will make with the house of Israel I write my lawes in their hearts and they shall not need to be taught Men must know God and beleeve in the Lord. Now as the Lord requires this as the condition of the covenant so the Lord will work this in them as he requires this of them Iohn 1.12 the text saith To them that beleeve he gave them power to be the sonnes of God Now if a man will beleeve he shall be saved Now then hee makes a man beleeve that he may be a sonne This is the second passage whereby the soule of a sinner comes to be cheered or that there is not onely abundance of sufficiency in the Lord Jesus Christ but that mercy as it is able to doe him good so it will make him partaker of the good The third particular is this That as mercy hath all good and will make us partakers of what it hath so also it will dispose of us and of that it bestoweth upon us Mercy will not onely have a sinner but it will rule and order that grace it hath bestowed upon the soule For if mercy purchase a soule at so high a rate as the blood of the Lord Jesus it is right that the soule purchased by grace and supplyed with grace that mercy should dispose it for the honour of God You are not your owne saith the Apostle but bought with a price therefore you must glorifie the Lord in body and soule Nay it is not onely right that mercy should doe it but reason and beneficiall to the soule that mercy should doe thus Nay I say unlesse that mercy should rule a man he had not beene able to give full content to the soule If the Lord should leave any poore soule to the destiny of his owne heart and the malice of Satan hee would runne to ruine presently he is not able to supply his owne wants and to dispose of his owne spirit and employ aright his owne soule For if Adam in his innocency had a stocke in his owne hands fell and perished then if mercy should put a man into the same estate that Adam was a man should bring himselfe into the same misery that Adam was brought into but there is that fulnesse of that mercy that is in Christ that it wil bestow all good needfull for me so also it will dispose of that good in me so that Satan shall never prevaile the world shall never overcome nor my corruptions beare sway in me but the Lord shall rule me for ever and this is the fulnesse of Gods mercy Gather up the point then that we may see what wee must learne There is sufficiency in mercy to supply all wants nay there is ability in mercy to communicate that it hath and we stand in need of Nay mercy will preserve us and that it giveth to us against all oppositions that can befall thee This is the lesson that the soule must learne that it may be able in some measure to see the way and learne the path that leadeth to everlasting happinesse This is the first lesson that the soule must learne of God the Father Vset For the use of this Is this the lesson the soule must learne then looke wisely upon it and when this comes upon thee and sorrow assailes thee heavily doe not looke into the blacke booke of conscience and thinke there to finde supply neither looke into the booke of the privileges and performances and thinke to finde power out of thy owne sufficiency Looke not on thy sinnes to pore upon them whereby thou shalt be discouraged neither look into thy owne sufficiency thinking thereby to procure any thing to thy selfe These are but lessons of the lower forme It is true thou must see thy sinnes and sorrow for them but this is for the lower forme and thou must get this lesson beforehand and when thou hast gotten this lesson of contrition and humiliation looke onely to Gods mercy and the riches of his grace and be sure as you take out this lesson take it not out by halves for then you wrong mercy and your selves too if you thinke that bare workes will serve and that is all No no mercy will rule you therefore take all the lesson out and then the heart will be cheered and thy soule in some measure enabled to come on to the Lord and will see some glimpses of consolation from the Spirit Quest 2 We see the lesson what must be learned now we must see the reason why the Lord must teach this lesson Answ I answer It is not appropriated to the Father alone for the Father teaches not alone but the Sonne and the holy Ghost teach too But why then doth the Text give it to the Father Here I answer directly because the Father was directly offended with the sinne of man 1 Iohn 1.7 If wee sinne wee have an advocate with the Father namely the Lord Jesus Christ to plead for us with the Father He doth not say wee take an advocate with an advocate that doth not plead with himselfe the reason is God the Father was directly offended though all the persons in the Trinity were offended yet the Father more directly Now he that is directly offended favour and mercy must come from him to the party that doth offend and that is the reason why Christ especially cast this upon the Father Take a creditor that hath money or creditors that are bankrupts now this is no meanes to helpe and succour these men but it lyeth upon the creditor that oweth the debt for he onely it is must come to forgive the debts for it is here God the Father being directly offended by the sonne of man therefore from him in the first place must proceed the pardon and mercy to the sonne of man Hence it comes to passe that the text saith the Father must teach this lesson Quest 3 The third question is this After what manner doth the Lord teach the soule Christ speakes now of the worke of the Spirit and that you may not be mistaken know this that the worke of the Spirit doth alwayes goe with and is communicated by the word therefore if the question be After what manner doth God teach the soule to spell out this lecture of mercy and pardon Answ I answer brieflâ— The Lord teacheth the soule by his Spirit I told you that before that not only the Father but the Sonne and holy Ghost also teacheth the Father from himselfe the Son from the Father and the holy Ghost from both Therefore understand what I say the Spirit of the Lord doth not onely in the generall make known Gods mercy but doth in particular with strength of evidence present to the broken hearted sinner the right of the freenesse of Gods grace to the soule nay it holds those speciall considerations to the heart and prefenâ—eth the heart with them not onely so but in the second place the Spirit doth forcibly soke in the reâ—â—ish of that grace
honourable let him be what he will be and let his parts be what they will if he hath not the Spirit hee is none of Christs his you are to whom you obey but pride and covetousnesse you obey and malice and spleene you obey you are therefore none of Christs Pride will say This heart is mine Lord I have domineered over it and I will torment it Corruptions will say Wee have owned this soule and wee will damne it You that heretofore have made a tush at the word this wind shakes no corne and these words breake no bones thinke what you have done little do you think you have opposed the Spirit Acts 7.5 what resist the Spirit Oh thinke of this Why what shall I say by what spirit wilt thou be sanctified by what spirit wilt thou be saved Can thy owne spirit save thee no the Spirit of God must save thee and have you resisted that Spirit me thinks it is enough to sinke any soule under heaven Hereafter therefore thinke this with thy selfe were hee but a man that speakes yet I ought not to despise him but that is not all there goeth Gods Spirit with the word and shall I despise it the Lord keepe me from this there is but one step betweene this and that unpardonable sinne against the holy Ghost onely adding malice to thy rage thou opposest thy Father haply the Son mediates for thee thou despisest the Sonne haply the holy Ghost pleads for the but if thou opposest the Spirit none can succour thee therefore looke to it Vse 3 Direction Hence we may observe the ground why many of Gods faithfull people understand not that they have the Spirit of God nor yet the increase of it they looke not to the promise by which it is conveyed but to corruption by which it is hindred you listen not to the verdict of the Gospell Let every one ask this great question How may I know when the Spirit is in me That you know it not the fault is your owne look into the word It is with a poore soule as with little children the childe in the night being hungry seekes for the dug but if he doth not lay hold of it he gets no good bâ— it so thou hast been a long time musling about a dry chip and hast got no comfort Be sure therefore to lay hold upon the promise hold it and thy spirit shall be filled with marrow and fatnesse If there be marrow in a bone thou must breake it before thou canst get any out So it is with the promises they are full of sweetnesse but you must chew them breake them and bestow thy heart on them An Alchimist that distils oyle doth draw out the spirit of metalls but it is by distillation so it is with the promises they are excellent metall there is a great deale of comfort in them but if you will have benefit by them you must distill them by meditation Obt. I but some soules may say We have done thus often but yet returne as emptie as before Answ I answer You should have staid longer upon the promise it must not bee at your carving and disposing in reason a man must swallow his pills and eat his cordials but wee should doe the contrarie we should chew the promises and that is done by meditating on them but we swallow the precious promises of Christ that should comfort us therefore chew them if you desire comfort over and over againe eat these daily and you shall finde much comfort and consolation therein and benefit thereby Vse 4 Terrour we may see the hopelesse condition of those men that live under the Gospell and their hearts are not wrought upon them If the Spirit of God and the Gospell of God will not worke upon thee if thou hast the eye of a man about thee thou maist see thy wofull and lamentable condition If a bungling servant cannot tell how to hew a peece of wood for a building it is no marvell but if it be such a peece that the master Carpenter cannot make it fit for the building then it is good for nothing but to be burned So it is here with the soule if the Spirit of God can doe thee no good who can if we a companie of bunglers cannot doe it no marvell but if our master Christ if he takes a stubborne sturdie heart in hand and cannot doe it it is fit to bee damned Is not that man miserably ignorant that wisedome it selfe cannot make wise is not he sicke of sinne whom the Gospell cannot cure 1 Cor. 4.3 I desire those whose conscience to this day accuse them that yet they are blinde and those that brave it out and say Shall I feare the face of a man no no I scorne it I beseech you let me deale with you doe not brave it out so for it is the greatest miserie under the Sunne for thou dost as good as to say thou wilt not have the word of God to worke upon thee Iames 1.21 The word of God is able to save thee and to sanctifie thee and art thou yet polluted and defiled Oh take heed of it goe and be moue thy soule to the Lord and say Good Lord such a drunkard thou hast met with such a proud heart thou hast humbled and such a stubborne heart thou hast pluckt upon his knees and if drunkards be humbled if the ignorant be instructed then what a cursed heart have I that was loose and vile and base and profane before and so I am now I tell thee what can you thinke of your selves if the Spirit goe with the word and thou mocke at it thy condition is lamentable Vse 5 Exhortation Then you are to be intreated in the bowels of our Lord Jesus Christ when ever you heare the word of the Lord and the Gospell of God you must come trembling and submit to that good word Exod. 23. When ever the word of the Lord is revealed the Spirit of God blessed for ever is there accompanying of it therefore good reason the creature should submit to the Creator Wee speake not a word for our selves we preach the good word of the Lord and how ever our selves have spoken this if you oppose it know it that it is the Lords word therefore when you heare the word doe what you will with us onely submit to the word of the Lord doe what you please with us as Ieremy saith onely embrace the word of the Lord. It is Gods word therefore take heed of opposing and gainsaying it labour to awe your soules to settle all distempers wipe out all carping and cavilling at the word as they presse in upon thee Obt. But how shall we bring our soules to doe this Answ By considering these two or three meanes Labour not onely to have thy soule convicted that the holy Ghost is there accompanying the word as it doth or else how could it reveale thy sinnes but also perswade thy heart that it is so apprehend the power
of those gracious promises which God hath made to poore humbled sinners Now if we be not able to cast the sense and meaning of the promise it is like an uncertaine sound though the witnesse bee good and plaine yet I cannot be comforted thereby 2 Cor. 6.16 17. This is the language of the Spirit Now let a poore humble hearted soule come and lay his heart levell to the promise one saith it is true if it were so with mee then God would be my God that promise is made to them that touch no uncleane thing but I am defiled with sins and abominations and carried aside by them therefore no share in this promise Now the meaning of the testimony is mistaken the witnesse is as good as can be and will cast the cause on your side but you understand not the meaning of the witnesse therefore we will spell the words what is it to touch no uncleane thing it is not to bee lightly acquainted with it therefore art thou content to sue out a bill of divorce to all thy sins how ever heretofore thou wert married to them yet now thou art resolved to bed with them no more art thou contented God should make knowne what ever is amisse in thy soule and subdue every distemper that is the meaning of the promise and if it be thus with thee the promise belongs to thee Meanes 4 Labour to keepe the promise by you for ever and have a readie recourse thereunto upon all occasions forget not the promise be not a stranger to it be not unacquainted be not unaccustomed to have daily trading with the promise which is so profitable to us Prov. 3.3 marke what counsell God gives by wisdome Let not mercy and truth forsake thee mercy and truth will forsake a man Satan would plucke them away but suffer them not saith the Text to depart from thy soule Iob 22.21 so the originall hath it have a daily intercourse to the promise meditate therein and muse thereupon see thou looke a ready way and have recourse to the Lord upon all occasions Motive 1 To perswade us to use these meanes is this because this most concernes our good if a man had all the good things the world could afford and his hearts desire if he had friends to respect him wealth to enrich him and honour to promote him yet if the Lord should send this heavie Message into his conscience God will curse those blessings and dam thy soule and person that newes from heaven of Gods indignation would take away the sweetnesse of all the comforts of this life but had a man good tidings from heaven were the Lord pleased to give notice of his love and mercie in Jesus Christ it would support us in whatsoever miseries or troubles should befall us nay when our owne hearts and consciences tell us hard tidings these evils thou hast committed and they will be thy plague and for this thou shalt be damned and frie in hell this is ill newes but this will beare up a mans heart if hee can but looke up to heaven and take good tidings and notice of Gods favour this will joy and refresh a mans soule Motive 2 As this most concernes us so Satan is most cunning to deprive us of the same if hee can stop any intelligence and take away any evidence of Gods love and mercie to the soule this is that Satan labours for for if the heart gets evidence this way and have notice under the hand of the Spirit what love what joy what power and vertue will be in the soule what courage and undauntednesse will be in the heart to walke in the wayes of godlinesse then learne from the Devill himselfe he labours to keepe from you what will doe you most good therefore be you as carefull to get this notice of Gods love to your soules from the Spirit in the promise as Satan is to hinder you from the same Vse 3 Instruction Hence I conclude that the poorest humbled sinner of the meanâ—st capacity doth know more of spirituall truths concerning grace and salvation and Gods love in Christ than the most wise and learned in the world that are not humbled In a word take the meanest Saint that ever breathed on the earth and the greatest scholler for outward parts and learning and reach and policie the meanest ignorant soule that is almost a naturall foole that soule knowes and understands more of grace and mercy in Christ than all the wisest and learnedst in the world than all the greatest schollers and most pompous Cardinals these were never humbled How doe I conclude this why thus if Gods spirit onely give notice of this favor to the humble then all other bee their parts what they will bee God doth not informe them the humble are informed they not instructed therefore the other know not what they cannot conceive As suppose one dull blocke and a quicke wit are both set to one trade yet if the dullard had an expert master and did beat into him the skill of the trade and the quicke spirit was with a master that could not teach him his trade wee see that the dull blocke is more wise in his trade than the other so it is here they have the Lord for their master Vse 4 To shew us the certainty of the assurance of faith if the spirit of God gives notice and certifie a thing it must needs be certaine and hence it is that the assurance of faith must needs bee infallible and undeniable in those that have it I ground it thus That which commeth from the notice of the spirit is most undeniable but the assurance thereof commeth from the notice of the spirit that faith is most undeniable hence commeth those triumphs I know my Redeemer liveth I am perswaded that neither height nor depth c. shall be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ The worke of God upon the understanding we have spoken of at large now wee come to the worke of God upon the affections as the understanding apprehendeth the truth of the promise so the heart looketh at the goodnesse of the promise Now therefore the Lord he must teach all the affections to come unto the promise and the first affection that commeth next in order is the affection of hope Doctrine The Doctrine is this The holy Spirit of the Father doth stir the heart of an humbled and inlightned sinner to hope for the goodnesse of the Lord The Lord calleth all the affections come joy come desire come love but the first voyce is to hope only observe this passage it must come from a heart humbled and inlightned for nothing commeth to the heart to be affected but onely by the head and understanding therefore before the soule can hope the heart must bee humbled and inlightned humbled in regard of preparation and inlightned in regard of the certification of Gods goodnesse Secondly it must be stirred up to doe it the spirit
or the creature wait Acts 1.9 wilt thou now restore the kingdome to Israel it is not for you to know the times and the seasons as who should say hands off meddle with that you have to doe withall it is for you to wait it is for you to expect mercie it is not for you to know so I would have you to doe when you begin to wrangle and to say how long Lord when Lord and why not now Lord and why not I Lord why checke thy owne heart and say it is not for me to know it is for me to be humble and to be abased and to wait for mercy but it is not for me to know the time Thus much concerning Hope Now followeth next Desire JOHN 6.45 Every one that hath heard and learned of the Father commeth unto me c. IN this great worke of vocation there are two things considerable First the call on Gods part by the preaching of the Gospell Secondly the gracious answer to Gods call Now as all the soule departed from God so it must bee all brought backe againe to God Therefore first the understanding is enlightned and that gives notice to the soule that mercy is intended towards it then hope expects that mercy and then desire wanders about from ordinance to ordinance and longs for that mercy Doctrine The Doctrine then which ariseth hence is this that The Spirit of the Lord quickens the desire of an humble and inlightned sinner to long for the riches of his mercy in Christ For the right conceiving of this Doctrine three passages are to be understood First that this desire is in the heart humbled and inlightned if either of these two be wanting this desire cannot grow there Secondly this desire is quickned by the Spirit for though the soule bee humbled and made nothing and be content to be at Gods disposall yet it is not able through any principle of life which it hath of it selfe to bee carried to any such supernaturall worke as this desire is therefore the Spirit must quicken and move the heart thus humbled and inlightned to long for the riches of Gods mercy and this desire is called the lifting up of the heart after the good it wants As the Infant cannot go without the hand of the Father so a poore sinner in himselfe considered is as an Infant and not able to lift up himselfe to this desire any further than the Lord inables him by his grace and spirit The bowle is fit to runne yet it can runne no longer than the strength of the hand sticks upon it So the humble in lightned soule is fit to come to Christ yet it will not nay it cannot stir further than the hand of the Spirit moves it Note Let every poore broken hearted sinner take notice of it for this will informe you of a strange kinde of truth remember this you must not thinke to bring desire with you to the promise but receive desire from the promise It is a vaine thing to thinke that if the oares be in the boat the boat must needs goe indeed the oare will move the boat but the hand of the Ferri-man must first move the oare The soule is like the oare and unlesse the hand of the Spirit moves our desire it cannot move towards the Lord. Lastly the Doctrine saith the spirit quickens up the heart to long for the riches of Gods mercy the desires of the wicked are flashy lazy and feeble and come to nothing But even as the longing desire of a woman with childe will not leave her till her life doth leave her so the desires which the promise workes will never leave the soule till it be possessed of the thing it desires Our Saviour saith Matth. 12.20 A bruised reed shall he not breake and that smoaking flax shall hee not quench Now wee all know that flax will not smoake unlesse the sparkles come to it but when the sparkles have taken the flax then it doth smoake and will not leave till it come to a flame The soule is like the flax and it will never smoake in desire towards the Lord till the Lord by his Spirit in the promise doth strike fire upon it the Lord must first strike fire by the promise upon the soule before it can ever flame in a desire towards the Lord and when it doth once smoake in a holy desire the Lord will not let it faile before he brings it to a perfect flame and before it bee possessed of Christ and mercy which it longs for Reason The reason of this order of Gods worke why desire comes next after hope is this because desire is that other affection which serves the great commandresse of the soule the will for these affections are as hand-maids to serve the will The will saith I will have this or that good and therefore hope wait you for it and desire long you after it Hope is the furthest and greatest reach of the soule for when the soule is doubting and quarrelling and saith will the Lord doe good to such an unworthy wretch as I am yes saith the mind inlightned mercy is intended towards thee then hope goeth out to wait and looke for this mercy Now when the soule hath waited a long time and yet this mercy comes not and he marvels at it and saith the Lord hath said the weary soule shall bee refreshed Oh where are all those precious promises then the will sends out desire to meet with that good which will not yet come and so desire goeth wandring from one ordinance to another till it bring Christ home to the soule As a gentleman doth when he expects some noble personage hee sends out a man to wait in such a place and bring him word whether he seeth him or no afterwards when he returnes and saith he seeth him not the gentleman sends out another messenger to meet him afarre off and so likewise to bring him and give him entertainment So it is with the soule of a poore sinner in this case Quest. Now how doth the Lord by that promise quicken up this desire Ans I answer the cordials that God lets in and the motives that make the soule wander towards God are three or thus There are three speciall considerations of good in the promise that doe effectually worke upon the heart to bring desires after Motive 1 First there is a peculiar good in the promise that is sutable to all the wants of the soule there is a salve for every sore Esay 61.1.2 Art thou a dead soule goe to the promise there is quickning for thee Art thou a weake soule goe to the promise there is grace to make thee strong Art thou a damned lost soule goe to the promise there is salvation to save thee Art thou a polluted soule goe to the promise there is grace to purge thee Doe you see your sinnes and feele the burthen of them Oh away to the promise there is abundance of comfort in
another poore heart cheared yet thy unfaithfull heart is like a barren heath no good shall come to thee in it there is no mercy nor consolation for that soule in all the meanes that God continues and vouchsafes this is the maine cause of all the inconveniences that come upon us that after all the meanes continued and multiplied there is almost no good at all done every family is 〈◊〉 a barren heath there is no good comes to such a childe nor to such a servant they are all infidels I doe not meane Pagans but unbeleevers and they receive not that mercy which Christ offers nay it is just that it should bee so that thou shouldst never get good though all the Angels from heaven should come and reveale Gods minde and though all the Devils should come from hell to terrifie thee because unbeleefe drawes away thy heart and pluckes away the soule and makes the power of the truth not to prevaile with it so that when the Lord would come in upon the heart unbeleefe pulls away the heart from the truth of God Rom. 11.20 The Iewes were broken off because of unbeleefe they were cut off from bâ—ing Gods people and from enjoying the meanes of grace that when the Lord would lay hold upon a poore soule unbeleefe plucks the soule from the word that it may turne from it Quest But some will say if unbeleefe makes all meanes unprofitable then an unbeleever should use no meanes at all Answ I answer Yes use all the meanes as may be because the word may take away thy unbeleefe and as thou usest all meanes so labour to have thy heart subdued and overmastered the word tampers thy tongue and thy fingers but looke thou up to the Lord and say Good Lord let thy word be powerfull to come in upon my heart and to take away my unbeleefe Thirdly it is unbeleefe that maintaines all sinne in the heart of a sinner in the strength and power of it so much as may be in this case unbeleefe is the mother of all corruptions and breeds many it nurseth and nourisheth them so that they are fat and well liking and they come up marvellous well that 's the meaning of the Apostles phrase 2 Thess 3.2 That we may be delivered from the hands of unreasonable and absurd men how came they to bee so because all men have not faith that is he that wants faith will never want him and he that wants faith will ever be unreasonable and absurd drunkennesse stares men in the face and out-faces the officers and contempt of God and prophanation of the Lords day and the world carries all before them as if they were the only commanders of the world what 's the reason of it all men have not faith they doe not beleeve the word of God that condemneth those sinnes and which would direct them to cast away those sinnes and therefore they goe on with marvellous violence let the word of God come in publike or private they make nothing of all these but they will have their owne wayes I use to call unbeleefe the protectour of the estate of corruption as it is with some lower states and princes as in the Low-countries and in Germany they are not able to subsist of themselves and therefore they are in league with some other that they may be protected by them and receive succour from them and if they defend them they hope to make their parts good with any so this unbeleefe maintaines any sinne good in its rank and state indeed restraining grace may curbe corruption and keepe in the distempers of the heart but there is nothing that can kill corruption but onely the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of his grace Rom. 8.2 The law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed mee from the law of sinne and of death sinne sets up a law and rules in the heart as you shall finde it in your owne hearts pride saith you shall bee proud there is a soveraigne rule and a tyranicall authority which pride expresseth in the heart now the Spirit of the Lord Iesus sets up another law and there is more commanding power in that than in the corruption of the soule and the law of the Spirit taketh away the power of sinne that would prevaile against a poore sinner the law of meeknesse in Christ takes away the law of anger in the heart and the law of patience in Christ takes away the law of impatience and the law of courage takes away the law of cowardize and the law of chastity takes a way the power of uncleannesse so that there is no sinne can be subdued but by the power of Christ and the work of his Spirit now unbeleefe keepes the heart wholly from Christ therefore it can receive no good from Christ and from hence it is that all sinne is maintained in the soule in the full vigour of it there is no unbeleever in all the world but he hath all sinne strongly in him and not one sinne that ever was slaine it is strange to see when unbeleefe previles but a little in the heart of a poore Saint how all other sinnes put out their heads and shew themselves a maine as Luke 22.32 Simon Simon Satan hath desired to sift thee as wheat but I have prayed that thy faith faile thee not Sathan laboured to shake the hold of Peters faith and thereupon many corruptions were expressed in his life because Peter did faile and did not beleeve that which Christ had said to him so soone as unbeleefe prevailes then false-heartednesse exprest it selfe and he presently denied his master and then base cowardlinesse sayes I know not the man and his want of reverence to the name of God discovers it selfe for hee fals to sweare that he knew him not and there was self-love in all these thus you see when a man will not beleeve every corruption breakes forth and that amaine and this unbeleefe will fat all corruptions in the soule and all cursed distempers and makes them fat and well-liking as it is of faith in the spirituall man so it is of flesh in the corrupt man 1 Pet. 2.11 The flesh lusteth against the soule there is a kinde of armour of the flesh and of corruption as well as the armour of the Spirit which procures comfort to the soule sinne hath its armour as well as grace now looke as it is in the spirituall armour of a Christian faith is a shield a shield defends not only the body but all the armour of the body so faith it defends not onely the body but the soule and all the graces of the soule so it is also with this infidelity in regard of a mans corrupt nature corruption it is maintained by infidelity as by a shield it is the shield of a mans corruptions as faith is the shield of the spirituall man I confesse that reformation and the meanes thereof out of the ordinances
I was in heaven and yet because I have no faith I am now cast downe to hell it is thus much when the Lord lets in a glimpse of the exelencie of the grace of faith and the glory of heaven and the sweetnesse of the pardon of all the sinnes of the faithfull and the Lord lets in a glimpse of all these which goes home to the top of the affections and will that the Lord by a spirituall kinde of flash suddenly passeth by the will so that he leaves some kinde of dew and some remembrance of those glorious things which are thus let in upon the minde of a poore sinner insomuch that his heart is marvellously tickled and ravished with it I expresse it thus as it is with the water in a standing poole and the water that runneth through a pipe the standing water soakes and goes down-ward and settles inwardly in the earth but the water that passeth by suddenly leaves only a little dew behinde it but soakes not at all so it is with this temporary beleever the streame of the heavenly truths of the Doctrine of Christ passeth by suddenly as namely that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and that Christ came to take away the iniquitie of his servant this doth passe by suddenly and leaves a little dew behinde it so that he saith Oh this is good this is sweet I may be saved too may I not Oh I never heard a man speake so comfortably this word bedewes the heart a little but it soakes not downe it goes not to the root of the soule therefore observe it this is a work which the hypocrite may have only observe thus much he sips of grace and salvation and makes a meale of his corruptions but the gracious man onely sips of his corruptions and makes a meale of grace of holines mercy in Christ Looke as it is with seed that is cast into the wombe of a woman the seed is enough to beget some fruit but if the wombe be a miscarrying wombe it comes to nothing so it is betweene the stirring of the Word in the heart of a poore Saint and in the heart of an Hypocrite the Spirit of the Lord workes in the heart of a Hypocrite by the Word and is able to moysten him but the heart miscarries in the worke and resists and gainsayes and never comes to any good hee never comes to bee a faithfull man rightly proportioned whereas the same Spirit of God working rightly upon the heart of a beleever it makes him a very proportionable Christian the other remaining but a confused lumpe Now see what this man may doe when he comes to this let him bee thus bedewed with this taste of the excellency of faith and never have faith strengthned and rooted in him yet hee will bee very eager in the pursuit of the Word and marvellous constant in attending upon the Word because it is his delight and hee will bee marvellous painfull to get the Word for a man will doe any thing to get his delight and he may bee angry with such as would hinder him in the pursuit of the Gospell which is his delight this a man may doe and yet all come to nothing and so may perish everlastingly for looke what joy and delight will doe for a push the same a carnall temporary may doe But that this man will doe all this it is plaine of this kinde was Balaam that wretched man of whom you may see divers passages in the 23. 24. chapters of Numbers hee was a witch as Divines hold and hee was going to curse the people of God but the Lord stopt him and how did he it why he let him see the excellency of the condition of the Saints of God and said Oh thou wretched man loe there and behold the happy condition of my people and see all the good that I have given them and wilt thou curse those that I love so dearly Now see how he was taken up with it Oh that I might die the death of the righteous this was a glimpse of the glory that was let in upon him to stop him and to awe his heart yet hee returned to his old byas againe the third Scripture is in Matthew 25.8 I know Interpreters vary in it but I will be bold to suggest what I thinke the five foolish virgins said give us of your oyle for our lampes are gone out they had lamps but no oyle how could they kindle their lamps except they had oyle they had a little oyle in their lampes but none in their vessels their lampes was their excellent and glorious profession and the oyle which they had was nothing but the taste of the heavenly gift they had so much stirring of the will and affections as might carry them on to professe the truth but they had not oyle in their vessels which might sink downe into their hearts to subdue their corruptions and to quicken up their grace they had not this power to frame their hearts strongly towards the Lord and to feed their profession with constancy and perseverance to the end so that you see what hee can say for himselfe and me thinkes he speakes marvellous probably The Lord bee mercifull to us if a man goe thus farre and come to nothing it is wonderfull he is farre beyond the judicious professor Oh saith he I had a rellish of the sweetnesse of the good Word of God and a taste of the heavenly gift and my heart was ravished with the sight of the glory of it and I could even have gone to Heaven now you see the best of him But now secondly what is the falsenesse of this man and wherein is his failing and why where he falls short of faith and what it is that would make him an honest man Now the second thing is this that notwithstanding the sudden push of this man hee will wither and will turne his backe upon the truth and commonly he is an enemy to that truth to which his love was carried and which was his chiefe delight and this hee doth upon these two grounds commonly First when he seâ—th the bitternesse and misery and affliction and vexation that accompanies the Word hee is weary of the Word rather than he will beare those afflictions that doe accompany the Word he will follow our Saviour no longer than prosperity follow him for he will rather forsake Christ than to forgoe these hee was made a professour all upon a sudden and hee receives the Word suddenly with joy when hee heares of the glorious grace and mercy of God he faith Oh that Jesus Christ should come from Heaven to save sinners and to wait upon poore drunkards and adulterers and vilde wretches Oh sweet and admirable mercy saith hee and so all upon a sudden he turnes Christian and Professour but if afflictions and trouble come for the truth then hee turnes off all Christ and truth and his profession and all Oh saith he
145 2 You must labour to be much acquainted with the precious promises of God p. 146 3 You must maintaine in the heart a deepe and serious acknowledgement of that supreme authoritie of the Lord to doe what hee will and how hee will according unto his owne good pleasure p. 148 Doctrine VI. The Spirit of the Lord quickneth the desire of an humble and enlightned sinner to long for the riches of his mercy in Christ p. 150 The reason why desire commeth next in order and the manner how God the Father doth quicken up the desires of the soule to long for mercy are p. 152 Use I. It is an use of strong consolation to stay the hearts of poore sinners in the midst of their infirmities canst thou but finde thy smoking desire thy condition is then good p. 156. The signes of sound desires are these three 1 Signe of a sound desire is this that as the desire is so the endevour will be p. 157 2 Signe of a sound desire is this he that truly desires mercy and grace desireth Christ for himselfe 158. 3 Signe of a sound desire is this the soule that truly desires mercy is ready to receive it with thankfulnesse and will entertaine the meanes and messenger that may bring home Christ and mercy to his soule p. 159 Use II. It is of reproofe to all them that yet have not these true and sincere desires after grace and salvation wrought in them p. 160 There are three sorts and rankes of professours and hypocrites whose desires are unsound the Lazy Hypocrite Stage Hypocrite Terrified Hypocrite p. 161 There are foure sorts of lazy professors and lazy Hypocrites that are void of these sound and sincere hopes 1 Sort of lazy Hypocrites are such who when they enjoy the means of salvation yet they esteeme not thy blessing they prize not the meanes p. 164 2 Sort of lazy Hypocrites are such who when God hath taken away and deprived them of the ordinary meanes of grace and salvation they are well contented to be without the same they sit downe very well satisfied p. 166 3 Sort of lazy Hypocrites are such who when they have the meanes of grace and salvation are content to use them and if they want the meanes will seeke out for them but yet are not carefull to prevent those inconveniences which hinder them by receiving benefit from the meanes p. 168 4 Sort of lazy Hypocrites are those who though they heare the duties commanded yet they neglect all duties commands p. 169 There are two sorts of stage Hypocrites that are void of these sound and sincere desires p. 172 The first sort of stage Hypocrites are such as will take up so much of Christ and the Gospell as may stand with their credit and with their estate p. 173 The second sort of stage Hypocrites are such that will use all Gods ordinances but will part with nothing and will suffer nothing for the Lord Iesus p. 175 The third sort that are void of sound and sincere desires are the terrified Hypocrites p. 177 The signes of a terrified Hypocrite are two 1 He will be lingering and hankering after some corruption p. 178 2 The terrified Hypocrite he will slight and slubber over small sinnes and small corruptions p. 178 How farre this terrified Hypocrite will goe and what he may doe vid. p. 179 Use III. Is of Exhortation wherein you are intreated in the bowels of the Lord Iesus to long and desire after the Lord Iesus Christ p. 191 Means I. The Means are foure the first is this be acquainted thorowly with thy owne necessities and wants with that nothingnesse and emptinesse in thy selfe p. 192 Means II. The second is consider the necessitie after grace and goodnesse it is no matter of complement and indifferencie p. 197 Means III. The third is labour to spread forth the excellencie of all the beautie and surpassing glory that is in the promises of God p. 198 Means IV. The fourth is thou must know that it is not in thy power to bring thy heart to desire grace p. 199 Doctrine VII The Spirit of the Lord kindles in an humbled heart and inlightned sinner love and joy to entertaine and rejoyce in the riches of his mercy p. 205 The opening of the Doctrine consists in 3. passages Passage I. Is this that this love and joy is no where else to be found but in an heart humbled and inlightned p. 205 Passage II. Is this that the love and joy is enkindled by the Spirit of the Father p. 206. Passage III. Is this that the love and joy being kindled they may entertaine and rejoyce in the riches of Gods mercy p. 207 Reason I. Of the point is this because that love and joy doe follow desire p. 209 The Spirit of the Father doth enkindle the love and joy in these three particulars p. 217 Particular I. Is this God the Father by the Spirit doth let in some sweetnesse and rellish of his love into the soule that doth warme the heart p. 221 Particular II. Is this that the freenesse of Gods love doth enkindle a love in the soule p. 222 Particular III. Is this that as the sweetnesse did warme it the freenesse kindles it so the greatnesse of the sweetnesse of this love doth set the soule in a flame p. 224 Use I. It is an use of instruction to enforme you that there is no sufficiencie in a naturall heart to be carried to the Lord Iesus Christ or to the worke of grace p. 226 Use II. Iâ— is an use of consolation to stay and refresh the hearts of those that have received the gracious worke p. 233 Use III. It is an use of triall to examine your selves whether your love and joy be sound true and sincere and how it doth differ from the fained wilde and hypocriticall love in the world p. 237 The soundnesse of true love from counterfeit Hypocriticall love appeareth in these five trialls Triall I. Is this observe the root and rise of thy love ibid. Triall II. Is this observe if thou entertainest thy Saviour as a Saviour that is as a King p. 242 Triall III. Is this thou must observe if thou labourest to give contentment to Christ p. 244 Triall IV. Observe whether thy heart doth rejoyce to see the happinesse of the thing you love p. 251 Triall V. Is this it is the nature of true love to covet nearer union with the thing beloved p. 254 Use IV. It is of repose to all those upon whom this worke of love and joy in Christ was never wrought p. 261 Most men have not this love to God but hatred against him p. 263 The persons that doe not love the Lord Iesus Christ they are referred to three ranks p. 266 Sort I. Are such as are open enemeis to Christ and who these are are largely described in p. 267 Sort II. Are those glozing Neuters that halt betweene two opinions p. 273 Sort III. Are those fawning Hypocrites that are faire
deed there must be something else or the sinner will be at a stand and cannot come on cheerfully and receive the grace offered him therefore besides the meanes wee have the speciall cause expressed which is the Lord. For when a man hath heard that is one thing but that is not all for the principall cause is the Lord. God the Father alone can buckle the heart to receive the grace appointed and the mercy offered to the soule and without the principall cause all other meanes I meane the Ministers of the Gospell although it be a savour of life unto life yet it may be a savour of death unto death unlesse the Spirit of the Lord goes with it For when the Gospell is onely revealed to the understanding and that onely conceives of the letter thereof and it soakes not and sinkes not into the heart this we call an outward calling that is the phrase of Divines when some light flash is imparted and communicated unto the soule and is not set on sufficiently that is an outward calling But when God the Father doth accompany the dispensation of the Gospell with the powerfull operation of the Spirit and it puts its hand to the key of the Gospell and unlockes a blinde minde and a hard heart there the soule learnes throughly and effectually the way of salvation The Text saith there must not onely be hearing but learning of the Father else the soule will not nor cannot come Now before I can collect the severall passages out of the words there is some difficulty and obscurity in the phrase therefore give me leave as I am able to discover the meaning and sense of the words and then the collection will be cleere First for the explication of the phrase and I will discourse four questions unto you which will be usefull for the cleere explication of the Text. 4. Questions First what the lesson is that a man must learne before he come Secondly why the Father is said to teach and not the Sonne nor the holy Ghost Thirdly what is the manner how the Father doth teach the soule when he will call it home to himselfe Fourthly what is the frame and disposition of the soule how doth the heart behave it selfe when it hath in truth learned the lesson When the Lord will propound unto and learne the soules of his that belong to him you must not thinke the truth tedious because they will give us light into all the truth that shall bee hereafter discussed out of the word Quest 1 He that hath heard and learned of the Father what is the lesson that he must learne before hee can come that after he hath learned this lesson he may be able to see the path of salvation as propounded to him so also neere at hand that hee might walk therein and receive comfort thereby Answ For answer hereunto the lesson that the soule must learne is this namely the fulnesse of the mercy and grace and salvation that God the Father hath provided and also offered to the poore humbled sinner in and through the Lord Jesus Christ which in deed is able to doe that for a poore sinner which all the meanes and things in the world could not doe and yet notwithstanding he needs I have heretofore discussed the poore miserable plight which a sinner hath brought himselfe into by his manifold rebellions There is no helpe no hope of himselfe in what hee hath or doth to releeve and succour himselfe and therefore he fals flat at the footstoole of the Almighty and is content to be at his disposing Now the lesson that the soule must learne is the fulnesse greatnesse and freenesse of the perfect salvation which is brought unto us through the Lord Jesus Christ And that we may not learne this lesson by halfes but fully and perfectly and that your minds may conceive of the same give me leave to lay it out fully because it will be profitable for our ensuing discourse and this lesson discovers it selfe in three things as in three lines as I may so terme it The first is this that the soule may learne there is enough sufficiency in the mercy of God to fill up all the empty chinkes of the soule and supply all the wants that a sinner hath and releeve him in all those necessities that either doe or can befall him this is the condition of every sonne of man since the fall of Adam that there is not onely a great deale of weaknesse in the soule but there is a great deale of wants and emptinesse in the soule Now this is the fulnesse of the mercy of God that whatsoever our weaknesses wants or necessities bee there is full sufficiency enough in that masse to fill up all and to give the soule full content in every particular Hence the phrase of Scripture runnes thus when God propounds the fulnesse of mercy in Jesus Christ he calls it a treasury and all the treasures of wisedome and holinesse are in Christ not one treasure but all treasures not some treasures but all treasures Esay 61. When the Gospell was professed there was a fulnesse of mercy and there wee shall see a kinde of meeting and concurrency of all blessings together So that where the Gospell comes there is joy for the sorrowfull peace for the troubled strength for the weake be your miseries what they can be here is releefe seasonable and sutable to all your wants miseries and necessities Nay this is not onely for the present necessity Mercy is not only able to releeve your present necessity but your future also It is not with mercy as with the widow of Sarepta who thought when the meale in the barrell and the oyle in the cruse was spent she should then surely perish No it is not so in the fulnesse and sufficiency of this mercy it hath not onely enough to doe you good for the present and to succour you in all present wants but what miseries soever shall befall thee or what troubles shall betide thee for future times the fulnesse of Gods mercy laies in provision against such necessities and times of miseries and vexations For a poore sinner may be driven to a stand after this manner It is true saith the sinner I have heretofore committed many sinnes God hath sealed up the pardon of them unto me and those sins which have heretofore pleased me God hath given me a sight of them in some power and measure against them But what if more sins if more temptations if more corruptions if more guilt if more horror seize upon my heart how then shall I succour my selfe But now this is the fulnesse and sufficiency of mercy it doth not onely case a man in regard of present necessity but layes provision for all future wants and calamities that can befall the soule Psal 130.7 The text saith Let Israel hope in the Lord there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption The word in the originall is there is multiplying
redemption or redemption encreasing if misery sorrow and anguish be multiplyed there is multiplyed redemption also Then know it if you know your owne soules you see it if you see your owne lives that it is new sinnes new corruptions prevailing with you But here is the comfort of the soule as sinne increaseth so mercy increaseth as corruption multiplyes so redemption multiplyes therefore he is called the Father of mercy as who should say he begets mercy even a generation of mercies from day to day and it is a large generation of new mercies framed and made to incourage poore soules therefore it is said with the Lord there is a fountaine of life Looke as it is with a fountaine there is not onely water in it for the present but it feeds severall cocks and conduits and though it runnes out daily it enlargeth it selfe daily So with the Lord there is a fountaine of life If there be a fountaine of death in thy soule in regard of thy sinnes to kill thee so a fountaine in God to quicken thee Hence it comes to passe that the Lord speaking of his mercy calls it the exceeding riches of his mercy Ephes 2.7 I say the Lord hath not onely fulnesse of mercy but he is rich in all his fulnesse nay he exceeds in all the riches of the fulnesse of his mercy So that be we never so poore and beggerly these sins increase and those miseries increase why yet though thou bee a bankrupt in grace yet the Lord is full of goodnesse full of mercy yea he exceeds in his fulnesse to succour thy heart in all necessities nay our miseries and wants bee great yet haply thy feare is greater than all the rest thy soule is troubled many times more with the feare of what will be than with the feeling of what is already befalne thee But now how ever thy miseries be great and thy feare exceeds all misery that can betide yet mercy will remove and prevent those feares and Christ will doe more for thee than thou canst feare will fall upon thee Nay a man doth not feare what misery can befall upon him but his heart may imagine more than he doth feare But here is the fulnesse of mercy mercy full to the brim and running over mercy is able to doe more for thee than thou canst feare or conceive shall come upon thee Ephes 3.20 then saith the Lord exceeding excesse abundantly above that we can aske or thinke So then the words runne thus then winde up the point Thou seest thou findest thou feelest many sorrowes now assailing thee thou expectest more trouble to befall thee and thou dost conceive more than thou dost feare thy sorrowes out-bid thy heart thy feares out-bid thy sorrowes and thy thoughts goe beyond thy feares and yet here is the comfort of a poore soule in all his misery and wretchednesse the mercy of the Lord out-bids all these whatsoever may can or shall befall thee Gather then up briefly and shut up this first passage Many are the sorrowes of the righteous guilt of sinne perplexing the sinner and filthinesse of sinnes tyrannizing and domineering over the soule nay many feares and cares for future times for a sinner saith Sometimes my condition is marvellous poore my estate marvellous miserable what if small temptations what if small corruptions what if such a fall should betide me what then shall become of my soule Nay a mans imagination exceeds all feares The soule that thinks with it self Should the Lord deale in justice and should my sinnes get the victory over me which I hope will never be for what shall I then do for succour yet this is the comfort of a poore soule let it read this lesson The Lord is able and mercy can doe excessive exceeding abundantly above all thy sorrowes are abundant thy feares are very abundant thy imaginations are excessive exceeding abundant exceeding above all present sorrowes above all future feare and above the course of all imaginations This discourse shall serve for the first passage We will now adde the second The soule is not yet fully satisfied but replyes It is true there is bread enough in my Fathers house that I yeeld and that I confesse there is abundance of mercy in God a world of mercy that pardoned Manasses and saved Saul but what is that to me if there be bread enough in my Fathers house and I starve for hunger and get no benefit by this mercy of God But how shall a man starve in this mercy if a way can be conceived and a meanes can be propounded for another supply to the soule to fill up the necessity of it this will be seene in the next particular I say herein appeares more fulnesse of mercy It is not onely sufficient to releeve a man in all the miseries that can befall him but this is another thing considered mercy is able to make thee partake in the same mercy God doth not leave thee to thy selfe that thou shouldest buy it and purchase it and buy it and procure it but mercy is able to suffice thy soule that thou maist be refreshed thereby This is the tenor of mercy God requires of a man that he should beleeve now mercy doth helpe to performe the duty commanded The Lord as he requires the condition of thee so he worketh the condition in thee hee makes thee beleeve that thou shalt be saved as there is fulnesse of grace in himselfe to doe thee good if thou dost receive the same this is the difference betweene the two Covenants the Covenant of workes and the Covenant of grace The first covenant runnes Adam shall doe and live now it stood upon the use and abuse of his free will either to doe the will of God and be blessed or to breake the law and be cursed it was in his power to receive the life and thus either by breach or not doing the condition required Adam must performe But it is not so here the Lord in deed requires a condition no man can be saved but he must beleeve but here is the privilege that the Lord as he makes this condition with the soule so also he keepeth us in performing the condition for the Lord he requires that the soule should rest upon him and he make him also to doe it he requires the soule to cleave unto him Ezek. 36.26 27. There is the tenor of this covenant A new heart will I give you and a new spirit I will put within you and I will take away your stony heart and give you a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes Or if they will walke in my wayes out of thine owne power then I will vouchsafe this mercy and favour Now the Lord requires this condition and workes it also in his children he requires this of them and he workes this in them for their everlasting good as Heb. 8.9 the Lord saith This is the covenant I
into the heart and by the over-piercing worke doth leave some dint of supernaturall and spirituall vertue on the heart The Spirit doth not onely with truth bring home the evidence to the heart but it iâ— stâ—ll whispering and calling and making knowne the same and forcibly soketh in the rellish of the freenesse of Gods grace and leaveth a dint of supernaturall vertue upon the soule We will expresse the points because it is somewhat difficult and is the scope of that place 2 Tim. 1.7 The Lord hath not given you the spirit of feare but of a sound minde The spirit of feare is the spirit of bondage in humiliation contrition When the Spirit sheweth a man his sinnes and sheweth him that he is in bondage and in fetters le ts him get out how he can this is the spirit of feare and of bondage In the second place there is the spirit of power But what is this spirit of power You must imagine this spirit of power doth not intimate any particular grace but as it were the sinewes and strength of the worke of the Spirit conveying it selfe through the frame of the heart and this I terme to bee the effectuall worke of the Spirit of God When the soule is humbled the Lord sweetly communicates into the soule a supernaturall and spirituall vertue Lastly as it is in nature take a knife if it be rubbed on a Loadstone it will draw iron unto it now it cannot doe that because it is a knife but because it is rubbed on a stone and receives vertue there from So it is with a heart humbled it is a fit subject for the grace of God to worke upon the love of God is like the loadstone and if the heart he rubbed thereupon and affected with the sweetnesse thereof it will bee able to close with that mercy and come to that mercy and goe to God from whence that mercy comes Quest 4 What is the behaviour of the soule when it hath learned this lesson from the Lord Answ I answer When these two things meet together in the soule then it hath learned this lesson The first is this when the soule having heard of that plentifull redemption that is in Christ as also having apprehended the revelation thereof it commeth to close with the worke of the Spirit revealing presenting and offering grace to the heart nay it comes to give entertainment to he riches of that mercy revealed to the soule There is in the mercy of God and in the blessed truth of the promises a great excellency Now when this is so plentifully brought home to the heart that it breakes through all oppositions which may hinder the worke of the Spirit upon the soule when it is brought home by the spirit of God and the heart gives way and closes with it so that there is nothing betweene that and the soule this I take to be the first frame of the soule that beginnes to learne this lesson it beginnes to close to the truth to give way to the sweetnesse that is in it and bids adieu to all delight and sinnes and whatsoever may be a hindrance unto it from receiving of this grace into the soule This is the first passage The second with which I will conclude is this that as the soule closeth with that mercy and welcommeth it and the heart is content to take up mercy upon those termes so in the second place there is an impression and disposition left upon the soule that it is framed and disposed there is a kinde of print which the soule hath with it so that as the mercy of God is revealed to the soule and communicated to the soule so there is a kind of impression frame and print which the heart retaineth and hath wrought upon it by this grace and free favour of God made knowne therefore that phrase Rom. 6.17 is a marvellous patterne to our purpose the Text saith they were delivered to this forme of doctrine Looke as it is with a seale if the seale be set to the wax and leave an impression just so many letters upon the wax as in the seale then it is wholly sealed So the Spirit of God through Christ in the promises doth reveale al the freenesse and grace of mercy in Christ Now when the Spirit doth leave an impression on the soule that man is delivered into the truth I conclude all in Acts 26.18 when Saul was sent to preach to the Gentiles the Text saith he was but to bring them out of darknesse into light mark when the Lord doth come to worke effectually upon the soule he brings men from under the power of darknesse whereas the understanding was darke and blinded when the Spirit comes it turnes it from the darknesse and power of sinne unto the power of light and grace Lastly the power of the heart doth these two things for not onely some of the heart must bee brought to God but the whole heart therefore in the precious promises of grace and savation there is fulnesse of all good to draw all the faculties of the soule unto the Lord and therefore the faithfulnesse and the truth of God is mainly revealed in the promises now that fits the understanding and makes it looke to God for pardon for power and mercy As the promise is a true word so it is a good word this answers all the will and affections there is a possibility in mercy to save a man hope expects it but then the soule must looke onely to Christ for mercy desire long for it for that there is a certainty that a man shall have mercy if he can desire it love doth welcome and delight in it nay the soule doth say The Lord hath said thou must be saved nay thou must looke to Christ for mercy it is no where else to be had nay if thou dost desire it thou shalt have it and then the Lord determines the point it is done mercy is thine and then the will addes full consent and sayes Amen Lord let it be as thou hast said Gather them up briefly When the Spirit of God doth so cleerly present mercy to the soule and doth leave by the over-powring worke thereof a supernaturall worke upon the soule that the spirit closeth therewith and receives the print and impression thereof now the lesson is fully learned this may suffice for the opening of the severall things now therefore we will addresse our selves to gather the doctrines out of the Text. And first for the generall in that the Father is said to teach Doct. That the teaching of the heart effectually is the proper taske and worke of God It is not you that can teach your selves neither can all the meanes and friends under heaven doe it no it is the work onely of the Father All these meanes and ministers are usefull but God is the chiefe master and all these are but underling ushers to convey the minde of God unto us but the master is God himselfe
of the Spirit of God for as we apprehend the Spirit of the Lord to be in the word so much the word will worke upon thee as it was with the Israelites 1 Sam. 8.19 compared with 1 Sam. 12.18 What is the reason they do so at the one and not at the other why did they feare the one more than the other because they apprehended God to be in the one and not in the other Confesse and know that not one word of God shall fall to the ground there thou hast heard if a man did heare thunder and knew it would fall upon him it would awe him The word of the Lord is as thunder from heaven it is not the word of man but of God then consider shall not the word faile then the word that God hath spoken shall fall upon me Consider that when judgement hits it is irrecoverable If a man knew that although judgement came it would not hit him if it did hit him he might recover this would comfort him a little but if thou dost not stoope it will hit and that irrecoverably therefore labour to tremble at Gods word We come now to see how the Lord workes upon the soule First he lets a light into the minde for what the eye never seeth the heart never desireth hope never expects that joy never delights in that the soule never embraceth but the soule hangs a farre off and dares not beleeve that Christ will have mercy upon him God is a just God and he a vile sinner therefore God will never cast the eye of pitie and compassion upon him therefore the Spirit lets in a light into his heart and discovers unto him that God will deale graciously with him and doe good unto him Doct. 1 Hence That the Spirit of the Lord gives speciall notice of Gods acceptance to the soule truly humbled Mercie is generally propounded to the soule in the Gospell but there is a speciall bringing home of mercy to the soule by the Spirit that hee strikes through the bargaine There is many a chapman passeth by the stall and seeth the meat and the commodity lye that is tendred him and followes him home to his house if he purpose to sell so it is not enough to tender mercy and offer grace and salvation by the Gospell for this wee often doe and you will not once looke at them but cast them away and no man buyeth them but if the Spirit of God takes them in hand he will strike the bargaine through hee will follow thee home to thy house to thy closet to thy heart hee will wooe thee be thou never so coy be thou never so stubborne be thou never so wayward the Lord will bring thee to give entertainment to the Lord Jesus and to Gods mercy in and through him 1 Iohn 5.20 as if he had said A man of himselfe hath no minde no understanding to conceive of the Lord Jesus and of the freenesse of Gods mercy in Christ but Christ hath given us this minde he hath given an eye to the soule of a sinner so that hee cannot but take notice of the councell holden in the high Court of Parliament concerning his salvation It is with a sinner as it is with a man that sits in darknesse haply he seeth a light in the street out of a window but he sits still in darknesse and is in the dungeon all the while and thinkes how good were it if a man might enjoy that light So many a poore humble-hearted broken sinner seeth and hath an inkling of Gods mercies he heareth the Saints speake of Gods love and his goodnesse and compassion ah thinkes he how happy are they blessed are they what an excellent condition are they in but he is in darknesse still and never had a drop of mercy vouchsafed unto him at last the Lord sets a light in his house and puts the candle into his owne hand and makes him see by particular evidence thou shalt bee pardoned and thou shalt be saved this is particular notice For the opening of the point observe two things 1. The manner how the Spirit doth it 2. The reasons why the Spirit onely can do it For the first the manner of the Spirits worke how the Lord doth give this notice and how the candle comes to bee lighted and the glimpse of Gods mercy comes in as by so many cranies into the soule it is discerned in three passages Passage 1 The Spirit of the Lord meeting with an humble broken lowly selfe-denying sinner for of him I speake hee that is a proud stout hearted wretch God give him notice of his mercy no God will give him notice of something else he shall have notice of judgements hell fire let him have that which belongs unto him Iudgement to whom judgement belongeth but I speake of an humbled sinner through which he may be enabled and by which he may be fitted to entertaine the things of God The naturall man perceiveth not the things of God neither can he why because they are spiritually discerned So that there must be a spirituall light in him before the soule can see spirituall things without 1 Cor. 2.12 Wee have not received the spirit of the world which is the spirit of ignorance and darknesse that possesseth all the world the world lyeth in darknesse and in sinne there is the spirit of the Devill and terrour in the mindes of wicked men but you have not received the spirit of the world to delude you and blinde you but you have received the Spirit of the Lord as who should say No man doth no man can know the things of Gods free grace rich mercy boundlesse compassion in the Lord. No man can see these colours unlesse he hath a spirituall eye Revel 3.18 No saith God ye are blinde c. but I counsell thee to buy of me eye-salve that thou maist see and now the humbled sinner begins to see like the man in the Gospell some light and glimmering about his understanding that he can look into and discerne the spirituall things of God Passage 2 Then the Lord layes before him all the riches of the treasures of his grace the Spirit brings out of the store house out of the bosome of God the Father those tender mercies and compassions which never yet saw the Sunne which neither men nor Angels ever dreamed of and the Spirit doth communicate them to those that God hath let the spirituall light into Ephes 3.9 there they are called the unsearchable riches of God and it is a very significant phrase and the word implies such riches as a man can never see a foot-step of them God now doth as some Trades-men doe he hath a deale of wares in his store-house but the buyer and passenger seeth not those but only them that are set out upon the stall so it is with the Lord Jesus hee doth present unto the view of the understanding of the mind enlightned all those conceivable incomprehensible
it hath beene prepared for them from the beginning of the world to this very day Now this gives a light into the businesse the evidence is sure that this man hath title to all the riches and compassion of the Lord Jesus Acts. 2.39 Every poore creature thinkes that God thinkes so of him as hee thinkes of himselfe and hee thinkes God intends marvellous grievous things against him and if there be any judgement denounced or any plague revealed the soule sits and sincks and thinkes with himselfe thus I wretch the Lord spake to mee and intended mee the Lord threatned mee and denounced judgement against mee and one day he will bring all these plagues upon mee all shall be made good upon this wretched heart of mine one day whereas the Spirit of the Lord judgeth otherwise and God meanes well towards him and intends good to all you that have beene broken for your sins and there is witnesse of it in heaven and it shall be made good to your owne consciences Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners broken abased vile wretched carnall sinners doe not thinke hee will keepe any old reckonings in minde Christ came into the world only to succour sinfull humbled wretches hee only came to call sinners not your proud haughty justiciaries that trust in their owne performances no but miserable vile broken abased sinners therefore now here is some ground and light come in that wee have to doe with mercy Psalm 80.3 Cause thy face to shine upon mee If a man be in a deepe darke dungeon he cannot tell when it is light hee may aske is it light but else hee cannot tell But an humbled sinner is like a man standing full upon the Sunne rising this face of Gods mercy shines full upon him the Lord lets in the inclination of his kindnesse and makes knowne the surenesse of his favour in the Lord Jesus Christ now the soule hath some apprehension that he hath to doe with mercy Partic. 2 The Spirit doth ratifie that interest as the soule now hath as intended towards him and prepared for him hee makes it good to the heart and establisheth it and makes it sure to the soule This is the nature of a witnesse if it be sufficient as the Lord provides That in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall bee established so it is with the testimony or testification of Gods Spirit for the Spirit doth not beare witnesse alone but the Father from heaven and the Sonne in heaven doth joyne witnesse with the Spirit and the court is in heaven where this controversie must be scanned and now the Spirit doth by witnesse promise that all this mercy shall be made good and given the humbled heart shall be made possessor thereof hence it is that the soule comes to be deeply setled herein for God cannot deny himselfe nor his promise this is the maine ground and tenour whereupon wee hold everlasting happinesse you know in men of great estate if their lease had beene naught and their tenour false this staggers them deeply therfore every man labours to make his tenour as good as hee can thinke on it the maintainer of all this good that a Saint of God hath all his hope of life and salvation hangs upon the maine hold the free promise of the Lord the certaine faithfull promise of the Lord in through Jesus Christ by the testimony of the Spirit you that are sanctified by Christ know nothing unlesse you know how to live by a promise in some measure Now this promise is not only a bare word of God and a bare intimation of some will and intendment of good but it is a kind of ingagement when the Lord doth lay his truth to pawne here is good surety for a poore humbled soule it shall undoubtedly be bestowed upon him he doth not only intend well unto him hee doth not only prepare mercy for him but now he ties binds himselfe so that he cannot goe back you see now this is the bottome to beare up the truth when the Lord doth please to ingage himselfe to a broken hearted sinner that hee shall be made to beleeve and made to live by his beleeving I beseech you take notice of it this is the tenour and covenant of God with a broken sinner hee calls him graciously and then promises to bestow mercy upon him 2. Cor. 6.18 Come out from among them what then what shall I forsake all my old companions shall I renounce all commodities that I have coveted all the honour in the world which I have affected Yes saith the Lord come out from them all abandon them lose all riches and be impoverished lose all honour and be abased ah but what shall wee get by it why then I will be your God that is I will ingage my selfe and passe over the title of all my mercy and goodnesse and compassion and all that I have you shall have all is yours and what then You shall bee my people marke that hee is obliged to a poore humbled heart as if he had said I will be your God and supply your wants and work graciously for you as it was with Abraham the Father of the faithfull so it must be with the faithfull servants of God Gen. 12.3 Now what there is promised to Abraham he promiseth to all his children to all the faithfull it is thus with thee that is thou must bid adue to thy country and friends and though thou livest with thy Father yet thou hatest his base courses and though thou livest with thy friends yet thou hatest their wicked practices and thou hast forsaken thy god pride and thy god covetousnesse and thy god drunkennesse and the like thou knowest God will blesse thee he hath bound himselfe and cannot goe backe this is the ground of the speech 1 Iohn 2.25 Eternall life is the thing there promised but how can wee intitle ourselves in this the text saith this is the promise he hath promised that is he did freely and frankly and of himselfe and out of his owne good will ingage himselfe to give and bestow this promise upon us here is the root and ground of all his promise This is the difference betweene the first and second covenant God did covenant with Adam that he should live upon the ground that he should doe Now because the covenant of eternall life depended upon doing it was not certaine to him and his posterity but lost it but our eternall life dependeth upon the promise of God and therefore it is sure because God cannot faile cannot change his promise cannot be altred if we observe the conditions eternall life is sure unto a broken hearted sinner hence come all those phrases in this kind Wee are called children of the promise what is that why the very promise of God makes us children wee are begotten and made the Sonnes of God he is called in Esay The everlasting Father hee hath begotten us by
the Father and the Sonne he can nay he doth make knowne the Counsels of both and so removes all objections and cleares all cavils it is a point of consideration to you that are weake ones satisfaction is by the meanes of Christ the Sonne layeth downe the price and doth satisfie the Spirit doth certifie it unto the soule that the Son hath satisfied for the neglect of what God ever required at our hands and for the committing of what ever God hath forbidden now the soule is fully satisfied As for example Take a creditor to whom the debtor oweth money haply the debtor is arrested for his not paying the debt the surety he comes and layes downe the debt now the debtor is unacquainted with this unlesse there be a messenger that brings a certificat under the hand of the creditour that he is paid and the surety hath discharged the debt and hee is quitted when he heares this his heart is fully quieted So here the Lord Jesus is the Surety the Father is the Creditour our soules are the debt now the Spirit of God he is the Messenger and he brings under the hand of God of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ an acquittance to our soules that what ever sinnes wee have committed are pardoned through Christ and this fully contents the soule Marke 1 Cor. 2.10 yea the deepe things of God as who should say how can you tell that Gods minde is towards us and that hee will pardon why these are secrets aye but the Spirit of the Lord knowes and searcheth the deepe things of God that which eye never saw that which the Angels in heaven cannot tell you that which all the men in the world cannot reveale unto you without God be with them that your names are written in the Booke of Life you shall bee accepted these are deepe things but the Spirit reveales them This is the first Reason the Spirit onely knowes the minde therefore it only can give notice thereof unto the soule Reas 2 The Spirit only can break thorow al those mists and clouds of ignorance and blindnesse that are in our minds which oppose this worke nay it can beare downe all those distempers and discouragements which make us unfit and unable to receive the evidence of Gods love and goodnesse in the Lord Jesus Christ for these two things are in the heart of a sinner that marvellously oppose the evidence of Gods favour unto the soule Hindr. 1 That every man hath a veile of ignorance over his heart 2 Cor. 3.15 Now the veile of ignorance no hand can rend it none can remove it but only the Spirit of God The god of the world blindes the eyes of the wicked why then it must be the Spirit of God the Spirit of another world I meane the Spirit of Christ that must open the eyes and take away the veiles and clouds and mists that the god of the world casts before the eye Hindr. 2 Are desperate discouragements when a poore sinner is plunged in the apprehension of all the evill which he hath committed and in the aggravation of all those sins whereby God hath beene dishonoured when the soule observes this hee thinkes and sayes This proud heart will never be humbled this unregenerate heart will never be sanctified the Lord never intends good to my soule it is impossible that so many corrections so long continued should ever be pardoned here the soule sinkes downe in desperate discouragements now there is none but the Spirit of God that can let a light into the soule there is none but the hand of the Lord that can rend and pluck and pull a poore fainting despairing dying sinking heart under the burthen of his manifold abominations none but the Almighty hand of an Almighty God can doe this when it is night all the candles in the world cannot take away the darknesse so all the meanes of grace and salvation all the candle-light of the Ministery they are all good helps but the darknesse of the night will not be gone before the Sun of Righteousnesse arise in our hearts Hence it comes to passe that it is a very difficult matter to give comfort to a poore distressed soule Psal 40.1 Marke what a coâ—le there is to give comfort all the world cannot comfort them and perswade them I shall one day perish say they I shall one day goe downe to hell let all the Ministers under heaven say what they will Comfort yee comfort yee saith the Lord as who should say they will not be comforted they will not thinke nor be resolved of it I mercy and I comfort it is a likely matter it will never be it never can be I shall never see that day will the Lord pardon me I doe not thinke it I cannot beleeve it God is a just God and a righteous God and I am a vile wicked wretch it is mercy that I have despised and trampled under my feet and I mercy no certainly there is no such matter this makes the Lord have such a doe Comfort yee comfort yee the third time and yet they will receive none We Ministers of the Gospell observe by experience that we meet with some soules that are gone to the bottome of hell sometimes by their distempers and wee make knowne the promises propound arguments lay downe reasons but nothing takes place nothing prevailes all is presently forgotten and you had as good say nothing all is forgotten therefore none but Gods Spirit can doe it hee must come from heaven and say Comfort yee comfort yee my people let me therefore speake to you that are Ministers you doe well to labour to give comfort to a poore fainting soule but alwayes say Comfort Lord say unto this poore soule thou art his salvation Lord speake comfort and say to such a one his sinnes shall be pardoned mercy shall bee bestowed upon him his iniquities are forgiven it is that wee observe in the policie of Satan Satan hath two Policies Policie 1 First if he can hee will keepe a man that hee shall never see his sins therefore hee labours to doe away all plagues and judgements from the apprehension of the soule and therefore when the Minister comes home to the conscience and saith What you have heaven what proud and profane and oppose God and his ordinances and you goe to heaven No no such matter marke what the Devill suggests take thy pleasure it is but halfe an houres work when you lie upon your death-bed if you can but then cry to God for mercy and for forgivenes it is enough this is the first Policie to keepe a man from seeing his sins and thus the soule is content to carry hel-gates on his backe and a thousand abominations and is never troubled Well haply the Lord enlightens the soule of such a sinner and sets his sinnes before him and saith here are thy sins and for these thy sins thou shalt be sent packing to hell now he cannot look off
much sustained What is there yet hope that my offence may bee pardoned will the King receive mee to mercy So when the Lord humbleth the soule discovereth his sinnes maketh knowne his judgements these are thy sinnes that thou hast committed and for them thou shalt be plagued the great judgement of the great God shall come upon thee and the great God whom thou hast dishonoured will come against thee and to hell thou must Now the poore soule seeth no hope no helpe no means of supply now the poore soule heareth a voyce from heaven there is no hope in thy selfe nor in meanes yet in the Lord Jesus Christ thy sinnes are pardonable thy soule may be saved thy heart may be quickned that place in the Psalmist Let Israel hope in the Lord for with him is plenteous redemption this upholdeth and sustaineth the heart of Gods servant yet there is plentifull redemption and this may discover it selfe in three particulars The infinitenesse of Gods power though thy sinnes are many though the guilt of sinne is mighty and powerfull to condemne the soule yet when the soule apprehendeth an infinitenesse in the power of the Lord to over-power all his sins all the guilt of corruption this lifteth up the heart in some expectation that the Lord will shew favour unto a man though it is a hard thing to hope when the soule is thus troubled can this hard heart be broken can these sinnes bee pardoned can this soule bee saved now commeth in the power of God God can pardon them never measure the power of God to that shallow conceit of thine as Christ when he had told his Disciples it is hard for a rich man to be saved they said how can any man be saved the Lord Christ saith all things are possible to God though not to men and it is said of Abraham hee hoped above hope he looked to the Lord that was able to doe what he promised to supply what he wanted he considered not that he had a dead body but he considered he had a living God not Sarahs barren wombe but the gracious goodnesse of God able to make it fruitfull nay hee beleeved in the God that can make things that are not thy soule is not humbled the Lord can humble it thy sinnes are not pardoned the Lord can pardon them thy soule is not converted the Lord can convert it though I cannot see it though man cannot imagine it yet the Lord can doe it As the infinitenesse of Gods power so the freenesse of his grace and promise that is a thing that marvellously taketh up the heart and maketh it hope for wee are ready naturally to expect no kindnesse from God the Lord is able to doe it that is true but I am unworthy the Lord will not bee wanting to them that can desire it but I am wanting now here is comfort the Lord will not sell his mercy his mercy is not to be merited it is not to bee discovered it is to bee given and to bee bestowed Malach. 7.18 Who is a god like unto our God we say Oh if I could please God if I could walke with God nay but God saith mercy pleaseth him and that place in Esay I for my owne Name sake will doe this not for thy workes sake I for my owne sake not for thy obedience sake this is certaine as there is no worke in any poore creature can discover any mercy from God so there is no wickednesse in the heart of a sinner that can hinder the Lord when hee will bestow grace and mercy in Jesus Christ Object But the world will say Then a man may live as he list and doe what he will if grace be free Answ No no the Lord will pull downe thy proud heart and lay thee in the dust the Lord will abase thee and humble thee before thou shalt receive any mercy from him hee can as well sit thee for mercy as bestow it upon thee The abundance of the riches of Gods goodnesse that exceedeth all the basenesse and vilenesse of man though thou hast sinned against heaven and the Lord in heaven yet there is mercy above the heaven bee thy sinnes and rebellions for the nature of them for the number of them for the continuance of them never so hainous yet they may bee pardoned Here the soule saith My sins are so many so great of such a nature what shall I beg mercy and oppose it shall I desire grace and resist it as that place clearly sheweth Rom. 5.20 Where sinne abounded grace superabounded hee is the Father of mercy and the God of all consolation Iam. 2.13 there the holy Ghost saith mercy triumph above justice justice cannot bee so severe to revenge thee as mercy is gratious to doe good unto thee if thy sinnes be never so many Gods justice never so great yet mercy is above all thy sinnes above all thy rebellions this may support the soule So then you have the first ground to stirre up hope thy sinnes are pardonable this is possible what thy sinnes be it skilleth not what thy iniquities be it mattereth not there is more mercy in God than sin in thee to pardon more power in God to shew mercy to thee than power in sin to destroy thee The Lord doth sweetly perswade the soule that all his sinnes shall be pardoned the Lord maketh this appeare and perswadeth the heart of his that he intendeth mercy that Christ hath procured pardon for the soule of a broken hearted sinner in speciall and that it cannot but come unto it So that hope commeth to bee assured and certainly perswaded to looke out knowing it shall bee accomplished the former only sustained the heart and provoked it to looke for mercy but this comforteth the soule that undoubtedly it shall have mercy The Lord Jesus Christ came to seeke and to save that which was lost he came for this purpose it was the scope of his comming now saith the broken and humble sinner I am lost did Christ come to save sinners Christ must faile of his end or I of my comfort God saith Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden I am weary unlesse the Lord intended good unto me why should he invite me and bid me for to come surely he meaneth to shew mercy to me nay hee promiseth to releeve me when I come therefore he will doe good unto me The Lord letteth in some rellish and taste of the sweetnesse of his love some sent and savour of it so that the soule is deeply affected with it marke this there is yet a further dint a setling and an assured kinde of fastning of the good unto the soule so that the heart is deeply affected with it and carried mightily unto it that it cannot bee severed It is the letting in the riches of his love that turneth the expectation of the soule another way it overshadoweth all outward good Looke as the covetous man is up early to contrive his riches
may set open a peepe-hole of mercy know therefore this that though the Lord will not nay the Lord according to his oath cannot save a continuing unbeleever yet here is all the hope thou hast and blesse God for it and bee thankfull that thou hast it though whilest thou art an unbeleeving creature thou canst have no mercy from God yet God can make thee a beleever he can breake that heart he can make thee good therefore I say blesse God that thou art yet in the land of the living and say good Lord this is mercy that I am on this side hell if I had died I had as certainly gone to hell as the coat upon my backe hath not the Lord said it did not the Minister speake it and the Word reveale it that as long as I had a proud naughty stubborne wretched heart I should never finde mercy unlesse I should thinke that God would make new Scriptures turne the course of his providence to save a company of base wretched creatures Oh my brethren you that are yet in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity proud before and proud still that live and lie in your sinnes I say every morning and every evening that yet you live thinke with your selves Hath God given me this hope this liberty and that my life is continued why now bestirre your selves to get mercy I beseech you thinke oâ— it if you be not wrought upon by the Word if Heaven and Earth should meet together to save thee and an Angell from Heaven would speake comfort unto thee all would faile therefore you see by this time in what case these are goe aside and mourn for your selves and neighbours this say if you will continue proud and wicked there is no hope for you all the hope is this you are yet alive the Lord may humble that heart hee may enlighten your eyes he may worke upon thy soule else there is no mercy for thee Vse 2 It is an use of consolation and I hope you will be content to heare that I beseech you therefore to observe what I say take notice here that every poore broken hearted sinner may take some ground here to stay his soule though much disquieted though exceedingly perplexed when the soule seemeth to be aloofe off from the Lord when the Lord doth not shine abroad the sweetnesse of his mercy upon the soule when the Lord withdraweth himselfe and his grace in assisting and comforting his Saints when thou hast no sense no feeling thou canst not bee perswaded of it or thy heart beleeve it canst thou but looke up to God and hope I say thy condition is good thou art a good scholler in the Kingdome of the Lord Jesus Esay 40.18 The Lord waiteth upon his Saints to doe them good but marke what the Text saith Blessed is every man that waiteth upon the Lord he doth not say blessed is the man that hath sense of Gods favour blessed is the man that hath assurance of Gods mercy but blessed is that man that waiteth upon the Lord thou saist thou canst not doe this and thou canst not doe that I say if thou canst but wait and hope for the mercy of the Lord I say thou art a rich Christian if a man hath many reversions though he hath them not for the present men that judge of his estate will not judge him for his present estate but for his reversions which hee shall have haply thou hast not for the present the sense and feeling of the assurance of Gods love away with that feeling doe not dote upon it thou hast reversions of old leases ancient mercies old compassions such as have beene reserved from the beginning of the world and know thou hast a faire inheritance this is observable Rom. 8 28. We are saved by hope now hope that is seene is no hope for why should a man hope for that which a man hath wee are saved through hope now if you would have hope to be seene you have no hope in conclusion though thou hast it not in thy eye yet if thou dost hope it is enough that hope will save thy soule It is the folly of our sinfull proud hearts that sometimes in the sense of our owne sinnes and sight of our owne unworthinesse we almost disdaine to looke upon what God hath done for us and we consider not the kindnesse of the Lord. That place in the Psalmist The eye of the Lord is upon them that feare him and wait for him it is the wretched distemper of the soule we can fall out with heaven and our selves because we cannot have what we would nay we quarrell against the means of grace what availe meanes and helpes as long as I have such a stubborne naughty heart Psal 174 1â—1 The Lord taketh pleasure in those that feare him and wait for his mercy alas brethren out of the pride of your owne spirits you fall out with God and your selves and so deprive your selves of this comfort Object But you will say were my hopes of the right stampe and of the right coyne then a man might comfort himselfe therein though he wanted the sense of Gods love and the assurance of his mercy but there are many false hopes flashy hopes leane hopes how shall a man know that his hope is sound and good and will comfort him Ans You may know it by these foure particulars The first is this a grounded hope it hath a peculiar certainty in it it doth bring home unto the soule in speciall manner the goodnesse of God and the riches of his love in Jesus Christ this same grounded hope doth not stand upon Ifs and And 's but it saith it must be undoubtedly it must certainly bee mine and this you must know it is the nature of hope to make a thing to be certaine Hope maketh things infallible and undoubted and withall there is a kinde of speciality a bringing home of Gods goodnesse unto the soule in a peculiar manner hope alwayes if sound it hath something to say for it selfe alwaies it hath a ward to hang and hold upon Psal 130.5 I wait upon the Lord and I hope in his Word and so Rom. 15.4 All things are written for our instruction that through the comfort of the Scriptures wee might have hope here is hope not through your conceits imaginations and dreames but through the Scripture we might have hope a grounded hope is a Scripture hope it is a word hope and therefore those that cannot bring a word and give a reason for their hope I would not give a rush nor a farthing token for a hundred cart load of such hopes No it is Law hope it is Gospell hope Scripture hope Word hope so that the soule can say the Word saith the Lord came to save those that are lost why I finde my selfe to be lost and therefore I hope the Lord will seeke mee though I cannot seeke him I hope the Lord will finde me though I cannot
rather bee banished than terrified rather imprisoned than tormented yet onely seekes his owne ease not a Christ all this while And therefore experience hath taught us this that many after a great deale of terrour and horrour of heart when the pang is over have returned and beene as vile and as base and as sinfull nay haply worse than ever they were before the reason is they have gotten their desire now and they care for no more they have gotten their ease and quiet now and as for Christ and grace and holinesse they care no more for them because they have no more use of them Nay to goe further observe it this poore creature may in his owne sense and feeling apprehend and thinke that he doth renounce all sinne truly and that he puts the highest esteeme and greatest account upon the Lord Jesus Christ above all things in the world if hee looke into his owne apprehension he may thinke he doth thus and yet the union and league betweene sinne and his soule was never broken all this may bee in sense and feeling and an honest Minister if he be not very wise in charitie will judge so as shall appeare by this instance Take water seething hot though in nature it is the coldest of all elements yet while it continueth on the fire it growes so hot that a man shall feele no cold at all in it but yet there is a principle of cold remaining in it as the Philosopher conceives for plucke the fire from the water or the water from the fire and it will returne to coldnesse againe and freeze the sooner because when it is taken from the fire it beats out the heat with the more violence Now the reason why the cold was there and yet not perceived was because the fiercenesse of the heat did over-master it and made it retire and not expresse it selfe in outward appearance So it is with this terrified hypocrite in these pangs of extremitie and horrours of conscience when the soule is possessed with the fierce indignation of the Almightie when the flashes of everlasting vengeance seize upon the heart of a sinner this takes off the pleasure delight and content which the heart had in sinne though the soule love it and the heart embrace it and the spirit close with it yet he can find and feele in his owne apprehension no pleasure at all in sinne nor no sweetnesse in his lusts by reason of the domineering vengeance of the Lord which takes off all the pleasantnesse that was in it before And therefore the adulterer that hath his dalliances every morning if God let the flames of his vengeance once into his soule as hee hath flamed in lust all his sweetnesse and delight in sin will vanish away in his owne apprehension but yet his soule cleaves to his base lusts still and his heart is knit to them and the league and combination betweene sinne and his soule was never broken and parted So that by this we may see why a sinner in his owne apprehension may thinke hee hath no delight in sinne and yet there is a league betweene sinne and the soule still and this Hypocrite may thus continue all the while the sound of the stroke is upon him If haply his affections be stirring after some sinne then saith conscience You remember what was done before you remember what you did such and such a time would you fain be in hell againe I will arrest you for this one day saith conscience and so his soule flieth off from his cursed distempers not that the union between sinne and his soule is broken but onely his corruptions for the present are abated for acting By this time you see the reason why I entred upon this point which was this to undermine the bottome that beares up the soules of many carnall men in the world and to cut off all pleas and to raze the foundation of all carnall confidence under heaven therefore I beseech you marke it you will say this is marvellous hard these truths are marvellous terrible Quest. But some may say What doe you thinke that all those which will not come under the power of the Gospell that enjoy it Doe you thinke that all that will not seeke out for the Gospell that want it Do you think that all those who are not carefull to prevent those inconveniences which may hinder them from the benefit of the Gospell Doe you thinke that every man that is informed and convinced of a duty and will not take it up hath no desire after godlinesse Doe you thinke if a man will not part with all and be content to bee vile and base for Christ that hee hath no desire after Christ Doe you thinke a man may take up all duties for his owne ease and seeke Christ in them Ans Beloved I speake not my owne thoughts but it is cleare out of the Word of God that none of all these sorts of persons ever yet attained a true longing desire after the Lord Jesus Christ You told mee in the beginning if I could prove this you would yeeld the day therefore take these truths home to your soules and reason and parly soundly and thoroughly with your owne hearts after this manner Why how farre am I from heaven If the Lord hath not yet opened mine eyes and humbled my heart and enlarged my soule If I never yet had a longing after a Saviour what not desire heaven how then can I dreame or thinke that God will shew mercie to my soule in the pardon of my sinnes If no desire no Christ no desire no Heaven but I have no desire therefore no Heaven no Christ no happinesse The Lord settle these things upon your soules that you may never give quiet to your hearts nor rest to your soules till you finde this sound desire wrought in you Beloved what will you doe for heaven if you cannot so much as desire to come to Heaven and Happinesse Quest But here some will say this is a very strict course this is a very narrow passage indeed let us see how we may not bee couzened in our condition nor deceived by resting in our performances c. Ans I referre my answer to these three conclusions Conclusion 1 First thou must know that the remainders of those distempers that a man should rest upon the merit of duties performed are such remainders of sinne as will sticke to us and remaine with us so long as we live on the face of the earth But when once the Spirit of the Lord takes possession of the soule it counterworkes and digs deeper than these distempers for the good Spirit of the Lord that seizeth upon the heart truly humbled goeth betweene sinne and home it goeth betweene sin and the soule continually and makes a greater evill appeare in the soule than is the evill of punishment and makes knowne a greater good to the heart than ease and the removall of the outward plague and horrour The
if I never see more of it but goe downe to hell yet this is my comfort that I have seene a smile from God this makes my heart leape within me though I burne in hell for ever this is the next voice Now that brings in love and joy See a passage this way Esay 40.2 opened Esay 40.2 Comfort yee comfort yee my people saith the Lord speake comfortably to Jerusalem and crie unto her that her warfare is accomplished and her iniquitie is pardoned tell Ierusalem shee is accepted tell her so saith the Lord. So the Lord speakes to poore hungrie broken sinners after he hath seene their desires to be sound and thorow the Lord saith to his Ministers Speake to the heart of a poore sinner tell him from mee tell him from heaven tell him from the Lord Jesus Christ tell from under the hand of the Spirit his person is accepted and his sinnes are done away and he shall be looked upon in mercie So Esay 66. Esay 66.2 opened the text saith The Lord lookes to him that is of an humble and contrite heart and that trembles at his word The poore creature cannot but observe every word and tremble at every truth Here is salvation indeed saith he but it is not mine here is mercie but that is not mine and so he shakes at the apprehension of it that he should heare of it and not enjoy it The text saith The Lord lookes at such a trembling soule that is he casts sweet intimations of his goodnesse and kindnesse upon him and saith Thou poore trembling sinner to thee bee it spoken I have an eye towards thee in the Lord Jesus Christ this as I take it is the meaning of the place Ephraim is the picture of a soule truly humbled we may see his behaviour towards God and Gods dealing towards him the text saith Surely I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe here is the heart broken and thirsting and what more thou hast chastized mee Ier. 31.18 19 20. and I was chastized as a bullocke unaccustomed to the yoake turne thou me and I shall be turned thou art the Lord my God surely after that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did beare the reproach of my youth Here wee see Ephraim lamenting himselfe as if the sinner should say I am the wretch that have seene all the meanes of grace in abundant measure and beautie and yet never profited under the same the Lord hath corrected me but I would not be tamed the Lord hee hath instructed mee but I would not learne Lord turne mee thou art my God I have nothing in my selfe Nay now I see the evils which before I never perceived and I observe the basenesse of my course now which before I never considered and I am ashamed of my former abuse of Gods grace revealed I am even confounded in regard of the abominations which my soule hath harboured this is the mourning of a poore sinner Now marke Gods answer Ephraim is my deare sonne hee is a pleasant childe for since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercie upon him The Lord kindled the fire of his indignation in his heart and spake bitter things against his conscience yet hee remembred him all the while as who should say I observed all those desires and considered all those teares and heard all those prayers and tooke notice of all those complaints and my bowels earne towards a poore sinner that desires my mercie in Christ and the truth is I will shew mercie to him thus wee see the behaviour of God to the soule as also the behaviour of the soule to God and thus you see the order of the affections when God is absent hope waits for it and desire longs after it when the good is in view love entertaines it and joy delights and sports and playeth with it love is like the Host that welcomes the guest and joy is like the chamberlaine that attends upon him and is very ready and pleasing to entertaine the promise and the Lord Jesus Christ this is the very guise of the heart as I conceive The second thing observable is the motives whereby the promise comes to inflame these two affections and to worke this frame in the heart namely by the Spirit of the Father which kindles in an humble and inlightned soule love and joy to entertaine and reioyce in the riches of his mercie as beseemes the worth thereof Quest But how doth the Spirit kindle this love and joy Answ I answer thus it is when the Spirit of the Lord in the promise lets in some intimation of Gods love into the soule the weight lieth upon these two words le ts in some inckling conveyeth some rellish of the love of God into the soule I beseech you marke it when the Lord doth expresse his favour and goodnesse in that same powerfull manner unto a heart humbled longing for his favour that it doth force the soule to bee affected with it and doth prevaile with the soule and by a holy kinde of might prevaileth and makes the soule to be affected with the rellish of his favour this is the ground A possible good stirres up hope a necessarie excellencie in that good setleth desire and a rellish in that good setled kindles love So that in the promise there is a fulnesse to take up the whole frame of the heart The phrase is admirable in the Psalmes The Lord shall command his loving kindnesse in the morning Psal 42.18 a strange passage it is a phrase taken from Kings and Princes and great Commanders whose word is a law So that the Lord shall send forth his loving kindnesse with a command as if he should say Goe love and everlasting kindnesse take thy commission and I charge thee goe to the poore humble sinner goe to the poore hungry and thirstie sinner goe and prosper and prevaile and settle my love upon his heart whether he will or no and let my kindnesse be setled upon his soule that hath longed for it Experience tels us this the Lord doth by an Almightinesse give a charge and put a commission into loving kindnesse hands that hee shall doe good to a poore soule even then when hee sinkes under the burthen of his sinnes and under the apprehension of his weaknesse What shall I have mercie No no. Will the Lord Jesus Christ accept me No surely Could I pray so and had I those parts and could I performe duties after this and this manner then there were some hope but alas there is no mercie for me But hearken I beseech you what the word discovers your estate to be is it thus and thus with you yes then I speake from the Lord mercie is yours and heaven is yours No no saith the soule I cannot beleeeve it such a wretch as I
a poore miserable creature commend my love commend my mercy to such a poore soule and tell him though hee hath beene an enemy to me yet I am a friend to him tell him though he hath beene a traitor to mee I have beene a good King to him he hath beene a rebell to mee but tell him I have beene a good God to him commend my love to him and let him know that all his sinnes are done away for the Lord Jesus died for sinners when they were sinners This is the argument of Saint Iohn If God so loved us as that he gave his onely begotten Sonne for us how ought wee to love one another I collect from hence But how then ought we to love God himselfe It was this that kindled the frozen heart of Saul he had a heart almost as cold as ice and yet this did worke upon him Marke what the text saith When David had taken Saul on the hip 1 Sam. 24.19 and had him at advantage and might have taken away his life and yet would not when hee saw that David was so kinde and would doe him no hurt David knew Saul persecuted him and desired to kill him hee was the most profest enemy he had and was the onely man that stood betweene him and the kingdome Now when David had him in his hands and spared him this kindnesse of David wrought even upon the heart of a Saul and kindled a kinde of love in him as the text saith Thou art more righteous than I for thou hast rewarded mee good and I have rewarded thee evill and thou hast shewed this day that thou hast dealt well with me forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered mee into thine hands thou killedst me not for if a man finde an enemy will hee let him goe well away wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day So that wee see a Saul is warned and his love is kindled towards David for his kindnesse So when the soule considers what is the Lord thus gracious to me who ever found an enemy and slew him not Had it not beene just with the Lord to take advantage against me Had it not beene just that I which lived in sinne should have perished for my sinne Had it not beene just that I which loved my corruption should have perished for my corruptions But that the Lord should finde an enemy and not slay him nay that the Lord should finde an enemy and send his Sonne to save him is wonderfull Let my soule for ever love that God and rejoyce in that mercy this would work almost upon a Devill If the soule had but the sap and sweetnesse of this it could not but warme the heart of an humbled sinner and kindle in him an abundant love to God who hath beene so loving to him Particular 3 Lastly the greatnesse of the sweetnesse of the mercy of God this inflames the soule the sweetnesse warmes it the freenesse kindles it and when the greatnesse meets with these it sets the soule all in a burning flame This is the ground the Apostle presseth to the Ephesians he desireth that they may be rooted in love that is stablished with mighty strong love how shall that be Why the text saith comprehending with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of Christ which passeth knowledge as who should say can you but once comprehend the unmeasurable dimensions of Gods love and goodnesse this will kindle and inflame your hearts with admirable love to the Lord Jesus When the sinner thinkes thus with himselfe I that have done all that I could against so good a God that my heart even bleeds to thinke of it there was no name under Heaven I tore in peeces but Gods Name his wounds and heart and life I have torne all nay there was no command in the world that my soule so much despised as the command of the Lord Jesus There was no spirit that ever spake to me which I so much resisted as the Spirit of the Lord. Oh how many sweet motions hath the Lord let into my soule that he might plucke mee from my base courses and sinfull practices but I have flowen in the face of his blessed Spirit If I had lien in a dungeon and had beene plagued with torments all my life time yea though I had another world of misery to live in it is infinite mercy so the Lord would passe by these base dealings and pardon these rebellions of mine But that God should send his Sonne to love mee so incomparably so unconceivably that I could not hate him so much as he loved me I could not so exceed in unkindnesse towards him as he hath exceeded in kindnesse towards mee Oh the height of this mercy beyond my desire Oh the breadth of this mercy without all bounds Oh the length of this mercy beyond all times Oh the depth of this mercy beneath all miseries Were my eyes made of love I could nothing but weepe love were my tongue made of love I could nothing but talke love were my hands made of love I could nothing but worke love and all too little for that God that hath loved mee so admirably so unmeasurably What shall I love if I love not the Lord I love all things but I love God above all things Psal 18.1 I love thee dearly O Lord my strength saith David this is the last particular whereby the soule comes to bee all on a flame and hath a burning affection towards the Lord Almighty Vse 1 We come now to the application of the point that so wee may reape some good to our soules thereby First then it is a ground of instruction which I desire to presse unto you because it is both seasonable and profitable From the former Doctrine therefore wee collect and conclude undeniably that there is no sufficiency in a naturall heart to be carried to the Lord Jesus Christ or to the worke of grace wee have not this before God doth give it unto us nay we cannot move towards God or be carried in the least kind to love or delight in him further than the Lord will carry us himselfe and beare up our hearts by the hand of his Spirit It is true and wee finde it by wofull experience it is in our power to love the world it is in our power to delight in our lusts Nay being but naturall men it cannot be but that we should love our selves and love our honour and our ease and profit and applause in the world There is enough of this foolish wild-fire there is enough of this carnall selfe-love in every mans heart But to love the Lord Jesus Christ and to have a heart inlarged with joy to him this is a worke of grace which groweth not in our gardens there is not one sparke of this holy fire and spiritual delight in our hearts Nay we cannot buy it nor borrow it
nor receive it from any creature under Heaven further than the Father sends downe some beames of his love to kindle this in us further than the blessed Spirit of God is pleased to blow these sparkes when they are kindled further than the Lord Iesus Christ is pleased by the power of his merits to feed these sparkes of love thus blowne in our soules It is almost impossible that any man in his naturall estate should be so deluded as to thinke hee can love the Lord or delight in him 1 Tim. 1.13 14. opened The Apostle Paul tels us plainly hee was a persecutor and a blasphemer and injurious Paul could doe this and thou haply canst doe this thou canst be a blasphemer against Jesus Christ and thou canst be a persecutor of Jesus Christ but Paul cannot beleeve in Christ nor love the Lord Iesus how comes hee to this Why the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Iesus marke that As if hee should say it was Gods abundant grace that over-powerd my unfaithfull heart and made it faithfull It was Gods abundant grace that over-powerd my stubborne injurious heart and made it a loving heart But how comes this that the grace of the Lord was abundant in faith and love Why it is in Christ saith the text from Christ this faith was rooted from Christ this love was kindled As if he had said I could persecute and blaspheme and despise and cast off God and his grace I was a wretch a villaine that I could doe But that I should love the Lord being injurious and that I should beleeve the Lord being unfaithfull this was from Christ alone In experience we finde it the ball must first fall upon the ground before it can bound up againe and returne from the ground So the Lord Jesus must dart in and fling in this love of his into the soule before the soule can rebound in love and joy backe to him againe We must receive the Spirit of love from God 2 Tim. 1.7 before the Lord can receive any spirituall and holy love from us In a word what the Lord spake in some case to the Jewes is true of every man naturally I know that you have not the love of God in you Iohn 5.42 As if he should say you know not your selves you thinke you have hearts inlarged to God and you pretend great kindnesse to God but you are deceived in your soules and cozened in your corrupt natures for I know full well that the love of God is not in you I pursue the point the rather for these two ends First it discovers and confutes the carnall conceits of a company of carnall Gospellers that pretend they doe not delight to set out themselves in shew so much and they doe not heare and pray and fast so much as these and these doe But say they as for the soundnesse of our love to the Lord Jesus wee defie any man in the world that speakes against us they finde no difficulty in the matter to love the Lord they are certainly perswaded they doe that Therefore if the Minister shall presse upon them and challenge them of want of love to God and his grace they flie in a mans face presently What not love the Lord Jesus Christ why then it is pitie a man should live upon the face of the earth they doe love him and they will love him all the world shall not perswade them from the loving of Christ Oh poore silly creature it is a great argument that thou never hadst this love to God because thou sawest no hardnesse to get it It is an argument thou never didst expresse any delight in Christ because thou thinkest it an easie matter to delight in him Most men thinke it a matter of nothing what not love the Lord Jesus Christ why who cannot love Christ Who cannot I say neither thou nor I nor any man under heaven can love Christ by any power in himselfe Nay let me speake peremptorily thou art as able to save thy owne soule nay thou art as able to redeeme thy soule without Christ as thou art able unlesse the Lord by the Almightie helpe of his Spirit-inable thee to love the Lord Jesus Christ Nay marke what I say you that love Christ and yet doe nothing for him but pretend great kindnesse inwardly how ever you expresse not your selves in outward appearance I tell thee if a man might have happinesse by it if he might have heaven laid downe upon the naile as wee say if he could love Christ I say upon these conditions if thou hast but nature in thee thou wouldst never goe to heaven thou wouldst never be happie No no it will cost thee more than that comes to it will cost thee much paines it will cost thee many prayers and many teares before that day come It is not an easie matter to love the Lord Jesus the Father from heaven must learne you that you must goe to another manner of schoole than ever you have beene at yet if ever you learne this lecture thou mayst pray till thy eyes sinke in thy head and till thy heart failes and yet thou canst not love Christ unlesse the Spirit inable thee thereunto Thinke of this you that thinke it is nothing to love the Lord Jesus Christ If it were nothing but to talke of love and to complement with the Lord Jesus to make a cursie to Christ and to make a leg to the Lord and yet hate him inwardly then it were an easie matter indeed it is nothing to buckle to him in this fashion and in the meane time oppose him and the power of his grace but to entertaine and welcome a Saviour sutable and agreeable to the worth of him this nature will not cannot doe it is the worke of the Lord. Observe it I beseech you I say as nature cannot doe this so nature will not doe it first nature cannot doe it 1 Iohn 1.5 God is light and in him is no darknesse Ephes 5.8 saith the text at all and Ye were darknesse but now are light in the Lord A man naturally is nothing but darknesse and God is nothing but light a man by nature is nothing but unholy and God is nothing but holy Now darknesse will resist light and not give way to it and wickednesse will oppose holinesse and not give way to the same this is thy condition thou hast an ignorant carnall blinde heart and God is light pure and holy and thou canst resist a Saviour but not entertaine him doe what thou canst Nay further as a man cannot naturally doe this so in the second place I say he will not doe it The Apostle affirmes of the Thessalonians That they would not receive the love of the truth 2 Thess 2.10 opened that they might be saved he doth not say They would not receive the truth but they would not receive the love of the truth It is
a phrase taken from a man which makes love to a partie so the truth of God makes love to many a man it makes love to thy naughtie and corrupt heart and would plucke thee away from these things here below and would draw thee from thy base haunts and filthy lusts and sinfull courses and it would wooe and winne thy soule to take place in it that it may shew comfort to it the truth of God makes love to the world and the world will none of the truth Christ came to the world and the world received him not they were so farre from seeking a Saviour and comming to him that they would not receive a Saviour when hee came unto them Therefore know thou hast a heart that can hate the Lord Jesus Christ but thou hast not a heart to love him thou hast not a heart that can delight in his good Spirit thou hast not a heart that can take content in his rich grace The second reason why I presse this point is this I would discover the disorderly dealing of many poore Saints of God wâ—th their owne soules Many a poore childe of God labours extremely and takes great paines to worke his soule and bring his heart to love Christ he falls out with himselfe because he cannot love God and he is ready to curse himselfe hee cannot get his heart up to heaven where is more riches than is in the best riches of the world where is more honour than in the greatest honour upon earth where is more pleasure than in the greatest delight here below they labour and can finde no good successe they take paines but their worke doth not succeed prosperously the reason is this they doe not begin at the right end they worke the wrong way goe to the sea of love and goe to the sunne of righteousnesse and to the beames of Gods mercie which onely can worke thy heart to love God and delight in him doe not goe to thy cold earthly frozen heart and thinke to fetch love from thence thinke not to bring love to the promise but looke to receive love from the promise but it is the love of God towards thee that must draw love from thee to God againe It was the speech of Christ when he was to send the Comforter to his Disciples Iohn 16.14 He shall receive of mine saith the text and give it unto you marke the phrase all graces and all spirituall abilities are Christs goe thy wayes therefore and presse the Lord Jesus with this promise of his and say The truth is Lord the heart to love thee and delight in thee is thine and thou hast said thy Spirit shall take of thine and give to us therefore give to us of thine Lord that thou mayst receive of thine from us Our hearts cannot love nor delight in thy Majestie but it must come from thee give it to us therefore Lord that wee may give thee of thine owne Vse 2 The second thing I gather from this doctrine is this namely strong comfort and consolation to stay and refresh the hearts of those that have received this gracious worke What ever thy weaknesse be it skils not Is thy love in truth Is thy joy sound it is enough thy soule may bee comforted in that the Lord hath bestowed this gracious worke upon thee in any measure if thy love be in truth it will carry thee through all occasions in this pilgrimage of thine and bring thee to everlasting happinesse it is a ground of admirable refreshing to the soule that findes in his heart this love and delight in God The text telleth us a man by nature cannot doe this Therefore if thou hast this goe thy way cleare thy soule and blesse God for it and make much of it and say Thou hast more than all carnall men than all cunning hypocrites under heaven can have pretend what they will and professe what they please thou that hast the love of God in any measure though in much weaknesse thou hast more than they all This may refresh the hearts of many of you poore ones though haply many other things goe ill with you yet this appeares in the younglings of Christ though they cannot doe any thing for their Father yet they can love him it is a loving childe we say it can love the Father though it can doe nothing for him so you poore weake Christians that have small meanes little abilities haply thy understanding is not so deepe to fadome the mysteries of life and salvation thy tongue is not so glib to talke so freely and conferre so comfortably of heavenly things thou canst not be enlarged in holy duties thy understanding is marvellous blinde thy memory marvellous weake thy parts exceeding feeble so that thou art even ashamed of thy selfe and of what thou hast and dost But I aske thee this question Canst thou love Christ and reioyce in the Lord Jesus mee thinkes many a poore soule replies Yes I blesse the Lord that is all I have to uphold my heart withall I thinke all the profits and pleasures and friends in the world cannot draw my love from Christ it is my delight to love him and rejoyce in him Goe thy wayes then and the God of heaven go with thee this sparke is a sparke of that immortall Spirit of the Father which will never dye it is a worke of grace which will never leave thee it is a badge it is the cognizance and the proper liverie which the Lord Jesus Christ gives only to his Saints there was never a hypocrite under heaven that ever wore this God intended it not for them but those and onely those which the Lord hath effectually called and will glorifie with himselfe hereafter weare this and therefore thou that wantest all yet hast this comfort thy selfe with this in the want of all and say I love the Lord and the Lord knowes it and my soule knowes that I love the Lord Jesus I can say but little for Christ my understanding is weake I conceive not my memorie is weake I retaine not but yet the Lord knowes I love him and delight in him Yea and know thou it too and comfort thy selfe therein the Apostle provoâ—es us to love one another Iohn 4.7 because love comes from God now if the love to the brethren comes from God because wee see Gods image in them then the love of God hath a much more expresse worke in it therefore reason thus with your selves The time was that this wretched vile carnall worldly heart of mine could finde no relish in the promise I could not bring this naughtie soule of mine to entertaine the Gospell of grace nor the Spirit of grace but they were tedious and irksome to my soule but the Lord blessed be his name hath beene pleased to helpe me so that I can doe that which I never could doe I finde the Lords promise and goodnesse much more comfortable to me than all the corne and wine
in the world and my heart is cheared with the consideration of the same The Apostle saith Rom. 8.28 All things shall worke together for the best to them that love God namely to those that are called according to his purpose that is to those that so love God that their love came by calling according to Gods everlasting counsell He called them in his good time from darknesse to light and he called them from the love of the world to the love of God therefore all things shall worke together for the best to them let nothing therefore discourage thee in this case but say All things shall worke for my good because God hath given me a heart to love him nay be cheared herein I charge you and let not your hearts droope and quarrell not with the Lord for a greater portion but blesse God for that you have received your lot is fallen into a faire ground and the Lord hath dealt lovingly with you you need no more for a childes part David desired no more Looke upon mee O Lord saith he and doe good unto me how as thou usest to doe unto those that love thy name As if hee had said I desire no more for my life and everlasting happinesse and the comfort of my soule deale with me no otherwise but just so as thou doest with those that love thy name I know thou wilt love them that love thee I know thou wilt save them that love thee I know thou wilt comfort them that love thee I know thou wilt glorifie them that love thee thus Lord doe good to thy servant I desire no more I crave no other but as thou doest as thou usest to doe good to those that love thy name if I have that I have enough David a King a glorious Saint desired no more expected no more if thou hast so much know that thou art beholding to the Lord and be contented therewith Haply you have not that vaine of talking and conference which others have this is commendable but there is a great deale of pride and vanitie in it now adayes thou canst not crancke up thy selfe in performances but thy heart closeth with God and thy affections are set upon him and thy soule burnes with love towards the Lord why that is enough to bring thee to heaven if there be ever a Saint in heaven thou art one now shalt be in heaven forever hereafter But now here is the difficultie if a man had that love which comes from God according to his purpose this would stand us in stead but there is much feigned wilde hypocriticall love in the world Quest How shall I therefore know my love whether it be true of the right nature or no Answ Here is the skill therefore we will skan the matter a little if it be true love and right joy God will accept it therefore put this love and joy upon the triall and we will say no more than what we have ground for out of the doctrine of the text Examine thy love and joy by this whether thou welcomest and entertainest the Lord Jesus Christ as beseemes him whether thou entertainest grace answerable to the worth of grace for that is the nature of this love and joy which God kindles and workes Now this appeares in five particulars The first is this if thou wilt know the truth and soundnesse of thy love and joy for what I say of the one I say of the other if love be good joy will be sound for they grow both upon one root onely the one hath more sweetnesse of Gods favour shed into the heart which makes the soule sport with it c. I say therefore to discover the soundnesse of this love of thine observe these trials Triall 1 First observe the root and rise from whence thy love came and wisely consider this for it is a point of great weight and hard to discover yet it is that which will never faile it is the narrowest search in the world if thy love come from the right mint it is currant and warrantable it is such as our Saviour approves of It is Christs royall prerogative to mint love and coine such love as he will take for payment and accept of therefore doth thy love come from the Spirit of the Father then it is made fit to close with the Father and to close with the Lord Iesus and with his good Spirit and consequently the Father allowes this and will give acceptance to it You know great men must be entertained answerable to their worth for a man to have meane fare and scant provision this may content a poore man but the choisest and best deare bought and farre fetched beseemes men of great ranke and place So there is a kinde of leane love this earthly and naturall love that growes only out of thy owne strength and naturall parts it is scant provision it beseemes not it suits not with God the Father it is not answerable to the place and state of the Lord Iesus Christ It is good enough for these base things here below earthly love for earthly things carnall love for carnall things it is good enough for these things But will you entertaine the Father of heaven Will you entertaine the Lord Iesus Christ I tell you then you must have dainties you must have spirituall love to welcome a spirituall Father otherwise it will not be sutable to his worth Looke as it is with flowers those flowers which are sowen and planted and by the skilfull hand of the gardiner inocculated are choise ones both for sent and sight are your province roses and the like are of great account but your common hedge roses no man cares for them So it is with the worke of Gods Spirit and all other common graces there is province love and province joy which is planted and wrought in the heart by the skilfull hand of God and his blessed Spirit these make a sweet smelling savour in the nostrils of God Aye that love saith the Father Aye that love saith the Lord Jesus wee cannot better please them than by entertaining them after this matter but these hedge roses this carnall love and carnall joy that growes upon the hedge of our owne naturall hearts the Lord cares not for this love and joy it beseemes him not in any measure therefore observe this canst thou say I love God because hee loved me this is a love of the right coine it came from the right mint and know it for ever that that God which cannot but love himselfe he cannot but like that love of thine which is of his owne nature which came from his owne selfe who is the God of all love I would faine have you understand what I speake is thy heart therefore affected and inlarged with love to the Lord because thou hast found and felt and received the sweetnesse of the rellish of the riches of his grace into thy soule doth love and joy grow upon
that is if father and mother stand betweene thee and Christ if they would be married to thy soule hate and abhorre them love them so farre as they lead to a Saviour but when they step into the place of a Saviour abominate and hate them Difference betweene a sound and false heart in the entertainment of Christ This I take to bee the difference betweene a sound and false heart in the entertainment of the Lord Jesus a sound heart entertaines a Saviour as a favourite entertaines a Prince he comes into his house and disposes and orders every thing as he sees fit what he will is done and no more but now an in keeper hee entertaines him that comes next he will take any mans money and give welcome to any man for he loves the gaine of all but loves the person of none so a gracious soule entertaines Christ as a Prince all give attendance to the Lord and all the courtiers are welcome because they are serviceable to his Majestie but if a man be an enemy to his Majesty he will rather imprison him than entertaine him he will rather punish him than welcome him but now an hypocrite entertaines the Lord Jesus as a stranger into an inne if honour or profits or riches come first they are first served all are welcome they and Christ and Christ and they but loves not Christ but he loves himselfe in all Triall 3 Thirdly he that truly loves Christ labours to give contentment to Christ for love alwayes gives contentment to the thing beloved so it must bee with every Christian heart that is truly humbled and hath this affection kindled beseeming our Saviour the soule that thus entertaines him is studiously carefull and marvellous watchfull lest it doe any thing that may grieve the Lord Jesus and discontent his Spirit and send the good Spirit of the Lord sad or in any dislike to Heaven it is carefull lest the Lord Iesus should bee displeased with him and offended at him or goe away in anger and displeasure the heart feares lest hee should doe any thing that may cause this and it would be almost death to him if hee should doe this Marke the guise and behaviour of the Spouse she never left seeking of her beloved till she had found him Cant. 3.7 and when she had found him shee layes hold of him and when she hath done so she brings him home and when hee was there shee gives charge to all the house I charge you O ye daughters of Ierusalem by the Roes and the Hindes of the field that you stirre not up nor awake my love till he please Look as it is when men of great place come into a mans house there is a great charge warning given see there be no noyse about such a place lest such a man be raised before his time What basenesse is this that wee should have our hearts inlarged to any thing but Christ A good heart wil do as the spouse did here when the soul hath received the Spirit of a Saviour found the mercy of a Saviour it keeps watch ward within it selfe and gives peremptory charge to all in the family I charge you profits and pleasure and riches and honour and all the things of this life love and joy and all the faculties of the soule it gives them warning I charge you that you stirre not I charge you that you grieve not I charge you that you disquiet not the Spirit of the Lord let there bee no motion but entertaine it no command but obey it no advice but receive it thus the soule gives peremptory charge not to grieve the Spirit of the Lord or to doe any thing that may distaste it See this in Lot who when he had received the two Angels into his house the cursed Sodomites came to the doore and thought to abuse his strangers Now marke it I beseech you Lot could be content that rather any hurt or distaste should befall himselfe than them therefore observe how he pleads with those base people Lot went out unto them and shut the doores after him and said Gen. 19.8 I pray you brethren doe not so wickedly Behold now I have two daughters which have not knowne man let me bring them out unto you and do to them as is good in your eyes onely to these men doe nothing for therefore came they under the shadow of my roofe This was kinde honorable entertainment As Lot deale with the Angels so a loving heart will deale with the Lord Iesus let my soule bee wounded saith the loving heart but let not Gods Spirit be grieved let my honour bee laid in the dust but let not God be dishonoured let temptations oppositions persecutions and disgrace befall mee but let Gods glory be advanced The soule is willing and content to beare any thing but it will doe nothing against Christ it will doe nothing against the Gospell of the Lord Iesus The soule saith you may doe what you will with me my life and honour and wealth is in your hands but to the Lord doe no harme blaspheme not his Name resist not his Spirit doe no dishonour to his Gospell doe not contemne his grace what ever betides me This is the frame of the soule that truly loves Christ They that entertaine Persons which they highly respect are inquisitive of those that appertaine unto them to know what their minde is what likes your master and what takes he most contentment in this they doe that they may prevent him with a kindnesse though he aske not for it what ever will best content him they seeke for it and what ever will distaste him they labour to avoid it So a gracious loving soule never satisfieth it selfe but labours to give content to the Lord Iesus that hee may have his will onely Therefore such a soule will come to a faithfull Minister and aske him how must I order my family What shall I doe in regard of my selfe and children How may I please the Lord better And how may I entertaine the Lords Spirit better What duty is to be performed What service is to bee discharged What course is to bee taken that I may please Christ You are acquainted with Christ you know what will content him I pray you tell me how I may pray so and performe duties so that nothing may distaste him or be offensive unto him This I take to bee the difference betweene an honest sincere heart which entertaines Christ as beseemes him and a naughty hypocriticall spirit that would fawne upon Christ Iesus this is the difference betweene faithfull true love and joy and dissembling love and joy There is the same ods betweene them which is betweene a man that entertaines a servant and another that entertaines a noble friend or a King into his family A man entertains a servant that he may please him Simile and not that hee may please his servant he seeth he is wise to order his
heart from obedience but the understanding from the acknowledgement of the truth which â—he Devill himselfe confesseth Lord what hearts â—ave these men and what distempers are in their â—pirits who will not doe that which the Devill â—imselfe will doe Passage 2 Nay in the second place looke how they behave themselves when they come into Christs presence doth not that man hate a man that cannot endure to be in his sight and enjoy communion with him if Christ come amongst these and presse into the societie of them in the presence of his children their hearts are transported with infinite indignation against the appearance of grace in the lives and against the appearance of holinesse in the courses of those which are the servants of the Lord observe this they that hâ—â—e poore Christians for the holinesse and grace which they have received from Christ they haâ—e Christ more and holinesse more fearfull is the case of such and their condition lamentable Oâ— that they would at last goe home and parley with their owne soules and reason with their hearts after this manner and not suffer themselves any longer to be deluded say thus to thy soule I have beene heretofore deluded and I have deceived my selfe I pretended I hated such men because they were dissemblers and hypocrites no no I hate the picture of grace much more grace a selfe in them if a man cannot endure the picture of a man much lesse can he endure the person of that man so is it with the soule I beseech you be at last convinced of it and say I hate the shew and forme of godlinesse in Gods children but I hate the vertue and power of godlinesse muâ—â— more if I hate the beames of the sunne I haâ— the sunne much more if I hate the sonne for the fathers sake I hate the father much more if I hate a Christian because Christ hath humbled and brought him home then I hate Christ infinitely then I hate his Spirit infinitely then I hate his grace infinitly much more if I hate the lanthorne for the lights sake then I hate the light much more a thiefe cannot endure a lanthorne if it be a light lanthorne if it be a darke one haply hee can away with it but if it be a light lanthorne hee loathes the lanthorne and hee loathes the man that brings it but he hates the light much more than the lanthorne so is it with every sinfull opposer of the practice and profession of Gods grace a Saint of God hath a rush candle light of Gods grace and purity and uprightnesse and he carries this among a company of blasphemers and opposers of God and his grace now when they see this light of holinesse they hate the man that beares it much more holinesse it selfe which is in him for which hee is so opposed anâ— resisted To this ranke also belongs your poore ignorant carnall creatures and civilized carnall Gosâ—elers however they will not doe what these â—en doe yet they will approve of what they doe poore silly things that know nothing of God and grace and can doe nothing against the truth of God of themselves though they are not brought to this height of wickednesse to be profeâ—â— opposers against that which is holy yet they will joyne sides with the wicked and what they doe they commend and applâ—â—d and approve of â—f a poore Christian be banded from one place to another to the losse of his liberty and griefe of his heart nay say these poore deluded creatures and carnall gospellers it is no matter they must be more holy than others and they must be more precise than others it is no matter now see what they get by it these men now approve of what a company of persecutours doe and their heart is the same though they do not do the same they are guilty of it because of their approvement of it as the Scribes and Pharisees conspired against our Saviour the souldiers they took our Saviour Pilat he condemned our Saviour now the poore crowd they cried below Crucifie him crucifie him they did not condemne him nor take him but they were guilty of crucifying Christ because they gave their consent and approvement thereunto as S. Peter saith Ye have crucified the Lord of life so there are a company of poore creatures Acts 2. you know you old poore husband and your old poore father though poore fooles they can doe nothing against the Gospell yet it doth their hearts good when it is opposed and they say it is well it is pitty but it should be so I tell thee thou aâ— guilty of opposing Christ as well as he that persecutes Christ marke what Christ saith to the Scribes and Pharisees Your Fathers slew the Prophets and you build their sepulchers that is thâ—â— approved the practices of their fathers so thâ—â— looke as it is with a campe there are some leadâ—â— and commanders and there are some souldiers and there are others which are followers of thâ— campe and carry the baggage now though 〈◊〉 be not leaders and captaines and souldiers yet all are of the same campe so there is a great long traine in the Devils campe there are some leaders and profest opposers of Christ which the sunne is wearie to behold and the earth is weary to beare these are the souldiers and captaines and commanders and poore ignorant creatures and carnall gospellers that follow the baggage they are of the black guard too though they are the taile of the armie yet they are of the armie of the Devill and they are all young Satans though their talents bee not so long and their clawes so sharp as others are they have not learned the skill to make a prey of a poore man as others have but yet they will approve of that which others doe consider this then all ye that stand in open defiance against Christ all you that joyne sides with and give a kinde of allowance to such ungodly courses you are guiltie and found tardy in this case though the sinne be not yours by action yet you make it by approvement thus the open enemy to Christ is gone as also the poore ignorant creature and carnall gospeller and civilized person who though the will not doe a thing yet it is rost meat to him to see it done Ranke 2 The second sort that comes here to bee reproved are glozing neuters these also love their sinnes more than Jesus Christ and love not him in truth these are those that halt betweene two opinions your linfie-woolsie men as we speake in the proverb these tame fooles that will doe no body no harme providâ—d that no man hurts them the highest pitch of these neuters is this that they may procure safety among all men and gaine some respect amongst the best they wish all should doe well but their resolution is this they will not trouble themselves nor be troublesome to others they say hurt comes by medling and he that meddles lest
haste hee makes haste to use the means but he is content to stay till the Lord please because he knowes the Lord onely must doe it and if the heart bee given to murmure and repine saying I pray and the Lord doth not answer I have grapled with my sinne and the Lord subdues it not now faith saith we must goe to God for mercy that hee may order all our occasions and wee must not order Gods grace according to our humours but the Lord seemes to frowne upon the soule and to reject the prayers of a poore sinner and to beat him away from the doore as the Lord Christ did when hee called the woman a dog yet faith will bring on the heart still and it will be sure to lye at the gate and it keepes the soule with the promise what ever befals it as Psal 119. Mine eyes failed for looking up for thy word Oh when wilt thou comfort me his heart and all failed him and yet he would looke towards heaven Oh saith he when will this sinfull soule be humbled and this distressed conscience pacified hee would looke towards heaven till hee had no heart and therefore excellent is that passage Genes 32.36 when the Lord and Iacob were wrestling and the Lord would have beene gone Iacob said I will not let thee goe untill thou hast blessed mee so the faithfull soule layes hold upon the Lord for mercy pardon power and grace and though the Lord seeme to give him up to the torment of sinne and corruption yet the soule saith though my soule goe downe to hell yet I will hold here for mercy till the Lord comfort and pardon and subdue graciously these cursed corruptions which I am not able to master my selfe As it is with a sun-diall the nature of the direction is this the needle is ever moving and a man may jog it another way yet it will never stand still till it come to the north-point so when the Lord leaves off a beleeving heart with frownes and with the expression of displeasure yet the soule turnes to the Lord Christ and will never leave till it goe God-ward and Christ-ward and grace-ward and saith let the Lord doe what he please I will goe no further till hee bee pleased to shew mercy then the issue is this faith goes out to Christ it layes hold upon Christ and layes the weight of all upon Christ and drawes vertue from Christ and it leaves the soule with the promise and this is in every faithfull soule under heaven howsoever the sense is taken away if the soule once come to Christ it will never away but ever cleaves to the promise and is towards God and Christ whatsoever befall it Part of the doctr 4 The fourth and last part of the doctrine is this First as the soule must be humbled and enlightened Secondly as it is effectually perswaded by the Spirit of the Father And thirdly as by the power of this perswasion it casts it selfe upon the freenesse of Gods grace so in the last place the soule comes to bee furnished with all spirituall wants and the supply thereof and this containes the finall cause and that discovers the good and benefit which comes from faith First to open it in generall and then to come to some particulars In the generall observe thus much a poore sinner having fallen from God and departed from him he goes away from God and all goodnesse at that one stroake he that goes away from God the God of all strength must needs be weake and he that goes from the God of wisdome folly must needs possesse him because God is the God of all wisdome and all wisdome must be from him and hee that goes from God goes from life and happinesse therefore death and cursednesse must needs seize upon â—im now hee that hath gone from God hath gone from all these and therefore he is full of nothing but wants miseries and troubles and vexaâ—ions that are come in upon him and overwhelme him Now faith is appointed as that only meanes whereby the soule may bee succoured and the heart furnished anew and it is faith that doth all these and this is the excellencie of faith and the good of it and the benefit that belongeth to faith in a peculiar manner above all other graces in the world now that yee may see how faith suits a man with all graces take notice that there are three wayes whereby the heart went away from God and the spirituall wants which by this meanes befell the soule 3. Sorts of spir wants are three all which faith supplies to the soule answerably The first and great want of the soule is this it is gone away from God and the Lord is a stranger to it it was made for God and to have communication with God but now it is gone from God and God from it there are now many controversies betweene the Lord and the soule this is the great want and this brings in all the rest now faith supplies succour and answers to these necessities faith bringeth the soule againe to God and the soule to have a nearer union and more inward fellowship with God than ever it had thus the soule being an enemy to God and God an enemy to it and God being a stranger to the soule and the soule being a stranger to the Lord now faith doth this it pitcheth the soule and makes the soule of a poore sinner to fall upon the very Deity and essence of God firstly and upon all the three whole persons as some Divines that are now with the Lord leaving a remembrance behinde them have interpreted it which phrase the Septuagints never used as they are observed for it is one thing to beleeve that there is a God and another thing to beleeve into God faith fasteâ—â— upon the Godhead firstly as 2 Corin. 6.11 where the Apostle saith Hee that joyneth himselfe to an harlot is one body but hee that joyneth himselfe to the Lord is one spirit the Spirit of God sets a frame of soule upon the poore sinner that it flings it selfe upon God that which firstly must be the object of faith that faith must firstly rest upon as that which is able to give that succour which it wants now because God only is infinite he alone is able to succour a man according to his wants therefore faith must first goe to him we need pardon and therefore faith goes to God who only is able to pardon and we need power and faith goes to God who is able to succour us thus it is an infinite God only that must create this power in us and therefore nothing but God must firstly be beleeved in we beleeve in the promise because God is there and because â—n the promise only wee finde a fulnesse of sufficiencie to supply what ever wee want or need therefore why should faith goe to any thing else now nothing can save a man but God infinit and therefore faith goes to
Adam could not seeke to another for a principle of life for hee had it in himselfe neither was â—t sinne in him for the Angels themselves doe not beleeve in Christ neither is it required of them Againe Adam had a kinde of trust and confidence in God but not this trust nor this faith but it was this so farre as the creature beâ—ng a second cause should stay and move it selfe according to the first cause and to concurre with the first cause unto any worke This Adam had â—nd the Angels have it in Heaven which beleeve not in Christ The blessed Angels have a power spirituall in themselves and they say that all power is firstly in God and that he doth governe them and all the Heavens too and stay themselves upon God firstly and so co-worke with God but this is farre different from saying thus the Angels stay themselves first upon God as being the first cause of all created substances and to goe to God to fetch a principle of life from God these are contraries Object 3 The maine objection of all is this If say they Adam never had power to beleeve and so beleeving in Christ was not in the state of his innocency then why doth God condemne 〈◊〉 for not beleeving seeing they have not this power and Adam had it not It is all the difficulty that lies upon the point The answer is plaine open and naked and therefore I answer it by distinction thus Answ 3 Infidelity and not beleeving doth imply two things thus the first is the meer want of the power of faith and the absence of ability to rest upon another and to fetch the principle of grace from another neither the Law nor the Gospell nor God himselfe doth condemne thee for this nay the Gospell doth not require this that a man should have power of himselfe to beleeve not God doth not require it but the promise breeds faith and feeds faith it begets faith and continues faith in the soules of all those that have it and this is all that God would have that the soule of a poore sinner should be contented to taked from him and bee under the Spirit that would inable him to beleeve and to goe to him for the which may make him beleeve that hee might be made strong in the power of the might of Jesus Christ as in that place of the Ephesians the Gospell saith thou art a poore miserable sinner her is mercy only be contented that I should worke upon thee for thy good and convey mercie to thee so that the bare want is not the cause why God doth condemne a man the Angels in heaven this day have not this saving faith and yet there is no sinne in them againe besides 〈◊〉 are want of this confidence there is an aversnes â—f heart and a crossenesse of soule to the meanes of grace and the Gospell and against the Spirit â—f grace that would worke faith and draw my â—â—ule out of my sinne and plucke my soule to my â—aviour 〈◊〉 sinfull soule is fastned to his folly and â—ettled upon his base corruptions and hee rests here with a kinde of resolution not to goe off â—om his distempers and he will hold his corrupâ—ons and maintaine his lusts so that when merâ—e is offered he saith I will not have mercie but â—y sinne and the Spirit of God shall not plucke â—y corruptions from mee but I will have my â—nne rather than a Christ thought I perish for it â—is resisting against the meanes of grace the proâ—ise and mercie and the most blessed Spirit of â—â—ace this flowes from originall corruption and â—â—refore Adam never had this and comming â—om sinne and being a fruit of sinne a man shall â—nd must justly bee condemned for it though â—dam had not faith yet he would not have oppoâ—d the Spirit of grace it would have wrought â—pon him this is the infidelitie which the Scripâ—ure so often makes mention of because the â—eart is proud and sturdy and setled upon his â—es and saith What shall Jesus Christ come to â—fer me grace and to plucke away my sinnes and â—rruptions and to give mee grace I will none 〈◊〉 this Christ not I if thou doest want grace beâ—use thou hast resisted grace thou art justly to â—e condemned as a sinner this is the whole â—urse of Scripture Ioh. 3.19 This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darknesse better than light because their wayes are evil that is they love their sinne lusts and corruptions and chuse them and fasten to them and will have them and will not have a Christ this is the ruine of a sinner and this is the infidelity which the Lord speakes of and this is nothing else but the resisting the grace and mercie which would worke grace in him and this is properly unbeleefe to see how unbeleefe bankes the way to heaven a man that is a covetous wretch close hearted the word reveales this and condemnes this and saith hee I will not forsake the world and the adulterer saith I will not forsake my lusts and the drunkard faith I will not forsake my companions hee is staked downe to his corruptions so that all the Angels in heaven and all the promisses of the Gospell cannot perswade him to forsake his corruptions but he is staked downe to his corruptions and hugs them and saith I will hug my sinne in despire of all the world and God himselfe this is a cursed fruit of originall corruption this is sinfull and fearfull and a man is justly condemned for it so then no man is condemned for want of power to beleeve but because he resists grace and mercie and will not receive power to beleeve Thirdly now I come to show how the Lord workes upon the heart this is easie for all of you to apprehend and you may the better see the order of Gods worke if yee observe these foure rules the maine weight lies upon the third and the fourth therefore we will onely propound the two former to make way for the rest First when God comes to worke upon a poore sinner hee findes him dead in sinne and hee hath no good at all in him no saving supernaturall good and hee is not able to worke any good in himselfe by all the meanes in the world and he is not able to receive any spirituall good in the use of those meanes so the Apostle saith I know that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing and our Saviour Iohn 3.6 Whatsoever is borne of the flesh is flesh whatsoever comes from man from corrupted flesh is uncleane so Rom. 8.7 The carnall or the fleshly wisdome is not subject to the law of God so that a man not only hath no good in himselfe but he is not able to receive any good but rather oppose it Secondly hence it is cleare that all saving workes are the proper gifts of God and the peculiar operations of his good Spirit in the hearts
how David makes the conclusion David was almost disquieted and his heart disquieted with the prosperitie of the wicked therefore hee said if this bee so then have I cleansed my hands in innocencie and washed my hands in vaine yet marke how hee recovers himselfe againe saying Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none in earth that I desire in comparison of thee therefore it is good for me to draw neere to God Let the wicked take the world and their profits and their pleasures yet there is nothing in the world that I desire in comparison of the Lord Jesus Christ and his grace and goodnesse Consider it sadly the wicked have much wealth and friends and means Oh thou beloved faithfull soule thou hast the rich treasury of grace and mercy to inrich thee all this whole world is nothing to that rich treasury of mercy which faith brings in as Salomon saith in Ecclesiastes Money answers all if a man have money he may buy meat to feed him and cloth to apparell him and cover him If money will doe so much what will mercy doe then thou hast not wealth nor friends nor meanes but thou hast mercy from God in Christ and this will answer all it is better than friends and meanes and all therefore if thou hast this let thy heart be contented and know that thou hast a childs part and thy lot is fallen into a marvellous faire ground Secondly as faith takes off all miseries and supplies the want of them so in the second place faith takes away all feares for the time to come alas saith the soule friends and means and wealth are good but they continue not ever What if sicknesse come and if povertie come what shall I doe then and so the heart shakes at the feare of evill Now pray marke how faith cures all feares and takes off the edge of all those inconveniences that may bee brought upon a man as in the 112. Psalme 7. He shall not bee afraid of any evill tidings why for his heart is fixed and he beleeveth in the Lord for although heaven and earth may shake yet God and Christ and the promise will never faile and hee casting his heart there by faith he must needs hold What is it that a man may feare we feare the power and policy and malice of the devill and his wicked instruments now faith outbids these and faith rests upon the precious promises of God in Jesus Christ and faith perswades the heart that they have no power but from God and they cannot use that power further than God gives leave and they cannot have successe further than God goes with them they can goe no further than God gives a Commission Now sayes faith that God which orders the power of all these he is my God hee is the God of Hosts and none of all the armies can either command peace neither can they hinder peace therefore I adde a little more faith levies new forces from heaven against all the sorces of earth are the wicked politique then sayes faith the Lord is much more wise and is able to dash all their enterprises and are the wicked fierce and violent then faith lookes to God where there is more power to defend him than they can have to hurt him doe wee see the wicked maliciously bent and full of spleene to wrong the people of God faith sees mercy and goodnesse in the Lord that is more able to releeve us than all the wicked can bee to hurt us faith sayes if hell gates were open and all the devills were about thy eares they can doe nothing further than God gives them power and gives a Commission to them therefore I may bee quieted because God is more able to keepe me than they are to hurt me Thirdly faith it is that inables a man to all duties for imagine a man had all the power in his owne hands and had no wants present nor feared no wants nor troubles to come if yet hee were not able to doe what God required this would disquiet his heart therefore by faith the Lord inables a man to doe every duty that the Lord commends to him or expects from him It is the ground that Paul contents his heart withall Phil. 4.13 I can doe all things through the power of Christ which strengtheneth me I can bee poore and beare it and I can be rich and yet not surfet of the world I can doe all but how through the power of Christ inabling me therefore famous is that of Abraham Rom. 4.18 God had promised Abraham a childe and yet his body was dead and his wife barren and it was even against nature for him to beget a childe or for her to beare any Now how doth God provide for this Abraham under hope beleeved above hope and in the 21. verse because he was fully perswaded that he that had promised it was able to make it good there was no hope in nature that Abraham should beget a child his body being dead and no hope that she should beare any therefore faith goes to God that was able to quicken them hast thou a barren a dead heart as theirs was and therefore thy soule complaines and thou saist I shall never be able to goe through the worke required I know it is the complaint of many poore soules Oh send faith up to Heaven and beleeve in him that is able to succour you and to quicken you to whatsoever he requires content thy heart in this manner and say when thou findest thy heart dead I am ignorant but the Lord is able to inlighten my blinde minde and I have a dead barren heart but the Lord who is the God of power hee is able to quicken me and to releeve a poore dead blockish sinner Hee beleeved in him saith the Text which calleth things that are not as if they were Abraham is not lively and Sarah is not fruitfull but the Lord can make them so and therefore faith goes to God so thou shalt be wise and have thy heart quickned to whatsoever duty concernes Gods prayse and thy owne comfort so then hee that hath what hee will or can desire or stand in need of and he that hath all his feares removed and is inabled to doe all duties commanded nothing more can bee added to this man therefore why should not hee be contented what would you have you poore beleevers Quest Then the question here growes namely if it be so that faith makes a mans life easie and gives him full contentment in every condition then why is it thus as Gedeon said so if faith thus contents the soule then how comes it to passe that those poore silly creatures are so troubled with discouragements and discontentments and none so cast downe with their owne basenesse and vilenesse as they they hang downe their heads and goe drooping all the day long either saith one I have not faith or else if I have faith then why
before ever you can bee comforted as for this temporary beleever his eyes were never opened convictingly to see his sinnes and his heart was never burthened with them nor loosned from them that so the Lord Christ and his comforts might be setled upon therefore in Hosea 2.14 I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse and speake friendly to her and I will give her vineyards from thence and the valley of Achor for the doore of hope first in the wildernesse and then in Canaan first in sorrow then in comfort the valley of Achor is the valley of consternation and then the doore of hope this is the way toward Zion but this temporary hath invented a new way to Zion he doth as Ruffians doe they will goe in the â—oad way so farre as they finde good way but when they come into bad way they breake over hedges and finde a new way whether lawfull or unlawfull they care not so doth this man he takes his comfort as soone as ever it comes hee snatches at all the comforts of the Gospell and thinks they are all his owne and all on the sudden he is a forward professour at three or foure dayes warning and his heart snatcheth at every Sermon of mercie and he is as good a Christian by and by as many a poore soule which hath tugged hard for it many a yeare but his conscience was never awakened he never felt the burthen of his sinnes nor the wrath of God against him for his sinnes this temporary promises to himselfe nothing but ease and peace and prosperity therefore when sorrowes and troubles and miseries come he goes away with as much speed as he came like Ionahs gourd that came up suddenly and withered as suddenly so in the beginning of the yeare hee is a hot professour and before the fall of the leafe he is gone againe the wound of this man was this he wanted the worke of the law not onely that through-worke of the law which none shall have but such as have faith but also that legall worke of the law which should breake and hammer his heart this is the stonie ground-hearer he wanted depth of earth what that was wee shall dispute anon when occasion serves the meaning is thus much in the generall the plow which should have given earth and mould enough it was the sharp law which should have torne up his proud sturdy rebellious heart all in peeces but this man never had this worke and therefore his proud heart beat backe the worke of the promise that it never had roome in his heart comfort and consolation will never sticke nor abide upon a proud heart nor upon a stubborne and unbroken heart which was yet never broken for sinne plaisters may be made but they shall never finde ease and comfort by them as they desire you may goe away comforted and say God is mercifull and Christ is gracious and he came to save sinners and though our workes will not justifie us yet the Lord Jesus Christ will save us your plaister will not sticke thus he failes in the entrance to the promise Secondly he failes in his application of the promise for the ground upon which he goes or the cause and reason which carries him to roame after the promise it is onely the generall notice of mercie and of the salvation that God offers the glimpse and the shine whereof being let in upon the heart and passing by jogs the soule and so the heart snatcheth at it he comes to heare the abundance of mercie and the rich redemption and plentifull goodnesse of Christ to pardon all sinnes the sinne against the holy Ghost onely excepted and the freenesse of mercy to all sorts of sinners be they never so many for number never so vile for nature yea he heareth that there is a fountaine set open for all to wash in when he heares this hee saith that 's well then I may come to heaven too and there is some hope that I may receive mercie never considereth the condicions upon which God promiseth and bestoweth mercie whereas the man that is a true beleever hath not only a common kinde of apprehension of the mercie of God in Christ but he hath a particular application of it I will open it thus that every man may take something the temporarie hath a common hear-say of mercie and the common hear-say of mercie in the bare letter of them as that Jesus Christ came to save sinners it is in the bruit of it onely but the humbled soule hath it under the hand of the Spirit and the Spirit seales it and makes it good to him the promise of life slides and passeth by the temporary beleever but now the Spirit of God settles it and it takes a deep and a through impression in the heart of a beleever by application the Spirit of God only as it were jogs the heart of a temporarie beleever but he sets it on deeply upon the heart that is humbled and fitted for it as the Angell said unto Gideon The Lord is with thee thou valiant man so the Lord faith to every humbled soule not onely that the Lord is gracious and mercifull for thus he saith to the temporarie beleever but he is gracious and mercifull to thee and hee will speake peace and comfort to thee which hast spoken trouble and terrour to thine owne heart as in the 1 Cor. 2.12 Wee have not received the Spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are given to us of God God not only gives us good things but he hath given his Spirit that we may know that it is he which hath given us these good things Thirdly and lastly this temporary beleever failes and fals shott upon this ground also I told you the soule is effectually perswaded to rest upon the free grace of God and to fall into the armes of his mercie now the temporary failes also in the worke of relying that which feeds his hope and stayes his heart is nothing else but the taste and present sweetnesse which he had in the promise he relyes upon the taste and sense which hee had by the sip of the promise and hence it is that when the taste is gone the sweetnesse of the present push is gone that then there comes trouble and sorrow more heavie and more able to vex him than all the other was to comfort him then hee begins to repent him of his match and thinkes that all his profession will not quit cost now when that taste and that comfort which he had failes him and sorrow and afflictions come and overpowers his sweetnesse and comfort then hee fals away but a man that hath true saving faith rests himselfe not upon the taste and sense of this good but upon the goodnesse of God in the promise and upon the all-sufficiency of God in the promise he seeth more good in the promise than in all the
you have a heart to beleeve nay thy prosperitie thy blessings are cursed unlesse thou hast this grace of faith faith will make thee honourable in thy honour faith will make thee blessed in prosperitie Iohn 6.28 O how shall we worke the workes of faith marke how hee answereth Why this is the worke of God that you beleeve why would you doe that which God might take contentment in O this pleaseth the Lord admirably and contenteth him wonderfully when he seeth the soule leaves honour and leaves prosperitie and leaves the world and commeth to Christ and lieth at his footstoole and will never leave him nor forsake him this pleaseth the Lord admirably it is true all duties are good with this grace but none of them will please God without this thou maist pray untill thy eyes are weary untill thy heart sinketh and thy Spirit fainteth yet without faith the Lord careth not for thy best performances if a poore Christian whose parts are not so strong whose prayers are not so powerfull can but sob and sigh out a prayer in faith this is more pleasing to the Lord Eccles 7. a man will doe any thing that he may live all a mans labour it is that he might live what wilt thou labour for clothes to cover thee and meat to nourish thee and wares for thy shop and not for Christ and faith to save thy soule therefore when your carnall friends would withdraw your endevours and say what needeth all these prayers and what needeth all these endevours answer what would you not have me live observe the scope of all motions and the end of all labour is rest the poore sea-faring man his eye is upon the shoare when his hand is tugging at the oare the traveller his body is in the way and his heart is at home the souldier fighteth that he might have a peaceable victorie the people in the wildernesse were travelling and at last they had rest Heb. 4.3 wee are thus wildering wee are thus travellers and wee are thus poore sea-faring men that are tossed up and downe the waters of the world and in seas of sorrow and the truth is we are so in wrath and vengeance 〈…〉 horrour of conscience and would not you have rest Heb. 4.4 He that doth beleeve doth enter into that rest he hath entred into that rest Brethren the truth is we are tossed we are thus troubled miseries without horrour within Would you not now be at rest there is no more horrour to trouble you no more vengeance to plague thee no more wrath to haunt thee let thy eye be upon the shoare pray to beleeve and heare to beleeve and labour to beleeve labour for that rest For the further clearing of the point I will here discover three particulars 1 I will shew you the hindrances of faith 2 I will shew you the means to get faith 3 I will shew you the motives to perswade you to labour for it 1 What these be that hinder a man from getting faith and here in the generall know thus much they are very many and very dangerous it is therefore a point of wisedome to bee carefull to foresee these hindrances and to be watchfull to prevent these Satan above all doth labour to hinder a poore soule this way hee would not have a man chaste hee would not have a man regenerate he would not have a man meeke and humble but above all hee would not have him beleeve for then he knowes he is gone If he bee so violent to cast hindrances in our way wee should bee as watchfull and carefull to avoid these hindrances It is that wee shall observe concerning Peter Satan saith our Saviour desires to winnow thee Now that Christ aimed at was that he would winnow his faith and Christ laboured to fortifie that for saith he I have prayed that thy faith faile not as if he had said if faith holds all holds the Devill sights neither against small nor great but onely against faith he deales with faith as one enemy doth with another in the field in fight one against another if the enemy perceive that there is some castle or some trench to which the contrary side have resort upon all occasions all their aiming is to cut off their passage the bridge that they may not come to the shelter and then they can conquer them and prevaile against them as they list This is an ordinary care that one enemy hath against another So Satan deales with the soule hee easily perceives that the Lord Jesus Christ and his promises are the castle of a distressed soule they are the trenches wherein the soule may refresh it selfe and finde succour upon all occasions Now Satan labours to cut off the passage of confidence and take away the bridge of beleefe when hee hinders a man from resting and beleeving in Christ he cuts him from comming to his shelter and castle therefore he can prevaile against him as hee please Therefore let the soule bee so much the more wary to prevent these hindrances because Satan is so carefull and watchfull to lay hindrances in the way and to fortifie all sides that we may not beleeve in Christ this is the greatest labour of Satan to hinder us let it bee our greatest endevour to attaine it Now to deale more plainly the hindrances that Satan casts in our way to keep us from beleeving are of two sorts The first are those hindrances that doe disinable a man from comming to Christ as having no title to him no interest in his mercy some hindrances doe really withhold a man that he cannot rely upon and repaire unto the Lord Jesus Christ Other there bee againe that doe not take away our interest in the promises they doe not hinder our title we have to Christ but wee hinder our selves from comming to Christ because wee are not wise to prevent these hindrances as wee should and avoid them as we ought First wee will beginne with the former and the question is what are those reall hindrances that keepe the soule that it cannot beleeve in the Lord Iesus that it never shall beleeve in the Lord Iesus upon these termes in that estate and condition those hindrances are especially foure The first is this A blinded carelesse and senselesse security and presumption which commonly takes possession of the hearts of men whereby they content themselves with their condition because they know not the misery of their condition Marke what I say this same sluggish senselesse this same carelesse presumption of a mans welfare when there is no such matter he is only blinded and deluded When men cry peace peace to their soules when they conclude their estates are good they desire to be no better because they see no other because they see not the misery of it These cannot see the excellency of faith therefore cannot make a step to goe to Christ by faith such a soule is rivetted and scrued to his base wretched condition therefore
the Lord there is no time to late if a man have a heart to returne Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers that is thou hast followed many sinnes and addicted thy selfe to many distempers yet returne unto mee If a man put away his wife for fornication will he receive her againe no he will not doe it yet you have had many base haunts and backdoores yet returne unto me after all that stubbornnesse whereby you have opposed my grace and slighted my mercy yet returne unto me and receive grace offered There is no limit of the pardon and free grace of God offered to a poore sinner except the sinne against the Holy Ghost the Lord stands and waits and knocks if any man will open though he call till hee bee hoarce and knock till he be weary yet if any man will open bee the drunkard never so base the adulterer never so vile if hee will open the Lord will come and will bring his comforts with him and will sâ—p with him and restore consolation to him Object But you will say Aye that 's true if I had but a heart to mourne for them see my sinnes I doe and I cannot but acknowledge my corruptions but I am not sensible of the load that lyes upon me I cannot be burthened with the evils that oppresse me I have a heart not only that doth not but that cannot mourne Answ I answer this hinders not neither provided thou beest troubled because thou canst not bee troubled provided thy heart be weary of it selfe because it cannot be weary of its sinnes if this be thy temper and frame this hinders thee not from the mercie of God which is offered and thou needest for that Christ that freely pardons sinne can and will and that easily breake thy heart and fit it for pardon Micah 7.18 The Lord pardons sinnes and subdues iniquities not because thou pleasest him but because mercie pleaseth him wherefore did the Lord shew most mercie to Saul when he shewed most hatred against him Saul is posting to Damascus and breathing out threatnings against Christ the Lord is opposed by Saul and the Lord in the meane time pities and shewes mercie to Saul Saul persecutes him and he makes his moane to Saul Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee the bloudy jaylour that opposed the meanes of grace the Lord overcame him by the meanes of grace he that resisted the meanes of grace was brought home by the power of the meanes to the Lord Jesus Christ Object But the soule saith this is that which overthrowes mee you are now come to the quicke this very word is like a milstone about my neck that will sinke my soule into discouragement for ever for this is my misery the meanes doth not better me though Saul and the jaylour were bad enough yet they were bettered by the meanes but this is the hopelesse condition of my heart prayer will not worke the meanes of grace will not prevaile sometimes I thinke Lord this Lords day will doe and this sermon will worke it but to this very day the word of the Lord profits not nor workes upon mee for my good and is there such a heart in hell is there any hope that I shall ever have grace when the meanes which should worke grace will doe mee no good this is the last plea of the soule and indeed of Sathan whereby hee holds many a distressed foule in hand that God intends no good towards him Answ I answer yet this hinders not but at least thou maist have a hope of mercie to support thy heart in the expectation of good and that I may speake cleerely observe three passages First the word and meanes doe worke if it doe make thee more sensible and more apprehensive of thy owne hardnesse and deadnesse though indeed it workes not that good and after that manner thou wouldst and desirest and expectest yet if it make thee see thy owne basenesse and observe thy owne wretchednesse in regard of that body of death that hangs upon thee it workes marvellous well after the best manner because it is after Gods manner though not after that manner which thou desirest and seest best in thy owne apprehension observe it that physick workes most kindly that makes the patient sicke that salve that drawes before it heales cures most safely so it is with the word it workes kindly when it makes thee sicke of these distempers when it shewes thee the stubbornnesse and deadnesse of thy owne heart and makes thee apprehend that a broken spirit is the gift of God and not of man and meanes therefore the Lord will make thee looke to him to worke it and continue it therefore know that this is a worke of God for to see deadnesse is life and to feele hardnesse is softnesse onely beware that there bee not a haunt of heart and distemper that thy soule cleaves to and pants after and thou art loth to part withall for then the word will harden thee because thou hardenest thy selfe but if thou art content that the word should lay open the bowels of thy heart and discover what ever is amisse and reveale what ever is crosse to Gods command and plucke away every corruption and distemper then if the word reveales any hardnesse in thee know that the word workes comfortably that reveales hardnesse and basenesse and doth drive thee out of thy selfe to God for succour Secondly thou art the cause why thy heart is not softned thou art the fault why the word prevailes not because the distemper of thy heart hinders the worke of the word and the dispensation of Gods providence and the tenor of the covenant of grace when a man will stint the Lord and limit the holy One of Israel just this sermon and this quarter and this season this hinders the nature of the covenant and crosses the worke of the covenant of grace the Lord doth not stand bent to thy bow the Lord is not at thy call he will not give thee grace when thou wilt but when he pleases no it is not for us to know the times and the seasons that God hath appointed what if thou goest upon thy hands and knees begging of mercie to the last gaspe and if then the Lord be pleased to shine in a drop of goodnesse and mercie it is more than the Lord owes therefore heare to day and attend to morrow thou knowest not whether God will blesse this sermon or that meanes or the other ordinance and doe not complaine upon the meanes but attend Gods leisure and remember the Lord hath waited long for thee in the time of your rebellion in the day of your ignorance before you looked towards the Lord and therefore if the Lord now make you wait for mercie and assurance of his love know that the Lord deals equally and kindly and lovingly with you and so as all shall be best for you and know that this distemper of heart opposeth the tenor of the covenant of
and more than I am able to desire then God hath as well power to will to doe me good as hee is able to doe me good he hath power to will to doe mee good above all that I can thinke or desire and hee that doubts of the one doubts of the other Rule 2 The second rule is this checke thy owne soule for prying into Gods secrets blame thy selfe and that deeply for thy curiosity in that thou lookest beyond thy last as it is in the proverbe and soarest too high and medlest with those things thou hast nothing to doe withall you meddle with Gods Election and with Gods Will and secret Counsell I charge you meddle with your owne businesse meddle with that you have to doe withall meddle with your owne duties and occasions and keepe your owne station checke your owne hearts therefore and when Satan would lead you out into a wildernesse and suggest these things unto you How doe you know God hath elected you doe you pray and what if you doe pray doe you heare and what if you doe heare When it is thus with thee checke thine owne heart for prying into Gods secrets and meddle with that thou hast to doe withall Deut. 29.29 Secret things belong to God revealed things belong to us and our children What have you to doe with Gods secrets what hath that proud heart and curious minde of yours with Gods secrets Election belongs to God it is his prerogative 1 Corin. 2.16 Who hath knowne the minde of the Lord You that will be aloft in the skie and mounting up to heaven who ever knew the minde of the Lord Satan and your thoughts tell you so that you were never elected why Satan is a lyar he knowes it not nor thou knowest it not neither who ever knew the minde of the Lord minde you your owne matters doe you what God commands performe those duties God injoynes you keepe your owne station all the Angels in Heaven and all the men upon Earth never knew the minde of the Lord therefore never prie into Gods secrets Ionah 3.9 When God had threatned Ninivie to destroy it and had sent Ionah to speake fire and powder Oh all you drunkards of Ninivie and all you blasphemers of Ninivie and all you prophane wretches of Ninivie vengeance shall come upon you and fire from Heaven shall destroy you they were now at a maze and driven to a stand now marke what the King saith Hee caused a fast to bee proclaimed both for man and beast and commanded all to cry mightily unto the Lord and to turne from their evill wayes for who can tell saith he whether the Lord will turne away his fierce wrath from us that wee perish not who can tell but that the Lord may yet shew mercy and favour in the pardoning of us so say thou when Satan tempts thee and temptation suggests unto thee You seeke to God for pardon in the use of the means that God hath appointed and you injoy the precious means of grace and salvation But it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy but God will never shew any favour to you God will never vouchsafe any mercy to you God will never bestow any grace upon you if you pray till your tongue falters and your eyes sinke in your heads and your heart failes it will doe you no good God will never give you grace why how can Satan tell this all the devils in hell know not this all the Angels in Heaven know it not therefore walke thou in thy owne wayes follow thine owne talke doe that thou oughtst to do and performe what God requires and let God doe what hee please and say let me doe what I should who can tell what God may doe who knowes but God may break my hard heart who knowes but God may pardon my sinnes who knowes but God may give me power over my corruptions nay who knowes but God will too Satan himselfe cannot tell that is the second rule Rule 3 The third rule is this measure not the riches of God nor the freenesse of his mercy according to the scantling of your owne imaginations and according to the fadome of your owne conceits doe not thinke because you cannot doe it therefore God cannot doe it because you cannot conceive it therefore God cannot worke it stint not limit not the Holy one of Israel so as hee must stand at your tribunall in this matter and be within your lists and compasse It is a sweet passage Esay 55.7 Marke there the exhortation of the Prophet Let the wicked forsake his wayes and the unrighteous man his owne thoughts and returne unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon As if he had said all you unrighteous you that have couzened and detained and dealt falsely and unjustly you that have lived wickedly and prophanely let them all forsake their wicked wayes and turne from their vaine imaginations and returne unto the Lord and returne not to themselves and their owne conceits but let them come unto the Lord and hee will abundantly pardon but the soule replies Object Will the Lord pardon all these sinnes Answ Why I he is abundantly able to pardon Object But can he pardon the abundance of my pride will the Lord forgive the abundance of my base distempers of my heart will the Lord remit all my stubbornnesse and rebellion against the Gospell I cannot thinke it I cannot conceive it Answ You cannot conceive it you cannot thinke it but marke what the Prophet ads My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord as if hee had said a poore sinner thinkes his sinne unpardonable and conceives that it is impossible to get his sinnes subdued and his soule comforted indeed it is true you are sinfull men you have foolish thoughts But as the Heavens are higher than the earth so are my wayes higher than your wayes and my thoughts higher than your thoughts therefore I can give you mercy though you cannot conceive it I can doe you good though you cannot thinke it but the poore soule will still bee ready to object and say Object There was never any in that case that I am in received to mercy and therefore why should I expect it Answ Why Matthew 9.33 when Christ had there done a miracle the text saith the like was never seene in Israel all the people stood gazing and were taken up in admiration at the power of the Lord and said Never was any such thing done in Israel therefore God can doe things that were never done before Imagine the Lord did pardon never any as bad as thee which is false yet God can doe that which was never yet done nay the place is incomparable Iob 9.10 Hee doth great things past finding out yea marvellous things without number the Lord doth great things which are unsearchable and workes
all this debate here lies the root of this bitternesse and the ground of this wretched estate wee will expresse our selves by practice hence it is 〈◊〉 when the Word hath beene cleerely discovered to the soule all objections are blowne away and reason is satisfied and conscience convinced yet aske the soule are you perswaded that God hath accepted of you in Christ and intended good unto you no all the world cannot make me beleeve it I cannot bee perswaded of it Ministers are mercifull and Christians are compassionate and they speake charitably and will not discourage me but did they see that which I see did they but know those weaknesses and take notice of those distempers that are in my heart they would never thinke it what I grace it is a thing I could never perswade my heart of nay I doubt I shall never bee perswaded of it I cannot thinke it all the world cannot make mee beleeve it reason is answered and the conscience is satisfied but the heart will not yeeld it is out of stubbornnes of soule that you will not take that mercy that God offers and that grace God propounds for your good and it is horrible it is hellish it is devillish pride If there be any such spirit in the congregation let them know it and take this home with them it is infinite pride But you will say Object How can that be I cannot thinke that they are broken hearted Christians and are overwhelmed with sorrow they are ever mourning and sinke downe in sorrow in this nature and therefore it cannot bee pride in this case what ever it bee Answ I say it is devillish pride against the Majestie of Heaven and that I will shew in two particulars For a man to follow his owne conceit and selfe wildnesse of spirit against the light of the truth against the force of reason against the testimony of conscience against the judgement of all faithfull Ministers out of the Word to bee above the Word and reason and conscience and to bee above the judgement of all Gods faithfull servants is not this infinite pride this is your condition just the Word hath cast you and reason and conscience have cast you and yet you will maintaine your owne conceits of that proud heart of yours I say againe this pride appeares in this That because we have not what we would and because we have it not in that measure we desire because we finde not that sweetnesse in grace that others have and we covet therefore we cast away all this is infinite pride to fling Gods favour in his face you have not this and that and God hath done nothing for you and never vouchsafed any good unto you it is wonderfull mercy that God hath not cast off that soule of thine because God will not follow your conceits and goe your way you will have no grace at all As it is with a Client that hath a suit in law hee hath the cause determined and the conveyance made and his estate setled by the verdict of the Judge but because his evidences and conveyances are not written in great Roman letters as he would have them he flings all away and saith they will not stand in law will not all the world count him a miserable foole this is your case you have no grace because you have not so much grace you have no zeale because you have not so hor zeale you have no humiliation because not so great humiliation this is nothing but pride and a world of pride therefore marke what I shall say labour to bring thy soule to this passe and to this humble submission and subjection to the truth of God take it as well a duty to receive comfort when God gives it as to entertaine duty of love when God requires it Answerably know it is a sinne to refuse mercy when God offers it and thou hast title thereunto It is as well a sinne though not so much a sin perswade thy heart of this and bring thy soule to yeeld to this And therefore learne this lesson you poore Saints of God that have beene pestered marvellously in this kinde and have beene enemies to your owne comfort labour to eye your owne soules when they begin to slide away from the authority of the truth when reasons are sound arguments cleere and conscience satisfied and yet the heart slides off from the Lord and from under the covert of Gods wings Reason thus This is the proud surly dogged way-ward disposition of my heart what would I have what can I desire is not the Word cleere are not reasons sound and is not conscience satisfied and shall I deny this and so wrong the glory of God and the worke of his blessed Spirit in my heart the Lord forbid but the heart pleads Must I eat my owne words and never cavill more and never complaine more and must I confesse I have grace when I never thought I had grace Answ Must you say so aye and blesse God you may say so and be thankfull for ever that thou mayest upon good grounds say thus and bring under these distempers of your soule and make them yeeld and submit to the blessed truth of God you had better a great deale crosse your owne humours than crosse the good Spirit of the Lord and grieve it Esay 7.13 when the Lord offered a great offer to Ahaz to aske a signe in heaven or in earth the text saith he cast off Gods kindnesse God bids him aske a signe hee saith I will not tempt God hee refused Gods kindnesse with marvellous stubbornnesse now marke what God answers Is it a small thing for thee not onely to grieve man but the good Spirit of the Lord so thinke you with your selves when the Lord bids you take comfort comfort yee comfort yee saith my God You that have beene wearied come and bee refreshed you that have beene lost shall be found the soule faith I dare not take it I will not entertaine it doe you thinke it a small thing not only to grieve man and the heart of a poore Minister but to grieve the Lord and his Spirit Iob 15.11 Seemes the consolation of the Lord a small thing unto you that God stoopes to your meannesse and condescends to your weaknesse and supports your hearts and restores comfort to your soules that you trample his kindnesse under your feet and make nothing of it take heed of it lest that stubborne soule of thine that now refuseth consolation when God offers it thou shalt creep upon thy hands and knees and eat thy flesh and beg one offer of grace which thou hast denied often Iohn 13.8 see how Christ doth schoole the humble pride of Peter for so I terme it our Saviour Christ rose from supper and bound himselfe with a towell and went to wash his Disciples feet but when he came to Peter he was very squamish he was loth Christ should stoope so low what wash my feet thou shalt
thou have honour and glory why here is an exceeding weight of glory hee that hath the promise shall bee made a king and shall have glory that will never vanish doth thy heart hanker after earthly joy and mirth thou shalt finde a greater mirth in the promise than in the crackling of these thorns In the promise there iâ— joy unspeakable and indurable my joy I give unto you and none shall take it away here are rivers of pleasures and so I may say of any thing else doth thy heart hanker after riches tell thy heart that there be unsearchable riches in Christ and through him we have title to all the promises of this life and a better we know he that offers most for the bargaine carries it away therefore wee should observe the goings out of our hearts and what offers it selfe to give us most content and present our soules with a greater good in God in Christ in the promise than in all things else looke as it is in marrying if parts give content then the wisest prevaile if they would have riches then the wealthy obtaine why now wooe thy soule and looke what will please it best and make it appeare to thy soule there is a greater good in the promise honours and riches have spokes-masters and seeke commendations had I but such honour oh it were admirable had I but so much wealth oh it were excellent all this while the promise is shut out and it cannot come to the speech of the soule labour therefore to have accesse to the promise with thy soule and speake a good word for it and say stand by world stand by riches profits and pleasures and preferments roome for the Lord Jesus Christ and put a wonderfull price upon the promise whatsoever the soule doth account as best that it will chuse and leave all others for it doe as Dalilah did shee besieged the heart of Sampson and would not leave him till he powred out his heart to her so let the promise have ingresse and regresse let the promises besiege thy heart that thy heart may give up it selfe to it Hosea 2.7 I will returne to my first husband for then it was better with mee than now so when the heart comes to see and know that there is better riches ease pleasures profits preferments in Christ in the promise than in all the world then it will returne thither I would have the soule outbid the world and labour to out-shoot the Devill in his owne bow and those things which the Devill casts in thy way for hindering thy soule from comming to the promise let those things bee as meanes to usher in the promise as thus when thou seest thy heart looke after friends let those friends usher the way to thinke on the infinite love and favour of God in Christ and when thy heart would faine hunt after wealth let this usher a way to the promise and say if the heart finde such content in riches what would it finde in the riches of Gods grace in Christ thus present a greater good in the promise than in any thing else Rule 2 The second rule is labour to convince thy heart of this that all the things in the world without the promise are not good and hadst thou all that the earth can afford without a promise they were rather a curse to thee than a blessing Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for it gives a kinde of being and substance to all there is no substance in honour and riches if they bee not in faith they are clogs and snares to a man except faith give a blessing therewith all our prayers have no substance in them but are poore and empty words without faith in the promise to have what we pray for the most broken and meane prayer if it bee mingled with faith it is a very powerfull prayer and the substance of all your hearing and my preaching lyes chiefly in faith otherwise they are but lost labour for faith is it that gives a kinde of being to whatsoever we speake or doe Rule 3 The third rule in this second meanes is this labour to acquaint thy heart with the goodnesse of the promise before carnall reason comes and possesses thy heart how that the promise is most sure and will come when it is most seasonable and is best for thee and when God sees it most fit we shall certainly have it David saith Thy Word is sure in heaven and Heb. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may receive comfort and mercie in time of need not when I see it sit but when God sees it fit this is it which carries away many poore sinfull hearts from resting upon the promise of God sometimes the heart is a little affected with the excellencie of the riches of Gods grace and seeth what great things the Lord hath done for his soule and saith Oh that I were such a one and let mee dye the death of the righteous but when it comes to passe that hee hath not present ease and comfort then hee casts away the good promise of the Lord and the Devill prevailes wonderfully with those poore creatures therefore saith the Prophet Heb. 3.17 When the fig tree shall not blossome neither shall the fruit be on the vines when the labour of the olive shall faile and yeeld no fruit then will I rejoyce in the Lord and joy in the God of my salvation let the promise so surpriâ—e thy heart that it may be possessed with the all-sufficiencie of it and therefore perswade thy heart the good of the promise will come when it is most seasonable let riches satisfie when death comes then call for your cordiall I tell you the promise will help when all faile Meanes 3 In the third place see that thou expectest all the good which thou needest and canst desire from that sufficiencie of the promise goe to the promise for all good there are all the cords of mercie that must draw thee and there is the all-sufficiencie that can supply all thy wants looke for all from thence and expect power from the promise to inable thee to doe whatsoever thou wouldest in the promise is authority to rule thee expect power from the promise to make thee able to beleeve the promise Object It is a weake plea for a man to say I dare not looke to the promise I cannot beleeve if I could beleeve then I might expect some good Answ Thou shalt never beleeve upon these termes thou must not first have faith and then goe to the promise but thou must first goe to the promise and from thence receive power to make thee able to beleeve the promise Psal 119.49 O Lord remember thy word to thy servant wherein thou hast caused me to trust when men are inlarged in love to a man and make faire promises this perswades the heart to trust to them and to rely upon them for good therefore a
then to God and to his Word and to thine owne heart and to the Ministers of his Word and advise wisely and judiciously of thine estate and labour to see sound evidences of the worke of grace in thy soule and see them every day and read them every morning noone and evening and get them by thee and learne them by faith that when thou commest to improve thy faith thou maist not question whether thou hast it or not and if thou wilt not be perswaded yet looke to the promise but if thy doubting comes still upon thee and controversie still oppresseth thee and is set on foot against thee then reason thus with thine owne soule If I have not faith nor grace I am sure I shall never get it by looking upon mine owne corruptions and distempers where must I have it if I want it the promise only must doe it therefore looke you to that It is with a doubting man as with a man that is melancholy if he would but set upon the worke he should see his owne folly and by going he would be able to goe and by speaking he would be able to speak so this vaine dismaiednesse of heart and these discouragements of a doubting soule doth more hinder the worke of faith than any distemper else therefore when thy feares and discouragements come in upon thee goe thou to the promise and in going thou wilt be able to goe Now faith is whetted the shield of faith scoured and it is fitted that a man may improve it in some measure to his good Rule 2 Secondly when thou hast thus maintained the clearnesse of the worke of grace before gained How to carry our hearts for the keeping of faith then labour to bring thy heart to a marvellous stilnesse and calmnesse from time to time that you may give way to faith and that faith may have its full scope to frame thy heart it is a point of great experience that wee have had as the chasing away of doubting scoures the worke of faith so a staidnesse and stilnesse of soule frames the heart to hold the shield steedily a man must not only scoure and furbuse the shield but hold it so as he may defend himselfe so then first the maintenance of the evidence of faith and the calmnesse and staidnesse of heart makes a man hold the shield stedily and beare the blow comfortably when it comes those boisterous affections those crowds and troops of troublesome imaginations as feare and jealousie and superstition these doe unranke the frame of the soule that the soule is not at the command of faith as it is in an armie when it is unranked though the commander bee never so wise and skilfull yet no man can march on so though wee had never such so victorious a faith yet if the soule were hurried up and downe with those boisterous distempers the soule could not command faith Luke 24.41 when it was told the Disciples that Christ was risen from the dead and had manifested himselfe to them the text saith They beleeved not and wondred they would not beleeve for the while and it was through the violence of their joy which made them that they had no leasure to beleeve as it is true of immoderate affection so it is true of strange feare and care and distemper because these hurrie the soule so violently and transport the soule of a man that hee cannot beleeve as it is in a crowd or tumult the travellour is fitted to goe on his journed but the crowd is so strong that they crosse him and oppose him in the way and overturne him and over power him and so make him goe another way the fault was not because hee would not or was not able to goe but because they did oppose him and hinder him just so it is with a soule thus troubled with tumultuous thoughts especially melancholly and those enemies of vaine imaginations of feares and sorrow and distempered thoughts and cares that though the heart is willing and able to beleeve yet those stirrings of boisterous affections they crosse faith in the way and beare downe faith that it cannot goe on in the way of the promise towards God nor receive helpe from him Psal 43.5 there David chides his owne heart and rockes it asleep and would bring it quiet saying Why art thou so disquieted Oh my soule and why art thou disquieted within me this signifies to lay a man flat upon his back againe why art thou so tumultuously troubled this is taken from a wave in the sea that is carried up and downe there are three things in this text fitting for our purpose First that a tumultuous distemper of heart makes a man lye flat upon his back and sinke into a swound Secondly it hinders the worke of faith marke what followes Still trust in God as if he had said leave those distempers of heart and rest upon the freenesse of Gods grace Thirdly David chides his owne heart and brings it into a calmnesse and stilnesse he rocks his heart and quiets it as if he said still looke up to God and wait upon him for mercie for he is yet my God The vertue of this rule we finde in experience especially in melancholy persons when they have swarmes of thoughts buzzing in their mindes sometimes restlesse feares that doe chase their hearts as the hound doth the Deere in the forrest and after this comes another affection and after that another and so at last they come altogether sometimes the horrour of a mans conscience makes hue and cry after him and makes him say Oh how my heart smites me me thought I saw hell gaping for me and the Devils even standing at my elbow ready to hurry mee downe to everlasting destruction this makes his soule to have such an amazement and gasternes of spirit that he cannot reach the promise of God because of those distempers therefore labour for that which the Lord himselfe adviseth by his Prophet Feare you not but stand still and behold the salvation of the Lord that is lay aside those restlesse imaginations and those crowds of foolish conceits and those needles feares stand still and be quiet that is with the eye of faith behold the salvation of God and looke upon his promises Rule 3 That your faith may bee fitted for the worke take notice of this How faith may be fitted for the worke in the want of any means doe not first seeke for them and in the presence of any means God affords looke not first to them for succour and supply but first goe to the promise that the promise may supply what you need and that the promise may blesse what means you have It is an uncomfortable and disorderly course for a man barely and firstly to looke at those things which are within the compasse of sense and so range up and downe for comfort in the use of the means and the promise and Christ are the last things thought of in
against reason sense and religion and all Now thy faith begins to wrastle with him and his dealings and conscience checks and thou wilt teare thine owne heart out of thine owne bosome brethren this will not doe it When a ship of a hundred tuns is upon ground the mariners may pull and tug their hearts out before they can get it goe O goe then and say it is not I that can be patient and put up a wrong be quiet and expect it not from hence let the heart lie still till the winde and tide and promise come and that will carry thee Rule 2 Bring the promise home to thy heart that the promise may bring thy heart to it I meane thus I told you before that the heart renounceth all abilities of it selfe as the first principle and saith it is in an impatient heart it is not here Lord downe be quiet and still goe thou to the promise and bring that first to thy soule and when the promise comes it will bring thy heart home to it I will tell you how you must goe to the promise and say thus It is not in mine owne power to quicken my selfe yet Lord this I know that there is sufficiencie in the promise to supply all my wants and there is authoritie in the promise to rule and order mee in all my courses therefore take the promise and reason thus I conclude that the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of his Spirit is in the promise undeniably and undoubtedly and unspeakably accompanying in his manner as hee shall see fit This I say that the almighty Spirit of Christ doth really and continually accompany the promise for the good of his hence it is called the spirit of promise for there is an Almighty creating worke goes along with the promise and I reason thus that word that discernes the thoughts of the hearts of men that word must needs have the Almighty worke of Gods Spirit accompanying of it so far as God hath promised it not haply when thou seest fit but when God sees fit Hee doth it as a voluntary workman therefore thou considerest that there is an Almighty power and a fulnesse in the promise then lay that promise upon thine heart and know it and conclude it and looke for vertue from thence to draw thy soule to it again I have severall passages to expresse my selfe by it you may understand it Iacob would not beleeve that Ioseph was alive or if he were alive he had but little means was poore Gen. 45.26 27 28 29. but when he saw the Chariots that Ioseph had sent him then he beleeved and said I have enough Ioseph my son liveth the Chariots sent from Ioseph to Iacob brought Iacob to Ioseph so every beleeving soule is poore and feeble and dis-nabled to goe to God and to beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ therefore looke thou unto the Chariots of Israel first and that will convey thee to the promise As it is with the miller first he pares the mill fitly and orders all the occasions thereof and when the stones are fit and laid to goe yet it will not goe till the sluce be pulled up and the water runs that drives the mill so the soule is humbled and lies levell with the Lord and his truth and is content to yeeld to his conditions but the soule of it selfe in it selfe cannot goe It hath not the principle of going but let downe the sluce of the promise and let that come to thy heart and it will bring thy soule home to the Lord. The promise must come to thee and make thee come to it It is not here Lord but in the promise bring that promise and set open the sluce and let the wind blow and it will convey thee comfortably as Luke 19.9 This day salvation is come to thy house not to the wals of thy house but to the men that are in the house they did not come to salvation but salvation came to them the Lord sent salvation to salute the house of Zacheus and that brought him to salvation this is the foiling of many poore beleevers O say they if I could beleeve then the promise did belong unto me but I dare not venture upon it but I say unto thee whomsoever thou art thou shalt never live by faith upon these termes thou must first let the promise come to thee and then it will carry thee unto it Rule 3 When the promise is thus come home and thou seest the sufficiency and authority of it then all thou hast to doe is this in the streame of that promise be carried and in the vertue thereof be conveyed home to the Father Luke 15.4 The Prodigall is said to be like a lost sheepe marke this for it concerneth you poore creatures The poore sheepe is wildered up and downe now in the mouth of the Lion and then in the briars and sometimes in the pit The text saith He leaveth the ninety nine to seeke that that is in comparison of what care he expresseth to the lost sheepe hee leaveth a man regenerate not carelesly but hee will not expresse so great love as to a poore lost man and though thou canst not find the way to Heaven yet hee will finde thee lie thou upon the shoulders of Christ as in the 5. verse of this Chapter when thou findest thy heart feeble and weake and thy selfe unable to beleeve then the Lord Jesus Christ brings the spirit of grace and that comes to seeke and Jesus Christ will lay that soule of thine upon his shoulders that is upon the riches of the freenesse of his grace therefore let thy heart bee transported by the power of that grace and by the vertue of that mercie that God hath made knowne unto thee for thy everlasting good when the chariots are come get thee up into them the Lord Jesus Christ is gone up to heaven and hee hath sent his chariots for thee therefore get thee up and say Lord take mee up with thee let the Lord convey thee by the power of his grace when the mariner hath sea roome enough hee cares for no more if hee can but observe the channell hee lookes not so much at his oare or any thing so he can observe the channell this channell is the full tide of the promise therefore lay thy selfe upon the promise and say Lord in the vertue of that grace and in the power of that Spirit carry mee and in the riches of that mercie of thine Lord convey the heart of this poore sinner and make mee happy with thy selfe for ever Passage 2 It is presumed that thy faith now is come to the promise now the skill is how hee may take and improve the good of the promise and receive all the incomes thereof There are two things especially observable First labour to husband the promises and to mannage them wisely when wee have them for our best advantage Secondly labour to live by the sweetnesse of the promises
good man desperately poore but his heart was desperately proud therefore the Lord will make him good and make his proud heart yeeld and then bestow these things looke for that first and not for the other againe another Christian labours much for the assurance of Gods love and cannot attaine it and seekes to God in the use of the promises and yet he cannot finde it setled God will give thee comfort and consolation but in his owne order and know this that commonly the Lord never debars the soule of comfort but he sees that the heart is not fit for it thy heart would bee proud and carelesse and God should heare no more of thee and thy saile would overturne the boat therefore when God hath abased thy heart and made thee content to want what he shall deny then hee will give thee assurance but it must be in his order and this is the reason why the most smoak out their dayes in discontent the reason is there is a proud heart and a sturdy disposition of spirit that will not come unto Gods termes as it is with a Physitian he will not give a cordiall to his patient when hee will for if he were in a burning fever it were the next way to send him going first he purgeth and makes him fit and then gives him a cordiall so it is in these things which thou cravest the Lord will then give thee thē when thou shalt not surfet of comfort and assurance and prosperity when thy heart is emptied and purged and able to digest these things then the Lord will give them Rule 2 Secondly the Lord will give temporall blessings and that measure of spirituall in his owne due time not when thou and I would but when he sees most fit As Iohn 2.3 4. The mother of Iesus comes to our Saviour they have no wine saith shee she thought shee had Christ at command but hee answers her Woman what have I to doe with thee my houre is not yet come So it is with our soules wee want comfort and strength against corruptions and assurance and assistance What have I to doe with that proud heart of thine saith our Saviour My time is not yet come you would have it now as they said Wilt thou now restore the Kingdome to Israel God will doe it in his owne time and wee must wait his leisure This is one thing that doth necessarily accompany the covenant of grace as I have shewed before that the Lord should dispence of his Kingdome when he pleaseth and not when we will when the Lord seeth these blessings of spirituall mercies and temporall favours are ripe and most seasonable to thy necessities then thou shalt have them but the time is in Gods hand Rule 3 The Lord doth not promise in such a manner and measure and such a peculiar thing to give that temporall blessing and that spirituall assistance that we desire but the Lord will doe that which he knoweth is most fit And the text saith Feed me with food convenient for me there was faith he refers himselfe to God When a man comes to the taylers to have a garment made hee doth not cut out the garment himselfe but refers it to the judgement of the workman so we must doe refer our selves to God and know God promiseth nothing but as he seeth it fit for thy good It may bee thou shalt not have this blessing or that grace As it is with a Potter hee is minded to make so many vessels of honour but it is reserved in the minde of the Potter how big he will make every vessell of honour so if the Lord make thee a vessell of honour goe away contented whether thou hast so much prosperity and so much good and grace or no it skils not it is enough that thou art elected to eternall happinesse Now you see how to mannage and improve the promise aright for your best advantage and to expect from the promise that which it will yeeld The second particular in this third rule of living by faith is this how to take and how to enjoy the sap and sweet of the promise and to live by it when the Husbandman hath sowen his ground and his fruit is ripe and he hath reaped it then he must gather in his come that hee may live upon it So let us gather in the promises when we see the best advantage now let us take the gaine and live by it and that comfortably too in the proofe of Gods goodnesse therein For this end let me suggest these five rules or directions Direction 1 First thou seest what God is in the promise and thou expectest no more than God is there then eye that particular good in the promise which thou standest in most need of eye that good in Christ and in the promise and then set Gods power and faithfulnesse aworke to bring that good and his wisedome to contrive it As for instance I am in persecution and either I would have deliverance and safety that I might not be imprisoned or else comfort and refreshment if the Lord carry me thither therefore I would see all this in the promise still reserving the conditions before mentioned If thou art in prison eye liberty and preservation in Christ he that is the great deliverer of his people and carrieth his people in his hands and then set Gods power and faithfulnesse aworke that can doe it and his wisedome that can contrive it for thy good that which thou seest and needest in the promise that the power wisedome of God may comunicate to thy soule this is the meaning of that place Psalme 37.5 Commit thy wayes unto the Lord trust in him and he shall bring it to passe root thy selfe and lay all thy weight of all thy occasions upon the Lord. Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 5.7 Hurle your care upon the Lord for hee careth for you It is Gods proper office and worke He careth for thy soule therefore lay it all upon him and put over all thy care into his hands and set his power and faithfulnesse a worke only this is here a little to be scanned I speake not this that we should take no care at all but I say hang all thy weight and burthen of thy care upon the Lord. The Brewer he tumbles the barrell of beere and roules it but the earth that bears it so whatsoever trouble is in thy eare roule it upon the Lord That is thus the weight of a mans occasions lies especially in three things which a man must hurle off himselfe and lay upon the Lord either a man shall not bee able to know what hee shall doe or what hee is commanded or else secondly he shall not be able to doe what God commands and he knowes or else thirdly he shall not finde successe in what he doth It is not a trouble to doe what we can or to imploy our selves as we are able but this is the trouble when the
Isaac againe So I would have a poore Saint of God to conclude when thou findest thy comforts like Isaacks in the ashes and thy estate hopelesse and helplesse yet even then set Gods power on worke and wait upon him in the use of the meanes that hee hath appointed and then conclude it and bring patience power and deliverance and so in every kinde according to all thy necessities yet remember this expect no more from the promise than God will give in the promise but say my sinnes shall bee mastered one day and these temptations shall be one day overthrowne that have so long annoyed the soule of thy poore servant I have begged succour against these corruptions within and these temptations without and yet it is not but I know it is done in heaven it wants nothing but the taking out thou wilt bestow upon thy servant what thou seest fit 1 Sam. 1.18 Hannah wept sore and prayed to the Lord and went away and was no more sorrowfull and she said Lord I beleeve that I shall either have a childe or that which is as good or better now the businesse was done but imagine the Lord delayes and doth not suddenly accomplish what hee intends and thou hast used meanes to receive he gives not and grants not and sends not succour according to thy desire and the tenure of the covenant as thou conceivest Direct 4 Then faith must take up his stand and stay till it come as thou resolvest that it will be so stay till it be and stay it out here is much worke to doe we prevent Gods kindnesse when wee goe away before hee bee willing to bestow his kindnesse on us but faith will not doe so hee that beleeveth doth not make haste he makes haste to obey but hee stayes and resolves that it will be the vision is for an appointed time therefore wait for it thou art pestered with thy sinnes and hast laboured by faith to subdue them and thy estate is low and thou hast laboured by faith for deliverance and yet it comes not and freedome from temptations comes not therefore stay till God sees fit and it will come Psal 123.2 As the eyes of a servant looke to the hands of his master and the eyes of a maiden to her mistresse so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God untill he have mercie upon us not till I will and till I see fit and according to my minde but untill the Lord have mercie wee suddenly slide away from the covenant which the Lord makes with us because wee have it not when wee will therefore we goe away 1 Sam. 13.13 when Samuel carried long and the people began to murmur Saul went and offered a burnt-offering unto the Lord and therefore Samuel said unto him Thou hast done foolishly and hast not kept the commandement of thy God which he commanded thee for now would the Lord have established thy kingdome upon Israel for ever If Saul had stayed the Lords time hee would have established the kingdome upon Israel for ever but he prevented the Lords kindnesse and offered sacrifice unseasonably and sinfully so it is many times with a proud pettish rash and distempered heart if we have not what we would and just when we would then wee are all amort and murmur and say Why should wee wait any longer thou hast done foolishly hast thou prayed and looked to the promise thus long and wilt thou now give over the Lord would have comforted thee hadst thou gone on but the Lord hath withdrawn himselfe from thee because thou hast withdrawn thy heart from the promise when the carriage is heavie and the way is dead there are many sore puls and the wagon is at a stand and if a man should then goe away then all his worke were lost therefore stay thou till the Lord shew mercy thus long thou hast called and sought and looked to the promise and waited upon the Lord and attended upon the freenesse of his grace once more would have done it thy heart was almost humbled and thy sinne was almost conquered O thou silly foole why didst not thou hold it out it wil come at last my life for thine now take heed of this if the time seeme tedious and thy heart begins to sink and thy spirit is weary take heed of flying off take heed of shifting for thy owne comfort and looking to base ende and aimes no hold thy minde to and keep thy eye of faith upon the promise and stay it out till God see the time fit and know it is the best time for thee to receive it Acts 27 31. Paul saith Except these abide in the ship you cannot be safe every man was shipping over bord to save himselfe but Paul stayed them a man would have thought otherwise but the Apostle knew it was not so for the Lord had revealed it unto him so I say be thy temptations never so strong and thy sinnes never so many and thou beginnest to complaine and saist I have cryed Lord and sought earnestly and yet my condition is worse and my soule more sinfull and I am lesse able to helpe my selfe there is no more succour to bee expected now take heed of going out of the ship and from the use of the meanes keepe in the ship for in the ship you shall be safe keepe in the promise and still your hearts there you shall have a happie arrivall at heaven though it bee upon a broken board it s no matter stay Gods time Direct 5 Yet haply the Lord seemes sometimes not only to delay his poore servants and to withhold his favour but he seemes to frowne and say he will not heare and hee seemes to be angrie with the prayers of his servants and with their importunitie and he seemes as if he would not succour and supply thus he dealt with Iacob Gen. 32.26 there the Lord saith Let me goe I care not what becomes of thee I leave thee to thy selfe but Iacob layes hold upon him and would not let him goe so the last worke of faith is this In an holy humilitie to labour to contend with God and by strong hand to overcome the Lord for the Lord loves to be overcome thus bee not fancie with the Lord but in the sense of thy owne basenesse as it were catch the Lord Jesus and strive with him leave not till thou hast those comforts which he hath promised and thou hast begged this is the glory and victorie of the â—â—iumph of faith that gives the day to and layes downe the weapons and yeelds himselfe as conquered as it was Iacob when God saw he could not prevaile he said in the 28. verse Thy name shall be no more called Iacob but Israel because thou hast prevailed with God God is ready to give what he hath promised but he will have us trie masterie with him God overcomes himselfe and we by faith in God overcome God as Iam. 2.13 Mercie triumphs over justice Lord saith my
THE SOVLES VOCATION OR EFFECTVAL Calling to CHRIST By T. H. 2 PETER 1.3 Through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glorie and vertue LONDON Printed by Iohn Haviland for Andrew Crooke and are to be sold at the Black Beare in S. Pauls Church-yard 1638. A TABLE OF THE Contents out of JOHN Doctrine I. THe soule humbled and inlightened must learne the fulnesse of the mercie of God that there is fulnesse of sufficiencie of mercie with him p. 37 Use I. Looke only to Gods mercie after that thou hast learned the lesson of contrition and humiliation p. 43 Doctrine II. That the teaching of the heart effectually is the proper taske and worke of God p. 49 Reason Because the worke is an almightie worke p. 50 Use I. It is of admirable comfort to all weake silly feeble minded creatures p. 51 Use II. If it be the worke of God then goe to him p. 52 Use III. Doth the Father teach then acknowledge you have it as from God p. 57 Doctrine III. That the word of the Gospell and the worke 〈◊〉 â—â—irit goe both together p. 62 The manner how the Word and Spirit goe together p. 63 Reason I. Because the Lord would have all use the meanes p. 65 Reason II. Because the Lord would not have men be couzened by their owne fancies p. 65 Reason III. Because the Lord would have all to bee watchfull and carefull in not losing their comfort p. 60 Use I. Instruction to teach us the worth of the Gospell above all other things in the world for it is accompâ—nied with the Spirit and it brings salvation with it p. 65 Use II. For triall hence a man may know whether wee have a spirituall heart or no. p. 67 Use III. Direction hence we may observe the ground why many of Gods faithfull people understand not that they have the Spirit of God p. 68 Use IIII. Terrour wee may see the hopelesse condition of those men that live under the Gospell c. p. 69 Use V. Exhortation you are to submit to the Word of the Lord. p. 70 The meanes to submit are three p. 71 Doctrine IIII. 〈…〉 Spiâ—â—â— of the Lord gives speciall notice of Gods acceptance to the soule truly humbled p. 72 The manner how the Spirit doth it is in three passages p. 74 Reason I. Because onely the Spirit of the Lord knowes the Lords minde p. 88 Reason II. Because the Spirit onely can breake thorow all those â—â—â—sts and clouds of ignorance and blindnesse that are in the mindes to oppose this worke p. 90 Those hindrances are of two sorts p. 91 Use I. Is of triall to examine your selves whether Gods Spirit hath given you speciall notice of Gods acceptance p. 94 The speciall notice of the Spirit from all other is to be tried and differenced by foure particulars p. 95 Use II. It is an use of direction to teach you what meanes you must use to get the notice and evidence of Gods love to your owne soules p. 101 The meanes to get the witnesse of the Spirit are foure Ibid. 1. You must labour to bee such a one to whom the Spirit doth belong p. 102 2. You must not hearken to carnall reason of your owne hearts p. 103 3. You must labour to understand the language of the Spirit p. 105 4. You must labour to keepe the promise by you for ever p. 107 The Motives to this are two Ibid. Use III. Instruction to teach you that the humbled sinner of meanest capacitie doth know more of grace and salvation and Gods love in Christ than the most wise and learned in the world that are not humbled p. 108 Use IIII. It is to shew the certaintie of the assurance of faith p. 109 Now we come next in order to shew how that the Lord must teach all the affections to come unto the promise and the first affection is the affection of hope p. 110 Doctrine V. The holy Spirit of the Father doth stir the heart of an humbled and inlightened sinner to hope for the goodnesse of the Lord. Ibid. Reason I. Why the Lord doth in the next place proceed to stir up hope is because it is the fittest facultie of the soule to wait upon mercy p. 112 The manner how God doth stirre up the heart of an humble broken hearted sinner to hope is in three passages p. 113 1 The Lord doth sweetly perswade the heart that a mans sinnes are pardonable p. 113 2 The Lord doth sweetly perswade the soule that all his sinnes shall be pardoned p. 118 3 The Lord letteth in some rellish into the soule of the sweetnesse of his love ibid. Use I. Reproofe of two sorts of persons first of those that despaire secondly of those that presume p. 119 The hainousnesse of the sin of desperation is set forth in two particulars 1 As io is most injurious to God p. 120 2 As it is most dangerous to the soule p. 121 The sinne of presumption of carnall Hypocrites is set forth p. 123 The grounds of the unreasonable hopes of carnall Hypocrites are five 1 The ignorants hope that the Lord that made him will not damne him p. 125 2 Another hopeth that God is his God because of his prospertie in outward things ibid. 3 Another hopes he shall be saved because he hath had an hell of affliction in this life ibid. 4 Another hopes for salvation in regard they enjoy the means of salvation p. 127 5 Another hopes he shall be saved because there is mercy enough in God to save him p. 129 Use II. An use of consolation to every poore broken hearted sinner canst thou but looke to God and hope I say thy condition is good p. 133 There are foure signes to know the true grounded hope of the Saints from all false and flashy hopes of Hypocrites The first signe of true hope is that true hope hath a peculiar certainty in it p. 135 The second signe is this that a true grounded hope is of great power and strength to hold the soule to the truth of the promise p. 137 The third signe is this that the excellency of this hope doth overshadow all the hopes in the world that can be offered propounded desired p. 139 The fourth signe is this a true grounded hope alwayes lendeth supply and succour when all the rest of a mans abilities doe faile in his owne sense and apprehension p. 140 Use III. Of exhortation to beseech every one to labour for this true and grounded hope p. 143. The Motives to stirre you up to seeke this hope are these three 1 Because there is nothing more usefull than this grace of hope p. 143 2 Because nothing is more needfull to the soule than this true hope p. 144 3 Because by this true hope the hearts of the Saints are kept both in love to God and in obedience unto him p. 145 The Meanes to attaine this true grounded Hope are these three 1 You must labour to cast out all carnall sensualitie p.
in shew but false in heart p. 279 Here are further to bee discovered foure sorts of Hypocrites 1 There is a whining Hypocrite p. 280 2 The wrangling Hypocrite p. 280 3 The glorious Hypocrite p. 280 4 The presumptuous Hypocrite p. 280 We are now come to the worke of the will p. 283 Doctrine VIII The will of a poore sinner humbled and inlightned comes to be effectually perswaded by the Spirit of the Father to rest upon the freenesse of God in Christ that it may be interested therein p. 284 The opening of this Doctrine consisteth in 4 particulars Particular I. That this worke must be in an heart humbled and enlightned p. 285 Particular II. The will must be effectually perswaded by the Spirit of the Father p. 287 Particular III. By the power of this perswasion it casteth it selfe upon the rich grace free mercy of God in Christ p. 295 Now this resting of the soule upon the rich grace of God in Christ discovereth it selfe in a 5. fold Act. Act I. It doth imply a going out of the soule to Christ that the soule runs and reacheth after a Christ p. 296 Act II. Of resting is this it layeth fast hold upon Christ p. 298 Act III. Of resting is this it flings the weight of all his occasions and troubles upon Christ p. 302 Act IV. Of resting and reposing is this it doth draw vertue and derive power from the Lord Iesus Christ for succour and supply p. 305 Faith doth draw vertue from Christ by a three-fold Act. p. 307 Act I. Is this Faith doth appropriate and apply the promise to it selfe in particular ibid. Act II. Faith doth jog the hand of God and sets Gods power on worke p. 309 Act III. Faith urgeth God with his owne Word and presseth Gods promise and challengeth God on his faithfulnesse and truth not to be wanting unto him for the acceptation of his Person and the pardon of his sinnes p. 311 Act V. Of resting is this it doth leave the soule with the promise p. 312 Particular IV. Is the finall cause why it doth rest that it may be interested into all the good that is in the promise and to have supply of all Spirituall wants from the promise p. 315 The Spirituall wants of the soule which faith doth supply are of 3. sorts p. 316 Sort I. Of Spirituall wants are these that the soule is gone away from God and is estranged to God now faith bringeth the soule againe to God ibid. Want II. Is this the soule being departed from God hence the soule is deprived of all good grace and life now faith doth not onely bring a sinner to God but it doth communicate from God to a sinner p. 320 Want III. Is this the heart is fearfull lest it should lose that grace now faith it is that doth keepe a man grace p. 322 Question How doth the soule come to beleeve Answer There are three things in the promise where by the will of man is drawne to beleeve p. 327 Motive I. Is the All-sufficiencie of the freenesse of Gods love p. 328 Motive II. Is this that this mercy is intended for thee p. 329 Motive III. Is this that God doth earnestly desire thee to come and to take this mercy p. 330 Use I. Of information that saving faith is no part of that holinesse which Adam had nor no part of that Image to which wee are restored by Sanctification p. 335 Use II. â—t is an use of terrour to all that still remaine in unbeleefe p. 349 The fearfulnesse of this sinne of unbeleefe is laid open in foure Particulars p. 352 Particular I. Because unbeleefe it doth keepe off the riches of mercies from the soule that are in Christ that it cannot enjoy them p. 352 Particular II. Vnbeleefe it doth make all meanes to be unprofitable p. 356 Particular III. Vnbeleefe all sinne in the strength and power of it in the heart of a sinner p. 361 Particular IV. Vnbeleefe maketh the soule of a sinner to be in a desperate case and condition p. 366 The danger of unbeleefe doth appeare in these three Particulars p. 369 Particular I. Consider it seriously that whatsoever thou dost so long as thou art an unbeleever it is all unprofitable and to no purpose at all p. 369 Particular II. All the good things an unbeleever doth enjoy will prove uncomfortable p. 370 Particular III. Vnbeleefe is the breeder and maintainer of all the rest of the sinnes of an unbeleever p. 371 Use III. It is a collection concerning the difficultie of the worke of faith that the worke of faith is beyond the reach of all created power p. 374 Use IV. It is to shew the benefits that come by faith to the soule p. 390 What these benefits are in particular vid. p. 394. and p. 396 Use V. It is an use of consolation and great comfort to all the servants of God that through his mercy have received this grace p. 416 The knowledge of true saving faith from a false faith appeareth in these three trials p. 423 Triall I. Is this observe the root and rise of thy faith the cause by which thy faith was wrought and from whence it came p. 423 Triall II. Observe whether thy faith doth make choice wholly of Christ and doth resolve to match with Christ only p. 428 Triall III. Observe whether thy faith doth beare it selfe upon the promise in all its extremities and is satisfied with it p. 431 Use VI. It is a word of reproofe against all those that never yeâ— were made partakers of the blessed worke of grace p. 434 Most that live in the bosome of the Church want saving faith p. 437 The reasons of it vid. p. 440 There bee foure sorts in particular that have no faith p. 446 Sort I. The ignorant persons p. 447 Sort II. The carnall Gospellers that doe live scandalously and trade in their wickednesse p. 450 Sort III. The meere civilized or judicious professours that beare up themselves much upon their owne wisdome and judgement p. 455 Sort IV. The counterfeit that have a forged kinde of false faith they have their alcumie faith p. 464 Of these counterfeit beleevers there are three sorts p. 465 Sort I. The first sort of counterfeit beleevers are the temporarie beleevers p. 465 Sort II. The second sort of counterfeit beleevers are the sturdy hypocrites p. 483. Sort III. The third sort of counterfeits are the shifting stately hypocrites p. 500 Use VII It is an use of exhortation to desire you to labour to get this grace of faith p. 515 The hinderances of faith are of two sorts some are reall hinderances that doe hinder the soule from Christ others doe not hinder the soules interest in Christ p. 519 The reall hinderances are foure p. 520 The hinderances that doe not hinder the title to a Christ are three in particular p. 538 Sort I. The first kinde of seeming hinderances are those discouragements which oppresse the soule through carnall reasoning p.
dead letter It is true the Lord can worke above meanes we know also God can appoint other meanes for to call the soule but it is not our meaning we must not looke for revelations and dreames as a company of phantasticall braines doe but in common course Gods Spirit goes with the Gospell and that is the ordinary meanes whereby the soule comes to be called God can make the ayre nourish a man but he doth not If a man should expect to be fed by miracle hee himselfe would be a miracle Gal. 3.2 for there goes a spirituall power with it it raiseth the dead in sinne to life it is a living word and the word discovers also the secrets of mens thoughts Now that word which raiseth the dead and discovers the secrets of mens hearts it must needs have a marvellous power with it and accompanying of it For the opening of it observe two things first the manner secondly the reasons Point 1 After what manner doth the word and Spirit goe together and you must know I do not mean that the Spirit is in the word no otherwise than in all other things but in a more speciall manner and that conceive in three things First the Lord hath ordained and set apart the preaching of the word hee hath sanctified it and set it apart to call the soule Looke as it is with the brazen Serpent God appointed it to heale those that were stung now if 500. men should have made another Serpent it could not have healed one man though they had lookt their eyes out of their heads So it is with the Gospell there is no other usuall meanes to call the soule Hence it is casted the word of the Gospell Now if five hundred men make five hundred Gospels besides this they could never convert or comfort one soule Or as it is with a mint if a mint master coyne money it will goe currant but if twenty other coine money though the stampe were as good yet it is but counterfeit coine so it is here 1 Cor. 1.21 Let a man study all the arts and tongues that can be devised he never shall nay hee never can know one drop of Gods mercy and goodnesse in Christ Why but how then may a man know it saith the Text by the foolishnesse of preaching that is wicked men count it foolishnesse The Lord doth appropriate the saving worke of his Spirit to goe with the ordinance not that God is tyed to any meanes but he tyeth himselfe to this meanes Why doth not aire nourish all as well as meat because onely God hath set meat apart for this purpose Hence this Gospell is called the power of God to salvation because the power of God ordinarily and in common course appears therein the waters of life and salvation run only in the chanell of the Gospell There are golden mines of grace but they are onely to be found in the climates of the Gospell Nay observe this when all arguments prevaile not with corruption to perswade the heart to goe to God one Text of Scripture will stand a man in stead above all humane learning and inventions because the Spirit goes forth in this and none else God doth undoubtedly as he will when he will and how he will give successe to his ordinance Isay 55.10 11. The word of the Lord doth ever accomplish that for which it is sent For it is true many a man is called after the word is delivered a long time Why is that it sokes into the soule as the snow in December sokes into the earth but the fruit of it is not seene untill May. The word is a savour of life unto life it is a living savour of death to death it is a poison a deadly savour and though it hardens some yet the worke goes forward Reason 1 Because the Lord would not have any carelesse of his owne glorie and our good as he will humble the soule that he may doe good to it so hee will make him use the meanes If a gentleman should go after a begger with an almes how proud would he be and rather thinke himselfe a master than a begger So if God should follow us with mercy we would rather goe from him but he hath laid mercy in the myne of the Gospell that wee may dig for comfort in the cisterne of the Gospell that we may draw all our consolation from thence Reason 2 Because may not be cozened by our owne fancies the Lord to prevent all inconveniences and conceits of Eatonists and Familists that thinke they have the power of the Spirit in themselves whereas Gods Spirit goes alwaies with the word 1 Iohn 4.1 Every Minister preaches with a spirit some out of the spirit of envie some out of the spirit of sinceritie some heares out of the spirit of love some with the spirit of malice to carpe at the Minister try therefore the spirits and if they hold not with the word they are naught Reason 3 That we may be watchfull and carefull lest we lose the comfort that we have lightly come lightly goe got with little paine lost with lesse care therefore the Lord will make us seeke unto the meanes Vse 1 Instruction to teach us the worth of the Gospel above all other things in the world for it is accompanied with the Spirit and it brings salvation with it What if a man had all the wealth what if hee had all the policie in the world and wanted this hee were but a foole What if one were able to dive deepe into the secrets of nature to know the motions of starres and yet know nothing belongs to his peace what availes it what if a man could speak with the tongues of men and Angels yet without this he is a novice in knowledge Why doe we value a myne but because of the gold in it and the cabinet but because of the pearle in it oh this is that pearle wee sell all for 2 Cor. 2.1 2. Vse 2 For triall a man may know whether we have a spirituall heart or no Iudg. 19. he that hath not the Spirit is a fleshly sensuall man Wouldest thou know whether thou art carnall or spirituall this doctrine tells thee How came the Spirit If thou hast it it ever came with the Gospell therfore see now how thy soule stands affected with the Gospell and so it stands affected to the Spirit If thou wilt none of the Gospell thou wilt misse of the Spirit then Christ will none of thee Now reason with your owne soules Why unlesse I take the Spirit woe be to mee I may owne my selfe Christ will never owne me Is it so that I will not suffer the word to prevaile with mee remember the time will come that you must dye as well as your neighbours and then you will say Lord Jesus forgive my sins Lord Jesus receive my soule then Christ will say Away be gone you are none of mine I know you not Any man whether noble or
treasures of his mercy in the Lord Jesus If a man have no eye hee cannot see if hee have an eye and have no object nor colours before him hee cannot see first therefore the Lord gives an eye to the humbled heart and when hee hath given him an eye then hee layes colours before him that hee may see and looke and fall in love with the treasures of mercy and compassion 2 Cor. 3. the foure last verses the Text saith The vaile of blindnesse is taken from our minds and then the faithfull Soule beholds as in a glasse all the grace and mercy and compassion that God layeth before him in Christ the humbled sinner hath now gotten an eye and some spirituall eye-sight that the Lord hath brought within his view all the riches and treasures of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Soule saith oh that mercy and grace and pardon were mine Oh that my sinnes were done away The Lord saith I will refresh them that are heavy laden Oh that I had that refreshing saith the Soule You shall have rest saith God Oh that I had rest too saith the soule Now the Soule beginneth to looke after the mercie and compassion which is laid before it Passage 3 The Spirit of the Lord doth witnesse or certifie throughly and effectually to the Soule that this mercy belongs to him that is the upshot of the notice God gives to the Soule The third stroke of the Spirit strikes through the bargaine and makes the understanding close with that grace and mercy set forth unto it and without this the Soule of an humble broken hearted sinner hath no ground to goe upon Beleeving in Scripture is called comming Now no man can goe without some ground now this is the ground without which the Soule hath no bottome to beare it up either to come to Christ or perswade it selfe of mercy in Christ What good doth it doe any hungry stomacke to heare that there is a great deale of cheere and dainties provided for such and such men what is it to him if he have them not Take a begger that hath a thousand pound told before him hee may apprehend the summe of so much gold and so much silver but what is that all to mee saith he if in the meane time I die and starve It falls out in this case with a broken hearted sinner as with a prodigall childe the prodigall he hath spent his meanes and abused his Father the prodigall hath now much need the famine is in the land and poverty is befalne him and hee knowes there was meat enough and cloaths enough in his Fathers house but alas hee can expect no kindnesse from his Father but only his heavy displeasure if any man should say goe to your Father hee will give you a portion of a hundred pounds againe doe you thinke the prodigall would beleeve this no no he would answer thus haply my Father will imprison mee or send a Sergeant to arrest mee or an executioner to take away my life it is my Father that I have offended my portion I have spent and his anger I have incensed and what will hee receive mee no I will never beleeve it Indeed had I beene a good husband I might have had his favour and increased my estate but I have lost his favour my owne estate patrimony and all but if a man should come and tell him now that he heard his Father say so and bring a certificate under his Fathers hand that it was so this would draw him into some hope that his Father meant well towards him so it is with the sinner when he is apprehensive of all his rebellions that hee hath heaped up against Gods mercy and spirit and grace by his declining from the truth If a man should tell such a soule goe to God he will give you a pension of a hundred thousand pounds a yeere that is hee will give you abundance of mercy and compassion the Soule cannot beleeve it but thinkes what I mercy no no blessed are they that walke humbly before God and conforme their lives answerable to Gods word let them take it but the truth is it is mercy I have opposed it is grace that I have rejected no mercy no grace for mee you cannot wooe the soule to be perswaded for to thinke that there is mercy for him But if God send a messenger from heaven or if under the hand of his spirit that hee doth accept of him and will doe good to him and passe by all former sinnes and shew favour to him this makes the soule grow into some hope this is the ground whereupon the soule goeth to the Lord. This the Lord performeth to the soule That which David prayes for Psalm 35.3 the Prophet was not contented that there was salvation in Gods hand hee knew that God had a world of mercy and salvation and pardon lying by him but David prayes to God Say unto my soule thou art my salvation testifie it speake it home Lord once more plainly effectually and sensibly there is salvation with thee Paul was saved and Abraham was saved but what is that to mee say unto my soule thy sinnes shall be pardoned thine iniquities shall be forgiven thy person accepted Quest But now the question growes on But how shall a man discover this testification and this witnessing of the spirit to the heart of a humble broken hearted sinner that these things are so Answ This third worke of the spirit makes knowne it selfe in three particulars Partic. 1 The spirit doth evidence to the soule broken and humbled That the soule hath an interest in this mercy that it was appointed for it and he hath to meddle with it in reason we may observe that a witnesse in a cause doth marvellously cleare it if he be wise and judicious and the thing that before was doubtfull comes now to be apparant as now in a point of Law two men contend for land now if an ancient wise man of some place is called before the Judge at the Assises and hee beares witnesse upon his knowledge that such Lands have beene in the possession of such a generation or family for the space of many yeares this is a speciall testification that this man being of that generation he hath interest to these lands So it is with the witnesse of Gods Spirit there is a controversie betweene Satan and the soule the soule saith oh that grace and compassion might be bestowed on mee why saith Satan dost thou conceive of any mercy or grace and Salvation marke thy rebellions against thy Saviour marke the wretched distempers of thy heart and the filthy abhominations of thy life dost thou thinke of mercy Here is the controversie whether an humble sinner hath title to or interest in the mercy of God Now the Spirit of God comming in that casts the cause and makes it evident if such a poore heart have interest and may meddle and make challenge to mercy and salvation because
the word and the seed of the promise which is sowne in our hearts by the vertue of the seed and the Spirit of grace accompanying that seed wee have power to receive Christ and the Spirit of Christ and so to become the Sonnes of God This is the reason of that phrase in Scripture We are not children of the flesh but of the promise also of this in Gal. 3. last verse We are made heires by the promise it makes us heires that is looke whatever ground or hope or hold of eternall life and glory blessednesse you hold it by the vertue of the promise all is by a promise grace and goodnesse is communicated to us by a promise this is our life and all our hold therefore the Gospell is made to be the testament of Jesus Christ as by ones last will and testament a man leaves his goods and lands to his posteritie so the Lord Jesus Christ out of his free good will leaveth one legacie of mercie and grace and pardon and strength to all humble broken hearted spirits Galath 3.15 though it be but a mans covenant saith hee when it is confirmed no man doth abrogate it but if a man seale it and confirme it with his bloud then it is fully established no man will no man can disanull it So Christ leaves a Legacie of mercie to you and of favour and compassion to all broken hearted sinners by promise and therefore it is established nay it is the last promise the last Legacie and Testament therefore the promise no man can alter Ioh. 1.14 He doth not leave peace then as the world doth they wish it but cannot give it they wish it but cannot bestow it but Christ leaves a legacie of mercie and peace behind him nay he hath ratified it by his bloud and he will make it good to the soule for ever Partic. 3 The witnesse makes the soule yeeld unto what the spirit hath witnessed As the witnesses in open court in a matter of law they make the case cleare and evident the Jury they take it the Judge observes it you all know how the case goes the witnesse sufficient c. So when the witnesse of Gods Spirit comes bringing the hand of God the Father and the hand of the Sonne touching Gods acceptance it casts the cause clearely Now this judgement of the sinner yeelds and cannot but close and submit it selfe unto the truth this is the meaning of that phrase before the text they shall be taught of God they shall not only learne but they shall be taught they shall have their lesson without booke they shall be made to learne and therefore the tenor of the covenant is this I will write my Law in their inward parts and they shall all know mee from the highest to the least observe the 2 Pet. 1.3 it is a place of marvellous difficultie this I take to be the meaning there is enough to satisfie any man according to his divine power he hath given unto us all things that is the Lord by his almighty divine power hath given unto us all things either appertaining to this present life here or eternall life hereafter But how comes this to passe that God doth this the Text saith It is through knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and vertue the word in the originall is through their acknowledgement of him that hath called us The soule doth not onely barely know that this is grace and mercy in Christ the eye of the understanding is not only opened but hee now comes to acknowledge the same and subscribeth thereby thereunto God saith I will save thy soule I will be thy God the soule saith It is true Lord I will deny it no more I will gain-say it no longer In a word then gather up the point if it be so that the Spirit by the witnesse thereof doth discover the interest we have in grace if it doth ratifie the interest which it doth discover nay if it makes the judgement yeeld to what it hath ratified it certifies effectually and undeniably the truths of grace and mercy thus prepared and ratified to the soule and the soule saith I confesse it Lord and closeth therewith Quest Why may some say if this bee so how then comes it to passe that many of Gods deare children how comes it that many humble hearted creatures never knew they were called never had any speciall intimation of Gods favour they cannot say in truth they are the Lords Answ I speake of him that hath had the work of preparation fully and substantially upon his soule I speake this that no scrambling hypocrite nor sinfull wretch may come and scramble for comfort and so goe away and deceive himselfe in this kind know therefore for answer thereunto There is a double knowledge the first is this A naked simple apprehension of a truth a meere closure of a mans minde with a naked plaine truth revealed so that the judgement saith it is so Secondly there is a reflecting act when a man lookes over his understanding and labours to discerne the worke thereof not only apprehending what was laid before him but when he doth apprehend that he doth apprehend when he knowes that he doth know it marke that place for wee will carry Scripture with us 1 Ioh. 2.3 Hereby we know that we know him saith the Text if wee keepe his Commandements A man may know a thing and yet not know that he doth know so then it is cleare every Saint of God hath the first knowledge that is every man that is truly called in truth doth apprehend and undoubtedly close with the worke of the Spirit making knowne unto him the mercie of Christ many may worke and most men doe the second worke they doe not know that they know the Scripture saith that the Devill himselfe rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience that is he casts in a seed of errour and delusion and corruption into the hearts of wicked men and by his delusions they entertaine those errours embrace base courses Now not one among a thousand can say that the Devill doth thus this is done by vertue of Satan and yet he doth not see it nay there is a veile of Satan upon the soule there is a seed of Satan in the soule and the soule closeth with it and yet hee apprehends it not so every faithfull soule is ruled by Gods Spirit and the seed of Gods Spirit is flung into his minde and closeth therewith but hee cannot discerne the worke of the Spirit working upon him the one governed by Satan the other enlightned by the Spirit but neither can apprehend nor know what they doe know in this kinde Reas 1 Because onely the Spirit of the Lord knowes the Lords minde it is only privie to Gods counsels and it only understands the secrets of Gods love and therefore it only can reveale them and communicate them Matth. 11.27 Now because the holy Spirit proceedeth from
his sins but the Word reveales them and the Spirit settles them thou maist take thy pleasures and live in thy sins but the end will be bitter for all these sins God will visit thee God will execute judgement upon thee then the soule trieth his heart examines his paths and begins to pore on his corruptions when Satan sees this he labours to draw him away and sends drunken companions unto him that they may take his minde off from his sins Policie 2 But if Satan cannot keepe him from seeing his sins then he shall see nothing but sin before hee was frolicke and braved it out and kickt mercie into the kennell and he would doe what he list Ministers tell mee of grace no no I will follow my course now it is otherwise with him he can see nothing but iudgements and plagues and corruptions and so sinks downe in discouragements as therefore there is nothing that can pursue a sinner and make him see his sins but God so there is none but the Spirit that can let downe a cord of mercy and draw a poore sinner out from the bottome of hell so the Spirit knowes the secrets of God if the Spirit once settles these things upon the soule and takes away all hinderances that doe oppose the evidence of Gods favour then the Spirit must only certifie Gods love and mercy and goodnesse to the soule of an humble broken hearted sinner Vset Triall will you put your selves upon triall will you over-see whether you ever had any notice of Gods acceptance observe then the author of it whence and of whom you had it this will discover the truth of it when we mistrust good newes from a farre Country we use to say it is good indeed but is it certaine whence had you it had you a letter from beyond sea or heard you from some Noble man that heard the letter read then it is certaine So there be glad tidings of peace and mercy there is good newes from heaven God hath pardoned vile sinners God saves millions of men good newes but if your hearts perswade you for certain doe you thinke so or doe others tell you so is it nothing but idle ale-house talke hath Gods Spirit sealed it doth God say to thy soule thou art his servant he thy King thou his son he thy Father if it be so thou maist pawne thy life on it trust to it the notice is good If a malefactor were condemned and a rogue that hath beene burnt in the hand who goes up and downe with a passe suppose the one to forge his pardon the other to counterfeit his passe A wise man he knowes and understands the falsenesse of the partie and he shall never get any good by it hee will stop the rogue with the passe in his hand and hang the traytor with his pardon about his neck So it is here wee are all malefactors and poore rogues running up and downe the face of the earth and we are walking and looking after another Country now what must be our passe the evidence of the Spirit thou that saist thou doubtest not of Gods mercy and the pardon of thy sins under whose seale hast thou this pardon did it come from a right Office and from a right Seale then it is good else the Lord will stop thee with thy passe in thy hand and hang thee with thy pardon about thy necke Quest But then you will say how may wee discerne the notice of the Spirit of the Lord from another notice and how may the Saints of God discerne it Triall 1 Differs in these three particulars First in the specialitie of it it is an evidence that comes home particularly to the soule Looke as it is in the conveyance of lands and leases by joynt inheritance therein haply the lease was made before the man had a childe now if afterwards he have halfe a dozen children every one in particular hath a title to it interest in that land as though they were mentioned in particular So the Gospell propounds grace and mercy to all humbled soules broken hearted sinners are mâ—de joynt heires and inheritors of everlasting mercy you that will come out of your sinfull courses and will touch no uncleane thing thou hast particular interest in Gods mercy as if thou wert called by name Robert or Richard c. Now mark al the notice and evidence that any hypocrite under heaven hath of the freenesse of Gods mercy is this hee hath only some common inkling and heare-say of salvation they are within the hearing of the promises made to others and they either not rightly apprehend or else mis-applying the sense and meaning of the promise to themselves they cosen their soules and never have any particular evidence of the truth of it to their soules by the worke of the Spirit there is haply an expectation among the prisoners in Newgate that there wil be a pardon come cut at the end of the Parliament and some man passeth by and saith there is a pardon for Newgate The prisoners that heare this it makes them rejoyce but when the Parliament comes out there is a pardon only for such persons for such facts of such a quality and nature and so haply he that rejoyced so much in the consideration of a pardon hath nothing to doe with it now the generall heare-say will doe no good but the particulâ—r evidence so it is betweene a cunning Hypocrite and a childe of God when an Hypocrite hath beene driven to extreme horrour for his sins then he lookes out for mercy his heart is terrified and his soule perplexed and he heares there is abundance of mercy in Christ and Christ came to save sinners the Hypocrite is delighted with this in the generall this is only overly and common he over-heares a promise and so quiets himselfe therein but when it comes to the triall God came to save sinners but what sinners humble broken hearted sinners But the Hypocrite is not such an one therefore it belongs not to him Differ 2 The second difference of the Spirit is such that it can hardly be rased out of the soule the testimony of the Spirit brought home to the soule cannot bee taken away for when the Spirit witnesseth to the soule it leaves the light upon the minde of an humbled sinner that will never be plucked off but hee will turne his eye towards it while the world lasts This evidence that is brought home and cast in by the Spirit it is so unexpected and so pleasing and so incomparably strong and wonderfull and withall so unconceiveable excellent that an humbled sinner when once he sees the glimpse and inckling thereof it will ever be prying and looking that way nay in the most desperate discouragements that can befall and in the greatest desertions that can betide the soule nay notwithstanding all those subtilties of temptations that Satan hurries into the soule to make a man at a losse and to make him leave looking
after the freenesse of grace in Christ yet the poore soule will ever be lingring after this Light looke as it is with a great torch carry it out of one roome into another by-roome and though the torch be gone yet it will leave such a glimmering so that a man may follow the torch so it is with the soule truly humbled it hath received the testimony of the Spirit though the torch the glory of the testimony of this witnesse goeth aside a little in temptation yet the Lord leaves such a kind of glimmering or inkling of goodnes that the soule looks after the lampe light in this kinde and followeth it for ever Ionah 2.4 Ionah was there stubborne with the Lord he was sent to Ninive he goes to Tarshish wel God sends a whirlewind after him and tosseth him into the sea and sent also a great Whale an unruly ferry-man to carry him to land Now being in the belly of the Whale hee begins to apprehend himselfe and then is joyfull and there he made a question of Gods everlasting love but yet when he was in the belly of hell and mountaines of water went over him yet marke how the holy man behaveth himselfe I will still looke towards thy holy presence He had some illuminations of Gods goodnesse in Christ and howsoever the glory therof was eclipsed yet there was some glimmering left behinde But now the flashes of the Hypocrite they are sudden the lightning of Gods love that is in his minde but it passes thorow the soule suddenly and leaves it in the same hazard ignorance and at a losse as formerly for howsoever an hypocrite may have a glimmering and a kinde of flash and take notice of the powers of the world to come yet it comes like lightning suddenly come suddenly gone and it draweth the minde for the while and the understanding for the present but in conclusion the soule is where it was before when this flash is gone and the lightning is over it is just at the same losse and danger it was before Differ 3 From this authority of the Spirit it is of great authority and of marvellous powerful command so that the whole frame of the soule comes to be ordered and the heart comes to be framed sutable and agreeable thereon Looke as it is with a mighty streame all the lesser streames runne that way so it is with the blessed streame of this evidence of truth what the Spirit of God lets into the minde of the Saints it carries all with it and beares all before it and makes the whole streame of the soule be answerable thereunto Take notice between the vision Saint Paul had and which Balaam had God let in a light into Balaams soule What wilt thou curse Iacob Oh the glory that I will bestow upon them This made his teeth water at the goodnesse of the Lord and he saith Let mee die the death of the righteous Numb 24.2 the Text useth the phrase The Spirit of God was upon Balaam the meaning is he intimated the happie condition of the Saints of the Lord and in stead of cursing he blessed them though this cursed Witch Balaam had this common enlightning to know the excellencie of the condition yet his heart was never the better was covetous and malicious still towards Iacob But looke Acts 26.19 Saint Paul saith hee was not disobedient to the vision as who should say The blessed truth that was revealed to me the voyce that spake to me from heaven my minde was framed thereby and answerably disposed thereunto and I submitted and came in at the voyce of the Lord. Hence the phrase in Scripture They that know thee will trust in thee as who should say Grounded knowledge brings in confidence So Ioh. 4.10 Christ saith Hadst thou knowne me it is not every knowledge that will doe the deed a man may talke of grace but hadst thou understood better the evidence thou shouldest have asked grace and received it this is the reason of Iobs speech when God takes a man in hand he will command a man to returne fron iniquitie there is a commanding power in the obedience of truth the Lord lets in a commanding power and turnes the heart from sin and makes it yeeld to the obedience of God Whereas the light of the hypocrite is like lightning in the evening a flash and away and leaves no heat behinde it The Sunne doth not only give light but it leaves a heat behind it so it is with the Spirit of God when the sunshine of the heavenly light comes into the heart it leaves a heat of holy affections behinde it framing and disposing the heart of a man to be at the call and command of God Observe when wee lay forth arguments before men and convince their consciences that their course is nought notwithstanding whatsoever we can speake they returne to their wicked speeches and base practices their lives are as wicked their tongues as prophane as ever but when the Spirit of God will take those arguments we propound out of Scripture and make knowne those troubles to the understanding it communicates unto thee and them that power to the soule that it comes to be disposed thereunto Differ 4 The testimony of the Spirit goes upon very good ground it is a wise Spirit and a Spirit of truth and therefore goes wisely to worke Now Hypocrites they beare up their hearts with admirable evidence of Gods love but aske them what reasons they have for it what arguments to maintaine it they have nothing at all to say this is an undoubted argument of a besotted befooled hypocrite Come to your ancient people and enquire of them in the time of their sicknesse aske them if ever they were perswaded of Gods favour they say they thanke God they never doubted of it they reply they were worse than Reprobates if they should but they have no ground at all to confirme this this is an undoubted argument of a soule that never had any sound evidence of Gods love for where the Spirit comes it goes upon good ground Vse 2 Direction and Exhortation hence wee learne what course wee must take what path wee must tread in what meanes we must use to get this notice and gaine this evidence of Gods love to our soules learne the ground get the witnesse of Gods Spirit get but the Spirit to seale it and all is thine It was the speech of Sampson when he propounded a Riddle to the Philistines they knew not how to answer it because they understood it not before he had told his wife and shee them then they related the Riddle to them hee confesseth their answer to be good But saith he had you not plowed with my Heifer you could not have expounded my Riddle I use the same comparison for our purpose use Gods meanes if you would know Gods minde take counsell of him that is privie Counceller of Heaven would you be perswaded of Gods love and affection
towards you will you know how your case shall goe at the last day would you know if your name is written in the Book of life if you would why then know the way to obtaine it seeke it of the Spirit of the Lord for he searcheth the chiefe things of God consider what our Saviour tels you Luke 11.12 Why then must this Spirit only certifie the pardon of sin Why looke up to heaven then and plead thus with him Lord I am a father and give my childe what hee wants and if I see him in need I releeve him why I need thy Spirit Lord I beg it thou hast promised it Lord give that Spirit to the soule of thy servant and let it restifie to my conscience that thou art reconciled to me Object But how shall we get the Spirit home to a man in this case Answ The meanes are two Meanes 1 Thou must labour to be such a one to whom the Spirit belongs Labour to be an humble hearted sinner and then the Lord will send his Spirit and give notice to thee of his acceptance for the Lord doth not passe over his comfort or mercie or compassion to any soule in the world but onely to those that are broken hearted before God there is no mercy for thee that art stubborne no compassion for thee that art stout hearted wouldest thou have the Spirit make a lye for thee and come from Heaven to make a new Scripture to bring a loose stubborne drunkard or adulterer to heaven it will not bee so it cannot bee so never thinke to bring the Spirit of the Lord and make him speake mercy to thee when it belongs not to thee 1 King 14.1 2 c. Doe not thinke to complain it with the Lord Jesus and put the finger in the eye weep a few teares and say I confesse my rebellions are sinful I am sory for my sins and will repent me of my sins the Spirit wil say Come out thou proud wretched hypocrite doest thou feigne thy selfe to be an humble broken hearted sinner doe not I know thy reservations doe not I know thy by-wayes and back-doores Come out thou proud wretch and sturdy hypocrite I am sent to thee with heavie tidings you may cozen man but you cannot deceive God therefore never thinke he will give grace and mercy unto thee unlesse thou be fitted for it Meanes 2 Be sure you harken not to your carnall cavils of reason nor to the clamours of a corrupt heart nor to the bawlings of Satan all which stop and hinder the testimony of the Spirit and with their loud cries drowne the voyce of the Spirit that it cannot be heard It is a fashion amongst Lawyers at Assises or Sessions when in their Courts there comes in a wise judicious witnesse and the Lawyers plead a base cause they feare him and therefore before he can speak out his tale one speaks and another speakes and so hinders this that hee cannot bee understood then the man saith hee came for a witnesse and not thus to be disturbed then the Judge commands silence and then hee hath liberty to discover what he knowes and then the case is cleare so it is with the soule and carnall reason and the Devill The triall is whether a man hath any interest in Christ or no. Now the Spirit of the Lord working graciously upon the heart would bring in a faire testimony of Gods grace to the soule but when the soule commeth to a faithfull Minister to tell him how God hath wrought upon him and met with him and how he was burthened with his sins Oh saith Satan you were burthened with your sins but you returned to them againe then the soule saith he was humbled for his sinnes yet the goodnesse of God was never sealed to him aye saith Satan but you continue in your sins still aye saith the soule I am weary of these sins aye and you are weary of labouring against them too saith Satan Thus the soule is tyred by carnall reasons temptations of Satan now let the evidence of the Spirit bee never so plaine he cannot perceive it be watchfull therefore in this case if you heare what feare or feeling or suspition saith feeling saith I find nothing feare saith it will never be suspition imagineth I shall never see that day but now command silence to every one to feare suspition feeling and unworthinesse and say now speake blessed Spirit then you will see the case cast presently It is said of Abraham he considered not Sarahs barren wombe for imagine Abraham had thus reasoned I never had childe for mee to beare a childe it is against nature shall a man that never begat beget a childe in his old age I will never beleeve it If hee had done thus for ought I know though hee had lived unto this time hee should never have had a childe but he never considered of any of these things and therefore the Promise was accomplished Therefore be sure not to hearken what failings feare and doubt and corruption saith for they will be ever against thee there is no mercy from corruption no grace from feare and suspition but consider not your dead barren wretched hearts but attend upon Gods promise and you shall finde Gods Spirit witnesse unto you the acceptance of your persons before God Object But you will say may not a man consider of his sins and attend to the corruptions of our owne hearts Answ I answer a man may nay must in a fit time after a right manner to a good end for he that never seeth his sins can never be humbled for them but this consideration only fits us for mercie and can never get assurance of any interest in mercie The consideration of our sins will give us notice of these three particulars 1. It gives us notice of our owne vilenesse and basenesse the laying these upon the soule it is a maine meanes to breake the heart and bruife a filthy stubborne soule It gives us notice of the emptinesse and infirmity of all outward parts and gifts and meanes and helpes to doe us any good It will make us see the absolute necessity of a Saviour and of the great worke of redemption which Christ hath wrought for us nay it will drive us out of our selves and force us to fall at the foot-stoole of Gods mercy that so wee may gaine Gods favour to us but it is impossible that the consideration of my sins should certifie mee of my interest in Gods mercy Meanes 3 Labour to bee informed and to understand aright the language of the Spirit Looke as it is with a poore man in the Court a wise witnesse comes in and speakes plainly but it will doe the poore man no good to heare the witnesse unlesse he understand it so though we heare the Spirit and doe not understand the language of the Spirit it is as if we never heard it Now the language of the Spirit is nothing else but the tenour
he that now is accused condemned shall now be hanged so here Others beare their hopes and sustaine their hearts upon the privileges that God bestoweth upon them and the meanes they have and in regard of the duties they doe discharge and though they thinke they have faire hopes and great hopes of heaven why say they God will powre downe his wrath upon those that know not God and that call not upon his name but what doe you make of us are we heathen are not we Christians have not wee beene baptized and the Lord hath inabled us to doe something wee call upon his name and seeke him by fasting and prayer and therefore he that hath done so much for us and hath done so much to us sure hee will give us heaven I answer that this bottome is not sufficient to beare up this hope all the privileges thou hast all the meanes ordinances thou enjoyest unlesse thy heart be humbled and thy soule brought to Christ all these will fall under thee and thou wilt goe to hell Rom. 2.28 He is not a Jew that is a Jew outwardly the Jewes they bragged of this they were circumcised and the Heathen were not circumcised they were the seed of Abraham but the Heathen were not Paul vilifieth all this he is not a Jew that is a Jew outwardly thy baptisme thy praying and thy hearing there is no profit by them no comfort in them if thou maintaine a wicked life and a naughty heart therefore this will not serve the turne you know it and the Scripture speaketh it Iudas an Apostle Iudas called by Christ he sat with our Saviour and dipped his hand in the dish he was a Devill then and is with the Devils now the foolish virgins had a trim profession as well as the others thou professest and hearest and prayest thou wilt lye too and cousen too and sweare too thou art naught and this bottome will never beare thee up When they see all this will come to nothing then they make a shift to plead mercy and they hope that will stand then in stead and doe them good when nothing else will and therefore you shall heare carnall wicked men confesse themselves naught their sinnes many and they vile but there is mercie enough in God to releeve them and they hope that will save them Brethren I confesse mercie is able to save thee and if thy hope can lay hold upon it it will save thee if thou be so within the reach of mercie mercie is able to save thee and will save many other besides but thou art not capable of this mercie thou art not within the roome and compasse of mercie what availeth it to talke and speake and hope for mercie and to see a great deale of mercie in Christ a great deale of merit in Christ a great deale of vertue in Christ able to save thee and a thousand more and yet thou not in the compasse of mercie not capable of mercie but sinkest in thy owne sinnes before thou gettest any mercie from God Isa 27.11 hee that made them will have no mercie upon them as who should say it is true here is abundance of mercie mercie enough mercie that saved a poore company of poore Jewes that crucified the Lord Jesus Christ mercie that saved Paul a persecutour Manasses an Idolater but I will shew no mercie unto thee he that confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall finde mercie mercie owneth those mercie doth good unto those but unto thee that lovest thy sinnes that embracest thy sinnes that hidâ—st thy sinnes the text saith it thou shalt never finde mercie delude thy selfe thou mayst but thou never shalt have mercie Luke 14.24 there was a marriage made and a rich marriage feast enough to have fed many thousands but those that were bidden did not come they shall not so much as taste of them they shall have none of them so there are sweet comforts strong consolations admirable refreshings able to sustaine a thousand soules but you that would keepe your sinnes and have the pride of your hearts but you that stand it out with the world and will not yeeld to the authoritie of the truth heare what the Lord saith from heaven he that is the God of comfort thou shalt never be comforted he that is the Authour of salvation saith it thou shalt never be saved thou shalt never have a crum of these dainties nor a drop of these sweet wines of spirituall consolation what a world now of men are shut out by these trials that are found guilty of these particulars you poore ignorant creatures doe not many of you lift up your heads full high and many a poore presumptuous hypocrite beare up themselves upon rotten hopes Object but I tell you when you come to the day of judgement all this will faile you but you will say in the former use you laboured us from despaire and incouraged us to hope and yet now you take away all our hopes why if neither creation may comfort us nor the experience of Gods kinde dealing with us may incourage us nor the afflictions that wee have endured in this world nor the privileges that we have enjoyed nor the mercie of themselves may give us any hope to receive mercie why then it seemeth you would have us despaire and cast away all hope of any good Answer The truth is as I must not make the way broader than it is so I must not make it narrower than I ought therefore know these two things As long as thou retainest and keepest a proud stubborne unconverted heart there is no hope in heaven or earth that God should ever shew mercy unto thee and save that hard stonie impenitent unbeleeving heart of thine unlesse thou thinkest that God will bring all thy pride all thy loosenesse and sinfull delights unto heaven God cannot shew thee mercie unlesse he will deny himselfe and crosse his holinesse follow peace and holinesse without which no man shall see God God taketh a corporall oath of it an unbeleeving man that liveth under grace despising it and contemning it God taketh an oath he shall never be saved now the oath of God shall ever stand there be two immutable things namely himselfe and his oath himselfe cannot be changed his oath cannot be broken now the Lord sweareth such a man shall not enter into his rest a man may be saved that cannot keepe the law fully of himselfe but a man cannot be saved that will not humble his soule before the Lord and receive mercy from him and hence Ephes 2.12 Without God without Christ without hope the Lord hath said the Lord hath sworne it that an unbeleeving an unrepenting sinner shall never come unto heaven he cannot save thy soule untill he hath humbled thy soule hee cannot save thy soule as long as thou retainest an unbeleeving soule This is that which you must take notice of that I may let in a little crevise of comfort to every naturall man that I
he might still continue but if his head-peece be gone all is gone a Christian may want many inlargements many comforts many abilities but if his head-peece be gone if his hope be cut off alas he hath nothing to support and sustaine himselfe in the time of trouble Motive 3 This hope is that whereby our hearts are kept both in the love of God and provoked unto obedience unto God Iude 21. Keepe your selves in the love of God expecting the mercie of God now this is nothing but the worke of hope and brethren this is a rule unlesse we expect some mercie from God we will never looke after him we will never obey him never walke with him but when wee expect some good thing comming unto us then wee love him and follow after him but some might here say it is true we doubt not of the comfort and benefit that commeth by it but what meanes are there that might helpe a man to hope in the goodnesse of God how shall a man uphold his soule in some measure in expecting mercie from the Lord Answ The meanes are three Meanes 1 Labour above all to cast out all carnall sensualitie that commonly creepeth upon us and would prevaile over us I meane this that wee would faine live by sense our carnall hearts be sensuall creatures we would faine live by our sense what we see with our eyes and feele with our fingers and have in our hands that we can be sure of but wee can have nothing in hope now when the soule is taken up with and bestoweth it selfe upon the present things then you put hope out of office Rom. 8.24 You are saved through hope and hope that is seene is no hope a man doth not hope for a thing that he hath but hope alwayes expects a good that is to come this is the marvellous sottish distemper of our wretched hearts that wee will trust God no further than wee see him Acts 1.9 wilt thou now restore the kingdome to Israel just now so here saith the soule may I now have grace may I now have assurance may I now have the evidence of Gods love but I would have it now where now is hope all this while you take away the worke of hope when you would have things present wee know the childe must wait for his portion before hee hath it so you must stay your time and be contented with the dealing of the Lord toward you in this kinde Meanes 2 You must daily attend and labour to bee much acquainted with the precious promises of God to have them at hand and upon all occasions for those are thy consorts those are they that support thy soule that looke as the body is without comfort unfit for any thing nature groweth feeble and weake a pale face a faint heart a feeble hand and the like so it is here unlesse a man hath that provision of Gods promises and have them at hand daily and have them dished out and fitted for him his heart will faile Rom. 15.4 What ever was written was for our comfort that through the Scripture we might hope Verse 13. That we might abound in hope through the Gospell as who should say it is not in your power to support your hope it is not in any power here below but through the Scripture yee might have hope and through the power of the holy Ghost brethren I beseech you observe it while wee looke upon our owne infirmities on one side and the feeblenesse of the meanes on the other side this is the next way to dampe our hope to dead our hearts and to take away all our comfort and assurance this is not the way to abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost I beseech you observe it all these things here below cannot give any comfort a man may as soone wring oile or water out of a flint as wring comfort out of these meanes In all these outward things there is no sound comfort or hope there be these three things either wee shall not finde comfort or contentment in them or else not sufficient content or else no constant no continuall content It is with the hope of a poore Christian as with Noahs dove she found no rest upon the earth for the sole of her foot so it is with our wretched hearts wee send out our hope to our abilities to the meanes we doe enjoy to our prayers and performances wee doe discharge and thus all our hopes breake and faile us for in all these things there is no foot-hold for hope we must ancker our foot-hold in Christ what I want Christ can supply what I need Christ can give what is good for me Christ can bestow what I have done amisse Christ can pardon though I barren he is full though I dull he hath enough grace and enlargement for me it is said of Naamans leprosie Let him come and hee shall know there is a God in Israel though the King cannot heale yet a God can though the meanes cannot yet the Lord can so it is here the hope that a man hath in these things here below and the hope in the Gospell A man sendeth out his hope having a wounded conscience hee now goeth to his gifts that they should pacifie him he sendeth out his hope to his prayers that they should ease him marke what they say are wee God we cannot helpe but heare what the promise saith though prayers cannot though parts cannot though outward helpe cannot yet there is a God in Israel there is a promise that is able here is mercie enough here is power and comfort enough Meanes 3 Maintaine in thy heart a deepe and serious acknowledgement of that supreme authoritie of the Lord to doe what he will and how he will according to his owne pleasure brethren I beseech you to observe it this I take to be the ground why the heart of a poore sinner is marvellous taken up with passion and distemper and a kinde of teachy shortnesse wee thinke to bring God to our bow we have hoped thus long and God not answered wee have stood so long and no comfort and shall we wait still wait I wait and blesse God that you may wait if you may lye at Gods feet and put your mouth in the dust and at the end of your dayes have one crum of mercie it is enough therefore checke those distempers what if God will when a wretched sinner wrangleth with God for his dealing with him Paul cutteth him short what if God will so when thou thinkest the time long when Lord and how long Lord what if God will he oweth thee nothing thou deservest nothing what if God will damne thee and will send thee to hell it is a most admirable strange thing that a poore worme worthie of hell should take up state and stand upon tearmes with God and he will not wait upon God who must wait then must God wait or man wait must the Creatour wait
renounce thy sinnes and receive mercy in the pardon of them If therefore any here present shall goe away and hide his stollen waters and bee loth to restore that which hee hath gotten by his cheating and false dealing but saith his estate will be impoverished and hee shall bee cast behinde hand and what will the world say I shall quite bee shamed for ever Why if thou beest afraid of shame deliver thy money into the hand of some honest and faithfull Minister and let him make up the matter privately But what dost thou tell me of poverty thou hadst better be cast behinde hand than bee cast into hell Dost thou desire grace and mercy Hearken what the Lord saith this duty must bee performed if ever thou receive mercy set upon that duty then or else thou shalt never get pardon of thy sinnes So now wee may see by these particulars that the world even swarmes with lazy Hypocrites and that there is but little sound desire after grace How many have the meanes and will not use them How many want the meanes and will not seeke out for them How many seeke out for the meanes but yet are not carefull to avoid those hindrances which may hinder them from receiving benefit by Gods Ordinances How many are informed and convinced of many duties that ought to bee done and yet will not set upon the performance of them What can any one say against this truth Prov. 14.27 Salomon saith in all labour there is abundance but the talking of the lips tendeth to penury So say I in all sound labour and sincere endevour there is profit If thou endevourest truly after Christ and if thou dost labour after grace in the use of all meanes constantly and unweariedly there is a great deale of benefit to be gained thereby but all thy talking and wishing tends to penury it will bee thy bane in the end This is the first sort of those that have not a sound desire which I terme lazy Hypocrites The second sort are such as I call stage Hypocrites that act the part of profession curiously as Ahab acted the part of fasting for he humbled himselfe and put on sackcloth c. Now there is the same difference betwixt a Stage Hypocrite and a true sincere professour as is betweene a chapman that buyes for gaine and a chapman that buyes for necessity He that buyes for gaine will have his penny-worth or else he will none of the commodity hee will have it worth his mony or else leave it But a poore famished soule and hunger-bitten creature that buyes for meere necessitie must have it and will have it what ever hee wants beside hee stands not upon Ifs and And 's but give me grace and take all hee cares for nothing else Now of these Stage Hypocrites I will set downe two sorts because I desire to lay them naked Sort of stage hypocrites 1 And first those that will take up so much of Christ and the Gospell as may stand with their credit and with their estate they will embrace all those truths that are not troublesome but profitable that are of honour and credit and will goe off roundly these they are forward to take up But to have all Christ and nothing but Christ by no meanes they will yeeld to Now the Lord be mercifull to us this is the religion of many looke into every mans family consider every mans course so much of the Gospell as will serve our turne so much wee will welcome and trade in But to come to the congregation only for Christ that is a shame and to be strict in ordering ones family we know not what it meanes So a shop-keeper will have so much religion as shall inable him to pray in his family and conferre as occasion serves and to towle in a customer and put off a crackt commoditie thus farre hee likes religion but when he comes to this to have so much religion as shall make him feare to doe any wrong so that if a poore childe or silly woman should lay him downe a groat or a tester more than his commodity is worth he dares not take it but give it backe againe Oh this will doe him no good he can gaine nothing this way doe these men desire religion thinke you Many a maid would faine marry a man because he hath a good estate and can make her a good joynture but that the man should rule her and she be obedient to him this shee will none of all her desire is to have a rich joynture in his estate So many professe the Gospell because it is a matter of credit and great men cannot countenance the Gospell so much as the Gospell credits them but if thou wilt not be content to be ruled by the same thou art an adulterous professour thou never didst desire Christ for himselfe but for thy owne aymes and ends only to make a booty of Christ but now a good heart a gracious soule that hath this desire set on by the Spirit powerfully and effectually will bee content to have all Christ and nothing but him in every thing he enjoyes A covetous man desires wealth and would he have but a little no he cries more more and hath never enough the ambitious man desires honour and is never satisfied So hee that longs for the Lord Jesus will have all Christ and every thing in Christ and Christ in every thing hee will have a Saviour what ever he wants besides A childe that longs for the meat on the table when his father gives him a peece hee eats it his father cuts him another he eats that too then his father bids him goe downe no but more of that father he still begs more of that and is never content So it is with a soule that desires grace for grace sake and Christ for Christs sake he cries still more of that grace and more of that Christ If Christ comes to reprove him he takes that if Christ comes to condemne him well-come if Christ come to reforme his sinnes hee rejoyces and would have more of that still Oh more mercie and oh more grace and more holinesse he can never be contented he can never be glutted with that Sort of stage Hypocrites 2 The second sort of these stage hypocrites are those that goe further than these they will use all Gods ordinances but when it comes to part with any thing for Christ and to suffer any thing for the Lord Jesus then they shake hands this was Peters folly but it was in a temptation when the damsell said Thou also wert with Jesus of Galilee he answered I know not the man he knew not that Christ that was now in trouble So when the Gospell comes to require suffering and contempt and disgrace we know not the Gospell wee have another Christ and another Gospell then Carnall men deale with Christ as Achish King of Gath did with David when hee had remained some yeares with him Achish
Spirit of God undermines these distempers and corruptions the corruption of the soule would faine have ease but the Spirit saith there is a better good than ease that saith horrour is terrible but the Spirit saith sinne is more miserable Looke as it is with a good Cordiall it will worke out a distemper though it lie long in the heart of a man yet it will drive it away at length So it is with the almightie worke of Gods Spirit which possesseth the heart of the soule truly humbled I would faine expresse my selfe more fully You must know that these shifts of spirit and privy prankes of heart whereby the Devill windes himselfe in upon a terrified conscience they are the last cast the maine hold of Satan he is now driven into his trenâ—hes and therefore he will play fast and loose a long time and discover desperate subtilties Originall corruption is like a fountaine now a fountaine hath many Conduits some nearer some further but if there bee any water in the Fountaine the neerest Conduit will have it soonest So if there be any originall corruption as there is in all it will be sure to bee seene in this Conduit of selfe-ease and selfe-confidence in horrour to bee avoyded and duty to bee performed The Naturalist observes the heart is the last that dies therefore though the eyes bee dimme and the tongue falters and the hands bee feeble yet the pulse of the heart will goe still so long as there is any life there So it is here the pulse of originall corruption will bee seene in these base distempers of spirit which cleave unto us whilest wee live in this world but they are still undermined and opposed by the Spirit of God Conclusion 2 Secondly judge not thy selfe in time of extremity and horrour of Spirit by the not stirring and not moving of thy affections to sinne Doe not thinke thy estate good because thou findest not this neither judge thy condition ill because thou findest some corruption stirring at such times for that is the false ground of an Hypocrite he judgeth the water to be meerly hot because he can feele no cold he thinkes hee hath no love to sinne because hee cannot feele that hee hath any affection to it in the time of horrour but he is deceived for the act of sinne may be overpowred when the union betweene sin and the soule still remaines As for example a poore Saint of God may have Gods Spirit and yet never perceive it because the Spirit may sometimes either suspend his action or else the action may be over-clouded by the distemper So it is here Satan may rule in the hearts of the children of disobedience and cast in the seeds of base corruptions and build holds of distempers and the poore soule not understand the same Quest But how shall a man judge himselfe in such times Ans I answer In such times labour to see how thy minde is inlightned to see the beauty of holinesse and how thy understanding comes to prize the excellency of goodnesse for it selfe how thy heart stands bent to entertaine all the truth and goodnesse of God made knowne unto thee And marke what now I say if thou desirest holinesse for it selfe and the bent of thy heart is after holinesse so that thou canst not bee content to bee eased by holines unles thou beest possessed overpowred by holinesse and the vertue thereof If it be thus with thee judge thy selfe by this means Suffer mee to expresse my selfe after this manner that every one may understand Conceive two women the one sicke the other in love both desire the Physitian the sicke desires the Physitian to bee healed by him the other desires him not so much to be healed but shee is desirous to be married to him So it is with the soule that is carried in a kinde of love and affection to godlinesse hee would not have Christ onely to heale him but he would be married to Christ that hee may enjoy the God of all pardoning that he may enjoy the God of all purging and purifying Take notice of it sometimes men in times of sicknesse use that for physicke which in the time of health they used for common diet So a gracious and holy heart in the time of terrour and vexation of conscience will embrace holinesse not for physicke sake onely to be healed by it but for diet sake to live by holinesse that hee might take possession of holinesse and that holinesse might take possession of him this is the best judgement the soule hath in time of extremity for marke some passages of this nature It is possible out of selfe-love for the preservation of a mans selfe to desire ease and quietnesse but hee cares not by whom if God or Christ or Holinesse or Prayer will ease him let them doe it and all this may bee for meere selfe-love not for any love of Christ or holinesse at all But to have the soule carried with desire to a supernaturall good to holinesse in the beauty thereof that it may enjoy it and be possessed of it corrupt nature cannot corrupt nature will not come to this it is the Spirit of the Lord onely that can enable a man to doe it Suffer mee to expresse a passage or two this way the extremity of Gods indignation is a farre greater evill than all the good things in the world can be comfortable it is a farre greater evill than any thing here below better to bee in beggery better to bee in prison better to bee persecuted than to be tormented than to be set upon a continuall wracke by the horrour of conscience Now as the indignation of the Lord is a far greater punishment than these so the ease from this is a greater good than can proceed from the things here below the ease is answerably good as the indignation is evill A wicked man would have ease for his sinnes therefore his sinnes are a greater good than his ease But a gratious heart desires holinesse beyond ease and sin and all though hee were in the greatest extremity I expresse it thus A gratious heart if he had all the ease in the world if hee had not holinesse hee could not bee satisfied and if he had holinesse though hee had not ease hee would bee contented I say had a gracious heart ease and quiet and yet had a vile and polluted soule if his old distempers were still remaining and his old corruptions still continuing he would complaine and say I have ease and quiet now but my heart is as bad as ever If hee had ease and not holinesse he could not bee satisfied if hee were of a right stampe and if hee had holinesse and more power against sinne and the presence of Christ prevailing with him and purging him from corruptions he would blesse Gods Name that is the second Conclusion 3 The third conclusion is this doe not content your selves in this that you see a need of a Saviour
this root namely upon a grounded application as I may so say in speciall manner of Gods favour to thy soule settled and sealed and made knowne in this kinde if thy love doe grow upon this ground upon the particular application of Gods mercie to thy soule so that thy soule can say the Lord hath looked downe from heaven hee hath said in his word that hee will looke at them that tremble at his name I looked for mercie and I sought for grace and blessed bee God I have found that mercie and grace I looked and sought for the Minister spake it and his Spirit spake it that my name was registred in heaven and that my prayers were heard my desires satisfied and therefore how shall I love the Lord that hath done all this for mee my sinnes I have bewailed my complaints I have powred forth and the Lord hath looked from heaven and given me a gracious answer therefore I will love the Lord for it even for ever I love thee dearly O Lord my strength thou art my support that hast strengthned me thou art my Saviour that hast saved me therefore my soule shall for ever love thee for that mercie of thine this is a love now that comes from a right mint it is currant and good pay Difference betwixt the love and joy of an hypocrite and of Gods childe But if a man love God from himselfe this love will bring a man to himselfe and there leave him as if a man have a love to his parts or to his hearing or reading or praying or preaching or conferences if a man have a love to his understanding wisedome and policie he loves his wisedome and policie well therefore hee would faine be beholding to Christ to helpe him to glorifie this wisedome and policie and these parts of his that he might receive honour to them now the love of his parts brought all to his parts and Christs honour in the meane time lay in the dust and so I might instance in a thousand examples of the like nature Whereas now marke what I say that love which is wrought from God alwayes drawes the soule unto Gods love againe the Lord lets downe the cords of his love into the soule and thereby breeds love and kindles love in the soule to that goodnesse and kindnesse of his and this is the excellencie of a Christian and this love is of a right coine and of a right stampe but love of my parts that Christ may glorifie my parts and love of profit that Christ might promote my profit I love my parts and profit only now and not Christ in this case and this is the greatest difference betweene the love and delight which the cunningst hypocrite under heaven can have and the Saints of God I expresse it thus Meat that a man takes downe inwardly Simile and digests breeds good bloud and good complexion but that which a man takes and digests not but vomits out againe presently breeds neither good bloud nor good complexion So it is with the love of the heart that is rightly wrought upon to entertaine and love a Saviour and delight in him and welcome him as beseemes his worth a heart that is foundly wrought upon by the Spirit feeds heartily upon the promise and that feeding and taking downe of the promise and that closing with the promise breeds good bloud and good complexion true love that breeds good bloud and true joy that breeds good complexion because the promise is fed upon it is the worke of Gods Spirit which seize upon and worke effectually upon the heart that bred this sound love and true joy But a carnall hypocrite that only hath a taste of the promise and a flattering apprehension of the promise in general Christ came to save sinners c. these are prettie things to tickle their conceits but they never goe downe they digest not the promise of Christ and therefore that love which comes from hence is but a fained love and that joy which ariseth from hence is but a false joy it breeds no good bloud it breeds no good complexion but meere vanities and overtures in a Christians course here is the difference betweene the love and joy of an hypocrite and of a Saint of God this is the first triall Triall 2 Secondly if thou entertaine thy Saviour as beseemes a Saviour thou must entertaine him as a King for he is a King that is give up all to him and entertaine none but those that attend upon him and appertaine to him in a word love all in Christ love all for Christ but expresse thy affection and joy to him above all he is the King all the rest are but retainers and therefore entertaine him in the first place hee that loves any thing equall with Christ hee never loved Christ truly he that sets up any thing cheeke by jowle with his Saviour he despiseth he renounceth his Saviour It is all one in plaine termes as if a man should put a slave into the chamber where the King is and say he hath entertained the King this base behaviour of his will drive the King away as well as if he did openly and profesly bid him be gone So if thou settest up any thing with thy Saviour thou dost drive him away as well by thy base behaviour as by open profession a man cannot receive friendship with Christ and the world upon the same termes Iames 4.4 a wife that loves her husband loves him only as a husband hee only hath her heart and she loves none but him in that manner she loves others as friends and neighbours and gives them respect so farre as they keepe themselves there but if they come to claime the love of a husband she abhorres them so a loving heart loves Jesus Christ onely as a bridegroome and all things else only as friends and neighbours the soule that loves Christ loves him onely as a Christ and all the rest as friends the soule will love riches that may credit it and parts that may advance it as friends to speake for a man and to give occasion to a man to come to a Saviour as the wife loves her husband firstly and the rest as friends and neighbours that must further the match so the soule loves the Lord Iesus Christ in the first place and all things else as profit and riches and parts as friends and neighbours that may make up the match with a Saviour and bring it into acquaintance with a Saviour the soule loves prayer and hearing and Gods ordinances as friends to speake a good word to Christ for it but if any thing come to steale away the heart and challenge the affection of a spouse it abhorres it it hates honour and riches and all things in the world that will challenge any spouse-like love Christ only shall have that Luke 14.16 opened Our Saviour saith Hee that hates not father and mother for my sake is not worthie of mee
will overcome all corruptions that mercy that will pardon all our sinnes then saith the will content it shall be so and this makes up the match for now the match commeth to bee made when the will saith Amen to the businesse and this is that great worke of the will the spawn and the seeds of faith went before now faith is come to some perfection now the soule reposeth it selfe upon the Lord and Divines say that here commeth in faith what the minde hath knowne and hope expected and desire longed for and love embraced then commeth in the great wheel the great commander the will which saith I will have it Goe no further it is the best match wee can make you saw the seeds of faith before in the affections but now you shall see the root of faith and the full growth of faith in the will So from hence the point of Doctrine is this Doctrine The will of a poore sinner humbled and enlightned comes to bee effectually perswaded by the Spirit of the Father to rest upon the free grace of God in Christ that it may bee interested therein and have supply of all Spirituall wants from thence For the better clearing of this Doctrine consider these foure particulars First the worke must be in an heart humbled and enlightned Secondly the will must be effectually perswaded by the Spirit of the Father Thirdly by the power of this perswasion it casts it selfe upon the rich grace and free mercy of God in Christ Fourthly the end of it that it may bee interested into all the good that is in the promise For by faith wee come to have a title to all that ever Christ purchased and God hath prepared for his people and as by infidelity wee went from God so now by faith we come again to God Particul in the doctr 1 For the first passage this grace of faith the root whereof is seated in the will it is in an heart humbled and enlightened if either of these two bee wanting it is not possible that ever sound saving faith should be in the soule I doe not now dispute of the measure of these how farre a man must bee humbled and how much enlightened these I have handled before I abate a man of the measure and leave that to the good pleasure of God but the heart must bee truly humbled and soundly enlightened First The heart must be humbled that is loosed from sinne and from selfe if the soule be not thus truly humbled there is no roome for faith for the worke of humiliation cleeres the coast â—nd clenseth the roome for if the soule of a poore sinner be not loosened from sinne and made weaâ—y of it but takes fast hold of it as Ieremie saith Ierem. 8.5 They hold fast to deceit and would not returne so when a man will hold his pride and his corruptions that man is carelesse of Christ and not onely so but also opposit from going to Christ he will not goe to Christ that he may receive power for â—he subduing of his corruptions because he is resolved to keepe his sinne still and therefore know â—hat it is not possible to receive Christ and to â—leave to sinne too Secondly suppose the soule be truly burdened â—nd the heart be surcharged with sinne and the â—eart seeth an absolute necessity of a change and â—e saith if this be certaine then I am a miserable â—an and either I must reforme my way or else perish in my way now when the soule is come to this if the heart will yet shift for it selfe and thinke to recover it selfe seeing it must needâ— change it will change it selfe it will hinder faith for whatsoever it is that keepes a man in himselfe that alwayes hinders the worke of faith for faith ever goes out to another for grace and power to ease him of corruption and for strength to subdue his sinnes if the soule say either I need not change or if I must change I will change my selfe and save my selfe what need have I of a Saviour these hinder faith therefore if ever faith be there the heart must have thiâ— wrought he must see himselfe in a lost condition that is that by all the meanes under heaven heâ— cannot succour himselfe this is the meaning of that phrase Luke 19.10 The Lord Iesus came 〈◊〉 seeke and to save that which was lost a lost man indeed every man is lost under the power of sinne and dominion of Satan but he must see himselfe lost how the guilt of sinne is condemning him and therefore lost in regard of pardon to save him and also how he is polluted and therefore lost in regard of power to subdue corruptions and when he seeth this indeed that nothing can helpe him but a Christ then the soule makes out for a Christ this is the meaning of that place Iohn 1.12 To as many as received him he gave c. so that we must receive a Christ when we are gone oâ—â— of our selves by humiliation then are we fit to goe to God by vocation Quest But may not a man beleeve and is it not lâ—â—full to beleeve unlesse a man be thus humbled Answ It is lawfull at any time if thou canst but I say it is impossible for thee to beleeve untill thou be thus humbled as Iohn 4.44 the Lord Christ comes to the Pharisees and saith I know you will not come to mee that you may beleeve nay in the next place he saith How can ye beleeve that receive honour one of another how canst thou beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ to subdue thy lusts and yet wouldst bee uncleane still and live in thy lusts still how canst thou beleeve in Christ to master thy rebellious heart and yet wouldest be rebellious still it is impossible heaven and earth cannot meet together no more can these two stand together therefore set your hearts at rest a man must be truly humbled and broken hearted â—f ever he beleeve Secondly the soule must be enlightened I â—oyne these two together in this clause for though faith be above reason yet it is with reason it is not that colliers faith of the Papists â—hat put out his owne eyes to see by another mans this is a delusion and an implicite faith â—herefore I say a man must be inlightened to see â—he grace and mercie and freenesse of Gods love â—n Christ as Psal 119.10 They that know thy name â—hall put their trust in thee it is against common sense that the soule of a man that is reasonable â—hould fall upon any thing and rest it selfe there â—nd yet never seeth whether it bee a sufficient helpe or no this is by the way of preparation Particul in the doctr 2 It is effectually perswaded by the Spirit of the Father to rest it selfe c. this I adde in the second place upon the same ground because a man hath no legs of himselfe to bee carried to the Lord Jesus Christ to beleeve in him further
than God doth convey this and communicate to the soule a man naturally is as well able to keepe the law which is doe and live as hee is of himselfe in himselfe so considered to beleeve in the Gospell and to keepe the second covenant of grace which is beleeve and live but the difference is here the Gospell requires abilitie and gives it the Lord cals us to come and inables us to come whereas the law reveales a mans corruptions but never gives him power against them but as the Lord called Lazarus so the Lord gave Lazarus power to rise so when the Lord cals a poore sinner he gives strength and spirituall ability to come according to the call which the Lord reveales that he may come by that saving and precious faith as S. Peter cals it therefore it is of necessity required that as the soule beleeves the Lord must give strength that it may beleeve and therefore it is effectually perswaded Now that I might meet with that erronious opinion of Pelagians consider what I say they say it is of necessity required that a poore sinner have his minde inlightened but the will of man is unaltered and left free to refuse or chuse grace if it please so that they put a kinde of ability in the will to take or refuse Christ and grace when it is offered but here is a deepe mistake because the will of man is as farre averse from God as the minde is blinde nay it is more averse from God than the minde is blinde and it is more hard to be framed therefore there must be this effectuall perswading as the understanding must have the truth cleered to see a Christ so the will must be perswaded that it may receive power from him as it is with the sea and the thames there is ebbing and flowing now the natutall Philosophers observe that the ebbing and flowing comes not from any inward proper principle of it selfe but the light and heat of the moone leaves its beames upon the water and drawes the water after it this makes it to flow and when the moone is gone the water returnes backe againe and this is ebbing just so it is with the soule of a man humbled and enlightened there is no power in the soule to goe any further than it selfe to flow unto a Christ and to goe towards the promises further than the Lord lets in by the power of his Spirit the beames of his mercie upon the soule and sheds in the freenesse of his grace into the heart and that makes the soule flow againe so that as it ebbed and went away from God by sinne so it now flowes and comes to God againe but it is by the power and Spirit of God Quest. Now if you aske mee what it is to have the heart thus perswaded of Gods goodnesse in Christ Answ It is nothing else but this first as it is undeniably inlightened to see this mercie of God so there comes in a streame of the freenesse and riches of Gods grace and doth affect the heart with the sweetnesse and rellish of Gods grace that it findes a marvellous sweetnesse in it Quest Secondly what is it to be effectually perswaded Ans It is thus much not a touch and away and a little sip and begone nor a hourly kinde of tasting but take notice of these two things in it First when the prevailing sweetnesse in the promise and that goodnesse in the promise is let in by the Spirit of the Lord that it sinkes into the heart roots and it comes to take possession of the soule of an humble sinner and is next the soule there is nothing next the soule but that the world and pleasure c. are without the heart but the goodnesse of the promise and the freenesse of Gods grace hath its privie chamber in the heart of a man this I take to be the meaning of that phrase of rooting the promise in the heart and this was the fault of the stony ground-hearers Matth. 13.21 The seed grew up suddenly and perished suddenly why because it had not depth of earth the seed of the promise had not the depth of his heart but there was a stone in the heart and the world lay next the heart and a stone of lust and pride was betweene the word of the Lord and the heart so that the promise had not root and hence it was slightly affected with the truth but never thus powerfully to have it goe downe to the roots of the heart the good word of the Lord in this case comes to the heart not as an owner but as a travellour this is the meaning of that place Hosea 2.14 I will allure her and draw her into the wildernesse that is by preparation and then I will speake comfortably to her that is I will speake to her heart so it is in the originall there is a kinde of prevailing sweetnesse of the grace of God in Christ that will be at the roots of the heart that it may give allowance unto it now marke what followes from hence and this is the first part of the effectuall perswading of the heart when the heart saith away with profit and the world and all let me have the Lord and his grace Oh that goes to the bottome of the heart hence it is that the soule thus prevailingly is sweetned with the goodnesse of the promise can taste nothing in the world without this it is now out of love with all other things it had loved and doted on before most immoderatly the sweetnesse of the promise hath stolne away the heart of a poore sinner and gotten the good will of the soule to be only for Christ and to have his heart to close with Christ and to be nothing in the world without him this effectuall perswading it is the meaning of that place Act. 3.19 Amend your lives repent and turne that your sinnes may be done away repent and be converted that is be truly prepared in the worke of humiliation and be converted that is have a through heat of the heart for grace in vocation that your sinnes may be done away in justification so then when the soule is first humbled in preparation and the heart now all for the Lord Jesus Christ and can taste nothing but Christ and nothing in regard of him and God hath gotten his good will then followes justification that your sinnes may be blotted out this was the practice of the repenting Church when the Lord had hedged her way and built a wall that she could not finde her old lovers Hos 2.7 at last the Church saith I will returne to my first husband for then it was better with me than now as if the Church had said Oh the mercies of God and the consolation of Christ are better than all my delights in sinne the soule comes now to see a bettering in Christ Oh to have my heart purged and my sinnes remitted it were better than to wallow
and peevishnesse but the Lord Christ will not cast thee away if thou come to him he will never doe it Object 4 Let me adde a fourth motive I confesse saith the soule there is no want of willingnesse on Gods part but I have a heart which cannot beleeve what is that to me to see provision of mercy and have no heart to receive it Oh this unwilling and distrustfull heart it cannot beleeve Answ If I finde a cure in the promise for this then I hope you will yeeld therefore know that the Lord hath provided in the promise a meanes whereby thou mayst bee made to beleeve and thou shalt be able to beleeve first that sufficiencie which is in the promise and which God intends for thee Now the Lord strikes up the match 2. Things and that the Lord doth this it shall appeare if you consider the manner of Gods worke in two things First God the Father in the promise gives an humble broken hearted sinner into the hands of â—esus Christ that hee may make him able to beâ—eeve Secondly he gives Jesus Christ into the hands of a poore sinner that hee may take him and receive mercy from him Now though thou canst not beleeve yet if Jesus Christ take that heart of thine in hand he can and will make thee beleeve This was the end of his office and comming Iohn 6.44 No man commeth unto me except the Father draw him and I will raise him up at the last day I will make him beleeve and in the grave I will love his poore body and not lose so much as his â—shes but will preserve them there and raise him up from thence and at last I will bring both body and soule to honour and make both happy in Heaven for ever for Christ his sake thinke on this earnestly that every broken hearted sinner is given to Christ as if God the Father had said Oh my Sonne looke well to such a man he lives in a base world and hath many corruptions in his heart but looke thou to him Iohn 10.16 Other sheâ—pe I have which are not of this fold and these I must bring home saith Christ there are many of Gods people called and converted but there are many yet which are in the gall of bitternesse and I know such a drunkard and though hee bee a woolfe now yet he is one of my sheepe and him I must bring home It doth my heart good to thinke that there is many an enemy of Jesus Christ and many that hates grace and goodnesse many a wretched drunkard many a covetous and uncleane wretch that shall bee brought home One goes up and downe this way and another that way as a company of poore sheepe that wander up and downe one falls into this ditch another into that and another in such a grove so there is many a poore sheepe that goes away from God and all goodnesse the Lord give us hearts to pitty them howsoever God hath opened your eyes and brought your hearts and my heart home to himselfe yet there are many other sheepe that as yet goe from God Oh what a blessed mercy is this If Christ hath once undertaken for you hee will seeke you out wheresoever you are The Lord seekes you out many times in the congregation you might come home then if you would well the Lord will make the fire of hell to flash upon the conscience of a man and drag him home but it is no matter which way the Lord brings him home so he come to heaven at last Iohn 17. Thou gavest them to me and I have given them eternall life There is no more difference than this the Father gives the sheep to Christ and saith looke to him and Christ saith you are given to me take you everlasting life betweene you and take eternall glory I give it to you as freely as ever God the Father gave your soules to me Secondly God the Father gives Jesus Christ to the poore soule and saith I give thee him freely with his bloud and all his merits his grace and goodnesse Oh saith the poore sinner blessed be God that Jesus Christ hath undertaken for me and that God the Father hath given mee Christ but alas I cannot pay the price I am notable to purchase the pearle as in a marriage when the parties are both agreed if there bee a quarrell about the feffment all breakes off so it is in this case the soule is now inabled to rest upon Christ but what will the Lord require for I am base and poore well saith God the Father I will not sell my Sonne but I give him to thee and thou must not thinke to purchase him Ioh. 19.26 27. when Christ would commend Marie to the care of Iohn hee saith Woman behold thy sonne and to Iohn he saith Behold thy mother so God the Father saith to Jesus Christ My blessed Sonne behold that poore broken humbled sighing sinner behold thy sonne take him for thy owne and thou poore sinner behold thy Saviour take him to thy selfe and the soule receives that gift at the hand of God the Father Ioh. 10. So God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonne c. that is God so set his heart upon those whom he would save that hee gave Jesus Christ to bee received from him and to doe all good for them according to all their necessities thus I hope the heart hath no starting holes the promise is sufficient saith the soule if I had it and God sadly intended it therefore I may take him and God hath given Christ the care of me to make me to beleeve now the will is fully perswaded and saith to hope and desire and all the other affections here is good enough and come hope expect it for ever and come desire here is mercy enough that thou hast desired and come love and joy here is that mercy whereof you have felt the sweetnesse nay saith the will let us rest here and settle our selves upon the freenesse and favour of the mercy of God in Jesus Christ as our Saviour said to the Disciples Ioh. 6.27.28 Will you also goe away oh saith Peter whither shall we goe thou hast then words of eternall life the world cals and our lusts call and pleasures call and the more they call for our hearts the more wee cry after thee out Christ whither shall we goe if not to thee for there is none so gracious none so mercifull to sinners none so ready to doe all good for us and as there is sufficient in the promise and as here is sufficient in thee and enough for sinners so upon thy mercie we will hang upon thee our Saviour wee will live and dye and upon the promises will we put our selves to receive all the comfort and good they will affoord and upon this will we feed for ever Thus much for the opening of the point Vse 1 The first use is for information to rectifie our
come to the Lord Jesus when he calls you then Hell is to good for you beare witnesse of it many a soule here this day is still resolved to goe on in his sins and sayes I am resolved to have my owne courses and I will be as proud as ever and sweare and drinke as much as ever and I will not goe to Jesus Christ whither will yee goe then Will yee goe to destruction I call the Angels and all the Saints to record you will not come then you must to destruction there is no other way to come to Jesus Christ but by beleeving in him Now further to discover the fearfulnesse of this sinne and the misery of them that continue in it let mee lay it open by foure particulars whereby it shall appeare that howsoever unbeleevers make no great matter of it yet if they have the hearts of men about them they shall see the misery of their owne soules and that in thâ—se foure particulars First it keeps off the riches of mercies that are in Christ from the soule that it cannot enjoy them there is no happinesse but onely by communion with God and now infidelity keeps off God from us and keeps out that goodnesse which God is willing to bestow upon us if we had hearts fitted to receive it Infidelity shuts up a poore sinner that hee cannot looke out nor looke up towards Heaven and that 's the reason why when the Lord chaines ups poore sinner under the power of his chiefe displeasure he gives them up to hardnesse of heart and unbeleefe Rom. 11.32 He hath shut up all in unbeleefe it is a comparison thus to be conceived as it is with a hainous malefactour that hath conspired against the King and when he is taken they put him into little ease or some such close darke dungeon and clap cold irons upon him and if any friend come to bring him any thing hee cannot speake with him nor he cannot receive it because he is close prisoner So the Lord doth in his heavy displeasure hee locks up the soule in unbeleef and holds the heart in the chaines of unbeleef that howsoever judgements passe up and downe the world yet all these judgements cannot awaken him nor all mercies why because the unbeleever is sure enough hee cannot so much as looke to that mercy prepared and offered in Iesus Christ and that 's the reason why when the Lord comes by in all his glory and mercy as he did Exod. 33.6.7 saying the Lord the Lord strong mercifull and glorious When all these passe by the unbeleever fits in his seat but his heart is lockt up that hee cannot looke up and that 's the reason why the Apostle saith Rom. 11.8 He hath given them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see and eares that they should not heare to this very day that though he hath all the calls of mercy yet he hath eyes and sees not and all is still and nothing stirring in the soule nay it is not onely shut up and cannot come to God but unbeleefe barres the doores that Jesus Christ cannot come to it therefore Iohn 1.11 He came to his owne and his owne received him not but in the 12. verse to as many as received him to them he gave power to be the Sonnes of God this unbeleefe barres the doores and raiseth Forts against him and closeth every crevis of the heart that not a beame of mercy not a glimpse of pitty can be let into the soule so long as it is in this condition I beseech you observe it unbeleefe is a fin not so much of one faculty of the soule but it is that as carries the whole man with it as when a man sets himselfe in any unruly will and will be ruled thereby so that it stops every passage and there is no entrance for mercy for looke as it is with faith the root of it is in the will but the rule of it is over all the whole man and therefore faith carries all the whole soule to God love and hope and joy and all goes towards God and the very same nature unbeleefe hath to carry the soule from God the root of it is in the will but the rule of it is in the whole man and keepes the soule under the power and authority of it as by faith wee goe home to the Lord Jesus Christ and are content that he should doe what he will with us so unbeleefe keepes the soule under command and will dispose of all at his owne pleasure this is the poyson and venome of this corruption it stops all the passages of the soule that Christ cannot come at it nor it at Christ so that if eternall life and happinesse were laid downe upon the naile yet unbeleefe will not suffer the soule to stretch out a little finger to it and saith love and joy I charge you delight not in that mercy and desire looke not out after it nay if the wrath of God bee revealed from Heaven against the soule yet it stops the soule that the wrath of God moves it not because unbeleefe rules and saith feare tremble not at Gods judgements and sorrow mourne not you for sinne come all this way and sorrow for the losse of profits and pleasures and because my will is crossed but I will not have you so much as looke after God This is the cursed nature of unbeleefe that there is nothing of God of grace and happinesse can come neere the soule unlesse the iron gate of infidelity bee pluckt off the hinges and the bars be broken asunder this is that which the holy Prophet speakes of Isay 7.9 when the Lord would expresse the power of himselfe in an extraordinary manner he bids Ahaz that he should looke for a miracle and yet he saith If you beleeve not you cannot be established so that though God expressed never such miraculous power of mercy and goodnesse yet so long as the heart is lockt up in unbeleefe there is no mercy can come at him nay which is worse if worse can be unbeleefe not onely shuts the doore against Christ and will not receive him when hee intreats for entrance but it sets open the doore to all base lusts to sinne and Satan than which there can bee no greater indignity offered to the God of heaven and earth as Ier. 2.12.13 Oh ye heavens be astonished at this why what is the matter my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountaine of living waters and digged to themselves broken pits that will hold no water This is not onely unreasonable but unnaturall and the heavens they shake at it it is against the course of nature that a man should depart from the Almighty that would strengthen him and to rest upon his owne folly and goe from the wisedome of God that would direct him in every good way nay it chuseth a mans owne base corruptions and lusts and in the meane time departs away
whatsoever is amisse outwardly thou seest the evill and labourest to reforme it and whatsoever service is required to God or man thou dost it as thou art able and walkest unblamably all this is to no profit if thou remainest in unbeleefe The God of Heaven never receives the prayers of an unbeleever bee his prayers never so glorious and his attendance on the means never so diligent yet the God of heaven regards not the performances and therefore say of thy unbeleeving soule as Haman did of Mordecay Ester 5.13 when the King had granted him all that his heart could desire and his requests were ever made good and his malice ever satisfied and the posts dispatched it to root out the Jewes and was invited to the Queenes feast yet one thing tooke away all the contentment of the other when he saw Mordecay sit in the Kings gate and reverenced him not this overthrew all as he did sinfully and foolishly so doe thou wisely and with great judgement and reason thus and say good Lord what availes it me to heare and pray and live unblamably so long as I see this unbeleefe perking it selfe in this corrupt heart of mine So long as this remaines all my praiers will doe me no good these will bring the wrath of God upon mee nay the wrath of God is upon mee and I am condemned already in my fasting prayer and all my holy duties Secondly confider that all the good things thou hast will prove uncomfortable to thee whiles this unbeleefe continues in thy soule it is very observable you know the heart of a man is sometimes cheared and the soule is contented partly with the good things of the world which it receives partly with other things not onely temporall but also spirituall which God gives now I would have an unbeleeving heart take off the contentment of these with the feare of this danger and this will dash all thy delights and spoile all thy pleasures and mar all thy mirth let that alwayes come for a back reckoning wee should thinke of this it might bee as gall to our corrupt hearts Thou liftest up thy parts and saist my parts are greats my abilities many I am able to conferre to performe duties bee it so that thou hast all these and another saith thou seest thy barnes full and store-house full thou hast honours to advance thee and riches and all delights to give thee content and I grant this and yet thou hast an unbeleeving heart to depart from the living God and when thou hast these Oh woe to that miserable soule of thine Good brethren thinke of these things it is good to heare of this now and better it is to know them now than to know them when it is too late now you have your houses and beds and pleasures to comfort you but you have an unfaithfull heart goe thy wayes poore wretch thou hast enough thou hast that about thee that will sink thy heart for ever Oh let this be written upon the palmes of your hands and graven upon the testures of thy bed and say this is a goodly house and I have goodly riches but I have an unfaithfull heart too labour to be affected with this for the Lords sake you know what Esau said prophanely when hee was like to die What 's my birth-right to me if I die for hunger Gen. 25.32 I tell you it will be as gall and wormewood to you when the drunkard is in his cups and the adulterer in his dalliances you may say I have this and that but what availes these when I have an unbeleeving wretched heart about me I carry my bane and that which will be my breake-necke Lastly when you begin to see some sinne base and vile and odious in the account of the world and sometimes in your owne account then thinke thus with your selves and say doe I see a basenesse in this and that sinne what then shall I thinke of my unbeleefe which is the breeder of all these could I see mine owne base heart it is the mother and breeder of all these sinnes thou art loth to be seene drunke in the street because the boyes would hoot at thee and thou art afeard of murder or theft because thou wouldst not be taken for a jayle-bird thou art ashamed of these wert thou but a witch or a traitour or a man condemned wouldst thou not be ashamed hadst thou but reason in thee thy soule would shake at it and say Oh wretch that I am that I should live to bring such discredit upon my selfe and all good men Oh goe thy way and looke into thy heart and say I may thanke an unbeleeving heart for all these if I had not had an unbeleeving heart I had not beene overtaken with any of all these sinnes nor dishonoured God by this sinne as I have done unbeleefe is the authour of all and therefore to be hated more than all I would faine have people looke inward thou hast stollen such a thing from such a man and thou art ashamed of it now infidelity can rob God of his honour and by this sinne thou hast refused the Lord Jesus Christ and thus dog thy owne heart ever and anon and when thou hast done so be earnest with the Lord to take these cursed corruptions from thee sigh especially under this sinne and labour above all to be freed from this sinne and then all the rest will dye and decay in thee I would have a poore unbeleever doe as the prisoners doe in New-gate what lamentable cries will they utter saying good your worship remember the miseries of poore prisoners good Gentleman spare a farthing to the wants of poore prisoners so thou art shut up in unbeleefe therefore looke out from the gates of hell and from under the barres of infidelity and crie that God would looke on thee in mercy and spare Lord a poore unbeleeving wretch lockt up under the barres of unbeleefe good Lord succour and deliver in thy good time and as the Prophet David saith Psal 79.11 Let the sighing of the prisoners come up before thee though that was meant of the bodily imprisonment yet the argument prevailes much more in regard of the spirituall thraldome good Lord let the sighing of the prisoners come before thee so goe thou thy way home and humble thy selfe in thy secret closet and cry out of the prison of unbeleefe and say Let the sighing of poore distrustfull soules come up before thy Majesty send helpe from heaven and deliver the soule of thy servant from these wretched distempers of heart deale in this case as men that are ingaged for prisoners so doe thou with the Lord Jesus Esa 49.8 9. it is the office of Christ and for this end hee came into the world and the Lord saith In an acceptable time I have heard thee and in the day of salvation have I helped thee that thou mayst say to the prisoners goe forth and to them that are in darknesse shew
and it is ready to cousen the touch I meane of able judicious Christians but now this faith never came from the right place for if it were right it must come from the mine of mercie and from God and the worke of his Spirit from thence thou hast it if thy faith bee sound Rom. 10.17 Faith comes by hearing the word faith is not in us it comes to us it is not wrought or purchased by our owne worthinesse or power the word is the conduit to convey it but the Spirit of the Lord Jesus is as the fountaine that sends it into the soule so that you must not thinke to have faith here first but hast thou found faith here first then it is not of the right but if the good Spirit of the Lord hath wrought upon thee if it be so then thy faith is right but some will say we heare the word diligently and we doe attend upon God in his ordinances and have wee not faith I answer hearing is the meanes to convey it but it is the Spirit of the Father that conveyes it by the meanes and that Spirit thou must receive by the meanes if ever thou have it there is the pitch of the point Object But how shall we know when the Spirit of God is pleased to worke this in our soules and to put it into our soules by hearing Ans There is all the difficultie and it is worth the while to consider sadly of it for I know the worke of Gods Spirit by the word in the soule by these particulars First the Spirit sheweth to the soule of a poore sinner that hee hath no faith nor no abilities 〈◊〉 worke it of himselfe this the word workes first but we are not yet at the bottome Secondly when the Spirit hath shewed thee that thou art an unfaithfull soule and that thou hast to power to worke it of thy selfe then the Spirit of the Lord by the word breathes upon the soule of a poore sinner and by the sweetnesse thereof overmasters and breakes downe all those secret cursed distempers of heart that brought under the soule and kept him in himselfe every man is brought in bed with his corruptions as Iob speakes namely thus The Spirit of God in the word drives the soule to a restlesse disquiet and makes him see that hâ—e must not stay here but hee must seeke out and goe from hence and seeke for another condition or else hee must perish for ever rest not here saith the Spirit you must bee gone and the soule saith If I rest here I am an undone man therefore hee will out and seeke for another condition Thirdly as the Spirit of God doth overpower those distempers and drives the soule to a restlesse condition till it looke out for a better condition so lastly the Spirit of God shewes that poore soule an impossibilitie of finding mercie but from God and therefore turnes the face and sets the frame of the heart that way to looke God-ward and to be for God and this is the meaning of that place Iohn 16.9 when the Spirit of God comes to bring faith and peace to the conscience the text saith Hee shall convince the world of sinne because they beleeved not on him this place implies two things First the Spirit of God sets downe all sinfull carnall pleas and pretences that the heart can make and perswades the heart that he is in a sinfull and most lamentable estate and condition and must change Secondly it convinceth the heart that there is good to be found in another and with that the heart is turned that way to looke towards a Saviour and to wait for him till mercie come from thence and then if thou canst say this to thy soule The truth is Lord I was an unbeleever and an unfaithfull creature and the Lord made mee see it and left me not there but by the power of his Spirit and the ministery of the word he drew me from thence and laid fast hold on me and left some remembrance of his indignation upon my soule and made me restlesse in myselfe and opened mine eyes to see a better way and said thou must goe on in another way and in a better way and so opened to me a glimpse of his mercie and goodnesse so that the foule is now comming on to God where this is it will never end but the Spirit of God will worke faith and faith is now comming home to the soule and the soule will come home to the flood oâ— conversion is nothing else but a setting of the soule for God as it is plaine in all the phrases of the Scripture this is the first triall Triall 2 Secondly if thou wilt judge thy faith whether it is true or noe doe thus faith makes choice wholly of Christ and resolves to match with Christ onely the meaning is this it chuseth Christ wholly for now the match is made up when once the soule comes to beleeve the preparation to the match was before in desire c. but now the match is made up and now the soule makes choice of Christ as he on whom he will bestow himselfe he chuseth Christ wholly and that you shall perceive thus when he is thus cald home by faith whatsoever it is that Christ brings the soule chuseth all of that whatsoever belongs to a Christ and is of Christ and in Christ he chuseth all Christ Christ is not only the Saviour of all his but hee is the God of all grace and hath grace to bestow upon the soules of all those that beleeve in him now faith chuseth the holinesse of a Christ and whatsoever grace is in Christ the soule chuseth that as much if not more than pâ—â—don of sinne and removing the guilt of sinnes there is the authority and rule of Christ and faith chuseth that and had rather to be under the government of Christ than under any other Scâ—pâ— in the world and faith chuseth the life of Christ whatsoever life Christ lives that life faith will chuse the woman is now content to conforme her selfe to the estate and condition of her husband she must not thinke to live as she list and to be in this place and that place and that fashion therefore thinke of it that thou didst never as yeâ— beleeve in a Christ except thou didst chuse the patience and holinesse and meeknesse of a Christ and the rule and life of Christ many Lords have ruled over us saith the text when thy cursed corruptions come and would rule thee if then thou art content to bee ruled by a Christ and to live and converse as he did this is an undoubted argument that thou chusest Christ aright nay thou must chuse the shame and disgraces and the crosse of Christ and the crowne of thornes too that is that whatsoever it is that comes with a Christ thou must make choice of it and say I will have Christ and all that comes with Christ as it is with a
Christian and his heart is satisfied with Christ and he goes to and rests upon and is satisfied in a Christ but if thou beare up thy heart with other businesses resting upon thy gifts and parts and pompe and place then thy faith is naught it rests not upon Gods free grace but upon it selfe and upon some broken reed which will faile thee When a man hath the world and honours and pleasures to stand by him he goes on cheerfully and comfortably but when these are gone all his comfort is gone then thy faith is naught for if thou hadst rested upon the free grace of Christ thou wouldst have been contented and comfortable though all honours and the like had beene taken from thee but alas this is our misety wee sit downe Rahellâ— like and will not bee comforted because honours and friends and meanes are not well goe thy way thy faith is naught it never as yet rested upon a Christ who would have continued any comfort to thee The conclusion is this the soule must bee perswaded by the spirit of the Father therefore nothing is the author of faith but the Lord. Faith must come from Heaven and from the Spirit of God in the Word if ever thou have that faith which will doe thee good Secondly the soule was effectually perswaded and therefore chuseth a Christ wholly Thirdly it rests upon his free grace and therefore is fully contented with it Vse 6 In the next place it is a word of just reproofe and the former Doctrine is a bill of Inditement against multitudes of men that were never yet partakers of this blessed worke of Grace they are not far off but in the very bosome of the Church of God they are to this very day unfaithfull It is a foolish delusion of many who thinke that onkly Sithians and Parthians and Turkes and Pagans want faith this is an idle dreame and a doating conceit and prevailes too much even with those that thinke themselves some body and are in high place Oh let not this delusion prevaile with your judgements for the former Doctrine comes as a swift witnesse against such as looke high and professe gloriously and thinke their penny good silver yet the former truth I say is that which testifies to their faces and to their consciences that there was never one dramme of saving faith wrought in them Woe therefore to their soules for it and to all such whose conditions shall bee found to bee so yet this is not the greatest of their misery for althouhh they are in this condition yet they will not see it nor bee perswaded of it when their owne lives can testifie to their faces and also proclaime to all the world that there is no faith in their hearts and Gods people mourne for them and cry to God for them and sinke under the burthen of their miserie yet it is strange to see how people will beare up themselves with a blinde boldnesse and a wretched carnall confidence and conceits that they have faith It is true say they our lives are not so holy as they ought and our workes are not so good as they should be therefore we trust not to our workes but to Jesus Christ he came to save sinners and we trust in him and all the worid nay all the devills in hell shall not perswade us to the contrary but we will beleeve in our Saviour If we should goe from man to man and from house to house and call at every mans doore and say are there any beleevers here they are at daggers drawing presently and say are not we all beleevers and we hope to goe to heaven as sone as the proudest professor of them all many soules perish this way and goe downe to hell hoodwinckt and never know where they are untill they come in the bottomlesse pit past hope past helpe I hope you will confesse this that to beleeve is more than to say so or to thinke so or conceive it in a mans minde nay it will cost you much labour before that day come that those proud hearts of yours be humbled and those distempered soules of yours that are fastned to your lusts and corruptions be brought to beleeve and to bee effectually perswaded by the Spirit of the Father and that those doubting and staggering soules of yours be brought to rest upon free grace in Jesus Christ Oh how few finde this worke I can scarcely tell whether to make it a matter of lamentation or of reproofe of those that thinke they have faith and have it not I am afraid that too many of you will finde the want of it when it is too late If ever Doctrine were needfull to be pressed then now especially in these times that so if it were possible me might shake the carnall confidence of most men Suffer mee therefore to goe on plainly in this use of reproofe and let me doe it in two particulars First I will shew and prove that many that live in the bosome of the Church have not faith Secondly I will shew who they be in particular that have no faith which things being opened then I hope every man but especially such as God shall blesse this truth unto shall be apprehensive of their condition if they will deale plainly with their owne hearts First let me lay the inditement and shew that many that live in the bosome of the Church want this saving faith Scripture and reasons are pregnant here for the first that many not onely pagans and heathens but you which live in the bosome of the Church of England have not faith as Esay 53.1 Lord who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed this beleeving spoken of is saving faith and it was so hard to be found that though Esay were a man of admirable parts and one that spake in a most admirable manner yet faithfull men were so few that hee could see none therefore he goes up and downe as it were to inquire for beleevers is there any one in this family that beleeves therefore hee saith To whom is the Arme of the Lord revealed that is the power of God in the Gospell that 's the thing you must take notice of you that are wise aske this question did God ever reveale himselfe to thee to pull downe thy proud heart and the heart of your wife or your husband c. Christ found hard measure here Iohn 1.11 He came to his owne and his owne received him not the Jewes were cald his owne people he did not come to strangers to pagans and infidels but to his owne upon whom hee had bestowed many meanes and whom he had carried upon eagles wings and to whom he had communicated many rich tokens of his love yet how did they use him even they received him not not only some few of them did not receive him but the whole body of the Jewes the whole nation and people of the Jewes did not receive him indeed
and never rest till you get this blessed grace of faith that you may bee happy by it for ever Sort. 3 The third sort which we will meddle withall and discover that have no part in this saving faith are the meere civilized and seemingly judicious professors such as beare up themselves marvellous comfortably upon their owne wisedome and judgement howsoever these have a name yet it is but a name and no more and for this man that we may discover him and that he may know himselfe we will doe it in three things First I will shew him in his fashion Secondly wherein his falsenesse doth appeare and wherein he falls short Thirdly wherein hee discovers himselfe to fall short First he is a man that will deale very honestly and fairely betweene man and man hee is not scandalous in his practices hee is a man of good parts and deepe understanding and deepe reach if you will beleeve him and he exceeds the most nay even the best in his private paines he is very studious and reads much and can remember well and can expresse himselfe marvellous well and so will carry all before him nay this man is so lifted up in his imagination that hee could almost undertake to teach Ministers how to preach if any man out of weaknesse would condescend to him but if you follow him home to his family there he prayes but once a weeke and if misery and sorrow and affliction come then haply hee can pray twice unlesse some carnall base friend come into his family which haply would scorne him and his profession then he prayes once and scarcely that because hee would not offend his friend and hence it is that poore people make this man an oracle and this mans words and judgement and determinations they are of great weight and if a poore soule which can dive deeply into his owne heart comes and questions his faith and to make some doubt of his graces all is in an uproare presently what say they such a man have no faith the Lord be mercifull to us then if a man of such judgement and parts hath no faith then what shall become of us this mans words cast the ballance any way and his words are of great weight amongst the vulgar sort of people and hence it is that the poore ignorant creatures beare up themselves upon this mans judgement and say they for a man to pray twice a day it is not required and it is more than is needfull and if a man have a minde to stay at home may hee not read the Word in his owne house and get as much good by it as by going to Church wiser than wee thinke so and if it were not so doe you thinke such a man would professe it a man of parts and good judgement and many times Gods owne servants out of the sight of their owne weaknesse and the discouragements of their owne heart and when they see themselves so farre outbidden by their parts then they have such a one in a high account and preferre him above themselves by many degrees now see the guise of this man hence it is that this man falls in love with himselfe and is lifted up into a fooles paradise and he begins to admire at himselfe and for any matter of faith hee doth not question it what a man of such wisedome and such understanding what not he faith he makes no question hee cannot misse of faith and so he goes away comfortably and contentedly thus you see the faith of this man Secondly wee come to view and to see where he falls short now you see him Oh that the Lord would make him see himselfe and brethren observe thus much few of these men are ever brought home by the powerfull preaching of the Gospell and the reason is because their owne wisedome is beyond the ministery of the Word and they say such a Minister is a good Scholer but had hee that wisedome and those parts and the like thus they reare up bulwarkes against the Word of truth that it sinkes not into their hearts therefore to make this man knowne to himselfe observe thus much in the generall the basenesse of this mans faith for it is no better but that he is deluded that he cannot see it it discovers it selfe thus it is bred in his bookes and in his judgement and goes no further and it is far from saving faith therefore that the inditement may lie cleare and that we may outbid him in his booke learning and all know thus much the maine ground of this mans mistake may be discovered thus there are two things in the nature of faith First illumination Secondly application as wee tearme it illumination not onely is when a man hath the common rumours and intimations of the truths of God in the Gospell and knowes the reason of the texts and the meaning of the scriptures this the reprobate may have and this he hath but there is also an operation of the Spirit upon the affections and then there comes an application wherein the soule goes out to the promise and takes that for his good which is thereunto appointed now observe this judicious man hee hath a generall apprehension of the truths of the Gospell but as for that speciall working upon the will and to enter in upon the promises of God and to have the sap and sweet of these and to goe out to Christ and to take all from Christ he is a stranger to this and it goes beyond all his booke learning and hence it is that when the Minister comes to handle these points he saith the Minister was something confused to day and the reason why he faith so it is because hee did not understand them these men are ignorant in the spirituall turnings of the heart Iohn 3.8 9. when Christ came to teach Nicodemus he was at a losse and thought that Christ spoke without booke therefore Christ reads the lecture againe and saith I speake of the spirituall worke that which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the Spirit is Spirit Oh saith he how can these things be he could not gainsay Christ and yet because hee could not understand it therefore hee would not yeeld so it is with this man it befalls this man as it is with some wise Lawyer hee reads over a mans writings and the leases and hee rehearseth the tenour upon which the lands are holden and what right the man hath to them hee layes open all the questions of the law and he reads his name in the will and yet he never reads his owne name there nor any right that he hath to them Just so it is with this judicious professor he is able to dispute of the maine points of the Gospell and shewes that others have right to them and he reads the writings but never comes to partake of them himselfe as it was with the wise men that came to inquire for Christ
thinke hee will cast off you take heed of that depart not from the Lord for that is to follow lying vanities and that is to forsake your owne mercies so the soule of a poore sinner should reason thus T is true my sins are many my wants are exceedingly multiplied I have sinned against God and am discouraged and shall I be more discouraged and sinne more against God I am miserable by departing from God and shall I depart more from God and be more miserable thou darest not goe to Christ for mercie why because thou hast sinned and wilt thou depart from God still and be more sinfull that is against all reason Cure 2 The second cure is this all this while I speake to broken hearted sinners those that are obstinate wicked and ungodly men stand you by you must give mee leave to deale the childrens bread to them you had your portion formerly let the children have their bread also and take their share too the second cure therefore is this make conscience either not to attend to or not judge thy selfe or thy estate by any carnall reason without a warrant I will repeat it againe because I would not have you forget it make conscience I say either to attend to or judge thy selfe or thy estate by any carnall reason or carnall plea without reason or warrant as thus it is the fashion of poore distressed spirits to passe heavie doome and to set downe heavie sentences upon themselves upon false or weake or groundlesse arguments as I never found Gods mercie I never felt it I never was perswaded of it I feare it will not be so thus we have these carnall pleas which our mindes invent and Satan suggests and wee judge our selves by these as the witnesses that should warrant our estates as the Judge that should determine of our estates now make conscience of judging thy estate in this manner you that are broken hearted for to you I speake this kinde of course is naught and this sinne is more hainous than you imagine for when thou concludest certainly thy estate is naught and God hath given you no grace upon these grounds mark against how many Commandments thou sinnest first thou dost wrong thine owne honour that God hath put upon thee in giving thee grace thou sinnest also against the third Commandement in wanting that reverence which is due to Gods name and the worke of grace hee hath wrought in thy soule thou dampest thy owne heart and art a spirituall murtherer and so sinnest against the sixt Commandement thou robbest thy selfe of that comfort of heart and refreshment of minde that God hath prepared for thee and offered unto thee and so sinnest against the eighth commandement nay you doe beare false witnesse infinitely you speake against your selves to the overthrowing of your soules and you beare false witnesse against Christ and his Spirit and the worke of his grace whereby you are sealed up to the day of redemption and you joyne sides with the Devill in this case But you will say Object Truly I speake as I thinke and affirme as I am perswaded Answ I answer this hinders not but thou bearest false witnesse if thou affirmest a thing thou hast no ground for thou bearest false witnesse though it be true this is a rule which Divines hold if a man should affirme peremptorily such a man is a drunkard and yet he knowes it not though he be so yet hee beareth false witnesse because a mans witnesse must bee upon ground and knowledge so thou peremptorily affirmest what I grace no will God vouchsafe any good to mee I will never beleeve it now thou certainly affirmest of thy selfe that thou hast no true grace when there is no ground for it but suspition and feare and the like and therefore thou bearest false witnesse against thy soule observe this the rather because of the sinfull distempers that creep into the hearts of many Christians broken and humbled and it is usuall and common this is their guise out of a selfe will of carnall reasonings and out of a base haunt of heart they swell against themselves and their owne soules their hearts come to bee perswaded that they are not in a right course that they walke not in a right way unlesse they bee quarrelling and opposing the worke of Gods grace in their soules and out of a selfe conceit of theirs that they are moulded into by custome they thinke they have libertie to doe so and that they doe well in so doing now thinke of it you that are humble know that you sinne fearfully all this while and it is very remarkable to take notice of the soule in this kinde in a case of conscience when a poore broken hearted sinner hath his judgement informed when reasons are plaine and when the comforts are cleerly evidenced when Scriptures are undeniable these poore creatures now doe not so much attend what you speak and what the Minister saith and the Word delivers but all their care is how they may answer a mans reason and put off the force of an argument and they count it a matter of weaknesse if they cannot answer any thing that is propounded to them for their comfort it is admirable to consider and but that daily experience teacheth us wee would not speake it nor could we beleeve it therefore take notice of it and know that howsoever you give leave to your owne soules to doe this and have invented reasons and arguments to gainsay the power of the truth and to defeat the power of the Word goe aside and wonder that the Lord hath not taken away from thee all the worke of his grace and all the comfort of his Spirit admire at this that when thou hast cast off all grounds of comfort yet God doth vouchsafe it to thy soule the Prophet David prayeth that the Lord would turne away his eyes from beholding of vanitie now if a man must turne away his eyes from beholding of vanitie he must turne away his thoughts from attending to vanitie much more hath God ever given me a minde to consent to Satan hath God ever given me a tongue to parly with Satan I have something else to doe I must attend to the counsels of God I must attend and listen to the voice of God I must not listen to the suggestions of Satan that I have nothing to doe withall I sinne deeply in so doing no man in reason will deale with a cheator if hee know him to be a cheator unlesse he meane to be couzened so it ought to be our wisdome carnall reason is a cheator and an old deceiver let us not therefore attend thereunto nor be ruled thereby unlesse we resolve to be cheated but if the sinne cannot scare you yet let the miserie that will follow thereupon force you and drive your hearts from it in Esa 50.2 last verses the text saith Who is among you that feareth the Lord let him heare the voice of his servant he
that walkes in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the Lord and stay upon his God there is a comparison made betweene the Saints of God that will listen to the voice of the Lord and the direction of his servants and those that will follow their owne humours and carnall reasonings and stay thereupon he that walketh in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord that is though a sinner bee never so perplexed with sorrow of heart though there be nothing but miserie without and horrour of heart within yet if hee will heare the voice of Gods servants you broken hearts that have not stopped your eares to the comfort that God hath revealed let them trust in the Lord but now marke what is said in the last verse Behold all that kindle a fire and are compassed about with sparkes walke you in the light of your fire and in the sparkes that you have kindled this shall you have at my hands you shall lye downe in sorrow I will first open the place and then apply it what is meant by fire and sparkes here in a word in the old law there was alwayes fire kept in the sanctuarie heavenly fire that came downe from heaven and this did shew the wisdome and direction of God in his word but now there was strange fire which Nadab and Abihu offered that is they did not take of the fire of sanctuarie which God sent from heaven but they tooke fire of their owne that is their owne devices and imaginations and disputes the sparkles and pleas of your owne thoughts they are your owne fire every poore creature carries his tinder box about him and is anvilling and forging his owne conceits I thinke it not I conceive it not I am not perswaded of it this is your owne fire that is the first thing then marke what followeth walke in the light of your fire and in the sparkes that you have kindled you shall lie down in sorrow walke in the light of your fire Hee doth not allow this but he takes it as a thing forlorne as who should say You will follow your owne conceits and imaginations you have hammered out sparkes and you will strike fire out of your owne carnall reasonings and you will bee taken aside by them there is no reproving of you there is no removing of you from it so that two things are cleare First the heart will coyne carnall reasons and forge sinfull conceits and then it will persist in them and marke what followeth this is that which you shall have at my hands you shall lie downe in sorrow this will bring sorrow to thy soule when the fire of the sanctuary burnes cleere when comforts are plain and Scriptures are pregnant and reasons undeniable you will kindle your owne fire and compasse your selves about with your owne sparkes and you will attend to them and bee ruled by them well doe so but this I tell you there is no hand shall succour you and bring comfort unto you you shall have this at the hand of the Lord you shall lie downe in sorrow and then you shall repent you happily and fling away your tinder box and your carnall reasonings and imaginations this is the second cure Cure 3 The third cure is this be marvellous wary and exceeding watchfull that you enter not into contention with Satan upon these termes whereupon you cannot determine a controversie I cannot tell how to expresse my selfe better Enter not I say into the lists of dispute with Satan concerning those things which belong not unto you as for example If I bee elected then I shall bee saved but I am not elected I have injoyed Gods ordinances and lived under the precious means of grace and salvation and they have not wrought upon my heart I perceive that God intends to doe no good unto my soule therefore all my labor is in vain when I have done what I can I shall perish Sometimes againe the soule saith the day is past and the time is gone Oh the times of grace and dayes of mercy that I have seene the Lord came kindly to my soule and was pleased gratiously to reveale my sinnes to my soule but then hard hearted I and stubborne wretch I I shut the doore against the Lord Jesus Christ and now mercy is gone the day is over the time is past and the sunne is set there is now no hope of mercy If the devill catch a man upon these lists there is no determination of the point for upon this ground a man shall never gaine answer to himselfe hee shall never gaine ease to his conscience for if I know not the things of this nature and if no man else knowes them how shall any man administer comfort or how shall I be able to receive comfort therefore take heed of it It is in this case with a sinner as it is with a traveller theeves overtake him and pretend to lead him a faire way at last they carry him into a wildernesse and lead him into a desert where no man comes by where no mans voyce can bee heard and there they doe what they list because there is no helpe to bee expected no passenger comes neere So it is with the soule when Satan gets him into these straits and wilders him in the desarts of Gods secret counsels of election and the like there is no passenger comes by this way no man can apprehend these secret things of Gods counsell and therefore no man can administer succour or comfort therefore for your caution and direction in this case I will suggest these three rules Rule 1 The first rule is this let thy soule in this perplexity stay it selfe and its owne staggering upon the power of God Ephes 3.20 the text saith that God is able to doe exceeding abundantly above all that we can aske or thinke Gen. 17.1 I am God All-sufficient attend to Gods sufficiency and rest upon the Almightinesse of his power and support thy heart thereby Object But the soule may say what is this to me I know the Lord is able enough and all-sufficient but how doe I know that God will shew mercy and doe good to my soule Answ I answer and marke what I say if thou beest throughly perswaded indeed of Gods all-sufficiency it will helpe thee this way for if God can doe exceeding abundantly above all that wee can aske or thinke then God can will for ought thou knowest above all that wee can thinke or ask thou canst not know or conceive of Gods power thou canst not desire so much as God is able to doe nor conceive so much as he is able to performe therefore God may be willing to doe thee good though thou conceivest it not for this I take to bee a truth that generally the soule doth never sadly doubt of Gods Will but in some measure it doubts of Gods Power for if God be able to doe more than I can apprehend
never wash my feet a man would thinke this was great humilitie Peter was a very lowly man he would not let Christ yeeld to him but he would stoope to him rather this was nothâ—ng but a kinde of refractarinesse and therefore see how Christ tooke him up and this is the only way to cure it If I wash not thy feet thou hast no part in me if you will goe on in your owne humour get you downe to hell and injoy your owne will if I wash you not you shall never see my face with comfort and then his stomack came downe and he said Not onely my feet but my body also Lord when Christ had subdued his pride and brought down his haughty heart That is humilitie of heart to take what God gives and receive what God offers and doe what God commands doe so with thy humble pride when men are complaining and thinke it a great skill to answer arguments and put by the reasons that Ministers propound and then they thinke that they are humble and bewailing their estates and haply they may bee so but here is the wound you have proud hearts therefore labour to dismay that proud heart of thine with the authoritie and command of God and with the threatnings of the Lord and severe judgements of God and tell thy proud heart lay aside your gainsaying humour and take the mercie God offers and blesse God that you may take mercie and that you may take grace upon these termes upon good grounds and reasons and evidences out of the word blesse God I say and take it lest God take away his Spirit from you and his comforts from you and strip you naked of all that favour he now vouchsafeth and make you runne downe in anguish of soule to your grave though hee save your soules hee may make you live in hell here though hee bring you to heaven afterwards I would have every one touch his soule to the quick and deale as Iob did Once have I spoken but I will say no more yea twice but I will proceed no farther so all you broken hearted Christians that have mourned under the burden of your sinnes and cried mightily for mercie and yet receive no comfort to your soules the fault is your owne now see the ground of it and say I am vile when the word revealed and the Minister discovered comfort I would not receive it I have gainsayed it I will gainsay it no more once have I spoken and now I speake it to my shame and sorrow I might have had much comfort and bound up my heart in the assurance of Gods mercie had I had an humble heart to receive that which God offered I thought it humilitie of heart to refuse it but it was pride and doggednesse of spirit for why did I not rather receive reasons that could not be answered than more questions that have beene removed and assoiled from day to day I have beene inlarged in this because it is the maine ground whereupon many humble sinners have beene hindred from a great deale of comfort God would have given and they might have received at his hands Rule 4 The fourth rule is this maintaine in the last place the truth which upon these good grounds thou hast received and thy judgement and conscience and heart have submitted to Looke as it is with a man in law concerning his land or living or patrimonie if he have his adversary upon a good ground upon the hip as we use to say he will be sure to keepe him there he will be sure to keepe him upon that ground still and hold him to that if a man will follow every wrangling lawyer at every digression and bring in this and that no keep to the point saith the Judge let there bee no wavering and extravagant courses hold there where your case is good and the law is on your side so deale with Satan it is the cunning of the enemie to lead you out and hee will have his vagarie and this turning and the other wavering but keepe to the point be sure to hold to that truth that hath established you by the evidence of reason and testimonie of conscience and the evidence of your soules let mee teach you a little that are weake How the soule being tempted may answer Satans accusations Satan when a man hath got a little advantage he will begin to play the lawyer Satan What dost thou not yet see what wants thou hast and how many failings how unfit for service and how weak in service Poore soule Answer It is true but it is written Prov. 28.13 He that confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall finde mercie though I be weake and feeble and unfit yet I confesse and forsake my sinnes therefore I shall finde mercie Satan Aye saith Satan that you doe indeed doest thou not apprehend and doth not thy conscience witnesse that thy heart is averse and untoward to dutie unwilling to come thereunto wearie therein and desirous to be free there-from Keep still to the point and answer Poore soule I have may sinnes and many failings it is true but yet it is as true hee that confesseth and c. but I confesse and forsake therefore I shall finde mercie Satan Aye but saith Satan are you tampering with Gods privie counsell doe you know to whom mercie belongs secret things belong to God he must give his mercie to whom he please and his goodnesse to whom he sees fit Keepe still to the point and say Poore soule I know not what Gods secret will is but I know what the word saith and what the Lord saith and what conscience saith I know I confesse and forsake therefore I c. But Satan replies Satan Many couzen themselves mercie is a rare gift few have it and many dreame of it that shall never share therein nor partake thereof and why may not you be one of those Keep still to the point and answer Poore soule It is true I may couzen my selfe and my heart may be deceived but the Lord will not couzen me and the Word cannot deceive mee and the Lord and the Word say He that confesseth c. but I confesse c. Satan How doe you know that you doe apply the Word aright may you not be deceived in that the Word is true and certaine but how doe you know that you doe fitly apply this Word Answer Poore soule I know it not but by the Word and I repaire thither that I may know it and the Lord knowes all and the Word informes mee that whosoever confâ—sseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall have mercie and my conscience knowes that I doe confesse and forsake therefore I c. and Satan if you will shew mee any other text contrarie to this I will yeeld but otherwise I will never yeeld while the world stands Thus you see how you may hold Satan to the Word and keepe him there but if hee lead you into wildernesses and by-paths and take
you to feares and suspitions you are gone Psal 119.98 By thy commandements thou hast made me wiser that mine enemies but what is the reason of it they are ever with me so Satan is wise and carnall reason and the world and temptations are subtill but blessed be our God that makes every poore ignorant creature that beleeves in him and rests upon him wiser than all his enemies wiser than the cunning serpent wiser than the subtill pleas of carnall reason wiser than the cunning of all temptations let the Word be continually with you from day to day and that will make you discover all the sleights and stratagems and all the cunning tricks of Satan and not only shew you what is amisse but thereby you shall get ground to your soules to answer all Satans pleas Satan deales with the soule of a proud sinner in this case as enemies in the warre as Iosuah 8. you know when Iosuah went to defeat the men of Ai hee towled them out of the Citie his armie fled before them as formerly and they all fallied out of the Citie upon them and when he had them out of the Citie the men in ambush circumvented them and then they that fled turned back upon them before and the rest burnt the Citie had the men of Ai kept within the Citie it is true God could have overthrowne it but yet they might have put it to the venture they might have tried it out but when they had left the Citie there was no hope so Satan deales with the soule our castle or trenches are the promises of God Gods Word and ordinances especially the promises are the trenches whereby the soules of Gods servants are fortified now if Satan can but get you out of your trenches and towle you out of your castle he hath what he would have if you will listen to every carnall reason and to every temptation and talke and parly with it then Satan hath you in ambush and will surprise you if he can make you lose ground in the promise he damps your spirits and will intangle you in temptations and hinder the comfort of your soules the advice I give you in this case is that of Iohn 1 Iohn 2.28 Little children if yee abide in Gods commandements yee abide in God if we abide in Gods counsels and ordinances and promises wee abide in him he speaks to the weake as if hee had said you are weake and feeble I know the blindnesse of your mindes how unable you are to foresee temptations and weake and unable to beare temptations and I know that Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom hee may devoure and you are little lambs weake and feeble and unable to withstand him but little children abide in God keep home keep home and then you are sure to be safe Whensoever dangers are abroad or any danger in the streets we keepe the doore shut to keepe little ones within that they may catch no harme abroad and if they get out and get a knock and come crying we say why did you not keep within then who bade you goe out then so you that are little ones in the Lord Jesus Christ when Satan and all the armies of hell are combining against you keepe within your trenches dwell in God and abide in him you will goe out now and then and tamper with carnall reasons and Satans cavill and come home with a broken heart and troubled spirit and comfort is gone and assurance is gone and all is gone keepe home then I charge you what have you to doe abroad therefore intrench your selves in the promises of God and keepe your selves within the Castle of Gods Ordinances and Commandements and then be safe and sure The issue then is this judge thy soule by the Word and looke upon the sincere part and doe not take thy soule on the worst hand and what thou so judgest to be in labour to convince thy conscience thereof and to have conscience speake for thee what reason is informed and conscience convinced of labour to make thy heart subject and submit and yeeld thereunto without any gain-saying what reason allowes and conscience witnesseth let thy soule entertaine and not a word more and what thy heart submits unto hold to that and maintaine it for ever and never let it goe this is the meanes whereby a soule distressed may repaire to God in the use of Gods ordinances and may receive joy and established comfort to thy dying day and may goe singing to thy grave let Satan tempt let the world allure let corruption stirre and the heart quarrell keepe within doores keepe within your trenches and remaine safe from danger Looke as it is with a man that hath his house well prepared and his foundations firmly built when the windes blow and the stormes beat upon his house hee sleeps most quietly because hee is in a house where he is safe and free from danger the windes blow not in him the water pierces not through you that have title to Christ and grace and to the promises they are they that will keep you and defend you against winde and weather though the windes roare from East to West though the stormes beat though Satan be never so subtill and corruptions never so violent nay though hell gates were open and all the devils in hell rored upon thy soule and all the fiercenesse of temptations assault you from day to day lie close and bring your hearts to fasten to the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ keepe within doores keep within your castles sit still and repose your soules upon the promises of God and upon the riches of Gods free grace and you shall see that the storme will over and Satan will bee defeated and you shall have comfort and you may goe singing to your graves though you have many weaknesses and failings and distempers yet stay here and nothing can doe you harme Now wee come to the means that here may usefully be considered for the bringing on of the heart to beleeve but you will say what bee the means that a man may use through Gods blessing and grace to attaine this grace of faith and the use thereof for this is certaine wee must use the means but there is no means under Heaven alone will doe it yet you must wait upon God in the use of the means for it is not the meanes alone that will worke faith but the Spirit of God in the use of the means and therefore the text saith to you it is given to beleeve for faith is the free gift of God it is God that must doe it and yet he will not doe it without us because we are reasonable men and women the Lord affords us means and therefore we are to wait upon him in the use of those means let the Lord doe what he will and let us doe what wee should use the means which God hath appointed and those are these foure Means 1 First wee
must as much as in us lies labour to plucke away all those props that the soule leans upon and all those outward succours and whatsoever outward contentment it is which a poore sinner doth repaire and betake himselfe to for releefe and helpe that when all these are taken from us wee may bee forced to goe for succour there where it is to be had Marke 5.26.27 when the poore woman in the Gospell had spent all her goods upon the Physitians and if she had had but a little means left yea but one farthing token for any thing I know shee would never have gone to Christ but when all these failed then shee was forced to seeke to Christ that was ready and willing to doe any thing for her distressed nature so our soules must have something to support themselves upon for they cannot live without some support Now therefore when all our carnall hopes are taken away wee must needs stay upon the promise because we have nothing else yet I say it is not requisite that a man should cast away those outward comforts that God affords him but take them when God gives them but onely this that though you have all yet labour to get your hearts to see the vanitie and acknowledge the emptinesse of all these and let not the heart seeke too much content in them for these are all but lying vanities and broken staves which will not onely cozen a man but pierce him too Now when the soule seeth these things cannot succour him but lay him in the dust then he will be content to have his heart severed from them It is with the soule as it was with Noahs Dove When the Arke began to rest upon the mountaine Arraret Noah sent out the Dove but the Dove found no rest for the sole of her foot no question there were many dead darkasses but the Dove found no rest till shee came to the Arke againe So when a man findes no rest in any thing the creature affords and can get no footing for the soule to to stay it selfe upon them then it betakes it selfe to Christ and goes home to the promise and rests there and expects from thence what is needfull as in the Art of swimming hee that will swimme must plucke his feet from the bottome and commit himselfe to the streame to beare him up so we must plucke our hearts from these things here below and them from us and though wee have honour and preferments yet wee must not put any confidence in them but learne by our beleeving to commit our selves wholly to the power of the promise and receive comfort from thence onely as Rabshakeh said sinfully Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad c. Rely not upon them for the gods cannot helpe you so should wee reason when wee finde our hearts hankering after honour riches pleasure c. why say let not the gods of this world honour and profit and pleasure deceive thee did the pride of Pharaohs heart deliver him did the riches of Dives save him did Herods applause that he had deliver him did these gods secure them nay have they not left them in the lurch therefore let us take our hearts off from these things and have a base esteeme of them and see a vanitie and emptinesse and insufficiency in them that wee may bee forced to seeke to Christ and say as David said Helpe Lord for vaine is the helpe of man vaine is the helpe of all other things Means 2 Now when this is done there is a little way made that the promise may come to the soule and therefore labour in the second place to have your hearts possessed throughly and perswaded effectually of the fulnesse of that good which is in the promise and of that satisfactory mercy and freenesse of the grace of God in Christ that so the soule may bee establisht with that full content which is to bee had in the riches of the promise but marke what I say perswade your hearts of it and content not your selves that you are able to speake of it and talke and dispute somewhat fully of the excellency of the promise and of the riches of Gods free grace what is this to the purpose that the heart knowes this and yet is sore-stalled that it comes not to the promise therefore leave not thy heart till it come to make that account of the promise as the word saith it is worth I say leave not thy heart till thou see the promise of grace most beautifull in thy eye and that thy heart may gain some earnest touching of the goodnesse of God and the riches of his grace towards thee and bring thy heart to know and see that the promise is better than all the riches and honours that thou canst have or the world can bestow David saith Psalme 9.10 They that know thee will trust in thee for thou Lord hast never failed them that seeke thee this kinde of knowledge ever breeds confidence and resolution and perswades the heart Wee dare trust a friend whose faithfullnesse wee have tried and rest upon that which we know by experience the promises are of a tried truth seeke from one end of the Heavens to the other turne all the Bible over and see if ever any man leaned on the promise and the Lord did not performe that which he had promised for the good of his soule Psal 119.92 Except the Lord had beene my delight I should have perished in my troubles Psalme 73.26 David saith my flesh faileth me and my heart also but thou art the strength of my heart and my portion for ever againe I had perished in my affliction but that thy Word vpheld me the promises are worth trusting to leaning upon though David in the midst of his affliction was ready to sinke yet then the promise upheld him Esay 26.4 Trust in God for in Iehovah is everlasting strength now there is not strength in these things below or not everlasting strength but in Christ in the promises is everlasting strength here lies a great weight and it is a worke of marvellous difficulty and great necessity and therefore that thy heart may sit downe satisfied in the sufficiency of the promise I will propound three rules how you may improve the promise for your uttermost benefit Rule 1 First labour dayly to present to thy soule a greater good in the promise than thou canst see any where else it is a mans skill and it should be his endevour daily to watch his heart and to look what it is that the heart desires most and present a greater good to thy soule therein than in al things thou canst have elsewhere doe honours or riches or the applause of men or any earthly pleasures offer thee content and satisfaction then perswade thy heart there is a greater worth and excellency in the promise than can be had in all the world outbid the world and tell thy heart and say heart wouldst
a husbandman though he have no money in his house and little provision yet if his ground be well stockt and he hath a good crop this supports the heart of a poore husbandman there is that upon the ground that will pay all his debt and hee shall have wherewithall to live like a man too so it ought to be with these provisions promises of life and salvation though thou findest many wants and corruptions and many disgraces cast upon thee and thou art cast behind hand for comfort yet remember this that though there is little strength and little grace here yet there is enough in the promise and in heaven which the promise will bring to thee and that will pay for all though thou art now in dishonour yet there is honour enough in heaven to take away all thy dishonour though now in persecution and misery yet there is comfort enough and liberty in Christ let thy soule therefore bee carefull to make all these present with thee for thy good this is our folly wee live meerely by sense and lay out the least part of the promises whereas if we could live comfortably we should improve all Rule 2 Expect nothing from the promise but that which is sutable and agreeable to the nature of the promise lay out all and lay it out to thy best advantage and have thy whole stocke a going and so expect nothing from the promise but that which is sutable to it say not with thy selfe then had I that power and that honour and those abilities to doe duties and those meanes outward for my comfort which others have in superfluitie and if God would but give such a place what honour might I bring to God and what comfort might I have to my soule too this is more than the promise will give thee and this is to wrong the promise and to say as it were in effect were God so wise as I then things would goe with farre better successe nay but know that the Lord will not give thy heart content in the promise but what hee seeth fit and what may be best for thy good and his glorie and to looke for that in the promise which is not there to bee had is all one to throw the promise downe the streame thou doest abuse the promise and pervert it for that which is in the promise is this That which God seeth most fit and necessarie for thee that God will give and that thou maist expect and nothing else it is in this condition spirituall as it is in a mans estate temporall hee that will husband a peece of land well and wisely that is falne to him by free gift or by an inheritance his course is this he will observe what best befits every soile and what each peece of ground will beare one peece of ground for meadow another for grazing another for plowing if a man should goe and plow up his meadowes and mow his fallowes we would thinke this man very ignorant in mannaging his businesse so it is with the precious promises of God thou must not thinke to have what thou wouldest in the promise but thinke what will best grow there and what is the intent and aime of God in making of the promise and what comfort it will yeeld so improve it and expect good thereby the want of this wisedome is that which brings a great deale of misery and casteth men behind hand and makes them live poore and scantly in a good course O saith one had I a title and an interest in the promise it could not bee so with me as it is it were not possible that an ignorant heart should still possesse me and that these distempers should still crowd in and hinder mee you thinke you are good husbands all this while but the truth is you lose the promises and make a spoile of them and it is no wonder that you live poorely and beggarly and undoe your selves for I know not any one promise from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Revelation that ever sheweth any such thing as this That the man which hath grace should never finde the plague of a naughtie heart and never be pestered with corruptions within and sorrowes without there is not one place which promiseth thus much you improve not the promise the right way I confesse that this is true that all they that are in Christ there is no condemnation to them and they live not after the flesh and they are not at the command of their corruptions and sinne shall not be King and Ruler over them this the word doth promise but that he may not be sometimes overcome of and captived by his corruptions I know no such promise the Apostle Paul found it otherwise Rom. 7.23 I finde a law in my members warring against the law of my minde It is a desperate part of ill husbandry for a man to lay out his money so that hee shall not onely not see his owne but lose all that he layes out it is the only way to undoe him utterly so you doe not onely lose the good of the promise and not see your owne but you spill the promise because you have a conceit to reap that by the promise which God never intends neither will he ever bestow Quest Some may say how may a man expect that from the promise which God intends and will undeniably bestow Answ For answer hereunto I will shew what thou maist expect and what God will undoubtedly bestow if thou doest beleeve heaven and salvation is certainly thine and perseverance unto the end and that manner and measure of assistance that may make thee fit for perseverance these three things grow here and the promise will heare but for temporall blessings which we desire and the measure of spirituall blessings which we must have so much grace and so much assurance and assistance and so much abilities to doe duties God doth not engage himselfe to bestow these but that which God engageth himselfe to bestow both for temporall and spirituall blessings it may be discovered in three particulars so much grace and assurance of Gods love and so much comfort in grace as he seeth fit after his owne order and in his owne time I will open them all because many doe here bungle wonderfully Rule 1 First he will bestow these in his owne order not in thy order first he will make thee fit and make thee good that thou maist bee able to digest them and then he will bestow them on thee haply a poore man is driven to a desperate hazzard and is brought miserably under and therefore the heart cries earnestly for some more supply and he cals and God answers not and he labours to looke up to the promise where God saith nothing shall be wanting to his and yet it commeth not God will give these in his owne order first he will make thee fit for this estate and then give it I never knew a
a matter of complement and indifferencie No no I may call it the very wheeles of faith upon which faith is carried for all this while faith is a sowing into the soule Looke as it is with a waggon knocke off the wheeles and all lyes in the dust so take away this desire and faith is in the dust the tenour of all the promises run upon this the thirstie they are invited the hungrie they shall be satisfied nay not onely so but observe further the necessity of this when desire comes all good workes goe forward and our hearts are not only set upon the dutie but the dutie is crowned and credited by this desire It is like the mill damme the fuller the damme is the faster the mill goes so get but desire and all will goe forward the more desire the more paines in seeking after grace this gives a crowne and a credit to all our actions thou prayest haply halfe an houre it is not thy tongue that the Lord accepts but thy desire thou performest many duties outwardly God cares not for that he lookes only at thy desire to approve thy selfe to God in those duties this is the thing that gives credit to all our actions Meanes 3 The third meanes is this labour to spread forth the excellencie of all the beautie and surpassing glorie that is in the promises of God Looke wisely daily and judiciously upon them as occasion serves and when thou seest that admirable and incomparable vertue and beautie that is in Christ and in the precious promises and canst but view them in their proper colours Oh they will even ravish thee and quicken up thy desire If a man carry a packe of never so rich commodities and never opens them no man will have a desire to buy Or if a man have a cabinet full of never so precious jewels if he doe not unlocke it no man will be stirred with a desire after them Even so it is with the promises all those unsearchable riches that are in the Lord Jesus and all the comforts both of this life and that which is to come they are all shut up in the promises Now set open the Gospell and unlock the cabbinet of the promises and then the soule will earnestly desire the same I tell you God is a God of comfort and all the promises are yea and Amen in the Lord Jesus Christ read them daily and examine the excellencie and beautie therein that so thy heart may be brought to prize them and the comfort arising thence Thy soule is discouraged there is mercie to comfort thou wantest grace there is grace to quicken thee See the worth thereof more fully Luke 24. When Christ came and walked with the two disciples that were travelling towards Emaus Luke 24.32 opened Did not our hearts burne within us say they while he opened the Scriptures the Latine word signifieth to burne with desire But how came this they did not talke a word and away but the Lord Jesus Christ opened the Scriptures to them the riches of grace and salvation were unlocked and by Christ opened and then their hearts burned againe with desire Oh that Christ and that mercie and that pardon c. So view thou the promises of Christ and grace and salvation you doe not see the value and riches that are therein but if you will but talke and conferre about them your hearts will burne with desire doe not cast an eye and be gone doe not looke over a promise and away no wonder though your hearts are not affected because the excellent things therein contained are not opened and propounded to you Meanes 4 In the fourth and last place after all this thou must know that it is not in thy power to bring thy heart to desire grace thou canst not hammer out a desire upon thine owne anvill digge thy owne pit and hew thy owne rock as long as thou wilt that is a worke out of thy abilitie and strength Nay let all the Angels in heaven and all the Ministers on earth provoke thee yet if the hand of the Lord be wanting thou shalt not lift up thy heart nor step one step towards heaven therefore I beseech you marke and acknowledge this and goe to him who is onely able to worke this desire in thy soule It is the complaint of Christians and they mourne under it and it is a great miserie Oh they are troubled because they cannot fetch a good desire from their owne soules and one falls another sinkes and a third shakes and they are overwhelmed with discouragement And their complaint is this What a wretched heart have I Object Grace No no the world I can desire the life of my childe I long for that nay every trifling profit and pleasure my soule covets it and I say with Rachel Let me have honour or else I dye But I cannot buckle my heart nor worke this vile nature of mine to bee carried after and long for the unconceivable unsearchable riches of the Lord Jesus Christ And will the Lord shew mercie to me Shall I attaine any favour either here or hereafter Answ Marke the deceit in this case desires grow not in your garden they spring not from the root of your abilities you cannot frame your soules nor order your spirits to desire Christ no struggle while thy eyes sinke in thy head and thy tongue falters when thou prayest and yet thou shalt not procure any longing desire after Christ whiles the world stands desire comes from the quickning vertue of the spirit Therefore seeke to God and confesse In truth Lord I cannot it is not in my power I have not any sufficiencie to frame my heart to this desire I expect it not from my selfe it is not this vile and sinfull soule it is not this wicked base wayward heart of mine that can lift up it selfe it is earthly and heavie but it is thou O Lord from whom come all our desires it is thou that must worke it it is thou that hast promised it good Lord quicken thou this soule and inlarge this heart of mine thou only art the God of this desire none of thy Saints that ever panted after and longed for thy mercie David himselfe had it not in his owne power and sufficiencie it must come from thy power and thy promise and thy grace and blessing Now good Lord worke this in the heart of thy poore servant I would faine have a desire Lord from heaven thus hale downe a desire from the Lord and from the promise for there only you must have it this is the course whereby you may partake of this desire from the hand of the Lord. When the Church was lazie and sluggish and would not rise Cant. 5.4 the hands of her beloved dropped mirrhe upon the handle of the doore and this raised and pulled up the heart of the spouse and she lingred after him and followed him and pursued him and her heart was quickned and inlarged to
seeke after him whom her soule loved and prized and from whom she expected that good she needed It ought to bee so with our desires they must proceed only from the sparke of the spirit The smoking flax God will not quench Matth. 12.20 all flax of it selfe will not smoke but a sparke must come into it and that will make it catch fire and smoke thus lay your hearts before the Lord and say Good Lord here is only flax here is only a stubborne heart but strike thou by thy promise one sparke from heaven that I may have a smoking desire after Christ and a longing desire after grace that I may walke with more care and more conscience with thee hereafter using the meanes thou hast appointed for my good that they may at the last worke unto my good this take notice of above all the rest for he that thinkes to get a desire from himselfe will not labour to obtaine from the hands of the Lord. Therefore labour to use all meanes and labour to see a weaknes in all means and expect this desire onely from the hands of the Lord. Thus we see the means how we may get this desire Thus we see how the Lord learnes every faculty his lecture the mind hath beene inlightned we have done with that hope hath beene stirred and desire quickned these we have likewise finished We come now in the fourth place to treat of two other faculties of the soule Love and Ioy which because they are so neerly combined together both in nature and forme as we shall heare hereafter therefore with your patience handle them together and read one Lecture to them both But before I proceed to meddle with the particulars let me premise something in the generall that wee take all rubs out of the way and that none may stumble at that which shall be delivered Therefore let no man thinke it strange that I come here to meddle with Love and Joy as though I would make sanctification to goe before justification for wheresoever we finde love and joy they seeme rather the effects that follow faith than to be the seeds and spawne to bring in faith Methinkes these doubts should not trouble any if they did but consider what wee have spoken already in the worke of preparation But a little to take away these rubs take notice of three ensuing passages which will cleare the way to that which afterward shall be spoken Passage 1 Know in the first place it is not mine intendment to perswade any to thinke that sanctification is before justification for the truth is I conceive the thing is not agreeable to truth taking sanctification in a narrow strict sense as it must be so conceived in this place neither can the Doctrines which I have delivered if they bee understood aright according to the explication thereof shew so much this is the first Passage 2 Secondly looke by what right and reason many judicious Divines of late yeares having by experience observed in their owne spirits and judiciously scanned and delivered it that there is a saving desire by which God brings in and breeds faith in the soule It is the speech of judicious Perkins Nay the Spirit seemes to me to intimate as much when it saith Ho every one that thirsteth Iohn 7.37 come and drinke there must be first thirsting then comming and beleeving which thirsting is nothing else but a saving desire Therefore as there is a saving desire by which God causeth both grace to breed and faith to spring in the soule by the same reason there may bee a kinde of Love and Joy by which as spawnes and seeds of faith faith may bee communicated and stamped upon the soule for the same ground that is for the one is also for the other and it is a thing to me incredible that the soule of a man should fall and rest upon the promise and yet never desire it nor hope for it being absent and imbrace it love and delight in it with joy when it is comming For looke with what authority and right there is thirsting before comming and a desire before faith for faith is all this while a hatching and breeding by the same right and authority there is a saving kinde of love and joy before faith whatsoever wee speake of the one wee must necessarily speake of the other Passage 3 The third thing is this wee must understand that all these saving workes of the affections are no sanctifying I call them saving that is such workes as doe accompany salvation for there is a difference betweene a saving worke and a sanctifying taken in the proper narrow sense of it Know therefore that desires and loves are of a double nature some in vocation are observed some in sanctification are considered as there was a sorrow in preparation a sorrow in sanctification so there is one desire and love and joy in vocation stirred another in sanctification expressed both joyne one with another but they are not the same The frame of the heart and the worke upon the soule in vocation is not the same which is in sanctification Briefly in vocation in this call which I speake of the Lord worketh this worke upon me I have no power of my selfe but onely receive it from the Lord. At the first conveying in of the power of hope and desire and love and joy God communicates them unto me but in sanctification I worke from a principle which I have received from the power of grace which Christ hath communicated to me being called and sanctified and having received the Spirit of Adoption So that the graces I now speake of usher in and lead the way for the comming in of faith when faith comes into the soul it is there as the King in his privy chamber it rules and commands all his servants Now the way being cleare if you meet with hope and faith love and faith put for one another understand that they are not literally to bee conceived but in a figurative sense So then to proceed to the Doctrine I meane to stand upon which is this Doctrine The Spirit of the Lord kindles in an humbled heart and inlightned sinner love and joy to entertaine and rejoyce in the riches of his mercy there are three passages to be considered that so we may see the compasse of the point in hand Passage 1 First this love and joy is no where to be found but in a heart humbled and inlightned for unlesse the soule bee humbled before God it seeth no need of grace or mercy and therefore despiseth it and disclaimes it and is carried with a hatred against that grace that would master his corruptions and purge them Nay the soule is carried with a kinde of wearisomnesse and is pestered with the power of grace that would frame his heart anew his corrupt heart is rather troubled with it than any way delighted in it and if humbled and not inlightned be could not be
heart saith I shall not know what Gods minde is or I shall not doe what I know or it will not succeed or no it is not in my power Now we leave all these with God and meddle not with them but put them over to the Lord and meddle with thy owne duty and worke and let God alone with his and say thou unto the Lord In truth Lord it is not in my power it is not in my parts or worke either to compasse that wisedome that is able to direct my selfe or to have any power to doe all that is commanded much lesse to give good successe Lord I will not meddle with that but leave it to thy Majestie if thou in thy power canst not nor in thy faithfulnesse and goodnesse carest not for thy poore helplesse creature then I am content and if thou wilt not be faithfull then I am content to bee miserable and so thou maist suppose a man that hath promised to undertake some businesse for a friend and then in the end it proves somewhat troublesome and therefore he wisheth his friend to take it againe into his owne hands for it is very troublesome but a man will leave it unto him and say he hath ingaged himselfe to doe it and hee will not looke after it I will not meddle with it any more so what end it is that is in Gods royall prerogative leave it with God and doe not meddle with it let God looke to it leave it to Gods faithfulnesse and power to accomplish it So did Abraham Rom. 14.18 19 20 21. verses Abraham above hope beleeved under hope that he should be the Father of many Nations Sarahs wombe was barren and his body dead and yet he must have a sonne and therefore he sets Gods power on worke and saith in the 21. verse Lord this body is dead and Sarah is barren there is no helpe here but thou art able and thou hast ingaged thy selfe to doe it he sets Gods power to worke and puts over all the right and burthen of the care upon the Lord. Hester 4.14 Therefore Mordecay saith If thou hold thy peace at this time comfort and deliverance shall come from some other place hee was resolved that God had deliverance for his Church and would not deny his owne truth salvation will come saith the text he knowes not the place or by what means but he knowes that salvation will come So set thou Gods power and faithfulnesse to worke and not thy owne care commit it to the Lord and hurle thy care upon him so far as concernes the burthen of it Direction 2 Secondly by faith goe to the promise againe for helpe and power to wait upon God in that way and to looke towards God in the use of those means that hee hath appointed for the attaining of that good which his power will work for thee God will worke it and so thou must meet God in the course of his providence in the improvement of the means he hath appointed for thy good Observe thou his providence and doe thou what God requires for otherwise we live not by faith but tempt God and throw away the promise and all and deprive our selves of that good which God would bestow unlesse wee walke in that way which he hath appointed Luke 24.49 When our Saviour was to goe to Heaven he said Behold I send the promise of my Father amongst you but tarry you in the cittie of Ierusalem untill you bee indued with power from above Christ would endue them with the Spirit but they must tarry at Jerusalem and wait for it So I say wouldst thou have grace and the spirit from above and the wealth of the world then walke in that way which God hath appointed stay at Jerusalem and bee in the way and meet God in his providence and then receive from his power and faithfulnesse what thou needest Thou wouldst have God blesse thee in thy estate and yet thou wouldst bee idle and carelesse but this will not doe the deed God would give thee a blessing but thou art not there to take it this is the excellency of the promises of God as they require conditions before they bestow mercies so they make us able to be partakers of the conditions and give the conditions as for example Ezech. 36. The Lord in the former part of the Chapter promiseth to give many things to them but how It must bee by prayer and humbling themselves before him hee will give a blessing in thy family by prayer in it and a blessing in private by praying in private and strength against sinne and power against corruption but I will bee sought unto for all these saith the Lord and the text saith Blessed is the man that walketh in his integritie and his children after him therefore walke thou in the integrity that is the condition of a Christian in generall or as a husband or as a wife or as a servant in the particular this the promise requires but marke this now the same promise that requires the condition will help us to performe the conditions and the same Lord that saith I will bee intreated and sought to for all these the same Lord saith Psal 10.17 Hee prepareth their hearts to pray goe thou therefore to God to help thee to pray that he may bestow his blessing upon thee which he hath promised Ezech. 26.27 He will first give them a new heart and then teach them to walke in his wayes so if thou wilt walk in Gods wayes thou shalt have his blessings therefore go thou by the power of faith to the promise of God for strength and grace and that thou must use the means appointed and then expect a blessing from it in the course of his providence now is Gods power and faithfulnesse set a worke Direct 3 Thirdly we must set it downe and conclude it that God will doe and wee shall receive in the wayes of his providence whatsoever he hath promised to give that 's the worke of faith and that is to draw sap and vertue from the promise Iohn 3.33 There by leaning is called sealing to the promise this is the nature of sealing when a man hath drawen the articles of agreement and when they have sealed all is done so faith must make the promise authenticall and put a seale to it that is true and saith it is done in heaven and I am fully resolved and setledly perswaded thereof that I shall have whatsoever I have beleeved and thou hast promised and I have used meanes for in the way of thy providence famous is that of Abraham Gen. 22.5 the Lord had bidden him sacrifice his sonne and yet hee said that hee should live and therefore when hee came to the place he said to his servants Abide you herewith the asses for I and the childe will goe yonder and sacrifice and will come againe to you he thought to sacrifice him and yet by faith he beleeved that he should bring