come not in company with them yet if you must then rebuke them for any among their great friends kindred or any other by whom perhaps they have great gain to bear with swearing blaspheming deriding at religion or other vain communications plainly argues a great slavish fear to have possessed them Secondly another Cause of this may be an impotent love that is your love to God proves weak or lame There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear because fear hath torment Thirdly Unskilfulness in the Doctrine of self-denyal may prove a great Cause of this decay Whosoever doth not take up his Cross and follow me cannot be my Disciple behold I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall befal me there save that the holy Ghost witnesseth in every City saying bonds and afflictions abide me but none of these things move me neither count I my life dear to my self so I may finish my course with joy Fourthly A doubtful mind of Gods All-sufficiency and certainty to make up what damage may come through our care to his name and credit both in this life and that to come Gods All sufficiency is never so seen as in the time of greatest scarcity or under the highest straits Then stand still and see the salvation of the Lord and as Gods sufficiency is never so seen as then in like manner he is never so obliged as then When persons are suffering through his grace for his name-sake They shall lay their hands on you and persecute you and bring you before Rulers for my names-sake but I will give you a mouth and wisdome which all your adversaries shall not be able to gain-say Luke 21. 12. 13. CHAP. XVII Shewing that sinning through impatience under Offences is a certain mark of deep decay with Objections and Answers proving the degrees of anger and three Causes why Christians are impatient unto sin SIGN XVII VVHen at a small offence you are so impatient that you commit great sin It is not possible to live without offences giving or taking real or seeming and such is mans frailty in common that even under small provocations they are apt to yield to too deep an impression But for better understanding it may be necessary to make some Observation upon this Sign First As to the meaning of small Offences Secondly As to the kind of impatience here intended First By small Offences is meant either small with respect to the little occasion that is given perhaps but seemingly or if real yet so slender as it would be wisdome to wink at it and but folly to be moved by it Secondly Small as coming from the smallest occasions viz. earthly an error of life as to the things of heaven though small being that that is greater by many degrees than some error that may arise from the things of this life which by God are called the smallest matters A Christian may be easily read more or less strong or spiritual as he is more or less affected with the offences that this life minister to him Whereas there is envyings debate and strife among you are ye not carnal and walk as men 1 Cor. 3. 2. Now the kind of impatience here intended is for offences to be so moved or inraged as to run beyond the bounds of Gods alowance Be angry but sin not let not the Sun go down upon your wrath Intimating a great aptness in persons when provoked to be so inraged as to continue and boyl in wrath seeking for revenge contrary to Gods counsel Be in malice as Children Object But it may be Objected whether an allowance of anger or impatience under provocation may not be Answ There is anger in good part and in bad part so to take offence or be angry or impatient as to thirst after personal revenge or requital surely is not good He that is so angry with his brother shall be in danger of Judgment for in their anger they slew a man and in their wrath they digged down a Wall cursed be their anger for it was fierce Gen. 49. 6 7. Here Impatience is taken in ill part and by Christians to be abhorred and avoyded it being not of that kind Exod. 32. 19. And Moses anger waxed hot full of zealous and sore displeasure not simply against their person but against their sin Thus God is said to be angry with his people when by their sins they provoke him Numb 11. 10. But Impatience and anger in ill part is such as runs out to the breaking the hedge of Government running into cursing swearing tumults fighting or brawling Object 2. But it may be again Objected that the Sign it self seems to give an allowance of great anger or impatience under great Offences for it saith When at a small offence you are so impatient that you commit great sin Answ Doubtless under great Offences greater displeasure may be manifested but let the growing heaven-born Christian set up his standard here that at no offence small or great he may dare at any hand to break down the wall in a word Be angry and sin not Ephes 4. 26. By this means we make our quarrel Gods whose vengeance is and he will righteously repay otherwise that is when impatience carries us into the path of sinning we make the quarrel our own and take Gods work from him and so incur his displeasure upon us The good Lord give in wisdome and strength to Christians here under all provocations whether great or smal in Church or Family from friend or enemy that they let patience have its perfect work rather to the suffering any wrong than committing the least sin how like our Head the Lord Jesus would this declare us to be Who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth yet when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered threatned not took it most meekly and committed himself to him that judgeth righteously Object 3. But it may be objected again whether by this Superiours as Governours Parents or Masters may or not be angry with their Inferiours Answ Yes and correct them to but it must be as their drinking was in Esthers time according to the Law of Gods allowance Read for our rule in this case and let us live and die by it Nehem. 5. 6 7 9. And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words then I rebuked the Nobles and Rulers saying It is not good that you do ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the Heathen our enemies O let Christians make this their rule under all provocations to keep within the fear of God because of the reproach of the Adversary yea let your provocation be what it will or from whom it will friend or enemy child or servant them that have most cause or least cause still remember and keep to this it is better ten thousand times ten thousand patiently to suffer than impatiently to
this Service for us with no less price than his precious blood the smalness of our desert to procure this together with the high priviledges it signifies us heirs unto Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on as that we should be called or accounted the Sons of God who was before without Christ c. But now made nigh through the blood of Christ How should this provoke our fervent love to him to be crying out with the Spouse in the Canticles My beloved is fair and ruddy the chiefest among ten thousand Certainly my friends were our hearts truly spiritual we could not chuse but see singular desert in Jesus Christ calling for the greatest of our love in a holy affection to the in joying of him and making us prefer our communion with him in this service before all things that in this world may challenge our dearest respect It must needs therefore follow that want of love makes way for small offences to keep us from Christs Table I shall leave this to consideration and pass to the Seventh Sign of a dying Christian CHAP. VII Shewing the great decay to Christianity when mindless to Prayer with a plain discovery of the Necessity Excellency Le ts and Helps to Prayer in sixteen particulars SIGN VII VVHen you have no great mind to Prayer When a Christian is mindless of this bosome blessed intimate service of Prayer which is a drawing nigh to and talking with the great Lord God Almighty here is then ground enough to conclude his state and his decay very great Now in Prayer there is considerable First The Necessity of Prayer Secondly The Excellency of Prayer Thirdly Le ts to Prayer Fourthly Helps to Prayer First The necessity of Prayer appears from the command of God 1 Thes 5. 7. Pray without ceasing Col. 4. 21. Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving 1 Phil. 4. 6. Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God Secondly It appears from example 1 Sam. 12. 23. God forbid that I should sin in ceasing to pray for you Psal 55. 27. Evening and morning and at noon will I pray Dan. 6. 10. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was sign'd he went into his house and kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did at other times Thirdly The Necessity appears from the importunity that goeth along with prayer Luke 22. 44. And being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly Luke 6. 12. And it came to pass in those dayes that he went into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God Acts 12. 5. Peter therefore was kept in Prison but prayer was made without ceasing of the Church to God for him Luke 11. 8 9. I say to you though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth Secondly The Excellency of Prayer appears in this First It ingageth Gods strength Secondly It holds with holy reverence Gods hands Thirdly In no condition we can be barred from it For the first Exod. 17. 11. And it came to pass when Moses held up his hands Israel prevailed and when he let down his hands the Amalekites prevailed Josh 10. 12 13 14. Then spake Joshua or prayed to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the Children of Israel and he said in the sight of Israel Sun stand thou still upon Gibeon and thou Moon upon the Valley of Jaalon and the Sun stood still and the Moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies and there was no day like that before it or after it that the Lord hearkned to the prayer of a man for the Lord fought for Israel Secondly Prayers Excellency appears in this it holds with holy reverence Gods hands Exod. 32. 9 10 11 12. And the Lord said to Moses I have seen this people and behold it is a stiff-necked people Now therefore let me alone that I may destroy them and I will make of thee a great Nation And Moses besought the Lord saying Lord why doth thy wrath wax hot turn I pray thee and repent of this evil against them Numb 14. 11 22. And the Lord said to Moses how long will this people provoke me and how long will it be ere they believe me now therefore let me alone that I may destroy them Thirdly Prayers Excellency appears in that in no condition we can be barred from it Daniel in the Lyons Den Chap. 6. Jonah in the Whales Belly Chap. 1. 2. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God out of the Fishes Belly and said I cryed by reason of my affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of Hell cryed I and thou heardest my voyce so Paul and Silas in prison prayed and sang praises to God and the prisoners heard them Now we come to Le ts to prayer i. e. what hinders Prayer from prevailing with God First presumption in an unreverent adventuring before the Lord 2 Chron. 14. and 20. 33. c. For as yet the people had not prepared their heart unto the God of their Fathers therefore thus will I do unto thee O Israel and because I will do this unto thee prepare to meet thy God O Israel Amos 4. 12. A second Let or hinderence to Prayer is wandering thoughts Jer. 4. 14. O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou maist be saved how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee Therefore take no thought saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewith shall we be cloathed but seek ye first the Kingdome of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you Mat. 6. 32 33. The third Let to Prayer is bosome sin or pleasant delight in some secret lust Psal 66. 8. If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear me Josh 7. 8 9 10 11. The Lord saith to Joshua get thee up wherefore lyest thou thus upon thy face Israel hath sinned they have also transgressed my covenant which I have commanded them for they have taken of the accursed thing and have also stolen and dissembled and they have put it also among their own stuff therefore they could not stand before their Enemies but turned their backs This good man Joshua in Chap. 10. 12. at another time is so prevalent at Prayer that the Sun and Moon stands still yet now in his seventh Chapter because there is some bosome sin in the Camp he cannot prevail till this is removed A fourth Let is want of reconciliation to brethren Mat. 23. 23 24. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift before the Altar and first go and be
and we will make our abode with him John 14. 23. CHAP. XX. Shewing the heart very bad when under faults it cannot bear plain dealing with three Causes of this badness SIGN XX. VVHen you love least those Brethren that deal most faithfully with you in the opening your soars and tendering your Remedies It is a strong evidence of a bad Spirit when persons come to this pass either they must be unsensible of their bad state or else willing to continne in it through a hardned heart but may be easily discerned in a Church either by their itching at most plain soul-searching Doctrine or their estrangedness to the most zealous spiritual Brethren and if there be a luke-warm Christian in the Church a thousand to one but he is most of their society they may also be known by this they are greatest strangers to the difficultest duties 't is hard to bring them to early duties and as hard to hold them at late services in a word you may have their company but it must be at services most easie when some outward credit may accrue to them by their profession then none shall seem more apt and active than themselves and God that best knows this greatly abhors this and will chastise such Chruches as are not careful to remove and will also in due time make such persons by one means or other so manifest that he that runs may read them but as there are such that will not like them that deal faithfully with them even so there are some that out of personal respect to such and for fear to lose their favour will not tell them so nakedly of their sores but in love to their persons speak faintly of their sins and so hate their souls In shew these are a mans greatest friends but in truth his greatest enemies witness the false Prophets 1 Kings 22. 6. Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battel or shall I forbear and they said go up for the Lord hath delivered it to thy hand And when a Prophet of the Lord one Micaiah is called for vers 13. They would fain have seduced him to speak good words as they called it that is pleasant promises though they were lyes Thus we may see the property of false Prophets that for an angel will cry up a person as if he were almost an Angel it was even so in Jeremiahs time chap. 8. They have healed the hurt of the Daughter of my people slightly crying peace peace when there was no peace When God would not nor righteously could not speak peace but war because of their misdoings yet these false Prophets make promises of peace to them though in their sins that as God by the Prophet Ezekiel complains Chap. 13. Sow pillows under arm-holes for pieces of bread handfuls of barly Sparing what he would have destroyed and destroying what he would have spared it is a very great Judgment upon a Church or people to have such amongst them as will speak peace to any out of the way of peace it is as bad a judgment upon those persons that love not those that speak war to them when their impenitency speaks the same yet of such the Apostle St. Paul complains Gal. 4. 15 16. Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth Doubtless these Galathians speaks in their hearts as much as others speak of the Prophet Amos Chap. 10. who say The land is not able to bear his words once this same Church could have pulled out their eyes if it had been possible to have done this same Apostle good Now counts him their enemy for telling them the truth But I shall briefly speak of two or three Causes of this Decay which being avoyded may serve as so many Remedies against this dying Sign First A first Cause is shaking hands again with our old sins falling in love with what once we loathed very burthensome to Israel was Moses when once they began to grow affected with the Fish the Cucumbers and the Mellons that they had in Egypt not only then good plain dealing Moses comes out of request but even Gods Manna though Angels food Numb 11. 5 6. We remember the Fish which we did eat in Egypt freely the Cucumbers and the Mellons and the Leeks and the Onyons and Garlick but now our soul is dryed away and there is nothing at all besides this Manna before our eyes and this we loath as light bread chap. 21. But Secondly a second Cause may be this a losing the relish we once had to heavenly things Jer. 2. 23. Iremember thee the kindness of thy youth the love of thine espousals when thou wentest after me in the Wilderness in a Land that was not sown then thou wast holiness to the Lord and the first fruits of his increase but now be astonished Oh heavens at this and be horribly affraid yea very desolate saith the Lord for my people have forsaken the Fountain of living waters and hewn out to themselves broken Cisterns that can hold no water But I have a few things against thee because thou hast left thy first love Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen or else I will come and remove thy Candlestick except thou repent Revel 2. 11. Thirdly A third Cause may be this a too too much complying with the friendship of this World which in its latitude is enmity with God Gal. 5. 7. Ye did run well who did hinder you or as the margin reads drive you back that you should not obey the truth or hold on your way This perswasion comes not of him that calleth you If any come to me and hate not his Father and his Mother Wife Children Brothers Sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple Luke 14. 26. Demas hath forsaken me and hath imbraced this present World Read and consider CHAP. XXI Proving the condition of the rich as well as the poor to be a condition of trouble and that whether it be common or more than ordinary to be answerable in prayer with a discription of the different kinds of trouble with profitable Objections answered SIGN XXI VVHen under more than ordnary trouble afflictions or straits you are not more than ordnary in Prayer For the opening of this Sign First what is meant by troubles it is something that in it self is not nor cannot be pleasant But something that opposeth and withstandeth the desire and delight of the mind and therefore in Scripture called a burthen Cast thy burthen upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee were trouble a matter of pleasure and profit in it self there would not be that proper need of prayer and calling for help from one that is stronger So that as the word is universal in an ordinary case it takes in those cares fears and sorrows in common that we are dayly incident to Job 5. 6 7. Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward That is it is as natural for man to meet with
lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed So Rom. 1. 21 28. Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient For this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness Now such fore judgments as these are come upon and procured by many who turn the grace of God into wantonness professing to be most spiritual live as the almost most carnal little minding because greatly ignorant of those spiritual causes they may run into to the bringing upon themselves such spiritual judgments or sicknesses and afflictions as these And indeed how comes it to pass that such afflictions are not feared before they come to the provoking such to walk so as may prevent their coming but ignorance of the Scripture they not conversing often with them to the well informing themselves what judgments may come on their minds and what are the Causes God assigns of their coming so as to be in trembling and dread continually to the keeping themselves out of that channel where such bitter waters runs Again there are outward sicknesses and afflictions and they are such as these Deut. 28. 58 59 60. If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this Law that are written in this Book that thou maist fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord thy God Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful and the plagues of thy seed even great plagues and of long continuance sore sicknesses and of long continuance Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt which thou was afraid of and they shall cleave unto thee Levit. 26. 15 16. If ye shall despise my Statutes or if your soul shall abhor my judgments that you will not do them but that you break my Covenant I also will do this to you I will even appoint over you Terror Consumption and the burning Ague that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart and ye shall sow your seed in vain for your Enemies shall eat it But I shall speak fully to the Causes of Affliction in the Twenty second Sign and therefore proceed no further here but come to the second Calamity that Scripture Ignorance brings Secondly That your uneven walking with God may bring upon your selves death before its time This Particular is proved thus Long life promised to the obedient Exod. 20. 12. Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy dayes may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Also Deut. 32. 46 47. Set your hearts to all the words which I testifie among you this day command them your Children for it is not in vain because that through this thing mark that ye shall prolong your dayes in the Land whither ye go over into Jordan to possess it This is also proved by the contrary which comes upon the disobedient Deut. 11. 16 17. Take heed to your selves that your heart be not deceived and ye turn aside and serve other Gods and then the Lords wrath be kindled against you and ye perish quickly from off the good Land which the Lord giveth you Eccles 8. 13. But it shall not be well with the wicked neither shall he prolong his dayes which are as a shadow because he feareth not before God So Chap. 7. 17. Be not over much wicked neither be thou foolish why shouldst thou die before thy time Thirdly By means of Scripture Ignorance you cannot know to ask in faith the things you want for soul or body that is you will not know where to be absolute or positive in your asking and whereto be submissive and conditional in your asking Now the Scripture gives directions as to the putting up Petitions to God and men may easily err by not observing them Gen. 32. 26. And he said to wit the Angel Let me go for the day breaeth and he answered to wit Jacob I will not Let thee go except thou bless me So Exod. 32. 12. Wherefore should the Egyptians say for mischief did he bring them out to slay them in the Mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth Turn from thy fierce wrath and repent of this evil against thy people So Acts 12. 5. Peter therefore was kept in prison but prayer was made without ceasing unto God for him By these Scriptures we may observe that to be conditional or indifferent in our asking when God may be dishonoured by denying is not good therefore in this case may a man coming in Gods way be bold to ask pardon of his sins peace to his conscience power over his corruptions without condition in such case Gracious and humble resolutions to have no denial greatly liketh God and suits with his will Isa 62. 6 7. I have set Watchmen upon thy walls O Jerusalem which shall never hold their peace day nor night you that make mention of the Lord keep not silence till he establish and make Jerusalem a praise in the earth But observe in all cases Petitions putting up must not thus be framed Acts 21. 14. And when he would not be perswaded we ceased saying the will of the Lord be done So Rom. 1. 9 10 For God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son that without ceasing I make mention alwayes of you in my prayers making request if by any means I might now at length have a prosperous journey by the will of God mark that to come to you So Jam. 4 15. For that ye ought to say if the Lord will we shall live and do this or that I shall leave this to consideration and proceed to the fourth Calamity Fourthly Negligence to Reading and Meditation will make you ignorant wherein you may prevent the presence and comforts of Gods holy Spirit that is that God may either take away his spirit from striving with you or you away from his spirit My spirit shall not alwayes strive Gen. 6. 3. 1 Sam. 16. 14. But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him Psal 51. 7. Take not thy holy spirit from me Neh. 9. 30. Yet many years didst thou for bear them and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy Prophets yet would they not give ear Therefore gavest thou them into the hands of the people of the Land But they rebelled and vexed his holy spirit therefore was he turned to be their enemy and fought against them By these Scriptures we may see that the holy Spirits company may be put away from us through ungracious