called by God to a state of blessednesse but he was left to stand by his own strength but you are not so You are not only called by Christ but you are kept by Christ that you shall not fall from grace being once called to it Jude ver 1. Jude the servant of Christ to them that are sanctified by God the Father preserved in Christ and called Here then is your comfort that you are not called by Christ and left to your selves but you are preserv'd by Christ and called and kept in a state of grace till you shall come to glory So 1 Thes 5.24 Faithfull is he that called you who also will doe it that is bring you to that glorie which you are called unto 9. When Christ hath an intent to call a poor sinner neither their Poverty nor their impiety shal hinder the cal of Jesus Christ Not your Povertie God hath chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of a kingdome Jam. 2. Not your impiety poor Christians think Oh I am so vile and so sinful and profane that I fear Christ will not cal me Why this shall not hinder Mary Magdalen a Harlot possessed with seven Divels yet called Manasseh a blood-sucker that made the streets of Jerusalem run down with blood yet called Paul a persecuter a blasphemer a man mad with rage against the Church of God yet he obtained mercy and why that he might be an example to them that after should be called So that here is your comfort when Jesus Christ hath an intent to call you neither your Poverty nor your Impietie shall withstand his call nor turn the thoughts of his mercy from you 10. That though no man can prie into the decrees of God about election and reprobation yet if you can make good your effectual vocation you may be sure of your election and of your glorification Though no man I say can enter into the bosome of God to know his secret decrees yet if you can find upon good Scripture grounds that you are effectually called you may be sure you are eternally elected shall hereafter live in glorie Rō 8.28 Whom he predestinates them he cals whom he cals them he justifles and whom he justifies them he will glorifie And therefore comfort your hearts in these consolatorie Conclusions about effectuall calling SERMON V. 2 PET. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THe Doctrine I am yet upon in the prosecution of these words is this That Christians should put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ In the managing of which I laid down the last Lords day twenty Propositions ten in relation to wicked men not called and ten conclusions for the comfort of them that are effectually called by Jesus Christ I am now to proceed in the dispatch of six cases of conscience which I shall handle about effectual calling Three of which concern men not effectually called and three touching Believers who are called by Christ to grace here and to hopes of glory in the world to come The three first cases touching wicked men are these First Whether a wicked man be able to resist his own call Secondly What temptations doth the Devil suggest to keep a wicked man from entertaining and embracing the call of Jesus Christ Thirdly What delusions doth the Devil use to deceive Hypocrites to make them presumptuously believe that they are effectually called when they are not There are three cases more touching godly men As First Whether may a man that is effectually called be any way assured that he is so Secondly If a man may be assured then what is the reason many a godly man is not assured of his effectual calling And then Thirdly How may he come to get the assurance of his effectual calling I begin with the first about wicked men that are not called and the case is this First Whether may a wicked man a man as yet not called be able to resist and keep off his own cal And that you may understand the answer hereto I must lay down this distinction That there is a twofold calling of Christ A Significative calling and an operative calling First a Significative calling which is such a calling whereby Christ in the Ministry of the word signifies and declares what he would have men to do Now this kind of call wicked men may resist this call I say and this revealed will of God in declaring what graces he would have men act and what sins he would have men forbear Therefore we read Acts 7.5 You stiff-necked people and uncircumcised in heart and eares you have alwayes resisted the Holy Ghost meaning the Preaching of the word by the Ministry of his Apostles So Prov. 1.24 I have called and ye have refused c. But then Secondly There is an Operative calling and that is such a call whereby God doth not onely signifie to a man what he must do but with the signification of his will gives a man a power to do what he calls him to do accompanying the word with his Spirit making the heart stoop and yeeld to Jesus Christ Now this cal no man can resist Grace is irresistable and this effectual calling by the operation of the Spirit a man cannot resist All the gain-sayings of the heart and all the stoutnesse of the will it must stoop and must be brought under subjection to Jesus Christ John 6.37 All that the Father hath given me saith Christ shall come unto me They shal not be able to withstand Jesus Christ but they shal come in unto him So Isa 55.10 As the rain comes down and the snow from Heaven and returns not thither again but waters the earth to make it bring forth so shall my word be that goes out of my mouth it shall not return in vain but shall accomplish that which I intended and it shall prosper in the thing wherto I sent it As all the world cannot hinder the rain from coming down on the earth no more can any man in the world if God hath an intent to convert and call him hinder the benefit of the word from redounding upon his soul Now the answering of this case thus briefly will admit of a double Use Vse 1 First an Use of Condemnation to wicked men that have often resisted the significative call of Jesus Christ When Christ hath signified this is my will I would have you leave these courses and I would have you walk in these wayes Christ signifies his will in the Ministry of the Gospel yet let Christ signifie what he will you will do what you list this is for thy great condemnation Vse 2 Secondly The answering of this Query is for consolation to elect men who are not yet converted Dost thou belong to Gods Election Why before thou art converted thou hast a stubborn wil thou hast
in with me and cleave to me and take content and delight in me Beloved there are many that hear the word yet never go out of themselves and never close in with Christ yea but all they that heare and learne that hear and are called by hearing they all come in to Jesus Christ Wherefore all you that in hearing cannot find your hearts in love with Christ cannot find your hearts to close in with Christ and believe in Christ you have just cause to suspect your Call that your calling is not effectual 1 Cor. 1.24 The Apostle tels you there were other men counted Christ foolishnesse but to you that are called Christ is the power and wisedome of God that is you do acknowledg and you do conceive of Jesus Christ that he hath as much power as God hath in him and as much wisedome as God hath in him and you close in with Christ for that end when other men think Christ to be foolish and Christ weak men uncall'd they have low thoughts of Christ but to you that are call'd Christ is the power and wisedome of God You will have high thoughts of Jesus Christ if you are effectually called 4. That man that is effectually called he shall be inabled by the spirit of Christ to call upon God 1. Cor. 1.2 To all in Corinth called to be Saints with all that call upon the name of the Lord. There the Apostle joynes called to be Saints with this phrase to call upon God to shew that whoever is effectually called to be a Saint that man shall be inabled by the Spirit of Jesus to call upon God Psal 27.8 When thousaidest Seek my face my heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seek Hence ye read Acts 9.11 when Ananias doubted whether Paul was truely call'd or no and Jesus Christ would convince Ananias that he was truely call'd what means doth he use verse 11. do not suspect him but arise saith Christ and goe to him into the street called Straight and enquire at the house of Judas for one Saul of Tarsus for behold he prayeth If he were not call'd he would never goe to God in such a cordiall way and humble his soul before God for his by past failings and beg strength for time to come and labour to have his peace made with me Go to him for behold he prayeth and therefore all you that have not a spirit in any measure to call upon God and to powr forth your requests in a solemn prayer you have just cause of jealousie to suspect your Call 5. If you are effectually call'd God hath wrought in your souls an utter detestation and loathing of all the evils that in the former part of your lives before you calling your have committed and were guilty of Hos 14.8 Ephraim shall say what have I any more to doe with Idols The interrogation imports a vehement detestation of them and indignation against them 2 Cor. 7.11 the Apostle speaks there of repentance the same with calling when men come to have the work of grace in their hearts and this is a branch of it that godly sorrow causeth care and causeth fear and causeth indignation that is if any man be a repenting man and a converted man this conversion will cause indignation that is he will be even mad with himself and angry with himself that he should be so vile a wretch before conversion as he hath been Thus was Paul hee speaks with indignation against the sins he was guilty of before his calling I have been a persecutor I have hal'd the Saints into prison Nay saith hee I was even mad against the Church Beloved you will count your sins to be madnesse and count them to be greatly aggravated that were committed before God call'd you Anselm said to his body I 'le tame thee O unruly beast with fasting and praier We read of one that bit off his tongue in indignation that therewith he had denied Jesus Christ Another Martyr put that hand first into the fire with which he had subscribed a recantation saying Burn thou O hand that didst subscribe to that which might have made me burn both body and soul in hell And therefore you that have no loathing thoughts against past deceit and past drunkennesse and past swearing and your past evils suspect your calling You that do not abhor the thoughts of your former evils your wonted pride and wonted covetousnesse if you cannot looke with indignation against these you have great cause to suspect your call For if God have call'd you he will make you even angry with your selves that ever you have been so vile as you have been Hence it is when God speaks of Israels conversion Isa 2.20 't is said they shall cast away their idols from them they shall cast away their sins as with indignation against themselves because they have sinned And hence in the Prophesie of Ezek. 20.43 the Prophet tels them that for the evils they had done they should loath themselves in their own eyes their indignation should be so great against themselves that ever they should be so vile against God before their call So David with indignation saith after he had recovered himself and brought his heart into a repentant frame so foolish was I and ignorant Psal 73.22 Now Beloved I would here appeale unto you I will judge no man let your own consciences pass sentence upon you But let me appeal to your selves Have not many of you before these times been opposers of Religion men walking in ungodly lewd and profane courses of living haply now you are moulded into a form of Profession now you hear the Word speak well of Ministers now you cry up Government many plausible wayes and actions you can cary on but what is in your hearts Have you indignation against your past persecution and evils If not beleeve it though you go far I fear you may come short of beaven your calling is not real if you have not indignation and wrath against your former sins committed And therefore O what a sad word is this to all insensible sinners that are men that never had their hearts touch'd with remorse for any evil What a sad word is this to you that have been drunk week after week and sworn day after day and deceived hour after hour and been unclean time after time and yet all these evils never touch'd the heart Truly you have great cause to fear that God hath not yet effectually called you by Jesus Christ 6. The man that is effectually called his spirit is brought into an obediential frame to yeeld obedience to the commands of Jesus Christ if God call you by his Spirit hee will not leave you to the exorbitancies of your own wayes and will but he will bring you to a yeeldingnesse of heart to all his commands Rom. 15 6. We have received grace and Apostleship for obedience to the faith among all Nations among whom you are also the called of
thy mouth Trust to that As if he should say Let no man think to know Gods decrees by going into heaven and there searching into Gods decrees for that he cannot doe but look upon the word and there he shall finde whom God hath elected and decreed to save 1 Cor. 2.16 No man can know by looking barely upon the decree but if we compare Gods decree with his word and from the word look upon them that are elected we may easily know whether we are elected or no. Which puts me upon the third head premised How a man may be assured in his own soule that he is elected to life and salvation by God the Father SERMON XIII 2 PETER 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure IN the prosecution of this subject you may remember the last Doctrine I drew forth was this That Christians should put forth a great deale of diligence to make this sure to their soules that they are eternally elected by God the Father In the handling of which I have shewn you 1. what election is 2. That the people of God may make sure their own election though done from all eternity I come now to shew you how the people of God may be assured in their own hearts that they are eternally elected And here to compasse this knowledge or assurance of our election I doe not onely carry it so farre as the Papists doe that say you may have a perswasion which they call fides conjecturalis a conjecturall faith or hope you may be saved but will not come up so farre as the words of my Text to be sure of it Now should a man use no more then the words of the Text in that it is pressed as a command it is an argument it may be made sure to a mans own selfe For no man is bound to an impossible thing Nemo tenetur ad impossibile and in that it is a thing required to be assured of our election the Scripture would never oblige our obedience to that which is impossible in it selfe I doe not drive so farre onely but further What should an elect man doe to be certainly perswaded that he is eternally elected by God to obtain life and salvation I am now handling a doctrine to be trembled at while you are attending to it And in the resolving of this query you must take this rule that you cannot get assumnce by ascending into Gods decree but by descending into your own hearts searching them by the word whether those saving effects which God doth work in an elect person be wrought in your soules or noâ— and that is the way to come to a sure and certain knowledge of your election The knowledge of your election is not attainable by ascending into Gods decree for who hath made you his Counsellors Nor is it enjoyned you by way of Revelation That is an unsure ground and you may runne into Enthusiasme as well as perswasion about your election It is not done by Revelation neither against nor without the word What ever testimony there is if it come not from the word you may suspect it to be a delusion Now the safest way though I know much cried down for you to goe by in searching whether you are in the number of Gods elect is to search into your own hearts whether those things be wrought in you which are wrought in those whom God hath elected to life and salvation And here I shall content my selfe with the naming of six saving effects First every man that is elected sooner or latter shall be effectually called and savingly converted by the power of the word This the Apostle laies down 1 Thes 1.4 5. Knowing brethren beloved your election of God How should this be known Vers 5. For our word came not to you in word onely but in power and in the holy Ghost that is our Gospel did not come in word onely to affect your eares and rest there but our word came with power being backt with the operation of the Spirit for your conversion This work all men that are elected sooner or latter must come under to have the power of the word come with authority upon Conscience for his effectuall calling So Rom. 8.30 Whom he predestinated whom he appointed to life them he called And therefore Beloved who ever you are if you live and die without having the power of the Word to passe upon your soule for your effectuall Calling you may lay your hearts under this Conclusion that you are not elected by God to obtaine life and salvation For Whom he hath predestinated them he calls Secondly a man that is elected by God to life sooner or latter God will sanctifie him by renewing and regenerating grace And this is onely different from the former in degree for calling is sanctification begun Now when God elects a man he doth not onely begin the work of grace but he carries it on in a course of sanctification And of this you read 2 Thes 2.12 13. We are bold to give thanks to God alwaies for you beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and beliefe of the truth If God hath from the beginning chosen a man to salvation the Lord doth it through sanctification not for sanctification as the Papists say or for faith forseen but it is through it as a means whereby we are brought to salvation sanctification shall runne through your lives as water through a channel So 1 Pet. 1.2 They that are elected according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by Christ through sanctification So 2 Tim. 2.21 And therefore beloved if men live and die and have not the power of sanctifying grace upon their hearts and consciences and working in their lives doubtlesse those men are not elected because this you see clearly that at one time or other God will work this in such men Jude 4. Thirdly men elected by God to life and salvation shall sooner or latter be brought into a state of believing Acts 13.48 As many as were ordained to eternall life believed No man that is ordained to eternall life but shall be brought to a believing estate And therefore men living and dying in a state of unbeliefe are not elected Hence you read Tit. 1.1 it is called the faith of Gods elect implying that all that are elected before they die shall have faith and none shall have faith but onely they and therefore in a peculiar manner called the faith of Gods elect appropriated onely to them Fourthly That man that is elected sooner or latter before he dies God will work in his heart a speciall delight in and an intire love to the word preached This you have expressed John 8.47 He that is of God heareth Gods word therefore ye are not of God because you heare not his words To be of God that is to belong to God
the great props with which he bears up their hearts and comforts them by Then 3. he proceeds by way of Exhortation and Direction ver 5. and that is that they should give diligence to add grace to grace that they should make it their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or their main business for which they are sent into the world not only to get grace but to thrive in grace and begins with Faith because this is the foundation or mother grace And this he presseth by a double Argument First considering the benefit shall redound to them in case they perform this duty to labour to thrive in grace ver 8. If these things be in you and abound they shall make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledg of the Lord Jesus If you make it your work to grow in grace you shall never be a barren or unfruitful people but you shall be growing in grace and thriving in God still 2. From the inconvenience that would accrue in case they should neglect this work ver 9. He that lacks these things is blind and cannot see afar off that is he that lacks these graces if you do not grow in grace you will be so dim sighted you will so deaden your comforts and darken your evidences that you can have no assurance you shall be saved And then he comes in with a general Exhortation backing all this that seeing there is this good comes by adding grace to grace and seeing there wil be this evil if you do it not he brings all home by a practical inference in the words of my Text Wherefore Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure The words are not difficult though indeed they are mangled by the Papists who bring this Text to Martyrdome by their corrupt glosses I shall only give you a brief Paraphrastical Explication and so come to the Observations Wherefore That you may see the force of the connexion it is as much as if the Apostle should say thus Seeing there comes so great good by growing in grace and seeing the neglect of it doth so much hurt not only to deaden your hearts but darken your comforts that you can have no cleer and comfortable evidence for heaven Therefore give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Wherefore the rather brethren that is Brethren not in the flesh but in the faith of Christ imbracing the same faith keeping to the same head them the Apostle calls brethren Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word in the Greek is more emphatical and signifies to do a thing enough not agere but sat agere not in an overly and careless way but to do a thing with industry vigilancy and unweariedness of spirit it should not be matter of constraint but free and voluntary Give diligence And the diligence you should use is in matters of the soul Give diligence In what To make your Calling and Election sure First I must shew you what is meant by Calling then by Election and then shew you why Calling is set before Election when in order of time election is before calling 1. What is meant by Calling which that you may understand you must know there is a twofold Calling an external and an internal Calling The External Calling is that general invitation which by the preaching of the Gospel is made unto men to invite them to come in to Jesus Christ and most in the world are called by this call both good and bad 2. The Internal Calling when the Spirit of God accompanies the outward administration of the word to call a man from ignorance to knowledg and from a state of nature to a state of grace and of this Calling my Text means Make your Calling sure that is you that live under the preaching of the Gospel be sure you be called thereby Your calling and election Election is an act of God whereby from all eternity he doth purpose within himself of his own pleasure and will to bring a certain number of men unto salvation by Jesus Christ But now how can it be said We must make our calling and election sure Doth not the Foundation of God stand sure as the Apostle saith And are not the gifts and calling of God without repentance How then must we make our Election sure when all the Decrees of God stand sure Answ Beloved when it is said you must make these sure you must take it in this sense not to make them sure on Gods part for it cannot be made more sure there then it is already whom he hath elected shall be glorified But make it sure on your parts that is Labour to have a real bottom'd and grounded assurance that you are effectually called that you are elected by God in his eternal Decree to obtain life and glorie by Jesus Christ Divines therefore give this distinction Certitudo Objecti certitudo Subjecti That there is an assurance of the Object and that is sure enough for if God hath decreed you to glorie that will hold sure for ever But then there is a certitude of the Subject an assurance to the person that is elected and that is when by a reflex act of faith you have a grounded perswasion in your own brests that you are effectually called and eternally elected An assurance in your own apprehension and knowledg Lastly Why is Calling here set before Election when in order of time Election is before Calling You are called in time by the preaching of the Gospel you are elected before all time before the world Before the foundation of the world was laid he hath elected us in Christ Eph. 1.4 And if so What is the reason that Calling in my Text is put before Election Answ To this I answer Calling in order of words is placed before Election not as if it were in time before it but to shew that we can never be sure of our election till God hath effectually called us by the preaching of the Gospel and therefore Calling is set before Election Thus I have opened the things most material giving you the sense of the words The whole Verse is made up of two parts First Here is a main duty enjoyned in these words Give diligence to make your calling and election sure Secondly Here is a strong inducement to inforce you to this duty and that in the last words If you do these things you shall never fall In the Duty injoyned there are several things observable 1. The matter of the duty To make sure your election and calling 2. The manner how you must set about this duty and that is with diligence Give diligence 3. The motive to draw you to it in the word Wherefore 4. Here is the comparison between this duty and all other duties Wherefore the rather do this rather then all other things in the world And Lastly Here is that loving compellation whereby Peter would
souls that they are effectually called and eternally elected Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Now I cannot handle this Doctrine in the bulk of it but must of necessitie take it into parts and handle it piece by piece that so I may give you the strength of the whole Observation in the Application of it And seeing Calling lies in the front I shall in a few Sermons treat of that And the Point from thence will be this That Doctr. Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually Called Beloved This is a very material Point I am now upon especially in this deceitful age wherein men plunge themselves into a gulph of presumption wherein many times men take faith upon trust and Christ upon trust It is meet that you that live under the Gospel should trie your Calling by the Gospel whether it be true or no there may be an external Cal when there is no inward calling by the operation of the Spirit upon your hearts In the managing of this Point I shall shew you these three things First What Effectual Calling is Secondly Why you are required to put forth a great deal of diligence to make your Calling sure to your souls Thirdly By what Characters or Discoveries you may be assured in your own hearts that you are effectually called First What Effectual Calling is You say we must make it sure therefore what is the nature of it For answer you may take this description of it Effectual Calling is the fruit of Gods Election whereby God of his free grace works a wonderful change in the heart of an Elect person by the inward operation of the Spirit accompanying the outward Ministry of the word by vertue of which the soul is brought from under the dominion of sin and Satan into a state of grace and so made meet for the enjoyment of God in glory Now I shal not take this apart but commit it to your memorie and judgment to apprehend Only in this description there are laid down four differences to distinguish effectual Calling from that ordinary or outward Calling that wicked men have by the Ministrie of the Word As 1. Effectual Calling in the description is said to be a fruit of Gods Election but outward or general Calling is a fruit only of common providence God by an over-ruling providence sends the Gospel among a people and thereby calls them to an outward compliance and conformitie but effectual Calling is a fruit of Gods Election 2. It is said in the description that Effectual Calling it changes the heart whereby God works a wonderful change in the heart but an external Calling no way reacheth the heart only worketh some kind of civil or common alteration in the life 3. It 's said Effectual Calling is wrought by the inward operation of the Spirit accompanying the outward Ministry of the word whereas an External Call is only by the word but no inward saving work of the Spirit at all 4. It s said of Effectual Calling that it is from the dominion of sin but External Calling is only from the external acts of sin Indeed by an external calling the word may have that power over a man as to restrain and keep in the visible and external actings of sin but it no way works upon the inclination to take off the affection from sin wheras this effectual Calling works upon the heart and works to the subduing and destroying of the power of sin as well as the actings of it Secondly Why doth God require that we should put forth such great diligence in making sure that we are effectually called by the Spirit of Jesus Christ in the Gospel There are three Reasons why this should be Reas 1 First Because there are many professing the Gospel that do harbour ungrounded perswasions that they are effectually called when they are not Now if many men be deceived why may not you And if many are apt to be deceived about this matter have not you great cause to be diligent lest you are deceived also The Jewes of old they boasted of their Calling and said We have Abraham to our father but Christ confutes that If you were Abrahams children saith he you would do the works of Abraham but you seek to kill me which Abraham did not But then they go higher John 8.46 they were effectually called For God is our Father No saith Christ You are of your father the Divel Thus many men run into these gross mistakes to believe they are effectually called when they are not Many are called outwardly that are not called effectually Matth. 22.14 And therefore it concerns you not to be deceived in this great business Reas 2 Secondly Because there is this natural aptness in all of us in things that are of any value concerning the bodie you wil be sure to make sure of them It may be if you have Brass and Pewter or baser Mettals your Kitchin shal serve for that but things of greater value as Pearls and Diamonds they must be in the Closet and in a Cabinet in that Closet you wil be sure to ensure them Why how much more should you ensure this great and precious Jewel of Effectual Calling that so much concerns your immortal souls When you buy Land you will be sure your Title is good to draw up your evidences so as to be firm in Law You know Merchants if they venture a great or most part of their estate at sea where happily there may be hazard in the Voyage they will run speedily to ensure a great part of their Commodities Beloved this should you do this bodie of yours is the Ship and the Merchandize and Freight in this Ship is your souls and this Ship is going a great Voyage to Glorie Glorie is the Port whither this Ship is to come you shall meet with many dangers in your way haply with storms and tempests of temptation yea haply you may run upon the rocks of presumption or quick-sands of despair O now run to the ensuring Office what 's that why run to seek the Testimonie of Christs Spirit in your own Spirit by the word to evidence unto you upon good ground that the Ship shal be safe and the Commodities brought secure to the Haven that Ship Bodie Soul and all shal come safe to Heaven Beloved if men wil thus ensure their Estates you have much more reason to ensure your souls For believe it if you make not sure your souls if you suffer shipwrack ye are turned Bankrupts presently bankrupt to God you lose him for ever It is said of an old Usurer That when any man came to borrow money of him he would hardly trust one in twentie and being ask'd the reason Why he would do so O saith he it is good to be sure Why Beloved shal an Usurer in all his ways be so secure and so heedful in all his disbursments that he could say
you Do you look about you God will give you many a blow God will send you many a sad houre before he brings you to your peace 3. Those that have often sinn'd against Conscience that do as it were lay Conscience wast that are prodigall of sinning not caring for sinning against never so much light and never so much conviction Beloved you shall not have so easie a coming to heaven God wil first lay many stroaks upon you and draw heavie groans from you David saith By reason of thy terrors I am afraid and my bone are dried up You are subject to most horror and astonishment that do sin against Conscience Again 4. When God hath done thus made you see the aggravated nature of sin shewn you your misery by reason of sin and brought you into such a condition that you cannot tell how to be saved then 4. this is Gods Method to take you off from your own bottome beat you off from resting in duties and beat you off from dependance upon graces and beat you off from every thing in your selves This was Gods work in Paul Phil. 3.9 10. I was saith Paul Circumcised the 8th day of the stock of Israel of the Tribe of Benjamin an Hebrew of the Hebrews that is my father and mother were Hebrews what then and I was touching the Law blameless Mark he was so standing upon his own legs upon his own bottome that he thought himself a holy man a man blameless touching the Law But now saith he what things were gain to me I count loss for Christ yea doubtlesse I count all things lost that I might be found in Christ not having my own righteousnesse Here Paul before Conversion depended upon his holy living and honest dealing but now I am converted and see my folly now I desire to be found in Christ not having mine own righteousness See how God did unbottome Paul from any goodness in himself to make him rest upon Jesus Christ and this is Gods work with thee he will unbottome thee from thy self and make thee see thou canst not be thine own Saviour 5. After he hath unbottom'd thee from thy self he puts thee upon earnest longings and looking after Jesus Christ When the poor soul hath ransack'd duties and gone to this Minister and the other Minister to be satisfied and he sees duties cannot help him and prayer will not help him now he thinks I see none but Christ to lay my head upon and I see none but a Christ I must make my recourse unto And now he is so longing after Christ that if all the stones in the streets were gold and all the building of his house were diamond and all his garments bespangled with pearâ—e none of these should interrupt or stay him from running after Jesus Christ and this as I may say is Gods second work The three first may be in wicked men they may see their sin and miserie thereby and be in a maze not knowing which way to goe but these two are a form beyond the wicked they never unbottome themselves nor ever have any longings or breathings after Christ at all 6. It is Gods method after all this to make them find abundance of contentment and acquiescence in Jesus Christ that they may have occasion to say I see I have laid my help upon one that is mightie I see I have picht upon him that is both able and willing to do me good 2 Thes 2.16 hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace And now Beloved having spoken of these things how many in the Congregation have I left hehind that haply the Lord hath used none of these Methods with their souls O Lord I am not able to tell you your miserie but I intreat you take heed and do not nuzzle up your souls in Presumption and groundless Perswasions for believe it these are Gods ordinarie Methods he takes with most souls in bringing them to glorie SERMON III. 2 PET. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure HAving finisht the first part of the discoverie in relation to the Method God takes with those whom he doth effectually call I now proceed to the second way of discoverie and that is by those saving Concomitants that doe and will accompanie a soul that is effectually call'd and these saving effects I shall reduce under eight heads First A man effectually call'd by Christ he doth unfainedly love the word of God and the Minister that preached that word that God did use as an instrument of his call First I say he will love the word John 8.47 He that is of God that is he that is call'd by God heareth Gods word therefore you are not of God because you heare not his word There the Scripture tels us that they who are of God effectually called by him they heare his word with abundance of delight and abundance of joy and love So 1 John 4 5 6. He that is of God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us And therefore David when he would evidence a work of God upon his heart Psal 119.14 Thy word saith he is as great riches to me And as if he did not value riches comparable to the word vers 72. I love thy word above thousands of gold and silver Beloved if you are converted and called by Jesus Christ you will love the Word of God that was an instrument of your Call Wherfore all you that spurn against the Gospel that cannot endure to have the word come with power upon your consciences all you that are weary of Ordinances and finde no more savour in an Ordinance of God then as Job saith there is taste in the white of an egg this is an argument you are not yet called What 's the reason one man will rise early go far take pains and many times neglect his own lawfull affairs and all to enjoy the Word when another man will goe by the Church-door and haply go to a Tavern and will not go to hear the Word at all What 's the reason One is call'd by the Word and the other not one is called by the Word and therefore loves it another is not called and that makes him neglect it 2. He doth not onely love the word but the Minister that by preaching the word was an instrument of his conversion And therefore it is observable which some Divines note That of all men that we read of in Scripture there was no man did love Paul so much as Timothie For I have no man like minded saith Paul Phil. 2.22 No man that did so naturally care for him and for the Church of God as he For as a son with his father hath hee served me And what 's the reason Why Paul was the instrument of Timothy's Conversion and Timothy being a Minister and come to a great pitch in grace hee thought that of all Arguments in the world that should indear him to
Jesus Christ The Apostle did not alone receive grace for obedience but the same was among them also You receive grace for the obedience of faith So that now if you are the called of Jesus Christ the Lord hath this work upon you he doth bring you to the obedience of faith that is he doth work in your souls a yeelding frame to obey all the commands of Jesus Christ and therefore any of you that stand out with stoutnesse of heart against Jesus Christ let Christ say what he will you will do what you list let him command what he will you will do what you please you that stand out thus with gainsaying of spirit against Jesus Christ you have great cause to suspect your Call Again 7. A man effectually called by Jesus Christ he will be mis-called and reproach'd by the men of the world John 15.19 If you were of the world the world would love his own but because you are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hates you Yet do not mistake me I do not say in this Concomitant That every man that is reproach'd and mis-called is a called man but I say A man that is truly called will be mis-called by wicked men Now mis-calling or the reproaches of wicked men is a pledg of your effectual calling if you take in these qualifications First If they mis-call you meerly because you are godly and hate you because of your holinesse then it is an argument As Jesus Christ said Because I have called you out of the world therefore the world hateth you Secondly If they mis-call you when you give no occasion of offence wherefore they may justly mis-call you If you can say with David Psal 59. They mis-call me but it is neither for my wickednesse nor for my sins if they mis-call you without any ground then it is a probable argument of your effectual Calling 8. A man effectually called he makes it his endeavour to walk worthy of his calling 2 Thess 2.13 14. So. Ephes 4.1 Walk worthy of the calling wherewith you are called And thus I have briefly gone over these Eight Particulars I intreat you delude not your own hearts but bring the Word and your hearts together and trie by these Notes whether you can evidence to your own souls That you are effectually called by Jesus Christ or no. Now is this true That with all those whom God hath effectually called he doth take those Methods before spoken of and he doth work these Concomitants now named Then 1. By way of Vse Vse 1 This should be astonishment to all those that never had those Methods of God upon their souls that never had these effects within them to accompanie their Call O Beloved I wish I could fasten the nail of Terror deep into their hearts that never had any of these wrought in their souls that never loved the word nor the Ministers of it that never were brought by God out of a state of ignorance into a state of knowledg that never did close in effectually with Jesus Christ that never had indignation against the evils they did before conversion that never had their hearts brought into an obediential frame to take impression of any command that God should laie upon them how sadly should this Consideration lie upon your hearts Vse 2 2. Are you effectually called Labour to resemble him in your conversation that hath called you This Use the Apostle makes of this Doctrine 1 Pet. 1.15 As he that hath called you is holy so be you holy Resemble him that hath called you in holinesse An excellent phrase you have 1 Pet. 2.9 Shew forth saith the Apostle the praises of him that hath called you from darknesse into his marvellous light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The word is more ful in the Greek Shew forth or manifest not the praises as we read it but the vertues or the graces of him that hath called you If God hath called you and Christ hath called you you should shew forth Christs graces in your conversation that is live as Christ lived and walk as Christ walked If you say you have fellowship with Christ you ought also to walk as he walked 1 Joh. 1.6 Vse 3 3. Do nothing that may any way blemish this holy calling of yours this the Apostle presseth 2 Thes 1.11 We pray alwaies for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling So Ephes 4.1 I as a prisoner of the Lord Jesus beseech you that you walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith you are call'd Beloved If you are called take heed of any way blemishing your Call All the scandals and failings you commit laies a spot upon that holy calling of yours though indeed there is no reason to blemish a mans Profession although some should err in their practice The Apostle takes off this Gal. 5.8 This perswasion saith Paul comes not from him that hath called you As if he should say many men seeing the Galathians turn Apostates they may blame Religion and blame God that call'd them but saith the Apostle do not blame them for this perswasion of their failings comes not from him that called them your calling is not in fault but your corruptions are in fault Therefore it is an unjust accusation because some men fail to blame God and blame profession and Religion for it Vse 4 4. If God hath effectually call'd you and you can evince it to your own souls upon the discovery before heard my last Use is this that you would live in exalting and magnifying of the grace of God in your calling you are called 1 Tim. 1.9 saith the Apostle according to the purpose of his grace not according to your own works O live live in magnifying that grace that hath called you And here I might presse upon you 7 or 8 Considerations why you should live in magnifying of grace I shal name them first in general This exhortation should much sway with you if you would consider these three things 1. From what you are called 2. To what you are called and 3. For what you are called I shall put the two first together 1. The Consideration of this from what and to what you are called should much heighten your magnifying of Gods grace And here I shall name seven particulars 1. A man effectually called he is called from ignorance to knowledg 1 Pet. 2.9 You are called from darknesse into marvellous light Now should not this make you magnifie mercy that you that lay in your sins uncalled as in a dungeon of darknesse now God should call you into a lightsome and pleasurable palace thy mind was as a fair builded house without windows or if any but woodden windows that would let in no light now God hath opened these shutts and let in the Sun of righteousnesse to shine upon thy soul and brought thee from this dungeon of darknesse in thy soul and given thee the
light of his knowledge 2. You are called from a course of sin to a course of holinesse Before your calling you were the Divels Drudges and did his work at will the Divel in Pauls language to Timothy had you Captive at his pleasure but when God cals you he takes you from under the dominion and raign of sin and brings you into a course of holiness 1 Thes 4.7 You are called not unto uncleanness but unto holiness 2 Pet. 1.3 He hath called us to glory and vertue Before calling thou wert the receptacle or common shore of all filth and uncleannesse when called thou art swept with the besome of Sanctification yea beautified and adorned as a pleasant palace for thy God to delight in And this should cause you much to magnifie grace that you are brought from being the Divels drudges to be Gods freemen from being the Divels slaves to be Gods servants from being the Divels taskeman to pay thee thy wages in hell to be Gods workman for which he wil give thee thy reward in heaven 3. God cals thee from bondage to libertie In the time that thou art uncalled thou art in bondage 2 Pet. 2.19 they are the servants of Corruption c. in bondage to thy lusts and bondage to thy Passion and a slave to the world thou art in bondage under the Law under the cause and rigour and condemnation of it but now Jesus Christ if he have called thee he hath called thee to libertie Gal. 5.13 You are called to libertie only use not libertie as a Cloak to wickedness Before calling 2 Tim. 2.25 you are in Sathans snares but after calling you are set at libertie you are freed from the guilt and freed from the bondage of your sinne 4. You are called from a condition of estrangednesse into an intimate familiaritie fellowship with Jesus Christ Before calling you are Strangers from the life of grace Ephes 4.18 You are without God in the world strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel Ephes 2.12 But when God calls you he cals you from the condition of a stranger and brings you into friendship and fellowship with Jesus Christ 1 Corin. 1.9 God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son You who were without Christ before calling being called you enjoy neer familiaritie with his Son 5. You are called from Sathan unto God Acts 26.18 He hath sent forth his word among you to bring you from darknesse to light and from the power of Sathan to God Sathan who was thy lord and was thy master and ruler thou art now from under his clutches and brought under the dominion and subjection of thy God 6. When God effectually calls thee thou art brought from a state of enmitie against God to a state of amitie and reconciliation towards him and Jesus Christ and all the things of God Col. 3.15 Let the peace of God rule in your hearts for to this ye are called and be yee thankeful God hath called you to peace he hath not called you to wrath Before Calling God and thy soul were the most inveterate enemies in all the world After Calling God and thou are of enemies become the greatest friends You are called to peace therefore be thankful 7. You are called from a state of shame to a state of glory Before you are called you are vile and shameful creatures in Gods sight when God cals you he cals you into a condition of glory 1 Pet. 5.10 Who hath called us to his eternal glory and 1 Thes 2.12 Since thou wast precious in my sight and I have loved thee thou becamest honourable Isa 43. 1 Pet. 2.6 To you that believe Christ is precious or as it is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is an honour to you Jesus Christ when once you are called to a believing state he is not onely precious to you and prized of you but he is an honour to you This then you are to consider that uncalled you are in a shamefull condition no badg of honour lies upon you but when once you are called by Christ he becomes an honour to you 8. And lastly which shall be accomplished in the end you shall be called from earth to heaven and from the grave to glory this shall be your call after death Now put all these Eight together To be called from ignorance to knowledg from sin to grace from bondage to liberty from estrangement to fellowship with Jesus Christ from a state of enmitie to a state of amitie and reconciliation with God and man from shame to glorie and from earth to heaven and should not this mightily highten your joy and greaten your praises in magnifying the grace of God in your hearts Secondly Again The consideration of this As From what and To what so For what you are called should greaten your praises Now for what are you called You are called meerly according to the purpose of his owne grace neither foreseen works nor good education nor grace in you none of all these were motives in Gods brest to call you And hence you may see it was nothing in you because there were many things in us might move God not to call us We have often withstood his call we have often strangled the motions of his Spirit in our hearts we have often carried gain saying hearts to the wooings of the Ministers of Christ So that it is nothing in us but meerly his own grace that conquers our unholinesse and conquers our unwillingnesse and overcomes that stoutnesse of heart that is in us meerly the grace and goodnesse of Jesus Christ Now summ up all these together and revolve them in your hearts and you will see what great cause you have to live in magnifying of Jesus Christ SERMON IV. 2 PET. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure IN the prosecution of these words the Doctrine I drew from the first particular dutie injoyned was this That Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ In the handling of which I have gone over several particulars I now come to laie down some Propositions or Conclusions about Effectuall calling and I shall name twenty in all First Ten sad Conclusions to all those men who are not effectually called Secondly Ten consolatorie Conclusions to all those men that are effectually called by Jesus Christ and mixing Conclusions procuring terror to the wicked with such as procure comfort to the godly one tempered with the other may do good to both I begin with the first 1. The first sad Conclusion I shal lay down is this That there are many men in the world that are called outwardly by the word unto a profession of Christ that are not called effectually by the spirit to a possession of Christ My meaning is this There are many men have the word of God
working much upon them to the changing of their lives altering their course and new moulding of them into an external profession that yet notwithstanding all this never had saving grace wrought upon their hearts which is effectual calling Many are called but few are chosen saith Christ Matth. 20.16 And this is a dreadful Conclusion to all you that are professors that have not a saving work upon your hearts to you that flock unto the ministry of the word yet are not called thereby 2. That they who are called outwardly by the preaching of the word to a profession of Christ and yet not called inwardly by the spirit they shall endure greater damnation and greater torments in hell then those that never heard a word of Jesus Christ Matth. 8 12. Many shall come saith Christ from the East and from the West and shal sit down with Abraham Isaak and Jacob in the Kingdome of Heaven and what then but the children of the Kingdome shall be cast out into utter darknesse where shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth Now who are meant here by the children of the kingdome not those that have heaven prepared for them but the professing Jewes who are called the children of the kingdome because they enjoyed a greater and clearer and fuller measure of the things of God which shewed them the way to the kingdome of heaven then other men did And when Christ cals them the children of the kingdome he cals the heathen the children of the world Now many of the children of the kingdome shall be cast into utter darknesse If there be any more dismal place then other it shall be for the children of the kingdome those that have been as it were nursed up under Gods elbow by ordinances the children of the kingdome they shall have a more dismal portion and dismal room in hell then other men shall have that never enjoyed the ordinances of Jesus Christ And O what a sad word is this to you that live where ordinances do most abound that you may be called the children of the kingdome and yet you to be thrust into utter darknesse 3. That there are many men who are only called outwardly into a bare profession that do harbour and nourish presumptuous perswasions in their own hearts that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ when they never had any saving work of grace upon their hearts This I spake of some weeks agoe from John 8.41 The Jewes had strong perswasions they had Abraham for their father and when Christ beats them off from that they went higher and said we have God to our father and yet verse 44. Christ tels them they were of their Father the Divell And Beloved you may also be deceived in harbouring strong perswasions that you are called effectually when you are only call'd outwardly 4. That they that are conceited in the opinion of their own goodnesse without seeing their want and necessitie of Jesus Christ are of all sorts of people in the world most unlikely to be effectually called by Jesus Christ This I urge from Matt. 9.13 I came not saith Christ to call the righteous c. Mark who are they that is Christ came not to call the Pharisees who were righteous in their own eyes and who had a selfe conceitednesse that things went well with them and saw no need of a Mediator and Intercessor and Redeemer I came not to call the righteous Jesus Christ excludes that sort of men from being called by him men that are self opinionated and have a conceit of their own goodness without any want of Jesus Christ Wherefore all you that think you have a strong faith towards God ever since you were born that think you live honestly among your neighbours pay every man his due and therefore see no need of Christ all your daies the Lord shew you mercie you are more unlikly to be called then any men in the world Matth. 21.31 There is a parable of a man that had two sons hee bid both work in the vineyard one son said he would not work he was obstinate the other son said he would work but did not and so was worse then his word Now these two sons they are the emblem of two sorts of men within the pale of the Church some are profane and obstinate men and they answer as the first son and say they wil not work the second are professing men men that make a good profession but do not answer their profession in their practice Now marke Whether of these twain will the father accept and they said unto him the first the most obstinate that said he would not go but went Verily saith Christ so I say unto you Publicans and Harlots shall go into heaven before you Mark how Christ applies the parable from their own mouths you that are Pharisees that are righteous and honest in your own eyes I wil sooner call whores and harlots and the worst of men then I wil call you Publicans and Harlots Publicans they were the worst sort of men that were they were sitting at the receipt of custome their calling exposing them to a great deal of extortion and briberie yet these men should go to heaven before others that made a glorious profession of Jesus Christ Again 5. A fifth sad Conclusion is this That when others are effectually called before your faces and yet you remain uncalled this should greatly aggravate your sin and condemnation when I say you shall see others that live haply in the same house with you that hear in the same congregation that sit in the same seat with you when you shall hear these effectually called and you remain uncalled this shall greatly increase your sin damnation Mat. 21.32 John came to you in the way of righteousnesse and you beleeved him not that is they were not called by his Ministry what then but the Publicans and Harlots believed what then and you when you had seen it repented not afterwards that you might believe Mark how Christ argues he urges that those men that heard the same Sermons that the other men did heare they were converted saith he you see whores and harlots converted alluding to Mary Magdalen and others you see these and yet you repent not and yet you beleeve not now you see one then another and yet when you see this you repent not that you might beleeve Beloved This is a sad conclusion to you that shall see others converted when you that haply lie in the same bed sit at the same board and hear the same Sermons in the same Congregation yet they shall be converted and called and you not this will greatly increase your sin and condemnation 6. That whoever God intends effectually to call it is Gods ordinary way to call them by the Ministry of his word 2 Thes 2.13 14. It s said there that they were called through the Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth to obtain eternall glory by
Jesus Christ they were called by belief of the truth that is by believing the word preacht and loving the word preacht faith comes by hearing faith is the first grace in a Christians Call and that comes by hearing Rom. 10.17 so Acts 26.17 18. When Christ would call and convert the Gentiles he doth it not immediately but he useth the Ministry of Paul God thou teach the Gentiles and bring them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God God doth it still by the preaching of his word Now this is a sad word to three sorts of men First it s a sad word to them that never sat under the powerfull preaching of the word they are out of Gods ordinarie way of being saved 2. It is a sad word to those that may enjoy the word and yet slight it they also are not likely to be called 3. It s a sad word to those that leave the ordinarie way of Gods calling by the preaching of the word and trust to raptures revelations inspirations and extraordinary means for God to call them by alas they also are out of Gods ordinarie way of calling for God ordinarily takes this way to call a soul by the preaching of his word Luke 15.22 When the Prodigal was effectually called home to his father his father did not presently comfort him himself but he sends his servants and said Go take the best robe and put it upon my Sonne This son is a sinner the father is God Almightie the servants are the ministers now God doth not his work by himself but he leaves it to his Ministers and they shall put on the ring and the garment they shall be the instruments by the Ministrie of the word to work grace in the heart Hence 't is that 1 Cor 1.12 Some are blamed that should say I am of Paul and I of Apollo and I of Christ Why are men blamed for saying they are for Christ Is that blame worthy to cry up Christ No the fault is not simply in advancing Christ but the fault was this so to cry up Christ as to crie down duties and crie down the use of Ministers and the use of ordinances and therein they were to blame because Christ would not immediately by revelations and raptures call any but leaves the conversion and call of a sinner to the ordinary way of preaching the word and therefore a sad word it is to all out of Gods way of calling that either have not the word or if they have it never care to enjoy it 7. That if men continue long under the enjoyment of the word and are not effectually called by it they are likely never to be called I would commend to you that place to prove this in Luke 13.6 7. where Christ tels you of a fig tree he stayed three years looking for fruit and he found none the husbandman prayed to spare it one yeare longer and if it did not bear fruit then he should cut it down and cast it into the fire Now this fig tree were the professing Jewes who lay some competent time under the Ministrie of Christ and of his Apostles and this fig-tree if it were spared but one year and brought not forth fruit then it should be cut down and Christ did so it seems he curst it and said never fruit grow more upon this tree Now you would ask what the meaning of all this is Why Beloved a fig-tree if it beareth not fruit within four yeares after it is planted it is likely never to bring forth fruit And here the parable comes home thus far that if after some competencie of time in which in all likelihood men may have some sparkes wrought in them by the ministrie of the word if after all this they are not converted the curse of the fig-tree is like to fall upon that mans heart never let word do that man good more and never let grace grow in that mans heart more let never fruit grow more upon that tree this the Parable holds forth that if you live under the enjoyment of the word long and are not converted it is an argument you shall not be called And this is a heart-cutting consideration to all ancient men that have out-lived many Ministers and have seen their Ministers laid in the Grave their Ministers have spent their strength and wasted their lungs in preaching to them and yet they are as profane as ever and as loose as ever and as regardless of God and grace as ever truely you are in a very sad case if it be thus with you you are likely never to be called by Jesus Christ 8. That God in the dispensations of his grace doth not ordinarily let effectual calling run to the richer sort of men in the world Surgunt indocti rapiunt coelum nos cum doctri nis nostris detrudimur in Gehâ—nnam but rather to the poorest sorts and ranks of men that are I remember Austin in one of his books hath this saying Unlearned men they snatch away heaven from us that are great Scholars and truely as it was in his time so it is now Men that are great Scholars that understand Scripture know languages they are turned into hel when unlearned and poor men they get heaven God hath chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith In all the dispensations of his grace though he cals some rich men it is true to carrie on the work and countenance his people yet Gods effectuall calling doth not so commonly come among rich men as the poor of the world the poor saith Christ receive the Gospel the learned Scribes and Doctors amongst the Jewes and the rich Pharisees they did all spurn at Jesus Christ when the poor and ignorant people that knew not the law they followed him 1 Cor. 1 26. Not many wise not many noble not many mighty are called but God hath chosen the poor things of this world and things that are despised yea and things that are not to bring to nought things that are Here you see plainly this Conclusion proved that Gods effectuall calling doth not ordinarily and commonly run among the greater sort of men in the world but it runs among the poorer sort of men they ordinarily give best entertainment to the Gospel And the reason of this is 1. To magnifie the riches of his grace if Christ should call rich men only and chiefly many would think it was only mens riches and mens honour did move Christ to call them Now Christ to vindicate and magnifie his grace he will call poor despicable wretches that one would think there should be nothing in the eye of reason or sense why God should cast an eye of favour upon them 2. To magnifie and manifest his power that he will preserve a companie of poor contemptible people among so many enemies so potent and so wealthie that they shall never be able to overthrow them 3. Because rich men lie under
more temptations against effectuall calling then poor men do Rich men thinke should I be called to be a Professor I may lose my riches endanger my estate and eclipse my honour and these are great temptations to rich men to hinder their calling Therefore you read Mark 10.22 of the young man that when Christ called him it is said he went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions and would not follow Christ who had not a house wherein to put his head Many men for fear of losing their estates they lie under this sore temptation to hinder them from being called And then also for their honour men may think they shall eclipse their honor should they profess a course of Religion Gal. 2.2 I preacht publikely among the ordinarie sort saith Paul but I preach privately to men of reputation lâ—st I should run in vair As much as if he should say men of qualitie and of repute they would not own Christ publickly they were affraid they should lose their honour and credit therfore Paul was enforc'd to indulge them so far as to preach privately to them hence Nicodemus a great man came to Jesus by night 9. If you are only externally called to a profession of Christ and not called internally to a possession of him at one time or other before you die God will discover the hypocrifie of your hearts and the unsoundness of your Call There are many men who now are called a man cannot discern whether they be effectually called or no but in likelihood before you die you will discover somewhat or other that may give just ground of suspicion you are not savingly called either by falling into some error in Judgment or running into some scandalous sin or the like Lastly If God hath not or intends not effectually to call thee thou maiest take this for an undeniable truth God neither intends to justifie thee nor to save thee whom he cals them he justifies and none else and whom he justifies them he glorifies and none else So that Justification and Glorification depends upon calling Rom. 8.30 And thus I have done with these ten sad Conclusions I shall now change my discourse and turn my speech to a second sort of men and to them I shall lay down ten consolatory Conclusions for the comfort of you that are the called of Jesus Christ And here before I lay these down I shall first shew you what need there is that Ministers should preach comfortably to you that are effectually called Because first after you are called effectually you are more exposed to meet with persecutions from men Secondly Temptations from the Divel Thirdly The stronger strugling of Corruptions from within then ever you were before therefore you had need of comfort 1. I say After calling you are more exposed to meet with persecutions from men then ever you were before Heb. 10.32 33. Call to remembrance the former daies in which after you were illuminated you endured a sore fight of affliction partly by being reproached and made a gazing stock c. They endured nothing before but after they were inlightned they endured a great fight of Affliction had not you therefore need of comfort 2. After Calling you are more exposed to temptations from the Divel then ever you were before The Divel when he finds all things at peace he lets men alone but when he finds a man coming out of his clutches to be called then Satan troubles and assaults him 1 Pet. 5.8 10. Your Adversarie the Divel goes about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour These were they that the God of grace had called to eternall glory Yet these were they that the Divel rageth so against Had not you therfore need of comfort because you are exposed to more Temptations from the Divel And 3ly You are to meet with more strong and vigorous workings of inward Corruptions in your own hearts as Paul before his calling was not troubled with his Corruptions sinne never troubled him the powerful and vigorous workings of his lusts never wearied him but when the command came then sin revived When the power of the word came with Authoritie upon his Conscience then he saw sinne to revive and get strength upon him Beloved I would appeal to any of you whom God hath called to grace and glory whether before you were called you ever found sinne so strong as after and ever found the workings of your inward corruptions so violent as after and therefore upon these three grounds you have need that comfort should be preached unto you I now passe to the Conclusions which I shall lay down for the comfort of all them that are effectually called 1. That Jesus Christ doth effectually call a poor sinner before that sinner doth look after Jesus Christ Should God intail heaven upon this condition that you that had been first in the transgression should be first in seeking reconciliation we should never have the difference ended betwixt God and us but behold here is mercy and here is a ground of Comfort that though we are the first in the transgression Christ is the first in suâ—ng out Reconciliation Jesus Christ dâ—th effectually call poor sinners before they either call or look after Jesus Christ at all Isa 65.1 I am sought of them that asked not for me I am found of them that sought me not I said Behold me Behold me to a Nation that was not called by my name Here you see Jesus Christ goeth out first to call thee before thou goest out to call him And O what comfort is this Christ doth not stay till thou look after a Christ but Christ casts an eye upon thee before thou look after him We read of Matthew the Publican that while he was looking after his money at the receipt of custome at that time Jesus Christ was looking after his soul We read of the Disciples of Christ whilst they were mending their nets and looking after their fish Jesus Christ takes this occasion with the Hook of the Gospel to catch them We read of Paul that whilst he was breathing out persecution against the Church of God and raging with malice against the Saints of God at that time he was even called to be a Saint So that this is very comfortable God doth first look after a sinner in his effectual calling before a sinner looks out after Christ God doth first look after thee inlightning thee by a Sermon and seizing upon thy conscience by a command before thou look after him 2. That Jesus Christ hath effectually called thee when he hath left many thousands in the world of better parts and better dispositions more naturall good and less evill in them then thou hast in thy self and yet he hath rejected them and called thee Jesus Christ hath many times rejected a patient heathen when he hath called thee who art of a passionate and rigid disposition Jesus Christ hath left many a curious wit and pregnant Scholar and many
a gainsaying heart thou hast a stout spirit against God thy heart is as hard as an Adamant as hard as the Rocks yet here is thy comfort all the gain-sayings of thy spirit and all the stubbornnesse of thy will it shall not be able to keep off converting mercy and shall not be able to keep off calling grace from thee When God hath an intent to call thee he will come with Power by his call and make thee do what he commands thee and make thee imbrace what he cals thee to Did not Jesus Christ use an operative call as well as a significative call no man in the world would ever be called And this is the reason that in hearing the same Sermon and following the same Preacher one man is converted the other is not The reason is this The call of the Ministry is onely a significative call of a Reprobate onely signifying what God would have him do But there is no power conveyed with the invitation to make the man able to do what Christ cals him to and therefore one is called the other is not Thus much in Answer to the first case Case 2 Secondly What temptations doth the Devil suggest to men who are uncalled that they should not give entertainment to or embrace the call of Jesus Christ unto grace and glory And in answer to this I shall lay down onely four suggestions of the Devil wherewith he entangles a man that he should not yeeld to the call of Jesus Christ And as I lay them down I shall labour to take them away As 1. The first temptation the Devil will suggest is to you that are young men and to you he will suggest that you are yet too young to imbrace the call of Jesus Christ 't will be time enough hereafter and you may do it soon enough hereafter you are too young now to be abridg'd of your pleasure and to mortifie your lusts and to betake your selves unto so serious a course as Christ cals you to and by this temptation the Devil prevails with young men more especially And I remember Austin saith that this temptation of the Devil made him keep off for seven years together from embracing the call of Jesus Christ the Devil would still tell him in his heart thou art too young to leave thy Drunkennesse and too young to leave thy Harlots till at last he cryed out How long shall I say it is too soon Why may I not repent to day This temptation I say it hath fastened upon many before you that they were too young to come in to Jesus Christ and to this end the Devil will suggest to you that old and false Proverb A young Saint and an old Devil Whereas indeed if you are young Devils you will be old Beelzebubs And therefore this being a suggestion prevailing with many hearts I shall lay down six considerations to take off this temptation that it may not prevail with you First If the Devil tempt you that you are yet too yong to hearken to Christs call consider That the Devil cannot give you a Lease of your lives if the Devil could give you a Lease of your lives and tell you you should live till old age you might then with more safety hearken to his temptation but your lives are not at the Devils disposal God is the Author of your life the issues of life and death are in his hands you may dye in youth and if you die in youth uncalled you may be damned as well as dead You may be as these men Job 36.14 That shall dye in their youth and their lives shall be among the unclean And therefore though the Devil tempt you that you are too young seeing he cannot assure you of your lives you have no reason to hearken to his temptation Secondly Suppose the Devil could assure you you should live till old age yet take this consideration that in putting off your calling and the work of conversion from your youth this may so provoke God that he may harden your hearts in your old dayes that you shall have no heart to think of and imbrace the call and invitation of Jesus Christ Jer. 22.21 I spake to thee in thy prosperity but thou wouldst not hear and this hath been thy manner from thy youth Thou wouldst not obey my voyce God spake but they would not hear and it was from their youth that they did thus therefore God would never speak more God hardened their hearts that they should never receive or imbrace the call of Jesus Christ So Isa 6.9.10 Seeing the Jewes from their youth were obstinate against the word of God Go saith God make their ears heavy and their hearts fat and their eyes blind that they should not be called and converted and I should save them Let this therefore be a second consideration that the putting off your call till your old age may so provoke God as never to give you hearts to imbrace his call Thirdly Suppose all this that you could have a Lease of your lives and you could be assured that when you come to old age your hearts should not be hardened yet consider this that the more sinful and evil the dayes of your youth have been the more disquietness of mind and horror of conscience will this breed in you when you are old though you should be called and converted by Jesus Christ Job 13.24 25 26. Thou hidest thy face thou holdest me as thy Enemy Thou dost drive me as a leaf to and fro and thou dost pursue me like dry stubble Now why doth Job complain thus Mark the next words For thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth Job when he was a young man it seems he was a wicked man and had many sins in his youth and this in his old age made him cry out and say that God took him for his Enemy and that God brake him like a leaf driven with the wind O beloved the sins of your youth though you should be Jobs converted yet they wil bring great disquietness and great horror when you come to age the lusts of youth and the vanities of youth and the sensual pleasures of your youthful dayes they will lay a foundation of sorrow when you come to gray hairs to be neare your graves so Job 20.11 And therefore put the case you should repent and should be called when you are old you have no cause to put off the call of Jesus Christ seeing sins of youth will fill you with horror and disquietness of mind Hence it is that David after he was call'd by the power of the word cryes out Psal 25. Lord remember not the sins of my youth that gravelled and gall'd his conscience the sins of his youth before his call Quae fuerunt inaenia juventut is gaudia haec sunt acerba senectutis gravamina It is the speech of an Author that to look on the pleasurable vanities
Ark to shew that God did never intend as if Noah's making an Ark should any way hinder his walking with God or carrying on the work of his soul Though you have callings to follow and Families to provide for yet God did never intend your outward calling should justle out your inward and effectual calling Secondly Consider you that make this Plea whether you do not imbezel away much time from your outward calling which you do not imploy in the concernments of your souls but in the works of sin and Satan There is many a man that can plead he hath no leasure to pray nor no leasure to hear a Sermon he must follow his calling yet this man can follow a Whore and follow a Tavern and these men can spend a whole day upon recreation and yet can spare no time find no leasure to hearken to Jesus Christ This now should be a great conviction to you that pretend you must follow your calling that you can neglect your calling to follow your sensual and vain courses and yet can spare no time to make your souls happy Thirdly You that plead your outward calling in the world to be an excuse why you cannot hearken to your effectual calling by Jesus Christ consider this that this plea hath damned many a soul before you and will damn you also if you look not to it This hath been an ancient plea Luke 14.18 19 20. When Christ called a company of men there to come to him what excuse have they Saith one I have bought a yoke of Oxen and I must prove them I have bought a Farm saith another and I must manage that I have marryed a wife and therefore cannot come saith a third All these were lawful callings and yet these callings kept them from heaven and kept them from Jesus Christ You read Acts 24.25 When Paul did startle Felix's conscience by a powerful Sermon of judgment to come Felix's heart trembled but mark now how did Felix put off the power of the word Why Now saith he I am not at leasure but go thy wayes and in convenient time I will send for thee to speak of this matter As if he should say I am now to go about some other business about the affairs of my Kingdome and cannot have leasure to hear thee now and so by some outward imployment he justled the power of the word from his heart and had not convenient time to imbrace Jesus Christ Fourthly Consider this That this plea of yours in making your callings an excuse to neglect your effectual calling it is the onely way to provoke God to curse and blast all your outward callings to you and to ingage him to curse all you put your hands unto Hagg. 1.6 9. Because they neglected Gods Worship and Gods Ordinances Therefore saith God you shall have much but it shall come to nothing and what you get you shall put into a bag with holes You shall lose all you get and all you sow and all you labour for because you would not look after Gods Worship So Micah 6.13 14. I will make thee sick in smiting thee and desolate because of thy sins Thou shalt eat and not be satisfied thou shalt sow and not reap thou shalt tread Olives and not anoint thy self with oyl and make sweet wine but shalt not drink it For the statutes of Omri are kept and all the manners of the house of Ahab and you walk in their counsels As much as if the Lord should say You will not hearken to my Statutes and to my Counsels but Omri's statutes and Ahab's counsel you will hearken to Therefore now you shall eat and not be satisfied sow and not reap that is God will curse what you have and what you do because you will not hearken to Gods call and counsel So Deut. 28.38 to 46. Thou shalt carry much seed into the field and gather but little the Locusts shall consume it there 's one curse And shalt plant Vineyards but shalt not drink the wine nor gather the grapes the worm shall eat them another curse Thou shalt have Olive-trees throughout all thy coasts but shalt not anoint thy self with Oyl for thy Olives shall fall there 's a third curse Thou shalt beget sons and daughters but shalt not enjoy them all the trees and fruit of the land shall be consumed Now what 's the reason of all this that God should thus blast their callings and their comforts to them verse 45. Yea all these curses shall come upon thee and pursue thee and overtake thee because thou hearkenedst no to the voyce of thy God to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee Here is the reason they would not hearken to God nor obey God and therefore God would blast their comforts to them Now then Beloved think of this you that make your callings a plea why you cannot hearken to the call of Christ this plea is a great provocation to engage God to blast and to curse your very callings to you Fifthly Take this consideration that God will the more bless you in your callings and prosper you in the work of your hands the more consciencious you are in hearkning to the call and invitation of Jesus Christ And the reason is because Godliness hath not onely a promise of the life to come but of this life also 1 Tim. 4.8 And Mal. 3.10 11 12. Bring ye all the tythes into the Store-house that there may be meat in my house that is saith God Use all means and take all care that there may be meat in my house that Ordinances may be on foot that my worship may be maintained and what then And if you will take care of his Ordinances God bids you prove him and try him if he will not take care of you ver 11. Mark the words Let there be meat in my house and prove me now saith the Lord if I will not open the windows of heaven and poure forth a blessing upon you and there shall not be room enough to receive it A strange blessing that if men will take care to have meat in Gods house and have a care of Gods ordinances God would open the very windows of heaven and make the earth so fruitful they should not have room to receive Gods blessings And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and all nations shall call you blessed and call you a delightsome land Here now you see if you will take care of Gods ordinances and imbrace his call God will bless your outward calling the more and give you in a more abundant increase if you imbrace the call of Jesus Christ 6. You that urge your outward callings as a reason why you cannot hearken to the call of Christ take this for answer that if truth were known it is not the urgencie of your callings but the obstinacie of your wils and the sluggishnesse of your spirits is the cause you do not give entertainment to the
the father of the faithful did when he was to believe a thing that sense and reason would tell him should never come to passe It is said of Abraham Rom. 4.18 19. That in hope he believed against hope He would exalt faith against sense And how was it God promised Abraham a childe reason and sense would have told Abraham Abraham thou art a hundred yeers old thy wife ninety nine her womb is barren and it is not likely you should have children but Abraham would not argue thus but would exalt arguments of faith and apply Gods Promises and Gods Word exalting these Abraham did believe in hope against hope Beloved so must you though you say you have barren wombs Grace is not likely to grow in you and though you are old and decrepit feeble Christians yet advance arguments of faith from Gods love and from Gods power and from Gods Providence and Gods Promises and that 's the way to get your comforts clear and full I may apply what Fox in his Acts and Monuments reports of a poor woman that was called before Bonner and the rest in Queen Maries Reign that sate in Judgement about her Religion they see her though a poor and silly woman yet keep firm to her principles and would not deny her Religion At length Bonner sent some learned Doctors to dispute with her and argue the case about some points she held they coming to see her she puts them off with this saying Well you are Scholars and you come to dispute I must needs tell you I cannot dispute but I can burn for my Religion Beloved I would have you answer the devil thus If he comes to outwit and cavill with you about your comforts say you cannot dispute but you can believe you can lay your help on Jesus Christ upon one that is mighty and exalt arguments of faith and this will much strengthen your comforts Luke 8.42 There came a Ruler to Jesus Christ and besought him for his daughter that lay a dying and while he was telling Christ this there came another messenger after and told him Thy daughter is dead trouble the man no farther what saith Christ hearing this Fear not onely believe As if he should say sense and reason would have told him it were a needlesse thing to beg of Christ for his daughter when she was dead but saith Christ Do not stoop to sense and reason Fear not onely believe and the work shall be done So I say to you Consult not with flesh and blood but exalt arguments of faith against present feelings and this is the way to get assurance of your comforts Secondly Keep conscience clear that no sin be harboured there and you are in the way to get your comforts full God saith David Psal 85.8 will speak peace to his people but they must not return unto folly As if he should say though God doth speak peace and assure you of your pardon and salvation yet if you return to sin God can tell how to break your peace and turn his smiles into frowns and angry looks Take heed of sin and keep your conscience clear and that 's the way to have peace setled in your hearts Job 11.14 15. If iniquity be in thy hand put it far away and let not wickednesse dwell in thy Tabernacle What followes and then shalt thou lift up thy face before God without spot thou shalt be stedfast and shalt not fear A strange expression That if you will keep sin far away then you shall be stedfast before God and not fear that is you shall not be exposed to those fears and doubts and anxieties which other men are exposed to Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near to God with an upright heart in fall assurance of faith Now what shall a man do to come to God in full assurance Mark the next words Draw nigh to God in full assurance of faith having your hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience Here is the way if you are sprinkled from an evill conscience you may be bold to come to God in full assurance Whereas alas if thy conscience tell thee thou art a whoremaster and thou art a deceiver and a liar and loose liver thou canst not come with full assurance thou mayest come in presumption indeed but not with the assurance of faith and therefore keep a conscience clear from harbouring guilt upon it and that 's the way to have the heart sull of joy Thirdly be diligent in keeping company with the most godly experienced Christians where you live this is a very special way to increase your comforts Ye read an excellent passage 2 Corinth 1.4 We are comforted of God saith the Apostle that we might comfort others with the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God Godly Christians they will comfort you with the same comforts wherewith they themselves are comforted If we are comforted it is for your consolation Godly men if they have any inward comfort from God they will impart their experiences to you and tell you as David did Psal 66.16 What God hath done for their soul There is no way better then this to keep in communion with godly and knowing Christians Master Bradford that famous Martyr who was in prison about his profession of Christ the story saith he lay a long time under trouble of minde and horrour of conscience that he could not finde a real and clear evidence of his effectual calling there came many men to him and could not settle him Yet a poore Weaver an ancient and experienced Christian that did usually accompany Master Bradford in prison by his frequent communion with this poore man he got more inward comfort then ever he got all his life before Beloved this I speak to you to make you the more to study the worth of godly society and the more you are conversant with Christians that live in the enjoyment of the light of Gods countenance and in the assurance of his favour all the day long the more you are in the ready way to increase your comforts and assurance Fourthly Submit thy self to the approbation of others and be willing to have them pass a verdict upon thee When thou art a sleep or in a swoun then thou canst not tel thyself what thou dost but others must tell thee So it may fall out with the godly they may be in such a spiritual swoun that the yare not fit judges of their own condition in this case submit to the judgement of others they may see grace in thee when thou thy self canst not see it so Master Throgmorton was comforted by the Testimony of a company of godly Ministers Fifthly Live in the daily improvement of grace and that 's the way to get assurance And this meanes the holy Ghost layes down in the Chapter out of which my text is taken Adde grace to grace And I remember that Beza upon this text doth write that in the Greek Translations these words are put in Give diligence
when they are not the devil Iulls them asleep he lets them alone and never troubles them Luke 11.21 When the strong man possesseth the house the goods are at peace That is when the devil of hell hath whole possession of the soul of a man he is no whit tempted his thoughts are at quiet When the devil sees a man build upon a sandy and corrupt foundation he will never shake that by a Temtation lest you should by shaking be a wakened to look after a better and more induring substance When the devil sees you Iull'd asleep in a golden dream of presumption he will never awaken you by Temptation but Iâ—ts you sleep on because he knowes that sleep will be a sleep to death As a man lying asleep on a steep rock dreams merrily of Crowns and Kingdoms but suddenly starting for joy breake his neck and tumbles into the bottom of the Sea so is it with a man that harbours ungrounded perswasions of his good estate That which a carnal man makes his evidence that he is in a good condition is an undoubted demonstration he is in a bad You shall have a wicked man when he hears a godly man to be troubled in minde and wounded in spirit he will tell you he thanks God he was never troubled since he was born the devil never disturbed him and he hath had a strong faith ever since he can remember Alas Beloved this is a sad signe thou makest this a sign of thy comfort whereas indeed it is a demonstration of thy want of a sound assurance for were thy assurance good the Devil would never let thee alone but would still be labouring to make thee cast away thy confidence but being bad he would have thee nourish it still We say those Oxen that are fed in greenest pastures they are nearest the slaughter when the poor lean Oxe that hath the yoke and whip every day and is at daily labour is long liv'd and in a better condition Those men that the devill lets alone and never tempts that are as fatted oxen never come under the whip and yoke and never are troubled it is an argument they are near the slaughter and under a great deal of danger of their souls but those that are under the yoke that are often tempted and the pricks of Sathan lie upon them this is an Argument their comforts are right and their evidence good because so assaulted and opposed by the devil Thirdly true assurance is more or lesse in a mans spirit by how much more or lesse that man keeps in communion with God If a man doth remâ—t in his converse with God and grow carelesse and formal and a stranger to God he shall grow a stranger to himselfe in the end and to his comforts also but if a man keep close to God and keep close to duties can retire and recollect himself to converse with God in a more solemn and serious manner is preparedly and fruitfully exercised in Ordinances can poure out his soul into Gods bosome that man is in the way to have his comforts raised up Whereas now for men that have false comforts and perswasions whether they are much or little with God all is one to them their comforts are at the same stand still Come to a man that hath false comforts and at all times he is alike peremptory he is in the same perswasion he was 3.4.7 yeares ago Ask him any week in the yeer any day in the week any hour in the day and he will tell you he hath the same comforts and the same evidences still he had a strong faith in God and he hath it still he had strong hopes to be saved and so he hath still he is still peremptory in his comforts though he never so much alter in communion with his God this is an argument thy perswasions are salse because a Christians communion and converse with God doth feed his comforts Now as the body by how the much more or lesse it is fed by so much the more it is weakened or strengthened so it is with your comforts so much as they are cherished by your walking with God so much they grow weak or strong Now let a wicked man grow never so vile and never so sinful it interrupts not his peace he hath hopes and assurance still and he will trust in God still though he sin ever this is an argument his comforts are unsound You have a lively picture of this Mic. 3.11 The heads of the people judge forreward the Priests teach for hire and the Prophets divine for mony and yet they will lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us That is though they have these sins among them and did walk thus and thus yet they would hope in God to be saved for all this Why Beloved thou wilt find God to fail thee though he never faild an assured Christian yet he will fail that man that leanes upon him when he belongs not to him When thou dost intermit walking with God and dost lanch forth into a gulph and sea of lusts and yet canst still say thou art the same in thy comforts and the same in thy perswasions it is an argument all thy comforts are but false and thy evidence unsound Fourthly Reall assurance of your estate it doth bear up the soul under the greatest outward sorrow and sufferings that it can meet with in this world Heb. 10.34 They suffered joyfully the spoiling of their goods knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and more induring substance What made them so to rejoyce to see their houses plundered before them their estates taken from them but this they knew in their own selves and had assurance in their own hearts that Christ was theirs and heaven was theirs and this made them suffer joyfully the spoiling of their goods So Psal 119.50 This is my comfort in affliction that thy word doth quicken me That is this beares up my heart when I am afflicted that I have a Word to build upon that I have assurance I have interest in a Promise to build upon this quickens and bears me up under my sorrowes So Psal 119.81 My spirit had fainted within me onely that I hoped in thy Word That is I had hope and confidence built upon thy Word and that kept me from feares and fainting and discouragement under my affliction The sense of the pardon of their sin shall take away the sense of any outward suffering So Esa 33.24 The inhabitant shall not say I am sick the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity Beloved Assurance will lift up and bear up the heart under all sorrows Assurance in a Christian is like oile Now poure oile into a sea or ocean of water and the oile will never be kept under but still be uppermost so this oile of comfort and this oile of assurance it will bear thee up on the top though thou shouldst be cast
into a flood of troubles and an ocean of sorrowes I have read in Latimers witings a notable saying of his to Ridley that famous Marty Sometime saith he when I live in a setled and stedfast assurance about the state of my soul me thinks then I am as bold as a Lion I can laugh at all trouble no affliction daunts me but when I am eclipsed in my comforts I am of so fearfu a spirit that I could run into a very mouse-hole Beloved it is so with godly men when they want assurance of their estate and the soundnesse of their call every affliction daunts and every trouble startles them O but when they can live in a setled assurance of their interest in Christ and calling by him they are as bold as Lions and they are born up with comfort under all the sorrowes and sufferings they meet withall But now men that have false perswasions their perswasions can never bear up the heart under a trouble and at a losse and at a pinch because it is not a saving and inward comfort it can never create inward peace The comforts of wicked men when they come to suffer they are like cloth that is ill woven Cloth that is well made let a man be in a showre of rain it will never shrink but ill woven cloth let it be but in a showre it shrinkes presently It is so with mens comforts Bring comforts well wrought into a showre of trouble and that man will not shrink under his trouble but bring an ill wrought and unsound assurance and that will shrink and fail and pull in and will not bear up the heart under the sorrowes and sufferings he may meet withall Presuming Pindleton that boasted his fat flesh should fry in the fire before he would forsake his Religion when he came to the trial flagged presently Fifthly Sound assurance whereever it is it makes the heart more humble towards God and man and more vile in its own eyes Gal. 2.20 There you have this Character I live saith Paul by the faith of the Sonne of God and Christ hath loved me and given himselfe for me Here is his assurance what then Doth this lift up Paul NO it makes him marvel I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Paul recollects himself I live no it is not I that live but Christ that liveth in me See how Paul was beaten off from a supercilious pride and exaltation of spirit in himselfe It is not I that live The thoughts of his comforts made him recollect himselfe and seeme vile in his own eyes Whereas alas false perswasions puffe up the soule with pride and make a man supercilious and high conceited crying out as Jehu did Jonadab is thy heart like mine Come see my zeal for the Lord they make him proud like Jehu in his false perswasions Sixthly Sound comforts and real assurance do engage the soul to walk before God in a course of holinesse Psal 26.3 Thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes that is I am assured as if I saw the thing with mine eye that Gods loving kindnesse is towards me What then and I will walk in thy truth I will walk before thee with a holy and sincere heart and I will not haunt with vain persons verse 4. And I will wash my hands in innocency verse 6 c. so that you see David would walk in a course of holinesse because he had an evidence and assurance of Gods love to him So 1 John 3.3 He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as Christ is pure that is that man that doth nourish hopes and perswasions of heaven his hopes will make him a Christian endevouring to purifie his own heart and to be holy as Christ is holy This is the nature of true assurance But now for false assurance the man that hath it doth not look after holinesse at all he thinks himselfe well enough that he hath attained that which every wise man should rest in Si dixeris sufficit perusti Aug. de verb. Apost Serm. 18. without medling any further nay he is so far from laying bonds upon himselfe to walk in a course of holinesse that he will rather take incouragement from thence to walk in a way of loosenesse and profanenesse Because grace abounds he will abound in sin this is the ill use that false comfort makes of Gods grace And therefore Beloved look over your hearts Do the comforts you pretend to have and the assurance you pretend to enjoy make you more to pursue holinesse that you can say as David did I see thy loving kindnesse is before me and therefore I will love thy wayes and hate sinfulnesse or can you say you have comforts therefore you will run into sin and wallow in wickednes this is an argument thy comforts are not true Seventhly True assurance it is got and kept with a great deal of diligence and industry Your best things are hardest to get and hardest to keep Stones are to be had in every place but gold you must dig deep and take paines to dive into the bowels of the earth before you can get that Weeds grow easily but your fine garden-flowers they must be often watered and carefully looked unto or else they will not grow Beloved this weed of false perswasion and assurance it is a weed that will grow under every hedge and thrive in every Garden without looking after whereas alas the flower of true comforts and saving assurance it is hard to make it grow and when it is growne it is hard to keep it from withering and blasting Assurance it costs a man the waiting many a year the shedding many a teare the making of many a prayer before he can get or keep it whereas alas false assurance it is easily gotten and easily kept A man may get presumption without any paines at all the devil will egge you on both to get and keep it Therefore you that easily get your comforts without prayers and keep your comforts without paines you may be sure your comforts are but false Eighthly True assurance it is got by the Word and grounded upon the Word It is got by the Word Esa 57.19 I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to them that are nigh and to them that are afarre of The fruit of the Lips that is the fruit of the Ministers preaching the Word which falls from the Lips of a godly Minister God hath ordained and created that to be the way to work and create peace peace that is a sound peace in the hearts of his people And it is not onely got but it is bottomed upon the Word also It is the Word and somewhat in the Word that beares up the hearts of the people of God Psal 119.49 Good is the Word of the Lord wherein thou hast caused thy servant to hope So verse 50 51. It is the Word of God that bottomes the comforts of the people of God whereas look now upon
very nice thing every thing will give the comforts of Gods Spirit a check and distaste now if you harbour sinne upon conscience you will never thrive in comfort every thing will give comfortable motions a check And as Philosophers say when the Aire is foggy it ariseth from vapours that are exhaled from the earth which makes the aire so cloudy as it is So it is filth drawn from our earthly hearts that makes such foggy mists to arise between our comforts and us and between God and us You must keep conscience clear else you will never keep heaven clear Heaven will be clouded if the heart be filthy Job 11.14 15. If iniquity be in thy hand put it far away If sinne be upon the conscience harbour it not for then thou shalt lift up thy face before God thou shalt be stedfast and not fear You shall not only not fear but you shall have a degree of assurance You shall be stedfast if you put sinne far away from you A sullied and a polluted conscience shall never be in a Christian strong in assurance You will not grow in assurance if your conscience harbour guilt Thirdly If you would improve your assurance keep close in communion with God Nothing that feeds comforts so much as a Christians holy walking Esa 32.17 The work of righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect thereof quietnesse and assurance for ever If you walk in works of righteousnesse and in a way of keeping close communion with God this shall be peace and this shall be quietnesse and great assurance Mark how the Holy Ghost makes a gradation not onely peace and quietnesse but assurance also you shall have the highest degree of peace and the highest step of comfort if you walk diligently in a way of holinesse with your God And thus much be spoken to the first sort of men those that live in the enjoyment of the assurance of their effectual calling Vse 2 I have now a word to those men that live in the want of this assurance who happily have in times past had some glimmering and some dimme sight of comfort touching their everlasting estate and yet are now much clouded and eclipsed in their comforts or have lost the comforts they once had what they should do to recover it And to these I shall by way of direction speak only four things First That you would set upon searching work Secondly Upon humbling work Thirdly Upon praying work And fourthly that you would set upon meditating work These four helpes will through Gods Blessing be very conducible to restore your wonted comforts to you First My counsel shall be to you that you would set upon searching and examining work When you have lost any thing the first thing you do is to look after it where you have lost it that you may finde it again If you have lost this precious jewel of assurance be thus wise for your selves O set upon seeking and searching work The Scripture gives you this hint Gal. 6.4 Let every man search his own work and then he shall have rejoycing in himselfe This is the way to bring in spiritual joy and spiritual comfort to be often dealing with your own hearts David when he lay under some foule distemper mark how he deales with his own soule Why art thou troubled O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me he puts his heart upon the Trial. And here in your searching work I would commend five things to your examination First Search how you got your assurance Secondly Search how you grounded your assurance Thirdly Search how you managed your assurance Fourthly Search what should provoke God to take away your assurance Fifthly and lastly Search what you would give to God so you might regain your former and wonted assurance Put these questions to your hearts As First Put upon the search how you got your assurance It may be it was such an assurance as you have had ever since you were borne from your mothers womb that you got without care and without pain and if so this is presumption not assurance and if you have lost this it is well It is better to be in a state of discouragement then in a state of presumption Secondly Examine how you grounded your assurance It may be you bottomed it but upon selfe not upon Christ It may be you bottomed it but upon the fantastical delusions of your own hearts and not upon the grounded evidence of Gods Word if so that your assurance have had an ill bottome it is no wonder if God turne it upside-down If it bee not rightly grounded it will never long bee continued Examine therefore upon what grounds you have bottomed your assurance and if you finde the foundation of your comforts to be ill laid you must pluck up all again Thirdly Search how you managed your assurance It may be you managed your assurance with pride not humility it may be with unwatchfulnesse and carelesnesse of spirit and did not take notice of those temptations and suggestions that might impaire your comforts and if so it is no wonder if the devil sowes tares amongst your wheat it is no wonder if the devil have stollen away your comforts if you have laid down your watch Fourthly Examine what special cause there was in your hearts that might provoke God to cloud you in your comforts and to take away your assurance from you And here that you might a little bee directed in this search you may reduce the cause of your eclipse and of the removal of your assurance unto this twofold head Either it hath been the commission of some great transgression or else the omission of some weighty duty that may provoke God to darken your comforts As First the Commission of some great transgression Great sins they lay a foundation for great discomforts in tender consciences Vastare conscientiam Great sins they lay the conscience waste to make it that was as a well-trimmed and impaled garden to be as a ruinous wildernesse Great relapses they bring ordinarily dark eclipses upon the soule And here that I might put you on this search I would advise you to search what particular sinne it was and how you might know the transgression that might provoke God to take away your comforts from you As First if so be God did take away your comforts immediately after the committing of any grosse sin then you may be sure that sinne was the occasion Or Secondly If the commission of any sin doth bring upon you more then an ordinary measure of hardnesse of heart then you may be sure that was the sin Or Thirdly If any sinne makes you remisse in spiritual duties that was the sinne provoked God to take away your comforts from you And by such a search as this you might finde out and give a shrewd guesse at the particular provocation And here the particular transgressions I would have you search about they are ordinarily these four that
nor the glimps of his favour Secondly Thy want of assurance shall not hinder thy successe in prayer but thou maist goe away with an ample returne though thou doest not goe away with fulnesse of comfort Benjamin when he was with Ioseph in Aegypt he had a token of love from Ioseph a Golden Cup in his sacke though he knew it not This is a lively Emblem of the carriage of our Ioseph Jesus Christ to his young Benjamins who may put a love token in your hearts and may give you a Golden Cup and give you grace and you not know that grace is there And Lastly It doth not hinder your reconciliation but you may be at peace with God though you know not that the agreement is made up There may be reall friendship between God and a Believer though there may be some seeming enmity Thou holdest me for thine enemy saith Iob yet God did not though he thought so Zion said the Lord hath forsaken me and my God hath forgotten me Isa 49.14 But God had not done so for he tells them a little before almost in one breath Though a mother may forget her sucking child yet will I not forget you So that there may be some seeming jarres when there is no enmity at all between God and you Seventhly That Christians who have attained the strongest and highest degree of faith have yet had many defects and doubtings mingled with their faith Lord I believe Mark 9. Yet helpe my unbeliefe yet that man attained to a high pitch of faith 1 Thes 3.10 Night and day we pray exceedingly for you that we may see your face and perfect that which is wanting in your faith Now you must not take these Thessalonians as if they were new Converts or a people weake in the faith but herein lies the Emphasis that though these Thessalonians were the most eminent Christians of all the world yet they had a great defect in their faith Therefore compare this with 1 Thes 1.7 8. You were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia for from you sounded out the word of the Lord not onely in Macedonia and Achaia but also in every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad The people in every place spake of the great measure of faith that was in the godly people of this Church and yet though their faith was so eminent and they Christians so eminent as they were yet they had some defects and there was somewhat lacking in their faith for all this See also Psal 55.5 and Psal 77. So that here is very great comfort for Believers that the strongest Christians in the faith have had great defects that have attended their graces Thus having finished these seven comfortable Conclusions because I would have no deluded sinner nuzled up in presumptuous perswasions of his owne blessednesse when he is a Cursed man and designed for hell I have two or three sad conclusions to lay down for all you that harbour groundlesse and presumptuous perswasions of your effectuall calling when you are not As First You that nourish presumptuous perswasions of your effectuall calling when you are not take this conclusion to dread your hearts That it is likely you shall never be effectually called by Jesus Christ There is no man so unlikely to be truely called by Christ as that man that thinkes he is called when he is not Math. 9. I came not to call the Righteous but sinners to repentance Righteous men i.e. that thought they were righteous and in their owne eye thought they had grace and were as good as the best I came not saith Christ to call them but sinners i.e. sinners that see their sinne and see their need of a Saviour and are sensible of their lost and undone condition without Christ Christ came to save them and to call them to repentance Of all men in the world you are most unlikely to be called that nourish ungrounded perswasions of your effectuall calling Secondly whilst you live in this world you are meere strangers to that inward and spirituall joy which every true Believer feeles and findeth in Jesus Christ You doe not intermeddle with those inward solaces and sweet enjoyments of heart which every sincere believer hath in Jesus Christ A man that hath assurance upon good ground he is so filled with joy that it wil bear him up against all the sufferings and sorrows he may meet with here in the world He that hath assurance no sufferings can daunt him As Adolphus Clarebachius when he was burning at the stake he was so filled with the assurance of Gods love that he saith of himselfe I think in my heart there is not a merrier heart in the world then mine is And so another Martyr burning at the stake saith I taste as much sweetnesse and finde as much ease now I am in the flames as if I lay upon a bed of Roses The fulnesse of his joy in the assurance of Gods love made him willingly undergoe any torment Mr. Saunders was in prison till hee was in prison Bainam said when he was in the fire I feele no more then if I were in a bed of down Whereas thou that harbourest false perswasions thy hopes will shrink when thou commest to suffer like cloath not well woven on a rainy day thy delusions will never beare up thy spirit to so high a pitch as these are This is thy misery thou wilt never have that sweet peace and rejoycing in thy heart Believers have who are assured upon Scripture grounds Thirdly take this for thy dread that thou wilt be thrown into hell before thou art aware It is the speech of Mr. Bolton That man that takes up a false perswasion of his effectuall Calling when he is not he is like unto a man that is in a pleasant dream who dreames he is a King and hath a Kingdome and hath Treasures full of Silver and Gold yet when he awakes behold the man hath nothing He compares him likewise to a man that is asleep upon the mast of a ship he is in a golden dream and dreams of Kingdomes and of thousands which he hath and happily in a moment the wind ariseth the ship is tossed upon the waves the man is tumbled into the Ocean and drowned It is so with many men who nourish Golden dreams and hopes that heaven is theirs and Christ theirs when as alas they are tumbled and thrown into hell before they are aware And this should be a dreadfull meditation to thy heart that harbourest presumptuous perswasions of thy effectuall Calling when thou art not Thus I have done in eleven Sermons with this Doctrine touching effectuall calling I passe now to the third and last point drawn from these words and that is Doct. That Christians ought to put forth a great deale of diligence to make this sure to their soules that they are eternally elected by God to life and salvation Give diligence to make your Calling and election sure
their soules which words clearly import that men that draw back without returning they draw back to perdition to damnation but we are not of them saith the Apostle And here then beloved doth this word fall upon any man before God this day Hast thou left a course of strictnesse and fallen into a course of prophanenesse and loosenesse Hast thou fallen from thy God and never thinkest of a returning I shall not censure thee now but if thou livest and diest in this estate it is an undoubted argument thou art not within the compasse of Gods decree to save Secondly Men that doe make the mercies and goodnesse of God as arguments to embolden them the more in sinne such men are not likely to be the persons whom God hath elected to life and glory In the Epistle of Jude v. 4. It is spoken there of men that turned the grace of God into wantonnesse And what saith the Apostle of them they are men that are ordained of old to condemnation The Scripture there makes it the badge of a man ordained of old to condemnation when he shal persist in this sinfull temper to turn Gods grace into lasciviousnesse that is to take arguments from the grace and mercy and goodnesse of God to walk in waies of sinne And therefore look to it and with your hearts bewaile it all you that are apt to abuse doctrines of grace and because God is good you will be evil because God is mercifull therefore you will be sinful if you die in this temper the Scripture declares that you are the men ordained of old to condemnation Thirdly a man that doth walk in a course of sinne wilfully with malice and knowingly against conscience and obstinately without reluctancy and persist in this and live and die thus that man is not within the compasse of Gods election There is a phrase Psal 59.5 Be not mercifull O Lord unto wicked transgressors It is in some translations Be not mercifull to them that sinne of wicked malice or of malicious wickednesse Now there is this rule which Divines give that those prayers which were made by David they are rather Prophecies of what should be then meere prayers that this might be As David prayed against the Jewes Psal 69.22 that their table might be a snare to them and that they should alway bow down under their burden which was a prophecie and they did so And so he prayes here that God would not be mercifull to men that sinne of wicked malice which is as much as a prophecie that God will not be mercifull to men that sinne of malicious wickednesse And therefore beloved all you that so live and resolve you will die and haply doe die who sinne obstinately that let God command what he can you will do what you please let the Minister say what he will you will doe as you list that sinne against knowledge and against conscience and without any reluctancy resolve to live and die in a course of sinne the Lord be mercifull to such persons for certainly there must be no Bible if such men fall within the compasse of Gods election Fourthly That man that by living under the powerfull Ministry of the Word is more hard in heart and worse in life if a man grows thus it is an argument he is not within the purpose of Gods election Matth. 13.14 15. By hearing you shall heare but not understand by seeing you shall see but not perceive this peoples heart is waxed grosse their eares dull in hearing their eyes shut lest at any time they should see with their eyes heare with their eares understand with their hearts and be converted and I should save them Here is the judgement God laies upon such sinners that they shall have eyes and not see they shall be ignorant their hearts shall waxe grosse they shall be uncapable of taking any impression of the word upon them And what 's the end of all this lest they should be converted and I should save them implying that if God lets you that live under the Ministry to have dark eyes and hard hearts it is an argument God hath no intent to save you and therefore his purpose is to condemne you So John 12.40 He hath blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and be converted Here it is laid down as an act of Gods that God did harden their hearts and God did blind their eyes lest they should be converted Implying that if men doe live and die in this temper that they have lived yeere after yeere under a powerfull Ministry and yet they grow more blind in judgement and more profane in life and more hard in heart after 20 30 40 yeeres hearing then they were before that the word doth but draw out their wickednesse and makes them more prophane and more to oppose godlinesse the Lord have mercy upon such soules for certainly if God leave you thus it is an argument he never intends to save you for the Lord doth thus with such that they might not be saved There is a passage Rom. 11.7 Israel hath not obtained that which he seeks for but the election hath obtained and the rest were hardned By election is meant the elected the Abstract put for the Concrete As often in Scripture Circumcision put for Circumcised and so here Election put for elected The elected have obtained it what did they obtaine they obtained salvation and glory but the rest that were not elected they were hardned The Lord there makes it the badge of them that are not elected that they are a blinded people and a hardned people Intimating that men that are not elected they shall live under the word yet shall be blind in mind shall be hard in heart shall be wicked in life and the Ministry of the word shall never reforme them And if any of you be such O that the Lord would make you tremble this day tremble lest you are not in Gods thoughts to doe you any good another day Fifthly when God doth give up men to strong delusions not onely to believe lies themselves but to teach lies to seduce others when the Lord leaves men to live and die in that estate the Scripture makes it an argument of them that are not chosen by God to life and glory You shall read therefore in that great delusion of Antichrist 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. God gave them up to strong delusions to believe lies that all might be damned that believe not the truth It is made a brand of damnation when God shall give them over to believe lies Though a godly man may die in a corrupt opinion for every errour is not a badge of damnation but errours that are fundamentall that strike at the foundation of Religion wherein men runne so far as never to repent of their errour that the Scripture makes the badge of a man whose soule is in a world of danger Read