heart Ver. 23. Nevertheless I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by my right hand Ver. 24. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory Ver. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee Ver. 26. God is the strength or rock of my heart and my portion for ever Ver. 28. It is good for me to draw near to God So the Church in that Micah 7. When God had hid his face from her Ver. 7. When she sate in darkness Ver. 8. When she was under the indignation of the Lord. Ver. 9. When the righteous man was perished and there was none upright among men Ver. 2. And when her enemies rejoyced insulted and triumphed over her Ver. 8. ver 10. Yet now even now she keeps up in her soul very high precious and honourable thoughts of the Lord. Ver. 7. My God will hear me Ver. 8. When I fall I shall arise when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a light unto me Ver. 9. He will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold his righteousness I might give you twenty more instances but enough is as good as a feast Dear Christians when your graces are not transparent when your evidences for heaven are blotted and when the face of God is clouded O then keep up in your hearts high precious and honourable thoughts of God and Christ and of his Word and wayes Acts 27.20 c. When your Sun of righteousness is set in a cloud when great darkness is upon your spirits when all Moon-light and Star-light of your graces and gracious evidences fails you Psal 22.3 yet then say with David Thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel and with Ezra Thou hast punished me less than mine iniquities deserve Ezra 9.13 Neh. 9.33 and with Nehemiah Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly and with the Church The Lord is righteous Lam. 1.18 In the darkest night and under your deepest soul-distresses say Well if I perish if I should miscarry for ever yet I will maintain and keep up in my heart high and precious and honourable thoughts of God and Christ Say well though my graces are obscured and my evidences for heaven are blurred and soyled yet I shall to my last breath say the Lord is good and his Word is good and his wayes are good yea though he should slay me yet I will trust in him Job 13.15 and entertain noble and glorious thoughts of him This is the way of wayes to have your graces cleared and strengthned your evidences brightned your comforts restored and your assurance confirmed But The twelfth Proposition is this viz. That it is the great duty and concernment of Christians to keep the evidences of their gracious and happy condition alwayes bright and shining Christians should make conscience of blurring and disfiguring the golden characters of grace in their souls The least character of grace in the soul is more worth than all the gold of Ophir yea more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds Eph. 4.30 Psal 51.11 12 and therefore every gracious Christian should be marvellous careful that he does not by wilful omissions or sinful commissions cloud dim or darken the least character of grace such as blot or lose their evidences for heaven they lose the comfort of their lives in this world Satans master-piece is first to work Christians to blot and blur their evidences for glory by committing this or that hainous sin and then his next work is to rob them of their evidences for glory that so though at the long run they may get safe to heaven that yet Jacob like they may go halting and mourning to their graves Satan knows that whilst a Christians evidences are bright and shining a Christian is temptation-proof Satan may tempt him but he can't conquer him he may assault him but he can't vanquish him Satan knows that whilst a Christians evidences for heaven are bright and shining no afflictions can sink him nor no opposition shake him nor no persecution discourage him nor no outward wants perplex him and therefore he will use all his power and policy all his arts crafts and parts to draw poor Christians to blot and blur their evidences for glory Satan knows that a man may lose one friend and easily get another lose his Trade in one place and soon get a Trade in another place lose health and get it lose an estate and get an estate c. But if he loses his evidences for heaven he knows it will cost him many a prayer and many a sigh and many a groan and many a tear and many a sad complaint before he recovers his lost evidences and therefore his grand design is to plunder a Christian of his evidences for heaven O Sirs keep but your evidences for heaven alwayes bright and shining and then heavy afflictions will be light and long afflictions will be short 2 Cor. 4.16 17 18. and bitter afflictions will be sweet and then every evidence fainly written in your hearts will be a living comfort to you in a dying hour When the tokens of death are upon your bodies and you shall see the lively characters of grace shining in your souls Luke 2.29 you will then cry out with old Simeon Lord now let thy servant depart in peace and with the Spouse Make hast my beloved Cant. 8. ult and be like to a Roe or to a young Hart upon the mountains of spices Rev. 22.20 Phil. 1.23 and with the Bride Come Lord Jesus come quickly and with Paul I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ When a man's evidences for heaven are either lost or blotted and blur'd then he will be ready to cry out wiâ—h David O spare me yet a little that I may recover strength before I go hence and be seen no more Isa 38.3 and with Hezekiah to turn his face to the wall and weep There are four things that above all others a Christian should labour to keep 1. Christ 2. His own heart 3. The Word 4. His evidences for heaven bright and shining But The thirteenth Proposition is this viz. It is the high concernment of every Christian either when he is in the dark or when his graces shine brightest and when his evidences for heaven are clearest and his springs of comfort rise highest then to have his heart and the eye of his faith most firmly fixt upon these three royal Forts or these five Cities or refuge It must be granted that though our graces are our best jewels yet they are imperfect and do not give out their full lustre they are like the Moon which when it shines brightest hath her dark spots and therefore a Christian had need have his eye his heart fixt upon the five following royal Forts
wanting to relieve a people so that must needs be a well ordered Covenant where there is nothing wanting to govern poor souls or to relieve poor souls or to save poor souls and such a Covenant is the Covenant of grace And sure the Covenant of grace is a sure Covenant Jer. 31.31 33 35 36 37. Psal 19.7 Rev. 3.14 Isa 54.10 Deut. 7.9 The Lord thy God he is God the faithful God or the God of Amen which keepeth Covenant with them that love him Psal 89.33 My Covenant will I not break Hebrew I will not prophane nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips All God's precepts all God's predictions all God's menaces and all God's promises are the issue of a most just faithful and righteous will God can neither dye nor lye Tit. 1.2 In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began There are three things that God can't do 1. He can't dye Nor 2. He can't lye Nor 3. He can't deny himself Josh 23.14 And behold this day I am going the way of all the earth and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you all are come to passe unto you and not one thing hath failed thereof O Sirs the Covenant of grace is bottomed upon God's everlasting love John 13.1 upon Gods unchangable love upon God's free love whom God loves once he loves for ever Jer. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love God can as well cease to be as he can cease to love those whom he has taken into Covenant with himself And as the Covenant of grace is bottomed upon God's everlasting love so 't is bottomed upon Gods immutable counsel Heb. 6.17 God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath And as the Covenant of grace is bottomed upon the immutable counsel of God so it is bottomed upon the free purpose of God 2 Tim. 2.19 The foundation of God standeth sure that is the decree and purpose of God's election stands firm and sure Now the purpose of God's election is compared to a foundation because it is that upon which all our happiness and blessedness is built and bottomed and because as a foundation it abides firm and sure And as the Covenant of grace is bottomed upon the free purpose of God so 't is bottomed upon the glorious power of God The power of God is an infinite power Isa 33.11 Isa 41.2 Mal. 4.1 1 Cor. 1.25 it is a supream power a power that overtops the power of all mortals What 's the stubble to the flames the chaff to the whirlwind no more is all created power to the power of God The weakness of God is stronger than men and did not Pharaoh find it so and Haman find it so and Sennacherib find it so and Nebuchadnezzar find it so and Belshazzar find it so and Herod find it so In all the ages of the world the power of God hath bore down all before it the power of God is an independant power a matchless power an incomparable power an enduring power an eternal power And as the Covenant of grace is bottomed upon the power of God Heb. 6.17 18 Psal 89.34 35. so it is bottomed upon the oath of God Luke 1.72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy Covenant Ver. 73. The oath which he sware to our father Abraham To think that God will break his oath or be perjured is an intollerable blasphemy Once more give me leave to say the Covenant of grace is bottomed not only upon the oath of God but also upon the precious blood of Christ The blood of Christ is called the blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13.20 Mat. 26.28 This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Heb. 9.15 And for this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the fiâ—st Testament they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance Ver. 17. A Testament is of force after men are dead It is called a Covenant and a Testament 1. A Covenant in respect of God and a Testament in respect of Christ 2. A Covenant in respect of the manner of agreement and a Testament in respect of the manner of confirming Jesus Christ died as a Testator and by his death confirmed the Testamentary gift before made of Life and Salvation Now the Covenant of grace being thus gloriously bottomed as you seâ— it must roundly and undeniably follow that thâ— Covenant of grace is a sure Covenant For this is all my salvation and all my desire i. e. This is the great ground of all my hope concerning my salvation and of all the happiness and blessedness which I look for in another world This everlasting Covenant this sure Covenant is the great Charter of Charters that I have to shew for eternal bliss David was drawing neer to his eternal home and whether his graces and gracious evidences for heavens happiness were bright and shining or blotted and clouded I shall not at this time stand to enquire it is enough that he stayes his soul upon the Covenant of grace and that he comforts and solaces his soul in the Covenant of grace And O that all Christians when their graces and gracious evidences are either clouded or blotted or else sparkling and shining that they would frequently eye these three royal Forts viz. 1. The free-grace and favour of God 2. The Mediatory righteousness of Christ 3. The Covenant of grace Now that I may the more effectually prevail with you to look upon these royal Forts and to delight in these royal Forts and to prize these royal Forts and to improve these royal Forts Give me leave to offer these three things briefly to your consideration First Our best graces and performances are not commensurate and square payment in the eyes of pure justice all of them as inherent in us and acted by us are but imperfect excellencies No man hath so much grace and holiness as is required nor doth he so much as he is obliged to do Every particular grace though it be of an heavenly and divine original yet it is like the Stars twinkling though placed in the heavens so that if God should enter into judgment with the most righteous person even the righteousness that is in him Psal 143.2 Job 14.3 4. Rom. 3.20 would not be safety and defence unto him for what a deal of pride have we mixt with a little humility and what a deal of passion have we mixt with a little meekness and what a deal of hypocrisie have we mixt with a little sincerity and what a deal of earthly-mindedness have we
sent to tender him a great sum of gold which he refused saying He had rather be at his pease while they whom he ruled over had the gold than he to have the gold and they the Pease When some unworthy persons once accused him for keeping back somewhat from the publick he brought forth a wooden platter and did swear That it was all he had reserved to himself of the spoyls He was had in great honour and reputation among the people That Pilot dies nobly saith Seneca who perisheth in the storm with the Helm in his hand Aristides was a man of a publick spirit after the overthrow of the Persians when there was a Mass of treasure gold silver and rich apparel he would not touch it nor take so much as one farthing of it to himself he was in high esteem among the people Tully in his Book of Scipio's dream brings in a dead Father now in heaven as he supposed encouraging his son to do service for his Countrey wherein himself had given him a most noble and notable example upon a very high consideration viz. There is a most sure and certain place in heaven for every man that shall procure the weal of his Countrey either by freeing it from peril or increasing the happiness of it any way To hear a Gentile tell of heaven as of a thing certain to hear him tell of certain places provided there for those that should do vertuously to have the service of ones Countrey pressed on his soul with so celestial an argument what matter of wonder and admiration is it Another speaking of men of publick spirits saith Such ennobled spirits they are the dear off-spring Cicero the delight and care of God a divine race it is from the heavens they come down to us and to the heavens again when ever they take their leaves of us shall they triumphantly return A Cataline sayes the Satyrist a trouble of mankind grows as the weed Jur. almost every where but a Brutus a worthy Patriot that bears the welfare of others the true prosperity of his native Land upon his heart and sets his eyes perpetually thereon for good such an one is a rare jewel worthy of all honour and embraces where ever he is found Men of publick spirits of all men 1 Sam. 2.30 do most exalt the Lord and honour the Lord and therefore the Lord first or last will most exalt them and honour them In all the Ages of the world and in all the Nations of the world men of most publick spirits have been best beloved and most highly honoured A man of a narrow spirit is like the Hedge-hog that never goes abroad but to gather what he can for himself who ever suffer by it but a man of a publick spirit is like the Pellican that draws out her own blood for the good of others and therefore the light of nature as well as the Law of grace will lead men by the hand to honour such Fourthly Men of publick spirits do most and best answer to one of the noblest and highest ends of their creation Doth the Bee gather honey for it self Doth the Sheep yield wool for it self Doth not all creatures serve the community Non nobis solum nati said the Heathen By the Law of creation every man is bound to serve the publick to serve his generation A narrow a private spirited man is a shame to his Creation because he walks so contrary to the great intendment of God in it 'T is a base and unworthy spirit for a man to make himself the Center of all his actions The very Heathen man could say That a mans Countrey and his Friends and others challenge a great part of him That man sins against the very Law of his being who is swallowed up in his own private interests Men of publick spirits should not bear the sword of justice in vain for by the Law of creation they are bound so to handle it as to be a terror to evil doers Rom. 13.3 4 and a praise to them that do well 'T is cruelty to the good to spare the bad 't is wrong to the Sheep to let the Wolves alone 't is the death of the Lambs to spare the Lions If you will pity Cataline sayes one pity Rome much more let the whole have a share in your pity rather than a part Pereat unus magis quam unitas better have one injurious person sit mourning than a whole Nation languishing c. Men of publick spirits should be for the ease of all and the peace of all and the comfort of all and the encouragement of all and the safety of all But this Age is full of Droans and Cyphers and of spiritless lifeless men who look at nothing who design nothing who aim at nothing and who endeavour nothing but how to raise themselves and greaten themselves and inrich themselves and build up themselves though it be upon others ruinnes How many are there who are so swallowed up in their own interests and private concernments that Gallio-like they care not whether the publick sink or swim Acts 18.7 These put me in mind of Jothams Parable Judg. 9.8 9 10 11 c. The Trees went forth to anoint a King over them They go to the Olive to the Fig-tree and to the Vine but shall I leave my fatness saith the Olive shall I leave my sweetness saith the Fig-tree and shall I leave my wine saith the Vine and go up and down for other Trees This is the very temper spirit and carriage of many in our day If you go to them and desire them to lay out themselves for the publick good What say some shall we leave our ease our pleasure our profits And say others Shall we run this and that hazard Shall we lose such and such friends and create to our selves such and such enemies to serve other men to save other men to advantage other men we cannot do it we will never do it Learned Tully was a zealous Patriot and lover of his Countrey he wished two wishes though he never saw either of them effected one was That he might see Rome setâ—led in its just liberties and the other was That he might see every mans estate pâ—oportionable to his affection and love to the publick Deubtless if Tullies wish might take place in our times the purses of many would be more empty and the publick Coffers would be more full But Fifthly Of all men on earth there are none that have such a stock of prayers going for them as men of publick spirits Men of publick spirits are not only most highly prized and cordially loved and greatly honoured but they are also most upon the hearts of all sober and serious Christians when they are in the Mount with God The lives of such are most desirable and the deaths of such will be most lamented who make it their business to serve their generation 2 Chron. 21.20
the God of mercy such who shew most mercy to them to whom God shews most mercy these are blessed and shall obtain mercy Now mark to such who are thus graciously thus spiritually thus divinely merciful do these precious promises belong Psal 41.1 Blessed is the man that considereth the poor and needy Prov. 22.9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed for he giveth of his bread to the poor Prov. 14.21 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth but he that hath mercy on the p or happy is he Prov. 11.25 The liberal soul shall be made fâ—t and â—he that watereth shall be watered also himself That 2 Cor. 9.8 is very remarkable And God is able to make all grace abound towards you that ye alwayes having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work Behold how words are here heaped up to make grace and all grace and all grace to abound and who is it to unto the liberal man the merciful man Job 29.13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me and I caused the widows heart to sing for joy Luke 6.38 Give and it shall be given unto you good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom Behold and wonder at the height of these expressions that you have in this Text we account it good measure when it is heaped up but when it is heaped up and pressed down that 's more but when it 's heaped up and pressed down and then heaped up and running over again this is as much as possible can be made this is as much as heart can wish O Sirs those that are of merciful spirits they shall have mercy heaped up pressed down and running over certainly that man must needs be in a happy and blessed condition that can be in no condition wherein he shall not have mercy yea mercy heaped up and running over to supply all his necessities Mat. 25.35 Come ye blessed of my father receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world Come ye blessed that 's their estate receive the kingdom that 's the issue and reward and why so I was hungry and you gave me meat I was thirsty and you gave me drink c. But I am truly and graciously merciful therefore I am blessed and shall obtain mercy c. But Thirteenthly A godly man may argue thus They that are pure in heart are blessed and shall see God that is enjoy him and live for ever with him Mat. 5.8 But I am pure in heart therefore I am blessed and shall see God By the pure in heart here in the Text we may safely understand the sincere and single hearted Christian 1 Tim. 1.5 Jam. 1.8 1 Pet. 1.22 Prov. 20.6 Eccl. 2.21 1 John 1.8 James 10.3 John 3.2 Luke 1.5 6. in opposition to the double minded Christian as you may easily perceive by comparing the Scriptures in the margent together Mark purity is two-fold First simple and absolute and in this sense no man is pure in this life no not one Secondly respective and in part and that is the purity here meant A pure heart is a plain simple heart without fraud or guile like Nathaniel in whom there was no gâ—ile 't is a heart that is evangelically blameless and sincere But secondly purity is opposed to mixture purity consists in the immixedness of any thing inferior that metal we account pure metal which hath not any baser than it self mixed with it if you mix gold with silver the silver is not made impure by the mixture of gold but if you mix lead or tin with it it 's made impure Remember once for all viz. that a pure heart is such a one as hath cast off and cast out the love and allowance of every known sin and mingles not with it though never so small such a heart as hath renounced every known way of sin though there is corruption remaining in it c. yet it can solemnly and seriously appeal to God that there is no known way of sin but it hates and abhors and strives against and will upon no terms allow of This heart in the language of the Gospel is a pure heart yea 't is such a heart as dares venture upon the trial of God himself Psal 139.23 24. Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me or any way of pain or of grief or of provocation as the Hebrew hath it or any course of sin that is grievous to God or man A gracious heart a pure heart can neither allow of any way of wickedness nor wallow in any way of wickedness nor make a trade of any way of wickedness nor give up it self to any way of wickedness Though sin may cleave to a pure heart as dross doth to silver yet a pure heart will not mix nor mingle with sin and lead me in the way everlasting or in the way of eternity or in the way of antiquity as the Hebrew hath it that is Jâ—r 6.16 that good old way that leads to peace and rest to heaven and happiness Evangelical purity of heart lies in this that it will not admit any known sin to mingle with the frame and purpose of the heart a pure heart like a pure fountain will still be a working and a casting out the mud and filth that is in it Though sin may cleave to a regenerate man as dross doth to the silver yet it mingles not with the regenerate part nor the regenerate part mingles not with it no more than oyl mingles with the water or water mingles with the oyl Now you know though the water and the oyl touch one another yet they do not mingle one with another so though grace and sin in a regenerate man may as it were touch one another yet they don't mingle one with another Dear hearts look as we truly say that that gold is pure gold that is digged out of the Mineral though much dross may hang about it and as we truly say that such and such an Air is pure Air though at times there be many fogs and mists within it and as we truly say that such and such springs are pure springs though mud and dirt and filth may be lying at the bottom of those springs and as we truly say that face is a fair face though it hath some freckles in it so we may as truly say that such and such a heart is a pure heart though there may be much sinful dross and filth cleaving to it The Jews report that when Noah sent forth his sons to people the world he delivered to every one of them some Reliques of old Adam it may be fabulous for the history but 't is true in the morality the Reliques of his sinful corruptions cleaves close to us all Beloved the best the wisest the holiest and the most mortified Christians on
general Rule So here as no man can safely and groundedly conclude from no better Promises than from some few particular actions though in themselves materially and substantially good that his heart is therefore sincere 'T is not a pang of the Soul nor a mood nor a fit of an Ague nor a flash of Lightning nor a mans being as the morning dew but his habitual purpose resolution and inclination to good that evidences the man to be really good Psal 119.20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy Judgments at all times c. A sheep may slip into a slow as soon as a Swine and an Apple-tree may have a fit of barrenness as well as a Crab-tree But the sheep loves not to wallow in the Mire as the swine does And though the Apple-tree be barren one year yet it brings forth fruit the next so on the contrary no man ought to conclude because of some gross particular sinful actions and extravagant motions that his heart is unfound O Sirs we are not to make a Judgment of our states and conditions by some particular actions whether they are good or evil but we are to make a Judgment of our states and conditions by the general frame bent and disposition of our hearts and by the constant tenour of our lives 'T is certain that God accounts every wicked man guilty of all those sins wickednesses and vanities which the setled purpose desire bent bias and frame of his Soul inclined him to though he doth not actually commit them Matth. 5.28 He that looketh on a Woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery already with her in his heart A man may commit Adultery and yet not touch a Woman There are many thousands that dye of the wound in the eye So 1 John 3.15 Whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murtherer A man may commit Murther and yet not kill a man yea he may commit Murther and yet not touch a man Prov. 23.7 For as he thinketh in his heart so is he The man is as his mind is God esteems of wicked men according to their hearts and not according to their words So 't is as certain that the Lord accounts every godly man to do all that good that the setled purpose frame bent biass and unfeigned desires of his Soul inclines him to 2 Cor. 8.12 If there be first a willing mind 't is accepted So Heb. 11.17 By Faith Abraham when he was tryed offered up Isaac and he that had received the Promises offered up his only Son that is in disposition and full purpose of heart and willingness of mind which God accepted for the deed a true intent is in Gods account as a real act So David had a purpose a mind a will to build God a house and for this God commends him 1 Kings 8.18 And the Lord said unto David my Father whereas it was in thy heart to build a house unto my Name thou didst well that it was in thy heart yea God rewards him for it as if he had actually done it and tells him in his ear that he would build him an house 2 Sam. 7.27 So when that servant that ow'd his Lord ten thousand Talents had shew'd his readiness and willingness and resolvedness to pay all Lord have patience with me and I will pay thee all Matth. 18.26 a thing as impossible for him to do as 't is for us to keep the whole Law and not to fail in one point but his desires his mind his will his purposes was to do it well and what does his Lord do why his Lord had compassion on him and loosed him and forgave him the debt v. 27. his Lord took this for full and current payment he accepted of the will for the deed So when Zacheus had unfeignedly professed his purpose and willingness to make restitution Christ presently replies This day is Salvation come to thy house Luke 19.9 Certainly the Lord accounts that Soul a true Believer and a blessed Soul that unfeignedly desires to believe witness that Matth. 5.6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be filled And 't is as certain that the Lord accounts that sinner a true penitent that doth unfeignedly desire purpose and resolve to repent to break off his sins and to turn to the Lord as you may see in that great instance of the Prodigal Luke 15.18 19 20. I will arise and go to my Father and will say unto him Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son make me as one of thy hired Servants And he arose and came to his Father But when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him Assoon as ever the Prodigal did but purpose and resolve to repent and return to his Father the compassions of his Father are kindled and turned towards him and he does not go but runs and falls on his neck and in stead of kicking and killing there is nothing but kissing and embracing a returning Prodigal God alwayes sets a higher value upon our dispositions than upon our actions 2 Cor. 8.10 1 Cor. 9.17 1 Pet. 5.2 Exod. 25.2 Philemon 14 and in our best services he esteems more of our wills than he does of our deeds as is evident by the Scriptures in the Margent Every good man is as good in the eye and account of God as the ordinary frame and bent of his Spirit speaks him to be Every man is as holy as humble as heavenly as spiritual as gracious as serious as sincere as fruitful as faithful as watchful c. as the setled purposes desires resolutions and endeavours of his Soul speaks him to be Hence Noah is said to be a just man and perfect or upright in his Generation Gen. 6.9 And hence Job is said to be a perfect and an upright man one that feared God and eschewed evil Job 1.1.8 And hence David is said to be a man after Gods own heart 1 Sam. 13 14. And to fulfill all his wills Acts 13.22 here the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is wills to note the universality and sincerity of his obedience And hence Zacharias and Elizabeth are said to be both righteous before God walking in all the Commandments and Ordinances of God blameless Luke 1.5 6. Hence the Church is said to be all fair Cant. 4.7 Thou art all fair my love and there is no spot in thee And hence those hundred forty and four thousand Saints that had their Fathers Name written in their Foreheads Rev. 14.1 are said to be without fault v. 5. And in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God God in the Covenant of Grace and upon the credit of his Sons blood and for the glory of his Free Grace and favour is graciously pleased to accept of his
3.22 Return ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Every gracious soul hath the duplicate of God's Law in his heart and is willingly cast into the mould of his Word Rom. 6.17 Ye have obeyed from the heart the form of doctrine that hath been delivered to you or whereto you were delivered as the words may be read They did not only obey but they obeyed from the heart their hearts were in their obedience Psal 40.8 I delight to do thy will O my God! yea thy Law is within my heart Col. 1.12 Phil. 1.8 Jer. 31.33 or in the midst of my bowels as the Hebrew runs these note the tenderest affections There is the counterpane of the Law written yea printed upon every gracious heart a godly man will live and dye with the Law of God stampt upon his heart O â—eata Apocalypsis said that Martyr catching up the Revelation that was cast into the same fire with him to be burnt O Blessed Revelation how happy am I to be burned with thee in my hands It was Christ's meat and drink to do his Father's will and the same mind is in all the Saints John 4. Phil 2.5 Rom. 7.22 as was in Christ Jesus They delight in the Law of God after the inward man True obedience flows from principles of heartiness and love within and not from by and base respects and ends that are carnal and worldly It is observable that John's obedience was as ample and as large as God's command 2 King 10.30 And the Lord said unto Jehu because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel And yet because his heart was not in his obedience and because he did not purely act for God but for himself that he might bring about his own designs he met with a revenge instead of a reward as you may see in that Hos 1.4 And the Lord said unto him call his name Jezreel for yet a little while and I will avenge the bloud of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu Jehu's heart was not in his obedience he had a dispensatory conscience for though he rooted out Baals worship yet the golden Calves must still continue He destroyed Idolaters but not Idolatry and this carnal policy brought down vengeance and misery upon him and his posterity Artaxerxes goes far Ezra 7.23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven let it be diligently done To what a highth doth this Heathen Prince rise He will do anything for God he will do every thing for God that he requires But mark what is that which moves him to it Is it love to God is it delight in God O no! all his obedience proceeded from nothing but fear of wrath and vengeance as is evident in the latter part of the verse For why should there be wrath upon the Realm of the King and of his Sons Or as the Hebrew runs Why should there be boyling or foaming anger great indignation As it is rendred and made the utmost degree of divine displeasure in that Deut. 29.28 Some read these words Against the Realm of the King and his Sons as distinct one from another and not depending one upon another thus Against the Realm the King and his Sons and this reading the Original will bear And this reading shews That as the King feared God's wrath against himself so also against his Realm and Children and accordingly he was the more studious and careful to escape it blind nature was afraid of divine wrath â—zek 26.25 26 27. and therefore was the more sedulous to prevent it O but now a true child of God he has the Law of God written not only in his understanding but also in his heart and affections and this is that which makes his obedience to be pleasing and delightful to him so that if he might be free from the injunctions and directions of the Word with the servant in the Law he would not value such a liberty Exod. 21.4 5 6 c. he would not swear nor lye nor be drunk nor whore nor dissemble nor cheat nor run into all excess of riot if he might because in his soul he has a principle of grace and an inward contrariety and antipathy against it Eccl. 9.2 he would not cease to hear to read to pray to meditate if he might because his soul takes a delight sweet complacency in these things there is a principle within him agreeable to the precept without him which makes all religious performances to be easie and pleasurable to him Look as the eye delights in seeing and the ear in hearing so a gracious heart except when 't is under a cloud of dissertion or in the School of temptation or under some grievous tormenting afflictions or sadly worsted by some prevalent corruption delights in obeying Actions of nature you know are actions of delight and so are all those actions that spring from a new nature a divine nature c. Fifthly That obedience that springs from faith is a transforming obedience it mightily alters and changes a man from impurity to purity from sin to sanctity 2 Cor. 3.18 Rom. 12.1 2. from unrighteousness to righteousness from earthly-mindedness to heavenly-mindedness from pride to humility from hypocrisie to sincerity c. Such as please themselves with this That they are no changlings and that they are whatever they were Acts 8.13 these are still in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity That obedience of the Romans Rom. 16.19 which was said to have come abroad unto all men was an exemplary obedience and a transforming obedience Certainly Gospel-obedience is a grace of much worth and of great force upon the whole man for when it is once wrought in the heart it worketh a conformity to all God's holy will But having spoken more largely of this in my other writings let this touch here suffice c. Sixthly That obedience that springs from faith is a constant obedience 't is a fixed and resolved obedience not in respect of practise and continued acts for in many things we offend all Jaâ— 3.2 Eccl. 7.20 Prov. 20 9. 1 Kings 8.46 1 Joh. 1.8 Psal 17.3 There is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin There is no man that sinneth not If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us c. But in respect of a Christians sincere desires bent of will purpose of heart resolution of soul and faithful endeavours Psal 119.20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times Ver. 112. I have enclined my heart to keep thy
and repentance is a conversion to God Page 284 285 286 W Of walking There is no condemnation to such who walk after the Spirit Page 47 48 Of the witness of the Spirit Their mistake pointed at who have made the witness of the Spirit the only marks or evidence of our interest in Christ Page 1 2 3 4. There is at the end of this Book a Catalogue of all Mr. Brooks's Books ERRATA PAge 4. line 14. fleshly for flashy p. 16. in the Margent r. dance p. 17. Margent pat for part p. 18. l. 32. for gradually r. perfectly p. 19. l. 2. r. it l. 25. for Marcol r. Murcot p. 30. l. 2. hat for that p. 35. l. 8. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 39. l. 31. r. Asa's p. 63. l. 17. for wateâ— r. children p. 106. l. 15. r. gerandum p. 110. l. 28. r. Antiperistasis p. 142. l. 30. add only p. 239. l. 2. for heels r. feels p. 258. l. 19. outging for outing p. 292. Margent r. vitiums for vitium p. 117. l. 16. for were r. where p. 311. Margent r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 326. l. 22. r. word for world p. 333. l. ult add the p. 347. l. ult add as p. 356. l. 21. for five r. three l. 26. for five r. three l. 34. for five r. three p. 357. l. 8. springs for spring in the Margent r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 368. l. 13. r. patent p. 376. l. 14. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 383. l. 16. to for in in the fourth leaf of the Epistle in l. 9. blot out one in the same leaf l. 32. conclusions for confusions CHAP. I. Containing eighteen special Maxims Considerations Rules and Directions that are seriously to be minded and observed in order to the clearing up of a mans interest in Christ the saving work of God upon his own soul and his title to all the glory of another world The first Maxim or Consideration FIrst Some have made the witness of the Spirit to be the only mark or evidence of our interest in Christ But this opinion being well laid asleep in these dayes I shall not put my self to the trouble of awakening of it afresh but leave it to sleep with the Authors who are now in their graves and deny all signs from the fruit of the Spirit but this is to deny the fruit growing upon the Tree to be a sign that the Tree is alive whereas our Saviour expresly tells us That the Tree is known by his fruit Mat. 12.33 Certainly 't is one thing to judge by our graces and another thing to rest on our graces or to put our trust in our graces or to make a Saviour of our graces there is a great deal of difference between declaring and deserving Doubtless Christians may look to their graces as evidences of their interest in Christ justification and salvation though not as causes of their interest in Christ justification and salvation O Sirs we must alwayes carefully distinguish 'twixt the root and ground of our comfort and between the testimonies or evidences of our interest in the root of our comfort Now it must be readily granted that Jesus Christ is the only root and ground of a Christians comfort and triumph and therefore saith Paul Gal. 6 14. God forbid that I should rejoyce in any thing but in the Cross of Christ And so in that 2 Cor. 2.14 New thanks be unto God which alwayes causes us to triumph in Christ So that if at any time we behold this or that saving grace or this or that part of holiness shining in our hearts or lives we take comfort in it not as the cause or root or ground of our comfort or triumph but as in a testimony or evidence because it doth manifest our interest in him who is our comfort Luke 2 25. Col. 3 11. Gen. 9 13 14 16. v. our peace our joy our salvation our all in all Look as the Rain-bow is not a cause why God will not drown the world but a sign that God will not drown the world and as it is a sign that God will not drown the world we may and ought to rejoyce in it and to take comfort from it So here c. 'T is agreed on all hands that sanctification is a precious benefit of the Covenant of grace Jer. 33.8 9. Ezek. 36.25 26. Heb. 8.10 12. c. as well as justification and what crime can it then be to evidence one benefit of the Covenant of grace by another benefit of the same Covenant That he that is justified is also sanctified and that he that is sanctified is also justified is so clear so bright so sparkling and so full a truth contained in the Covenant of grace that no man or devil can deny Now what evil or error can it be for a man to assert That he that is certainly sanctified is certainly justified it being the very language of the Covenant of grace and that therefore he that knows himself to be sanctified may also know thereby that he is justified Certainly those persons that shall deny sanctification to be a most sure sweet and comfortable evidence of a mans justification they must not only blot out and abolish the Epistles of James and John but must also race out and abolish all those Evangelical promises of grace and mercy of happiness and blessedness that are made to such persons as are invested enriched and bespangled with the several graces of the holy Spirit this might be made evident by many hundred Scriptures but take that one for all Mat. 5. where our Saviour himself who was the most Evangelical Preacher that ever was in the world makes eight or nine promises of mercy and blessedness to those very persons that had the graces of the Spirit inherent in them as poverty of spirit mourning meekness hungering and thirsting after righteousness c. O Sirs why should we be so frequently and earnestly call'd â—pon to try and examine our selves 2 Cor. 12.5 ver whether we be in the faith or no if we were not to come to the knowledge of our faith in a discoursive way arguing from the effect to the cause Have not the Saints of old come to assurance and the knowledge of the goodness of their estates this way Ponder seriously on that 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world Mark their joy was founded on the testimony of their conscience and their conscience gave in this testimony from the sincerity of their conversation in this world So Paul in that 2 Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Certamen illud praeclarum certavi Beza I have fought that excellent fight By wrestling the Apostle useth the same Metaphor also in that 1 Cor. 9.25 v. I have kept the faith henceforth
Chap. 35.2 10. Jer. 33.9 11. Psal 132.16 and greater applause in the promise Mat. 10.32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men him will I confess also before my father which is in heaven I and before the Angels too Luke 12.8 Mat. 25 31-41 1 Cor. 6.2 3. 2 Thes 1.6 7 8 9 10. Rev. 3.9 Isa 60.12 13 14. Then certainly you have an interest in the promise When a man can shew his own heart daily in the glass of the promises a greater worth excellency and glory than all this world affords without all controversie he has an interest in the promises Thus those Worthies of whom this world was not worthy Heb. 11. and the Martyrs in all ages did commonly present better higher and greater things to their own souls in the promises than any their adversaries were able to propose to draw them off from Christ their profession or principles c. and by this means they did very couragiously honorably maintain their ground in the face of all the gay and golden temptations that they met withal Mat. 5.10 11 12 Burn my foot if you will said that noble Martyr S. Basil that it may da ce everlastingly with the Angels in heaven Crudelitas vestra gloria nostra Your cruelty is our glory said they in Tertullian and the harder we are put to it the greater shall be our reward in heaven Basiâ— will tell you that the most cruel Martyrdom is but a crafty trick to escape death to pass from life to life as he speaks It can be but a dayes journey between the Cross and Paradise Though the Cross be bitter yet it is but short A little storm as one said of Julians persecution and an eternal calm follows Adrianus seeing the Martyrs suffer cheerfully such grievous and dreadful things asked Why they would endure such misery 1 Cor. 2.9 when they might by retracting free themselves upon which one of them alledged that Text Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him The naming of the Text and seeing them suffer such hard things cheerfully did by a blessing from on high so really and effectually convert him that afterwards he became a Martyr too Acts 16.25 When we see poor weak feeble Christians defying their torments conquering in the midst of sufferings singing in prison as Paul and Silas did kissing the stake as Henry Voes did clapping their hands when they were half consumed with fire as Hawkes did blessing God that ever they were born to see that day as John Noyes did calling their execution day their wedding day as Bishop Ridley did we cannot but conclude that they had an eye to the recompence of reward and they saw such great and sweet and glorious things in the promises that did so refresh delight and ravish their hearts and transport their souls that all their heavy afflictions seem'd light and their long afflictions short and their most bitter afflictions sweet and easie to them But The sixth Maxim or Consideration SIxthly consider That 't is granted on all hands that the least degree of grace if true is sufficient to salvation for the promises of life and glory of remission and salvation of everlasting happiness and blessedness Mark 16.16 John 3.16 36. Mâ—t. 5. John 6 40. are not made over to degrees of grace but to the truth of grace not to faith in triumph but to faith in truth and therefore the sense and evidence of the least grace yea of the least degree of the least grace may afford some measure of assurance Grace is the fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 and the Tree is known by his fruit Mat. 12.33 I don't say An eminent Minister who was a famous instrument of converting many to God was wont to say that for his own pat he had no other evidence in himself of being in the state of grace than that he was sensible of his deadness that weak grace will afford a strong assurance or a full assurance for that rather arises from strength of grace than from truth of grace but I say weak grace may afford some assurance And oh that all weak Christians would seriously lay this to heart for it may serve to relieve them against many fears doubts discouragements and jealousies which do much disturb the peace and comfort of their precious souls though the least measures of grace can't satisfie a sincere Christian yet they ought to quiet his conscience and chear his heart and confirm his judgment of his interest in Christ The least measure of grace is like a Diamond very little in bulk but of high price and mighty value and accordingly we are to improve it for our comfort and encouragement A Goldsmith makes reckoning of the least filings of gold Slight not the lowest the meanest evidences of grace God may put thee to make use of the lowest as thou thinkest even that 1 Joh. 3.14 that may be worth a thousand worlds to thee Page 33. of a little piece called a choice drop of honey and so should we of the least measures of grace A man may read the Kings Image upon a silver penny as well as upon a larger piece of coyn The least dram of grace bears the Image of God upon it and why then should it not evidence the goodness and happiness of a Christians estate It 's a true saying That the assurance of an eternal life is the life of this temporal life I have read that Mr. Jordain one of the Aldermen of the City of Exeter would use to ask grown Professors whether they had any assurance which if they denied he would tell them that he was even ashamed of them In good earnest saith he I would study the promises and go into my closet and lock the door and there plead them to God and say that I would not go forth till he gave me some sence of his love He would often mention and try himself by these three Marks First a sincere desire to fear the name of God which he grounded upon that Neh. 1. ult Secondly a sincere desire to do the will of God in all things required which he grounded upon Psal 119.6 Thirdly a full purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord which he grounded upon Act. 11.23 The discovery of grace in thy heart though but one grain and that of mustard-seed will assure thee of thy election and final salvation Fords spirit of Adoption p. 248. These he would often press upon others and these he frequently tryed himself by and from these he had much assurance and comfort Mr. Stephen Marshal in a Sermon of his on Isa 9.2 saith Look and examine whether thou dost not loath thy self as a base creature and dost thou make this nothing Secondly Dost thou not in thy heart value and prize the meanest child of God more than the greatest men in the world
times of great afflictions temptations desertions fears and doubts a very great aptness and proneness in Christians to expect strange means rather than right means and new means rather than old means and invented means rather than appointed means to build their faith upon somthing beside the Word or that is without the compass of the Word rather than upon the plain and naked Word it self being in this very like to many weak crazy distempered and diseased Patients that are more ready to fancy every new Medicine and new Doctor they hear of and to be tampering with them than to expect a recovery by going through a course of Physick prescribed by the Physician that best understands their diseases and the most proper and effectual means for their recoveries You know when Naaman the Assyrian came to the Prophet Elisha to be cured of his Leprosie he only sent out a Messenger to him who bid him go and wash seven times in Jordan and his flesh should come again unto him and he should be clean 2 Kings 5.10 but Naamans bloud rises and his heart swells and he grows very wrath and all because he did not like the means prescribed by the Prophet and because he thought in his own heart that the Prophet would have used more likely means to have wrought the cure ver 11 12. So many Christians when they lye under great agonies and sore perplexities of soul and are encouraged to act faith upon the promises and to rest their weary souls upon the Word of grace they are ready to think and say that these things these means will never heal them nor comfort them nor be a relief or support unto them unless the Lord does from heaven by extraordinary Revelations Visions Signs and Miracles confirm his promises to them and hereupon they make light of the blessed Scriptures which are the springs of life and the only bottom upon which all our comforts peace and happiness is to be built yea they relinquish that more sure word of prophecy which shines as a light in a dark place 2 Pet. 1.19 Certainly the acting of faith on the precious promises and the cleaving of the soul unto those blessed truths declared in the Gospel of grace is the most sure ready and compendious way of obtaining a blessed assurance Eph. 1.13 and a full establishment of heart Com. on Gen. cap. 38. in all sound solid and abiding joy and peace and therefore Luther though as he confesseth he was often tempted to ask for Signs Apparitions and Revelations from heaven to confirm him in his way yet tells us how strongly he did withstand them Pactum feci cum Domino Deo meo c. I have saith he indented with the Lord my God that he would never send me Dreams Visions Angels for I am well contented with this gift that I have the holy Scripture which doth abundantly teach and supply all necessaries for this life and that also which is to come Certainly Austin hit the mark when he prayed Lord let thy holy Scriptures be my pure delights in which I can neither deceive or ever be deceived Certainly the ballance of the sanctuary should weigh all the Oracles of God decide all and the Rule of Gods Word be the square and judge of all O Sirs dare you venture your souls upon it that the blessed Scriptures are false that they are but a Fable dare you stand forth and say if the Scriptures be not a lye let us be damned for ever and ever dare you stand up and say we are freely contented that the everlasting worm shall gnaw on our hearts for ever and that our bodies and souls shall for ever and ever lye burning in infernal flames if the Scriptures prove not at last a cheat a deceit a meer forgery and imposture Now if you dare not thus to say and thus to venture then peremptorily resolve to be determined by Scripture in the great concernments of your precious souls They that would take their parts in promised comforts they must follow the voice of the Word and subscribe to the sentence of conscience following that Word If the Word approve of thee as sound and sincere with God assuredly thou art so for that rule cannot err If the Word saith that thy heart is right with God thou must maintain that Testimony against all disputes whatever Never enter into dispute with Satan or thine own self about thy estate but by taking and making the Scripture the judge of the controversie when fears rise high you say you shall never have mercy bâ—t dotâ— the Word say so The Lord never gave himself to me but doth the Word say so Never was any as I am but doth the Word say so I cannot see nor conceive nor think that the Lord hath any love for me but doth the Word say so yea doth not the Word say That his thoughts are not as your thoughts nor his wayes as your wayes Isa 55.8 9. But as the heavens are higher than the earth so are his wayes higher than your wayes and his thoughts than your thoughts I have not that peace and joy that others have therefore the Lord intends no good towards me but doth the Word say so Oh but if my inside were but turned outward good men would loath me and wicked men would laugh at me but doth the Word say so Oh but my heart was never right with God but doth the Word say so Oh but that which I have taken all this while for saving grace is but common grace but doth the Word say so Oh but the face of God is hid from me my Sun is set in a cloud and will never rise more but doth the Word say so Oh but Satan is let loose upon me and therefore God hates me but doth the Word say so yea doth not the Word tell you That those who have been most beloved of God have been most tempted by Satan Witness Christ David Job Joshua Peter Paul c. Oh but I am afflicted so as never was any before me but doth the Word say so Oh let the Word have the casting voice and not thine own frail distempered reason Oh don't only hear what sin and Satan and thine own heart can say against thee but hear also what the Word of the Lord Jesus can say for thee Let the Word of the Lord be judge on both sides and then all will be well I know that the impenitent and unbelieving person that lives and dies without grace in his heart and an interest in Christ shall as certainly be damned as if I saw him this very moment under everlasting burnings because God in the Scripture has said it Mark 16.16 John 3.18.36 Rev. 21.8 Rom. 2.4 5. 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Gal. 5.19 20 21. Heb. 12.14 And I know that the holy humble true penitent believing self-denying and sin-mortifying Christian shall be as certainly saved as if at this very time I saw him in an actual
that is sins own work and not ours but he sayes Let it not reign in you for when a King reigns the Subjects do â—s it were actively obey and embrace his command whereas they are rather patients than agents in a tyranny a regenerate mans will riseth against his sin even then when he is worsted by sin and led captive by sin A Tyrant is obeyed unwillingly the wills of his subjects rise up against his commands and if his power were not superior to their wills they would never obey him Sin is no King but a Tyrant in the souls of the Saints and therefore their wills so far as they are renewed can't but rise against it O Sirs remember this for ever that the molesting vexing and tempting power of sin does not speak out its dominion for sin may molest and vex and tempt as an enemy where it doth not rule and reign as a King as you see this day in many Nations of the earth there are many enemies that do molest vex and tempt the subjects of those Nations who yet are far enough off from having any rule or dominion over them but then sin is in dominion when it commands in the heart as a King in his Throne or as a Lord in his house or as a General in his Army freely boldly universally cheerfully and when the soul doth as freely boldly universally and cheerfully subject it self to sins commands where men commonly yield up their wills and affections to the commands of sin there sin reigns and this is the case of every unregenerate man but where the will does commonly make a stout opposition to sin there it reigns not now this is the case of every regenerate man That Prince cannot truly be said to reign in that Kingdom where commonly he meets with stout opposition So 't is here A sincere Christian makes it the great business and work of his life above all other things in this world to make all the opposition he can against his lusts and is throughly resolved to die fighting against his sins as Pietro Candiano one of the Dukes of Venice died fighting against the Nauritines It is a harder thing to fight with a mans lusts than to fight with the cross Augustine with the weapons in his hand Aâ— Caesar said in a battel he fought against one of Pompey's sons at other times I fought for honour but now I fight for my life so a sincere Christian fights against his sins as for his life Castellio's opinion was vain viz. That men are of three sorts some unregenerate some regenerating and others regenerated and that these last have no combat betwixt flesh and spirit which is quite cross to Scripture Rom. 7 14-24 Gal. 5.17 c. and contrary to the experience of all Saints in all the ages of the world But Thirdly When a man is usually peremptory in his sinnings in the face of all reprehensions and arguments that tend to disswade him from sin Prov. 29.1 Jer. 5.3 4. 44.15 16 17. then sin is in dominion when the constant bent of the heart is inflamed towards sin and when the desires of the soul are insatiably carried after sin and when the resolutions of the soul are strongly and habitually set upon sin Hos 2.6 7. then sin is in the Throne and then it reigns as a King when God hedges up the sinners way with thorns yet the sinner will break through all to his sin when life and death heaven and hell glory and misery are set before the sinner Deut. 30.15 19. 11.26 27 28.29 yet the sinner will be peremptory in his sinnings though he lose his life his soul and all the glory of another world then sin reigns But Fourthly When men ordinarily habitually commonly are very careful studious and laborious to make provision for sin then sin reigns Rom. 13. ult Make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof or as the Greek has it David in an hour of temptation once made provision for his lusts 2 Sam. 11.14 15. but this was not his course his trade c. Make no projects for the flesh or cater not for the flesh when a mans head and heart is full of projects how to gratifie this lust and how to satisfie that lust and how to fulfil t'other lust then sin reigns then 't is in its throne Jam. 4.3 Ye ask and receive not because you ask amiss that ye may consume it upon your lusts Both the Law of God and nature requires me to make provision of raiment food and physick for my body and for theirs that are under my charge but it may cost me my life my estate yea my very soul to make provision for my lusts Such as ask amiss shall be sure to ask and miss he that would make God a Baud to his lusts may ask long enough before God will answer of all affronts there is none to this of making God a servant to our lusts Hos 2.8 and where this frame of spirit is there sin is in dominion He that abuses mercies to serve his lusts fights against God with his own weapons as David did against Goliah and as Benhadad did against Ahab with that very life that he had newly given him such a soul like the waters of Jordan will at last certainly drop into the dead lake But Fifthly When sin is commonly habitually sweet and the soul takes a daily pleasure and delight in it then it reigns as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the margenâ— together Joh 20.12 13. Prov. 2.14 Amos 6.13 Zeph. 3.11 2 Thes 2.12 when a man daily takes as joyful contentation and satisfaction in his lusts and in walking after the wayes of his own heart as he does in his highest outward enjoyments oâ— in his nearest and dearest relations then certainly sin is in dominion Such men as can go constantly on in a way of wickedness meerly to delight and content the flesh such men are certainly under the power and reign of sin Many of the Heathens who knew what rational delights were scorned sensual delights as inferior to them These will one day rise in judgment against many of the Professors in our dayes I know there is no real pleasure or delight in sin if intemperance could afford more pleasure than temperance then Hiliogabalus should have been more happy than Adam in Paradise yea if there were the least real delight in sin there could be no perfect hell where men shall most perfectly sin and most perfectly be tormented with their sins Heark Scholar said the Harlot to Apulciuâ— 't is but a bitter sweet that you are so fond of Pâ—â—â—rh When an Asp stings a man it doth at first tickle him and make him laugh till the poyson by little and little gets to his heart and then it pains him more than before it delighted him 'T is so with sin it may tickle the soul at first but it will pain
it at last with a witness I have read of a Gallant addicted to uncleanness who at last meeting with a beautiful Dame and having injoyed his fleshly desires of her he found her in the morning to be the dead body of one that he had formerly been naught with which had been acted by the Devil all night and left dead again in the morning so that the Gallant 's pleasure ended in no small terror And thus 't is doubtless with all sinful pleasures What sin is there so sweet or profitable that is worth burning in hell for or worth shutting out of heaven for c. But Sixthly When men commonly take part with sin when they take up arms in the defence of sin and in defiance of the commands of God the motions of the spirit and the checks of conscience then sin is in dominion he that readily resolvedly and habitually fights sins battels is sins servant and without all peradventure under the reign and dominion of sin Look as we groundedly conclude that such men are under the reign and dominion of that King that they readily resolvedly and habitually take up arms to fight for so when the inward faculties of the soul and the outward members of the body do readily resolve and habitually take up arms to fight for sin then and there sin is in dominion as you may plainly see by consulting the Scriptures in the margent Rom. 6.19 20. Eph. 2.2 3. Titus 3.3 but where the soul readily resolvedly and habitually strives against it conflicts with it and makes war against it there 't is not in dominion there it reigns not as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the margent together Rom. 7.23 24. Gal. 5.17 Rom. 8.13 That man that can truly appeal to God and say Lord thou that knowest all hearts and things thou knowest that there is nothing under the whole heavens that I am so desirous and ambitious of as this that my sins may be subdued that my strongest lusts may be mortified and that those very corruptions that my nature constitution and complexion is most inclined to may be brought to an under That man that can appeal to God and say O Lord what ever becomes of me I will never be reconciled to any known sin yea Lord though I should perish for ever yet I am resolved to fight against my sins for ever Let God do what he will against me I will do all I can against my sins and to honour my God that man is not under the reign and dominion of sin But Seventhly When sin commonly rises by opposition then it reigns Look as grace when it is in the Throne it rises by opposition 2 Sam. 6.22 I will yet be more vile Mark 10.47 Act. 4.6 to the 34 5.40 41 42. 48. And many charged him that he should hold his peace but he cryed the more a great deal Thou son of David have mercy on me so when sin is in the Throne it rises higher and higher by opposition As the more water you cast upon Lime the more fiercely it burns so when sin is in its reign and dominion it flames out the more by opposition witness the Jews malice and envy against Christ which when it received but a little easie gentle check by Pilate Mark 15.12 13 14. they cryed out so much the more Crucifie him crucifie him A man that is under the reign and dominion of sin is like the Rainbow the Rainbow is never on that side of the world that the Sun is but wheresoever it appears it is in opposition against the Sun if the Sun be in the East the Rainbow is in the West c. Where sin has the Throne it will still rise higher and higher by opposition reprove a swearer for swearing and he will swear so much the more yea many times he will swear that he did not swear when indeed he did and so it holds in all other vices that the sinner is given up to 'T is said of Catiline that he was a compound and bundle of warring lusts and vices the same may be said of all others where sin is in dominion But Eighthly and lastly If the Lord Jesus Christ hath not dominion over you then sin has certainly dominion over you Rom. 6.17 18. Christ hath no dominion over that soul that sin hath dominion over and sin hath no dominion over that soul that Christ hath dominion over Christ and sin cannot have dominion over the same soul at one and the same time Christ's dominion is destructive and inconsistent with sins dominion c. Quest But how shall I know whether the Lord Jesus Christ hath dominion over my soul or no How shall I know whether the Lord Jesus Christ be my Lord or no For if I can but groundedly conclude that Christ is my Lord then I may very boldly safely and undoubtedly conclude that sin is not my Lord but if Christ be not my Lord I may more than fear that sin is certainly my Lord. Ans Sol. Canst thou truly say in the presence of the great and glorious God Psal 139.23 24. Psal 26.2 Jer. 11.20 17.10 Prov. 17.3 1 Thes 2.4 that is the tryer and searcher of all hearts that thou hast given up thy heart and life to the Rule Authority and Government of Jesus Christ and that thou hast chosen him to be thy Soveraign Lord and King and art truly willing to submit to his dominion as the only precious and righteous holy and heavenly sweet and pleasant profitable and comfortable safe and best dominion in all the world and to resign up thy heart thy will thy affections thy life thy all really to Christ wholly to Christ and only to Christ Canst thou truly say O dear Lord Jesus other Lords viz. the world the flesh and the devil have had dominion too long over me Isa 26.13 but now these Lords I utterly renounce I for ever renounce and do give up my self to thee as my only Lord beseeching thee to rule and reign over me for ever and ever O Lord though sin rages and Satan roars and the world sometimes frowns Josh 24.15 and sometimes fawns yet I am resolved to own thee as my only Lord and to serve thee as my only Lord my greatest fear is of offending thee and my chiefest care shall be to please thee and my only joy shall be to be a praise a name and an honour to thee O Lord I can appeal to thee in the sincerity of my heart that though I have many invincible weaknesses and infirmities that hang upon me and though I am often worsted by my sins and overcome in an hour of temptation yet thou that knowest all thoughts and hearts thou dost know that I have given up my heart to the obedience of Jesus Christ and do daily give it up to his rule and government and 't is the earnest desire of my soul above all things in this world
to do worse than the Dâ—vils â—â—r they believe and tremble Though the word of the Lord desâ—rves the greatest credit that any mortals can give unto it he being truth it self that hath said it though it had no Oaths nor no Asseverations to be its surety yet God in his infinite condescending love to poor sinners that he may sink the truth of what he saith deeper into the hearts and minds of his people and leave the fairer and fuller print in our assents to the same he sets on the word of Promise with the weight of Asseverations and Oaths yea and to all these he hath annexed his Broad Seal the Lords Supper and the Privy Seal of his Spirit O unreasonable unbelief shall not the Oath of God silence all Disputes A man would never desire of any honest man so much as God hath condescended to for the confirmation of our Faith witness his Promises his Covenant his Oath and his Seals and therefore let us give glory to him by believing and quietly rest upon his faithfulness O Sirs that soul that dares not take his sanctification as an evidence yea as a choice and sure evidence of his interest in Christ and of the Lords precious love to him according to the Promises of his favour and Grace several of which hath been but now under consideration that Soul ought to acknowledg it as his sin yea as his great sin for which he deserves to be smartly rebuked as making God a loud Lyar. O my friends it is a spiritual peevishness and sinful crossness that keeps many good men and women long in a sad dark doubting perplexed and disconsolate condition and certainly 't is no small sin to set light by any work of the blessed Spirit and the joy comfort and peace that we might have by it ah how many are there that fear the Lord who quench grieve vex and provoke the holy Spirit by denying his work and by quarrelling against themselves and the blessed work of the Spirit in them Certainly 't is the duty of every Christian to hear as well what can be said for him as what can be said against him Many poor Psal 77.2 Psal 88. Job 15.11 chap. 16.8 9. weak and yet sincere Chr stians are often apt to be too sowre rigid and bitter against their own souls they love to practise a merciless severity against themselves they do not indifferently impartially consider how the case stands between God and their own souls It is in this case as Solomon speaks in another There is that maketh himself rich Prov. 13.7 Ever since man ceased to be what he should be he striveth to seem to be what he is not It is not the outward shew that shews what things are and yet hath nothing And there is that maketh himself poor and yet hath great Riches That is there be those in the world that pretend they are rich and make a shew before men as if they were men of great estates whereas indeed they are exceeding poor and needy There are not a few that stretch their wing beyond their nest that bear a port beyond their Estates that trick up themselves with other mens plumes laying it on above measure in cloaths in high entertainments in stately Buildings in great Attendance c. when not worth one groat in all the World but either they dye in Prison or lay the key under the door or compound for twelve pence in the pound c. And there are others again that are exceeding rich and wealthy and yet feign themselves and look upon themselves to be very poor and needy To apply this spiritually 'T is the damning sin of the self-flattering Hypocrite Rev. 3.17 to make himself rich to make himself significant to make his condition better than 't is And it is the vanity the folly of some sincere Christians to make their condition worse than indeed it is to make themselves more miserable and unhappy than indeed they are Ah Christians 't is sad with you tâ—s night with you when you read over the evidences of Gods love to your souls as a man does a Book which he intends to confute Is it not sad when Christians shall study hard to find evasions to wheel off all those comforts refreshings cheerings and supports that are tendered to them that are due to them and that they may upon Gospel-grounds justly claim as their portion as their inheritance And O that all such Christians would seriously and frequently lay to heart these eight things First that they highly dishonour the blessed God and the work of his Grace by denying that which he hath done for them and wrought in them Secondly they are spiritual Murderers they are self-Murderers they are soul-Murderers for by this means they stab and wound their own precious souls and Consciences through and through with many a deadly dart Now is there any Murder like to spiritual Murder to self-Murder to soul-Murder surely no. But Thirdly They are Thieves for by this means they rob their own precious souls of that joy peace comfort rest content assurance and satisfaction which otherwise they might enjoy Now there is no theft to spiritual theft and of all spiritual theft there is none to that which reaches the precious and immortal soul Mark all prevalent Disputes about our personal integrity they do hold off the Application and tasts of comfort though they do not disanul the title and right Even the good man will walk uncomfortably so long as he concludes and strongely fears that his Estate is sinful for sensible comfort riseth or falleth cometh on or goeth off according to the strength of our judgment and present apprehensions observe it is not what indeed our estate is but what we judg of it which breeds in us sensible comfort or discomfort a false heart may even break with a timpany of foolish joy upon an erring perswasion oâ— his estate and so may a sound sincere heart be very heavy and disconsolate upon an unsound misconstruction and judging of its true condition But Fourthly They bear false witness against Christ his Spirit their own Souls and the work of Grace that is wrought in them O how many dark doubting drooping Christians are there who if you could give them ten thousand worlds yet would never be brought to bear false witness against their poorest Neighbour Brother or Friend and that out of Conscience because of that Command Thou shalt not bear false witness c. who yet make no Conscience no bones of it frequently to bear witness against the Lord Jesus Christ and his gracious works upon their own hearts But Fifthly they joyn with Satan and his work and his suggestions and with that strong party he has in them against the Lord Jesus Christ and his work and his weak party in them See Mr. Dod on the Commandments p. 310 311. and p. 321 322 323 324. Sin is Satans work and Grace is Christs work Now how sad is it
to see a Christian fall in with Satans work in him against the work of Christ that is in him Satan has a strong party in their souls and Christ has but a weak party now how unjust is it for them to help the strong against the weak when they should upon many accounts be a helping the wâ—ak against the strong a helping the Lord against the mighty a helping weak grace against strong and mighty corruptions An how skilful and careful are many weak Christians to make head against the work of Christ in their own Souls and to plead hard for Satan and his works in them as if they had received a Fee from him to plead against Christ and their own Souls O Christians that you would be wise at last and let Baal plead for Baal let Satan plead for himself but do you plead for Christ and that seed of God that is in you Well remember this John 1.3 9. that as fire is often hid under the embeâ—s so grace is often hid under many soul distempers and as a little fire is fire though it be even smothered under the embers so a little Grace is Grace though it be even smothered under much corruption Now by these short hints you may easily perceive how many Royal Commands these poor Christians transgress who deny and bely the blessed work of the Lord in them But Sixthly They rob the Spirit of all the honour and glory that is due unto him for that blessed work of grace and holyness that he has formed up in their hearts O what a grief and dishonour must it be to the holy Spirit that when he hath put forth a power in mens hearts Rom. 8.11 equivalent to that by which the world was created and by which Christ was raised from the dead to find it overlookt and not at all acknowledged Spiritus sanctus est res delicata the Holy Spirit is a very tender thing but do these poor doubting Souls carry it â—enderly to him surely no. Dear Christians the standing Law of Heaven is Quench not the Spirit 1 Thes 5.19 Now if the word Spirit is not here taken essentially for the three persons in Trinity nor yet metonymically for the fruits of the spirit but Hypostatically for the Third person in Trinity as some conceive then you must remember that you may grieve and quench the Spirit 1. Not only by your enormities Isa 63.10 2. Nor only by refusing the Cordials and comforts that he brings to your doors yea that he puts to your mouths Psal 77.2 3. Nor only by slighting and despising his gracious actings in others Acts 2.13 4. Nor only by Fathering those sins and vanities upon him Mark you cannot despise the gifts or graces of any that are sincere but by interpretation you judg the Spirit and despise the Spirit as it is said of the poor in Prov. 17.5 that are only the Bâ—ats and fruits of Satan and your own hearts But also in the fifth place by misjudging and miscalling the precious Grace that he has wrought in your Souls as by judging and calling your Faith fancy your sincerity hypocrisie your W sdom folly your light darkness your zeal wild-fire c. Now O Sâ—rs will you make Conscience yea much Conscience of Quenching the Spirit in the four first respects and will you make no Conscience of Quenching the Spirit in this fifth and last respect O how can this be O why should this be But Seventhly They keep Grace at a very great under for how can Grace spring and thrive and flourish and increase in the soul when the soul is full of daily fears and doubts that the root of the matter is not in it or that the root is still unsound Job 19.28 1 Thes 1.5 or that the work that is past upon it is not a work in power or that t is not a special and peculiar work but some common work of the spirit which a man may have and go to Hell But Eâ—ghthly and lastly They very much discourage dishearten and dâ—sanimate many poor weak Christians who observing of them of whom they have had very high and honourable thoughts for the Grace of God that they have judged to be in them to be still a questioning of their integrity and still a doubâ—ing of the graciousness and goodness of their conditions do begin to question their own Estates and conditions yea and many times peremptorily to conclude that surely they have no grace they have no interâ—st in Christ and that all this while they have but put a cheat upon their own souls Now O that all poor weak dark doubting Christians would never leave praying over these eight things and pondering upon these eight things till they are perfectly cured of that spiritual malady that they have been long labouring under and which has been very prejudicial to the peace and comfort of their own souls Dear hearts a gracious soul may safely boldly constantly and groundedly say that which the Word of the Lord saith Now the Word of the Lord saith Matth. 5.3 4 6 8. That the poor in spirit are blessed and that they that mourn are blessed and that they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness are blessed and that they that are pure in heart are blessed and therefore he is blessed And assuredly he that cannot embrace and seal to these as true and blessed evidences of a safe and happy condition is greatly to lament and mourn over his unbelief and earnestly to seek the Lord to perswade his heart and to satisfy and over-power his Soul in this thing as the poor man in the Gospel did Mark 9.24 And straightway the Father of the Child cryed out with tears Lord I Believe help my unbelief O Sirs the condition of the Promises last cited being fulfilled the Promises themselves must certainly and infallibly be fulfilled else the great and blessed God should lye Josh 21.45 chap. 23.14 15. 1 John 5.10 11 12. be unrighteous unfaithful and deny himself which is as impossible as for God to dye or to send another Saviour or to give his glory to Graven Images Assâ—redly the too hard the too harsh the too severe the too jealous thoughts and conjectures and the too humble if I may so speak censures and surmises that many weak doubting Christians have of themselves or of the goodness or graciousness of their Estates by reason of the weakness of their Graces or depth of melancholy or the present prevalency of some unmortified lusts or the subtilty of Satan shall never make void the faithfulness of God or the Promises of God which in Christ Jesus are all Yea and Amen Doubtless God will never shut any poor weak doubting Christian out of Heaven 2 Cor. 1.20 because through bashfulness or an excess of modesty or the present darkness thaâ— is upon his understanding or through the ungroundedness of some strong fears of an eternal miscarriage he cannot entertain such good thoughts such
impressions especially among the Romanists and within these few years have not many hundreds in this Nation fallen under the same woful delusions who are all for crying up a Light within and a Christ within c. And this you are seriously and Conscientiously to observe in opposition to the Papâ—sts who boldly and stoutly affirm That assurance of a mans Salvation can be had by no other means than by extraordinary Revelation Witness the Councel of Trent who have long since said That if any man say that he knoweth he shall certainly persevere or infallibly be assured of his Election except he have this by special Revelation let him be Anathema Without all peradventure God will one day cross and curse such a wicked Councel that curseth that Anathematizeth his people for asserting and maintaining that that may certainly be obtained in this life as I have sufficiently proved by ten Arguments in my Treatise called Heaven on Earth from page 1. to page 26. I think there is a great truth in that confession of Faith that saith that infallible Assurance doth not so belong to the essence of Faith 1 John 5.13 Isa 50.10 Mark 9 24. 1 Cor. 2.12 1 John 4.13 14. Heb. 6.11 12. Ephes 3.17 18 19. 2 Pet. 1.10 but that a true Believer may wait long and conflâ—ct with many difficulties before he be partaker of it yea being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God he may without any extraordinary revelation in the right use of ordinary means attain thereunto and therefore 't is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his Calling and Election sure But The Eleventh Maxim or Consideration ELeventhly Consider that probabilities of Grace of sincerity of an interest in Christ and of Salvation may be a very great stay and a singular support and a special cordial and comfort to abundance of precious Christians that want that sweet and blessed Assurance that their Souls do earnestly breath and long after There are doubtless many thousands of the precious Sons and Daughters of Zion comparable to fine Gold Lam. 4.2 that have not a clear and full Assurance of their interest in Christ nor of the saving work of God upon their Souls who yet are able to plead many probabilities of Grace and of an interest in Christ Now doubtless probabilities of Grace and of an interest in Christ may serve to keep off fears and doubts and darkness and sadness and all rash and peremptory conclusions against a mans own Soul and his everlasting welfare and may contribute very much to the keeping up of a great deal of peace comfort and quietness in his Soul The probable grounds that thou hast Grace and that God has begun to work powerfully and savingly upon thee are mercies more worth than ten thousand Worlds will you please seriously and frequently to dwell upon these ten particulars First That though many weak gracious souls don't enjoy communion with God in joy and delight yet they do enjoy communion with God in sorrow and tears Hos 12.4 Isa 38.3 Psal 51.17 A man may have communion wi h God in a heart humbling a heart melting and a heart abasing way when he hath not communion with God in a heart reviving a heart cheering and a heart comforting way T is a very great mistake among many weak tender spirited Christians to think that they have no communion with God in duties except they meet with God embracing and kissing cheering and comforting up their Souls And O that all such Christians would remember this once for all viz. That a Christian may have as real communion with God in a heart humbling way as he can have in a heart comforting way John 20 11-19 a Christian may have as choice communion with God when his eyes are full of tears as he can have when his heart is full of joy when a godly man upon his dying bed was askt which were his most joyful dayes either those before his Conversion or those since his Conversion upon which he cryed out O give me my mourning dayes again Give me my mourning dayes again for they were my joyfullest dayes Many times a poor Christian has never more joy in his heart than when his eyes are full of tears But Secondly Though many poor weak doubting trembling Christians dare not say that they do love the Lord Jesus Christ 'T was a famous saying of Austins he loves not Christ at all that loves not Christ above all yet they dare say that they would love the Lord Jesus Christ with all their hearts and with all their Souls and they dare say that if it were in their power they would even shed tears of blood because they cannot love Christ both as they would and as they should Blessed Bradford would sit and weep at Dinner till the tears fell on his Trencher because he could love God no more So the poor doubting trembling Christian mourns and laments because he can love Christ no more A man may love Gold and yet not have it but no man loveth God but he is sure to have God saith Augustine A good man once cryed out I had rather have one Christ than a thousand Worlds Thirdly Though many poor weak doubting trembling Christians dare not say that they have Grace yet they dare say that they prize the least dram of Grace above all the gold and silver of the Indies Cardan saith that every precious stone hath an egregious vertue in it The same we may say of every saving Grace were all the world a lump of gold and in their hands to dispose of it they would give it for Grace yea for a little Grace Now certainly no man can thus highly prize Grace but he that has Grace No man sees the worth and lustre of Grace no man sees a beauty and excellency in Grace nor no man can value Grace above the gold of Ophir but he whose heart has been changed and whose eyes has been opened by the Spirit of Grace Bâ—t Fourthly Though many poor doubting trembling Christians dare not say that their condition is good that their condition is safe and happy yet they dare say that they would not for ten thousand Worlds change their conditions with the vain and debauched men of the World who delight in sin who wallow in sin who make a sport of sin and who live under the Reign and Dominion of sin they had rather with Lazarus Luke 16. be full of sores and full of wants and live and dye in rags and after all be carried by Angels into Abrahams bosom than with Dives every day to fare sumptuously and be cloathed gloriously and perish eternally Though they are poor and wicked men Rich though they are debased and wicked men exalted though they are empty and wicked men full though they are low and wicked men high though they enjoy nothing and wicked men enjoy every thing yet they would
not for as many worlds as there be men in the world change conditions with them But Fifthly Though poor doubting staggering trembling Christians dare not say that they don't sin because there is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccles 7.20 And because no man can say I have made my heart clean 1 John 3.6 8 9 10. I am pure from my sin Prov. 20.9 And because in many things we offend all James 3.2 And because if we say We have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 John 1.8 yet they dare say that they would not willingly wilfully wickedly resolutely maliciously and habitually sin against the Lord to gain the whole World though they dare not say they don't sin yet they dare say if they might have their choice they would never dishonour God more nor Crucify the Lord of glory more nor grieve the Spirit of Grace more nor wound Conscience more nor cloud the face of God more nor darken their evidences for Heaven more nor interrupt their communion with God more c. But Sixthly Though poor doubting staggering trembling Christians dare not say that God is their God or that Christ is their Redeemer or that the Spirit is their Comforter yet they dare say that if God and Christ and the Spirit and grace and glory and holiness and happiness were offered to them on the one hand and all the honours pleasures profits delights and carnal contents of the World were offered them on the other hand they had ten thousand times rather Cant. 5.10 Deut. 26.17 Psal 73.25 Phil. 3.6 7 8. they had infinitely rather choose God and Christ the Spirit grace holiness everlasting happiness than the contrary Look as Rachel cryed out Give me Water or I dye So these poor hearts are stil crying out O Lord give me thy self or I dye Give me thy Christ or I dye Give me thy Spirit and Grace or I dye Give me pardon of sin or I dye Lift up the light of thy Countenance upon me or I dye Bring me under the bond of the Covenant or I dye O Lord let all these things be done or I am undone and that for ever Lord let the men of this World take the World and divide it among themselves let me but enjoy thy self thy Christ thy love and I shall say my Lot is fallen to me in a pleasant place and verily I have a goodly heritage Psal 16.5 6. But Seventhly Though poor doubting staggering trembling Christians dare not say that they have Grace in their own hearts yet they dare say that they dearly love Acts 11.23 Psal 15.4 Psal 16.3 Lam. 4.2 1 Thess 1.2 3. Heb. 11.38 and highly honour and greatly prize the Graces of the Spirit which they see sparkling and shining in the hearts and lives and lips of other Saints And they dare say that there are no men in all the world that are so precious so lovely so worthy and so honourable in their eyes or so high in their esteems as those who have the Image of God of Christ of holiness most clearly fairly and fully stampt upon them But Eighthly Though poor doubting trembling Christians dare not say that they have such strength and power against their sins as they would have or as they should have or as many of the dear Saints of God have who often lead Captivity Captive Psal 65.3 Gal. 5.14 yet they dare say that when the Lord is pleased now and then by his Spirit Power Word Grace c. to help them though it be but a little against their sins to help them in any measure to subdue their sins or to assist them to bring any one sin or another to an under or to arm them against any temptations occasions or provocations to sin there are no such times or seasons of joy comfort delight refreshing and content to their Souls as these are The language of their Souls in such a day as this is is this O that it might be alwayes thus with us O that every day we might lead Captivity Captive O that every day we might have our lusts at an under O that every day we might triumph over the old man O that every day one lust or another might fall before the power the Spirit the presence the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ But Ninthly Though poor doubting staggering trembling Christians dare not say that they make so much advantage Psal 4.3 Psal 66.19 20. Psal 138.3 Lam. 3.55 56 57 58. so much earnings of the Sermons they hear or of the Prayers they make or of the Scriptures they read or of the communion of Saints that they enjoy as others do yet they dare say that they would not for all the World cast off Praying or Hearing or Reading or the Communion of Saints and give up themselves to the wayes of sin and Satan and the World But Tenthly and lastly Though poor doubting staggering trembling Christians dare not say that Christ is their Saviour yet they dare say that they desire and endeavour to honour Christ as their Lord though they cannot see Christ bestowing himself on them as their Redeemer John 20. â—8 yet they are willing to make a resignation of themselves up to him as their King they are willing to resign up their hearts and lives to the Government of Jesus Christ though they cannot find comfort yet they will oppose sin though they cannot comprehend Christ yet they will not willingly offend Christ though they cannot see their own propriety in Christ yet they desire nothing more than that Christ may claim a propriety in them though they cannot see Christ as a friend yet they can look upon sin as an enemy though they cannot close with the Promises yet they will close with the Precepts though they cannot close with the Priviledges of a Christian yet they will close with the Services of a Christian though they cannot share in the comforts of a Christian yet they will side with the duties of a Chrâ—stian though they cannot clear up their interest in Christ yet they are willing to yield subjection to Christ though they want strength to throw themselves into the arms of Christ to save them yet they will cast themselves at the feet of Christ to serve him though they want the light of comfort and consolation yet they will walk in the light of commands and directions Isa 50.10 All men will grant that these ten things are strong probabilit es of Grace but give me leave to say that they are withouâ— all controversy most sure sound solid and infallible evidences of true Grace and of an interest in Christ and Salvation and therefore all those poor doubting staggering and trembling Christians that find all these or any of these ten things in their own Souls they ought for ever to bless the Lord and speak well of his Name upon these accounts And therefore O
won the man So when sin hath lost the will it hath lost the man The will is the heart My Son give me thy heart is My Son give me thy will the will is the Fort-Royal of the Soul t is that strong hold that stands out stoutest and longest against all the Assaults of Heaven when the will is won all is won the Castle is won the heart is won the man is won when the will is won A mans judgment and reason may say I ought tâ—â—â—rn from sin and his Conscience may say I must turn from sin or it will be bitterness in the end and yet the work not done nor the Soul won but when the heart sayes the will sayes I will turn from sin then the work is done and the man is won Where reason saith these lusts ought to be subdued and the Conscience saith these lusts must be subdued and the Will saith these lusts shall be subdued Psal 65.3 As for our transgressions thou shaâ—t purge them away there is a saving work upon the Soul When the will ceases to sin as Ephraim said to his Idols Get you hence what have I any more to do with you then the work of God is begun in power upon the Soul A universal willingness to be rid of all sin speaks the heart to be sound and sincere with God the enmity that Grace works in the heart against sin is against the whole kind t is against all sin as well profitable and pleasurable sins as disparaging and disgracing sins and as well against small sins as agâ—inst great sins true Grace strikes at root and branch at head and members at father and son A true Israelite would not have one Canaanite left in the Holy Land he would have every Egyptian drowned in the Red Sea of Christs bloud Psal 119.104 I hate every false way Psal 139. ult Search me O Lord and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Saving Grace makes a man as willing to leave his lusts as a Slave is willing to leave his Gally or a Prisoner his Dungeon or a Thief his Bolts or a Beggar his rags But now take a man that is in his natural condition and he is as unwilling to part with his sins as Abraham was to turn Hagar and Ishmael out of doors Ambrose reports of one Theotimus that having a disease upon his body the Physician told him That except he did abstain from intemperance drunkenness uncleanness c. he was like to lose his eyes his heart was so desperately set upon his lusts that he answered Vale lumen amicum Farewel sweet Light then he had rather lose his eyes than leave his sins So they in Micha 6.6 7. do make very large offers for a dispensation to live in their sins They offer Calves of a year old they offer thousands of Rams and ten thousand Rivers of Oyl yea they offer their first born for theiâ—â—â—ansgressions the fruit of their bodies for the sin of their souls Sinners hearts are so glued to their lusts that they will rather part with their nearest dearest and choicest enjoyments than part with their sins yea when they are put hard to it they will rather part with God Christ and all the glory of another world than they will part with some base bosom lust witness that young man in the Gospel who went away sorrowful because he had great possessions Matth. 19.21 22. Look as a man leaves his Wife and Children Gen. 21.11 Matth. 19 21 22. 2 Sam. 3.15 16. Augustin in his youth before his Conversion prayed thus I said indeed with my lips Lord give and yet in my heart I was too willing to give longer day and could have said Lord pray not yet I was even afraid lest thou shouldst hear me too soon and too soon heal and subdue my corruption for me Aug. Con. his Countrey Estate and Trade with tears in his eyes and sorrow in his heart so does an unregenerate man leave his lusts with tears in his eyes and sorrow in his heart Very observable is the story of Phaltiel David had Married Michol Saul injuriously gave her to another when David came to the Crown and was able to speak a word of command he sends for his wife Michol her Husband dares not but obey he brings her on her journey and then not without great reluctancy of spirit takes his leave of her But what was Phaltiel weary of his Wife that he now forsakes her O no he was forced to it and though she was gone yet he cast many a sad thought after her and never leaves looking till he sees her as far as Bahurim weeping and bemoaning her absence And just thus t is with carnal and unregenerate men who though for fear or some other reasons they shake hands with their sins yet they have many a longing heart after them they part but t is upon a force they part and yet they are very loath to part asunder Look as the Merchant throws away his goods in a storm because he cannot keep them so carnal â—en in times of sickness and distress or in times of horror and terror of Conscience or when death the King of terrors knocks at their doors or when they see Hell gaping to devour them and God as a terrible Judg standing ready to pass an eternal doom upon them then they are willing to cast overboard their usury their drunkenness their Swearing their Cursing their Lying their Flesh-pleasing c. but not out of any hatred to their lusts but out of love to themselves and out of fear of being damned c. for could they but enjoy their sins and Heaven too sin and they would never part But now were there no danger no wrath no hell no damnation no seperation from God attending sin yet a gracious Soul would be heartily willing to part with all sin and to be rid of all sin upon the account of the vile nature of sin upon the account of the defiling and polluting nature of sin of all things in the World sin is the most defiling thing it makes us red with guilt and black with filth t is compared to a menstruous cloath Isa 30.22 which of all unclean things in the Law was the most unclean as some observe and upon this very account a gracious soul would be willingly rid of it Secondly A constant habitual willingness to be rid of all sin is an infallible evidence of the truth of grace in the Soul 't is not a transient willingness to be rid of sin when a man is either under some outward trouble or some inward distress that speaks out the truth of saving grace but a permanent lasting and abiding willingness to be rid of sin does Pharaoh in a fit in a fright when Thunder and Hail and Frogs and Flies were upon him was then willing to let Israel go but when his fright was over and the Judgments removed he grew prouder
and harder than before So many men when they are a little Sermon-sick or under some smart pangs of Conscience or under some startling or amazing Judgments O then they will be willing to let Israel go then they will be willing to let drunkenness go and pride go and uncleanness go and worldliness go c. but when their sickness is over and the pangs of Conscience abated and Judgments removed O then they return with the Dog to his vomit 2 Pet. 2.20 21 22. and with the Sow to the wallowing in the Mire again There was a man well known to a Minister in this City who in the time of his sickness was so terrified in his Conscience for his sins that he made the very bed to shake upon which he lay and cryed out all night long I am damn'd I am damn'd I am damn'd and this man in the dayes of his outward and inward distresses made many and great protestations of amendment of life if God would be pleased to recover him in a little while he did recover and being recovered he was as bad and as wicked if not worse than he was before So in the time of the great sweat in King Edwards dayes as long as the heat of the Plague lasted all sorts and ranks of people were still a crying out Peccavi Mercy good Lord Mercy Mercy Mercy Then Lords and Ladies and other persons of quality cryed out to the Ministers For Gods sake tell us what we shall do to avoid the Wrath of God take these bags pay so much to such a one whom I have deceived and so much restore unto another whom in bargaining I over-reached O give so much to the Poor and give so much to such and such Pious uses But after the sickness was over they were just the same men that they were before Men in time of trouble are very ready to cry out Arise and save us Jer. 2.27 And with them Deliver us this time Judges 10.15 And with the Samaritans who when God had sent Lyons among them enquired after the manner of his Worship 2 King 's 17.25 26. And yet after all this to remain as vile and wicked as they did Jer. 2.20 For of old time I have broken thy yoke and burst thy bands and thou saidest I will not transgress when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wandredst playing the Harlot A wicked mans willingness to be rid of his sins is transient not constant 't is like the morning Cloud and the early dew that passeth away Hos 6.4 Hos 11.7 Psal 78.34 37 57. Hosea 7.16 The Jews were a very unstable people a people bent to backsliding a people that would often start aside like a deceitful Bow Sometimes when the Judgments of God were heavy upon them or when they were under the reign of some good Kings then down went their Groves their Altars their Idols and their High places but soon after you shall have them as much set upon Idolatry as before sometimes they were willing to be rid of their Idols and at other times they were mad to go a whoring after their Idols But now a godly man when he is himself he is never unwilling to be rid of his sins yea to be rid of all his sins the fixed standing and abiding disposition and bent of a godly mans Soul of a godly mans will is to be rid of every sin and thrice happy is that man that is habitually under such a choice and blessed frame Thirdly A transcendent willingness a superlative willingness an overtopping willingness to be rid of sin is an infallible evidence of the truth of Grace in the Soul When a mans willingness to be rid of his sins overtops his unwillingness when a man is more willing to be rid of his sins than he is to continue in sin then his spiritual state is certainly good A gracious heart had much rather if it were put to his choice live without all sin than to have allowance to wallow in any sin he had rather live without the least sin than to have liberty to live in the greatest or the most flesh-pleasing sin 'T is certain that sin is more afflictive to a gracious Soul than all the losses crosses troubles and tryals that he meets with in the World 2 Sam. 24.10 David cryes not perii but peccavi not I am undone but I have done foolishly He does not cry Take away the pestilence but take away the iniquity of thy servant Dan. 9.5 Nor Daniel cries not out O we are sadly reproached we are greatly distressed we are wofully oppressed Hos 14.2 but We have rebelled And the Church cryes not out Take away our Captivity but take away all iniquity 't is not take away our chains but take away our sins 't is not take away our afflictions but take away our pollutions 't is not take away all our enemies lives but take away the lives of all our lusts 2 Cor. 11.16 ult And so Paul cryes not out of his reproaches or persecutors or bonds or chains or stripes or perils Rom. 7.23 or prisons he rather glories in these But he cryes out of a Law in his Members rebelling against the Law of his mind and bringing of him into Captivity to the Law of sin which is in his Members Paul does not cry out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from all my sorrows and sufferings Verse 24. But O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death A sincere heart when he is himself had much rather be rid of his sins than of his sufferings yea of the least sins than of the greatest sufferings 'T was a sweet saying of Bernard I had rather saith he that God should better my heart than remove his hand I had rather that God should continue my strokes than my sins And the same noble spirit was working bravely in Job when he was under the heavy hand of God See Job 7.20 21. Job 34.31 32. Surely it is meet to be said unto God I have born chastisement I will not offend any more That which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more But now graceless men are much more willing to be rid of their afflâ—ctions See Exod. 10.17 than to be rid of their sins witness Pharaoh who cries out take away the Frogs Exod. 8.8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said Intreat the Lord that he may take away the Frogs from me and from my people and I will let the people go that they may do Sacrifice unto the Lord. 'T is not intreat the Lord that he would take away this proud heart or this hard heart or this besotted heart or this blind mind or this perverse will or this benummed Conscience that is in me and my people but intreat the Lord that he may take away the Frogs from me and my people
should make it our great business and work to come up to them and to imitate them to the life O friends the examples last cited should be very awakening very perswading very convincing and very encouraging because in them you may see that though abstinence from the appearance of evil be a difficult thing yet 't is a possible thing Shall we love to look upon the Pictures of our friends and shall we not much more love to look upon the holy examples of those eminent Saints that had the lively picture of Grace and the lovely Image of Christ fairly stampt upon their hearts and lives 'T is both our Mercy and our duty to eye the examples and to follow the footsteps of those Christians that have been most eminent in Grace as you may plainly see by comparing of these Scriptures together Prov. 2.20 Heb. 6.12 1 Thes 1.6 Phil. 4.9 2 Tim. 3.10 11 12. Heb. 12.1 Phil. 3.17 1 Cor. 11.1 Titus 2.7 He that would fain write a fair hand had need have his eye often upon his Copy and he that would fain abstain from all appearance of evil he had need often to eye the gracious examples of such who have made Conscience of abstaining from appearing evils as well as from apparent evils But Eighthly and lastly Consider what some refined Heathens and civilized Pagans have done in this very case There are stories of Heathens that would not look upon excellent Beauties lest they should be ensnared Dâ—mocritâ—â— pluckt out his own eyes to avoid the danger of uncleanness Socrates speaketh of two young men that flang away their Belts when being in an Idol-Temple the lustrating water fell upon them detesting saith the Historian the garment spotted by the Flesh Alexander would not see the woman after whom he might have lusted Scipio Africanus warring in Spain took New Carthage by storm Aure victor at which time a beautiful and noble Virgin fled to him for succour to preserve her Chastity he being four and twenty years old and so in the heat of youth hearing of it would not suffer her to come into his sight for fear of a temptation but caused her to be restored in safety to her Father So when Demâ—sthenes the Oratour was asked an excessive sum of money to behold the beautiful Lais he answered He would not buy repentance so dear neither was he so ill a Merchant as to sell eternals for temporals Nor Caesar would not search Pompeyes Cabinet lest he should find new matters of revenge Memorable is the story of the children of Samosâ—ta that would not touch their Ball but burnt it because it had touched the Toe of a wicked Heretical Bishop as they were tossing and playing with it Now shall some refined Heathens shall civilized Pagans abstain from the appearance of evil from occasions and temptations to sin and shall real Christians fall short of them Shall blind nature do more than Grace Shall men fallen in the first Adam do more than those that are raised and enlivened by the second Adam But to prevent all mistakes let me add though many Heathens have abstained from the appearance of some evil yet they have not abstained from the appearance of all evil neither have they abstained from the appearance of any evil out of a hatred of evil nor from any principles of saving light or life or love nor out of any regard to any Royal Law of God nor out of any regard to the honour or glory of God but either out of vain-glory and popular applause the Pole-stars by which they steered all their actions or out of Hypocrisy which set a tincture and Dy upon all their actions what Writer hath more golden Sentences than Seneca against the contempt of Gold yet if Tacitus and others of his contemporaries may be credited none more rich none more covetous than he as if out of design he had perswaded others to cast away their money that he himself might come and gather it up again c. And thus you see that there are very great reasons why every Christian should avoid the very shew suspition or appearance of evil c. But Eleventhly and lastly He that sets himself resolutely mostly habitually against his bosome sins his constitution sins Psal 18.26 his most prevalent sins c. he has certainly a saving work a powerful work of God upon his Soul True Grace will make a man stand stoutly and stedfastly on Gods side and work the heart to take part with him against the most darling sins though they be as right hands or as right eyes True Grace will lay hands upon a mans most beloved lusts and cry out to Heaven Lord Crucify them Crucify them down with them down with them even to the ground Lord do Justice do signal Justice do speedy Justice do exemplary Justice upon this Head-lust this Master-sin Lord hew down root and branch let the very stumps of this Dagon be broken all in pieces Lord curse this wild Fig-Tree that never more Fruit may grow thereon Certainly God and Christ is set up highest in that mans heart who bends most of his thoughts strength and endeavours against his constitution sins against the sins of his Place Calling condition and complexion 'T is very observable that the Jews after they had been in the Babilonish Furnace for Idolatry they ever hated and feared that sin as much as the burnt child dreads the Fire yea they would dye any death rather than admit an Idol Josephus tells us how stoutly they opposed Pilate and Petronius that would have set up Caesars Statue in their Temples offering their throats to the Swords of the Souldiers rather than they would endure that Idol in Gods house O when once the heart of a Christian comes thus to be set against all his Golden and Silver Idols then we may safely say Behold a true Israelite in whom there is no guile He that finds his lusts his bosome his darling lusts begin to fall before him 〈◊〉 6 1â— as Hâ—mâ—â— once begun to fall before Morâ—eoai he may safely and confidently conclude that he is of the seed of the Jews and that the seed of God abideth in him 1 John 3.9 But having discoursed so largely as I have concerning bosome sins darlâ—ng lusts head-corruptions in my other writings I need say no more at this time And thus you see that there are Eleven particulars in regard of sin and a Christians actâ—ngs about it that speaks out a true saving work of Grace to be in the Souls of the Saints But c. Secondly Where the constant ordinary standing and abiding purpose disposition frame and general bent of a mans heart soul spirit desires and endeavours are fixed and set for God for Grace for Holiness in heart and life there is a most sure and infallible work of God past upon that mans soul the constant bent and the setled purpose of a true child of God is for God for Grace for Holiness in heart
and life Psal 119.112 Psal 40.8 Psal 39.1 Psal 101.3 2 Cor. 1.12 Psal 119 4 5 20. 2 Chron. 19.3 2 Chro. 30.18 19 Neh. 1.11 Isa 26.8 9. I have inclined my heart to keep thy Statutes alwayes even to the end Verse 38. Stablish thy Word unto thy Servant who is devoted to thy fear Verse 44. So shall I keep thy Law continually for ever and ever Verse 45. And I will walk at liberty for I seek thy Precepts Acts 24.16 And herein do I exercise my self to have alwayes a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Heb. 13.18 Pray for us for we trust we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly Gracious Souls do strongly affect that which they cannot easily effect Psal 119.57 Thou art my Portion O Lord I have said that I would keep thy words Some read this Verse thus Lord I have said my portion shall be to keep thy words Holy David was fully determined and resolved in himself to keep Gods Royal Law in spite of the World the flesh and the Devil And so Barnabas exhorted the Dâ—sciples that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord Acts 11.23 As if all piety and truth of Grace consisted in Gracious purposes of heart Certainly when the bent of a mans mind and the setled purpose of a mans Soul and the unfeigned desires of his heart are for God for Grace for holiness in heart in life then the estate and condition of that man is safe and happy 'T is very observable that that great Apostle Paul Though the Needle or the Seamans Compass may jog this way and that way yet the bent of the Needle wâ—ll still be Northward So though a Christian may have his particular sinful joggings this way or that way yet the bent of his heart will still be God-wards Una actio non denominat in his spiritual conflict layes a very great stress upon these things witness Rom. 7. ver 16. If then I do that which I would not I consent unto the Law that it is good So Verse 18. For to will is present with me So Verse 19. For the good that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do So Verse 21 22. I find then a Law that when I would do good evil is present with me For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man So Verse 25. So then with the mind I my self serve the Law of God Certainly the truth the lise and power of Grace of Holiness of Regeneration is not so much seen in our actions as in the renewing and sanctifying of our minds and wills according to that Rom. 12.2 Be ye transformed or Metamorphosed as the Greek has it by the renewing of your mind No man is to judg of the soundness or sincerity of his Spirit by some particular acts but by the constant frame and bent of his Spirit and by his general conversation in this world If particular actions might determine whether a man had Grace or no Grace whether he were in Christ or not in Christ whether he were a Saint or not a Saint whether he were sincere or unsound we should many times conclude that those had no Grace who indeed have and that they were not in Christ who indeed are and that they are no Saints who indeed are and that they are not sincere who certainly are true Nathaniels The best Saints have had their extravagant motions and have very foully and sadly miscarried as to particular actions even then when the constant course and bent of their spirits have been God-wards and Christ-wards and Holiness-wards and Heaven-wards c witness Davids Murther and Adultery Noahs Drunkenness Lots Incest Josephs Swearing Jobs Cursing Jonahs Vexing Peters Denying and Thomas his not believing Such twinklings do and will accompany the highest and fairest stars As he who foots it best may be found sometimes all along and the neatest person may sometimes slip into a slow He that cannot endure to see a spot upon his Cloaths may yet sometimes fall into a Quagmire So the holiest and exactest Christians may sometimes be surprised with many infirmities and unevennesses and sad miscarriages Certainly particular sinnings are compatible with a gracious frame though none are with a glorious condition Though no darkness no clouds can be mixt with the Sun in Heaven yet both may be in the Ayre which is enlightned below Our best estate on earth is mixt and not absolute Glory annihilates all sinful practices but Grace only weakens them the most sincere Christian is but an imperfect Christian and hath daily cause to mourn over his infirmities as well as he has cause to bless God for his Graces and mercies Well Sirs Look as every particular stain doth not blemish the universal fineness of the Cloth so neither doth this or that particular fact disprove and deny the general bent of the heart particulars may not decide the estate either way 't is true a man by a particular sinning is denominated Guilty but by no one particular can a mans Estate be challenged either for good or bad He that shall judg of a Christians estate by particular acts though notorious bad will certainly condemn the Generation of the Righteous We must alwayes distinguish betwixt some single good actions and a series of good actions Meer particular actions do not conclude either way the estate of the Soul an hypocrite may do some good act and an upright person may do some sinful act A man must give in Judgment for or against himself according as the habitual purpose and temper of his heart stands c. It is not this or that particular good action but a continued course of holy Actions that denominates us holy Certaâ—nly as there is no man so holy but sometimes he falls into this or that particular sin So there is no man so wicked but sometimes he falls in with this or that particular duty witness Pharaoh who in a fit desires Moses and Aaron to pray for him and witness Balaam who in a good mood desires to dye the death of the Righteous and witness Saul who under a pang condemns himself and justifies David And so witness Ahabs humbling of himself and Nineveh's repenting and Foelix his trembling and Herod's hearing of John Baptist gladly Now look as every sin which a godly man falls into through infirmity doth not presently denominate him ungodly so neither will a few good actions done by a wicked man prove him godly 'T is what the course and tenour of the life is that must be most diligently and wisely observed for every man is as his course is if his course be holy the man is so if his course be wicked the man is wicked There is a Maxim in Logick viz. that no general Rule can be stablished upon a particular instance and there is another Maxim in Logick viz. that no particular instance can overthrow a
Oppressor no Defrauder c. A formal Professors obedience to Divine Commands does principally lye in negatives he considers not so much what the Command requires as what it prohibits and he pleases himself rather in abstaining from evil than in doing of good in being outwardly reformed than in being inwardly renewed he thinks it enough that he turns from sin though he makes no Conscience of turning to God If you ask him concerning affirmative Commands there you will find him speechless Ask him art thou holy art thou humble art thou heavenly art thou sincere art thou a Believer dost thou set up God as the great object o thy fear dost thou love God with a superlative love is the Sabbath of the Lord a delight unto thee c. Now here you strike him dumb he looks upon the neglect of these things as no sins Isa 8.13 Psal 18.1 Isa 58 1â— because they are not such scandalous sins as the others are Remember Sirs sinful omissions many times leads to sinful commissions as you may see in the Angels thaâ— fell from Heaven to Hell and as you may see in Adam who fell from his highest glory into a woful gulf of sin and misery But Fourthly If your obedience spring from Faith then you will endeavour to obey God in the Spirit of the Command as well as in the letter of the Command In every Command of God there is an intra and an extra one part of Christs Law binds the Flesh and another part binds the Spirit Thou shalt do no Murther Matth. 5.21.22 Verse 27 28. there is the letter of the Command Thou shalt not be angry with thy Brother without a cause there is the Spirit of the Command Thou shalt not commit Adultery there is the letter of the Command Thou shalt not look upon a Woman to lust after her there is the Spirit of the Command The Pharisees of old did not look to the Spiritâ—ality of the Law but only to the Letter of the Law they rested wholly upon an outward conformity to the Law when their hearts were full of Hellish lusts they were all for the outside of the Law they regarded not the inside of the Law they were all for washing of Platters and Cups and for beautifying of Tombs like an Adulteress Matth. 23.23 Phil. 3.6 Rom. 7.9 Could a man come up to all affirmative and negative Precepts in his outward conversation yet if he were not spiritual in all these his obedience would be but as a body without a Soul The Pharisees rise high in their outward obedience and yet Christ clearly and fully convinces them that they were wretched Adulterers and Murderers though they were not guilty of any such outward crimes c. whose care is to paint and set a fair face upon a foul matter they were all for paying Tythe of Mint and Annise and Cummin but they regarded not the inside of the Law they omitted the weightier matters of the Law viz. Judgment Mercy and Faith While Paul walked by the letter of the Command he was blameless in his own account but when he came to walk by the Spirit of the Command then sin revived and he dyed Friends there are the more general duties of Religion as Hearing Praying Reading Receiving Fasting Repeating Discoursing c. Now these all lye in the very letter of the Command and there are the more inward and spiritual duties of Religion as the exercise of Faith fear love hope joy patience contentation humble submission and chusing of God and cleaving to God and delighting in God and admiring of God and exalting of God and following hard after God and holy Meditation and Self-examination c. Now all these lye in the very spirit of the Command Now in the exercise of these more spiritual duties our fellowship and communion with God mainly lyes In the more general duties of Religion an hypocrite may manifest the excellency of his gifts but in the more spiritual duties of Religion a sincere Christian doth manifest both the excellency and efficacy of grace Mark an unsound heart looks no further than to the bare letter of the command to bare hearing and bare praying and bare preaching and bare fasting and bare giving and bare receiving and bare suffering he looks no further than to that part of the command which only binds the flesh or outward man and if he does but observe that in the gross he thinks he hath done marvellous well like a melancholy man that matters not what melody and harmony he makes so he does but touch the strings of the instrument But now a found a sincere Christian he looks to the Spirit of the command and if he does not come up to that in sincere desires in gracious purposes in fixed resolutions and in cordial endeavours he can have no peace no rest no quiet no comfort O Sirs as ever you would see God and enjoy God another day you must labour not only to obey the letter of the command but also to bring your hearts to the sincere obedience of the Spirit of the command This is a very close piercing distinguishing and discovering sign But Fifthly If your obedience springs from faith then you will labour not only to obey God in the matter but also in the manner of the command not only in the substance of the command but also in the circumstance of the command God requires the manner as well as the matter and God looks upon that work as not done that is not done in a right manner Did not the Lord command sacrifice and did not Cain offer sacrifice Gen. 4.5 and yet God had no respect to him nor to his offering because his sacrifice was not offered up in a right manner his offering was not offered up by a hand of faith he offered his offering but because he did not offer himself as an offering to God his offering was rejected by God A work may be materially good Luther that is not formally and eventually good and this was Cain's curse How frequently did God command the Jews to pray Isa 1.15 and yet he plainly tells them When you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear He commanded them to sacrifice and yet he saith To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices Verse 11. and all because they did not manage their prayers nor sacrifices in a right manner their hands were full of bloud and their hearts were full of sins and their lives were full of lewdness and therefore all their services were vain oblations yea an abomination to God An unfound heart looks no further than to the substance of the command if he has heard and prayed and fasted and read and repeated and given alms and received the Lord's Supper he strokes himself and blesses himself and hugs himself and thinks all is well and so he looks no further But now a sound
sincere Christian he looks to the circumstance as well as the substance to the manner as well as to the matter of the command when he prayes he labours to pray fervently earnestly Jam. 5.17 18. he labours to get his heart into his prayers when he hears he will hear with attention and intention of spirit when he walks Mich. 6.8 1 Pet. 2.12 3.1 2 3. 1 Thes 2.10 2 Cor. 1.12 Psal 110.3 he endeavours to walk wisely humbly faithfully fruitfully circumspectly exemplarily winningly convincingly blamelesly when he obeys he desires and endeavours to obey freely willingly cheerfully O Sirs if we pray and pray not fervently if we hear and hear not fruitfully if we obey and obey not willingly if we shew mercy Isa 58.13 and do it not cheerfully if we sanctifie the Sabbath and not with delight all is worth nothing all will come to nothing Mark there are some circumstances accessary some necessary some wherein the being and some wherein the well being of a duty doth consist and if you abstract these from them the duty is worth nothing take away fervency and humility from prayer take away faithfulness and fruitfulness from hearing and take away willingness and delight from obedience and all will be worth nothing God regards not only the matter but the manner Criton the Papist could say That God loved better Adverbs than Nouns not to pray only but to pray well Non bonum sed bene agere Not to do good but to do it well is the great wisdom of a Christian what is the Sun without light or the fountain without water or the body without the soul or wood without fire or a bullet without a gun or a Ship without a rudder no more are words in prayer without the spirit of prayer God looks more at the manner than at the matter of your prayers And let thus much suffice to confirm the first particular But Secondly That obedience that springs from faith is an obedience that is only grounded upon the Word of God the Commands of God Ps 119.4 5. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently O that my wayes were directed to keep thy Statutes Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Mat. 5.18 For verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law till all be fulfilled John 10.35 If he called them Gods unto whom the word of God came and the Scripture cannot be broken Chap. 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day 2 Tim. 3.16 17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine fâ—r reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the mâ—n of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works Now the reasons why that obedience that springs from faith is an obedience that is only grounded upon the Word of God the Commands of God are these five And the first is drawn from the supremacy and soveraignty of God who alone is to prescribe to man his duty he is our great Lord and Master he is our Lord and Law-giver Isa 33.22 For the Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King James 4.12 There is one Law-giver who is able to save and to destroy who art thou that judgest another Now by the Laws of this Lord and Law-giver we must square all our actions Look as it would be very absurd in a servant to do that work which he thinks meet and not what his Master commands so 't is as absurd for men to think that God will accept of this or that at their hands when they can't plead his superscription and authority for what they do God will one day say to such Who hath required this at your hands Isa 1.12 O Sirs you must lay the command of God as a foundation for what you do or else all your buildings though never so glorious will certainly totter and fall in all you do you must be able to say Thus saith the Lord or else after you have done your best you may be undone for ever But Secondly God's promise and blessing is only annexed to God's command he that will have the sweet of the promise and the blessings of heaven he must look that his obedience be bottomed upon divine commands in holy actions 't is not thy performance nor thy grace nor thy warmth nor thy zeal but the command and the promise that is annexed to it that will bear thee out Gal. 4.28 Heb. 6.17 therefore we are called children of the promise and heirs of the promise The children of God in all their obedience should still keep an eye upon the command of God and the promise of God as ever they would run the race that is set before them Heb. 12.1 But Thirdly Our obedience must be grounded and bottomed upon a divine command because of that great corruption pollution blindness and darkness which is upon our minds and understandings which would carry us to what not if we were not to steer our Christian course by divine commands Col. 2.20 21 22. The Apostle condemns those things which had a shew of humility and great mortification because they were not bottomed upon a divine command and Christ condemned many practises of the Scribes and Pharisees because they were not bottomed upon a divine command As you may see by comparing the 6 15. and 23. Chapters of Matthew together But Fourthly Our obedience must be bottomed upon a divine command because else we can never be able to bear up our hearts comfortably couragiously confidently and resolutely under all the afflictions Psal 44 9 ult Ezek. 28.12 22. oppositions temptations persecutions and discouragements that we meet with in the wayes of the Lord and in doing the work of the Lord. All the Messages that the Prophets delivered were still grounded upon a divine command Acts 4.19 20. 5.29 Thus saith the Lord and this steeled their spirits in the work of the Lord this made them resolute and undaunted in the midst of all the afflictions and oppositions that they met with And so 't was a word of command that raised the spirits and encouraged the hearts of the Apostles in the work of the Lord in the face of all the oppositions threatnings and buffetings that they met with from the civil powers You know Absalom layes his bloudy command upon his servants as their highest encouragement to that bloudy work of killing his brother Amnon 2 Sam. 13.28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants his Assasines saying Mark ye now when Amnons heart is merry with wine and when I say unto you smite Amnon then kill him fear not have not I commanded you be
couragious and be valiant or sons of valour as the Hebrew runs And so a Christian must lay the command of God before him as his highest encouragement to do what God requires of him c. Fifthly and lastly Our obedience must be bottomed and grounded upon the commands of God to difference and distinguish our selves from all hypocrites formalists superstitious and prophane persons whose obedience is sometimes bottomed upon the Traditions of men and sometimes upon the commandments of men 'T was the sin of the Ten Tribes that they complyed with the command of Jeroboam and his Princes Isa 29.13 14. Mat. 15.1 to 10. Mark 7.8 to 10. Hos 5.11 12. to worship the Calves at Dan and Bethel and for this the wrath of the Lord fell heavy upon them Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment because he willingly walked after the commandment And sometimes their obedience is bottomed upon the examples of men sometimes their obedience is bottomed upon the examples of their forefathers and ancestors Jer. 44 17 18 c. Joh. 7.48 49. Jer. 10.3 The customs of the people are vain c. and sometimes upon the examples of great men This was that which the Pharisees objected against believing on Christ Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him but this people who knoweth not the Law are cursed And sometimes they bottom their obedience upon the example of the multitude This was Demetrius his argument against Paul Acts 19.26 27. on the behalf of Diana that all Asia and the world did worship her and therefore the doctrine of Paul that they be no Gods which are made with hands was falfe and not to be suffered This hath alwayes been and is still the common plea of many We do but as the most do and sure a great many eyes can see more than one or two And hereupon they exclaim against others for their singularity because they won't do as the rest of their neighbours do But Thirdly That obedience that springs from faith is a growing obedience 't is an abounding obedience such a man's desires will study and labour is to get up to the highest pitch of obedience to get up to the highest round in Jacob's ladder Rev. 2.19 I know thy work and charity and service and faith and thy patience and thy works and the last to be more than the first The Angel of the Church of Thyatira 'T is not every believers happiness always to make a progress in grace Solomon and Asa and others run retrograde Saints have their winter seasons they have their decaying times and withering times as well as their thriving times their flourishing times Rev. 2.4 is commended First for his love 2. For his charity 3. For his faith And 4. For his patience And in the general course of his life he daily became more excellent for his latter works were more than the first that is they were more manifest proofs of his constancy and more worthy of praise than the first This faithful Pastor is commended for his holy progress in grace and holiness So Paul Phil. 3.12 Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus Ver. 13. Brethren I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before Ver. 14. I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth emphatically import a pressing with an eager pursuit after the mark It is the same word that signifies to persecute because the earnestness of his spirit in pressing toward the mark now is the same that it was in the persecution of those that pressed toward the mark before Look as good runners when they come near unto the mark stretch out their heads and hands and whole bodies to take hold of them that run with them or of the mark that is before them so he in his whole race so laboured unto that which was before as if he were still stretching out his arms to take hold of it If such a man might have his choice he would be the most humble the most holy the most heavenly the most mortified the most patient the most contented the most thankful the most fruitful the most active the most zealous and the most self-denying Christian in the world 1 Pet. 1.15 16. Mat. 5. if he might have his choice he would be holy as God is holy and perfect as his heavenly father is perfect he would do the will of God on earth as those Princes of glory the Angels do it now in heaven viz. freely readily cheerfully delightfully universally reverentially and unweariedly c. if he might have his choice Eccl. 9.10 he would exercise every grace and perform every duty with all his might he sees so much excellency and beauty in God and Christ that he can't be at rest till he be swallowed up in the enjoyment of them he sees so much excellency in grace that nothing but perfection of grace will satisfie him he makes perfection not only his utmost end but he also labours after perfection with his utmost strength and endeavours When God is made the one of a mans desires the one of a mans affections the one of a mans life and comfort then will he be the one of a mans endeavours too That obedience that springs from faith when 't is not winter-time with a Christian is a fruitful obedience 't is an abounding obedience 't is a progressive obedience Look as the mercy and favour of God to a believer is not stinted nor limited so the obedience of a believer to God is not stinted or limited but now the obedience of hypocrites is alwayes stinted and limited this command they will obey but not that this duty they will do but not that this work they will attend but not that c. Fourthly That obedience that springs from faith is the obedience of a son not of a slave 't is a free voluntary evangelical obedience and not a legal servil and forced obedience Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power in the beauties of holiness in the Hebrew 't is willingness in the plural number to shew their exceeding great willingnesses Psal 27.8 When thou saidest seek ye my face my heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seek By face is meant 1. God himself Exod. 20.3 Before my face that is before me 2. His favour Jer. 18.17 I will shew them the back and not the face in the day of their calamity Now no sooner had God given forth a word of command for the Psalmist to seek himself and to seek his favour but presently his heart did eccho to that command Thy face Lord will I seek So Jer.
haughty some hasty and the like or as in every mans body there is a seed and principle of death yet some are more prone to die of a Fever than of a Dropsie and others are more prone to die of a Dropsie than of a Fever c. So though original sin hath spread it self over all our noble and ignoble parts yet every man hath his particular inclinations to one kind of sin rather than another and this may properly be called a mans own sin his own evil way Now mark a gracious heart makes most head most opposition against his darling sin against his complexion sin against those sins that were once as dear to him as his right hand or as his right eye or as Dalilah was to Sampson Herodias to Herod Isaac to Abraham and Joseph to Jacob Psal 18.23 I was also upright before him and I kept my self from mine iniquâ—ty That is from my darling sin whereunto I was most inclined and addicted what this bosom sin was that he kept himself from In that 1 Sam. 21.2 8. he tells three or four round lyes and the like he did in that 1 Sam. 27.8 10. is hard to say Some suppose his darling sin was lying dissembling for it is certain he often fell into this sin Psal 119.29 Remove from me the way of lying others suppose it to be some secret iniquity which was only known to God and his own conscience others say it was uncleanness and that therefore he prayed that God would turn away his eyes from beholding vanity Psal 119.37 Others juge it to be that sin of disloyalty which Saul and his Courtiers falsly charged upon him Well be it this or that it is enough for our purpose that his heart did rise against that very sin that either by custom or complexion or some strong inclination he was most naturally apt ready and prone to fall into This is the laying of the ax to the root of the Tree and by this practise David gives a clear proof of the integrity of his heart Jer. 17.1 2. Hos 2. â— Isa 31.6 7. 44.9 c. Idolatry was the darling sin of the people of Israel they called their Idols delectable or desirable things they did dearly affect and greatly delight in their Idols But when the Lord in the day of his power wrought savingly and gloriously upon their hearts Oh! how did their hatred and indignation against their Idols rise as you may see Isa 30.22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver and the ornament of thy moiten images of gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstrous cloth thou shaâ—t say unto it get thee hence They were so delighted and enamouâ—ed with their Idols that they would lavish gold out of the bag or they waste or spend riotously as the Hebrew runs that they might richly deck them up Isa 46.6 After the return of the Jews out of Babylon they so hated and abhorted Idols that in the times of the Romans they chose rather to die than to suffâ—r the Eagle which was the imperial arms to be set up in their Temple and set them forth in the greatest glory and bravery O but when the Lord should make a glorious turn upon their spirits then they should readily and roundly deface defile and disgrace their Idols then they should hate and abhor them then they should so detest and loath them that in a holy indignation they should cast them away as a menstrous cloth and say unto them get ye hence pack be gone I will never have any more to do with you And so in that Isa 2.20 In that day that is in the day of his people vers 17. A man shall cast his idols of silver and hâ—s idols of gold which they made each one for himself to worship to the Moles and to the Bats In the day when God should exalt himself in the souls of his people and before the eyes of his people they should express such disdain and indignation against their Idols that they should not take only those made of Trees and Stones but even their most precious and costly Idols those that were made of silver and gold and cast them to the Moles and to the Bats that is they should cast them into such blind holes and into such dark filthy nasty and dusty corners as Moles make under ground and as Bats roust in So when Christ and grace and holiness comes to be set up in mens hearts and lives then all their darling sins their bosom lusts which are their Idols of silver and their Idols of gold these are with a holy indignation cast to the Moles and to the Bats they are so loathed abhorred abandoned and cashiered that they desire they may be for ever buried in oblivion and never see the light more Idols were Ephraim's bosom sin Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joyned or glewed as the word signifies to Idols let him alone But when the dew of grace fell upon Ephraim as it did in Chap. 14.5 6 7. Then saith Ephraim What have I any more to do with Idols ver 8. Now Ephraim loaths his Idols as much or more than before he loved them he now abandons and abominates them though before he was as closly glewed to them as the wanton is glewed to his Dalilah or as the enchanter is glewed to the Devil from whom by no means he is able to stir as the words in the fountain imports When it was the day of the Lords power upon Ephraim then Ephraim cryes out What have I any more to do with Idols O I have had to do with them too long and too much already O how doth my foul now rise against them how do I detest and abhor them Deut. 13.6 7 8 9. Surely I will never have more to do with them The Scripture tells us That if father or mother or brother or sister or kinsman or friend should go about to draw a man from God his hand should be first upon him to put him to death Now bosom sins complexion sins they seek to draw a mans heart from God and therefore a gracious soul can't but rise up against them Gen. 27.41 and do his best to stone them and to be the death of them The dayes of mourning for my father are at hand saith bloudy Esau then will I slay my brother Jacob 't is a bloudy speech of a vindictive spirit whom nothing would satisfie but innocent bloud So saith the gracious soul The dayes of mourning for the death of my dear Saviour are now at hand and therefore I will slay my bosom lusts my constitution sins now will I be revenged on them for all the dishonours that they have done to God and for all the wounds that they have made in my conscience and for all the mercies that they have imbittered and for all the favours that they have prevented and for all the afflictions that they have procured and
then his desire Luke 17.5 are most for faith you shall then find him with the Disciples crying out Lord increase our faith But now though a wicked mans heart rise against every grace yet it rises most strongly against those particular graces which are most opposite and contrary to those particular lusts which are a wicked mans bosom lusts Mat. 26.8 9. his darling sins c. Hence the covetous heart rises and swells most against liberality as you see in Judas Rev. 3.15 16 17. Luke 19. What need this waste Flesh and bloud looks upon all as lost that is laid out upon Christ his servants and services And the luke-warm Christians heart rises and swells most against zeal and fervency and the griping Userers heart rises and swells most against restitution Job 21.14 15. and the adulterers heart rises and swells most against purity chastity continency and the ignorant mans heart rises and swells most against light and knowledge Eccles 7.10 the ignorant man is willing to go to hell in the dark and ready and bold enough to conclude that we never had such sad and bad times as we have had since there hath been so much preaching and so much hearing and so much fasting and so much praying and so much light and knowledge in the world But now it is quite otherwise with a true child of God Rom. 7.22 23. for his heart rises and swells most against the Toad or Toads that are in his own bosom and the daily and earnest desires of his soul are that God would make him eminent in every grace yea that God would make him most eminent in those particular graces which are most opposite and contrary to those particular lusts and corruptions which more peculiarly more especially he hath cause to call his iniquity Psal 49.5 or the iniquities of his heart and of his heels Look as we have some dirt more or less that will still cleave to our heels whilst we are in a dirty world so there is some defilements and pollutions that will still be cleaving to all our duties services wayes and walkings in this world which we may well call the iniquity of our heels Now a gracious heart rises most against these c. Thirteenthly No man can truly love grace in another but he that has true grace in his own soul 1 John 3.10 No man can love a Saint as a Saint but he that is a real Saint no man can love holiness in another but he that has holiness in his own soul no man can love a good man for goodness sake but he that is really good We know that we have passed from death to life 1 John 3.14 This Text you have opened in the first Maxim of this Book because we love the brethren Sincere love to the brethren is a most evident sign of a Christians being already passed or translated from death to life that is from a state of nature into a state of grace such a poor soul that dares not say that he has grace in his own heart yet dares say before the Lord that he loves delights and takes pleasure to see the holy graces of the Spirit sparkling and shining in the hearts lives and lips of other Saints secretly wishing in himself that his soul were but in their case and that dares say before the Lord Psal 15.1 4. Psal 16.3 He that loves his brother saith Augustine better knows his love wherewith he loves than his brother whom he loves that there are no men in all the world that are so precious so lovely so comely so excellent and so honourable in his account in his eye as those that have the Image of God of Christ of grace of holiness most clearly most fairly and most fully stampt upon them When a poor Christian can rejoyce in every light in every Sun that out-shines his own when he sees wisdom and knowledge shining in one Saint and faith and love shining in another Saint and humility and lowliness shining in another Saint and meekness and uprightness shining in another Saint and zeal and courage shining in another Saint and patience and constancy shining in another and then can make his retreat to his closet admiring blessing of the Lord for the various graces of his Spirit shining in his children and be frequent and earnest with God that those very graces might shine as so many Suns in his soul doubtless such a poor soul has true grace and is happy and will be happy to all eternity In Tertullian's time the Heathen would point out the Christians by this mark See how they love one another Now to prevent mistakes I shall shew you the several properties of sincere love to the Saints First True love to the Saints is spiritual it is a love for the Image of God that is stampt upon the soul 1 John 5.1 Every one that loveth him that begat 1 John 4.7 loveth him also that is begotten of him A soul that truly loves loves the father for his own sake and the children for the fathers sake If the Image of God be the load-stone that drawes out our love to the Saints then our love is real to them he that does not love the Saints as Saints he that does not love them under a spiritual notion he hath no true affection to them Naturally we hate God Gen. 3.15 1 John 3.12 because he is a holy God and his Law because it is an holy Law and his people because they are a holy people 'T is only the Spirit of God that can inable a man to love a Saint for the image of God that is in him many there are which love Christians for their goods not for their good they love them for the money that is in their purses but not for the grace that is in their hearts many like the Bohemian Cur fawn upon a good suit Love to the Saints for the Image of God stampt upon them is a flower that does not grow in natures garden No man can love grace in another mans heart but he that hath grace in his own men do not more naturally love their parents Prov. 29.10 Ezek. 25.15 and love their children and love themselves than they do naturally hate the image of God upon his people and wayes I have read of one who was so lusty and quarrelsom that he was ready to fight with his own image so often as he saw it in a glass O! how many are there in these dayes that are still a quarrelling and fighting with the image of God wherever they see it True love is for what of the divine nature for what of Christ and grace shines in a man it is one thing to love a godly man and anther thing to love him for godliness Many love godly men as they are Politicians or Potent or Learned or of a sweet nature or affable or related or as they have been kind to them
known in prosperity nor hid in adversity True love is like that of Ruth's to Naomi that of Jonathan's to David permanent and constant Job 6.15 16. Many there be whose love to the Saints is like Job's brooks which in the Winter when men have no need of them overflows with tenders of service and shews of love but when the season is hot and dry the poor thirsty traveller stands in most need of water to refresh him then the brooks are quite dried up They are like the Swallow that will stay by you in the Summer of prosperity but flie from you in the Winter of adversity It is observed by Josephus of the Samaritans Joseph Anti. lib. 11. p. 286. that when ever the Jews affairs prospered they would be their friends and profess much love to them yea they would vaunt of their alliance saying That they were near akin and of the race of Ephraim and Manasses the sons of Joseph But when the Jews were in trouble and affliction and brought to an under then they would not own them Lib. 11. p. 272. Lib. 12. p. 304. Lib. 13. p. 322 323. c. nor have any thing to do with them yea then they would set themselves with all their â—ight against them as the same Historian tells us This age is full of such Samaritans yet certainly such as truly love they will alwayes love such as truly love the people of God they will love them to the end In the primitive times it was very much taken notice of by the very Heathen that in the depth of misery when fathers and mothers forsook their children Christians otherwise strangers stuck closs one to another their love of Religion and one of another proved firmer than that of nature They seem to take away the Sun out of the world said the Orator who take away friendship from the life of man for we do not more need fire and water than constant friendship Though wicked men may pretend great love to the Saints yet their love is not constant Gen. 31.24 29. 33 1 2 3 4 5. Dan. 6. God sometimes indeed over-rules their spirits with a very strong hand as he did Laban's and Esau's or as he over-ruled the spirits of the Lions to preserve Daniel and of the Ravens to feed Elijah but so soon as that over-ruling providence is over they are as they were befoâ—e God for a time gave the Israelites favour in the eyes of the Egyptians but before and after they were their utter enemies But now a gracious soul he loves the Saints at all times his love to them is constant But Fourteenthly That soul that dares not say that he has grace yet can truly say before the Lord that he prizes the least dram of grace above ten thousand thousand worlds certainly that soul has true grace in him Doubtless there are none that can prize grace in their understandings and judgments above all the world Mic. 6.6 7. Phil. 3.18 19. Mat. 19.16 to 25. Psal 2.21 but such as are first taken out of the world by grace There is no man on earth whose heart is void and empty of grace but sets a higher value and price upon his lusts or upon his relations or upon his honours or riches or pleasures or upon this or that worldly enjoyment than he does upon grace or the fountain of grace yea how many thousands are there that set a higher price or value upon a Hound a Hawk a Horse a Harlot a good Trade a fair Estate a rich inheritance yea upon the very toyes and trifles of this world than they do upon God or Christ or grace 'T was never yet known in the world that ever God sent such a man to hell who prized grace above heaven it self who had rather have grace and holiness without heaven than heaven it self without grace and holiness Fifteenthly That soul that dares not say that his condition is good yet can say in truth of heart before the Lord that he would not change his condition with the vain carnal formal and prophane men of the world for ten thousand worlds that man is certainly for heaven and heaven is certainly for that man we may be very highly and groundedly confident that God will never cast that man to hell among devils and damned spirits at the great day who in his day of life would not chuse to be in the condition of the men of the world for as many worlds as there be men in the world Look as none meet in heaven but such as are like to like in their renewed natures principles and practises so none meet in hell but such as are like to like in their old natures Deut. 22.10 2 Cor. 6.14 15 16 17 18. principles and practises That God that would not suffer an Ox to be yoked with an Ass in this world nor a Believer with an Infidel will never suffer such to be yoked with devils and damned reprobates in that lower world who would not to gain many worlds be willingly yoked with wicked men in this world certainly they shall never be a Christians companions in that other world whose society and company and whose wickedness and baseness have been a grief a torment a hell to him in this world Psal 119.53 136. Jer. 9.1 2. Ezek. 9.4 6. 2 Pet. 2.7 8. When Mrs. Katherine Brettergh was upon her dying bed and most grievously assaulted by temptations in the midst of her sore conflicts this was no small support and comfort to her That surely God would not send her to hell to live for ever among such wicked persons whose company and whose sin was a burden to her in this world c. But Sixteenthly James 3.2 Eccles 7.20 Prov. 20.7 Joh. 1.1 8. That soul that dares not say that he does not sin For in many things we offend all and there is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not and who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin And if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us yet can say in uprightness before the Lord that he would not willingly resolutely maliciously wilfully wickedly and hab tually sin against the Lord to gain a world that soul that don 't nor won't through grace assisting Psal 119.1 3. 1 John 3.9 allow himself or indulge himself in a course of sin or in a trade of 〈◊〉 in the common practise of any known sin that soul is certainly a gracious soul Rom. 7.15 The evil that I do I allow not 'T is one thing for a man to sin 't is an other thing for a man to allow himself in sin 't is one thing for a godly man to step into a sin Psal 139 24. and 't is another thing to keep the road of sin Search me and try me and see if there be any way of wickedness in me or as the
Hebrew runs Any way of pain or of grief or of provocation that is any course of sin that is grievous or provoking to the eyes of divine glory A real Saint can neither allow of sin nor wallow in sin nor be transformed into the image of sin nor mix it self with sin 'T is possible for a sincere Christian to step into a sinful path or to touch upon sinful facts Gal. 6.1 Prov. 16.17 and now and then in an hour of temptation to slide to trip and to be overtaken unawares but his main way his principle work is to depart from iniquity As a true traveller may now and then step a few steps out of his way who yet for the main keeps his way keeps the road or as a Bee may now and then light upon a thistle but her main work is to be gathering at the flowers or as a Sheep may now and then slip into the dirt or into a slow but its main work is to be grazing upon the mountains Certainly O soul if sin be now thy greatest burden it shall never hereafter prove thy eternal bane God never yet sent any man to hell for sin to whom sin has commonly been the greatest hell in this world God has but one hell and that is for those to whom sin has been commonly a heaven in this world That man that hates sin and that daily enters his protest against sin that man shall never be made miserable by sin Sin in a wicked man is like poyson in a serpent it is in its natural place it is delightful to a sinner but sin in a Saint is like poyson in a man's body it is offensive and the heart rises against it and is carried forth to the use of all divine Antidotes whereby it may be expelled and destroyed nothing will satisfie a gracious soul but the heart bloud of his lusts Now he shall never be damned for his sins whose heart is set upon killing his sins Seventeenthly Such a poor soul that dares not say that God is his God or that Christ is his Redeemer or that he has a work of grace upon his heart yet can say with some integrity of heart before the Lord that if God and Christ grace and glory holiness and happiness were offered to him on the one hand and all the honours pleasures profits delights and carnal contents of the world were offered him on the other hand he had infinitely rather ten thousand thousand times chuse God and Christ grace and glory holiness and happiness than the contrary Certainly such a soul has true grace in him and a saving work past upon him for none can freely seriously habitually resolutely chuse God and Christ grace and glory holiness and happiness as their summum bonum chiefest good but such who are really good 1 John 4.19 Deut. 7.6 7 8 9. 26.17 18 19. Look as our love to God is but an effect of his love to us We love him because he first loved us so our chusing of God for our God is but an effect of God's chusing us for his people we chuse him because he first chose us Such who in their serious choice set up God and Christ above all other persons and things such God will certainly make happy and blessed for ever God never did nor never will reject those or damn those who really chuse him for their God and for their great all The greatest part of the world chuse their lusts rather than God and the creatures rather than Christ Luke 12.21 they chuse rather to be great than gracious to be rich in this world than to be rich towards God to be outwardly happy than to be inwardly holy Mat. 10.42 to have a heaven on earth than to have a heaven after death and so they miscarry for ever That soul that with Mary has chosen the better part that soul with Mary shall be happy for ever every man must stand or fall for ever as his choice has been But Eighteeenthly Canst thou truly say in the presence of the great and glorious God that is the searcher of all hearts Psal 139.23 24. that thou hast given up thy heart and life to the rule authority and government of Jesus Christ and that thou hast chosen him to be thy Soveraign Lord and King and art truly willing to submit to his dominion as the only precious and righteous government and as the only holy and heavenly sweeâ— and pleasant profitable and comfortable safe and best dominion in all the world and to resign up thy heart thy will thy affections thy life thy all really to Christ wholly to Christ Isa 26.13 and only to Christ Canst thou O poor soul look up to heaven and truly say O dear Lord Jesus other Lords viz. the world the flesh and the devil have had dominion too long over me but now these Lords I do heartily renounce Isa 33.22 I do utterly renounce I do for ever renounce and do give up my self to thee as my only Lord beseeching thee to rule and reign over me for ever and ever O Lord though sin rages and Satan roars and the world sometimes frowns and sometimes fawns yet I am resolved to own thee as my only Lord and to serve thee as my only Lord and my greatest fear by divine assistance shall be of offending thee and my chiefest care shall be to please thee and my only joy shall be to be a praise a name and an honour to thee O Lord I can appeal to thee in the sincerity of my heart Psal 65.3 Rom. 7.23 that though I have many invincible sins weaknesses and infirmities that hang upon me and though I am often worsted by my sins and overcome in an hour of temptation yet thou that knowest all thoughts and hearts thou dost know that I have given up my heart and life to the obedience of Jesus Christ and do daily give them up to his rule and government and 't is the earnest desire of my soul above all things in this world that Jesus Christ may still set up his Laws in my heart and exercise his dominion over me Now certainly there is not the weakest Christian in all the world but can venture himself upon such an appeal to God as this is and without all peradventure where such a frame and temper of spirit is there the dominion of Jesus Christ is set up and where the dominion of Christ is set up there sin has no dominion for the dominion of sin and the dominion of Christ are inconsistent and therefore such a soul is happy and will be happy to all eternity But Cant. 8.5 Acts 11.21 22 23 Psal 71.16 Isa 61.10 Nineteenthly That man that will venture his soul upon Christ and that will lean upon Christ and cleave to Christ with full purpose of heart and that will cleave to his bloud and cleave to his righteousness and cleave to his merits and satisfaction in
the face of all fears doubts disputes cavils and objections and though it cannot clear its title to Christ yet will stay and hang it self upon Christ for life and happiness that man is certainly a Believer and will be everlastingly saved Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Job 13.15 if I must die I will die at his feet and in the midst of death expect a better life Mat. 15.22 to 28 that man acts faith to purpose that can love a frowning God and hang upon an angry God and follow hard after a withdrawing God Psal 63.1 8. yea and trust in a killing God as here Job had his Feverish sits and his impatient slips and yet he kept up his heroical resolution to lean upon the Lord whilst he had but one minute to live and this speaks out not only the truth but also the strength of Job's faith in the midst of his extraordinary combats when the soul is peremptorily and habitually resolved to cleave to the person of Christ and to cleave to the merits of Christ Gen. 2.24 Ruth 1.14 15 16 17. Est 4.16 and to cleave to the transactions of Christ with the Father for the salvation of sinners as the wife cleaves to her husband or as the child cleaves to the father or as Ruth cleaved to Naomi or as the Ivy cleaves to the Oak with an If I perish I perish then 't is safe then 't is happy then 't is out of the danger of hell then 't is within the Suburbs of heaven God never did nor never will cast such a man to hell whose soul is drawn forth to a secret resting saying leaning and relying alone upon Christ for the obtaining of all that good and all that glory that he has purchased and his father has promised But Lastly That man that makes it his principle care his main business his work of works to look to his heart to watch his heart and to reform his heart that man doubtless has a saving work of God upon his heart There are two things which a gracious soul most looks at his God and his heart Though a gracious man looks to the cleansing of his hands yet his principle care is the reformation of his heart the cleansing of his heart according to that of the Apostle James Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded And that of the Prophet Jeremiah James 4.8 Jer. 4.14 O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved Man must labour after a clean inside as well as a clean outside the conversation must not be only unspotted before the world but the heart also must be unspotted before God the heart is as capable of inward defilements as the body is of outward defilements 2 Cor. 7.1 O Sirs though heart-defilement is least taken notice of yet heart-defilement is the worst defilement and the most dangerous defilement in the world heart-defilement is spiritual defilement Eph. 6.12 Vide â—â—za and spiritual defilement is the defilement of divels which of all defilement is the most hateful odious and pernicious defilement The hypocrites only care is to keep his life from defilement but the sincere Christians care is mainly to keep his heart from defilement for he very well knows that if he can but keep his heart clean he shall with more ease keep his life clean if the fountain be kept pure the streams will run pure The heart is the spring of all actions and therefore every action is as the spring is from whence it flows if the spring be good the action is good that flows from it if the spring be evil the action is evil that flows from it Mâ—â— 2.35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil things Certainly the great work of a Christian lieth with his heart the reformation of the heart is the highest and choicest part of reformation Prov 23.26 because it is the reformation of the noblest part of man and is that which God looks most after The reformation of the heart is indeed the heart of reformation there is nothing reformed to purpose till the heart be reformed if the heart be naught all is naught if that be very naught all is very naught if that be stark naught all is stark naught but if that be reformed all is reformed A gracious man's watch is mainly about his heart Create in me a clean heart Psal 51.10 Psal 86.11 Psal 119.36 Psal 119 80. Psal 27.8 See Psal 119.2 Acts 8 37. Heb. 8.10 Jer. 31 33. O God and renew a right spirit within me Unite my heart to fear thy name Incline my heart unto thy testimonies Let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed When thou saidest seek my face my heart answered Thy face Lord will I seek Psal 119.10 With my whole heart have I sought thee Ver. 11. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee Incline my heart unto thy testimonies and not unto covetousness Rom. 1.9 The heart of man is the fountain of life or death and therefore sin in the heart in some respects is worse and more dangerous than sin in the life and hence 't is that the sincere Christian doubles his guard about his heart Luther hit it when he said I more fear what is within me than what comes from without the storms and winds without do never move the earth 't is only vapours within that causeth earth-quakes as Philosophers observe Mat. 23 25-30 Hypocrites as our Saviour testifies are all for the outside they wash the platters and the cups and beautifie the tombs like an adulteress whose care is to paint and set a fair face upon a foul matter but now a sincere Christian Psal 50.23 though he has a special respect to the well-ordering of his life yet his main business and work is about his heart O that this ignorant heart were but more enlightned O that this proud heart were but more humble O that this prophane heart were but more holy O that this earthly heart were but more heavenly O that this unbelieving heart were but more believing O that this passionate heart were but more meek O that this carnal heart were but more spiritual O that this luke-warm heart were but more zealous for God and Christ and the Gospel and the great concernments of eternity O that this slight heart were but more serious O that this dull heart were but more quickned O that this dead heart were but more enlivened c. The highest and hardest work of a Christian lieth with his heart Mark common light common conviction education enforcement of conscience principles of common honesty and morality the eye of man the fear of man the examples of man the laws of man and
the rewards of man with a hundred other things may be very prevalent to reform the life to regulate the outward conversation and to keep that in some due decorum and yet all these things will be found too weak too low to change the heart to reform the heart to mend the heart to purifie the heart Acts 15.9 To this great work there are principles of a higher nature required Purifying their hearts by faith 'T is not a guard of moral vertues but a guard of saving graces that can keep the heart in order to reform the heart to keep the heart in a gracious frame is one of the best and hardest works in the world Prov. 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life The Text is about matter of life and death The words are mandatory for all counsels in Scripture carry in them the force of a command In the words you have two things observable 1. A duty enjoyned Keep thy heart with all diligence 2. The reason or motive inforcing it For out of it are the issues of life In the duty there are two things considerable 1. Here is the subject matter the thing that is to be done and that is Keep thy heart This duty is charged upon all in peremptory and undispensable terms 2. Here is the manner how it must be done and that is With all diligence Keep The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Natsar to keep hath various significations but the main is to keep in safe custody we should keep our hearts as under lock and key that they may be alwayes at hand when the Lord shall call for them c. Thy heart By the heart the we are not to understand that particular vital member of the body that in common speech we call the heart Heart is not here taken properly for that noble part of the body which Philosophers call the primum vivens c. ultimum moriens the first that lives and the last that dies But by heart in a metaphor the Scripture sometimes understands some particular noble faculty of the soul sometimes the heart is put for the understanding Rom. 1.21 Their foolish heart was darkned that is their understanding was darkned sometimes 't is put for the will and affections Mat. 22.37 So Prov. 23.26 Deut. 10.12 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind that is with thy will and with all thy affections The will is the chiefest power of the soul as the heart is the principal part of the body Mat. 8. and it commands all the affections as the Centurion did his servants Job 27.6 sometimes 't is put for the conscience 1 Joh. 3.20 If our heart condemn us God is greater â—han our heart and knoweth all things that is if our conscience condemn us justly then our case must be assuredly sad because God knows much more by us than we know by our selves and can charge us with many sins that conscience is not privy to Psal 19 12. sometimes 't is put for the memory Psal 119.11 Thy word have I hid in my heart that is in my memory So Luke 2.19 But here 't is taken comprehensively for the whole soul with all its powers noble faculties and endowments together with their several operations all which are to be watched over With all diligence or as the Hebrew runs With all keeping The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shamar signifies Cato Cicero Seneca Socrates and others have laid down excellent rules for the government of the outward man but n one for the government of the heart to keep with watch and ward A Christian is to keep a perpetual guard about his heart A Lapide notes that the Hebrew word is borrowed from military affairs We should keep our hearts as soldiers keep a Garrison with watch and ward Lavater jumps with him and tells us that the word Shamar is taken from a besieged Garrison begirt by many enemies without and in danger of being betrayed by treacherous Citizens within in which danger the soldiers upon pain of death are commanded to watch Junius reads the word thus Keep thy heart Supra omnem custodiam above all keeping So Hierom reads Prae omni custodia above all keeping keep thy heart that is keep keep watch watch c. So Rhodolphus reads it Prae omni custodia and so we read it in the Margin of our Bibles And the Syriack reads it in the same manner that our English doth Cum omni cautione with all caution and wariness we are to keep our hearts O what guards and double guards O what watches and double watches should men put upon their hearts These words keeping keep import both a universal watchfulness over the heart and a diligent watchfulness over the heart and a constant watchfulness over the heart and thrice happy are those persons who keep such a watch upon their hearts A man is to keep his eye and keep his mouth and keep his feet but above all keeping he is to keep his heart 'T is a duty incumbent upon every Christian to keep his own heart Keep thy heart Thy self thou mayest make another thy Park-keeper or thy House-keeper or thy Shop-keeper or thy Cash-keeper or thy Horse-keeper or thy Nurse-keeper but thou must be thy own Heart-keeper Keep thy heart with all diligence some understand this of all kind of watchfulness The Hebrew word is applyed to several sorts of keeping As First It is applyed to those that are the keepers of a prison Gen. 39.21 22 23 So Job 7.12 where dangerous Fellons or Malefactors are to be looked to that they don't break away 1 King 20.39 Keep this man so Joseph was made the Keeper of the prison The Hebrew word is the same with that in Prov. 4.23 Now O â—ow diligent how vigilant are men in looking after their prisoners even so should we be in looking after our hearts c. Secondly It signifies to keep as men would keep a besieged Garrison Hab. 2.1 or City or Castle in time of war So 't is used in that Hab. 2.1 Now what strong guards what watchful guards do men keep up at such a time A gracious heart is Christ's Fort-royal Now against this Fort Satan will imploy the utmost of his strength art craft and therefore how highly does it concern every Christian to keep a strong guard a constant guard about his heart But Thirdly It signifies to keep as the Priests and Levites kept the Sanctuary of God the Temple of God and all the holy things that were committed to their charge So the word is often used by the Prophet Ezek. 44.8 15 16 c. The Temple and all the vessels of the Temple were to be kept pure and clean and sweet Our hearts are the Temples of God the Temples of the holy Ghost and therefore we should alwayes keep a strong
of spiritual life 2 Cor. 7.1 1 Thes 5.13 c. and runs invisibly through all the body Fountains were to be kept pure by the Roman Laws of the twelve Tables and the heart that is the spring and fountain of all actions is to be kept pure by the Laws of the great God Men keep the heart principally from hurt because every wound there is mortal O that men were as wise for their souls God's eye is mainly upon the heart The heart well guarded and watcht keeps all in security Alexander was safe while Antipater kept the watch so all within that little world Man will be safe while the heart is strongly guarded The heart is the fountain the root the store-house the primum mobile the great wheel that sets all a going and therefore above all keepings keep your hearts 'T is a foolish thing to watch the out-works and leave the Fort-Royal without a guard so 't is a foolish thing to watch the out-works the eye the ear the tongue the hand the feet though these must all be watcht and to leave the heart which is a Christians Fort-Royal without a guard Omnia si perdas animam servare memento If all things else must needs be lost Yet save thy soul what e're it cost He that makes it his business to watch and weep and sigh and groan most over his own heart he doubtless is in a gracious estate he that makes it his work his daily work his greatest work 3 John 2. his work of works to keep a continual guard upon his heart he certainly is in a blessed estate he that lamentingly cryes out O that my soul did but prosper as my body O that my inward man were but in as good a frame as my outward man O that this proud heart were but more humble O that this hard heart were but more softned O that this carnal heart were but more spiritual O that this earthly heart were but more heavenly O that this unbelieving heart were but more believing O that this passionate heart were but more meek O that this slight heart were but more sericus O that this blind heart were but more enlightned O that this dull heart were but more quickned O my heart my heart when wilt thou be better O my God my God! when shall my heart be better O bring it into a gracious frame and for ever keep it in a gracious frame He that thus lamentingly cryes out of his heart he certainly has an honest heart and will be happy for ever O Lord my memory is weak and my utterance is bad and my understanding is dark and my gifts are low and my affections are flat and my temptations are strong Psa 39 22 23 24 and my corruptions are prevalent but thou who art the great heart searcher thou knowest that I would fain have my heart in a better temper I had rather have my heart brought into a gracious frame and kept in a gracious frame than to have all the riches of the Indies than to be an Emperor yea than to be King over all the earth If it be indeed thus with thee thou art blest and shalt be blest for ever 2 Cor. 8.12 For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not I know the Apostle speaks this in point of alms but 't is applicable to the case in hand and to a hundred other cases God measures his people not by their works but by their wills if their wills be to be more holy humble heavenly and to have their hearts alwayes in a most gracious frame then they are accepted of God for every good man is as good in the eye of God in the judgment of God and in the account of God as he would be Not long before famous Mr. Banes died some friends that were with him in his Library which was an excellent one fell a commending of it I saith he there stand my books but the Lord knows that for many years lost past I have studied my heart more than Books O no Minister to him no Scholar to him who studies his heart more than his books nor no Christian to him who studies his heart more than his day-books or more than his Shop-books or that studies his heart more than his counting-house or that studies his heart more than a good bargain c. That man is for heaven and heaven is for that man who makes it his greatest business in this world to watch his heart to guard his heart the hypopocrite looks most to externals but the sincere Christian looks most to internals the hypocrites main watch is about his lips but a sincere Christians main watch is about his heart the hypocrites main work lyes without doors but the sincere Christians main work lyes within doors All know that know any thing that both nature and grace begin at the heart but art begins at the face A painter doth not begin a picture at the heart a picture hath but a face but an outside And as nature begins at the heart but art at the face so grace begins at the heart but hypocrisie at the face at the outside of Religion Every man is that really that he is inwardly Rom. 2.28 29. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Certainly that man that makes it his great business to watch his heart and to keep his heart alwayes in a gracious frame that man is a gracious man 'T is true our hearts are like our watches seldom got to go well and when they do go well how hard a work is it to keep them going well The motions of our watches are not constant sometimes they go faster and sometimes they go slower and often they stand in need of mending Though in these and many other respects our hearts are like our watches yet if we make it our grand work to keep a constant guard upon our hearts and our main design in this world to have our hearts brought and kept in a gracious frame our spiritual estate is good and we shall be happy for ever c. In my other Writings there are variety of special evidences which the Christian Reader if he please and if need require may make use of in order to the further clearing up of his gracious estate and therefore let these twenty suffice at this time And thus much for this Chapter c. CHAP. III. Now in this Chapter I shall treat of sound saving repentance of repentance unto Life yea of that Evangelical repentance that hath the precious Promises of remission of sin and salvation running out unto it My purpose at this time is not to handle
the doctrine of Repentance at large but only to speak so far of it as may speak it out to be evidential of the goodness and happiness of a Christians spiritual and eternal condition NOw before I come to open my self more particularly give me leave to premise this in the general viz. That there is a repentance that does accompany salvation 2 Cor. 7.10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death Jer. 4.14 O Jerusalem wash thy heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved Acts 11.18 When they heard these things they held their peace and glorified God saying Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life Mat. 18.3 And Jesus said verily I say unto you except you be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven Acts 3.19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Having premised thus much in the general give me now leave to say That there are three parts of true sound saving repentance unto all which forgiveness of sin is promised And the First is contrition or grief of heart for sins committed Now this is called sometimes godly sorrow 2 Cor. 7.10 and sometimes a contrite spirit Isa 66.2 and sometimes a broken and contrite heart Psal 51.17 and sometimes the afflicting of our souls Levit. 16.29 and sometimes the humbling of the heart 2 Chron. 7.14 Lamen 3.20 and sometimes a mourning Zech. 12.10 and sometimes a weeping Mark 14.72 All repenting sinners are mourning sinners David repents and waters his couch with his tears Psal 6.6 Hezekiah repents and humbles himself for the pride of his heart 2 Chron. 32.26 Ephraim repents and Ephraim bemoans himself and smites upon his thigh and is even confounded Jer. 31.18 19. Mary Magdalen repents and weeps and washes Christs feet with her tears Luke 7.38 The Corinthians repented and they were made sorry after a godly manner 2 Cor. 7.9 Repentance in the Hebrew is called Nacham an irking of the soul and in Greek Metamelia after grief and Metanoia after wit and in the Latine Poenitentia All which do import that contrition or sorrow for sin is one part of true repentance O! the sighs the groans the sobs the tears that are to be found among repenting sinners Luth. Tom. 3.457 c. Luther hit the Mark when he said What are all the Palaces of the world to a contrite heart yea heaven and earth seeing it is the seat of divine Majesty Secondly 'T is very observable that all mourning persons for their sins are within the compass of the promise of forgiveness of sins Zech. 12.11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo Zech. 13.1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness Jer. 31.18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning of himself c. Ver. 20. I will surely have mercy on him or as the Hebrew has it I will having mercy have mercy on him As soon as Ephraims heart is troubled for his sins Gods bowels are troubled for Ephraim as soon as Ephraim like a penitent child falls a weeping at God's foot God like a tender indulgent father falls a bemoaning of Ephraim Ephraim could not refrain from tears and God could not refrain from opening his bowels of mercy towards him So Isa 57.15 And how can the contrite heart be indeed revived and cheered without forgiveness of sins without a pardon in the bosom Melancthon makes mention of a godly woman who having upon her death-bed been in much conflict and afterwards much comforted brake out into these words Now and not till now did I understand the meaning of these words Thy sins are forgiven There is no comfort to that which arises from the sense of forgiveness Isa 40.1 2. Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her iniquities are pardoned And why is the mourning soul pronounced the blessed soul Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted but because the mourning soul is the pardoned soul But what is that sorrow or mourning for sin Qu. that is a part of true repentance The resolution of this question is very necessary for the preventing of all soul-deceits and mistakes and for the quieting setling and satisfying of souls truly penitent and therefore I shall give these eight following Answers to it First It is a sorrow or grief that is spiritual that is supernatural no man is born with godly sorrow in his heart as he is born with a tongue in his mouth Godly sorrow is a plant of God's own planting 't is a seed of his own sowing 't is a flower of his own setting 't is of a heavenly off-spring 't is from God and God alone The spirit of mourning is from above 't is from a supernatural power and principle there is nothing that can turn a heart of stone into flesh but the spirit of God Ezek. 36.25 26. Godly sorrow is a gift from God Job 23.16 God makes my heart soft No hand but a divine hand can make the heart soft and tender under the sight and sense of sin Nature may easily work a man to mourn and melt and weep under worldly losses crosses and miseries as it did David's men 1 Sam. 30.4 But it must be grace it must be a supernatural principle that must work the heart to mourn for sin Secondly godly sorrow is a sorrow for sin as sin 't is a mourning rather for sin than for smart 't is not so much for loss of goods lands wife child credit name c. but for that a holy God is offended a righteous Law violated Christ dishonoured the Spirit grieved and the Gospel blemished c. Peter's sorrow was godly but Judas his sorrow was worldly Peter mourns over the evil of sin but Judas mourns over the evil of punishment David mourns over his sin Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight Psal 51.4 And so 2 Sam. 24.10 And David's heart smote him after he had numbred the people and David said unto the Lord I have sinned greatly in that I have done and now I beseech thee O Lord take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done foolishly David does not cry out take away the threatned famine but take away the iniquity of thy servant nor he does not cry out take away the enemies of thy servant but take away the iniquity of thy servant nor he does not say take away the pestilence from the Land but take away the iniquity of thy servant But now when Pharaoh was under judgments he never cryes to the Lord to take away his sins
ever before him Godly sorrow will every day follow sin hard at hells Look as a wicked man in respect of his desire and will to sin would sin for ever if he should live for ever so I may say if a godly man should live for ever he would sorrow for ever After Paul had been converted many years some think fourteen you shall find him a mourning and lamenting over his sins Rom. 7. An ingenious child will never cease mourning till he ceases from offending an indulgent father Though sin and godly sorrow were never born together yet whilst a believer lives in this world they must live together And indeed holy joy and godly sorrow are no wayes inconsistent Psal 2.11 yea a godly man's eyes are alwayes fullest of tears when his heart is fullest of holy joy c. A man may go joying and mourning to his grave yea to heaven at the same time But now the sorrow the grief of wicked men for sin 't is like a morning cloud or the early dew or the crackling of thorns under a pot or a Post that quickly passeth by or a dream that soon vanisheth or like a tale that is told c. their sorrowful hearts and mournful eyes soon dry up together As you may see in Esau Ahab Pharaoh and Judas but the streams of godly sorrow will last and run as long as sin hangs upon us and dwells in us 1 Cor. 15.9 I am the least of the Apostles that am not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God Psal 25.7 Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions David prayeth to the Lord not only to forgive but also to forget both the sins of his youth and the sins of his age David remembred all his faults both of former and of later times David was well in years when he defiled himself with Bathsheba and this he remembers and mourns over Psal 51. And 't is very observable that God charged his people for to remember old sins Deut. 9.7 Remember and forget not how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness Repentance is a grace and must have its daily operation as well as other graces witness the very covenant of grace it self Ezek. 16.62 63. I will establish my covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done Certainly a true penitent can no more satisfie himself with one act of repentance than he can satisfie himself with one act of faith or or with one act of hope or with one act of love or with one act of humility or with one act of patience or with one act of self-denial Godly sorrow is a Gospel-grace that will live and last as well and as long as other graces 't is a spring that in this life can never be drawn dry Sixthly Godly sorrow is a divorcing sorrow it divorces the heart from sin it breaks that ancient league that has been between the heart and sin It is an excellent saying of Austin He doth truly bewail the sins he hath committed who never commits the sins he hath bewailed there is a strong firm league between every sinner and his sin Isa 28.15 18. but when godly sorrow enters it dissolves that league it separates between a sinner and his sin it sets the soul at an everlasting distance from sin The union between the root and the branches the foundation and the building the head and the members the father and the child the husband and the wife the body and the soul are all neer very neer unions yet that between a sinner and his sin seems to be a neerer union Observable is the story of Phaltiel 2 Sam. 3.14 15 16. You know when David had married Michol Saul injuriously gave her to another but when David came to the crown and sent forth his Royal commands that his wife should be brought to him her husband dares not but obey brings her on her journey and then not without great reluctancy of spirit takes his leave of her But what was Phaltiel weary of his wife that he now forsakes her O no he was enforced and though she was gone yet he had many a sad thought about parting with her and he never leaves looking till he sees her as far as Baharim weeping and bemoaning her absence Just thus stands the heart of every unregenerate man towards his sins as Phaltiel's heart stood towards his wife But when the springs of godly sorrow rise in the soul the league the friendship the union that was between the sinner and his sins comes to be dissolved and broken in pieces Hosea 14.8 All godly sorrow sets the heart against sin he that divinely mourns over sin can't live in a course of sin when of all bitters God makes sin to be the greatest bitter to the soul then the soul bids an everlasting farewel to sin now the soul in good earnest bids adieu to sin for ever O Sirs ☜ this is a most certain Maxim to live and die with that either a mans sins will make an end of his mourning or else his mourning will make an end of his sin for he that holds on sinning will certainly leave off mourning no man can make a trade of sin and yet keep his heart in a mourning frame but he that holds on mourning for sin will certainly leave off the trade of sin holy grief for sin will sooner or later break off all leagues and friendships with sin Isa 59.1 2. As sin makes a separation between God and a man's soul so godly sorrow makes a separation between a man's soul and his sin All holy mournings over sin will by degrees issue in the wasting and weakning of the strength and power of sin nothing below the death and destruction of sin will satisfie that soul that truly mourns over sin But now though you may find an unsound heart sometimes a lamenting over his sins yet you shall never find him a leaving off his sins Pharaoh lamented over his sin crying out I have sinned Exod. 9.27 10.16 the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked And again Then Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron in haste and he said I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you But though you find him here lamenting and complaining over his sin yet you never find him leaving or forsaking of his sin So Saul could cry out he had sinned but yet he still continued in his sin he acknowledged that he did evil in persecuting of David and yet he still held on persecuting of him An unsound heart mourns over sin and yet he holds on in a course of sin he sins and mourns and mourns and sins and commonly all his mourning for sin does but the more imbolden him
delivered from sin 6. Concomitant of godly sorrow Sixthly Yea what zeal Zeal is an extream heat of all the affections set against sin and working strongly towards God David's zeal did eat up his sin as well as himself And Paul was as zealous in propagating the Gospel as he had been furious in persecuting of it Many mens zeal is hot and burning when scorns and reproaches are cast upon them but the penitent man's zeal is most hot and burning when Religion is scorned Saints persecuted truth endangered and the great and dreadful name of God blasphemed c. The zeal of a true penitent will carry him on in a course of godliness and in a course of mortification in spight of all the diversions and oppositions that the world the flesh and the devil can make Holy zeal is a fire that will make its way through all things that stands between God and the soul The true penitent is unchangably resolved to be hid of his sins what ever it cost him who ever escapes who ever lives he is fully determined his lusts shall die for it only remember this though zeal should eat up our sins yet it must not eat up our wisdom no more than policy should eat up our zeal Seventhly Yea what revenge The true penitent revenges himself upon himself for his sins 7. Concomitant of godly sorrow not by whips and scourges as the Papists do 1 Cor. 9.27 A penitent sinner loaths the very scars of his sins after they are healed Nazian but by buffetting the flesh and bringing it into subjection by fasting and prayer and by crossing of his lusts and loading of them with chains and by diâ—â—ding the sword of mortification against them and by with-holding from them that fuel that might feed them and by the use of all other holy exercises whereby the old man the body of sin and death may be subdued to the obedience and discipline of the Spirit of God Holy revenge will shew it self by contradicting of corrupt self and by a severe chastising and punishing of all those instruments that have been servants to the flesh as you may see by the daughters of Israel in dedicating their looking-glasses by which they had offended Exod. 38.8 to the service of the Sanctuary Acts 19.19 and as you may see by the Ephesians burning of their costly and curious books before all men Luke 7. and by Mâ—ry Magdalens wiping of Christ's feet with her hair wherewith formerly her fond and foolish lovers were inticed and intangled And the same spirit you may see working in Zacheus Luke 19.8 9. and in the Jailor Acts 16.23 24 29 30 31 33 34. And so blessed Cranmer thrust his right hand first into the fire that being the hand by which he subscribed the Popish Articles revengfully crying out This unworthy right hand this unworthy right hand as long as he could speak The common language of holy revenge is this Lord pour out all thy wrath and all thy fierce anger and all thy fiery indignation upon this lust and that lust Lord bend thy bow and shoot all the arrows of thy displeasure into the very heart of my strong corruptions Lord when wilt thou rain hell out of heaven upon this proud heart this unbelieving heart this unclean heart this worldly heart this froward heart this treacherous heart of mine c. I have read of Hannibal that when he saw a pit full of the bloud of his enemies he cryed out with much content and delight O beautiful sight So when a penitent Christian sees his spiritual enemies his strong corruptions all in a goar bloud O! how delightfully and rejoycingly does he cry out O beautiful sight O blessed sight that ever I have seen Exod. 15. When the children of Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the Sea-shore then they sang a song of praise the Application is easie O Sirs let no man deceive his own immortal soul for 't is most certain that repentance to life hath all these lively companions attending of it Sound repentance and the companions of it are born together and will live and continue together till the penitent soul changes earth for heaven grace for glory And let thus much suffice for the first part of true repentance c. The second part of true repentance lyes in confession of sin which flows out of a contrite heart I mean not a bare formal empty confession such as is common amongst the worst of sinners as that we are all sinners and stand in need of a Saviour God help us God be merciful unto us c. but of such a confession of sin as ariseth from a true sight and full sense of sin and from the due apprehensions of a righteous Law that is transgressed and a holy God that is provoked c. When tongue and heart goes together when the tongue speaks out of the abundance of the heart when the tongue is the faithful interpreter of the heart freely ingenuously and humbly acknowledging iniquity transgression and sin and the penitent judging himself worthy of death of wrath of hell and unworthy of the least mercy and favour from God c. Now such a confession as this is you shall find in repenting sinners and if you look again you shall find those persons so confessing to be under the capacity of the promise of the forgiveness of their sins c. First You shall find repenting sinners confessing their sins Ezra 9.6 O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face unto thee my God for our iniquities are increased over our head and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens Repenting sinners confess their sins c. Ver. 10. And now O our God what shall we say after this for we have forsaken thy commandements c. Psal 51.3 I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me Ver. 4. Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight Dan. 9.4 5. I prayed unto the Lord my God and made my confession and said O Lord the great and dreadful God c. We have sinned and committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments c. Ver. 8. O Lord righteousness belongeth unto thee but unto us confusion of face as at this day Luke 15.18 I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him father I have sinned against heaven and before thee Ver. 19. And am no more worthy to be called thy son c. 1 Cor. 15.9 For I am the least of all the Apostles that am not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God 1 Tim. 1.13 Who was before a blasphemer and a persecuter and injurious c. Isa 53.6 All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all I might easily
produce a hundred other Scriptures to prove that repenting sinners are confessing sinners but let these suffice c. Secondly If you please to cast your eyes upon other Scriptures you shall find these penitent confessing sinners to be expresly under the promises of the forgiveness of sins Confessing penitents are under the promises of forgiveness c. Turn to that Job 33.27 28. and ponder upon it Prov. 28.13 He that covers his sins shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh shall have mercy c. 1 John 1.9 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins Psal 22.5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord and then forgavest the iniquity of my sin Seâ—ah Levit. 26.40 41 42. If they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers with their trespass which then trespassed against me and that also they have walked contrary unto me and that I also have walked contrary unto them and have brought them into the land of their enemies if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity This will I remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember Jer. 3.12 13. Return thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord only acknowledge thine iniquity And observable is that prayer of Solomon 1 King 8 47-50 If they shall bethink themselves and repent and make supplications to thee saying we have sinned and have done perversly we have committed wickedness then hear thou their prayer and forgive thy people that have sinned against thee Qu. But what are the properties or qualifications of true penitential confession of sin Ans They are these eight that follow First 'T is free 't is voluntary not forc'd not extorted Nehemiah Ezra Job David Daniel Paul Acts 26.10 11. Ezra 9.9 Neh. 9. Daniel 9. Psal 5. Job 49.4 5. c. were free and voluntary in the confession of their sins as all know that have but read the Scripture The true penitent confesses his sins with much candour ingenuity and freedom of spirit he is as free in his confession of sin as he has been free in the commission of sin his confessions are like water which runs out of a spring with a voluntary freeness but the confessions of wicked men are like water that is forced out of a still with fire their confessions are forced and extracted meerly from sence of pain and smart or from fear of punishments c. Pharaoh never confest his sin till God brought him to the rack Exod. 10.16 1 Sam. 15.24 Num. 22 23-35 Mat. 27.3 4 5. nor Saul till he was in danger of losing his Crown and Kingdom nor Balaam till he sees the Angel stand with his drawn sword ready to slay him nor Judas till horror of conscience and the pangs of hell had surprized him and taken fast hold on him Wicked men cast out their sins by confession as Mariners do their wares in a storm wishing for them again in a calm the confessions of wicked men are commonly extorted or squeezed out either by some outward trouble or by some inward distress but penitential confession is free and ingenuous arising from an inward detestation of sin and from the contrariety of the heart to sin and therefore were there no rod no rack ho wrath no hell the true penitent would very freely and readily confess his sins when God is most free in bestowing of mercies then are they most free in confessing their iniquities Hos 14.1 2 3 4. Look as that is the best wine that flows from the grape with least pressing and as that is the best honey which drops from the honey-comb without crushing so those are the best confessions that flow that drop freely voluntarily from the soul c. Secondly True penitential confession is full as well as free That confession is not sincere that is not full Lam. 1.18 19. God loves neither halting nor mincing confessions These undid the Pharisee Luke 18.11 As penitential confessions are not extorted so they are not straitned sin must be confest in its particular species and parts all known sins must be confest fully plainly particularly as you may see by turning to these Scriptures Lev. 26.40 41 42. 19.21 Judg. 10.10 Psal 51. 1 Sam. 12.19 1 Tim. 1.13 Acts 26.10 11. Dan. 9.5 6 7 8-17 Lev. 16.21 22 c. Some there be that deny their sins with the Harlot Prov. 30.20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman she eateth and wipeth her mouth and saith I have done no wickedness And others there be that father their sins on others as Adam did Gen. 3.12 and as Eve did ver 13. and as Aaron did Exod. 32.22 and as Saul did 1 Sam. 15.22 And many there are that hide their wickedness that conceal their wickedness as that proud Pharisee did Luk. 18.11 12. That expression of the Prophet Hosea Hosea 10.13 You have plowed wickedness is rendred by the Septuagint You have concealed wickedness and indeed there is nothing more common to a wicked heart than to keep closs his sin than to cover and hide his transgressions And certainly this is that sore disease that our first parents were sick to death of almost six thousand years ago and therefore 't is no wonder if we are all infected with it Job 31.33 We are but flesh and bloud sayes one it is my nature sayes a second I cannot help it sayes a third I am not the first sayes a fourth 't was bad company drew me sayes a fifth if it be a sin I am sorry for it says a sixth if it be naught I cry God mercy sayes a seventh And thus wicked men are as hypocritical in their confessions as they are in their professions c. Man by nature is a vain glorious creature apt to boast and brag of the sins that he is free of but unwilling to confess the sins that he is guilty of There are no men so prone to conceal their own wickedness as those that are most forward to proclaim their own goodness There are many that are not ashamed to act sin who yet are ashamed to confess sin but certainly of all shame that is the most shameful shame that leads a man to hide his sins But now the true penitent he makes conscience of confessing small sins as well as great sins secret sins as well as open sins Psal 90.8 Psal 19.12 David confesses not only his great sins of murder and adultery but he confesses also his self-revenge intended against Nabal and of his knife being so neer Sauls throat when he cut off the lap of Saul's garment A true Penitent is much in confessing and lamenting over that secret pride that
secret fleshliness that secret worldliness that secret hypocrisie that secret vain glory c. that is only obvious to God and his own soul But 't is quite otherwise with wicked men for they confess their grosser sins but never observe their lesser sins they confess their open sins but never lay open their secret sins Cain confesses his murdering of his brother but never confesses his secret enmity that put him upon washing his hands in his brother's bloud Pharoah confesses his oppression of the children of Israel but he does not confess the pride of his heart nor the hardness of his heart Judas confesses his betraying of innocent blood but he never confesses his covetousness that put him upon betraying of the Lord of glory And others have confest their Apostacy who have never confest their hypocrisie that hath led them to Apostacy c. Well this is certain that those little sins those secret sins that never break a sinners sleep do often break a believers heart Thirdly As true penitential confession is full so 't is sincere 't is cordial 't is not a feigned nor a formal nor a meer verbal confession but an affectionate confession 't is a confession that has the mind the heart the soul as well as the lip in it Psal 51.31 Jer. 18.19 20. Isa 26.8 9. Ezra 9.6 Psal 38.4 Job 42.6 Luke 18.13 The penitent man's confession springs from inward impressions of grace upon his soul he heels what he confesses and his affections go along with his confessions The poor Publican smote upon his breast and confessed Look as the sick man opens his disease to his Physician feelingly affectionately and as the Client opens his case to his Lawyer feelingly affectionately so the penitent opens his case his heart to God feelingly affectionately cold careless verbal formal customary confessions are no small abominations in the eye of God Jer. 12.2 Such mens confessions will be their condemnations at last their tongues will one day cut their throats though confession to men is a work of the voice yet confession to God must be the voice of the heart Sometimes the heart alone is sufficient without the voice as you may see in Hannah 1 Sam. 1.13 14 15. but the voice is never sufficient without the heart as you may see in that Isa 29.13 Such who make confession of sin to be only a lip-labour such instead of offering the calves of their lips as the Prophet requires Hosea 14.2 do but offer the lips of calves Heart-confessions without words shall be effectual with God and carry the day in heaven when all formal verbal confessions though they are never so eloquent or excellent shall be cast as dung in sinners faces Isa 1 12-16 Mary Magdalen weeps and sighs and sobs Luke 7.38 but speaks neveâ— a word and yet by her heart-confessions she carries it with Christ as is evident by his answer to her Luke 7.48 Hâ— said unto her thy sins are forgiven thee Penitent souls confess sin feelingly but wicked mens confessions make no impressions upon them their confessions run through them as wateâ— runs through a pipe without leaving any impression at al upon the pipe Wicked men do no more taste nor relish the evil of sin the poyson of sin the bitterness of sin in any of their confessions than the pipe does taste or relish the water that runs through it Such who confess sin formally or rhetorically and yet love sin dearly heartily shall never get good by their confessions certainly such confessions will never reach the heart of God that do not reach our own hearts nor such confessions will never affect the heart of God thâ—t do not first affect our own hearts Such as speak very ill of sin with their tongues and yet secretly wish well to sin in their hearts will be found at last of all men the most miserablest But Fourthly As penitential confession is sincere and cordial Ezra 10.3 so 't is distinct and not confused The true penitent has his particular and special bills of indictment he knows his sins of omission and his sins of commission he remembers the sins that he hath most rejoyced and delighted in he can't forget the sins that have had most of his eye his ear his head his hand his heart the by-paths in which he has most walked and the transgressions by which God has been most dishonoured his conscience most wounded and his corrupt nature most pleased gratified Psal 51.3 are always before him An implicite confession is almost as bad as an implicite faith wicked men câ—mmonly confess their sins by whole-sale we are all sinners but the true penitent confesses his sins by retail Though it cant't be denied but that in some cases a general confession may be penitent Luke 18.13 as you see in the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner yet it must be granted that a true penitent can't content nor satisfie himself with a general confession And therefore David confesses his particular sins of adultery and bloud-guiltiness 1 Tim. 1.13 and Paul particularizeth his sins of blasphemy and persecution and injuriousness against the Saints And more you have of this in that Act. 26.10 11. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem and many of the Saints did I shut up in prison having received authority from the chief Priests and when they were put to death I gave my voice against them and I punished them oft in every Synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme and being exceedingly mad against them I persecuted them even unto strange Cities So Judg. 10.10 And the children of Israel cryed unto the Lord saying we have sinned against thee both because we have forsaken our God and also served Balaam We have sinned there is their general confession we have forsaken our God and also served Balaam there is their distinct and particular confession both of their Apostacy and Idolatry And so 1 Sam. 12.19 And all the people said unto Samuel pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God that we dye not for we have added unto all our sins this evil to ask us a King They were discontented with that government that the Lord had set over them and they would need be governed by a King after the mode of other Nations and this sin they confess distinctly and particularly before the Lord and Samuel And so David in that 1 Chron. 21.17 And David said unto God is it not I that commanded the people to be numbred even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed but as for these sheep what have they done Thus that princely Prophet confesses that particular sin that he then lay under the guilt of And so Zacheus makes a particular confession he does as it were point with his finger at that wrong and injustice that he had been guilty of Behold Lord half my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation
father but when he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell upon his neck and kissed him Qu. But what are the properties or qualifications of that right turning from sin which brings poor sinners within the compass of the promise of forgiveness of sins Now to this great question I shall give these four following Answers First Answer Ans 1 First That turning from sin which brings a man within the compass of the promise of forgiveness of sin is a cordial turning from sin Joel 2.12 Turn ye even to me with all your heart 2 Chron. 6.38 If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul Ver. 39. Then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication and forgive their sins Deut. 30.10 If thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul c. Jer. 3.10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart but feignedly saith the Lord. Chap. 24.7 And I will give them an heart to know me that I am the Lord and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they shall return unto me with their whole heart Wicked men are serious and cordial in their sinning and they must be as serious and cordial in their returning or they are lost and undone for ever The true penitent turns from sin with his heart with all his heart and with all his soul he is turned in good earnest from his sins whose heart is turned from his sins if the heart turns not all is naught all is stark naught he that turns from sin but not with his heart turns but feignedly partially hypocritically deceifully God is a just and a jealous God and he will never endure corrivals or copartners in the throne the heart of man a holy God will never divide with an unholy Devil The true God is a righteous God and he will never share his glory with another the true God must be served truly heartily he loves neither halting nor halving Such as divide the rooms of their souls betwixt God and sin God and Satan God and the world that swear by God and Malcham that sometimes pray devoutly and at other times curse most hideously that halt betwixt God and Baal are meer Heteroclites in Religion and such whom God abhors When a man's heart gives a bill of divorce to his sins when his heart breaks the league with sin when his heart casts it off and casts it out as an abominable thing then the heart is turned from sin really effectually c. If notwithstanding all the professions that a man makes against his sins his heart still loves them and delights in them and he will still retain them and welcom them and cleave to them and make provision for them c. his repentance is feigned and not real c. But The second Answer Secondly A true penitential turning is an universal turning Ans 2 a turning not from some sins but from all sins Ezek. 18.30 Repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions Ver. 31. Cast away from you all your transgressions 2 Cor. 7.1 Let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit Psal 119.101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way Ver. 128. I hate every false way Ezek. 14.6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel thus saith the Lord God repent and turn your selves from your idols and turn away your faces from all your abominations Chap. 18.28 Because he considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed he shall surely live he shall not die True repentance is a turning from all sin without any reservation or exception he never truly repented of any sin whose heart is not turned against every sin The true penitent casts off all the rags of old Adam he throws down every stone of the old building he will not leave a horn nor a hoof behind That which Nehemiah speaks of himself in that Neh. 13.7 8. is very observable to our purpose And I came to Jerusalem and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God and it grieved me sore but he rests not there but goes further therefore I cast forth all the houshold-stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber What should Tobiah do with a chamber therefore he not only outs Tobiah but outgoes all his stuff too Thus the true penitent when he considers all the evil that sin has done how it has taken up not only one chamber but every chamber in the soul and how it has for many years quite shut out God and Christ and the Spirit and every thing that is good he is grieved sore and so falls upon the outging of every lust being highly resolved that neither Satan nor any of his retinue shall ever find the least entertainment in his soul any more Such as are resolved against turning from any sin are horrible profane such as turn from some sins but close with others are hideous hypocrites such as turn from one sin to another or change their sins as men do their fashions are most sadly blinded and desperately deluded by Satan but such as turn not from some sins but from every sin are sincerely penitent And certainly there are very greaâ— reasons why the true penitent does turn and must turn from sin universally As First 'T is to no purpose for a man to turn from some sins if he does not turn from all his sins James 1.26 If any man seem to be religious and bridle not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this mans Religion is in vain This at first sight may seem to be a hard saying One stab at the heart kills one act of treason makes a Traitor one spark of fire sets the house on fire one flaw in a diamond spoyls the price of it one puddle if we wallow in it will defile us one head of garlick will poyson a Leopard say the Naturalists that for one fault for one fault in the tongue all a mans Religion should be counted vain and yet this you see the holy Ghost does peremptorily conclude Let a man make never so glorious a profession of Religion yet if he gives himself liberty to live in the practise of any known lust yea though it be but in a sin of the tongue his Religion is in vain and that one lust will separate him from God for ever If a Wife be never so officious to her Husband in many things and though she gives him content several wayes yet if she entertains any other Lover into his bed besides himself it will alienate his affections from her and for ever separate him from her The application is easie To turn from one sin to another is but to be tossed from one hand of the Devil to another it is
turning from sin shall find no more sweetness in that grand promise of pardon Prov. 28.13 than devils or damned spirits do Look as one sin unforgiven will as certainly undo and damn a man as a thousand so one sin unforsaken will as certainly undo and damn a man as a thousand The true penitent is as willing to turn from all his sins as he is willing that God should pardon all his sins But Eighthly and lastly There is in every penitent a sincere hatred of sin a universal hatred of sin Psal 97.10 Ye that love the Lord hate evil Prov. 8.13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil True hatred is to the whole kind Arist Amos 5.15 Hate the evil and love the good Psal 119.104 Through thy precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every false way Ver. 128. Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way Ver. 113. I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love Ver. 163. I hate and abhor lying but thy Law do I love True hatred is universal 't is of the whole kind he who hates a toad because it is a toad hates every toad he that hates a serpent because it is a serpent hates every serpent he that hates a wolf because 't is a wolf hates every wolf he that hates a man because he is holy hates every man that is holy and so he that hates sin because it is sin hates every sin and therefore he can't but turn from it and labour to be the death and ruin of it Holy hatred is an implacable and an irreconcilable affection you shall as soon reconcile God and Satan together Christ and Antichrist together heaven and hell together as you shall be able to reconcile a penitent soul and his sin together A true penitent looks upon every sin as contrary to the Law of God the nature of God the being of God the glory of God and accordingly his heart rises against it he looks upon every sin as poyson as the vomit of a dog as the mire of the street as the * Pliny saith that the very trees with touching of it would become barren menstrous cloth which of all things in the Law was most unclean defiling and polluting and this turns his heart against every sin he looks upon every sin as having a hand in apprehending betraying binding scourging condemning and murdering of his Lord and Master Jesus Christ and this works him not only to refrain from sin but to forsake it and not only to forsake it but also to abhor it and to loath it more than hell it self The penitent soul will do all he can to be the death of every sin that has had a hand in the death of his Lord and Master he looks upon the sins of his body to be the tormentors of Christ's body and the sins of his soul to be the tormentors of Christ's soul to be those that made his soul heavy to the death and that caused the withdrawings of his father's love from him and that forced him in the anguish of his soul to cry out Mat. 27.46 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And this raises up in him a universal hatred of sin and a universal hatred of sin alwayes issues in a universal turning from sin Now these eight arguments do sufficiently prove that a true penitential turning is a universal turning a turning not from some sins but from all sins But some may be ready to object Object and say Sir this is a hard saying who can hear it who can bear it John 6.60 who shall then be saved for if a man repents not unless he turns from every sin then there is not a man to be found in all the world that repents for there is not a man in all the world that turns from every sin that forsakes every sin c. 1 King 8.46 For there is no man that sinneth not Prov. 20.9 Who can say Job 9.30 31. Psal 130.3 2 Chron. 6.36 Job 14.4 Psal 51.5 Ponder upon these Scriptures c. I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin It is a question that implyes a strong denial Who can say it and say it truly that he is pure from his sin surely none He that shall say that he has made his heart clean and that he is pure from his sin sins in so saying and commonly there are none more unclean than those that say they have made their hearts clean nor none more impure than they that say they are pure from their sin Eccl. 7.20 For there is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not These words in their absolute sense are a full testimony of the imperfection of our inherent righteousness in this life and that even justified persons come very short of that exact and perfect obedience which the Law requireth James 3.2 For in many things we offend all or as the Greek has it we stumble all 'T is a metaphor taken from Travellers walking on stony or slippery ground who are very apt to stumble or slide This Apostle was worthily called James the just and yet he numbers himself among the rest of the sanctified ones that in many things offended all The Apostle does not say in many things they offend all but in many things we offend all We that have more gifts than others we that have more grace than others we that have more assurance than others we that have more experiences than others we that have more preservatives to keep us from sin than others even we in many things offend all nor the Apostle doth not say in some things we offend all but in many things we offend all the Apostle speaking not of the singular individual acts of sin but of the divers sorts of sin nor the Apostle does not say in many things we may offend all but in many things we do offend all 1 John 1.8 If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us The Apostle does not say if thou sayest thou hast no sin thou deceivest thy self as if he spake to some particular person only but if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves nor the Apostle does not say if ye say ye have no sin ye deceive your selves as if he intended weak or ordinary Christians alone but if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves we Apostles we that in all grace and in all holiness and in all spiritual enjoyments exceed and excel all others even we sin as well as others He that is so ignorant and so impudent so saucy and so silly as to say he has no sin sins in saying so and has no sincerity no integrity nor no ingenuity in him Ver. 10. If we say we have not sinned we make him a lyar and his word is not in us As much as in us lyes we make
to the bottom of the Sea as well as a hundred so one sin lived in and indulged will sink a man to the bottom of hell as well as a hundred I have read of a great Roman Captain who as he was riding in his triumphant Chariot through Rome had his eyes never off of a Curtizan that walkt along the street which made one say Behold hoâ— this great Captain that hath conquered such and such Armies is himself conquered by one silly woman There is never an Hypocrite in the world but lyes under the conquest of one base lust or another but lives under the reign and dominion of one sin or another That soul that can in sincerity of heart appeal to a heart-searching God that 't is otherwise with him viz. That he does not live nor allow himself in any one sinful way or practise that soul I dare assure in the Lord's name is no hypocrite Psal 139 23 24. Thirdly As an Hypocrites heart is never throughly subdued to a willingness to part with every lust so neither is his heart throughly subdued to a willingness to perform all known duties sometimes he is all for publick duties but makes no conscience of closet-duties or of family-duties sometimes he is all for the duties of the first Table but makes no conscience of the duties of the second Table and sometimes he is all for the duties of the second Table but makes no conscience of the duties of the first Table if he obeyes one command he willingly lives in the neglect of another if he does one duty he will be sure to cast off another as he is not willing to fall out with every sin so he is not willing to fall in with every duty An Hypocrites obedience is alwayes partial 't is never universal he still baulks or boggles with those commands that cross his lusts The Pharisees fasted Mat. 23.23 Chap. 6. prayed gave alms and paid tythes O but they omitted the weightier matters of the Law judgment mercy and faith and they were unnatural to parents and under a pâ—etence of praying Mat. 15.4 5 6. they made a prey of widows houses under a pretence of piety they exercised the greatest covetousness unrighteousness and cruelty and that upon widows who are usually the greatest objects of pity and charity they made no bones of robbing the widow under a pretence of honouring of God So Judas under a pretence of laying up for the poor robbed the poor he pretended to lay up for the poor John 12.6 After some men have made a long and high profession some one beloved lust or other which they would never let go parts Christ and them for ever but he intended only to lay up for himself and to provide against a rainy day it is probable that he had no great mind to stay long with his Lord and therefore he was resolved to make the best market he could for himself Judas being willing to set up for himself under a cloak of holiness he practises the greatest unfaithfulness Though the Eagle soars high yet still her eye is upon her prey so though Judas did soar high in profession yet his eye was still upon his prey upon his bags and so he might have it he cared not who went without it so he might be rich he did not care though his Lord and his retinue grew never so poor Judas under all his shews of sanctity had not so much as common honesty in him counterfeit holiness is often made a stalking horse to much unrighteousness but certainly it were better with the Philosopher to have honesty without Religion than to have Religion without honesty An Hypocrite may exercise himself in some outward easie ordinary duties of Religion but when shall you see an Hypocrite laying the ax to the root of the Tree or a searching and trying his own heart or severely judging his bosom sins or humbly mourning and lamenting over secret corruptions or doubling his guards about his own soul or rejoycing in the graces services or excellencies of others or striving or pressing after the highest pitches of grace holiness and communion with God or endeavouring more to cast out the beam out of his own eye than the mote out of his brother's eye or to be more severe against his own sins than against the sins of others Alas an Hypocrite is so far from practising these duties that he thinks them either superfluous or impossible An Hypocrites obedience is alwayes a limited and stinted obedience it is either limited to such commands which are most sutable to his ease safety honour profit pleasure c. or else it is limited to the outward part of the command and never extends it self to the inward and spiritual part of the command as you may see in the Scribes and Pharisees their obedience was all outward they had no regard at all to the inward and spiritual part of any command as is evident in that high charge that Christ gives in against them Mat. 5. They did not murder they did not commit adultery they had an eye to the outward part of the command but Christ charges them with unjust and adulterous thoughts unchast glances contemplative wickedness speculative uncleanness c. they having no regard at all to the inward and spiritual part of any command common grace looks only to some particular duties but saving grace looks to all Renewing grace comes off to positives as well as negatives Isa 1.16 17. Tit. 2.11 12 13. it teacheth us to cease to do evil and it learns us also to do good it teacheth us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and also to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world These words contain the sum of a Christians duty to live soberly towards our selves righteously towards our neighbours and godly towards God is true godliness indeed and the whole duty of man There is never an Hypocrite in the world that can sincerely appeal to God and say Lord Psal 119.6 Luke 1.5 6. Acts 13.22 thou knowest that my heart is subdued to a willingness to perform all known duties I would willingly do the best I can to observe all thy royal Laws Lord I unfeignedly desire and really endeavour to have an eye upon every command of thine and to live up to every command of thine and it is the real grief of my heart and the daily burden of my soul when I violate any of thy blessed Laws He that can in uprightness thus appeal to God shall never miscarry in that other world But Fourthly There is never an Hypocrite in the world that makes God or Christ or holiness or his doing or receiving good in his station relation or generation his grand end his highest end his ultimate end of living in the world pleasures profits and honours are the Hypocrites all he aims at in this world they are his Trinity which he adores and serves 1 John 2.16 and sacrificeth himself unto
world the flesh and the devil Well remember this for ever There are three things an hypocrite can never do 1. He can never mourn for sin as sin 2. He can never mourn for the sins of others as well as his own Moses Lot David Jeremiah Paul and those in that Ezek. 9.4 6. mourned for others sins as well as their own but Pharoah Ahab Judas Demas Simon Magus never did 3. He can never hate sin as sin But Eighthly No hypocrite is habitually low or little in his own eyes no hypocrite has ordinarily mean thoughts of himself 1 Cor. 8.1 2. John 7.49 9.34 or a poor esteem of himself no hypocrite loves to lessen himself to greaten Christ to debase himself to exalt Christ no hypocrite loves to be out-shin'd all hypocrites love to write an I not a Christ upon what they do The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself Luke 18.11 12 Munday and Thursday were the Pharisees fasting dayes because Moses went up to the Mount on a Thursday and came down on a Munday saith Drusius God I thank thee that I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican I fast twice in the week I give tythes of all that I possess All hypocrites stand not only upon their comparisons but also upon the disparisons I am not as this Publican All hypocrites stand much upon their negative righteousness and their comparative goodness There is no hypocrite in the world but sets down his penny for a pound and alwayes prizes himself above the Market 2 Kings 10.15 16. And when he was departed thence he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him and he saluted him and said to him Is thine heart right as my heart is with thy heart and Jehonadab answered it is if it be give me thine hand and be gave him his hand and he took him up to him into his chariot and he said come with me and see my zeal for the Lord. Comets make a greater blaze than fixed Stars Come see my zeal for the Lord. Jehu his words were for the Lord but his project was for the kingdom The Actor in the Comedy said with his mouth O coelum O heaven but with his finger he pointed to the earth Lapidaries tell us of a stone called the Chelydonian stone that it will retain its vertue no longer than it is enclosed in gold a fit emblem of an hypocrite of a Jehu John 12.43 Jehu made a great blaze but he was but a Comet An hypocrite alwayes loves the praise of men more than the praise of God he loves more to be honoured by men than to be honoured by God John 5.44 How can ye believe which receive honour one of another and seek not the honour which cometh from God only Nothing below that power which raised Christ from the grave can make an hypocrite purely nothing in his own eyes An hypocrite is alwayes a great thing in his own eyes Accius the Poet though he were a Dwarf yet would be pictured tall of stature The application to the hypocrite is easie and when he is nothing a great nothing in others eyes he can't bear it An hypocrite can't endure to be out-shin'd in gifts in graces in experiences in duties in communion with God in spiritual enjoyments An hypocrites heart is full of pride when his deportment is most humble he alwayes thinks best of himself and worst of others he looks upon his own vices as graces and he looks upon other mens graces as vices or at least as no true currant coyn A proud spirit will cast disgrace upon that excellency that himself wants Eusebius Eccl. Hist l. 4. c. 13. as Licinius who was joyned with Galerius in the Empire he was so ignorant that he was not able to write his own name he was a bitter enemy to learning and as Eusebius reports of him he called the liberal Arts a publick poyson and pestilence The emptiest barrels makes the loudest sound the worst metal the greatest noise and the lightest ears of corn hold their heads highest An hypocrite may well lay his hand upon his heart and say is it not so with me is it not just so with me But now sincere Châ—istians they are men of another spirit of another temper of another mettle of another mind their hearts lye low when their gifts and graces and spiritual enjoyments are high Abraham is but dust and ashes in his own eyes Gen. 18.27 The higher any man is in his communion with God the more low that man will be in his own eyes Dust and ashes are poor base vile worthless things and such a thing as these was Abraham in his own eyes So Jacob was a plain man Gen. 32.10 an upright man and lo what a low esteem had he of himself I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies which thou hast shewed unto thy servant c. In the Hebrew it is I am little before thy mercies for the Hebrews have no comparative Gen. 31. from ver 38. to 41. The least mercy saith Jacob is more worth than I more weighty than I and therefore they are wont to express this by a positive and a preposition When Jacob had to do with Laban he pleads his merits but when he has to do with God he pleads nothing but grace setting a very low esteem upon himself he looks upon himself as less than the least of mercies and as worse than the worst of creatures the least of my mercies are greater than I deserve and the greatest of my troubles are less than I deserve saith Jacob. The language of a plain hearted Jacob is this O Lord I might with Job have been stript of all my comforts and enjoyments at a clap and set upon a dunghil I might with Lazarus have been begging my bread from door to door Lam. 5.9 or I might have been getting my bread with the peril of my life because of the sword of the wilderness or I might have been with Dives in hell a crying out for a drop of water to cool my tongue A sincere Christian cannot tell how to speak good enough of God Luk. 16.24 nor ill enough of himself Agur was one of the wisest and holiest men on earth and see how greatly he debases himself Prov. 30.1 2. Surely I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding of a man Agur had seen Ithiel God with me and Ucal God almighty and this made him so vile and base in his own eyes this made him villifie yea nullifie himself to the utmost Job was a non-such in regard of those perfections and â—grees of grace of integrity of sanctity that he had attained to beyond any other Saints in the World in his time and day You know no man ever received a fairer or a more valuable certificate under the hand of God or the broad Seal of
of the heart Hypocrites are heartless in their cryes and therefore they cry and howl and howl and cry and all to no purpose they cry and murmur and they howl and repine they cry and blaspheme and they howl and rebel and therefore they meet with nothing from heaven but frowns and blows and disappointments Isa 29.13 Wherefore the Lord said for as much as this people draw neer me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have removed their heart far from me Ezek. 33.31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousness Though this people flocked to the Prophet in troops as men and women do to places of pleasure and though they carried it before the Prophet as if they were Saints as if they were the people of God as if they were affected with what they heard as if they were resolved to live out what the Prophet should make out to them yet their hearts run after their covetousness Though these hypocrites profest much love and kindness to the Prophet and paid him home with smooth words seemed to be much affected delighted ravished and taken with his person voice and doctrine yet they made no conscience of bringing their hearts into their duties An hypocrite may look at some outward easie ordinary duties of Religion but he never makes conscience of bringing his heart into any duties of Religion When did you ever see an hypocrite a searching of his heart or sitting in judgment upon the corruptions of his soul or lamenting and mourning over the vileness and wickedness of his spirit 'T is only the sincere Christian that is affected afflicted and wounded with the corruptions of his heart When one told blessed Bradford that he did all out of hypocrisie because he would have the people applaud him He answered It is true the seeds of hypocrisie and vain glory are in thee and me too and will be in us as long as we live in this world but I thank God it is that I mourn under and strive against How seriously and deeply did good Hezekiah humble himself for the pride of his heart 2 Chron. 32.25 out of the eater came meat out of his pride he gat humility O Sirs A sincere Christian makes it his great business to get his heart into all his Religious duties and services to get his heart into every way and work of God 2 Chron. 17.6 Psal 86.12 Jehoshaphats heart was lifted up in the wayes of the Lord. So David I 'le praise thee 2 Chron. 22.9 Cant. 3.1 2 3 4 5 6. It is reported that when the Tyrant Trajane commanded Ignatius to be ript unbowelled they found Jesus Christ written upon his heart in characters of gold here was a heart worth gold That 's the golden Christian indeed whose heart is writ upon all his duties and services O Lord with all my heart And so Psal 119.7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart Ver. 10. With my whole heart have I sought thee So Jehoshaphat he sought the Lord with all his heart Isa 26.8 The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee Vers 9. With my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within me will I seek thee early Lamen 3.41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens Rom. 1.9 For God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son Pauls very spirit his very soul was in his service Phil. 3.3 For we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Rom. 7.22 I delight in the Law of God after the inward man Ver. 25. With the mind I my self serve the Law of God A sincere Christian is alwayes best when his heart is in his work and when he can't get his heart into his duties Oh how does he sigh and groan and complain and mourn at the foot of God Lord my tongue has been at work and my head has been at work and my parts have been at work and my eyes and hands have been at work but where has my heart been this day Oh it is and must be for a sore and sad lamentation that I have had so little of my heart in that service that I have tendered to thee This is the daily language of an upright heart But now all the work of an hypocrite is to get his golden parts into his duties and his silver tongue into his duties and his nimble head into his duties but he never makes conscience of getting his heart into his duties If any beasts sacrificed by Heathens who ever lookt narrowly into the intrails was found without heart this was held ominous and construed as very prodigious to the person for whom it was offered as it fell out in the case of Julian Hypocrites are alwayes heartless in all the sacrifices they offer to God and this will one day prove ominous and prodigious to them But Eleventhly An hypocrite never performes religious duties from spiritual principles nor in a spiritual manner An hypocrite is never inclined moved and carried to God to Christ to holy duties by the power of a new and inward principle of grace working a sutableness between his heart and the things of God An hypocrite rests himself satisfied in the meer external acts of Religion though he never feels any thing of the power of Religion in his own soul An hypocrite looks to his words in prayer and to his voice in prayer and to his gestures in prayer but he never looks to the frame of his heart in prayer An hypocrites heart is never toucht with the words his tongue utters an hypocrites soul is never divinely affected delighted or graciously warmed with any duty he performs An hypocrites spiritual performances never flow from spiritual principles nor from a heart universally sanctified though his works may be new yet his heart remains old his new practises alwayes spring from old principles and this will prove the hypocrites bane Vide Isa 1.10 to 16. as you may see in that Isa 1.15 When you spread forth your hands to heaven I will hide my eyes and when you make many prayers when you abound in duty adding prayer to prayer as the Hebrew runs I will not hear your hands are full of blood These were unsanctified ones their practises were new Mat. 6. chap. 23 Luke 18. but their hearts were old still The same you may see in the Scribes and Pharisees who fasted prayed and gave alms but their hearts were not changed renewed sanctified nor principled from above and this proved their eternal bane Nicodemus was a man of great note name John 3.4 No man can understand
spiritual mysteries by carnal reason and fame among the Pharisees and he fasted and prayed and gave alms and paid tythes c. and yet a meer stranger to the new birth Regeneration was a paradox to him How can a man be born when he is old can he enter the second time into his mothers womb and be born This great Doctor was so great a Dunce that he understood no more of the doctrine of Regeneration than a meer child does the darkest precepts of Astronomy 1 Cor. 2.14 Look as water can rise no higher than the spring from whence it came so the natural man can rise no higher than nature An hypocrite may know much and pray much and hear much and fast much and give much and obey much and all to no purpose because he never manages any thing he does in a right manner he never carries on his work from inward principles of faith fervency life love delight c. Will the hypocrite delight himself in the Almighty Ans No he cannot delight himself in the Almighty Job 27.10 Job speaks of the hypocrite as is evident ver 8. 1. To delight in God is one of the highest acts of grace and how can an hypocrite put forth one of the highest acts of grace who hath no grace An hypocrite may know much of God and talk much of God and make a great profession of God and be verbally thankful to God but he can never love God nor trust in God nor delight in God nor take up his rest in God c. 2. An hypocrite knows not God and how then can he delight in that God whom he does not know An hypocrite has no inward saving transforming experimental affectionate practical knowledge of God and therefore he can never take any pleasure or delight in God 3. There is no sutableness between an hypocrite and God and how then can an hypocrite delight himself in God There is the greatest contrariety imaginable 'twixt God and an hypocrite God is light and the hypocrite is darkness 2 Cor. 6.15 16 God is holiness and he filthiness God is righteousness and he unrighteousness God is fulness and he emptiness Now what complacency can there be where there is such an utter contrariety 4. Every hypocrites heart is full of enmity against God and how then can he delight himself in God The carnal mind is enmity against God Rom. 8.7 To delight in God is Christianorum propria virtus saith Hierom. for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be The best part of an hypocrite is not only averse but utterly adverse to God and all goodness The Eagle saith the Philosopher hath a continual enmity with the Dragon and the Serpent And so an hypocrites heart is still full of enmity against the Lord and therefore he can never delight himself in the Lord. 5. The stream cream and strength of an hypocrites delight runs out to himself and to this lust or that to this relation or that to this creature-comfort or that to this worldly enjoyment or that or else to arts parts gifts priviledges c. and therefore how can he delight himself in the Almighty An Hypocrite alwayes terminates his delight in something on this side God Christ and Heaven Look as the Apricock-tree though it leans against the wall yet it is fast rooted in the earth so though an hypocrite may lean towards God and towards Christ and towards heaven yet his delight is still rooted fast in one creature-comfort or another c. Mark 6. God nor Christ is never the adequate object of an hypocrites delight An hypocrite is never principled to delight himself in a holy God neither can he cordially divinely habitually delight himself in holy duties An hypocrite may reform many evil things and he may do many good duties and yet all this while it is only his practises but not his heart or principles that are changed and altered Mark though an hypocrite hath nothing in him which is essential to a Christian as a Christian yet he may be the compleat resemblance of a Christian in all those things which are not essential to him An hypocrite in all the externals of Religion may be the compleat picture of a sincere Christian but then if you look to his principles and the manner of his managing of holy duties there you will find him lame and defective and as much unlike a sincere Christian 1 Sam. 19.13 16. as ever Michal's Image was unlike to David and this will prove the great crack the great break-neck of hypocrites at last O Sirs It is considerable that outward motives and natural principles have carried many Heathens to do many great and glorious things in the world Did not Sisera do as great things as Gideon the difference did only lye here that the great things which Gideon did he did from more spiritual principles and raised considerations than any Sisera was acted by Heb. 11. And did not Diogenes trample under his feet the great and glorious things of this world as well as Moses The difference did only ly in this that Moses trampled under his feet the gay and gallant things of this world from inward gracious principles viz. faith love c. and from high and glorious considerations viz. heaven the glory of God c. whereas Diogenes did only trample upon them from poor low prineiples and from meer outward carnal external considerations The favour of men the eye of men the commendations of men the applause of men and a great name among men were golden apples great things among the Philosophers The application is easie Mark A sincere Christian he looks to the manner as well as to the matter of his duties he acts and performs duties not only from strength of parts and acquired qualifications but from strength of grace and infused habits Rom. 11.24 Ezek. 36.25 Jer. 31.33 Rom. 3.5 2 Cor. 5.19 2 Pet. 1.4 Eph. 3.17 2 Cor. 13.5 he acts from God and for God he acts from a new heart he acts from the Law written in his heart he acts from the love of God shed abroad in his heart he acts from the divine nature communicated to him he acts from the spirits in-dwelling in his heart he acts from the fear of God establishing his heart These be the springs and principles of a sincere Christians spiritual life and actions and where they act and bear rule it is no wonder if such motions and performances as the world may admire but not imitate Sauls life after his conversion was a kind of constant miracle 2. Cor. 11. so much he did and so much he suffered and so much he denyed himself that if he lived in these dayes his life would be a miracle but yet if we consider the principles that he was acted by the great wonder will be not that he did so much but that he did no more Gal. 2.20 For saith he
Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Fox Acts and Monum It was a great saying of blessed Bradford That he could not leave a duty till he had found communion with Christ in the duty till he had brought his heart into a duty-frame he could not leave confession till he had found his heart touched broken and humbled for sin nor petition till he had found his heart taken with the beauties of the things desired and carried out after them nor could he leave thanksgiving till he had found his spirit enlarged and his soul quickned in the return of praises And it was a great saying of another that he could never be quiet till he found God in every duty Nunquam abs te absque te â—ecedo Bern. Meditat and enjoyed communion with God in every prayer O Lord said he I never come to thee but by thee I never go from thee without thee A sincere Christian that is taken with Christ above all can't be satisfied nor contented with duties or ordinances without he enjoyes Christ in them who is the life soul and substance of them But now hypocrites they do duties but all they do is from common principles from natural principles and from an unsanctified heart and that marrs all Remigius a Judge of Lorraigne tells this story That the Devil in those parts did use to give money to Witches Preston's four Treatises which did appear to be good coyn it seemed to be currant at first but being laid up a while it then appeared to be nothing but leaves Hypocrites they make a great profession and are much in the outward actions of Religion they make a very fair shew they hear they read they pray they fast they sing Psalms and they give alms But these duties being not managed from a principle of divine love nor from a principle of spiritual life nor from a sanctified frame of heart turn all into leaves they are all lost and the Authors of them cast and undone for ever and ever But Twelfthly No hypocrite in the world loves the Word or delights in the Word or prizes the Word as 't is a holy Word a spiritual Word a beautiful Word a pure Word Luther said he would not live in Paradise if he might without the Word but with the Word he could live in hell it self a clean Word Psal 119.140 Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it There are no hearts but men after God's own heart that can love the Word and delight in the Word and embrace the Word for its holiness purity and spirituality witness Paul Rom. 7.12 Wherefore the Law is holy and the Commandement holy and just and good Well and what then why saith he Ver. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man But is this all No saith he Ver. 25. With the mind I my self serve the Law of God Holy Paul delights in the Law as holy and serves the Law as holy just and good A sincere heart is the only heart that is taken with the Word for its spirituality purity and heavenly beauty None can joy in the Word as it is a holy Word nor none can taste any sweetness in the Word as 't is a pure Word but sincere Christians Psal 19.8 9 10. The statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart These several Titles Law Statutes Testimony Commandements Judgments are used promiscuously for the whole Word of God commonly distinguished into Law and Gospel The commandements of the Lord is pure enlightning the eyes The fear of the Lord is clean that is the doctrine of the Word that teacheth the true fear of God enduring for ever The judgments of the Lâ—rd are true and righteous altogether more to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also than honey and the honey comb or as the Hebrew hath it Sweeter than the droppings of honey combs The Word of God as it is a pure Word a spiritual Word a clean Word a holy Word so it rejoyces a sincere heart and so it is sweeter than the very droppings of honey combs The Word as it is a pure Word a holy Word is more sweet to a sincere Christian than those drops which drop immediately and naturally without any force or art which is counted the purest and sweetest honey There is no profit nor pleasure nor joy to that which the purity of the World yields to a sincere heart Psal 119.48 My hands will I lift up to thy commandements which I have loved Sometimes the lifting up of hands betokens admiration when men are astonished and ravished they lift up their hands I will lift up my hands to thy commandements that is I will admire the goodness spiritualness holiness righteousness purity and excellency of thy commandements Luther would not take all the world for one leaf of the Bible he took such sweet pleasure and excellent delight in it Rabbi Chiia in the Jerusalem Talmud sayes That in his account all the world is not of equal value with one word out of the Law Mr. Fox The Martyrs would have given a load of Hay for a few Chapters of the Bible in English Some of them gave five marks for a Bible they were so delighted and taken with the Word as it was a holy Word a pure Word a spiritual Word Dolphins they say love musick and so do sincere Christians love the musick of the Word It 's upon record that Mary spent the third part of her time in reading the Word she was so affected and delighted with the holiness and purity of it King Edward the sixth being about to lay hold on something that was above the reach of his short arm one that stood by espying a boss'd Bible lying on the Table offered to lay that under his feet to heighten him Sir John Hayward in vita but the good young King disliked the motion and instead of treading it under his feet he laid it to his heart to express the joy and delight that he took in the holy Word But now neâ—er did any hypocrite since there was one in the world ever love God as a holy God or love his people as a holy people or love his wayes as holy wayes or love his word as a holy word There is no hypocrite in the world that can truly say with David Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it Saul could never say so nor Ahab could never say so nor Herod could never say so nor Judas could never say so nor Demas could never say so nor Simon Magus could never say so nor the Scribes and Pharisees could never say so nor the Stony ground could never say so nor Isaiah's hypocrites could never say so 'T is true Isa 58. some of these did rejoyce in the Word and
delight in the Word but not as it was a holy Word a pure Word for then they would have rejoyced and delighted themselves in the whole Word of God every part of God's Word being pure and holy Hypocrites are sometimes affected and delighted with the Word as it is drest up with fine high notions which are but mysterious nothings they are taken with the Word as it is cloathed with arts parts and elegancy of phrase they are pleased with the Word as it is apparelled with a spruce wit or with silken expressions or with some delicate elocution Ezek. 33.32 So thou art to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument or as the Hebrew may be read Thou art as one that breaks jests These hypocrites lookt upon the solemnity and Majesty of the Word but as a dry jest the Prophet being eloquent and having a pleasing delivery they were much taken with it and it was as sweet and delightful to them as a fit of musick but they were not at all taken or delighted with the spirituality purity and holiness of the Word as is evident in ver 31. And they come unto thee as the people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousness It was a very smart reproof of Chrysostom Chrysost to his Hearers This is that saith he which is like to undo your souls you hear your Ministers as so many minstrels to please the ear not to pierce the conscience Augustin confesseth that the delight which he took before his conversion in Saint Ambroses Sermons was more for the eloquence of the words than the substance of the matter Hypocrites are taken more with the wit eloquence of speech action quickness of fancy smoothness of stile neatness of expression and rareness of notion than they are with the spirituality purity and holiness of the Word which they either hear or read These hypocrites are like those children who are more taken with the fine flowers that are strewed about the dish than they are with the meat that is in the dish and that are more taken with the red weeds and blew bottles that grow in the field than they are with the good corn that grows there But now look as the prudent Farmer is taken more with a few handfuls of sound corn than he is with all the gay weeds that be in the field so a sincere Christian is more taken with a few sound truths in a Sermon than he is taken with all the strong lines and high strains and flourishes of wit or than he is taken with some new coyned phrases or some quaint expressions or some seraphical notions with which a Sermon may be deckt or drest up Some are taken with the Word as the profession of it brings in customers into their Shops and keeps up their credits in the world others are taken with the Word as it seems to tickle their ears and please their fancies Some are affected with Sermons because of the elegancy of the stile delicacy of the words smoothness of the language and gracefulness of the delivery And these deal by Sermons as many do by their Nosegays that are made up of many pickt sweet flowers who after they have smelt to them a while cast them into a corner and never mind them more so these after they have commended a Sermon after they have highly applauded a Sermon they cast away the Sermon they smell to the Sermon if I may so speak and say it is sweet it is sweet and presently they throw it by as a Nosegay that is withered and of no further use But now a sincere heart savours the Word and relishes the Word and is affected and taken with the Word as it is a holy Word a spiritual Word a pure Word which the most refined hypocrite under heaven never was affected or taken with nor can be whilst hypocrisie keeps the throne in his soul But Thirteenthly and lastly An hypocrite can't endure to be tryed and searcht and laid open an hypocrite hates the light and had rather go to hell in the dark than come to be weighed in the ballance of the Sanctuary John 3.20 A soul-searching Ministry is to an hypocrite a tormenting Ministry that 's no man for his money that will never let his conscience alone he knows he is like a velvet saddle velvet without and straw within he knows he is like a whited supulcher Mat. 23.27 28. glorious without and dead bones within and therefore his heart rises and swells against such a man and such a Ministry that is all for the anatomizing and laying of him open to himself and to the world But now look as pure gold fears neither fire nor furnace neither test nor touchstone neither one ballance nor another so a sincere heart dares venture it self upon tryal yea upon the very tryal of God himself Psal 139.23 Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts A sincere Christian prayes his friends to search him and he prayes soul-searching Ministers to search him but above all he begs hard of God to search him See Job 31.5 6 Search me O God The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Imperat Kal he commands God to search him The original word signifies a strict curious diligent search A sincere Christian is very willing and desirous that God should throughly search him that God should search into every corner and cranny of his heart Psal 26.2 Examine me O Lord and prove me try my reins and my heart Every word here has its weight Examine me O Lord. The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifiâ—s to melt and so to try which makes the most intrinsecal and eâ—act discovery O Lord let my heart and reins be melted that it may be known what metal they are made of whether gold or tin Prove me The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to view as when a man gets upon some high Tower or Hill to see all from thence Mount aloft O Lord take the high Tower take the Hill that thou mayest see what is in me try me and know my thoughts The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nasah which properly signifies to take away and is applied to Abrahams taking away of his son Gen. 22.1 Lord saith the Prophet if upon searching and examining of me thou shalt find any sin any creature any comfort any enjoyment that lyes in thy room take it away that thou mayest be all in all to me A sincere Christian knows that God never brings a pair of scales to weigh his graces but only a touch-stone to try the truth of his graces he knows if his gold his grace be true Mat. 12.20 though it be never so
of Refuge But The second Royal Fort that Christians should have their eys their hearts fixed upon Imputed righteousness seem◠to be prefigured by the skins wherewith the Lord after the full cloathed our first parents The bodies of the beasts were for sacrifice the skins to put them in mind that their own righteousness was like the fig-leaves imperfect that therefore they must be justified another way whether their graces or gracious evidences sparkle and shine or are clouded and obscured is the Mediatory righteousness of Christ Beloved there is a twofold righteousness in Christ First there is his essential and personal righteousness as God Now this essential personal righteousness of Christ cannot be imputed to us But then there is Secondly his Mediatory righteousness that is that righteousness which he wrought for us as Mediator whereby he did subject himself to the preceptt to the penalties commands curses answering both Gods vindictive and rewarding justice This is communicated to us and made ours by virtue of which we stand recti in curia justified in God's sight The Mediatory righteousness of Christ is the matter of our justification Now this Mediatory righteousness of Christ includes First the habitual holiness of his person in the absence of all sin and in the rich and plentiful presence of all holy and requisite qualities Secondly the actual holiness of his life and death by obedience By his active obedience he perfectly fulfilled the commands of the Law and by his passive obedience his voluntary sufferings he satisfied the penalty and commination of the Law for transgressions Mark that perfect satisfaction to divine justice in whatsoever it requires either in way of punishing for sin or obedience to the Law made by the Lord Jesus Christ God and Man the Mediator of the new Covenant Osiander was of opinion that men were justified by the essential righteousness of Christ as God which opinion is largely confuted by Calvin in his Institutions as a common head representing all those whom the Father hath given to him and made over unto them that believe in him This is that righteousness that is imputed to us in justification No other righteousness can justifie us before the throne of God Look as Christ was made sin for us only by imputation so we are made righteous only by the imputation of his righteousness to us as the Scripture clearly evidences 2 Cor. 5.21 He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Jer. 23.6 The Lord our righteousness A soul truly sensible of his own unrighteousness would not have this sentence The Lord our righteousness blotted out of the Bible for ten thousand thousand worlds 1 Cor. 1.30 Christ Jesus is made unto us of God wisdom righteousness c. And pray how is Christ made righteousness to the believer Not by way of infusion but imputation not by putting righteousness into him but by putting a righteousness upon him even his own righteousness by the imputing his merit his satisfaction his obedience unto them through which they are accepted as righteous unto eternal life Rom. 5.19 As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Christ's righteousness is his in respect of inhesion but it is ours in respect of imputation his righteousness is his personally but ours meritoriously Look as there is a true and real union between us and Christ so there is a real imputation of Christ's righteousness to us And a gracious soul triumphs more in the righteousness of Christ imputed than he would have done if he could have stood in the righteousness in which he was created This is the crowning comfort to a sensible and understanding soul that he stands righteous before a judgment-seat in that full exact perfect compleat matchless spotless pearless and most acceptable righteousness of Christ which is imputed to him The righteousness of Christ is therefore called the righteousness of God Rom. 3.21 22. Rom. 10.3 Phil. 3.9 because it is it which God hath designed and which God doth accept for us in our justification and for and in which he doth acquit and pronounce us righteous before his seat of justice Luthers great fear was that when he was dead this glorious doctrine of free justification by the righteousness of Christ would be sent packing out of the world That we are freely justified by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us is the very Basis foundation and state of Christian Religion whereby it is distinguished from all other Religions whatsoever Jews Turks Pagans and Papists explode an imputed righteousness yea Papists jeer it calling it a putative righteousness Well Sirs remember this once for all viz. That the Mediatory righteousness of Christ is the life of your souls and will afford you these most admirable comforts First In this righteousness there is enough to satisfie the justice of God to the utmost farthing The Mediatory righteousness of Christ is so perfect so full so exact so compleat and so fully satisfactory to the justice of God as that divine justice cryes out I have enough and I require no more I have found a ransom and I am fully pacified towards you Ezek. 16.62 63. But Secondly This Mediatory righteousness of Christ takes away all our unrighteousness it cancels every bond it takes away all iniquity and answers for all our sins Lord Isa 53. Col. 2.12 13 14 15. here are my sins of omission and here are my sins of commission but the righteousness of Christ hath answered for them all here are my sins against the Law and here are my sins against the Gospel and here are my sins against the offers of grace the tenders of grace the strivings of grace the bowels of grace but the righteousness of Christ hath answered for them all When a cordial was offered to one that was sick O said he the cordial of cordials which I daily take is this The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sins O Sirs 1 Joh. 1.7 it would be high blasphemy for any to imagine that there should be more demerit in sin Rom. 8.1 33 34 35. in any sin in all sin to condemn a believer than there is merit in Christ's righteousness to absolve him to justifie him But Thirdly This righteousness of Christ presents us perfectly righteous in the sight of God It is that pure fine white linnen garment whereby our nakedness is covered before the face of God And to her was granted that is to the Lambs wife that she should be arrayed in fine linnen Rev. 19.8 clean and white for the fine linnen is the righteousness of Saints or the righteousnesses or justifications of Saints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Greek is plural Some by righteousnesses understand the righteousness of Christ imputed and the righteousness of Christ imparted but I rather close
with those who say it is an Hebraism the plural righteousnesses noting that most perfect compleat absolute righteousness which Christ is pleased to put upon his people Upon the account of this righteousness of Christ the Church is said to be without spot or wrinkle Eph. 5.27 and to be all fair Thou art all fair my love Cant. 4.7 Col. 2.10 there is no spot in thee And to be compleat And ye are compleat in him which is the head of all principality â—nd power Rev. 14.5 And to be without fault They are without fault before the throne of God And so Col. 1.21 And to present us holy and unblamable and unreprovable in the sight of God But Fourthly This righteousness of Christ will answer to all the fears doubts and objections of your souls How shall I look up to God the Answer is in the righteousness of Christ How shall I have any communion with a holy God in this world the Answer is in the righteousness of Christ How shall I find acceptance with God the Answer is in the righteousness of Christ How shall I dye the Answer is in the righteousness of Christ How shall I stand before a Judgment-seat the Answer is in the righteousness of Christ Your sure and only way under all temptations fears conflicts doubts and disputes is by faith to remember Christ That was a rare speech of Luther Ipsâ— videret ubi anima mea mansura sit qui pro ea sic solicitus fuit ut vitam pro ea posuerit let him see to it where my soul shall rest who took so much care for it as that he laid down his life for it and the sufferings of Christ as your Mediator and Surety and say O Christ thou art my sin in being made sin for me and thou art my curse in being made a curse for me or rather I am thy sin and thou art my righteousness I am thy curse and thou art my blessing I am thy death and thou art my life I am the wrath of God to thee and thou art the love of God to me I am thy hell and thou art my heaven O Sirs if you think of your sins and of God's wrath if you think of your guiltiness and of God's justice your hearts will fail you and sink into despair if you don't think of Christ if you don't rest and stay your souls upon the Mediatory righteousness of Christ But Fifthly and lastly The righteousness of Christ is the best title that you have to shew for a Kingdom that shakes not Heb. 12.28 1 Pet. 1.3 4 5. 2 Cor. 5.1 2 3 4. for riches that corrupt not for an inheritance that fadeth not away and for an house not made with hands but one eternal in the heavens The righteousness of Christ is your life your joy your comfort your crown your confidence your heaven your all and therefore whether your graces or gracious evidences do sparkle and shine or are clouded or blotted yet still keep a fixed eye and an awakned heart upon the Mediatory righteousness of Jesus Christ for that 's the righteousness by which you may happily live comfortably die and boldly appear before a Judgment-seat But The third Royal Fort that Christians should have their eyes their hearts fixed upon whether their graces or gracious evidences sparkle and shine or are obscured and clouded is the Covenant of grace The Covenant of grace is a new compact or agreement which God hath made with sinful man out of his own meer mercy and grace Deut. 4.23 Isa 55.3 54.7 8 9 10. Jer. 31.31 Psal 50.5 c. Hos 14.4 Tit. 3.6 Eph. 1.5 6 7. Chap. 2.5 7 8. Rom. 9.18 23. Jer. 32.38 39 40 41. Ezek. 36.25 26 27. wherein he undertakes both for himself and for faln man wherein he engages himself to make faln man everlastingly happy All mankind had been eternally lost and God had lost all the glory of his mercy for ever had he not of his own free-grace and mercy made such an agreement with sinful man This Covenant is called a Covenant of grace because it flows from the meer grace and mercy of God There was nothing out of God nor nothing in God but his meer mercy and grace that moved him to enter into Covenant with poor sinners In the Covenant of grace there are two things considerable First the Covenant that God makes for himself to us which consists of these Branches 1. That he will be our God 2. That he will give us a new heart a new spirit 3. That he will not turn away his face from us from doing of us good 4. That he will put his fear into our hearts 5. That he will cleanse us from all our filthiness and from all our Idols 6. That he will rejoyce over us to do us good Secondly here is the Covenant which God doth make for us to himself which consists in these things 1. That we shall be his people 2. That we shall fear him for ever 3. That we shall walk in his Statutes keep his Judgments and do them 4. That we shall not depart from him Upon many accounts I may not enlarge on these things but by these short hints 't is evident that the Covenant of grace is an entire Covenant made by God both for himself and for us O Sirs in the Covenant of grace God stands engaged to give whatsoever he requires 1 Chron. 28.9 First He requires us to know him and he has engaged himself that we shall know him Jer. 24.7 I will give them a heart to know me that I am the Lord. And Jer. 31.34 They shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them Heb. 8.11 But Secondly The Lord frequently requires his people to trust in him Psal 62.8 Isa 26.4 2 Chron. 20.20 And he has engaged himself that his people shall trust in him Zeph. 3.12 I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. But Thirdly The Lord frequently commands his people to fear him Deut. 6.13 Chap. 8.6 And he has engaged himself that they shall fear him Jer. 32.40 I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me Hos 3.5 They shall fear the Lord and his goodness But Fourthly The Lord frequently commands his people to love him Deut. 11.1 Psal 31.23 O love the Lord all ye his Saints And he has promised and engaged himself that his people shall love him Deut. 30.6 The Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul But Fifthly The Lord frequently commands his people to call upon him and to pray unto him Psal 50.15 1 Thes 5.17 c. And he has promised and engaged himself to pour upon them a spirit of prayer Zech. 12.10 I will pour upon the house of
is the great Charter the Magna Charta of all your spiritual priviledges and immunities Now in this great Charter the Lord declares That sincerity shall go for perfection Luke 1.5 6. Acts 13.22 2 Chron 3â— â—8 19 20. In this great Charter the Lord hath declared That he judges his people by the standing bent and frame of their hearts and not by what they are under some pangs of passion or in an hour of temptation In this great Charter the Lord declares That his eye is more upon his peoples inward disposition than 't is upon their outward actions and that his eye is more upon their will 2 Cor. 8.12 Phil. 2.13 than 't is upon their work In this great Charter the Covenant of grace the Lord hath declared That he will not forsake his people nor cast off his people Ponder much upon Jer. 31.31 to 38. because of those failings and weaknesses that may and do attend them 1 Sam. 12.22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people He chose you for his love and he still loveth you for his choice God will rather pity his people under their weakness than he will reject them for their weakness The Covenant of grace that God hath made with his people is as the Covenant that a man makes with his Wife I will betroth thee unto me for ever saith the Lord. Hos 2.19 20. Jer. 3.13 Turn O back-sâ—iding children saith the Lord for I am married unto you Now a man will never reject his Wife he will never cast off his Wife for those common weaknesses and infirmities that daily attends her no more will the Lord cast off his people because of the infirmities that daily hang upon them In this great Charter the Covenant of grace the Lord declares that he will require no more than he gives and that he will give what he requires and that he will accept what he gives and what can a God say more and what can a gracious soul desire more O Sirs when all is cloudy over head and all dark within doors when a Christians graces are not transparent when his evidences for heaven are soiled and blotted and when neither heart nor house are as they should be 't is good then to turn to the Covenant grace and to dwell upon the Covenant of grace Thus David did 2 Sam. 23.5 Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow Let me give a little light into the words Although my house be not so with God Though David in the main had a good heart yet he had but a wicked house Absalom had slain his Brother rebelled against his Father and lay with his Fathers Concubines And Amnon had defloured his Sister c. Now David under a deep sense of all this wickedness and of his own personal unworthiness sadly sighs it out Although my house be not so with God c. though I have not walked so exactly and perfectly as I shold have done though neither I nor my house have walked answerable to those great mercies and singular kindnesses of God that have been extended to us Yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant The word everlasting hath two acceptations it doth denote 1. Sometimes a long duration Vide Isa 55.3 Gen. 17.7 Psal 105.9 10 Isa 61.8 Heb. 13.20 in which respect the old Covenant clâ—athed with figures and ceremonies is called everlasting because it was to endure and did endure a long time â— Sometimes it denotes a perpetual duration a duration which shall last for ever In this respect the Covenant of grace is everlasting it shall never cease never be broken nor never be alteâ—ed Now the Covenant of grace is an everlasting Covenant in a twofold respect First Ex parte soederantis in respect of God who will never break Covenant with his people but is their God and will be their God for ever and ever Psal 48.14 For this God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide even unto death I and after death too for this is not to be taken exclusive he will never leave his people nor forsake his people Heb. 13.5 6. Secondly Ex parte confoederatorum in respect of the people of God who are brought into Covenant and shall continue in Covenant for ever and ever You have both these expressed in that excellent Scripture Jer. 32.40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Seriously dwell upon the place it shews that the Covenant is everlasting on God's part and also on our part On God's part I will never turn away from them to do them good and on our part They shall never depart from me How so I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me even that fear spoken of in ver 39. That they may fear me for ever Ordered in all things O! what head can conceive or what tongue can express that infinite counsel wisdom love care and tenderness that the blessed God has exprest in ordering the Covenant of grace so as it may most and best suit to all the wants and straits and necessities and miseries and desires and longings of poor sinners souls The Covenant of grace is so well ordered by the unsearchable wisdom of God that you may find in it remedies to cure all your diseases and cordials to comfort you against all your faintings Isa 40.28 Psal 147.5 and a spiritual armoury to arm you against all your enemies viz. the world the flesh and the devil Dost thou O distressed sinner want a loving God a compassionate God a reconciled God a sin pardoning God here thou mayest find him in the Covenant of grace Dost thou want a Christ to counsel thee by his wisdom and to cloath thee with his righteousness and to adorn thee with his grace here thou mayest find him in a Covenant of grace Dost thou want the Spirit to enlighten thee to teach thee to convince thee to awaken thee to lead thee to cleanse thee to cheer thee and to seal thee up to the day of redemption Eph. 1.13 here thou mayest find him in a Covenant of grace Dost thou want grace or peace or rest or quiet or content or comfort or satisfaction here thou mayest find it in a Covenant of grace God has laid into the Covenant of grace as into a common store all those things that sinners or Saints can either beg or need Look as that is a well ordered Commonwealth where there are no wholsom Laws wanting to govern a people and where there are no wholsom remedies
that are in the soul faith is as the spring in the watch that moves the wheels not a grace stirs till faith sets it at work What is said of Solomons vertuous woman viz. Prov. 31.15 27 Heb. 11. Rom. 4.3 8.24 Zech. 12.10 That she sets all her Maidens to work is most true of faith faith sets all the graces in the soul at work We love as we believe and we obey as we believe and we hope as we believe and we joy as we believe and we mourn as we believe and we repent as we believe all graces keep time and pace with faith c. Now when your graces are most shining and your evidences for heaven are most sparkling O then give faith elbow-room give faith full scope to exercise it self upon the Lord Jesus Adams obedience to innocency was not more pleasing and delightful to God than the exercise of your faith on the Lord Jesus will be at such a time pleasing and delightful to him you are to look upon all your graces and gracious evidences as your highest encouragement to a lively cheerful 1 Joh. 5.13 Rom. 1.17 and resolute acting of faith upon the person of Christ the righteousness of Christ c. All a Christians graces and all his gracious evidences should be but as a golden bridge Gen. 45.19 21 27. or as Josephs wagons a means to pass his soul over to Christ afresh by a renewed exercise of faith When your graces and gracious evidences are most splendent then be sure that Christ be found lying as a bundle of myrrhe between your breasts and all is well and will be well Dear Christians Cant. 1.12 when your eyes are fixt upon inherent righteousness Plutarch in the life of Phocion tells us of a certain gentle-woman of Ionia who shewed the wife of Phocion all the rich jewels and precious stones she had She answered her again all my riches and jewels is my Husbands This is more applicable to Christ c. The precious stone Opalum is said to have the vertue of all stones the brightness of the Carbuncle the purple colour of the Amethist the amiable greenness of the Emerald but what are all these to Christ and upon your gracious evidences then let your hearts be firmly fixt upon the Lord Jesus Christ and his imputed righteousness Pauls eye was fixt upon his grace upon his better part Rom. 7.22 I delight in the Law of God after the inward man Ver. 25. And with my mind I serve the Law of God And yet at the very same time his heart was set upon Christ and taken up with Christ Ver. 25. I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ Though Paul had an eye to his noble part his better part his regenerate part yet at the same time his heart was taken up with the Lord Jesus Christ as freeing of him from the curse of the Law the dominion of sin the damnatory power of sin and as translating of him into the glorious liberty of the sons of God I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ So in Col. 2.2 3. You have their eyes fixt upon grace and at the same time their hearts fixt upon Christ That their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God and of the father and of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Their eyes were upon grace but their hearts were taken up with Christ So in Phil. 3.8 The Apostle had his eye upon the excellent knowledge of Christ But Ver. 9. his heart is taken up with the righteousness of Christ That I might be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith Though Paul had his eye upon grace upon inherent righteousness yet in the very presence of his grace his heart was taken up with Christ and with his imputed righteousness as is evident in the Text. This is your glory Christians in the presence and sight of all your graces and gracious evidences to see the free grace of Christ and his infinite spotless matchless and glorious righteousness to be your surest sweetest highest and choicest comfort and refuge Look as Rebkekah was more taken with the person of Isaac than she was with his ear-rings Gen. 24.30 53 64 65 66 67. bracelets jewels of silver and jewels of gold So it becomes a Christian in the presence of his graces and gracious evidences which are Christs ear-rings bracelets and jewels to be more taken up with Christ than with them He that holds not wholly with Christ doth very shamefully neglect Christ Aut totum mecum tene aut totum omitte Grego Nazien Christ and his Mediatory righteousness should be more in a Christians eye and always lye nearer to a Christians heart than inherent righteousness Grace is a ring of gold and Christ is the sparkling diamond in that ring Now what 's the ring to the sparkling diamond 'T is not safe to pore more upon inherent righteousness than upon imputed righteousness 'T is not wisdom to have our thoughts and hearts more taken up with our gracious dispositions and gracious actings than with the person of Christ the righteousness of Christ the life of Christ the death of Christ the satisfaction of Christ c. Dear Christians was it Christ or was it your graces or your gracious evidences or your gracious dispositions or your gracious actings that trod the wine-press of your Fathers wrath that satisfied divine justice that pacified divine anger that did bear the curse that fulfill'd the Law that brought in an everlasting righteousness that discharged your debts that procured you pardon that made your peace and that brought you into a state of favour and friendship with God If you answer as you must none but Christ none but Christ O then let your thoughts and hearts be firstly mostly chiefly and lastly taken up with the Lord Jesus Though inherent grace be a glorious creature yet 't is but a creature Now when your thoughts and hearts are more taken up with inherent grace than they are with Christ the spring and fountain of all grace you make an idol of inherent grace John 1.16 Col. 2.2 3. and reflect dishonour upon the Lord Jesus A Christian may lawfully look upon his graces and his gracious evidences and a Christian ought to be much in blessing and praising of God for his graces and gracious evidences and a Christian may safely take comfort in his graces and gracious evidences as they are the fruits of God's eternal and unchangable love Isa 38.3 2 Cor. 1.12 but still his work should be to live upon Christ and to lift up Christ above all 'T is Christ 't is his Mediatory righteousness 't is free-grace that a Christian ought to make the
despair endeavouring to be her own executioner but was comforted by that blessed promise Isa 57.15 For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of an humble and contrite spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones And I have read of another man who being ready to dye Lord saith he I challenge thee by that promise Mat. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest and so was comforted And I have read of some others that were comforted with that promise â—â—rsin and Beza John 10.29 None shall pluck them out of my fathers hand And I have read of another who having deeply wounded his conscience by subscribing to Popish errors was much comforted by that blessed Scripture 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief And I have read of another Mr. Bilney the Martyr Psal 51.17 A broken and a contrite heart O God thou thou wilt not despise This promise was a cordial to Bernard on his dying bed he dyed with this promise in his mouth And Austin found so much sweetness in the same promise that he caused it to be written on the wall over against his bed where he lay sick and dyed who was much comforted under sore distresses by that promise Isa 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace or as the Hebrew runs Shalom Shalom peace peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee And many have gone to heaven triumphantly by the refreshing and comfort that they have found in these following Scriptures John 6.37 All that the father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Isa 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price Ver. 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 And so Rev. 22.17 And the Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that heareth say come and let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely So Hos 14.4 I will heal their back-slidings and love them freely So Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy trangressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins Isa 57.18 I have seen his wayes and will heal him I will lead him also and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners Ver. 19. I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is far off and to him that is near saith the Lord and I will heal him O these have been comforting promises and upholding promises and refreshing promises The promises are pabulum fidei c. anima fidei the food of faith and the soul of faith to many doubting drooping souls 'T is impossible that such a soul should ever drop into hell that can cling fast to any of these promises that can hang upon any of these promises that can rest and lay the weight of their souls upon Christ in any of these promises Doubtless relyance upon Christ in these precious promises hath ferried many poor doubting trembling souls to heaven The promise is the golden Cabinet and Christ is the costly jewel that is laid up in it The promise is the field and Christ is the pearl of price that is hid in it all the promises they point to Christ they lead to Christ they hang upon Christ 2 Cor. 1.20 All the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen In the new Covenant God neither makes any promises nor fulfils any promises of salvation but in Christ and through Christ Now when any fears or darkness or doubts or disputes arises in your souls about your spiritual estates Oh! then run to Christ in the promise and plead the promise and hang upon the breasts of the promise and let your souls cleave closs to the promise for this is the way of wayes to have your evidences cleared your comforts restored your peace maintained your graces strengthned and your assurance raised and confirmed FINIS Books Printed and are to be sold by John Hankock at his Shop over against Gresham Colledge in Bishopsgate-street next to the White Lyon at Great St. Hellins Gate and at the first Shop in Popes-head-Alley next to Cornhil at the Sign of the Three Bibles ELeven Books lately published by Mr. Thomas Brooks late Preacher of the Gospel at Margarets New-Fish-Street 1 Precious Remedies against Satans Devices Or Salve for Believers and Unbelievers sores being a companion for those that are in Christ or out of Christ that slight or neglect Ordinances under a pretence of living above them that are growing in spirituals or decaying that are tempted or deserted afflicted or opposed that have assurance or want it on 2 Cor. 2.11 2 Heaven on Earth Or A serious Discourse touching a well grounded Assurance of mans everlasting happiness and blesseâ—â—ess discovering the nature of assurance the possibility of attaining it the Causes Springs and Degrees of it with the resolution of several weighty Questions on the 8. of the Romans 32 33 34. verses 3 The unsearchable Riches of Christ Or Meat for strong Men and Milk for Babes held forth in two and twenty Sermons from Ephes 3.8 Preached on his Lecture-nights at Fish-street-hill 4 His Apples of Gold for young Men and and Women And A Crown of Glory for Old men and Women Or the Happiness of being Good betimes and the Honour of being an Old Disciple clearly and fully discovered and closely and faithfully applyed With the young mans objections answered and the old mans doubts resolved 5 A String of Pearls Or The best things reserved till last delivered in a Sermon Preached in London June 8. 1657. at the Funeral of that Triumphant Saint Mrs. Mary Blake late Wife to his worthy Friend Mr. Nicholas Blake Merchant 6 The Mute Christian with Soveraign Antidotes against the most miserable Exigents Or A Christian with an Olive-leaf in his mouth when he is under the greatest afflictions the sharpest and sorest trials and troubles the saddest and darkest providences and changes with Answers to divers Questions and Objections that are of great importance all tending to win and work souls to be still quiet calm and silent under all changes that have or that may pass upon them in â—his world c. Lately printed and dedicated to all afflicted distressed dissatisfied disquieted and discomposed Christians throughout the world 7 An Ark for all Gods Noahs in a stormy day Wherein is shewed the transcendent excellency of a Believers portion on Lament 3.24 8 The Crown and Glory of Christianity Or Holiness the only way to Happiness discovered in 48. Sermons on Heb. 12.14 9 The Privy Key of Heaven Or A Discourse of Closet-Prayer Twenty Arguments for it with the resolution of several Questions c. 10. A Heavenly Cordial for all that have had or have escaped the Plague c. 11 Newly published A Cabinet of choice Jewels or a Box of precious Ointment Being a plain Discovery of what men are worth for Eternity and how 't is like to go with them in another World There is now in the Press a New Treatise written by Mr. Thomas Brooks called Londons Lamentations Or A sober serious discourse concerning the late fiery dispensation wherein the procuring causes and the final causes of that dreadful dispensation are laid open with the duties that are incumbent both upon those who have been burnt up and upon those who have escaped those consuming flames with thirteen supports to bear up the hearts of such as have been sufferers Here are many great Objections answered and many weighty Questions resolved and variety of Arguments to prove that a little that the righteous man hath is better than the riches of the wicked with several other points of grand importance all tending to the cooling quieting setling refreshing upholding and comforting of all that have been sufferers by the late fiery calamity The Godly Mans Ark Or City of Refuge in the day of his distress discovered in divers Sermons The first of which was Preached at the Funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth Moor. Whereunto are annexed Mrs. Moors Evidences for Heaven composed and collected by her in the time of her health for her comfort in the time of sickness By Edmund Calamy B. D. and Pastor of the Church at Aldermanbury A Book of Short-Writing the most easie exact lineal and speedy method fitted to the meanest capacity composed by Master Theophilus Metcalf Professor of the said Art Also a School-master explaining the Rules of the said Book with many new additions very useful Another Book of Short-hand by Tho. Cross A Copy-book of the newest and most useful Hands with Rules whereby those that can read may quickly learn to write To which is added brief directions for true spelling and Cyphering and making divers sorts of Ink. There is now in the Press ready to be published an excellent new Book of Mr. Ralph Vennings entituled Sin the Plague of Plagues or Sinful â—on the worst â—f Evils All Printed for and are to be sold by John Hancock at the first Shop in Popes-Head-Alley in Cornhil at the sign of the three Bibles or at his Shop in Bishops-Gate-Street near great St. Hellins over against Gresham-Colledge 1669. FINIS
Statutes alway even to the end Ver. 33. Teach me O Lord the way of thy Statutes and I shall keep it unto the end Job 17.9 The righteous shall hold on his way and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger So Isa 40.29 30 31. Job 2.3 Mark the renewed man hath at all times a desire to fear the name of the Lord Neh. 1.11 A will to live honestly at all times Heb. 13.18 And it hath some endeavours and exercise of Spirit to keep always a conscience void of offence towards God and men Acts 24.16 The Israelites in their marches toward the holy Land were many times interrupted by divers enemies but yet they advanced in their course as soon as they could get rid of their enemies So though the believer be many times interrupted in the course of his obedience by many fierce temptations and strange working of corruptions yet after the temptation is over the believer returns to the course of obediencâ— with greater forwardness 2 Cor. 7.1 and with redoubled strength and courage and in the end perfects his course of holiness in the fear of the Lord. Mark the appearing motion and walking of an unregenerate man in a way of righteousness and holiness is but artificial from the engine of hypocrisie and self-interest like the flying of Arâ—hitus his artificial Dove and therefore having no inward principle of life it enâ—â—â—eth not but the motion and walking of a man renewed by grace in wayes of holiness and righteousness is like the natural living motion of birds it continues as long as life continues and as every thing in motion the nearer it comes to the center the more swiftly it moves So the nearer the believer through time to his rest in heaven the more propense he is in all his motions towards God he forge is the things that are behind and reacheth forth unto those things that are before Phil. 3.13 That obedience that springs from faith is a fixed and resolved obedience like Davids worthies it will break through an host of Philistines through an Army of difficulties impediments and discouragements that it may be found doing the will of God To make this a little more clearly and fully out observe with me these few things First No contrary commands of men shall take this man off from his obedience to the commands of God Acts 4.19 Chap. 5.29 c. Secondly No stream of evil examples no current of corrupt times shall bear them down in wayes of obedience Josh 24.15 I and my houshold will serve the Lord though all Israel should serve Idols And Noah was upright with God and walked with God in his generation when the whole world was overspread with violence and all flesh had corrupted their wayes Gen. 6.9 Chap. 7.1 Thirdly No worldly profit or advantage shall bribe this man from his obedience Heb. 11.8 Abraham will obey and follow God though he forsakes all the benefits and contentments of his native Countrey and of his Father's house not knowing where his lot should fall c. Fourthly No carnal disputes or reasonings with flesh and bloud shall disswade him from his obedience Heb. 11.7 Noah might have raised many objections against that strange attempt of building an Ark a work of an hundred and twenty years continuance but Noah waves all disputes and falls upon building of the Ark according to the command of God So Paul as soon as he was converted he was commanded by God to preach to the Gentiles he might have made abundance of objections against that service but instead of objecting he falls closs to his Master's work and never consults with flesh and bloud Gal. 1.15 16 17. Fifthly No floud of natural affection shall hinder them in the way of their obedience When God commanded Abraham to offer up Isaac as a Burnt-Offering he goes about it readily and never acquaints Sarah with it lest she should have hindered him in his obedience and he goes three dayes journey to effect it Gen. 22. compared with Heb. 11.17 18 19. When God commands Abraham will not stick at it though it be to offer up a Son a natural Son and not an adopted son an only Son and not one of many a Son of the Free-woman and not of the Bond-woman a Son of his old age a Son of the Promise a Son in whom all the Nations of the earth should be blessed a Son of his love and delight a Son that made the good old man laugh and be merry Isaac signifies laughter a Son that was grown up to some years witness the Wood of the Burnt offering that he laid upon him Gen. 22.6 7. And this was the commendation of Levi By Urim and Thummim some understand sincerity of life and soundness of doctrine Deut. 33.8 9. And of Levi he said let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one Urim and Thummim signify light and perfection according to their best derivation in the Hebrew tongue and they are here put in the plural number lights and perfections to note the plenty as well as the excellency of divine Graces whom thou didst prove at Massah and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah Who said unto his Father and to his Mother I have not seen him neither did he acknowledg his Brethren nor knew his own children This relates to that Heroical fact of the Levites Exod. 32.26.29 when at the commandment of Moses they slew their Idolatrous Brethren that had Worshipped the Golden Calf not sparing those that were most nearest allyed to them but did execute Gods Judgments upon Parents Brethren and Children as if they had been meer strangers to them the Levites were so impartial in Gods cause as not to acknowledg either Father or Mother Brother or Children against his Command Natural affections are strong but supernatural obedience is stronger Some have well observed that the Married Martyrs who were Parents of many children as Rogers Watts Guest Rawlins c. suffered with most alacrity Sixthly No terrors no threats no reproaches no afflâ—ctions no oppositions no persecutions no bonds no banishments no dangers no deaths shall deter them or affright them from their obedience as will evidently appear by comparing of these Scriptures together Psal 44.16 to 21. Acts 20.23 24. Acts 21.12 13. and chap. 24.14 Dan. 3.14 19. Rev. 12.11 This is most evident in the Histories of the ten Persecutions and in all other Histories both of a former and a later date c. Physicians observe a difference 'twixt the natural and preter-natural heat in mens bodies the preter-natural heat which ariseth from distemper may be more for the present but as it exceeds for measure so it abates for time because the natural heat is a more equal and moderate and durable heat every part hath an equal share and it is not extream and yet it continues Thus it is with Hypocrites and upright persons in the matter of obedience The hypocrite may in a