Christ our passover is Sacrificed for us therefore let us keep the feast that is the Gospel feast not with old leaven
be our future Judg yea our best Friend and our dear Husband Now if you abstract the terror of any Object from the sweetness of it no wonder if you be much discouraged It is our Duty to behold things as God presents them and to take things as God doth give them What God hath joyned together no man may put asunder If you consider the sweetness of an Object or Condition without the sowrness of it then you may grow too wanton if you consider the terror of an Object or Condition without the sweetness of it then you may be too fearful But if you think on both together then you will fear and beleeve and beleeve and fear and so be kept from Discouragement Fifthly If you would not be discouraged whatever your condition be Labor more and more to get your self-love mortified even Religious self-love All your Dscouragements are from self-love not from the venom of your condition but from the poyson of self-love O but I am discouraged because I have no assurance Well but suppose you had assurance what then then I should have Comfort And is not here Self O but I am discouraged about my everlasting Condition And is not that Self doth not that word Condition sound ones Self I dare boldly say there is no tumult or immoderate Discouragement in the soul but hath Self at the bottom Could I leave my self and my Condition with God and Christ and mind his Service Glory and Honor more God would take care of my Comfort but when I mind my self and my condition so much and his Service Glory and Honor so little no wonder that I am so much discouraged Therefore labor more and more to mortifie self-love and so shall you never be discouraged whatever your condition be Sixtly In case that Temptation press in upon you and urge you to sad Discouragements speak to this purpose unto your own soul Why should I buy my Repentance at so dear a rate There is none of all these doubtings unbeleeving fears and discouragements but you will be ashamed and repent of afterwards You know how it is with the Traveller he thinks the Sun is not yet up and so he loyters and sits down but the Sun creeping up behind the cloud at last breaks out upon his face and is got before him and then he saies O what a fool was I to think the Sun was not up because I saw it not what an unwise man was I thus to loyter and sit down So it will be with you you now lie down upon the Earth and your belly cleaves to the dust by reason of your Discouragements but the Grace of God and the Love of Christ is creeping up behind the dark cloud and it will break out at the last upon you and shine into your face with the Golden beams of mercy it will prevent you and be before you and then you wil say O what a fool was I to be thus discouraged what an unworthy Creature I to doubt thus of Gods Love I have sinned I have sinned by all my unbeleef now the Lord pardon me all my doubtings I am O Lord ashamed of these my doubtings and questionings of thy Love pardon them O Lord unto my soul This is that which you must come to you must at last be ashamed and repent of these your unbeleefs doubtings and fears and therefore when-ever they press in upon thee say at the first unto thy self Why should I buy my Repentance at so dear a rate by yielding unto these Discouragements And for this very reason because that Discouragements are to be repented of Therefore the Saints and People of God have no reason to be discouraged whatever their Condition be And thus have I spoken to this Truth under a more General Consideration through Grace I shall labor to cleer it further to you by Particulars A LIFTING UP In case of GREAT SINS Serm. IV PSALM 42.11 Stepney May 7. 1651. Why art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou disquieted within me c. THE Doctrine or Observation that now we are pressing from these words is this That the Saints and People of God have no reason for their Discouragements whatever their condition be no just true Scripture Reason for their Discouragements whatever their Condition be It is cleer by the Words and proved the last day by some General Considerations Now more Particularly to make it out by divers Instances Nine things there are which usually are the Grounds and Occasions of the Discouragements of Gods People 1. Somtimes their Discouragements are drawn from their greater and grosser sins 2. Somtimes they do arise from the weakness of Grace 3. Somtimes they are taken from their failing in and non-acceptance of Duty 4. Somtimes they are drawn from their want of Evidence for Heaven and non-assurance of the Love of God 5. Somtimes they do come from their Temptations 6. Somtimes from their Desertions 7. Somtimes from their Afflictions 8. Somtimes from their Unserviceableness 9. Somtimes from their Condition it self Now if in all these Respects the Saints and People of God have no reason to be discouraged then we may safely conclude That a godly man should not be discouraged whatever his condition be I shall labor therefore through the Grace of Christ to make out this great Truth unto you in all these Respects and begin with the First at this time Somtimes the Discouragements of the Saints and Instance 1 People of God are drawn from their Sins their greater and grosser Sins The Peace and Quiet of the Saints and People of God is many times interrupted by their Sins O saies one I am a man or woman of a rebellious heart I have so sleight a Spirit so unholy and uneven a conversation that when I reflect upon my heart and life I cannot but be discouraged I know indeed it is a great evil for a man to labor under a â—ore temptation or a sad desertion but were my heart good my life good my conversation good I should not be discouraged but as for me I have committed and do commit such and â—uen great sins have I not reason and just reason now to be discouraged Answ No For Discouragement it self is a sin another sin a Gospel sin now my sin against the Law is no just cause why I should sin against the Gospel I confess indeed there is much evil in every sin the least sin is worse than the greatest affliction Afflictions Judgments and punishments are but the Claws of this Lyon it is more contrary to God than the Misery of Hell Chrysostom had so great a sence of the evil of it that when the Empress sent him a threatening Message Go tell her said he Nil nisi peccatum metuo I fear nothing but sin And in some respects the sins of the Godly are worse than the sins of others for they grieve the Spirit more they dishonor Christ more they grieve the Saints more they wound the Name
humble and what they do want at the first they have it afterwards by degrees soaking into their souls Have they then any reason to be discouraged in these respects surely no. Quest But should not a Godly Gracious man be fully grieved and humbled for his sin Answ Grieved humbled for his sin yes surely though the Lord through the over-ruling hand of his Grace do work never so much good out of my sin unto me yet I am to be humbled for it and the rather to be humbled for it because he works good out of it I have read indeed of the Mother of those three Learned men Lumbard Gratian and Comaestor the three great pillars of the Roman Church for Lumbard wrote the sentences and Gratian the Popish Decretals and Comaestor Historiam Scholasticam that when she lay on her death bed and the Priest came unto her and called upon her for repentance of her whoredomes Hos tres Gratianum viz. Pet. Lumbardum et Pet. Comaestorem fuisse Germanos ex adulterio natos quorum mater cum in extremis peccatum suum confiteretur et confessor redargueret crimen perpetrati aduâ—terii quia valde grave esset et ideo multum deberet dolore et penitentiam agere respondet illa Pater scio quod adulterium peccatum magnum est sed considerans quantum bonum secutum est cum isti silii mei sint lumina magna in Ecclesia Ego non valeo paenitere Cui confessor hoc ex dono Dei est ex te autem adulterium crimen magnum et de hoc doleas c. Decret fol. 1. Gratiani vita for these three Lumbard Gratian and Comaestor were her bastards as the very popish writers do record it he telling her that she must be greatly afflicted grieved and humbled for her uncleanness or else she could not be saved why said she I confess indeed that whoredom and uncleanness is a great sin but considering what a great deal of good hath come to the Church of God by my sin that three such great lights have been brought forth into the world by my sin Non valeo paenitentiam agere I cannot I wil not repent thus it is with many poor ignorant souls when they see how the Lord by his over-ruling hand doth work good unto them out of their sin as some outward blessings mercys they do not repent of their sin but rather justify themselves in their sins but now take a Godly man a gracious soul and the more that he sees the Lord working good out of his sin the more he is humbled for it and upon that very ground because God works good of it therefore he is humbled the more Yet further it is observed that though the Lord did ordinarily cal David his servant yet when David had sinned that great sin he sent the prophet to him saying Go say to David he had lost the title of servant now bare David now single David now David without the title my servant And so though God ordinarily called the people of Israel his people yet when they had committed that great sin of Idolatry in the matter of the Golden Calfe the Lord doth not cal them his people but he saith to Moses The people not My people but The people and Thy people Moses now they had lost their old title Thus I say the sins of Gods own people do deprive them and divest them of their spiritual priviledges and can a gracious heart look upon this and consider how he is divested and disrobed of his spiritual priviledges and not mourn under it Can one friend grieve another friend and not be grieved himself The Saints by their sins they grieve God who is their best friend and therefore certainly they must needs be grieved they must needs be humbled or there is no Grace not grieved not humbled not Gracious But now because they are grieved and humbled for sin committed therefore they are not discouraged I say because they are grieved and because they are humbled for sin committed therefore they are not discouraged for discouragement is a hinderance to humiliation and the more truly a man is humbled for sin committed the less he is discouraged and the more a man is discouraged the less he is truly humbled Quest You wil say then but what is the difference between these a man is to be humbled and not discouraged not discouraged and yet to be humbled what is the difference between these two being humbled and being discouraged Answ It is a profitable question and worth our time by way of answer therefore thus First When a man is humbled truly humbled the object of his grief sorrow or trouble is sin it self as a dishonor done unto God the object of discouragement is a mans own condition or sin in order to his own condition the ultimate object of discouragement being a mans own condition when a man is discouraged you shal find stil that his trouble runs al out upon his own condition O! saith a discouraged person I have sinned I have thus sinned and therefore my condition is naught and if my condition be naught now it wil never be better Lord what wil become of my soul Stil his trouble is about his own condition But when a man is grieved and truly humbled for sin his trouble is about sin it self as a dishonor done unto God To clear this by scripture you know Cain was discouraged but Cain was not humbled how may that appear Cain was troubled about his condition Ah! saith he My punishment is greater than I can bear on the other side the poor prodigal was humbled but not discouraged how may that appear his trouble was about his sin and not about his condition I wil return unto my Father saith he and I wil say unto him I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and I am no more worthy to be called thy Son make me as one of thy hired servants David sometimes was both discouraged and humbled and then you find his repentance and humiliation to be very brackish but if you look into the Psal 51. you shal find David humbled but not discouraged for it is a penitential Psalm therefore humbled and not discouraged for stil he did keep his Assurance vers 14. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness O God thou God of my Salvation But what was his repentance his trouble about It was about his sin and not about his condition read vers 23. and so on Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and clense me from my sin for I acknowledg my transgression and my sin is ever before me Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me stil ye see his eye is upon his sin and not upon his condition only So that I say when a man is truly humbled and grieved for sin the object of his grief is sin as a dishonor
but Satan comes and wresteth his staff out of his hand and beats him therewithal then comes Jesus Christ and takes it out of the hands of both O! saith the Child of God but I pray thee Lord give me this Creature-Comfort for it is my Staff true Child saith Christ it is thy Staff but thou hast not strength to weild it against Satan he wil abuse thee with it therefore I wil keep it from thee and in due time thou shalt have it again Doth Christ our Lord and best friend do him any wrong in keeping it from him Object 2 O! but my Afflictions are not ordinary and usual but new and strange Answ You think so but the Apostle saith Think it not strange concerning the fiery tryal as if some new thing had befallen you And what if God wil carry you to Heaven by some back way and let you in at some back door hath not he promised to lead us in a way that we have not known Object 3 O! but I do not only want one mercy but I do want another and another Afflictions come thick and I see no end I feel no bottom Answ And was it not so with David the Type of Christ Psal 40.1 2. I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined his Ear unto me and heard my cry he brought me out also of an horrible pit or as some read it out of an unbottomed pit out of the miry Clay and set my feet upon a Rock and established my goings Three things here that are most observable 1. David was in such an Affliction wherein he did feel no bottom at the first saw no end 2. Though he felt no bottom at the first yet at the last he did and a Rock which God set his feet upon and established his goings 3. Till he did find this Rock he prayed and waited patiently and he was not discouraged What therefore though our Afflictions be as thick as any mire that therein you do stick so fast as you cannot get out that you feel no bottom see no end yet if in this case you pray and cry and wait patiently on the Lord as David did you shal be set upon a Rock in due time and your goings shall be also established And whereas you say That your Afflictions are thick and long and hard How long man What! is your Bush consumed Do they not make you long more for Heaven When the Apprentiship is hard and tedious the yong man longs for the day of his Freedom O! saith he that I were in my Fathers House O! that the time of my Freedom were come So here Long and hard Afflictions make us long more for Heaven Now will ye count that too long which makes you long more for Heaven And as for your Relational Comforts Did God ever take away the Comfort of an outward Relation and not make it up in the sweetness of Spiritual Relations Object 4 But this is not all my case for I do not only want such and such Comforts I do not barely want the Comforts and the love of my Relations but I feel the anger and the smart of them for my own familiar friends and acquaintance are become mine Enemies they reproach me curse me speak all manner of evil of me without cause and this they do since I set my face towards Heaven Time was heretofore when they did love me dearly but now they hate me they persecute me and do all manner of evil to me and is this nothing is not this a just cause and reason for my Discouragement Answ No For if our worst Enemies be somtimes our best Friends then what reason is there that we should be discouraged although we be much opposed Now so it is many times as our best Friends are our worst Enemies by flattering us so our worst Enemies are our best Friends by making us more watchful So many Enemies so many School-Masters saith one Totidem inimici totidem paedagogi Hath not our Lord and Savior Christ said Our Enemies are those of our own house they shall ever revile you and persecute you but blessed are you when they do all this for my Name sake And I pray tell me Whether is it worser to be persecuted or to be a Persecutor Your Friends persecute you speak all manner of evil and do al manner of evil to you even since you have looked towards Christ and for his sake â—hey do it for his sake ye are persecuted opposed maligned but you might have been the Persecutor and they the persecuted Which is worst Will you not say O! it is infinitly better to be opposed for the way of God than to oppose and to be persecuted than to persecute I would chuse rather to be persecuted than to be a Persecutor God might have left you to be a Persecutor and your persecuting Friends might have been persecuted by you but now that God hath so ordered it by his Providence and Grace that you are persecuted and they persecutors have you any reason to complain or to be discouraged Know ye not that the world hateth his own So long as the por stands empty and there is no Honey in it the Bees and stinging Wasps do not gather about it but if once there be Honey in it then they flock about it And so long as you were empty of what is good and walked on with an empty heart no opposition was made unto you But now these stinging Bees and Wasps flock about you what doth this argue but that you have gotten some Honey somwhat that savoreth of good and of Christ which you had not before why should you not therefore rather praise God for what you have than be discouraged under your opposition Object 5 This is not my case For I praise God I do not meet with any opposition or persecution from my friends nor do I need for my very Affliction is an opposition unto what is good my Affliction doth indispose me unto what is good and expose me unto what is evil to temptations and many sins it keeps me from Duty from Ordinances and Opportunities of doing and receiving good and therefore I am thus discouraged under my Affliction have I not cause and reason now Answ 1 No For it may be that you are mistaken here and think that you are hindred from the Work of God when indeed you are not We read of Paul that he was whipped up and down the streets like a Rogue that he was oft imprisoned and who would not think but that his reproaches and imprisonments should hinder him in the work of his Ministry But he saith That his Sufferings turned to the furtherance of the Gospel Answ 2 When God leads a man into an Affliction then God doth call him to another work So long as a man is well and in health he is bound to go abroad and to hear the Word but when he is sick then his work is not to hear but to be patient
constant in seeking Earthly things it is shame to be inconstant in seeking heavenly things ibid. 5 If you be not constant in Good you will be constant in evil ibid. 6 The more unconstant you are the more you make the way to Heaven difficult Lastly Go to God by Prayer for fixation Page 450 FINIS The Contents The great Things Faith can do On Hebrews 11.32 Sermon I. THe Text Opened Page 1 2 DOCT. Saving Faith will do very great things Page 3 Opened by three Propositions 1 Saving Faith is a working Grace ibid. 2 Saving Faith will do great things 3 How saving Faith comes to do great things First Proposition proved ib. 1 True Faith hath the spirit of the Gospel in it ibid. 2 'T is a friend to work ibid. 3 'T is the first worker in the soul ibid. 4 It is an universal work Page 4 5 It works best alone ibid. 6 It works best somtimes in the dark ibid. 7 It works best at last ibid. II. What are those great things Faith can do Page 5 Answ Faith will do as great things now as it did under the old Testament ibid. 1 Is it not a great matter to overcome temptations ibid. 2 Is it not a great matter to perform duties to the hazard of life ibid. 3 Is it not a great matter to mortifie fears ibid. 4 Is it not a great matter to mortifie your cares ibid. 5 Is it not a great matter to have your griefs asswaged ibid. 6 Is it not a great matter to be kept steady in times of changes Page 6 7 Is it not a great matter to be a stranger to the world ibid. 8 Is it not a great matter for a man to be faithful under all his betrustments ibid. 9 Is it not a great matter to see things invisible ibid. 10 Is it not a great matter for a man to live in dependance only upon Christ ibid. More Comparatively There are three great Agents in the world â—ut Faith works beyond them all Page 6 1 Compared with Power Page 7 2 Compared with moral Honesty This is Proved by three Reasons ibid. 3 How it may appear that faith can do more than Gospel Gifts and common grace It is made to appear by four Arguments Page 8 9 III. How comes it to pass that true faith can do such great things Page 10 Answered by four Reasons 1 It goes forth in the might of Gods Promise ibid. 2 It goes forth in the might of Gods Power ibid. 3 It goes forth in the strength of Gods Call ibid. 4 It goes forth in the sence of what God and Christ hath done for the Soul Page 11 Application 1 The Reason why men do no great things in their Generation is because they want Faith ibid. 2 If you would do great things call in for faith Page 12 Quest How shal we improve our faith to do great things Page 13 Answ 1 Study much the greatness of God ibid. 2 Keep close to Gods Ordinances ibid. 3 Do not chide off your heart from beleeving Page 14 4Vse your faith to do smal things ibid. 5 Look much upon the Call you have to any work Page 15 Notes from Verse 32. 1 The number of Beleevers under the old Testament it seems was not smal ibid. 2 God will own that Faith that is but weak at first ibid. 3 From Sampson I collect it is possible a great sinner may be a true Beleever ibid. 4 Note from Jeptha a bastard may be a true beleever ibid. 5 From the mentioning of David Samuel and the Prophets c. consider when God hath extraordinary work to do be raiseth up extraordinary men Page 17 Lastly You see what high esteem God hath of Faith ib. The Great Things Faith can suffer ON Hebrews 11.35 Sermon II. The Text opened Page 20 21 DOCT. True saving Faith will suffer great things ib. Three Propositions 1 A true Beleever may suffer hard things 2 Faith wil carry him through them 3 How Faith can carry him through them ibid. The first Proposition proved Page 21 22 23 Quest Secondly How shall a man be able to go through these hard things ibid. Answ True saving Faith will do it Proved by four Reasons Page 23 24 Object We have read of many that suffered hard things yet had not this faith ibid. Answ 1 A wicked man may suffer as an evil Doer Page 25 2 A wicked man doth not suffer upon choyce ibid. 3 He doth not lay the stress of all upon Faith ibid 4 He suffers not cheerfully but discontentedly ibid. 5 He will rest upon his sufferings ibid. 6 He will yield at last Page 26 7 He doth not bring forth the quiet fruits of Righteousness ibid. Quest Thirdly By what means can Faith do this ibid. Answ 1 It is the work of saith to submit to Gods will ibid. 2 It is the work of Faith to cleave to the Commandement of God ibid. 3 It is the work of faith to close with the Gospel Page 27 4 It is the work of faith to look upon the recompence of râ—ward ibid. 5 The more one sees the hand of God as a Father in sufferings the more able a man will be to suffer ibid. 6 The more a man can see to the end of his affliction the better he will go through it ib. 7 It is the proper work of faith to look on both sides of the dispensation Page 28 8 It is the proper work of faith to see one contrary in another ibid. 9 If God engage to help us faith can suffer much in afflictions ibid. Application If any man be to suffer great things let him call for faith Page 29 Object These are no suffering times ibid Answ Bless God for your Gospel Liberty Consider the sufferings of your Brethren ibid. Particular applications to several conditions ibid. Who knows how soon suffering times may come Page 30 Quest How shall we strengthen our Faith that we may be able to suffer ibid. Answ 1 Consider frequently what great things the Lord hath done for you already ibid 2 Study much the Book of the Revelations which is a standing Cordial for suffering times Page 31 3 Consider frequently the great gain of suffering Page 32 That suffering times are gaining times proved by ten Arguments Page 32 1 Suffering times are teaching times ibid. 2 Suffering times are sin-discovering times ibid. 3 They are self-bethinking times ibid. 4 They are growing times ib. 5 They are truth-adorning times ibid. 6 They are uniting times Page 33 7 They are praying times ib. 8 They are soul-assuring times ibid. 9 They are weaning times ib. 10 They are Heavenly and glorious times ibid. Three Observations from the Words Page 34 1 Consider the Persons that suffered mentioned in the text whence I collect That greatness of sufferings are no argument to make you doubt of your Salvation ibid. 2 They suffered in hopes of a better Resurrection whence consider what those men are that would steal from you the hopes of a better Resurrection Page 35 3 They suffered all by faith whence observe That it is no easie thing to beleeve Page 36 FINIS