yet here hee that beleeves most and loves most makes most haste The more the soul beleeves and the more the heart is taken with Christ the greater are the desires to bee with him Till Simeon had gotten Christ into his armes hee was unwilling to dye but after hee had Christ in his armes Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation Indeed here are but the Espousals between Christ and the soul Some Broken-Rings Contracts Espousals betwixt Christ and us But then is the great Marriage-day the Solemnization of our Nuptials to all eternity Here wee do see him but dimly and darkly at the best and there are oftentimes clouds come in and interpose themselves between Christ and us but then wee shall see him face to face and never shall there cloud come between Christ and us to all eternity There wee shall see him in his Glory his full discoveries Here wee injoy him but in part The distance is great betwixt him and us All which distance doth arise from that within us Were it not for sin wee might bee in Glory even in Grace But then wee shall injoy him in fulness Heaven is the place which God hath intended to set forth himself to his People in his Glory to all eternity Where there shall bee no fears no sin never smoak of distrustfull thoughts shall arise more Where there shall bee no sorrow no tears All sighing and sobbing shall pass away and nothing but joy shall keep the house Wee are now the Sons of God But it doth not yet appear what wee shall bee for wee shall see him as hee is 7. Sign A heart taken with Christ thinks nothing too much to do nothing â—â—o much to suffer for Christ You know Love cannot bee posed Wee say there is no difficultie in Love Things impossible to others are easie to them who love And things burthensome to others delightfull to them who love If once thy heart bee taken with Christ thou wilt think nothing too much to do nothing too much to suffer for him As Christ thought nothing too much for us because his heart was taken with us neither shall wee think any thing too much for Christ Wee read how prodigal the Saints have been of their Riches their Blood their Lives for Christ because they loved him 1. They have not accounted their estates too dear for him Heb. 10.34 They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods 2. They have not accounted their lives too dear Rev. 12.11 They loved not their lives to death for him If they must dig in Mines or be cast to bee devoured by Wild-Beasts for Christ as it was the usual sentence of Christians Christiani ad nâ— talla ad Ecstias in the primitive times they were willing to do and suffer it See this in the Virgin of whom Basil speaks who was condemned to death because shee would not worship Idols And the like of old Polycarp and others This is certain A soul taken with Christ knows no difficulty in its love It loves him with an unlimited an uncircumscribed love which no duty no difficulty can pose 8. Sign A heart taken with Christ is exceedingly cast down with the withdrawings and absence of Christ The comforts of the soul are laid up in Christ and when hee is gone all is gone Comfort gone Joy gone the Heart gone with him As Mephibosheth said Take all now my Lord is come back so the soul saith Take all take the World take Riches take Heaven and Glory so far as Heaven and thou are two things That my Lord may return with my soul Datkness is terrible to the soul and this is thick darkness and therefore saith with Absolom let mee see his face mea non prosunt sine te nothing besides thee can either satisfie or profit mee 9. Sign A heart taken with Christ is fully content and satisfied with the injoyments and possession of Christ The possession of the thing beloved doth content the soul so far as there is satisfaction and contentment with it The reason why wee do not meet with full contentments and satisfactions here in the possession or our loves is because they want of fulness But now it is not so with Christ Hee is able to brim the soul to satisfie the spirit to answer all the desires of the heart and therefore the heart taken with him needs must rest satisfied and contented with him Such a gulf of desire is in the soul of men that if God should cast in a thousand worlds there would bee no contentment except Christ bee cast in And Christ is so full contentment that if God bestow him they will neither need nor desire any more And thus much shall serve for the use of tryal wee will now come to an use of Exhortation and conclude this Use of Exhortation 1. To them of his Church 2. To them who are not of the Church 1. To them of his Church Is it so that the heart of Christ is so much taken with his Church and People 1. Direction to them of the Church 1. Walk suitably to this love Dignities and suitable walkings to dignities must go together Now this suitable walking wee will express in these five things 1. Walk chearfully 2. Walk thankfully 3. Walk humbly 4. Walk watchfully 5. Walk obediently 1. Walk chearfully Walk as Heirs of such a Mercy Here is a truth speaks comfort when all the world speaks nothing but terrour 2. Direction to them of the Church 2. Beware of abusing this love Precious things are committed to us by a word of Caution This is a precious Truth and therefore let mee adde to it this word of Caution Beware of abusing this Love of Christ Christs Love are his bowels and hee will never indure to have his bowels injured his love abused You know a man will not have his Love injured the abuse of his power of his wisdome greatness doth not touch a man so nearly as the abuse of his Love This is an injury men cannot indure So to speak after the manner of men Christ can least indure his Love should bee abused There is no abuse like it Therefore beware of it Now this Love of Christ is injured these wayes and beware 1. When wee slight the intreaties reject the tenders cast aside the offers and beseeches of his Love When love stoops to you when the mercy and goodness of Christ doth as it were come on its knees to you and intreats you to do this or not to do that And yet you will stop your ears pull back your shoulder slight the intreaties This is an abuse 2. When the Love of Christ doth slacken our hearts to duty loosen our ingagements makes us more remiss to or in service This is to abuse his Love Wee should reason from Mercy to Duty and not from Mercy to Liberty Abundance of Grace calls in for abundance of Duty The Love of Christ should constrain us as
it hath in Adherence Ask any who are weakest in Faith whether they would sell their part in Christ for a World whether they would deny Christ to gain a World and they will quickly answer it with an earnest Negative as Naboth did Ahab when hee would have bought of him his Vineyard 1 King 21.2 3. Whereas a temporizing Faith doth hold to Christ for want of a temptation as the Weather-cock that stands this way for want of another wind A true Faith though weak will hold to Christ out of Love nothing shall take it away in the midst of all temptations It is of the Nature of true Faith though never so weak to adhere and cleave to Christ Rom. 3.8 Thou hast but a little strength yet thou hast kept my Word and hast not denyed my name A little Strength a little Faith will hold to Christ will not give up Christ I say not but Gods people may fall and in some respect forsake Christ as Peter did But this may arise from the violence of temptation the strength of corruption which over-powers Faith It is as said of the Nature of Faith to cleave to Christ Well then to conclude with a word to them that are weak you that can clear this to your own hearts that You have Faith though it bee weak Bee not yee discouraged bee not troubled though it bee weak Consider 1. That the smallest degree of Faith is true is saving Faith as well as the greatest A sparkle of fire is as true fire as any is in the Element of fire A drop of water is as true water as any is in the Ocean So the least grain of Faith is as true Faith and as saving as the greatest Faith in the World 2. Though it bee weak yet it is a growing Faith As all the works so all the Graces of God begin in weakness The tallest Cedar was at first but a sprig The strongest Oak at first was an Acorn The greatest fire at first was a spark so the greatest measure of Faith at the first was but as a little seed It had a beginning Those things God intended not for growth hee made perfect at first as the Sun the Moon c. But those hee intended for growth hee at first makes imperfect as Men Beasts Plants c. Christ compares Faith to a grain of Mustard-seed Not to a stone but to a seed Stones are not capable of growth but seeds are Hee compares it to a Mustard-seed which though it bee the least of seeds yet grows up highest And such a seed is thy Faith Though it bee small though weak bee not discouraged the Mustard-seed will grow 3. The weakest Faith doth give the Soul Union with the strong Redeemer as well as the strongest The smallest measure of Faith if never so little if it bring but the soul over to Christ it ingrafts thee into him as well as the stronger makes thee a Member of this Body a Branch in this Vine 4. The weakest measure of Faith gives thee Communion with Christ as well as the strongest Wee know the least bud draws sap from the Root as well as the greatest bough so the weakest measure of Faith doth as truly ingraft thee into Christ and by that draw life from Christ as well as the strongest The weakest Faith hath communion with the Merits and Blood of Christ as well as the strongest hath communion with the Spirit of Christ the Graces of Christ as well as the strongest Though thou art weak Christ is strong His strength is thine as well as the strongest Thou art impure Christ is pure His Purity is thine as well as others Thou art ignorant Christ is wise His wisdome is thine Thus the soul hath a communion with Christ in all his Graces The least Faith marries the soul to Christ And where there is this union there is a communion also with all of Christ The least Faith ingrafts into Christ and being once ingrafted the soul draws sappe and spiritual life sense and motion from Christ 5. Aequè licet non aequaliter The weakest Faith hath as equal share in Gods Love as the strongest Wee are beloved in Christ And the least measure of Faith makes us members of Christ The least Faith hath equal right to the Promises as the strongest And therefore let not our souls bee troubled discouraged for weakness There is difference betwixt Want and Weakness canst thou clear this to thy soul That thou hast Faith though it bee a weak Faith Yet therein rejoyce and bee comforted The least Faith sets as wide a difference between thee and unbeleevers as is between Heaven and Hell And therefore study to bee thankful for the least degree of Faith if it bee true Faith Do not so much look as to over-look So look for more as to over-look what thou hast received Neglect not that Comfort your present Faith affords by reaching after more Now having thus laid down the Evidences of a weak Faith wee shall now proceed to lay down the Evidences of a strong Faith Now where there is a strong Faith there is 1. An high prizing of Christ which yet a weak Faith partakes of 1 Pet. 2.7 Unto you that beleeve hee is precious The soul doth rate and value Christ above all the Comforts and contentments Riches and Happiness in Heaven and Earth Thus you see David Psal 73. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none in the Earth that I esteem in comparison of thee Though hee esteemed of other things yet Christ was the first figure The estimate which his soul set on Christ did infinitly exceed the rate which hee set upon any thing besides Christ As Paul said They were all but drosse and dung in comparison with Christ The most excellent things were loss and vile in respect of Christ There are two things which make Christ precious to a man 1. The Knowledge of Christ 2. The Apprehension of our Interest in him 1. The Knowledge of Christ and that 1. Of the Want of Christ 2. Of the Worth of Christ 1. The Want of Christ When the soul apprehends the Necessity of Christ in respect of Pardon Purging Grace Glory When the soul sees hee is under the guilt of sin and stands in need of Christ for Justification Hee is under the filth of sin and stands in need of Christ for Sanctification Hee is under the power of sin and stands in need of Christ for the subduing and mortification of sin His person and performances are unclean and filthy and stands in need of Christ to wash and sprinkle him This makes Christ precious sets a rate upon Christ 2. The Knowledge of the Worth of Christ It is not the worth of things that makes things precious to us but our Knowledge of the worth of them What is it that doth commend the Jewel to the Lapidary but his knowledge of the worth of it By others that know it not it is not valued nor esteemed So that
evidences p. 293 1 Because evidences of this kinde are obscure full of ambiguity ibid. 2 Because they are unconstant and instable p. 294 Fetch your evidences from your Justification your interest in Christ in the Covenant These are 1 The clearest ibid. p. 295 2 The purest ibid. 3 The most satisfying p. 296 4 The most constant evidences p. 297 Third Use If it bee possible to do thus much and bee unsound then what care ought there to bee to clear the soundnesse of our spirits in our performances p. 298 First Clear the sincerity of your hearts in your performances in particular and that in three things 1 In your hearing p. 299 2 In your praying ibid. 3 In your mourning for sin ibid. First A sincere heart desires sincere preaching ibid. As 1 Hee desires to receive the truth of God p. 301 2 Hee is willing to receive every truth of God ibid. 3 Hee is willing to receive it as the truth of God ibid. But now an unsound spirit 1 Hee is not willing to receive the truth 2 Not every truth 3 Not as truth As not 1 For it self ibid. p. 302 2 Not to bee a King over them ibid. Thirdly Now an honest heart in hearing is such as 1 Hears the word as Gods word 2 Hee sides with the word of God against himself 3 Hee desires to profit by the word ibid. 4 Hee hears the word with reflection p. 303 Secondly To clear the sincerity of your hearts in matter of Prayer First Character First Where the heart is sincere in prayer there is a doing of the duty with all our strength ibid. Second Character There is no rest nor content to the soul till the heart bee wrought to the work p. 304 Third Character A heart sincere in Prayer doth thirst after communion with God in Prayer ibid. Object How shall a man know when hee hath communion with God in duty ibid. Answered p. 306 1 In general Thou meetest and hast communion with God in duty when God hath inabled thee to act grace in a duty ibid. 2 When the performance of a duty doth lead the soul into better freedome p. 307 Fourth Character A heart sincere in prayer doth rise up praying from prayer hee goes away with affection of and to prayer after the prayer is done ibid. p. 308 Fifth Character A heart sincere in prayer doth eye it self in prayer It is a heart that diligently observes it self in duty views all the workings of the soul and takes notice of all the imperfections of the soul in duty p. 308 309 Sixth Character A heart sincere in prayer is a praying heart p. 310 Object But you will say Then all our hearts are sincere for who is it that doth not desire the thing hee prayeth for Answered p. 310 1 Thou prayest for grace but thou dost not desire grace in the beauty and extent of it ibid. 2 Thou prayest for the subduing of thy lust but dost thou desire what thou prayest for p. 311 3 You pray for Heaven and one would think you did desire this but dost thou know what Heaven is when thou prayest for Heaven p. 312 Heaven not desirable to corrupt hearts in several particulars p. 313 Seventh Character A sincere heart in prayer doth not only desire but truly indeavour the thing prayed for p. 314 3 Part clears sincerity in matter of mourning ibid. Several Characters of true mourning p. 315 First Character A sincere mourning is a deep mourning ibid. Second Character A sincere mourning is an universal mourning ibid. Third Character A sincere mourning is a mourning for sin p. 317 Fourth Character Sincere mourning is proportionable and that in two things 1 Of the measure of sin ibid. 2 Of the merit of sin p. 318 Fifth Character Sincere mourning is a faithful mourning And that in three particulars p. 319 Sixth Character Sincere mourning is a filial mourning ibid. Which comes 1 From Gods love to the soul ibid. 2 From the love of the soul to God p. 321 Seventh Character Sincere mourning is a fruitful mourning and that in four particulars It is ibid. 1 Heart-humbling sorrow p. 322 2 Heart-fatning sorrow ibid. 3 Grace-strengthening sorrow ibid. 4 A divorcing sorrow ibid. Hypocrites mourning for sin in seven particulars p. 323 Clear sincerity in obedience in general illustrated in several Characters First Character Sincere obedience is universal obedience And that p. 324 1 In suffering as doing ibid. 2 In Relative commands as well as Absolute 3 In Affirmative as well as Negative p. 325 4 In the Spirit as well as in the Letter p. 326 Second Character Sincere obedience is such an obedience which doth 1 Come from a right spring p. 327 2 Is wrought by a right rule ibid. 3 In a right manner p. 328 4 To a right end ibid. Object It is also requisite to aime at Gods glory in every action Answered p. 329 Third Character Sincere obedience is fruitful obedience p. 330 Fourth Character Sincere obedience is filial obedience p. 331 In seven cases Children of God may bee cold in them p. 332 Second Use is an Use of Exhortation and that in four Branches First Branch Get a sincere heart p. 332 1 Motives 1 Because it sets a value on them p. 333 2 Distinguisheth our works from others Ibid. 3 Otherwise all are lost p. 334. 4 Sincerity is the chiefest thing God eyes in men Ibid. 5 Sincerity affords most comfort Ibid. 6 Sincerity fences the heart against Apostacy p. 335. Cure of Hypocrisy is 1 A difficult cure p. 336. 2 A painful cure p. 337 Means of cure 1 Convince thy heart of the evill of an unsound heart p. 338. 2 Consider there is a God p. 339 3 Thou must be new made p. 340. 4 Use Prayer Ibid. Rules for Preservatives Ibid. Uses that may be made of these Rules p. 341 Rules for clearing sincerity Ibid. 1 Make a through search Ibid. 2 Acquaint thy self with the most clear evidences p. 342 Objection But how shall I know what are those heart clearing evidences Answered p. 343 344. Second Rule is Take not up your evidences from the carriage of your spirits either when at best or at worst Ibid. and p. 445. 4 Rule Judge not thy sincerity by some particular acts p. 346 5. Rule Be careful to read your spirits p. 346. Five several times to read your spirits 1 In times of Darknesse p. 347 2 In times of Manifestation p. 348 3 In times of outward Distresse Ibid. 4 In times of Prosperity p. 349 5 In times of Danger Ibid. 4 Branch of Exhortation To declare the sincerity of the heart on all occasions p. 350 351. We are called to it 1 By God p. 352. 2 By our distressed brethren Ibid. 3 Our own Church and Nation Ibid. 4 Our Consciences Ibid. THE CONTENTS OF The wonderful workings of God FOR his Church and People EXOD. 15.11 Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the Gods Who is like thee glorious in holinesse
is a Soul-inriching-Grace It gives a man not only Title and interest into a Soul-inriching-God a Soul-inriching-Christ a Soul-inriching-Treasure but gives the soul the possession and injoymnet of all this By Faith wee possess God injoy God and by no other way but by Faith in Christ Though Faith be poor in it self the poorest Grace of all as having nothing of its own such a Grace as lives all upon anothers stock is fed with anothers food rich by anothers riches as the Apostle said of himself Hee was poor yet making many rich having nothing yet possessing all things so I may say of Faith Though it bee poor in it self yet it makes us rich doth inrich us with all the riches of Christ though it hath nothing in it self yet it possesses all things it possesseth Christ which is all Oh! If you bee rich in Faith you cannot bee poor in Grace Quantum credimus Tantum amamus Quantum credimus Tantum speramus Saith Aug. poor in Holiness Faith sanctifies So much Faith so much Grace so much Faith so much Love so much Faith so much Hope so much Faith so much Humility so much brokenness of spirit for sin so much Patience Zeal c. Never was it known a strong Beleever to bee a weak Christian So much Faith write down so much Grace Little in Faith and little in Grace little in love c. Grace is still proportionable to the measure and degrees of Faith like the fountain and the flood Hence Faith is called the Mother-Grace 2. Pet. 1.2 3. Grace and Peace bee multiplyed on you by the Knowledge of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By the acknowledgement that is by Faith The augmentation of Faith doth cause the multiplication of Grace not in the kinds only but in the degrees The more Faith in degrees the more Grace Grow in Faith and you grow in all Grace Decrease in Faith and all the Graces of God decrease in thee There is decay of Love of Joy of Patience The ground of all decayes is the decay of Faith Well then To draw to a conclusion of this you see Faith is an inriching-Grace 1. It inricheth the understanding with knowledge with heavenly wisdome which is better than gold It makes the Head a store-house of divine knowledge There is some Knowledge before Faith Scientia Principiorum the Knowledge of Principles But the best Knowledge is after Beleeving Wee beleeve and know saith John First beleeve and then know Crede ut intelligas beleeve that thou mayest understand Hence David Psal 119. Teach mee good Judgement for I have beleeved thy Word Not that I may beleeve but for I have beleeved Non possunt discere qui nolunt credere Addiscentem oportet credere Hence Augustine upon Heb. 4.2 The Word did not profit them because it was not mixt with Faith in them that heard it saith They cannot learn because they will not beleeve Hee that would learn must beleeve As Knowledge of things revealed goes before Faith so Faith goes before the exact understanding and clear apprehensions of them How shall a man bee able to understand these heavenly Mysteries in the Word all which are far above Reason The Mystery of the Trinity the Mystery of Christ in whom there is nothing but Mysteries His Person a Mystery his Nature his Works all Mysteries 1 Tim. 3.16 Without Controversy great is the Mystery of godliness God manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the World received up into Glory That hee should bee God-Man mortall and immortal That there should bee such greatness and such baseness such infiniteness and yet such finiteness in one person These are all Mysteries Hence Christ is called Isa 9.6 Wonderful because all is wonderfull in Christ hee is wonderful in his Person in his Nature in his offices in the managing of them A chain of wonders So the Creation a Mystery Resurrection a Mystery Christian Religion is nothing else but a bundle of holy Mysteries Which how shall any man understand until first hee beleeve Hee that seeks to know before hee beleeve shall never know The best way to know is to shut your eyes captivate Reason and Beleeve and then you shall see and know Thus you see Faith inricheth with Spiritual Knowledge 2. As Faith inriches the Understanding the Head with Knowledge so it inriches the Heart with Grace It makes the Heart a Treasury of divine and holy Graces The least of which are worth all the Riches of the World Divines set down four invaluable things 1. The Favour of God in Christ 2. The Souls of Men. 3. The Spirit 4. The Graces of the Spirit 1. The Favour of God That 's invaluable Psal 63.3 Thy loving kindness is better than Life And Life is the most precious thing a man hath in the World Skin for Skin and all a man hath will hee give for his life The Devil was right there Now Gods loving-kindness is better than Life 2. The Souls of Men. What will it profit a man to gain the whole World and lose his Soul Christ sets the gain of the whole World against the losse of one Soul Hee puts one Soul in one Balance and the whole World in another And one Soul weighs down all What will it profit its too light All that gain cannot make up this loss It is an incomparable loss because an irrecoverable loss once lost lost for ever There 's no recovery of a lost soul Though a man may lose other things yet may hee recover them again Man may lose Riches c. but not his Soul when once lost for want of beleeving 3. The third invaluable is the Spirit not to bee bought with silver or gold Hence Peter told Simon-Magus when hee would have bought the Spirit Thy mony perish with thee Thinkest thou the Gift of God may bee bought with mony 4. The Graces of the Spirit The least of which doth weigh down all the World The least grain of Grace of Love of Repentance of godly sorrow Humility is worth ten thousand Worlds Faith is more precious than gold saith Peter Now these are the Riches that Faith doth possess the Soul of the invaluable Riches of Grace Other Riches God deals out promiscuously and No man knows either love or hatred by any thing before him A man may do wickedly and prosper as it was said of Antiochus Epiphanes Dan. 8.24 â—5 These Riches Gods enemies do share in as well as his friends Nay and have often the greatest share the greatest portion Job 21.7 Jer. 12.1 Dives may have more wealth Saul more command Agrippa more gorgious apparel than the dearest of Gods Saints But now these are such Riches as God bestows upon none but Beleevers Abraham gave portions to the Sons of the Concubines and sent them away but unto Isaac hee gave all hee had Rex honores dignis Other Riches may bee taken away A man may bee rich to
it is sufficient to evidence a mans sincerity Indeed if a man had a Male in his flock and should offer to the Lord a female If â—â—ee had a better and should give God a worse If hee had strength and yet served the Lord with weakness this would declare the heart to bee unsound But when a mans strength is in the work though that strength bee but weakness yet it will evidence the sincerity of the heart And there is no reason that you should look upon those Prayers as cast as lost Prayers where your strength is in them When thou hast been with God and performed a duty although but weakly many imperfections in it much unbeleef much hardness much deadness and coldness yet if your strength have been in the duty you may rise up without confusion and shame upon this ground your strength hath been in it your heart doth not condemn you you are able to clear this to your spirit your strength hath been in the work But now such are here condemned and cast who have a Male in their flock and offer to the Lord a Female God curseth such Cursed c. Mal. 1.14 When you have strength and serve God with weakness when you will turn off God with your cold your lazy sleepy and formal devotions and will not take any pains with your own hearts in these holy works This discovers your spirits to bee unsound and false to God 2. Character Where the heart is sincere in Prayer there is no rest or content to the soul till the heart bee wrought into the work A sincere heart in Prayer is an heart-sincerity in Prayer not a tongue in Prayer not an head in Prayer but an heart in Prayer Prayer is not lip-work or head work but heart work And where the heart is sincere hee is not content till the heart bee in the work Hee is not content to bee down on his knees if his heart bee not up To have an hand in the work if his heart bee not also in it A sincere heart labours to get his heart into the work Hee prayes in prayer Jam. 5.17 There is an affective collation with the duty If hee confesseth sins hee desireth to get affections sutable to the confession of sin An heart wounded and broken under the sight and sense of sin If hee prayes for pardon hee labours to get an heart apprehensive of the want and also of the worth of mercy and seeks a mercy as a condemned man a pardon If hee pray for Grace or the subduing of lusts still hee labours to get an heart sutable to the things hee wants and that which hee doth desire It was the speech of Bradford that hee would never leave a duty till hee had brought his heart into the frame of the duty Hee would not leave confession of sin till his heart was broken for sin Hee would not leave petitioning for Grace till his heart was quickened in desire He would not leave gratulation till his heart was inlarged with the sense of the mercies he enjoyed and quickned in the return of praise But now an unsound heart if hee can but post over a duty If but say his prayers though hee have never laboured to get his heart into them yet he is well enough This is to draw neer with our lips when yet our hearts are far from God This is to offer God a bulk and carkass of duty without the life and spirit of duty and so it is abominable to God A body without a soul stinks so here your Confessions of sins are Commissions of sins Iterations of sins when your hearts are not sensible and affected with sinnes you confesse Hee that remembers sinne with delight doth commit the sinne again He that remembers sin without sorrow doth but revive his former guilt hee removes it not A man may displease a man as much with the Confession of a fault as in the Commission of the fault If a man had offended you and should come in a sleight way to confess his fault you would be more offended at him for his confession than for his fault So when you shall come before God and confess your sins without any compunction for your sinnes without any sense of sin or sorrow for it you do aggravate your sins and increase guilt instead of removing guilt from your souls An hard heart and a dry eye in the confession of sin is an aggravation of your sins 3. Character An heart sincere in Prayer doth thirst after Communion with God in Prayer If a duty leaves the soul on this side God unlesse it have carried the soul over to God and brought a man to some further Communion with him with his mercy his love his grace his Spirit the soul is not content with duty Others they make duty the end of duty prayer the end of prayer And therefore if they can but rid their hands of a duty though they had no communion with God in it yet they are well enough But now a sincere heart hee looks above a duty hee looks upon duty but as a bridge to convey him over to God as a means to bring God and his soul into neerer communion and if yee have not seen God and found God in a duty if his spirit hath not conversed with God as a Father as a friend as a child with his father as a man with his friend he hath no content in duty Obj. But you will say how shall a man know when he hath Communion with God in duty Answ For the answer of this I must first tell you that there is a great mistake among men and women of a tender spirit about this point that they think they have no communion with God unles they have met with God in an heart-chearing and an heart-comforting way when God comes in with joy with comfort with chearings and inlargements Then they are willing to grant you they have had communion with God But if God have come in in an heart breaking humbling and casting down their souls in the sight and sence of their sinnes and imperfections They do not think they have Communion with God And therefore I must tell you first in the general That you may have Communion with God as well in an heart humbling as an heart reviving an heart Comforting way In the life to come in heaven all our Communion with God is with Comfort with fulness of joy At his right hand is fulnesse c. Psal 16.11 with thee there is a fountain of joy Then all tears shall bee wiped away from our eyes But in this life on earth we have mixed communion and have communion with God as well in humblings as in comfortings You go upon a duty and you think to meet God one way and hee comes in another way Sometimes you expect God in a comforting and God comes in in a quickning way Sometimes thou expects God in an heart breaking way and God comes in in a comforting
his tears confesseth all his confessions and prayes over all his Prayers And hee makes up the want of a duty with sighs the imperfection of a duty with tears Assure you selves God is as much honoured in your mourning for imperfections of a duty as hee is by your most perfect performance of it Blushing in Gods account is perfect beauty When a soul can blush and bee ashamed for the blemishes which are in its spiritual beauty God looks upon this soul as beautiful This is all wee can do to desire and mourn to aime at the highest in our desires and to mourn when wee fall short of what wee desire A Christian is made up of these two things desires and mournings Desires Oh that my heart were directed Oh that I could beleeve more love more prize more Oh that I were more agreeable to Gods Nature and Will c. and then comes in mournings O miserable man that I am c. Oh that my heart should bee so hard my spirit so dead my soul so cold in holy exercises And here is sincerity yea and here is the utmost wee can reach when wee come unto the utmost wee can attain in this life Vintores non Comprehensores here wee are but travailers towards our home not yet at home in our way not come to our rest And wee may well say it with our fellow travellers while Augustine cryes out I hate that which I am Odi quod sum non sum quod amo c. and love and desire that which I am not Oh wretched man that I am in whom the Cross of Christ hath not yet eaten out the poisonous and bitâ—â—â— taste of the first tree Another hee saith Lord I see and yet am blinde I will and yet rebel I hate and yet I love I follow and yet I fall I press forward yet I faint I wrestle yet I halt Well then let us make up the want of our beauty with a blush the imperfections of our duties with sighs and tears and then cast them all into the arms of Christ for acceptance If you convey a duty to him with tears hee will present it to his Father with blood hee will sprinkle it with his own blood mingle it with his own merits perfume it with his own odors as you read Revel 8.4 Whatever is offered by the spirit of Christ shall bee presented with the merits of Christ and though never so weak in him it shall finde acceptance hee hath made us accepted in the beloved Hee hath life enough to mingle with a dead Prayer hee hath warmth enough to adde to a cold Prayer hee hath holiness sufficient to adde to a duty full of sin Though as they come from us our duties smell rank of the flesh of sin and corruption yet being mingled with his odours with his incense they shall smell sweet in the nostrils of God This is one part of Christs mediation to put life to dead Prayers to purchase acceptance for performances which are but mean If wee and our duties were perfect wee did not stand in need of a Mediator Christ would lose one part of his office And therefore when the duty is done shew the sincerity of your hearts in mourning for the imperfections and cast all into the arms of Christ and live by Faith in confidence of acceptance Who hath made us accepted in the beloved not our persons only but our Prayers too 6. Character A heart sincere in Prayer is a praying heart That is a heart carried out with desire of the thing it prayes for Prayer is nothing else but an exposition of the soul or the soul in paraphrase the soul expressed the inside of the soul turned outward It is said of Hanna's Prayer 1 Sam. 1.15 that shee poured forth her soul shee expressed what her soul desired shewed the desires of her soul True Prayer is an earnest and inlarged desire for the obtaining and injoying of the things wee pray for Object But you will say then all our hearts are sincere for who is it that doth not desire the things hee prayes for Answ But my Brethren give mee leave a liâ—tle and I shall shew you this is not so strange a thing as you seem to make it I shall shew you that it is possible for a man to pray and not desire the things hee prayes for I will evidence this unto you in these three great Requests 1. In the desire of Grace 2. In the desire of subduing lusts 3. In the desire of Heaven 1. Grace 1. Thou prayest for Grace but thou dost not desire Grace in the beauty and extent of it Thou mayest desire common Graces as many Parents for their Children God give them Grace say thâ—â— but by that they mean no more than common graces that they may bee honest no Whores no Theeves c. for if once God change them and work Grace indeed in them there is none more hatefull to them of all their Children than such are I have heard of a desperate wretch that when hee came to dye hee gave good portions to all his Children save one and to him hee would give no more but twelve pence and being demanded what was the reason hee made answer hee was a Puritan I have heard him say saith this wretch that hee had a Promise to live on let us now see whether a Promise will maintain him Thus you may desire Grace common and general grace as many desire for their Children but spiritual and saving grace thou canst not desire thou hast no heart to that You shall hear what St. Augustine said of himself in his confessions after his conversion I prayed saith hee in my unregeneracy that God would give mee grace Da mihi continentiam Noli mudo Lord saith hee give mee chastity but saith hee my heart said not yet Lord not yet For I feared lest God would too quickly hear mee and cure mee of my incontinency which I would rather have fulfilled than extinguished And by this you may take the measure of your own spirits try your selves read your own hearts Grace in the. the next time you go to prayer You Pray for grace but see if you bee willing to have grace first in the extent of Grace all grace 1 Extent would the covetous man bee liberal would the Drunkard bee sober would the unclean person bee chast would the Proud man bee humble the Contentious man bee peaceable otherwise thou desires not grace in the extent 2 Power 2 Would you have grace 1 In the power of grace to live precisely and exactly before God What not to yeild to a word to a thought of sinne alas this they account damnable preciseness this they cannot close withall Go thy way Pray as often as thou wilt for grace assure thy self thou dost not desire grace in the extent and power of it if thou favourest any one corruption if thou wilt not live exactly and precisely in
the world Thou wouldest think it no mercy if God should grant thee what thou prayest for Thou prayest for Faith but wouldest thou have it no such matter why faith purifies the heart faith sanctifies the soul it will not suffer one corruption one lust to bee in thy heart and now dost thou desire faith no such matter Assure your selves if at any time you desire grace it is not grace under a right notion of grace It is not grace in the extent of grace nor grace in the power of grace It is again not a spiritual but a naturall desire of grace thou desires it but in some present distresse it may be when thou lyest on thy death bed and seest there is no comming to heaven without it Thou cannot desire it for it self 2 Thou prayest for the subduing of thy lusts 2 In desire â—â— Power against lust and corruptions but dost thou desire what thou praiest for wouldst thou think it if God should answer thee to be a mercy I am confident that till thy heart bee changed thou wouldst think the answer of such a request no mercy Would the Drunkard think it a mercy to bee rid of his cups The Covetous man would hee think it a mercy to be rid of his Mammon of unrighteousnesse No there is no such matter I dare be bold to say there is not that lust which a wicked man would think it a mercy to be rid of Alas Thou dost not desire to be rid of thy lusts thou canst not live without them thou canst not subsist without them when thou dost pray against them thou dost but dissemble with God there is no such matter thou dost not desire it If at any time thou dost desire it it is when thou hast done with it or it is in a storm only and then not because thou hatest it Non sub inâ—uitu mali sed minoris boni but because thou darest not keep it as you know the Merchant casts away his goods not because hee judgeth them evil in themselves but because if hee keeps them he cannot preserve a greater good his life Hee doth not part with them out of hatred to them for he even throws over his heart with them but because hee sees the keeping of them cannot stand with his present safety for after the storm and danger is over hee would bee glad to get them again if he could There are many who thus part with their sinnes as the Merchant with his wares only in a storm when they lye on their sick beds or under some wrack of Conscience for fear of hell or as Jacob parted with Benjamin because otherwise hee should starve necessity drove him to it or as Phaltiel parted with Michal because otherwise hee should loose his head hee did not part with her out of hatred but out of fear the King sent for her and if hee had detained her it might have cost him his head therefore out of fear hee parted with her though hee wept after her 3 In desire of heaven Extrema Christianorum desiderantur quamvis non Exordia 3 You Pray for heaven and one would think you did desire this wee say the end of a Christian is desirable though not the beginning the rest though not the labour you see Balaam hee wished hee might dye the death of the righteous though he had no heart to live their lives So that one would think they did desire heaven But indeed as long as thy heart is corrupt and unregenerate thou dost not desire heaven if thou knowest what heaven is If a man should ask thee thou who sayest thou desirest heaven what dost thou think heaven is it would I think pose thee But it may bee thou wilt say thou conceives heaven to bee a place of pleasure and delight a place free from all miseries and troubles and the like For this is the utmost heaven thou canst desire Thou lookest on it and desires it A place free from paenal not from sinful evils as a place of peace and rest not of grace and holiness If I should now tell thee that heaven is to be rid of all thy lusts and corruptions I beleive heaven would not be so desirable to thee Thou desirest heaven but t is under a false notion a heaven suitable to thy self and that 's the least of heaven I have told you not long agoe abstract and take from heaven what a corrupt heart doth see and think to bee heaven and that 's heaven indeed to a godly man To what I have said of another subject I will now adde this That didst thou know the company of heaven Heaven not desirable to corrupt hearts for its 1 Company the imployments of heaven the injoyments of heaven thou canst never desire heaven thy heart being corrupt 1 The company of heaven shall I tell you there 's none of your mind there And it is no great happiness to bee in such a place where they are all of different minds from you Two cannot walk together saith the Prophet they cannot-live together take delight together unless they bee agreed Now there is no agreement between the company of Heaven and thy spirit as it is corrupt See what the company of Heaven is enquire what they are First There is God and do you think there is any agreement betwixt God and you why hee is holy and thou art unholy hee is pure thou art impure c. and without holiness no man can see God Secondly There is Christ there are the glorious Angels all these are thine enemies as thou art in a natural condition Thirdly There are the blessed Saints and those are such as thou hast despised such as thou hast persecuted here in the World such as thou couldest never indure upon Earth but flye from and avoid is this company desireable in Heaven no such matter If they bee now hatefull to thee while they have something of thy self in them they have corruptions in them as well as thou though not under the power of them as thou Oh how hateful would they be when these corruptions are removed when they are better and thou worse But what 's this to torment thee in comparison of the presence of God in them is but the spark of holiness in God those eternal fires of holiness and if the spark bee a torment what is the fire As the Prophet speaks Who shall dwell with everlasting fires 2. Look upon the imployments of Heaven 2 Imployment and see if those bee desireable to thee in thy natural estate There is keeping of an eternal Sabbath there is praising and glorifying God to all eternity and would not this bee a tedious thing to thee canst thou indure to praise God for ever when now a staff of a Psalm is burdensome to keep an eternal Sabbath when a duty is tedious to thee 3. Adde to this the injoyments of Heaven 3. For its injoyments and here I can name nothing
which thou wouldest think it a mercy to injoy Them wee branch into four particulars 1. Shall I say you shall injoy God there 1. God who though happiness to a gracious heart yet a torment to a corrupt spirit I have read of the Irish Earth that no venemous creature can indure to live upon it that if a man should make a circle of Irish Earth and put a little English Earth in the midst of it for a center if a Toad or any venemous Creature were upon the English Earth it would dye there rather than come upon the Irish ground I tell thee the Irish Earth will better brook a Toad than Heaven a sinner or a sinner Heaven 2. You shall injoy freedome from sin never sin more 2. Freedome from sin Not to sin is here our Law hereafter it shall bee our Nature And is this a mercy to bee rid of sin sin which is meat and drink now what can the Drunkard be willing to be rid of his cups the unclean person of his Dalilah the covetous man of his bags can hee think an eternall divorce from such things hee loves so dear a mercy 3. You shall injoy perfection of Grace to bee swallowed up with holiness 4. An eternal Sabbath And these are things which certainly a corrupt heart doth not desire And so you see it is possible for a man to pray for those things which hee hath no desire were granted Therefore the Character is firm that it is the sign of a sincere heart in prayer when hee doth truly desire the thing prayed for And thus much for the sixth Character 7. Character The seventh and last A sincere heart in Prayer doth not only desire but truly indeavour the compassing of the thing prayed for Oculum ad sidus manum ad clavum As the wise Mariner hee hath not only an eye to the Star but his hand also upon the Helm or as the Plow-men of Sparta they had one hand up to Ceres whom they feigned the Goddesse of Corn and the other upon the stilts of the Plow they joyned plowing with praying So here a sincere heart hee doth not only pray lift up his heart to Heaven but hee puts also his hand to the work to compasse what hee prayes for doth hee pray for pardon of sin hee labours to get his Faith more strengthened in assurance of pardon Desires hee subduing of corruption hee makes use of Christ c. Desires hee grace hee is carefull in the use of all means c. Psal 5. I will direct my Prayer and look up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The words are very emphatical there are two military words used in that place the first to set or put an Army in array So hee would order his Prayers and then hee would look up and stand sentinel Gods power and grace must not exempt us from the use of the means but make us more diligent in the use of all means to have our desires accomplished Exod. 17. Wee read that Joshuahs sword and Moses prayer were to go together if the sword had gone out without Prayer if they had fought and had not prayed they had not prevailed for God will not bee neglected if the Prayer had gone up and the Sword had not gone out had they prayed and not fought they had not had successe for God will not bee tempted but both these went together and then Gods blessing was on them So here should wee indeavour and not pray wee can look for no good wee go out in our own strength and cannot prevail and should wee pray and not indeavour wee may expect the same successe God will neither bee tempted nor neglected But if wee joyn them both together if the hand back the heart indeavours second our desires wee may expect Gods blessing on us This is the last Character A sincere heart is conscionable in the use of all means for the accomplishing the things prayed for 3. Part. Clear sincerity in matter of mourning There is yet a third Particular wherein to clear the sincerity of your hearts and that is in matter or mourning I told you that it was possible for a man not only to pray but to seem to mourn too and yet his heart bee unsound You read of the Israelites they did not only pray but they joyned fasting to prayer as you see in the next words to my Text but more plainly Zach. 7.5 When yee fasted and mourned in the fifth Month did you at all fast to mee saith the Lord There was fasting and mourning joyned to fasting yet hearts unsound There is false mournings as well as true Crocodile tears false tears as well as false prayers And therefore it behoves us to try the sincerity of our hearts in mourning for sin Wee will lay down these Characters of it 1. Character Characters of sincere mourning A sincere mourning is a deep mourning a sad and serious sorrow for sin Such a sorrow as doth deeply affect the heart with the thoughts and apprehensions of the burthen and bitterness of sin A sincere mourner hath sad and deep apprehensions of the nature demerit and filthiness of sin he looks upon sin as an offence against a just a pure a holy God as the breach of a pure a holy and an eternal Law as a wounding and crucifying of Christ as a grieving and sadding of the spirit of Grace as a wounding and undoing his own soul for ever Which deep and inward thoughts of the nature of sin work deep and inward mourning for sin The heart is wounded the soul humbled and grieved his spirit melted and peirced within him for sin which hee hath committed against God It is not his tongue only that repents in expressing and confessing his eyes in weeping but his heart in deep and inward mournings for sin Another may make more noise more cryings roarings howlings but his sorrow is more inward more secret more still and yet more deep As you know the deepest waters run the stillest so the deepest sorrow makes least noise So that is the first a sincere mourning is a deep mourning An Hypocrite his mournings are but shallow mournings hee hath but shallow and fleeting thoughts of the nature and demerit of sin hee may say with Pharaoh I have sinned or cry out in a strait Lord have mercy upon mee or hang down his head like a bulrush for a day or roar upon the present rack of trouble for a time but he never hath any deep and serious thoughts of sin as sin His prayers are howlings and his mournings are roarings Gods people they mourn like Doves wicked men they bellow like Bulls under the apprehension of sin 2. Character A sincere mourning is an universal mourning hee mourns for all sins A sincere mourning is an universal mourning hee mourns for all sins As hee hates all small and great so hee mourns for all yea for such sins is his heart affected which another mans light doth