and pardoning mercy of God Ishall never be cleard of this guilt the glory of his Justice will shine in my ruin the glory of whose grace hath been darkned by my looseness The daring thoughts counsels words and practices of all Libertines doe betray such a spirit as was in Marcion of old who fancied God made all of mercy and grace and removed severities and judicial penal authorities from the good God as if he were a stupid Essence insensible of any affronts and indignities put upon him Thus as if God were not essentially just as well as mercifull he is by impudent Libertinisme spoyled of his Justice who as hee is just and a justifier of true beleevers so he is just and a condemner of all his enemies the greatest whereof are they that continue in sin because grace abounds SECT 6. 6. VVAnt of Grace changing and affecting the heart that 6 Want of Grace changing the heart causeth Gods grace to be turned into wantonnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 violent uÌ„ quiddam significat Beza Vsurpatur de iis qui in carcere custodia detinentur Gen. 39. 20. Quotquot in officio suo tor pent dona spiritus ignavo otio defodiunt nec propriam nec alioruÌ„ salutem provehunt Gualt in Luk 19. Hom. 174. Verba in opera Bernard shines in the Head Convictions may and doe often stand with positive Rebellion The truth of God is held prisoner in unrighteousness Rom. 1. 18. takes no hold on the wills and affections of men such violent restraint is laid upon it by over-powering worldly lusts that its sanctifying reforming liberty and authority is quite supprest It is with the lightsome beames of Gods grace as with the Sun The light may shine in the upper sleeping room but be shut out of the lower working rooms The grace of God shines often in the upper sleeping room idle drousie Speculation and conviction in the mind but is shut out of the lower working rooms the Will and the Affections Evil servants know their Masters will but have no hearts to doe it They are evill servants who in the Lords spirituall husbandry trading and occupation are negligent in their duty and hide the talents of the Spirits gifts in sluggish idlenesse and neither promote their own nor others salvation Family-guides cannot beare it who see their loose Attendants waste and abuse the light of great Candles to wantonnesse when their more conscionable Ministers doe much work by lesser lights What a shame will it bee in the reckoning day when persons of vast apprehensions but loose hearts and lives shall be condemned from the vast practice of Godliness in men of mean yet sound intellectuals who turn a few gracious notions into holy motions and words into works SECT 7. 7. WAnt of the upright and genuine use of Cods grace 7. Want of the genuine use of grace causeth it to be turned into wantonness Of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an assault because if the flesh have never so little liberty it will assault us as a Medicine to cure not as a Cloak to cover sin We read 1 Pet. 2. 16. a Cloak of maliciousness or wickedness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the danger of usâ—rg liberty an occasion to the flesh Gal. 5. 13. which let alone will make assault upon us as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports The Sheeps-skin on the Wolves back doth indeed cover not alter the ravenous Creature While the cloak of grace doth but hide not heal the old Man he will be a Libertine The matter is not with carnal Gospellers whether they sin or no but whether concealed Unsound hearts are not so much troubled with the conscience as infamy of sin Much wickedness in the world appearing in its native colours would be abominable but when it borrows a dress from the grace of God it looks lovely and is unsuspected A pitty it is so fair a cloak as Gods grace should be put on so foul a body as sin it is as if a leprous Body were covered with Purple and a Dung-hill with Scarlet It was a part of Jeremiah's Lamentations That the Sons of Zion that were cloathed in Scarlet embraced Dung-hills Lam. 4. 5. It should be for a lamentation that spurious Gospellers the false sons of Zion clad in a rich scarlet glorious profession should stain themselves with durg-hill words and works To put the cover of nature upon unnatural unmorral sins is abominable to put the cloak of grace on works of darkness to wash the Devils face with holy-water is much more detestable It is as if Satan should court God to license his wickedness as if his pure nature should priviledge uncleanness They were false Jews uncircumcised in Spirit though not in flesh who made their ceremonious services which Jer 7. 8. Plus licentiae sibi in ceremoni is sumebant quae debebant esse paenitentiae â—â—â—ercitia Calv. should have been exercises of repentance the Patrons of Licentiousness and so they are adulterate Christians who prostitute their Religious Worship to irreligious designs and practices But sure Grace was never intended to cover but cure sin As the God of grace hath clearly vindicated grace from this dishonor in his Scriptures and in the mortified conversation of his real â—aints so will he in the great day of restitution of all things all things by their proper names set them on their own bottoms arraign sin as sin grace as grace the enemies of Christ as enemies and friends as friends and avenge before the world dishonors done to his Gospel-grace and invincibly clear it to the judgement both of elect and reprobates that grace is a destroyer not a Saviour of sin an help not an hindrance of good life Take with you words and say receive us graciously Hos 14. 2. This grace was an healing remedy I will heal their backslidings v. 4. Grace like the covering wings of the Chicken like the covering Plaister of the wound doth both cover and cure Pardoning and purging Grace go together As the wisdom so the grace that is from above is pure as well as peaceable It is the constant Petition of the sound Spirit of Prayer Lord pardon Lord heal my sins SECT 8. 8. VVAnt of sound conviction of the mischief of original 8. Want of conviction of original corruption is a cause of turning the grace of God into wantonness corruption and severe mortification thereof is an experimented account why grace is abused Here are two branches 1. Want of clear convincement of the old mans mischief The Character of his wickedness is very large when it is not known at all or but slightly no wonder if the bosome Enemy play Rex and rule as he he His sinfulness as followeth not discerned nor regarded begetteth high abuse of the Grace of God Were these things known and believed concerning original corruption professed Christians could not be so licentious Sad experience will give this evil report of it One saith truly
Father as that he is their King Though the name Father speaks boldness yet the name King speaks greater reverence Irreverent are saucy children more bold than welcome I am a great King saith God Mal. 1. 14. His name is great Mal. 1. 11. and reverend Psal 111. 9. We need grace to serve God with reverence and godly fear because he is a consuming fire Heb. 12. 28 29. It is a wrong to grace when we do it not Is it the state of earthly gods to keep their distance with them on whom they shine the brightest beams of their royal favours and shall we think the infinite great and blessed God before whom the Kings of the Earth are as Grashoppers Worms Nothing less than Nothing will not have the rails and vails of holy reverence the humble tokens of distance The Apostate Angels at once lost their good manners and their happiness they kept not within their limited station Should the standing Angels loose their Reverence they should lose their Glory It is the â—â—lae volantes celeritatem promptitudineÌ„ significant Faciem tegentes indicant Angeli Majestatem Dei ferre nequeunt Pedes tegentts quod tenues divini splendoris radiolos in Angelis perspicere non possumus Calv. in Isa 6. Gospel Prophets Hieroglyphick The holy heavenly Angelical Hoast are Birds of Paradise and have six Wings two to cover their faces two their feet two to fly with are said to have flying wings to resemble their quick and nimble obedience facecovering wings to shadow out their reverence as not daring to pry into nor bear Gods infinite glory are said to have feetcovering wings to teach our distance from the Angels who are too weak to behold their finite little rayes of glory much lesse that infinite bright Sun of the divine Essence This Lesson the Prophet teacheth us those spotlesse Spirits that see the blessed face of God to their everlasting happinesse are ever full of a Reverential awe of Gods Majesty But how unsuitable are the heirs of salvation to their heavenly guard Angels are reverent Saints are unmannerly These are wanton those dare not bee so Believers study your hearts gestures words conversations that they all may be Holinesse to the Lord Is he sanctified in you when you draw nigh him Levit. 10. 3. When you are before him as in no minute no place no darkness no solitariness you are out of his flaming eyes piercing views your insides and external deportments are layd in his unerring ballance He tryes you every moment Job 7. 18. What mean your uncomely spirits your external indecencies your slight services Would your governour like such carriages you present to and abuse your gracious God with As Ahasuerus said to Haman Will he force the Queen before me Esth 7. 8. So lay it to heart will you abuse grace before God It was a God-wearing sin evil men did evilâ— and yet thought they were good in Gods sight Mal. 2. 17. What a God-affronting sinne is it to thinke because Free-grace hath made you good and accepted in Gods sight therefore you may abuse it to irreverence in his presence I know your hearts if sound abhorre this doctrinal inference from so glorious a principle but doth not the frame of your spirits words of your mouthes loose carriage prove you dare be irreverently and abusively bold with your Fathers kindnesse Who that seeth a grown Son come to years of understanding knowing his duty to walk mannerly yet standing with his Hat on playing ill feats before yea with his Fathers face slighting his commands but will say there is a wanton unmannerly boy It is no calumny to say so of many of Gods unmannerly children their unbecoming Irreverencies are their heavenly Fathers reproach A Reverent Christian that hath the mighty awe of God upon his spirit in all times places companies providences temptations is a Phenix an Angel among Professors Happy holy harmless preserved are they that maintain the reverent awe of God upon their spirits SECT 3. 3. EVidence of close abuse of Gods grace is Forgetfulness of God The House of Israel perverted their way and forgot 3 Forgetfulness is an evidence of abuse of grace the Lord their God Jer. 3. 22. Jesurun waxed fat and kicked Of the rock that begat thee thou art unmindfull and hast forgotten God that formed thee Deut. 32. 15 18. Too often the answers of Gods kindnesse are like the chief Butlers of Josephâ— The holy man gave a comfortable interpretation of the Butlers Drem Pharaohs restorement of him to his office with this rational caution but think of me when it shall be well with thee Yet did not the chief Butler remember Joseph but forgat him Gen. 40. 13 14 23. Thus the Holy God speaks comfort to many a gracious soul in the deeps of trouble with those equal motions upon their spirits that they would think upon this name and not return again to folly yet in sundry duties they doe not remember God but forget him They know not their own hearts that in the trust and boast of their own sufficiencies promise God if he will reveal his love in his Son to them they will be exact walleâ—s but many of his loose children after they have seen his face have opposed his will and answered the Kisses of his love by unkind Rebellions Gods Israel of the spirit have need of the same cautions the Israel of the flesh had When the Lord thy God shall give thee for his promise sake Cities Houses Wells Vineyards and Olive-trees when thou shalt have eaten and be full then beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God Deut. 6. 10 11 12. So Beleever when the Lord thy God for his covenant sake shall priviledge thee in the heavenly blessings of Reconciliation Justification Adoption the Joy of Atonement and the sweet sight of thy name written in heaven when thou shalt eat and be full of the heavenly feast of fat things beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God 'T is no seldom indignitie put upon the grace of God to forget him in Temptations Vocations Relations Conditions in the world We charge upon our servants such and such duties call them to account our pleasure is neglected The excuse is we were forgotten doth not this speak a loose careless Spirit Surely the Lords servants forgetfulnesse of their charge argues their wantonness A serious faithful considering spirit would remember Christian charge home the basenesse and unfaithfulness of thy spirit with sharp reproof Ah foolish heart and unwise How have I requited the Lords grace I forget not vanitie but how have I forgotten the great concernments of Eternity A Bride will not forget her Ornaments the Worldling his Market and Teeming summes Pleasure-hunters forget not their delights nor the children of Revenge their opportunities of doing mischief How hast thou forgotten the Lord his blessings on thee his cautions to thee his motions in thee his hoped glory laid up for thee his everlasting love designing
and filthy will be so still Rev. 22. 11. ye will revolt more and more Isa 1. 5. Evil men under the Abuse of grace will wax worse and worse 2 Tim. 3. 13. and under the form of godlyness increase the power of wickedness 2 Tim. 3. 5. continue in sinne because grace abounds Rom. 6. 1. It is here also as it is with two men that abuse their friends One doth it and seeth the ungrateful disingenuitie of it and mends the fault another doth it and loads his dear friend with more disgraceful insolencies So a gracious man wrongs his best friend Jesus Christ and sayes of his abuses as Ephraim of his Idols what have I to doe any more with them A gracelesse Professor wrongs the Lord Jesus his owned friend and multiplyes still ungratefull injuries SECT 5. 5. DIfference A real Christian wrongs Gods grace and as 5 A Regenerate repents and is pardoned it is repented of so it is pardoned This iniquity proves not his ruin There is pardoning grace for the abuses of pardoning grace The blood of Christ washes away beleevers wanton abuses of the blood of Christ Gospel grace like the Sun blots out the thin and thick clouds of sin A pretended Christian wrongs Gods grace and as he hath no repentance so no pardon He is not cleansed by the blood of sprinkling that hath been without ceasing and remorse abused by a prophane wanton heart and loose life The contrary events of Abusing Gods grace are like the different issue of two Subjects abusing their King The one doth it is humbled for it accepted and pardoned the other doth it is hardned rejected and hanged Be vailed pardoned Abuses of grace hinders not heirs of glory from their eternal Inheritance Unreformed wrongs of grace in vessels of wrath not blotted out by the blood of Christ will cast them into hell CHAP. XIV Containing an Vse of Exhortation 5. VSe is Exhortation in these things Observe the Use 5 for Exhortation helps to escape this great sin the Abuse of Gods grace Blesse God for Perservation Be alwaies jealous of the sin long for a riddance from it and joy in the hope of it SECT 1. 1. LEarn of the gracious and precious heart and life of Jesus Christ 1. Learne of the gracious and precious heart life of Jesus Chr. Fulnesse of grace dwelt personally in him Hee never in the least playd the wanton with his Fathers grace sought not himself in pleasing his own will nor glory had nothing of the loose spirit of the world in him was not taken with its empty pomps ever went about doing good Acts 10. 38. was his Father and his Churches faithful servant Isa 42. 1. busie in saving work while in the flesh Luk. 2. 49. wrought by did not idle and play away his light Joh. 9. 4. was solid weighty serious in all his affaires with God and men To bee still writing after his fair copy would mend the loose Errata of Christains lives 'T is the Apostles counsel Let us walk decently as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness Rom. 13. 13. If it be said how the next words shew But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill it in the lusts thereof v. 14. Christ is two waies put on By Justification when the chief Robe of his imputed Righteousnesse is put on and by Imitation when the Garments of his communicable graces are put on Put on as the Elect of God bowels of mercy kindness c. Col. 3. 12. Did wee learn the truth as it is in Jesus and trace the steps of his Faithfulnesse Zeal Meekness Humility Heavenly mindedness Divine communion Self-denial Spiritualitie we neither should nor could be such wantons with the Gospel as our loose spirits tempt us to doe Christian set before thee the heavenly purity gravitie soliditie of the Lord Jesus it will awe thy daring insolent spirit What is Christianity but a transcript from the original copy Jesus Christ Should not servants that goe in their Masters Livery doe his work Really put on the cloaths of Heaven and thou wilt not do the work of Hell What an horrid incongruitie is it to pretend to be like Christ and act like the Devil The lazy Philosopher talked of virtue but did it not and the lazy Christian can discourse of the grace of Christ and Quid inter se simile habeat Philosophus Christianus Graeciae discipulus caeli Tertul. in Apolog c. 46. act it not As the Greeks professed Philosophy so doe Libertines Christianity The real imitation of Jesus Christ would be a prevention of loosenesse These daily thoughts would do well I am a professed Disciple of Christ Did he think as I think Reason as I doe Were his affections like mine Did such words come from his mouth Were such designs driven by him SECT 2. 2. HElp is a cleansed purged heart Legal pollutions the 2 A cleansed purged heare is a special help to avoid abusing of the grace of God Types of Moral debarred from serving the holy God An impure heart serves not God but abuseth him The purging of the conscience from dead works and serving the living God are put together As well may a dead man ferve a living Prince as a polluted heart with dead works serve the living God To the pure all things are pure to the impure all things are in their use impure Tit. 1. 15. An impure heart makes an impure use of the holy God his Prayers Confessions Confidences Hopes are impure whose heart is so Cleanse your hearts said James then draw nigh to God Jam. 4. 8. It is with a pure heart as with a pure fountain it will work out mire and dirt It is with a clean heart as with a clean stomack it turns good meat into nourishment not ill huniour Christian purge thy heart by the wholsome working Physâ—ck of Gods grace of self-love worldly lusts voluptuousness covetous proud filthy desires vain-glory vanity of mind folly caâ—nal securitie and then wholsome meat the food of blessed Angels will not accidentally prove as hurtful to thee as the carrion food of Devils 'T is a sweet truth Beleeveâ—s draw nigh Absque cruore domini nemo appropinquat Deo Hier. to God by the blood of Christ Ephes 2. 13. Without a bloody skreen God would be a consuming fire to every sinner for the least sin But what doth the impure unwashen heart coâ—nt of the blood of the Covenant but as an unholy thing Heb. 10. 29. when not used in a way of gracious cleansing but emboldning allowance of sinne A cleansed heart will neither prophane the blood spirit nor word of Christ SECT 3. 3. HElp is the fear of God It is a Soveraign remedy against all 3 The fear of God is a help against abuse of Grace Religio esse non potest ubi â—imor nullus Lact. filthâ—nesse of the flesh spirit
Tim. 5. 11 preferred a life of carnal pleasures a 1 Tim. 5. 6. before spiritual delights In the primitive Feasts of Love licentious Christians feaâ—ed their lusts b 2 Pet. 2. 13. as well as bellyes Fed without feare c Iude ep v. 12. had the character of their wantonnesse set out by the Apostles Peter and Jude The deeds of the Nicolaitans were abominable d Rev. 2. 15. Execrabiles fuerunt Nicolaitae qui profanato Matrimonio stupra et Adulteria permiserunt Gal. lasius Annot. in Irenaeum Their error was accursed who condemned Marriage and gave license to Adulteries and Fornications pure instituted Ordinances as none can doubt but they were such under Old and New Testament times could not keep out impure hearts and lives If the presence power and Doctrine of the Patriarchs Prophets â—vageliâ—â—s Apostles could not prevent daring insolencies against the light of Gods truth and holy profession it is no wonder if in after ages from this impure spring Abuse of Grace noisome streams of loose principles and practises are flown Church History records how Câ—osticks Valentinians Arrians Marcionites Manichees and others have depraved the Truth of God how under these and other Enemies of the Gospel black egiments of Libertines have abused the Colours of Christ and sided with the Prince of darknesse by wronging the Grace of â—od Nor hath the church of Rome under the Papacy cause to wipe her mouth and hug het selfe in her Paramount chastity whose title is Mystery Babilon the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth e Rev. 17. 5. Shee is a wanton Bawd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Her pompous Religion in her splendid garrish Attire her golden cup of Fornication f Rev. 17. 4. Romanum illud prostibuluÌ„ spurcitiem suam legite nomine Ecclesias sanctitatis Gallasius Lais Philosophum pro Leone Decere Libidine coepit mores suos dâ— Lupanat ad scholam stransulit diserens volup esse summum bonum Lact de Justitia l. 5. c. 2. speaks her a Wanton of Wantons all the eye pleasing Pageantry of her unwritten Traditions are but the wanton products of her carnall wisdome pretencing to but never proving scripture allowance As the Mystical Fornication of her Idolatry is undeniable so in a wanton indulgence is shee a Fornicating Bawd in the Letter besides the tolleration of stewes in Rome one of her children Joannes a Casa hath exceeded the impure Hereticks of former times defending yea extolling corporall uncleannesse and yet Romish impurity must all be courted under the name of the Church and Holinesse This Romish impudent Strumpet is like Aristippus a filthy Philosopher who freely Luxuriating with Lais an impure Strumpet became a Pandor of a Philosoper and thinking it not enough to live wickedly he began to be a teacher of Lusts translated his Brothel-house Life to the schoole and taught the pleasure of the body to be the cheifest good Thus neither professed Philosophy nor christianity hath been an expedient to curb the insolencies of vile carnal affections Professed Heathens and Christians have been false to their lights and convictions yea have wantonly either put them out or turned their backs upon them and yet even in those times wherein loosenesse hath abounded against nature and grace the Lord hath stirred up witnesses to beare a severe Testimony against both kinds of Abuses Among the Degenerate seed of Adam loose Pagans there were many that abused their Gods whereof some were whole some halfe Atheists Some whole Wicked men contemners of Religion Denyed the Being of a God as Diagoras Melius who was therefore called an Atheist and Theodorus Cyrenaicus Ob id ' 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dictus Aristides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iustus Phocion bonus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch and Eumerius Siculus Others halfe Atheists acknowledged a Deity yet denyed Providence That God had any care of humane affaires that he governed the World yea denyed also the immortality of the Soule and a life in the other world Lucian was such a semi-Atheist making sport with Jupiter for being too cool and indulgent in his government to condemne lewd unmorral Heathens there were I may say a stricter sort of Pagans externally pure from the grosse crimes of the times though guilty of innumerable blameable impurities of the Heart unwasht by faith Such were Aristides surnamed the Just Phocion the Good profitable Patriot Cymon Incredibly beneficial and Liberal to the poore Epaminondas modest grave true Socrates patient meek Xenocrates continent frugal Lucretia chast Also Christianos pudore quodam suffundere possunt Rivius Hoc majeres nostri questi Junt hoc nos querimur c. eversos esse mores regnare nequitium in deterius res humanas labi Sence de benefil 1. c. 10. the Camilli Curij Fabij Fabritij Catoes Scipioes were eminent externall Moralists whose examples may shame profane Christians Seneca thus complained of debauched Pagans This said he our Ancestors complained of this is our complaint this wil be a complaints good manners are overthrowne wickednesse reignes men grow worse and worse but because even among Christians there are that Pene supra modum as one saith are excessive admirers of Pagans virtue yea some wanton wits among us are more taken with Heathen then protestant writers so thin in using these so large in quoting those it will be needful to shew the sad and dreadfull desiciencies of the most shining Pagan morality it was ignorant ill principled and ill ended Ignorant of the true God and the true way of his Worship Sine cultu veri dei etiam quod virtus videtur peccatum est Autor de Vocat Gentium and without the worship of the true God ehat which seems to be virtue is sin They were ignorant of the main viz. the knowledge of Jesus Christ the deceits of the heart the mischief of original corruption the fall of Adam So their Morality was ill principled the product of self-sufficiency They went not out of themselves to be virtuous made their own Reason and Wills the sole Basis on which they built their most stately virtuous Edifice Hence their proud titles of fore-Election and self-power too high a stile for lapsed sinners They were not poor but proud in spirit and arrogated too much to their own strength Lastly It was ill ended Heathens vertue centred in vain Glory not Gods Glory What a proud abominable speech was that of C. Cotta in Cicero No man ever thanked God for his virtue Virtutem nemo unquam acceptam Deo retulit propter virtutem enim jure laudamur in virtute recte gloriamur quod non contingerit se donum a Deâ— non à nobis haberemus Numquis quod bonus vir esset gratias Diis egit at quod Inanes virtutaÌ„ for we are praised for virtue and rightly glory in virtue which would not be if God gave it us and we had it not from our selves and a little
for you to come to their Heaven 3. The remembrance of lost time will be an eternal corrosive 3. The remembrance of lost time will be a corrosive to tormented consciences to the tortured awakned Spirit and torment the wounded Conscience like fire when time-loosers shall call to minde That they had a time to be converted but now they are hardned had a season to come to Christ their ark but now they are drowned in an eternal fiery lake They had opportunity to weep heavenly Gospel-tears and now they eternally weep hellish legal tears under the fear and hate of their angry Judge and the intollerable smart of endless avenging Punishment They had leasure to store up Grace against the day of Mercy but now they see throughout the whole neglected time of Grace they have treasured up sin against the day of wrath They had a long while Divine patient woings authoritative commandings dreadful threatnings melting beseechings to be reconciled to God and reformed but now penal Justice and their own Wickedness hath sealed them up under the power of sin In brief they had a sweet and fair day of mercy to finde favor with God through Jesus Christ but now it is gone down in a tempestuous night of endless and unappeasable fury 4. It will not be the least part of Hells Torments that hopeless 4. Tormented souls have helpless hopeless fruitless wishes helpless Spirits shall be tortured with fruitless wishes that they had not lost the unvaluable advantages of their saving opportunities When they shall mourn and say How have we hated instruction how have our hearts despised reproof and have not obeyed the voice of our teachers nor inclined our ears to our instructers Prov. 5. 11 12 13. Every unprofitable wish that the time had been redeemed in this world will be as a renewed bloody lash on exulcerated wounded tender bodies O unwise children of men that riot in the liberal indulgences to your flesh even in the noon-time of cleer Gospel-light Take a serious view of these impertinent and afflictive wishes in the other world O that God would grant one day of Grace more O that I were to live over my time again how would I look upon the flesh displeasing sharpest severities of repentance as favors O that I had kneeled on flints and wept mine eyes out in strong cries and tears for a pardon O that I had given my Goods to the poor O that I had changed the delights of the flesh for the pleasures of the Spirit that I had been filled with the Spirit when I was drunk with Wine Ephes 5. 18. O that I had watched over my loose heart day and night O that I had fasted and prayed whole days and nights O that affliction had driven me to Christ that I had rather gone through dirty Lanes to an heavenly Fathers House than through pleasant Meadows to a Prison and a place of Execution O that a godly sorrowing life had ended in joy Psal 126. 5. And that a carnal voluptuous life had not ended in eternal sorrows Jam. 5. 1 5. Have you seen Bankrupts that from the published Statutes of Execution have their Goods seized on and their persons Imprisoned wringing their hands beating their heads bedewing their cheeks breaking their hearts with these words O that I had been a good Husband that I had hearkned unto my friends avoided undoing-Company kept my Shop improved my time I had never come to this but I am undone I am undone Have you seen a condemned Felon that must have no Psalm of Mercy suddenly screek and roar out in the Assises and swoon in the torturing fear and assurance of death when the Judge tells him there is no mercy for him this also adding to his woe O that I had taken the counsel of my dear friends that I were to live over my youth and man-hood O that I had not lost my time of Grace O that I had kept the Sabbath better O that I had not rebelled against my dear Parents and despised good men and godly Ministers Think then what is and will be the woe of lost souls in the other life racking their Spirits with fruitless wishes that they had not lavished away the time of Grace 5. Wasters of the time of Grace out-sin the very Devils of 5. Wasters of the time of Grace out-sin the very Devils of Hell Hell They never had a year day or minutes time of repentance and pardon The next moment of their Transgression was a damning moment to endless and remediless punishment In this respect the Devils will load carnal Gospellers playing the wantons with the seasons of Grace and rejoyce in their society in destruction with this kinde of triumph Glad we are in your fellowship of damnation Is it just we are cast into Hell your company with us in torments is more just You have out-sinned us we were never guilty of such an affront to the Grace of God merits of Christ seasons of Grace as you are The Son of God assumed not our nature undertook not our redemption interceded not with his Father to give us scores of years space of repentance ten years a year a day a minute He took your nature died for you pleads you may have the precious saving seasons of Grace your abuse of the Gospel mis-spending the space of repentance is superlative guilt of a deeper die then our transgression How sad a thing is it that loose Gospellers that fill up their time with secret or open wickedness or both should out-sin the very Devils O friends did Christ speak it with passionate tears concerning self-undoing Jerusalem Hadst thou known in this thy day the things belonging to thy peace but now they are hidden from thee Luke 19. 42. How ought you to weep over your turning the time of Grace into wantonness Ah foolish sinners that waste your inestimable opportunities of getting Christ and Grace walking exactly dying to sin that you may not eternally die in it and for it honoring God in your Generation obtaining your souls Salvation laying up treasure in Heaven preparing for blessed Eternity if you bewail not this in hearty Compunction bitter Tears if the sense of being Spend-thrifts of most precious time make you not ashamed before the Lord know it and believe you shall in the next life look over your ungrateful neglects with unutterable mournings and eternal tears SECT 5. 5. THe calling inviting offers of Grace are turned into wantonness 5. The calling inviting offers of Grace are turned into wantonness The great things of the Kingdom of Heaven were rendred to the Inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida and to the Capernaites but they gave still wanton indulgences to their lusts repented not and this in the judgement of our Lord Christ should double their woe aggravate their rejecting the way of salvation and plunge them deeper in Hell Luke 10. 15. because Heaven on Gospel-tearms was offered and refused Be sure of this the Kingdom of
them as the Pues you sit in and as walls and rocks The despising of wholsome heavenly instructions no lesse then the despising of the Lord Jesus Luk. 10. 16 is that which makes honest godly Ministers to set down with mourning and tears in their closer addresses to God that their hearers will not be converted saved and have eternal life Act. 13. 46. and Phil. 3. 8. 6. You will be unexcusable when you shall see the offers 6. Men will be inexcusable when they see offers of Grace at an everlasting distance from them and hopes of Grace at an everlasting distance from you How will paleness sit on your faces when you are before a dreadful Bar what trembling will surprise your hearts when conscience shall terribly inform you that the Lords Messengers in earnest desires and longings for your happiness in zeal love and tears offered you for Christs sake to embrace the Heavenly Treasures of the saving Covenant and you would not or soon stifled your Convictions lost your good resolutions and affections you secured the world and that great Idol flesh pleasing but not Eternity you can easily slight it may be jeer the Minister but remember you will be enforced to call to minde his passionate woings for Jesus and that your blood would be upon you that you would be your own destroyers if you disallowed and abhorred Christ if you knew not God and obeyed not his Gospel At such and such times in hearing and reading the Word in heart-searching godly Books the Spirit of Jesus held forth before you a Feasable Justified Adopted Sanctified and Glorified Estate and you liked not Christs conditions to fit you for and obtain Eternal Glory How have you abused Christ and his Gospel-Ministry when you were told his yoke was easie by Divine Power Did not you look upon the Preacher exhorting the duties of Religion as a proposer of intolerable and too severe tasks as if the glorious patern of Wisdom Righteousness and Sweetness should tyrannize over men and bid men be his servants to their loss and the Devil and the World could make more gainful honorable and comfortable bargains 7. You shall have no cause to blame the pure Justice of the 7. There will be no cause of blaming Gods Justice angry Lamb the Judge of the World if when you shall cry Lord Lord he be as deaf at your dreadful crys as you were at his calls if he know you not to save you when you knew him not to serve him This will justifie the direful last Sentence Go ye cursed and clear your eternal stripes from cruelty when you have wilfully abused the infinite love of the Son of God Grace was offered you but you would not be healed nor reformed you have destroyed your selves 'T is Divine Justice that the wickedness of the wicked in due penalty should be upon him Ezek. 18. 20. Wicked Gospellers even put fury into a gracious God and necessitate him to gain the reputation of his Holiness out of their damnation It becomes the natural Justice of his Majesty to be the Avenger who is not the Author of wilful unbelief The holy One of Israel is provoked Isa 1. 4. The holiness of God is read in the Characters of those Temporal Spiritual and Eternal Judgements which he executes on the impenitent World It s just the heaviest of punishments should be the vindications of Gods Dishonors by the affronts of his Grace upon a threefold account 1. The ungrateful and voluntary high indignities that vain 1. Vain loose people put voluntary indignities upon Gods Grace Suadet terret hortatur excitat monet Clem. Alex. Ad Gentes loose hearts and lives put upon Gods Grace Wisdom hath sent out her maidens to invite sinners to be Saints Prov. 9. 3 4. and sit down at its heavenly Table v. 5. of all sufficient satisfying saving provisions comes with Perswasions Comminations Admonitions to accept the Call but the loose guests either come not at all or unprepared surfeit on good food turn it into ill humors The offended King of Heaven hath sent out his Heralds of Arms to proclaim Peace and Mercy on most righteous tearms but stout rebels will not resign up their hearts to Christ but keep them strongly garrison'd for Lust and the Devil and this is the success the Calls of Gods Grace meet withal Satan and Christ knock at the soul for entrance It is opened to Satan and locked to Christ Shall obstinate unprofitable hearers blame God under their everlasting smart when they have not so much despised their Ministers as Jesus Christ Shall loose unreformed Children that despised their godly wooing and warning Parents cry out of unjustice under eternal wrath when they did not so much abuse their holy Invitations as Gods It was his Qui mihi monitus muliebres tui erant Aug. Conf. l. 2. spirit that made by Religious Fathers and Mothers gracious proffers to gainsaying Children Conscience will give in testimony on Gods side that he graciously called froward wilful sinners that they might be pardoned not abide under condemnation they Libertatem pollicetur vos aufugitis in servitutem might be Saints not remain sinners they might be free not continue Captives obtain a blessing not lie under the curse and be saved in mortifying the deeds of the Body and not be ruined by cruel mercy and Indulgences to corrupt nature the worst of enemies 2. The bold abuses of heavenly inviting offers though God 2. The bold abuse of heavenly inviting offers hath complained of this long before in his holy Word and urged such injurious dealing as a most just Apology of his severest vengeance I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded Prov. 1. 4. Therefore when your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction as a whirl-wind when distress and anguish cometh upon you I will be even with you you shall call upon me but I will not answer seek me but not finde me v. 27 28. All the day long have I stretched out mine hand to again-saying people Isa 62. 5. Therefore the Lord Christ threatned these unbelieving Jews that the Christ and the Grace they rejected should be offered to better entertainers He would have a Church among the Gentiles the Kingdom of God should be taken from them and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof Matth. 21. 42 43. I said you shall die in your sins for if ye believe not that I am he ye shall die in your sins John 8. 24. He that believes not in the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides on him Iohn 3. 36. How justly do the Wrongings of Gods grace bring endless misery when the Lord hath often complained of it before hand in the Scriptures cautioned us to fear and tremble lest we forsake our own mercies Jonah 2. 8. Threatning this abuse with eternal death 3. The Lord hath already acquainted us in his Word
read then wanton Play-Books Romances debauching Amorous Writings If you will not believe me now whether you will or no you shall in the other World Read O read what will fit you for Heaven for your souls sake do not by reading vain frothy written delight and read your selves into Hell 6. Prayer is an abused means when this holy piece of Divine 6. Prayer is a means abused Worship the most sweet and frequent way of converse with God about Heavenly affairs is totally neglected When men come unto God without any serious thoughts of his Reverend Majesty rushing to the Throne of Grace as to a Theater a Market a merry Meeting When there are attempts of drawing nigh before infinite Purity with impure hearts and unclean hands after hot pursuit of the World and fervency in the service of carnal Lusts there is bold approach unto Gods presence as if God would regard their Prayers who regard iniquity in their hearts When Supplicants do not so much pray as complement in good earnest not Petition God but mock him declaiming against the sins they love unwilling to part with the Lusts they chide that God should take them at their words One would think that hears zealous arraignment and severe condemnings of some sins in Prayer would think the hatred of them were implacable and the forsaking of them would be everlasting when at the same time there is a strong habitual league with them yea after many hard words a securing of them living and delighting in them These and many more affronts are put upon this Heavenly means of Grace Prayer 7. Education is an abused means When lewd children and 7. Education is an abused means servants are not taken with the holy Counsels and exemplary Piety of their godly Guides Some either expresly hate instruction and correction or do but dissemble holiness who while they are in strict Families eternally conform to Holy Orders like the Fish Polipus that can turn it self into the colour of the Rock but when out of the Parents Wing and the Masters Government are no more the children and servants they were than a Player is a King when he is off the Stage or an Ape in mans apparrel is a man when undressed How will houshold Governors warnings and chastizings prayers and tears sweetest wooings and drawing promises to rebellious children and graceless servants that they may minde the marchless interest of Gods glory and their own salvation rise up in judgement against them in the accounting Day when it will appear exactest educations have been abused 8. Scriptural convictions are an abused means There are 8. Scriptural convictions are abused means not a few that know their duties and their sins It is as clear as noon-light that their intemperancies incontinences unrighteous dealings oathes lies neglect of Prayer are sins From a rouzing Sermon they can go home with smitten hearts grant that Sermon-Truths have been arrows directed to the breast of their dead corruption and in vanishing fits and moods of appearing goods promise to leave their drunken company oathes lies and worldliness yea weep over their confessed wickedness but after these suddain moods and pangs of piety are vanished the convinced sinner is as jovial drunken false in his dealing mad on his reprieved not mortified Lusts his sleeping not dead corruptions as if his sins had never stared him in the conscience and been represented to him as that which unforsaken would ruine him These do the works of darkness by Gospel-light go without miraculous conversion and exact repentance with open eyes to Hell and knowing their Masters will but doing it not shall be beaten with sharper Eternal stripes then ignorant Heathens and blinde vulgar Papists O inlightned Christians bless God for your light but fear and tremble lest the wickedness of loose hearts and ungodly conversation be greatned by your clear informations They who by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ have escaped the pollutions of the world and are out of choice and delight again intangled in them It had been better they had never known the way of righteousness then after they have known it to turn from the holy Commandment delivered unto them 2 Pet. 2. 20 21. 9. Afflictions are an abused means They ought to be the discipline 9. Afflictions are abused meanes of vertue the purgatory of corruption Isa 27. 9. the teachers of neglected holy duties Psal 94. 12. The reducers of foolish wandring sinners into their wits and way Luke 15. 17. Wearers from the worlds sweet dugs 2 Cor. 4. 16 17. Strikers of holy awe of the Divine presence in daring spirits 1 Sam. 6. 20. Snuffers of the candle of well instructed reason that it may give a clearer light to the inferior faculties Job 33. 16 19. Monitors not to commit Vexatio dat intellectum Mercerus over again the old sins John 5. 15. Abasers of proud spirits Job 33. 17 19. Converters of departed souls Psalm 119. 67. Instrumental Saviours of lost sinners 2 Chron. 33. 12 13. When the Lords rods are spent in vain These Heavenly ends of afflictions are not attained but hearts as hard as an anvile take no gracious impressions of Gods blows In Gods afflicting Furnace there is no golden refinings of Grace no purging the dross of corruption The ill humors of camal lusts and affections and loose manners under his Physick are more incurable unbettered afflicted ones will not be purged but revolt more and more Then afflictions the means of Grace are abused SECT 7. 7. THe examples of Grace are turned into wantonness They 7. Examples of Grace are turned into wantonnesse are then well used when from a right estimate of them admiration of Gods goodness in them Thankfulness for them Phil. 1. 3. Zeal to follow them Heb. 6. 12. shaming and blaming our selves for our unlikeness to them 1 Cor. 15. 14. Daily indeavoring to write after their fair holy and heavenly Copies Heb. 12. 1. Delighting in them above all persons of the World Psalm 16. 3. choosing of them to be our choice companions and bosom-friends Psal 119. 63. resenting them as shining Lights in the World Phil. 2. 15. to clear our way to the Heavenly Countrey Thus to improve the best of patterns that reflect and hold forth the glory of God in the World the fruits of the direct beams of infused holiness and to be won to Christ 1 Pet. 3. 1. and quickned to the power of Religion by others exemplary Piety Charity Innocence and Justice is to use well examples of Grace But now when men and women regard not the most shining Lights sleep and play the wantons before them and with them make them their may-game their sport the Theam of their prophane jests and scurrilous wits in their Houses Ale-benches Taverns the Road When David was the Drunkards song Psalm 69. 12. the scorn of many despised of Michal 2 Sam. 6. 16. When hypocritical mockers at Feasts make the heirs of glory
silly chapmen to take off the braid wares of corrupt errours Have no opininions taught you looseness Why doe you not shew you are Christians to purpose in doing illustrious singular things that the neighbours that study your lives and are strangers to your inward Faith and Love may say These are children of God indeed would I were in their condition It is not the language but the power of your Profession that will draw hearts after it How have you defaced your Adoption when your sinfull omissions of convincing duties and breakings forth of corruption sharpen the edge of bitter language and tempt to these words of reproach O these are the children of God in scorn denying you the honour because you have denyed God the glory and your selves the credit of your Adoption Let this lord your hearts for your unwatchful and dishonourable conversation and call for future caution Your publick sinnes make your Father hear ill in the world 2. Christians of strict profession that have onely childrens name not nature artificial not supernaturally natural not lively in externall exercises of Religion that put over impious designs and practises the too good cover of a pious name that are adorned painted Sepulchers unclean within that make not Religion the great expedient for blessed eternity but a fair net Quidam probitate ficta c viam sibi ad potentiā muniunt Lact. de vero cult l. 6. c. 6. to catch the world in That in your zealous devotions more hot in the mouth than heart call God frequently your Father and make it the pleasing Prologue and usher of many of your Petitions Confessions and Thanksgivings and yet have no filiall affections of love and feare shame and sorrow no pleasure in pleasing him no real godly sorrow for his dishonour That betray the weaknesse of your painted piety having no real fervencie of heart for the interest of Gods name but your own concernments That betray the whole body of your Religion is a dead carkass without the life and soul of it the quickning Spirit No wonder if you stink when the ill savour of your loathed pollutions intemperance incontinence unrighteousnesse unnaturall sins betray the power of Religion was but feigned never feared in the heart that could never disperse inward nor outward beloved and delighted in imperious sins O you that are strict in the exercises of piety and do but feign not really affect and pursue Christianity Gods most heavy and smarting blows will be at you without great repentance and singular reforming sinceritie Doe no longer mock God nor men Hypocrisie at length ends in Apostasie The feigned friends of Christ are real enemies O let not Religion holy Religion be wickedly blasphemed nor be your play and game but your serious businesse in good earnest and know when you dye as well may you expect a painted fire should warm you as a painted Religion comfort your self-accused and tempted departing soules Before I close this point I must warn the loose and scoffing generation that possibly may read this page to forbear their triumph Some may say The Author hath hit the mark and ecchoes with our thoughts we are glad he hath payd the Hypocrites out upon these Precisians they are all Hypocrites And are you glad indeed Where is your charity That would not rejoice in iniquity 1 Cor. 13. 6. What if your merry sarcasmes and satyricall invectives against the Hypocrites be an arrow justly shot against your selves Did you never read there are hypocritical mockers in feasts Psal 35. 16. The severe censurers of Hypocrisie had need be upright Are not you eminently grosly guilty of the crime you cry down If you will not believe it it is easie to prove it deny it if you can Do not you profess salvation only by Jesus Christ Do not you know except you be born again you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven Joh. 3. 5. Is it not plain Scripture He that is in Christ is a new creature 2 Cor. 5. 17. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Gal. 5. 24. Are you not commanded to redeem the time Ephes 5. 16. Are not livers in pleasures dead to God while they live 1 Tim. 5. 6. Must not he that abides in Christ walk as he walked 1 Joh. 2. 5. Now I beseech you that throw the dreadfull charge of Hypocrisie and it may be truly against some persons and yet care not though through the sides of Hypocrites yee wound the generation of Gods children are not you gross Hypocrites your selves You profess Christianity credit Gospel-revelation call Christ your Saviour dare not say you will not be ruled by his Laws expect salvation by him own his Ordinances and if asked the question before a Sacrament or on a sick bed by Ministers that please you will you follow the rules of the Gospel to fit you for heaven My charitie perswades me you would say yea God forbid but I should be ruled by Jesus Christ It is very easie then to conclude from your own concessions you are Professors now what is Hypocrisie but a constant contradiction to the profession of the power of godlinesse Is not yours such Be not angry with this home-speaking to your bosomes your consciences if you repent not will speak a thousand times more after death than a few pages Can your studious and ordinary giving up your selves to the lusts pomps and vanities of the world be interpreted a devoting or resignment of your persons up to Jesus Christ Are you born of the Spirit that shew no scripture proofs of your high heavenly birth the life of the Spirit the graces of the Spirit the leading of the Spirit that are not acquainted with the breathings of the Spirit at the throne of grace who never made your families houses of prayer Are you indeed new creatures Is it possible that the old oathes drunkennesse uncleannesse slighting and contemning the Word of God laughing at those truths you hear that should set you a trembling loathing of religious exercises living in the old affections and conversation should prove you were new creatures Can you beleeve Christ in you hath crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts which you pamper and keep alive Doe you redeem precious time all which should you live an hundred years abating the necessary and moderate attendances on the things of this life would call for all time in the numerous services of Religion conquests of Temptations subjection to the Gospel and preparation for Eternity Will you call your covetous costly passionate gaming in the afternoon till night yea sometimes from night till morning redeeming the time Is your sleeping till nine or ten a clock on the Lords day time Redemption Is your earthy frothy unedifying discourses one with another when you are commanded to provoke one another to love and good works Heb. 10. 28. To speak what may minister grace and soul advantage to the hearer Eph. 4. 29. Time improvements
justified 1 Cor. 4. 4. The Lord Christ his personall duty is beleevers perfect righteousness not their own sanctification 4. There will be no escaping the curse of the Law Christ crucified was made a curse for his people Galat. 3. 13. that they might not be accursed Their services and penalties are no deliverances from Gods curse which unremoved will flame in everlasting burnings All beleevers have infinite reason to say The Lord Jesus not their own Graces hath delivered them from the wrath to come 5. There will be no refuge against conscience stormes in a 1 Thes 1. 10. trusted-in righteousnesse of graces Bare inherent holynesse failing and polluted with corrupt mixtures cannot secure a tempted soul by the Laws arrests the accusing conscience and Satans indictments This subtle and potent pleader will drive assaulted Christians from the weak holds of their pettie performances yea bring them to the brink of despair untill they run to the Cross of Christ and get within the invincible and royal Fort Christs imputed Righteousnesse This is the Saints refuge against their sharpest temptations and conscience-stormes Heb. 9. 12 14. and 10. 2. 6. There will not be a sufficient Argument utterly to strip believers from all glorying in themselves about a perfect Righteousnesse Would our own bare obedience be a current title to glory beleevers might wantonly applaud themselves and dance about their high duties as the Israelites about their Golden Idol they might commend themselves and boast in heart for the glory of their holynesse their Prayers Tears Alms Mortification as they are too apt to do But when they know and beleeve the Lord 2 Cor. 5. 21. Christ is made Righteousness unto them there was not so much as a good thought either in them or from them contributed to the making of this glorious robe imputed righteousness now they are denyed all glorying in themselves As to their perfect legal obedience they onely glory in Jesus Christ He is of God made our righteousnesse that according as it is written he that gloryeth let him glory in the Lord 1 Cor. 2. 30 31. 7. There will be no sure title to eternal life The perfect and infinite righteousness of the God-man Jesus Christ is an equivalent intitling purchase to the Gospels infinite reward of the next life As God is just and a justifier of beleevers so he is just and will be their glorifier Rom. 3. 26. 2 Tim. 4. 8. Let these things be a warning to all those that would secure their hopes confidences and joyes of salvation from miscarrying to study that righteousnesse which will fully and equally answer the demands of infinite justice and as to a justified estate from the guilt of sin to account their imperfect obedience polluted defective yea as dung compared with the complere personal righteousnesse of Jesus Christ But alass this error is too common yea too much an error in reall Christians very ignorant of the mystery of an imputed Righteousnesse to lay either the whole or the greatest weight on a weak foundation The Philosophers spake much of virtue but their external shining virtues were headless virtues because they were without the knowledge and worship of the true God so were it possible that an unjustified person should eminently shine in all the graces of the Spirit and be voted the none-such of the Age in contempt of the world mortification and new obedience these graces would be headless graces Christ would profit him nothing in his choicest doings and sufferings while his active and passive obedience is nor a sinners infinite compleat and everlasting righteousnesse SECT 13. 13. GLoryfying grace in the hopes and confidences thereof is 13 Gloryfying grace is turned into Wantonness turned into wantonnesse It is called the grace of life 1 Pet. 3. 7. and eternal life is the gift of God Rom. 6. 23. The crown of Glory is a crown of Free Grace adorned with that most orient Pearl the imputed Righteousnesse of Christ and the Jewels of the graces of the Spirit in their most perfect splendour and exercise that stand with the full fruition of God It is Grace that rewards Grace with Glory It is Grace that beginneth increaseth and consummates Grace Now many hope for gloryfying grace who almost but hope for heaven Who that have most just cause to feare yet are afraid in the serious and sad dwelling thoughts of their condition they are in eminent danger of Hell Instead of the blessed hope or hope of blessednesse the regular and warrantable expectation of glorifying grace there is a common hope and a cursed hope of Satans suggestion and corruptions entertainment though men continue in their sinnes they shall have heaven at length This hope never purifyed the heart and life 1 Joh. 3. 3. but will prove to them that trust in it like the thin and weak webb to the spider be swept away with the besom of destruction An evill conscience Pessima spei contubernalis mala conscientia Granat is the most dangerous companion of Hope Because many hope to be saved in the way of ruin their diseases become incurable like foolish patients that conclude health from that which increaseth their disease and hastneth their death Carnal hopes might have been cured by conditionall despair that ever soules should be saved while false hopes are rested in An hope of life in the paths of death is destruction to the soul A despair of ever getting good by such an hope might make men looke out for better hopes and more saving securities There are doubtlesse many that will in the other world curse their irrationall unscripturall and groundlesse hopes of Heaven A Prince hopes to wear his Fathers Crown How doth he abuse his hopes by living like a scullion and consorting with beggars Dishonourable imployments are below Royal state Many hope to wear the white robes of glory Rev. 3. 4 5. and yet embrace dunghill lusts and courses live dishonourably and abusively under their high expectations These resemble the Lapwing accounted an Emblem of infelicity which feeds on dung though it weares a Coronet on its head In the common abused hope of glory Hope is put out of office the springs of Hope are not regarded the work of hope is not done the properties of Hope are not to be found 1. Hope is put out of office It hath the office of a setling Anchor in heaven in tempestuous and troublesome times But the vulgar hope though it pretend heaven for its hold casts Anchor only among the creatures of which is worse among the Devils staying and strengthning it self in their counsels and lusts It hath the office of a saving refuge against Afflictions Desertions Temptations Corruptions Heb. 6. 18. The carnal hope of glory hath no City of Refuge but below viz. Wits Riches Friends Honours c. It hath the office of purging water which makes inside and Job 31. 24. 1 John 3. 3. outside clean The false hope of heaven wallows Swine-like in
the filthinesse of flesh and spirit layes in the mire of wickedness but riseth not out It hath the office of a diligent servant It looks for an heavenly reward and it serves God day and night Act. 26. 6 7. But the bare fancy of the hope of glory is content to serve the world flesh and devill It looks for an heavenly harvest and yet follows Satans Plow and soweth to the flesh Gal. 6. 8. It hath the office of a comforting cordial Good hope through Grace is the hearts comforter But the feigned hope of glory gives no more real comfort than the dream of a cordial doth a sleeping or dying man Carnal hopes never drinks out of the cup of heavenly consolations no draughts really please them but of earthly solaces Thus doe unregenerate men what ever they think put the hope of glory out of office so in the common abused hope of glory 2. The springs of hope are not regarded The Free grace of God is a Spring of Hope Good hope through Grace 2 Thes 2. 16. But loose spirits are as much strangers to the glory puritie and power of Free grace as true Hope They have not good hope through grace but ill hope through presumption The holy Ghost is a spring of hope that ye may abound in hope by the holy Ghost Rom. 15. 13. But un-Gospel wantons have their hopes from the evil spirits suggestion not the good spirits inspiration The perfect righteousness of Christ is a spring of hope The hope of righteousness Gal. 5. 5. But the dreamers of Heavenly hopes take the rise of their high hopes from their opinionative righteousness their good meanings good works as they think external either moralities outward or religious exercises or both Justifying Faith is a Spring of hope Rom. 5. 1 2. The hope of glory grows out of it But the vaine barren hope of Glory issues from self-sufficiencie As it comes not from a justified estate so neither doth it shew any evidence of sanctifying Grace The Promise is a Spring of Hope The Hope of the Promise Act. 26. 6. but lying hope of glory never sprang from any Gospel-promise For the promises have a cleansing virtue 2 Cor. 7. 1. The hope of the wicked hath none The Love of God shed abroad in the heart is a spring of Hope It makes not ashamed from the sweet sense of divine love Rom. 5. 5. But a sensual brutish hope of glory never felt the sweet pleasures of Gods love They that are acquainted with the Paradise delights of it are not wont to run a whoring after creature sportings much lesse after sinfull joyes The glorious feastings of the delicious eternal distinguishing Love of God in renewed soules have a mortifying virtue of pleasing vanities below Gracious Experience is a Spring of Hope Experience worketh Hope Rom. 5. 4. The Experience of Regenerating Grace of those sweet whispers Thy person is accepted Fear not I am thy God Christ is made to thee Wisdome Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption of the mighty awe of Gods presence in the soul of hating vain thoughts of cleansing from secret sins of sealing of promises of victory over corruption and much more work renewed hopes of glory that God will both perfect and reward his own work The filthy streames of a dissolute hope of heaven that are strangers to these pure springs betray their impure originalls The unclean spirit the filthy heart the worlds pollutions are the common abused Hope of Glory 3. The Work of Hope is not done The work of Hope is to work patient and diligent continuance in well-doing We desire you to shew diligence to the full of assurance of hope unto the end Heb. 6. 11. But Hypocrites most heavenly hopes are both impotent and transient they neither communicate strength nor will they hold out they have short breath lame legs and withered hands and are a meer vapour a fancie and worke no diligence nor perseverance in the waies of Godlyness True Hope will work the soul out of the vanities dependancies inordinate rejoycings of earthly Hope Job had the hope of glory before his eyes hence he was assured that hee should see his Redeemer this swallowed up earthly hopes If I have made gold my hope or have said to the fine gold thou art my confidence If I rejoyced because my wealth was great c. Job 31. 24 25. But the dissembled Hopes of Glory never dead the heart to the vaine trusts and joyes of earthly Hopes when these are gone those have no estate in the other world It is the work of Hope to work up the soul to the infinite Riches Pleasures and Honours that are above The Hope that is laid up for you in heaven Col. 1. 5. But the adulterate hopes of heaven shew their falsenesse Reall worldlings hopes under Gospel pretensions are fastned onely to perishing things and must perish like themselves It is the work of Hope to succour the hearts of fainting beleevers to strengthen the feeble knees as a good daughter helps a sickly mother When Faith the Mother Grace is ready to faint Hope the daughter lends it a supporting hand and sayes hold out Faith There is an expected end of corruptions and afflictions Look Faith O look within the heavenly vayl even Holy of Holyes Conflicts are sharp O Faith see thy Crowns Wants are many O Faith see thy Supplies The race of obedience is tiresome O Faith see thy Prize Now there is sowing in tears O Faith see thy joyes The sweet countenance of God is clouded O Faith see his eternal smiles Beleevers are tossed with the waves of doubtings despondencies sometimes despair O Faith see thine unshaken assurance and everlasting rest But the easie false-hearted hopes of notional Christians can never succour their fainting Faiths At best their Faith was but fancy their confidence presumptuous and when their false faiths expire their groundless hopes are gone too Ah miserable self-deceivers that wrong the Faith and Hope of Glory In the common abused hopes of Glory 4. The Properties of Hope are not to be found The Hope of Glory is a regenerated Hope Begotten to a lively Hope 1 Pet. 1. 3. It is one of the new births graces The Hope of Unregeneracie then is a spurious hope New hopes never grow out of the old soyle The Hope of Glory is an high born grace its pedigree is abused when a vile sensual wicked life a bastard issue is laid at its doors The Hope of Glory is an Active Hope High hopes oyl the wheels of motion Hopes of great Matches Pardons Liberty sweetest earthly Pleasures Riches Crowns shake off sluggishness A reall Christian hath the highest hopes and this makes him goe yea run the wayes of Gods Commandements Too many abuse the hopes of glory They are negligent lazy indifferent yea opposers in the methods and unpleasing services of Gospel Hope What doe most that hope for Heaven doe to get it Where are their wrestlings at the Throne of Grace Where their
the power of binding lost sinners under the power of the spiritual death and guilt of eternal Heb. 2. is cast out in the merits and power of infinite redemption John 12. 31 32. Grace is not a shadowy but real war though it be often worsted yet it rallies again and by the renewed Auxiliary Forces of Divine power it beats down strong corruptions before it What injury is it to Grace to contemplate but never practice Mortification to profess the Christian warfare but never to fight or in undue arms or without skill to put on Gods Armor or to sleep in them or to lay them by or to run to the enemy and so to do no execution on carnal Lusts and Affections What is this but to disparage and endeavor what in us lies to degrade Divine Power from the glory of its victorious ability as if the contracted corruption from the first Adam could still be too hard for the Grace of the second How doth a powerless profession over sin proclaim it self a stranger to the mighty Arm of the Prince of Grace never feeling the power of these truths Christ brings forth judgement unto victory Matth. 12. 20. Greater is he that is in victorious Believers than he that is in the world 1 Joh. 4. 4. Are there not many among us that have notions fancies expressions of Grace yea infused gracious heavenly motions speaking in them But do they leave these sins and do these duties in the fear of God How can they that are false to their own Convictions Confessions and the Holy Ghosts Inspirations What mocking of God is there in unmortifying profession as is too legibly to be read in the lives of men Doth not all the Grace of vain idle opinionative Christians that seems to be expressed in Prayer ex tempore or of set forms in appearing to be taken with gracious examples Sermons Chapters good Books and Conference evacuate into lazy Speculation and powerless profession In holy duties of worship there seems to be Evangelical Grace but in the frame of the heart and course of life in dealings with men in Callings Conditions Relations with many there is no being of Grace and with the gracious no constant sufficient convincing exercise of Grace a few excepted that make Religion their business What a disgrace is put upon the grace of God What temptation to blaspheming Sons of Belial that the Grace of God men speak of is a Fable a Dream a Fancy no Reality Such do-nothings or nothing to purpose as beat the air in their cold professâ—ons and dead convictions of Gods grace may blâ—sh and be ashamed of their wanton spirits and conversation when they read these Scriptures From the day the grace of God was known in truth by Deus ex peccatorum sordibus ad frugem meliorem â—ecare dignatur Gualther de Matthaeo the beleeving Colossians they brought forth fruit Col. 1. 6. Wee beseech you receive not the Grace of God in vain by offensive conversation to God and men unrepented of 1 Cor. 6. 1 3. The Gentiles had their understandings darkened alienated from the life of God past feeling given over to lasciviousnesse working all uncleannesse with greediness but you have not so learned Christ Eph. 4. 18 19. The grace of God O holy Ephesians hath over-powered your hearts to an abhorring and declining these sinnes and to walk in the blessed paths of holinesse Grace acting to purpose in regenerate Zacheus put him upon liberal contribution to the poor and honest restitution of ill gotten estate Luk. 19. 8. When the Gospel came to the Thessalonians not onely in word but in power it enabled them to turn from idols in the zealous worship and preservation whereof Idolaters are usually mad Jer. 50. 38. to serve Idolis renunciaveritis vosque in servitiuÌ„ Dei addixeritis Diksonus Magices libros intelligimus Gualt in loc the living and true God 1 Thes 1. 5 9. when the same word of grace took possession of the hearts of them that used curious and Magical Arts they brought their books together and burnt them before all men though they were worth fifty thousand pieces of silver Act. 19. 19. O shame of the common powerless Christian profession of the Age The Gospel of grace by the mighty breathing of the Spirit came near the hearts of Magicians made them Christians and open penitents even to a publick sacrificing of their wicked Propriori numinis afflatu tacti libros publicè congestos exurunt books to the flames but a thousand Sermons of Gospel grace may reach the eare the fancy the understanding of professed Christians but never change the heart to a powerful reformation Oh that bare Illuminists and verbalists in Religion that live as if the essentials thereof were onely notions and words would consider three things 1. The Kingdom of God stands not in word but power 1 Cor. 4. 20. It s reall subjects are as well diligent doers as good speakers Lay moreâ— stresse on hearts and lives than lips had rather be than seem to be penitents rather run in the way of Gods Commandements than talk of them A groundlesse intitling to Christ Lord Lord will speak no faithfull Subjects of Christ at the great day why should it now The kingdom of God is righteousnesse Rom. 14. 17. not onely imputed but inherent not onely of Justification but Sanctification In the Kingdome of grace all saved Professors have holy hearts and good lives Satans subjects though they take Christs Press-mony in Baptisme use the badges of his Government yet never did set one foot into Christs kingdome 2. Such as call Christ their Lord and Saviour yea often bind their sayings by these words as they hope to be saved when they neither rightly understand salvation nor true hope yea all Libertines of stricter profession that have carnall loose epicurean hearts and lives they are no better than the enemies of Jesus Christ and self-destroyers The compassionate Apostle could not but speak of these with teares They are the enemies of the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly who mind earthly things Phil. 3. 18 19. Let them look over this Text and weep who either in larger professions or stricter but easie religious formalities are effeminate delicate flesh-pleaser belly-students and gloriously back-adorners money-idolaters almost in nothing denying themselves in their sensualities they are enemies to the crosse of Christ Did they Epicurei jurâ— dicuntur hostes Christi videntur enim velle regnum suum illis restituere quod Christus â—n cruce spoliavit Daven in Colos never read Our Old man was crucified with Christ Rom. 6. 6. That as corruption was crucified meritoriously on the cross so it should be crucified efficaciously in the heart was it not the great design of Christ crucified that the body of sin should die are not these enemies to his cross that pamper it and keep it alive Besides are not they enemies to Christs cross who
Person is deeply and dearly paid for now what is bought passeth into the dominion of the buyer The ransomed of Christ are Peculium Christi Christs own possession It was an holy wish of an holy Writer O that Christs Lordship with deepest impressions might be rooted and fixed in our mindes The loose depravers of Redemption run the hazard of perishing when they refuse to be Christs possession 3. The greatest freedom pomp and glory of the world that Impii pre vilisfimis abjectissimis habentur licet spiendeant in oculis hominum Davenant in Coloss takes carnal eyes dischargeth no wicked Libertines from being the most vile and abject slaves Nobles though bound in silver chains are Prisoners The Devil and the old Man will never envy their spiritual Captives outward freedoms while efficacious Redemption hath made no powerful Translation unto Christs Kingdom of salvation 4. Carnal walkers conceits of Redemption by Christ are pleasing delusive and vanishing dreams While the Israelites served Quicquid somniant homines carnales de liberatione suâ est vanissimum Nam ut Israelitae dum Phaaroni inserviebant non erant libertate donati sic Christiani dum Diabolo parent dum peccati delitiis diffluunt Davenant Pharaoh they were not delivered so titular Christians never felt the power of Redemption while they obey the Devil and abound in the pleasures of sin The chained Prisoners thoughts of Ransome are very sorry ones while he still starves and dieth in his Irons 5. The avenging jealousie of the Lord Christ will flame out against them who rest yea boast in heart yea sometimes in tongue of his ransoming Grace and yet shake off his rightly purchased Government He counts them no better than enemies that refuse his dominion and threatens their destruction Luke 19. 27. He shall come from Heaven to revenge their disobedience to his Gospel 2 Thess 1. who prophanely rested on the Grace of his Redemption How can they answer their undoing fallacy of dividing what God hath joyned parting Redemption from iniquity and Redemption from Hell as if the whole of it were to rescue lost sinners from the smart not the filth of sin to give them a licentious ease not to fit them for their professed Lords use and their own eternal sweet communion with him to keep them from being vessels of wrath not to make them vessels of honour What a dishonour is this to the grace of God That Lust the Devill and the World should Lord it over Christs purchase What reproach to Redemption that those who beleeve they are ransomed by him will not be subject to him but abide Col. 1. 21. Enemies to him in their minds declared by wicked workes Are not these men like ransomed captives bought by a deare price who are so far from subjection and paying honour to that they rebel against their Lord 3. When Christ is desired for his comforts not for his service Gods grace is turned into wantonness Thus many take Christ to serve their turnes of him not to serve him for a shelter to comfort them in storms not a Master to doe his will When under the terrors and sorrows of death and hell they would have comfortable words from Christ even then when they have rebellious hearts against him I have heard from an eye and ear-witness a sad report of a tipling adulterous prophane man when he had the terrours of an angry God on his wounded soul and not onely fear of Hell but confessed feeling of the paines and flames of hell in his spirit was in his flesh like another trembling Balshazar at the hand writing against him a real afflicted Quaker sent for the Minister cried out of his grosse sinnes yea his barren and forsaken use of reading and prayer but the slavish sorrows were soon wasted and the terrified sinner soon grew vain frothy sensuall and voluptuous Such as like onely the pacifying but not the purifying part of Religion have whorish hearts wandring from God to other Loves even then when they are afraid of him Wanton unclean wives would have their husbands good lookes words and gifts though disobedient to them and defilers of the Marriage bed Thus too many adulterous hearts when the lips only matched with Jesus Christ would have the comforts of Reconciliation Remission Adoption the peace and joyes of the Holy Ghost even then when they contemn his holy strict Gospel-government The Apostle Paul will be a condemning instance against these selfish wantons As he obtained Pardoning mercy 1 Tim. 1. 13. So he was the servant of Jesus Christ Rom. 1. 1. yea laboured in Christs vineyard more than any of the Apostles 1 Cor. 15. 10. Should God put sound hearts to the choice whether they had rather have eminent grace to doe the will than see the sweet face of Christ they would prefer dutifulness before joyes and rather obey the commands than see the smiles of God But rotten hearts are all for the comforts Hypocritae magno supercilio jactant pietaetem sed pias monitiones rejiciunt Calv. Isa 50. nothing for the self-denying mortifying precepts of the gospel would be content to spend their daies in carnall rejoycing not working for the Lord Jesus It is just with God that all such who onely seek the comforts but not the labours and tasks of christianity shall everlastingly be strangers to the solaces who were enemies to the duties of the Gospel They who center Optimo jure nobis adimitur gaudium ubi in ipso gaudere nescimus Calv. in Isa 24. their joy in themselves shall never have true joy O that these men that fear no evill but wrath and Hell and so doe keep in not leave their wickednesse and see no good in Religion but its comfort and peace would seriously consider the experimentall words of Zanchy Evill men doe but inwardly restrain their wickedness which without feares they would wantonly powre forth Suam pravitatem intus cohibent quaÌ„â—lioqui petuâ—â—nter effusuri erant unde nec meliores nec justiores apud Deum quia licet timore impediti suam iniquitatem exercere non audent tamen intus habent cor peccatis aestuans neo renovatum ab obedientia Dei Zanchius de legis officio and this maketh them not the better nor more righteous in Gods account because though chained up by fear they dare not act their iniquity yet within they have sins impure flames pent up but no heart renewed by the obedience of God SECT 7. 4. VVHen the heart carrieth wickedly as to the Law of God The Grace of God is turned into wantonness 7 When the heart carrieth wickedly as to the Law of God This is done Doctrinally and Practically 1. Doctrinally When the Justifying grace of God is made 2 dis-obligement from the obedience of the Law Because they that are under grace are not under the damning power of the Law Therefore loose Opinionists teach they are not under the commanding power of the Law as if Christ dyed
the Potters shop Rom. 6. 17. The whole number of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the saved that in the word of grace have felt and demonstrated the revealing of Gods arme are mightily translated from Satans kingdom into Christs Col. 1. 13. have mightily experimented the casting out of the Prince of this world Joh. 12. 31. will be astonishing witnesses against them who indeed have heard and read and have had cold and lazy convictions of the gospel but with stony hearts resisted the fastning and saving powerfull impressions of it 2. When the Gospel doth not dismantle the Devils garrisons doth not by its storms or friendly sweet Parley get the Royal Fort the Will for Christ and doth not set him there as commander in chief When the Forts of hell doe not fall before heavenly Diabolus vinctos nos tenâ—bat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oecumenius Qui hujus imperium adhue ferunt scelerum licentiaÌ„ satanici regni fulcâ—a instaurant Ganlt in Luk 10 Gospel batteries when its sweet trumpet soundeth to the battle its weapons are handled and used but all the while pretenders to Christs colours fight on the side of the Prince of darkness and are faithful to him as their Liege Lord here the grace of God is iniured as being appointed to be the conquering arm of God but is blessed with no victories over formall professors Satan careth not how much we have the nations of Gospel in our minds and mouths so he may still bind us fast in the chains of our own sins They who yet can bear his destructive government they are the supporters of a sinful licentiousness the props not the ruins of Satans kingdom He will resent Gospel Faith and profession as a meer mockery that doth not deny his service nor disturb his possession He hath too clear demonstrations of a carnall gospeller that bare words cannot cast him our that nothing beneath Almightiness can do it untill the chains of our own making the reasonings lusts affections of the flesh are broken assunder he looseth no Prisoners untill the Captain of salvation lead captivity captive there neither is nor can be any deliverance Such as under Gospel-means of rescue that never yet had the victorious power of Grace Disruptis hisce vinculis ille praedâ— suà spoliatus nos liberati sumus Davenanat in Goloss Satis oftendunt se in foelicem illam-tyrannidem non agnovisse proinde Evangeliun nâ—nquam in animum admisisse Gualther in Luke 10. sufficiently declare they never had a serious sense of Satans pernicious Tyranny nor ever received the power of the Gospel in their hearts 3. When the Gospel hath no becoming conversation in the World It is so when it and the Author of it are owned in words but in works denyed Tit. 1. 16. When un-Gospel livers are so far like Demetrius to have a good report of the truth 3. Ep. Joh. 11. and adorning the Doctrine of God our Saviour Tit. 2. 10. That the word of Gods Grace is blasphemed Tit. 2. 5. and heareth ill of carping graceless Criticks almost as fabulous that is so impotent over dissolute lives Herein is Grace abused It was a sad saying of Linacre reading the severe requiries of the Aut hoc non est Evangelium out nos non sumus Evangelici Linacr Gospel Or this is no Gospel or we are no Gospellers Such as have an high calling to Earthly Crowns and Thrones usually live worthy of their high promotion Their Spirits and Places are equally high God hath called his people unto a Kingdom and Glory and this calleth upon them to walk worthy of God 1. Thess 2. 12. It was good counsel Agapetus gave to Justinian the Emperor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Agapetus ad Justinianum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ex eod To walk worthy of God saying He indeed is worthy of God who doth nothing unworthy of him The thanks he seeks owns and delights in is not the easie tender of good words but the real production of pious works When the mouth is hot with Gospel-Redemption Reconciliation Pardon Sonship the like but the heart is cold in the thoughts of these things Gospel duties and confessions keep no even pace when there is Gospel in the lips but no tuning harmony of it in the life here the grace of God is wronged SECT 9. 6. THe Grace of God is turned into wantonness when the 9. The Grace of God is turned into wantonness when the heart carrieth wickedly as to the Creatures Difficile est ut quis de deliriis transeat ad delitias ut in utroque saeculo primus sit heart carries wickedly as to the Creatures Even these the good blessings of God through the corruption of nature are back friends to godliness It 's rare to finde the high blessings of the upper and lower Springs to kiss each other It is not ordinary to see Heavenly and Earthly riches to meet together in the fame persons It s hard said Jerome to pass from delights to delights from the pleasures of this life to those of the next to be eminet in the great Estates Honors and sweetnesses of both worlds There wants not sad and common experience This World becomes the immortal souls enemy it is an eminent part of Gods Grace when a precious soul is delivered from the burthens the snares the pollutions of it A corrupt stomack turns good meat into bad humors and a corrupt heart Creature delights into bad manners They accidentally prove the souls bane They make God and souls Strangers prove intangling snares and lead immoral mindes Captive Bruit Beasts goe heavily under a weighty pressing burthen and wealthy ones move faintly and wearily in the ways of Godliness under a great load of riches The Lord Christ knoweth well that his heavenly Racers can run best and Soldiers can fight best that are least burthened therefore ordinarily he gives not out to his people vast Estates Not many mighty 1 Cor. 1. 26. The poor in the world rich in faith The lighter the happier the speedier is motion Heavenwards As the Redeemed by Christ were given him of the Father to be taken out of the world John 17. 6. So it is a main part of first conversion to be turned from the Creatures unto God and therefore it is an abuse of Gods grace to be licentious among the Creatures That is done when the use of the Creatures is intemperate and idolatrous 1. Intemperate when so much is taken in as wholly unsuiteth Non inducunt ad bonâ—rificandum createrem potius abdus â—â— in â—bl vionem Parisiensis pars 2. de Universo for the service of God Creature-surfets unsit for glorifying of Gods grace They are not coards to draw to God to honor him but fetters to draw from God and forget him 'T is hard at once to have a full purse and belly and a soul filled with Spiritual Riches and Delights Seneca's saying is too frequent experience A liberal use
of the sweet Creatures maketh a strong Body but niverso a weak minde Bodily delights are like an intoxicating Wine and Sunt in vinum inebriatienis augmentuÌ„ Corruptionis Ex eod c. 58. Nulla est carnis cupiditas quae non hominem inebriat Marlorat Qui honoratur in via in perventione damnabitur quasi per amaena prata in carâ—erem pervenit Gregor in Moral Danda esf opera ne se mundo ingurgitent si volunt ad Christi regnum properare Marlorat the improvements of corruption There is no lust of the flesh that the unwary sinner is not drunk with Its cravings and service unfit for duty as the over-charged Drinker is for his work It was therefore Christs caution Take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfetting and drunkenness and cares of this life and so that day come upon you unawares Luke 21. 34. God hath not given the Creatures to hinder but promote obedience 'T is a sad exchange when the abused Honors of this life shall be swallowed up in the damnation and contempt of the other and the worlds voluptuous wantons pass through the pleasant Meadows of present delights to the stinking howling and smarting Prison of Hell They that would make haste to Christs Kingdom of glory had need be careful lest they cram and surfett their souls with the world Too much of thoughts desires affections to this is sadly punished with nothing in the other Wo to them that are intemperately full here they shall hunger hereafter and their dis-satisfaction will be a part of their Hell Christian liberty and Gospel grace will be no Patrons of Creature excesses 2. When the use of the Creatures is Idolatrous Gods grace is abused Joseph should be great in Aegypt but Pharaoh would be in the Throne above him We may use the creatures but they must not be set in the hearts Throne above God We make that an Idol that hath an equal or higher room in our hearts 'T is a kinde of Idolatry to place happiness in the Creatures Covetousness Est quoddam idololatriae genus foelicitateÌ„ in rebus creatis ponere Granatensis is stiled Idolatry Col. 3. 5. Inordinate sweet worldly loves are heart Idols God never gave the Creatures to be set in his room 'T is his high dishonor when the love of the world swallows up the love of God trust in the Creatures denyeth confidence in the Rock of Ages rejoycing in things of nought obstructs Joys in the things of Eternity The service of the Creature puts by the service of God Blessed for ever A Prince will not bear it that his promoted Creatures should be set above him so neither will the Jealousie of God bear it that the creatures he hath made should be set above him We usually say stand by and remove those things that stand in our light O our little account of God! we say not stand by nor remove from our irregular esteem and affections the things that stand in Gods light If we have not Grace enough to take our hearts off from the dark Eclipses of Gods glory and God intend mercy to us he will either remove them out of his light or imbitter their use Hence Parents and Children Husbands and Wives have been bitter-sweet one to another yea often times more bitter then sweet Lest a constant tenor of undisturbed contentment and delight should tempt and turn Relations into Idols upon this account too riches health and friends have fled away lest the Lords people too prone to adore and admire Creatures into Idols should set them too high The words of Augustine are not more true then sad experience Whatsoever you love that is from God will be justly imbittered to you because Bonum quod amatis ab illo sed amarum erit juste quia injuste amatur deserto illo Aug. Conf. I. 4 Misera anima a te refugit cum quo semper gaudet sequitur mundum cum quo semper dolet Aug. in Medit. it is injustly loved by departure from him They are also a part of his sweet meditation The miserable soul runneth from thee in whose sweet presence it is feasted with joy and followeth the World with which it meets with thorny vexations CHAP. V. Wherein are set down the Cà uses why the Grace of God is turned into wantonness SATAN a malicious enemy of Gods Grace knowing that the abuse thereof is a sin of aggravated and accumulated wickedness of a deep scarlet tincture and the highest affront that can be offered to a gracious God The Mediator and Spirit of Grace hath many pernicious Methods and destructive Wiles to tempt to this hainous sin Though all of them are not in every abuse of Gods Grace yet some of them in some and some of them in others are the causes of this eminent and dishonorable injury to the God of Grace I shall consider them under four Heads Wants Errors Presumptions and Temptations SECT 1. 1. WAnts The failings or omissions of nine things are 1. The omissions of several things are the causes of playing the wantons under Grace the deficient causes of wantonness under Grace 1. Want of knowing the work and abuse of Grace Many have confused notions of Gods grace who are ignorant of the wrongs they do unto it and think they are under the priviledge of grace when they are strangers to and enemies against it Many say that God is gracious and by Gods grace they will amend when they consider not that renewing active grace would put them upon constant conscionable regular and vehement endeavors for reformation when they practice but neither know nor are humbled for the contradictions to grace when they are not soundly convinced that saving Grace teacheth to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts Tit. 2. 11 12. which they out of choice and delight fulfil That it abounds with faith and love 1 Tim. 1. 14. when it never produced these Graces in them that the will of God is their sanctification 1 Thess 4. 3. when they never saw the amiable beauty nor practiced the duties of holyness that grace changeth the heart when they know nothing of the inward mysterious miraculous work of conversion in its Doctrine and experience that grace is an effectual curb to and a cleansing Purgatory of vain and impure thoughts when they know no hurt in the vanity and pollution of them that grace leads the heart daily to the Throne of grace when they are strangers to Prayer in the Holy Ghost and think there is no hurt in its irreligious omission that it is Grace must save them when they know not that a principal part of its salvation is the mortification of lust and reformation of life Ignorance of the wrongs done to grace is a black concealing vail over them which at once hinders the accusing conscience tempts to dreams of innocence imboldens to a carnal indulgence to beloved sins were the eyes of the Doctrinal and
Practical Adversaries of Gods grace clearly opened to see the Insolencies Indignities and Injuries they do against it they could not but in a trembling conviction conclude these and these things are certain dishonors of grace Stains of holy Profession Inconsistencies with the new Creature Lust and Satans methods of Damnation and denials of the hope of Glory As when Paul said to Ananias God shall smite thee thou whited wall he had not said so had he known hee was the High Priest Act. 23. 3 5. â—o had the bold abusers of Gods Summus Lethargus quasi mors humanae conscientiae ignorantia voluntatis divinae grace strong and clear convincements the frame of their hearts and carriages of their lives were the high injuries of Grace eminent perils of destruction and demerits of the hottest room in Hell in the noon-light of such an acknowledgement they would feare and tremble to stumble upon their owne ruin SECT 2. 2. VVAnt of Faith to believe the signall danger of sinne this 2 Want of Faith to beleeve the danger of sin is a wrong to Grace Caecus assensus plane temerarius sine praeeunte notitia non potest induere rationem fidei Parkerus de Traduct peccat ad Deum Thesis 56. huge sin is the wrong of Grace It is no wonder that the evill which is not known is not believed nor declined Unbeliefe is the evill heart that departs from the living God It sets not to its seal that God is true in his promises nor threatnings believes not the abominable damnable nature of sinne and dallies with it As daring wantons who know that the cup that stands before them is of poyson yet beleeve it not but drink and burst or the plague is in the house they goe into believe it not are mortally infected and die And as the Egyptians beleeved not that the cattle and men that were found abroad one storming day should die adventured abroad and were slaine so dallying adventurers that beleeve not the mischief of their sinfull pleasures contempts of Christ and his Gospel they are dancing over the mouth of Hell by the sudden push of death are kickt into it The loose old world beleeved not the destruction Preached by Noah in the making of the Ark were not moved with his holy example and penitentiall instructions The Sonnes of God playd the wantons with the fair idolatrous daughters of men Gen. 6. 2. and were at length swept away with the flood Faith would make Libertines fear and tremble Unbelief is daring Minatur Deus negligitis minatur terrenus Judex contremiscitis The wrath of man is more feared than Gods When God saith one threatens eternal punishment ye neglect it when an earthly Judge threatens temporal ye tremble at it SECT 3. 3. WAnt of Heat Intention and Livelinesse in Religion If 3 The want of life in Religion causeth abuse of Grace God be not served in fervency of Spirit Lust will If Satan cannot keep from Religious exercise he tempts to Luke-warmnesse yea Key-coldnesse in the performance of them Instinctu Satanae faith one by Satans deading and flatting instinct a drowsie tyring in good things steals upon body and spirit Faint fighting is not wont to overcome nor faint service of God to mortisie Lust How feâ— are there in a Christian congregation superabounding in spiritual joy alwaies pleasant and merry in the Lord fervent in spirit day and night meditating in the Law of God lifting up pure hands in prayer follicitous observers and students of their own hearts zealous witnesses of holy affections to good works to whom Christian discipline is amiable Fasting sweet long Watching short the whole pietie of a regular conversation is a delitious feast yea doth exceed the sweetnesse of the Quorum brevis rara compunctio animalis conversatio sermo fine circumspectione oratio sine cordis intentione lectio sine edificatione Bern. Virga calcaribus indigentes hony and the hony comb Alass how many are there who in an impartial inquest will be found remisse in the studies of Holyness fainting under Christs easie yoak and light burden whose compunction is short and rare conversation naturall speech without circumspection prayer without intention of heart reading without edification good purpose without execution religious exercise without fervencie who in the waies of godliness want the whipp and spurs but in the too prone and nimble motions of dislolute looseness need curbing bridles Licentious courses are so strong and impetuous that the modest shame of uncomeliness the bridle of reason yea the fear of Hell can hardly restrain them No wonder if corruption be daring dissolute and potent when religious exercises are flat dead cold and feeble Wee blush not Sine debita attentione fervore spiritus Bern. said one to pray to God without due attention and fervour of spirit He that hath no sweet communion with God will seek it in the world and pleasing his inticing lusts When the minde is senceless in reading and meditation and affections are dull corruption will be lively 'T is sad to consider how many seemed to discover the fervour of a pious conversation in whom by degrees charity hath waxen cold and iniquity abounded and what appeared to be begun in the Spirit ends it is to be feared in the flesh Gal. 3. 3. Draw me and we will run after thee because of the savour of thine ointments Cant. 1. 3 4. Therefore there is need of Opus habeo trahi quia refriguit pauliâ—per in nobis ignis amoris tui Bernard drawing because the divine fire of the soules love for want of fewel to it and blowing of it by degrees abates ad cooles Drawing nigh the fire is for warmth and drawing nigh of God is for holy heat In near approaches to him the new creature is a zealous enemy to wanton looseness Cockering cooleness in the severe religious exercises of Mortification is the bane of Profession Adonijah was a very goodly man David his Father displeased him not at any time in saying why hast thou done so 1 King 1. 6. In the sist verse you sinde him a daring Rebel you may read in the Contents of the Chapter Adonijah Davids darling usurpeth the Kingdome Thus is it with every fair faced goodly lust The indulgent Christian is it too remisse in rebuking and chastizing it and it riseth up in arms against him Cockering Mothers cold in rebuking wanton sons teach them to be Libertines ost-times train them up for the Gallows and Hell so when the heart is remiss and cold for good and against evill Lust will have its reins and lawlesse liberty and ruin its servants SECT 4 4. WAnt of receiving the Truth in the Truth in the love of it is an Advantage 4. Want of receiving the truth in the love is an advantage to turn a Libertine to trun a Libertine The Apostle describes the Antichristian spirit that waxed wanton in taking pleasure in unrighteousnesse receiving
the Truth for by-ends not the love of it 2 Thes 2. 10. So Heretical loose prophane spirits are not in love with truth and as a Wife who is not in love with her Husband abuseth his kindesse so do these the truth Love is kind behaveth not it self unseemly 1 Cor. 13. 4 5. True love of truth is so kind to her as not to put unseemly affronts upon her I wonder not when David setting up a pair of ballances and weighing truth in one scale and the greatest glories of the world in the other in his judicious esteem Truth as most weighty and massie did preponderate His love run out in fullest stream to the Truth O how do I love thy Law Psal 119. 97. The joy of his high love was not onely parallel to the joy of all riches V 14. accounted as a rich fee-simple an heritage for ever V. 111. but the beauty and treasure of truth was better unto him than thousands of Gold and Silver V. 72. Above Gold yea above fine Gold V. 128. And now as a faithfull Spouse deeply in love with and betrothed to her dear â—ridegroom by no difficulties and afflictions is beat off from him quickens and sharpens her zeale after him by opposition so David espoused to the pure and lovely truth of God V. 140. was faithfull to the interest of it in all affictions the whetstone of his holy profession meditation of and conversation by it This was the sweet song of his pilgrimage v. 54. Neither trouble and anguish that took hold on him v. 145. nor Princes persecutions v. 161. nor the presence of Kings v. 46. nor his enemies despising of him v. 141. nor proud mens forging lyes against him v. 69. nor their digging pits nor laying snares for him v. 85. 110. nor their waiting to destroy him v. 95. nor their almost consuming him upon earth v. 87. could bring down his high esteem nor cool his burning love to the Truth whose guiding purifying comforting influence he had found in his heart life Buy the truth and sell it not Prov. 23. 23. buy it at any reat sell it at no rate as it is with persons deeply sick of love they will have such a man or woman though they beg with them so it is with the lovers of saving truth they will be match'd to it though they perish by it though it cost them the losse of their estates liberties and lives The word of truth the Gospel of salvation hath been dearer to blessed Martyrs than their hearts blood The Apostles could doe nothing against the truth but for the truth 2 Cor. 13. 8. and then no wonder they were zelots for the truth did neither Sancti viri amando discunt quod docendo proferunt Greg. super Ezek. deny the profession of it nor wantonly abuse it Reall Saints learn the truth by loving it professe the truth they have learned and stick to the truth they professe 'T is a true and sure experience they who have not received the truth for the love of it rience they who have not received the truth for the love of it but for and by carnall ends will make it their decoy and stalking Horse and as it was never heartily loved for it selfe in time Mollior solutior vita est quast lascivia adversus Christum Calv. in loc of Temptation they will reject it or dissemble it with which they have ever played the wantons to which they never yeelded hearty obedience The Apostle tells us that younger widdows professed Christians waxed wanton against Christ in their too soft and delicate life of pleasures 1 Tim. 5. 6 11. a reason is subjoyned Nemo vel tantillum potest a Christo deflectere quin Satanam sequatur Hinc admonemar quam exitialis sit c. 1b beca use they cast off their first faith v. 12. The faith of 〈◊〉 severe mortifying Christianitie These also are said to go after Satan v. 15. A sad Text that will prove many specious pompous christians to be fatanicall Calvin beginnes his Exposition of those words Some are turned aside after Satan with a Notanda loquutio Note the words well No man can a little turn from jesus Christ but he is in a ready way to follow Satan Hence we are admonished how deadly a sinne it is to turn aside from the right course which of the sons of God will make us the slaves of Satan and being drawn off from the government of Christ sets Satan over us to be out Leader SECT 5. 5. WAnt of laying to heart Gospel threatnings contributes 5. Want of laying to heart Gospel threatnings contributes to the Gods grace to the Abuse of Gods grace The Lord hath to prevent the abuse of it annexed the threatnings of the covenant of works to the violation of the covenant of grace Death Hell the wrath to come the curses of the Law were the threats of the covenant of Works These are used to Hedge in a reverend regard to and obedience of the covenant of grace God in infinite wisdome and love jealous of the Apostasy of his peoples hearts and zealous of his own glory and their salvation hath annexed dreadfull threatnings to the Preaching of the Gospel to keep down proud wanton flesh to be a thorny thick-sett preventive of over-leaping rebellions and preservative of obedience The fear of anger is a good expedient left the hope of Gods goodnesse be abused to carnal neglect Hence we read these comminations Expedit esse sub 〈◊〉 ne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 divinae benignitatis solvamur in negligentiam Orig. We are not of those which draw back to perdition Heb. 10. 38. Perdition is implyedly threatned against A postasie from Christ He that loveth not the Lord Jesus Christ in sinceritie let him be Anathema Maranatha accursed excommunicate for ever 1 Cor. 16. 22. The everlasting curse is threatned to Christs false friends He that believeth not is damned Joh. 3. 18. Except ye repent ye shall perish Luk. 13. 3. Yea there where the Lord proclaimes the glory of his name in grace and mercy left it should be wronged to wantonness he mentions a terrible threatning That he will by no means clear the guilty Exod. 34. 6 7. Such as by unbeleeving loose impenitent courses a second time crucisie the Son of God and prostitute his metits to wicked courses should doe well to study those angry words He will by no means clear such guilty ones Because pround secure Libertines either Impii simul metuunt contemnunt saenas Luth. in Gen consider not or fear not or positively contemn Gods threatned wrath Hence it is that they securely play the 〈◊〉 in the hopes of mercy 'T is rare these sad and serious thoughts are layd to heart If I do not beleeve in Christ I am lost for ever If I live in my sinne I shall perish If I depart from Christ I shall be 〈◊〉 one If I abuse the long-suffering goodness truth
and Tears Desertions and Afflictions denial of unlawful yea often times of lawful things render practical christian Religion a formidable unchoosable and intollerable thing Though the entrance and progress of godliness be strict severe painful and rigid to the flesh and bears an unpleasing dominion over the sensitive appetite yet on this soure crab-stock is engraffed by the hand of Gods Spirit sweet fruit After this dirty Lane the reproaches and sufferings of this life there will be getting unto the Heavenly Fathers House I say spiritual reason will assure that the sharpest storms of Religion will do the kindness as to drive Heavenly Passengers to the Port of their everlasting Rest and though the spiritual Battles may be long and sharp yet they will end in eternal Peace Victory and Triumph Satan knoweth the Discipline Life and strictness of Grace will have a blessed Issue and therefore in conjunction with the wisdom of the flesh suffers not deluded sinners to be so wise as to remember the latter end of Religions Severities and saving Experiences Hence the Sirens of the world the sweet enchantments pleasures profits vain-glories the sensualities of this life make carnal Gospellers even while they hypocritically chide their sinnes to love them heartily while they easily cry up holyness strictness heaven and happiness yet to give way to loose and wanton hearts language and conversation and while they have good words and seeming good belief they clearly confute both by unsanctified hearts and unreformed lives for want of spiritual serious dwelling consideration of the strait way to glory is the sad miscarrying of holy Profession Ah Christians lay to heart what one saith It is to be considered Via ad vitam non quam sit aspeta sed quo nos deducat est cogitandum non quam 〈◊〉 arcta sed ubi desinat Vis caelestis spins horrentibus aspera Lact. de vero cul tu l. 6. 0. 4. not how sharp the way of life is but where it leads not how strait it is but where it endeth not how it is strewed with thorns but to what rosy and sweet spicy delights it brings Though this world be a valley of tears Heaven is a mountain of spices Can. 8. 14. The difficulties and severities of Religion that are as a Lyon in the way to Mansions of glory should rather call for resolution and sharpen the edge of affections than blunt endeavours As our Mediatour went through infinite difficulties of Redemption so all the methods of its application from conversion throughout the progress of Sanctification unto a dissolution are very difficult The righteous are scarcely saved with much adoe 1 Pet. 4. 18. O you tender delicate spurious Christians who dream of heaven and the way of it you fancie it broad but the Scripture and experience will everlastingly prove it narrow Do you think in good earnest that the carnall latitudes the broad allowances of the flesh will end in eternall peace and delights Will your studied idolized sensual delights carry as in a Chariot Vâ—luit Deus nt mysterium religionis suae esbet arcanum at proposita difficultate angustissimus trames ad immortalitatis praemium sublime perduceret Lact. de Justiria 1. 5. â— 19. your departing souls into an eternal Paradise Doe Christs Souldiery come out of great tribulation unto the eternall Palms and Crowns of their victories and can your effeminate wanton dissolute brutish lives give you the least assurance that your voluptuousness below will end in the delights above Have the noble Army of Martyrs the whole Church of the first-born found the way of life a narrow strait way and doe you make it broad The Word hath told you and Death and Judgement will be an infallible Comment on the Text Broad is the way that leads to destruction In a broad champion and Regimental march hundreds may pass on a breast but in a very narrow lane the passage is but two by two O all you dismall black Armies that march under the King of the bottomless pit your Captain-Generall you may troop yea you may speed in the broad champion of corrupt nature and walk in a full career and march to Hell but Chriss souldiery pass in a strait lane a thin company hedged about with commands that connot dare not frolick in the large green plains of carnall delights If you think or hope your large professions or large lives under strict profession will bring to and leave you in the heavenly country you then must impudently and blasphemously charge the lye upon the faithfull and true witnesse Jesus Christ hee hath told you the broad way of loose Principles and Lives will lead you to hell if you will not beleeve you shall see and feel the truth of Christ by the light of eternal flames SECT 10. 10. THe second head of causes that are experimentally influentiall into this great sin Abuse of Gods grace is Error 10 Error in particulars causeth the abuse of Grace This will appear in five things 1. The error of a corrupt palate Sin is mans disease which makes him dissavour the best things Sickness taketh away the sweetness of wholsome meat and Sin of the hidden Manna most heavenly Feasts God hath the best furnished house for his Family We read the fatness of the Gods house Psal 36. 8. afeast of fatthings in the mountain of the house of the Lord Is 25. 6. A sweet mer ry feast They shall be joyfull in my house of prayer Is. 56. 7. but it is to them onely whose palate is rectified and judicious that rellish their heavenly food that taste and see the Lord is good Psal 34. 8. and gracious 1 Pet. 2. 3. who can say with David How sweet are thy Words unto my taste Psal 119. 103. and with the Spouse His fruit was sweet unto my taste Cant. 2. 3. But to the injudicious unregenerate the choicest spiritual dainties are unsavoury they are unto Good works though they professe the contrary void of judgement Tit. 1. 16. They have no a sweet judicious sense of soul food Have you seen delicate wantons better fed than taught that do more censure and play with than eat heartily and work by their diet abuse the precious creatures may be throw it to dogs or a diseased patient vitiated in stomack and palate disrellish the best dyet make faces at it spit it out cry out it is naught Here is the embleme of carnall spirits vitiated with corrupt unsavoury humours the best provisions of Gods house will not down with them They vilifie Angels food Gospel-banquets cry out upon it in their distemper or if they take in a little of it they spit it out again or it runs through them Holy convictions stay not to concoction and nourishment Their palates doe onely rellish the world and delight in worldly things SECT 11. 2. THe error of sufficient attainments in Religion This opinion 11 The error of sufficient attainments in Religion causeth abase of Grace is practically
est Bern. Grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ It is a true saying of Augustine Let no man say though the longest liver and highest proficient in Religion I have enough I am righteous sufficiently He that sayes so he stayes in the way he shall never reach his journeys end Happy had it been for these wondring falling Stars had they considered there is no middle state between Proficiencie and Deficiencie going forward and going backward if they had considered it must be with Christians as it was with the Angels on Jacobs Ladder as to perpetual motion The Patriarch saw them ascending and descending but no standing still The stands of religious sufficiencie have been and are fatall to Imaginary Perfectists O the rare artifice of Satan to ruin soules where he doth it not as a Prince of darkness he speeds as an Angel of light He puts the vaile of imaginary perfection of holiness over almost perfection of sin votes a nothingness an emptyness in Religion a sufficient attainment tels real carnalists they are high spiritualists cheat them with dreams they are the darlings of heaven when they are like to prove firebrands in hell while in the pleasing folly of spiritual pride vain self-lovers admire themselves as the none such of the world and cannot judge in their coldness yea death of Charity that they are reall Saints vessels of mercy it is to be feared without extraordinary repentance these not fixed stars but blazing comets will goe out in darkness vanish in a stink and appear in the great day in the left hand as vessels of wrath SECT 12. 3. THe Frror a very sottish one of Opinion That what 12 A gross error to the the abuse of grac is this that what pleaseth the loose sinner pleaseth God Insipientes credunt does amare quicquid it si concupiscunt Lact. l. 3. 0. 6. pleaseth the loose sinner pleaseth God These things hast thou done thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self Psal 50. 21. an erroneous and impious parallel and the cause of much looseness These things hast thou done What these sins are charged on the wicked Libertine an hypocritical owning of Gods Statutes and Covenant ver 16. His hating instruction and casting Gods word behind him v. 17. His consent to the every and partnership with adultery v. 18. His evil unbridled tongue v. 19. His slander even of a natural brother v. 20. All these are put down as the sid fruits of this cursed error and reall blasphemy God the sinner are alike Thou thoughtest I was such a one as thy self I was as well pleased with thy basenesse as thy self This is a tyring wearisom error to the pure God Ye have wearied the Lord with your words yet ye say wherein when ye say every one that doth evill is good in the sight of the Lord and be delighteth in him or where is the God of judgement Mal. 2. 17 There are not a few grosse carnal Gospellers who when their unwasht heart impure and wicked lives are covered over with a white and beautifull vaile of professed Christianity do as heartily write themselves in their absurd flattering injudicious minds the children of God the dearly beloved of his soul as if they were the exactest walkers Certainly those grosly intemperate incontinent covetous malicious unnaturall prophane ones that would rage at a Minister or private Christian that should but so much as tel them they fear and suspect their persons hearts and lives are abominable to God doe not so much as scruple it but they are the objects of divine loves and delights What doth this amount to else but this virtual and interpretative perswasion the holy God and the vile sinner are alike O that such wretches would consider as the holy Scriptures in multitudes of places so Gods angry avenging Providences are the vindicating Patrons and infallible maintainers of Gods purity and after death the great day and to all eternity he will prove by sadly convincing fierie arguments the infinite distance between the holy blessed God and the lewd cursed sinner Did either gross or close hypocrites under Gospel-profession seriously consider and deliberately reason their own wickedness and Gods holyness what likes them and what pleaseth God search Scripture Records what the Lord hates and what he is ravished with so ingeniously and faithfully conclude these and these things according to the word of truth are detested with a perfect abhorrence of the pure heavenly Majesty and we are guilty of them and are as loathsome in his sight as Toad a Carrion are in ours it were impossible there should be such liberall and large allowances of carnal liberty as there are too much under the favour of a divine approbation and delight 'T is too common an error that prospering Providences are encouragers of wicked designs and practises The Devil is a Devil still lying and unclean though his temptations prosper SECT 13. 4. The Error that false evidences of Grace are true An erronious rest on these hath begotten too much Libertinism 12. Another Error that buseth grace is That false evidences are true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non beat inanis theoria in the Church of God As 1. Bare knowledge of Divine things is too weak a proof of goodness The Devils know but are unclean full of wickedness In their inlightned intelligent natures there are the spiraul things of wickedness The Apostles expression Eph. 6. 12 The light of the Sun speaks not a Thief honest nor the Adulterer chaste who are both lewd by the beams of it Bare Illumination speaks no man holy nor happy to infer a good heart from a knowing head is not a more common then a foolish and pernicious inference Ah foolish impudent Christian hath God laid thee in with a stock of knowledge to licentiate thee to sin by the light of it Will the aggravation of your sin be the evidence of your good estate A stock of Knowledge is one thing of Grace another The Gnosticks that vaunted much of their knowledge were a beastly Sect The bare light of Gospel propositions will not fit for the Inheritance of the Saints in Light Surely light is never gracious and saving unless it Transform its receivers They are children of light 1 Thess 5. 5. and they do not onely see it but walk in it as children of light Eph. 5. 8. 2. An Orthodox Judgement is no conclusive ground of grace 'T is gross error from Doctrinal soundness to argue Cordial and Practical A man may be sound in the Faith Tit. 1. 13. but Metuo magnoque tremore constringer ne qui Orthodoxam sidem habere videmur eam vacuam honestarum actionum conjugio oberrare permiserimus Sophronius Hierosalymitanus Orat. in Natal Christ not by the Faith His light is sound that speaks against Theft and Adultery but he is not found by his true light that is a Thief and Adulterer Rom. 2. 21 22. A form of
to thine eye-lids Prov. 6. 5. So take counsel concerning flight from the gall of bitterness the bond of iniquity the bondage of Satan the infinite danger of impenitence that seals the guilt of infinite sins upon the soul Deliver thy self as a Roe from the hand of the Infernal Hunter as a Bird from the crafty destructive snare of the invisible Fowler do not creep but flie from his Hellish mortal Gun-shot His name is Abaddon Apollyon so is his disposition and conversation It was mercy that made lingring Lot to get out of Sodom and haste to Zoar It would be infinite mercy did you hasten your escape from the dominion and damnation of your pleasing Lusts to the reign and security of saving grace SECT 16. THe fourth head of causes that fathers this adulterate off-spring 16. Temptation causeth the abuse of Grace in four particulars The abuse of Gods Grace is temptation There are four temptations to this sin 1. Temptation a voluptuous life The Widow that lived in pleasures waxed wanton against Christ 1 Tim. 5. 11. As the Apostle opposeth the Spirit of God and the World 1 Cor. 2. 12. so mostly spiritual and worldly pleasures are inconsistent Such as are ravished with the delights of the Spirit are crucified to worldly delights unaiding and unconducing to higher comforts and the intemperately toxicated with worldly delights loath the delights of the Spirit Voluptuous prosperous secure ones that joy in their Possessions and Relations feast their senses with creature-suitable sweetnesses That spend their days in mirth as Job says in this wanton bruitish life disparage and abuse the God of grace and the life of grace the fountain and the streams of highest sweetness The God of Grace in these words They say unto God depart from us Job 21. 14. They had been as good have said Depart Heaven and Happiness 'T is his presence which maketh Heaven so they despise the life of Grace desire not to be acquainted with it We desire not the knowledge of thy ways v. 14. nor to walk in them all whose pathes are pleasantness yea matchless delights What is the Almighty that we should serve him or what profit should we have if we pray unto him v. 15. What profit Ah beastly Atheistical Sensualists What not The gain godliness 1 Tim. 6. 6 The Pearle of great price Jesus Christ Mal. 13. 46. Saving wisdome is better then gold or silver Prov. 3. 14. The spirit of Grace Luke 11. 13. Precious Faith 2 Pet 1. 1. The gaine of the Soule Mar. 8. 37. Treasure in Heaven Luke 12. 33. Rich commodities in which prayer in the Holy Ghost trafficks These high gaines and joyes Epicurean Pleasurists with an ignorant and supercilious disdaine abuse as not worthy their thoughts estimate affections as if they were Mahumetans not christians had only studied the Alcoran not the Bible were Deos nihil curare dicit non ira non gratia tangi infercrum poenas non esse metuendas quod animae post mortem occidant voluptatem esse summum bonuÌ„ eius causa nasci hominem Lactan. l. 3. c. 17. poysoned with the perswasion of Epicures That the Gods care not for the things below are neither pleased nor angry with humane affairs infernall punishments are not to be feared souls and bodies die together pleasure is the cheifest good that it was the end why man was borne If irreligious pleasure-hunters say they are neither Atheists nor Epicures they do as well follow Heavenly as Earthly delights they say more then their hearts and lives pâ—ove Are not the pleasures of sense their delight in good earnest the pleasures of Faith their jest their fancy their dream Can the strength of the Soule go out to both I say not 't is impossible ' â— is very rare to be high in Earthly and Heavenly delights their number is very thin of delicate high fed rich christian professors that can say and not lie high joyes below are out joyed by higher joyes above that do but use them not enjoy them that are crucified to them that can at pleasure retreat from them The better fed Quemadmodum impossible est ut ignis flammam concipiat in aqua 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est voluptates mundi cum poenitentia Christiana manere Otho Casmannus then taught Peastiall Christians wantons in the worlds large and high Pastures speak but the flattery of the Flesh and Devill when they say the severe discipline of serious Repentance can consist with carnall earthly delights T is a saying of a good writer that hath too much experience for its Probatum est As it is impossible that fire should burne in water so its impossible that the pleasures of the world and Christian Repentance should dwell together I cannot therefore but admire and adore infinite wisdome who knowing the worlds higher ground is dangerous and high sensuall pleasures are as slippery places Psa 73. 18. Hath ordinarily made the rich Heires of Glory the poorer sort of the world Jam. 2. 5. Lest the pallate of their Soules should be vitiated and corrupted with too much savouring of Creature sweetnesse The wholesome and prudent designe of left hand streightnings is to brighten the future Crowne of Glory by coming to it through much want and labour the great Heires of Heaven are usually kept low lest they should come to their immortall inheritance Ne immortalitatem delicate assequerentur molliter Lact. l. 7. c. 5. too delicately and softly God will not honour Grace despising voluptuous worldlings so highly as to remove yea in some not to imbitter those outward delights which in angry providence he giveth and knoweth will turn to their bane T is a sad saying of Lactan. God suffers corrupt and vicious men to live a luxurious delicate life because he lookes on them as worthlesse persons and he will not honour them so as to amend them I wonder not that a poore Christian that walkes with God feasts lives hopes high values estates by their spirituallity invisibility eternity and not by the worlds accounts would not change his hard bed thred-bare garment dry crust small drinke for the gracelesse pompe and Deus corruptos vitiosos luxuriose ac delicate patitur vivere quia noÌ„putat emendatione sua dignos Lactan. l. 5. c. 23 fullnesse of beds of Down delicious Tables soft costly and shining changes of Rayment I knew a very poor and very rich godly woman that would not change her holy poverty for her rich neighbours unsanctified estate indeed the meanest judicious Christian in his spirituall wits resents not the civill honours and vast annuall wealth of carnall wantons with envy but pitty they are rather to be lookt upon with weeping then fretting whose way to Hell is strewed with Roses who go through pleasant meadowes to Execution Rejoyce poor Christian that stands in the worlds lower ground be not troubled that wicked sensualists now stand above thee thy right hand promotion is a coming thou
in low temporall allowances sowest in penitentiall teares they in high enjoyments even to surfet impiety and Atheisme sow in carnall merriments thine Harvest and theirs will be as different as Thornes and Wheat thou shalt reap in joyes they in sorrows Christian Repentance is incomparably above carnall pleasing voluptuousnesse This is the mother of wordly laughter that of Christian teares this inlargeth the flesh that strengthens it this puts a leaden weight upon the Soule that wings it to fly to Heaven this serves the flesh in every thing that crucifies the flesh and brings the body into subjection this calls off a man from God that calls him back again to God his Saviour this obeyes the Devill that is devoted unto God SECT 17. 2. TEmptation to wrong Gods grace is evil company What 17 Evil company is a temptation to wrong the grace of God more unworthy abuse than a ransomed captives ungratefull denyal of their Redeemer Self-destroying Hereticks doe thus deny the Lord that bought them They goe not to Hell alone with their wanton loose wits argue others into their company and make them fellow wantons of damnation for so the Greek Text and word in the Margin will bear it Many shall follow their damnations or destructions the abstract for the concrete their damnable wayes Our English is pernicious waies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Margin in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the English lascivious waies The import of the Original is That lascivious Hereticks are very fruitful some Masters of Heresie beget numerous Scholars which argue and beleeve themselves out of their Faith into Damnation Their word frets as doth a Gangreen 2 Tim. 2. 17. The leaven of loose wits did spread abroad in the purest times of the Apostles to speak perverse things and draw away Disciples after them Act. 20. 30. Chapmen of error will bring custome to the Devils stall Have any of the Pharisees beleeved in him Joh. 7. 48. The fast brotherhood of Antichristian Pharisaisme was Argumentative to despise and oppose the Grace of Jesus Christ Thus the dissolute walking of a pack of Hypocrites imbolden one another to frequent indignities unbecoming the Gospel the society of Mammonists sainted by their faith in Gods mercy and Christs merits bow down to Money their Idoll and while they professe God their portion and Christ their Lord and pay to both some easie and cheap religious formalities they dishonor both by paying that adoration estimation and affection they owe to both to their worldly gain Reputed devout godly mens covetousnesse is infectious Thus professed Christians follow worldlings reason such and such are devout godly men that keep the Sabbâ—th they fear God and will go to heaven and yet doe so and so and we do no worse Thus a company of earthly minds that have grace and heaven in their pretensions but the world in their hearts sow pillows under one anothers elbows He that will goe about to drive the world out of his heart and life by following the instances of some eminent Professors will never do it but in the issue fall short of heaven The herd of Swine too tipling good fellows can lick one another clean by the grace of God and the allowance of Christian liberty yea Gods beneficence that he made the creatures for mans use and hence they conclude that there is a latitude allowed them The excessive gaudinesse of apparrel grows in fashion with the Christians of the higher form as they pretend by Christs licence As if forsooth no bravery nor splendid gallantry could be too good for Christs disciples High-flown wantons in the nation should rather follow Christ in his contempt than courting of the world He is their president in the glory of Grace not in vain wayes indecent habits The gaming away of time and money mispending companions if they look to the throne of Grace in a few cold heartless desires and be devout a Christmass day or Good Friday it may be hear weekly Sermons yet may be utterly strangers to the mysterious way of walking with God and spiritual recreations yet notwithstanding can judge one another as excellent Christians aun doubt not by Gods grace to be saved as wel as the most mortified strict beleevers O the horrid abuse to the Gospel and Grace of God that is too frequent in our times by evil examples and instigations There are not a few soul-murdering presidents under Christian profession What is said of the heathenish guides of their Mortifera sacra Suarum alienarum interfectores animarum Lact. l. 5. c. 20. Religion whose deadly idolatrous worship did ruin their disciples is true of many Christian guides and followers in looseness they are their own and others soul-killers Were the question put to the prophane generation of the Age that hate the power yea scorn the form of godlynesse whose loose wits jeer and Atheistical religion neglects family-duties who speak dung but drop not the honey-comb vent rotten not gracious words Doe you think to be saved Yes the Answer would be by the grace of God and merits of Christ Thus in loose company Profani homines multos sua petulantia in similem contemptum inducunt Calv. in Is 50. Plus exemplo quam peccato nocent the grace of God is at once contemned and trusted to and that of Calvin is sad experience Prophane men by their wantonness invite others to the same contempt O the sad consequence of exemplary sinne what mischief doth it in Families Churches Common-wealths the world the Leaders in sin under profession of grace are doubly blameable and pernicious to themselves and others by their sinne and their example yea more guilty by their example then their sin Dear Christians of more shining and obscure profession take heed of that root of bitterness that is in you for your own sakes but let it not spring forth for others sakes If it be kept within you and wither not you loose your own souls If it spring forth without and defile many Heb. 12. 15. you ruin others Satans Kingdome is too much in Christs Perditi spiritus solatium perditionis suae peâ—dendis hominibus operantur The visible subjects of Christs kingdom too much promote Satan work the damnation of soules 'T is the solace of lost Apostate spirits to increase fellows in destruction If they be capable of any feliâ—ity 't is in others everlasting misery We read of heaps upon heaps the bloody â—ork of Sampsons body-slaughter Judg. 15. 16. So heaps upon heaps is the bloody businesse of the Vtinam soli errare soli desipere vellent Alios etiam in consortium sui mali rapiunt quasi habituri solatium de perditione multorum Lact. l. 5. c. 20 Devils soul-slaughter He goeth about seeking whom he may devour And loose destroying instances promote his work The wish of one concerning professed seducing Heathens may be used concerning professed seduced Christians O that their error were solitary they were
in the fame carnal wanton way Hee goes a whoring from God and is far from him but said David it is good for me to draw near to God The nearer to God the more strictnesse and Holynesse Christ was nearest to God and holyest in heart and life The Father hath not left me alone for I doe alwaies those things that please him Joh. 8. 29. The holy Angels are near God They alwaies see his face Mat. 18. 10. and are ready to doe his will Psal 103. 20. 〈◊〉 was near to God in a sweet vision He would now preach though to Reprobate hearers Satan knoweth this that the awfull spiritual presence of God begets reverence and obedience and therefore he tempte soules to fall into hell of Libertinisme by three stairs of Apostafie First to turning the eye from God then the heart and lastly the feet To debauch the sinner first he must not see God then he must not love him and Lastly hee must not walk with him Then from this Aversion loose conversion is easie First he will behold vanity then fet his heart on it and lastly walk after it The wanton sinner cannot possibly have an impudent whores forehead in the serious trembling presence of God as he hath in his absence The saying of 〈◊〉 is sad experience They that In obfirmation diuturna malorum consuetudine qui so-llent quiaverfrom indulgent Jun. in Deu. 29. wantonly turn their backs upon God by the custome of sin run into hardness of heart They are the monsters of imprudence unthankfullness and madness that hope yea are assured their sins are washed in the blood of Christ who therefore boldly cast themselves into the old mire prefuming they shall be cleansed again Doth this speak Christ who therefore boldly cast themselves into the old vomit and mire Wanton Christians that know not the bitterness wounded sinner that hath almost sunk in despaire and narrowly escapt hell will be afraid of the old sins and have sober serious trembling thoughts of his gracious rescue They are wholsome words of Zuinglius When Cum in tantaÌ„ desperationem per peccatorum conscientiam redactus antea feurim nonne slultus meritâ— dicerer si nune sponte eidem naufragio me committerem Zuingl Evan. Isagog De aquis extractus denuo se immergens de incendio reptus iterum se praecipitans magis malus tanto quanto adit peccatnÌ„ reciduum ex ingratitudine Parisi de sacram poen itentiae through the Conscience of my sins I was brought to so great a despaire should I not deservedly be called a foole if now I should willingly expose my selfe to the same shipwrack I am cleansed from mine impurities by the blood of thy son and shall I again desile my self That of shall close this point He them being is snatch out of the fire doth again cast himselfe into it by so much the more desperately evil by how much be doth the more ungratfully add sin to his deliverance SECR 11. 11. It is an unexcusable sin Inlightned sinners have no cloak 11. Abuse of Grace is an unexcusable sin for sin Joh. 15. 22. The word will beare it excuse did so and so ignorantly is some excuse It cannot be said of them that never heard of the grace of God in Christ They read the Gospell and are They hear the Apostles doctrine and are drunk They prosesse following of Christ and are given to rapine They lead a wicked life and have a Godly Law All these things may be said of them that wrest the grace of God to unrighteousness and ungodliness Wicked gospellers pretend to come to Christ feast as fit and thankfull guests but the King shall say where is the garments when he shall see they come with their filthy garments when with Plague-sores running on them they shall be speechless not bee able to speak a word in their own Apology as the muzzled mouth of a beast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at ille Capistratum Piscitor fraeno coercitusest Arias Montanus openeth not the import of the Greek word translated speechless T' is our common fault Seneca hath truely noted we had rather excuse then forsake our vices There will be no plea for Abusing Grace There will be none for the loose Jew his externalt 〈◊〉 with God in a Convenant of grace in circumcision sacrifice the Temple â—ltar Priesthood Passever is not alleadged to lessen but greaten the Abuse of grace Therefore Calvin in his old Testament Expositions often notes That the tearmes and expressions of scared proprietie as holy feed people my people your God the Holy one of Israel and the like are not commendations but exprobation of their deep ingratitude and Aposicy that they who were singled out to be neere God above all the world to be the vessels to beare up his name should degenerate from the glory of their adoption Israel was called holynes Vt illic resulgeat Dei gloria Calv. in Jer. 3. to the Lord Jer. 2. 3. A people separate from all others devoted only to God that among them the glory of his holiness might shine forth to take and enlighten the eies of the observing world And therfore when the ten tribes espoused to God wantonly plaid the harlot in idolatry and other sinnes with other lovers God writ her a bill of divorce in her sad banishment and Captivitie among Heathens when the old Churches religious relation was abused to loose superstition and and Conversation then wee read God disowed his people who disowned him I have forsaken Practica notitia Paulus dcet eos fuisse abusos quod eum nossent fas jus rerum agendarn partim aliis indulserint partim quod si in alios animadvertebant in seiphs tamen eadem peccate dissimularent Per. Matyr in Rom. 2. mine house I have left mine heritage I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies Jer. 12. 7. The degenerate feed of Abraham had no plea for but smarted for their wantonness Yea further the Heathen sinning against his light of â—â—ure will have no excuse why he should not endure the vengeance of eternal fire His unanswerable inditement will be reâ—d against him out of Romans the second Many principles of the Morall Law were naturally written in his heart He had a Conscience to excuse in duty accuse in disobience c. 2. 15. yea in retained not God in his knowledge 27. cast good convictions out of his mind gave himselfe up sinfully as he was given up by God judicially to vile affections and a reprobate mind 26. 28. Sin enough to clear divine justine and merit hell Peter Martyr thus Comments Paul teacheth said He. They abused practicall knowledge in that they knew what was just and equall to be done partly they were indulgent in others partly what they taxed in others they dissembled in themselves With what colour of excuse will the Christian Libertine stand dim light of nature and above the Jewes darke fight of
impieties and unrighteousnesses under the favour of grace They rejoyce in a thing of nought Amos 1. 13. When thou doest evill then thou rejoycest Jer. 11. 15. The Lords charge against wanton Israel under meanes of grace and the just reproofe of wantons under the gospell when they doe evill they rejoyce it is but looking up to Gods grace and all is well How miserable are those men who rejoyce in their losse It is wofull mournful mad joy to found on the abuses of grace and the dishonors of God the Triumphs of sin and wickedness which causeth bitternesse in the end SECT 4. 4. INference The best things have evill entertainment of hard Sect. 4. The best things have evill entertainment from hard hearts Hearts Israel had gracious Propheses but they hardned their necks did not beleeve rejected Gods statutes followed vanitie and were vaine 2 Kings 17. 14. 15. Christs familie experienced his gracious miracles but their hearts were hardned and considered not the miracle of the loaves when brought to a new strait Mark. 6. 32. If Christ upbraided their hardnesse of heart for not beleeving the reports of his Pesurrection Mark 16. 14. How blameable is that Phamonicall Hardnesse of Heart that receives no impression of grace by the priviledges promises word and spirit of grace that are pretended to The sweet inriching dewes doe no good upon the hard rock nor doe the sweet dews of instructions and motions of grace doe good upon rocky hearts Weeds spring and grow by the rain and the sun Corruptions rise up and increase by occasion of Gods grace SECT 5 5. INference The grace of God is to be appropriated and applied Sect. 5. The grace of God is to be applied with feare and trembling wi vbth feare and trembling With it worke out your salvation is the Apostles counsell Phil. 2. 12. Rejoyce with trembling the Psalmists Psal 2. 11. The fancy of saving grace is easy T is good to feare deceit about interest in Grace The Synagogue of Satan may boast themselves to be the City of God This high gospell Grace God is my reconciled father his Convenant-Promises are mine the Grace of Christ is mine is foolish and common intrusion like the vain man that sayes the house and land is his for which he hath no good title â—surping wantons are audacious and boldly write down themselves in the booke of Life living members covenanters of grace heirs of glory which happinesse many an humbled broken hearted combating Christian cannot see in many yeares attendance on the Ordinances walking with and waiting on God and are only borne up in the Waves of Doubts Despondencies and Feares with probabilities and weake hopes enough to uphold not to comfort in the wayes of Religion The grace is glorious that is contained in those exceeding great and precious promises I will be their God and they shall be my people Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more Israel shall be saved with everlasting Salvation and the like fear and tremble lest these be abused unrepented wrongs to these favours will prove their eternall forfeiture the wanton pursuit of lying vanities is the way to be outed of those mercies Think with thy selfe what if the Lord whom I take to be my gracious God prove my avenging Judge if the sinnes I conceive are blotted out shall appear against me in legible characters if instead of free love I meet with just wrath if the presumptions of everlasting salvation be confâ—ted by eternall damnation If I wrong his grace and repent not of the unkindnesse how can I escape a fearfull looking for of fiery indignation which will devoute so wicked an adversary SECT 6. 6. INference Carnal Cospellers rever knew the Grace of God Sect 6. Carnall Gospellers never knew the grace of God in truth in truth It was never known and deâ—iberately constantly abused if ye have been taught by him the truth as it is in Jesus That ye put off the old man and put on the new Eph. 4. 21. 22. Christs disciples that have learned the truth not only as in books Sermons the Letter the Notion but in the teaching Heart fixing transforming power of Jesus by the anoynting of the Holy Ghost are taught not to dandle and nourish but to put off and starve corruption not to hate but love not to oppose but to imbrace and exercise the quickning grace of God If envy and strife ragin in the heart glory not lye not against the truth Jam. 3. 14. He that saith I know him and keeps not his Commandemants is a lyar and the truth is not in him 1 Joh. 2. 4. He that consents not in Judgement and Consâ—ience to practise the Doctrine according to godlinesse is destitute of the truth I Tim. 6. 5. Sanctisie them with thy truth thy word is truth Joh. 17. 17. The grace of God known in truth sanctifies and gives no allowance to sin It is not because men know but because they truly know not the grace of God that it is so dishonoured SECT 7. 7. INference It is a safe and a wise course to be trying our Principles 7. It is a safe and a wise course to be trying our principles and practices in Christianity 1. Our Principles whether they tend to godliness whether they are not grace-destroying heart-hardning the fear God banishing carnal security nourishing Principles such as these God observes not believers sins They must live above that is in a wicked sense without Ordinances God chastifeth not his people for sin Mourning for sin is a low attainment a legal busness a double lie 1. It is so high an Attonement that the high and the holy God of all hearts in the world prefers the lowly mourning broken heart to dwell in 2. It is a meer Gospel grace the Law accepts not an Eternity of tears nor repentance This also is a loose Principle that a Christian in his obedience is to look only to the love of Christ within him not the Law a rule of life without him an impious Atheistical opinion for when the sad experience of the best of Saints gives true report that too often there are no stirrings of love to God if there be not a fixed rule of duty without what is left to hold a man in obedience â—lso this Maxime that Believers have nothing to do with the threatnings because there is no condemnation to them is an engine of the Devil to pluck out of the heart the fear of threatned sins How contrary to the Scripture is this setting the fearless daring heart out of the threatning Law yea Gospels gun-shot and so the Libertine that neither hath fear of God to love him and obey him nor fear of Hell to keep him from sin fails with full winde and tide to the dead Sea of eternal desruction Try Christian whether as the Philistins put out Sampsons eyes the Devil hath not pull'd out thine to believe Doctrinal lies to debauch thine heart and life 'T
is further an high point of Christian care and wisdom to try Our practices Gods grace may be and is prostitured to wickedness Is it not so with thee Inquire in thy Vocation Condition Relation wherein thou standest Hath not thine heart and conversation been tainted with this curfed Leaven The abuse of Gods grace When the Plague is at thy neighbors house there is need to watch and try the soundness of thine own Since this worst of Plagues The abuse of Gods grace is abroad happy are they that search and purge their hearts and lives from licentiousness SECT 8. 8. INference The Devil hath his snares in the most holy 8. The Devil hath his snares in the most holy things things His great fear of War is in and about heavenly things We wrastle against spiritual wickedness in high places the original is in heavenly things Eph. 6. 12. Satan stood at Joshua's right hand Zach. 3. 1. The Pulpit the praying Closet the publike Oratories humbling Sack-cloth days the great and blessed truths of the Gospel the Orthodox as well as the Heretical head is not exempted from his snares The saving things of Gods grace Christs merits the promises of the Covenint the Spirits Gifts and Operations are all made Satans occasional baits to sin Where is weak sinning man safe who is in danger of abusing the holiest things How many have been tempred to be overcome by and perish in reigning sins under the pleasing conceit and deceit of a favoring propriety in God Christ the Spirit and Grace Happy are they that fear always the sinners of the Fowler not onely laid in Creature-comforts but Ordinances of grace in the very grace of God and Christ Most happy are they that are out of the enemies Countrey and reach that are in the state of blessed Indemnity without the fear of being overcome by Satans snares laid most cunningly and vain pretences though never so fairly gilded over SECT 9. 9. INference Libertinism puts the highest affront upon God 9. LIbertinnism puts the highest affront upon God It abuseth him there where he is most glorious should have most praise his grace The praise of the glory of his grace Eph. 1. 6. Moses said to God I beseech thee shew me thy glory and God said I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious Exod. 33. 18 19. They are LIbertines in nature that abuse the Creature God hath given the sweet succors of this life to be rightly used not abused 1. Cor. 7. 31. To serve him not lusts to be stairs of Assension unto him not Aversons from him The rich wantons of the world the Apostle James tells shall pay dear for abusing his Creatures to Voluptuousness Oppression hard heartedness forgetfulness of God But the Libertines in grace are the worst and most injurious To cast dirt on Canvase is a wrong but on Scarlet is a greater To abuse a great man in his servant is an indignity but in his Wife in his Sons a greater The abused goodness of God in his grace and Christ goeth nearer his heart then in his Creatures Grace is Gods saving Arm The Libertine doth what in him lies to weaken yea wound the arm of God that it cannot save In some things Almightiness is at a stand He could in his own Countrey do no mighty works but heal a few sick ones because of unbelief Mark 6. 5 6. The grace of God cannot save the constant and wilful abuser of it Paul was careful lest he should abuse his power in the Gospel 1. Cor. 9. 18. Be careful O Christian lest the Indulgences Powers and Liberties of the Gospel be abused CHAP. IX Containing an use of Humiliation PErverting of Gods grace calls for Lamentation Use 2 For Humiliation if prizing the gospel the love of God the zeal of his name the honor of Christ Gratitude for the infinite mercy of redemption are mighty arguments to move serious Christians to magnifie the grace of God in their hearts and lives and to rejoyceâ— its exaltation then surely the sense of undervaluing the gospel The want of love to yea positive hatred of God luke-warmness yea key-coldness for his name The dishonors of the Mediator of Grace unthankfulness for the costly grace of Redemption should load the heart with deep sorrow and draw forth holy mourning and tears and that for two sorts of injurious dealers with Gods grace the best and the worst of persons under the profession of Gods grace SECT 1. 1. BEwail O upright tender hearted Christian thine own 1. Upright hearted persons ought to bewail their abusing of the grace of God and thy fellows unsuitableness and dishonor to the grace of God 'T is too much the old man hath been too dissolute within thee I know thou seest and when thou art thy self canst not but bewail the neglect of the holy government of grace in thy soul the wanton uproars of thy unruly affections the swarms of undisciplined unregarded loose thoughts the secret filthiness which for shame thou darest not word but shamelesly give way to in thy watchless minde thy back-sliding in heart and in some things whoring imaginations fancies contemplations affections about false loves it is too much thou hast a bosome Libertine But art thou convinced thy self and thy co-heirs of glory and livest shamefully and dishonorably below the hopes of Heaven the high holy and heavenly profession of propriety in God an everlasting Portion Doth the guilt of abusing Gods grace visibly and scandalously appear against that holy principle of immortal life that is in thee and others Never leave thinking of this till thine heart be broken before the Lord O what reproach is brought to the God and Gospel of grace when his precious name is wounded in the house of his friends when he hears ill in the world from the dishonors of his own Family As David upon the death of Saul lamented The shield of the mighty is vilely cast away in Gilboa as though Saul was not anointed with oyl 2 Sam. 1. 20. So may it be for a lamentation The shield of the mighty indowed with grace is vilely laid aside as if he were not the anointed with the Spirit As Jeremiah lamented That the precious stones of Zion comparable to fine gold were esteemed as earthen Pitchâ—â—s Lam. 4. 2. So it is deplorable that the precious living stones of Zion darkned by some loose scandals are esteemed as dirt Five things may urge thee O gracious soul to mourn over thy wrongs to Gods grace 1. Thou sinnest against a Principle of life that should and would if excited make thee sensible of Gods dishonor 2. Thou abuseth that that sets thee off from the lost world distinguishing grace 3. Thy injury against saving grace is deepest ingratitude t is walking unwoâ—thy of that which must fit thee for Heaven 4. Thine offensive discoveâ—ies of wronging grace tempts carnal observers too prone to be loose to turn more bold Libertines 5. Thy open offences may be
him and thus as the ploughing of the wicked is sin so is his câ—â—â—â—â—ment Because with some persons civill â—itles are so abominable though they are not like to read this Page yet the holy Scriptures will assure the sober Reader their folly is manifest and notoâ—ious Put case persons of honour are wicked as too many are who are like to smart for it to all Eternity for staining their oâ—n honour and Gods too Yet Paul a vessel of honor without courtship but by the teachings of the Holy Ghost had learned this good manners to give great though bad persons their civil respects Noble Felix Act. 24. 3. King Agrippa Act. 25. 26. I appeal to Caesar Act. 25. 11. Pauls persecutors at Antioch were yet stiled Honourable Women and chief Men of the city Act. 13. 50. No unmannerly railing Quakers in â—poâ—o lical times But because in civil courteous Appellations it is not more easie than common to erre there is an huge generation of vain complementists whose immoderate compellations are the froth of language the vanitie of minde the waste of time the impertinencie of Christian society I would willingly caution the gracious person convinced of his duty he must be courteous and give honour to whom honour is due to observe these Rules Christian when you give civil honour to others according to their worldly Qualitie and Precedencie 1. Do it with Reverence of the Majesty of God Persons of Honour are the Image the bright Beams of God the infinite â—â—ountâ—in of Honour 'T is he hath set the children of men in their Titles Seats Estates of Honour Neither Affliction nor Promotion comes from the ground God is the Judge sets up whom he pleaseth Ps 75. 7. As in Wisdoms left hand are riches and glory Pro. 3. 16. so he distributes worldly honours moâ—ly to vile men However they are civil honour is not vile though the persons that have it be vile come vilely by it and use it vilely 2. Give civil honour for conscience sake the sense of duty God hath commanded it not so much to please them as to please God 3. When the lip honoureth let the heart reverence Wee may neither give men civil worship nor God religious hypocritically 4. Lavish not out too many words nor time in civil courtesies 5. From a prudent observation of Persons Time and Place mix religious and spiritual with civil discourse To spend whole hours mornings afternoons as very many vain frothy persons do in air-beating soul-unbettering windy courtesies and merry discourse without a thought a word of the Majesty of God who as he hath a Book of remembrance to note down the pious words of them that fear him so he registers too the numerous superfluous words of them that fear him not will have a sad account in the great day 6. If among your civil treatments as the Spouse let your lips drop like the Honey-comb when you speak of by a secret ejaculation beg a blessing on your gracious words for your own and the companies advantage 7. Labour to affect your heart with the good things that in gravity and wisdom you deliver 8. If you see civil courtesie swalloweth up pietie your selfe and heavenly language be a burden to the company savouring not the things of God preferring a Romance before a Sermon vain chassie Tales before the precious Truths of God they had rather be foolishly carnally constantly merry than really wise goe home and mourn in secret you have given vain spirits their due honours who denyed God his they have been all for courtesie nothing for piety visited only one anothers bodies not soules spent their time and strength in outward while strangers to inward mirth SECT 9. THey without breach of Charity do grosly wrong the grace 9 They abuse grace who are eminent worldlings of God 9. Who under glorious pretensions to Saving-grace are eminent worldings When Heaven and Earth meet together then will Heavenly and Earthly minds Grace as it is heaven-born so it doth make heavenly The Mediator of Grace hath taught us We cannot serve God and Mammon How many go among us in their own thoughts and in others opinion for persons in the state of grace and yet dextrously deeply with all the powers of their understanding and carnal reason design project for the world affect it vehemently pursue it fervently keep it basely part with it sorrowfully heap it up covetously desire it endlesly admire it adore it idolatrously are afraid to put too much in Christs coffers the bellyes of the poor Is this the fruit of grace Did ever grace come with power but it did unglue the heart from the world Is not this Scripture The love of the world and the things of the world and the love of the Father dwell not together 1 Joh. 2. 15. Will this passe for good Divinity Will either the Scriptures a Death-bed or the Last Judgement own it viz. A gracious Mammonist a gracious Worldling a gracious Hold-fast a gracious hard-Hard-heart a gracious Rebel against the Laws of Christ that commands labour for Heaven more than Earth laying up Treasure in Heaven more than in Earth more to be rich in good works than in wealth to settle the affections on things above and not on earth will cordial and practical contradiction to these and many such Laws of Christ speak a gracious person the honour of grace the power of grace O no the nullitie of grace the infamy of grace Else the Apostle would not with tears speake of earthly minds as enemies to the Cross of Christ whose end is a sad word a very sad one destruction Let the Masters of great Estates consider it that had such before the Wars among us or since the Civil bloody commotions by providence shining on gracious profession in Court City Country the Bench the Pulpit the Army who have not walked but suddenly leapt to huge riches some to hundreds others thousands by the year Whoever they are be they assured of it they grosly abuse the grace of God who give sad proof they are eminent worldlings I beseech you all who are so and shall cast your eyes on these lines seriously ask your own soules Do you not set your hearts on the Mammon of iniquity Are not your stupendious sweet possessions your Idols Are they not your treasure do not your thoughts esteems affections run out in full stream to them Do not your poor neighbours in the Countries places where you live see and bewail it your bowels move no more to them than rocks Doe you know when to say we have enough to give largely to Jesus Christ as well as to your families In these years of Judgement when Loâ—ships Farms great Riches have changed Masters are there none that say Poor creatures that think on it with tears Ah wofull change our old Masters fed and cloathed us but we may starve under our new Possessors I dare not charge you all for gracelesse worldlings God will your consciences one day
children Fantastical Poetick Hyperbolies that Pro inanibus terriculamentis hyperbolis habent have taken the Devils Opium and are cast in a dead sleep National Judgements Personal Afflictions do not awaken them Satan rocks them asleep with his sweet Lullabies of promising life interest in Christ and the hopes of Heaven And are you indeed the persons of Grace 'T is strange you should be 't is impossible Grace is a living Creature a new Câ—eature a delicate Creature a tender Creature quick and sensâ—ble feels the least grievance the least sin Alas for you stupid Libertines The Devil may lay upon you sin upon sin mountain upon mountain and yet you feel not you complain not you mourn not you weep not you weep not you cry not with strong cries and tears to Heaven to be dis-burthened I have this sad tidings to bring you your Lethargy will in spight of your hearts be cured But when I fear O I fear never till you are in Hell flames there will be no sleeping fits there O you senseless ones of the love or fear of God! Blessings or Cursings Promises or Threatnings you cannot sleep in an uneasie tormenting eternal Bed of Tribulation you will have none to make your Bed easie no Julips no Cordials to succor your fainting hearts in your hot scorching fits Will you not believe O that you would believe your fellow graceless senseless wantons in Hell would tell you could they speak with you after scores of years sleep in sin they are now with a vengeance awakned out of their dead sleep â—happy were that voice of the Son of God that would do the kindness to thee slumbring drousie Reader as to bid thee and make thee to awake O awake awake to repentance and gracious Gospel indulgency lest thou awake to eternal vengeance O shake off that cursed unbelief that makes thee an Atheist a mock-god a dissolute debauched wanton Hell is no Fable Scripture threatnings are no vain â—ancies God hath sworn in his wrath a graceless impenitent contemner of his angry words shal never enter into his resâ— If thou beest such a one he hath said it and his Almighty avenging Arm will make good his word such a wicked Wretch as thou art that forgettest God and thine own duty shall be cast into hell Psal 9. 17. O folly O madness O sadness Presumption of Gospel-grace is made a pillow for loose sinners to sleep quietly on It will not always be thus God will change thy soft downy Gospel-pillow for an hard thorny legal one Visions of wrath as well as mercy are for an appointed time they will speak and not tarry O Devil-ridden secure ones hearken to that of Chrysostome he calls secure sinners The Devils Horses He is a fierce cruel Rider he spares Diaboli equos Chrysost no flesh he spares no souls he backs He hath ridden thousands off their legs off their spirits off their strength off their lives off their pleasures off their ease off their hopes The rider and the horses both will be for ever cast into the fiery Lake and never come out again O wretched wanton secure Libertines you would be secure and you shall be secure you would not have your cursed peace disturbed and it shall not be disturbed you would be perswaded you are under the wing of saving grace though in the broad road to destruction and you shall be perswaded God chooseth your delusions Isa 66. 4. your own election will prove your destruction O Judgement of Judgements Carnal security thou doest pave the way to eternal Judgements See O see your sad resemblance Sisera slept in Jaels Tent she wooed him Turn in my Lord turn in to me and fear not she went softly to him and her nail and hammer smote his soul into the other world Judg. 4. 18 21. so loose Libertines sleep in the Tent of presumption Carnal security woes them Turn in soul turn in fear not the issue is it softly and cruelly smites sleeping souls into the other world Sampson slept on Delilahs lap and lost his locks and his strength Libertines sleep in the lap of security and loose their hopes of Heaven Eutychus slept while Paul was Preaching and fell down dead Acts 20. 9. Carnal Gospellers sleep while they enjoy the means of grace and fall dead into the bottomless Pit Crafty Ulysses gave Polyphemus a sleeping draught and when he was asleep he run an hot Iron into his eye The Devil the crafty Ulysles of Hell he gives secure sinners a sleeping Potion and when they are fast he blindes them and shoots his deadly fiery shot at them Carnal security under presumptions of Grace is both a sin and plague Gods Judgement the Devils Triumph Souls ruine SECT 11. THey are apparently gross Prophaners of the Grace of 11. They abuse Gods grace who are guilty of wrong to the creatures God 11. And lastly Who are guilty of a wrong use of the Creatures God made them that his grace by the professors of and pretenders to it should be exalted in the use of it Four things demonstrate that it is not so 1. When they are used ungraciously This is a perverting of the intention of Creation Every Creature of God is good which God hath created to be received with Thanksgiving of them that believe and to be sanctified with Prayer 1 Tim. 4. 3 4 5. A strong Implication that every one that useth the Creature aright must first be gracious and then use it graciously Three graces are here set down The grace of Prayer in Invocation for Gods not onely natural but spiritual blessing on the Creature The grace of thanksgiving in returning to God the praise of Lip Heart and Life for his good Creatures And the grace of Faith in using them in and for Christ in the strength Reverenâ—ia hospitis qui praesens est nos alit perpetuo retinet in officio disciplina sancta Marlorat of Christ to his praise Adde to these the grace of holy Fear not to offend the Author of Creature-goodness For as the Feastmakers eye is on his guests to see their behavior so the great House-Keeper of the World that feeds and cloathes millions every day is strictly observant who useth his goodness according to the rules of holy Temperance contributes to right Creature-use in guarding the sensitive appetite that it doth not clog the immortal spirit with burthensome surfeits of any kinde When the Creatures are not thus graciously used it is a wrong to grace whose office honor and power is to regulate their use 2. When they are used to a sinful end either to the satisfaction of Lusts or hinderance of Gods service 1. To the satisfaction of Lust the Israelites abuse They asked Petulantissimis hominÌ„um concupiscenti is satisfacit aliquando Deus ex ira Ames in Psal meat for their lust Psal 78. 18. not for their convenient use but for the satisfaction of their corrupt lust which God granted in wrath
rare to meet with the fellows of a precious Minister of whom it was said That he got but lost no heavenly heat and vigor by holy duties the more in it the more furnished with heavenly power love delight and warmth in renewed exercise There was renewed influence of the spirit of grace the picture of the spiritual injoyments of the next life The Apostles rule is It is good to be always zealous in a good thing Gal. 4. 18. Not in fits and pangs of holiness but always â—he Ceremonial Fire was always to burn on the altar They are the choicest happy Christians in whose hearts the heavenly fire of zeal is still burning It is our wantonness we keep not close with God but after heats we cool our hearts in the worlds cold Air and are so benummed in our earthly affections and imployments as if we had never been by Heavens fire The counsel to wanton Sardis is good to us Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die Rev. 3. 2. 3. In slacking diligence How are we too often in Heavens way like Jading Steeds who though well yea high fed in the Inne yet go lazily and worse than before God hath given Heavenly Travellers sweet and full Baits how is his goodness dishonored when after Tastes how gracious he is we yield rather to spiritual slumbers then hold on our way How Nou vis proficere vis ergo deficere Ibi proficere ubi curreredesinis Bernard do those wanton Laborers disparage a good meal that slack their diligence play but work not When our industry in the Lords work abates it is good to put these spurs in our dull spirits O thou wicked and slothful servant the sad charge of the last Judgment Matth. 25. 26. The diligent hand makes rich Be not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. Shew the same diligence unto the full assurance of hope unto Not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys the end Heb. 6. 11. Abounding in the work of the Lord as knowing pious labours shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. 58. Work out your own salvation Phil. 2. 12. make thoâ—ow work of it 4. In carnal security Even sound hearts after they apprehend the sweet tastes of Gods love and the bitterness of death is past are too apt to think their mountain strong sing a false Requiem to their spirits as if they were out of the dangers of Desinunt esse perditi cum destiterint esse sâ—curi Salv. ruine committing from their loose unregenerate part in them the sins against which God threatens Hell upon the assurance they are heirs of Heaven thinking themselves secure are not safe Whereas the way of life is the way of holy Jealousie not security It is not the least of Satans wiles to suffer himself to be overcome that he may overcome As conquering Soldiers yet unsuspicious of dangers are taken Prisoners by a routed Cum certamini manifesto cedit ad hoc se viâ—tum demonstrat ut vincat ad hoc fugam simulat ut persequentem occidat Ful. gent. ad Prob. Ep. 3. Army so unjealous Christian Victors by laying by their Watch and Alarms of holy fear are suddenly surprized 'T is an imprudent conclusion because the Bird hath escaped the Foâ—vler therefore he shall ever be out of the danger of the Net and Gun-shot The heart is deceitful We are still in the Enemies Coâ—ntrey Christs Garrisons have false friends in them will open the Gates to the destroyer and while every soul hath Judas's in it to kiss and kill and betray the grace of God into the hands of enemies there is urgent need of a constant watch Fear was the Apostles watch-word to the priviledged Gentiles lest they that stand by Grace should fall by security Rom. 11. 20. Happy is he that feareth always Prov. 28. 14. We abuse spiritual injoyments when we suspect no loss Greatest Beauties Riches and Honors call for most waking eyes and strictest guard When Christ had sweet tidings from Heaven he was Gods beloved Son Matth 3. ver last he was forthwith set upon by the Devil Matth. 4. 1. If the envious vigilant Tempter seeth our private Prayers and tears of Joys hears our joyous triumphs of Gods kindness in Christ malicing such hated glory he will presently lay traps to damp our joyes defile our spirits wound our consciences and bring us to the very Suburbs of Hell Ye are partakers of Christ said Paul of the Christian Hebrews if you hold fast the beginning of your confidence stedfast unto the end Heb. 3. 14. 'T is not enough in first conversion to hold the precious Jewel Jesus Christ in the hand of Faith but there must be a constant hold-fast Is he who is among Thieves careful to hold fast the Pearl in his hand and fearful to let it goe So it should be with every prudent Christian he should fear his own lazinesse cowardize weaknesse should loose his riches 'T is the Apostles counsel to his Hebrews useful to all that think they stand and a soveraign preservative against security Let us fear lest a promise being left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it Heb. 4. 1. 5. By dallying with Temptations we pray we may not enter into temptation Gods grace is our deliverance Corruption casts us into the fire the hand of mercy plucks us out But how often do Gods foolish fearless children like ours after we have been burnt and cured we adventurously play with the same fire that scorched us and renew our pains and cries 'T is not an experimentally true spirituall Proverb That all Gods burnt children always hate the fire Even after David had sweet visits and walks with God and the refreshing joyes of his salvation he wantonly dallyed with temptations fire in the roof of his house defiled his soul with forbidden lust of strange beauty and Body too and lost spiritual for carnal delight the joy of his salvation for the pleasure of sin Grace doth not perfectly crucifie the old Man while Lust is an in-dweller it will be an inticer We may as well play with fire near Gun-powder as play with Temptations near Lust 'T is no safe dancing near Pits brinks taking fire into our bosoms welcoming temptations into our hearts The old man is too willing and too pressing to tempt us out of heavens way we need no world nor devil to drive us 'T is good counsel and singular indemnity to our soules if practised Abstain from all appearance of evil 1 Thef 5. 22. Hate the garment spotted by the flesh SECT 2. 2. EVidence of close abuse of Gods grace is Irreverence of 2 An Evidence of abuse of abuse of grace is irreverence of Gods Majesty Gods Majesty The best are too apt to wrong their nearnesse to God by forgetting their distance God is so his childrens
the stamp of the great Law-givers authority what sacrilidge is it to slight the precepts of the great God as little The spiritual wisdome from above lookes upon every command and sin as great doing no little mischiefe against the soveraignty and purity of no little God deserving no little Hell the losse of no little Heaven Servants are not their own may not presume in little offences like and dislike pick and chuse obey and rebel as they please but obey in all things Col. 3. 22. Else they do not their Masters wil but their owne Insolentissimus abusus quod placet assumere quod displicet repudiare Salv. de Gub. Dei lib. 2. What we account a most insolent abuse and badge of pride in our servants is in Gods they wrong his Soveraignty when they are fast and loose wil do and not do and are not through paced in â—epentance and Obedience It speakes our soundness in the cause of God in our faithfulnesse to the crown of Christ if we dash in peeces the Babylonish brats the little Theeves of Latrunculos primorum motuum Paris sins first motions the petty traytors of Insurrection as â—ell as the signall Rebels happy are they that in the high improvements of and honourable respects to Gods grace dare not adventure on the lest sins A little Leaven will leaven the whole lump a little sin without great mercy will ruine the whole man SECT 6. EVidence of close Abuse of Gods Grace is discontent at 6. Abuse of Gods grace appeares in discontent at Gods gracious corrections Gods gracious corrections his frowns on his children are his favours his rods love tokens Heb. 12. 6. His family discipline hath not only good instructions and liberall maintenance but wholesome chastisements he is his childrens Father and Physitian as wise to know so able and willing to cure their diseases their sins are ill humours affliction Physick themselves patients But alas hoâ— under the discipline of correction are the Lords people like delicate wantons that will not take from but give their Physitian directions this Physick is not right that were better any Affliction any Potion rather than this as if God knew not better our disease the way of cure and our strength better then our selves we are no sit choosers of our rods the cross we would exchange for might be ten times heavier when we repine at the wise allotments of our heavenly physitian make faces and spit at his wayes of healing we discover our folly and wantonnesse that Loosenesse that contracts Diseases will not bear the method and smart of cure this is the holy and humble submission of Grace Lord give power to beare and blessing to sanctifie the Crosse and keep me under it while thou pleasest Shall good children pay â—everence to their chastising parents and not Gods children to him correcting Heb. 12. 9. chusing our trouble fretting under Gods present hand as imprudent or injurious despising his corrections declares us have wanton kicking spirits we never sweetly humbly and quietly bear the healthful indignation of the Almighty till we by Faith give him the glory of the gracious wisdom and soveraignty of his corrections then be the tryal never so fierie the soul will say I shall come forth as tried Gold SECT 7. 7. EVidence of close Abuse of Gods grace is daring to doe 7 The daring to do that when the rod is off which one would not when the rod is on is a sign of the abuse of grace that when the Rod of God is off which would not be done when it is on In affliction there is powring out of prayers Isa 26. 16. Hanging down the head and heavyness of heart for sin sense of civil reverence of God a stop to carnal delights good words of Holynesse promises of better Obedience reforming appearances Saint-like deportments But it is frequent injury to the gracious chastisements of God that their Physick hath rather been a skinning over than a cure of diseases As unsound Recoveries break forth into old sores and worse relapses so the universall work of Correction betraies it self either into a neglect of Prayer or a Praying formalitie carnal Merriments Remorslesnesse of Spirit impudent Irreverence Breach of Vows loose Conversation these are great enemies to strictnesse There are not a few that have exceedingly shamed Gods School of Correction like some unbettered children under the Rod who acknowledge their sin kneel down and cry pardon and mingle the sense of their folly and smart with teares promise they will never doe so again fear and tremble at the next blowes are very humble and shew much good manners but when the smart is off the old sauciness stubborness and disorders return How hath that righteousnesse that hath light impression in the mind by affliction like the print of the Rod in the flesh soon worn out This Insinceritie is deservedly deplorable of all them that know their own hearts and finde these true charges flying in their faces Such as these that in and out of Affliction are so unlike themselves betray they are not sound in heart by their unsteadiness in Gods Covenant Psal 78. 37. Hath God in mercy not chastned us sore nor delivered us up to death and hell to cure not to kill us How dishonorable is it to the sparing chastising grace of God and perilous to our own souls when the holy manners we seemed to learn under the Rod are lost when it is taken off SECT 8. 8. EVidence of close Abuse of Gods grace is shamelesness before 8 Shamelesness before the Lord for acknowledged sins is an evidence of the abuse of grace the Lord for acknowledged sinners If grace bee not so strong as to resist sin it is so sound and ingenuous as to blush at it The Moral blush at uncivil and unvirtuous baseness speak a good moral heart And the spiritual blush at ungospel unchristian vilenesse speaks a good gracious heart O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee my God Ezra 9. 6. Yee gracious Romans are now ashamed of your fruitless sinns Rom. 6. 21. Mary Magdalen an infamous sinner but famous Saint look'd on her sinnes with tears and shame and in token of her blushing conscience stood behind Christ as ashamed her once impure eyes should behold his sacred face Luke 7. 38. Were they ashamed said God of the impudent Jews Jer. 6. 15. They could not blush they wanted the colour of grace What disgrace is it to the grace of God that persons in grace weak ones God knowes are convinced of their sinfull foolish frothy idle yea sometimes eminently wicked language of venomous Serpents lurking under the hidden leaves of filthy consciences of ugly monsters harboured in their bosomes proud vain-glorious envious malicious adulterous unrighteous oppressive Atheistical prophane abominable thoughts every day flying up and down in their souls like birds in the air and that this filthy hellish vermin crawling up and down the
of the Spirit is like the Still-born in nature There are the delineaments and proportions of a child in face hands c. but no life of a child and so no growth Where there are the professions and convictions of a Sainâ— only not the life of a Saint there is no growth How dost thou wrong the stock God hath put into thine hand when not improved Thy little increase I will not say speaks thee no Christian it doth a Dwarf in Christianity There is some great fault in nature that living Dwarfs grow not Surely there is some great fault in profession that Christian Dwarfs grow not as others do Gods Talents are not to be hidden in a Napkin He looks to Dominus suae pecuniae quaerit usuram ut intelligamus dominum donrraÌ„ suorum exercitationem postulare bonarum actionum tributum ex iis exigere Ambr. receive his own with Vsury Luke 19. 20. It was the fault God charged upon Sardis The practise and profession of godlynesse in sundry of her members was ready to die Rev. 3. 2. A Christian is a Tradesman his dealing lies in heavenly commodities God intrusts some with a large stock of Knowledge and Memory heavenly Instructions of the Word and Motions of the Spirit Visions of his Love Where he gives he expects much and takes it ill his rich Merchants in a fair estate should trifle anâ— peddle and bring him in a smaller Revenue of glory than meanly gifted but more faithfull Trustees of his Goodnesse Cum augentur dona rationes etiam crescunt donorum Greg. Mag. Will not Merchants blame their Factors if neglecting their gaining opportunities their Estate increase not How may the Lord blame the professed Factors for his name in the world if they prove negligent in heavenly proficiencies SECT 11. 11. 11 Pride and desire of preheminence is an evidence of the abuse of grace EVidence of close abuse of Gods grace is Pride and desire of Preheminence Outward and inward Riches both puff up Charge the rich of the world they be not high minded 1 Tim. 6. 19. Be not high minded Rom. 11. 20. It is the Apostles Dehortation and Caution of the Gentiles excelling the Jews in means of grace It was the Corinthians carnal wantonness their parts were abused to puffing up and vain-glory 1 Cor. 4. 6. 7. The Apostle reproved their windy puffing humour 1 Cor. 5. 2. Precedencie in gifts puffed up one against another Gravissima ironia Dicks This vanity of swelling preheminence the Apostle derided Ye are full and reign as Kings 1 Cor. 4. 8. Your common Indowments have made you happy How poysonous is our nature that envenoms the best things How doth it turn shining Excellencies in gifts and graces into prevailing Temptations to scisme and contempt of inferiour endowments yea to darken the glory of God in a lesser Starre because a greater out-shines it It is the mischief of spiritual Pride it either over-magnifies or vilifies Gods gifts It idolizeth one and debaseth another is an unjust Judge of Gods gifts It saith one Christian hath more than he hath another lesse than he hath Yea this evil comes of it that the bestower of different gifts and graces is abused Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker Prov. 17. 5. He that reproacheth the poor Christian in gifts and graces reproacheth his maker such a one he is a poor Preacher though an holy sound one will you hear him such a one prayes poorly hath poor lean braines a silly soul though a precious Saint and so is slighted a no body a common Abuse of God and grace and gracious spirits discovered by high-flown Christians whose fancy runs before their judgement The abasing of some of loâ—er stature than others is an Interpretative abuse of God The Lord rejoyceth in all his works Psal 104. 31. They are all in wisdom Psal 9. 1. He seeth they are very good as they come out of his pure creating hands Gen. 1. 31. And he hath a sweet delightful complacencie in them all But cursed spiritual Pride is all for superlatives and singularities rejoyceth and triumphs in the Arrogantia honoris pedissequa Salvian chiefest works of the Spirit Take heed if when God honoureth thee above others Pride turn not his glory into shame Arrogance saith one is the Lacquey of Honour but Humility the Preservative Hast thou Eminence suspect and tremble at Self-conceit In opere misericordiae facit cordis superbiam pullulare Fulgent ad Probam Ep. 3. Satan knoweth how to make Pride of heart grow out of works of Mercy words of Piety tears of Humility This stinking weed grows out of the best soyl 'T is good to prick this bladder by these thoughts God resists the proud Jam. 4. 6. Sets himself against them like a fierce mighty enemy in battel array He scatters the proud in the imagination of their hearts Luk. 1. 51. Wherein they deal proudly he is above them Exod. 14. 11 They are an abomination to him Prov. 16. 5. Are in the high road to destruction Prov. 16. 18. I have heard it was the confession of a proud Professor yet to seeming a peereless meek one of a very haughty spirit that the Lord suffered him to fall into wofull scandal to the reproach of his name and the Gospel to punish his Pride God gives grace to the Humble In Christ there was a Fulnesse of Grace and Eminence of Humilitie This rare shining grace is the Ornament and will be the Improvement of Grace SECT 12. 12. EVidence of close Abuse of Gods grace is declining Hardship 12. Declining hardship in the practise of Religion is an abuse of grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make it black and blew in the practise of Religion Christianity is a Warfare Christ the Captain of Salvation Every true Christian is a Souldier by profession 2 Tim. 2. 3. The spiritual as well as the civil Souldier must endure Hardship Paul a great Leader in this heavenly War was a man of sufferings * beat down his body 1 Cor. 9. 27. did bear in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus Gal. 6. 17. Grace inables to indure hardship 'T is the effeminate wantonnesse of corrupt nature if in Christian profession it can have beds of Down full Tables glorious Apparel sweet Pleasures to swim in securities from pain and losses Christ is allowed but when the Doctrine of the Cross and owning the hated truths of the Gospel brings persecution affliction call for Mortification the subtle self-preserving Old man can make a politick retreat out of dirty Lanes into the flowry Meadows and leave the hardship of flesh-curbing self-denying and pleasure-renouncing holy discipline for worldly gain and delights We can think and talk of the grace of â—â— but where is its stout masculine virtue to be found among us It is with much adoe and great regreat to suffer the exercises of Religion to injure us to Master the sensitive appetite in Fasting Watching Cold Hunger The
Reason and Practise of Philosophy hath more kept under the senses delights and demands and governed Ad fugiendas molestias in geniosa caro Marlorat passions than the grace of Christianity in many delicate Gospellers How highly dishonorable is this to Gods grace that it should doe lesse than Moral reason The sad difference lies not in the eminence of Reason and impotence of Grace but the wantonness of those persons that weakens its power oppose its counsels and commands and disgrace its glory The wisdom of the flesh is over-ingenuous to decline trouble and at every tryal of enduring hardnesse in the wayes of godlyness saith spare thy selfe consult thine ease This severe rigour is more than needs SECT 13. 13. EVidence of close Abuse of Gods grace is neglect of daily Neglect of dayly repentance is an evidence of abuse of grace Repentance The best of men renew sin every day and sin renewed guilt reneweth and the daily renewing of guilt should necessitate a sense of daily pardon and repentance But as Jezabel repented not when she had space of repentance so too many careless Christians that daily sin omit their daily serious repentance When sensualities have had too much indulgence unmortified lusts their provisions head-strong blind passions their reins and violent careers when the Spirit in rellishing creature sweetnesses hath been out of tast of heavenly things when close wickedness hath been acted when sad estrangements from God cold barren formalities have been the bane of holy duties many indecencies impieties and ingratitudes call for rent hearts broken spirits sorrowful confessions loathing detestatiousâ— and weeping eys how hath the daily discipline of repentance even by them that have the seed of repentance sown in Habeto codicem conscietiam suam scribe quotidiana peccata antequam veniat somnus reminiscere peccata tua Siquid boni fecisti gratias age siquid mali de caetero ne facias judicium facito tibimetipsi terribile Chrysost their hearts been carelesly neglected This sadly comes to pass through the want of daily registring our sin in the book of conscience and reading them over before wee sleep a sorrowfull sense of them suing out a pardon self-displasensâ—e and abhorrence and earnest begging power to repent 'T is good counsel Chrysostome gives Say O soul we have spent the day what good is done what evil is committed what good soever thou hast done give God the praise whatsoever evil do so no more Passe a terrible judgement on thy self Too many dayes have passed over Christians of strict profession without observing bewailing repenting of their sins The Sun hath often gone down upon much wrath worldlyness hypocrisie the body hath had its rest before the soul its cure of daily sins It was Pauls holy jealousâ—e of his over-loose Corinthians I fear said he lest when I come my God will humble me among you and shall bewall many that have not repented of their lasciviousness 2 Cor. 12. 21. This godly suspition is very needfull for the best of men lest those daily sinnes carnal Libertinism betrayes them to should lye upon them unpardoned and unrepented of Happy are they whose tender inlightned watchfull spirits are a constant day-book to note down and read the disorders of the heart tongue and life in Parum est semel putasse saepe putanduÌ„ est imo semper quod putari o-â— porteat si non dissimulas invenis Bern. sad convincing characters and by the hand of Faith take the blood of sprinkling as a sponge to blot them out and resent them with dayly hatred confession and godly sorrow working repentance It is otherwise with wanton lusts in the best hearts than with ranke luxuriant Vines These need not alwaies to be pruned those need not onely frequent but constant prunings of Mortifying grace Often reckoning we say makes long friends Repentance the more frequent the more easie and effectual will at once be the peace and comfort of the Spirit prevent much carnal wantonnesse shew the power of grace and fit us to live and dye CHAP. XII Containing an use of Caution THE Symptomes of this too common spiritual disease Use 4 for caution depraving the Grace of God being layd downe both in the grosse and close 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 discerning indications thereof it will next be needfull to lay down some cautions touching the grosse Abuse of Gods Grace concerning the close wronging of it and touching the differences between the injuring of Gods Grace in a Regenerate and Unregenerate person though this sin be in all it is not alike in every one This sin is in the present fruits of it more hainous and in the event more perilous to some then others The next use then will be the fourth in order Caution 1. To them who grosly 2. To them who clofely Abuse Gods Grace 1. To them who are grosse abusers of Gods Grace let them hearken to four things SECT 1. BEware that you put not off the triall of turning the Grace of Beware thou put not off the tryall of turning the gâ—ace of God into wantonnesse God into Wantonnesse too many are hardned in their apparent indignities to the Grace of God by delaying the tryall as diseased persons put off inquiry into their mortall diseases and carelesse Stewards their loose carriages their unfaithfull squandring away their Lords goods spend-thrift Tradesmen the cracle Estates yet though the open loose doctrinall and practicall enemies of Gods Grace never try themselves whether they have evidently turned the Gospel Antidotes into poyson and in open hostility opposed that Grace they seemed to own yet God tryes them every moment possibly Reader thou art the grosse profaner of Gods Grace if thou canst hardly be perswaded thou art such a notorious Libertine as indeed thou art I beseech thee take some paines with thine owne precious soul that this dreadfull stain and guilt may be purged and pardoned O that I could on my knees passionately begg it at the Throne of Grace that thou wouldst see the foule ugly countenance of thy notorious loose heart and life in the large glasse set before thee I beseech thee in the name of the Lord Jesus for Gods sake whose Grace thou hast depraved for Christs sake who so dearely bought Grace thou hast despised for the Spirits sake whose gracious motions thou hast resisted for the Gospel sake whose gracious Call thou hast refused for thy Soules sake which will infallibly be damned if thou dost not repent of thy most evident Abuse of Grace Study the eleven Sections of the tenth Chapter of this Treatise read them not over slightly mingle them fortifie them with Faith that they are reall Truths never leave questioning thy Soule Thus Soule Art not thou guilty is not this charge drawn up against thee O thou art guilty thou art guilty Art thou cast in the Court of Conscience for a wicked wanton Libertine Then further I intreat thee never leave the sad thoughts of thy
2 Cor. 7. It beats off satans insinuations to wanton Thoughts Reasonings Glances â—ffections Joseph would not hearken to his wanton Mistris Shall I commit this great wickednesse and sinne against God overcame the loose temptation Gen. 39. 9. When the flesh grows wanton as it is ever apt to doe it is good to look upon the sad monuments of Gods wrath his judgments and so to hedge up sinnes way with thornes David made this holy use of them My flesh trembleth for fear of thee and I am afraid of thy judgements Ps 119. 120. Judicia Dei â—ncutiunt salutarem pavotem Amesius They cast a saving fear on pious minds that teach to decline rainous sinnes Gods fear is like a stout faithful Porter that will not suffer the Kings Enemies to come within his Court-Like a resolute Steward that suppresseth loose misrule within his House These wanton Professors in the Text wanted the fear of God They feasted without fear v. 12 and they ungraciously abused the grace of God Till men that have banished the fear of God out of their hearts entertain it they will never mend their loose hearts and lives Christian when thou art tempted to abuse Gods grace or either in a grosse or close way Timor emendaotor Acerrimus Plinius secundus set the fear of God before thee and say with thy self The Lord seeth me now wronging his grace by praying for that grace I care not for I cannot abide to see in another by sheltering injustice under his grace by shamelesnesse in the sense of acknowledged sins by insensiblenesse of others sufferings by unimproving the talents of his gifts and graces Shall I not be afraid to wrong the grace of God in his presence Are not Kings Favorites afraid to abuse his goodnesse in his presence and good children afraid to be saucy in their Parents eyes wantonnesse and the holy fear of God are inconsistent We never are boldly irreverent but loosnesse ensues it The fear of God in the heart will not allow departure from him SECT 4. 4. HElp is the Christian watch It is a great advantage to holy 4. Christian watchfulness is a help against abuse of Grace Admodum pertinenter conjungit vigilantiam sobrietatem Musc Miles in exenbiis Saluti insidiosissime adversatur Muse Contine lingua meam intra cancellos ne effetiat verba indigna Pelican sobriety that it keeps from wantonnesse both in worldly and Spiritual things Watch and be sober 1 Thess 5. 6. Vigilance and Sobriety Drunkennesse and Sleeping are fitly joyned Tenebrarum Cives The dark Citizens of Satans Kingdom sleep in stupidity of Spirit incogitancy madnesse and security and then they are drunk with carnal Lusts Affections Delights Covetousness Pride and Passion whereas a perpetual watchful minde like a Soldier in duty would prevent that loosnesse that exposeth to the enemy The watchful adversary soon surprizeth the riotous drouzy Souldier in his Quarters and observing Satan the loose sleepy Professor The wanton Tongue needs a watch lest it vent indecent Impieties and Impurities Set a watch O Lord before my mouth keep the door of my lips Psal 141. 3. The wanton ear needs a watch lest from a diseased itch not enduring sound Doctrine it turn from the truth to fables watch against this t is Pauls counsel to Timothy 2 Tim. 4. 3 4 5. Delicate itching ears must have scratching Doctrine Prurientes aures delectantur â—benignâ sca patione Matl Significat non modo fastidium sanae doctrinae sedodium Maâ—lorat to please carnal Lusts and hereby sound truth is loathed and contemned It is the common bane of Sermons Humor not Health carries away the credit And loose Appetites are more for delicate sauce then wholsome food Not the goodness but the newnesse and finenesse of the Diet and Cook is regarded The wanton eye needs watching lest it be a Casement to let in Vanity I made a Covenant with mine eyes why then should I think upon a maid Job 31. 1. much lesse on anothers Wife to tempt to wanton lust I bridled mine eyes that it should neither Oculos froena vit ne aspicerit vel quod peccalum foret vel ad peccandum illiceret Mercerus ther behold sin nor the baits of sin The wanton heart needs watching without this inward guard the outward watch of the senses is in vain A loose heart is so ingenuous it can shape the Idaea's of wickednesse The prophane heart of a blinde man may burn in lust while the outward doors are lockt and barr'd the unguarded Chambers of the heart may be lascivious Sound Christianity is severe and difficult it alloweth no sleeping mindes in secure sinning in worldly ensnarements in injuries to the Gospel That sleep that chains up the senses must not close Debent omnes etiam pii cum dormiant oculis corde vigilare Cypr. de Orat. Dom. up the eyes of the minde The heart may be carnally and spiritually wanton when the Body sleeps ' â— is good to pray that spiritual wickedness may not act in natures sleep Noisome dreams secret impurities are the issues of Original sin and Satans injections Keep a strict watch against the filthinesse of the flesh and spirit The resolved vigilant Steward prevents much loose disorder in the Family and the resolved watchful Christian in his soul SECT 5. 5. HElp is Prayer in the Holy Chost Praying always was 5 Prayer in the Holy Ghost is a special help against the abuse of grace Oratio flagellum Diaboli Christs remedy against the wanton excesses of the world Luke 21. 36. It is good against Libertinism in the Church It casts out the unclean Spirit Matth. 17. 21. It will cast out unclean temptation Pray that you enter not into it that neither you tempt temptation nor temptation tempt you To pray wantonly or through wantonness not to pray at all is the ready way to open the door to all lasciviousness of flesh and spirit Fit it is that he perish under loose temptation that either slightly or not at all seeks for a defence our continual help in Grace No wonder we have it not when we ask it not or amiss The Apostle Jude propounded it as safe soveraign counsel to avoid the wantons in the Text But you beloved praying in the Holy Ghost c. Set Grace awork in Divine Holy Prayer Run to your strong hold Gods grace is able to keep you from the abuses of it It was Davids practice uphold me according to thy Word Psalm 119. 116. Hold me up and I shall be safe 117. I flie unto thee Psalm 143. 9. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity Psalm 119. 37. Incline not mine heart to covetousness v. 36. SECT 6. 6. HElp is walking in the Spirit a safe Direction Walk 6 Walking in the spirit is an help against the abusing of grace in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Gal. 5. 16. To be spiritually minded is life Rom. 8. ye
purified your heart by the spirit 1 Pet. 1. 22. The spirit mortifieth the deeds of the body Rom. 8. 13. Let us walk in the spirit not desirous of vain glory provoking envying one another Gal. 5. 25 26. Quantumvis se Christianum vel millies glorietur He that hath not the spirit of Christ saith one belongs not to him although he should a thousand times over glory he is a Christian Where Christ with his Spirit dwelleth there is a proof of his inhabitation the guidance of his Spirit is followed the body of sin is gradually destroyed The spirits walks are clean principles are holy motions are pure Much wantonness in Religion is entertained from the spirits allowance and is guilty of this real blasphemy as if the holy Spirit were an unclean one It is not because men live in the Spirit but because they live not that they live and speak so loosly in filthy Ranterism in odious Libertinism When the Apostle prayed that the Colossians might be filled with all spiritual Wisdom and Understanding have inlightned mindes and renewed wills and affections Col. 1. 9. his meaning was that they might walk holily and strictly not uncleanly and loosly That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all well-pleasing ver 10. not by a Popish worthinesse of Merit but by a Gospel-worthinesse of fitnesse decency and non-repugnance to Gospel-grace walking worthy a Christians call Eph. 4. 1. Worthy of God 1 Thess 2. 12. Worthy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Gospel Phil. 1. 27. All which is done by following the guidance of the spirit and not serving the lusts of the flesh which is the fruit of spiritual Wisdom and Understanding Sensual not having the spirit Jude Ep. ver 19. Will be a condemning evidence that wanton Sensualists were but pretended Spiritualists and real Carnalists The Spirits way is a way of holinesse a clean way Impure Libertines never walked in it Get in it and the dirty miry pathes of the worlds pollutions will be avoided SECT 7. 7. HElp is serious thoughts what it is to crucifie lusts The 7. Serious thoughts what it is to crucifie lusts is an help to prevent the abuse of grace not understanding of nor submitting to the crucifying work of grace is an experienced grand omission in all loose delicate Christians They choose and like onely that Religion that gives most liberty ease and life to the flesh Crucifying grace hath three irksome terrible and unpleasing severities which carnal wisdom and wantonness abhors Restraint Pain and Death 1. Restraint The Roman Malefactors that were fastned to the Crosse had not the free use of their members So when the Body of sin is Crucified its earthly Members are as it were nailed fastned to the Wood that they cannot have liberty to move as formely The Spirit never crucifieth but the flesh is nailed Carnem nostraÌ„ clavis in crucem agamus ut etiam invita sâ—iritui subjecta essecogatur to the Cross and is compelled to be subject to its dominion 2. Pain Piercing with nails Hanging bleeding on the Cross was a tormenting penalty when the Grace of God crucifieth it torments the flesh It s spiritual arms puts corruption to pain When it is vexed and afflicted it is as it should be No crucifying without pain 3. Death The kinde of death Christ died was Crucifixion He gave up the Ghost on the Crosse Crucifying grace is killing grace it at length utterly destroys this grand Malefactor the old man The same spirit of grace that is said to crucifie is also said to mortifie Rom. 8. As the Apostle Characterizeth true Christians by this They have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts Gal. 5. 24. so he exhorts Mortifie your earthly members Coloss 3. 5. For want of serious and solid pondering what the hard and rigorous work of Christian â—eligion is it gives no liberty to the flesh but nails it to the Crosse of grace puts it to pain and at length toâ—tures it to death it comes to pass that effeminate pleasant carnally joâ—und flesh-pampeing professed Christians in their indulgent wantonnesses are as far off from the severities of repentance as if they had never read nor believed Christ was crucified and that on pain of damnation the old man must be crucified also Take this wholsome counsel O loose Reader If thou wouldst repent of thy wantonnesse Be informed in and submit to the power of Crucifying grace when thou art loth to pinion and imprison thy lusts this is not to crucifie Câ—nst not endure to torment thy covetous vain-glorious malicious unclean intemperate lusts this is not to crucifie When thou doest reprieve them and deliver them as they that did Barrabas this is not to crucifie But when corruption would have a large room restrain it rather this is crucifying When thy heart is vexed and grieved to part with a dear lust it is great inward pain and smart to thee the rather smite and asslict deeply wound thy corrupt nature this is to Crucifie When it is death to thee to deny thy wisdom will and part with thy money delights carnal ease and interests yet to deny these things this is to Crucifie As Papists deal with their Crucifixes they please themselves with a painted Crucifix that have not the vertue of Christ crucified in their hearts and lives So loose Proâ—estants have a fancy Crucifix imagine their old man is crucified not a real Crucifix Their flesh is not at all crucified in their spirits and conversations SECT 8. 8. HElp is a thankful spirit It becomes the upright to be 8 A thankfull spirit is a special help to prevent the abuse of grace thankful Sincerity is the lustre and glory of every grace Hypocrisie keeps mercy returns it not uprightnesse will Can that heart be upright in it self that returns sin for grace nay makes grace to serve and lacquey to sin Do ye thus requite the Lord Oâ—â—e foolish people and unnise Deâ—â— 32. 6. Do you give him Straw for Pearls Dirt for Gold â—re â—â—â—bellions good thanks for pâ—â—dons Are sparing no â—llowanâ—es to Justs good ansâ—ers of sparing â—â—ace Is long 〈…〉 an high hand without remorse a good requital to long-suffering grace Deal you ingenuously with the despised and rejected offers of grace when at the same time you close with the offers of sin Deal you kindly with the gifting purifying sealing spirit of Grace when you turn you turn your back upon him and beâ—â—ay a spirit of pride worldlinesse and security Well doth the Apostle joyn together Unthankful and Unholy The Libertine is unthankful and unholy The â—entiles were unthankful and wantons against nature Pretended Christians are unthankful and wantons againâ—t Grace That thanks for the infinite goodnesse of God in Christ that would give up body and soul a reasonable sacrifice unto God would not dishonor the dominion of Christ and Temples of the spirit by loose wantonnesse Study and practice that of the Apostle What soever
to be licentious Oh the sad liberty the impudent old man boldly takes Where the inward discipline of a strict eye is neglected and the judgings checks and lashings of the conscience are suspended be jealous to God of the bosom traytor to thy self lest God be offended the Gospel be abused and the soul be damnified CHAP. XVII Containing an Exhortation to long for a riddance from this sin BE much in longing O Christian for a perpetual deliverance from this sin some of this leaven 4 Be much in longing for a deliverance from this sin will infect the purest mass The strictest Christian off his watch is in som things loose The pure eyes of God see every impure secret glance The inward and outward eyes are sometimes carnally or spiritually adulterous or both The purest garments in the worlds dirty Lanes are spotted When divine Light shews Gospel abusing pollutions in gracious spirits how vile how loathsome are they Then wo is me I am a man of uncleane lips the loose messengers of a filthy heart O that I were rid of this filthy body of sin The captive exile longs for his enlargement the weary traveller for his Inne the storm-scar'd sea-sick Passenger for his Harbour and the afflicted Christian under his unkindnesses to Grace for a deliverance 'T is good when the wanton flesh wrongs covenant mercies to say of a deliverance from it as Jeremiah of the Jews repentance when shall it once be Jer. 13. 27. When shall it once be that impure lusts shall never wrong the kisses of Love They that have the first fruits of the Spirit should be stil longing and groaning for their eternal holy happy harvest Pure heart-longings should be like the Harts pantings The hunting trembling creature hath an enflamed appetite after refreshing water tempted soules are or should be longing after pure communion with the blessed God Ingenuous afflicting sense of corrupting the best things the smiles the compassions the love tokens the promises of God by the loose flesh should beger doleful complaints of present pollutions and imperfections I know beleever it troubles thy precious tender spirit when thou seest thy unkindnesses to thy dearest Friend the Lord Jesus Be longing and breathing after a purer heart As Sisera's Mother said VVhy tarry the wheeles of his chariot Judg. 5. 28. So in thy devout reâ—itements say why tarry the wholly prevailing motions to heavenly perfection Oh that they were like the Chariots of Aminadab When shall I see and never asperse again the face of my dear Lord with carnal indignities Love longs for its beloved There is much grace in much and sorrowfull longing for more CHAP. XVIII Containing an Exhortation to Joy in the Hope of Glory 5. OE much upright Christian in the hope of glory 5 Be much upright in the hope of glory The Gospel eternal rewards of the next life wil be eternal security against the wrongs of grace Glory wil not admit throughout eternity the least imaginable minute of under-prizing of idle contemplating of dis-affecting precious grace it and its Author it and its Mediator it and its Messenger it and its golden Cisterns that conveighed it shall have their high account It shall have no obstructive creatures whorish lusts wily devils to wrong it It shall have no glut in its glorious exercise It s use shall be the Whetssone of use It s delight shall set a keen edge upon the Spirit still to delight in it It shall never be made an Advocate to speak for the least sinne You spiritual sonnes and daughters of Zion did the hope of Babylons Captives in the civil graves of their bondage rejoice them that they should arise and come with singing to Zion be you ever sipping through Gospel faith and hope out of the cup of everlasting consolation that though at the present you are captives of your loose flesh yet you shall with everlasting joy come to your heavenly Zion CHAP. XVIII Containing perswasive Motives to take heed that the Grace of God be not abused To stir us up to the holy practise of the forementioned Directions and Exhortations it will not I hope be impertinent to lay down some pressing Considerations that may spur our dull lazy spirits to the vigorous promoting of this great duty Exalting the Grace of God and shunning this eminent and frequent sin The wrong of his Grace These following things well digested pondered and fixed on our spirits may urge us profitably As SECT 1. 1. COnsideration The Titles given to Holy Professors in sacred Consider 1. The titles given to holy professors should excite us not to abuse Gods grace Writ should excite to use all means not to abuse Gods grace They are stiled Gods peculiar treasure Psal 135. 4. His Jewels Mal. 3. 17. Shall their worthless hearts drossie lives speak them barren commons wildernesses pebbles dunghils They are Gods Tabernacle Temple where he placeth his name Lev. 26. 11 12. and shall they that should bear it up to shine gloriously in the world darken it blaspheme it prophâ—ne it Amos 2. 7. They are the dearly beloved of his soul Jer. 12. 7. and shall their loose Apostasies provoke him that his soul should have no pleasure in them Heb. 10. 38. They are the children of the Kingdom Mat. 8. 12. and shall they carry themselves like such â—ebellious children and subjects as to provoke their angry â—â—ofessed King the Lord Jesus to cast them out They are Gods vineyard planted to bring forth sweet and ripe grapes Is 5. shall they answer Gods care and cost by the sowre grapes of ungodliness and unrighteousness They are a royal Priesthood and shall they live base abject lives 1 Pet. 2. 9. They are stiled the kingdom of Heaven Mal. 13. 47. whose conversation should be in heaven Phil. 3. 20. and shall they be worldlings in heart and life They are Christs garden Can. 8. 13. shal they be overrun with rank weeds They are The Spouse of Christ Can. 4. 11. and after Espousals to him shal they run a whoring from him Ps 73. 27. and cleave to strange loves They are Labourers Mat. 20. 1. And shal they stand idle all the day of grace Mat. 20 6. They are Christians Act. 11. 26. And shal they dishonour Christ And the Christian Name by unchristian principles and practises Sâ—CT 2. 2. COnsideration The honour of Christian Liberty civil freemen 2. The Consideration of Christian Liberty should prevent the Abuse of grace are chary of their Liberties spirituall ones must be and make their dear bought Liberty a plea to duty not a cloake of maliciousnesse being fâ—ee from the guilt and reign of sin they are De Juâ—e the servants of Righteousnesse Rom. 6. 18. â—nd as the pâ—ofessed servants of Righteousnesse they are free from the dominion of sin They are Christs freemen to do Gods worke and seâ—ve him not their Lusts under Christs Livery what honour hath liberty from the curse rigor damnation of the Law as a