it so fully that thou maist with reverence attention feeling and desire go out to God for necessarie materials to furnish thee in all briefer or larger supplications Which that thou maist do go along with me and tell me 38. Q. What is the enterance into this prayer A. Our Father which art in heaven Here thou doest bespeak God with an humble salutation As when thou hast any suit to a great man thou doest humbly salute him with his fit titles so here when thou hast many suits to thy God Christ learns thee to salute him with a title fit for prayer For God is here described by his goodnesse and by his greatnesse He that is good and great too will be as well willing as able to help thee The title of his goodnesse is Our Father Thou canst not spare either of these words Father is a title of immutability and of excellent love A father offended is a father still a prodigall son is a son still A man may be a friend to day and an enemy to morrow but a Father to day is a father so long as he is What will not a father do for his childe by indulgence compassion and bounty This then is a word of faith to hold up thy hands in prayer Our is a word of love to keep thee in Christian charity It includes thy selfe charity begins at home It includes also all that are or may be in communion and fellowship for life charity looks abroad to the salvation of all Christs body The title of his Greatnesse is which art in Heaven He is here and there and every where yet must thou look upon him in prayer as being in heaven This will keep thee from sawcinesse He is Our Father because thou shouldest not faint He is in heaven because thou shouldest not presume This will raise up thy affections in prayer above all the world Earthly fathers are mutable in affection may fail and want power to their hearts but no father like this father which is in heaven This will keep thy heart in tune to pitch upon chief things in prayer Eph. 1.3 spirituall blessings in heavenly things other moveables are for the sonnes of Keturah but these for Gods Isaacs This also will prepare thee to pray with all devotion Which art in Heaven are words of devotion for it tels thee that prayer is the work of Eagles that look against the Sun and not the work of Moles that dig in the earth and therefore thou must clarifie thy sight to converse with thy father in heaven when thou prayest and then as it was with Christ when he prayed Luk. 9.29 the fashion of his countenance was altered and his rayment was white and glistering so he will transforme thee from Glory to Glory till thou come unto his full image as thou art capable Vse Now my dear childe make the right use of this preface Let it raise up thy faith because thou prayest to thy Father kindle thy charity because thou goest out after the good of others and blow up thy devotion because thou forgettest the earth and conversest with thy father which is in heaven Use it as a means to prepare thee to prayer by answering of it by the spirit of adoption to cry Abba father by the spirit of charity to make thee lift up pure hands to God without wrath to men and by the spirit of devotion to seek heavenly things and earthly in an heavenly way Lastly be sure to use it aright by excluding no person in Trinitie when thou prayest by excluding all creatures when thou prayest by conceiving God aright in prayer as a Father in Christ who being in heaven can showre down upon his inheritance all fruitfull blessings and by learning never to pray to God without due preparation 39. Q. What is the first petition A. Hallowed be thy Name Here thou prayest for the chiefe end of thy creation What is prayed for in the first Petition and all blessings upon thy selfe and others By the Name of God thou must understand God himselfe any wayes made known unto thee Name is taken for person as Esay hath it Esa 26.8 The desire of our souls is unto thy name and when God is made known by his nature word worship or works of creation or providence this is his name By hallowing of Gods name thou must understand the manifesting of God to be as he is in himselfe high and excellent Thou canst not doe it by separation and application of Gods name to holy uses as thou doest the Lords day and the Sacraments but thou mayst doe it by declaration of what God is in his worke in thee and in thy worship and service of him to life Now Gods name cannot suffer from God himself Angels and Saints in heaven though they will and must glorifie him but from thee and us poor sinfull men women and children And we hallow his name when we challenge it from Ignorance by knowledge and acknowledgement from oblivion by the remembrance of thee from contempt by confession praise and swearing by his name in truth holinesse and righteousnesse And from prophanation by blasphemy in tongue or life or any other prophanation of his Justice mercy goodnesse truth or the like Use Therefore my good child take diligent care of this petition Thou knowest that Gods name is holy and Reverend that none can hallow it but the holy for praise is not comely in the mouth of a foole Thou knowest that God is thy Father and it is a debt of charitie to honour thy father Thou knowest that all the servants of God when they see Gods name advanced will know him and trust in him Seeing therefore thou hast so many tyes strive with God in prayer that thou mayst do this work Pro. 18.10 Gods name is a strong towre and our help stands in the name of the Lord our God Thou seest how little Gods name is sanctified God passeth by and we know him not Thou seest how the wicked prophane it and knowest that God will honour them that honour him Therefore be thou sure to ayme at the hallowing of Gods name If the Devill should stand up in Judgement against thee and plead Great God thou hast done wonderfull works for this thy creature and yet he doth dishonour thee in thought word and deed I have done nothing but sought his ruine and burning in the pit of hell and yet he serveth me deedily what wouldst thou answer for thy self wouldst not thou be speechlesse Take heed If any work be wrought if it be wrought basely and bunglingly he that wrought it hath no credit by it If it be wrought curiously every man that passeth by takes notice of it and praiseth the workman This is thy case Thou art the workmanship of God If thou shew thy selfe forth like Gods workmanship and live to his honour thou doest hallow Gods name but if thou live wickedly as if the devill made thee thou doest not
Psal 139.12 13. and hidden lusts A man that made a work can easily espie the least fault that another makes in it so God can see all the disorders that Satan and thy wicked heart hath wrought in thee and this must make thee walke in feare of offending such a God and with a resolution to doe all things to the honour of him that made thee Every man that makes a thing doth desire to have the comfort and credit of it much more doth God who made man for himselfe Prov. 16.4 as well as all things else Vse Therefore Whether thou eate or drink 1 Cor. 10.31 or what ever thou doe doe all to the glory of thy God Doe to his glory in thought word and deed do to his glory in disposing thy selfe in all the occurrences of this life Thou mayst make other comfortable reflexions upon thy soule from this point if thou weigh the Texts in the margine Psal 149.2 Psal 119.73 Psal 100.1 2 3. Job 30.13.15 but I leave them to thy own meditations as God shall quicken thy heart with a love to the good word of God Tell me next 2. Q. Who Redeemed thee A. Jesus Christ Mark my good child Christ Redeemed us 1 Tim. 2.6 It is Christ that gave himselfe a ransome for us even the ransome of his blood by which he hath redeemed us out of all the world Apoc. 5.9 To redeeme is to buy thee again when thou wert lost in thy enemies hands Thou wert lost by the sinne of Adam As thou seest when a Carp is taken by a Fishers hooke or net and dieth thousands of spawnes in his belly are caught and die with him so was it with thee and all mankind We were all in that one man in his first transgression Therefore Blessed Paul saith Rom. 5.12 14. By one man sinne entered into the world and death by sinne and passed upon all men even over those that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression for that all have sinned When thou wast in this cursed condition with all mankind Christ came and bought thee again Joh. 10.11 by laying down his life for thee Vse Remember this and make such use of it as Paul would have the Corinthians Ye are not your own 1 Cor. 6.19 20. for ye are bought with a prize therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirits which are Gods If you buy any thing you expect the comfort of it whether it be for the health of your body or of your soule Thinke but the same of Christ and you will be willing to live to him that died for you 2 Cor. 5.15 and rose again Tell me next 3. Q. Who sanctified thee A. The holy Ghost Mark here The holy Ghost doth sanctifie us If I should aske thee What it is to be sanctified it is to be made holy But when I aske thee who sanctified thee it is to make thee holy and this is the worke of the holy Ghost Therefore Paul telles the Corinthians when they were changed in their state That they were sanctified by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6.11 Now the holy Ghost doth sanctifie thee by taking away of sinne and giving of grace As if thou wert to give entertainment to a great and good friend thou wouldst first sweep out the dust and brush down the cobwebs and then lay out thy carpets cushions and other ornaments so the holy Ghost takes the besome of destruction the hammer Jer. 23.29 and fire of the word and sweeps out thy raigning sinnes by Repentance and the spirit of Judgement Esa 4.4 Gal. 5.22 23. Eph. 3.17 1 Cor. 3.16 and then brings in the graces of the Spirit to make thee an holy Temple for Christ to dwell in by faith All this the holy Ghost works by the Word Sacraments and Prayer By the Word for Christ prayeth Joh. 17.17 Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth By the Sacraments for Paul saith Eph. 5.26 That he sanctifies and cleanseth his Church with the washing of water by the word and that We being many are one bread and one body 1 Cor. 10.17 for we are all made partakers of one bread Implying that in the Lords Supper we are sealed up into the body of Christ and we cannot be properly without holinesse By Prayer for Christ saith that if we aske the Father he will give us his spirit Vse Therefore my deare child ply the holy Ghost in this way wherein thou art sanctified and shalt encrease it more and more 2 Cor. 7.1 till thou grow to or perfect thy holinesse in the feare of the Lord. If there were but one Mart or Market where all necessary commodities were to be had thou wouldst ply that upon all urgent occasions so must thou deale with the Word Sacraments and Prayer if thou wouldst have the holy Ghost shine upon thee in the beautie of holinesse Tell me next because thou namest the Father the Sonne and Holy Ghost even these three 4. Q. How many Gods are there A. There are three persons and to us Christians but one God Goe to Jordan and thou shalt see the heavens opened There are three persons Matth. 3.16 17. whence the Father sent a voice from heaven the Sonne baptized and the Holy Ghost descending like a Dove to make up three persons Reflect upon thy own Baptisme and thou shalt behold thy admittance into the Church in the name of the Father Matth. 28.19 and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost to make up three persons again Consider our witnesses and thou shalt finde that we have three that beare record in heaven the Father the Word 1 Joh. 5.7 and the Holy Ghost and that these three are one For though there are three names or persons in the Godhead Yet is there but one God 1 Cor. 8.5 6. and though there be many that are called Gods and Lords yet to us Christians there is but one God This heavenly mystery may be shadowed unto thee a little in a fiered coale There is the substance of the coale the light of the coale and the heat of the coale and yet but one fiered coale So soone as ever the coale is fiered there are these three the substance of the coale the light and heat of it So in the same Divine Essence though in a more transcendent way is there the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost Yea it may be shadowed in thy selfe So soone as ever thou art borne into this world thou art a creature to God a childe to thy Parents and a subject to thy King and yet art thou but one So so soone as ever as God is that is from all eternitie he is Father Sonne and holy Ghost and yet but one God Vse This will help thee mightily in cleaving to the Scriptures and in all thy devout prayers to God Art thou tempted to question the truth of
the husband hath his wife Prov. 2. and the wife hath her husband by vertue of the Covenant of God by which they are made one flesh So mayst thou have God by Covenant when thou cleavest unto him by knowledge faith feare love confidence worship and the like Use Be thou sure my good child to have the true God onely to be thy God thus When thou knowest not God and doest not beleeve love and feare him nor put thy trust and confidence in him that thou mayst enjoy him and use him as thine thou hast him not no nor thou doest not give him these graces alone Thou hast there articles of the Covenant for him alone and for other things and persons under him and for his honour onely 10. Q. What is the second Commandement A. Exod. 20.4 5 6. Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any graven Image nor any likenesse of things that are in heaven above nor in the earth beneath nor in the waters under the earth thou shalt not bowe down to them nor worship them For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God visiting the iniquitie of the Fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me and shewing mercy to thousands of them that love me and keep my commandements Here God requires the worshipping of God with his own outward worship What God requires in the second commandement God sees the vaine wickednesses of Idolaters Because they are carnall they must have carnall helps of their own inventions Hence is it because they have not bodily communion with their gods they ordinarily see them not heare them not feele them not therefore they set up their Images likenesses and similitudes they doe honour and worship to them in the place of their gods they adorn them they cense to them they kneele bowe courtesie and pray to them they think that there is a religious and divine power and presence in them to be a chariot of their devotions and to convey the Influences of their hearts and words to their patrons their great gods But God will not be worshipped in this carnall way Deut. 4.15 16 17 18. He manifested no similitude on the day that the Lord spake out of the midst of the fire lest we should corrupt our selves and make a graven Image the similitude of any figure the likenesse of male or female God is a consuming fire Deut. 4.24 and a Jealous God and will have none of his worship conveyed to any devises of man or by them to him but he will have his own worship by an acknowledgement of such divine excellencies as are in him in the way and by the means that he hath appointed that is by the Word Sacraments and Prayer Vse Therefore my child look upon all Idolaters so as to hate their abominable course Doe not thinke to please God by devices of thine owne or others Imagine not that Images or Idols either graven or carved or painted can carry thy worship to those Gods or divine things or Persons whom they represent Bestow not thy divine respects upon any thing or person but God alone Frame not any will-worship thy selfe for the true and good God But as thou learnest out of the word the worship to give him all manner of prayers and prayses to heare his word to receive his Sacraments and to offer up any spirituall sacrifices so doe that thou provoke not God to jealousie and so to hate thee and to plague thine before thy face to thy confounding discomfort 11. Q. What is the third Commandement A. Exod. 20.7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine for the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine Here God requires the worshipping of him in his owne manner What God requires in the third Commandement so as it may not be in vaine If it be not done as he would have it as good never a whit as not done as he would have it The name of God is God himselfe any wayes made knowne unto thee Thou art knowne by thy name and God hath a name whereby he is or may be made known to all mankind to wit his works his word his titles his attributes his religion his worship this is his name To take it signifies to take it up or to challenge it from contempt and blasphemy so as God may not be dishonoured by thine or others use of it To take it in vaine is to use it to no end to a fruitlesse end or to a wicked end as when thou usest the names titles and attributes of God to tosse them like Tennice balls to no use but as fruitlesse imbellishments of thy speech when thou usest them in asseverations and oathes to belch out the passions and bitternesse of thy heart to or against others and when thou usest them in word or actions to vent the malice or hypocrisie in thy heart Vse Take heed of doing thus my child Thou art a Christian and wouldest be accounted godly and so thou takest up Gods name Do it so as God and his people may not be ashamed to acknowledge thee for such Thou sometimes takest up the name of God in thy mouth doe it with all reverence When thou swearest doe it when thou art justly called unto it Joh. 7. Heb. 6. Jer. 4.2 to cleare the innocency or to end strife among men in truth in righteousnesse and in judgement When thou prayest hearest vowest or receivest the Sacraments doe them as sincerely desiring to draw thy self into communion with God in Christ If thou doe not though men are found to be carefull for preserving of their owne names more then Gods yet God tenderly respects his owne name and will account thee guilty and bind thee over to be plagued in this world and for ever 12. Q. What is the fourth Commandement A. Exod. 20.8 9 10 11. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day Six dayes shalt thou labour and doe all thy work But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God In it thou shalt not doe any worke thou nor thy sonne nor thy daughter thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant nor thy cattell nor thy stranger that is within thy gates For in six dayes the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it Here God requires the worshipping of God by his owne meanes upon that time which is appointed It is said What God requires in the fourth Commandement That the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it which thou must not conceive to be an idle repetition of words of the same value in so short a summe and therefore compare other Scriptures and the sense will be cleare and distinct unto Esau cries out to Jacob Gen. 27. Blesse me even me also my father and then Jacob gave him a
must seek the things that are above above sin grace above the world the church above earth heaven Rom. 8.1 but I am by faith grafted into the similitude of his resurrection He that is in Christ hath no condemnation which shall touch him but I am in Christ by faith because I live not after the flesh but after the spirit This faith can do wonders pacifie God with the bloud of Christ shed above a thousand six hundred years ago purifie thy heart open the windowes of heaven and triumph over death and hel Rest not therfore before thou finde it in thy soul and if thou canst not finde rest unto thy soul with the resting of a strong man yet comfort thy heart that thou doest it with the resting of a childe and labour in the use of Gods means and by experience of his love to encrease it more and more Now look back a little and let me see what thou hast profited Q. How many natures had Christ A. Two he was God and man Q. Why was he a man A. Because man had sinned and man must give satisfaction Q. Why was he a God A. Because by his sufferings he might bring in the righteousnesse which is of God Q. What use did he make of his humane nature A. To dye for my sinnes Q. What use did he make of his divine nature A. To rise again for my justification Q. Can the rising of Christ justifie thee A. Yes by certifying me that my surety hath payed all my debts Q. But who shall have the benefit of Christs death A. Those only who have a lively faith Q. Why so A. Because faith onely is the eye foot hand and mouth of the soul for enjoying of Christ Q. What then is this faith A. A resting of my soul upon Christ for salvation Q. Why must thou rest upon Christ for salvation A. Because he is Gods ordinance to keep me out of hell Thus have I led thee along my child from thy creation to thy misery and frō thy misery to thy deliverance When thou wast made thou sinnedst against thy creation when thou hadst sinned thou layest under the curse when thou layst thus miserable Christ came to save thee he came to save in the fine only beleevers and thou hast now heard what this faith is But now thou maist say Joh. 4. the well is deep and there is no body to draw I cannot tell how to reach this faith therefore tell me 27. Q. How must this faith be wrought in thee A. The Holy Ghost must work it in my heart by the preaching of the Gospel In this thou saist right also Faith is one of the fruits of the spirit Gal. 5.22 and it was the Lord Act. 16.14 who opened the heart of Lydia and made her attend to the preaching of Paul Joh. 6.44 and drawes us unto Christ and that he doth it by the preaching of the Gospell may appear to thee in what Paul saith to the Romans and to the Galathians Rom. 10.14 15. To the first he saith they cannot beleeve in him of whom they have not heard and they cannot hear without a preacher and they cannot preach now unlesse they be sent to preach the glad tydings of good things Gal. 3.2 Act. 11.14 To the second he saith that they received the spirit of the hearing of faith Hence Peter tels that God gave him a Commission to tell Cornelius words that is to preach the Gospel whereby he and his wife should be saved It is not man that can work in thy heart were he as an Angel from heaven He may tell thee the whole history of the Gospel and all the promises of salvation by Christ and thou wilt be never the nearer to powerfull believing But if the holy Ghost bring home the word of Christ to the soul he will write it there Heb. 8. and so seal it home that he will make an impression of faith upon thy soul And in truth it must be the holy Ghost that must do it For Faith is an infinite comfort against an infinite horrour of sinne Nothing should deeper wound thee then sinne and thy sins in respect of thy self are infinite in guilt and number Who can comfort against this but an infinite God who can rebuke thy unbeleeving heart Besides will it not seem contrary to thy reason that thou shouldest be made wise by another mans wisdome righteous 1 Cor. 1.30 by another mans righteousnesse holy by another mans sanctification and persevering by another mans full redemption But let the holy Ghost bring the Word to thy heart and convince thee that Christ was thy surety and so one person with thee doing and suffering in thy room and for thee then wilt thou beleeve that Christ is not another person but one with thee and so his riches are thine Agaiu thou saist that the Holy Ghost works faith in thy heart Rō 10.10 for with the heart man beleeveth unto righteousnesse This must put a difference betwixt the faith in the head and faith in the heart Wicked men and devils have the faith in the head where they know and assent to the truth of the Gospel and they are said to tremble Jam. 2. because they have no share and part in it But good people onely have faith in the heart whereby they savingly rest upon Christ as a wife upon an husband for protection provision and pleading their cause even to their perfection in the body of Christ Vse Therefore my childe depend not upon thy own strength nor upon the wisdome of flesh and bloud for the attaining of this faith neither think it an easie worke as they do that lay the weight of their salvation upon an easie possibility of believing at their latter end but submit thy self to the holy Ghost Eph. 3. who onely can strengthen thee in the inner man and work Jesus Christ to dwell in thy heart by faith This will argue a goodnesse in thy soul if when thou comest to hear the Gospel preached and so often as thou doest it then pray to God for Christs sake that the spirit of God may accompany the word according to his covenant Esa 59.21 to work faith in thy heart that Christ may be one with thee and thou with Christ And because thou maist have a faith in the head by connexion and not a faith of the heart by true conversion unto Jesus Christ pray also that by the word thou maist not onely submit to the truth of the Gospel but receive it into thy soul so as thou maist be changed into the image of Christ thy husband and be called a true Christian I remember I have read of one in the primitive Church who being examined what he was he answered a Christian What is thy name he answered Christian What is thy profession he answered Christian What life leadest thou he answered Christian What are thy thoughts words and deeds he still answered
be thus with thee let thy soul comfort it self that thou doest take the body and bloud of Christ Next 1 Joh. 1.6 7. thou shalt know it by thy course in this world For saith John If we walk not in darknesse then we have fellowship with Christ and the bloud of Jesus Christ the righteous cleanseth us from all sinne Therefore if thou doest not walk in the darknesse of sinne and errour but labourest to know and do Christs will then thou takest and receivest the body and bloud of Christ Thus I have shewed thee the numbe◠names and benefits of the two Sacraments 1 Cor. 11.29 But now because they that eat and drink the Lords Supper unworthily do eat and drink judgement to themselves therefore tell me 33. Q. How must thou reverently prepare thy self to receive this Sacrament A. I must examine my self whether I have desire repentance faith thankfulnesse and charity fit for the Sacrament Mark here Preparation to the Lords Supper God requires not any actuall preparation of thine before thou comest to Baptisme in thy Infancie If thou wert converted or convinced from Heathenisme Judaisme or Turcisme unto Christianity then must thou be prepared at least with a profession of actuall faith as Simon Magus Act. 8. Act. 10. Matth. 3. Matth. 28. Mar. 16. Act. 2. and thus thou must understand all those places of Scripture which set down confession of sinne or teaching or beleeving before Baptism But now thou art born in a Christian Church of Christian parents at least in outward covenant with God and art rightly baptized in thy Infancie and God requires no such preparation He looks upon his own covenant and promise which concerns not onely the Jew◠and their children Act. 2.38.39 but all that are afarre off even so many as the Lord our God shall call to the profession of Christianity and he looks to our parents professing Christianity as to the Jews former profession of Judaisme but he looks not upon thy personall preparation further then he disposeth thee himself either by sowing seeds of faith in thy soul which may sprout forth afterwards or by calling thee a beleever by vertue of his covenant with thee Matth. 18.6 Mar. 9.42 Yet when thou comest to the Lords Supper God doth require an actuall preparation This preparation thou saist must be by examination Preparation must be by examination 1 Cor. 11.28 Thou saist thou must examine thy self This Paul enjoyned the Corinthians to redresse the wicked abuses which had crept into the Lords Supper and this is as necessary for thee Thou wilt finde thy heart mainly apt to judge too well of thy self yea there is many a trayterous sinne in thy bosome which steals thy heart from thee and spoils thy fellowship with Christ Besides this thou lookest for comfort when thou comest to the Sacrament and all thy comfort depends upon thy disposition before hand As it is with a tree if it be well rooted the rain fals and the Sun shines upon it and the more it growes and flourisheth but if it be plucked up by the roots the more the rain fals and the Sun shines upon it the more it rots So is it with thy body and soul if thou art well stated in Grace the more Christ in the Sacrament shines upon thee the more thou flourishest but if thou be dead at heart and plucked up by the roots the more he shines upon thee the more thou rottest and perishest This examining thy self is asking thy soul questions What examinationis Thou lookest into the Word and searchest for qualifications which God requires to make Christians fit communicants Thou doest in the presence of God apply them to thy soul that thou maist passe censure accordingly and therefore that this work may be done thoroughly thou settest some time apart for this work that so thou maist rise or fall to thy self Psal 4.4 David said to Sauls Courtiers commune with your own hearts upon your beds and be 〈◊〉 that is when you have set your selves apart from all the businesses of the world and be quiet then talk with your souls And David himself when he found turmoil in his soul cals his soul to a reckoning Psal 42 43. why art thou so heavy O my soul Why art thou so disquieted within me So must thou before thou come to the Lords Supper As if thou should'st say O my soul now thou should'st go to the Supper of the great King Matth. 22. If thou go without thy wedding garment thou wilt be convinced made speechlesse and hear at last that fearfull sentence binde him hand and foot and cast him into utter darknesse where there shall be everlasting weeping wayling and gnashing of teeth tell me therefore art thou fit to go to it Hast thou such qualifications as Christs requires Try my soul look unto the word see what it sayes of this businesse apply it impartially to thy self that thou maist be humbled or cheerful according to severall states c. But about what must thou examine thy soul Thou tellest me that thou must do it about Desire Repentance Faith Desire Thankfulnesse and Charity fit for the Sacrament First thou must examine the fitnesse of thy desire Luk. 22.15 As Christ said with desire have I desired to eat the Passeover with you so must thou desire to eat the Lords supper Christ doth invite such unto his feast Hoe if any man thirst let him come Esa 55.1 Joh. 7.37 Others come as unworthy guests but these have Christs hearty welcome Christs bowels are moved over such As he had compassion towards them that had continued with him Mat. 15.32 and had nothing to eat so hath he over the thirsty He fils the hungry with good things Luk. 1.33 These desires fill up the gap where other graces are wanting For 2 Cor. 8.12 if there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to what a man hath and not according to what he hath not Vse Therefore my childe before thou come to the Lords Supper get these desires fit for the Sacrament Let them not be grounded upon the commandement of superiours onely nor upon old custom nor upon the fashion and practice of others nor upon a superstitious conceit of the work wrought that that will be for thy souls health but from an humble willingnesse to renew thy Covenant with God and to have a vertuous communion with Christ Thy covenant was publikely strook with God in Baptisme but thou hast all along dealt falsely with God concerning it Therefore now thou must earnestly desire it And that thou maist do it aright thou must examine thy knowledge of God the great covenant-maker the knowledge of thy sinne the great covenant-breaker the knowledge of Christ the great covenant-founder and the knowledge of the nature and use of the Sacrament the great covenant-confirmer Thou wilt not desire any thing but according to the knowledge
Job 21.14 Rom. 6. depart from me I desire not the knowledge of thy laws I will sinne that grace may abound 1 Cor. 15. let us â— at and drink for to morrow we shall die But let it not be so with thee Let thy soul move to God against sinne by confession and suits for pardon For grace by petitions and thankesgiving yea and for all other blessings that thou maist acknowledge him the fountain of them serve God with joyfulnes and gladnes of heart for the aboundance of all things Deu. 28.47 Use Thus maist thou my childe conceive what prayer is and therefore be sure that thine be such The wicked are ready to say Job 21.15 what is the Almighty that we should serve him Eph. 6.18 And what profit should we have if we should pray unto him But let thy soul alwayes move to God with all religion against sinne and for grace 1 Thes 5.17 If thy prayers be like the golden sockets of the holy lights boyling with speculations and not like the Bowles of the Altar full of the liquor of heavenly religion they will prove but like the Aegyptian flesh-pots reeking out the hot vapours of the onyons and garleek of thy own vain heart If they be fair words of uncharitable hearts they are like Ezekiahs bloudy pots Ezek. 24.6 that boyl with the scum of rust and lust But if they be the interpreters of a broken and bleeding soul moving to God they shall be Zacharies pots Zach. 14.20 and the bowles of the Altar sending up sweet incense which shall fill the whole heart with the savour as the house was filled with the odour of Maries oynment Joh. 12.3 The moving of thy feet to the assemblies of Gods people the moving of thy body by kneeling and beating thy breast and lifting up of hands and eyes to heaven the moving of thy tongue and lips will be nothing without this moving of thy heart and soul for fellowship with God in Christ Oh let thy heart move against sinne O Lord it hath oppressed me undertake for me My sinne in Adam my sinne of nature my sins of life in thought word and deed are before thee O pardon them for Christ his sake Let thy heart move for grace O Lord I want thy preventing grace thy assisting grace thy pardoning grace thy sanctifying grace thy sealing grace thy persevering grace Oh give them for Christ from Christ or else I die and perish Let thy heart move for all blessings O Lord I have nothing but under thee from thee Thou hast given me a naturall right to meat drink and apparel health peace and libertie Oh give me the right of a childe of an heir and accept my bodie and soul as holy living and acceptable sacrifices in Jesus Christ thy Sonne in whom thou art well pleased The God of heaven enlarge thy heart and give thee by his helping spirit Rom. 8.26 27. to vent thy soul with groanes and sighes that cannot be expressed These God that searcheth the heart and knowes the minde of the spirit will understand to thy eternall peace 37. Q. Where canst thou more fully learn the matter of prayer A. In that which is commonly called the Lords prayer The Lords prayer is the matter of prayer Thy blessed Saviour made many prayers which may bee called the Lords prayers but there is one which he hath set down as a doctrinall matter of prayer Matth. 6.9 when he saith after this manner pray ye and as a formall prayer when he saith Luk. 11.2 when ye pray say Our Father which is more peculiarly called the Lords prayer This is a brief comprehension of all confessions suits for or against of all intercessions and praises This hath the best authoritie in the world the wisedome of God the Son of God the onely beloved of God who is in the bosome of the Father and so of Gods nearest Court and nearest counsell This must give the graines of weight to all thy Petitions without which they will be found too light Vse Therefore my dear childe learn to pray from this thy blessed master Joh. 3.31 Christ that is from heaven is above all earthly masters will learn thee earthly prayers but he that is from heaven will learn thee heavenly Joh. 1. He is full of grace and truth for the perfections of thy understanding and of thy will He is the way wherein all thy prayers must walk to God Joh. 16.23 To aske in his name is to ask salvation and this is to ask himself which he cannot deny To ask in his name is to use his mediation and this is the right way to the throne of grace God the Father bears singular love to him Matth. 3.17 and and the efficacie of his merits are such as if they be presented in prayer they are powerfull and prevailing Revel 8.2 as the golden Altar before the throne on which are offred the prayers of all the Saints Wouldst thou have any grace learn of Christ to pray Wouldst thou forsake any sinne learn of Christ to pray Prayer is a most important dutie Dan. 6. Daniel chose it rather then to avoid Lions and David gave himself unto prayer Other duties are for certain seasons but this must must be continually in habit or act Luk. 18.1 Thou shalt finde thy self hardly drawn to prayer Easie businesses we are easily drawn unto because they are of quick dispatch but weightie businesses stick as the flaying of an Oxe at the head Thou must have many motives to draw thee to pray Christs command Christs promise Christs example and Christs doctrine This shews the weight of this dutie and how necessary it is to learn the matter of it from thy best Master Ob. Thou must think that every good Christian hath abilitie to pray and that therefore thou needest not learn Zach. 12.10 especially considering the promise I will powr out upon them the spirit of grace and supplication Sol. But understand that there is a double power and abilitie an inward power by which the heart moves and goes out of it self after God for all good This all good Christians have from the Spirit which they vent Rom. 8.26 by groanes and sighes which cannot bee expressed an outward power by which they are able distinctly to expresse the motions of their hearts about fit matter This they have not all neither hast thou Therefore must thou be willing to learn it from this blessed summe of Christ even all things to be hoped for I tell thee that it is much abused by three sorts of persons Ignorant persons who understand it not Impenitent persons who practise it not and carelesse and superstitious persons who minde it not in sence and power but rest in the emptie repetition of the words Be thou none of these know the words and sense of it use it as a penitent beleever and possesse the matter and contents of
thee distrust or be discontent or self-confident Lastly 1 Tim. 6.9 10. thou cravest this day our daily bread that is fit and sufficient to support thy essence and being in nature and state Thou wouldst have it fit to doe thee good not a stone for bread or a scorpion for a fish Thou wouldst have it bread of necessitie not of wantonnesse And thou wouldst have it food convenient for thy nature and person Prov. 30.8 Oh the wisdome of Christ who teacheth thee in so few words to aske for so much under bread thou prayest for meat drink and cloath health peace liberty fruitfull seasons and joy of heart that thou mayst be the better able to hallow Gods name Under the word Give thou prayest God to dispose to thee an honest course of life and his blessing upon it Under the word Our thou prayest God to sanctifie thy right in things and to apply them unto thee by honest labour and prayers Under the word us wherein thou includest others thou prayest for contentment against repining at others or engrossing to thy selfe and for willingnesse that all men may have their share Under the word this day thou prayest for painfulnesse against idlenesse for frugalitie against ryot and for liberality against covetousnesse Under the word Daily bread thou prayest for supply in due season and for sufficiency both for thy nature and person Therefore my childe set thy heart aright for grounding thy prayers upon this Petition Pray it for thy self for he that is wicked to himself cannot be good to any man Pray it for thy family when thou hast one 1 Tim. 5.8 Prov. 31.15 28. Thou must not pluck out feathers from thy wings that thou canst neither flye thy self nor shelter them Pray it for the houshold of faith that they may not want bread that call upon the name of the Lord. Pray it for the Poor Joh. 31.17 18 19 20. Prov. 30.9 Rō 12.20 that they may have bread to keep them from stealing and so taking Gods name in vain Pray it for thy enemies also It is strange fire to offer thy prayers to the God of peace with any revengefull anger in them Do but think what dishonourable shifts men may be put unto if they want bread as to lye and flatter for a morsell of bread This made David play the fool before Achis and to beg his bread of churlish Nabal Think how few use the creatures aright and what worlds of gluttonies drunkennesses thefts oppressions covetousnesses do flye for vengeance on all hands Think how apt we are to bee without pietie and charitie in the use of creatures And think how comfortable it will be to enjoy every thing from Gods gift and blessing both in life and death This will make thee zealously put up this Petition both for thy self and others Give us this day our daily bread 43. Q. What is the fift Petition A. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us Here thou beginnest to beg the removing of such impediments as hinder the hallowing of Gods name What is prayed for in the fift petition There are two sorts of Impediments the first are our sinnes past Sinnes do make a separation betwixt God and thy soul and keep good things from thee They keep thee both from grace and glory and so thou canst not honour God therefore here thou doest pray against the guilt of them Forgive us our trespasses Matth. 6. By trespasses thou must understand sinnes that is all errours in thy nature and in thy life against the rule of Gods word These are called Debts Because thou canst not performe the debt of obedience to God therefore for sinne thou owest the debt of satisfaction Under this thou must conceive thy sinnes thy daily sinnes and thy sinnes of all sorts and sizes whether five hundred pence or ten thousand talents To forgive 2 Cor. 5.21 Phil. 3.9 is freely to discharge thee for the merits of Christ accounted thine by faith It is as much as let them go have not to say to them Psal 32.1 Esa 38.17 Mich. 7.19 Jer. 50.20 Cover them Cast them behinde thee throw them into the depths make them become as no sins like Daniels Lions and Pauls Viper that could not hurt or like a Debt book that is crossed To this Forgivenesse thy God leads thee by these wayes the way of procuring the way of conferring and the way of receiving 1 Joh. 1.7 It is procured for thee by the bloud and merits of Christ It is bestowed upon thee Rom. 8. 2 Sam. 12. Act. 2.38 Mat. 26.28 by God the Father pronouncing it and tendring of it unto thee in the holy use of the word of grace and the two Sacraments And for thy receiving of it first thou art made capable by a contrite Psal 50. and broken heart Next thou doest receive it by faith Rom. 3. Phil. 3. Now mark for whom thou wouldst have this forgivenesse Forgive us that is thy self and all that are in communion and fellowship with thee for a pardon Thou must include thy self Though Christ have satisfied for thee by way of remedy Esa 53.5 Mat. 18.32 yet not by way of application of it without prayer Thou must not exclude others of all sorts who stand for a pardon Psal 65.2 All flesh comes to him that heareth prayers and if it come for a pardon thou hast no authority to shut such an one out Lastly the argument by which thou cravest thy pardon is for we forgive those that trespasse against us Matth. 6.14 This is not a cause of thy forgivenesse but an argument of thy asking it from Gods promise It is true that thou canst not forgive as thou desirest that God should forgive thee in Equality so perfectly as God forgives nor in quality so purely but yet thou maist in likenesse Though thou be a drop and God be an Ocean of mercie yet a drop of water may wet as well as the whole sea though not as much so maist thou forgive as God forgives but not so perfectly Wonderfull is the wisedome of Christ in helping thee about the forgivenesse of sinnes in this Petition Consider the Procurer of thy forgivenesse thou prayest that Christs worth and merits may be made thine Consider the forgiver thou prayest that God the father would accept thee in Christ and hide thy fault and guilt Consider the setlers of forgivenesse upon thee thou prayest that the word may work a sight sense and confession of thy sinne and that the Sacraments may be means to seal and assure thy pardon Consider thy receiving of it and thou prayest that thou maist have contrition desire and faith and consider the promise of Christ and thou prayest that thou maist have true mercie in forgiving others without which thou shalt not be forgiven thy self Vse Therefore my childe ply God here Neither thou nor any body else can hallow Gods name under the
come into the Garison unespied If the Shepheard sleep the whole flock may be overgrown with flye-blowes so may thy soul with errours if conscience be drowsie and have the spirit of slumber Then cry as to Dumah Watch-man what was in the night It cannot be told because conscience slept Thus it comes to passe that we know not our errours It may be demonstrated and we may be assured that we know not our errours three ways First by our security How we may be assured that we know not our errours Jud. 18.10 If a man live carelesly as the children of Laish it is a signe he knows not of his enemies If a man come without care bemired into company it is a signe that he knowes not his foulnesse so nor we know our errours when we live as if we cared not to get to heaven or avoid hell or to purge away any impurity which is presented with us into the sight of God and man Secondly By our pride If a man do highly prize his own reall or seeming excellencies it is a certain signe that he knowes not his own wants If a man be proud of his knowledge he knowes not that what he knowes is not the thousand part of what he is ignorant of If a man be proud of his graces and begin to point at and contemne others who do not so shine certainly he knowes not that his sinnes out-weigh his graces if they were brought to the ballance of the Sanctuary Thirdly by our hard hearts The heart of Josiah melted when the Law shewed his errours and the heart of Paul was wounded and he died when the Law came and made his errours live before him Triplex circa praecordia ferrum But we have armour of proof about our hearts They do not melt dye nor are wounded with the sight of our errours therefore we know them not Use 1 Therefore I beseech you make good use of this point for information humiliation and exhortation First let it teach us not to dream of a fulfilling of the Law in this life of our selves If a man cannot know his errours surely he shall never finde his full obedience What is unknown of his errours will have such an influence upon his conscience that he will still suspect his obedience to be but a polluted clout Papists speak of a double fulfilling of the Law the first is the travellers fulfilling it 1 Viatorum 2 Comprehensorum which is while men are militant in this life this they say is to love God above all and our neighbours as our selves The second is the possessors fulfilling of it which is when men are in Glory this they say is to love God with all our heart minde will and strength But indeed we have but one rule of righteousnesse which should bee fulfilled with all our powers and when God saith Gal. 3. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them it is not spoken of glorified persons We speak of a three-fold fulfilling of the Law Inchoata Imputatae Personalis Inchoate and begun by equall and sincere obedience according to grace given Imputed by the satisfaction of our surety made ours for the Law is then fulfilled when the breach of it is satisfied And personall and perfect which Paul teacheth to be impossible because of the flesh And Rom 8.3 in truth it must needs be so for personall fulfilling cannot stand with corruption in nature and sinne in life Besides our love cannot be greater then our knowledge 2 Cor. 13. which is imperfect yea and ignorance of errours cannot stand with fulfulfilling Therefore be not you in your eyes better then you deserve think not of fulfilling the Law when you know not how many breaches you make against it Use 2 Secondly be humbled under the consideration of this point A man that knows enough to condemn him before a Judge yet he knowes not all walks weakly before a Judge he hath not the confidence of an innocent So when you know enough to cast you to the nether-most hell yet not all it ought to make you as Hezekiah to walk in the bitternesse of your soul all your life yet with due remembrance of the Lord Jesus to lift up your heads with confidence Use 3 Thirdly be exhorted to stirre up your willing mindes to look into your selves to finde those errours out Ob. I know you will say that if there be no understanding there is no hope We cannot hope after that which is impossible Sol. It is true De impossibilibus non est spes if it were impossible for you to know more errours in your selves then you know yet Hee that knowes not now may know by search and the rest will be wrapped up in a generall repentance and will finde a pardon of course There are three ways by which more may be known then now How we may know our errours the knowledge of God the knowledge of our selves and humility As to the knowledge of God you see when Job had got some sight of God more then before and had not onely heard by the hearing of the ear Job 42.5 6 but his eye had seen him he saw so many errours in himself that he abhorred himself and repented in dust and ashes Esa 6.1 And the Prophet Esay when he saw God upon the throne saw such errours in himself that he cried out wo is me I am undone Esa 6.5 because I am a man of unclean lips and dwell among such a people for my eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts Such a sight will shew us such purity as we shall see nothing but errours in our selves Set this light before your souls and then you will cry out with Paul I was a blasphemer 1 Tim. 1.13 15. a persecuter injurious yea the chief of sinners You will see all your errours cleerly enough Gehenna sum domine You will say with that blessed Martyr I am hell Lord I am hell Oh take away my hell Hei mihi quid sum vas sterquilinii concha putredinis plenus foetore Facti sumus fugitivi a cordibus nostris Hei mihi quam contrarius sum egomet mihi ego in spiritu ego in carne and give me thy heaven and with Augustine Alas wretched man what am I A very close Stoole a shovell full of dung full of stink As to the knowledge of our selves the more we see our selves in our right lineaments and proportions the more we shall say when we are asked what we see more abominations yet The truth is that we are runagates from our own hearts Whatsoever we pretend we know not our selves as we ought to do But stand at this Bar and we shall be driven to word it as he of old Alas that I am how contrary am I to my self I in the flesh and I in the spirit Now errours
the word by the preaching of his faithfull servants for if conscience be imperfectly sighted there will lurke many a secret sin which will wound at the latter end Secondly by Art when the devill useth all his skill his methods and depths to make a sinne secret to us Ordinarily he useth foure Commendation of others thus pride is commended for cleanlinesse drunkennesse for good fellowship duelling for gallantnesse of spirit and then conscience sleeps and there lies a secret sinne Custome is a second when men have long traded in it the guilt lies hid Certe quum fuit mos nec fuit culpa Thus came in the Polygamy of the Patriarchs and thus bribery extortion and common-swearing by God or faith or troth come to be hid from conscience Yea have not we done many things of custome about the Lords day the Lords worship beside in our ordinary course which upon better Information we rejoyce now to be rid of Profit is a third When a course brings in gain lulls the conscience in the glorious sight of it awhile and it falls asleep Then you may bring in profit enough and conscience takes no notice of it and thus lurks a secret sinne This makes covetousnesse to many counting gaine godlinesse to some and many lying and cousening tricks in trading to be secret sinnes seldome or never noticed to Conscience Pleasure is a fourth When thoughts words or deeds have pleasure in them conscience is soone charmed to take no notice of them and so growes a secret sinne Thus pride wantonnesses drinkings and a thousand dalliances are hid from the eyes of this worlds wantons to be sins thorough the pleasures of them and this is Satans art to make many sins secret sinnes Thirdly sinnes may be secret by the Just Judgement of God When God justly blinds the eyes of sinners that will not come to Christ that they might be saved Joh. 5. and gives them to blindnes of mind that seeing they may see Rom. 1. not perceive Of this we have three fearful examples in Scriptures The Gentiles whom God gave over to vile affections to which they Indulged without sense because they basely dishonoured God in their heathenish Idolatry The Jews who because they shut their eyes against the beames of Christs Majestie in his preaching and miracles were given up to call for his bloud upon them and upon their children This was a secret sinne to them 1 Cor. 3. for if they had known they would not have crucified the Lord of life Antichristian Christians who because they receive not the love of the truth 2 Thess 2. that they might be saved God gives them over to believe lyes that they might be without repentance damned and so all their foolish abominations and wicked Idolatries are secret sinnes to them And thus have I demonstrated this object that the best in some kind or other have secret sinnes Use Therefore this must stirre up your care to set your watches to finde out these secret ones as well as you can If you knew there were a thiefe lurking secretly in your house you would feare the danger set watches and search every corner much more must you doe it for your souls which are in danger every minute by your secret sinnes Nature is blind flye to the light of Gods word The course of the world is deceitfull walke in the path of the righteous Gods Judgement is grievous provoke him not with the love of any sinne The very thought of a secret sinne me thinks should make you watch and watch again and again Ob. You will say that you have enough sinne which you know to look unto Sol. That is true and more then enough For sinne is worse then hell and to be in sinnes hand is worse then to be in Satans for sinne onely makes him hold fast Ob. But if sinnes are secret you will say surely they are of little value Sol. But I tell thee sinnes are not valued by their secresie but by their nature and object against whom c. The smallest sinnes doe no small hurt Drops of raine are very small yet may they make great flouds A bird may be caught by one claw as well as by the whole body A boy may creep in at a window better then a man and let in the strongest thiefe that is to come in so may the smallest sinne let in the greatest Therefore I say to all watch against secret sins If you will close with me now ask Q. How you may find out a secret sin How secret sinnes may be discovered Prov. 28. I shal give you the best light I can First you may find thē out by fear Blessed is he that feareth always for such a man wil not harden his heart Fear will make a man suspect every thing that hath not sound warrant and thoroughly to examine all thoughts words deeds A man finds by the daily losse of things that a secret thiefe doth hant his house He is loth to suspect those that are approvedly known to be honest people but he will have a strict eye upon every man else and examine his busines his calling Jon. 1. his living and his expenses and so at last he wil discover him So you loose every day some strength in grace some comfort some peace some good or other You will not suspect known inclinations thoughts words or deeds which are approved by the plaine words of Scriptures But if they be other grounded upon ignorance custome profit pleasure honour suspect and try them and out will the secret sins come which must be abandoned Secondly thou maist finde them out by drawing things from trade to truth To make a trade of any sinne doth at last make a sinne secret Commit it once and it is grievous Commit it a second time and it is light Commit it a third time and it is desireable Commit it a fourth time and it is delightfull Commit it a fift time and it is defensible Commit it a sixt time and it is insensible and so it becomes a secret sinne But now draw it before the truth of Gods word and the light of it will shew the foulnesse of it and the foulnesse of it will make it questionable the questioning of it will open the guilt the guilt bindes the conscience and then except conscience be out-faced by impudency it will be secret no longer Thirdly thou maist finde them out by Repentance Let the terrours of the Almighty the love of God the bloud of Jesus Christ and the ghastly sight of death and judgement work thy guilty soul but to repent or to repent of one sinne and thou wilt finde out many secret sinnes A penny is but a little piece of silver in it self but put it into a Payle of fair water and it seems as big as a shilling So put thy least sinne into a watery and penitent soul and it will be of a vast bignesse Thou shalt see that in due
flye into all the parts of his soul and body Rom. 10. There is his royall seat for man beleeveth with the heart and thence he commands all your parts and powers Rom. 6. to be weapons of righteousnesse unto holinesse Lock him up any where else and as it fell out with the corn that was sowed in the high-way and stony ground Matth. 13. the Fowls of the ayr will pick him from you or hee will spring awhile and withdraw when he should do you most good But if you lock him up there out of your belly shall flow living waters Joh. 7.38 Joh. 4.13 14. for you shall have in you a well of water springing up into everlasting life which shall make you never to thirst after any earthly pearl or vanity Use 3 Thirdly forget not where your pearl lies There is not a Christian amongst you but will say that he and she hath this pearl Christ But surely if ye have him ye forget where he lies If he lye in the tongue alas ye spit him out at every word by your lies oathes blasphemies idle yea and wicked speeches If he lye in your hands Esa 5â— you throw him away by smiting with the fist of iniquity and all injuriousnesse If he lye in your heads you blow him out with imaginary covetousnesse pride and uncleannesse If he lye in your stomacks you vomit him up with gluttony and drunkennesse Oh remember where he lyes ye will hug him with all reverence and observance He should lye in your hearts to rule your whole man and then you will say 1 Cor. 6. shall I take the Members of Christ and make them the Members of an harlot Shall I take the head the hand the tongue the mouth the foot of Christ and make them the earthly members of pride luxury riot whoredome oppression wrong or robbery God forbid You shall lose nothing by remembring where the pearl Christ is in you yea you shall gain this that either for love of him you will not or for fear of him you dare not abuse any of your members to sinne Thus we have valued the worth of the Gospel The invincible diligence of the Merchant-man about it by the commodity which is traded for Now lastly value it by the invincible diligence of the Merchant man about it He seeks and never leaves seeking till he finde it Our pearl Christ is not found of every eye but of the seeking and searching eye Mark that he seeks Col. 3.3 and seeks till he finde Paul saith that our life is hid with Christ in God therefore every eye cannot finde him Indeed it is hid Who would have looked for life in such an out-side as Christ had In respect of state he had no form nor beauty Esa 53.2 and when we should see him there was no comelinesse that we should desire him He was a poor womans sonne Mark 6. Matth. 11. and a Carpenter he was called a wine-bibber a friend of Publicans and sinners a Samaritan Joh. 8. one that had a Divell and did his great works by Beelzebub he was accounted one not worthy to live and dealt with all accordingly even to the cursed death of the Crosse Must it not be a searching eye that must finde the pearl here Who could finde glory in his shame life in his death righteousnesse in his condemnation ransome in his captivity innocency in his slanders and wisedome in silence but the seeking Merchant-man Christ is to be found in the preaching of the Word 1 Cor. 1. for we preach Christ the wisedome of God and the power of God But look upon it and upon them that preach it and tell me what you can see In preaching you see the foolishnesse of preaching 1 Cor. 1.21 28. to them that perish especially when it comes not with excellency of speech 1 Cor. 2.1.4 and wisedome nor with the enticing words of mans wisedome but in demonstration of the spirit and of power In them that preach what can you see but at the best a treasure in earthen Vessels laden with infirmities 2 Cor. 4.7 Here none can finde Christ neither but a seeking and searching eye Such an eye can meet with all the Arm of the Lord Esa 53.1 Rom. 1.16 1 Thes 2. the power of God to salvation and the words not of men except when they are such by self-fansies but as they are indeed the words of God and so seeking they finde Christ the pearl Christ again is to be found in the Sacraments when ye go thither what do ye finde Water Bread and Wine Poor things to look upon But a seeking and a searching eye thorough these elements looks to the promises Acts 2.38 repent and be baptized in the name of Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the holy Ghosts gift and this is my body this is my bloud and so it having Christ offered in a promise doth carry away Christ by faith It is plain that had not the wise Merchant a seeking and searching eye he could never finde out the pearl Christ Therefore Good Christians be you perswaded seriously to trade for the eye-salve Apoc. 3.17 18. Christ perswades Laodicea to trade with him for this commodity Have ye not this you will be as blinde as Agar Gen. 21. who had a well of water before her and she could not see it But have you this it is no lesse then the minde of Christ 1 Cor. 2.16 or the supernaturall light of faith by the Gospel by which the soul being enlightened sees things that neither eye hath seen ear hath heard nor the heart of man is able to conceive This gives you the light of the knowledge of God 2 Cor. 4.6 in the face of Jesus Christ Ob. Oh whether must I trade for this you will say Sol. Even to Christ The depth saith it is not in me man saith it is not in me but in Christ are all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Col. 2.3 Esa 25.7 2 Cor. 3.16 He will swallow up the veil of the face and will turn the heart to the Lord that the veyl may be taken away Christ onely can do this Ob. But doth he require nothing at my hands for the setling of this eye-salve upon me Sol. Yes he requires submission to the word of Christ that may dwell richly in you in all wisdome Col. 3.16 2 Tim. 3.15 If you know the Scriptures they will perfect your sight that you may finde Christ in all his wayes Therefore as the Psalmist said of the Scriptures in his time open my eyes Psa 119.18 that I may see the wonders of thy Law so do you say of a more full Scripture now Remember the Prophet Elisha's prayer for his servant I pray thee open his eyes that he may see 2 King 6.17 so pray for thy self Lord that I may receive my sight that when I seek according to