Our life 3. Our peace 4. Our hope The Titles of Christ 5. Our Shepherd 6. Our Father 7. Our friend 8. Our Brother 9. Our Head 10. Our Husband 11. Our King 12. Our Saviour Verily the Covenant must needs be everlasting 'twixt us and our God who have such a Christ so engaged for us so mediating for us so strictly united to us so exceedingly loving of us so continually watchful and careful and helpful ever loving ever praying ever helping and resolved to save us 3. A third Argument to demonstrate the everlastingnesse of the Covenant shall From the Spirit of God which every one hath who is in Covenant with God be taken from the Spirit of God which every one hath who is in Covenant with God Ezek. 36. 27. I will put my Spirit within you Now there are ten works which the Spirit of God doth for all the people of God 1. He doth change their hearts 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2. He doth mortifie their sinful lusts Rom. 8. 13. If ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body 3. He makes known the things of God unto them and teacheth them all things 1 Cor. 2. 10. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit 1 Joh. 2. 27. Teacheth you of all things 4. He doth powerfully enable them for all the works of obedience Ezekiel 36. 27. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and you shall keep my judgements and do them 5. He doth dwell in them Rom. 8. 11. and he dwells in them for ever Joh. 14. 17. and dwelling in them he makes them a fit habitation for God Ephes 2. 22. 6. He doth guid and lead them Joh. 16. 13. The Spirit of truth he will guid you into all truth Rom. 8. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God 7. He doth sustain or uphold them Psal 51. 12. Vphold me with thy free Spirit 8. He helps them in their infirmities Romans 8. 26. and supplies them Phil. 1. 19. 9. He beares witnesse that they are the children of God and if children then heires Heires of God and joynt Heires with Christ Rom. 8. 16 17. 10. He Seals them unto the day of Redemption Eph. 4. 30. and moreover abides in their hearts he is the earnest of their inheritance untill the Redemption of the purchased possession 4. A fourth Argument to demonstrate the everlastingnesse of the Covenant From some considerations in the people of God They are born again of incorruptible seed Partakers of the divine nature They are the house built upon the Rock They are delivered from the power of darknesse Their hearts are set on God and only on him 'twixt God and his people shall have respect to some considerations in the people of God 1. They are born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God which liveth and abideth for ever 1 Pet. 1. 23. 2. They are partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. and of the life of Christ 2 Cor. 4. 11. 3. They are the house built upon the Rock which fell not because it was builded upon a Rock Mat. 7. 25. and that Rock is Christ who is a sure foundation Isa 38. 16. 4. They are delivered from the power of darknesse and translated into the Kingdome of Christ Colossians 1. 13. And his Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome unto the Sonne he saith Thy Throne is for ever and ever Heb. 1. 8. 5. Their hearts are superlatively set on God and only on him Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none that I desire upon earth besides thee God is my portion for ever Psal 73. 25 26. 6. They are strenghthened with might by his Spirit and rooted and grounded in They are strengthened with might They are the Pillars in the Temple of God They are the inheritance of God love Ephes 3. 16 17. 7. They are the Pillars in the Temple of God and shall go no more out Revelations 3. 12. 8. They are the inheritance of God his portion his peculiar treasure and purchased with the blood of Christ 1 Pet. 1. 19. He would never pay so dear a price for them and then put them off Isa 49. 25. And Israel mine Inheritance Zach. 2. 12. The Lord shall inherit Judah his portion Deut. 32. 9. The Lords portion is his people Jacob is the lot of his inheritance Psamle 135. 4. The Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself and Israel for his peculiar treasure 9. The commands and wayes and communions with God are no burdans to them The commands of God are not burdensome but delightful to thē not grievous because they are born of God and love him 1 John 5. 3. But pleasing and delightful The Law of God is written in their hearts Jer. 31. 33. Psal 119. 16. I will delight my self in thy Statutes Ver. 24. Thy Testimonies are my delight Cant. 2. 3. I sate down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet unto my taste 10. They hate evil Psal 97. 10. and loath their abominations Ezekiel They hate evil 36. and have crucified the flesh with the lusts and affections thereof Galations 5. 11. They are a people who live by faith and are much in prayer that God They live by faith and are much in prayer would work all his works in them and for them that he would not leave them nor forsake them that he would preserve and uphold and confirm and stablish them unto the end They work out their own salvation with feare and trembling 2. The reason why the Covenant which God makes with his people is an everlasting Reasons of it In respect of God Covenant and shall be so 1. There are reasons for this in respect of God 1. His Wisdome hath contrived this Covenant in a way of everlastingnesse His wisdome which appeares in three particulars 1. He layes the foundation of it not upon our selves but Christ not on our will and power but on the power and sufficiency of Jesus Christ 2. He engages himself for himself and for his people to keep them unto himself and from falling and to continue them to be his people for ever not only to give them grace but to preserve that grace not only to beginne a good work but also to finish it 3. He promiseth mercy to pardon the sins of his people and grace to heal their back-slidings None of these were in the Covenant of works and therefore that lasted not but all these are in the Covenant of grace and therefore it is everlasting 2. His purpose his purpose in making of this Covenant was to exalt and glorifie His purpose and magnifie the greatnesse of his love and the riches
them both 6. In the forme of inscription as in that the Law of works was written in the heart of Adam so in this the Law of grace is written in the heart of every one confederated 7. In the unchangeablenesse both of the one and of the other both of them are immutable Although that Covenant of works as it is a Covenant for life ceaseth unto believers yet it stands in force upon and against all unbelievers I say notwithstanding all these general concordancies correspondencies and agreements between them they do yet differ in nine particulars which I Nine things in which they differ shall the rather mention that you may understand the infinite goodnesse of God in making this Covenant of grace and his infinite mercy in it and your own happinesse by it if any of you be brought into the Covenant And also to affect your hearts that you may press the more after a personal interest therein Thus then the Covenant of works and of grace do differ 1. In their special end The end which God aimed at in the Covenant of works was the declaration and magnifying of his justice and his end in making In their special end the Covenant of grace is the declaration and magnifying of his mercy In the Covenant of works it is Do this and live if you sinne you dye for it Here is no place for Repentance no place for mercy In the Covenant of works when Adam had sinned there was no commission of enquiry whether he repented or not of what he had done the enquiry was only of the fact What hast thou done Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I said unto thee Thou shalt not eat and being found guilty death and curse are pronounced against him Gen. 3. 11 19. Thus it is in the Covenant of works The soul that sinnes shall die 〈◊〉 18. 4. In this God reveals his wrath from heaven against all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse of men Rom. 1. 18. And thus he makes his power and justice known in that Covenant But in the Covenant of grace his intention and purpose is to glorifie his mercy to proclaim his glory The Lord The Lord merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne Exod. 34. 6 7. This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those dayes c. I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and iniquities I will remember no more Heb. 8. 10 12. In this Covenant there is place for repentance and mercy for the penitent Repent that your sinnes may be blotted out Acts 3. 19. He that forsakes his sins shall have mercy Prov. 28. 13. So that as to the Covenant of works you must be altogether perfect and alwayes so if you sinne at all you are cast and condemned But as to the Covenant of grace the sinner being penitent is received to mercy and spared This is one great difference betwixt the Covenant of Works and of Grace 2. In the condition of man with whom God doth Covenant The Covenant In the condition of man with whom God doth Covenant of works was made with man as perfect upright innocent and then sinlesse and therefore it is called by some Pactum Amicitiae a Covenant of friendship because before the fall there was nothing of variance or enmity betwixt God and man that estate was an estate of love and kindnesse and friendship God was Adams friend and Adam was a friend to God they agreed together and conversed as loving friends But the Covenant of grace was made with man as breaking friendship as fallen off by sinne as under the estate of emnity when his sinnes had separated betwixt him and his God and therefore this Covenant is called Pactum Reconciliationis a Covenant of Reconciliation an agreement made betwixt parties who had fallen out The Lord was pleased to look after man again and to take pity on him and to propose new Articles of life unto him 3. In their foundations The Covenant of works as to our part was founded In their foundations upon the strength of that righteous nature which God gave unto Adam and in him unto us so that his standing was upon his own bottome upon the sufficiency of his own power and will with which he was created But the foundation of the Covenant of grace is Jesus Christ not our own strength but the strength of Christ who is the Rock the Corner-stone the foundation-stone upon which you are built And this is one reason why Adam fell and lost that life promised in the Covenant of works and why such as are brought into the Covenant of grace fall not so as to lose that blessed life promised unto them Adam had more inherent strength of grace than we have he at his first creation was without all sinne yet he being left to the strength of his own will willingly brake with God willingly transgressed and lost all But we though weaker in our selves than he yet being brought into this Covenant of grace though we meet with as great temptations as he yet fall not as he did because the foundation of our strength is greater than his Jesus Christ holds us in his own hands Joh. 10. 28. And we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1. 5. 4. The Covenant of works was made without a Mediatour There was no The one made without a Mediatour dayes-man betwixt God and man none to stand between them There was none and needed none because there was no difference then betwixt God and man Man was then righteous perfectly righteous A Mediatour is a third person betwixt two different parties to make up the breach which ariseth betwixt them but when the Covenant of works was made betwixt God and man all was righteousnesse and therefore all was peace there was no use of a Mediatour to bring them into peace and set them at one who were hitherto in perfect love and union But in the Covenant of grace there is a Mediatour The other with a Mediatour Jesus the Mediatour of the new Covenant Heb. 12. 24. Man being fallen there is now a necessity of a Mediatour to satisfie Gods Justice to destroy enmity to make peace to bring us neare to God again and to gain us confidence and acceptance with God The Covenant of grace could not have been drawn up without a Mediatour God would never have treated with sinners but by a Mediatour who should satisfie him for the wrong and injury done unto him and who should set mercy as it were at liberty to showr and fall down on sinful man and who should undertake to see all Articles performed Objection It may be objected that the Law given at Mount Sinai was a Covenant of works and yet that was delivered by the hand of a Mediatour Gal. 3. 19. Sol. I shall say no more to this at present but that the
Rom. 16. 25 26. even the Mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations but now is made manifest unto his Saints Col. 1. 26. Though others sit in darknesse and see no light yet unto you through Christ there ariseth light in darknesse and your eyes shall and do see the salvation of the Lord and the glory of the Lord the light shines in your hearts the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4. 6. he makes known unto you the true life and the true way of life the mystery of salvation 2. He hath it in his commission to instruct and teach you the whole minde and will of To instruct and teach us the while mind and will of God God in every thing which concerns your salvation all things that I have heard of the Father I have made known unto you Joh. 15. 15. As he discovers unto us infallibly the reality and the quality of our salvation so there is not any one truth nor any one path necessary unto that salvation but he opens it and reveales it whether it respect our faith or our obedience he is the annoâ—nting which teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lye 1 Joh. 2. 27. 3. He is that Prophet who doth teach not only by his word but also by his Spirit others can speak only to the eares of men but he can speak to the hearts of He teacheth not only by his Word but by his Spirit men he can imprimere in mentem as well as mentem exprimere write his Law in the heart as well and as easily as he can deliver and make it known to our mindes when he teacheth you that you must believe he doth by his Spirit cause you to believe when be saith that you must be born again he doth by his Spirit make you new creatures there is not any one grace or duty or path of liâ—e which he sets before you who are in covenant with God but he works in you those very graces and puts forth a strength to perform all those duties and to walke in those paths 4. As a Prophet he is annointed to preeah good tydings Isa 61. 1. the Apostle calls it preaching of peace Ephes 2 17. and not only the Prophet Isaiah in that He is anointed oâ— preach good tidings place but also Christ himself in Luke 4. 18. tells you what those good tydings are what that Gospel is namely to hinde up and heale the broken-heared liberty and deliverance to the captives sight to the blinde to give beauty for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heavinesse O what comfort is here for you who are the people of God and have Christ to be your Christ and your Prophet Here are glad tydings for you and your Christ is annointed to preach them unto you when your hearts are broken and bruised you have a Christ to binde them up and to heale them with his own precious blood I dyed for you saith Christ this is my blood which was shed for you for the remission of your sins to reconcile you to make peace for you saith Christ and when you finde your selves captives and as it were shut up on prison Christ your Prophet comes to you by his Spirit and breaks open the prison doores and sets you at liberty from your sins from Satan from your fears and tears and all the powers and chaines of darknesse and when your soule sits in darkness and sees no light when they feed on tears and are overwhelmed with sorrows and heaviness your Christ who is your Prophet can and will speak words of life unto you and words of joy unto you why are your hearts troubâ—ed said he to his Disciples woman why weepest thou said he to Mary daughter go in peace so to another son be of good comfort There is no Prophet like your Prophet who knows so much of the minde of God who reveals it so fully so faithfully so infallibly so powerfully so sweetly so savingly Christ is a Priest and your Priest Jesus Christ is a Priest and he is annointed to be your Priest Psal 110. 4. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck vide Heb. 6. 20. Heb 7. 17. Cap. 4. 14. we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God I shall not insist on this Argument to tell you how Christ was called and qualified for his priestly Office nor of the differences 'twixt him and all other Priests nor how that his Sacrifice was his humane nature and the Altar was his Divine Nature and himself according to both these natures was the Priest My intention is only in few words to touch at this Office of Christ as our Mediatour and then to expresse unto you the chief comforts from your interest in him as to this his Office of Priesthood There are two Acts wherein his Priestly Office consisteth Two acts of his Priestly Office Oblation 1. One was the oblation of himself once for all as a perfect Sacrifice for the expiation of sin and reconcilâ—ng us to God Heb. 9. 14. Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself without spot to God verse 26. he appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself verse 28. Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many Rom. 5. 10. when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Col. 1. 20. He made peace though the blood of his Crosse Heb. 2. 17. a merciful and faithful High Priest to make reconciliation for the sins of the people 2. The other is His Intercession for us This man saith the Apostle because Intercession he continueth ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood Heb. 7. 24. wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them and therefore as to this interceding part of his Priestly Office Christ is said to appear for us in the presence of God Heb. 9. 24. as the Atturney appears for his Client in Court to answer for him and likewise he is called our Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2. 1. to plead for us and to obtaine for us c. But some may now reply We know all this that Christ is a Priest and a Mediatour of Redemption and of Intercession that he offered up himself that he died shed his blood was sacrificed and that he ever lives to make Intercession Quest But where lies the comfort of this to them that are in Covenant with God and have Christ to be their High Priest Sol. What câ—mfort we have by this I will shew you what comfort you have by this and I pray you mark it There are four unspeakable comforts unto you who are Christs from this that he is
God power is necessary to give a being unto all undertakings The power of God If a poor man promiseth much yet there is no certainty of it because though he be very willing yet he is very unable the engagement exceeds his stock of ability But God is able to performe all the good promised to his people in the Covenant Rom. 4. 21. Abraham was fully perswaded that what God had promised he was able also to perform For the clear understanding of this remember four particulars 1. There is not any one promise of God but hath the power of God accompanying No promise of God but hath the power of God engaged for it it and engaged for it whether for temporal things see an excellent place for this Numb 11. 18. The Lord will give you flesh and you shall eat Ver. 19. Ye shall not eat one day nor two dayes nor ten nor twenty but a whole month Verse 20. And Moses said verse 21. The people are six hundred thousand footmen and thou hast said I will give them flesh for a whole month Shall ver 22. the flocks and herds be slain for them to suffice them or shall the fish of the sea be gathered together for them as if he had said But art thou able to make this promise good the Lord said unto Moses verse 23. Is the Lords hand waxed short Thou shalt see whether my word shall come to passe unto thee or not he did make it good Or whether the promise be for spiritual things there is the power of God accompanying it Micah 7. 18. Who is a strong God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity He is able to pardon all our sinnes and able to change our hearts and to subdue our iniquities and to write his Law in our hearts and to make all grace to abound and to keep us from falling and to preserve us to his heavenly glory We are kept by the power of God 2. This power is a supreme and over-topping power it is an exceeding power This power is a supreme power a power that cannot be hindred If he will blesse who can curse If he be with us who can be against us No creature can raise up and stay it it is such a power as beares down all before it All that Pharaoh could do could not make or hinder the power of God from delivering his people according to his promise nor all the Kings could hinder their possessing of promised Canaan 3. This power is independent it takes not in any assistance to help it but is alone This power is independent sufficient to it self and unto all its works and unto all the purposes of God there is enough of his power as to creation so to conversion and pardoning and blessing 4. This power is an enduring power it still abides in strength Behold the Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot save Isa 59. 1. His power remains the same This power is an enduring power for ever 2. The Will of God in reference to the Covenant to perform what God hath promised Micah 7. 20. Thou wilt performe the truth to Jacob. Jer. 33. 14. The Will of God I will performe that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel 1 Thes 5. 24. Faithful is he that calleth you who will also do it Phil. 1. 6. He that hath begunne a good work in you will performe it untill the day of Jesus Christ God was never forced to make it or to enter into this Bond but out of his own accord willingly became ours and this willingnesse was not extrinsecal depending upon the perswasion of another but it was intrinsecal arising only from his own entire love unto us Quest But the question may be concerning the kinds of Gods Will as to the performance The kinds of Gods will of this Covenant Sol. For answer unto that take these particulars 1. The will of God for the performance of his Covenant it is a peremptory and perfect Will it is a Will resolved a Will of purpose or according to purpose It is a peremptory and perfect will not an incompleat Will it may be I will and it may be I will not not a wishing but this is my purpose my decree I am resolved on it to blesse my people to bring upon them all the good of my Covenant 2. This Will is grounded on it selâ— it is a well-guided Will it doth not depend It is grounded on it self on any thing in us for then it might not be sure but only the good pleasure of his Will which is most sure Ezek. 36. 22. Not for your sakes O house of Israel but for mine holy Name-sake Isa 48. 11. For mine own sake even for mine own sake will I do it Deut. 7. 8. Because the Lord loved you and because he would keep the Oath which he had sworne unto your Fathers hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand 3. This Will is fixed and unalterable must not the Covenant then be sure It is fixed and unalterable Psal 89. 34. My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Verse 35. Once have I sworn by my holinesse that I will not lye unto David And this willingnesse he hath expressed 1. In his promiseâ— yea promise upon promise that he will bring upon them all the good that he hath promised them Jer. 32. 42. and Jer. 33. 14. and Micah 7. 20 c. 2. In his Oath to all this I have sworn by my holinesse that I will not lye unto David Psal 89. 35. He confirmed it by his Oath saith the Apostle in Heb. 6. 17. and an Oath for confirmation is an end of all strife ver 16. Luk. 1. 72. To perform the mercy promised to our fâ—thers and to remember his holy Covenant Ver. 73. The Oath which he sware to our Father Abraham surely God will not break his word of promise and lye surely God will not break his Oath and be perjured 3. This Covenant is gracious and therefore it is sure as the Apostle speaks It is gracious Rom. 4. 16. Therefore it is of faith that it might bâ— by grace to the end the promise might bâ— sure to all the seed The former Covenant was not sure because it was of works and rested upon our own strength and performance but this Covenant iâ— sure because it is of grace and rests not on any sufficiency in us but only on the goodnesse and the sufficiency of Gods grace God in this Covenant doth promise to give us all things freely to work all our works in us and for us not to deal with us according to our deserts but according to the riches of his mercy 4. This Covenant is confirmed by the blood of Jesus Christ which is called It is confirmed by the blood of Christ the blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13. 20. Matth. 26. 28. This
platted a Crown of thorns they put it on his head and a Reed in his right hand and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him saying Hail King of the Jews so Acts 2. 13. Others mocking said these men are full of new wine And they are said in Hebr. 10. 29. to tread under foot the Son of God and to count his blood an unholy thing How amazing is this reproach and thus is it with all who sin the sin against the Holy Ghost the precious blood of Christ his holiness his truth his commands his ways his servants are the objects of their mockings and scorns and reproaches Thirdly This opposition is made against Christ and the Gospel after and against the clear Convictions of the Holy Ghost They who sinne this sin 1. Have had such a light in them as to know Jesus Christ Joh. 9. 41. Jesus said unto them If ye were blinde ye should have no sin but now ye say we see therefore your sin remaineth Joh. 7. 28. Ye both know me and whence I am Hebr. 6. 4. who were once inlightened They that sin this sin do know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Redeemer and that there is salvation in him and in no Name but his and that the way which he prescribes for salvation is the true way of life and after all this they crucifie the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame 2. The Holy Ghost hath not only illuminated their minds but hath also raised them to a kind of approbation of Christ and his truths and his ways so that they have taken upon them the profession of Christianity and side with the Gospel for a time 3. By the operation of the Holy Ghost they have attained unto some spiritual taste and experience as you may see Hebr. 6. 4. Have tasted of the heavenly gift Ver. 5. And have tasted of the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come Fourthly And yet after all this they fall away Hebr. 6. 6. Reject Christ and his truths and ways and will go on in the ways of their sinful and worldly lusts This is that sin which shall never be forgiven not only because God is pleased to shut the door of mercy against it but also because persons guilty of this sin do thrust themselves into such a desperate hardness of heart and they reject Christ in whom alone pardon is to be had that as the Apostle speaks Hebr. 6. 6. It is impossible to renew them again unto Repentance 2. Secondly They do put themselves out of a capacity of the forgiveness of their sins who will not repent of their sins i. e. who will not forsake them They who will not repent of their sins but will still persist and continue in them though they be convinced though they be reproved though they be threatned though they be assured of the inconsistence of forgiveness with impenitency This point will manifestly appear upon a threefold consideration 1. Of Gods professed resolution contrary to the presumption of mercy in the impenitent sinner indeed this sinner presumes to promise mercy unto himself though he goes on in his sins but the Lord protests that he shall have none Deut. 29. 18. Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormewood Ver. 19. And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he blesse himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to adde drunkenness to thirst Ver. 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven Ver. 21. And the Lord shall separate him to evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the Covenant that are written in this book of the Law So Psal 50. 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Ver. 22. Consider this ye that forget lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver 2. Of Gods restriction of his promise of forgiveness only upon condition of repentance only to such as forsake their sins where do you find it otherwise in the whole Bible Isa 1. 16. Wash ye make you clean put away the evil of your doings cease to do evil learn to do well Ver. 18. Come now let us reason together though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow 2 Chron. 7. 14. If my people shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon 3. Of Gods peremptory sentence in case of impenitency Exod 34. 7. that will by no means clear the guilty i. e. the impenitent in absolving he will not absolve i. e. whosoever finds mercy they shall not Ezek. 18. 21. Cast away from you all your transgressions for why will ye dye O house of Israel Psal 63. 21. God will wound the head of such an one as goes on still in his wickednesse Luk. 13. 3. Except ye repent ye shall perish Jer. 13. 10. This evil people which refuse to hear my words which walk in the imagination of their hearts Ver. 14. I will dash them one against another even the father and the son together saith the Lord I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy but destroy them Eccles 8. 13. It shall not be well with the wicked Isa 65. 20. The sinner dying an hundred years old shall be cursed then certainly not forgiven O think of this you who still go on in the hatred of holiness in profaning of the Sabbath in drunkenness in whoredom in pride in lying in any ungodly course who mock at reproof and despise instruction who flatter your selves with hopes of forgiving mercy Be not deceived for God is not to be mocked for whatsoever a man sowes that shall he also reap Gal. 6. 7. and Rom. 2. 6. God will render to every man according to his deeds Ver. 8. Indignation and wrath Ver. 9. tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil Thirdly They do put themselves out of a capacity of forgiveness of their sins who do delay and defer their work of repentance When some sinners are convinced They who delay theâ—r repentance of the inconsistence of mercy with impenitency and of the necessary presence of repentance for forgiveness then seeing it must be so and mercy cannot be otherwise had
them When did you ever see any ungodly hardened sinner judging himself for his hard heart and begging of the Lord to heal it or willingly applying himself to a 〈◊〉 heart-breaking Ministery c. SECT II. Vse 1. DOth the Lord promise that he will take away the stony heart from his people and doth he really do so in his time Hence it will follow First Then they are none of the people of God whose stony heart doth They are none of the people of God whose hard heart is not removed still abide in them and compleatly raign in them and then in what a wofull condition are many people â— fear amongst our selves e. g. All those who are unsensible of their sinful estate all those who incorrigibly go on in their sinful wayes all those who were never wrought on by the Word of Christ all those who oppose and reject and slight the Word in the threatnings and precepts thereof all those who do continue impenitent and unbelieving notwithstanding all the offers and invitations of grace c. Secondly Then no marvel that the people of God are of another spirit and The people of God are of another spirit than other men of another temper than the common sort of people are that they dare not run into the same excesse of riot with others nor live so as other men do live that they are so much altered as to themselves Heretofore they were frequent in swearing and now they fear an oath heretofore they made nothing of great transgressions and now a small sin even a little neglect carelesness remisness doth exceedingly disquiet and deject their hearts heretofore they could neglect the Word as well as others and scoff at it and refuse to be ordered by it but now they stand in awe of the Word they are presently bound up by it and wholly moulded and fashioned and ruled by it The reason of all this is because God doth take away the hardnesse of our hearts c. Thirdly Then it is no sign of an evil estate to be troubled for our own sins or for the sins of others David did water his couch for his own sins Psal 6. 6. It is no sign of an evil state to be troubled for our sins And rivers of tears did fall from his eyes for the sins of other men Psal 119. 136. When your former sins are your grief and your present sins are your burden and future sins are your fear and other mens sins are your sorrow this is a clear evidence that the stony heart is taken away and therefore you stand in relation to God as his people To sin and not to be troubled for sin is a sign of an hard heart and of an evil condition but to fear sin and to be grieved for sinning this is a signe of a changed and broken heart They are not to be blamed who oppose Heresies and blaspâ—emies Fourthly Then it is very unjust to accuse and discountenance any of the people of God as ill affected for this reason only Because they do oppose the Heresâ—es and blasphemies of these times and because they doe so earnestly contend for the Gospel and Ordinances of Christ by Prayers and tears and speaking and writing c. Why are you angry with them that God hath taken away from them the heart of stone must we be sensible of Gods dishonour or must we not And if if Christ wept at the hardness of heart in Jerusalem because she would not receive the Gospel is there not much more reason to weep and pray because of the hardness nay of the desperateness of any man who endeavours to pull down and extirpate the Gospel I say the Gospel in which all the love and goodness of God is revealed and in which all the glory of Christ is interested and in which all the salvation of poor sinners souls is so necessarily concerned Vse 2. Will the Lord take away the heart of stone from his people what Blesse God for this cause then have those people to bless the Lord who do find this cure wrought in their hearts O it is an unspeakable mercy and favour whether you respect the evil from which you are delivered or else the good which falls in upon the removal of hardness of heart First If that you do consider the evill from which you are delivered by being In respect of the evil from which you are delivered delivered from an hard hâ—art One saith it is the greatest sin in the world another saith it is the greatest judgement in the world Certainly it is one of the strongest holds of sin and it was the hardness of heart which kept up all the power of your sins and all the sinful practâ—ses it was the foundation of your long impenitency you had long ere this repented had not your hearts been hardned If the Lord had not in wonderful mercy by his exceeding power of grace taken away the hardness of your hearts your souls would never have been brought in to Christ but you would have gon on in your sins and dyed in your sins and been damned for your sins And yet again that after the long reâ—stance of Gods grace offers of mercy callings of the Gospel strivings and resistings of his Spirit the Lord shall pass by all this and mercifully cure thy foolish proud stout self-destroying soul O what mercy was this and what grace was this And the good which falls in with it Secondly If you do likewise consider the good which falls in upon the removal of hardness of heart certainly you have great cause to blesse God c. e. g. 1. An immediate receptivity or capacity to have the Law or will of God written and engraven on your hearts Simile as when the wax is softned it is thereby made capable of any impression 2. A spring of repentance is set up in the heart to bewail all our sins and transgressions and fear to transgress any more 3. An obediential principle appears in making of us ready and willing to comply with the precepts of God liberty and ability c. 4. The great work of Faith to receive the Lord Jesus into our hearts 5. Affectionate communions with God and a special delight in his presence and Ordinances and Services 6. A liberty and confidences in our accesses unto the throne of grace 7. In one word a newnesse of heart and a newness of relation unto God as our God and Father All these flow in upon the soul when God takes away the hardness of the heart and in time all the good of the Covenant and therefore unquestionably you have great obligations lying on your hearts to blesse God if he doth take away the hardness of your hearts Object I will some say no question it is a great blessing to be delivered from an hard heart but we feare it is not so with us for we finde sometimes such 1. A strange indisposition to what is good 2.
mend the soft heart 3. In respect of the Works and Dealings of God all of them make impression on the soft heart those of mercy and those of judgement those of blessing those of affliction they all work kindly Fifthly The Author and Cause of all this is God himself Job 23. 16. God is the Author of it God maketh my heart soft Zach. 12. 10. They shall look on him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn c. The Lord doth give this soft and tender heart when he doth effectually call and convert a sinner as you may see in Pauls conversion and thus you see what the heart of flesh is what a soft and tender heart is SECT II. Quest 2. NOW to the second Question How it may appear that the people of How this appears God are people of soft and tender hearts First By Instances all the Scripture over I will mention some David was By Instances a godly man and he was a man of a soft and tender heart when he did cut off the lap of Sauls garment his heart smote him as soon as Abigal spake with him he was with-drawn from his rash and dangerous resolution Nathan spake but one word unto him Thou art the man and presently he is struck I have sinned and that made him to water his couch with tears Josiah was a godly man and he was a man of a soft and tender heart see 2 Chron. 34. 27. Because thine heart was tender and thou didst humble thy self before God when thou heardest his words against this place and against the Inhabitants thereof and humbledst thy self before me and didst rent thy cloaths and weep before me c. Joseph was so both to God Gen. 39. 9. How can I do wickedness c and to Man How tender to his father and brethren Job was so and so was Peter on whom one look of Christ did work so kindly that he went out and wept bitterly What should I speak of Jehoshaphat Hezekiah Nehemiah Ezra Daniel or of Paul or of the Corinthians 2 Cor. 3. 3. Ye are the Epistle of Christ written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in tables of stone but in fleshly tables of the heart nay see more of this softness and tenderness 2 Cor. 7. 11. Behold this same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves yea what indignation yea what fear yea what vehement desire c. Secondly By Practice and there are eight things appearing in their By Practice practice which do shew that they are persons of soft and tender hearts First Quick apprehensions even of a frown and of Gods displeasure afar Quick apprehensions off in the beginnings in the threatnings in a with-drawment in any stop or estrangedness of communion and visits and unusualness in these cases presently the heart of them begins to misgive and fear Is all well is not the Lord angry He looks not on me I hear not from him as formerly Have not I offended him c Secondly Easie convictions A reproof saith Solomon Prov. 17. 10. entereth Easie Convictions more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool and so doth any conviction if the people of God have sinned Christs look to Peter Nathans word to David sometimes a glance an hint a passage in a Sermon or in Discourse is enough for conscience is very tender and takes presently and yields and confesseth c. Great griefs for lesser trespasses Thirdly Great griefs for lesser trespasses Great sins trouble not an hard heart Simile no more than the nettles and thorns do the hardned hand but little sins do exceedingly trouble the hearts of the godly being soft and tender Simile if a mote fall into the eye it causeth vexation because the eye is tender the omission of duty the coldness of performance distraction in services vain and idle thoughts unprofitable words losing of time sit heavily upon the hearts of Gods people c. Fourthly Special care of sure warrant for special actions They must have Care of sure warrant for special actions a light and a voice going before them This is the way Walk in it May I do this and may I do that Doth the Lord command such a work and doth he enjoyn me and am I sure and clear that I do not transgress if I should venture upon it Fifthly Wise Caution in doubtfuls Where if the work or way seems doubtfully Caution in doubtfuls good or doubtfully evil the godly person makes a pause a stand a stop he dares not to act boystrously if it be but a perhaps it is evil but a perhaps God may be dishonoured or his Gospel prejudiced he will abstain untill he gets more light to clear his steps as Job offered sacrifice in the case of perhaps Sixthly Present obedience When God commands no delays no shufflings Present obedience no consultings with flesh and blood their hearts are indeed at Gods command I made haste and delayed not to keep thy Commandments Psal 119. 60. You need not use many arguments and perswasions to the people of God a word of Gods command is of easie authority c. Seventhly And Choice obedience they would serve the Lord with their spirits Choice obedience Rom. 1. 9. and seek him with their whole hearts Psal 119. 10. and serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear Hebr. 12. 28. and love him with all their might Eighthly Earnest supplications that they might not offend or if they have Earnest supplications offended that they might not offend so David Keep thy servant from presumptuous sins Psal 19. 13. Let not any iniquity have dominion over me Psal 119. 133. And in case of offence O take away iniquity I have sinned I have done exceeding foolishly O Lord forgive be merciful unto my transgressions heal my back-slidings return in mercy speak peace whence is all this but from the tenderness of their hearts Simile they cannot live out of doors under frowns having any difference 'twixt their God and their souls no more than the tender wife or child c. Quest 3. Why the Lord gives a heart of flesh a soft and tender heart to his Why God gives a heart of flesh Four reasons of it people Sol. The Reasons may be these which I will but mention First God will teach them they shall be taught of God and write his Law in their inward parts Ergo. Secondly His people must be his servants they must serve the Lord their God be at his command to do his will and his work Ergo. Thirdly They must be like unto their God and Father and have a nature answerable to his nature God is a God of very merciful nature very tender and gentle easie to be entreated and if I may so say to be wrought on sometimes a prayer works on him sometimes a tear sometimes
keeps off from all the occasions thereof And from these two Consectaries do flow viz. Great peace in conscience For it is sin committed which disturbes and disquiets the Conscience and breaks up the peace of it but the more that any person is kept from sin the better doth he walk with peace and joy of Spirit Great peace have they that keep thy Law Psal 119. 165. Great confidence in access to God 1 Joh. 3. 21. If our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God And ver 22. Whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his Commandements and do those things which are pleasing in his sight Psal 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me ver 19. But verily God hath heard me be hath attended to the voice of my Prayer Job 11. 13. If thou prepare thine heart and stretch out thine hand toward him ver 14. If iniquity be in thine heart put it farre away ver 15. then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot So Zophar 3. It would be a Table-book for God to write his will upon what the Apostle It would be a Table-book for God to write his will upon spake of the Corinthians that would be affirmed of us 2 Cor. 3. 3. Ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by us written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in Tables of stone but in fleshly tables of the heart The heart of flesh is the Table on which the Spirit of God writes the will of God his will is there engraven it makes impression it admits and receives the will of God there it is to be seen and read Thy Law is within my heart said David Psal 40. 8. How kindly would the Word of God take with us how powerfully and effectually would it work upon us how easily would it prevail and rule and order us how wonderfully would it prosper amongst us run and be glorified why all our soules would be convinced and converted and allured and brought into Christ and walk in Christ and be obedient to the faith and become the servants of righteousness if we had soft and tender hearts we would no longer walk contrary to God or to his Word we would no longer hate instruction and despise counsel and resist the Spirit but would presently fall down at the feet of God and desire to be taught the wayes of God and be willing and ready and glad to walk in his paths 4. It would be a means of upright walking There are three sorts of people in the world It would be a meanes of upright walking Some that walk not at all with God as all profane Atheists who walk without God and contrary unto God by reason of the blindness and hardnesse of their hearts Some that walk unevenly with God only in some things and in some places and at some times as hypocritical and temporary believers by reason of the unsoundness and deceitfulness of their hearts Some that walk cordially and uprightly before the Lord turning neither to the right hand nor to the left keeping close to the rule in the whole course of their life Isa 66. 7. The way of the just is uprightness they are undefiled in the way do no iniquity but seek the Lord with the whole heart walk in the Law of the Lord and in his wayes Psal 119. 1 2 3. Now softness or tenderness of heart is a special means of this upright walking For 1. It raiseth in the heart an universal regard to all the Commandements of God Psal 119. 6. And ver 10. would not wander from the Commandements and to walk in all well-pleasing before him 2. It fills the heart with a hatred and fear of all sin that it may not offend the Lord in any thing nor at any time nor in any place Still seeing him who is invisible Job 31. 4. Doth not he see my wayes and count all my steps Prov. 5. 21. The wayes of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings 3. It lifts up the glory of God that is the great end and aim and scope and motive to a tender heart he doth all to the glory of God and so that Christ may be magnified 5. It would be a means of promoting the knowledge of Christ and the power of godliness and of casting down whatsoever is contrary to sound Doctrine and unto the wayes of godliness for it would fill the hearts of men with spiritual compassion to souls with zeal and it would draw out their graces and gifts and powers in a right way for God and for the good and salvation of others If Magistrates had but as much tenderness of heart in relation to the interest of God as to their own interest they would be more quick and active for God than for themselves they would justifie the righteous and condemn the wicked they would countance the faithful in the Land and contemn the profane they would honour and exalt the truth of God and disgrace and repress the errors and blasphemies against God and his truths they would encourage every godly person and they would appear against all open ungodliness and unrighteousness of men If Ministers had more tenderness of heart they would in their places also give all diligence to make Christ known and the truths of Christ and contend for them and oppose men of corrupt minds and that which is Antichrist indeed and they would exceedingly perswade and encourage even to the knowledge of the truth and to the love of the truth and to walk in all manner of holiness and godliness and they would reprove threaten warn and declare the wrath of God against all sorts of wickednesse in all sorts of men If Parents and Masters of Families had this tender heart they would not suffer ignorance and looseness in their dwellings but on the contrary would study and take pains to instruct and teach their children and servants and would reprove and correct c. How would they pray and strive on the behalf of knowledge and faith and holiness and fear of God and of walking with God! Verily the whole Land would in a short time be made an habitation of holiness a Land flowing with knowledge and fear of the Lord had we more of this tendernesse of heart which would undoubtedly make us more zealous and industrious for the glory of God 6. It would be a special help unto stedfastness and perseverance to hold out and continue It is a special help unto stedfastness to the end Jer. 32. 40. I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me As long as fear holds stedfastness doth hold and as long as tenderness of heart continues the fear will continue Again where the heart is soft and tender it makes us to be much in Prayer and diligent and serious in our communion with God
his praises 1 Pet. 2. 9 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father c. Matth. 5. 16. You are bought with a price to glorifie God in c. 1 Cor. 6. 20. 3. His gracious disposition towards his servants and people which appears in four particulars First In his concurrence he passeth by many a failing in the performance of our duties Micah 7. 18. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Mal. 3. 17. I will spate them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him Secondly In his acceptance he will accept of a willing mind 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to what a man hath and not cording to that a man hath not The servant that gained two talents and the poor widow that cast in two farthings were accepted Thirdly In his assistance as he commands us to walk in his statutes so he puts his Spirit within us to cause us to walk in them underneath are the everlasting arms said Moses Deut. 33. 27. And I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me said Paul Phil. 4. 13. Fourthly In the recompence Psal 19. 11. In keeping of thy Commandements there is great reward Isa 1. 19. If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the Land Rom. 2. 10. Glory honour and peace unto every man that worketh good Secondly In respect of the Statutes themselves they are holy and righteous and good The best way and the safest way to walk in are those which are pleasant to us well-pleasing to God The walking in the statutes of God is the best way that any man can walk in which appears thus First It is the way which the only wise and good God hath consecrated It is not a way of mans invention it is not a way of Satans delusion it is the way of God which he himself commands commends approves and likes Secondly It is the best way to walk in for our selves The benefit which comes by walking in Gods wayes 1. For a mans comfort and peace Great peace have they which keep thy Law Psal 119. 165. To him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God Psal 50. 23. Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and sincerity we have â—ad our conversation 2 Cor. 1. 12. The people of God do find his paths paths of pleasure and never meet with sorrow but when they are wandring from them Prov. 19. 16. He that keepeth the Commandements keepeth his own soul but he that despiseth his wayes shall dye 2. For a mans safety you are sure of Gods protection whiles you are in his service and in his wayes Gen. 17. 1. I am God Almighty walk before me and â—e thou perfect q d. keep thou my wayes and I will keep thy safety 3. For a mans honour The service of God is our greatest liberty and our Itâ— our honor greatest dignity Deut. 4. 6. Keep therefore and do these statutes for this is your wisdom and understanding in the fight of the Nations which shall hear of these statutes and say Surely this Nation is a wise and understanding people 3ly In respect of the people of God themselves which have so many obligations In respect of Gods people upon them from their God 1. His Truth 2ly His Mercy 3ly Giving Christ for to them 4ly Giving his Spirit to them 5ly Shedding his love in their hearts 6ly Daily and hourly blessings 7ly The many sweet experiences found by them in the wayes of obedience 8ly The bitterness met with when starting aside and wandring c. Fourthly Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the way of the Lord Holy obedience blessed are they that keep his testimonies Psal 119. 1 2. Holy obedience or walking in Gods statutes is a testimony of our effectual calling to Christ of our salvation with him Rom. 6. 4. We are buried with him by baptism into death that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father so we should walk in newness of Life Ephes 4. 21. If so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus Ver. 22. Put off the old man c. Ver. 24. And put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Chap. 5. 8. Ye were sometimes dark but now are ye light in the Lord walk as children of that light SECT I. 1. Use ARe the people of God charged and bound to walk in the statues of God and to keep his judgements and to do them O how few people then Few are Gods people hath God where is the man that doth obey his voice who doth indeed take any heed to walk with God in his statutes who orders his steps according to his Word Some there are that instead of giving an ear unto all the Scriptures and to all the Ordinances and to all the Statutes and Commandments of God they are beyond the Scriptures and beyond Ordinances and beyond the Law or Statutes of God and they cry out against men as Legalists who press obedience and as Antichristian and favouring of works I do indeed believe that there are many Antichrists amongst us and fear the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that great Antichrist is too much amongst us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Apostle describing the great Antichrist 2 Thes 2 3. saith that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Exlex sine lege one who doth trample down the Law of God c. Many others there are who though they be not Antinomians in opinion yet are so in their practice like those in Psal 2. 3. Let us break their bonds asunder and cast away their cords from us Particular Libertines who will have no Lord over them and will walk after the lusts of their own hearts and despise the statutes of God Hose 8. 12. I have written unto them concerning Ephraim the great things of my Law but they were counted a strange thing Beloved take but a short view of Gods statutes and of mens walking and we shall confess that few there are that walk in his statutes The statutes of God respect 1. Himself 2ly Our Neighbour Who they be that walk not after Gods Commanments 1. Himself in the glory of his Nature of his Worship of his Name and of his Day O but how few walk in these statutes 1. The ignorant that know not God 2. The Atheists that acknowledge not God 3. Unbelievers that trust not God 4. The profane that love not God nor fear him 5. The superstitious and idolatrous worshippers 6. The cursed swearers and forswearers 7. The rabble of Sabbath-breakers who make the day of God the day of their idlest recreation or profaness
on this Law in the true sense and spiritual interpretation thereof as particularly binding our souls Secondly A knowledge of approbation Though a man doth know the spiritual part and intent of Gods Laws yet if his soul rises up against them as A knowledge of approbation cruel as unjust as vain and unprofitable such a knowledge as this conjoyned with dislike and exception will never conduce to our obedience or walking in them but rather to disobedience to the knowledge of apprehension joyn the knowledge of approbation our judgements must comply with and acknowledge that Divine Excellency and equity in the statutes of God Rom. 7. 12. The Law is holy and the Commandement holy and just and good Psal 119. 138. Thy testimonies which thou hast commanded us are righteous and very faithful Thirdly A knowledge of Application we must know the statutes of God A knowledge of Applicatioâ— and approve of them as righteous and good and also we must apply the righteousness and goodness of them to our selves i. e. that they do concern every of us in particular as obliging of us and good for us As Eliphas spake to Job Job 5. 27. Lo this we have searched so it is hear thou iâ— and know thou it for thy good So say I you must hear and know the statutes of God how righteous they are how good they are how blessed they are what a command and power they have and this you must apply unto your selves not only as belonging to others and speaking to others but as belonging also to your selves to order your lives by them Psal 119. 4. Thou hast commanded to keep thy precepts diligently Ver. 5. O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes When you know that Commandement Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord in vain or that Commandement Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day c. You must know these Commandements as respecting you and obliging you that you must not swear and that you must not break the Sabbath but that you must know the Name of God and sanctifie the day of God c. 2. Quest What can knowledge contribute towards a walking in Gods statutes c for many know them and yet do not c. Sol. To this take briefly these Answers First Though possibly a man may know the statutes of God and yet not walk How knowledge contributes to obedience in them yet that knowledge is no cause of it Knowledge is in itself a help and furtherance to walking as the light is to working it is not any hinderance at all that which hinders knowing persons from obedience is not the light of their knowledge but the lust of their corrupt affections which bear down their knowledge Secondly Without knowledge of the statutes of God that which we call duty or obedience is neither practical nor acceptable 1. It is not practical Knowledge is a necessary previous quality unto acts Without knowledge obedience is not practical of duty It is impossible to obey the will of God if we know not the will of God Can a servant do the will of his Master who knows not the will of his Master our obedience in Rom. 12. 1. is called a reasonable service and rational it cannot be without knowledge without knowledge it is rather brutish than reasonable 2. It cannot be acceptable The Apostle saith in Heb. 11. 6. That without Nor acceptable Faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him But faith there cannot be without knowledge there cannot be Faith for the acceptance of duty unlesse first there be a knowledge of Gods Command of that duty Thirdly There is an aptitude of knowledge of things to be done to put us upon the doing of those things For knowledge is a Spiritual light and spiritual light it is not only Representative but also operative it will work upon the conscience and will and affections to draw them up to that performance of what is known This you see in enlightned sinners who are made to see the will or commands of God that the light hath an influence upon their hearts and consciences and services to excuse or condemn them and so still it doth untill they do imprison or extinguish that light 4. At least knowledge may serve your thus far to put you upon prayer to seek the Lord to give you an heart to walk in his statutes If it be not able to make you to walk in his statutes yet it is in some measure conducing to lead out your desires to the Lord to write his Laws in your hearts and to cause you to walk in his statutes Thirdly As you must get the knowledge of Gods statutes if you would walk in We must have our hearts and wills sanctified if we will keep Gods Commandments them so likewise you must get your hearts and wills sanctified Our walking in Gods statutes is stiled newness of life Rom. 6. 4. That we should walk in newness of life and a service in newness of Spirit Rom. 7. 6. implying the necessity of a new spirit towards a new life You know that to the walking in Gods statutes there must be 1. A subordination of our wills to Gods will Gods will must not go one way and our wills run another way If our wlls be contrary to his this is a plain disobedience But now to reduce our will to the way of God this requires holiness or renovation in our wills forasmuch as the carnal will is enmity to the Law of God Rom. 8. 7. 2ly A conformity or similitude our walking and Gods Precepts must agree what is to be found in Gods Commands that must be found in our practice else it is not a walking in his stattutes you do not set them up as your Rule as your Copy if you do not commensurate your actions by them and to both these holiness of heart is required For the heart must be sanctified and renewed or else it can neither yield up it self nor conform itself to that holy will of God consider that passage of the Apostle 1 Pet. 1. â— 2. Through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience why doth not the Apostle say election to obedience but through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience not that we are not elected unto obedience but that there can be no obedience without the sanctification of the Spirit As there can be no action of life without a principle of life so there can be no actions of Spiritual life without the great principle of holiness in the heart and when God puts that holy disposition into our hearts this will as sweetly incline us to walk in the statutes of God as we were wont to be enclined to walk in ways of wickedness when we were under the power of an unholy and sinful disposition Four things a man shall find when
heart more and more further and further Simile Artificers who are building of an house they have work enough every day for them to do untill the house be finished So the Christian who is building up for Heaven he hath work still to do untill he comes to heaven he is not perfect nor are his works perfect he is but doing he hath not done his work till he hath done his life 4. Progressive and Progressive obedience is true obedience continued obedience that is the true and right obedience that is the obedience 1. Which comes indeed from love of God A friend saith Solomon loves at all times They who do truly love their God will still obey their God 2 Which comes from the Law written in the heart set up there and delighted It proceeds from love to God in there 3 Which as it agrees wholly with Gods will so it tends altogether to Gods From the Law written in the heart It agrees to Gods will and tends to Gods glory glory God hath more dishonor by the Apostate who turns away from the Commandements then ever he had honor by his temporary walking in the Commandements A faithfull Christian who walks with God all his dayes his whole life brings glory to God 4. Which God delights in he takes pleasure in it the upright are his delight And he loves the faithfull but if any man draw back my Soule shall have no pleasure God delights in it in him Heb. 10. 38. 5. Which God will Reward Rev. 2. 10. Be thou faithfull unto death and I will give thee a crown of life Math. 10. 22. He that continueth unto â—he end shall be God will reward it saved It is a pious expression of Chrysostome Non cepisse but perfecisse virtutis est Nec incipientibus sed perseverantibus Corona tribuitur 6. Which answers to the obedience of Christ Christs obedience was Satisfactory and herein we cannot imitate him and his obedience was exemplary a It answers Christs obedience pattern for our obedience and herein we are to imitate him And there are three things in his obedience to which our obedience should be answerable 1. Willingness and readiness 2. Fulness 3. Steadfastness untill Three things in Christs â—bedience for our imitation he had finished the work which his father gave him to do And thus should we do not only begin but also finish and work to the end 2. Tim. 4. 7. I have finished my course said Paul We should persevere or continue our obedience unto the end still walk on in Gods Statutes because of that exceeding loss which will befall us if we should give over our obedience and turn away from Gods Statutes There are three unspeakable losses which will follow to Apostates who break What Apostates lose off with God in duties of obedience First A Loss of Honor Saith Christ to the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3. Honor. 11. Hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crown Intimating that the Crown were lost which is the greatest dignity and honor and reputation if she were not steadfast Demas hath forsaken us and embraced this present world what a dishonor was this to Demas The Apostle Peter speaking of Apostates who turned away from the holy Commandements delivered unto them 2 Pet. 2. 21. That it is hapned unto them according to the proverbe the Dog is turned to his vomit again and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire What a shame is it to be like a dog or a sow c. Secondly A Loss of all the Duties and good works that hitherto they have All their duties and good works done Apostates make shipwrak 1. Of Faith 2. Of Conscience 3. Of all their former obedience All the Prayers which they have made are lost and all their Hearings are lost and all their Religious services and performances Ezek. 18. 24. When the Righteous turneth awâ—y from his Righteousness and committeth iniquity all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned and in his sins that he hath sinned in them shall he dye Thirdly A Loss of their Souls and Happiness Apostates lose all their hoâ—es Their souls and happiness of Heaven there are dreadfull places for the proof of this Esa 1. 28. They that forsake the Lord shall be consumed 2. Cron. 24. 20. Because ye have forsaken the Lord he hath also forsaken you Heb. 10. 26. If we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledg of the truth there remaines no more sacrifice for sin Ver. 27. but a certaine fearfull looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries Sixthly We cannot be better imployd then in a constant and continued It s our best impolyment to walk in Gods wayes walking in Gods Statutes It is an impolyment like that in Heaven This is indeed to live and rightly to improve life It is the Honor of life and Comfort and Safety of life First Our Honor saith David Psal 16. 8. I have set the Lord alwaies before It s our honor me And Psal 73. 23. I am continually with thee Fidelity in service is an honor to any man much more in his service unto God Secondly Our Comfort Psal 106. 3. Blessed are they that keep judgment Our comfort and he that doth righteousness at all times Upright and constant obedience brings in a revenue of constant peace in confidence thereof and affords unto us a constant confidence towards God Psal 119. 165. Esa 32. 17. The work of righteousness shall be peace 1 Joh. 3. 21. If our hearts condemne us not then have we confidence towards God Ver. 22. And whatsoever we ask we receive of him q. we keep his Commandements and do those things that are pleasing in his sight Thirdly Our Safety You are never more safe then when you are in Gods Our safety way The path of obedience is the path of Safety Prov. 13. 6. Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way but wickedness overthroweth the sinner 16. 17. He that keepeth his way preserveth his soul 19. 16. He that keepeth the Commandements keepeth his own soul But he that despiseth his wayes shall dye Eccle. 8. 5. Whose keepeth the Commandements shall see no evil things But look on the very imployment of life in the whole course of it can it be better imployed or spent then in an obediential walking with God There cannot be a better master then God nor a more choice imployment of our life than in his service Communion with God is our happiness in this life and in the life to come Psal 84. 1. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of hosts Ver. 2. My soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord. Ver. 3. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will be still praysing thee Ver. 10. A day in thy courts is better than a thousand I had rather be
good God but also as a wise God and his delays are not his denials but only his trials and therefore hear himself speaking in this case Hab. 2. 3. The Vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry waite for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Micah 7. 7. I will waite for the God of my salvation my God will hear me 3. They are discoveries of many mens hypocrisie but no evidences of Gods mutability You shall have a company of men boast of their strong faith in God and of their great love to God and how they trust in him with all their hearts this they speak in the dayes of their prosperity but let the Lord put forth his hand upon them let him but blast their Jonah's Guord let him cut off those armes of flesh upon which indeed they do depend let him but break down their creature-supports and comforts and hopes and hold out never so many sutable and faithful promises why they have no hopes a word of promise is of no life or support at all unto them This evil is of the Lord why should I wait for the Lord any longer said that wicked Prince in 2 Kings 6. 33. Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him Hab. 2. 4. 4. They are many times the displayings of the best mens infirmities but no tokens of any uncertainty in Gods Covenant The best men though they may attain to the knowledge of the truth of that grace in their hearts yet they may be much deceived as to the measure and strength of that grace and as many other things can declare this unto them so do these delayes and respites and contrary dealings of God much very much shew it Alas what expressions in such cases have fallen from the lips of precious men what complaints what impatience what charges of God himself what disputes what exceeding weaknesses Psal 116. 11. I said in mine haste All men are lyars thus David in that condition Jer. 15. 18. Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a lyar and as waters that fail what a sad expression is this Jonah 4. 3. Take away I beseech thee my life from me for it is better for me to dye than to live Verse 9. I do well to be angry even unto death Job 3. 3. Let the day perish wherein I was born and the night wherein it was said there is a man-childe concâ—ived c. You see what strange weaknesses God doth discover in the hearts of his own people by delays by his dealings with them in ways sensibly contrary to his promises by which they come more fully to know themselves and to be humbled before him and to seek unto him for more assistance and notwithstanding all this yet the Covenant of God is sure to his people he will yet performe all the good which he promiseth unto them though under all this they may discern their own weaknesses and unworthinesse 5. They do serve for the greater demonstration of his truth and are no diminutions of it at all that notwithstanding all visibly contrary workings and notwithstanding all the fears and doubtings and contrary opinions of his own servants yet God will be true though every man be a lyar his word shall stand and his Covenant be found true and sure Psal 31. 22. I said in my haste I am cut off from before thine eyes neverthelesse thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cryed unto thee 4. Then be upright do not use any indirect wayes or sinful shufflings what Be upright need of these the Covenant contains as much good as you need and it is sure for the performance of all Psal 37. 3. Trust in the Lord and do good so shalt thou dwell in the Land and verily thou shalt be fed Ver. 4. Delight thy self also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desire of thine heart Ver. 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to passe SECT VIII 8. THe eighth property of this Covenant is this It is the last Covenant it It is the last Covenant It succeeds a former Covenant may be called the last Covenant in a twofold respect 1. Because it succeds a former Covenant and removes it See Heb. 8. 13. In that he saith a new Covenant he hath made the first old now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away 2. Because no Covenant shall ever succeed this If any Covenant should succeed No Covenant shall ever succeed it this it must be a Covenant either of works or of grace not a Covenant of works for that would bring us all under a curse and make our condition utterly desperate nor a Covenant of grace because more grace cannot be shewn in any other Covenant than in this here is all grace and all mercy and Jesus Christ with all his righteousnesse Mediatorship merit purchase this Covenant is so perfect and is so every way accommodated to the condition of sinners that nothing can be altered nor can be added nor mended therefore it is the last Covenant O therefore take heed what you do stand not off refuse not to come into this Covenant sin not against this Covenant for that he offers it no more it is the last Covenant no hope no mercy no love no Christ no acceptance no life but in this SECT IX 9. THe ninth property of this Covenant is It is an everlasting Covenant so It is an everlasting Covenant the Text I will make an everlasting Covenant with you Isa 55. 3. Incline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live And I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Gen. 17. 7. I will stablish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee for an everlasting Covenant to be God unto thee and to thy seed after thee 2 Sam. 23. 5. He hath mâ—de with me an â—verlasting Covenant c. Psal 105. 9. Which Covâ—nant he made with Abraham and his oath unto Isaac Ver. 10. And confirmâ—d the same unto Jacob for a Law and to Israel for an everlasting Covâ—nant Isa 61. 8. I wâ—ll dirâ—ct their work in truth and I wâ—ll make an everlasting Covenant with â—hem Jer. 32. 40. I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I wâ—ll not tâ—rn away from them to do them good Heb. 13. 20. Through the blood of the everlasting Covenant Hosea 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever Psal 48. 14. This God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide evâ—n unto death All the things of the Covenant are stiled everlasting viz. All the things of the Covenant are stiled everlasting 1. God is an everlasting God Rom. 16. 26. 2. Jesus Christ is the everlasting Father Isa 9. 6. And a Priest for ever Heb. 6. 20. 3. The
could not perform And he did bear our sins and our sorrows he did suffer and bear for us what we our selves should have born and suffered whereby he did fully satisfie the Justice of God and made our peace and purchased life for us I will speak something unto both these particulars 1. Jesus Christ did perform that active obedience unto the Law of God which we should but by reason of sin could not perform In which respect he is said Gal. 4. 4. Christ did perform that active obedience to the Law of God which we should but could not perform to be made under the Law that he might redeem them that were under the Law So far was Christ under the Law as to redeem them that were under the Law But redeem them that were under the Law he could not unless by discharging the Bonds of the Law in force upon us and all those bonds could not be and were not discharged unless a perfect righteousness had been presented on our behalf who were under the Law to fulfil the Law Now there is a two-fold Righteousnesse necessary to the actual fulfilling of the Law One is an internal Righteousnesse of the Nature of man The other is an external Righteousness of the life or works of man both of these doth the Law require The former Thou shalt love the Loâ—d thy God with all thy heart c. which is the sum of the first Table And thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self which is the sum of the second Table The latter Do this and live Levit. 18. 5. He that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them is cursed Gal. 3. 10. and both these Righteousnesses were found in Christ The Internal Heb. 7. 26. He was holy harmless undefiled separated from sinners 9. 14. And offered himself without spot to God 2 Cor. 5. 21. He knew no sinne The External 1 Pet. 2. 22. He did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth Joh. 17. 4. I have finished the works which thou gavest me to do Matth. 3. 15. He must fulfil all righteousnesse Rom. 10. 4. Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousnesse to every one that believeth 2. As Jesus Christ did for us perform all that active obedience which the Law And he did suffer the punishments we had deserved of God required So he did also sustain or suffer all those punishments which we had deserved by the transgression of the Law of God in which respect he is said 2 Cor. 2. 22. To be made sinne for us 1 Pet. 2. 24. Himself to bear our sins in his own body on the tree 1 Pet. 3. 18. For Christ also hath once suffered for sin the Just for the unjust that he might bring us to God Phil. 2. 8. To humble himself and to become obedient unto death even the death of the Cross Gal. 3. 13. To be made a curse an execration for us Ephes 5. 3. To give himself for us an Offering and Sacrifice unto God Heb. 9. 15. And for this cause is he the Mediatour of the New Testament that by means of death for the Redemption of the transg essions thâ—t were under the first Testament they which were called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance Now concerning the Passive obedience or suffering of Christ I would present unto you these Conclusions Conclusions concerning the passive obedience of Christ Christs sufferings weâ—e voluntary and not constrained 1. Jesus Christ his sufferings were voluntary and not constrained or forced Saint Austin saith that Christ did suffer Quia voluit quando voluit quomodo voluit Joh. 10. 17. I lay down my life verse 18. No man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again Gal. 2. 20 Who gave himself for me His sufferings did rise out of obedience to his Father Joh. 10. 18 This Commandment have I received of my Father and Joh. 18. 11. The cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it and out of love to us Ephes 5. 25. As Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it Had his sufferings been involuntary they never could have been a part of his obedience much lesse could they have mounted to any thing of merit for us Object Nor doth that earnest Prayer of his Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me Matth. 26 30 denote absolutely his unwillingness but rather set out the greatness of his williâ—gness Sol. For although Christ as Man was of the same Natural affections with us and desires aâ—d abhorrencies of what was destructive to nature and therefore did fear and deprecate that bitter cup which he was now ready to drink yet as our Mediatour and Surety and knowing it would be a cup of salvation to us though of exceeding bitterness to himself he did yield and lay aside his natural reluctancies as Man and willingly obeyed his Fathers will to drink it as our loving Mediatour as if he should say O Father whatsoever become of me of my natural fear or desire I am content to submit to the drinking of this cup thy will be done 2. Whatsoever punishments Christ did sustain for us you must refer them only Whatsoever punishments Christ did sustaâ—n for us must be referred only to the substance and not to the circumstances of them to the substance and not unto the circumstances of punishment And the reason is because though the enduring of the punishments as to the substance of them could and did agree with him as a surety yet the circumstances of those punishments could not have befallen him unless he had been a sinner And therefore every inordination in suffering was far from Christ and a perpetual duration of suffering could not befall him For the first of these had been contrary to the holiness and dignity of his Person and the other had made void the end of his Suretiship and Mediatorship which was so to suffer as yet to conquer and to deliver and therefore though he did suffer death for us in the substance of it yet he neither did nor couâ—d suffer death in the circumstance of it so as for ever to be held by death For then in suffering death he should not have conquered death nor delivered us from death 3. The punishments which Christ did suffer for our sins these were in their The punishments which he suffered were in their kinds parts and degrees the same which were due to us kinds and parts and degrees and propertion all those punishments which were due unto us by reason of ouâ— sins and which we our selves should otherwise have suffered Whatsoever we should have suffered as sinners all that did Christ suffer as our Surety and Mediatour alwayes excepting those punishments which could not be endured without a pollution and guilt of sin The chastisement of our peace
the heavens What may not a man bear and what losse is he at who knows Christ to be his and a reconciled God to be his c. Eighthly This assurance will ease all our worldly burdens it will take off It will ease all our worldly burdens our hearts and it will take off our vexations cares and thoughts if we know that God gave Christ for us we cannot but know that he will with him freely give us all things Rom. 8. 32. And besides that the more assurance we have of our interest in Christ c. the more our hearts will minde Christ and the benefits by Christ and will be the lesse after other things I have a goodly heritage thou art my portion Psal 16. 5. I have enough nay let him take all c. Ninthly This assurance breeds confidence and comfort in death Why are even It breeds confidence in death good people sometimes afraid to dye but because they are not yet assured they cannot say with Paul Christ loved me and gave himself for me But if assurance be on their hearts then death is welcome Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation said Simeon Luk. 2. 29 30. And I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ said Paul What is death to the assured Believer but a short passage a speedy in-let and conveyance unto that glorious and eternal blessednesse which he knows that Christ hath purchased for him and God reserves for him in heaven Case 5. Whether a person having attained a certain knowledge that Christ dyed for him may ever after that doubt again and question that point again Whether after this assurance he may ever doubt again He may doubt again Sol. I answer plainly he may sensible assurance is very comfortable but yet it is mutable Pauls vision in Acts 10. 11. was drawn up into heaven again yea and his choice revelation was quickly attended with a violent temptation 2 Cor. 12. 7. Reasons whereof may be these First The Divine pleasure the date of your comforts and the Patent of Reasons of it The Divine pleasure them is ad placitum God gives you this assurance that you may taste his kindnesse and goodnesse and he takes it off again that you may acknowledge his authority Secondly The Divine wisdome God would rather have us live by faith than The Divine wisdome sense indeed the life of our assurance is more for our comfort but the life of faith is more for his glory Thirdly Our own foolishnesse not improving aright such gracious manifestations Our own foolishnesse but abusing them to pride and high-mindednesse and sometimes blurring the fair copy of our evidence with foul transgressions Fourthly Subtilty and prevalency of temptations which we did not so watch The subtilty of temptations and fear because of our assurance as if that were security enough c. Object But what comfort and support if this assurance may fail Sol. Much for all that for 1. Though assurance fails yet faith by which we are saved fails not 2. Though assurance fails yet the interest and estate assured shall never fail Christ is still thine and the reconciled God is still thine and reconciliation and remission the estate is sure though particular and contingent effects be not so 3. The Spirit hath more work then only to comfort if he still strengthen thee and supply thee that is comfort to thee 4. Though assurance go away yet it may return again it is as possible to receive it as to lose it 5. In your new fear remember your old assurance I tell thee that assurance once had upon good grounds may serve to support though against many doubts in after-times THE GIFTS OF THE Covenant The second Part. CHAP. I. Ezek. 36. 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will I cleanse you I Have heretofore opened unto you divers things about the Covenant of Grace viz. the Nature and Adjuncts of it the difference 'twixt it and the Covenant of Works the condition and the Mediator of the Covenant I now proceed to handle one thing more concerning the Covenant and that is the gifts of the Covenant the gifts which God doth promise to bestow upon those people The gifts of the Covenant which are in Covenant with him This verse which I have read unto you and the subsequent verses do report unto us divers of those gifts which may be considered First As to their order and thus you have the promise first of spiritual gifts or blessings from ver 25. to ver 28. and then you have the promise of temporal mercies from ver 28. to ver 37. Secondly As to their kinds the spiritual gifts or blessings for I shall insist awhile only upon them do respect 1. Our Justification expressed in ver 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you c. 2. Our Sanctification First in the habitual part of it in ver 26. a new heart c. Secondly in the actual part of it in ver 27. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes c. The Text which respects our Justification contains in it a promâ—se 1. Of the pardon of sins I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean 2. Of the pardon of the greatest sins from your filthinesse and from your Idâ—ls will I cleanse you 3. Of the pardon of all their sins from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will â— cleanse you Before I handle the particular points I would touch upon some things in the general viz. 1. That God doth promise unto his people yea unto his people in Covenant with him spiritual gifts or blessings as well as temporal 2. That the first promâ—ses are the best or of the best things first the spiritual and then the temporal blessings 3. That whatsoever blessings which may or do concern the people of God in Covenant God himself doth undertake to give them unto his people 4. That those gifts which God doth promise to give unto his people in Covenant he gives them not for any worthinesse in them but upon the account of his own graciousnesse SECT I. Doctr. 1 Doctr. 1. THat God doth expressely promise to give unto all his people in Covenant with him spiritual blessings as well as temporal I hardly know any one place of Scripture where the Covenant of grace is insisted upon but God gives his people in Covenant spiritual blessings as well as temporal there you shall finde expresse promises of some one spiritual blessing or other Jer. 31. 33. This shall be the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my
those parts of Repentance that so you may know whether you do truly repent of your sins and consequently are under this most comfortable promise of the forgiveness of your sins First The qualifications of penitential grief or mourning for sinnes are The qualifications of penitential mourning for sin It is a supernatural grief these 1. It is a grief which is supernatural and wrought in us only by the Spirit of God it doth not arise from the strength of any natural principle in our own hearts as worldly sorrow doth in which one may abound who hath no grace at all and for which he needs not to pray at all but this sorrow is given from God and is sought by us from him Job 23. 16. God maketh my heart soft Ezek. 36. 26. I will take away the heart of stone and will give you an heart of flesh Zach. 12. 10. They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn c. You may easily mourn for worldly losses and under worldly distresses and melt and weep as Davids men did who wept untill they had no more power to weep 1 Sam. 30. 4. And yet under all these floods of grief the person may not be able to shed one tear of godly sorrow for his sins because this comes from another kind of Spring and is raised upon other Motives and Considerations it will cost you many convictions and many meditations and many earnest supplications and attendances on the Word to get this Fountain set open in your hearts 2. It is a grief which is sincere for sin as sin sin as sin is a transgression A sincere grief for sin as sin of the Law of God a provocation of God a dishonour unto God a separation and withdrawment of God a defilement and pollution of the soul and in a respect solely unto these considerations of sin doth truly penitential mourning break forth in the soul though no hell to damn me though no conscience to torment me Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight saith David Psal 51. 4. I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men Job 7. 20. One may be troubled for sinning because of punishment from man or of punishment from God feared or inflicted but this is not a trouble for sin as an offence to God but as an offence to our selves How we may know that we grieve for sin as sin Quest. But now the scruple is How he may know that he doth grieve for sin as sin and only for sin Answered Sol. He may know it First By the acting of grief for sin when there is an universal cessation of punishment though conscience cease to torment and the hand of God is drawn off and there is no fear of man what he can do yet the heart is humbled and mourns still for offending of God Secondly By the rising of grief for sin upon the Assurance and Certificate of peace and reconciliation with God of which the more certain evidence is given into the soul the more sorrow and grief breaks forth out of the soul for sinning against such a God Thirdly By the extension of grief not only for our own sins but also for the sins of others the punishment of whose sins reacheth not to us but yet the dishonour by these sins doth reach unto God which therefore doth cause our hearts to mourn Psal 119. 136. Rivers of tears run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law 3. It is a grief which is very high and great the Scripture seems to make It is a grief very high and great it a superlative sorrow calling it a great mourning like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo and a bitterness as one is in for his first born Zach. 12. 10. And my bowels are troubled within me mine heart is turned within me for I have grievously rebelled c. Lam. 1. 20. and David watered his couch with his tears Psal 6. 6. Quest You know it is a question whether grief for sin ought not to be the highest and chiefest in quem dolorem Sol. For the resolution of which they â—â—stinguish of grief of passion and grief of the will which is a displeasure of the heart with it self perhaps another kind of grief may be higher in a passion but grief of heart for sin is the highest for displeasure and also for duration when that Land-flood is gone yet then the River of godly sorrow still runs My sin is ever before me said David Psal 51. and yet his Absolom for whom he took on so passionately was not ever before him 4. It is a grief which is vertual godly sorrow worketh Repentance 2 Cor. It is a grief which is vertual 7. 10. He who truly mourns for sin his heart doth hate sin and separates from sin and sinful ways and it becomes more holy and godly and he fears to sin against his God any more thus it is not with any false grief whatsoever 5. Lastly It is such a grief under which the soul seeks comfort from God It is a grief under which the soul seeks comfort from God and nothing can relieve the soul so grieving but the voice of joy and peace from God Psal 51. 12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation Psal 85. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people c. The qualifications of penitential confession Secondly The qualifications of true penitential confession of sins There are five Ingredients in penitential confession The acknowledgement of sin from a deep sense of sin 1. It is the acknowledging of our sins from a deep sense or feeling of them and our misery by them Penitential confession is the language of a sensible and troubled spirit Simile like a sick mans opening of his estate to the Physitian O here lies my grief my pain my distemper my danger and I fear my death so here in penitential confession of sins to God out of a tender and troubled feeling of them a repentant sinner cries out O Lord this is my heart and this hath been my life thus have I lived and thus have I sinned and thus and thus have I dishonoured thee O I am ashamed and confounded c. 2. It is a self-judging acknowledgement of our sins that for them we are A self judging acknowledgement unworthy of the least mercy and most worthy of the greatest judgement I am not worthy to be called thy son Luk. 15 19. not worthy to be called an Apostle confusion of face belongs to us Dan. 9. 8. And thou art just in all that is brought upon us thou hast done right but we have done wickedly Nehem. 9. 33. 3. It is an ingenuous acknowledgement of our sins not hiding or concealing An ingenuous acknowledgement the greatest and worst nor extenuating or lessning any one sin in the
forgive us all love all kindes of true love and all degrees of true love First A love of desire our souls should long after him Psal 73. 25. Secondly A love of delight our souls should take their fill of contentmtent and satisfaction in him Thirdly A love of extasy wondering and admiring at this great love and rich mercy of God towards us Who is a God like unto thee who pardoneth iniquity Mich. 7. 18. But I obtained mercy I said Paul 1 Tim. 1. 13. Fourthly A love of similitude Forgiving one another as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Ephes 4. 32. shall we be so hardened to others when God is so tender to us Fifthly And a love of zeale in promoting what God loves and doth respect his honour and in removing what God hates and makes for his dishonour Sixthly A love of friendship to have our hearts knit unto him and bound unto him in an everlasting Covenant Thirdly Fear much They shall fear the Lord and his goodness Hos 3. 5. There Fear much is forgivenesse with thee that that thou mayest be feared Psal 130. 4. He will speak peace to his people and to his Saints but let them not turn again to folly Psal 85. 8. No man should have a more tender Conscience than he who hath gained a pacified Conscience None more feare to commit sin than he whose sins God hath remitted though God can multiply pardons yet it is not good nor safe for you to put him to it It is the right and proper improving of forgiveness of sins to watch our hearts and to take heed that we sin no more It argues a profaneness of heart to sin because God is merciful so it argues a most wicked heart to sin after God hath shewen mercy in the forgiving of sins Is forgiveness of sins so cheap and ordinary that you will again venture to sin Did it cost Jesus Christ his precious blood to purchase the forgiveness of sins and wilt thou as it were crucifie him again to procure thee another pardon Did it cost thee so many troubles of heart and confession and supplication to gain forgiveness of former sins and wilt thou break thy bones again that mercy may set them again did God shew unto thee such riches of grace after all the evil thou hadst committed to discharge thee to be reconciled unto thee to quiet and pacifie thy Conscience to passe by all and wilt thou now break the Laws of Love and Bonds of Friendship to sin and provoke a pardoning and a kind God Fourthly Improve much this singular mercy that ye are within the promise Improve much of the forgiveness of your sins Improve this four wayes 1. As to what depends upon it 2. As to what accompanies it 3. As to what may still preserve you in the sweet and comfortable fruition of it 4. As to what you may conclude from it both à parte Ante a parte Post First Improve it as to all the fruits which do depend upon it and flow from it Our justification or remission of sins is a Root which bears very precious fruit Improve it as to all the fruits which depend upon it and a Fountain from which do flow many sweet streams Thence ariseth all the peace in Conscience thence ariseth all the transcendent joy of the heart thence ariseth all the hope of the soul thence ariseth your great confidence in your communion with God Peace in Conscience depends on peace with God which certainly you have when God forgives your sins And therefore beseech the Lord to speak this peace unto you O Lord thou sayest in thy promise unto me thy sins are forgiven now I beseech thee say unto my Conscience Go in peace live in peace peace be unto thee in forgiving thou respectest thy glory and my comfort say unto my Conscience Neither trouble nor be troubled more let me know that I have found grace in thine eyes let grace and peace come from thee Joy of heart this also springs from forgiveness of sins received by Faith A condemned Malefactor hath no cause to joy but the pardoned sinner hath Rom. 5. 11. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the attonement Psal 51. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Sin brake his bones his strength his comfort his joyes and the forgiveness of sin the news of that the hearing of that the knowledge of that would be a ground of joy and gladness to him O thou pardoned sinner why dost thou walk so heavily so dejectedly so pensively so unchearfully is not the promise of forgiveness of thy sins clear and open to thee and should not a forgiven sinner rejoyce God rejoyceth when he shews us mercy and should not we rejoyce when we receive mercy Indeed when we seek for pardoning mercy we should seek it with tears but when we have found mercy we should go home with joy Beloved pardoned sinners may rejoyce and should rejoyce In whom after ye believed ye rejoyced with joy unspeakable and full of glory â— Pet. 1. 8. Should not the forgiveness of of sins a passing from death to life from wrath to love from hell to heaven and the enjoying of God as our God and as our Friend and as our Father are not here causes good enough sufficient to â—ejoyce in the Lord Therefore in the times of your sadness chear your hearts and expostulate with your hearts why are you thus cast down and why walk you thus heavily what God your God! what Christ your Christ and all your sins freely forgiven and out of all danger and within all hopes and yet be so heavy c. Secondly Improve the forgivenesse of sins as to what accompanies a forgiven Improve it as to what accompanies a pardoned condition condition Beloved forgiveness of sins never goes alone in promise nor in participation you shall find the great Covenant of gifts linked together in promise and they are joyntly desired by the people of God a false heart is only for pardon do you not find the new heart and the new Spirit and the soft heart and the obedient heart all conjoyned with this promise of forgiveness Ezek. 36. 25 26. O then rest not here saying My sins are pardoned but press the other promises there of sanctification O Lord subdue mine iniquities as well as forgive iniquities thou hast given me mercy O give me grace thou hast broken my fetters O heal my diseases thou hast covered my sins O turn my sinful soul enable me to bring thee glory by holy walking seeing thou hast graciously pardoned the wickedness of my former living Thirdly Improve the forgiveness of your sins as to what may still preserve you in Improve it as to what may still preserves you in the comfortable fruition of it the sweet and comfortable fruition of it Though one cannot lose the forgiveness which God hath
repentance not else Isa 1. 16. Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well Ver. 18. Come now let us reason together saith the Lord Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool Acts 3. 19. Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out what their great sins were you may read in Ver 14. They denied the holy One. And Ver. 15. Killed the Prince of life and if they would have these sins blotted out they must repent of them Fourthly God hath threatned unto great sinners on whom his mercy hath God threatens eternal wrath to them that repent not not wrought repentance eternal wrath and a peremptory privation of mercy with inevitable destruction unto them who have presumed to go on in their sins for the first of these see the known place of the Apostle Rom. 2. 4. Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance Ver. 5. But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God For the latter of these see that smart place in Deut. 29. 19. And it come to pass when he heareth the wâ—â—ds of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to adde drunkenness to thirst Ver. 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his Name from under heaven Ver. 21. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the Covenant that are written in this book of the Law Fifthly A going on still in great sins if it be any sure testimony at all it is Persisting in great sins if any testimony at all it is rather that God will not pardon rather that God will never forgive you than otherwise why so will you say because 1. There is no promise of mercy to any that goes on in his great transgressions but refuseth to hearken and to return in such a condiâ—ion and course no promise 2. There are dreadful threatnings of God against such who shall go still on in their trespasses Psal 68. 21. And God shall wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of such a one as goes on still in his trespasses Isa 65. 20. The sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed Prov. 29. 1. He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy 3. Your going on still in sinning unless the Lord be infinitely and extraordinary merciful towards you will render you utterly uncapable of forgiving mercy for First This course of sinning is that which doth desperately harden your hearts and fear your consciences that no dealing whatsoever can make any impression upon you toward Repentance Secondly The Lord doth usually give up such sinners to their own hearts lusts and to a reprobate mind and soul Sixthly Though possibly some few sinners who have for a long time continued Though a few such obtain mercy yet they are hardly perswaded of Gods mercy in great transgressions may obtain mercy yet they shall find it a very difficult work to be perswaded of Gods mercy to their souls Psal 6. 3. My soul is also sore vexed but O Lord how long My Reasons are these 1. Because the threatnings of God are so many and so express against great sins especially against the continuing in them that it will not be easie to over-ballance these threatnings of God with the promise of God 2. Because the truth of repentance is very apt to be much questioned by great sinners when yet indeed they do repent they do conceive and that rightly that for extraordinary sinnings extraordinary repentance is required but they feel such a hardness such a deadness of heart O they cannot repent And let me tell you if any great sinner be in dispute about the truth of his Repentance he will also be in dispute about the apprehension of mercy 3. Because of all sins whatsoever great sins do incline us under the clear apprehension of them to despair You shall find this experimentally true that the more desperate people have been in sinning they are more apt to despair when conscience ever sets upon them for their sins The guilt of great sins will be heavy and bitter and the woundings for great sins will be sharp and deep always for them there falls in the sense of Gods great wrath and the fear of Gods great judgement and the instances of the great punishments of God inflicted on great transgressions and with all these Satans great and subtile temptations all which are powerfully apt to sink the sinner with despair and then this is clear that the more apt any sinner is to despair the less apt is the sinner to close with pardoning mercy nay it falls off the more from the hope of it 4. Because the Lord is pleased to hold up the manifestation of his love a long time from those that have a long time sinned against the offers and calls of his love and mercy thereby teaching great sinners how unworthy they are to taste of his goodness and warning other great sinners not to presume of any easie enjoyment of mercy And you shall find it a hard work to settle and perswade the conscience of a great sinner about mercy when the Lord doth after many seekings still hold up the manifestations or sensible expressions of his favour and mercy towards him 5. Because it is a very difficult thing to act faith under the sense of great transgressions lesser iniquities do many times check and keep down our confidences much mort do great transgressions c. SECT V. Cases of conâ—ience What a troubled sinner should do that can find no parallel instance of the like sin forgiven Ansâ—ered Troubled sinners look after instances of like sinners pardoned BEfore I pass away from this Point of Gods pardoning great sins I would speak to a few Cases or Scruples of conscience with which some are or may be troubled Quest 1. What that troubled sinner should do who hath been guilty of some great sin for which he cannot finde any one parallel instance of forgiveness in all the Scriptures i. e. that ever God did forgive any that were guilty of that sinne Sol. To this very sadly distressing Case I would deliver these six Answers First It is true that a person convinced of and really troubled with the sense of any great sin doth look after and will not easily be satisfied in conscience without a parallel instance in the Scripture
appear and no Use private helps of Conference and Prayer with godly and experienced Ministers and Christians special workings yet arise and no hope of mercy then let him conferre with some godly and well experienced Ministers and Christians if there be a messenger with him an Interpreter one among a thousand Job 33. 23. to pity his soul and to shew him his way and to open counsel unto him and to poure out his heart in prayer to the Lord for him The fervent prayers of the Righteous are effectual and prevalent Jam. 5. 16. and should be called in for help in such a case And when all of them joyn together and cry mightily unto God O Lord in the midst of judgement remember mercy Lord deal not with this sinner according to his sinning against thee Lord do not forsake him and leave him Lord return in mercy to his soul aâ—d renew him again unto repentance for thy Name sake for thy Christs sake do not abhor him but heal his back-slidings and be merciful unto his back slidings I teâ—l you that such joynt and earnest prayers of the people of God are seldom denyed by God Fourthly If yet no spiritual working can be revived but his heart like the Shunamites Repair to some soul-searching and quickning Ministry child which for all that Gehazi could say or do still remained dead so this mans heart for all that private helps can do still remains hard and unaffected then let him think on and repair to some soul-searching and quickning Ministry which God doth ordinarily bless to break down a presumptuous heart and to lift up a contrite heart to pierce and wound a hard heart and to comfort and revive a troubled heart Who can tell what the Lord will or may do in and by his own Ordinance especially when a poor â—â—nner comes directly for that end to receive impressions from God and renouncing all his own power as well he may for it utterly fails him offers up his heart such as it is unto the Lord to be created as it were again and new mouâ—ded and formed and quickned O Lord I doubt I have lost all since my sinning against thee oh that sinning against thee I can neither find thee nor my self Repentance seems to be dead O I cannot grieve or mourn and Faith seems to be dead and I cannot believe or trust Lord may I come to thee may I look up to thee may I call upon thee may I hope in thee thou canst yet do me good wilt thou so O that thou wouldest make thy power to appear if yet thou wilt not make thy grace to appear I have cast my self down and I cannot raise my self I have hardened my heart and I cannot soften it I have weakened every grace and I cannot quicken any one again yet O Lord thou canst do all this thou canst convince and humble and turn and raise and renew I bring my heart to thee do with me what seemes good in thine eyes only take not thy Spirit from me by thy Spirit breathe some life into this dead heart I have lived a presumptuous sinner yet O Lord let me not dye an hardened and impenitent and unbelieving sinner Fifthly If after all this nothing appears of change in thy hard heart then set Set some time apart for fasting and prayer somesolemn time apart for fasting and prayer to humble thy soule and to seek the face of God And indeed this is convenient and necessary in this case for extraordinary sinnings do require extraordinary humiliations and God gives in and comes unto us upon such extraordinary seeking when he holds off upon ordinary and common addresses The Word of God tells us so much and experience seals and bears witness thereunto And therefore let nothing hinder or divert thee from this work not that this kind of service hath any kind of merit in it but that 1. God expects it if we would have peace after great sinnings And 2ly it shews how much the heart is displeased with itself and truly longs to be raised and reconciled And 3ly God is usually found in this way and returns again and shews compassion and forgives sins and subdues iniquities And withall remember three things about this work 1. Be not discouraged though at the beginning thou findest thy heart very hardened and dull and straitned yet still hold on and before the end of it thou shalt find it altered into some mournings and meltings and hopes of mercy and gracious answers 2. Fasten all thy hopes on the Lord Jesus pray and ask in his Name and trust in his Name for thy pardon and for thy recovery and resolve plainly to wait and hearken what the Lord in his time will speak to thee and do for thee 3. Apply those promises which do especially respect thy â—ad condition What are those will you say They are 1. the promise of softening a hard heart 2ly The promises of healing a back-sliding heart 3ly The promises of pardoning great transgressions you have them all expressed in the Word Ezek. 36. 26. I will take away the heart of stone and will give them an heart of flesh Hose 14. 4. Isa 1. 18. I will heal their back slidings Though your sins be as scarlet I will make them as white as snow EZEK 36. 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean c. YOU have heard already from this Verse two things One was the Quality of the mercy promised by God unto his people and that was the forgiveness of their sins The other was the Quantity of that promised mercy respecting partly the multitude of their sins and partly the magnitude of their sins From all your filthiness and from all you Idols will I cleanse you Now there remaines yet a little more which God doth promise about the forgiveness of the sins of his people and that is expressed in the words which I have read unto you I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean Object For it might be objected How it is possible that our sins which are so many and which are so great should be forgiven us what can be found to appease Gods justice for them and to take them away so that they shall never be imputed unto us and how may we be assured or ascertained concerning this Sol. The Answer is made in the Text I will sprinkle clean water upon you and What is meant by sprinkling clean water upon them The blood of Christ The particular application of his blood you shall be cleaâ—â—â— by which expression two things are meant 1. The blood of Christ which is the effectually meritorious reason of the forgiveness of the most and of the greatest of the sins of the people of God 2. The particular application of the blood of Christ unto them with an assurance that it was shed for their sins Both these doth the sprinkling of clean water import You read in
several experimental attainments of the people of God in this one particular David gained this assurance of the pardon of his sins in Psal 103 3. So did Paul when speaking of Christ who loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2. 20. and 1 Tim. 1. 15. But I obtained mercy So have many thousands more in former times and in our times who believing rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory for their interest in Christ and in the forgiveness of their sins in and for him Fifthly But lastly propend the advantages which would certainly result The advantages of it unto you upon the assurance that God hath for Christs take forgiven your sins what comâ—ortable advantages First This would quiet all your fears and possess your consciences with peace Being justified by faith we have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. I will lye down in peace saith David Psal 4. 8. Having got assurance Ver. 6. Secondly This would be a spring of joy and rejoycing â—sal 51. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Psal 4. 6. Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Ver. 7. Thou shalt put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and wine increased Thirdly This would raise chearful confidence in your approaches to your God Hebr. 10. 22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience c. Fourthly This would fully answer all temptations Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that dyed Fifthly This is it which would bear up your hearts in all the sad days which do or may befall you If you be sick this would be better than health what a cordial did Christ deliver to the diseased man in Matth. 9. 2. Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee If you be persecuted and troubled this would be a triumphant security unto you Rom. 8. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness op peril or sword Ver. 37 Nay in all these things we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us Rom. 5 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God Ver. 3. And we glory in tribulation I confess that faith can make a man to submit in a cross but assurance will make a Christian to triumph on it and over it Sixthly What shall I say more this assurance would make your whole life a delightful Paradise and your death at the last a desirable and quiet harbour and passage 2 Cor. 5. 1. For we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens If your sins for Christs sake be pardoned and you are assured thereof by the testimony of Gods Spirit then unquestionably there is no condemnation unto you and then as unquestionably your souls shall be saved and everlastingly blessed for Justification doth infallibly end in Glorification c. SECT III. Vse 2 AS I would have you to strive after the assurance that your sins are forgiven in the blood of Christ so in the second place I would have Be careful you be not deceived about it you very careful and circumspect that you deceive not your selves with a false assurance in this great and mighty business There are four sorts of people in the world 1. Some have no kind of assurance at all nor do they look after any 2. Some apprehend the want of assurance and are weeping and praying for it 3. Some have attained unto a true assurance and are rejoycing and blessing God for it 4. Some do deceive themselves with a false assurance that their sins are pardoned when indeed there is no such matter For the better managing of this Caution not to deceive our selves with a false assurance I will deliver my self in four Conclusions 1. It is possible thus to be deceived 2. Many have in this deceived themselves 3. Many do deceive themselves with a false assurance 4. It is a most dangerous deceit First That it is possible for men to be deceived with a false assurance and perswasion that their sins are pardoned and that God is reconciled unto them I It is possible to be deceived do not know any one thing in reference to salvation but it is possible for some or other to be deceived in or about it It is possible to mistake a false Religion for a true Religion It is possible for a man to please himself with false graces instead of true graces and with false repentance instead of true and with false faith instead of true and with false love instead of true and with a false perswasion or assurance instead of a true perswasion and assurance Are you assured that Christ is yours and God is yâ—urs and pardoning mercy is yours and salvation is yours another even upon deceivable grounds may be falsly perswaded of a propriety in all these Error is a natural to the corrupt judgement of man as any other sin and heart-deceitfulness is as proper unto us as heart-sinfulness Besides Doth not the Prince of darkness often change himself into an Angel of light And as he deludes men about the state of grace so he can as easily delude them about the comforts of that estate Why is it not as probable that Satan may render a bad estate as good and so cheat us with joy as he doth sometimes render a good estate as bad and so oppress us with fear and grief Nay once more Men will set up such opinions as do easily lead them into a false assurance v. g. 1. That God is made up only of mercy 2. That Christ dyed for all none excepted 3. That it is but to cry God mercy and all is well 4. That a good heart and a good meaning is enough and that they always have had Secondly As it is possible so it is real Many have deceived themselves with a false assurance instead of a true The Jews did so who called God Many have deceived themselves their God and their Father and insisted upon it with Christ that so it was and that they were his children and free-men So did Laodicea cheat and delude her self with a false perswasion that she was rich and increased and stood in need of nothing Revel 3. Nay the Apostle Paul he himself was thus deluded I saith he Rom. 7. â—9 was alive once without the Law 2 Cor. 10. 7. If any man trust to himself that he is Christs c. Did not they deceive themselves with a false perswasion who call upon Christ to open the door of heaven unto them Lord Lord open unto us Matth. 25 11. And they also who plead with Christ and contest with him Have we not
for ye are bought with a price 1 Cor. 19. 20. 2. Of all the Services of the Elect He hath delivered us out of the hands of our enemies that we might serve him in holiness and righteousness Luk. 1. 74 75. He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2. 14. 3. Of all Graces for the Elect the donation of the Spirit as to all the effects of grace is the fruit of his death and purchase not only eternal glory but renewing grace is purchased by Jesus Christ Thirdly The Lord doth put several duties and services upon his people which God hath several services for his people are impossible for them to perform unless he did give them a new heart an heart changed and renewed by grace They must deny themselves they must love the Lord their God with all their soul and all their might They must hate every evil way They must walk uprightly They must be contented in all conditions They must resist temptations and wrestle against principalities and against Rulers of the darkness of this world and against spiritual wickedness in high places They must overcome evil with good They must love their enemies bless them that curse them and do good to them that hate them They must be ready to do every good work They must take up the Cross and suffer reproaches and losses they must persevere to the end It is impossible for a natural heart to perform these Is there not then a necessity of renewing grace to enable the heart for these Fourthly Again The people in Covenant they have a new and choice relation They have a new relation and must have natures sutable to it No people have such a relation as they and unless they were renewed by grace they could never hold that relation God is their God and their Father and they are his children they are his sons and daughters 2 Cor. 2. 18. I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty and Ver. 16. Ye are the Temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people this is their relation but then mark what he infers from this in Ver. 17. Wherefore come from among them and be ye separate and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you q. d. Holiness is necessary for this relation you must be separate you must be renewed you must have no communion with sin you must be another kind of people you cannot hold communion with me nor will I own you for my people and children if you do so c. And Christ is their head and they are his body this is another relation Colos 1. 18. He is the head of the body the Church Now is Christ the head of profane and ungodly men Is he the head of the dead or of the living Do not the head and the body agree in the same kind of nature and life Are not they who are joyned to the Lord one spirit 1 Cor. 6. 17. Certainly as all who come from the first Adam do bear his image so all who are of the second Adam do bear his image Ergo. They must be a redeemed and sanctified people Fifthly I will adde one reason more why God will give unto all his people The congruity of it as to their Conversation a new heart and it is this The congruity of it for that conversation which they are to have amongst men both good and bad First For good men they are to have society and communion with them With good men in all holy things and in all holy duties their hearts should be knit unto them in love their delight should be in them as in the excellent of the earth and you know the mutual comfortings and edifyings and strengthnings and spiritual supportings which believers should be to one another But this requires a new heart untill that be given there can never be that love that delight c. Secondly For wicked men the people of God are to shine amongst them as With wicked men lights Phil. 2. 15. and to win them by their godly walking at least to stop their mouths and make them ashamed that falsly accuse their good Conversation in Christ they are to convince them and reprove them c. But all these things would fail they could not be if God did not renue and change the heart of his people by grace c. SECT II. Vse 1. Doth God promise to give unto all his people a new heart and a new Then many are not Gods people they have their old hearts still spirit here it follows that many people are not the people of God in Covenant because they have not a new heart given unto them but they have still their old hearts and old spirits their old corrupt lusts which they obey and serve and which they will hold fast and will not forsake For the managing of this Use I will briefly shew you two things 1. The infallible Characters of an old and unclean heart 2. The woful miseries of people still retaining those old hearts 1. The Characters of an old or unrenewed heart Characters of an old heart The Scripture gives us five Characters of an old heart i. e. of an heart never yet changed or renewed by grace First Ignorance generally the sinful estate is set out by ignorance 1 Pet. 1. 14. Not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts in your ignorance Ignorance Eph. 4. 18. Having the understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them Acts 17. 30. The times of this ignorance God winked at There are three things of which if a man be ignorant he is unquestionably in an old sinful estate 1. Himself if he knows not what a wicked wretched vile and miserable heart is within him and how accursed he is by reason of it 2. Jesus Christ and the mystery of salvation in and by Christ 3. The excellency and necessity of the new creature of Regeneration and renewing grace this man is still in his sins he is in the gall of bitterness he is dead c. The first work of the Spirit is to open the eyes and to turn men from darkness to light Acts 26. 18. And to give knowledge of salvation Luk. 1. 77. To enlighten the understanding Eph 1. 18. There begins the first change and dawning of Christ and grace therefore if that be not done the old heart remains Secondly Carnal security and quietness a perpetual silence and rest Luk. Carnal security 11. 21. When a strong man armed keepeth his Palace his goods are in peace where sin reigneth and still keeps possâ—ssion all is quâ—et the man feels not his burden nor wounds not wants nor
with renewing Four things have a resemblance with renewing grace which yet is noâ— it grace and yet renewing grace is quite another different thing from them 1. Civil Righteousness especially if joyned with the true Religion 2. Restraining grace in the forbearance of sins especially notorious and flagitious 3. The presence of common gifts which man had not before 4. The powerful effect of an awakend conscience 1. Civil Righteousness especially if conjoyned with Profession Civil Righteousness of true Religion What do men generally repute for renewing grace and for godliness but this if they be no Papists if they hold no Errors if they keep their Church and deal fairly and justly with their neighbours why they conclude their hearts are good and their estate is sure and what can men have more But now give me leave to say two things unto this First Civil Righteousness is good and so is external profession of the true Religion Civil righteousness is good God requires that and this Matth. 7. 12. All things whatsoever you would that men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets Mich. 6. 8. He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God To do justly is one of the things required The like may be said for external profession as we must believe with the heart so we must confess with the mouth Rom. 10. 11. And we must hold forth the word of life Phil. 2. 16. Secondly Nevertheless newnesse of heart or renewing grace is a quite different Yet newness of heart is differing from it quality from their civil Righteousness and one may be civilly righteous and honest who never had his heart renewed by grace nay whose heart doth extreamly loath and oppose it Now civil righteousness and heavenly newness of heart doth differ in six They differ in six things things First Civil Righteousness is of a low and inferiour birth or original there are Civil righteousness is of an inferiour birth three things which may be sufficient to make a man civilly righteous 1. One is the light of nature which hath some notions and principles of common equity and honesty 2. A second is the power of edification Parents and Tutors may so represent the honor of just dealing and the forbid unworthiness of unrighteous dealing that young and tender natures may take in a savour and taste of them all their dayes though they never act upon any knowledge that God enjoyns them 3. A third is the influence of example beholding such a course and way of Righteousness in Parents and Superiours in Friends whose examples we are ready to imitate because their persons we do love and reverence But newness of heart or renewing grace is wrought by a higher hand than the dictates of nature or counsels of friends or examples of men it is the birth of the Spirit of God every regenerate or renewed person is born of the Spirit the immediate power of the holy Ghost is put forth in the creating of a new heart Secondly Civil Righteousness either totally confines us to the duties of the second Civil Righteousness confines to duties of the second Table Table as if we had none to eye and please but our neighbour or if it gives way to the duties of the first Table it is but to a formal and superficial observance The civil righteous man though he is strict in duties to man yet is irreligious in all his religious performances He saith a Prayer but he knows not how to pray in the Spirit and with Faith and he hears a Sermon but it is as if he heard it not sleeping and waking with running and roving distracted thoughts on the world he talks of a Sabbath but he knowes not how to keep a Sabbath and is weary of it and counts the strict observance of it a Jewish burden But renewing grace brings in the heart to all the will of God it enables to give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods to be righteous with good men and to be upright with God to serve him with love and fear Thirdly Civil Righteousness may look at some outward easie ordinary actions of It looks only at outward easie duties Religion but it leaves the heart destitute of the great inward actings of Religion When did you ever see a person only civilly righteous lay the Axe to the root of the tree searching of his heart and judging the corruptions of his heart and humbly mourning and lamenting under the sence of his wicked heart and hungring after Jesus Christ and importunately wrestling for grace and mercy striving to crucifie the lusts of his heart He is so farre from these that he thinks them either superfluous or impossible But renewing grace doth chiefly act upon the heart there it sets up the Throne and gives the Law and exerciseth Authority and Rule c. Fourthly Civil Righteousness rests mostly in negatives I am not as other men said he if the civilly righteous man doth not swear this is enough although he It rests mostly in Negatives should likewise fear an Oath if he doth not take away the life of another if he doth not do wrong that 's enough although he ought also to do good But renewing grace comes off to Positives as well as Negatives it teacheth us to cease to do evil and it learns us also to do good Isa 1. 16 17. It teacheth us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts And also to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Tit. 2. 12. Fifthly Civil Righteousness it will allow such things which renewing grace will not It will allow us It must have its indulgence 1. To associate our selves in a way of familiarity with the enemies of God and holiness and rather with these than those that are good 2. To omit many personal and family duties 3. To deferre repentance and making peace with God 4. To mispend his time day after day week after week year after year in vain pleasures and sports dicings cardings c. 5. To conform and fashâ—on our selves to the world and perfidiously to flatter persons in their sins only to keep up a correspondency and interest it must have indulgence in sinful thoughts vile affections petty Oathes But renewing grace makes the heart to tremble at these things and to loathe and abhorre them It alters not one sinful quality Sixthly Civil Righteousness alters not one sinful quality in the heart nor gives it any new spiritual ability notwithstanding it the heart is as ignorant and malicious and unbelieving and impenitent and hardned and earthly and vain and proud as ever and cannot deny itself in any delightful way of wickedness c. II. Restraining grace by which a person forbears many sinfull
will make much moan for Christ and all that moves him unto this is his self-love he loves his life and he loves his safety but yet all this while doth not love Christ for Christ nor holy Duties as ways to glorifie God but where renewing grace is in a man the principle which sets him a work for Christ is faith and which draws him out is a love of godliness and a love of the glory of God c. Thirdly In the end or aim which in works done upon the sole account of In the end a troubling conscience is only self-ease and quietness and calmness of conscience as the distemper lies only in trouble so the remedy lies only in ease Oh if the wrath of God were off in the feeling of it but the poor wretch doth not think of removing the wrath of God in the state of it and O if the painful terrors of conscience were off that and this he aims at directly if he thinks of Christ if he prays if he hears if he confers if he reforms all tends to this viz. the removing of sensible evil of penal evil of terrors and troubles and that his conscience may be quiet and hold its peace and speak bitterly no more unto him but where the heart is renewed by grace the conscience should trouble yet it is not that only nor that principally which the person looks at to be removed but it is the cause of that trouble O Lord take away iniquity O Lord heal my soul O Lord subdue my sin O be thou my sanctifying God as well as my pardoning God my sins trouble my soul O let me no more trouble thee by my sins c. Fourthly In the event or issue Let the troubled sinner who appears now with such a great change let him I say be taken off the Rack let him get respite In the event let him get deliverance from his fears and from his terrors and from his distresses There are four things which will appear in him 1. He will quickly abate and grow remiss in all these duties will not be so serious so earnest so constant 2. He will give way to contemplative evil and will be venturing upon the occasion of sin again 3. He will return in love to his sinful practices and with the dog will return again to his vomit 2 Pet. 2. 22. 4. His latter end is worse his conscience from being a troubled conscience will now become an hardned conscience and seared 2 Pet. 2. 20. But thus it never is with an heart renewed by grace which turns us from evil to good and from good to better and still increaseth in the soul a greater hatred of sin and fear to sin and the more that renewing grace abounds in the soul the more is tenderness abounding in the conscience Thus have you heard by way of Use 1. A conviction that many persons are still in their old sinful conditions and never bad this new heart given them 2. That there is a possibility to be deceived about the fruiton of this newness of heart and wherein that deceit may be SECT IV. Vse 3. I Shall now proceed to a Use of Discovery wherein I will propound For discovery unto you some Characters by which you may know whether God hath indeed bestowed upon you this new heart and new spirit which he hath promised to give unto all his people in Covenant The Signs and Characters are these ten Ten Characters of a new heart 1. A New Sight and Feeling 2. A New Judgement and Opinion 3. New Cares and Requests 4. New Principles 5. A New Combate and Conflict 6. New Abilities and Powers 7. New Works and Obedience 8. New Delights and Satisfactions 9. New Society 10. New Rules First To whomsoever God doth give a new heart unto him he doth give a A new sight and feeling new sight and feeling of their spiritual condition before the Lord renews the heart by grace there were two qualities predominant in it One was ignorance or blindness an unregenerate man is a dead man Ephes 2. 1. and an ignorant man he understands not he knows not what he is nor what he doth nor what his condition of soul is We were never in bondage said they in Joh. 8. 33. The way of wickedness is as darkness they know not at what they stumble said Solomon Prov. 4. 19. Another was hardness and unsensibleness a wicked man hath a wicked heart but he is not sensible of it and his heart is desperately wicked but he is not sensible of it He is ignorant and proud and impenitent and malicious and serving divers lusts and under the curse and wrath of God but he is not sensible of it His sin abounds in heart and life and rules and bears sway and he is a slave unto them but he is not sensible of this but when the Lord renews the heart by grace there is presently a spiritual life and presently a spiritual sense the man sees that in himself which he never saw before and experimentally feels that in himself which he never felt before Alas saith he What a wretched creature am I and what a sinful heart is here full of wickedness desperately evil here is no good dwelling in me here is that sinfulness abounding in me here is that ignorant vain worldly stubborn sensual rebellious unbelieving hardened heart of which the Lord speaks and which the Lord threatens and the man groans under this burden of his sinful heart and life Psal 38. 4. and exceedingly complains of it Rom. 7. 24. and now loaths himself in his own eyes Ezek. 36. 31. and bewails his condition with trouble of heart Secondly To whomsoever the Lord gives a new heart he doth give unto A new judgement and opinion them a new judgement and opinion before the Lord renews a mans heart he hath a corrupt and false judgement Partly of himself in respect 1. Of his estate that he is alive that he is righteous that he needs no Repentance that he stands in need of nothing 2. Of his own ways that they are the wisest for safety and best for delight and profit Partly of Gods commands and ways that of all other they are most unequal and most burdensome and most undelightful and for the most part needless what needs a man to trouble himself so much for his sins and what needs a man presently to set upon the practice of Repentance and what needs a man to make so sure of Christ and mercy and grace and heaven But when the Lord gives a man a new heart his judgement is rectified and he hath now another opinion than formerly he had his judgement is divers from what it was in respect of himself and his ways As the Apostle spake I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed Rom. 7. So before renewing grace came into the heart a man thinks high thoughts of himself and
of sin and Satan nor send out such high works of services as it doth 2. That it doth conferre an ability or power on the soule to what end else is it given unto us if by it we have no more power than what we had before in our natural condition When we are renewed by grace we are said to be quickned who were dead which necessarily implies that there is a power imprinted in us when we are renewed Now there is a two-fold power given when renewing grace is given 1. One is to do such things which no natural or unregenerate person ever did or could do 2. Another is to do such things which we our selves were not able to do before God did renew our hearts by grace First take me the bravest Heathen that ever was or the most accomplished Hypocrite that ever was and consider what they have done how far they have gone if you are not able to go beyond them in doing some things which they could not rise unto assuredly your hearts were never renewed by grace As Christ spake Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven Matth. 5. 20. So say I except you be able to do more than the choisest Heathen or exquisite Hypocrite or any unregenerate person in the world your hearts were never changed by renewing grace Object Will some say unto me what do you mean for many unregenerate men have gone very farre and so high that it is a question whether some of the people of God have risen so high Sol. First Let them go as farre as unregenerate men may or can go yet every regenerate or renewed person goes farre beyond them and the demonstration of it is this renewing grace is the highest elevation and perfection of mans nature common gifts with which alone unregenerate men are possessed are farre below and behind it in excellency and abilities Secondly But plainly to open my mind unto you there are six things unto which renewing grace doth enable a man and unto which no unregenerate person could ever attain 1. Self-denial in a mans opinion and affections and worth and ways and ends 2. Sincere love of Jesus Christ and of all that do belong to Christ 3. A cordial compliance with the whole revealed will of God 4. A submission of the whole heart to Christ in all his offices and with all his conditions 5. An unfeigned hatred of every sin 6. To live by faith upon the promises of God in all the contingencies and occurrences of the world No unregenerate person ever did or could in that estate rise unto any one of these things and every renewed person doth attain unto them in the truth of them therefore if you find a power to do those things assuredly your hearts are renewed by grace Secondly Moreover you may discern the presence of renewing grace by that power and ability to do such works as you your selves were never able to do before Heretofore you were not able to shed a tear for sin to forsake any one beloved sin to send up an affectionate prayer to God to prize Christ above all and to thirst after him to take any delight in God to suffer any reproach for Christ But now ye are able to mourn for your sins and to abhor them 2 Cor. 10. 4. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds To forsake the dearest lusts and to cry mightily to God and to take delight in him and in his will and ways and to prize Christ above all and to hunger and thirst after him as the only chiefest good and happiness and you can do for Christ and you can suffer for Christ c. Do you find it thus with you then are your hearts renewed by grace Seventhly You may know whether God hath given a new heart by the By new works new works and the new means of working We say that ut res se habent in essendo sic se habent in operando All works and operations are answerable to the nature in us the old nature finds out old works and the new nature finds out new works Before the Prophet healed and seasoned the spring of water it did send out bitter and unwholsome water but afterward the waters the spring being healed were sweet and wholsome 2 Kings 2. 21 22. So before the Lord doth heal our old hearts the works flowing from them are bitter corrupt vile abominable that which is born of the flesh is flesh Joh. 3. but when he heals the heart by renewing grace there are new works of holiness and righteousness answerable to a renewed heart whatsoever is born of the Spirit is Spirit Now then take a survay of your former Works and of your former Conversation and compare them with the present works and course of life and be your selves the Judges what newness you find in them Have you left your former works of uncleanness of drunkenness of profaning the Sabbath of scoffing at holiness of mispending your precious time in gaming 's and in vain pleasures Are you not still to be found in the same paths and ways and works of wickedness Are there not still the same fruits growing out of the old root and the same stream flowing out of the same corrupt spring How can ye say that you have new hearts when still you live old lives and go on in the old course of sin Beloved this is most true that a new life ever attends a new heart if the heart be changed the life will be changed newness of heart will appear in newness of Conversation Did Paul did Mary Magdalen did Zacheus did any of whose Conversion you read in Scripture lead such lives as formerly Did they not put off concerning the former Conversation the Old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts Eph. 4. 22. Have they not had their fruit unto holiness Rom. 6. 22. Therefore let no man deceive himself saying though I walk as in former times and live still as I have lived yet my heart is as good as the best thou dost but delude and destroy thy self in this vain boasting for the Tree is known by his fruits it is impossible that thy heart should be a new heart as long as thy Conversation remains a wicked Conversation Object But you may say Do you not see that hypocrites do appear in good works and yet they are wicked persons and good men sometimes appear in evil works and actions and yet they are not wicked Ergo. This appearance in new works cannot be a sure sign of a new heart Sol. To this I answer First Whatsoever the good works may be which a wicked man may do I shall not at this time dispute but this may suffice you that where there is no newness of life there is no newness of heart Secondly It is not this or that particular
promise to give a new heart Then let the next Use Exhortation to use the means for it be for Exhortation to use the means by which every one of us may at length enjoy it For the managing of this Use there are three things I will offer unto you 1. Motives to perswade you to strive after a new heart 2. Cautions what to avoid if you would get the new heart 3. Scripture-informations what the wayes are which if you take will certainly bring you to the enjoyment of a new heart 1. The Motives to perswade us to look and strive after this new heart Motives They are these three 1. The misery of an old heart 2. The necessity of a new heart 3. The possibility to be delivered from that and to be possessed of this 1. The misery of an old heart It is such an heart that remaining under the power of it you cannot please God Rom. 8. 8. Nay you cannot but displease The misery of an old heart God you cannot but still sin against him cannot cease from sin 2 Pet. 2 14. But more particularly the old heart First Is a fleshly and corrupt heart the old man which is corrupt Eph. 4. 22. It is called the plague of the heart 1 King 8. 38. It corrupts all your thoughts and all your affections and all your speeches and all your actions Secondly Is an abominable heart the Lord loaths and abhors it as the defacing of his image as the workmanship of the Divel as that which is most contrary to his Nature to his Will and to his Glory Thirdly Is a debasing heart it makes us more vile than the vilest of creatures it makes us like the Divel it makes us his children his slaves his captives and bondmen Fourthly A prejudicing heart it keeps us off from God from Christ from all heavenly communion from all ability to do good or to receive good it holds up our distance from mercy from blessings from heaven and from all hopes thereof Ephes 2. 12. Without Christ having no hope and without God in the world Fifthly It is a deceitful heart Jer. 17. 9. It tempts you and deceives you it promiseth one thing and payes you another thing it pretends but to a little more sinning and yet it is unsatiable It tells you that it will bring you off from sinning and yet still it engageth you to farther sinning It makes you to believe that you shall have mercy and yet it continues you in a course of sinning which will lose you mercy it saith that you shall at last repent and yet it makes your heart more hardened and impenitent it gives you vain pleasures and so cheats you of all true joy it feeds you with some empty profits and thereby deprives you of all true riches it brings in sometimes a little of earth but then it makes you to lose Christ and your own souls Sixthly Is a dreadful heart It is the root of gall and wormwood and the fruits of it are terror and wrath and death and hell All the terrors of conscience spring from it all the wrath of God breaks out upon you by reason of it all the bitter feelings and all the dreadful fears and expectations depend upon it you cannot know peace whiles you live under the power of it Neither God nor Christ nor his Spirit nor his Word nor Conscience will speak peace unto you in that condition But on the contrary the Law of God threatens and condemns you and the Gospel doth as much and more and God and Conscience are all in armes against you and every judgement of God which respects your soul and body for this life and the next doth await but one word and commission from the just God to fall on you and to torment and destroy you 2ly The necessity of a new heart The necessity of a new heart You know there is a two fold necessity One is absolute without which a thing cannot be at all as the union of the soul with the body to make a man Another is Hypothetical if one would be in a well-being then such or such a thing is necessary Now you can never be in a well-being unless the Lord give you a new heart renewing grace is necessary as to that Our well-being respects either this present or that future life and newness of heart necessarily concerns both 1. For this life we cannot be well whiles we are under the curse for sin For this life and under the power of sin to deliver us from the first of these it is necessary to get Christ and to be justified and to deliver us from the last of these it is as necessary to get renewing grace and to be sanctified 2. For the future life of blessedness it is also necessary forasmuch as there For the life to come cannot be a fruition of that without an antecedent fruition of this Joh. 3. 5. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. 3ly The Possibility of getting this new heart I confess that though newness of heart be necessary yet if it be impossible to be The possibility of getting of it attained it were in vain to put you upon the seeking for it but as it is necessary to enjoy it so it is possible to find it and three things may convince us of that First One is the power of God to whom nothing is hard or impossible 'T is true that an Almighty power must be put forth to make a Creature and to make a new creature But God is able to quicken the dead and to restore his own image and to slay and subdue the power of our sins and to create in us a new heart and to put another spirit within us whatsoever he doth command and require he is able to give and work Secondly The second is the promise of God you see here that he promiseth to give a new heart and upon this condition if men will enquire of him for it as he likewise upon the same terms promiseth to give his holy Spirit to them that ask it Luke 11. 13. Now the promise of God as it includes his power to perform what he hath promised so it doth express his intention and will to give what he promiseth to give if we seek unto him and rely upon him The third is the work of God He hath according to his Word of promise given this new heart to many thousands in the world we find large Records of this in the Scripture Act. 2. 4. and we see manifold instances amongst our selves what changes he makes in the hearts and lives of men and many times of such as have been very wicked and utterly unworthy The Cautions what to avoid 2ly The Cautions what to avoid if we would get a new heart If ever you would seek for and obtain a new
to do any thing according to the Word indeed the heart is so hard that unless the Lord himself be pleased to put out his Almighty power it will never yield unto any saving operation of the Word Sixthly I will adde one Demonstration more of the hardness of mans heart The unsensibleness of it which is this the unsensibleness of that hardness of heart naturally the heart is so hard that it doth not and cannot perceive its own hardness indeed when grace comes into the heart then a spiritual sensation comes into the heart then we can feel our sins and feel our hardness and complain of the one and bewail the other O Lord why hast thou hardened our hearts from thy fear Isa 63. 17. But while men are in this natural sinful condition they are not sensible of their finful burdens nor are they sensible of the unsensibleness of their stupidity and hardness of their hearts They are sensible of this loss and of that want and can complain of this and take on for that but when did you ever hear a natural man complain of his hard heart O I have such an heart so full of sin and yet I cannot mourn for sin so unteachable so untractable so resisting so opposing the Word of God and ways of God! What shall I do whether shall I go O it is a burden that I cannot bear c. Why this unsensibleness that our hearts are hard it is a demonstrative conviction that they are hard and indeed no heart is more hard than that heart which is not sensible that it is hard Now I come to the useful Application of this unto our selves SECT II. Vse 1 IS there a stony heart in every man is the heart of every man naturally a hard heart Then wonder not to see so little good done upon men wonder Wonder not to see so little good done upon many By private instructions not 1. That our own private instructions and counsels and intreaties and reproofs usually come to nothing How often do we find parents abounding in cares and watchings and teachings and advising and checking and correctings of their children and when they have said and done all they can they fall a weeping and a sobbing and sighing why what 's the matter O nothing will work on my childe and what 's the reason of it thy childe hath a hard heart and an hard heart is an unteachable and an untractable heart Publick pains 2. Wonder not that Simile the publick pains and labours in the Ministry of the Gospel of Christ many times proves but like rain that falls upon the house top or upon the rocks little or no fruit comes of studies of prayers of doctrines of exhortations of reproofs but people remain still what they were as proud as vain as profane as impudent in sins as before And Ministers are apt to be discouraged and complain that they spend their strength in vain and labour for naught Isa 49. 4. And some imagine if other Ministers came into their room the matter would be much mended and other Ministers do come and then awhile they fall a weeping and complaining What a people are these that no part of the Word of God will work on and no kind of delivery of the same will take hold of them if we intreat them they slight us and if we plainly reprove them they grow worse Now I say wonder not at this Christ himself met with such kinds of people when he preached here on earth and he did hit upon the right cause of all this untowardliness and aversness and that was the hardness of mens hearts I have heard some preach that if Ministers would use clear convictions in their preaching that their hearers would be taken for they were reasonable creatures alas that they should proclaim their own ignorance that men are rational creatures a Philosopher can teach us but that men are sinful creatures and have hard hearts the Scriptures teach us and all the convictions and demonstrations of the will of God will never make impression unless the Lord take away the stony heart out of them 3. Wonder not that all the Providential Dispensations of God work not better amongst men you see many times that personal affections do no good at Providential Dispensations all though one loseth husband wife children estate he fears not he returns not he mends not wonder not at this for the man hath an hard heart You find many times publick judgements in a Nation and God pouring contempt and wrath upon it and on all sorts of men and yet the Inhabitants thereof do learn no righteousness but he that was ignorant is ignorant still and he that was filthy is filthy still and he that was proud is proud still and men grow more wicked under the judgements and plagues of God upon them wonder not at this for their hearts are hard hearts and nothing whatsoever will or can effectually work as long as the heart continues hard Thou mayst pity and pray and weep and fear but persons of hard hearts will do none of these untill God take away the stony heart from them Vse 2 Is there a stony heart in every man then let us make a stand and wonder at the exceeding patience of the Lord and his long-suffering that he can Wonder at the exceeding patience of God bear so much and forbear and hold in his wrath and not make an end of sinners and utterly destroy them You cannot possibly comprehend what affronts and injuries the hard heart puts upon God and what continued provocations that heart daily sends forth and raiseth against him O what careless neglects of his commanding will What proud slightings of his severe threatnings What contemptuous refusals of his gracious offers of mercy What audacious resistances of his Spirit What desperate boldness in sinning What an obstinate course and progress in offending of him What unteachableness and barrenness after all the pains that God takes with it all the cost that he is at to work upon it for good and yet the Lord is patient towards it and renews offers of grace and sends early and late and there is line upon line and precept upon precept and yet he doth not leave the sinner for all this but for a long time stands at the door and knocks and waits that he may be gracious and gives him time and expects him when he will consider and hearken and return Truly the hardness of mans heart is wonderful which will not bow after so many gracious dealings of God and the patience of God is more wonderful who will bear so many and so long affronts from a proud and hard heart If the Husband-man hath a piece of ground which after all his Tillage still bears bryars and thorns he will cast it off If the School-Master hath a Scholar which after long teaching and instructing continues dull and uncapable he will meddle no more with him Sir I can do
no good on your child If a Master hath a Servant or an Apprentice who after all his care and pains to instruct him in his Trade yet remains unapprehensive and stupid and perhaps vicious he longs to be rid of him If a Parent hath a childe that is naught and stubborn and will not hearken nor be reclaimed the Parent is weary of him and casts him out of doors or sends him into another Countrey Thus none but God will bear with a hard and stubborn heart God I say who is most provoked by it therefore unquestionably his patience is exceeding great it is wonderful towards sinners Vse 3 Is there a stony heart in every man this may then informe us of three things Informs us The conversion of a sinner is a miraculous work First That the conversion of a sinner is even a miraculous work We wonder that so few persons are converted by the Word nay but we should rather wonder that any person is converted by it because there is such a stony and hard heart in every person which is so unsensible of its own miserable condition which is so uncapable to be taught the knowledge of the matters of salvation which is so opposite and averse and unyielding and resisting as to all the means and ways of grace where there is a blind and proud judgement that will not be perswaded whereâ—â— there is such a stubborn will that will not be made willing and whereâ—â— there are so many vile affections which wâ—ll not be tamed and awed and subdued It is matter of greater wonder that any one sinner is brought in by grace than if all sinners should fall into hell Secondly That it is from grace and from that alone if any sinner be converted â—â— is from grâ—â—e that any are converted it is from the freeness of Gods grace and from the power of Gods grace not from any thing at all in the person converted And my reason is this because the heart of every sinner is naturally a stony heart a hard heart and a stony heart is not only an impotent heart but also a resisting heart to grace Verily the best man may and must confess that it is only of the Lords mercy that he was not consumed and that his present life and estate in grace was never of himself who is called but only from the favour and power of the grace of God who did call him What I am I am by the grace of God said Paul 1 Cor. 15. 10. Our hearts were hard hearts and therefore contradicting and opposing untill beaten down and conquered by the love and might of divine grace Thirdly That God is most righteous in all his judgements here on earth God is righteous in all his judgements and in all those future and eternal punishments of sinners in hell for sinners have hard and hardned hearts Why if sinners will not hearken to God if they will not obey his voice if they will stop their ears and withdraw their shoulders if they will not receive his Laws if they will not receive instruction and take warning if they will not know the day of their visitation if they will not know the things which concern their peace but harden their hearts it is righteous with God to reject them who do reject him to cast them off who do cast him off to abhor them who abhor him to punish and plague and destroy them who harden their hearts against him Object We have many amongst us who do wonder at Gods judgements abroad in the world and at all the changes and miseries which they have seen and perhaps felt Sol. And why do ye wonder at them rather wonder at the hardness of your own hearts which under all the judgements of God continue so proud and so scorning at holiness and so hating to be reformed and so manifestly irreligious and profane it is righteous with God to punish hard-hearted sinners Who ever hardened his heart against him and prospered Job 9. 4. If we will never be instructed to repent God will certainly destroy us Prov. 29. 1. SECT III. Vse 4 IS the heart of every man a stony or hard heart then let every man as he loves his soul Strive all that he can to be cured of the stone in the Labour to be cured of this hard heart heart i. e. to use all spiritual means to be delivered from hardness of heart And for this let me propound unto you 1. Some Motives which possibly may work on you Secondly Some means for the cure of it 1. The Motives to look after the cure of a stony or hard Motives heart are these First The Consideration of those sins which are included in this one sin of hardness From the sins included in hardness of heart Stupidity of heart which make it to be exceeding sinful What sins will you say There are three sins in this sin 1. Stupidity and senslesness of spirit O how dangerous there are three very dangerous qualities A Seared Conscience this is the worst of all Consciences A Reprobate Mind this is the worst of all Minds A Sensless Heart this is the worst of all Hearts tanto pejior quanto insensibilior This is to be at the farthest distance and hope of conversion Vicinior saluti dolor poenitentis quam stupor non sentientis saith Austin Simile This is a condition worse than that of Judas who was sensible and cryed out I have sinned nay in some respect worse than that of the Divels who do believe and tremble Isa 6. 9. Go and tell this people hear ye indeed but understand not and see you indeed but perceive not Ver. 10. Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and convert and be healed Contempt of God 2. Contempt of God O what a child is he who will not hearken to his father and what a sinner is he who will not hearken to his God Simile yet every hard heart refuseth to hearken unto God and what is this but to displease the Lord and scornfully to set him at naught q. d. What tell you me of God or of his will I care not for him what care I what he saith I will follow mine own hearts lusts I will not be guided and commanded by him 3. Desperate wickedness I will be sinful still and I will go on in my Desperate wickedness sinful ways though I lose mercy and heaven yea though I shall be damned for ever O Lord What a condition is this yet this is the condition of hardness of heart Secondly The Consideration of the Losses unto which you will certainly The losses you are exposed to expose your selves if you get not the cure of your hard and stony heart There are six losses which do and will befall you by it 1. You lose the benefit
and open to the strength of temptations And certainly all these will cause or occasion exceeding hardness of heart therefore if you would be rid of a hard heart beseech the Lord to cure you of a proud heart which is above counsel and without fear Thirdly Vnbelief of heart Take heed saith the Apostle Hebr. 3. 12. lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God Unbelief but Ver. 13. Exhorting one another daily lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin One said well that Unbelief will in time make a man an Atheist When a man believes not that there is a God or that God is true in his threatnings or in his promises this man will not fear to sin where there is no faith there is no fear and where there is no fear of God there is no fear to sin against God and where there is no fear to sin there the heart will let out it self to all wickedness and who can now question but all this will cause exceeding hardness of heart Fourthly Hypocrisie of heart this likewise breeds and strengthens hardness Hypocrisie of heart When a man will dâ—ssemble with God and godliness pretends love to them and zeal to them and yet secretly his soul loves sin and keeps up a way of wickedness and bears down the light and actings of conscience this man doth wofully obdurate his own heart and fears his conscience by speaking lies in hypocrisie Fifthly Deceitfulness of sin Hebr. 3. 13. Lest any of you be hardned through Deceitfulness of sin Lib. de Consc p. 1749. Edit Basil the deceitfulness of sin Bernard doth notably describe the degrees by which a man steps up unto hardness of heart 1. Saith he the man with much ado ventures to commit a sin and this sinful act or work it is importabile oh the terror and hell that it is unto him 2. Then after a while when the terror is off he ventures to sin again and now that which was importabile becomes grave it is only a burden but not a terror unto him 3. Then after some little time he commits the sin again and now that which was grave becomes love it is no such great matter vulnera non sentit verbera non attendit 4. After a lesser space he returns again to folly and now leve becomes dulce non solum non sentit sed placet that sin which was light is now become delight and pleasant 5. And after this Dulcedo becomes consuetudo that which was pleasant to him now becomes constant with him it is no more to sin than it is to eat and drink 6. And at last Consuetudo vertitur in naturam whereas at the first it did almost seem impossible to draw him to commit the sin now it proves more impossible to restrain him from sinning sic itur in aversionem duritiem cordis thus the sinner makes way for the hardning of his own heaâ—t Take heed of this and keep far from this and break off all progressive ways of sinning or else you will never get off hardness of heart but you will dye and perish under it Sixthly Wicked Society From this you must be removed if ever you would Wicked society have hardness of heart removed wicked company will easily entice you to sin and will cunningly lead you on to more sin and will teach how to plead for sin and how to despise and reject the counsel of friends and the commands of God to turn from sin 2ly You must take such Medicines you must use such means as are proper Medicines for cure to cure the stonyness or hardness of your hearts Now these means I shall reduce unto 1. Meditations 2. Practical Actions 1. The solemn and serious Meditations First Consider and Meditate upon the multitude and greatness of our sins which Serious Meditations Of the multitude and greatness of oursins are 1. A separation from God O what is this to be in such a condition wherein a mans soul is separated from God and blessedness 2. A vexing and a provocation of God What is it to provoke the Lord to wrath and to kindle his displeasure against you 3. A rebellion against God and trampling under feet his holy and righteous will 4. A dishonouring of God it had been better that thou hadst never been born than that God should lose so much of his honour by thee 5. An exposure to the curse of God who may every moment damn thee for thy wickedness and transgression 6. An unutterable madness to set thy delight on that and serve that and take pains to accomplish that which only brings all misery and destruct on on you Secondly Consider and Meditate on the wonderful evil of an hard heart by which Of the evil of an hard hearâ— 1. You are so unlike to God he is tender and thy heart is hard he is sensible of thy sinnings but thou art not sensible of them he is troubled at thy sins but thou art not troubled for thy sins he cryes out against them but thou cryest not out for them forty years long was I grieved c. 2. You are unlike to Jesus Christ the Son of God Christ did gâ—ieve at the hardness of mans heart and yet thou dost not grieve at the hardness of thine own heart he shed tears and wept over the hardness of Jerusalem and yet thou weepest not at the hardness of thine heart he complained of this yet thou complainest not of this 3. You are unlike to the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God thy hard heart grieves him who hath moved so often and striven so long with thee yet thou grievest not but rejoycest thy hard heart vexes the Spirit of God and yet thou art not sensible at all 4. You are worse than the Divels who tremble but thou fearest not by reason of any Word that God doth speak nor of any wrath or judgement which God hath threatned 5. You have been more brutish than the very beasts they are teachable and they are tractable and they are sensible of love and anger but nothing doth thee good thou art unteachable and untractable and unsensible and stupid 6. You maintain an enmity and contradiction to God whom you are bound to obey as creatures as redeemed c. Thirdly Meditate of the judgements upon hardned sinners the judgements Of the judgements of God upon hardned sinners 1. Threatned by God against them Job 9. 4. They shall not prosper Prov. 28. 14. They shall fall into mischief Rom. 2. 5. They treasure up wrath against the day of wrath Prov. 29. 1. They shall be destroyed suddenly and without remedy 2. Executed Pharaoh drowned in the red Sea Saul falling and dying upon his own Sword the King Zedekiah his eyes put out and bound with chains and carried into Babylon the Jews scattered over all the world Jerusalem a desolation by the Romans Julian killed with
a dart Spira longing for death rather than life c. if the Lord should let fall any of these judgements upon thee what would become of thee Fourthly Meditate on the patience of God and on the goodness of God Of the patience of God 1. On the patience of God who hath been so long provoked by thy hard heart and yet hath spared thee held off his hand from striking of thee hath all this while born with thee and forborn to judge thee 2. On the goodness of God both to thy body and soul thou who hast so Of the goodness of God much hardned thy heart against him hast yet every day tasted of his bounty and blessings yea and that he is treating with thy soul sends Ministers deals with thee in a Gospel way calls on thee to repent offers thee Christ and mercy and heaven and assures thee if thou wilt yet hearken thy soul shall live 2ly Practical Actions and they are these Practical actions Come and hear First Come and hear 'T is true an hard heart cares not to hear the Word yet because thou hast a power to come and hear the Word as well as to go to any other place or work use thy power rather to come and hear the Word and that Word which is most convincing piercing humbling Moses rod made the waters to come out of the Rock The Word of God is able to save a soul and therefore certainly it is able to convert and soften the soul The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and live Joh. 5. 25. All who have got the cure of hardness of heart they have found it at the Word and by the Word which is the Sword of the Spirit and the power of God Secondly Go and pray beseech the Lord himself to circumcise thy heart he Go and pray only can cure the stone in the heart he only can take away the stony heart out of the flesh nothing is too hard for him Lord Lord leave me not to the hardness of my heart Lord open mine eyes make me sensible over-power my stiffe and rebellious and gain-saying heart Object O but my heart is so hard that I cannot pray Sol. 1. Pray as thou mayst at least grieve 2. And sigh under the burden of thy hard heart cry out O that I were made sensible and that I could pray to God to be cured 3. And go to them that can pray beseech them to beseech the Lord for thee O Sirs be sensible of one who is not sensible of himself pray for me who cannot pray for my self Thirdly Look a little on Jesus Christ whom thou hast pierced that thou mayst Look on Jesus Christ mourn Zach. 12. 10 Look on him and what thy hard heart hath done unto him thy hard heart it was which crucified him which pierced him which shed his precious blood And now hearken what Jesus Christ saith unto thee O hard-hearted sinner thy sins have put my soul to grief thy sins have drawn tears from mine eyes and blood from my heart Thou hast been very cruel to me I will not be so to thee lo I offer my self unto thee and my blood unto thee it shall wash thee from all thy sins it shall make thy peace it shall save thy soul if yet thou wilt no more harden thy heart but forsake thy sins and receive my offers Methinks this cannot but bow and melt thee if this doth not what will if the love of Christ if the blood of Christ will not nothing will They say that the blood of the Lamb is that which can soften the Adamant if any thing will work on will melt an hard heart it is the blood which came from the heart of Christ Fourthly If at any time the power of God appear on thy heart in meditation or hearing or praying or affections or secret workings of his Spirit that it begins to yield to hearken and consider to relent to soften 1. Do not dash and quench these by sinning by unbelief or by wicked security 2. But cherish them work with these workings keep them up raise them up Quest 3. How may one know that he is cured of a stony and hard heart at the How may one know that he is cured least that the cure is beginning Sol. The resolution of this question hath reference unto the second Proposition viz. that God promiseth to take away the heart of stone from his people but to speak unto the question as it now falls First When hardness of heart is cured or curing there is instantly wrought a By a spiritual sensation spiritual sensation such a sight and such a feeling as the poor sinner never had the like in all his life Simile As when a man is delivered from a deadly palsie he begins to feel and complain of the benummedness and heaviness of his limbs saith he What ails my arms and my feet I can hardly stir them there is scarce life in them nor sense nor motion So when the Lord is curing any sinner of the hardness of his heart he begins to see and feel and complain O saith he What a hard heart have I what a sinful and wretched heart I have heard of a proud and stout heart of a careless and unbelieving heart of an hard and rebellious heart of an impenitent and obstinate heart alas my heart hath been and it is all this O what an untoward heart do I feel in my self to any good what an unyielding heart to any thing which God commands and an unwilling heart to part with sin what a gain-saying heart to stoop to Christ this my heart I now feel to be like the flint the Iron the Adamant no man hath such an insensible hard heart as I. This is the first evidence of the cure of an hard heart viz. the sensibleness of the unsensibleness and hardness of the heart Secondly When hardness of heart is cured or curing then the sinner will By judging of himself and sins in another manner judge of his â—â—ns and of himself so as he did never before He looks on his sinful heart as on a root of gall and wormewood and he looks on his sinful ways and doings as vile and cursed and wonders at himself what he meant to be so forward to sin and to be so obstinate in sinning and to be so desperately profane as to contend with God in slighting the knowledge of him in refusing to hearken unto him in opposing of his Word in rejecting all the gracious and saving offers of Christ O my madness and folly O my pride and misery to forsake my meâ—cies for lying vanities to pitch on hell rather than heaven to love darkness rather than light O how jâ—st were it with God to reject me who have rejected him and never to hear me calling upon him who have so often turned away my ears from hearing him when calling upon me I am the chiefest of sinners
the testimonies of Gods reconciled favour O how doth the tender heart take on and judge and condemn it self if at any time it fall into sin O what a fool what a beast and why have I dealt thus with my God! why did I deal so unkindly with my kind God is this my love unto him is this my fear of him is this my tenderness of his glory O my soul what hast thou done why hast thou broken the bonds of friendship what hath the Lord been to thee that thou hast thus sinned against him And now the man falls a weeping and lamenting as if his heart would break and after some respite he thinks of his father again but he is ashamed to come to him and yet he will go to him and return with weeping and supplications O I cannot live thus I will home again to my fathers house and say I have sinned and am no more worthy to be called thy son Luke 15. Though shame and confusions belong to me yet mercies and forgiveness to him Dan. 9. O Lord heal my backslidings and forgive my backsldings and reoeive me graciously Hose 14. 2. And return again in mercy and make thy face to shine upon thy servant for the Lords sake Thus have I opened unto you the first Character or evidence of a heart spiritually soft and tender it is a heart filled with shame for sin and with grief for sin and with fear to sin and with zeal against sin and with care to be kept from sin and with restlestness till it can find God mercifully pardoning sin O that such tenderness and that such fruits of tenderness might be found in all our hearts Secondly A second Character by which we may know that we have the true The activity and life and power in conscience spiritual softness and tenderness of heart is the activity and life and power in conscience when God gives any one a soft and tender heart he gives him a conscience arrayed and enabled with other qualities and powers than in times past The Conscience heretofore was asleep but now it is awakned heretofore it was blind but now it sees heretofore it was silent but now it speaks heretofore it was loose and large but now it is strict and narrow heretofore it was dull and weak but now it is quick and powerful heretofore it was stupid and senceless but now it is apprehensive and active But I must not speak of all things about this that which I will pitch on is this the speciall Activities of Conscience where the heart is indeed tender 1. Concerning the good estate and welbeing of our souls 2. Concerning particular facts as to our doing or walking First Where the heart is tender there Conscience becomes active to clear out The conscience is active to clear our state the good and safe estate and well-being of our souls It will not suffer the poor soul to delude and deceive itself in matters of life and death to lay no grounds nor to venture all upon false bottoms and grounds of salvation and damnation of favour and wrath O saith Conscience thy soul is immortal and is for eternity and there are wayes to that eternity of Gods making and of mens making there is a reall relation to Christ and there is a seeming relation to Christ there is the power of godliness and there is the form of godliness there were virgins with oyle and there were virgins with lamps only there are some which believe and are saved and there are some that believe but for a time and perish If a man mistake himself he is undone for ever hereupon it is that Conscience in tender hearts dares not take up the estate of the soul upon trust and proud confidence and vain pretences or common grounds or every appearance but puts them on and makes them to study the Word of God and to prove what is the good and acceptable will of God and what indeed are the marks which do accompany salvation what are the infallible tokens of life of union with Christ of the new creature of a child of God born of the Spirit it causeth us to search our hearts and try our wayes to prove and examine our selves whether Christ be in us of a truth to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling it will not suffer us to be careless sluggish dallying delaying c. Conscience takes those saving promises of the â—ord as unquestionable that a man must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ that will be saved and that he must repent that will have his sins pardoned and that he must be regenerated and born again who will enter into the kingdom of heaven And hereupon Conscience puts us on if our hearts be tender exceedingly to make clear and evident the assumption I do truely believe I do truely repent I am born again and my sins are pardoned and my soul shall be saved A tender heart would be sure that it is in a state of life and favour Secondly Where the heart is tender there conscience is alive in respect of the particular facts of our lives whether good or evil For good actions which concern us in our places and callings Conscience puts us upon the careful and sincere practice of them will not suffer us to omit and neglect them but enclines and hearkens unto them although danger and trouble be incident unto us for the performance of them Act. 4. 19. But Peter and John answered and said unto them Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye ver 20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard Act. 21. 13. Then Paul answered What mean you to weep and break mine heart for I am ready not to be bound only but also to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus Josh 24. 25. If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord chuse you this day whom you will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. For evil actions Conscience puts forth itself against them partly by warning It is evil if thou do it not partly by threatning It will be bitter unto thee it wlll deceive thee and break thy peace and confidences partly in striving with us and presenting argument upon argument consideration upon consideration Gods favour on the one hand and Gods displeasure on the other hand the happiness of walking uprightly the shortness of sins deceitful pleasures c. and all to keep us from sinning which if they prevail not then Conscience begins to be unquiet and it smites for sinning and accuses and condems and The respectiveness of our hearts to the Word of God troubles and vexes and
will never be quiet untill repentance be renewed and God appears to be pacified Thirdly If we have hearts spiritually soft and tender this will appear by the respectiveness of our hearts to the word of God And there are ten Properties of a tender heart in relation to the Word of God 1. It sets up the Word as a Light and Rule So Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths ver 133. Order my steps in thy Word 2. It studies the Word and meditates therein to understand the mind of God concerning it Psal 119. 15. I meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways ver 148. Mine eyes prevent the night watches that I might meditate in thy Word 3. It layes up and gives special heed unto what God saith in his Word 2 Pet. 1. 19. We have also a more sure word of Prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed Psal 119. 11. Thy Word have I hid within my heart that I might not sin against thee Prov. 7. 1. My son keep my words and lay up my commands with thee ver 3. Bind them upon thy fingers write them upon the table of thine heart 4. It stands in awe of the Word Psal 119. 161. My heart stands in awe of thy Word 5. It is led and guided by the Word Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel Psal 73. 24. Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors Psal 119. 24. My sheep hear my voice and follow me Joh. 10. 17. 6. It keeps close to the Word in all matters of faith and practice receives all and admits no more will not go without it and dares not strive against it 7. It conformes itself unto the Word Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it even to the end Psal 119. 33. All that the Lord hath said will we do and be obedient Exod. 24 7. O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Psal 119. 5. He will teach us his wayes and we will walk in his paths Isa 2. 3. Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine whereto ye were delivered Rom. 6. 17. Moulded cast 8. It is quickly reduced wrought upon and recovered by the Word As in Davids case when Nathan said Thou art the man 2 Sam. 12. 7. David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord ver 13. So Judges 2. 2. Ye have not obeyed my voice why have you done this ver 4. And it came to passe when the Angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel that the people lift up their voice and wept ver 5. And they called the name of that place weepers Bochim and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. 9. It will often review and try itself by the Word lest it hath sinned or lest it should sin against God Psal 77. 6. I communed with my own heart and my spirit made diligent search Psal 119 59. I considered my wayes and turned my feet unto thy testimonies 10. It desires and endeavours to comply with all the Word of God and to fulfill all the will of God and to walk according to it in all things I have lived in all good Conscience unto this day Act. 23. 1. We trust we have a good conscience Heb. 13. 18. I have respect unto all thy commandements Psal 119. 6. Zachary and Elizabeth walked in all the Commandements and Ordinances before the Lord blameless Luke 1. 6. Fourthly If we have hearts Spiritually soft and tender this will appear by By our sensibleness in cases of Gods honour or dishonour our sensibleness and choice behaviour in the cases of Gods honour and dishonour This I think is one of the fullest discoveries of a soft and tender heart and therefore I will insist the more upon it by shewing unto you 1. The several wayes how God is honoured 2. The several expressions of a tender heart in relation unto Gods honour 3. The several wayes of Gods dishonour 4. The several affections and workings of a tender heart in the case of Gods dishonour First The several wayes of Gods being honoured God may be and is honoured How God is honoured As â—â— his Name and Attribuâ—es 1. As to his glorious Name and Attributes Deut. 28. 58. That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord thy God When we do acknowledge and admire and exalt God in his holiness and goodness and mercifulness and Omnipoâ—ency and wisdom and greatness and authority and justice and faithfulness c. Exod. 15. 11. Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the Gods who is like thee glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders Job 9. 4. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength Exod. 34. 6. The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth Ver. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquiâ—y transgressions and sins and that will by no means clear the guilty Deuter. 7. 9. Know that the Lord thy God he is God the faithful God which keepeth Covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandements to a thousand generations 2. As to his worship and service Psal 29. 2. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name or as it is in the Hebrew the honour of his Name worship the As to his Worship Lord in the beauty of holiness When we set up the true worship of God and serve him only and worship him only in Spirit and in truth and keep faithful unto it now we do honour and glorifie our God Thou hast not honoured me with thy sacrifices Isa 43. 23. The place where God is worshipped is called the place where his honour dwelleth 3. As to his Word and truths when they are magnified believed and embraced At his Word and upheld and obeyed when they have liberty and prosperity and success of efficacy 4. As to his works of Providence whether merciful respecting the good As to his Works of his people or judicial respecting the punishment of his adversaries in both which very much of God is to be seen and admired and blessed Secondly Now a soft and tender heart is exceedingly affected with Gods honour How the tender heart is affected in case of Gods honor and glory and with all the wayes publick and private for the honouring of God Such a person will take much pains to recover and restore the honour of God as you may see in Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah and Josiah to restore the true worship of God such a person will be at much cost to promote the honour of God 1 Chron. 29. 3. Because I have set my affection to the house of my God I have of mine one proper goods of gold and silver which I have given to the house of my God over and above all that I have prepared for thy holy house even three thousand talents of gold of the
several relations and any one who is of a soft and tender heart makes conscience of them all The tender Magistrate makes conscience of governing and ruling and believing and protecting and reclaiming and punishing and rewarding and dare not be unjust neglect or unfaithful or oppressing or out-facing or over-bearing and so people of tender hearts dare not to be disobedient unruly reviling despising c. The tender Minister makes conscience of feeding his flock with wholsome food and not to keep back any of the counsel of God concerning them he is instant and diligent in his work he instructs and exhorts and warns and reproves and comforts according to the several conditions of his people and the people will pray will love will honour will encourage will obey them that have the rule over them in the Lord. The tender husband will love and cherish his wife and the tender wife will love and please and reverence her husband The tender Parent will pray for will instruct will teach his children and bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and the tender child will hearken c. Fourthly A person of a tender heart and soft heart makes conscience of all He makes coâ—scâ—ence of all duties 〈◊〉 the â—imâ—s the duties respecting the times and changes that do befall him He meets with times of adversity and with times of prosperity with times of love and with times of hatred with times of peace and with times of trouble with times of light and with times of darknesse with times of Gods clear presence and with times of Gods desertions And there are several and distinct duties proper unto these variations the which he strives to draw out and act in their time If his time be the time of prosperity he is doing whilst he hath that time and to honour God with his increase and to blesse him and to do for him and if his be the time of adversity he desires patient submission unto the hand of God and special instruction and improvement and refining c. In an high estate he will love his God and in a low estate he will by faith live still upon his God Fifthly A person of a tender heart will make conscience of duties 1. Though never so small and little thou shalt not lay a stumbling block before the blind nor cause the deaf c. thou shalt fear the Lord thy God The smallest 2. Though never so great and difficult and strict to deny himself to enter in at the strait gate to render good for evil blessing for The greatest cursing 3. Though contemned and reproached by profane men and erroneous Most contemned men or disaccepted by those unto whom it is performed 4. Though dangerous and exposing c. as Daniel of praying the three children Most dangerous of worshipping God only the Apostles of preaching Christ 2ly For the manner of performing these duties The manner of performance of duties A tender heart hath a special regard unto that he will serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear Heb 12. 28. And as David after the due order 1 Chro. 15. 13. The duties which he performes they are by him done 1. Willingly Psal 110 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power Rom. 7. Willingly 19. The good that I would do And Isa 26. 8. The desire of our soul is to thy Name freewill-offerings 2. Delightfully 1 Joh. 5. 3. His Commandements are not grievous Nay Delightfully Psal 40. 8. I delight to do thy will It was Christs meat and drink to do the will of his Father that sent him Joh. 4. 34. 3. Humbly as Paul Act. 20. 19. Serving the Lord with all humility of Humbly mind and with many tears 4. Believingly resting on the strength of Christ for their performance Phil. 4. 13. I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me And he acknowledgeth Believingly all that is done to be done in his strength 1 Cor. 15. 10. I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me and expecting all the acceptance of duties for Christs sake Rev. 8. 3. The prayers of the Saints were offered up with incense upon the golden Altar 5. Sincerely with a plain honest obediential heart with all his heart Sincerely with his very soul and spirit in truth without guile and with a direct pure and single respect unto Gods glory These are the desires and these are the endeavours thus to serve and obey the Lord by every truely soft and tender heart and if he misseth or is interrupted in any of these his heart is troubled and grieved and he strives and wrestles with God to cloth him with the strength of his Spirit that he may thus serve his God according to his will Sixthly If our hearts be soft and tender hearts this will appear by the temper of our spirits in the occurrences of temptations There are temptations and suggestions By the temper of our spirits in temptations From Satan 1. From Satan he many times presents unto the minds even of the people of God thoughts of Atheism and blasphemy and other vile and inglorious thoughts O what an affrightment amazement and grievous burden are these unto a person of a soft and tender heart they do even crack and crush his spirits and take away all rest from him and fill his heart with tears and complaints and prayers 2. From the World to withdraw from God and Christ and the truth and From the World holy walking partly by reproaches scoffs threatnings restraints and punishments these a tender heart will bear and suffer and rejoyce in and by them grows more resolute for Christ and to hold fast his truth and to walk with him And partly by profits pleasure friendship fears and honours these a tender heart will trample under foot rather than sin against Christ Like Moses who refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs daughter Hebr. 11. 24. Châ—sing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season ver 25. Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the creasures of Egypt ver 26. 3. From our own hearts in several wicked motions to several vile affections From our own hearts And if your heart be tender it will not dally with them in contemplation nor yield unto them in prosecution but will resist them and pray against them and strive to have them mortified and subdued and instead of them would have a daily frame of holy and heavenly thoughts raigning in the mind SECT IV. Vse 2. DOth the Lord promise to give unto all his people a soft and tender Get such a heart heart an heart of flesh Then by all means let every one of uâ— strive to get this heart which God promiseth to give Now for this I will propound 1. Some Motives
will you weary my God also said the Prophet Isa 7. 13. So say I Is it a small thing that you injure another but will you also injure the Spirit of God Simile If a friend should help you out of prison and heal all your diseases and sores and furnish you with clothes and money and house and lands do you not wrong him in saying upon every discontent What hath he done he hath never done any thing for me Why it is the Spirit of God who hath quickned you from the dead who hath delivered you out of the power of darkness who hath renewed and healed your soul who hath begun every saving grace in your hearts who hath been your life and strength and after all this is it meet for you to say What hath he done and he hath wrought nothing for us nothing why how came you to be so sensible of your sins how came your hearts to be broken and mournful whence came those desires after Christ and grace whence came those fervent prayers and importunate cries whence came those resolutions to walk with God and careful endeavours to honour and glorifie him O Christianâ— be humbled for thy rashnesse and for thy unthankfulness and for this injuriousness done unto the good Spirit of God disown him no more and deny not any work of his any more though it be but little yet do not disown it though it be sometimes hidden from thee yet do not disown it though it doth many times work but weakly do not disown it though it be put sometimes to a stand though thou dost not in every particular answer the motions and rules of the Spirit yet do not disown the work of the Spirit condemn every sinful work which is thine own but do not deny or dishonour any work that is his Secondly By not crediting the testimony of the Spirit Beloved sometimes By not crediting the spirit we do bear witness or give testimony for the Spirit as when we humbly and thankfully confess his workmanship in our hearts saying This is the Lords doing this he hath done for my soul c. Sometimes the Spirit bears witness or gives in testimony unto our hearts he bears witness saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 16. that we are the children of God and concerning this he gives in his testimony partly by his works of Faith and Regeneration which are to be found in all and only the children of God And partly by extraordinary assurance letting in such a ligâ—t and evidence and perswasion which abundantly clears up our Relation that without doubt God is our Father and we are his children If now after both these testimonies in assurance of the Spirit in after times of darkness and desertion and temptation we call the testimony of the Spirit into question and charge it for a false delusion do we not exceedingly injure the Spirit of God in some sort to make bim a lyer and a false witnesse Object But we do not do so and we dare not do so his testimony is true only How to know the testimony of the Spirit we fear that the testimony which we have found was not his testimony but a delusion either of Satan or of our own hearts Sol. O but what if indeed that testimony was not the delusion of your hearts but the very testimony of the Spirit which you have challenged and rejected as a delusion are you not then very guilty of great injuriousness unto the Spirit And that it was the very testimony of the Spirit of God may thus appear 1. It was a testimony after deep humblings of the heart for sin 2. It was a testimony after importunate cries and wrestlings for mercy and assurance 3. It was a testimony after your believing and closing which Christ offered and accepted 4. It was a testimony after the matching of the promises with your souls condition 5. It was a testimony that filled your heart with joy unspeakable and glorious and with a love most dear and superlative and with most humble and serious care and diligence how to walk more exactly and chearfully to the praise and honour of this most gracious God If it was thus it was no delusion it was indeed the testimony of the Spirit and you have dealt unkindly and unworthily thus to requite him and thus to disgrace his precious testimony Thirdly By disregarding and slighting the Ordinances of Christ Some people do think that because they have the Spirit therefore there is no need of Ordinances By slighting Christs Ordinances at least for them perhaps they hold that the Ordinances may be useful for others who as yet have not received the Spirit but yet they are needless for them who have received the Spirit And three places of Scripture they alledge for this Jer. 31. 34. They shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest of them saith the Lord. 1 Joh. 2. 27. The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lye and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him 2 Pet. 1. 19. We have also a most sure Word of prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place untill the day dawne and the day-starre arise in your hearts With your favour I will speak something in 1. Opposition to this Opinion it is the Opinion of the Libertines of old and of some now amongst our selves The Libertines answered who desire and endeavour to subvert the Ministry and the Ordinances of preaching 2ly In resolving the true meaning of those places of Scripture First I affirm that Gods giving of his Spirit unto his people was never intended by him to put a period unto any Evangelical Ordinance or to render them useless unto any of his people this may be demonstrated thus First From the scope of the Scriptures All Scripture saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 3. 16. is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Iâ—struction in Righteousness that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works ver 17. If the Word of God be given for these ends For Doctrine to teach us the matter of faith for Reproof to convince errors for Correction to condemn sin for Instruction to shew us our duties and to make us perfect To beget us Jam. 1. 18. Of his own will begat he us with the Word of truth To build us up Acts 20. 33. I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified then certainly the presence of the Spirit and the Ministry of the Word are not
commend to you that have the Envy not the gifts of the Spirit in others Spirit is this Do not envy the gifts and graces of the Spirit in any man nor speak evil of them Numb 11. 29. And Moses said unto Joshua Enviest thou for my sake Would God that all the Lords people were Prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them The Spirit of God gives different gifts unto men to profit withall 1 Cor. 12. 7. To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit Ver. 8. To another Faith by the same Spirit Ver. 9. And there are different measures of his gifts some do excell in one gift and some in another and this holds true in publick persons and in private persons all of us should rejoyce in all these manifestations of the Spirit It should not grieve us that any one is good nor that he can do good in his private way or in his publick way nor should it grieve and trouble us if any man hath more grace or that he can do more good bring more glory to Christ than we do or can The end of every Christian is Gods glory now every one should mind that and contribute towards that one man may contribute more and every man should contribute his utmost towards it is it not enough if Christ be magnified and thy soul saved Sixthly You should not be discouraged for any work which God puts upon Be not discouraged at hard tasks you though never so great and difficult for you have the Spirit of wisdom and power and sufficiency to assist you Zach. 4. 6. Not by might not by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts 2ly Now follows the Positive or affirmative duties for them that have received the Spirit of God The positive duties of such as have the spirit They should shew â—orth the vertues of the spirit As love First You should express the virtue of the Spirit which abideth in you you should walk like men of another spirit especially you should hold out those nine fruits or virtues of the spirit mentioned in Gal. 5. 22 23. The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance these you should strive to act in your convesations 1. Love i. e. a loving behaviour especially towards the Godly nay and towards all men you should walk in love without hatred and emulation and envying and rash suspition and censoriousness 2. Joy i. e. such a behaviour as sets out a contentedness and well-pleasedness Joy with our worldly portion and a chearfulness and comfortableness in our spiritual relation unto and portion in God and Christ 3. Peace i. e. such a behaviour as exempts us from medling and wrangling and quarrelling and contentiousness and turbulency and tumâ—ltuousness and Peace variancies and that frames us to a quiet peaceable and unprovoking inoffensive carriage 4. Long-suffering i. e. we should bear much of the weaknesses and infirmities Long-suffering of those with whom we do converse and pass by slight injuries and forgive many a wrong done unto us as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us 5. Gentleness i. e. we should behave our selves towards others in speaking Gentleness or looking or dealing without pâ—ide austerity insolency scornfulness rigidness in a soft humble affable candid manner 6. Goodness i. e. we should not be hard-hearted and backward to do good Goodness to the souls or bodies of others but should be ready to distribute full of the fruits of mercy and be helpful and profitable and merciful to them that need especially to the distressed members of the body of Christ 7. Faith i. e. fidelity we should be just in our words promises and in all our Faith dealing with men by no means lye or deceive or over-reach or deal with guile deceitfully or falsly but squarely plainly and honestly and righteously 8. Meekness i. e. we should suppress all rash furious immoderate unlawful anger and frowardness and perturbation and passionateness and strive to Meekness manifest that we are in some measure able to deny our selves and to bear crosses and afflictions provocations injuries patiently and contentedly 9. Temperance i. e. we should not excessively lay out our cares and labours Temperance for any wordly thing whether honour or riches or pleasures but be soher in the desire and use of all the earthly blessings which God hath given unto us Secondly you should be wonderful thankful unto the Lord for giving of his We must be thankful for the spirit Spirit unto you Paul takes special notice of this mercy and often speaks of it We have received the Spirit of God and he hath given unto us his holy Spirit and his Spirit dwelleth in us c. There are four things for which God is eternally to be blessed viz. 1. For his free grace and love 2ly For his Christ 3ly For his Gospel And 4ly for his Spirit Quest And why for his Spirit Sol. Because what you are in relation to God you are by the Spirit First Are you in Christ this is by the Spirit are you new creatures born Reasons of it again this is by the Spirit are you delivered from Satan and your sinfull corruptions this is by the Spirit 2. What you can do this comes from the Spirit Can you mourn for sin can you poure out your hearts in Prayer can you at any time trust in the Name of the Lord can you look towards his holy place in times of desertion can you deny your selves can you do the will of God can you suffer the will of God all your spiritual strength is from the Spirit Thirdly Have you any discoveries of the Love of God have you any clearness of the love of Christ and of your propriety in him have you any satisfying evidences of your present relation to God have you any sealings and assurances of future blessedness have you ever tasted of joy unspeakable and glorious of a peace that passeth all understanding of recoveries out of sin of sweet refreshings under troubles of conscience then bless the Lord who hath given his own Spirit unto you Thirdly you should improve the Spirit that is given unto you and make Improve the spirit use of him 1. For works which he can do but hath not yet begun within you 2. For works which he hath begun but hath not as yet perfected and finished within you First For works which he can do but perhaps hath not yet begun within you He hath begun the work of humiliation and of vocation and of union and of regeneration but then perhaps there are other works wanting you have found him an healing Spirit but did you ever find him a sealing Spirit you have felt the power of his grace but did you ever tast the sweetness of his joyes you have found him a regenerating
a man vvalks in vvayes of vvickedness every step that he takes every nevv commission of sin carries him nearer to a cursed eternity the more he sins the 〈◊〉 he is to hell 4. Because we must be accountable to God in the day of judgement even for We 〈…〉 accouâ—◠〈…〉 every 〈…〉 every work which we do Eccles 12. 13. Fear God and keep his Commandements Ver. 14. for God shall bring every work into judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil Mark every 〈◊〉 work whether it be good or whether it be evil shall be brought to judgement there is not any one good work which a godly man doth but it shall be brought into judgement and God will recompence and requite it even the giving of a cup of cold water shall not lose its reward And there is not any one evil work which the ungodly man doth but it shall be brought to judgement and he shall be punished for it and God will execute judgement upon all and convince all that are ungodly of all their ungodly deeds Jude ver 15. Therefore it doth exceedingly concern us seriously to walk in Gods statutes seriously to consider what he would have us to do and how we should walk and conscienciously to observe and conform all and every one of our steps and actions of life unto his Word Thirdly We should walk in the statutes of God fully i. e. in all wayes of We must walk in them fully obedience commanded us of God there should be a commensuration t'wixt our walking and Gods commands Deut. 5. 35. Ye shall walk in all the wayes which the Lord your God hath commanded you that you may live and that it may be well with you Josh 22. 5. Take diligent heed to do the commandements and the Law which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you to love the Lord your God and to walk in all his wayes and to keep his Commandements and to cleave unto him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul Jer. 7. 23. But this thing commanded I them saying obey my voice and I will be your God and ye shall be my people and walk ye in all the wayes that I have commanded you that it may be well with you Psal 119. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandements Luke 1. 6. Zechary and Elizabeth walked in all the Commandements and Ordinances of the Lord blameless 1 Tim. 2. 12. That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty Object But some will object This is a hard saying what walk up to every statute of God! they are very many and do require so many duties to God and to man it would make our lives grievous unto us to be thus strictly bound in some things we could be content but to walk in all is too strict Sol. I confess it is strict especially to our corrupt hearts nay any one Commandement The carnal heart counts any one command burthensome of God and any one part of obedience thereunto is too grievous and strict for a carnal heart Put the carnal man who thus complaines and excepts against full obedience unto all Gods statutes I say put him upon walking in any one statute or Law of God and he will grumble against that one as much as against all e. g. Put him upon the sanctifying of the Sabbath tell him he must rest upon that day from all his labours and that he must set that day appart for God alone and wholly spend it in holy religious duties publick and private now he cries out O what a burden and wearisomness is this what no recreations and no visitings and no worldly and vain discourse on that day what nothing but praying and hearing and reading of the Word and singing of Psalmes and heavenly meditations and discourses in our families Flesh and blood cannot bear this indeed it cannot nor shall flesh and blood ever inherit the kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15. 50. Again put a man of a carnal heart but to exercise religious duties in his family to pray daily and to read the Word and to instruct those that do belong to him and for whom he must give an account to God the mans heart presently riseth against this and this is grievous and he shuffles it should be done indeed but I have no leasure and I have no gifts or parts to do these works Beloved it is a sure truth that whatsoever a carnal man pretends against universal obedience to all Gods statutes his heart is for no obedience at all but hath an universal enmity unto all and every Commandement of God But now more distinctly to answer the Cavil for partial obedience and to confirm the Truth for full and Uâ—iversal obedience consider these six Particulars First They that are for a partial obedience to Gods Commands and for a Partial obedience breaks the bond of all obedience walking in some of his statutes only they do break asunder the Bond and Reason of all obedience All obedience is to be founded upon the Authority and will of God because God who hath authority over all his creatures doth will and command us to obey his voice to walk in his statutes for this very reason do we stand bound to obey him And if we do obey him upon this reason then must we walk in all his statutes for so hath he commanded us and if we will not come up to this but will walk in what statutes of his we please then do we renounce his will as the obliging reason of our obedience and do set up our own liking and pleasure as the reason thereof Secondly Nay secondly it tends to plain Atheisme For by the same reason It tends to Atheisme that you slight the will of God in any Commandement by the same reason you may despise his will in every Commandement for every Commandement of God is his will and it is holy and spiritual and contrary to our sinful lusts and if this be the reason why such and such Commandements of God will not down with you then by the samereason none of them must be of authority with you Thirdly It is an audacious charge against God himself as to his wisdome or It s an audacious charge against God himself power or goodness those statutes of God which you will not come up unto either they are righteous as the rest and are good as the rest or they are not If they be also righteous and good why should we not walk in them as in the rest If they be not righteous and good O what a blasphemous charge is given against God in prescribing unto him any thing that is not righteous and good and likewise in making his will which is the rule of righteousness and goodness to be partly righteous and partly unrighteous to be partly good and partly bad
the Church dores and cast away Bibles and renounce all duties regard not Scripture regard not ordinances regard not duties O the Lord work upon thine heart in time for thou regardst not thine owo soul Thirdly All Formal Non-proficients such I mean who keep still to their All non proficients circle and move like a horse in a mill so much as they have taken upon them of Religion so much they will stick unto they will neither abate nor rise neither go backward nor go forward they know enough already Some outward duties they do but if you will press them a jot higher then you are precise you cannot possibly perswade them to proceed on to humble their heart to mortify their lusts to yeild to God in inward sanctity c. Fourthly But above all they offend most who turn Apostates and Revolters All Apostates who like Hymeneus and Alexaender make shipwrack of faith and a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1. 19 20. Or like the Galatians begin in the spirit and end in the flesh Galatians 3. 3. Or like those in Peter who after that they knew the way of righteousness did turn away from the holy Commandements delivered unto them 2 Pet. 2. 21. Beloved there are three sorts of men in the world 1. Some never would endure to look or walk in Gods Statutes but resolve to walk in their own sinful wayes these are prophane Atheists 2. Some will take upon them to walk in Gods Statutes so far as consists with their own wayes and lusts these are hypocrites 3. Some make an enterance and a little progress but do after a while renounce them and fall off to their own lusts Now here give me leave to open three things unto you 1. The principal cause why some men hold not on in walking in Gods Statutes The cause why some Apostatize but break off and turn Apostates 2. Their great sin in so doing 3. The great danger and judgment 1. The principal cause why c. Because of the strictness of Gods Laws First The Spiritual strictness which they do meet with in Gods Statutes which they did not preconsider and which their loose hearts cannot bear Simile It is with many professors as it is with many lazey and idle servants who frame unto themselves a reputation and benefit to be in such and such great mens families but meeting there with diligent and constant paines they presently give up their place and service So many Christians fancy unto themselves an easie obedience to God and think that any kind of serving God will suffice but when they come to finde that God will not be pleased with easie and formal performances but he will be served in Spirit and in truth that we must mortify every sinfull lust and that we must seek and serve him with our whole heart and come up to all the duties of obedience though crossing our profits and delights now they complain and murmur as they in Joh. 6. This is a hard saying and turn away from the Commandements as too heavey a yoak for them to bear rather likeing their old wayes of wickedness and looseness Secondly Secret Hypocrisie of heart this is another cause why men do not Secret Hypocrisie continue and persevere in the way of obedience but do revolt and fall off Job 27. 10. Will the Hypocrite delight himself in the Almighty will â—e alwayes call upon God Some times he will call upon God but alwayes he will not for his delight is not in God There are foure things in every Hypocrite Four things in every Hypocrite 1. His sinful heart was never changed by Grace 2. His Soul was never mortified to all sin 3. His Heart could never comply with all which God requires 4. He never did Obey God out of love to God intending only the Glory of God but still had an eye unto himself seeking his own praise and advantage in the world And every one of these is a sufficient ground of revolting and what principle is there of perseverance in the wayes of God where no grace at all â—s planted in the heart Is it possible that the Commandements of God should be sure of us when sin hath the dominion over us Or can he hold out in obedience whose heart did never like obedience and of necessity his heart must break with God who doth prefer himself before God Thirdly External Difficulties and troubles The Apostle saith that all who External troubles will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 2 Tim. 3. 12. We may say of walking in the way of Gods Statutes what they spake to Paul of the way of Christianity it is every where spoken against Acts 28. 22. There is no travailer in the way to Heaven but shall meet with barking curs with many scoffes reproaches contempts indignities injuries hazzards losses But many men neither can nor will suffer these things they set a higher value upon their own names and ease and liberty and plenty and safety than on their Souls and Gods Commandements When the young man heard of selling all and taking up the crosse and following of Christ he took his leave of Christ and of the way to Heaven Simile Many travailers are taken from their joruney when foule weather appears although they were forward when the sun did shine forth c. Fourthly Sordid unbelief There are three things which some men do not Sordid unbeliefe believe 1. That the way of obedience is a necessary path to life What some men do not believe 2 At least that much obedience and constant or continued obedience is that path some little service for a little time if men have any to spare perhaps is but to spend a whole life in holy walking c. 3. That God is true in his promises of protection and benediction in case of conscientious and constant obedience they do verily think that by this course they shall be losers If they did not some times worke and sell on the Sabbath day why they should lose their custome and if they should deny visits on that day they should displease their friends c. O these unbelieving hearts of ours Not without cause said the Apostle Heb. 3. 12. Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God Tell men seriously who is the God of blessings and God of mercies in whose power is it to make great Is it not God who blesseth and the man shall be blessed And who curseth and the man shall be cursed And read you not expresly of his blessings promised to the obedient and his curses to the disobedient And is not God faithful in his promises and true in his threatnings Hadst thou faith God should have better obedience and didst thou give to God more upright and stedfast obedience God would give unto thee more plentiful and abundant blessings If thou couldest say that latter part with
gives him no power or strength and regards not his prayers nor his complaints Psal 66. 18. But if your hearts were resolved indeed to forsake your sins they would be your hatred and burden and grief and you would set your selves against them but your strength is too weak and disproportionable and hereupon you go and cry unto the Lord O Lord those sins are too strong for me I am not able to subdue them I beseech thee for Christs sake to send forth the word of thy power and lead captivitie captive and suffer me not to dishonour thee any more I say if your hearts were drawn into this frame that the business did not lie upon the deceitfulness or falsness of your hearts but only upon the weakness and impotencie of your heart you would break down the power of sin but cannot do it you would walk better with God but you cannot do so you may now go confidently unto God for strength and he will certainly hear you and answer you with strength in your soul Object You will say This doth stay and encourage us but how may one know that it is only weakness and not wickedness only a want of power and not a want of will c. Sol. It s only a weakness and a want of more power against sin if you finde these six things 1. A constant conflict with sin 2. A resolved unsubjection unto sin I will never serve sin though I am often captivated by it 3. Earnest desires to have it mortified longings when 4. Avoiding all occasions and wayes that do give strength to sin 5. Gladness of any preventing and assisting power against sin 6. Extream grief when our weakness is borne cown by the strength of sin If you finde these things in you assuredly your hearts are willing to forsake sin and that you cannot get more riddance doth arise only from weakness and therefore in this case go to God for more of his strength and he will not deny it unto you And so for any good work that you would perform but you cannot dispatch it as you would or as you should you may know that this comes only from weakness and defect of more strength and nor from a secret dislike of it or aversness unto it if you finde these five qualities in you 1. You dare not neglect or omit it but you will be doing the will of God in this and that particular dutie with such a weak power as you have though it be in sighs and in tears and in much weakness and under many fears and temptations 2. You will be in the wayes of strength you will be creeping to the pools of Gods Ordinances there to receive of his strength 3. Though you cannot do much yet you will finde desires to do more strong cries to help weakness 4. You will take a delight after the inward man in the law of God and consent unto it that it is good and holy 5. You will make much use of Christ untill God shews his power in your weakness and gives in more strength to enable and perfect your works Fourthly If you would finde strength from God to enable you to walk in his Statutes and to do them then you must be an humble people and you must sue When the heart is humble unto him in forma pauperis Psal 40. 17. I am poore and needy the Lord thinketh upon me thou art my help c. Psal 10. 17. Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt incline thine ear to hear Jam. 4. 6. God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble By these places you see that we must not be proud but humble and if we be so and if we do seek the Lord with an humble heart he will hear our desire and will give grace unto us Object But perhaps you may desire to know when a mans heart is humble and when he seeks the Lord with an humble heart to help and strengthen him Sol. I will speak a little to this a mans heart is humble and humbly seeking when First He hath no self-bottome to trust unto but looks on himself as one utterly destitute and insufficient in me saith Paul there dwells no good and we are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing Secondly He is well contented to go abroad and to beg and to be beholding unto another for all his supplies and supports and helps The humble heart is well content to go and stand at heaven gates for mercy for grace for wisdome for all spiritual power Thirdly He judgeth himself unworthy of the least mercy and help from God not only which he hath received as Jacob Gen. 32 10. I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies and all the truth which thou hast shewen to thy servant but also which he doth now request of God there is no reason in me nor cause in me nothing in me for which c. Fourthly He impleads and useth the name of Christ Dan. 9. 18. We do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness but for thy great mercies of another Gods own reason for Gods own grant for his Name sake for his own Promise sake for his Christ sake Remember thy word and remember thy Covenant and do it for the Lords sake Fifthly He will wait Gods leasure and Gods pleasure I will hearken what God the Lord will speak Psal 85. 8. I will wait so the God of my salvation my God will hear me Micah 7. 7. 5. Quest The fifth and last Question is How one may know that God hath been his strength to cause him to do any good work or that he hath done it in the strength of God and not in the strength of his owne parts and gifts Sol. This is a choise and deep question but I shall desire to speak a few things unto it One may know that he doth act his duties or do his works not in the strength of his own parts but in and by the strength of God First By the Integrity or full frame of a holy working when his work or duty hath still the requisities that do constitute or make a duty to be a right duty or a work to be a right work in a spiritual sense To make a work or to set forth a work in a right and spiritual way there must be a concurrence or conjunction of five particulars 1. There must be the rule of Gods word to command and warrant it 2. There must be a right end even the glory of God alone intended and iâ—ed at 3. There must be a renewed and changed heart by the spirit of Christ the tree must be good before the fruit be good 4. There must be the breathing of those heavenly affections of love and delight and joy and inward working as well as an outward work 5. There must be faith to set it forth in the name of Christ Now to